llkb4me

Apples, I am so sorry for your loss. It's amazing the connection we can have with our other "Mom" It doesn't take birth to love someone like that. Take care of your self and I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

Ifso, I think it has something to do with your ADD that gives you the reverse effect from the Vicodin. My son always gets wired on drugs that make everyone else sleep. Give him caffine and it calmed him down.

Laura K

how is it possible to comment on an individual message; for example, if you want to say, "way to go girl!!!" to a person who has just shared a success. should I remember the person's name and add a comment at the bottom of the page? what is the difference between "quick reply" and "advanced reply"? Cheers everyone

If you want to just quote that person click on the quote button on their post

Laura K

Hi all, had my 2nd fill today. He put in 2.75 I only had 2 the 1st time. So we will see how this goes. Hope to feel restriction because I didn't feel any different before. I think the only thing working was determination. I'm on liquids for 2 days then mushies, and soft thru sunday. Darn dr scale was 2 lbs heavier than home, so my ticker is wrong. I'm going to leave it because it will be right after fill. lol

Great, just keep that snow out west, I hate snow. Think Janet must be teched to think it is beautiful. lol We are to have possible thunder storm tomorrow. Dang wanted to go to the football game, I'll wait and see.

Julie, a massage sounds great. Hope you do better this week.

Hi Lori, glad you are joining us. I've only been here since July.

Eva, your tortis (sp) sound cool. It must be a challenge to keep up with them all.

Take care all

Laura K

Apples, I have a chicken dumpling Soup receipe that uses cut up tortilla shells as the noodles. You can use the fat free ones and they taste like home made noodles, they cook up thick. It's a receipe I got from the weight support/loss group I used to go to before my band.

Meridith, Sorry about the house and the man issues. Good news on 1st time buyer credit, I heard they are extending it thru Dec or longer. Hope it all works out for you.

Apples, I get ya on the rainy crappy days. Next week the happy light comes out for the winter time.

Welcome Coconut Latte and good luck to you.

I've been cleaning closets and drawers, giving away clothes to my Mom and taking the rest to resale shops that benefit underground railroad. Figured they could use the $$

Worked in yard again today, got almost 2/3 of leaves out of the yard. Yesterday did the front almost can't tell. Oh well it keeps me busy and active.

Have a great day all.

Laura K

Hi All,

Had a great girls weekend. What a ball to be silly, laughing, dancing and just having a great time. Made the best food choices I could with going out to eat most of the time. I limited my drinks by volunteering to be the DD. Found a new addiction, pumpkin spiced caps. I've never been a coffee drinker but ohhhh I love that flavor. Did some shopping in Petosky at the resale shops found a few things, a great leather black purse.

Laura glad you are back with the boys, your parents are lovely.

Apples I worked outside today to until it started raining again.

Ifso, you are doing so good.

Mrs Bubba, don't worry about what anyone thinks, you need to vent about your pain.

Have a great day all

Laura K

Janet, I'm admin asst/internal bookkeeper for a non profit, we manage/staff assisted living homes for mental health agencies around the state of MI. I work 6 to 4 now going back to 8 to 4. Not much traffic in corp office just phones all day long.

Apples, you look so happy & beautiful in your before pics.

Julie, Thanks for asking about me. I've been reading all posts just not posting much, just a little. I'm doing ok had my blood work done this week and next go to Dr for a fill, it will be my second. I think I'm ready for it. Think I'm going to be one of those that don't lose for awhile then 3 or 4 lbs.

Janet, me and other admin assist have been on 4, 10 hr days for over a year now they decided that we can't do that & have to go back to 5, 8 hr days. I guess it will be ok, I hate going to work in the dark & coming home in the dark now that it is getting dark so early. This is my last four day weekend. We had it set that every other week we had Friday and Monday off. Was kind of sweet I was getting used to getting up at 4:45 now that I can get some sleep with my apenea machine. Sucks that you lose pay and vac days.

It's been raining for the last few days now it's going back to cold and rainy. Guess I'll have to get out my Happy light.

Taking off for the weekend, going up to Indian River which is near the Mackinaw Bridge, girls weekend. We had a blast last time.

Everyone take care, I'll check in when I get back.

Laura K

Goodness....a bunch of Chatty Cathys since I was here yesterday! Love it though!

Eva...you asked the question...how many purses does a person have to have? I took a break and went and counted in my "purse closet". I think the answer is 23. Yep, 23.

The telephone company we have is a coop and provides phone, internet and cable all on one bill. Not sure how it works but the phone line was dug in years ago, then the high-speed for internet and then they dug in the other lines for cable (maybe that last line has an all-in-one purpose..unsure).

I love to read suspense novels, I love Michael Crichton, no romance novels, please. One of my favorite authors is Ann Rule. She was a police detective for many year out in Seattle and writes true crime novels. She has a way of writing that just grabs you from the beginning and keeps your interest piqued throughout the entire book. I try other true crime authors but they just don't have the talent that she does.

As far as clothing sizes go....I KNOW the manufactures size clothes differently than they did and think it all switched in the early to mid nineties. Eva, you asked if we thought maybe they were trying to accomodate all the people in the U.S. that are now larger. That could have something to do with it but I think mainly they are accomodating our egos. Let's see...would I feel better if I was in a size 4 jeans for a size 8? (guess with me it would depend how I filled them out). The different times we visited Australia I did some shopping and feel that their sizes are true to what we used to have. I could go in a shop and KNOW what was going to fit by the size. Now a medium is so many different sizes. I can wear a small, medium and large tops in U.S. sizes. Just depends. It really does suck. Not doing us any favors.

You are mind kind of girl, Eva! Kitchen gadgets? My favorite shopping. We have an outlet mall about 3 hours away from here. When DH and I stop I RUN for the Kitchen Aid outlet. He says he has a hard time keeping up with me anyway due to the diff in leg length. (29" inseam compared to 34"). He always says I speed up about ten miles per hour when I spot that door. Says I get out of the pickup at a dead run. I also get a real thrill of spending a couple of hours in one of our restaurant supply stores. I have one drawer in my kitchen that is just red Kitchen Aid and no one better think of putting anything else in there. I love that drawer.

It seems that I like the same type of clothes as you also. Anything tailored with straight lines and that will stay in style without worrying about it is my kind. Nothing fluffy or lacy. I do like a top or a pair of sandles or shoes to kind of dress it up. Only diff is I love to Iron. I find it to be a stress reliever.

Phyll....darn. I was wishing that by some miracle you would show up in FL. Guess and cruise and seeing family would take the front seat and understanable. I'm sure it won't be our last get-together....unless I get voted out on the first trip!

I read Disclosure the year it came out. I was complaining yesterday that I need new books. Think I will just go down to my bookshelves and reread some of the good ones. Thinking of going on Amazon.com and ordering a few audio books to listen to on the treadmill. Any good suggestions?

Meredith....a crappy day, huh? You'll have to fill us in. DH always says on days like that "Should have stayed in bed. Everything I touched to day turned to sh_t." Some days are like that to begin with and just snowball. Good goin' on getting that battery thing started again. Who's next?

Linda...nothing more beautiful than Alaska but understand the isolation thing. Better now. My youngest moved up to Homer right out of basic training when he was 18. Was in the guards and worked full time. He loved his guards weekends. Spent a lot of time in Valdes (sp?). They did so many interesting things. We spent some time with him in Homer. I really wanted DH to buy farm land in Palmer and move there. We did consider it for quite some time. Went through a realtor and everything.

Julie...hey skinny! Happy to hear you had a good bday. Good going on getting rid of the cake. DH always would come home with this HUGE cake on my bday....just cuz he thinks everyone should have one. Was never a cake eater but always a nice gesture and would make me cry. Most of it went into the freezer. He would find the biggest honking cake he could find. Sweet.

Hey, on the remodel thing. I wouldn't do ceramic tile either. Really wanted it when we remodeled nine years ago. Was talked out of it and am happy I was. Have a friend who has built houses for years and he built one for himself 5 years ago. His DW insisted on the ceramic. Well, in MN with our shifting foundations, it all cracked. They pulled it up and put vinyl. I have tons of vinyl in my house and love it. It goes from the front foyer and on every floor throughout the house except bedrooms. I just have area rugs in living spaces. I did all one pattern and love the look. It just brings all the rooms together. When ppl first see it, they ask if it's ceramic. Nope..not even close. I got the dull finish. Does not show the dirt like glossy.

OK, gotta get back to the books. I'm already working on year-end and believe it or not have a tax appt already set up. I am up-to-date with entries but need to do all the tax prep stuff. I like getting everything done and then can be stress free through the holidays.

You all have a good one!

I just love Ann Rule, I think I have read most of her books. Some probably more than once, forgot I read them. I also love Patricia Cornwell, her books about Dr Scarpetta are good. Not true but good.

Laura K

Great, that is wonderful for you on the pain. Hope therapy goes good today.

Julie, Happy B-day, sorry I missed it.

Oct- dang I would love to have tile in my house.

Have a great day all....

Laura K

Hi guys!

I am getting banded in less than 48 hrs. I am pretty nervous about the surgery and about everything else!

I feel so much hope learning how much each one of you have lost, but still have fears.

I been on the liquid diet, but have had a horrible case of gas, bloating and diarrhea... the nurse said that it was probably some kind of lactose intolerance... go figure.

Tomorrow I'll drink something else to see if the gas goes away.

Surgery is on 10/23/09 at 7:30 am.

Please pray for me

Thanks you!

Liliana

Liliana, Thoughts and prayers are with you. These ladies are great, they will help you with an questions you have. I know they have helped me. You will do great!

Laura K

Went to football game tonight. Dang it was so cold, stayed til 4th Q they were winning so I came home brrrrr. That is when you can tell you have shed your "extra padding". After sitting through 8 yrs of games for son, just can't do it for niece that cheerleads.

Apples you look wonderful and so much younger. You rock.

Laura K

Total zombie from sitting thru so many presentations. Good speaker this morning though. He talked about how resilient people do much better in life. They also live longer. Children with learning disabilities do better if they develop resilience. They need what he calls a "charasmatic" adult in their lives. Someone who believes in them, builds a relationship with them, and works with them to make them acheive success. Inspiring. Kind of what we do for each other on this thread.

The speaker was so right. My son has ADD. He went from low 2nd grade reading level in 4th grade to National Honor Society in High School, now in college, his 3rd year. Had my fights with school system. Even went so far as telling the superintendent that the school was in violation of ADA laws and that they better have an IEP meeting set up by the following day to correct it. MOM power will always win.

Hi Linda, nice to see you here again. It is a lot of posting to keep up with. Aren't you glad you had the opportunity to grow up knowing where the food actually comes from? I wasn't skinny even doing all the gardening and stuff.

My Mom did focus on food and she did NOT have any weight problem, but she grew up in Germany and lived there through WWII and knew what it was to be hungry. Her focus was to cook for the family.

Meredith, glad to hear you are feeling better and took a day off. Sometimes you just have to step back, not only for physical health, but for mental health. How's the house thing going? I really hope you get it. Great job on the size 16....gee, I don't think I've ever fit in a 16. Wonder what that would be like. Where in AZ do your DBF's parent's live?

Apples...so that explains your moniker. I have no hips either, just a gut... a very huge stomach. If I didn't have a roll of fat hanging off my lower stomach I wouldn't be able to keep my pants on. I guess I wasn't listening when they handed out waistlines. How you described your weight loss is how I'm losing mine. Face, butt, arms, leggs and a little around the middle. As much cooking as you do, I don't blame you for buying the best appliances you can. I love my KitchenAide. I just bumped up a little and gave my 25+ year old KA to some newlyweds and kept my MIL's bigger newer better one. She doesn't need it anymore so cool, I have a new one now.

Julie, welcome back!! Glad you had a great trip and all was well with your grandkids. Congrats on the 1X shirts. I'm still a long ways from that. You know it's really hard to eat right when you are travelling. I try but seldom succeed. You are not on a normal schedule, people always want to go out to eat, you don't eat when you should, and there are many temptations. Don't worry about and get back to your normal stuff now.

Lori..sorry to hear your Mom gave you grief over the pill thing. My mom had a strange view of certain people too. She waited on my Dad and any man like a slave. She expected me to do the same. When my DH and I were there and he wanted a cup of coffee, she insisted I get it for him. My comment was "his legs aren't broken". I have a hard time getting over that "women must wait on men" thing.

LauraK...sorry to hear about your Mom. I hope she does well with treatment. It's nice you are there for her. Enjoy your vacation day!!

Phyl, sounds like you are keeping very busy. Have fun with the football players. Walking up and down sure uses different muscles than level walking. I live in a hilly area and I can really tell the difference when I walk around here as opposed to doing the river walk (level) at work. Take care of that knee.

Laura, thanks for letting us know how you are doing. Don't worry about how your posts look. Hugs to you and your parents. Sorry Nelson has to go through this new and unusual experience, but he's young and his Daddy is there with him.

Janet....the threat of a pink slip can be stressful, especially at our age. It's not easy to find work sometimes. Do you get a regular retirement at your job? Good for you and the workout. I think the way you eat is actually good because your body doesn't get used to eating the same things every day. One of the diets I was on didn't allow you to eat the same thing more than 2 days in a row.

I find the conversation about mothers and sisters/family interesting. Many of us seemed to have some type of issue with the family. I didn't know my relationship with my Mom was so negative until the last 3 months of her life. I loved my Mom to my core, but I still don't like her right now. I really hope I work through my issues with her because I don't want to go through it again. I guess this is part of life and part of the lessons we are here to learn.

Well I've been writing this post for hours. I read and write some, then go do more chores. I'm just about ready to jump in the shower since most of my chores are done. I got the wedding card done and it came out alright. The colors are brown, copper, and green. It's interesting and actually pretty cool looking. I make a "box" card for weddings and put money in it. The sides of the box open and the sentiment is stamped on the inside. The lid is decorated with floofy stuff (flowers, bows, that sort of thing). The only problem is transporting the thing on the airplane. Don't want to squish it.

I think I'm about ready for takeoff. It will be the first time we ever left the Dallas/Fort Worth airport through the terminal doors. We've flown in and out of there countless times but never have stopped over. Should be an interesting weekend.

I'll check in when I get back....hope everyone has a great weekend.

Eva

Arlene, glad to hear your stomach is feeling better. As for being stiff....well for me that's an everyday thing. I was born stiff.

Globally....welcome. Sorry to hear about the twisted ankle..it's just the pitts having a working routine then getting injured. Hope you find that mall or a good gym for you. Food journalling reaaaaaallllllly helps me.

Thanks so much, she is doing great. Hopefully this is it for her. She goes to cancer dr next week. They say they got it all chemo and radiation was for follow up. :thumbdown:

Laura, sounds like you are where you need to be. Parents seem to rely on one of there children when there is a crisis. My mom just finished radiation after chemo for breast cancer. She tends to rely on me for a lot, but she is not demanding. Fininshed on friday took off on vac yesterday. Just hang in there we are all here for you.

Laura K

Wish I was wearing sandals also.

Calling for snow here today. My daughter had snow in Houghton MI on Saturday. She sent me a pic of it on the road. I hate snow...........

Laura K

Deanna, This thread really helps me keep on this journey. They will all help you. Janet will tell you to write down everything you eat and keep track. Follow your dr's instructions. After you get a fill it will help you. Today is done, tommorrow you will do better. Go back and read the thread in the beginning. That is what helped me the most. They have talked about almost everything. Keep coming back here and ask questions. Someone will answer you.

Laura K

I was banded on July 20th 2009. My start weight on first appt with clinic I was at 234 lbs in April. I decided to start dieting on that date. On surgery day I was 209lbs. I am now at 177 lbs. I would still do this in a heart beat. My insurance paid for the surgery. I know I could not do this myself and keep it off. In the past I had lost 80lbs but put it all back on plus 3lbs. It is work but what I wanted.

Laura keeping you and your family in my prayers. Good luck with SIL visit.

Janet, it must be something in the air, hate my job right now also. Boss is on a power trip, hope she settles down soon. Most of the time I like my job and the fact that it is 2 miles from home.

I just got a receipe for blk bean pumpkin chilli, I'll try it out first then share if anyone wants it. Very low in calories and sounds yummy.

Phys, sounds like you are going to be busy for a time, you'll need the rest at the RV park.

Take care all.

Laura K

Hi all, I went to a support group meeting tonight. It was to be on sleep issues but they canceled so we all talked. Was a hugh turnout. The dietician passed out stuff on Vit B but we didn't get to it. Why does there always seem to be one person who thinks everyone wants to hear them go on and on. I had my surgery in July and she had hers in Aug. You would think she knows everything. I know I'm not even close to knowing half. You should have seen all the eye rolls around the room. Sorry for the ranting.

Have a great day.

Laura K

Wow Janet you are beautiful, love the dress.

Octo, we are in the 30's & 40's at night now. Gosh I hate the cold weather, but is turning my thoughts to making Soup.

Phyls, that wii sounds cool. I have the regular wii fit and that is fun. I like the tilt board also.

Have a great day everyone.

Laura K

Broccoli cheese Soup

Bring 2 cans FF chicken broth to a boil and add:

2 cups diced carrots

1 medium chopped onion

1 average size can small butter beans

Cook till soft (steam on low heat). Blend the above in blender. Be careful if mixture is still hot.

Steam 4 cups broccoli...drain and add 2 cups FF shredded cheddar and 1 cup FF sour cream, 1 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp minced or powered garlic.

Add two cups diced chicken. Pour blended mixture over broccoli mixture. I heat in microwave as to not break up the broccoli and to not scorch Soup on stove top. Enjoy!

Apples, How many calories in this soup and what amount for the calories? This looks good, I think I'll make it as soon as I finish the chicken enchalada soup I made yesterday. If you would like I have this one and another called chicken dupling soup I can share. I got the receipes from a weight lose/support group I used to go to.

Laura K

Great, You'll do great and up around soon. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Laura K

I haven't figured out a reward system yet but it seems to bring me a big thrill to go down through my smaller size clothing. Getting rid of clothes also makes my room cleaner so that is a reward also. I had a big surprise last week I decided to try on my 14 jeans and they fit. yahoo.... that meant I could take my 16 jeans out the drawer that I just put in and did not wear a single one of them since I was wearing shorts and caprices (sp) all the time. Found out I weighed less than my daughter and my mom. Mom's looking for hand me downs or ups now. Dang it's getting cold. I'm trying to find warmer clothes but not sweatshirts yet, that has been a challenge. Suppossed to get a hard frost or freeze tonight. yuk I hate winter.

Take care all.

Laura K

Have any of you that are not at goal checked out the resell shops? That's what I have been doing. Found a winter coat for $7 in good condition not exactly what I wanted but figured it would do as I'm not planning on wearing it next year. Those shops seem to be cropping up all over the place now.

Laura K