WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MAY 2014

bjkidfun

Well I need to vent, I'm feeling a little better about my dd moving to Colorado with gs. But I'm struggling with
Emotional eating. I'm having trouble staying within my 1200 cal. Today I messed up, I locked my keys in my car when
I got to the YMCA. I took my gs with me, so a lady from my body-pump class brought me home to very extra keys and
I had to leave GS at the YMCA because I had no car seat. By the time I got back to the YMCA it was after 12:30, so we
both were starved so I went to burgerking and got us each a cheeseburger kids meal. I did get water instead of soda, but it cost me 550 cal. So tonight I did a 3.6 mile walk to cover the cal. I don't know if I can keep this up. To top it off I have been doing
pretty well considering my emotions and I haven't lost any wght for 3 wks now so that makes me want to blow all the hard work
I've done. Ok I'm done venting.
Brenda from Md

djhobs

Hi ladies...it has been awhile since I posted and I do miss this thread...have not really caught up but will go forward from here...my son is back safely (body and soul) from Afghanistan, he spent a week with us and almost two weeks with girlfriend...she is sooo good for him, I hope they continue to be happy...and good news, he will not be re-enlisting with the Marines...it has been a life changer for him, but not a career:happy:

I joined a fitness challenge tonight...squats, leg raises and abs...I think it is designed for the twenty or thirty something's..not the fifty something's....but will give it a try:laugh:

Stay well..will try to be a participant again:flowerforyou:


Jen from the mid Hudson valley in NY, where yesterday it was summer and today was like March...:noway:

margaretturk

This picture is from the retro rama event I went to a couple of weeks ago. I am wearing the outfit my mom wore when she volunteered at the bloodmobile in the 60's and 70's.

RebelRenny

@ Lucy - I am so very sorry to hear of your family tragedy. It is tough when life throws things at us that are beyond comprehension. I wish you comfort in this time of sorrow.

I had promised my DD that I was going to drop by her place after work tonight, and it totally slipped my mind. Darn!!! Her little toddler and husband are both sick and she is about to give birth to baby #2. My forgetfulness was likely because my day was extremely busy and my poor old mind is incapable of containing information beyond established borders. I should have put it on my calendar as soon as I thought of it and I did not. Blasted!

On the other hand, I had a good babysitting experience at my DS and DDIL place last night. Our little granddaughter (10 months) is an absolute delight, plus, she ended up sleeping through the night last night. I do believe Oma's presence (that's me) had something to do with that. No?

Today was sunny but very windy. Weather is supposed to get more lovely as the week goes by.


Renny
Vancouver Island, BC

richo59

Good morning ladies. Just thought I would jump in and say Hi from Australia. It is winter time here in a couple of days, and it is strange to read your comments about the warm weather.Good luck to you all with your weight loss. I am hoping that by the time our summer comes around I will be a fit, healthy and buff "Nanna".

mollywhippet

Lucy, there are no words to describe the sorrow of hearing what happened to your niece. I hope she can recover soon, but I know she will never get completely over it. I'm so very sorry.

Good boy Bodi! Trying to pee on his own and moving his feet! Yippee!

Bad boy Levi! Taking mom's bread is a very naughty thing to do. I hope she let you finish it.

Tonight Hubby took me out on a date. Well, not exactly, but it was a wonderful, magical night. The college is having a chamber music festival and there is a free event every night this week. Tonight it was on the lawn behind the president's house. The musicians were on a beautiful circular stone patio. We were all sitting around in lawn chairs. The weather was absolutely perfect! The music was good, and there were even fireflies! Hubby's favorite part though was that it was free. I'm a very cheap date!

There are two older male professors that always go to the musical performances on campus. They are from Serbia and Romania. I thought they were a gay couple at first, but hubby said they both have wives. Well, the invitations tonight said to bring our lawn chairs, but the first guy, the Romanian, arrived carrying a tiny little folding step stool and proceeded to perch his portly butt on it. It's like the stool that my grandson uses to reach the sink. It was hilarious, and he looked so uncomfortable that I made hubby go over to the stage area and get him a folding chair. I had just about recovered from that sight when the Serbian showed up carrying a thin chair pad. The kind you tie to a wooden chair. He put it down on top of the other guys tiny step stool and sat down on it. I nearly fell out of my lawn chair. It was really, really hard not to laugh.

Here's today's joke:

:happy:

The boss was concerned that his employees weren’t giving him enough respect, so he tried and old fashioned method of persuasion: He brought in a sign that said “I’m the Boss” and taped it to his door. After lunch, he noticed someone had taped another note under his. “Your wife called. She wants her sign back!”

:laugh:

Goodnight all!

Sylvia

GodMomKim

Brenda - really doing 550 calories at B.King is very good – and walking it off is awesome;:happy: someone described a plateau as practice for maintenance. And right now with all that is going on for you and for some others of our group “practicing for maintenance” is an amazing accomplishment – just a few months ago we all would have just eaten or drank (or both) what ever in hopes of feeling better; now we are choosing a stop in maintenance while we deal with the *&^% life is handing us!! Yeah for Brenda!!!

Jen – welcome back to you – and WELCOME home safe to your son and thank him for his service…:bigsmile:

Margaret – cute pic!

Renny – of course Oma’s presence is the answer!

Sylvia – Levi says " no mom was really mad and took the rest away from me". The joke was great!!! And I think a cheap date night is great- love the word picture of the professors!

Our book club read and watched "Breakfast at Tiffany's" all agreed that it was an allstar cast; but no one really liked the movie or the book - kinda weird as it is considered a classic -- it did not age well; and by that I don't mean the quality of the film; but some of the morays of the time are very jarring in today's world.

Next month is The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty - I have already read it; and if you are looking for a light easy summer read with a secret that I did not guess- but that is very interesting this is a must read. Some "beach reads" are fun and light but you never need to turn your brain on - this one is everything fun, light and yet has a turn your brain on thought teaser.

Kim in N. California

grasgal

Hi ...I'm new to MFP. I found this app in order to easily log everything that went in my mouth. Additionally, the other tools have turned out to be very helpful. I love see the "extra credit" you get for exercising. I'm averaging 1 1/2 hrs. a day.... sometimes at the gym, sometimes outdoors walking, or working out at taiko drumming (my passion). In January I had surgery for a severe meniscus tear .... two months later went on a tour of NYC and was in pain most of the time. Ladies.... this just won't do. I finally am retired and I want to travel. I have a trip planned for Asia in the fall and I do not want to carry around a 50 lb suitcase strapped to my body. I've been on MFP for 13 days now and have lost 7 lbs and gained some welcome muscle...especially in my knee area. Yahooo!

Katla49

Joyce: Congratulations on your recent losses. You are doing great!:drinker: :bigsmile:

Lucy: I’m so sorry for your niece’s loss. I hope she will rally and move ahead. She can try again, or perhaps adopt. My mother and my daughter both had miscarriages before having a baby. To come so far and lose the baby at the last moment is heartbreaking.:brokenheart: :flowerforyou:

Nena: I love the quotation, “Winners are people…who just never quit.”:flowerforyou:

Margaretturk: Your new picture is lovely and reminds me of Doris Day.:flowerforyou:

Robin: It sounds like Bodi is making progress! You are all in my thoughts.:flowerforyou:

Molly: I’m hoping your daughter’s heart can be treated and she will live a long and happy life. Sending virtual hugs to you in this stressful time.:flowerforyou:

Sylvia: I love your jokes and today’s is priceless!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:




It is time to take myself off to bed. Sorry to those I missed.

Katla in beautiful NW Oregon

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison



May Goals:
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least two glasses of water daily.

CynthiaT60

Good morning, everyone!

Joyce: I hate being anywhere that early, too. Glad Charlie is doing better. Your daughter’s dogs may cause wear and tear, but she’s probably glad to have their company and love.
Meg: I think I missed something: what kind of book have you been writing? Lots of confusion with your daughter; I hope you can keep some kind of equanimity during all this.
Sylvia: perfect timing with your clothes donation!
Kim: right with you on the pasta; the “helping” is just a tease. :huh: Your pic is cute! As for Levi…once I bought a pound of truffle cheese as a treat for us. I went to check my e-mail and came back to find my dog under the table polishing off the last of the cheese. That was also the only time he took something from the counter. I was so glad he didn’t get sick (and a little p***ed that our treat was gone).
Alison: hope you have a fun time with your friend. You are right NOT to touch the asbestos. There’s a reason there are specialized removal companies whose employees wear protective clothing!
Bonnie: condolences on the loss of your mother-in-law. Hope you both will give yourselves time to adjust.
Carol: don’t forget to breathe. :flowerforyou:
Katla: hope the blood sugar issue is getting better.
Lucy: sounds like you’re doing well with Milo. Does he have one of those “moving” lines so he has some freedom of movement out there? So sorry about your niece. Hope she can take her time and not feel pressured about “trying again” or whatever. She’ll need to deal with this first.
Vicki: you are doing so well!
Robin: so glad Bodi’s still improving!
Molly: sending good wishes for you and your daughter.

I had a bit of a scare the day before yesterday; long story, but it turned out to be a heart rhythm problem. Am now on a beta blocker I don't want to be on, waiting for an appointment for an ultrasound of the heart. Apparently this kind of thing is normally benign, but I want to know for sure. And I don't like weird feelings in my chest.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Cynthia :flowerforyou:

grandmallie

morning ladies~
was up earlier than the birds this morning...I got up with the hubby at 3 am, had my lemon water and off I went to Wally world to grocery shop...
I have to drop Chester off at the groomers, then go pick up Doris..
I feel bad, my dad called last night and asked me to go to the movies today, but I already promised Doris, hopefully he will take a rain check..
My elderly friend at the Cape(Cod) isnt well, she is a very large woman who will be 87 in august if she makes it that long, she has already lost one leg to diabeties and now she could be losing the other leg...
I am going to have to look at my schedule , and take Doris up for a weekend soon...
Lucy, that is just horrific about your niece,I will be saying prayers for her...
I did buy Chocolate.. 2 large bags , they are the bite size ones, and I threw them in the freezer, way in the back, so when I am craving something.. will think before I grab...

margaretturk

Good Morning,

Welcome Newcomers:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Deedee hope feeling better today.:drinker: :flowerforyou:

Alison I like the idea of out of sight out of mind for the chocolates.

Bonnie I was sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. Prayers.:flowerforyou:

Robin good news about Bodi.

Cynthia I can understand why the heart rhythm is scary. :flowerforyou:

Katla I love Doris Day, so thank you for the compliment.

Kim I agree Breakfast at Tiffany’s would have changes if it were made today. What fun to be in a book club.

Love the joke Sylvia. How true. Outdoor concert what a treat!

Breanda the kids meal was a good option for your circumstances. The portion size is smaller and thus less of a calorie dent.

Joyce feel for your daughter.:flowerforyou:

Molly prayers.:flowerforyou:

Working a half day in a Kindergarten that is fun to sub. They have baby ducks right now in the class. Tomorrow I plan to go to this school as a volunteer in the morning. They have a day where they do Peace Inspired activities all day long with all grades. The activities are all outside :glasses: except for the program that is inside.

Asking prayers for my son as he is trying to find a job.

Today I will log what I eat so I wake up to a healthier tomorrow.

2014 word: contentment

Margaret

DeeDee2211

Good morning beautiful ladies:flowerforyou:

Bonnie so sorry to hear about your MIL:brokenheart: !

Lucy how absolutely horrible for your niece:sad: ! I had a friend who went through the same thing with twins, so very heartbreaking:brokenheart: ! Glad Milo is doing okay, I think he's a good guard dog!

Molly prayers for you and your daughter, I know it has to be so scary !

Sylvia love the joke:laugh: !

Michele hope you're having a wonderful time with your friends!

Jen how very nice to see you back! I was thinking about you the other day! So glad your son is home!!!

Kim in N CAL you look absolutely beautiful!!! I wrote down the title of the book, sounds like a fun, easy read for summer! Once I get everyone out of my house, I'll be able to sit on the new deck, or the patio and read! I'm so looking forward to it!

Margaret thanks, I'm feeling a little better today! It's still really sore though! Love your new profile pic too, you look radiant!

Cynthia keep us posted! Weird feelings in the chest is scary!

My tile is being sealed at the moment, they banished me to the bedroom because of the smell, so....hopefully I'll be able to get out soon (I make it sound like I'm in prison:laugh: ). The patio guy should be here soon, and then I have to go to the paint store, I've bought 4 sample cans of paint and I dislike them all:grumble: !

Have a great day ladies! Drink your water:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: and log your food!

Hugs,
DeeDee in gorgeous NC:glasses:

Katla49

CynthiaT60: Sorry about the heart rhythm scare. I hope they get things sorted out promptly.:flowerforyou:

Margaret: Prayers for your son for a successful job search.:flowerforyou:

DeeDee: Good luck paint shopping. Just the right color and shade is so important to a person’s comfort and happiness in their home.:flowerforyou:



Yesterday I realized that I need an extra tomato cage for a pair of volunteer seedlings and found just what I needed right here in town! :bigsmile: What a pleasant surprise that was. They are even manufactured in Portland, OR, USA! :bigsmile: I like the tomato cages that are square and fold flat for storage. The round ones with gradually larger rings don’t do the job for me. They invariably bend and fall over during the height of the tomato season. My choice tomato plants are all indeterminate, meaning they keep on growing until frost stops them and they get very big.

Have a great day!

Katla in beautiful NW Oregon

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison



May Goals:
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least two glasses of water daily.

LucyT4dieting

Good morning all,

Thank you so much for all your kind words and support regarding my niece. When the time is right, I will let her know that she had many people praying for her recovery from this tragedy. I know she will never really get over it, but time is a great healer, and I hope she can move on with her life. Nena, you are so right that we don’t know what the future holds. As Katla said, maybe she will adopt someday. When I told my son, he said maybe she wasn’t meant to have her own children, but maybe she’ll adopt and that child will grow up and do something wonderful. We just don’t know. I know that I want her to experience joy in her life again.

The weather here has been so unpredictable lately. One day it’s beautiful and warm, and the next it’s cold and rainy. :grumble: Our church carnival started on Memorial Day and goes through the week. Memorial Day was beautiful, but Tuesday, Wednesday and now Thursday are crappy. We had severe thunderstorms on Monday, so they had to cancel. Frank and I have been volunteering, and last night was just raw. Tonight I will be prepared. I brought my UGGS, a pair of warm socks, a sweatshirt and a jacket with me to change into before leaving work because I have to report directly to the carnival from work. The turnout hasn’t been really good, but it looks like the weather will be slowly improving by the weekend.:ohwell: Saturday night is the last night. Our parish really needs this carnival to help out with funding our many ongoing church projects.

I did read some of the posts, and it really helped to lift my spirits. You are all so wonderful, and the stories you share are priceless. I have been struggling with eating right, logging consistently and exercising. I am full of excuses lately. I want to admit to it because I know the first step to conquering any problem is to admit you HAVE a problem! So now it’s out there. :embarassed: What am I going to do about it? We shall see!

Thanks for all the support and tips on Milo. I am going to take Cynthia’s advice and get a moving line so he has some freedom when he’s outside with us. He is really a sweet dog and I know he was only doing his job to protect me. It was unfortunate that someone got hurt in the process. We will be more diligent in the future to make sure this never happens again.:noway:

Previous and Current Goals:

Consistent logging (Could be better)
Drink at least 9 glasses of water a day (70%)
Find an exercise class I enjoy (NOT YET-STILL LOOKING!!!)
RUNNING OUTDOORS (Started, but hoping to be more consistent)
LOWER SODIUM FOODS (Not lately!)
STOP OBSESSING ABOUT FOOD (Hmmmmm…..)


Congrats to all on their success, and (((hugs))) to all who are struggling.


Hugs,
Lucy in DE.

janemartin02

Good morning!!
Going to pt and pre=-op testing.
HUGS
jane

Vickil57

Good morning. Things at work are in an uproar. They had a big meeting yesterday with the dietary deptment and let 3 people go and cut the rest 16 hours every two weeks. It is crazy as they keep out sourcing things and this is to improve things?????? Also they have to reapply for their jobs and start from the bottom. Sure is a depressing place this moring. No ones job is safe anymore and it does not matter how long you have been here. One day at a time I keep telling myself. Thanks for listening.
We rode the trike out to the airport last evening to the car show. We enjoy looking at the old cars and the way they fix them up. Some of them sure bring back memories. They were having a supper special out there and I overdid it. Boy! I agree I felt terrible the rest of the evening and I thought last year I would of eaten that and more and not thought twice about it. So am learning and not beating myself up over it. Today is a new day!! DH ordered the new seat for the bike and I am hoping it will make it more comfortable to ride.
Doctors appointment went well. He did up one med and checked my leg out. Said I have shin splits from walking and just do some stretching so I can do that. Told him seems the things I do to be healthly get me hurt.
The schools here offer meals (breakfast and lunch I think) during the summer for all age children. I know they have alot that eat there and sad to think they have to depend on that.

Robin--Happy B-lated birthday. So glad to hear Bodi is getting better. They bring so much love into our lives and mine sure can make me smile.

Molly--Hugs and hugs to you and DD.

Meg--doctor said he did not think it was a BC and I am glad. Yes! next time we plan a trip to Omaha I will let you know and we can arrange a meeting. That would be fun.

Brenda--Hugs!!

Sylvia--thanks for the smile over the professors. I like being a cheap date also.

Cynthia--prayers the tests come out ok. I have my yearly appointment with the heart doctor this next Monday. I have a deal where one side beats just behind the other. They tell me not to worry about it and that they will check it once a year.

Margaret--prayer DS can find a job. Not an easy thing anymore.
I was afraid that I had lost all this as pushed the wrong key. I just kept tryig things and got it back. Not sure what I did either time, but glad to have it back. Well ladies have a great rest of the day and remember we in this together.
Blessings, Vicki GI NE

CynthiaT60

Lucy: I found this site about a kind of zip line: http://www.unchainyourdog.org/Trolley.htm.
I'm sure there is more information out there.

Cynthia

bjkidfun

Lucy- I am so sorry to hear about your niece and her baby. That happened to a friend of
my daughter's, They had a photographer come in immediately after birth and took pics,
She was a beautiful little girl. To remember her they walk in the March of Dimes in her
memory each yr. I'll be praying for her and the family. Hopefully they have support groups
in her area when she's ready.
Brenda from Md

GodMomKim

Cynthia – take care – glad you have an appointment to have everything checked out!

DeeDee – good job on buying sample cans – when I went to paint my living room hallway, I was “in love” with this color called portabella – did not buy a sample – bought 2 gallons and 2 years later it is still in my living room/hallway and it still should be renamed babypoo yellow. :sad:

Business goes from s l o w to crazy in 24 hours... not really complaining but balance would be nice... so gotta go ! thinking of everyone with challenges!

Kim

cityjaneLondon

Back from seeing the grandchildren. Magic!:bigsmile: How lucky am I!

Too tired to write more.

Love you ladies! Big hugs to those who need a hug.:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Heather, back in Hampshire UK

yanniejannie

Hi, everyone,

I've been extremely busy the past two days, finally got time to skim the posts.........yesterday I left the house about 8:30am and got back at almost 11pm........insane. Today it's been one step forward and three back all day. I did try line dancing again last night; really like it but pretty hopeless, at least I'm moving---just not usually in the right direction; new found respect for Barbie!!!!

Katla...........Wanted to let you know that I did not research to compile those DOD numbers; just copied from an article along with their source.

Cyclingbonnie.............my condolences on the loss of your MIL

Meg.............(((hugs))); hope everything gets sorted out; painful for all involved.

Carol..........Thanks for the reassurance on the DD front, it was good to hear about your experience.

Heather..........As always, just love that adorable baby!!!!

Kim.........Great pic............you look so young! ........and those colors are so vibrant.

Sylvia............How wonderful is it that they would have such a need for just your size??? Meant to be!!!

Lucy..........Absolutely horrific for your niece, love and (((HUGS)))) to all of you; my heart is breaking for her.

BJ..........Had to figure out your Chuck and Cam mention, yes, he did rather step in it.

Margaret...........Love the pic!!!

Tammy........We WILL do it and soon!

All for now; still have a few phone calls to make and DH will be home soon...........hoping for a better nights sleep tonight.

Best to everyone I've missed and g'nite
yanniejannie

megblair1

Hi ladies. Today was not very exciting. Went grocery shopping and that’s about it. DD#2 went to her first day at her job today but only for about an hour. She doesn’t actually start until Monday and she’ll be working 2:30-6 so that’s kind of nice.

Haven’t heard from DD#1 about the adoption visit; my feeling is that she was lying about it since I doubt the agency would have someone willing to meet her on a Sunday night at some random coffeeshop. She was supposed to have the person email one of us just saying they met, but nothing so far. DH is going to call her tonight; but if she’s been lying, the insurance deal is off the plate.

Brenda: hooray for you only racking up 500 calories at BK! I have read that the kid’s meal is the best choice if you’re going for burgers! Don’t be too hard on yourself. That was a great choice in the midst of chaos.

Jen: welcome back it is nice to see you again and hear that your son is safe and well.

Margaret: what a beautiful picture! Sending good thought your son’s way! What kind of job is he interested in?

Sylvia: your joke and the visuals with your story were both hilarious!

Grasgal: welcome to our little group.

Cynthia: don’t worry I am always confused! I am in the midst of three right now actually. The main one is a major nursing textbook that I am now an editor/author on and it comes with a test bank that I wrote half of. The book I about killed myself on over the weekend was a geriatric nursing testbank. None of them are actually “done” yet. The chapters all get sent out to reviewers, who then send back questions and comments that must be addressed. I just got 20 chapters back today on the big testbank. Bleh! 

Alison: so sorry to hear about your friend. Little bite sized chocolates are good if you can avoid binging on them. I have half a bag of chocolate kisses in the back of my closet from easter. I see them every day but so far, no desire to eat any.

Katla: I wish I had known about tomato cages that fold flat! What a great idea. We end up stacking ours up and leaving them in the garden over the winter. I pulled about a dozen volunteer tomatoes yesterday. Today I bought the most beautiful planter full of red leaf lettuce!

Vicki: where do you work? At a hospital? That sounds like the ones around here.

Kim/DeeDee: re: paint. Of course when we built our house we had paint swatches. I picked what I thought was a pretty blueberry for the outside and a lovely pink for our bedroom. Turns out the outside was purple (after I just threatened the homeowners association with painting my house purple because the rules did not specify paint and they insisted they did) and the pink could only be described politely as something you might see in a brothel! So much of our house has many coats of paint!

Well ladies I’m off for now. I want to see the new CNN special on the ‘60s. It looks very interesting. Take care all Meg from sunny but humid Omaha

djhobs

I am back...two days in a row...woo-hoo! I started a guns, abs and butt challenge...push-ups, leg lifts and squats....day 1- 50 squats, 25 leg lifts and 5 push-ups...I might stick to just day 1 and keep repeating...time will tell, will see how sore I am tomorrow.

Today was first day back from vacation and was met with news that our branch manager is moving on to a different position:sad: ...not sure who will take over...we are all hoping it is NOT our direct supervisor...very knowledgable, but zero management skills..I might take a look at it but not sure I am really suited for the position either...will be an interesting summer.

Still re-acquainting myself...so no shout-outs, but will send prayers out for the struggles and high fives for the positive actions and decisions made!:flowerforyou:


Jen from sunny but cool NY...at least it was sunny most of the day

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: Bj, I loved hearing about your poodle and your baby granddaughters. My older poodle, Brandy, loves children and likes to kiss them. Sasha, the younger one, is deathly afraid of children and shakes and barks when children are anywhere near her. When our daughter comes for a visit this summer with her two preschool age sons, we’ll board the dogs.

:flowerforyou: Kim, you look great in your picture…..it’s good to have it so you have comparisons for all the steps of your journey…..do you have a picture of you at your heaviest weight?....great story about Levi and the bread….our Golden Retriever, Shilo, couldn’t be trusted alone in a room with food.:laugh: :laugh:

:bigsmile: Joyce, you are so right about the importance of having a friend on this journey.

:flowerforyou: Sylvia, when I gave all my bigger clothes to the thrift shop, I imagined that there was a woman delighted to get them, but you know for sure that someone who needs clothes will be getting yours….thank you for sharing your great story.

:flowerforyou: Patty in Cincinnati, I wish I lived near you so I could come to your practice workout session.

:flowerforyou: Heather, your words of wisdom for the new women were fabulous…..I read them carefully as a continuing reminder for myself. Persistence is so important…..wishing I had a different metabolism or a different attitude about food is a waste of time…..I am what I am and I need to work with what I have.

:brokenheart: :brokenheart: :brokenheart: :brokenheart: Lucy, so sorry to hear about your niece’s tragedy…..it certainly puts my petty grievances in perspective.

:flowerforyou: Nena, I love your quote

:flowerforyou: Meg, your daughter is going through a terrible time and she needs your support and encouragement more than ever now.

:flowerforyou: Grandmallie, when Jake first started Isagenix, it seemed expensive to me but the health benefits were so awesome that we put it ahead of other priorities on our spending list….one of the great benefits has been increased energy.

:bigsmile: Robin, I am cheering for Bodi and his gradual improvement…great miracles often come in baby steps…..Happy Birthday to you

:flowerforyou: Jen, I’ve done squat and plank challenges with groups of younger people on MFP and it worked for me when I competed against myself and not against the youngsters....set your own goals, if necessary

:bigsmile: Margaret, you look fabulous in your retro Bookmobile outfit

:flowerforyou: Grasgal,welcome….this is a great place to check in every day and join the conversation and get the support and encouragement you need to reach your goal.

:brokenheart: :brokenheart: Bonnie, sorry to hear about your MIL

:flowerforyou: DeeDee, all your remodeling sounds daunting…..you are a brave woman to tackle all of that

:flowerforyou: Yanniejannie, when I went to my first line dance class, my goal was to not fall down and not knock anyone else down…….when I accomplished that, I resolved to attend the class regularly so I could learn and practice……in my beginner class, the people who come every week get better each week and the ones that come only occasionally continue to struggle and often drop out completely

:flowerforyou: I didn’t have time to post yesterday……my time got used up by very long dog walks in the morning, then my regular intermediate line dance class in the morning…..from there I drove immediately to the next town where I taught the afternoon two and half hour class. I didn’t forget to call my friend, the line dance teacher, who has come to expect my Wednesday afternoon phone call.

:flowerforyou: Today I slept a little later, walked the dogs and then went to my regular line dance class. I had time for lunch and dog walking before heading off to my dentist appointment( I go three times a year for a heavy duty cleaning at the periodontist) followed by line dance practice with the performance group. I didn’t forget to call my 90 year old cousin who expects to hear from me every Thursday (right now she’s in a rehab place following a fainting spell so I’ve called her more often). I found time to watch two episodes of Jeopardy that we’ve recorded……we are enjoying Julia, who has won more games than any other woman.

Barbie from beautiful NW Washington

mollywhippet

DeeDee, when we remodeled two years ago I bought sample containers of several colors and painted each one onto cheap white poster board, it's about 20x26 inches, then taped those up on the wall in the room where they were to be, then it was easier to see what each one looked like with the actual lighting. It helped a lot. We wound up using the HGTV color palettes at Sherwin Williams. They had nice colors that worked well together since we were doing "open concept" and several walls are visible from other rooms. My garage walls are still sporting some very strange color patches where I tried them before I figured out about the poster board.

I just got back from my friend's house in Joplin. This was our painting night. It was so much fun! Saturday those two friends and I are going to the Crystal Bridges art museum in Arkansas. It's the one owned by the Walmart family and has absolutely world class art. Also beautiful grounds with walking trails. As much as I enjoy the museum, I always feel a little bad that Walmart employees earn so little that they need food stamps but the owners can buy millions of dollars in fabulous art.

Here is the joke for the day:

:happy:


A champion jockey is about to enter an important race on a new horse. The horse's trainer meets him before the race and says,

"All you have to remember with this horse is that every time you approach a jump, you have to shout, "ALLLLEEE OOOP!" really loudly in the horse's ear. Providing you do that, you'll be fine".

The jockey thinks the trainer is mad but promises to shout the command. The race begins and they approach the first hurdle. The jockey ignores the trainer's ridiculous advice and the horse crashes straight through the center of the jump.

They carry on and approach the second hurdle. The jockey, somewhat embarrassed, whispers "Aleeee ooop" in the horse's ear. The same thing happens -- the horse crashes straight through the center of the jump.

At the third hurdle, the jockey thinks, "It's no good, I'll have to do it" and yells, "ALLLEEE OOOP!" really loudly. Sure enough, the horse sails over the jump with no problems. This continues for the rest of the race, but due to the earlier problems the horse only finishes third.

The trainer is fuming and asks the jockey what went wrong. The jockey replies,

"Nothing is wrong with me -- it's this bloody horse. What is he -- deaf or something?"

The trainer replies, "Deaf?? DEAF?? He's not deaf -- he's BLIND!"

:laugh:

Sylvia

jmkmomm

Good evening ladies. Our daughter is feeling better about herself tonight. She went to rent a tiller today in preparation for placing sod and as she was telling this very easy to talk to lady about her plans and issues with her yard the lady told her that with the drainage issues she has with her yard, gutters, dogs, that it would be destroyed within a year. She said that she needs to instead swing her main focus on the drainage and then get her yard contoured some when her basement is dry, drainage issues resolved then do the sod. So what she had before was some black mats from work, she works at Cintas and they are some of the mats they rent out for places like kitchen floors, etc. So she has these in her yard grounded with some stakes and big rock so the dogs won't move them. She has to physically go out and clean the mats of the dog messes. All the work she has done around her fence where the dogs run and chase cars, etc will just have to be all that is done. And she has no idea how long it wwill last since she put pea gravel down. I reminded her that our next door neighbor removed all the grass nexxt to the fence between our two yards and put about a 6 inch concrete run for their shelty Sissy. We had a shelty Buddy and she would run up and down the length of the fence I guess trying to impress him. It was destroying the yard and it worked. I also told ehr that I had seen on HGTV some artificial turf that was specifically for dogs and had something that allowed for drainage.

She went to supper with us and then stayed at the house with me just visiting. It was nice. Melody must have sensed her emotions because she sat on her lap the whole time. She has a cat but the personalities are so different. Her cats name is CAT, pronounced c-a-t, and she is one of those cats that constantly pushes herself under your hand to pet her and you better not stop. She was a stray and I guess never learned how to use a littler box. She pees in one but will not poop in it. Michelle has done two littler boxes and she still won't do it. She won't poop on newspaper right next to it. It has to be bare floor. So her litter box is now down in her crappy basement that has a big drainage pipe in the middle of the floor to let water run into. So she just has to routinely run the hose and bleach the floor. Michelle would never do anything to put any animal on danger so she would never give CAT to someone to let her be an outside cat. CAT won't even go outside anyway, she is petrified of it. She will go sit on her screened in porch but won't step onto the yard.

OK, sorry about me talking so much about Michelle. It's just that she feel so all alone and she is so special and does so much to help me and yet when it comes to recieving help she feels like she can do anything herself and you better not challenge her on it. She is so much like her Dad. She is so worried about her Dad and 15 years ago she wouldn't give her Dad the time of day if he asked. I was lucky if she gave it to me. I'm glad she has grown up but I wish she wouldn't be so stubborn. It also breaks my heart to see her struggling financially and knowing much of it was not her fault but was her ex's fault. I am also mad because I loved him so and still do have very fond memories of their marriage and I hate it that I still do. I want to hate him as much as she does.

Boy, I need to cheer up!!!! Joyce, indiana

exermom

Pat - so sorry about hubby

Just sort-of skimming the posts and only commenting when something jumps out at me. My gf and her hubby came here Mon night. I admit, I haven't been good about water or food. She brought me some Swiss chocolate -- sweet! The night they got here I made a pork roast, sweet and white potatoes, and mixed veges in cheese sauce. Jessica came here the Fri before and stayed until Tues. she had a few appointments while she was here. Tues I made two beer butt chickens, a mix of beans and carrots, and I think there was something else but I don't remember what. Mon I had made ginger cookies, these chocolate cookies, low fat oatmeal raisin cookies and funfetti cookies. Had pistachios, almonds and cashews. Last night we celebrated her hubby's btdy (it isn't until 6/9), I made a shrimp gumbo, a salad, corn muffins (I didn't know they can't get cornmeal in Switzerland so I gave the rest to her to take back) and a banana chocolate cake. Tuesday I made a key lime cake.

I feel so badly for my gf, her arthritis is getting to her, she has a hard time moving around

They left to go to Newark today where she'll meet up with a friend of hers and then fly back to Switzerland.

Sylvia - how do you get bonus points at Walgreens? Is it if you buy certain things? Laughed at the clown story.

I got up early Tues and did a 30 min walking DVD. When I got upstairs Beat (gf's hubby) was up so we went outside and took a walk. Well, I decided that that night I'd do the Tony Little Body Sculping DVD that I was planning to do Wed. I learned (again) that exercising in the evening just isn't for me. Beat and I went for a walk Wed. a.m. I know it was a mile because I logged onto a website that tracks how far you go. I was planning that we'd go walking this a.m. but Beat felt that he would get too sweated so we didn't go. Well...one day of not exercising isn't going to kill me.

Wed. we took a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, I fell asleep . I'm not used to just sitting. But the ride was nice. Now I can say that I was on the BRP. Today Vince and I went in the pool. Tonight we're supposed to go see Les Miserables at a local theater (not the one I volunteer at)

Sylvia - loved the joke about the brick. Really, love all your jokes. regarding those pants of yours: God works in mysterious ways. Good luck at the cardiologist

Kim - you look lovely in that outfit

Welcome everyone new

Bonnie - deepest sympathies

Tammy in VA - I'm glad we chose the Hickory area when Vince retired. The last time they had a hurricane was about 30 years ago. Sometimes you can see nasty weather in TN but by the time it hits the mountains, it breaks up so we don't get as much nasty weather. It IS hot here, but low humidity.

Lucy in DE - I cried when I read about your niece. How horrible!

Robin - happy birthday. So glad to hear that Bodi is doing good

Molly - so sorry about your daughter. Where is she living?

Jen - glad your son is back safe and sound and not re-enlisting. Good luck on your challenge

DeeDee - everything sounds so lovely!

Got railing covers for the railings for the pool and Vince and I put them on today.

The last and final 10 yards of riverrock should be delivered tomorrow. Yup, this is going to be IT (unless we can riverrock the one area that I want to do.)

Just did a quick catch-up. Going to post this so I can start from here. Love to everyone and so sorry if I missed someone.

Planning to do the deep water class tomorrow

Michele from NC

Kayzoola

Just got back from a trip to southern California. We got one more trip to Disneyland in with our DD. I'm sure we were logging a good six miles a day of walking, and when I stepped on the scale on our return, I did a double take. Even with all the cheese and gelato I ate, I lost weight.

Cynthia, I had heart rhythm problems for over two years that felt like migrating salmon flip-flopping in my chest. Sometimes my heart would race for no reason, and once, it even stopped beating altogether. I went to two cardiologists, who offered suggestions ranging from doing nothing to ablation. Then, I went to the local "doc-in-a-box" immediate care facility to have a strip run while I was having one of those racing heartbeat episodes, and the doctor working there suggested I try taking magnesuim supplements. Wouldn't you know, I was cured. Have hardly had as much as a hiccough since.

Looks like the weeds didn't take a vacation while we were gone, so I'll be busy in the garden for a few days. The critters were happy to see us back.

Kayzoola (PNW USA)

cityjaneLondon

Margaret - love your photo!:flowerforyou: When I was fat I used to avoid dressing up at all costs. Never went to a party in fancy dress. Now I would love to have a go, but no one's inviting me!:ohwell:

Sylvia - your art trip sounded great. Beautiful things often have unsavoury histories!

Feeling tired after our trip yesterday. Hoisting a sturdy 8 month baby around and up and down stairs is hard work. I definitely would not have been able to do it two years ago. But I still managed to burn off 500 cals this morning. We miss the grandchildren already. I bought DGS some chickens for his toy farm and DH and he got deeply into a game where the tractor rolled over the chickens, then some escaped from under the wheels and stood on the tractor roof shouting, "Save our friends!!!" This went on and on.:happy: DH has so much patience. DGD was bouncing and chortling in her Jumperoo. That must be the best invention ever.:bigsmile: She is now babbling nonstop. Lovely. When DH and DGS were bouncing on the netted trampoline DGS bounced right out of the door which we had forgotten to fasten.:ohwell: The tears brought down mummy from her office where she is working on her new psychology book.:ohwell: No damage done, but I apologised for not fastening the door. DGS turned round as he was being carried into the kitchen to wash his tear stained face, and said, "Granny, next time you mustn't forget to fasten the door for me so I don't bounce out.". So next time we did fasten it.:laugh: :bigsmile:

Today is planting pots day. Geraniums and daisy type things for the back and marigolds for the front. I have baked some beetroots (beets) for lunch to have with feta and a mixed grain salad - one of my favourite things.:bigsmile: DH thinks beetroot is the spawn of the devil so he is having bagels.

Still dreary westher here. Love to all, Heather in gloomy Hampshire UK