Living Maintenance - Maintainers Chat: Halloween Week (10/26 - 11/1)

Boo! 'Tis the week when we'll be confronted with thousands of unhealthy calories and "just eat one -- they're so cute and little". :devil:

What are everyone's Halloween plans?

We're hosting a dinner party on Halloween that really doesn't anything to do with Halloween, but it's the only day all our guests could get together. The menu is bouillabaisse, which is possibly the best dinner I make and definitely the most time-consuming. But it's something I can eat (along with the guests) and as long as I stay away from the chocolate torte with raspberry sauce and white chocolate whipped cream, I'll be fine. :p

So this week with be a lot of cleaning and food prep crammed in when I'm not working!

After the gym this morning, I get to take two cats to the vets -- one for his 18-year old kidneys and the other for a check up and shots. I have another who is due for shots next week, but can't imagine wrangling three cat carriers in and out of the car! So I'll make another trip next week. I've learned to postpone my morning shower until after the vet's since I'll come home covered in cat fur. It always seems to be Big Dog Day when I show up with the cats! :lol:

We had a big family dinner on Saturday night and I wasn't as restrained as I should have been, so the scale shot up three pounds overnight. And back down 2.6 this morning, so I'll burn the rest off at the gym. Carbs pack that water weight on me every time!

C'mon, gang, we can survive Halloween week! And the post-holiday sales!! :carrot::carrot::carrot:

Morning all!

This past weekend was a disaster :o :o :o so I'm starting over today. I'm not going to weigh myself until Friday as I expect I'll have taken off all the bloat I put on this weekend by then.

My reunion on Friday was about as expected. I had a couple of really nice chats with a few people and the rest ignored me (just like high school :p).

DH and I had had a huge fight :mad: that morning (he left for his friend's place out of town and I was looking for a new apartment that afternoon). After I got home from the reunion I comfort ate :( while trying to figure out how to be single again.

We kind of resolved things on Saturday and are going to try to stay together but go for counselling. I spent the whole weekend alternating between sadness and extreme anxiety and generally making myself :crazy:. More comfort eating on Saturday and Sunday nights.

This morning I'm pulling myself together. Turns out DH's band is playing a show on Halloween night so I'm giving my candy and pumpkin to my cousin's wife tomorrow since we have to leave at 6 p.m. for the show.

I have my first hypnotism appointment on Thursday and I really, really hope that will give me the strength to get through next weekend without eating to relieve anxiety, stress and whatever else happens.

I can't go on like this. Change is necessary now. I'm tired of doing well all week and then throwing all that work away on the weekend. Overeating and drinking beer is not a celebration any more.

I'm now going to do the weight workout I missed yesterday.

Have a great Monday all!

Dagmar :cool:

Good morning, maintainers.

Meg, sounds like you have a fun "Halloween" plan.

Dagmar, I am sorry you had a rough week-end. :hug: I hope the counselor will be able to help you work things through.

I made it through my husband's business trip and the week-end POP. woot! I also checked NRLW out of the library and I am starting today! I am excited to be doing something new, but also scared that I am going to make a total a$$ out of myself at the gym. Oh well, wouldn't be the first time. ;) Anyone who's done the program - I would love to hear your suggestions, feedback, etc.

Good morning!

Meg, I imitated you yesterday and cooked enough food for the whole week. Four big pots of soup. I think DH and I are going to drown! :lol:

We're hosting a party with our cooking club for Halloween. It's a planned indulgence for me and I fully expect to eat a load of junk. No worries though, I'll make up for it the rest of the week. The real trick will be handling the leftovers. Since Halloween is Saturday, I'll have to avoid leftovers all day Sunday before I can take them to work Monday.

Dagmar, sorry to hear you and DH had a fight. I hope that counselling helps, it sounds like you have been headed that way for a while now. :hug:

Ward, have fun with NRLW! I'm about to start Stage 5. My only advice is that when you try to do the prone jackknifes, you will probably feel like an idiot and likely fall over. :lol: It's okay, just hang in there!

Funny dog park story -- I took Carter there yesterday morning, and while he was in general pretty well-behaved (didn't play, but didn't growl at anyone), he was hilarious with this one little white dog. Carter is about 80lbs, this white dog must have been about 10lbs. It totally wanted to play with Carter and kept running up to him and jumping around and yapping. Poor Carter was so scared! He kept backing away from the other dog and the other dog just didn't get it. For such a big dog he sure looks ridiculous running away from a little tiny dog!

Morning, all!

Had a lovely weekend catching up with family and restocking my freezer with meats from our specialty butcher. So we're all stocked up for several weeks, which is awesome. BUT we didn't get to go to the farmer's market for produce, so I had to go through my complicated dance of trying to figure out where the grocery store produce was grown (I try to at least get produce from in-state, if I can). That cut my variety down by a lot, but I got enough to get us through the week.

This is our first year where we actually will get trick-or-treaters, so we got ourselves a pumpkin to carve, and will be buying some form of candy that we don't like (and the last person to come to the door will get a LOT of leftovers, because they are NOT staying here.

Going into a busy couple weeks at work. Hope everyone is having an awesome start to the week!

This is our first year where we actually will get trick-or-treaters, so we got ourselves a pumpkin to carve, and will be buying some form of candy that we don't like (and the last person to come to the door will get a LOT of leftovers, because they are NOT staying here.


LOL, good luck knowing who that is :)

That reminds me of a story my sister told. She's an oncology nurse. A doctor wrote an order for a sedative 30 minutes before BM. He, or course, meant BM as in bone marrow (aspiration). The nurses were laughing and wondering how they were supposed to know when it's 30 minutes before a patient's BM.

Julie - when I was growing up, we always "shut down" the trick or treating...usually before the very end of it. Saturday I think we may end up with plans, so we'll get the little kids who are out earlier and leave before the older kids start showing up. So they may not be the last kids who pass our house, but they WILL be the last kids who get us to answer the door!

Hello maintainers!
I pledge to stay away from the Halloween candy!:devil::mad::devil::devil: I know if I eat one, I can't stop. Last year I had ZERO and I plan on repeating that again!! Plans for Halloween will hopefully be answering the door for the cute trick or treaters. I love seeing them. Some of them are afraid of my dogs while others try to come in to see them-- they are put up but kids can see and hear them..... DD (14) will be trick-or-treating with other teens and dh will be out of town. We'll see how it goes....

Friday night before he leaves we're going to a Halloween party. We went last year for the first time. It was a lot of fun. Lots of very interesting costumes-- many of which are R rated! I dressed pretty lame last year so this year I bought a ladybug costume (fairly sexy). Dh said he is going to surprise me... He isn't one to spend $$ so his costume will likely be something he can find in his closet.

I got back from visiting dd for parent's weekend. Busy and fun. Flew up Friday and flew back yesterday. Ate some pretty off plan meals, made some good choices, and at least managed to exercise each day in the hotel gym. Back to normal routine and hope to take off the couple of pounds I was trying to take off before I left. I want to make sure I'm back where I want to be before Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays hit!

Dagmar-- I am so sorry you are having such a hard time but so glad you are going to get counseling.

Hello to everyone else!! We can be strong this week....

Hello all. Somehow I missed posting here earlier, though I did read everything. Weird.

Dagmar - I'm sorry that you guys are having trouble, hope that the counseling helps. :hug:

Meg - I have a hard time wrestling one cat to the vet, let alone two or three! Hope the visit went well!

Ward - :high: on surviving the business trip! :)

Jessica - :lol: about Carter running from the little dog...

Amanda - why only instate produce? Supporting local farmers?

Julie - :rofl: on the BM story...

Michele - glad you had a good trip!

No big Halloween plans this year. DSS will be with his mom this year and our neighborhood isn't a big trick or treat site, so I'm figuring don't even buy candy. Two years ago two kids came by, last year my neighbors said it wasn't any better, I might just cut out the temptation this year. Make a nice dinner for DH & myself and watch a scary movie on tv. :)

Good night everyone!

DH announced last ngiht that he was "tired of being fat", went out to the garage and walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes, and had only a moderate snack (from the mess in the kitchen this morning) after that.

No nagging from me at all. I will offer suggestions/motivation :carrot: if he asks but I hope he will keep this up himself. And he can have all the compliments he wants! :D

And my dad has finally given up driving, as of last night. My cousin (male) only had to talk to him once about it and now he's hanging up the keys.

Looks like I might finally have a permanent reduction of two of my worst stressors. :woohoo:

Have a great Tuesday all!

Dagmar :dance:

I had a bit of a victory this weekend. My SIL has been trying to get my Mom & Dad to come with them here on Thanksgiving, but given my parents age and frailty, they've been quite hesitant. SIL gave them two options: they'll all fly down or they'll drive down. The problem with driving is that my brother and SIL own Subaru Outback station wagons and there would be 5 of them in the car--my mom wouldn't be able to bring her wheelchair which would severely limit her movement around my house and would preclude her from being able to go anywhere at all while she was down her (although we could probably rent her a chair). Anyway, I had invited my sister to come if she was able and she came up with a solution that worked! She and her husband will fly from Texas to SLC and then drive my Mom & Dad in M&D's car down here. So my Thanksgiving is set for a minimum of 14 people. Still a lot smaller than the 27 I've hosted in the past! Now to plan the menu!!!

I've been so busy at work that I can hardly look up and today my assistant called in sick. She doesn't work on Mondays and apparantly she wasn't feeling well yesterday either. Hope it's not the flu.

Meg- I love bouillabaise and am tres impressed you can make it :)

Dagmar- Way to get back on your feet. Glad to hear things are going better.

Ali- hope it's not the flu!

A friend is coming up to visit this weekend, and maybe I can convince her and my bf to stay home and give out candy for a little while, and then shut things down like Mandalinn and go out a bit later. I've never actually given out candy on Halloween before. I'm having a few friends over for dinner tomorrow night; it's not really a Halloween party per se but I am going to make a Halloween-themed cake, and make sure I have enough room to actually enjoy a slice :)

Good job everyone on the business trip surviving, thanksgiving planning, new gym routines, and good choices :)

I love bouillabaise too, though I have never undertaken it myself (I= intimidated) :-)

We don't get trick-or-treaters here, and don't have halloween candy except the lone pumpkin-shaped Reese's piece of candy that I picked up for my husband at the store. I almost got one for myself, to budget in this weekend ... but eh, it was a bad caloric deal for its size and I didn't bother.

Our only halloween plans are to watch scary movies that night, with a warm, autumn dinner. Either I will make broccoli chowder (recipe from RealAge) or my husband will make his Indian curry (we eat a lot of that lately).

I am planning on having a homemade, pumpkin-cinnamon waffle on Sunday morning, as I have the last 2 Sundays. I made and froze them a few weeks ago and they are delicious (260 calories, plus another 25 calories with a 1/2 tbsp of lite maple syrup on it).

Hi all,

My lecture yesterday went really well and the students were very engaged, so I was happy about that. I stopped at my favorite "city" grocery store while I was there, Publix, and got overly excited about the big squash selection (what does that say about me?). I bought a Delicata squash to try but I didn't let myself go too crazy. They had lots of fun squash, though! The turban kind, blue hubbard, buttercup, and several more. My weekend was really good and I was unnecessarily afraid of being alone in my house. I'm still working on reigning my food intake back in... :(

Saturday BF and I will go to a Halloween party at our friends house in the city. They're serving chili (probably not as lean as my own but I can deal with that option), I just need to watch out for the sugary things. I'm going to be a bag of jelly beans. BF's going to be Magnum PI, complete w/ Hawaiian shirt and he's growing out his 'stache. We were watching an old rerun last weekend and I told him, "you can't just grow a mustache, we have to make you a thatch of chest hair to be sticking out the top of your flowered shirt like Magnum!" I found doll hair at the craft store yesterday, and it's going to be hilarious. We're going to drive back late instead of spending the night at our friends to see the lighting of our newly rebuilt lighthouse at midnight, which BF actually helped rebuild.

No one trick or treats in my neighborhood so it won't matter that I'm not home, and though it might be fun to see kids costumes I'm not sad I don't need to deal with candy in my house!

WhitePicketFences, your cinnamon waffles sound delicious!

Allison, I'm glad your family could figure out how to transport everyone comfortably so you can all be together.

Dagmar, even though it's frustrating that a male cousin could get such a fast response, I'm glad your dad has agreed to stop driving if it means less stress for you! I hope your counseling is effective and you & DH can work things out.

Hi Shannon, Michele, Amanda, Julie, Jessica, Ward, Meg, everyone else!

:wave:

Hi everyone!

Shannon - in-state mostly for the lower fossil fuels to get it to me, as well as reduced transit time farm-to-table which makes it taste better.

Dagmar - so glad to hear that things are looking up. :hug:

Allison - wow, complicated logistics! Glad it's all worked out!

Forestroad - have a lovely dinner party! What are you cooking? I'm planning a lower-fat pumpkin chocolate chip ring for Thursday...will frost to look like a pumpkin.

WhitePicketFences - Waffle recipe? Those sound phenomenal!

Megan - Jelly beans sound like a cute costume! And the squash sound awesome...the farmers market has been brimming over with crazy varieties and I always get so excited.

Today - work, lifting, etc. It's supposed to be VERY windy here, so hopefully we don't blow away!

Good morning....

Started my day with a bobcat leveling the lot that backs up to mine at 6:55 am... this is after they had a semi in delivering sod at 9:00 pm last night... I understand that they have two lots to level and sod today and it is supposed to be hard rain after 1:00 pm but jeez! Some of us were still asleep at 6:55 am! It did give me that last little push to go ahead and get up for exercise - did 45 minutes of yoga. Was planning a run at the park this afternoon, but that was before I knew about the hard rain and 55 degree afternoon... Moving that plan to tomorrow afternoon when it is supposed to be partly sunny and 74. Tonight will be some elliptical trainer I think.

Amanda - makes sense on the produce.

Megan - cute costumes! :high: on the good weekend! :)

Dagmar - glad things are better! I hope DH sticks to the exercise plan, he will feel better. And glad your dad jung up his keys. That is a hard one for him, I know.

Picket - now I'm daydreaming about waffles...

Forest - everyone has to give out candy at least once! It is so much fun to watch the kids!

Allison - that does sound like a complicated holiday! Glad your parents are going to be able to make it!

I'm having a hard time getting my Thanksgiving thing scheduled. Historically, this gathering is at DH's Aunt's house and one arm of the family is always late (her daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter and there assorted stragglers) and we end up waiting for them. That side didn't ususlaly come for lunch, but showed up late for dessert and ended up making late lunch plates from the leftovers and ate twice, actually... We volunteered to host the aunt & uncle, the one cousin & my MIL who were normally there for lunch, figuring that the other group wouldn't come for lunch anyway. (They always have other plans that make them late in the first place, yet still expected us to wait in the past.) Right now we are at the stage of my cousin talking to her sister to find out plans. I'm thinking it is going to be at my house, so I get to decide the when and if people can make it they make it, if not, no showing up four hours late and expecting us to wait. Does that sound overlay harsh?

Good day everyone!

Wow, this morning was one of those mornings when it was IMPOSSIBLE to get out of bed. But I'm up now! TGFC... thank goodness for coffee! :coffee2:

Admittedly I was avoiding the thread yesterday because I had a lousy weekend. No more avoidance! Back on track!! I ran 3 miles last night - slowly but I did it.

Dagmar, I am so glad to hear you're getting a reprieve from those men in your life causing so much stress! I hope DH sticks with things and counseling goes well. (seriously, though, what IS it about men? They are so frustrating!!)

I am trying to decide if I'm going to go to a Halloween party Saturday night... honestly I don't want to get drunk and that's likely to happen if I go to this particular party. Drunk me = bad eating + feeling like poo the next day. I just don't want to deal with it!

Shannon, I don't wait food for anyone, myself. People can show up on time or late, but the food is over if they're late. If they don't like it... too bad. They can come on time next time.

Same thing with people wearing seatbelts in my car, just as an aside. I pull over until they are fastened in. Period.

Jay

Shannon, I agree with Jay. I understand some people have multiple commitments on Thanksgiving, but they should be understanding that the world does not revolve around them - if they miss lunch at someone's, they've missed that lunch. Not like they didn't get fed somewhere else. Tell them you're serving the main course at xx time, but if they can't make it then, you'd be happy to have them join you for dessert and coffee later. It's one thing to stretch dessert but it's unfair for them to expect you to totally change your schedule and/or keep many dishes of food out for hours so they can eat twice (that's not really safe, in any case).

The attitude of your post makes it seem as if you're annoyed at them for always making everyone wait - is this the case? Does the rest of the family feel this way? If so, maybe having the food gone when they arrive and will make it clear the main meal is over and give them the hint that their behavior isn't ok.

Of course maybe I'm a harsh person, too. My BF can tell you that you shouldn't dare make me wait to eat when I'm hungry, and I also pull over until people buckle up. :p

Megan- Glad your lecture went well; I'm such a terrible teacher/public speaker so I am very impressed with people who can make engaging lessons/presentations. It's a great talent.

Mandalinn- I am making spiced butternut squash soup in my slow cooker, with garam masala. Everyone else is bringing side dishes. I know soup isn't usually the main course, but it's healthy, delicious, and filling, so what else could you want?

Shannon- I lived through a pre-7 am start time construction site outside my window freshman year of college, and I don't care if it's going to rain later, I think it's ridiculous. 7 am is like the middle of the night to a college freshman! Also, I agree with Megan that you should let them know you won't wait by inviting them to join you for coffee/dessert if they can't make it on time.

Iris- if like me you want to go out but don't want to get drunk, but know that if you do go out you will end up drunk, eating crap at 2am, and hungover and feeling awful the next day, my advice is wine spritzers. It's actually my mother's tip for not making an a$$ out of myself at college/high school reunions, when I need a drink in my hand and I need to relax a bit but once I start am way too likely to have a few too many. That risk is cut in half with wine spritzers. Another good one is half light beer, half diet sprite...you still get to drink but end up consuming half the alcohol you would have otherwise. (It sounds gross but is actually quite refreshing...in Germany it's called an Alster or a Radler.)

Iris- if like me you want to go out but don't want to get drunk, but know that if you do go out you will end up drunk, eating crap at 2am, and hungover and feeling awful the next day, my advice is wine spritzers. It's actually my mother's tip for not making an a$$ out of myself at college/high school reunions, when I need a drink in my hand and I need to relax a bit but once I start am way too likely to have a few too many. That risk is cut in half with wine spritzers. Another good one is half light beer, half diet sprite...you still get to drink but end up consuming half the alcohol you would have otherwise. (It sounds gross but is actually quite refreshing...in Germany it's called an Alster or a Radler.)

Iris - you've likely read the Operation Take 5 or 10 where Shannon talks about choices. You can go to the party and not get drunk - it's your choice. Forest has some ideas, and I'll throw out a couple more. Alternate your alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones - I'll do a gin and tonic, then club soda with lime - they look the same - or just plain water. Honestly, if it's like most parties, no one will notice what you're drinking, only if you have a glass/bottle in your hand. Same with food at the party. A nearly empty or dirty plate assures people you're eating, but they really don't pay attention to what or how much. It does take planning and determination, but you can have this party turn out the way you want. :)

Dagmar - glad to hear your DH and your father are helping to reduce your stress!

Megan - sounds like your teaching gig went well. Delicata squash is one of my favorites - in fact I have on sitting on my counter. It's sweeter than some others.

Just thought I'd stop in and say :wave:

Still running between 5 to 10 pounds over my maintaining weight...

that's what I get for hanging out in General Chatter ;)

I am working my way back here gals...

I miss you all :hug:

Gary

Hey Gary I've been running about 5 lbs. over what has become my maintaining weight for about 3 months now. You can jump in here any time!

I dropped off the Halloween candy :devil: to my cousin's wife ( I regard her as a sister-in-law) yesterday. I felt so relieved! I wasn't consciously aware of how much its presence in the basement was bothering me until I got rid of it.

DH got home from his tax course last night at 10 p.m. and headed straight to the garage for the treadmill. He got extra hugs for that!

I'm off to find an errant cat - out in the rain lurking around somewhere. Never had another cat who likes the water as much as he does.

Have a great hump day all!

Dagmar :sklol:

Well, EZ, why aren't you in the Operation Take 5 (or 10) thread? ;)

Well, EZ, why aren't you in the Operation Take 5 (or 10) thread? ;)

Well I probably should be Baby Catcher....

but you know I have my own full of bologna/baloney threads going over in support...and over there...

I guarantee a 5 POUND LOSS....

just don't give a time limit....;)

How's x-country season going in your area?

Good morning everyone!

I finished assembling my Weider home gym last night, and after strength training on Monday, yoga yesterday morning and three hours of equipment assembly I am seriously sore today! Ouch. And I can see it in the 2.5 pounds up on the scale. I just can't shake the water weight. :dizzy: Still planning on the park after work, but moved my planned strength training this morning up until tomorrow morning. I have now gotten up early two days in a row, yesterday for the yoga, today I tweaked the Weider & did some cleaning on the coffee pot. I'm going to get back into the getting up in the morning habit.

Iris - I was going to say the same thing Pat did on the party. If you don't want to get drunk then don't do it. I often carry one beer or one mixed drink around at a gathering for hours to avoid the offers for more drinks. Focus on the hanging out and how great you look in your Halloween costume, don't give in to the drinking and overeating. You'll feel better on Sunday. :) :hug:

Megan - I am definitely annoyed with them for making us wait. :) We have my stepson at this event and he typically had to be back at his mom's by 6, so waiting for them until 4 and then having an hour drive back to her house was always really hard. And it isn't just me who finds the latecomers at this group frustrating and annoying, but everyone still seems to accommodate them. I think you guys are right - if the food is put up when they get there then they might get the message!

Jay - I'm like that on the seat belts, too. I sometimes won't even crank the car.

Forest - wow, 7am construction would have killed me as a freshman in college. I changed my major over a string of 7:30 am classes. :dizzy:

Pat - DH works for a company that provides satellite internet, and they service a lot of remote areas. Last night he ended up at work until after 8 because they had 28 municipal sites down in Alaska... Hope it wasn't you! :)

Gary - you are welcome to hang out here, even over goal. You can even still post in your bologna/baloney thread, though I'm beginning to doubt that thread's 'guarantee'! :lol:

Dagmar - :high: for DH and the treadmill! And to you for getting rid of the Halloween candy!

Good day everyone!

Shannon- I'm interested to hear how you like the home gym.

My dinner party is tonight...lentils and butternut squash are simmering away in the crock pot at home right now, with onions, carrots, garlic, broth, and garam masala...it's making me so hungry!

Iris, even though people urge you to have a drink , they really don't care, if they see a glass in your hand they don't know if it is diet 7UP . When people just insist I must have a drink I tell them I am the designated driver. This usually stops them.

Forest - that sounds fantastic! I have to learn more things like that for my crock pot... I'll let you know how the new gym works. I ran out without taking pics of it, I need to do that so I have proof that it is finished! Other than my skinned fingertips from tightening over 100 bolts down with a crescent wrench... I have to get a socket set before anything like this again. I have three sets now, but somehow the handles have gotten lost out of all of them... :mad:

Gary, you can lead a double life like me - I'm also working on these last 5 lbs but still hanging here in maintainers AND on listening to your bologna!

Forest, yum! Sounds like you are having a great dinner party!

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on the halloween party. Honestly I am thinking I might just go to a community event where I know there'll be no alcohol and then call it a night - I could still make it to this party afterwards, but I think I might just play it safe. I need to catch up on my sleep anyway!

Gary, you can lead a double life like me - I'm also working on these last 5 lbs but still hanging here in maintainers AND on listening to your bologna!

Or like me who has more than 10 to lose back to goal..... :( It comes off soooo slowly these days.

Pat - DH works for a company that provides satellite internet, and they service a lot of remote areas. Last night he ended up at work until after 8 because they had 28 municipal sites down in Alaska... Hope it wasn't you!


No Shannon, we are not that remote! We're on the road system and only 50 miles from Anchorage. I do have a number of library director collegues who are remote and have satellite service though - in places like Dutch Harbor which you see on Deadliest Catch. They pay a fortune for internet while we pay probably similar to what people in the "lower 48" pay. I pay about $50/month for my DSL (though it comes bundled with my digital TV and local phone service, so the whole bill is more than that).

It's getting colder here, and while it hasn't snowed in town or at my house, I did see a car parked downtown this morning that had snow on it. Must be someone who had driven in from further north (which is also at a higher elevation).

Whoops, got a meeting to run to. have a great day all.

I just made it in and out of the mall without getting the new and advertised everywhere Pepperoni Pretzel Pocket from Auntie Anne's pretzels. I actually made it without a pretzel at all, and I love the heck out of those things....

Woo hoo!

Hey Gary, how have you been? I see your threads in other areas, but don't have a lot of time these days. I just hang out here with the maintainers (and feel right at home with those maintainers who are trying to re-lose some weight!)

So, this afternoon my "job" is to make my Thanksgiving menu and start a shopping list. It's been so busy here at work this week, but I finally have a little "down" time to do some personal stuff!

..... AND listening to your bologna!


Why thank you for listening to my BS (baloney stuff) Iris! How about you come over here and be a PIRATE with Angie at Trunk or Treat and I go there to the party ;)

Is it windy for you there today? How about you ALLISON?

Thanks for the welcome back LADIES...:hug:

DAGMAR I am so happy to see DH manning up to that treadmill...maybe things are going to "shape" up real soon! :hug:

I will return....soon.

"Windy" does not begin to describe yesterday and today! I walked home last night and got a free facial exfoliation!!

"Windy" does not begin to describe yesterday and today! I walked home last night and got a free facial exfoliation!!

I work at the beach. Fierce winds down there most of the fall, winter, and spring. Some days I glow cherry red in the evening after I wash my face. Lots of aloe vera lotion in my house!

Dagmar

I was offered Halloween goodies at my class last night and took one small chocolate bar. I ate it during class, hoping there would be no aftermath at home.

Didn't work. I was ravenous (combination of too much caffeine, not enough sleep, and the tiny evil chocolate bar)when I got home and started eating.

All healthy stuff though.

First hypnosis session tonite. My anxiety levels have been so high this week I imagine anything she does will help at this point.

I'll be so glad when DH's show is over Saturday. He's always nervous and irritable before a show and I'm just tiptoeing around him.

Have a good day all!

Dagmar :tired:

Just wanted to add a late for party story.
My friend had a BBQ and no A/C in the house it was a thousand degrees inside. She had the food out (indside) and was waiting to serve it for some latecomers. Finally she served it to the present guest. Well when the latecomers came and ate, the food was now out for an eternity they all got sick.
Lesson food is out on time and if you come late there is a refridgerator and microwave you are on your own.

Yeah, Gary, it was windy here for the past two days. And it brought a lot of cold here, too. We're just not ready for that. I actually had to wear jeans today! lol Shorts perhaps by the weekend.

Planning for Turkey day isn't going well. I wanted to think of some original thing and instead it's the same old, same old stuff. Does anyone have an idea for a side dish, Thanksgiving friendly, that will add some extra color to the plate? Thanksgiving is always so bland looking except for the cranberries.

DS woke up this morning and found he was out of contacts. Poor geeky kid had to wear his glasses to school--makes him look even geekier! It's his own fault--he needs to keep tabs on when he uses his last pair. I can't do that for him without mothering him to death (although he'd probably appreciate it!).

Allison - maybe something with greens like kale? That makes me think of fall and will add some color and nutrition. Or beets - I love beets! I'll have to check out some of my recipes, I used to make interesting things for Turkey day when I was a vegetarian.

Dagmar, I know how it is with one little bit making you ravenous (it's the jawas!!). I hope the hypnosis helps - let us know how it works. I've actually been considering trying acupuncture for some of my stress and fatigue issues... there is a community acupuncture place here that charges on a sliding scale.

Allison- second on the beets; roasted beets make a great side dish and are very harvesty; you can also add in golden beets and rutabaga/turnip/acorn squash for some color variety. I'm not really a kale person but I love creamed spinach and you can make it with very little cream. How about mashed sweet potato?

For lunch today I made a "southwest salad" inspired by the fresh corn I had bought at the grocery store. Romaine, red pepper, corn, black beans, leftover roasted chicken. For my dressing I used salsa. Is that weird of me? I love salsa with veggies!

Allison, I always look at both a balance of colors and textures when I'm trying to make a "pretty plate". I like Iris's ideas about greens. Maybe some green beans? Peppered with some chopped up tomato (red)? Of course there are brussel sprouts, broccoli, many other greens. I love the beets idea - such a vibrant color! Then there are sweet potatoes (orange), and you could also roast a variety of squash, though I can think of mostly similar orange-colored squash. Corn. Roasted root vegetables (turnips, carrots, sweet & regular potatoes, etc.). Other ideas - set out a veggie platter appetizer with many different colored veggies. Carrots, cauliflower, various colored bell peppers, broccoli, cherry tomato, olives, a dip with spinach in it for some vibrancy. How about a fall centerpiece of decorative pumpkin, squash, apples, pears of various colors? Do you get any good fall colored leaves where you live? You could use those as a decoration somehow.

Allison, what are you eating for Thanksgiving that it looks bland and boring??? :lol: It's one of my most colorful meals of the year! Here are some things I love to have at Thanksgiving:
- Mixed greens salad with feta cheese, roasted beets, pomegranate seeds, and candied nuts (healthier if you use plain nuts). I serve it with Newman's Own low fat cranberry walnut vinaigrette.
- Cranberry sauce or relish. For sauce, follow package directions. I'm trying to remember my MIL's relish recipe. I think it was 2C cranberries, 1 orange, 1C sugar, combined in food processor.
- Candied yams or sweet potato casserole. My mom's candied yams are bright orange with crusty sugary coating, obviously not particularly low-cal. Cooking light has a couple great sweet potato casseroles with oat toppings.
- Brussels sprouts!!!
- Sauteed green beans with shallots, mushrooms, and walnuts.
- Make a stuffing that has colorful things in it, like dried cranberries, pumpkin, etc.

Roasted root vegetables! They're so pretty and colorful and fall-like. I also love homemade cranberry sauce (hope to be able to can some this year to give as gifts/hostess gifts for turkey day), colorful salads...and even herb garnishes can make a big difference in terms of color on the plate (think chives on your mashed potatoes, flecks of rosemary in the rolls, etc). And I second the idea of making a stuffing/dressing with lots of color...dried cherries are phenomenal for this. I also love roasted brussels sprouts at Thanksgiving. Mmm.

Just went and got 6 more injections in my shoulder. Officially have a diagnosis...unofficially, the diagnosis sucks because all of the treatments for it, I've tried, and it still hurts. So we're trying the shots again, along with some massage techniques. But wow, those shots are NOT comfortable.

Off to meetings, then exercise as much as possible given the shoulder situation, more work, then tonight we go to my cousin's haunted house to get the bejeezus scared out of us (it's NOT a haunted house for kids. I have been known to scream. A lot).

Thank you! I love the idea of roasted root veggies and I think I can probably pull that off (some of the family is a bit picky, but they can just eat the other stuff!!). My brother refuses to eat Brussels sprouts, but the rest of the family likes those. I had been thinking beans--see how boring I am? The herb garnishes make a whole lot of sense, too.

I was going to do sweet potatoes or yams so that and beans and the cranberry relish (I make my own, too) was going to be the bulk of the color. We'll see how it all works out.

Jessica~my family, for whatever reason, doesn't think salad goes well with Thanksgiving. Vegetables, yes, so perhaps I'll just get as colorful as possible there.

Amanda~good luck at the haunted house. I don't like being scared! I'd probably scream and have a heart attack!!

I have no suggestions on the Thanksgiving meal items, as I am not a creative cook. I am enjoying reading them though, as I am planning my menu as well! :)

Amanda - sorry your shoulder is still giving you trouble. Enjoy your haunted house!

Megan - your salad sounds great! I had a very similar one, I just got it from Panera Bread. I had a small amount of barbecue sauce instead of salsa, but salsa sounds fantastic. I really like it on veggies, too.

Allison - maybe wearing glasses to school will make him keep track of his contacts better! Or, he might find that some of the girls think glasses are cute. :)

Hi Gina! No, I don't want to make anyone sick. Food goes up after a certain time!

Dagmar - hope the hypnosis session goes well!

I made it to the park yesterday after work for a run and got in a good, though short, workout this morning. Sunny outside again, had a good salad for lunch, passed up the cookie I picked up and put down three times. I'm feeling good today.

:wave: to everyone I missed! Have a great day everyone!

Hi, everyone--

Making this post all about me--sorry. I had a mammogram this week and got a call that the dr. wants me to go and have a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. After reading about them online, I'm hoping I have a calcification, which occurs in 50% of women over 50. Luckily, I have no family history of breast cancer, had my first child before 30, breastfed both of them, and, best of all, I'm not overweight. And I got on the scale this morning to find I'm still under my redline weight. Not bad for three years now of maintenance. I wish I could remember the exact date I started maintaining--I do remember the date I started losing (Oct. 18), though.

So, please think good thoughts for me. I believe in the power of people's good thoughts. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. As someone who dislikes snow intensely, I'm glad that I don't live in Colorado anymore. . .

Sheila, :hug: I'm hoping for the best for you!

So a couple friends of ours sent me a message last night to say that they can come to our Halloween party, which is great since we haven't seen them in forever! I'm excited! However, they weren't able to find a babysitter so they're bringing their kids with them. That's not a problem, I don't mind kids, but I don't know what we'll do with them. I told my friend to bring along some books or toys for them since we have basically no kid stuff in our house at all. I have a lot of stuffed animals but that's about it!

This will also be a good test for our dog. He's great with kids he meets on the street or at the park (lets them run up to him and pet him and everything with no signs of distress), but we've never had kids in our house before. The previous owners gave him up because they were having a baby and were concerned about having a large dog around. We will be keeping his muzzle and leash handy just in case.

I know general wisdom says to just shut him in another room while we have company, but I'm 99.999% sure that if we shut him upstairs, he will either (a) break the door down, (b) claw up the door so badly we have to replace it, (c) destroy whatever he can find in the room, and/or (d) whine and bark nonstop the entire time. He was very well-behaved at last year's Halloween party so I'm really hoping it won't be a problem. The only sneaky thing he did last year was stealing a plate full of scraps off the coffee table! The only time he ever does any destructive behaviors is if we shut him away from us.

OK, sorry for being the neurotic dog-obsessed dog mom. Now back to your regularly scheduled weight maintenance chat!

Jessica~I owned a dog that was destructive when shut away. If we locked her out of the house, she'd eat the screen door. If we locked her in a room, she'd eat the carpet or the door. She was only happy if she could be where SHE wanted to be. I would call her something, it starts with a B, but we loved that dog! Hopefully Carter will get along with the kids and that will aid in their entertainment, but keep an eye on them. Sometimes kids who aren't used to dogs, get carried away and might do something that Carter thinks isn't so fun.

Good luck Sheila. My first mammo at aget 30 ended up with a followup ultrasound. It scared the bejeebers out of me, but it was nothing and I haven't had any worries since (but thinking it is weird my doc didn't order a mammo this year--I wonder what he'll say next year?). I don't have a family history, either. My Mom did get a lump, but she was 79 at the time.

Good luck, Sheila. I had to go for a follow up and an u/s one time, too. It turned out to be nothing. I hope it's the same for you. :hug:

:hug: Sheila. I've had several callbacks on mammograms. A couple were cysts that they drained, and once it was pre-cancerous tissue (had that surgically biopsied, but it was nearly 20 years ago), and one that they decided was a calcification. They just watch that, but it's not changed in over 5 years. Hope it goes as well for you! :)

Allison - on your T'day dinner, take a look at Robin's "I need your help" thread. She has some very yummy ideas there.....

We had a meeting with our financial/tax advisor yesterday. The good news is that it looks like we've paid in enough to be fairly close on our taxes this year - yay! And that I'm right on track to be able to retire at the end of April - whoopee!! That's just 6 more months to work - and it can't happen soon enough. Funny, as I don't dislike my job really. I'm just ready to be done with the stress of it, the having to be here every day, yada yada. So after that we did a couple of errands and then out to eat. We went to Chinese so I'm feeling a little puffy today - and I didn't weigh. But I brought home more than half....

No advice on the dog Jessica, but hopefully he'll be entertaining to the kids and they won't pester him into misbehaving.

Good job on the exercising Shannon. I missed the last 2 days so I'll do both a LB workout and a HIIT cardio today. I'll miss tomorrow as well, so I'll do both again on Sat. Sunday is a scheduled rest day and I'm going to the local theater company production of Agatha Christie's Spiderweb. 2 GFs and I hav season tickets - and chose Sun afternoon to avoid the DHs watching sports. :lol:

Good Luck, Sheila :hug:

Good luck Sheila.
I've also been called back each time (except my first) that I've had mammograms. I've had multiple ultrasounds and biopsies and they've all been calcifications. Hearing stories like ours will only reassure you when you hear your own positive results. Hugs to you.

Jessica-- I hope Carter does well with the kids. Let us know how it goes.

Good Thoughts coming your way Shelia.

TGIF!

Add me to the list of those with questionable mammograms which turned out fine. :goodvibes: to you, Sheila!

We're having a dinner party tomorrow night featuring bouillabaisse, which most people love but takes a lot of work. So my day is going to be groceries, cooking and cleaning. :dizzy:

Good luck, Sheila. I had to go for a follow up and an u/s one time, too. It turned out to be nothing. I hope it's the same for you. :hug:

Me too. Good luck Sheila :hug:

Dagmar :sklol:

The hypnosis did not go well. The woman who came out of the session before me seemed really pleased with her results so I had a great deal of hope going in.

However the conditions in the office were not conducive to me even relaxing, never mind going into an "altered" state.

You'd think, with every client paying $140 per session, that they could give you headphones that would cut out the noise from the street. I kept hearing cars, people talking and yelling, etc. and that interrupted what the therapist was trying to do.

I mentioned this to her and she told me to "just ignore it". Hmmm.

There might be some very legitimate hypnotherapists out there but I feel I did not see one of them last night.

I'm now going to look into some sessions with a "life coach". I've been reading a column in "O" magazine for awhile written by someone who does this and what she says makes a lot of sense.

Even though I could probably just buy a book I think at this point I need some face-to-face validation and support from someone for issues other than diet/maintenance. I get great support for those here but the stress/anxiety is overwhelming me.

Have a great Friday all!

Dagmar (:tired: of being :tired:)

Allison, the one time we locked Carter out of the house (because we had put ant poison down) he ate a hole in the window screen and jumped back in! If we lock him out of our bedroom in order to have some, uh, alone time, he will bark and whine incessantly and paw at the door. These two kids have two big dogs in their house so they're familiar with dogs, but their dogs have a different temperment (a lab/? mix and a lab/chow mix, as opposed to our german shepherd/doberman mix). Carter's friendly but he doesn't lick faces and he doesn't beg for attention as much as their dogs do. We'll make sure to keep an eye on them.

Almost time for Halloween! TGIF is right, I can't wait for the weekend! Our Halloween dinner is going to be so far from healthy it's not funny. OTOH I have planned for it and kept my calories low all week in preparation, so it's okay. I have two pumpkins to carve and I'm doing an alien on one, but trying to decide between a fish and a ladybug for the other. Hmmm . . .

Dagmar, sorry the hypnotherapy was a bust. I don't know exactly how Canadian healthcare works but would the system pay for you to see a therapist? After all, I think a "life coach" is basically a would-be psychologist with less training and certification. Or, since you and DH are planning on marriage counselling, you might be able to see that counselor privately as well. :hug:

:hug:,Sheila.

I think a "life coach" is basically a would-be psychologist with less training and certification.

Actually, a life coach is absolutely NOT supposed to be a substitute for a psychotherapist, and coaches are NOT generally "would-be psychologists." My partner is a retired psychologist who is now getting her certification (yes, certification) as a life coach, and it is very different from therapy or counseling. A coach helps you reach YOUR goals, whatever they may be, by lending support and structure. They do not get into background, childhood, traumas, analysis, and so on.

Dagmar, maybe as paperclippy suggests, you should be looking for a therapist, such as a clinical psychologist, to talk with.

Jay

Sheila - questionable mammogram here as well, on my very first one which freaked me out, and I've watched my mom have to go back for follow up on hers as well with no problems. :hug: to you, and hope that yours comes back fine, too.

Jessica - good luck with Carter! I've had a dog who would do the same things, it was easiest to just let her out and keep her under wraps than to try to lock her up.

Meg - bouillabaisse... yummy. Enjoy your party!

Pat - how did the exercise go yesterday?

Dagmar - sorry about the hypnosis. That is annoying about the traffic noise. You definitely have to be in the right frame of mind to be susceptible to hypnosis. Life coach might not be a bad idea, though therapy might help too. They do work in different ways. Good luck. :hug:

Got up and exercised this morning. Going downtown for our first ever random drug screens at our flagship location. Going to be a busy busy day.

Good day everyone!

Jay, thanks for the correction, I didn't actually know that about life coaches. I was just thinking that since Dagmar said she was being overwhelmed by stress and anxiety it sounded like the sort of thing you would go to a psychologist for rather than a life coach.

Dagmar-- sorry the hypnosis didn't work the way you planned. I know you had high hopes for it. I do think that some people can be easily hypnotized while others cannot be... a lot has to do with degree that you are able to relax and if you are an uptight person (not saying you are!), it may not work for you. I doubt I would be able to be hypnotized though I've never tried it.

Jessica-- we had a dog like Carter. She was a Doberman and the best dog we've ever ever had. We brought her to my in-laws for Christmas and they wanted us to lock her in a (tiny) bathroom while we went to church so their prissy obnoxious dog could have the run of the house. She wasn't used to being confined and when we returned she had clawed through the door. It was completely and totally ruined. I felt bad but I was kinda like-- I told you so.... Another time our dachshund was locked up at their house (see a pattern emerging) and she dug at the carpet at the door. We managed to fix that without the in-laws realizing (I think anyway!)

I have to share my funny hair stories this week. I work at a school and each day we've had a different theme for "red ribbon" week. Why I would trust my faulty memory without checking the schedule-- I'll never know... anyway, Wednesday I thought it was Crazy Hair Day. I have long, black, curly hair and a lot of it. My dd did my hair very crazy with ponytails, braids, buns, clips, you name it. I got to school and was told by our two office managers that it wasn't crazy hair day. I really thought they were joking but in the back of my mind, I was wondering why their hair looked normal. Quickly took everything out of my hair, thereby having a very bad hair day, and didn't participate in the planned day (Mismatched shoes and socks day). Yesterday WAS crazy hair day, so dd repeated my do, complete with straigtening part of it, etc. I got tons of great comments until a 5th grade girl asked me if I painted the white streak in my hair like she did. Guess it is time to see my colorist!!! I can usually hide the grey fairly well but not with all the ponytails, etc. Sigh... out of the mouths of babes....

Today I'm dressed as a cowgirl. I've got ponytails but a cowboy hat on to cover the roots!!!

Hope everyone has a great Halloween!!

Hello Maintainers! :) I guess it was high time I came back here, after having been absent for something like 6-7 weeks or even more? The truth being that since I've quitted my old job, I don't have nearly as much time to spend on the computer, and of course I automatically cut down on many things. But I sure hope I won't only have the time to come back every 2 months only!

So I hope everybody's doing fine, because I can't possibly catch up on everything I've missed since September... a-hem.

Everyone - Good luck regarding the Halloween candy to manage! I'm somewhat lucky in that I don't like candy, but we're also holding our own party this week-end, and raclette cheese will be a whole other matter to take care of. ^^

Dagmar - Yeah, hypnosis doesn't work the same (or at all) on everyone. I hope you'll find something that works for you. :(

Sheila - Crossing my fingers for you!

School holidays for me at the moment, and they're almost more stressing than school days themselves. There are so many people I want to see and so many things I want to do, I'm starting to think having no social life wasn't always so bad after all. :lol:

Teaching isn't easy, but preparing classes is interesting, and I still get up thinking "gee, I love this job", in spite of all my problems, so I guess it's a good thing. Also I dressed up as a witch to teach a class about Halloween and they loved it (when I say I've got the same mental age as my pupils... :rolleyes: ). Seriously, a job where I can do that and have it considered in a positive light by my colleagues? Fun!

And then I took opportunity on the holidays to finally get the tattoo I had planned on having were I to pass my competitive exam. Now it's finally done, and I love it. :D Yay for life and all that. (No, I'm not hyper... er, well, maybe a little?)

Do share about your tattoo Kery!! What did you get and where?!?!

I got my first one this year as well to commemorate the positive changes I've made in my life. I love it (and still have managed to hide it from disapproving relatives!)

I have a MAJOR case of the munchies today. I really feel hungry. It's almost lunch time and I'm watching the clock. Since breakfast, I've eaten a ton of raw baby carrots, some dried apple chips, and a bag full of 100 calorie popcorn. And had two cups of hot tea and some water. That is all since breakfast... Sigh....... I was super hungry last night too but I attributed it to spin class Wed. night. I didn't work out last night but I worked both jobs so I was working from 7 am- 8 pm so maybe that is also part of it.... I will not eat all of the Halloween cupcakes, candy, breads, and cakes that are floating around school today!!!

Michele - It's a mix between a dragon and an Ouroboros, on my left upper arm. The Ouroboros is meant to symbolize the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one (me leaving a plateauing career to totally change my life and embrace another job...plus it all happened in my 30th year, which is another ending and beginning, after all). The dragon part is meant to give it a more 'aggressive' aspect—not in a negative way, but to reflect my committment and willpower to fight and not let life drag me down.

This is the picture I've taken some 7-8 hours after the tattoo was done, once the ink and lymph were cleaned. It'll probably be less dark in a couple of weeks; I just wanted to take a pic before I start getting scabs. :D

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2779/tattoodone.th.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/i/tattoodone.jpg/)

Hi all,

Another day of field work for me, and it was a very pretty day to be outside so I was happy. Tonight BF and I are going to celebrate the life of his good friend who passed away 1 year ago. He made it to 82 years old, but BF had a very close relationship w/ him and has talked about him not only all year, but bringing him up all month quite a bit. I just spoke w/ BF and he says he's doing ok, and genuinely seems like he is indeed doing ok. Anyway, his friend loved happy hour with friends so many of his friends are going to happy hour together. I will have a drink to toast him!

Yesterday the facial hair BF is growing out for his Magnum PI costume got to him, so he shaved the beard. I think he looks so funny with a mustache! I'll post pictures of our costumes next week!

Kery, I love the tattoo! It looks great, and what appropriate symbolism as well! I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying your new job so much. You worked so hard for it.

Michele, would eating something with some healthy fats (nuts, nut butter, hb egg, string cheese?) help kill the munchies? Sometimes when I'm munchy I'll realize I haven't had enough fat, and I find it really satiating.

Michele, I'm laughing so hard at your accidental wacky hair day. :rofl:

Jessica, enjoy your dinner party and I hope Carter does ok with the kids. It's probably good for him to be introduced to a few kids, and I forget how old the kids are - with young ones it might be good to have you and their parents show them how to pet the dog "gently" to make sure they know not to pull hair etc.

Dagmar, I'm sorry the hypnotherapy was such a disappointment. I think finding a life coach or therapist can be like finding a doctor. You might need to try a few to find one who suits you.

Sheila, the odds are in your favor that this isn't serious. :hug: When is your follow-up testing? I'll be thinking of you.

Meg, I hope you have a nice dinner party and the bouillabaisse comes out well.

Hi Amanda, Shannon, Jay, Gary, Iris, Forestroad, Pat, Midwife, bargoo, Allison, Gina, Ward, and everyone else lurking out there. Have a SPOOKTACULAR Halloween everyone! :badbat:

Morning - or well, it's nearly noon here. I went this morning to have the stitches out from my mole removal. They had no definitive answer for me. The pathologist felt is was not cancerous, but had some other things he didn't like, so they've sent it out to Univ of Washington for a second opinion, so I won't know til next week at least. But in any case, it's gone from my body - and now with the stitches out it doesn't itch anymore either. :lol:

After that I had a meeting with the pastor of my church at her house to go over some planning stuff (I'm the VP of the Church COuncil (until Feb) and the president is away since his MIL died last week.

Work is very quiet - yay! My usual Friday lunch buddies are both otherwise occupied today, so I'm on my own. I'll be doing some errands so I don't have to do so much tomorrow.

Shannon - the exercise didn't happen last night as I ended up working late helping someone and then had a headache so I went home and rested (DH was out at a class). I need to do a good long session at the gym tomorrow morning, and my plan is to get up, eat a banana and go so it's done and not jammed in at the end of the day. :)

We have a Halloween party at our square dance club tonight. I'm bringing store bought cookies and hopefully they'll all be gone! I've borrowed a sweatshirt from a friend that's black and says "This is my costume." Sooo not into finding a costume this year. DH is going as a piano mover - complete with muscles made of doll stuffing material!

Kery - love your tattoo!

Michele, that is hilarious about the hair! :lol: My mom stopped dyeing her hair a couple years ago (she's about to turn 62) -- she and I were actually both surprised that it wasn't as gray as we thought it would be! The grayest parts are right at her hairline and roots, which is where they always showed with the dye, so we thought she'd be 100% gray without it. Turns out she's still salt-and-pepper.

Megan, have fun at the happy hour! The kids are I think 3 and 5 years old, but they do have dogs at home so they should be okay. I'm mostly concerned Carter will either be afraid of them and snap/bark, or get too excited about playing and accidentally knock them down or scratch them with his paws (though luckily we finally have his nails under control). When he wants to play he tends to put his paw on you, and he's big enough that a well-placed paw could knock over a 3-year-old.

I'm grumpy because our lunch meeting at work had the unhealthiest food ever (I already complained in the Operation Take 5 thread) so I didn't eat much, but now I'm hungry and the only thing available in the break room is chocolate cake, which I certainly don't have room for in my calorie budget after that high-cal lunch.

Kery, welcome back!

Pat, I wasn't really into finding a good costume this year either. I just picked up a generic witch costume at the store.

Keri~my DD wants an Ouroboros. I think she'd like yours.

Speaking of my DD, she was home last week and we all went to the golf cart parade. Her old high school band was marching in it, so she stopped off before hand to talk with her old friends and she found out that IF she had her teaching credentials she could get a job at the high school today. That made her decide to drop computer science as a dual major, so now she's music education major only and it should shave 2 years off her education. She even went so far as to withdraw from the CS class she's been in all semester (with only 6 weeks to go). I can't blame her, she really hates it--she found out that CS is not her forte as she struggled with it constantly.

Pat~I had a mole removed about 14 years ago and because I scar easily, the cut and the stitches came out to look just like a spider! It's faded a bit over the years, but you can still see where each stitch was put in. One more reason not to wear a bikini! lol hope the results are favorable.

:lol: Allison, this one is where no one but me, DH and the doc will ever see the scar no matter what I'm wearing! The scar is quite obvious right now, but I'm sure it'll fade out a lot. I still had nasty red places from the band-aids they put over it last Thurs! My skin hates any kind of adhesive, including the so-called non-allergenic stuff.

I'm off to lunch - both my GFs that I usually eat out with are not available today. I'm thinking I'll get some soup from the sandwich shop. They usually have Hungarian Mushroom on Fridays. Then I'll do some errands. It's cold and very windy out..... :brr:

:wave:

Driveby post. Shoulder is still aflame (will be for at least another 24 hours) but the world doesn't stop, so I had to get some yard stuff done. Which didn't help, but you know, was unavoidable (let's just say that this morning, as I worked out on my elliptical, I saw three kittens scampering across my yard...only to be completely submerged and hidden by my out of control grass). I sort of did a hack job, but at least it's better.

More work, possibly to library, going to get prescription...crazy day!

Amanda, I hope your shoulder feels better!

I had a mole removed from the top of my head! :lol: The worst part was that they had to shave a little spot, so for the next while I had this one patch of short hair sticking straight up in the middle of my head. There's still a little divot in my scalp where they took the mole out.

I had one on my cheek shaved down when I was a teenager (I have some genetic propensity to have a million moles all over my body, luckily they are not cancerous). I'm considering going in to have one on my neck shaved down because it kind of bugs me, but to be honest I'm not sure having it shaved down is worth having the local anisthetic injected in my neck!

Jessica,
I only started dying my hair about two years ago (I am 42) because my MIL kept asking me when I was going to dye it (RUDE:mad:). I think mine will stay more or less salt and pepper even when I'm older because I have my dad's hair and he was salt and pepper until the end. It is such a nuisance and an expense to dye it that I may stop at some point-- but I don't want to be thought of as older than I am-- vain I know.... I had my kids when I was quite young so most of my girls' parents are in their 50s. Now that I've worked so hard to get into shape, I don't want anyone thinking I'm 50 (someone actually asked me if I was 50 when I turned 40 and said it was a big one-- that one hurt).

Love the tattoo Kery! So original! Is it your first one?

Megan-- I think protein/fat would have helped but I didn't have any with me at work. I ate my lunch (which was low fat but at least some fat) and it helped a bit but I'm getting hungry again. I'll go home and make something soon..... It is possible that I'm not eating enough fat routinely. Is there a general rule as to how much we should be eating?

Michele - don't I remember from WW that there is a "desired" amount of healthy fats? I remember resenting the points they cost. :lol: I did find that whenever I cut them too low I stopped losing. I find that having protein with every meal/snack really helps me stay satisified, along with having enough fat each day.

[B]Kery[B] Hey! Glad to hear the teaching is going well. Great tat!

Thanks (sorry, forgot who posted it)for the clarification on what exactly a life coach does. I think that might be what I need. Have done the talk therapy (and am going with DH) but now I feel I'd like to have someone who will help me actively get to my goals.

For tonite's entertainment I'm going to now give myself my "vampire" manicure with dark grey pearlescent polish. I think it will look rather cool actually.

Have a great night all!

Dagmar :badbat:

Kery, I love that tattoo! Part of me really wants to get one, but I'm kind of fickle sometimes so I'm afraid a few years down the road I'll feel differently.

Jessica, I have a mole on my head! (For some reason, I'm really amazed that other people have this issue...) And I think your shaved patch story is enough to deter me from getting it removed. I'd look very silly since the rest of my hair is so long!

Dagmar, bummer about the hypnosis. Doesn't sound like they had the best location/set-up.

Megan - Thank you. :) (And I'm glad I'm enjoying my job as well, otherwise it'd be a problem. XD)

Allison - Feel free to show it to her. :)

Amanda - I hope your shoulder gets better soon!

Michele - Yes, it's my first one (but I'm already thinking about the next one ^^). It's not so original in that I combined existing elements to design it, I didn't create it just from scratch, but at least this way it means something to me. If I had taken only the serpent basis, I know I wouldn't have been satisfied.

Iris - That's one thing to keep in mind, indeed. I thought about mine for a good 3 years, probably even more (for the Ouroboros part, at least). But I tell myself that even if I come to change my mind, it will still represent an important part of my life, with the symbols I associated to it. And regretting it would be throwing away that period, so I think I'll have no sorrows in any case. It's not some silly "I love Bob" tattooed on my wrist. :lol: