Girls the week is flying by so quickly. Work loads been managable but crazy stuff to deal with. I think my handful of chips was stress related and before dinner so I was hungry too. Gotta plan better today I am going to take an apple to munch on for the drive home. I had a healthy breakfast of mothers oats, and an oatmeal english muffin so on target this a.m. a little pear for the 10:00 snack and salad with feta ch. for lunch with an apple. Gotta preplan!! Sunday I swam and did garden work for exercise other than stairs and walking in at work nothing since gotta kick my but and add that to my schedule. Today I am planning on going to the gym right after work.
Judy sounds like the boss needs to make some good choices at work. Good for you mediating before work...
Marie over the mountain sounds like it was a positive thing for you and the coworker. The groomer a new one never again one told the hubby my doggie is aggressive. I guess he didn't like them doing his nails. My doggie?? Anyways have you seen that nail filing thing advertised for dogs nails? If so what do you think as your the queen of 3?
Penny good luck with the surgery and sounds like you got the best guy for the job.
Auntie G your a trooper!! Keep up all your efforts their paying off rub some on me girl....
Next week some friends and I are crossing the boarder to Canada only 2 hrs. away just a day trip. Some shopping and celebrating my 10 years at the same job...... I have reached my 5 weeks vacation hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My good friend started a couple of days after me and we share an office. So off we go to have some fun to celebrate good times, crazy times and hopefully a good future.
Judy your right more parents are helping their kids something does have to change I agree. But when they don't normally ask for help and then do you know its not good. Hopefully they can get things going better but with pay cuts its so hard to adjust and with 3 kids with needs not just wants. Thank goodness we are able to help a bit cause if I couldn't somehow it would just eat me up. Gotta be greatful for somethings I guess. Taking the gd camping this saturday now there is some exercise we are going to hike a bit. I will pack some healthy foods as well for me.
Gotta go put my stuff in the journal.

Hi everyone, I just had quite an evening. I signed up to bring my 3 doggies for portraits. Holy smokes, my wrists are killing me from trying to make three huskies behave. I told them upfront that I really didn't expect it to work and for the longest time, it didn't. They got one really decent shot of the 3 of them together so my Christmas cards are ordered. I'm also getting a 5x7 for my office and an 11 x 14 canvas portrait. Then they did individual shots and my gosh, I have gorgeous doggies. So I'm getting an 8 x 10 of each of them. I'll scan them and post them when I get the package in 3 weeks. Because there were leashes involved, they'll photoshop them out. The little print out I have are wonderful. They chose a blue background because of their blue eyes. Really wonderful but my hands hurt. I'm thinking I won't do that again for another 5 years. Wasn't cheap either, but I'm glad I did it.

I'm on track for about 1400 cals today - took longer at the photo shoot. So I don't want to eat a good portion of calories right before bed. I took the doggies for their 1.5 mile walk this am. So all is good on that front. Mr. Scale was evil, but I expected it after riding in a car as long as I did. Now, if I'd climbed the mountain as per auntie's image, I'd have lost weight.

auntie, 3 WW fudgicles is pretty darn good for going off plan. I'd say you get a pat on the back. I had a WW cookies and cream bar at work today. Man, it's tasty!!!

Carol, congrats on the 10 years with the company. 5 weeks vacation is awesome. I'm at 3 weeks (plus 5 extra days). I don't 5 weeks come until 25 years and I'm sure not staying there that long!!!! I'm planning on retiring long before that.

Penny and Judy, I hope all is well.

Sorry about being AWOL! It's been an unusual week at work, to say the least, and I'm in the hub of every possible conversation and email loop. I haven't been eating too badly, considering how much I could use some deep dish pizza and a cold beer...I've been fighting sinus/allergy stuff for several days, including annoying soreness and popping in my ears. I didn't work out at all Wed and Thurs, but I did 50 minutes of cardio this morning, and felt better for it. I'll change my profile, I can take another couple of ill-gotten pounds off my weight. I'd celebrate, but I'm too annoyed that I regained them in the first place

Penny, I hope your sinus surgery does the trick. It sounds horrible, though. How long will you be recovering from that? I may be joining you in trekking back and forth to the doc's. My foot is acting up again, but the last time I went to the podiatrist, she casually mentioned something about a bone saw, so I won't want to go back. I think my little toe is twisting around or something.

Auntie G, I quit smoking for good about five years ago. It was purely a nervous/bored/angry reflex for me, more than a deep craving. Once I got rid of my ex (a pack-a-day smoker), most of the nervous and angry stuff went away . Counting cigs helped me stop; soon I decided that I wasn't buying any more, and that was that. It also helped that I don't spend the time in bars that I used to, where it still seems like a natural thing to do. Plus working out felt so much better when I could inhale deeply!

Marie, I hope Kai is doing well and has forgiven you for torturing her this way! Dogs probably look at their humans and wonder what the heck we're up to, and why we do these things to them....

Tomorrow I take my certified check to my new landlords and pick up the keys. Most of my boxes have arrived, so no excuse, gotta get started packing.

judy

Marie - I bet the photos of your pups are adorable. We had a family portrait done before our son went off to college, so I know how spendy it is. I'm so glad we got it done though. I hope Kai recovers quickly from her surgery - I'm sure you'll thoroughly pamper her. I hope your foot is feeling better.

Judy - I hope your move goes well and that you settle in quickly. I hope your foot problem clears up soon too. It's the last thing you need with your move. Bone saw doesn't sound good . You asked about how long it takes to recover from my sinus/septum surgery - it's 3 days of bed rest then 7-10 days till I'm back to "normal" (whatever that is!)

Auntie G - Congrats on staying on track today!
Your job sounds interesting - surrounded by pretty dolls. I hope your weigh in goes well.

Carol - Congrats on reaching your 5 weeks vacation and 10 year anniversary! I hope you have fun with your friends in Canada. We're having some company from Denmark next week and I know they'll want to go shopping. Everyone who comes over from Europe goes crazy shopping as they say everything is so cheap here.

I'm trying hard to stay on track but it's hard. Being sleepy all the time from lack of sleep due to my shoulder and sinuses makes me so hungry for carbs! The weather is already very "fall like" so I guess I'm already going into cavewoman mode stocking up for winter! At least I worked out today although I couldn't do some machines because of my arm.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hi all, just a quick update. Kai is doing great. She's happy to be home and I was snuggling with her on the floor and I swear she was asking why with her eyes. I told her now she'd never have to have sex. She was napping for a while so I did a 50 minute workout. I'm tired now. I also took a 1/2 mile walk at work so I did plenty of exercise today. The walk and aerobics killed my heel, but not doing it is worse. So I'll limp for a while and pray my new orthotic arrives soon.

Judy, enjoy your new apartment. Fill the boxes and just get it over. Like a shot, just do it. I loved your ill gotten pounds comment. I'd be thrilled with the pounds I've lost but I'm still mad I re-gained them. So I just keeping thinking in the 14 to go, then when I lose I can really celebrate.

Penny, I hope you start feeling better soon. You're certainly having a tough time medically lately. Be very proud of yourself for staying basically on track.

Auntie, what a cool thing to do. My mom did the collectible dolls - porcelain ones I believe. She an artist with a sewing machine and so people started paying her to make their dolls clothes. Her outfits even won ribbons at her state fair. Once she made a wedding dress that was so intricate, I realized it was fancier than any of her daughters' dresses.

Well, time to log the calories. Too busy at work to do it so I need to see where I am.
Marie

Hello everyone. Yeah its the weekend. Well cooking at my house will be a bit different for awhile. My SIL whom takes most meals with us has too much potassium in her system not good. The doctor told her that she has kidney disease so nice her regular doctor never told her just said due to her higher levels in blood work they were sending her to see him. Wow what a blow.... I will be speaking to her about it on my next visit we have the same doctor. At any rate no potatoe, tomatoe, bananas or oranges at this time new blood work thurs. Then another appt. for ultra sounds and another visit the 30th of next month. They think the damage came from some medications in the past. Be careful taking pain meds. one was an over the counter for any length of time.
I have been trying to get into the swing of better eating. Its coming along slow but sure. Today we are packing up and camping only about 15 min. away from home with the gkids. It should be fun nice sandy beach to cold to swim as our nights are low but will be around high 70's today. They can hike, play in the sand, have a campfire and make smores. I am bringing my computer for quiet time later they can watch a movie at bedtime when they turn in. Hopefully they will have a good time and some memories to look back on. My 9 year old gd is so excited to be playing the tuba I helped with the cost. She was up an hr. early yesterday got up on her own and all of a sudden the tuba sound was throughout the house!! Hah worth every cent I helped with.
Marie your doggie pictures sound great. I think for christmas I am going to steal my daughters kids away for a day with nice outfits and have my photo daughter take their pictures as a gift for their parents for christmas with a nice frame from the kids. They haven't had a family photo done in a longtime.
Work is good new director starts monday. Our boss handed out little award notices yesterday thanking each one of us for all our help training new folks etc. and new folks thanking for all their hard efforts to do a good job. We are hiring another worker expanding in our dept. I guess I must have a little job security now adays thats something. We will see when those medicaid cuts come in how crazy its all going to get.
Penny I agree its cheaper here for stuff but they have some things we don't and its different. Only around 2 hrs. trip from my house to Canada.
Auntie g oh at least they were ww. YOUR so good even when you mess up its not so bad good for you.
Judy seems like everyone is have allergy or sinus issues.
Have a good one.

OK, where are all my friends??? Just a quick note... Mr Scale is evil - no news there. I painted my guest bathroom yesterday and then worked on my quilt. It was a great weekend. I stayed in my 1500 cal range for DS2's b-day on Saturday except yesterday was harder (munchies) because of the b-day cake. But I made it through with a little less than 1500 cals. I'v done the 50 minute aerobic tape every day like promised.

And now I'm back at work...
Marie

Okay, I'm back. I focused on moving-related chores on Saturday, inspected my new place, and went to a surprise party, where the birthday boy was positively slack-mouthed (or gobsmacked, as Penny might say) with shock. I did a bit of packing on Sunday, but not nearly enough. I stayed away from the Internet all weekend, knowing it would distract me. Sorry!

Carol, I agree with Marie that you shouldn't change what's working for you and your hubby, but that's easy for me to say, I'm not the one who would be cooking two sets of meals. But you're a creative cook, and you like experimenting with new recipes, so maybe you can make do until the potassium thing stabilizes. It would be hard for me to function without tomatoes. A crate of Paul Newman's spaghetti sauce would be one of my desert island foods. I'd love to see your GD with a tuba, that must be quite a sight!

Penny, if your gifts like to shop so much, maybe they can buy some things for struggling Americans like me, in a gesture of global solidarity? I also accept gift cards . Good for you for keeping your goals in mind despite one physical thing after the other. It would be so easy for you to throw in the towel at this point, you're doing really great

Auntie G, I like turkey burgers...but not dried-up and old. Your job sounds very interesting. I hope you liked playing with dolls when you were a kid. I do the cavewoman thing in the fall, too. My body thinks we have to lard on an extra layer of fat for a brief hibernation period . I get around that now by cooking up big batches of healthy comfort food and keeping it in the freezer--soups, chili, etc.,--when the urge for 'harvest time' food strikes. I roasted some beets yesterday, yum, yum. I always hated beets because I only had them from a can, but these were quite a treat.

Marie, teaching your son to cook sounds like fun. I always felt sorry for young guys who couldn't find their way around in a kitchen. They spent too much money on take-out and sports bars and gain weight. Thanks for the Just Do It advice re packing, I've been procrastinating

Food has been okay, but I had a chocolate fit at the birthday party on Saturday, which carried over into the next day. Today I had chicken b'fast sausage and an apple; at a meeting I had a tall skim chai tea and some trail mix (too many carbs); a big salad w/hard-boiled egg and the aforementioned roasted beets for lunch; grapes; and a cup of chili for late afternoon snack. I worked out Saturday and Sunday but not this morning.

Back to work--I'm absolutely swamped, help!

judy