Hi all! Welcome, Debi! :):) Patti & Dave, CONGRATS on your DGD! How exciting! :) Tikanas, we sell Derby related jewelry and we make rhinestone encrusted sunglasses to custom match the lady's Derby attire. Lot's of fun, and I get to see some spectacular clothes! :) How did the treatment go today? Shoes. Oh, my. I have such a shoe fetish! Unfortunately, my feet are short and wide (kinda like me!! LOL), so most shoes do not look good on me. Doesn't stop me from wandering and drooling in the shoe department though. I tried on a $850 pair of Stuart Weizman (sp) last year (Derby shoes), and as I stood there in them, I wondered just what exactly one would wear with them. Which then brought the thought of what car you'd have to step out with them on (Mercedes? Jag? what?). Would I actually *walk* in them? That would be no, and then I'd hafta hire some hottie to carry me around all day. And then another one to fan me, and yet another hottie to feed me grapes. So, I figured after all of that, the shoes would actually cost me about $110,850. LOL! I do love my shoes! :) Things are the same here--yesterday was MIL's birthday and she was sooooooo sick (insert **much** eyerolling here) that she couldn't get up from the couch to take Rog's cal to her. (Yes, I know I sound heartless, but I have little sympathy for someone with the means and insurance to go to any doctor/hospital in the world, but would rather play the marytr part and sit and whine.) Where's Amy?? Gretchen? Happyto? (I've come to the conclusion that BJ actually did win the lottery and has ran away. On a serious note, I do know that her dad was under the weather for a while, so I hope there is nothing bad with him that's keeping her away.) Zig--*only* if a stapler was involved!!! LMAO! Speaking of chicken (I am *truly* sick for attempting this), I am making chicken cacatorrie (sp) on Sunday. I watch Giada on Everyday Italian on FoodTV, and this just looks so good! (And yes, for inquiring minds, I do have my heavy duty carpet stapler handy, should it be required. That, and the # of the local take-out joint if I screw this up! LOL) Hugs, Maddie

I had a great ending to a stressful week. We had a magic show at school today and it was great. The kids really enjoyed it and about 12 of them got to go on stage and be "stars" for the day. We had all the kids come at once, so I got the afternoon off! TGIF fer sure! I went shopping for something to wear for graduation. Not sure I like what I got, but maybe it has more to do with the fact that I tried on the skirt with black knees highs. LOL I need to see if I can pull the outfit together at home before I decide if I want to keep it. debi - I hope everything went well for you! Post as soon as you can so we can stop worrying. Tikanas - You are right. If you miss more than a few days, it is impossible to catch up and address everyone. Sometimes, that keeps me from posting, cause I don't want to leave anyone out. Speed dating! Hmmm.........kinda glad I don't have to deal with that. I am terrible at on the spot witty conversations. I always think of something witty I could have said the next day! LOL BJ - I think every one of us has gone through some periods where we have self doubts and bouts of depression. I know I have. A few weeks ago, my DS called and said that since DD wasn't graduating in May, he wasn't sure when he was coming home. Maybe not until Sept. I got off the phone and cried! He's been gone for over a year and it just seemed to hit me that he won't be back! I am slowing coming back to acceptance, but I was in a bad way for a few weeks. But I have to say that more than once, when I have been in a jam, I have said "What would BJ say or do?" Besh - Did you say that you had read Jodi Picoult's new book? I have it on the top of my TBR pile. I have officially filled up my new bookcase, so now I had better read one of my books before I buy a new one! LOL But I can't seem to stay out of the halfprice book store. It calls to me when I drive past. I only have 19 days of school left! This year has flown by! I was keeping track of my food intake on fitday.com and was on track until yesterday. I couldn't get enough to eat for some reason. Then we went out to dinner tonight and I over ate again. Guess I will try to get back on track tomorrow. I would kill for some chocolate right now though! John - Wise and wonderful as usual! My DS has a wonderful wicked sense of humor too. I think he is learning that he has to keep it in check now that he is out in the "real" world. But it is one of the things that I love most about him. miscindy - I love to quilt. I won a Viking sewing machine a few years back but was disappointed to learn it was the most basic of their machines. So I saved some $s and traded up for the quilter's machine and I love it. I have a Christmas quilt that only needs the borders sewn on and it will be ready to quilt. I sewed it all by hand and I want to finish it by hand, so I refuse to use my machine for that. Finishing it is high on my list of things to accomplish this summer. Milkdud - You seem to be on the mend. As Martha would say, "That's a good thing." Hope your trip to the mall was successful. DeeMarie - Have you come up for air yet? LOL You are one busy gal. 3 days of meetings? Not sure I could do that. But then most people say they couldn't spend 10 minutes let alone 2 1/2 hours in my preschool class with 24 kids, so I guess I am where I should be! LOL Raeanne - A riding lawn mower could be fun!! I would be h*ll on wheels on one! Patti - Where are you? Come visit please! Donna - I hope your friend is feeling better. Don't you love 4 day weekends? Joanne - Hugs to you. Did you fit in those golf games? Jen - Is Erica almost done with preschool? I can't believe it is almost May. Maddie - Have a great weekend in your "new" digs! LOL Hope the dinner goes smoothly and no one chokes on those staples! LOL NHSuzanne - You are our own Dr. Doolittle. We get to hold baby chicks and baby ducks at the farm we go to every spring. In fact, we are going there next Thursday with our 3-year olds. I always look forward to that field trip and hope every year that there are also kittens and bunnies to hold. zig - I went shoe shopping today but I couldn't find what I was looking for. I need dressy brown sandals that I won't break a leg trying to walk in. I am not sure who some of these shoes are designed for, but I guess I will have to keep looking. Has anyone heard from Magic Kitty lately? I know she was moving and I was wondering how she was doing. Hi to anyone that I missed. I tried, honestly, to include everyone. Have a great weekend, Marci

As a dog owner, whose dog had a torn ACL, who opted not to have surgery, and we did do the "conservative management" technique (though I didn't know it was called that at the time we were doing it), whose dog healed just fine, I am surprised how many people have said that their dog had the surgery. Now, I also know that there are many factors.. the size of the dog, the job of the dog, the age of the dog, the severity of the tear... etc. etc. But really, for most pets, whose life it is to do pet things, like walking on leash, running in the yard, and sitting on owners lap... do they really need a surgical repair? I often wonder how many vets really explain the function of the ligament and the probability of healing without surgery?

Oh, so many injuries have been recounted here, and then there are those who are blessed with none! The first significant injuries I recall were horseback riding accidents as a child - a concussion despite wearing a helmet, a cracked vertebrae, and a crushed right foot. While pregnant with DD2, I suffered cracked ribs in a car accident. I broke my left elbow falling down steps after rushing from work to home to look after kids, while en route to an evening master's class. I was in a bit of shock and went into the small class anyway not realizing how bedraggled I was (ripped stockings, bruised knees, broken glasses, etc.). The professor looked at me and said perhaps I should leave. I stuck it out, but by the end knew I couldn't drive and called my husband to pick me up. That pain took a good year to settle down. Last year I broke my left foot. Again too much rushing and a trip down a last step. We had just returned from a month in Spain and were dashing through jet lag to help DD2 who had given birth prematurely with lots of complications while we were away. Throw in the occasional broken toe and foot stress fractures. We get a lot of snow and ice here but that hasn't so far caused me problems, dare I say it. On really bad days I wear ice grips if I have to go out. One day this winter, DH, DD1 and DD3 each had falls on the ice. DD3 broke her wrist as a result. The others were a little sore but okay.