mousecrazy

Darcy...OMG! I did the same thing...I was thinking..."Mmmm, well, that must be a happy it's the weekend thread..." Now, where's the new February thread...? OOOOOHHHHHHHH. duh. Glad I found it! Mandy, sooooo glad to hear from YOU! I knew you were recovering, but thought you would post and was starting to worry. Glad your scar won't be noticeable, and glad you are getting better. Anything on the feet is so hard, because you have to use them for everything! Kat, prayers to your friend's family. That is very sad, and so sudden. Please be careful on your trip. I'll worry until I hear that you are okay. Beanie, you always crack me up! Thanks! Mary, sorry about your tax outcome, hope there's a tweak here or there that will change that! We have an accountant do ours...that kind of thing make my head blow up! Sounds like it's cold and yucky everywhere. It really is here, no snow, but maybe tomorrow. I saw some snow yesterday, but it didn't stick. Very pretty, all the same. We're having a little bandster get together in Denton tonite...so I'll see Jules there, and looking forward to that! Everyone stay warm!

It is February! (just in case someone didn't see the earlier notice....) I'm leaving now to look for the new thread... See ya there!

Brown sweater and blue jeans, blondish hair with brown glasses. I know you, Jules, so at least we'll recognize each other! They don't make reservations, but the manager is expecting our group. He knows some lapbanders are meeting there. See you tonite!

I am planning on being there. If you read this, and are planning on coming, post a short note, so we can tell how many tables/chairs we need. Thanks! Cindy

Believe. Be sure you are drinking enough water, because ironically you need to consume water to lose water weight. Your insides are still in inflammation mode from the surgery, and are probably still retaining fluid. This will gradually subside also. Just stick with it (as if you have a choice). You did not magically put on 50 pounds in 2 weeks, and it will not disappear like that, either. The more realistic your expectations are, the happier you are going to be, and the more satisfied you are going to be. Unrealistic expectations just set you up to be unhappy, and then give up. That is the "fat-think" that we have to work on, while our band is doing it's job, and we have the harder job! You are doing fine...just hang in there, and get through these first and hardest steps! Courage! (as Jack always says...and I hope he pops in here and gives you a pep talk, too!)

Good morning! I weathered the Strategic Planning meeting at DD's school Tues. night, got the quilt laid out yesterday...I forgot how pretty it was! Then Ebay is giving us trouble...I think they changed some stuff, and now we are having trouble uploading pictures. They are in denial that it is on their side, and no matter how many times we have talked to customer service, they keep running us through the same steps to "fix" our computer...but it is the only site that is giving us problems, the only site that is not working properly, and it has the same problems on both computers? Urrrrgh. I'm leaving them alone today, and maybe they'll get a grip? Urrrgh. Just so you know, if I have a choice, I'd rather read about cake than pickled or creamed herring. Good for you, Anne! I bet you are tired, but good to hear that you are doing alright back in the working world! Breathe, Darcy...you big dork head! That crack's me up! Booooooooo! (goes out to Eileen!) Hi, Dianne! I love Kashi Go Lean Crunch, too...I put a little in yogurt. All things in moderation. Cereal used to be one of my "addictions" so I am careful not to get into the habit of eating bowls of it...but I still enjoy a little with yogurt, and the fiber part is important, so you can't just not have that! Jules? Please tell me you are still coming to dinner Thursday night? Betty...sorry...more cold weather ahead...and rain on top of that! At least, I hope it is just rain. Sherry, the idea you had about quilting special things into the quilt...there's another unfinished quilt mom was making for my daughter. It is appliqued hearts. I am thinking about having my DD write down things she remembers doing with mom, special memories, then either quilting them or writing them in indelible ink on the hearts or around the hearts. The hearts are in different pastel colors on cream background. She was working on that in the hospital before her surgery. She was the quilter deluxe, I tell you! Always, always, on more than one project. OR, I could write them on the backside of the quilt, inside the quilted part of the heart. I'm thinking it over, so chime in. Today I'm going to relax for a while...then run some errands. Hope everyone is having a good day! Cindy

Thanks, Sherry! What a blessing these quilts are. The quilting group at church just put a quilt in the frame that is also very special. My mom made the top (it's a Civil War antique brick quilt)before her surgery, then she passed away. So my grandma did the binding, and it was in her machine, just finished, the night before the she had the stroke, which caused her death a week later. It gives me chills just thinking about it.

(((Hugs))) My prayers for peace and comfort go to you, and your BIL, and the rest of your family. I know you are being called upon to shoulder quite a heavy load now, and you know where to go for strength and wisdom. Turn to your Father and Christ, and be comforted. You have your nephew to focus on now, and that is a blessing in the midst of the horrible losses. God's love and peace to you, Cindy

WTF??? I pop on here to say good morning, and see what kind of exercise all of you are doing, and the board is covered in food porn and cake???? That's what happens when I miss a day? Well, chickies, thank goodness ya'll are havin' a good time! Love the recipes...I think I need to try both the baseballs and cacciatore (I know I spelled that wrong!) So, just running around doing the SAHM thing...yesterday was cooking, basketball game, and meeting for DD's school until 8PM. Today (check this out, Darcy!), one of my mom's quilting buddies is coming over in a little while. We are going to lay out a quilt my mom started, and her quilt friends finished...it's a Dresden plate quilt. All the blocks are finished, and we're going to decide how to lay it out for the finished quilting. Maybe I'll get to help hand quilt it! I have to learn, but they are going to teach me. Cool?! Okay, back to your fun...I've gotta go make coffee for my quilt friend. I'll see ya later! Cindy

Hey, all! Happy Birthday, Beanie! Another year more wonderful! Happy Anniversary, Eileen! Hope you had a great evening (wink, wink) This is the week Anne goes back to work...can't wait to hear all about it! I was out running around all day Friday, then went up to church to start working on the painting project for the new Sunday school wing. Today, Dd had voice lessons, and I went down to a co-worker's son's college graduation party. I hate missing a day of chatting with everyone! And, I miss so much stuff! Now, I'm just tired, and I need to back and read a page or two, so I'm going to do that, and get to bed! More tomorrow, hope everyone had a good day! Hugs, Cindy

Congratultions, Superdaddy! And Superdaddy's wife! Ella is indeed beautiful! God bless you all!

Impatience is the #1 cause of being overweight. We want what we want, NOW. Perfectionism is the #2 cause of being overweight. Well, I blew it, so I might as well eat everything "wrong" for the rest of the day and start over tomorrow. Okay, maybe the next day. Or Monday. The bandster life is a totally new start. It is learning that there is a more moderate and rational relationship with food. I'm 17 months out, and still losing. Read that sentence again. No rush. Patience. Moderation. Take a breath, calm down, focus your attention on healing that band in your abdomen really, really nicely, so there are no nasty problems later. You want that tool well-installed, because Jack is right (as usual!)~~this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Sweetie, I'll pray for your health and for your peace of mind. You don't indicate in your post about your spiritual leanings, so I mean no offense by the offer of prayer. On a more practical note, worrying yourself sick isn't going to do anyone any good...not you, and certainly not your family. Get your dr. appt. and go through the steps of determining what the lump is. It could be nothing. If it is something, and you have caught it right away, the prognosis is very good for you, and as a nurse, you know that. Talk to yourself like you would talk to one of your patients. Would you want a patient to start in on the worst case scenario? No. Be pragmatic for now. Don't fall into emotion before you even know what you are facing. I am not hard-hearted, and my heart breaks for you and what you are fearing for your family...but sometimes we have to steel ourselves, chin up, and deal with what we have to deal with. Please, if you have a sister, mom, or friend, make sure you get a real hug from them...until then (((hugs)))!

Awww, Sherry, so sorry you are feeling sick and stuffy. I had that same thing right after New Years. Yucky. Hope you are tying up your loose ends and heading out the door to the warm bed! Hi Darcy! Have fun at the band concert...hey, just run up and down the bleachers or something while you're there! Sounds like the NJ girls are a very busy bunch today...today's a quiet day for me. Tomorrow is busy, but today, I'm going back to the closet, and shovel out all that crapola that has been stuffed in there over the past decade. Yesterday, I found a stack of Christmas cards from the year 1999. Seriously. No tellin' what treasures I will find today! See ya'll later...hugs to all! Cindy

Sorry, BJean, I didn't intend to put words in your mouth. I really don't like the Hitler reference thrown around, because I think it is very inflammatory, and probably offensive to those who suffered real loss in those days. It's just not something we need to do to make a decent argument. I am not "pro-war". That makes it sound like I am running around looking for wars to start, and wars to continue, and wars in the future in case one happens to end. That is really another inflammatory tag. Simply, we are in a war, and we do not need to fail in this war. The consequences for failure are dreadful and dire and would serve neither the US nor Canada nor Mexico. I am sorry there is a problem with being Christian and understanding that there are times for war and times for peace. This does not confuse me. I do not have a problem understanding that there are those who need someone to come to their aid, and sometimes that means you have to fight for them.

No, not all Arab Muslims. Just the ones with plans to harm us. Apparently, there is the feeling here that these guys were just peacefully minding their own business, and then they were snatched up and put in prison, with no reason. I doubt it. Have you ever heard the abuse the military guards put up with at Gitmo? Do you know that these peaceful wonderful innocent guys tell them regularly that when our system releases them, they are going to find their families and kill them? They throw urine and feces at them? But, I suppose this is deserved, since our military guys and gals are puppets of Hitler, and should be abused as a way of protest? I would ask, why are people more concerned with the rights of people who are trying to hurt you, than the safety of the citizens of the US?

http://rpc.senate.gov/_files/Dec1806HABEASBB.pdf Just to give some background.

Tell you what, I'll read some Mother Jones if you'll read some Weekly Standard. Deal?

Kat, thank you for blessing us with story of your brother. Darcy, Anne, Betty, the same for your stories. I always consider these stories as blessings, because they are stories of survival and lessons of gratitude for all of us. God bless these men and their families, and grant all of you patience and endurance. Beanie and Eileen, you gals are beautiful (as always!)...I'm so happy you were able to visit, even for a brief while. Darcy, I'm working on my closet, so eventually I'll find my mp3...I like the music you are listening to! We have a radio station that plays a mix like that, so I listen to that pretty often. I love music! I'm getting a few miles in every day, so they are adding up! Sherry, get your rest. Everything goes better when you are rested, even eating right! Marcy (Luv), you are a little taller than me, but your weight and sizes are very similar to my starting weight/sizes. It's not an overnight thing, but slowly but surely, the weight is coming off, and I don't have the hunger problem I used to have. I don't have the cravings I used to have. I think it is a partnership between my work and the band's work. Good luck to you in your new partnership...I bet you will have great success! You have certainly found what, in my opinion, is THA BEST group on LBT, right here in the Jersey thread! (pssssst....some of us don't live in NJ) Jules, how's the bike butt? The new job? I'm looking forward to seeing you next week! Mary, I see you are reading this thread now, so I will miss your post for now, but good morning, and hope you are having a good day so far! Kat, good luck with all the party plans. You are an authentic angel! Love you girls, and be back later! Cindy

Hey, BJean. The kindness was not so very small. I respect your disagreement. Reasonable people can disagree and should. I voted for Clinton the first time, not the second. I am better off in many ways now than I was then. Whether or not it is tied to who is in the office of President would be difficult to determine. I am not so sure that I'm singing the praises of Clinton diplomacy, though. As with all presidents, there were some victories, and some dismal failures. It is the same for all of us, is it not? One thing I see as a difference between "us" and "them", at least here in this thread, is that "we" seem to understand that there is disagreement, and accept that there is disagreement. OF COURSE we do not all agree. It is the tenor of the discussion, the level of the discourse, where we can aim for better. Laying the blame for all that is wrong at the feet of Pres. Bush is impossible and wrong. Some of it, yes; all of it, no. Remember, some of those senators who are on the record for their votes in Congress, are running for the office next time...you must reserve some of your ire for them, too. It is too simple to say there are not intelligent people in the executive branch. That is not worthy of your argument. They are at least as intelligent as a man who would stuff classified documents down his pants and steal them, wouldn't you say? Disagreeing with the policies is quite different from saying the people making policy are stupid. Anyway, I see the two things as very different.

Big sigh. Again, I ask: Outline the future for us poor conservatives or realists. Show me how it's gonna be. Show me why I don't need to be "paranoid", unlike those here who have the very same "paranoia" against us. Show me why liberals are tolerant and accepting...because, with the exception of BJean, I have not seen it demonstrated. If, oh, 80% or better of the Muslim medressas in the Middle East are turning out tens of thousands of children ready to be suicide bombers...can I apologize for the 20% I inadvertently tainted with my generalization? I am aware that my statements do not apply to 100% of Muslims, but they do apply to enough to make a valid argument that there is an issue out there. I want one of you to explain how just backing out quietly, turning out the light, saying "excuse me" and "sorry" will change this? This was going on BEFORE we went into Iraq this time. I believe this "solution" is extremely simplistic and naieve and has the chance of a snowball in Hades of dealing with the problem of radical Islam and jihadists in the world. If we never interacted with any other country in the world, ever again, this situation would still exist. The difference would be that they would continue to come to our country, and would work harder, because they would certainly have more time and energy to do so, to attack us here. I am also aware of the public opinion polls...I do not base my evaluation of anything on public opinion polls. I know that many other people do. That is certainly their choice. Most people I know do not make such good choices about most things that I would base my own choices on theirs, if you know what I mean. That's no way to run your life, much less a country or a business or anything else. I certainly don't teach my daughter to base her opinions on what the majority think...because these days, the majority think it's okay for pre-teens to wear tight pants with words across the bottom, or make-up. I don't agree with that. Does it show that the MSM has done a fine job in swaying people through sound bites that the world is going to hell in a handbasket and we should be very unhappy? Sure. What if they used their power to encourage people to hang together and accomplish this very difficult job? Wouldn't it be better for all of us, and even for the (most likely) new Democrat president in two years? Also...it's not the UNIFORM that makes the difference (and I did quote from the actual Geneva convention; it is what it is)...it is the FACT that terrorists are not accorded the same rights as bona fide soldiers. There IS a difference. Sorry you do not like that, but there it is. I did not write the Geneva conventions; I did not interpret them; I just quoted it for the purpose of clarity. Back to the task, and one I am looking forward to reading about later. Tell me about the future. How will the world, or our country be a better place for me to live in 4 more years? Bush is gone...someone else is in the Oval Office. Presumably, there are new Cabinet officers, new diplomats, new foreign policy, etc. Tell me about my new tax rates (I'm a retired teacher, my DH still teachers, one child), my security in relation to the world, my personal freedoms/rights (seriously, I haven't noticed these being abridged, but some of you are worried about that), what new laws are on the horizon...lay it all out for me. How are things going to be?

I'm so proud of everyone for all the MOVING going on!!!! I am wearing my pedometer every day, and am really surprised at how many steps I get in every day. I did this several years ago, when I was very heavy, and I barely did 3,000 or so a day...I can tell you I have more than doubled that, and that is on a slow day! It was really eye-opening to see that how much more active I really am, without conciously thinking about it. Cool! Anne, so sorry you are sick! Bronchitis stinks. I used to get that pretty regularly, and it just saps your energy. Hope you are on the mend. Luv2blab, good luck with you upcoming surgery...and welcome to the Jersey thread! Beanie...you have so many great adventures! Hope you are having a good time. Yes, we sell lots of old tools and stuff on Ebay...I am the mail girl. Betty, have fun at work! I know you are happy for the little bit of sunshine we are getting these past few days! Darcy, a new mp3 player? How fun! I have one stuck in my closet that I haven't even used...it was always for "someday" and that day hasn't come yet! Sherry, I have never seen 24, but I KNOW I would LOVE it! I just end up watching the news, because I don't have to sit riveted to it...and I'm always up doing laundry or whatever...I'll just watch all of it on DVD or something this summer. I know DH would love it, too! Today is a slower day...I hope it stays that way! See ya'll later! Eileen....boo! Hugs, Cindy

The fish tank is a good analogy because it demonstrates natural behavior. A point of information: The US President does not rule by decree. The Venezuelan president does, but here in America, we have a Congress, and other than Commander-in-Chief duties, actual laws must be passed by Congress. Sometimes when I read about "Bush laws" I wonder if that detail is forgotten. Why not be angry and hateful toward the senators and congressmen/women? Some of them are even running for President in 2008.

BJean, sorry to interrupt the exchange with Jack, yet I think we are both asking why "your side" thinks that diplomacy WILL work? Example after example, case after case shows that with certain types of "true believers"...certain ideologies...there can be no diplomacy because there actually is NO satisfactory offer that can be accepted by the other side. None. There is nowhere to go from that position. Negotiations, real negotiations and not just a handshake for the cameras, must involve two positions from which both parties can agree to move. The "kitman" situation Jack described earlier has bit us in the behind many times already. It is perfectly okay to say one thing, all the while never meaning to actually do it. We are having trouble with Maliki, even though we support his government, right now with that sort of thing....he must suppress the sectarian violence, and why is he not? Okay, sorry to butt in...thought I might have something to add in the way of clarification.

Thanks for that list, laurend. I hope I did not give the impression that I believe that ALL people who say they are Christian are perfect and sane; obviously that is not the case. Still, the Christian religion does not, as a matter of course, put all their kids in schools that teach them to kill themselves and as many Jews, Muslims, and Catholics as possible, in the name of Jesus. This is what happens in Muslim schools. I just do not see the equivalency of the danger to the United States in the two situations. Some definitions from the Geneva conventions: COMBATANT: ...including members of organized resistance movements as long as they have a well-defined chain of command, are clearly distinguishable from the civilian population, carry their arms openly, and obey the laws of war. (Convention I, Art. 13, Sec. 1 and Sec. 2) NON-COMBATANT: However, other individuals, including civilians, who commit hostile acts and are captured do not have these protections. For example, civilians in an occupied territory are subject to the existing penal laws. (Convention IV, Art. 64) ANOTHER SPECIFICATION: In addition to rights, combatants also have obligations under the Geneva Conventions. In the case of an internal conflict, combatants must show humane treatment to civilians and enemies who have been wounded or who have surrendered. Murder, hostage-taking and extrajudicial executions are all forbidden. (Convention I, Art. 3)