What's new Monday!

Good Morning Aime and all,

I'm here. Just so busy with "decluttering", touching up paint, gardening, rearranging pictures, furniture, taking care of puppies, missing Hannah and Clara. . . . The weekend was gorgeous here in eastern Washington. Made it to almost 80 both days. It felt so good to be outside and feel the warmth of the sun on my achy body! I turned the heat off on Saturday morning, opened the windows up, and it smelled so good outside. Our lilacs are ready to bloom, the tulips have been beautiful, our birch tree is leafing out. I'm waiting to plant annuals in the front beds until Mike washes off the house and touches up the outside paint.

Last week he painted our bedroom. We rearranged furniture in the bedrooms, stored or got rid of "extras". This next week the house stager will come back to help me rearrange pictures. She says most of ours are too high. That they should be hung at a woman's level. Go figure! She says women are the ones who notice wall arrangements. I took on a challenge for the windows in Nathan's room and the computer/spare room. I had blinds but no valances. Found cute ones at Goodwill for just a few bucks and they look so cute. I am using quilts on the beds and tried to pick up a color from each to complement the windows. Now I'm looking for throw pillows to put on the beds for accents. Went to move the forest green area rug under my computer chair. The backing looked like sand! It was all over the floor. So we just tossed the rug. I'll see what the stager says about the floor. It's hardwood, but not in great shape.  Thought about a small bedside rug but will check with her first.

She says when we show the house that we must not have throw rugs in the bathroom, kitchen area, etc. Also no doilies or placemats under lamps. Marti, Janet, do you agree? It seems like all the personality is leaving my house and it will soon look like a motel! Stager and realtor say we are trying to give the appearance of as much room and space as possible.

Grrrrr. . . . we do live here tho. No toilet brushes, waste baskets, laundry hampers are to be visible.  I wonder what they'd think if they came across the undies on the door knob!

Mike is heading over the mountains to love on the babies for a couple of days. I'm looking forward to some time here by myself. Plan to treat myself to a movie, get a haircut, show off the puppies, have lunch with a friend.

Jan C, I'm alive and well just way too busy, but it's a good busy. Thanks for thinking of me. Sure glad you are well above the waters. Are you starting to feel like Noah?

Gotta run. I'm posting a "stupid Karen trick" for all to see. A reminder that it wasn't brain surgery and that I still have "miles to go before I sleep" as the poem says. . . Karen C

Karen, You've been in my house.  Now you see why I'll probably live there until I die. Realtors do not do what they tell YOU to do. But they are right.  Houses with NO personality sell faster.  People want to see sparce, not too sparce, just no personalization. They want to 'see' their stuff... and with this instant gratifiation thing going on, no one has a sense of anything anymore. They have no vision.  They can't visually take out your furniture or put their own color perspective.   I've been in houses where I literally looked in every nook and cranny to see if anyone really lived there. Janet

Good morning one and all, I hope today is starting out to be a great week for everyone.  The sun is shining here but boy, is it cold!  What ever happened to Spring? Today I get the stitches out and the steri-strips on my eyelids removed. I'm sure it will be a relief to be able to blink.  Lots of the dead skin has peeled off my face to reveal the new skin underneath. It's as soft and smooth as a baby's butt.  I'm so amazed. Can't wait for all the swelling and redness to go away. The kids are coming for dinner tonight to celebrate DIL's birthday two days late. I wouldn't let them come before, I was just too scary! Not much else going on, just hanging out. Have a great day everyone!

Good Morning Aime and everyone........ Aime.....oooohhhh a Spa treatment sounds heavenly. I am sure you really enjoyed that....I sure would!! I might have to go check that out myself!! Kathi...I am glad you got to spend the day with your sweet little grandson...they sure have a way with us don't they!   Darlene...I am with you on the temperatures....I just can't get warmed up. Yesterday everyone was running around without jackets but me!! This will be a whole new summer experience for me. I don't think the heat is going to bother me at all this summer. Brenda...this weather changing every day is the pits. I hope it does reach 70s by Tuesday as they say it is supposed to be. I sure haven't been able to get away from sweaters and sweatshirts yet! I am having alot of catch up to do for my job this week. I  somewhat neglected things last week with Jamie, Nic and Gracie here. I had a really great time with my daughter Carrie, grands Kyleigh, Amanda and Lucas yesterday. We had alot of fun celebrating Kyleigh and Amanda's birthdays!! Best get reading the rest of the posts and then on to my job. Have a beautiful day today everyone!! Hugs, connie d

Good Morning Aime and Friends! Your spa pedicure sounds delightful, I know I love getting my manicure and pedicure and to think that for years I would not allow anyone to give me a pedicure, thought feet were the grossest and couldn't imagine allowing anyone to touch mine, but so glad I've changed my tune, as my feet feel wonderful after my manicurist gets done with me! I didn't post much this weekend, as I was kind of busy and when I wasn't busy I was not in the mood to sit at the computer, though I did check in to read posts a couple of times.  I'm sort of in this weird space right now, part of it might be that today marks 2 years since my dear cousin died and I still miss her so. . .  the other part of it, is just this feeling of being in between, don't know if anyone can understand what I mean, but it's like this transformation of me getting thinner has me feeling off somehow.  I'm still me, but yet I'm changing too and I don't just mean the physical changes and I can't exactly put it into words yet, so I'm just kind of going along for the ride. . .  Am I nuts? I kept myself busy this weekend, which is not too hard to do anyway, especially this time of year.  Friday, I met with the trainer and boy did she make me feel the heat, after that I went to the tanning salon next door and bought in for a month of unlimited tanning, I just want to keep the tan I have, so I don't have to start from scratch come the summer, so 2x a week should do it, after that I went to get my manicure and I stopped into Target to pick up a few things I wanted from there and eventually I got home to wait for the repair man who never showed up and never called to say he wasn't coming, while I was waiting I did laundry and straightened up some and then it was off with a couple of friends to an art exhibit of a friend of mine, we had dinner and stopped at Starbucks on the way home.  It was fun evening and when I got home I was tired and went to bed. . . .  Saturday I woke up, met my g/f at the gym after which we went to a meeting and then I went to BJs where I joined with the free membership card they sent me and I bought some items that were good deals, including a real nice piece of salom, went home put the groceries away and then just sat and watched some tivo programs, before it was time to pick up a couple of the gals and head to our women's AA meeting.  Yesterday I got up, cleaned house, ran to Home Depot and picked up a few things I needed to do yardwork, stopped at produce junction where I purchased a couple of flats of nice purple/yellow pansies that I will plant in a couple of weeks, went home and proceeded to do the yardwork and when I was done, I was very, very done, but then went in the house and whipped up some chili, lamb chops, marinated some salom and made a variation of chicken spedini's that my aunt used to make when I was a kid and they came out pretty good, I portioned everything up and now I don't have to cook for the next two weeks, after which I sat down on the couch for a little while before picking up my roommate and her children so I could take the kids home and we could go to one of our friends house for dinner, after which we went to our AA meeting.  I got home around 10 made sure I had everything ready for work in the morning and went to bed, where I promptly tried to sleep, it was difficult going to sleep last night, I was up until at least 12 and for me that means I am very tired today, as I get up at 4:45 in the morning and tonight is a gym night, some how I'll get through the day. I know my post was kind of long, but the end result of not having posted all weekend (lol)!  Hope you all have a good Monday and you are always in my prayers and thoughts! Hugs, Laureen

Laureen, I have to go back to sleep just to catch up with you!!!!!! I am off work today and catching up with housework and groceries!!!!! Not much else going on. Carla

Geeze Girlfriend! Stop and smell the pansies would ya please?  I still have times where things just feel not off but unsettled for want of a better term. I think, for me, so much of my adult life was lived with my drug of choice, food, sedating me. I was always a "good girl"; food being more acceptable than drugs or alcohol. Besides, I have a really weak stomach; I never got drunk enough to NOT remember how terrible I felt during and after. My dad was a chain smoker and I got so car sick that that never tempted me. So food it was; and what a close companion we were for many years.  There are days when it is easier than others to live without the sedating affects of excessive food. I try to "eat to live" not "live to eat."  I don't always accompli**** This past weekend a box of Girl Scout cookies seduced me into consuming the whole dang thing.  Shame, humiliation, anger, self blame,. . . .you name it I went there. But today is a new day and I'm back on track.  It IS hard to walk through all of life's lessons without using something to sedate it. It matters not what the substance is. I used to get angry with my insurance company. They would provide over $20,000.00 every 2 years for drug/alcohol rehab, but said "even if medically necessary we won't cover weight loss surgery."  Food was definitely my drug of choice.  I found myself wishing that I were addicted to drugs, cigarettes, alcohol because I saw those as something that I could "shut the lid" on and have none of. I've had to rethink and relearn my relationship with food. I'm still learning. . . One day, one hour, one minute at a time,  Thanks for giving me food for thought today. I needed it. Karen C 

Good morning Aime and Friends actually, it's a few minutes after noon, so good afternoon!

OK, sorry I know this is too long, but... We got home about 5:30 yesterday evening - WOW what a great time!  French Quarter Festival was so much fun!  I tried lots of different foods prepared by local chefs.  Everything I tried was shared with George.  In fact, he ate probably 3/4 of everything we bought.  The servings were not big - festival size - those little styrofoam bowls or plates with a scoop or a dipper of whatever, prices ranging from $4.00 - $5.00, so not very expensive either.  I do believe my favorite was a goat cheese crepe with crawfish sauce - OMG it was delicious.  I did manage to eat half of that.  We also tried two desserts, one Fri. and one Sat. spread those calories around!  Sat. George wanted to try one of the more popular restaurant's shrimp etouffee, that also was delicious, so much so that we bought it again yesterday.  The prime rib po'boy was another delicious buy, I ate half the meat and two bites of the bread and George, lucky guy had the rest!  Besides the food, there was so much music by local bands, it was hard to decided where to go.  There were about a dozen stages set up throughout the FQ and along the river front.  We walked and walked and walked.  Our hotel was about 3 blocks from the center of the festival.  That made it so easy to get to a clean bathroom and not have to use the port-a-lets eww ~fans stinky fumes from nose~!  Our son dropped us off at 9:00, half a block from the hotel Friday morning.  There was a room ready, so we were allowed to do an early check-in.  The festival didn't start until 11, so we had breakfast at the hotel.  George had pain perdue (French toast) and I was good ordering egg over easy and sausage.  Both were served with cinnamon sauteed apple slices and fresh strawberries - YUMMY. Do you remember the Cowsills from way back when?  Susan Cowsill now lives in New Orleans and performed both on her own and with another group.  She reminds me a lot of Joan Baez - kinda of bluez type music.  Mostly when you think of the FQ, you think NO KIDS allowed.  No so this weekend.  There was a whole pavillion for kids, face painting, food, music, etc. geared for the young 'uns.  We strolled by there several times.  One brass band was made up of 3 or 4 adults and 3 or 4 kids.  One little boy, about 6 played a mean slide trombone and another about10 played trumpet!   Music throughout ranged from gospel - jazz - blues - popular - rock , something for everyone.  AND the price is right - FREE, or as they say in these parts FREE FOR NOTHING!  No entrance fee, and you could bring in coolers and chairs.  The festival promoters did ask that you support the souvenier stands and the local eateries.  Most people did, but a few families with young children brought their picnic foods.  I can see how it would get expensive to feed a family.  This was the 25th annual FQF, and the biggest so far.  The weather cooperated.  We had about 1/2 an inch of rain at some point during the wee hours of the morning Sat., the temps were mild to cool - I needed a light jacket.  The paddle wheeler "Natchez" was going up and down along the riverfront, don't know what they were charging for rides (BTDT and wasn't interested).  We checked out at noon yesterday and had out luggage stored.  Around 4 we went to claim our luggge and start heading home  - hated to see such a great time end.  We made our way to the ferry - part way by taxi and part way on foot toting all our gear.  Our son picked us up at the ferry landing on our side of the river and oh well, good time, good memories and today back to reality! Estimated crowd was 400,000 people!  At one point it was said the Bourbon Street was more crowded than Mardi Gras!  New Orleans is back and it's about time! The FQF is being hailed as the poor man's Jazz Festival!  Jazz Festival is coming up in another week or two.  Tickets for that are probably $25.00 or more.  Of course, once you're in the gate, you can hear all the concerts free, and stay until closing time. Can you tell I had FUN! Debbie

Debbie, Perhaps April is the time for me to return to NOLA! Sounds like so much fun and a bit tamer than Mardis Gras which would be fine with me. I'm no prude but I tend to get nervous around raucous, inebriated types. I don't know what they will do and that always makes me anxious. My brother Gary and his wife are coming to NO soon. I think in May. They were there about 10 years ago and enjoyed it so much they are looking forward to returning. K

As said on The Price Is Right, "COME ON DOWN"!  While there was a lot of beer and other alcoholic beverages flowing, I can't say that I saw anyone overly drunk.  In these parts, whenever there's music you can be sure someone will get up and dance.  Certainly in some cases those dancing would not have been without the help of a drink or two, but for the most part it was good clean fun.  While not as wild as Mardi Gras, the crowd was THICK, making maneuvering tricky at times.  We'd pick a spot ahead and say if we got separated, we'd meet there in a few minutes.  Where will your brother and SIL be staying?  Are they coming for a special occasion? Oops, George is home, and after all the cooking I did today, dinner is not ready!