I did four miles last night. Christmas was visiting with many people I haven't seen in years. Very cordial and in some cases quite warm experience. My kids are thrilled with their presents, they are role playing fools at the moment. Lots of energy and fun being displayed.

Mel you are the princess of quite a lot, chin up, be proud!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...a/princess.jpg

Congratulations Ceejay, they realize how good you are and have come up with the cash to prove it:carrot: aren't you the determined one to try and best yourself next year. Best of good energy in getting there.

Carla-in my experience cats don't become cuddly until they are older. My cats are about 10 and both are really smooshie now. Totally too busy being little crazy maniacs when they were younger ;)

Shad-It is wonderful to have you back safely. Do you have the air conditioning on? How is the accountant/financial advisor role fitting? Are you making some headway? Your brother is a mighty fortunate fellow, I hope you get lots of hugs and appreciation.

PW-I checked out a website with that lady who wrote your book. It had clips and stuff. Can never go wrong with approaching this weight stuff by looking inward to see what the food represents in your life and how to make different choices when the moods swing. I hope it helps you steer your course.

Holly-I'm so glad your family Christmas was joyful and you could find delight in the little things. It is that total bliss when you see their eyes and read the name Santa! I believe in magic :D

Ruth-have a lovely visit with your friends! Try and stay warm in all that freezing rain. Hope you catch a few good bargains during your shop.

Madcat-please share your stories with us! The cat detective theme sounds hilarious. Is your detective a gigalo? Does he pose for pics with his artist lover? Does he have a foreign accent? My you sound determined to get your life together... Power up!!

:wave: Linus, Linda T., Lisa, Teel, Tig, Rose :hug:

Hugs Mel!! It took a long time for me to see those kinds of comments about me as the other person's hangups talking. I am pretty outgoing and happy and some people have hated me for it. I agree with your friends perspective.

A good friend wrote to me, "In this world, joyful is the most radical and subversive way of being."
Sad but often true.

Hi Ladies!!! Great posts.

My word Meadow, that bouncing hippo (it is a hippo isn't it?) is not getting very far along the line. He is cute tho' and I love the lady in red. She is something!!!

I'm going outside in a few minutes when the light is good enough for me not to trip over goannas, bearded dragons or other lizardy types in the yard to get some more weeding done and mulch down. Leave it much later and it will be too hot again. I'm not exactly sure that there are goannas, bearded dragons etc in the back yard but due to the lack of snails and slugs this year I suspect something is lurking out back. Meantime I'm drinking my coffee and reading up on the chicks' days.

PW - what weather you are getting now is probably similar to our winter weather. Winter here has lovely warm temps in the day but cool at night and is dry. What we have in the summer is hot and humid, although I have to admit it is not too humid right now. At 0400 it is pleasant out there but the promise of heat and humidity is right there. Yesterday I hung out the washing and it baked dry in less than half an hour. That included jeans. I still haven't gotten to that web site, but I will. Yes I will!

Mel - the DB2 is suitably chastened and grateful. Thanks for the hugs tho'. All help and sympathy gratefully received. He no longer has his credit card or his debit card so he can't get money unless I give it to him and he hasn't yet sunk low enough to pinch from the truck he drives. At least I don't think he has and he still has a job! So I suspect he hasn't. We have sorted out his immediate problems and his rent is paid and he has enough to buy petrol for the car and a few groceries. He will need a little extra this week to buy a present for one of the kids. Maybe this time! His entire attitude seems to have improved over the last week. Maybe it is because he is not seeing the size of his bills - they are now my headaches. Or maybe it was the speech that I read him after he started begging from his brother. Luckily my back is strong and I have a few skills here and there & I am more stubborn that he is!!! DS2 tells me that he (DB2) is a bit frightened of me especially when I get mad!
As for those in the office - they are probably trying to exert some authority over a person who can do their jobs better than they can. They probably see you as an interfering old biddy who gets up their collective nose with the problems of everyday life in the village which should be repaired and/ or need specialist treatment. Do NOT let them get at you. If they start getting personal (ie. hair, clothes or skin) then turn the conversation back to the impersonal and office speak. You're not there to discuss dress sense, personal attributes or social caste. Don't retaliate or they will know the best way to get at you!

Ceejay - :lol3: :lol3: The curtain fainted :faint: Perhaps it is lucky I have venetian blinds in the kitchen. It's probably the dirt holding them together. No, come to think of it, I haven't seen anything of LindaT - maybe she is just busy or maybe she hasn't surfaced from Christmas yet. Come on out LINDA!!! Just let us know you are okay!.

Ruth - are those damned calling birds leaving their calling cards when they come to visit. Your place must look like an aviary some days - what with partridges, geese, hens and calling birds. Bet you can't wait for the lords a leapin' !!!! :rofl:
You're welcome to some of our heat. But won't those darn cute polar bears in your backyard have a bit of a moan about the heat?

Madcat - my intake of veges was down a bit yesterday but the fruit was okay. I'll have another go for today. Must have eaten a bit of salt or something yesterday because despite the water intake the weight is up a bit. Today is another day. Strive to do the best I can for the day!
I'm looking forward to saying I know a great writer!!! The characters sound delightful - imagine a pink poodle as the villain - oh he is not pink, that is just his name.

Tig - perfect repartee. A smile can mean anything or nothing. You have the figure to show the effort and the worth. Bet she doesn't. And congratulations on being so disciplined over Christmas. Not only in what you said or rather didn't say. So many weren't. I thought I made the best choices possible, but I know some of them were not as good as they could have been. However it is a fine line between eating what is necessary and upsetting a culture for whom food is a dedication and a declaration of love.

Meadow - Gotta love that picture of Queen Mel. Your graphics are so cool. And well done on the mileage done. Do I have the aircon on? Not at this moment. I try to leave it off during the day, especially since I want to go in and out of the house to do things etc. I turn it on at night and sleep with it on because I know that the heat prevents good sleep patterns. And for me a good sleep is essential since I don't sleep for very long. About 5-6 hours is about the lot. I can happily survive the days after a good sleep. But that's just summer where I have chosen to live!

Okay, time to go. It's turned out to be a grey and cloudy morning. Maybe, just maybe we will get rain today. Keep your fingers crossed. I see Holly has posted while I have been at this. Morning Holly.

Yes, Meadow I did my own avatar... pencil sketch, scan, photoshop, Painter essentials. Will have to look for the flamenco girl as part of my inspiration visualization. Loved your Princess Mel!! Did you have to post it someplace else in order to get it so large IN the body of text?
How did you do your 4 miles? That sounds like a lot. Way to go.

Shad... You seem SO even keeled. Maybe in another 20 years (?!!!) I'll be moderate. Oops, that's not so optimistic, is it. I am being more even keeled day by day!! (That's better). Good luck with bearded dragons and mulch, etc.
If I don't get out into the yard soon, Spring is going to skip my yard... OR I'll be stuck with dreaded ANNUALS! :D
Oh, and to tell you how much denial I'm in, I think/thought Meadow's 'hippo' is/was a scottie dog.....:dizzy:

Tig -- thanks for reminding me that the inner voice is allowed to be WICKED truthful and vicious when the situation warrants it.

Hellos to Morelli, Carla, Linus and the rest...

Okay, Shad. So now I'm on Wallpaper break thinking about different cultures. Even different American Cultures. Not that I want to take THAT long of a break! :rofl:

Hey Mel :wave:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...l-mischief.gif

HEY MEADOW!!!:wave:

BTW...MEADOW~ I LOVED THE LADY IN RED AND THINK SHE'S FULL OF ENERGY AND WOULD MAKE A GREAT AVATAR!! THANKS FOR THE PRINCESS....AND I DO HAVE QUITE A LOT!! ROFL SOMETIMES I FORGET. GOOD FOR YOU AND THE 4 MILES...THE RED LADY IS ALREADY WORKING HARD THIS YEAR! LOL LOVE TO WATCH KIDS AND THEIR TOYS. WHAT IMAGINATIONS. WONDER WHERE IT ALL GOES WHEN WE GROW UP?!

CEEJAY~ YOU'RE A CURTAIN KILLER NOW?! MUST HAVE YOU COME AND CLEAN MY KITCHEN. I HATE THESE CURTAINS AND WOULD BE GLAD IF THEY FELL DOWN! IT'S NOT EVEN A PROPER WINDOW..JUST A SERVING WINDOW TO THE LIV.ROOM. NOW YOU ARE GIVING ME THE BUG TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEM! LOL JEN AND THE BF WATCH SPIKE TV LIKE YOU DO WHEN THE BOND MARATHON IS ON. THEY LOVE IT!

RUTH~ SHAD IS RIGHT AND THERE MUST BE A LOT OF NOISE TOO IN YOUR YARD WITH ALL THESE CRITTERS AND SOON TO BE PEOPLE CALLING, PIPING AND DANCING IN YOUR BACK YARD. WHEN YOU FINALLY GET THE DIAMOND RINGS GIVE ME A CALL! ROFL

HOLLY~ THANKS FOR THE HUGS AND I HOPE YOU DO FOLLOW THRU WITH DOING FOR YOURSELF AS WELL AS THE REST!!

SHAD~ I CAN IMAGINE DB IS AFRAID!! YOU SCARE ME OVER THE PHONE!!! :rofl: HE MIGHT GET STRONGER AS YOU TAKE OVER, GET THE MESS SORTED OUT AND HE GET'S A GOOD START. SOMETIMES WE JUST NEED AN ORGANIZER. WILL SEND HIM GOOD VIBES THAT HE TAKES SHAD'S HEED THIS TIME AND FOLLOWS THROUGH. GOOD OF YOU TO GIVE IT ALL ANOTHER GO. YOU ARE RIGHT...NOW IT'S ON YOUR SHOULDERS HE SHOULD FEEL GOOD! ROFLMAO I SEE TODAY THAT THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO US ARE LUCKY. THANKS FOR THE REMINDER TOO. SEND HEAT PLEASE!!...AND BEWARE OF THINGS THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT....OR EARLY DAWN IN YOUR CASE!

PW~ I COULDN'T IMAGINE WHAT SHAD MEANT BY A HIPPO!!! I THOUGHT IT WAS A SCOTTY DOG TOO....IN FACT I MUST GO AND FIND MY GLASSES THAT I NEVER WEAR TO MAKE SURE SHE IS RIGHT!!! ROFL THANKS FOR THE THOUGHTS. HOW GOES THELMA AND LOUISE?!
YOUR AVATAR WAS VERY NICELY DONE./..DIDN'T REALIZE YOU HAD DONE IT YOURSELF...OR I FORGOT YOU DID. NOT SURE WHICH ONE IT IS! ROFL

MADCAT~GREAT IDEA FOR THE BOOKS. I LOVE LILLIAN JACKSON BRAUN AND RITA MAE BROWN. GOOD LUCK AND GET GOING ON THEM AS I COULD USE SOME GOOD READS!! MADCAT AS AND AUTHOR'S NAME IS JUST TOO FUNNY! ROFLMAO "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" IS A GREAT MOTTO FOR 2006. I NEED ALL THE MOTIVATION I CAN MUSTER!! THANKS.

TIG~ I WILL TRY PRACTICING WICKED SMILES IN THE MIRROR! SUCH A GREAT IDEA.ONLY THING IS...I WILL HAVE TO PUT IT IN HIGH GEAR CAUSE SHE'LL BE RUNNING DOWN THE HALL AFTER ME TO FIND OUT WHAT IT ALL MEANS! ROFLMAO

I REALLY NEED TO PRACTICE ON MY ACTION/REACTION THING. THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM IN MY LIFE. WITH ALL THIS SUGAR THE REACTIONS ARE BECOMING MORE EMOTIONAL. NOW THE WITHDRAWAL WILL DO THE SAME. I WOULD MAKE A LOUSY GOLFER FALLING INTO THE SAME SAND TRAPS OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!! SEEMS LIKE AS FAST AS I TRY TO FIX ONE THING THE REST GO ASUNDER. :rofl: I AM TIRED OF TALKING ABOUT MY WEIGHT...SO THE MADCAT IS RIGHT...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
RICHIE IS FLYING THE KIDS HOME ON THE 3RD AND WILL BE BACK THE 4TH. JEN IS COMING BACK HERE AND WILL PICK HIM UP AT THE AIRPORT.IT WAS A VERY TOUGH XMAS. A RELATIVE SEARCHING FOR HIS 'REAL' FATHER AND FINDING HIM GAVE THE ENTIRE FAMILY A SHAKING RIGHT DOWN TO THEIR TOES. OF COURSE IT SPILLED OVER INTO THIS HOUSE TOO.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO GLAD TO SEE THE END OF A YEAR AS I WILL THIS ONE!! I MIGHT JUST ERASE IT FROM MY MIND ALTOGETHER! :lol3:
WELL IT'S OFF TO PURGE THE REST OF THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN TREATS. I REALIZED AFTER READING A POST...PW'S?...THAT I OVERLOOKED SOME THINGS ON PURPOSE. SELF HONESTY. SUCH A COMPLICATED CONCEPT. HAPPY THURSDAY/FRIDAY :moped:

Meadow~ you talented goddess. I believe in magic too. My kids are still discoving and playing wiht new stuff. DD has been wearing some purple gloves wiht hearts all over them all morning.

Mel~ah, self honesty. Some purging to do here too.

PW~ you have a lovely talent with the arts.

Miss Shad~baked jeans sound uncomfortable. We are too warm for this part of Canada at +2C/37F.

Carla~ your life sounds very full. Sometimes I aim to be dull! LOL!!

Miss Mad~ get crackalackin on that creative writing!!! I will be first in line at the bookstore.

Tig~My Mom has mastered a cute and hilarious art of the smile, while she whisper to me or Sis, F U very much. It is done with such class and grace.No one the wiser. It is one of our special sharing moments. LOL!!

Hello to everyone!!!!!!!!!!

I am loving this freetime, but have been rather selfindulgent with the time on the PC and phone and watching movies. It is just so foreign to me anymore. It has been 8 years since i have had free time like this.Tomorrow I have the neighbour coming to stay with my 2 angels and i am going to visit a freind, alone.
I ate my 4 cups of veg but also had some gingerbread and peanut brittle. Today I will do better again; no sweets!!!
Nice day. Good hockey game I took 4 kids and my Dad met us there.We had coupons for subway from the rink so I took everyone out for lunch. Kids were wound right up all aft but fun. I got tired and achey(pms and too much sugar). I watched a TV movie, DD played computer learning games , DS watched hockey, hubby slept on the couch. Good nights sleep. 6 kids today for parts of the day. DS has hockey at 2 but going with another family. Then he has a Bday party.
It is raining again, warmish,mild, un-wintery weather.Yuck.

Today I MUST: clean up the diningroom and put away Christmas stuff.
-do the darn dishes, hubby slept and didn’t do as promised
-eat 4 c veg
-do 5 rounds of Sun Salutation

THE PRINCESS OF ALL THAT MATTERS HAS DEFEATED THE PAST AND PULLED DOWN THE DREADED KITCHEN CURTAIN!!:carrot:

:hohoho: :hohoho: JUST THOUGHT I'D SHARE THIS!:hohoho: :hohoho:

'Morning all!
 

Tig – good luck with the paper-removal. Isn’t it amazing what we run into when we start scratching at the surface of our own houses?? In my own place I removed the wallpaper on the upper hallway and found the Central Vac connection. I had been wondering why the house was listed as “roughed-in cent. vac” but I had never seen a outlet for it. It really makes you wonder “ok, what were they thinking???” and I agree the wicked smile says it all.

Meadow – 4 miles? You put the rest of us to shame. Ok the squirrel just made me laugh out loud!!! Brilliant! The not-cuddly-until-older cat syndrome has also been my experience.

Holly – your friend is wise and right on the money. Joy is highly underrated. Some people never feel it and we should feel sad for them. I had a friend who said their attitude was “Yes, that comment would probably hurt my feelings – if you opinion mattered in the slightest to me”. :lol: :lol: Go for your goals today and enjoy your downtime.

Shad – stay cool and find a tall drink and some shade later. If life were a horror story, who would know what was eating those slugs and snails?? A bush-crazed gourmet maybe?? Cue the theme from Jaws… :lol: How are your veggies today? I admit I was a tad weak yesterday, though I am trying at least. Today I promise to veggie up.

Mel – the year will be over shortly and we’ll toast it good-bye and start afresh. Anything could happen in 2006… it’s a whole new notebook in which we can write our own stories. Maybe we’ll have to keep 2005 as a warning to others??

Everybody else – hi to all and I hope everyone is well and happy.

Not much else happening today. I still haven’t made it to the gym this week but I did do some light weights last night and I walked about halfway to work this morning… fast enough to work up a sweat. It was misting a bit but it was actually pleasant to walk in the not-quite-rain. Today I will have a nice salad for lunch. Ok, I need to get back into the gym but it is so nice to lounge in bed in the mornings! Next week the gym will be filled with New Year’s Resolutionists (who will all be gone by Mid Feb). The mornings will be the only time to go.

I'm back! Happy New Year!!
 

Hi everyone,

I was out sick this week, so I'm back at work today. I have some kind of bronchitis, cold thing. I'm still trying to get better, so I'm not working out this week. I'm sure next week will be a tough one!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was very nice. Spent the day with my family.

I will try to write more later. I'm going to take a nap for lunch. I'm still not feeling up to par yet.

Take care.

Lisa :carrot:

Hollyhock...cool new avatar!! You can be sultry sultry sultry!
I'm pouting... too many resolutions to contemplate. I should remember Roethke's words:
"Self-contemplation is a curse / That makes an old confusion worse."

TTFN

Meadow I forgot to comment on the squirrel. I LOVE rodents. It is sooo darned cute. Hubby thinks rodents are for eating or smacking with a shovel.
I just want to smooch them all up.Maybe I was a rat in a former life.

PW~Pick just 1 resolution to start with!!! You can do it!!!!!The new avatar resembles how I looked and felt before kids and is now my goal.

The diningroom is cleared and cleaned, the tree is down, decorations put away, The sun has been properly saluted, and the darned dishes are done.I have had 1 c of veg.

HI Mad Kitty!!!! HI Morelli, glad you are feeling better.

Morning all once more.
 

Must have been a mail plane come in this week as I got cards and letters from all over the States. Thanks Mel and Painter - great photo Mel. Painter this is one of your masterpieces from Paintshop or Publisher I gather! Lots of different stamps on them. I'm not a great stamp collector but I do like to see the different ways different countries commemorate or show off the famous, infamous and beautiful things.

Yesterday I gave the pusscat a bath! I have the scars to prove it. No, not really as I only got clawed once. She isn't bad really as far as water goes. That's not to say she enjoyed it. But it got rid of the odd flea and she sure smells good at the moment owing to the fact that I could not find the animal shampoo and had to use my Shine-on 24/7. I should have used straight soap, but seem to have lost the box of that as well. Could I have a clean thief around the place?

Went back to the gym yesterday and did a full cardio workout along with the usual 10 sets of 20 crunches. The abs are definitely getting stronger. The flab is getting flabbier. Wonder what it will take to make it go away?? I'm going shortly to do it all over again. May do some weights this time.

The sun must be up - I can feel the temperature rising by degrees.

Painter - I'm not that sure of being even keeled but thanks for letting me know. There are days when I would love someone to come and take the decisions and load off my plate. However I have never found him. I don't think he exists, so I just struggle on and do the best I can do. Mind you - I don't go many places where I might expect to find anyone, so maybe much of it is my own fault?

Meadow - at the graphics again. Love that squirrel, especially the one with eyelashes and lippy. Now come clean, that is a hippo is it not. It seems 2 -1 that it is a Scotty dog so far. But I don't reckon a Scotty dog would make such a dent in the line if it was bouncing along.

Mel - 'A RELATIVE SEARCHING FOR HIS 'REAL' FATHER AND FINDING HIM '. Strewth, don't they check with the father before they let the kid loose on the family? I know here, Only the child can take the initiative to get in touch with the biological parent and the parent has to be on the register otherwise the adoption papers envelope is not opened. You register to state that you will allow the child to get in contact and then you are approached by the childs counsellor before the meeting takes place and then it usually takes place away from the houses of either of the 'participants'. This is to allow a swift escape if a situation develops and to allow a 'neutral' corner so to speak. If things progress then there is house meetings, family meetings etc. No way is one allowed to spring oneself on the family for a first meeting - Hi Mom/ Dad/ Gran/ (cross out that which is not applicable) here I am, your long lost kid. :yikes: :faint:

Holly - I see you have posted again, while I have been typing and talking to the cat. Nice avatar.

Morrili - sorry to hear that you have been sick. Hope all is better soon. Geez I hope this new year is better than this one was. I'm sure we could all do with the sweet taste of success for a while or forever whichever comes first.

Okay, time to get on with my day. Gym shortly, followed by a shower, then breakfast. I'm doing pretty much okay on my eating clean. However it is not showing too much on the scales. Think I will be taking a duck on any weightloss this year. I am still exactly the same weightwise as I was last year. However we will have to compare inches to see whether I have done anything at all for the year.

Come in Linus, Teel, LindaT (who hasn't been heard from since before Christmas), Honey-dipped, Raventoy (ditto) et al. :wave: Happy is still at home with the folks.