WELCOME !!!

We want to invite everyone to join us in our journey.
We share laughter and tears.
We share what works for us and what doesn't.
We recently started a Topic of the Day.

Monday........Motivation Monday
Tuesday.......Tuesday Tips
Wednesday.....Wednesday Weigh ins
Thursday......Thankful Thursday
Friday........Friday Facials, Fingernails and Fun
Saturday.......Sit-up Saturdays - any physical activity
Sunday.........Soup and Salad Sunday - recipes

These are not required topics ...just ideas to share. We have found them very helpful. We also share heartaches and fears...joys and celebrations.

WELCOME!

Good evening/morning to all.
I had a very nice Sunday. I slept in a bit. Woke up to a light rain and it was just too tempting to not stay snuggled in bed a little longer. When I got up a new movie was just starting so hubby and I watched it together. Then we got to work in the back yard. We worked all afternoon until 7pm. But it looks good. We packed away all the summer stuff and rearranged a bit too. We went to Lowes and bought a storage cabinet too to put it all in. LOL

I stayed on program all day except for a couple of chips at a nearby Mexican restaurant. We left more chips than we ate so we didn't do too bad.

Lisa... Ooppss... SalesPERSON. I hope you don't hold that against me.

Chris... I can't wait to try your recipes. PUMPKIN CHILI ... I never heard of such a thing. LOL

Andria... yes.. I am a devoted mother. Almost to a fault. LOL
I made the mistake to put my kids ahead of my husband years ago.
That was a no no I am still learning. Your husband is your mate... he needs to be at least tied.
I am very close to all three of my kids. That doesn't mean we don't want to kill each other sometimes.

Lucky... you have your smilie...
Barb and Lisa have theirs... Echicks
And Terri has cornered
I am jealous.... what is mine ????????

Kat... I agree... sometimes you help yourself by helping others.
Encouraging words are always welcomed. You don't have to be doing good to encourage others to. The best way to get out of yourself is to get into others.

Okay... it is late. I am headed to bed. I have a LOT to do tomorrow.

It's Motivational Monday!

Let's Move it. Don't think about tomorrow, Let's focus on today. Today, We will eat well. Today, We will exercise. Today, we will drink more water. Today, we will tell ourselves that we love ourselves, we are good people and we are loved by others. Today, we will write down what we eat. Today, we will treat our bodies as the spark of the Divine that they are. Today, we will treat ourselves, no less than we would treat God. Today, we take one step.

Ok Ladies, that is my motivation for the day. It is Monday again, and I don't feel like I have gotten much accomplised this weekend, even though I know I have. I didn't clean as much of my house as I wanted too, but I did get the files organized and moved some bookshelves around and threw a lot of garbage out. I also moved my rats and some furniture, oh heck, what am I talking about of course I got a lot done. Go Me.!

Chris, mmmmm, I will have to try the pumpkin chilli. I really love pumpkin pie and I have made pumpkin fudge and pumpkin cheesecake. So this will be good.

Lucky, did you get all of your cleaning done?

Terri, you don't have to like Michael Moore, you just have to like me. Everyone's beliefs and convictions are personal and make them the individuals that they are. I love everyone, no matter what they believe. So I hope my beliefs do not change your opinion of me.

Andria, Your the You Rock! Way to go. You should be very proud of yourself. Keep up the good work. And I am going to try your chocolate trick. I think I may have to try that with all my food.

Lisa, glad to hear that you are feeling better. And I say, use the boobs to your advantage when selling

Kat, well we just got Thin out of a slump, so now I guess it is your turn. How was Mandy Patikin? "My name is Indego Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die!" That is one of my favorite movies. All that hair he had.

Speaking of Thin, Where are you, how've ya been. Same goes for CD, and the new people and BarbG, BarbPa, and others. Where are you? It is soo quiet on here. I knew it, I scared them off.

Well off to jobland.

Good Morning, Ladies!

It is a beautiful Fall day today...a great day for chili!! But, let me ask you something, Miss Chris: How do you do the pumpkin? Are we talking chunks of pumpkin, or canned pumpkin? Looks interesting...I have a great chili recipe, I may have to incorporate some pumpkin into it, for added veggie power!

Mandy was GREAT! He performed with only a piano player and sang his little heart out...show tunes, old standards, even a few classic American songs: Take Me Out to the Ballgame and God Bless America...in Yiddish! At one point in the middle of the show, he did assume the Inigo Montoya stance and utter the immortal words...the audience went wild! (from The Princess Bride, in case you were wondering) We had so much fun! Lots and lots of laughs. Got a LOT of walking in too...defensive walking, I was calling it. Brisk, get thru the crowded sidewalks of Times Square, while dodging slowpokes, picture taking tourists, knock off pocketbook sellers, panhandlers, street performers and everyone else, kind of walking.

We didn't eat before the show, so afterwards we were STARVING. We figured that we'd head back towards Penn Station and find something along the way. Both of us had a hankering for some good NY deli sandwiches. Well, I'm here to tell you that 'the city that never sleeps' does take an occasional nap on a Sunday night. Actually, there were plenty of places open, but I wanted to sit down and rest my screaming knee, use a bathroom, and be served by someone. We finally found a place and I decided to go with a grilled salmon and shrimp salad, even though my mind was screaming "REUBEN!! I WANT A REUBEN!" It was very yummy though...and I woke up hungry, which was good, instead of bloated and queasy and full of heartburn. We didn't get home til almost 2. It was a long day, but so much fun and well worth the achey knee today.

So now, full speed ahead on the challenge! I'm hoping that riding my bike won't bother the knee too much, there's no way I'll be doing any more walking for a while!

I'm going to make some coffee now...Have a great day, all!

Hiya,

I used canned pumpkin, but if you want to use "fresh", then take a pumpkin, cut off the top the same way you'd do to make a jack 'o lantern, scoop out all the "guts" and seeds. Then put it in a preheated 300 F oven for about 20 mins. or so. Take it out and then the pumpkin flesh will come out easily when scraped. I've tried it both ways and to be honest, canned tastes just as good and is a heck of a lot easier.

TTFN

Hi Ladies!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was nice - nothing exciting. Ran some errands, worked in the yard, putzed around the house. Stayed up too late last night and woke up at 4am feeling very sick. I'm feeling ok now, not sure what got to me. DH and I both had to take COLD showers this morning. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr Not sure what the deal is, but I guess the hot water heater went out. I have a service call in and someone is suppose to come out today. Luckily I didn't much planned in the office today so I am able to do my work from here.

I am MN bound on Thursday! So much to do between now and then. I'll be gone until next Tuesday so I have to get everything clean and organized around here. Who knows what DH will do when I am gone. I just ask him to keep the dogs fed, watered and taken out and the house reasonably clean. I'm so excited to meet up with Lucky and Lisa

Work is calling.....gotta run for now.
Love to all!
Barb

Just a quick hello. I have been online for hours cleaning out my FULL email box.
Gee... if I would just keep it clean as I go instead of save , save, save.
Now I am getting off and getting to work around here.

there is going to be a lot of meeting this week.
Barb, Lisa and Lucky in Minn..... and 2Cute and Thin meeting up in Mich too.

Love you all. Just out of time.

I am sssoooo EXCITED. I just weighed and it shows I finally broke my plateau. I am down to 388. I am not sure what I was from last time I posted, but I think it was about 391 or 392. My goal for the past week or so was 390. You can see why I am so excited. This means I have lost 12 pounds. The weird thing is that I have not been able to exercise as good because of the fall. I am still recuperating. I am going to get to exercising again real good today.

I have a real problem tonight though. We have "family night" tonight at Mr. Gatti's. It is a time that a few homeschool families get together so the parents can visit and the kids can play. It has a BIG video arcade with a carousel and bumper cars in the back area. The kids win tickets and then can save them to "buy" bigger things, or simply use them immediately. The front part is a pizza place. You have to pay for pizza to get in even for the gameroom. It is all you can eat salad (I try to stick mainly there), potato, pasta and of course all sorts of pizza. I know it should not be a problem, but I like the potato soup and some of the pizza. I will try hard.

Lisa, I know what you mean about housework. My daughters have decided the only reason they have to do housework is that we homeschool. There is no way that public school parents make thier kids do housework. My poor poor children. LOL. I explain to them that I went to school 8 hours a day, had extracurricular activities and homework and still did housework. They think of it as the story of "walked 10 miles uphill to school both ways." For some unknown reason thier freinds in public school here do not do much housework, or just do not talk about it. Now to get my kids to do more housework. FUN FUN FUN.

IN HIM
Tammy

Tammy,

Ohhh, You said Mr. Gatti's, I haven't had Mr. Gatti's in over 10 years. I loved there pizza, oh that crust. My mouth is watering now. I think I'm having pizza for dinner, but it won't be as good. Way to go on losing the weight. And stick to that salad bar

Skit

Hi everyone! It has been a while since I last posted. But I got a moment and wanted to check in. I am officially into my budget preparation time at work, so the next 2 1/2 months will be devoted to that. Unfortunately, things in the city of detroit aren't looking so good these days and so it is becoming harder and harder to put together a budget for the recreation department, when you don't have that much money in the first place.

I am doing ok. Food has it good days and its bad, but for the most part, I have been doing ok. I have also been exercising at Bally's doing cardio about 3 days a week, and weights 2 days, and then walking with a friend of mine once a week.

Jim and I have been busting our butts over the last week or so, trying to finish our basement. We have moved everything out of 1/2 the basement and completely ripped out all the old tiles. Jim has put up 90% of the new ceiling and built the framing for the new divider wall. I have mopped the floors about 15 times, trying to get them clean and ready for painting. We are hoping that he will be able to paint the floor this coming weekend and then begin putting up the paneling.

We also have decided to sell our house and move come next Spring. We need to move prior to Andrew entering kindergarten. I am so ready to move! Hopefully, we will get everything in our house done by Spring and sell it (fingers crossed) quickly.

I am also trying to reduce clutter in my household. This is very difficult, as I am an enormous packrat. This morning I threw out the RSVP cards for my wedding, and a lot of playbills, and the first roses Jim every gave me. It was hard to part with everything, but our space in our house is limited and I just have to get rid of stuff. We are also going to rent a storage unit soon, so that we can get a lot of stuff out of sight and open up the house more.

Hope everyone is doing fine. I really miss you all.

P.S. Would it be okay to post a referral for something free here? I don't want to break any rules! Or could I just make it part of my signature? Thin or 2Cute, please advise.

Susie

Hi! Me Again! Wow, twice in a day. I haven't been able to do that in a long time. Truth known I should be working....but a few minutes with my favorite gals won't hurt!

Lisa & Lucky -- What is the weather looking like for Thurs - Tues??? I heard it varied from the 30s to the 70s last week. I have no clue what to pack. I also may be golfing on Sunday. I am weary comfy clothes and comfy shoes for all our shopping and walking on Saturday!

2cute - How exciting that you are going to be seeing Thin and your daughter this week. When do you leave, what is the plan?

Chris - Thanks for the recipes...I will have to check them out. I haven't been cooking much lately, but now that it's cooling off I'm in the mood for some yummy soups.

Skittles - THANKYOU for all the motivation you are giving to all of us! Sorry your weekend was not as productive as you wanted, but it sounds like you've gotten a lot done. A little bit at time adds up!

Kat - It is such a beautiful day in our area. I hope you have a chance to get out and enjoy it!! I have the windows open and that's it for now, but I hope to get out later to the gym. Sounds like a fun adventure in NYC. Good job on the salad. I hope you knee feels better soon.

Tammy - CONGRATULATIONS on the weight loss! Use that excitement and motivation to help you get through your dinner tonight. Just remember moderation. You can do it!

Susie - Wonderful to see you popping in! I know work is going to be busy for a while, but jump on in here and say hello when you have a chance. Sounds like a lot going on with work and your house! Good job keeping up with Bally's!!!

I still have not heard from the service tech who is suppose to come look at our hot water heater. I hope they get here and don't interfere with my evening at the gym. Tonight is water aerobics night and I just love it! It's sometimes hard to get myself there, but once I'm in the water I feel great!

How are the rest of my gals doing today??? Gotta run.
Barb

Tammy... I am soooooo happy for your loss !!! Keep up the good choices.
Pizza buffets are no longer a big problem for me. I fill up on salad and then just eat the toppings on a couple of pieces of pizza. You will do GREAT .... just remember to make wise "choices". YOU CHOOSE to eat healthier.. you are not being punished into it.

Susie... good to see you. The best thing about moving is getting rid of that clutter.
I know how hard it is to do.... I save EVERYTHING... but you will feel so good when your clutter free. TRUST ME !!! Get rid of as much as you can.
Good luck on your move in the spring.

Barb... I don't know my daughters plan. We tend to be a fly by our tail strings kind of family. LOL One vacation we had no idea where we were going... we just hoped in the car and started driving in a direction we had never been before. LOL I would find those flyers as we traveled and had a great time. It is not neccesary where we are going... it is the getting away. LOL

Skittles.. good to see you too.

Now I have to go. I am not suppose to be here.. I am suppose to be getting for my vacation. LOL

Hey all you beautiful ladies - hope everyone has a lot of MOTIVATION on this "Motivation Monday." I've been busy with a sick household.
My #1 daughter came down with a fever yesterday and the doc had told me on Saturday that if that happens we'd need to come back in. Well, fine for him, except I live 40 miles from the clinic. Anyway, we went in and the doc we saw today didn't even take a culture. He said that it's probably what it is, and if I'm okay with it he'd just give her some penicillian. Then I asked him about the other three in my family - if they come down with symptoms do I need to make three more trips in?! He said, no that he'd prescribe something over the phone - to just call in. He said that "mom's know." Smart man!

So, that's how my Monday has been. I did start a new thing - journaling for myself. Well see how good I am at it. I have a tendancy to start it and not finish - I just don't make the time for writing all that stuff out. Besides, I could be spending time "here" with you guys instead of writing in a book, right?! I'll give it an effort, though.

No time for personals - so sorry! Congrats to everyone who has lost this last week!

Have a good evening!

Love to all!!!!

Hi all!

Just a quick drive by.

Susie: I have sent a note to the powers that be about your "freebie". I'll let you know, when I know.

Gotta run.

Love ya bunches.