Hello?
Hello, anybody out there?
It's funny to be the first one to post on a new thread.

Nah, Angela, I haven't been to her new place. They just moved in last month. I literally couldn't drive down their street in my little truck, and she wouldn't want to drive the 12 miles to the truck stop to pick me up (not that I wouldn't be terrified to ride with her anyway ). She swears it's an hour drive, even though it's a 45 zone with NO stoplights. She's a silly old bird. Sometimes I just have to call my sister and say "YOUR mother ...."

Please cross your fingers for me that we get a load going home, and that a little boy back there is about to get a wonderful horse to ride this summer as soon as I can deliver it.

I was just looking on-line for jobs at home. Scary. Very scary, this job hunting. Barbara, they're hiring at your place aren't they??

Good morning everyone!

I spent Saturday night in Canton babysitting, got home Sunday at about 3:30, then had to leave immediately for some family thing in the little town I grew up in. Had a very OP dinner, enjoyed the time (though the acoustics at this particular restaurant are the worst I have ever been around), with my brother and nieces and their families, then came home and promptly fell asleep before 8:30!! So now I'm wide awake--I feel for ya' Angela!! It's easy for me to get onto really goofy sleep schedules, too. Now, if my dear niece had not sent her Aunt Charlotte home with 6 baggies of homemade cookies, I almost had a great day!!

I missed both Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy tonight. Did anyone catch either?

Valerie~~You are too funny describing your mom!! And watch those tee shirts you wear, you hear Missy??!! I can't imagine living is such a restrictive place as that, especially for a relaxing retirement! But, I guess to each her own, huh? I just hope she keeps that grass under control!

Lesley~~How was dh's birthday dinner? I love beef too, so I'm imagining drooling over a nice, well done filet. Yummmmm.

Terri~~I'm so sorry about this mess you're in the middle of with this house situation. I'd imagine I wouldn't been sleeping, either. Does sounds like a plan though, putting down the small down payment on the rental. Great idea. There are ribs under our shoulder blades? Geez, you can see I didn't do well in anatomy. Never would've thought that. I thought ribs are protecting the lungs. I guess I've learned my new thing for today already.

Sue~~Krista sounds like a great kid. How old is she? Did the speech go well? What Not to Wear is my dd's favorite show too! How did the shopping go? Congatulations--your dd sounds like a very lovely young lady.

Michelle~~It sounds like you had a fun weekend with your ds. The weather in NC at this time of year is really beautiful--but you can keep your summers!!

Thin~~Wow--what a great week you have coming up on you. Have a wonderful time in Niagara Falls. We haven't been there is a long time--that would be a great weekend trip. It's hard to take off with our pug though--he does not do well in a car, or really in any kind of situation that he's never been though before, so travelling with him is pretty much out of the question. What does hour dh do, Thin, that requires him to travel like he does? I'm sure you're not looking forward to next week, but like Barbara said, you get to spend more time here!!

Will do the rest of my replies later--my eyes are getting droopy again, and I don't want to lose this post!

You all are my inspiration!

Charlotte

It' Monday morning and I'm off to start a new week at work. Can't wait to see what the new week brings. And Valerie, YES if there's not an opening today,just wait a week, and I'm sure we will have a place for you.

Hope everyone has a great OP week.

Hi gang, nothing exciting happening here in IA, especially on my scale. DH and I really squabble over the scales these days. It's one of those talking scales. First, he would get up at 5:30 or whatever time he happened to wake up and get on it, waking me up. Now he carries it into another room but I can't help but wonder if that changes the weight every time he moves it, sigh. Geez, I wish I wasn't such an "easy keeper."

MTM, so sorry about your kitty. RE steaks: I usually get ribeye but any lean steak if they don't have ribeye.

Terri, my prayers are with you--moving is the pits. (So why have I been eyeballing a house that came on the market last week!?)

Catch ya all later!! BJF

Good Morning Ladies!

Thought I might try a real post, instead of a fly-by but I doubt I'll get much done. We'll see.

I'm at home today. It's Harry Truman's birthday and a holiday for the
State! Gotta love those obscure state holidays. DH and DS are both gone - to work and school - and I have the house to myself. I think I'll try to get some office work done soon...gonna need another cup of coffee first.

Angela: I actually talked to the landlord for my friend...she won't budge.
Her alleged violations are: 1 - they have two kittens. She said that they were only supposed to be temporary, but when they first got them (strays) she asked if they named them and then said "Once you name them you have to keep them." My friend thought that meant that she could keep them - who wouldn't? So she didn't get rid of them yet. (Not to mention that the LL had cats when she lived there.) 2 - I have a utility trailer parked there cause they have a bigger spot than I do at my house. I've checked the lease...no rule against utility trailers, only RV's or campers. Besides, she knew it was there because we were trying to sell it, we moved it off the road in the winter and just didn't take it back. So we'll move it...no problem. 3 - they are supposed to pay for repairs to the place and they've called her a few times...but the lease says they have to get written permission for any repair of over $50. 4 - late rent payments. They've been late 5 times. three times was because they couldn't find her to give it to her and the lease says hand-deliver it because if it's mailed and the mail is late then it's the tenants fault. She got all her money, never more than a week late, and she has no grounds to kick them out for that either. I even offered to set up an auto withdrawal so that the money goes right into her checking account from theirs. She wouldn't do it. Fact is, she just wants them out and that's all there is to it. I suspect she wants to sell it and knows it'll sell faster without a tenant in it. Frankly, my friend would be a lot better about moving if the woman was just honest with her.

Valerie - the whole t-shirt thing just blows me away! I just can't even imagine! I like the horse idea...but you should make sure to do it Lady Godiva style...you could probably open up a few houses fast!!!

Lesley - Hello my British friend! Happy Birthday to your hubby. Mine's 40th is this year and I keep wondering what to get him. My 40 was a blast so I want his to be special too. Congrats on the pound down! Is it nice this time of year in your part of the world? I keep watching English gardening shows while home this past week...but you never know when they were filmed.

MTM - Great job on the 2x2!!! All that exercise sure is working, huh?

Thin - You too, obviously~ What great losses! Is there a special occasion for the Niagra Falls trip? I think it sounds like a blast and lovely this time of year.

Sue - Proud you should be! Congrats to your daughter...how was that shopping trip?

Bridget - A talking scale! Its bad enough to READ those numbers - the last thing I want is to have them shouted out for the world to hear!

Terri - My thoughts are with you on the moving thing. I have to admit - I LOVE house hunting! But then I never did it with a deadline before...I always found a place and then moved after I decided to to...not had to move and then started looking. I hope this week is better than the rest for you.

Ruth - How's it going?

Michelle - Kids are great when they're little! Wait until he's 11 - then they are just LOUD! Just kidding - I'm sure that you are a more patient mom than me.

Well all, I'm not gonna get replies to everyone. I tried, but I know I've missed ladies. If I did, consider this a big, generic HI!!!

I weighed this morning to a surprize...the scale said 240! I'm rather pleased given all the junk I've eaten...we'll see what the offical scale says on Wednesday! Right now, I best get that coffee and get busy!

Love you you all!

Just peeking in. Sorry.

On the subject of steaks: Rib-eye's are not lean cuts. They have too much fat marblized into them. Delicious, but not lean. The leaner cuts are sirloin, then top round, then bottom round. You know, the ones that need a little marinade.......low fat/low sodium, of course.

Gotta run. I'm in-between jobs. Just came home to use my own potty.

See ya later.

OH HORROR OF HORRORS, LILION!! I wish I could believe that you just meant handing out expensive gold-wrapped chocolates along the route! - Godiva style, indeed!

As for your friends LL - May she have need of the Roto-Rooter man 32 days after your friend moves out!! What a jerk.

Hi everyone else. I'm off to the tack store - there's a great one here in SLC!

Good afternoon, all!
Wow, let's see:

Valerie: DH has started job hunting, as well. He's working in Ann Arbor, cause that's where DD's school is, but he wants to work closer to the house, at least for the summer. It's scary out there, but I believe he'll find something ( ).

Lilion - So sorry for your friend - maybe, someday she can build herself a house like this one, with no landlady!

MTM - kitty loss = so sad! Both my senior citizen (17 yr old) kitties died when I was pregnant with Krista - I felt like somehow I had abandoned them the last few years, but fortunately, they both liked DH, so I know that wasn't true.
In fact, I watched both Grey's Anatomy and Desparate Housewives. Very high on my favorites scale - let's see, ABC has a downloadable replay, because I'd hate to spoil the DH episode for you - it was good! GA was girls being *****es - I sympathize with the fatter surgeon, I guess, and a real tearjerker of an episode. If you want details, I'll send off line.

About the shopping - Krista is major body self-conscious. I insisted she buy something that wasn't baggy or ugly - we went to Dress Barn, and got her a lovely A-line skirt, about mid-calf, and a top that made her figure look beautiful. She explained that she'd wear it, but that she hated me. So I bought her a pair of red sandals to go with, and got her hair trimmed and blown out. Very curly.
We had lunch out as well.
Got to the silent auction - after about 20 people complimented her on how pretty she looked in the first ten minutes, she admitted that I had some taste.
Her speech went very well - she'd worked with other people writing it, and had rehearsed it several times, and you could tell she "got" some people. This school is so important to many of us parents, because there's almost nowhere else in the country like it - the teachers do a wonderful job, and many of the kids progress 6 or more years worth in one year. And many of these kids, who might have dropped out of HS because public schools don't work for them, go to college, or into apprenticeship programs, and end up as successful, functioning adults.
It was funny, listening to her, because her voice sounds just like mine, and she uses many of my speech inflections, but I heard my mother - who's been dead about 30 yrs, and who had the same voice. Very stong female genes on her side of the family - we all look alike, too.

We bought an hour consultation with an estate lawyer, to see about trusts and such. This was a win-win.

The school raised over $30,000 - which isn't enough, but it'll help. This weekend is the rummage sale.

The food was tasty, but deadly - cheese, and cream puffs, and a chocolate fountain. I mostly stayed away, and ate a can of soup when we got home.

I've lost another 3 pounds - I was beginning to think I was stuck at 260 forever, but I am really down to 255 since the challenge.

Well, gotta go swim. Last night we went for a long walk in a park with dog and DH. This is one of the best Michigan springs I can remember.

Take care, all

Sue

Sue - HUGE CONGRATS on being down another 5 pounds! That's terrific!!

Evening all!!

Had a pretty good day so far--did the exercise, stayed OP food-wise. Now, to get through the night without going nuts. Therein lies my biggest problem.

I had to have my dryer fixed today--the repairman was here 15 minutes, and I'm being generous there, $96. Come on!!! Charged $53 to pull into my driveway??? Part was $30--yeah, right--and he had the nerve to charge $9 for labor?? Ooooh, I'm not happy. I just wish my husband would try to fix this stuff--he is about the most... Once I get this leg of mine healed up, I'm going to have to start doing some of these things myself. I just can't stand to pay out this kind of money for something so simple.

BJF~~So about how thin do you ask the butcher to slice the steak? I think I'm going to go to a meat shop tomorrow and get some ground turkey breast, so I may as well try the steaks then, too. How do you cook it then? Grill, George? This meat shop will grind me a turkey breast for just the price of the meat, no extra. But do you guys think the breast would be too dry? Any suggestions? And the talking scale? Lillion's right!! Can you mute the thing? Or maybe this--!!

Lillion~~That landlord definitely sounds like she's got plans for that home. What a shame for your friend. I agree with Valerie--may she get a nice expensive visit from the Roto-Rooter man! Sounds like she deserves it. And to you on your four pound loss!! Great job!!

Valerie~~I like Lillion's Lady Godiva idea too. Give it a try, and post some pics for us, ok? How was the tack store? Sounds like your spirits are lifting--I'm so glad for you!

Thin~~Thanks for the information on the steaks--I'll ask for the sirloin tomorrow. Any ideas on my turkey question?

Sue~~Thanks for information on DH--I'll be checking out the ABC site tomorrow morning--my eyes are getting tired already. I've had a couple rough nights sleeping lately. I believe next week is the last new episodes of each of those until next season. Can you imagine--the season is over already?? Sounds like Krista had a wonderful time--isn't it funny how dd's sound like their mom's? I've also noticed the older I get, the more I look like my mother!! I swear sometimes when I look in a mirror it's my mother looking back at me! And to you too on the 3 pound loss!! Hard work, I know!! My dd just said the other day how beautiful this spring has been here in Ohio, too. Just gorgeous.

Everyone that hasn't checked in today,

Thanks for all the thoughts on my Spike. Tomorrow I need to pick up his ashes--it's going to be another sad day, but I know he was in pain and I did the right thing.

Charlotte

Hi ladies,

I'm here! I changed my email on 3FC and had trouble getting reactivated so that I could post. **Thanks Thin and Suzanne!** All fixed now.

Okay, so where do we stand on a place to live? Seriously, this is really sad and pathetic. Its a buyers market and we can't buy a frickin' house! Talked to the owner of the manufactured home place. The real bid for construction was $25K higher than the sales person told us. Well, he made an unfortunate mistake. Can you spell..bait and switch? The owner offered that we should go back and pick out something we really could afford if we couldn't do the extra $25K. I offered that he should get off the property. We were both crushed. We decided that no way in this lifetime would we deal with them again, we went to another place. Picked something out that we liked but can't get a bottom line figure without take 2-3 weeks to get all the bids put together. We have to know something more concrete than that. After all this, we cannot take anymore emotional rollercoaster. We decide than that maybe that isn't the right direction after all. The land guy had offered our money back since he screwed up about the zoning status. We decided to do that since it would be at least end of June before we can even know if that worked and with the way things have been working for us, we're afraid of the possibility of it not. We got an email from the realtor about another possibility of a house and I really liked what I saw. We got to see it Sunday night and loved it. Needs work but loved the setting and the property. I had already come to the conclusion that I should sell four horses if the horses were keeping us from being able to find a place to live. We put an offer on the place last night. The first sign of trouble was that the covenants say only one horse and I was keeping two with one in the oven. But a neighbor two houses down has two horses on their lot and there is no active homeowners group so who would complain? Okay, made the offer anyway and we knocked of $10K for all the work that needs done. All we asked of the guy was to have it professionally cleaned (smoker) and clear off the jungle he let grow up around the deck. We also gave him one day to accept, decline or counter. His selling agent informed Sherri that he is working two jobs and she didn't know when they would be able to get together to discuss the offer and with him working two jobs there is no way he has time to do the work we asked and she didn't think there was any way he'd take the dollar amount. That just flattened me again. The house has been on the market since 2/1 with no offers and he just lost the contingency on the other home because he hadn't sold his. He certainly doesn't seem too motivated to sell. Jackass. We're waiting until 6 pm tonight for a response. If he wants to sell the house and if the agent wants a commission, they'll discuss it on the phone. If not, we're putting an offer on the original place we had the contingency on. I don't mind looking at the houses. But we keep running into these roadblocks - its is just about unbelievable except it is real because it keeps happening. The tension and stress between DH and I is horrible. This is just such a horrible experience.

I got on the scale yesterday. is all I can say. I knows its from the stress and DH not cooking because we are away so much trying to do something about a place to live. Plus his excuse is that his BBQ grill needs replacing and no time to get to Lowe's to buy a new one.

I have to get started packing this week. But I'm afraid that if I do, something will happen and this house won't sell.

Plus work is so incredibly busy now. I spend all day in meetings now and get nothing done. I need to get to work early so that maybe I can have some quiet time.

I will survive this but GOOD GRIEF, enough already!

I'll try to get caught up tonight.

to everyone!

Yesterday was my appt with the optometrist. I couldn't see anything plainly the rest of the day! Those drops really messed me up! My cataracts are not ready yet. That is good and bad. Maybe in 6 months she said. Well, I wanted to have it done while Mom is gone, but that is not going to happen. They don't bother me except when I drive, then I know my vision is not sharp enough. They could go ahead and do the left eye, but she suggested I wait until the right is ready so they can do them 2 weeks apart, and then get new glasses. I know that is the sensible thing to do, but I am getting tired of looking through the fog.

Terri, If you didn't have hard luck, you wouldn't have any at all would you? I can't believe how awful things are going for you. I sure hope something works out soon. That has got to be such stress.

I have another appt. this morning so I have to get moving, just wanted to check in. Everybody have a good day. Bye for now Ruth

Nothing much to say this morning. I didn't make it to water aerobics yesterday cause we didn't get the mail early enought for me to get away from work in time, but today should be easier.

Another drug dealer dinner tomorrow night, believe it or not, they are getting old. And the one tomorrow night is about an hour away in the direction of the most traffic and it starts at 6:00 so we will have to leave work early and I have to be the one to drive. Wish I could think of a good reason not to go, but I'm afraid if I did, there were be something that we NEED to KNOW presented. (Yes, to justify these dinners the drug dealers have a speaker and a "program" and sometimes they actually let us know something useful. Plus the interaction with the other Rheumatologist in town helps too,) So I'll force myself to eat an expensive dinnerr,(too bad I'm not a booze, and I have to drive, or I'd drink my fill of expensive drink too!)and be prepared for a boring night. And to think I'm missing dinner at Church, the menu for Wednesday night is hot dogs. Let's see Steak??? or HotDogs??? not really a hard decision, if I really had the option of choosing.

love that cat that is so cute!