Good morning everyone! TGIF!
I'm off today to be a babysitting grandma- my dd is dropping my little sweetie by about 9.
And speaking of my little sweetie, he had his allergy workup yesterday. He's very allergic to cats, dogs(of which they have 2), eggs and peanuts. The scary thing is we've been totally avoiding peanut with him because my dd has a mild peanut allergy, and he's become super-allergic just from what little exposure you'd get in non-peanut foods- like stuff that contains peanut oil or peanut flour. So, my dd has to carry an epi pen for him just in case, and keep one anywhere he stays a lot- like my place. I think the worst part of the visit for me is that some of the tests had to be done with injections under his skin, so in addition to the food scratch tests on his back he had to have 8 needles in his arm. That was bad enough, but I ended up being the one to give him the needles. The nurse I was working with isn't as comfortable doing those tests on real little ones- I've worked there for 9 years, and if I do say so myself I'm good at them and I'm fast. So, I figured since he was going to be hurt anyhow, maybe I could get it over with faster abd hurt him a little less. He was such a little !!! He cried, but didn't fight or scream, and when I was done he reached out for me and did his snuggle thing, so all was forgiven. He didn't even cry for the scratch tests she did on his back while he snuggled with me. He is just the best little guy. I've had adult patients who whined and carried on like big babies, and here a little 16 month old was so good! She didn't test him for pollens- she usually doesn't do those till after age 2 because they don't show much bfore then.
HMMM! I can see I've told you all more about THAT than you ever wanted to know! Janet, welcome back to the fold!!!After yesterday, I'm more than ready to go to New Orleans with you! But first, when are you coming to beautiful downtown Waldorf?
What's everyone got planned for the weekend? I work tomorrow morning and will probably pull babysitting detail later tomorrow (I'm hoping to talk the kids into taking me out to eat in exchange for me then watching Gary while they go to a movie- wish me luck!!!). Sunday a coworker and I are going to the Sugarloaf Craft Festival about an hour north of here- we went last year and had a lot of fun. The weather is supposed to be beautiful all weekend- exept for the pollen!
Well, I'd better run. I need to do some stuff before the little guy arrives. I think I'll take him to the toy store for a "poor baby" present today!
Hav a good weekend, everyone
Carol.
I lost 2 lbs. even! I think I was so freaked out about my TOM that I excercised even harder.
My dad has lost 28 lbs., my mom 17 lbs. I am thrilled for everyone!
Kudzu--Thanks for the welcome! I have seen kudzu & can appreciate it from a far. Coming from the desert, I though it was beautiful, but I hear most natives think it is swallowing their land!
To all--Thanks for the TOM advice. I know everything works out in end!
Another question...My mom is not set on her points. I say you have to pick a certain amount of points not a point range, i.e. I can have 26 points per day. She on the other hand eats between 23-25. Doesn't that defeat the banking system? Any suggestions?
Next week's question for you all...what was "The Right Mix" all about??????? (Be thinking over your answers. It may take a week to come up with one!)
Oh...a homework assignment for next week...I LOVE IT!! I love a thought provoking question!!
Happy Friday!!
Stamps, congratulations on your loss...and regarding your points question...I now do WW at home so I may not be the person to best answer your question, but when I first joined I lost 30 pounds within the first three months. It has always been my understanding that it is okay to vary your points as long as you stay within your range. You should never go above...or especially...below your points range. Banked points accrue when you stay at the low end of your range. I see your dilemma though...if you bank those extra points and then end up using them, wouldn't it be the same as eating the highest number all week. Is that what you are asking? Now I am confusing myself! Personally, I have found that I do best when I vary my points during the week. If I constantly stay at the same number of points, that is when I eventually plateau. I think the most important thing is to find what works for you, because the same thing doesn't work for every person. Everybody who has been successful has their own thoughts on what has worked for them. One lady on this board always stayed at 38 points...no matter how low her weight got or what range she was supposed to be in...and she continued to lose and reach goal. She lost a lot of weight...80 or 90 pounds I believe. Some on this thread try to always stay at the bottom of their range. I'm starting to ramble, so I think I will let someone else with more experience answer your question...and I will start thinking about next week's question! That is great that your parents are on this journey with you...and it sounds like you are all doing great!
About kudzu...I was impressed that you knew what that was because not many people do. I personally love kudzu, but you are right about people disliking it because it spreads like wildfire. There is one area of Mississippi that is covered in it...the trees, the light and telephone poles...it covers anything in its path. I have just always thought it was a beautiful sight and they are now discovering some wonderful uses for it.
Patti, "the bad boy group" is my favorite. I loved how you called it that! I could listen to the percussion section for hours. After most of our ballgames, the boys would start playing as they walked back to the school or bus and that was one of my favorite parts of the night. The percussion boys at our school would probably be considered the "bad boy group" too. They are all precious free spirits who are full of life...and all the girls love them. They caused quite a controversy when they printed up long sleeved t-shirts for all the color guard girls. They had "Boobacious Flagettes" printed down the sleeves for all the flag girls, but several parents pitched a fit and wouldn't allow the girls to wear the shirts. My daughter never turned hers back in (kind of forgot on purpose if you know what I mean) and still wears it around the house. Be sure and let us know if you get to go to the Jazz Fest next weekend. Every year I say that I am going to go, but I have never made it. I have friends who go every year and wouldn't miss it.
Carol, I know that was a very hard thing you had to do...giving your sweet grandbaby his shots. I'm glad that you were there to comfort him and to help get it over quickly. I have no doubts that you are wonderful at your job, and I know you made it as painless as possible. I can just picture him reaching out for you after you had finished. It just shows that he knew you were only trying to help him and that he trusts you completely. What a wonderful thing being a grandmother must be...I can't wait!! Enjoy your weekend with your friend. I remember when y'all went last year. It doesn't seem like an entire year has passed already.
Jan, have a wonderful time at Rockport. I checked out the website for the place you are staying, and it looked wonderful to me. I love older, established places...and the water looked great. Will y'all do any fishing? It kind of reminded me of a fishing camp we used to go to in Cocodrie, LA.
Well, I had better get back to work. All the big bosses are away today, so I am actually getting to post during the day. I am so glad it's Friday. This has been a very long week. Krysten's boyfriend is going to have to spend the weekend with us because his mother is going to Florida. DD will be working both nights, so it will be me and Tim. We get along great and always find plenty to occupy us. The last time he was with me while she was working, he took me to Home Depot to pick up some things for some projects he wants to work on around my house. What a sweetheart!
WHEW! I've been copying all the wonderful tips about New Orleans! Thank you ALL!!
I'll have lots of info to take along when we get going!
My sis and b-i-l just left with the electric cart for Mother, I hope she loves it!! I made sure that Melissa's boy friend was here at noon, so he could help load it, it took 4 guys to get it up into the truck!...Walter is gone to Opening Day for Trout Season,. Won't be home til Monday, so had to recruit help!
Tomorrow is groundbreaking for our new Sunday School building. My committe is putting on a big BBQ celebration in it's honor... should be fun. I did the shopping, but will only be supervising from here on out.
The trunk of my car is full of soda pop for the occasion, will find someone else to unload it tomorrow.
Well, I don't know if anyone has heard, but yesterday we were sitting at the church fair watching the Lip Sync contest and all of a sudden an announement came over the PA system....."Not only do we have God to thank for our beautiful weather this weekend, but we have just received word that little 11 year old Lisa Bruno has been found alive and well at the Bus Terminal in New Orleans!!" Well, needless to say, everyone started cheering and crying and it was very emotional. There are not alot of details yet. She still had on the same clothing that she had on two weeks ago when she was kidnapped and she had gotten off of a bus that had come from Lafayette, LA and had a ticket to Slidell (which is where she lives). She went up to the ticket window and asked what time her bus would be boarding and the ticket clerk and everyone else recognized her immediately. The headline of the paper this morning reads "Truly a Miracle" and I believe it is. Thanks for all of your prayers. They took her to a hospital for testing but from film that was shown on TV she looked unharmed, but we will know more soon. At least she is alive.
Janet - I love my "bad boys" also. If you like them playing the cadences out of the games, you should walk in a parade with them. The drummers NEVER stop. The band plays songs every few minutes, but the drummers play during the songs and in between. I love it. My husband and I have school T-shirts airbrushed on the back with "Drum MaMa" and "Drum Dad". I am really going to miss is. I've got Lake Charles Thursday and then that is it.
I hope my weigh in goes good tonight. It is getting near that TOM again. I hope I lost a little though. I really haven't gotten off program at all.
Well, I've got to get a few things done. I will be back later. Hi to everyone in the meantime.
Kind of been quiet in here this week-end. I hope that means everyone had wonderful weather (like I did) and were all busy doing spring "stuff"! I didn't do too much - just some shopping with dd & future s-i-l for "house items" & paint samples. She does the final walk through this afternoon and should close on the house tomorrow if all goes well. I would imagine next week-end will be spent painting, shelf-lining, etc, etc, etc.
Carol - Checked out little Gary's new pics - just darling! How was the festival? Did you buy anything fun? I usually come home from those things feeling like I have 3 left feet as there is always so much evidence of wonderful talent there - much more than I could ever hope to accomplish! Sorry you had to be the "meanie" with the allergy shots! Sounds like you both survived, though. I went to my dr. on Friday for routine blood tests. He has a new nurse and I thought she did a really good job with taking blood - I didn't even feel the "stick". Later that day when I removed the band-aid, it looked like I had gotten into a fight and lost! Even this a.m. it is still black and blue and had a small "knot" under the skin. Makes me mad.
Janet - Hey, girl, glad you checked back in with us! I miss your posts when you are AWOL. I laughed at your and Patti's description of the band percussion section. It was the same way when my dd was in band! The drum line was usually responsible for the shenanigans! My dd played the clarinet & I still have a wonderful, EXPENSIVE clarinet sitting in her old bedroom. Hasn't been touched since she dropped out of band her junior year in college. Guess maybe I should try to have it re-conditioned and sell it 0 or maybe make a lamp out of it or something! New Orleans sounds wonderful. Let me know when Carol is coming and maybe I will hop over there too (maybe I can convince Jan to accompany me & of course, Patti is already there!) What you do think? Would be too much fun!!! Yes, the wildflower engagement pics are back but dd was not happy with the make-up job she got for them. She sent a few back to the photographer and asked if he would try to darken her face - the make-up made her look like a geisha girl! I will post some when we get them back. Other than that, they came out just beautiful with all the flowers around them.
Joyce - Have your talked to your Mom since she got her cart? My Mom was telling me that she was at Home Depot the other day and was telling one of the employees how she always has to get a basket so she has something to hold on to while she walks around the store. The employee offered her the electric cart they keep in the store. Mom was too scared to try to drive it - said she would just keep her basket. Now you remember your promise to slow your life down and don't get sucked back into all the activities!
Guess we won't hear from Saara until all the parties are over!
Jan - We had absolutely gorgeous weather this week-end! Hope you did too. The weight routine sounds interesting but it may well be building up muscle mass which would account for the small gains. You said you could tell a difference already. In what way? Am curious if its something I could do since my back and my treadmill don't agree with each other.
Stamps - I agree with Janet's assessment of the points. You are allowed to stay within your points "spread" and if you are in the low end for a few days, you wind up with banked points which you can spend on something special. I occasionally use my banked points but it is something I don't make a practice of doing. I just make an effort to stay within the point spread. I find that if I always stay in the low end or the high end, I don't lose as well. So I kind of jump around. But as Janet said, everyone loses differently. You and your parents will find what works best for you - and it may not be the same thing!
Rebecca - Wow! 75 degrees! I am so happy you finally got some "spring"! Haven't heard from you in a few days. Hope all it still going well for you on WW. You are doing wonderfully well - don't let any little gains sidetrack you!
Better go and find something for myself to do to pass the day! I can't believe how fast Monday comes!
Texaslady- Thanks for asking about me. I was gone this weekend fishing and camping. My husband and I decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and get in some fishing. I have to say that it was HOT this weekend, record breaking temps. In the 90's which is not normal ND weather. Anyway, we had a great time, I am a little sunburnt, but we got out enjoyed the weather and caught a bunch of fish! A great time!!
Not much else going on here. Just trying to get all the camping stuff put away, laundry washed and all that stuff that goes with being gone most of the weekend.
Will write more later. Just wanted to let you know that I am here...not giving up, ever. I will succeed, it may take me a while, but I will succeed!! We all will!!
I had to report about one of the recipes I tried on 3FC. It was a cheesy vegetable soup. 1 POINT! It was addicting. I am not a veggie-lover so this is spectacular for me. My dh said "Do you realize you are eating broccoli?" It was too good to care!
You can get it on the web site or post me back & I'll post the recipe here. P.S. I don't cook either so this was also an amazing feat for my dh to see!
I am so glad to hear about the kidnapped girl. The story has not made it to Utah yet so please tell us what happened to her while she was gone & how she made it home.
Success to report---I thought I would try on an old pair of jeans when I got down to 200, then I said to myself "try them on for fun" (we all know how fun trying on clothes is) and THEY FIT! So then I tried on last year's shorts & they were TOO BIG! I hate to buy new clothes yet, but it was fun seeing the weight loss in action! This was the first time I can remember trying on a smaller size!
Good luck to all,
STAMPS
236/211/165!
Last edited by hookedonstamps; 04-30-2001 at 12:31 PM.
Hi everyone! Hope the week's getting off to a good start for you.
The weekend seemed to be over before it started, even though I was off Friday to watch my little sweetie. I worked Saturday, went to the craft feastival Sunday morning, and then my dd and the litttle guy stopped by Sunday afternoon to pick up some stuff I had for him. Stamps, congratulations on the 2 pound loss, and to your parents as well for their impressive totals!!I too believe that staying within the range is the way to go rather than trying to hit an exact number every day. I find that I do better in the low to mid range of my point spread, with the high end reserved for special times or hungry days. I think most people find they do btter with a little day to day variance. The soup sounds good- I'll have to search it out and see if it's similar to one I tried a while back. I LOVE veggies, and am always looking for a new recipe for them! Patti, I'm so relieved that the child was found alive and well! Please keep us posted- not much about it here in my area. Good luck on your weigh in. Texaslady, I hope the closing goes as planned!!! I bought one thing at the craft fair- a cute handmade outfit for you-know-who! It was fun- I have NO talent, and stand in awe of all you ladies who do these wonderful artistic and craft things! Sorry about the big bruise from your venipuncture- I usually tell patients to hold the arm out straight and put pressure on in for a few minutes rather than bending it like they used to say. It seems to prevent that sort of thing better. Sure is uncomfortable when it happens!!! I can't wait to see your dd's engagement pix- I hope they can make the touch ups she wants. Janet, how's your dd feeling? Probably lousy, if the pollen count there is like it is here! Yup- being a grandma is the best- but I can understand why you are more than happy to wait a few years for that! I hope your week goes better than last did. Rebecca, it sounds like you had a great weekend, despite your unusually high temperatures! I've never been fishing, and I must admit my idea of camping is inside a cabin with running water, indoor plumbing and maybe even air conditioning!
Have a great evening, everyone. Talk to you tomorrow.
Carol
Well, I had to actually login to reply....that was weird!!
I had my first gain last night!!! A whopping .2.....I'm sure it was water though, because I have stayed OP. I'm not upset. I'm happy with the way things are going. I'll just keep on going.....till I reach the end.
The little girl that was kidnapped gave a pretty good description of the guy that had her. The news reports are also saying that there is evidence of improper behavior though. They are not going into detail. What a sicko. I hope they catch him so that he can't do that to anyone else. At least she is safe at home now and has family and a whole community that care about her.
Well, back to the grind. I hope you are all doing great and I'll talk to you later.
Patti - What a great attitude about your tiny little gain! That's exactly what you need to be successful - and the proof is certainly there already! Good girl! I am so glad they found the little girl, but it sounds like she didn't escape unscathed - what creeps there are in this world! Makes me want to gag.
Stamps - I saw the receipe you used and would love to try it but I have a dairy problem. As much as I love cheese, I sure don't like what it does to my system so I eat very little of it! Once in a while I cave in and have some but I am sure that delicious sounding soup would cause me a few problems! Oh well, life goes on. I could be allergic to chocolate! Now THAT would be a real problem..............
Carol - I still have a huge bruise on my arm - tho now it is turning yellow, too! And there's still a knot under the skin. However, the dr. called to say all the blood tests were fine so I guess its a small price to pay. DD is trying to close today - there have been some problems. The biggest problem is that the owner hasn't moved her stuff out yet! They are going to go ahead and close if her agent shows up with the house keys. Then they are immediately having the locks re-keyed tonight after the paperwork has been signed. DD told the owner she would just have to come this week-end to get her stuff out since she didn't do it when she was supposed to - like BEFORE the closing! They were actually upset when they found out dd was changing the locks tonight! Makes me wonder what they thought a closing was all about???
Texaslady, it sure sounds like the sellers of dd's house don't have both oars in the water!!!! They'll be lucky if your dd and her dhtb don't charge her storage fees!
Carol
Stamps, congrats on your 2 lb. loss, and especially on fitting into those smaller clothes & jeans! What fun!
Carol, I was wondering what you'd get at the Sugarloaf festival, and had predicted it would be something for Gary, just like you did in Mexico! I'm sure he'll look terrific in it, just like in his little Easter suit. (Does Sugarloaf have a ski area too? I seem to remember skiing at a Sugarloaf-something when we lived in Mass.)
Patti, y'all walk ten miles in those Mardi Gras parades?! Wow .. that must be worth lots of points! Hope you get to go to the jazz fest next weekend. DH and I once went to a music fest. in Baton Rouge, but while they were all setting up it started to rain, and they cancelled. Ever since, have been wanting to try again. Louisiana just has the *best* music!!
JOYce, how did your Mother like her cart? Glad to hear you're letting others do some of the work at church; don't forget your promise to yourself, now!! How did the grand opening go?
Rebecca, how wonderful that you and your dh both like fishing and camping! Sounds like you're really good at it, too, like Joyce's dh. How did you cook your fish? I can never catch them, but my dh and his uncles sure do. They like to go floundering at night, with sticks or something. Sounds like good exercise, as you have to walk through waist-deep water for hours!
Janet, thanks, the water really was lovely, though we didn't get to fish; a bit windy, so fish weren't biting. But we took long walks down the beach, had boiled shrimp (yep, Patti, we use Zatarain crab boil!) and fed the seagulls. Also did a little shopping, got a summer sweater, two shirts (size s! a first) and some shorts.
Texaslady, glad your blood tests were ok! Re: the weights, I can feel the muscles (still under the bat wings, unfortunately!) and I notice that I don't get as fatigued carrying computers or groceries, or closing the hatch on the van, which used to take two hands. Re: meeting in New Orleans, yes indeedy, I'm always ready for a trip, and that's one of our favorite places! But the timing might not work out for us, since I'll probably be having surgery this summer, and have a few workshops on the calendar already. Let's see how it goes, though!
Saara, how did the Memorial Day parties go?
Hi to Liz, Nancy, Nancy in TC, and Kendra; hope you'll stop by and say hello!
Regards,
Jan
Carol - But I think you are right about the previous house owners - note I said "previous". Yep, despite a lot of last minute set-backs, dd & fiance signed the papers last night. So they are officially homeowners. The woman never did move her stuff out, but has now made arrangements with dd to come get it on Saturday. They changed the locks immediately after closing last night, so previous owner no longer has access to the house.
Jan - Glad you had such a wonderful time on your mini trip! I wasn't thinking of a New Orleans trip this summer - maybe a little later. I know we would have to work around everyone's schedules. Perhaps next spring sometime? Before or after Mardi Gras maybe. I don't know. It just seemed like a fun idea. Of course, from about now on until after the wedding in October, I am not going to have a lot of spare time either. Once the kids get moved into the new house in June, we have to start on all the centerpieces and other crafted stuff so we can finish it up and maybe I will be able to make Homecoming Mums this fall. It all depends on when Homecoming is set for this year - I sincerely hope it isn't the end of Oct., but it could be. Won't know for a few months yet.
Hi to all. Can't stay too long right now. Will try to get back in later.
Carol- Usually I have no problem camping, and I stress the word usually. But last weekend the winds were gusting to about 40 miles an hour all night long. Needless to say, I got about an hour of sleep in the front seat of our PICKUP! But the next morning, after we fished for a little bit, we drove 15 miles to the nearest town and rented a motel room with air conditioning, beds, shower, all the stuff I needed! Then I was a happy "camper".
Jan- Actually my husband really introduced me to fishing about 5 years ago. I had fished before, but not like we do now. All the time! We usually bake it with breadcrumbs or I have a good recipe with lemon juice, dill, onions and a little butter. Really good. Just mix all together, add the fish and cook on the stovetop. Very yummy!
Okay, this week was a LOT better than last week. I lost 2.7! Yeah, Hooray! I felt so much better after that! Plus I bought a new pair of shorts (a size smaller ) and today I tucked my shirt in and didn't feel too bad about that. Wow, look at all these new accomplishments.
Yesterday I started a journal with all the reasons I want to lose weight. It is so much fun to see why I am doing what I am doing and it will be helpful to look back on when I get discouraged.
But I better go. You guys all have a great day and I will talk to you later.
The nurse I was working with isn't as comfortable doing those tests on real little ones- I've worked there for 9 years, and if I do say so myself I'm good at them and I'm fast. So, I figured since he was going to be hurt anyhow, maybe I could get it over with faster abd hurt him a little less. He was such a little 
!!! He cried, but didn't fight or scream, and when I was done he reached out for me and did his snuggle thing, so all was forgiven. He didn't even cry for the scratch tests she did on his back while he snuggled with me. He is just the best little guy. I've had adult patients who whined and carried on like big babies, and here a little 16 month old was so good! She didn't test him for pollens- she usually doesn't do those till after age 2 because they don't show much bfore then.
downtown Waldorf?
I could listen to the percussion section for hours. After most of our ballgames, the boys would start playing as they walked back to the school or bus and that was one of my favorite parts of the night. The percussion boys at our school would probably be considered the "bad boy group" too. They are all precious free spirits who are full of life...and all the girls love them. They caused quite a controversy when they printed up long sleeved t-shirts for all the color guard girls. They had "Boobacious Flagettes" printed down the sleeves for all the flag girls, but several parents pitched a fit and wouldn't allow the girls to wear the shirts. My daughter never turned hers back in (kind of forgot on purpose if you know what I mean) and still wears it around the house. Be sure and let us know if you get to go to the Jazz Fest next weekend. Every year I say that I am going to go, but I have never made it. I have friends who go every year and wouldn't miss it.
As much as I love cheese, I sure don't like what it does to my system so I eat very little of it! Once in a while I cave in and have some but I am sure that delicious sounding soup would cause me a few problems! 
They'll be lucky if your dd and her dhtb don't charge her storage fees!
