Good morning, Chicklets~~

Good news for me to report...I'm DOWN another pound! A new low to 178!!

I tell ya, those little tips I shared the other day really DO work!! That...and you can't eat like a Percheron if you're built like a Shetland Pony.

So, what's happening on your stretch of the sand?

Over here, our governor has graciously given us a month-long holiday from paying our gasoline taxes...that should save us about $.15 a gallon at the pump. But I think it will take a few days for the prices to reflect it...yesterday we were still looking at between $3.15 and #3.20 a gallon.

I finally got some much needed rest/sleep and my fibro flare has subsided quite a bit. Still don't want to tempt fate, so I'm going to behave myself and not over-do it this weekend.

I'm hoping I'll get some writing done and I'd like to play with dye since we have warm sunny DRY weather for a change.

Okay, tea is brewed...would you like milk or lemon?

Make Mine High Test Cawfee.. with a spleech of 1/2 and 1/2, tich of Splenda .. Thank you! That's wonderful Mamacita One more pound is one less to loose!..I'm gonna have ta do a search for your tips..I need them
DH got all the pictures hung in our new nest and things are starting to shape up nicely... We're going to work on the yard todayand maybe I can persuade him to do a little exploring ..There's a few lakes and nature trails all within 10 miles of here.. where we can do a little hiking and maybe get the kayaks in ...
All work and no play is making me a cranky girl!

PS Mama, I found your tips... Twice a day ( I do mid morning and late afternoon) take a level tablespoon of sugarfree Metamucil. ....Is that straight or do you mix it with water... hmmm and hot lemon water? Ok I'm game! I'll give it a go!

Good morning, Mamacita! Thanks for making tea 'cuz I really need it today! Good for your Guv witht eh tax relief. We are paying $1.29 a litre which converts to C$4.88 a gallon and we don't even get our gas from you guys!

My neighbours partied on their deck from 1 until 3 last night. What a ruckus! Even the Girls were woofing at the noise. I won't complain because they are usually very quiet and were having a sort of family funfest after a concert at the Park.

This morning I have to throw together a blueberry pie to take to The Island this afternoon. My boat taxi comes at 3 to take me up for an early dinner. I hope to be home well before 8 as coming down the Lake at night is pretty scary. I'm thinking of taking Hershey with me as she'll enjoy the freedom to roam and the chance to swim. Miss Lucy will have to stay home because of her delicate condition.

Looks like a lovely day coming up to start the long weekend! Enjoy!

Morning Chicks !

Mamacita -I'd like my tea with milk please! Congrats on your continuing loss - 178 must feel great!
I wish they would give us a tax holiday on gas - at around $7 a gallon in most places its a killer and around 80% of that is tax.

Well its a gorgeous day here - temps mid 70's (mid 20's C for our metric chicks) and a light breeze and just perfect. We've had a fabulous summer - but I must say I do love the Autumn time. All of my fruit trees are dropping right now - plums, damsons and apples. I dont collect them, just live them on the ground for the winged and furry creatures to help themselves to.
September is an odd month here. It can still be summer right to the end of the month, or it can turn really cold with night frosts and such.Hopefully summer will linger right through to the end of the month.

Have a great day on the beach Chicks!

Um ok how did that happen? Ruth and Schatzi were definitely not here when I posted just now. <shakes head>

So sorry ladies - Good Morning to both of you! Schatzi - getting pictures up and so on does start to make it feel cosy and like home doesnt it?
Ruth I am drooling at the thought of your blueberry pie - how do you manage not to eat the whole thing?

Good morning Schatzi...I can relate to the all work and no play stuff. I get positively WITCHY if I'm forced to be more productive than I think is fair!

I can't find where I posted my tips. But it's simple, really...

1. Start the day with a honkin' big glass of hot water with the juice of half a lemon or lime squeezed into it (that's about 1 Tablespoon). Anyone with gallbladder problems will quickly appreciate this. It seems to help emulsify the fats and gets them moving along and out of the body faster.

2. Eat a minimum of 4 Cups of Veggies every day. I'm not that fond of salads, except when I get a craving for them, so my Amazing Veggie Soup is a lifesaver. That and grilled squash.

3. Drink Your Water. Your skin, joints and digestive tract will love you for it. If you don't like water, try doing what I did for a couple of weeks...buy UNSWEETENED cranberry juice...you can find it in the natural foods section of your grocery store and it's expensive...dilute it down to about 1 part juice to 8 parts water. Drink it. Your body will love you for it. If it's too sour, dilute it down even more to 1 part juice to 10 parts water.

4. Twice a day take a dose of Sugar Free Metamucil ( I do mid-morning and just before dinner) This helps me feel full and keeps things working smoothly, IYKWIM.

5. Move Your Butt. Even if you just march in place to some music in the privacy of your bedroom for 20 minutes it's better than being a slug.

6. Learn Portion Control. Like I said, you can't eat like a Percheron if you're built like a Shetland Pony.

7. If you've simply GOT to eat that piece of Godiva Chocolate--eat it and get it over with...don't keep eating other stuff to try and stop the craving...you'll only end up eating more calories/carbs/fats/junk and not be satisfied anyway... And don't beat yourself up about it. Just go on from there and be mindful of your indulgence with extra diligence the next day or so.

Good morning Ruth and Atemis--

Ruth the water taxi sounds like so much fun!! Hope you and Hershey have a great time today!

Artemis--We're trying to get a tax revolution going here...overthrowing the Internal Revenue in favor of a National Retail Sales Tax. Wouldn't it be lovely if you could do the same thing over there??? No more income tax, no more VAT, no more whatever other hidden taxes they keep opening your veins for! Sorry couldn't help the vampire alliteration!

Mamacita--thanks for reposting your tips! I found a piece of them but not all these words of wisdom...BTW, I now have all the ingredients for your supersoup..will let you know how it turns out!

Artemis! DAHLINK..you asked me if I was doing FlyLady... I heard of the site on this forum and did a "fly by" to the web... Ah a lady after my own heart..and as I have done the decluttering..I will now work on the top to bottom cleaning list..(I downloaded all the "zones")

GADZOOKS y'all!! 4 and 7 dollars a gallon!!! We're up to over 3 here... apparently NC gets their gas from those Louisiana pipelines..and the gouging has begun!

Artemis, What part of England do you call home? My Dad's family hails from a place that technically no longer exists, having been absorbed when the counties were re-arranged...but the closest city is Bolton, Lancashire.

I've been over there 3 times now and have loved every trip more than the previous...can't wait to get back again sometime.

Good morning, girls!
What are you all doing up so early!?

Mamacita, congratulations on the pound! Sounds like you've got a good weekend planned. I missed your tips... I'll have to go back and look for them, because I NEED some!

Schatzi, hiking and boating... how nice. I'll bet you get a lot of stress relief from doing that.

Ruth, I'm glad I'm not your neighbour... I'd be twice my size with all the baking and cooking you do. A boat taxi, eh? Cool!

Artemis, you're having lovely weather! So are we... I love the autumn, too. It's my favourite time of year.

Oh! There are the tips! Thank you, Mamacita.
Thank you for the support people gave me this week re: the two pounds I've gained, DESPITE walking an hour every day this week and eating better. sigh. The scale still reads the same.
I haven't been using Fitday this week... been too busy. I'd better start up with that again this weekend...

Mamacita, you know what would be nice? If those who AREN'T paying enough income tax would PAY it! The corporations hide behind tax shelters and write-offs. The rich stay rich, while the rest of us suffer from lack of funding for social programs, etc. The vampire alliteration is SO you, darling.

I'm going to catch up on the news I've missed this week... back in a bit...

Good morning, Ellis--

Don't get discouraged about the scale not budging...it will...it's taken me a MONTH to lose that pound!!

On the subject of taxes...that's why I'm so amped about this Fair Tax thing...it's FAIR... no one can hide from it unless they hole up in a cave somewhere and totally live off the land. Every gallon of milk they buy, every new car, every diamond ring...it all contributes to the coffers.

Mamacita, that tax sounds like a good idea to me. We have similar taxes here. A "Goods and Service Tax". People complain about it, but if you're going to consume, you're going to pay for it, and as far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing.

Heather! You have a concussion!?! What have I missed? You poor darling... get better soon, hon.

Pearshape, I'm glad you're catching up on your sleep. There's nothing worse than being sleep-deprived.
Get back on track with your eating today, girl!!

Laurie, how was the Mark Twain tour? Today I'll be making bedroom curtains. Please notice them when you come for a visit.

Little Chick, I'm glad you've got the weekend off, because you sound FRAZZLED, girl! Hey, only three days to go!! I wonder if I go running shoe shopping today, if it'll be a zoo out there... nothing like leaving things to the last minute.

Weezle, that's great news that Terry is going to be "Beaching" with you! I hope it goes well.

Dana, sounds like you're well on your way to impressing your relatives come Thanksgiving! Keep it up, girl!

Barb1037, take care of that cold, hon. Get lots of rest this weekend...

Kyemom, continued prayers for your Mom. As you said, thank God she's alive. So many sad stories...

Sweet Tea, you're sick, too, hon! Have a wonderful weekend with your Mom... how blessed you are to have such a good relationship with her.

Candy, congratulations on the 9 pounds!!

Beach Bum, that's great news about your son!! What a relief, eh?

Fl_Mom, I'm so glad to hear that your MIL is doing better. Please keep us posted, hon.

RNMom, WHAT is all this talk about CHRISTMAS!?!? You're putting me in a panic, darling.

That is so cute!!

Susi, how are you doing? The weight loss is going great for you, hon!

I have MAJOR cleaning plans this weekend. This house has got to be shipshape for the start of school this coming week.
And I'm going to cook some make-ahead meals so I'm not floundering (actually, I never flounder. I just call for take-out) for dinner ideas during the week.

Morning chicks....what a chatty bunch we have here this morning. Today was my day to sleep in. HA. DH calls me at 7:30 to tell me nothing really....so I go crawl back in bed nice and toasty start to drift off again.... and he calls again.GRRRRR. Oh well I am up and showered and dressed. Waiting for dd to hurry up. We are off shopping she needs a few more pairs of jeans and both girls need sneakers. Ellis I guess I am a last minute girl like you. Ususally I don't like to head out shopping but I am thinking that most of the city is either at the Stones concert in Moncton or they will be heading to the fair.
Well I guess I need to run dd is ready and we must dash I will post to you all later. Our gas here is 1.39 per liter. And they say it will be going up again maybe. We have an oil refinery right here in Saint John go figure. Well chicks really got to dash dd is ready to fly.

Neither, please, Mamacita - I like my tea black and unsweetened, like my coffee. Congrats on the weight loss!

Ellis - Enjoy your nice clean house when you are all done! As for me, DS used my skull as a pounding table for his forehead. He has a really hard skull, and judging from the symptoms, I had a minor concussion. I'm not big on going to the dr's, so no official yea or nay. But I had nausea and dizziness, as well as a splitting headache (which is now much better but still persisting). Not the end of the world - SIL apparently broke MIL's collarbone once in much the same way when she was younger than DS. Oh, these children!

Ruth - have a fun time! Mmmm, blueberry pie! I hope you can sleep okay tonight.

Artemis - I love fall too! Well, honestly, I love all the seasons - I get tired of each one just as the next one is around the corner. So now I'm ready for autumn! Simmering kettles of soups and stews, the rustle of dry leaves blowing in the breeze (mighty stiff breezes, too, where I live, a few blocks off the Sound!), thunderstorms and windstorms, and fireworks on every deciduous tree!

Schatzi - have fun exploring! What is "FlyLady"?

Marianna - have fun at your festival!