WW Clubs and Groups - 50 or More #79

If you have 50 or more pounds to lose, this is the group for you! So jump on in and join, you'll be sure to get a warm welcome! :)

Janet Mae! you didn't have much to say.:(
Suppose you are busy getting ready for the big party, what fun!
I want to hear all about it.

I'm doing lots better weight wise, think I am coming out of that purple funk and getting with it. I'm excited about the dinner at church on thursday, almost have the favors finished, and will pick up the turkey today.
....and got really excited last night at ceramics about some new projects that I found in a gardening magazine! I guess the secret for me is to keep the old mind occupied with things other than food! some ceramic friends laughed at me just now getting excited about my projects, when we only have 3 weeks left of this session. guess I will have to do it again in January!:lol:

Hello, ladies, and happy Thanksgiving! I'm looking at my watch and thinking about JOYce's big 'do at the church for those who otherwise wouldn't have anywhere to go to celebrate today. She said she bought a HUGE turkey; I'll let her tell you about it. And it was a free-range, fresh one at that. I know that she was up at 6 this morning, busy already. She's only one of the people I'm giving thanks for today!

Well, texaslady, I am so relieved that you live so close to your dd and sil. My goodness; I am so glad that she is doing better--what an awful time you and she had in the middle of the night! Thank the Lord when we are able to "do" for our kids.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

What a lovely day!
....but I want to forget about that 30.4 pound bird!! what a challenge to find a pan big enough!:lol: It did turn out great. Very moist and lots of good juices to make a yummy giblet gravy. It was fun to share everybodys specialties. and I think I did just fine. No seconds, and only small portions of special dishes.
Our WW leader is forever reminding us that on such occasons, to eat the specialities, don't fill up on the things that we have all the time.
I was inspired by a man at church this morning who confessed to me that he is on a weight loss program at UCLA and has lost 55 pounds of the 150 he wants to lose. He said it would be turkey and broccoli for him today.
Jan, thinking about you and your Dad's big party tomorrow!
I know it will be wonderful! Enjoy! and give him regards from Calif.

Hi ladies! I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Ours was quiet and very nice. My dd cooked turkey and the trimmings and everything was delicious. My exdh was up for Thanksgiving too, which was nice, so dinner was the 5 of us.
The weekend sort of flew by (no pun intended)- I did flu clinics Friday and Saturday. We worked short on Saturday because one of the nurses was a no-show. But, the 2 of us there had worked together before and neither of us is exactly lazy, so we made out fine. It was tiring though. I made a brief run to the mall today, but otherwise stayed in and relaxed. My joints are in protest mode these days.
Linda, I'm glad you enjoyed the lunch with your friend at the Italian restaurant. Oddly enough, I usually do pretty well at Italian restaurants because it's not my favorite type of food and I am less tempted to overeat.
Texaslady, I sure hope dd is feeling better! I know that must have given both of you quite a scare. I hope the 4 of you were able to enjoy your Thanksgiving together.
Joyce, I can't even begin to imagine how you'd get a 30.4 pound bird in a pan, much less in and out of the oven!! :lol: I'm glad the dinner was a success after all your hard work. You are such a thoughtful, selfless person! I hope your church members realize how lucky they are to have you! Congrats on your cake bringing such a big price at auction! I'm glad your weight loss funk is lifting- wish I could say the same.
Saara, it was so good to "chat" with you the other day! How was your visit to California? [Saara and I were on line at the same time so we did the instant message thing one day]

I wish I had time to say more than hi to everyone else, but I have to run. Have a good op Monday, all!!
Carol

WHOOSH , that is us being whisked into the Xmas season!!
Where has this year gone???

Carol an essential for getting the 30.4 lb bird out of the oven was my dh! not sure how I would have done it without him.
I found a pan at church that was big enuf, just a low baking pan, and put him in a turkey bag to save on th mess. Everybody at dinner helped with the clean up, it was really a group effort. I was amazed at how many people asked how it went, at church this morning... I guess they were interested but afraid to ask before hand.:?:

Saara I thought you were here this weekend. Hope you had a good time and a nice visit with your Calif family. guess you were probably here for our rainstorm! Boy it was a doozy for a couple of hours! But today is a gorgeous day, the air is so clean and fresh!

The girls are gone with friends , so guess I'll whip up some soup for dh and myself. I got my treee decorated yesterday, have to finish with some other decorating so I can get these boxes back to the garage! looks like we have been invaded, or something.

Jan How was dad's party??? want to hear all about it!

ttyl

Evening, ladies! Looks like those of you who have checked in had a lovely day. Ours was quiet & small - but good, none the less. We did have ham instead of turkey but dd insisted I make dressing so we had ham w/dressing, sweet potatos, fresh green beans, deviled eggs & green salad. Yummy. I took smaller portions than I would have wanted and counted myself as being "pretty good" for the holiday. :)

Joyce - How in the world were you able to lift a 30 pound bird in and out of the oven???? I sure hope you had some help with that thing! I think the biggest I have ever cooked is 20 pounds and it was quite a chore lifting it about. Learned my lesson - now cook smaller birds! I am glad it was successful. You are always giving from your heart........those who know you are certainly blessed.

Jan - Thinking about you and your Dad's birthday party. Hope everything went well - I know it was wonderful to have your family together for the two celebrations.

Carol - Still working way too hard, I see! Glad you had a nice turkey day with your family & that your ex-dh could share in it too. I bet having both Grandpa & Grandma on board made it VERY nice for your sweet grandson. Not that he's spoiled or anything...........

Linda - Yes, it IS nice to be close enough to be able to "do" for our kids - even when they aren't kids anymore. I know you don't live far away from your daughter either. When I was newly married I picked up and moved across the country with my Army officer husband - not to return home permanently for 20 years. I now know how sad that must have made my Mom when I think about my own dd moving away. I am just grateful she didn't marry a traveling man.....and hopefully she will stay right here close to her Mama!!!!

Did everyone join the maddening crowds for after T-day shopping? My dd called me at 7:30 am Friday and asked if I was ready to meet her at the mall! We did make it there by 8:30 & we shopped all day long - we stopped about 5:00 I think. I paid dearly for that Friday night - had too many aches & pains to count & wasn't much better last night (Of course, we went out again yesterday but for not nearly as long)! I am just getting way too old for this stuff. But she just HAS to be out the day after Thanksgiving - it's a ritual, I guess. She's afraid she will miss out on some really terrific sale! She did get just about all her Christmas shopping done and I got about half of mine done.

Guess I will go for now. Tomorrow's Monday - Yuck! What a lovely week-end we had weatherwise - each day into the 70's. I saw all the bad weather than went through Janet's part of the world - hope she and her family are all OK. Will check in again later.

Joyce - I see we are posting at the same time! Glad you had help with that big bird!

Hi all! How was the first day back to work after the holiday? I know at my workplace, most felt the time off passed far too quickly.
I went to get my eyes checked today after work, so it looks like my Xmas present to myself will be my new glasses, since the prescription in my one eye has changed since last year. My optometrist also wants me to see an opthalmologist due to some changes in my one eye that might be from my Lupus or the medication I take for it. Don't know if my insurance company will go along with it, so it may have to be put on the back burner for a while unless I notice more problems. Always something to keep life from becoming too dull!
Joyce, I sort of chuckled at your comment about all the people who asked how the dinner went after the fact. Isn't it amazing how scarce some people can keep themselves until the work is over? :D Don't know when dd and sil will put their tree up. If I can find a few of my own favorite decorations I had in my apartment (small ones!!!) I'd like to stick a thing or two in my room. Just want something of my own around me.
Texaslady, your ham dinner sounds good! I love ham, but must admit I would sort of miss the turkey on Thanksgiving!
Jan, I must have had a major brain cramp! I didn't realize your Dad's party was this past weekend- somehow I had it in my mind that it was still a couple of weeks away. Please give him a big hug and a heartfelt "Happy Birthday" from me!!

Have a good evening, everyone.
Carol

Hello to all, and happy Monday evening!

JOYce not only hosted the Thanksgiving feast at church, but she made the decorations for the tables too. She made turkeys out of nuts in shells, and every child at the dinner got to take home one of the turkey Beanie Babies she had provided and put around on the tables. If any of you ladies wonder if her goodness and selflessness have a limit, I am here to report that there is no end in sight, and we have known her and her family for over 20 years.

Carol, I was sorry to read about your eye problem. I hope that your insurance will cover seeing the opthamologist and whatever that might entail. Our eyesight is so precious. I'm glad that your dd made Thanksgiving dinner, but I'll bet you had a hand in a lot of it, too.

texaslady, how is your dd feeling? You are right about our living so close to our dd and dsil; they live (exactly) one and one-tenth miles from our house (yes, I did check it on the odometer of our car shortly after they moved in). It is so delightful to see them unexpectedly around town, either driving or shopping or eating at one of the local restaurants! I now shop at the grocery store closest to their apartment so I'll have more of a chance to run into them there, too. :) Wow, you and dd surely did a lot of shopping on Friday; I am impressed with your stamina. I am not a mall person at Christmastime, so most of our Christmas shopping is done online.

Linda, I have the feeling you and Joyce are two of a kind when it comes to giving of your time and talents for others! How fortunate your church is to have two such caring people in it's membership! I actually did not help at Thanksgiving, although I dearly wanted to (wasn't allowed - dd says dsil is "used to" her cooking. :( He sure used to like mine, but whatever!) It was nice to relax, but I did feel sort of like a bump on a log. My insurance company okayed the opthalmologist consult- I go this Friday morning.
Carol

Not a bump on the log! Sorry you feel like that Carol, it must be awfully difficult to be in such a position. How long til you make the move back to independence?
Of course you are right about Linda, it wasn't me that was delivering Meals on Wheels on Turkey day! We each have things we like to do. ..and none of us do it for the attention or 'glory'!
I hope you are just absolutely loving your time with your little sweetie.
And I thought of you yesterday when I got my flu shot. I didn't set out to get it, but when I went into the School office to get something for dgd, they were giving them, so I went ahead and did it.
I'm having a great time in ceramics these days, doing a project that looks like a sculpture, well, I guess it is, but it started out with a doll head that I poured from ceramic, and am adorning it with ceramic vines and leaves etc...she will be a garden goddess for the garden, which is turning into a French garden rather than an English garden according to the magazinesss. :lol: it is just a Joyce garden! Too much fun!! When I have my hands in the clay, I can't be eating! [tastes bad]:p
need to run some errands..
ttyl

Hi girls - Brrrrrr! from my part of the world. Now, I remind you, that it was 80 yesterday! First front came through early morning hours & it got pretty darn chilly and rainy. Another front coming in tomorrow - supposed to be about 38 tmorrow night - remember it was 80 on Monday! Time to try to find some woolies - at least for a day until it will warm back up again. We have just gotten spoiled with our most un-winter-like weather this year.

Carol - Glad you are going to be able to get your eyes checked without having to go another round with your insurance company. Let us know what the dr. says. I know it is hard to try to create a place for you in dd's family routine, but hang in there, kid. This, too, shall pass! I missed having turkey, too. But I will cook a large one for Christmas dinner.

Joyce - Will be interested to see your latest project when its finished and whatever it becomes when finished! That's the best part about creativity - it sort of takes on a life of its own.

Linda - My dd & sil live about 14 miles from me. Would like it to be a little closer but in a city this large, that's hardly a drop in the bucket. I do see them (at least dd, sil is usually asleep when I come around on the week-ends) about once a week. DD usually is looking for company on the week-ends and I am always happy to fill in! :D

The photographer called today and the professional wedding pics are ready. He said there were "hundreds" of images! This is going to be a complicated process - getting all four families chosen pics sorted out and ordered. But we have to start somewhere I guess. I am anxious to see then, however, and doubt I will be able to wait until the week-end. May have to detour by dd's tomorrow evening.......

Gotta go for now. Everyone have a great Wednesday and try to stay warm.

Hi all, hope you're still speaking to me! Sorry to be so long awol, but haven't had a minute to myself (though I've been enjoying every minute!) I lost a long post right after I started this thread, and then things got crazy...

Carol, I'm so glad your ins. will cover the eye exam Friday; hope the problem turns out to be minor. Re: not cooking on Tday, it sure sounded to me like your DD was concerned for you and wanting you to rest from your hectic schedule, and had to use dsil as an excuse! Getting you to slow down *can't* be an easy thing to do!

JOYce, wow, I didn't know turkeys reached 30 pounds!! What a lovely thing to do; I'm sure everyone was very appreciative. Maybe next year, those other members will pitch in some more, I hope. Your decorations sounded so cute! I know the children must have been delighted with the turkey Beanie Babies! Glad to hear you're beating the blues now, too! Hope you can post a picture of your "Garden Goddess" when she's done; sounds fabulous!

Linda, how kind of you to take all those meals to the homebound on Tday; that must have really brightened their holiday. Am thinking about you and your lovely courtyard and violets, here on this cold wet day ...

Texaslady, that was a shopping marathon you and your DD had, wasn't it! Hope you found some bargains, and maybe a sweater or two for this coooold weather! Glad to hear the pictures are in already; what fun that will be, going through them and ordering prints!

Re: Dad's party, it was *such* fun! We had a big crowd, teenagers to octogenarians, yet everyone seemed to enjoy visiting w/each other. Dad had a blast, and everyone made a big fuss over him. The lasagnas all came out fine, not cold in the middle like I worried they would, even the vegetarian/lowfat one (which was the most popular, strangely enough!). We also celebrated Tday, of course, and then my dbil's birthday Sunday with a cookout. DS, dbil, and Dad left yesterday for Florida, and I already miss them.

And guess what .. I actually did get to wear that dress after all! I found a shaper/firmer upper thingy to wear under it, and it worked fine. I got to wear the shell necklace my sister made, and had fun bragging on her (she's so talented; reminds me of JOYce!).

Went to WW last night, and stayed exactly the same, so I'm happy with that for now. It's funny, I ate everything I felt like having, though I sometimes stopped myself from eating more when I realized I wasn't hungry. I think maybe I really have changed my eating patterns for good; sure feels like it. Now if I can just get a little more off!

Gotta run; classes starting! Hi to Saara, Janet, Rebecca, Beth, and anyone I may have missed!
Regards,
Jan

Hi JAN!! So good to hear from you again! You have been so busy!!All sounds like fun. And CONGRATS on wearing that dress!!!I'll bet you were a real 'knock-out'!! What fun!!! :smug: Stay dry! I still have a mental picture of you wading thru the storm!!
We have more rain coming tomorrow, it is nice as long as we don't have to be out in it! Hopefully, it will wait til we get thru with delivering meals... dgd has to start her root canal tomorrrow afternoon, it will be a busy day....she is insisting that she go back to soccer practice after the dentist!:eek: we'll see how she feels then....the coach has really put the fear into her about missing practice....gma may have to have a little chat with him.
OOPS! time is flying...must dash! Bible study this morning!
ttyl

Hi everyone. I'm up late on weather watch, so I thought I would make a quick post since it has been so long since I last posted. Texaslady, thanks for worrying about me after last Saturday's tornado. It was definitely in my "part of the world." They are now saying it was an F4 tornado and it hit the neighborhood that my brother used to live in until a couple of years ago. It is only about four to five miles from me. About 60 homes were completely demolished...nothing left but the foundations...and there were two deaths. These were big, expensive homes, so I know that my little house wouldn't have stood a chance...and I was upstairs asleep when it hit...not a good place to be. Thankfully, a lot of people were out of town for Thanksgiving or there would probably have been many more deaths. The people also had about a twenty minute warning after the sirens went off so they were able to seek shelter...such as it was. I guess with an F4 tornado there really isn't anywhere to go. We live outside the city limits and you can only hear the sirens if you are outside listening for them. I didn't even know what had happened until a friend called about 6:30 am to make sure we were okay. After being in that tornado when I was driving back from Gulf Shores last spring, I had hoped not to be around them anymore, so now I think I will be a little anxious for awhile...like tonight. God's hand was everywhere last Saturday, and some amazing stories have emerged. One family hid in their laundry room and it was the only room left...and the same thing for another family who were in a hall closet. One of the deaths was a young woman from Dallas who was home visiting her parents for the holiday. The other was a young mother who was seven months pregnant. She lost her baby after going into premature labor and she is still in critical condition. Her little three year old daughter was ripped from her arms and they found her unhurt on the other side of a lake. She was crying that she was cold and wanted her mother and her doll. Her mother was on the opposite side of the lake screaming for her daughter and all of her clothes had been stripped off her. A lot of women were all alone, including the woman I was just talking about, because Thanksgiving is a big hunting weekend around here. Lots of husbands were off at deer camp or hunting camps. Another woman was home alone with her three daughters. She has survived a double brain aneurysm (sp?) and cervical cancer...and now this, but she was still giving thanks...as were so many people.

I didn't mean to go on and on about what happened. I guess watching all the weather alerts on TV right now is bringing everything back.

Jan, please give your dad belated birthday wishes for me. I'm so glad the party turned out so well...but how could it not with you at the helm. I agree with JOYce...I know you looked beautiful in that dress!

JOYce, I hope your dgd in the service is safe and sound. Tim's (Krysten's boyfriend) brother was just shipped off a couple of days ago, but he can't tell us where he went. He was stationed in Germany. He was anxious to go. He was able to say that he was going somewhere safe and somewhere there were a lot of troops, but I can't imagine where it would be.

It is starting to thunder more and there is more lightening...so I had better turned this laptop off. I'll try to post more later in the week...and will try to be a little more cheerful!!

Take care everyone...and be safe!

Janet (Kudzu)

P. S. I'm proud of all of you who have been doing so well weight-wise. I didn't go overboard over Thanksgiving, but I've definitely been eating way too much.

I pushed us to page two. I'll start another thread and repost.