Penpal match? Just turned 50, want to lose 75!

[Dreamcometru]

Hi ladies. Holding steady at 200.6. Can't seem to get below that.

DS has a concert tonight (again). I love them though. And yes, I forgot to charge the camcorder. Hopefully it will hold a charge from the last time I plugged it in. I will call DS this afternoon when he gets home from school to have him plug it in.

Thanks for the encouraging words Pam. This plateau is getting frustrating. I'm going to finish off the produce I have on hand and then try stillmans for a day or two. Gotta get some cottage cheese and farmer cheese though. Hopefully I can find some farmer cheese in the deli section of the grocery store.

Sue: Still planting. You are such a hard worker. Good for you. I never knew about the peppers tomato thing. I planted peppers where I usually plant tomatoes one year. They didn't do all that well. I haven't planted any veggies this year. Too many cats around. Keep us informed of chicklet's progress. I hope she is successful with the eggs.

Have a great day.

Leslie

[Dreamcometru]

Hey Ladies:

Okay, I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally reached onderland. I jumped on my scale three times and the reading stayed the same, 199.6. I was going to wait until my next "official weigh in" with my group on June 12 to change my stats, but I couldn't.

The concert went great last night. Next concert in one week. Then the rose parade on June 9th. DS leaves for Disneyland tomorrow! We gotta get some last minute stuff for him tonight.

Any plans for the weekend? I'm going to clean and organize and reduce clutter. I'm, well DD2 is, hosting a bridal shower for immediate family for DD1 on June 2. Thank goodness my flower beds in front of the house are done. Just need a little TLC. DD2 promised to pitch in and help with the house. Since it's just the three of us home this weekend, I'm hoping I can get DD2 to do a hike with me or something. Otherwise, I've got to ride my bike to get ready for the bridge pedal in August.

Have a great day.

[Suji]

Yay! Three cheers for Leslie! Yowza! This is what you get for being dedicated. Good on ya. :-)

Sue (back from book club)

[Pam in TX]

Only have a minute........

DH was supposed to get home at 5:00 last night and with the storms didn't get home until 1 am.... He was stranded in Dallas for several hrs and then when they finally did take off, they couldn't land here and flew into San Antonio and stayed there for a while.... What is normally a 40 minute flight, took over 4 hrs to complete... and I am exhausted.... and is suppoed to have more rain storms today....

Leslie: WTG..... hanging in there does pay off........

Tonight is the big family dinner for my inlaws 50th.... Got to get a couple of things done this morning.... Took a proclamation from the mayor declaring today as their day over to them last night.... got one from the governor also..... The one from the white house will be here soon....

Have a great Friday and a wonderful holiday weekend.....

[Dreamcometru]

Wow Pam, that's awesome. What a great thing to do to get it declared their day. We've had a day declared "paralegal day" with our governor, but that's about it. I didn't have anything to do with the process though. Is it difficult to accomplish?

Sorry about your DH's layovers and the storms. Thank goodness it's clear and sunny here and on down to California. DS is on a flight right now headed for Anaheim.

Thanks Sue and Pam for the congrats. Now let's hope it sticks. Here's a b/4 and after pic of me. The first is me now. I have long hair that you can't see cause it's in a pony tail. The second is me at my full 264. Bleh. The first pic was taken with my research group, so I cropped myself out of it.

before and after.JPG

Have a wonderful weekend. Any plans. Pam sounds like you have your hands full.

Leslie

[Pam in TX]

Morning ladies,

Can't sleep so am up very early this a.m......

We had dinner last night for inlaws 50th Anniversary.... Today is DD's 25th bday.... so a busy weekend for us....

We are still having some pretty heavy rain storms around here.... Have high percentage chances for rain for the next several days.... BBQing will be iffy at best...

Leslie: Love the pics of you..... You look great..... WOW what a difference..... You should be very proud of yourself..... Great accomplishment......... For the greetings, all I did was drop an email to the Mayor's office, Governor's and White House offices, and these are what came back..... You can get them for birthdays (80+), anniversaries (50+), marriages and new babies..... It is really kinda cool.... Of course the mayor probably get several for the same day, but still it makes them feel special..... Hope your DS has a great trip.....

to everyone else.....

Time for a caffine refill........ Have a wonderful holiday weekend..... Stay safe....

[Suji]

Hi Pam and Leslie,

Leslie, you should be proud! I'm glad you posted your pic for us. Those are great reminders of how we can progress with a will and a way!
Pam, that was a great idea for the 50th anniversary. How did you find out that was something that could be done? My parent's 50th anniversary was a couple of years ago. We took them to the Outer Banks for a week.

Wow! Did we get a storm yesterday. It hit on my way back from Meadowbrook and by the time I got into town, I could hardly see the road, the streets were awash, I could hear hail and looked like lighting glows racing down my car. I STG!! Then, the water was pouring off the roof like a monsoon was here and apparently managed to get into the window well and came racing down the interior walls in the family room (basement)! SO we had all hands on deck as DH tried to find something to deflect water away from that back slope of the house and all the teens grabbed towels and a bucket, so we had a mop brigade! Unbelievable. THen, the storm suddenly was gone. Yow!

I went up to the farm twice in a row. First to prepare beds and then I plugged 3 flats of started seeds in place plus a few small containers herer and there. Still lots to go and more clearing and digging to do for flowers over by the barn ramp (cottage style garden).

I also helped M dig another tomato bed and plunked the determinate tomatoes there. Still another tomato bed to go, then peppers, eggplants, beans and cukes this week alone. Followed by more bean beds and corn... Everything has to be hand dug so it is mucho labor.

I think my sister may come up to visit today. Her oldest son was here overnight and left yesterday evening. Pickins' are pretty slim around here, food wise. I hope I can come up with something for lunch/dinner.

TTFN!
Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hey Pam and Sue:

Sue: OMGosh! That storm. Hope it didn't do too much damage. Fortunately you were there to mop up to prevent any further damage. We have had the best weather ever. Very cool, but sunny, only today it's supposed to get to 86.

You have been so busy planting. It will be great when everything comes in. You will be as busy harvesting as you were planting.

We had a busy weekend trying to get the house ready for the bridal shower on Saturday. I cleaned out the fireplace. Ugh, what a mess. Anyway, I usually, after sweeping it thoroughly, vacuum the remainder so we can start fresh. This looked like something out of a sitcom, but when I started vacuuming, the dust started flying out of the bottom of the vacuum. It was so thick, the whole bottom floor of our house was in a fog. Now I get to go back and dust everything off. It was kind of funny though. My fire place is clean, but now I have to take my vacuum into the repair shop. Unfortunately, I don't know if I will get it back by Saturday in which case I will have to borrow one.

I still need to sort through the movies and DVD's and get them all back in their cases and neatly placed on the shelves. They are all over the place right now. I did get rid of a lot of clutter. I have to take a couple of bags to good will.

We also painted the little red beater banger. Yes, we spray painted it. I know, it's stupid, but the guy who sold it to us had done just that right before we came to look at it. The paint had faded so badly and wore off that primer and rust were coming through so we scruffed the rust off, ran it through the car was and applied paint to the top, hood and trunk lid only. It looks so much better than it did.

I also worked in my yard, mowing, trimming, etc.

Got tons of exercise. My counselor said to ramp up the exercise, so my walking partner decided we should do THREE trips around the golf course. Thats about 6.5 miles. My feet were screaming, so I bought some new running shoes yesterday. I don't run, but at least they will be comfortable for the long walks we are going to be doing. We walked the three times around Sunday and Monday. Saturday I did the treadclimber. Ugh, I was dripping sweat after about 2 minutes. It was fun to change it up from the elliptical though.

Pam: Sounds like everything was successful for your inlaws. Again, what a great thing to do for them.

Thanks Pam and Sue for the comments on the pics. I plan to post additional pics later, especially from the wedding.

Have a great day.

[Pam in TX]

Morning,

Only have a minute then have to get going....

All is well here....... Was a very wet weekend.... Lots of rain....

Spent alot of time this weekend working on my inlaws video.... The paper for the invitations should be here Friday, so will be getting those printed up next week....

They are leaving on the 6th to go to Europe (Scotland an England) for 10 days...

Leslie: Sounds like you have been very busy.... I don't like cleaning out the fireplace.... Good job on the exercise also..... Meant to ask you, what program are you using to create the video for DD wedding?

Sue: Glad you were there when the wetness was coming in the house.... you very likely averted a bigger mess....

Hope everyone has a good day....

[Suji]

Halloooo,

I'm spending a day home today--go figure!

Spent yesterday at Da Farm--we got the last of the tomatoes in--5 beds! (for canning and sauce purposes). I plugged 3-4 more flats of seedlings into bare spots and tried to clear viney stuff out of the ground where I want to plant next. By the time I got to that though, I was fagged and it was hot since the area faces west with no shade. I'm getting very brown from all this sun--maybe not a good thing!

Despite the downpour, the MidAtlantic is depsperate for all the rain that is stationary elsewhere. THe ground is getting rock hard in the areas that aren't hand watered.

I've got a bunch of laundry to catch up with--folding galore--and housework to do that was set aside over the holiday. So--nothing exciting to talk about.
I may start the last of the seed packs if I have enough medium left. I want to have a bunch of sunflowers over by the stone wall.

I'm looking forward to seeing the pics, Leslie. Pam, that sure sounds like a nice vacation. WOuld you believe I have never been abroad? I don't have a strong wanderlust like some people. Maybe it is because Pop moved us around so much that I developed a psychological need to hold still! :-)

BTW--I like the new avatar Leslie! I'll look for a recent photo to change mine too. Lessee-here's one of my old fashioned bearded iris...

Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Pam and Sue:

Sue: I love the bearded Iris. It's awesome to drive down I-5 and pass the Iris farms. They do tours and stuff, but its cool to see all the colorful fields. So pretty. I have gladiolas, but they show no sign of blooming yet. My roses have arrived though. Seems like I just cut them back.

My cat got stuck in the oak tree on Monday, so we decided to take some pics. That's where that one came from. He's so funny, he will crawl out on a branch so it bends down, then he can jump into our arms. I don't know what he will do when he climbs up there and no one is home.

Pam: My DD2 is going to help me with the movie. She just uses Windows movie maker or something like that. I did purchase a DVD burning program, Roxio. Most computers come with it, but the one we have has a DVD burner and no DVD burning program. I think my laptop does, but I haven't checked it out. Anyway, we have old VHS tapes and a converter, so I'm just going to take bits and pieces from the old VHS tapes and burn them on the DVD. DD2 will put it on the laptop and mess with it or not do anything to it, it just depends on how it turns out. I also have a program called Pinnacle. Its kind of cool because it comes with all kinds of music you can use. DD2 made an awesome slideshow and burned it to a DVD to use for a presentation. It's good for movie making too. In fact, that's what we got it for when we got a DVD burning camcorder. Just wish I had more time to play with it.

I stayed on plan yesterday. Thought ate too much, but my scale stayed the same, so I'm good with that. I've got to remember a lot of what I eat is just fruit and veggies, but it always seems like I'm cheating because they are higher in carbs.

Kayan, how are ya doing?

Til tomorrow.
Leslie

[Pam in TX]

Leslie,

I was going to recommend Windows Movie Maker.... It is fairly easy to use and has alot of pretty cool features..... I also use Roxio... very good choice.... Haven't used Pinnacle.... In movie maker, you can import any song you want.... I also use a program called Vegas Video for my editing.... and Sound Forge for creating music....

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Pam and Sue:

My scale stayed the same today. I did good LC'ing, but again probably ate too much. I didn't get much exercise in yesterday either.

So I'm a little distraught this morning. DS is failing his core English class. Then after getting back from Disneyland, he couldn't find his homework that is due today. I believe that will be the icing on the cake. I saw DD1 go through this too with her social studies class which she failed and had to retake. DS can retake the class, but he loses electives to do so. He's tried really hard, but you can only do so much. You can't keep them organized and he should have started looking for his homework last night, not this morning. He's worked so hard on some of his projects, so it's such a waste. I hope they will only make him retake the second semester. Or perhaps credit retrieval this summer. The cool thing is when DD1 retook her SS class, she breezed through it because she already had all or most of the work done.

I have tomorrow off work. I hope to hit the gym, then hard core housecleaining. I took my vacuum to the shop and they told me nothing was wrong, just run it outside until all the dust goes away, which I will do. He said the left over ashes were too fine for the vacuum's filter. I've done this before though, but with a semi full canister, so perhaps the dust had something to grab on to and this time it didn't because the canister was empty. Who knows.

Have a great day. Enjoy the weather. Ours is absolutely fabulous. Oh, I got upset yesterday because NONE of my summer jackets fit anymore. I'm having to create a new summer wardrobe. I see a trip to buy more clothes in my future.

Pam, I think DD2 knew about importing the music from anywhere in Windows movie maker because on another video she created, she was looking for the appropriate song to use. If I get stuck, I know who to contact.

Until later.
Leslie

[Pam in TX]

Happy Friday,

Am so glad that today is Friday.... Alot going on this weekend... Have an out of town wedding tomorrow and then DH leaves on Sunday for a business trip for a week.... I will have the house to myself from Sunday til Friday evening....

Went out to happy hour with my coworkers last night.... did ok on the eating, but did have a margarita though.... One shouldn't do too much damage.... maybe it will shake things up some.... I think I am going to do strict induction next week.... since no one will be here, I can make very simple dinners....

Leslie: Sorry you are stressed about DS grades...... I remember going through that with my son.... Drove my batty at times..... I would be happy to assist you, if needed...... I do these videos for functions at church (weddings, funerals and such) and then for school (end of year banquets) quite often.... I have also done them as part of my job for district wide functions.... If I could make a living creating them, I would quit my job so fast and never look back....... The vacuum situation sounds interesting.... Guess it is better than having to buy a new one.....

Time for more coffee and to begin the day..... Have a good Friday.....

[Suji]

Hi You Two,

I stayed inside yesterday doing a marathon read of books due at the library! We are so low on groceries around here at the moment. So often I get to the store and just blank out since nothing inspires me food wise. I'm in a rut, I think!

I'll be leaving for the farm shortly. I have got to dig a pepper bed! M is juggling work obligations and garden and so things are happening fast enough (for me). I think I will lend a hand in the veg garden today and maybe work the flower bed tomorrow.

Boy, am I a broken record. Garden, garden, garden! Sorry, guys! :-) Once we get everything in, I can relax and turn my mind to other things.

I've been taking daily pics of progress below. They've dug a "trap", put up dikes and I guess they are continuing to do that plus pile up dirt in certan areas of the field from where they are knocking down trees and such. Perhaps it will keep deer out of my yard!!!

You all have a great weekend. Hopefully our heat wave will cut back and we'll get some much needed rain SUnday and Monday.

Ta!
Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Ladies: Just a quick check in. I have the day off to house clean.

Sue you don't sound like a broken record. I love hearing about all your planting. You are so ambitious. Post some pics as things progress.

My scale is playing with 197. Just can't make up its mind. Hopefully it's real. I stayed totally on plan yesterday and had to cram dinner in before DS's last concert last night. It was a long one. I didn't get home until 10:00 p.m.

Sue I hate going grocery shopping. I'm guilty of letting things get down to nil before going. So many other things I would rather do. I do the same thing too though. I'm so tired of buying the same stuff. I've got to get some new ideas. A trip to the recipe room is in my future.

Pam, wouldn't it be great to just do what we wanted and make a living at it. I'm pretty spoiled at my job, because the atmosphere is really relaxed, but I still have to get up early every morning and be there all day and we have to dress nice. It's not as bad now that the kids are grown up, but sometimes I wish I didn't have to go every day.

I will keep you posted on the DS saga. He found his homework at the school of all places, right where he left it, so he did get to turn it in. He believes he can pull a C out of the class, but his high school is stuck on the CIM and CAM and if you don't pass your CIM task, you don't pass the class, and he doesn't think he passed his CIM. I will find out more next week. Ugh.

Have a great day. I'm off to clean house.

[Going 4 a Miracle!]

I'm 40 and want to lose 80, but can I join you ladies? (Actually, I'm 41, but who's counting???)

[kayan]

Hello Everyone

Sorry to be MIA. Been crazy here. DBIL in hospital for a week finally found out he has a rare form of pneumonia secondary to the Chemo. Yesterday started to fill up with fliud, on oxygen and a diuretic. Just need to keep him in our prayers

Leslie: Congrats on Onderland

Have been working in my flower gardens, trying to keep up with you ladies

Have not been exercising Been staying on plan. but Pants are tight. can hardly get them fasten. I think my body is changing maybe due to hormones

Will have to be real strict.
I need to visit these boards more often to stay motivated instead of hiding my face.

Welcome going 4 a mircale

Everyone have a good day
Kayan

[Pam in TX]

Happy Saturday,

A quick note before getting ready to head out of town for a wedding....

Still on plan but no weight loss to report.....

Sue: Good for you to take some time away from the planting.....

Leslie: I have found a few things in the recipe room..... I also go over to the recipe thread periodically to check them out over there...... A great site for recipes is Linda Sues..... she is a member here and has some wonderful recipes that I use quite often.... and alot are quite easy also......

Going for a Miracle: Welcome aboard..... Looking forward to getting to know you better.....

Kayan: Sorry to hear that your BIL has been so ill.... will keep him and your family in thoughts and prayers..... I think hormones are what I am dealing with also..... Before my surgery last year (complete hyst) I was losing about 10 lbs a month, and now I am doing good if I lose 2..... and I am not do anything different.........

The paper came in for my inlaws anniversary celebration.... It is ivory with gold speckles in it, with matching envelopes.... Just printed one and it turned out nice..... am thinking it might need some more gold on it though....

Have a great weekend..........

[PsychoLoser]

Just popping in to say hello to you all. I miss our chats and hope that you and your families are well. I am glad to share with you all that I am 4 pounds away from my goal weight and have lost nearly 45 pounds since Feb 4th. I am now in size 8s. The difference is unbelievable. Thank you for the support you gave to me at the beginning of this journey. Without all of you.. Sue, Leslie, Kayan, Pam, and Caroline I don't think I would have been able to get the motivation again after such a long stall.

Love you all,
Sherry

[Pam in TX]

Hello ladies,

Well, it is Monday morning and the beginning of my "summer work hours"..... Longer days M-Th and then off on Fridays.... So I am planning on working like 7-5.....

Had some pretty heavy storms move through last night.... Some areas got 4"... Predictions are more for tonight....

DH left yesterday on a business trip and will be gone til Friday evening..... Will be just me and the dog for the week..... Am planning on getting some scrapbooking and video work done while he is gone....

Sherry: WTG girl.... What plan are you following? Those are some pretty awesome results......

I decided that since it is just me this week, it would be a great time to go back to induction..... So that is what I am doing starting today..... Hopefully I can get things moving again... or rather moving in the right direction....

Time to go begin getting ready..... Hope everyone had a good weekend and has a great Monday.....

[Suji]

Hey everybody--
Why SHerry, how nice to see a post from you. Congratulations on losing to your goal on the Kimkins plan! I hope that you will check in with us on what you do after you reach your goal weight. I'm most interested in what happens afterwards such as do you continue on Kimkins indefinitely and if not, what kind of transition is recommended, etc.!

Kayan, I am sorry to hear about the illness in your family. I talked to my parents yesterday and I swear, it is so hard to hear about how much health slipping is occurring. My Dad is having a lot of problems with one of his knees and he finds it hard to walk at all to do the things that keep him out of Mom's hair and everyone from going crazy (getting to his workshop). Unfortunately, he is diabetic and is on blood thinners due to a clot in his lung from a back operation several years ago, so surgery is very risky. Painkillers don't help. What to do... And my Mom wants to wimnp out on exercise because it is hard to do. When the Dr. says don't over-exert yourself, she really takes it to heart in the worst possible way, if you know what I mean!! Aughhh!!!

Pam, we had some stormy weather yesterday too--the wind sure was blowing. Kind of a steady (not pounding) rain would come intermittently. I got sunburned and stayed home from the farm yesterday-not that I could do much. Got peppers and eggplant planted, but another bed is needed for the rest of the peppers. Still waiting for a moment to put in the other flats of flowers I've started!!!

Leslie, thanks for the nice words about my "obsession". I got a note from the Garden Club. THey are having a formal garden party for my Induction, so I've got to find some clothes, a hat (required) and shoes. Boy, do I wish I had some kind of "period clothing" like an Edwardian outfit in white!

Last, hello "Going 4", you youngster, you. We don't post much on weekends (not ignoring you). Please tell us more about yourself so that we can get to know you better (family, hobbies, about where you live, whatever!)

Well, guess I'll read this weeks slections from Suzanne "Dear Reader". Now and then I see something good enough to check out from the library.

All we need now is for Carolyn to check back in or has she "left the building"?

Later gals,
Sue (who is embarrassed to admit she has not been following any program for a while unlike you intrepid travellers! Thank you for setting good examples!)