Hi!

Hope that you both are enjoying your weekend. Tomorrow is DH's birthday and we'll be taking off very early in the am for a trip to Maine.

nikki, glad that you liked your stew better. I honestly don't know if I could ever like stew with potatoes again. Your walk in the woods sounds lovely. I don't know very much about mushrooms. We do have a friend who knows a lot about them, which ones to eat and which ones not to eat. I am not a mushroom person.

ANNE, wanted to wish your DH a Happy Birthday tomorrow. You will do fine with all the celebrating. I plan on having some birthday cake tomorrow. A lot of our grocery stores sell slices of pie and cake. I will buy 2 slices of cake, since there is only the 2 of us, then there won't be any hanging around.

Have a great day.
Aleka

Hi,
We are going out to get the camper today and bring it home. The weather is so cold, we've just been home most of the weekend.
Happy Birthday to your guys I think that's a great idea Aleka about buying just 2 slices of cake. I hate to see it go to waste and hate to eat too much of it too.
I have a mushroom book, but still haven't looked up those big ones yet. We smelled them and knew they weren't eatable, but so interesting to see.
The eagles will be back soon. We have a large population at the lake in the fall/winter. They return to Alaska in the summer. Can't wait to see them again.
We went to a mexican restaurant last night and I ate off plan. Gained back 2 lbs. so I exercised extra this morning.
Got to get going, have a good day! Nikki

Hi,
Weight is a funny thing. Now I'm down 3 lbs. I know your not suppose to weigh everyday, this is probably the reason. Being compulsive about everything, it's hard to give this one up. It seems like an innocent compulsion, to weigh daily.
Aleka, going to Maine with DH, what a great place to go in the fall. I've never been there, just seen it on tv. It looks like a beautiful place and the seafood has to be fantastic.
Anne, Joan Rivers is on one of our shopping channels. I thought of you of course. Yesterday, SS had a slow cooker on special on the other channel. I need a slowcooker, but will buy one at Walmart as it will cost a lot less. Her food products are so good, but so expensive and the S&H is outrageous.
I made the Atkins blueberry muffins. They are pretty good, not exactly like a real muffin, but close. I ate two and put the rest in the freezer for sometime when the need for a donut comes up.
There are also some premade sausages now in the freezer section that I bought. You pop them in the microwave for a few minutes and they're done. I thought they would come in handy for when I need a quick snack.
Nikki

Happy Monday Everyone:

Aleka, amazing our husbands share the same birthday
I wish him a wonderful birthday and many happy returns of the
day

Nikkic, way to go Another three pounds, thats just
wonderful.

Today is also St. Michael's day at work. That is the name of
the hospital I work at so their are plenty of festivities going on.
We also get a floating vacation day in honour of this feast day
so I will tack it on to Thanksgiving weekend.

Nikkic, I wish I were there! Love that Joan Rivers jewelery!!!
on second thoughts......I probably would drop to much money

Have a great day Ladies.
anne.

Hi!

We were gone almost 12 hrs. yesterday on our trip to Maine. It was a really pretty ride. The 3 of us (dog included) were rather tired so we didn't go out for DH's b'day dinner. But..we weren't too tired for cake We'll be going out tonight.

ANNE, it is a nice coincidence that our DH share the same birthday. I saw Greer on HSN and I thought of you when people were calling in about their amazing results. Has it gotten colder where you are? It's rather chilly here. I even heard on the weather last night that some people may even see snow showers sometime during the week.

nikki, congratulations on losing 3 lbs. that's fantastic news! Sorry that you camping trip was cut short. But, it sure has gotten colder. Our cold weather just came overnight. Maine is famous for their lobster, and it really is good. I saw Suzanne's slow cooker and I liked the concept of the two insertable halves in case you want to cook two different things or something small. Hamilton Beach usually makes her products and you can get them a lot cheaper. I bought a 5-qt slow cooker last year at Walmart, a GE I think, for around $20.00-$30.00 cheaper (more with the S&H). It seems that her stuff is getting more expensive. I don't buy anything from her anymore. I would like to buy some of her rubs and sauces, but I'm not going to pay what she's asking for them.

Take care and have a great day.
Aleka

Good morning,
Still at the same weight, thought it would go back up, but so far ok. I set some goals for myself, like Dr. Phils book suggests. So many pounds a month and wrote it on my calendar so it's there in front of me all the time. I have a high goal and a low goal. I'd love to lose 2 lbs a week, but realistically, 1 lb would be more like it. However, this past month since getting back to dieting and exercising again, I've lost 14 lbs in 3 weeks, so maybe 2 lbs a week is possible. It will take me another month just to get back to where I was 2 months ago. Kind of like 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.
Aleka, I went to Walmart yesterday and bought the GE slow cooker. It's just like SS. Has 2 inserts that are teflon and a crock insert. The only difference is, there is no jacket to keep it warm (I've never taken anything in a crockpot anywhere in my life anyway) and it was only $35. With S&H hers would have been around $60. I agree, I'd love to try some of those sauces, but the price is just ridiculous.
We're suppose to get a killing frost in a few nights. I have lots to do in the garden still. I need to dig up my celery roots and see what I have. Also, pick the last of the tomatoes and the jalepeno's and the one little eggplant that grew.
Hey, if your not concerned with fat content (130 calories per serving and 100 fat calories per serving), I bought some really good pickled meat at Walmart the other day. It's Penrose brand and is sold by the jerky. It looks disgusting, but if you've ever had Hot Mama's at a bar, they are very much like them. Very good and spicey, and only one fiber carb per serving. They cost around $7 for a 2 lbs jar and have something like 40 sausages in them. At the bar, when the sausages are gone, they put boiled eggs in the liquid and pickle the eggs that way, which is what I'll do to.
Got to go lift some weights and get my day going, take care, Nikki

It has definitely gotten chilly around here. Yesterday morning I had to turn on the heat and I also had to do it again this morning. I have noticed a leaf or two on our tomato plants that are starting to turn black. We're going to pick all the tomatoes and let them ripen in the house, then remove the plants. Once all the leaves on the lily plants have turned brown, then I'll cut everything back.

nikki, weight loss is like that, taking 1 step forward, 2 steps back. You will lose weight because you seem very determined, and that's great. I flipped through Dr. Phil's book to his eating plan...ya, I know you're not supposed to do that. His eating plan sounds like a sound one. I have to get back reading his book. I started back walking yesterday and I've decided to make better food choices.

ANNE, how are things going with you?

Have a great day.
Aleka

Good Morning Everyone:

Good News. My dad went to the doctor for his check up and
there is no sign of the tumour. It seems the radiation took
care of it.
He has lost alot of weight though. He now weighs 134 a loss
of 25 pounds. The doctor assured my mother that this was
normal following the radiation.

Our weather here is nippy to say the least. I am enjoying it
though. I have been doing great following PP and doing body
flex. I am now 205 after not being able to budge the 210 for
which seemed to be forever

I am hoping against hope by year end I will be in the 100's.....
By following the formula in the PP book I should weigh between
155-168 which sounds about right. I still need to lose anywhere
between 37-50 pounds which certainly sounds better than the
141-154 I needed to lose originally.

Have a great day everyone!!
Anne.

Hi,
Yeah Anne! So glad to hear of your dad's progress and your finally breaking the 210 mark I know you'll be below 200 by Christmas. That is so great and I'm so happy for you. I'm sure your really feeling relieved about your dad too. He will start to feel better all the time and as he does, he'll gain weight.

Aleka, I thought I was reading something I wrote when you were talking about your tomatoes. I picked the last of my orange/green ones and put them in a box to ripen. A friend of mine said that they ripen better like that than wrapping them in newspaper. I did that last year and they just rotted.
I have to get busy with my reading too. I like the book and I'm doing the little assignments that he has you do. I'm finding out somethings about myself that I never realized before and that's a good thing. I'm still sticking with low carbing, Atkins style except I do eat a carrot occasionally. I think they are healthy.
Take care, Nikki

Good morning,

ANNE, that's fantastic news about your Dad. Your whole family must feel such relief. Congratulations too on getting below 210. You will definitely be in onederland by Christmas. Keep it up!!! WAHOO!!!!!

nikki, thank you soooo much for telling me how to ripen tomatoes inside. Many years ago we ripened them wrapped in newspapers and they were just alright. Today is the day! I think we're supposed to have a frost tonight. Went grocery shopping at Walmart yesterday and bought some Breyers low-carb ice cream. It has either 4 or 6 net carbs per serv., I also bought low carb bread so don't know which is which. Had some of the ice cream last night and it's not bad at all.

Enjoy your day!
Aleka

Good morning!
We had a killing frost last night. My DD #1 came over and we picked all the flowers that were looking good and made an arrangement for her to take home. It was so beautiful. I then went out later and picked a few that we missed and made a bouquet for the table here. I didn't think the cats could resist eating them, but so far, they haven't. Have either of you ever grown Dahlia's? I planted some bulbs last spring for the first time and I must say, they are some of the most beautiful and easy to grow flowers I've ever planted. Spectacular blooms and so colorful.
Aleka, I hope the box trick works. It will be easier to check for ripe tomatoes that way, rather than wrapping and unwrapping each one all the time. My friend says it's worked for her. She recommends placing the box in a cool, but not cold place.
Breyers ice cream drool. I will have to buy some someday when I can eat 1/2 a cup and be happy with that amount. DH is even worse, if I buy ice cream, he has to eat a huge dish. It's hard to sit and try to enjoy a small amount when he's eating a pint at a time or more.
I moved the little tomato plants inside a few days ago. I think the volunteer is a cherry tomato plant as it already has a few little blooms on it. The other one I grew from seed is still in there and it's really little. It's a big tomato plant. I will have to get another pot and transplant it. DH will have a fit by Christmas when I have 2 huge tomato plants taking up 1/2 of the computer room. But, he'll love the tomatoes, if the cats don't get them first. It sure will be a conversation piece.
Take care, Nikki

Hi Everyone:

It is so cold here you would swear it was late November instead
of the second of October

I am on my way to"a perfect attendance tea" being held at my
place of work for all staff that had perfect attendance for the
year 2002. There are a few prizes although I don't feel
especially lucky today I am hoping there are cheeses
and meats to eat or I will just have a coffee with cream.

Nikkic, you are good if you can eat 1/2 cup of icecream!! I have
a spoonful I want the whole drum I use to do things like
that!!

Aleka, we have so few low carb products here. You think by
know low carb would catch on. One would think it would be
a great business!!!

Talk to you later.
Anne.

Just a quick note. For a long time, I've wanted to open grocery stores geared towards diabetics. Now, if we had low carb stores that would be good for both groups. I understand in the big cities they have them, but we will never have one (unless I open it myself). The thing is, low carb eating is so popular, I would think anyone with some extra money (no one I know) would make a lot of money opening that kind of store.
Speaking of low carb food, I went to GNC this afternoon. They are getting more Atkins food and some other brands of low carb food as well. They are high priced, but I don't use the ready made products very often. I did get the pancake mix after hearing it is good as well as the banana bread mix and the new cereal. The woman there was very sick and would not leave me alone. Finally, I told her I would just browse. I think she thought I was a shoplifter as she insisted on taking the products I had already picked out. When I got home, I sprayed them all with Lysol (the linen scented one). Now they smell very fresh and are germ free

nikki, what a wonderful idea about opening a low-carb grocery store. The closet one to me is about 1 hr. drive. Hopefully some day you can fulfill your dream. I can't eat just 1/2 cup of ice cream. I only occasionally buy it just because of that. But, I wanted to try the low carb ice cream to see how it was. Good for you for spraying the stuff with Lysol. I usually keep a small container in my car of hand sanitizer, you never know when you're going to need it. I have never grown a Dahlia. Are they easy plants to grow? I have a "black thumb" when it comes to plants. We did manage to pick the rest of the tomatoes and put them in a box. We have the box sitting in our garage. I'll let you know how everything goes.

ANNE, did you have fun at the tea and did you win anything? It has gotten a lot colder here too. Did you see any snow yesterday at all? We didn't see any here, just rain and some peeks of sun, but they said further north was supposed to see some. It seems like everytime you turn around somebody is coming out with low-carb products. I even found another brand of bread that was low carb. It's wonderful to see all the products come out. I find the Atkins things too expensive so don't buy them. Have you ever made SS lasagna? It really is delicious. She was selling a slow cooker last weekend and on the HSN she has a lot of recipes, and there is one for the lasagna in the slow cooker. Go to www.hsn.com to the left of the page, click onto "cooking". When that page comes up, to the upper right you will see "hsn cookbook" click onto that and scroll down until you see Suzanne Somers. There are a lot of her recipes there.

Have a great weekend.
Aleka

I to write a quick one and get my BF done before DH comes home. I can't do it with him watching.
Don't buy the Atkins cereal unless you like to eat sawdust, icky stuff and $6 a box.
Aleka, I have never gone to the cookbook section at HSN, I'll have to go there and check it out. I made some lasagna with zucchini noodles this past summer and still have several frozen in 8x8 pans, just right for DH and I. It turned out so well, that DH was going on and on about how good it was and how he loved it. He ate 3/4 of it, which was fine with me.
I want to try the low carb ice cream and yogurt, but I'm afraid I'll eat the whole container and it will stall my progress. I'm down to 213 this morning and when I get on a slide like this, I don't want to get caught on a sticky spot But, it's good to know that it's good to eat and I know what I'll have for birthdays and holiday desserts now, at least for me.
Dahlias are super easy to grow. Plant the bulbs (I didn't even plant them deep enough as our soil was like a rock), and then I watered them, because of the dought, but I doubt they really needed it. Mine were in partial shade, and under a bush and the flowers were so beautiful, almost like a succulent they looked so sturdy. The colors are magnificent. Great for making a bouquet with.
Got to get with it, Nikki