Donna, I am so glad that things are more positive, now. I'm sure you and DH will both enjoy the peace of the house this evening. I hope this resolve to improve "sticks."

Shel, good to see you. Think I'll have to pass on your offer to paint in OKC. I'm still not totally through here. We decided to put crown molding in our bedroom. I painted all of it and one last door facing inside the HVAC closet this morning. This afternoon, I shopped and shopped to find one last thing to complete DH's bathroom. After a year of looking at the blank wall, then the weekend find, I was determined to finish it off . It's not exactly what I wanted (what I wanted was $400 bucks at Pottery Barn) but it's good enough and a darn site cheaper. I'm tired of messing with it. Still to be done are the touch ups on the cabinet doors. They are going to have to be trimmed down to fit with the new hinges. After that.......... it may be time to quit (or maybe not -- DH really wants and needs his computer office done.)

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

Hi everyone! Been a busy few days and I'm sore sore from working on the house. Hurts to move but hopefully will okay to get some good work in tomorrow afternoon when I plan on meeting some of the neighbors to get more work in. DH is going to watch the kids and work on his children's book (deadline August) but the kids are easy so it'll be fine.

Being busy it's easier for me to stay on track with my eating. Sister called me skinny today. I'm feeling good from this hard work and good eating. Going to be a great year.

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Good morning!

I have to go in early this morning. I really dislike the time changes back and forth, but she puts up with when I have to leave early for a doctor's appointment or whatever. So it works both ways. But I still don't have to like it.

Judy, OK, I'll check Kenmore. And yes, they are made by Whirlpool. My guess is that I will end up with GE Profile though. I have lots of time to search INTERNET (maybe it's caps because it's an acronym??) for reviews.

You mentioned cutting cabinet doors down to fit the hinges. Are these the kitchen or bathroom cabinet doors? Don't forget pictures!

Brenda, LOL. When I lived in Leawood, my kitchen remodel included Sub Zero, Jenn Air, Thermador and Kitchen Aid. I loved those appliances. That was back when they were made well! I have read that Fisher Paykel is repair-prone. Did I mention the Bosch does not heat the dishes dry? If you want dry dishes, you have to open the door when the cycle ends and let them air dry awhile. DUH.

Shelley! How great to hear from you! So your re-do has finally started. Don't forget before and after pictures!

Heather, just think of the muscles you will develop! At least after a hard day at the construction site, you won't have to worry about the treadmill!

Donna, how wonderful that DS and DDIL decided to give it another go. Prayers that they find a way to compromise for peace and happiness. But your weekend? Sounds like a true horror story. I would be dead. And you are a Saint.

Got to run. Have a great day! XXOO

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

bathroom and hallway linen cabinets. There are six doors in the hallway -- 3 sets floor to ceiling and two doors from the bathroom. I have some pictures on the other computer. I'll try to get some posted here or on a photo site sometime soon. Today's projects will probably be sanding and touching up all the holes I filled yesterday and making my friend's daughter (age 5) a Kilgore College Rangerette costume. Little girl's daddy is an administrator there. She had a dress last year that she has now outgrown. The hat, belt, and other accessories still fit, so all I have to make is the skirt and top. Of course nothing is simple, I had to make some serious adjustments on the pattern first to get a reasonable facsimile of the big girls' costumes.

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

I'm going to close up the treadmill for the next year because of the hard construction work I'll need to save all my energy.

Morning everyone!! Going to get caught up on some chores while the kids play this morning. Tonight I'm off to work at the site this evening after DH comes home from work and M's papa picks her up. Tomorrow weatherman says thunderstorms on our Wednesday mandatory day. Since we don't have the walls up on one of my groups home yet I'll help the other group of 10 with their homes if they let me. I doubt I'll get any time counted toward me but maybe I can put in volunteer time on a single mama. Anyway, off to work hard this morning on my apartment and then later my house! Later friends!

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Alida, a quick thought for you: My GE Profile dishwasher does not dry dishes completely either, no matter what setting, including "heated dry." At least, the upper rack plastics are always still drippy. DH says the reason is that often being a quiet and/or energy efficient model calls for the sacrifice of the fan that circulates the hot air. The dry setting relies only on the heating coils, at least in the generation of Profile I have and that doesn't do the job. I urge to make SURE that whatever dishwasher you buy is capable of drying a load bone dry when you need it. I've been P*ssed about paying several hundred dollars to dry my plastics for almost five years now. There are times I just don't want to hand dry or leave the door open for hours.

Judy, Heather, waves!!!!!!!

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BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

Hi guys. It sure is nice and quiet now at my house! lol It didn't take me long to get back into the routine of just dh and I at the house.

I forgot to tell you all that having everyone at the house this weekend I learned one thing. Dh does know how to cut the grass!! I was going nuts on Saturday morning trying to get everything done and he took out the lawnmower and cut our grass and the neighbours. WOW...it only took 25 years for him to show me that. What a man!!

It's a peaceful week at work this week. The boss is away until Friday...gotta love it.

Saturday I'm taking Sora to get groomed. Japanese Chins don't normally get groomed but she has a double coat and is really suffering with the heat. The meds that she's on for her eye turned out to have a steroid in them and have cause all kinds of sores on her tummy and near her tail. The fur is literally falling out. So, I've stopped using them and I'm treating the sores now. Poor little girl has really had a time of it. She's got a couple of bald patches and it doesn't look pretty. I can't wait to see what she looks like after her hair cut.

Heather: By the time you're done you'll be able to come and do all the chores that the rest of us need doing. lol Hope you enjoy all the building.

Brenda: Any ideas on what I can give Sora to get rid of the sores on her belly? I'm just basically keeping them clean and using peroxide.

Shelley: So, that's what you've been up to. Everyone else right...we need pichas!

Sorry I have to cut this short again. The fax is going nuts so I'd better get back to work. Talk to you all tomorrow.

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

I'm here, trying to potty train a dog. Read everything.....reading doesn't do it. Glad that I had planned to have the carpet cleaned anyway. I got some stuff that is supposed to take the smell out so she doesn't go there again. Eh....she finds another place! Tonight is the first night with the crate. She's been sleeping with us (thank you to the breeder, who taught her), but after she wet the bed two night ago, no longer. Oh, I am a big baby when it turns to her whimpering. I suspect she knows that. Sigh.

I'm tired.
Peg

Oh Peg - Puppies are so cute - they have to be, we wouldn't put up with their early problems if they weren't. Hubby still makes fun of me for taking our dog out and holding an umbrella over him when he was little.
Now, we just throw him out the door. Although this weekend was hose-down outside bath - he rubbed his head in something 'crappy'. It was awful. Now we are watching him again.

We have Kenmore appliances, and they are putting Westinghouse in the new home. I still like Kenmore / Westinghouse products. Affordable. Not the most fancy - but then again its not like I cook.

DD just called me. She and her BF are supposed to be our first tenants in our side (pretty nicely fixed up) but since he will be picking up the lawn care and simple maintenance - we are reducing the rent (and after all, it is my DD). now her friend Heather - just married and with a 4yo daughter - would like to rent the other side once we have it fixed up.
So, we aren't having to look for tenants. Things are going too well - I'm getting very nervous now.
and time to get out on the web and study up on the landlord/rental rule for Ohio. But we are also learning on family/friends - and that is kind of nice too.
This buys us time as it pays our monthly payment on the current home - it is in one of the best school districts in the area, and they just built a brand new K-6 school about 3 blocks away. Will be nice for a 4yo.

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Mary Kay 1/1/04 - 232
5/19/08 (5/23/08) - sw226/(cw222)/mg210/fg160

Poor little Sora! Donna, peroxide is good for wounds initially because it cleans them out, but my vet told me recently that repeated use can actually delay healing. Who knew! Anyway, if they are infected I'd clean very gently with water and apply an antibiotic cream like neosporin. There's a neosporin than has lanacaine, a topical pain killer, too. If not infected you might try a hydrocortisone cream to relieve the inflammation. Both are available at pharmacies here without prescription.

LOL Peg! Only a little advice.......management inside and reinforcement outside. And if she's having "accidents," sorry kid, but that's insufficient management! Once she's house trained, she'll be fine in bed, but in the meantime you could put her little crate on a chair next to you at night Hang in there!!!!

MK, sending you a big smile. So glad everything is working out!

Heather think of all those beautiful muscles you're building with the work involved in building a house. Woohoo!

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BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

Peg, be glad she's a little puppy............ big puppies make big messes. Lexie slept in a crate until she was several months old and pretty trust worthy about "going" outside. The first few nights, I would get up and take her out in the middle of the night, then stay by her crate and rub her foot until she would stop crying and go to sleep. I know that Glory is little and cute, but be aware that the things she is learning now will stay with her. If you don't want her on the furniture later, don't let her on it now. Bad habits are hard to break............... oh, just go ahead and ask me how I know.

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

Hey gang! It was a nice evening working with my neighbors. We had to measure boards to fit along the top of the foundation. It was quite detailed for this little job to do. It has to be measured a certain way since and then drilled to fit around bolts. Only took us 3 hours to learn all this, carry over the boards, measure and fit them. lol Hey, we're learning!

Ate really well today. Tomorrow will be up at 5am to babysit, off to donate blood plasma and then rest up until DH and I work on the house together. My mom is wonderful and has given up each Wednesday evening for a year to babysit. I had to give up Wednesday church service/nursery work but mom says she'll drop the kids off at Awana kids group when it starts this fall and then we'll pick them up when it's done.

Love you guys and thanks for letting me talk through this exciting event in my life. I've been selfish and not able to keep up to much with you all. Not used to having big part of my day away from home.

Night!

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Good morning! Another gorgeous morning here. It's the time of day I love...when I wish I could be outside on my patio with a cup of tea. Oh well, that wouldn't pay the bills.

My neighbours finally showed up last night. They were so appreciative of us cutting and watering their lawn for the last couple of months. We figured something had gone wrong and we were right. The lady had to go to Vancouver for heart tests and they thought she was going to have a stint put in. Turned out that her arteries were 80th blocked. She had open heart surgery and had 4 veins taken out of her leg. Wow...no wonder they weren't to worried about their grass at this house. He kept saying he owed me big time...I just told him it's the kind of thing neighbours do for each other. I'm sure if the table were turned he would do the same for us. Good to see that she's doing well. Now I have one less thing to worry about.

Dd is having her first appointment with a psychiatrist today. This could be interesting. If that doctor can figure her out I'd like to know what he thinks! lol

Brenda: Thanks for the info. I didn't know that about peroxide. This is the first morning that Sora's eyes haven't been full of gunk. And, her belly looks better too. Maybe I've finally found the right combination of drugs. (keeping fingers crossed)

Heather: Isn't that nice that your family is helping out that way. Good thing they live close. I'm sure they can't wait to see the finished product..like you.

Peg: Isn't housetraining fun? lol I found with my dogs that putting down a small sheet of plastic helped. For some reason they peed on it and not the rug. It was so easy to just wipe it up and then rinse it out. I'm not saying it will work for every dog but it did for mine. My dogs sleep in our bed too...put me in with Judy on the softy pile.

Judy: Loved the pics. You guys sure did a major change once you were finished. Your dd is so lucky that she has you both to help. I see Lexie was helping too!

MaryKay: Yay...things are just falling into place so nicely. Good for you. How's the building coming along? Any idea when you will be able to move in? (I'm sure you said already but CRS has hit)

Guess I'm off to earn my pay...talk to you all tomorrow.

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

We're off and running to drop the kids off with my mom so we can head out to the work site. Sunscreen, hats and water bottles at the door. Loving the hard labor because the pounds I've gained from visiting all the new restaurants in town are coming back off fast. Had to take off my pedicure and manicure because they were completely ruined 1st day from the hard work. I can't believe even my toes had a good workout. Saturdays we've been told to plan to work for 10 hours with a lunch break. Last Saturday Tylenol pain medication didn't do anything. lol I asked a lady yesterday if she was in pain still from Saturday and she said yes but didn't say anything because she thought she was alone. Other ladies fessed up that their belly's hurt. I could barely bend over to drill in the wood because my own belly kept cramping from the labor we've been doing. I hope this doesn't sound like I'm complaining because I love it all. It's just making this house that much special. I'm ready to get out of low income apartments and own a nice place of my own.
-
Donna - That was so nice of you to do that for your neighbors. Everyone in the world needs a good neighbor like you.

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I'm following along between "management appointments." LOL, Brenda. I figured it was that, and I will gladly take the blame. It is over 100 degrees out there, and by the time I get down the stairs, the last thing I want to do is romp with the puppy. The books say to take her to the same place. Ha! She goes where she wants. Dh took her out the back door this morning for the first time and had fantastic success with her. He's much more able to negotiate the stairs.

My Dr's office called for me to come in and "discuss" my recent blood tests. Wonder what that's about? Tomorrow I will do that.

Starting again with the crate. Brought it out to the living room where we live and plan to reward her with praise when she goes in. Hopefully that won't be too long, as long as we haven't traumatized her. Dh made me leave her in crying last night. I did it for about 20 mintues, and then went and got her and put her in bed with us. He was pretty p****. I wasn't around when he was raising kids. I'm glad. I could never stand to leave my kids in cribs to cry either. Softie. Thing is, I think he is the Alpha dog here. She really wants to be with him. Last night she kept crawling up on the top of his pillow so she could smell his hair. I was afraid that he would throw her off if he woke up. He wouldn't of course. But, I finally got her to settle down with me.

She is eating well. And drinking a lot of water. Friday she sees the Vet for the first time just to get checked out. I hope she doesn't have to have shots. I have her records.

Heather: I am thinking about you in the heat of the day there. Whew, girl. Good thing you are young!

Good to hear from all of us. Seems we are all busy with projects.

Love to all, Peg

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