Okay, I did it! I will be back later with some photos (I hope) of my yard. I wanted to make sure there was room before I posted them.

Hello Everyone,

Thank you Charlotte, thank you Sheila. I will just let you girls take care of the maintenance part of this board, I don't know all that much about it and I am not really in charge, I just wanted us all to post to each other again.

Charlotte, once again thank you for the lovely pictures of your vacation. You and DH look so happy and relaxed, and justly deserved especially with the pain you endure with your RA. You are a lovely lady Charlotte, and as I said before, do not appear as though you need to lose any weight. I on the other hand try to avoid bathing suits. It seems as though you are feeling better and that is a good thing. I know what you mean about having the house to yourself again.

SunnyD, how wonderful that you have discovered a possible help for your IBS. How wonderful too, that you have such loving support from Joe, you are a lucky lady. I know somewhat a little of what you go through, since I have always had what is called a "nervous stomach" and need to know where bathrooms are at all times too. Road trips are always a grind for me. But like I said I am most pleased for you, I hope the book is getting you the answers you need. You sounded very excited about the book, indeed.

Sheila, if I lose this post again, you will hear me ranting and rageing all the way to Seattle. I don't know why I was in such a fowl mood this morning. I was also very cold, I have an extra sweater at work and I was wrapped up in that too. So, I decided to go out and get some coffee at the kwik-trip, some Hazel-nut creme decaf, but then on the way I decided to put a little caffeine, in too. I never drink caffeine, so now I think I have a little buzz going. Will I never learn? On that post earlier all I wanted to do was move the outside slider bar, to add a word that I had left out and the whole post disappeared. Go figure.

Well, the kids got home from Hawaii, yesterday at noon. The Grandkids were so happy to see them. SIL said he was ready to come home Tuesday already. Sounds like DH, doesn't like long vacations either. Guess they figure they are going to miss some of that work at home. I felt kind of anxious this morning, I missed the grandkids and the routine we had established last week. Oh well, I think I can recover. Last week was a looong week, but it went very quickly. Does that make sense?

Puss, hope to heck that cooker has released you. I am sure your enjoyed your family and DS girl friend for the weekend, and you were raring to go and get to work this morning.

Well, I just got another error message from microsoft on my desktop, if I lose this post.. ugh.

Take care all

Bluet p.s. send it now with all errors, please forgive me....

BLUET!

Sorry you're having so much trouble with your computer. You might should run a virus scan. Sometimes, just a small virus will complicate things enough to just be aggravating. I sure do hate when I lose a post!
Thanks for the compliments. I don't normally take a picture in a swimsuit...but, I don't have one on, but maybe once every 2-3 yrs. Just playing around. I was a size 8-10 a few months ago....so now that I gained 10 lbs, & wear 10-12, I feel & look so much heavier. Besides every pound on my back is a problem. And it's not good for RA, either. I know I can't look like a model, (too old, for one thing!! ), but, want to hold up all my looks I can, for as long as I can. With chronic pain, I tend to work with what I DO have, which isn't much. I just seem to be digging myself a deeper hole here, so I'll change the subject.
I understand about the grandkids. My son's two little girls (5 & 2) are here every other week. Sometimes I feel like I can't take the noise, etc, any longer. But, the weeks they aren't here...it's too quiet...& I miss them terribly.

SunnyD...I DO hope you get to feeling better soon. Take care of yourself. I'm glad you got a good, & understanding husband, as I did. We are blessed! Thanks for your prayers concerning my son's divorce, also. Don't know if I told you that. The final trial was last Tuesday. DIL conceded to my son's wishes. They have joint custody. He gets them a week, then she gets them a week. They sat down with the attorneys, & worked all things out. He doesn't have to pay child support, or anything. They split all costs on the children. They're even talking on the phone, now. Working out things coming up with the girls. She called tonight to tell him that they were sick, & she had taken them to the Dr today. Not bad sick...but, nice of her to inform him. I just hope it stays this way.
When they got to court, all of her family & a lot of her friends were there. Made my son nervous, because he had heard they were going to all testify against him, with lies. Then, the investigator that my son has been talking to came in & went up front, with 2 police officers. My DIL got real nervous. (the judge still has the book where DIL kept a record of her drug dealing) Apparantly, she thought they were there to arrest her. She got real nervous. Asked to talked to my son, alone. She told him she would accept his offer...if he promised her that he wasn't trying to trick her. He said he knew what she thought, so played along. He told her that he wasn't trying to trick her, but was very serious about the charges he would bring against her. That he didn't want drugs or dealing around his girls anymore. So, they settled it. Later, he told me that all he knew was they were probably there to arrest someone else. I told him that we had a lot of people praying for them, so he could call the investigator & the policemen his "angels". He said that he agreed!

Sheila...Looking forward to your pictures! There's always room. We'll start another thread, if we have to! Hope your dad is doing well.

SunnyD, glad your tummy is getting better. It must be marvelous to finally find something that helps!

Charlotte, way for your son to go to play along like that. I like his style. Thanks for posting your beach photos (how do you do that like that, by the way?). It looks so relaxing, and I think you look terrific, too.

Rain tomorrow so I want to get out and finish weeding. I took photos of our front yard, but it was in a shadow so I'll try to get more when the sun goes down. I did take photos of the west side where the planter boxes are. I love masses of color so I just planted all sorts of stuff in there. I'm loving zinnias--they are such happy flowers. I planted gladiolas late and didn't think they'd bloom, but some are. I like that color. Next year there should be a lot more. You can also see the carrot tops in that shot. I keep forgetting we have carrots because we've eaten all the other veggies except for the tomatoes, and they are coming on strong.

Have a good Tuesday everyone!

Oh, Sheila...what a beautiful garden! You're an artist! Thanks so much for showing us. I wanted a tomato out of there, so badly! You should try to enter your pictures in a magazine. There's all kinds of ads asking for entries of pictures.
To post as I did my pictures: I put my pictures in an album at Photobucket.com . Then, after you load your picture...underneath are 3 choices...just highlight the one with [IMG] & copy it...bring it back here, & paste it in...here it is! If you need to load more than one picture, be sure to have 2 windows open. One for the photobucket, & one for the 3fatchicks. In case you don't know how: at the very top-left of the screen, click "file", then put your cursor on "new" & it will show "window". click on it, & go to the other website. That way you have them both on at the same time. Just minimize the one you don't need, as you're going. When finished, at the top-right of the screen, click the X. Remember, whichever site you're in, is the one that will go off. Actually takes longer to tell it, than to do it.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Hello
I have been doing this weight thing for most of my life and true to form just kept getting larger. My terrific husband has recently been diagnosed with Lupus. This was a surprise to all of us. I had always thought of myself as the one who would be in ill-health as we got older, since he has always been so fit. My husband and I are the Mr. and Mrs. Jack Spratt. He has not had a large change in weight since he was in High School. I on the other hand, have gained more than 130 pounds over the course of our 25-year marriage.

I made an appointment with a local naturopath early in the year (several months before my husband's diagnosis) and was able to get in at the end of July (he is very popular). I didn't realize it at the time that I made the appointment, but he is well-known for helping many to lose weight. So I began his program - faced with the realization that this was probably my last chance to remain healthy (i.e., no diabetis, high blood pressure, etc.). It became even more imperative given our revised situation.

My SW was 236 lb (107 Kg) and I am now down to 213 lb (96.5 Kg). The naturopath has a very calorie reduced diet supplemented by Vitamin B injections and a multiple vitamin and calcium supplement. I take the multi vitamin 20 to 30 minutes before each meal. He explained that this helps to stimulate the production of seratonin and also keeps one from eating everything in sight. At first I was surprised at the very restricted foods that I was "allowed". This was in significant contrast to my last go with Weight Watcher's and the Point System. I have come to realize that this actually has an advantage in helping me to adhere to the programme.

I am very proud of myself that I have been 100% compliant. I keep remembering that jingle for one of those weight loss clinics - nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. Still have over 70 pounds to go, but have small objectives along the way.

I have been fortunate in having had the opportunity to be off when I started this diet. There is a lot of food preparation involved (20 - 24 oz of vegetables!) I now have established a routine and a sense of what I will be able to bring to work with me.

My husband and I live in Northern Ontario. It has been a cool and wet summer and it is already feeling very fall-like. The leaves are beginning to turn colour. We are a twin city with a Michigan town "across the river." My husband works for the State of Michigan on the International Bridge. I am a speech-language pathologist currently working for a Children's Treatment Centre. We work with children from birth to 19 years of age who have multiple disabilities. This past year has been very stressful since we were severely short-handed. There is a shortage of speech therapists - so if you know of any young people looking around for a career, there is a lot of opportunity in this field. I have been able to take a nice block of vacation and will be back at work next week. We are fully staffed now so it should be alot nicer for the families that we work for. I have a tendency to be a work-a-holic , which is another challenge. We have no children of our own, but have a very smart and handsome Australian Cattle Dog. He brings us a lot of joy.

I have just come upon this site while looking for inspirational sayings to beef up my weekly food log.

It sounds as though a number of you have been corresponding for a while. I look forward to joining you. Love those garden pictures.

Hello Ladies,

Welcome IamwhatIam, yes we have known each other for awhile, I am the newer one of the group. Sounds as though you are taking your program very seriously and you have a logical plan. You will get a lot of support from this group, each and everyone is very compasionate and supportive. I am looking forward to learning more about Canada. I am not too happy to hear about your weather, since I am a neighbor of yours. I live in Wisconsin half way down the state on the Lake Michigan shore line. We too are experiencing cooler temperatures and some trees are starting to turn color. I am not a fan of winter weather.

Sheila, your garden is lovely, I like that sweet little staircase that someone built. I wanted to know how Charlotte posted those pictures too. Charlotte, you may say it is easy, but it sounded complicated to me. I had joined photobucket today, but am at a loss what to do with it. Are our pictures that we put in an album there private or are they there for all the world to see? Can you also store Clip Art there. Is that where you and SunnyD store your Clip Art that you talently display in your posts or do you have special purchased software on your computer that you pull things from?

I went shopping at thrift stores tonight, just kind of bumming around and didn't get home until 7:00 pm. I like to look at things and think of ways to enhance them or change them into decorative art for my home. I have to be careful though because you know DH's rule, nothing comes in this house unless something goes out and I don't have much left that I want to go out, after cleaning and having the rummage sale last summer.

My nephew is getting married Saturday, the whole family is invited even the grandkids. It should be an enjoyable evening. I didn't get a new dress, I am going to wear the one I got for my class reunion, I have been snacking too much his week, I have to stop so that I can fit into that dang dress.

Talk to you all tomorrow, oh by the way, I ran Norton Anti-Virus at home and at work and neither computer had a virus. My computer at work is just old

Take Care All......

Bluet

Hello Everyone,

It is 68 degrees here today, the sun is in and out, can't make up its mind today. I noticed on Yahoo that the temp was 54 degrees this morning in London UK. That is pretty chilly, I am thinking. I suppose 68 or 70 degrees will be the warmest it gets here until next summer again.

I stopped at the Kwik-Trip and got another large cup of Hazel-nut-Decaf again this morning, but this time I did not mix any caffeine coffe in the cup. Does anyone know the rule about coffee/water. Is it for every cup of coffee you drink, you should drink a cup of water? Does that apply to decaf too? If that is the case, I would probably be spending more time in the bathroom than at my desk.

I haven't seen the grandkids all week, they must be taking a break from me. I will have to stop in and see how school is going for them. My three boys in Green Bay are starting school tomorrow. I see so many young Moms walking around with smiles are their faces.

Thinking about changing my family room's curtins. Do any of you have roman shades? And do you like them? Do you know anyone who has made them by hand and if it was a difficult process? I never did get around to making slip covers for the living room sofas, plus there is some painting upstairs that needs to get done. It is a three day weekend, I usually like to plan a project when we have one, but all of these sound too big to start on a weekend. Usually I end up doing last minute babysitting, oh well.

Take care...talk to you all later.

Charlotte, we're being overrun with tomatoes so if you could reach out and pick one, I'd gladly let you! We planted one regular tomato plant, then a cherry tomato, then my Dad decided he wanted to plant one, too. That actually meant that he bought the plant and we planted it. Too many tomatoes for three of us to eat, really. My son is living with us now, but he doesn't like tomatoes so it's up to the three of us to eat our daily quota of tomatoes.

Okay, I'll try the photo thing soon, but I'm not quite clear on how to do it. On other boards, I type in an <img src> code. I don't know where to find the [IMG] code or do I just type it in like I did here?? I don't use Photobucket because I already have a website and all my photos are there. I'll give it a whirl and see what happens.

IamwhatIam, welcome! I'm so sorry to hear about your husband. I knew a woman whose husband had Lupus also, and he had good days and bad days, then started to have really good days. Not sure what kind of treatment he was getting, but he got much better. I hope your DH is doing okay. I'm so glad you found something that works well for you. I've lost a bit over 75 lbs. with the help of Weight Watchers, which I enjoy. Also the support here is a great factor in my weight loss.

What a great job you have! I talked to my DD about being a speech therapist at one point because I thought it would be a great field. She joined the Navy instead--guess I shouldn't talk to my kids about careers because they do the opposite. My granddaughter is disabled (she's got Trisomy 18--are you familiar with that?) and a speech therapist visits her at home once a month or so as well as a physical therapist and occupational therapist. It looks like such a rewarding job. Being a pet person, I'd love to see photos of your ACD. They are smart cookies, aren't they?

Bluet, glad your temps are better than those in London. What about all those hurricanes? My DD is getting pounded with tropical storms from what I understand. Her cell phone bit the dust, but it's the last thing she said to me. I hope your kids take photos of their kids on the first day of school. We have some great photos that, looked at side-by-side, show how much they've grown each year. It's fun to look back on them, plus seeing the new lunchboxes and clothes.

I love Roman shades! I watch a lot of the decorating shows on HGTV and decided that when I get my own home, I'm going to have Roman shades. They look so pretty. I saw someone make them, too, on Trading Spaces. It didn't look too hard for a crafty person like yourself. For me, well, it would be a lost cause!

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday! Puss, are you still chained to that cooker? They must have thrown away the key!

IamwhatIam!!

So glad you joined us. You've really been well-disciplined with your diet! Wish I had the will power for that. I lost my weight last summer, & trying to maintain. I've gained back about 10 lbs, lately, so trying to lose it. I'm afraid I'm not trying quite hard enough though.
Sorry your husband is having health problems. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Works much the same way as Lupus. If you read back a few posts, you'll find out a little more about my illness. Also, have Osterarthritis in my back from a car accident in '83. Life's a challenge!
I was raised in Detroit, Michigan. Went up there when I was 3 yrs old, & came back to Alabama when I was 13! We would go to a park called Belle Isle & look over into Canada. Thought that was the grandest thing in the world to do!
Hey, 70 lbs to go. You CAN DO THIS!!!! Stay around here, with us!

Sheila, if your site will let you post directly from there, you just right click on the image you want. When it opens up, click on "properties". Highlight the URL address, & copy. Close it out & come back to your post & paste it. Then, put [IMG] at the beginning & the end...only with the /, of course. Some sites won't let you post directly from them (mine won't), so I use Photobucket. Now, if you use it...just simply go under the image (yes, you can put icons, or anything in it) & highlight the address with [IMG] in front of it & copy & paste in your post. It's so much easier than the other way, to me. Whichever is best for you, though, is fine. Good luck...any way I can help, let me know.

Bluet, sorry I couldn't open the pictures in my email. Maybe you can post them here. I was looking forward to seeing them.
I don't know the rules on coffee & water. Do know we're supposed to drink a LOT of water!! Afraid I don't know much about shades, either. Just not much help to you tonight.
You can store clip art in Photobucket, or anything else. The world can see your pics, if you make a "public" album to send them to. But, like any other site, it's password protected, so no one goes there, unless you want them to. Yes, that's what Sunny & I & many others use for our graphics. You'll only learn by trial & error. I couldn't even turn on a computer 3 yrs ago. No one has shown me anything. I've messed up a lot, but I learned. There's very little you can do to really "mess up". Even if you delete something, you can bring it back. (most of the time, anyway )
I DO make it a little simpler for myself. I purchased Emotipad Plus for a one time fee of $12.00. I take all of my images out of Photobucket & put them in that one little place. It stays on my desktop....I have all of the images in catagories (welcome, happy, flowers, etc.) & "click & drag" to the post! When I get tired of them, I delete them out, & add more. Some nights when I can't sleep, I get up & work on replacing my images with new ones.
You'll look beautiful at the wedding! I wanna see pics!!

Good morning! Well, not really. . .

Can we talk sleep, or lack thereof? For the past couple of months, I've been having a huge sleep problem. I can go to sleep, but I just can't stay asleep. I was so tired last night I went to bed at 10:30 pm, read for a half hour, then turned out the light at 11:00 pm. At 2:47 am (yes, I looked at the clock), I woke up, went to the bathroom and stayed awake through my son's 5:00 am alarm and his leaving, but must have snoozed a bit between 6:00 am and 7:00 am because I remember a dream I had. When I don't get enough sleep, my neck muscles contract even more, making it very painful indeed. Last night I even took a Vicodin with my regular nightly medication, hoping that would zonk me out. I guess it did for 3 hours or so, but that's certainly not what I was hoping for.

I'm wondering if it's the big "M?" I don't have night sweats or hot flashes, but I've been pretty moody and nonsleeping. Since I had a partial hysterectomy, I don't have that monthly indicator. Does every woman have hot flashes and night sweats when they go through menopause?

Charlotte, maybe I should learn to just get up and do something productive when I can't sleep. How do you cope with the sleep deprivation? Do you nap during the day? You know, my good friend with the heart condition has always been able to sleep about 12 hours a night, no problem. Don't know if that's because of her heart condition or just her body. We're spending the weekend together soon and I should ask her the secret of sleep!

Oh, Bluet, I don't know about coffee to water ratios, but I do know that you should drink at least six glasses, preferably more, of water per day. In Weight Watchers, half of those six can be decaf beverages like decaf coffee or decaf and herbal tea. I love hazelnut coffee--my fav!

I was supposed to go see the chiropractic neurologist today, but the insurance company is giving the doc a hard time. Very frustrating!

Hoping for a good day for everyone! Tomorrow is my weigh-in for the first time on the new Weight Watchers CORE program. Wish me luck!

Hi Everyone,

Sheila, I don't have those sleep problems, mine go the other way, I am always, always tired, and have a hard time getting up in the morning. Most people I know have your problem, and struggle for a solution too. It might be menonpause. I have recently stopped taking HTR and am suffering from hot flashes and moodiness. I haven't told my doctor that I have stopped taking the HRT yet, I was always wearing the patch, but my skin is so sensitive, I was running out of places to put the darn thing. Then my regular doctor, asked me why my Gyn doctor still had me on HTR, since so many studies have come out about heart attacks while on it. So, I thought about it when I got home and decided to ease off of it, so this is where I am today. I have to go in soon to have my regular check-up and then I will discuss it with the doctor. How is your Dad, by the way? Is your daughter anywhere near the newest hurricane heading towards Florida?

Charlotte, for some reason I thought you were born and raised in the south, your gentle ways made me think you were a born and bred "Southern Belle", not one of us "Hard Nose" northerners Is it better for you to live in the south with your RA and the Osterarthritis? Years ago I had a friend, her name was Olive, that had arthritis in her hands so badly and she went to Mayo for what I always thought she call "gold shots." I never asked what "gold shots" were, but I did not like the sound of it. Where do you live in Alabama? Will the pending hurricane affect you in any way?

Last evening I went out to the garden and tied up the tomato plants. There are so many green tomatos, I don't know if it will be warm enough to turn them red before the first frost. My SIL and one of his employees and DH planted garden this year. DH tried to hold them back, but they went hog wild and planted way more than any of us will need. Since the garden is on the way, I continued over to the kids house to see how the grandkids next door were doing. They are fine, the baby is starting to think about walking, she will be one year old this month. The other two are liking school so far.

Well time to go get the billing done. Perhaps I'll be back this evening.

Take care all, wish you well Puss, SunnyD and Iam.

Bluet

Hello everyone!

Oh Sheila...so sorry about your sleep problems! That is the pits! Well, yes, the big M could be the culprit. It effects you in a lot of ways. None of them pleasant. When I had my hysterectomy, the Dr said I still had about 18 "good" yrs left, because he left one ovary. He was right. Almost to the day, I started the big M! My gyno said it wasn't, but I insisted she do a blood test. I had an appt that same day with another dr. By the time I got there, my gyno had phoned ahead to tell that Dr to prescribe estrogen for me! I went through the whole nine yards...including the lack of sleep.
Now, I've been over it for a few yrs, so it's not that. I believe it's either the RA, or the meds for the RA. I've noticed a pattern of insomnia a couple of weeks prior to a treatment. I get up & stay on the computer. A lot of times, that's when I post to all of you. (not tonight...it's only 8 pm). I don't take naps, although I easily could. I keep thinking, if I don't, maybe I'll sleep that night. I HAVE gone 3 nights in a row with NO sleep, or 3-4 hrs sleep. Strange thing, I don't feel a lot worse the next day. Late in the evenings are the hardest. I do hope you get a remedy. Maybe you should talk to your dr about it. Our cases are different, so you might be able to get help. Just remember, because you're sweating, or freezing, it doesn't mean others are going to feel the same way....so they may not understand. I'm always tired & fatigued, so can't be sure how that effects my insomnia. But, remember, they can take a blood test to determine the big M. I had to insist on it.

Bluet...I spent 10 yrs in Michigan, but, no one up there thought of me as a Northerner. They said I never talked like I was from up there! I would always be asked if I was from the South. When I hear myself talk, I sound like I'm from waaay back in the sticks! I don't know about the difference it would make with RA & OA. I was 13 when we came back South, & didn't have it then. I imagine it's better, here, though, with the warmer climate. The winters there were so bitterly cold, I know it would really bother the OA a lot. The "Gold Shots" are a treatment for RA, just as Methotrexate, or Remicade that I'm on now. Only, I don't think it's quite as strong. I was on Sulfazalasine (spelling) which is a lot like the Gold Shots...but, it got to where it didn't work. They don't put you on Methotrexate, because it's a chemotherapy...unless nothing else works. Then, the Remicade, if the Methotrexate doesn't work well enough alone.
I don't think the hurricane will hurt us, we're in the NorthWest part of Alabama, near the Tennessee Line. The hurricane is in the Southern part. Only our daughter...the one we visited on vacation...is down close to Mobile...about 2 hrs from the gulf. So, they may be effected. If you go to a map of Alabama....go to the top-left corner, touching Tennessee. There where Mississippi crosses into Alabama is where we live. We are only about 17 miles from Mississippi. Yeah....Southern!!
OOhh...I'd love some of your tomatoes! I love fried....green...tomatoes!! Have you seen the movie?

Hello IamwhatIam....doing good on your diet, still?
Fatpuss & Sunny...I'm adopting two large black cats from my step-dad. He's going into the nursing home tomorrow & begged me to take them. We're having to keep our big black lab retriever chained now.

Hope all of you have a great evening.

Not feeling well today so I'll just say hi to all. Lost 1.4 lbs. today, which brings me to a total of 77 lost.

I think I caught your virus, Charlotte.