Hello Friends,
 

Happy Birthday Sheila! :gift: :goodvibes :cheers:
All your flowers sound so beautiful.
I hope your precious little angel gets better soon. I so hate to see a little one sick.

Charlotte, I know you mean to do the very best for your son, and I don't want to hurt anyones feelings, but most people who have been taking drugs, any kind, but some more than others, really need to go into a treatment center because the drugs do bring on a psychosis, and the person can be dangerous to themselves and others. They need medical help going through the physical as well as the psychological withdrawal from the drugs.
I'm assuming that he willingly smoked this stuff, whether it be pot, coke, heroin or whatever, so he can't really blame anyone else for it's after effects. He and the childrens mother are both guilty of putting those babies in jeopardy by using that crap.
And now he is at your home putting more stress on you when you have these medical problems that are exacerbated by stress.
Just my opinion, but I would make him go into a treatment center. It would be the best thing for you, him and most of all, those babies.
I hope I didn't hurt your feelings, but that's the way I see things.
I'm happy for you that you're finally getting some work done on your house. That must be such a relief just knowing that it's finally underway.

Jacquie, cool job getting to the pool early. I think I'm going to go back too and just try to walk in the water, then use the hot tub.
I've never cared much when another birthday rolls around. I forget how old I am sometimes, until I happen to glance in a mirror and for a second wonder who that woman is.
You're right. Take care of you!

Sunny, you are doing just fabulously! Good job! Keep up the good work.
Sounds like you're very busy as usual with your Joe.

Bonnie, such a sweet thing for your mom to say. April sounds like it's your month for mother and sister birthdays too. My mothers birthday was April 30th, and her first child, my oldest sister was born April 20th, and I'm the youngest of 9 and my birthday is April 13th. So my mom had her first and last during the month of her birthday, and no others in the month of April.
I haven't gotten a new Easter outfit, and I'm sure i won't either. I hate to buy new clothes in such large sizes if I don't absolutely have to.

Connie, are you still out there? I suppose it looks like the thread has been abandoned sometimes, but it really hasn't. If you would like to, I'll e-mail with you to try to give some encouragement. I could use some myself. I'll PM you.

Puss, I hope you're having a problem-free week. Hope Mother is doing better.



Well, I am off work for another month. I don't really care, and in fact maybe it will put me in a better mood now that it is getting nicer outside. I can't be fired if I'm off on a medical leave, but if I were to return to work, then have to miss because of this pain, they have steps and could fire me in not too long a time period.
The Dr put me on a pain medication besides the anti-inflammatories, and she said it will help me to be more active and not feel the pain so much. So, maybe that will also help me lose some weight which will probably help the pain in the hip. We'll see.
Can't drive while taking it though.

It's a beautiful day here today, and when I'm done with this, I'm going to get the cushions for my swing out of the shed and sit in the swing for a while and absorb some of that sunshine. It puts me in a good mood.

http://www.harrythecat.com/graphics/b/bday2.gifSHEILA!! Hope you had a great day!
Those tulips are absolutely beautiful! Wish I was sitting right in the middle of them! :)

Willow....you're not hurting my feelings at all. I absolutely agree with you. Believe it or not, so does my son. He went the first week & talked to a counselor at a rehab place, & was going to check in the next day. His attorney advised him to not do that at this time. Said DIL could use it against him. He sent him to a mission in town that has a great counselor. I know what you're saying. He can be fine one minute, then, just turn on us like we're his worse enemy the next. He'll come back to us later and say he doesn't understand why he does that.
Yes, I know there's no excuse. It was BOTH of them, not just her. I would be the first to tell ANYONE that my son is not innocent. What I AM saying, though, is that we see him trying to help the girls accept this situation & taking them to church each weekend. He spends every minute with them that he has them. We see him doing what the attorney says. He's gained 15 lbs already....looking very good. But, he's also very scared. These are mean people that he lived around. Her family was raised different. Not meaning to put them down...just that it's their way of life. To get even.....There's a lot going on that I can't explain. He went to the Sheriff of two different counties to talk to them, because there's been problems involving him, & he wanted to admit his part & get his girls out of that place. You see...it's drug dealing...buying & selling....they are on a lot stronger stuff than pot. There's been a lot of arrests made lately with pot being sold with poison in it. He had been sick for about a year. Couldn't get up & go to work...bad headaches...throwing up....losing weight. He looked like he was dying. Now, he's coming back to life. We believe he was being poisoned. It's a very long story that I can't tell in a post.....not justifying his actions. He got involved in more than he wanted, though, & was too afraid of them to get out. It took seeing his daughters suffering around the mess. He loves them more than anything in the world & would die for them. He believes with everything in him that he will be killed...but, is willing to turn them all in...to get the girls out of it. It's really a mess, Willow. I'm not hurt at you at all. Just hard to explain it all. I shouldn't complain about myself...just have to vent sometimes. You see, I, like him, would give my life for my son. Hope it doesn't come to any of that.
After my nephew was beat to death for something similar a few yrs ago, I know this can happen to him, also. So...we are literally fighting for his & the girl's lives. Advise all you want. Maybe you, or someone else will have an idea to help us.

Hello to everyone else...Bluet, Jacquie, SunnyD, Fatpuss, eveyone.....hang in there with me...I need you. http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Group-Hug2.gif

Hi!!!
 

Thanks for the birthday wishes! The cheesecake was great, and well worth the drive. :)

Willow, I hope the pain medication helps. I'm eager to know what kind of pain medication would help you keep active, yet ease the pain. Everything I've ever taken has zonked me out completely. Did you get a good dose of Vitamin D yesterday in your swing?

Charlotte, I can understand why the attorney said for your son not to go to an in-patient program right now. Glad he's able to find some kind of outpatient facility. That must be scary for all of you. I can't even imagine people like you're describing--it's so horrible.

Congrats on the treadmill, SunnyD--sounds like you got a great deal. And you already burned 208 calories. That's excellent! You are doing so well. I bet you'll be down a whole clothing size soon. I love crab-stuffed fish. It's the only thing I want my Dad to order from Omaha Steaks, but he orders things like veal and ham instead. I don't eat veal, and ham is so salty I retain water for days despite how much I try to flush it out.

I'm hoping Puss went to France over the weekend and is still recovering. Puss--where are you?

My Dad had a check-up the other day, and the doctor said he's doing really well. I told the doctor that I attributed that to my good cooking. Hah! Anyway, I did want the doctor to check on my Dad's memory lapses. I don't know if it's old age, or something else. The doctor said my Dad seemed okay, but then I mentioned the stuff my DH and I had been noticing. So the doctor wrote out a referral to a neurologist just to be on the safe side. Without telling my Dad I was the instigator of this, I told him that the doctor wanted him to see a neurologist and a gastroenterologist (he's having problems in that area, which he did discuss with his doctor). So today my Dad said he was going to talk to the doctor and find out why the doctor ordered these referrals. At that point, I decided to 'fess up and tell him I mentioned the memory lapses to the doctor. I said if there's something they could do to help his memory, wouldn't he want that? And he said, "Well, maybe there's just a lot of stuff I'd rather forget!" Okay--he's got a point there. I'm actually happy about a lot of stuff he's forgotten, all having to do with my own misspent youth! But it would be nice if he could remember my son's name (my son eats dinner with us at least twice a week). Today I gave my Dad the leftover pizza from the lunch we had yesterday at a place we had to drive half an hour to get to (where I ate the cheesecake!). My Dad had absolutely no idea where that came from. He didn't remember ordering or having pizza, and I really don't think he remembered going to lunch yesterday. Is that normal? I mean, I really don't know if it's just his age (almost 88) or something else. He remembers a lot of stuff, and is very interested in current events, and is still pretty darn sharp. But he has these periods where he just hasn't a clue. He asked if it was going to be "trick-or-treat day" soon, the "day where the kids come and ask for candy," says he. I said, no, that's Halloween and it's in October. Easter is on Sunday, though. And he did order a ham for Easter.

The guy doing our rock work is starting tomorrow. He's getting the stuff this afternoon. I think he said it will take two days. Then we'll have the plant person come in and do her thing. So, hopefully, the front will be done soon. I'm really looking forward to seeing something nice out there rather than a weed patch.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday!

Hi!
 

Hi Everyone,

Sheila, hope your birthday was really special. Sounds like you had a good day. Did your garden turn out the way you wanted it to today? It sounds like it will be absolutely perfect. How are you progressing with the wedding plans? DH's Mom is 91 and she has to write things down because she forgets them shortly after we have discussed things with her. She is a dear religious person and still is able to drive her car and gets around nicely and still lives in her home. We are very fortunate to still have her. DH's brother lives with her and she still makes meals, cleans a little and insists on doing the wash. It is suppose to be only 38 degrees here for Easter Sunday with a chance of snow showers. Good thing we aren't planning any outside activities. I'll hide the grandkids Easter baskets inside the house, of course I don't remember ever hiding them outside anyway. I could just see our two dogs finding them and dragging them around the yard. There was a rabbit in our yard the other morning, it has been around all winter. I really am surprised our retrievers allow a rabbit to hang around here, but sometimes they can act pretty dumb.

Willow, I didn't get the pictures completely done. I plan to finish up after Easter and things settle down again. I did get all my stuff marked and put in boxes with covers and put up on tables in the garage. DH and I want to clean up the basement and I am going to go through the cupboards and get rid of things I no longer need down there too. Now I will really have to follow DH's house rule of. "Nothing comes into this house unless something goes out." He hates clutter and he doesn't believe in hoarding things. How is your hip doing? If Minnesota has been anything like Wisconsin this past week and on into Sunday, then you haven't felt any warm temperatures either. Sitting in the sun in your swing sounded so wonderful. We did get all our yard raking done though. I hate that job, it is too much like excercise. How old is your sister that was born on the 20th of April, it isn't the one named Bonnie is it? That would be a hoot. So your birthday is next Tuesday, and Shiela's was last Tuesday, and mine is the Tuesday after your's. This is sounding a little peculiar don't you think?

Charlotte, Your door sounds lovely. Hope the remodel is progressing right along and going smoothly. I am so sorry about your son and his troubles. I will continue to pray for him and his little girls and for your health. You sure have had a heaping plate the past few years. I agree with the ladies, you sure don't need all this stress, considering the impact it has on your health. Things have to get better Charlotte, they just have to. We will always be in your corner Charlotte, just like you are always here for us.

SunnyD, good for you, just trucking away on that treadmill, burning up calories and throwing them out the door. You sound mighty determined, we will be just as excited as you will when you reach you goal weight. Enjoy your Easter and all your involvment in your church, you sound very happy today, warm summer days cannot be far off, I for one am really looking forward to them. The days are getting longer now and the day-light savings time really helps in the evenings after work.

Puss, you little rascal, you probably ran off to France with your DH and brother, you lucky person you. Or you have gone up to be with your Mother. She is a really a fortunate person to have you, I hope she knows that. Have a Happy Easter with your dear family.

Jacquie, hope everything is ok in Canada and warming up a bit. Keep up the good work with the excercise. Enjoy Easter Sunday.

Take care. Bluet

My dear friends...

Thank you all for your encouraging words & concern. Please keep the prayers going. I really shouldn't have whined about myself. My children are much more important than I. Just need to vent sometimes.
My son is doing very well at the moment. Working very hard on the house. Missing the girls sooo much through the week. He cared for them most of the time, when at home. Said he did all the cooking, & cleaning. Caring for the girls...such as bathing, dressing, etc....because their mom was gone or high. I wasn't sure of all of this at first. I thought he just wanted us to "be on his side". He gave me a "Day Planner", though, to keep for him that she had. She posted everything in it. Not only about him taking care of the girls...but, all of her drug using, buying & selling of drugs... of her & all her family. Also, some of the things that we know are going to be dangerous to face, as revenge on people. I made copies for his attorney & him....but, I put the book in a safety deposit box. Honestly, all there was about our son was the pot. Not a lot about that....anything else about him was that they fought a lot, or he had a bad headache & was throwing up, & not able to work. It's like I said before...our son is not innocent...but, he was NOT raised this way...& got in over his head. It literally scared him to death, finally, & decided if they were going to kill him....he wasn't going to let them raise his little girls in that mess. He honestly believes he's going to die sometime during this. He's looking so much better, though. He's gained 15 lbs! Talking much better. The flare ups are less, & still getting counseled.
We've never been through anything like this before, & don't know what to think of people like this. Our way is "sit down & talk out differences"...of course, can't do that here. When my nephew was killed, it happened before I knew things were going on....they live away from us. It was a nightmare at the funeral,etc. My sister hasn't been right, mentally, since. I not only lost my nephew that day, but, also my sister. I can't live through my son being brutally killed. Please, please pray for our situation. Again, thank you all for being there for us.

I hope you all have a beautiful Easter. http://www.harrythecat.com/graphics/b/easter12.gif

Hello Friends
 

Well, I see there has been some activity on here again.

Sunny, you are doing so wonderfully. Congratulations! It must be spring fever.

Charlotte, don't ever think you're whining. That's what this is all about, ... to be able to come here and vent and get support.
I hope everything turns out ok for your son and most of all for those little girls.
Have they gone to court or anything yet or started a divorce? If they haven't, he has just as much right to keep those little girls as their mother does. If no one has filed, he could go file and ask for temporary physical custody of the children until the divorce is settled in court and ask for permanent custody of them in the divorce. That's what my son did and he got custody of his daughter. Permanently.
Maybe these sherrifs will act on his information and get those little girls out of there.

Bonnie, my oldest sister whose birthday is on April, 20th is going to be 83 years old this year. She's 23 years older than me. No, it's not the one named Bonnie.
Hey, that's cool that Sheila, me and you have birthdays in one week increments.
Our weather is suppose to get maybe snowy this weekend. Shoot! I was hoping it was going to stay spring.

Sheila, sounds like you're doing well too.
Poor Dad! I had to laugh when he said Maybe there are things he doesn't want to remember. I think it's just probably age related. The arteries harden and you start to have short term memory loss, but they can remember things from years ago like it was yesterday.
I am really getting anxious for the flowers to start shooting up now that you've been describing yours. It hasn't stayed warm long enough here for them to come up more than 3 or 4 inches.

Puss, if you're reading, I hope all is well with you.

Hi Jacquie! How is everything?

My son and his new girlfriend are coming tonight or tomorrow. I haven't met her yet, and I'm wondering what she's going to think. She comes from a wealthy family, and here I am in this old house, and fat to boot. She'll probably think I'm lazy or something. Oh well, I'm me, and that's what they get.

I better go answer more messages. See ya all later!

Hello again
 

I had a good day today.
My foods were good and I did some moderate exercises again. More stretching and limbering up the muscles than anything. Some movements are limited for me, but I want to keep as much mobility as possible. I'll start out slow and build up as much as I can.

I subscribe to ALL RECIPES and todays newsletter from them had an interesting article, I thought.
It was how to figure your real age compared to your chronological age. Very interesting. My RealAge is 68.2 years as opposed to my chronological age of 60. And mostly because of my inactivity, which is causing my obesity, most likely. That and the fact that I drive too fast and don't have an airbag in my car. :p
It is a very detailed test and I copied and pasted it and my results so I could keep it for reference. It also gives suggestions on how to improve your weak points. It says that if I follow the suggestions on being active etc, in 3 years time my RealAge will be 8.5 years UNDER my chronological age. Cool!

Everyone have a good evening and a Happy Easter weekend.

Hi, everyone--

Hope you are all enjoying the Easter weekend. It's absolutely gorgeous here.

I'm going to be selfish and ask for some prayers and good thoughts for my best friend. She didn't call or send anything on my birthday, which made me wonder if everything was okay. I thought perhaps she was just really busy. Turns out she's been in the hospital in Hawaii since the end of March. She has heart problems, which were first discovered when she had a heart attack while in the parking lot of the volcano on Maui in 1983. Every time she goes to Hawaii, I get nervous, but nothing has happened since then until now. She had bypass surgery in 2000 after the 1983 bypasses were starting to go. Turns out those are failing already, plus she had undiagnosed stomach ulcers that were bleeding internally and causing her to be anemic, especially since she takes blood thinners. That put a major stress on her heart. She had two stents put in that were rejected, and then a third that is made out of some material impregnated with antirejection drugs so it's doing okay for now. If it fails, however, she's in big, big trouble.

I love her so much, and I want her to be around for a long, long time. I hope you can take the time to say a little prayer for her or just wish her well. Thanks!

Dear Girls,
just wanted you to know that I am back, feel like I have been to **** and back but made a resolution today to sever links with the problem (or for as long as it lasts!) as it seems the only way to keep my sanity and self-esteem. Sorry I haven't had time to
read the posts yet but I will do over the next few days. Surrounded by my family for
he holiday which is what I needed after nasty and manipulative telephone call from her today. DBrother says she has discovered which buttons to push on me and is determined to do it full out now. Looking forward to getting back into the fold, have a happy Easter evryone,
best wishes x

Hello Friends, And Happy Easter!
 

http://www.debsfunpages.com/eastersw...asterbunny.swf

:D

Hello Friends
 

Hi everybody,
I hope you all had a nice Easter. I ended up not going out for
dinner, but my son and granddaughter went.
I had company until about 3 this afternoon, and then I took a pain
pill and layed down for a while. All they do is make me sleepy though.

Right now I'm making supper. Brown rice, sesame oil, onion, carrots,
broccoli and celery with a half a skinless, boneless chicken breast
on top of all of it, steaming away in a kettle. When it's done I'll sprinkle a little soy sauce on it. It smells good, and I
hope it tastes good.

Do any of you use the laughing cow cheeses? I love them, and they are
allowed on the South Beach Diet, but I haven't been able to get any
locally for several months now. I was shopping at HYVEE yesterday and
asked again when they were going to get some in, and the man I spoke
with said they are being shorted because the "biggie" (WALMART) gets
all they want and if there is any left it gets sent to the other
stores. Since it's been OK'd for the SBD, the company that makes it
can't keep up with the demand, so the only place that's getting it is
Walmart right now.
Well, I bought some fat free cream cheese and I divided it into 8 1-
tablespoon pieces (the pkg. is marked at each tablespoon) and I've
been mixing different seasonings with it and I like it as well as the
Laughing Cow cheeses for a spread. I've mixed it with Curry powder,
garlic powder, pizza and spaghetti seasoning, vegetable seasoning,
minced onion and dill so far and I like all of them. And, it's only
25 calories a TBSP as opposed to 35 for the laughing cow, and it has
2g of carbs where the laughing cow has 1g.

Sheila, of course your friend is in my thoughts and prayers, as are you.

Puss, I think that's the smartest thing you can do, is pull away from that situation. What you and your brother have been doing doesn't seem to be helping, so you need to save your sanity and your health. Good grief! Don't feel bad for not allowing yourself to be so abused. No sane person in this world would blame you two for not taking any calls until the health care providers say she is normal again, and if she starts in again, simply tell her you refuse to listen to anymore bull roar, and hang up.

Charlotte, hope your day with the little ones was a nice one.

My supper is done. I'm outta here.

Hello and happy Easter to everyone else, Jacquie, Bonnie, Sunny, Connie, and anyone else reading this.

Hi, ladies!

Fatpuss, it's great to see you again! I have to say I'm really glad you've come to this decision. Now the hard part will be to stick with it. Sounds just like a diet, doesn't it? Hope you had a wonderful day with your family. So. . .what did you end up doing last weekend? I'm thinking you didn't go to France, right?

Thanks, Charlotte, for praying for my friend. I'm so worried about her. Your son sounds like he's really getting things together. I'm glad he gave her an ultimatum--he's definitely thinking of his sweet daughters and their future. I'm so hoping that everything is going to go smoothly for your son. And how is the house stuff going?

Dang, Willow, I was hoping that your pain pills would ease the pain, but not make you sleepy. I wish they would make one like that--I'd definitely be taking them. I hate the pain, but I just don't want to be zonked out all the time, although every once in a while is good. I love Laughing Cow Light. We had a week or so where we couldn't get it so I stocked up. I have it on little minibagels, on crumpets, and in a kind of mock chicken cordon bleu. It's great stuff! What I haven't been able to find lately, and it's really bumming me out, is Smart Ones Fudge Bars. I went without for three weeks, bought three boxes when they appeared again, and now that I'm out, we can't find them again. I can't find anything I like as well for 1 Weight Watcher point.

The guy finished the planter, and I took a picture of it showing the stairs up to the 2nd backyard. You can tell how long the property is in this photo. It runs back behind that large evergreen tree. The photo doesn't show how much color there is right now--there's a great apricot azalea with grape hyacinth growing under it, lots of tulips in the planter along with this purple stuff that just pops up everywhere. I've also included a couple of the new path in the front yard. On Friday, the planting person is supposed to come in and plant it all up. The kind of rectangle place is where we'll put a small cafe table and two chairs.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday! The weather here over the weekend was tremendous. It hit 80 degrees on Sunday. While I like it a bit cooler, all the blue sky and sun was great. It was supposed to rain today, but we haven't seen any so far. I hope that spring is springing where you live--winter's hung around the midwest and northeast too long this year!

Happy Birthday, Willow!
 

Just a quickie morning post to say:


Hope you have a great day, Willow!

Hi to everyone, I seem to have been away for ages and I had a lot of reading to catch up on. Thanks so much for the wonderful support from you all, believe me, I really appreciate it. It would take far too long to explain the last two weeks to you all and I am sure it would bore you rigid but I will try and condense it. Weekend before last when i went up north my DB and I picked her up from the hospital unit and she was allowed out for the day under my care (this was a surprise to me as I went up only because she was in the unit and had arranged to meet up with my two best friends for the first time since all this started 3 years ago). My mother, DB and I were not in her house for 5 minutes when she starts rubbishing my DB for no reason. I defended him and asked why she was so nasty to him after all he had done etc. She was so angry and when DB threatened to leave she started weeping and wailing. Then I said I was leaving too and she stopped immediately. The whole day (apart from 2 hours I was out at lunch) was mixture of temper and weeping (we never paid her attention during this time just like a naughty kid she was). She was most surprised when I said I was leaving the next morning (just assumed my DB and I would be at her service the next day too). My DB contacted her psychiatrist and spoke with him a few days later and then the doc rang me unexpectedly at work. Asked what I thought about her second O/D incident and he said he doubts very much she will ever do it and if she does it will be the result of an accident messing about with the tablets. He repeated again that she knows which tablets are the killers but took only the sleeping ones. The doc told her he had spoken to me then she hounded me on the phone about what had I told him "dont ever tell that lot anything". She got really angry with me for nothing and spiteful too playing bad daughter, good son. She said I didnt spend long with her at the weekend and I said she wasnt nice to be with and besides, I had not seen my girlfriends in 3 years of going up north (mother tends to keep you prisoner when you go there and organises every trip out). I couldnt get a word in over the phone she kept talking over me the whole time - this made DH who could hear me really angry and afterwards said "don't ever do that again, the number of times you said 'but Mum' or 'mum, listen..'" He said I said mum a dozen or more times which in her ears transfers to she is the mother and the boss and I am back in the schoolgirl role. Then Dh said he was fed up with it all, how one small woman is dominating and dictating everyone's life etc and I burst into tears like a kid saying it wasnt my fault etc. That made him feel bad because both he and I knew he didn't mean it like that, he meant he was fed up with the turmoil it causes me and has often asked if he can tell her straight but I won't let him. Pheew! DB said she does it to him in reverse, good daughter bad son. Since that weekend she was an inpatient she has been on day release and back in the evenings till she insisted she wanted out over Easter. Then she was bad this weekend at her sister's (my DB tells me) and this morning DB told me she is now back in the unit and wants to be there. never knows what she wants and never did. Well, I really am sticking to my resolve of not contacting her until she rings me in a civil manner, I have felt so low the last few weeks. On the good side, my 2 friends and I went out with my DB and SIL to their club and had a roaring time (one girl is divorced and the other's hubby is away). We danced and drank all night (one friend totally and funnily drunk) and had a lovely time. We had a lot to celebrate, getting back together after more than 3 years and one friend having the all clear on cancer as the lung problem is sarcoidosis (?) - not nice but not like having cancer.
Sheila - my best thoughts and hopes are with you and your dear friend and I hope you get good results like I did with my DF. I agree with the girls that your wonderful DD is probably doing so well due to your loving care. At 88 I think he is marvellous - I am 50 and forget loads of stuff already. I didn't go to France but had a better razz with my friends. Your garden looks beautiful and what a lovely present it was to have an Andres! Happy belated birthday, I wish you a hundred more. Well done on the 72.2lb loss, that is some going and you should be very proud of yourself. Your son sounds gorgeous, studying and caring for little cutie who I hope is feeling much better by now. You were right about the lettuce, the half that died never rooted properly after the transfer but the others are looking better.
SunnyD - your new treadmill sounds lovely and to have lost 7lb in 3 weeks at Curves is brilliant. Like you said, even when you haven't lost any weight during a week you can feel it in your clothes. Well done on being so focussed! (I don't love my mother and haven't since I can't remember but I feel duty towards her - maybe if I loved her or she had been a good mother all this would be easier to bear)
Willow - Happy belated birthday! Hope it was a good one. Thanks for sound advice, it's good to have it from those who see it clearer when you can't yourself because you are trapped in a vortex. I guess what you are saying is I should be pro-active instead of reactive like the experts say. I intend to do that from now on because like you and Sheila say, nothing has worked/changed up to now. I am so glad you had a lovely time with lovely sons and gorgeous GSs. As for son's new girlfriend being posh and you saying you have an old house etc, if she is worthy of DS she will not be comparing trappings and fixtures etc but focussing on what a genuine and caring person you are. That can't be bought at a posh department store for any price. You are as good as the Queen of England, my dear. I hope you can see your doctor soon and get something which will work for your hip pain. Are you off work at the moment? Sounds like you should be resting up not working.
Bluet - Happy anniversary for the 25th. It's my 30th wedding anniversary on the 27th and I usually forget but lovely DH never does. We hope to go away for the first two weeks in May - we both need a break. Looking at Spain, Greece and France but undecided yet. It will make up for not having a honeymoon all those years ago through lack of finances, ha ha. It is a good idea you have about the photo boxes, must try to do the same myself and get all the loose ones sorted. I was thinking about you last weekend when I was trying to cram more books in the bookshelf - the one your DH has about nothing coming into the house unless something goes out. I tried to take a few books out but....... I will probably end up like last time giving 19+ bags of books to the charity shop eventually.
Jacqui - I was sorry to hear about your dear friend. It is really sad when you don't expect things to go wrong and so don't have time to prepare or say goodbye (like my DF) but sometimes it's best for the person even though it is more of a shock for those left behind. Hope you are comforted a little by the post mortem results.
Angel - my heart bleeds for what you are going through right now and I know we all feel for you and your family. Your DS sounds like he is really trying hard now to get back on track and hopefully with loving parents like his, he will make it. It can't be easy for him getting on track and I am sure he knows how lucky he is to have you behind him. I think he will make it and I hope he gets custody of the children, sounds like he is working hard towards it. I remember what Judge Judy (sorry Sheila! Ha ha) said during a case of battling parents "you gotta love ya kids more than ya hate each other, ya got that? Good!". Thank you so much for the cat images but I love the original one you found for me - can't improve on him, now. Your new front door sounds very swanky and posh, first impressions and all that, ha ha. DH and I sanded down ours when we painted outside last summer but forgot to varnish it and by the time we remembered, it was winter. So, come the fine weather we will have to make it look a bit less like a reject door.
Sorry this was so very long but at least I am up to date now. x

Meant to tell you girls, DH brought me a digital camera back from Middle East and we have learned how to put the pics onto the computer so as soon as my garden is a little more colourful I will post a picture.

[SIZE=7]WILLOW[/SIZE]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR WILLOW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.

Sorry I am getting here a little late in the evening, but I thought about you all day. Hope your birthday turned out just the way you wanted it to.

Love.......Bonnie

Hi Everyone,

Well, Willow what did you do for your birthday today? Something special just for you I hope. I wanted to get on the forum early today, but I had too many irons in the fire and did not get near a computer, until now. DH's aunt passed away and we had the funeral today, and I had to go to work before and then after to make sure there wasn't any billing to be done. The owner wigs out if we don't get the billing done on a daily basis. But, anyway I hope you had a really swell birthday.

Shiela your yard looks fantastic. I love flagstone paths and brick paths, your yard is going to be so pretty. 80 degrees, huh? how about 38 degrees and some snow flurries? That's what our Easter Sunday was like. That's o.k. though it is over now. It is suppose to warm up to 60 degrees by Friday. I am praying for your Dear Friend Shiela, she will be o.k., when is she planning to come home or won't they let her?

Puss, nice to see you posting to the forum, I figured you deserted us for France, but of course, deep down I knew you went up to see Mother. Good for you, and good for DH. He only said those things because he does not want to see you abused and hurting. Good for you, so stick to your guns and mean what you say, enough is enough. DH and I will be married 40 years on the 25th. We went to Texas for our honeymoon, and that was a long time ago. We aren't going anywhere this year, next year we are planning a trip to Arizona.

Charlotte, hope everything is fine with you and your family. Still praying for all of you. Report in, if only for a few words to let us know you are ok.

SunnyD, keep up the good work with your excercise and weight loss plan. We will want to see more pictures soon.

Jackie, the calendar says Easter Monday in Canada on it for yesterday. Do you have an Easter Sunday too? Is that a dumb question? I don't get out of the country much.

Well, ladies I am heading off to bed, tomorrow is another day. I have to have my strength to face another day at the office. Take care, love you all!

Bluet

Willow
 

Hello Friends
 

Yesterday I turned 60. I wonder what the next 60 will bring. :D
Thank you all for the lovely Birthday wishes.

I've had a little excitement the last week. Last Thursday someone knocked on my door about 7:30 AM and when I went to the door I recognised the woman (about 25 yrs old) standing there as the daughter of a woman I know, but haven't had anything to do with in many years because of her lifestyle.
The last time I saw this daughter she was 10 years old.
Anyway, I opened the door and she smiled sweetly and put on a look of helplessness and asked if she could use my phone. I told her I knew her and her mother and allowed her to use my phone.
I watched her every move because I know she's a thief and a drug user just from what I've read in the paper over the years.
She was looking for a ride to someones funeral.

Then she came back a couple hours later but I didn't answer the door because I thought, "Oh no you don't. You're not going to start making a habit of this."
Then she came back that afternoon, and I still didn't answer the door.
On Saturday someone knocked and from looking through the sheer I have over the window in the door, I thought it was my granddaughter because the person had long hair and I opened the door and it was this woman again. She wanted to borrow some measuring cups and vanilla because she was making pudding, ... she said. I gave her just one 1/2 cup measuring cup from an old set and a bottle that had about 1 inch of vanilla in it and told her she could keep them.
She brought them back that afternoon.
About 1 1/2 hours later I was laying down and she knocked again and I didn't answer, and she had the audacity to look in the window that looks into my livingroom from my porch! But, I still didn't get up.
Then on Sunday, my son and granddaughter went out for dinner and I declined because I was having a lot of discomfort. After they left, here she came again and I thought it was my granddaughter coming back because maybe she had forgotten something. She used my phone again. Then after my family left that afternoon I put another cloth over the glass in my front door so no one could see in and sure enough she came back again and I didn't answer the door again.
Monday morning I was typing an e-mail to my daughter-in-law who is a parole officer with the dept. of corrections and asked her what she knew, if anything about this person and told her what had been going on.
While I was typing this e-mail, this woman came back and I ignored the knocking, and then I heard knocking on the window, and here she was looking in my window and WAVING at me! I ignored her.
Then my DIL informed me that there was a warrant out for this woman, so I agreed to call 911 if she came around again.
That night I started locking the door to my porch. Yesterday, about 7:15 last night I went out my back door to get in my car to leave and here she came from across the street and jumped all over my butt for not letting her in and she said, "I KNOW you saw me too through the window!"
I said,"So what?" She said," and today I came over and your porch door was locked so I figured you didn't want me coming over."
I said, " You're right. I don't want to be getting up and answering my door all the time just because someone wants to call their friends."
She said, "I had baked a pie and I had brought over a piece of apple pie for you."
I said,"that was a nice thought, but I still don't want someone coming to use my phone all the time."
She said all this stuff in a tone of voice like she was really pissed at me because how dare I not let her into my home!.
I got in my car to leave and took my cell phone out of my pocket and called the police and told them what her PO had said to do, and they didn't get her anyway.
So, I suppose I'll be having my house broken into now. Maybe she left town though if she knows they know she's in town.

Anyway, I had pizza and cheese bread last night and i had it for breakfast this morning. Good diet, huh?

It's suppose to be 68 degrees here today. I'm outside in a little while. My lilacs are starting to get tiny leaves on them and my tulips are up about 5 or 6 inches and the crocus' are up a couple inches too. Peonies are coming up too.

I think I'll go sit in the hot tub for a while too.
Everybody have a great day.

http://www.harrythecat.com/graphics/b/gfield6.gifSorry to say it after the fact, Willow....but....http://www.harrythecat.com/graphics/b/bday5.gifI hope you had a great day!
Oh my...that woman sounds like bad news...DO be carefull. Be sure to keep your cell phone with you. She sounds like she's capable of more than just stealing. Hope you're feeling good today.

Bluet...thanks for your prayers....please them going. My son has shaved, & got a hair cut, & gained 15 lbs.....so handsome! We have him a very good attorney. I can't stand him....but, he's good. Every other attorney around here hates to see him come into the courtroom! :D I think our son has a good chance of getting the girls. I sure hope so. He's doing so much better. Of course, everything's still rough...but, he's really trying.

I'd love to post to everyone individually....I just can't today. I'll try real soon. Don't give up on me.
Hey....we put the TV, love seat, couch, & recliner(they're old, but, good enough for now.) in the living room this week! I'm "playing" house. :) http://media.euniverse.com/funpages/...magicwand2.gif

Hello Everyone,

I don't know Willow, you attract unusual situations, like bees to honey. Whatever gave that young lady the impression that you were her long lost friend? Sounds like she is shadowing you, please be careful and keep your doors locked. It is a crying shame that everyone has to be so careful now-a-days and untrusting of people. When we were young my parents never even locked their doors, when they went away for awhile. I remember when we used to go "in to town" for our weekly shopping and we didn't have to lock our car. It was in the late 60's, that we started locking our car, when someone we knew had some groceries stolen from the back seat of her car. It was rather pleasant here today while the sun was out, but it cooled off later in the afternoon, when it clouded up. Do you live further south than I do? Probably not by much though I'll bet. I am starting to worry that we will have one of those years when we don't get a summer to speak of.

I was going to go to Stevens Point this weekend, to help 3rd DD organize her basement and attic area and mark everything she wants to sell for a community wide rummage sale. When I called her tonight she said she had plans for quite awhile now to travel to Minnesota with two of her friends to see some theatre production. They are going to drive over in the morning and come back in the evening. So I won't go over to see her until the first weekend in May. Her sale is the weekend of the 8th, so I hope that gives us enough time.

I stopped at my Mom's house to see how she is doing this evening on my way home from work. She always tries to rush summer too, I could see she had been out working in her flower beds and cleaning out her garage. My Mom is so sweet, you just gotta love her. She always has some little project going to keep her busy. When I got there she was resting for awhile. We had a nice little chat and then I headed home to see what DH was up to. He had stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few groceries and some chicken for supper. I read the paper and watched American Idol, goodness knows why I watched American Idol. I got absolutely nothing out of it. The girls were talking about it on Sunday and I thought I would give it a shot, but I didn't see any really outstanding talent, except for the little girl that sang Summertime.

DH finally came in from outside, so I guess I will go see what he is up to and then go to bed. Two more days in the work week, and then it is the weekend again. I will have to line up a couple of projects for the weekend. Can't have idle hands you know.

Shiela, Puss, Charlotte, SunnyD, Jackquie hope your day was really special and your evening even better. You are all sweet people. Take care.....

Bluet

Hi all--

Boy, Willow, that's kind of spooky. I hope the police pick her up soon for her outstanding warrants. It must not be anything too bad or they would have picked her up when you called. I'm assuming they didn't even try, right? It's pretty bad when you can't even hang out in your own house without someone coming and looking in your windows to see if you're home. Hey, you have a hot tub? Or is this one at the pool? I'd really love to have a hot tub someday, or even a big bathtub I can immerse myself in. It doesn't even have to have water jets--just be big enough to soak in. You're allowed to have anything you want on your birthday! I had pizza and cheesecake and enjoyed every bite. :)

Charlotte, your son sounds like he's doing so good. I so hope everything works out well. Do they have a court date set? It's smart to get the best lawyer in town, even if you don't like him. All right, some furniture! I'm glad you're getting to play house.

Aha, Bluet, we now know your secret--you've watched American Idol. I'm happy to say I've never seen it, although it's advertised enough that I usually know what's going on. In fact, a 17 year old from my area was on there for a while. Your Mom sounds great. It's nice that you're so close to her. I do hope your DD knows how long it takes to put together a garage sale. I've done personal ones and charity ones, and it seems to take forever to get everything ready, price it, and set it up nicely.

Today was water aerobics. I always thought that people injured themselves less in water aerobics, but, giant klutz that I am, I kicked myself in the foot, and it hurts! Then I forgot my swimsuit at the Y, and when I went back to get it, it was gone, and it wasn't in the lost and found. Who would swipe a used swimsuit? Now I have to buy a new one. I saw an ad for swimsuit sales at Ross (and I think I can even fit in one from Ross!) so I might go there, although I prefer catalog shopping. I don't think I can get one by next Wednesday if I shop online, though.

Also saw a Feldenkrais practitioner today. When I made the appointment, she asked how I felt about dogs. I love dogs, and told her so, and she let her four Portugese Water Dogs stay in the room during the appointment. I'd never seen a PWD "in person," only in dog shows. Hers weren't clipped like the ones I'd seen in the shows so I didn't know what they were until she told me. They were awfully shaggy and cute.

Most of my plants for my front yard are sitting in my carport. I'm just so excited for Friday to come and to see my yard all planted. Some of the flowers are already blooming so it will be instant color.

Hoping everyone had a great Wednesday! Hi to Puss, SunnyD and Jacquie!

Hello Friends
 

Well, to answer some of your questions; .....

Bonnie, I don't think this woman thought I was her long lost friend at all.
I think this woman has been watching me for a while, and had decided to set me up to steal from me and/or break into my house before she ever came here the first time. She has a history of doing this.
She had no idea who I was when she came here that morning. I think she just had been watching an older woman, who lives alone and has a hard time walking even with a cane, and decided she was going to rip me off.
If this incident sounds unbelieveable, I can't help it. It is true.
I think it was Charlotte who said one time that some of the things I tell sound like they aren't really true, but I have no reason to make up anything. I don't think I "attract unusual situations" either.
How unusual is Charlottes situation with her son fearing for his life because of people on drugs?
How unusual is Sheila's daughters situation with being sexually assaulted?
These are all things that happen every day in real life, and so is my situation.
I'm in such a bad mood now over it all that I almost wish she WOULD come to my door again. I think I'd beat the snot out of the little B--ch!

When she was in her teens she and another girl did this to an elderly lady in a town about 6 miles from here. They went to her house and said their car was broke down and could they use her phone and bathroom and while one kept her busy the other one went into her purse and dresser drawers and stole a couple hundred dollars and a bunch of jewelry. They got caught though.

When she was only 10 YEARS OLD! she went to a lot of houses in her neighborhood and said that her church(she didn't even go to church) was asking for donations from people because the kids wanted to put up a basketball backboard and hoop at the church for their youth group, and she had collected and spent $140.00 by the time she got caught.

No, the police didn't catch her last night. But they really did try. They had 5 squad cars out here and one of those SUV's or 4-wheel drive things. They searched the apartment she was at when she came over into my driveway yelling at me, but I think she went up on the roof of that building, it's a flat roof with a wall about 3 feet high around it.

Tonight my DIL said this woman had the nerve to call her parole officer today and say, " God! The cops almost caught me last night!" Then she proceeded to tell her PO what all had taken place, including her arguement with me. Her PO said, "Are you going to keep running from the cops forever? You'll be caught eventually, you know." This piece of slime said, " Well, I know, but I have to get rid of this thing in my gut first."
She is pregnant and wants to have another abortion (her 4th) before she gets put in jail.
I know my son is worried about me because he stopped here tonight at 9 PM after his classes. I hope he doesn't worry too much. I'll just take each thing as it happens. That's all I can do.
The police told me that if I'm ever scared that someone is in my house or is breaking in I should dial 911 because then they will know instantly who I am and where I am.

No, I don't have a hot tub, but last fall I bought swim passes at a local motel, and I only used it a few times, and there were 40 swims. They also have a huge hot tub and a dry sauna. The hot tub feels awesome on my hip and back.

I ordered swim suits from Penneys last fall and they arrived in 5 days.

Sounds like your yard is going to be lovely.

Charlotte, I'm glad you finally have some furniture in your house.
I hope that attorney does good for your son. If his wife is as mean and spiteful as you think she is, she will probably be mean enough to prevent you and your hubby from seeing the kids as much as she can. Then you'll have to rely on your son sharing them with you.

Well, I'm out of here. Hope you all have a good night.

Oh my goodness Willow, I am so sorry that I offended you. I certainly didn't mean to. Please forgive me.. I certainly wasn't accusing you of making anything up. I believed what you were telling us and I am certainly concerned for your welfare. Sometimes I just ramble and forget myself. Hope everything works out, it is a good thing that you alerted the police and that they are watching her.

Bonnie

Hi all!

I'm finally back.
We had company for the holidays and with all the cooking visiting and late nights I came down with a rip roaring sinus infection. I have never had such a face ache!!
I haven't even had the energy to log on to the computer until today so I will read all the posts I have missed tonight. It looks like there is lots to catch up on.

Be back later!
Jacquie

Hello Friends
 

Hey, I'm not angry at anyone.
I'm just saying how it sounded at the time, and then I go on.
Don't worry about hurting my feelings. I'm a tough old hag.
It's 72 degrees outside so I'm out of here to get some sunshine.
Everybody have a good weekend.

Hello???
 

So, what's the deal?

Where did everybody go?

Was it something I said? Or a busy weekend? What's shakin'?

Good Afternoon
 

Hi everyone,

Our day isn't so lovely outside, it is cloudy, humid and about 53 degrees. Yesterday was a nicer day weather wise. The sun was shinning, but we have had thunder storms during the night.

Well, SunnyD, if baby snakes were wiggling across my path, I would have been out of there BIG time to say the least. I don't know why, but I am really afraid of snakes, not that there are very many in Wisconsin, but I am just afraid of them. The birds are nice though, Tree Swallows are back in our yard again and one couple has taken up residence in the bird box in my roses. This is a good thing, usually I have to shag the sparrows out a few times, before they give up. One year I was especially lucky and had a house wern in one bird box and a bluebird in another. I think we have too many farm cats around for our yard to be too bird friendly though. To my chagrin.

We had to work again at church this morning, and I had quite a struggle, two ushers didn't show up and I needed to rustle up two of those and then it is always a challenge to get someone to dress the alter and carry up the hosts and wine. All prevailed though and as usual came off without a hitch. Now I don't have to do that job for a couple of Sundays, so I am not going to worry about it until the next time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, take care and talk to you later.

Bluet

Hi everybody...

Hi Willow....just a very busy weekend. Hope you're feeling well. Has things calmed down any with that woman? I sure hope so. Take care.

Hi Bluet...We're having beautiful weather here, also.

Hi Sunny...so good to see your post.

I get a treatment tomorrow...so, may be slow about returning for a little while. :dizzy: Hi to everyone & take care.........http://www.eakles.com/102happyturningsign.gif

Hi Sunny,

How could I forget????......Congratulations on your weight loss. You must be just walking on air. It couldn't happen to a sweeter person!! Hope your clothes shopping went well and you were able to find the perfect outfits to compliment your sunny personality.. Take care.

Love,
Bluet

Hi, ladies--

SunnyD, how wonderful! I bet you were so excited. You know, I think there's a correlation between the size and wanting to shop. Seventy pounds ago I hated shopping--now that I can get into a 12 or 14, I don't mind it at all. Now, I don't think I'll ever be the kind of shopper my daughter is, but I don't dread it like I did before. Hope you had a good time puttering around in your garden.

Willow, 72 degrees and sunny is just perfect in my book. Even 75 degrees is good. Once it starts getting much higher, then I don't like it. Hope you were able to enjoy your sunny day. And I hope the cops finally got that woman.

Well, Bluet, it took me a minute to figure out what a house "wern" was, but I finally got it! :) Watching those little birds is a lot of fun. I can understand why you don't see many, though, with lots of cats just waiting to take advantage of the birds.

We kind of puttered around this weekend, too. Our front yard looks wonderful--I'll have to get a photo soon. It needs to fill in, but I love looking at it. We also took the dog to the vet for a recheck. The vet tech scared us when she weighed Molly at 29 lbs.--that was a 3 lb. loss in 3 weeks, 10% of her body weight. Luckily, it was wrong and when we weighed her again, she'd only lost one pound. She's doing okay, though, just hanging in there. I don't know if she'll last the summer, but she may surprise us.

Fresh snow on Mount Rainier, which I'm surprised I can see because it's been raining. Great for the new plants!

Hi to Jacquie and Fatpuss and Charlotte!

Hello Friends
 

Hi everyone,
The weather here was chilly today. We had rain and tornado watches last night.
The grass is really getting green and my lilacs and forsythia are leafing out really nice now.

I spent Saturday afternoon out at my sisters house and she made a boiled dinner for supper and it was so good. It was nice not to have to cook for a change.
One of my older sisters who lives in UP michigan was here last summer and took a lot of pics. She sent some to my sister here and sent an envelope of pics along for me too.
There is a picture in there of me sitting on the couch with my oldest granddaughter, and it is the most awful condition I've ever seen myself in. I'm not kidding. When I saw that picture I got physically queasy at my stomach. I see myself in the mirror every day, and knew things were bad, but, this is just awful.
Hopefully it will keep me on the straight and narrow for a while.

Sunny, many congratulations to you on your success with your weight loss. It must be heaven to be able to buy such small clothes.

Sheila, I don't know if the cops got that little snot or not, but I haven't seen anything in the paper. I don't know where she came from or anything. I didn't know she was living or staying nearby until she came to the door and asked to use the phone. My DIL said she thinks she was staying with her ex somewhere nearby. I hope they're gone.

Charlotte, I hope you don't get too ill with the treatment. Get plenty of rest.
How are things coming along with your house?

Bonnie, I don't like snakes either. I used to hunt them with my Dad when I was a kid, but now I scream bloody murder when I'm within sight of one. Snakes, mice and bats. UGH!!

Today I went and sat in the hot tub for a while, then went and walked in the pool for a while. It felt really good while I was in the water because you're so bouyant in there.
Tomorrow I start pool therapy with a therapist. twice a week.

See you all later!

hello to Puss and Jacquie too.

All quiet on the western front here (thank heavens) so thought I'd post a quickie before work. SunnyD well done on dropping a clothes size, Shiela is right about the link with shopping, that new suit I bought before I put this stone back on was bought to celebrate a size less and if I don't start back on track soon I won't be able to fit into it - wore it yesterday and the waist is cutting, the bum almost bursting and the thighs almost filled!! Visted a company yesterday to conduct an audit and the finance director was the spitting image of David Brent from the Office. I kept waiting for him to be an idiot because he even sounded a bit like him, ha ha. Bluet, have you recovered from helping DD with clearing all her stuff? Hard work, eh? Angel, hope all is going well with the legal proceedings, try to make sure you get enough rest in between times (maybe the love seat with DH!) Willow, sounds like you have a lovely son there, checking on you after scary situation. How did you like son's new girl? Jacqui, hope your sinus infection is clearing by now, bit of a bummer after having a nice break to get that at the end of it. Sheila, re you having your swimsuit stolen. When my friends from work and I used to swim in our lunch hour, one friend was too self-conscious about her figure and brought her towel to the bathside rather than put it in the locker. One session in the pool she suddenly said "where's my towel gone?". We looked under the doors of the changing rooms (ha, imagine the four of us!) and there were two gypsy young men making free with her towel. No apologies, nothing. She shared my towel but wouldn't use hers again so her puss cat has it now.
We had a lovely, sunny day Saturday and DH mowed the lawns for the first time this year but Sunday was a total wash out, rain all day so the perennials are still waiting to be planted in.
Must dash off to work. x

Just popping in to ask everyone to cross their fingers for me. I'm trying a new treatment today. I'm being cautiously optimistic, well, actually, I'm probably being too optimistic. I really want this to work!