Posted this on the 21-day challenge thread, apologies for taking up more room but I want everyone to see it!!!

Hear ye, hear ye ... eeeny, meenie, chile beanie, the spirits are about to speak, er, ANNOUNCEMENT:

The esoteric and unnamed officials of this contest have notified Amarantha that the requirement of checking in twice a week in order to be eligible for the fab nonvirtual prize that will be mailed to the first person completing 21 consecutive days of their challenge be a tad taxing on the challengers. So everyone will be eligible for the prize (except Amarantha) who posts at all!!! Huzzah! That is all! Now a word from our sponsor ...

All Best Wishes, Auntie Wildfire! Good vibes that all goes well and that sis and wee one get to go home relatively soon and begin their journey together.

Happiest of birthdays to Eydie and Cerise. I think that's so neat that you share your big day. And nine days off, Eydie! How relaxing to think of it.

First job (other than babysitting) was to clean house for a school teacher who was married to a funeral director. The "parlor" was on the other side of the house and sometimes I'd get to spruce it up a bit too. I think I've been gifted forever with an easy attitude toward death because of the experience there. Plus I recognize many things about me and my tastes, etc. that probably also come from that gracious woman. I quit once but went back with some of the more onerous chores delegated to some one else and so basically spent all of my high school years working there. During high school I also checked coats and played music for the dances at the local Legion hall two nights a week. Through this job, I got to know pretty much everybody (or at least who they were) in our small town and neighboring ones. Right after graduation I went to work as a secretary at the local AF base.

Sort of tired out tonight. Day started out ok but got thrown off kilter somewhere this afternoon. Dh seems to be somewhat glum tonight too but he had a dr. appt. tomorrow and that might be it for him. Not sure what it is for me. Sometimes it doesn't take much.

See y'all tomorrow.

Well, ok ...
 

Now that those rude and intrusive 21-day officials have stopped hijacking the palace thread with their challenge announcements, I can say what's on my mind:

CONGRATULATIONS TO AUNTIE WILDFIRE!!!! Huzzah! :cp: :hb: to the little one and good vibes going out to thy sis and babe!

And a :hb: to Cerise and Eydie! Huzzah! Birthdays are good, be sure to eat cake!!!!

Wsw, thanks for joining the 21-day challenge ... I'm glad thou seemingly be "making friends" with thy new place. What an exciting time it is for thee to be in a new environment, but it can be stressful, so take care o' thyself! :wave:

Kaylets, that's a VERY good sign that they sent you the test ... they don't do that unless they're on the verge of hiring one!

I've heard nothing about my in-town job prospect since I turned in that packet, so I'm kind of putting it out of my mind for now. If they'd liked what they saw, they'd be in touch, methinks.

Anagramatic: Thanks for the pm. I enjoyed "talking" with thee today!!!! Going for more Greek pizzas tomorrow. I have a few days off and shopping's on tap. Yes, since I've gotten procrastination out of my life, I AM knocking out the stories in a more timely fashion. I'm sure I'll regress at some point, though. Busy work week what with graduations to cover.

QOD: I think my first job must have been babysitting, then as a teen, I worked in a hamburger joint (before becoming a vegetarian, which I no longer am).

Anagram, you make me homesick for the midwest by the discussion of hostas. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of any here, but I used to love them ...

Ah, well.

Later ...

Big doings in the Queendom!
 

It's my birthday and I'll whine if I want to...
 

Hello all!

Couldnt get online this am.. am typing quickly as I am not sure if we're back up for awhile...

Happy birthday wishes to the Royal Cerise and Eydie... listing you alphabetically just so no one feels slighted...
You'll have a great day. That's my royal decree.

Wildfire.. Enormous surge of good energy for the new baby boy. Please keep us posted.


And again, I am asking to be kept on the list too. There is some news to report.... I have been "unofficially " advised that its only a matter of the background, etc coming back... I will admit to you that I am nervous about some of DS's antics perhaps reflecting in some of the reports... probably not ... might just be a sympton of how much I want this to come together..

I am nearly at the point of not allowing myself to think about it but 10 minutes at night... I got a voicemail on my cell phone and nearly broke out in a sweat trying to find somewhere private to listen.. then could hardly contain myself for 45 minutes to get to my car to return the call.....

but ENOUGH!

Wildfire.. is your sister ok now too??

Wsw... glad to see you can join us more lately. And yes, how are you liking the remodeled bath ??

Empress... I really will get to the challenge now...

Anagram... You played music? Were you part of a band?? or an early dj??

Arabella... keep smiling...we're all struggling.. today there was a paper jam in the printer and someone said "I think the paper is burning./.. can't you smell it>?
and I said" Oh, I thought the cafeteria was baking brownies, that 's what I smelled..!"

Let me post..

eydie and cerise-i hope your birthdays have been good ones!!!!

so hot here already and just the beginning of summer. not that i am wishing away time, because it is too precious--just hope my poor a/c holds out for the duration.

quick post to say hi. pretty worn out and need to crawl in to bed. good evening, all. take care.

Yo!
 

[color=blue]:queen: K, thou be always on my good vibe list and especially now ... sending career coming together vibes eastward as I type!!! I'm sure it'll happen, from what thou beist saying ... no "antics" of anyone else could possibly be an influencing factor, methinks. You WILL get the job. I just know it ... and in worst case scenario (which I don't think will happen), well, you'll find another that you want even more.

Thanks for the encouraging words, :queen: Cerise ... kind of given up years ago on anyone cherishing my work, but would like to think I'm still able to string a word or two together for pay and cover the odd school BORED now and then ... mayhap not! Oh, well! :coffee:

Arabella, if thou looketh at the 21-dayer thread thou'll note that I've crashed and burned YET AGAIN! I'm not giving up, though, as it's an extremely hard challenge to do ... I've only done it twice, actually ... once here and one on that "other" diet forum ... I'm announcing my intention to see this through ... in 21 days I can make great progress towards regularizing my calorie count and reaching my weight goal.

So I'm back on Day 1 tomorrow! Huzzah!

In the meantime, I'm eating some peanut butter ... the natural stuff that I "fix" by pouring off a little oil and adding Splenda ... tastes like the kid stuff.

Re that, doth anyone else find it rather odd that for years we've been told never to eat anything with hydrogenated oil (well, I've been told, at any rate) because it has trans fat and now we're seeing stuff all over the place (like kid's pb) that has hydrogenated oil and lists NO trans fat on the new labels?

Just seems odd ... I realize that it's because there's less than a certain amount in there so they can get away with the ZERO thingie, but with the hydrogenated oil being listed so high on the label on a jar of pb, you wonder why there's not more. I'm seeing that ZERO trans fat label on a lot of things where hydrogenated oil is listed maybe second on the label.

Very suspicious, but of course the food industry would NEVER try to fool us, so it must be ok. Right?

Too right.

Hi all, just a quickie!

Happy Birthday Cerise! :gift:Happy Birthday Eydie! :gift:

Hope you both had wonderful birthdays!!

Baby has a name. Jace. Not sure about that, but I didn't have a say in the matter. Haven't heard the middle name yet. I have been trying for hours to get through to my sister's room but it has been busy. Her BP is coming back down today, so that's good news. Thank goodness for the grapevine.

Have to be to work very early for inventory count, so I'm off to bed. Have a good Wednesday, all!

Kaylets, played records but no dj-ing. Powerful position, let me tell you. Another girl and I got to play (or not) requests that came in. You wanted to hear something particular, you'd better stay on our good side. Or maybe we'd play it - but two seconds after we saw you go into the rest room.

Hello all!

Server is up and I am glad...

Empress-- oh but of course, your gift is cherished...!! I have made it a royal proclamation... You will receive a scroll by royal delivery asap.
and as for the food labels... its all smoke and mirrors... No trans fat but lots of other c*****.... just because its not something equally as bad doesnt make it better.....
Yikes... " Well, consumer, its not mercury so if its lead it must be better, right? "....

Just like labeling Mustard "Lo fat"...well, wasnt it always????

Smoke and mirrors... hand is quicker than the eye...

Don't get me started!


Wildfire-- so glad to hear the Baby Prince is holding his own! Please keep us updated!


****
Thought of the day :

"The Emperor also has straw-sandaled relatives."
--Chinese Proverb


Question of the day :

"Of all the jobs you've had, is there one you miss? Is there one you definitely don't miss?"

***

Must be off!

Take care!
KETTLE IS ON!

Yo!
 

Happy (hic) Birthday to me...
 

Despite the recommendation of Viscountess Grins-At-Pigeons to have a good day, I have not been ('tis getting better though). I required a piece of minor surgery (not for the first time, so I was very laid back about it sort of). However, the numbing shot is usually painful and this time the dr. gave me two of them to get me good and numb. Then for some strange reason it didn't work. At least for the first several nips. The last one seemed to (different locations and all). So we had a lot of lip biting and tensing, etc. I didn't even remember to do any relaxation techniques. Haven't been practicing a lot lately so wouldn't have been my best effort but probably better than being tense.

Anyway, dh was warned yesterday to find something to occupy himself this afternoon as I wanted no hovering, just to sit or pace or whatever the mood struck. This was esp. important as I did not want to turn to the comfort of food. And my nervous system was on "WAY HIGH" after the unexpected jolts. He was being ever the good caretaker but finally got the message and went out and mowed the lawn. So I did some laundry, cleaned up some files long in need but not an immediate thing of which there are many.

So anyway, I'm slowly coming down out of the trees and getting more close to civil without having done him any kind of physical harm and have two pieces of GOOD to report.

1. I have not turned too much to food (partly because I have to take an antibiotic either and hour before or two hours after food so can't be gnoshing constantly).

2. Their scale weighed less than mine even with clothes and shoes. Mine is the "official" one but nonetheless it was a pleasant surprise on theirs. Actually today my own had listed a new low on the first try that was probably due to standing on the scale somehow wrong because none of the later tries came even close to my previous low. But it was nice seeing that because I usually feel "see it once and it will come again". And the nice number in the doctor's office was a treat.

So, as my day is getting somewhat better, I'll go along with Cerise's wish for the rest of you. Make it good, what's left of it.

anagram, sorry to hear your day was painful. :grouphug: Hope it is getting better by the minute and you'll be feeling fine in the morning. Kudos to you for not being tempted by comfort food!

Cerise, your birthday dinner sounds fun! Do we get pictures??? You should have climbed up on your chair and performed right along with the waiters...probably would have put them to shame! WE know what a wonderful singer you are...flaunt it, baby!

I am feeling rather burnt out today. I think it is a tally of travelling last week, long rainy long weekend, which made going to work yesterday painful, all the worry and excitement with Sis and Jace, early start this morning for an inventory count, knowing I just have to get through tomorrow and then I'm travelling again on Friday to see my girlfriend for the weekend, but first I have a hair appointment and shopping and laundry and packing....it's like I have a case of dominoes in my brain and they're all falling at once.

Amarantha, I'm with you on the low/no carb fad in the food industry. All trying to capitalize on the current cash cow. :moo: I am applying a "healthy carb" logic to my eating habits, which I think is what the original premise of these plans intended.

ceara, no word yet on when Sis and Jace get to go home. Jace will likely be there until almost his scheduled due date, which was July 31st. Sis can't go home until her BP and kidneys stabilize.

Jace Rishi is his name. Rishi means "ray of light". His dad is Hindu, so they picked a name to reflect that heritage. I just talked with my sister and Jace is doing really well. He is feeding already! She said his feet are 1 3/4 inches long, his hands are 1" long, his head is the size of your closed fist, and he is 12" in overall length. She said he looks very much like my father...fair skinned, reddish hair. I can't wait to see him! And shop for him! :D

Still sending good vibes :goodvibes: to Kaylets and Amarantha in their job quests!

wsw, so nice to have you back posting!

Hello to all our fair :queen:s! I must away to find clothes for the morning.

Hello all!

ALMOST FRIDAY!!!


Was trying to figure out which dress slacks fit the best to wear tonight to meet some folks who havent seen me in awhile.. and then I said.... I'm going to go in there strutting my little jeans!!
Sometimes its really albout LESS IS MORE.

hmmmmmmm...... now that gets me th inking!

Hope everyone who hasnt been feeling well is feeling better.... hope everyone who's been overwhelmed is remembering as long as we stick with the basics, ( breathe, water, move) we will get thru it, and.....
to everyone who feels as though progress is taking too slow.....
Don't forget, just by checking in here, you have opened yourself to making healthy changes....

AND ITS ALMOST FRIDAY TOO!!

ok, I promise, I 'll stop shouting and in fact, won't finish this 2nd cup of real coffee....
so, holidays can be very hard on some of us...
I am going to make a commitment to do my darndest to make our thread interesting, positive and FUN for all of us this weekened..
If you can't be here, we'll miss you...
If you can, PLEASE join me ....
We might be suprised at who stops by!!!

***
***

Thought of the day :

"From the understanding
of not understanding
comes understanding."
--- Ron Rathburn


Question of the day :

"What is your favorite kind of cheese?"

**

KETTLE IS ON!

Ah, Ceara, you mean IMPORTANT stuff. Good luck on the dosages and the tests.

Kaylets, it took deep thought but I guess I'd have to say white sharp cheese. I like so many it's hard to decide these big questions.

Beautiful day in Central PA. NO APPOINTMENTS OR COMMITMENTS except of ourselves. Had a leisurely brekkie (Slimfast) and paper read on the Patio of Inner Peace so am ready to move it a bit but slowly and non mentally at least for a while. We said we'd work this a.m. and go in search of some fun later in the day. There won't be much a.m. left by the time I start so it won't be much work.

Decent weigh in - not great or exciting but decent - I'm always all over the place. But with only five days left in May I wanted to see how far I've come since May 1. As of today it's a 2.4 loss for the month. It's been more but I jump up and down so much I don't get excited about the upsies and downsies of water retention. And 2.4 is a MAJOR move for moi. So concentrating on keeping that and hoping for a tad more by Tuesday morning.

So move it, me, move it. Sunny skies, all.

Yo!
 

Treading carefully on that Patio of Inner Peace (thanks for the image, Anagram), as my anxiety is at an all time high. Translation, I'm not doing much. Went shopping and also to gym to walk slowly on :tread: (until I stop having some symptoms I'm supposed to do everything veeery slowly).

Depression is just around the corner.

Thought I'd just drop by here and cheer everyone up with the above statement! :coffee:

Rats, not supposed to drink that either!

Oh, well!

:coffee:

Anagramatic, congrats on thy May weight loss!!!! Pretty good job there, Kemo Sabe!! :yes:

Kaylets, definitely thou shouldst go with the tiny jeans!!! Jeans are always the best choice and they can be so dressed up. Dost thou have a pink cowgal hat?

Ceara, sorry about thy medical woes ... sounds as though thou be in control of it, though, and know what you want to do about it. BTW, they make little pill cutters that work very well. They're usually in the general area of the vitamins and the little pill boxes.

Ok, I'm going to go experiment with having actual (lite) faux butter again on my whole wheat bread (as opposed to only butter spray ... I'm getting tired of spraying the stuff and am willing to sacrifice the calorie differential).

Later ...

Sunny Skies, Hah!
 

hello all!

Just heard moments ago, that an employer from 8yrs ago was contacted to verify my employment....
And theywere told who and why was verifying...

Am just realizing now that the application had no area to mark " May we contact current ..." I didnt even think about it...just assumed discretion would be used...
Made a panicked phone call to DH who says not to stress ... may all work to my advantage anyway...

OH BOY!

So, it's FRIDAY!

If anyone is traveling this holiday, take care. Seems as though there are proms, graduations, celebrations everywhere!

And for those of us staying home....try to come by and keep me company!! Holidays are tough for lots of us... all the stores have "holiday goodies"... let's get through this together and have some fun at the same time!


****

Thought of the day:


"Change is something we must all deal with.
Are you changing
or is it changing you?
Where lies the control of change?"
---Ron Rathburn


Question of the day :

"Name your proudest moment"

****


KETTLE IS ON!


sorry to be so frazzled but this wouldnt be a good time to be without employment!

Good morning all, ‘tis Friday, true, good? I don’t know yet…

It’s been a wild and wooly last couple of weeks. Bo-Beena, other best friend, their husbands and Bo’s daughter were all up at my house last week. Had a blast, but now I’m tiiiiiiired and looking forward to the 3-day weekend for some post-vacation R&R.

The hubbies of the girls helped me move my futon into my den and the elliptical out of the den and into the back spare room. This officially makes my back spare room my home gym!!! :strong: I am also buying a treadmill soon so I’ll have my yoga stuff, treadmill, elliptical, step and weights all in that room with a tv and stereo. I’m so excited to get in there and make it perfect! The computer’s in there too so I hope to be in there a lot!

The weekend before Bo-Beena showed up my 21 year old washing machine decided I needed to clean ALL the floors on one side of my house – so it filled them with an inch of water… :dz: not to mention the water soaking in a foot into my bedroom carpet. Apparently it no longer knows when to shut off the water so even when it’s spinning, it’s still filling with water. Oh well, my floors look FAB and since I’m in a very dry climate, mold isn’t a problem! Now, where to get the $$$ for a new machine... :chin:

Then, this week, my old Ochoco, my Maine Coon kitty is trying to decide if she’s ready to move on to the next life or not. We found her living under my mom’s front deck over 5 years ago and she’s been family ever since. She’s about 11 and has had some issues for the last few months and the vet kept her overnight on Tuesday. I’ve already told her that the choice is up to her. I didn’t think she’d live through the night last night, but she seems to be doing a bit better. Still not eating or using the litter box at all though and just sleeps all day. I’ve been crying on and off all week, and have been preparing myself for the eventual passing. This part of being a mom to a fuzzy kid sucks. Just plain ol’ sucks.

On to posties….

Auntie Wildfire, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! :cb: Good luck to sis and Jace! If it’s any consolation, Bo-Beena’s daughter weighed 2 lb. 7 oz. when she was born and is now a spunky soon-to-be 13 year old and doing great! Enjoy the shopping Auntie!

Ceara, I’m so glad to hear you’re doing ok with all the rain that’s been falling!

Kaylets, mucho luck on the job prospects. :lucky: It honestly sounds like it's going to happen!

Eydie, Happy Belated Birthday!!!! :gift: :hat: :hb:

Cerise, Happy Belated Birthday to you too!!!!! :cheers: :gift: :chockiss: Has it really been a year already??? Amazing…. Enjoy your last year of your 20’s, but believe me, life only gets better in your 30’s! :yes:

WSW, it’s so good to see you again!

Amarantha, I’m convinced that the food companies are only just a ½ step below the cigarette companies when it comes to how much they care for the consumers of their products. Their first priority is to sell, sell, sell. Sick isn't it?

Any word on Frogger? She’s got to be getting pretty round by now!

:wave: Anagram, Zadie, Arabella!!!!!!

Have a Dr.'s appt next Thursday.... won't she be "happy" to see I've regained 20 pounds???? :dz: Well, I've been back on the wagon for a couple days. Having some palpitations due to stress and have decided to start back on my yoga and HAVE to start working on my daily meditation - even if it's only for 10 minutes. I will NOT be buying new, larger clothes so there's nowhere I can go but back down...

I’ll be working on getting my computer at home set up so that I can use it safely (no spy ware or virus protection on it yet). Have a busy few weeks coming up - Full moon ritual on Thursday, Harry Potter Friday, Saturday watching the Belmont (Gooooo Smarty!!!!!), Sunday mom and I are walking the Heaven Can Wait 5K for breast cancer. The next weekend we're having our garage sale, the weekend after that my dad and stepmom are coming up from Arizona.... :faint: I'm tired just talking about it!!!!!

Toodles for now!

Terri
Time for honesty...
loss____/current 227.2/highest 259.9

hi punkin! good to hear from you! fridays just aren't the same without you. having the guests in town sounds like it was fun-and busy.

it is so hot here and i am trying to brace myself for the non-stop wave of heat. my car is in the shop, as i write, having the a/c repaired. it also needs some other work done, but will have to take it back in over several trips since can't afford to fix all at once. just hoping the a/c really will be in top notch shape, since without that, i can't drive at all.

my new place really does look pretty with all the colors i picked out. i love each and every one and my furniture looks very "at home" here. it is tiny (same size as my previous apt.), but having colors which i chose and all the t.l.c. that my friends put in to fixing it up for me, make it feel like a palace! the place still needs a lot of work, but little by little it will get done. i have had fun placing my nick-nacks and prints. the mood indigo shelves in the kitchen look great. the bathroom actually is kind of funny. my friend who wanted me to have a walk-in shower and consequently, did all this hard work, laughs at himself because the tiles are in crooked and the shower floor slopes so much that i have to squeegie it out after each shower. i love it, of course, because he made it, but his idea of making a walk-in shower easier for me than having to step over a tub didn't quite work out as he had planned! my condo. looks very cozy. several of my friends liked the colors i had picked so much that they have since done some painting in their own homes. i hadn't done any decorating in so long. it was nice to find that i still had some good decorating style in me.

today, i have been doing paperwork (which i hate!!) since i'm stuck here without my car and have wanted to eat more (and differently) than i had planned. i didn't succumb though. just wanted to keep myself honest by saying it "out loud."

greetings amarantha, cerise, anagram, arabella, wildfire! and hi to all the remaining courtly personages. hope your afternoons are pleasant.

Hello all!!

Stopped by last night, read posts and then .... realized I was just crashing... and went to bed... it was a very emotional day...

Because....


ITS OFFICIAL!!!!

New employment begins June 14!!


Had been carrying my cellphone around with me for days... When I returned from lunch Friday, there was a message on my desk phone... AND THAT WAS THE MESSAGE !!
So the expression about watched pots and all.... and if I had really thought about it, my cell phone number was not listed on my resume nor the j ob application... lesson for next time...

I thank everyone for bearing with me the past weeks of my decsion/indecision/etc/etc.....
In many ways, this experience has been very freeing... very much as we've learned from the Empress and as WW's teaches too... and even Dr Phil... if something isnt working out the way you need it to work, change something....
Its not a question of "giving up" ...
its a retreat to try a new approach, not a surrender....

In fact, I believe some 12 step programs would agree with me that its
"The wisdom to know the difference"....



So my friends... Thanks in so many ways....

I think you will find me more cheerful... less distracted...


***

Thought of the day ;

"Not all who wander are lost"--
Lord of the Rings

Question of the day :

"When is the last time you were lost?"

****


KETTLE IS ON!

Yard sales await!

Back from the beach and I missed you all so much, my friends! Ahh, that was fun but it's so lovely to be home. And lovely to hear so much good news too! Kaylets, I'm thrilled that you got the job---I knew you would! And great news about Jace Rishi--so glad he and Mom are doing well.
wsw, your new place sounds so nice. Sometimes do you find yourself just looking around in awe and utter contentment? I do that sometime here, even after 11 years!
Punkin, I'm so envious of your having a whole room for all your workout stuff. That's a dream of mine, but I have a small house, so the treadmill's in the bedroom and I do my videos and yoga, etc. in the living room. Maybe when I make my first million, I'll put in a gym! Thinking of you and Ochoco and won't try to say anything profound and comforting. I know it's just hard to go thru.
Anagram, did my heart good to visulize you on your patio of inner peace!
Amarantha, sorry to hear that depression's looming for you. I don't want to say anything flippant about it, because I know that feeling. Hope it passes by soon. I do want to join you and my "twin" Cerise, in your low-carb rant. I'm jjust soooooo tired of it!!! It's everywhere and I'll be so happy when this trend passes. It will, right? I mean, I don't recall the low-fat trend being so big.The thing that shatters my mind is perfectly healthy foods like corn, peas, carrots, bananas, potatoes, grains, breads, beans, are verboten on this diet! And also, I think that people are using the lo-carb diet as an excuse to eat a lot of meat and butter and cream. Really, no offense to any low-carbers among us, I'm just so weary of it being everywhere!

I had the most wonderful birthday! Garry went so out of his way to make it, well, pretty spectacular. I think he overdid it this year, because the gifts kept on coming--he even held onto a couple to give me while we were at the beach. A couple more books that we could work on togther--I love that! He made me that wonderful cake--have I mentioned that? Worth every calorie! And the best thing was he gave me this amazing goddess statue of the Morrigan. Quickie lesson: She's the Celtic goddess of war. And she's magnificent--very fierce and strong looking. I'm going to use her as my inspiration when i don't feel like working out! She actually has my body--only I don't have the spiral tattoos all over! It's funny--I've collected all these sweet-faced goddesses over the years, but there's a new goddess in town now. Yee hah!

Wow, how quiet! But what wonderful new, Kaylets. You're probably busy floating on air. Just goes to show how life can change in a matter of a few weeks.

And, wsw, glad to hear you're growing stronger and able to get out a bit more. I know I'd be lost without a/c as well. And thanks for the kind words but, really, what choice does one have? You know probably better than I that when we're knocked down, what can we do but get up and keep on going - the only other choice is to give in and queens are predispositioned not to do that.

Cerise, how goes the muscial career? I envision you belting out all sorts of beautiful music as you go about your domestic doings.

Punkin - I'm so glad you checked in. Not sure if Fridays are legal if you're not here. Zadie, professional opinion on that? Pro bono, of course.

And, Wildfire, that description of Jace's tiny hands and toes just made me send lots of light kisses his way. I have this thing about baby feet. Hope Sis is ok too and there's no permanent kidney damage.

Wood Nymph, how's eom going? Or are you still getting dh out and away?

So glad you're back and well celebrated, Eydie. Your Celtic goddess sounds very interesting. I like the tough Momma image there.

Speaking of things Celtic, dh and I took a couple of hours at the local Artsfest today and I felt like it must be Celtic day there, however unofficially. During the time we were there we caught parts of four performances that were Celtic or Celtic influenced. And as we were leaving, I saw two husky fellows go by in kilts so felt there was probably going to be some pipes at some point or another. For a change I hit it right.

One performer was a Celtic harpist, there was a duo with Christian/Celtic, a trio w/mostly Irish and/or folk and then my own fave The Arcona Reel Band (mentioned some time previously). Didn't catch much of them but did buy a new tape for my car.

All in all a great day. Must have walked two or more hours. Weather beautiful, a bit nippy as I like it and even cool when in the shade as it's right along our pretty river and the breezes o'er it are always coolish. Thought we'd beat the crowd and go early. Ha! So did everyone else. Walked through all those good smelling food booths w/nary a whimper for days gone by. We went specifically to get some lunch at our favorite "gypsy" - usually we get his pit beef sandwish but today we both had the pulled pork. Deelicious. But smallish enough - unfortunately. Maybe two ounces on a burger bun ($5.00). But that was it until we got home when I had a banana and two pretzels (and some tea waiting for me as I type).

Ceara, are you firmly demucked yet?

Empress, thou be too quiet today for me to think all has started to bode better. May I trust that thou art also enjoying some pleasant things on a gorgeous day? If not, I am thrusting the strongest of good vibes in your direction and hoping for a goodly report to the court at thy convenience.

Shall now go and enjoy my strong tea to reinvigorate me for the evening.

Hello all!

Eydie, the fair sounded like so much fun... DH and I went out to breakfast, then to a yardsale on the way to bringing a friend a truck load of furniture DH had picked up from storage.... one thing led to another and at noon DH suggested we go see a movie! And since we had spent not one dime at a yard sale, I said yes.
We saw " The Day After Tomorrow".. I thought it not bad. Glad I only paid matinee prices but I did n otice the audience did very little moving around so I thought perhaps they were riveted. I thought the beginning a little slow but didnt realize till we left that DH nearly dozed off... but things kept moving along enough to keep me interested. I thought it was pretty well done.
I think I might have enjoyed Shrek II more... Dh says now he remembers why he enjoys movies at home more... He felt claustophobic w/ people around and was offended that water was $4 a bottle. ( We passed)..

But... I did get thru the whole movie much like Eydie at the fair, not really feeling deprived that I was w/o popcorn or candy. The popcorn lost its allure long ago when I worked a movie theatre and found out about the popcorn. If you love movie popcon, I won't ruin it for you.

Was setting the alarm for 15 minutes a time but got involved and spent nearly 30 minutes tidying up some dress pants I promised a coworker... want to bring, give, return as much as I can remember on Tuesday as I expect the word will travel fast. Am also making sure I am prepared just in case I am asked to leave b/4 my final date... Don't know if that's a possibility... might be just wishful thinking on my part but might as well get these larger sizes to the folks I promised.

So now, I can spend 30 minutes here!

Also have the kettle on... Eydie made it sound so appealing I thought I should have a big cup for myself.

So, with this job move, I can now take the bus and save on downtown parking fees. The bus is also federally funded somehow which means totally free to me... and I get some extra walking in... which will be needed as this job is only on the 2nd floor... I 'll need to run up and down quite a few times to make up the four flights I've been climbing! I figure while on the bus, I'll write/read... I do have audio books yet to hear as well...
Now that slacks are "safe" for me to wear... ( I used to think long skirts 'hid" the extra weight) I imagine I'll be glad for slacks on rainy days...
I must be really losing my mind..... thinking of the bus on winter days made me go try on a coat I found long ago that was so pretty and so cheap ( Goodwill buy) ... And it fits! Of course, anyone who is trying on winter coats
when during record breaking heat wave Memorial Day must be either... losing weight or... going off the edge...

Let me go fix my tea..

Saturday Grin
 

This was sent to me, have no idea who the author is...
Too bad most of isnt true!



The Rules of Chocolate

If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

The problem: How to get two pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?

If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

Money talks. Chocolate sings.

Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.

Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous? Because no one wants to quit.

Put eat chocolate at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

Yo, to all! I be a bit on the depressed side at the moment and too braindead to type but wanted to say huzzah to Kaylets for the job coup ... it is so perfect how this has worked out for thee, :queen: K, but I knew it would! Congrats ... thou deserveth it ... how wonderful that you don't have to drive ... thanks for the :chockiss: one-liners!

Huzzah to all and I will get back to thee ...

Thanks everyone for the congrats on the new job...

Wish I had as much confidence in myself as all of you have in me!

Certainly, a real part was due to my own feelings about the current job...struggling to find "the niche"... Guess that would make anyone wonder what was up .. or down..

Empress-- I too, can empathize... in fact, the week I was not feeling well, ( the server crash week too) and my mood were so down I knew something was really bothering me to feel so low... and that's when I began to question that wasnt 2 years long enough to be "feeling comfortable"...
I realize that our situations are not the same, but I can empathize with having to "put on your game face" to face the world. It does seem to suck all the energy out of you and leave you wilted.

Punkin-- I am hoping your doctor will be glad the weight gain isnt more...
These things happen... Its happened. Its now time for the next step. You will decide what that will be. You know your options, you know what works best for you. Sometimes we are delayed on our journey. Can you imagine if you planned a trip across country and drove into a delay? You would wait it out, find an alternate route, etc, etc... I don't think you'd cancel the entire trip.
So, we make our next best choice.
I'm hearing more and more at meetings that its common for there to "breaks"
--that the important thing is getting back on program ( whatever your program is) and continuing.... We all remember my year of "Maintaining" that really started a gain of a pound or so a month... and then towards the end of that year, I regained almost 10 lbs in about 3 mos... I got scared and decided that the regained almost 20 was ALL I wanted to re- lose.
I finally said to myself... Its time to fish or cut bait.... S*** or get off the pot... I knew what to do... just thought as long as I kept saying I knew what to do, that's all I had to do.... NOPE....
At my age, the weight is very used to staying... and it was also FINALLY time to just get over this idea that "If you eat like a thin person, you can eat anything... its all about moderation"....
NOPE...
Not for me...
I'll never forget the WW leader years ago asked us what food was totally safe from bingeing in our house... It took me almost a month to finally have the answer.. for me, it was dog food...totally safe...
But then again, in those days, I had lots and lots of processed foods, sugared cereals, lo fat icecreams, etc, etc in the house.
NOPE.
Doesnt work for me that way.

I know 2 women who have been taking pills for maybe 6-8 yrs... before the ban, these two must have spent couple paychecks "stockpiling" ....
I see them often on brunch day picking a doughnut "for our meal "....
Works for them...
One still smokes too...
We'll see how that works out for her later.....

Dr. Phil likes to ask folks who come to him for advice " And how is that working for you?".
He's so right, every time... if you don't like the result you're getting...
( and if its in your control)... you need to change your method....

In fact, lately, I was wondering if that would be a good tatoo for me.....
"And how's that working for you...??"

WSW- you are still my hero. You always try to find the silver lining.... and you are right... the stronger you are, the stronger you will be... I am amazed at how much you have lost considering how many times you have had to wait out "technical difficulties" ... Sometimes I think to myself when something is calling me... " Snap out it, if WSW can work her program without looking for excuses, so can you!" .....

I know you will be quick to tell me that you make choices every day...

Yes, that's what we all have in common...

We 're off to see the wizard... to be told everything we need is already with us....

Ok...

Hello all!

Here we are! What small change can we reinforce today??
For me, I was very tempted to stay in bed long past regular wake up time.. after all, its a bit overcast, I've had a crazy roller coaster of emotions the past couple weeks....
but, one of our beagles didnt see things that way at all... from her point of view, if you're awake, it a great time to play, get a belly rub, look out the window...
In another words, " No time like NOW!"

So, here I am, cup and a 1/2 of coffee, wondering who else might be up.


****
Thought of the day :

"The writing of your life is in its days.
The days in which you live are your life.
The life in which you live is you.
Altogether, you are you life."

---Ron Rathburn


Question of the day :

"Are you a beach or a mountain person?"

****


KETTLE IS ON...

I'm sort of up! :) I always am because my cat is a small morning lion roaring in mine ears at first light, which was at approximately 4:30 a.m.

The small change I'm making today is starting my 21-day challenge over and NOT doing a weigh-in since I ate a lot last night and I do not wish to become discouraged by temporary water weight at this juncture. I am using making a working assumption that my actual weight is the same as last week and we'll see. If I get on in the middle of the week and it's down, I'll use that one, otherwise, I'll go with next Sunday.

Thy beagle soundeth cute, :queen: K!

QOD: I'm a beach AND a mountain person.

Hi, to all, sorry my responses aren't flowing but I'm appreciating and mentally responding to everyone's posts.

I'm up and have read the Sunday paper already. Am putting off shower and being generally lazy. Put all responsibility out of mind yesterday and that worked out so well I'm trying it again today. Well, the small change I hope to try today is not to overeat at a picnic we're going to. I did well on this one last year and hope to do same this year. Won't be down to my calorie limit today, I'm sure, but just want it to be moderate. Same thing for cookout tomorrow. Nagging thoughts of things I have to do are trying to sneak into my consciousness but I am resisting them. I need more fun days (like yesterday) in my life and I'll get to that other stuff sometime (maybe).

Your general improved situation is coming through, Kaylets! Enjoy! How romantic that you and dh spontaneous trip to the movie.

No need for you to flow out in responses right now, Empress. You keep us going so often and it's your turn to get good vibes, etc. until things turn around for you. So glad you took your pria bars and shakes w/you. I usually carry a slimfast bar (sometimes others) with me just to prevent me from going bananas if I'm delayed somewhere or can't get decent food at the right time. Not as necessary now that I've changed lifestyle as it was at first but I still like knowing it's there as a security blanket.

So hi's and hugs to all - lazy morning beckoning.

I'm a mountain person. Raised in them thar and love the softness and coolness in spring and summer and the color in the fall though I no longer hike around in them at all. Like being on the beach in the winter but definitely not in summer