[Maggie]

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS and ALL WHO COME HERE

Welcome all that come and read. Join us if you wish to come down this road to thin with us for we would love to have you.

JEAN I am waiting to hear how you did at your weigh in. Hope you had a good surprise.

GLORIA Isn't it funny how time does get away from us now when it didn't before. Your neighborhood and around about doings sound like they were fun and you planned and managed well. That is so neat when you can go out and enjoy and then still be OP. Or at least close enought to not have that awful feeling of blowing it.

Have a good one.

[kermie]

First weigh in today at TOPS....will follow WWatchers, and lose with the Magnolias if it's alright with all of you.

Will post weigh in after I attend my first meeting in l/2 hr. Have a lot of faith here....

Later....

[Maggie]

WELCOME to the STEEL MAGNOLIAS KERMIE

Yes you may come down the road with us. You are now a Steel Magnolia or a Magnolia or a Flower.....

I wish you well during your travels with us and look forward to your posts so we can get to know you and you us. Yes, come along and walk with us.

[Jean]

Good Afternoon, Flowers!
I feel like I have been on a merry-go-round today! We have a student on in-school suspension and I kept picking up work from his different teachers and trying to get him caught up. I ended up spending three class periods with him; he likes the individualized attention and works well with me but he won't do squat when left on his own. It's a challenge when he won't take anything home to work on.

Maggie -- I can almost smell your popcorn from #138! YUM! I am hungry and DH won't be home for another hour and a half at least. WW was NOT good last night . . . I was up 1.8#s. I have no one to blame but me, myself, and I! Last week was not a good OP week.

Gloria -- I didn't even think to connect you with the Patriots! Sorry! We had the game on but since I am not a football fan I didn't pay any attention to it. If there is a good half time show, DH will always call me to come and watch.

Kermie -- WELCOME! We are glad to have another flower join our patch! I am Jean, live in Iowa with my DH and 3 feline fur people, work with special ed. students at the high school level, have a son who is married and just began selling insurance, a daughter-in-law who also works for a different insurance company as well as being a licensed massage therapist, and a daughter who works for Gateway. Post often so that we may get to know you and you will get to know us!

I have a meeting tonight so better decide what to put on the table when it is time. Have a terrific Thursday!

Jean -- from sunny Iowa!

[Maggie]

GOOD EVENING STEEL MAGNOLIAS

JEAN That is too bad about your gain but remember that if you follow your program it will leave along with some of it's firends. You can do this thing..... YES YOU CAN!

Well my day is about ended. I made the most delicious Italian dish for dinner. If you have ever eaten Fettuccine with Blue Cheese in an Italian type restaurant you will want to make this ~ or even if you haven't you may like it. This is a lightened version and no one would guess it's lower in fat than the traditionally rich and creamy Italian restarant specialty. Cowboy says it is a definite do again. I'll take the time to type out the recipe here because I am just sure you will want to try it. I cut the recipe in half and made 4 servings because I didn't really know if I wanted that many servings as leftovers since there are just the two of us.

FETTUCCINE WITH BLUE CHEESE
2 eggs
4 cups (32 ounces) fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 cup egg substitute (one carton EggBeaters)
6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup all-purpose flower
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (or 1-1/2 teaspoons dry)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained (I used the fresh kind)
Paprika

In a large mixing bowl, beat the first 10 ingredients on low speed for 2 minutes or until blended. Fold in the fettuccine. Transfer to a 13-inch. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yield 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: one serving equals 298 calories, 8 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 79 mg cholesterol, 789 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 27 g protein. POINTS = 6 per serving.

With this I served a grilled chicken breast, green beans and garlic toast.

Sleep well my friends.

[Maggie]

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

I am so happy! I got an e-mail from my WW leader in TN and she and a couple of my dear WW buddies from there are planning to come visit me when I have lost 100 pounds. Now that is something to look forward to. What an incentive.

Good morning everyone. Hope your day is going well with you. I am planning on getting some glass cut.

[Maggie]

HELLO..... FLOWERS WHERE ARE YOU?

I am beginning to think I am out here talking to myself. Doesn't anyone want to come out and play? Hope you all are all right.

Well I am still following my program and Thin Within is enjoying it. Guess I 'll go watch a video...on our new DVD player.

Have a great Friday ya'all. And smile, makes the neighbors wonder what you are up to.

[Jean]

Good Evening, Flowers!
It is late and I am heading for bed -- I have a major headache! It was "one of those days" where nothing seems to go right. School was nuts and for no particular reason . . . guess I'll blame that on the weather! I had a nail appointment and was a half hour late getting in because my usual gal was home with sick kids and so I had a sub who was soooooooo slow! I got out just in time for bell practice and when I got there we were not ready to practice! We are playing in church this Sunday and didn't practice last week because of the weather. Soooooo everyone is trying to decide where to set up tables because there is no room where we used to play. Then we redo the piece leaving the hard part out, skipping pages, and then going back to the beginning; it'll be a miracle if we pull this one out! It ended up going a half hour longer than usual and when I left some were debating whether we should wear our robes, our sweatshirts, or just our regular Sunday clothes. GRRRRRR I just hate nonorganization! There now I feel better!

Maggie -- I would have been here earlier but decided to read the paper when I got home. Today seemed like Friday all day so maybe that's why I am out of sorts! Thanks for the recipe -- it sounds yummy.

Hope you have a fantastic Friday, Flowers!

Jean --- from Iowa!

[Maggie]

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

It is going to be a beautiful sun shiney day this Friday. After I finish here I will get dressed and we are off to town. Today is my very hight point day and I had bacon and eggs for breakfast. What a treat ~ I will only do that now on Friday. Maybe later I will make it other tmes but for now.....

JEAN you poor dear. What a Thursday you had. Hope you slept well and woke up rested to face this day. {{{{HUG}}}}

Have a good one Flowers... WOW to think the weekend is upon us once again. If we don't keep our FOCUS time just gets away.

[CindySkat]

Hi everyone,

Nice to meet you Kermie. Jean.. sorry about your gain.
Would you believe I completely forgot to weigh
myself yesterday? I thought of it last night. Did I get
on the scale this morning? No. I am just waiting till
next week. Had a dentist appointment this morning
and I am good to go for another 6 months. I get
nervous when i go to a new dentist or hair dresser
as they tend to want to change or criticize the
work done before them.. I hope everyone is having a
great day

Cindy

[nanacas]

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

Another week has gone!! Wow, I don't know what's going with my time but it seems just yesterday that the Norton Anti-Virus was updating my machine and here it goes again. It is automatic every Friday and makes me even more aware of the swift passage of days.

CINDY I know what you mean about going to a new dentist, that is scarry, but I have had the same hairdresser for 35 years. He can cut my hair in his sleep! Actually I have very short hair and it usually only takes a few minutes in the chair. With a shampoo and cut and blow dry I am out of there in 25 minutes. However, he doesn't mark down the price.

MAGGIE You are still on the road to thin. What a nice way to start you 'high' day. Maybe we will have that on Sunday. We usually have a larger breakfast then because it is more like brunch then a later dinner.

JEAN Sorry to hear about your results at the iron monster but this, too, will not last long. What a tough day you had. I hope you can really enjoy your weekend and be rested for an easier week ahead.

KERMIE Welcome! The garden can always use another flower. I am Gloria from MA and am retired and with my DH are having a ball babysitting and playing with our 9 GKs. On the road to thin since July of 99 and reached goal December of 2000. However, I have been off program for the last few months so I need to loose another 12#s. Both DH and myself are trying it again.

I am at the computer for a short time. DH has gone to pick up Cam at piano practice and deliver him a MacDonalds Cheese Burger and then deliver his to Cub Scouts. Mom will pick him up there. Sometimes I wonder what the kids would do without grandparants.

Gloria in MA.....off to see about dinner before DH gets back. Have a great weekend everybody.

[Jean]

Good Afternoon, Flowers!
Well, the "weather" has finally arrived, I think. The storm warnings started yesterday, for today, and maybe they were right this time. We are supposed to get rain turning to snow, 5 - 7", with up to 50 mph winds through the night. The rain has just begun! Maybe I won't have to worry about playing bells tomorrow after all -- the radio had a whole list of cancellations on the noon news and it wasn't even doing anything yet. If we cancel, I hope they do it tonight rather than early in the morning since we are supposed to be at church by 7:15.

We were supposed to go out with another couple, tonight, for supper but went last night instead. We headed up to Okoboji to a Mexican restaurant that we never go to in the summer because it is always so busy. I am always surprised at how deserted the area (a major tourist area) is in the winter months....pretty quiet.

Maggie -- thanks for the hug! Hope you had a nice day yesterday . . . it started off with a GREAT breakfast! (my favorite kind *sigh* )

Cindy -- nice to see you again so soon! I can easily forget to weigh in.

Gloria -- time does have a way of flying by! Your grandchildren are lucky to have you close by . . . you are making memories that they will cherish as the years go by.

I have laundry going and hear the dryer buzzing. Guess I had better go switch loads and keep at it. The pixies never seem to show up when I need them!

Have a relaxing weekend; I hope the weather is good in your neighborhood!

Jean -- from Iowa!

[Maggie]

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

We have wind. Dry wind and the firemen are on alert. You have heard of California fires when things get dried out. These guys are ready ..... Got the fridge cleaned out and the freezer defrosted today. If we don't do that every couple of months it really gets away from us.....like frosts up. And this way I don't find too many surprises lurking in there. Cowboy is going to grill some salmon fillets today for dinner and I am making some Rice Pilaf. He will also put on some chicken breasts and pork fillets so I can have some nice grilled meat to use in my recipes next week. Sure makes it easier to plan what to fix when the meat is already grilled.

CINDY I certainly hope all the dentist did do was make your smile a bit brighter and not make you nervous. I get so relaxed in that dental chair I have been known to go to sleep. Come back more often for we miss you when you are absent. As far as not weighing in....there is one school of thought that advocates not weighing in when you are doing it at home except once a month. Keep being OP and you will have a double amount to deduct when you get on the scales next week.

GLORIA that is so nice for your kids that you and your husband are willing and able to do things for the grand kids. What nice memories you are building with them as Jean said. Time does have a way of getting away doesn't it.

Have a wonderful nights rest my freinds.

[Maggie]

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

What a beautiful morning it is. I thought I would come in here since I have a few moments before getting in the shower then ready for church. Which makes me think of you JEAN did they cancel due to your nasty weather? I hope for you as you do that if they did they did so last evening instead of early today.

Today is a 25 point day and I have my meals all planned. I sure am looking forward to tomorrow evening.

Have a wonderful day which the Lord hath made.

[Jean]

Good Morning, Flowers!
It's a beautiful sunny day in the neighborhood! The trees are decorated with snow and the plows have been out! I was up early to make sure I was ready just in case we did have church today. We did and the bells played to a congreation of maybe 50 people counting our 11, the minister, the choir of 12, 2 ushers . . . you get the idea! The minister called at 6:45 to see if we could get out of our area to the main highway; evidently someone had called him to see if church was still on and he wasn't very wide awake.

Maggie -- your grilled meat all sounds so good! Our grill is put away for the winter but we have gotten it out a couple times when the weather has been "warm". I love it because then I don't have to clean up the stove! I hope you don't have any fires -- I always feel bad about the animals even though I know that Mother Nature is in charge.

I am off to read the papers. Some parts of town lost power last night but we were lucky in that our lights just flickered from time to time. We take so many of our comfort things for granted!

Have a relaxing afternoon!

Jean -- from sunny Iowa!