Good morning Lifers! Whew! I had to return to work so I could rest. Had a busy and tiring weekend. DH and I rented a sod cutter and cut up about 1/3 of our front yard. We then had to haul the sod to the street for pick up by the yard waste guys. We were both filthy dirty and bone tired. We need to come up with a way to keep our neighbors' yucky grass out of our yard. We're thinking of a block wall or something. Argh!

We had the cookout and everything turned out great, except the gas ran out on the barbeque grill just as I started the ribs. Oh well, finished up the cooking in the oven broiler. My plan was to cook and eat outside. This caused DH and I to do a thorough cleaning of the back porch. I even went out and bought new cushions for our chaise lounges. I had told the guests to bring their swimsuits, but no one did, so I had to quicly set up the dining room table. There I sat in my swimsuit. After eating and much wine, they all left and I took a dip in my pool. Aaaah.

DH and I played a little golf on Sunday. That was fun. I also had a rehearsal this weekend. As I said, need to go to work to rest.

Melissa, sorry about early TOM. It's bad enough to have it and then when it comes early--grrr. A lettuce-eating dog? That's so interesting.

lala, sorry about Ernesto. I wonder why the rawhide did not sit well. I will definitely post the blueberry crumble recipe probably tomorrow. I really like it. Did you get to the farmer's market and TJ's?

I hope Julie is enjoying her vacation.

Pam, how did Lauren do?

Susan, any news on down under?

Oh, forgot to tell you that we lost power this morning. Not sure what happened because TS Alberto will not be close to us although we should get much needed rain. At least I got my hair dried before the power went out.

Lisa -

Sounds like a miserable weekend of yard work. We use bamboo barrier for our neighbors bamboo, have you looked into that?

Then again, a wall might be a better barricade against your neighbors.

Down .8 yesterday. I'm quite happy. Didn't celebrate too much, need to be vigilant this week, I leave for NYC on Wednesday.

Graduation was great, wine tasting was great and farmer's markets were great and Ernest went to all of them. Seems like he's not very happy with rawhide or carrots, so he's back on the bland diet (cottage cheese, rice and chicken breast) until tomorrow. He's keeping that down.

Hi to Melissa, Pam, Julie, and Susan!

BBL!

lala

Hi Ladies

The weekend was cold rainy and windy so most outdoor activities were cancelled. Ah well today the sun is shining and its warm. Lauren's dance recital went very well, she did however inform me that she is not sure if she will continue her dance classes in the fall. Since the weather was so yucky we (Lauren and I) went to see the movie The Breakup. I wouldn't recommend it. It was pretty depressing to watch. I can't wait to see The Wears Prada though, I loved that book.

Lisa sounds like the cookout was a success. Hope Alberto will bring you some much needed rain and nothing else!

lala that was a nice little loss! Glad Ernesto is feeling better. How long will you be in NYC?

Hi to Melissa and Susan and Julie

lala, what is bamboo barrier? I'm glad Ernesto is feeling better. Congrats on the loss. My WI is tonight (I'd be happy with the big M).

Pam, I did not read Devil Wears Prada. I'll have to check it out.

lala, here is the recipe for Blueberry-Apple Crumble. Don't be daunted by the number of ingredients, it is very easy to make.

2T sugar
1T whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2C fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)
1 large apple, finely chopped

Topping
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
2/3 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 T vegetable oil
1-2 T water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Stir together sugar, flour and cinnamon in 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Stir in blueberries and chopped apple till coated with flour-sugar mixture. Set aside. To prepare topping, stir flour, oats, and brown sugar in small bowl. Stir in oil till thoroughly mixed. Mixture should clump slightly, so use additional water as needed. Sprinkle over apple and blueberries. Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes or till bubbly at edges.

This is great over ice cream or frozen yogurt. For those who think there is too much sugar, you can substitute Splenda.

Went to WI last night and was down 1 pound. I'm very happy about that, especially after my cookout. I think the working hard in the front yard helped.

We have had rain here finally. Alberto is helping us out here, but other parts of Florida won't be so lucky.

Had a rehearsal last night for Canterbury Tales. There is a group in this area that puts on the Canterbury Tales once or twice a year. They have musicians who play medeival instruments and we all wear period costumes. It's a lot of fun. At first I was supposed to just sing a few songs. Then I was asked to participate in the dances. Now I'm a tale teller, too. I'll be busy at the show.

I'm not sure I told you this, but my father had told me that he thought I had a hearing problem. He kept bugging me about it, so I had a hearing test done and my hearing is normal. I was very happy to call him and give him the results. He said well, "what do you think is the problem?" I said "selective hearing!"

How is everyone else today?

Good morning everyone!

It's crazy here with preparations for our first orientation--so much to do and it seems like there's not enough time. After doing this for 18 years some of the things are pretty automatic and at times can be a little scary because you don't want to forget something.

I had a busy weekend and overall didn't do that bad with eating. At the staff meeting on Sunday we had to WI and I was up 3# from what it was on Wednesday but that could be from TOM. I'm hoping to be down a little tomorrow. I need to get refocused.

The weather here has been unseasonably cool--this morning it's only 63 but at least the sun is shining. The temps are supposed to increase as the week progresses and the weekend is looking H-O-T! On a good note, my best friend from FL is coming up for a visit in August and that gives me something to look forward to.

Lisa: I've run out of gas in our grill a couple of times when we're grilling and it kind of throws a wrench into the plans but overall it could be a lot worse! I don't know what's going on with TOM but it's rather frustrating.

Lala: Congrats on the loss! Yep, stay focused and eventually we're going to get rid of those extra pounds that we've managed to accumulate. I'm all for that one! I noticed yesterday when I was out walking that the farmer's have set up a stand in the park--I love getting fresh produce

Pam: Yesterday it was cold and windy and this morning started out pretty cloudy but the sun is shining now so that's a good thing! There's a chance of t'storms but that's because the humidity is supposed to start increasing which in turn gives us the storms.

Hi to Susan, Austingal, Julie! Hope you're all doing well!

Hi all. It was a wet, miserable weekend - second in a row - and another on the way if we get the remnants of Alberto. I believe I see algae starting to gather on my skin...

Plans coming together for Australia. Heard from the other couple and they are committed, so now can relax a bit and enjoy the anticipation. Sent the iPod in for battery replacement today, and I'll need an international driver's license which I'll take care of on the weekend. Excitement mounting!

Weight continues to be a battle. I think that's precisely the problem. I need to stop battling, decide to eat sensibly, get exercise, and forget about it for a while. Too much focus is actually turning into sabotage.

Lisa: Selective hearing is a blessing Congrats on the 1 lb loss.

Melissa: Sorry about the gain; it must be water retention.

Pam: Saw The March of the Penguins and Water (both on DVD) on the weekend. Enjoyed both immensely. Kinda made up for the sucky weekend.

lala: Good to see you recorded a loss. Hope the baby dog is feeling better.

Susan

Hi everyone!

Its lovely and gray here. Very grey and cool. Good Ernesto weather.

First - Lisa, I love the Cantebury tales and that is super cool that you are going to tell a tale as well as sing. As for Alberto, yech. I hope it fizzes out fast and no rain anywhere this weekend.

Thank you for the recipe. I may have to try it next weekend.

Melissa - orientation again? We just graduated! Ack. You'll be down again too. I have a very bad week ahead of me eating wise, so I'm just trying to eat half portions and make healthy choices.

Today I have lunch with my family at Piatti, so I know what I'll have, dinner tonight is supposed to be Indian. I'll just have a salad and a bowl of lentil soup.

Tomorrow, I fly all day to NYC and since November I haven't eaten on a plane, so I'll just bring my own food. Really!

Susan -- Yeah on your plans coming together. DP ordered a new battery for her ipodMini and it works great now. She had to do it herself, but she was finally happy with the results.

I too hope that Alberto doesn't hit you because I'm between Florida and Halifax until Sunday night.

Hi to Pam and Julie!

Hope all is going well, I need to get some emails sent off, transfer files to my laptop and figure out what I need to pack.

If I don't talk to you guys tomorrow, I'll catch up on Thursday.

lala

Hi everyone, where ever you are?

My exciting life...

I'm in NYC in a very dark hotel room that I'm not staying in for the rest of my trip, so I can't unpack. Oh well.

I just returned from the gym and now I'm off to find some healthy choice for breakfast in the lounge and head off for my walking tour of the lower east side including the tenement museum and some settlement houses.

I can't wait.

I did really well yesterday, I forwent the reception after the opening session, grabbed a cab downtown, dropped off my bags at my hotel, walked next door to the Grand Central Oyster Bar and had a nice smoked day boat scallop salad on white asparagus with a lovely leek and caviar vinagrette and some iced tea. I figured the 30 bucks I spent on that combo was worth a loss on the scale for me and I wouldn't be mingling and mindlessly putting food in my mouth.

I did treat myself to a half a small brownie at the lounge before I started my evening of work.

Hopefully I can continue the same today.

end of my exciting life

Hi to everyone, I hope everyone is doing okay today!

lala

Hi, lala, why is your hotel room so dark? Are you at a conference or seminar or something? Sounds like you're doing well with exercise and eating wisely. Yum, I like what you had yesterday for dinner.

Last night I went to my professional group meeting (end of the year). I was installed as a VP for next year (why I took yet another officer position, I don't know). Did not do well on the food front, but today's another day, right? Went to a Canterbury Tales rehearsal last night and it went well. Tonight is the invited dress rehearsal, then there are two shows on Friday and Saturday.

Hi ladies,

I've just spent several minutes trying to email a group of peope I worked with many years ago to try and organize a little get together next week. I hope everyone can arrange their schedules, it would be great to catch up with them all again. A lot going on at work and I've been BUSY...all kinds of projects in the works.
Tonight I think we're going to a town fair that will have a lot of Polish cuisine. DH isn't thrilled, but we will be going with my Sis and Brother in law who really enjoy it. I think I'll have a big bowl of low point kapusta

Lisa I finally got a chance to golf on Tuesday at our company sponsored golf tournament. My foursome did pretty well and the weather actually cooperated. We had nice sunny skies and a little bit of a breeze. We were very fortunate since Wednesday brought rain and thunderstorms throughout the day. I love the Canterbury Tales that should be a lot of fun. Good luck with the shows this weekend!

Lala I've been to the Grand Central Oyster Bar....YUM, your lunch yesterday sounded delicious. By the way, I think your life is very exciting. You do more traveling than anyone I know, and you always have such interesting stories!

Susan That is it exactly...stop making weight loss a battle and just start eating sensibly. Why keep fighting it! So true. I'm glad things have firmed up and Australia is a definate. I have been wanting to see March of the Penguins..I'm going to rent it this weekend.

Melissa my weight is crazy this week also due to TOM. I know it's only temporary but I hate to see a higher number on the scale.

Well ladies another project beckons so I should be on my way. I'll talk to you tomorrow!

"gasp" coming up for air here! It's been crazy--the days have slipped by! Where has the week gone???!!! It's orientation mayhem here in the office but the good news is that we are all set for the first group of students. I have an awesome staff of student workers and we're ahead of schedule with things so we can take a breath and relax a little.

Lala: Hope your travels are good and that you have no delays, etc. I despise dark hotel rooms...not very pleasant. Hope you had a great walking tour. I came into work early both yesterday and today and went for a walk BEFORE work I find that when I do that I can tackle the day better and I've gotten some activity in.

Susan: I'm glad the Australia couple is getting things moving and that your plans are well underway. I'd be getting a countdown going! I'm working on drinking more water and watching my sodium so we'll see what happens. It's more frustrating than anything.

Pam: Yum! I love kapusta! We got to a canalfest in NY and they have a Polish church that sells homemade pierogies, kapusta & sausage. The higher number on the scale messes with my brain and it's hard to shake sometimes.

Lisa: Hope that you didn't get too much rain but enough to help with the fires. The furnace is gearing up here--temps are supposed to get up into the high 80's on Sunday and the humidity is supposed to increase as well. My buddy and I decided to focus on the good things we're doing with eating rather than bemoaning the negative ones.

I went to my meeting yesterday and was hoping for a loss from last week but it wasn't meant to be...I was up .4 it's been frustrating to me because I've been careful with my night time snacking. I'm kind of baffled as to what I can do. Hopefully I can catch up some more tomorrow...have a great night ladies!

Wow - quite a weather day yesterday. We did get the remnants of Alberto and it was wild. Sun is shining this morning though, and it looks like the weekend may be nice. I'm thinking of leaving here at noon and taking the afternoon off - maybe to go for a run.

What are your weekend plans? I will be running with my group tomorrow, then we're going to set some running goals for the remainder of the year. Mine is to do a half marathon in 2:15, and I'm excited about doing that because I know that if I train, I can do it. Pilates at noon, then having sofas cleaned in the afternoon. Pilates again on Sunday (make-up class), then hosting a book exchange.

Susan

Melissa, sounds like you've been busy. Sorry about the gain. That's the way I was feeling last month. It seemed I was doing the right things, but showing gain instead of loss. Very puzzling. Yum, pierogies. I wish I could have some homemade ones. The only ones I can get are the frozen ones in the grocery store. I'm not sure I've had kapusta, but if it's cabbage, I know I'd like it.

Susan, that would be a great time for a 1/2. You go, girl! Isn't Pilates great? I just wish I could do it more.

Pam, glad you got to play some golf finally. I'm playing with a coworker tomorrow morning.

Had dress rehearsal for Canterbury Tales last night. Tonight and tomorrow night are the shows. It was quite warm to be in those medieval costumes. (Maybe I'll lose some weight).