evening all or actually good morning this will be real short as its conners birthday tomorrow /today and ive just spent the last half an hour wrappping presents :smoking: :gift: and it must be the wrapping paper from **** as its shreeded me and to think ive got to do this all again in 18 days for craigs birthday not to mention a nephew 2 days ago aneice in 9 days a sisterin law 1n 11 days a sister in 13 days and another nephew in 17 days and then craig god i hate july i save from january to june for july and then start in august for xmas my mum has banned us from having sex in october so she doesnt have any more wee visitors in july dh isnt pleased his birthday is the 26th of october how does she think we ended up with craig and conner :goodvibes :dance: :rofl: :rofl: anyway must go conn will bounce out of bed real early
kirsty

god i just lost my whole post so here goes take two
evening all well good morning this will be real short{again} as ive just spent the last half hour wrapping conners birthday presents :gift: and i must have used the wrapping paper from **** as its shredded me and to think ive got to go through this all again in 18 days for craigs birthday not to mention a nephew 2 days ago and a neice in 9 days and a sisiter in law in 11 days and a sister in 13 days and a nephew in 17 days and then craig god i hate july i start saving in january for july and then start in august for xmas my mum has banned us from having sex in october as she doesnt want any more wee visitors in july dh isnt pleased his birthday is the 26th of october thats how we got craig and conner
speak later
kirsty

thats it that post was not there 5 minutes ago im leaving it
kirsty

Happy Saturday
 

:gift: linus~ So many birthdays!!! LOL You just reminded me that Jen and I want to get the man in the office something nice. He has been very generous to us on the holidays and we'd like to get him some dvd's of the Marx Brothers. His fav!! Hope your hands are healed up and you carry on!! Between you and shad, I get motivated! LOL

:faint: Clara came to get me at 6:30 this morning. Her dr wants her blood tested 1 hour BEFORE breakfast and dinner! :( I told her I will help her for as long as I can. But 6-6:30 is not exactly my shining hour.I had to tell her that when MY routine is interrupted I have loo problems!!! :rofl: So we'll have to try this and see what happens. He wants it done for 3 months! After that I may have to tell her to find someone else.

:cp: I have my meats defrosted and am ready to cook and pre-package mys stuff. This is a SERIOUS week of staying on plan coming up! :rofl: I mean it this time! :rofl: Seriously! :lol:

:cb: Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and guess Shad's is filled with paint, brushes and rags!!!:D I think we need some labor intensive smilies for her and Linus!!! The are always so busy!!
:cloud9: Think Shad is sleeping so I will whisper a good bye!!! :sssh:

Mel, I second you on the time to get SERIOUS about being on plan this week. Yesterday DH and I went to dinner and stopped at the bookstore afterwards. I picked up Dr. Phil's book. Sometimes reading gives you a fresh perspective and gets you in the proper mindset. I've been drifting too long.

Sunday we have a family party - BIRTHDAYS! Linus is right, October must be a busy month for some :o Saturday will be spent on housework, chores and laundry.

Loved your pictures Shad, you have an incredible memory for detail. It's been almost a year already and the fact that you still remembered all the little things amazes me. Where did the Japan pictures come from? Was that the first leg of your trip?

Well I am off to get busy for the day. Hope you all have a fun and productive weekend. I'll check back later...

Hello Miss Happy! :D Glad to see you this bright cheery saturday. A friend is reading Dr Phil next week to on another website. We were just talking about it. I read it and was going to go over it again too next week! Small World!
I am feeling more motivated with each passing hour. Hope it's the real McCoy this time:rofl: Have fun at the party!! We will get serious together next week! LOL Come and join in on the fun of N.O.P.E.:rofl:
Besides giving blood tests, I have fixed someones electrical problem, answered a smoke alarm, and comforted a woman whose sister also lived here and passed on last night. It has been a very busy day.
I made grilled chicken and a meatloaf and Jasmine rice. I nixed on the chili. I figured the skin is having enough problems without the spices. The nose is GREATLY improved. Thank God cause I was sick of so many people pointing it out! I felt like the Wicked Witch of OZ! :rofl: Didn't their Mothers teach them that if you have nothing nice to say then keep your effing mouth shut?! :lol3: :lol3:

Well I still have salad to make, a watermelon 1/4 to cut up, spinach quiche to bake and a frappuccino SF/ FF recipe to try.
And it can be decaf too! :D

See ya later. Just dropped in to be a pest:rofl: Seems I am a Chatty Cathy today! :lol:

Morning Chatty Cathy!! :rofl: :angel:
Morning Happy, :lol: :queen:
Morning Linus, :thumb: :crazy:
Morning Teel :wave: :hat:
Morning Roseblush :cb: :coffee:

Well it was a busy day yesterday, we hammered, sanded, sealed/undercoated, top coated and put together a wardrobe system for one bedroom. Then we washed, sanded and sealed/undercoated another. Wendy has chosen a Mediterranean Blue Suede effect for her room. A little dark for me, but both she and DS like it. Complete with white trim it should look very fresh and new. I'm down to do the trim stuff tomorrow. DS has chosen (unusual for this kid) a creamy yellow paint called Butter Whip for 3/4 of the room and a tan/orange suede effect for the other wall. Trims will be in yellow/tan and the ceiling will be white. It all looks quite interesting. I say unusual because normally he goes for things like Red and dark Blue or crackle or bright colours. This is unusually subdued.
Came home last night and showered and cleaned off all the paint the I seemed to have got stuck on me, put a Moroccan beef stew on to bubble and had a glass of wine. All very civilised. Little bro was supposed to come over for the football, however some better offer must have come up as he didn't arrive. DS came home and promptly went to sleep in his chair. Woke him up for dinner and sent him to bed. Sunday the Cat and I had some ice cream (lo fat of course) and watched a bit of mindless tv and went to bed ourselves.
Happy, those Japanese photos are mostly from Chris. Mine are still waiting to be uploaded and put on the website. You are going to love some of those. Japan is quite beautiful and steeped in tradition. I didn't come home from your place via Japan, I came from LA to Auckland and to Brisbane from there. Anyway they (the photos) will be there in the next week or so. The reasons I remember so many of the details is because a: I had such a good time, good friends and good memories; and b: because I put the photos in an album and in pencil wrote bits I could remember against each photo. The digitals are not so easy. However I have forgotten the name of that building with the chair outside - think you said it had been owned by the Kennedy's at some stage or the building at the beginning of the cruise which had all the wedding cake bits at the top, close to the Chicago Tribune building. Silly me forgot to write it all down. Did you like the photo of the lady striding up the path?

Linus, what sort of wrapping paper shreds you fingers? Remind me to stay away from that one. Heck, one of the joys of a huge, close family is the birthdays and celebrations. I don't have a large close family and sometimes things slip past. It's a bit of a shame, but I suppose when the close relationships start to go as in all my mothers brothers and sisters have now moved to a higher place, then the cousins start to drift apart. A lot of family history gets lost that way too.

Teel, time to come back and tell us what happened on that holiday. Get back here and spell it out woman. Inquiring minds need to know.

Roseblush, hope your weekend away is great and lacks the birds on the roof bits. Don't forget to let us know how it went when you come back.

Mel, what an angel you are doing all that for the dear old lady. Given that 6.30 is not always your hour, I think you did so well. Don't you just love it when the doctor issues orders, which I might add are taken very seriously and strictly by the older generation, and which are almost impossible for many of them to carry out without help, and where does an old person summon help at 6.30 in the morning? If it wasn't for our Mel, she would probably have given herself a heart attack trying to do it herself or pay some ungodly amount to have people come in to do it for her. Sometimes I wonder if the doctors ever think about the consequences of their edicts!!! Now there's a word for a Sunday morning.

Okay, best go get ready for the day. DS and I will go down to his place and get another coat of paint on Wombles room, the first top coat on his and maybe a sealer coat on the third bedroom. Don't expect to see the Womble - she doesn't do mornings. DS is going to the football this afternoon so it will be a quick flick of the paint brush. In fact if he doesn't get up soon, there won't be a flick of the brush at all.
Catch you all later :wave: :wave:

Evening chickies :cheers:

Shad, my my. How did you get a pic of me mum walking down a garden path? :rofl: :lol3: :lol: DH did ask me afterwards why I had been walking way ahead of you guys several times. Well, the answer was not to be antisocial but instead, particularly if we were going uphill, I needed to keep the forward momemtum going so I didn't keel over :lol:

The building with the chair that used to be owned by the Kennedy's is called the Merchandise Mart. You captured a wide shot in photo 5 and a close up in photo 6. Here's a bit of trivia about it:

The Merchandise Mart is the world’s largest commercial building, largest wholesale design center and one of Chicago’s premier international business locations. Encompassing 4.2 million sq. ft., The Mart spans two entire city blocks and rises 25 stories and has it's own postal code. The Mart remains the largest trade center in the world and welcomes more than three million visitors each year. Sixty percent of the building’s area is devoted to wholesale showrooms that represent Commercial, Residential, Kitchen & Bath, Decorative Accessories and Gift industries. As a design center, The Merchandise Mart hosts 16 major trade shows, co-produces 15 more and also houses more than 300 conferences, seminars and special events a year.

Photo number 4 - the beginning of the cruise - the building with the fancy, lacy type scroll work at the top is the Tribune Tower - for the Chicago Tribune Newspaper. It was built in 1925 and the building walls hold a collection of stones from famous monuments and sites around the world (and the moon), including the Arc de Triomphe, Parthenon, Berlin Wall, Alamo, Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, White House, Taj Mahal, Great Pyramid of Cheops, Petrified Forest, Badlands, St. Peter's, Notre-Dame, Hagia Sophia, Antarctica, Omaha Beach, and Mammoth Cave. The offices in the top of the tower are linked by secret passageways.

Photo number 3 was taken from the Ferris Wheel you captured in photo number 11. In picture #8 you have a nice closeup skyline shot. The building in the middle with the lights up top was originally called the Standard Oil Building later changed to Amoco when the oil company changed their name. Amoco sold the building and it's now officially called the Aon Building but most of us in the city will call it the Amoco Building forever. It's the second tallest building in Chicago (the Sears Tower being the tallest of course). When it was initially constructed the outer skin was made of marble. After several years of exposure to the elements, the marble started to deteriorate and randomly fall off the building in large chunks, much to the surprise of people walking on the street below. :yikes: :yikes: :stars: :headache: :rain: It became so dangerous that the company spent millions literally peeling the marble skin away and replacing it with granite. An interesting fact about this building is that it has no corner offices with windows on 2 sides of the office. Strike a blow for the commoner! Everyone gets the same view! :cheer: :cheer:

Photo number 10 is our skyline at night which I think is quite pretty. It contains 6 of the 30 tallest buildings in the world. I am glad I don't work downtown anymore. I don't like elevators in skyscrapers. :yikes: Of course I suppose I shouldn't speak too soon looking for work again as I am.

I can't wait to see your pictures of Japan. I have been talking to a person on another thread who is from Tokyo and it will be interesting to see pictures of that land. My only vision of Japan is crowded housing and elegant gardens. Sorry, I thought that as you started the first leg of your trip last year you flew Brisbane to Hong Kong (which I know is not Japan) or somewhere near there to pick up Chris - or did you two just meet in London?

Shad, you sound like you are going like the cartoon Tasmanian Devil *** whooosh, whirl **** when it comes to the renovations around the houses - both of them. (hope you don't take offense as I know in reality they are smelly, vile creatures but the cartoon character I thinking of is quite the speedy one) - Is the suede look for the one bedroom a special finish? I've seen some of these faux finishes and they are quite lovely. I've seen the suede in browns and a sort of purple color but not deep blue. I suppose as long as you have a bright white trim and lots of natural light, it would be quite nice.

Mel, I think it's so sweet of you to help out but I'm not sure I'd be feeling quite helpful at 6:30! Many blessings will fall on your head. Just don't go putting your own health at risk being everyone else's watchdog, ok? You are just cooking up a storm lately, aren't you? Sounded so good that if you weren't 1,000 miles away maybe I would have been knocking at your door, ringing your cell phone and yelling up the window - yo' MEL!!! Canya come out 'n play a bit? An' bringa sanwhich wit ya, I'm hungry... :lol:

One of the girls at our office is just 10 kinds of major upset over our office closing. She cries nearly all day long and said she feels like she is losing her family. She is a sweet person with a heart of gold and no family of her own here. I told her she should look into volunteering. There are so many lonely people or folks who could use a "big sister" or a kindly "niece" to help them through life. I'm sure there's at least one person out there who needs her as much as she needs to feel needed in someone's life. I hope they find each other.

Last load of towels is ready to be popped in the dryer so I'd better get rolling here. Happy Sunday. Don't work too hard.

shad as long as one member of any family is still alive the whole family is still here
kirsty

Oh Happy, I have LOADS of wash to do. I dod none for almost 2 weeks!!! lol This week laundry is at the head of my to-do list! :rofl: That poor woman. I know the feeling. When I moved here I felt the same way. We had been in the other bldg 12 years and it was the longest we had ever stayed anywhere. I cried even after the move!!! Poor Jen thought I would never stop! :lol: Loved the descriptions and will pedal in an few minutes to Shad's pics. I saved them for today.I'll get the sammies ready in case you show up with the butterfly net in hand and are hungry. :lol3:

Shad~ Words fail me when I think of all the work you're doing! :faint: I think og the Buddha (?) that has all those arms going at once! I have
seen the suede on TV in an almost navy color and it was grand! But they had to put a few coats on to make it even. but the end result was well worth it. They used white and those red hankies that men tie around their necks. They even put "pockets' on the blue with paint so it looked like Jeans material. Really cute. Good luck! LOL

Miss Linus~ that was a short post! :rofl:

Today I woke at 5:45 in anticipation of the phone call. I was afraid this would happen. I hope I get used to this damned quick and stop this. I have gotten a lot done but I see I will more than likely have to nap in the afternoon. I don't think I can make it through the day without one. I am NOT a napper. I wake feeling shaky and "not well" in the stomach. Oh well we'll see.

Tomorrow is my NOPE start again! :rofl: Getting off to a good start already for the last 2 days. my maint. man gave me a pannetone. Italian bread-like thing. I cut it up and handed it out to the neighbors. Tomorrow is the eye doctor. I wanted to cancell as I am sick of going there but figured I better go cause of the skin acting up. They might be very happy as it's not in the eyes this time! :cheer:
Well I better move it before I lose it! Going to webshots with the pedals and exercise through Japan and any place Shad decides to take me!!! Even to Happy"s house!!!
Have a great sunday and sweet dreams Miss Shad.

I will never make splenda frappucinos again! I am sick as a doggie and spent the last 6 hors in the loo.(on and off) I already cancelled Clara for the morning. I need to sleep in tomorrow and then leave for the eye guy. So tonite I will turn anything that is capable of ringing OFF!!! Sleep in a bit. shower, dress and take my lunch and go. I will paint my toenails to make me feel better. I trhink the PC needs to take a break too so....Have a great night and good morning Sunshine!:flow2:

Last night Japan turned into the Emerald Isle. So if you were thinking of goofing off, start by pedalling in Irish instead of Japanese Mel.
Happy, thank you for the information on those buildings. I have updated the webshots to read more accurately. I too was fairly impressed with the night shot of the city skyline. Because I don't have a tripod I have to try for a steady hand. Not always the case and as in the ferris wheel shot, the film was at the very edge of it's range for night time work. I need to think about different films and things as well. DS#1 is always telling me off for sticking with Kodak, but I have generally had good results with it. He uses a Hi Definition something which has to live in the fridge and has a short shelf life. Since I use film in bursts and on spec that is not much good to me. I'd be wasting more than I was taking.
Okay, I'm off to the gym early. Have plenty to do today again. Tomorrow I am having off and going to lunch with a friend who lives across the other side of town. Should get rid of my cabin fever a bit. I'll be back later with the tales of my day.

sorry ladies but my poor cleo has gone into heat and i have spent the whole day running after her wiping up blood and washing the things that arent wipe clean {the beds all three of them and thee throws and the cushion covers and poor mum }and to think that this goes on for three weeks pedigree or not she has to get dressed i cant take this twice a year longer post tomorrow and ill catch up with the new pics too enjoy your rest mel everybody needs me time
kirsty

Shad, I keep forgetting to tell you that I just love the pictures of Whitsunday sunrises and the Palm Bay Evening. They always bring a sense of peacefulness to me and you know you can never get enough of that these days! You're quite welcome for the extra information on the pictures. I learned some things myself. Your picture of the tall ship came out quite nice also. One good thing about the digital camera is not lugging around all that film and finishing off the rolls to get it in for processing. I think in fact, we have 2 rolls of unused film in the refrigerator shelf. I should go and check the expiration date - thanks for the reminder!

Linus, sounds like you will be running in circles cleaning up the next few days or did I understand you to say for 3 WEEKS running? :tired: Oh my...

Rest up Mel. Got to be careful with those sugar substitutes - they can play heck with the system. I really like the Frappachinos but you can seem to get better results with the fruit smoothies and use more natural ingredients.

I looked in one of my diet cookbooks and found a recipe for a cappuccino protein shake you might want to try instead.

12 ounces cold water
1 packet vanilla protein powder (or sometimes I use a small container of FF vanilla yogurt)

2 teaspoons instant coffee
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 ice cubes

Set aside a bit of the cinnamon to top the drink. Add all other ingredients into blender and blend thoroughly. Top with the remaining cinnamon.

To be perfectly honest Happy, most of those pictures were from my regular cameras. I love the Canon EOS300 and will not part with it for any digital. I have some successes with the digital and do enjoy it, but not with the same passion as the EOS. It is handy, ready to go and now I have all the necessary travel bits in place (ie. I now have an adaptor that gives me five continents in one go and apparently has a built in voltage doovey thingy I can travel to all the far flung places (provided of course that they have electricity). The digital is not good with night shots. It seems to lose something in the translation. Although I have to admit that there are times I've thought 'well that was pretty useless' but when I have them up on screen they are okay. Also the digital is not single lens reflex which the Canons are. (I have 2, an EOS300 and an EOS500. Looks impressive but really isn't!)
Went to gym this morning and spent 50 minutes on the treadmill. Running for 30 of them. Was a real work out. Monday is usually the killer step, but I'm leaving that alone for a while. I thought long and hard about it and it's not the class that gets me, it is the loud music and my lack of coordination. I'm concentrating on trying to hear what the trainer says or rather yells, and not concentrating on what I am doing and therefore I'm doing something different from the rest of the class. So I think I may buy a dvd or tape and get a workout board and do it at home when I can have the noise at my level. I must be getting old.
After the gym I went down to DS's house and sanded, plastered and cleaned up in there. I was going to paint but run out of energy. Go home said my brain, so I masked off the floor and windows and A/C and fan and took the brains advice. The postie arrived at the same time as me with a bank statement. So I have had to go down to the bank and transfer some money from my dwindling savings account to keep me going a bit longer. Such is life.
The sun is shining, I have done my bit for the computer challenged (in the journals, I mean) and those who just can't get it (no reflection on them, this is a fairly large change) and typed up two ways of finding other peoples previous posts without having to go through the pages. Maybe a tip a day??? Anyway because the sun is shining, I'm about to take my coffee out to the patio and read a book for an hour or so. I've got plenty to do. Just can't be bothered doing it.

Teel :wave: :wave: GET IN HERE and tell us all about your trip. We are getting impatient waiting!!!!!

Linus, poor little Cleo. I'd have taken her to the vet by now. Can't be bothered putting up with that unless I figured on breeding and that's too much effort as well. I had a friend who bred Rough Coated Collies and the heartbreak in that was too much for me I'm afraid.

Mel, get back to natural. Put away the Splenda and the make believe and just use the stuff the good lord put in gardens to grow!!!! That shake of Happy's doesn't sound too bad and that's coming from someone who hates milk in coffee!!!!

Book is calling..........calling.............calling...... ...GET HERE! Oops I think it is feeling stroppy now. Gotta run.

Honeys, I home!!!!
The eye visit was a good one! I don't have to go back for another month!!! I have to take the antibiotics till then if my arse can handle it, do the hot soaks and use the tears 4 times a day or MORE!!. So I am not off the hook yet. The cataracts are very young and will not become of age for many monts or possibly years. Next month they will fit me with a new pair of bifocals but he said not to get my hopes up too high. Thne difference in sight betwween the 2 eyes is "immense" he said and there are no glasses to correct that 100%. But new ones should improve my PC sight at least. I almost cried when they changed 3fc. I can hardly see the little red names at ALL!!! :mag: :rofl: and that is with my fonts a big as they can get!!:lol:
I am in a great mood and will fit my routines into my day somehow but I feel like I do EYES all DAY!!! @ doctors were VERY glad I am retired and told me to remain that way. told them of Clara and they said not to take it as a "job".

I told Clara and her friend that I cannot get stuff in one food store cause I do Jen and myself on that day but would be glad to get stuff at the end of the week in the other store if they need something. Now they both expressed their displeasure and I ........don't even know what to say!!! Clara wants her needles filled with insulin tomorrow cause she can no longer see the fill line!!! I need a class in diabetes I think! :rofl: I just told her that I have good and bad days, I am only 57 and am getting weaker. Let her digest THAT for tonite :rollpin: and I will bring her down to earth tomorrow afternoon! I am no longer superwoman.

OK enough of the rant....Shad~ I spent the entire first 45 minutes on your site looking at all the new and beautiful things. Loved the boat trip and all the bldgs. The one that had 6 tallest bldgs was gorgeous. I also liked all the rainbow houses and the ones with the window gardens on them too. I wish I could explain what looking at pics gives me. like a calm yet excited feeling and I could stay there all day. I love that site. I go there often when I am down in the dumps and want to "get away". Egypt is one of my favs still. It was so nice of you and then Mooz and Happy to share the addie. Great happy hours have been spent there.:D The best part is it doesn't bother the eyes as much as reading!!! :lol: I bookmarked your fav people. they are for this week!!! :lol:

Happy~ Your DH had some favorite people on his site and I bookmarked them for later on. Lots of buggies on one of them. I never tire at looking at nature either. I liked the lighted train and the Christmas ship too. I saw a parade of ships last xmas on TV that were all lit up but not as beautifully as that ship. Nice shot. thank the DH for sharing his stuff too. I have a lot to look at and exercise.
Thanks for the cappuccino recipe. I will try it over the weekend. I just talked to the dr about Splenda. Aspartame can increase cases of rosacea breakouts so I can't have anything wioth that. He said they don't know enough about Splenda but if something like that happens when you drink it...then the body is rejecting it as a "poison". The runs in less than 3-4 hours is like an allergivc reaction. I should have faced this as I have the same problem with MSG and BHT, and other assorted letters! :rofl: I do like the fruit smoothies but somehow have come to like the taste of iced coffee. I'm possibly loosing my mind so just ignore me!!! :lol:
How goes the butterfly bush? I cannot see one flying by without thinking of you and Hubby! :D

Linus Pet....you poor thing! :rofl: Get out the doggie britches and make her wear them. We had a female but she kept ripping the effin things off! :rofl: Hope you get a break from the vomiting and now the dog!!! :lol: But it does make for interesting reading! :lol3: :lol3:

Guess I should go and get sorted out myself. Shopping tomorrow for me. I get stuff at shoprite for me and Jen and Jen gets stuff for me at Pathmark. This way we both only need to go food shopping once a week if we can;t get our butts out of bed! :rofl: Adios my friends. Sorry for having written another book!!! Good morning Sunshine :flow1: and Sweet dreams to the rest of you!!! :cloud9:

I am too depressed for words. My doorbell rang a little while ago and a man from the state was here demanding to see my medical equiptment and he came with stickers to put on them!!! :faint: :yikes: The super came up(he was still here) and I looked at his id etc. He's the real McCoy as I know of his name already. so all the chairs have stickers on them and NOW when the new chair comes they want the oldest chair. They will recondition it and lend it out ot others. But if one of mine breaks down I cannot get a loaner as I would have 1 left still. ( I will have 3 when the new one arrives) I said what would I do at night? He said PUSH MYSELF IN A MANUAL CHAIR! Is he f*cking funny or what? I told him you may have stickers on my chairs but if you come to get one you better bring a cop and tell him there's this B*TCH that won't let me get the chair!! I intend to fight this and see where it goes. The chair is VERY old and is of no real use to anyone. I'll be lucky if they can fix it for ME!!! Now you know this guy will put a stop on any repairs to this chair....I can see the writing on the wall already. I wish they would go and bother the abusers of the program and leave me alone and told him so too!
The government has allowed so much abuse that it's a crime. Now they come after someone like me who is struggling to take care of hersel and abuse me. WTF!!! Well they don't know Miss Mell very well and they are about to get a God-damned earful from me. I told him they have a fight on their hands and I hold the key to the storeroom!! But you bet your sweetass I am going to make room for that chair up in my apartment tomorrow!! Even if I have wall to wall wheelchairs and have to throw away a regular chair. I wll go kicking and screaming first.:rofl;
I best calm down and get into bed. Watch some mindless TV and wipe my eyes. I am sooooo very tired of crying and fighting for myself this year!!! I really wish God would pay better attention to his hordes! Some of us are needing a bit of magic down here!:angel: Good night again!!:rofl:

Morning
 

Hi All, I am back again for the week and lots of work facing me. Mel, I am so saddened to hear you are fighting about those chairs again. It is unbelievable what you go through to get service and to have some sercurity. I am so sorry. I will be praying for a good result about the new chair and the old ones.... it isn't over yet so try not to get too upset. I was glad to hear about your skin being a bit better. Girl you can rant and rave anytime around here.
I had a good time while I was away but it wasn't a very relaxing vacation at all. So any reading I took with me is still unread and the weather was off enough I didn't get to the lake at all either. I have to go somewhere that people can't find me and then it would be more relaxing for me. I partied hardy with my girlfriends and spend some good time with my mom. So it was worth all the travel. I may even have some company this coming weekend. I can't believe my friends are actually making time to come down and see me I feel very honored.
MEl, I laughed at your post tome last thursday when I was still home working. I started in about 8 til 2 then came in and packed and loaded up and took offf. It feels good to come back and the knapweed is somewhat under control and the yard is mowed. I have so much work around here it is so overwhelming that I often choose to not do it. Most of my plants survived my absence except one pot of new plants I had gotten...oh well.
I should have taken more time to go shopping too but I am a terrible shopper most of the time. But after being in Kalispell and seeing the traffic and the influx of people moving in and taking over and bringing all their big money it is frightening and changing so much. The beautiful valley is being bought and sold and built on everywhere. So coming home to this quiet valley is still a treasure....it is fairly undiscovered yet......so I will stay here for a while longer.
Miss Linus, I shared your line you use at the bottom of the post with a lady who is a writer.....she is 92 and still has a mind as sharp as a tack. She was very amused by it....I visited her at a home where my aunt is kept. A friend I know asked if we would visit her. Wow it was something, her mind and wit is more intact than mine is...... very cool!
Shad, you make me tired when I read your daily activites...girl you are really getting some thing done down there. I have viewed some of you pics and look forward to enjoying them. Travelling is such a great thing. Hope you are doing alright ..... something in the work department will come your way...
Hope everyone is well and we get to hear about the trip soon,,,Miss Teel!
Happy I hope you are doing alright too. I love the pics on your honey's web site too...very very cool. I am so excited we are surrounded by such talent.
Take Good Care,
Nae

Welcome home Miss Nae!!! sounded like a good trip to me!!! LOL You certainly took your time going in the first place:rofl: Nice to be so honored with company! Hope you all have a good time in the "woods"! Development is everywhere. I'm waiting for NYC to sink into the ocean from the weight of it all!!! Or the coast of NJ to crack off. Hope your valley stays peaceful for a long time to come!. Put the reading aside. One day will be the right time and it will still be there!:D

I am disheartened and continue to shed a few tears every hour or so. But sleep was bad and after 1AM. next I kne Clara was on the phone a bit after 6. I am also looking into getting her some help. A woman is trying to get me some phone numbers for me to check out. Too tired to think and I'm waiting for a phone call for the new chair. I blasted them today before I left for the store! You know the old saying "Sh*t rolls down hill"? Well the man p*ssed me off and now I P*SSED the others off! :rofl: Everyone is yelling at each other. should take them awhile but results should be forth coming.

Tomorrow HAS to be a better day. :shrug:
Have a good afternoon. maybe I should try a nap. I did before but no dice! The brain keeps "thinking" ! :lol:

Mel, I wish there was something I could say or do to make you feel better about all this cr*p you are putting up with. It's so hard, but try to keep your cool honeybun since it really doesn't do much for those eyes or the head to lose your temper.

Nae, good to have you back and great that you have had a good time although not as relaxing as expected. Progress is everywhere and not all of it good. Somewhere, sometime and someplace we are all going to have to put a brake on the rape and pillage of our earth. We simply cannot all fit anymore. Not that there isn't undeveloped land, that's the least of our worries, it's that the resources can not cope with so much demand.

Short post this morning as I must get on and get to the gym and back to DS's House for the last of the undercoating this morning. It will all be finished except for the floors by weekend. Then the heart and back breaking job of sanding and sealing the floors begins. Punch in the nail head, pull out all the protuding carpet tacks and horror of horrors I keep finding these nasty little office type staples in the floors and skirtings where previous owners have tried a bit of DIY with the wrong tools. Hard on the fingers and knees I can tell you.

Linus must be busy celebrating those birthdays and Happy with her work and flylady stuff and Teel, so where is she????

Anyway off to the gym for some weights, rowing, more weights and more rowing. A bit of treadmill too if time. Catch you later.

Hey chickies,
Sorry I've been away, lots going on. My aunt fell at home and broke her leg in 3 places. She decided at menopause she didn't want to take hormone replacement therapy and has osteoporosis now which necessitated surgery on the leg because of the weak bones. While in the hospital after surgery (which went well), she started babbling incoherently. Turns out she had a mild heart attack. They wanted to do more tests because if she had a blockage, she might have another heart attack which would be far worse. Turned out she had 2 arteries totally blocked and had to have a double bypass operation. She is resting comfortably. Lessons to be learned from this - This fall she had actually saved her life as they would not have discovered the blockage in such a roundabout fashion which probably would have resulted in a massive, deadly heart attack in the near future. So lesson 1 is that sometimes when you are despondent about things that have happened, sometimes it's a blessing in disguise. The other lesson in this is to those of your who are younger and have not yet experienced menopause. There are many options available to alleviate the symptoms of menopause but be advised that once you hit menopause you can lose up to 10% of your bone mass each year for the first 5 years. You could literally crack your ankle just stepping gently off a curb. Bone loss, like high blood pressure is not something you have symptoms of until it's too late. Be sure to take the steps to keep your bones strong and healthy - calcium, green leafy veggies, weight bearing exercise, no smoking -- yes, yes, yes I am now finding lots and lots of reasons why I should have stopped long ago. I am starting to see more people around me suffer the effects of the body getting older and the body parts wearing out. Makes me realize that yes, it can happen to me and it would benefit us all to stay as spry as we can for as long as we can.

Anyway, Shad you sound as busy as ever. I'm not sure you even have time for a regular old corporate job right now. And with all the efforts you are putting in at the gym and fixing 2 houses now, it would be a crying shame if you didn't seem some re-arranging and strengthening about yourself. I am impressed with your energy.

Mel, I second Shad's comments about wishing you didn't have to fight so hard for everything. I hope everything works out for you and don't go making yourself sick over this.

Welcome back Nae. You sound like the kind of person who would strap on a pack and hike up into the woodlands above the treeline and go camping. I can imagine your distress at seeing all the countryside get over developed and messed up by man and his idea of progress. When you live in the city like I do, there is a tendency to think that there is nothing but concrete all over, yet even here, you don't have to drive more than 2 hours in any direction to see that yes, there still is open land and trees around here. Even if it is as flat as flat can be.

I'm afraid I'm dozing off sitting here so I'd better get to sleep now. Hellos to Linus and Teel we hope to hear soon about your vacation. Good night ladies...

Oh Happy, your poor Aunt. But I guess she was lucky that she was in the right place at the right time with the heart attack. My father had arterioschlerosis - or hardening of the arteries, plaque and all that jazz. The eye doctor found something strange while doing an eye check and sent him to his GP who in turn sent him to a cardiologist. (so many doctors) Anyway, like your Aunt, he was a walking time bomb due to explode at anytime. He got another 15 years after that. A while back I was talking to a doctor about the family history and he told me that women hardly ever got arterioschlerosis, however the last doctor I saw told me the incidence was increasing quite rapidly. Anyway that's beside the point and I am rambling. I am sending warm, sunshiney get well soon thoughts over to the North East for your Aunts recovery.
I said in my journal this morning that I have a feeling that this lovely holiday is about to come to an abrupt end. I had an e-mail from someone I have never heard of previously telling me about a 6 month contract out in the middle of nowhere in the wilds of North Western Australia. I have sent my cv back and they came back with questions of rates and availability and job descriptions. Haven't seen anything else this morning but will keep you posted. This is exactly the same way that I got my big job at Townsville. Some man rang me up out of the blue and requested the same sort of questions. I later asked him how he got my name, and through a roundabout route we finally tracked back to a persons name that I recognised - it was about 4 words of mouth that got me that job. I'm scared to aske about this one!!! Anyway, don't keep your fingers crossed, don't hope too much, it may just never happen. However one thing I will say is that should this come to pass, the site is remote enough for me to save enough money to pay back the savings and save some more for Italy next year. I'll tell more when I know more.

I had a good NSV yesterday. My stretch jeans fell off!!. I caught the pocket on the side of the ladder and they ended up around my ankles. I have been hitching them up for quite a while, but they have never actually slid off before. Now I find my black denim jeans are going the same way. Hitch em up, move around a bit, hitch em up again and they are baggy in the bum and the waist.

Teel, do I have to ring you to get you out of bed or something. Send a message, say you are okay, say you are waiting for the photos to come back or just say something. Anything will do!!!!!!

Linus must also be worn out from the partying. Hope you sleep well friend.

Mel, I hope those chairs get sorted out soon. Just keep using the maxim - don't get mad, get even. It seems to be the same everywhere, those that need the help don't get it, those that don't seem to be able to do anything they like, with everything that opens and shuts and with complete immunity to the 'rules'.

Hello Nae, hope things are all going your way today.

I'd best get on with things. I didn't get to Simons place for long yesterday, I just had to do some cleaning here at mine. I just couldn't take the mess any longer. So we are a little tidier around the joint today, although I wouldn't think flylady would be very impressed with the state of my windows. So time to get on with it. Have a great day what's left of it for all of you. Mine is just beginning.

I was going to wait till tomorrow to post but glad I came tonite.
Happy I am so sorry and glad at the same time for your Aunt! Sending all good thoughts and wishes for her speedy recovery!!!
Missed you too!!!

Shad~ the pants story was a gas!!! I cracked up reading the journmal!! LOL Hope this thing goes well and in YOUR favor!!! Good luck my Friend!!! Better hurry up with the vanity!!! LOL

I had a sh*tty day in the end but it started out good. Hopefully the new chair IS definitely coming any day now. I got my wash started and got 4 loads done. 5 more to go! :rofl: I had a lot of big towels and blankets and curtains piling up! :(
I was supposed to get a check for the year for $600 but was told today it will be $250 instead because of some reasons I cannot say here. Nice crap huh??? I told the boss ok that's fine with me but don't ever call me again for ANYTHING! :mad: Not for advice or help or favors. I did this right in the lobby(just the 2 of us) and the elevator door opened and I got in! About 2 hours later she called and said they will make up the difference with cash of $50 a month after they issue the check. I will see if they keep their word. Is this sh*t on Mel month?? or year???
I actually started to laugh when we got off the phone. She actually has no control over this and is trying her best to help me. Of all the people involved I feel for her and I. We work very well together but I am in a bad situation for receiving Checks. Cash is soooooo much better! :rofl: It all seems so f*cking ridiculous to me. I am waiting for jen's bird to crap on my head tonite too! :rofl: :lol3: :lol:
OK I feel better having said this. Will drink some water, take some meds and go to bed before I fall out of the chair or it throws me out. seems I am on a roll for disasters in 2004!
Have a great night and take care! I will try and do the same.

Morning
 

It is another hot day here and summer has finally decided to stay for a few days. I have been working so hard since I got back I am paying for my playing and am still not caught up. Then in the evening I am too tired and hot to do any of my chores at home....oh boo hoo so the cycle goes. I am getting company again this weekend too.....this is my year for it. A girlfriend is coming down to spend a couple of days. So instead of doing my office stuff I will be trying to get things in order for her stay. My TOM is going to be done by then and it just wiped me out this week.
Hope everyone is doing alright..... so glad Happy your aunt received the care she required and hopefully you will have her around for a while. I only have two sweet aunts remaining here on earth. They are very precious to me. Shad, I hope you get a great opportunity to help you along your journey. Who ever gets you is the lucky one! Mel, hang in there girl I don't know if I could be as strong as you are...... the chair thing has to have a good outcome. Glad your eyes are improving. I will keep you in my thoughts.
Where have all our other buddies gone....life must be getting in the way!!!
Take care everyone..... holding good thoughts for all!
Nae

Good afternoon my Chicklettes! I still pray for the end of the week!!:lol: i am now the proud owner of a Microsoft Natural multiMedia Keyboard. "THE CPMFORTABLE KEYBOARD THAT FITS YOUR DIGITAL LIFESTYLE". Do I have a lifestyle??? It was a gift from the office cause they believe I can type better with a split keyboard. I am a 2 finger typer!!! 4 fingers at the MOST!!:lol:
I'll see if I can get used to it. :rolleyes: The board does things i don't even know how to use!!! :rofl: The whole top has buttons for one touch searching like mail, music etc. When I get off here zi'll try some of them and see if any alarms go off:rofl:

Shad~ I am sure I will have many questions for you!!! Why don't things like this come with manuals?!?! :faint: 9 hot keys, enhanced F keys........lots to figure out. Probably don't even need all theys effin keys! :rofl: Hope your day was a great one. I have no problems seeing my websites at all now. Everything is as big as my tool bar since I changed those fonts too. Even Jen says she is going to investigate and change hers too. She has problems wearing glasses like I do. Headaches and sinus too. So you really did a great service to us both!!! Thanks again for the help. I know how busy you have been with the two houses. We had a question and Jen says can you call "her"? I said in f*cking Australia???? She forgot! :rofl: So we stuck in the software and followed the instructions!!! :rofl: Thank god it practically installs itself!!! Two ditzes in the USA!! Good morning Sunshine! :flow2:

Nae~ I hope the weekend is full of fun and happy times with your friend. i used to have so many friends and now .........?
Enjoy the time together. Hope the weather is good too. What are your plans or just around the house lounging of sorts?!:D
it seems like everyone is rolling around here somewhere. "They come and go so quickly around here!" :rofl: Not sure even the Wizard lnows where they are!

I got confirmation on a check for $350 and 50 extra per month. We will see if they keep their word. My poor friend is always caught in the middle. But I think she knows that I don't hold it against her! LOL Ror a retiree, the stress level this week has been over the top. I caught myself again today getting involved just in time! LOL Old habits die hard!! so I got 2 more loads of wash done, a ton of recycling and spent the afternoon with Jen and we installed the software for the keyboard by ourselves!! Quite a feat!:rofl: Poor Jen left an open bag of rice in a cupboard for the 6 weeks she has been at the BFparents house. Now she found hundreds of those wheat bugs or weevils or what you call them in ALL her lower cabinets but mainly in that bag!! Somehow the tape holding the bag closed opened and they bred like jackrabbits and spread out!! :yikes: :faint: After leaving here armed with bug spray, ant traps, Fantastic and a new roll of paper towels she is ready for the rest of the cleanup! I told her to vacuum and toss the bag out! :rofl: I better go. Need some sinus meds and peace of mind. I need to work on self-control more diligently cause I am still too easily pushed and pulled along other peoples paths. OK enough deep thoughts for the week!!!
Hope we all have a great Friday!!! YIPPEE for the weekend!!! Wish we could all go to Nae's place!

Just got in from the gym - Running on treadmill today. Managed 6.5K and burned off 487Calories and a more than a few brain cells. Anyway thats running done for the week, weights again tomorrow and Pilates on Saturday.
Now its time for a shower, get back to DS place, organise what they need for the weekend and with a little bit of luck and a fair wind blowing, I won't need to go back next week - although there is a fair amount of work to be done on the floors before they get sanded and stained. Should look good when finished. If it doesn't finish me off first.
Mel, just take it easy. Do not allow yourself to get rattled. Practice no in 16 different languages, you can learn them during the ads on TV. Then when they ask you for something, say no 16 times and when they ask again, ask what part of no they don't understand. Gets easier as time goes by. Glad to hear that the installation of the new keyboard went okay. Thank heaven for plug 'n play. While I take the mickey out of Bill Gates a lot, he certainly has made life easier for us doosies down the scale of 'computer intelligence'.
Nae - enjoy the friends on the weekend. Have a great time in your wee haven. I was looking at a map yesterday and found Idaho is smack bang in the middle of the mountains - so where do they grow all the potatoes????

Must go shower and get on my way. I'm running late again because I 'forgot' to take the phone down to the bedroom and set the alarm. Silly me.

Have a great day.

I must go ans seek new languages and learn the word no Master Yoda! I found this quote in the journal's from Meadow. She has such great ones. They always seem to speak to me somehow. So I thought I would share it~

“You are the person who has to decide.
Whether you’ll do it or toss it aside;
You are the person who makes up your mind.
Whether you’ll lead or will linger behind.
Whether you’ll try for the goal that’s afar.
Or just be contented to stay where you are.”
*By Edgar Guest

Shad~ Go forth with brushes in hand and paint the town or the sky or the landscape!!! Or paint a landscape on the DS's bedroom wall! :rofl: You are the woman of the moment over here. Just heard from jen and she is still loving her fonts! :rofl:
Have a great colorful painting day and hope there is time for something for Miss Shad too! :lol:

Wow Shad, you are really going like gangbusters running on that treddie. I am so impressed with you! Bravo!!!!! I can also see you are approaching almost 500 calories burned and knowing what it takes to get the calories gone, I can imagine the effort you're putting forth. No wonder you are losing your britches! :lol: Good on yah - take a bow. I'm glad you're feeling like you are just at the brink of something (hopefully good) on the job front. Keep putting the feelers out and it will come to you... DH and I have had several "philosophical discussions" :rolleyes: :rolleyes: about the job front as in do you take the first offer even if it's not what you want in pay or what you want to do? How much notice to give the current employer when you've accepted an offer, should you shot gun your CV to anyone and everyone in the world - even to jobs you are not qualified for or wish to take? That kind of stuff... it does seem more ummm difficult this time around. Oh well but take a deep breath, keep plodding along, do something each day and things will fall into place one day - right?

But you are a very busy woman Shad and I feel quite the sloth next to you so I'll stand a bit at the edge of the room if you don't mind :rofl:

Mel, that was a very nice quote you selected for the day. It will be my mantra tomorrow morning as that is a perfect way to set the tone for the day after a little stretching and a nice cup of coffee. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Ok, so yes, I never did think much about it but now that you mention it, WHERE do they grow the potatoes? I thought the little guys liked a sandy soil and I must admit that I don't know much at all about Idaho. Idaho, South Dakota, Montana - the great wide open skies up north kissing our Canadian cousins with wide open skies and BRRRRRRR rather cold temperatures in the winter.

Mel - DH had a split, ergonomically correct keyboard at one time. I HATED it. Could not use it at all. In fact I made him get rid of it. Sometimes he will call me from work and ask me to find something on his computer. It got so frustrating that I said I could not help him unless he got a NORMAL keyboard. :headache: Perhaps it has something to do with me being left handed :dunno: Anyway I hope it works better for you and goes with your new chair.

Nae, I know what you mean about taking some time off and then trying to recover from the extra work. Oftentimes I have wondered if it's worth taking vacation at all... Hope you enjoy the weekend with your friend, you sure have had a lot of visitors this summer which is good. Happy memories as you sit by the fire in the winter and have some restful alone time.

I seem to have misplaced my Walkman which is not quite so much a problem as along with it are my music tapes. I want to pump up the brisk walking and I find that the right music really motivates me. The stereo is in pieces downstairs so making new tapes is not an option right now. I guess this means we REALLY need to make plans to get that basement cleaned up once and for all tho DH is talking about working on the front yard this weekend.

Another day has come to end as the afternoon is underway on Shad's side of the pond. Make it a good one!

Whew I almost thought I lost my post for a minute there :stress:

Ummm - must we send out the homing pidgeons for Teel and Linus????? Mind you they are good hunters but a bit messy at times...

HELLOOOOOO! sORRY FOR NOT BEING HERE FOR A WHILE ooops darn CAPS button! I must have forgotten to tell you that the Sunday after I got back from holiday, I was booked in to respite. Usually this is not a problem as I use the computer there...but lo and behold, the blasted thing had crashed so I have had to wait till I get home to write to you all. It has been a very muddlesome week and I am sorry to say this too has to be a shorty post 'cos I have my friend Edwina coming for lunch and then my masseur (now now! Get back in your tree tops!!! :devil: ) is coming to do a seshion (oops that spelling doesn't look quite right!)...session! even!and yipee the phone has just rung and I have managed to cancel going out for dinner tonight till next week at least. I am very disappointed to report that all my chest pain is back and I have pharyngitis to boot. Saw the G.P. during the week who said I did not have a chest infection but gave me some anti biotics as a cover for any bugs that were lurking around. I feel totally exhausted but the parents are bringing Holly back on Sunday and staying for a few days so I cannot simply collapse in a heap and rest. Ho hum. I will have to wait till Tuesday evening before I can do that.Well I had been in the shower before logging on for a chat, so now I have drip-dried (hope your collective eyes were closed!!! No worries, I AM wrapped in a jumbo towel!) I had best go and do something with my hair!
I will be back. Promise!!!
Take good care. Love from Teel xx

Morning
 

Hello Teel welcome back so sorry you aren't feeling very well. That is no fun at all. We are looking forward to the stories of your trip. It is always nice to learn of new places through other people.
Potatoes you say...... well, let me say this first.... it is almost impossible to buy a good yukon gold potato that we grow so well in this state at our local supermarket....very frustrating. Only the best potatos are shipped to everyplace else. State that are allowed to accept a less grade potato get them!!!!!! The country is very different south and east of me..... fields and fields of them.... and the schools are so much newer and better it is amazing to see the difference. WE are a poverty county so things are different here as a whole. No more logging...limited mining.... no jobs not allowed to develop in so much of the area.
Shad wow girl you are an inspiration for us all!!!! What a great feeling to be shedding some of the old clothes that you use to wear.... the pounds might not be coming off but you are toning and slimming in muscle mass and that is most important.... some woman just have a more physical body that keeps weight but tones.
I went swimming yesterday after a storm and my little dog came over to the pond by herself and acted like she wanted to be out there with me so I went over and put her on my life jacket that I just open up and use like a float and she stayed. It made me smile how brave she is for her 4lbs. and how it is everything to just be with me. She is my best companion for all the hours I spend alone.
There is party today at a club a gal I know just sold to celebrate so that will be a fun introduction for my friend. There is an older gal who called that wants to go but refuses to go into any establishment alone....so we will meet her and go right after work tomorrow......I am up early to finish some house work and try to feel like I am ready for company.
There is so much work that needs to be done in my house. Even though it has been 4 years since my divorce and the boys have been gonefor 2... I have not gone through stuff and sorted it all out... it is like being left with a house full of 3 others life and possesions......The transition when we left alaska and arrived was aburpt and rude for me. I feel like I am still sort of processing all of it.... but little by little I am facing it a bit better.
Love to talk to you girls...hope everyone has a good day. Mel thanks for the quote and hope your weekend is better. What is everyone doing??????
Peace,
Nae

Miss Shad i need some of your energy over here! :rofl: I am determined to re-box everything in these new boxes I got. their lids are attached and i am going to use a bit ogf velcro in the open end. With all your talk of painting Jen and I re in the mood for "color"!!! :lol: Hope the weekend is good and let us know which color DS2 decides on?! Will it be a repaint?! :rofl: Should we take bets?! :lol:

Teel~God, How sorry I am to heasr about not feeling well. Things were going so well there for awhile! :( Hang in there. Too bad about the parents and Holly though I am sure you miss her. You could have curled up with a book and the meds and your simon and Garfunkle!!! Feel better Friend and be well soon!(((((((((get well hugs)))))))))))

Happy~ I was wondering myself about the questions you and DH are asking each other. Seems like job hunting is not easy and it would be a shame to miss an opportunity. Many thoughts to ponder I see. Good luck. Hope you find the walkman thingy and get out there and sprint away!!! :rofl: But be careful!!! No more falling down on the "job" stuff for you!!! We need you in good shape!! Don't want you missing any part of the summer!

Nae~ The going out bit sounds nice. i used to meet friends outside of places too. I would never walk into a place alone! *gasp* *gasp*! :rofl: for someone with a big mouth, I am very shy if that makes any sense! My bark is much worse than my bite!! :lol: Have a great time and enjoy. The dog and you almost made me cry. Why can't people love unconditionally?! It is a mystery to me why we act at times the way we do?! ((((((HUGS))))) for you both!

I have had a very strange week, glad it's over, and will Mel-low out for the next 2 days I hope. There have already been 2 plumbing problems since 4PM so this does not bode well for the weekend to come! :rofl: I might sort a box at a time and watch old movies on DVD. Sounds like a plan. I'll see how the weather is. If it's humid I am not going out. This weather made me feel distressed in the chest a bit today. I think only cause all the crap. :mad: OOOOOHHHH I forgot to tell you!!!!! I got a $350 check today!!!!! Jen will deposit it and I'll pay off another bill but I want to buy one small thing for myself. I don't know yet what to get. I also had to put $25 into a kitty cause a very lovely lady is retiring "with" me. We always said we would go together and in the end we did! :rofl: Her party is on the 28th!! I will miss her terribly. She was a dear friend, caring and generous to both myself and my daughter for years. We were friends these last 16 1/2 years here. She lives down the shore so we will talk on the phone at least. Anyway.....now I will see if the $50 a month starting in august will commence and keep on coming. Tomorrow I have to let the bookkeeper into the offices. Anothe audit is imminent. God bless the state of NJ and all their AUDITS!!
But it will make me a wee bit richer!! For $50 I'll open all the offices every weekend! :rofl: I must go cause I have written a book and my back is killing me!!

Happy~ I think it may be the keyboard!!! :rofl: Also, my eyes feel like each one should be able to watch their own side of the board!!! One eye for each half???? :rofl:

Have a great weekend everyone and be well and happy!! thanks for all the kind words this week. It made life so much nicer!

Those keyboards do need a bit of getting used to Mel. Some people love them, some hate them but they do take a bit of getting used to - this I do know.

Nae, nice of you to take the dog for a swim. Shad used to love the beach, he would sniff out the sea about a kilometre away and would start getting very very excited. Once in sight of the sea, there was not stopping the mutt. He was gone and wet and happy. Sometimes it took forever to get him out. When I lived in Townsville, we went to the beach every Sunday as it was less that 10 minutes away.
Teel, good to hear from you again. I was about 10 steps away from the phone when your message cane through. I'd told myself I would ring if we hadn't heard from you by teatime my time. (Didn't want to get you out of bed)
Mel, I have posted you an envelope. It should get to you in about 10 days always provided your tame goons in the immigration dept don't get their hands on it. There is no note in with it, you will understand why you have it, I am sure, when you open it. I was going to jazz it up some more, but thought that the more I do to it, the more likely it will be that it gets opened and/or destroyed. Let me know if it doesn't arrive within 10 days.
Happy, keep mulling around in your head what you want to do with yourself, and see what comes up that may fit the bill. You have a little time to sort yourself out yet. And keep talking about it to the DH, let him know how you feel and what you are feeling right now. That way, there may not be some nasty surprises if you don't go back to work immediately and you have the separation anxiety etc. etc.

DS has decided to go with the butter yellow walls. I love it, so cheerful looking and you can cool it off with white and with a redbrown timber floor it will look good, or you can jazz it up with colour trims and skirting. I've been there this morning and finished undercoating the last bedroom. DS put the second coat on his bedroom and we looked at the skirting for the other room. I've come home to grout the bathroom floor and get ready for the big MAYBE. As in maybe the vanity will go in tomorrow. I hope so anyway. So I guess I better go get on with it and think about the waste pipe for the basin while I am getting the grout ready.

So I'll be back later - jeez I feel sleepy at the moment. Maybe 5 minutes on the couch!!!

I lost AOL and my post!
 

Must be a secret button on this board to close the internet! :rofl: I was typing and AOL shut down altogether! Grrrrr :mad:

I have decided to post in the forum first, then the journal and leave commenting there for later. I am spending all my energy trying to read and type. My eyes are not "awake"!! Energy level is highest early so I will use it for myself and my needs first.... the journal can wait. I think it makes me lazy too. By the time I get started, I feel like I lost the day!:faint: Making some new rules for myself!

Shad~ I have marked the calendar for your mysterious post. Will I be arrested when it gets here? Handcuffed and beaten with a rubber hose till I confess as to the sender???
:rofl: Hope you sent me some uniforms!! It might be worth the beating and the hot lights :rofl: :rofl:
What more can I say about all your exercise? Next thing you know your under drawers will be falling off too! Try not to do THAT in front of the open window!:lol3: :lol3:

Well Girls, the boxes are calling my name and I best get a start. I promised myself at best that I will be doing things for me today. I have allowed myself to become so cluttered again that the mess is paralyzing my efforts everywhere else. Gives you that old defeatist attitude!
So I am off to flylady the bedroom first. Lately, I haven't even wanted to go in there! :rofl:

Have a great weekend!:flow2:

Good morning ladies,
Mel, I hear you on cutting back on your time here on the boards. I have had to myself. Not that I want to, but sometimes I spend way too much time here and things that should be getting done are not. This place should be part of the 15 mnute reward after 15 minutes of work routine, not where I'm spending most of my time. Hence the reason my posts have been a little light lately.

It's very cool today - 66 degrees right now, a bit breezy and absolutely perfect weather to be working outside. We have an area around the tree out front that needs to be cleaned out from the blighted leaves, lot of fresh dirt put in and leveled out. We probably will put some flagstone under the tree and a bench to sit in the shade and watch the world go by. The tree has a fungus and we had to be able to collect and sweep away the leaves before they fall to the ground, decompose and reinfect the soil and tree roots. This is requiring some collective thinking on our part. Anyway, this is the perfect weather to be doing this. I got the dirt yesterday and DH is out raking away as I type this. Tomorrow he wants to do a trip to the botanical gardens again. I think I'll pack a nice picnic for us as I have more fruit in my kitchen at the moment than most fruit groves :lol:

Seems like we're all a bit busy lately with things to do, people to see or just enjoying a bit of quiet time. Teel, I hope you will be feeling better soon.

I had better get a move on, I have found that raking and pulling weeds and shoveling - all that grunting effort is also good for thinking about life and settling the brain. Seems I have a lot on my mind lately - but in a good way, instead of being paralyzed with fretting and indecision, it's now more a matter of sorting the bits, deciding on some pro-active things and getting them done.

I am disgusted to say that I went and bought just 2 pairs of pants yesterday in a larger size as I am really feeling a bind from the post-smoking weight gain. I told myself this is TEMPORARY and I am not to get comfortable in them at all. I found my real measuring tape the other day which has been hiding from me for months. I was able to more accurately measure body parts and compared them to a list I did on May 31st. Oh boy! I had a poor man's excuse for a tape because I couldn't find the proper one so the measurements weren't exactly 100 percent accurate but... what a difference from the weight gain. If I needed one last bit of convincing to push the scale the other way - that was it. It did motivate me to start doing some exercise which I have done each day - even without my trusty walkman :lol:

Well, I feel badly that DH is out there heaving and toting and I am sitting here, so I should go and assist. Have a good weekend, I might night be back until tomorrow night.

Good evening/afternoon/night! After a few very heavy showers today it is now an absolutely wonderful evening and the birdies are singing and the sun us shining.. :cool: :sunny:
The chest pain has been a bit better over the past two days so today I decided I really ought to go and buy some food for eating whilst the parents are here :corn: and also I aim to get back on plan and lose at least the few pounds I gained eating shnitzel and apfel strudel in Austria.It really isn't fair you know...Teresa ate almost the same as me and we both did exactly the same amount of excersise and yet I gained weight and she didn't!! Humph!! :kickcan: So when the parents have gone I will start on the mini mountain of fruit and salady vegetables I bought from the supermarket.. Of course having charged round the shop like the proverbial maniac I now hurt almost everywhere and all my chest pain is back. I am NOT impressed with that, let me tell you!!!
And so to Austria. It was rather "difficult" getting up at 02:00hrs to shower and wash hair to leave at 03:00hrs..but I managed...the dog went back to sleep... :tired: as we stole out into the night. :sssh: as you can imagine the main road was almost empty of traffic! The airport was suprisingly busy with people trying to sleep in the terminal amongst all the noise and chaos of check-in. The flight was fine and we arrived at Salzburg 15minutes earlier than planned to a beautiful blue cloudless sky. One of the airport staff commented that we were very lucky as this was the first good day they had had for a week!! Taxied to the hotel and, amazingly full of energy we went exploring..the Mirabell Gardens and Palace were only 10 minutes walk away and it was SO hot as we sat on a bench and surveyed the flowers. Lots of people about and we eventually located the Salzach (sp?) river. There was a very handt Italian restaurant right opposite the hotel so we ate there for lunch and dinner...too tired to find anywhere else at that point.Our first full day we acquired a good map and discovered why it had taken us 20 minutes to find the river when reportedly it was only 500 meters away...if only we had turned right on leaving the hotel and walked down that main pedestrianised bit we would have been there in ten minutes! :lol: We went on a mini-bus tour of the city which gave us a good idea of where things were like the cathedral and the old town. The tour took us to Hellbrun Palace a couple of miles out of the city. This place is famous for its hidden waterfalls. It was built for an arch bishop who designed the garden bit with secret water pumps located under the seats round the garden tables. The tale goes that he used to hold summer parties, and when he was getting tired and thought everyone should be going home, he turned on the water and lo and behold all the guests got wet derriers and scooted off home rather quickly! :s: Of course the bishop sat in his special chair perfectly dry! Later water fountains were added that sprang to life when certain paving slabs were stepped upon causing great hilarity to one and all. We thought we might revisit Hellbrun as it was a whistle stop visit but time ran out on us! The tour was very useful in finding landmarks and we even managed to walk back across the river that evening and find The Spagetti House for a very decent dinner, without getting lost! :smug: The second day we had already booked to go on a city tour through the travel agent so we hoped it wasn't with the same company. It wasn't! Phew! And although we went round the city again the guide pointed out some different places of interest and left us at the foot of the funicular railway that took us up to the fortess high above the old town. Unfortunately the weather rather turned for the worse when we got to the top and it was blowing a gale but we decided to lunch. Teresa ordered a salad and when the waitress bought it out a gust of wind blew half of it off the plate!!! :lol: Unsurprisingly the cafe decided to shut after that so we were the only people eating whilst the waiters tried to lean the chairs on the tables...as fast as they leant one up it was blown down! At the foot of the funicular there was an exhibition of amber...the largest collection of amber in Europe. Very beautiful!!
Ah well I think it is time for me to go and sort out some dinner. Doggies home tomorrow!!! :cheer:

Ha Ha Ha, :rofl: :lol3: I loved the tale of the salad. Brings back memories that does. But it sounds like the palace is a good place to visit. I'll put it in my wee black book and plan on being there sometime or other.

Mel, I should hope the goons do not come knocking at your door. They shouldn't but seeing as how suspicious they are of anyone and anything coming to the door of the USA, nothing would surprise me too much. There is no white powder in it, nor is their wire going from one bit to another, however it occurred to me after I posted it to wonder about wrapping ribbon and how it measures on the scale of destructive forces. Not to worry. We will soon know. Funny story here. I went to the Post Office to post the envelope and the man said $1.00. Uh. what?????? says I. Listen lady says this bloke with the accent, the prices go up and its $1 for that. Uh duh says I, I am simply amazed that it is only $1 to New Jersey USA. OOOOOOOOOHHHH says the man - where is New Jersey???? U.S. replies I. Uh duh says the man, what State is that in? AMERICA I patiently explain. Oh well, in that case, it will cost $2.30 please!. Do I not have to fill in a declaration and show ID for a foreign parcel, asks I. Just write documents only on the front says he.
And you wonder why I question whether the envelope will arrive on your doorstep. :faint: :eek:

I see this morning that someone has managed to make their journal entry 'sticky'. I'm surprised that some of these editing modes were not disabled actually. You could wreak havoc with some of those. I've also noticed that if I leave the comment button ticked on, I get comments made in everyones journal except my own. Now's theres a good trick. Wonder how I did that. Must go ask Suzanne.

Well it is Sunday here in the great South east and there is not a cloud in the sky. It looks like another great day coming right up. DS decided that he liked the colour of the paint and that it should stay and proceeded to put another coat on the walls. Now he is doing something fancy with rolling the new colour over the top. Got to give it to him, when the creative juices start flowing, he comes up with a few doosies.

My knee hurts this morning. Not sure whether I twisted it during Body Balance yesterday or it was the running the day before. So I'll just take it easy for today and see what happens. I'm off to sit on the floor and grout for a while shortly. First breakfast. Have good days - enjoy the garden, enjoy the boxes, enjoy the folks and Holly coming home.

Hello all. This is a mega quickie to say I probably won't have much free time to get on the site over the next few days as the parents will be here till Tuesday....so do not fret...I haven't diappeared into the far beyond!!
Shad, sorry your knee is hurting...be careful on it...have you tried the usual hot water bottle then ice pack routine?
I tried to put my pictures c.d. into my computer yesterday so I could send you piccies but they didn't save to hard disc for some reason. I shall have another look when everything here has calmed down a bit!!!

YAY!!!! Nearly time for Holly to come bounding through the door. Batten down the furniture!!
Ta ta for now. Be good.

Happy~I got a LOT accomplished by staying off here! WOW! I was losing so MANY hours of my life worrying about all those people!! :rofl: I must have been crazy! Hope you guys get the fungus amongus under control with the tree. All that work must account for something right? When we all work hard you would thing the pounds would just drip away. Hmmm. I too had a lot of thinking going on while working. Circulation and exercise must be good for the brain!:lol: When I went shopping recently I bought some 1 and 2X pants and shirts. They are big on me but comfortable and I can get my arms in them without breaking them off. I was a bit premature in buying the XLG. I wear them but am not happy in them. I think you did a great and healthy thing for yourself with the smokes. So the weight will come off and you can worry about sizes later. You're still new to the ciggie-less game so don't be too hard on yourself. You're still in the trenches with that battle I'm sure. All this work outside and fresh air will get the butt moving. Especially when it cools down a bit at summers end. Sending good thoughts your way for supreme calmness within yourself.

Teel I am so glad yopu posted your trip. I love to read of other's adventures. There are so many fabulous things to see in this world. I hope the chest feels better after the shopping trip!:faint:
Bet you and Holly will be inseperable(sp?) when she comes home. She'll be afraid to leave your side lest you disappear again! :lol: Looking forward to the pics.

Shad~ too bad for the knee!! Hope the grouting job didn't make it worse. You'll have to out on workman's compensation! :lol:
While watching a home program lo and behold there was a beautiful pale yellow bedrppm. They used white trim and had reddish furniture. Mahogany?? The colors for bedding and drapes were of the reddish orangy type. Hard to explain and they had a field of yellow in them. Absolutely gorgeous and neither feminine or masculine even with the flowers on the materials. Kind of stately. Very nice. I never heard of the combo till DS2 started and now I got to see something like it. They had another in yellows and beiges but apparently I missed it! :rofl:
Hope the knee improves upon waking!! Sweet dreams.

I have a day off from Clara. She decided her fingers hurt and wants a rest from testing. I think we need to call the DR and tell him. OH WELL! (sigh)

I would also like to pat all our backs. I think considering all the trials and tribulations that we all have collectively...that we are doing a great job of getting on with life and carrying on. We dust ourselves off so fast and get right back up again that it even surprises me at times. What a bunch of Gals we are!! :cp: :cb:

I must go and let the bookkeeper back in today. One has a ton of work left. He should be here soon too. Adios my Friends and take care. See you soon.

Mel, I know what you mean. I have tended to spend too much time here trying to help people, some of whom can not be helped much anyway. I'm sorry for anyone reading this, that thinks I am being very harsh, but it's true. I still read many entries but reserve comments these days because I would just get too bogged down with problems not my own. I've got enough of those too!
Knee seems fine again this morning although it clicked on the treadmill during warmup. It was fine everywhere else, so I am not going to get excited about it.
Grouted the bathroom floor yesterday. It's not a bad shade of blue, however I think I got a little stingy with it yesterday and some of the spacers are showing through the blue. I'll go back and try it again this afternoon after the dentist.
Yes I have to go back to the Dentist. I lost a filling from a molar a while back. Last night I got offered and took a small piece of chocolate. It broke the back half of the tooth off. Very good reason not to eat any more chocolate hey. That piece of brown goo will probably cost me the best part of $150. or so. Ouch, but if I don't get it done now the ouch will be a bigger OUCH later on. I have to get it fixed, it's near the front so can't just have it taken out. There is another filling gone from a big tooth down the back and I may have that taken out since it has now been filled 3 times and each time the filling has come out after a couple of years - at over $200 per time it is just not worth keeping.
Son's house is coming along. He has chosen the colours for the 3rd bedroom. A sort of pale grey/silver for 3 walls, a metallic pale blue for the 4th and something called Velvet Rose for the trims. I'm told the Velvet Rose is a burgundy shade. I'm glad he likes it, but it may look very nice at the finish and as yet I haven't seen it so will not judge. Now the trims and the floors are the remainder left to do.
Teel, have fun with the folks and with the hound. It's only for a short time and it will be nice to see them go at the end. Be strong.
Linus must be all partied out by now. Surely she will be back with the tales of 21 birthdays, anniversaries and family fights soon!
Happy, the tape measure will start to go down soon, I'm sure. You just need to sort out the things that are causing you to stop exercising and keep eating. As Mel says the battle with cigs is not quite over yet, but you have done so well keeping off them. Yes you are bound to put on a bit of weight because you have this extra time where previously you were standing or sitting around having a smoke. The brain found something else to do. But now is the time to start getting it off again, before the fat sets hard and becomes very hard to shift.
DS is home today. He has an ingrown toenail which has turned nasty on him again. He has had this problem for some years. Goes along nicely for a while and then goes astray. Eventually I think he will have the nail removed to solve the problem once and for all, but for the moment he wants to hang onto it.
Okay, best get off and get showered - I've been to the gym already. I have a list of things to do a mile long. Today, some of them just might get done. And I must get back to that guy in Western Australia who hasn't got back to me either grrrrr. You know I don't mind if they get back and say sorry, it's not going to happen. But to be left in limbo is a pain in the proverbial