G'mornin
 

Sorry I've been a little absent, but I've at least been keeping up with your posts. The good news is, I bought a recumbant exercise bike, the bad news is I woke up with a very stiff and sore lower back. I hope it's not from the bike. Today is my first TOPS meeting for a very long time, probably since right before Christmas. It's going to be my starting weight (though I've been working at this all along) for my next challenge. The vending machine got me several days this week. It's those darn, cursed Whatchamacallit bars. Evil, I tell ya. I'll do much better this week. I have to. Peace, hugs and motivatation to all who roost here. Jennifer! I maybe my sore back is in sympathy for YOU. Hang in there. With that gorgeous house, things can only get better and better.

Morning all,

Happy, thanks for the sympathy on the loss of my sander. I am in mourning for it, but like anything else I guess there is a self life and a time to self destruct. It could however have done it before I spent money on the sanding pad.
Also thanks for the hugs over DB. They told me at the Gambling Anonymous session that although I have a right to be angry with DB, indeed it is natural, I can not control him short of locking him up and throwing away the key and that is illegal. I do realise that it is his problem not mine. I do realise that he has to want to change and I have to believe him when he say he does. The problems I have are in my head. I can't understand why he can't drive past a pub or club instead of being compelled to go in. To me it is simple, if the only $10 note I have in my pocket needs to be used for fuel for the car or food for the house or to pay a bill, then why go and speculate it on something which is never, ever going to return you a profit. And if you do win by some chance, why not quit there, why do you carry on and give it all back? Okay enough already. I'll go away and read the literature they gave me.

Tig - I love a weekend like that once in a while. So refreshing. Thanks for the PM - that was fun.

Jennifer - don't you just love the way the builders leave the house? They clean down to a standard everytime. Good luck in the new house. I sleep on a futon which is only 6" thick on a slat base. It gets a bit hard occasionally. Don't know what I will do when I get a new bed with a proper mattress.

PW - interesting topic to discuss. Personally I wish to grow old disgracefully and doing my own thing. I think I would kill anyone who gave me a face-lift voucher for Christmas or my birthday. It seems that giving gifts like that is the 'new' thing over here. I reckon I have earned every single wrinkle and grey hair. Now I wouldn't mind getting over some of the bulges in odd places.
Don't know much about huskies but I'll bet they need exercise. Obedience training is a must for any working dog and huskies are definitely that.

Morrili - take it easy on the spinning first time around. Just a short time or else you will be coughing and spluttering and feeling far from well again. Isn't the house quiet without kids? Still as you say he will be back.

Hiya Turtle. Hope that sore back goes away. Good luck with the bike. I hate the stationary bikes just about as much as I hate the rower (oh and the eliptical, and the stepper, and the cross runner, and the weights and the treadmill at times) I do 'em and sometimes I am even enjoying myself on them until I remember I hate 'em. Twisted? Yep well that is me.

That's it folks, time to move along and sort out the day. Shopping, gym, sanding, cleaning up. Repeat three times per day for as long as it takes (the last three items I mean). I have a ceiling area of about 3.5metres by 6 or 7 metres to go on the ceiling. After that there are only the two smaller bedroom ceilings to go and I have finally finished with the crook paint and the even more crooked origianal painter. I'm getting there.

hi folks the wee man has learnt to splash so im gonna go and mop up
good luck linda and bye for now
kirsty

Hey guys!
 

Hi again!

Just an update. I didn't do spinning (class was full), but I did do 11 miles on the bike and I took it easy. Just sat there and drank alot of water and didn't overdue it at all. I don't want to get sick again!!!

Thanks for the kind words Shad. ;) I appreciate it!!

Yeah, the house is quiet. I miss the little guy already. It's amazing once I get used to having a kid around, then he leaves.

I hope everyone is doing well. Take care.

Lisa :D

Shad-make some jello and laugh, stop the frowning! Sander needs a hammer taken to it or maybe you can throw it from a really high place and watch it smash?! I can't imagine the angst you are feeling with your brother, he is on his own journey. Lucky him that he has you to hold the map, even if he isn't sure which direction he wants to keep heading in. Try to remember he is sick.

Mel-How was the doctor? Did he give you the good drugs? An ice cold Strawberry daquiri on a yacht appeal? I think that should be our next home, something mobile so we can visit lots of ports.

Lisa-do you have padded biking shorts? Those spinning classes really make you sweat (I've seen on tv :p ) Make sure you have water and a towel. Kids do change the dynamic of a place don't they? When mine are at school it is pin drop time here.

Jennifer-commiserations on your lack of bed. I hope that budget glitch gets fixed soon, good sleep is very important. I haven't been to the journals but it sounds like you have a cool new pad to decorate and inhabit. Congratulations!

Java-have a wonderful time at the TOPS sharing meeting. I hope it gives you the boost to get going. New Year, New Choices whee! Vending machines don't seem to sell good, healthy fair. You will have to get like Shad and package your snacks to go too.

Linus-my kids just loved water when they were babies, still do ;) Some of the most relaxing times was just squirting water at the side of the tub and playing peek-a-boo with the washcloth. Glad to hear CJ is making being a new mommy sweet for you again.

PW-so what turned the conversation away from the intended topic then, hmm? You could of brought up Roseanne Barr and the fact that she changed her face because she looked like her father. Joan Rivers face lifts to look like a tenser, tighter version of herself to feel younger but in the process lost respect from her industry coparts but is still working, if she looked saggy she might not still get to be on tv. That is why I enjoy British television shows, so many characters, with faces to match, so much going on, no body has ironed/pulled out the strains/gravity of living. There is a program called "New Tricks" about retired police detectives working closed/cold cases, it is so fantastic and of course it has the sharp, witty writing. It is on our KnowledgeNetwork up here, might be on your PBS stations somewhere/sometime :)

Happy-did you fly off the handle? What happened at work? Was it worth the extra shuteye to prepare for it? I'm all intrigued now. I hope it was nothing you couldn't shake off.

Tig-The manatees are such lovely creatures. I remember seeing a few in that big river that runs through Florida, St. John? Nothing like an unscheduled nap to make you feel like a princess amongst your stuff. Way to go!

Holly-So are the kids back in school today? How tough was it pouring them out of bed? The routine begins anew! I hope you have shaken off that head/sinus bug and are raring to go:carrot:

Madcat-How is the user guide going? Is it like trying to fit a foreign language and its reversed nouns/adverbs into sentences? Shame that people don't realize that a user guide is meant to be helpful and isn't an essay for class. ;)

Ceejay-Don't let all your goals swamp you. I focus on what I can do and how to be better. Remember that your inner voice is very strong, be kind to yourself. Look in the mirror and wink and smile and enjoy being alive. This weight stuff is just like the housework, a bit of tidy eating, putting the stuff that trips you up high out of the way and banda bing, badda boom, you are fabulous!

Linda-:goodluck: I'll be sending you "go get them" vibes on Wednesday, fingers crossed that they hire you and give you lots of money :D Remember you are doing them a favour by choosing to work for them ;)

Yowwies!
 

oh, what a day! If I hadn't already committed myself to 30 minutes of WATP, I swear, I'd just go home and curl up in the fetal position. :(

Food has been good, water is good, and after the exercise tonight, I'll have earned my star for the day. Cleared a bunch of work off my desk, and things are moving right along. I have to start a list of all the stuff I need to bring to the house THIS weekend so that I don't forget anything. I must find myself a pair of kneepads, too, so that I can move a little easier next Monday.

PainterWoman- Even 5 years of Catholic school, and church didn't prepare me for this weekend. I could just imagine an extreme housework show..all these Stepford Wives with the pink rubber gloves and aprons with their feather dusters...and then there's me, sweatting my buns off with drippy hair and old cutoff clothes. :) I promise, when this is all done and we move in, things won't be this OCD-like :^:

Shad- So sorry to hear of the passing of your sander. I think I'd have beaten those sales clerks with the sander after everything you had to go through. Oh, and don't get me started on the way the builder left things- 3 HOURS to go the walk through and point out everything that we wanted corrected. They didn't think it was a big deal to not hang the closet doors, and leave that for us. And when we complained about 1 wall that had never been primed or painted, we were told it was in a "hard to reach" area and that they might not do it. I keep taking deep breaths and reminding myself that it's nearly over, and that by building we saved loads over buying this already standing. Although hubby and I are much grayer for the process!

TurtleBuddy- Sorry to hear about the sympathy back pain- I sure hope it isn't from the bike! :o Good Luck on your weigh in today, and on that challenge- you're going to kick butt!

Meadow- thank you! :) almost missed your post!

I'm calling it a day- have a great night, everyone!

Yes Meadow...I got a refill for 2 months time for the meds!!!:carrot: And idiots that they are, they gave me enough for 4 months by mistake!!! The new Dr doubled the prescription by accidently looking at an old record!!!:carrot: And the good news was all the bloodwork for kidney and liver are excellent. All #'s are well within the accepted ranges.:carrot:

The bad news is: I will be absent for the rest of the week. I have been booked everyday this week to see a new doctor and see if they can find the "root" of the problem. Everyone today agreed all that has been done so far is treat the "symptoms" and it's time for them ALL to see me in the course of one week and then put their collective heads together the following week after test results are in
.
One doctor pulled me aside and told me already not to get my hopes up but he feels we need to do this at least one time so the others can say they "tried". I am just looking for quality of life I told him, not f@@king miracles. That is our little "joke" between us. I love this guy.
Anyway......Spending the day out there is emotionally and physically draining and I need time to regroup each evening. I will think of you all and hope you have a great week! :hug: Hugs for those in need of them. Hope to see you again over the weekend. Take care Chickies :moped:

Hola!
 

Hey there,

Nope Meadow, haven't bought those padded shorts yet. Would be a good idea, though, right?? I actually did 11 miles on the bike today. I was so proud of myself. I just need to keep up that kind of exercise and this will be a good year for weight loss!!

Yeah, the house is a bit quiet now. Guess I should enjoy it now until summer, but I sometimes still look into his room and expect him to be there. Makes me a bit sad..

Heading home shortly. Have a good night everyone!

Lisa :carrot:

Another message
 

Good luck Melody,

I'll be thinking of you. Take care of yourself. :hug:

Lisa

Ceejay ~ welcome to the land of "no accounts" :D What I'm going to do is try to be conscious of whether I am eating food that is healthy or not… and to try to watch portions even of those foods. And exercise. I think this is the year of exercise. Yeah, depressing is the word.

Shaddie ~ Had a long soapbox tirade about developing a hard candy coating and not letting another person's problem suck you, but then I realized you don't need it (and Happy said it better anyway). Having to give tough love is, well, tough. BTW, I know it was aggravating, but your sander story made me laugh. One day when you aren't considering tool-icide, you'll laugh. :lol3: :lol3: No really.

Tig ~ My Mom is wintering in Clearwater and she has been complaining about how chilly it has been. I think manatees are lovely. Are you going to see them in the wild?

Jennifer ~ maybe you could get a nice massage and a hot bath to ease those muscles? At least it was all in a good cause.

Painter ~ neat topic of discussion. Or not discussion. Most days I agree with Shad, but some mornings I look at the little lines attacking the skin around my eyes and I wonder if I'll feel the same way 15 years from now. Hopefully. Hey, we earned these lines.

Happy ~ We are supposed to have a handle? That explains a lot!:dizzy:

Linus ~ LOL.

Morrili ~ Glad to hear you are on the mend. What is snow like?? Funny!! I could shovel some in a bucket and send it to you. The envelope might be a tad soggy when you got it. Shad is probably right. The rule is usually if the sickness is above the neck it's ok to work out but if it is below the neck you should be careful. But I'm glad you were ok.

Meadow ~ my biggest complaint about this user doc is what they have written is training material not a user guide. The document is 84 pages long and really only needs to be about 25 (if that). Too much unnecessary verbiage, and no clear way to find out how to do anything. And it would be brutal to translate. Hard to not want to trash it and rewrite the lot (but they have already paid for translation once). And I love your suggestion to Shad. You really can't be upset when eating jell-o.:hun:

MEL ~ Take care melly-mel. We'll see you on the far side of this week. Hope they manage to track the pesky thing down.

On an up note, we now have a venue for the wedding. One thing down. Tad scary to be spending even a modest amount of $$$ on this thing – but I'll get over it.
http://www.harthouse.utoronto.ca/Eng...ates-Room.html

On an up note, I was going to skip going to the gym this morning and then I remembered that I told you lot I was going four times this week, so I went. I was also not going to take a lunch but I told MEL I was going to take lunch so I made one quickly and packed it in my bag.

:grouphug: I think you Worldly Women are a good influence.

What a peculiar day. Stayed up too late last night and was dopey (well, dopier than usual) all day. Then had a long nap so I'm up late to check mail again tonight.;)
Shad: May the sander rest in piece. Shame on DeWalt. Can you mail the remains somewhere and hope for a rebate or something? I'm impressed you are wining the ceiling war just the same.

Happy: Thanks for the huskies info. I forwarded it to DS. He could afford to jog about in the snow himself... although he's now having to get up at 5:30 am to get to his school observation on time! I'm sure he won't be running that dog in the complete dark.

Morilli-- Your step son is fortunate to be missed when he's gone. My heart goes out to those little ones who have to commute to their parents. My ex lived close though that the kids went back and forth each week... their lives were disrupted, but they stayed in touch with both parents. I can't imagine what it would have been like to not see them for months.

Mel... (whenever you get back on line) Keep the good MD's close! and hoorah for extra meds. I hope they find the root cause AND that it helps them relieve symptoms.

Madcat-- love the room you've hired... You're really having a wedding reception in the DEBATES room? It made me laugh. Many marriages are more debate-society than anything else!!

TTFN.

Geez, I loved the THRONE. I can see Madcat holding court in that.

'Mornin Ladies :cofdate:

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday, got hung up with things around here.

Before I forget, here's the link to the good all about Huskies article I referred to: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/M...uskybefore.htm

And here's the link to the Quitnet Stop Smoking website. You can sign up for free - good luck Linus, you can do this - but it must be when you are ready. http://www.quitnet.com/ As of this post 18,883 cigarettes not smoked. That's ALOT of butts in under 2 years. :smoking: DH came by as I was checking this site out for the web address. He freaked for a moment, thought I had started smoking again. Got almost downright hostile come to think about it. :rofl:

I am just lurking at the minute, catching up with posts with my coffee. Off for a run around day. We're supposed to get storms and of course I have to go off to the farther office, perhaps I have to visit both today, can't remember my schedule. Anyway, will catch up later, perhaps at lunchtime. Make it a good one.

PS. Madcat - I loved the hall you selected - what great fun you will have.

Hi guys!
 

Good morning everyone,

Well today was a kick start to my diet for me. I weighed myself. I actually gained some weight back. I'm going to start a food journal (today) and mark down every piece of food I put in my mouth. It's very depressing. I'm back to where I was about 2 years ago when I lost about 50 pounds. I put it all back over the summer and fall this year!!! I'm not going to stay like this anymore. It is definitely time to do something about it.

I do miss the little guy. We've heard from him and he's back in school. He lives in Arizona, so seeing him often really isn't an option, but we get summers and winter breaks, so that's good for us. It gives us a taste of parenthood for a bit, then we get a bit of a break.

I hope everyone has a good day. It's warm again here today. Weird weather!

Take care. :)

Lisa

HI Chicks!!!!!

I am back at the daily grind. Still recovering from a tummy bug.
Got some nice kudos from Avon.
Kids are in school. I am following my Daily Control Journal with success.
Just had a looong read thru posts. HUGS, giggles, were appropriatiely dished out.

Be kind to yourselves!