Good Morning, Everyone,

Beautiful, sunny day here in PA. Getting ready to plan my day's meals - want to keep my calories down today for my Monday weigh-in.

Lynn

No family dinner/party today for us. The snow has started and a new update on Environment Canada's website said to look forward to 20-40 centimetres of snow in this area. We just sent DS off for milk and diapers just in case we get snowed in. I got in my walk just as the snow was starting and there was no accumulation on the roads. DS gave me his GPS to get an accurate reading on how far I walk. From his back door and back again is 6.13 k. Today I knocked off 10 minutes from my usual time. I don't know if it was because I wanted to get home before it got too stormy or if I wanted to beat my own time because I had the GPS in my pocket. Whatever the reason, I was well exercised by the time I got home.

I was going to drop off my sister's cakes to her today but now they're in the freezer until next weekend. Hopefully, she and my niece will be here for a day next week. I said I wasn't doing any more baking while I was here but that has changed as I have a pound of butter sitting on the counter getting soft enough to make shortbread cookies. I wanted some for my sister and didn't have them made so she'll get them now next week.

I'm getting pretty excited about getting so close to goal. It won't happen before Christmas but certainly by sometime in January. I'll have to celebrate with a big, fat laden dinner--NO,NO, JUST KIDDING!!! Actually, when I make goal I'm going to lower it by 5 more pounds and try for 125. So that's what I'm looking forward to at that time.

Have a lovely day, ladies. I'll be back.

Lynn- Good Luck for weigh-in

retiredone-Yay, glad you were able to get in your great walk before the snow hit you hard. Looks like you might just make goal alot sooner than you're planned. Those shortbread cookies sound yummy. My favorite cookie is called the russian teacakes, I add mini chocolate chips and walnuts, and while they are still warm you roll then in confect. sugar. Oh-my they are sooooo good.

Well, yesterday was a yucky day, wet snow all day, I'm sick of snow already {yesterday was only the 1st snow, lots more of this, oh goody} but the dreaded ice, really scares me, I usually pre-plan some tentative "snow days" off from work, there are enough bad drivers out there, don't need to add a nervous nelly to the mix. Penndot, our road service crew, did not even salt the roads, I guess they figured it would be sunny today, why bother!! Lucky for me, DH does not mind the snow, so he took me where I needed to go, but had to keep it simple, shopping is not his favorite past-time.

I'm holding steady this week, weight wise, so that's a great thing! Well need to get my running around done, since yesterday was not very productive, shopping wise. Have a great Sunday everyone, not sure I will be back today, but I will try.

What are FALAFELS??? Sounds interesting!

on losing 2 pounds!

You TWO! I have a LONG ways before I can catch up with you's!

Have a GREAT Sunday everyone!

See ya Lighter!
Kim

Good morning/afternoon oh Golden ones....LOL...I just LOVE our name!

Anyhoo, we got some snow yesterday afternoon & evening - a couple of inches, I guess. DH & I did the grocery shopping in the morning, ran a few errands, did a little Christmas shopping...and got home while it was still just spitty rain. We went to the craft store and got some nice, raggedy, high-fiber 40% cotton heavyweight posterboard to make a cover for a photo album that I'm making for my eldest daughter, who is very interested in genealogy. During the summer when I was visiting at my sister's, we went through boxes and boxes of old photos that she had stored in a closet and found some very old pictures - one of my grandfather and his mother and siblings (none of whom we can identify) when he was maybe 8 or 9 years old; one of my father as an infant (he was born in 1905) and quite a number of our maternal grandmother as a young woman. I'm going to try to attach one of her here, although I've had that one for awhile. I am SO in awe of the size of her waist! DH & I are making a nice album for my daughter with our family tree and some other information that she might like to have for one of her gifts. He has one of those little machine-thingies that you use to attach spiral bindings to booklets and such, so it'll be nice and unique -made just for her. Don't ask me about the rest of my Christmas list. I'm having a really hard time with it this year.

Oh gosh, Freda, I hope your DH's coughs and aches don't turn into the full-blown flu! I've had this weird, low grade coughy-sneezy thing going on for the past few weeks. Okay-ish during the day with the exception of a few sneezing & coughing fits, but rough nights, waking up coughing three and four times. Better, now though. I'm pretty much getting through the night with just one wake-up to P mostly.
Isabella, How wonderful! You are only a few pounds from your goal! You go girl!!!! How you do it with all that baking is beyond me!

Hi Gayle, don't worry about personal stuff, just check in when you can. Life can get pretty busy. We know that.

Bobbi, hope your day is nice and that you enjoy your once-a-week dessert! Today is our day to splurge on the Wendie plan, too. I made Fiber One pancakes with blueberries for breakfast - had them with sugar free maple syrup and some turkey breakfast sausage. Yum!

Donna, I just don't know how you survive with all the snow you get out there. I get the chills just reading your posts. Stay warm, fahgoodness' sake!

Lynn, my cats have reached the age and level of sophistication where snow doesn't excite them all that much. In fact, nothing does. Except Yoko. Yoko tends to be quite energetic, but more focused on stuff that she can actually touch and bat around a bit before she curls up and takes another nap.

Isabella! STILL making all that scrumptious stuff! And STILL racing toward your goal weight! You are a wonder woman!

Karen, so sorry you're not feeling well. DO take care, and get better soon!

I won't be weighing myself tomorrow, of course (I'm sticking to my Christmas eve revelations) but good luck to those who will be!

Jess, I love shortbread too. DIL said they were just "dandy" when she tasted one.

We're getting a real storm here too. Heavy and sticky. DS is itching to get out and try his new snowblower. DIL won't go out with him in the storm. Hahaha. He needs her to help him as his stomach is still a bit sore from the surgery.

There are some months I don't lose much either. That's the way it goes sometimes. Just keep on plan and eventually you'll see results.

I made Russian Teacakes today with some of the shortbread dough! I love them but I've never added the mini chocolate chips. DIL wants to make more of them because they're one of her favorites. I'll have to tell her about adding the chips to the mixture. I usually make mine with pecans but today I used walnuts. Must add mini chocolate chips to the shopping list.

Thanks for the congrats on the 2 pounds.

Falafels are chickpea balls that are supposed to be deep fried and used in pita bread. What you do is soak dry chickpeas for about 24 hours or more to rehydrate them as much as possible. Then they are drained, ground to a mealy consistency and minced onion and garlic are added. Then they are spiced up with cumin, cilantro, pepper, parsley, salt. If they are the right consistency they will form into little round balls or little flattened patties that are fried (some people bake theirs but they lose something baked IMHO). After frying they are stuffed into a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, grated carrots, or anything else you may desire and topped off with a sauce or dressing. The traditional sauce is tahini which is a sesame butter (like peanut butter) thinned out with lemon juice and added garlic. I used yogurt instead. They were really good. There are many recipes for falafel but they are basically the same with some differences in the herbs and spices. They are a middle eastern delight and are sold by street vendors just like we would have hot dog stands.

I don' know about wonder woman. I think crazy woman fits me better. I made nearly 100 cookies today and divided them up between 3 families. And DIL had the nerve to ask me to make more! Haha, of course I will.

Love that picture of your grandmother. I have a few old pictures of family that we can't identify, too. But I have a picture of DH's great-grandfather and great-grandmother framed. They are in their yard in front of their house in their work clothes.

Hi to Bobbi, Gayle, Lynn, Freda. Hope you all had a great day.

Confession time. Tonight, at my youngest DD's ( yes, I still have a 17 year old) end of season soccer party, I had a cupcake. It was so DANG good, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! I have a horrible sweet tooth, and have not had a cookie, candy, cupcake. piece of cake, or anything yummy since May!!! I am not ashamed! It was good! Back to the grind...

Hi everyone..im having "puter" issues and my dd and sil were my puter fixer's and they have moved so i have a fixit person coming on wed, in the mean time im sharing with my dh congrats to all who are staying on plan,i'll check in again when i can ((((hugs))) rosey

Ahhhhhhhh, Monday morning is here and back OP.

Jess...I love those Scottish shortbread cookies too and ground up and mixed with butter make a fantastic base for other desserts. Now I'm going to think of that all day, go away memories of shortbread!
Institches...I'm petrified of driving on ice too. I had a beloved Jeep for 12 years that spun out of control on ice 4 different times, once going over a icy interstate bridge. I nearly went over the sides the last time! My DH kept after me to sell it but it was my beloved Jeep that I loved, it was like parting with an old friend. He appeased me with a little red sports car which I've grown to like but not as much as my Jeep. (I'm a tad eccentric, don't mind me.)
Kim...I quit trying to keep up with Lynn on the stepper, if I wanted to go down in dress size I would. But I have one closet just for my church/dress clothes and they all fit now, no way would I want to invest in smaller clothes. Besides that, I'm at my normal weight that I've been most of my life. It's been the last 20 years that my weight started to yo-yo, just my body slowing down and not burning the fat like I did when younger.
Zoe...I love that picture of your granny? She does have a tiny waist but remember that contraption Scarlet O'Hara wore in 'Gone with the Wind'? I think back then they all did. I love her split riding skirt too! I love all those old pictures, I'm going to post one of my mom when she lived in California was was modeling.
Giovanna? Is that your name? If it is, I love it.
Hi Rosey in Alaska......what's the coldest Temp you've lived thru?
Congrats Isabella....going 5 pounds lower than goal is a great idea since Christmas is around the corner........maybe I should consider it myself since I know I'll put on a couple pounds with all the Christmas parties we'll attend. I'll have to think about that today.
Hi everyone else, Karen Mo......where are you?
I'm going to post this and come back with some old picture in case I lose my post.

Good Morning all,

BAD weekend! Nothing happening, maybe that's the reason. I was just bored. I ate too much, wrong things! Oh well, it was one day. It's gone....onward......And to all of you that do the same, don't let one day turn into two. DH is ok, I think it's just a bad cold, not the flu. No fever, just miserable. He isn't used to getting sick.

Lynn, Good luck on your weigh in. May the scale be kind.

Donna, You too. And don't worry about 4# in a month. Just concentrate on doing the right thing. The rest will come.

Isabella, You are so going to hit your goal soon! And maybe decide to add a new one. I know when I was trying to decide what I wanted my goal to be, I had a hard time deciding. So, I just let my body decide. I said i would know, and I did.

Hi Kim, I have a homemade recipe book too. I have tons of recipe books but I don't use that many recipes, so I put them all together where I could find them quickly. Old standby's.

Z, Your grandmother was lovely. And she looked "spunky" as my grandmother used to say. Full of life and confident! Like grandmother like grandaughter? That's the way I see you too.

Institches, So close to onderland! How cool is that!!! How are you going to celebrate (none food)?

Giovonna, Lovely name. Don't let a measly cupcake get the best of you. It takes 3000 calories (app.) to gain a pound. Not any where near that. Just put it behind you and go on.

Rosie, Hope you get your "puter" fixed soon. I hate it when my decided to go out. I am so computer illiterate. Stay warm.

Bobbi, If you don't want to lose any weight and still build muscle, it will just mean you can eat a little more. Muscles take more calories to maintain. And you just look better when you're toned. You will see it soon in your legs and gluteus maxamis and that will look good!

make it a good day,

Freda

Bobbi, you were posting same time I was. Sexy grandma!!!