Morning all.

Terra - Great you were able to get the shoes you need for much less cost than you thought. Will you use these for walking? I hope they are comfortable and work out great for you. If you have time to kill, maybe you can do some walking around at school...

Susie - I now have Office 2013 and it has OneNote, but we haven't done anything with it. How is OneNote different than taking notes in Word and saving them to SharePoint? Can it somehow consolidate the notes of everyone into one document? Since this is a tool many people you work with will use, it's great you arranged a training session for your quarterly meeting. Wow, long workdays for you this week! Hope it eases up a bit today/tomorrow. Or you can at least catch up today working at home. Congrats to your friend on her retirement. I got another AARP membership offer in the mail yesterday - very annoying. I'm not a Retired Person and won't be for a long, long time! Hope PT goes well and same for your weigh-in!

Shad - That mango/avocado salsa on your chicken looks delish! Had to look up verjuice though...

Ceejay - Happy weekend to you! I'm talking Monday off, just because I want a day off - and I do have carryover vacation days from last year that I need to use up. I should plan something so I won't just have it fly by in the blink of an eye with nothing to show for it.

Annie - Your brother had rotten luck having the aggressive form of cancer instead of the easily treatable one. Thankfully it's in control right now. Boo on WF not kicking in to the HSA. Your balance is important, better work on it girlie! Good S &C are getting on the same page with the parenting - they need to be a united front for A. and her mom.

Hellos to the rest of you Worldlies!!

==
So glad the weekend is coming. I'm in a slump this week for some reason.

**
I'm back. Always interesting dealing with our attorneys.

I don't think I had anything else to report. Last night was a rest day for the pushup challenge. All I did was the arms section of my new Pilates dvd. Once again very short, and moved very quick. I have two more sections to try out - hips and legs I think. I might also do those separately the first time around, but in the future I can see doing 2 or more of these sections together, or adding them onto another workout.

Tonight I'm going to a class at the recplex. It'll either be Tighter Assets or Circuit.

Okay, back to the fun!

We got our W2 forms this week and I am going this afternoon to get my taxes done. I looked online yesterday for an insurance with lesser deductible. To many unwanted phone calls. Felt like I was being stalked.
Found out earlier this week that my niece is pregnant and due around my birthday. I'm really happy for her as this is her first and she is 35+ but she is a planner. just don't say anything about it on FB
Need to mail a package to my sister.

Susie
I've got one note on my tablet. Think I might get in there and look around. After I get home at night I'm ready to settle down, but almost feel guilty for not doing my exercise.

Terra
Going to look around on you tube for some new exercise video's.

Back later.

Laura
You were typing above my head. I forgot about the push ups but will be doing those in sets of 10 also. Don't want to completely stop them cause I am beginning to see some definition.

Shad
I'm glad your chicken was poached. I was beginning to think that it was raw. I saw some mangos last week at the grocery store. Think I'll get some this week. I want something different.

Morning all,

Well there are a few minutes left to call it morning.

Yoga class was good yesterday. She did a class that was more about "pulling out the kinks", stretching and such. I liked it because in the morning I have taken to spending the first 15 minutes or so upon awakening doing stretches and moves that "lubricate" the joints. I think it is helping. I was thinking yesterday about the whole exercise and weight loss thing - we have to get it in our heads right before we can make progress. For example - my new mantra of "do something hard today" has really carried me a lot in the last several weeks when I've been doing something that I would rather give up on. I just say those words to myself and it gives me that little bit extra ommph to power through the task. I was thinking yesterday that weight loss is a bit like snow shoveling. It snows outside - just a few inches - one or two. Not much so you say to yourself, I'll get to it later. And you don't deal with it. Then it snows again a few days later. Maybe 3 inches this time. You're busy and you don't deal with it. Next thing you know you've got 12 inches to shovel, the snow has been packed down and frozen and cleaning up in an incredibly hard and tedious task. If you had dealt with it each time it snowed, it would not be easy but certainly not as difficult as it was when you finally decided to tackle the job. This made sense in my head - the scale goes up a little bit, get frustrated but deal with it later and then by the time you decide to do something about it - it's a really labor intensive effort and easy to give up on. So the result is that now you're going to have to work all that much harder to get things rolling. It will eventually get better but it's going to be mighty tough for a while. This applies to food as well as exercise. I have to work really hard and be really strict with the food. Things that worked in the past simply don't work any more. Those pounds are stuck with super glue. And the exercise is hard because I have gotten weak. I see the folly of my ways and I am determined to turn things around this year. I also finally got my Passion Planner organizer and calendar. This young girl in California developed this as a Kickstarter project. It went viral thanks to Facebook and she got thousands and thousands of orders. Went from shipping about 6 a day to 1500 to 3,000 a day. It's a large 8 x 10 calendar such that you might use for work with squares for each of the 7 days a week. The added benefit is that you outline some specific goals for yourself and how you will incorporate meeting them and work those into the calendar as reminders of daily and weekly tasks. As the month wraps up, you review your progress and either make tweaks or kick yourself in the butt. Looks very interesting, I will work on my roadmap today. I ordered the calendar back on November 15 - took until yesterday to get it.

Susie - thank you for the information on One Note - I do indeed have it and never noticed it before. It looks like a very interesting program. I'm sure it would be beneficial in the team / office environment. How nice that you got the team of 3 guys in to teach the class. I think training is wayyyyy more effective when you have power users who know the ins and outs of the products and how to use them in your own environment teach the classes. P&G is lucky to have you!!! Good luck at your weigh in tonight. People at WW said the same thing about having a big loss one week and a meh weigh in the next week. They said the most important thing was not to let it mess with your head and if after reviewing the week, if you were on track, just keep doing the stuff that keeps you on track.

Ceejay - I think it's great that you are setting some do-able goals for your exercise. Even better that you see results because that is very motivating. As for the mangos if I might mention - if you are not familiar with dealing with them - they can be hard to work with - if not ripe enough they will be impossible to cut away from the center seed and if too ripe they tend to be mushy. It's an art like cutting an avocado. I much prefer the mango slices in the glass jars (forgot what brand) but they are over in the cold packaged greens case at the grocery by the salad dressings and chilled fruits. I have come to love the pop of sweetness the mangos give to salsas and salads. They keep well in the jars (shaped like long pickle spears) - you only need a few to add to your dishes and the jar will last for 3 to 4 dishes. I think they are also packed in a light liquid so it saves on calories.

Laura part of the AARP name is retired persons but they target anyone 50 and over. There are some discounts if you travel and I really like their newspaper - it gives good advice about finances, nutrition and does interviews with people of our generation. I think their biggest push however has to do with gathering people together to insure there is legislation that protects the baby boomers. Hope you find your way out of the slump. February is right around the corner and I always hated that month - by then I was tired of being cold, continuous grey days and dirty snow. I missed fresh air and sunshine. It's too bad you and BF can't take a long weekend to someplace warmer just to recharge the batteries.

Annie - sorry you lost your post. So frustrating!!! I'm glad S&C mended their differences. It used to be that it was the ex-wife that caused all the troubles - now adding that to the new blended families today and it makes for some tense moments. I see it a lot up here - even with people whose kids are adults now. Yikes I also have heard about a lot of people who had problems with kids when they visited the ex - discipline issues either due to parenting styles or guilt maybe? Life is so complicated now.

Terra - yay on scoring a good price with the shoes! Nice picture of you and Clyde.

Shad - another good looking dinner plate. I'm sure in part because it is so colorful. What are you doing when you are working from home - putting together new training materials?

Hello to the rest of the Worldies - I need to get a move on here. Thinking of working on that basement pantry that is calling my name.

Don't know if any of you came to know Jiffypop from the weight loss surgery forums but I saw a note today that she passed away quietly in her sleep.

Happy - Thanks for passing along the news about Jiffypop. I didn't know her well, but she was kind enough to answer several questions I had before my surgery. She seemed like a very sweet and caring woman.

Evening all,

Happy, I remember the name jiffypop. She must have been around since the early days I think. So sorry to hear that she has passed away.

My food for the day. Better get that done first while I think of other things to talk about.



I've been hanging out for a bit of steak. While I enjoyed it, I think I over cooked it a bit. Guess that is what happens when you try to do too many things at once. The rest is lettuce with the corn from the garden that I froze and a saffron and honey dressing. The spud has Greek yoghurt on it and the salsa tonight was avocado, red onion and cherries. Not quite as good as with mango, but it was tasty enough. Nearly done with all the fruit I bought during the week now.

Last day of working from home. It's been good, but it will be good to get back to the office since every so often the computer decides to have a hissy fit. Goes so slow you forget where you are up to and it can't seem to open some things - or close others. The secret I discovered is to shut down every so often so it doesn't get confused.

Susie = I have Onenote on my computer. Guess I ought to go have a look at it. Might have to be late at night tho'. Too much else tyo do at the moment.
No I am not working from home all the time. Occasionally perhaps - even maybe one day a week. But it's not feasible all the time. I need to be able to go and annoy the SME's (Subject Matter Experts) from time to time. And then I also need to harass my co-worker who needs a good clip upside the head.
Good luck with TOPS tonight.

Terra - always good to get a bit of a bargain. Sure could have been expensive shoes.

Laura - hope you get out of the slump quickly. Not like you to be down. Maybe it's all the white stuff. Hope you got tighter assets out of your class.

Ceejay - good luck with the taxes. Bloody things. Mango are easy to deal with, just make sure you cut down the side of the pit (seed) parallel to the line you can see from the stem. Look it up on google. Shows picture. Best way to eat the juicy ones is when one is naked in the bath.

Happy - some philosophical thinking there. But the analogy works.
Yep I am writing training materials. And trying to deal with a fellow trainer who is doing some of the simulations for me. he can not take directions. Arrrgggghh. I may end up swinging either at him or for him yet.

And that is about it. Still haven't gotten to look for my new computer yet. Might do an early shop tomorrow. Right after I have annoyed the neighbours by mowing the lawn early.

Hi Girls, I'm here I'll b back to post tomorrow, lots going on since yesterday. Umm we also got some ice from our snow melting & then freezing temps & fresh 2" of snow covering it up yesterday. I found it when I slipped & fell down hurting my elbow, hand & neck.

Love to ALL, Stay safe & warm everyone & Shaddie, keep Cool

Thanks for the news on Jiffy, she and I chatted a lot in the past on WLS. OMG...

TGIF FO SHO!!

Well Sis and I made it to yoga. Love, love, love the instructor, so good and was very helpful for me with the ankle not bending the way it should and modifying the moves for me. It was a gentle class as she called it. Thank God because I thought some of the moves were rather hard cause my body was not all that flexible. I did manage to do some form of what she was teaching. lol. Sis thought some of it was tough for her also. I am a little achy in the neck and shoulder area, but not enough to take meds for it. All in all it was a good time and we are definitely going back next week. My hands were a little swollen this morning but they are going down somewhat now. I guess from the yoga??

Sad news about Jiffypop. She struggled with heart issues and also with weight issues. I didn't realize she was in that bad of shape to pass away. We chatted a few times in the past and I even attended one of her studies she set up on line with some university about WLS support. She will definitely be missed with her wisdom.

My weight has stayed the same however we have managed to walk 4 out of 5 days this week around the office doing laps. 3 out of 4 days I actually made it to 10000 steps +. Today is my walk to both banks and walk to lunch day so that will be added steps, maybe 10 blocks total.

SHADDIE...if your food tastes as good as it looks, I want some. It is really colorful and enticing. I only do meals that look like that when I have company. Never for myself and C. Back to the grind of office, flights and hotels, working from home was a nice break, but now back to reality.

DEE....Yeee, Dee on falling on the ice. Nothing like being slammed into the concrete. Hope you feel better soon.

Posting this and will come back to finish.

HAPPY...I agree with you on the philosophy of shoveling snow. We haven't had to shovel this year yet. Knock on wood. Well just a little off the back patio and into the yard for Miss Sassy. She doesn't like it at all. We are supposed to get 2-4" of snow Saturday nite into Sunday, but the weather men are not sure the path, so we may or may not get the snow. Right, I could make a prediction like that. The passion planner sounds like a great idea, but I know me and I would not keep up with it. I am lucky to do anything more than a month. lol. I should make that a goal to keep up on things, finish.

CEEG...good on ya for filing your taxes early. We don't even get around to it till end of March due to all of Cs work junk. Most certainly cause we have to pay.

LAURA...the name of the class, tighter assets, for some reason made me laugh. Just thinking of what it could really mean I guess.

TERRA...what are you making in cooking class?

SUSIE...how did you do at TOPS last night? We have one note here at work but have not used it yet or even tried it. Maybe that will be a goal next week or so to check it out.

HEY CHELLE...get your rest, drink your water, stay away from no-nos. HUGS.

Best get to clicking on work projects.

Make it a fabulous Friday. Hugs everyone!

Morning
Decided yesterday that I would sleep till 7 this morning and get up. I need to keep my meds on a schedule. And today was trash day. Good thing I closed the door this morning after I took out the trash. I usually keep it open to let in more sunshine and sure enough I saw my neighbor walking across the lawn to come for a visit but she saw the door closed and turned around and went back. I'll call her a bit later. I'm in a cleaning mode right now and getting a bunch of stuff done.
Taxes were done yesterday and am getting a refund. I'm saving this for my trip to Texas in March.
I looked on line this morning to see if social security had updated my earnings for 2014 but they hadn't so I may go to their office this morning in Blytheville. Just checking my options.
Washed my new sheets and put them on the bed and since the temperatures are supposed to be colder this week put an extra quilt on the bed.
--------------
Happy
I like your train of thought. I was losing weight when I was tracking my food and will start that again today. I also watched a documentary on health last night on WKNO out of Memphis. This type of thing keeps me motivated. This doctor said it was up to us to keep healthy and he's right. I'm going to work on my mental health as well. Thanks for the tips on mangos. The grocery store didn't have them week but had pomegranates instead. Hadn't thought about the frozen section.

Annie
Good for you in going to Yoga. I would like to be more flexible.

Shad
Your food looks so good. I've been hungry for steak.

Dee
Ouch on the fall. Be careful.

Terra and Susie have a great day.

Howdy all,

Going to be quick with this as I have spent the morning looking at insurance options - with DH going to Medicare this is a life event for me and an opportunity to change things if I desire. I was ticked when I saw that my insurance only pays $18 of my $62 thyroid meds - considering the ridiculous amounts I pay for premiums and deductibles. They force you to take the crappy generic stuff. But they make this insurance soooooo very complicated that it takes Steven Hawkings and a large chalk board to figure things out. I think it's purposely set up so that you cannot compare this.

My yard is over run with birds. We have 4 feeders that are constantly jam packed as well as the birds feeding on the ground. Today we were shocked to look outside and see 27 turkeys all over the yard - to this point there have been only the 3 turkey boys and their groupie girl. Would be nice if we had a mild rest of winter and an early spring.

I think we are going to look for glasses today.

Annie - I am soooo very glad you like the yoga class. I know you are not big on group exercise so this is a very positive thing. I really think it can help you and it sounds like you found a wonderful instructor like I did. (Helping you to feel better is why I am so excited for you). Expect to be a bit sore - even with tiny, gentle movements and remember not to do anything to the point of pain - there are always modifications and the instructor will be glad to help you. I have issues on all fours with arthritic knees and wrists. But I can see progress to start to do some moves I could not even consider before. I agree with you about the planner - starting and then losing track of things. I am so very bad at that myself. I said DH and my family are the only things I have every stuck with long term But I have found religion (not in the biblical sense) and I do understand that I must work at things for my own health and well being so I am going to put stronger and more long term effort into things.

Ceejay - dodged a bullet with the neighbor Good going! Glad you found some motivation with the television show. I think that's why it's important to read things - to keep us constantly motivated against our bad selves. Also the mangos I talked about are in the refrigerated section - I have not tried the frozen ones except maybe in smoothies. Sometimes the defrosted fruits are a bit mushy for my tastes.

Dee - ouch - sorry to hear about the fall! Ice it up and rest it - hope you don't ache for too long.

Shad - thank you for confirming that not everything goes with cherries no matter how good they are! I was wondering if it was just me that felt that mangoes and avocados paired well but maybe not with other things. Is the corn in your salad blanched or just raw/defrosted? I love a nice bit of tender steak over a salad. Yum. Oh no - should I send you some boxing gloves for the SMEs? My money is on you

Hello other Worldies Have a good weekend ahead.

HAPPY...you should of been there, my one knee and the middle of my back kept popping, then Sam and I looked at each other and about lost it. It was hard to stifle our laugh. I cannot believe all the turkeys in your yard. Looks like a petting zoo. Maybe it is a sign of early spring. Fingers crossed.

Fiesty Febrauary Worldlies are Fabulous for next month?? Just a thought.

Yea Annie - was thinking about a new title since February arrives tomorrow. Heck where did January go. Did I leave it on a plane somewhere??

Back later with personals and stuff like food. Which reminds me. Whats for dinner tonight. Will have to be something with rice or cous cous since I am right out of potato. Cous cous sounds good with some corn, onion and parsley and something to flavour it with - otherwise it's a bit bland. Anyway, there is all day to think about that, it's only 6.45am and I am off into the garden - right after I have sprayed myself for those bugs.

Oh yes and before I forget. It's early but I notice the sun getting up a bit later now and we actually had dew on the ground yesterday. I guess March is Autumn - only 28 days away. Get ready girls, your spring is on its way.