Well, gee willies! I had to go back and read threads and gracious goodness, Frouf, you had a DAY! Congrats to Emily and her group but girl I would have been stressed to the max with the drizzle and parking and drama of it all. If toast/jam and a brownie were the worst things you did, I'd call that successful eating! And I think of all of us here, you deserve a huge Mother's Day blessing. You continually do so much for her and big DS (and Sam too, but he's still little enough to be a sweet and grateful child). Anyway, I hope it's your best Mother's Day yet.

Vickie, that was quite a busy day you had! I am very interested to know how the chicken turned out. I make something that everybody loves but it has breadcrumbs as the coating. If I could substitute oatmeal and have it deemed Core, and still be good enough for the masses, that would be great! I usually rub FF Italian dressing on the chicken before coating in the crumbs so Dijon would be a nice change as well. And now all this Dreamsicle talk has me wanting to make it too. I have all the stuff; just getting in there and doing it is holding me back.

Patti, you are so funny! I would just shriek if there was a bear in my back yard. Or a moose walking down the street! Closest thing we have is cows and they're pretty tame. We have had them in the front yard and on the street when there was a farm behind us but a few years ago, it was sold to a developer and now there are houses back there. Speaking of which ...

Melissa, girl, that green belt is close enough to a nature reserve for me! :lol: Could you stand it if it was any more natural? I know we probably invaded the animals' space, since they were more than likely here first, but you know if they see a porch light or something, they should just move on down the road and get to the woods. They're probably more scared of us than we are of them. Since it's hair week on the board, I'm glad you made your appointment.

Shaun has a DEP meeting this morning, which stands for Delayed Entry Program. It's a once monthly meeting where they go over different things, maybe do a few exercises, and generally let the recruiter know what they're up to. He has 3 months to go before shipping out (ya right, shipping out to Chicago but that's still what they call it) which as you know won't come soon enough for me. I left him some money before we went to Jon's house and told him to walk up and get a haircut. He's looking like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. I hope he did it; I didn't see him after we got home last night. Seems like he's trying a little harder though. I know he's bored and really miserable being stuck here with no car. If he had one though, he could work but additionally he'd just be out getting in trouble so maybe it's not so bad that he doesn't have one. At least now when he leaves we won't have to worry about disposing of a car.

Okay I've talked to myself for long enough. I'm going to read for a while.

Good Morning Chicks! I just got up at 6:00. I couldn't sleep any more because I was having bad dreams. I think there's a nap in my future.

Kathy, I'm really glad you got out and had fun last night but your ankle situation sounds horrible. I'd sure be wanting to know if pain up your thigh is to be expected. I'd say different medicine is in order. So you're not doing full days next week are you? Are your exercises going ok? The night golfing sounds cool. If I was Judd, I'd want to try it also. I'd always heard that the balls are even more outrageously expensive than the regular ones are. I'd don't know if it's true or not. It'd be fun to have Kate take a picture. Even if she doesn't, I know you're going to enjoy seeing her for Mother's Day. It's hard to believe that Shaun still has 3 months left to go. I hope he got the darned haircut so that you don't have to fret about him. Too bad there's no drugstore or something within walking distance of your house where he could work. I'd be bored and crazy too.

Melissa, sorry we all went to bed on you. I didn't see that you were on with me last night. I really hope you enjoy some pampering today during your haircut. God only knows that you have been too busy to do anything for yourself lately besides work and move. How is the drive to work from the house? I hope it's better. As for the mousse, it couldn't be more moussie! I decided to beat the pudding when I put it into the jello for 2 full minutes since you stir the pudding when you make it for 2 minutes. You just have to be real careful to use the lowest setting on the hand mixer since the stuff is all almost water. It set into this great "stuff"! I told Jim that it's something I could make for a party so I'm VERY excited about it. I put it into those little tupperware 1/2 cup snack cups and it made 9!!!! Next time, I'm going to put in a little more fruit so it'll probably make 10 of them. I could have eaten a little bit bigger portion but these little cups are really convenient and keep me kind of in control. It's very sweet and really helped with my sweet tooth. I also used the white chocolate pudding instead of the vanilla and I think it helped with the illusion of mousse.

The chicken tasted good but I think it needs some work. It called for instant oatmeal but I used quick cook. I don't know if that's what made the difference but it didn't get as crunchy as I hoped. Also, the spices were inconsistent even though I mixed up the oatmeal real good. I'm thinking about two things for next time. I might grind up the oatmeal a little bit next time and/or just sprinkle the spices on each piece of chicken instead of putting them into the bowl with the oatmeal. Aside from the coating, the flavor was quite yummy. Cornmeal chicken is still my favorite. Hmmmm.....I wonder how cornmeal would have been instead of the oatmeal. Anywhoooo, I'll post the recipe and you can all decide how to experiment.

I also loved everything about the lemon garlic chicken. The only thing I can't decide is whether or not I need to cut down the amount of olive oil in the marinade. I'm trying to reconcile how much stays on the chicken. It calls for 1/3 cup and I marinated 8 thighs. There was still marinade left in the bag. I probably could cut it down to 1/4 cup of oil. That would still be 4 tablespoons/12 teaspoons of oil. What do you all think? Should I cut it down even lower?

Well, that's the cooking corner on the Core Board for this morning.

Ugh...I need to treadmill today. I do NOT want to. I'll try to make myself do it after breakfast. Speaking of breakfast.....it's time!

Ok.....I was hoping that someone was here to talk to so that I didn't have to get on the treadmill. But, alas, no one is here. I guess I'll go work on my weight. I ate 2 chocolate chip cookies and they were divine. I don't know how you folks bake and exercise self-control. I will NOT eat any more of them. I don't want to have to be crying on Monday because I gained.

Hey, here's something for you to look at! Great for those about to start their spring gardens ... :lol:

http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL564.../146336255.jpg

Hey Kathy, you look beautiful, great hair!!!

I will back a little later got to finish my chores for the day.

Thanks, Niki! I got my DS to take the pic and he said I looked scared. And ugh! Saturday morning chores. :o Thanks for reminding me that I should be UP and not sitting on my tail reading a book.

My mom sent me some books a few weeks ago and they sat by the bed until the other day when I decided I should read them. They are by Wanda Brunstetter and are about Amish. The series is called Daughters of Lancaster County; the first book is the Shopkeeper's Daughter and the one I'm reading now is the Quilter's Daughter. The next one is due out in June and I think it's the Bishop's Daughter. Anyway, they're just so good and I've been enjoying them so I don't feel quite as bad as if I was sitting around reading a National Enquirer or something like that! :lol:

Judd's ready to leave so we can go do our errands. Be back later!

Kathy, you look ADORABLE! I can't wait until I'm your size. You really do look beautiful.

Ok....my gymies are on and I'm ready to go. I just came to change my weight tracker.

OOOHHHH.....I'm so interested in the Amish culture. Maybe I'll check them out of the library. I don't buy books anymore since I'm retired. Are they fiction?

They are fiction and, of course, have a religious slant to them since they revolve around the Amish beliefs. It's about a family with a lot of kids and the things that happen to them -- hard to describe but really, really good. I'm looking forward to the next one.

I did it. I walked 40 minutes. Now I'm going for a bubble bath because my legs and hip are killing me.

Congrats on your walking Vickie! I'm so proud of you all that exercise on a regular basis. I'm so bad with exercise. I think it's because it's such an ordeal for me to get it all set up and done with the kids. But maybe it's just because I'm lazy! :lol:

I have to take the oldest dd to a birthday party this afternoon. While she's there, I'll be out getting Mother's Day presents for my mom and MIL. Nothing like waiting till the last minute. :) Mother's Day really sneaked up on me this year.

Later,
Angela

hi, chickies. we're home early. we had a grand time but i needed to dropout after half the course. i have to tell you---it was hard hiking. we started the tournament at target 20 which was on top the hill (mountain). we shot our way down then were just starting to shoot the first half (climbing to the top again when i told curtis i'd had enough. my foot is swollen and sore but i think i'm all right. curtis was glad to stop shooting, too. we're quite a pair of gimps.

yesterday/last night was our first trip out in the new rv. we were camped just across the road from the tournament at a very nice place. lolo creek ran right by our rig. i "lolled" a couple of hours sitting by the stream reading while listening to the water rushing downhill. we had our hot dogs but cooked them inside due to high wind. we'll have our marshmallows on another outing. last night we got very, very cold but had a lucy/ricky episode trying to wait for the other to get another blanket and turn up the heater.

we saw a great deal of wildlife--a herd of buffalo (cows, bulls and calves), several elk, a coyote, and a few whitetail deer. there were a lot of friends up there competing. it was hard for me to say "enough". i don't like to quit anything. curtis said i didn't quit. i just shot the amount i wanted to shoot. now is that a play on words or what?

kathy, you look like a doll with your new do. and you're so small!!!!! i hope you're feeling better, and i am very glad you're going to call your doctor monday. i had never heard of night golf. it sounds kewl.

patti, i know what you mean about getting excited seeing wildlife. we do the same. we live in a large city but still see deer on our way to the grocery store. also we have some bald eagles nesting next to the river downtown.

thank you, girls, for the congratulations. i used 4 wpa's yesterday. looks like i'm back to normal today. plus, i must have burned some pts hiking that tournament for 2 hours.

vickie, your menus always make my mouth water. you're a very creative cook. i have a stack of medical bills on the table waiting on me. thank you for the information on the chicken recipes.

frouf, i love reading about your day. i can picture everything really well. i'm glad you got into the lot before it was full. how's your hair? i'll bet you and the rest of the chickies are looking very perky in your new do's.

melissa, we live in town and have deer in our yard nightly. the fence doesn't slow them down much.

vickie, congratulations on getting in 40 minutes treadmilling today. i'm proud of you. curtis is outside soaking in the hot tub right now. i came in and took a long hot shower first thing. what's with all of us about hot water? :lol:

angela, curtis told me he bought me a really nice card the other day. (actually, i saw him at the checkout stand with it) however, he put it in a safe place. maybe i'll get it next year. :lol:

got to go watch some tv. i taped deal/no deal and vegas last night. do i need a life or what?

Hey Chicks! I'm home from having dinner out with friends to celebrate birthdays. I confess I had my first drink in about 2 years. It was a Raspberry Mudslide. I'm sure it's alot of points. I also had a roll. The rest of the dinner was Core except for the diet margarine that I brought with. Now I feel like I need to get on the treadmill tomorrow again.

I'm pooped and am going to spend the night on the couch with Honey Lamb. I'll be back in the morning!

I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner out!

Kate came over this afternoon and is still here while Devan is doing her birthday shopping. Erin is at work, Shaun is at a BBQ, and Judd was supposed to come home after golf, but called to say he was going somewhere to watch the game with friends. Before he left, I asked if he was going to do that and he said no, I'm coming home to watch the game with you. When he called with the change of plans, I said I *knew* you would ditch me for this game and go with your friends. I think that made him feel sorta bad, but he still went. So I sit at home alone tonight (Kate's about to leave) and am not happy about it. Oh well, huh? Gotta move on.

Maybe I'll just go take a bath and go to bed. I've only had one meal today, around noon, and haven't been hungry since then. We went to Panda Express while we were out doing our errands.

I'll also be back tomorrow. Everybody have a great night!

Happy Mothers Day!!! :hug:

Good Morning Chicks! The board has been really slow and hard to navigate for me today. I'm not sure if it's my connection or if the board is having problems. I'm going to see if I can read posts after I send this message.

I got 9 hours sleep last night and it felt great. We have no plans today except for my cooking dinner. I need to clean a little house. First breakfast!

Happy Mother's Day to all my chickie friends!!!!!

Sandra, I think you and Curtis sound like you have a GREAT life! Nothing wrong with relaxing and watching a little TV after the trip you guys had. I'm glad you gave us all the details. I LOVE details!!!!!

Kath, Judd would not be married to me long! I honestly don't know how you put with him leaving you alone so much. I feel bad that you sounded so sad last night.

What are you all doing to celebrate Mother's Day? I must be the only chick with no Mommy alive and no kids. :(

Ok, I'm off to try and make a menu thread and then go eat breakfast.

Happy Mother's Day! I hope everyone has a peaceful and relaxing day.

We're going over to the inlaws' after while for lunch. I think I heard that FIL is going to Outback to pick up food and bring home. MIL had umbilical hernia surgery on Tuesday and still in quite a bit of pain so there's no way she should be going out.

Judd got home around 10:30 and immediately said "what's wrong?" I told him he had been gone out of town since Tuesday, and then was gone all day playing golf, and that I hadn't anticipated spending my Saturday night alone especially since I had confirmed with him RIGHT BEFORE HE LEFT that he would be coming home. He said okay, we would just stay home today and not go to his parents'. Of course then this morning his dad called and everything changed and once again, I go back to the bottom of the list. Poor, pitiful me. He'll never figure it out.

I should go get ready now. Be back later -- I hope everyone has a good day!

Today's blog entry:

Happy Mother’s Day to my Children

Like most people, I did my best parenting before I actually HAD children. MY children weren’t going to have runny noses, and MY children would always look so cute and color-coordinated, just like those little kids you see in the Sears catalog. Hehehe … hoo boy, was *I* ever naive!!

I was blessed with my first child, a son, in 1978. Shaun was the most beautiful little boy in the world … strangers would stop to tell me so. He had gorgeous auburn hair with highlights in every color and huge blue eyes. He also had a great sense of humor even as a toddler, and is still the only child I’ve ever heard of who could read at age two. I mean, really read. Newspapers, TV guides, books … he could read. In spite of all our ups and downs throughout the years, he loves me and doesn’t hesitate to tell me so. He was and is my favorite child, that boy.

In 1983, my beautiful Erin came along. I was pretty good at this mothering thing by now! She was such a petite and charming little girlie girl, with a shrill voice and fashion taste that just wouldn’t quit. It was like punishment when she had to wear pants – she informed me from a very early age that “girls wear dresses.” She loved her big brother and tagged after him from the time she could crawl. Today, she’s still very cute, her voice has toned down to a normal level, and she never leaves home without looking her very best. She is my favorite child.

In 1986, here came Kate, the cutest and spunkiest child that I do believe I’ve ever seen. She was such a livewire! With Kate, we were almost immediately introduced into the world of emergency rooms with broken arms, stitches, bitten tongues (have you ever seen a tongue that was bitten in half?), broken light fixtures raining down shards of glass, playground falls and numerous dives off of the bunk beds. She entertained us with all sorts of antics and always (okay, usually) had a big beautiful smile and a happy heart. More importantly, she has since learned to stay safe, and in spite of a few messy teenage years, is now my favorite child.

Phrases that I swore I’d never say, things like “don’t make me come up there!” and “you’ll put your eye out” have escaped my mouth more than once. I inherited these words from my own mother and am not afraid to use them. Now that all of the kids are grown though, it’s more like “please be careful” when they leave the house, and “do you have enough money?” Just as my mom still worries about me, I worry about them.

So today I honor three of the most special people in my world, the three who made me what I am today – a proud mother. They saved me from a life of perpetual self-absorption and I love them completely.

Ok...you made me cry AND miss my Mother more than I was already missing her. You all deserve to be honered EVERY day.

Kathy, that was beautiful! :) Thanks for sharing it.

Angela

http://d21c.com/AnnesPlace/Spec/MD2.gif HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!


kathy, what a beautiful tribute to your children. thanks for sharing.

we're meeting curtis' mother, sister, and bil at a local eatery. i'm dressed up for the first time in eons. (which means i have on a dress and not shorts or pants :lol:)

this afternoon we're going to work in the yard together. it's a gorgeous day.

hope all of you have a wonderful day.

Have fun Sandra!

I've decided to go walk on the treadmill.

Hi all: I would like to post on this site but I know lady who lives in the same town (w.w. leader) so I would rather not give my real name. I hope that is alright with you people. I will be honest I have been lurking for a while and have seen what a nice group of ladies you are.
I wish you all a wonderful "Mothers Day", I never find this day easy as I miss my dear Mother even though I am a Senior myself. I live near Toronto but spend time in Ottawa so I love hearing about the restaurants you gals mention.
Today we are going over to our daughters for supper she is such a sweet heart. Hey ladies, the ones that are having problems now, they do grow up and become so important in your lives. Just hold tight and keep loving them.
Then come the grandchildren and they become so dear to you. Our son lives in Ottawa we do not see him as often but is great when we do. I also have 2young gals who call me their other Mother. The one gal includes me in all her family dinners etc.
Everything has not always been smooth in my life, but all in all life is "Good" as Sandra says.
Thanks for reading and hope you will accept me. I have about 35 lbs to lose and I find it especially hard as I never had a weight problem until menopause and then Bingo.

Hello, Rose! You are certainly welcome to join us and it sounds like you already know us very well!

We're back from Fort Worth visiting the inlaws. My poor MIL is in a whole lot of pain still, but she says it's getting better. We did get Outback takeout and all I can say is -- none of it, not one shred, was Core. I ate until I was sick but it was all so good. We got three appetizers: Bloomin' Onion, fried mushrooms and coconut shrimp. Then I ordered Bronzed Chicken with Corn Cakes, which is bronzed chicken breast, served with grilled corn cakes, topped
with shrimp and mushrooms in a vermouth cream sauce (website description, not mine). It was just awesome! MIL had also made some sweet potatoes and stir-fried vegetables. I didn't have either of them although I should have; I was just too full. Didn't have any bread though, so that was good. I brought leftovers home since I only ate about half of my chicken, one corn cake, one shrimp, a few mushrooms and a few of the onion pieces. I brought the entire rest of the onion home too, which is about 80% of it. I'm sure someone will eat it.

I'm off to rest before starting laundry. Hope everybody's having a good day.

Kathy, it's just SO good to hear that you are eating. I hope you got spoiled rotten on your Mother's Day.

Rose, :welcome3: to our little corner of the world! I just love when folks jump in and join us. We can, as you know, use all the help we can get! :o ;) It doesn't matter whether it's 35 pounds or 120 like me. Every pound is difficult to get off and just as hard to keep off. I couldn't do it without all of my friends here. Do you go to meetings? My weigh in is tomorrow.

Speaking of my weigh in....I was so freaked out that I had the drink and the roll yesterday (I was out of points) that I exercised for 40 minutes on the treadmill again today. That was two days in a row which I haven't done since last September. I'm pretty darned sore already. It will be worth it if it keeps me from having a big gain tomorrow. I'm going and staying for the meeting no matter what.

I'm off to watch TV. Big night.

Hi Kathy and Vicki, yep I think I almost do know you gals. Kathy I noticed your picture and what a pretty gal you are.

Vicki, you sound like a very sweet person. I was reading along when your hubby was having problems and so glad that everything was fine.

I just got back from our daughters, she had a wonderful meal. I could tell there was something on tv that they were interested in tonight. We came home as the kids have to get up in the morning for school and it is hard to get them to bed when we are there.

We spend time at our cottage in the summer so I will post as often as I am at home. It is very hard for me to diet at the cottage as everyone brings up so much food. We were up last week my hubby put another bathroom in so now we have the two. We need it though as when there are a lot of people it can be a busy room. lol We are on a northern lake on a sand beach, it is wonderful for the grands. When we are all up there I feel like the Walton's saying goodnight to all.
I have a feeling you all are watching tv tonight, our dd seemed to think it was going to be a good night. I have enjoyed American Idol but have not watched Survivour. I think that is what they are watching. Bet you can guess I am a Canadian with my spelling, eh?

Hi Sandra my good friend, so how does it go tonight. I am feeling much more in tune with the world tonight. Life is sweet, so my dear Mother used to say.
Bye for now,
Rose

Vickie, I don't have a Mother's Day report. I called Erin on her cell phone (upstairs) around 7 p.m. to ask her a question and she said Happy Mother's Day. I haven't seen Shaun at all although Erin said he was up there, and Kate will be here in a little while. Judd's mom sent her a BD gift so she's coming over to get it because she's in the area again.

I am really dreading going to work tomorrow but I suppose I'll make it okay. I'll have to get back in the mode of getting up early, making lunches, and all that stuff. Ugh!

Rose, it sounds like you had a good time at your daughter's. I know what you mean about not wanting to stay too long -- when I was married before and the kids were little, my inlaws would come over. They were a lot of fun and the kids just refused to go to sleep when Grandma and Grandpa were over. It was a little annoying back then but I'd give anything to roll back the clock and live in those times again.

Happy Mother's Day!
 

Finally some time to get on here and read and post!

Welcome Rose - we love having a new 'face' around and a canadian on top of it! Hi neighbour!...and thanks for the good news that hopefully one day our kids do grow up and become our 'friends'. (altho at this point I can hardly believe it!).

Kathy - love the 'do' and of course the pink t-shirt! :) Your mother's day message also brought tears to my eyes. I am sorry Judd did not seem to get it - and made other plans!

My dh doesn't quite 'get it' either. Yesterday I asked him if he remembered what he got me last year for mother's day? A blank stare? course not! Well look on top of your dresser I say - yes there still in the little box is the bike meter (like a bike pedometer) that he bought me LAST YEAR - but never got around to putting on my bike? So maybe this year for my present you can actually install it?:D Of course he thought this was awfully funny! What an economical gift? Lasts for 2 years (or more?) ha ha ha. Then I reminded him of last year when he lay on the couch and asked me what I was making for dinner?

So this did prompt him to call his mother today (at my insistence) and invite her out to dinner with us - yes we were ready to go get her - when I go check on dd (who has been getting ready for the last hour!) to see if she's ready - take one look at her makeup and inform her that she is staying home!

I was just heartbroken - she already knows how I feel about her 'raccoon black circled eyes' on a good day - today she has done something stage like (guess the dance competition has rubbed off?) and done like big black 'wings' coming out of the lines on the side of her eyes - I DON'T THINK SO! So I am in the car (without her) very cranky and upset - dh starts on how he doesn't believe in mother's day - and you can imagine the rest! Of course I made sure his mom had a nice time and she did like the present (which of course I bought on dh's behalf!).

But I did go to the Mother's day tea w/ds (the only boy there) and we had fun and tea and cookies and fruit - great slide show (with a pic of me and dd there last year!), and guest speaker was a party planning lady with some good tips and centerpiece examples.

DD did bring me breakfast in bed which was very sweet - bear and flower shaped banana pancakes w/strawberries and syrup and orange juice! I did get to 'loll' around in bed til noon also! Dh got me a card and a $25 starbucks gift certificate (guess he felt bad after I mentioned last year's gift?) and big ds got me a james blunt cd and dvd of 'the notebook.

Yesterday I did get my hair done - my highlights were getting a bit yellow/brassy so colorist decided to put a toner on - however now it looks like my highlights have disappeared? NOT GOOD - I mentioned this to her and she said she did make it darker on purpose and my highlights will reappear (more golden than yellow) as it fades out - i hope so! OR ELSE!

Sandra - you are a real trooper and I think you did great with your hiking - you certainly don't want to damage your foot so you were right to stop when you felt like it!

Vickie - i am very proud of you very doing your exercise two days in a row! What great dedication!

Kathy - I went to Outback for dinner tonight! Food there is consistently good - but we obviously have different menus? I had a salad, and the grilled swordfish w/veggies - fish came with this citrust salsa which was amazing (green onions, tomatoes in a lemony sauce). Now I am stuffed!

Also went to the dance competition last night - took little ds with me (even tho I know it was ending very late!). DD was there since 2 pm - went with a friend - we got there around 6. Some of the dancing was amazing and ds and I really enjoyed the 'show'. DD's dance only got a gold (as opposed to the dynamic/high gold she got on Friday - and the group they were up against got first place - so she was very cranky on the way home (despite getting the black $30 dance pants she wanted from the competition).

Now all we have left is a major dress rehearsal on the 24th, the recital on the 28th and they are dancing at 'relay for life' which is a local fund raising event! Then maybe a break for me!

I am still feeling super tired due to going to bed very late - can't imagine waking up at 7 am tomorrow for work! We are heading for a long weekend tho and I am tentatively taking friday off so might make it a four day weekend!:carrot:

Melissa - how's the new place? Are you settled in yet?

Vickie - good luck at WI tomorrow

And Kathy - are you heading to work tomorrow too?

Hi again: Thank you girls for the welcome, and yes Froufie, they do grow up and become your friend. I know it is hard now but just keep telling them you love them, but are not happy with the way they act sometimes. Bless your heart it is not easy in this day and age being parents.
I see you got some nice Mother Day gifts. I also got James Blunt. I love the song, "You are beautiful" It is funny my grandson 13 said that the teacher would not let them have that song at their dance, as there was a word that they thought was not the best. I argued with him saying there was not, but found out there is. lol I phoned our grandson and said I was wrong there was that "word" (as they say) and told him now Papa will not let me listen to it. Well they laughed and laughed. lol They were not quite sure if I was kidding or not. I am driving my husband mad as I have it on in the car every time we go out. I told hubby it put me in a romantic mood so then he thought maybe it was ok. lol
Life is sweet,
Rose

rose, welcome to the group. i am so glad you've decided to join us. i hope you found some smiles today. your mother would have wanted that. don't worry about posting your real name. rose is beautiful. i like it.

chickies, rose and i have been friends for several years. i want you to know that she is an inspiration. she's always very positive and has a world of dieting ideas. i have gotten numerous recipes from her (especially ww desserts). again--welcome aboard, rose!

speaking of rose(s), after our meal today with curtis' mom, sister, and bil, he and i worked out in the rosebeds then went to kmart and walmart to buy bedding plants for me for mother's day. i have to admit that my best present from him today was his digging up dandelions. the rosebeds are usually my job. i pruned then planted the new flowers. i think our yard's going to look pretty good. not designer good like frouf's, but colorful. now--come on, hummingbirds--we're ready for you.

rose, yes, life is good.

kathy, your meal sounds heavenly. i love coconut shrimp. i've been baking some lately that i get at albertson's. it's essencia brand over in frozen foods. i take apricot spreadable fruit and dilute it before nuking to make a dip. love it!!

vickie, our ww meeting was about activities. i'm glad you're back to treading. i am counting yardwork as my exercise today. maybe tomorrow i'll bike. ;) ;) ;) for a good wi tomorrow.

frouf, i'm glad you and ds went to the tea. was it big or little ds? i'm not sure. your schedule boggles my mind. (a professor once said that about me but that was around 20 years ago) i hope dd gets her make up straight. i told our oldest grand that i would take her to dillards for a makeup presentation when she gets old enough to wear makeup. right now, she's happy about that.

i have to close for tonight. i'm a happy tired. talk to you tomorrow.

OMG, I just type a typical morning huge post and lost it! I decided to send a PM and forgot to save what I was typing in the box. Darn......and now I have no more time because I have to get ready for my meeting. I have to leave at 9:30 so I have to scoot.

I'll be back later. Happy Monday.

Hi there gals. Just wanted to check in and say hello since I've not been around much this weekend. We've been so busy.
I forgot to tell you all that this week I'm going to a conference, so I'll be gone Tuesday-Friday night. I'll miss chatting with you all and I know I'll be so behind.

Well I just got to the office, we've been at the local clinic this morning, and I've got lots to do to get ready for not being here the rest of the week! I hope that you are all doing great and I'll probably be back later.

Good Morning Ladies, I am still recuperating from Mothers Day. We ended going to my mil for a little bit in the afternoon, then drove into the city to see my mom and sils, well it was a ride from ****. First of all I don't know if you guys ever heard of The Long Island Expressway, it is considered a parking Lot, when we got close to the city the traffic was horrendous. Then dd decides to have a tantrum in her car seat because she wants to get out, she worked her self up so bad she vomits all over herself 3 times, now my poor ds is sitting next to her in his booster seat gagging, my dh is also gagging. Talk about stress, we finally get to my moms and she gives my dd a bath and my poor dh has to go clean the car & her car seat. Next Mothers day I think I will stay home!!! :dizzy:

Kathy beautiful tribute to your children. I know how you feel, my children are my life and they are both my favorite child. Good luck at work today.

Sandra sounds like your garden is going to look wonderful. I have so much gardening to do, I don't know where to start. especially being raised int he city I don't really have a green thumb, But I am trying. :D

Rose, welcome. That is a saying my mom always says, First you have your own children to love & worry about & they grow up so fast, then your children have babies and the love & worrying starts again with your grandchildren.

Vickie good going with the treadmill, I have decided today I will start using my exercise bike.

Froufy I love you posts, they always make me smile. I remember doing that as a teenager, experimenting with makeup, my mom use to make me wash it off before my dad came home, he was a very old fashioned Greek daddy. I miss him soo much he passed away 5 years ago at the age of 61.

Hi girls another beautiful day, the sun is shinning and the birds singing this earth is waking up. (So are the bugs, and that I don't care for.)

Where you surprised Sandra that I have posted?? I have lurked too long, felt like I was listening in to a party line. Did you have luck with the Roses in Texas? It would be much warmer in the summer I would guess.

Oh what a stinky drive you must have had Niki, I could just picture the whole thing. Our daughter used to throw up on the way to the Airport. We would be on the 401 and she would say, "I feel sick" My poor husband would try and pull off but it was not easy. We made many trips to the Airport as we travelled with the children a lot. (We had passes) Lots of fun, but I would love those days back again, when the children were young. I am one of these Mothers that really felt sad when the kids left home, even though I knew that was what was normal.

Yes, Froufie you can sure write, you have a gift to express yourself. I have a sister who lives in States and she wrote for a New York Newspaper for a long time. She had a wonderful command of the English language. Hope you are fine at work today.

I read about you gals going off to work and think I was so lucky, I was able to stay home with the kids. I was lucky also as my friends were all staying home also. I did teach night school (crafts) and also taught Nursery School for about 5 years after the children were grown up.

My husband retired in his middle 50's and we have not looked back yet. It has been wonderful as we built a cottage on a lake in Northern Ont.

I am having a terrible time trying to lose this weight. I do not go to w.w. as we are away lots and I would miss. I do know the plans back wards and front wards so that is not my problem. I take meds for hbp. and it seems to ****** the weight loss. I will not give up though.
Life is sweet,
Rose

Oh Rose, you are so lucky the sun is shining, we have had nothing but pouring rain & thunder here in NY all morning, I am jealous! :D

Oh, oh I think I spoke too soon Niki, it is going to rain later today so the news tells me.
Rose

Ok, I added my exercise ticker, Now all I got to do is make my train move(Haha)

I will start today;)

Well it's not exactly sunny here - gray and overcast but at least it's NOT RAINING! (altho the clouds do look a bit cranky right now!).

Yes I am at work altho I'd much rather be home in bed!

Did I mention how I don't like doing hr stuff? Do I look like an hr person? NO I DON'T - so as acting manager you can only imagine how upset I am when I get like 3 emails today about some job stuff and writing some merit thing and changing some criteria for something or other - oh and please follow these guidelines (like a 12 page book or something!). I just want to pull my hair out!

So I print these all out and the printer fairy must have absconded with them cuz they are nowhere to be found - good I get to waste more paper! (note: yes big hint of sarcasm throughout).

...I could of course leave this aside for a while but frankly the other stuff I have to do is just as icky so it's the lesser of several evils I guess?

Melissa - have fun at the conference! Hope the house is shaping up nicely!

Kathy - are you at work today? Please let us know how you make out!

Rose - Have not listened to the cd yet but will pay close attention for the 'word' (and make sure no little ones in the car w/me ha ha ha).

Niki - poor you - I too was always carsick as a child:p - but you deserve a medal for going above and beyond the call of duty - next time have them come to you!

Vickie - hope you had a good meeting! Sorry you lost your post - that always make me very very cranky!

Sandra - glad you are able to start your planting and having your own personal 'weed whacker' must be so helpful :)

It was little ds I went to the tea with (the only child who still enjoys his mother! ha ha ha). So far says he wants to go next year (so he can see himself on the slide show from this year's pics - ha ha ha).

I want to talk to dd about her makeup but not sure what good it will do - i think it's just a 'test'. She knows how I 'feel' about her makeup (esp when she goes out with me) so I find it hard to believe that she has SUCH poor judgement as to completely go overboard for mother's day dinner out! Was she just waiting for me to tell her she couldn't go with us???

Later last night she does come to 'schmooze' me up and try to talk me into preparing 'snacks' for her as she has a field trip today - cuz 'that's what mothers do!" - Told her she was perfectly capable of putting some fruit and cereal bars and other stuff in a bag for herself! Really now!

Big ds off to New York City with friends - I am a bit anxious of course - told him to make sure AND CALL ME - of course he says it will be collect! ha ha ha

Additional crisis - just got a call from team member - she is away in California due to her dad's surgery (fairly serious) - has been gone for 2 weeks supposed to be back today - turns out her dad has taken a turn for the worse and is going back into surgery - she was so upset and now I am almost crying. Now need to find a replacement for a course she is going on as we will need to pay anyways (too late to cancel!).

Off I go!