Lurking turtle crawled along and followed you all into August. Hi everyone.

Morning all.

Happy - More great photos. Thanks for posting them. Love the one of the momma and baby deer.

Mel - Yay for the loaner!! I hope the repairs aren't too expensive and that they're covered!! Hope you enjoyed your outdoor time before the heat/humidity hits.

Ceejay - I generally don't like to use the desktop computer at home after I've been in front of a computer at work all day. I do access the internet on my iPhone (from the sofa), but I don't like to send e-mails or post things on there because it's a PITA to type on it. Hope the internet at work is up soon for you.

Shad - Awww, Sophia is so cute. DS1 looks very young! I guess everyone is looking young to me now.... Nice DS is taking time off - enjoy your time with him and the grandbaby.


Michelle - Sorry you didn't get to see the Clydesdales perform. The baby animals must have been so darn cute!! All of your party ideas sound fun. I'm hopeless with planning stuff like that - perhaps have the party at a forest preserve? (that's pretty weather-dependent though).

---
Well, this day is going sort of so-so for me. For whatever reason, when I export a report from our new software to a pdf, it doesn't open in Adobe acrobat like it's done in the past - it just opens in my internet browser and there's no save icon. When I use the browser's file---save option, of course it just saves the browser page, not the report. Aaargh. It must be some kind of setting change that is causing this. Also , I've got about 4 e-mails from last week to which I've received no response and had to re-send my requests this morning. And I was on the train this morning reconciling my checking account when I realized I didn't record a somewhat large online payment I'd made and so my checking balance isn't what I thought. Grrr.

My elbow is strained today - probably from the cycling (gripping the handlebars and shifting and braking). It's also day one of TOM. Bah. I'm such a whiner!

Nothing much else to report. Last night I sent in a late donation check for my relay for life fundraiser. I think the deadline isn't til the end of August. I'd forgotten to pay the !@#$% water/sewer/refuse bill and it was due yesterday, so I ran it over to the drop box sometime around 6:30-7:00 pm. We'll see if it gets accepted as on time - I mean, I did technically get it submitted on the due date...

I went through our pile of gift cards to straighten it out. We added a merchandise credit from Kohl's. Bf had used a gift card and some Kohl's cash last month to buy himself a clipper. Then he returned it and got a merchandise credit. He suggested that at least it's a way to extend the life of the Kohl's cash - just go buy something and then return it for credit. Huh.

Before I left for work today I put out bf's gag mugs in a couple spots, with some treats inside. At lunch I'll buy bf a carrot cake cupcake from a fancy cupcake shop down the block from the office. Tonight we'll go out for his bday dinner. His mother was going to meet us at the restaurant, but she just phoned to tell me she's not feeling well. Boo.

That's more than enough of my rambling. On with the day.

Hey Miss Java - glad to see you stop by!

Back again.

Cousin stopped by with a PC problem that DH fixed and then we had coffee and went outside and sat in the gazebo and chatted. DH didn't tell me that the guys were showing up to do the cement work on the garage today so I was surprised to see 3 trucks pull up. They are powerwashing now to break up the loose bits so it's really noisy - debating about taking the car and just heading into town for a while although DH built me a nice frame on the garden and I have tomatoes to stake up. But I can't water the garden because they have the hose hooked up to the powerwasher.

Hello Miss Turtle

Laura - you are correct in that there is probably a setting on your software on how to treat PDFs - good luck finding it. Bummer about the forgotten entry in the checking account. Usually that happens when you could really use the extra money you no longer have Happy Birthday to BF - tell him the 50's decade is a good one - a break from getting decrepid and falling apart which happens in the 40's and 60's Loved the mug idea and I'm filing the "don't hurt / don't work" for future reference Glad you liked the pictures.

Mel - I'm left handed, maybe I need to drive your chair for you Seriously, I'm glad you were able to jury rig a temporary solution but holy geez, what an ordeal getting there. Hope you have the rest of the day to yourself to enjoy. Glad that Ritchie gets to finally spend some time with the kids before they have to leave.

Ceejay - I hear you on getting lost trolling the Internet. Sometimes best to just not turn on the computer at all - especially since there's not much left to the day once you get home from work and have some supper. You may very well be right about them not making a decision on the job yet, however I am not going to pester them even tho DH said I should call because I hated it when I was a hiring manager and people would bug me. I told myself if it was meant to be it would happen and I'm not going to stress over it.

Shad - Sophia is adorable - I did notice the little bubbles on the FB post - so cute! And DS looks barely a teenager - so young himself. He looks happy - hope you are not mired in drama over there. Glad you posted some pics even if it was a hassle getting them online.

Michelle - sorry you didn't get to see the Clydesdales I hear they are massively large horses. The baby animals sounded so cute. No pics???? Glad you are liking the new job so far.

Annie are you buried at work??? Come back come back - we miss you

Hello to Patty and Ellen.

Whew, almost lost my post here - hate this laptop touchpad but fortunately was able to save it. All this noise outside is giving me a headache - think I'll take a book and head into the basement.

Internet is back up at work. YIPEE. I hate using mine after I get home as it takes up to much precious time.
It was almost to hot to refill the fluoride drum this morning but wanted to try out the new ppump B. got for me. The pump itself needs a few minor adjustments.

Mel
Good for you in going outside for awhile. It's still to hot here to do very much of that.

Happy
The pictures are adorable. I love the wild life.

Laura
I like your ideas on the birthday treats. How is you shoulder?

Java
Hey glad to see you posting again.

More later.

Morning all
Just a couple more pics and I will desist.

Daddy and me


Hands


Couldn't resist the hands one. Just such a contrast. DS1 is not a big person but the contrast in size is just amazing.

Anyway, things are going fair to middling here. I get to spend a fair amount of time with DS1 and the baby which is what I came down here for, fortunately not getting too much time with the partner and that keeps the angst down a bit, but the obsession with baby almost borders on paranoia. Sophia can not be left alone for a second and there is this compulsion to touch and adjust and prod and the hood goes up on the pram because there is too much light and then goes down because she can't be seen and then we fret because she hasn't had a nappy change in a few hours and she must be fed at least 6 times a day and she isn't waking up in the night for a feed and there is a tiny red dot on her bum which might be the beginning of nappy rash and she might need to see a doctor. And she is hot/ cold/ both at the same time so we have to wake her again to take her temperature. Is the baby monitor turned on, maybe she is not breathing. Hold her so she feels secure. Put the bib around to the front, why does she always swing it around to the back, don't jiggle the pram, don't go over bumps in the pavement, don't go on the grass. It just goes on and on and on. I know she had a rough start in life, but ........... There are times when it all gets too much. I have to come back to my place.
I know that I am not the most maternal person in the world, and that babies are not my forte - I prefer them when they walk and talk and you can reason with them - but there is just too much of everything round there. Okay rant over.

While I think of it. The gifts went down very well and you are all the greatest Americans of all time. No doubt there will be some communication coming your way along with some photos. Annie, we loved the hat. She will apparently wear it at Christmas - that is if I don't blot my copybook before then and the whole raft of stuff gets tainted with my presence. I will keep you informed.

Ceejay - I think we spend too much time on the computer, however it does have a lot of my friends inside.

Happy - DS1 is definitely not a teenager. He's 38!!! How did he get so old.
Your garden sounds like it is still growing well. I am looking forward to getting back into mine when I get home. Love the pictures of the deer and the turkey. You did good with a point and shoot camera to get the night sky that well. Sometimes you just have to capture it from video.

Laura - sounds to me like that document is set up to show in HTML format. You need to check where it is saved, and maybe re save it into the correct format. Hope the BF finds all his hidden goodies today. to BF

Java - Welcome to August

Mel - what a saga of the chairs. Wish i was closer, I would fix the bloody things for you. If things deteriorate around here like they did yesterday, I will be ringing you and to **** with the expense of the mobile cell phone.

Michelle - sounds like you had a fine time at the fair. Haven't been to one in years and the Brisbane one will be on next week. I'll be here in Adelaide.
There is a horse drawn carriage in a place called Victor Harbour down here. They are Clydesdales and if I get down there, I will take a picture for you. In the Hunter Valley they had a pair of Shire horses pulling a wagon as a touristy thing. Let the horses take you around the vineyards.

Annie - haven't seen you on here for a couple of days. Are you okay?

Right, better go get myself sorted for the day. It looks like rain so I'd better get the walk in before it does. DS1 tells me they are going to Baby Bunting this morning to check that the baby seat he put in has been correctly fitted. Guess whose idea that is? Doesn't trust anyone enough to do something correctly. Then they have some sort of clinic at the hospital. So I don't know how much I will get to see them today. Maybe late this afternoon. So I had best sort out something to do with myself for the day.

I AM LOVING ALL THESE PICTURES!! BABIES AND ANIMALS.
DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER FIRST THING IN THE MORNING.
PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE FOR SURE.

JUST GOT BACK FROM AN ALARM AND I THINK I NEED A NAP ALREADY.
WOMAN ON HER WAY FOR ESRAYS FROM A FALL.

CHRIS IS WORKING FURIOUSLY ON MY WHEELCHAIR.
THE SALES REP & OWNER ARE IN A FIGHT WITH THE INS. COMPANY.
I ACTUALLY THINK THERE IS A NEW CHAIR IN MY FUTURE.
I WAS RIGHT AND THEY DO HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS ONE.
I MADE SURE IT WAS LISTED AS MY "PRIMARY" CHAIR 2 YRS AGO.
NO ONE ELSE COULD REMEMBER THIS BUT ME?
KEEPING GOOD THOUGHTS IN MY HEAD.
LONGISH DAY YESTERDAY....MENTALLY THAT IS
JUST SO MUCH HAD HAPPENED IN THOSE 10 DAYS.
TOO MANY REPORTS, EXPLANATIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS!
TODAY I AM LOCKING THE DOOR.
I REALLY NEED SOME DOWN TIME EMOTIONALLY.
GOING TO BE RAINY AND THAT IS FINE WITH ME!!!
NOW IT'S TIME TO PRINT OUT ALL THE PICS FOR JEN.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY





HAPPY.....OMG I LOVE THE PICS OF MOMMA AND BABY AND ALL THE TURKEYS!!
I CRACKED UP WHEN I SAW THEM. VERY CUTE.
THE PIC OF THE SKY WAS EERILY BEAUTIFUL.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT STILL SHOT.
GREAT FOR HALLOWEEN TOO!! SPOOKY!
THANKS FOR POSTING THEM
(it reminds me that there is a life outside this bldg & away from all the nuts)
DID YOU HEAD FINALLY GET A REST FROM THE CEMENTING??
BET THE BASEMENT WAS COOL!




SHAD.....I LOVED THE HANDS PIC TOO. OMG .....ANOTHER GREAT SHOT.
THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR PICS TOO.
I CAN HEAR THE INSANITY COMING THRU YOUR POST
I TOLD JEN BEFORE YOU LEFT...WONDER HOW LONG SHE CAN TAKE IT!!
BETTER YOU THAN ME. "MINE" IS WITH HIS KIDS NOW.
BY THE TIME YOU GET HOME...MAYBE I'LL HAVE GOOD NEWS!
I WANTED TO LAUGH & CRY WITH THE DOTING PARENT.
POOR SOPHIA!! YOU MUST MAKE TIME AS SHE GROWS TO SORT HER OUT!!
WITH A GRANDMA LIKE YOU SHE WILL HOPEFULLY FIND COMMON SENSE!
IT'S IN THE GENES!!




MARY.....STOP LURKING AND START TALKING!!
IT'S AUGUST....LET IT ALL HANG OUT
HERE'S A START....
HOW'S THE MS??
HOW'S YOUR SUMMER?
HOW IS LIFE TREATING YOU??
ARE YOU STILL ABLE TO WORK??
LOVEYA





LAURA.....HOPE THE ARM FEELS BETTER.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BF
HOPE YOU BOTH ENJOY DINNER.
GOOD IDEA OF HIS ABOUT USING A GIFTCARD AND RETURNING.
I WILL HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS!!
I HAD SIMILAR STUFF WITH BILLS AND CHECK ACCT AFTER I CAME HOME.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OLD PEOPLE TAKE DRUGS
HOPE THEY COUNT THE PAYMNENT ON TIME.
AND HOPE WORK GETS SORTED OUT!! NO SAVE BUTTON???WTF!!!




CEEJAY...GLAD YOU GOT THE INTERNET BACK.
NOW HOME TIME IS ALL YOURS AGAIN
GOOD THING THE NEW PUMP IS WORKING OK.
I THINK SOME OF YOUR HEAT IS ARRIVING THIS WEEK

Hump day has arrived. Yeah! Which means Friday is lurking around the corner.

It is going to be a busy weekend. My nieces 30th BD party is at 1 on Saturday, then a baby shower for one of my besties daughters which is 6-9 pm. Thank God that worked out on the time. Sunday I have tickets to the pre-season Colts football game against the Rams. Will get to see Andrew Luck and not Peyton Manning. Mixed feelings. I need to make some freezer salsa and do not seem to have the time to do it. My tomatos are going to go bad if I do not get my act together.

Made delish tomato grilled cheese sandwiches the other night. Put a tiny amount of olive oil in a pan and heat it up, add sliced tomatos, grill for a couple of minutes on each side. Remove. Wipe out the olive oil. Lightly olive oil slices of wheat bread, place one slice bread oil side down top with tomatos and slice smoked gouda, pepper and bread. Grill like a regular grill cheese sammie. Yum Yum....

Dinner with Cs folks was good. Everyone enjoyed the cowboy baked beans, watermelon, zucchini bread, braunsweiger ball, and salad out of the garden. We stayed and visited for a bit and was home by 4. I really like his parents. They both have such a great sense of humor. Very pleasant.

SHADDIE...the babe is absolutely gorgeous....you can post pix as much as you want, I love baby pix. Your son looks like he is about 18. He is so young looking. Very handsome.

MELLIE...boo on the wheelchair. I see those ads on TV about hov-arounds or whatever they are saying medicare will pay for them if you qualify. I know you have probably looked into it, but just thought I would mention it. Glad Richie got some time off to be with Jen and the kids. Had to take a double look of the deer you posted to make sure it didn't have a red nose. haha

HAPPY...I love your nature pictures. I especially like the one of the sky and thunderboomer. I would love to hug the lil fawn but would probably get my ear bit off. LOL.

JAVA...nice seein' ya. Stay longer the next time you drop by.

CHELLE...glad the job is going well and the fair was fun. Too bad about the horsy's.

CEEG...are you finally feeling better since your trip? Glad your internet is back up at work. When our work internet goes down, we are mostly out of commission as our programs go through our in house net. blah.

LAURA....mmmm, happy birthday dinner to bf and eat some carrott cupcake for me. That is my favorite cake ever. You and C must have the same elbow ache going on. I rubbed his elbow down with stinky joint stuff last night.

ELLEN...everyone back to work? school? You stay so busy...sheesh

Nothing much else going on. No reason for not posting, just didn't feel like typing and work has been a drag lately. Big changes coming AGAIN. We may not be reporting to Michigan anymore, which is a blessing, but who really knows what lies in store for us. Actually it is miserable here and everyone is in a rut about the place, it makes it hard to come to work. blah blah blah.

Everyone have a marvelous hump day. Hugs to the wee one shad.

Loves and hugs....

Mel
You can have all our heat. I'm ready for some cooler weather.
And you deserve the down time.

Shad
I like the picutres of the hands. I may suggest this to my nephew and his baby, who is growing like a weed.

More later.

Annie
You snuck in on me. Sounds like you have a gew busy days ahead. Enjoy them.

Good morning ladies -

I have a few minutes to post, so I'm going to try and catch up. Work is going well, and now that my PC is set up, I can hopefully start working on the list of projects I've been assigned.

Last night, DH went to use the bathroom and his knee gave out and he fell against the wall, creating a huge indententation in the wallboard...that's his project for the weekend. I was surprised the wallboard indented so easily...probably due to the moisture in the bathroom. So I guess we'll be staying around the house...which is kind of good...maybe I can get some sorting/decluttering done.

==================
Mel - So sad that the man with the broken bones might not come home. I hope your throat is less sore. Sorry about the loaner chair fiasco, but at least now you have something to use and hold hostage while yours is repaired. to answer your question...yes, my b'day is Sept. 9. I hope the man can fix the flat tire on chair. How nice that Richie has a couple days off to spend with Jen and the kids. When do the kids go back?

Shad - So nice that DS2 has taken time off to spend with you. So Sophia is a wiggler, huh? The photos of her are adorable. She's such a beauty! I just love all the photos...keep 'em coming! I understand your rant about the fussing...babies are much more resilient than new parents give them credit for. Your son is a very young looking 38! Wow, I'd have guessed early 20s.

Happy - Good on ya' for going through the boxes, finding tea, pasta and vases. I wouldn't assume you didn't get the job. If I were you, I would call or email them and ask where they were in the decision-making process. Unless you're really not interested in it. I hope that your DH isn't experiencing too much pain. Wow! Your trail cam takes great photos! What a beautiful photo of mamma and baby deer. I also liked the photos of the deer with the turkeys, and the lightning! Way cool! I'll post photos from the fair in the next couple days. I have to pull them off the camera.

Laura - Those are great mugs for your bf. Too funny! Wishing him a big Happy B'Day on his big 5-0. I'll be there soon enough. I have to see if my android phone has a Notes apps...what a great place to keep model numbers and measurements! I love "Some Like It Hot". Bummer that you had such a rough day yesterday. If you're using Microstrategy for reports and are on Windows 7, there are some known issues I encountered at my last job. I hope your elbow feels better today.

Annie - Sorry work is such a bummer, but at least the rest of your life is going well.

Ceejay - I hope you're doing well. When's your next day off? Are you going to Paragould?

Well, I've got to get back to work. Lots to get done (what an understatement)!

Much love and hugs,

Morning all. Yesterday got a bit better once I figured out all I needed to do was reset the toolbar.

The restaurant that I chose for our dinner last night was one that bf likes a lot, but when we got there, the whole place was surrounded by fencing and is apparently going through some sort of major overhaul! This place is extremely popular and so I'd never thought to phone about being open, etc. We ended up at Longhorn Steakhouse where we'd gone back on NYE with a group of friends and had a really good meal. This meal was decent. Bf thought his steak had a bit too much gristle. I think this just convinces him even more to just get the really nice steaks at the butcher and grill them at home.

===
Michelle - Glad the PC is all set now and you're ready to really dig in. Looking forward to the fair pics. I'm sure you've got some kind of notes or memo application on your phone. I have quite a list of notes - gift ideas, movies I want to see, books I want to read, even a little log I kep while I was on vacation last fall.

Ceejay - I hope you get the cooler weather you want. It'll be about mid-80's here today, but then I think we're getting a couple cooler days after that. Looking forward to it!! My shoulder is gradually getting better, but it's still not easy raising my arm over my head to do stuff like wash my hair.

Annie - Sorry work's got you in a rut. I'm looking at going to a short local conference in Sept. I'm not all that thrilled with the sessions shown in the prelim program, but it would be nice to get out of the office for a chance of pace... Sounds like a busy weekend ahead for you. Yum - those grilled cheese sammies sounded delish!!

Mel - Glad the chair folks are battling for you and that your insurance might cover it. I also thought of those TV commercials that make it sound so easy to get a scooter thingy paid for by Medicare...it's never easy, is it?? Hope you have a nice quiet day.

Shad - You sound like you're on the brink of "something" (meltdown?) describing how things are with the baby. Never having had a child, I suppose the first few months are going to feel totally overwhelming given that they are completely responsible for the well-being of this helpless little thing. And then they'll (hopefully) feel more comfortable with being parents and chill out a bit. Just hope Sophia survives the smothering attention and you get through your visit remaining on good/amicable terms with everyone. Love the photos!! The hands one is great.

Hi Happy!!

Gotta run, have my 10 am meeting in a few!

Finally caught up! whew you are a busy lot. Well, i have been battling this tummy big since Monday and last night I was in some pain and couldn't sleep...and here I was thinking it was on it's way out. Just laying around today, so much for the errands I had planned.

I finally made it thru the clothes...DD1 and DD2 really just glazed over, but DH talleyed up the total...we are donating the clothes to a clothing drive to support the United Way thru UPS and we had almost $700. DH said that his goup came up with $2500 total

Ok, will try to get personals done soon...this illness has really thrown me for a loop

Ellen - I hope you're feeling better. Tummy bugs are yucky. I hate it when I feel lousy, especially when the pain disrupts sleeping. Good for you for giving away so many clothes! I really need to go through my clothes and DH's. I'm also going to either create a quilt out of DH's old t-shirts that he wants to keep for sentimental reasons (e.g., concert t-shirts) but are too small, or I'll send them to my step-mother and see if she'll make the quilt...she's an excellent quilter and I've never made one.

Laura - Bummer that bf didn't like his b'day steak. You sound so organized keeping all those lists on your phone. I need to move away from paper lists and paper all together. So inefficient and creates so much clutter. At my new job, it's quite the culture to bring laptops to meetings and take notes on the laptop. And I must admit, I type much faster than I write, so it's more efficient from that respect as well.

Not sure if I mentioned...but ever since I've started tracking food and exercise with my IT department co-workers...I've lost 7 lbs in just two weeks!! 4 lbs the first week, and 3 lbs this past week. I know it's not realistic to expect this kind of weight loss every week long term, but it's still an awesome feeling!!

Thank goodness this workday is over. Going around in circles with the software folks re a report that they "promised" and are now finding very difficult to get a grasp on. Now I'm trying to determine what is critical to me for that report and what can still stay on an excel spreadsheet. Was trying to work out some formulas that deal with dates and the number of days in a given year and apparently leap year causes some problems.

Enough! Have a good evening everyone. Ellen - feel better soon!!