IMHO this sounds like the best idea to me. Your DH gets a special birthday event and then you remind all the family the next day that it's his birthday without p*ssing off your MIL and ruining her party.

Dagmar

That sounds nice too! Especially since 30 is a big one. I forgot to comment on the composter gift idea earlier this week, too. I just wanted to say that as a gardener who was waaaay overly excited to get her own compost bin, I think your DH will really like it.

Oh yay, it's Friday. BF and I once again made our 9 PM bedtime last night. Even with about half an hour of reading to stretch that to 9:30 that makes...9 1/2 hour of sleep for the last two nights. Come on now, this is ridiculous! I figure my body needs the sleep, but hopefully if I let it have it for a few nights it will dial itself back! The "extra energy" that so many people rave about having after weight loss never appeared for me. I'm still about the same, on a good day I'm "not exhausted" all the time. It gets frustrating sometimes. Than again, for many teenage years through college I subsisted on much too little sleep (always up late studying) so perhaps my body is taking its revenge upon me now.

Oops, didn't mean to rant. I'm glad it's Friday! Tomorrow BF and I will hang out at our local festival if we feel like it, and Sunday I will be going to the city to see a play. Other weekend plans include exercise, and cooking up lots of healthy, yummy foods to make sure I have easy, healthy lunches and dinners to cart around next week. Rehearsals begin for the play I'm helping backstage for on Monday night. If I'm all prepped then I'll still be able to get my 9 hours of sleep or so each night. What are everyone else's plans for the weekend?

LOL Megan, DH and I have been going to bed at 9 too. So often, in fact, that the dog gets upset if we don't go upstairs at 9 because it messes up his routine!

Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I will plan to do something special for just the two of us the night before, then offer to MIL to bring a birthday cake to the party.

My original plan for this weekend was to hang around at home, then go to the in-laws' house Sunday afternoon to catch up and watch football. However, MIL called last night and asked if we wanted to go out to the country with them for the weekend (+DH's grandma) so we're doing that instead. On the one hand, it's good, because Carter loves going out there and we were going to visit DH's family anyway. On the other hand, I was planning to visit them for a few hours, not the entire weekend! It kind of puts a dent in my workout plan since I was planning to go to the pool to go swimming. Food will be out of my control as well. I'm planning to bring along healthy food and eat separately if I have to, but I know that I have zero willpower when there is junk food sitting in front of me and I'm sure there will be at least a pie involved.

Good morning! I read this thread yesterday but somehow never made it in to post. I'm all behind now!

Pat - I would freeze to death in Fairbanks, it is a good thing in the long run that I didn't get the job.

Jessica - how did the interviews go? And, I agree - a nice, intimate celebration the day before with the two of you then a cake at the family gathering sounds like a great idea. When my brother turned 30 his wife threw him a big party and he was out of sorts most of the night freaking over the number '30'.

Sheila - how did the mammogram & ultrasound go? Sending you good vibes.

Megan - I would sleep for 12 hours straight if left uninterrupted, even with feeling more energetic with weight loss and exercise.

Amanda - hope today slows down for you some!

I got up this morning and exercised! Good LB workout with my new home gym, used the new barbell for squats and deadlifts. Wow! I'm feeling particularly strong today afterward, though!

DSS this weekend, planning a visit to my MIL on Saturday, then something for my dad's birthday on Sunday. Either cook out at my brother's house or meet in the middle at Red Lobster. Dad loves shrimp.

Good day everyone!

Hello! I have my happy face on! Everything went well, although I feel a little beat up in the chest area. An elderly woman was just getting done when I was sitting in the waiting room, and she looked at me and said, "This is really a pain in the breast, isn't it?"

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Yay, Sheila! When will you get your results?

I'm coming up for air after a miserable week of being sick. As soon as I started feeling better, I got sick again. Hopefully I'm finally on the road to recovery because everything went to heck for a week and it's going to take eons to get back to normal.

BTW, I don't think it was H1N1 because I didn't have a cough. Had all the other symptoms, though.

Our third employee is out sick today. Employee #1 came back Wednesday and said he never had a fever, just a really, really bad cold (kept him in bed for 5 days). Employee #2 is back today after leaving early Monday and being out for 3 full days--he did have a fever. Employee #3 left early yesterday saying he felt like he was coming down with a cold. All that and my son who had a bad cold last week--and it continues to linger although he is much better. So I WONDER--is this a cold going around or is it one of the flus? Who knows--no one sought medical treatment.

Tonight DD is coming home and we're going to her high school's football game. This will be interesting--my DS's school is playing them. We're not sure which team to root for at this point. We know no one on either team as all the kids we knew on DD's school team have graduated and we're not as familiar with DS's school's team. We are planning on sitting on DD's side, so I guess we should root for them!

I'm considering doing two turkeys for Thanksgiving. One regular roasted and one on the BBQ. Has anyone had any success with that? Please let me know any hints or suggestions!!!

And I've decided to do roasted veggies for Thanksgiving. I'm not sure if I'll stick to just root veggies or if I should mix it up a bit. I'd appreciate suggestions as to a combination of 3-5 veggies (colorful) to do together.

Sheila~glad your procedure is over and hope that the results come back negative!

Meg~glad you're on the mend despite getting sick all over again.

Jessica~I agree, a nice dinner with just the two of you Saturday should be special enough to make your DH happy.

Shannon~have a happy, busy weekend!

Megan~hope you're able to get a good night's sleep soon!!

Sheila, glad everything went ok!

Allison, when you asked for colorful vegetable combinations I remembered seeing this recipe on Ellie Krieger's Thanksgiving cooking show last year. The beets would really add color!

Thanks Megan~I was thinking beets and Brussels Sprouts but wasn't sure if they'd go together!

Morning! TGIF. I've been having a terrible time getting up in the mornings since the time change. I'm hoping that being able to sleep in tomorrow will end that....

Sheila - glad things went well. for good results!

Shannon - I would not living in Fairbanks myself. Our few dips down to -20+ are bad enough.... They stay that cold for weeks at a time.

Yesterday DH and I were walking from my work to the bank (about 3-4 blocks) and I tripped on something and fell, twisting my knee (and getting my pants dirty - grrr ). I skinned my knee and thought that was all until I got back to work and sat for an hour or so. When I got up, it was sore to walk on. Doesn't feel unstable or anything, just some pain when it twists while walking. I think it'll be fine in a day or two, but I didn't work out yesterday and I'm not going to today. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

I have a hair appt tomorrow for a body perm and cut - thank goodness, my bangs are driving me nuts! There's also - conveniently - a craft fair going on in the community center across the street from the hair salon. On Sunday we're going to a brunch. We get together with friends about once a month from Sept to April and do a themed brunch. This month is Scandinavian. I'm bringing ground turkey Swedish meatballs (new recipe) and a rice pudding with almonds and cherry sauce which claims to be a Danish traditional dessert. DH will love it, rice pudding is his favorite. This month's food will be reasonably healthy as everyone who attends is fairly health-conscious. However, December is set for "your favorite holiday appetizers" and could be a real minefield of high-calorie goodies.

I got waay behind on this thread, but it sounds like everyone is having a pretty good Friday or is at least on the mend

I will be without internet this weekend at a B&B with my bf. Normally it's like a $200/night place with full board (and an amazing chef) but 2 weekends a year they invite people to come up and stay/eat for free in exchange for help getting the inn ready for a new season. So I will be chopping wood and mopping floors but also enjoying delicious food and sharing a romantic weekend with my bf. My goal eating-wise is to enjoy myself and not overeat. Also to limit myself to two/day of the famously amazing chocolate cookies the inn keeps in a big jar by the door. It sounds like a lot but I think in years past my intake has been like 4-6/day, so, baby steps

If my weight is up on Monday as a result, I am prepared for the consequences and to do what it takes to get back to where I want to be.

Forest - have a great weekend! Sound fantastic.

Pat - wow. I would never survive a gathering with the theme of 'your favorite holiday appetizer'... little tiny foods are a weaknesses of mine, and I always say to myself 'but they are so small, how could they be too bad?'

Allison - my parents and I had similar football issues when I was young. Mom & Dad graduated from the city high school, my brother & I went to the county. They always had a hard time deciding who to root for, especially when Brandon & I were in the band... Good luck!

Meg - hope you feel better soon!

Sheila - glad your procedure went smoothly.

Good weekend everyone!

I feel fairly "safe" during the holidays, for this reason: I met my weight goal Christmas Day, 2005. Since then, I've been determined to get to my anniversary without having gained.

And an oddity - just the past few weeks, my tastes seem to have changed radically. If I crave any food, it is fresh fruit, rather than the donuts, cookies, ice cream, and assorted junk that used to capture me (but I was a willing victim).

Also, I can eat a little of that crapola without wanting more. And more. And more.

Wow Forest! Your weekend sounds amazing!! I am jealous!!

Holiday question for you all..... I figured out that Hanukkah is early this year (starts Dec.11). My dd (18) won't come home from college until the last night. I am debating whether we should:
a. wait until she gets home and pretend Hanukkah starts then and celebrate for 8 nights then
b. mail her small gifts to college so she has something to open herself, and then save something bigger for the last night when she is home.
c. another idea I haven't thought of??

I have a younger dd that might not be thrilled with waiting but I can run it by her. My dh is Catholic so I doubt he'll care and I usually don't get anything for Hanukkah so it is really just the girls. We have no relatives here.