Happy Halloween!

Kaycee - awww, Abbie Rose sounds like a real sweetie. New additions to the family are always fun!

Angie - hope you win the $$! I don't NEED anything at Pier 1, it's a matter of WANT, lol.

Jenne - so glad to see you! I found your motivation and have been using it for myself, lol. Trust me, it will most likely leave soon and hopefully find you!

Cristi - glad you are feeling better. Thanks for the invitationt to the other challenges. I'm doing good to keep up with just this one, though.

For halloween, the twins were dressed in red poodle skirts, white tops, a red scarf around their necks and red ribbons tied in their shoes for shoestrings. I took pictures but don't know how to get it on here. They were adorable! Neal and I kept the baby while the others went out trick or treating.

I am probably going to my sister's for a couple of days, and will be back Sunday night or Monday morning. Be good and I'll talk with you guys later.

Toodles,
Jana

Hey Ladies,

Sorry Ive been MIA for so long...Ive been having a bit of a rough time at home.
Thanks Kayecee for the message, Ive missed you guys too.

Wow, I go away for a little while and so much has happened with you all. Tons of newbies too. Hi newbies!

I havent had a chance to read back through all the posts yet. I think it might take me a while to catch up. I havent even had a chance to lurk lately.

My hubby is not doing so good with his back. It turns out he has some pinched nerves in the bottom of his spine. Something to do with his previous spinal surgery. He had to go for an epidural last week, but instead of making him better, it made him worse, and now he can barely walk. He hasnt been able to go to work, and we had to cancel our trip to Hawaii. We were due to leave on Tuesday. I was even packed already. Fortunately the man we rented the condo from changed the date for us, so if hubbys better we can go next month. If not, either I go by myself, or we forfeit the money.
So in the meantime, Ive picked up some more shifts so we dont get too far behind money wise.
So Ive been a busy girl. Unfortunatley diet and the gym have been the last thing on my mind.

Anyway...dont mean to be a downer, just wanted you all to know why I havent been around lately. Its not that I didnt want to be!

I hope everyone is well! Ill be back soon I promise...

Michelle

Happy Halloween Ladies!!

Michelle--Glad to hear from you! So sorry about your hubby!! That has got to be miserable for him. I'll pray that he starts to feeling better.

Jenne--Glad to see you too! I'm still trying to find all my motivation so when I do, maybe yours is there too!! Hope you can join us again.

Jana--The girls sound sooo cute!! You have a good weekend at your sisters.

Cristi--Hope you start to feeling better. Everyone around here have been getting colds. I'm hoping that I don't catch it!!

Kayecee--Chihuahua!!! James wants another one. I told him that he needs to wait. I don't think I can handle three of them in the house right now. Too many toe nails tapping on the wood floor!!

Angie--I really like the challenge you're doing with your friends! I wish I had some friends who would want to go through something like that. I have some that complain so much about wanting to lose weight,,, but that's all they do---complain. They don't make any effort to do anything about it. And I've tried everything... maybe if I suggest that. I don't mind venting about weight issues,,, I do it myself... but how do you respond to someone who is constantly complaining and no matter what you do to encourage them... they won't do anything??

Well... we didn't get as many kids tonight as I thought, and I have tons of candy left over. And so the last ones that came to the door, I gave them HUGE handfuls! One little boy said "WoW! Thanks lady!" I just had to laugh. The weather is soooooo cold!!! I felt sorry for all the little ones who didn't have warm outfits on!

Well, I'm going to go snuggle with James on the couch. He just got home from work an hour ago and ate some soup. It's definately soup weather. Anyone have good soup recipe they want to share?? I made HodgePodge last night....left overs tonight. Tasty. I can post the recipe later is anyone is interested.

Ok. Night girls

Marti

Hi Ladies,

Jana, the twins sounded sooooo very cute! You have got to get some pictures of them up soon, I am dying to see them. Hope you have a fabulous time at yoru sisters this weekend.

Michelle, so sorry to hear about your hubby not doing so good. I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers, both of you. I have problems with my back once in a while and while it is no where near what your hubby is going through it is bad enough to be a big pain, so I can only imagine and sympathize. ((((((HUGS)))))) to you both. Don't worry about being a downer, because you are not! We miss you when you don't post!

Marti, that soup sounds delicious! Yummy It's kind of chilly here also and I was thinking of making a big pot of chili tonight but decided against it. Maybe tomorrow I definitely need something to warm me up, I am always cold.

Hi to everyone else, Kayecee, Angie, Jenne, Bandaid, Beenie, Skew and anyoen else I may have missed. Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!

Afternoon ladies--

I've spent my morning doing housework! And I'm still working on it. Almost finished then it's time for homework!! Work is never done.

We woke up with frost. I believe they said it got down to 20degrees last night. No wonder I didn't have any kids knocking on my door. I did have some girl scouts come to my door this morning asking for some canned food. I had received their flyer earlier in the week saying they would be back. They want to help families during Thanksgiving. So I gathered items that you would eat during Thanksgiving dinner....corn, carrots, olives, pumpkin pie mix and a few others. I was tempted to give them the rest of my Halloween candy, but I believe James is attached to it all!! So I put a few out in a bowl and put the rest up!!

It's so cold out that I actually have a little fire going right now. Nice and cozy in here! Too bad I'm still struggling with smoking and I go outside to smoke!! Very chilly.

Ok,, I'm going to lurk around a few minutes then finish my housework then homework and that way I can spend the rest of the weekend relaxing!!

Take Care
Marti

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days. I really miss you gals. It's been nuts around here. Hallloween and sugar highs- ahhhh, that's the life. Let's see... we went trick-or-treating then to the church fish fry/hayride/fun fair thing. We had a blast. Can't say that we froze to death though. It was in the 70's and all the kids were SWEATING! LOL Landon was that goofy white-faced guy from Scream- I made him get the one with the tongue sticking out so it wouldn't scare Vallory. Vallory was an angel (of course we had to cover up her horns to accomplish this LOL) Tim is REALLY sore today. He participated in the wheelbarrow races about 7 times! I can't believe our pastor was even brave enough to hang on and let Tim push him. The man is close to 70 and finishes concrete just like my DH. And he can work rings around DH, too! LOL Amazing!

Yesterday, I got up bright and early and took the kids out to eat for breakfast. Then I went to Lowe's to get pipe for our wood stove. I could not believe the wood stoves there. DH and I bought ours off of an individual for $150-200. It is big, old, and has the prettiest handles. The brand new ones at Lowe's were $600 and up and were half the size of ours and not very pretty at all. I did manage to get a black cast-iron tea kettle whose handle matches our stove's for $8.93!!! Woo Hoo! I love good deals. Then I went to the book store and got the last copy of "Carbohydrate Addict's" (more about that on another thread). Then I went to Lazarri's (italian) and read the book while pigging out on fresh baked bread/olive oil/cracked pepper and mounds of pasta. Do you see the irony there?

Tim is working today so Mom is gonna watch the kids after church while I go grocery shopping. (The only thing that I have left in the refrigerator is a jar of olives and some hairy thing that slapped me the last time I opened the door. ) I'll post individual replies later when I have had time to catch up on the posts. Later!

Angie Do bra sizes really go up past a DD? I didn't know that! I learn something here all the time! LOL Good Lord! My back hurts with just a regular D. I can't imagine going further up in the alphabet! BTW I really hope that you win the moola (so you can buy me a beautimous Christmas gift at Pier 1- LOL )

Jenne and Michelle Glad to see you girls back! Sorry that y'all have had problems lately. and <<<HUGS>>> Jenne- I'm looking for your motivation if Jana loses it cuz I need it here! If I get it first, you ain't getting it back cuz I'm keeping it. Michelle- I hope you and DH get to go to Hawaii next month. I know how I feel when I strain my back, so I can only imagine what your DH is going through. I'll add both you girls to my prayers.

Cristi I hope you are feeling a lot better today. The house cleaning and things can get behind when I feel good, so I really hate colds. Mount Washmore erupts and the kids run amok! Chili sounds good- even though it is in the 70's here.

Jana Ooooooooo- the twins sound so cute! And I know the baby got a treat from grandma! Hope you have fun at your sister's.

Marti Did you finish all of your housework and homework? I love chilly weather but I always have to pray for warm temperatures because of DH's job. The Hodgepodge recipe sounds good. Believe it or not, I actually like the cabbage soup from the cabbage soup diet! We don't really use soup recipes around here. We just take any veggies we have on hand and throw it all together with some stew meat. Have a good week at school.

Hey to everyone else. Where are all the newbies? Later Y'all!

Kaycee
We sell DDD bras. And I know of one woman who wears a G.
The way the sizes are its a bit confusing but Ill give it a try. Ds are D, DD are really Es, DDD are really Fs And I think Gs are two hats sewn together with string. 80 % of women are not wearing the right size bras...
Well it was soooo cold here, minus 11 felt like 20. Tanner was a zombie, and I took him outfor his treats. He got a good haul. Brandon went out wiht his two friends. Came home to Monte asleep on the couch...hmmm wonder how many kids tried to get candy from us and he slept threw the bell.
Anyways had a bit of a surprise yesterday morning. Came down the strairs on my way to work and found a bag of beer in my office. I ran back up the stairs to ask Monte if it was his,,,which I knew it couldn't have been. Then went and talked to Brandon. Who told us that his new friend Jeremy had brought it over and that he thought the three of them could drink it. Brandon freaked and kicked him out. Told him that hes not into that stuff and to get rid of it.
Im pretty proud of my son for sticking up for himself like that. Question is as a parent do I go and talk to this boys parents (who I don't know) or leave it settle?
Well I better run, first Sunday off and I promised waffles....
Angie

Hello everyone-
Weather is just bizarre here!! It had gotten down to 17 degree's the other night and today it's warmer and pouring! And the weather outlook is sun! What is up with that? Typical Oregon weather.

Angie-- You must be very proud of your son. How many kids would do that? You've taught your son well. As for what to do about the other kids and talking to there parents. I personally would call. Not all parents know what their children are doing, and I know if it were my daughter (which I hope it never will be)I would be very grateful if someone called to let me know what she's doing. You just have to do what You feel is right.

Kayecee-- My sister wears a DD. She thought I was crazy getting surgery to be a little bigger. But then I explained what my issues were and she was very supportive. She wants to go to the same doctor and get a lift and reduction. Who knows if she will.
The dinner you explained sounded sooooo good!!! I love pasta. That is one of my down falls. And it's not like I have it all the time... but when we do... I just can't stop myself!! I make this Turkey pasta salad that I found in Taste of home magazine, and James and I double the recipe thinking that it should last us for a few days. I end up eating that stuff for breakfast lunch and dinner!!! And it last only two days!!! It's just that good!!

Cristi-- Hope you enjoy the soup. Let me know what you think. I think it's ok, but James and Jhanai just love it. And it goes real well with french bread or those Pillsbury grand bisquits. I'm making it again tonight. At least it's easy to make. I like simplicity!

Jana-- Sure hope you're enjoying your weekend at your sisters!!

Michelle-- How is your DH doing? I've been thinking about you two. I sure hope everything get's better so you two can enjoy your vacation next month!!

Jenne-Natalie--- hope all is well and we here from you again soon.

Ok... I'm going to go nibble on these Pork Rinds we bought. That always sounds awful. But I've been hearing people eating them more so I thought I would buy some and see if they've changed since the last time I tried them. I noticed on the bag that it said 0-carbs. Hmmmmm..... maybe if I like them, they'll become my salty snack that I seem to always want.

You all take care!!
Marti

Angie Two hats! I think I will stick with my little old D, thank you very much! Way to go with the child rearing!!! Be very thankful that he has such a good head on his shoulders. To answer your question- if the shoe was on the other foot and Brandon had brought the beer to Jeremy's, would you want to know? If you don't want to talk to them in person, give them a call. Believe me, as a teacher (and mother) I know how defensive and in denial some parents can be. It may be better to use the phone in case the conversation becomes hostile- you'll save yourself from a face to face confrontation. Good luck!

Marti I have a few foods like that too- my mom's coconut or blueberry cake! OMG those 2 cakes are just the bomb! I could eat my weight in either one- and that's saying a LOT! And turkey and dressing is my other weakness- and of course 2 major holidays revolve around all those foods each year! (Oh Lord- I think I just gained 6 pounds thinking about it!) Did you like the pork rinds? I could eat a whole bag.

After the wheelbarrow races Friday night, Tim got thrown by the horse today. He's o.k. but he feels sooooo OLD!

Well, guess I'll go wander out on my porch and enjoy this 70 degree weather. *snicker* Sorry girls, can't sympathize with you on the weather.

thanks for the invite to chit chat - I feel like i'm behind though and you guys all know each other already. Anyway a little about me - I'm a mom of 2 fabulous boys/14 and 16. I'm half way to goal, want to be 145 and I have about 25 to go. I'm a nurse and love it. My dh is great and I love my dog.
i'll try to keep up, your thread looks like fun.

Petra!! Glad you made it to the chit-chat. Don't worry, after a few posts you'll catch up in no time. And you'll feel right at home!!
Feel free to fill out the bio if you feel comfortable about it. We'd like to learn more about you.

And also, we have the challenge thread. We try to get in a little of everything here so we don't lose sight of why we're here. On the chit chat we tend to ramble about anything and everything. Which is why I started the challenge thread so we could ALSO concentrate on our weight.

I hope you stick around, we love to add to our little "family"! And feel free to talk about anything.

Once again welcome!!

Marti

Hey Petra! Nice to see you! I hope you'll feel at home here! Looks like Marti has given you most of the info! See y'all.

Waaaaa! Vallory was drawing on my leg, noticed my varicose veins that are beginning, and said, 'You're old here mommy!" Kids are so brutally honest! Waaaaaa!

Oh Kayecee---

Kids ARE brutally honest! My daughter told me not to long ago "Mom.... you're grays are getting more and more noticable, maybe it's time to do something about it" What!?
Now get this, she used to say I had "Old ladie boobs" Where did that come from and how would she know?? I've must've said something about that at one time.

Kids are funny... gotta love 'em!