[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Another on plan day yesterday. We woke up this morning to find the heat pump on one side of the house isn't working. It is the one that was brand new in the summer, so hopefully not a big thing and we do have a maintenance plan. They are coming between 10 and 2. I went to the gym early and have made the dough for the crust of 8 dozen pecan tassies. It has to chill for 2 hours and then I'll get those going. In the meantime I'll hit the shower and fix my hair. I'll be taking Otis to the groomer at noon. Our friend is coming over late this afternoon to take our photo in front of the Christmas tree. I'll get those printed and mail the cards tomorrow. Yay, my Christmas duties will be complete.

I was glad to hear Brittany Griner has been freed from Russia. I do think it was a stupid thing she did, but what a scary thought to be in a Russian prison camp. I hope now they will also get Paul Whelan out as well.

Bill You take the most interesting classes. I used to take some classes from OSHER, but got out of the habit, then Covid. I never did get back into it to do the online lasses. I seem to be commitment phobic. I feel like I must do what I sign up to do, but it might get in the way of something I'd rather do. I love your response the the crank phone call. I haven't gotten one of those yet. Yes, we still see some news about post election lawsuits. I hope they all get thrown out.

Maryann I've just been taking a class or using the machines at the gym mostly recently, but I have used the XHIT YouTube videos many times in the past. I mostly used the arm video and I liked the fact that it was not too long.

Waving to everyone!

[maryann]

Karen: Thanks for the XHIT rec. I have book marked it.
BBE: You are a poster child for life long learning. Three cheers.

This morning, I finally felt a little more like myself. Phew!. I have a shrink facetime which was supposed to happen two days ago. Apparently he was trying to reach me. Hopefully it works this time. I feel very vulnerable this time of year. Ironically, I feel most vulnerable when people are saying nice things to me. It is overwhelming. I am sure there is some "family of origin" stuff. My favorite VP is leaving this onth. He wrote me an email that cracked my heart open. He said I was one of those kind of people who make an impact and that my dedication to students and care for others is unmatched. Wow. For me, that feedback from someone I respect is like winning the superbowl. It is all I have ever really wanted - to be of service, to be able to love with my whole heart. My journey has been very long but i wouldn't trade a step. Now, I need to not overeat because of these good feelings.

I hit several targets today. I will track my carbs. I will get some extra steps in.

Wave to all.

[curlyjax]

Oops, here's what I meant to post yesterday:
It was so great to get back to work and catch up on everything, including the gossip. I brought in my salad and healthy snacks. I got side tracked by two little homemade cookies. I’ve decided I will let myself have 2 homemade cookies at work on the days they show up if I’m wanting them, instead of candy. Sometimes people drop off food for the staff around the holidays but it isn’t everyday. I went to the chiropractor in the late afternoon, then splurged on some Mexican takeout that was very tasty. I probably ate too much but threw away half the chips.
I let myself watch the Three Pines series on Amazon which is very good- a bit different from the book but quite well done.
Tonight I’m going out to dinner and play Trivia with some folks from a meetup; I only have met the organizer so that will challenge me a bit which is good. I looked at the menu and will probably get a healthy salad.
Penny-yay for the kids doing the shopping! That book series looks fun.
Gardenerjoy- clearing out decorations can be tough indeed.
Karen- good idea to relisten to a Beck book. You are so nice to make the cookies for others. Great that DH wants them out of the house.
Maryann-yay for another step out of the blues basement. I’m a fan of explicit instruction myself.
Adding for today-
I did order the healthyish salad and only one drink so yay for that. I had a fun time; folks were all in a good mood and welcoming. I didn't do so well with the candy at work but today is a new day.
Bill-that is a great response to those annoying phone calls!

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Last night was the night to be rewarded for being a donor; we got a tour of the bowels of our favorite Natural History Museum, the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Knew what to expect when taken to their Ornithology Collections. They have a zillion skins of birds, some collected back by William Brewster, a revered bird guy who co-founded the (still running) American Ornithology Union. Surprise was to see a stuffed Dodo staring me in the face. Something didn't seem right. "How many Dodo's do you have?" I asked incredulously. "None," the smirking docent answered. "That's a Faux Dodo." I'd been hoodwinked. Deep in the bowels of reality they had a faux Dodo for amusement or study.

Didn't know what to expect from the Malacology Collection - hadn't looked up the word in advance. Saw more mollusks than I knew could be kept in a basement. They've got so many that they number the boxes, not the individual shells. "Would be over 8 million if we tried to label every one," we were told. Sobering to see the little guys that eat the ships that make it to the bottom of the ocean and to hear the name of the scientist who dedicated her life to cataloging them.

Eating was poor. I let the cheese, baguette coins, candies, cookies, and "Hot Chocolate Bar" serve as dinner. The hot chocolate came with a giant vat of whipped cream to be served with an appropriately large scoop for over indulgence. Also had curved chunks of dark chocolate which I suspect one was to dunk into their hot chocolate just to be sure. I put some whipped cream on a chunk of dark chocolate and popped it in my mouth straight. No excuse can be fathomed. Perhaps I can be grateful that we don't donate to a culinary museum, LOL.


maryann - What a terrific piece of positive feedback for your dedication as a teacher. Glad that you're able to accept it.

Karen (karenrn) - Hope that heat pump gets repaired quickly and easily. We're still flirting with the idea of a heat pump. They claim to be useful at extracting heat in the coldest of New England winters. I'm not yet convinced.

curlyjax - Throwing away half the chips is a great step toward healthy eating.

Readers -

Chapter 6 Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan

social event skills

Here are some additional suggestions: . . .

Sit down to eat. You just won't be able to appreciate every bite if you eat while standing. If there aren't any chairs, be creative. What would you do if you had a broken leg? You'd have to find a place to sit down. Perhaps you can find a step to sit on or ask for a chair.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 152.

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Food was on plan yesterday even as I baked 8 dozen pecan tassies. They (almost) all go out the door today. I decided to freeze 3 of the seven layer cookies and 2 or 3 pecan tassies. I put them in the freezer in a location where they won't be seen when I get in to get the berries I use daily. Even if I ate them all it wouldn't be the end of the world.
The heat pump problem turned out to be that the thermostat in the house went bad and was replaced for free, except that we have a $20 per month maintenance agreement which also includes two check ups a year. This morning I ordered photo prints that should be finished in an hour or so and packaged all the goodies for delivery today. Mushrooms and squash are in the oven roasting now and I'll start delivering as soon as I have them out of the oven.

Bill It sounds like the foods served were real treats. Better than eating dinner and then enjoying all of them.

Curlyjax Seems like you're doing a really good job of getting in some socializing even in the midst of all your duties.

Maryann You certainly deserve all the kudos you get. I'm glad you're feeling a bit more like yourself.

Waving to GardenerJoy and Penny!

[gardenerjoy]

I just now dug myself out of the mess that I created on Tuesday, doing what I thought would a one-day project of right-sizing my Christmas decoration collection. My office looked like it was the headquarters for a deranged Christmas elf for four days.

It's a relief to have that project complete, for now. I predict phase two will happen the day that I decide that it's time to put away my Christmas decorations. Still, that has to be better given how many things left the house in the last few days.

I delivered items to some of the folks who claimed things off of our Buy Nothing group. I felt like Santa Claus this morning, exploring neighborhoods that I've never been in.

Exercise +50, 410/1700 minutes for December

maryann: I've been enjoying this strength-training series from Improved Health: Strength Training 10-15 min a day - YouTube Although, I'm taking a pause from yoga and strength-training, except for legs. I've been having some upper back issues and I was hoping a break would help. I'm starting to think that the problem is with sitting, not exercising, however.

[maryann]

Three Cheers for the end of a 12 hour work day. I needed to get caught up going into finals next week. I feel much better but beat.
Credit:
extra motion for using my stand up desk for hours.
non blisspoint foods
closing the kitchen before i got home. I cam home, brushed my teeth and am done for the day.


Joy: thanks for the rec. I will check it out tomorrow. My back is worse when I don't walk. It is an empirical fact.
Karen: you are a miracle worker not getting into the pecan tassels. Good for you. I find putting things in opaque lunch bags and stapling them closed helps me.
Curly: I can't to dig into Three pines. Maybe I will just putter and binge it tomorrow.
BBE: All food is rare when eaten i the presence of a dodo bird. give yourself a break.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Spent a relaxing two-hour lunch with five of us at a Chinese restaurant on a cold day. We gather so our 93 year-old friend, who is recovering from two strokes, can get out of his house. He arrives pushed in his wheelchair by his care taker. "Nope, cold isn't a problem, I just bundle him up." It's a fun group; the care taker has become part of the group. When one friend mentioned that she avoids the schedule conflicts by having her kids for dinner on Boxing Day - the day after Christmas. The care giver burst out laughing. "Boxing Day is BIG in Jamaica. Yes, we celebrate Christmas and that's big, but Boxing Day is even bigger and more fun." I hadn't known that it was even heard of outside of the UK.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, but on the heavy side with a restaurant lunch. I ordered fish with ginger and scallions. The sauce was tasty; the fish was Tilapia that, itself, has little taste. Like getting protein that is chewed before swallowing. I'm not a fan of Tilapia because it lacks the 'fishy' taste.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - LOL at the image of "headquarters for a deranged Christmas elf." You are a generous soul to divest those Christmas decorations yourself instead of leaving it to some relative.

maryann - Yes, 12 hours is a long work day. If you were a child, you'd be protected from that by labor laws. Interesting that your back is worse when you don't walk. Sorta should be obvious, but interesting.

Karen (karenrn) - You drove me to it; I had to google pecan tassies. With good pecans, I'd never be able to pass those by. Good news that your heat pump problem resolved so easily.

Readers -

Chapter 6 Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan

social event skills

I don't expect you to be perfect the first time you go to a social event. As with eating out, social events require you to practice many skills at once.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 152.

[curlyjax]

Fun day at work. Everyone was in a good mood, and I met a delightful little old lady who seemed confused on the phone but appeared fine in person. I always find it amusing when our clients go off on a political rant, when I agree with them. When I don't, I just steer the conversation into a new direction. After work I procured my tree and watched in amusement while the 4 teens helping me managed to tie onto the car. One of the girls rolled her eyes and took control of the situation, indicating to me that the boys weren't thinking clearly. It is now standing in my mud room until tomorrow, when a friend will help me get it up into the stand. Therefore, one of today's tasks is to finish clearing a space so that can happen. Nothing like having a deadline to get things done!
I didn't do so well with staying out of sweets at work, but onwards. Tonight I'm going to https://nebg.org/nightlights/ and out to dinner beforehand with some friends, so that is my reward for getting things done today.
Bill- How nice that your 93 year old friend can get out to see folks, and is willing to go out in public.
Karen- wow, you are zooming along with your Christmas stuff. Saving a few treats out of sight sounds like a good idea.
Maryann- I guess they're just releasing a new 3 Pines each week, just like back in the day!
Gardenerjoy- yay for getting rid of excess Christmas decor. I have it down to 2 bins now, since I don't do a lot.

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Food was on plan yesterday, except that I did have a White Claw 100 cal alcoholic drink. As long as I stay away from the sugar I seem to do pretty well not wanting it. I had a really full day. I delivered goodies to 8 people which included quite a bit of driving and trying to accommodate multiple schedules. I also picked up the prints and stuffed them into the 65 Christmas cards and had lunch mid day. Then I backed out of the driveway and hit the car parked on the street. She usually parks in the driveway and I was keeping more of an eye on the next-door neighbor who was also leaving her driveway to be sure she wasn't heading my way. It's just a little ding to each car, but upsetting as it's the first accident I've had of any sort in 30 years. The car belongs to the caregiver for the neighbors mother. She speaks little English and was so sweet. I provided my insurance information and completed a claim online.

After that I went to Sees to buy a box of chocolates for dmil to add to her package. $53 for a 2 pound box, yikes. Getting older makes it even more difficult to pay those prices since I remember back in the day when they were maybe a quarter of the price. Anyway, by the end of the day I made all the deliveries, mailed the package from Fedex and dropped the cards at the post office. I'm pretty much finished with any Christmas tasks.

This morning it is 40 degrees, so I haven't been in any hurry to get out the door on a hike. I will go in the next couple of hours. Dh is out walking Otis now. His sciatica is so bad that he is only walking the dog and will forego his 5 mile walk. He found sitting on the high chairs at our kitchen island offer some relief so that may be where we eat dinner from now on. One of my deliveries yesterday was to my good friend who was the PA for the neurosurgeon. I talked to him about Ron and he did say to try to encourage him to really slow down for a few days.

Curlyjax The event at the botanical garden looks just lovely. We have an event at ours with Luminarias and lots of musical groups around the garden. I've gone a couple of times and will go again.

Bill Your luncheon outing sounds very nice. The group of my former co-workers is a total of 5 of us. The oldest is now 80 and the youngest 62. As we get older some of course are having more health issues. I hope we can get together for many years to come.

Maryann It looks like lots of snow coming to Tahoe area this weekend. One of my hiking buddies is heading to his place to ski. Will you go to your place over Christmas break? Your day sounds very long, but I know I was glad to be done yesterday and I bet you were too.

GardenerJoy Sounds like you successfully completed a big job. I'm sure there were some people very happy to have the items you were glad to give away. I'm going to make a note of the Strength Training You Tube you watch too.

Well I guess that's enough for now. Dh got home from walking Otis and left for his walk since he was doing so well. Hopefully he won't push it. It's now a little warmer, so I'll head out too.

[maryann]

Ding, Dong, the dishwater is dead! Yep. It adds to the complete feeling of disarray my house is in. I had used ever single clean pair of underwear by Tuesday. Then in a Christmas miracle, my new undies arrived by mail. Good thing it isn't the washer dryer that died. After a couple of cups of coffee I will put on my pedometer and get to some serious puttering. I have the xmas packages to mail but it is raining ( Hallelujah!) I don't want everything to get wet. The glorious gift of time allows me to rearrange my schedule.I am thrilled to be quiet in my office with a space heater contemplating my next moves. We have a gas fireplace in the living room for when DH is here and I am content with the space heater. At night we use electric blankets. I don't know if it is saving money but it sure is cozy.

Credit for a low carb breakfast. I am going to clean the fridge because it has very little in it. I am going to menu plan some meals for the week. I have been trying to hop to the next target of tracking all my carbs. When I have, I am twice over the target of 100. I have to think about that for awhile.

For my relaxation target I have been contemplating my wardrobe. Clothing therapy. I went to my fabulous little clothing store in Michigan. The clothes really are like art and they make me happy. I have been very strategic in my purchases this time knowing exactly what clothes fit my body. You are going to laugh at my favorite purchase. Shredded cream color jeans. I love them. So do my 16 year olds. No holes, though, because I want to wear them for work. They were a huge splurge.https://www.detailsdirect.com/produc...hoC-g0QAvD_BwE but extremely cute with some short jackets. Can be dressed up or down and ONE SIZE FITS ALL! I also bought two midi dresses that are like wear pjs to work. Here is the black https://alembika.com/products/legend...BoC-94QAvD_BwE. The other is the same cut, an exotic floral, very flattering. So fun.

So last night I looked up all the expensive designers on Poshmark. I found five more pieces including a Mieko Mintz for less than what I spent on the pants. Yes! All the designers all sustainable fashion. I patronized small shops and had a wonderful time with DH as he watched me try on clothes. I also made an extremely important decision: I do not wear skirts. I was on my reddit minimalist site and someone said they only have black, blue, and gray in their closet because that is all they wear. Well, I love color but in my analysis I find I never wearing skirts I buy. I am donating today. So wonderful to focus on triviai when my job is just the opposite.

Karen: I will ski up at Tahoe as much as I can. I have a pass for Diamond Ski Peak. The pass also gives me freebies elsewhere. My goal is to find more free places to cross country. Last year I bought the cross country pass. But I am hoping this way I will be more adventurous.
BBE; Dh family does Boxing Day but has never labeled it as such.
Curly: It is always nice to hear of your circle of friends. They are such a gift.

[gardenerjoy]

I've been watching the Bob and Brad physical therapy videos (Bob & Brad - YouTube) about upper back pain. I'm paying more attention to my posture and trying some different stretches. It seems to be helping already and I just started this morning.

Exercise +55, 465/1700 minutes for December

curlyjax: You reminded me of the one and only time that I've done phone banking. I was really bad at it. But the best call was with an older gentleman who heard my topic and proceeded to detail exactly all the reasons that the position I was advocating for was correct. He would have been better at phone banking than I was.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - One more museum special event for its members with FREE food. The Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum opened an hour and a half early for members to have coffee and pastries, listen to a cello soloist playing a mix of classical and Christmas music in their Venetian courtyard filled with seasonal flora, and attend a lecture of their choice. DW couldn't help herself snapping photos of their plants - they are over the top well done. The place is kept warm enough for orchids to bloom happily as if they were home - wherever that is. We heard a docent talk about gold in paintings showing a Madonna and Child from 1320 by Simone Martini. I asked, "Why isn't the mother returning the gaze of her adoring child?" Hit a nerve. The docent had researched that very question. Of 100 ish Madonna and Child paintings in their collection, only in seven do the two gaze at each other. Much discussion followed about the subjects of a painting looking at the viewer to draw them in. No one was concerned about the child feeling unloved. Apparently, I'm not destined to become an art critic.

Eating was high on plan, CREDIT moi. I let the FREE coffee and pastries be my breakfast. Volume was bounded because we had to eat in the cafe area and we wanted to be out where stuff was happening. Dinner last night was spaghetti and meatballs because the (7 yo) DGD is staying overnight so her parents could go to a company Christmas party. She continues to have lots of energy, but acts more and more like a young kid instead of an overgrown toddler. She let me read her a new book, Stone Soup - one of the oldest stories around. Fun that it was new to her. I got to hear it repeated at dinner when she told the story to DW.



Joy (gardenerjoy) - LOL at your phone banking story. Can't imagine that I'd be good at that longer than my second call. Thanks for the reminder to tend to the back.

maryann - Having clean underwear arrive by mail just in the nick of time is the best story ever. Hope that dishwasher is a minor fix. And that you can get someone to come out.

Karen (karenrn) - Good news that See's Candy is pricey; I dream of them opening an East Coast store so I can overindulge. Ouch for the fender tap; it happens to us all.

curlyjax - LOL at the young lady taking control over the boys getting your tree onto your car. Your nightlights event looks dazzling.

Readers -

Chapter 6 Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan

social event skills

You may make mistakes at first. But practice makes perfect, and you will improve. You will transition from thinking, It's so unfair that I couldn't eat what I wanted, to the liberating thought, I'm so glad I don't have to worry about losing control of my eating at social events . . . I can just go and have a good time.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 152.

[curlyjax]

Lovely day yesterday. I got the living room area 90% cleared out and will finish the rest this morning and vaccuum, so i'm ready to go at 11:30 this morning when my 70 year old friend will come over to help put the tree up. She is in better shape than me! We used to work together and it will be fun to catch up. For dinner last night I had a reuben sandwich and one glass of hard cider that i didn't even finish, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. The lights were lovely and it was cold but not raining or freezing, so we lucked out. My friend's husband was sick and couldn't come, and then it turned out he had purchased the ticket for the following week, but they were nice and let my friend in anyhow. Apparently he has made some little mistakes like this, and my friend voiced she is starting to get worried about his memory. Manfriend came with us and was good company. I do miss the benefits part of our friendship but am glad he's still in my life. Not to mention his cat, whom I get to visit occasionally.
Later today I'm going to my widow friend's house to hang out with her and her mom, who has dementia and lives in assisted living. They drive each other crazy at times but I enjoy her mom; we'll do crafts or make cookies or something Christmasy. I need groceries at some point so hopefully that will get done too. no clue what i'm doing for dinner yet-maybe i'll throw some frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot.
Karen-wow were you productive! I'm sure it feels good to get that much done. I'm at the point where i'm on the fence about whether or not I send out cards-the later it gets, the less likely it will happen. Sorry about the ding; glad the other car owner wasn't mad about it.
Gardenerjoy: I really enjoy Bob and Brad too. Too funny about the phone banking.
Maryann- working on your wardrobe does sound very relaxing-you always sound quite fashionable! running out of clean undies gets me very anxious, I hear you about the house disarray. I finally put away some of my clean clothes and did laundry which will help my getting ready in the mornings.
Bill-that members event sounds very nice. If I lived closer to Boston I would definitely be doing that stuff. I'm grateful there are more music venues out in metrowest now anyhow. How fun to have DGD overnight, and a good excuse for spaghetti and meatballs!

[maryann]

Happy Sunday, Coaches.

It seems i was sick and didn't really recognize it until yesterday mid morning. Official plug here for Zicam. Is is a zinc lozenge by which I swear. I struggled with upper respiratory yesterday and last night but today feel like I am on the mend. As a 30 year veteran teacher, I have an immune system like a cockroach This is one of my secrets.

Despite being under the weather, I literally laundered every sock, underwear, bra and pant I own. I hand washed several rounds of dishes, cleaned out the dishwashing machine so it wouldn't smell, mailed my Christmas packets and donated some clothes. A win. I also kept to reasonable food, hit my water target and logged my carbs although they remain twice what they should be. All seems balanced and right with the world.

Today I am going to research some yoga for a sore neck and shoulder. I am struggling with it and will see a chiropractor tomorrow.

BBE; I have told DH i will not deal with the dishwasher until January. This week coming up is usually very emotional with me. I have anxiety when service people come into my house and DH is too busy to fix it. I would rather handwash until then. Weird, I know, but it is good to know myself well enough to engineer smooth sailing.
Curly: Yeah for a clean living room. Always good to have deadline.

Wave to all.