Welcome choblet! I havent tried the dash diet but have tried many! I find plain old counting calories work best for me.

mem_ love pansies! Mine continued to bloom last winter and I got some pictures of them in the snow year before last. I noticed yesterday that my flowers are still in bloom nicely..my danthus in beautiful. I guess I will try and get my greenery up outside this weekend and then start on the inside.
I can say I have truly enjoyed my fall wreath and centerpiece I got as a gift when daddy died this yr.

Jane- please dont send that snow south to ky!!Im not ready for that kind of snow ever!!!

plucky- I made a mess wreath and I keep thinking its too pretty to hang outside. GUess I may make another one in case it gets stolen!

just- I hope hubby gets feeling like dealing with the lights. I am hoping to do some online shopping today.
I have the worst time buying for my middle child and her husband. They have everything and so much more money than we do. I need to start hitting her up for ideas. Her and her husband both have bdays in dec also. hubby and i arent buying for each other this year.

I need to get some exercise in today!

welcome choblet.....what is the DASH diet is it US side of the pond only?

Rosebud - oh, yes. I'm far to the south. Not in the deep south of the States, but below the Mason-Dixon line. If you know anything about geography, I'm at the level of the southernmost border of Ohio. I was planting perennial pansies, although around here the summers are too hot for them to survive or look nice so we treat them as an annual, usually. Plant them in October to mid-November (to be honest, I was really late planting them. As I said, the greenhouse was closing this weekend, and - hah, this morning we had a hard freeze), and they will survive the winter and be gorgeous in springtime. Then, I pull them up in May or June when I plant my other annuals.

If these are the violas you are thinking of, then you are right! I might try to harvest some blooms from the pansies since they are edible, but I don't know what sort of spray the greenhouse might have used. I planted some at my mom's house a month or two ago, and was out there this weekend and they were not doing well. Then I realized that deer can roam pretty freely in their neighborhood, and deer love pansies. Next year I will save myself the work!

We had a really mild winter last year so the pansies did really well. We will see about this year. Oh! and most of my flower beds are close to the house, which tends to keep them a bit warmer.

Your pumpkin custard sounds delicious. I love pumpkin pie and have a recipe I love that mixes canned pumpkin with pudding mix, pumpkin pie spices and skim milk to make an approximation. Have not made it yet, but keep meaning to do so.

dgramie - hah. yes! I planted some dianthus as an annual a few years ago and it is still blooming. I have a few other plants that survived our snow from Hurricane Sandy. My hollyhocks looked droopy, but made it and are blooming. I have a few blooms on some purple coneflowers still, and there were a dozen or so on the butterfly bush that I cut down. I cut them to bring inside. Oh, and my floribunda rose bush is still blooming. I really need to prune it FIRST THING come springtime. We will see. I got a pretty pastel pansy mix, and then some purple ones with blue faces and bright yellow ones to scatter around the garden. Most of the other things I still had flowering, though, were killed by the snow two weeks ago.

Oh, but I am about to get a second bloom on some of my mums! (Fingers crossed: last year I was also about to get a second bloom when the weather got really cold and killed them!)

choblet - welcome! I have not done the DASH diet, but aside from the salt restrictions (I don't worry much about the salt; I find actually that one of my problems with home cooking is that I will sometimes add too little salt or no salt and never quite realize that the lack of salt is what makes my food taste bland. Heh. But!) - alot of the focus on veggies and grains and convenient veggies too fits with what I've been doing. I know what you mean, too - feeling in and hour of control. I really love veggies and have been eating this way now long enough that when I bought fat-free vegetable dip to take to a party this weekend, it tasted good. Usually the fat-free sour cream just tastes weak to me. Oh, I am a vegetarian, more or less, so most of my protein comes from vegetable sources - beans, et cetera.

mountainwalker - the DASH diet was developed by the Mayo Clinic initially to help people lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It focuses on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. There's more about it here.

I am getting work done on my car today, so had to drop it off and walk to work. Treated myself to a (half of a) pumpernickel bagel and a (skim, sugar free) latte on the way. The bagel shop had hardly bagels left and the manager told me that they get their bagels from a shop on Long Island and have had problems restocking since Sandy. My bagel still tasted good. Hah, and here I thought the "NY" in the bagel store's name was just a style thing. I had no idea they brought them in from NYC. Or, well, the NYC suburbs.

CHOBLET ~ We can identify with you on many fronts, trust me; and I didn't post my weight until I had been here a while either -- same reason, of course. My goals focus on sizes as that works better for me, but I am weighing myself every 6-8 weeks or so just for my own information really. I also keep track of my inches too.

I think the dash diet sounds good -- seems very similar to how I eat now, based on portions/servings and I count calories as well. I find this a very flexible and enjoyable way to eat that can be sustained long-term as well. I have great respect for the Mayo Clinic and the folks that work there too.

MEM ~ your flowers sound so pretty. I was thinking of a smaller flower, but they looked similar. Yes, I understand that the lower states have much milder temps and longer seasons than we do here. One of the ladies here from Texas tells us that she continues to grow some crops & some flowers like Irises all throughout the winter, esp if they have enuff water.

PUMPKIN CUSTARD ~
The pumpkin custard is very easy; basically, it is the same filling as for pie, but I just cut the sugar down (1.5 cups pumpkin, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 2 TBL flour, 1.5 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp cloves). I whipped it with my hand whizzer, then put it into a buttered casserole dish and bake at 375 F until a knife comes out clean.

Continued on my fall cleaning today; cleaned out DH's dresser, then started in my PC room (we call it our office, but it is really just my little haven). Sorted and tossed some things; mostly trying to get rid of some clutter and junk that we really don't need.

Food was good; had poached salmon with np and veggies for dinner tonight. Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday tomorrow ...

just- thanks for your recipe.I will have to try that! I am in the same mode you are. I cleaned out our dinning room cabinets yesterday. I gave away a big trash bag full of stuff. I plan to do the same again today. It feels so good to be in control of the house as well as my own body!

mnem- I always tend to lean toward the purple pansies but never can decide which is my favorite. They all make me happy!!

walker- how are you today?

Im going to try and get my laundry finished up today as well as cleaning my kitchen cabinets out. It all depends how well my kids play today. I really need to get it done before the holidays.

dgrammie I am groovy thank you!
I have managed to get back on track after my month of enforced idleness and have walked 4 miles today.
I am busy making an essay plan for a history essay as part of the Open University Course I am doing....it is nice to get the grey cells going!
What with this and my voluntary work, it is so nice to be busy. I worked full time for 25 years until last Feb (2011) and now I am feeling better "between the ears" so to speak I am gradually increasing my level of busy-ness and am planning to get a post in a school next year.........if I possibly can.
I am really sorry to be dim but does one wish a Happy Thanksgiving???

Haha. Someone at work today called me the incredible shrinking woman. So, yay. It will help me through this week when I am having a bit of cycle-related weight gain. I got my DSL modem and set up the new DSL at home last night. Fingers crossed it will stay stable. Some of the filters I got for the phone line were bad and that made it frustrating, but it seems to be working now. Dropped off all the old equipment at the cable place on my way to work this morning, so I feel accomplished. Also picked up my winter coat at the dry cleaners. For some years it sat forlornly on my coat tree and I vowed that I would someday fit into again. And now.

Rosebud - thank you for the pumpkin custard recipe. I will try it. I love pumpkin pie but have never made it. Extended family gets together for Thanksgiving, and the pies are not my job. I definitely cannot grow iris in wintertime, it does get cold and stay cold here in the winter. It is usually below freezing at night but often above freezing during the day. And after our 70 degree weekend, it is cold again. But no snow. You brave Canadians.

dgramie - I have been cleaning out things too. Have moved on to the kitchen and also cleaned out the freezer. I am a bit worried that the garbage collection folks might think I threw out too much stuff this week. We will see. And oh, yes - they make me so happy, too, bright little faces when the countryside is all brown and dark and gray and muck.

mountainwalker - Happy Thanksgiving is perfectly appropriate! It is such a big holiday for me and my family that it is weird to me that most of the world doesn't have the same holiday-type rhythm. The earlier Canadian Thanksgiving makes sense, too, but again, it is such a part of the rhythm of the year for me to have it in November that I cannot quite imagine anything else. Ooh, and I hope you are able to get a post in a school, as you hope. That is exciting. I am thinking about going back to school in a serious way, but not sure how to make it work. Or even what I want to do. Ugh. That part is frustrating. I have to balance desire with practicality. If only I had had a better sense of how important that is when I was younger.

I am going to the movie-opera again tonight. The Met HD version of Verdi's Othello. Renée Fleming is singing Desdemona. I managed to pack my dinner, so I'm feeling good about that.

mnem- I love going to the movie operas...live at the Met just made my life a few years ago.

My friend told me they are actually showing some in Egypt so I will have to check out what's coming up.

MEM ~ That was a nice compliment from your co-worker -- one to help motivate for sure. Nice NSV to get into that coat too. The movie-opera sounds fun; we don't have anything like that here (we live in the boondocks). It is a pretty, small town; and I love it, but that kind of entertainment is kinda limited. Our nearest city does have an orchestra though, but I have never had a chance to hear them.

I think our Thanksgiving is earlier becuz our fall crops come in the late summer/early fall and we have to have it before "OUR" winter sets in. You have Halloween at the end of October, Thanksgiving near the end of November, then Christmas at the end of December. Kinda nicely spread out; but like you, we are just used to having it at that lovely time of year with all the fall colors and such, which is so nice too.

I make that custard almost every time I make DH a pumpkin pie now; it is healthy and only about 125 calories per serving (for 4 servings). Or you can have half for breakfast for 250 calories; I have done that.

November is a good month for fall cleaning here, as the cold weather has come and it gives us something to do indoors. That way it is all done before Christmas & guests come. I take advantage of the time to get rid of some stuff we don't need too; but I have to be a bit sneaky and careful with DH's old stuff as he's a packrat and wants to keep everything ...

Had pretty good day today; food was good and I even went out for a walk after dinner. It actually felt good when I was done even though there was a bit of nippy wind at the start. I have to push myself to go becuz I dread the pain, but I didn't have any tonight (yeah), just on the last quarter stretch my legs started to slow me down, so I rested a bit and then continued on. It is only a block but to me it feels like a marathon ... Hopefully, as time goes by, it will become much easier; but I am always so glad that I did it by the time I'm done.

I had a blah day yesterday but knew going for a walk would help my mood and it did!! Tom is here and yesterday I was hungry. I made good choices and feel good about it!
I feel much better today and hoping to make a little headway in the kitchen.
Its a frosty morning here and Im going to try and walk again tonight. It sure lightened my mood.

Good Morning!

Justwant2Bhealthy the custard sounds good. I made a crustless pumpkin pie which was yummy and plan on making it for Christmas. My DH even loved it and he does not eat pie.

I am already planning my Christmas dinner. It will be the first time that DH and I will have Christmas to ourselves. I am happy about that. I will have a few celebrations with friends and family leading up to the day.

I will decorate my home but will wait because are steam cleaning carpets over the next two weekends. I love real trees and so I get a small potted pine tree. I set it up on a table with faux white fur and then decorate. I even have small lights.

Traditionally we have gotten together with family for Chinese food on Christmas Eve. This year it will be the two of us. We will have a shrimp ring, cheeses, and other snacks.

Dgramie I want to walk more but my knees can only take so much. I will walk to do errands today.

Have a good day.

Melissa - oh, you should give it a go! I was in Malta once and saw a sign for Live at the Met broadcast in Valetta. Hah. I wonder if they will have the subtitles in English or Arabic in Egypt, though? This year the Met is broadcasting a new opera based on The Tempest with Simon Keenlyside as Prospero. 1) I find him very attractive, particularly for an opera singer; and 2) his costume looks like a collision between Mad Max and Steampunk and is therefore amazing.

Rosebud - I have to travel about three hours to see real opera, but the movie broadcasts of the Met make me feel less deprived. Plus they fit better in my budget. I enjoyed it. Got a small popcorn to go with the wraps I made for dinner and shared some and still left some in the bag. I was proud of that.

Also: heh, the idea of that pumpkin custard for breakfast is a great one. I do not like eggs but don't mind them in pumpkin pie! Particularly in the winter, I like to have 'treat' breakfasts, like pancakes or ... well, usually it is pancakes and some veggie 'sausage' - but pumpkin custard sounds great.

I hope you continue getting stronger, too.

dgramie - congrats on making the good choices, and recognizing that a walk would help your mood. It helps mine, too, though I have a hard time recognizing that when I am down in the dumps. I have managed to get up each morning for the past couple of weeks and walk before work and feel good about that. Just 22ish minutes this morning because I woke up late. I really need to get to bed earlier, but I am a night owl.

pear - Awww. That sounds like a lovely way to celebrate Christmas. I love live trees and love Christmas decorations too. Last year someone told me that it looked like Christmas exploded in my house. I don't get a live tree, although I love them. Traditionally we've had a live tree at my parents' house, where I spend Christmas, but a few years ago my mom discovered that my brother was allergic to the tree and was finally able to buy the faux tree she was dying to buy.

It is my mission to get her to buy a better looking faux tree, though. The one she got is really, really, really faux looking. I wouldn't complain, except that my parents can afford a decent faux tree. Yours sounds lovely, though. We should post pictures of trees when they are up!

MEM ~ oh, I see. I take it that means you watch them in a movie theater -- what a great idea. WE have a movie theater here and I had always hoped they would play some old classics or have one night for stuff like that. They did have one night for foreign films at one time, not sure if they still do now though; but I would like the old classics, comedies, and maybe concerts and who knows, movie operas or plays might be fun. I've never seen any live, just stuff on the TV.

dGramie ~ glad you went for that walk. I always feel good after I go too (in mind and body). I went out again tonight and went even further and longer too. The streets were dry and clear but now we have a wee sprinkling of snow dust (like tiny pellets).

PEAR ~yes, my DH likes the custard as well; so I have to hide it from him. He gets his own pie, so he doesn't need mine too. We have a really nice faux tree; it's a good one and people think it's real. We used to get the real ones but once DH found this one, we use it. Getting the small live pine is a nice idea. Do you plant it afterward?

Had a pretty good day; got lots done. Food was good -- had leftovers tonight with a salad. As I said above, it was warmer today, so I was able to go for another walk tonight and I did enjoy it as well. Have a fabulous FRIDAY everyone ...

Hi all,

I'm new to this group, but I've decided (for the 5-gazillionth time) that I'm going to take my weight loss seriously. My eye doctor alerted me that I need to since my weight is causing me to lose my vision! Super SCARY!

I'm glad to know there is a forum of folks who I can relate to!

I had a ok day yesterday! Food was good but not enough veggies. I will finish off my relish tray today at lunch time and maybe add some cottage cheese to my plate. We tend to eat out a
lot on the weekends when my kids are home. IM sure this one will be no different. I am excited about some time with my youngest grandson.
I did some more cleaning yesterday and hoping to finish up the deep cleaning today on my main level. I have a few more kitchen cabinets to clean out. Sure feels good to have the clutter gone and things nice and organized!
IM hoping to find a big burst of energy today so I can get everything I want done. LOL Tom seems to zap my energy!
I need to really work on exercise next week!