Ok, Courtly Challengers, Regal Reducers and Merrie Maintainers, it's Valentine's day I'm taking the dang initiative to start a new thread and hope thou will not be mad!!!!

I'd like to ask the ly group WHAT'S OUR PLAN FOR THE NEXT BIG THING? Shall we do another exercise challenge after Mardi Gras? Shall we do some holiday challenges (it's almost time in the land, thou knowest) ...

Also wondering if we've lost some s ... hope not and if not, hope all the absent ones are ok, we know what's been happening with some but some are just gone and that's worryin' me buckos!

Here are this a.m.'s posts from previous thread:

From Eydie:

My first choice for the'musical instrument question was the harp. They always look so graceful and sound so serene, but that music doesn't really 'move' me for long. I'd love to know how to play the banjo---wow, how's that for a quantum leap?!

Wildfire, congrats on the loss!

I was sick yesterday--I don't know what happened. Just one of those things that came swooping in out of nowhere. Happened in the afternoon and I was weak and nauseous for the rest of the day. Last night I slept like a stone and now I feel fine. What was that?

Gotta go. Dear Garry is bound and determined to take me out for lunch today. And when we go anywhere it's a major expedition, since we live so far out from civilization. I'll report later.

Happy Day, friends!
__________________
"In every woman there is a queen, speak to the queen and the queen will answer."



From Kaylets:

Hello all!

Coming by very late as recvd word of a death in the family. Very elderly aunt who became widowed in September... in many ways,
a blessing to know she's not greiving anymore or in pain but still, this is hard news for our family.

****
Today's thought of the day:
"You can clutch the past so tightlyto your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present."
--Jan Glidewell

Question of the day :

"Will the world be a better place a hundred years from now?"
-- Table Topics-- The Pampered Chef

***
Anyone for a cup of tea?


----------------

From Amarantha:

Sorry to hear of thy relative's passing, K! Yes, that's hard news indeed, as age doth not make anyone less dear to us.

Eydie, that Questar lady be back on the food thread with another warning as WE KNOW WHAT THIS DAY IS!!! Questar hath announced Amarantha's no candy pledge for the day.

I'm still sick but worked a bit and will work out to meet my challenge.

If no one objects, I'M GOING TO START A NEW THREAD RIGHT NOW! Twenty-four pages is enough, dinna ye think, s! I'll put this a.m.s posties by K and E on the new thread, so if everyone would be kind and post there, I'd really be thankful and send you some virtual Valentine's candy!!! Hoping all s will start posting again on a regular basis now ... she saith wistfully ...

Hello all!!

These weatherman either are very optomistic or ....

It is not going to be anywhere near 50 today ( as predicted)... the real temp right now is 38 w/ windchill making it feel like freezing...
so... that will teach me not to wear sox and to carry my coat ...
Guess I'm optomistic too...

Thanks for new thread Empress... Fresh starts are in order....
DH requestd some Skinny Cow Bars and I only had one and found I am wondering what my initial attraction was.....

Always heard the expression that our taste bud's change... guess its true...at least about these...

So... what's the game plan??
Any ideas ??

Hello all!!

Very thoughtful today... Found out that my Aunt ( who passed last night) just found a letter from mother that had been lost for many years. In fact, when the letter was found, my aunt said to my sister "I forgot she wrote this to me" ....evidently, it was one of the few times, my great grandmother told my aunt "I love you"...
My aunt spent most of her life feeling "short changed"... she did have many tough breaks but had a wonderful husband who helped support his mother-in-law and later, a loving niece and great nieces. Unfortunately, my aunt became sure that everyone only was kind to her "to get something" or "Because your mother says you must". She never really believed she was loveable.....
Now that she has passed and is w/ her husband again, I trust she now understands that she is loved.
So ironic that she passed just b/4 Valentine's Day...

How many of us are missing out for the same reasons????
Because we don't think we deserve to be loved, to love ourselves???

How many times do we not believe when someone says we look well, or did a great job, or are valued, dependable, etc, etc...

How many times do we think, " Nice of them to say but they don'r really mean it" ... or "if they only knew"....

But if someone told us that about a spouse, child, parent... we wouldnt doubt the sincerity ..( in most cases)....

My aunt's story of course, is an exception.. but then I have met others as walled up as she was too...


***
Sorry if I havent lightened the mood...

I'll tell you what.. I'll come back with a grin for all of us!

Just a quick Happy Valentine's Day post! Hope all our s are having a lovely day. We are waiting for Chinese food (2 hr delivery!) and are going to watch a movie.

Kaylets, sorry to hear of your aunt's passing.

happy valentine's day, all! kaylets-i'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your aunt. amarantha-i hope you are feeling better a.s.a.p.! wildfire-congrats on your weight loss. hello anagram, eydie, ceara, and to all royal ones.

the organization which provides my (2)volunteers sends a red rose and valentine's cards every year, and did so once again this year. they have volunteers who go out to bring these to all their clients. the weather was very cold and rainy today but i got my delivery despite that-from a young couple whose anniversary is today and wanted to volunteer to do this. they were so cute--and young. i really appreciated it. speaking of volunteers. my volunteer called me early this evening crying and telling me her boyfriend dumped her TODAY. i felt so bad for her. i had just seen her on thursday and she had been very excited because her boyfriend had special valentine dinner plans for them and she was so happy. i felt honored that she called me when she needed support, and was grateful i could be there as a shoulder for her.

well, i wanted to say hi and thinking of all of you. take care.

all the best,
wsw

Thanks for starting the thread, Empress! Hmmm, the next big thing.....Spring is coming. we could have a Vernal Equinox Challenge. It's less than a month away.

Kaylets, I'm sorry to hear of aunt's death and more sorry to think that she lived her whole lfe wondering if she was truly loved. Makes me ponder how suspicious I feel at times and just 'get over' all those crazy thoughts I have of not feeling worthy enough. After all, I'm a queen, right? You always make me think. Have you ever considered a career in counseling?

Wildfire, I meant to tell you that I understand about saying goodbye to your old faithful metal friend. That's always kind of clutched at me too!

wsw, I think young married couples are so darn cute I can't stand it!!! And yes, your friend was lucky to have you to call when she broke up with her boyfriend.

We were out in the world today and there seemed to be some really frantic energy in the shops we visited. All these people doing their last minute Valentine's day shopping. It was actually sort of ick-y. It made us wonder if V. Day had just become one more chore where some contrived romantic gesture was required. We talked to a cashier at the grocery store who said it had been so crazy-busy and she was exhausted. And I talked to a woman who was wistfully looking at the heart-shaped boxes who said she'd been waiting for her husband to buy one and she was just going to buy it herself----made me sad. I hope she didn't just go home and eat it all herself. It seemed that all she wanted was the gesture and the old fool [her husband] was standing right there and didn't make a move! I wish I could be God for a day and give everyone their hearts' desire! Within reason, of course, for the good of all and all that!

Wishing all of you your heart's desire......

Hi, s, this is a very thoughtful thread today and I'm appreciating the gentle wisdom and intellect of thy queenly selves. Felt better for awhile today but headache is back. Will throw this off soon, though.

My candy not challenge held and will report on the 21-dayer on the food thread. But yea, Eydie, I felt the frantic energy in the stores today as well. A woman in the store was handing out candy ... JUST what I needed. Then the rather elderly check out guy called me "ma'am" and wished me a happy Valentine's Day. I think I was rather surly though and told him that was the last thing on my mind today.

I'm not sure why, but I don't like this holiday much, especially this year.

Wsw: Glad thou be so blessed in having folk who braved the cold to bring thee greetings and in the volunteer who felt like confiding in thee ... but what a sad commentary on the male species (sorry, guys, I realize you're not all like this), who would be so crass as to dump her when she was anticipating special dinner holiday dinner plans ... sheesh!

Kaylets, thy comments were timely for me, as I often feel much like thou describeth thy aunt ... was just lying on couch thinking how it doesn't do to try to reach out to the world, as the world has never liked me much ... I am much better being introverted and living in a mental cave and carving wood by myself ... hmmm, mayhap I be depressed? Too little sugar?

I will be glad when it's my high calorie day again ... mayhap tomorrow.

Wildfire, I think I missed the part about thy metal friend ... ? BTW, I'm doing sort of a calorie counting 21-day version of Body For Life on the food thread and was wondering if you ever think of going back on that?

s, I like the idea of doing something for the Vernal Equinox ... I think we all need to do something fun and fitness related together to remind ourselves that we are still in the springtime o' our universal journeys and that hope spring eternal and that we are sprightly young s just sprouting up from the dew laden vernal green wood and ...

Well, something ...

Avanti to all s, mentioned and unmentioned, present or absent ... Old Dog be barking at neighbors and I must give her a dog cookie to ameliorate the situation, though the neighbors be nice.

Hello alll!

I didnt find anything to bring back last night but will do my best today....

Thanks for your kind words about my Aunt...Its very bittersweet for me as I was named for her yet I could never make a connection... although a couple sisters were able ... But again, it is a relief to know my aunt is at peace now.

Empress... I hope you feel more energized today... Sometimes sugar slows me down...
And yes Eydie.. I do believe this is another marketing /sales/retail "view" of the day which plays upon so many of us... Do you belong? do you have someone? Are you loveable?
And then for the giver... is the gift big, expensive, shiny enough?.... YIKES!!!

Yes, Empress, all this marketing hoopla spoils it for me.... in fact, DH and I
make a point of celebrating our anniversary away from the 14th because its too busy and prices are higher too...

Oh boy... need to change the subject ......


Zadie! How is sister? My best to you and your family... Are you an Aunt yet?

WSW! How awful for your "assistant" to be dumped on Vday.... even if you are convinced its over marketed like I am, still a poor choice....Its wonderful to realize someone feels we can offer comfort...

****

Thought of the day:

"Everything flows, nothing stays still."
--Heraclitus

Question of the day:

"When you really want something, how do go about getting it?"
--Table Topics by the Pampered Chef

*****

Time for some tea!

Yo! Thanks be that Valentine's be gone, if not my illness, though I be better!!!!! Nope, K, don't really feel more energized but have a huge week ahead so shall go forth and sally ... or sally forth and go ... something like that ...

Working and making healthy muffins and have posted my weight loss and challenge info on the food thread ... yowza! I'm only working for a few more hours and will do the rest tomorrow ... somehow I need to go to the grocery store, clean the house, do laundry and ... probably other things that I'm forgetting ...

Re the vernal equinox ... it is March 21. I propose that we do an exercise related challenge of some kind from February 22 (which is a Sunday, the first day of the week) to March 21 and I propose it be put onto a separate CCRRMM thread and that even though it's another click, participating s report in AT LEAST once a week ... for me, and maybe it's just me, a focused challenge game is the best way to get myself back on track ... I can't tell you how hard it was for me to do a lousy 360 minutes of exercise this week, but when I have someone to report it to, like the stalwart s on the demon food thread, it makes it easier to do. The challenges are very easy to do if I keep records in my hard drive and then just click 'em in a post and pop 'em in. I use spreadsheets and it's fun for me ... BUT I don't expect anyone else in life to enjoy the same games I do and I do know that folkettes have other lives (I actually have one, too, but I ignore it as much as possible). Sometimes I go away and take vacations from 3FC or drop out of challenges, so I've got no complaints if others do that as well ... but I'd just like to stir the troops to a high level of commitment to the vernal equinox exercise challenge so's we can all get gorgeous for the summer, so's I'd appreciate any thoughts or volunteers to start the thread so's I won't always be hogging the floor 'cause we know I'm too verbose! ~ Signed, VERNIE, THE VERNAL EQUINOX STEERING CO-CHAIRMAN, WITH THE OTHER BEING EYDIE WHO PROPOSED THIS IDEA!!! (She doesn't know she's the co-chairman yet, but I KNOW she'll be thrilled ...

I'm thrilled, I think!

One more thing about Valentine's day stuff for sale. Garry and I saw an item that we'd never seen before. A supermarket floral section was selling single red roses with the baby's breath and all in empty beer bottles instead of vases. It's kind of haunting us. Was this a ploy to get women to buy flowers for men, that it would seem more masculine somehow to be presented a rose in a beer bottle? Something about it creeps us out. Not losing sleep over it or anything, just struck us as odd.

Amarantha, I wonder if your feeling hermit-ish comes from your ex-friend. I think I have a touch of that myself. I'm very suspicious of new friends and I've been exploring all that somewhat. I don't want my "ex" to continue to have so much power over me, that I know!

Lunch beckons.......

I knew you would be thrilled, Eydie!

Yea, I think you are right to some extent ... I'm still haunted by the ghost of that friendship gone awry. But am knowing now how lucky I was that it did end because of how free I feel now to be myself, which somehow I was less of during the years I was a "loved like a sister" by that whole family ... except they "loved" someone they made up in their minds ... they did not even know who I was.

Isn't it a wonder how long this cr*p goes on bothering us?

I actually just saw your post on the "prayer" and your ritual of drinking a purifying cup of water each morning. My trainer would love this, as she saith I do not drink nearly enough water and that's true. I shall emulate thee and think of thee and of walking through sylvian forests in some peaceful spiritual clime somewhere with Artemis' celestial animals (or Old Dog and Silly Cat, whichever cometh to mind).

Am experimenting w/baking today ... posting results and recipes on the food thread and my menu for today. Elberta Crone be demanding more people to post food ideas on that thread. She's old and cranky, we must humor her!

Old Dog thinketh I be baking dog bones ... which be not a bad idea, actually.

Did laundry by hand and hung it up so now have no dry clothes (dryer hasn't worked for three years) to go out and buy new and sugary foods, so I have to eat healthily, I guess.

Ok, bye!!![/color]

Good news today from the job recruiter! She was told by the company to call off the search until after they have met with me. Apparently this is highly unusual and she thinks it is a good sign. I can tell you I'll be pretty bummed if I don't get the job after all this build-up. I looked up the software package this company uses and it is quite similar to the ERP system we are currently using at work. Everything in the universe is lined up for me to get this job, and I darn well better get it!

Amarantha, I think BFL is a wonderful program. Personally I can't do the 5-6 meals a day, and my gut doesn't handle all the protein needed on the plan. I have been thinking about doing the training side of it, though. If only we could ditch this winter and the desire to hibernate, I might actually get motivated to DO it. Maybe the Vernal Equinox challenge will help get me going. If you and Eydie get it started, I'll commit to posting every day.

Eydie, roses in beer bottles? That's really tacky.

wsw, how thoughtful that the volunteer organization sends a remembrance for Valentine's. It's nice that you and your volunteer have developed a bond and she feels she can talk with you. Absolutely rotten that she was dumped and on Valentine's, no less!

Hope all our s are well!

Yo! Congrats, Wildfire, on the good news on the job front ... I KNOW you will get it ... Elberta (who doubleth as a seer) be peering into the crystal ball at this very moment and muttering something about 'Wildfire gets the job, Wildfire gets the job!' Elberta be never wrong, so there you are!!!!

I know I speak for my royal co-chair on the Vernal Equinox Exercise Challenge steering committee that we WILL get that challenge going and are thankful for thy commitment to post every day. I likewise will post every day and in fact the challenge will overlap somewhat with my 21-dayer, which includes 360 minutes of exercise per week.

Re BFL, I don't follow it as the book outlines ... it's just that my eating seems to be taking on a BFL quality. I do find that eating smaller meals more times a day and balancing protein and good quality carbs seems to make me feel much better than days when I don't do that and head for the pb cups. I think I need more protein and good quality fats than the nutritionists would have me believe but I have no intention of going low carb, as carbs (IMO and that of lots of folks) are a good and essential part of a healthy diet ... in fact, I also seem to be eating Zone-like meals. Sorry to go on about food. I should post this on the food thread. My eating is still not good but if you look at my menu for today (on the food thread), it's hands-over-fist better than it used to be and I am stuffed with much fewer calories.

Re the training side, what I really love about the BFL plan is the "peaks and valleys" thing with the intensity. I use this a lot, although I do lots more cardio than the original plan calls for.

Well, off to la-la land now. Starting to feel a bit rocky again. Have really had a bad sinus infection but it seems to be going away.[/color]

Yo, Eydie! I agree that roses in a beer bottle is creepy ... unless it happened naturally in an attic in London in a 1960s romantic movie.

So here it is, 4:30am and I've been up for an hour already. (That's a total of 4 hours sleep.) My darling cat decided he wanted out of the bedroom and his way of communicating is by biting one's elbow, eyelashes, and ears. I let him out, which wakes me up enough to realize that DH is breathing like a freight train and I can't get back to sleep. Choices: 1. Smother DH 2. Send DH to couch 3. Move to couch myself. Prefer smothering, but that could really mess up a Monday morning. So I get up, discover DD alseep on couch. Sigh. Make her move to her bedroom, tell DH to move to couch. No, he'll be quiet, honestly. *snore* So with pillow in hand....I convince myself NOT to put it over his face and apply pressure...and I head for the couch. Of course all three cats do the Dance of Joy because Mom is awake! Time to play, wrestle, chase, scratch, etc. I give up.

This does not bode well for Monday.