Chris, good going on the weight loss.

I'm sorry Saef, both for you and for your friend's loss.

Krampus How was the pizza war?

Steph7409 Hope feb is better for ya :/

ChrisMohr Yay for the 4 lb loss!!!

So it's cold here yesterday was -44 (with windchill -31 without)...couldn't start my car yesterday so I had to take a taxi and told the VIP he could pay for it since he didn't leave me a key for the garage (only one key works I've been after him since October to get the door knob figured out as every key he gets cut doesn't work) I wasn't the happiest camper yesterday, nor even this entire week. Today it's 'only' -17C - feels 'balmy' !

I dislike audits on your work....when a team of people with oodles of time and oodles of experience come and take a look at what you're doing it's a GREAT thing (not being sarcastic here it is good to have new eyes)...it just exhausts you when they see something you've not 'seen' for years and when they point it out you think "HOLY CRAP HOW DID I MISS THAT" <sigh>

Needless to say the guilt factor has been big in my life this week therefore I'm highly exhausted...coupled with a sinus infection that may or may not be gone yet...ugh.

HOWEVER, I have not caved for any of what would have been 'normal emotional' foods...but I do find that as a result of exhaustion and guilt I want to go shopping for new clothes (I haven't done that as I'm trying to follow my own personal budget)...which leads me to believe the VIP.....that perhaps I moved my emotional eating to emotional shopping. Don't want to end up on one of those shopping addiction shows

Emotional shopping.... yes-- I know it all too well!

I am such an emotional shopper. For food, for clothes, for books, for fitness equipment. Whatever I can get my hands on, really.

Saef - I'm so sorry for your friend's loss, and for the stress on you the last few days. Those meetings never seem to feel worth it once everything is said and done.

Good job on the weight loss, Chris!

Steph - sorry that January has been rough, but congrats on the job offer. I hope that they come through with a little more money.

Becky - January is gone, time to start clean with (at least down here) signs of spring.

Sheila - glad the contractor stepped up!

Dagmar - how did it go with the realtor?

I'm now three days under 140. In newly comfy pants again. I'm happy with this. Let's see if I can make it through the weekend.

Another emotional shopper here, Ishbel. I can tell when a "funk" is coming - I just feel like checking out of the real world and shopping. As a result I have a smaller yearly IRA contribution/savings balance and a cooler wardrobe. :P

Pizza Wars was a disaster, we left after 5 minutes. Disorganized and the pizza didn't even look good.

Steph, congrats on the job offer!

Saef, sorry for your friend's loss, and for the emotional difficulty for you of helping her through it.

I feel like I should say something about weight maintenance now, but there's not much to say. It's been a bit of a mental struggle for me to go from watching my weight, eating mostly veggies, and working out 4-6 days/week to watching my weight go up and up, eating mostly meat and cheese to get enough protein, and having my only exercise be a 15-min dog walk a couple times a week. But, all is well pregnancy-wise according to yesterday's ultrasound, so whatever I'm doing must be okay.

Goal for this weekend: pick out cribs, stroller, and car seats. I'm trying to decide between these two strollers: option 1 option 2. Neither one is available in-store for me to look at in person anywhere though.

Jessica - I like the one that has the stadium seating and the babies face you, for what its worth. The other one they face out side to side and that seems weird to me.

I agree.

How do I make kale chips without smoking up the house?

My first and only attempt was in the oven and I didn't like how they turned out--greasy and basically they fell apart as I tried to eat them.

I have a friend who has a cheap drier that goes in the microwave and she says it make all vegetables into the greatest chips--even kale.

Ah, right. My coworker has a drier and uses it on apples. I tried baking crispy green beans and would up with a soggy mess, too. Maybe I'll just cook the kale with some oil and garlic instead. I'm in one of those places where I have to use everything in the farmer's market basket. No throwing anything out.

OMG! My appetite is returning with a vengeance after being sick for a week. Plus today is a slow day at work which makes me think about food more. UGGH....

I make these all the time, or used too....ripped it all up into chip like pieces and put them all in a large bowl, 1 tbsp of olive oil, I used white vinegar in the bowl too. Dumped in the kale, smushed them around to get them coated, dumped on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (this is key) and sprinkled salt very sparingly (voila salt and vinegar!). You could also use chili power and smoked paprika for a BBQ taste. Had a friend who used to use lemon pepper.

I usually cooked them up for 15-20 minutes at 350-375 F (depends on the oven) and just kept my eye on them. No word of a lie I would reach in, grab a chip and pop it in my mouth to see if it was crunchy enough yet.

My belief is that the parchment paper is what you really need.

Let me know if you try it and how it works for you.

On the other hand , Shannon, kale is great in soup.