Aw, Bunny, I'm so sorry the news was bad. Sending hug-type thoughts your way. Good that you're getting insurance. Don't they have a waiting period there before it covers pre-existing conditions or would she be covered right away? I'm thinking that from the insurance company's point of view, they might only get a year's worth of payments out of you, your daughter will be all fixed up to the tune of thousands of dollars from the insurance company and then you could cancel. I'm not very educated about these matters though and it's not my business anyhow. I hope it works out for you and her. Don't worry about her self esteem suffering. When she sees the pictures of how she could end up without the treatment, she will be glad to do it. She's stronger than you think.

The garden is beginning to really fill in and the irises and peonies are just about to bloom. I have another huge crop of stubborn weeds in the borders to contend with so that will keep me busy this weekend. It's been so rainy that I couldn't get out there but it's supposed to be nice this weekend. Today I bought some plants for my hanging baskets and the window boxes. I seem to be doing all this several weeks later than usual. I'm hoping that Peter will stay home for most of the weekend and give me a hand finishing the patio area beside our pond/waterfall which I began to renovate by myself but I really need his muscles to finish the job.

Tomorrow morning is my WI and I've been totally OP all week. I sure hope I've lost what I gained last week. It would be nice to lose a little extra as well but I'd be happy just to get back where I was when I got my 25 lb magnet.

Today I wore a top tucked in. Mind you, I wore a cotton shirt open over it but it's a step in the right direction. All my tops are hanging quite loosely off my shoulders these days and my pants feel baggy in the seat and legs. Unfortunately I still haven't lost even a 1/4 inch off my waist. Why is that? All my weight is carried in my big belly. YUCK!! Well, other places too but that's the worst spot. Oh well, I keep telling myself one step at a time. Eventually, when my shoulders are like coat hangers and my boobs are as flat as an ironing board and my legs are just bones with folds of empty skin hanging down to my ankles....maybe THEN I will finally begin to lose a few inches off my gut.

Menu for Thursday, May 30

Breakfast
2 slices hi fiber toast
2 tbsp light Philly cream cheese
1 tsp light Becel margarine
1 tsp grape jelly
5 points

Lunch
Chicken/Cheese Quesadillas made with
2 whole wheat tortillas
1 oz diced cooked chicken breast
2 tbsp grated light cheddar cheese
chopped cooked red peppers and mushrooms
minced chives
Served with non-fat sour cream and Salsa
8 points

Snack
1/2 canned peach
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
2 points

Dinner (planned)

Turkey Cutlets
(chopped up in a stir fry with veggies)
Served on 1/2 cup rice
6 points

Snack
nonfat sugar free chocolate pudding
light Cool Whip
2 points

Total for Day - 23 points

My points range is 28-33. I will possibly have a bit of butter on my rice, an orange and maybe even a slice of bread with dinner. I always like to have a few points left at the end of the day just in case.

Linda, I'm with you on the "I'll be a skeletal mess everywhere before my tummy loses a darn inch" thing. I met up with a friend in LA whom I had seen in 45 pounds and first thing he noticed was that my breasts are much smaller and my hips are just the same. *sigh*

<rant> We're sadly low income enough not to be able to afford insurance, but high income enough not to qualify for medicaid. In my state that means I'm at the "sorta kinda state assisted sliding insurance" level. Per the information my local health department gives me, she'll be covered as long as she's not be diagnosed by a physician officially. She hasn't - the "diagnosis" we have right now comes from my mother's orthopedic surgeon who saw my daughter as part of my mom's (for now) weekly visit. I was up front with the gal when I applied for it. She said only things reflected in my daughter's medical records would "count" as pre-existing. We'll see. If they turn us down, we'll figure something else out somehow. What frustrates the **** out of me is how impossibly expensive insurance has always been for us -- $450 to cover my family of 4 *per month* -- more than my mortgage cost. And that assumes we get catastrophic insurance - so we've done without and paid our medical expenses as they come up (or not, as you may recall regarding the lump I still haven't had looked at). So we're uninsured now, when it matters. </rant>

Today was a good food day - plus my folks called and we got to talk to them and our girls for almost an hour which was lovely. Looks like the girls won't be headed back to be with us for another week or so (possibly longer). We miss 'em - but they're loving the time with their grandparents and uncle (and the big ol' dog).

Bunny, thanks for clearing that up for me. I'd forgotten that your daughter didn't have her own doc's appointment. That certainly would make a difference. I can't believe the cost of your medical insurance. Of course, you're a family of four and we are down to just the two of us now. Still, for our gov't funded medical plan we pay about $200 every three months. It covers just about everything except cosmetic surgery. Of course, right now all our doctors are on strike so even emergency procedures are being postponed. Who knows where all this will end.

Today I had my WI and managed to lose the weight I'd gained last week plus a bit more so I now stand at 26 lb. lost. I'll take it. On my e-mail support group there's a gal who just joined us and she has lost 17 pounds in her first month. It's taken me almost a year to lose 26. Sheesh! Slow metabolism or what!!

Not much else new or exciting. I planted up four hanging baskets and some containers this afternoon. Hopefully our weather will stay nice so they fill out a bit.

LindaBC

Yesterday was quiet. I finished knitting a pair of socks - I'm all proud!



I'm working on a shawl as well right now for my godmom. Her birthday was this month and I sent down a sweater I'd made for her - a cotton sweater vest, really.

Howzabout a question for everyone: if you're in a hurry but have to eat lunch, what's your favorite "on the go" lunch? My answer? Cereal with milk and fruit. Usually I'll go with corn flakes or Cheerios with skim (always skim, other milks just feel thick - like oil - when I eat/drink them) and either a banana in it, or an apple afterwards.

Hi gang,

Lunch on the go huh? I have to have protein so if I'm in that big of a hurry at home, I'll make a peanut butter & jelly sandwich on light bread. Otherwise, I do routine things for lunch - frozen dinners, turkey sandwiches, chicken salads. If I'm out and about, its a grilled chicken sandwich.

Well, its back to work for me tomorrow. DH has been sick with a bad cold all week. I've been cheated out of boating three times now this week. So this vacation just wasn't a fun one. I worked everyday on painting, furniture finishing or house chores. I did get quite a few things done off my list. I'm sitting here now staring at the futon trying to make myself get up and just finish it. But its a backbreaker job. Oh well, maybe later. I did get DH to buy me a new chisel and I finally figured out how to split my landscape stones without spending $60 to rent a special saw. Lots of pounding with a 3 lb sledgehammer and there you have it. Maybe I'll pound out a few frustrations today.

I think I'll go find some breakfast and work out a menu plan for the week.

Have a great Sunday!

Linda - Congrat for having that loss. 26 pounds gone is nothing to sneeze at. Stack up 26 packages of butter just to visualize what you've done for your body.

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