melissa, thank you for the attagirl. this is the first one i've earned in a long time. i appreciate it. i walked 1 mile last night. i'm slow so that was 30 minutes. life is good.

linda, i love to read your posts. please keep giving us insight. i'm on day 3 of sf right now and doing great. i will be going back to ww before too long. i know sf is not my lifestyle.

vickie, i wish i lived close to you and could come by to visit. we'd definitely be good for each other's depressions. i know what you're going through. this past summer when i couldn't walk, i hit a low, too. i am proud of you for staying focused on core. it's important that you're able to do that.

kathy, i am so sorry shaun had the accident. what a blessing he wasn't hurt badly. the military might be a good thing for him. you need a hug, too.

angela, i'm going to take a sf bar with me to the christmas brunch tomorrow. i'll have that and drink hot tea/splenda. it's hard to stay focused with parties around us, isn't it? good success to you.

frouf, i'm glad your headache subsided. sometimes i take aleve. it works better for me than advil. just a thought. i hope your trip comes off and you can get away for some fun and relaxation. keep us posted.

got to go, curtis is ready to leave.

Kathy, that doesn't sound like Judd. I guess he's just at the end of his rope.

Sandra, good for you on bringing stuff with you to eat that's on program. It really helps me.

Back to cleaning.

I'm sure he is, Vickie. I'm sure he is. We'll be lucky to survive this intact.

Please come and clean for me. My mom and dad will be here at 10:00 in the morning. So far, the only thing I've managed to do is clean the powder bath.

Hey all--busy day here today. I'm actually feeling pretty cruddy, like I'm getting the flu or something. Maybe it is that stupid shot. I'm all achy and just so tired. My head is also congested. I'm hoping that if I just rest it will go away. I am supposed to go to a smoking cessation training on Monday and I've already cancelled once due to illness a few months ago. I don't think they'll like me cancelling on them twice. We are supposed to go help with a Christmas project at church tomorrow and then out to eat with our sunday school class but I'm thinking that's not going to happen. I guess I'll have to see how I feel then.

Vickie, I'm so sorry that you still aren't feeling well. It must be very, very difficult to stay on plan and positive when you have felt poorly for such a long time. You are such a strong person who we all look up to so much!

Kathy, thank goodness Shaun is okay, although things just seem to keep getting worse for him. I hope that a viable option, like the military, opens up for him soon. And I'm so sorry that Judd is not being supportive. I'm sure once he gets over the initial frustration he will see that he needs to work with you and not against you.

Sandra, it seems like you are doing really well. I went out to eat with the other case managers here today. We went to chick-fil-a but instead of getting the chicken nuggets that I love, I got a grilled chicken sandwich. Of course I still got fries, but it was a compromise. It seems like you're doing much better than me!

Well, I think everyone else is about to leave work, so I'm going to go plop myself on the couches and watch tv. I'm so tired.

Kathy, if we could, we would!!

Melissa, bless your sweet heart! There you are not feeling well and you're offering to come clean for me? You are the best.

I hope you feel better very soon!

Melissa, YOU smoke?! I'm sorry you're sick. It really stinks doesn't it? You might have been coming down with something already before the shot. Usually by 24 hours after the shot you feel better if it was the shot.

Well, packages are FINALLY done and in the den to hide them from kitty the bow snatcher! She's even braved being chased by the dog to try to get to the bows. We can't even put our packages under the tree or she'd come down at night and pull all the bows off. I love her anyway. I cleaned the den so I could put the packages in there and be done with that room.

Now on to the LR/DR so I can put the few decorations out. I don't think I'm cooking tonight. I think I'm having italian beef and spending points. No cheese, of course. Unless, Jim can think of something else that would be carry out and healthy. Maybe a FF turkey sandwhich from Panera bread? I don't know. Tomorrow morning I have Christmas pagent for 4 year old Great Niece and I have a party tomorrow night. 13th birthday for my oldest Great Niece. So I guess I'll cook the chicken fried rice on Sunday.

Kath, I can barely keep up with my own house....but if I was there I'd help with yours. Why on eart do two people need 2500 square feet? Too much to get dirty.

Vickie, I could almost see your face! No, I don't smoke. I am going to a training to become a facilitator of smoking cessation classes.

Kathy! Of course I would help you if I could. You've had a heck of a day.

Whew! That's what I was thinking but you never know!

Poor Vickie! Jim probably had to get the paddles out to start her heart again!

Kathy - I know exactly how you feel and it's so hard being put in the position you are in! ...and Judd should know that. You are his MOTHER and as such have a strong emotional attachment to your child - even if he is not what you want him to be (right now that is). I know my dh would be the same way and it would break my heart. Shaun has certainly had a run of bad luck and the last thing he needs is to be abandoned by his family - altho at 28 he should already be independent.

I would sit it out a bit - make Judd understand how you feel and that you need to do what you must - to make sure Shaun is okay and on his way - this might mean staying with you until he recovers? but the army idea is a good one and might be the answer to your problem - is Shaun aware of this option and how does he feel about it?

You definitely need a cruise holiday more than I do - hope the lottery ticket is a winner!

Melissa - glad you have not caused Vickie to freak out too much? ha ha Hope you are feeling better - rest is definitely in order.

Sandra - way to go on planning ahead for your party snacks - good for you!

I had a major nap this afternoon - very rare thing for a froufie to do! Now of course I feel all groggy and out of it.....need to find dd and see if she is going to her dad's (of course we have to drive her cuz he can't manage to drive when there's a lot of snow on the ground - did I mention he lives like 5 minutes away?)

No plans for this evening - yes I am still in my jammies. Might consider renting a movie and watching it w/dh if possible!

Tomorrow morning I am going to synagogue to commemorate the yahrzeit/anniversary of the passing of my mom - have to say a special memorial prayer. Also made a 4 pm appt for nails (and yes manicurist friend asked if I had gotten my cruise tickets yet - she is going on that trip and wants me to come along!).

Still bothered w/TOM and feeling a bit crappy, but otherwise okay!

Frouf

melissa, are you feeling any better? do you smoke or are you helping others quit? never mind. i just read vickie's and your posts.. you made some good choices at chik-fila. i'm proud of you. we did go to crackerbarrel and i had my grilled catfish, pinto beans, onions, chow chow, and greens. when we got home, curtis dove into the iced sugar cookies. i told myself, "i can have these any time of the year i want." so far, that's keeping me going. that plus the sf snack of blueberries, yogurt and 1/2 banana. i'm having fun being on sf right now. thank you for pointing me toward it. this snack and lunch were core. life is good.

vickie, you sound in better spirits. i know you, though, you're dealing with pain. i used to make bows but i've gotten lazy. i don't even have ribbons on the gifts this year. we mail most of them to texas, but that's no reason for no ribbon.

kathy, if everyone comes to help you clean, will ya'll come on up to montana to clean mine? i haven't had any traumatic experiences lately but i have a lot of dirt that i don't want to deal with. we are talking with my son down in grandview about putting a travel trailer on his land (country) for us to live in a few weeks of the year. i know we'll have some "moments" if we do this. i don't care what anyone when there are some "yours" instead of "ours" things don't always run smoothly. actually, they don't with the "ours" either, but i think there are probably more "moments".

frouf, you got your message posted while i was typing. i am soooo envious of your cruise. you have to go so i can live my life through you.

Sandra, if you are in Grandview for a few weeks out of the year, guess where I'll be during those few weeks!! You guessed it!! Right outside honking the horn! C'mon, girlie, we're going to have some fun!

Judd is still gone -- not sure where but not exactly caring at this point. When he comes home, we'll have to go get Christmas things finished up for my parents tomorrow, and finish buying the food for lunch, and probably get his parents' gifts finished up too.

Well ... Shaun is still upstairs and I'm not sure what's going on. Erin got Shaun's jacket out of her car earlier and put it in the garage. It smells like it has been sitting in a BBQ pit for a year. Reeks! She said his shirt he was wearing last night was burned too.

Oh and I talked to him for another few minutes. He said the policemen gave him a breath test and he passed it. He sat in the ambulance for a while, they did a few tests, and then let him go. I have no idea how this will all end up but I don't have a good feeling about it.

I think I'll go do some more cleaning since nobody's breaking down the door to help me. Where are you guys????