melmar02

Thanks Jan and Donna. They didn't quite get finished yesterday. I really have my fingers crossed that I can do some water aerobics by the second week of June. 🧜‍♀️

Donna, I think I'm going to start the Piyo classes. I have a Beach Body account, but I'm not consistent with using any particular program. It's like I have exercise ADD and can't seem do one series of workouts over and over. I get bored too easily.

Yesterday was my free day for food (DD wanted cinnamon rolls for breakfast), but I was down a little on the scale this morning. I'll take it! I'm trying to have a really good week before my eating schedule gets all messed up again when I go back on antibiotics on Thursday. 

Jan, sorry about the gain. I'm glad you had a nice visit though.

Susan, nice loss! My son didn't sleep through the night until he was 3 and a half years old. It's like he stopped taking naps during the day and just took two long naps at night. 

We are finally getting our deck. Here are a couple pictures from last night. They are working on it again today, and it may be finished this afternoon. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel on this project! 

Hi Donna. Welcome! Some post daily, some weekly, one or two just every now and then. Sorry for the gain, but with about 4 months before your cruise, you only need to lose about a pound a week. That's doable! Are you following a particular plan?

I'm down .8 this week. I'm still trying to get back down to where I was at the end of March when I was on antibiotics. Just 2 more pounds, and I'll be there, but I have another small in office procedure next week and will be back on them again for 10 days this time. Between that and the IV, I'm sure I'll be up for a few weeks after. 😞

Izena, Jazzper sounds so well behaved. My two are little terrors who think they own the neighborhood. I'm ready to have my fence back so I can just let them out in the back yard. They both need etiquette classes. Glad you lost again this week.

Jo, nice loss this week.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. It started raining Saturday night and will continue off and on for 9 days straight. I don't expect any work to get done this week. The sun's out this afternoon, so the kids and I took advantage and got out for some exercise. With so much rain in the area, it was terribly humid.

Susan, I'm glad the estate sale was a success!

Ombud, do they still give free sample squares at Ghirardelli? DH and I went to Napa and SF for our honeymoon. We want to go back for an anniversary, probably won't be this year though. Sorry about the cancelled cruise.

Belle, enjoy your upcoming trip!

Izena, glad you have had access to a car while yours has been out. Congrats on finding one the right color for Jazzper. I loved visiting old town Spring when I lived there. I tried to explain Wunsche Bros. squash casserole to my kids the other day, and they were so confused by the idea of it. 😆  We sail Royal Caribbean, but DH and I would like to go Celebrity without the kids.

Susan, nice loss! Good luck with today's sale!

Izena, thanks. We wound up not going to the zoo today. They were supposed to be here to work on laying the deck pavers today, so we decided not to go. Of course it's almost noon now and no one is working. 🙄

I walked this morning (have been good about it all week), and then I just couldn't stand our backyard anymore. We can't get the lawnmower back there with all the construction, so I used the weed eater on the whole thing. The weeds and grass were taking over, and I'm worried the dogs or I will find a copperhead back there. Went through two batteries - I want a gold star! 

Belle, sorry for the cancellations.

Izena, congrats!

Jo, sorry for the gain.

Ombud, your kitchen is going to look great when it's all done!

Susan, Congrats on the grandbaby!

Don, I haven't said welcome yet. Welcome!

I'm down 1.1 this week. I have about 3 pounds left to get back to my recent low. This morning I checked my progress against my goal for this year, and I'm still on track.  

It has been raining all week - not a great start to summer vacation for the kids. Today the sun's out though, and someone is actually here working on the pool! I'm going to take the kids bowling this afternoon - I would think it shouldn't be crowded on a Thursday afternoon. Then tomorrow we'll hit the zoo.

Hi all. I needed a little computer break. I was down 1.1 on Thursday. 

I'll be reading through all the posts and catching up today and tomorrow. No orders this week, so I have no excuse not to exercise other than needing to catch up on some housework. If I move fast enough, that still counts though right?😉 

Jan, nice you were able to get back to the gym.

Ombud, I'm sure you will love how it all looks when you are done! We got new kitchen cabinets in our old house and didn't want to replace the cabinets in the bathrooms when we were ready to sell. We painted them white, and it made a world of difference.

Izena, Nice that you are so close to the arboretum. I'm really bad about adding projects to our list. There's always something else to do! Sorry about the timer. 

I took the kids to the craft store today to get supplies to make cards for my MIL. $60 later we had everything they wanted. 🤑 We got a few stamps, and I'm always surprised at how expensive they can be. It's the first time the kids have been inside a store in 14 months. DD asked if we could celebrate on the way home by picking up shakes. 😆 I politely declined her request.

Izena, thanks for starting the thread this week. Great loss!

Ombud, we're going to have to compromise on the design on the pool wall - it follows the curve of the gunite. We looked at "twisting" the columns a little above the water line, but we decided that just makes it worse. They are going to fix the firepit though.

Jan, Great being down this week! We do keto-ish. It's probably more of a low carb - we don't count macros or anything, but I get into ketosis by intermittent fasting. My doctor said my labs showed I was in ketosis at my last appointment. 

Susan, Nice loss! Enjoy the play!

Jo, Way to go! 

I had a wedding on Friday this week, so my schedule was all out of whack. DH had to go into the office both yesterday and today. They are working on a couple of projects for the next 6 weeks that require quite a bit of overtime. He puts all his OT pay toward family vacations so it will help to pay down next year's Alaska cruise. Since he had to work, I decided I would mow the lawn for him yesterday morning, and I couldn't use my arms for the rest of the day! We live on a corner lot, so there is a ton of edging that comes along with that. I was down .2 on Thursday, but we had takeout Wednesday night. I'm down more than that now, but I'll just add it to next week's numbers.

Izena, Yay for getting all the bushes planted. I'm sure your plan will work and will let enough water through.

We're down to single digit days of school left for the year. I'm planning on taking the kids to the zoo, a nature preserve, and fossil hunting our fist week off. There is a town about 30 minutes north of us that has a creek that is known for being able to find them. Hopefully it won't rain and won't be too hot yet. That's one of the reasons I shift our school year. It's too hot to do anything outside in August. 

Our project manager texted us, and the stone guys are supposed to be back out today or tomorrow to fix the shape of the firepit and complete the back wall of the pool. They're not here yet, so I'm assuming it will be tomorrow. He also said decking should happen next week, but he said that a couple weeks ago too.😒

Unless a water activity is involved, I don't really like the heat / humidity, so I'm not much of a gardener. I have to get out early in the morning to take care of yard work. I did get a couple strawberry plants into a container. I want it in the backyard, but not until they are done with the construction, or the deck at least. A couple weeks ago we put weed block down in the flower bed around a tree and one other  flower bed, and we replaced a few shrubs that the freeze killed. I want to finish the other flower bed, but the pool guys still have it torn up. I want to add annuals to all the flower beds too, but I would like to do it all at the same time. We're going to get a couple of inches of rain between tomorrow and Thursday, so there won't be any yard work going on before this weekend anyway.

I hope Belle is having a good trip!

Susan, that sounds like some garden! My husband wishes we had more land so we could have a big garden, but fortunately he realizes we wouldn't really spend the time to take care of it. Glad you had a good visit!

Izena, isn't it funny what dogs will kick around? Mine like to occasionally rip out a chunk of grass and throw it in the air - they'll play with that same bit for days. Fortunately our bermuda is fast growing, or I would have a ton of bald spots in the yard.

Jan, I can't believe you're still getting snow! It's in the mid 80's here today.

Ombud, I'm not a runner either. Even in elementary school, I can remember hating days they would send us outside to run in PE.

Jan, it sounds like you had a wonderful vacation!

Izena, sorry your son may not be visiting. Isn't it funny how all the home gym equipment tends to collect dust. I know our weights / yoga mats / exercise balls are.

Belle, I hope you are feeling better. No one likes to feel icky when they're traveling.

Ombud, sorry about the damage you are dealing with. When I start stress eating, it's hard to stop.

Mystery location wedding cakes delivered this afternoon. We had storms off and on all day yesterday, and the wedding is being held at a ranch owned by the bride's aunt. I just knew I would be setting up the cakes in the middle of a soggy field... and I was right. The good news is my new Pilot is pretty good at mudding, but it really needs a bath now. 

Merlin, our dog that had the itching problem a few weeks ago, is back in the cone of shame. He's got a few more hot spots. Ordered some more meds for him, so hopefully we'll have them in a few days.

I'm up 3.3 lbs this week which was expected. It will go back down as soon as I stop eating junk. 😆

I had a "whoops" moment this afternoon. All my cakes are baked for this weekend's wedding, and I was making the icing. I felt compelled to take just one more look at the order and realized I baked the wrong flavor groom's cake. I work a day ahead, so all I have to do is deliver on the day of the wedding just in case there is an issue. That way I have a built in cushion in case there is an issue and I have to re-do something, so it's not a big deal. However, I haven't made a mistake on a cake in years, so my pride is hurt a little that I made a boo-boo. The last mistake I made was when I still had a corporate job and the kids were little, so I couldn't really work in the kitchen until they were put to bed for the night, and at 3am, I left the "h" out of birthday. Fortunately it was for someone DH works with who ordered it for their adult daughter. They thought it was funny and now they joke about it every year - Happy Birt-day! 🤪 DH will take the mistake cake to work on Monday morning.   

I have not been good at all this week. I'm expecting a big gain - lots of carbs and salt which brings water weight along with it for me.

I read an article from the NY Times this morning about how people are in a state between depression and flourishing called languishing. They attribute it to the meh or blah feeling so many people have right now. It was interesting, but the article didn't really give any tips about how to get out of the rut and motivated again.

No work on the pool so far this week, and it's going to rain on Friday. The project manager told us the subcontractor isn't paid until they finish their portion of the job, and the same sub is doing all the stone - wall, firepit, kitchen, and deck. You would think they would want to get it completed. I'm sure they're working on someone else's project, but why drag out getting paid on the one that's already started?

Jo - it's nice they've eased up on restrictions a little. Hopefully this will all be behind us soon.

Izena - 5 months is a long time for your closet. I'm sure it looks great! I need to order a swim suit too. I usually order from Land's End because they last for years, but I don't like any of their prints this year.

Belle - I hope you're feeling better. I went through a round of 'blah' a couple weeks ago - about the time the car died, we traveled, the pool issues. It seemed to all happen at once. 

We have 3 weeks left of school and have started finishing up some subjects. Today was the kids last day of vocabulary, DD's last day of writing is Wednesday, they both finish up spelling on Friday. I'm so  ready!

This weekend I only have one wedding... but I don't know where it is! I know the town, but it's at a ranch that belongs to one of the bride's relatives. When she booked with me, the bride was going to get me the address later. Well, it can't get much later than this! I'm waiting on a call back from the groom now; I'm sure I'll know where I'm going soon. 

Jan, here's the top down rendering of the pool - the project started with just the idea of extending  our patio and installing a firepit. It grew to the pool, spa, and outdoor kitchen in addition to the firepit.

And here's where we are now. The firepit needs to be fixed - it should be a circle instead of a "U", and there is a center water feature on the back wall that has been on back order. Both of those and the deck "should" happen next week. Then the kitchen appliances can be installed. We're still a few weeks away from being finished though - the project manager said the plaster company is running a couple weeks behind because of all the rain we've had recently, and they can't actually schedule the crews until we need them. I am hoping there we have water in the pool by May 7 which is our last day of school, but I think it may be another week or so after that.

Izena, sorry about the ceiling. Nice you could invite yourself on your son's cruise.

Belle, 2 weeks in a row! The little losses make the lasting difference I think - I always gain back when I lose a lot at once.

Jo, a .4 loss is in the right direction! Sorry about the lockdown. I don't like confrontation, so I'm not sure I would venture out. 

I'm in the middle of a busy work weekend, but I see the light of Monday! I dropped off a set of samples and a rehearsal dinner dessert table last night. I have a wedding today and another set of samples to drop off tomorrow. My kitchen is a mess, and I'm putting off cleaning it right now. I love making all the little dessert table items, but they are so time consuming! I almost didn't take the rehearsal dinner on, but it was at the country club DH and I got married at. I knew they had remodeled, and I think I really just wanted to see the changes. I think it was prettier before the remodel. 

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Thanks for the poem Belle. We couldn't say no last night... had a cheese plate and glass of wine after dinner; then I threw some cookie dough in the oven. We always have some in the freezer, and it doesn't really tempt me. I just put leftover scoops from orders in the freezer for when the kids want some. Last night we both just wanted something. 

Izena - I'm glad you've broken through the plateau. I've been on mine for a few weeks now. Let us know what you think of the garage keypad - it's been on our list for some time, but we just never seem to get to it. Maybe hearing how much you love it will motivate me to get it done.

Susan - nice loss! I had a pool growing up, so I'm excited for the kids (and for me too!) I'll post a picture or two when it's done.

I'm up .4 this week. I was down quite a bit yesterday, but those darn snacks last night got me!

Jan, sorry Molly is having problems with the lens. Hope it's all good news on Friday! 

Belle, what a mess! I'm sure they added a lot of internal codes for all the different types of cancelations too which probably makes it even more confusing for them as well. 

Last night a truck with a bunch of stone forbthe kitchen was dropped off. DH and I took down our little fence for the dogs and marked where we wanted them to place the grill and fridge. A crew showed up around 8, asked a few questions, and started building the cinder block frame. They're cutting the stone for the outside facade now. They said the kitchen would be completed in about a day and a half. Then the deck is installed before the appliances are set into place. It will look a lot different this afternoon! 

It was beautiful here yesterday - low 80s and sunny. Took the kids on a bike ride, and I'm sore today. It's going to be a lot cooler and rainy the rest of the week. 

We have 4 weeks of school left before we break for summer. I think I'm more ready than the kids are!

Izena, we had terrible hairline cracks in the ceilings at our old house. All where the cheap seam tape they used separated. You could see all the outlines of the sheetrock in a couple rooms.

Belle, yes, 5 weddings this month plus a rehearsal dinner this Friday too. I almost told them no, but it's the venue my husband and I got married at 15 years ago. 

The Project Manager came over Sunday morning. He's not happy with the subcontractor that's doing the stone. They keep telling PM they'll be back out "any day now" to fix the firepit, finish the wall, and build the kitchen. The PM wants to get started on the deck, but he can't get that going until the kitchen is built. He's not sure there's anything they can do about the column though. It's not just the column above the water, but the curve of the gunite that it's built on. I looked at a lot of photos this weekend, and once it's finished, I don't think it will bother me quite so much. I'm not sure I have a choice about it though - it's not like I'm going to have them rip it all out and start over.

Belle - nice you lost and got to see the kids. I had a wedding today. First delivery in the new car. I was bracing at every bump wondering how the cake was taking it in the back, but it was fine.

Jan - sorry you are up. In a past life, I worked at a furniture store. We always heard the horror stories of of people picking up something from the warehouse only to see it fly out of the back of their truck. Furniture and catering food delivery costs are worth every penny in my opinion. I hope Molly heals quickly and can lose the cone on Friday.

Izena - I'm glad you were able to make some plans with your friend. Kayaking sound fun to me too. I think it would be a good excursion to do with the kids. DH is so tall though, I wonder if there are height limits? I can just picture him trying to paddle with his knees in his armpits. 😆

The project manager is coming by tomorrow morning - he was supposed to be here Friday afternoon, but had to leave town for a memorial service. There hasn't been any progress in 2 1/2 weeks now. Their stone subcontractor keeps telling them "any day now" they'll be back out here. They messed up the fire pit. It's a horse shoe instead of a circle, so they are rebuilding that. They also built one of the columns that has a water feature in it facing the wrong-ish way. They should all be pointing toward the center of the pool, but one is turned about 30 degrees away from where it should...I'm not sure how they're going to fix that, but I absolutely hate it and they need to do something to make it closer to the specs. 

I'm down .9 this week, and I'll take it! With the stress of the car and our trip to my MIL's, I was sure that I was going to be way up!

Belle - it's certainly starting to feel like late spring/early summer here. We're going to hit 85° today.

Izena - love the picture! 50's and 60's is nice - it will be the 80's in the mornings before we know it.

Jan - glad you received your 2nd dose, and you are feeling ok. 

Ombud - I need to move my card to my passport. It's still sitting in my purse which isn't a good location for it. I wonder if Florida's lawsuit against the CDC will make a difference?

Jo - nice job being down with the chocolate and chips. We watched Like Father a few weeks ago which was filmed on one of Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships. It was cute.

I got a 2018 Honda Pilot. DH had one many years ago, and we liked it quite a bit. 

April is busy this year. I have a wedding every weekend for the next 5 weeks. Not sure what I was thinking when I booked them all. My exercise time seems to vanish on cake weeks, so hopefully I can get some walking in.

Hi all - I just got caught back up. It looks like everyone had a good weekend!

We got back late Sunday, but yesterday was a whirlwind. The mechanic called us while we were on the road Friday. The transmission was falling apart, and the only place that will warranty the work is the dealership. So after a quick call to the dealership, and a $3500-$4500 estimate, we had our answer. Time for a new car. The mechanic we use also runs a non-profit that fixes donated cars and gives them to those in need (or recycles them to help fund the program which is probably what will happen with ours). So Monday morning we paid our bill and left the car with them. I picked DH up from work about 3 yesterday afternoon to look for a new (new to me anyway) car. I pretty much knew what I wanted, but test drove 3. We didn't get home until just before 8 last night, but that's all taken care of now. Dropped the title and extra key off with the mechanic this morning. All that's left is to update our insurance.

Our visit with MIL was good. It was nice to be able to see her and not worry since all the adults are vaccinated. I gained less than a pound while there, and we're back on track diet wise.