We are thinking of just asking our neighbor across the street, who was also invited. I'm just embarrassed that I lost it.

Our neighbor is getting married...TODAY...and I lost the wedding invitation weeks ago. She brought it over personally. This lady has been through a couple of horribly difficult marriages and, hopefully, will be happy now. We are not confidante-type close friends, but we have been friendly over many years and she was nice to invite us. I think the invitation may have been accidentally thrown away. I read the invitation and I know it is for this afternoon, I know the city (near us), and am pretty sure I remember the denomination of the church, of which there are a handful in that city. I am embarrassed to ask her, admitting I lost the invitation. Another neighbor was also invited. I could possibly ask her, but I'd rather figure it out myself. I searched the local paper's web site for an engagement announcement and have tried looking at church web sites but so far no luck. Should I just bite the bullet and ask someone?

It sort of reminds me of that movie "What About Bob?" where Bob has no clue about boundaries and they just can't get rid of him. Not the same situation, I know, but this lady also doesn't seem to have a sense of boundaries.

So bizarre!! I'd be furious and I'd have a chat with them. Poor girl won't learn anything from this experience if she sees it as normal. If you can't do it alone go with your husband. Maybe have him do the talking if you can't bring yourself to do it. I pet sat for our next door neighbors a few times and I think the only thing I did besides play with the animals and feed them, etc., was look at a book that was on their coffee table. No one told me not to go through the house and rummage through their things. That was just a given in my mind. I think I was about 13.

So I found some cute fabric for a swimming tank top and some coordinating blue for board shorts. YAY! I'm going to cut it out after supper tonight and hopefully get the sewing done tomorrow, though we do have a wedding to attend. I'm also doing really well with my eating today, drinking lots of water, and I walked my usual 2 miles this morning.

Thanks so much for all the replies! I'm going to fight the good fight with my diet and daily exercise. I've lost weight before and CAN do it again, even if living in a house full of skinny people makes it more challenging. They will be supportive of me. I've decided to go shopping at my favorite local store that carries lots of swimwear fabric. I think I'll make board shorts and either a long tank top or a one piece suit. Even if it is too big next year (I hope so!) I need something NOW. I've sewn lots of suits for my kids so I know I can do it. Thanks, everyone, for all your input! Off to the fabric store...yay!

My kids were 15, 13, 10, 8, 6, and 4 when our youngest was born. I nursed all of mine, so yes, LOTS of nursing with older kids around. I never wore a cover except in public, but not too much showed even at home. I wore shirts and pants mostly, and my nursing bras and baby covered up everything pretty well. I didn't worry about it. As the others said, it's just the natural way to feed a baby.

I think the realtor open house would be very helpful! Are your kitchen and bathrooms updated? Not just clean, but newer fixtures, etc.? (I don't mean brand new, but not 20+ years old). If other homes in your area have nicer, newer kitchens and bathrooms that could be a reason people aren't looking at yours. Also, are the photos good quality and are there photos of all the rooms and the yard, front and back? If you have nice features, such as a covered deck or patio, definitely have photos of those.

Faith, I don't know what to say. Your post was very moving. I'm so sorry for your struggles. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

That is a really good idea!! Thanks.

:grouphug: to you, Michelle!

I have never done Medifast but just wanted to say it also takes willpower to do the low carb thing when cooking for the rest of the family! BTDT

Wendi, that is a beautiful suit! I do remember seeing that one.

Mariann, I wish you great success on Medifast. Thanks for the T.J. Maxx idea. I'll look there.

Lara, I like those! You know, I could sew something like that. I have made my kids lots of swimsuits over the years. It's not hard. It's just that I really want to lose weight! I suppose I could make something to get me through this season.

I have looked at Land's End and see some very nice ones. However, my shopping experience has me somewhat traumatized. Maybe I just won't swim for a while. And yeah, it's hard to lose weight when dh buys chips and ice cream, etc. The chips I can avoid but the ice cream I absolutely love.

I can get distracted at times, and often have multiple things going on, but I have no trouble sitting still for a really good movie, book, or conversation. So no, I don't think most women have ADD. You might if you find it impossible to focus on things, to the point of it hindering your daily life, keeping you from doing what you need or want to do.

I desperately need a new swim suit but every one of them I've tried on makes me look like a pregnant sea cow because...well...I'm too fat. The suits won't work miracles. A few years ago I lost 20 pounds and have kept off 15 of that, but I really need to lose about 55 more. Yikes. How did I get this heavy??? I'm 5'11" and weighed 140 when dh and I got married 29 years ago. I never thought of myself as skinny. After the first two babies I weighed maybe 145 but after that I gained some with each pregnancy. (We have seven kids.) I never really tried very hard to lose it. My dh is 6 feet and has always been about 160, no matter what he eats. All of our kids are slender except the youngest, who is 12, and has some extra pudge around the middle. (He is not obese though). Can I just scream this??? IT'S SO HARD TO TRY TO LOSE WEIGHT IN A FAMILY OF SKINNY PEOPLE WHO EAT WHATEVER THEY WANT. Thank you. Rant over.

I sort. I wash sheets and towels separately on hot. Most everything else I wash on warm, sorting into darks, lighter colors, and whites. I am not anal about it. Sometimes I will throw a darker item into a lighter load, esp. if it's something that's been washed many times. My kids do their own laundry and do not always sort the way I do. (My youngest will be in 7th grade.)

The repairman told me to get something pre-1994, maybe 1990 to be on the safe side. I will see what I can find. It is SO irritating that everything breaks after 5-7 years of use, sometimes less!!!

We had an extended warranty which we then extended again, and we did use it! That washer was repaired, I think, three times before this. The last time the pump had gone bad. A small local company was contracted to do the repairs for washers under warranty. The guy they sent drove his own car, with his KIDS in the car, and stayed only about ten minutes before announcing that I put too many towels in my washing machine. He didn't even do anything to it!!! I called Whirlpool to complain about him. The next guy who came (from the same company) said that that guy had been "let go". My pump shouldn't have been covered because they found a few other things in my washing machine (stuff from people's pockets, coins, etc.) BUT Whirlpool did cover it, I think because I had complained. Anyway...hopefully we can find something more reliable.

Wow, that is amazing. Appliances made today do not usually last even ten years.

Our six-year-old Whirlpool Duet washing machine bit the dust. The repairman discovered that it's the computer, which will cost approximately $400--parts plus labor--to replace. So, we will probably get another one. While I was writing the check for his service call, I mentioned that my dh's cousin has his mom's 50+ year old washing machine which is still running strong! He said yes, and it's probably a Maytag. He told me when he goes into expensive neighborhoods on service calls, they often have older model Maytags because they last and last. If the motor goes out, you can buy a new motor for $150 and it will last another twenty years. He said the reason the newer models don't last is because they have smaller motors due to gov't regulations. So...I'm not sure what to do. A new large capacity Whirlpool Duet would be around $900. I'm thinking about getting a used machine. Dh's secretary bought one from a dealer for $125, thinking that even if she got two years out of it, it was better than buying an expensive machine. What do you think, Hive? Any recommendations?

shrimp fried rice! yum

Just a thought: berries (and maybe some other fruits?) may taste sour to you because you're used to sugar. If you eliminate sugar from your diet, you will start to notice the sweetness in other things. You just need to train your taste buds. I like the idea of being creative with salads...I love a salad of fresh spinach, walnuts, feta cheese, a few dried cranberries or dried cherries, diced red onion, and whatever other veggies you want. Top with a healthier dressing. I think you need to re-think and re-learn different eating patterns. Things will taste odd, or even bad, to you at first but eventually you will probably grow to like some of them. I hope you find some ideas here that work for you.