[Marie]

Judy, man you have an interesting job. Licking the bottom of the dressing pitcher. I'd have let her do it just to be able to say I witnessed it. I know, I'm mean... But at least she kept your calories down. So do you have an ipod or MP3 player. I'd use that commuting time for audiobooks. OK, that is what I'd do. Or you could have ocean sounds or whatever for relaxing so that when you do get home, you're calm and collected and might be more motivated to find fun stuff to do.

Auntie, I was in the nasty hair dye cycle. I now have my hair highlighted and low lighted (the low light is the most helpful) so that there's no grown in lines and the gray is just mixed in with the variety of colors. It's well worth it. Because sometimes we just like to pull our hair up. And here's hoping the wagon straps you in tomorrow. Perhaps spaghetti week??? BTW, that's what's on my dinner agenda.

And no, I haven't posted the quilt (or what it will be like) as I'm lazy. I did finish all 30 squares and trimmed them to exact 12" squares. I started cutting the borders that run between all the squares. I started getting concerned there's no enough material and instead of calculating it, I sat down with my computer.

So far, it's now been 84 hours since the sharp pains. My back is achy which is a great improvement. I've still been exercising and stay on track.

DH and I learned that Oregon has created a special tax break for military for 2007 and 2008 returns. DH had a 1 star general tell their squadron it's true but we can't find any mention in the Dept of Revenue site. It would give us 1080 bucks back. I won't complete the paperwork until DH verifies it with the Dept of Rev. If we get it, how cool that would be. I just costed new wheels and studded tires for my Jeep and it would be 1200. So it would just about pay for it. I want studded tires next winter as Oregon has no clue how to remove ice and snow. So we'll buy extra set and wheels so DH can just swap them. I was estimating 1500 so I was quite please I called today. End of year price and the guy said he'd honor the price till next fall. How cool??? My beloved Darth Jeep will be safer.

Back to quilting and a new audiobook (I just finished one).
Marie

[penpal]

Judy - I hope you've been managing to get some restorative sleep. That was a funny story about the lady and the salad dressing. If you find a cure for the munchies, PLEASE let me know . I don't know why but I seem munchier than ever lately.

Marie - I hope your shoulder is continuing to get better. Good for you keeping up with your exercise despite the pain. I hope the tax break works out for you - that would be quite a nice windfall!

Auntie - I'm glad you dad is getting a bit more mobile. It must be a relief to see his health improving. I also find gardening to be so theraputic. I feel so much better even after only 10-15 minutes pottering about outside. I like to take the time to really look at plants and flowers closely - enjoying the beauty of an individual flower or leaf. It helps me to "live in the moment" as you said.

I hope everyone else is doing well.

I planted some lamb's lettuce seeds yesterday. This is a delicious type of lettuce that is very popular in Europe. My DH was saying how much he missed it and I was lucky to find some seeds. Hopefully we'll get to eat it before the critters! I'm also going to plant some snap peas, carrots, cucumbers and honey dew melons. Instead of putting in a new vegetable bed I'm just going to put the edible plants here and there throughout my flower beds. Some veggies can look quite decorative.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

[Marie]

Happy Sunday Everyone.

Things are good here even though old man winter returned. We got snow over night and it's cold/windy. We took the doggies to the mountain behind our house and let them run free. They ran and ran and are now all sleeping on the sofa. The fastest runner torch was passed to Kai Pixie Bear as she's only a year old. Kody, the fastest doggie I've ever had couldn't pass her. He's nearing 7 years old and Kai Bear was on fire. It was interesting but I felt bad for Kody. He lives for his prowess. Anyway it was a 2 mile hike in snow and wind. I was so chilled that two hours later I'm still sitting in front of my wood stove. I did finally stop shivering.

The back is still sore and tight, but no stabbing pains. I was giving it till Monday to get better or I was going to go to the dr. But it's recovering so I'll not call tomorrow. Oh, Kody ran full speed into my left leg on the hike. At first I thought he'd destroyed my knee I just physical therapy-ed. But he's a tall boy and hit about 3" above my knee and a little towards the back. Other than a nasty bruise, the knee is fine. YEAH!!! BTW, I'd stopped walking and he mis-timed the pass. I guess he feels it was my fault. He's such a troublesome love doggie.

Penny, planting??? Man it's freezing here, only 280 miles south of you. I'm hoping this is winter's last blast but I do know better. I hope the lettuce is great and I think it's cool you're going to plant your veges with the flowers. I bet that will look awesome.

Today I'm going to try that 1900 cal day again. I just need to spread it through the day and I shold be able to succeed.

Hoppe everyone is enjoying the weekend.
Marie

[judydc]

Wow, I'm making Sunday last as long as possible....yesterday I went to work for a few hours; we've had a group meeting in our office, and I was too distracted the last few days to be very sociable with them. But mostly all I did was plunge into my overwhelming email inbox, deleting, archiving or filing over 500 messages. Only 2,500 to go I've spent today watching basketball and doing this and that, wandering a bit in the beautiful sunshine. The trees are starting to blossom here. It's lovely seeing the first ones pop out in pink and white.

Marie, I take a magazine with me whenever I head for the bus stop. I have an iPod Shuffle, which is really helpful when I have to wait a bit outside in the cold. But I've never owned a car, so dealing with public transportation (and the occasional cab) is just a part of daily life for me.

Auntie, I hope you're enjoying the parties this weekend. I don't think your special tomato plant will be weird--it's no weirder than a tree, and people plan those as memorials all the time.

Penny, your garden sounds great! I've read that the seed companies are have a boom year, as people are discovering the benefits of growing their own produce. I don't have a yard, just an anemic northern exposure from my apartment. But someday....

I had a carb attack last night, but mostly I'm on program. I had a good workout yesterday, and will do yoga this evening before going to bed. I feel like I'm doing just enough to stop gaining. It's an improvement over the past few months, but now it's time to step up my workouts so that I can start LOSING!

judy

[penpal]

Marie - I thought of your doggies when I saw this article:

http://www.adn.com/iditarod/2009/story/729908.html.

They look like they're having too much fun!

I only planted the lamb's lettuce seeds as they are a cold-hardy variety. It's still way too soon for the other seeds, so I'll have to be patient.

Judy - I can't imagine having to deal with so many e-mails! You must be a speed-reader to get through them, let alone all the replies. I was thinking of the Washington cherry blossoms the other day and wondering if they are out yet. They must be gorgeous when they are in full bloom.

I hope everyone is doing well.

I had a good workout at Curves today. My ankle was very swollen and sore yesterday, so I took some herbal diuretic tablets and they seem to have helped. I feel a bit more in control of eating today. I filled up on lots of extra veggies at lunch, so hopefully I can keep the munchies at bay!

[Marie]

Penny, thanks for the link to the article. I even read it aloud for DH. Larry is a handsome doggie. DH and I watched a special on the 2008 Iditarod and it had a bunch on Mackey and Larry. I read about the PETA stuff on how they hate the Iditarod but you are right - those doggies have fun. I watch my dogs run and they'd go forever without stopping. I'm a big campaigner against animal abuse (hence the many letters to politicians through the humane society) but sled dog racing isn't abuse. These dogs love pulling sleds. HEck if I could get my doggies to stop pulling, my back and shoulder probably wouldn't be injured.

I'm glad you had a good Curves workout. I haven't exercised yet today. I don't think I will. I'm going to take a day off. I was going to exercise after work but filing 2007 and 2008 amended Oregon taxes took precedence. I couldn't sneeze at 1080 bucks.

Judy, I hope you make progress through your email. I'm obsessed with having under 5 emails (lately zero). My co-workers and boss have all jumped on the wagon to beat me (they have/had upwards of 5000). One actually had me beat for about 30 minutes once last week. I think he was going to explode with triumph.And man, I envy you the beautiful cherry blossoms. There is NOTHING in the world like DC in the spring. Enjoy it!

I'm on target cal wise. I managed 1850 cals yesterday and I felt piggy. But I also enjoyed the heck out of it!
Marie

[auntie g]

Tuesday again... (I don't work Mondays, so Tuesdays are Mondays for me.) Well, I did not get strapped back into the wagon over the weekend, but today's the day. I'm going to force myself to behave, because I'm still not feeling it. I just can't seem to get it together with all the changes in my life and the resulting stress. My head is telling me that it is even more important to get things under control, but I'm so emotional all the time that that's what ends up winning. But, it's a new day and I shall try again...

Marie, it was good to get your take on the Iditarod... My nephew was following it in school. He had to pick a racer to "be" and they learned all kinds of crazy stuff about the whole thing. He was all up in it, but I have always thought that it was cruel, and I didn't really want to know any details. I guess I'll ask him about it now.

Glad your back is improving and that there's no permanent damage from the doggie/knee collision! And hurray for the extra tax $$!

Penny, I like the idea of putting the veggies in amongst the flowers! I might just do that, too. I don't plant that many things, mainly tomatoes, but I know they're not supposed to be planted in the same place year after year, so I might have to be creative since I don't have a huge garden area. All I can think of this year, so far, is gerber daisies. Oh, I love them! Maybe last year's tomato patch will be all daisies this year...

Judy, my head hurts thinking about all those emails! Congrats on staying mostly OP! I know those carb attacks only too well... I hope you're getting a chance to work on your workouts. I should probably do that, too! (groan...)

Late for work again- have a good day, all!

[penpal]

Marie - I think I'd rather be working out than doing taxes! Luckily, my DH does ours with Turbotax. I just get to sign my life away when he's done! I'm glad you liked the Iditarod article. I don't know how you manage to walk three of them, they are so incredibly strong. It's never even crossed my mind that it's cruel. Those dogs are bred for sledding and by their expressions you can tell they love every minute of it! You don't see too many "hang dog" expressions at the start of a race. They can hardly contain their excitement when they are being harnessed. They even get to wear cute bootees these days . I'm a great animal advocate - don't even get me started - but PETA doesn't know what they are talking about in this case.

Auntie - Oh, our emotions! If only we could get that space between our ears to be calm and do what is right for our bodies! I firmly believe that stress alone causes weight gain - even without consuming extra calories. I'm doing aromatherapy again, using some pure essential oils like lavender or jasmine mixed with some unscented hand lotion. I rub this in my hands and inhale it for about a minute then rub it on the back of my neck for a little neck massage. It really helps when I get bad stress. I picked a big bunch of daffodils and jonquils and take time to really look at them several times a day and breathe in their scent. A little bit of "home spa" pampering is nice too - a manicure or pedicure or soak in the bathtub can be very relaxing. Sometimes these little things can help a lot to relieve stress.

Hi Judy and everone - I hope you're having a good day.

[judydc]

Wow, what a great photo, thanks, Penny! Those dogs are enjoying the spotlight. Many of the flowering trees, like the magnolias, are just beginning to do their thing, but I can already look down any street, even where it's mostly office buildings and hotels, and see rows and rows of trees in bloom. The cherry trees should peak late next week, as little earlier than the prognosticators expected. The cameras start blooming, too as it's easy to be a great photographer at this time of year. I'll take photo myself and post it for you.

Marie, five emails in your inbox? I will be happy to get down to 500 in my work account, but now you've made me rethink my goal. I've been thinking a lot these past few days of how much office life has changed these past 15 years, not just for me but for everyone. Feeling overwhelmed comes with the territory now.

Auntie, I wonder if you can find one nice thing to do for yourself every day or so, if it's just a hot bath or writing in a journal, or reading one of those books with a thought or a meditation for each day. You've had so much to process, no wonder it's hard to get back in the wagon's driver's seat. The fact that you've hung in here on this site shows that you haven't lost your commitment and you're gathering yourself for your next push on the weight loss.

This morning I woke up with a sinus headache, so I slept in and took the morning off. I've been eating rather heartily today--a big hot b'fast (fried egg, two turkey links, hot cereal), a big lunch (from a cafeteria: pork chop, green beans, black-eye peas and a pear) and a cup of veggie soup and some almonds for late afternoon snack. I think I'll need to have a salad for dinner! I did a half-hearted salsa workout this morning when I finally got up.

Tomorrow is another day! I think I'll add a quote I just read to my signature.

judy

[judydc]

Okay here it is!

judy

[Marie]

Happy 1/2 way through the work week. I had my eye appointment this morning and yes, I didn't go back to the one I walked out of and I REALLY like this new place, all females working there and I do like female doctors the best. Anyway, they dilated my eyes and I'm just starting to see again, 4 hours later. Not a great thing for working in front of a computer. Instead I re-organized my extra computers (they all serve a function) and cleaned my office. It looks nice now that I can see it. My eyes are healthy and I did the aging thing, I'm getting bifocals. I really don't have a lot of vision correction, but when I wear the drugstore glasses, I hate looking up and everything is blurry. I also ordered prescription sunglasses even though I can easily pass a drivers eye exam (thanks to Lasik surgery 9 years ago). So I did a bit of glasses shopping.

Penny, I have used TurboTax for years and it didn't catch the $6000 subtraction from Oregon tax. Neither year. So now I'm thinking why bother if I have to hand redo it. I'll still do Federal but the state is not worth it. I'm really disappointed with TurboTax and will email them with another complaint. I emailed earlier this year when I legally changed my name a few years ago, and it still does the "interview" with my old name. They said, I couldn't import my previous years' taxes without it finding the old name. I told them that was ridiculous as it's a DATABASE and that's something I know. Just fix it for next year, I suggested and they said do it all manually. I said, "Kipling's Tax Cut, here I come." Regardless, the amended forms are mailed and money will come my way eventually. So tell your DH to be wary of state TurboTax. And did you say you have daffodils??? You are so far ahead of spring coming then we are. It's windy and chilly today, but was nice yesterday. I'm quite sure spring will come eventually. Probably after I leave for Bangkok.

Judy, I envy your cherry blossoms as much as Penny's flowers. I hope that sinus problem doesn't turn into an infection. I feel bad for you as they seem to adore you and attach themselves to you. BTW, a half-hearted salsa workout is 100% better than nothing. And I do really like your new quote.

Auntie, I hope that the wagon is still in sight. Judy is so right that just returning here regularly shows you will win. You've got so much stuff to muddle through, it's amazing that you still try. You will get back to where you want to be and every time you fight and win a munchie battle makes you so much closer.

I did the elliptical yesterday and this morning. DH and I walked the doggies after work as my facet joint is still irritated and I can't have Kai and Kody yanking my arms and back. Blizzard is my angel and she rarely pulls - anymore. She finally grew up at 8 years old. Oh, I might be getting another husky in the future. DH agrees that Kai needs a playmate. Oooo, another doggie. I've started putting the word out that I'm looking for a 1 year old female husky to rescue. I'll put effort into it after I return from Thailand. Since I'm leaving in less taht 3 weeks, I wouldn't want to dump a new child doggie on DH. Food is on track but yesterday the munchies tried to ruin me. I made up for it with a very low cal dinner, but I'm doing way better today. And the evil scale is getting a little nicer but is still up a .2 from TOM. I can definitely live with that.
Marie

[judydc]

On the road again--briefly. Headed for small-town Alabama. They've already asked me to put in my order for Friday' lunch during the meeting. Of course it's all fried, buttered, sauced, gravied or cheesed. But I'll be on my way home again Saturday morning, so I shouldn't be able to do too much damage to myself.

I'm not bringing a laptop, so I may or may not post again until Saturday night. Have a good Friday!

judy

[auntie g]

Yay, it's the weekend! I must confess that I still have not gotten it together, but I'm not giving up! Although I do have a Red Robin trip planned for tomorrow (someone else is paying, what can I do? LOL!), I am going grocery shopping in the morning and getting good stuff. I am not going to let another whole week slip by in this messed up mode. I feel horrible, and I don't have time to feel horrible! So that's that!

Penny, I can't believe you really have flowers blooming already! I've got greenery up, but nowhere near flowering yet. I think I'm going to try to start some seeds indoors soon, so I can save on buying plants. Oh, I can't wait to see some flowers! Maybe I'll have to buy some cut flowers again to get me through. I really do love looking at them more than ever before. As for the aromatherapy, have you ever tried peppermint? I remember reading somewhere that that would help guard against bad eating, but I never tried it. Actually, I've never tried any oils or lotions- I am a huge candle freak! But maybe having the scent on the body would make the difference?

Judy, yeah, I have been trying to do some inspirational reading every day, but all on the computer, which I don't find nearly as relaxing as sitting in a comfy chair with a book. Maybe I'll try to get to the bookstore over the weekend. I'm not giving up, no matter how long it takes! I hope your Alabama trip isn't TOO southern fried, but those words do sound delicious! Have a good time!

Marie, it sounds like you're a bit of an authority on the glasses thing... I've been whining for a while that I think I need glasses. I bought magnifiers for reading, and I'm getting used to them. A couple people told me that I don't need to get "real" glasses if I only need them for reading. Does that seem sensible?

Oh boy, another doggie on the horizon?! I guess it isn't really much more work when you've already got three. My next door neighbors (who have two canine sons of their own) just got temporary (?) custody of two older doggies whose parents are getting divorced and couldn't take them to where they moved. The first day was totally horrifying for everyone. The girls were just waiting by the fence for their people to come back. But each day they seem to assimilate a little better, and now they'll take treats from us, too. It's quite hilarious when we're all outside- my girl's all black, and 3 out of the 4 of them are all black, then one is white with black patches. The poor little guy just doesn't seem to fit in. It reminds me of that Sesame Street song "one of these things is not like the others..." LOL! Oh, hey, what's up with this trip to Thailand? I must have missed something, or didn't register something. That's a heck of a trip!

Gotta get to bed. Have a great weekend everyone!

[penpal]

Judy - I hope your sinuses have cleared up and that you had a good trip to Alabama. I'm looking forward to your photo of the cherry blossoms.

Marie - How exciting to be getting yet another puppy. You'll soon have enough for your own sled dog team! Yes, almost all of our daffodils are out, plus the cherry blossoms and forsythia. They look lovely and I'm just hoping for a sunny day so I can take some photos as the blossoms don't last long.

Auntie - I hope you had a nice time at Red Robin, they have some yummy food. I like doing the aroma therapy with pure perfume oils as the kind in most candles is made from chemicals. Some of the spendy soy based candles are made with pure perfume oil. It's important to NEVER put pure perfume oil undiluted on your skin though. A couple of drops mixed with lotion is all you need. Peppermint is very invigorating and helps with alertness and sniffing vanilla is supposed to be very good for appetite control. I loved your story about the doggies - they seem almost human sometimes!

We're having a quiet weekend. It's rainy and windy so we're just kicking back and reading & watching TV. I might rent Casablanca as I haven't seen it for years. There's not much on at the movie theaters right now. I'm fairly on track but feeling kind of sluggish. The dreary weather makes me want to snack.

Have a great weekend everyone!

[Marie]

Ahhhh, weekend is ending. I really love getting a paycheck and I even like my job but I so much love weekends. DH and went to Crater Lake (see my avatar pic) and went snowshoeing yesterday. This morning we took the doggies to Hamaker Mtn to run free. Now they're very quiet doggies. I've worked on my quilt and since my sister wanted me to email her a pic, I decided to add it here. And see how the font matches...
I have one more row of 5 squares to add, then I get to assemble the quilt. It just may be finished some day. I also got an iPhone on Friday so I've been playing with it and found the most amazing application for it called Lose It! and it's way better logging program than I used on my Windows Mobile. I really love it. I gave DH my Windows Mobile and set it up for him. After I get back from Thailand, I'll work on setting up my Mac and iBank and break from Quicken (makers of the BAD TurboTax state edition). It was sort of humorous getting the windows mobile set up for DH - he's the press a button to answer and that it's so we had to have a training sessions. Pocket Quicken is set up for his phone so he'll have to get used to it.

Penny your mention of oils made me remember that I thought I was running low on my orange blossom soap. So I looked and four bars fell out of the wrapping and I guess I'm not too low. DH still has plenty of his aloe scent-free. I decided he must not use nearly as much soap as I. I probably have enough for another 2 months. If you'd rather make them when the weather is cooler, I can always purchase ahead. Of course that is if you're still willing to be my personal soap maker.

BTW, peppermint - one of the oldest tricks for stopping a craving it to brush your teeth and peppermint works best for me. I took that to tic-tac (different brand and very potent) level and toss a tic-tac in my mouth when the munch monster invades my body. It actually works for at least 1/2 hour.

Penny, I'm so envious of the blooming flowers. I agree with Auntie - it's getting time to buy some cut flowers. And you have cherry blossoms too. I'm jealous of you and Judy. I get snow. Fun, lovely snow. OK, the Crater Lake was fun and the cold ice and snow was ok this morning, but it's SPRING!!!!

Auntie, Red Robin. I love Red Robin. I'm doomed with one as the property about 1/2 block from my office is having a Red Robin built. One bad day at work, and I can see a walk for onion rings in my future. I hope the trip to the grocer helps with the good foods. Oh, DH is now sold on almond breeze. He's dieting and doesn't like fruit. I made him my berry smoothie using the almond breeze and he's had it 3 days in a row. Man, that's going to get spendy but since I buy it for me without qualms, I will just buy it by the case. I have a triple berry (marion, blueberry and blackberry) frozen bag and I use 2/3 cup with 1 cup almond breeze. About 80 calories later and it's rich and creamy like a shake. DH is sold on them. Go Hungry Girl GO. Also, I made the Chocolate Lava cakes HG sent links for last week, and it is fantastic. A nice size chocolate cake for less than 200 calories. Getting DH on the diet band wagon is going to be fun. He's certainly willing to try new.

Judy, I hope you're enjoying the trip south. Carol, Kathy, Mazza, and others, please come back.

Well, we're canning marinara and I must go and this is WAY too long.
Marie