I have one! It's for quilts and is something like 110" long. Grabbed the first one I saw at Wal-Mart and it's a big'un. :D

Dad's fine - blood tests were okay and he's home.

I got my closet re-organization started. Stuff everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Going to bed and facing it again tomorrow after we weigh in and go to the YMCA. G'night, all.

Whew, I'm up, I'm up! :p Actually, I got to work late today...didn't roll in till about 6:20. That's okay, though, since I stayed an hour late yesterday. Of course, staying an hour late yesterday meant sacrificing the gym, but my boss already asked me to work over the weekend (and I said no, so I figured it was the least I could do.

Tonight, Jeff and I will be eating at Damon's--he loves to play the trivia on the big tv :dizzy: Then we're off to see the new remake of The Amityville Horror. I have the original on VHS and have been watching it since I as about 6, so I hope this isn't a huge disappointment. Should be pretty good with new special effects and such. Then tomorrow, Jeff, his 5 cousins, and I are going to Jillian's (the grown-up Chuck E. Cheese's). Should be fun--I LOVE the virtual bowling. What an arm workout!

So, have I told you guys how badly I need a new car? Nearly $2000 of work into my current 1993 Toyota Camry in the past 3 months (brand new distributor, new radiator, radiator hoses, and thermostat), and it still needs more work! Needs new front drive axels (bout $510), new rear struts, new front brakes...it's just not worth putting the money into it anymore. So, good thing I got a second job so I can take on a car payment, right? Ugh, I got the new job so I could pay off my bills, not acquire another one! But, gotta do what I gotta do. I've been looking online (like I have the time to go to the actual dealerships!), and I think I'm going to go with either a Honda Civic, a Toyota Corolla, or a Toyota Echo. I want to stay Honda or Toyota strictly for the reliability factor (assuming the previous owner took car of the car). I think the previous owner of my current car didn't do much with it, and it had a little over 100,000 miles on it already when my parents bought it for me. Now I'm only looking at cars that have around 60,000 or fewer miles on them. Might as well get the new (used) car while I have time to think about it rather than wait a few months and have my Camry completely die on me and be forced to buy the first new car I see, ya know? Bah, it's all a bit of a headache for me. Anyway...

Back to work! Formatting resumes is fun. I enjoy formatting resumes (maybe if I keep telling myself this stuff, I'll begin to believe it :p ). Have a FABULOUS weekend, ladies!!

hey all
 

Hello there..WTG all of you who have lost inches and pounds...that is FABULOUS!!! :D

Jill~~ I have a Toyota matrix ( 1st year it came out) it is excellent on gas mileage, and zippy...we are just exchanging it because hubby hates station wagon kinds of cars. I love Toyotas over Hondas myself, we get one or the other usually, though he is seriously giving thought to the Mazda3 for me...

Another week of curves, I felt much better today after taking the day off yesterday...back to my energetic self...After we dropped the dog at PetCo to get groomed, he took me out for Breakfast...I love doing that once a month or so...Having grilled chicken over tossed salad tonight( with Fresh made dressing ~ good seasons, I mix a packet of the garlic and herb with a packet of zesty italian and then add the oil and stuff to make a huge bottle for the week, that is a great mixture to try..., and he promised me a trip to the new StoneCold Creamery down the way...I hear it is FABULOUS :D ...I will try not to be too bad, LOL, Yeah RIGHT!! Did I tell you all how much I love that Edys Low fat ice cream? That is good stuff, tastes yummy..

HAGD all, BBL! :D

Ahh, cars. We had a 1987 Park Avenue which seemed to be a perfect car. Then, the summer Howie had his back surgery (and I was let go from my job at a university), the engine blew on it and we had to have it completely rebuilt. Ouch! Thank God, we had many little financial miracles that summer, things like cash showing up in unmarked envelopes in our church mailbox, friends dropping by with money, etc. Between Howie's workers comp and my unemployment, plus those gifts, we had just what we needed - nothing more, but what we needed.

Weighed in and showed a 1-pound loss! Happiness! Howie was teetering at 300, SO close to 299. Afterward, we went on a drive out to Dawe's Arboretum (where that Japanese Garden photo I posted was taken). The magnolias, some azaleas, and many tiny woodland wildflowers are in full bloom and it's gorgeous. The big show in the crabapple collection is coming up soon - that's *really* a sight.

"Weighed in and showed a 1-pound loss! Happiness! Howie was teetering at 300, SO close to 299. Afterward, we went on a drive out to Dawe's Arboretum (where that Japanese Garden photo I posted was taken). The magnolias, some azaleas, and many tiny woodland wildflowers are in full bloom and it's gorgeous. The big show in the crabapple collection is coming up soon - that's *really* a sight"~Kimberley

Wtg on the loss, something is better than nothing...I plan to measure myselff next weekend too with the weigh-in, I am really feeling like I have lost a few inches...You will have to get pics on here of the park, I wish we had places like that around here to see, although nothing is in bloom yet here...Maybe we will go up to Saratoga with the dog when the trees start to bloom...there is a beautiful park there...
well, gotta run, BBL all, Hag1 :)

Gooodmorning!! I still have 20 minutes left to my morning.. hehe... I am feeling pretty good this morning, my makeup looks great, the clothes I have picked out are super cute, we'll see how my puff ball (hair) turns out though. Its looking very country right now, I can't believe how straight it's getting! I normally have curly ringlet hair, but have been straightening it almost every day. I feel vain today.. lol, I'm looking at myself in the mirror and thinking how hot I look.. teehee...

Kimberley - congrats!! 1 more pound GONE! You are so consistant with your weight loss, I'm impressed :)

Jill - these short posts have me wanting MORE.. I'm going thru Jill withdrawl.. no more work for you!! ;) Definitely get a new car, my mom has a 2001 honda civic, it's been SO good to her, she had a few things to work out.. but after that it's been smooth sailing. Her and I bought our cars at the same time, and while I've changed the brakes 2 times, had my wheel barings done, struts done, strut bushings fixed and am now looking forward to a new transmission and another brake change.. she's done nothing. She's also got TONS more km's on her car than I do.. I have a Chev Cavalier, they've treated me in such a way that I'd never buy a GM again.. there has been SO many loopholes with our warrenty, basically it works out that nothing is covered. Poo on CHEV!! Heh..

Diana - you are doing so well with curves, It's inspiring, keep it up :) Sounds like you are having a nice day :) It's rainy and gloomy here.. fortunately I'm feeling FABULOUS! Yes thats right.. the return of that word.. lol ..

Marge - WHERE ARE YOU?!?!??!?! The day is almost over.. and no post from you yet.. me so lonely...

-Aimee

here is something funny I found on my Crafter's forum:


English .. a constant source of frustration
>
> Can you read these correctly .. the first time?
>
> 1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
>
> 2) The farm was used to produce produce.
>
> 3) The landfill was so full, they had to refuse more refuse.
>
> 4) Please polish the Polish furniture.
>
> 5) He could be in the lead if he would get the lead out.
>
> 6) The soldier chose to desert his dessert in the desert.
>
> 7) Since there is no time like the present, it is time to present the
>
> present.
>
> 8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
>
> 9) When shot , the dove dove into the bushes.
>
> 10) I did not object to the object.
>
> 11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
>
> 12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
>
> 13) They were too close to the door to close it.
>
> 14) The buck does strange antics when does are around.
>
> 15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
>
> 16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
>
> 17) The wind was too strong for us to wind the sail.
>
> 18) I shed a tear upon seeing the tear in the painting.
>
> 19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
>
> 20) I need to intimate this to my most intimate friend?
>
> Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in
> eggplant, no ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
>
> English muffins were not invented in England nor French Fries in France.
>
>
> Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
>
>
> We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find
> that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea
> pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
>
> And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't
> groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't
> the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?
>
>
> One index, 2 indices? Is it not crazy that you can make amends, but not
> one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but
> one of them, what do you call it?
>
> If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats
> vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
>
> Sometimes I think the first "teachers of the language" should have been
> committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. How is it that people
> recite a play and play at a recital; ship by truck and send cargo by
> ship; have noses that run and feet that smell??
>
> How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and
> a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a
> language in which your house can burn up as it burns down; you fill in a
> form by filling it out and an alarm goes off by going on.
>
> English was invented by people, not computers, and reflects the
> creativity
>
> of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all.
>
> This is why... when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the
>
> lights are out, they are invisible.
>
> PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick ????

Ack, what happened today? You all disappeared! I am so tired right now, and my brother isn't here yet.. I am just not good at staying up late... sleepytime...

-Aimee

Yesterday I went to the gym at 7am (NObody was there, guess tax day kept everyone at home!). Rob got me headphones so I watched MTV and VH1 while I did the bike and treadmill, heh heh.

Then we went to the botanic garden and I think I almost literally walked my &(*&&^%$ feet off! :lol: All the magnolia trees in Magnolia Plaza were filled with blossoms. Really beautiful. We walked home through the park, and the magnolia and cherry trees were blooming. Great to get some fresh air and sunshine.

Last night I just about finished my mystery, Jim Chee got shot (again!) and I know who did it now. Tsk, tsk. Crime does not pay!

Aimee, I asked Rob about the sample sales and he said that some of the showrooms do cater to larger sizes. He said you find the places that sell larger sizes, like J. Jill, then get on their sample sale mailing list. Each company that produces their own stuff has a mailing list. Besides that, you can buy jewelry, purses, scarves, shoes! I never learned much about it, but it's definitely a gold mine for anyone that does basic research and has the interest.

I had a friend who used to shop at a Salvation Army on the Upper East Side and she'd get expensive designer clothes that were barely worn, because a lot of the rich women up there will wear something a couple of times then give it away to charity (!). Unfortunately, I'm usually the dummy who pays full price for a blouse that goes on sale a week later!

Congrats to all those of you with inches and lbs gone!! I'm taking the weight loss equivalent to the 5th! Fear not, Marge will never be defeated by the fat devil.

Diana, the jewelry sounds fun. I've gone through so many earring phases! In college the bigger the better. I had short hair too, that let me show them off. Mostly I wear posts now. I like necklaces and bracelets too. I have a silver chain bracelet that I never take off. I almost never wear rings. I don't like how they feel. Hmmm. Keep me posted on that.

This afternoon I'm going over to the Polish store to get stuffed cabbage for dinner. We watched a travel show this morning on Prague and Poland and got a craving!

Kaylee, I miss your posts. Hope your dad's ok!

I haven't owned a car since I came to NYC in 1989, believe it or not.

Stuffed cabbage sounds delicious! I have a head of cabbage in the fridge, along with some turkey sausages (spicy Italian!).

Good morning, everyone. Well, I've not made coffee yet, so it's not quite feeling like morning. Howie's been up since 9:30am (masochist!) and already has the lawn mowed. He also talked to our neighbors and asked if they might consider letting us take down their rag-tag, gap-toothed, 50-year-old fence. They're in their 80's and planning on moving, so they don't want to put money into anything; the husband told Howie earlier today he'd be fine with taking down the fence, but he'd have to talk to his wife.

Well, she's obviously the one who runs the household, and she said they'll have it "fixed". Last time they had it "fixed" was 2 or 3 years ago and the only panels not falling out are the ones put up to replace those which had. It's a dry-rotted old mess. Our friend who works for the city didn't give much hope for local zoning enforcement to do anything to help. Ugh.

I am going to have to find some temp work, both for car repairs and for some privacy fence. If they leave theirs like it is, we're just going to put up our own to shield that nasty thing from our view. I mean, would you want this by your patio and all along your yard? :(

Just a quick post from me... as my brother and his galpal are here..

Marge - when I make money.. I'M COMING!!! Seriously.. like.. omg.. I was drooling when I was reading your post about the sample sales... I just have to win that lottery ;)

Everyone - :wave:

-Aimee

Happy Saturday! I am so glad the weekend is HERE! I slept for almost 12 hours last night (and, sadly enough, feel like I could still use a few more). Of course, this feeling tired all the time thing is probably due to my schedule during the week, but lately, I have also been very cold at work. I am NEVER cold usually. One of my coworkers said I should be checked for anemia, as tiredness and feeling cold can both be symptoms. I have to go to a doctor anyway since I have an infected ingrown toenail (sorry to gross anyone out). I have had them before on my other foot in middle and high school, but I really can't afford to have foot pain now that I am running around a restaurant 4 nights a week. So, I will go to my doctor and have checked: my toe (for a referral to a podiatrist), my iron level, my thyroid (full testing, not just the basic one they usually do), and discuss my weight (see if she has any suggestions for me considering my schedule). I also need new contacts and glasses and have a cavity I STILL have to get checked. I am falling apart, I tell ya--my car isn't the only thing in bad shape here :p

Today, we are still going to Jillian's with Jeff's cousins, but now we have new plans for later, too. Jeff got 4 Washington Nationals (the new DC baseball team) tickets from a sales rep at work yesterday, so we're going to that game tonight, too. Fun! We're also going to a Baltimore Orioles game on the 30th, so that should be fun, too. Of course, that means no time to look at cars this weekend, no time to look next weekend (it's his cousin's birthday), and no time to look the weekend of the 30th. Looks like I'll just be checking out cars online till I get a chance to see any in person in May. Hopefully, my car will last me that long without new front drive axels :crossed:

Kimberley--I'd try to hide that fence, too! Not much of a fence with that many gaps and holes in it, eh?

Marge--Salvation Army and Goodwill stores rock! I also once knew a couple that would go to rich neighborhoods on trash day and search the sidewalks. They wouldn't like, go through their actual trash or anything gross, but a lot of people would throw out old lamps or furniture that was still perfectly good to us poor folk :p

Diana--That English language thing was cute! Being a technical writer (aka, grammar and punctuation geek), I can definitely appreciate that kind of stuff.

Aimee--Is this post long enough? :D How'd it go when you put in your notice at your job? Were they surprised? OR were they jerks about it? I'm so happy to hear you got that new job (not that I had any doubt). I'm sure you'll be SO much happier!

I had my heart set on this car I found on cars.com. It's a 1999 Audi A4 (sedan, not wagon). It's charcoal colored with black heated leather seats, power everything, sun/moon roof, cd changer, the works! It's so pretty, too, and it's only got 54,800 miles on it. I had my heart set on it (even emailed the seller) until I did a little research online. Turns out, that year/model seems to have quite a bit of electrical problems and issues with the rear wheel bearings. Also takes premium gas (with gas at $2.15 for regular here, I"m not about to upgrade anytime soon!), and if you don't use premium, it will get a carbon build-up and your check engine light will go on, which is at least $75 to have turned off. So, my dream car is no longer my dream car. Back to the Hondas and Toyotas. I though being an Audi that it would be a good, strong, German car, but I also know that even VWs have been going downhill lately, so I can't say I'm all too surprised.

Alright, well, Jeff is in the shower, so as soon as he gets out, we'll go grab some grub (I am starving!). OH, btw, anyone who likes scary movies, the new remake of Amityville was really good! After recent "horror" movies (Saw, White Noise, Darknes, etc.), I was expecting the same type of garbage. It didn't stick exactly to the story of the original, but it was still done pretty well. There were also a few moments of laughing instead of screaming or jumping, but overall, I'd give it a B+. It was a good balance of slight humor and bone-chilling imagery. Usually, when a movie has something scary happening every 30 seconds, it gets old pretty fast, but I actually kept jumping at the scary parts. Okay, that's it for me for now...hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Just when you thought I was gone.....
 

hey all. Ive missed you guys. Unfortunately things here havent been the best, which is the reason I was gone. Thankfully no one is ill, just ex-hubby issues w/ the kids, school issues, etc.:stress:
Congrats to everyone who has lost weight, inches, worked out, ate less, or tried as best as they could. We are strong women who can do this, even if it takes longer than we'd like...because by the sounds of it our support systems are large and wonderful.
Congrats also to Aimee who got her new job! I think that's wonderful, and I hope its all you hope it is.
Well, I know how hard it is to sometimes see the results, or have our families and friends see it, because they see us every day. So my solution to this is :idea: go see someone who hasn't seen you in a while..lol. Case in point: I havent seen my mom in about 3 weeks, and went over to see her last nite. She noticed as soon as I walked in the door that I had lost weight....it made my day completely. Its always an inspiration and self-esteem boost to hear that.
I have to performance coming up next Friday, and have been working hard for it...still I'm so nervous about it...lol. NO matter how often I'm up on stage, it still makes me sick to my stomach up until about three hours after the performance is over.. :joker:
Well, Im off to the store w/ DH. Have a wonderful evening ladies, and I"ll see you soon.

Hi everyone
 

well, what a Friday for us...let me see, started off great, Curves, breakfast...then all **** breaks loose...His mom calls hysterical, his sis was in an accident, her car got totalled...she was okay,Thank goodness, but five seconds after she tells my Hubby, she starts in on the problems with his dad she is having, bringing us into the issues again..Rod got PO'd and started yelling at her that he didn't care, it was between them and she needs to worry about his sis etc...then his dad calls and starts all sorts of crap...I had enough, and exploded...I was so mad for one because they were acting like idiots when they should be focused on her...His father is acting like a psychotic ( he is very arrogant, pig-headed etc)..and keeps asking where she lives ( his mom) and he has no reason to ever know...it is getting beyond scary..Literally something you would see in a movie...what a mess...they are all wacked...if we could move to a different state, we would..to get away from all of them...we can't because Rod will not find any job where he would make as much as he does...so we will stay ...at least until he retires..

sorry,had to vent...
WTG all on the weightloss! Marge, will let you know how the experiments go when I start, have a ton of other stuff to finish first..

Aimee~ You are so cute...boy wish I had your gusto when I was your age..

Jill~ Good luck on the car search, now my Sis-in-law is in your boat...

Kimberley~ that fence is terrible, boy, I thought I hd problem neighbors, well had since he left...you would think they would appreciate your help...

Well, am off, have a good one! :^:

Hey, you's all. Just a quick note because I'm pooped. Worked outside today, first potting up some hostas and iris a friend from davesgarden.com mailed to me, then doing some watering...who'd think we'd need to water already?! My elderly neighbor across the street (Pearl, 93 this year) is really hurting, so when she said she was going to clean the dead leaves and vines from her vinca, I said "oh, no you're not!" and did it for her. She didn't object very strenuously. ;) I just love her and hate to see her in pain like that. Like she said when telling me one of her annuities ran out, "I never expected to live this long!".

Anyway, it was a good outside day in the fresh air, but one of those days that (I hope) makes me sleep like a rock.