Was everyone surprised to see me start this? I even surprised myself.

It is a cool but beautiful day here in the Adirondacks. I hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead of them.

Raining here but we're happy for it!

Saw DD off for the 5th grade overnight - I'm so sad! I miss her terribly. Can hardly concentrate on work.

I don't think it gets any easier - but it feels like yesterday she was starting kindergarten. I can't even believe how time has sped by.

Hello all--
I'm the new poster from last week. I'm now on day 4 of the South Beach diet. I'm doing really well and feeling great--already thinner in the mid section. The diet is mostly protein and lots of veggies. It is amazing how a steady supply of protein--versus carbs--keeps you full. The first two weeks are strict, and then things like bread are added back. The only thing I'm missing right now is my daily glass of wine.
We finally have spring in Minnesota, after a long winter, and it is just glorious. Days have been in the 60s and nights still a bit chilly--great sleeping weather. We badly need rain, though. It looks like we might get it this week.
There's a mama robin roosting in her nest on my front porch. She's been there for about 10 days now, and I assume the eggs should be hatching soon. My cats watch her from the (closed) window, and she looks and them but is not disturbed. I can't wait to see the hatchlings!
All for now--off to a busy day at work. Mary

Happy MONDAY!

Thanks for getting us started, Raeanne. :)

We had rain all weekend, which squashed my plans for garden and yard work. We have so much to do, but it will have to wait. DH and I spoke about putting in an hour or two after work, if it's still light out. We'll see; these day jobs get in the way of everything!!!

Tomorrow is our 9th wedding anniverary! Can you believe it? Remember how I carried on the weeks before my wedding? So many of your shared those memories (and frustrations!) with me. I still love DH to pieces, even when he does stupid things, like men will do. LOL!!!!

OK, got to run and get reports out. My director's VP stopped by to say he'd like to invite me to a meeting this week to talk about resources. Seems they want to take more people from our group and I have to convince them that it's not possible to get all our projects completed with less people....we, in fact, need more! Mamma Mia!!!

Later.........
Dee

Good morning.

We're under a tornado watch until 2 p.m. and it's already 80 degrees at 10 a.m.

Had a great weekend with our friends, but back on track today. Walking is out of the question with this weather, but I've been toying around with my weighted sports hula hoop and it's really fun!

Dee, happy anniversary!

Mary and raeanne, your weather sounds beautiful. I love cool nights for sleeping.

We have a bird's nest in our outdoor fireplace! We sat outside with our friends on Friday night and watched this tiny bird carrying pinestraw and whatever else up our chimney! So, we won't be lighting a fire anytime soon.

Hope everyone has a good week. Tornado watch kept me from going to WW, so will work extra hard to maybe get to 30 pounds loss by next Monday.

Happy Monday!
I'm holding my weight again - but that's fine. Made a whole batch of veggie/chicken soup on Sunday for this week to clean out the fridge. Spiced it up mexican style.

Stay safe Wodka! Glad to see things shaking with your body - you inspire me to get moving.

Marita40 welcome back.

Yesterday spent a fair bit of time flipping compost and finally ran it all over with the lawn mower and took the bagged mulch to reseed the front lawn area. Man was I pooped after. But I LOVE gardening. This week working on all my erratic 'keep my hands busy crafting' areas in this house from the winter depression. Declutter time and spring cleaning - so that's my workout program this week.

Have a great day!
Peggy

Happy Monday all,

I spent a grueling all nighter with my donkey Dominic who had a severe allergic reaction to a paste wormer that I gave him yesterday. I know, this might be latin to you but it's a preventative for worms much like you would give a dog or cat.

Anyway, about 4 hours after I gave it to him I noticed this awful protrusion from his mouth! His gums were so swollen that they were pushing through the sides of his mouth! Poor thing was having trouble breathing. The vet came on an emergency call and treated him with injections but with all things but SUGAR. No kidding, the sugar helps reduce the swelling so there we were stuffing his mouth with brown sugar (because I didn't have white) and no kidding it helped. I was up all night with him making sure he didn't colic (twisting his innards). So far so good. I stayed home today to watch him and he is doing well.

There is an elevated number of complaints about this product causing reactions. Fortunately, none of the others were affected. We won't be using that again.

I would really enjoy being home today if it weren't for the fact that I am so dead dog tired! I have already gotten to watch a big moose walk through the property thanks to the twelve ears that were pricked forward to alert me!

Dee, I can't believe it's been 9 years! I remember well!

Mary, welcome and good luck! You can count on us for support.

Mary and Jan, enjoy your broods! I am watching the real life drama of tree swallows and bluebirds competing for the same nesting box. I have a clear favorite but both are beautiful! Chickadees have take up residence in the other box which I am delighted about.

I need to go lay down!

Good afternoon! It's sunny and 79 F. here in SE Texas, with a high of 83 today.

Mary, welcome! This is a lovely, supportive place to post.

Wodka, stay safe!

Dee, I was peeking in back 9 years ago, so I well remember your stress "issues". LOL Happy anniversary!

Suzanne, glad your Dominic is on the mend now. How very scary for y'all.

Raeanne, how nice to see you starting us off this week.

Trekaren, I remember when my sons went on their 5th grade overnights (actually 3 whole days!). It felt so strange to only have one son riding to and from school for those next two school days. But, it was also a lot of fun hearing all about their trip when they returned. Hang in there!

Peggy, holding your weight isn't so bad. There are lots of times when I pray for that! LOL

I've been for my workout, had a massage, then my final adjustment in this 6-week series. I'll still return for occasional adjustments, but my biggest fixable problems are now fixed, thank goodness!

My eating is finally getting back in line, and everybody's commenting on how much better I look. I've been working out for 3 months now, and obviously that is helping even when the scale doesn't show a change. Every compliment just gives me that much more incentive to keep trying to get to my goal!

Wishing everyone a great Monday!

Happy Monday from a cold and rainy NJ! Dee is right, the weekend was a wash out. We had one beautiful weekend but April and so far May has been unseasonably cold and wet.

Raeanne and Suzanne, glad you are enjoying nice weather.

Dee, happy anniversary!

Suzanne, glad Dominic is on the mend poor baby.

Mary, welcome!

Jan, I hope that tornado warning passed uneventfully.

Karen, ((hugs)) - they grow up so fast.

Peg, nothing at all wrong with holding your weight. It's not a gain...right?

Milkdud, glad your health issues are working out.

Raeanne, glad to see you got us started today.

Mary and Jan, enjoy your visitors!

I completed my first week of WW online and am down 2.2 lbs. I am very happy about that.

I hope you all have a great week - stay safe!

Will check back later....

Donna

Hi, My name is Helen and I am on a weight loss journey like all of you here. I just registered today here at GW. I look forware to getting to know my fellow travelers.

I found myself staring at a 200 pound number when I weighed myself on Dec. 31, 2008. I then decided that I really needed to do something about that !!! So, I made up my mind right then and there to start. On Jan.1 at 8 am, and the weather was quite cold, I began to walk. I have walked every day except a couple of very rainy days in which I had no rain coat or hat. Now today on May 4, I find myself at 171 pounds. My goal is to weigh in at 145 by the end of this year. And maybe even less.

I am nearly 66 years old and have a heart condition and so this journey is not really optional. It is compulsary as I know I can have a lot of good healthy years ahead of me if I take care of myself. Just because I am on SS doesn' t mean I have to stop living.

Anyway, I am looking forward to getting to know you all.

So, there you have it.

Helen

Helen~I like your spunk. You will fit right in here. Welcome.

Donna~I'd take some of that cold. It was almost 100 here today & most of the weekend.

Milkdud~Glad you are doing so well.

NH Suzanne~Love hearing about the birds. Glad Dominic is doing better.

Peggy~I'm almost done with the quilt. You will have to see it finished! I'm so proud of it.

Jan~I hate tornados. They cause awful havoc. I hope you were spared. I don't listen to much tv but didn't hear anything on what news I did hear.

Dee~It is hard to believe that we have been here that long. I'm so thankful that I found this site & this great group of friends that I've made. Dave still plans on the east coast trip.

Mary~Welcome. It sounds like you are off to a great start.

TreKaren~I'm so glad you are back posting. It is hard to see people come & go.

Rae~It was awesome to see 10 posts already today & to see that you started them was even better. You rock!!

We had a fabulous time at the jazz fest this weekend. This is a fairly easy week for us & then next week will be a hard week. Then we will be gone for at least a month traveling to TX & OK & MS. I'll turn around in July & go back to TX for a scrapbooking rally. I'm pretty excited about it. I have probably already told you once or more. I can't remember. I'll try to get back. Oh, the heart surgeon I was working for passed away yesterday so I need to try to get a sympathy card to his family. He was only 64 so Mom didn't know what had happened. It is very sad. He had 6 children. I had no idea he was older than me actually. Maybe she got the age wrong? Anyway...

Good morning ya'll!

Patti glad to see your posting. Looking forward to seeing your quilt soon. I wanted to also let you know I have removed myself from facebook - the last 3 weeks I have had some very strange invites - the last being a some guy in Ottawa who I don't know. I checked out his details in case he knew my friends - he had one photo in his gallery of himself in front of a department store mirror with something I did not want to see poking out of his jeans - that was sick. More so for whoever took the photo. I reported it too facebook. They are investigating - they take this sort of thing very, very seriously. I don't do much at all on facebook so I closed down my account. At any rate, I hope you post a pic here of your quilt or if you are not sure how to do it - email me and I'll post it for you.

Helen you are doing great! Welcome to our gang. We pull each other along through life's ups and downs. I love this forum and this thread. It doesn't take long to feel like family. BTW if you like the WW style program you can do it online for free - a very similar website called sparkpeople has all the same tools, motivation, recipes etc for free. I joined a while ago and love reading motivational articles there too.

Nhsuzanne - how is your donkey doing today? Poor soul. How are you doing today? Caught up on your sleep yet?

Today I'm doing a little online work and some spring cleaning - steam cleaning my carpet and going to wash the big front window, plant some more veggie seeds and water my grass seed again. Heavens I don't know where the day goes some time. Breakfast will be some yogurt, snack will be fruit, lunch veggie soup and some rice crackers, dinner Asian salad (premade), potatoe (1 cup), 1/2 cup hamburger and apple sauce.

Have a fabulous day today. If ya goof up a little, don't panic, let it go and keep moving forward. Don't quit on yourself and don't beat yourself over the head - we're only human. It's new habits we're working on.

Cheers,
Peggy

Here is a link that might be useful: SparkPeople

Ahhh today is a brand new day and it sure looks like we will get to see a bit of sun sometime this afternoon. If that sun peeks through, I am here to tell you I am going walking and I am taking my camera along. The creeks are running like crazy and the whole world is so pretty and fresh and clean.

I am craving cereal so I am going to sit and eat a small bowl of Special K this morning with soy milk. Dinner tonight will be grilled chicken and a tossed salad with low cal dressing. Dessert will be fresh pineapple.

Have a good day all.

Helen

Happy Tuesday---my FAVORITE DAY of the week!

WELCOME HELEN!!!!

Thanks for getting the thread started Raeanne!!!! Our house (the buyer's)inspection was yesterday, so we're waiting to hear from the buyers--yes or no. I hope this goes through---it would be a lot of financial stress relief!

I'm sticking to the same numbers on the scale, but I am exercising a little, watching what I eat, and just waiting until I move into the new house next month to start a REAL exercise routine. McPeg, I am starting a veggie garden and a flower garden after I move in, so I'll have plenty of questions for you!

HAPPY ANIVERSARY DEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still have a pic of you in your weddin' dress that you sent me. BEEEE-U--TI--FUL!

Well, the weather here is C-C-C-C-COLD and DAMP. It does not feel like spring at all on our little rock. I am wearing tights every day with my skirts and dresses and am still wearing boots most days. But since I LOVE BOOTS, I guess it's okay!

NHSuzanne- I totally feel for you and your "baby." You are such a great mama to your animals. We all agree how lucky your animals are to have you.

Okay, I'd better get to work!

Good Tuesday all,

Welcome Helen, you have come to a great place.

Dee, how was your anniversary?

BJ, I hope your house passes with flying colors and you can get that off your plate! It's stressful for sure.

Dominic has improved but still not out of the woods yet. Poor boy, it's been a tough couple of days. I am totally exhausted but I don't think I have to stay up all night with him again (fingers crossed) He definitely doesn't want me to play with his mouth anymore! I cannot imagine what might have happened had I not been home. Ugh.....

Peg why Tuesday?

Patti, glad you are posting!

Trekaren, I like your post on Anchor Visualization it's fun to read.

We are getting rain here today and I am happy, happy! We need a couple of days of cold, raw rain to make my new grass germinate! Keep your fingers crossed.

Actually, today is my anniversary. DH and I plant to find a romantic place for dinner (not Mexican as we share our anniversary with another celebration!) He's such a sweetie and keeps me grounded in so many ways.

As for DH's tick, the skin is a pale pink now with no black dot, and he's breathing so I think he's are out of danger. LOL! Thanks again for all the advice.

This job is like a roller coaster; with layoffs and nervous VPs walking around trying to solve hundreds of problems, the atmosphere is at best unpleasant. But, I walk around with ATTITUDE, my 2009 mantra.

Speaking of ATTITUDE, just got this from a friend. Hope not to offend any of you.

************************
Quote of the day:

"Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any cr@p, be ready to receive a ton of sh*t."

Make today count!
Dee

Greetings to everyone on this beautiful May day. Gorgeous day here in N. WI. Little rain went over this morning, and now it's 70 degrees and sunny. DH is mowing the lawn. Winter was so arduous this year, mowing seems like a pleasure. Tulips are blooming, and perennials are poking through.

Went to WW this morning, down another 2.8 lbs. A very pleasant surprise. But I've been working so hard. A friend of mine is a cardiac RN, and a certified weight counselor, fitness instructor, yoga instructor etc, etc. I've been meeting with her every couple weeks one-on-one, and she's keeping me motivated with my fitness program. She's also been helpful with dealing with the new problem of high cholesterol, and borderline diabetes discovery. All this has happened since being on WW which still baffles me. She suggested eliminating all white flour for awhile, and of course simple carbs, and adding more servings of complex carbs. I feel great, so it's a bit mind boggling that I have these issues.

Welcome, Helen. I'm pretty new here, too, and being able to share ups and down is helpful. Everyone here is so supportive, no matter what is happening in your life. Continued good success with your weight loss. By the way, my last name is Colby, and in my 60s too. Getting my first SS check this month.

Off to my daughter's in Ohio for 10 days. She is a real fitness/nutrition nut, so she will definitely keep me on track while I'm there. I haven't seen the grandkids since Thanksgiving, so I'm terribly excited to see them. It's been way too long. They are hosting a little girl from China for a couple weeks, and I'm anxious to meet her, too. It's been a wonderful experience for them.

Until next time.
Joyce

Great job, Joyce! Hi everyone!

Went back to gym for first time in a couple of years. Had been going back then, but long story, injured my wrist and had to have surgery. Then DD's school, etc, kept me busy, then life in general, so for one reason or another didn't go back.

But I thrive in a gym situation. So I'm a smart person. I just have to figure out how to make it work. I feel selfish to dial back on DD's activities just so I can go to the gym, but it's really something I have to gain control of - my health.

Deemarie, LOVE that quote!

Stayed focused last couple of weeks. Again, making sure to try and go to the breakroom to eat my lunches has really helped. I am not sure why, but it's great.

Watched Biggest Loser tonight and got some good mental motivation.

Good morning.

I'm up early, downing my coffee, before meeting my neighbor for our walk. We decided to go early, while it's cool, before the humidity and thunderstorms set in.

trekaren, I loved the Biggest Loser last night. I was so afraid Ron wasn't going to finish the marathon. That was very emotional. I was flicking channels (I'm also an American Idol and Dancing with the Stars fan), and got a phone call during the very last part. What about Helen making such a great finish! All of them have been so transformed. I still would like Mike and Tara to be the final two.

Hope everyone's day is a good one.

Helen reminds me of me. I'm 44 and so out of shape, that it gives me hope that if I hit the gym, I can really build back some lean muscle! May not look like I'm 23 ever again, but like she said, I want to be a classy looking gal, be able to keep up with our family activites, be healthy going into the next decade, etc.

And she really gives me hope that I CAN DO THIS! It's more than weight loss to me. It's more of a whole body concept to me at this point.

Good Wednesday,

My little donkey is holding his own! Poor little guy, does seem more comfortable and that's a good sign.

Everyone sounds so motivated and revved! It's great.

I want Mike and Helen to be the final two in BL. Tara gets on my nerves even though she has do SO well. It's amazing. I admit that I too am inspired at their successes.

We are in a rainy system and I am loving it. I want my grass to germinate and take hold before all the turkeys eat it all!

What have you done today to make yourself feel PROUD?

suzanne, I agree with you as far as Tara goes - she is very determined and self confident, but tends to be annoying. She is such the competitor, as is Mike, but a Helen and Mike finale would definitely work, too.

Did it strike any of you as funny or odd that Mike's mom was not at the finish line, cheering her son and husband on? I guess she could be extremely shy, but I can't imagine being anywhere else if my family had worked so hard to finish a marathon. The younger son breaks my heart - I hope they are able to help him.

trekaren, I'm much older than Helen or you - I will be 59 in August. I will never wear a two-piece again, even when I reach my goal, but I can still aim for the cool, sophisticated look of good health!!! My immediate goal is to buy clothes in sizes that don't include an "X" in them! ha.

PROUD? Hmmm...just that I made it to the gym last night with no excuses.

Has anyone here done spinning class?

Any advice for a really wussy beginner?

Should I give it a try?

I have taken spinning classes trekaren! Definitely try it. Some of the people I used to spin with were addicts. For me it was too stationary - I like moving around like step aerobics and kickboxing classes. I gave it a good try though for six weeks and didn't sign up again.

Ultimately participants determine their own levels of exertion, something that works better for some people than others. For instance, I would find myself slacking from time to time in a spinning class if I don't stay focused.

But a good instructor can certainly encourage and motivate you to push yourself, and you'll most likely find spinning to be a vigorous workout. It's a decent way to stay in shape when you can't get outside on the bike.

Definitely try it! You have nothing to lose. You should stop and talk to an instructor and tell her you are a beginner and you are a little hesitant. I am sure that will make you feel confident. Knowing how to adjust your seat quickly, etc will be helpful.

I love BL and although I miss most shows, I do try to watch when I can. they really are great motivators to be sure. That is something everyone can use . MOTIVATION !!

helen

Hi everyone!

I have been watching BL this season for the first time. Really motivating, but I need to constantly click back and forth with DWTS. There are sooooo many commercials in BL!

Gotta run; off to Pilates!

I did the spinning! Wow my butt hurts. Need to get one of those seat pads before I go again.

I did lose the pedals twice, but recovered from it ok. I handled the cardio fine. My knees were screaming, and I will need wrist braces (I have bad wrists, and until I get in better shape, I am leaning on the handlebars too much).

It was a nice room, nothing like I expected. Can't wait for school to be out - I think I'll try the early a.m. classes.

Good Thursday all,

Trekaren, definitely get a gel seat for spinning!! Good for you - you tried it. A good instructor makes all the difference.

Dee, Tivo will cure the commercial dilemma! You can fast forward through them.

We had rain all night and it is wonderful because my grass will begin to germinate now! It's been so dry.

John, I saw your hospital challenge is over!! What color was your team? How did you do personally? You should be VERY proud of yourself!! Check in brother.

The following was taken outside of my office window. Momma is having a break on the branch - look closely you can see one of her three babies peeking out! SO cute.

QOD: Weekend plans? What have you done today to make yourself feel proud?

Good morning!

I just found the funniest post on the decorating side. Just a silly typo, but it changes the whole meaning of the post. We all type so fast, it could happen to any of us. I'm not going to show her name, because she might be embarrassed, but it's too funny not to share. Here it is:

RE: "May I see your decorated kitchen corner?"

Posted by *** on Thu, May 7, 09 at 11:03

My corner is 44 inches, I'm not quite 5-1 so that is really a wasted space for me. I have a very large bowel on a stand in my corner.

Hi Ya! Hi Ya!
Crazy weight week for me - struggling but I think my body is shifting. Start of week down 2 pounds now back up. I wait for the second week to see if I have really 'lost' the weight. I can say I am eating 10x better than I have been and actually starting to enjoy salads without dressing.
I so bad want to break a weight/mental barrier. I've been fighting for the last 3 years to get below 140lbs. I'm within 3-5 of that major goal. I lose so slowly but that is fine - it stays off better. Did receive a comment about having lost weight since the winter. It's 7lbs in total but at my last leg of my weight loss journey I am now at the stage where every 5 pounds starts to show. My focus though remains on healthier eating goals.

I applaud each and everyone of you for your steps. Boy can I relate how hard it is sometimes. Reminded of the tortoise and the hare race. I'm the tortoise. I'm in this for the long, long haul.

This weekend my friend from Vancouver will be our guest on Sun night - she's now on board and flying to Ottawa for a union training session. They have a ton of work to do and somehow she's trying to fit 3 friends into time schedules. She is my highschool best friend. We can split a gut just blowing bubbles through straws in our milk (don't ask!). She's one of the very, very few people that gets me laughing so hard I pee my pants. She's also a motivator in my spring cleaning (always helps).

Have a terrific day to day,
Peggy

Yay Peggy!! I'm sure the weight will come right back off. I use balsalmic vinegar and olive oil dressing. It's really yummy homemade, squeeze some garlic, salt and pepper, and it's gourmet!!

Have fun with your friend :)

Happy THURSDAY!

QOD: Suzanne wanted to know what I did today to make me feel proud? I got my yearly "visit" to the gyn over and done with this morning. I hate that exam, but he's a really nice guy and very low key.

Pilates was awesome last evening, but today was rain, rain, rain, so no walk. I have a dinner meeting tonight, so I'm sure to be a bit sluggish tomorrow; Hopefully, we'll have better weather by 6am so I can get my walk in.

Make today count!

Hoorray for Peggy!!!! Have fun with your friend.
Dee

Thanks for you hurrahs - they mean so much. I am going to have fun with my friend on Mother's day. I think she was 'sent' here at this time by higher powers - it's my first mother's day since my Mom passed away last summer. I don't feel sad at all, just miss her some days.

One of the tricks I use when I want taste with minimal calories with creamy low cal dressing is with milk. I save my applesauce cups and mix my dressing in there. I do enjoy the cleaner taste of vinaigrette dressings too.

Hugs to everyone,
Peggy

Speaking of salad dressing, have any of you ever had Farmer Boy Greek Dressing? It is only 25 calories per 2 T serving and is absolutely the best I have ever tasted. No stores near us sell it, so I buy it by the case from Farmer Boy's direct. It is awesome stuff.

Helen

Not proud of yesterday - some things were on program, some things were not. But it was a crazy crazy running around out of control day.

Not a total blowout but still, could have been better.
Work just kills me some days, and yesterday was one of them. (talking about belt tightening, telling us one bad news after another, painting the world as pollyanna when our real life is so far removed from the senior leadership's view of it they have no idea - and instead of presenting awards for Rewards and Recognition, they told us we could show the Love by sending emails or cards to people.)

People booked up my lunch hour with meetings, so no break from 10 a.m. on.

And of course, if I hear, "At least you have a job" one more time, I might scream.

Had DD's chorus concert last night to rush to, beat horrible traffic, Van was on E, had no tapes for the video camera, had to get her chorus shirt, grab some take-out to eat before the concert, etc etc.

You guys know that some days don't just arrive. They just ATTACK.

Hoping for better today.

[[[trekaren]]]]]]] Hope today is better.

I'm dealing with the 'transformation' of departments here too (their new word for downsizing, laying off, firing, whatever). We get the honor of taking on the work that's left after the folks leave. (who are really the lucky ones?)

This morning on the way to work, a rock hit my windshield. There is a quarter size break right in the middle. This is so annoying, as the car is leased and goes back in 3 months. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Must get it fixed, or the dealer will charge me "his" prices to repair it.

Other than that, it's a great day!

Treat yourselves as you would treat your best friends who are struggling.

Later............
Dee

Good afternoon! It's 91 F. and sunny here in SE Texas. Where did our "Spring" go???

Everybody has been so busy this week! I'm impressed with those of you who have stayed on your eating plan, worked out regularly, and are feeling positive about things. That's the kind of incentive and motivation I like!

I attended our community center's Mother's Day luncheon today. We had a style show first, clothes from Palais Royal, then a lovely high tea/luncheon. Very much "lady foods", but it was all scrumptious! Today I sat with a table of people I've met briefly during this past year, so I had a chance to get to know them much better today. I was the "baby" at the table at 61, and the oldest one was 93. Most of the other 6 women were in their high 70's and 80's. These women are very active in the community and never seem to slow down. They are such an inspiration to me.

Tonight I'm going to spend the evening with our friend Susanne helping her get things ready for our ESA state convention next week. I had promised her when Larry was so sick that I would go with her to this if he wasn't up to it, and I will. I'll be staying at night with my son and DDIL while in Dallas, and that will be the only time I'll get to see them while there, but it's better than nothing!

Dee, I hope they don't dump too much extra work onto you. Time for another cruise, isn't it? LOL

I'm going to see my granddaughters and son and DDIL tomorrow after cohosting a youth banjo concert at our church. Pray for me in the morning because I have to bake 5 dozen chocolate chip cookies!!!!!

The doorbell just rang, and it was FedEx with a gift from oldest Dson and DDIL - 3 living, blooming African violets and a wooden collector's box. My DDIL really knows me well and Dson always trusts her taste.

If I don't get a chance to post tomorrow or Sunday, I wish everyone here a Happy Mother's Day, whether you're a bio-mom, stepmom, or furbaby mom!

Happy Mother's Day!

I did buy myself an outfit for church and had to buy a 16 - how depressing. But it's a cute skirt.

Even more motivation to hit the gym! Which I did, this morning.

I want my fam to take me to see Star Trek for my mother's day, and I plan to bring some pretzels with me. I know popcorn isn't so bad, but movie popcorn seems to make me feel bloated.

I don't know if I mentioned it before but tomorrow is Monsignor's 30'th year as a priest so we're doing some great music - including Hail Holy Throne from Sister Act! After spinning on Wed night, had to go to a long practice and learn it all in one night.

So I really want to feel great tomorrow so I can sing sing sing!

Hi Everyone,
Trekaren, don't sweat it on your 'off days' - they keep us in check. I too am having a hard time some days - which may be why I'm still sticking at 145. I can taste 140 in my mouth but I think right now worrying about it will not help. Maybe it's a plateau so things can shift around inside (I hope). At any rate, like you, it just gets me back on the band wagon again. We are allowed to have off days - otherwise if we remain too hard on ourselves we'll eventually get frustrated and give up.

May God bless each and everyone of us (lurkers included) for being human. It's one of God's graces ya know.

Tomorrow I pick up my friend for an overnighter (Red Lobster night - salad tonight...plan ahead, plan ahead...) and Monday morning a farewell big breakfast (put fruit on plate, 1 slice of toast and one egg, 1 bacon...plan ahead, plan ahead......)Rest of day veggie soup and salad, lots of water....plan ahead, plan for after...

In case I don't post tomorrow - Happy Mother's Day!

Cheers,
Peggy