Good Morning ...long time no post BUT I am reading when I have time. Christmas Exchange - I'm in! French Lick - I'm out. I will be in San Diego for my oldest DS's Police Academy graduation. Diet - I am doing very well on WW. I actually really love the program and it is working for me. I needed accountability and I was not good at all. I love food and as much as I loved some of the low carb diets...I cheated too easily because I missed some on the things that I loved to eat. On WW, I can have a potato, banana, popcorn...etc. I am not putting down low carb, it works for some but I don't remember the last time I lost 10 pounds so easily. I am doing their Core plan and I don't count points unless it is a treat like a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, fat free chips or something like that. I have to pay each week to get weighed and I find the meetings pretty good. I am doing with the SO and he is losing too. He needed to lose weight and I really was not into making different meals for each of us so I said I would do WW with him. He is losing too and being as competitive as I am...I think it keeps me on task. Work - BUSY and I lost my assistant so I have twice as much work again to do. Working out - I work in an office full of IT geeks. I was talking to one of them the other day and he was telling me about this program for the XBox. ( Video Game Machine ) It is called Yourself Fitness. It is like having a personal trainer. It creates different work outs for you according to your fitness level. It keeps you interested because the workouts change all the time. They even ask you what kinds of other workout items you have and incorporate that into the workout. ( weights, fitness ball, step ) I am seriously considering this because I really want to get back into shape. My car accident in 03 has really messed up my back. I haven't worked out since then because it seems like any little thing give me sciatica. I put on 10 pounds on top of what I needed to lose and that only added to having low self esteem about myself. I have one of the momentus birthdays next year and I really really want to look good for it. Kids -They are all well and happy! I cannot ask for more. I really feel blessed each day because they are so good and well adjusted. Alright - I wrote more than I thought I would have time for! Hello to all and prayers for those who need them! Gretchen

Because I'm very rebellious by nature, I HAD to read a certain book that had been 'removed' from our county library system. Until The Removal, I'd had zero interest in the book. I'd heard folks talking about it, read a bit about it and still had no interest, but that 'don't TELL me I can't read something' in me just reared it's ugly head and I spent (wasted!) $10. on 50 Shades of Grey. Not only is it just not my thing, but it seems poorly written and not worth the paper its printed on!! HA! Of course, this is just my opinion and I realize that many don't share it!!!! The book I'm reading right now is about 180 degrees! It's called 'Sisters of the Quilt' (oddly enough, eh??? LOL). My sister in law had finished it and accidently left it here. It's not something I'd normally pick up, but it was here and I'd 'run out of book'..... it's 3 in 1, a trilogy, and I figured it'd keep me busy while babysitting my grandkids....needed something to keep me quiet in the mornings while they're still sleeping! Really didn't think I'd like it at all, but I'm finding that I'm learning about the Amish and other Plain Folk...things that I did not realize - at least I hope it's fact packed into the fiction. Yes, there is even reference to a quilt in the book! ...I'm into the second book of the trio and am enjoying it. Squeeky clean...by Cindy Woodsmall.

I am, of all things, a construction defect atty, usually representing homeowners suing developers. (Before you ask, I don't often do remodel cases because homeowners are usually better off working things out unless they have a truly unscrupulous contractor -- but a lot of contractors just won't work with me for that reason alone.) I am thus a terrible snob about concrete and floors :) I recently settled a large case, realized that every single appliance in my kitchen was non-functional to a degree, and decided that I deserved a new kitchen. I fell in love with azul macaubas granite, obsessed about finding the right stone without blowing my budget, scoured the internet for pix of azul macaubas in kitchens, and thus found this site (thank you, theresab, cloudswift, and others). As my tastes evolved I realized that even though I've always lived in the suburbs, I'm a country chick inside. Thus, my dream kitchen has a farmhouse sink, beadboard touches, and schoolhouse lighting, along with that drop dead gorgeous azul macaubas. I want my kitchen to have a lot of blue without putting that color on every single cabinet, floor, ceiling, walls, etc. The first thing I did in starting the remodel project was to find a Thermador stove with blue knobs on ebay for half price. I'm making decisions, with the help of this site, on faucets, lighting, and floor tile while waiting for cabinets to arrive. In my spare time, I trail run and hike, quilt, and raise teenage boys.

Wow....what an amazing list of people.... too many of them no longer with us or active here. It is nice to remember some of their names and their struggles that we shared. Thanks for the memories.