GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

Good afternoon all. It has been a lovely day here today. It is an 18 point day this day and I am determined to stick to my program. I showed a gain of 1.4 and am not happy with because I KNOW it is my fault for eating too many things that were salty so I need to drink more water. Right now I am enjoying a ruby red grapefruit half for an afternoon snack. I love grapefruit and can't have them for breakfast for they interfere with some of my meds. So I save the wonderful taste for a mid afternoon and truly enjoy them then.

JOYCE that is so neat that you can make your own curtians. Hope you get them done in time for your vacation. Have a safe trip and I will surely miss you while you are gone. I wish you will on your "maintain" plan.

BUBBLES that was Gloria looking for the phyllo dough pumpkin pie recipe and I e-mailed it to her. That was so nice that you were able to see so many of your old frineds.

Have a great evening and wonderful safe weekend all.

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

We have been having a deluge. It was just misting this morning as DH & I took a trip into Boston. We took the 'T' which is our public transportation. My old place of employment is just off the transit line and we were able to park there and go in on our senior citizen pass for only 25 cents ea. When we came back to the car I took the opportunity to stop in to work and say hello to a few of my old friends. It was a great stop. At that point it really started to rain and has been pouring ever since but it is due to stop some time mid evening and be clear for the next couple of days.

MAGGIE: That gain will not stay long once you remove the salt from your diet. Salt is also one of my problem items. While we were in town DH bought me the WW Complete Cookbook. It is a loose leaf type of book and I have been giving it the once over and there are a lot of good looking recipes. Will let you know what we like when we try them. I will be making the Pumpkin Pie next Tuesday and will let you know how it comes out. It sounds so good.

JOYCE: Hope you have a great vacation and I'll bet the curtains will look lovely in the trailer.

JEAN: Are you on Vacation now. Our schools have closed til the day after New Years. Enjoy!!!!

Gloria in MA.....browsing the internet this evening. Have a great weekend all!

Happy Friday!
I started #208 last night but I sure don't see it anywhere. Some gremlin must of have eaten it along the way!

It is so windy here today. We had a few snow flurries but nothing stayed on the ground.

We had our annual "prevacation" get together after school today. One of the teachers hosts it every year and invites all of the female staff. After most everyone leaves, a few husbands show up and we visit the night away.

I don't have to go back to school until Jan. 6th which is a work day and the students start back on the 7th. I plan to enjoy each and every day off.

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend. We have a 50th anniversary to go to on Sunday. Tomorrow I am picking up the piles that I have created around this house!

Jean -- in Iowa!

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

It's raining and I am so glad. The nearby range of mountains are edged with snow and everying is so green and clean looking. I went to the doctor today about my ear once again. The infection is back and I got some stronger meds for it and some different drops to start after I use these for 7 days. Maybe with this on going treatment we can lick the problem. I didn't wait this time till the pain was excriciating but I did get dizzy when I layed down last night. I don't like the dizzy part at all. But I have meds to take for that if needed. Funny thing about those though is that they make one feel light headed. I would rather have that feeling than the dizzy though.

GLORIA I am going to look for that cookbook. I have the Complete Cooking Light Cookbook that is great but don't have the WW one. I am glad it is spiral - I prefer them.

JEAN Have a great vacation! You deserve some quality home time now.

Good Evening, Flowers!
We went shopping for the last minute stuff today and hopefully I am done! I still have some things to wrap so will know for sure tomorrow.

We had a 50th anniversary open house tomorrow and I'm hoping to bake some cookies. My kids like the ones with the chocolate stars on the top; my recipe is a yellow cake mix so you can't get much simpler than that!

I hope you are having a nice weekend . . . the time flies by much too fast! See you tomorrow night probably.

Jean -- from Iowa!

Just peeking in to say "hello" and "good night" before I head off to bed.

It was a busy day today and we were gone most of the day and evening. I have lots to do tomorrow! Next year I am going to start Christmas preparations in August!!!! Remind me of that on July 31st please! (We go back to school Aug. 14th if the calendar is approved by the board. *groan*)

Have a marvelous Monday, Flowers!

Jean -- from Iowa!

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

It has been a wonderful day today. And tonight after church services the Spanish brethren who meet next door came over and invited us to come over and help celebrate one of the kids birthdays and have some cake and coffee. We went and stayed a couple hours and yes I had a sliver of cake. Then on the way home we stopped at In And Out Burgers...... I need my head examined. I was so determined not to squander this month and what am I doing. Next on Tuesday is our anniversary so we are going to go out and eat lunch and then attend a pot-luck party that night. Then comes Christmas dinner where afterward we are making tamales. Then comes New Years eve when we cook and eat tamales. I am going to get back totally OP on the 2nd of January. I just hope in all this process that I don't gain too many pounds back to have to take off again.

JEAN That is awfully early to start Christmas but if you want I will remind you. WOW they plan on starting school in the middle of summer? Ouch it is still pretty hot there then ~ are they possibly planning on a lot of snow days coming in 2003? Happy holidays!

[B][COLOR=red] GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

[COLOR=green] I'm going to try to keep up with you Maggie with all them Christmas colors..........we'll see if it works.

I'm just about finished, and it's a good thing, as we have to go to WW early today to do the year end inventory...........UGH! My friend brought a box of Bourbon balls this morning...........I don't even like 'em and have had 3. We're having Christmas dinner with friends, so will take them up to there house.

Mike and his boss are off to two of the branch offices to get the computer programs ready for Tax Season. The weather is supposed to start deteriorating tonight, so hope they get home before it gets too bad. His boss is a hemophiliac and diabetic, and about 100 lbs. overweight. He had a slight TIA while Mike was in FL, so I don't think he'll be going out of town alone anymore. It's really sad, as he's a young man........doubt he's even 55 yet. Because of the hemophilia he has to go to Charleston to the dentist just for routine stuff........

I hope everyone has a merry. Maggie, I'm like you......I've been eating like there's no tomorrow, and have promised myself it's back to OP Jan.2. I finally decided I wasn't going to beat myself up over it anymore. If the powers that be want to replace me at WW, let them have at it.

My kitties love having the tree up. They get under it to either hide, or because the lights make it warm under there. For whatever reason, when I walk in the living room one of them is usually under there.

I'm going to finish up my wrapping. Have a wonderful holiday one and all. Can't tell youall how much this group means to me. I feel like I know you one and all. And Gloria, look out, because I think I'm going to be at the Cape at some point next summer. One of my cousins has a house in E. Orleans, and we're planning a "Girl Cousins" weekend. Doesn't that sound like fun? We're spread from Texas to VT, so it will be fun to all be together again.

Fondly,
Bubbles

Help! My screen doesn't show any color, did it work?

Happy 23rd of December!
I needed to run a couple of last minute errands this morning and downtown is an absolute zoo! The sun is out but it is windy and cold . . . no snow though. It's not supposed to be a white Christmas this year.

We took Jason, Amanda, and Ian with us to the 50th anniversary party yesterday. Lots of Bob's hometown people were there so Ian was the hit of the party. He slept through the whole thing so he doesn't even know he missed anything.

Maggie -- Happy Anniversary to you and Will a day early! You certainly have a lot of celebrating to do during the holidays! Are tamales "hot" and what is in them? I've never had one and as far as I know, they aren't on the menu at Taco John's here in SL. I figure if I start on Christmas early next year, maybe just maybe I won't be so rushed when it finally gets here. I don't know what is the matter with me this year; I feel like I am moving in slow motion but have heard others making the same comment. I don't think we are supposed to get alot of snow this winter. The way our school calendar works out for second semester, there are lots of half days "off" -- no wonder kids get behind! There is talk of early dismissal days for the first week of school in August; that is virtually unheard of here but if it's 90+ degrees it will be miserable. We shall see.

I need to keep moving and I hear the dryer beeping at me. Have a nice day, Flowers! Happy Holidays to you all!

Jean -- from Iowa!

Hi Bubbles! The color doesn't show up on my screen either. Let's see of this works!

Our cats like it under the tree also -- they like my old tree better because it was bigger. I think I liked it better too!

I'm with you and Maggie -- January 2nd is back to OP for me too!

Have a wonderful holiday!

J.

Bubbles, as I looked at your post again, you didn't "end" your color so that's probably why it doesn't show. I used the boxes at the top.

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

Almost finished giving out the neighborhood goodies but two families are not home so I will wait til tonight for them. Relaxing today after DD#2's Christmas bash. There were fewer people there this year. I think it was because she decided so late to invite. Had about 35 kids and about 75 adults. That's enough for me. Santa came at 5PM and I video taped the event...today I played it back and the noise level was tremendous. Every one was talking at once but I did get some cute shots of kids on Santa's lap accepting their gift and telling him what they wanted him to bring on Christmas morning. Only one showed any fear of Santa and it was our 3 yr old who screamed and had to be removed. Santa gave her her gift as he was leaving and she did accept it then. Wait til next year, she will be all over Santa.

As usual there was an enormous amount of food. I didn't do too badly, had a few bites and only one bite of dessert. She had for main courses turkey and stuffing, a ham, stuffed shells, chicken marsala, kilbasa with pineapple, mac and cheese. Appetizers included, cod & lobster cakes, spanakopata (Greek spinach pie with filo pastry), stuffed mushrooms, asparagus and ham wraps, chicken eggrolls, chicken tenders and probably more that I never got to see. There was also rice,a green salad and my orzo salad. Towards the end of the evening they brought out the beef tenderloin. It needed to come out late because there was not enough room in the oven to cook it earlier. Oh, yes, there was a dessert table a bouche noel ( yule log) that she made and a tiramisu and much, much more . Some of the appetizers were brought by others but most of the main courses she made.

So, as you can guess. I am keeping a low profile in the food department for the next few days.

Maggie: We all will be joining you in a firm resolution for new and thinner new year. With my new WW Cookbook I really will have no excuse. Happy Anniversary to you and Will!


Jean: Happy Vacation....enjoy it as sounds like a long year ahead...with just half days to look forward to.

Bubbles: I use the box at the top for my color. It means I don't have to think too hard. Hope you and your cousins have a great time on the Cape next summer and I hope the weather cooperates.

Gloria in MA.....trying to keep busy and away from food.

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

What a nice busy day. We didn't have to go to any of the stores except food stores. Got the ingredients to make my killer bean recipe that I make in the crock pot to take to the pot luck tomorrow night. Got a couple dozen tortillas to take and some french rolls to eat along with the one pot bean dish. This is Cowboys favorite crock pot dish. We have decided to go to the Olive Garden tomorrow for lunch and split a meal. That should help hold down the points. We split meals a lot nowdays and find that amount of food is satisfying. Sounds good that all of us band together to get back OP on the 2nd of January 2003.

BUBBLES like Jean said you have to close out your colors. Here is a hint..... when you use a color at the end of your typing you have to do this......(/color) or this to end your bold (/b) or this to end your size (/size). I hope this helps. Only instead of the ( ) use the [ ] marks.

JEANWho knows what the "powers to be" have in thier heads. Guess you just have to look longingly to retirement. About tamales: they don't have to be hot. They come in lots of different flavors, beef, pork, turkey, sweet ~ all depends on who is making them and what she puts in them. It is a rule of thumb it is best not to make them hot and let the individual that is eating them to add their own heat. I don't believe you will find them on a fast food menu. They are in better Mexican restaurants though ~ or homemade which are the best.

GLORIA I am planning on buying on buying that book after Christmas. Glad to hear that the annual party went well. Sounds to me like 75 adults were plenty.

Good Evening, Flowers!
Well, another Christmas is over with for another year. It seems like it takes so long to prepare for and then it's over with in a matter of hours.

Ian was the highlight of the day. He is beginning to be awake more and for longer periods of time. I ate too much this noon and will let it go at that.

Gloria -- Just reading about all the food, at your daughter's party, makes me tired. I can't imagine fixing all of that! It sounds like a good time was had by all.

Maggie -- What is the title of the new WW cookbook? It seems that we always get the new "stuff" weeks after everyone else has it. I wish we'd get a new leader for the new year. *sigh*

I am tired and I'm going to bed! See you tomorrow. Have a terrific Thursday!

Jean -- from Iowa!