Good morning everyone, only 18 more shopping days! (Sorry, couldn't resist). It's cool this morning here, but will be very warm this afternoon. It was a busy weekend. I did some decorating and some baking. The tree is up, but DH needs to put on the lights (that's his job). I went to a craft fair and totally forgot that near there the motorcycle toy run would be taking place. Well, traffic was a zoo. There were 20,000 motorcycles! I couldn't wait to get home. Tonight we have a holiday dinner for a local charity. It's usually a nice event.

Pam, here is the recipe for Forgotten Cookies:

2 egg whites (room temperature!--very important)
2/3 c. sugar
dash salt
1 t. vanilla
1 c. chocolate cips

(It's best to make these in the evening.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take 2 cooky sheets and cover them with aluminum foil. Beat the egg whites till very stiff. Gradually add sugar, then remaining ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls on aluminum foil; put cooky sheets in oven and turn the oven off. Leave overnight and in the morning you will have great cookies.

Hi to Susan, Melissa, and lala.

I better get moving on my Christmas stuff! I'm contemplating taking a half day off to get things moving along. I don't need to buy a whole lot but it would be better to get to the mall during off-peak times.

I had a busy weekend--DS #2 had basketball Friday-Sunday. Saturday was crazy--bowling, basketball and then our university Christmas party...whew. Yesterday was equally busy--WW, basketball, h.s. open house, and a quick trip to the store...I basically didn't even have a weekend!!! This week is a short one for me--I leave for Chicago bright and early Friday morning (6:15 a.m.) and won't be back until Sunday afternoon. I'm looking forward to going shopping in downtown Chicago. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

My eating this past weekend was not that great--it was picking stuff up at fast food and squeezing things in when I could. I did the best I could although some of my choices probably weren't the best and coming home over hungry didn't help.

Should be a quiet week here in the office so that's a plus. Weather here is rainy this morning and it's supposed to be warm tomorrow with temps hitting up near 60...doesn't feel like December but I'm not going to complain too loudly. The only thing that the weather is doing is wreaking havoc with my allergies.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Hi everyone,

Had a moderate weekend, saw a play, did homework, did some christmas shopping, ate a bit too much and tried to keep on top of things. Didn't do such a great job in the keeping on top of things. Did go and get a pair of jeans hemmed and they are tight. They are lowrise (perish the thought at my age), but they look okay if I stop eating.

I too have a short week. I leave for a 1.5 day meeting in DC on Wednesday night... I will probably see nothing more exciting than my colleagues nosehairs, but if I'm lucky, I may end up seeing the Calder exhibit at the Phillips.

Other than that, cookie party on Sunday, writing my final and off to France.

Lisa -- 20K motorcyclists? That would be cool, but loud. Dinner sounds fun.

Melissa -- Have fun at Marshall Field.

Hi Ladies,

I made a dent in my Christmas shopping list. Got a lot at the mall on Sunday and did a lot more on line. I think what I will do tonight is determine what is left to purchase and then start the gift wrapping. Decorations are all up inside and out. Not a moment too soon as we are suppose to get a snow/freezing rain mixture starting around 4:00 this afternoon. Hope it holds off until the evening commute is over.
Other than shopping it was a pretty quite weekend. Went to a Christmas craft fair at Lauren's school and picked up a few more decorations. I think this was the only calm weekend until the middle of January.

Lisa thanks so much for the cookie recipe. I'll try making them this week. So you just pre heat the oven, put the cookies in, turn the oven off and leave them until morning? Sounds very interesting and pretty simple to make..don't think I can even screw these up. I was just talking to my boss who was in Clearwater last week. He is lamenting his return to New England just in time for the snow today.

Melissa you were busy this weekend! 60 degrees will be nice tomorrow. I'm hoping it stops snowing here tomorrow morning as predicted.

Lala I know what you mean about the low rise pants.When my weight is where it should be they would look fine, but I feel funny wearing them at my age,although it's hard to find ones that are not. One more week until France, you must be excited!

Hi to Susan.

Well I should go and grab a bite to eat. I'm back to journalling regularly and I feel like thinks are moving in the right direction... hope it lasts through the holiday season. It will certainly be a challenge. Take care ladies, I'll talk to you later.

Melissa, your trip to the Windy City should be fun. Have fun shopping--I love it there.

Pam, yes, you turn the oven off! They're easy to make and very good. Good for you for journaliing. I think freezing rain is worse than snow.

lala, you'll be in France before you know it. Hmmm low-rise pants; not my favorite especially when I need to lose a few pounds. Which play did you see? Is the cooky party a cooky exchange? Those are so much fun. I've obtained really good recipes from those (and some great cookies). The dinner will be followed by a silent auction and sometimes the items being offered are really great.

The cookie recipe looks great.

I saw take me out which is a play about a baseball player who comes out of the closet and all the things that happen. There was a lot of male nudity and I'm glad we were in the balcony.

I had a bag of cheetos, but that is okay. I'm back on track now. Its been a stressful morning.

I think garlic and onions are playing havoc on my system. I bought some stuff to take, but I think I need to eliminate onions and garlic from my diet.

I think if I can journal sucessfully for the next three days I'll be getting on the right track too.

Hi Susan!

lala

lala, I had never heard of that play; is it a local one? I hear you about the male nudity. I saw a play several years ago called "Quills." The male lead after about 1/2 hour is nude the rest of the show. I was also glad to be in the back row.

Try the cookies; they're great (and easy).

Oh, I hope you're not getting acid reflux or something. Garlic is so good for you.

Hi everybody. Another gorgeous day here - nippy (-9) but the sun is shining. We're expecting rain overnight and a high of +9 tomorrow. With 20 degree differences from one day to the next, it's no wonder I'm never dressed properly.

The Hip concern on Sunday was loud!! They did all of my favourites, but the music was so loud that we couldn't really hear the singer. Part of the reason I like them is because his voice is somewhat unique, so it was a little disappointing. The crowd didn't seem to mind though - total adoration!!

lala: Ha - funny you should mention male nudity. I told DH we're having a fashion show at home tonight. I have three dresses I'm considering for the upcoming dinner/dance and I want his opinion. Of course, being a smart-***, he asks what he should wear. I told him I expected him to be naked!!

Melissa: Have fun in Chicago. Is this for work, pleasure or a combination?

Pam: I've been doing better on the eating front too, mostly because I've been keeping track. I haven't weighed myself, but I feel better and that's the main thing. I was surprised when I tried on a few dresses yesterday; they didn't look half-bad, and that was a relief with the party coming up.

Lisa: The cookie recipe sounds easy; I may give it a try. Low-rise pants aren't my thing either; no matter what my weight is, they just aren't very flattering on me.

This is turning out to be a busy week. Shopping and tree-trimming tonight, a run early tomorrow morning because I have a training session tomorrow night. I'm out of town on business all day Thursday (with a long drive involved), so I expect I'll be too wasted in the evening to get much accomplished. I'm off on Friday but I'm doing a visit (3 hours) with my match family. We're having folks in for drinks and appetizers on Saturday before the dinner/dance, so have to prepare something for that sometime too. After this weekend though, things calm down and we get to go to other people's open houses!

Hi, Susan, good to hear from you. That's great that you're feeling better and the dresses fit well. Yes, it sounds like you have a busy week ahead. Speaking of appetizers, do you know any easy appetizers. DH and I are going to a party next week and I need an appetizer. I hear about the loud music. I want to hear the voice!

Last night we went to a charity dinner. It was a nice affair and the food was good. I was good and did not buy anything at the silent auction. There were two or three items I was interested in, but I was outbid (no big deal).

DH finished the lights on the tree, so I'm putting on the ornaments. They always bring back memories. I'm such a sentimental softie.

Yesterday they started repairing our ceilings--so far, so good. Next week the soffits and fascia will be done. The pool enclosure has slipped to January.

Those hurricanes affected everything. We hardly have any Christmas parties because they were canceled. The major hotels in the area were severely damaged by the storms, so the parties could not be held there. Bummer!

Hi everyone!

Yesterday I was sooo tired from the run, run, run of the weekend. Today it's a balmy 50 with temps supposed to go up to the high 50's and maybe even 60! Weird weather for us at this time of year. I'm sure the snow is coming though.

Lala: I'm looking forward to hitting Marshall Field--I love the cooking area and am hoping to get some Christmas shopping done while I'm there.

Susan: The trip to Chicago is a mixture--I'm going for a meeting of the heritage group that I'm part of to take minutes on Saturday and my mom and I decided to leave early to go downtown shopping. I'm looking forward to the time away. DH and I saw the Hip a few years ago here and they were great--it wasn't too loud and you could hear them singing.

Pam: I'm hoping to make some headway in my Christmas shopping this afternoon. I'm taking off at noon and plan on going to the mall (which should be quiet) and get some things for the boys.

Lisa: I have a Shrimp Dip/Spread that my leader gave me last year that you serve with crackers--it's delicious and easy to make. I took it to a New Year's Eve party last year and everyone loved it.

I don't have a lot of decorations up yet--need to work on that. Our tree won't go up until the weekend of the 17th. No baking yet either and I'm not overly worried about that. I will be making nutrolls at some point--just don't know when. The clock is ticking...

I'll catch up more tomorrow, I need to finish off some things before I leave for the day. Have a good day everyone!!!

Hi Ladies,

The weather is awful ....freezing rain, but tomorrow it's going to be back in the 50"s!!! Kind of a ho-hum at work..I've got plenty of projects to work on, but I'm not really motivated to do so. Got to snap out of it!! Still OP so hopefully the scale will cooperate at weigh in on Friday. Other than that I'm in a blah funky mood.

Melissa good idea to hit the malls on a week day when things are quieter. Did the boys give you a lot of suggestions when you went shopping with them last week? Lauren made me a list that I've been working off of. I still need to pick up some perfume she was looking for and some blank CD's. Other than that I think I'm done with hers.

Lisa that's too bad that some of the Christmas parties are cancelled due to the hurricane damage. Glad your repairs are coming along. I think I'm going to make the "cookies" tomorrow night!!

Susan hopefully we'll both continue to do well with eating during the holiday season. Glad you're happy with the dresses. Quite a busy week you've got!!

Lala Dh and I went to see "The Full Monty" last weekend at City Stage. The lights strategically went out at just the right time.

Well ladies have a great day and I'll talk to you later.

Hi ladies,

I'm thinking this is the week of male nudity.

Susan -- sounds like you had a full weekend. I hope you DH finds something to wear.

Melissa -- I would love to see the shrimp dip recipe. I have about 25 people coming over on Sunday for an open house and other than cookies, I'm looking for something to serve that is easy.

Lisa -- It never occurred to me that the hotels would be out of commission for parties. I'm glad to hear construction is happening. I have been ebaying for the last month, but I don't sit there waiting for the last minute to bid (well, once, but it was knives in my silver pattern ), so I hate being outbid, but don't like wasting time.

Pam -- I'm wearing last years pants that were baggy and now they are fine. I need to weigh in, but when? I hear you on the mood sister, but can't really offer you anything to brighten it.

Okay, I'm outta here for a while...

lala

link to interesting article onvanity sizing. I wonder why my size 8 pants are tight (2002 purchase) and my size 4 jeans are loose (2004 purchase). Same store -- nordys, different departments.

Sigh.

Melissa, yes please give us the shrimp dip recipe. I hope it's easy.

lala, oh geez, thanks for that article. Actually, I've known something's been going on for a while. Every store is different. I never know what size to try on.

Pam, I'm so jealous that you're staying OP. Let me know how the cookies turn out.

Lisa -- its a sad but true article.

I have a closet full of size 4 and 6 dresses from high school and college that I need to give to charity or something. I can 't imagine what size they are now. Size -4?

Okay, confession time ..... I ate two bags of cheetos -- yesterday and today. I redeemed myself by having an apple and salad roll (vietnamese) for lunch, but my gosh, where is that resolve?

Trying to work and book tickets -- paris-rennes-cancale and return is not working well... I hate booking engines.