Sorry, Sandra, the brownies are all gone. You'll have to look elsewhere for decadence.

The spices are from Turkey and I can't read most of the box, but the names are them are in English except that most of them are misspelled! They're pretty strong so I didn't use all that much.

Tonight is LO grilled chicken but since we still have sugar-free buns, we'll probably have sandwiches. And LO potato salad with tomato slices. I can't think of anything else right now.

I sold about 15 lanyards today but took the money to JoAnns and bought more beads. Now this has GOT to stop. I have too many beads and there is enough to make probably 30-40 more. I'm only selling them for $5 which doesn't even cover the expenses but it's good therapy and I like walking around the building seeing people wear my "creations".

Now ... I'm glad you're back Sandra. Congratulations on your walking, Vickie! I love the pond pics too.

I don't think I have any laundry to do tonight, and dinner is pretty much cooked since it's leftovers, so all I'm doing is making lunches and watching TV.

Happy evening, everybody!

Hi Everyone
Just had a little storm. More thunder than anything. Hardly any rain. We sure need it. The grass is starting to turn brown in places.
Thanks for all the congrats. Again I dont know how I lost. But will take it.
VICKIE Love the pictures. If I could even lose 1/2 pound a week. I would take it. Will take forever to get goal that way. But I am not getting there now. So anything will do.
ONTARGET how are you doing. I am waiting on a load of clothes to dry. Still having trouble with dryer. Hubby is suppose to look at it again. But so far hasnt.
FROUFY how are you. Have fun at dinner with your friend. That will be nice to have some girl time.
TO EVERYONE ELSE I am thinking of each of you. Hope each is have good op days. And everyone has a loss this week.
coco

I was so bad today it is awful! I can have only water for the rest of the week!

All I can say is that before WW, it would have been worse!

Tomorrow will also be a challenge because there is a reception in my honor. It is my last meeting of the labour council, as a member of the executive. I have been on the executive for 16 years! Even I couldn't believe it when I counted up my terms of various offices.

On July 1, I take up my new responsibilities and there is a lot of activity about that going on now. I seem to have double the number of meetings. Tiring, but exhilarating also. I've got to be back at work in 10 hours, and I need sleep.

Night,
Rhonda

ps: Vickie, those pictures were great. My entire yard is 16 feet by 100 feet, and the house is on that! The house is 14 feet by 40 feet (two stories)...no lie..that's what we live in!...2 people and 2 big dogs!!! No goldfish.

rhonda, all i can think to say is i wish i'd been there eating with you today. i'm hungry. i did do some sneak eating while curtis was in town. i know i don't have to sneak. i just feel guilty "cheating" in front of him because he's trying so hard to stay op. you'd think i'd copy him.

sixteen years!! that's super impressive. will you be in the same office area when you takeover your new position? will you be around the same people? i can imagine you must have a lot of celebrations, meetings, and get togethers coming up. july 1 will be here soon. enjoy yourself. times like these don't happen often. sometimes never for some people, so enjoy yourself.

Hi All:

Well, I'm drinking my water already

No, Sandra, I won't be around the same people or in the same place. I'll be in the same section of the campus, but in a different building (a nice, old Victorian style 3 storey house instead of a modern building).I will maintain a connection to my academic department by teaching some in that department and going to meetings.

I won't be on-line again until later tonight. I hope everyone does well today. It will be a challenge for me but yesterday was such a pig-out maybe I've got it out of my system for a while!

Rhonda

Good morning, everybody!

Well, Sandra and Rhonda, hang in there but don't be so hard on yourselves.

Scale was 143.8 this morning which was a big surprise and relief. I hadn't really done anything different but have been a little busier so maybe I'm working it off.

Shaun's ship left port around 8 last night headed towards Hawaii but they're only going out for 3 days (training mission) and then will go back out next week for probably the same length of time. He has heard they'll be leaving for good in September and will be gone for 9 months. I think it'll be to South America instead of the Persian, though, which may or may not be better. The deployments to South America are usually drug-bust related, which sound just as dangerous as someone trying to bomb you.

I'd better get back to it -- see you in a little while.

Good Morning Chicks! Another spectacular day here. My scale is hideously high this morning and I didn't eat anything particularly salty yesterday. My muscles must be reacting to the two days of exercise in a row!

Jim and I are going to the show again today. Did I tell you all that neither of us had any popcorn? I smuggled in a frozen bottle of water and drank that. We saw Knocked Up with Kathryn Heigle (sp?). I love her on Grays Anatomy. She's a good actress. The movie had some very funny parts but the humor was not completely mainstream. It was more of a guy's movie than a chick flick. Today we are going to see Waitress. We just need to get out and do more fun things. No popcorn again today!

I even cooked a full dinner when I got home yesterday. Today we are just having leftovers from the freezer but it will be a full meal. All I have to do is cook fresh pasta and the green beans. Tomorrow we go out for dinner. Yay!

Jim is singing on the treadmill now. Our sprinkler system is running....woo hoo...and I'll be eating breakfast shortly. Then it's my turn on the treadmill. I don't want to get on but I will. I don't have to like it or enjoy it....I just have to do it.

Now, I'm going to see what you all were up to last night.

Frouf, what is up with your DH? I hope your joint session knocks some sense into him. Did he not think that living with teenagers was going to be difficult? How did you do at dinner with your GF last night? I'll be tidying today too. I guess our cleaning ladies come on the same day! I'm having company on Friday. Good timing! BTW, I caught myself eating from bordom last night. I wasn't hungry....I just wanted something. This happens to me every evening. I'm going to have to guard against that.

Sandra and Patti.....PLEASE post your photos of your ponds! I'd feel so bad if you didn't. I only posted the pictures of my neighbors pond because their yard is SO over the top. I thought you guys would laugh.

Sandra, don't worry about those photos, GF. You were looking absolutely adorable in the last photo we saw. Besides, they don't often take lower than the chest in those newspaper photos anyway.

Patti, I can't see the yard from my house. They have a high fence and some rather large foliage and trees growing around the perimeter. I can see a tiny bit from my guest bedroom. That's the side of my house you can see in the picture. I have a 3 step ranch; 3 of the 4 bedrooms are on the second floor that is up the 3 stairs. I can't wait to see your photos.

Kathy, potato salad sounds SO good to me. I never make it because Jim doesn't eat any salads with mayo on them. Sigh. Maybe I'll make myself a small bowl the next time he is cooking on the grill. He can have a baked potato and I'll have potato salad. Yum! $5.00 sounds too cheap for a fancy lanyard. If you're having fun and making them is keeping you from eating, then I say go for it! BTW, I'm sure your extra activity is helping. That point has been driven home for me. No exercise=no loss. I'll be praying for Shaun no matter where he goes.

Coco, I'd take a 1/2 pound every week to but I sure prefer the pound! Let's both lose again this week.

Rhonda, don't sweat it. Enjoy your recognition and try to be as good as you can. Congratulations....you've had a remarkable run. I'm sure you'll be making your mark in your new position as well. The lots in the southern Chicago suburbs are generally between .25 and .50 of an acre. I think ours is 75 x 127...not small but not huge either.

Have a great day chicks! It's time for me to eat and walk.

Good Morning All,

I'm procrastinating by coming on line. I should be out walking and mowing the grass, but I don't feel like it. But if I don't move soon it will be waaaay hot. Oh well.

Sandra - on the interview and a good tournament. I thought of you yesterday when I was watching "Made in America". Ratzenberger went to an compound bow manufacturer (PAS?). It was pretty interesting.

Vicki - Woo Hoo on the loss. And on all that exercise. Keep it up. Too funny about Jim and the headphones, my dad is like that, it drove me nuts, so I try so hard not to sing along when I have the headphones on but sometimes I just can't help it.

Frouf - How did your dinner out go? And about dd's bedroom, I have to say seeing the top of your dresser is over rated. My problem is I can't find half my clothes anymore so it's time to clean.

Rhonda - Hope the reception goes well. It's always exciting moving to a new position.

Paula - wow your yard must be beautiful. I can't imagine doing all that work. DH made a new bed in the back where I planted rhubarb and sunflowers. Hopefully they survive it was hot when they were planted.

Angela - I'm anxiously awaiting my first veggies too. Peas are about ready to pick, and my tomatillo and first pick tomato are budding, so it shouldn't be too long.

Patti - Start logging the miles now. You'll get an idea of how far you went before.

Coco - Yea on the loss. Hang in there, and just keep plodding along, we'll all get there eventually.

My ww leader said something interesting yesterday. "This isn't a diet it's a journey, and on a journey we can have side trips and fun along the way." I thought that was an interesting way of looking at it.

Have a great day everyone. I hear lawn mowers out side and better join in.

-Tech

Donna, back when I started Core, I was whining about the whole process and how long it takes. My husband, Jim, told me that it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. It stuck with me and I try to remember that every time I make a poor eating choice or the scales just don't cooperate.

Vickie Im glad you posted those pics..I used to goto a ponding site that people showed off thier ponds..it dosnt exist anymore and I miss it! I like getting ideas from other gardens. My goal one day would be have no grass in my backyard at all..just gardens. Dh would love not mowingthe grass.!!
Im holding my breath here ,,the scale is looking food this week!! Im been in a little plateau here lately.
Waving to everyone..off to buy some fish for supper! (thanks Kathy)

Happy, Happy, Happy ME!

Ready -- down 3.6!!!! I'm thrilled. I've already updated my ticker (I did not update it from the last gain ). I feel in control and back on track.

Went to Sarah's preschool show -- it was so cute, they sang songs they learned all year and she got her certificate. It was kind of sad, the year is over. She does have one more day on Friday and then I'm off next week with her before camp starts. I did make it to work at 11:45, so I was able to quickly go get weighed. I'm very happy! Can you tell!

A few things I learned over the past week -- It has helped me alot to track everything I ate. I also should hold off on purposly using the 35 pts -- not planning on using them gave me a buffer I needed when I did falter a bit. I also needed to up my exercise -- I sort of figured that but now I have proof.

So, I'm motivated to keep on track the next 2 weeks -- until I wi again. Since I'm on vacation next week, not sure if I'll come in or not. I may bring Sarah in with me then head to a local walking area - its a big hill with a ski slope, walking trails and some animals.

Tech, I watched that show Tuesday night and thought of Sandra as well!!

Kathy, I'd feel better with South America vs. Persian Gulf. Hope your scale contiues to cooperate. I have to give you alot of credit for making all those brownies and NOT eating any. I need to try the peppermint patty ones some time -- LOVE peppermint!

Well, need to get ready for a meeting. BBL.

Patti, I'll hold my breath with you!

Paula, isn't it just amazing what wonderful things can happen when we concentrate and really REALLY work the program. I'm SO very happy for you. Let's have an encore performance from you next week.

Now I need to stop playing around and start losing good like that again!

I might even try to get into the pool today.

I walked 25 minutes today!!!!!

Yay, Paula! I'm so happy for you!!!

Waitress was a cute movie but now I'm craving pie! No popcorn again today. Just water. Yay!