Good Morning Everyone,

Hi Cat, I'm seeing my dgs this weekend & heard he wants computer software for his birthday & thought of you. How are your little computer students doing?

Hi Karen, I think your Challenge "award" (Looks like you, Barb, LindaD, and I will be sharing the "award" this month) is going to be one of DesMaisons' books. Don't buy any.

Hi Marylynn, you watch Biggest Loser - yes? What did you think of the guy throwing the weigh-in?

Hi Rosey, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! 5 pound-loss is WONDERFUL! Take it anyway you can get it.

Hi Joanne, You wrote, "Currently with my cold I have little or no desire to eat and when I do all I want is pasta, rice and bread." I know EXACTLY what you're saying. When I was feeling so miserable bc of the antibiotics & the tooth extraction, I wanted the same things. It was really tough bc with the diabetes, I can't eat any of those. I ended up eating a lot of cottage cheese & scrambled eggs.

Hi Trish, I am keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed for you. I know how difficult it is to wait for those biopsy results. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Hi Zoe, I'm still working on the Gallery of Roses. With Cat's advice, I'm trying to set up a Yahoo group. However, when I was working on it, I got a message saying it couldn't set the group up & it knew about this problem & it is working on it. I'll let you all know when I've got it up and running.

Today, I've got a doctor's appointment. Nothing special, just some odds & ends I need taken care of - prescription refills, recommendation for an endocrinologist...

Probably do some genealogy stuff. I had ordered my mother's and father's birth certificates. The package came yesterday. They can't find my father's & my mother's info is all different from what we have - different date/different name.
This genealogy raises more questions than it answers.

Hope we all have a Happy and Healthy day,

Lynn

Lynn, yep, that genealogy can open a big can of worms sometimes, but it is soooo interesting. I love doing research and run an online discussion group and email list about Creole genealogy. We've had conventions etc...lots of fun.

Linda, glad you are safe now, but stay careful!

JayJay...sorry about all the physical stuff you are going through. Yeah, that menopause stuff is for the birds. I did it twice...ick, yuk, pitoooeeee!
Piano, hope you are feeling better soon also.

I'm in big rush, running late, no time for more personals, but wanted to wish everyone a good and happy day. I have attached a picture I took yesterday...of my favorite "little black shirt". I hadn't worn it since last winter and put it on yesterday morning. Could not believe the big "gap" at the waist. I tried stapling the waist at school...didn't work, so wore it loose with a sweater over it. Guess it's time for a new little black skirt! Yehaaaaa!!

Just a quick little for me this morning; oops make that 'this afternoon'.

Hi everyone! I am new and trying to figure out what diet I want to be on for the 1,000th time. I am always looking for a diet that I don't have to 'deal' with cooking or counting, etc. but it just doesn't exist. I know I am going to have to do it the hard way and reading all the posts made me realize this...it's just not easy to face up to it. I am sooo tired of cooking suppers, ha ha. I thought once the kids were grown and gone I wouldn't have to fool with that anymore. I then cooked for the grandkids...now they are in high school. I guess I do look at cooking as more of a chore than most.

You might want to take a look at JennyCraig, Nutrisystem, or another of the meal delivery systems . . . have a look in DIET CENTRAL . . . http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=102

Good Morning Everybody! We have such a beautiful day here today! I have the front door open and the “girls” are laying in the sun. So different than this past Sunday! Of course they are saying that we can expect more snow this weekend. It will probably do that for awhile before Winter time truly sets in.

Ali, last year on October 26th we ended up getting about 2 ˝ feet of snow! Tim had to go to Denver on a business trip two days before and when they were trying to get home on the highway, what usually took about 1 ˝ hours took over 9 hours to get through. It was a real mess! But we almost have a good snow before or on Halloween!

Lynn, I sure hope you are feeling lots better now. I always hate those trips to the dentist! Sorry about the pinched nerve in your neck. My goodness-- if it isn’t one thing it’s a dozen!!! Mom used to always tell me that everything after 40 was maintenance because things start wearing out!! Maybe she had something there! You must have me confused with someone else in the challenge. I stopped that a few weeks ago. Hopefully I will get back on track and can join in the next one.

Cat, so sorry to hear about your back. Hope you are feeling much better now. Congrats on the size 12!! I can hardly wait to get there but have a L-O-N-G way to go!

I sure hope everyone who has been threatened by those fires are safe. I’ve been watching a lot of that on TV and it is so scary! I was chatting with Gary and he has several family members staying with him right now that had to be evacuated. He was saying the smoke and ash are very bad where he is but they are all safe.

Marylynn, Rocky is so cute!! Your Halloween party sounds like it would be a lot of fun! Our grandkids don’t like to come up here for Halloween since they get more candy down in the city! Their parents are trying to get them to just have a nice party and not have to worry so much about the “EVIL” out there on Halloween now!

LindaD-- so glad to hear that the winds are shifting and also slowing down a bit. I have had you in my thoughts and prayers.

Rosey, your pictures look like our Winters around here! Does Daisy like the snow? Ginger doesn’t much care for it but Sissy loves to stick her nose in the snow and run! Congrats on the 5 pound loss! That is great!

Gayle, I know what you are talking about! Tim has been off of work since April 23 and I am really having second thoughts about what retirement might be like!!!
He is all of 5’10” and will probably weigh 138 soaking wet!! When he quit smoking years ago he went all the way up to 146!! But he is always first tell me how and what I should be doing to lose weight. And so HELPFUL when he says, “Is that on your diet?” I was doing so much better when I had the whole day to myself. He was gone from 7:00am to about 6:00pm so I was able to control my eating better and also do a lot more exercising. Now when I try to get on the treadmill or anything that is when he wants to come in and start a conversation! I would really just rather be by myself when I’m doing this. OH well--- have to figure something out!

Trish--- hope you are feeling better now!

Joanne, sure hope things are going good with you.

Welcome goincrazyinky! I know that trying to get started is so hard! You may find that you just have to do a lot of trial and error to get something going that works for you. I kind of bounce around from the slim fast to south beach! I know you will find something that works .

Meowee-- How are the kittens doing? Are they liking the change in weather at all.

Zoe, How are things going for you?

Where is Paula, Lily, & Margaret? Sure hope all is going well with you.

Phyllis, Hope you are having a great vacation!

Guess I’d better get going for now. Sorry to those that I missed. It wasn’t on purpose. Take care and have a good day!

Oh I found a couple pictures from last years snow! That is Ginger in the first picture. The picture with both Ginger & Sissy they have sweaters on that I made for them. And the other jsut to give you an idea-- we have a 4 foot fence. BRRRRR!

Morning All:

Thanks to all of my friends for their well wishes. I appreciate your prayers and concern.

Evacuations from the Trabuco Canyon fire, Santiago Canyon fire, and Portola Hill fire are being sent to El Toro High School near my house. The wind has settled down but the off shore flow is causing some fires to drop from 50% contained to 30% contained.

My best friend lives by the Cleveland National Forest fire, which is about a 15 min drive from me, and of course I'm concerned about her home. She lives has the Cleveland National Forest on one side of her and Trabuco Canyon on the other.

Please continue to pray for the firemen and the people who are being affected by these fires. It's such a tragedy that someone would diliberately set these fires.

I've a attached a link to one of local tv channels for a video of this particular fire.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?se...cal&id=5719542

More photos below: (you can click below the slideshow for additional photos)

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/24/env...ml#cnnSTCPhoto


Rosey: Sorry you've been ill. Hope you feel better soon. Absolutely gorgeous photos. Love it!!

Glad to meet you goincrazyinky. It took a long time to figure what diet I should stay on. I tried them all and have all the books. Finally I found that counting calories and exercise works for me. The great thing is that most people eat mostly the same foods. Once you know what those calories are you begin to remember them and don't have to look up how many calories something is.

I keep a food journal and have a small calorie book handy. When I can't think of something to fix for lunch/dinner then I just look in my food journal and get ideas. I hope this helps you a little. I eat a lot of Lean Quizine meals when I don't want to cook and want a hot meal. Add a piece of fruit or small salad and you have a nice quick meal. That way it's easier to control how many calories are in the food I eat.
Good luck and

Karen: I'm so glad Gary is okay. I've been worried about him. The smoke and ash are causing a lot of breathing problems for some people. I cleaned my house this past weekend and it looks like I haven't dusted in months. There's a thick layer of dust over everything. I guess I don't have to clean until the fires are over. Great pictures! I love the your little babies in their sweaters. So cute..

A big hello to everyone I didn't address.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Talk to you soon.

Attached is a link to some excellent photos of the fire during the day.

Photo #29, #31, is where I work. At South Coast Plaza in Irvine. You can see how heavy the smoke is.
Photo #32 is Trabucco Canyon close to my home.

Photo #34 is touching.
Photo #38 gives you a idea of how one house burns down and the one across the street is not touched.

Photo #40 is a beautiful horse. I heard on the news this morning that there were a lot of horse farms in the fires. Some people would let their horses go thinking they would run from the fire but the unfortunate thing is horses have a tendency to run back home because they are frightened. They say it would have been better to have left them in the corral. I guess the thought is the firefighters could protect them???

http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,...00.html#41_840

Linda--- I just looked at all those pictures--- WOW! It has to be so devastating there. I have always wondered why a fire in a frieplace can be so warm and cozy and then something like this comes around and all you can think of is tragedy. So glad that you are doing OK. Please keep us posted.

Hi "Pat?"

If you are posting on this thread, you are most likely over 50 - yes? If so, you know by now that nothing worth having is easy. You can do Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem, but they are expensive and NOT very tasty. Losing weight is actually VERY simple (hard, but simple), eat fewer calories than you burn. It takes 3,500 fewer calories to lose 1 pound. If you need around 1,500 calories/day to maintain your current weight, and you eat 1,000 calories/day, you will lose 1 pound in a week. If you need around 2,000 calories/day to maintain your current weight, and you eat 1,500 calories/day, you will lose 1 pound in a week. If you exercise more every day, you can eat SLIGHTLY more calories to keep losing - NOTE: it takes a LOT of exercise to burn 100 calories.

If you decide to "bite the weight-losing bullet," you ought to hang out with us. We're a REALLY nice group of ladies who help each other during the difficult process of changing our lives.

Lynn

As expected, I gained 2 pounds and I'm OK with that.

I returned to the gym today. I had a good work out. I'm still waiting on results.

I'm also flying by. So to all

TTFN
Trish

Good Morning Everyone,

Hi Cat, I think it's time for a shopping spree. Get rid of that skirt before it falls off you!

Hi Karen, You wrote to Cat, "Congrats on the size 12!! I can hardly wait to get there but have a L-O-N-G way to go!" Here's the trick - shop around until you find a 12 that will fit! I'm a pound heavier than you are right now - just about the same height - and I found a pair of pants size 12 petite that fit me! Took me a while, but I did it!

Hi Linda, I looked at your video/photos. How terrifying! Be safe.

Hi Trish, GREAT attitude! I need to get back to exercising also. I'm really having a problem getting myself to get back to exercising. I know I need to do it - it's really important for the diabetes. Just can't seem to make myself. I'm going to the gym today for a walk and a massage. I just need to make a RULE for myself to exercise everyday from now on!

Lynn

Good Morning & Happy Friday Ladies!

Wanted to stop in for a quick note before adjouring to the kitchen for the remainder of the morning. Going to make 7 dozen cupcakes & 7 dozen cookies for the party that has now swelled to sixty. Being a sweetoholic I suspect today is my acid test for dedication to the weight loss commitment. All I know is that I'll be sipping coffee, listening to jazz & keeping these refreshments as simple as possible. The grown ups can have hot spiced cider, coffee, tea or gooey punch. Period. Anything else they're welcome to run down to Mickey D's & bring it back.

On the bright side, made it to the gym for the treadmill every morning this workweek with DH. DH tells me that one of the trainers pulled him to the side & mentioned to him that his wife (today that's me) is really putting out the effort. Yay! Someone noticed the saggy sweaty middle aged lady!

Welcome goingcrazyinky (Do we call you Pat?)! I've found this group of friends to be wonderful. The Golden Girls are real people who really care and can absolutely relate to life for a woman over fifty. It's a great group of friends. Happy to meet you & hope we see more posts soon to get to know you! Like everyone else I've tried the umptydumpty diets out there and the bottom line is the old fashion hard way is the only way I can go. I have to look at permanent lifestyle changes & keep up with my calories. Otherwise I have found that I'm just fooling myself & not too many others. Can't wait to hear more from you. Welcome again!

Lynn I saw that episode of Biggest Loser & am thoroughly disgusted with the outcome. It seems this season if the contestant is strong & committed, they ditch them. Not fond of the politics but I guess they drive ratings. Personally I wish the producers had booted the guy that deliberately threw the weigh in off the show for being unscrupulous. If this is how the season will be going, it's beginning to lose it's sparkle for me.

LindaD, still watching the news & wondering how on earth your community is going to recover from these fires. We've had rain for the past four days, wish I could send it your way. Still praying for you & everyone else out there. Hope your home stays intact but more than that, hope you & your family stay safe!

Trish, you're in our thoughts & prayers for a good outcome. Let us know how you're doing.

Rosey congratulations on the five pounds! I'm starting to see a 2-3 pound loss every other week. Hey I'll just smile & go with it. Your scenery in that pic was breathtaking. I think of what you & Karen get to see when you look out your windows & both of you have wonderful views. Thanks to both of you for sharing.

Then again, there are those moments I get to wondering. Every one of us has a different view from their homes but we still all get together here. I love that.


I'm sorry Karen but I couldnt help but giggle thinking of your description of your DH gaining all the way up to one fortysomething after he quit smoking. Men need to just leave us alone about their lack of weight issues. My own DH can skip THIRD helpings & drop 15 pounds in two weeks. I'm working out twice a day & obsessing over every label in the kitchen to lose 5 a month. I'm thinking that if men want to give us advice, they should have some round of medications/hormones that slows down their systems, makes them moody, gives them amazing headaches & bloating.... then talk to us all they want! (Sorry the witch came out, I'll send her back now)

Joanne, saw the note about menopause & wanted to send you whatever good vibes I have left. All I can say is that my DH really does love me because he & I got married when mine started & he's still here. How are you doing? I decided to get through mine without HRT due to a family history of cancer & it was an adventure to put it mildly. Hang in there & stay in touch!

Linda-Meowee! You always have something interesting to report. Cat in the freezer, Printer blowing up, Godzilla..... what's new?

CAT! You're stapling your clothes. lol!! Duct tape works better! Go shopping lady, you deserve it. Thanks for the green cream link.

Maybe I would be better off with the duct tape OVER my mouth while I'm baking all that stuff for the party.

If I didn't mention you it wasn't deliberate. Everyone get out of your comfort zones this weekend & go make people talk about you, makes for a great memory! Take care & have a wonderful weekend.

Marylynn

Good Morning . . .

We have sunshine but it is quite cool. The predicted high is going to be in the single digits (under 50 F). Unfortunately that is far more seasonal than what we were having.

Don't know quite were the day went yesterday . . . it just whizzed on by. Part of it was spent pulling cats out of closets and cupboards. Purrecious was on quite a roll . . . don't think there was any kitchen cupboard or closet door in the house that she didn't pull open at least twice. The other five just wait in a patient little line, while she 'tends to the door' and then they all stream in to see what kind of mischief they can manage. Definitely never dull.

So glad to hear that things are looking a little brighter for the California fire-fighting efforts, LINDA. Hopefully things will soon be back to normal -- well as normal as it can ever get back to

Aww TRISH . . . Just hang in there and your day will come when you can tell us about losing that nasty two and a couple more as well.

Duct tape over your mouth . . . Good luck with the baking spree, MARYLYNN.

I totally agree ROSEY . . . hopefully that 5 pounds is gone for good.

Yep CAT . . . it is definitely shopping time for you. Those staples can get really prickly.

KAREN . . . my cats are all indoor cats so they really don't notice the changes in temperature that much. They do miss the sun though since they love to loll around on sunny window sills.

Well . . . it's past noon again and I really must make a run to town for cat litter -- definitely NOT something you ever want to run out of -- so I'd better go get my morning rounds done. Have a great day everybody . . . see you later . . .

Hi GG's:

I usually weigh every two weeks but I weighed myself today because I felt lighter. Unfortunately, it looks like I may have hit a plateau. My official weigh in day is not until Oct 31 so I'm hoping the number changes by then.

I spoke to a body builder I work with today and she told me to increase my cardio to 40 minutes for 5 days a week and do 20-30 minutes of weights for 3 days a week. It's not much different than what I'm doing now but she said a small adjustment can break the plateau. My goal has been to lose at least 8 pounds a month but I'll take whatever I can get and be happy about it, especially when I know I've done my best.

Thanks again for all of your prayers.

Trish: Please don't be discouraged. You're doing the right thing. It will come off.

Marylynn: I don't think I could suffer through the cravings in order to bake sweets. You must have a stronger will than me. I wish you all the best.

Linda: Don't you just love cats. They curl up anywhere and like to explore the strangest places. Mine is like a big baby and when I don't pay attention to him he will find the funniest things to do to get my attention. Love it!

Cat: I see a shopping spree in the near future for you.

A big hello to all the gals I missed. I hope your weekend turns out to be a good one and that you do something fun and share some moments with family and friends. I'm visiting a sick friend, going to church, cleaning a little, and reading a good book.

Talk to you on Monday.