Awright, here I am, home again (tra-la-la!) and feeling some better after taking my third (of five) doses of antibiotic, puffing twice on the inhaler that’s supposed to reduce the inflammation even further, and wait a minute! Suzie Homemaker I don’t claim to be, but I just made some bran muffins with Xtra Fiber, (added a cup of Fiber One cereal that I first pulverized in the blender) raisins, and grated carrot, that are nothing short of AWESOME! (I already ate one for my brekkie). I figure it’s a couple hundred calories, but near as I can calculate from the ingredients, it’s seven or eight grams of fiber, so that’s a good thing, yes? I made TEN of them - put a couple aside in a plastic baggie for my daughter (She’s just started Weight Watchers and is doing the point thing; I don’t know how these would add up in points, but she knows how to do it) ate one, and put the rest in a big gallon-sized freezer baggie so DH can have one when he gets home. They’re not very sweet - just barely sweet tasting enough so that you don’t want to slather them with jelly or anything. In fact, I was going to use a little of my spray pretend butter on them but they’re so good just by themselves that I didn’t even do that. Am I kewl or am I kewl?
So, Karen...any news on the house? Where have you been, m’dear? I hope all is well.
Thinking of YOU, Bobbi...hope you’re taking care of yourself.
Hah, Meowee-Linda...those kittens would be more than I could handle. But they sure are cute.
Oh, Gayle, you’re so lucky! I’ve been wanting another grandbaby for a while, now, and can’t seem to get one. I have three daughters - one, the eldest, just had a hysterectomy; the middle daughter has one boy who is five and was just recently diagnosed with Autism, so she feels that she & his dad will have their hands full meeting his needs, so she says she’s through having kiddos, and my youngest daughter has a little girl who will be seven in November. I was hoping she’d have another baby before too long, and she MIGHT, but probably not for another year or so, she says. So I’ll just have to be patient, I guess. I certainly don’t want my SON to produce any grandchildren for me just yet - he’s not married, and only just started covering his own living expenses a little over a year ago.
Hey Moxie, enjoy your travels! We’ll see you in September!
Good hearing from you, Lily....send that hubby of yours out golfing more often so you can chit chat with us!
Well my gosh, Lynn! A day at home? That sure is unusual for you, my traveling friend! Well, make sure you leave a little time after all that cleaning to relax a little! (I got the picture from a friend.)
A HALF a POUND, Phyllis???? Oh, go ahead, you bragger, you! Listen, listen, let me catch my breath here....I get a little winded rolling around on the floor laughing like that! Hey! You know how Oprah says fifty is the new thirty? Well, I’m saying, after fifty, a half a pound is the new ten pounds! Congrats, Phyl...I knew you could do it!!!!!
I know Theresa is busy working out at CURVES this morning, and Jo-annie is working her butt to the bone with all those demanding engineers of hers...and of course Cat is surrounded by 300 five-year-olds...YIKES!!!!
I, of course am playing Lady of Leisure here at home, bored out of my ever-lovin’ mind...
Lunch with my daughter is planned - unless one of her patients has a last minute emergency...
Have a lovely Friday, Golden Girls..

TTFN,
Z

Hi to all & Happy Friday!

I'm afraid that for me to do personals I'll have to stop,find a legal pad ( not sure but I think there's one upstairs in a drawer) go back through all of these messages, take notes & armed come back & start commenting.

Those of you that can just whip those off are amazing to me!

Zoe luv! I'll need an XL robe (since I'm 5-10 & far far from thin I don't like my clothes to make me feel even bigger) and please advise your staff that I can't stand backrubs. I'll be happy to sign up for the other goodies including any cabana boys out back delivering little diet drinks with umbrellas in them. I can't wait!

Cat -Cold brew with chickory laden coffee is Heaven. We picked up the cold brew system from Seattle's Best & loved it dearly until I lost the stopper. Not long after that I lost the filters. Needless to say I got frustrated with the clutter and tossed a perfectly good brewer. Now I want another one so I'm busy self bashing that I could have recovered what I had. You're right, that stuff is absolutely superior coffee.

Gayle - When will the baby get here? Little girls are so much fun! Our four grand daughters live upstairs with respective parents & with those kids everything is PINK PINK PINK. We do a lot of hair & ribbons here.

Moxie - Just drop the cat off in Mississippi, the poor thing can sit on my lap (with 3 other cats & 2 poms) until you can get back. I promise I'll spoil it!

Karen, all is well?

Bobbi I'm so sorry. My dad (who in anger cut me out of his will) used to point out when people were more addicted to religion than interested in family (believe he was referencing my sister). It's sad really. All you can do are the things that keep you liking the lady in the mirror, you've been a saint to this person and here's hoping that good things come back to you.

No family night tonight. One by one this week everyone's fallen to a stomach bug. We're all downing diet ginger ale & lining up at the bathrooms. Yuck! May this thing pass as quickly as it landed on us. Myself? I'm living on watermelon, toast & ginger ale,yum!

If I missed you I apologize. I'll grab that legal pad!

Take care to all!

Marylynn

Hello to all!

Sorry I haven't posted in the last couple days--- we've had storms just about everyday for the last week with lots of rain, hail, lightening, thunder and wind! Doesn't make for good weather at all!!

I did lose 2 pounds this past week! So that is a bit of good news. I wish I could do that every week!

We showed the house to a couple from San Diego yesterday.. they said they really liked it and would get back to us.... she I've heard that so many times now!! Grrr! Still waiting on that one too.

Well, we are getting the storms again---- it has been about 45 minutes since the last one so guess we will be getting them all night again! YUCK!! I'll try to get back and chat more tomorrow.. Just wanted to let everyone know I'm still kickin'!!

Have a good night!

Hi . . .

We are back to crappy weather . . . really nasty thunderstorms. Not good for those of us whose migraines are triggered by low barometric pressure . . . hopefully I'll be feeling better soon.

Later . . . gang.

Good Morning Everyone,

Hi Phyllis, I hope I'm home for a few months. I found it VERY difficult to be able to eat the way I now need to eat while on vacation with people who eat differently. Makes me wish Zoe's Spa were a reality. I'd have a place to vacation without the stress.
BTW - you're beating me with your weight loss this month. I'm down 2 tenths of a pound since August 1.

Hi Zoe, (or should that be Chef Zoe?), I think muffins are a thing of my past. I hope you enjoyed your day of leisure yesterday. How are you feeling?

Hi Marylynn, sorry you and your family got a bug. Hope everyone is feeling better today.

Hi Karen, 2 LBS in 1 WEEK!!!!!!! What are you doing? I'll do whatever you tell me. I've lost 2 tenths of a pound in 3 weeks. I am SOOOOO HAPPY for YOU!

Hi Linda, we had thunderstorms last night - this morning it's clear and cool - beautiful morning. So sorry about your headache. Feel better.

Today, my df is coming to my place & we're going to walk along the canal. Then, we're going to the Grange Fair.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...id=40877&rfi=6

Zoe, if you lived here, you could enter those muffins and win a blue ribbon!

Check back tonight,

Lynn

Hello everyone,
Yup, another fly
I mean drive by...
I hope this Saturday morning brings all of you peace and relaxation.
And of course I hope it brings all of you a BIG WEIGHT loss.

Well I went to curves Friday morning. For the first time in about 3-4 weeks.
I really do miss going there. I did well, but I stayed off the one machine. I might add
it back after a few weeks of getting used to working out again.
Nope, I did not work extremely hard.
I will add back my Vigor as time goes on.
At least that’s my plan.


Well I have a very busy week end ahead…
Shopping with hubby, Mowing the lawn with hubby, Doing a few loads of laundry. and of course my
weekly visit with a little girl! (and her parents ).
If I am lucky I might even see the rest of the family.
All this in one day. First off… I have to get the DOLL HOUSE out of the attic, and wash it. Then to the
list.
hugs to everyone,
be safe.

Oh Lynn, you have me We sure won't win any prize for fast weight loss will we! Yes, Karen let us know what your doing to lose 2 lbs./week.....Congrats.

Marylynn sorry to hear you all have a bug....drink lots of ginger ale and I hope your all feeling well soon.

Theresa, please take it easy at Curves.....take baby steps again but I bet it felt good to be back there. Have fun with your family.

Zoe, the baker, who'd a known! They actually sound very good and healthy! Do you still have a cough, a lot of people down here seem to have a lingering cough after a bout like you've had...hope it's gone.

Cat, how ya doing with all those (count 'em) 300 kids). That still amazes me!

Joanne enjoy your beautiful weather....it is just HOT & HUMID down here in Florida and in our area no rain which we need.....but I'll take dry over hurricanes! Looks like Texas might really get hit hard....pray not.

Ok, today I have to clean out my frig, clean my pantry out and the kitchen will be finished! I do love it when everything is neat and orderly now I have to keep it that way if we are going to show this condo.....I'll have to follow around and straighten up behind my dh....he tries but I get too picky I guess.

Hey, maybe I'll even lose 2 oz. from all this cleaning!

Phyllis

Hello everyone!!

I can't possibly remember all of the posts! Someone lost 2 pounds---congrats
!

With all of the college visits I've made this week, I missed my Weight Watchers meeting so I don't know how much I've lost. I also know that I've had a few unplanned eating cycles---you know the stuff that is not on program!! I do know that I made my excercise goal last week!! YEAH!!

This morning I completed 2 miles of WATP! I've got some old videos that I don't recall buying [during a previous weight loss urge] So this morning I did the 30 minute Brisk Walk! Whew!

I also managed to mop 3 floors, run 2 loads of laundry, while DH feigns sleep!

My church is doing a community outreach this morning....so I've got to pop in! Write to you later!

For next week

Good Morning Girls, I just got this e-mail this morning and wanted to past it on. Good information!





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<DIV class=Section1><DIV>
Now why didn't I think of that!!!???!<FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">

Ahhh, yes, Marylynn. <jotting down notes, here> NO backrubs for you, m’dear. This is the ultimate by women, for women, and all-about-women experience. We must, after all, be allowed our sanctuaries, mustn’t we? There are so few places left these days where we can simply be ourselves and not have to be on our guards constantly, ever fearful of sounding politically incorrect or appearing to be fatigue-wearing, card-carrying feminists if we don‘t smile nicely and clap our collective hands in delight when given the proper cues. Because, in the final analysis, whoever we are, wherever we live, and whatever our circumstances, we share the common thread of womanhood: of having been raised as female children in a world that has always treated its female children differently than its male children; of having come of age in an era when women were just beginning to recognize their own potential, and having survived the pain, the joy, and ultimately, the beauty of who we are, where we are, and what we have learned along the way. And so, this spa, if you will, is an intellectual exercise as well as an entertaining one - it’s the recognition that we ought to have this place, that we deserve to have this place, and that we can and will have this place for ourselves. I think of the Spa as occupying a secondary dimension in our consciousness; a dimension where who and what we are isn’t just accepted - it’s celebrated! And admission is free and readily available to all who sincerely request it. (PM) No back rubs required!
Well, Karen, your weight loss progress is certainly enviable! I don’t dare ask how you’re doing it, because I remember some of your daily menus from our old challenge thread, and it seems to me you were doing the Slim fast - or something similar? - drinks and bars and such. Obviously it works; I just couldn’t do it, and might as well admit it. I’m far too fond of food... I do hope you get that house sold sooner rather than later. I know how much you want to be closer to your family. That’s what has been a real barrier to our pulling up stakes - our reluctance to get too far away from loved ones.
Sorry the weather’s so uncooperative, Meowee-Linda. I hope your headache lets up soon.
Hmmmm, Lynn. Are you really not able to have a muffin ever again? I know you said in an earlier post that your self-talk was around having had your fill, throughout your lifetime, of many of those things - like sugary & starchy stuff - that you shouldn’t be eating now. But, I recall from my Atkins dieting days that there were flour-substitute products and substitutions that could be used to create really low carbohydrate versions of a number of foods that weren’t allowable in their *natural* state, so to speak. I know that you and I aren’t eating quite the same things, but with my low calorie/high fiber “allowables” I’ve been fairly successful in putting together foods that travel well (with the help of a cooler, of course) and manage to keep me happy when we’re away from home (which isn’t of course nearly as often as you are). Well, I’m sure you know best, and know what you’re doing, but I just wondered if there weren’t some “prepare ahead” things you could bring along with you, and maybe some creative substitutions for the “yummy stuff”? I clicked on the link to the Grange Fair, incidentally, and it does look like fun! Hope you & your friend enjoy yourselves!
Sounds like YOU have a busy day ahead of you, Theresa-dear! I’m glad, incidentally, that you’re taking that return to Curves very gradually. I think that’s the wise approach. Enjoy that little granddaughter, too, once all your errands are done and chores finished. She is just as sweet as she can be...
I’m feeling better, Phyl - thanks for asking! Took my next-to-last antibiotic pill this morning, and seem to have slept better and am coughing/sneezing less today. Feel more rested, too. Had a SLIGHT panic attack this morning because I couldn’t FIND my antibiotic pill pack. I went through my kitchen cleaning like a tornado yesterday, and had left them (I thought) lying on the table next to my big jade plant. Went to take one this morning, and the pack was nowhere to be found. Searched high and low and in even the most improbable of places, and nothing! Finally, DH, in a last ditch effort, considered the highly unlikely possibility that they’d been thrown in the trash (which he took out & put in the barrel last night) and went out to look, and sure enough, that’s where they were! When I clean, all I can say is “everybody better watch out!” I don’t know what we’ll do, though, when we get ready to sell THIS place. We BOTH leave litter in our wakes, and the REAL cleaning only gets done on weekends. During the week, I cook, DH cleans up from supper and runs the dishwasher, but most of the rest of the place goes begging...
Well, Trish, you sure do keep busy, don’t you? You sound like a very organized person. Tsk. Well the best I can do in that vein is invite you to visit me - then you can organize MY place for me, too.
Bobbi! Those tips you sent were great! I saved them as a word doc. Because there were so many helpful ones that I didn’t know about. Thanx!
Jo-annie. Hope you're having a boffo weekend, girl!

TTFN,
Z

HI to all my dear darling GOLDEN GIRLS I also have to just fly by but let everyone know I am thinking about them and checking in to make sure all is well with everyone.

Got through my week --- found that even though I wasn't allowed to exercise I figured I deserved to eat an extra 300 - 400 calories a day - -when will I ever shed this mindset??? Anyway -- I am on the mend I have my third appointment this week today - and hopefully I will be able to go to one a week and then once a month. I should stop being stubborn and do the preventative maintenance -- I know it will save me grief in the future. LOL just like how I know I shouldn't have eaten the extra calories - I know all these things that are good for me but -- oh well. Lets face it if I was a slim trim lady I would have never met this wonderful group of ladies -- so there you go.

I also would like to report that I broke the ice with my "ex-friend" -- I mentioned a while ago that I am attending her daughter's wedding. All last week I decided I should make an attempt - just so that the receiving line wasn't an akward scene. A few other friends felt the same way. Ironically I called another couple that were wanting to get together with her (they had never really had a falling out). I called at the exact time that she was there visiting -- one thing led to another and we both met for coffee last Monday. It was good -- we didn't dwell on the past - we just caught up and silently agreed to move forward. It would be nice if we maintained the friendship -- I think we both would like that - it will just never be as close as it was. We are two different people now with different needs. So its all good. Thanks for all the support on my original post - -I think a lot of what you said might have planted the seed of desire to meet within me.

So off to the chiropractor, then take the truck for service, food shopping for the week and for the family BBQ tomorrow. I hope to catch up with everyone on Monday.

Hey everyone...zooming in to say hey...hopefully I'll have time to play catch up tomorrow on all the posts. This week has been very hectic. It seems that clients want to load up on me as soon as school starts every year when they've had the whole summer to do so. Not complaining, $ is $ !

I worked till about 10 this morning, then we took off for a farmer's market in a town about 20 minutes from here close to the lake. I found some really neat stuff. I was actually going for a terragon plant. A friend said she saw one there last weekend, but the lady had already sold out of them this morning. Luckily she said her sister lives in my town and would bring me one soon..I said to make that 2 of them!
We also got a morning glory tree...never seen one before. We also got a mexican petunia that hopefully will spread.
Then we came upon something VERY interesting... stevia plants. The guy told me to try a leaf and it was sweet!! He said to dry the leaves for several days then grind them with a coffee grinder or mortor and pestle. I got 2 of those also and then I got an anise plant.
I also got some wonderful homemade organic soap ..bay rum and orange/lavender. I'm a sucker for soaps.

We are just keeping an eye on Dean and making a list of to-do's just in case. Have a small battery supply, but need to get more. All we had for 6 weeks after K was a little battery black and white tv which was our only way of getting any kind of news and it sucked up 6 batteries at a time. We could only get one channel that was fuzzy using foil on the antena ...what I would have given for a good pair of rabbit ears!!

Looks like it is heading to texas right now, but you never know how those suckers will bounce in gulf.

Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday in PA was glorious. Wish we could have weather like that more often - never satisfied, right?

Hi Theresa, I posted on your weight loss thread - hope that was how you wanted it. Have fun with Jessica and those other people she lives with.

Hi Phyllis, when you're finished there, want to come and do my cabinets?

Hi Trish, sounds like you're really busy. Good for you - fitting your exercise into your schedule.

Hi Bobbi, I love all those tips, but how are our old brains going to remember them when we need them? I make lists, but then I forget where I put the lists!

Hi Zoe, you wrote, "I know that you and I aren’t eating quite the same things, but with my low calorie/high fiber “allowables” I’ve been fairly successful in putting together foods that travel well (with the help of a cooler, of course) and manage to keep me happy when we’re away from home (which isn’t of course nearly as often as you are). Well, I’m sure you know best, and know what you’re doing, but I just wondered if there weren’t some “prepare ahead” things you could bring along with you, and maybe some creative substitutions for the “yummy stuff”?"
I guess I need to begin to try some things and see what happens with my blood sugar. While I was on vacation with dd & sil, we went to an Italian restaurant. I had chicken marsala + had 1/4 of a small piece of Italian break + had around 6 strands of white pasta. My blood sugar went up to 240! I'm working with a dietitian & taking lots of vitamins to deal with the lack of wheat & fruit, but I haven't done a lot of experimenting with whole grains & portions of fruit (e.g., a 1/4 of an apple). I know I need to really figure out what I can eat and what I can't.

Hi Joanne, I'm so glad to hear about you and your friend. Will make things more comfortable for you at the wedding.

Hi Cat, those flowers are beautiful. I've tried to use stevia instead of Splenda - didn't do it for me. I'm a Splenda junkie.
I'm so sorry that you've got to deal with hurricane season. It must be terrifying for you. Let's hope it will pass quickly.

I've got another day at home - I'm planning on grocery shopping and then, making a new recipe - zucchini fritters. If they turn out good, I'll post the recipe.

Check back later,

Lynn