Alas you are stressing me out. Had to start 2 threads in 2 days. Oh my......


PC: I sent you a private message on the making colors. Didnt know if you would be back to see what I posted. That why it will be there when you do come back. Happy Holidays to you!

Ash: Welcome! This is a great group! You are more than welcome to join us here! Flaggies/Maria is from Australia. She is a nice lady! Maybe you live close to each other?

Dee: Your trip to the colony sounded wonderful! That tea sounded really yummy. She really sounds like a Excellet cook.

Glenda: Your words were very thoughtful, thank you so much for sharing.

Peggy: Bet you are glad to be though with the mail room. Im sure it was one hectic week there! Did you see the message from soccerbob on the other thread?

Got a busy day tomorrow. Having people over for dinner so I will be cooking most the day. WW and grocery shopping first. Slavika you need to come help me!!!! Hurry!

Boy oh boy. Haven't checked in in three days and I've missed two whole threads. But I've been reading. Glenda thanks for the thoughtful message. We need to hear things like that.

Maria: What a great way to celebrate Christmas. We did our Christmas when we went on the cruise.

Slavika: you are so ambitious. I have heard of 5ths disease. Did we used to call that German Measles?

Ash: Welcome.

It is so late that I can't talk any longer. Just so glad everyone is having good weight loss or maintaining. This time of year is such a constant struggle. Now that all my programs are over, I hardly know what to do with all my time.

High to everyone. Plan to be better at checking in. I lose too much good stuff. I did check out the Wendie plan and and think I will try that, since I have done that up and down with the same 2 or three lbs for a long time. Hopefully maybe that will be the breakthrough I need.

Everyone have a Holly Jolly Christmas. Ann

Hi Everybody It's late, but I wanted to see what you were all up to and see that Ash has joined us and wanted to say a quick hello to her and welcome. Hi Ash, it's nice having someone new posting with us again. I think you will really enjoy this group, and we talk about lots of things, but still support each other in our weight loss struggles.
I just got home from a dinner party, so I'll say good night now, and Lily thank you for starting a new thread for us AGAIN . I know it's tiring and exhausting work.....LOL LOL .
Night all.

G'day everyone,

I wasn't going to post tonight as I have had a few drinks and feel a bit meloncholy but alas I am posting anyway!!!!!

Glenda you said it beautifully and I have to totally agree, whithout you 'gals' my year away from home would have been so much harder.
I really appreciate being able to come here every day and know there is someone who is interested in what I have to say. I know I sound a bit pathetic (it's the red wine ) but I really do mean it and one day I will meet all of you and admire the tree skirts and the many crafts of Peggy (might even become one of your star customers ), share some computer tips with Lily and generally just catch up with you all. I know it WILL happen!
In the meantime I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas with all those that are dear to you and a Healthy and very happy New Year

Welcome to Ash you will enjoy coming here and learn from everyone. I noticed you are from Melbourne where I am residing at the moment. I am living in the Botanica Apartments on St Kilda Road, just opposite Melbourne Grammar. I have enjoyed living in Melbourne and the shopping here is just great, it is obvious why Melbourne is the fashion capitol of Australia. We will be leaving here on January 16 to return to Adelaide where we will be for our daughter's wedding on Australia day, January 26. Soon after that we will be in Sydney for about 8 months after that who knows

DH spend the day watching videos taking care of his leg. I did a bit of shopping and booked for a musical for next Saturday. I told them I needed an aisle seat because of dh and they allocated us the best seats in the house, especially reserved for disabled people . The musical is called 'oh what a night' and it is about the music of the seventies. Should be fun.

I might go and have a snooze now
Have a great day all
Cheers
Maria

Merry Christmas y'all,

I know y'all have forgotten me, but I am still around. My life is so busy that I don't get much time online anymore. Chasing after a 2 y/o all day and then 8 & 10 y/o boys all weekend kind of maxes me out. By the time I have time to be online I have no energy. However, I haven't forgotten my 3FC buds and hope you haven't forgotten me.

I hope each and every one of you has a marvelous holiday. I am looking forward to one myself. Working feverishly to get done.

My DIL sent me this today. Maybe someone has already posted it; I don't have time to read old threads to find out. Just knew y'all would enjoy it.

Chapter 1: GAMES FOR WHEN WE ARE OLDER
> >
> > 1. Sag, You're it.
> > 2. Pin the Toupee on the bald guy.
> > 3. 20 questions shouted into your good ear.
> > 4. Kick the bucket.
> > 5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
> > 6. Doc Goose.
> > 7. Simon says something incoherent.
> > 8. Hide and go pee.
> > 9. Spin the Bottle of Mylanta
> > 10. Musical recliners.
> >
> > Chapter 2: SIGNS OF MENOPAUSE
> >
> > 1. You sell your home heating system at a yard sale.
> > 2. Your husband jokes that instead of buying a
> > wood stove, he is using you to heat the family room
> > this winter. Rather than just saying you are not amused, you
shoot
>him.
> > 3. You have to write post-it notes with your kids' names on
them.
> > 4. The Phenobarbital dose that wiped out the Heaven's Gate Cult
gives
> > you four hours of decent rest.
> > 5. You change your underwear after every time you sneeze.
> > 6. You're on so much estrogen that you take your Brownie troop on
a
> > field trip to Chippendales.
> >
> > Chapter 3: SIGNS OF WEAR
> >
> > 1."OLD" IS WHEN..... Your sweetie says, "Let's go upstairs and make
> > love," and you answer, "Pick one, I can't do both!"
> > 2. "OLD" IS WHEN..... Your friends compliment you on your new
alligator
> > shoes and you're barefoot.
> > 3. "OLD" IS WHEN..... A sexy babe catches your fancy and your
pacemaker
> > opens the garage door.
> > 4. "OLD" IS WHEN..... Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of
your
> > face.
> > 5. "OLD" IS WHEN..... You don't care where your spouse goes, just
as
> > long as you don't have to go along.
> > 6. "OLD" IS WHEN...... You are cautioned to slow down by the doctor
> > instead of by the police.
> > 7. "OLD" IS WHEN..... "Getting a little action" means you don't
need to
> > take any fiber today.
> > 8. "OLD" IS WHEN..... "Getting lucky" means you find your car in
the
> > parking lot.
> > 9. "OLD" IS WHEN..... An "all-nighter" means not having to get up
to
>pee
> >

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hi Everybody
DH and I had a wonderful evening last night. The couple that hosted the dinner party are the friends we spend so much time with at the lake in the summer and in Maui in the winter. What made the party even more special was that Trudy and her husband were at the party too.
Our friends had a local gal cater the dinner and it was excellent. The dinner was a roast beef/stuffed with wild rice (which I love). The dessert was Pina Colada Cheesecake.
Peggy a Shmoo Cake is made of 6 eggs separated, and beaten separately. It only has 1/2 cup flour in it, but 1 cup of finely chopped pecans....no additional fat.
This cake's claim to fame, is the the incredible caramel sauce (made with 1 cup whipping cream/brown sugar/butter. You cut a small piece of cake and put a healthy amount of whipped cream over it, and then top it with an equally healthy amount of the caramel sauce. This is not a dessert you would want to make and serve too often.......LOL I usually only make it for Christmas eve. One day when Christmas is over, maybe I will see how many points are in it. I guess there are lots of desserts out there that would equal the calories of
this one.
Ann I think my grandson's measles are just one of the strains of regular measles not German measles. A friend who is a nurse, said there was a lot of this 5th disease going around right now. It's a simply another viral infection.
Dee sounds like you enjoyed your visit to the Hutterite Colony. I think someone was asking if the Hutterites and the Amish were the same.....not exactly, but I think a lot of the beliefs are similar aren't they? The Hutterites, I know are Anabaptists, but I don't know about the Amish. That was very nice of your friends to give all those treats to take home. Ash tell us a little about your self. What things do you like to do, are you married, children/grandchildren? I'm looking forward to getting to know you. Maria I think you handle being away from your friends and family very well. If you get a bit melancholy during this holiday season that's ok.
Well gang, I think I visited long enough, and now I better go and get a few things done. We are not going out tonight so I will plan something very light for dinner this evening.

Geri Hi there, and Merry Christmas . I didn't forget you. I'm happy you found a minute to stop by, you are one busy gal. I loved your funny post.

Thanks Lily for the wonderful job of starting the new thread.. much appreciated.
Peggy in our climate a garage is a must. No one wants to come outside in the morning to a car covered in snow... a heated garage is a luxury.
Slavika The dinner last night was just wonderful. That was my first Pina Colada Cheesecake.... yummmmm! DH just loved the roast beef stuffed with wild rice. I knew that the dinner was going to give me some trouble, but I ate everything and did not regret it as I sat up till 2:30am...
Dee Your evening really sounded interesting. I know the Hutterites make everything they eat and wear, and don't waste a thing. I think they are very contented with their life. Sometimes you meet someone who left a colony in their late teens, but not often.
Geri.. how could we forget you? So nice of you to share the jokes with us. They are very funny I am guessing that along with looking after the grandchildren you are still working out. You sure do keep busy.
Hi Ash welcome to our little group. Tell us a little about yourself. Wouldn't it be great if you and Maria were able to meet? It is a lot of fun to post with someone you know personally. Slavika and I are great friends and we enjoy posting together...
Maria I think you will enjoy the musical. You are entitled to feel meloncholy from time to time. It has been a long time since you were in your home with family and friends. I don't know how you do it. My DH and I are "just thinking" about making a move and he wants to go to the south end of the city, and I can't even imagine leaving my area. I hate change.
Ann we are all having the same struggle. I think I had at least 50 points yesterday in total.... what can you do? As long as we don't give up.

You know gals I have been thinking about Margot/Cal Walker lately. I miss her posts. Lily have you heard from her at all? Wish she would come back too. She was doing so well, I hope she has continued to have success.

I intend to rest up today, as we are out again tonight. I can't take all this excitement ...I need a week to rest between engagements.

Bye all

Hi all: Glad to see I'm not the only 'night owl'. Today I wimped out and didn't go to weigh-in. I just knew too many cookies had called my name, that I responded to. Next week I'll be good.

Geri: You are not forgotten!

Maria and Ash: We'll be waiting to hear about your meeting up in person. What fun.

Slavika: I'd love the exact recipe for your Schmoo cake. It sounds wonderful, and we do have to have something special once in a while. I just like anything with nuts and caramel. Much better than chocolate, for me.

Trudy: Sorry such a wonderful dinner made you stay up and suffer till the wee hours. Thats the time to drink half a bottle of Mylanta. and gasx. Been there, done that.

Peggy, Glenda, Lily, Karen, Dee,Maria-yum, and everyone, have a Blessed Christmas. Hard to believe only two more days.

I've finally learned that if I don't get the email notification, there is a new thread and I better check it out. By the way, can any of you give me any first or second-hand knowledge about Lupus. My Daughter has just been diagnosed with it. I want to be as supportive as I can, but know very little about it and how it is manifested. I've checked some sites on the Web but that is all sort of cut and dried information.

Gone for today. Ann

Hi Everybody

Ann and any of you gals who would like this sort of special cake recipe...........here it is:

SHMOO CAKE
6 eggs separated
1/4 tsp Cream of tarter
1 cup of white sugar DIVIDED
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tsp Baking powder

Preheat oven 325 degrees. Oil bottom of a angel food pan or a 10" spring form pan.

Large bowl: beat egg whites until almost stiff, add cream of tarter and very gradually add 1/2 cup sugar beating all the time.

2nd Bowl: beat egg yolks until light, add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla. Fold yolk mixture into the egg whites then fold in the flour and baking powder, and lastly, fold in the the chopped pecans.

Pour batter into PREPARED pan, and bake 50 minutes to 1 hour at 325 degrees. When finished remove cake from oven and invert to cool and then remove from pan. CAKE DOES NOT RISE VERY MUCH

WHIPPED TOPPING FOR CAKE:
1 Pint (500 ml) Whipping cream (don't use anything else)
1 tbsp. sugar.

Whip the cream and sugar together until stiff.

CARAMEL SAUCE
1/2 pint (250 ml) Whipping cream
3 tbsp. butter
1-1/2 cups Brown Sugar

Heat all 3 ingredients in saucepan to boiling point, remove from heat and cool. To serve cake: Cut a slice of cake and put whipped cream on top of cake and caramel sauce on top of the whipped topping.

The cake can be made way ahead of time and frozen. The caramel sauce can be made the day before and kept in the fridge.

One cake could quite easily serve 10 or 12 people. You don't need a big Horkin slice. LOL
Enjoy.

Ann: sorry to hear your daughter has been diagnosed with Lupus. Has she been sick for some time?

CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS

'Twas the night before Christmas and all round my hips
Were Fannie May candies that sneaked past my lips.
Fudge brownies were stored in the freezer with care
In hopes that my thighs would forget they were there.

While Mama in her girdle and I in chinstraps
Had just settled down to sugar-borne naps.
When out in the pantry there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the kitchen I flew like a flash,
Tore open the icebox then threw up the sash.
The marshmallow look of the new-fallen snow
Sent thoughts of a binge to my body below.

When what to my wandering eyes should appear:
A marzipan Santa with eight chocolate reindeer!
That huge chunk of candy so luscious and slick
I knew in a second that I'd wind up sick.

The sweet-coated Santa, those sugared reindeer
I closed my eyes tightly but still I could hear;
On Pritzker, on Stillman, on weak one, on TOPS
A Weight Watcher dropout from sugar detox.

From the top of the scales to the top of the hall
Now dash away pounds now dash away all.
Dressed up in Lane Bryant from my head to nightdress
My clothes were all bulging from too much excess.

My droll little mouth and my round little belly,
They shook when I laughed like a bowl full of jelly.
I spoke not a word but went straight to my work
Ate all of the candy then turned with a jerk.

And laying a finger beside my heartburn
Gave a quick nod toward the bedroom I turned.
I eased into bed, to the heavens I cry--
If temptation's removed I'll get thin by and by.

And I mumbled again as I turned for the night
In the morning I'll starve ... 'til I take that first bite!

You ladies are just too busy with all this posting. Slavika thanks for the recipe for the shmoo cake. It sounds just too good and I think I would have a horkin big piece. Your dinner sounds like it was fun and even better with Trudy there. Ash welcome to the group. How fun it would be to meet Maria. You could help cheer her up. Maria have you tried the dress on again? You are going to look so beautiful. You will have to post pictures on your site. It seems like the time is going so fast. Maria Yum I loved the poem. I think we all can relate to it. Geri it was good to hear from you. Those little ones can wear a person out. Dee how interesting you dinner with the Hutterite's. I think the Amish have Anabaptist backround too. I like to go up in Ohio and visit the Amish towns. It is always so peaceful and pretty. Ann I have a friend who has lupus. I used to work for her. I will see if she has any info for you. I know that you can't go out in the sun. She always wears a hat. I think my niece's husband has it too. I will check it out. Have to go rinse my hair - I am coloring it now. Have a good weekend and watch out for those cookies and goodies. LOL

Ann the very little information I have on Lupus is from my Fibromyalgia manual, I typed it out and put it in your Private Message... check it out. It isn't much but it does explain the 2 types of Lupus. So sorry your daughter has been diagnosed with it.

I was overcome with suprise when all of you replied to my post. Thank you Lily, Lizzie, Slavika, Maria, Trudy, Lizziepie, Maria Yum & Painter5, for your warm welcome.

At this stage I cannot remember all your names to answer you separately but that will come as I get used to this site.

The only one that I really remember is Maria in Australia., so here goes. Maria I live in Pakenham which is an outer suburb in the east out along the Princes Highway 20 minutes past Dandenong but my daughter lives in an apartment in St Kilda Road opposite Wesley College. She is in The Auroa Building. I don't get into the city very often as I have Multiple Sclerosis and have difficulty walking, and my vision has gone down in the last year so I am no longer driving the car. I would love to catch up with you before you leave for home maybe by the phone?? What musical are you going to see?

All you others please be patient with me. By the way I am a Retired Midwife and love the garden, crafts and cooking. ( I think someone asked that.

Until next time.

Regards.

Jenye.

Ann it will be a while before I can ask my friend about lupus. I just heard that her house blew up today. It was some kind of a gas leak. Thank God she and her dh were at church. Her house was totally leveled. She has nothing left but memories. They lived there for 45 years. They are in their late 70's and have to start over. Thank goodness for their wonderful children. Have to go and get ready for family coming over today. We are doing our Christmas exchange. Jenye my bil had MS and my friends dh was just diagnosed with it. I walk in the MS walk every May. Take care. What kind of crafts do you do? Now I really have to get off. Have a good day,

I forgot to tell you --