Hello dear ones:

I'm taking advantage of the baby's afternoon nap (and skipping mine) so that I can get caught up on some things.

We had a 5.4 earthquake this morning, epicentered just about 10 miles from here. I ran like hell and picked up the dog, my purse, my cell, and some water. Then it stopped. It went on for about 2 minutes, which is a loooong time. We didn't have anything break, but a lot of things fell off bookshelves (just knick knacks). We have carpeting, so nothing broke. My crystal and china made it through just fine. A couple of months ago they came through and fastened all my big furniture to the walls. I'm so glad, because the bookshelves would have gone over in this one. After it quit, I ran through the house, and picked up two days worth of clothes and meds, and stuff for us (Sweet Pea too) and parked them at the bottom of the stairs. We've had over 30 aftershocks since the big one, but they are gentle. I'm still shaking even though the earth has stopped!

Sweet Pea has started on homemade food today. So far, it has stayed down. She is definitely getting bigger! I'm afraid that she is getting fat, but when she is bathed, she doesn't look fat, she looks like a big rat! Ha! She takes up most of the time in this house these days. We continue to try to potty train her. She just can't get the hang of going on the pee pads to pee. She continues to be shut up in the kitchen when she is awake. Dh takes her out frequently, and she has learned the word "potty." If she has to go, she goes right away when we put her down. She hasn't mastered the stairs yet. She is afraid to go down and afraid to go up. Frankly, I think she just likes to be held! And, truth be told, I love to hold her. She cuddles up to me, puts her head on my shoulder and licks my neck and face. What joy!! We are going on vacation for a week in August, and I think I am going to board her rather than leave her with someone here. I visited a place yesterday that looks pretty good. I want dh to go with me to visit it before we decide. It is an investment, but I am sure that she will get consistent care. My friend here with "Glory" uses them and really loves the care.

Heather: I am so proud of you and your enthusiasm. With this summer weather, they are really getting "sweat equity" out of you!

Barb: I can't even imagine camping, much less what you did! But, you look happy, so you go girl! I love your poetry. I love it when my muse shows up. I need her now for a sermon this Sunday.

Judy: I just love your Texas humor! Sheesh! I must say that I have seen that same method used here in Southern CA too, though.

Donna: I love hearing your gardening challenges!

Shel: Got your furniture yet?

Bren: You working?

Rach: Promising a long letter soon! I love you! Listen, the pool boy asked about you this morning. He said, "Who was that girl that flitted through here? She was hot!" That is, of course, because he is getting tired of looking at my growing girth. But, dang it! He is a good looking guy.

I've started cutting back on the carbs at lunch. It's the dessert that is so hard to pass on. But, I'm doing as well as can be expected for someone who has no enthusiasm for the project. I would do it more, I think, if I felt better. But, of course, I won't feel better until I do it more! My Dr's nurse called yesterday to say that my test for full diabetes was negative. So that is GOOD news.

Gotta jet!
Love ya, Peg

Good morning!

I have an forced day off today. Boss Randy pulled some back and neck muscles a few days ago and just wanted a day around the house in his jammies. Luckily, I was ready for a day off.

Donna, can't you maybe thread a chain through the chain-link and at least pull those suckers out of the ground .... stopping short of the fence. Then all you would have to do is have DH cart them off. Keep us posted. And just like Judy to post a good old Texan remedy!

Barb, what a loving blog that must be. Prayers ascending for your niece and her baby. Eight pounds, huh? You will lose that in a flash.

Peg, oohh. Where are you going on vacation? Wherever, it will be fun. As for Sweet Pea, you really have to catch her in the act to make any "No!" command stick. Are you able to devote a few hours to keep an eagle eye on her? Andy why is SP on home made food? Did I miss a problem with her tummy?

Attached are two wedding photos. I hope they are clear. The man and woman on either side of the happy couple are Antoniya's godparents. I guess in Bulgarian culture, the godparents really play an important roll. The godfather is some bigwig in local TV. Good looking dude! And the godmother is pretty, too! And of course I am biased mut Paul and Antoniya are gorgeous!

Have a great day! XXOO

Attached Thumbnails

   

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

RESTART:

I started SBD on Sunday the 27th. I weighed 221. Today, Wednesday, I'm down to 216. My goal is to get down to about 170 when I did SBD in 2005.

__________________

Hi guys: I'm late again, I know.

Alida: What a gorgeous couple! They look so happy. And forced days off are good...wish I could get a couple. I don't think there is an easier way to get rid of the lilac stumps except for digging them out....I will do it!

Peg: Where are you going for vacation? Guess you couldn't take Sweet Pea with you...does she like the car?

I have been able to get 1 lilac stump out. Yippee! It left a big hole near the fence but my furkids won't leave the yard unless they are invited to so I'm not too worried about it yet. Besides, I never leave them alone in the front yard...I'm scared of a coyote carting one of them off. I might attack another stump tonight...depending on the weather.

Not much else new around here...just called for a haircut and she's taking me in 45 minutes...yikes...good thing the boss is away for the afternoon...I'm suppsed to work until 4:30 and my appointment is at 3:00.

See you all tomorrow.

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

Peg - I'm so glad that you are okay!! I can only imagine all the feelings you had when the ground started shaking but good to hear that you think on your toes!

Going to relax now. Worked hard at something so rewarding is amazing. Fantastic hard working neighbors. I'm so happy with my group of 10 families.

Night!

__________________

Peg, I am so sorry! I actually remembered not mentioning the earthquake while I was falling asleep last night! I am so glad everything and everybody are OK. You mentioned grabbing everything and heading outside. Is that the proper thing to do with a earthquake? I know what to do if a tornado comes, but I am a little stupid about earthquakes! XXOO

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

Peg, I've been through hurricanes, tornado warnings (no tornado), and other "act of God" type threats--but NOTHING is more alarming than an earthquake! There's literally nowhere to run. I'm glad nothing fell on your head. I'd still be shaking. Having Sweet Pea in your arms probably improved your survival instincts. More pictures, please?

Heather, by the time that crew gets to your house, they'll have a lot of practice with all those installations. You'll definitely benefit from that--even if it takes a while before you see your own home start up. I'm so happy for you.

Doohickie, perhaps you'd enjoy posting in one of the LCE "Ongoing Weight Loss" forums instead of this one. You'll find a lot of helpful support from people who are on a track similar to yours. This bunch tends to stray from the LCE topic quite a bit. Congrats on your success so far with your SBD restart.

Donna, you work harder than any three people I know. I love lilacs, but they do take over if you let them.

Tomorrow I turn over the leased car, and good riddance! It's a big ol' luxury gas-guzzler that was my dh's "dream car." Unfortunately, the lease was in my name, so I couldn't just turn it in when he died. I've been paying big bucks for a car I can hardly bear to drive for 18 months. I've toyed with the idea of supplementing my Miata with a small five-door. But for now, I'm just going to wait and see how I get along through the winter--and whether or not I really need a larger car to haul things around. If not, I'm happy to be a one-car driver--especially a paid-for car that gets decent mpg. I'm not giving up the Miata until it gives up on me!

On the weight management scene, those lbs. I packed on during my vacation are dropping quickly, now that I'm back to LC. It's amazing how much bloat a body can absorb--I'm sure the drop is related to water, not fat. But still. I'm happier in every way when I'm meeting my own fitness expectations.

Can you believe that tomorrow will be the first of August?? I'm sure that date is very much on your mind, Judy, since it usually means the beginnning of school. Even for the rest of us, summer is zipping by.

Take care of you, Everybody.

__________________
Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Here it is the last day of July. I have exactly 18 more days before I have to go back to work. We have done a lot of work, but still don't have any of the projects at our house totally finished. The cabinet doors are still sitting in the garage and I am still filling holes and painting the crown molding in our bedroom. I had so hoped to have all that finished a week or more ago so that we could do DH's computer room/office. It looks like that probably won't happen. Right now a repairman is working on the sprinkler system. It is such a convenience, and I know that Dh will appreciate having it in working order again. I guess we will sacrifice his room for his sprinklers. Actually the sacrifice of his room is more of a time and effort thing. We are pretty much burned out. I AM NOT READY TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL......YET!

Alida -- What a beautiful couple Paul and his wife are, She is gorgeous. I have forgotten how they got together. Was it here in the US, then he went to her country, or did he meet her while he was there?

Barb -- Great fish -- great trip. We used to go to the mountains for three weeks or so each summer. I loved the fishing. I might be up for a couple of nights of camping, but 2 weeks is a long time for me. I liked having the fully furnished 3 bedroom home to meet my mountain living needs.

Brenda -- Did I miss the results of your DH's interview? Do they still have him on hold? How are you liking being a working woman again?

MK and Heather -- both busy building a house. I hope everything is going great for both of you.

Susie -- Are you still around? Shelley, I know you are occasionally here. I hope your decorating is coming out perfect.

Peg -- I'm pretty calloused when it comes to tornados. I'm watchful, but not panicked. However, I think an earthquake might be pretty scary. Tell me again why people want to live in California........fires, droughts, earthquakes, horrendous traffic, horrendous cost of living. I think I'll pass. So, on another note, I'm glad to hear that Sweat Pea is making some improvement. In general I've found that a dog has to get to be about 6 months old before it fully kicks in that they are supposed to "go" outside. Until then, it improves but isn't a sure thing if you are not very watchful.

Rachel -- So good to have you back, even if it is only occasionally. I ordered the book you referenced in your message last week.

Paul, Good luck on your recommitment to South Beach.

OK, I need to do something....... looks like it will be sewing for a while. DH is helping the sprinkler man and doesn't want me to paint the molding's last coat until he is there to help. It's not so much that I might fall from the ladder as that we are concerned that I might spill the cup of paint all over the carpet. That project WILL be finished today.

** Hey Shelley, is there a "sewing" smiley??

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

....for you, Judy! (and sometimes for me to!! )

__________________
~~~~
Shelley
~~~~

Visit Kassie's Korner



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

Good morning! When I got up this morning we had beautiful blue skies so I quickly made us lunches for the park. Now, it's clouded over and quite chilly. Looks like dh might be having soup and sandwhiches for dinner.

It did clear up yesterday and we attacked more lilac stumps. Dh is actually helping me. It's probably all the comments from neighbours that got him out of his chair to help. I had counted wrong...there are 7 stumps...but 3 of them are gone now. What a difference it's making! I cut down a small spruce tree too that was dead in the middle. Why do people insist on planting trees side by side and then they rub together and die inside? Or they never grow very big cause there is no room for them? That's what the previous owner of our house did. I'll have to cut one down on the other side of the yard too. I'm getting excited about having a new patch of dirt to play in. I'm thinking I would like one of those small weeping fig trees next to the fence and then fill it all in with coneflowers...they add colour all summer. We'll see.

I've been on induction for 3 days now. First two days I lost weight but it found it's way back home this morning. I didn't cheat so I'm thinking I didn't drink enough water. I'm not giving up though.

Judy: Back to work already? Wow...that sure went fast. It's the pits when you don't get all your projects done. In fact, it's worse that you have to use your holidays to do them all!

Barb: I've been through an earthquake too, in Laughlin, Nevada. Scared the beejesus out of me. Dh thought it was neat! Figures! I insisted on leaving that town the next morning and we did...but I didn't know that there would be terrible winds from the earthquake. Usually it takes about an hour to get to Las Vegas...this time it took over 3 hours fighting the winds.

Heather: Good to hear from you.

Shelley: Nice to see you pop in too. Are the renos just about done?

Okay...back to work. Boss is leaving again this afternoon but I don't think I'll chance it and leave work early again...but it is tempting. At least I got a haircut out of it yesterday.

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

Donna, I left you out this morning while I was typing........ I didn't mean to slight you. Honey, you win the prize for yard queen. I can't believe how much you are doing. This is the time of year that most Texans stay in the air conditioning. It's hot and humid here. DH is really excited to have the sprinkler system working again. He gets tired of dragging the hoses and sprinklers around.

Thanks Shelley....... Back to . Crown will be painted this afternoon after DH has a nap.

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

Following along...

I think earthquakes would scare me to death.. no place to hide. Glad, to hear, Peg, that you had no damage.

Barb.. you look like you had a great time, what a fish. And you did say you caught the big one right ??? mmmmmmm

Judy.. Yuk only 18 more days, you need some "ME" time. You've been working on projects all summer long.

Shelley... thinking of you, we'll be glad when you are back around the pool regularly.

Rachel... It was so nice to hear from you.. the pool boy had been asking about you.

Donna.. Great dh got up and helped you. Sounds like a big project getting rid of all those lilacs.. I didn't realize they spread so much. I barely can get flowers of any kind to bloom let alone spread.

Alida... what a beautiful couple.. where did Paul meet her? inquiring minds want to know, because some inquiring minds have memory lapses.

Heather ... you are moving right along.. what a neat project.. and when they get to you "perfection" I bet you are really tired by the end of the day.

MK.. you must be involved in the house planning..

At our house, dh continues to improve. He is just an energizer bunny, just keeps on going. He has progressed to a cane. He has problems yet with chest pains, but, I think that will be the way of life from here on out.

I've been working on getting work done on rental houses. Roofs... YUK big bucks.. thank goodness I found someone to work for a little less. I do need to do some painting of the new porch and as bad as I hate to say it, I think I'm going to have to do some outdoor painting. Love to paint, but... I don't wanta.. I king of like the afternoons of reading.

Went up on a porch roof today. The young man said... be careful.. my smart mouthed self said "I was climbing ladders before you were born"... went up checked the window I wanted to see, climbed down the ladder and missed the last rung and fell on the brick sidewalk.. didn't get hurt. Someday I will learn not to be such a samrt a$$

That's all from this front, but I certainly am following all of you...
It won't be long and we'll be gathered around the fireplace instead of the pool. Can we get a good looking guy to stoke the fire in the fireplace.. maybe the pool boy will do double duty

Berta, When I was typing this morning I knew that I left people out. First I realized it was Donna, and now I realize that it was you, too. It's so good to hear that your DH is improving. That's great news for both of you. We need to do some outside painting, too.......... but believe me, that's NOT going to happen at this time of the year. In fact, I'm seriously thinking that we need to have the wood soffits and siding on the back room done in vinyl. We have lots of wood repairs that need to be made, so it may be more cost efficient to bite the bullet and go for a more permanent solution.

Tonight a friend took me out for a belated birthday dinner and movie. We went to see Mama Mia. We laughed and laughed and had a great time. I needed that. I've been feeling like someone let the air out of my balloon. We finished the crown this afternoon and the guy is going to come do the cabinet doors tomorrow afternoon. Maybe finishing off the projects and having a nice night out will get my attitude back up again.

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

locking up July...
see you all in August tracking.

s

__________________
~~~~
Shelley
~~~~

Visit Kassie's Korner



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