I'm working on it Aunt Sandra!
Where are you going to go on your trip?? How fun! Oh and yes, we are regular do-it-yourself-ers around here.

So these big guys in red jackets, funny hats riding horses came and just DRAGGED ME onto this board - the nerve!!!

Here I am - alive but struggling! ha ha ha

Sandra - I just LOVED the flowers - esp the pink one of course - and congrats on the fabulous report from your dr visit - keep up the fabulous work! Whatever you're doing is sure working for you.

kathy - I too would be a bit unsettlted if I didn't hear from ds - but I'm pretty sure he is in good hands and will call when he can. I agree that sabotage is not pretty - as for fried pickles? I think I'll pass

Angela - sorry about dd - poor thing. As for the monkey blanket? you should probably make more and sell them on ebay!

Speaking of which Niki - you are doing a great job. I have always wondered about selling and might consider it more seriously!

Vickie - how was Jim's dr appt? and how is your gf doing? Hope all the news is good news.

We are awaiting 'bad news' here actually dh's mom's sister (his aunt) was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (age 72) and already so far gone that nothing could be done. And of course mil was not on good speaking terms with her (some long time feud thing going on) of course now she is at her bedside- she is in palliative care - last stages - and poor mil has not been home in 2 days - several other 'siblings' have been in out and (from Montreal and other areas) but some can't be in the room at the same time due to other 'feuds' (don't ask!). Anyhow she needs to go home and take care of herself and take her meds so dh and I may do some driving back and forth to hospital with her - she is not the best driver and she is obviously very stressed right now. As well the $12 daily parking fee is eating into her budget we hear! Every time the phone rings we expect 'bad news'!

Thurs night big ds and I went to the Super Ex (annual fair/exhibition in Ottawa - around 12 days?) - to see The Nylons (www.thenylons.com) a pretty amazing acapelle group. Ds has been a fan since age six - and they put on such a good show! Show was at 8 - got there at 7 after trying to find parking (parking on fair grounds is a whopping $20!) and people who live in the area 'ren't out their driveways for $15 (no street parking in the area). We ended up finding 'street/free' parking a few blocks away thank goodness. And had amazing front row seats for the show such fun! Ds came home with bags of beer nuts (he loves those) and candy apple and cotton candy for his siblings. I had a run in with some KFC - need I say more???

...and today I STAYED HOME - yes my calendar was somewhat clear and given my stressful week I decided a 'break' was in order (yes I ended up handling some office business via email but it all went well!). It really helped me mentally to stay away from the office today. Took dd to camp then little ds and I had breakfast at Mcdonald's with a rousing game of air hockey in the playland. Then to walmart - little ds has bday party tomorrow - got gift and a whole wack of (very cheap) school supplies, some t-shirts for dd and more undies for cruising froufs (okay you need at least 2 pairs a day - no kidding!).

Came home for a little break - then hairdresser appt at 3:30 pm for the cruise do! Had my highlights redone - I think they look too 'yellow" - but might need to get used to them? will wait and see. Then to mall to pick up sequin blazer, got new mascara, earrings and an ANKLET - how radical is that? A silver one with some dangly things on it - very caribbean don't you think? Not sure if I can sleep with it on? Feels a bit weird on my foot! I might get another one on the ship - they do that 'by the inch' thing so i can pick the chain I like and they will prepare to proper length.

May go to gym tomorrow morning if I"m up early enuf - ds' party from 11-1 pm - and must take dd to Ikea to check out new furniture for her room.

That's the plan!

Frouf

I like the plan! Not much else to say right now except that I wear an anklet year-round and sleep in it as well. I don't think I've even taken it off in a few years. You should be able to handle it.

Sounds like a busy time!

Frouf it's good to have you back. I wear anklets a lot too...I'm sure if you aren't used to them it would take awhile. You should really go out there on a limb and get a toe ring. It takes getting used to but I wore one for about 6 years and didn't take it off (yes, I did clean my toes!! Everyone asks that. )!

I win!! It's been awhile since I won the first/last post prize.
I hope that you all have wonderful Saturdays. I'm going shopping with my mom in a little while. I'm hoping to get some rest this weekend, too!
I'll talk to you all later!

Hey, good morning, sunshine! You were up and at 'em early today! Congrats on winning the prize too!

It's already hot, so I'm going to do my errands this morning and get back home. I need to clean some but don't want to, so I might just sweep the tile and that's all. I'll definitely be cooking dinner tonight since we went out last night. We weren't out late at all, which is good. Judd and his friend are riding bikes after it cools back down (cool down means under 90 degrees!) later on tonight ... they'll probably go around 7:30 or so.

I got Shaun's box of stuff yesterday that he had to ship back when he arrived in Great Lakes. Clothes, shoes, backpack, etc. I'll just stick it in the closet until I send or take his things to Pensacola. He can have his own clothes there but can't have anything in basic.

On with my Saturday. Happy weekend to all!

Good Morning Chicks! I actually slept all night. What a great feeling. I've got some aches and pains but what new?!

Today is the birthday party for my Great Nephew who will turn 3 on September 2nd. He's adorable. We bought him a 2 foot stuff Batman from Target that he was visiting every time he and the family went to Target. Every time I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he said "Batman and my very own Weepster!". Of course Mom had layed claim to the Weepster so that left me with Batman. $18 bucks for a Batman shaped pillow from the Target kids bedding department. He's pretty cute though....cape and all! I also got him a Backyardigans Leapster game, and a SpongeBob Square Pants 3D viewmaster movie since he's also getting a viewmaster projector. It should be fun to see him open the gifts because he's old enough now to realize what they are.

There won't be much that I can eat at the party. Italian beef, fried chicken and some kind of sausage. The Niece ususally cooks something special for me but really hasn't done so since baby Sarah arrived. Her hands are more than full. I'm bringing some core mashed potatoes that I had frozen and a bag of edamame (which I'm sure will be better than the chili cheese dip that everyone else will be eating!). I'll try to eat the center of the chicken and maybe some beef it it doesn't look too greasy. I also made another lemon poppyseed pop cake. You know....Sandra's recipe. Other people liked it beside me last time so I thought it made sense. I'm bringing a tub of FF cool whip to top it off. I'm also going to stop for a Dunkin Donuts black decaf iced coffee. I'll get some light cream on the side and pay points for it. That will make me feel special and not so deprived. Sometimes when I go to parties I come home feeling deprived and then eat bad stuff at home. Weird, huh?

Wow....I'm just the chattiest chick. I'm going to go see what you were all up to last night while I was watching the White Sox lose.

Stacey, when I'm a zone I can be good when I eat out too. You just have to make up your mind to not cheat. I think you did great. Imagine how much of the blooming onion you would have eaten before!

Angela, I hope things are better in your house this morning. I'd have a hard time dealing with healthy kids so I can't even imagine dealing with sick ones! Are you feeling better?

Boy, Niki, you and Angela and I should have had a party the other night. Congratulations on getting your water in and that the scale is going down. Mine is inching down too. I'm afraid to jinx it by talking about it. Beside, the only weigh in that matters for me is the Monday morning one.

Kathy, that heat would get on anyone's nerves. I had a hard time with it after about 4 days. I'm going to talk to my Internist about Black Cohash. Somewhere I think I remember reading that it interacts with blood pressure medicine. I'll see what he says. My new vitamins will have evening primrose oil. That's cool! Wow...that boot camp stuff sounds serious and kinda mean. I guess the movies aren't exagerating the way they portray it. Try not to worry, Kath, he needed to go and get some direction in his life. He'll be ok.

Sandra, WOW!!!! You just keep right on going and you'll be to your goal in no time. I am SO very proud of you. It just reinforces that if we follow the program, drink our water, and exercise we will be rewarded!

Thanks for asking about my GF. She's had two good nights. She's progressed to clear broth and jello which is hurting her stomach by the end of the day. They are going to keep taking it slow. She's mad because her weight has gone up 14 pounds since she's been in the hospital and she's eaten nothing! I told her to stop thinking like a weight watcher for a while. She started the chemo on Wednesday and Friday's blood tests (which aren't as accurate as a bone marrow biopsy) say that her blasts are coming down. They need to get back to 0 and she's not there yet but she's making progress. Thank goodness. They still, however, have no idea what to do about the owel obstruction. They are hoping the chemo helps. Meantime, I just keep praying.

Melissa, it is always SO good to hear from you. How'd you do in the garage last night. Have fun shopping!

Frouf....thank goodness you're ok! I was really getting worried about you. Last we heard you were embroiled in all these stressful situations. I'm sorry to hear about DH's Aunt. We lost a 43 year old friend to pancreatic cancer. It was a horrible and very painful disease. I'm glad that you stayed home yesterday and are allowing yourself to have some relaxing and positive experiences. Those are much better for your blood pressure! Thanks for asking about Jim's appointment. He is cancer free and the Doctor said that his tongue is so perfect that he wasn't sure he was looking at the correct side! Pretty impressive since he had lasered it down to the muscle. I have been wearing an ankle bracelet every day for the last 17 years. I never take mine off either. It's a fairly thick yellow gold diamond cut rope. I don't even notice it anymore. It's looser now than when I bought it. QVC has some amazing ones. I bought mine at a gem and jewelry show and they did what you described; measure my ankle and cut it right there and put the closing links on. I love it.

So I guess ankle bracelets is yet another thing that we have in common. Sandra, Saundra, Niki, Stacey, Angela....waiting for you to check in on the ankle bracelet issue.

Ok chicks....we need a menu thread!

Hi:

Mind if I join you? "On target" can give me a character reference.

I'm new to these boards but not new to WW. Like "On target" I'm going to be in Texas --my home state-- in November and am using that date as a target for losing at least 20 pounds.

I've been eating on the "flex" system and trying to eat only "green light" foods on the GI diet. I think that Core and the GI are very close. I am going to try Core for a few weeks and see what it's like.

Rhonda aka Tejas

Vickie, I also wear a ankle bracelet, never take it off, wear it all year round Mine is silver with little crystals. I do take it off to clean it

Hey there! Boy, Sandra should be getting paid for all these referrals!

Where in Texas are you from? I hope that you like Core and do well ... I think 20 pounds by November is totally do-able. We'll try to have more mini-challenges a time or two by then and maybe that'll help.

But anyway, even if you decide you don't want to follow Core, you can still stick around! Not everyone here is 100% Core but we're friends now and can't bear the thought of not coming here to visit anymore.

If you have questions, ask away! We love to talk! WELCOME!

Thanks for the welcome. I too think 20 pounds in 3
months is doable and have done it before...it's just so much harder this time around even though I've been true to counting the points. I think 24 points is just simply too many for me and I'm cutting back to 22 and 20 on some days. I know about not going below 20.

I'm mostly from the Ft. Worth area...but also lived and went to university in Houston. Lived in NYC in the late 60's and moved to Ontario in 1975.

Very cool! I moved to the DFW area (Arlington and Mansfield) after high school in 1975. Before that, I lived in Beaumont, Silsbee, Liberty, and Livingston; then for a few years in my mid-20s I lived in Houston, Humble and Kingwood. My dad was transferred a lot when I was younger.

howdy there, tejas!!!!!!! i am soooo happy you're here. can i tell everyone that you're my cousin-to-be?

you are all going to love tejas. rhonda and i have never met irl but have bonded via email very very fast. we first started e'ing each other last spring. we've been helping each other with ww.

curtis and i went to see some friends this am who are building a game room onto their home. he's the fil of the contractor friend i already told you about--and he's a contractor, too. i have to tell you--what he's building is fabulous!! he was putting in the flooring today. antique looking boards for the upper level of the game room and flat rock for the lower level. he has real life looking tree trunks going from floor to ceiling. he's built a fabulous bar/entertainment center. he also built an office for his wife. it's hard to explain everything but it looks like it's from a northwest magazine.

melissa, we're going to texas in nov/dec but won't use the fall special airfares i found. we're taking the travel trailer. we're hoping northwest makes the same type offer in the spring so our fares to louisville will be lower. we're flying to louisville 2 times next year. once in the spring--once summer. we're also going to salt lake city in march. seems we've been home a long time now but our traveling will soon start. you inspire me with your do-it-yourself power. i need to go watch some more hgtv.

hi there, froufie. it's good to see you here today. i was worried about you--like everybody else. i hope your mil and her sister can make amends. that's important. an anklet! okay, i need one, too. that sounds like a fun thing to have and it wouldn't get in the way of my bowstring.

kathy, sounds like you're planning a relaxing saturday. i'm glad. you need a break. are you going to watch some movies or something else fun?

vickie, you have a good plan for today. i can feel your resolve in your post. you'll do fine. it's a good idea getting some goodies that help you feel like you're not depriving yourself. i'm glad the cake is a hit. i have some killer brownies on the counter now. i'm trying to limit to 1 or 2 max per day. so far so good. one time i ate 7 in one day and thought i was going to die that night.

i don't have an ankle bracelet yet but i'm going to town in a few minutes. i don't want to be left out.

Hold on now! Your cousin-to-be? You have to explain that one!!

And no, my Saturday ended up being anything but relaxing. I did laundry and dishes all morning, then went to Barnes & Noble for a book. Came home and made some whole-wheat bread and roasted chickpeas, folded clothes, and am now preparing for dinner. Actually all I'm doing for that is thawing fish and shrimp, and then will boil the artichoke in a few minutes so that the hearts are ready for my saute later.

I must say, Sandra, that you sound so good! I like knowing that you're happy and doing well. It makes me smile.