mdrai

Hi everyone!~~ I wrote a nice, long, chatty post last night that went "whoomp" into the cyberozone... very frustrating! Today is the day that our guests from Germany arrive! In fact, they'll be here w/in the hour!! Everything is done -- AMAZING! 3 rooms painted, moved, re-decorated; carpets cleaned; house powerwashed; pictures hung (finally after 9 years!!)... we should've invited them YEARS ago! LOL! I also have cooked all the meals for the 8 of us for the week & frozen them, so dinner prep will be minimal & I can try to enjoy myself while I'm tending to 7 other folks! + I did all the grocery shopping yesterday for b'fast, lunch & snacks (BIG BILL!) so we can take it all & not waste precious relaxation time grocery shopping once there. + I set up & prepped & previewed the Book Fair @ the ES last week & got my sub chairpersons all "trained". No wonder I'm tired!! (Was up 'til 1:30am last night putting out all the Halloween decorations, tidying up, etc...) We will be leaving tomorrow morning for Deep Creek Lake in Western MD. We'll be back home Fri, and then our guests fly back to Germany on Saturday. I am soooo looking forward to relaxing at the Lake... reading, knitting, sitting by the fire & in the hot tub... aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! These last 3 weeks have been VERY stressful & I thought I'd never get it all done... but here we are, and it's done! Amazing! The Lake cabin is supposed to have Internet service, so I'll try to check in. In the meantime, everyone have a great week, make good choices, and remember: Patience & Trust. That's my mantra this month as I'm STILL going up & down on the same 3-4 lbs... I've barely been eating these past few days & I was *sure* I would see a new number today... but no... SAME! I missed last month's fill, and now am paying for it! I go for my next one on Halloween! Ok, gotta go, dh, ds, & guests should be here any time. + my mom is coming w/us, too! A full house! Make it a great week, everyone!

Ok, I took the portions quiz... I scored an 8 out of 8!! Yay me! I know my portions! (I'd better!!!!!)

Hey! Pam, I too am working... just finished up, actually, but can't work on legal editing for hours & hours and then go straight to bed... my head keeps working & I end up either not sleeping or editing in my sleep, neither of which is good! So I'm here trying to decompress... I took the Kingdomality quiz... I'm a Shepherd... here's what it said about me: our distinct personality, The Shepherd is to tend to your human flock. You understand the needs of those for whom you are responsible. Shepherds are vigilant and reliable. You realize your obligation and commitment to the well being of those entrusted to your care. Shepherds are very dependable. You engender a feeling of comfort and stability to those within your charge. On the positive side, Shepherds can be empathic, caring, understanding, practical and realistic. On the negative side, you may be manipulative, close-minded and sentimentally rigid. Interestingly, your preference is just as applicable in today's corporate kingdoms. I'd say that I'd agree w/that! Ok, it's late & I have another Loooooong day tomorrow... it's getting closer & closer to Sunday when my guests arrive... then Monday, when we all go up to the Lake... the house is coming together... loaded up the guest bedroom tonight & it looks good if I do say so myself... Laura, you'll love having a guest room!... now just some basic tidying & last-minute stuff... Oh yeah... and ALL the grocery shopping AND cooking -- how could I forget?? And so it goes... I am SO going to relax in the woods next week! Phew!! Nighty-Night, Vi's! :bored

Fantastic, Panda!! Celebrate this success!! Yay!! :cheer2: & to you, Tracy!! 213??? OMG, you are shrinking away & will be joining the rest of the gang in one-derland in no time!!! Yay yay yay!!!

More avoidance... here's my plan... if I proofread 10 pages of this boring legal book... then I get to peek on here. It's the old carrot & stick approach to getting my work done... hey, whatever it takes! It's late & I want to go to bed... but I can't 'til I'm finished... so back I go...

What a long day... working on a splitting headache... have tons still to do... am avoiding it, obviously!...

Thanks for the supportive words, girls... yes, he's obviously got some serious mental crap going on... & she is such an amazing, stong, creative, beautiful woman, that I know that sooner than later she will be glad he is gone & probably better off than before... and yes I told her that, and more... Actually, I thought about the Vi's during our conversation... she is an amazing Tuscan chef and her mother owned & ran a very popular B&B in Martha's Vineyard for years & now owns a villa in Tuscany, and her brother is a "famous" chef w/his own popular restuarant in NYC... well, they may be teaming up to do cooking/sightseeing trips to Tuscany and I thought THAT"S what the Vi's could do! A luxurious, pampering, educational vaca to Tuscany!! It's a thought! Laura... I think that's the worst PB episode I've ever heard of!! I think you're right to go on liquids for a day or so... how strange!!

Hey Gals... Waaaah. Just got back from a 2-hour coffee w/my friend who's hubby surprised her w/ "I don't love you, I want a divorce" on her birthday... what a mess! I'm so sad for her & her kids. I guess you just never know.

Miss a day, miss a lot!! Let me jump on the "Love My Vi's" bandwagon!! I don't know what I'd do w/out my daily dose of encouragement, understanding, and kick-in-the-pants that I get from you all. I second what Terry said: MMMMMUAH! :kiss2: Our trek into DC took us ALL day... didn't get home 'til 9p & then crashed. We walked & walked & walked (in record-high heat & humidity in Oct... lovely!)... + I did the eliptical in the a.m. before we left... so do you think I dropped any lbs?? Nooooooooooooooooo... actually UP a lb! The scale must be broken... it's going in the wrong direction!!! BUT, on the + side, I am wearing my new jeans & new 14/16 top & my hard-to-please fashionist daughter said I looked "stylish" today! FINALLY! So... if I have a moment, I may try to take some pics "a la Laura" in my "stylish" outfit. Gotta dash... meeting my friend who's hubby just left her out of the blue... I'm both eager to see her & a bit anxious, too... will check back later. Make it a great day, everyone!

Good Tues Morn, Vi's~~ Got my eliptical work in, & now we're off on our DC adventure! Will check back tonight. Make it a great day, everyone!

((Kat)) I don't know how many types of thyroid cancer there may be, but one my best gf's had it (they told her that if she was going to get cancer, that this was the best kind to get) and they just took it out & then she had just one radiation treatment (where she couldn't be around anyone else for a few days). That was it! (Then she went on to get the "best" kind of skin cancer on her face... twice! We joke that, yeah, she keeps getting cancer, but only the "best" for her!) You're in my good thoughts!!

Fantastic Terry!! You're now our official BodyBugg "guinea pig"!! You can test it for us & tell us ALL about it! (In all your "free" time!) Yay, you!! Does it count as a "bounce" if it just goes up?? :rolleyes (LOL) I am going to try, try, try to be good, good, good this week w/food & exercise AND not get on the scale 'til next Monday. Whew! Wish me luck!! (Especially since tomorrow we're dining out in DC w/our German friends after our "private" tour of the US Capitol building! I think I'll wear my bracelet as a little "Violet" reminder of what to do!!)

I see you there, Lunasa! How are you??

Real rough version, Laura... It's a band (another band!) that you wear on your upper arm & it somehow magically, mystically, scientifically measures your caloric intake for the day AND your energy spent and so you can see exactly where you are as far as input/output & your weight loss goals... it looks like there's a Web site component, where you can put in your info & set your goals (like -2/week), etc., too...

Hmmmm Terri, I hadn't thought of that... wearing it... duh... I'm so bad @ remembering to put on my pedometer!! Hmmmmm...

Good Monday Morning, Vi's~~ Back from my 3 aqua classes @ the Y... phew! Put me in the "back on track" club also for today... weekends always mess me up... I love the routine of the week for eating & exercising properly. My scale is up, too... but I'm ignoring it... so there! Pam, I hope you feel better soon! Wowsa! We must be psychic twins today... I was going to post about the Body Bugg, too! Here's the link if you don't know what it is: BODYBUGG :: HOW IT WORKS It is pricey, but I'm thinking that, HEY, I'M WORTH IT!... maybe I'll ask for it for Xmas. That or I was thinking of pricing out elipticals, which are probably way more than that. Wait! I know! My "LBT Secret Santa" can get it for me! Which one of you is the secret millionaire?? LOL! Time to hit the books... make it a great one, everyone!!

Ugh! Just a quick check-in + sneaky break from the cleaning... just spent 45 mins working in the laundry room (for goodness sake!)... it was pretty nasty... that's where the litter boxes are... ugh, I've got to go back up there & get down on the floor & scrub the baseboards & trim cuz' they're packed w/ 9 years of cat litter in there!! & you know what cat litter is -- CLAY! -- so lots of it is hardened & gross... bleh! You don't even want to know what I found BEHIND the washer & dryer... + I used dh's industrial in/out vac in that small space & my ears are ringing like crazy now... & my head is splitting!! (But I think that may be my carb overload headache from yesterday)... sigh... they probably won't even GO into the laundry room... but dh says that maybe they'll want to wash their clothes between legs of their trip, which may be true... so back up I go! Wish me luck!! PS -- I keep thinking how great the house will look & how clean it will be now + for the holidays!! :grouphug: That's what's keeping me going!!! If I DO it NOW, I can ENJOY it LATER!

It's Sunday Morning, Vi's!~~ Too much to do! Too much to do! It's crunch time now w/getting the house ready for our guests who arrive in 1 week!! The chaos that is everywhere as we paint & gussie up the place now has to be reigned in & cleaned & arranged... yikes! + I'm still editing like a fiend... + getting ready for the ES book fair... + my regular stuff... +... Endurance, patience, & the ability to take it all one piece at a time... the keys that will get me through this week!! (NOT pizza, brownies, & Chinese... which is what I thought would help yesterday... whoops! They didn't!) Make it a great day, Vi's!

Stick an "Ooh" in front of that "LaLa", Laura! That's you! Oooh La La! You look great!

My ds is Evan, too!

It's Saturday, Vi's!~~ Total chaos reigns here this a.m. as the whole upstairs is undone (w/most of it in the hallway, our room, and now finding its way all over the house!) as dh paints the guest room & kids' bath, and dd's room still isn't 100% put together yet... (I've lost my bottle of Windex up there somewhere, and it's driving me crazy!) + I have an extra kid here all last night & today + tons of work + soccer & poms & laundry... gah! AND I just found out via e-mail that one of my longtime dear friends (it's one of those friendships where we see each other only a few times a year but it's like we were never apart when we're together) husband is leaving her! Don't have the details but am thunderstruck... they're one of those couples that everyone else envies... gorgeous, personable, great kids, amazing house, cool professions... I guess no one has it all... or that things aren't always as they seem... I am so upset about it... we're getting together on Weds to catch up... What a day, and it's only 9:04am! Whatever your days bring each of Violets, make good choices! ((hugs))

So ok... I knew that my pj pants were getting a bit big... & baggy... & loose... they're a 26/28... so I popped into Lane B today to pick up some new ones... and I tried on the 22/24 and they were TOO BIG!... so I tried on the 18/20 -- and they FIT!! :omg: Talk about your NSV! I also got 2 new smaller bras (it's some sort of bra fitting weekend there, so she measured me & the whole bit...), new size undies, a pair of jeans (they have some funky new sizing system, so I have no idea what size it calculates to), AND a cute top IN A 14/16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ladies, standing there in that fitting room... I began to tear up... because not only am I getting smaller (no matter how much I can't see it)... but I have H*O*P*E* that I'll only be getting smaller & smaller in the weeks/months ahead... HOPE... what a wonderful thing!!

My b'day is July 8, Pam!

Good Friday Morn, Vi's... Another busy day! Aren't they all? 2 dr's appointments (check-ups) + more paint to buy so dh (David) can paint the guest room + kids' bathroom this weekend, + sports + + +... on & on... Make it a great day, everyone!

Anybody? Out? There?