Lots of :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: and prayers for you and your family. Tina

I'll have to pass this on to my youngest dd. She has loved PSY's version for months and has the whole dance down. Tina

Sorry, but, I would have to say something. $17.50 is just wrong! I remember years ago raking an elderly couple's yard for about four hours. My friend and I worked really hard. I even had blisters on my hands. We were trying to earn enough money to go to the skating rink. Anyway, they only paid us $2 each :tongue_smilie:! I'll never forget that! Tina

Well, my oldest dd and her husband found 3 kittens 3 years ago. Two of them had severe eye infections and one was okay. She found a home for the one that was okay. She kept one and we took one. Her cat has eyes that never formed and ours had to have one eye removed and he has glaucoma in the other. We believe he may be able to see little bits of light. He bumps into things from time to time, but that's about the extent of it. Both of these cats are doing extremely well. Having our cat's eye removed was not very expensive either. I can't imagine putting an animal down because it is blind. If you want to see some precious blind cats, google Blind Cat Rescue of NC :). Tina

Thanks for sharing! These sound delicious :). Tina

I was just perusing the coupons at coupons.com and there is one for $5 off this thing. I saw it and immediately remembered reading this thread. I hope it helps someone :).

I just picked it up from Barnes and Noble because my library doesn't have it yet. I'm looking forward to diving into it. Glad to hear you loved it!

I ran 2.54 miles today. I agree about having to have a shower after exercising. I don't get that other people don't. As soon as I come in, my dd holds her nose :tongue_smilie:.

I read Defending Jacob by William Landay and I had a hard time putting it down. Here is a book review of it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/defending-jacob-by-william-landay/2012/01/30/gIQAC7AVsQ_story.html Speaking of books you can't put down, has anyone read Fifty Shades of Gray? :bigear: I haven't, but I've read that a lot of women have. Just curious what others might think of it. Tina

Sunday-Off Monday-Ran 3.23 miles Tina

Another vote for Sal's by Victor. It is absolutely delicious! We usually eat dinner there after visiting the Colonial area. Last year we tried The Cheese Shop and it was really good. We have eaten at King's Arms Tavern several times, but only during lunch. It was a good experience and the price wasn't bad. We've also had Chowning's and it was okay. It seems like I remember having something called bubble and squeak. I really like the peanut soup at King's Arms. Someone mentioned The Raleigh Tavern and that is a great spot for a snack and a cold root beer or ginger ale. Their Sally Lund bread is delicious as well. Oh yeah, their cheesecake is also. We have done the carriage ride twice. It was not guided and it is pricey. We enjoyed it, but I think I liked the ghost tour more! They have great prices during homeschool days. Have fun!

From everything I've read and heard, you should up your mileage every week by no more than 10%. Whenever I have run too much, I hit a wall with complete fatigue. I also just implemented iron slow release tabs and that seems to help. You need to make sure you're getting enough fuel pre and post runs. I can't run with much on my stomach, so a banana is usually sufficient. Afterward, I like to have toast with peanut or sunflower butter with banana slices and honey drizzled on top. That has helped me tremendously. I see you have listed that you're training to qualify for Boston. This blog's post may help with that also: http://carrotsncake.com/2011/07/marathon-fueling-q-a.html Best of luck!! Tina

I folded and put away laundry that was on a drying rack. I did another load also. I then went for a 2 mile run followed by a 7 mile bike ride. I'm probably going to run to the grocery store and then chill with a book later. That was very kind of you CynthiaOK. :grouphug: Tina

I feel your pain. I had it about this time last year. I had a shot and it started going away and then coming back. I got another shot and then prednisone. I had a reaction to that shot and had hives too. I was miserable between having poison oak and not being able to sleep because of the prednisone. It took roughly five weeks for me to start feeling somewhat normal (I had a fever during that time too). I was also tested for lupus since I was covered everywhere (except feet). Luckily, it was negative. Aveeno baths helped a great deal and Calagel was also great. I washed everything repeatedly. I had a great deal of stress at the time, so that may have been a big contribution. I totally believe in the mind/ body connection. Get plenty of rest. You may also want to take an over the counter allergy medicine. That will also help with sleeping in case you're having any problems with that. My heart goes out to you because I totally understand how you feel. :grouphug: Tina

I'm so very sorry to hear this. I know how bad it hurts. There are certain pets that leave such an imprint on your heart. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. I'll also keep your sweet kitty in them. :grouphug: Tina

I can relate to you, Julie. It can be so hard to lose. I come from a family that is predominately overweight and only seem to fix problems with medications. They never try to get to the root of it. I feel like I'm always battling genetics :). I too had to find something that was just for me. I've always been one of those people that put my family first at the same time always sacrificing myself in the process. I've ended up bitter with only myself to blame. A couple of years ago, I went through a whole lot of turmoil and I turned on myself by finding refuge in Chick-fil-a milkshakes. I was already overweigh so this only contributed to that. I started walking a few months later and then running. I didn't follow any type of program because I really am not very good with that. I remember the first time I ran my neighborhood and made it home (1.75 miles), I cried. Running for me is something I do for me and no one else. It clears my mind and makes me feel like I can do anything. I've lost over 20 pounds and I'm now trying to increase that by decreasing food and knocking out sweet tea as much as possible. I know how it is to get to a stride and it's almost like it's self sabotage when I'm successful. I don't know if it's a mental thing like I don't deserve to be thin or deep down I don't think I can be thin. The sad thing is that I was thin until my 20's and when I was thin I thought I was fat. Here's something I saw several months back that was incredibly inspiring to me:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SbXgQqbOoU Best wishes to everyone on this journey! Tina

Yeah, when my oldest was a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill, the student body president, Eve Carson, was shot and killed. These nut jobs had planned on protesting her funeral also. They didn't get their permits in time. I had planned on going to act as a "human shield" to protect her family from experiencing any further pain from seeing them. As a side note, I heard one of Fred Phelps' sons interviewed on Rosie Radio several months back. He no longer believes in the same things his family does and they have completely turned their back on him. He spoke of all kinds of physical abuse that happened to him. I remember him saying that at one time Fred was overweight and then he started running and of course made his children do the same. He had them run a marathon with him and some of them were really young (maybe 6) and there were extreme conditions on the day of the marathon (high heat and humidity). All of the children finished because they feared what would happen to them if they didn't. Tina

Definitely no flames from me. I am so very sorry for your loss. I know how heartbreaking it is. We had to put our cat Snickers to sleep a couple of years ago. We had spent a similar amount of money and they wanted to run other tests that we simply couldn't afford at the time. She got really sick really quickly and we wanted her to be at peace also. It sounds like you have an awful lot on your plate now medically and financially too (also your dh's business). :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Sending you good thoughts and healing prayers! Tina

I use Clairol Perfect 10 and it's #5, but I can't remember the color name. I was using 5A, but 5 is a bit lighter and I like it better. Tina

I will definitely try the pasta salad! It looks yummy and easy. I broke down the other day and bought a candy bar that I found in a smaller size just in case I hated it. Man, oh man, I wish I had got the regular size, but it was very pricey. Anyway, it was so delicious. It was Mo's milk chocolate with applewood smoked bacon and sea salt. Even dh loved it and we equally shared that tiny little bar. I will get another! Of course, books are always a guilty pleasure and really good coffee... and Bravo TV, too! T

Well, I tend to mull over things and then when I feel I need to, I bring up what's bothering me. I would not be comfortable with that at all and I would bring it to her attention. If nothing else, it might make you feel better. Believe it or not, my brother has two daughters (9 & 5) who are not belted in. The 5 year old should be in a booster seat. Last year my 10 year old went for pizza and then a playdate with them. My child always buckles up. I remember saying something about a week later about riding with them and whether or not she wore a seatbelt. I was stunned when she said she didn't. Apparently the seatbelt was tucked in the seat and she was afraid to ask since their girls didn't have one on :confused:. I let my brother have it. Fast forward to this past January: we had a party for my grandfather at a restaurant. My daughter got invited to go home with my nieces. I walked out to the car to make sure she was buckled in. My sister in law made a snide remark (to my mother while I was walking behind her) about me having to make sure my child was buckled and rolled her eyes. I was flabbergasted and had to contain myself. I told my nieces in the car that they needed to be buckled to protect them in case of a wreck and because it was the LAW! Looking back, I wish I would've put a stop to my child going with them. I wish you the best with whatever you decide. T

I have an iPhone 4 and an iPad. I cannot believe how much I use my iPad. It has seriously become like an appendage to me. I absolutely LOVE it!!! Of course, I love my phone too, but there's really no comparison between the two for me. Tina

I've been at this a long time and really struggled in the beginning wondering whether or not I was making the right decision to homeschool my then only daughter. I was often met with criticism, but truly felt in my gut that what I was doing was right for us. My oldest went through the awkward phase of adolescence and blossomed into the person she was meant to be. Her best friend went to public school and we always found it interesting that my daughter had to order for her bf when they went out to dinner because her friend was scared to. Anyway, my dd got into a top notch college and called me a couple of weeks after school started. She thanked me for homeschooling her all those years. She said she had such confidence in her classes. She was never afraid to speak in class and when one of her professors had recently given an assignment, the other kids freaked out. They needed help figuring out what to write about. My dd had her topic formulated before the lecture ended:001_smile: Just keep doing what you feel feels right for you and your family. I still have days where I want to rip my hair out and crawl into bed until the day is done. I just think back to how quickly they grow up and realize how lucky I am to be doing what I'm doing. Tina

Yes, it definitely sounds more serious. Several years back I had similar issues. Bright car lights especially felt like they were penetrating my brain. I went to one doctor twice and he gave me an antibiotic that I believe were in drop form. It went from one eye to the other. When it went back to the other and was worse, I knew I had to see someone else. My dh finally got me into see someone (it was December 23rd). I felt so bad for the doctor there because he couldn't figure out what was wrong to begin with. He didn't know if it was scleritis or episcleritis. He prescribed steroid drops to be used every two hours. He also said I needed a complete physical ASAP because what I had could be caused by an autoimmune disease (57% of the time). Luckily, after lots of anguish, I checked out okay. I was so glad I went to another doctor though. My dh knew when he found me crying in pain that I needed help because I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. I didn't have bleeding; just extremely bloodshot eye with lots of watering and pain. I hope she checks out okay. Update when you can. Tina