Alternachick chat for July 2006
 

Good morning everyone!

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend!

We celebrated Canada Day on Saturday with a BBQ with some friends. I did okay food wise but drank too much wine.

We celebrated my birthday on Sunday and I had a great time! DH took me out to a part of town that has some cute little shops and a great bookstore and we just walked around checking things out. I bought a great pair of leopard print sunglasses. :D

He then offered to take me to lunch at a vegetarian restaurant I've been wanting to try for some time. You could have knocked me over with a feather when he suggested it! :faint: This is so out of character for him! But he seems to be on a "get healthier" kick and wants to try out some new things and eat more vegetarian meals so I'm not complaining :lol: We both enjoyed our meals at the restaurant and I would definitely go back. :)

I got a food processor and a vegetable/rice steamer for my birthday along with a vegetarian cook book so I'm all set to get started!:carrot:

Boy, you know you are getting old when you ask for appliances for your birthday! :lol: But on the fun side DH bought me an MP3 player and my parents got me a jacket from the local gothy shop! :D

Happy Birthday! I'm glad you had a good time. Have fun with all your loot ;)

I tried out my new roller skates yesterda :eek: OMG, not a pretty site :LOL: Our new office is right on a walk/jog/biking trail, so my friend and I thought we'd be super clever and get skates for our lunch walks. I'll obviously need some more practice before I can stay on a trail though.

Happy bday Mauv! Sounds like hubby is learning.

Tani - be careful on those things - there is a reason we weren't born with wheels growing out of our feet - because we break when we fall. :dizzy:

Did a major weeding of the garden this weekend and dj'd a wedding/reception on Friday.

Have decided against spending any more $$ on my bent thumb. Figured if I ever spend $4k or more on any operation it will be for my eyes or to lift a thing or two, ;) not to fix something that so far hasnt been a big inconvenience.

A little stiffness after being used but nothing compared to the pain in my legs from gardening. We had a blanket of morning glory take over the entire 1/4 acre and we weeded and weeded and weeded. now we need to mulch to keep them down.

Also having a wiring problem - this house wants us out - it is 35 years old and very tired. Hope it lasts until we build. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the birthday wishes! :)

Tani- that is a good idea but I hope you both bought knee/elbow pads and helmets to be on the safe side. I used to skateboard years ago and had all the safety gear.

Aj- hope your thumb gets better! Will you build on the same property or elsewhere? It sounds like you have some nice land.

Happy Birthday Mauv!

I went with the Cute Boyfriend to a Science Fiction Convention this week. Westercon. His parents are vendors and we helped them with the booth and general volunteering. I had mixed feeling about the weekend since I really really don't care for a lot of the attitude I see at Cons. Mostly this, "I am geekier, smarter, know more about SF, weirder than you..." personality that seems to run rampant. Boy! Do I have a low tolerance or what!

I picked up a new Fantasy book though, "The Bone Doll's Twin."

Excellent!

Jessica - :rofl: I've had some of the same type of people at some cons I've been too though I find most people okay.

That looks like a cool book!

Anymore news on your eye situation?

Just a fly by....

Happy Birthday Mauv! :hb: :gift: :woo: :balloons:

Hello to all the Alternachicks! Aj & Jessica - I hope you are both feeling better! Good luck with the rollerskates Tani!

Hi all!

Thanks for the well thumb wishes. Jessica - how are your eyes? That is way more important than a little bent thumb.

Mauv - I did some research - it isnt morning glory - DH assumed - but no flowers. Anyway yes, we will be building here in the spot where my aunts trailer was, since it has the best view of the garden and the driveway/bridge. Our land is ok - very hilly in that the front quarter is the most usable with the last going up and up and up. It is a long narrow strip - about 1/2 mile long and only 376 feet wide. But we are bordered by two large parcels without homes so we are nicely secluded. The back is all trees, mostly with the typical brush. Down by the creek is mostly blackberries and thistles. We have tons of brush removal to do and it usually takes all summer to get caught up in time for winter.

On the bright side - always having to walk up hill is great for the butt.:D

sounds nice to me! :D

Hi Squeak! :wave:

Hi chicas!

My eye is doing great. No more activity so far. No redness etc. I have been going through contacts faster though.

I have been thoroughly enjoying my summer. Last night, I read a book outside until dusk and then read more once I got inside. :) I really want to see a movie tonight.

That's great news Jessica! :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! :D

It's very humid out so we stayed in on Saturday and moved some furniture around and hung some pictures up in the hall and the livingroom - finally! They've only been sitting in boxes for 1 1/2 years. :rolleyes:

Sunday we walked around a couple of farmers markets and picked up some fresh local berries and veggies. :T

We are going to our first yoga class this afternoon - I hope we both like it. :crossed:

Good morning! :coffee:

Well our yoga class went really well and DH wants to go back. We are thinking of going twice a week. He seems to have really taken to our lifestyle change - he only ate red meat once this week! I haven't eaten any red meat at all and have had fish twice.

Last night I made Salsa spiked Mac & Cheese and it turned out really well.
Tonight is a veggie stir fry and I may try to make some homemade hummus with my new food processor. :)

Mmmmm homemade hummus is the best. It's so easy I feel guilty when I buy it premade. Note to self, buy garbonzo beans and tahini on next grocery run ;)

I took my skates down to the elementary school down the street and did a couple dozen lengths of their parking lot on Sunday morning. It finally started to get fun (as opposed to terrifying) the last half. ;) My ankles got really sore so this must be a good exercise for those stabilizer muscles I don't normally use.

Howdy all,

It's been forever since I've been here but I've been kinda lurking for a couple weeks, thought it only polite to pop in and say HI!!!!!! :wave: Besides, after being stuck at "the deuce" for 3 weeks now I can use any extra accountability I can get! I'm gonna get below 200 pounds if I've gotta lose a limb! (ok, kidding!)

Things have been going well, I don't even remember the last time I was here, I think it was shortly after my stepdad passed last March. But in a nutshell it's been 99% good, 1% normal life c-rap. I became an auntie again in December when bestest friend had a baby boy 13 weeks early (weighing a whoppin' 1 pound 10 ounces, 13 inches, but now almost 20 pounds and 23 inches!). That's been the best part of it all... a new little life. Nothing heals like baby giggles, I'm sure of it.

Me, health wise, pretty darn good. I went back to WW in January and have been mostly on the wagon, occasionally allowing for celebrations that I refuse to be tempered by how many Points I have left. The 42 pounds off my butt prove to me that my way is working so I'm stickin' with it. I'm a little irked by the lack of people noticing, but I DID say I was doing it for ME this time - I guess I shoulda' been more careful of the wording. The Universe is only giving me what I wanted after all - an experience without outside influence. :dz:

Anyway, missed you all, well who I knew anyway, and look forward to getting to know you if you're the old timer here and *I* am the newby! Is Eydie still around?? Happy belated to Mauvaisroux too! :hat:

Much love, many blessings,

Terri :crazy:

Hi, Punkinseed. I just happened to be lurkin' 'round 3FC, which I normally am not anymore, and noticed ye in here and wanted to see how ye are doin'. Congrats on the weight loss and on being an auntie again. Have a good rest o' the week.

Hi, also to all the Alternachicks who dwelleth herein.

Hi Punkinseed! :wave: Good to hear from you and I'm glad you are doing well.

Congratulations on the 42 lbs lost! :bravo:

Hey Amarantha! :)

Way to go on the skating Tani! :cp:

Ok, I need some sort of mantra, I stepped on the frigging scale and lost nothing after 2 weeks, I'm starving myself (well ok, not starving but not cheating either) and nothing, ugh... As I mentioned before I am not really wiccan myself, but I do believe, so doesn't someone have like some kind of spell I can use, maybe just some sound words of wisdom :) hold on my keyboard is getting waterlogged from tears,

okay that's better, anyway, hope everyone had a great day, I gotta go chase down Zoe and get her dressed, not that she'll keep clothes on, that is what I get for letting her run around in the yard naked during Summer Solstice,

Here is one that Tani posted in the Paganchicks forum. I thought it was great and use it. It is on the thread about the body as a sacred temple.

Blessed be my feet, that have brought me to these ways.
Blessed be my knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be my sex, without which we would not be.
Blessed be my breasts, formed in strength & beauty.
Blessed be my lips, that shall utter the sacred names.

Sometimes you have to think "Blessed Me" and not just Blessed Be. :)

Oh I love that, "blessed me" instead of blessed be. That is a nice statement about loving and giving to yourself. So often we give to others and put ourselves at the end of the list.

Hi Amarantha! Long time! Good to see you're still around'ish too. :)

buonoj13, you have my sympathy. I'm in the same boat as you - same as the week before the 4th. But I've noticed that sometimes my best weeks are when I quit thinking "this is never going to happen" or "geez I'm still not losing!". It's like you are what you think or believe. Believe you'll lose, think you're shrinking and somehow you're body follows. Beliefs and thoughts are powerful things, even if you have doubt, fake it till ya make it!

Just a quick check in before getting back to work. I got my dad sent back off to Arizona. Now I can get out of the restraunts. Love him dearly but he won't let me cook for him (and I CAN cook!) so I've eaten almost every meal out since Sunday. Ug.... I feel icky and actually looking forward to oatmeal and fresh blueberries for breakfast tomorrow!:carrot:

Hugs all around,

Terri

my buck and a half
 

Hi Chicks!

Let me just say "dont ever give up". The more weight you have to lose the faster it comes off at the beginning, but as we get within say 20-30 lbs of our goal it gets harder, at least it has for me. :?:

And at some point along the way I would hit plateaus either from too much exercise where our muscles start to build and thus balance out our caloric efforts or from boredom with the choices we give ourselves. :carrot:

Thats the clinical reason - now for a less clinical - more universal, wish it made sense but it doesnt reason - I have actual found that the occasional "pig out" or cheat actually kicks your metabolism in the butt and off comes more weight. :devil:

All I know is that about 30 or 35 lbs ago I plateaued and went 2-3 months without so much as a wiggle from the scale. I was weighing, measuring, counting and exercising. One day we went to a bbq and I ate what was available if not necessarily on my plan or even within my calories for the day and that next weigh in the scale had moved and good 5 lbs. :dizzy:

I figured that my system was just locked up thinking there was no "normal" food to eat - so by reminding the body that if I really want to eat goodies, I can, and the body responded by releasing some more storage. :cool:

So if you are being really good - maybe you are being too good? Remind your body that treats are ok in moderation and that just because you are trying to lead a more healthy lifestyle, the world is not out of junk food and at any time you want - you can treat yourself - you simply have to choose how often you really need those treats and find a balance. :hug:

Life is too short to live on wheat grass and herbal supplements 24/7 - part of what makes life worth living is the little pleasures from a chocolate sundae to day at the spa.

Why be healthy to live longer if you really arent living? Obvioulsy some people live a bit too much, but hopefully you get my meaning on moderation.

Anyway this ideology has worked for me and I think others have had similar experiences. As long as I dont delude myself into thinking it was the chocolate cake that made me lose weight - "eat it everyday lose more weight?" I will be fine.:D

ajandpj99, I knew I was going to love this group!!!! Thanks, I am thinking positive thoughts, thinking positive thoughts, thinking, thinking, thinking about having some dark chocolate. Just a little, maybe it is too much deprivation.

Thanks mauvaisroux and punkin as well, I appreciate it.

buonoj13,

It's hard to offer specific advice without knowing more about what your plan is like. Changing up my exercise routine, though, always got the scale moving for me again if I was having a stall. Hang in there, and don't forget to take measurements, they can be much more enlightening than the number on the scale sometimes :)

I like the Blessed me too Mauv :)

And I have a bit of dark chocolate every day, and did so during my weight loss phase too ;) It is a food group isn't it??

I believe chocolate falls under the dairy category! :lol:

And just to be gross - chocolate has other effects - what goes in must comes out - right?:p

Not if you are eating the good chocolate! :D
Nothing beats Black & Green's Organic Chocolate for me!

Mauv - hubby and i recently discovered them. Sooooo good. And the best part is, one bar can literally last you all week! it's so rich, even if you wanted to eat the whole bar - you couldn't. It works really well, quality instead of quantity. and i feel a lot better about those than i do any of those sugar free things. a little bit bad is better than mystery chemicals, right? :) :)

And a happy belated birthday to you, Mauv. :)

Thanks Lizziness!

I agree, I would rather have a little bit of the real deal than the phoney "diet" stuff that doesn't taste that great anyway. :yes:

I actually think chocolate should be it's own food group, sheer perfection, maybe it's more like medicine, I'll try the one you mentioned.

Happy Birthday Mauv. My baby girl's birthday is very near years, artistic July people. I love 'em.

that year's should have been your's, sorry to sound like a dolt.

buonoj13 - you can go back in and edit your own post by clicking on the edit icon in the lower right hand corner. No one will be the wiser ;)

and you don't sound like a dolt! :D

When is your daughter's birthday? You know you're going to have to watch out for those cancerian traits as she gets older - artistic, nurturing, caring but also moody, sensitive and deep thinking, though I personally think those are good things :lol:

Zoe's birthday was yesterday, the big 3! She has all those traits already, but I love her for them. I am the Leo to a T, so we balance each other very well. Then we have the guys, both son and hubby, both of who could not be more Virgoish, so they try to keep us both on task. All in all a pretty balanced household for the most part.

Whee - also a leo. and fit it almost to a T too. Mine is on 7/31. Big 2-6. I was totally bummed out for my 25th, but I think I'll make it through 26- no need to get bummed again til 30 right? :) :)

Boy, my hubby whined about turning 30 from the time I met him (he was 23) til he actually turned 30 - and then he didn't want to talk about it at all. Boys!

Happy Belated Birthday to your little one!:hb:

Lizziness - age is only a big deal if you make it so. Turning 30 rocks! When I hit it I felt more self confident and secure in myself than I ever had. I think it's because of my attitude of "I'm too old for this crap and I don't have to put up with anything I don't want to!" :lol:

Turning 30 both sucked and didnt. It was bad because I wanted a low key immediate family quiet BBQ and DH tried to turn it into a party - which usually I would be into but for some reason I didnt feel like it that day - was striving for a mature gathering I guess.

Then after inviting all these people over - he gets involved in some concrete project that he just had to do that day (ironically had to distroy it later to excavate under the house) so we have all these people coming so guess who had to go shopping for the party she didnt even want?:mad:

On the up side - I was carded at the liquor store. Only good to come of the whole nightmare.:carrot:

Then this year when I turned 36 we went to a bar and since I was down many pounds, I dressed up a bit - but in a style more for a twenty something and was carded on my 36th bday - nearly hugged the waitress.:hug:

I credit my freckles and 12 year old taste in clothes. :D

Heh. Yeah, I'm not too worried about 30. I guess it depends on where my life is at that point. I was so upset about 25 because I got married young and went to work and never went to college - and all the people my age were graduating or doing something great, and I wasn't. Didn't help that one of my writer friends that I used to hang out with and do well.. writer-like things - published a book. It was utterly depressing. But now I guess I'm over it for the most part. You have to go with the flow and you can't look back too much.

Wow, Lizziness, I felt the same way at 25, got married at 18 and then never graduated college (although I have taken more anthropology classes than I can count, but since that isn't my major...) But 30 freaked me out too, I turn 34 on the 5th of August, but so far I am ok with it. I am just not sure what I want to do when I grow up, oh yeah, I am grown up. therein lies my problem. I always thought men were the ones with peter pan syndrome, but here I sit perpetually 22. Anyway, hope you guys had a great day.

buonoj13 - I hear you! I still feel like I'm 25! :lol:

I was excited to turn 30. I told everyone I wanted a cane to wack annoying youngsters with :lol: "Git off me lawn and pull up your **%$ pants!"

Now that I'm closer to 40 than 30.... it's starting to slightly stress me out ;)

Happy birthday all you Leos! I'm a cappy but my rising sign is Leo (no big shock when I learned that!).

Tani that cracked me up! I SO hear ya on the pants thing - nothing makes me feel older than the current "fashion". WHY do I want to see your underwear?????

I'll be 37 in January. I can't believe the slide to 40 is here NOW. I don't feel it, I honestly don't feel much different than when I left high school, physically anyway. Mentally/emotionally, being in my mid-30's is sooooooooo much better than teens/20's. I wouldn't go back there if someone paid me! I look forward to being the crone, the eccentric auntie with tattoos, celebrating full moons, equality in the Divine and an herb or lotion to cure all ails.

So, yet another reason to lose weight and get healthy. I won't live to be a crone if I don't! HA!

Have a great weekend all!

Terri