Morning all,

Have an idea that I might follow up for Mel - came from Happys letter from Jen on the PM's. Maybe since all you people have sent something, I can do this myself, but will need someone to pick it out for me since our electrics are different from yours.

I was thinking of a mid range MP3 player or Ipod for her so she can download stories and things from the computer and listen to them while she is doing other things or resting as she should be. Anyone got any ideas on price or type? I may rope Carla in to this since she expressed interest in doing something as well. I know you are lurking out there darnit!!!!

I'm in my wee hut today trying to work and not having much success. Much of the stuff that I am trying to do, I can't get hold of remotely. It's a pain, but I don't want to pack up and go to a mine somewhere since I probably won't get much done there either. I will just have to try and wing it. I'm also doing my washing, tidying my room and having a cup of tea. Interesting life I lead hey? As for being a good driver, well I have done a lot of it and mostly have escaped being hit by someone or even me hitting someone so I can't be too bad. The roads out here have all been affected by drought followed by the bad flooding they had back in January/ February and they are just starting to recover. Lots of roadworks around the place.

Annie - I hope your birthday celebrations are going well and that 'everything' is coming up to expectation. You deserve some fun in your life. You work too hard.

Michelle - Hope you got all the website work done and are free for a while. The money will always come in handy. I should get you to set one up for me called Hardhats and Handbags or B*stards I have met or something. Then you could all follow the ramblings of my daily life of wizards and wonky donkeys. Nah on the other hand, I would probably forget the ramblings in my usual haphazard fashion.

Ceejay - seems America is having the same sort of rotten summer that we had - floods, storms, ice, hail, bush fires and general havoc and destruction. It is so sad to see all these people out of their home, out of luck and all insurance companies running the other way to avoid paying out.

Ellen - Nice of the brother to watch the kiddos for you. So the sister is going to wear your gown. Nice tradition that. Hope it fits and becomes a family tradition. The cost of gowns is ginormous in todays world. And so many people shell out for it and wear it once. What a waste.

Anyway, I'd better get off here, check out facebook and get on with the day. The dryer must be almost finished by now. I should race up to the laundry and pick it up and not be the rotten person who leaves it sitting in the drier as so many did before me so that someone who comes along has to empty out others stuff before they can dry their ow. Rant for the day.

I've attached a couple of pictures. The first is a view of the rooms they give us at camp. They aren't too bad and are all ensuite so there isn't communal showers etc.
The second is a view of Peak Downs. The red fields are dried up sunflowers. They must have looked a sight a couple of months ago. There is still the occasional bunch of parrots hanging around.
Mmm the resize thing doesn't seem to be working.

Chicklets....yes, the birthday celebrations have gone on all week. Thank you for all the great bd wishes...I will post tomorrow about all the excitement.....I had such a marvelous weekend.

xooxo

Good morning ladies,

Quick run in for me. Don't know where the weekend went but it flew by and it's back to work again. Enjoying my time with Mom. DH is working like a crazy man.

Shad - can't see more than a tiny thumbnail on the shots. But picked up the pics on FB so we at least got to see something. That field of sunflowers would probably have been gorgeous.

Annie - glad you had a great weekend. Can't wait to hear the details.

Ellen - hope your dress fit sis, great to recycle those things.

Ceejay - we got the same thing with the storms - alot of noise, a good bit of dark but not much rain either. We could use it.

Michelle - hope you didn't spend the entire weekend working - although didn't you say you are taking today off to finish up?

Laura - how did book club go?

Sorry for the rush - seems like I am always on the run and behind lately.

GOOD MORNING CHICKLETS!!!!

What a wonderful birthday weekend......Saturday was great. David arrived around 2 pm. We then went to Target' (the fench store...haha) to get me a new alarm clock. Came back and got ready to go to the French restaurant..Petite Chou by Patachou. I had...

CHICKEN PAILLARD
Served with your choice of one of our side dishes and our housebaked baguette.
Seared, flattened, free-range chicken breast served with
your choice of either a lemon-scented pan sauce or a traditional mustard....I had the mustard sauce...topped with baby arugula and shaved parmesan...so so delish!!
The waitress brought a small cup of whipped cream, made from real cream..yum with a 8" high, 1" round, fire sputting firework candle...so cool.
After that we walked around Clay Terrace a bit then went for a short drive to see the house he is selling. OMGoodness it is so beautiful. Then back to my house for dessert..wink wink....
We got up Sunday morning at 5, as I had to be at work at 6:30, he went home. Came back at 4 pm on his motorcycle and picked me up to go meet dad, brother, SIL, Sissy, nephew and his GF at Red Lobster. I had shrimp on the skewer and scallops...YUM!!...then dad and I (since we share the same birthday) were serenaded by the wait staff and family. Two scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate and carmel topping, two candles.
Back to the house, David was leaving as my SIL pulled into the driveway. She and I sat out on the patio in back and had margaritas. Was in bed by 9:30. What a wonderful weekend.
Shaddie...nice chatting with you on FB last night. You are working way too hard these days. When you lull in work comes, you will certainly need it. Great pix also.
Happy...don't run to fast, you might miss the bus....have a great day, girlie...
Gotta get busy...9 am staff meeting and it is like 8 minutes till the hour.
Hello's to all...get well to MELLIE....
Love and hugs

Annie
What a nice birthday week end!

Shad
An IPod or MP3 player would be a great gift for Mel. I'll be glad to help you out with this. Not sure what brand you have in mind though.

Happy
These week ends are very short aren't they! I think I'll be due another vacation day soon.

-----
My sis mentioned that we need to have a family get together soon. My nephews and neices haven't seen each other in a long time. I'm not sure whether my neice in California will be able to make it. It would be a lot of fun. The three of us would need to work out the plans. I'ld like to meet in Branson and catch some shows.

Hi everyone -

DH and I get all our electronics from Tiger Direct. They offer the best prices. Also, DH is an outstanding shopper for electronics...always finding a great deal on quality stuff. He and I will look for an Ipod for Mel....do we need one that does videos? Or would music/audio books, etc. be enough?

I'll send back some options to y'all.

Love and hugs,
Michelle

Don't know much about them Michelle. Thanks ceejay for the thought. I can't see that she would want a video player - those things are small - at least I thought they were and her eyes are not good either.

What I was thinking of was something easy to upload music and audio books and fairly small that she can hang around her neck or whatever. I'm not sure our bank balances go to an IPad or book reader or whatever - anyway the idea is that she listens and doesn't try to read.

Morning all.

Michelle - My brother would watch mom's dog if not for certain obstacles - severe knee and transportation problems, among other issues. I haven't been out to visit for two years now - I'd been hoping during the period when she didn't have a dog to get her to come visit us, but nope. Maybe later this year I'll get out there. Now that I've used up all my freq flyer miles, I might try to find a good deal and fly out of Midway to the Branson airport - see if that's less expensive than the usual UA or AA flights from ORD to SGF. Yeh, I'm actually getting a taste for fruits & veggies now that it's getting warmer (I think, lol). I bought a watermelon and bf, doggie and I have been enjoying that!

Shad - Glad you didn't get stuck in the muddy roads! Fingers crossed for your continued safe travels. :crossed: Hope you get enough quality sleep to keep you healthy!! I could just see Mel being featured in one of Obama's town hall meetings - wouldn't she be great? - and it could all start with a call from you!

Ceejay - Hope you're well-rested and the sinuses/allergies are under control now.

Annie - Sounds like a very nice b-day weekend you had!! Your fancy meal sounded delish!

Happy - Yeh, I get how the errands outside the house really break up the momentum of home projects. Hope you managed to get some work done in spite of that. Did you find the terry-lined shower caps for your mom?? :D I have a stock of the cheapo freebies from my hotel stays.

Ellen - You've got quite a brood to watch over now w/ the younger siblings thrown in too. So you've got quite an age gap w/ your siblings - we had a talk about that during our book club because a couple members have large gaps like that. Hope your sis can wear your wedding dress. Despite never being married and no plans for it, I still get sucked into that show "Say Yes to the Dress" and am always shocked how much money brides spend on their gowns!!! Seems like a shame for those beautiful gowns to only be worn once, so I'm all for passing them on.

Mel - If you're being read these messages - Feel better soon sweetie!!

My weekend: Fri night, just a dog walk and some TV on my own since bf was helping a friend buy a car. Went to the circuit class Sat. morning and it was so hard for me to get through - I think the humidity wasn't helping matters. I also dragged on doggy's walk. Shopped for and made choco dipped strawberries for book club. Not the goat cheese dip I'd thought about making. So I get there and someone else had also made the berries (she said "That's what I get for not posting what I plan on bringing.")- but mine were larger and therefore more impressive, haha. Actually, Aldi had a great sale on the strawberries and I bought 3- 1 lb. packages and cherry-picked the best ones for dipping (mixing up my fruit metaphores or plain old references, lol.) I'm sure they all taste the same, although I used bakers chocolate and not choc chips or the mystery stuff made just for dipping - I'm sure that's chock full of hydrogenated oils, etc.

Book club was good, but I ate too much. Not a huge selection of stuff (no veggies!), and I kept my portions reasonable, which was good, but the desserts still did me in. The discussion was good - our host had printed off some discussion questions, so we actually spent more than the usual time on book stuff and not kids, etc.

Breakfast Sunday morning was also highly caloric, as my tracking showed. When I go out for breakfast - usually once every couple months - I tend to order food I don't eat otherwise (corned beef hash, for one thing), so it's not in me to just order oatmeal or cereal. But I do pay the price in calories. But my friend and I had a really good chat, so I enjoyed myself.

Yesterday was sunny, so I was happy about that. :sunny: Picked up dog piles and twigs/branches in back before bf mowed. Took a dog walk by the creek. Did a wee bit of weeding and trimming of the shrubs, but not nearly enough. Having woken up early all weekend, I got to bed early last night.

Okay, enough rambling. Back to work. This is cleanup week for the office. Our department has no plans to do much because we did a pretty good cleanup back in Sept when we had to make room for the other half of our dept to move in. I will, however, make some time to clean off my worksurface so it looks like I actually did something. They have told us that heaters or "similar electrical devices" will be removed by the landlord if found in our office space - wonder if my fan falls into that category? I'll put it away until I really need it.

TTFN!

Shad - I totally agree with you about Kindles and other book readers being out...since she usually needs to rest her eyes. I can only speak for myself that an IPad isn't in the range of my bank account. I also agree with you about Ipod video players. Audio is the way to go. I'll see what I can find and let y'all know. I'll try and keep the choices fairly small, lightweight and easy.

Hi ladies -

I just sent a PM regarding MP3 players. If we want players that are iTunes compatible, we probably have to go with an Apple product. Otherwise, she can download books/music from Amazon.com.

Love and hugs,
Michelle

We are tidying up after the storm and what a doozy it was. This has made the second time in a couple of months that the tornado siren has gone off while I am at work. It got as dark as night. The power went down at the plant but I shut things off just a few minutes before. Whew. I hope that the stand by electric guy calls me back. I have one more for him. Did I say I like silence.

Shad
I'm going to rember that what comes your way will eventually come our way.

Me belly hurts....goodnight sweet sistas.

Just pm'd everyone back about my choices for Mel. I don't know the brands well and I would probably have picked a more expensive one such as an ipod or whatever, but as I said, I don't know the brands and what they can do.
The earphones are a good idea. I'm sure someone will be able to sort out the instructions for her.
That PM thing sucks as far as numbers of recipients. Okay it says five, but it also includes the BCC in that as well so you only get to do 5, not five and five.

I've been out to the Coppabella mine this morning and need to go back at 5.30pm to talk some more, meantime I get to come back here, go to the gym and check my mail and stuff and do some more work, if the system lets me.

Laura - sounds like you had a busy weekend and good on you for the exercise classes. At least the book club hostess was on the ball with the discussion paper.

Ceejay - sounds like you are having a hard time with the weather warnings etc. Hope it all settles down soon.

Annie - belly hurts - been eating too much again by the sound of it.

Michelle - thanks for doing that research for me. I've sent a reply of what I would like. I'm happy to pay for it, ceejay might like to think about the earphones or not as the case may be. The only reason I don't send it from here is that the electrical systems are different and it might not work over there.

So I had better go get one with checking out how Christchurch went overnight and get an email off to my cousin in Darfield. It seems that Ruthxxx's friend is a vicar and is now tending a parish in Darfield so I should get my cousin to introduce herself - isn't it a small world?

Happy Tuesday ladies -

Sorry I've fallen so far behind on personals. After spending at least 6+ hours per day (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) working on websites, I wasn't too keen to post much. But I did read about everyone's weekend.

There's still more website work to be done over the next 2-3 weeks, which is good. One client has a few more updates, and the other client who wants a whole site redesign/revamp is pleased with the new design/layout :yay: so now I have to convert the existing website into the new layout and rework the content so that it's more user friendly.

DH is feeling under the weather with stomach issues, so he rested a bit this weekend. DMIL wanted to go visit her sister this week, so yesterday I drove her over there. I'm really looking forward to this coming Sunday. DH's aunt and cousin are taking DMIL and I to see Fiddler on the Roof. I really enjoy that musical, and I can't wait to see it live.

It's going to be a busy week at work, catching up from having yesterday off. But busy is good...keeps me out of trouble.

BTW, I got a note back from Jen...Wow! I had no idea the extent of Mel's internal infection. So many organs were affected! It's way worse than what I had. Poor dear. I do hope she follows the doctor's orders, and has a quick and complete recovery. :hug: to her and to Jen.

**************************

Annie - It sounds like you had a fabulous birthday weekend! I'm thrilled that you are so happy, and that David is treating you well. Sounds like dinner AND dessert were both fantastic! ;) So cool that he got to meet the whole family!

Ceejay - So scary when the tornado sirens go off. Stay safe, my friend. I hope that your family get together comes to fruition. That would be so wonderful for all of you.

Happy - How did the dye job go? Were you able to find shower caps for your mom? I wouldn't even know where to start to look for those. I totally understand how you hate it when things bust up your weekend days. When I have stuff to do...especially website stuff or shopping or cooking, I try and do it all first thing in the morning. I get up early (sometimes 5 or 6 am to do website work), and just plow through what I need to get done. Both Saturday and Sunday, I was upstairs on the computer by 7 am and by the time 2 pm came around, my brain was fried, I couldn't focus my eyes, and it was time to spend the rest of the day relaxing (aka, doing laundry). The back got a bit twingey with some ball Zumba moves...but I emailed the instructor and told her, and we'll be taking those songs out of my repertoire (sp?). BTW, Zumba is tonight. I'll be participating in a regular class...but doing the moves/routines sitting on the exercise ball. Also, my back didn't much like sitting in front of a computer for 3 days only to come back to work and do it for the rest of the week...but at least I'm going to be getting some exercising/stretching in tonight.

Shad - Bummer that your boots got stuck in the mud...but at least the car didn't. I hope you're not having any more issues with connecting remotely. Whenever you are ready for that website, let me know. I like the title Handbags and Hardhats...of course B*stards you've known is also good. Loved the photos on FB, the sunflower field must've been gorgeous in its prime. I sent you a PM about the cost of audio books, how many would fit on a 4GB or 8GB MP3 player, and the ease (or difficulty) of downloading from services other than iTunes. Most libraries have audiobooks in CD format. I really, really like listening to audiobooks on my CD walkman. So maybe we could get her one of those, some nice headphones, and maybe some rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. I'm open to whatever we decide and am more than happy to order and contribute to this gift...and depending on what we all decide, and the cost, maybe we could purchase a gift card for her to get books/music. Just a thought. I'm glad to hear that your friends/family in Christchurch are okay, despite being a bit shaken.

Ellen - So nice of your brother to watch your kids, and so very nice of you to watch your siblings. Are they much younger than you? I'll keep my fingers crossed :crossed: that your wedding dress fits your sister. When DH and I got married, I wanted a simple dress with no train. I found a lovely tea-length dress in the JC Penney catalog for around $100. I found two, had them shipped to the store so I could try them on and return them right away if they weren't "right". I tried one on that didn't look like much on the hanger, but when I had it on it was exactly what I wanted. It was perfect!

Laura - It's so hard to exercise, even indoors, when the humidity is high. I applaud you for your efforts. I'm glad your strawberries were a hit at book club, even if someone else brought some too. You can never have too many. So nice that the book club discussions centered around the book. What a concept, huh? :rofl: Like you, when I go out for breakfast, I order things I wouldn't eat at home...and my choices at the restaurant tend to be much higher in calories than a typical breakfast. But, I don't always have lunch when I eat breakfast out, so that makes up for a few of the calories. I hope they let you keep your fan, but good idea to hide it until you need it. It's good that you don't have much office cleanup to do this week.


Time to get some work done.

Love and hugs to all,

Shad
Will any ear phones/ear buds work. I'm not to savy when it comes to electronics.

Annie
Yep too much food. But glad you enjoyed the week full of excitement. Feel better soon.


Michelle
You must be tired after all that web sight work and customer's were pleased.
Hope dh feels better soon. The musical sounds fun also.

Happy
Did you survive the storm yesterday? It got rough enough here that the boss came to the plant. The weather people down graded the tornado warning to a severe thunder storm so I didn't have to go down in the pit with those men. Yuck. At least the boss pumped out the excess waste water.

----
I have slept well the past couple of days and decided I would take the Melatonin. It works like a charm. I had a good deep sleep. So deep that I was groggy this morning. I could use some more sleep now.
Have a good day.

Ceejay - Any headphones/ear buds will work. But it's a matter of comfort...it's very difficult to find earbuds (that go inside the ear) that are comfortable. I think it's probably best to hold off on purchasing headphones, and get everything at once. I'm happy to make the purchase once we decide on what to get, and then y'all can pitch in. I'm glad the tornado warning was downgraded and that the boss pumped out the excess waste water. I'm glad you had a good night's sleep...Sounds like you could take the Melatonin again tonight...maybe take it a bit earlier though so you aren't as groggy.

Good Morning/Evening Everyone....

Yesterday was quite nice...still celebrating my birthday....David came and took me to lunch. P.F. Changs....Very good...had sesame chicken over brown rice with broccoli and hot and sour soup. Gave the broccoli to David as it makes my tummy hurt and get indigestion.

WOW has my allergies kicked in this morning. I have sneezed about 50 times this morning and it is only 9:30. Found some allergy meds in my desk so I am going to pop some.

SHADDIE...I really have not eaten too much, just different things than normal and actually I am down 3 lbs this morning. Weird. I would like to go in on the gift for MELLIE... The NZ earthquake has been all over our Indy news, that is horrible, and twice within months of each other....Prayers.

CHELLE...Thanks for taking the initiative on the the gift...you are one ROCKIN' SISTA...xoxo

CEEJAY...hope your weather lightens up just a bit for you. We are supposed to get some crappy weather coming in tonight also...

LAURA...even tho you may be eating the wrong things, it sounds as tho you are getting some exercising in. Guess that crosses each other out and all is good.

MELLIE..more hugs and get well wishes, and GREAT health vibes are being beamed over to you.

Hey ya HAPPY, hope you day is going marvelous!!

ELLEN...hope your world is spinning at just the right speed for you.

Better get my bunz in gear...I guess we are having a meeting this afternoon that I knew nothing about but have to be prepared to attend and they expect me to participate. Just wonderful.

Much love and many huggo's

CHELLE...CEEJAY...sneaker inners....hmpf, sigh...;)

CHELLE...stay away from DH, that is all you need to catch what he has...

CEEJAY...yes, melatonin is marvelous...good for you on sleeping.

Happy...CVS has shower caps...Aisle 21, left side, bottom shelf...two types, 3.99 for one 5.99 for the other...I can pick some up for you if you need me to.

Hugs

Thank you ladies for the suggestions on the shower caps. I do have a temporary stock of those "in a pinch" cheap and crappy (Momma's words) ones from the hotels. I still snitch them when I see them in our room.

But those are not good enough ladies :no: :no: :no:

She wants the plastic outside, terry cloth inside shower caps. And they can't be made too chintzy. :nono: And they have to have a good elastic on them :yes: and they have to be ROOMY so that they don't smash Mom's 1950's Barbie over permed bubble topped bouffant hairdo. She doesn't like the plastic because over time, that cracks and they are no good. I haven't found the ones with a lifetime guarantee yet ;) Actually there is a Sally Beauty Supply store right by the grocery store. So we took a peek on Saturday. They have plastic unlined shower caps, sleep caps and some sort of hair product caps. I was about to give up but then I noticed in one bottom corner they had "cue the harps" - a yellow terry lined on the inside, leopard print on the outside :lol3: NYLON not stiff plastic shower cap. Thank you Lord for looking after my Momma. She was SOOOO happy she bought 2 of them. I told her with the leopard print we can go down to the red light district and hang with the peeps. She can be the rappin' grannmah. :rofl: Seriously, I am glad we found them as she is very particular and wants exactly what she wants. Like when we went to the Crocs outlet store in Alabama and she liked a pair of shoes that was one size too small for her. She did not understand why they only had this one size that didn't fit her and the rest were "big bazootie gunboats" (size 11). I said "Mom, that's what an outlet store is - leftovers to sell cheap". She insisted on taking these shoes that were too small even though we told her they would NOT stretch. The other day she was telling me about them and how they are sitting in a closet because they don't fit BUT they were such a great bargain price. :frypan: Almost makes me sorry I don't have kids to do the same thing too when I get older. :lol:

Annie - I did see that CVS had showercaps at the online store. Was going to check them out but I think they are unlined. Thanks for checking though :hug: Oh poor girl. Reading your post I see you popped some allergy meds :faint: zzzzzzzzzz and then you have to sit in a meeting and present! Ack!!!!! I hope you can keep it together woman. Yum on the PF Chang's. I love their stuff. The new stuff you can buy in the freezer from them - not so good :no: :no: :P

I use headphones like this when I'm at work They are cheap but stay in your ears and have decent sound quality. Are they as good as my expensive BOSE headphones? Of course not. But they also sit in the ears and hang on the ears so you don't have the problem with the heavy clunkiness of the headband type headphones. And they are smaller than the earbuds you typically see. Just a suggestion...

Ok, I think you guys have sold me on the Melatonin. Will have to give it a try.

Ceejay - we are ok, thanks for asking. One guy in our pod has a weather radio and we started paying attention when it went off. At first we poo poo'd it - oh it's up in Arkansas up Ceejay's way, we won't get it. Then it abruptly turned south and headed our way :yikes: got all dark and thundery, rain was swirling in circles. A bunch of us ran out to our cars to shut the windows as we had left them cracked open a bit in the intense heat. It got so dark we were all taking turns saying "Oh my gosh" (I still say cussin' is more fun and makes a better point ;) ) I guess we have unstable air and might get more storms again the next day or two but that was kind of scary. I'm glad you are ok too. Yuck - sitting in a pit does not sound good at all. :no:

Michelle - if you're going to regular Zumba and doing it on an exercise ball, be prepared for questions. I would think that would spark some people's interest in a good way! and maybe make it a little easier for people just starting out. Geez on the poor back. I could see how spending the entire weekend working on web stuff would really aggrivate it. Hope you can move around and get it stretched out. Glad your clients like the updates and the new look you designed. Thanks :hug: for all the research you did with the players and such. Too much to pick from and it gets confusing for my poor head :headache:

Shad - hope your friends and family are ok in Christchurch. How sad was a beautiful town went to ruins with all those rumblers. Out in the mines like you are, I'm thinking you are the striking example of "hearty bush woman" :lol: I think the company should be happy they were lucky enough to get someone as seasoned as you.

Hi Ellen and Laura :wave: Sorry I can't get to everyone's personals. Lots of off topic yakking at our staff meeting that went over and now I have to get back to work.

Love and hugs to you Mel :grouphug: Hope you are behaving yourself and getting better. We miss you :cry:

Happy - Loved the "Mom" stories! I am prepared for lots of questions at Zumba tonight, and some "Welcome Back"s, "How's Your Back", etc. I'm also prepared for lots of staring as I try and do some of the moves on the ball. And I don't like to be the center of attention...so hopefully it won't last long. But it's the only way I can enjoy Zumba right now, so I'm going to do it. It would be awesome if my participation gets other limited mobility people interested in learning Zumba alternatives. As for the headphones, I'm not a big fan of the over the ear, but to each her own. I use flexible ear buds for listening to music, but for listening to audiobooks when I'm laying in bed, I use these. For me, at least the sound quality doesn't have to be as good for audiobooks as for music. I'm totally leaving the decisions up to y'all though.

Shhh y'all,
I just got a note from Mel herself. She is weak but improving. I will put the text on a pm for you all shortly. Or rather 2 pms since I can't post to all at once.
Off to Mackay this morning - time for some classroom training. I shall miss the bush and my 'blokes' we have had some good jokes, some plain speaking and some very off the wall politically incorrect chats and some old fashioned speeches - such as 'don't think, just do!' ' your problem mate, do you want a job or not? then sit down, shut up and get on with it' 'suck it up princess' was uttered several times as well. And at one time some of us grizzlies fished out the words to 'there is a hole in my bucket' (or in this case a hole in the centrifuge basket) much to the younger ones amazement and someone uttered 2 verses and a chorus to 'Under the Southern Cross I stand'. Which is probably akin to Eskimo Nell. None of this will happen in the city.

No personals right now, because I have to get dressed and packed and then get a big breakfast before the long journey in my coal dust streaked car.
I'll get these PM's under way and get on with my day.

Have fun.

Happy Hump Day ladies -

Last night, I did 30 minutes of an actual Zumba class! True, I was sitting on an exercise/stability ball the entire time, but I was able to either do or modify all the moves and I got an incredible workout and it was so much fun!! My heart rate was up. I worked up a good sweat. Sounds a bit like Annie's after dinner "dessert" with D. :rofl: Just kidding, Zumba wasn't anywhere near as much fun as "dessert", though I've always said that in my opinion, it is quite possibly the most fun you can have with your clothes on! ;)

I did get lots of "Welcome Back"s and "How's Your Back". And I also got some funny looks and questions like "How are you going to do Zumba on the ball?" The instructor and I explained that we've been working it out for a few weeks so that it's possible to do most of the routines. By the end of the class, I had several people say that they were amazed how many of the moves were possible and how good of a workout you could get doing Zumba on the ball.

I have PT today at lunchtime, and then tonight is water aerobics. And I'm really looking forward to Zumba again tomorrow. :)

*********************

Shad - Thanks for forwarding along the note from Mel. Glad that you had such a good time with the blokes. I have to ask...were you the one saying 'suck it up princess' to the blokes? I can't imagine them saying it to you. I'm not sure I know "Under the Southern Cross I Stand" but I am familiar with the song "Southern Cross" by Crosby Stills & Nash. I hope you had safe and uneventful travels back to Mackay.


I've got to get some work done, so I'll be back later to check on you chicks.

Lots of love,

Good Morning on this Fine, DARK, THUNDERY, STORMY Hump Day....

Hope everyone is doing well today/nite. Crazy buzy here, no time for personals...yikes.

David came over for dinner last night,,we grilled out. Quite a good evening.

Have a marvelous day all.

Love and hugs

Morning all. Quick pop in to say hello. Pretty busy here, including second demos on two of the software apps we're considering. Yesterday's was a half-day session! Unfortunately, it wasn't as productive as it could have been. Let's hope tomorrow's session is better. Still sore from a BE workout I did on Monday evening. Last night saw the movie "Midnight in Paris" with Owen Wilson. I enjoyed it. You never know with those Woody Allen movies...

Okay, gotta run. I have the 3rd retirement planning session starting in 10 min. Oops, didn't do my homework...

Today has probably been the worst day of my professional life. Nothing worked as supposed. The users didn't have the permissions they required. Anything that it was supposed to do, the system didn't including add a message that said you must enter a planning plant when there wasn't even a field for a planning plant entry. It was horrific. The guys were good. One got a bit upset but it wasn't aimed at me. I was all for heating up the cattle prod.
I am upset. At times I feel like hitting something or throwing something and at others I feel close to tears. I won't let it get me - Kiwi ingenuity managed to get me through the day, however I won't put up with it tomorrow and have sent messages to that effect.

I think I will go for a walk or a run to see if I can get it out of the system. Forgive me for no personals. I just don't have it in me at the moment

Good Morning Chicklets....today is my Friday...leaving for St. Louis tomorrow...sissy and I are going out for Dominic's 1st birthday party...I can hardly wait to see him and Olivia for that matter.

SHADDIE....I think this is the first time I can remember that you have had a melt down...and for good reason...I heard on the news this morning that Al Capone's hand gun is for sale for $114,000.00, maybe we worldlies should pool together and purchase it for you.....hugs to you my sweet sista and sending positive vibes and Chelle's great endorphins...xoxo Sorry Chelle need to borrow your endorphins for SHADDIE.

Laura...I think this is just the busy time of year for all of us Worldlie Girlies. Hope your afternoon went smoothly....

Not much going on here today, got a couple of groups to process, that should take up the best part of the day. Going to Old Navy with sissy today to get Dominic's BD present. Well she is, I already have a gift for him. Black swim trunks with orange flames on them, a swim vest, and a "Cars" Movie beach towel. Since Grandma BF has a built in pool, it just seemed appropriate.

Gotta get busy, I will try to post tomorrow morning before leaving for St. L. Then won't be back til Monday.

Loves and Hugs....Get wells to MELLIE

Hi ladies -

Sheesh, sounds many of us are having pretty bad work weeks. Mine is going okay...but it sure has felt like a long week even though I was off on Monday. Probably because I've been spending hours and hours in front of computers for nearly two full weeks. More website work this weekend, but since my back and legs have been making it painfully clear that they don't like sitting for hours on end, I'm going to take more frequent stretching breaks when I'm working (both at the office and at home).

I had to skip water aerobics last night. My physical therapist worked me out SO hard at PT during my lunch hour. In fact, I'm glad I had shorts and a t-shirt for PT because I worked up a sweat. I learned lots of good exercises at PT, and had a whole bunch of sore and tight muscles by the time I got home from work so I stayed home and stretched out. Tonight is Ball Zumba. :yay:

***********************

Shad - I'm so very sorry that you had such a rotten day! I hope the systems are behaving themselves today. Bravo for using your ingenuity to get you through. Did you go for a walk/run after work?

Annie - Don't know about you, but we're going to have rain off and on for the next several days...and the ground is already pretty wet. Makes it difficult to figure out when I can cut the grass. Glad you had a nice cookout with David. So nice that you and Sam are going to St. Louis for Dominic's birthday! You got him some great presents!! Safe travels to you my friend. :hug:

Laura - How was round 3 of retirement planning? Are you learning tips that you can share with us? I hope the software demo goes better today. Glad you enjoyed the movie!

Ceejay - How are you doing? Are you going to Paragould this weekend?

Ellen - Are the kids helping you sort through their clothes and closets?

Happy - Between work and packing, I hope you're able to make time to enjoy your mom's visit. I hope everything is going well.

Mel - Sending you lots of healing hugs. :hug: :grouphug: :hug:

Gotta get get for now...later gators!

Love and hugs,

Morning all. Today's my Friday. Whoo!!! Been a busy week, and so no personals again today. Have another software "2nd time around" demo this aft - 3 hours. And where did the morning go? Oy.

Last night was the "Step Above" step class. I have to get up to speed on the choreography, but I really liked it - kept me thinking throughout, trying to follow the routines. I really worked up a sweat (course it was already mega-muggy yesterday to begin with), and I wasn't really using my arms to the extent I like to (too busy trying to keep my feet doing the right thing).

Tomorrow is an early allergist appointment - just a follow up. I have some contact lenses to pick up from my eye doc and since I'll already be a bit closer, I want to pick those up afterwards...but I think I'll be too early, since the allergist appt is 7:20, prolly won't go very long. Eye doc opens at 9:30?? Dang. Big gap. Find something to do in between, or just pick up the lenses another time? And at 11:00 I'm finally using my Christmas gift cert for a foot massage!! Should be nice. Nothing else planned for the day.

Okay, gotta run, things to do. I responded to the latest PM.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hi, just peeking in. Really. Just for a sec. I will TRULY enjoy once I don't have this thing called a job and work and packing and all other things taking away from my fun time ;)

Shad - I'm sorry you had such a beastly time with the training. I know how you take alot of pride in training even if everyone trips you up and tries to mess with you up to the point you open your mouth. Sounds like the blokes were good natured and flexible.

Annie - safe travels. Enjoy the weekend.

Laura - nice that you have a 3 day weekend too. Get your chores done early and do fun stuff in the afternoon.

Michelle - you are so kind. I would have been :censored: :rollpin: YELLING over the creep in PT that made me so sore and instead, you find a way to be cheerful about it :lol: You are a much better person than me :rofl: Good for you for pushing.

Hi's to Ceejay and Ellen. Wish I could stay longer but I have to prep for a meeting. I wish I could crawl under my desk and take a nap but they frown on that sort of thing here. :s:

A quick post to wish Annie and Laura fantastic 3 day weekends!!

Laura - I know your day off is filled with errands/appointments, but enjoy your foot massage. Bravo on doing the "Step Above" class!

Annie - Please take photos of D & O so that we can see how much they've grown. Safe travels!

Happy - You sneaker inner!! We all know you're super busy and we appreciate your checking in on us when you can. :hug: to you my friend, and an extra :hug: for your mom. My PT's job is to help me get in shape - to help me strengthen my back and core - and that's just what she did. So I'm glad. And I didn't feel the least bit guilty about missing my workout last night...because she gave me a great workout. Even though my progress is MUCH, MUCH slower than I'd like and I still have to use the cane and walker occasionally, I have improved SUBSTANTIALLY from where I couldn't walk without a cane and where I couldn't climb a flight of stairs. I wish I could take a nap too...I've been really sleepy lately. I hope the meeting goes well and isn't boring so you don't nod off. :rofl:

Not sure who asked but I do have plans to go to Paragould this week end. It's time formy uncles get together for lunch. They really enjoy that as do I.
We had another thunderstorm to roll through this afternoon. It cooled us down for a bit.
I want to work outside tomorrow morning before it gets to hot.

Shad
I know you will come up the winner on this project. Hang in there. The company should have provided you with that information. :hug:

Happy
Is your mom helping you with the packing and sorting stuff?

Michelle
I'm glad that you are improving on a daily basis. I was swondering if the PT was working you out enough that you could count it as exercise.

Laura
Enjoy your extra day off. I really like my 3 day's off but love my 4 day's off.
Those 12 hours get to me at times.

Good morning ladies,

It's really dark outside today. Huge storms to the east of us, we're dry but getting some rumblings. Looks like it could downpour any minute but it won't. Until I step out the door that is. I would have loved some extra sleep this morning.

I was planning on hitting the packing hard tomorrow. A friend took ill and was hinting around that she'd love to see me and Mom this weekend. I am trying to figure out how to squeeze that in. I feel bad for her but I didn't get much done at all after work this week and have to get my act together.

The house across the street and 2 doors away went up for sale. It's a very old couple with a house that is too big and I'm sure too much work for them. Their lawn is nothing but a weed patch and dry dirt - not even sure their is any grass on it. Just around the corner another house is for sale and across from that one too. So the good news is there might be alot of people looking. Of course, I think our house is the best of them all. The house prices are starting a bit lower than I'd like them too but we are prepared for that.

Ceejay and Annie - I hope you both have good travels this weekend and that you stay ahead of the rain and storms we seem to be stuck in. Kiss the babies Annie but don't smother them :rofl: Have a good lunch with the uncles Ceejay.

Are you enjoying that 3 day weekend Laura? Sounds like you have some built in relaxing time.

Michelle - I'm glad they got all your sticky parts stretched out at PT. Did that procedure / nerve block you had not really do much for you? Glad to hear you are Zumba'ing again. I know that makes you happy.

Shad - would love to see a pic of your training room. Probably looks like an old time refrigerator magnet I have that I dearly love. I'll bet you look like a sepia colored picture of the 1890's mining camps. :D

Love and hugs to you Mel :hug: :D

Same to you Ellen :hug:

Well I'd better get dressed and out of here so I can get this day over with. Have a good one!

Happy Friday ladies -

I'm glad to be working from home today as I can take short breaks to start a load of wash, and tidy up...and hopefully the grass will be dry enough from the overnight dew for me to mow it at lunch time. I have a meeting with a website client from 4 'till 6:30, then back home by 7 to be online for work for report implementations. It's going to be a long day. This weekend, I'm hoping to do website work on Saturday and Sunday morning. I also have to go clothes shopping as it would be nice to have more than 1 pair of jeans and 1 pair of jeans shorts that fit. Sunday afternoon is Fiddler on the Roof and I can't wait!!

My niece from Southern CA just called me last night and she's coming out to Milwaukee for work. She'll be working from June 27 through 30, and she asked if we'd want her to come visit us next weekend and the weekend of July 1-3. DUH! Of course we do! It'll be cozy since DMIL is in the guest room, but DN has slept on the living room couch before and says it's really comfortable. :) I'm really looking forward to her visit. Of course that means I have to get A LOT accomplished this weekend and after work this week...housecleaning, website work. DH will be busy working in the yard tomorrow (weather permitting) and he has to work on Sunday. I was starting to feel bad that we may not be able to do much fun stuff on Saturday with DMIL, but then I realized that Sunday will be a busy day with the musical and all...so maybe a relaxing day wouldn't be a bad thing for her. :)



**************************
HAPPY - It does seem that the nerve block procedure didn't really help. But when I remember back to when I got it (end of December)...after the initial 3 weeks, I felt GREAT! FABULOUS even! I felt like I could do so much and I was really coming along with my rehab. Then being laid up for a month with acute bronchitis set me back to square one. The nerves that were blocked remained blocked...but my other muscles, especially quads, hamstrings and hip flexors really atrophied and "shortened"/tightened with me being in bed so much. The last time I was at the doc, they said I could consider another nerve block (sort of a booster shot) in June or July, and I am considering it. I'm so very happy that I can see how well I am progressing. I'm doing Zumba again, and working up a sweat! :dancer: I have exercise DVDs and the Wii Fit that I might even be able to use now (or soon). I have an appt with my doc on Monday and I'll discuss with him options and next steps.

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. It sounds like you're going to have a jam packed weekend too. I'll be sending you as much energy as I can spare and thoughts to keep PACKING, PACKING, PACKING. :)

CEEJAY - So nice that you're going to Paragould this weekend! Safe travels! It's wonderful that you have so much family close by. That's why I like it when DMIL (and DN) come to visit. And I also enjoy visiting DH's aunt, uncle and cousins. I only have 2 living aunts. One of whom is married to my 1 living uncle, and I would love to live closer to them (in San Diego) so that I could see them (and my cousins) more often. If money were no object, DH and I might move back to CA (or at least go back more often for visits). But it is...and there are so many aspects that we truly love about living in a small town in WI. Thanks for asking about my PT. My PT is definitely working me out enough so that I could count it as exercise, and I've got the yucky sweaty t-shirts to prove it! LOL I'm sure this week will be a more intense workout since it's after work and I don't have to freshen up before meetings. My PT has said that if I need to skip the gym on the day of PT, that's okay as long as I stretch. Or I can do one class. Once I was going to do two classes after PT, and he put the kabosh on that right away. I won't be able to get to the gym today, but I will take breaks during the work day to stretch. I'm learning that if I sit for more tha 90 minutes straight, it leads to very tight hip flexors.

ANNIE - I'm sure you're having a great time your friends and all the little ones...too bad you can't stay longer. Drive safely. If you get tired, stop at Starbucks for a pick me up! :lol:

LAURA - Have a wonderful 3 day weekend!

Lots of love and hugs to all,

Been out side doing some much needed yard work afternoon the storms this week. It felt good to be in the sunshine too. My hands and elbows got a good work out because I also pruned some pine tree's whose limbs were hanging really low.

This will be short and sweet because I've procrastinated long enough. I need to iron some clothes.

More later

Hi everyone -

I just sent an PM to y'all that contains information from Jen as to how Mel is doing.

Ceejay - :bravo: on getting so much yard work done. I hope you got your clothes ironed.

For me, the day starts with website work, then going shopping at Kohl's, then mowing the back lawn, then back to website work.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Love and hugs to all,

Good morning ladies,

I have a busy weekend ahead of me. I hope I can pack as much as possible into it.

Michelle - thank you for the update on Mel. It really makes me grateful for my health compared to what some people have to endure. I'm sure she will love your videos, thanks for sending some. Sounds like you have a very busy weekend too - don't over exhert yourself!

Annie and Ceejay - hope you have fun on your roadtrips.

Laura - enjoy that long weekend.

Ellen - don't get buried under the wash :lol:

Joy - I hope you get a restful break over the weekend and don't have to spend it travelling and setting up for the next round of training.

Ok, back to work for me. Have a good one ladies :wave:

Hello ladies. Sorry I have been MIA this week. Having my younger brothers and sister and my mom's dog put me over the top. I just shut down for a few days. Everything was just so overwhelming. Will try to catch up on posts this weekend and do personals as soon as I can.

We had 2 birthdays this week. DS turned 11 on Monday and DD2 turned 8 on thursday. (my brother's b-day is tomorrow) so I am a little caked out. I ate too much everything. I really need to learn a different coping system...can't just keep feeding the problems. :(

DH's band is playing tonight in Crest hill, getting out early enough at work to go tonight and I start late enough to stay till the end. IT's party time!! Hopefully I can stay awke, been slow at work and I am having throuble waking up...keep yawning I think my co-workers may kill me!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Luv and Hugs!!

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...Icons/bday.gif

ANNIE...SO SORRY I MISSED YOUR BIRTHDAY :gift: :bd:
HOPE IT WAS A GREAT ONE!! SOMEHOW I HAVE LOST YOUR EMAIL AND ALSO YOUR HOME ADDRESS!!!






http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...dmorning70.gif

WHILE JEN IS AWAY MELLIE WILL PLAY...JUST FOR A FEW SECONDS.
I WANTED TO SAY HELLO TO MY FRIENDS BY MYSELF AND FOR MYSELF FOR A CHANGE!!!:wave:

I REALLY CAN'T TYPE WITHOUT PAIN SO IT WON'T BE A LONG POST. :cry:
I SPEND THE DAY PRETENDING THAT NOTHING IS WRONG.
KEEP TELLING MYSELF THAT THIS TOO SHALL PASS. THOUGHT IF I IGNORED THE PAIN THAT IT WOULD WORK....WRONG!! :rofl: WELL I TRIED!

HOPE ALL OF YOU ARE DOING OK. I'M GOING TO TRY AND READ THE MONTH OF JUNE THIS WEEK AND SIT QUIETLY HERE.

THANKS FOR THE GOOD THOUGHTS AND WISHES. :grouphug:

TODAY IS MOVIE/BOOK DAY AND I HAVE LOADS TO PICK FROM OR LISTEN TOO!! THANK YOU AGAIN :hug:

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER AND I MISS YOU ALL.

Morning all.

Mel - You know I miss you bunches, but pain is a sign you shouldn't ignore!!! Follow the doc's orders and get your rest so your recovery will come more quickly. :rollpin:

Ellen - Wow, a lot going on! I suppose going to your paying job could be a rest of sorts?? :D Hope you enjoyed seeing dh's band play last night.

Happy - Nice that you & your mom found her shower caps!! Hope you're having a productive weekend. Yeh, probably a good thing to have houses being shown in your area, especially when yours will be comparing so favorably after all the work you and dh are putting in! You're so right - we have a lot to be grateful for, especially our health.

Annie - Hope you're having a great weekend in St. Louis. Happy b-day to little D. :)

Shad - Are you in Mackay now or have you moved on from there? Sounds like you were treated well in the coal mine location - let that continue! Hope you don't have another training that gets close to or beats the "worst ever" one you had last week!!!

Michelle - Thanks for passing along that pm from Jen re Mel. Sounds like you are having an ultra-busy weekend. Nice you'll have a visit from your niece to look forward to. :) How was Fiddler?? Remember seeing that in a HS theater production.

Ceejay - Did you get to Paragould this weekend? Hope you enjoyed lunch w/ your uncles. I haven't done any yardwork so far, and it's not likely to happen today either.

Nothing much to report. Friday was a gorgeous day for weather, so I enjoyed being out and about. I went to my allergist appt - all is well re allergies and asthma, so it was quick. Went back home and puttered around a bit before going to my massage.

It was definitely not a traditional massage - there were sofa height "tables" - more like flattened recliners in which the backs were mostly down for the whole massage - comfy. While I thought most of it would be a foot massage, that was only about 1/3 to 1/4 of it, and there was also scalp, neck, arms, legs, shoulder, back - all fully clothed. I didn't care for the short time spent on my face - I've never liked having my facial skin stretched and pulled - it's going to wrinkle and sag without any help from a masseuse! It was also strange because it wasn't private - there were about 6 (maybe more) stations in one room, so I didn't feel like I could speak up. I enjoyed most of the experience, but I prefer a traditional massage.

Afterwards was a stop at the Lands End outlet, but I only found a t-shirt and that was it, and then bf & I hit Costco for gas and then inside for a giant container of Montreal Steak seasoning, which bf loves. Later was lunch w/ bf at a casual restaurant with a nice outdoor eating area to enjoy being outside and people-watching. Dog walk later by the creek.

Yesterday I went to the eye doc to pick up my contacts. Afterwards I stopped at the dollar store for a few things. I washed the bathroom walls & ceiling during which bf decided he needed a shower in there, so I was a dripping sweaty mess after that. But the walls needed it - they have a glazed fiish and the dust seems to cling much more than with a regular paint finish. It actually feels brighter in there!

I did half-a$$ job of vacuuming the 3-season room (we still haven't bought a new stick vac, so I was using the big vac's hose attachments and it was so awkward!!), after which I rearranged the loveseat & table. I like the change. Bf's mother is coming over later today for dinner, so I'll have to finish cleaning that room today. A load of laundry got done. While I was still grimey, we took a dog walk, then a nice refreshing shower, then a salad at Potbelly's. Grocery shopping after that. Okay, I've been feeling lazy, but I guess we did get some stuff done yesterday...

This morning I finally made the cheesecake for bf's mom. I didn't hear the timer go off, so I hope it isn't overbaked! It still had some movement when I took it out of the oven. :crossed:

Well, that's about it. Better get to tidying up the place for our dinner w/ bf's mum. Bf's grilling pork chops and a side (potatoes, peppers & onions in a foil packet w/ italian dressing), so there's not much else to do besides make some iced tea and a salad.

TTYL!