[auntie g]

Yawn... gee, I meant to get on here earlier... Well, I weighed in this morning and didn't make any progress. At least I didn't gain, though, so my ticker is still honest. I don't know how I didn't lose any weight this week, what with being OP and getting all this extra walking in, but it's OK.

My dad's been back in the hospital since Tuesday- I don't think I've mentioned that, but who knows? Everything's so messy now. Will it ever get better??? I'm trying hard to keep the faith and look for little breaks from all the stress, but it just keeps getting tougher. My sister tried to get my BIL into the hospital today, too, but they wouldn't help him. He's been in so much pain for so long, and getting jerked around by Workman's Comp. Aaaaaaagh! Sorry, I didn't really want to go the depressed route here, but I'm kind of freaking out a little bit.

Deep breath...

Who's got some GOOD news???

Judy, yay for making it through the week! I hope you had a nice day today. I'm a couple hours east of Harrisburg, about halfway between Philly and Allentown. Let me know if you ever get a little closer!

Marie, size 12s - woo hoo! I can squeeze into a couple of 12s I have lying around, but with serious muffin-top, so not quite ready for them yet... I had my beagle-niece over again today for a while, and we took both girls out for a couple walks together. I think they both kinda liked it! Oh, and yes she does look sad, but that is just her look. She even looks sad when it's obvious that she's happy. Today I think she finally started feeling relaxed at our house, cause she made herself a nest and then stretched out with exposed belly. A little breakthrough! Hey, did you say a while back that you got a Facebook going? I've recently gotten a little more active with that as I've been reconnecting with family members on there. PM me where to find you if you're on there! (That goes for any of you who may be there, too!)

Guess I better get to bed. I hope everyone has a fabulous Sunday!

[Marie]

Morning everyone. My shoulder is way worse today. I was trying to pull a cover on the bed and it was stuck, and I yanked. That did it. Man, it's mad. Luckily the legs still like to go. So the puppies did a 1.5 mile walk. Auntie my scale was evil this morning and considering how much exercise I did yesterday and the day before, it's irritating. But TOM is around the corner once again.

Auntie, I thought your father was in the hospital and they were transferring him to a recovery center. I must have missed something. The only good thing about all the bad things is that it changes your perspective on life - what's important and what's not. I'd say you've learned that lesson, so the powers can stop trying to teach you it.

Although I don't feel great, it will be a great day. In an hour, DH and I are going to almost DIL's father's house to pick up our beloved grandson. We get him to ourselves for the entire day. Almost DIL will be coming out for dinner. She's visiting from Reno because here brother from Seattle came to visit and his moving to Japan. So I get to see my favorite little guy in the world. We're going to the museum because they're having a big model railroad display this weekend. After that, he and I are going to make the cookies I lost interest in making yesterday. But cooking with him is fun. He loves our pasta plates so tonight we'll make pasta. He loves feeding the dough through it. I figure for nap time, he, me and the doggies will nap. I bet he'll love napping with the doggies. He LOVES my doggies, especially Kodiak. He should love Blizzard the most because she's the gentle, sweet one, but no, he loves the jacka$$. But it's reciprocal, Kodiak would lie down his life in a split second for DGS.

Well, that's about it. Auntie, I will PM you about facebook.
Marie

[auntie g]

Marie, no, you didn't miss anything. I forgot that I had already mentioned my Dad's newest venture. Well, they didn't get him out of the hospital yet. They haven't managed to get his infection quite under control yet, so blah, blah, blah... And yes, I sure have had a change of perspective lately. Lessons learned, indeed!!!

I hope your shoulder recovers quickly! At least you WILL still have a good day with your grandson around. If it weren't for kids and dogs...

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

[penpal]

Marie - I'm sorry to hear you have a sore arm - I completely sympathize. I hope it gets better soon. I find that a heat pad helps a bit. Mine still flares up when I overdo it, but it's a lot better than it was. It sounds like you had a delightful time with your darling GS. I can just imagine how he loved making pasta - almost like Playdoh! It's so cute how your doggies are so protective of him - they probably see him as the youngest "pup" in the pack! Congrats on the size 12 jeans! You are doing so great!

Auntie G - I hope your dad will soon be doing better. It must be very worrying for you. I'll keep him in my prayers. My dad is having his prostate removed on April 6th, so I know how scary it is. He had two pulmonary embolisms just before Christmas and was in the hospital for quite a while. I'm a bit surprised they'd do the surgery at his age (86) but hopefully it will give him a better quality of life as he's otherwise in pretty good health for his age and is still mentally sharp. Thanks for sharing the picture of your adorable beagle-niece. She's probably a good distraction for you right now.

Judy - I hope you're having a nice relaxing weekend and that your treatment regimen for the high cortisol helps. It will be nice for you to have a relatively routine couple of weeks at work. Your life sounds like a whirlwind of activity!

I've been experimenting with some new soaps this weekend, so that's been fun. Food has been pretty good. I haven't lost any this week, but at least I've stopped gaining! I made a nice curried chicken salad for dinner. I have to tell you about our crazy kitty Teddy. I was taking a nap yesterday and closed the bedroom door to keep him out as he only wants to play and burrow around under the covers. All of a sudden there were loud thumps and scrabbling noises outside the door. After several attempts he had managed to open the door by hanging on the door handle and came waltzing in looking very pleased with himself! What a character - I just couldn't stay mad with him. Here's the little rascal:

[auntie g]

Awww, Penny, that picture is too cute! The clever little bugger really knows how to get what he wants! Congrats on not gaining - sometimes that's the best we can do! And I'll say a prayer for your dad, too. That's great that he's in relatively good health at 86. My dad is only 66, which is why I suppose all this is so hard to deal with. I guess none of us were expecting so many problems quite yet. Well, I guess we just have to do what we have to do, and now I have to go out and continue my daily search for some sort of chair/chaise that my dad can use when he gets home from the hospital. He has to keep his legs raised, and what he's got at home now hasn't been cutting it. So, off I go...

Oh yeah, food was OK yesterday (except for one Dove Truffle egg - oh boy!) I expect to behave today. Hope everyone is doing well!

[judydc]

Congratulations to me--no, I didn't lose any weight, but I finally got around to submitting medical receipts for flex plan reimbursement--nearly $500. No wonder my checking account balance has been so low these past two months.

Penny, your kitty is very resourceful, as well as good-looking. The article on adrenal fatigue was helpful, and led me to another one, which describes me perfectly: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/endocrin...nalfatigue.htm. I guess I'll need to cut back to one cup of tea a day , and take this seriously beyond the medications I was given.

Marie, thanks for giving me a good reason not to make my bed--I don't want to hurt myself . Seriously, I hope you're able to do something about your shoulder. A series of small issues with my shoulder last fall stopped me from lifting weights for several months. Hope you had fun with your grandson. Sounds like you need to get together with Auntie for a spaghetti festival.

Auntie, congratulations on not gaining! That should count as a victory for the time being. Hang in there! You've had a miserable run, but things will get better!

I had an okay weekend. I didn't get a lot accomplished, but it was nice to be lazy and to go with the flow (which kept flowing toward my couch). I had a long talk with one of my brothers. A few months ago his hours at work had been cut to four days a week. They are back to five-day weeks--but now they are off every other week. He tends toward depression, but he seems to be taking this in stride. He says that with so many people being laid off, it's hard to take this personally....

judy

[Marie]

Judy, I'd say your brother is one step ahead of most people. Knowing it isn't personal is half the battle. I hope your couch weekend got the desired effect - relaxation. And don't spend all that flex money in one place. Although spending it will do your part in helping the economy recover. And I hadn't thought that making the bed was dangerous, but I'll have to remember that.

Auntie, good luck on the furniture search. I HATE shopping for furniture. It's never exactly what I want. I've found buying 2nd hand is the best as even though it's not exactly my vision, it's close enough because the price is so cheap. I hope your dad's infection begins to clear. Those bacterial infections are terrifying.

Penny, I love the image of the kitty hanging on the door to get in. How cool he succeeded. I love smart animals. They prove how inept humans are much of the time. Because not only can they be smart, they are unselfishly giving and kind.

My shoulder seems better but it irritated an old facet injury has been aggravated and that one scares me. Last time it put me on bedrest for 3 weeks. I can't handle that again. No walking this morning as DGS stayed way past my bedtime and I slept in a bit. I'll take the doggies out if the rain stays stopped. If not, either the elliptical (depending how the arm movement irritates the facet joint) or the treadmill. Food - hmmm - I had an extra lite mocha this morning and a small slice of b-day cake at lunch. I did skip some of my packed lunch, but I'm over. I'll have to be very good the rest of the day.

Well, back to work as I do have work no matter how I don't want to do it.
Marie

[penpal]

Auntie G - I hope you managed to find a comfortable chair for your dad. Yes, he is a lot younger than mine, in fact your dad is only a year older than my DH. It's a reminder to value every day as you never know what's around the corner. I'm turning 60 this year and sometimes I look in the mirror and ask "who IS that person???" Inside, I'm probably about 20, I never think of myself as old. Too bad my body doesn't believe me!

Judy - Thanks for the link to the article about adrenals. I'm managing to keep off the caffeine fairly well. I've started drinking rooibos tea (red bush tea from Africa). It's the kind that Mma Ramotswe enjoys about ten times a day in the book The #1 Ladies Detective Agency (I just love this series). Celestial Seasonings makes one called Madagascar Vanilla Red and it's yummy. I drink it with a little milk (since I'm a Brit). It has no caffeine and is loaded with antioxidants.

Marie - I didn't know you'd had such a bad shoulder injury in the past. It must have been awful to be laid up for so long. I hope you soon feel better.
Try not to overdo it.

It's pouring with rain again here - ughh! It's even too wet to go out and pick some daffodils. It's lovely to see them though. A lot of blossoms are coming out on the trees too.

Have a good Tuesday everyone.

[judydc]

I'm going to leave the office soon, so I can take advantage of the tantalizing spring-like weather . I didn't work out this morning, so I'll walk for half an hour or so before getting on a bus or a subway home. I'm still feeling a bit draggy, but at least I didn't feel overwhelmed, as I have for the past few weeks. I've been eating on program (I'm being a 'vegetabletarian' with lots of fresh produce and whole grains) but I did just discover a yummy gluten-free chocolate chip cookie at Whole Foods, so I'm in an especially good mood.

Penny, I love all sorts of teas. I'd gotten in the habit of drinking two-four cups of caffeinated tea, particularly on the work day. So now I'll have to look to my assortment of herbals and decafs. I'm thinking about your daffodils...

Marie, I hope that you were good the rest of the day.

Carol, Auntie and Calisa, I hope you're doing well.

judy

[Marie]

We're on the downward slide towards weekend. That is ALWAYS good. Even though I haven't recovered from last weekend (the facet joint in my upper back is still very angry), I still look forward to not working.

Judy, enjoy the pretty day. A walk sounds wonderful. We had a gorgeous day here and I'm going to BBQ chicken breasts. I got boneless, skinless chickie breasts for only $1.89. I couldn't resist and bought many to freeze.

Penny, the rotator cuff seems to have healed about 80% although its hard to tell because of the facet joint. The facet joint I injure(d) is in the upper back and it's between the spine and the rib. 10 years ago it got dislocated, currently it's is irritated (as far as I can tell). But man it give sharp, nasty pain.

I have stayed on plan but Monday and Tuesday were more difficult because of the cake and I think PMS. As I've rarely had PMS I'm not sure but I had a wicked headache this morning and I don't get those often. But then again, the munchies could be from back pain frustration and the headache could be from tensing up with every move. So who knows??? I guess TOM will if it shows up tomorrow.

I walked on my treadmill this morning to keep back movements down. I was a little slower so I cranked up the incline. My elliptical doesn't seem to bother it, even with the arm movements, but this morning I woke up in worse pain so I thought no aggravation might be beneficial. No double workout today as I feel better than when I tried to put on my panties this morning (picture it as I screamed OWWWW!)

Other than the owwwwiees, I'm doing fine. Work is normal and that's good. Home is always pleasant and today I am so on track that I don't have to make up a calorie gorge this evening.

Hi to Auntie, Carol and Kathy!
Marie

[judydc]

Today the weather is chilly and drizzly, so I'm glad that I got out for a while yesterday. I've been eating on program, but I really want to raid the huge stach of chips, chocolate, etc., that a group that's using our meeting room brought to the office. So I'm indulging myself by eating too many rice crackers, and I'll leave before the next craving hits.

Marie, I wonder if your headache's related to you shoulder pain. If this situation isn't getting better, I hope you'll gingerly make your way to a doctor. You don't want to be laid up again .

I don't seem to be losing much weight this week, but I feel a lot less stiff and bloated, hooray. I'm sleeping well, but I'm not doing a very good job of going to bed before 10:30, to get back in the habit of getting up around 6:30 AM. Any suggestions you chickies have would be welcome! I usually get home from work around 7:30 PM (okay, that's a problem), have dinner around 8, check personal email and read the daily paper while watching the tube. It's 11 PM before I know it....

judy

[auntie g]

Hi all! Oh, my wagon hit a bump and threw me off again. I'm blaming all the stress for leading me into chocolate land. I've made it through today without chocolate, but I did have pizza for dinner. I've got to get a grip. I have had no time to cook or even try to have a daily plan, and that is definitely a problem. My dad got out of the hospital yesterday, so hopefully I can get something worked out now. There just weren't enough hours in the day with all the extra travels.

So, I never found a chair for my dad, but I did buy an ottoman that's big enough to serve the purpose. He is actually using it, so that's a plus. He hasn't gotten up once since he got parked last night, and I know that will just lead to more trouble, but for today things are stable. I've got to take the little bits of stability I can get.

Judy, woo hoo for the flex plan $$! That's a nice chunk of change! I'm glad you got some relaxation over the weekend. It's so important to have time to recharge. Good luck with the sleeping schedule. You do get home awfully late! I try desperately to get to bed before 11, but it doesn't often work (even before my life turned upside down), and I get up at 5. Mornings have been very difficult lately...

Marie, I hope your shoulder is improving! I had to look up the facet joint thing, as I'd never heard that term before. I'm learning waaaay too much medical stuff these days! My BIL finally had a procedure done today for his shoulder injury. He got a temporary spinal cord stimulator implanted, and if it helps, he'll get a permanent one next week. Oye! I'm glad you're OP, even through potential PMS. It gives me hope in the moments that mine is lost...

Penny, I sure am with you on the not knowing who that person in the mirror is! I still like a lot of the things I liked in my 20's, and aside from the fact that my "partying" days are behind me, I've still felt relatively the same for years now. I keep wondering why my friends give me grief about the fact that I haven't dyed my hair. Hmmmm, could that gray hair really be mine??? I hope you've gotten to pick some daffodils by now. I bought myself some gerber daisies for a little cheer, and I am enjoying seeing them every time I go past them!

Have a good night, and happy Friday everyone!

[Marie]

Hi everyone, things are going good and I feel way better than yesterday. I'm thinking it was the small slices of b-day cake on Monday and Tuesday. Even though they were in my plan, I think something in it just triggered a nasty headache. If that was the cause, I'd easily stay away from it in the future. I don't get headaches and it's a good thing because I hated it! My facet joint problem is still there but so far today, no knife pains through my spine. It's just tight and tender, enough to remind me it's there.

I did the elliptical this morning then took the doggies hiking this evening. DH held 2 doggies so I only had my puppy yanking at my healthy side of the facet joints. Work - I left 45 minutes early. Decadent and unplanned but man it was great. It was 60 out and sunny. I'm on plan calorie wise but I hear Judy about raiding wants. I had them this morning and I had to keep drinking fluids to let my mouth do something. Part of it was that I knew I was bored at work as the stuff I'm doing is very tedious at the moment. If I make headway with it tomorrow, then next week I can develop the database/dynamic webpage my boss wants. That's the fun stuff. It's spring break next week so it will be quiet.

Auntie, I'm so impressed that you've kept the wagon in your sights. That is so awesome. I would have taken the bad you've been through as a license to eat. On the gray hair, I have more than I'd like but with blonde, it just mixes in. I'm lucky but I've noticed the stranger in the mirror's facial skin is looking different. Sort of dry even though it's not dry (I love moisturizer). I'm thinking its the precursor to loads of wrinkles. I have a couple, but not a lot. I'm thinking that's about to change.

Judy, do you have a long commute? Something that makes it that you get home so late? I can tell you everyday when I leave work (usually in a timely fashion as I am a recovered workaholic) I have all these plans of what I'm going to do. Then voila, the evening is gone and nothing got done. I'm pretty sure the clock goes at warp speed after quitting time until starting time the next day (or Monday morning as it seems weekends fly by too).

So I'm going to quit surfing and sew a quilt square together. At least make a little progress in my fun. Oh and I'm obsessing about Natasha Richardson - I have hit my head skiing at least several times. I do wear a helmet now after making a promise with the powers above that all my dangerous sports will no have helmet apparel. So I bike, ski and rollerblade with a helmet. I made the promise as I was falling. But before that I'd skied all the time and I'm a fast skier, hence a fast faller. So her freak accident has me obsessing. How would anyone know that if they hit their head and they feel fine, that they should get a CT? I told myself I must stop so I'm going to STOP obsessing. Off to the sewing machine.
Marie

[judydc]

What a day! I had lunch with one of my donors, a very funny, sharp and sweet older lady, but with the most atrocious table manners I've ever encountered in a grown-up. We're in a fairly upscale restaurant. They give us our salad dressing in little individual pitchers. She managed to get some of the dressing on the bottom of the pitcher, and I swear I had to put my hand out to stop her from licking the dressing off the bottom of the pitcher . Besides how crazy it looked, I was afraid she was going to pour the remaining dressing down her sleeve. I tell you, what I have to do to raise money...plus I forgot about this meeting until I got to work this morning--in jeans and a schlubby sweater, so I had to run over to Filene's to by a presentable pair of pants and a top.

Auntie, I'm sure that your days have been long and stressful for many weeks now. Being both worried and tired definitely make me constantly munchy. With all that your family has been through, you haven't had much control over your time. As things settle down, I know you'll soon be cruising the way you were a few months ago.

Marie, my commute's not bad. It's generally about 35-40 minutes, door-to-door: I walk a few blocks for a 10-minute ride on the subway, then a 10-minute bus ride home. The extra time comes from waiting for the next train or bus. I get to work between 9:30-10AM, and leave between 6:30-7PM, usually. It would be nice to start earlier, but I'm not a morning person. Anyway, this why I get home relatively late.

I've been eating on program today. My appetite was somewhat diminished at lunch , when I had a salad and a bowl of carrot soup. The weather is a little chilly today, but it's still sunny and beautiful, so I will walk a bit before getting on the subway this evening.

I hope everyone else is doing well and planning a nice weekend!

judy

[auntie g]

Happy Saturday! So, I had a fully expected gain today, but I'm not completely out of control. I feel more normal today than I have in a long time, and fully intend to strap into the wagon tomorrow. I have a birthday party to go to today, and another smaller one tomorrow, so today is gonna be whatever I feel like, and tomorrow will be a sliver of cake day.

I got to go out and do a little bit of clean up in the garden today - that felt good. I haven't had time to do much of anything at home lately, but I was determined to do something "spring-y" today, dagnabbit! I'm definitely looking forward to planting this year, and I'm going to do a tomato plant away from the others, make it all fancied up, and name it after my brother. Is that weird? Oh well, I'm gonna do it anyway!

Today my dad was able to get up and walk to the potty with just his cane, which is a vast improvement, so I'm taking today to feel hopeful. Woo hoo! Learning to live in the present is such a biggie for me...

Marie, I don't believe we've seen a picture of your quilt yet, unless I missed it... I'm still thinking about that gray hair issue. The top layers of my hair are lighter, not really blonde, but closer to blonde than the underneath. So I don't really see the gray on the outside so much, but good grief, if I pull it up into a ponytail, I look waaaaaay older from my gray stripes in the darker parts. I think if I didn't have to work, I'd dye the underside purple or pink, or something crazy - just for fun. But I just don't want to deal with the maintenance of normal hair dye. Too lazy, I guess... So I shall go natural and embrace it! I'm glad your pains are fading, and that you wear a helmet for your crazy sports now...

Judy, sounds like you had a mighty entertaining lunch yesterday! I hope you're still OP, and getting out in the sun today... Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit warmer than today, but oh, that sun makes all the difference.

Oops, free time's over. Have a great weekend everyone!