Interesting, I'm just the opposite. I can cut out sodas, most sweets, candy etc from my diet without too much effort. I can't get myself to eat large enough amounts of veggies to make any difference. I want my meat and cheese and salty fatty stuff. I'd rather have a can of Chef Boyardee than a bowl of ice cream. Demented, eh?

I think I'll change my weight to kilos. It'll be like I've lost a ton.

Hey, guess what -- exciting item for geeks like me: Google has a calculator function that works automatically. You can type any kind of measurement into the search box and get an instant conversion. ex: if you type in "145 pounds to kilos" and hit search, you'll get the answer right at the top of the search results page. You can even convert pounds to stone, if you want to feel especially light.

My adorable grownup nephew who got married a little over a year ago in Charleston has completely split up with his wife. Apparently she was seeing someone else for months and finally moved out and moved away with her new boyfriend. Unbelievable. She seemed like such a sincere, lovely person, and I know my nephew was very serious about being married and very happy, at least at first. It's sickening to find out that it was all an act and she was basically "trying on" the idea of being married and decided it wasn't what she wanted after all (she actually said something like this apparently).

Anyway, he is being transferred by his company and moving (from Charlotte) to Boston! I think this is great, DD will be able to connect with him and we can see him now and then too. He's a great guy, I hope he lands on his feet.

Kiwi

Great recommittment, Kiwi. I'd like to lose a ton, too.
So sorry about your nephew. Who does he work for... DD is there working for Fidelity.... Best wishes.

Stop The Presses!
 

Hi cowies! I've read all yer news, both good and bad and will comment later, BUT our very own Peachblossom just mailed to to ask if I would post about her

NEW

BETTER

CLOSER

:flow1::cheer::cloud9:JOB!!!!!:cloud9::cheer::flow1:


Yaaaaayyyyyy! She said she was too excited to post right now but I'm sure she'll check in later.

Yayyyyy for Peachez!!!! That's wonderful news!! can't wait to hear more!

That's too bad about your nephew, Kiwi. It's hard to understand how someone can be so cavalier w/ someone else's life. We had a friend who got married and then found out after the fact that his wife had been dating some other guy (married) the entire time they'd been engaged, right on thru their first year of marriage. They split, obviously, but it took him years to get over her. Hopefully the nephew will rebound ok. The change of location will help.

I agree with you there, Cherry. I love my veggies (along with all other food on the planet) but all that processed food is just sooooo easy. give yourself a pat on the back for running the 2x's a week that you do. That's so much better than most ppl. Do you still do the Cathe tapes?

OOOOh- another Google gadget. I love it. Have you ever gone to zillow.com? you can input an address and it will tell you an estimated value, what the taxes are and even what the current owner paid for it (kinda big brotherish), plus usually an aerial map. Cooler than folding a t-shirt.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

I'm so excited!!! :cb: Peachie has a good job!! Yay! :bravo:
Come in here and tell us all about it RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :twirly:


Painty, I believe my mother said DNeph works for a division of Bank of America.

Hey, it's a beautiful sunny day! I should be outside, picking up dog poo or something!

Have a great day, everyone...

Kiwi

Yeah, it's sickening. He's such a nice guy too, he deserves better.

I'll have to go check out that zillow place. I love stalker-ware.

Kiwi

in the end---the nephew will be glad that he got out of it EARLY on ,had no children to tie him to that mean girl and will find a great woman cause he is such a sweet person!!! in the end----he is better off without her!!!! NOW---peachbat--get the **** over here and TELL US WHAT THE **** IS GOING ON!!! THIS NEEDS TO COME STRAIGHT FROM THE COW'S MOUTH!!! SNAP TO IT!!!!!!

Well, I don't know what to say. So sorry to hear about Kiwi-nephew. DS came home this weekend. He looked shaggy, unshaven and his tee shirt was a bit dirty. He was cuddly for a while then his phone rang and he spent the evening in another room ( like the old days) talking to lcp. He didn't look happy. This worries me.

I start working with 4-year-olds on Monday. Need advice. How is this done?

Bring lots of snacks and a wet wash cloth.

When I was doing my ESL teacher training thigie, one of the course leaders said the most important thing you could do in teaching was to "listen with your heart". I like that and I think it would work for 4 yr olds.

What wonderful news Peaches!!! :hug: :dance: I just know you will love this job!

That's just terrible news about DN Kiwi...but yes, better he found out early in the marriage than after children and more emotional financial investing. Nice that he will be close to DD , and hopefully this affords him a new beginning.

Cherry, you are doing so well!!

Painty, I like the idea of no restrictions just portion control.. I think that's what WW is mostly about.. I suffer from portion distortion.. so a serving to me looks like " You've GOT to be kidding!"

I am covered in chigger bites.. They are driving me mad! However, we are much closer to making a decision on some land. 10 acre tracts, 1 in a small one street development that will have about 17 homes on it... The other is part of an "Equestrian village" where I guess the theme here is horse farms.. We really took a shine to the realator.. and have asked him to represent us if we go for the other property.. Both are in a small growing town outside of Chapel Hill. Seems that surburbian trappings will be about a 10-20 minute drive...not bad.. We also found some house plans we like.. must say that the thought of building is both exciting and daunting.

Here's some pics of the biltmore, the smokeys, and a pic of me (I'm not glowing with radiance here girls, I'm just a shiny sweaty mess.)

OMG !!! YOU ARE SO CUTE ! ! ! ! !

The palace and the landscape are beautiful pictures but YOU are darling. I am so unhappy now. There are more and more people who I should never stand next to.

I actually spent a summer in the Blue Ridge mountains when I was in college. That middle picture brings back that beautiful place. Amazingly gorgeous. You could look far far far far down into a valley and see one little shack/house. How did people get to it and how did they get anywhere else? Wish I was there now. Thanks for the sweet memory. You cutie pie!

The cutie patootie Schatzie is revealed!!!! You're even cuter than I suspected and that's pretty darn cute! It's so good to see your smiling face!:hug:

Dear Miss Peach, I'm so happy you got a job that you'll love - 4 year olds are about the sweetest creatures on earth.

hey shatz!!! thanks for the pics!!! it's great to be able to put a face on a voice---and a friendly ,pretty face you have!!! Don't let Peachers fool you---she is a hottie who wears Pop Tops!!! {and has recently had a lovely haircut} SO PEACHBAG----SPILL THE BEANS---IS THIS a primary school,is this kindergarten??? what are the DEETS????? ------do tell!!!!!-----oh,and thank you america for sending a generous cruise ship by the harbour today---they finally spent some CASH!!!!!----the Queen Mary is coming twice in October and some of the cabins are fifty thousand for the trip so i hope they need some new trinkets!!!!!

i like that "reason" box you can fill in for "editing"---it's just the kind of thing we cows can have fun with---i must see if it takes swearing.........

guess not

Wow, sounds to me like he needed some "home". Not that he'd ever let on, I suppose. When DD was home for the weekend, she pretty much physically crashed. I think it's a freshman symptom. The only thing that perked her up was when BF came over for the evening.

Speaking of DD and BF (right, I know, you weren't), they are coming up on their one year anniversary :yikes: Holy crap, eh?

Wow, love the photos, Schatzi! So gorgeous and scenic! And the ones of the Biltmore and the mountains are good too. :lol: Actually that one of the mountains is really spectacular. How come my photos don't come out like that? You should see the dreck I took the other day. So crummy they're not worth uploading.

What did you do in the Blue Ridge during college, Peachie? I used to spend a lot of time there. When I was a freshman, I spent the 3 week winter intercession there, slept on the floor in my friend's dorm at Appalachian State U and worked in a horrible fast food restaurant. Then that summer we both got jobs at Sugar Mountain babysitting the Spoiled Kids Program at the resort. Actually my other memories of the mountains are better. Spent a weekend with DH gallivanting in mountain streams shortly after we met... Had my first drag of illegal substances at my friend's weekend house on "Gay Mountain". Spent many many long weekends in junior hi and high school on church retreats at various beautiful locations. Did a lot of skiing too, and rock sliding.

Wow, must stop reminiscing. Bagz, glad to hear you are getting some nice bidness from the touristas. Wabbit, I made brined chicken last week and DH liked it so much he wants more more more. So I'm going to go brine a whole bunch more. Hi Sugar. Later, kids.

Oh, Congrats on the job, Peach. 4 year olds are a trip.

Kiwi

Schatzi, you're so cute!

Peachie, congrats on your new job. Sounds like it will be fun. I love four-year-olds... they're so surprising.

I'm supposed to be cleaning... in-laws here this weekend and all. I just can't get motivated. I have WORK to do!

I've uploaded a picture of me taken this summer. I'm still not used to how my face looks at this weight. It's weird. But this is me.

Cherry is adorable---there are no two ways about it---now it's time for everyone to find their best pictures and show them---i will be looking in the 1970's for mine-----like those OLD men who die ----in our papers,they always have a picture of them in their WWII regalia- all clean cut and dapper--they were all very handsome back in the day---------------however,most of them wouldn't look so great up the parlours. i will have to look for a long time to find a picture that presents an inaccurate image of me in THIS decade. It's hard to believe how TERRIBLE one begins to appear on celluloid {must have something to do with the cellulite---there must be a connection}

I'm completely bowled over by the cuuuuuteness of you two, Schatzi and Cherry!!!

Nothing new here. Kids had sports day yesterday and it rained after being scorching hot for the past two weeks. They didn't mind much.

Get this: in Germany they have an absolute FIT if you try to take your kid out of school a couple days early for vacation or something and you have to put in some application to the Ministry of Education or something, BUT, the school turned 50 yrs old this week so they've been having celebrations every day and the kids have done NOTHING. They also get Friday off for unknown reasons and THEN, Tuesday, Oct 3 is German Unity Day (you know, the fall of the Berlin Wall and all that) so they get Tuesday off AND Monday to go with it. After that, ds10 is going on a week-long field trip from Oct 9-13 where they will also do nothing and to top it off, the kids have the last two weeks of October off for fall break! Can we see why the German education system isn't so hot these days? Sheesh.

That's SO sad about the nephew, Kiwi. It's always the nice ones that get the short end of the stick. Or something. Hopefully he'll be able to find someone who's serious about a relationship.

I am still fat. Must go buy chicken breasts and make another cake with the rest of those freakin' plums.

Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh! post pictures???? Fine if you are the fresh faced young Cherry with the gawgeous amber hair. Lord, woman how many hours does it take to dry beeeuuuteeeful thick hair like that? I need to go find someone with lots of uplighting and one of those soft filters on their camera.

Kiwi, isn't that brined chicken yummy? The thing that's great about it is that you can cook up a bunch ahead of time, freeze it and use it in all kinds of recipes. Try chicken fajitas made w/ it --- delish.

We are having an indian summer here. It's been downright hot this past week - in the mid to upper 80's (30 cel) and no rain in sight. It's crazy b/c a week ago I was wearing sweaters.

I can't wait to take Kayden to the punkin patch this year.

Pictures, huh? I like to think of myself as about 22, but occasionally I can face reality enough to dig up a current photo.... I'd rather post pictures of Jet or DD, but I'll try.

I'm posting this of Jet anyway, because for one thing it shows our back yard in a state I'm not embarrassed of, and secondly it is practically the same shot as the puppy shot I use as my avatar, except for the tennis ball in her mouth. Wow, you should feel her coat these days. As the days have gotten cooler, it's thickening up and it is getting quite luxurious. Go ahead, run your hands through it. Oh, gee, sorry, you can't.

I'll look for one of me later. DH just went into town and picked up DD's yearbook. Yeah, from last year. Only took them 6 months to get it out. Oy.

Kiwi

Yup, Wab, that brined chicken is very yummy. I did it with chicken pieces (bone in) because that's what I had. And then I broiled them with a seasoned salt mixture. I thought it was a bit too salty, but DH thought it was divine. Yesterday when I did the same thing I left out the salt and just did a light seasoning. Came out very well. I also brined a whole bunch more and plan to cook them for the freezer today. DH went to the big city for the afternoon/evening so maybe I'll experiment with a few different recipes.

Here is a recent photo of me. I am squeezed in between DH and my FIL, taking inches off my girth...

Kiwi

Check out this website - http://www.hungry-girl.com/ Lots of good weight loss recipes, food reviews, diet info, etc.

That was my on topic post for the day.

Aaaaah. Kiwi of the taffy colored hair. You're another of those women with the thick, gorgeous hair. I really can't come up w/ any recent pictures b/c I've become an expert at avoiding photographers.

Feeling blue today for no apparent reason - must the mental pause. I can blame just about anything on that.

Very cute site.

I've been to the dentist and McDonald's today so far. Also I think I'm gaining weight, not losing it. I'm blaming all of it on menopause too.

Kiwi

Cherry of the thick lush strawberry hair! How GAWJUS!!!! Kiwi I fail to see the fatness you proclaim to suffer from.. you are purty and a healthy weight me thinks!

Don't know if its the firewall or router or what..many conne tion problems today... it's taken me forever to write this

Well it's a rainy Friday afternoon and I am shortly going to get ready to go out for an evening of fun and hilarity. Or food and music. Maybe all 4. We're meeting sailing buddies and their visiting kin from Australia for Thai food, then we're going to a concert of flute music by Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), then maybe drinks at the Sea Dog. All this will involve driving of an hour and a half on each end of the evening, so I might bow out early because I have to leave the dog home from 4:00 on. I think 8 hours is probably her limit.

DH is going to spend the rest of the weekend on the sailboat, so he is staying overnight with the friends in their RV. I am heading back home because I want to take Jet to an obedience clinic tomorrow. It's too cold to enjoy the boat anyway, and he's getting it ready to be pulled out of the water on Monday. I will miss some of the socializing, but I won't really miss it.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Got an email today from the new secretary of the hs performing arts boosters containing the minutes of the last meeting (I was the sec'y for 2 years and am now just helping out on big events). Made me want to either take the job back or complain. Guess I won't do either, but I don't think I can leave one of the mistakes alone -- she wrote that 4th grade band members were going to be able to take recording lessons this year. Should have been that 4th graders will be learning the recorder instead of starting band this year. I guess if you weren't a music person this would be a meaningless distinction, but if you are a music person it's absurd.

I like correcting things, but I hate correcting people. Know what I mean? I always feel really bad when I give in to temptation and correct someone. On the other hand, in this case I could merely offer a suggestion to "amend the minutes". I had a few of those come in when I was sec'y. It made me feel a little defensive, but I got over it.

Ever feel not ill-equipped for the real world?

Kiwi

Everything takes me forever to write, Schatzi! Haha I fooled you with my photo camoflage -- a man on each side is the perfect camo. Healthy weight, nope -- I weigh the same as did the day before I gave birth. Not so good.

Hmmm. I always feel ill equipped for the real world. Why else would I agree to sit in this office all day every day?

I'm counting down the minutes until I can eat my lunch. Eleven o'clock is the earliest I allow myself to eat.

I'm having the worst visit ever w/ dear Aunt Flo. Damn her.

Kiwi, that sounds like a lot of driving for a good time. I guess that's part of the bargain when you live waaaay up in the deep woods, huh?

Indeed, that is true. Don't remind me how incredibly convenient everything is in your area (my dietitian friend who moved there reminds of that regularly). I suppose one advantage here is that you don't bother to spend a whole lot of money because it's too much trouble.

Aunt Flo shoulda croaked by now. Damn her indeed.

kiwi

Death to Aunt Flo!!!----she keeps arriving later and later here which is nice,except the NOT knowing when she may show up. How do you book a pap with that kind of schedule???? enough of that crap---this weekend is the Annual Fall Foliage Tour I take with my autumn loving friend---i know you will all await with baited breath for your pics that i will bore you with !!!! how many times can you look at a red maple leaf??? i hope we find some orange ones--they are my favourite!!!----hope you had a grand time at your party miss kiwonkers-----hope your weekend sees the end of that misery,miss wabby---hello miss shatz---good to see you back!! hi cherry-hi sugar,hi peachpie-------------stay tuned!!!!

ohhhhhhhhhhh i am thrilled--i managed to upload one of last years pictures as an avatar!!!! yee haa---i love the fall!!!

there have been pictures here. how wonderful !!! You are all so wonderful.

I have been having my usual exciting life. Yawn. I can barely bring my hands out of my life to type as I can think of nothing.

Today is the first day of my new routine of working at the supermarket one day a week. This means I get tomorrow off. How long has it been since I had a Sunday off (not counting taking DS to college?) .... February is the answer.

I am too bored with myself.

That's purtypurtypurty, Bagz. And your mad puter skillz are impressive! Of course I want foliage peectures, load me up!

When's your new job start, Peachie? I'm glad you have Sunday off. Nobody should work on Sunday. Have you met the little 4 year old darlings? Where are you going to be, a pre-school?

I have been out on a dog-walk this morning. An hour and a half. I feel so virtuous. The weather is gorgeous, still Indian summer -- how lucky!!

The Ian Anderson concert was awesome!! It was very different from what I expected. There was a lot of Jethro Tull music, although a good bit of it was different type arrangements than the originals. Not a lot of "ear-bleeding" music as they described it. But at least half of the concert was entirely different; a whole lot of fascinating stuff. They had a chamber orchestra from N.E. Conservatory (almost all young women) backing up their old-guy band. They did some interesting reworkings of classical music that were fantastic, and he had a guest violinist, a woman who looked like a college student herself but is actually a physics professor :dunno: ; she had all the men drooling and making fools of themselves. She was also the perfect foil for Ian Anderson's goofy mannerisms. He is one strange little man. Although heaven on earth on the flute. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Yesterday I was in the Big City to go to a dog obedience clinic "Walking on a Leash Politely" -- I'm not sure it was worth the trip. When we started, the guy leading the session asked if he could use Jet as a demo, and after trying for a few minutes he gave up and gave her back to me. :lol: She hadn't the slightest interest in the yummy liver treats he was trying to use to get her attention -- mainly because there were 7 other dogs there Yippee Lemme at em!!!! Well, it made me laugh anyway, but we got a few pointers and things to work on, lord knows if it will make any difference. She is so strong now, even though she's only 40 pounds she can actually pull me right over if I'm not prepared.

Anyway, after that I went to the mall, and I didn't really have anything I needed to do. DH was out sailing on the coast with the other people we went to the concert with. So I called DD to see if she wanted me to do any shopping for her. She was sitting on Boston Common with BF and BFtwin and their older brother, listening to live music. They had been touring Boston all day and were taking a breather before going out to dinner. She and BF had gone to Filene's basement (I didn't even know that was still in existence; all the Filene's stores have been turned into Macy's :p ), and she'd gotten a much needed pair of jeans (she says her best pairs are too big, yes too big, for her now :eek: ), so she couldn't think of anything she needed. So I went to the bookstore and then headed home. When I got home, there was a voice message from DD saying to give her a call sometime. I wondered when she left that, so I listened to it again -- it was at 5:18, and you could hear someone singing in the background. I thought that was odd, that was right around the time I talked to her and it sounded just like the music I could hear when I talked to her. So I checked my cellphone and sure enough, I had called her at 5:19. I figured the times were a little off and she had called me right after we hung up or something, so I called her again, and she said she'd left me that message only a minute before I called. She thought I'd gotten it and had called right back. How spooky is that???? I'd love to think we are that in-tune with each other, but I don't really believe it! Made my day, though. :D

Kiwi

I am envious of kiwi's Gilmore-girls relatioship with dd. There's a young woman at the supermarket who went to a different college from ds. When the 2 schools played football, she went to Gainesville to watch it on tv with another young woman who worked at our store. She was in town this weekend (working at the supermarket) and told me she saw ds at the mall with lcp.

I was hurt and angry. I called ds later and told him it upset me to get just a sentence or two from him and hear the real stories from other people. "I wanted to see her so I brought her up," he said. I told him there was nothing wrong with that but I'd like to know what my son's life is like.

Then he told me he joined the fencing club. Sigh. That's the last I'll hear of the fencing club.

What happened to that sweet docile little grey-legged puppy from Jet's litter? She's probably walking happily on leashes and accompanying her owners on trips to china shops.

The job starts tomorrow. I am anxious about it. Hold my hand.

Doesn't Kiwiette know about the Freshman-15?

Hmm, I'd love to believe that. Truth is I can't get her to answer an email, even when I ask questions that need answers ASAP. She is good about calling a couple of times a week and she's easy to get hold of, so we manage to keep tabs on what she's up to. The truth is that part of our advantage is the example of the BF's family, who all talk to each other every day or so, and visit each other regularly. If she had not gotten to know them, I suspect she would find it a real burden to keep in touch with us. After all, I only talk to my family every few weeks, and DH speaks to his, who live 10 miles away from us, maybe once a week at the most.

Yeah, really. I'm so jealous. Turns out that dancing 4 nights a week is helpful for keeping the weight off. She's taking a dance class (Kathak Dance from northern India) for credit and also joined the Irish dance club which practices twice a week. She says she eats like a pig, although a couple of days a week she doesn't get to regular meals because of her schedule. Ah, to be young.

I took fencing when I was in college. I was awful.
Ah, Diva. Don't remind me! You are probably right! At least I didn't bring home the nervous shy one (Yellow). Sometimes that is more dangerous than boisterous bull-in-china-shop types like Jet.

Good luck on the job. I look forward to hearing about it. :hug: Think of all those trusting little heads looking to you for affection.

Kiwi

DD is Stunnink in the Avatar Kiwi.. Ian Anderson..what a hoot.. yes indeed a strange little man .. We saw him at the Beacon theater post Tull, and I think in the off season of sheep herding... I think that's what he did then... herd and shear sheep methinks :chin: anyway--yes a master on that flute!!!
I think Jet is and will be the most devoted dog to you Kiwi!



Cowie- the little ones will just adore you ! You must tell us all about your first day! And darlink, don't forget that not only is DS a young adult/teen away from home for the first time but is of the Male persuasion... I just saw a Primetime or Dateline special on the differences in male and female brains and chemical composition..Fascinating! indeed, the male is an alien being..

Bagz I plan on many a sugar maple on my propurty.. I just love how they turn orange and red orange..my favorite! The colors are just startin to change here..I hope fer a colorful fall... we had lots of rain this year..so I hope to be stunned..

Another weekend spent slogging though woods... we found a 10 acre plot that looks to be near purfect... I wish it had more trees on it ... but I guess it will be less $$ to clear it.. and I will plant them sugar maples,,, and aspens.. Next time we go out to the property I'll take some pics.. It's going to be a small community of about 22 homes - each with a minimum of 10 acres..
We'll see what happens next...but now every plot of land is beginning to look the same ...

Did we miss Canadian Thanksgiving? Oddly enough it doesn't seem to be on any of my calendars ;) ! Well I hope it was lovely if we did.

Hope Peachie's first day was fun or at least problem free. Come tell us! I for one am waiting with bated breath. And you know how unpleasant bated breath can get after a while :lol:

Schatzi, I'm always amazed to hear that people are constructing developments on 10 acre apiece lots. Sounds lovely, but what do you do with the extra space, when you live in a development? Don't all developments end up with all those restrictions, like no livestock, no businesses, no this no that? Maybe not.

Later gators
Kiwi

Nope, we haven't missed it Kiwi, it's Oct. 9th. Still time to send a pumpkin pie to the northland.

I'm jealous of Schatzi land's acreage subdivisions. Rarely happens here, unless it was land that was subdivided in the early 80's. Around here, it's all about high density housing. Apparently the higher ups thought all the farm land was getting gobbled up, so they put into effect extremely strict land use laws. It's possible to build a new house on acreage, but you can't believe the hoops you have to jump through. Will you be allowed to have critters on your property, Schatz, or is that restricted?

Re: sugar maples ---- I planted a bunch of them along our property line about 15 years ago. They were little twigs I bought for a buck a piece @ the Arbor Day Foundation sale. Now they're big gorgeous trees that are probably about 25 ft. tall. It will really, really break my heart if they mow down my trees when we move. For some reason one of them always turns red and loses it's leaves in September and the rest wait until October. Maybe I'll email you back some foliage photos of my trees, Bagzie.

Lord, I used to love Jethro Tull back in the day.....

My WW recipe for the day---- Mix 1 15 oz. can pumpkin w/ one box spice cake mix & 1/3 C. water. Spoon batter into 24 muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. .............. 2 WW points and all those lovely vitamins that pumpkin has ........... supposed to be good for breakfast. I'll make them and report back to you.

Can't wait for the blow by blow on Peaches first day of work!!!!

Wow, that sounds really good, Wabby, and so simple!! I have been thinking about spice cake lately, I can't remember why. I think I need to buy some....

Kiwi