Hello chicks!!!
Coo I don't know where the time goes these days...over a week goes and I have only just found the time to log-on and do a post!!

Well so the week after Christmas...indeed 2 days after the great day...we had snow, snow and more snow! so I was at home all week trying to get the house tidied up a bit...ok...a LOT!!! I don't seem to have made much of an impact though but I did take down the tree and the Christmas ornaments and the cards... But the place still looks like a proverbial tip!

Holly is sitting on her stoll by the seat I am sitting on at the computer...I am trying to half listen to Inspector Morse whilst I am posting but Holly is sitting dead in front of the t.v. so I cannot see much of the picture Oh good-oh she's just moved

Linus has sent me three gorgeous pictures of young Christopher...thanks Linus! He looks beautiful...

Happy I do hope you are feeling much better now..[[[HUGS]]] to you...

Shad what a great story about the lawn mower! How are you my friend? And how is life back at the ranch? Sorry you have had more than your fair share of the wet stuff!!!

Mel has the white stuff reached your neck of the woods yet...I hope the gynea appointment on Monday goes ok and is not too traumatic...Lie back and think of England! Oh...I mean America!!!Silly me...get my brain in gear!!!!

Ah well I had better get on with getting ready to go out for the evening...I am meeting up with a couple of friends and we are going out for a meal in a pub about 30 mins drive from me. I haven't seen my friend Penny for probably about a year so it will be great to see her and catch up with her news....

Bye bye for now everyone....hello to all the new chicks I haven't yet got to know...a very belated welcome to our mad thread!!!

Last night i dragged myself upstairs to bed thinking, I was so fat and weak and feeling quite perturbed with myself. Well the weakneess has been explained.My headache has turned into a tummy thing. Sipping green tea after going back to bed this morning. I am not getting anything done. But it is a restful peaceful day here. Hubby playing his guitar. Kids playing a video game and sipping hot chocolate. I will tidy up a bit and vacuum these 2 rooms and then rest again. The boys are off to game #1 today!!

HUGS!

Big victory for me yesterday. Years ago I stopped cooking on Friday evenings. I figured I have to plan meals and cook all week long, Friday's supper was my break for the week. Of course as I started to diet, I would get in to a routine of being good all week long and the downward slide would come on Friday night when I got off plan. I'd use it as an excuse to enjoy whatever I wanted to eat that night. Trouble was, I didn't stop it with one meal and it would turn into a trigger of bad eating until Monday.

So, yesterday the DH decided on Outback Steakhouse. I like fish and more often than not will order that. Decisions, decisions - boy that pasta alfredo sure sounded good. There is another dish with the catch of the day that has a creamy sauce that I like. I was torn between should I be good and make a HEALTHY choice or sink and do the usual get what my tongue wants that tastes good. I decided to STOP THE INSANITY and go with the healthier choice - after all I thought, some day I'm going to HAVE to sit in a restaurant and make better choices - might as well start now. So I had the grilled shrimp, grilled veggies, grilled pineapple over a bed of veggie rice. It came with a tossed salad though I don't know how you can consider a salad a veggie when it's 1/3 shredded cheese, some lettuce, croutons, only 1 finely chopped cucumber slice and a few small tomatoes with dressing. I picked at the vegetables as much as I could. And I shared half of my shrimp and pineapple with DH because the waitress misunderstood his steak order as medium WELL instead of medium rare - it came out like a rubber hockey puck. So maybe I'm FINALLY learning to turn things around.

And I almost forgot to log my food yesterday - not a good habit to get into. After a few days of medication I am finally feeling human again Still need to be near to a box of tissues but I actually am looking forward to cleaning the house and getting in some light exercise today. It's also time to pack away Christmas for the year and organize my decorations a bit better than when we hurridly ??? packed things last year when we moved.

Welcome Jennifer with the new pretty house. I was breezing through the journals yesterday and looked at your pictures. I love the open floor plan and the column work. Enjoy the new place - how exciting! And a tip if you want it. I see that you have stainless steel appliances. I do too and I was ready to rip out my hair - they are almost impossible to clean. I read in a magazine where you can shine them up with a dab of cooking oil on a soft cloth. I tried it and viola! They are pretty looking AND streak free. I can't tell you how much I have cursed them over the last year - I could not understand why anyone would have selected such monstrosities - I would have picked black if I had the choice. Anyway, when do you move in?

Hope you feel better Holly. Glad you hear from you again Teel, was about to send out search and rescue dogs but didn't want to startle your Holly. Enjoy the visit with your friends tonight. Mel, what is this about some liver damaging drug? Cripes, tho if you listen, everything is bad for you - treat the symptom and create new problems. Have a nice cozy weekend. Madcat, love the new avatar. It's almost as much fun and seeing LindaT's kitty dressed up for the holidays. Geez what an ordeal with the mower Shad, tho I do think those mechanical things get feisty when there's lots of dusty mowing to be done over a period of weeks. Perhaps it needs a good bath Are you experimenting with some new recipes? It's so hot by you I would think you'd be confining yourself to fruit and veggie type salads and wraps. Or is the curry to be eating chilled? Have you considered some boxing / kickboxing as an alternate exercise activity? You wouldn't think repetitive motion would be that hard but it is - a great cardio and strength workout. Pat on the back given Painter **pat, pat** - keep out of the fridge and store your snacks ALLLLLL the way at the other end of the yard so that you get in lots of extra steps if you decide to indulge after all. Good going Turtle on focusing on 2 out of 3. The important thing is that you didn't shuck it all if you missed on one. I too, seem to find it hard to hit the "triple play" each day.

Well I've been feeling so bad for so long and now that I am finally feeling better I have the energy of the sun. Better go put that to better use than just sitting in front of the computer.

Last night I bought a box set of the first 4 Beatles albums. I love music. Why do I know all the words to songs that came out when I was in the 3rd and 4th grade but I can't remember if I took my pills this morning? Anyway there's some great moving and groovin' songs in there. Time for the dancing duster to make her appearance and DH is out checking out plasma TVs so I can sing and dance to my heart's content.

Hellos to the rest of the chicks - have a good Saturday

Happy--Good for you in making better food choices.

Mel--Don't remember sending an email!!!!!!!!!!! Need to check into this.

Welcome Jen.

Not much news in my neighborhood. I've enjoyed my long week end so far. I really needed the rest.

Need to pay some bills and write a couple of letters.

Quick pop in to say howdy ho. I am keeping busy on the Sonoma board, prodding in the exercise thread, coming up with recipes and generally being a pest.

I'm trying to work up recipes as fast as I can, but I really don't want to post anything until I've tried it, ya know? Just because it sounds good on paper may mean it sucks in real life.

Chores this weekend, time with the furball and trying to unwind. For some reason now that I am doing all my exercise in the mornings, I am needing less sleep! Cooking this weekend of course and learning more about the Sonoma Diet.


Happy good for you for deciding to take control. Motivation waxes and wanes , but the decision to get healthy is what carries us through the tough times!

Feel better Holly

Ceejay - come pay my bills while you are at it..

Teel - enjoy the snow!

Mel - have fun at the annual prod and poke.

Yes Madkitty, I do indeed have the prod.. Do you need it?

Hi Jenn - nice to see you here too

Turtlebutt - boo

Shad. WTG telling them the problem. Bet they are still shaking their head at the woman who knew the problem. hehe

Feel better Morrili

Painter - another person paying bills. Golly. all of this paying makes me almost want to go pay bills.. NOT!!

Morning all,

I have been dealing with the DB again with his gambling habit and trying to get him to see sense. It is not working very well! Very depressing. Tonight he has asked me to go to a counselling session with him so I guess I will do that for him, although after yesterdays little session I wouldn't mind just getting into bed and pulling the covers over my head and telling the world to go away.

I have a couple of weight loss challenges going on in other threads. One is to drink the water 2 litres or more per day. This isn't that difficult in our summer as it is hot and humid and not all that nice at the moment. However I seem to be retaining some fluid as I see I am up in weight from end of December. It's not what I am eating which is mostly fruit and salads with small amounts of meat and bread. It has to be fluid retention despite the diuretic tablets I take. None of what I am eating has added salt either. This is giving me the proverbial pain. If anyone has any suggestions I'd be pleased.
The other challenge is food portion control. I think I am doing pretty well with that one as I have been following LindaT's pattern of organising the food for the week and freezing the portions (apart from the veges that is) It does make it easier to control how much I have at one sitting.
Exercise is still 4 days of 1 hour and 1 day at 2 hours at the gym. It's a lot easier now that I am not working. I can fit it in at anytime that suits. In between times and the rain, I am working here on the house and the garden. With all this activity I should be losing something surely! I'm feeling pretty depressed on all fronts this morning. I feel like there is a sword hanging over my head and about to drop. On the lighter side, I'd like to think that if it does drop, it will shave off some of this flabby gut I still have on its way to the ground!

We are getting to be a very large thread here. Jennifer. From time to time this will cause some differences I have no doubt. But it is good to see that from being only a couple or three of us - as in Teel, Happy and me, we have developed enough friendship and following for all our new folk to join in. It's not long now before we have to move to a new location. Darn it and I haven't enjoyed the pool as much as I wanted to. Time to start thinking about which country will take us next!!! Put on thinking caps.

Jen - I went and had a look at the pictures you posted in the journals. Looks like you have a lovely new place there. I see you are in Florida - is this close to the beach and how does it go for all the hurricanes you get there. Hope it is not in a frequented flight path of the hurricanes!.

Madcat - I think Mel and LindaT have a lot in common - we are all a bit scared of them!!!
Well Linda has the prod, and Mel was trained by a Regimental Sargeant Major from the Blackwatch I think.

Holly - I am trying to get into vacation mode. No one here will let me. All I need now is the DS1 to tell me that something has gone wrong with his life and the DB1 to ring with his tale of woe and everything would be just pitiful. Maybe I should just line them up and keep them squarebashing. It would at least keep them occupied and might even teach them something.

Happy, congratulations on not giving into the pasta and cream. Yes I have to agree on the description of the salad. Salads are wonderful things but a cheese salad is never a good option. I'd have been happy with the 1 bit of cucumber since I don't like it that much. One thing they can do well over here is green salads. Yummy, but only if you ask for the dressing on the side - otherwise there is far too much of it.
So DH is out looking at plasma tv huh? Well good luck to him. The variety is so amazing. I'm lost in those places and you can't rely on salesmen to give you what you need, rather than what you want. Still I guess in his usual style he has done his research on what gives.

Ceejay - enjoy your rest. Can I send over some bills for you to pay?

LindaT - I see you have snuck in while I have been pondering and typing. You are going to need the prod when the New Year resolutions have lost their patriotic fervour as they will! So hang onto it, no need to give it to Madcat - who is she going to prod - Ruthxxx or our Holly or maybe Carla?? All these Canadians! All living in Ontario. At one point I thought that the entire Canadian population must be gathered in Ontario. Spoke to some folk from a hockey team about a year ago - from Ontario. I thought Canada consisted of lots of states - oh yes there is BC - Meadow lives there. Everyone else is from - you guessed it -Ontario.

Okay, thats about it from me. I'd better go check out the other threads and get myself into gear. DB2 is taking up a good bit of my time, so I have to work on the other stuff before he gets here today. One day someone will come and take me away from all this. He will probably have a black van and I will leave feet first in a box, but hey isn't that what life is all about - dodging the black vans for as long as possible?

Linda - I always find that doing and completing my exercise in the early am does that for me. Less sleep, more energy, no guilt (as in I drove past the gym with my eyes looking the other way because I did not feel like going). I'm sure it just revs up the metabolism for the day. I look forward to the day where I don't need sleep at all - I can just work for 23 hours out of 24 - NOT!

hi chickies ,how are we all this lovely weekend????{can anyone tell i still have the angel and satan has not returned???? } yes my wee man is still a sweetheart and im sorry for not popping in more but im finally enjoying being a new mum i know four months too late -but hey i had mitigating circumstances ,the only problem is i now have time to actually look at myself ,and i dont like what i see this time last year id dropped 2 stone had been a non smoker for 13 weeks and my skin was looking good ,now i have three kids instead of 2 my marriage took a severe thumping and the 2 stone is back with a freind ,and i chain smoke for scotland but at least thats at the back door so my lot arent being polluted aswell ,i have also needed to get back on the strong painkillers a combination of lugging a baby everywhere and the stairs in the new house are taking there toll ,so i need to have a good long think about me for a change and when i decide what to do ill let you all know and call on some support from you all and lots and lots of insperation
SHAD i spent yesterday sorting mums very meagre budget too must have been the day for it and yes the duvet was calling to me ,and i aslo counted my blessings that dh and i got ourselves out of that very large hole some years ago
MEL if you have to lie back and think of anything honey think of firemen all wet and oily
HAPPY i hate antibiotics they always give me the dreaded thrush but i hope they help very quickly
MADCAT hubby and i got married when i was 17 at the local registry office{your town hall ??} and everyone said it wouldnt last and yet come march we will have been married 17 years ,just aswell no one else would have us really
right ladies i will get round to everyone eventually i promise but for now theres a very large to do list and to be bought list to do as we sort of gave up doing the house when the wee man got here but hey weve only been here 6 months so theres still time
bye for now
kirsty

I think I had an epiphany at the gym today. I've decided that I would rather be 150 lbs and in decent shape than thin and out of shape. I'm reconsidering my goals: the emphasis will be less on counting stuff and more on working out regularly and with kindness to myself, eating food that is good and good for me, getting water in, etc. I think I'll lose weight, but that won't be my main focus.

Shad/ LindaT ~ I've become a convert to early morning workouts. I find myself on autopilot and I can't think of any good reasons of why I shouldn't work out before my second cup of coffee of the day (not that I have a second cup any more) ! Nothing interferes with the workout and it is good to start with at least one thing done correctly for the day.

Linus ~ Holy jumpin' cats! You sound so awake and alive. That is amazing! And 17 years is a pretty amazing feat these days.

Shad ~ you probably run into so many darn Ontarians (Ontarioans?) because something like 70% of the population of Canada lives in one narrow band along the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence. That's essentially the southern bits of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Be amazed if you ever run into anyone from Medicine Hat or Flin Flon. Sorry your DB is having such issues. At least he realizes he has a problem and he is in counselling. That's a start.

LindaT ~ No prod for me, thanks. I'm the non-violent type.

Happy ~ Way to go at dinner. And it sounded delicious. And I agree about the Beatles. Not only do I remember the words, but I find myself singing the darn harmonies.

Mel ~ I love your new ticker. And I think the cat is screaming at the cold weather.

Holly ~ Hope you feel better!

And to the other lovely ladies, Howdy and stay well. Welcome Jennifer. I gotta go do something useful… Picked up the second half of that contract from the Bank. Just a couple of days work, so I better get to it.

Linus! HI!!!!!!

Feeling a bit better but weakish.

Madcat explained the Ontario thing well but frankly we are all just wonderful!!! LOL!! When I was in Vancouver everyone I met was from London, Ontario.

Good night dear chicks!!

It seems like if I get focused on "real life" (i.e., business development, paying bills, weightloss, etc. ) several days pass between posts. And it takes a while to catch up because there are so many of us now... AND we are very intersting!!

Happy-- way to go on "wise" choice for the long run rather than indulgent choice for the short run. I read somewhere that if you figure out what you ought to be doing to be the person you want to be, you can make better decisions... especially in comparison to doing what you'd do if things were perfect. If my life were perfect i could live on milkshakes all the time and not get zits OR hips. HA!

LindaT-- I recommended your forum to my daughter who is relatively new at shopping for herself and cooking for herself (she used to have roommates) but its all on her shoulders now!! Is it irony, or what that you are a COOKIE MEMBER!?? what does that mean?

Linus -- glad you are still in heaven with angel child. Whew.... we never know when things might change, do we. I'm sure that your 2 stone and friend and cig habit can melt away with the cold winter weather. Having small kids at home was the most effortfull time of my life (so far) for sure.

Madcat-- LOVE THE NEW AVATAR. Really fits the name and all! When DH and I married, I think we ended up with 2 months to plan... Granted it was 2nd marriage for both... but we just kept eliminating things that didn't make sense to US... so we had food, flowers and new outfits... and only our closest friends. Oh, and we were married in front of the fireplace at home so there wasn't a hall to rent or anything. Anytime I got wrapped around the axle with details, DH just said, let's remember, this is for US and NOT STRESS!

Off to quench thirst, then to bed.

I walked 12miles last week. Unfortunately I found out some sad news and for the last two days all I can think about is "Me want cookies"


My beloved blue, furry monster - who sang "C is for cookie, that's good enough for me" - is now advocating eating healthy. There's even a new song - "A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food," where Cookie Monster learns there are "anytime" foods and "sometimes" foods. "Sacrilege!" I cried. "That's akin to Oscar the Grouch being nice and clean."



Sniff, I love you big guy!

Oh Meadow - you really cheer me up, you do.

Say it ain't so, Joe, say it ain't so!! Sort of like when the Galloping Gourmet gave up drinking and started cooking low fat. Another childhood memory gone.

There, there, Meadow.

HUGS Meadow~my condolences. Does Sesame Street really impact a nation of unhealthy kids????? sigh. There are so many other factors.

Good morning Wordly Goddesses