Worldlies Marking March as a Month of Movement and Mirth
 

Ok chicks, new page on the calendar, new thread for the month. Long title this one is but I picked Laura since we have used suggestions from Annie and Michelle thusfar so giving Laura a crack at it.

Will be back after I do the rest of the set up.

Ok now, let me try and catch up. Yesterday we purchased DH's (although he adamantly says it's OUR) newest toy. A black and yellow, very very sporty side by side ATV. Ok, this is a "muscle" ATV, probably the size of a Toyota RAV4 car. It had just been delivered to the dealer, set up and placed on the showroom floor. We stopped at the dealer because we were looking at another model and came to check with one of the trail experts if there were limitations with the side by sides. DH was IN LOVE :cloud9::D:val2::bike: the minute he saw this. And even more so when the saleman turned it on as it sounds just like a Harley Davidson motorcycle. There is alot of power in this machine. I saw that boyish smile on DH - the same one I saw on him when we came to visit up here and he had such a great time shooting and playing ATV with the cousin. We had agreed to get a side by side ATV since we both very much enjoy the trail riding. The 2 models we looked at had different features so I told him he could pick out the one he wanted. As long as the seat was comfortable for me (it was) and we can take it on most of the trails (we can) - it didn't really matter to me which one we got. He's all excited. I think he was and is worried about this heart procedure and he's been focusing on it so hopefully this will give him something to distract him from worrying. He's reading trail maps and planning the first of our road trips. That seemed to take all day and afterwards we went out to dinner at a new place we wanted to try. Good fried chicken and pizza so it will be nice to have another option for dinner.

Ceejay - I'm looking at it snowing here and hoping you got the opportunity to watch a bit of it yourself. Congrats on the weight loss for the week. Sounds like you are liking the metabolic plan you are following.

Shad - sounds like you will be spending your birthday in Darwin. Lovely. I was surprised at your comment about the groceries and pantry. I would think of you being a more fresh/whole foods person stocking the shelves. Do you have that much packaged stuff or is it things in the freezer that you need to use up? In any event, it's good to plan things out so that you don't waste much. Just that I'll be towards the end the things left over won't sound so appetizing - isn't that the way it goes? Loved the cat picture - I do feel that way about thin mints :o

Mel - hope you are feeling a bit better today. I suspect not as you usually post by now. But at this point you know what you need to do - just stick with the plan and don't make things worse.

Laura - were you able to resist that cake frosting? Sounds like you didn't know what kind of Girl Scout cookies you ordered. Did you forget or just tell them you'd take one box of their choosing? Good luck on the weigh in this morning. Double motivation to be good! Congrats on handling a sticky situation at the meeting with the difficult person. Particularly if you helped the boss out by taking the reins.

Annie - geez louise - all that fuss for moving 2 floors????? Did they give up the floor space entirely? Otherwise I don't see how they'd save money on the move considering the cost of the move and relocating phones and computers. One company that I worked for in downtown Chicago got bought out and they scrunched 4 floors of people down to 1 - talk about sardines :yikes: what didn't make sense to me was that there was an interior - as in right in the middle of the floor - custom built open staircase that connected all 4 floors. The cost alone to close that back up had to be enormous. I hope you are doing ok - getting enough rest and that your b/p numbers are good.

Michelle - hope you are feeling better too. Bummer that you have to work Saturday. Hope your visiting friend had a good time. When is the new roomie moving in?

DH went to drop off some cardboard at the recycle center so I think I'll have a quick shower. We still have errands to run that keep following us day after day. Time flies even when you are retired. We drove by the popcorn shop yesterday and they had a sign in the window that they are closed until further notice. I thought it odd that everything was removed from the windows and shelves. I know she said things will get really slow the next 2 months - it's probably better to close entirely than waste the product to make it and only sell a portion of it. And with the accident with their son, I'm thinking they may have gone back home for a while to grieve. Guess I would have been out of a job anyway. (I am enjoying being back home again - so much to do - I think I am cured of the idea of working again ;) ) Anyway, happy Friday kids. The weekend is upon us.

It's lightly snowing up here, partially sunny and some what mild for this area for now. The old saying for the beginning of March weather - in like a lion, out like a lamb - doesn't seem to fit today. It's actually kind of neutral so I guess the prediction is - a whole month of more of the same. :lol: See yahs :wave:

HAPPY....oh boy oh boy, a new ATV at the commune. You are making it sound more and more fun. I cannot wait to retire with you all....got another 15 or 16 years tho....maybe I can visit before then. hahahaha Yes we are condensed to half the size suite that we used to have only with NO storage, work room or conference room...Our kitchen room has the shred it bin, postage machine, the MFD (multi-function device..fax, scan, copier), coffee machine, file cabinet and the closet off of that room is now the IT closet with the rack of gunk to keep us running. So much fun! The kitchen cabinets have office supplies in them.

It is dreary here with expect lite snow on Monday. The sun is supposed to shine on Sunday. We will stay in the mid 30's until next week on Friday...then move on to the 40s. I will be glad when it gets warm and stays that way. I can barely get through the winter anymore. I just hate cold weather. Only 19 days til Spring. :) Yay!!

I had a small salad for breakfast. 95 cals with spritz spray dressing. Lunch was chili from Wendy's. I figure the chili is ok as it was one of the things we could eat when I first had bariatric surgery. Something about the way they make it and there is no grease in it. Don't know what I will fix for dinner tonight...thinking baked pork chops.

Not much else going on here, loved the hat idea. Today's hat was construction I guess. Had to climb up on the desk and put two ceiling tiles back in place that have been that way since day 1. How can people just walk by things they see needs done and not do anything about it. Nerve wracking.

Better get going....loves.

Morning all (at least it was when I started this). Happy Friday. :carrot: Even though it's probably too early for lunch for some folks, I'm starving, so I'm eating lunch right now! :hun:

Happy - Thanks for setting us up for March. So is your computer back up to snuff now? I'm not big on a lot of the sugar-free stuff, except for the packet of splenda I add to my tea and the occasional diet soda. I generally don't bother with reduced fat cheeses and the like because I don't think bf would go for it. Though I did turn him on to neufchatel cheese once I finally tried it, and that's like having reduced fat cream cheese. As for the higher point value diet frozen entrees, they've never been very satisfying to me, so I suppose it'll make it easier to limit them There's really only a couple that I like enough to buy.

Ceejay - I'm not a huge fan of logging my food either, but it's gotten easier. Unfortunately, when I really need to be tracking my eating, I haven't been - the weekends. :( We'll see if I can track this weekend... with a ww weigh-in coming up on Tuesday, I'm more motivated to, LOL. Good going on the exercise!!!:ebike:

Shad - So is it that the consultants have taken to cycling once they experienced your chaufeurring services? :lol: Have a wonderful weekend at the markets and doing your other shopping. PS Love the cat pic! I'll have you know I delivered that box of GS thin mint cookies to bf entirely intact. (Thank goodness I hadn't ordered the peanut butter ones!!!) :D

Hellos to the rest of the Worldlies! Have a wonderful weekend!
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I was starving this morning because I didn't eat anything pre-weigh in for the weight loss contest. I believe I had a 6- or 7-pound loss, partially because I was wearing lighter jeans, and I didn't wear my cardigan for the weigh-in this time. And I've definitely lost a couple pounds since starting WW on Tuesday. No $10 penalty for me! :carrot:

Last night bf and I went to the market and I loaded up on a lot of fruits and veggies. I didn't see the naval orange display until after I'd selected two other types of oranges, so now I have naval oranges, mineolas, and honey tangerines in the crisper. BTW, I'm eating a mineola right now and it's YUMMY. :)

Tonight bf and I are meeting some friends for dinner at a place that also has bocce and regular bowling, and live music as well. Should be fun, but I need to look at their menu online and try to pick out something that's not too damaging.

Tommorrow night I'm meeting some other friends for dinner and a movie. We're going to Calif. Pizza Kitchen, so I'll have to check their menu as well.

Nothing much else planned for the weekend, but I need to continue to take nibbles out of the file organization project. And I suppose I should start my taxes!

Dang, all the food is gone, so I guess that means lunch is over. Back to work. :halfempty

Hi everyone -

Happy - Thanks for setting up the new thread and congrats on the new toy!! I hope you both have (and wear) helmets.

Annie - Good job on the eating! Thanks for helping me through the blues last night. I hate counting the days until the calendar says it's spring, because I know that Mother Nature doesn't let Wisconsin have spring until at least mid to late April...though I am looking forward to spring/summer this year...cuz I'm California dreaming!

Laura - Congrats on the weight loss! :bravo: Didn't realize that the groupon coupon I sent ya' was a two-fer-one. Sorry. I'd like it if my ex started on our taxes. Since we were married for all of 2012, we're filing married jointly. But I know that today and tomorrow will be spent emptying the moving truck and maybe starting on unpacking and putting things away. And he's already exhausted from driving cross country. I'll remind him about the taxes next weekend. Have fun at dinner tonight. I really enjoy bowling and bocce...but haven't done much bowling with my bad back...and only do bocce ball at Festa Italiana in the summertime. I AM going to miss Milwaukee's great festivals and the State Fair.

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I've got a busy weekend ahead. If I were smart, I'd try and do laundry and grocery shopping tonight...hopefully I'll at least get one or the other done. Laundry is now done at the laundromat so rather than the ex's house. So I can do more than one load at a time. :) If I'm being realistic though...I think grocery shopping may happen tonight and laundry may wait until Sunday. Tomorrow, I'll be leaving for work at 7 and home by 1 hopefully. Since unlike my co-workers I don't have any code to push to production, I may see if I can just assist with testing and do it from home. :dunno:

Saturday afternoon and Sunday, I need to clear more stuff out of the room my friend will move into. She said she doesn't mind if the inversion machine stays there, but I'd like to move the cross country ski machine out. And I'm leaving a couple small bookcases in there that she can use because I don't have room (or the back) to move them. I think my friend will be officially moving in on the 8th, but she may be bringing things over between now and then.

I had to turn in my key and garage door opener to my ex's house yesterday. The GF doesn't want me coming in, which I completely understand. It will just make it a bit more inconvenient to drop off/pick up Santa (before I could do this even if no one was home). My ex says it's because she doesn't want me to see the house a mess with all her stuff piled up. :dunno:

The past 24 hours have been a rough time for me emotionally. I think I was in denial or numb or avoiding my feelings about his gf moving in. Yesterday, the reality of it hit me. I feel very stuck and trapped and...kind of alone...in cold/snowy Wisconsin. And he's there with a woman he loves and who loves him. She's living the life I had and will probably live it better...at least better than he and I were the last few years. I do want him and her to be happy. I'm just a bit envious that my life is kind of on hold until the snow melts and I can get a job out west and move close to the Pacific Ocean that is so loudly calling me. :beach: Thanks, Annie, for the compassionate butt kick last night. I just don't want any nasty comments on my FB page because my ex's mom and sisters and friends are still friends of mine. I don't blame him or her...they fell in love...the heart wants who the heart wants. They could've handled it better...in a kinder manner...but we can't change the past.

I'll be okay. I will get through this. The loss of a relationship is a loss..and as such...there's grief...and as I know from experience...grief is like peeling an onion. You peel back layers and layers and it occasionally causes tears. Thankfully, I've got wonderful and supportive friends, and a terrific family. :D I'm very, very blessed. Annie - no more butt kicking though...my butt is sore! :rofl:

Speaking of sore...my back is getting a little less sore and my back and legs give out less often. I still have trouble standing after sitting or laying down for a long time. I think it's something about the weight bearing that's giving me fits. My hamstrings and calves are extremely tight and spasming...so I've been starting to do gentle stretches. I was able to take Santa on a short walk last night, and I used my cane to help in case my legs/back gave out. I might get up the courage to use the inversion machine. I know that the decompression from inverting will feel good...but I'm a bit concerned about how it will feel when I turn upright again and everything compresses together. :yikes:

Better get back to it.

Much love and many hugs,

Happy - I didn't realize you'd snuck in on me! That toy sounds like it'll be a lot of fun for you and DH! :) :) Yes, I resisted the cake and the frosting yesterday - thanks to being with both the admin and the boss, who are also participating in the weight loss contest. We were all very conscious of today's weigh-in. :D As for the GS cookies, I'd forgotten which ones I'd ordered. Depending on my willpower level the day I ordered, it could have been the mints, which I can usually resist, or the peanut butter cookies, which I can't. I'm thankful it turned out to be the mints!

Annie - Sounds like an awfully tight fit - and you'll be there for 2 years??!! Yeh, I'm so over this wintry weather. I fell on my walk to the train station this morning. Grrrr. It's a shame we didn't get the snow earlier in the season, like for Christmas!!

Michelle - Hope you can work from home tomorrow and be comfy. Glad your back is starting to feel better, but don't go moving anything heavy this weekend! I suppose I can understand the ex's gf not wanting you in the house now...it is sad for you, though, especially now that reality has hit. Big change for six month's time, given that you were married all those years. Maybe now that part #1 of the "limbo period" - as concerns the ex - is well and truly over now, it'll be easier for you. I know it's a dreary, depressing season of the year, and it'll be a while until part #2 happens - moving cross-country and making a job change, but try and focus on the new opportunities that await you instead of looking back. :hug:

TTFN!!

Thanks, Laura. It's just hard. I so can't wait to get the eff outta here and put him, her and all this sh*t behind me. Well done on avoiding the cake...and on ordering GS cookies that you CAN resist.

Happy
I've not seen an ATV the size of a RAV4. That would be a classified as a monster in my book. We did get some spitting snow. Which you could barely see. It sure is cold here. I can't seem to get warm.

Laura
Congrats on the weight loss. What is bocce? I've never heard of it. Hope you didn't hurt yourself during the fall. Never heard of a mineolas either.

Michelle
Hope you can work from home tomorrow. Glad your back is feeling better.

Annie
Most people see those things but will not do anything about it or claim they don't know how to do anything. I'm like you I try.


Nothing new here. Accomplished several errands and paid bills. and cleaned the bath room and kitchen.
I'm supposed to go to Paragould for lunch tomorrow to visit with a cousin that's coming up from Little Rock, AR.

Shad
To funny about the others taking to bicycles.

Update
My aunt called and said that my cousin was sick so she isn't coming. Yeah, I don't have to go to Paragould. More time to myself.

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GOOD MORNING LASSIES!!!
For some reason I thought I posted here yesterday.
Guess it was in my dreams.
Feeling much better all over but not pushing it.
Told the boss that Jen & Richie are doing weekends for awhile.
It's been very busy here.
And with Sal & the cancer it's been draining as well.
He just has no one else to tell his fears too.
Jen spent time with him yesterday after he was here.
I am not posting about him every day.
I need a place to go that's just for me and you. :hug:

Moving along.......
I weighed in at 184....that number was so good to see!
Looks like I might just keep going down by half pounds.
That's OK with me :dancer: Something is better than nothing.
Taking the weekend to relax & get back to a routine.
I need to go back and read what's been going on but not doing personals.
So have a great weekend :encore:

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HAPPY.....THANKS SO MUCH FOR GETTING US OUT OF FEBRUARY!!
I AM MARCHING & MOVING WITH MIRTH TODAY!!!
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Good morning ladies -

I actually had to come into the office today. Oh well, it's okay. It's only for a half-day. I dropped Santa off at my ex's and asked if I could pick him up around 4 or 5 so that I could run errands after work (groceries, laundromat, etc.). In other words I got essentially NOTHING done last night except for clearing the rest of the stuff out of my new roommate's bedroom, and moving the inflatable queen bed in there (the one which my friend from CA slept on, and my only extra bed). It's not much, but it's the best I can offer her.

Either later today or tomorrow, I've got to gather my receipts for donations to charity (mostly clothes, craft supplies and household items I gave to Goodwill) so that I can give them to my ex for taxes. I also want to update my resume so that I'll be all ready to start applying for positions in CA. Another thing on my to do list is to continue to go through my mountain of boxes to determine what I want to move to CA and what I want to get rid of. I've been feeling very stuck/trapped here (I'm sure part of the reason is that I want to leave this snow/cold and head toward the 60 or 70+ degree temps of sunny CA). I'm thinking that the more steps (even if they're sometimes baby steps) I can take, the more I'll feel like I'm making progress toward moving forward. I'm definitely ready for moving toward MIRTH!

I'm sorry I've been such a downer these past few months. Thanks for all your love, support and patience. I've just got to let it all go, move past it, and get started on my bright future. :) Sometimes that's easier said than done when the day to day b.s. happens...but it's about :censored: time to change my focus from the past to the steps I can take in the present to make my future a wonderful reality! :)

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Mel - I'm so sorry to hear about Sal. I can understand his fear. You are a good friend to be there for him. Congrats on the continued weight loss!! :bravo: I'm glad Jen and Richie are taking the weekends for awhile. I hope you do take time for you and relax. I promise, I'll do some relaxing this weekend too. :)

Ceejay - That's too bad that your cousin is ill, but I'm glad it means that you get more time for you! :yes:


Better sign off...the team will have code enhancements ready for me to test soon.

It's snowing!!!!!!!! It's not supposed to amount to much but there's a dusting in the back yard. Nothing in the front yard. The flakes are small. The roof tops have been covered.

Rode the bike again for 30 minutes last night. This is getting easier.

Since I don't have to go to Paragould I'm going to do some cooking for the week. I'm going to make the taco soup and mexican chicken.

Michelle
Sorry you had to go into work this morning.

Morning all,

Blindingly sunny day out there. Wish it wasn't so messy with melting snow. I think we're supposed to be in the 40's next week. Spring is coming :crossed:

Ceejay - good going on the bike riding. 30 minutes is a good goal to shoot for. Keep up with it because one can lose the stamina so quickly. Enjoy the sight of the snow - at least it's only temporary and hopefully you don't have to go out in it.

Michelle - when I saw you had to give up access to the ex's place - you just know the new GF doesn't want you there. And she can't be all that secure in her relationship either. Sorry that you will lose access to some things that would help out but don't be surprised (and hurt) if the ex backs off from you too. Just best that you close the door behind you and look forward. Use it as motivation. I know how easy it is to get "stuck" - knowing you have some things to do to move forward but being a bit paralized too. Every thing you do that takes you to the next place is a victory. Hope the weekend testing goes well at work.

Mel - good to hear from you. It's nice that you are there for Sal. I think it helps to have someone help you over the hump of acceptance - and nothing is as scary as cancer. Congrats on beating that scale down another week. Sounds like the program is working for you. Keep up the good work!

Laura - it's probably a good thing so many people are participating in the weight loss program - helps you through things like tempting cake and the like. Did you do well on your weekly weigh in? And to your question - yes my computer is working better - at least not crashing but I still get wierd pauses and stuff that I'm not sure what is going on. I'm turning into one of those cranky end users :rollpin: :lol:

Annie - laughed about your comment on toys at the commune. With 2 ATVs and Mel's chair we have all the makings of a parade. She can be the grand marshall and go first. I have 2 bikes also - will have to put Laura and Ceejay on them as they have the sturdier bicycle legs :lol:

:carrot: :carrot: :carrot: xxx :scooter: xxx :ebike: xxx :ebike: xxx :moped: xxx:moped: xxx :dancer::dancer::dancer:

I always thought Wendy's chili was pretty decent. It's one of the few that didn't give me heartburn. That's a pretty good sign of approval if you can eat that after bariatric surgery. Looks like you are sticking well with the diet plan too. Guess I have to jump into the parade before I find myself sitting on the ground eating dust. The new toy has really big shock absorbers but I don't want to test them too much :lol:

Shad - hope you are enjoying your weekend. What's going on by you?

Guess I'll go rustle up something to eat. Got a nice box of strawberries at Walmart yesterday. Have to eat them quickly because they seem to mold up overnight. And these even smell like strawberries so maybe there's some taste to them too.

Have a good weekend people.

Happy - you are quite right about the GF (or my ex..not sure) not being comfortable with me there. Today, when I dropped off Santa, he and I were discussing a piece of furniture that he previously told me he was giving to his mom, she didn't want it, I mentioned I would like it, and we were trying to work out logistics of him bringing it to my place while he still has the moving truck...despite me being at work. I gave him a key to my place...and then on my way to work, I changed my mind and decided it's just not worth the hassle. With me not there, he probably wouldn't put it where I want it, and I can't move something so heavy. I can't even slide it. Anyway, when we were talking with me standing outside in the cold and wind (13 degrees), I asked if I could just step inside the door so we could discuss this without me freezing and without him letting all the heat out. NOPE. NO WAY. I get that he and she have that right...but really? I thought we were going to be adults and be civil. I'll get over this. Hopefully just 8-12 more weeks. I know it would be best for me to just step away. It just may take a week or so to line up better day care options for Santa, and a part of me kind of hopes that the atmosphere/vibes/situation will be improved by then. It sucks cuz he said, and still says, he would like us to stay friends...and I'd like that...at least until I move...but maybe she is too insecure to have that. And I have to admit, during the early stage of our relationship I was insecure about his continued friendships with his ex girlfriends. Kind of ironic...I guess I should've STAYED insecure...maybe I wouldn't have been blindsided.

Evening all...didn't get anything I wanted to accomplished today that I wanted. My bro who is living with my dad called and said I needed to come over, he found something that I would be glad to have. I guessed several things, but was wrong...Momma's diamond wedding ring and band have been missing since before she died. He found them in a ziplock bag in with some papers while cleaning dad's room out. He wanted to be sure they got to me before anyone else tried to lay claims on them since I am the only girl. Also dad's wedding band. Guess what when C and I get married we will have the bands as ours.

Holy crap, I almost lost this post....

CHELLE....I tell you, when I finally did not have to deal with my xdh, once the kids were grown, my life got a whole lot better, happier, nicer etc etc. Find Santa a new doggie daycare, and do not have anything more to do with them and their evil, nasty, sinful world. Get your taxes done and be done with them...with all the friends you have you do NOT need him as one of them. Start your new life and world without that bad taste in your mouth. ok off rant.

HAPPY....I love a good parade. Sass can sit in MELLIE's lap all the while MELLIE does the queen wave. C can rollerblade along as that is one of his passions. I cannot even stand up on them.

SHADDIE...unless Cs work changes to an easier route/day, coming to Australia is being put on the back burner. Not totally out of the picture, but less of a chance now. I am so unhappy with that, however C has to do what he has to do to keep things running. On a good note....the route he is buying that his company told him would take 5-10 years to pay, will actually be paid for by this June, thanks to his hard work and his company wanting and buying some of his stops off of him....YEAH!! That is a record, the route will be paid for in less than a year!

Gonna post and come back before I lose this.

CEEG...snow, snow, snow,,you can have all of it you want and ours too! I hate snow, cold weather, and dreary days. That is great you rode your bike for 30 mins, if it is getting easier, then move it up to 45 mins. I am making white chili tomorrow for the painting party, altho taco soup sounds wonderful and I bought the ingreds to make that too!

MELLIE...glad Jen and Richie can help out by taking the weekends for you. You need to rest and get all your parts to feeling better. Maybe a lil of momma Annie's chickie noodle soup? So sad about your friend with cancer, I pray the God takes the pain and suffering and makes him healthy and whole again.

LAURA...OMG I wish it were a two year lease, unfortunately it is a 5 year lease with the first right to refusal on the suite next door to expand. They better get to expanding before someone dies...lol Congrats on the loss and not losing 10 bucks. When summer comes it will be easier to eat fruits and veggies, always seems that way to me. Probably because I have a garden and live for warm weather and a garden.

ELLEN...where are you sister, hope all is well with you....at least let us know you are alive!!

back in a minute posting before I lose it.

OH and HAPPY....I love a nice hot summer day, could you please see about getting a pool for the commune. I am not talking about my lil baby pools I get every year for my back porch either. According to SHADDIE....big enough for her to do laps. Let us not skimp on our recreational items. lol Ok I can pitch in 10 or 20 dollars towards the pool...lol Now as far as Sven the pool dude/massage dude/and servant, I will go about 20K, if you all can pick up the rest...trade??? hahahahahhaahhaah

My man is getting home early tonight...by 6 pm....since I spent so much time at dad's house today, I have not even thought about dinner....maybe he can eat leftovers from last night....I made chicken bruschetta chicken and angel hair pasta and have tons left and it is oh so good.

Sass is passed out in my lazyboy as she went to dads with me. My two nephews and their GFs came over and brought lunch...baked ham, greenbean casserole and mashed taters...chocolate cake which I passed on since I do not like chocolate. Anyway, Sass thought it necessary to bark at one of my nephews till she warmed up to him. That is the most I have heard her bark since she was born...lol. My nephew just kept egging her on and laughing at her which made her bark more. By the end we were all laughing at Sass.

Gotta go and relax a bit...my dad and his house exhausts me. Don't know why but it does...maybe because I clean while I am there. I washed a wall down and dusted the living room, talk about sneezing my head off. Whew!! I had to use paper towels rather than the normal cloth dusting rag as there was so much dust on things. Now my head is clogged....

Love and hugs

Well really...someone else post, it is after midnight and I am bored. Need someone to post and keep me company. Hallmark channel is running a movie I have already seen, but good enough to watch again. Happy Sunday SHADDIE, or Sunday nite by the time you read this....have a good week at that miserable job. Hopefully it will pass quicker than you think. C was fine with leftovers, too funny, he said my leftovers were better than anyone elses first shot at it....He steals my heart. Tomorrow is white chicken chili for the painting crew...Hope they like it. Probably oughta get the rest of the laundry folded. BLAH...is there anyone out there that wants to chit chat? haha.

Annie - I certainly hope that the stops the company are taking away from C are not the most lucrative ones. Fine that he is beavering away to make things better for himself, but don't trust the company too much.
Sad that you won't be here but you can always wait for Michelle to move to CA and then do the journey in a couple of hops.

Happy thanks for setting up the new thread. I had in mind to do it last time I posted however, like lots of other things, it slipped my mind.

Mel - hope the shoulder is coming right. Keep calm and let the kids do the work.

Laura - how did the weigh in go? Hope you lost a bit so you didn't have to pay the fine.

Ceejay - Snowing???? Oh no! Winter - go away.

Michelle - Leave the love birds to it. Just stay away. You are only going to hurt yourself some more and personally I think the whole thing will self-destruct anyway. Post, e-mail or fax the tax returns and get on with your own stuff, you don't need the hassle, you don't need the furniture - just more to shift later, you don't need the ex. Let him be ex.
To keep in touch with the DMIL if you wish to, invite her around to your place. Pick her up from the kerb and drop her off there.

Okay - that's my 2c worth. I'm about to make some sushi for lunches for the next couple of days. A smoked trout one and a chicken one. Chicken will be cooked in lemon and honey and will have some roasted red pepper with it and some lettuce. The trout will have red pepper and some onion in it. And if there is enough rice left, I will do some spiced egg and lettuce as well. Definitely non traditional Japanese but then I am not in Japan and I am not Japanese.
So saying the day is getting away from me. I had better get on with it. Back to work tomorrow. About 9 weeks to go.
Oh and remind me to get in touch with the hairdresser tomorrow. I don't so much need a cut, but there is silver showing among the brown.

Ok Shad, you have me tempted. Just how do you make your untraditional sushi? With a mat and seaweed?

Annie - as for the pool, funny you should say that because I was just telling someone today (I forgot who actually :lol: ) that one thing we'd never get here is a pool. An outdoor pool. Not to say we couldn't clear out some trees out back, build a glass pool house / green house and put one in but ... filling the bugger would kill the poor well pump we have (hazards of rural living) and there's no fire hydrant in sight for the next 4 miles. Guess I could have them fill up the firetruck which would entertain Mel. However, it does not get warm enough up here long enough to warm pool water to the temp we'd be comfortable with. Daytime sun is quite warm and it won't be long before we'll be out having coffee on the deck watching the snow melt in the yard. But it cools quickly once the sun sets - kind of like living on Saturn I suppose. And night time chill always outranks day time warming. That's why we could not swim in Memphis much after Labor Day even tho we'd have days in the high 80's well into October. And DH said that it takes ALOT of money and energy to heat a swimming pool - even one you do short laps in. So.. I'm sorry - no one wants a pool more than me but unless one of you marries well or wins the lottery, we will have to be happy with the blow up kiddie pool at the commune. And don't be surprised if 136 wild turkeys, 12 deer, lots of birds, a few Eagles (and we ain't talking Glen Frey and Joe Walsh), an occasional bear, some foxes and the goats down the road decide to use our swimming hole as a personal drinking fountain. We do however have 346 very cold lakes in the county if you are brave enough... Rollerblades eh? I think you need legs longer than 2 feet long to use those. There's just the possiblity of breaking too many bones with those even tho I loved to skate. Heck C will fit right in - I watched the cross country ski race last week on webcam and one of the ski styles looked alot like the side to side push of rollerblades. In any event he can be the flag bearer in the parade since he doesn't have to use his hands to steer and if he can go fast enough, he'll get a nice wind and wave on the old flag. Which means we have to create a flag for us. Who's artistic? I have not cracked open the watercolor box yet or I'd volunteer. Doesn't Mel like to draw?


Michelle - I do agree with the others about walking away from the ex. It will only hurt you. Personally, I don't see this relationship working out. First she is moving from a totally different area of the country. Different culture. Different food, different everything. I'm from the midwest, I like the midwest (although not fond of the smelly smokers and people shopping in pj bottoms at the local Walmart). I'm not sure I'd fit into northern California and I certainly would not be happy in the Los Angeles area for 2 seconds. So I'm sure she will be horrified and bored and frigid very shortly. And as you know we are rounding the bend out of winter so she had no idea.... Then for the life of me I can't even imagine her moving in and starting a new relationship when his Mom is living there. I'm sure she's a nice lady but man, that's just awkward. Not only can you not be intimate (know they won't be having much sex - muhahahahahahahaha :D ) but you can't even have a regular old argument without it being uncomfortable for someone. :rolleyes: I know you could use the help on some things but hopefully there are friends who might be able to step in once in a while. I am appalled that he would not let you inside the door to finish your furniture conversation. He probably didn't want you to see the shiny new box she put his balls in. :s: Seriously - that is very telling. You don't need to be lugging heavy furniture out west. Start over at Ikea. With new stuff that doesn't remind you of another life. I just hope poor Santa will not suffer for this. :(

Geez I'm hungry. DH and I took an early dinner and I had fish and veggies which have probably been digested by now. That's what I get for eating healthy. But it's 1:30 in the morning. Too late for even a light snack so I guess I'm going to bed hungry like a poor orphan Please sir... just a crust of bread, won't you???? :lol: Talk to you in the morning kids...

That bit is traditional. You can't not roll it in seaweed and slice it up. When the seaweed softens up, it isn't bad stuff.
I've just done four rolls.
1 with trout, red pepper and red onion
1.with chicken, red pepper and lettuce
1. with pork rubbed with morrocan spices, red pepper and lettuce
1 with egg and lettuce. Egg has been mashed with lo fat cream and herbs.

Lunch is done, but I did so much tasting that I don't want dinner. So I now reckon it is wine oclock, time with the news and then masterchef and Downton Abbey. Weekend is done.

Happy
I could see where the wild life in your area would think that the cement pond was there's. As far as the late night snack, I usually have one.

Shad
I'm glad you like Sushi cause I don't. However, the chicken might not be to bad. Yep we had snow flurries yesterday. Didn't amount to anything but a dusting for maybe an hour.

Annie
Ah how sweet that your brother found your mom's wedding rings and that you and C will use the bands. Guess I'm a sentimentalist to say the least.
My house is clean once again. Gonna try to keep things picked up this week.

Mel
Hope you are getting to rest. It was a good idea for the kids to take the phone.

Michelle
It's a sad time right now. Sending you a :hug: Things will get better. Maybe once your new room mate moves in her dog and Santa will get along and you will not have to find a day care for him.

-----
I really didn't want to get up this morning but I had to come to work. No news is good news.

Morning all.

Michelle - The weekends sure go by fast, don't they?? Doesn't help when the workweek is elongated. What ever happened to no weeks over 40 hours at your job??!! Sorry things are now strange with the ex. Agree with everyone else, best to distance yourself from the ex and look forward. Good for you not accepting the additional piece of furniture - you'll be better off without it at moving time.

Ceejay - Yay for more cycling! I'm almost motivated to get into some workout clothes and head to the gym today. "A journey of a thousand steps starts with one." Did you cook?? :hun: Hope the snow doesn't stick around! Bocce is an Italian lawn bowling game, and it can be played on a formal "court" or on any lawn. We have a bocce ball set of our own and in the past it was funny to be rolling the bocce balls on our lumpy, tree-root filled backyard lawn. The ball didn't always end up where you expected it too! Minneolas, I learned, are a variety of tangelo. Now we know. ;)

Mel - Good job on the weight loss - slow and steady wins the race. I almost think losing it all quickly doesn't give one enough time to get new habits to "stick". Glad the kids are taking over the weekends for a bit. Sal is lucky he has you to talk to. :yes: I like your March graphic with the sun and green in it. It looks like the temps will tick up a bit in my area starting around Wed. and I hope that means the end is near for Old Man Winter. Buh bye!! :wave:

Annie - How wonderful your parent's rings were found and that you have them. How nice to have them for your wedding. :) A five-year lease in the sardine can?! Ugh, maybe you need to make life uncomfortable for the neighboring tenants so they vacate more quickly and you can expand your space! Yeh, I think once I give increased fruits and veges a try it'll get easier, but I do love my carbs and sweets and today's starting off a bit grumpy for me because of that. The weekends are hard for me. I don't keep busy enough to keep my mind off what I'm missing... Sorry I wasn't awake post-midnight to chat. :blah: Happy painting today!

Shad - The weight loss contest weigh-in was fine. If I recall my starting weight correctly, I lost 6-7 pounds in the month, but like I said part of that was lighter clothes and no pre-WI eating this time around. (The first contest weigh-in was preceded by a pizza luncheon, and one woman in the contest said she guzzled a LOT of water before her first weigh in and so the 2nd weigh in naturally showed a great result.) They are also using one of those physician's scales, so the reading might not be as consistent as a digital display...but I did lose some weight on my first week of ww so that also helped. We'll see if it survives to Tuesday's WW WI! :lol: How did the sushi come out? Your versions sound tasty.

Happy - I think I recall that the speed skaters use the in-line skates to keep in shape for the season, so I can see it working for the cross-country skiers too. When I watched the Olympics, I recall that when the terrain wasn't all flat, they changed their movements to get up the inclines and it looked more like skating.

+++

Friday's dinner out with two other couples was nice. We didn't, however, do any bocce or bowling afterwards. Yesterday I did some more file organization in the morning, and then I spent a bit of time finishing up the Pat Conroy novel I was reading, South of Broad. The book was way too long for my liking, and his writing is a bit too flowery for me, so I'm not sure I'd read another one by him. So the book was a day overdue, and then I forgot to return the book to the library when I went out yesterday, so now it's 2 days overdue. No biggie, but the book just annoyed me, so paying a fine on it just add to it. Yes, just being silly and grumpy today.

I did a load of laundry and took doggy for his walk after finishing the book. I left the house a bit early to go to the Land's End outlet that was in the same giant strip mall as the restaurant I was meeting friends at for dinner. I didn't find anything there and bought nothing.

Dinner was nice - California Pizza Kitchen. I brought home half of my pizza, but the points were still way higher than the day's allotment. Bah. We didn't go out to a movie afterwards. With so many movies starting at 7-ish, it's hard to find movies starting at 8-ish. None of us were really keen on anything either. I still want to see some of the Oscar-nominated movies, but with many clocking in at well over two hours, I prefer to just watch then on dvd at home.

Nothing going on today. I've decided that I've had enough of my off-white boiled wool cardigan. It has gray heathering in it and that makes it looks dingey, and the dog hair showing up really well doesn't help. If I saw it on the rack at a thrift shop I'd probably skip over it, so instead of donating it to charity, I've decided to indulge my curiosity and see how it would look if I dyed it brown. I want another boiled wool cardigan in the brown family, but I rarely even see boiled wool cardigans, let alone in colors or styles I like, so why not?

Okay, I'm going to eat a little something before going to the gym - perhaps one of the eggs I boiled yesterday - but I AM going, and I will do 30 minutes of cardio.

Cheers!
:cheers:

Morning all,

Annie I also meant to say that I was delighted they found your parents wedding bands. Using them as your bands is a very nice idea - just happy that you have them back in your possesion again.

Ceejay - hope there's nothing too crazy going on at work. Did things calm down with the "situation" after you had a talk with the boss?

Mel - just be careful that you don't lose so much you float out of your chair :lol: Glad you're feeling good today despite everyone around you falling down on the job.

Shad - the more I see your post about your style of eating, the more I realize how incredibly different the food over on this side of the pond is for you. I would pass on the trout. The egg sounds interesting - for the life of me I can't even imagine that as sushi. I would try that and the others as well. Thanks for clarifying that you need the seaweed to make the roll - I was wondering about that. Guess sticky rice needs something to hold it together.

Another gorgeous sunny day out there. But it's still quite cold and snow covered so will just bask in the warm of the sun indoors. I have started to go through more bins and boxes so I have quite the semi-sorted mess about the living area. I think I will spend the afternoon clearing that out. Thinking about making a soup - just not sure which kind yet.

:wave: to the rest of the chicks. Have a good day mates.

Laura
Yes I did do some cooking but the taco soup was a bit spicey for my tummy. I pulled a LindaT and am trying to revamp it. I may have to discard the whole thing but maybe not.

Happy
Things have improved since I've talked to my supervisor. I did tell him that I thought what he did would be considered in my opinion black mail and possibly harrassment. I wasn't going to mention this but he or someone in the water department made a picture of me while at the car wash and was going to use it against me if I didn't come to work that following Sunday. I had missed work on Wednesday. And stayed in bed that day with 100.4 temperature. Had a 101 temp Tuesday night when I got home from work. I also told him what I did on my days off was for me and that I was single and took care of myself. I didn't care what happened at that point and he knew it. And at this point still don't care. I told him I wasn't going to the ER again in an ambluance from work. I don't have much faith in the bosses of this department any more, except my friend boss who has calmed me down considerably.

Mel
I've been riding the bike for around 8 miles per night except last night which was only 4 miles. I can tell a big, big difference.

Hi ladies -

Laundry is done, grocery shopping is done, and I took a tour of a doggy day care that's on the way to work. :) It's okay. I'm not thrilled that during "nap time", they put the animals in cages, so we'll see.

I appreciate all your wise advice...you are absolutely correct...the best thing for me would be to leave my ex-husband and ex-friend as truly ex. Leave them in my rear view mirror and not look back. Here is my concern about doggy day care though...we used to put our dogs in a doggy day care, and then one day when we picked them up, Doppler had a black eye...bruised, full of blood and swollen! And the day care place wasn't watching the dogs at the time so they couldn't tell us how it happened. Turned out it was even worse than it looked...the blow to his head/eye area was so forceful that it detached his retina and he has been permanently blind in that eye ever since. So you understand my reluctance to leave Santa in day care when I have another option....even if it is painful and unhealthy for me. Any emotional "damage" to me would be temporary...for a few months at most.

So my plan is to drop Santa at my ex's place tomorrow, call the vet and request that they mail me Santa's vaccination records, hopefully tour at least one or two more doggy day care places on the way home, and then pick up Santa either from my ex or his gf. He said she just doesn't want there to be any awkward or uncomfortable conversations...and I sure as heck don't want that either. I'll see how tomorrow goes and make my decision from there.

Granted, when I move to CA, if I can't rent a cottage or single family home, I may be forced to put Santa in doggy day care so he doesn't bother any neighbors that share adjoining walls.

I don't know if I told you that my cousin in San Diego and his wife of 20+ years have filed for divorce. They simply grew apart. Anyway, their 18-ish year old daughter (who is very sweet) lives with her, and their teenage son lives with my cousin in an apartment. So I've been thinking...since she got the house and has extra room now...I wonder if I could stay with her for a couple months until I find a place on my own. I just decided it doesn't hurt to ask, right. I prefaced it by saying that I wouldn't blame her if she said no, and I don't want to put her on the spot....blah, blah, blah. She said YES, Santa and I could live with her for a little while until he and I found a place. :) I'd pay her something for rent of course. That means that all I have to do is get a job there. :)

Now I'd better go work on my resume and also going through the rest of my boxes and culling out what I don't need/want. I'm sure moving in with her, I'll be putting a fair bit of my stuff in storage. Again, this is just a back up plan. Ideally, I'll be able to find a wonderful job and a place to live right away that offers exactly what I want: single family home or cottage, fenced yard, at least 1 bedroom (preferably 2 bedrooms), and within 1/2 hour drive to the beach. :)

On that very pleasant note, I'm going to to sign off.


Much love,

http://www.bestemoticon.com/smiley/meteo/meteo033.gif LOOKS LIKE A CRAPPY WEEK AHEAD ON THE TV JUST NOW.
TJ'S IS THURSDAY AND I HOPE IT'S NICE OUT. :cry:
NOTHING NEW HERE EXCEPT ONE ALARM AFTER ANOTHER.
LOTS TO REPORT SO I AM GOING DOWN NOW.
ONE WOMAN WILL BE HERE IN A FEW MINUTES.
HAVE A GREAT DAY:encore:




CEEJAY...WOW! THAT IS A LOT OF MILES YOU'RE PUTTING ON.
GOOD FOR YOU AND GOOD FOR THE HEART:hug:
ONE DAY WE WILL ALL BE RETIRED AND NOT HAVE WORK!!!:beach:
I FOR ONE CANNOT WAIT!!!





LAURA. SORRY THE BOOK WASN'T SO GOOD.
PIZZA....YUM! ARE A LOT OF MOVIES NOW OVER 2 HRS??
I REMEMBER FOR AWHILE THEY WERE SO SHORT AND PEEPS WERE COMPLAINING.
HOPE THE CARDIGAN COMES OUT OK. BOOD LUCK.
I LOVE THE LOOK OF BOILED WOOL BUT MY SKIN DOES NOT!!!!




HAPPY.....I WAS SORTING PAPERS OUT YESTERDAY.
WE SHOULD HAVE HAD A CUPPA WITH LAURRA TOO!:coffee:
YOU BOTH SHOULD BE SENDING ME SOME OF THAT SUN!!
WHAT KIND OF SOUP DID YOU MAKE????




MICHELLE....GOOD LUCK WITH THE RESUME AND SEARCHING FOR A NEW JOB.
HOPE IT ALL WORKS OUT. THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS ONL!!!:yoga:

Good Morning all....

Back to the sardine can...lol. I know, it's a job. Can you believe this year will be 5 years I have been at Humana. Where has that time gone, just seems like yesterday I was job searching after leaving American Funds. Weird.

I made the best White Chili and corn bread and took over to the Cs house with us. My bro and SIL showed up around 10:30. They painted the master bedroom which will take another coat as Cs daughter had painted it deep eggplant purple. How awful that was and is to paint. I cleaned the stove inside and out as there was grease and gunk everywhere. Then came the fridge. I pulled both out from the wall and clean the floor, just about made me puke, grease, dirt, spills and dog hair. Wonder I don't get a lung disease from breathing it. Then did all around the edges of the floor and base board. Just about as gross and where they fed the dogs and cat was filth, then over behind the litter box. All of this in the kitchen. It couldn't of been healthy to live there. I feel like I need to drink a bottle of bleach. haha. Then we all went to Lillte Mexico for dinner. I got a spinach quesadilla. It came with a bed of lettuce with a small dip of guacamole and tomato. A bit of rice which I didn't eat. Water to drink. The quesadilla and salad was a bit much for my tummy and ended up losing a bit of it in the parking lot behind the car.

We have a winter storm coming our way. Get this, my house and most of Indy is supposed to get 1-3" of snow. Where I work on the northside the totals are 3-6". Hmm, may take me some time to get to work on Wednesday morning. Weather peeps have even named it winter storm Saturn. Hopefully this will be the last of the snow and we can move on. AMEN!! Looks like Laura is to get 6" or more of snow. Blah on that.

Oh and big news....me and a couple of other girls have had our keyfobs zapped to get us into our free fitness center across the street. We are starting on Thursday as several of us have meetings all day long. Couldn't get any easier than that I suppose I should just do it.

MELLIE...did you receive the goodies yet? Just wondering. Hope the seniors can use them. Maybe Jen just sleeps through all the bull the seniors pull at night...hahha. Glad she can help out. How is your shoulder feeling?

SHADDIE...I am not a sushi liker, no matter the kind. I can stomach the california rolls which really isn't much of sushi, but to me since I don't like it that well I don't waste my calories on it. Good for you getting some lunches planned out.

LAURA...I am with you on fru fru writing in books, just get to the point with minimal fru fru. Our California Pizza Kitchen closed down, I was never really a big fan of it anyway. Looks like you have some major snow heading your way. We have some coming too!

CHELLE....You got quite a bit accomplished this weekend also. Good for you! Stay strong sister...we are here for you!

CEEG...good for you on standing your ground with the supervisor. Once they think they can run over you, they have you by the nuts, so to speak.

HAPPY...looks like we will be building an indoor pool/green house for the commune. lol. DH and C can be the lifeguards. haha. Of course once they see me in my bathing suit both will be scarred for life and blind. haha.

Hidee Ho all your lurkers...

Have a marvelous Monday...

Loves

i must be getting better/stronger riding the bike. Last night I finished 30 minutes and only rode 7 miles. I have increased the speed. Annie, I'm not quiet up to get in 45 minutes yet.

Mel
The doctor keeps telling me that exercise is about the only thing to bring up my low hdl. My goal for my cholesterol levels is a 50 for the hdl and the ldl a 50. My ldl keeps coming down but that hdl just stays at a 34 or 35. My multivitamin also has some Niacin in it so hopefully that will also help.

Annie
What is a keyfob? Congrats on being with Humana for 5 years. Yuck on the eggplant color in the master bedroom. I need to do some painting myself in the apt. I talked to the land lord and asked him about replacing the tile with a tub surround. I told him I would buy if they could install it. He agreed. I want it to be in better shape when I leave than when I first rented it 15 years ago.

Michelle
I can't blame you for being concerned about Santa and doggie care.


-------------
I revamped the soup. It still a hint of taco seasoning so that's good.

Morning all. Meeting in a few minutes, but I may as well start this.

Ceejay - Only 7 miles ridden??? Sounds great to me! Keep it up.:yes: Re the hdl - my friend's husband plays a lot of hockey, but can't get his hdl level up either. His father is the same, so unfortunately it's a case of genetics standing in the way. You're probably the model tenant for your landlord, if you try to have your unit better after 15 years of inevitable wear and tear. I hope he's just as good of a landlord to you!! Glad you've got the taco soup more to your liking. :hun:

Annie - I'm sure C's house is in much MUCH better condition thanks to the efforts of you and your family! Eggplant paint - wow, that sounds like a really dark color to cover - need a good primer for that. My friend painted a wall of her bedroom that color and has a matching comforter set. It looks nice, but I don't care for really dark colors like that - I like rooms that are light and bright. Good opportunity with that fitness center to start moving...do it girl!! Re Calif. Pizza Kitchen - before Saturday I probably hadn't been to one in well over 10 years. I'm more of a traditionalist with pizza, and with all the good pizza in the Chicago area, I don't have much need for CPK. They do have a boatload of other stuff on the menu though, so if someone really wanted to go there again I might consider having a non-pizza item. Big boo for the coming storm. But 40's are being forecast for Friday, yay.

Mel - Sorry you had a lot of alarms over the weekend. :( Re movies - it seems like a lot of the movies these days are around two hours, and even longer. To see them in a theater, it better be a good, fast-paced movie or I'm not happy. I'd rather watch something like the movie "Lincoln" at home - I heard it's kind of slow-moving. The sweater took the dye really well - not sure I like the shade of brown dye I used though. :shrug: We'll see once it's fully dry.

Michelle - I hope you find a good doggy daycare for Santa. I'd sure be anxious about it after that previous horrible experience. How nice you'll be able to stay with your cousin if you don't have living arrangements made by the time your move to CA happens. :)

Happy - It was really nice having such a sunny day yesterday. :sunny: Did you make soup??

Shad - :wave:
==
Nothing much to report. I did get to the gym yesterday around noon and did about 20 min on the treadmill and same on the recumbent bike. It's so boring even with the tv's and my podcasts, and I even got a phone call while I was there, and yet it just seemed like forever. Bleh. After a shower and doing a load of laundry, I walked the dog.

Bf sold the last of the 4 pieces from our old office setup - a desk. The buyers picked it up yesterday afternoon. Yay, it's all gone! Onward with the file organization though...

We had a casual early dinner at Culver's. I was surprised to see that a full packet of their horseradish sauce was 4 ww points plus. Really??!! Glad I didn't have the full packet on my pot roast sandwich. After reading the ingredients, I know that the sauce has some oil, but also corn syrup (why???), but the number of points still seems disproportionate to the number of calories. Whatever. I'll have to get used to it.

Not looking forward to this storm we're getting. And of course it'll louse up everyone's commute. Glad I'll be on the train!

Okay, I'll finally get this posted before this !@#$% work interferes again. :D

Morning kids,

What is it with this site that you go to hit enter for a new line and lose your entire post that you've been working on for 35 minutes????? :mad:

Geez and I had some really good rants going :lol:

What is it with all the drama on tv shows now a days? They have replaced entertainment with yelling and deviousness and general stupidity. No, I don't like to watch shows with villans you "love to hate". Because of this I stopped watching 3 shows in the last week. Less TV can never be a bad thing. I would stick with just the cooking shows but they make me hungry at night :lol:

One show I just love and always have is the Amazing Race. They tried the obnoxious couple for one season but thank goodness that concept did not stick. Anyway this week they travelled to the show's host (Phil Keogan? as well as our Shaddie's) country of New Zealand and Phil's hometown of Christchurch. OMG - it was just freakin' absolutely beautiful. Stunningly gorgeous countryside. Stunning. Wow. Just stunning. If only the airplane ride was not so long and expensive :^: They also said their are more sheep than people in the country. I guess lamb is to you what beef is to us here in the States.

We are supposed to get a bit of the snow that is hitting you. I think we are on the edge of the storm - 3 to 7 inches of snow and maybe nothing at all. It might pass just south of us and dump on Michelle, Laura and Annie. We are prepared for it although I am ready for spring already. It's supposed to hit overnight if it does come, will know as soon as I look out the window tomorrow.

I did go out to the store yesterday for bread and a few other things to round out the larder. I am well stocked. We'll be having meatloaf, steak bites, a lovely shrimp chowder. I made pork chops and fingerling potatoes and overcooked the whole lot which was disappointing. I was watching a celebrity cooking show with Rachel Ray and Guy Fieri and one of the contestants - the rapper Coolio made this really interesting looking salad which I replicated. It has arugula, baby spinach, red and yellow grape tomatoes, pine nuts, almonds, dried cranberries and you make a dressing using apple juice, agave and brown sugar. It is on the sweeter side but not cloyingly sweet. The salad was the one thing that came out delicious - worked well with the pork but would work nicely with chicken or fish too. I don't mind eating salad as a side dish in the winter - in fact if I don't get my greens in, after a while I feel sluggish.

Ceejay - you are doing so well girl on your bike riding! I'm sure you are getting stronger each time you climb into the saddle. Good going!!!! A key fob is a plastic thing that is programmed to do something. Up here Mobil gas stations had a fob that had your debit card info on it and when you went to pay for gas or snacks, you just waved your fob past the reader and it automatically paid for the goods.I think they called it a Speedpass. McDonald's was trying that out too but I'm not sure it ever really took off. They also use keyfobs as electronic access to open doors. You hold the fob to a flat plate reader and it opens the door. Wow - you've lived in your apartment for a long, long time. That's really nice that you are keeping up with the place too. Hey, it's your home, right? I'm glad things are better for you at work. That's quite a story. No wonder you were upset.

Annie - congratulations on your 5 year anniversary. Geez we have been together so long now that it's hard to believe so much time has passed. I do remember when you first started there. OMG - I can't believe how disgustingly filthy that house was. C's daughter deserves a good beat down. Sorry but she sounds like low life trash to not only live that way but to leave someone's place like that. I totally get how you wanted to wear a face mask and sniff bleach. I feel sorry for the animals that had to live like that too. Very sad. I'm sure C feels compelled to make excuses for her. :( As for the egglplant color - yuk. My old boss redecorated her bedroom in that color. I guess it was good for sleeping - very dark - but I thought it was ugly. The only way that works is a very sunny bright room with contrasting white woodwork. Which of course is not what you want for a bedroom... Had to laugh with your comment about blinding the "lifeguards" in the pool area. I was thinking it might be fun to rent a jet ski until I realized that meant I'd have to wear a swimsuit too. Oops - plan B. :rofl: I do LOVE the idea of a pool house tho - we will just have to swim on our own.

Mel - hang in there - the sun will come out soon. And if you come over, I will make you any kind of soup that you want. You and I can head up the soup kitchen ;)

Laura - I found that the biggest points snatcher on WW is pasta or pastry/bread crusts. For pizza I used to like the South Beach individual pizzas - they had a wheat crust and with the individual size they were still higher in points but decent enough for an occasional treat. Can't compare to store bought pizza though. I understand your frustration at forcing yourself to get through a book you didn't like and then having to pay an overdue fine on top of it. :mad: I hope the dye job takes on your boiled wool piece. I have a blue boiled wool jacket that was great for the office but too "nice" to wear around here. It sure was warm. I have found the Land's End outlet to be one of those places you pop in as you did periodically. Sometimes they have some nice stuff, sometimes bargains and sometimes nothing special. Doesn't hurt to check it out if you are over there already. Funny I can picture the storefront in my head but can't for the life of me remember where it is. Is it across from the mall?

One of the things that constantly surprises me is how time has flashed by in what seems like an instant - like Annie's 5 year anniversary. I would have guessed you've been there only 3 years. And I can't even venture a guess as to how much time has passed since I last saw Shad. You did come to Memphis, didn't you? Yes that's right - we had a right good time laughing inn the souvenier shop at the ornaments. :rofl: And the caves I was nervous about but you and DH were right on... and the impromtu music in the Ozarks. Ok, it's coming back to my foggy brain. :o

Michelle - I hope you find something suitable for Santa. I do remember when he was injured so I totally get how you'd be nervous again. After all, they can't talk and tell you what's going on. I take it you will not even be entertaining the idea of the place you used before, right? I hope it works out with the house idea in CA - that would be convienient. But would you be staying with your cousin's ex-wife? I guess that's not bad if they both agree to part amicably. Sounds like things are in the making of coming together.

Speaking of coming together, I'd better get out of this chair and get some things done. It's trash day and change the bedclothes and clean the bathrooms day. Maybe some cooking and laundry thrown in for good measure.

Happy Monday chicks.

LAURA...yep, supposed to be 50's by Fri, S,S here. I am so looking foward to warm weather. 16 days till spring and it had better get here and stay here, no dropping back to the schmuck. On the pizza front our Uno's closed last fall also. Both were located in about the same area. Now there is a Oobatz Pub where the Uno's was. Have not been there yet. Looks like bar food and whatnot. Looks like outdoor seating also. The eggplant color might have been alright on one wall but not all 4 walls then the sloppy job they did with getting the paint on the white baseboards and blotches of it here and there on the ceiling.

The sun is creeping through the clouds and barely shining through the windows. It makes it look a bit nicer and warmer out altho it is not. Sis and Lil man picked me up to go to lunch. It was a nice lunch at the Red Habanaro (mexican)....I had a chicken taco salad and did not eat the shell. Sis had a nacho burrioto that was grilled. That thing was huge. Lil man had bananas and strawberries, his crunchie puffs and a bit of the chicken from my taco salad.

CEEG...HAPPY is correct. A keyfob is a little programmed plastic tear shaped piece about the size of a quarter, that is swiped past a little lite on a flat metal plate beside the door that gives you access to that door. Shouldn't the landlord buy the items to repair or upgrade the bathroom, rather than you? Just curious.

HAPPY...C does not make excuses for his daughter and is just as disgusted with her as everyone else. Rest assured, you would have to get in line to beat that child, Samantha is first in line and was hoping she would of stopped by when she was cleaning those two days. She was going to lay into her. All C says at this point is, it is her loss. We have not heard from her since before Christmas or seen her since Cs 50th BD party in September. He texts her and I text her, she never answers. His last text he sent was. We miss you and would like to get together with you, let me know. I love you....He got back a big fat nothing. Her loss. I know it has to hurt him as he is so kind hearted. I am done with being nice to her. Blah on her. I will be cordial for Cs sake, but nothing else.

I better get to work and quit babbling.

Oh and C got the carpet laid in the room that the carpet was destroyed. It looks fabulous, that man is amazing.

Annie - I hope that after all the work you are putting into it, that you get a good price for C's house. Did the kid leave on her own or was she asked to vacate the house? It's too bad people can't recognize what they should be grateful for. :( I don't know why but your description of Lil Man's lunch brought a smile to my face. Maybe it's just because of the cute way little kids eat. Maybe it's because I'm thinking we'd look like a big crunchie puff if we still ate that way :spin:

Wow - I'm surprised that a pizza place would shut down. (Uno's). But sometimes like the place at my sister's house - bad service and high prices will chase your customers away.

Ok, back to work for me. Got the bathroom cleaned, 2 loads of laundry done. Wastebaskets emptied and the last of the trash ready to go out. Recycling too. Now to tackle the kitchen floor...

Oh and I picked up a sleeve of frozen (as in you bake them yourself) cookies - dark chocolate with cayenne pepper. I was curious as everyone talks about what a great combination that is. Cooked 'em up. Only had a morsel and thought - this doesn't taste like cayenne. THEN BOOM. It takes a minute for your tongue to recognize it. :yikes: Not intense but more than I or my tummy would like. I gave one to DH who liked them. Said he would not eat them every day - and that you won't silly boy :no: but said they were good.

Annie
I should think that the land lord would be responsible for fixing things in ithe apt. But I look at it this way. I get to choose what I want. He told me that he would check things out. But he's said that before and nothing was done.

Laura
Our pizza place only has good pizza on the buffet. I've order one and took it home with me and could barely find any thing on top. From now on I think I'll either bake one myself or use the convience store's pizza. They're good.

Happy
You are a cleaning machine today. Don't it make you feel good to have things clean and in order. Does me. Don't think I'd like the ceyenne pepper and chocolate chip cookies.

Annie
How nice that Sissy and lil man picked you up for lunch. C. is a keeper for sure.

Not much is going on today. Work has been quiet. Just a couple of phones calls earlier. I've been expecting the chemical but it 's 4 p.m. so I'm not expecting it to come until tomorrow.

HAPPY...I am thinking with Cs house that maybe bro and SIL will rent for at least a year or more...anything we invest should go over good. Right now, even tho not much the house is worth 115K and he has only 90K to pay. That in itself is worth the investment while someone else is paying the mortgage. (bro and SIL). He may rent till more of the mortgage is paid off, now we have a list of peeps that are trustworthy that want to rent it...go figure.

My bestie at work gave me an entire whole chicken that they smoked in there smoker. I am making broccoli cheddar rice and broccoli/cauliflower. It should be a great dinner with much chicken leftovers. I couldn't believe my luck with the entire smoked chicken. YUM. Sorry but the cookies sound absolutely GROSS and I LOVE hot stuff....just cannot see mixing my hot stuff with sweets, probably because I do not like sweets. Go DH on the cookies!

CEEG...I think for something that is not a permanent thing in my life...et..renting and paying for stuff...I would settle for whatever the landlord would push on me. I mean really, who the H would see it but you? How many houseguests are there. I am about saving $$ and making those responsible pay for it. Just my opinion....but do whatever makes you happiest and at peace....I am with you!

Gotta get dinner on the table...hugs.

Morning all,
Yesterday I was typing away here and got off to do some 'real' work and when I came back I forgot I was halfway through a post until ..................... you guessed it, I had pushed the close button on the browser.

Anyway - we will try again today. Site is really slow and it took three goes to actually get into the thread this morning.
I see from the NZ news that Kiri Te Kanawa - Dame Kiri Te Kanawa - sorry Kiri - is to appear on the next season of Downton Abbey. Some of the olds will be going and some new ones to appear. Be prepared for singing to happen.

My sushi is good. Really enjoyed it yesterday. More today and tomorrow and then I will need to sort some more lunches.

Weather is hot, humid, wet, windy, and just about everything else you can name that is unpleasant and tests out the anti perspirants and deodorants around the joint - or lack thereof in some cases. No bugs tho. I guess there are in some places, but I've yet to see too many of them here in Darwin. I would have thought they would be prolific.

The delightful??!!! DS2 went round to my house the day before yesterday and put some clothes in the dryer. No problem with that, but when he went to do a small job, he managed to leave the bedroom door wide open and the shed wide open as well. We must have honest burglars because no one came and pinched anything!!! My friend Chris from down the road went round to pick up the mail and check the place yesterday and found it. So I rang DS2 and he went back round and ensured everything was where it was supposed to be and then put in the locks on the doors that I had asked for some time back. If you ever wondered why I put that procrastination picture up on facebook, now you know who it was aimed at.

Annie – how awful to have to clean the house of all that muck! Some people! Well all I can say is that when she moves out of wherever she is now living, the landlord might be slugging her for a cleaning bill – and not before time. Isn’t it so nice to have a handy man around the house?
Mel – take it easy on the office stuff and work. I know you don’t want to completely retire, but you can only do so much. What’s your weekend looking like for a telephone conversation?

Happy – I am not happy with tv for much the same reason. I am currently only watching about 3 shows a week – or thinking about it maybe 5. I try to keep up with the news and I love to watch my footy, however this is not footy country up here and I mostly only get one game a week and it won’t be a NZ team unless they are playing Australia in Australia. Glad you enjoyed the Canterbury scenery from Christchurch. Was this done before or after the earthquake? You are looking at my childhood playground when you talk about those mountains.

Ceejay – the cycle queen. Sometimes it is better to do the job and enjoy the outcome rather than wait for the landlord to come and do something. Go for it.

Laura – All this talk about pizza. Might have to make some for my lunches next week. I love a good pizza and it doesn’t need all the trimmings either. I hate this trend of having ‘theme’ pizza. For example Satay or Thai or Mexican. Pizza is Pizza and it is Italian (no it wasn’t invented in the States) and it mainly consists of tomata, mozzarella and not much else. The Margherita pizza from the Italian shop down the road is just the best.

Anyway, gotta go – I have a meeting in a couple of minutes. Better be on time for this one. Completely forgot the last one despite the computer giving me warnings.