Rennie...

You should run a hospital ward. How cute is that about your son and pain meds.

Annie
At times I feel I run an insane asylum and I am the head nut lol.

CEEJAY....HOPE THE SHOULDER FEELS BETTER. GOOD LUCK WITH PHASE 2...I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM IF I CUT OUT ALL FRUITS. ALSO GOOD LUCK WITH THE STORMY WEATHER. I AM VERY GLAD THE CALL WITH THE SISTER WORKED OUT SO WELL!

HAPPY~ WOW! YOU GO GIRL WITH THE BLACK TEAM. I TRIED TO READ A LITTLE LAST NIGHT BUT IT WAS TOO MUCH. NOT DOING A LOT OF CLEANING HERE....MARIE IS A LEFT OVER HIPPIE FROM THE 60'S. A CHILD OF MESSINESS! I SHOULD NOT LAUGH BUT SHE ALSO HAS NO SENSE OF SMELL. SHE TOLD ME NOT TO GO CRAZY CLEANING AS SHE WOULDN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE! GOOD LUCK WITH THE BL CHALLENGE!! THOSE ARE SOME NICE EXERCISE NUMBERS

ANNIE~ FUNNY BUT I WAS GOING TO ASK THE DR ABOUT BIOTIN. I KNOW A MAN THAT SAYS HE FEELS BETTER WITH IT. I MUST LOOK INTO THIS. I CRACKED UP WITH YOUR POST TO MICHELLE....WE ALL SHOULD MEET AT YOUR HOUSE! I'LL BRING MY PEDALS!

MICHELLE~ AFTER THE MIL LEAVES, WE'LL ALL GO TO ANNIES! BRING YOUR EXERCISE SCHEDULE AND WE'LL TRY TO KEEP UP! THANK GOD THE BRAKES WAITED TILL YOU PULLED INTO THE DRIVE!!!
YOU REMINDED ME THAT MY CHAIRS NEED SERVICING AND I HAVE BEEN PUTTING IT OFF.

SHAD~ THE DS2 CAN BUY A HOME OVER HERE CHEAP AND RENT IT OUT. I'LL BE HIS MANAGER! WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE TUBES OF CREAM? WONDER IF AMAZON IMPORTS IT. THE CAT PICS WERE CUTE. HAVE YOU BEEN TAKING YOUR WATER PILLS??? ALL THIS FLYING AROUND IS GONNA CAUSE SWELLING I BET JUST THOUGHT I'D NAG FOR A CHANGE

RENNIE~ HOPE THE SON HEALS FAST. MOMA ALWAYS KNOWS BEST. THEY JUST PRETENDED ON THE TV SHOW THAT FATHERS DO

IF I CAN STAY AWAKE IN ALL THIS DARKNESS AND SUNUSSY WEATHER, THE CLOTHES GET TACKLED.
MANY HAVE TOLD ME TO WAIT A WEEK OR TWO CAUSE THE WEATHER IS SO COOL HERE.
HAPPY SATURDAY AND HAPPY WEEKEND

I ALMOST FORGOT MY ENTRY FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE "PERILS OF MEL-INE"...

A WOMAN CAME TO MY DOOR AT ALMOST 9:30PM. SHE SMELLED AND ACTED DRUNK BUT SAID SHE HAD PARKINSONS. STARTED GIVING ME HER LIFE HISTORY AND SAID SHE WANTED AN APARTMENT. WTF? DO I LOOK LIKE THE RENTAL AGENT? AND WOULD AN OFFICE BE OPEN THAT LATE? I ASKED POLITELY IF SHE WAS AWARE OF THE TIME. SHE SAID NO, APOLOGIZED, BUT WENT ON WITH HER STORY. SOME TENANTS BY NOW WERE ALSO AT MY DOOR BECAUSE SHE RANG ASSORTED DOORBELLS TO GET INTO THE BLDG. ONE OF THEM LET HER IN AND TOLD HER TO COME AND SEE ME!!! I SAY WTF AGAIN!
I ACTUALLY HAD TO WALK HER BACK TO THE ELEVATOR, TAKE HER DOWN TO THE LOBBY AND ESCORT HER OUT THE DOOR WHERE I WATCHED AS SHE MADE PROGRESS DOWN THE STREET BACK TO A HOME SHE OWNS!!!!
WHY ARE ALL THE MISFITS THAT GET LOST, ABLE TO FIND MY APARTMENT???? THERE MUST BE SIGNS OUT THERE ON THE STREET THAT I AM UNAWARE OF!
REMIND ME NEXT TIME I TAKE ONE OF MY RIDES TO YANK THEM OFF THE TELEPHONE POLES!!

I JUST HAD A THOUGHT....MAYBE I SHOULD MOVE TO OZ. WONDER IF THEY CAN SWIM THE BIG POND?
OH HOLD ON....THAT'S NO GOOD...OZ IS PROBABLY FILLED WITH MISFITS AS WELL!
BEST TO STAY HERE THEN....AT LEAST WHEN THE MUMBLE I CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Oh what!!!!
You mean you can't understand me when I mumble, act drunk, fall down and speak mindless words. Come on Mel. I thought you were the Goddess of all words and worlds.
Anyway - the misfits here have a place to go to! And it is not mine. I've renovated the railway bridge for them. Lots of nice new cardboard cartons from my packing and unpacking. I even left the newspaper in them so they could keep nice and warm.
How dare the residents let in all the odds and sods. Now I am getting worried for you. Mind you there was a dozen or so of them waiting for me when I got there last year and they would have let me into anything and everywhere if I had asked. Gotta love 'em.

Good morning chicks,

Mel - that is too funny. You poor thing. No matter how much you tell them, there are perils in blinding letting people into the lobby. Why secure it otherwise? And to send them to YOUR apartment? I think you are just a magnet for the downtrodden Mel. It's nice of you to help out your buddy - hard to teach someone meek how to "strap on a pair" if the don't have it in them naturally. I always get a laugh out of you being the big gun - reminds me of the Roosevelt quote - walk softly (or roll in your case) and carry a big stick ****'s Bells Here Comes Mel Your life is certainly never dull. Sorry you missed the shopping run - your boys SHOULD be taking care of you. Hang in there - the better weather is coming along.

I too enjoyed the story of your son and the pain pills Rennie. Mom knows best, eh? At least you taught him well enough to listen to you. A rare thing now a days.

Annie - hope your check shows up. It's always like that - when you need it, it disappears. I am still reeling over the cost of your license plates Even in Chicago with plates and a city sticker it wasn't that much. Indy must really need the revenue Can calcium pills make you toot too?

Shad - loved the cat napping in the loo pic. The other one, tho cute has been passes around a bit. So now we have to add tuned-up to the list of words that make a down underer giggle? Here's another one - route Both completely innocent words here. I agree with the housing being a bargain hunters dream. DH and I have talked about another house - not feasible at the moment to move to another town yet and we aren't interested in renting out so for now we just dream. As for prices, I think the market got horridly overpriced and now what looks like a drop is actually an adjustment to move reasonable prices. Did you like the new instructor for the Body Balance class?

Michelle - I hope you got over your endorphin withdrawal That's too cute. I haven't got that way with exercise yet but I can appreciate the feeling when it comes to eating good vs eating not so good so I strive to get to that point on exercise myself. Hope you got a good workout and you have some time to spend with the MIL this weekend. Guess you had some lousy weather up your way too yesterday. Seems like spring is never going to arrive this year Happy belated birthday to the DH too.

Ceejay - there sure was ALOT of rainwater falling yesterday. Did that cause issues for you at work or was it your day off and someone else's problem to deal with? Happy travels this weekend.

Hellos to the Canadian arm of the group - Madcat, Carla, Ruth and Holly Hope you are thawing out and getting some sunshine on your faces.

Painter where ARE you??????

Shout out to Patty Who am I missing? Please forgive me for not remembering at this point.

DH and I were having coffee this morning and I was talking about my fear that I'm getting Alzheimers because it seems like I lose things more frequently. Like I had to think really hard about what we had for supper last night. It eventually came to me but I had to work at it. I then ask him what his plans for the weekend are so we can plan out activities I want to do like the Humane Society. So he says to me well, if you want to go see the birdies we could do it in the afternoon. Who's going to see birdies, what birdies I ask???? Oh - he meant cats was looking at a magazine and saw birds so he said birds. Funny thing was, he continued to talk and 5 minutes later again said birds for cats. I told him he's getting worse than me

Busy weekend ahead. When talking to Mom yesterday she reminded me that in 2 weeks we'll be coming to pick her up. 2 WEEKS???? Argh - the place is quite messy right now. DH is sanding and painting the hall closets (2 of them) so all the stuff is laying loose in one room. I have piles of things because I started going through boxes in the garage. I DEFINITELY need to do some major cleaning this weekend. And I've decided that I really hate the new rectangular frames on my glasses so I'm going to get my eyes checked tomorrow and go back to the traditional frames that work best for me and to heck with fashion. :P

So the title of Mayhem in May describes my life very accurately at the moment Hope you all have a good weekend!

SHAD....I CAN ONLY HOPE THEY DON'T TAKE YOUR BOXES AND FLOAT THEM OVER THE POND TO NEW JERSEY!!!!!
IT WOULD BE MY LUCK THAT THE CARDBOARD WOULD HOLD UP TO TEMPESTUOUS SEAS!! PLEASE DON'T TEACH ANY OF THEM HOW TO FRIGGING SWIM! HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THE NEW KITCHEN!!!

HAPPY~ IT'S CALLED HORMONES!! AND ALSO THE STRESS OF THE JOB. BOTH MAKE THE POOR HEAD SWIM. HAD A FRIEND YESTERDAY THAT WAS WORKING ON THE COMOPUTER AND KEPT SAYING WORDS OFF THE SCREEN INSTEAD OF THE RIGHT ONES MUST BE CONTAGIOUS! JUST LOOK AT IT THIS WAY....IF DH LOSES HIS MOIND, HE'LL NEVER NOTICE YOURS IS GOING TOO!

As for last nights fiasco: I think I am going to speak to the director and ask a letter of some kind be sent to the tenants. I was a bit spooked last night and it could have easily been a man...much stronger than me. S h i t....some 3 yrs olds are stronger than I am! And we are living in more dangerous times.

I CAME BACK TO TELL ANNIE SOMETHING I HEARD:
SOME PEOPLE DID NOT GET THEIR CHECKS AND CALLED THE IRS. THEY WERE TOLD THAT IF THE SYSTEM HAD ANY HICCUPS IN IT AND THE CONNECTION TO THE BANK COULD NOT BE MADE, THEN THE CHECK WOULD GET PRINTED AND BE SENT IN THE POST. SO IT'S UP TO THE COMPUTER I GUESS. NOT SURE IF THIS INFO IS ENTIRELY RELIABLE BUT NI GOOGLED IT AND READ SOMETHING SIMILAR. I GOT A NOTICE TELLING ME MINE WOULD GO TO MY BANK ON THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY AND IT IS YET TO GET THERE! BUT THAT'S OK WITH ME CAUSE WHEN IT COMES, I AM SENDING IT TO THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY.
I WAS READING WHERE SEARS IS OFFERING 10% INCREASE ON YOUR GIFT CARD IF YOU PUT THE WHOLE THING INTO ONE OF THEIR CARDS. SO IF I TOOK MY 300 THEY WOULD ADD 30 AND I'D GET MORE...BUT I DON'T NEED STUFF FROM SEARS. HEARD EITHER WALMARTS AND A FEW OTHERS ARE DOING SIMILAR THINGS.
GUESS EVERYONE WANTS THE BUCK TO STOP AT THEIR STORE

OK BACK TO SORTING AND CLEANING

Happy
Don't even think about getting Alzheimers. You are much to young for this.
I got to ride out the storms at home yesterday.

Mel
You should be the "big gun" at work.

Hello's to Annie and Michelle and Shad

I'm with Happy as to where are our Canadian friends? And Paniter Woman?


Our storms yesterday were a little on the rough side. I'm not sure what the damage if any was done in town. Most of it stayed on the west side of the Interstate in the rural community. There were tornado's.

Got my hair cut and styled this morning. Didn't realize it had been 2 months, and it was looking a little ragged. Next month I'm having highlight's done. I'm thinking red since my cousin confirmed me having natural red highlights when I was very young. I sure do miss her.

Bought myself a new Leslie Sansone's Walk Away Your Waistline dvd. It has the 1,2, or 3 mile walk. I have the old vhs but it is worn out.

Also did some recycling this morning. Took the aluminum cans out to the animal shelter. Now to recycle the Walmart bags.

I'm going to set up the computer for wireless internet. I'll be using Alltel. The router I bought from Dell just went from room to room and I wanted something to take with me.

I keep looking for the stimulus package to show up in my bank account but nothing so far.

Morning all,

Man it is a bit cool here at the moment. Had to put a jumper on last night. But the sun is up so it won't be long and the temps will rise and the day will be beautiful again. It is so nice to wander outside and breathe the air. A week in the Far East makes one realise the benefits of living here. Count your blessings Shadster and remember this when you are moaning about the traffic or whatever.

What are these stimulus cheques??? Is this the IRD trying to kick start the economy again?? Dang it where's mine? except over here they are trying to cool it down and keep inflation under control. At the moment they are threatening the banks with further regulations if they don't pull their woolly heads in and start lightening up on the bank fees. In days gone by we used to get modest returns from shares invested, now the greed is such that the banks and others must make a huge profit to keep their shareholders happy, and that means bank fees by the hundreds and who pays for those I might ask??

Mel - thanks for the nagging. I am taking the pills again. And yes I am retaining fluid because the weight was up 2kg when I got home. So much for the accuracy of the hotel scale hey! And I did take them while I was away. Flying does tend to make the feet and legs swell although it didn't seem as bad as normal on the way home.
The DS2 didn't come home with a new house yesterday. Whew - I don't know that I have time to do the painting and decorating in another one as well at the moment. There are a number of bank foreclosures going on at the moment. People tell me I should buy another house or investment property, but I just enjoy being out of debt for the time being. Anyway I would rather buy a bit of a rundown place and do it up and sell it. Renting is always a bit haphazard in my opinion. Buy the worst house in the best street, give it a new garden and interior jazz up and sell it on. Just like they do on TV. Only I wouldn't be painting the living room red!!

Happy - it's the way the word Route is pronounced - differently in both countries - that causes the problem. Route with an ow sound or route with an oo sound.
Tuned up - used to be what you did to a person when they annoyed you. You gave them a bit of a tune up - ie tongue lashing or verbal stoush (NZ) - but then there came a time when one comes to Aus and while it has that connotation, one also goes home to tune up the old Sheila (wife) once in a while.
I don't think you are suffering from Alzheimers. I think you have stress syndrome. From time to time I suffer from it myself. Can't remember what I ate yesterday or even what day is this? Did DH have a vacant look on his face when he said birds instead of cats? No? Well that look can't be mistaken when you see it I can tell you that from experience.
Anyway, here is a simple test for you. Concentrate now.
When you are having an interesting conversation about life in general or something deep in particular, get the DH to give you 4 random words. Can be anything, doesn't have to do with the job or the house or the family just 4 words like: Cow, Lake, Rambler, biscuit. So you have 4 words. Don't write them down. Then get on with the conversation you were having for the next 10 minutes or so. Then the DH asks you, in the middle of the conversation what those four words were. 75% and you are doing fine. 100% and go you get to pass go and collect $200. This is one of the tests the Dr gave my mother 14 years ago. I can still recall 75% of those words. Stuffed if I can remember the last one although if I think about it hard I think it was a wild animal like a tiger.
Stress makes us do funny things. Like putting the corkscrew at the back of the top closet shelf in the bedroom.

Ceejay - youth has nothing to do with Alzheimers anymore. When Mum was around and living with it, I found a man aged 39 who was well down the path of Alzheimers. Several of the people in the home with her were in their 50's and 60's. Drs tell me the age factor for many diseases is becoming increasingly younger and younger and don't think that because you are 25 and beautiful you will not get breast cancer. A lot of women and some men are being diagnosed with that by age 25 to 30 these days and some as young as in their teens. It's not pretty out there and it is getting worse. All the more reason to look after ourselves better. We may all have to dig for victory before long.

Oops look at the time. I meant to be at the gym when it opened.
From the What the pets get up to when you are not home file.


and


Crikey - that one looks a bit like Sunday. I'd better go check out the toothbrushes.

CEEJAY~ WOW YOU WERE A BUSY GAL. NEW HAIRDO, RECYCLE, NEW DVD ETC. RED HIGHLIGHTS SOUND LIKE A GREAT IDEA!! YOUR POOR WEATHER MAP HAS BEED LOOKING RATHER BUSY AND HOPE DAMAGES STAY TO A MINIMUM DOWN THERE.

SHAD~WHERE DID THE PICS GO??? GUESS THE PICTURE GREMLIN STOLE THEM THE CREDIT CARD COMPANIES ARE DOING A JOB RAISING INTEREST RATES OVER HERE AND THE WORSE RECORD YOU HAVE, THE HIGHER THE INTEREST GOES. SIGH. BUT WE PLOD ON!
HOPE THE DS FINDS SOMETHING THAT WILL "Add" AND NOT DETRACT FROM HIS INCOME....AS RENTERS CAN BE A NUISANCE AT TIMES. I WOULD FIX AND SELL TOO. AND IF IT WOULD MAKE A BIGGER SALE I WOULD PAINT ALL THE WALLS RED GOOD FOR YOU WITH THE PILLS. SOMEHOW IT CAME TO MY MIND.....IT STILL FUNCTIONS FROM TIME TO TIME. I WAS ALSO THINKING THE SAME AS YOU...LOOKED AT PICS OF JK AND THOUGHT TO MYSELF "I AM SPOILED AND COULD NEVER LIVE LIKE THAT" . THANK GOD FOR CIVILIZATION!! lol3:

to all the other chicks from the south to our still cool north.

MY FRIEND SHOULD BE HERE BY TUES MORNING. STILL NO WORD ON THE TIME CAUSE ANOTHER FRIEND IS PICKING HER UP AND WANTS HER TO GO THERE FIRST. FINE WITH ME. GIVES ME MORE TIME TO GET ORGANIZED. THE CLOSET IS PROVING TO BE A BIT MUCH ON THE SHOULDERS AND IS SLOW GOING. IT'S ALL IN NEAT LITTLE PILES CONFINED TO THE TOP OF MY CEDAR CHEST THAT I DRAGGED INTO THE BEDROOM THIS WINTER. ONE LESSON I LEARNED: IF YOU BUY SOMETHING THAT IS NON SALE AND YOU DON'T GO ANYWHERE TO WEAR IT, WHAT MONEY WAS SAVED? I SEE A LOT OF IMPULSE SHOPPING. THINGS I CANNOT WEAR FOR MANY HOURS. GOTTA STICK WITH COTTON AND BE DONE WITH IT. GAVE SOME MORE PJ'S AWAY THAT WERE GIFTS TO ME AND I CAN'T EVEN GET INTO THEM! WEEKEND IS GOING WELL. ONLY SMALL PROBLEMS. ALL IS WELL IN MY LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD.
HAPPY SUNDAY/MONDAY

Happy Sunday Ladies --

I hope you all enjoyed the first part of your weekend! I went to the gym yesterday, did 1/2 hour of cardio followed by an hour with my trainer showing me some new strength training/toning exercises, followed by a 1/2 hour long strength training/circuit class. I was sore when I left, and I thought I'd be even more sore today...but not so. I feel great! I'll probably go to the gym soon for cardio...or take the dogs for a long walk. It's gorgeous weather today - sunny and 60s. I've already been out cleaning up the garden a bit.

Shad - Will you be going back to Jakarta at all? That's cool that you'll be able to work from home! I hope your new Body Balance instructor was good.

Annie - hopefully your stimulus check will arrive early in the week.

Rennie - Good for you for setting out the rules for the pain meds for your son.

Mel - What a weird experience! Glad it all worked out okay.

Happy - DH's b'day isn't until May 15, Spamalot was an early b'day present for him. I think both you and DH are fine - no Alzheimers worries....you are both just very busy with lots on your mind (aka "Stress"). That's the excuse I use anyway! As for eyeglass frames and other fashion, I'm with you...it's got to look good on me...regardless of whether or not it's in style. Good luck with the cleaning and getting the house ready for mom.

CeeJay - sounds like you've gotten a lot done so far this weekend! Good for you!

I'd better go get on with the day.

A big to Patty, Madcat, Carla, Ruth, Holly, Painter and anyone I may be missing.

Hugs to all,

Hey, what's all this talk about red rooms? Mind you, I have 3 of them in my house - the "office", the downstairs master bath and the kitchen. Now, I did not pick these colors - it appears that the most favorite colors here in the south are red and yellow. When DH and I were walking through the neighborhood in the evening (with most people leaving their curtains/window blinds open) he said that every single house has a red room. And he's right. I don't mind the red so much, however we have mostly cherry wood furniture and red and cherry while they don't clash, don't compliment each other either. I am trying to decide on a neutral color. I don't particularly like the trend now of painting all rooms in the house 1 color. Although I was looking at some homes on the internet and one house was painted a very neutral cream color and in each room they used accent pieces like pictures on the wall, bed linens and accent curtains to pop color into the rooms and that worked quite nicely.

Mel - I so agree with you on the impulse shopping and items never worn do not result in any savings. I feel guilty when I come across items in my closet - not many tho - that still have tags on them. More often than not, they were on clearance at the end of season and I bought them because they were such a "bargain". Although I do have 2 pieces I bought recently that were 60ish vintage type patterns that caught my eye. They are just 2 sizes too small so are incentives for weight loss goals. I do hope that you enjoy your visit with Marie. How long is she staying? It's a shame that people bought you gifts that you can't use. Somehow you have to get the word out that if they want to give you something, a gift card would be nice I know many people think a gift card or cash is crass but sometimes it just works better that way. I wound up ordering some hand soap from Bath and Body Works and sent it to my mom for Mother's Day. She was telling me the other night that she wanted to get to the store to get those soaps but no one was going out that way so I just jumped on it after we got off the phone. She is one of those people who is grateful for whatever gift you give her but there is a room in the attic upstairs full of unused gifts. We have moved to cash and gift cards which frustrates her more because she has no way to get out and shop and spend them. I think we'll be taking her around to several places when we get up that way. Anyway, I hope the weather holds up nicely for you and that you have a great visit and lots of laughs.

Shad - the stimulus checks are a feeble attempt by our government to stimulate the sinking economy. They figure if they give us a few hundred dollars, we will pump it into the stores. Hence the incentives by some places to offer you a great bargain if you spend your check there. The funny thing is, in these very scary and uncertain times, I dare say that maybe half the people getting checks will take the money and save it for the time being. At the risk of getting on my soapbox (I'll try not to go there), I also think the banks have gone down the path of what DH calls - the United States of Greed. I realize that interest rates on loans are low and correspondingly, if banks are loaning money at low rates, the interest or rate of return you get on your savings is also low but it's darn ridiculous and you are just ever so slightly better putting your money in a bank than stuffing it in your mattress at home. And at one point DH said he was a bit worried given the state of the economy and the possibility of a recession, that the banks might go under (fail) and take our precious savings with them. It is certainly very hard to grow whatever savings you have now a days. And the generations that come behind us are imbedded in the immediate gratification mode so many of them don't see a reason to save. I must say that if I was 21 and knew that retirement age was 78, I'm not so sure I'd be motivated to save for retirement or rainy days either I remember back in 1974 working by myself in the computer room on a weekend and wondering what life would be like in the distant year of 2000 when I would be an old hag Turns out life isn't really too different except that I wouldn't dare go braless now

To your comment Shad, it is I who give DH the blank stare when he talks. His mind is thinking he's saying kitties but it's his mouth that says birdies. So he chats likes nothing's wrong and I'm the one sitting here trying to figure out what he means. When I talk, I don't use the wrong words, I just stop in the middle of a sentence because I can't think of the word I want to use. We are quite the pair But I will try your 4 word test. I'm quite sure that I will focus so hard on memorizing the 4 words that I won't hear much of anything he's actually saying while he talks

Oh and we can't see your photobucket pictures for some reason I REALLY enjoyed them.

Ceejay - I think the red highlights would be wonderful. Red really puts color back into your face and is quite attractive tho hard to maintain. I'm sure you feel all perky and pretty now after the hairdresser. So are you going to become a Leslie fan like Rennie here? I have a few of her tapes too. She is good for when you're not up to a killer workout ala Jillian Michaels

Today is grocery shopping, pet the kitties and go through some more boxes day. Oh and clean out the refrigerators. I intend to keep a more watchful eye on the groceries - same as Mel with the spending. I just pick up too much and some is going to waste. Groceries are getting too expensive to do that.

So I will wave to the rest of the chicks and get on with the day.

happy
A person can save a lot of money just by sticking to a list. Prices have gone up so high I check my cart before I go to check out and see if there are things I have tossed in there that I really don't need. Yes, from time to time I forget to put something on the list but not generally. Sometimes of course we do forget things but I think most of the time we could really do without most of what we pop into the cart that isn't on our lists. I have to walk a tight rope with my son. He is 21 and yet not yet 21. I have to remember he is an adult and wants to be treated like one and yet I have to remember I have to make sure he understands things. They have told us he won't catch up to his age until he is in his late 20's probably. We do see a little difference everyday. Much easier now him being 21 and really in his middle to late teens than it was when he was 15 and really only about 8. It hurts him so much when people act like he is stupid. He isn't stupid he just thinks about things differently than most of us do. You have to explain things to him instead of thinking he understands. The one big problem he has is that he doesn't catch social cues. He doesn't catch the difference between " We need to have a talk " as in if we don't talk I am going to explode and " We need to have a talk " as in lets chat. Fashion and style. I have never cared what was in fashion or what was in style. I like straight skirts and penny loafers. Wore them when I was a teenager and everyone else was wearing less than nothing and still love them lol. Heck I wore my moms that she still had hanging around from when they were in style lol.

di
Sounds like you had a great workout. My son isn't one of those people you can just assume knows things. You have to tell him how things work and why. The why is very important. Once I explained why no beer ( for example ) he was fine with that. If I had just said you can't drink with this mead, that wouldn't have been good enough. It isn't that there is anything wrong with his brain ( except he is male ) he just has to look at things in a logical order to understand and retain things.

Melody
You are so right. We went to look for me some clothes and I found all kinds of tens that I can get myself into but I wouldn't wear yet because they are a tad to tight. Hubby said get them you will be into them in a real short time. I said no. I want to get a few pieces of clothing for now not for tomorrow. Why spend money now that you don't need to spend. Who knows, I might lose enough to go from an 11 to a 9 and then all the money we spent on the 10's would have been wasted. He kept saying we are shopping at goodwill and you are only talking a couple of bucks for a pair of pants. It doesn't matter to me if a pair of pants cost 20 dollars or 2 dollars that is just wasted money. I never knew 11's would be so hard to find lol. The sears people love me lol. I do a lot of shopping there. Heck I walk into the appliance part and they yell out how the heck you doing Dawn lol. I have had the same sears repair man for a million years. He sits and has a cup of coffee when he comes to my house lol. Oh my gosh, you need to be careful. What on earth is wrong with people letting someone into the building and then sending them to you lol.

Shad
I think that check people are going to get is a killer for some. This isn't free money. The refund we are going to get next year will have this money deducted from it. We are taking our check and it goes straight to savings. I use the refund each year to get everyone glasses, new clothes things like that. If we spend it now it won't be there when it should be next year. I sure hope people understand this about the checks. lol Route with an ow sound is a road, or route with an oo sound is at the bottom of a tooth or a plant. Tune up is what we do to a car lol when it isn't running right. They laugh about crick or creak and creek around here. I crick is what you get in your neck, a creak is what a door does, a creek is a small body of water. The darn thing is called a stream lol depends on what neck of the woods you live in to what it is called.

cee
A nice hair cut can make all the difference in how we feel about how we look. I have told people for years I have no red in my hair but that doesn't make it go away lol. It is strawberry Blonde ( more so if I don't keep a hat on in the summer ) with white running thru it. I know a hair cut makes me feel great, I just never take the time to get it done until the stuff is down in my eyes lol.

Hubby went and bought me two pairs of pants and two pairs of Capri's. He paid FULL PRICE for them. The man is insane. Heck, I didn't pay full price for my wedding dress lol. Anyway, I am in the dressing room and he is saying come on I want to see them and I am saying I am NOT going out in public in these pants they are to tight. I walk out and turn around and he makes a gurgling sounds and yells SOLD. The man standing beside him waiting for his wife looks at me and laughs. I said your crazy they are to tight. He said ummm baby they are NOT to tight. ( They are all white with a bit of spandex in them just like my jeans but my jeans do not hug my skin ) You want to dress in everything 2 sizes to big and my gosh they look good on that butt of yours. I am arguing they are to tight and this guy is standing beside us and looks at me and and then at my husband and says. " Why is it, woman who have nice behinds want to cover them up and woman who have nasty behinds want to show them off." The mans wife comes out of the dressing room and I am saying to her, tell him these are to tight and I am to darn old to dress like this. She is laughing and telling me they look great and I need to stop dressing in flour sacks. Hubby bought the clothes. I said I will wear them at midnight, in the house with the blinds down and the lights off. Oh my gosh, I never wore pants that fit that close to my skin when I was 20 and build like a brick chicken coop.

Morning all,

Short and sweet since I have to go to work (ha ha) today and I do not want to go in my housecoat and jammies.

Rennie - just wear the pants already. The husband is proud of you and your achievement as you should be. He wants you to show it off. Crikey, there's women out there who would consider it an honour if the husband just noticed what she wore! or the fact that she was still there. And the men are right - when this craze for tight and short and bare came in, my DS1 said it could be an interesting summer (we were having coffee at Myers basement and there was a fashion parade going on) and I said that it looked okay from here, but when summer comes there will be some bloody awful bodies wearing it. And I was right. Muffin tops doesn't even come into it on some occasions. There is so much flab hanging loose on some of them you can't even read the slogans on the skirts.
Root and Route are pronounced much the same over here. You have to listen to the conversation to work out which one is which. Creek means the same but is more often a stream, brook, rill, burn or watercourse in NZ but because the land is so dry in Aus, ANYTHING that has water in it is a river or a creek. There's even one in Townsville called Dry Waterbed Creek. And the Todd River in Alice Springs runs underground and is only seen in times of heavy torrential rain. Believe it or not, they hold a boat race on it every summer and the locals get all dressed up in weird costumes, carry a bottomless boat and run the river bed. One year it rained and they had to cancel the boat race until the water drained away.

So you can't see the photos. Wonder why. They are fine here. Okay, I will try once more. Maybe I tried one too many short cuts. Um no I won't, I'll have to go back to the laptop for that. I will do it again shortly.

Michelle - great workout. I will be missing the gym today since it is a public holiday here in Qld and my gym is closed. One of the others is open but I can't see me driving all the way over there to do an hours work out. An hour to get there, an hours workout, an hour to get home. Might have to set Jillian up on the DVD and do it here in my lunch break.

Happy - Mel and I watched home shows on TV when I was there. Without exception at least one of the made over rooms was bright red. Now it is said to energise the appetite so dining rooms are red (at my size and shape do I need to eat more? I don't think so) and it is said to incite passion - so bedrooms can be red (but the cat and I don't get up to much these days - well I don't, she doesn't give me a run down on her love life) and often much as I love the colour I find red aggressive. I want my home to be peaceful and not running over with aggression - some sexy connotations would be fine if I ever invited anyone in to share it - and the DS2 tells me the someone has to pass muster with him first!!!!
Banks here have the savings interest set around 3 per cent short of the home interest rate. More if you have more to save. For me it is still safer to put the money there than to invest in stocks and shares. There are so called experts taking care of my superannuation that can make stuff ups bigger than those I have made - so I don't invest in the 'market'. Nothing is guaranteed anymore and you can bet your boots that what ever happens you and I will take the lions share of the fall out and not those responsible for its happening.
As for shopping - Rennies list is good. I always take a list. But also if you plan the meals for a week, then you don't have to go back and pick up stuff because you don't have it for that particular meal. As you know I have been following the CSIRO diet with some success (but not at the moment) and I write down all that I have to buy for the week. However they have some ingredients that you buy in packets or bunches and you may not use that again for the week so that wastes money. So now what I do is plan out the week menus making sure I use each recipe for at least two days and then find another recipe that includes the fresh herb or grocery item that is in my cupboard. Food is much too expensive to through away now.

Mel - enjoy your hippie friend, I hope I can meet up with her one day. It would be fun to swap Melistory!!!

And now I gotta go and do some things. I'll try to find those photos and put them up later on. Meantime tell me if you can see these.


And