Morning all.

Shad – You’ve gotten through 3 sessions, you can certainly get through just one more!! :yes: You must be feeling pretty good to go full steam ahead with lawn mowing and fridge moving!! Yeh, wait for DS2 to help with the fridge. :strong: So this is an outdoor fridge? Keeping a fridge in the garage is about as close to an outdoor fridge as we get in these parts, and even then it might not work correctly in the colder weather… Enjoy your cooler weather.

Ceejay – I hope your peony made it through the freeze. They’re a hardy flower, so it should be fine. I haven’t been walking around in the yard much at all, but I can see from the house that the daylilies are really going to town. It’s going to be a nice weekend, but I’m pretty sure the ground will be way too wet to do any digging. Too bad, because I really do want to thin out those daylilies. == Re your uncle’s FB - there’s all kind of account hijacking, etc. going around. In recent months, I’ve gotten two emails that seemed suspicious from two different people I know (but not from their usual email addresses), and they both contained links. I sent emails to their usual emails asking if they sent it and they hadn’t. We have to be so careful these days!

Hellos to the rest of you! Safe travels to Happy and Annie.

==
I did a BE workout last night and today my pecs, quads, and triceps are sore.

I received my swimsuit yesterday. Fits fine. My sandals shipped yesterday and the UPS tracking site says the package is out for delivery today.

No special plans this weekend, but there’s always some cleaning that needs to be done in the house. I’ll also get out and do some yard work. We have a ton of leaves that need cleaning up.

Have a great weekend everyone. :)

Good afternoon everyone....I am back! I have missed reading about everyone here. Life is still super busy with 3 teenagers and a 2nd grader, but I am trying to make my health a priority. Last summer I started counting calories and managed to lose about 10 pounds, I lost my way over the winter, But managed to hold on to an 8 pound loss. I was looking for a way to motivate myself. Then our HR person e-mailed the company about a Fittest Loser at Work contest that a local paper was hosting. They were looking to put together a team, I thought this would be a great way to stay motivated and accountable...even if I was not on the Official team (a lot of people responded!) Lo, and behold, I was picked for the official team. So, since the beginning of February I have been counting calories and working out. I was having a difficult time, mentally, with it all (I blame hormones) and reached out to a friend that recently got his personal training certificate. We meet up about once a week and he is helping to keep things fresh and modifying exercises when my wrist is bothering me (Broke it a few years ago). So all told I am down 23 pounds since last July, seem to have a better relationship with food and I am enjoying my time in the gym.

On a personal level, hubby has been traveling for work since May 2016, but should be here in IL a bit more this year. DS has gotten is Driver's License and is currently learning to drive a Manual transmission car, we bought a new/used car for him and his sisters to use. DD1 has been flying thru her freshman year of high school, did Color Guard with her JROTC team and has signed up for Driver's Education over the summer, DD2 is finishing up her 8th grade year pulling straight A's, she keeps to herself, but her sassy side pops out occasionally. And DD3 is still happy being a kid, but wants to grow up fast. She is spreading her wings and spends most days after school with her friends at the park (right behind the house so mom can keep a close eye on her.

I am looking forward to checking in on my Worldly Chicks, and even tho I have not been here you all have been in my heart.

Howdy chicks,

Back home safe and sound. We had a nice drive home - the weather was sunny and warm all the way north. My sister said it was actually warmer up here than by her. Still, I have to admit I am no fan of an 8 hour car ride. With my friend's dog we stopped at least 3 times for about 10 minutes each so it gave us a break to stretch our wonky legs. Coming home V said she was in full on "let's just get home mode". I wish I could help her drive but these crazy speeders zipping in and out of traffic make me very unnerved. The week went by very quickly, especially the last 2 days. Today is supposed to be nice again but they are talking 1 to 3 inches of SNOW tomorrow. What's up with that??? The butterflies have appeared up this way and the birds are singing their morning spring songs - I love to hear their calls. I know realistically we can get snow through May but I'm hoping we are done with it. Just peeked at the weather - yes, snow for Monday but then it's going to warm up so it won't hang around. Looks like we are going to get alot of rain the next 2 weeks. That's ok - I noticed the fire danger signs on the way up were all High Danger of fires which means it's very dry grasses and we need the rain. We do get wildfires up this way which can be very scary. DH kept mentioning and I think he was actually kind of hoping that I'd decide to stay through Easter and he'd come down and pick me up - but I have things to do this week and I had committed to riding with V. As we were pulling into town she grabbed my hand and said she was SO HAPPY to have someone to ride with and talk to - it made the trip so much easier. :o So that sort of validated my feelings about riding back with her instead of staying even though everyone wanted me to stay longer. She's going back the end of June but I have a rheumatology appointment July 5 so I don't know if that will work out. They sent me the new patient paperwork in the mail - like I'm supposed to remember where I put these papers for my appointment 4 months from now??? :lol: Now that I'm back home I have to go through all my papers and emails and figure out all the things I am supposed to be doing. Somehow I just don't feel up to the task. I think I could use a "reboot" and start all over again... But I'm not getting anything accomplished sitting here at the computer other than procrastinating.

Anne - safe travels back home again. I'm sure you are most reluctant to leave. Looks like you had a very fine vacation - just what you needed.

Welcome back Ellen.

Laura - glad your swimsuit fit you nicely. Sounds like you are getting everything ready for vacation. I think you are smart to stick with the Birks if they are the most comfortable for your feet. I tried those Orthofeet ones but I thought the Birkenstocks had much more comfortable footbeds. And they are sturdy and hold up well. DH has not started (I'll bet because he's kinda forgetful) the vitamin B yet so don't know if that is working. He's working outside now so he must be feeling a bit better although it's overcast but almost 60 out there so a great day to be outside. I hope you are out and enjoying the beautiful Sunday weather they forecasted.

Ceejay - yes it is very important to be mindful and keep up with strength and balance exercises - we lose it so quickly and there is a special effort on keeping people from stumbling and really hurting themselves. I have noticed how weak my ankles got. So keep up the good work. Did your peony survive the frost?

Shad - are you getting ready for your trip next week? Glad to hear the weather is more comfortable - more conducive to doing things. Sounds like you got in a nice veg garden.

Hi Susie - hope you are having a fun weekend as well as accomplishing a few things around the house.

And with that I will get off this chair and get busy myself. Enjoy your Sunday ladies. :wave:

Oh Happy Monday....We brought back beautiful weather for all around us. :) Safe travels home and laundry done!!

The week was superb. We had rain two mornings, cleared up by noon then super fabulous days. First day we spent it on the beach. Ocean was cold but made no diff to me as I do not go in further than my ankles. Considering sharks, underwater creatures and my wobbly legs/feet, no can do, thank you. The kids and papaw had a marvelous time building sand castles and hunting for shells. We did find some keepers. Of course, Royce thought every one of them were keepers. lol. Second day was spent poolside. Met a lot of very nice people. A mom/daughter team with a 2 yr old and a 6 yr old made great playmates for Jacob and Royce. We went shopping the next morning as it was raining. Ate some lunch as a great mexican place. Great taco bowl- no shell. Back to the hotel for a beautiful afternoon. Poolside/beach a little too. We made it to a restaurant called LuLu's. This is Jimmy Buffet's sister's (Lucy) place. What a great restaurant and food. I had seafood of course. It also had lots of activity areas outside the restaurant and a souviner shop. Kind of like a small resort. I will post pictures later. We also went to a wonderful seafood place called Bubba's. Not Bubba Gump. OMGosh, what wonderful seafood. Cleaned my plate right up. I had the captains plate or something like that. Grilled shrimp, mahi mahi, and crab legs on a bed of rice that I did not eat. Came with a salad too. Can you say stuffed? Whew. Sam, Jacob and I went by ourselves shopping while papaw and Royce took a very needed nap. Poolside a lot as the kids had playmates. Two OVER heated hot tubs which I did not like nor used. Papaw and Jacob liked them. The drive home was a bit exhausting. What should of taken 10/11 hours to get home took us 13 hours. Two major traffic jams. ZERO miles an hour for an hour at one of the jams. Made it home by 11:30 pm Boom-Bed! Very nice vacation. Royce ended up being the best rider. Jacob was bored even with movies, books and coloring activities. Do you know how many times a kid and whine the following. When will we be home? How much longer? I am bored. I need to get out of this car. I don't want to be in this car anymore. Well let me answer that for you. 436,000 times. Like every 15/20 minutes. OMGosh. That concludes my report.

Yesterday was spent working in the yard since we had 75+ temps and sunny. Sam, C and I weeded the flower bed, sprayed for bugs, sprayed weeds, swept the front porch. Cleaned the back porch, took us all afternoon. I was exhausted last night.

I will try to do personals later. I have a major backlog here. I have read them all. HAPPY...glad you made it back safely. SHADDIE...how you feeling? SUSIE...great loss at TOPS. CEEG...glad you are loving family time. Hope the nephew works out at your place. ELLEN...welcome back! Great to hear from you. Hello to all.

Hugs.

Forgot a couple of things...

Lost 1.5 lbs while on vacation.

Curtis got to go fishing 2 days. I didn't go, one morning it was rainy the other he took the boys with him.

and something else but I forget.

Morning all. Back to work, back to rainy weather. But what a lovely spring weekend!

Ellen – Welcome back. Congrats on your weight loss!

Happy – Welcome home. I’m glad you had a nice drive home – I’m sure the time went quicker having someone to talk to. Bet you’re happy to be back in spite of snow in the forecast. Good luck getting back into your routine. I imagine returning home from being away when you're retired is a different feeling than when you were working. -- Re forgetting to take vitamins – I’ve been using pill containers (with the days of the week) for my vitamins as well as meds. Just makes everything easier. And I have a reminder in my calendar at work to take the vitamins (I spread them out during the day, so I take one after lunch and one mid-afternoon). Of course on the weekend I tend to forget because there’s not at much of a routine, so I just make sure to take my rx meds and don't worry about the vitamins. :dizzy:

Annie – Sounds like you had a fabulous vacation! And you lost weight to boot – awesome!! So nice the boys had some playmates there. Bummer about the long drive home. That’s rough on everybody. Were you able to make your enroute visits?

Hellos to the rest of you! Have a good week.

==
The weekend was lovely, just a bit windy both days. The constant wind isn’t restful at all for me. Friday night I did a BE workout. On Saturday I did some house cleaning indoors, including a load of laundry and then I got outdoors for a bit of cleanup. Just collecting a bunch of twigs and branches off the lawn in back. I wasn’t up for raking leaves.

On Sunday I got out in the yard again, but just for a bit of reading. For dinner we made homemade pizzas which were tasty. I’ll have to make some more dough to store in the freezer.

Still nice and warm today, but rainy. I noticed the daffodils in our yard are blooming.

Should be a nice quiet week at work since the boss is out of the office on vacation, but I’ll also start work on a big project.

That’s it for me. TTFN.

Morning,
Sorry I've not posted just haven't had a lot of things to say. I finally shut down the hacker and blocked him.
My sister and husband and grand daughter came over yesterday to help me trim the over grown bushes. Boy does it look better. My nephew was here weed eating and he ended up doing the bushes. My six year old niece and I spent some time together doing some arts and crafts. and she was ready to see her mom and dad, my other nephew.
I cleaned out a flower bed Saturday afternoon and I was sore Sunday but today I'm really okay. I did take some Aleve. My nephew has things looking good on the outside and it really is helping me out for him to do this.
He's really not much trouble at all. I told him I didn't cook much so he's bought some groceries for himself. Mainly sandwich things.
I've had an on set of diverticulosis this morning and I know it's my fault. I've been eating to many walnuts. As Shad comments this to shall pass. I will cut down on the nuts.

--------------
Happy
Sounds like you are happy to be back home. Maybe this weather will bread. My joints have been hurting too. I'm dreading the long drive to Maryland in May but my sis and bil have to make pit stops which really help and My sis has rented us a cabin. I'm so excited to get to do this.

Annie
Ah back to work this morning. So glad that you enjoyed your vacation time. I'm so ready for some warm sunshine. Think that's why I enjoyed my day Saturday. Congrats also for the 1.5 pounds lost on vacation.

Laura
Sorry our foot is still bothering you. But I'm proud of you for doing the work outs. That inspires me.

Welcome back. Ellen.

Shad
Sounds like you are doing well after the chemo treatments. Proud of you.

Susie :wave: Time for a break.

Happy good morning girls,

So far we are getting just rain - we are on the cusp of the rain / sleet / snow line so I hope it stays at 36 degrees - just enough to keep the ice at bay. DH has an afternoon appointment to get a new CPAP mask - he was going to reschedule it but it looks like the weather will stay enough on the wet side so that it's not a problem going out. My new knee is really paining me today - I was rubbing it in the hot tub yesterday. The muscles all around it are very sore. I am recommitting to getting back on the NuStep regularly - must make that a morning habit so that I don't forget it. I'm hoping if I go back to "rehab" type exercises, things will firm up and get stronger and less pain. I guess I should be icing things too. Laura - that's an interesting point you made about the difference between returning home when you are working vs not working. I guess that's sort of true. I return home because I have things to do rather than when you are working, you are sad to return home because it's back to the old grind. :lol: Also going to visit my family is different from vacation. I haven't been on a vacation in probably 10 years - can't remember the last time we went someplace other than Chicago. Maybe the Ozarks and one nice restful place we went for a long weekend. So ... there is not that melancholy feeling of "oh I had such fun by the sea I hate to leave". So yeah, it's kind of different coming back home. I do feel a bit restless which is what happens to me - I'm getting a bit bored with my current life, time to switch things up. I did see from emails I was mostly ignoring that the Shelter Software computer package I implemented (and having had much to do with since my knee surgery) is changing so I should be responsible and go figure out what that means so they are not blindsighted. The senior center is trying to pull me into more things and I'm really doing a fantastic job of pretending I didn't hear :lol: Also spring is here - time to think about what I want to accomplish this summer as well as start planning things like if I want to do a garden this year. I am at odds because I can't bend too well and I need to do that if I'm going to garden. Trying to get DH to build me some waist high raised beds in the garden :lol: They have them at the senior center and they are quite nice. Ok, tick, tick, tick on the windows means the ice finally found us. :( If it was me, I would not be taking my brand new truck down a very steep hill to go pick up a cpap mask I could easily go and get tomorrow instead. We'll see what DH thinks...

Last night I looked at the companion program to this Contrave diet pill. They offer you a 90 day free subscription in their program. They send you a free scale - it's digital and you have to weigh every day and it transmits your weight into the mother ship which in turn sends you motivational :hug: or threatening :rollpin: text messages. They are supposed to send you all sorts of tips on eating and help for losing weight. We'll see. I struggle most with breakfast because I am repulsed by food first thing in the morning. I'm looking to eat around what is typically lunch time for most. So I joined the premium MyFitnessPal which gives you a breakdown of metrics of your choice - protein, carbs, fat grams, etc which helps you to choose better foods based on your eating plan of the day. I plugged in a bunch of breakfast items into Saturday just to get an idea of what is a better choice over other items.

Anne - glad you had such a nice vacation - even if it did rain a bit. One thing about being down that way - the seafood is absolutely amazing. But then again, the beef and the dairy suck :rofl: Wow - you just barely rolled out of the car and you and Sam were like the white tornadoes (was that Mr. Clean years ago??) just zooming along cleaning things up like mad. Good for you! And congrats on losing weight even on vacation! This keto eating seems like a very natural for you - just like someone who hated mushrooms - I just avoid eating them, what's the problems? :shrug: 436,000 times - can I get OUT of this car?? :lol3: Yes, as adults we think the same thing, we just don't say it out loud. Although I know some people really like car trips like my SIL. For a kid though 8 hours is like 8 days. And they have all that pent up energy. But at least I hope this vacation recharged your batteries for a while.

Ceejay - how nice that you got some help with the yard work. Glad the nephew is more help than a bother and is not expecting you to be his nursemaid. The nice thing about a long drive to Maryland is if your sister has the time, you can stop along the way and break up the trip and go and see things that you might not otherwise do rather than just resting for the night. My cousin and his wife are moving to Florida the end of the month and they are doing the same thing - he is pretty crippled up so she planned about 6 to 7 hours of driving and then they are going to stop for 2 days and go and see things like Nashville and the Smokey Mountains. Like she said, we may never pass this way again (wonderful Seals and Croft song from the 70's ;) ) so why not stop and take in the sights. Do you like seafood? I would be jonesing for some of that wonderful Maryland crab. I guess when you think about it, the entire eastern seaboard is just full of all kinds of wonderful fish.

Laura - good luck on the new project at work, I hope it's something to re-energize you and something fun to work on. What kind of pizzas did you make? Did you make your own dough? I've been thinking - I don't know if I'm brave enough to try the low carb cauliflower crust. I'm thinking it will "stink" when I bake it and DH will complain. :lol:

When I was away I recorded a new show produced by Ellen Degeneres - First Dates. It's a really cute show. It's real people on first blind dates in which they were paired by their answers to a bunch of questions - like a matchmaking service. Unlike alot of reality tvs shows where they are actually scripted to a specific outcome, this is just "go as it goes". In the end they decide if they want to continue seeing each other. There was a nerdy guy I sort of felt sorry for - he was paired with a self proclaimed nerdy girl but she said she didn't feel a spark for him. He was genuinely nice. One thing I did notice was alot of these girls wore what looked like a longish shirt instead of an actual skirt. Yes they had dresses on but yikes, the bottom of the dress barely covered their tush. You certainly can't sit well in that, much less climb unto a bar stool. And as JLo as proven over and over, even if you have nice legs, something way too short (up to your coozy as my Mom would say) just stops looking good and makes your legs thicker looking. Once again, I am so glad I am not 20 in today's times. ;) But it's a cute, entertaining, smile kinda show. Fridays at 7pm (CST) on NBC network.

Well DH just decided (with strong urging on my part) NOT to venture out today and he rescheduled his appointment. Good man!

Hellos to the rest of you ladies, I'm going to go get busy. Have a good start to the week.

Evening all,
Sorry I haven't been around. Been reading but just not motivated to post at the moment. Been having all sorts of side effects from that last chemo. Over the weekend it was exhaustion. Todays little gem was itching. At first I thought one of the cats had brought in a flea or two so I bombed the house and then had to clean up the resulting mess, wash the bedding and remake the beds. Then I realised that I was still itching and the cats and ODDU were just sitting there looking at me imitate some great ape. So the itch spread and retreated for much of the day and as I sit here, it is deep in the palms of my hands and in the arches of my feet but nowhere else and it feels like I have something in my right eye (apart from the eyeball that is). Maybe this is a one day thing. Hope so, I am so over this.

Thursday I fly off to Adelaide to spend Easter with the grandkid. I am looking forward to that and just hope no further 'episodes from chemo' manifest themselves. The weather down there should be well into Autumn now with mild days and cool nights. So I need to think about packing for that. Doubt that we will go out at night much but I guess a jacket will be a necessity. I've bought a couple of Easter eggs and some matching granny/ grandkid slippers so we can sit down at night and watch the tv with our matching feet.

Ellen - welcome back. Good to hear from you again. I will catch up with your posts shortly.

Annie - so pleased you had a great holiday. Hopefully you got rid of all that cr*p in your nose and chest and are feeling well again. Sounds like the kids and pawpaw had a great time too. Yes I am well versed with the 'are we there yet?' syndrome that kids start up with 5 minutes after you leave the house.

Happy - however often you go away, it is always nice to get home and get back on your own patch again. Seems you might need a glasshouse to get your garden started before you plant out. Hope DH got back safe and sound with his CPAP.

Laura - lucky you, the daffodils are blooming. Spring is definitely sprung over there. My poor garden doesn't know what the season is. I have dahlias and chrysanthemums out. The Azalea are back in bloom again and the spring orchids are flowering with the autumn ones. Such is the silly weather we have had over the past couple of years.

Ceejay - Good that the nephew is pulling his weight and getting the outside down at your place. Must help a lot. Sometimes we just don't have a lot to talk about but eventually it comes back to you - what you should have said 'Just after you pressed the Post button'.

Probably time I went and made a cup of tea before bedtime. At least my bedroom is clean and tidy and I won't have to go over that tomorrow - just make the bed. Hope you are all having an interesting time waging the battle of weight. I know that mine varies day by day between 76.6 (lowest) and 79.0 (highest). Since it can swing 2kg (4.4lbs) over night, I am taking very little notice of the scales right now. Such is the power of chemo. Roll on 21st April - that's the last one and I for one will be celebrating - when I get my life back together.

Good Glorious Morning/Evening....

A little story...when driving down the road and one street light burns out or just goes out and all the other lights stay light, I like to believe it is a message from heaven. Well hello God, Momma, dad, Mike, Grandpa and ma....it makes my heart happy whether it is true or not. I just go with it. Anyway....on the way to work this morning I had all sorts of hello's from heaven. Probably 5 or 6 individual lights went out randomly along the way, while others stayed lit. By the time I got to work I was smiling from ear to ear with a full heart. It is the little silly things that make me happy. Probably why I married C, lol. You know one of the last things that Dad said to C just a few days before he passed was you better take care of my lil birthday girl (dad and I had the same BD). My little messages from heaven. Still smiling! :)

Last night was still adjusting to being home. To make things easy I threw a roast, potatos, carrots and onions in the pressure cooker. C worked late til 7 pm, he put out $4,000 in product yesterday. Amazing cause usually his ENTIRE WEEK is $7000. Everyone getting ready for Easter weekend I suppose. The strangest things are selling like hot cakes. Dave's Killer bread. Supposed to be thee best ever healthy bread. At $4.99 a loaf it should be. Plus his Nature's Way and Wonder Bread is $1.99 a loaf and selling fast. Tasty Cake products are flying off the shelf also. WOW. Another smile for today! :)

We all were discussing at dinner "what were we doing this time last week?" Wishing we were still there. Seemed forever for vacation to get here then POOF it was over. I am ready to go back. My tan is very lovely with just a few flaky spots on my upper back. Face, neck, arms and legs were roasted to perfection. :) Nose is just a bit flaky but recovering nicely with tan underneath. Putting my body in shock with all this sunshine. I know, it is bad for the skin. Hmmm, don't do this too often. I am confortable with it.

SHADDIE...oh enjoy your g-babe on your Easter holiday. Do you suppose they will have any more kidlets? Safe travels. One more treatment. Amen to that my sister friend. Hopefully with less side effects. My heart is with you.

LAURA...good on you for working out. You have always been my inspiration. Even if I don't exercise. Guess my parents should of been more active with exercise from an early age. Yep there it is...their fault I don't exercise. bahahahaha. NOT. We had lovely weekend weather and supposed to have decent weather Easter weekend too. Oh yeah. We had storms last night but all is ok. Yes was able to make one of the two visits on the way down. Amy, Sam's friend from HS. Met her husband and 3 youngin's. Beautiful family.

Will be right back...

CEEG...wow sounds like you got a lot of help with that yard work. Good for you. Family is awesome-mostly. hehe. You and Curtis need to buck up bucko on eating bad things. He was having an episode while on vacation. He is being really good this week.

HAPPY...Curtis get automatic shipments of his CPAP accessories. Masks, hoses, filters, etc on a regular basis. He doesn't have to even call the doctor. THey ship according to what the insurance will pay. Works out great. All he has to do is go to his sleep doc once a year for shipments and insurance to be valid. Works out really well for us, especially since he doesn't have time for all that nonsense. I will have to google Contrave. I have not heard of it. Sounds interesting. Hope it works for you.

Make it a great day/night.

Hello to all the lurkers.

Hugs.

Good morning sunshines :sunny:

Right now it's gray and everything is covered with snow but the cardinal is out there singing away. It's almost annoying - like the mockingbirds down south. They really go to down and it's the non stop give it up already after 2 hours of hearing it that is the annoying part. Anyway, it's supposed to warm up and melt this ice and snow away. I will probably hitch a ride with DH into town since without the sun right now and barely above freezing, it will take a while for this to calm down. We are picking up lunch - meatball sandwiches and a crunchy vegetable salad - from a local caterer who does a once a month pop up lunch. He makes great food. It's a little pricey but everything is super fresh and healthy. I'd rather pay $10 for something natural than pay $8 for McDonalds. I was a total slug yesterday and spent the better part of the day in front of the tv catching up on a bunch of shows I recorded when I was away. Not feeling guilty though, the rest of the week is busy, busy.

Spring marks the return of one of my least favorite volunteers. She constantly makes these thinly veiled snipey comments. For example D put out an email last week that we are having a thrift shop meeting tomorrow. She responded that she won't be attending ( :thanks::thanks::thanks::thanks: :D :D :D ) BECAUSE she didn't know that we were having one and she made other plans. Well... isn't that why he sent out an email notifying people? :?: :?: :?:
She goes away to South Carolina ( "winters" in SC because the cold is so horrid here :rolleyes: ) and then when she makes her grand return she boots out whomever filled in for her at the shop when she was gone for 4 months because she likes to work alone. She is the very definition of hauty and honestly I just can't stand the woman. I like winters here because we don't have bugs, tourists or this woman around :lol3: Yes, one step closer to being a hermit - I know...

Anne - loved your story about the streetlights. I think the same thing about random pennies I find on the ground. Also when I see a shooting star in the night sky I think of my brother who was always running here and there with something to do. I seem to find pennies when I most need a boost in life and I totally understand what you mean about that warm, happy feeling you get when you see one of your special lights. == I did not know that they still make Wonder Bread. We were talking the other day about good old fashioned white bread that was the best for certain kinds of dishes. C sure has a very physical job - that has to take it's toll on him, especially when he gets sick which is bound to happen when you are touching all this stuff that other people are too. Yay for having a nice tan - it's ok if you do it once in a while, just not ok if you stay out constantly from May until October and bake in the yard. :lol: Did you get a spray tan before your trip or was that Laura who was thinking of it? == Bahahahahaha - blaming your folks because you don't like to exercise???? Momma's going to give you a backhand on the back of your head sweet lady ;) But that's your story...

Shad - so sorry to hear about these crazy chemo side effects :hug: Mad itching??? That's horrid - bad enough the all over body pains. The end of treatment is certainly going to be cause for celebration on many fronts. I have heard that chemo is nasty - like putting your body through several heavy duty rounds in the clothes dryer drum or the Kitchen Aid mixer. == How cute with the slippers - hope that granddaughter likes them and you can be "twins" together :lol: I didn't realize you had azaleas by you. Makes sense as your autumns are near in temperatures to the southern springs. They were always so pretty when they bloomed. I see more and more orchids in the stores now - I always think of you when I see them.

DH rescheduled his cpap appointment for Thursday - he's going in because he wants a new mask - one that will cover part of his face. Anything that has just the part that fits in the nostril holes - like an oxygen mask - always hurts the cartilage in his nose so he's still trying to find one of medium comfort.

As for the Contrave - I have my doubts about it but I will give it a try. It has Wellbutrin in it which is an anti depressant. I used it when I quit smoking as they found in their studies that when they prescribed it for depression that it also helped people quit smoking. For me it changed the taste of things - the cigarettes were no longer satisfying but it didn't really help with what I called the "head games" - the mental urge to want to smoke. That I had to deal with on my own. This is supposed to help with cravings and reduce your appetite. I don't binge eat and the only thing I'd say I crave is Coca Cola so if it gets me off the soda habit, it's done it's job. I have decided I will start taking it next Monday after Easter dinner and hopefully the scale they are sending me will arrive so I can start that online program.

That's it for me - DH is buzzing around me and not in a good way so I'm going to get off the computer and get ready for the day ahead. Hellos to Laura and Susie and Ellen and Ceejay.

Later chicks. :wave:

Afternoon all. Chilly and overcast, but it's not raining and we might even get a wee bit of sun, so I'll take it.

Ceejay – How nice to have gotten shrub-trimming help from the family!! I don’t have much of that to do right now, but I’ll sure be wishing for help with the weeding very soon. Unfortunately the only help I'll get is from that little garden kneeler/bench combo thingy. Hope the diverticulosis eases up with the elimination of the no-no foods. == Your trip is coming up soon! How exciting for you. Yum, crabcakes!

Happy – LOL, I agree wholeheartedly that visiting family is different from a vacation! == Gosh, I wouldn’t have thought you’d have time to get bored or restless, considering all the different activities you’re involved in. I’m sure you’ve sometimes felt like you’ve overcommitted with some of your volunteer activities…if only they wouldn’t keep trying to pull you in for more and more! == A long time ago I remember the botanic garden here had a garden that had high raised beds, and I think the flower & garden show has also had garden exhibits featuring them – those would be really nice to have. I guess they’d have to be somewhat narrow – only as far as you could reach into them from both sides, assuming it wasn’t built against a wall or fence. == I hope your dh’s new cpap mask will be a better fit for him from the old one. – A free scale sounds good, but I don’t know about the part where the weight is transmitted to the “mother ship” each day. Does the plan suggest daily weighing? I think the daily fluctuations would drive me nuts. :dizzy: == Ugh, the woman who winters in SC sounds like a real pain in the behind. I bet DH forgot that he should clear the meeting dates with her before sending out the email to everyone else, LOL. == It was me talking about a spray tan. I’m on the fence about it. What would be worse – a fake-looking tan that might also smell, or walking around ghostly, pasty white??

Shad – Oh, the itching sounds awful. I hope it’s already passed as I type this. :hug: Safe travels to you and I hope you have a lovely visit with the grandkid. Azaleas – so beautiful.

Annie – I like those messages from heaven you had today! == Oh yeah, time off work goes quickly, especially vacation time – probably can be proven scientifically, haha. Sooo, when’s the next one? :D – Glad you were able to make one of your stop-off visits. -- Exercise doesn’t have to be the dreaded boring kind of exercise (no blaming the folks :no: ) – I bet you get plenty of physical activity trying to keep up with those grandkids! == Jealous of your tan. I burn, then peel. Never get much color. Then again, I don’t spend all that much time outdoors, probably not since finishing school. – Sounds like C’s got a nice $$ week going for himself – I guess a lot of folks are getting Tasty Cakes in their Easter baskets, LOL. Are J & R getting them in theirs?? :)

Hellos to the rest of you!

==

Same ol’ thing here. Had lunch with a work buddy today. The last time we talked about her being only 6 years away from retirement at 65. Now she says she’s going to try for 62. Actually, she’s not really going to retire from work, just from this job & city. By 62, she’ll have no real ties that’ll keep her here, so she wants to sell her home, move out of state, and get a job wherever she ends up, likely Colorado. I’m happy for her.

Nothing much else to report. I set up a hold for the mail while we’re gone. Might go shopping for sneakers tonight. That’s about it. Better get this posted and get some work done. :wave:

I started this post this morning and hit a wrong button then got side tracked.
Nephew is supposed to go fishing this afternoon. I've been hanging around the house waiting on some mail for him to be delivered by Fed Ex. It has to be signed for.
I got so sleepy this afternoon that I had to take a nap. I'm still groggy. I need to get the sheets back on the bed and wash some white clothes.

--------
Happy
So glad that I don't have to deal with co-workers or the public. I'm happy living in my cocoon (house) most of the day. I get outside when I want to. I say that you should take some time off for yourself and let the others worry about the shelter, thrift store for awhile. I saw the commercial for the Contrave. I would like to have something for the cravings. I take Lexapro but that is just and antidepressant.

Annie
I was doing really well and was even eating nuts with out a mishap. But I took the nuts to the second level by eating them twice per day. ugh. I like little signs from heaven.

Laura, Shad and Ellen. Hello :wave: I'm getting sleepy again.

Hi Everyone. It has been to long since I checked in. I will read on my phone and think I will come back and post and they next things I know it is 10 p.m. at night and I just head to bed.

Work is pretty busy and will be until we have our End to End Strategy review on May 5. There is a lot to pull together and I'm the key logistics person......I try not to think about it to much or I start to panic.

Ellen: It was nice to hear from you.

Ceejay: How nice that your nephew is helping you with things around the house. It sounds like you both have a good system worked out.

Annie: Your vacation sounds wonderful and I'm glad that you had such a nice time and had a weight loss!

Shad: Boo on all the itchy side affect from chemo. Hopefully it has stopped and you can enjoy your trip to see your granddaughter. The slippers sound really cute.

Happy: it sounds like you had a nice trip too. It is always good to get home isn't it?

Laura: It's nice to go out to lunch with a lunch buddy sometimes. It sounds like you have been getting things ready for your trip. Remind me again of the date?

My TOPS weigh-in update is down 2.6 lbs last week. I have lost a total of 39.8 lbs since December 26. I have reached my 50 lb weight loss with TOPS. They keep track of your highest weight (as long as you haven't had a lapse in membership) and our weight recorder told me at our Monthly awards recognition last Thursday. I was thrilled!

Tomorrow night DH and I are going with a friend to the Shuster in Dayton to see a performance of the musical "Motown" I'm excited for an evening out.

It is good to "talk" with you all!