Happy
I tried to do the video again but the phone kept interrupting me. I've been wanting some Mexican chicken tortilla soup. I did make some regular vegetable beef soup last night. Keep the snow up there please. Think we'll get some of that cold air though.

Michelle
That's probably a wise decision about going with you step brother. Wait till he gets settled in and then go for a visit.

Laura
I'm with the others on that small gain at your way in. I keep telling myself I didn't gain all this weight in one day. It's going to take more than one to get it off. I've set a goal for my next doctor's visit (which will be lab work and refills) for 190. I weighed 195 last Friday. He didn't say anything but his wife, his nurse and my friend did.

Susie
How are you?

Annie
Does your daughter think it will be less of a hassle to the C-Section instead of giving birth.

OH CHELLE....I will worry my head off the entire time you are gone if you help SB move to Belize. Personally, I wouldn't do it. I have heard of too many "arrests" for drugs even when you are innocent. Or getting shot and killed while traveling. I know on some of the resorts in Mexico, they say not to even leave the resorts. Your life is too good right now to shorten it. The decision is yours however, that is just my two cents. I will support and pray for you whichever you chose to do. Sorry about the research, but you know everything does or does not happen for reasons beyond our knowledge. Hugs sweet sister.

LAURA...bummer on the gain. At least is wasn't too awful much. Have fun at the step class altho I don't think any kind of exercise is fun.. lol

CEEG...I love it when it is so quiet at work. I can really concentrate of what needs to be done. Love it when everyone signs up for a training class and I don't...awwww peace.

HAPPY...my entire body aches for a couple of days after a deep tissue massage, but it feels great later. I may make an appt to get one in the next couple of weeks.

Hi SHADDIE and SUSIE...

Have a great day!

CHELLE..glad you are not going with SB. Amen.

HAPPY...Love the soup recipe, may try it in the next week or so.

CEEG...I think Sissy is just going with the known rather than the unknown on the type of birth.

Morning all. Rainy day here, but the temps are alright.

Annie - All this talk of massages makes me want to go get one! When I was doing Jazzercise over the summer, our instructor had her massage therapist at our class to distribute her cards/flyers. I still have them sitting in my purse! Need to find out where she operates. If it's not any further away than the jazzercise class locations, I'd consider going to her.

Ceejay - I guess I'm not too upset about the small gain - it could be anything from the clothes I'm wearing to water retention, etc. If I were on maintenance I'd be doing great, LOL! Unfortunately, I'm still not at goal, so I need to make real progress, not just these fluctuations up and down. Sigh. I'll keep plugging away. We won't give up, right??!! Back to your previous post - scary thing with the chlorine alarm going off. So glad it wasn't a real incident!!! I hope you have another quiet day at work.

Happy - I might need to use my foam roller tonight - my quads are sore from the exercise class last night. I hope your PT is a bit less painful today, and that they can do something about your neck pain. The chicken tortilla soup looks really tasty - and being a crock pot recipe is a bonus. I'll have to try it. Thanks for including your suggestions, comments in the recipe - it helps. Especially with the reminder that all the stuff cooking down in the crock pot will result in more liquid. I agree that chicken thighs are more moist and flavorful, but they are more of a PITA to trim than chicken breasts - guess what I use will depend on what's on hand and how much trimming I feel like doing... Didn't know about the mexican flavored broth - I'll have to check the market for it. Back a couple posts - meant to comment that I haven't heard anything about "frosted" hair in sooo long, LOL! So, the new color is heavy on the highlights??

Michelle - Have to say I'm glad you opted not to drive down to Belize with your bro. It sounds like an adventure, but who knows what could happen?? Actually, Belize City is one of the ports of call on my cruise in February, but I have yet to do any research on it or what I might want to do during the little time we have there. It's supposed to be beautiful, so an actual vacation in Belize once your brother is settled sounds wonderful.

Hellos to Shad and Susie!!
===
Of course I misread the schedule again, so the class wasn't Step with Abs, it was Body Works with Abs. But I think I liked this class better than a step class because it was all strength training using hand weights for almost the whole class. There was a lot of moves in the lunge position. Not my favorite thing, but at least they were done while in the lunge position and not the type where you're always stepping back or forwards into the lunge position. There were also a good amount of squats, so between those two moves, my quads are pretty sore today. But not anything like the first kettlebell or the first spin classes I ever took - those two set my personal benchmark on extreme quad muscle soreness!!! I have a feeling the class could get to be monotonous because it appears the instructor does the same thing every time. That said, it would take a while for it to no longer be challenging. Whenever you can add (more) weight, you continue to challenge yourself.

Other than that, nothing much to report. I finally sewed the loose button on a jacket. I kept forgetting for so long that was sure it would finally fall off one day, but nope! It was nice to button my coat today and not worry about losing that loose button. It's the little things, LOL.

Okay, meeting in 10, so I better get ready. Everyone have a good day!!

Morning,
Moving day. My gear is all packed and ready to move off to the new place. I am looking so forward to getting out of the hotel. The landlord takes off on a plane at midday so she can't dither too much more. I will check out of here and leave my luggage, go pick it up tonight and take a cab to the new place. Get settled in and figure out what is what in the neighbourhood. So if you don't hear from me for a day or so, I am stuck in the lift, got lost, got lost in the big foodstore 2 doors down or I am over the road drinking coffee. I'll be back.
I must admit, I am getting somewhat annoyed about not hearing from Jen. I know she is fragile, I know she is not always well, but a one liner occasionally isn't too difficult surely - or even from Richie. It would be nice to know what gives - good or bad. Might have to try something different. Carla are you there?????

Work carries on regardless or rewardless if you like. The more you delve into what the guy before me did, the more you shudder and wonder how some of these people get jobs. Its not rocket science but if some one wants to have a look at a (for example) work order document on the system wouldn't it be nice if the instructions actually told you what information you could see when you got in there? One such document shows how to put in the document number, how to press enter, displays a screen and then finishes. Not even a word about what you are supposed to be looking at and whether the information you might seek is staring you in the face or you might actually have to click on another tab to see what you want. For ***** sake mate. I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but at least I know that bit.

Happy - That soup sounded really nice. However I don't think I have seen Mexican broth either here or at home. Might have to look for it. Certainly there is chicken broth around. some shopping coming up in my future by the look of it.

Laura - some classes only seem to repeat and repeat and repeat. However you can challenge yourself by upping the weights as you say. Maybe some ankle weights might also help the legs but it can get boring. Sewing buttons on helps if you are out in the cold wind with an open coat.

Ceejay - glad the alarm wasn't for real. What were the guys doing outside anyway? Having a smoke?

Susie - Good luck with the new job. Hope it all comes together for you nicely

Annie - even though I can't see the features in the ultrasound it is interesting to see the technology which wasn't around in my times of pregnancy. Hope you get some relief on that ankle soon.

Michelle - Glad to hear that you are not driving down to Belize. The poverty and crime in some of those countries is horrendous. Wouldn't it be nice if some of the really rich folk started to think about education for children in some of the really poor spots and gave them a chance instead of spending a whole stack of time trying to evade income tax on money they can't spend in a lifetime.

Okay - time being what it is, I'd better get showered and changed for the day ahead. At least it is Thursday and I get to go to my new flat. Weekend is coming. Yahoo.

Unfortunately the chlorine alarm was real. But it didn't do to much harm, maybe the guys will learn next time to make double sure. Shad, they came out of the chlorine room to let it and them air out. I went down to check on the outcome.

Shad
I'm sure it's frustrating for all of us not hearing from Jen and Mel. They may have drafted her to do Mel's job.

Laura
Yes, I'm determined to get this weight off. I need to be healthy both on the inside and outside.

-------
Not much going on. I think the snow that Happy has turned into rain when it got into warmer temps. It's supposed to drop to 39 tonight so we're getting that cold front.
Got a text from my friend this morning. She's all bandage up and said that the only thing she'd be able to eat will be milk shakes and or maybe ice cream. Think I'll kid her about dressing for Halloween a bit late.
Not sure how I'm going to handle the sleeping arrangements as I only have one bed. And no I'm not sharing. It will depend up on her circumstances.
I do have a blow up mattress I could use.
Guess I need to get busy.

Good afternoon ladies,

So far, my day of covering the help desk has been pretty quiet. I think that's because most of the staff is at the conference where my boss and the network admin are providing support.

Yesterday was a bad day in terms of eating. I have never thought of myself as a compulsive overeater before...but yesterday, I definitely was. I was eating pretty much all day long, even though I wasn't hungry. And I was eating junk (the Halloween candy people brought into the office) pretty much non-stop during the work hours. I went to the gym after work and did 20 minutes on the bike (since I hadn't been in a couple weeks, I stopped when I started to feel the twinge in my back). Once home from the gym, I heated up some split pea soup that D made and brought over the other day. It was delicious.

Today, I have promised myself that I can go 1 day without any sugar. I did use Splenda on my steel cut oats, and it's in my flavored water, and in the sugar-free cocoa that I use to make my morning cafe mocha. But no candy, cookies, or anything like that for me today. I usually eat a Quest protein bar right before I go to the gym. They have lots of protein and fiber and are made with Sucralose.

It boggles my mind how I can continue to eat sweets when I know what it's doing to my diabetic body. It's flippin' ridiculous, and embarassing to admit. All the consequences that go along with diabetes are super scary. I am seeing my doc on Friday to review my blood tests...no idea how they'll turn out...hopefully I'll be in the okay range. I've got an appointment with a clinical nutritionist next week Thursday. And hopefully, I'll be able to get some physical therapy visits too.

==================

Happy - Thanks for the Tortilla Soup recipe! I hope the snow melts on it's own. That heavy, wet stuff is a pain (literally) to shovel/clear. You're right about the money for the study not being much of a reimbursement if I'd have to miss 2 half days of work. I think my step-brother will do quite well. He's very skilled at construction and repair. He should have no trouble finding work. You're right about your mom...just pat her on the back because it's not worth trying to get seniors to listen to reason when their mind is made up and fixated on something. One tip...after you get a massage or foam roller treatment or pretty much anything PT does to you...drink LOTS of water as that will help to flush out the lactic acid and other toxins that they worked out of your muscles.

Annie - I'm worried about my step-brother driving through Mexico. And I was a bit nervous about going myself as I've heard the horror stories of people being jailed indefinitely for a traffic violation like a broken taillight that the Mexican police smashes. I'm trying to find some sort of prepaid cell phone that I can give him that will work in Mexico and Belize so that he can check in each night.

Laura - Better you than me on that Body Works class. I hate lunges. I used to have an instructor that would make us all lunge walk our way across the room, back and forth 10+ times. Ugh. Give me wall squats any day. Good for you for getting the button sewed on. It's cool enough here to warrant a light jacket in the early morning. Temps in the early morning are 45-50, with high temps in the low to mid 70s. This weekend is a cool down though with high temps in the low 60s. It's warmer than what I'd be dealing with in Milwaukee.

Shad - I hope you enjoy your new place. I agree that I wish we would hear more from Jen. I hope the office hasn't drafted her into taking all of Mel's duties. I hate when instructions aren't clear. Sometimes I go overboard, but I always make sure that I do enough screenshots and instructions to truly walk a person through a system. You're right about the poverty and crime, especially in Mexico...not as much in Belize.

Ceejay - I hope your friend has a speedy, complete and relatively painless recovery. I think I could live on a milk shake diet. Of course it wouldn't do my diabetes much good. I hope you can figure out the sleeping arrangements so they work for both of you.

Gotta get back to it. Here until 5 pm and then off to the gym.

Much love and many hugs,

Update: I succeeded in my no sugar day. And as much as I kept trying to detour away from going to the gym...literally, I did....I took the most circuitous route possible I think....I ended up going to the gym and doing 30 minutes on the bike.

Another update: For months, I've been trying to find the blog I started at the beginning of the year when I was still deeply entrenched in the mourning of my marriage. I didn't want to relive or feel those emotions again...but I did some powerful writing that I'll want to use in my book. Tonight, out of the blue, I logged onto a blogging site (blogger.com), and it still remembered who I was...and there was my blog! Big victory.

Good Morning.

Beautiful day here today. Not real warm but tolerable. Sun is shining brightly, had to close the blinds here at work as I was being blinded by the sun. (wrapped up like a duece, I'm gonna roll her in the night)...Duece is a semi truck for those of you that do not know the slang. lol.

Not much going on here, baby boy was by before class and slept most of the time he was there. I talked to myself mostly. C went fishing yesterday in the rain but had great success. Caught two huge bass, the biggest he has ever caught. I was asleep in bed by the time he got home. Too pooped to pop.

CHELLE. Good on you for the exercising even when you don't feel like it. Glad you found your blog. Good things come to those who stumble around on the computer. lol Glad you are not going to Mexico. I worry about enough people. Glad you have your eating under control again.

CEEG...good luck with the new roomie. Don't make it to easy on her by giving her your bed. That situation may not change very fast. At least if she is on the blow up mattress, she might make the effort to get a bed. Just sayin'

SHADDIE...glad your are settling in. All that packing and moving around, are you sure you want to leave your luggage out of your sight? Um I remember it got lost the last time you left it somewhere....lol. I agree with you about Jen, just a line or two would be great. I don't think she knows how much we love MELLIE and what she means to us.

LAURA...lunges, yuck. Now we all know I don't like exercising, but lunges are the worst. No thank you. My sketcher's shape up rocker sneakers will be here on Monday. I hear that your heiny and legs are tortured until you get used to them. Yikes. Torture, God knows I need tortured. lol

Hello's to HAPPY and SUSIE....have a marvelous day.

oh p.s. Tomorrow is my bestie's dad's funeral, I may or may not get to post.

Loves and hugs have a blessed day.

Morning all.

Michelle - Yay for staying away from the sweets, and for getting to the gym!!! It must be so difficult to have to cut the sweets from your diet. Nice you found your blog again and can access what you wrote.

Shad - Hope you're settled comfortably into your new digs and that you haven't gotten hopelessly lost in the neighborhood or the giant supermarket. Do you have to shop for a shower gift? Ugh, cleaning up another person's mess - doesn't it make you want to just start from scratch?

Ceejay - How are things going with your friend recovering at your place? Has someone had to sleep in the recliner or on the sofa??

Annie - So fish will be in the menu in the near future?? Yeh, I'm not feeling so great about lunges right now on day 2 of this soreness. Ugh. Good luck with the new shoes - make sure you have some of your old shoes on hand to change into so you don't overdo it during the first few days!

Hi Happy, Susie!

I hope we hear from Jen soon with an update on Mel!!!
==
Nothing much to report. I was walking home from the train last night and about a half block from the station I found someone's train ticket. Luckily he'd written his phone number on the back, so we were able to meet right on my way home so I could return it to him.

I used my foam roller and another torture device last night for my quads, but I'm still very sore today. I probably will not do a class tonight, but I suppose if bf is going to the gym, I could go with him and do some upper body and ab work. We'll see.

That's about it for me. Everyone have a good day.


Not sure why I posted those mugs of tea, I've brewed two mugs this morning and both tasted like soap to me. Bleccch! And yes, I thought I'd rinsed the mug and lid thoroughly before brewing both. I gave up and switched to my water.

Morning everyone,

I went to physical therapy yesterday and they did some traction stuff on my neck. For the first time in days I was able to fall asleep at night relatively quickly. The pain has been really interfering with my sleep. I am still quite sore, especially where the med student gave me the cortisone shot but I can see where the exercises and ice are helping so I am motivated to keep up with the program. I was watching an old Ina Garten cooking show a while back and she made crab cakes. I love crab cakes and they are so expensive when you order them in a restaurant. Some of the frozen ones I think are made with the fake crab stuff too. So I bought the ingredients and finally got around to making them last night. Boy were they good! And easy to make too. I made them a generous portion size so got 5 from the batch. I had literally not eaten anything other than a morning coffee by the time dinner rolled around so I cooked up 3 of them but they are rich so 2 was plenty. I put the 3rd cooked one back in the refrigerator - will make a nice sandwich and froze the other 2 uncooked ones. I also made peanut butter cookies for DH who had a hankering for them. I am chastising myself because time is running out and I still need to cook up at least 3 batches of dog treats for the photo event. DH is going today to see the doctor about his cateract which is bothering him, tomorrow I go to the dentist and I have the weekend open right now to get busy. Next week with physical therapy, doctor's appointments and working one day - the whole week is going to fly by. I am just a bit disappointed to see that it is getting cold in Chicago - you had some weather in the 50's and by the time I get there, the cold winds will be blowing. We got up this morning and checked the thermometer and it got as cold as 15 degrees last night. Everyone (including me) is not ready for this yet. DH did turn on the fireplace this morning and it felt nice. I'm surprised the kitties didn't cuddle up nearby.

Annie - thanks for the slang reference. I was not aware of that but am quite familiar with the song which will probably dance in and out of my head all day long today. The slant of the sun these days is not one of my favorite - always seems to highlight the foggy/dirty car windows and with the big windows I have in my house it is both a blessing and a curse. I love the way it lightens the house and actually warms it, but the sun is quite intense. Sitting at the counter eating sometimes I have to put on a baseball cap to shield my eyes. I have MBT's - the original rocker shape up shoe and never really had a problem with them. They are quite cushy and I think my feet not hurting was more noticeable than any possible calf pain. I hope they work for you too!

Michelle - so glad you found your journal. I agree with you - even if you have written down personal thoughts, it's nice to go back and re-read how you were feeling and what was going on. Sometimes in your case it will give you a comparison to see how far you have come and that healing does happen - even if it's hard to believe at the darkest of times. I understand now why people who journal are really into the process. Be careful with the artificial sugars - they are doing more and more studies that indicate that getting a sweet taste - be it from artificial or natural means - just brings on the cravings for more sweet. Use fresh fruit instead of Splenda, regular water with lemon instead of flavored water. And believe me - I totally understand how hard it is to get away from sweetness (as she sits here with her one coffee of the day with Vanilla creamer ) one odd thing I noticed was that as I got away from sugars, I developed a craving for carbs. Now I think of savory - breads, Ritz crackers, pasta - which is STILL sugars as far as the body is concerned. But congrats to you on making the conscious effort to change your habits. You can do this. One day at a time! I was doing a bit of reading on travelling to Belize and OMG - I am very glad you opted against this. You'd be better driving to Alaska instead. I hope step-brother will be ok.

Ceejay - talk about OMG - how scary on the chlorine mess! That stuff is really toxic. I'm glad it got caught in time. Easy to forget you work around some rather potent stuff. I guess it's good to have the blow up bed if you don't need a regular guest bed. Will ensure your friend does not overstay her welcome. They are good for a short period of time but not long term sleeping unless you are 5 years old - young and flexible with no achy parts.

Shad - I hope if we don't hear from you that you are either grazing the foodstore or enjoying an alfresco coffee and certainly not stuck in a lift! I sent another note to Jen yesterday. If we don't hear by early next week, perhaps we can entice Carla to speak to the office manager again. I don't want to bug people but like you and the rest of us, crave a morsel of info. I look forward to hearing the results of your ramblings around the new digs - hopefully there's some interesting walkabouts and things to see. I also hope you have TIME to enjoy something more than just the bed in the apartment. Still on 12 hour days? Yes it IS amazing how some people hold a job - the more of a yes-man and schmoozer, the higher they go in the ranks too it seems.

Laura - according to the Swanson website they have not only Mexican Tortilla broth, but also a Sweet and Sour flavor as well as a Thai flavor. We are lucky to get one extra flavor here - you might be luckier and find more. The Thai one could be interesting too. As for your question about my hair - at first it was a chocolate brown with deep red highlights that gave it an auburn color. This re-color she gave me a lot of lighter blond highlights - more than I thought she would actually and it took out the red and up'd the color to a lighter brown. There's a lot of teeny blonde in it - up close it looks frosted because of all the highlights but it's not the chunky dark and light blonde you think of traditional frosted hair. I like the highlights because it catches the light better. Still loved the first color - especially under bright lights - but this color is more flattering. Glad you got a good workout with your classes. You are an exercise machine. I'm sure you are getting really toned. Have you taken measurements as well as your weightloss? I'll bet you are skinnier now!

Hi Susie!

Gotta run and get ready. Bye.

Good Morning ladies -

Tonight I have my online writer's workshop that starts at 6, so I'm skipping the gym. D has a busy weekend...looks like the only time we'll get to see each other is Sunday for lunch.

Tomorrow, I'll be in to work late as I've got a doctor appointment, so not sure when I'll get to post.

===========
Annie - Congrats to C on the successful fishing day! Sounds like a relaxing evening was had by all. I'm glad you finally got some sleep. Sending my deepest sympathies to your friend.

Laura - Lunges are awful, but they do really burn the calories and strengthen the leg and glute muscles. Diabetics don't really have to completely eliminate all sweets...we mostly just have to watch our carbs, especially refined carbs and potatoes (white flour, white rice, white pasta, and sugar - especially sugary sodas and candy). For me, ice cream doesn't spike my blood sugar as high or as quickly as potatoes. And if we eat carbs with some protein, that slows down the sugar spike. I usually try to not have just bread (even high fiber bread) unless I have some protein with it (meat or peanut butter). So nice of you to return that man's train ticket...and so lucky for him that you found it before a less honest person found it. Bummer about the tea. Are you going to post photos of your nearly at goal skinny figure?

Ceejay - I hope things are going okay with your roommate. Is she going to stay there quite awhile or just until she's recovered from her surgery?

Happy - I'm glad the physical therapy and the exercises and ice are helping. Cortisone injection sites can be sore for a few days, at least that's been my experience with the ones in my back, and the neck is a more sensitive area. The numbing agent they use wears off in a few hours like novacaine, which is why my docs always told me that after the shots, ice will be my best friend. Wow you really were Betty Crocker yesterday with crab cakes and peanut butter cookies. Dang, 15 degrees?! You're right about the journal showing me how far I've come...how much I've healed. Thanks for the kudos about my quest to reduce/cut out sugar. I know that artificial sweeteners aren't good either and I've read that they do bring on the sugar cravings...but at least according to the Mayo Clinic artificial sweeteners do not spike blood sugar or increase insulin production...unless the item in question has a lot of carbs in addition to the artificial sweetener (then it's the high carbs that will increase insulin production). I just want to reverse my diabetes before I have any of the scary complications. Belize is a lovely place to visit, and I will now that I'll have a place to stay for free. It's the drive through Mexico that's scary. My step-brother is minimizing the amount of time he'll be in Mexico by driving through the Southern states (So. Cal, Arizona, and Texas) and then heading into Mexico along the Gulf Coast, rather than entering Mexico at Tijuana and driving through practically the entire country. When do we get to see photos of your new hair color??

Shad - I hope you're settling in. Any plans for the weekend?

Lots to get done today, so I'd better get back to it.

Love and hugs

I guess I have to get tips on selfies from younger people. I have tried a couple of times in the house and the bathroom and cannot get across on a photo what I see in the mirror - the color is not as pronounced or the camera's in the way or the angle is bad. I'm sure the color will show up better outside. If we get a sunny, not too breezy day soon, I'll see if DH can snap a shot.

Looks like DH is going to get cataract surgery the end of January. The hospital is over an hour's drive away on the highway. I do wish he had planned this for a little earlier in the year - particularly this year when we had no problem meeting our high deductible and I wouldn't have to worry about driving in a potential snow storm. I guess he thought he could make an appointment now and get the work done just after Thanksgiving but the doctor is pretty booked up.

Happy - So sorry to hear that your DH needs cataract surgery, and too bad he can't get scheduled for sometime in December. If the weather looks like it will be bad, do you think you'd be able to get your cousin to drive you?

I received an email that my blood tests results are in and were posted to my account on a secure website. I thought that was pretty cool. My A1C came back really good (6.0)...so I guess my meds are doing their job...now I just gotta lose weight, improve my diet and exercise more to try and lower my meds. My thyroid test came back elevated...so I might have hypothyroid (I'll talk to the doc about that on Monday - I learned today that the appointment is Monday not tomorrow). The doc is going to run a different thyroid test, but I don't have to go in for it...they can do it with the blood they collected last weekend. My triglycerides are a bit high, and my good cholesterol is low...but overall my cholesterol is ok (from my interpretation of the numbers...we'll see what the doc has to say).

Heading out soon...20 minutes left in the day, and then 1 more day 'till the weekend.

Good Morning...working a half day then going to funeral...

C cleaned the fish he brought home on Wednesday. He caught over 120 fish but only kept about 10 or so. Will try to post the pix from it. He cleaned fish, I went and got my hair cut.

HAPPY...boy I sure would try to get hubby to get catarac surgery done before the end of the year since you have met your deductible already. I can never take a selfie that I like. I don't know how these kids do it all the time.

CHELLE...glad to hear most of your tests came back good. Yeah for you.

LAURA...way to go on returning the train ticket. Creates good karma.

Hello SHADDIE, CEEG and SUSIE...

Have a wonderful weekend.

Loves and hugs