mousecrazy

I know, it's late, but I've been too busy to check in with my pals, and that's just too busy! Pat, congrats and get well soon! I really missed a whole chapter on this one! Mandy, I hope you feel better really fast, and hope Abi is doing well also! Betty, sounds like a fun trip to Mexico is in your future, and for a fun reason! Sorry I didn't know you had a new job...I'll read backward when it's not so late... I am still enjoying the new job. The learning curve is a little steep at the moment, but it's not totally over my head...just keeping me on my toes! Also, DH and I have been in a quandary over a decision about DD's school; specifically where she should go to school next year, and I believe we have made that decision now, and she'll go to a public school instead of the little private school she has been going to. Lots of reasons, but mainly she loves singing/theatre, and the small private school she's in doesn't have a choir/theatre arts program to speak of, and the public school does. So, there you go. She auditioned for Annie, and made the chorus, so she's an orphan! It was her first audition, so we're really proud of her! It's a local production, not Broadway or anything like that...LOL! Still, it takes guts to audition, and she's got more than I ever did, in that respect. Hey, I gotta go to bed, but I was thinking of all of you, and wanted to at least make a small appearance to let you know! Hugs, Cindy

Happy New Year to everyone! How wonderful to find some newcomers here...to those considering lapband, let me add my encouragement! It is the hands-down best decision I've ever made that impacted my health. Although I have not yet reached my "goal weight" I am very happy where I am and can thank my lapband and the willingness to make that step. Mandy, you are so busy! I bet you love that pot rack, too! I have one over my sink, and besides loving the look of it, it frees up a lot of storage space! DD is still out of school, but DH went back yesterday. I'm taking DD to her grampa's and they are going to see Water Horse this morning. Tomorrow my sister is taking her to see Barbie and the 12 Princesses, which is a live performance in Ft. Worth. She has quite the social life! I'm just the chauffeur! Isn't it great when the holidays are over, and we actually look forward to eating healthily!!!! I know that fruit and veggies are looking really good right now, after the sugar fest of the last couple of weeks.... Hope all is well for everyone! Cindy

Hi everyone! Welcome, Eileen 2! I'm actually one of the Texas gals, and have been hanging around this place for a couple of years now. It's a great little place to visit and get and give support. These are some great ladies here! Sounds like everyone still has their heads above water after Christmas; we had a very nice day. The family came here to open presents, then everyone went their own way and we had a relaxing rest of the day sorting out our gifts and putting them to use or where they belonged or what have you. Last night was the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert...it was great! Today we're cleaning out some closets. Lots of fun! Thanks to everyone for the cards...I always love getting them! Hugs to all, Cindy

Pat, great hair, girl! Love it, love it! Sherry, wow! I am so thrilled to see your pretty toes around that great number on the scales! Congratulations! Jetti, I loved the entry you posted on perseverance...it's so true! Success is only following through on a string of little decisions...and winning on more of them than you lose. We too often seek perfection and it trips us up every time! Thanks for posting that! Isn't this time of year just hectic as all get out? I am running around like crazy, and no matter how much I get done, my list keeps getting longer??? How does that happen??? Sheesh. Love ya'll...I am enjoying the cards that are making their way to my home...I'm getting mine ready, just slower than some of you! Hugs, Cindy

Hi to all! I am going to worry about you, Betty! What are you sick with? I hope it is allergies or a cold...and nothing more serious than that. Glad to know you heard from Darcy, and please let her know we think of her and wish her the best, okay? Nothing going on here that is any different than usual...tonight I"m going up to DD's school to help with the faculty Christmas dinner. I'm making a big Caesar salad, and then helping in the kitchen. I've had a cold/sinus infection? for the past week, and it's just getting old. It makes me tired, but this is not the time of year to be tired, ya know? So, pressing onward... See ya gals later...hugs all around! Cindy

Wow, Mandy. I've been following the Stacy Peterson case every day. Sorry it is affecting your life, too. I am so sad for the children. That dad is crazy...you feel it when he gets in front of the cameras. Your schedule sounds like mine! You have a big project! Eileen, be careful with your back. I wish I could see some snow, though. I know you get tired of it. Pat, congrats on your three year bandiversary! Have you had your 2nd opinion yet, on the new surgery? Dianne, glad you popped in, and it's been too long! Although, you make my several-days-absences look really short! LOL! I have not heard from Beannie or Darcy in a long time. I do have their emails, though. I went to my first day of work, and yes, I have a real office! They are setting it up for me. It's nice, with dark cherry furniture, a credenza/hurch, and a wrap around desk. It has a window, with a great view. The wall that goes to the hall has those cool glass bricks in it. The walls are a deep mustard gold. I have some framed art I'll take up next week, and I'll decorate it as I go. Today, a tech guy is coming to my house to connect a fax machine here, so I can work from home when needed. I'm pumped about the whole thing....except this huge manual I am reading! LOL! Betty, this cooler weather might get you in the mood to get ready for Christmas...you're usually baking and cooking like crazy! Well, girlies, I must get some errands done, and there's always the laundry! Hugs, Cindy

Hi pals! Well, Pat...if $$ is no object, I recommend the Cancun Ritz Carlton! You won't run into any college or high school kiddoes, there! I was lucky enough to get to stay there with a travel agent friend who was doing an advance trip for Reba McEntire years ago...or I would never have been able to go there on my own! It is beautiful! I've stayed at a couple of other places, all-inclusive...one was nice, and one was okay. I am sorry I can't remember the names. Start browsing online and see what you think. Hi Anne! It's been so long, but it's great when I see you have checked in! Sorry to hear about your MIL. Hope she gets better fast! Diane and Jessica, both of you are doing great with your new bands, and making good choices, it sounds like! We are starting the decorating process...lights are partially up on the house. We bought a nativity scene this year. We'll work on the tree this weekend, also. With all the activities that are squeezed into the weekends, it looks like we are going to have to start on the decorating around Halloween from now on, just to have time to do it! Jessica, on the orange juice...it may be that juice is high in calories and low in nutritive value??? Or maybe just that it is acidic. I'm not sure. I do drink it from time to time. Anyone else have an idea? Betty, I have not used the mixer yet! I was subbing for the past three days, so no time! Hopefully, this weekend, I'll get to take it for a spin! Kat, good luck making you goal of being done by Sunday! I don't think I will be finished by then. Hopefully, I won't be gone so many days. I start the new job this Monday. I am excited to see what it's really going to be like. Hugs to everyone! Cindy

I promise I wasn't trying to sneak by with skipping my birthday...it's just that at my "older" age, it just doesn't seem like I ought to be shouting it from the rooftops, ya know. Some of ya'll do remember me turning the big 50 a couple of years back, though...isn't that crazy???? Thanks for being here that long, and sticking together through "thick and thin" ~pun definitely intended! I appreciate all the good wishes! You know what I got for my birthday? The Kitchenaid stand mixer I wanted for Christmas! I love my DH! I just barely mention a little wish, and Poof! There it is! I almost feel guilty mentioning anything, because I know he'll get it....wait. Maybe I should rethink that...? LOL! Sherry, you are definitely making me feel super-behind on the Christmas decorating! And if I know Pat, she's got it all done already, too. Mandy, too. It rained for the past couple of days here, so we did nada. We'll have to make up for lost time. We are trying to decide if we should stick with the icicle lights, or ditch them, and go with the new LED lights. It's just the expense of replacing them....what to do? Keep posting all of the great ideas...it inspires us! Hugs, Cindy

Good morning/afternoon to all! Lots of good shoppers here...I went into the mall for a while, but those lines! Ya'll are some brave women! I just walked around a little, looked for some of the doorbusters, and of course, they were sold out (it was 8 AM), and left. You guys are awesome, though...what great deals! Congrats on your upcoming surgery, Pat! I imagine you will have all the holiday decorating done ahead of time? Or, are you just going to blow it off this year? Eileen, your song lyrics are hilarious, and now I will have trouble listening to that song without cracking up! Kat, you are amazing. How did you not shove that can of corn somewhere unpleasant???? You know, I would have had to ask her where the rest of the recipe was! Patty, sorry for all the troubles. Hope things sort out for you, very soon! Betty, it is darn cold here, right? I even saw some sleet out this morning. Good thing it isn't sticking. I have to go back out this evening one more time, to take care of the diabetic dog I'm pet sitting. His owners come home tonight. Sherry, you were a shopping maniac, too! I just get too frustrated with the long lines. I would have done the Radio Shack deal, too. I thought about getting a Tom Tom for my DH, but I have a feeling it would actually be for me, so I'm still thinking what to get him. He mentioned an expresso machine, but I am not sure he knows how much work goes into that process. Any great ideas for DH's? What are ya'll getting yours? We're more into practical things...but he gets me much better things than I ever get him. I think they are good gifts, but then he doesn't use them, so I guess they weren't. I thought he'd use the Food Saver (vacuum pack thingie), but he didn't. He said he wanted a Carhart jacket, but he never wears it. And so on.... I'll keep thinking, but if you have some good ideas, I'd love to hear them! Gotta go...I should do something productive today. Hugs, Cindy

Hey Diane, it won't be as weird as you think it is. I just put on my plate what I think I can eat, which pretty much looks like a 4 year old's plate...with a healthy appetite! I choose the stuff I like the best, and make sure I have room for pumpkin pie. No, it doesn't look like everyone's plates that are piled 5 inches high, and have three rolls on the side. But that IS a good thing, right? However, I still enjoy all the same food, just in the amounts I can handle. You (and everyone else) will get used to it, and if you just don't make a big deal of it and apologize for it and stuff, you'll be amazed at how fast they all just ignore it and you after a while. No one even talks about my band anymore. Really. I just put the cornbread dressing in the oven, so that's done. Tomorrow will be (only) 10 lbs of mashed potatoes (Kat's making me look like a light weight!), and maybe a pumpkin pie. Oh, and the turkey...lol! Hugs to all, Cindy

Hi Kat!!!! So happy to see you are home, with your ice pack and recliner and hubby. I KNOW you are not cooking for Thanksgiving. You're not. Right? Please take as good care of yourself and you would take of us, and I'll rest easy! BIG HUG! Hi, Eileen! WHOOPEE!!! The interview went extremely well. I was hired in about 15 minutes. In fact, I filled out the application after the interview. LOL! I begin on Dec. 3, which will be a few days of training (reading manuals and learning the state compliance laws, etc.) I believe I will even have (gasp) an office. Swear. I do not have to go to it every day...they are (pinch myself) going to send a tech guy to my house to set up a fax machine so the schools can fax most of my work to me here at home, and I can make decisions from here, and email or call them. There are 6 schools in the system, and I will coordinate the testing for all the students in those 6 schools. Because I am a retiree, I am only allowed to work 20 hours a week, and they are very flexible about how those hours are scheduled. I guess I'll learn more about this as I learn the actual job, but I do believe in blessings, and this is one. I can still pick up my DD from school, still arrange my work schedule to take her to basketball games and all that stuff...and the pay is great. I'm very excited! Christmas "want" list: not so exciting, but I want a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer. (really...I told you it wasn't exciting but I want a mixer I don't have to hold the bowl while it works, and that has a dough hook). DD wants a DVD/VHS player for her room. Like last year, the rest of her presents will be tickets to shows and stuff like that...or Webkinz. She's discovered that now...it is kinda fun, I have to admit! I made cranberry sauce/relish today. Tomorrow is cornbread dressing. Wednesday is turkey. Thursday is mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, early that morning. We have to eat early in the afternoon to be done by the Cowboy game. How 'bout them Cowboys?! Finally, a good year for us. Okay, gotta get to bed...I have a pet-sitting job that I have to start at 7AM...this job goes until this coming Saturday, and I have to go over there twice a day, and give the dog food and insulin and several pills...he's a good dog, but high maintenance! Hugs, Cindy

Fantastic news from Kat...thanks GR8, for posting it for us! We will of course feel even better when she is home, but hearing that the growth is benign is very, very good! Eileen, that is a lovely Harvest Tree, and the first one I have ever seen! Very impressive! Congrats to your DD on her karate achievement too! My deposition was a no-go...after I showed up, the two other attorneys talked to my attorney, and (wisely!) decided that they could cancel mine. The at-fault driver was going to state under oath that he was the cause, and if he did that, they didn't need my statement, and would non-suit me, which is what we had been asking for all along, but they had to have his statement under oath. Soooo, it should be all over now, and as soon as we get the official papers that I am no longer involved, I will be very relieved. Guess what else is happening? I have a REAL job interview tomorrow...my BIL works for a charter school, and seems they are looking for a part-time testing coordinator for their district of 6 schools, for which I might be a good candidate. Great pay, flexible hours, etc. I'm going to go talk to the director tomorrow, and I used to work with her when I first started teaching...she taught history in the same school with me. Sounds good. I love my "life of leisure" (hahahaha!) but could also use some $$$ and this could be the perfect solution somewhere in the middle. I'll let ya'll know how it goes. Other than that, just have to get busy in the kitchen! Probably like the rest of you! I forgot who asked about Slimfast...I drink it. I don't know if it is the "best" but if you like it, it's better than ice cream! LOL! Hugs to all, Cindy

Good evening to all! I swear, I don't know how days go by and I don't come check in! It seems like I miss a day, maybe two...but it turns out it's more...sorry, girls! Yes, it's a busy mommy life out here in the podunks! I get to do something interesting tomorrow...it's deposition day! I get to sit through two other people's first, then give mine...all about the car accident from 2 1/2 years ago, where I was rear-ended and shoved into the car in front of me. That woman is suing me and the guy who actually caused the whole mess. My insurance company is footing the bill for my attorney, and it's not costing me anything...except TIME and AGGRAVATION!!!! Sheesh. Anyway, I've never given a deposition, so it'll be a new experience. The best part about it will be that after tomorrow, it'll be over for a while...unless there is a trial. Kat, good luck with your pre-op and staying busy until Friday. I know that will be a big worry off your mind when it is over. Please know that you are in my prayers. You two girls who are newbies...both of you just sound like you are doing so well! It gets better all the time! For whoever is getting the Christmas card address list together, my address is exactly the same, so go for it! I want a copy of the addresses again, so I can send cards! It was so fun last year! Hugs to all, Cindy

Welcome back home, Anne! It's so great to see you here again! Congratulations, Jessica! Welcome to Bandland! It seems rough at first, but it DOES get easier! Sorry Abi is sick, Mandy...is she any better? Haven was sick for about 5 days, but she's okay now...just every now and then, she still gets into some coughing. I subbed one day this week, and the last two days I made mini-muffins for the Grandparent's Tea that is coming up a week from Friday. Tomorrow I'm going to get new tires for my car, and THAT's exciting, right? Yeah. Haven's having a friend spend the night tomorrow. They're going to make their own pizzas, watch a movie or two...the next day we're going to the mall to play lunar mini golf. That should keep them busy enough and having plenty of fun! I guess that's about it for me...hugs to all! Cindy

Happy November...Oh my gosh! It's here already! Thanks for starting the thread, signgirl (Dianne)! No protocol here, no way. Just whoever actually remembers we are in a new month...we never know who that might be! Also, glad to see you are up and feeling better, but DO take it easy. There'll be heck to pay if you overdo it, take it from us veterans. Remember it really is about the healing, and put that first, the weight will come off, really. There's time for that after a while. I'm sure Mandy will agree, we enjoy doing all this kid stuff with our little girls...because not very off in the future, we will have teens, and all this will be behind us, and we'll have different things to do. For me, being an "older" mom...it's just a big kick to have the time to do all this! This morning, I spent some time greeting the kids as they came to school, and opening their car doors for them. It was lots of fun! Nothing new otherwise around here...glad to see all my pals here, and glad things are going well for all. Hugs, Cindy

Happy Halloween! Yes, Betty, I was at DD's school this afternoon, helping with the class party! They had a great time...lots of food, and such cute food too...like cookies shaped like fingers, orange colored chocolate chip cookies...really cute cupcakes, and more. All this talk of candied and caramel apples sounds yummy! Congrats, Diane! I'm so glad you are doing well, and it will get better and better! I do think I need to learn how to say "no" more. I will start practicing. Mandy, I feel your pain at the "flake-out" mom who didn't show up for the craft portion of the party. That happens all the time around here. Definitely an urrgh moment. All the ghosties and princesses and pirates and such are gone now, but it was a beautiful night for trick or treating! Haven was "Nancy Drew"...easy enough! Hugs to all...see you in the November thread...can you believe it?! Hugs, Cindy

Hi! I had a sub job today...3, 4, and 5th grade math. It was fun! My DD's class, too. I have another one lined up for Nov. 6. Glad they finally figured out I am available. Pat, your recipe sounds delicious, and easy! LOL! Tomorrow is the Pumpkin Fest at school...a day of carnival booths and craft fair for me...what fun! I have a booth assignment for 45 minutes, and the rest of the time I will wander around and see where I'm needed. I'm sure I won't get a lot of down time. Sunday, DD plays chimes at both church services, so that is another long day. We just keep ourselves busy...but as long as DD is doing things she enjoys with good people...then, it is time well spent. Looking at the calendar, I see that next week, we'll turn another page, and it will be November. Is that even POSSIBLE????? Luv ya...hugs to all! Cindy

Just when you think another page is going to be without The Mouse...and poof! Here she is! Hi everyone! Yeah for you Kat...glad it was better than it could have been, and as everyone else has already said, attitude is so important. You have the best attitude around here! You remain in my prayers, and you can come here to us girls anytime with anything, you know that. Congrats to our new kids on the block...Wednesday is certainly sneaking up on you, isn't it, signgirl? If pineapple blocks fat, I think I'll just go get some, whether I have anything that needs healing or not! When is your surgery on your eyelids, Pat? Yes, I'm still running around doing crazy stuff for free...but I'm doggin' them for sub work, so maybe I'll get some jobs that way. OH, and DD had bronchitis for the last week. She missed school Monday - Wednesday, too. It's bedtime, but I'd been away too long, and didn't want to find those stinkin' monkeys hanging out in here...LOL! Hugs to all! Cindy

I LUV you're new guy, Mandy. He's totally hot! Of course, you're the real star! Good morning, all. Nice to see you, Eileen! Hope you got a good night's rest, and that today isn't just a day of house cleaning...but Saturday's are like that, huh? DD spent the night with a friend, so it's quiet around here...I'm hoping she isn't doubly sick after going to a football game. About PB's...someone around here will give you the lowdown on that...I've never had one. I get the "golfball" thing...which feels like a big lump. It hurts. That happens if I don't chew, or take too big of a bite. Even though I don't have seriously tight restriction, this happens fairly regularly, which is why I do not get any more fills. I don't want to battle any other problems, like reflux or whatever. I'd rather just battle my own self...right now that battle is a dead-even draw. I'm not losing any weight, and have put on a few. Still, I have my band after more than two years, so I'm considering it an overall win. It's nice to have a few REAL Jersey girls on here, for a change! Happy Saturday, everyone! Cindy

Good morning, girlfriends! Msmarymac, welcome! I hope I spelled that right, but like we were saying...NEVER go back to edit!!!! It is not worth it! Those smilies are just plain evil in that screen, and I have no idea why that happens. I'm from North Texas, way north...pretty close to Oklahoma, actually! I stumbled upon the Jersey group by clicking on a chat thread and jumping in...about two years ago! Nope, I haven't left yet! I was banded July 2005, like Mandy. I'm also a Disney nut like Mandy, but don't get to go down there as much as I would want to. LOVE the gals here, and would have most likely dropped off the site if it were not for these wonderful women on this thread, and that's the truth. I suppose I'm an "old-timer" also, since I am rapidly approaching my 52nd birthday....but maybe that applies to how long we've had our bands...but either way, I might fit in that category! LOL! Hope you can come here to relax, chat, ask questions, and enjoy your time here! My DD is home sick today...her cough developed into something that involved a fever...and she is missing a field trip today, and she isn't one bit happy about that. I can't blame her. She has missed two days of school due to being sick and she's in 5th grade...one was a snow day anyway, and now this one which is a field trip! Bad luck, huh? Her birthday is this Sunday! She'll be 10...the years fly by, don't they, moms? I know we all look back on our kids' birthdays, and I see her little tiny baby self in the picture of me holding her the day she was born, and it does NOT seem like a decade ago. In another decade, she'll be in college (well, that's the plan anyway). Okay, that's freaky. Back to the present tense...LOL! Kat, thanks for keeping us in the know on your tests...I'm still praying for you! Hugs all around, Cindy

Whoopie, Jessica! The sooner the better! You have less time to obsess and stress...and more time on the "band-wagon"! (heeheehee). Congratulations! It's so exciting! Hi gals! I get so caught up in running here and there...then I pop in and catch up...so glad when I see all my friends here! So, I had a job interview today...I'm a professional petsitter! I don't think I will work that much, because I don't want to do overnites...but I do have a job lined up for me for over Thanksgiving. I work for a company called Fetch!...so I'm a contract employee, and can accept or turn down assignments. Ya never know, huh? Anyway, that's my only "new" news. DD is coughing and has a sore throat, but she made it all day, so that's good. My dad picked her up today, and I'm going over there to get her, and then I'll take her to chimes and choir. She didn't want to miss those, so she forced herself to go to school; also, she didn't have a temp, so I couldn't see her staying home. We are supposed to get storms, but so far, we haven't had any here. Hope everyone's feeling better (self-induced, or not!). Hugs, Cindy

Just popping in to see what's going on...looks like everyone's busy doing stuff. No, Eileen, I don't think we're calling you an ape, but that's funny anyway! I've made not one, but two birthday cakes this morning. That was pretty fun. Other than a load of laundry, which is extremely fun as everyone here knows (!), there's not a lot going on....and THAT is nice! Nighty-night...hugs to all, Cindy

Veddy funny, veddy funny...but not the raptor part. :omg: I agree with the analysis, but that's the thing...my personal vote doesn't have to reflect the center...just me. Your analysis, however, will most likely be correct, so neither will gain the nomination, and I will not have the opportunity to vote for either of them. Then it's back to: which candidate, in the general election, is further from being a socialist. But that's just me.

What about Mike Huckabee or Duncan Hunter? I kinda like either of them...?

I have been away TOO LONG! I can't believe my eyes, Kat. I stopped what I was doing and said a prayer for the best outcome for you, and your healing. You have sisters around the country pulling for you, and I hope that brings you some strength or comfort. PLEASE, post when you know something. Diane, it is very nice to meet you. A freind of Pat's is a friend of ours! It will be very nice to walk with you as you begin your banded journey...please remember we have all been where you are now, and, at least in this group, the band has been a genuine life-changer. For me, I have not reached the "goal" that was chosen at the beginning, but where I am now, I am happy with. Truly, it was the start of a "new me" like you said. So, welcome and it's nice to have you join in the fun! Guess what I've been doing....awww, ya'll always guess right! I never do anything else! Volunteer stuff with DD's school...shopping for the Pumpkin Fest...planning Grandparent's Tea...organizing teacher appreciation stuff...it never ends! Then, DD is going to the human sexuality workshop at church this weekend, and that involves a parent orientation tonight, so I'm going to that. Then I take her to the workshop tomorrow night and Saturday...and DH and I go with her on Sunday afternoon...then we are having her family birthday party (she'll be 10! on the 21st) that afternoon. I'm making both my sister's (she'll be 50 on the 18th) and DD's cakes for that. My planner looks like I'm planning some kind of secret military invasion! Crazy. So, I'm having a good time, but time gets away from me, and when I come back in here to check on my pals, I find out Kat is having a real medical issue. So, I'll check back on here late tonight, and see what is up with you girls. Hugs all around, big ones! Cindy