Yowza!!! Hi, s ... thanks for the input on the food thread ... I will do 'er and call it the CCRRMm Demon Food Buffet Challenge ... the buffet is an idea of Eydie's ... so we can have a separate thread for discussing only food, recipes, etc., etc., menu posting, anything having to do with our challenges Demon Foods and Angel Foods (NOT CAKE ) ... the Palace Food Police have cancelled the 21-day challenge by imperial edict ('cause the empress wants to eat pb cups) and in its place is the buffet challenge ... any CCRRMM or passersby be welcome to talk about food or post their personal food challenges in whatever fashion whatsoever, notwithstanding and quid pro quo with no liability devolving upon the palace!!! Huzzah!

Punkin, hope thy computer woes be over soon so you can get back here!!!! Yes, from 0 to approximately 50 obscene spams a day is what I've been experiencing also ... even with my ISP's spam blocker and my privacy software turned on. And some of the stuff does carry words I've used or that relate to 3FC ... this isn't necessarily any person out there lurking and sending us stuff ... I think it's just their evil spam programs are picking up on the new forum maybe? Dunno! I agree with thee, I'm no prude (far from it) but I object to seeing mindless filth in my inbox every morning ... I tried talking to my ISP and they said I'd have to set up the spam blocker to block everything not in my address book, but I don't want to do that either because sometimes I get unexpected things I want to see. I've also reported this stuff through one of the "report spam" sites, but it seemed to make it worse, so I don't advise anyone to do that. Can't these people get a real job? Sheesh!

Seattle Jo, I've really been enjoying the NOLA challenge ... what do you say to keeping it going after Mardi Gras ... thou couldst start a new thread with a new starting point and destination ... I'll do my report later ... didn't feel up to much at gym today so intend to do small exercise options throughout the day, since I'm not working today.

Wildfire: I missed thy post about the saleslady ... will find it later and read it, but how dare ANYONE give thee a hard time ... don't they know thou beist a ... what's the matter with these commoners ... off with their heads!!!!

Ceara: No apologies necessary !!!! Sometimes the media (of which as thou knowest I be a hoping-to-get-out-soon member) DOES get bored ... but we are pressured a lot to do report the doom and gloom ... also if we didn't report it, people would yell at us for that ... we are danged if we do and danged if we don't ... I need to get out! Yowza!

Since I can't, right at the moment, quit my job, I decided to dedicate my life, such as it is, to woodcarving ... finally found a class that fit my schedule starting next week ... maybe when I retire, I can sell carving tools or something!

To all, mentioned and unmentioned, avanti! Please visit the food thread so's we won't get lonely!

I'll be back! (Arnold voice)

Good morning, sweeties.

Wish I were in bed instead of at work, listening to my colleague talking about her upcoming trip to Fiji. Gruff.

Sorry I've been scarce, darlings. It hurts me as much as it hurts you. Our company's moving down 4 floors in a few weeks and that's a world of bother you just can't believe. Since I'm Office Services, the mentality is "Aw. Our move won't be so bad. Cerise is here!" and indeed that's why they hired me. Makes me j-u-u-u-u-st a bit nervous. At least I don't have to pack anyone's offices, though there's been plenty of complaining about that one. Dodged a bullet there. Phewf.

So, ummm. I lost some weight. I'm down to 209, and have hopefully left the two-teens behind for good. I started WW at 211.5, gained the first week (the Week of the Food Tour of Seattle) up to 213, and this week found I had lost 4 pounds. All of you who assured me that all that eating out caused severe water retention were right, I guess. I seem to have lost a lot of water, though my face is definitely thinner, too. Thank bloody God for spouses. I never would have noticed (I observed that I'd been looking happier of late but didn't link it to weight loss ) except Ramon saw my picture on my soccer membership card and was like "Uh, honey - you've lost a LOT of weight". Huh. Well, I was at 225 this summer. So, great! 16 fluffies into the ozone! Thanks, you guys, for all your encouragement.

Please do share my email with the group. I'll PM ya, Kaylets.

QOD: (in chronological order) WA, Burundi, WA again, Iowa, WA again, Zaire (Congo now), WA again, Zaire again, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Illinois (college), Texas (ugh), Oregon, and WA again. That's...ten, right? Huh. Seems like I keep coming back to Washington. I like it here.

Eydie, excellent news that you're back to 136. You got to goal then got a bit of a scare, didn't you? But "maintenance" means staying within 6 or 7 pounds one way or the other, right? So, normal stuff for you. You're doing everything maintenance people have to deal with - small gains, still tweaking eating habits, etc. I'm so proud you're really doing it. Congrats on finding new muscles shovelling snow. I always feel like a bit of a butt-kicker when I shovel, especially when I'm removing snow from my parent's roof. Except when I get into it too much and knock loose shingles around.

Ceara, I'm glad you're not too traumatized by the storms. I imagine you're still feeling a bit "rumpled in spirit", as Anne Shirley would say, from all the hurts you've been dealing with lately. Still thinking about you and hoping for joy for you today... *that's not a smug face, that's a joy face, by the way.

Kaylets, I wanna read your speech! Well, I want to hear it, but this is the next best thing. Puh-leeeze? Your thoughts recently on "free" food and such have stuck in my mind, though I did pontificate on them at length on Saturday. Eating food because it's there and it would be a shame not to is one of my worst eating problems. Thanks for your help with it, dearie. And I'm SO glad to see that you've dropped another pound! Have another banana!

Amarantha, I thought about you yesterday. There's a guy in Weight Watchers who absolutely canNOT pass by Krispey Kreme without buying donuts. I told him about your struggle and your Herculean effort to bake a good-for-you donut that satisfies. The WW leader suggested strongly that he drive home by a different route. I suggested that he, as a last resort, go on a sugar-free kick for a while to bring down his sugar tolerance. Since I have a low tolerance for very sweet things, I don't even like donuts that much. Lucky me. Wish I had a low fat tolerance, too, so that French Fries made me gag. Sigh.

wsw, you really ARE lucky in the friend department. I'm sorry closing's been delayed. It must be frustrating for you. I agree with Kaylets - you've lost a **** of a lot of weight, and your body must be going into "hey. Enough is enough!" mode. She'll be resigned to weighing even less soon enough. Hang in there!

Whew, Zadie, what a week you had! Your friend seems to have been hit with a lot all at once. It's so sweet of you to go on rescue missions. It must have meant the world to her, to know she's loved more than she knows. Hope your world levels out a bit more. You're shovelling snow on your ankle? Naughty Zadie.

Wildfire, if you go into that store again, carry a flamethrower with you for that salesperson. You do have one don't you? I hate pushy salespeople. Once I was buying lotion at Victoria's Secret and this salesperson kept trying to make me buy two bottles (they had that 2-for-a-better price sale going on). Finally I was like "don't push me" (yeah, I really said that! ) and she backed off. That's about the grouchiest I've ever gotten...

Your cooking is inspiring me. I've realized that I'm going to have to get a lot more proactive about making my meals and freezing them, instead of going to the store and trying to find food that is 1. Ready-to-eat, 2. Healthy, 3. Not Processed, and 4. Organic. You've got to laugh at yourself, right? If I want food the way I want it, I've got to make it. And I think keeping low-points muffins and things around will keep me from wanting other naughty stuff, not to mention the fact that I can always use another whole-grain serving in my daily nutrition. Thanks for your help and suggestions, dah-link.

Arabella, I sincerely hope that you're having an excellent time this week. I was horrified to hear of your first day! I didn't think they'd dare take a plane up that had no heat! What about the elderly passengers? Were the flight attendants good about supplying what they could to keep people comfortable. Not much they could probably do, come to that. Ick.

Anyway, enjoy yourself, luv!

Anagram, enjoying your breeze/ocean/sunshine/lack of ice on the ground? I hope so...still fondly imagining you strolling along sandy beaches with white pants rolled up to the calves.

Punkin! House behaving? No leaks or anything? Tomorrow's your Friday, right? You have Friday off, right? Are you coming to see me for that restorative vacation you'll soon be taking?

Seattlejo, darling! Whoa, I need to get to the NOLA thread and catch up...

Frogger, how's it going, dear? Sending you a hug...

OK, ladies. Let's win one for the Gipper today! (whatever that means...)

Just time enough left after reading quickly to get off a comment or two.

One - the condo has a lot of mirrored walls and doors and I am not at all able to fool myself about being thin - as I sometimes am wont to do when things are going well.

Two - it dawned on me recently that the amount of weight I have lost is approximately the weight of the younger princess. Now I can still lift this kiddie but barely. But there is NO WAY I could carry her around for more than a step or two. And yet I "carried" the equivalent for more years than I can bear to think.

Don't know where I am weight wise - have had only the occasional run in with cookies, etc. Know I'm not losing but probably maintaining which is hard enough on vacation. Have finally felt "relaxation" catch up with me. I spent a lot of time sorting out "headwise" all of the events of the last year and a half and think I've got the head twisted back to a-ok. Still have more than a month to enjoy with occasional ups and downs. Enjoying the romantic part of being on vacation and beach walking etc.

Feel so bad for the cold & bad weather (esp. for my compatriot, Kaylets). It's cold here today but that's 55 for a high and certainly bearable as sun is shining brightly.
Sending out SPRING vibes to all. (Hear those birdies twirping?)

I have a temperature gague thingy on my computer. It is currently -5 F out. This is the high temp for the day. I had to run home at lunch to make certain that the fire was going so that the pipes would not freeze. As Leif said, the pioneers did not have to worry about frozen pipes so they could just let the house get cold if they were going to be gone for hours at a time. Of course they also did not have insulation like we do, so I suppose it is a bit of a wash.

anagram - wow, you have lost a whole small person. really puts things into perspective.

cerise - congrats on your loss. it is also nice that it was noticed by more than your scale.

QOD: well, there was Madison, WI; Coloma, WI; Des Moines, IA; Stevens Point, WI; Austin, TX; Minneapolis, MN and Saint Paul, MN. So seven different cities. I agree, Cerise, texas merits a giant ugg.

Amarantha - I lke the food thread free form idea. I will definately check it out.

Punkin - I also get loads of junk email. It did happen rather fast. I know some people who had to change email ddresses to avoid the garbage email. Fortunately I only get junck on the personal account and not on the work email.

ceara - yes, we also have the "well duh" type warnings about the weather. I figure people who cannot handle the weather move south and those of us who are left do not need to be warned every time it snows or gets cold. I do find it funny though that it is big news when they have temps of 0 in boston or snow fall of a foot in new jersey, while our bitter cold and the two feet of snow in duluth did not make the national news. But we are just the slack jawed yokels in flyover-land

Ok, now back to work.

Cerise, big congrats on releasing those pounds into the wilds! Hmmm, soon it'll be time for you to post another pic. That reminds me, in your last pic that was a rather unique seating arrangement! Details please!

zadie, hope this week is better for you. Stay warm!

Punkin, hope to hear from you today. Is it just my imagination or have we been missing Frogger and Wildfire for a few days?

Anagram, I don't know how you do it, but you do paint a picture. I can see you and the man now enjoying yourselves and putting last year far, far behind you. I'd love to see a pic someday to see if it matches the one in my mind. Anyway, enjoy, my friend!

Have a great day, everybody!

Hello all!

TOM arrived this am so I wound up showering both last night and this am..

And except for the breakouts.... I am nearly craving free... and those are manageble.... Have I figured the secret out?? Beats me... I'll let you know next month if I still am "sympton free"....
And just for the record, I guess I will be 90 with breakouts....

Zadie-- Many times when our weatherman is talking about our temps, they show what's going on north of us.... and always, the inference is that folks are tough, mentally and physically strong, and yes even creative to thrive with such cold winters. Personally, both my parents are from the Midwest, my mom's people the St Paul and Chicago areas, my dad was born in Eau Claire, lived also in Duluth, Tomahawk and then Chicago too.... They're both in FL now.... but for years I remember my dad standing on the back porch in a tshirt watching the snow come down around him. Why was he doing that you say?? Probably because it was the only place he get find some peace and quiet since of the 10 of us, there were only two males.....

Cerise-- I will post what I can of the speech... as soon as I find an opener...
I always think I can come up with a great hook.... its the hardest part for me...
Thanks for reassuring me that I wouldn't be imposing.
It's tempting to talk about "Free food" but I do have to remember the audience are also the judges... at least in these early rounds... just today, another Toastmaster made some comments about "If its free food, than you know already its good".... when I asked what was being served at a meeting we're both attending....
Also, it was interesting for me to watch folks this am.... the boss brought bagels as a suprise.... 4 women had just finished their breakfast at their desks... and 2 got up and had bagels....I noticed of the other two, one looked to see what I was going to do ... and I just picked up my cup of tea and said ( to myself, I swear!!)... "I don't like bagels enough to start a binge".... If they were Krispy Kreme, I might have had to white knuckle it but as I said at the beginning....I'm starting to wonder how much of a connection btwn sugar, prcssed carbs and TOM symptons....
The other thing that came to mind today was I keep saying that last year's holiday fudge had me binging until Valentine's Day... if that was really true, why did I get a bag of choc candy as a birthday gift from my coworkers in July??? I must have been constantly falling off the wagon....
Struggling because I kept trying to "just have a little".... Now that I finally understand that I just cannot have a little....its really is getting easier...

In fact, during the meeting this am, I noticed someone have a bagel and then 30 minutes later, get up and take another....AND I really thought I was watching myself....(and then by 11ish was really cranky!) and later, after lunch, about 3, noticed she ate one of the big choc bars....And again, saw me.... and for years didnt understand it was the carb only breakfast that was doing me in every time....

Anyway....enough about me!!

*****
*****
I have news from Anagram! This is what she wrote:
"So, ok, we haven't been at 80 degrees since the second day here but 60-70's not too bad either.
Missing my daily contact!---- Anagram"

She misses us!
*********
*******

And we miss you too!

And Frogger! and Wildfire!

Yes, Wildfire, I've bitten my tongue about retail help as I probably would have not been as polite as you were.... Good for you about telling them w/ the house account... Let them know who they are dealing with! (even if they don't do as told!)


Ok all.... must take care of some chores....

Kettle is on!

hi all!

well, my closing took place today at 12:30pm! i am officially a condo. owner. my friend and his girlfriend were here for the signing and then said we should go over there to take a look at it. (i figured they would be going back to work aftewards.) instead, they had a surprise celebratory lunch ---and brought some paint to try out on the walls and cabinets. it was so sweet of them and fun. it was also the first time i was able to get out (because of the ice) since mon. when they had taken me to the bank. i got such a kick out of it all! i think i am going to like this place. it is still pretty icy here, so i can't get out on my own steam yet, but hopefully later next week i can begin to pick more colors and pick out carpet. i think it will be fun decorating. the actual packing up and moving is another story---certainly not something i look forward to, by any means!) it has been a couple years since i moved last and at that time, i could get around much better on my own. i'll have to plan well this time, so i can make the most of my energy. listen to me going on and on! ok, all this is by way of saying i am very happy about my new little place.

since i have to get a lot done in a short period of time, in addition to being very organized, i will really need to be diligent about my food plan. i know how easy it would be to use this high stress time as a good excuse to get lax with my food. i did fine today. last night, i wanted to eat everything not nailed down. i didn't, fortunately, and stayed op, but saw the writing on the wall. i also am going to plan out my meals for the coming day, which i don't always do, but i think it will help me stay on the straight and narrow. i am also committing to keeping up with my food journal. ok, so i have "said this out loud" in an effort to stay on track.

well, take care, all. even though i didn't respond to you individually, please know i am thinking of you all.

Congrats WSW!!! This is wonderful news!! Small bits, small bits... if 15 minutes at a time is too much, make it 5 --- The one good thing about a move is that it always motivates me to let go of unneeded possessions. Especially, the closer I get to the deadline. Perhaps I will pretend I too am moving...maybe it will motivate me to get rid ... It seems as though some of this stuff just appeared here on its own!

So, tell us more>... how many rooms is the condo?

and the other thing about moving... or at least in my experience, I would stop buying "on sale" food so I wouldnt have to move it...

So, are you a contempoary or French country or minamailst kind of girl??

I give up... I don't even know what category I fall into!

Yo! Hello, s!!!! Made myself hungry writing about blue corn muffins on the food thread and have to go to bed and read if I wanna stay strong in my three day 21-day food demon challenge ... so brevity be my watchword right now ... brutal day but sooo pleased with my mini challenge going well ...

Wsw, congratulations on thy condo deal going through ... what an exciting time for thee ... my crystal ball saith it'll all go smoothly and thou'll be settled in seemingly no time ...

Zadie ... I'm glad thou told us about the minus-five temp ... kind of puts Arizona back in perspective for me! Heavens!

Cerise: CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 16 s jettisoned into the air space over Seattle and never to return!!! Thou be doing fantastic!!!!! My crystal ball also saith thou will do very well in moving thy office to its new home because that IS why they hired thee and I'll bet they be glad they did!!! Om shanti!

Also missing Anagram, Frogger, Wildfire and all others who are amongst the missing lately! Come back to the palace when thou canst, s!!!

Ok, I will just share this story of Old Dog because I don't really have anyone here to tell it to ... hmmm ... ofttimes I call Old Dog "The Mommy" because she's always herding me and the cat around ... today she came through like a trooper when the Silly Cat slipped out of the door to the garage and disappeared ... I hadn't known I'd left the door open (it's an open garage and my cat is never allowed outside ... she wasn't allowed outside when my brother had her and she's never been outside except when she escapes now and then) ... I just brought some groceries in and the SC was gone and Old Dog was looking worried ... I told Old Dog to find the cat and Old Dog (like the shepherd mix she is) zoomed out the door, unearthed the cat behind some boxes and chased her back into the house ... I gave everybody a treat and have been praising everyone ever since!

Thanks for listening! Need to go lie down! Later, gators![/color]

Anagramatic, there you are! I like thy visual about losing the weight of your youngest princess! Yea! Thou hast done so well on thy journey!

Cerise, forgot to respond to thy Krispy Kreme message ... both bits of advice that were given are very good ... of course, since I drive all over the county (and it's a big county) there's really no set route that I could change to avoid the evil KK's as they are EVERYWHERE these days! I really agree that abstaining from sugar for a period of time is the best way to conquer the demon ... it does seem to work ... I don't believe that it's inherently wrong to eat sweets and I don't do low carb but there's no doubt in my mind that, especially at my time of life, eating simple sugar combined with fat (aka commercial candy and donuts) simply leads to bingeing. I think I can prepare my own food from scratch (including candy and donuts, although I haven't gotten that far yet) and not have a problem if I use healthier ingredients ... I also read in Vegetarian Times (that's a really good issue) that a recent study showed a trend back toward cooking at home from scratch and that people who do this weigh less ... no surprise there.

Sorry, this should be posted on the food thread ... but I'm on a roll.

I can't see the QOD ... was it about our least fav cities? I'm confused ... don't you like Texas, Cerise? I love Texas! It's just like Arizona only they don't have saguaros.

Ok, bye!

hi kaylets, amarantha, eydie, anagram! and to all the rest of the royal court. up ealier this morning than intended, but i guess i am stressed thinking about how much has to get done in such a short period of time now. hopefully, i can get some things done around the apt. this morning before my body realizes i tricked it by getting up before 5a.

let's see-- me tiny, (and i do mean tiny!) condo. is a one bedroom, one bath-785 sq. ft., but it is fine size for me. all my furniture will fit. yesterday, my friends who took me over there to "christen" the new place have already got ideas about putting in a pass-through in the kitchen wall and some floating shelves on one wall to display some of the tea pots i have collected over the years, which i think will look great. my decorating style is---hmm, well, i have a lot of cherrywood furniture-some antique and some more modern, but simple lines. my couch, loveseat, and ottomon are sage color, so i think the deep beige on the living room walls will be nice. i will have mood indigo(a wedgwood blue) on my kitchen cabinets, which is already making it feel like my home. still not sure about my bathroom color---may go with a sea green/blue. my bedroom will either be a more warm beige (called suede) which looks pretty soothing, and i think will look good with my navy blue bed linen and pillows and my furniture.

i am still the same weight that i have been for a long time now, but i know it has to move downward eventually if i just stick with it, and i plan to. of course, i wish it were sooner rather than later. well, i hope you all have a good morning. thinking of you, ladies. take care.

wsw

Hello all!

I posted last night that I've decided to speak about "my issues " with "going over the hill"....Which means literally, I'm back to square one....
I had a few moments yesterday when I realized that my tongue in cheek observations about marketing might literally go "over" some folks heads and then not be humorous......
And since the first round judging is done by each member of the audience, I need NOT to make the audience defensive....

So...
The good news is that finally, with this topic I have an opener I almost like and an ending I very much like.

Hee hee... Now to fill in the remaining 6 minutes!



WSW-- I have come to the realization that Less is More ... less to clean, less to maintain, etc etc.... and this is from a former "most toys wins" mentality....
Your condo sounds terrific... I love teapots too...

Must go, I'm late!

**************
Thought of the day:

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."
- Mother Teresa

Question of the day :

"Where were you born?"

**************


Kettle is on!

kaylets-glad to hear you now have a topic, opener and an ending you like for your speech. i too have found over the years that for me, less is indeed more. qod-i was born in minneapolis (and lived there until i went to college in ca.) well, back to my chores.

Ahhh. Where's the sigh-of-relief smiley? I'm so glad it's Friday. I nearly got blown off my bottom on the walk to work this mornin'. Guess Mama Nature thought that Ramon and I got too much enjoyment from hearing the rain patter on our bedroom window last night and decided to remind me this morning who's in charge. As if I could ever forget.

THAT'S who Amarantha reminds me of! Mother Nature! Well, not capricious, that's not what I mean...never mind. Um. Om Shanti, darling - that was a compliment, by the way. A pretty big one, in my mind. You just take up a lot of psychic space in my mind, you're a big presence, like Mother Nature. As someone who feels and revels in being larger than life I salute those who seem the same way to me. Perhaps you're not. I think you are, though. Punkin is, for sure.

Anyway. So, could you please, please release to me that donut recipe you finally came up with? I wanted to take some samples to the poor guy at WW. Don't get me wrong, by the way. I love sweets and see nothing at all wrong with eating them (spent 5 points on an ice cream sandwich of Ramon's last night and enjoyed every bite). Oh, yeah.

Kaylets, I know how you feel - to walk a fine line between saying something of worth, being funny about it, and hoping desperately not to offend or even irritate. It's tough, and as a person who loves to be (or try to be) funny, I'm always thinking about it. Let me say truly that you've said some pretty pithy stuff (in a funny way, too, sometimes) in your posts, and you have never, and I mean never put me on the defensive. I never even got a red flag, and I've got a pretty keen hair trigger for that kind of stuff, for what it's worth. My two cents.

WSW, I am SO excited about your new condo. You know, little places are usually big on charm, and it need not feel cramped if you're clever at storing things and proactive about keeping things neat. Now that R. and I are in the smallest place of our lives (but the coolest place we've ever lived bar none) I'm learning a lot about picking up after oneself. Yep. Your wall colors sound wonderful. Darling, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for sharing all this with us. I'm a wall-paint junkie myself and am vicariously taking great pleasure from your experience. Hope you don't mind.

Eydie, the seating arrangement for that picture was in a toy store. Those holes in the wall were clever little seats for kids! I would've LOVED poking around in them as a kid (before I began my lovely, lifelong relationship with clautrophobia. My cousins put a sleeping bag over my head and held me in it for a long time when I was seven. Little chumps).

Zadie, the LAST thing I'd ever imagine you as is a slack-jawed yokel. Though I had my doubts when you confessed that your favorite article of clothing was a raggedy pair of overalls! Please stay warm, love.

All right, the rest of you. Darlings, you're very, VERY much loved and I hope to God you have peace and joy and some good luck this weekend. I won't be around probably because I'm going to my parents' house to visit them and my brother and SIL. Kisses...

Congrats to the new condo owner! Colors sound great and all so exciting.

Loved the mommy dog tale, Empress! True to her calling.

Still never found that Cerise pic and seem to realize I'm missing some pertinent points in my "scanning". Well, still in my thoughts, all. Vacation half over. I'd be homesick except it's too cold there and I figure home is where dh is and right now, that's here. He doesn't miss home at all but maybe that's because here is where I am too.

Frogger, honey, hope all is going well with you and the little one.

On a recent QOD, I was born in Philly, resided for 19 years or so in two little towns in central PA (various addresses) and for 47 years have lived near the capitol city of PA. Have had 3 addresses in my married life but all very close. 34 years at present place. I'd say that describes a stick in the mud.