Hey ladies, how are you all? Starting phase 1 and the gym again Monday... can't wait! Filled out the FAFSA to get back into college, and hoping to go ahead and get my 2 year old into Head Start so I have time for my college classes and the gym, and then of course plenty of time to spend with my little one when he gets out of Head Start every day. Went to campgrounds where there is a lovely beach, and me and my father-in-law's girlfriend's 14 year old niece were the only ones to get into the water. We walked way out because it doesn't get to your chest until a certain point, so walking through the water was an amazing exercise. I could really feel it in my legs, thighs, butt... and of course when we finally took the plunge and jumped all the way into the cold water, it was a rush. I really miss swimming, haven't done any in the past couple of years because I didn't want to wear a bathing suit... we were fully clothed. But it was great! What a rush! I'm looking forward to being young and exercising in the water again with my young friend. (By the way, having a young spirited energetic girl around is a lot of motivation for me! They make ya want to get active and splash around in the water like a kid.) Anyway I'm rambling... but yes! I recommend this highly to you all, find a young person in your family, maybe your own children, or a niece or nephew or your best friend's kids, take 'em to any place that allows swimming, and get into the water with them! You'll be amazed at how much fun you'll have, and what an effortless, fun, workout!

Take care ladies... hope you're all doing great!

Good morning. I'm about to go into overdrive but figured I'd better check in.

After Church, I am taking the dogs to the kennel, going to have lunch with a friend and then going to my info session for my Italy trip. After that it's off to the city for a birthday dinner with my dear friend Shirleyanne and I'll stay overnight. There will be a minor shop in Ottawa and then home for lunch.

Next week is very, very busy. (I'll spare you my calendar!) It's a good thing I made freezer stash stuff yesterday: chili, soup, taco bake and pasta sauce plus some meat cut up for stir-fry.

Have a great Sunday!

I'm passing you a shot of expresso to boost you for your busy day, Ruth! It sounds like your whole week is going to be super busy, but lots of fun, too!

I'm fueling myself with coffee to prepare for another busy day working in the yard and garden. We have 3 more yards of supersoil to spread over the veggie garden and more seeds to get in, and Jake wants some help redoing the flower bed and rebuilding the edging wall in the front yard. I don't know what I'm making for today's dinner, but it should be something simple and fast!

Good Sunday Morning:sunny:

Ruth, enjoy your birthday/shopping trip!

Linda, I'm so happy everytime I read that you're gardening!

Pearlrose, I've been missing you! Good job maintaining on your vacation! Happy (belated) Anniversery!!

Kierie, hope it's warmer today! Happy BD to DH!

KellyEnix, what an amazing story about the tadpoles! When we each do small things it makes a big difference!

Melanie, good to see you! the water sounded cold but I'm glad you had fun. My suggestion is to get yourself a swimsuit that you can live with at your current weight and start enjoying the water with your son this summer! It will mean alot to him and help you create a lifestyle to help you lose. As you know, I go to the pool every day-there are lots of people smaller than me...but also bigger...I do it for me because I like it.

I've been busy doing my Beck homework, part of which seems to be control of my environment. In my quest for food sanity my office and freezer are now sane and this AM it will be the refrigerator. Church/potluck so a big salad is in order. I did a monster bake yesterday. I had 2 items I wanted out of the cupboard, so I baked 4 different things and only cleaned one mess! Since tasting while standing is off limits with Beck I wasn't even tempted, but did have the opportunity to notice how many times I thought about it!

I'll check back in a bit...off to refrigerator land.

Good morning busy Chicks :coffee2: Boy do I feel like a slug. I don't think I got through 1/4 of my list yesterday. Apparently I needed a leisurely weekend.

Ruth - Have a lovely dinner and overnight with your friend. Remember to take some deep breaths, pet the dogs, and sit on the porch with a scotch this week :)

Cottage - Wow, lots of gardening done! I want your growing season. Of course I'd be too distracted by migrating birds anyway :)

Debbie - Glad to hear you are having so much success with Beck. I agree it's a great tool for long term maintenance. Sounds like an incredibly productive day for you yesterday too!

We are off to do a little spring hawk watching. I don't know how much we will see, but it's a nice little walk up a mountain with lovely views. The spring cleaning seems to be stuck on the back burner. I may just need to take a couple of days off and focus on getting it done.

I made an interesting quick pizza crust last night with oats and chick peas. It actually held together a lot better than I thought it would and was pretty tasty. I posted the link in the On Plan thread if anyone is interested. My only tip is use a food processor not a blender.

Better get moving if we are going to get out and bird before lunch :)

Enjoy your busy day/week Ruth!
Nice work on the freezer stash... it sounds like you're going to need it. I'll be anxious to find out more about your Italy trip. We loved visiting Italy but we focused on EATING not cooking each time we were there. ;)

Another busy day of yardwork for you Linda, are you putting all these hours in the log on your wii fit plus? :lol:
I never bother but sometimes wish I did, then I wouldn't get that scolding message, "Too busy too work out yesterday Heidi, eh?"

Hi Debbie, If you find a little extra time I could sure use your help with MY freezer and fridge! lol I usually do my cleaning/organizing on the weekend and I haven't had many weekends at home lately. I'm glad you're so pleased with Beck. You've got me intrigued, I think I'll google and find out more when I get home.

Cyndi, I was thinking the same thing about Linda's growing season. :) On the drive down yesterday I was peering through snow flurries admiring forsythia and daffodils in people's yards. It's a while before we'll be putting anything in the ground at our house, too.

We had a really, really nice day yesterday. It was cool but very sunny and we rode all over the place with the warm sun coming in the car windows. We made a few stops and my dad felt good enough to get out of the car and walk around a little. He's feeling good again this morning, but tired. Such a change from last weekend. I thank God for the pain medications - they've made such a difference!

I'm going to church with my sister this morning and picking up my parents' favorite - Kentucky Fried Chicken - on the way back. (I'll keep my opinions on that to myself. lol) After lunch we're going to take a ride to the green house to get some pansies, and I'll get those in before I head back to Maine. I'm enjoying this weekend so much, I kind of wish I could skip school and stay an extra day.

Have a great Sunday friends! :hug:

Hi Heidi - Hope you have another good day visiting the folks. What is it with that generation and fried chicken? My Dad loves the fried chicken dinners from Price Chopper. Apparently they know the young woman who works there and she makes them up a fresh order whenever they come in. My Mom is off most of that but not my Dad. Ah well :) I'm just glad your Dad is able to be out and enjoy the weather and, I'm sure, the company.

Prom last night. My son and his girlfriend looked very nice, in my biased opinion:) But some of the other dresses.... wow!

Cyndi, credits for recognizing you needed a leisurely weekend. Enjoy your hawk walk! Maybe you could borrow Donna? I'll check your recipe out! Price Chopper sounds as scary as the chicken!

Heidi, thanks for sharing your really, really nice day yesterday. I almost felt like I was there. Great to hear your Dad feels better this weekend. I wish you could skip school, too....hooky?

Good morning everyone!
Just popping in before I head to church!
Didn't find earrings, called mother, told me I was obviously stressed and that I needed to relax and enjoy myself, listened to her (mothers are ALWAYS right, always), things are good. Now have loads of homework to do today.

Enjoy your sunday, everyone!

Good morning, everyone! I'm running late this morning, so I won't be going with DH to church at nine. I'll just have to take my care and meet him in SS at 9:45. I really hate taking two separate cars; it's such a waste. Oh well.

After church I was going to sweep, mop and dust the house, but it was already drizzling this morning (yay!), so if it keeps it up, I'll just dust. Doing the floors with the dogs is pointless. I'm also going to sit down and do the budget and plan our week, meals and all. I want to pull out of town right at 8 am Thursday and that's not going to happen if I'm not prepared. Well, if I don't get going I'm going to miss SS, too. :)

Karen: Thanks for sharing the pictures! What a good-looking couple! I hope they had fun!!

Back before church...
Karen, I missed you earlier. Beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing them!

KatehSparrow, I'm really sorry you didn't find your earrings but I'm glad your Mother helped you find your need to relax. Hop on that homework and have a great day!

KimStar, I hear you on dogs and mud. I don't want to water the lawn right now because they'll just track in. I'm going to plan meals today, too. Enjoy your Sunday.

Now to decide if I can fit in riding my bike to church-not the most practical but I need the exercise.

Good morning everyone!

Karen, What a cute couple, how fun!

Ruth, When are you going to Italy? How exciting!

Heidi, I'm glad you had such a good day, and your dad is doing a bit better.

Cyndi, Enjoy your hawk watching.

Katie, Moms ARE always right. :) Good luck with all your homework.

KimStar, I totally know what you mean about doing the floors being pointless when you have dogs. I only have one but it's still a losing battle. LOL

cottage, have a great day gardening!

Debbie, Interesting that tasting while standing isn't allowed on Beck - I do that a lot.

I'm so tired today, I was up a lot of the night because my DS starting throwing up at midnight. I had to change his bedding 4 times and I still have laundry going. He seems to be feeling a bit better and is asking for bananas so hopefully it will prove to be a quick bug. I need a nap.

We're having a family BBQ this afternoon, so I have a mock snack cake in the oven for me right now (blueberry, cranberry & apple!), and am just waiting til it's done before going back outside to finish planting.

BTW, Cyndi and Heidi, the reason I can plant so much in the garden right now is because Jake made a greenhouse thingy for it, and with it on, the temp is in the 80s or 90s. :) It only fits over the raised bed, though, so it will be a while yet before I can plant tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. It's great to be able to get a head-start on some things, though!

Tammy, your son and his prom date make a very cute couple! Did they have a good time?

Lovely Sunday here. Went to my son's campus yesterday and went to see "Clash of the Titans". It was pretty good but I still like the old version with Harry Hamlin. Went out to a Mexican restaurant and made good choices for a delicious taco salad. (My DH ate the tortilla.) Took our dogs for a walk yesterday. It turned into a jog/run/walk. They have so much energy and obviously no manners yet. I think I'll take them again today. I felt very energized by it and was glad I could keep up with them. I didn't know their little legs could move so fast. My daffodils are starting to bloom and my forsythia is lovely. I love spring!