Anwyn

Kellie, you look radiant! Thanks for sharing the pics. :confused:

:pound: Darcy, thank you - I needed a good laugh. I've never met your DH, but I can just picture the look on his face when the cowboys started casting longing glances at each other. And Kat... Reacharound Ridge? ROFLMAO!! Your DH has a good sense of humor I see. Wow - 21 years with a home daycare. You obviously have more patience than I do. It's wonderful that you've built such a good relationship with some of your old kids! No news on the job front. I should have probably clarified - I'm not just looking for adult interaction. I can get that elsewhere if I try hard enough (though not usually on this site - LOL!). The biggest reason I'm looking is because we've decided to try to keep our kids in private school if we can afford to, and it would be much easier to do if I was bringing in a paycheck. So, no huge rush since we were already planning on paying tuition for this year. This job is nearby and I live in the sticks, so it would be a good commute. We'll see... thanks for wishing me luck! No more time for personals, but I hope you're all having a good week! Where the heck is Beanie???

Congratulations Kellie!!!! Can't wait to see the pics!

Hi everyone, It's a rainy, gloomy day here in MI. Just picked up the DD from preschool and we're going to spend the afternoon cleaning up the playroom and putting aside some toys for the Salvation Army now that DS has some new things from his birthday. Pat, I'm sorry that your DS's ex is still pulling this chit. She sounds like a seriously unstable person. Those poor kids - it breaks my heart. Good thing they have Grandma. By the way - I told you guys the wrong screen name for my Pogo account. It's "anmaji", not anwyn. I couldn't get Mousecrazy to pull up, but I was able to add Pat. What's your Pogo screen name Darcy? I don't remember reading it on here... Time to get to work on the basement! Have a good monday everyone.

Congratulations! You look amazing!!

Hi everyone! My gosh Eilene, I can't stop thinking about your family. What an awful lot you are all going through right now. You and your niece will be in my thoughts - please keep us posted. (((HUGS))) Darcy, good luck with the thyroid procedure! My mom has been on thyroid replacement for years with no ill effects, other than the inconvenience I suppose. When do you go in to have the sucker zapped? Kat, I think I'm sore just from reading about all of your exercise. I can't imagine dragging myself to Curves after all of that lifting. Does your family know how lucky they are to have you? Cindy, tell your friend at work that we're all thinking of her this week! Having lapband sure has helped my back pain, and I hope it does the same for her. She's lucky to have a friend to help her through it. Sherry, working until almost 9pm?! Are you sure DH didn't bribe them to lock you out? :biggrin1: Glad that you had so much fun at the fair! Betty, did you ever get a chance to take that nap? How is your foot doing lately? Mary, I hope the scale has started cooperating with you! DS had a great birthday party on Saturday. And the best part was that my house wasn't trashed afterwards (we went to a playplace). After the party my two sisters and I went to my mom's house to go through some of her things and some things from my grandma (who passed away many years ago). Mom and dad are getting ready to sell the family home and so she is giving away some of her things. We had a really great time reminiscing and laughing. And the best part was - all of the kids were with their dads so we got some girl time. I'm sad that they're selling, but it's time. In other news, I applied for a job last week. I'm both frightened and excited at the prospect of going back to work. I've been home with the kids now for 6 years and I love it, but I also miss the adult interaction. I'm not actively looking, but a job came up at the small hospital down the road (where they hardly ever have openings) so I decided to jump on it. It's for a graduate medical education coordinator (scheduling and organizing the residents and medical students, that kind of thing...). Wish me luck! As usual I'm up too late. I promised myself I would work out tomorrow after I drop the kids at school. The scale is finally starting to move downwards! Now I actually weigh what my ticker says I weigh. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Hello ladies, Can't stay long. Having the grandparents over for birthday cake and ice cream tonight and I have to clean this place up. TOM is visiting too and I'm majorly restricted. Maybe the scale will finally start to move again... Our neighborhood association just installed a large lit flagpole at the entrance to the sub, but we don't have a flag in our yard. I'm 100% supportive of our troops and have always considered myself conservative, though I lean far to the right on some issues too. Not sure what that's called... maybe schizophrenic? Off to take a shower and wrap birthday presents! Hope you're all having a great day! Pat - my Pogo name is Anwyn. I'm going to add your screen name to my friends list so that I know when you're online. I mostly play Euchre and Lottso, but I'm up for trying new games. It would be fun to play together sometime!

Hi Jess, It's good to see you back on the board - we missed you! I'm so sorry that you and your hubby are having such a rough time. I'll be sending positive thoughts your way, hoping that the band repositions itself and that DH continues to improve without injections. (((HUGS)))

I'm with Kare... Wow. So glad the Dex is moderating your symptoms. When will they give you an update on removing Petunia, or is that a "wait and see" thing? I haven't been posting much lately, but I'm always sending positive thoughts your way. (((HUGS)))

:deadhorse: Quick! Someone call the ASPCA!!

I have no problem with steak. I actually find it goes down easier than ground beef. I have to sip my water in the morning, but my band opens up during the day and I can drink it quickly.

Diane, you look AMAZING!! Happy Bandiversary!

Good morning everyone! Off to run some birthday errands in the rain. Darcy, thanks for the kitchen compliment! I'll have to look into that software. I tried to resize in iPhoto and couldn't figure it out. Pogo.com is a game site with all sorts of card and puzzle games. You can play a bunch of the games for free and then of course theres a membership you can pay for. I think Cindy and Betty were talking about it one time so I decided to check it out. Now I'm addicted to euchre and lottso. It's a lot of fun, but a major time waster! Have a good day all!

Thanks for resizing the pic Darcy! Pleeeease tell me how to do that. In answer to the redhead question, my mom is a red head and my DH has some red in his beard. Mandi, Callie is 2 1/2 and is just starting preschool 3 mornings a week. Ethan is almost 6 and is starting his 2nd year of kindergarden (one of those Sep birthdays - he wasn't ready for 1st grade). Pat - it's funny that you mentioned the tile. I remember seeing a pic of your bathroom in another thread a looooong time ago and thinking it was the same tile. Guess we just have great taste! Maybe someday I'll post a pic of a clean dining room... probably not though. :eek: Betty, I'm glad I'm not the only one with a messy table! I got embarassed about posting the pic afterwards and almost deleted it. Time to lurk and play some Pogo. Talk to you all tomorrow!

Okay, one more. This is a pic of the kids this morning before their first day of school. Guess I should have posted these on the picture thread...

Another view... That's Callie's head behind the island, and those are her crayon marks on the front of the cupboard, lol.

oops - can someone PM me directions for making pictures smaller when you post them? Dont want my mess even bigger than it is. Just so you don't think I'm a complete slob, here's a pic of my favorite room in the house. We gutted it out last winter and put in new counters, applances, and lighting.

Here's my entry in the messiest room contest. This is the dining room, full of junk from the Labor Day camping trip and everything I cleaned out of the closets. This room always seems to be my dumping ground for junk. I didn't even get a view of all the crud on the floor around the table... :faint:

Hi everyone! I've been a big stress ball today. DD and DS had their first day of school, so I worried all morning. Plus, DH got on a plane to San Francisco. He HAD to fly today?! So it's been a worrying kind of day, but all is good now. The mammogram went great last week. Whatever they saw last time has shrunk a bit (a cyst? nanobots? leprechans? hard to say). Kids had a great day too, so now I'm unwinding. Pat, I'm going to take a pic of my dining room table and you'll never feel bad about your desk again. I couldn't get any work done sitting in your office with that beautiful view. Patty, Happy Belated Birthday!! I'm shy about getting pedicures too, but they are a lot of fun. I walk around barefoot all summer so my tooties are all beat up. Good luck with the WLS attorney - keep us posted on the fight. Kat, I love the new avatar. You're gorgeous! Sorry about the dog scare. My sister's MIL was attacked a year ago (she's a mail lady in Canada) and was seriously injured, so now I'm a lot more leary of strange dogs. Glad you're okay! Mandi, any luck today with the dog search? It's great news that you spotted her nearby. Hopefully she will come home when she's hungry enough. (((HUGS))) Dianne, how is your throat doing today? Glad to hear you're on the mend. Darcy, I'm sorry that you've been feeling down. I noticed a huge difference when my weight climbed back over 225. I don't want to get down on the floor and play and my energy level is way down. I wish we lived close enough to walk together! Did you ever join WW? Betty, mmmmmmm....veggie soup! I've been craving soup lately too. Must be the changing temps. It's been very cool up here for the last few days - I think Fall is officially here. I think that I may have an email from Donna from a long time ago. I will see if I can dig it up! Eilene, did you get everything straightened out with all of the computer viruses? Hope you boss is away tomorrow so that you can come out and play! Beanie, Mary, Cindy, Sherry - what's up? :biggrin1: Tomorrow I'm off to search for the ingredients to make a Patrick cake for my son's birthday on Thursday (Patrick Star from Spongebob Squarepants). I'm not much of a decorator unless you like those little sugar letters stuck to paper that you get at the grocery store, but I'll see what I can do. Have a great evening everyone!

I gained about 5 lbs between my surgery and my first fill. It's just your body adjusting after weeks of an all liquid diet. I know it's hard to see the scale go up, but don't worry. The band wasn't meant to work without a fill. You WILL lose weight - hang in there!!

Thanks everyone for the avatar compliments! Here I am once again, up way too late and I have an early appointment with the boob smushing doctor . Nothing serious - just the 6 month follow up appt from the last mammogram to make sure nothing has changed. Kat, you're not a bad grandma! Who here hasn't complained about a cranky little one before realizing they're sick? It's no surprise that she wanted to come home with you. I hope she's feeling better soon. Pat, good luck with the boob consult. You're going to feel soooooo much better once you get the girls under control! I for one know that I will need a tummy tuck (since I practically kick my stomach when I walk), and I hate the idea of more surgery, but I look at it this way: a few scary minutes and a few weeks of discomfort for something that will make your whole life better. Cindy, I wish I could give you some great advise about keeping a house neat once you're a stay at home mom, but I can never seem to keep up with it myself. If the kitchen is clean and the dinner isn't pizza I feel like mother of the year. :biggrin1: And congrats on the weightloss!! Eilene, I've never heard that about rawhide. Fortunately, I don't usually buy it because my dog prefers pigs ears (and whatever he can dig out of the trash). I'll stay away from it now though! Darcy, I was just thinking today about joining WW. The weight came off a little after this last fill but now it's stabilized. I need something to motivate me to get the next 20 lbs off because I'm really feeling the weight gain in my back. Not good. Sherry, take heart - it's Friday! I hope your next week isn't quite so stressful. The only thing worse than not being able to eat is not being able to eat when the scale isn't moving for you. (((HUGS))) Mandy, any luck finding your pup? I will keep him in my prayers for a safe journey home. Dianne, I really admire your commitment to exercise. What's your secret? Wait? You mean I have to get my butt out of the chair? Hmmmmmm... Betty, Mary, Beanie, Donna, NatesMommy and anyone else that I may have forgotten - What's up? (((HUGS))) I have to head off to bed now. Have a great Friday everyone.

Hello ladies, Just popping on to say hello. Today was a long day. We had DD's preschool orientation (school starts Monday - yay!!) and ran a bunch of errands. I also cleaned the kitchen for what felt like 2 hours. I don't know what it is - my entire house can be falling down around my ears but if the kitchen is clean all is right in the world. Is it just me? It's after midnight so I'm going to head off to bed... hope you're all having a good night! :notagree

Good morning everyone! I see Cindy, Mary and Mandy are on here too. Get to work you guys! Just kidding... :welldoneclap: Mary, we were so sad to hear about the croc hunter. I feel so bad for his family. I'm not sure what I'd do if I knew I only had a day... probably record something short for my kids and then spend the day hanging out with kids and DH at home. Mandy, I think I saw that's woman's story on Oprah. She was dying of cancer and she spent hours and hours taping conversations with her daughters and buying gifts for special occasions. It was a really touching story, and I've always thought that I'd do the same thing if I knew something in advance. Darcy, we have the same plan. I'm going to have 3 days a week with mornings free after both kids are in school, so my goal is to get dressed in my workout clothes, drop the kids off at school and then get a workout before I let myself blow the morning on the computer. Allison, congrats on a successful birthday party! It sounds like the kids had fun. My DS's party is on the 16th but we're going to a huge playplace called the Castaway Cafe so I won't have to have the mess at the house. Time to lurk for a little while and then I'm going to head out with the kids and run errands. Bank, Walmart, etc... They don't start school until next Monday. Have a great day everyone!

Kellie, I can't believe the big day is almost here! Congrats to you and your soon to be DH. (((HUGS)))

Hi everyone! My head is spinning with all the new posts, but I'm going to try personals anyways... Crispy and Mandy, welcome! Chris, that is so cool about your sister's jewelry! What great exposure. Does she sell it online? Mandy, hi! I remember chatting with you late one night about your daughter. How is she doing? Congrats on your weight loss! I'm so glad you found the NJ thread! Cindy, (((Hugs!))) Want me to go kick some cyber butt? No one messes with the NJ chat girls. I don't care if the section is titled "Rants and Raves", it shouldn't be a free for all to be rude. Maybe it should be retitled "Immature and Irritating". Just a thought... :welldoneclap: Patty, I'm sorry that your son is having trouble adjusting to high school. Boy, I wouldn't go through those years again for a billion dollars. Hope he finds it a little easier every day. Does he share any classes with his twin bro? Eilene, I haven't seen the threads with the supposed viruses, but my first thought was that it's probably someone messing with us... perhaps someone who was recently booted from the sight? Hmmmmmmm.... Betty, how has that foot been treating you lately? I wanna come to your house for dinner. Smoked ribs sound yummy, though my band has never appreciated them even without a fill. Darcy, I'm not sure why the USA threads say they are locked... I got in tonight with no problem. Sure are lots of weird things happening around here lately. Sherry, thanks for the email address! I need to gather everyone's info together and send it out. Incidentally, if you want to be included on the Christmas card list PM me your home address. (For those of you new to the NJ Chat we are gathering addresses so that we can exchange cards this year). No pressure to participate - I'll share a list of home addresses only to people who participate in this chat regularly and only with your permission. Mary, Kat, Pat, Beanie, Dianne, (((HUGS)))! Sorry for no personals but I have to get to bed. It's going on 2:15am - yikes! :notagree