leeks
 

I have used leeks before in soups. You just use the white part, it is milder than onions. I still haven't got my book yet, I ordered it from Amazon but they said they sent it. I am eager to read it.

Alice, that is so darn clever about Lacee knowing the sound of her cabinet door opening. What a smart girl!!

I ordered 3 pairs of slippers from Lands End for gifts and they still haven't come and I ordered them about 2 weeks ago. Other than that I am finished Christmas shopping, wrapping, decorating but not baking.

LaDEan, they said little Beau was too fat!! Oh no...I bet he is a sweet cuddly guy. It is cute he wants you to sit by the stove...I mean why not?...they certainly know what is nice and cozy.

Most of the snow is gone here but it is cold.

Hi Ledom!

HI, Are leeks round little onions. i saw them in a soup i fixed dick. was wondering if they were onions.. never used them. glad your day is going good. hope the slippers come soon. one year i ordered alot of my christmas and not very much came. so i just never did it again. i am doing gift certificates this year. even ask grandaughter and she said that is what she wanted. so figured hey good for me. ha got tree and all up now. so its like christmas around here now. daughter has shopped alot. so got gifts shes wrapped under there. got beau a cute sock. i put tuffys sock he had on tree in memory of. then hubby won a turkey at elks lodge meeting last nite. so can have it after holidays.. or i may just fix it and have it to snack on and eat and no cooking. ha ha see how much kids have lefted over and all. oh its so cold here. it jsut does not warm up of day at all. really burning wood. Oh at tops tonite i turtled. so have not gained in 3 weeks and i am in leeway . so proud of me. have kept this off for a year now.. well have a good day to all. LaDean

Hey Girls, I have used leeks to make vegetable broth for cooking. LaDean, glad you and Beau are keeping warm in front of the fire.

Just a quick check in. Yesterday was Xtreme birdwatching. My friend, and another inexperienced kayaker took off down a river without fully realizing what we were getting into. Long story, my day started with moonset and ended with moonrise. We were on the water 8 hrs. and that was after a 3 hr. dirve for me and then back. Was dark before we got off the water. My toes were cold, we had to portage over a log jam, and some little shallow parts. What we thought was about an 8 mile paddle turned out to be more like 14. We were in the backwoods though with giant cypress trees, deer, and a nice array of birds. It was one of those experiences that while you are having it you only wish it would end, but once you survive it it is one for the record books.

Anyway I got home way later than I intended. I put on dry warm pajamas and fell into bed and slept for 3 hrs. Since midnight I have been cooking for my party tonight and my house is not clean. I feel like I am living life on the edge.

Know what you mean about holding off on baking the cookies judi - cookies are scary.

Friday morning
 

Ledom, so glad you got back ok:hug: (I have visions of 'Deliverance' going thru my head). Well, it is one for the books. Don't worry about your house...it is probably fine and if you have enough food no one will notice.

LaDean .... good for you on your weight this year. You are an inspiration:strong: I know what you mean about putting Tuffy's sock out for remebrance...every year I put out Parasha's photo in a little Christmas frame. It is nice to think of those pets that were part of so many Christmases in the past.

I spent the day in bed fighting of a cold and reading pot boilers. I am much better. I have to improve...my D wants a day with her husband and so they are bringing the little guy tomorrow for me to look after. I am also kind of eager for them to see the house in its Christmas splendor.

Hi Alice!

Have fun at your party tonight Ledom:goodvibes :xcheer:

Good Saturday morning girls.. oh hope your day is going good. mine is. scales are looking good to start the weekend off. then i just got in from a chilly walk with beau. always makes him frisky and playful. so is good for both of us. i wish all of you a good day. LaDean

Hi again. well we are getting ice rain tonite. may its slick out. i went to walk beau and oh edge of patio was shiny i thought oh now. and the bricks to lot out from back yard. so i walked on grass. this misty stuff is falling. ice. ha ha beau did not know what to think. but did his job. we stayed in the grass no going across road or out front. so glad its done. i hate this stuff. in fact hate the cold to. i am so wanting my good old oregon rain back... i love it. ha i rode ex bike today 2 miles may do more. been just lazy day. snacked some tonite with daughter in and that seem to be our thing. ha ha oh well tomorrow a new day. tis the season to be Jolly and i plan to enjoy everyone i have. haha does that tell you something about age. ha ha i hope all of you are enjoying it to... have a good tomorrow. LaDean

Hey LaDean, be careful in the ice. Sounds cozy at your house though.

judi - I know you are having fun this weekend. You will have to tell us about it when you get a chance.

Oh me, well I am back on plan today. More or less counting calories and back to the routine workout. I know today is going to be hard food wise but I am determined. Remember my motto - I don't want to have to relose what I have already lost. So time to get my focus on that thought now. I did skip the weigh-in this week. By the end of the week I want to be brave enough to weigh myself.

The party was so good. It turned out just like I wanted it to with a lot of very nice people meeting each other for the first time. I brought two groups of my friends together and they seemed to enjoy each other a lot. Yesterday was a day of recovery. My daughter called first thing in the morning and came to visit me for a while. It was so nice, we had a good visit. The rest of the day I kept a fire in the fireplace and read and dozed and petted the kitties. It was nice. So now I am about to do some cooking. I have leftover chicken and garlic that I am going to make into chicken noodle soup or maybe chicken and potato. I am going to make an EFL cheesecake and make up a pot of broccoli. I already have turkey and meatballs and spaghetti squash in the fridge. I have to fortify myself with good food so I can keep my focus.

So onward and upward. Back to normal as much as possible the week of christmas.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. It was awfully humid here yesterday, we ran the a/c until the sun went down and it cooled off. Today is a whole different story. It's cool and raining. What a difference a day makes.

Got all of DH's Christmas gifts wrapped. That was a job, and thankfully that chore is done. Now I have to wrap Miz Lacee's gifts. That should be fun with her smelling the bags of dog food and cookies. :rolleyes:

LaDean, I see that you have freezing rain. Hope your warm and cozy inside and your power stayed on. Lacee gets frisky when it's cold too. She starts running around the yard and she's still full of it when she comes inside. She likes to growl and bite our shoes as we're walking. Every year I have bought the Hallmark ornament where you insert your pet's photo. I have some with photos of both cats, Shamrock, and now with Lacee. I hang them every year on the Christmas tree.

ledom, you really had a full day when you went birdwatching. It sounds like you had quite an experience. Glad that your party was a big success. It's nice to get two different groups of your friends together. That's nice your daughter came to see you and had a good visit.

judi, have you gotten "that" book yet? It must have been a fun day with the little guy. Hope you were feeling better.

Have a wonderful day, ladies

Monday afternoon
 

:snowglo:

Hi! How is everyone?? I went out and got the last of the stocking stuffers and food so now I can just enjoy getting things ready for Christmas.

I was down 2 pounds this week:) not because I was especially good but because I was sick on the weekend and couldn't eat. I still feel kind of queasy around food...I hope it lasts for a bit. Dooda had to look after baby practically all by himself I was useless. It was fun though to have the little fellow over...he is changing week by week.

Weather is raining now but might change to snow. That is ok.

I have the house decorated, the presents out and it looks nice. I am going to start some baking this week.

Alice, I still haven't gotten my book. Your pet ornaments sound like a wonderful momento. I had to leave Bentley and Marley's treats in the car because Marley would persist until he found them. Bentley came over to stay on the weekend too, he is such a nice little guy.

Glad your party went off so nicely Ledom. Is D. coming over for Christmas or are you going to your mom's?

Have you got your Oregon rain back LaDean?

Enjoy the season:ginger:
-Judi

Hi all. oh yes first of all i am so happy. my oregon rain is here. and oh my how i wish for here till spring. i would really be happy. i snacked over the weekend. d and i watched movies and snacked. but i did it sensibly and never over did. proud of me. we had ice rain one nite. oh my i hate that. i just will not get out at all in it. walk on grass. ha beau did to. oh those ornaments sound so cute. i will ahve to check them out for sure. yes he was really frisky tonite to. theres a new dog in fence next to our lot. they have became friends through the fence. ha ha oh i am anxious to see beau this christmas. alice my tuffy did that to sniffed the packages out. so cute.. i know beau will be cute in his way to. hes doing good on his eating plan to.. has been a week tomorrow. he seems to feel better to and not so much wanting to sleep. he was 9 years old yesterday so had white little debbie cakes. loves those. but jsut a bit. ha then he just got his way the whole day having what he wanted. ha ha we had a fun day . we beat the rain this morning for our walk. so that was good. oh i bet the weather is changeable there and all. i know it can be here to. glad ledom your daughter was over and your party was good and all. and judi oh what fun to watch the little one. well hey have a good day tomorrow all of you. later LaDean

Morning ladies, judi hope you are feeling better. It sounds like everyone is about ready for Christmas. I am too, just a little bit of wrapping and then getting everything together for Christmas dinner.

I have fallen out of my zone and trying really hard to get back to it. Yesterday eating was much bettter and I did workout though not my regualr workout. I am up early this am and plan to have another good eating day and do the regular workout.

Just a quick check in. How is everyone doing? All is well here. Nothing too exciting, I am back to my regular workouts. Some treats are allowed the next few days I guess but I am trying to maintain some control. Will be making a big pot of healthy chili today to tide me through some less good choices.

Thur
 

Hi everyone!

Chili...now that sounds like a good idea...maybe I will make that today too.

All the snow is gone and we have rain and more rain...and wind...a tree just fell on our roof but did no damage PTL!

I still have the flu/cold...I went to the doctor yesterday and he must be the most popular guy on the island, everyone I knew was there...apparently a virus is going around. I had a flu shot too:?:

The upside is the 'eating' was wasy below par which is ok.

I got my book Alice and plan to read it today.

Glad you got your rain LaDean...snow is pretty but it makes it so darn hard to get around.

hi all. sounds like all are ok. i am to. yes love this rain. beau and i have missed a down pour and got a good walk in so far each day.. i am heading out this evening a friend and i to see some christmas lites. the seniors are taking a bus. and eat out. but a buffet so can be good. ha ha i am having my holiday treats all along. then back after that on none. glad you all are doing so good. glad the snow is all gone now. i know its the getting around in it. if i jsut sit in would love it. but we have alot of ice with it is what is so terrible. well its getting nearer christmas. how exciting. Hey ledom glad all is going good with your plan. chili we had it yesterday. was good. love it. have a good day all of you. LaDean

Morning all. Alice, are you ready for Christmas you've been quiet lately? Judi, so sorry your cold/flu has dragged on - it seems to be going around here as well. DD has had it from what I understand. How were the lights LaDean? I need to do something like that. Maybe tonight.

On Wed. night I got together with my girlfriends to welcome the solstice. That was fun. I was just thinking yesterday how I have greeted the solstices' and equinoxes' with them for so long now and how important this ritual is to us. We don't really do anything special, usually a light supper and visit and a nod to the new season. (Which by the way reminds me, I guess it is time for a new winter thread. I"ll think on that a little before I start it.) Anyway, I love those girls.

So tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I need to run out to pick up a couple of ingredients for dinner today and wrap a couple more presents but basically I am ready for it. On the 27th DD and I are going to see a production of "Beauty and the Beast" at the repertory theatre. I am looking forward to that. I will get to wear my new suit!

I have New Years planned as well if the weather cooperates. Camping with friends New Years Eve and paddling on New Years Day. That will be fun. We are going to camp at the area where the trail is that I have volunteered on so I look forward to actually walking on that trail for the first time when I can notice things more.

So I have really been thinking about what I am doing dietwise. I have had some very bad days sprinkled among some not so good days going on for 2 weeks now. I am very frightened by the loss of control. Last night I took out my current "bible" of weight loss Jillian Michaels "Winning by Losing" to reread the first 3 chapters where she talks about the reasons to do all the hardwork of diet and exercise - she is very convincing. I just got through the first chapter last night, but it was helpful. I also determined that I needed to use the mantra I did during thanksgiving. Christmas is just one day. It is a little late to be employing that, but if I can hold my eating to that for the next week I know I'll be ahead of where I will be if I don't. I want to splurge on New Year's Eve as well with a bottle of wine. After that I can't think of any more holiday excuses for not keeping it together until next winter!

I know I need to weigh but I am just not ready to do that. Today is weigh-in day and I didn't weigh last week either. I have got to just get myself geared for it. I can do this. Anyway, I really plan to do a perfect diet day today and I will report back on if I make it. I am thinking I will!