Peg, thanks for the info. I was raised a "Congregationalist." Being Polish and living in Chicago, you would think I would be Catholic! But when my father was a little boy, he lost his right arm in an accident. The nuns at his school told him he would not amount to anything. That made him mad and he walked away from the church. My mother's father was a bishop in the Polish National Catholic Church. They are more like Episcopalians, in that priests may marry. But the PNCC is not exactly in every neighborhood, so we ended up attending the local Congregationalist church.

Teelbee, isn't it funny how when we sell a house, we fix it up? I remember when we sold our big house, there was a room on the third floor that we never bothered with until we got ready to sell. Well, when we were done, it looked so great I wondered why we never bothered to fix it up in the first place! It became a gorgeous exercise room with wood floors instead of a catch-all for garbage with a harvest gold shag rug!

And as for how much realtors charge for selling a house . . . isn't that pretty much a standard fee? Somewhere in the back of my brain I am thinking 7%. Wow. You have realtors FIGHTING over your house? They must think they'll make a bundle!

Stencil for a roller shade? Have you looked at Hobby Lobby, Michael's or other craft stores? Being in the business I'm in, I would make my own! What sort of design are you looking for?

BC, I was born with my hearing loss. My mother had to fight the City of Chicago to get me into the regular school system. Thank God she did.

Kudos to all who went on to get a Masters . . . or two! I stopped with my BA in English. I was tired of school!

Yesterday I ate pretty clean. Ate the last of the Chocolate Mayonnaise Pound Cake with whipped cream. LOTS of whipped cream. Sigh.

__________________
Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

Good Morning all. What a great conversation --- and so many things that I would like to jump in and say...........but I have to get up and go impart wisdom to America's Youth . I'll try to get some posting time later this evening.

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!

LOL, Brenda!! Yeah, I know. You're right. But, you know I have that "judge" voice in me that is pretty big. I got it from my mother who kept lists of the "wrong" things I and anyone else around her, did. You're right, it is ancient. Dang!! Yanoo, you're wisdom is worth a dozen master's degrees!!

Now listen youse guys! I've been flying under the radar with my degrees. Don't you "elevate" me for any reason, please. This is one of the few places (my home and family being another. I don't get no respect from them!) that I can just be one of the gals. I got them so long ago that it seems the long distant past. Much life has intervened.

I think we should go back to decorating..... That isn't the least bit threatening to me!

Yesterday was a good day. I made a trip into Boston for supervision, and went to a new nursery. I spread 5 bags of topsoil and 4 bags of compost on my little garden plot, getting ready to plant when it warms up. I was TIRED last night.

There must be something in the air, TB. My DH and I are fighting too. Now he wants to change the plans all together for our trip in the fall. He also wants to cut the trip short by two months. He's been offered an interim postion starting in April 2006 back here in MA. I went ballistic! Honestly, I have no idea how this is all going to happen!

Well, off to shower and get to work. Long day today with a meeting tonight.

Peace, Peg

__________________
"Live the questions and some day you will live along into the answers."
Rainer Marie Rilke

Atkins since 2003
5'8" 206.4/197/175
64-3/4 years young

Mornin' all! Alida, the cost of housing anywhere in the region around me is beyond belief. At least, it's unbelievable to those of us who grew up here when it was a busy agricultural community - that later transformed into a frantic, high tech ghetto. Anyway, even the sale of a modest home generates a huge paycheck for the realtors. Thus, there are lots of them and lots of competition. One offers a week of supervised handyman work, another offers free "staging" (typically costs $1-2k for a small home), etc., ect. It's been many years since I've been in the market, so I'm fishing to see if there's any competition in the realtor's fee.

As to the stencil... The one I have in the breakfast nook and dining room is a frou-frou fushia branch:

It worked beautifully, but it's worn out and my tastes have moved on. I just wanted a simple ivy or olive leaf or scroll pattern. Maybe like this:
or .
what I found with the patterns I got at Michael's and D&J hobby is that they tend to have indistinct edges ('cuz the template is thick) or, if I use more pressure, they "leak" around the edges. I try to keep my brushes and sponges dry, but I'm still having that problem.

Any tips?

__________________
~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Tb, sounds like you are getting an enormous amount done! Good for you. I'll bet you are developing some new muscles, too. Like KC, I remember realtor fees being around 7%, sometimes negotiable 1/2%. However, if you're up for it, you could do a "for sale by owner" and pocket the 7%. Of course, that's a lot of work, too. But yes, when I watch some of the shows on HDTV, for example, I'm astounded at how much housing is in some parts of California.

KC, good for your Mom! It must have taken some courage on her part, for sure!

Peg, hope you have a great day.

Well, DH and I are getting along fine, probably due to his being in FLORIDA. We've always had a great relationship via phone

Rainy, cool day. Can't decide whether to brave the weather or stay home......ok, another cuppa joe and I'll decide.

__________________
BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

LOL! And ditto!

__________________
Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

I read the posts yesterday and thought I should wait a day or so before posting. I think it just brought up too many old "hurts" that cause me to turn to food for comfort. I knew that if I started posting it would be a book. I never thought that after 55 years some of this stuff could come flying back and still bother me. You think you grow and leave the baggage behind but it never leaves in some cases. Keeping busy helps to keep the mind busy too, I think. One day I will leave the bad stuff behind me.

TB, I wish it was me that was moving. I love the idea of getting into a new house. It's been over 20 years since I've moved but I still remember unpacking boxes and putting away everything that had been cleaned before it was packed. After 20 years, I'm sure I have lots of dust bunnies that are hiding. We have been working on the outside of the house for years now and finally it's time to get to the inside. We had replaced the windows, put up siding, replaced the roof etc. The roof was one heck of a job. When we took off the old roofing, we discovered it had shake roofing under the shingles. It was so old, the nails used had square heads! Our house is over 80 years old. Now this summer I get to rip off panneling in the front room and see if there is even insulation in the walls. I don't think there is. In this part of the country in the old homes insulation used was tomato cans full of cement or newspaper or sawdust. I bet once the insulation goes in the house will be toasty warm. Maybe it will feel like a new home once we get going.

I've discovered that if I don't eat enough protein, then I gain weight. Crazy? My DH wanted this hamburger helper boxed crap thing for supper so I just had a salad. It took him two nights to eat it all so I had salad the second night also. I gained a pound. I thought the scale had to be wrong, but after beating it up, it still said the same number. Then the next night I had a proper dinner and the weight disappeared. Does this make sense to any of you? If I don't eat enough meat, I gain weight. I'm not a great meat eater at the best of times...I love my veggies. But, if this is the case, then I'll learn to eat it more often.

My leg is doing a little better now. The procedure I'm having done is called sclerotherapy. It will be the 3rd time I've had it done now. The dr. injects a glue like substance in the vericose vein and then presses down as hard as he can to make the vein collapse and stick together. Then it folds up a piece of gauze and presses it into the spot and puts a bandaid over it to help to hold the vein in place. The last time I had a leg done, I had 36 injections. Not fun. When he does all the sites a tensor bandage is wrapped really tight around the leg from toe to above the knee. That has to stay on for 10 days. So, no baths or showers. That's the hard part for me. I love to soak in the tub. Standing in the bathroom washing is not my idea of fun. But, to be able to take off the support hose again is wonderful. This procedure only works for the veins closest to the surface. I suppose one day I'll have to have my veins stripped but the neurosurgeon says that legs are full of unused veins and this forces the blood to go another direction. Right now, it's a faulty valve in the back of the knee that is causing this and it can't be fixed. Who said getting older is fun?

Now that I've given you all your medical lesson for today, I guess I should get to work. It's a gorgeous sunny, cloudless day here today and I really would like to be in my garden but that's not going to happen. Have a great day all!

__________________
Donna
238.5/166.4/150
I will see my goal weight again!

Donna, I'm so very sorry if what I've posted has made you uncomfortable; it certainly was not my intention whatsoever. Sometimes I need to be reminded that not everyone wants or needs to dig around in all the "stuff" of their lives, not to mention mine.

__________________
BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

Me too, Donna. But, to tell the truth, Brenda, I would much rather dig around in your "stuff" than in mine!

Please don't feel that you need to post on a subject that makes you uncomfortable, Donna. Absolutely no pressure! I do love so much the insights you give on "stuff" in Canada! Living in the Northeast, it is just stunning to me that you could have warmer weather than we do ~ in Canada! Of course, I do know that you are on the Western side of the continent, but my geography is not always 'spot on." (which my husband would laugh uproarisously[sp?] about)

Peace, Peg

__________________
"Live the questions and some day you will live along into the answers."
Rainer Marie Rilke

Atkins since 2003
5'8" 206.4/197/175
64-3/4 years young

Ok. Sorry. :(

__________________
BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

Now I feel bad. I didn't mean that you guys shouldn't post whatever you want...I would never want that. I really enjoy reading everything that you post. I was having a bad day yesterday and it didn't take much to get me looking into crap that had happened to me in younger years. Maybe if I did bring it all up and face it I could get rid of it and make room for more crap. lol Please don't apologize for writing what you feel....that's what this thread is all about isn't it?

Peg: I'm sorry but I had to laugh when you said that you were surprised that where I live it's so much warmer than you are. One time when we were in Reno I was talking to a fellow sitting at the next slot machine to me. He really thought we lived in snow all year round. I guess seeing as we are so much farther north than you it would seem possible that we do get a lot of snow. But, we live in the desert...sagebrush and rattlesnakes. Actually this country looks very much like parts of Nevada. Dry, very dry. In the summer it can sit around 120 every day...a little too hot sometimes.

__________________
Donna
238.5/166.4/150
I will see my goal weight again!

Donna, I am so sorry about your leg(s). Is it just one leg or both? I wish you the best.

A close friend in Chicago and I were driving around her neighborhood. We were talking about how things change. With that she piped up: "Only the good things change. The **** stays the same." Just food for thought! Also sorry for the graphic words . . . but that's what she said! Can I swear on these posts? LOL. I grew up in the printing business and learned to swear with the best of them.

We all do have our problems. I have always found sharing them with a concerned listener helps. And I imagine that's what this forum is about. Even just typing them out will sometimes help, and perhaps bring on a solution.

You all have been talking about how the past influences our present. My friend (same one from the quote above) is a psychotherapist. She specializes in a technique (that may not be the right word) called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing). She has done this with me and it really helped me shed some light on WHY I do certain things and WHY I feel the way I do. Of course, being my friend, this was free. Not sure how much that costs.

TB: I'll check that web site later and post tomorrow. But in the meantime, have you ever tried the low tack adhesive? Spray it on the back of the template and it holds it in place. I remove the adhesive from my glass with lighter fluid. Since you are using this on a painted wall, you may want to test that removal method in an inconspicuous place, though! What I use on glass sometimes is called "Gerber Mask." It's a low tack vinyl . . . very thin. My sign maker cuts this on his plotter. However, once peeled off it is not re-usable, so probably not the best thing to use. Let me think on this!

__________________
Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

TB: What is "staging"???

__________________
Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

Staging would probably be right up your alley, Alida.

A person with interior design and real estate expertise rearranges a house to make it more appealing to buyers. Some times they just rearrange the owner's furnishings and provide accessories. And they point out what personal items and clutter needes to go. Apparently, it's better to let potential buyers imagine their own photos and art on the walls, instead of distracting them with your personal photos/art. Often, they remove unneeded furniture to make the rooms look bigger. Some stagers have furniture they rent out and arrange to show the room to a better advantage. Usually, they provide undersize pieces - again, to make the rooms look bigger.

__________________
~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

So much to say, so much to say!!! Just a quick post for the minute. I'll try to get back later. I've had some deep thoughts lately too..........

TB: Stencil the design just the way that you have been, then after pulling off the stencil, use a fine artist's brush to smooth out and finish the line so that it looks the way you want it. As an addict of HGTV, I can promise you they do it that way all the time.

As for staging, a friend of mine suggested that I go into that business as side income. I would be looking for the lower to mid level nitch market --- the people that REALLY need some help. I think I would rather work for someone else than be my own boss. I don't have a list of handymen to handle all the labor, and I'm just too tired/busy right now to go through all the start up effort.

Off to get carry out dinner, and I'm confessing right now before I eat.........It's going to be chicken fried steak.

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!