The workers tearing down the building next door are making big noises. I've already jumped out of my chair twice.

Last night was a productive night. I half way cleaned up the bed room, did two loads of laundry and rode the bike for 8 miles to burn 400 calories. I'm catching up on my week end chores.

Happy--Good luck with Weight Watchers.

Mel- Hope your day goes better and the couple is found.

Meadow--Thanks for the jokes. Everyone needs a good laugh.

It's time to get the 10 a.m. readings and get things posted.

My first day of (temporary) unemployment!!!

YIPPEE!!!

We had a lovely weekend! zooommmmmm. Loving this little car. My silver rocket!!

I fell giddy with all the quiet and lack of interuptions here. Completed some necessary church and school council stuff. Many calls made. Lunch being ingested. I will clean the kitchen and then work at Avon stuff while AMC is on.

Been seeing nice changes with my kids. They aren’t loving some of the new attention they are getting because I am able to follow thu on some negative issues,thankfully short lived.

HUGS!!!!!!

Morning all,

We've been hearing some of the WTC news over here too. While I can understand the need to get rid of the rubbish and destruction as quickly as possible, I can't understand the need for not shifting through some of the lower level stuf for bodies and bones. Certainly whatever was in the burning bits would have been incinerated but not on the lower levels where crushing would have caused death. And what is wrong with building a memorial to the people and shoving the bones in there? Don't they do that for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - a memorial which is on every battlefield and every major city to which I have ever been? Hiroshima springs to mind where there is the Hill of the Dead - a mound which contains bones from at least 5000 bodies. Enough said! Things are said and done in the heat of the moment which we will later come to regret.

Holly - interesting that you are able to discern which of the kids actions now need improving and which you admire now that the others have gone. Devious little people, children

Ceejay - way to go on the exercise.

Happy = glad you got into the site okay today. It is interesting that we all have some problems some of the time. I've had the odd occasion where the site has zipped me back out to the home page but I never have a problem with any of the ads - as far as I know - maybe my firewall or virus protection block a lot of them, or maybe it is that I don't get a lot of your ads. I don't think I have ever seen the lamasil ad. Often I will get an ad which relates to something I have written in my post, and many of them are Australian based. Perhaps we don't have a lot of lamiasil here???
I've said my bit on the WTC site - I'm off the now.
Weight Watchers at Work. Is that something the company has set up or are you doing it with a group of fellow workers to encourage each other? Good Luck. And it is not a bad idea to take a break from the grocery shopping once in a while and clear out the cupboards and fridge/ freezer. I need to clear out some of mine for while I am away as well - although I will take some of it with me simply so I don't have to buy it when I get up there. That at least is one of the beauties of driving up there.

Mel - well since he knows he is going to a party of sorts, he will at least get a bit dressed up! Well maybe anyway. His daughter and I have found another couple of friends yesterday - geez she can be sneaky - and we will get to invite them today as well. And there is one more couple I will be in touch with today, so if they all arrive and get to the right place at the right time there will be around 30 family and friends. And of course when we all get together, we become very Kiwi - (Italian) - Irish. We all talk at once, all wave our hands around, don't stop to listen to anyone else and have a thoroughly good time and eat an awful lot. To my knowledge none of us (except DS1's partner) are Italian, however with our family history one is never sure, but we certainly act that way. Someone will no doubt have a disagreement with someone else and DS will act as Arbitrator and sort it out before it gets out of hand. That's why we keep her - a. She's a JP, and b. she is a real pacifist or pacifier (one of the two) and we have a copper among us as well. Not that that means all that much in the way of the peace stakes these days.
How awful for that old couple. What a shame his licence was not endorsed or taken away when he was diagnosed for dementia. Don't know what they do over there but here when you get over 70 or 75 (can't remember which) you need to renew your licence every year and you need to have doctors certificates etc. etc. There was a dear old soul on the TV the other day - just turned 100 and has given up his drivers licence - why??? Because he doesn't get the pleasure out of driving as he used to do. He's been driving for 80 odd years as I remember and only ever had one accident (when he was 69) and that wasn't his fault either. What a record!!!
I don't care what they say about older drivers being slow and dangerous - if you have never had a ticket, fine, or accident for over 80 years you must be doing something right!!

Meadow - loved the jokes. I think I have had a few boomerangs which were sticks in my time. The only time I have got one back is when I've gone and retrieved it myself.

Anyway better go and get ready for gym and then come home to paint again. I will have most of this hall finished completely before I go away and maybe before the rellies arrive! It will be a big job out of the way. Geez I hate door frames!!!!!
Today will be paint, garden and a bit of cleaning. I'd like to get a fair bit done so I can go spend some time in a lighting shop tomorrow and get a few things for the electrician to start work. Please house, don't throw any curly bits at me today.

feeling a little under the weather today...must be going around the family as DH is feeling it too. I will take it easy.
Have Gymmed this morning but a headahe to boot. Might try and blow the cobwebs away a little
lots of love to all
Suz

Darlings, I'm home!~ Just a very quick check-in to let everyone know I'm back. But the trip itself was really fun. I kissed My Beloved on the deck of the Maid of the Mist buffeted by the spray from the Horseshoe Falls. It was very, um, exhilarating. And relaxing. The room had a beautiful view, and the bathroom was the size of our office here, including the two person jacuzzi.

Oh, we had a terrific time. I must admit the one thing I was very disappointed in was the food. Things were very expensive. Very, very expensive. And sort of scary. For instance, we ate breakfast in a Denny's on Saturday morning. Ok, we don' t actually have any Denny's near home but I was horrified by the size of the portions. I ended up getting pancakes and a side of bacon. First I had to scrape off the ice cream scoop of butter on the top. Geez guys, each pancake was the size of a small side plate! I could manage to eat one… and a bit. I don't know which I found more horrifying – the fact that people were ordering these huge plates of food and actually finishing them – or that people were ordering huge plates of food and leaving so much of it. You know, it should be criminal to waste food like that. We should be ashamed when faced with such a flagrant conspicuous consumption.

K, I was hoping to be able to comment… but I think my cats are destroying something in the living room. I'll come back if I get a chance.

Late night post here, not sure if I'll have time in the morning.

Glad to hear most of the weekend was enjoyable Madcat. Smooching in the mist sounds romantic As for the platters of food - I think people are just looking for alot of food for their buck. We had Denny's in Chicago (can't recall seeing them here) but they would indeed give you 3 eggs, 2 bacons, 2 sausages, 3 huge pancakes - all for 5 dollars or something like that. I think you're right about such wastefulness more than anything. There's a little place we like here for breakfast. It's a platter but more of an oblong dish rather than a platter. In all actuality it's probably a bit more than a portion but it does leave you wishing you had more (tho you feel like a bit of an thinking of eating any more) so it's probably portioned just right. It's good home cooking too so it feels good on the tongue.

Go put your feet up and make a nice cup of tea Suzi, hope you feel better after a good early to bed extra long sleep.

Shad, sounds like things are coming together for the party. Are you getting excited? Ok, then I'll be excited for us both Weight Watchers at Work is a meeting of the WW plan. If you can get enough people together, they will hold meetings at your office over lunch time instead of you seeking out a "public" meeting. I have done WW several times in the past and I believe it to be a solid, practical plan and I've gotten results before but... I am a bit skeptical if I may say so. Mainly because in the past WW was focused on low fat and at this point in my life I think I need more of a low sugar, low carb, diabetes type plan because I believe I don't process sugars efficiently any more. But WW is always changing their plans. You have to pre-pay for 12 sessions in advance. I will speak to the group leader. I hope the leader is good as that makes or breaks a meeting. And frankly the last 2 WW sessions I've been too we've had blah leaders. But I think shelling out money and being accountable will definitely help me - particularly as we head into the colder weather (where I always want to eat more) and the dreaded holidays. My doctor gave me a very sensible diet plan 6 months ago, and tho I hate to sound like a whiner, it was just TOO MUCH tracking for me. Everything was weighted and measured and planned and documented and frankly I felt that I was spending a good 2 hours a day just logging food. I was almost to the point of picking oh about 100 foods and constantly eating the same things just so I didn't have to measure. Since I much prefer fresh to canned, frozen or packaged, it required alot more tracking so I didn't stick with it. That is my biggest problem - I don't stick with things. But I have gained 5 pounds in about 10 weeks so I have to get serious before I'm in real medical trouble.

So tonight I had the last of my weekend pizza - it's funny that tomorrow is the day I actually want to weigh the most. And tonight I am standing in my closet looking at the racks and thinking of Madcat and her maroon / red weigh in pants. I am trying to find something I can be practical and live with wearing every Tuesday for the next 12 weeks so that all things are consistent.

Time for bed - well past a reasonable bedtime actually. Hellos to Tig, Teel, Meadow, Rose, Mel, Ceejay, Holly and other friends and lurkers. 'night all...

I am once again posting for Mom. She has pulled a Muscle on her left shoulder side. I just helped her back to bed.
The sciatica has started again also. Partly because of the change in the weather. I won't be back here but I did read for Mom today. I think it will be a few days before this is over. Bedrest and Aleve. I turned the phone off and put a sign on her front door. No Visitors. ha ha
Have a nice day.
Edit: she made me come back. It is her right side. Picky!

MEL

Feel better soon. Sciatica? ooooowwwwwww.

And one for you too Jen for being such a sweetie

Thanks Jen for the update on your mom. Feel better soon Mel.

Happy--I'm thinking the same thing about the fact that my body can't process the carbs and sugar. I do a lot better on a low carb diet.

I am ashamed to say this but I ate a whole medium pizza last night. I even felt sick afterwards. Why I do that is beyond me! Today will be healthy eating.

HI all ...much better this morning TYVM!

Huge hugs this morning sent to Mel You poor thing. I hope the Aleve does just that. It's so nice that your sweet daughter updates for you. What a darling.

ceejay, I know how you feel about eating the pizza. I heard a saying once. I thought this was so true, eating bad foods is like porn. It feels great while you are doing it but you feel yucky later not that I would know . ( hope that didn't offend) but do so understand. Get back on track today.

i have a problem with food at the moment that I just don't know what to eat. It is frustrating.

Happy Your WW meeting sounds so good. it's great to have others to motivate. I think the whole process of weight watchers is a good one. You are held accountable. At work there is no escaping and you can't not go to meetings. I like the idea of one pair of pants to weigh with to keep things consistent....

Madcat great to see you back. I loved hearing a little about your adventures. The view I could just imagine and what a romantic moment with DH. I can relate with your Denny's experience. We had the same one in Orlando. It really must be a tourist thing. You have less options that "normal". I think it's what I was trying to say about the food too.


Holly how lovely having some "me" time. enjoy!

I am off to redeem the day. I have found bits and pieces for DD birthday cakes for her party on Saturday. I am making little cupcakes with flowers on them. I might even try to post a picture. She is going to help me. Normally I leave the cake as a surprise. It will be so nice having her there to help me.
I thought i would make the cakes tomorrow and then we will ice them Friday, Sat. I found some candy on special to fill up the little bags. I still have to find green balloons. I have found pink. It's a pink and green theme.
Tonight DH and I are going to a show. "Priscilla Queen of the desert." It is supposed to be so good, we are having dinner out first as a treat. I am so looking forward to it....a date night, with just us. DS is looking aftr the "little" ones.
Ok off to work before the fun can be had.

Love to all
Suz

Jen!~ Thank you for the update on our Mel. I hop she feels better shortly. Give her a very careful hug for us, will you?

Suzi~ Glad you are feeling better. Are they doing "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" as a play? I love that movie. Making your daughter's cupcakes with her will be a lovely memory for you both to share. How sweet.

Ceejay~ Put the pizza behind you and move on. This is a never ending learning experience.

Happy~ I was actually shocked but just how expensive the food at Denny's was. I had always heard it was an inexpensive place… but not at the Falls. $32 for the two of us for breakfast. Ah, the joys of tourist areas I guess. maybe the amount of food was huge to offset the huge price? I dunno. It was weird. I like the term "feels good on the tongue". That is it exactly. BTW I totally agree about the WW leader making or breaking the meetings. I used to go to meeting with this woman who was so inspirational… it was never the same when she was missing. I haven't been to WW in about 2 years but I hear they have a couple of new plans that seem more flexible.

Shad~ You can get on your soapbox anytime you want. I guess a lot of people need the closure of having their loved one's bits and pieces back. I think the idea of a memorial is a lovely one. If it were me, that is what I would want… but you'd get an argument given the cost of real estate in lower Manhattan.

Meadow~ Oh the pictures were lovely! I love the mousies. And how did you know I loved Crantinis? Mmmm.

Holly~ Glad you are enjoying your new lifestyle. And the new car. I'm not crazy about that new car smell though. It's sorta icky.

K. I best be wandering off. I have an assignment to build a huge dragon head out of chicken wire and papier mache. It's for a contest

Shall I post a picture of me Madcat so you can get the size and shape right??

Mel - get well soon, and thank you Jen for popping in and putting us straight.

Too pooped to answer posts tonight. Will have another go in the morning. I've been painting most of the day and then took the DS2 out to look at lights and switches and hanging pendants and....... When I spend, I spend. This one cost me $725. I got three ceiling fans, one each for living room and 2 bedrooms. 6 downlights for hall and foyer and part of the living room. One extractor/ fam/ light for the bathroom and globes as well. Just need to pick up a remote switch for the living room fan and we are all go. I did see a pendant light that I liked quite a lot and which comes with some wall lights to match. This may yet go in the dining room and above the TV unit. Have to work on that one. These are very modern lights. I'm not one for too much old fashioned stuff in my house. Nice in Federation style homes which mine is not.

The walls in the hall are now a soft buttery yellow like the living room and dining room. Tomorrow I will have a go at plastering the ceiling bit where I had to crawl into the roof space last week. Once that is done, the ceiling is ready for painting as well. Progress at last. Still one wall to fix and plaster - it is quite a headache. There is probably an easier way than that which I am doing but I don't know of it. All will be revealed later in the week. I'll take some photos.

Bed, before I sleep on the keyboard.

Oh Shad, I don't know if I would call you a Dragon. Believe me, I've met (and worked for) a few Dragons in my time and you don't have the sheer unadulterated evil factor for full dragonhood.

Just realized my last post ended abruptly in the middle of a sentence. Maybe I was hit by falling meteor bits? Naw, it is just the joys of cut and paste. I normally write in Word (so I can spell check and so I don't lose an entry if the site farts) and then cut and paste into here. Guess I missed a bit.

The dragon is for a competition at work. We are turning our cubical farm into the interior of a big beast and I’ve been saddled with the head construction. Ok, I shouldn’t say “saddled” since I actually think it will be fun to do – I just wish I had more time.

Ok, I have to do some work.

Just a quick hello
Calorie count was 1752 out of 1800 yesterday and rode 10.4 miles last night.

I'm so ready for this day to be over with.

yaaay a me day! Well almost. I do have a huge list to achieve by the end of the day, I do like days like this because if I look at my list and see I have achieved I feel so good!


"Priscilla Queen of the desert"has been made into a musical here in Australia. It was absolutely first class. I loved it so much, the acting, singing, dancing and costumes were outstanding. If it every comes up yonder you all should see it. Worth a trip to Sydney for Shad. really really really good.
DH and I had a lovely dinner at the Pyrmont restaurant, scallops and rack of lamb ( not together) I couldn't finish my lamb. I was so hungry but had to leave some for DH to taste. The night was very special. There was even fireworks out on the harbour.
I think we should try and go to a show a month, they are so worthwhile. We might have to pop it into the budget.
We have just booked tickets to see Billy Crystal in "700 Sundays" It's a one man show and a musical too. I know it will be brilliant. DH and I just finished reading his book, it's based on the time he spent with his Dad, he used to spend every Sunday with him, he died when he was 14. Quite inspirational.

Today I must buy bits and pieces for the cupcakes, didn't get a chance yesterday. I am a little pushed for time as I have a party on for a friend on Friday night but should be able to manage things on Saturday morning as DD party is at 2pm, I always freak out a little before I have to do something like this, just hope it all comes together.

Madcat... making a dragon head sounds so much fun! I once had to make a donkey head for the school prduction of midsummer nights dream. It was fun.
It's great that you can incorprotate fun stuff into work, makes the grind that much more enjoyable.

ceejay, you snuck in there. You must have been online when I was well done on the miles!

Shad ...all your renos sounds great. It is easy to spend up large on the light fittings and extras but I think it is worth it. They make a vaste improvement to the house. We did the same a little while ago. I changed all the fittings that were old fashioned for fresh chrome ones. I love butter yellow, it's a very restful colour. There is nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make everything pop!

Ok no one else here ar the moment. Big to everyone I must redeem this one.