Oh Good Lord.....now Jacob has the stomach flu. Sam called crying this morning that she was already at the doctor at 7 am with him. Doc prescribed a supository for him to stop the vomiting. She is tired and worn out from being sick and being up with the babe all night puking. I am taking a half day PTO this afternoon to go take care of them. Pray I don't get it. Pool lil guy just got over strep throat and his immune system was probably already compromised. Poor lil stinker.

Went to Kiwanas meeting last night with my brother. Think I am going to join. It is such a great group of people and they do so many great things for children. Plus it will give me something to do in the volunteering field, which is what I like to do.

HAPPY....wonderful to hear DHs surgery went well. So you have a pirate with a patch to deal with, could be interesting. lol. I saw that about Captain and Tennelle also. THey are not the first couple I have heard of to divorce to get around the BS the government is pushing on us. It is awful. Dad kind of had to switch up some stuff when mom was in the rehab home too.

CHELLE...glad you got some better sleep. I always look forward to the weekend sleep but it never seems to come to me. bleh. Yes once the fluids got in Sissy's system the pre-term labor stopped. She is doing much better however very tired and worn out from that and taking care of lil man.

LAURA....for some reason I thought you had a loss on MFP. I must of read it wrong but anyway that was not too bad of a gain. These stinkin holidays and get togethers just seem to steer us down the wrong lane. So far so good for me the past couple of weeks. I took a look at your bathing suit, what a pretty color. I like it. My thoughts on white pants or shorts...yes they get dirty but also make my arse look huger! lol

Hello the all ya'll...Hugs!

Morning all. My lower half is still cold from the commute today. I've also walked from home to the train station the past two days instead of getting dropped off by bf. Glad to be getting a little more walking in my day, but the rest of it sucks.

Annie - Terrible that little J now has the flu. :( And poor S. - just getting over her bug and now dealing with this! Good woman you are going to help out. S. has the best momma one could ask for! :yes: Nice to consider joining the Kiwanis. Volunteer work is so rewarding for all involved. I don't, however, enjoy the asking for money part, which is the part I don't like about the Relay for Life event I participate in yearly. There's a kickoff meeting next week and I'm debating if I will attend that. I do plan to do the event again, and as usual, I have good intentions for trying harder to raise money for our team. Re my weight on MFP - I think my starting weight there was right after the holidays, when I first started tracking again, so my weight was higher than my WW weights from the past 2 weeks.

Happy - Glad DH's surgery went well, and nice that the doc was reachable!! There's no doubt we'll be getting Coal a new bed, pricey or not. He's our baby and needs and deserves it and why stop the spoiling now?? :D Gosh, hadn't heard that re the Capt. & Tennile (sp??). Very sad state of affairs when it comes down to experiencing financial ruin in order to get the medical care you need.

Michelle - Thanks for the reminder re the NSV's. In our WW meeting this week, we discussed how we deal with the hard times in our weight loss journey, and part of it is our recognizing our NSV's and keeping in mind our progress to date. Feeling less tired by now?

Ceejay - Where you been? Must be busy with the training...Enjoy your day off, hope the doctor appointment goes well and that your gut is feeling better by now. Does your work schedule alternate two and three day weekends??

Hellos to Shad & Susie!!

--
Did my challenges yesterday. I reverted back to doing the ab challenge as per the schedule - i.e., doing the situps as well as the crunches and leg raises and plank. I think psychologically, it helps to be splitting the reps across the three different exercises vs. just two now that the reps are higher. I'm on day 18 now I believe.

Otherwise, I didn't do much at all last night except watch tv & go through the mail. Our cable tv/internet bill went up substantially, so bf got on the phone and ended up getting it reduced by $30/mo. for the next 12 mos. - which makes it lower than it was even before the increase. Yay for that. And it makes up for the increase in our cell phone bill. Last week we went to a plan that now has unlimited texting and doubles the combined total of our previously individual data plans and makes it shared, which will work much better for us.

Bf and I also listed a dozen dinners we like in an attempt to get ourselves better with meal planning and the related grocery shopping. One of the dinners listed is actually not a specific recipe, but choosing a new recipe to try. Annie - two recipes you shared are on our list - the pasta with mushrooms and mascarpone in the sauce, as well as the easy beef stroganoff recipe. :)

I was reading a several weeks old Sunday Parade magazine article about the 90 year old Olga who's a masters track & field champ. Amazing. What I like is that studies show physical exercise/activity will also keep your mind sharp. I'm not against doing bainteasers, puzzles, etc, but I like that something I need to be doing for my body is also helping my brain. :)

Gotta run, earnings call to listen to. TTFN.

Happy Hump Day ladies,

No time for personals today. Yesterday, I got an order confirmation email from HP regarding two orders purchased with my Bill Me Later account (which is a credit card company but you don't really get a physical credit card). I never placed those orders, so I immediately called HP and told them they were fraudulent orders and to stop the shipment (not sure if I caught it in time). I also called Bill Me Later and told them they were fraudulent orders and to not pay them and to close my account. They said they would.

Today, I checked my Bill Me Later account and learned that the orders were charged to my account, so I called again. They are forwarding to their investigative services team and they will reverse the charges. I also confirmed that my account is closed. I am in the process of closing my other credit cards and bank accounts. Then I have to re-open them and get all my automatic payments (like for my storage) to point to the new account. :faint: What a PITA!! :tantrum: At least I caught this right away.

D was home last night, so we had a nice relaxing evening watching TV. I think he'll be home tonight too. Tomorrow is the poker game (and my friend who has cancer is counting on me to drive him).

Then on Saturday and Sunday, I'll be taking Santa to the dog park, and also hopefully getting together with some other writers at events called "Shut Up and Write", which are essentially people getting together at a coffee shop or someone's house with laptops or pen/paper and writing for anywhere from 1-4 hours. For me, I think it's just good to have this event on the calendar so I have an appointment for writing. Next week, I'm going to add back in appointments for exercising now that my lungs are doing a little better.

Much love to all,

Morning all,
Quick post and I have been missing a couple of days I know. The office is moving this weekend and true to form, most of the bodies have disappeared for the weekend and the bulk of the work is left for the stayers.
My stuff is all packed and ready to go although the computer has to stay until 4.00pm this afternoon.
I wonder why it is that every project I have ever been on feels the need to shift the staff from one place to another and sometimes back again. Perhaps they think that we might get too fond of our desk and personal space! Wrong. I am always ready to move on. Sometimes more than others.

Annie - I am sorry to hear that wee J is sick again. Poor little mite. Hope he gets over this one quickly.

Happy - also glad to know that DH has come through the eye op successfully. Had a bit of a laugh at the doctor and his summing up of the problems of DH
There used to be a standing joke in offices about not being allowed to go to hospital to get rid of any bits or add any bits because we employed you as you are - any alterations will not be tolerated.

Okay better go and appease this bloody Frenchman and fix his bloody problem.

Afternoon all
Went to work Monday and the boss man announced that we have a new maintenance man. That I would be training him to operate the water plant. That's logical. He needs to start from the ground up so to speak. He has a class three waste water license. He's smart as a tack too. I think he could have been turned loose to run the water plant after his first day. I enjoyed having him around. All I had to do was tell him once and he remembered. Of course we have a notes for him to assure himself. Tuesday T had us to run the plant on hand and operate the filters in hand. I fussed about that one. But together we accomplished the task of operating the filters in manual. I wrote out the instructions for the others. I actually had him to proof read it and he added a couple of things in detail that I had left out.
Went to the doctor for lab test and my side that's still hurting. I told him that when I was there last that he called it diverticulum. He said if it was your appendix it would have burst by now. He's calling it diverticulitis which is what I suspected. and gave me antibiotics for that. He also refilled my prescriptions except for thyroid, meds. He's waiting for blood test for thyroid.

Annie
I agree that Sam did the right thing by going to the E.R. I hate to see a little one sick. You are a good mom and Nanna. The Kiwanis club is know for there good deeds.

Happy
So you have a "pirate" for a dh now!! Glad the eye surgery went well. Have you been driving the new car?

Susie
I forget about the BL being on this time of the year. Glad your dh is doing well.

Michelle
I need to start paying more attention to those type of purchase myself.
Glad you are feeling better

Laura
Good for you in getting your dog a new bed.

TGIF, I cannot express that one enough.

I think lil man is finally out of the woods as is Sissy. Sis has a doc appt this morning. (Her reg check up for preggers). Man what a week this has been. Usually when I leave I say to them call me if you need anything, last night I said don't call me. hahahah

SHADDIE....maybe these businesses plan moves for when you are there. lol

CHELLE....I hate to burst your bubble, but yesterday was not hump day and today is Friday. You totally missed a day this week. lol Glad you are feeling better.

LAURA...good for you on doing your challenges. We were -5 this morning with Godbillion below windchill. Stay warm. I am not going out this weekend as we are in tow for 2-4" on Saturday and 2-4" on Sunday...ok...I very much dislike cold and snow. I have a lot of yummy recipes, if you want a copy of my "book" I made for each of the kids. lol

Hello's to everyone!!

Hugs

Annie
I came in to check on you as I heard about the pile up on 94. Don't know if that's near you or not. I know you will need some rest this week end.

Nothing new since yesterday. I've started the antibiotics and am feeling much better. Still mentally tired from the three day training session with our newest employee. Some thing tells me he will not be here long. He thinks this is a gravy train job but this is not all of what he will be doing.
I had a weight gain yesterday but I'm not fretting over it.
It's a cold morning a 8 degree's. Took the garbage out to the curb and ran back inside.
Everyone have a good day. And stay warm.

Morning all. TGIF!!

Annie - Glad Sissy and the li'l man are feeling better. Yeh, really windy and horrible today - might be the worst of the week. Famous last words, lol. I know from all your posts that you have a ton of great recipes!! I think that should be a weekly feature in your posts here! :) It almost is already since you share your recipes with us frequently. We had the rigatoni with mushrooms with the mascarpone/wine sauce - soooo tasty.

Ceejay - Nice you've got another sharp competent employee on staff. Do you think he's overqualified for his current position? Glad the doc appointment went well. I'm gonna have to look up the difference between diverticulitis and diverticulosis someday.

Shad - Hope the move goes smoothly. I guess you'll find out on Monday...So you'll be closer to your apartment now? That'll be convenient. Did the Frenchman's problem get solved, or is he even bloodier now?? ;)

Michelle - Oh jeez, I hope everything is fixed now and there's no more unauthorized charges to any of your accounts. Scary what's happening with all this credit card thievery! :yikes: I've been trying to keep an eye on my account activity. Reminds me, I probably should let my cc company know I'll be using my card out of the usual spots while on the cruise so they don't think I'm a thief. Your writing event sounds good - forces people to set aside time to write. Let us know if anyone actually says "Shut up and write!" :lol:

Hellos to Susie & Happy. Hope you're both keeping warm. :sunny:
==
Nuttin' much to report. Good earnings report yesterday. Hope it bodes well for our bonuses next month!!

I did my challenges last night. I will be on day 27 the day I leave town. Dunno if I will be completing the last four days of this challenge on my vacation. If i do, I can feel very self-righteous, lol, and will hope it offsets some of the overindulging I might engage in. Oh, my cabinmate has told me she wants to walk the ship, so I'm glad we'll be getting some physical activity.

Sooo looking forward to this cruise, but of course starting to worry about the work I'm trying to finish beforehand and what will pile up while I'm gone...

That said, back to it. :comp: Everyone have a good day today!
:beach:

Shazbot :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

My computer is going bonkers today. Was about to finish a long post of personals and IE showed a problem, froze and I couldn't grab what I typed. I have to get ready for my shift at the thrift shop so no time to retype.

DH's surgery went very well - doc is pleased with his eye. We are both glad.

I will have to catch up later. Have a good weekend everyone - stay warm and safe with all the snow, ice and cold.

Morning ladies -

TGIF! And thank you, Annie, for letting me know I missed a day. I'm so happy it's Friday! D was home yesterday evening, which was nice.

I heard on the news this morning that the only areas not having record low temps are CA and the Southwest, but we're not getting much needed rain. Still, I hope y'all are staying warm and that you're not out on the roads when they're all snowy and icy.

=========================
Annie - I'm so glad that both Samantha and Jacob are doing better. Hopefully this weekend will allow them (and you) to get some much needed rest. I hope her doctor appt goes well. So nice that you're thinking of joining Kiwanis. I was a member of the Moose lodge in WI. I would definitely be interested in your recipe book.

Happy - I'm glad your DH's eye surgery went well. So nice of the doc to give his home number. It sucks when you lose a long post. I pretty much ALWAYS type my post in Notepad. That way, I can read all your posts, and make comments, and then just copy and paste when I'm done. Have a good day at the Thrift shop.

Laura - In this bitter cold, I give you props for walking to and from the train station on both ends of your commute. Just make sure you're dressed warm enough. Good for you and bf getting new cable and cell phone plans. Good on ya' for coming up with dinners you like to do better meal planning. I really need to do that. I, too, have read that physical activity helps keep the mind sharp...so it's good for the heart, bones and brain! I'll let you know how the "Shut Up and Write" sessions go. :D As for my accounts, I think everything is taken care of. If I were you, I would definitely let your credit card company know you'll be using the card out of town. I did that when I moved from WI to here, and the credit card company (which is also the bank for my checking account) not only appreciated it but also increased the daily spending limit on my debit card just in case. Could you please remind me where you are cruising to? My CRS is acting up again. Walking the ship is an excellent idea...especially taking the stairs rather than the elevator. I've heard many stories about people who have LOST weight while on cruises despite indulging in all the lovely food, just because they walked EVERYWHERE.

Shad - I hope you don't have to pack up everyone else's crap for the move. Good that you got your own stuff squared away.

Ceejay - Good for you for getting this guy trained. Yes, training can be exhausting (for both the trainer and trainee). I'm glad your abdominal pain was not your appendix and that the antibiotics are helping.

Much love to all,

CEEG...thank you for your concern. 94 is way northern Indiana near Chicago. Indy is smack in the middle of the state. We are safe. Training someone is brutal, glad you are done with that.

LAURA...Hope your cruise goes good and you get your walks in, if you walk the entire ship around that will be very good exercise. Praying for no sickness or shipwrecking when you go. YIKES! I will try to share more recipes in my posts.

CHELLE...I will gladly send one of my cheap lil cookbooks that I put together. They are so funny, my kids actually asked for me to do that for a Christmas present last year. Good on ya for scheduling in your exercising and glad the lungs are feeling better! YAH!!

HAPPY...bummer on the post, I don't do that very often but when I do it just tees me off that I don't post till the next day. Stay warm at the thrift shop. Sending Sassy's kisses and snuggles.

Sissy's appt went very well. Her BP was 120/75, which was very very good. If it starts rising that is a sign of preeclampsia. So far none of that is going on!! Her belly from pubic to the top of her womb is 32" she was 29 two weeks ago, that is how much the baby has grown.

Lil man has a slight fever and his nose is now running with a slight cough. Sam started his breathing treatments last nite to head this off at the pass. No more from either end of his body which is great.

Have a marvy weekend all in case I do not get back in.

Hugs.

Hi ya Susie....Hope you are having a great day and hubby is doing well...Hugs

Annie - It would be awesome to have one of your cookbooks. Thanks! If you have them electronically, you can just email them to me. Whatever is easier for you, sista. I'm so glad to hear that Samantha is doing so well!!! When is she due....yes, I know...CRS. :rofl:

CHELLE....too funny...Sam's C-section is March 12, Chris's Birthday!! Fun fun...just 6.5 more weeks and Royce Michael will be here!!

Good morning all,

It's deceptively lovely looking out there - bright and sunny but really COLD. We are about to enter the deep freeze again. Brrr. Hating it already. But ... nothing I can do about it except be grateful that I don't live outside. :lol:

Annie I'd ask for one of your cookbooks but only if I can modify the spices. A lot of your stuff sounds delicious but you like spicy stuff way more than I do. I was relieved to see that the accident was no where near your area - I immediately thought of you when I heard about it. I know it scared my sister when she saw the pictures. We had sort of white out conditions with blowing snow up here the day DH had surgery and I was really frightened - what I winter this has been. Have you just adjusted to the fact that Sassy won't go outside until the spring? Wish they made some sort of indoor grass mat thing to substitute. A lot of people are saying they are having issues with their dogs - more for the extreme cold than the snow itself. I wonder how they are exercising the dogs at the Shelter. I hope Sissy can hold the baby until her due date :crossed: would be nice to not have to deal with those worries. Glad to hear she is doing well. I think it's great that you are considering volunteering. Just try not to let them suck you into a full time volunteering stint - they are good at that ;)

Michelle - thanks for the email about the winters - that was funny and at this point very true :rofl: Hope you had a nice night at the poker game yesterday. I think I'd take the cold over a water shortage, one of the things that is scary to me out west is the wildfire dangers as well as the water conservation habits that we are not used to although with the septic system I am far more mindful than when we had city sewers and water. I hope you are getting over your cold and your lungs are feeling better.

Laura - stay warm - I hear it's been pretty brutal out your way with blowing snow and wind chills. My sister was grateful to find a small pocket between storms so that she could take my Mom grocery shopping and get her back home before things got ugly again. It's cold here but I think you have a lot more wind than we do which probably makes it worse out your way. Good for you for sticking with your challenge exercises. I'll say you deserve a good cheer and pat on the back if you complete them when you are on vacation! I do hate the rush of things and it's accompanying tension when you are trying to get everything done before you leave. Make lists, do the important stuff and know that no matter how hard to you try, some things might NOT get done. How nice to have a warm get away to look forward to with this weather.

Hi Ceejay - are you doing better today? Yes, I did drive the new car but DH has been doing most of the driving. He is not keen on leaving it parked in town when I am at the shop - we have a lot of crazy out of towners who drive goofy so he'd rather drop me off and pick me up instead of risking an accident. We are still getting used to the new stuff in the car. I see it's cold down by you too - hope you are just getting cold air and not ice too.

Shad - I remember that joke about being hired with all parts intact and one was not allowed to come back to work minus things or "in an altered state". :lol: I certainly hope that as one of the hangers on, that you did not get stuff doing most of the shifting from the move. "Not only pretty but tough and strong too so we'll let Shad handle the move since she can't teach if we're busy shifting about... "


DH seems to be doing fine with his new eye. I suggested that he take a photography course online to learn some new image adjusting techniques to go with his new camera. He said he is learning new things which is good. I need to get back to my art class I started - I am 2 lessons behind with this crazy week just past. I also have 3 library books I need to read as they are due back a week from this coming Monday. Seems like the days just fly by lately. I picked up a couple of magazines which some new recipes in them, going to look for something to make this week. I am bumping the limits on salt and sugar on MFP, need to do some tweaking. Of course part of the problem is eating out or processed foods. We had a delicious dinner at the Mexican restaurant yesterday - grilled shrimp fajita type of dinner. I plugged it into MFP as best I could. I have to avoid salt the next 2 days so I can show a loss come Monday weigh in. Anyway I am babbling, should get the laundry started and haul out the vacumn while the cats are upstairs. Have a good weekend everyone. Stay warm if you're on this side of the pond.

Hi Susie - keep us posted on how DH is doing.