Good Morning All,
This is my first official week of vacation. :-) I have got lots of things planned for the summer. One of which is to check in here more often. I went back to WW and am down about 3#, not alot, but it is a start. My new routine involves getting up at the same time as the school year, exercising and watering my plants before I can do anything else! I am also not allowing myself my daily ice coffee from Dunkin Donuts, unless I walk to get it. There is a Dunkies less than a mile from my house. Ofcourse it will probably be gone by the time I get home, but that is ok.

This week I am getting ready for a Yard Sale on Saturday. My SIL inlaws own some commercial income property that has recently been vacated, so we will be having a multi family yard sale in this store front, rain or shine, which is great! Hope to get rid of alot of stuff. I have accumulated so much junk (another persons treasure!) that I had planned on selling on eBay, but this is much easier. I will list things that I know will sell better on eBay later.

So what is everybody else up to this week?

Jen, ((hugs)) to your baby. I hope she is feeling better. And for that matter, ((hugs)) to everyone else.

Have a great day!!!! The weather is beautiful here.

Love, Besh

How cruel to have Dove commercials play on a diet forum LOL.

Besh - it is so good to see you starting the board. Welcome home we have missed hearing from you on a more regular basis. I like your new routine - I bet you will find you get a lot more accomplished and feel good about yourself. Great idea with the Yard Sale - I hope you get rid of all your stuff.

Dee - you have way too much fun girl.

Yesterday I challenged myself to go on an outdoor adventure course. It is setup throughout the woods. There are 4 levels of courses and you go from one obstacle to the next (about 12 for each level) - all through the trees. There are zip lines, cables (like walking a tightrope), wobbly wooden bridges, rope swings, rock climbing, climbing nets, etc. I have a fear of heights, but I enjoyed every moment of it and will do it again. I did the first 2 levels and stopped more from not wanting to overdo it than anything else. I also went to a fundraiser event last night for a local music colony - which was beautiful.

Come out and tell us what is going on with you.

Hi all!

Dee--gad, I'd love to!! I've never been on a cruise, and this sounds like a complete blast! (now if I only had the money and vacation time...)

Raeanne--that sounds like fun, too. I watch shows about basic training, and I've wondered if I could ever make it through one of the obstacle courses. I'd like to try the repelling; I'm sure I wouldn't have the nerve!

Same ol, same ol here. I went shopping with MIL over the weekend; I must have been nuts. Didn't really buy anything, although, I did find some things at Coldwater Creek.

Just poppin' in to say hi--

Hope all is well!

Hugs,

Maddie

Hi! I haven't caught up but I have printed everything out & will read while in the hospital today. Dave went back yesterday to find out about his stress test & the dr. wanted him to have a cath done this week. With what we saw on the films, we are afraid that he will end up in Orlando again having another stent put in. This may delay our Texas trip a couple of days. We don't know for certain yet. We just have to see how today goes. I'm sorry that I cannot address anyone. I just haven't read anything that has been posted. I knew you all loved & cared about Dave & wanted you to know what was going on with him. I'll be back with news ASAP. Be good to yourselves b/c you deserve it! Patti :)

(((((Patti & Dave)))) I'll be thinking of you guys today and sending positive thoughts. Try and keep us posted if you can.

Maddie, so good to see you. How are you feeling? I love Coldwater Creek. I get the catologue, dream, and don't buy.

Raeanne, good for you on the adventure course. That is the kind of stuff both of my boys do. You are one brave chick!

Today I am mowing the lawn. That is my new job this summer. I don't mind really, we have a sit down mower with a cup holder! Then I am doing more laundry, changing beds and I may hit the mall later. It is supposed to be very, very hot today.

Enjoy!

Love, Besh

Happy TUESDAY everyone!

[[[[[[[[[[[Patti & Dave]]]]]]]]]] Please keep us updated. Hope Dave is up and about soon.

Marci, are you OK? HOw's your back.

Maddie, that would be awesome if you could join our cruise someday. It would give you that opportunity to see NYC; the views are magnificant when you sail away and then sail home....past Lady Liberty (which is on the NJ side). Sorry Raeanne, but NJ is her home! LOL

Been really busy over the last week or so. Tonight I have the Board (bored?) meeting of a non-profit I work form. Yesterday I had a routine doctor appt for bloodwork and told him I had a sore throat. He checked throat and jaw and thinks it is a dental problem. Suggested I call my dentist!! Last week I finished the 3rd root canal since December. I need yet another X-ray to see if this will be number 4!! My doctor sees no underlying problem for these infections. I'm amazed at this but will keep an open mind until I get the X-Ray on Wednesday afternoon. Sheesh, this could be another cruise for DH and me! LOL!!!

Gotta run......career calls me.
Dee

We love H3ll's Kitchen too & are both yelling for Julia. They have all had it out for her from the beginning. They just all seem to think that she is SO beneath all of them but last I knew she was still there & there were some other women leaving. LOL We didn't get to watch last night? Who left?

Maddie~I agree with you that Rock will probably be the one to win it. He seems to have the most together of the group. We love watching the Food Channel but don't get it here so have to watch it when we are in Texas. LOL [[[[ H U G S ]]]]

NH Suzanne~You got the whole barn painted quick. You are very good at that type of thing & to get the ride in too, that is living, huh?

Hey, Lynn, what's going on?

DeeMarie & Donna~I'm so sorry that you weren't able to get together. I know that you were looking forward to it.

Dee~I think that we should all get to see your "dog". Have you named it yet? I think I would get the party started by giving clues to each group of a set amount to have to go around & find other clues until they finally get to the the prize (which would be the keys to everbody's room!) LMAO Dave & I might join ya one of these days. Thanks for the hugs.

Jen~How is our niece, Erica, doing? [[[[ H U G S ]]]] to you both.

Besh~Glad that you have finally gotten to begin your vacation. Thanks for the hugs.

Dave's angiogram came out just fine. The dr. said that the stint that he put in 4 years ago was closing up but that was normal for one of that age so I guess that sometime it will probably have to be replaced. He also said that Dave is good "cardiac-wise" to have a knee replacement. We are still leaving on Friday for Texas. July 4th is DMIL's & DFIL's 50th wedding anniversary. We had already packed everything in a box to mail in case things went bad today but God was watching over us. So, we'll be delivering presents in person. I just wanted to let everyone know the good news. He is down for the next 24 to 48 hours but that really doesn't mean much to him b/c I took a short nap & woke up & he had fixed us some dinner. I really married the best of the best. Be good to yourselves b/c you deserve it! Patti :)

Good morning all,

I am back from Woodstock, VT where I had four glorious days of incredible riding.

Jen, I hope your baby is doing better! Poor little girl.

Besh, I love that you have a cup holder on your lawn mower!! I have a push lawn mower and it takes me two hours to push it around. I don't even have a nice lawn but it has to be done! LOL I hate that job.

Raeanne, good for you for challenging yourself that way. It's a great motivator.

Dee, I cannot imagine three root canals or an infection. Ugh. My prblem was a cracked crown. It's finally starting to settle down and I don't want to do it again.

Patti, glad that Dave's test results are good. Whew. It took four of us two days to paint my barn. It's only 30'x30' but the hard part is the top peaks where we needed staging. It looks nice I will have to post a pix here soon.
I manage to get my ride in by going out at 5am for an hour or so. I love that time of day anyway.

Maddie, it's so good to see you here regularly again. I have missed you sister.

My vacation last week got off to a rocky start beginning with a root canal! Then the next day I was all ready to go with Sweet Pea on board got a mile from my home on the main street of Hancock, NH (The riding in Woodstock was some of the best I have ever been on. The footing and trails are 1st class and there are over 100 miles of equine dedicated trails. The terrain varied between pasture and deep, fern covered forest floor and it was not rocky at all. It was a real pleasure to ride through. I am still gathering my thoughts about this ride. I had a great time. We stayed in a sweet little cottage and our horses had a nice little barn with turnout so when we got home from riding each day we put the horses away and could just sit around and enjoy! We cooked great dinners and just had a blast. I am definitely going back there!

So back to work and reality! UGH So much to get caught up on at work but it's slowly coming together and fortunately it's not frantic.

It's so blazing hot here right now that it's zapping my energy. The horses have their heads jammed into the fans in the barn and the biting flies are out for horse flesh! It's what I call evil hot! LOL

Good Morning,

Thanks for all the well wishes on Erica. She is doing great. They took the pins out of her arm on Friday morning, so now she only has to wear her hard plastic splint when she is playing around other kids. Other than that she is back to normal. She really has been a trooper through all this. In a way, I am glad they did the surgery because recovery was quicker and she wont be in one of those hot casts all summer. She got to go swimming Saturday nite, so she is enjoying summer again.

Patti, (((hugs))) to you and Dave. I hope he is feeling better soon. Have a great time in Texas.

I can't believe July is almost here.

Raeanne, that obstacle course sounds like fun. As out of shape as I am right now, I am afraid I wouldn't make it through the first.

Deemaire, good luck with the dental issues. I would love to join your cruise too.

Gotta run, Take care and have a great day.

Jen

Happy WEDNESDAY!

Well, I saved $$$, as the dental x-rays showed nothing. However, my glands are swollen on the side and my throat hurts mucho (no other cold or flu symptoms). As long as it does not look like strep, I'll give the sore throat another week with Advil and lozenges. If I still have it, I need to return to the doc.

QOD: I know it's early, but what's up for the weekend? We are driving down to my sister's early on Saturday morning with final destination of METS vs PHILLIES (In Philly). They are surprisingly kind to Mets fans down there (probably because so many of us go!). Sunday, we drive back up to NYC for a birthday brunch/cruise. My GF's mom turns 80 (her mom was also my mom's best friend)!

Here is a link that might be useful: Brunch this Sunday!

NH Suzanne~Your trip to Woodstock sounds divine! I'm so glad that you had a chance to go & relax. I always love to hear the stories upon your return. I know that I always say that, but it is always true!!!

Jen~I'm so glad that Erica is doing better. I'm glad that she has healed so quickly & that she won't have to heal in a hot cast all summer.

Dee~QOD: You already know what I'm doing. LOL I can hardly wait. Our granddaughter has just turned 10 months old & I'm eager to get these hands on her. We won't have much time going but hopefully, we'll have more time on the way back. We plan to go & see the grandsons too. Our best friends that moved here the same time that we did & moved back to TN, then moved to MO (where we were able to visit them the year I broke my foot), have moved to Lewisville, TX (right outside of Dallas. So we will have a chance to see them & have a good time. I'll also stop by & visit with my parents & my sister. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to visit with Milkdud. I know that I'm trying to put alot of things into a short time b/c we will be back on the 14th to pick up our friends from the Orlando airport. Also, I have made very good friends with an ex-boyfriend's wife so we are going to spend some time with them as well. We are both packed. I have yet to get together the last minute stuff that I think I should have. It sounds like you are going to have a great weekend.

Be good to yourselves b/c you deserve it! And, where is everybody? Come out, come out, wherever you are!! Patti :)

Hi All,
Patti, have a wonderful trip. You sound so excited!!! I have been watching the devastating floods in Texas. Is that anywhere near were you are headed? Anyway, have fun and post pictures!!!

Suzanne, welcome back. What a nice trip you had. How are you enjoying this weather?????? NOT!

Jen, glad that Erica is doing well. Kids bounce back so quickly don't they? I would still be crying from the surgery.

Dee, your weekend sounds marvelous!

I just got some bloodwork back because I had to change cholesterol meds for insurance purposes, and my cholesterol is 153!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never has it been so low. I am proud of myself (and the drugs ofcourse).

Where is everyone else these days? I miss not "seeing" Tikanis, BJ, Gretchen, Milkdud, Lynne, Donna (I hope things are going ok for you), John, et all. And Raeanne and Marci, where the heck are you two??????

QOD: Saturday, giant yard sale. Saturday night, hopefully some partying on the boat. Sunday, sleep!

So what is everyone reading these days????????? Inquirying librarians want to know. I am reading the Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. All I can say is OH MY GOD, it is a memoir (a real memoir, not "A million little pieces" fake memoir - I still have not gotten over that, can you tell?) and it is sooooooo good.

Enjoy the day!

Love, Besh

YEAH Besh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's celebrate with some fresh strawberries and non-fat vanilla yogurt. One of my favorite desserts lately.

Patti, enjoy your weekend. So glad that you and Dave are feeling up to it.

Marci, please check in; I'm getting worried.

Suzanne, how are you feeling? All those bruises healed yet? I might just take a picture of my puppy and have Marci post it! hehe

Jen, I'm doing the happy dance that your little girl is feeling better. Last night my two stepdaughters gave their dad an updated professionally snapped picture of them. The difference in that last one they gave him (bout 5 years ago) is astonishing! They are 27 and 21!!! I feel old.

Maddie, looking forward to partying with you someday girl. Those jokes are too much!

All you MIA's check in.

Good afternoon all!

I wish it were Friday............but it's NOT.

Patty and Dave hope you have a great trip. Be safe.

Dee, sounds like you will have great weather for your weekend! Have fun. My bruises are a permanent part of my body! I just refresh them from time to time!! LOL My right forearm still has a hoof print!

Besh, this weather is evil. Hancock, NH made the news yesterday with our severe thunderstorms. I have to say that for a while I was really frightened of how violent it was. All the while Casey stood out in the paddock refusing to go in to her stall and the lightning was all around. We had many strikes nearby and on our ride this morning we saw several trees that had been hit. Scarey!

Yes Marci, where are you? Check in. You too Raeanne and all you MIA's.

A friend was driving out in the storm last night and she has a big van that holds 10 or more people. Her windshield got struck by lightning while she was driving - it cracked and her antenna is melted! She had kids in the van! WOW.

We are expecting more this evening before it clears and dries the air out.

QOD: I have no idea. I will definitely ride but all else depends on whether DH is home or not! Might be a hay weekend. UGH

Hi! I am here, just in a funk and slowly coming out of it.

DD moved last week to Lousiana and it hit home that I now officially have an empty nest. At least while she was at school, I knew she could come home any weekend she chose. Lousianna is just so FAR away. But they made it safely (in a U-Haul towing her car!) and I have kept in touch with her almost daily. So the comunication is there, but I miss her.

I have been keeping busy reading, scrapbooking and cleaning out DD's empty room. It has been so HOT here, that I have been content to stay inside with the AC on. It is supposed to be nicer tomorrow and I am going with DH to a car show (he will drive his 62 Nova).

Besh - I have read so many books this summer that I would have a hard time listing them all. I did read "The Glass Castle" and loved your comment about it being a "real" memoir! LOL I too thought it was an amazing book and marveled that she and her siblings survived at all. I am reading "Thunderstruck" by Erik Larson right now. I love his writing and attention to detail. I also read "Isacc's Storm" and "The Devil in the White City". He must do an incredible amount of research before he starts a book. I just finished listening to "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer. I have to say I cried. Other notable recent reads are, "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen, "Left to Tell" (about the genocide in Rwanda) by Immaculee Ilibagzia, and "The Butterfly House" by Marcia Preston. Next up, "Lean Mean Thirteen" by Janet Evanovich.

DeeMarie - I have been doing exercises to strengthn my back and keep the muscles stretched and it seems to be helping. I can't sit for too long at the computer, so I haven't been logging on as often as I used to. I can't even sit and read for too long without needing to get up and stretch and move around. I love getting books on tape at the library and listening to them where ever I am. I am considering getting an MP3 player and using my library's resources to download books. Have you read LM13 yet??

Jen - Poor Erica! One time my DS broke his finger and I didn't take him to the doctor's until the next day. He also needed 2 pins to reset the finger. I felt like the worst mother of the year that day. Glad to hear she is on the mend.

Patti - Glad Dave got a good report and you can go forward with your trip to TX. I never did get to see those pictures of your DGD! If you get a chance, email me.

NHSuzanne - We had such severe storms the last few days too. Trees down in the neighborhood all around me, but we didn't suffer any damage. I am glad you got the brakes fixed and were able to go to VT. I don't have much of a backyard, but I did get some pictures of our local wildlife last week. Can you tell what this is a picture of? {{gwi:1502479}}

DH's is letting me know he is hungry, so I am off to the kitchen.

Later,
Marci

Marci~I know! Baby Raccoons??? I'll send you an E-mail.

Dee~I have been thinking about your question about the parties aboard the ship. Have you ever done a poker run? Where you went different places on your list to pick up a card & then all of the groups get together to see who gets the best poker hand?

Besh~I'm really excited! Have called DMIL & bugged her to death just telling her how excited I am. LOL

NH Suzanne~I'm glad that your friend wasn't hurt. That is amazing to me that it could happen & to think of the kids in there is scary!

Well, this is my last posting. We are leaving bright & early tomorrow a.m. but probably won't get out of town until after 10 a.m. That is where we have to pay our last bill & I picked something up there tonight & when we got home, I didn't have it, but we hadn't paid for it either. So, while Dave is paying the bill, I'll look for it. When you see DGD remember that she is 10 mo. old now & was 5 mo. old the last time that I saw her & who knows how old in the last picture? tee hee Maybe it will say. Thanks, Marci. Yes, we are going right into the terrible flooding b/c part of it is in Dallas & we are going there first.

Be good to yourselves b/c you deserve it! We'll be careful & I'll post if I can while we are gone. Patti :)

TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking forward to a manicure at 5 this evening and then it's off to pick up MIL for pizza with DH and DBIL. I think I should schedule the manicure and maybe a masssage AFTER I see MIL. LOL!

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[Marci]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] Hope you are feeling better and better each day. Did not read the new S Plum yet, but I plan to make it over to the library next week to pick it up. Are you and DH going to Carlysle (sp?) for the car show? We've been there with our friends twice and it's a great area with very friendly people. Let me know, because maybe next year DH and I will plan to go and meet you guys at some point in the weekend. (It's about a 3 1/2 hour ride for us).

OK, if I don't get my resource allocation report finished I cannot cut out of here by 2pm.

TAKE CARE, EAT HEALTHFULLY, AND NEVER NEVER GIVE UP!
DeeMarie

(who forgot to pack her snacks/lunch today and will be in trouble up at the cafeteria making bad choices!)

Good morning all,

How do you spell relief? This week's heat has been hard on my girls and they have been getting afternoon treats to cool off. I can never get them all in one shot but you can get a good look at some of them!

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Marci, I am glad to hear from you. I hope you feel better soon.

I hope all you mia's check in. Raeanne, where are you sister??

Marci, I forgot to mention how cute your little bandits are! Are they living at your place? Unfortunately, racoons are chicken predators so I don't encourage them anymore. I have even stopped feeding my birds because the racoons love the seed. So far, so good. They really are so cute though!

I have just been busy, busy, busy lately, but have been thinking of my SS sisters.

Marci - where are those coons? It is very unusual to get such a shot of them in the daytime. Have you considered getting some baby chicks like Suzanne to fill the empty nest LOL. It gets easier, believe me.

Suzanne - what can I say? - who has it better than your hens? They are beautiful.

Patti - be safe and enjoy yourself.

Besh - I am in between books. I am working on 2 paintings that are taking up all my "free" time. I just added a few more books to my pile - someday I am going to have a lot of reading time. How did the yard sale go?

Dee - the poker run idea from Patti is a very good one. I hope you are finished with the dreaded report. Enjoy your manicure.

This evening we are having dinner on one of the islands and I am really looking forward to that. Tomorrow it is work for me and no plans for the evening and I hope it stays that way. Sunday I am sitting in my kayak out in the lake for at least 4 hours. There is a swimming race and they needed volunteers to mark the route. I will not be drinking a lot of water Sunday morning.

Patti - You were right. Two baby coons! That is a wheelbarrow beside them, so you get an idea of how small they were. Have a safe and wonderful trip!!

NHSuzanne - I sat down at the computer with a bowl of watermelon and found your pix of the chicks cooling off! How appropriate! I am adding it to the album.

DeeMarie - The car show is a local one that features different cars each week. DH was in 7th heaven the week they featured Chevy's from the 60s. He got to park in the "main row" and got lots of nice comments about his car. This week is Mustangs, which I love. I will have to ask him about the show in Carlisle, PA. He hasn't driven the car out of our area yet, but I might be able to convince of him to travel. Wouldn't that be fun. {{gwi:1502485}}

Raeanne - We found the critters under the wheelbarrow next to our woodpile. DH was fooling around back there and one of the babies poked its head out. He came to get me so I could see them and we discovered two of them hiding. I kept watch on them all day and sometime during the late afternoon, they came out and curled up in the sun for a nap. They stayed there until dark and I was beginning to worry that Mama had abandoned them. But DH checked when he got home from work and they were gone. We haven't seen them since. I didn't really want to encourage them to stay, but they were just so darn cute, I had to take a picture.

I bought a new piece of luggage today. When we went to FL, I could barely pick up my suitcase, which is an old one with no wheels. So now I have a great suitcase on wheels and I am set to go somewhere! My first trip will be to SC to see my newest great niece, who was born Wednesday. Since I don't have Grandbabies yet, this will be the next best thing. Hopefully my DMIL and I will get there in August.

The heat wave broke and it is gorgeous here today. I am going to sit out on my front porch with a glass of mint tea and read. I love having my summers off!!

Later,
Marci

Wow baby racoons, chicks and vintage chevys all in one thread! I love it.

Marci, I am envious of your summers off! Not that you don't deserve it!

I am planning on getting a call for hay this weekend! Oh my aching back! But at least if I do get the call it will be cooler than earlier this week.

I plan on sitting on my porch (which overlooks the pasture) when I get home with a glass of wine and enjoy the view of horses, donkeys, goats and chicks! What a life and I am grateful that I can actually sit back ocassionally and watch it!

Raeanne - I am glad you have emerged from your busy life to say hi. Your dinner sounds lovely.

Good Evening all!

Jen - glad to hear Erika is doing so well...man those little ones heal up fast.

NH Suzanne and Marci - love the pics...keep them coming.

Last weekend I painted our Livingroom, kitchen, dining and foyer and two hallways. I was one sore gal. I still do not know what made me take on such a task by myself. DH finally was able to help on Sunday, but I am glad it is done. We listed the house with a Realtor. We had a caravan of Realtors come through on thursday, so I am anxious to hear their feedback. Things are very slow to sell here so I guess it really doesn't matter if their feedback is good. HAHAHA.

Patti - Have a safe trip!

I am hoping to get a manicure and pedicure tommorow. We leave Monday for a trip to OH. I am looking forward to seeing family and friends!!!! We are having quite a storm here now. We need the rain. We have had bad fires here. Yesterday it was 2000 acres just north of us. UGH!

Take care everyone!!!!!

Lynn

rabbit - rabbit