Quick update from Mel or rather Jen

mom feels she is taking a turn for the worse.
we're going to the emergency room tomorrow morning.
I left a message on the dr's answering service.
will keep you posted.


Hope things get better for her soon.

Right - off to bed. This 3.00am start is getting old. And I have eaten too much dinner. Things hurt so I am shifting a rest day from tomorrow to today in the abs challenge. Couldn't face the 40 sit ups tonight.

Here we are at Monday again....

MELLIE, JEN & RICHIE....hope our sister Mellie is doing better, do please let us know how she is doing through Shad.

CEEG...Week 20 is when DD finds out the sex of the baby. That will be the last week of October. I am routing for a girl, as I love the name she has chosen...Lydia Anne. Probably call her Lyddie.

LAURA...you are busier than a one armed paper hanger. I go through sunglasses to fast to purchase expensive ones. I probably buy 5/6 pairs a year. THe cheap ones, as inevitably they get scratched, lost or broken. I am dangerous with sunglasses and not surprisingly any so is my DD. That apple didn't fall too far from the tree. Mom's are hard to buy for especially when they don't need or want anything.

HAPPY...to the DHs rescue. DId you go in the phone booth and put on your catwoman suit...bahah. RE: green tomatos. Place them in a brown paper bag and close it up. Check every few days and take out the ripe ones. I know that sounds silly, but it truly works. I did that with about 60 green tomatos last year.

CHELLE....must have been another great weekend for you! Hoorah!!!

SHADDIE...YEAH on the new car arrival. Enjoy is sister. I still love my new RAV4. I even cleaned, swepts and did the windows yesterday. Today I will give her a bath. Also put on seat covers.

Yesterday we went to Copper Kettle for lunch. It is family style dining in an old white house been in business since 1927. They are famous for fried chicken-C ordered that, I had the catfish-very delish. It came with soup, salad, mashed potatos, green beans, corn, rolls and sherbet. All the iced tea and coffee you wanted. Very very good. Total bill with tip was 40 bucks, which I think was decent for the food you got. We took home half of everything but the sherbet. We had the leftovers about 6 last night. Two meals for the price of one.

The usual stuff for the rest of the weekend. Went to party city with Sam on Saturday morning to get lil man's invites and decor for his 2nd BD which is October 19. Then dropped her off and I did my Aldi's thing. Got my usual cleaning done. Mopped, vacuumed, laundry, washed sheets, cleaned out the car, cut the grass blah blah blah.

Better post and get this day going. Make it a great Monday..

Hugs

It really concerned me when Mel's potassium level bottomed out. Glad they are taking her to the emergency room.
Yesterday was a rest day for me. And enjoyed it. Today is back to work
Talked to my friend in Jonesboro. She didn't let me know she was in town or I would have gone over for a visit. Don't think she's to happy with her new job. To much work involved. She didn't do much her last couple of years here so the working part she'll have to get used to. Now she's think semi retirement and working part time instead of full time.
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Annie
Your lunch sounded good. I love good fried catfish. I like the chosen name. Jake needs baby sister.

Shad
Hope you can get you sleeping time straightened out. Whew 3 a.m. is to late for me.

Morning all.

Shad - Wow, 3 am wake up time is just too ugly! I hope that's just for getting to your flight and not a regular thing!! Good job on taking up the ab challenge. Thanks for the update re Mel. Horrible to hear she's headed to the ER.

Mel/Jen - Sending my prayers and get well wishes!! :getwell:

Annie - I'm pretty good with sunglasses, but the ones I bought from the department store turned out to be surprisingly crappy quality. The Ray Bans I've got coming have polarized lenses, which is what my eye doc recommended for eye protection. That actually raised the price quite a bit over non-polarized lenses. The other thing that will be nice about these sunglasses is that they come with a case in which the sunglasses will actually fit! Your dinner sounded sooo tasty. :hun: Giganto portions aren't a great thing for our obese society, but they sure are a good value when you take the leftovers home for future meals!! Awww, 2nd bday coming up for the li'l guy. How fast that went!!!

Ceejay - Sorry you didn't get together with your friend yesterday. Too bad she isn't liking her new job. :(

==
Nothing much to report. Bf and I went out for dinner and then came home and watched the football game.

I'll be busy this week at work and home making sure all is set before I leave town. Probably going to skip the movies tomorrow night, but I'll definitely get to my exercise classes on Mon & Wed, especially since I'll miss next Monday's class.

Okay, back to it. Everyone have a great day!!

Hi all,

So sorry to hear that Mel is headed for the hospital. :( I'm sure it's not only hard physically but also mentally dealing with these set backs. Just keep sending good wishes her way :hug:

Laura - I've had polarized sunglasses for years and years now. They might make some things appear strange - like the tint films they put on windows but you can't beat the sharpness or glare cutting that you get from polarized. How long will you be visiting your Mom again?

Ceejay - your friend sounds very much like me - restless and not sure of what she wants and then finding out that what she THOUGHT she wanted was not exactly what she wanted or needed :rolleyes: Not sure how long it takes to find one's nitch but probably the only way for her to decide is to try different things to reinforce what she wants and doesn't. Something to keep in the back of your mind when you eventually transition to retirement yourself.

Annie - I hope S has a girl also - nice to have one of each although the way these little trollops are sexing things up at 10 years old I'd probably have a fit having a daughter in these times. Thanks for the tip on the tomato ripening - I guess you can put an apple or banana in the bag to speed the ripening also. Right now I have too many getting ripe at once - faster than I can eat them and believe me we are eating them at every meal :lol: Your lunch sounded down home good and tasty at that. Always a bonus I figure if you can take some home and get another meal out of it also.

Shad - thanks again for keeping us updated on Mel. I missed the part about the 3am start - are you not sleeping well or are you having to get up early for the job? Hope things straighten up soon. Or are you just so excited about the new car you can't wait to get in it and drive? ;) :lol:

Yesterday DH spent the day outside mowing and I was inside doing house things. I noticed at one point that I didn't see Nina - while she mostly lays on the rug and sleeps, she tends to stay near us, particularly if DH is around. I found her laying on the basement rug which is unusual. She just looked so sad. She looks as if she is constantly licking her lips and I think that's because the medicine is giving her a bad taste in her mouth because she is only eating a little bit and was vomiting a tiny bit too. I just sat on the floor and petted her for a long time and cried a lot. I told DH I think this is the end for her - the only other thing the vet suggests is a switch to a prescription food but neither of us hold much hope for that. She is on a gasto food now - that and the steroid medications, the probiotic, the procedure we did last week - nothing is making any change. The blood tests have come back - no abnormality of any sort. I think she was just born a messed up kitty - she is bowlegged and cross-eyed and something is messed up on her insides. We stopped the steroid medicine yesterday - figured that if she is on her last days she might as well enjoy her food undoctored since the medication doesn't seem to be doing any good. I also gave her some treats last night which she hasn't had in weeks. Today she crawled up in the chair with DH and was sleeping peacefully for the first time in a long time. Generally she has been laying on the tile - she seems to get warm. Now she's looking for something comfortable to lay on and DH's fleece moose pants are apparently just what the kitty needed. ;) This breaks our hearts - she was the most adorable and loving kitty of all the cats we had. Right now if she looks like she is resting comfortably we will leave her to sleep but I think we both know the end is coming soon for this sweet bundle of fur.

And that's about it for me. I keep saying I have to get to the grocery store and I am doing everything to avoid it but we are out of food so I guess I need to get myself in gear. Talk later.

ahhh HAPPY...I am sad about Nina. Made me tear up just reading about her. Bless her tiny little furry heart. Enjoy her while you can.

Hello girlfriends!

I'm so very sorry to hear that Mellie is going to the hospital. I hope they're able to treat her and get her on the road to feeling better soon.

Mel/Jen/Richie - Sending lots of love and healing hugs your way. I so hope the doctors and nurses can get you feeling better. :hug: :grouphug: :getwell:

Happy - I'm sending lots of healing energy to Nina. I'm so sorry to hear that the sweet little one is on her last days. It sounds like she certainly got lots of love and attention from you and your DH, so at least her short little life was a happy one while she was with you. Sending hugs to you and DH. It's so painful to lose a furry family member. :hug:

Annie - I'll keep my fingers crossed :crossed: for a baby girl. Lydia Anne is a lovely name.

Shad - How do you like the new car? Bummer about waking up at 3 am. :yikes: So sad that Mel has to go to the hospital, but thanks for the update.

Laura - I love polarized sunglasses. Since I wear prescription glasses, I purchased polarized clip-ons so when my ex and I would go fishing I didn't have to choose between my prescription glasses and sun protection. Even though I'm not fishing anymore, I still love them for driving. Congrats on the Bears victory. It really pains me to say that, but oh well. Good for you for staying committed to exercise this week despite getting ready to go see your mom. I'm either going to water aerobics today or I'll do 1/2 hour on the bike. I hit the gym yesterday on my way home from watching the Packer game. I decided that the endorphins from exercise would lift my mood that was down in the dumps after the Packers lost.

Ceejay - Definitely stuff to consider when thinking about retirement.

Time for me to get back to work.

Much love and many hugs,

I might not get in here tomorrow as I've got lots to get done for work, but I'll be thinking about y'all and sending lots of :goodvibes: your way.

Much love,

Hi all,

We took Nina to the vet today. She has a low grade fever and her white cell count had skyrocketed. They gave her some IV fluids as well as an antibiotic shot. Her lip licking is most likely caused by nausea which also explains the light vomiting - both a result of this viral infection. She said it's very common in shelter cats as things are always getting transmitted from cat to cat. Sometimes it sits dormant, sometimes it appears later on and is resistant to treatment, sometimes they are fine and the infection comes out when they get stressed. We are going to cut back on the steroids since they don't seem to be doing anything beneficial but will keep her on the poultry diet. The vet suggested we at least try the prescription food she ordered simply because she said she faced the same situation with her dog and it turned out to be a hypersensitivity to a food allergy. She also said that unlike humans who might dwell on and on about how they don't feel good, she said cats tend to live in the moment. If she has poopies well to her normal is going to the potty box a lot in one day. Suffering is more like pain and if that's the case they will withdraw and hide. She might have gone into the basement last night because the infection was starting to kick in. Neither DH nor I want to put her down - she is only 9 months old - we are hoping we can find the cause of the problem and that she is young and can fight it off. I do feel a bit better knowing she is not suffering right now. I tell you I had no idea how many issues come with a shelter cat. Our first cat came from a shelter but it was a small one and all the cats were kenneled and didn't have interaction with each other. Boo just showed up in our back yard after someone dumped her off and Mr. Feral - well he just accepted our food and makeshift outdoor cat bed and that was that. Anyway, I'm glad she is ok for the moment - she is sleeping by DH again (thank goodness I picked up a bunch of books for him to read).

Good luck with the assignments Michelle- hope you make fast work of the load on your table right now.

Later chicks.

Evening all

Happy - poor little Nina. Such a loving little girl. Hope she comes right soon. The tomatoes will ripen now at a pace you can't keep up with. It's always something - gets too hot, not enough water, plants frizzle, No fruit. Or too much water, too much cold, plants go to sleep. No fruit until a sunny day comes along, plants respond - glut happen.

Ceejay - sometimes we don't seem to think too far ahead about what will happen if we give up work or go into semi retirement. Watch and learn.

Michelle - work getting in the way of a good time huh?

Laura - I have polarised sunnies as well. Just because any flaw in the plastic lens of the cheap sunnies, or in the glass of the middle priced ones really show up annoyingly with contact lenses. The distortion is awful. So now I very carefully have a very expensive pair of glasses. I watch them like a hawk I can tell you.

Annie - we'll hope the new wee one is a girl, but I don't want to know okay. I like the surprise.

The 3am wake up was because I was due at the airport early. One of the next two trips indicates that I will be getting up even earlier. Darn.
Had the first training class today. As usual we had problems with logins. Thanks to the Philippines. Finally got most of them sorted but it is very annoying when you have asked, and asked, and checked (not done) and asked some more and you still have problems. This is supposed to save costs? I think not. Anyway although grotty at the beginning, the guys went away more or less happy. The two girls didn't get at all phased about anything - it just worked for them.

So we get to go do it all again tomorrow. I'm hoping we will here from Jen overnight, but she will be busy and no doubt worried about her mum. Wish there was something I could do for her.

Better go - early starts at the railways again.

Talked to my friend last night. She stayed in town and will drive back to Jonesboro this morning. I'm going to try to stay here till I'm 65 but my knee' s this morning are making me think other wise. Even my doctor say's it's best if I stay active until I'm 65 then retire. So that's my goal for now.
People keep telling me that I will not be happy when I move to MO. I can always move back. But I don't think I'll be happy here or in Paragould or Jonesboro either. I do need to be around family.

Not much going on so I'll be back later.

Morning all.

Ceejay - Why do people say you won't be happy in MO? Have you always lived where you currently are? I should think if you're around family you'd be able to make the adjustment. I hope your employer can make accomodations for you so you can stay on the job as long as you need to.

Shad - Glad your day went well in spite of the login problems. Hope today goes smoothly too. Re the sunglasses - my eye doc was telling me the cheap ones do tend to have distortion in the lenses. My vision is bad enough, don't need anything else to make it worse!!

Michelle - Hope you tackle your workload sufficiently today! Thanks for the congrats re the Bears win. So did the exercise endorphins help you get over the Packers loss? :D Which exercise did you do last night - stationary bike or water aerobics?:bike::bike2::swim:

Happy - Sorry to hear Nina's still not feeling well, but maybe it's the infection that's affecting her progress with the digestive issues. :( I hope the rx food will help her. I will be at my mom's for 4 nights, arriving Friday, departing Tuesday. So what's wrong with grocery shopping? We also ripen our pears in a brown paper bag - works really well.

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Nothing much to report. The room for my pilates was so cold last night!! It took a while after I got home for my feet to warm up after doing my class barefoot, and that was even after finishing up my ab challenge for the day. For all future classes I'll be bringing socks with me!!

Today's WW weigh-in should be alright. I'm trying to push past temptations for all the junky stuff I like so much and keep in mind some of my motivators - visit with my mom, doctor visit next month, and my cruise in February.

Not going to the movie tonight. Right after work I will probably get to the store to pick up a few things, including a couple ingredients I need to make the soup. We had quite an inventory of chicken broth for a while and so I was surprised to find we were out of it and only had beef broth on the shelf.

Okay, back to work. The boss will be out of town starting tomorrow and is all stressed out - can't say I'll be sad to have a couple days of quiet. :sssh:

Good thoughts and prayers for Samantha, she has had some spotting this morning and I am meeting her at the OBs office at 11:45am. I will update when I know more. Hugs

Annie - I'm sending LOTS of love and prayers for Samantha.

Morning all,

First off good thoughts for Sam :crossed: Hope this is not a sign of anything other than a small routine blip. Keep us posted Annie :hug:

Nina appears more like herself this morning. That's good. This has been a rollercoaster of emotions. The vet said she went through the same thing with her pet so hang in there. Much nicer to see her peppy than mopey. This is going to be a short post as I have to go into the shop earlier - we have switched to regular hours - I will work 1pm to 4pm. In 30 minutes earlier, close up an hour earlier. That will be nice. I did purchase a sweet citrus tomato marmalade at the Fall Festival and found an almost :crossed: exact recipe on Food.com so another thing to use up the tomatoes.

Laura - I know what you mean about the missing chicken broth - same thing happens to me - I remember cans in the pantry and then go to use it up and someone snatched it in the middle of the night! Hope your soup comes out yummy - be strong with the temptations that roam in your head. Good of you to remember your motivators. :yes: Did you see the movie The Family with DeNiro?

Ceejay - I can understand your desire to retire near friends / family. Don't know why they say you would not be happy in MO unless they don't want you to leave in the first place. MO is not a complete difference from where you are now - say from there to NY for example or from warm TN to cold WI :lol: I hear the Ozark area is different because people keep to themselves and are distrustful of strangers. I would say the biggest factor in your consideration should be cost of living - no fun living in a place that's expensive, especially when you have to watch your money in the first place. Then consider the weather - some people even up this way hate the cold (duh then why move here?????) oh because they like the open woods that you can't get in Florida. :shrug: As for people ... well ... I too wanted to be near family instead of as isolated as we were in Memphis. However 2 of my cousins are jealous and petty so we continue the relationship we have always had which is to not bother with each other. My other cousin is friendly but does not like anyone getting too close so we keep in touch, see each other occasionally but it's not like I hoped it would be. And people here, just like where we came from tend to keep to themselves - old friends are still your friends but new friends are hard to come by and that's just how it is in the world right now. Make a list of the things that are important to you and make sure your retirement place meets most if not all of what's on the list and of course, plan that what you want is not always what you will get and can you still be happy with that? That's my advice.

Shad - good heavens if you have to catch an earlier flight than 3am you might as well just leave when you clock off your job at the end of the day! I guess the norm is that you plan and plan and most of it gets ignored by the responsible parties and you are left in front of the training room holding the pieces. I do not envy you your frustration!

Hope the work tasks are going well for you Michelle. :hug:

Love and healing hugs to our Miss Mel :grouphug: Thinking about you all the time, like Shad wishing there was more we could do for you or take on some of your troubles. :(

Time to get a quick lunch and off I go. Happy Tuesday chicks.

Super quick check in as I have to find an inexpensive Sharepoint-like document sharing website software system and create an Intranet using said system by Friday! :yikes:

Happy - I hope the new food helps Nina. Sending lots of love and healing energy her way. One thing about steroids is they do lower your resistance to infection. They're sort of a catch 22 in that way...they help with some things but make you prone to others. :hug:

Shad - I'm glad the 3 am isn't going to be a regular thing. That would suck! :yes:

Ceejay - No one can tell you whether you'll like living in a certain place. Especially if you're moving to be closer to family. Perhaps they didn't like Missouri because they didn't have family there. I totally understand why you want to live closer to family...I did (and do) too. It's what's keeping me from even considering better paying job offers in other parts of the country. Sure California is hella expensive, but having friends and family here really makes me happy.

Laura - Good for you for sticking with the Ab Challenge. I'm starting it on 10/1...just to make it easier to keep track of what day I'm on...since I have CRS (Can't Remember Sh*t). I hope your weigh in goes well. It does help to keep the motivators in mind. that's why I'm adding a bit of treadmilling...in hopes that I will gradually be able to increase the amount of walking/hiking I can do.

I'm listening to a new audiobook on the way to work...it's called Reversing Diabetes. I haven't decided if I like it or not yet. The author is presenting A LOT of the diseases/complications of diabetes, which is REALLY good, and I'm learning a lot. But so far, he hasn't gone into specifics about HOW to reverse diabetes other than eat right (vague and *duh*), exercise, and pray to God to heal you. I'd say at least 50% of the book is quoting scripture and how God can take away diabetes.

I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer and positive thinking...but I keep listening to this and saying....okay, rather than quote scripture...or at least in addition to quoting scripture...could ya' PLEASE give me SPECIFICS on how/what I should eat and other things I can do? :faint:

Anyway...gotta run.

Much love and many hugs to all, and lots of prayers for Mellie, Samantha and Nina.

Annie - Saying prayers for Sam.

Oh the power of prayers and good thoughts....Samantha has a slight yeast infection which cause the discharge/spotting. They did do an internal ultrasound (up through the vagina) and the babe is perfect so far. Heartbeat 146 per minute, and looks like an alien at this point...lol. Over the counter meds for the problem and all is good. Amen. Thank you girlies for every good thought and prayers, what would I do without you.

Annie - That's great news that all is well. I'm sure Samantha (and you) are so relieved! Sending you both much love and many hugs. :hug:

Thanks Chelle

Annie
I'm thankful that S and the baby is doing okay. It seems like my sis told me that a high heart rate is usually a girl.

Michelle
I agree that you are a lot happier around family and friends.

Happy
Yes, I'll miss my friends. but they can come visit or vice versa. I'm tired of driving back and forth and plane tickets from Memphis to Springfield is expensive. It will be different for sure living in this area but I already know a lot of people in the church where my bil and sister go.

Need to look up something on line for the boss man. I'm getting rid of paper work that's out of date.

Morning all,

Everyone must be busy today.

It's a nice cool but sunny day out there. We have some errands to run then I want to come back and make up my grocery list. I also need to make some dog treats for the shop as I have extra supplies. The trees are starting to turn - pretty reds and yellows and pinks - my favorite colors. Unfortunately we are supposed to get rain on Saturday for the next fall festival. :( They put out a bunch of seasonal - autumn and Halloween - stuff at the shop yesterday. It looks so cute and festive! I did move one box of new stuff from our jewelry counter to another shelf so we could stage and highlight the recent additions. The lady who handles the brand new stuff is a psychotic whacko who has tussled with most everyone at the shop. I swear if she comes into work and messes up my carefully staged counter I'm the one who will have a fit. She does not like anyone touching "her" stuff and she is taking up more and more of our precious floor space. It wouldn't be so bad if her stuff was selling but it isn't. Rather we highlight things that are but she doesn't see it that way. Let the battle begin :rollpin:

Nina got an antibiotics shot and a fluid drip yesterday and she is perkier than she's been in weeks. She is alert and playful and it does us both so good to see her doing well. She still has digestive issues but they called this morning and the prescription food is in - we'll see how that goes. I pray :crossed: it won't be too yukky tasting for her and she'll refuse it because that will be the only food she gets. No treats, no other canned or dry food. This will be interesting feeding her and her unrestricted sister. :rolleyes:

Annie - glad the prayers helped and S and the new peanut are doing just fine. :hug: How is your foot feeling?

Ceejay - it's good that you know some people in MO. Won't it be nice to get away from the neighbors who are always trying to take advantage of you? Is the weather much different in that area?

Michelle - thanks for all the good wishes for Nina :hug: Geez woman, sounds like you have your hands full at work. :faint: Everything needs to be done ... YESTERDAY :lol: There's good and bad to being by yourself - I think I'd still rather be in a smaller place where I could do more even if it gets scary or hectic at the time.

Guess I will catch up with the rest of you lot later. DH is about ready to go and so must I or the bus will leave without me ;) Have a good one.

Morning all.

Annie - So relieved to hear all is well w/ S. and the baby!! :carrot:

Michelle - I printed off the Ab challenge chart and mark the challenge days with the dates as I complete them, otherwise I'd never remember which day I was on!! Starting on the first of the month would certainly make it much easier!!I hope your reversing diabetes audiobook is getting more informative. I think I'd find the references to scripture a bit annoying - you probably were interested in the book for it's medical information, not spiritual.

Happy - Glad to hear Nina seems better the past couple days.:) I think you should start throwing your weight around at the shop and shake things up!!! :D No, I didn't go to the movies last night and haven't seen the movie The Family. I noticed on imdb that it hasn't gotten great reviews based on the critic's metascore ratings, and just middling ratings on the user reviews. I'll have to ask my movie gf's what they thought - I think that's what they saw last night.

Hellos to the rest of the Worldlies! :wave:
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Yesterday's weigh-in showed a 1.6 pound loss, so yay for that. :) Trying to stay on track this week, but today I have a lunch time meeting in which lunch is provided, so eating may not be as good as the last couple days. I might try to make up for lunch by having a smart ones entree or some soup for dinner.

I didn't do much of anything last night as far as cooking or my trip prep. Bleh. I was so tired yesterday afternoon, and after dinner I faded too, so I ended up going to bed early.

Our benefits open enrollment period is coming up, and there are many changes looming. More "incentives" that require more than just a blood draw. And they're changing our mail order rx company - what a PITA that will be. :rolleyes:

Tonight's my Barre class.

The boss is out today so I'm more relaxed. There's been one project the admin and I have been working on for her and one of her issues was annoying to us. It was sort of gratifying for us that a third party involved in this project thought it really was the "big stupid nothing" we thought it was, lol. The quote is just mine, not anything any one of us said aloud, hahaha.

Today is my Thursday, so that's good too.

Okay, back to it. :flow1:

Hello Chicklets....

Last night Curtis wanted beans and weinies for dinner. YUCK. So I browned hamburger and onion, drained added a can of baked beans, pepper, brown sugar and cut up weinies. Let them simmer for a bit, slapped them in a bowl and popped open a bag of chips. Have at it. I skipped dinner last night. No thank you, don't like baked beans nor hot dogs. I tell you the things we do for love. haha

LAURA...congrats on the WL. Steady and sure wins the race. We have to jump through hoops here before we can get our health insurance, if we don't do them we have to pay and extra 25 bucks a paycheck for health insurance. Just wait til 2014 health reform. Keep in mind it states in the reform that the prez and govt (senate, house etc) are exempt, they do not have to abide by it. THey are fully covered at no cost to them. Easy for them to dictate health reform to the general public. Anyway....

HAPPY...the people at the shop do not know who they are messing with. Give them the ole one, two. Glad Nina is feeling better, hope it continues. I was thinking she might be dehydrated if she is not eating or drinking much but yet pooing and vomiting.

CHELLE....I firmly believe the the power of prayer and positive thoughts but get on with it. Maybe you are just supposed to go around reciting scripture. That is what Joel Osteen's mom said cured her cancer. I don't know. Whatever works.

CEEG...don't listen to other people. We all make our own happiness. You will be fine in MO.

SHADDIE...breath.

MELLIE...continuing to send good thoughts and prayers, miss you sister.

Hugs all.

Super quick post...

On the drive in today, my audiobook was much more about the medical information than quoting scripture. I definitely believe in the power of prayer and positive thinking....but Laura's right...I picked up this book for the medical information not spiritual information. Although I do understand in the benefits of stress-reduction as stress produces cortisol (a hormone that can result in increased belly fat)...which is why I listened to my favorite meditation CD last night. (Admittedly, I also listened to the CD because I was having trouble falling asleep and was still away at midnight.) :yawn:

I just feel like sharing something....I am totally, positively, and unabashedly happy! I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the endorphins because I've been exercising nearly every day. LOL My life is not 100% perfect...but it's going so well. I'm on track in most areas of my life and working toward my goals. I feel like my life is my own...and I choose to design and create a great life for myself. At first I thought I was just happy because I'm dating such a great guy....but now I realize...I'm just happy being ME! And after where I was at last year...it is so incredibly WONDERFUL to feel this way!! :dancer:

Much love and many hugs to all,

Sorry folks, no time and no update re Mel. Last night I came back to the motel and lay on the bed with my book and a cup of coffee. When I woke up the coffee was cold, the book on the floor and it was 11.00pm. I also missed dinner. Luckily I have a few supplies to tide me over. I went back to bed and didn't wake until 4.00 this morning. Two more classes. One today, one tomorrow then go home time. Oh yehaa.

Happy
There are a few more rolling hills in the area where I'm moving in a couple of years. But the weather is about the same. Glad Nina is feeling better. I'm with the rest hold your own at the store.

Annie and Michelle
Thanks for the vote of confidence on my moving in a couple of years.

Annie
Yes, I've heard that all those you mention had free health insurance. Maybe we should all run for senate.

Laura
Congrats on the 1.6 pounds lost. I'm still not doing the ab challenge but I told myself that I'm doing the Biggest Loser Power Sculpt DVD for 6 weeks. I've only done Jillian's and Kim's segment's, which equals to 30 minutes. Bob Harper loves squats and I'm not ready for hhis segment yet.

Shad
You were extremely tired last night.

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Yeah for my last work day for this week. I have been in the mood to discard some files and charts this week at work. Wish I could get rid of some old electronics in the file room.
Some one mention my neighbors that are always bugging me. They haven't bugged me for a ride since I've told them no. so yay on that.

Super quick check in to say I hope you're all doing well. Last night I did 20 minutes on the exercise bike followed by an hour of water aerobics.

Sending prayers and healing energy for our Mellie and for Nina.

Much love,

It's Thursday ladies - just in case you're like me and can't remember what day it is :lol:

Nina is a stinky gas bomb right now which is to be expected because we are switching her food over to the new prescription stuff (which she doesn't like BIG SURPRISE). I told her what Mom told me - when you get hungry enough, you'll eat it ;) although I do feel a bit sorry for her. I'm just glad I can open the windows and air the place out. Her sister won't come anywhere near her. I talked to Mom for a while last night. She is really living in her own little world more and more. She is all up in arms as she insisted on having a bone density test (she had the last one 3 years ago) and now she's smug because the doctor wants to discuss the results with her. She said "MY DAUGHTERS both told me I didn't need one and now the doctor wants to talk to me SO THERE. :snooty: Sis and I are like :rolleyes: I said well Mom what do you think he is going to say - that a miracle has happened and you have the bone mass of a neandrathal cave man now???? Of course he's going to say your bones are weaker - you are 86 soon to be 87 next month. Now you will just fret about your bones being weaker. I asked her if she spoke to the doctor about her hip hurting her. She was complaining about that for months and that's what precipitated the burning need to have another bone density test. She said no she didn't because it only started bothering her 2 days before she saw the doctor and she didn't see any need to mention it. When I said she's been complaining about the pain since she was here visiting in June she said I was confused and that she was talking about her knees instead :yikes: I also talked with my sister yesterday and we both decided there really is no point to us getting all wound up over something we can't do anything about. So we'll just monitor her to make sure she doesn't become a danger to herself.

My sister recommended a book she just finished reading called Coming Clean. It's a memoir about a girl whose father was a compulsive hoarder. I was able to borrow the book for free on my Kindle using my Prime Membership so I started reading it last night. It's an interesting book - but wow does it make you want to just dig in and clean up your own clutter :lol: I also realized that reading via the Kindle I don't have the typical squinting I've been having trying to read a paper book with my glasses.

Ceejay - good luck with the file clean up at work. You get more accomplished when you're in the mood to toss things. Have a nice long weekend - any special plans?

Shad - sounds like you were tuckered out a good one there. Hope you got some much needed rest and woke up ready to take on the world one more day!

Michelle - glad to hear that you are in a good place in your life. Just a pity that sometimes we have to go through some dark places to get to the sunshine and rainbows but I guess it also makes us appreciate the good times even more.

Annie - I know a lot of people are up in arms about Obamacare and I was HOPING against hope that it was going to save us some money but I think DH's former employer has found yet another way to screw the retirees. Doesn't look like we will be able to qualify for subsidized health care but I will know more when the open enrollment materials come in a couple of weeks. However I totally agree with everyone who is complaining that Congress enacted a bill that they themselves are exempted from. The perks and benefits that the lawmakers get are totally out of line with with the rest of us have to live with. And that's just wrong, wrong, wrong but I don't see how that's ever going to change even if we the voting public swore to vote the incumbants out unless they changed things. That was nice of you to make C what he wanted for dinner. Sometimes it's like that - use it as an opportunity to have what you might like and he doesn't for your selection.

Laura - thanks for the comments on the movie. The other one I am interested in is Gravity with Sandra Bullock and that man hoe George Clooney :lol: I'd even be willing to travel to Duluth to see that at an Imax theater. Congrats on the weight loss this week - good idea to substitute a lower calorie dinner to balance out the at work lunch you can't control. As for the mail order prescription plan - we had Medco for about 25 years since DH's company first introduced and then forced us to mail order and I have to say were were very happy with the pricing, information and customer service we had with them. I guess Medco got bought out by someone else who raised the prices and now we use Caremark. I only get one prescription by mail order so I don't have too much to say but DH has been totally frustrated with them. He said the have frequently sent him auto renewals of prescription he did not sign up for (as they were checking out various dosages and types of meds to stabilize his condition). We were stuck paying for stuff they sent us more than once and sometimes he didn't get the new prescription he sent in because they refused it saying it was a conflict of an existing prescription. I used to dread when he'd go to the doctor because he'd get all cranky when they'd refuse to fill a prescription for him and he'd be yelling on the phone as they don't have very good customer service either - probably based in some hut in a 3rd world country like that phone commercial where the guy in Siberia answers the phone "this is Peggy, how can I not help you redeem your rewards points". :lol: The most we got out of them was someone who was honest enough to say that like health insurance, the drug plans also have gold, silver, bronze and dirt plans - depending on how much your employer wants to underwrite, that depends on the level of service you get with the drug plan. So 2 people could use Caremark and have totally different experiences with it. :dizzy: :dizzy: This is the new normal. :headache:

I did stop at Walmart yesterday - the shopping isn't so bad but geez o Louise the checkout is just freaking insane. Not sure who's worse - the shoppers or the check out people. Most of them are really really slow - and DH was sitting in the car waiting for me so I was trying to hurry. I got into a line where I know the checker is really good and fast and wouldn't you know it, just before it was my turn to check out another person came to relieve her. I was in the checkout line for 40 minutes. However I did get some stuff so I could bake up / cook up the recipes to use up this abundance of tomatoes I have that are rapidly ripening. I still have some fresh produce to pick up which I prefer to get at the regular grocery store so I'll stop in town and see if my buddy rearranged my nice display at the thrift store just because I don't have enough drama in my life :lol: I will say hi to my buddy who is working this morning so at least I'll enjoy my visit.

Have a good Thursday everyone.

good going on the exercise Michelle! :yay:

I was going to call a friend this morning to find out that I had missed two phone calls from the main boss at work. My name was drawn for the monthly drug test. But I missed it. Don't think they are to concerned about me. However, I have started to a nerve med which will show up on a drug test but I don't care. It's on file at the doctor's at the doctor's office. My friend didn't answer the phone.
If the weather is pretty tomorrow I want to go to the boothill of MO and take some flowers to my grandmother's grave sight. And go in search of a small community that used to be known as Hollywood, MO. It was named that because of all the Holly bushes. My great aunt, grandmother's sister lived there.
This afternoon I need to mow the lawn. Thank goodness lawn care is drawing to a close.
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Michelle
You are doing really well with exercising. You and Laura are keepping me motivated.

Happy
I can't get in and out of Walmart in less than 40 minutes and I need to make a run out there somet time today. I'm begining to add in more solid foods. I miss my raw veggies.

Mel
Sending you healing vibes. Get well soon.

Annie and Laura:wave: Have a good day.

Morning all. Happy Thursday. My Friday!! Whoohoo!

Ceejay - I could certainly get rid of some files - I have a bunch of desk (aka "CYA") files that I haven't had to go back to and should really just toss. Enjoy your weekend! Good job on setting a goal to do the TBL workout dvd. :)

Shad - That early wake up call for your flight must have put you in major sleep deficit! Hope you've caught up on your zzz's!

Michelle - Glad your diabetes book is getting down to specifics for you. Speaking of books - I borrowed the book Following Atticus from the library. I've barely started it, but I think it'll be interesting. So happy to read that you're happy. :)

Annie - Yummm, beans & weenies. Gosh, now you have me wanting to go to the Costco concession stand for one of their big hot dogs! Ah yes, "jumping through hoops" is an appropriate way to describe the direction our medical insurance enrollment is going at work. Last year they offered $$ to just get a blood workup last fall and this fall. Now, this year's results will also include some kind of personalized health goal that must be achieved in 2014 in order to obtain a 2015 incentive. We'll see how this pans out. Yes, it's absof*ckinglutely ridiculous that the lawmakers putting things like Obamacare in place do not have to live with it. :mad:

Happy - Hope Nina comes around with the food. But if that's all she's getting...she'll get hungry and eat it. LOL re her sis not wanting to be near her. :lol: How frustrating with your mom. Dare I say that at least your mom mentions these medical matters to you and your sis? My mom doesn't want to be the bearer of any bad news, hence my finding out about an ER visit/heart attack 3 days later!! I read a blurb about that book Coming Clean, and I though it sounded interesting. Maybe I'll recommend it to my mom as well...thankfully she's not what I'd consider a hoarder and is cognizant of having to get rid of a lot of stuff in preparation for a downsizing down the road, but like you said, just reading it will motivate just about anyone to open a closet and start digging around. ;) Yes, Gravity interests me too, and the director did the movie "Children of Men", which I also liked. OMG, can't imagine waiting in a 40 min. checkout lane!! What a busy place, and it was a weekday!?!? Let us know how your display at the shop fared...

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Nothing much to report. Barre class was good last night. We actually spent substantial time at the barre in class, and it felt very ballet to me because we were putting together different moves. My legs really felt it - there is a lot of toe pointing, foot flexing, etc. Just holding up your arms and contracting the legs and bum make for a good workout. This was on top of my abs challenge. Nine days left of the challenge, two of which are rest days. I have to remember to bring my challenge sheet along with me on my trip.

Having done nothing this week to prep for my trip, I will be doing all that tonight. In about 20 min. I can do an online check-in for my flight, so I'll do that. Not that there's any great seats on this dinky airplane...

Okay going to get this posted before any more interruptions...dang work gets in the way of my private life.

Michelle - Good job with the exercise!!

Ceejay - Enjoy your day out and about in the bootheel!!

Safe travels and have a really good visit with your Mum Laura!

Happy Friday..Yeah!

Sissy and lil man came over for dinner last night. I made tater tot casserole. Wasn't the best job I have ever done on dinner but they ate it anyway. Curtis and SIssy had the rest of the apple pie I made on Monday night.

Tomorrow I am going with Sis and family to the James Dean Car show in Gas City, Indiana. The Ducktail Run. It is one of the biggest car shows in Indiana with over 3000 cars in attendance. It is in the park at Gas City. Lil man is so fasinated with cars and wheels, he will be so excited. First we are going to Ainsley's volleyball game.

Sunday we are going up to Curtis' parent's house to celebrate Cs birthday. He will be 51 on Monday. 9/30. I am sure they are going to have their lil hot dog cook out thing. Bleh. Nasty. I may take something else up for me. I am sure not to starve if I don't eat tho. haha

LAURA...have fun with your momma. Make great memories while you are with her. Safe travels.

HAPPY...poor Nina. I can't wait till your bd, I have the bestest card for you. A gal here at work had to put her 19 year old cat, Mr. Thumbs down yesterday. She is sad today here at work. Mr. Thumbs had two thumbs on each of his front paws. I hear ya on the Obamacare. It is so frustrating for everyone.

CHELLE...great job on the exercise and I am so happy that you are adjusting so well to your life and happy about it. Kudos to you!!

CEEG...Holly is one of my favorists thing and just love Holly bushes. Let me know when you get back if it is still as gorgeous as it was, I may make a trip there myself.

SHADDIE...how you liking the new car?

MELLIE...get well sister, we all miss you! Hugs.

That's about it for me...have a great Friday/weekend in case I don't get back.

Hugs

Morning all. At the airport, couple min. Away from boarding. Thanks Annie & Happy. Plsn to have a great time kicking back & celebrating mom's 80th. :)

Morning.
I'm loving the cool day's of fall so far. Yes it's been in the 80's but no humidity.
I'm going to a luncheon today to send off a co-worker who is retiring. He was 62 in august. Sigh wish this were me.


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Annie
I didn't get to go to Hollywood yesterday. I'm thinking it's mostly farm land now.

Shad
Try to get some rest.

Laura
Have a safe trip to Mo. Is it this week end? I keep my CYA files in my locker and believe me they have come in handy. I had to look up to see how far back that I could discard some things. The Arkansas Dept of Health regulations says 3 years.on all things. Not sure what the other agencies say so I'm waiting for the friend boss to tell me.

Michelle, Happy, and Shad. :Wave:

Morning all,

Happy Friday to yahs. Supposed to get to a high of 80 degrees today - whew! and then the rains will move in and it will drop like a rock and be cold and wet in the 60's tomorrow for the Fall Festival. :(

Went to the shop yesterday and sure enough, the psycho nut case took apart my staged counter and moved her stuff (that no one is buying) back and did things how she wanted them. So I just moved it all back again. ;) She has 1/3 of the store space for her stuff and yet she encroaches on the rest of the shop area as she pleases. Well sorry sister but "your" area only brings in about 5 percent of the overall sales, particularly now as things slow down. I had a talk with my partner about how I was feeling over the whole situation - still haven't decided what I am going to do yet. Said maybe God put me in this situation to learn a lesson I refuse to learn :lol: Afterwards I went to the grocery store and picked up a lot of fresh groceries - it's been a while since I went shopping other than to pick up a few things as I needed them. Got a bag of apples - going to try to make some homemade applesauce - one of the ladies at the store said it was really easy to make and I used to love the homemade apple sauce from one of the orchards in TN. I also will be cooking up the tomato recipes I set aside last week. Figures that I'll wait until it's 80 degrees outside to turn the oven on and bake! Hopefully the rain will hold off tomorrow and we can go to the Fall Fest :crossed: Outside of that not much in the way of plans. Nina is holding her own so far but I think her bottom is getting sore although her stomach issues have subsided a bit.

Laura - hope you found a nice show to treat your Mom. Again, have a nice time. I smiled when you said Mom was going through some of her things to pare down her possessions - my Mom said she is doing the same - sure would help us kids out a lot if they really did do that! And yes, sadly a 40 minute wait in the checkout line is typical at our Walmart. Maybe only 20 minutes in the dead of winter and upwards of an hour at the height of summer when the seasonal crowds are all doing their shopping. They make fun of the "people of Walmart" but honestly, it's a whole different crew there at the store - shoppers and worker bees. It's amusing if you aren't in a hurry but if you are, it can get frustrating so I don't shop there much and if I do I try to do it later in the evening if I can. Sounds like you are getting some great stretches and flexibility from your barre class. What a neat idea for exercise!

Ceejay - hope you had a nice luncheon for the coworker. Don't worry - your time will come soon - each day will drag out like a month but when you look over time as a whole it really flies by. We are 3/4 through this year already as an example. Enjoy the nice weather - it gets so pretty once the humidity and bugs move out. You are still a long way away from autumn though.

Annie - C is 4 days older than my sister! Which reminds me that I need to send her birthday card off in the mail. :o Hope you have a nice birthday get together. I'm with you - if you don't like hot dogs then bring a dish of something you like - extra food always appreciated and no one has to know ;) Wow - that is one humongous car show! I'm sure Lil Man will be in his glory - what is it with little boys and cars :lol: I'm sure you will all be tuckered out by the end of the day. How sad for your co-worker although I do love the name Mr. Thumbs. DH said in the B.H. (before Happy) days he had a double pawed cat that he really loved. Most of us will say that losing our pets is one of the most gut wrenching things. For me it's so hard to play God and decide that something is going to die, even though technically they go to sleep rather than suffer a traumatic and painful death. And with someone as young as Nina, we are never sure if there is no hope or will they bounce back if you find the right combination of things...

Shad - hope you got some rest and are full of pep for the upcoming weekend.

Love to you Mel :hug:

Still plugging away on the code Michelle? :comp: Hope everything snaps into place before the end of the day so you can go home and enjoy the weekend.

Catch up with you later chicks.

Laura - Wishing you a wonderful trip and sending happy birthday wishes to your mom!

Ceejay - Good for you on keeping a CYA file. Enjoy your luncheon!

Mellie - Sending you lots of healing energy and hugs.

Annie - Sounds like a wonderful family oriented and fun filled weekend!! Enjoy, sista! And Happy Birthday to C!! He's 21 days younger than me! He's got the best present in the world...your love! :love:

Happy - Our parents certainly can become challenging as they age. I hope we don't get like that. :rofl: Is Nina continuing to improve? I hope she's not being as finicky about the prescription food.

Shad - I hope you're getting some rest this weekend.

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I took a break from exercise yesterday so that I could do the conference call for my online writing workshop. Today, it'll be back to the gym to ride the recumbent bike.

I'm getting together with some friends tomorrow evening to play cards...and the rest of the weekend will be spent cleaning, doing laundry, going to the dog park, and writing. :)

Much love and many hugs to all,