I'm here to help...

[ocotillo 0]

Wait a minute...Eva, you have LIVE tortoises living in a bin? Wha?

Yep, I have a whole bunch of tortoises. I started out with 2 in 2004 (male & female) then in 2006 they had two hatchlings, then in 2007, we had 5 hatchlings, and in 2008 we had 12 hatchlings (two died), so now I have 2 adults and 1 yearling (these are outside in their respective burrows) and 10 hatchlings in a bin in the house. I'll try and posts photos. I will give the babies away to responsible homes or the Sonoran Desert Museum has an adoption program. I have seperated the adults so hopefully we won't have such an explosion again.

Meredith...so glad to see you again. I think many of us are in the same boat. I gained 2 pounds too and haven't lost any for months, but I'm going back on the wagon again too. Your pictures are great. You are coming to Florida aren't you?

Janet, I didn't something wild and crazy (at least for me). I bought a AeroPilates Deluxe Anniversary Performer with Rebounder from QVC. It shipped so might be here next week. I'm not going to join a gym and need some other exercises besides walking. I've never bought anything from the TV so it will be interesting.

bbl...taking down the tree

ee

[ocotillo 0]

Let me see if I can get some photos here. These should be all the creatures....tortoises, Mom, yearling, and hatchling from 2008, the hatchlings from 2009, my cat in her holiday finery, the gold fish, and my old dog....this was a picture from last year.

[LittleOleMeinFL 1]

You, too, Laura....Thanks for sharing pictures girls..... Laura, this North Dakota girl needs instructions on what kind of clothes to bring to FL.... I've never been there....

Hey Julie~

No problem, I am here to help!

There are actually web pages on this stuff!!! One said:

February: Can still be cold, but temperatures are moderating somewhat. Still in the dry season, you probably won't see rain but will probably have some cloudy days here and there.

• In North Florida you still want to have some sweaters/sweatshirts, but you'll probably have a few days of more moderate temperatures, so do pack some cotton shirts and lightweight pants, too. Even if the days are nice, the nights can get chilly.Central Florida are cool to moderate in temperature. You'll need at least 1 sweater or medium jacket, but otherwise pack an assortment of long and short sleeved shirts. Once again, at least 1 pair of medium-weight pants and the rest lighter weight. I'd say that the average is in upper 60's to about 70 for the day, 50's at night. It is still winter though, so do include a nice warm sweater/sweatshirt/jacket because we do sometimes get days in the 50's, nights in the 40's.
  

Another: "Capri's, shorts, short sleeve shirts (mix of tee's, tanks and dressy), at least one long sleeve shirt. khaki's, light sweater, light jacket, bathing suit, cover-up, sun screen, beach towel, PJ's, undies, socks, toiletries, camera, comfy walking shoes and sandals.

It's kinda cool for swimming right now but, if your hotel has a pool you will want to swim or hang-out by the pool. This time of the year it is rainy and a bit windy one minute and then nice the next."

"Feb weather is a box of chocolates.

Could be 40, could be 80 so layer a lot.

Layer because it could be 40 in the morning and ht 70 during the day.

Not much rain though. "

This page made me laugh b/c it's a post about coming for President's Day weekend:

mostly lists: What to pack when you are going to Florida to play tennis for a long weekend

It said to bring your tennis skirts and fake tattoos! LOL. I will make sure and bring some of Nelson's John Deere and Pirate tatoos for everyone! : )

History : Weather Underground

I hope this helps............ or completely confuses you! As it gets closer I can let you guys know what it is going to look like weather wise.

peasout~~~ Laura

[FemmeOne 0]

Eva, that is SO cool that you have tortoises! And I loved those pics...you have a bunch of critters! I've often wondered what life "in the desert" would be like. I've only been to California once, to San Diego for a work conference. I wish I'd had more time to travel around while I was there. And just last fall I got to go to Arizona, my first time in the SW...it was great. I've always loved to travel and see new places, and I've done a little, but I haven't had many opportunities lately. (I keep thinking about Florida with you guys, and I just may have to splurge!)

Did some cleaning today, got on the elliptical, made another pair of pants that fit (yay!) and spent a whole bunch of time reading earlier parts of this thread. It's nice to find out more about you guys!

Now there are chicken thighs baking in the oven for dinner and I am HUNGRY. I definitely need a fill, so I'm going to call the dr's office on Monday. I've been being pretty good about tracking my calories on My Plate, and I've been staying between 950 and 1100. Do you all think that's OK as far as weight loss is concerned? I seem to keep losing.

[LittleOleMeinFL 1]

Good evening~~~

50 degrees here. brrrrrr. I can see Apples and Julie shaking their heads and laughing right now. :smile2:

OK... I need advice from all your experienced mothers. Nelson started picking his nails about 3-4 weeks ago. A couple times caught him biting them, but mainly picking at them. On Sunday nights (usually before the school week) we have our ritual of trimming them with clippers. So, there was nothing unusual about the length. So the first couple times I noticed it we talked about it and why we shouldn't, etc. (and that if they bother him from being long or sharp that I will trim them- and even carry clippers with me). Gave him several warnings that if it continued the consequences would be giving one of his hotwheels to a poor kid. (I don't threaten to "throw" anything away in the garbage). So 2 weeks ago the first vehicle got placed in the "poor kid" bag. DH thought I had pulled off his testicle when he heard the crying from across the house. It definitely was upsetting to him and is "currency". Tonight during bath I noticed his nails gone. He admitted biting them. We talked about it- explained why & Again we put a vehicle in the bag and again he was very upset. I never raised my voice, I was very loving and hugged & kissed him afterward. DH thinks this is NOT the way to handle this. More than one way to skin a cat. I have used this method for other bad habits and it has worked. Dr. Phil always says to find their currency. Just curious how others would recommend handling this.

Posting some pics of my fur babies. Nels' face is red from crying in these pics.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

peasout~~~ Laura

[Apples2 19]

I know this is late but wanted to post some Christmas photos that I was going to do last week but card reader would not cooperate. Soooooooooooo, now you have to look at outdated, old lady Christmas photos:scared2:

[Charlene K 1]

Apples,.........love,love,love your Santa collection and tree!

[Apples2 19]

I forgot already what photos I attached but was hoping to post all three trees. The loaded one is in living room, little one in Kitchen and other in basement familyroom...

[Apples2 19]

Evening Ladies...our last Christmas celebration was wonderful. Everyone got here about 11:30am and left about 1/2 hour ago. Was a lovely day. The kids were so good and had fun at "Auntie's" house. They had more fun on my treadmill than they did with their toys. That and dancing with my big Santa.

Deb?????? Did I hear that you are playing with the idea of FL???????? How about it???? Might be just what you need.

Hey Julie...sounds like you brought the New Year in with family and friends. I LOVE potato pancakes. Our Friday night meal with halibut when we were growing up (Catholic...no meat Fridays).

Meredith...forgot to mention your photos. You are quite the beauty. Hope you had a great time.

Eva...Nice big pup and beautiful cat..Laura also. I cannot have a cat in the house but I love them. Great pics.

Supposed to go to a machine shed party tonight. Am hoping DH just heads out for a couple of hours by himself. -30...I just can't go out and just to stand around and watch guys drink beer and talk about farming. I think a bag of popcorn to share with my puppa sounds a little more comfy.

Hope you all had a great day and enjoy tomorrow.

[Apples2 19]

Apples,.........love,love,love your Santa collection and tree!

The photos only show about 1/4 of the collection...didn't want to bore you guys.

Arlene...you asked about the size of pan for potatoes. You have me stumped. I think if you did 2.5 lbs you could use a cake pan. I use a roasting pan for the 5lbs.

[Apples2 19]

Laura...I don't know if I would have one good answer on the nail biting issue with Nelson. I can only tell you what I would have done. I would have maybe turned it the other way and rewarded if each week the nails had not been bitten. Nothing big but something like a trip to DQ or going in to buy a matchbox car. Every child is different on how they react and each parent has their own technique. That's the approach that I think would have worked at our house and my DS's.

[Great2BThin 5]

Just wishing guys. Actually Chicago in June is generally fairly pleasant. Often cooler or nice breeze by lakefront, especially at night. 70's to 80's in June, 80's-90's in July. awful in August.

But Chicago is great all year round.

Must've been August when I was there. Actually think it was late July. We walked around some lake front area and rode a ferris wheel I remember at night and it was still hot and muggy, but I had a good time.

Hey girlfriends! I'm here!

So sorry that I haven't ck'd in since just after my visit to NYC and then again on Christmas. I just feel terrible about it, but this time of year is always so bonkers!

Anyhow, Happy New Year everyone! I am glad that it is a new year becuase I really have gotten so down on myself after all of this crap food that I have eaten. Honestly, I have been so depressed about my eating and weight and kinda have gotten into a funk about it. It feels like how I used to feel, and I want this feeling to go away. I need exercise so badly! My mom got me the biggest loser exercise dvd and Andrew and I are going to do it tomorrow when I get home from work. Sheesh! I feel like a fat old slug! Just the way I used to feel before I got banded! I hate this feeling and am totally done with it. No more junk in the house. Period.

Sorry, I needed to vent! I'm signing up for a class on Tuesday nights called "Butts and Guts" through the community program here and it's $25 for 6 weeks. Along with this class, I will begin my step aerobics again on the 11th 2x a week for 13 weeks at school. Thank God the holidays are over! I need to get in my groove again. The good thing is that I only put on about 2 pounds so, I am still at a 70 pound weight loss. I was up to -72, but I can handle just two pounds. I go to the LB dr on tues and I'm nervous that he is going to yell at me! I think that one of the main reasons why i didn't do so well this holiday season with my eating is because i haven't been drinking my boost high Protein for Breakfast.

Ok, ok! I'm done with the rant!!! You all get the point I'm sure! I've missed you all very much and I have really realized just how much I have missed all of you while I have been absent from LBT!:smile2: I love you all very much and need each and every one of you to help me along this journey. I'm back!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't gotten a chance to read very many of your posts, but I will work on that this week.

Love you all!!!!!!!

Happy new year!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Meredith

will share some pics tomorrow! I love all of your pics everyone! Great!

Glad you came back Meredith! Missed ya! How's the house buying going? I hear those tax credits expire in April, will you be able to close on a short sale by then? Sorry you feel you had a set back, but you did great, in holidays past, would you have gained a lot more than 2 lbs? I get what you are saying about the mindset though. I do the same thing, I think it's the all or nothing mindset I tend to have.

I have to say I have a totally different attitude about the 2 lbs I gained. I put them on and took them off several times throughout the 2 weeks I've been home plus I kept going up and down 3 or 4 lbs the two weeks before, because I had work parties and all kinds of extra food at work. I kept in mind that holiday foods have a lot of extra salt, so some was Water weight. I also kept in mind I had 2 bad colds this December and couldn't exercise while they were bad.

On the days I knew I had a party or other event where I knew I was going to eat, I didn't eat much else. The next day I went back on my food protocol and ate a little less than normal.

So this morning I'm down to 171 and only 4 lbs from goal. I actually lost 5 or 6 lbs in December.

It was a concious decision on my part to enjoy fun food over this month and not to feel guilty or beat myself up over it.

I've really been working on the whole change your thoughts, change your brain, change your life thing. Guilt over eating too much is an old rut in my brain that leads to more over-eating. So I worked on rewiring my brain in that area.

I refuse to spoil a great holiday season and its memories by making it all about the food I ate. I had a good time, despite being sick, and I got a lot done despite being sick. I emptied closets and drawers of clothes that don't fit because of my weight loss. Hallelujah!

Well, I gotta go exercise because my grandsons are coming over and are staying overnight. This is such a fun way to end my holidays.

The band is good, life is good, God is good.

Great words Cheri! I tried to have the same attitude about the holiday sesaon More about the memories and not about the food and all this in spite of the fact I was in knee pain from surgery, I still say it's one of my best Christmases ever.

Apples, what size pan do you use for your mash potatoes?

Lori, you are doing too much.....take care of yourself so you don't have to repeat that knee. My DH has already had a revision on one of his knees and it is just as bad as a complete replacement.

Well, I started that new medication for Fibromyalgia yesterday and I already feel better. I hurt just a little this morning, but my IBS is better. I hope I can take this stuff. I am very sensitive to most medications.

Okay, gang, have a great new day! I is 45degrees here right now so I am going out for a walk. Later!

Do you really think I am overdoing it? I feel like since Christmas I've tried to take it pretty easy. Today was the funeral and that was rough, but I took my crutches and sat a lot. Came home before the dinner to take more pain pills and a nap then went to the dinner tonight. I did go to Walmart yesterday but drove an electric wheelchair. That was dangerous, didn't know what I was doing! LOL Seems like I've had some place to go every day but am trying to ration my trips out. Tomorrow have to meet with the florist for DD's wedding, am sure he's going to need $$ now. LOL But I will learn to be more careful, sure don't want a revision or anything to happen. What made your DH need a revision, was it this soon after surgery?? Hope your new medication works for you! I am usually pretty sensitive to meds too.

Apples, love your decorations, I have a Santa collection too, mostly ones DH has carved me however. Also have a village, I do the new England Dept 56 village. I thought the other day I had about 10 tubs of Christmas stuff whenI posted butg after taking it down tomorrow I think it's muchcloser to 20.

Laura, is there something that is bothering Nelson more right now and he is biting his nails out of frustration or nerves?

Eva, enjoyed the photos! And enjoy your rebounder! That sounds neat! I used to work for QVC when I lived back east.

Deb, that is about the number of calories I ate.

Well gotta take some more vicodin and turn in for the evening.

[Charlene K 1]

Great, He was just walking and fell on unlevel ground. The top part of the knee got loose. I think it was maybe four years after it was replaced.

Well, I guess I spoke too soon on the medicine. I have been up all night with aches, but it is not as bad as before. The weather is changing today.

Apples, -11 degrees this morning in your neck of the woods....BRRRRRRRR! We are at 47 today, but will be 24 by Friday......not looking forward to this week's weather.

[freespirit63 112]

wow, wow, wow i found this thread through search for lunch ideas and I cannot belive how you ladies took of on it since last year (2 now lol). Maybe I can use this group for some help. I would like to tell my story and get some wisdom from you ladies? Is that alright or should I do this in a seperate thread? I don't come here often so i have not kept up.

[llkb4me 1]

Ladies, Wonderful pics of all of you and your babies. I love seeing them. CBL

Laura K