. I would love to have tried it out yesterday but it was just too danged cold here...sunny, yes, but only in the 40's or some such. There was a very chilly wind, at any rate, and when we went grocery shopping in the morning, I had worn a pair of flats with no panty hose or socks, and was freezing 
. When we went bike shopping, I put on warm socks and an undershirt. Well, I called it an undershirt, but it was really just one of those spaghetti-strapped camis. It poured here last night - and now it's sunny again, but I'm not sure how warm it's going to get. I'm so envious of you gals who are having nice, toasty temperatures in the 80's or more! (Karen3, I may still need that box o' sunshine!) Nancy, I used to do all the holidays at my house when the kids were growing up - we had a huge house and lots of land for everybody to wander around on. Then came the divorce (Oh, Karen3.....I LOVE the idea of being a Daffodil!), sold the house, lived on my own in an apartment for awhile, and then bought a house with dh ten or so years ago, and hosted lots of family - and friend - dinners and cook-outs and such there, but sold that soon after dh got his walking papers from his job @ 3 years ago, I think, and have been next door to my dd2 ever since in a smaller, but way more affordable place, and although I still do some of the holiday dinners (we haven't downsized all THAT much) I don't do them all anymore. I guess I've lost some of the "oomph" it takes to always be the organizer of these things, not to mention the principal chef and pre-dinner cleaning lady. Oh, and about that swing? I may just have to take you up on that sometime when I'm on my way to or from my sister's - although the way gas prices are lately, seems like flying is the cheaper alternative. And speaking of my sister - well, she has her son in palliative care, now. His tumor has grown exponentially - and is pretty much wrapped completely around his brain stem now, which has inhibited his ability to breathe on his own, so they have him on a respirator through a trach in his throat, and he's being fed through a feeding tube in his stomach. He can't talk, and while not exactly comatose, he isn't able to communicate much beyond the occasional eye-blinking, and on a good day, he will apparently point to somebody or something. It breaks my heart because I know he didn't want to be kept alive in a vegetative state dependent on machines and needing to be washed and seen to by nurses and so on. He was/is an extremely private person, as am I, and I know full well that he is horribly unhappy about the way they (my sister and niece) are keeping him alive by whatever means they can. I've had many conversations with my sister since we were down there in February, and she says that although she KNOWS he didn't want this, she's having a hard time letting go and giving up hope. Having never had to face this - thank God - with any of my children, I know that I can't fully understand her feelings, and might be equally unable to let go if I were in her position. But it's all just so cruel.
Oh, MY, Rosey! Look at you in those too-big-T-shirts! Wowza! Pretty soon you'll be able to fit you - and half a dozen grandkids in that rocking chair!
Mary, your confession about scraping the cake pan is safe with us. And as for eating two pieces....Hah! I've been there, and done that - and worse - more times than I can count. Lately - and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is a permanent development - I'm not as obsessive about continuing to eat something just because it's there. Yesterday we had some turkey club sandwiches for supper (I make them on 2 pieces of Joseph's 60-calorie pita bread; thin-sliced deli turkey - @ 3 oz, which is a lot more than it sounds like - a little lite Miracle whip, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, mashed avocado and @ 3 slices of low sodium bacon broken into pieces and spread across the sandwich. I had bought a bag of that hull-free popcorn, which is like 100 calories for a hundred pieces - must be mostly air - and normally, I could eat a good half a bag at one sitting. Yesterday, I nibbled on maybe ten pieces and had enough. GOOD sign!
Welcome to the eastern part of the country, Karen31! Hope you brought some warm clothes, because you will surely need them! (And girl you are looking GOOD these days! You'll be back down to the size you were in that picture of you and your daddy before long! I am so proud of you!)
Gayle, yep....those grandkid hugs are worth all the aggravation of living here in the snow belt! Of course, there are times when I have to be sure to remind myself of that!
Sorry to hear that your leg is bothering you, PT....I hope Karen3's suggestion helps. Yoga, huh? You know, I have been meaning for ages to give that a try. Did you take a class or learn from a video or something?
Freda, I swear I am just trying to follow in your footsteps and get this weight off and then be able to KEEP it off for the long term. Love the way you can just say "no" to cookies and go on about your business like that. I'm doing okay with that for now, but know that the real test comes when you're trying to maintain. That's where I usually flub up, and I don't want to do it again.
Bobbi, my dearest dear, I do NOT look my best at 160; I am at my best at 145, and that's where I want to be this summer. And, just for some strong motivation, I've bought a TON of new clothes for myself that are too tight just now. But I really, really like them and plan to wear them come h*** or high water!
Lynn and Lyn....you going to be checking in anytime soon?
Have a great weekend, GG's ...oh...and sorry for this long, tedious post. You know I can't stop once I have a keyboard in front of me!
Z
