Just a quickie....

My dog threw up on our new carpeting several times last night. I finally put her on the leash and hooked it over the door of the patio to keep her in the kitchen, where cleaning up after her was much easier.

My DH got everything out of storage, but not into the house yet. He will get what's left on the truck off today. I will meet him at the truck rental place and then we may get to do some shopping, at Ikea, I think.

I wasted my lunch yesterday going out to the attorney's office to pick up a check that wasn't there from the old house closing.

Lot's more to unpack. I think I am getting tired of making descisions. DirecTV has to come out again as one of the TIVO satellites was only at 44% for it's signal. No phone book from SBC, so finding a pizza place last night was interesting.

School will start school. Gotta go.

__________________
Ilse

380/286(current)/154
5'6"
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

Hi Gang!

Back at work desk this morning. Things are quiet, but there is a feeling of franticness in the air. Programs and schedules start in two weeks and staff are coming back from the summer off. It's kind of cool, I think.

They finally hired a couple of women who work as a team to be the Intentional Interims here. Hallelujah!! I don't know when they will start, but it will undoubtedly be the end of the month or so. Hopefully before! I know them both and they will be fabulous for this church!

Rachel, I am a UCC pastor (United Church of Christ). It's "close" to UU, but we are trinitarian rather than unitarian. However, we are a very liberal denomination, which I appreciate greatly. When the tsunnami hit, I suggested Church World Service as a possibility for funds. 100% of their funds go to the affected area. They are at www.churchworldservice.com. Both the Red Cross and the Salvation Army are possibilities. I like the Charity Navigator that you posted. Each of us want to know that our $$ are going to serve the needs of people, and not to administration.

Alida: Ha! about posting a picture with DD and me. I don't have one. She hasn't posed with me for more than 30 years. I do have pictures of her with her family, but not with me. After this visit we decided that our next visit won't be staying with them and won't be more than three days. I love being with my grandbabies, but being with their Mother is just exquisitely painful. TTL that I have young women in the church who love me and respect me. Also, I give thanks for my other DD who seems to know that her sister is pretty terrible to me.

Have a great weekend! Sounds like its going to be a work weekend though. I know that I appreciate getting things done around the house every once in a while.

Judy: I can't imagine what changes are ahead for the folks in your area. this disaster is of such magnitude that it is hard to get a handle on it. I have people calling the church offering their homes for long term living. I don't have any idea how folks would get to New England, but there you go.

Brenda: What are you doing these days? And, how are you feeling? I know that this TV coverage must be like a knife in your heart. It is somewhat that for me too. Lots of tears at my house. We watched Dateline last night. Just devastating. The last few scenes with Aaron Neville singing Amazing Grace just undid us.

Ilse: I hope that you get moved in all right.

Hi to everyone! I'm up for a "Back to Basics" challenge. I don't do too much whining here because I know that I am making bad choices. I haven't anyone to blame but me! Maybe if I join the challenge with you friends, I will stick with it. Schedules seems to be real important. Today I have my lc lunch which DH is kind enough to pack for me. Dinner will be lc too. I just seem to be making all kinds of bad choices when I am eating emotionally. I'll try to get that under control and join you. I'd be glad to start on Tuesday.

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

Barb, just a quick fly by to wish you a WONDERFUL time!!! :hot: I know you will have a ball... if the wi-fi is not available oh well... as they say on Bali... "No Worries"!!!

And Alida, and Peg (and Barb?) ... "Back to Basics" it is...Sept 6th. I think 'basics' could appropriately be whatever we each deign that to be, right? For me I think it will be continuing to focus on low carb (perhaps move to 20-30/day) and exercise... in search of 138 pounds (my new mini goal) before Prague on the 16th.

__________________
Hugs, Rachel







(the horn is in honor of DH!)
Quien canta, sus males espanta... ("She who sings fightens away her ills") Miguel de Cervantes

Peg, that is the ~sweetest~ picture of the children. Just looking at it makes my heart swell. I'm sorry about the painful incidents with DD, but I'm quite relieved that your other DD and congregants have given you such wonderful support. FWIW, I think the 3-day policy for houseguests is a good one. Even amonst close friends, frictions may be felt during longer visits.

On the weight management front, I made a couple of those "bad choices" myself this week (fish and chips!!??!!). The "Back to Basics as of Tuesday" plan sounds like an excellent idea. My version of the flaxseed cereal omits the wheatgerm (gives me gas), so I think it's ok for induction. I'm weighing the merits of making this a personal "no sweets" challenge, too. In the past, a week or two of no sweets (no alternative sweeteners, no fruit) helped me break a pattern and eat more mindfully.

Judy, as with everyone, I'm just aghast about the crisis on the Gulf Coast, and I think it's wonderful that you and DH are able to make direct aid contributions.

Rachel, thanks for the online donation links. I know I myself am very loathe to donate to Red Cross. Besides hearing bad stories about the RC from vets over the years, I was angry with them after the Loma Prieta earthquake. RC withheld millions in aid donations made specifically for quake disaster victims. Oh, they had a few gyms set up with cots for a week or so and a few stations giving out some food and water, but little else that I could see - and much more was needed, especially amongst the poorer communities in the South Bay. Those smaller towns asked the RC to turn over the donations so they could set up temporary housing and badly needed medical clinics. It was the rainy season, so there was dire need. The RC refused, saying they wanted to keep the money "for the next disaster". Well, that money was donated for the quake victims, not the next disaster. The mayor of San Francisco finally had to ~sue~ the Red Cross to get the quake relief funds released. As far as I know, there were no such problems with any of the other relief agencies.

Ilse, your poor dog - all that puking! Is she okay now?

Alida, good luck with the wallpaper removal - boy, it sure feels satisfying when it's done and you can see those nice clean walls again. I removed wall paper borders from the kitchen last year - I thought it would take an hour, but it took 2 days. They used some kind of fantastically effective paste in the old days. What do you plan to do with the cleaned walls?

I, um, had a little ecological crisis with the pond this week. The water plant lady gave me the name of a man who could clean the pond and re-pot the water plants. He & I worked on it for hours on Tuesday, and I returned the koi to the pet store for a credit. But, afterwards, there was a problem with the pond water. We either used the wrong type of pots or wrong type of soil, leaving the water all silty and muddy; and it was not clearing up. So, Roger came back last night and the two of us did it all over again. The water is now a little too clear, but the remaining goldfish and mosquito fish seem to be hanging in there for the time being. It will take a while for the pond biology to balance again. Fingers crossed.

Shelley, it sounds like you are working such long hours this week. You are so dedicated, the hospital is very lucky to have you on staff. I know nurses are generally the type to go the extra mile, and you certainly exemplify that trait. I hope you get a chance to rest up over the holiday weekend.

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

Hi Gang,

OK, I'll be joining you all on Tuesday, hoping even as a write this that my resolve will still be strong. I agree with Rachel that "back to basics" is probably best self-defined. Alida, if you are already in ketosis, then induction would probably be only a psychological tactic--I'd say it's your choice. As for me, it'll mean eating and thinking in zone blocks again, tracking, weighing and measuring food, LOL!!

Alida, Peg, I haven't been in contact with any of my HS friends in Mississippi in years and no family there, so my grief is probably more sentimental than anything, but it still feels very real. Rachel, Peg, thanks for the charitable links. Actually, I am UU (at least nominally :o ) and it was one of my first donations. There are many honest and decent charitable organizations, thank goodness. The Tribune company through their foundation, for example, will match .50 for every dollar donated for Katrina relief--also no admin costs.

Alida, I'm delighted you are having a long holiday weekend. Hope that wallpaper goes on easy as pie....also not all that surprised to hear your "bathroom" etching client loved your work enough to ask for another quote

Peg---woohoo, so glad to hear the reinforcments are arriving! LOL, if the idiot thinks one woman pastor was a pain, just wait until he gets TWO!

Ilse, oh no!!! But know what, at least your carpet is "initiated" now, you know? Do you think it was stress that caused your dog to throw up?

TB, oh my goodness, after all that work to have to redo the pond. I am glad however, that you had the pond guy to help you through it. It must have been quite a disappointment to him, too, that the pond's system didn't respond well the first time, what with his being a professional. Can't imagine tackling something like that alone. I have a chuckle over your having a "pond guy" though.....When I was doing behavioral consultations, I had a wealthy client (Barrington, Ilse) who had a pond guy for their indoor atrium pond, a horse guy, a bird guy, and I was well, the dog lady, I suppose....must be nice to be wealthy!

Barb, enjoy that well deserved vacation!

Let's see, not much news here except on the dental front. Yesterday I got a crown for a molar that had been cracked for a while and was finally getting uncomfortable. I love the new system this dentist has.....the whole business was done yesterday and I walked out with a new tooth. The molar was cut down, pictures taken which were transmitted to a computer modeling system and tweaked by the dentist, and then the crown was milled on site automatically using the computer generated model in about 15 minutes. Actually, they milled a crown twice since the dental assistant made a booboo finetuning the first one, but the fit is just fantastic. The crowns done this way have none of those icky metal liners, either. Some of you may already have experienced this system, but it was a new one for me. I've just started the Crest strips for my front teeth, since I have a little cavity that needs replacing and I want everything to be as nice and pearly as possible Alida, you'd asked about DH's possible bone graft for his dental implant--well, we haven't seen the oral surgeon yet, but from what I read on line, graft material can be anything from "bone in a bottle" to harvesting bone from the recipient's hip. None of it sounds like fun to me.

On the knitting front, finished that first pair of socks and have started on a wild striped pair--TB, you'd approve, I'm sure! Loved the idea of your penguin socks.....And in other news...Dad is home from Washington--three days driving out, one day there, three days driving back. Does that make sense to anyone? That's Dad!

I know if I can successfully get engaged in our back to basics challenge it will help me feel better about myself, and that's key. I do need something positive to focus on as we go into fall and winter. I do so appreciate all of you!

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

Ditto!! I think this will be true for me as I retire and think seriously about what to take to CA. Sounds really selfish, I suppose. What can I say? I am a vain, vain woman! (Not that you are, Bren. Just me!)

And, HA about TWO women. I felt the same way!! Evidently I was not the only one. One of the serious reservations about them was that they are women. I am SO GLAD that I am getting out of a system that insists on seeing God as "man," therefore can't see a minister as anything other than "man." I mean, really, people, we've had women ministers since the late 19th century! And, whose to say that God is a MAN! Maybe we'll all be surprised and find out that God, according to Ellen Degeneres, is a black lesbian. HA! (hope I haven't offended anyone. I do feel as though I know you well enough to say this!)

__________________
"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

No More Messages Here......... It's September!

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

I'll lock this one up...see you in September tracking

__________________
~~~~
Shelley
~~~~

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Life deserves a treat now and again, but life also deserves being healthy[with required disipline] to make it worth living!