Hey Kerry, we must have been posting at the same time! Tough shopping for furniture with a man! I know my husband and I fought a lot when we bought our furniture for our first house! Fortunately or unfortunately the last time we moved we could not afford to buy much new furniture or appliances :lol: Except our dining room...that was enough of a pain! We didn't have a dining room in our last house. Much to my husband's dismay I bought most of the stuff to decorate curtains, paint etc. myself so he did not have a chance to drive me nuts about it ;) I love shopping without hubby :lol:

The Lazboy Dispute
 

Ok ladies here they are tell me what you think :)

Yep, we were posting at the same time. :lol:

Way to go on the loss Julie!! :cb: I have the same issue with the bust. It seems to want to come off there before the belly! :rolleyes: Thanks for the sympathy on the furniture dispute. Let me know what you think about the choices. ;)

Kerry-that's a tough one. I love them both. Corey's is different which I like. I like to be a little different from everyone else. At least I don't know anyone that has one like that. I would love to have either one though.

Lori-welcome back. I came home from vacation 10 pounds heavier, but I'm back down 5 already. I have been working my tail off for it though.

Julie-Congrats on the 1.1 pound loss!

Marie-Great job with the exercise. Hope you're enjoying some much deserved time off.

Hi Kerry I vote for the one on the left! Looks much more comfy! ;)

Hey Kim...how are you doing? I see you stayed under 1200 over the weekend! Awesome!:bravo:

Kerry, I vote for your choice too. I've had furniture with wooden arms and they aren't that comfortable hour after hour. Think about holding a baby (fingers crossed) and resting your arm on the wood with the baby's weight on it. I like the looks of Corey's choice but not the comfort of it.

Lori, glad you had a good vacation. I think it's near impossible to go on vacation and be good. I know people can do it - I'm not one of those people. That's why for now I'm not trying too hard on the eating since I'm going on a pigout cruise in a couple weeks. I know I'd get on track just to fall off a cliff.

Kim, way to go on losing the pounds. You really are doing great.

Julie, a thin pregnant person? That was funny. Eventually the belly will give in and you'll start to lose there. You are doing so great. Look at what five months have done. I'm a bit envious at the same time that I'm proud as heck of you. Keep it up.

Today is DS birthday #20. We had a party BBQ at lunch and now it is time to take him out for dinner. It's hot out and I want to go swimming but we had a chemical imbalance in the pool, so we had to drain about 5000 gallons of water and re-add new stuff - cold new stuff - so I don't want to swim in the 80 degree pool. Spoiled, aren't I? I guess I need to call DS and see where I'm taking him out to. Talk with you all later.
Marie

Julie-hello. I'm doing great. I've been staying on program all week. My calories have been between 670-1280 each day. I'm probably not eating enough, but I'm trying to quickly lose the 10 pounds I gained while on vacation. I've made it to the gym Sat. Tues, Wed, and today. I'm so ready to get this weight off. You're doing wonderful!

Marie-Thanks for the encouragement. Did DS have a good birthday? Where did you guys end up going to dinner?

Still here. I haven't been doing quite so well as Kim. Way to go girl! But I have been maintaining. I got on the scale this morning and it's stayed the same. I do feel very bloated and crampy from TOM, so if I've lost anything it's been offset from that. Maybe I'll see another slight loss in the next couple weeks. I'm not really discouraged, but more content. I'd be thrilled if I got below 140, but I'm also happy where I am.

We still haven't decided on the chairs. Thanks for the input! :) I've heard some good arguments for each. Things I didn't consider about the wooden arms are that you stay cooler when sitting for a long time and the arms hold up better. I didn't consider the argument for comfort with baby for the cloth arms either. :dizzy: I don't know if this is going to get decided anytime extremely soon. We did purchase the new refrigerator this week, which is a load off. Now we just have to get everything packed. :lol:

Hey everyone! Yes we are still on vacation but go home on Sunday. It has been so nice here part of me hates to go home.... Anyway, DH is at a job interview right now and we might be moving to AZ!!!! The kids and I wouldn't beable to move until next June (YIKES!!) but we will have to cross that bridge if we get to it. We both hate Texas and would love to move here but the whole thing has really stressed me out. It is one thing to talk about it and another to actually do it!!!! We would have to get our house on the market and I have to get certified in Arizona and find a job then we would have to find a new house. If DH gets a job before me he would go ahead and move out here and stay with my dad...that would be interesting to say the least!!!!!

I am getting a little nervous right now his interview was over an hour ago and I haven't heard from him yet..Well I will keep you all posted.

Can you say coming home from vacation is worse than going!!!! I'm going to bust butt and clean house today, it's so bad the board of health would shut me down! I have done horrible on all diet and work out aspects since we've been home. Monday is a new week, and I seem to be holding at 135.5 so I'm not going to complain!

Vacation was a riot, the kids weren't to impressed with the beach, it was rough the day we were there. DH hates the ocean, but tolerated it so the kids could enjoy themselves. Next year were looking at going to Mamoth Ntl. Park in KY. They have a whole town of underground caves and tunnels. DH actually enjoyed the camping (i was slightly worried) he wants to go again next weekend.

The jeep we rented was TOOO SMALL and my stove didn't work when we got there. (thank goodness there is a Walmart every 10 ft!) I left the non-working stove at the first camp ground, no room to bring it back and try to fix it. We looked like sardines smashed in the jeep! The kids sat on their pillows! It was a trip to remember, and I didn't know it was possible to get that much sand in a vehicle. I bet we brough home 2 bucket fulls! Like I had room for that!

Kerry, I like your's best, but I love the big fluffy ones better! One that rocks kicks butt with the middle of the night feedings. Yucky on the wood, had furniture like that and I HATED it! We don't even have a recliner anymore, I have two love seats and a couch, more room for movies. The bean bag chairs are still my favorite. I'm all about the comfort, give me a living room full of pillows and I'ld be in my glory! I didn't buy living room furniture for almost a year when we moved in, the kids thought it was romper room.

Marie, that so bites with the pool, I hate draining and re-filling. I've had to do that a few times. Can't wait to see pictures from the cruise!

Kim, I'm getting a guilty feeling just listening to you work out! I have to jump back on that wagaon A.S.A.P.!!

Julie, way to go on the loss! And I got the points tossed on the stop sign, but they kept my money. So all in all it turned out ok.

DH is so excited about this whole camping idea he had me put our old van back on the road. It needs a serious paint job! But it has all kinds of room for all my crap. He ran out and bought us fishing poles and our licenses. I'm slightly frightend by this, he hasn't lifted a finger to be an outdoorsman in the 12 years we've been married, which by the way today is our 12th anniversry. So out to dinner tonight and whine about over eating for the next two days.

Paige, if you move to AZ, we may have to stop in! Our camping trip plans for 2007 is to head to Yellowstone, but I'm going to have to insist on a camper, no tent and grizzlies for me!

I'm going to sit down tomorrow and get our pics on the computer and I'll share! Talk to you guys then. I've got to scrub something, DH will bust me sitting on the computer all day not doing anything! Can't have that!!!

Glad you're back Lori! Sounds like you had a very fun adventure with your family. That's cool that your DH is getting intot he camping thing. That can be some good wholesome family fun :)

As for the fluffy Lazboys, DH wouldn't even consider it. I had to drag him to the gallery to prove that they aren't all overstuffed old man chairs. :lol: He believes me now. We still haven't decided. I think we're going to go to a couple of the other showrooms and see if we can find someo on sale on the floor. We'll see.

I'm spending my weekend packing and organizing. It sux. I am happy to report a weigh in this morning of 139!! I can't believe I managed to lose a pound this week. I was giving it some modest effort with light LF lunches and small portion dinners. I'm also very bloated from PMS so hopefully after the TOM passes I'll see another slight loss. I might actually get to goal before vacation in Aug. I tried on more clothes today (cleaning out stuff) and everything fits except for a couple dresses that my bust is too big for. But I'm not complaining about that! :smug:

It's good to see you PAIGE!! I can't believe your considering a move to AZ! That's really cool. You'd be closer to your family and it sounds like that would be a great thing for you! Keep us posted. I can't wait to see your Disney pix!

Well see you later gators! Enjoy your weekends :)

Hi all, great to have you back Lori. It sounds like you had quite an adventure. Camping is fun with young kids. As mine got older, they dind't like it as much. DH still loves to tent, but I agree with you on a trailer type of thing. I like comfort and am getting too old for sleeping on the ground. If you need a reason to rent on for Yellowstone, tell DH that it gets really cold at night in the mountains and it's impossible to stay warm. We gave up on the last night and went to a hotel.

Kerry, the joys of moving. Packing -> YUCK!!!! I hate to do that. Last time we moved we had a moving company do it for us (it was paid by DH employer). Ahh, that was the life. Congrats on the pound loss. Every pound is a victory.

Paige, enjoy the flight home. I hope the interview went well for DH. Is a move to AZ something you'd really like?

Kim, excellent job on staying on track. You'll have to keep it up to keep motivating me. :) DS birthday was great; we went to Sizzler's for dinner. I had a grilled chicken sandwich that was great. Best part of it all was that it was the cheapest thing on the menu. Pretty cool since DH and I went Costco shopping and nearly emptied our checking account.

DS just got an interview with a software company in San Francisco on July 25th. I didn't know he was looking since he still has 1 year to go for his degree. But they're flying him down there, so it looks pretty serious. I am so excited for him. It's like a dream come true for him since what he wants to do in life is to program video games. He's just blown away by it all.

Other DS finished the physicals for the military and will be signing on the dotted line in the next week or two for the Air National Guard. He's excited for basic training and tech school. His words "everything is falling into place". So my two kids might both be leaving the area. It's a weird feeling. Not bad, just weird.

I cleaned house today and it looks great. I'm tired but it was cool out today so it was a perfect day to clean. My new wooden floors look fabulous. I vacuumed and swiftered them.

The rest of the day I'm going to knit and do stained glass. DH is in MN for a week so I'm opn my own. It was really cool to go shopping yesterday with only thinking about what I wanted. I sort of liked that. :)

TTYL.
Marie

Good Morning Chickies :coffee: !!!

Can't believe our weekend is almost over, I have so much more house work to do! We went to Red Lobster last night for our anniversery! The Snow Crab Legs were to die for! Not to mention all the appitizers I stuffed down! I was seriously bloated on the way home. I peaked at the scale again this morning and my weight really dropped now that bad TOM is over. I'm at 133.5 lbs. I can't believe it, after everything I've eaten and not done over the past 2 weeks I'm still showing a loss. I would love to hit my goal before I call the Dr. to have my thyroid levels checked, that is the only thing that could make me still drop weight with out working like a dog. The bad thing is that I feel fine, no jitters, shakes, or heart pallipations (sp). My skin still appears normal and no bathroom issues so I can't tell if my meds are to high of a dose or not. If anybody catches my post today I need some ebay help, there is a cargo carrier I want to get, but I don't want to jack the price up too much by bidding to soon. When should I start, the auction ends at 8 tonight.

Marie, that is great for your boys that they are getting what they hopped for! And it's good that your OK with it! I'll crap if my boys leave the area when they get older! Guess because mine and DH's families are all within an hours drive I've never had to deal with it. Heck I'm hopping they stay here and go to our local collage!

Kerry, now this is just me, I'd buy the big fluffy chair. DH would only have his nose out of joint temp. After a short period of time you wouldn't be able to get him off of it! But I'm a brat, I get what ever I want, DH gives in and coughs up the cash to shut me up. But don't feel sorry for him, the door swings both ways at my house, he's just not interested on what I put in the house. When it comes to our vehicles and toys, I'll let him get what he wants or he'll drive me right up a wall! Two spoiled rotten brats, can't believe we've been married for 12 years! The one thing we've both learned, it's easier to let the other have what they want so when it's your turn you get what you want.

OK, back to house work!

I'm feeling blah and bloated this Monday morning. I didn't want to come to work at all. Things have been weird around here lately and I just HATE office politics so much I want to hide my head in the sand. I become completely anti-social in these instances. Plus I have so much to do at home. We're working through it slowly, but slowly... I'm going to hit it hard during the evenings this week to see if I can start to feel better about it.

I'm feeling good about the weight loss and fitting into everything I want to, but TOM keeps showing up uninvited. Thus, I am seeing the doc the first week of Aug to see if we can get a plan to deal with my lack of fertility. :( One of my girlfriends just had a failed IVF and another 2 just lost babies at around 14 weeks. It is all so sad and depressing. It's getting to me again. I'm trying to stay positive and focused on our move, but I get easily distracted dreaming about the family it seems we may never have. *sigh*

That's all for now. I'll try to stop feeling sorry for myself and kick my own butt.

Hi Lori and Kerry, you both are doing so great on your diet. I'm envious. I have such a long way to go, but I'll get there eventually. I lost another pound. Slowly, slowly is good, Marie.

Today I need to get stuff done. Things like watering all of the plants, picking strawberries, knitting, lounging in the pool. Yeah, tough stuff like that. I need more caffeine before I pick the strawberries. I got too much sleep and my head is wishy washy. If I stay bent over for a half hour, I think I'll pass out. So here I am, typing instead of doing my chores.

Kerry, I'm glad you have a dr. appointment. That will help you tremendously.

Lori, congrats on the anniversary. Twelve years is great. Definitely worth a pig out. I know the info is too late, but go to esnipe.com and register for their service. What it will do is bid for you at the last second so the price isn't bumped up too early. I use it on all auctions that I definitely want to win.

TTYL.
Marie

Hey Marie,

I'm envious of your time off!! I'd love to be picking straberries and knitting! The weight will come off as long as you stick to it, and keep getting back on the wagon when you hit a bump! I had about a 40 lb goal and I started the last week in January. I still have about 5lbs left to hit the target weight, but then I have to finish tonning this huge gutt of mine without getting to thin every where else. As a matter of a fact, my mom just gave me an ear beatting that I've lost enough weight. I have my checkered PJ's on and for some weird reason they really make me look small, they hide my tummy well in all the loud design :lol: ! And to make matters worse she bought them for me when I was to heavy to get them up over my butt!

Kerry,
One step at a time! First move and try to keep your new healthy eating habits and working out (even if it's only with Bella) After you settle in (which will feel like never) then start thinking about a baby. There is never a perfect time to get pregnant, but in the middle of a move could really hamper things. You'ld have painting issues, lifting issues, and to boot you'ld be sick and super tired! Get your butt in that new adorable house then focus on getting a family started. Please stop beatting yourself up and trust me your time will come!!!

Got to get bed, chat tomorrow!

Hi all, I sure hope you're having a great day.

Lori, I think it's totally cool that you're so close to goal weight. I didn't realize you've only been doing this since the last week in January. You are my idol. I'm definitely back on track now. I've been exercising for the last few months but eating has been so-so. Since DH left for MN, I've been able to buckle down and really focus on eating (or not eating much as the case would have it). I told DH this on the phone and he asked why he screws up my diet because he doesn't want to. I told him I have no idea but that it's just lots easier to diet when he's not around. Sort of sad, huh?

I'm going to swim laps again today, then I'm going to slather SPF45 all over and float in the sun. I just love the feeling of the sun on my skin. I just hate sunburns and the idea of cancer. So I will slather. I shouldn't have as much work to do as I did yesterday. I've already done one thing for work today, and I have to work with the state ed. dept on why a report I'm submitting has errors. I do honestly believe it is on their end. Yesterday I worked for 4 hours on my day off - I don't like doing that so today will be less. I'm also going to knit and do stained glass, but I say that everyday and it doesn't happen everyday. :) Things just always seem to come up.

Have a fabulous Tuesday everyone.
Marie

Good morning everyone!! We are home!!!! I have mixed feelings about that. It is good to be "home" but I think I am even more determined to move to Phoenix!!! If DH gets his job we will have alot to iron out as far as how we are going to make this happen!!! He should find something out this week. He is also still continuing to look for other jobs as well. He seems to have a good feeling about this and seems to think they will offer it to him. Time will tell I guess!!! I'm trying to figure out what we need to do to the house to get it ready to put on the market. It is only 2 1/2 years old but we will still have a few things to do to get it ready. YUK!! I don't know if we will try to sell it on our own for a while or if we will list it with an agent. I hate realtors!!!!! UGH!!!! I can't let this stress get the best of me.

Well,on another note I did manage to maintain my weight loss while I was gone which is a good thing, so I am very happy about that. I am starting back on WW today since I really haven't been on it since we left.

I'm looking forward to getting back on a routine and schedule.

It is time for me to take DS to summer school. We went at 8:45 to find out they changed the time to 10:30 while we were gone. I will try and get pics of the trip posted tonight.

Take care, and its GOOD to be back!!!!

Where is everyone!! I get back from vacation and everyone disappears!!!!

Stress!!!!! DH got the job!! It is a good offer but I don't know what to do!!!! I feel like it is up to me to make this decision. I know Dh wants it but the cost of living is sooooooooo high and a house would cost us 200-300 hundred thousand more for something similar to what we have here!!!! I just can't imagine how we can swing that. Then I would probably be a single parent for about a year, because our house would need to sell, I have to get certified in Arizona and find a job!!!! Ugh!!! Then to top it off I think I have a hernia and it would require surgery!!! I go to the doc in the morning to check it out. I am so freakin' stressed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My head is pounding and I know my BP is running high because I don't handle stress well!!!!! I'm not good at making these kinds of decisions...I can tell other people what to do but when it comes to myself forget it! I just can't think straight with this headache!!!

Well I am going to raid the cabinet for some Tylenol. I'll check back later!

Wow Paige! Sorry for disappearing on you. (((Hugs))) Calm down sister, it's all gonna be ok. First things first, let us know how that possible hernia checks out. I hope you are ok and it is nothing major. ****Healthy Vibes**** I've avoided stomach/esphagael surgery for years by taking it easy and taking meds. Ok - Next CONGRATS to your DH on getting the job offer. :cp: I can understand you freaking out a bit about the madness of selling, getting the license to teach in another state, etc, but take it a thing at a time. The real estate market moves fast and you might just sell your house in a matter of months and not nearly as long as a year. As for teaching it looks to me like AZ has a reciprocal license agreement. You have to have a copy of your out of state license sent, pay the $60 fee then if you've been teaching for the past 3 years the Prof Knowledge test is waived and if you have a Masters (not sure if you do or not) then the Subject prof test can be waived as well if not, that's the only test you'd have to take. And lordy girl it looks like they NEED teachers and you'd have no trouble going right to work. Now as for the cost of living (price of house) increase - does the new job for DH pay more? Do you have equity in the house you're in now? I bet you can make this work SOMEHOW :) If it is the right thing, it will come together.

As for me, I'm still weighing in at 139 and TOM has flown by with a fury. Might still have some bloating, but not much. I haven't been very committed this week to staying below calories to lose. I'm feeling stressed about moving and my kitchen is already out of sorts. I can't wait until this time next month. ;)

Congrats to DH, Paige. I think that if you take it one step at a time, you'll work through the issues. Heck, Kerry did some of the research for you. :) Basically you've got to ask yourself "Do you want to live where you are or in AZ?" Answer that question and the rest will follow. When we made that decision to move across the country, it was scary and felt like I was jumping off a cliff. It was well worth it. I love where I'm at now and I was not pleased to live where I was at.

Kerry, so TOM left you and traveled to me. How nice of him... I think maintaining the 139 is great. It's easy to slip off when near goal and gain weight. You're doing great.

I had a great day yesterday. Got lots of stuff done (including working at home again) and made progress on my sweater. It just might be done in time for my vacation to Alaska. I swam laps and stayed under my calories. Since TOM arrived, I didn't bother to weigh in this morning. I just know that I'm doing so much better staying on track.

Talk to you later.
Marie

Howdy girls!
Seems like forever since I have posted! I managed to sneak a day off yesterday and took my son to zoo camp and then I had a long awaited doctor's appt. It was nice not to be yelled at about my weight. LOL The doctor's scale said 137, but that was with shoes. I also had my weigh in at Jenny Craig last night and it showed I am down to 136.1 only a .9lb loss but I'll take it. Almost a pound right? I am off again on Friday, another zoo camp session and a trip to the amusement park. Should be fun....gotta watch my food! Yikes! I am doing most of the day on my own. (no jc food) Man I love funnel cake and french fries! I have to be strong! :strong:

Glad to see you are back Lori. I am also glad you got the points tossed on the stop sign! :cp: You are doing a great job on the weight loss! 133!!!!! I still have between 11-16lbs to go....I'll decide once I get to 125, but I am betting I won't be happy with that since my gut is huge!!!!!! I don't think 11lbs is going to take care of it.

Welcome back Paige! Congrats to your hubby on the new job! :bravo: I know this is a stressful time, but it should be exciting too! Looks like Kerry found some good info for ya! Take a deep breath! Relax! Everything will work out for the best!

Marie-You are very talented! I could never knit a sweater. I wish I knew how to do stuff like that. I can't even sew a stitch properly. My TOM is due too in about 5 days or so, which is why I think I lost so little this week...at least I am counting on it :lol:

Kerry-Hang in there! You will be moved out and into your new house before you know it! I can't believe we have been in ours for a year already! Time sure does fly! One more piece of advice for all you ladies who are totally stressed out, when I went to the doctor yesterday I had them look up my weight from last year, and I was at 161 last April. By February I was at 171!!!!!!! I was stressed to the max! Eating like mad! So please ladies don't do what I did! I hate to harp, but I don't want to see you guys go through what I went through! Ok, I'm off my soap box. :soap: I just hope I can follow my own advice ;)

Well this is going to be a tough week for me, with going to the amusement park on Friday and my hubby's bday is tomorrow :hb: and we are going to dinner. I am going to buy a couple of those tiny birthday cakes one for him and one for our son...I'm sure I will sneak a taste :s: Better than buying a whole cake and having it around all weekend! :D

ttfn!

Good Evening Chickies!!

Don't be patting me on the back to soon, I haven't seen 133.5 lbs since Monday's weigh in, it might have been an after TOM fluke!

Breath Pagie, breath!!! It's ok, if you want to live in AZ, then for goodness sakes go for it! You couldn't have a better time to sell your house than right now, I don't know what is going on with the market but you'ld more than likely get more out of it than what you paid for it. Yes the cost of living in AZ is high, but so are the wages! My DH's aunt lived out there for about 5 years until she got home sick. You can do it, and before the dust started to kick up it sounded like you wanted to go, so by all means do it!!! Let us know how the Dr. Appt. goes, hope all is ok!!!!

Kerry, how was your Dr. Appt? Not being able to find the kitchen can make life total _ell!! But way to go on the 130's, you broke the bubble!

Marie, I can't begin to imagine moving clean across the US, where did you start out? I'm such a terd, I won't even discuss the issue. This is home, I don't care what comes up over the creek bank, what falls in the yard, and how crazy my neighbors are. Ok, I have some really large issues, I can admit it, but I refuse to deal with it!

Julie, great to see you! Isn't it nice not to get scorned like a little kid when you go to the Dr.'s. I just hated that! Mmmm Funnel Cake! Oh I may have to mix up a batch! Love that grease!!!! No wonder I have weight issues! Zoo camp sound interesting, what do they do?

Ok, I've got to fold some laundry and get to bed. Were going to Lernerville Friday night (dirt track racing) so I'm going to lose a night of keeping the house together (what a shame :D ) So it's a mad dash to get as much done as possible! And I'm slowly getting back into the swing of working out, 2 weeks of being a lazy bum sure is making me drag my feet and I just want to cheat, cheat, cheat. It is sooo easy to get off track!

Julie - You are really doing great girl!! I get excited about .5 ;) And I too am a sucker for funnel cake AND elephant ears and well any fried dough! :lol: I guess I have that in common with Homer Simpson. :p

Lori - Thanks for asking about the doc. I had to reschedule the appt though. My cycle got screwed up in the past 6-7 weeks and since I'd made the appt so far in advance well. . . I couldn't very well go to the OB during TOM. :o So I'm going the first week of Aug. It's ok and after our move, so hopefully I'll have more focus on ME :)

Marie - Sorry I kicked TOM to you. It sounds like you've been enjoying yourself. Way to go on your progress on the sweater, you make me very curious to see this creation.

Paige - How did the doc go? How are you? I hope you're feeling better.

Judy - We haven't seen you in awhile. Are you traveling? I hope your doing good and the weather isn't too hot and muggy to keep you from your walks.

Hi everyone, it's hard to believe another day is almost over. I just love summer so much that I live for each minute of it. Of course, the opposite is true - I hate winter so much I anxiously watch the calendar and the yard for signs of spring.

I spent the day on the pool - first time floating this year. Kerry, I'm eating crow - I got sunburned because of now sunscreen. I'd thought it was too late in the day to get burned (3:00) but I was wrong. I only have a pink nose but it's still burned and I had to admit it to Kerry.

I also finished the knitting part of my sweater. All I have left is to sew up the pieces. I'm going to do a little of that tonight and tomorrow morning. I will take a picture of it and post it. That is, of course, if it turns out right.

Julie, I'm a stress eater too. That and from boredom. It's no wonder I gain weight when eating is my favorite pastime.

Kerry, don't worry about sending TOM to me. It sounds like I'll be sending him to Julie soon. :) and the comment about Homer Simpson was too funny. I love doughnuts - that's my fried food achielles heel.

Lori, have fun at the race on Friday night. I had a blast at the Nascar race a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure I've had so much fun in a long time. And ignore the laundry. It just gets dirty again. :)

Talk to you later.
Marie

Lori, I forgot to answer you. We moved from Virginia to Minnesota without having jobs or housing lined up about 17 years ago. Then I realized I hated Minnesota (family lives there) and told DH that I was moving to the mountains. He decided that he'd join the kids and me, and we moved to Oregon. That was by far the best move of my life. It is paradise here. :) (except when the weather is breaking records for lows in the spring).
Marie

Good morning!
Well today is hubby's birthday and my son and I ended up getting him a nike shirt and a basketball for gifts. We got a hoop installed above our garage a couple of weeks ago, and the ball we had was very old and worn out, not to mention I ran over it with the car :lol: It melted to the undercarriage and was toast! The burning smell that I drove around with for a couple of days was awful! Anyway he was really excited, he had been wanting a regulation size basketball since before I ran the old one over so I got him one. Wish me luck that I don't :ink: pig out at dinner tonight and the park tomorrow.

Lori-Zoo camp is at the Pittsburgh Zoo they have a toddler program, the session is only 45 minutes long, perfect for little ones, it was cute, they brought in a rabbit, an owl and an opossum for the kids to see up close. And we made a couple of art projects. My son loved it. That session was called Down on the Farm. Tomorrow we are doing Itsy Bitsy Bugs :fr: I don't even want to think about what they will be bringing in for the kids to look at. They do have some programs for older kids where you drop them off for a few hours.
I'm sure you will see 133 again! don't sweat it. Have fun at the dirt track. Do you guys participate or watch?

Kerry-Homer Simpson! You crack me up! :lol3: I can just picture him with drool coming from his mouth making that gurgling sound.

Marie-I haaaaate winter too! I have been a bad girl all summer :o ...no sunscreen at all except when I remember on my nose...I have a tendency of looking like Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer LOL. I try not to stay out too long, but I am so tired of looking like a ghost. This is the first time I have had any kind of a tan in years. Do you tan using sunscreen? I know a few people who do, but I am not one of them!

If I don't see you guys before Monday, have a good weekend!

Good Morning!!

Well, this has been such a stressful week!!! Trying to get back on a routine after being gone is hard enough..... We decided not to accept the job offer in Phoenix. We are still planning to go but it would just have been too hard to do it now. I would be a single parent for a year and have to handle selling the house and keeping it in "show" condition and work on my AZ certification. Just too much!!!!! We are going to put the house on the market after Christmas and then in the meantime I am going to take two online classes that I need on Arizona and the constitution, get my fingerprint card, and take the two exams that I need...one for teaching and one for principal certification. That way I can be certified when I start looking for a job in the spring. I won't move unless I have an admininstrative job. I have worked too hard to get were I am professionally to go back to the classroom and teach. Once I have a job then we will move and DH will find something once we get there. That is the plan for now.

I also went to the doctor this morning and I have an umbilical hernia. So I am waiting for the surgeons office to call me this week to schedule an appointment with him. She also put me on blood pressure medicine and I have to go back and see her next week for a physical. Then she is moving to San Deigo so I will have to start seeing someone new after next week. When I was at the doctors office this morning I was so embarrased my kids looked like I had just beat them. Cameron has a bite mark on his cheek that he got from the dog this morning. He deserved it!!! Then Hannah fell out of bed last night and hit her nose on her toy box. So she has a swollen nose with a bruise and a swollen upper lip. It is always something!!!!!!!

Also on Monday while I was at the store the water company came and shut the water off. DH didn't mail the bills while I was gone, he didn't even open any mail...it was all waiting for me....along witht he notice that the water would be shut off if not paid by the 3rd!!!!!! So I had to take care of that with a reconnection fee of $50.

And the doctor wonders why I have high blood pressure!!!!!!!!

The good news is that I am back on plan and doing well....I am still so surprised that I didn't gain any weight on vacation!!!!

Well it is time to take DS to his reading class. I'll check back later today when I have a chance...to much time ranting on my issues I didn't have a chance to respond to any posts...sorry girls I'll do better next time!!!

Paige - holy cr@p girl! My blood pressure is going up just reading your post! It sounds like you and DH made the right decision for you to wait to move. You have some things to get in order before you move and if you don't want to go back to the classroom, I agree that it is wise to take the time for your career to stay on track. Sorry about the hernia. :( I hope you get fixed up and feel better soon. It's good that your staying on plan for eating, but I hope you can destress a bit too. Hang in there :)

Julie - Your hubby and my hubby need to get together and play b-ball. :p That's one of the first things my DH asked about the new house "can I put up a basketball hoop?" Enjoy your dinner and eat what you want, but NOT TOO MUCH ;)

Marie - Sorry about your sunburn :lol: Mine faded in 2 days into a nice tan. I'm hoping to work on the tan a bit more this weekend. Please do share a photo of your sweater when you finish. I'd love to see it! :) oh and I like to use the Banana Boat suntan lotion with low spf to just keep that burn away but still get tan.

Lori - I too am curious about your dirt track racing event on Friday. Do you race yourself or just spectate? My folks used to race their 69 Stingray Corvette before they had kids. They went from that to yelling at me for driving too fast when I learned to drive and criticizing all 3 of their kids for always buying sporty/fast cars. :lol:

As I stood on the scale this morning (weighing on Thur instead of Fri like Im supposed to) DH comes behind me and says "yep it says 138" No way! I told him I don't understand the scale. He says to me that it goes in marks of two and I'm one mark below 140 so that's 138. I can't believe it. I am so close to 135. :eek: i might make it and keep on going. :crossed: Though I do have family vacation coming up. :beach: And my family is a terrible eating influence and then San Fran where I am sure we will eat ourselves silly. Maintenance might be the name of the game ;)

TTYL. Sorry I went on and on and on. I'm a bit bored at work today. :bubbles:

Morning all. Everything is great around here today. The weather, DH coming home from his trip, the sweater looks like it's turning out good, the pool chemicals are finally in blanace and the pool area is clean. Wow! It's a great. DH said I could drive the topless Jeep across the mountain to pick him up from the airport. YEAH!!!! I really love my jeep.

Julie and Kerry, the sunburn is fading and I'm very dark tan. It's almost too much with blonde hair and blue eyes. I usually use SPF 45 but I still tan like crazy. Today I will be covered in it for the trip across the mtn. It's about 75 miles eachway in the sun. So I will be smarter today. I use Neutragena 45 Dry touch. I like it and it doesn't make me oily. I thought of wearing a long sleeve shirt for the drive, but it's going to be 100 degrees on the other side and I'd literally keal over in the heat.

Julie, have fun with DH tonight. The presents sound perfect. Don't eat too much but remember that one day off your diet won't ruin it (unless you let it but that's another soap box).

Paige, it sounds like you made the right choice for you. Best to get your ducks all in a row before jumping in the water. You guys had valid reasons for turning down the job. He'll find something perfect for him once you have your job and move.

Kerry - you are the woman!!! 138!!!! Way to go. I am just so jealous. :) I'll get there and then we'll have to go tanning together.

Good evening Chickies!!!

Paige I don't know if I should laugh or feel bad! It's probably a smart move that you wait til you get your ducks rounded up. Who knows, maybe the company will offer your DH the job again when you are ready. My kids look like battered children during football season, you should see people look at them. And we get lots of questions. You should see them showing off their battle scars, they are so proud and I could just crawl in a hole!

Marie, you may melt! 100 degrees, yuck!!! Although the ride sounds like fun, I think I'ld opt. for AC! Sounds like your having a great day, good for you! Rub some of that my way!!! I had to go to work today and it just s_cked!!!

Julie, have fun playing ball! Yea, that would be rough running around with a smelly melted ball under your car. I thought a skunk was bad, but I may reconsider that!

See Kerry, it's dopping off!! Wahoo!! And to all, no I would never race at a dirt track! They are all crazy, although I've come close to running a bus on the nights when they run the buses, but figured I best not since I usually was the only sober when in the gang and I drove the drunks down on a bus. If I wrecked I'm not sure how they would have all gotten home. I used to drag race in my younger days, and if we had the money we'd all be drag racing now. But for now we're all just watching.
These are sprint cars http://www.lernerville.net/Pictures/7805/DSC_0170.jpg
Here is a crapy bus picture, but you'll get the idea http://www.lernerville.net/Pictures/6705/DSC_5203.jpg
Ok dinners done and I need to work out!
Chat with ya all later!!!!

Morning girls!
I am at home this morning. I had some work to catch up on since I couldn't get anything done at work yesterday! All day long people at the office were driving me nuts and at 5 o'clock my boss comes in my office to chit chat (oh yea personal stuff) while I am frantically trying to finish up so I can meet my family for my husband's birthday dinner. So when 5:45 rolls around and my husband calls to ask where I am, my boss says oops sorry for keeping you...DO YOU THINK THE BIRTHDAY CAKE I HAD SITTING ON MY DESK WAS A HINT??????!!!! Not to mention the fact that the whole office knew it was my husbands birthday....oh well, Not sure what his deal is. :shrug:
Dinner went well, I behaved and only had a tiny piece of cake. :D
Now we're off to the amusement park today....boy I'm starving! I have not had breakfast yet.

Paige-Sounds like you hands are full. Better to hold off until you guys are really ready. No sense in rushing into things if it is not the right time.

Marie-Sounds like you had a wonderful day! How was your jeep ride? I always thought it would be kind of cool to ride in one of those. By the way I am soooo jealous of your ability to tan. I am alot less paler than I use to be, but could stand to be a bit darker.

Kerry-You go girl! 138!!!! :cb: That is great! What kind of hoop are you guys getting? The pole kind or one that hangs above the garage? We have one that hangs above the garage. The guy hung it crooked at first and had to come back and fix it :lol:

Lori-Have fun at the track tonight!

Lori - DH was cracking up last night at the busses!! He said it brought back memories for him - I didn't know he had such!! :lol: Have fun! Thanks for the support on the lbs continuing to drop. I got on the scale again this morning to make sure and it said the same thing. :D How are things going for you getting back on track? I must say that I never really did get back on the exercise kick. I wish I could do what you do... I have no motivation right now to do it though.

Julie - My boss can easily pull that stuff with me too. It sounds like you ended up having fun though once you escaped. Enjoy your day today!! :) I guess we'll be getting one on a poll since we don't have a garage. I wonder how much that's going to set me back. :dizzy: It's always something. And we STILL haven't decided on Lazboys. I'm thinking we should just purchase one for now anyway. Decisions decisions....

Hi all, yesterday was great. Hot, ut great. The ride over the mnt. pass was fun. I slathered on the SPF 45 and sweated. Oh well. It was worth it. I don't like AC and I would have had to use it if I took the Durango. By the time we got home, I was wet - literally soaked the back of my clothes. So we went swimming and did a 1/4 mile. I won't go farther because then I'll start looking at my pool like it's work. A 1/4 mile is about right for an okay workout.

Today we took the dogs hiking and it was gorgeous. Had to get up early since it's supposed to be hot and we wanted the dogs to go in the cooler morning temps. I sure do raise my heart rate when we go up the mtn. Hopefully it'll help me shed a pound. I'll take them anyway that I can.

The sweater will be finished today. I'm almost done. I'm already thinking of the next project, but it wouldn't be done by next week for the cruise, so I'm not in a rush.

Lori, sorry about your day yesterday - TODAY IS FRIDAY!!! :D I think the reason I'm so happy is that I'm not working at the moment. I swear when I get rich, I'm quitting. This is truly the way to live.

Kerry, get both of the recliners - one for you and one for him. Problem solved. :lol:

Julie, I'll give you some of my tan. It's too dark. I'm hoping it'll fade in the next week, but playing in the pool sort of makes that hard. :cool:

Well, I will be back later, taters.

Hi everyone, I did it. I finished the sweater and here it is... BTW, it fits perfectly!

http://www.mariesdogs.info/images/sweater.jpg

Good Morning Chickies :coffee: !!!!

Ahhh, the weekend at last! We had a good time at the track last night, I have dirt and clay all through my hair from the dust they kick up! I'll be needing a shower asap this morning.

Marie, the sweater is just georgous. You'r really making me consider one of those fancy machines!!!! I had no idea it could produce such nice stuff! Remember take lots of pictures on your cruise, I'm very interested. We've kicked around an Alaskan cruise, but I'm so afraid to fly. Maybe someday!

Julie, Glad to hear you eventually got out of work. That always happens to me too, but it's not my boss. As soon as I'm in a hurry something goes wrong and needs my attenetion and I'm stuck at work. We have a big job that we're doing this morning that I set up so I'm just waiting for my phone to start ringing. Are drivers are some of the nicest people, but sometimes they can be real pin heads when it comes to making a decision. I always tell them your there and I'm not, do what you think is best and I'll back you up, just don't get stuck!

Kerry, the bus races are soooo much fun! My kids go nuts, they have to be careful during the powder-puff races, the girls are so much more agressive than the guys. They have a tendancy to roll them over and really smash them up. It's almost like a bus demolition derby! It's going to be on a Sat. night this year so I'll be going. Julie, you ought to come out, it's really not far at all. It's on Sept. 10th. Just follow 228 all the way out to 356 (sarver), hang a left and it's a few miles on your right on 356.

The diet swing went well this week, until last night. But I only had a couple slices of pizza and a hand full of nachos. Bad thing is I need to do a doulbe work out today to make up for what I missed last night and I skipped Tue. coz I thought my blood pressure was going to explode (our fixed van never got out of the driveway) It was stuck in second gear, screaming just another couple of hundred dollars. My mechanic (DH) almost had a stroke, we have reservations at a camp ground for next weekend and there is no way we can get all that crap in my car. DH & I settled down and ordered the part, but now I'm afraid to take it that far. I wanted to drive it for a week or two to see what else falls off it.

OK DS is up and his glasses are bent, so we have to go get them straightend!

Some of our vaction pictures! http://users.adelphia.net/~lmatis/

Where oh where to all the working stiffs go??? On vacation???

Anyway, Lori, thanks for the compliment. The sweater machine isn't too expensive - about 200 at joann.com. I saw at walmart a machine made by bond (the same manufacturer as mine) for 88. I don't know if it's as wide and such, but next time I go, I will look at it more carefully. I will post the cruise pictures on my website (www.mariesdogs.info) when I return. I think I'll bring the whole webpage with me so that I can redo it. I was playing with different dreamweaver functions and it made it sort of screwy. I learned a lot - which had been the goal - but now I want my site to look good.

Today was a great day. About 100 out but the humidity was only 19% so it didn't feel bad. I floated on the pool for about 1.5 hours with SPF45 protecting me this time. I'm also done dog sitting for a friend and that's a relief. There have been a few problems along the way during the owner's 16 day absence and I am very much a perfectionist when it comes to animals. So I'm not sure I like the responsibility. Besides my three pups weren't thrilled with me having the smell of other dogs on me.

Okay, that's about it. I also watched the nascar race and am totally bummed that Gordon had brake problems. I like wearing my new #24 shirt and hat - but I got them at the start of his slump and I'm thinking I should keep them in the drawer from now on. :)

TTYL.

Mondays Suck!
 

Marie - Your sweater is awesome!!! That is some talent that is worth something or at least you have something to show for it.

Lori - Thanks for sharing the vacation photos! Looks like the boys had fun on the beach even if DH didn't :D

I'm a little down and out recently. Things are really out of sorts for us with the house, the move, etc. DH & I haven't been communicating well and I've let everything build up to the point where all I want to do is cry. Suprsingly I'm not inclined to binge and eat everything in sight. Quite, the opposite - no appetite. :(

I keep telling myself that it's going to get better, we're going to get moved, things will get organized, furniture will get purchased and DH will get less moody. But it is hard to convince myself of all this. I am usually so upbeat and happy, but I just feel so down right now.

Sorry to be a bummer. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Hellloooo!!!!
My day off was nice...missed zoo camp though because hubby was dragging his feet. We had to reschedule for another day. Oh well....had fun at the park though....Lori you have been to Kennywood haven't you? Seems like they changed a few of the rides a little bit, like adding regular seat belts on some of the coasters and adding a no skid surface to the turtle ride...half the fun of that ride was sliding around the seat!!!
LOL...guess you have to have gone there to know what I am talking about, but anyway, it only rained for about 1/2 hour, which helped cool things off a bit. So the rest of the day was nice. I made some poor food choices, but I did not over eat, just had a taste of what hubby and son were eating here and there. I more than made up for it by doing 1hour of cardio the next day!

Lori the bus races sound like fun. I'll have to mention it to my husband and see what we have going on that night.

Marie, I love the sweater! Can't wait to see pics of your trip!

Kerry, Things will calm down I promise! Me and hubby fought all the time when we were moving. Once you get settled things will be ok! Hang in there. We all get down sometimes!

Today was a busy day! I took the kids to work with me this morning so I could plan our back to school staff development for our staff. It will be alot of fun. We got a grant this year so we are going to Kemah (close to Galveston) for a faculty retreat. The leadership team will go down on a Wed. and then the staff will come Thursday and stay through Friday afternoon. It should be alot of fun!!! The school (grant$$) will pay for the hotel and meals for everyone. We are going to focus on teamwork activities and tie them in to how this could help student achievement. Then I took the kids to McDonalds for lunch before DS had to go to his reading class at 2:00. We also went to Target so that the kids could pick out new lunch boxes and backpacks.

Tonight I need to clean out my closet. I know I have a bunch of stuff that I could send to the Salvation Army. Yesterday I went through all the kids clothes and toys and packed up a bunch of stuff to send. I need to call tomorrow and arrange for a pick up this week. I also need to make curtains for my living room this week. I was going to do it back in May and just haven't gotten around to it yet. Since I start back to work on Monday I guess I had better get them done this week.

Kerry- Moving can be really stressful!! But it will be so worth it once you guys get settled and things can get back to normal. Hang in there...I promise you will find light at the end of this tunnel!!!!!

Marie- The sweater is beautiful!!!! You are so talented! I am jealous of your 19% humidity!!! I would kill for that!!! If we end up moving in the next year I will certainly not miss the humidity here!!!!!!

Julie-it has something to do with Murphy's Law...It never fails on days that I have to get out of there early, a teacher or parent has to come in just as I am getting ready to leave and they stay...and stay...and stay....I feel your pain on that one!!!!!!! I'm glad you had a nice day at he amusement park.

Lori-I think in another life I was a race car driver of some kind...I'm not really into NASCAR and all that but I remember when I was in St. Louis at a wedding my BF and I were looking for something to do and we made a wrong turn and ended up a the drag races....it ended up being so much fun!!!!! I love to drive fast anyway!!!

Well I guess I should go fix dinner. DH just got home and I can already here him in the kitchen.