Worldlies are Fittingly Fabulous in February
 

Hi Everyone. Looks like Happy didn't make it back to start the new thread, so I will start it.

Someone needs to tell me how to link this back to the January thread and the January thread to this thread.

I went with the title Annie suggested. I hope you all are ok with that.

Happy, when you get a chance, please close the January thread.

Hi Everyone, It will be a quick post for me tonight. I need to work about an hour tonight and want to get at it, so that I can make my 10:30 p.m. bed time.

The memorial service for my friend's son was very somber and sad. It was well attended and many spoke very fondly of him. I hope that some day, when my friend thinks back to that service, she will find comfort in the love that was outpoured for her and her family.

I know she was very appreciative of those who came; but right now, her heart and spirit is broken as she has to live with the new normal. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

I'm having a bit of an issue tonight with wanting to "graze" and of course I'm not craving good things. I finally had a small coke as I think that is what I was really wanting and so I thought "oh be done with it" and have it. Not often will I give into that but tonight I had to stop the process I was in of "a bit of that and a bit of this".

Laura: I did watch the Grease movie last night and I thought it was done well, but I still like the original. I did sing along to every song last night...how about you?

Much love to the rest of you! I'll see you all tomorrow.

bumping the thread up

To go back to the old thread click herehttp://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/supp...-new-year.html

Thought I would bring this over, since it is Feb 2 here.




Morning all,
Going to be a stinker again today but cooling down later in the week. I'm done with summer, let there be Autumn!

Still here and still busy. The DS and his partner did some tidying up yesterday, good for them, but now the washing basket is full again. Still playing around in water and damp clothes will be cooler today than sweeping and cleaning and cooking.

No time for personals right now. May be able to do those when I come in from doing some stuff outside. Got to get that done before the real heat hits - it's currently only 26 and expected to get to 37. Dog and I will be out in the dog pool if you need us!!!!

__________________

Morning All....

SUSIE...thanks for starting the new thread. Sad there is a death but when it is a young death it seems to be even sadder. Hugs to you. Congrats on the loss at Tops, much better than any type of gain. Must be the grazing time of year. I hit it up with pretzel rods last night. Too much salt...swollen hands and joints this morning, plus I forgot all my pills. May work from home this afternoon so at least I can get them in me by noonish today. Heart meds are a NEVER forget to take them type even the doc and his nurse separately warned me about. Scares the heck out of me. Sorry, rambling.

LAURA...I did watch part of Grease. It was good, the singing was awesome, but as Sis and I agreed it is just not Olivia and JT. We both like the moving best, probably in part as Sis used to stand on the coffee table and sing the "Sandy" parts out from her heart. Too cute. It was a good job on the LIVE however.

HAPPY...I love the new door. Of course by the pics we cannot tell the "air leaks". Then again, I like the old door also. I would love to have the old door in place of my sliding glass door on the back. May invest in something like that before it is all ssaid and done. We just have so many other "things" BOTH house need, like new roofs. Depressing. Wish not to think about it.

CHELLE...sure hope you got rid of that nasty migraine. Try more water. Heck I don't know, headaches baffle me. The only triggers I know for me are raw onions and yucky chocolate-glad I am allergic to it and do not like it.

CEEG...glad the cutting and pasting from Word is helping. Nothing as frustrating as losing a post. Hotels to me are also frustrating, first I don't like staying in one, all I can think of is bed bugs and people deposits on the bed, just grosses me out. Then the noisy traffic and other tenants. Bleh. Would rather not.

SHADDIE...sounds much like you have gained a friend in ODDU, and me thinks when/if he ever leaves with his mom and dad, you will certainly miss all of his antics that keep you frustrated and working around the house. Bahaha. Garden coming along nicely? Great!

HELLO to DEE and TERRA...come back and at least say hi girls.

Posting this and will do my update next.

Hugs to all.

What a chaotic weekend. Started out ok, but went to heck in a hand basket Saturday night.

I hear this faint call for me from our master bath, it is Curtis. I go in there, he is on the pot, gray in color and passes out on the pot. I could barely get him to respond. 911 it is, off in the ambulance we go. Yep HAPPY, there goes the deductible for this year. ha. Anyway, he passes a significant amount of blood and his BP dropped so low he passed out is the conclusion. However his blood work was normal. All to do with the diverticulosis and internal hemmoroids . Nothing different, no further damage, just needs to get his act together with food intake. Not to say in years to come he might need surgery, but for now the same. I am about to bonk him on the head. Sunday was mellow enough, no church as we were up late at the hospital. They sent him home. Wouldn't you think this would make you change your diet?????? YES, I am so frustrated with him I could punch him. He was better yesterday.

I made beef pot pie with leftover roast, potatos, carrots, onions and green beans. Quite tasty and brought it for lunch also.

Everyone make it a great day. I am struggling with finding happiness and peace today. Crabby, grouchy and beeeachy.

Susie
Thank you for starting the new thread. I would have but don't know how. I understand about the grazing.

Annie
Maybe this will make C more aware of his health condition and slowly but surely know what his consequences are. I hate that for both of you. One time like that was enough for me.

Shad
Hope things cool down for you soon. I'm ready for Spring.

------
Not much news here. Got in my activity points yesterday. I've been okay with a 20 minute cardio session that I've been breaking down in 10 minute segments. I'm going to start logging my food again. I've started my regimen of vitamins again also.

CEEG...good for you to get back in gear healthwise. I wish C would. He is like a big kid, I have to scold him into what he needs to do and frankly I am tired of telling him to pick up his mess.

eating tums now. ugh

How's that for a scary looking avatar of me...ba hahaha...

Good morning ladies,

My headache yesterday got so bad that I called my doc to call in a Rx. She called in two…one to treat the headaches and one to hopefully prevent them (or at least reduce their frequency).

I left work early because my vision was starting to be affected by the migraine (I’ve had that happen before…it’s only temporary….but it makes it difficult to work). I got home, took my meds and relaxed the rest of the evening. When I awoke, only the faintest remnants of the headache persisted. Hopefully it will stay away the rest of the day and week. I do believe they are weather related….because even though it didn’t rain yesterday, it rained last night…so no doubt there were barometric pressure changes. They used to also be triggered by TOM, but I’m long past that.

==================
Happy - I love your new door/windows! Gorgeous!! I’m sorry the installation didn’t go well. Good luck on WW. I actually prefer Bob Harper as the host and the interaction he has with the contestants, like when he was counseling them a weak or two ago. I also found it cool that in the auction at last week’s episode one of the prizes to bid on was a day working out with him. I would’ve paid big bucks for that too.

Laura - I DVRed Grease and watched half of it. So far, I’ve enjoyed it ok….but the movie is much better. I did appreciate that they cast Didi Conn (Frenchy in the movie) as the soda shop waitress who counsels the Grease Live Frenchy.

Susie - My deepest sympathies and prayers to your friend.

Annie - Dehydration does trigger migraines in me, but I normally drink A LOT of fluids. Even still, I’ve upped my intake. Used to be the only thing that would get rid of a migraine for me would be meds (prescription + Excedrine, gatorade and a dark room). Can’t do gatorade anymore due to the sugar. I tried hunting down some Powerade Zero which also has electrolytes but no sugar…but I didn’t want to drive all over town. OMG! So scary about C passing out! I understand your frustration! Hopefully this will get him to clean up his act and eat right. I love the picture of you and Sassy.

:wave: to everyone!

Love and hugs,

Morning all.

Susie – Thanks for starting our new thread. You know, I still have some of those songs from Grease running through my head! Born to hand jive baby! :lol:

Shad – I don’t know what 37 C is exactly in Fahrenheit, but I know it’s really HOT! I hope you have the AC running. I dunno about you, but I find it to be worth every penny when it’s that hot & humid.

Annie – Gosh, if this last ER visit wasn’t enough to make C stick with a proper diet for his condition, I don’t know what will. Maybe seeing the hospital bill?? :yikes: --- I like that new avatar, you and your little Sassy girl. Awww. I like the glasses too – do you wear glasses all the time or are they readers, or do you wear contacts? I’ve been wearing my glasses more and more. My vision with contacts just isn’t as good as it used to be. Now I sometimes use a pair of bf’s old readers when I wear my contacts so I can read the small print.---I forget, is the other house C’s house? Is that a rental? How are the current tenants?

Ceejay – I’m ready for spring too! :flow1: --- If I think about my work commute, my walking is in ~10-minute segments also. If I don’t get any rides between home and the train, I get 4 segments per day. Of course when I’m downtown, the sidewalks can be crowded and I don’t always get to walk as quickly as I’d like…

Hellos to the rest of you! C’mon back Terra & Dee!
==
Nothing much to report. I went to Pilates class last night. We had the substitute instructor and she’s a toughie. Well, different moves and she has us doing more and longer planks. I think I need to do that 30-day plank challenge just to work up my plank time. Last night this instructor had us do 3 planks, each one progressively longer. But she wouldn’t say how long – just that this one would be "a few breaths longer". Well, after we finished the last one, she told us it was 90 seconds. Sneaky woman. :devil: Anywho, she will be back in a month to sub again. Oh joy. :p

Movie night was cancelled this week, not that I’ve been going lately… Tonight is bf’s class, so I’ll probably watch some of dvd’s I have from the library. I also need to run out to the market – I used the last of the milk this morning.

Okay, time to post. Have a great day everyone!

Hi Michelle! I'm so sorry to hear your migraine got so bad!! :( I hope the meds help prevent any more of them. ---Yeh, I liked that Didi Conn was in the cast as the malt shop waitress.

CHELLE...glad you are getting some relief from the headaches. Yikes, I used to get them awful till I figured out the cause. Took me a year of writing all my foods down and when I got the headaches. Yep, raw onion was the major cause. Quit eating them and poof, no headaches. Funny, most issues are food related anymore, bah.

LAURA...yes the second house is Cs and the rental. Same renter for the past 3 years and very good ones too. Thank God no more of his daughter. Yes, I don't know what will keep C on the straight and narrow either, it is so annoying and frustrating. I just want to scream. The glasses are just readers. I don't wear contacts. I just cannot see close up. So readers it is. Not sure I could stand contacts in my eyes. Distance sight is ok so to speak. (Not bad enough for glasses, I guess as I am surviving without them).

Best post and get to my meeting...afternoon all.

Starting to get a headache again....not as bad as yesterday....hopefully it stays like that. Right after work, I have my hypnosis session....it was supposed to be yesterday, but the hypnotherapist cancelled. Then I have my Wisconsin book club conference call....even though I didn't do the reading. I was supposed to run with my friend Mark, but since hypnosis got rescheduled, the run will get rescheduled until tomorrow after work. After the run, I'll be working out with my trainer, which I very much need. Today after the book club, I might do some Wii Fit or a Zumba DVD (assuming of course that my headache stays in the "mild" range.

Rain, we have rain!!! Excuse me while I go out and do a rain dance.

Morning All....

CHELLE...your paragraph above about all the stuff you will be doing in the next couple of days gives me a headache. Slow down a little bit girl. You need just a bit of my "do nothing" and I need a bit of your "do something". :) Sorry if I miss what the hypnosis is for, but could you remind me?

SHADDIE...the rain dance is supposed to come BEFORE the rain to make it happen. lol. You could do the wiener dance that C and Jacob do after they have a car race. Not sure you want hot dogs falling from the sky tho.

*********

Cs "half" good daughter, Mary Ann and BF came over last night for a visit. We ordered pizza. It was pleasant enough and even had a few laughs. C had not seen them in 4 months, and I hadn't seen them in about 6 or 7 months. They arrive at 5 and were gone by 8, which was good as I was exhausted from the restless night before.

This is Cs day off. He is sleeping in then he is doing a load of towels for me. He is feeling better however very tired, nothing new. I did get him some super duper men's vitamins to take and threatened him with taking them regularly or else. I don't know what the "else" would be, but any way.

Cloudy and 50 today, rain, wind, T-storms came through last night and it was mighty noisy during the night. Walked out to take trash to the curb, the stars were shining brightly and the moon was just a sliver, looked like an excellent picture to be painted or picture to be taken..HAPPYs DH!

About it, report day, which is not as bad as in the beginning, thank you God. Hump day, trash day and just a nice day.

Hugs all.

Annie
If C is having some problems with hemmoroids also that could also bring about a lot of blood loss. I'm taking more of an interest in my health now that I have my good doctor back and he will help me though the bad times.
Glad you had a good visit with C's daughter. I like your avatar.

Michelle
The weather could very well have an impact on your headaches. I'm curious too, What is the hypnosis for?

Laura
Whew, a 90 second plank! Not sure if my bunion would let me do one right now. But it was hard for me to do a 30 second one.

Hello's to Dee, Terra, and Happy. :wave:

-----
I have an appointment with the foot doctor on Thursday. We shall see what the outcome will be. The an oil change in the Rav4. Then back home. Decided I wanted to sleep in my own bed.
For the first time in a long time I had inner peace yesterday. I hope it continues. Think it was due to the talk with my sibling/sister on Sunday night.

Good morning ladies,

Had another migraine yesterday. I had planned to run or do a Zumba DVD yesterday after work....neither happened. Today, I am taking a very close look at food, beverage and environment/weather triggers. I am going to run/walk intervals with a friend after work, and then after that I'm doing strength training at the gym with my trainer. At least my eating has been really good.

I'm working with a hypnotherapist to sort out the root causes of my compulsive eating and to switch off those triggers. It's working. I haven't done any compulsive eating or binge eating in weeks. One of the most recent sessions focused on me seeing myself in the future if I continued to binge eat, and then seeing myself if I turned my behavior around and focused on my goal to run the half-marathon. So now, every time I see some food that would otherwise tempt me, I flash to being physical unable to live an active life and then see myself finishing the half-marathon and feeling great! I need to continue to do self-hypnosis (sort of like meditation) morning and night to reinforce the positive suggestions.

================

Annie - I'm glad the report day isn't quite as awful as it used to be. Nice that you had a good visit with C's daughter and bf.

Laura - A 90 second plank?! :yikes: I haven't done a plank since my shoulder surgery in November....I suppose I should start back up with them.

Ceejay - Glad you are feeling some peace.

Shad - So is your rain a hot tropical storm since it's summer there? Our rain in kind of bone chilling. Not nearly as cold as winter in the Midwest, but the dampness cuts right through me.

Gotta run....lots to get done. :crossed: hopefully I'll get through the day without a headache.

Love to all,

Morning all. Happy Hump Day.

Annie – Lucky you that you only have to wear readers! Glasses and contacts are expensive and a PITA. Glad the evening went well with the “half good” daughter. Pleasant enough is good enough. I hope the super duper vitamins help C.

Michelle – A run and after that a workout with the trainer??!! :faint: How interesting that the hypnosis is helping you with controlling your eating. Wow. So how is your shoulder doing? You haven't mentioned it, so I hope it's healed nicely. Boo on the headaches! I hope that logging your food, etc. helps you find the cause(s).

Shad – LOL, the rain might make you happy enough to dance, but Annie’s right – if you want rain to come, you do the dance first.

Ceejay – I hope the foot doc can bring you relief for the bunion. I’m glad the talk with your sister made you feel better.

Hellos to the rest of you. Hope you’re all having a good week.

==
It was rainy on the commute home. Bleh. This morning was clear early, but by the time I left the house, it was overcast and gloomy, and very windy to boot. Matches my mood. I must need some time off because I’ve been kind of grouchy all week. Doesn’t help that bf told me he plans to have people over for Super Bowl on Sunday. I think he mentioned it to me (in passing) sometime last weekend. Nothing like advance planning. I’m just not keen on it because the timing is crummy – starts at like 5:30 on Sunday evening. Sigh. I hope it ends up being just a few guys and then I won’t worry too much about making the place spic and span. And I can retreat to the bedroom after I’ve had my fill of the game and the commercials and I can watch something else – puppy bowl, kitten bowl, whatever.

Looking ahead on a more positive note, the boss will be out Wed-Fri of next week, and then we have a holiday from work for Presidents’ Day.

Last night I watched three episodes of Mad Men. Only four more to watch and that’s it for the whole series. I think it’s good they ended it – I’m finding it to be more of the same.

Nothing special planned for tonight, though I think I’m going to order a few things online, including the protective film for my cell phone and yet another pillow. My neck soreness continues, and I do have a couple gift cards for massages, so I think I'm going to make an appointment for a massage SOON.

Hi peoples,

Good heavens, where have I been??? It's another of those too busy weeks. Yesterday (much to my reluctance) I got roped into going over to a lady's house who is donating a bunch of stuff to the thrift shop. My knees are killing me lately and we did alot of up and down steep stairs. So last night I could barely move. Between gimpy me and D with her heart issues, that was probably the 2 worst people to do this but we got it done. The hubsters showed up and took a really nice Schwinn Airdyne bike and a small curio cabinet out for us. We wound up buying the curio cabinet. The bike is really nice - one of those that has the fan as the front wheel - it's a $1,000 bike. We are asking $250 for it. I tried to get on it yesterday at the shop but it's really made for someone of average height - far taller than me - and I had a difficult time with it. The 4 of us went to lunch and then I had my shift at the shop. The snow started coming in the afternoon around 2 and quickly piled up. They predicted 5 to 10 inches of snow - we got about 6 I'd say. DH is out plowing. I'm glad I don't have to shovel out the shop! Monday we went over to Menards (home improvement store) and picked up shelving for the storage room at the shop. DH installed lights at the front outside of the shop also.

I am still struggling with WW. I REALLY NEED to do some planning ahead of time. Have foods and meals identified because this last minute stuff ain't working. I also had some "head" conversations to deal with and I think I have worked through them. Today is yoga and afterwards laundry and some cooking. I should have gotten up earlier but I was really hurting last night and took some Motrin PM which really knocks me out and I slept in today. Like Michelle, I am also getting alot of headaches the last 10 days but I think it's weather related more than anything.

I caught a bit of Grease Live on Sunday when I noticed it was on. It was good but I can't accept a Danny with other than black hair. And while it looks like they had a great time with it, the characters in the original movie just set the bar so high. Travolta, Olivia Newton John and Stockard Channing as the memorable Rizzo - hard to beat. But the new one was upbeat and modern - I thought they did a good job.

Laura - sounds like you need a me day or something. Is it just the mid winter blahs that got you? I seem to remember from the past that BF likes to have people over for Super Bowl and you are not exactly keen on the idea. I would not worry about making a fuss for guys.

Michelle - that's interesting your work with the hypnotherapist. And instead of imagining it, you know what it was like to live where you could barely move due to your back pain. I guess it's hard to remember negative images vividly, the pleasure impulses tend to crowd the head. It takes work, glad you are seeking out some resolutions going forward. I hope your headaches subside. They seem to come in bursts - stay away but when they come back, it's with a vengeance over and over. Feel better!

Ceejay - I hope you can capture that inner calm and hang on to it for a while!

Annie - happy Hump day - did you get those reports out? Glad you had a decent evening with C's kid. Just long enough for a visit - get out before the drama starts. :lol: I am starting to think that the readers are not as good for you as prescription lens. I am finding that I depend on having them more and more for close up work - even washing dishes and cooking. Cute picture on your avatar!

Shad - go out and play in the puddles. A warm rain sounds like a wonderful thing. Glad the outside is getting a drink of water. Are you between veg gardens now?

Hellos to Terra, Susie and Dee. :wave: I need to get something to eat and then get ready for yoga. I missed last week - just felt too bad but I don't want to miss another week. Take care everyone.

Evening all,

Aaaaah pleasantness has arrived again. Instead of being in the high 30's we are no back down into the 20's and although it is rain and still humid it is nowhere near as bad as the past week. I can live without that thank you.

Happy - busy as ever I see. It's hard to follow a plan completely. If you can do 2/3rds of the day okay then I would say you are fairly successful. If you stress over it, it will become harder and less comfortable to follow. I feel your pain.
How's the new door going?

Laura - Rain just doesn't come here because you go out hollering and dancing in the heat. You just rejoice when it does come. Singing in the rain, just singin' in the rain, glorious feeling - tra la la la la
Hope you get over the super bowl with the guys. I would just pack my bag and tramp off into the distance and let them get on with it.

Michelle - our rain is cooling and glorious. Long may it continue - apart from the fact that the warm temperatures make the grass grow and it needs cutting again.
Hope that the hypnosis works well for you and that you continue to improve your health.

Ceejay - long may the inner peace last

Annie - so sorry to hear about C's new troubles - well old troubles really but he really needs to shape up and face up to the fact he can't eat like he used to......
Houses continually need bits of maintenance to prevent large jobs coming up. These are likely to be expensive.
Glad Wednesdays are not the horrid experience they used to be report wise.

Susie - Well done for starting the new thread. Hope you are not working too hard. I know the 'graze' situation. As long as you can stop at the small coke, that's not too bad. Sometimes it just has to be done. I find that sometimes I get beyond thirsty and need to have some flavour with the liquid so juice or a soda is just the thing.

Okay, better go rescue the ODDU out of the rain. For one reason or another he doesn't want to be inside tonight - maybe because it is cooler - so he is sitting on the patio just in from the rain and is protecting the yard for wombles and other strangers.

Good Morning Chicklets....

Made it through Wednesday. Yahoooo... C ate leftovers-beef pot pie, I made me a salad. Food of late is not tasting right to me. Must be all the new heart meds or something causing it. That is the only thing that has changed for me to make the difference. The pot pie, while tasty, C loves it, has a strange taste in it on certain bites. Same with my salad last night, had a steak flavor to me, and there wasn't even any meat in it. My cherry tomatos this morning in my cottage cheese tasted like fried pumpkin blossoms. Why can't it all taste like poo or something awful so I would quit eating and lose this weight. Bleh.

After work today I am taking Queen Sassy for her mani/pedi at the vets as I do not like to cut her nails. Then it is off to Sissy's to get my hair colored. Four weeks sure does go by quickly. She and I have the same discussion about hair coloring...didn't we just do that???

Today starts the chain of monthly report, first one done, triggers the second one which triggers the third report, they are linked so have to do them in order to make the numbers roll out right. Fortunately I have unstil the 20th to get these done. I work them into my day when I can, eventually they all get done by the 20th. I am on report #2 so halfway there.

Was going to stop and get my decaf from McDs this morning however the line was clear out in the street and they have dual lines. Pass, on to work and arrived early since I did not stop. Made me some green iced tea and a cup of decaf in our little kitchen. Saved my buck at McDs. We have the Kuerig maker in the kitchen with all types of options. I do find the coffee blends, even the light blends to be a bit strong for me and add hot water from the maker. Imagine, decaf with hot water added. I know, why bother. haha.

Got my Downton Abbey season 6 in the mail yesterday. Now trying to find time to binge watch it. Will have the babes Saturday night and most of Sunday so this weekend is out. C and the boys are going to build a fort in our bedroom to include the walk in closet. This should be good! haha

SHADDIE...Yep, me thinks, ODDU has you wrapped around your waist, since he is a big lug and too big to wrap around your little finger. Glad you got the rain in which you danced in the yard.

HAPPY...it is so hard to stick to any type of eating plan except the "Pig Out" plan we are all so familiar with these days. My friend here at work that is doing the 21 day fix says she is hungry all the time, started over once, is on day 7 or so and has lost 3 lbs. She is also doing extra walking, running on the treadmill, and works out 2 days a week in our building gym, plus does the dvds that came with the 21 day fix, so who is to really say if that is working or not. Stairs do me in, my legs, knees and ankle have been bothering me since the heart attack, I blame that on the new meds also. I don't know, I used to blame everything on the birth control pill, can't do that anymore. haha. Anyway, you and I are in the same boat, waist down just plain hurts anymore. Heck getting old. Hope your joints are feeling better.

LAURA...you can come and stay at my house for super bowl weekend. We watch till half time and go to bed. No parties here. You can have the guest room and bath all to yourself. Let the boys fend for themselves for snack food and treats. Make sure BF is on notice he has to clean up the mess. lol. We are getting the same weather you all are getting. Come on spring.

CHELLE...what the heck on the headaches. Some things we can just move on with our day, but headaches seem to get us down and we struggle. Hope you get some relief soon.

CEEG...glad you have some inner peace, hopefully it will continue. What did the doc say about the foot?

Hello to the rest of you, pop in and let us know what is going on with you.

Hugs sisters.

Morning all. We have a sunny sky today, so that’s nice. :sunny: And I like that the days are getting longer. Daylight Savings Time begins March 16.

Happy – I think my left knee is suffering sympathy pains along with yours. Because what else could it be? Oh, that’s right, I’m getting old and that means I just wake up with these aches and pains. :rolleyes: But yours came from all that steep stair ascending and descending. I hope they are feeling a bit better today. But it’s nice you scored a curio cabinet – all of the HS sales should be so easy. Too bad about the Airdyne. Too tall for your height, and yet I always had to adjust the seat upward when I got to that station in the Circuit classes I took. Not an easy feat when the time allotment is 30 seconds! ---Any eating plan you do relies on some type of planning, and that is my major downfall as well. Sigh. We have to (and WILL) keep trying to get better at that. :yes: ---Re Super Bowl, I would definitely not make a fuss if it was just a few guys, but I think one of the invitees is a couple, so that sort of changes things if they do decide to come here.

Shad – Glad the temps have moderated a bit for you. So are wombats something that could show up in your garden, or are they not typically found in well-populated areas? I thought they were so cute when I got to see them at some type of “petting zoo” when I was in Aus way back when. I’m sure they are not just “cute” but have something that allows them to survive against their predators.

Annie – My mom, who is also on heart meds now following her minor heart attack, says the same thing – food doesn’t taste the same, food doesn’t taste as good to her. Huh. There’s certainly something to that. ---Busy night tonight for you. And busy weekend coming up for you and C. You might need a day off just to get over your weekend, LOL. In which, case it would be better if I just stayed home, hahaha. But thanks for the invite. :D

Hellos to the rest of you and happy Thursday/Friday.
==
Didn’t do much of anything last night except tv and reading. I watched another episode of Mad Men, and one DVR’d episode of Younger. I fell asleep reading while in bed and when I woke up I realized I’d had my head in the turned position that I’m sure is the cause of my neck pain. I deliberately go to sleep on my side to avoid having my neck twist into a bad position, but when I read in bed, I’m on my back. Gonna order that pillow TODAY.

That’s about it for me, so I’ll get this posted. :comp:

Hello Everyone. I have finally cleared the work piles so I can see again...and I found my way to my home computer to sit and spend a little time catching up with all my Wordlie girls.

On Monday and Tuesday I worked about 3 hours when I got home from work. Last night I was so tired; I tried to watch the DVR of Monday's Bachelor but couldn't keep my eyes open so at 8:30 I went to bed and slept until the alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. It made me feel so much better. I also noticed that people didn't seem to get on my nerves as much as they did on both Monday and Tuesday.

I had a .4lb loss at TOPS. I'll take it. It's a loss. My focus for the first 3 6 weeks of the year were to show a loss each week. Next week is 6 weeks; I have to lose so I meet my goal. I'm about to set another 6 weeks goal. Trying to figure out what to set it as. Any ideas?

Happy: Meal planning is key when trying to lose weight, eat healthier etc. For the longest time I thought I couldn't meal plan especially when our scheduled called for us to eat out. But then I watched my DH always put his food in My Fitness Pal BEFORE he ate it. He did that to keep himself on track with his calories. He thought about what he was going to eat and then put it in. That turned the key for me and I started looking at meal planning in a different light.

Laura: I watched Mad Men when it first came out and I loved the show. I would watch it again.

About the Super bowel guests. In our younger years, we would have a house full of people over to watch the game, and eat (everyone brought something). It was fun, but now I just like to be at home or maybe with one other couple. I know how you feel when you just want to go to your room. Sometimes we need down time like that.

I am a very outgoing person and I love to be around people. BUT, if I don't have my space and time alone I can get in quite a funk. So, take some time for yourself. I think a massage would do wonders for your physic and your neck. :hug:

Annie: Glad to hear that C is doing better with his diet. With diverticulosis it is a fine line to walk so one doesn't get diverticulitis and that is scary. A girl I work with (who looks so healthy) really had a time dealing with it and did end up with have a portion of her colon removed from the recurring diverticulitis; her colon just wouldn't heel.

I have told my DH about this over and over when I find he is sneaking nuts or seeds and things that just tear him up. When they fix the fistula they will take some of his colon; I warn him he needs to keep the rest healthy as one can only lose so much of it before having to deal with other complications.

Have you talked to your doctor about foods tasting different now that you are on your heart meds?

I was also wondering if you are finished with your cardiac workout sessions?

Ceejay: Have a doctor who works with you and understands you is very key in taking care of your health. I'm so glad you found one to partner with you.

Michelle: I'm sorry to hear that you are having so many headaches. I hope you get it figured out soon.

Shad: Isn't it nice to have rain that cools things off a bit?

Hi to Dee and Tara--I hope you gals are ok. We miss you here.

Just a quick one tonight. I made a trip to the podiatrist office today to find out that I have "rounded" bunion and that I have arthritis in my big toe. He gave me an injection since I'm not to keen on having surgery at the moment. My toe is sore at the injection sight. Ate lunch with my bff and then took the car to the dealership to have the oil changed. I barely got home to pick up my pay check. I need to call a co-worker tomorrow to find out something. I think I backed into him. He said he was okay. And that makes me feel so bad. Especially in front of the others. I'm praying that he hit the car to make me stop. and dumb me didn't even get out of the car. I've always had trouble seeing out of the back window of this vehicle. :sigh:
Came home and my neighbor's grown children were there. I've seen furniture outside, with several garbage bags. Will need to check on her tomorrow. Hopefully they are cleaning house for her.

Howdies to the chicklettes,

I have a most unusual problem. Tonight is weigh in from WW. I went last week but wanted to take advantage of their "lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks or less - get a refund of your (rather costly) weekly fees". This promotion was not available at the meeting so she said to sign up online and prepay (3 months of fees), then bring my proof of payment to the meeting today and I could be officially weighed in and enrolled in her meetings. Ok. So we unofficially weighed me in last week. Well... after crabbing and moaning all week long about how eating good carbs cost me too many points and how the program is slanted towards sugar free eating and darn it if I want a Coke once a day I'm going to have one... :blah::blah::blah: I weighed myself this morning and I am down 6 pounds from last week's weigh in. That's TOO MUCH. Call me goofy but you always want your first weigh in to be on the high side. My concern is that if I dropped this much this past week, I might have a minimal loss next week as things adjust. DH said I can wear his knee high clomper stomper ice fishing boots that weigh about 20 pounds. I said they might notice me walking funny because I can practically get both legs in one boot :rofl: But I would weigh more ! I'm going to have to drink a bunch of water or eat something salty for lunch and drink a bunch of water before tonight's weigh in. DH said I should put the cell phone in my pocket. I said really? do you think that adds much??? Maybe I can get my cast iron frypan under my sweater. Such a problem to have. I am seriously astounded at this much of a weight loss. And I wasn't even really trying that hard although I was very much trying to make the best decisions I could when I did eat and measured as much as possible.

Laura - after I commented about your Superbowl I figured maybe it was a couples event. Yeah, I can see how this makes a whole lot of work for you :( Thank you for empathizing with my knee pain - you are a good friend :hug: Yes, after playing head games with myself all week, I have come to the realization that it is what it is. And maybe it's all those "small things" I am complaining about that kept me from losing weight in the first place. :shrug: I have moved from resistance to acceptance this week. I think you and Annie are on to something with the meds changing the taste of foods. I have heard of similar instances. It's really bad when you can't get anything to taste good. And no, that's not a dietary "aid" either. I'm not glad you had neck pain but it is probably a good thing that you discovered the cause.

Well I had to leave the house before I posted this. Too tired to finish it now, going to bed. Will pick up in the morning.

Good Morning Mouskateers!!

Lovely evening. Sis had C, Michael, Pia and I over for dinner last night. She did a fabulous job of it. Great company, lots of laughs and of course the antics of the boys. Chris was not there, he had Ainsley BB practice. She colored my hair while dinner was cooking. Came home and went to bed. For some reason I am still tired this morning. I may just take the afternoon off today, do my banking and go home and relax/nap. Right I can never sleep in the day time.

Things tasting funny this morning...my unsweet green tea tastes like a grilled burger. Just weird. I will drink it anyway. More protein, hahaha

HAPPY...6 lbs is a lot to lose in one week, but we all know the first couple of weeks is water weight and a large loss is expected. You will wish you had it when you only lose .2 some week. I would just go with it. lol. What is your goal you want to lose?

CEEG...feeling your pain on the injection site ouchie. I have that when I get my cortizone shots in my ankle. It last about 3 days. Not too awful bad. When you are backing up, do you use your camera or do you have one in your RAV?

SUSIE...going to bed early is a good thing, especially when you sleep all night with no disturbances. Good for you! Great job on the loss at Tops. Keep at it you can do it. My rehab exercising is over now. Back to being a bump on a log. lol Still trying to walk more. My average used to be about 5500 steps a day, got it up to about 7000. Trekking for 10K, baby steps for me. Lazy, yes.

LAURA...did you get your pillow ordered? We are having the sunny nice weather here through Sunday, then next week back down to the 20s and snow...boo.

Hello to all, Hugs

Good morning all,

Last out, first in today. ;) Looks like we missed the trash man this morning. Generally they come around noon, today they came at the crack of dawn. Luckily the trash can is only half full but it's going to be really full by next week. Today I have to go get some groceries, I have a doctor's appointment at 4 to talk about my back/knee problems and we are going to dinner tonight for DH's birthday tomorrow. He picked today because tomorrow he has entered a photo into a local art show and they are having a reception from 2 to 5 tomorrow to open the show. I don't think we will be there overly long but it was his choice to pick so :shrug: today it is. I am not sure what I am going to eat - just about everything there is high points and duh - it's Italian so it's carby. I did put a few extra clothes on and some keys in my pocket and left my boots on and I still weighted in at 4 pounds less than last week. I am determined to be more on program this week so I can continue wracking up the losses. 2 things I don't like about the program already is the encouragement to use sugar free products and the use of "cooking spray". It's not that they actually encourage it but it's more point friendly and you get "penalized" by higher points if you use more natural stuff like a spritz of olive oil. I stopped using the spray of cooking oil a long time ago when I realized it leaves a sticky residue that you can't get off of pans. I also encouraged DH to oil a paper towel when he lubricates the grill rack. Anyway... I will continue to do what I think is best but act in a mindful manner. I'm sure measuring and portion control is the big key.

Ceejay - oh my with the co-worker. I'm sure you probably just tapped him if he said he was ok. We have decided against purchasing certain models of cars - the Toyota Highlander being the last one - because of issues with seeing out the back window. I don't know what they are thinking when they design cars :dizzy: Ouch on the bunion. You should feel better in a day or two as the cortesone works it's way through the foot. It is a painful recovery from surgery and it brings other issues along with it - so if you can manage the discomfort otherwise, keep doing it.

Susie - hah - I see you also have a man in your life that does some things really well (fitness Pal) and then does other things (eating seeds) that make him feel badly. Welcome to the club - we have lots of members! For all the "complaining" men do about women :rolleyes: - I think they are far more goofy. Good to hear you are still losing consistently in spite of all the busyness in your life. We have to set 4 week goals in WW too and they suggest you not make them weight related so I'm kind of struggling too although I do want to work on incorporating more water into my day - I am terrible at drinking water during the winter. That's interesting that you say you are very personable and outgoing but need your alone time. I can relate - I think it has a lot to do with recharging the batteries and mentally regrouping.

Annie - believe me if all food tasted like poo it would have the opposite effect on you. I'm sorry everything is odd tasting. When I did the Whole30 last month, I became very frustrated with food - didn't mind eating healthy but nothing was truly satisfying - like your beloved cottage cheese and tomatoes. I found myself craving something that was just plain satisfying. It was an odd sensation. I have heard of people getting a metalic taste from some meds but I think you are right about the medication. Maybe look at some of them online and see the side effects - they might be able to change a medication for you. I have not yet watched my Downton Abbey CD to fast forward on the season. Debating about stretching it out or binge watching. And I agree with you about the Keurig coffee being strong. I use the biggest selection (most water) and it's still strong. My BIL does 2 rounds through the same pod but for me that's overly strong and the 2 cup is like dishwater. Bleh. I still think brewed coffee beats Keurig hands down. Regarding the 21 Day Fix plan - I was going to incorporate that with Whole30 and was told that 21 Day Fix/Fit - what is it??? does not allow enough fats. You need fats to be satisfied and reduce the cravings. That made perfect sense to me. So you might want to mention that to her about her being hungry all the time. The fats you are allowed are minimal in that plan - about a tablespoon for the whole day which is crazy. Good fats like avocado, olive oil, olives, salmon etc are good for you. Just goes to show there are flaws with any plan if you pick it apart.

Michelle - I hope that the headaches have eased up. You seem to be able to go for long stretches without them but then when they do creep up, they make up for lost time. I hope you feel better. How is your marathon training coming along?

Shaddie, are you still dancing in the rain? Still a fair bit of summer ahead for you. So I forget - why is ODDU living at your house? Is DS and partner living there also? I'm sure it's nice to have a pup around, even if sometimes he gets a bit randy. Are you finding enough to keep yourself busy or are you starting to get a bit restless now that you are home?

Well DH will probably be asking me to get ready if I want to go to the store soon. I have to be back by 2 to get ready for the doctor's appointment. Have a good weekend everyone.

Oops this time it's Annie sneaking in over my head. Glad you had a nice dinner last night. Yes 4 weeks goes by fast for the hair color but you will find that once your hair goes gray/white - even with the light base color you have now, you will STILL need to get touched up rather quickly. Your hair must grow very fast.

Yes, 6 pounds was way too much to lose - guess I had more water in me than I thought I did which is odd because I said I don't drink much water lately :rofl: I don't really know what happened as I was not strict last week. I just know I'm going to try really hard this upcoming week and I'll get the old .2 pound which will annoy me to no end. :rollpin: As for my goal, it's to change my body shape from round pumpkin to a more normal shape. I have too much stomach that gets in the way of doing yoga and my boobs suffocate me when I have to lie on my stomach. I would like to get to a size 9/10 at whatever weight that would occur at. I am glad they don't go by those stupid weight charts any more because it would have me at a size 3 and 103 pounds which JUST AIN'T HAPPENING. Bottom line is that I have over 100 pounds to lose. Yes I said it. Ain't proud to admit it but there it is. I realize too I have steadily gained weight from 40 on when I went into early menopause. About 10 - 15 pounds a year. Then at 50 when I quit smoking I gained about 45 pounds over the course of a year. Then there was Memphis - alot of stress and that cortisol thing they talk about - the stress hormone. I have probably maintained that weight for the last 10 years or so. Down a bit but always back at my set point again. This time I intend to be more successful. I realize that as overweight as I am, I am darn lucky that I don't have issues with diabetes - it was a very satisfactory feeling to get my A1C out of the pre-diabetic range last year. I also have alot of heart and obesity issues on both sides of my family. My Mom and sister are both on blood pressure meds and cholesterol meds. My only medication is a thyroid pill. I attribute my good health to clean eating and moving around but I know I can and MUST do better before I get blindsided. And these knees killing my mobility are a big motivator also. So.. that's my story. ;)

Morning all. TGIF!! This week went by slowly for me.

Annie – Sounds like you had a nice family evening last night. :) I’m sorry you’re not feeling 100% today. I’m not a fan of green tea at all, so I will withhold my opinion about the taste, lol. Yes, I ordered my pillow. Of course, it was just a few bucks under the free shipping threshold, so I ordered a couple more items – a Bondi Band wide headband to keep my hair out of my face during Pilates and a pair of yoga socks.

Happy – Congrats on the 6 pound loss!! Too bad that couldn’t count for the WW promo…but I think you could easily add some weight onto your body just through your clothing – starting with a heavy pair of shoes/boots and by layering up. And don’t forget ankle weights, lol.

Ceejay – I hope the pain from the injection fades quickly and that the bunion/toe pain is gone with it.

Susie – I’m glad you hit the hay early that one day – you apparently really needed the sleep! I tend to force myself to stay awake until a more “normal” sleep time - not sure why, like it’s a bad thing. Good job on the TOPS loss – they all add up! Re your next goal – maybe it could be an inches lost goal? I don’t really like measuring myself because I’m never sure if I’m doing it in a consistent manner, but for a short term, it could be helpful, and also encourage yourself to focus on exercise as well as your eating.

Hellos to the rest of you! :)

==
Last night I watched another episode of Mad Men. This one was good and now I’m starting to feel sad I’m coming to the end of the series.

I did one of my “new to me” $1 workout DVD’s. This one was The Lotte Berk Method “Muscle eats Fat”. I’d read a review of it on the video fitness web site, so I knew it was a non-traditional workout. Yeh, it was a bit strange. That said, I did feel like I got a workout. On the one hand, the workout includes tucking your hips/rear to protect the back, which is good. But then there are lower body moves that could be a strain on the knees. I have mixed feelings about it. But it’s relatively short, and there is a good section that includes planks.

Speaking of planks…I began the 30-day plank challenge last night. I might adjust it for myself because this is the one that ends on Day 30 with a 5 minute plank. I have no aspirations for that this time around (last time I believe I made it to 4 minutes). I also noted that the challenge jumps up by 30 second increments at Day 12. Not each day of course – when you move to a higher amount of time, you repeat that time for two or three days (and there are rest days too). I think increments of 10-15 seconds might be easier. I’ll tinker with it.

The boss scheduled our performance reviews for Tuesday of next week – the day before he leaves town for the rest of the week. Convenient. :p

Tomorrow I go back to the dentist for my nightguard. I might get together with my friend D for lunch.

Don’t know what’s coming for Sunday. I’m thinking the less I know the less I’m expected to get involved, so I won't even bring it up.

That’s it for me. Have a great weekend everyone.

Happy
Your weight loss may only be fluid. Keep it. I can lose up to 10 pounds of fluid when I take my fluid medication.

Annie
No I don't have the back up camera. Wish I did. Just need to be more careful.
-----
I called my co-worker this morning and he was laughing. I told him if I were there he would be getting another friendly tap. He did it the car. He said he was playing a trick. I feel a lot better. These guys need to quit pulling pranks on me.
My bff sent me a text last night stating that Medicare wanted to set up a wellness program. and was sending her a doctor from Dallas to do it. She got afraid and called and canceled it. Told her I didn't blame her for doing that. She reported it to her health nurse and other insurance company and they are looking into it for her. She said that the doctor's name they used was a doctor that was on a tv soap opera. Sounds like a scam to me.
My toe is a little sore this morning but not as painful. I agree with Happy that if I can endure this I need too.
It's time to flip the laundry and then I need to go pay my rent. And the to Walnart to get a few groceries.

TGIF! I am so ready to be off work.

The weekend will be busy. Niece A has a basketball game on Saturday afternoon. Saturday morning is cleaning before the game. After that, DH mentioned on going to Verizon to get a new phone for me. Mine has suddenly started shutting down during the day. The battery isn't low, it just shuts off. I've had it almost 3 years so it is getting time to get a new one. I want to get one that I can sync with my fitbit, so I will get back into the habit of wearing it and working on my daily steps again.

Ceejay: Those rotten co-workers! Glad to know you didn't bump the car. I hope the soreness on the toe goes away quickly.

That is scare about your BFF and that call. I'm glad she called her health insurance and that she cancelled the appointment.

Happy: Look at the 10 lbs this way....it is good for your health. :D I am thinking of setting a goal that isn't just "number on the scale related". I do have my measurements as we are doing a biggest loser contest at work and we got measured 2 weeks ago and will get measured again in 6 weeks.

Laura: Good for you for starting a new challenge. I think you do well with those. You like seeing the improvement in time or reps as you get near the end. It is motivational for you. I struggle with things like that as I think I have to be "perfect" at it and if I miss a day or something, then I feel I blew it. That is thinking I need to get rid off for sure!

Of course your manager scheduled reviews that way; I think they train management on those types of thing! :dizzy:

Annie: Getting in 7,000 steps a day up from your 5,500 is great! Small changes are good as they usually become a habit that way.

It is time to shut things down at work and get out of here. I was all alone in the office for the last 15 min and decided to take a "me" break and chat to all your lovely ladies.

I'll see you over the weekend!

Annie
Proud of you for getting in the 7000 steps. Is this a new goal? I need to up m steps to 7000. Sometimes I can get that very easily but other times it's hard to get in the regular 6000 steps.

Susie
I like having my phone synced to the fitbit. I can check on the number of activity minutes I've gotten for the day, but I forgot to put it on my foot last night when I road the bike. I did get my 20 minutes in though. It just didn't record it. Measurements would be a good way to go this month.

Laura
I will start doing a plank per day. IO didn't realize that these were good for the abs.

------
Made some soup last night to help me get in my quota of veggies. Going to make a pot of beans and ham later this afternoon and fried potatoes cornbread. Yes I know not the most healthy but this is what I grew up on. and I miss it. I'm trying to replace beans, peas etc for some of my protein.
My toe is much better today. No pain.

Evening all,

Cooled down considerably here. We are moving into Autumn I think since there are some fallen leaves from the Poinciana tree. Hasn't been much of a summer really and I think we may have water restrictions again during the winter. It's almost getting to time for my garden to go back into production. I bought some compost soil for the purpose today. It will get spread tomorrow - if the ODDU doesn't get to it first.

Dinner will be late tonight since I didn't get the firelighters when shopping. So we are trying to make do with what I had, but the briquettes are not heating well. Guess it will be another trip to the local store for some if something doesn't happen soon.

Laura - no wombats in our garden. They generally tend to be in rural areas since they are solitary animals and not at all very friendly unless they have been brought up around humans.

Susie - hope you are not bringing too much work home. It can become a habit and you never get away from it.

Ceejay - hope the bunion has calmed down a bit now and you are feeling better. My DS1's partner has a RAV 4 and I found it difficult to see things from the back window. My current ride has an amazing camera that 'sees' all around the car and lets me know when things are getting close. Sometimes the sound drives me crazy but I love the camera.

Happy - wish I had your problem about the weight loss. Well done btw. Mine is just the same as ever, but the size is shifting again. Must be all the yard work I am putting in.
I know what you mean about the rubbish man. We get our trash picked up once a week and the recycling picked up every two weeks. At the moment we seem to be filling up the recycling per week as well.

Annie - Strange that things taste funny with your medication. Don't you just hate that. Get your taste buds already for the meal and nothing tastes right.

Michelle - hope those headaches have gone away and that you are back to normal again.

Okay - I am out of here. Better go poke the chicken and look at the veges in the Weber. Guess you are all watching the superbowl. I loved Dame Helen Mirren's response to one of the ads - about drunken drivers. Stop it! so there.

Shad
I would like to have one of those back up camera's. I may check into it.

---
I'm working an extra day this week. My co-worker needed off today. She will be working for me on the 17th. Just the way the ball bounces around here. Came back from my round to check on the chemicals and the filters were low. Hmm. Checked the chart and one of the well's had kicked out. Put one on hand and it came on, then did the other one. It came on. Guess I should call the maintenance man to double check on it.
Did some more Spring cleaning yesterday. Boxed up a bunch of stuffed animals, some cookbooks and more dishes. Will be taking this and some more things to Goodwill Thursday.
Rode the bike for 20 minutes but actually had 30 activity minutes. Guess I was more active yesterday than I thought.
Need to call my aunt later to check on them.

Hi ladies,

So... went to the doctor on Friday. She had me stand facing the wall and put her hands on the sides of my hips and squeezed. I almost passed out. Then she moved down my legs (to the saddlebags) and squeezed. Again, unbearable pain. She did a bit more checking involving touch, pressure as in push against my hand stuff and flexibility. It appears that my hip flexors are very weak. These are the muscles you mainly use to do things like stairs and walking. When the hip flexors are week, the IT (iliotibial) Band takes over on the side of the leg and it stresses the knee. Hip flexors and IT band are very very sore. And I have a healthy dose of arthritis in the knees. But most of my pain comes from the muscles - that's good because that's fixable. She said she could give me cortesone shots in the knees but I drove myself and I know those are painful and wasn't sure I could drive home afterwards so I took a pass. Said I'd rather do physical therapy because if I have the opportunity to alleviate this, or avoid it - I'd rather do that. I had the same problem with the IT band last year. It surprised me because I am in the habit of daily stretching for that muscle every day. I guess I was not doing enough. It makes sense how things progressed. My knee is wonky so I always walk stairs holding to the railing. I never walk not holding on to something because a few times my knee would give out and I didn't want to fall. Or slide on the icy steps outside. By holding on, it allowed the hip flexors to weaken. That put more pressure on the IT band. The more the band got stressed, the more my knees hurt. The more my knees hurt, the more I adjusted my walking which created bigger problems on the knees. Big circle of ugly. The therapist I saw and liked last year is not there any more but Doc said there is a new one - a lady who specialized in female pelvis work which is good since our hips are different than guys. I am going to see her Wednesday morning. The only issue is she's in a town 30 minutes drive from here. I have an 8:30 appt so I will have to get up at the crack of dawn in order to have a comfortable amount of time to have a coffee and wake up, shower and get over to the office. This also means DH has to get up which is not a problem for him as he is an early riser too. I don't care for the road to this town - it's only 2 lanes - one in each direction and it's curvy and most of it is no passing so if you have a speed demon behind you, they tend to crawl up your behind thinking that will get you to exceed the speed limit. I don't like that road so DH will drive me. :D That night we went out for a birthday celebration for him and had a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant. He loves their swordfish. I had chicken picatta (chicken in a lemon based sauce). I also had 2 glasses of wine and panna cotta for dessert so I blew all of my extra weekly WW points. That's ok, I planned for that.

Yesterday was his birthday. Another step to becoming an old man. I told him it was my job to keep him from turning into a grandpa geezer since he was trying so hard to go that route :rofl: sad but true. We went over to the art show where he has a piece entered into the show. There were some interesting pieces. I bought one that really grabbed me. Everyone was commenting on it. I think DH was wanting to see if people liked his bear picture. When you purchase a piece they prefer you to leave it the entire month for the duration of the show if you can but they put a red dot on the label of the artist to indicate that piece sold. So now I told DH he can casually saunter into the store and discretely check to see if anyone liked his photo enough to purchase it. I hope someone does - it would mean alot to him and his self esteem. The gallery owner is our good friend, the president of the Humane Society here. She asked what we did Friday night and I whispered it was DH's birthday today and we went out to eat. Next thing I know she comes out with a candle stuck in a cup of treats and we all sang Happy Birthday to him. He was embarrassed but loved the attention I'm sure. I also scored him a free tiramisu birthday dessert on Friday by telling the waitress it was his birthday. I personally believe that everyone deserves to feel special at least one day a year so I do make a fuss about birthdays even if I don't get the same in return.

I met a lady at the art show who is an avid quilter and "fabric artist" :snooty: she was telling me about a local quilters guild but I have heard of them before - despite what she says about them welcoming new people (reeling in new fish) I have heard they are amateur professionals and if you join up you are expected to submit an entry into their various quilt shows. Not as a beginner I won't. Then I started researching it - it's not like having a hand needle and thread and piecing together fabric. Now it's high tech with fancy sewing machines and all sorts of stuff. I certainly don't need another hobby to invest money into! Best to stick with what I have now.

Today is a quiet day. Some cooking. Some laundry. It's snowing a bit - we are only supposed to get an inch but it's really coming down now. DH is not feeling well - like he's coming down with a cold so I sent him to bed. He's been sleeping for quite a while so that's good. I have an excuse to be on the computer since he wakes at the slightest noise so I'm being quiet.

Ceejay - who is going to cover for your coworker when you retire? Seems like you do alot of filling in for somebody work. That's good that you are slowing cutting down on the stuff at your place. Makes moving easier. My sister is doing the same in preparation (3 years) for retirement. I'm not so sure I could smile at the co-worker playing a trick and you thinking you hit him. There are other less stressful "tricks".

Shad - you can always burn some corn chips if you are out of firestarters. At least the Doritos brand out this way makes excellent firestarters. Better to burn them than eat them! Don't be too envious of me and weight loss - no doubt I will have to wrestle every ounce out of me for the upcoming week and going forward. Will take careful planning and mindful eating. So if there are water restrictions - does that mean you had a very dry summer? Is it summer or autumn when the rains (should) come? Will be nice to get the garden in - hopefully you will be around enough to enjoy it's bounty. I truly enjoyed the peaches I canned this summer - will make 2 boxes next time and hopefully we will have a better growing season this year. Last 2 years have been a bust in the garden. Thanks goodness for the farmer's market.

Susie - did you decide on a goal yet? I am making my first one about getting comfortably into a pair of black dress pants that have a smart thin red stripe in them. I have had them for years - can't zip them up yet so it will take a few weeks of work. I hope to wear them for my birthday dinner late April if not before that. Maybe if I work hard I can get into them for our anniversary March 5. Did you get your new phone? I have to admit seeing how much people are doing with their smart phones makes me a bit jealous I don't have one - feel like I am missing out on things. I guess you can "scan" an item at a grocery store with an app that will tell you how many WW points something has just by the bar code! But I can't see putting out the expense if the thing works everywhere in town but not at my house or on some of the more remote woods. Expecially if I put something in the phone and then want to check it later at home. Enjoy the game tonight!

Laura - I am thinking about you and wondering how your "Super Bowl" party is coming along. Did you fuss or not? Hope you are not stressed or asked to do more than you want to. My sister told me about a program on cable on the A&E channel - Fit to Fat to Fit. It just started. It's about super fit trainers who are going through an experiment to purposely get fat so that they can be more empathetic to the struggles of their over weight clients. It's interesting to watch them try and gain weight (sometimes as much as 70 pounds!!!). Of course they all lose the weight (and then some) but they all struggle with the first few workouts (they gain weight and stop exercising for a while) - just the same as their clients. I am confused as you are about what are the right moves when exercising. My yoga teacher is saying she is reading more about certain moves that were popularly accepted that they are now finding are more injurious than beneficial. I also know that I can no way at 60 do what I could at 40 so that might be a factor also. I guess you have to listen to your body and adjust where needed when things get tight or are prone to weaknesses.

I probably should go wake up DH - he's been asleep for 3 hours - very unusual and he's the kind that if he sleeps any more, sick or not won't be able to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight. Not that we have anything special going on tomorrow. But still. And I need to go peek out the window and see how much snow we really got. Have a good Sunday and hello to the rest of the chicks.

Good Monday Morning/Evening All....

Whew what a weekend. Had the boys Saturday evening and all day yesterday. Poor lil Royce wasn't feeling well, on antibiotics that made his bum just raw. He screamed every time I changed his diaper. I did get his bum a bit better by putting cortisone ointment on it then slathering it with vaseline. Made my heart break for him. On a good note, papaw and the boys built a tent, put puzzles together, played cars, trains and airplanes, hide n seek, and a few other things. I did play some also, not as much a papaw. I mostly did meals, refereed, laundry, refereed, snacks, refereed, and did I mention refereed? lol. I made chicken/veggie stir fry for dinner when the kids came by to pick up the babes. Totally delish and we will be having it for dinner tonight. Also sent some home with the kids. Watche the first half of the super bowl and half time. Lady Gaga knocked the socks off the anthem, great job and she even looked half normal. lol.

Will come back for personals in a bit.

Morning
Annie
Sounds like a fun time with the boys. I feel for Royce.

Happy
I've never heard of the IT band until now. Hope things improve. When will you start the therapy. I've been watching the fit to fat, fat to fit program. It's kinda interesting.
------
My sister from Missouri called last night and offered me her rental property to live in. Her dil is there now but will move out of state by the time I'm ready for it. I kept asking her about how much the rent would be and finally she said I will let you take care of the utilities. This is where my niece lived before she moved. It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a garage. When I go up this spring I will check on it. The house is located in a smaller community which I like. About 15 minutes from her home in Ash Grove, 15 minutes from Nixa where one of my nephew's live, and an hour from Branson. It's a perfect location. However, it does have a lawn but she said her dh would take care of that. I'm on cloud 9. I'm going to give it a try.
Texted my bff who got married last year. I think she was getting a bit home sick.
Now to tell my bff in Jonesboro. She's the one who will be 100 percent disappointed. cause I will not be there to take care of her but she has relatives near by.

ok I am back...

Yeah for Peyton. Hope he retires before he gets too hurt.

CEEG...Remember to do what is in the best interest for you! I would definitely get it in writing what you are supposed to "take care of" financially and property wise at your sister's rental. If it doesn't work out, you can always move.

HAPPY...happy birthday to DH. How did his piece fare at the show? I know what you mean by one part affecting another part. From walking "crooked" with my bad ankle, my knees are suffering. It hurts like heck to get up and down from a chair. May have to start wearing knee braces. I know losing these added pounds would help my situation. Just need a full body brace then wrap me in bubble pak. I took and age test that said I would only live till 57, maybe I can hold out till then. lol.

SHADDIE...you are heading into autumn and we are heading into spring. However this week is full blown winter. One day's high is only 17, and snow flying on several days this week. Temps don't look good till about the 20th. Bleh. Hope ODDU stayed out of the compost pile and doesn't smell like a huge turd.

SUSIE...did you get a new phone afterall? It is all fun and games, hit or miss till you get it all figured out. I just learned how to turn my flashlight off and on today. Go me!!

LAURA...good for you on the plank challenge. I don't think I could do it if I tried. Not even if a sum of money for doing it was involved. You go girl. How was the super bowl party? We watched some of it in bed, then turned it off after halftime.

Hello to all,

Hugs