[Bobbolink]

Good Morning girls...I over slept and missed church today. I'm watching/listening to the pastor from South Dakota, he's an old fashion guy with hymns I grew up with. Love it. One thing I don't like about our church is the music we sing every Sunday, all geared toward the youth. Some of us older folks have complained about it, suggested he throw in one oldie for us, Nope! The future of the church depends on the youth, no matter that us oldies do more to support it.
Rosey...hope you're enjoying your vacation, I love it when DH goes hunting. I buy that 15 dry bean mixture too, but I don't have to soak the beans. Are you going to keep the ramp on your house after you lose all your weight?
Mary...I just had my eyes tested last week too, my pressure was 20 and he scheduled me for a field test Nov. 3. I hope I don't have glaucoma, he said with meds, it's controllable. I've had a whole year of doctors and therapy, now this.
Marie...love your red bike, my favorite color. You're lucky you have a hubby that enjoys the same sports/exercise as you. I don't like hunting like DH does but we do enjoy cross country skiing in the winter.
We're having a hard time listening to 'Charlies' toenails clicking on the hardwood floors. NOISY, DH keeps him nails clipped and buffed with emery board but they still click. When anyone comes to the door, he usually tears across the carpet and beats us to the door. It's so funny watching him losing his feet on the slippery floor. Do your dogs beat up the floors at your house?
Glynne...nice picture of your dad. They have such interesting memories to share and so often we don't think to ask about things until after they're not with us anymore.
Donna Marie...awesome job on the 28 pounds!
Donna...as to the caramel rolls, I went shopping to get out of the dust/saw/commotion. I forgot to ask DH if he offered the rolls, apparently not. Looks like most of them are still there. I haven't touch them other than the first day eating off the caramel and pecans on one.
Val...thanks for posting the recipe, I love tomato soup. P.S. I don't have to shave my legs anymore, an advantage you get with older age. I was never a hairy person to begin with, now I have no: leg hair, no arm hair and very little underarm hair. Good to know, I think Lynn said the same thing. I could eat a whole bag of mini snicker candy bars, no kidding!

Bobbi, it is true that people who give up alcohol have a sweet tooth. Well known in recovery settings.

Lynn...picture of YOU in your beautiful Alpaca sweater please. We have a Alpaca farm about 5 miles from us, I purchased two pairs of the alpaca socks and love them. I'm not bothered by the itchiness of them nor of wool products. Last night I was cold so I added a beautiful off white wool blanket to my bed this morning.....cozy.
Chickadee...okay, I'm jealous. Your DH builds and repairs cp's? No fair, you should have to struggle with the rest of us when we have to speak to the tech guys from India. I think too many people have complained about that because I've only have English speaking tech lately.
Our Marie is a tech geek too, can't forget about her.
Zoe...congrats on the 2 pounds loss, you'll be back to your wedding weight in no time. How's the snow, Loving it?
Carol Sue...When DH was in college many moons ago, we were so hard up for money that I started clipping coupons. What a life saver it was and something I never gave up after we could afford it. Sort of got ingrained in me. I shop the weekly specials, then apply the coupons.
KarenMo...what's with the keyboard? I've been too busy, just skimming the post this week. Is this something new you want to learn or do you play the piano and just wanted to fool around on a keyboard? We used to have a small electric organ years ago that was soooooooooo fun to play. Remember those play by number things?
Now...who was it that took her yogurt to the diner? How did you dare to do that? You're one gutsy lady.

So I ate my normal breakfast before he even got up, and packed no-fat yogurt and strawberries in a lunch box that I took with me to the diner. As he ate his over 1,500 calorie breakfast, I ate my 100 calorie yogurt. I felt very proud of myself.

I just went back a page to see who took the yogurt to the diner, Donna Marie from Tennessee. You are too funny!

[Wannabehealthy]

Does anyone here make Chow Chow? My mother-in-law used to make it, but since she had all boys, no one really ever learned how to make the things she made. The recipes on the internet are a little different from what she used to make. Hers had cabbage, green tomatoes and onions, pickled together and canned in jars. The recipes on the internet also contain cauliflower and peppers, which I don't remember her ever having in hers. And I'm not really sure of the procedure used to make it.

[Wannabehealthy]

Bobbi - I shop weekly specials, too. I buy the day to day items I need, then I stock up on the things they have on special. I use coupons if they are for something I normally buy or something I want to try. But I do some of my shopping at Aldi's where they sell off brands. No coupons there. By trial and error, I have learned which things they sell that are to me, the same as the name brands. I buy their canned fruits and vegetables, canola oil, pancake mix, pasta, and my husband says their oatmeal is comparable to Quaker Oats but much cheaper. I have shelves in my basement filled with the items I have stocked up on. My family says it looks like a grocery store. LOL But I have it when I need it, and for a good price. When we first got married and I had instant family with the 2 step-children, I couldn't afford to stock up. I had to buy what we needed for that week and that's it.

[Marie]

Mary, I agree with you. It’s not possible for me to give up on my son. Anymore than you are. He did text a ton today and said I had to apologize to his wife (and many other things. DH is confused what I’m supposed to apologize for. So am I but the rest of the texting went well until I asked if his wife would like to go shopping next weekend or at least meet for coffee in a quiet place where we could talk honestly. Perhaps it is the honestly that was a problem.

Lynn, glad you got home safe yesterday. Sounds like a whopper of a storm. Maybe you could put a complementing color yarn between the two halves of the scarf.

Gayle, YES on “pain in a box”. I love peanut M&Ms. I call them death in a bag. Peanut butter, death in a jar. Good job on seeing the doughnuts in a new light. Actually, great job.

Donna Marie, great job on the breakfast out idea. That’s wonderful.

Val, living a normal life with food and going out occasionally is a good thing. Sorry the bear hug aftermath hurts. The BS will come down and there’s no way you won’t be . We all have faith in your journey.

Bobbi, soon the nail tapping falls out of your consciousness. Blizzie has the longest toenails, or at least they’re very low on her toes. So she clicks everywhere she goes. Now I rarely hear it. Even have the vet trimmed them way back when her teeth were cleaned did it stop the click. So now I don’t trim them at all. And I’d say there might be a little more wear on our laminate floors than if we didn’t have doggies but it’s minor. We chose based on the longest number of year “warranty” and it’s holding up well. It is funny when they’re running in place. I yell, “go doggie go” and they just don’t laugh at my tease.

Carol Sue, I buy some off brands and some not. Just like you. Trial and error of what works and tastes as well as the name brand. I used to coupon when DH and I were young (foolish) parents in the military. I shopped at a store that offered triple coupons. I had a file box that I brought to the store with me. Now if I have a coupon, I feel victorious but I don’t put the effort into finding them.

I guess I’ve summed up a chunk of my morning with the post to Mary. DH and I are watching the Vikings play football. My Packers are off this week so I will cheer for the purple players. I did interval training on the treadmill this morning even though Sunday is my day of rest. I didn’t think I got much of a workout on the tandem yesterday. Then I took the doggies out for a hike by myself. I wanted DH to conserve his energy (and he is feeling a little better) for our planned tandem ride this afternoon. Also made sourdough bread and pizza crust that is rising. I love sourdough pizza. I guess its time to bake the crust since we’re having it for lunch during the football game.
Marie

[Wannabehealthy]

Marie - I have watched Extreme Couponing and I really don't believe it can be done and I don't know anyone who has done it. $600 of groceries for $5 for example. They showed that these people go on jaunts where they dig in peoples garbage and dumpsters looking for their coupons from their newspapers. That's beyond what I will do. LOL To really benefit from it, the item has to be "on sale" during the same window the coupon is effective, and the effective dates are not as long as they used to be. These people have to be buying things just because they have a coupon, rather than buying things they would normally use.

[Wannabehealthy]

Between all the talk about soup and the snow we had yesterday, I got hungry for home made vegetable soup, so I made some today. Is it so good! It's not the healthy version. I used a soup bone and some stew beef, so it has the fat in it. Sometimes I just use canned beef broth and it's healthier. What I will do is put it in the refrigerator and then scrape off the fat that solidifies on top of the soup. But that won't help with the 2 bowls I already ate. I miss my Shih Tzu who used to chew on the soup bone for hours. He passed away, and the dog we have now has no interest in that bone. I always like the VegAll canned vegetables for soup, but now it is mostly all carrots and peas. From now on, I am just going to use my leftover veggies I put in the bag in the freezer and if I need more I will just add from the frozen veg bags I buy at the store. That way I will be able to control the amount of each vegetable I have in the soup.

[Bobbolink]

Forgot to post my Saturday's menu today. Gotta keep accountable and I weigh in tomorrow, it was a hard week not jumping on the scale daily.

Friday’s Keep me Accountable menu 868 calories + 33 grams fiber
Breakfast - Fiber One, dried cranberries, Flax seeds, Chia, Yogurt, molasses, vitamins
Lunch- Onion soup
Supper - Roasted chicken, butternut squash (I’m totally confused on the high percent of fat on my fit day. I didn’t eat the skin of the chicken, no butter on squash and Fitday shows 220 calories due to fat?
Pineapple Lime Fluff dessert w/Cool whip

[Riemontana]

Bobbi,

Can you tell me about the flax seeds and how you eat them?

That is only 21 grams of fat. Probably some in the chicken, yogurt, and maybe the onion soup. Does it give you individual totals for each item or just for the day?

Rie

[Bobbolink]

Fitday does break down everything, I went through it yesterday to see what the problem was. I make up breakfast packets for 8 days, because my yogurt maker does 8 jars. I put one serving Fiber One in, 1 Tablespoon Flax seeds (ground), 1 teaspoon Chia seeds and about 13 grams of dried cranberries. I use the small snack zip lock bags. The Fitday shows my breakfast total was 75 calories of fat. But good fat, Flax, Chia, Fiber One all has fat in it plus I include in this my multiple vitamins which include Fish oil capsules, Flax oil capsules. Then the chicken added 134 fat calories, soooooooooooo that's what made it high. My breakfast fat will always be the same because I don't vary my breakfast. I don't want to think that early in the morning and dumping a jar of yogurt over the ready made up packets work for me. One thing I've noticed since adding the ground flax seed to my cereal and the capsule in my vitamin pack is my hard fingernails. No more split or soft nails. If you google why you should eat Flax Seed, you'll go out and buy some. I make my own yogurt from dried skim milk, no fat in the yogurt so I get a break there.

[Nancyoyo]

Hey GGs,
I just had to share this - I washed a window! I’d heard a rumor that people actually did that, but I figured it was one of those “urban legends”. But, I noticed how dirty my dining room window was, & you have to walk right by it to get to the front door, & it’s the one the cats like to sit in, to “sun” & view the outdoors, so I decided I’d try it. Would you believe when I got through wiping down the outside, darned if I didn’t notice the inside was dirty too?! Then, when I cleaned the inside, I saw that the outside was still smudgy - is there no end to this drudgery??!!! After wiping down the outside again, the window still looked smudgy, but enough is enough! I’d already wasted almost 10 minutes on this, so I decided that would have to do. During all this, all 3 of my cats were watching in amazement, but I told them to enjoy the “cleaner” window while they can, because I probably won’t be washing it again during their lifetimes!

That pretty well tuckered me out, & then I still had to fix dinner! And clean up afterwards! My work is just never done! So, once again I won’t be staying long (I know - excuses, excuses!). But, while I’m here - my abject apologies, Zoe, on not blowing hard enough to keep that snow storm away from you! I’m really hoping you didn’t lose power! Let us know how you’re doing. And, Mary, I hate that you’re having to give up your MF meals. I KNOW you’ve got the willpower to continue on without them, but they did seem to make things easier for you.

Rosey, I’m horrified at the idea of your Sadie eating a book that you were in the middle of reading! Just the idea, of being forced to wait to find out the ending of a book I’m reading, upsets me. But maybe that’s just me. You’re a very understanding Mama to your fur babies! Rie, I hope you’re feeling ok after your “night of debauchery”. One thing I sort of dislike about being smaller, is that I don’t have the “heft” to prevent SO from lifting me off the ground (which he has done on several occasions, just because he can). In a way it’s nice, but I’m just not used to it, & I still fear he might injure his back doing so. (And it just feels weird!)

Gayle, I like your “pain in the box” term for the donuts! I think if you just keep up those arguments about eating, with “your inner 3 yr. old”, eventually you’ll wear her down! I still have to argue with mine sometimes, but not near as much. She’s learning who’s the boss! And, Donna, your comment about “my SO’s scars”, in reference to weight loss surgery, seem to indicate you think, that he at sometime suggested that for me??!!! Well, I know my memory can be pretty bad, & SO has been guilty of a lot of unkind remarks, but I really don’t think he ever did that (& surely I’d remember!).

Lots more I’d like to say & comment on, but once again time has gotten away from me. (How did it get to be this late?! It’s already bedtime, & I haven’t had my snack yet!!!) One more thing - I did get my boot-style house shoes, 2 pairs! And I only had to look in 4 stores (SO was very patient). Not sure they’re actually “house shoes” (one pair I’m sure isn’t), but who cares - they work for me. I’m loving them. My feet are warm, & I really like the way they look! Ok, I really do have to get out of here. Stay warm y’all!
NCNancy

[jess1]

No, oh way-overly-sensitive-Nancy! I did not indicate that your SO suggested you have any kind of surgery. I was comparing attitudes. And, actually, I have more of a soft spot for your SO these days, since he's making you little animals and doing other nice things. Here's a little outside window washing tip (DO NOT READ THIS, Mary or Bobbi or any of the true domestic goddesses!): spray Fantastik or some other kind of degreaser spray on your window, let it set a few minutes, then hose it off. It doesn't streak when it air dries.

[Karen31]

Hi-- I thought that I would add a "recipe" that my Dad always used to wash windows---- he did the windows and they shined all the time! He used:
2 TBS. Vinegar
2 TBS. Amonia
1/2 gallon water

He used a "squeezie" like they have at gas stations to wash your windows. Always beutiful windows. Which reminds me I need to clean mine------

[Karen31]

Also got me to thinking that it's getting close to that Christmas time! When my kids were little I used to make this up for them. It is Play Dough and it is non toxic. You can make decorations out of it too. Hope some of you can enjoy it.

Play Dough

2 cups flour
1 cup salt 1 TBS. alum or cream of tartar
2 cups boiling water
Mix together and knead. Then add 2 TBS. baby oil, knead again

Paint:
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp. water
Food Color

Bake at 250* for 2 1/2 hours.
Before baking take a straw and poke a hole for stringing. You can use your cookie cutters to make ornaments or be as creative as you want to get.

[chickadeee55]

Happy Monday GG's,

Bobbi, what kind of yogurt maker do you have. Now that I can eat yogurt, I would really like to try making my own. (currently I buy low fat, unsweetened and add my own thing to it) Does your breakfast hold you over pretty good?

Well, I did my weigh in this morning, lost 1 pound, so I updated my numbers and corrected my beginning weight to what it was when I started SB before I found this site. I also took my measurements, so I can feel better if I don't see the scale move hopefully I will see inches disappear.

My DH is off to work, and I am going to sew today, I also want to look at a buying a Wii package, I have been hearing good things about it, so that may get me moving. Anyone here have it?

Hope everyone has a great day. Will pop in off and on today, just because I can.

Chickadeee

[Bobbolink]

Happy Halloween, I dug out my Halloween shirt to wear today. After waiting one whole week to weigh in, I'm down 2 pounds. Gonna run into Walmart this morning to pick up a few things before I start back on organizing my house. We had a very large corner china cabinet that was built into the corner of our dining room, very dark wood, I've always hated it. We took it out when we cleared out the dining room for the installers and I love how it opened up the space. (I sold it for $60.00) Now I have to find a place for all my china and crystal? I do have one buffet that hold quite a bit but not all my stuff.
KarenMo...that recipes puts me in the holiday mood, my daughter uses that recipe all the time.
Chick...my yogurt maker is a Donvier, it makes 8 containers and about 50 calories. I have a recipe using dry skim milk, that's why the calories are so low. You can actually make it with a bowl over a crock pot on low if you don't want to invest in the yogurt maker. I like the individual yogurts, very handy. My vitamins/yogurt/cereal concoction data I put in my Fitday in one group labeled breakfast, then it's easy to slide it over to today's column and I'm done with it.
Donna...haha, I don't do windows! DH has always washed the insides and outsides without been told. Actually, he's a neat freak. If it was up to me, they'd get done in the spring and fall maybe.

Mary or Bobbi or any of the true domestic goddesses!): spray Fantastik or some other kind of degreaser spray on your window,

Sunday’s Keep me Accountable menu 1107 calories + 33 grams fiber
Breakfast - Fiber One, dried cranberries, Flax seeds, Chia, Yogurt, molasses, vitamins
Lunch- Veggie soup
Supper - LEFTOVERS…Roasted chicken, butternut squash , I made mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream for DH + gravy. , I had the left over Gnocchi instead of spuds/gravy…much fewer calories.
Banana Cream pie less the crust. Sugar free pudding, fat free cream cheese added in. I made DH some crushed, sugared/buttered graham cracker crumbs to sprinkle on top of his to complete his portion. Me? just gonna drool looking at DH’s dessert plate. I did have a small piece of German Chocolate cake at nursing home while having coffee with MIL. (I figured 200 calories for it) I’m still under 1200 calories.
Couldn’t get to sleep so I had ½ serving cheerios +2 oz. milk around 11 last night.