Sunday Roll Call

Good Sunday morning to everyone in Lincoln Land.  Looks like we are going to have another cold windy one today but unfortunately with the possiblity of showers. The blue skys yesterday in the NW 'burbs were beautiful. I am sitting here enjoying my first cup of coffee for the day and it is also helping in the warmth dept. as it is a little chilly in the house and I refuse to turn the funace back on. I can always put extra layers of clothing on. Well, what is on your plate for today  When I finally get moving here I will head off to Platt Hill Nursery and buy some more peony cages. The ones I have right now are too bent to push back into the ground. Also if I do not have them around the bushes then the landscapers weed wack the heck out of them. I also like to go to the nursery early and get flower ideas for the planters. I have two different areas with and without sun so I am limited with a lot of what I can choose. Geraniums, Marigolds, Impatiens and Begonias are on the list so far, pretty much what I had last year. Maybe I will throw in some short Snapdragons for a change. I was also thinking of Ageratum and Allysum. I am limited with space and height for the containers and I also do not like to be dead heading spent blooms from petunia types of plants.  I am also not fond of coleus as they will get leggy if you do not dead head the blue spikey flowers they produce. Oh the woes of gardening. Need to get moving. Everyone must be in still. I did post an update on my wedding dress which is a few posts back. I am really excited about how it cleaned up.  Dave and I signed up yesterday for the Y-Me breast cancer walk to be held on May 11th. Paula T a few days ago mentioned that she is to be there. Her and I have touched base and hope to meet up. There is going to be something like 30,000+ people attending. I am walking with some other friends also. Dave and I have been planning on walking with them for a few months now. We have never done an event like this so we are really looking forward to it.  & Christine ps - update I got the peony cages the only two that they had, some squirrel corn blocks for their feeder and also got over to Caputo's in Addison and picked up some groceries for the week. I want to try out some of the spices that I bought from Tastfully Simple last week.  oh - oh - oh I just saw a Chickadee at my feeder, my local flock wa**** by the West Nile virus and I have only seen 1-2 in the last couple of months!!

Good morning Christine and the rest of Illinois!  Sounds like you will have a wonderful day with nature!  Good luck to you and Dave with the Y-Me walk.  I've done many MS Bike rides and the  Aids ride from the Twin Cities to Chicago several years ago.  The sense of fulfillment at the end of any of these events is amazing.  I won't beable to do the MS ride this year due in part to my surgery, so I'll say prayers for your success instead!  Today is my last day at home before I leave town for work and then my banding!  My wife bought a Leg Magic exercise machine and I just finished putting it together.  It seems like it will be a good thing for me to use for my work outs.  At least it will be a change from the treadmill!  I'm looking forward to using the bicycles as a means of exercise this summer.  I was always a big cyclist in my thinner days.  It is sooo much easier without my big tummy in the way!  Have a great Sunday and stay warm!  Paul

Hello Paulie - good day to you. I have never heard of a Leg Magic machine. Educate me. Dave and I love going to the downtown Chgo area. We try to get there at least once a month. Sometimes it is a couple times in a month and then sometimes it is every other month so it averages out to at least once a month. Have a great week and we will be waiting patiently for news from the "other side". Chris

Appearently my beautiful wife woke up one night and couldn't get back to sleep.  At three in the morning, she fell victim to an infomercial for a machine that strengthens your inner and outer thighs.  You stand on 2 platforms and slide your feet out and then back in in a slight arc.  It came with a complete workout plan and dvd.  I tried it and it felt like a good amount of resistance.  The whole "Leg Magic" machine was somewhere around $100 (or so my wife tells me), but it seems to be a sturdy peice of equipment.  Actually, I just checked the internet and it is $194.88 for this item at www.legmagic.com.  A bit more than I would normally spend, but as I said, it was my wife and it was 3am!  It could be worse, I could have a life time supply of Ginsu knives coming!!! 

Good morning Christine and Paul and the rest of IL,

Maddie and I will be heading out to church in a hour.  Not doing much today.  After church I think we will just bum around the house.  Maddie and I have to start her litercey fair project.  We are making paper mache fish w/ shinny scales to go with the kids book "Rainbow Fish".  Then I might take a nap this afternoon and then do some scrapbooking.  We went to my parents house in Gilberts yesterday to do some lawn work.  They have 3 acres, so it just felt overwhelming! 

This band is teaching me a thing or two about me!  When am I going to get it through me thick skull that bread does not agree with me and I get is stuck everytime!  It is my addiction to bread, and I just have to stop!!!  I have vomited every meal since yesterday.  Went to subway yesterday and they only charged me .25 for a scoop of tuna in a bowl.  I was able to keep that down until I had a sip of water 30min later.  I am pleased to say that I am down 20 lbs since surgery and I am starting to get comments!  I also went to the outlet mall yesterday and I had to use all the will power to not buy clothes for me!  They had some great deals and I am getting excited about dressing more trendy!  My husband and sister say I dress like a grandma.  I don't think I dress like a grandma, I dress comfortable and when I'm heavy, I don't like to think and put to much effort in looking good in my clothes!  I better get going, Maddie just woke up and we have to get ready!!!  Have a beautiful day and God Bless!!!

Miss Kim, sounds like you have a full day. Hey in regards to the bread issue I have heard from other bandsters that they can tolerate Pita Bread. It is worth a whorl to try. It is not as dense as regular bread. Hey did you get the name of that exterminator from your folks yet? Chris

Good Morning and happy Sunday - Not much going on today.. just cleaning seems to be on my agenda.  I'm going to head out to the laundry mat to do our bedding.  I hate going to the laundry mat but today I just want to get it done and if I do it at home it seems like a all day project w/ the blankets, then drying etc.  So I can knock it out pretty quick this morning. Calvin wants to fire up his new toy today..  The ole john deer.  Front yard is in need of a trim then I can drop some fertilizer.  Need to drop more seed in the back.  The back is getting green fuzz!!  We had the back and side grated right before the first snow last year and dropped seed and straw.  It's coming in nicely. All my spring flowers are in bloom and oh they are so pretty.  I planted over 100 spring bulbs last fall.  Not nearly that many popped up but the ones that have are very nice.  Well worth it.  I'm very pleased. Like Chris, I'm chilled this morning too.  Brrrrr....   Have a great day whatever you choose to do!   Christina

Got that bedding done yet? I am doing the house cleaning stuff also. I do not want to be doing it all at the end of the week because my sister, Mary is coming on Friday to spend the weekend with us. Us girls are going to go to a tea room for a girly afternoon on Sunday. Mary's youngest is joining the Navy reserves and heads off to basic on I think May 6th. I so far have the guest room all vacuumed, dusted and neatened (if that is a word) up. Onto some other things now. Chris ps -I am sure what bulbs came up are just beautiful. I remember when you wrote about doing that last fall.

Good afternoon all,

All the talk of gardening makes me a little jealous.  I still don't have the energy, but oh how I love flowers.  My daffodils are in full bloom and I bug my family to stop and admire them everytime we pull into the drive.

Today is Easter for us, but its very low keyed.  I got up early to make my greek lasagna and I have pretty much spent all day in the kitchen.

Friday night I came home to a strong smell of gas.  I called the gas company and they came out and inspected.  I had cleaned the stove and put it back together wrong and the pilot lites went out.  Anyway, he did a full inspection on all appliances. He  determined that because my landlord has been lazy about replacing the air filter on the furnace that it was filthy and therefore a hazzard.  He shut it off, so today my landlord sent over someone to clean it and get new filters.  Its an old furnance w/ a funky sized filter that gets inserted up somewhere out of reach.  Its not an easy replacement or we would have taken care of it a long time ago.  Luckily all the cooking and baking I'm doing has heated the house up nice. We are heading to Woodridge today to Hollywood Blvd.  For those who have never heard of it.  Its is a really nice movie theatre where you sit in executive leather office chairs pulled up to a counter type table.  The ticket prices are normal priced, but you must order at least 1 thing off of the menu.  Again, the prices aren't inflated.  You can order anything from soda, mixed drink (full service bar), appetizer, or meal.  They sent dh a coupon for his birthday for 8 free passes, so were taking his cousin and kids, and we invited another couple to go with.   Have a lovely day today everyone.  Paul, I wish you the best with surgery and look forward to seeing you on the loser bench. ~Michelle

hello local 'flatlanders' !  we have had a busy weekend as we had plans on both friday and saturday night.  today we have spent the day at home, playing with the kids and getting out the summer clothes for the kids and putting away winter clothes.  i have my educational meeting tomorrow and start my protein diet.  sounds like everyone was busy today!