Michelle, thanks so much! It really was looking good before I hacked it back. I do cut it back SEVERELY and remove all the leaves before taking it inside. I'll have to get a photo of it in its sad nubbins state right now. All the leaves that it grew outside eventually fall off anyway and by taking them off before I bring it in I reduce the chance of bringing in any bugs with it. The varietal name is 'Malabar'. I got the original from Rosy Dawn Gardens a few years ago. This is going to be its third winter indoors. I'm thinking of starting a few more coleus standards because they are easy to shape because they grow so fast. You'll have to let us know how you are doing with yours. Bug those variegated ficus are so pretty! Deanne

Welcome to this great forum, Janet! It really is a special one, isn't it? When I first joined, decorating a home was very easy for me, but I totally stressed out at the very thought of trying to create any tablescape! I've learned so much here since then! My DH is at the opposite end of the spectrum, I think. As good of cook as I am, he's even better! I just wish he had more time to cook for us! He loves gourmet meals and really appreciates my tablescapes (now). But I think what he appreciates most is the other very valuable thing I've learned on this forum . . . that you don't have to spend a lot of money on expensive dishes and things to create a beautiful or fun tablescape; some of the best finds can come from the Goodwill, garage sales, making them yourself or from "shopping" your own home for unexpected things to use. I've always been a bargain hunter and these talented gals here have shown me a whole new set of places to look now. I haven't been around here much for the past month, as our 16 y/o DD was finishing up the last couple of hectic weeks of her school year. I'm married and we have two kids, although no grandbabies yet. Our oldest will be 26 this summer. His Army unit was just deployed to Afghanistan two days ago. I'm looking forward to seeing your pretty dishes and tablescapes and am so glad you've decided to come out of Lurkdom and join us here! Lynn

Thank you so much for the warm welcome, making me feel at home, and the info. I have been lurking here for awhile, and was wondering how the different groups worked. You guys are so supportive and friendly, I look forward to getting to know all of you. Wild Chicken, the life style changes I am making is to make excersise a part of my life, I stopped drinking pepsi/Coke, One of my major down falls. And rather than a "diet" I really need to eat more healthfully, and I know it is a life long thing so I guess I would rather just think of it as learning how to eat the right things rather than thinking of it as a diet. I have always failed at dieting, as soon as I lost the weight, I would start eating all the wrong things again thinking I'll just have this today, tomorrow I will be good, and then tomorrow comes, and I say oh, what's one more day, tomorrow..... Before I know it the weight is all gained back and then some. So I know this needs to be a life long commitment. Unfortunately, I don't have the best genes, diabetes 2, obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol all run in my family, so I really need to get my weight under control. Yellowhair, congratulations on your weight loss, I know exactly how you feel about the pepsi. What is the Joyce Vedral "Bottoms Up" book about? it sounds interesting. Thanks again for making me feel welcome, alice

gibby3000 - I lost weight because I was basically scared into it. I do run 3 times a week and go to the gym 2 times a week but I was doing that while I was carrying the extra weight. My DH and I were renewing our life insurance in Jan of 2009 and because of our ages at the time (56) we had to have a little check-up by the public health nurse. She dropped by the house and was doing our weight, blood pressure, blood tests and heart monitor. I knew I was carrying extra weight but I didn't know how much. Anyway, she weighed me (I didn't look at the number) and then took my blood pressure and she noted that it was quite high. I didn't know why. I thought to myself - I exercise, and I think I eat properly. But whatever. She took again at the end and it was still high and she commented that it shouldn't be that high. So then I looked at my weight and just about fell out of my chair. I was shocked at what I weighed which was about as much as a man. So I got on the internet and just started researching healthy eating, checked my BMI, looked at calorie counting, looked at what fat is and how many calories are in a pound, etc. What I realized is that I can't and wasn't prepared to exercise anymore so I had to look at my food intake. I don't eat chips, cheezies or any type of junk food (dark chocolate is definitely an issue and continues to be so) but what I was doing was just eating too much food during the day. I was exercising and so used that as an excuse to eat but that attitude does catch up with you eventually. I found out through research that 1 pound has 3500 calories in it and so if I want to lose a pound a week I have to drop 500 calories a day. So, no more mid-morning snack, no more eating dinner leftovers for lunch and no more cheese and crackers in the afternoon. I started eating a sensible, prepared for me by me lunch. Some fruit, some protein and a carbohydrate. I do get hungry mid-afternoon and so I have applesauce with cinnamon. I do prepare sensible dinners but now I don't have seconds. And nothing after dinner and that was the hardest thing to let go of. It took 9 months to lose 42 pounds and I feel so much better and that is what keeps me motivated to keep it off. My running is better, my walking is easier, bending to get things is easier - I just feel so much better and that is the incentive to keep it off. The changes that I made were ones that I knew I could maintain over the long haul. I didn't give up the cream for my coffee because I knew I couldn't give it up for the long term. \\ I think that it's important to only make those changes that you can maintain for the rest of your life and not miss. If you can't give up that cookie at night - cut back someplace else but still count it in your calories, if you can't cut back sugar in your coffee for ever then cut back where you can and not miss it. Eating healthy and maintaining a healthy weight shouldn't be or feel like punishment for life. A couple of people have commented about how they blew it one week or were "bad" over the weekend. During this process I gave myself permission for the occasional lapse. I knew it was going to happen because I'm not perfect, I'm not a robot and I'm trying to break a 25 year eating habit. You don't do that without a misstep along the way. Now, I have given myself a 5 pound leeway for those times when I'm away or we have a busy couple of weeks of entertaining. I do weigh myself everyday and do start to regroup if I put on 3 pounds. I don;t beat myself up if that happens because now I have the tools to deal with it. This is just my opinion but I don't believe in these fad diets because they are too hard to maintain as a long-term lifestyle. (I'm not talking about diets relating to gluten allergies or diabetes, etc) Like I said - my opinion.