It is a nice cool day here in the heartland. The clouds look like we just might get some snow this night. Out to eat with a group from church and I did make good choices. Ate my salad sans dressing but used mandarin oranges on it to moisten it. Anyway I think I will give myself a gold star for exhibiting good eating behavior. Poor Will is in the coughing stage so that means it is all breaking up and he is using massive amounts of tissues. He did get throgh his morning class and sermon without too many interruptions. He is taking his cold medicine regularly which is a first. Thanks for all your well wishes on his behalf. He is certainly a keeper.
SUSAN Your gain will be ****POOFED**** away this week because you have the determinition to stick to your program. I love TJ's but we don't have one here nor do we have Curves. I did do some shopping at TJ's when we lived on the left coast though and loved their products. I am going to check our product table this coming Monday at weigh in for that book you metioned. Yep, I do love cookbooks and between us I bet we have quite a collection.
GAIL Girlfriend I am sure you will enjoy going through your mothers books. Old treasures like those are fun to have. Time does heal but you know that and I am just repeating it. I am currently building a white house with a blue roof and a little fence around part of the upstairs. I made one before and it turned out very pretty and I sold it. Think I want to have one for myself. I am thinking building myself a whole village like the one I entered in the fair and then sold.
BUTTERCUP Good to clear the air and when you bring it out in the open then you can analyze it and work on it. Get the enemy out of the house and find suitable substitutions for it with lower points that are satisfying. I absolutely love Cheetoes and don't allow them to come in the house so I don't even think of them now. I did have withdrawals at first but now knowing I have found I don't even need chips with a sandwich is great. I eat little carrots and celery sticks that have the crunch I need. I am not a sweets person so can have those 1 point candies in my desk drawer for ages but they are not a red light food. If they were the enemy they would not be here so close. You will find what works best for your red light foods, what to eat instead of them and if they still call your name have a little not a lot. It really does work. I wish you good success on your road to thin. Come walk along with us here and be a Steel Magnolia.
JEAN hose kids calendars are so neat and keepers for sure. Yep! Sears has the tools. We don't have the big Sears store here and I think it is mostly apliances and of course - tools. I understand about the SE kids now. Thanks for the x-plan-ation.
DONNA Fun at the dinner with your loved ones, that is a good thing for sure. Thomas is sure learning good eating habits for one his age that will stay with him as he ages. Is your new car still dissing you? Glad our Jeep doesn't talk back or even utter a word.
DELA Your are to come join us for sure we would love to have you walk this road to thin along with us. It is good that you found a plan that works for you.
Well folks I about typed out. Time to go get a nice big glass of ice water with a squeeze of lemon. Type at y'all later. PS my main squeeze just came in from getting some night meds and ~ a couple bags of those nifty little Whitman's WW 1 point candies. He doesn't eat them so guess where they are going. I hold the Ladies Bible class here on Tuesday evenings and I set them out on a pretty dish and they dissapear nicely. Those and low point popcorn make a good snack.
Good morning to you all! I am going to again try putting a ticker at the bottom, but I am going to only do my 10 lb increments. Once I get rolling on it, I may include a second one which will "add up" my 10 lb losses.
Maggie: When I get a cold, I take Mucinex. That breaks it up in short order and gets it out. You cough a lot, but it is what drs call a productive cough and pretty soon it is all gone. Glad Will is starting on the mend. Good job on staying op going out to lunch. That is the hardest I think. Trying to make good choices in a restaurant. Yes, my car is still being very disrespectful to me. Ahh well, she is just going to have to learn who is boss! lol
Jean:We are going to Indiana February 20th-25th. Cubs tickets go on sale that Friday so I imagine my son will be sitting on the computer for hours trying to get he and his father some tickets for April or May. I am hoping he can get late April tickets so I can go see "Jersey Boys" in Chicago. Thomas told me he came in 8th in his pinewood derby. His dad is Cubmaster and he was pretty pooped when they got to dinner. Kelly runs the concessions so she was glad to sit and enjoy dinner as well.
Susan: I used Caron Simply Soft only because I had 4 big skeins of it left from something else and the color was so pretty. Steam ironing acryllic flattens it out really badly. I am going to soak it in hot water in the washer without running it then "towel" wring it by rolling it then re block it and let it dry and see what happens. I had a nice long talk with dd and found out that she was on some medication for anti anxiety which had coupled with it anti depression meds. She took them for 6 months about a year ago but they made her want to sleep constantly so she got off them. The good thing is it made her realize how she had been acting before she was on the meds and adjusted her behavior afterwards so that is why things have changed so dramatically. I, of course, am thrilled to death and glad she is feeling better overall except it caused her to gain weight because she didn't want to eat when she took those meds.
Delefax: I too eat about every 4 hours, starting at 8 am. My husband eats lunch very early as he works 6-3 so we eat dinner around 4 pm. I have a small snack before bedtime around 7-8 and don't eat another bite. In between, I try to get water in, but unlike a lot of people, I don't just chug water to get water into my system. I try to enjoy drinking it.
Well, I hear Jack in the bedroom dressing so he will be down for breakfast in a couple minutes.
Have a wonderful start to the week. I am going to hunt up a pattern for Jackson for his birthday and make him a zip up sweater I think, though I will have to hand sew in the zipper. I want to make something small before I tackle another big project like an adult sweater.
Faye
Thank you for all the condolences. I mean that. I've learned so much about my mom that I didn't know. Some that makes me a little sad. Some info amazing. Some bits that make me wish I could give her a hug and a kiss. And some things that just make me so proud to know that she is MY mom.
I am home in Delaware this week. We're going back down to Virginia next week--a week from today--Wayne has a project he's doing with his dad and I need to be with my dad. During my mom's time in the hospital and at my mom's wake I re-connected with some of my aunts (dad's sisters) and I'll be visiting his youngest sister while I'm there. She's in an assisted living home and she's lonely--I hadn't even known she was living closeby to my mom and dad for a whole year!! Now I know.
Maggie, I'm hoping that Will wakes up this morning feeling much better. Wayne and I went to church yesterday. I'm glad I was there--it's been awhile since I attended--just once when my mom was in the hospital. My pastor seems to know exactly what I need to hear. Funny the way that happens. I often think of Will and you when I attend church. The glass house you are making sounds absolutely lovely. I bet you have a beautiful collection of glass. Now...THAT is something I could not have in the house--those 1-point WW Whitman sampler chocolates--good for you for putting them out for the ladies in your bible study.
Susan, I love your quote in your signature--you'll have that gain off in no time. I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your friend and I thought that the husband covering her with her quilt she had made a beautiful gesture. Brought a lump to my throat.
Buttercup, welcome! I agree with Maggie about banning certain foods from the house. For me, it's those 100-cal pak goodies. For me, none of them are satisfying--probably the low-fat content I'm guessing--so instead of eating ONE bag I'll eat the whole BOX! I also cannot have ice cream in the house! The ONLY TIME I allow ice cream in the house is when my daughters and their families come for dinner. If the whole tub is not eaten by the time they leave the ice cream then goes down the drain. I've given my husband permission to do this for me. He doesn't like being the food police so he always asks my permission!
Delafax, join us! You'll pick up a lot of good information about weight loss. I even lean knitting tips from Donna Faye and I'm getting the bug to learn how to quilt from Susan. Like Donna Faye, I enjoy drinking water. In the summer I squeeze a wedge of lemon or lime into it.
Jean, we're gonna get a little snow here in Delaware I think in the next 24 hours. However, I think my area is in that "wintry mix-area" of the weather map. But it is soooo cold! You would have laughed yourself silly if you had heard all the hoopla last week about the possibility of 1-3 inches of snow in Va. Beach. They closed the schools in advance!!! Those of us from "up North" (as they jokingly refer to us Delawareans down at the (Va.) Beach, were laughing for sure! Hah!
Donna Faye, the reason I had to retire a little over two years ago was because I was having severe anxiety and panic attacks...which developed into depression. (I also got shingles during this time.) I was a mess! It took a lot of trial and error with meds before the doctor and I found the right combination for me. My husband was beside himself with worry. I slept a lot. I ate erratically. Like I said I was a mess. Thankfully, I'm not on medication now...and I've learned how to deal with anxiety and panic attacks...which I don't get too often anymore...even though I have been extremely stressed in the last seven weeks. I said all that to tell you that I'm glad you're daughter is better now. ....I really need to find a simple sweater pattern to knit...
Today, I have a dentist appointment. There is a luncheon with my Lunch Bunch group of women friends...not sure if I'm attending. I need to go to the cleaners and the jewelers (to re-size a ring)...and the grocery store...busy day.
Good morning, ladies.
Jean, Dollar Tree has greeting cards 2 for $1 so I always check there first. I get a lot of my earrings there - if I lose one I don't feel bad. Gift bags, holiday decorations, etc. are cheap. And you never know what else you will find. Diet Coke and Coke Zero are different formulations and taste different. I seldom drink soda but if I do, I prefer Coke Zero. Are you going to flip a coin to decide about retirement?
Maggie,, I found those little carrots and celery to be good substitutes for chips, too. Eat them just about every day. Sometimes I get a pint of fat free sour cream and a package of ranch dressing mix and mix it up for a 10-calorie per tablespoon dip for them. If I didn't mention it before, that cookbook is $10.
Faye,, I think your plan to rescue the sweater is the best. Besides getting Cub tickets, I know there is the ulterior motive of seeing Jackson. I'm glad Kelly is doing better.
Gail,, It is amazing what things we learn about family members after they pass away. Last time it snowed, they didn't close the schools and there was a big hoopla about it. Sometimes you can't win for trying. Problem is we don't have snow removal equipment and such to keep the roads clear. I have a feeling it was also about being off to see the inaguration. So many had asked for time off (and said they would be "sick" if they didn't get it, they were worried if there would be enough staffing for the schools.
It is chilly oh so chilly. The snow we were forcast to get didn't come but the cold did. I sure hope I am not coming down with what Will has. My throat is scratchy but it may be because I may have slept with my mouth open. Not much out of the ordinary happening around here this day.
DONNA I changed my ticker to 10 pounds lost instead of the 25 I had. Makes more sense to me since I have a silver charm for every ten pound loss. Easier to see that distance. 25 is a bit far to see. I can just picture little Jackson in that sweater that you will be making for him. Have you chosen the color yet? What color are his eyes?
GAIL I am sure it felt good to you to be back at church. I'll email you a picture of the house I made before like the one I am currently working on. Will got me a bunch of cans of fruit ~ a gentle hint to make some smoothies. He likes them too. I have some of the WW vanilla smoothie mix which makes a quick one and extra good when I add some fruit.
SUSAN I don't drink many sodas either. I prefer Diet Pepsi and Diet Dr. Pepper runs a real close second to being a favorite. OH and Diet Cream Soda is good also. I am going to get some of that chip mix you mentioned for veggies. Thanks.
EVERYONE have a wonderful OP day. This is weigh day for me and I do hope that iron monster is kind to me. Type at y'all later.
Good Evening, Flowers! We've been gone most of the day. This morning we went to Bob's office to print pictures that Beth wanted; she is making a calendar with the kids' pictures and took some on my camera. Rather than mail them we made a trip to Sioux City. After visiting with them we headed to Sears to look at tools. I knew there must be an ulterior motive when Bob suggested delivering the photos to Beth. She has done the calendars since the last two were babies; it is cheaper to do them from March to February rather than January to December.
"Gma" -- Your sweater is beautiful! I don't understand why the sleeves would stretch and the rest of the sweater didn't. Be sure to let us know what you decide to do. I sure hope an earthquake doesn't happen! I didn't know there was a fault line down your way. I hope you had a nice evening with Thomas!
Maggie -- I hope that Will if feeling better by now. It sounds like you have a workable exercise plan in place. Good for you! We have to read any test or assignment for any special ed. student who has it written in their IEP (Iowa Education Plan) to do so. There are many accommodations for special ed. students and not all students will have the same ones. Some have to sit in the front of the room for hearing and seeing the board. Some can have extended time to take their tests with a special ed. teacher. Some can have extra help by the material being read out loud. Our group, for the ITED testing was sophomores, and they are to have the tests read. However, that doesn't mean that they follow along and stay with whoever is reading the test out loud.
Gail -- I'm so sorry about your mom. I still miss my mom and she's been gone almost 15 years. She loved cats and I always think of her whenever there is an article or picture that I know she would enjoy. I know how much she would have enjoyed my grandchildren and all the special times we get together. My dad and I were closer after my mom was gone and I miss him a lot too.
Susan -- I didn't know that Ohio sat on a fault line either. I'm glad I didn't know that when we lived there! Ernie has a different kind of fur than "Mom" did. She would shed just walking across the room and every piece of furniture that she sat on would need to be defurred before anyone else could sit there. Ernie sheds a little but his fur is a finer texture; I'm not sure if that is the right description, but he isn't crazy about being brushed. "Mom" loved it and all I had to do was show her the brush and she'd come running. I'd get handfuls out of her.
Buttercup -- Welcome to our group! Post often so that we will get to know you and you will become better acquainted with us. Losing weight is a never ending challenge, but the rewards are great!
I'm heading off to bed. Have a super Sunday tomorrow!
Jean -- in Iowa!
Thanks Jean! It feels great to share with others who understand!
Good morning to you all! I hope your weekend is going well. We had great time with the kids last night. Thomas and his dog are coming to stay overnight next weekend so that should be interesting. Marty is kind of hyper so I hope he settles in with laid back Fortune ok. We are keeping him for a week in March so we want him to get used to everything here and Thomas is just a bonus! lol Thomas had lamb for dinner last night and so I tasted it and they prepare it very well. No "spoiled" taste like I have had before. He is so funny. He sure isn't like other kids. He actually picks and eats food that is good for him. He did chow down on the peking dumplings and the crab wontons for appetizers though and then he and granddad shared a piece of chocolate cake. Kelly and I each ordered a different dish then shared and boy was it spicy. I knew the chicken would be, but the noodles we ordered weren't supposed to be all that hot, but boy were they. They had ground chicken and veggies in them with garlic, onions and chili peppers but it was spicier than I expected. We had a really nice long visit with them before we said goodnight.
Jean: Men are a sneaky bunch! lol I don't know why the sleeves stretched either, but Kelly is going to ask a friend of hers who is an expert knitter if I can do something about it. It would be a shame if I can't wear it after all that work. I used to brush butterscotch and have tons of hair when I was finished. Fortune doesn't shed so I don't really have to mess with him. He isn't too keen on being brushed anyway. At least the vet praised me that his teeth looked nice and clean, but I have to tell you I am kind of spotty about brushing them. I think they stay that way from his dog food and his little crunchy treats.
Buttercup: Welcome! Let me tell you something important about losing weight. Shame is useless and so many people who are trying to lose weight give up partly because they are ashamed. That is bologna. We are not perfect, can't be perfect, so when we overeat, eat the wrong things, or even binge it is a waste of energy to be ashamed about it. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go on from there. Just don't make excuses for yourself. Own up to bad eating (I am not talking about to others, I am talking about to yourself) know you have to reteach yourself the right way and the proper things to eat and enjoy. Like I said it is a lifelong thing not a quick fix. Everyone here knows that my biggest thing about weight loss is fixing your head. How you look at food, when and why you eat it, what triggers you to go off and eat bad stuff or overeat stuff. You have to relearn to eat properly, eat the right things and most important teach yourself to like the new things as much as you like the old. I think our friend Susan, here is a great example of that. She has really learned to eat good healthy things to keep her weight off. One of the hardest things for me is to permanently give up certain things I know I can't control eating. For me it is soft drinks. Even having one once in awhile will start me down the path to drinking them all the time again so I have to commit myself to giving them up forever. Look at what you have in your life that you give up when you are dieting, but seem to always slip back to and start eating again and when you do, you eat a lot of it. THAT is addiction and you have to cut out whatever you are are addicted to. People will disagree with me, but I have never been one to believe people are "addicted to food." I think they are addicted to certain types of food, but not all food in general. There are probably things in your life that are high fat or sugary that you can sit down and every once in awhile have as a treat, but it doesn't start you off to binging and such, but there are things that when you eat them you eat the whole bag, the whole box, the whole carton, whatever. There is your addiction and it is what you have to cut out of your life and that means the lower fat version too. For example, I can sit and eat an occasional serving of french fries, but I am not all that keen on them so if we go somewhere that they serve fries with like a burger or something, I almost always just leave them on the plate. I never bring them home. Now soft drinks are different. I will order coke for breakfast and even get them to give me a to go cup to take a serving home with me even if we live a couple miles away! If I were you, I would sit down and list all things that you can't seem to handle by eating occasionally and one by one rid them from your diet forever and never eat them or their lowfat counterparts.
Maggie: Hope Will is getting to feeling better. Sometimes htose ole colds do hang on. Good for your. Just stick your exercising in the day where you will always do it and not give yourself an excuse not to. For me, it is the very first thing after Jack leaves for work.
Gail: I am so very very sorry for your loss. Be sure and take all the time you need to grieve. Don't let anyone rush you through it. It takes time to get over parents' deaths even when you are grown ups. Just know we are here for you if you need to talk.
Susan: We now have Trader Joes here as Wild Oats market was bought by Trader Joes. I can't wait to go in and see the changes.
Ok, I have changed strategies again. I made this cute list of monthly type icons, ie a heart for February, etc and put 10 lb loss next to each. For every 10 lbs I lose I am going to cross off one of those. I am not doing it month by month, just using the icons to give me something interesting to look at with a lot of color. I am also going back to WW weigh ins after we get back from Indiana. I know I will stay on the program is I have to get on the scales every week and that I have paid exhorbitant money to stand on them! lol In the meantime, I am making sure I figure my points every morning for the day and then eat that.
I need to go. I don't know if it is my computer or the site, but the posting isn't keeping up with the typing and it is driving me nuts.
Have a nice Sunday!
Faye
Thank you so much for the advice. You are right about there being things I just can't so no too. I feel better already!
Sincere thanks to all the wonderful advice! Your wisdom and the things that have and are working for you will now help me!
Thanks Jean, gma22, delafax, and Quilterinva! I wrote down each idea and can apply them to myslef. I am gettingbetter day be day at just letting go of the shame. It really does make you feel bad and leads to more bad food choices. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone!! Thanks again!!
Sunday
Poor Will is in the coughing stage so that means it is all breaking up and he is using massive amounts of tissues. He did get throgh his morning class and sermon without too many interruptions. He is taking his cold medicine regularly which is a first.
You will find what works best for your red light foods, what to eat instead of them and if they still call your name have a little not a lot. It really does work. I wish you good success on your road to thin. Come walk along with us here and be a Steel Magnolia. 
to come join us for sure we would love to have you walk this road to thin along with us. It is good that you found a plan that works for you. 
Type at y'all later.
She has done the calendars since the last two were babies; it is cheaper to do them from March to February rather than January to December.
Good for you! We have to read any test or assignment for any special ed. student who has it written in their IEP (Iowa Education Plan) to do so. There are many accommodations for special ed. students and not all students will have the same ones. Some have to sit in the front of the room for hearing and seeing the board. Some can have extended time to take their tests with a special ed. teacher. Some can have extra help by the material being read out loud. Our group, for the ITED testing was sophomores, and they are to have the tests read. However, that doesn't mean that they follow along and stay with whoever is reading the test out loud. 
I still miss my mom and she's been gone almost 15 years. She loved cats and I always think of her whenever there is an article or picture that I know she would enjoy. I know how much she would have enjoyed my grandchildren and all the special times we get together. My dad and I were closer after my mom was gone and I miss him a lot too. 
Ernie has a different kind of fur than "Mom" did. She would shed just walking across the room and every piece of furniture that she sat on would need to be defurred before anyone else could sit there. Ernie sheds a little but his fur is a finer texture; I'm not sure if that is the right description, but he isn't crazy about being brushed. "Mom" loved it and all I had to do was show her the brush and she'd come running. 
Have a super Sunday tomorrow!
in Iowa!