LCFS week of Nov 14th
 

HI,
Missed yesterday, some how, the weeks are all just melting into each other. I got the carpet laid and it looks great. DH even said how nice it looks, twice. I cleaned out my closet today and that was something that has bugged me for awhile. It wasn't that bad, just needed to thin out the clothes. Some 3x's were still lingering in there as well as the usual old clothes that I keep just in case I want to paint. But, I only need a couple of sets of clothes for that and I had a wardrobe of old clothes that needed to be tossed. I also have a set of clothes for when I'm the next size down. I have had them for a few years now, but this time, I think I'll make it into them. Then of course, there is a dress that I wore when I was really small, I keep that for some day in the future. It's getting so old now, it might fall apart if I ever get back into it, but it's a reminder of what I can be, if I just keep keep taking baby steps.
I'm losing a couple of pounds a week and I feel pretty good about that. I am still just doing the WATP 1 mile walk in the morning. I tried the 2 mile and thought it was just too much for now. It's so nice to get that exercise done in less than 20 minutes too. I figure when I level out on my weight loss, I can kick it up a notch with the exercise then, or if I'm just bored with the 1 mile.

Aleka, what are you planning on doing for Thanksgiving? We are going to DD #1, it's the first time she will be making a turkey. I'm just going to count my points, have a little of everything and be satisfied.

Lynn, hope your trip is going well, are you home yet?

Anne, how's it going?

Talk to you guys later, Nikki

Hi,

Friday DH & I bought new cellphones and changed providers, as the one we had in NH doesn't cover the western part of FL :?: :?: Anyway, my phone did not work. Everytime DH would try to call my phone, it would not ring and when I tried to call his phone, his would ring but I didn't hear it on my phone. Very weird. We went back today to see what the problem was. The tech support couldn't fix it so we ended up ditching both the phones and getting better ones. We were there all morning.

Sunday I called a friend of mine in Massachusetts. She was telling me that on Sat. they had 3"-5" of snow.

Nikki, congratulations on all the weight you've lost. :bravo: How many lbs. total? When I was going to WW meetings, our leader told us one time to get rid of all, except for 1 item, of our "fat" clothes. Because that way you're more apt not to gain the weight back. Glad that your DH liked the carpet. You must be very talented to be able to do that. We're planning on going out to Thanksgiving dinner with my IL's. My MIL is looking in the paper down their way, and I'm looking up our way.

Lynn, hope you had a good time on your visit.

Anne, how are you doing?

Take care
Aleka

Aleka, I've lost 6 lbs. I actually lost and then gained back 1.5 lbs this week, but still managed to lose 2 lbs for the week over all. I was having a little trouble this past week with snack foods. They were all within my points allowance, but I can over do that and I know that vegetables and fruits are something I need to eat more of, plus, they fill me up better.
I'm glad there are flex points, I try not to use them and really need to reduce the amount I use, because it won't be long and my points allowance will go down. I need to start munching on more fresh vegetables and less of that diet pop cake, which is amazingly good, but I know I'd lose faster if I wasn't eating it so much. Talk to you tomorrow, Nikki

Good morning,

Nikki, 6 lbs! :cb: :cp: :bravo: :dance: :dancer: :high: That is fantastic!! Keep doing the WATP tapes at your own pace. I've been meaning to tell you that I bought that Kettle corn you were talking about. I've already eaten 2 bags by myself, not at the same time. :lol: That popcorn is sooo good. :T When I made that pop cake, I over did it too. I like to snack on the F/F S/F pudding. Chocolate, being my favorite. If you like pumpkin pie, I have a recipe for pumpkin pudding, which is very good and also for egg nog pudding.

DH & I are starting our walking again. The past few days life sort of interrupted our routine, so we're back at it today. The sun is up and DH has told me that I'll need sweatpants this morning. Ya, it does get cold in FL. ;)
Gotta go change and get moving.

Have a good day everyone
Aleka

Goodmorning All: Just lost a long post, God that P---es me off!!!!! Anyway here we go again We are glad to be back home. As usual it was very hectic to try and get everything done. Dh says we are not going back down until Xmas. That is a impossible dream, we are down there every 2 weeks. Had my friends over for dinner last night. I did the menu that I am doing for my xmas eve dinner. Every xmas eve I do a dinner for DIL's family and our family at DIL's home, apprx. 17 people. This year I am doing roast pork, roasted root veggies, garlic mashed potatoes and corn. The salad has roasted walnuts and a cranberry vinigrette. Dessert is a apple and cranberry crisp with whip cream. It was sooo good. I also had DD and DS pick their 2 favorite cookies for me to bake, so I will be doing 6 recipes instead of 10 or so.Have a list of what presents I'm getting everyone and should be done on Thursday. So Xmas is under control. I enjoyed Curves. You spend only a few minutes on each machine than move on and you do the room 3x in half anhour. The time flies and today I am feeling sore so it is working. I did ok, not great on the weekend with core. I don't feel to bad. Curves will weight and measure me the first or second week of Dec. Well must go and take the dog for her run. Curves say to go every 2nd day so am walking the days in between. I might even do Leslies walk. Will check back later.

Good morning,
Yes the pop cake is just evil :lol: It seems like it's not so bad, just 3-4 points, but then one piece isn't enough, then after 2 pieces, you figure why not have another one, you already blew it:rolleyes:. Think I will save that recipe for an occasional treat or birthdays. Aleka, I would like to have those recipes your talking about. I need something for Thanksgiving, a dessert that I can eat and that sounds like a good one. The eggnog sounds good for Christmas too.

Lynn, your menu sounds fabulous. You must be a wonderful cook. I like to cook too, but we rarely have large dinners anymore. Curves sounds like a lot of fun.

DH took me out for breakfast. It was easy to keep my points within a set amount. I like to eat this way. I love the popcorn, Aleka. That is really good stuff.
DH went and talked to our mechanic and he knew what was the matter with the car. It doesn't sound like it will be too expensive to fix and DH says he will take it over this afternoon. I will be glad to get the big car back. It's easier to shop. The little car has very little room for packages and I have to make 2 trips to get all my groceries.
The weather is going to be in the 60's today. It's already nice. I plan on putting up the rest of the snow fence out front today.
Take care, Nikki

Hi again,

Lynn, glad you're back. Your menu sounds yummy. What time do you want all of us to come? I can pick Nikki and Anne up on my way then we can all head on over to your house. :lol:

Nikki, here are the recipes I told you about plus a couple more.

Pumpkin Pudding

1 (4 serv) size S/F vanilla or butterscotch flavored instant pudding mix
1 cup canned pumpkin (use the solid pack pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix)
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/4 teasp. Pumpkin Pie Spice (opt.) (this is my own addition)

Pour milk into medium bowl. Add pudding mix, canned pumpkin, and Pumpkin Pie spice. Beat w/wire whisk 2 min. Pour into ramekins. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 4-1/2 cup servings.
With the solid pack pumpkin, 1/2 cup = 1 pt.

I bet this would be good putting it in a reduced fat, pre-packaged graham cracker pie shell to make pumpkin pie.


Egg Nog Pudding

2 cups skim milk
1 (4 serv. size) S/F vanilla instant pudding & pie filling
1/2 teasp. rum extract (opt) (I usually omit this because I hate the flavor of rum in my egg nog.)
1/4 teasp. ground nutmeg

Pour milk into medium bowl. Add pudding mix, rum extract, & nutmeg. Beat w/wire whisk 2 min. Pour into ramekins. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 4-1/2 cup servings.
1/2 cup=1 pt.

This also is fantastic.

1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple
1-15 oz. cans peaches
1-11 oz. can mandarin oranges
1- 6 oz. can S/F flavored yogurt (I used Blue Bunny Sugar Free)
4 oz Cool Whip (hint: with a knife cut 8 oz. Cool Whip while still frozen and thaw one half)
optional: 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 cup sliced green grapes, or any other fresh fruit

Drain fruit well. Mix fruit w/container of yogurt and 4 oz. Cool Whip. Refrigerate. Serv. size 3/4 cup.= 1 pt

Vegetarian Chili

1 lg. onion
1 green pepper, sliced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes w/herbs
1 1/2 cups matchstick carrots, sliced
1 8 oz can sliced mushrooms
2 cans (15 oz. ea) dark red kidney beans, undrained
1 8 oz. can pineapple, drained
2 Tablesp. chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Stir, cook on high, 4 hrs. Serv. size, 2 cups=4 points. 210 cal
11 gm. fiber
1 gm. fat

I know the pineapple sounds :?: in chili, but it really is good. DH really loves it and I make it quite often.

Enjoy! Aleka

Hi Again: I have had a version of your chili with the pineapple and yes it good beleive it or not. Thanks for the recipes

Hi Guys,
Thank you all for the lovely card. It means alot to have the support of
good friends like yourselves :grouphug:
We are trying to get back to "normal" but its hard. On one hand we are
thankful that my Dad lived his life right up to the last week at home. Deep
down inside we all knew that he was so thin and was in fact failing.
I am enormously disappointed with our hospitals though. I can't believe the way that staff just routinely disconnected a patient's IV when they are dying. To me this is disgusting. I was lucky to work with a women whos
mom died early this year in the hospital I work in. She was the one who
alerted me to this practice of taking away the patients IV and oxygen to
hasten their death. I kept saying are your sure? :?: She was totally correct.
When I noticed they had unhooked my dad's IV we raised **** and they
got it back on quick enough. My aunt is a nurse and provided all care
to my dad in his last two days. She was like an angel :angel: and never
left his side. (this is the aunt who's 20 year old son drown last year).
I can't beleive how low our society has sunk. I am going to make a living
will. I have been telling my sons all week, don't you dare let them ever
put me in pallative care. I was under the impression that pallative care
was a loving enviroment that make the patient comfortable. :faint: :yikes: :eek: Live and learn.

Nikki, sounds like you are doing great on that program!!! Good for you!!!

Aleka, recipes sound great!!! I am going to print them.

Lynn, I hate when you lose a long post. Lets hope that doesn't happen to
me after all this.........

Oh yes, :devil: has been really rotten to me too. I have my performance
appraisal with her tomorrow. I swear, if she makes me mad I'll go home and
write an encyclopedia about her!! When I got back to work I was talking
to a friend and was naturally a little weepy. I said sorry Sylvia when I talk
about my dad I get a little upset. She then yelled "then don't talk about it"
Can you guys believe that?

Anne.

Anne, glad to hear from you. It will take you a while to get back to normal, and take as long as you need. I can't believe how insensitive :devil: has been to you. It helps to talk about what you're going through, so you just keep on talking about it. That was so nice of your aunt to take care of your Dad in his last days. At least you know he got loving care. It would help if hospitals were a bit more compassionate and it was good you spoke up and they put the IV back in. You have been in my thoughts and it's good to have you back. :grouphug:
Aleka

Good Evening,
Anne, it's so good to hear from you again :grouphug:. It takes a long time before the pain starts to ease. Loss is very difficult. Your right, though, he was able to live like he wanted to up until almost the end. Even though he was probably hiding alot of what he was experiencing, it was also a testimony to his internal strength and love for his family.
Now, doing routine things does help you to carry on. I guess it makes a person feel more in touch with reality when reality seems to be all messed up.
:devil: seems very well named.
I will be thinking about you tomorrow, good luck and keep your chin up ;)

Aleka, thank you for the recipes, they look great and I will print them off. I will try the chili, but it will be awhile. DH is so set in his ways about things. He likes the chili I always make and the last batch I made was sweet and he complained about it for days. That doesn't mean he didn't still eat most of it, he just complained while he was eating it. Men.

I was starting to put up the snow fence today and hit myself in the mouth with the hammer. I guess the stake I was pounding on hit a tree root and the hammer was level with my face. It bounced off the top of the stake and now, my lower lip looks like Angelina Jolee's lip. It's cut inside and I hit my front tooth, but didn't chip it. It did move it out of place though. DH then went out and finished putting the stakes in the ground. He has a problem with his shoulder, we think he has a torn rotator cuff (too many pushups and too much weight lifting), but being him, he won't go to a Dr. He really shouldn't be hammering anything, but he won't let me do anymore either. I seem to be accident prone. Well, I don't have to use any lip plumper for a few days, :lol:
Tomorrow, I have to go see my surgeon as I'm being reviewed again about my disability retirement. I sure hope the Dr agrees that I can't do my old job anymore. I am able to do somethings, but I know I won't be able to stand for long periods of time or walk for long periods or run anymore. When you work on a locked psych ward, sometimes you have to run to help others put people in restraints and sometimes, you have to run away from people that are out of control, especially if your the only person on the unit. Seems like I can hurt myself just fine at home, I don't need any help from someone that is homicidal.
It's getting late and I have to go pick up DD from work. We will be getting up at 430 as it takes several hours to get there. I will be gone most of the day, will check in later tomorrow, Nikki

Good morning,

I had a good post, hit the wrong key and lost it. :censored:

We found out that we've had a raccoon visiting our bird feeder. DH heard something growl last night out back, he turned the light on in the lanai, but of course that did no good. :rolleyes: Then herself started barking and we heard something large run into the nearby brush. Before we went to bed I thought I'd see if whatever it was returned. I shone a flashlight out into the yard and there was the raccoon as big as life eating birdseed. We noticed there had been something big on the bird feeder, and thankfully it was only a raccoon. We do have Panthers roaming about.

Anne, I hope all goes well with your performance appraisal today. I will be thinking about you.

Nikki, good luck with your review. Do you have to have one done yearly? It's funny, the chili doesn't taste sweet to DH & I even though the pineapple is in it. I did see all the posts about SS on the HSN BB. I try not to give to a charity unless it's directly to them. When I see those ads on TV about sponsoring a child in poor countries, I often wonder how much of that money goes to the child. Have you been on HSN BB lately? It was a hot bed yesterday because of Colin Powell resigning and Condoleeza (sp?) Rice taking his place. One post was poofed.

lynn, will you be going to Curves today? I took Lacee for a walk around the neighborhood yesterday. It was so funny. I never said a word to her, walked around the house as usual, and she kept following me dancing on her hind legs. I don't know how she knew!

Have a great day everyone
Aleka

Goodmorning All: Nice to hear from you Anne at this horrible time of your life. I hope that all goes well for you today. Aleka I have made that recipe with the crushed pineaple and I didn't find it sweet either. If fact I can't describe the flavor it adds but it is good and also thickens the chili. Yep today is Curves day. I can hardly wait. I am going at noon because it is slow than and I can get used to the machines without slowing anyone down. When I have the machines down I will probably go in the morning before my shower to start my day off. Nikki, I to am a accident looking for a place to happen. Over the years I have done some truly stupid things. DH says it is because I do everything so fast. Today is going to be about 60 so DH is putting the Xmas lights on the cottage. Hope all goes well with you today Nikki. I will be back later to hear yourgood news later :wave:

Nikki,

I forgot to ask how your mouth was doing today? :o That must have really hurt. Hope you tooth will be ok. Has it gotten back in place?

Aleka

Good afternoon,
The Drs appointment went well. He dictated a letter in front of me and said that my ankle is badly degenerated and that I am no longer to return to work doing what I was doing before. He also told me, that in the future, he will continue to write this same letter any time I need it, since he feels that my ankle will not improve and in fact will only get worse as time progresses. I'm relieved about that, at least that he will always be supportive of me. I'm not exactly surprised hearing that it will continue to degenerate, that's the nature of things in general anyway.
My lip looks pretty black and blue, especially, inside. The teeth feel a little funny, but they are ok. I feel like I've got a big marble on my lip, but it's not really that bad looking.
We had a really nice trip to the Drs and back. Stopped off at the Amana's (a German type village) and bought the girls some fudge. DH bought some wine, but I wouldn't drink it no matter what. I got really sick on it once and I hadn't drank much of it, so I really can't stand the stuff now. I did kind of go way off the diet this morning for breakfast. We went to Village Inn and I had some kind of huge breakfast. I only ate 1/2 of it and DH finished his and mine too. It was still probably enough points for 2 days.
Aleka, I didn't mean the pineapple in the chili would be sweet, the last batch I made was sweet because it had splenda in it. DH doesn't even like different beans in his chili. I will try your recipe though, he will have to just get over not liking different stuff.
It is so nice outside, 65 and a little rainy but it feels like spring. Wish we weren't so tired.
Aleka, you might have to bring the bird feeders in at night, if possible. Even so, the raccoon might still hang around where the seeds have fallen on the ground. Raccoons are such pests, but I like them too. Panthers, that's a different story, but I wouldn't think they would come to a bird feeder, except to hunt birds. My outdoor cat, Tony loves to lay in wait by our feeder to get a sparrow or two. He isn't the most successful hunter, so the birds are generally safe, but every now and then, he does get lucky.
How many feeders do you have? I have 4 right now and I think I will have to get another finch feeder. We have over 20 finch out there most of the time. Lots of sparrows of course, nut hatch, woodpeckers, bluebirds and cardinals this time of year. DH gets a little ticked at me for buying so much bird food. I really get a kick out of watching the birds though. Tony thinks it's the best idea I've had since heated cat beds. :lol:
Lynn, hope you had a good time at Curves, it sure sounds fun.
Hi Anne, how did your appraisal go? I hope your ok, I can only imagine how horrible :devil: was to you.
I need to go lay down, I'm beat.
Take care, Nikki

Hi Everyone:
Poor Nikki, how is your mouth! :( I bet that smarts. Thank God you didn't
break any of your teeth.

Aleka! Panthers :faint: :eek: I'll bet you guys were glad it was only
a racoon!! We have had tons of racoons this year around our house.
I'm a big old chicken. I am more scared of them than they are of me,
imagine at my size :lol:

Lynn, is there alot of heavier folks at curves? I know all the fitness clubs
downtown have these slim young girls on there exericse equipment not
to mention well built young guys. I think that is what has prevented me from
joining the one (Bally's Fitness) in the building at 250 Yonge St.

Beleive it or not my appraisal was ok. :devil: wrote I was an excellent
employee and beyond reproach. I was shocked. The whole thing took about
an hour and she made me promise to go to the Christmas Lunch at the
Keg Mansion on December 20 :stress: I don't like those events but what
are your going to do. What kills me is :devil: admits she hates them too.
Go figure......As the saying goes misery loves company.

Anne.

Anne, that's great that your appraisal went so well. A big congratulations, good for you :bravo: :cp: I am sure you are an excellent employee.
That must be a big relief to get that over with.
My mouth is ok, just a little sore, swollen and bruised. At least, I didn't split my lip on the outside and get a scar. It did split on the inside, but it's starting to heal up already.

Good morning,

DH & I had to make a trip to Walmart this morning. This Walmart is open 24 hrs. and is always crowded during the day. We thought if we went early we'd avoid the crowds. Not so! We had breakfast out, and I did very well. I had oatmeal and a small bowl of fresh fruit.

Anne, congratulations on your appraisal. :hat: :dancer: :high: That's fantastic news! We haven't seen any Panthers, but the couple we bought the house from, he saw one on his way home from work one night. We also have seen wild boars along the roadside where there are woods. We had a raccoon in NH that came into the yard and also a bear or two. Hope things will go well for you today.

Nikki, feeding birds is another thing we have in common. We have 2 bird feeders. One of them is hand made by the father of the woman we bought the house from. She asked me if I wanted it because her father was making her a new one for their new house. I jumped at the chance. Then DH put up one we brought with us from NH. We seem to have quite a lot of Mourning Doves, so many, that sometimes the ground seems to be moving when they're out there. We also get Cardinals, Woodpeckers, and most recently Quails. The Quails are so funny to watch the way they scoot across the yard at break-neck speed. :lol: There are about 15 or 20 of those that come at one time. There are also other birds I have no idea what they are. I did buy a bird book of Florida birds, but when I look in the book after seeing a bird, I can't seem to find it. :^: We really do get a lot of enjoyment watching them. We also have a few wild rabbits that come into the yard and eat :?: in the grass. I was told that in the spring we'll get Mocking Birds. As a matter of fact there is a nest in one of the bushes near or walkway. I'm looking forward to seeing them. How is your mouth today? Hope it's starting to feel better and the color is starting to fade.

Lynn, how was Curves yesterday and did your DH get the Christmas lights up? DH always had the excuse of not putting up Christmas lights because it was too cold. Now, he has no excuse. :s:

Hope you all have a great day.
Aleka

Good morning,
The mouth is ok, just a little purple on the outside and more purple on the inside. Doesn't hurt much now though.
Stripe (the cat) is driving me insane. He gets up every morning at 4 am and starts to run wild through the house. He scatches on the tops of the kitchen chairs, on the couch and then on the wallpaper. He does this over and over until I get up. I try to just feed him and go back to bed, but after he eats, he starts it all over again until I'm up for good. I wish he would wait until at least 6 am, cause I never get to sleep before midnight. I was thinking of making a pair of striped mittens out of him :lol:
I lost .4 lbs yesterday and was going to brag to DH about it, but he lost 1.5 lbs yesterday and he ate like a pig. He even ate a quart of his favorite ice cream yesterday. I wish I could eat anything I wanted and still lose weight. He exercises alot though.
So, to get my metabolism going, I did the 2 mile WATP this morning. Boy, that really made me sweat and I was surprised, I could do it all. It really helps to walk in the morning, it gets my ankle all limbered up and I can walk farther for longer.
Aleka, we have a lot of mourning doves here too, but I wonder if some don't go south for the winter. My bird book says they stay here all year, but they aren't hanging around like they were this spring. Also, in the winter, they don't seem to call out and make that mournful sound. I love that sound. I can remember when I was a kid, waking up to that sound on a summers morning. I'll bet the quail are funny. I've seen them here farther out in the country, but none have come to my feeders. I have become somewhat of a birdwatcher in the last few years. DH isn't in to it, but he has mentioned how much more cheerful the yard sounds with all the birds hanging around. I think it's also good to help keep the insect population down. When they aren't eating seeds, they are eating creepy crawly things.
Hi Lynn and Anne, hope your days are going ok, take care, Nikki

Hi everyone: Just got home from running the dog after a very busy day. Anne, Curves has a lot of "mature" ladies and a lot of "heavier" ladies. The average member appears to be in their forties ( at least here) and the next age group is in their 50's. So I fit right in. I know I walked into a couple of gym's in the GTA and walked out. If you see their (Curves) commercials on TV they appear to be aimed at the more "mature" lady. I don't feel out of place, in fact the lady working with me said she could tell I did some exercise was a athlete in my youth. The exercising we have done puts us ahead of the average 40 something out there. Congrats on your appraisal. God, racoon's, I ask do they ever die except as road kill? T"is the season of crowds Aleka, I HATE them!!! Today I could see it is already starting. Glad your mouth is ok. Nikki, imagine if you had to go to the dentist after your Dr. appointment, thank your lucky stars for that. Well must go it is 5:35 my time and I' m sure DH is hungry. Bye for now.

Evening,
Just wanted to say, Anne, I've been in our Curves a few times and there are the same type of ladies here in Curves too. I think it looked like a place we would fit in.
Later, Nikki

Good Morning All:
Knowing :devil: puts new meaning to the pharse thank God it's Friday. Yesterday,I had to send Sylvia an email yesterday because a staff member came down with 3 months worth of cash they had been holding in their office. This staff member was trying to butt in front a line of patients paying bills.
I asked her (politely) to leave the cash with me and I would process it
later. She didn't want to do that and instead came back after three when
I had left. The new girl Farida didn't know what to do with the money and
sent her away :( I knew the staff member (from another department would
complain) so I wanted to give :devil: the heads up.
Well.....She phoned me and yelled and yelled and yelled........Finally I yelled
back "Sylvia, why do you always have to be so freakin rude" She answered
Watch it. I said no, you watch it, you are the one with all the compaints
in your file. I wish they would fire this woman! A manager of another
department was outside my wicket when I was on the phone with :devil:
When I got off the phone she said Syliva should be working in a jail as a
prison guard. I said, I tell people that all the time :o
Nikki, Stripe sounds like me. I get up to get ready for work at four and I
am always flying around too :lol: Especially thinking about another day with
you know who :lol:
Aleka, glad you haven't seen any panthers. Bears though hmmm.....My dad
had a cottage up in Bancroft Ontario years ago and there was alot of wild
life there. What I hated was the snakes. That was my weakness.
Lynn, Curves sounds great. Thats the sort of club I would love to belong to.
I wish I had one closer. There is one I Know of around High Park but thats
abit too far from where I live.
Have a great day everyone.
Anne.

Good morning,

We got a Thanksgiving pkg. from our former neighbors yesterday in the mail. They put some fall stuff in it along with some small loaves of pumpkin bread, that she had baked, along with an awfully nice card. I called them last night to thank them and she was saying that she almost put some fall leaves in the pkg. but they all crumbled. I told her as long as it wasn't any snow in the pkg. it was alright. :lol: She then said that I hadn't gotten my December bundle yet. ;)

Anne, good for you on speaking up to :devil: When you speak up to people like that, they sometimes back down and will be nicer to you. Hope :devil: is that type of a person. At least other management people know what she is like. Snakes.... :yikes: I hate snakes, also spiders. In FL we have these spiders, they're called North Carolina..something or other, and they're big to put a collar on and take for a walk. I told DH that if I ever saw one in the house, my suitcase would be all packed and sitting at the front door. Well, he had seen a few and killed them but didn't tell me about it until much later. We have since had the bug guy around and so far I haven't seen one. :crossed:

Nikki, I got a big chuckle out of Stripes :lol: :lol: Sometimes you just have to wonder what is going on in that brain of their's. :dizzy: That's a good weight loss. Don't you hate it that men can lose weight so much easier than women? :mad: When DH & I were SSizing he lost 20 lb. to my 5 lb. GRRRRRR!!! Glad that the WATP tapes are doing you so much good and congratulations on going to the 2 mile tape. It's good to hear that your mouth is healing ok. I love to listen to the mourning doves too. The only problem with them is they make a lot of noise when they fly off. Many a times I've almost had a heart attack when they've taken off in flight as I've approached an area where they're perching. :fr: :lol:

Lynn, glad to know about the type of women who go to Curves. I've noticed a Curves not very far from where I live. It's coming on the winter season and there are a few more people around. I haven't noticed too many more people at the grocery store, which is good. When Jan. rolls around there will be an influx of people and most of them will stay until April or May. Maybe this winter DH & I will have to go to Walmart at 3:00 am to avoid the crowds. :D

Have a great Friday.
Aleka

Goodmorning All: I hope this finds you all well. It is a beautiful day here. I went to Curves at 7:30 today and was glad I did. There is an incrediable group of ladies there at that time. They visit and talk and have a great time. There was a few ladies in their 60's and I that had to be 70. There was one with a cane. Some can't do all the machines but still show up to do what they can. They go to Tim Horton's after for coffee and invited me along but I had promised DH a coffee from there. I will go the next time. I'm going to go at that time from now on, the time just flew. Good for you Anne :bravo: :jig: :cp: the witch had it coming. I too hate snakes but spiders don't bother me and a good thing too as there are lots at the trailer. My big fear is mice. Havn't seen one since I was a girl. When we close the trailer in the fall I put a roll of toilet paper on the carpet in the livingroom because a mouse would use it for a nest. It is the first thing I see in the spring when we open up. It has never been disturbed, if it was I would NOT enter. :lol: Well of to the showers. Later

Hi,
I'm going to have a busy day ahead. I decided, I have to start it off with a good cup of :coffee: and a quick post to my buddies :grouphug:
Anne, I know some prison guards and they aren't half as mean as :devil: She reminds me of something from the :devil: to tell the truth. What ever happened to that woman in her childhood, to make her the way she is now? Well, some people are just born bad and have had nothing happen to them.

Aleka, yesterday, I saw one of my favorite little nuthatches has a broken wing. She was trying to eat and hop around the tree and the wing was flopping all over. I felt so bad for her. I suppose Tony the cat will take care of her eventually. I briefly considered taking her to the vet, but knew DH would probably melt down if I even suggested that.
For the majority, the spiders and snakes here are not poisonous. There are a few, but they are rare. In Missiouri, there are all kinds of things that can kill you and DH, who is from there, said when he was a kid, they had a lot of problems with snakes. His mom finally said, they had to move out of that snakey place, :lol: . We usually have some little garder snakes, a few blue racers and occasionally a bull snake will show up in the garden. Most of the time, snakes are more afraid of me than I am of them. I usually just take the garder snakes out to the field. They are just little guys and bug eaters. I am deathly afraid of bats. I realize they are good for the environment, eat a lot of bugs and don't want anything to do with me, but they really scare the crap out of me.
Aleka, that care package from home must have been fun. What nice friends you have.
Lynn, that is great about Curves. Sounds like you've found your nitch there, good for you!
Got to run, I'm on my second cup of coffee and it's starting to kick in, take care, Nikki

Hi again, I forget to mention I watched Primetime last night and it was Peter Jennings ( a good Canadian boy) interviewing President Clinton at the opening of his Library. Did he ever come off as a nice person. I really enjoyed the show. He was a good interview and one question Peter asked he was "what famous person would you like to meet that you havn't" well as president there wouldn't be 2 many famous people he hadn't. He answered " the president of Kenya, he made education free and 1 million kids registered for school" a great answer as Africia has to come out of the dark ages and education is the only way it can. Also I have a recipe that calls for hominy, what is that? Thanks later

Lynn,
I looked hominy up in my ancient Joy of Cooking. It says, Hominy is corn with the hull and germ removed. In an attempt to give it calcium vaules, it is sometimes also soaked in wood ash lye. Hominy can be dried and ground into a coarse flour for baking, cooked as a cereal or used in any recipe calling for corn.
I've seen hominy in the can at Walmart, just today in fact. I've never eaten it and I've heard some people don't care much for it. I've always associated it with southern cooking. I would say, if you can't find it, use corn instead.
I have always like President Clinton. I thought he was a good president and our country went down hill after he left office. I know he wasn't the best husband, but his personal life didn't matter to me in the least. My favorite president was President Carter. He is such an nice guy. I think both of them had the countrys best interest at heart.
Got to run again, Nikki

Good morning,

Lynn, glad you had such a good time at Curves and met some very nice ladies. It sounds like you'll have a great time with them when you go for coffee. We can buy hominy in the grocery stores. It's usually in the Mexican Food section, and the brand name here is Goya. Like corn, it comes in white or yellow. I've had hominy added to soup, and it's good. But, I haven't eaten it on its own. I prefer the yellow. I also liked President Clinton. I totally agree with Nikki, he was a good president and things went downhill after he left office. My favorite president was JFK. After all these years I still remember where I was when I first heard the news of his assasination.

Nikki, oh, that poor little nuthatch. I hope a cat doesn't get it. I hate to see anything hurt like that. One time we had a bird fly into our window with a horrible thud. I went outside to see if it was hurt and it was just lying there unconscious, but still alive. I picked it up and hid it under some bushes so nothing could get to it. A few hrs. later I saw the bird fly off. There is this guy in FL who takes in injured birds and fixes them up. He mostly has Pelicans that have been injured. It was funny, after I opened up the pkg. and read the card, something snapped and I started to :cry: . I guess I never realized how much I missed them.

Anne, how did things go at work for you yesterday? Was :devil: any nicer to you or was she her :censored: self? More importantly, how are you doing?

DH & I are off to another craft fair this morning. We're still on the lookout for that certain something to put over the sliding doors.

Talk to you later.
Aleka

Good morning,
Aleka, either the nuthatch was eaten or his wing was out of place and is ok now. I didn't think we had 2 of that kind out there, but today, there is one that looks just like the one that had the wing flopping all over the place. We have 3 different kinds of nuthatch visiting the feeders.
We use to have a bird woman here that would take in injured birds. She wrote a column for the local paper and knew all about the local birds. She lived into her 90's and passed away a couple of years ago. I wish I could have met her, she seemed like a rare old bird herself :) .
I like to go to craft fairs too. DH isn't that interested in them, but the DD's like to go. I have plenty of stuff for the house, just like to go look and buy a candle or some homemade soap.
Last night, we went to a benefit for a nurse from the VA. We don't know her, but she's ill and they want to help her out. They served ham and beans and both of us have suffered ever since from them. I usually soak my beans over night and never have this problem. Next time we go to a ham and bean feed, I'm drinking water instead.
Guess I better get busy. The weather is suppose to start getting colder again and I have some stuff to do outside, take care everyone, Nikki

Hello Everyone: A very dull rainy day here today. It suits my mood. I read a book until I went to lie down with it and fell asleep. IT WILL BE A VERY SLEEPLESS NIGHT TONIGHT!!!!! God I hate when I do that. Nothing much to say I think I am still half asleep. Hope you all had a good day. Talk to you tomorrow.

Here is a recipe site that I found on WW. Someone from there has put all her recipe's here. It's a neat site, check it out, has some really good looking recipes for Thanksgiving/Christmas too.

http://www.shadesofjaim.com/recipes/

It's Sunday...I'll start another thread.

Hi All: I have lost 2 posts today and am getting just a little P---ed off. Anne before I forget you mentioned that your Mom and sister were thinking Terrier. Terrier's are very high energy dog. Maybe someone can researce breeds on the net. There is a good site www.thepoop.com that would be helpful. I have just decorated the tree for the 2nd day in a row. The lights are gold and I wanted to put more on this year. We couldn't find any so brought clear ones and changed every light to gold. Half an hour later we smelt burning rubber and the lights went out. So had to change to clear and all the ornaments had to come off to change the lights. Bought all my baking stuff today to do my baking at DD's next week. I am leaving for the GTA on Sunday to puppy sit Cooper for DD. He had a hernia repair and was nuetered (?) and can't to with the dog walker for 2 weeks. My Mom is not good and Step-father is also sick. I am making a chicken lemon soup of WW's in a minute will let you know how it tastes. It's 2 points. Well will talk to you tomorrow