Wow! I'm back from lunch. Sister and BIL are gone and Cassie had a bath and a haircut. Jim and I are off to the couch to watch some TV and relax.
Jim says thanks for all his birthday wishes. He feels like he dragged himself to the finish line this year! He's eating normally again despite my requests that he check with the Doctor first. He hasn't decided what he wants for his birthday dinner. I guess he'll let me know later.
Frouf, I wouldn't cover for Emily either. Kids need to learn that there are consequences for their actions. Sounds like ex-DH is trying to be the good Cop. I'm not happy about the work required for the tickerfactory exercise ticker. Does 3FC have one that can be modified? I'll have to go look.
Melissa, it's a good thing you work well under pressure. I guess you'll be reading tonight instead of watching AI?
Saundra, I hope you get to meet and visit with your Aunt. I need a hobby myself. I keep telling myself that it should be cleaning my house. I don't need more things to steal my time!
Frouf and Saundra,,,,dont cut your sod!!! dh and I have garden planters around our house front , side and back. All you need is a good supply of newspapers....save them , steal them from your neighbours whatever you have to do. Take a wheelbarrow fill it with water from your hose...dump in your newspapers and plop them where you want your garden. Make it a good inch thick. Then cover it with soil, peat moss and compost..top with a mulch and your on your way..the newspaper kills the grass underneath. Trust me on this one...save your back!! You may want to edge the garden with lumber or lawn edge whatever you like. I have gardens at ground level with stones around them for edging..and dh built me wooden boxes for planters around the patio.
I think I had heard of that 'newspaper' thing sometime ago? Never knew it would work! Did I mention that for the front garden dh just dumped the topsoil on top of the grass? Claims it will just die? Well in fact our lawn was not doing too well so we'll see what happens - but I am NOT letting him do that to the rest of the 'garden plan'.
I again spoke w/ex explaining that Emily would now think that she could just not go to school and miss tests whenever she felt like it! Oh no - he insists he would never do this again? In fact it turns out Emily does not even know he called in the absence. I think he used very poor judgement and I told him I was going to contact the school.
I have since written a lovely email to the principal providing all the details so that she can assign the correct consequence! Will see what transpires.
Vickie - hope you and Jim enjoy a lovely bday dinner - don't forget the cupcake and candle!
I am very hungry today - in fact was very hungry soon after lunch? Just had an apple and will eat my banana before going home - still have to stop at grocery store (like is this a daily ritual?) as big ds called - needs more red delicious apples and red grapes (says he is eating healthier now?). I also directed him to the honeydew melon and fresh pineapple in the meantime to hold him over!
Dh going out tonight to some radio thing - I'm sure little ds will be biking outside and dd at her dad's for a while - I get to pick up things prior to cleaning lady (hopefully) coming tomorrow!
vickie, i'm very proud of you for working so hard at getting back on program. you just took a side trip on this journey to goal. you'll get there. i'm glad your vertigo is going away. makes me smile.
kathy, i'm glad you're eating better. now that really makes me smile.
saundra, i don't know how to crochet at all. i was talking about embroidery or cross stitch. i agree that photos are the best for memories. i guess i'm just wanting to do something with my hands right now. i hope your aunt gets to come visit.
melissa, glad everything came out all right for murph. poor guy.
frouf, that's a good idea about talking with the principal.
i am amazed that there's so much activity here. i need to get here earlier in the day, don't i?
patti, what a wonderful gardening tip!!! thank you for sharing it with us.
not much going on here today. i am going to my podiatrist in the am cuz my foot's been hurting quite a bit today. now that i've made the appointment, it's feeling better. wouldn't you know?
Okay Patti, you're just going to have to come on over to my house for a consult. I'll even take you to see the tulips. Thanks for the tip.
Vickie, so glad that you had a good visit. It's so wonderful to be able to have those visits. It is the one thing I miss about being so far away. Sometimes the phone calls just don't cut it. You and Jim have a wonderful evening. I'm sure that if you are across the table from Jim, it doesn't matter where you go.
Melissa, I am not hungry. I actually didn't eat lunch before, but on core, it fits in. I guess I'm surprised at myself for being so content OP. Hope your day is going well.
Hey Kathy, are you cracking the whip? I guess your house is going to be mighty clean.
Frouf, is Emily at Borden? All three of my kids went there. Oh, it's nice to be over all of that stuff.
I offered to take Natan tonight so the kids could go out to dinner. Then, Adam called to invite me out, so I changed Natan to Thursday. Oh, what a busy girl I am. My massage guy screwed up and was a no show, so I'm going tomorrow, which doesn't thrill me.
Sandra, glad your foots feeling better, but it's a good idea to get it checked out. My gf wants to teach me how to knit, so I might try that, but not till the fall. Maybe I'll make everyone a scarf.
OH frouf...dont let him do it...the grass will grow thru.....trust me! It may take a year but it will , along with every weed possible. If you can convince him to try the newspaper trick its well worth moving the black earth. When dh and I first moved into our house we cut the sod and laid down the black material you use to control weeds..I swear the weeds and grass grew thru it. Two years ago we had to completely dig out our backyard garden and start all over again.
Another tip for anyone who has a patio and has weeds or tufts of grass growing thru it..take a spray bottle (empty of course) and add 4 cups of vinegar, 1/4 cup of salt , and 2 tbsp dish soap (any kind) mix together and spray on the little buggers...within a couple of days the weeds will shrivel up and die!! So much better for the environment, cheaper then roundup, and if yo have little kids or furbabies on the patio, it wont harm them. I use this all the time. Dont use it near your plants though.....
By the way...Happy Birthday Jim!!
Saundra, thats a deal!! Id have to bring my dh though ,,I plan it he makes it happen..haha
Sandra isnt that Murphy's law!!
Vickie, you know I have been playing around with the same pounds over and over again....I joined a water challenge on another board...I find it helps me when I drink lots...so Im challenging you to drink along with me....*cheers*.. Im drinking 8 glasses a day!! I already have 6 glasses in today......you better hurry up
Hey patti - thanks for the gardening tips - i was pretty sure that the grass would grow thru. Funny thing is we were also talking about putting that black material over the garden as well to avoid weeds - but sounds like that doesn't work either!
Saundra - where did you go for dinner and what did you have?
Sandra - I am so glad you are going back to podiatrist to get foot checked out - this is a very good idea! Hope all goes well.
Managed to make it home after grocery store to inhale food - one measly teeny tiny (overdone?) burger, a scoop of LO salad and a GIANT baked potato!....also a diet pepsi - this filled me up big time.
Funniest was watching big and little ds bake a cake! They decided after dinner they wanted cake - first big ds wanted to make one from scratch - but I guess my hysterical laughter kinda turned him off? Then they went off to the basement pantry looking for some cake mix (I think dd used them all up!). Come back up with a box of angel food cake mix! (from my stash I guess - one of those no fat cakes - mix w/crushed pineapple I think?).
Anyhow - found the old tube pan, and the mixing began - then the baking - the cake looked lovely and rose like 3 inches above the pan! Smelled good too. Tried to cool it quickly (big ds could not believe it took almost an hour too cook!), but ended up cutting a piece out for little ds (who had to go to bed) w/strawberries and cool whip! I had a little piece but found it awfully sweet.
In the meantime I made a HUGE fresh fruit salad: pineapple, the sweetest honeydew melon, orange slices, red grapes and strawberries - very delish. Packed up a portion for lunch tomorrow, also have a veggie dip tray ready - but nothing else? I think there is one small piece of rotisserie chicken left so I will try to grab that for work tomorrow.
Friday we have a bday lunch out - to a mexican place no less - will probably have fajitas or the taco salad thing? I will avoid having any of the cake in the afternoon!
Tomorrow dh and I have an appt w/dd's therapist - this should be interesting!
That black fabric stuff doesn't control weeds very well, I agree. Plus, it's a huge pain to plant through. You have to cut individual holes for everything you plant. Once I planted over 50 tulip bulbs through that stuff. What a pain!! I like the newspaper idea. My flower bed in front of my house is really struggling. I think it's because we recently built, and there are still weird building materials/chemicals around the foundation. I tried adding many bags of topsoil and peat to my bed, but I think it's leached up anyway. Add that to the ravenouse critters, and my flowers are looking pretty pathetic. I've about decided to plant daylilies in the whole thing, because the one daylily I have is thriving admist the general decay around it.
Today my mom and I got the greenhouse planting started. We did MANY 6-packs full of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cantaloupe, etc. Most of them we'll move outside in a few weeks, but some things are staying in the greenhouse all summer, like the huge pot of carrots (to protect them from stupid cutworms), some tomatoes, and the hanging strawberry plants. We're going to plant lettuce and peas tomorrow...some for the greenhouse, and we'll save some for direct sowing outside. I'm excited, can you tell?
But, since I was outside so long, my allergies are really killing me this evening. My whole face just throbs and aches from all the sinus pain. I took 2 advil and I think I may spend the evening on the couch watching my favorite show, House.
I lost .8 pounds at my meeting today, but some of that is probably due to my not eating breakfast. It's the wrong time of the month for weight loss. In a week or so, things will hopefully be better.
I have pretty much decided to give up on the cereal idea. I just get too hungry...the cereal doesn't stay with me long enough. Core, here I come again!
Well, I've written a novel this time... Happy Birthday Jim! Way to go Frouf, for staying firm with your dd, and happy painting Melissa! I promise you and your dh will look back fondly on this time, years from now.
Hi all, just a quick dinner update. We went to Il Primo's on Preston (Italian restaurants up and down). I had mixed salad with balsamic and salmon with roasted potatoes and julien veggies. It was excellent. Oh, and of course, I had a glass of house white. It was a real nice evening with my baby.
saundra, a massage tomorrow sounds heavenly. scarves are good. they will love them. your dinner out sounds romantic.
frouf, the cake baking event was soooooo cute. i love it!!! your fruit salad sounds scrumptious, too.
angela, congratulations on losing that .8 lb. i am happy for you. your greenhouse goodies sound fabulous. i know you had fun playing in the dirt today. i'm ready to do the same.
Good Morning Chicks! Jim and I didn't do much to celebrate his birthday yesterday but he said he had a nice time anyway. We are going to drag out the celebration. Friday night I'm taking him out for a nice steak dinner and next monday we are going to go to the show. There are two movies we want to see at the show, which is unusual for us. Now we have to plan it so that it happens!
I have a cold or something. Maybe it's allergies. I don't know. My sinuses are killing me and I have a horrible stuffed nose (on one side) and a sore throat (mostly on the stuffed side). Very weird. It's probably just a virus.
Jim goes to see the Dentist today to get his night guard. I have to exercise before I shower today so I won't be here long. We have to leave at 11:00.
Melissa, I hope your painting is now done. I'm jealous. I wish my whole house could be freshly painted. There is nothing nicer!
Frouf, you are doing GREAT at getting back OP! I'm very proud of you. And I also see that you made an exercise tracker. I'm getting started today. I'm sure Emily is NOT going to be happy with you when she hears from her Principal. I'll lay money she knows that her Dad covered for her no matter what he says! The cake baking demonstration sounds adorable and I wish I could have been there to see it unfold. I love watching kids/people bake for the first time. It makes them more appreciative of a good pastry.
Sandra, I love getting here early in the day. It's how I start my day with my first cup of coffee. I hope your trip to the Podiatrist was productive. It'll be great to have someone official look at that incision for you.
Saundra, your dinner with Adam sounds delightful! I can tell that you really enjoyed yourself. Life is Good, isn't it?
Patti, oh I feel like such a slug! You all are such avid gardeners and I do nothing outside. I think I might enjoy it when I get donw some major pounds. I will take that water challenge. I'm already drinking 6 glasses of water a day but I can definitely bump it up to 8. That's seems like an easy enough thing to do. As long as I don't go out that is!
Angela, your garden sounds amazing and thing of what money you will save on fresh prduce. There is nothing like a salad fresh from the garden. I wish I lived closer. I don't think anyone in my neighborhood gardens. I have a bed in my back yard that would be perfect but the soil is just horrible. I'd have to do lots of work to get it in shape and I wouldn't even know where to start. I feel the same way about cereal, Angela. It doesn't stay with me very long. Congratulations though about being down .8! A loss is a loss, especially during a time of month we don't think a loss is possible. Might mean a really big loss is in the works for next month. Way to go!
Hey Kath, where were you all day? I hope everything is ok there. I wanted to congratulate your Rangers for being in first place!
Morning chicks. We didn't get home until after 11pm last night from painting. There is still a bathroom and part of a bedroom to be done. We aren't even painting the great room, just doing touch-ups (even though it really needs it, we just don't have time). Needless to say I'm very tired but feeling inspired since today is "Friday" for me.
Now I'm just getting really stressed about being ready for Saturday. I don't think we'll be as ready as we wanted to be. But all I can do is work at it, right? I just wish I had taken at least one more day off of work this week. Oh well, can't do anything about it now!
I hope that you all have wonderful days. I hope to catch up soon. I do try to read, I just haven't had time to keep up posting too well.
Vickie, I see your exercise ticker is moving. Good job!
Thanks for the tip.
In a week or so, things will hopefully be better.
A loss is a loss, especially during a time of month we don't think a loss is possible. Might mean a really big loss is in the works for next month. Way to go! 
