Good Morning all,

Karen, you devil you!! I guess it's all right to admit those things at this late date though. I remember when Halloween was so much fun too. I'm afraid today kids just don't have the same experience. My brother and SIL still have a bonfire and have hotdogs and cider for everyone who stops by.

Linda, I guess it must have been just water, and i'm glad you lose those pounds! I know it's harder to lose weight when you're diabetic, but even more important to do so. So hang in there girl.

Lynn, We look forward to hearing from you again. And i hope some of the family problems resolve soon.

Bobbi, I'm not that great at baking. if I was making them I would probably just follow the original recipe the first time and try to ammend it the next. The sugar substitution should be fine though and will save a lot of calories. I hope things go well with your MIL today and they can maybe up her medication to get rid of some of the symptoms. If she continues you and DH may have to consider a supervised home, for her safety. Sad.

Isabell, what vegiterian recipes did you do at the meeting? I'm not vegitarin but do try to eat that way often. Crossing my fingers that you reach that goal. You are so close to your goal now!!!

I'm getting my flu shot at work nest week Bobbi, and DH got his at the health department yesterday. how about the rest of you?

Gaaa! Where has the day gone?!? Just realized I hadn't popped in to say hi Hope everyone is doing well - didn't have time to read just wanted to send happy thoughts for a great weekend to all

Morning Girls...I'm taking a poll this morning, how many of you own a rice cooker? The following was an email this morning from Dr. Weil about cooking whole grains. I'm thinking, ugh! Another large electric pot to take up room in my cupboards. I recently purchased a electrice popcorn popper that works great for homemade popcorn but it takes up soooooooooo much room in my cupboards. I'm not sure I'd use a rice cooker unless some of you have one and use it often.


Easy Way to Cook Whole Grains

One of the best nutritional decisions you can make is to replace most of your daily carbohydrates with true (not pulverized) whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, millet, kasha and bulgur. The body metabolizes large, intact grains more slowly, preventing blood sugar “spikes” that are followed by “lows.” The result is a steady, productive energy that propels you through the day.
If you want to make the switch to whole grains, consider getting a rice cooker. It is a simple and efficient way to cook whole grains, as well as small legumes such as lentils. Fill the rice cooker, turn it on and forget it - grains are cooked perfectly, and the heat automatically lowers to keep it warm for hours.

YoYo...thanks for the happy thoughts for the week-end, I need it after this past week!
Freda...my arm is still sore, ouch! I love the idea of bonfires and hot dogs.
Meowee...way to go
Isabella...I keep forgetting that you're vegetarian. I saw a recipe for flourless chocolate cake this morning. Instead of flour it had chickpeas ? Must have been a vegan who dreamed this up, I thought about printing it out but then didn't. Anyone make flourless cake?
The Apricot dumplings I was going to make yesterday with the recipe I posted didn't happen. The spuds were to be cooked, cooled for 24 hours. I made a different recipe that turned out very good and had no butter in them, only 11 calories each.
Karen3...Yeah, Holloween was fun for me too, our town had a population of only 300+ and everyone knew everyone. Nobody got away with pranks because the whole town would know about it the next day and the offender would have a knock on the parents door the next morning. The only offense I took part in was soaping windows if they kept the lights off and didn't give candy out. I don't have to worry about trick or treaters and the temptation of candy, we live out in the country and never get kids.
Doc is changing MIL meds and she has 3 appointment with different doctors, the assisted living is about ready to kick her out. Next she'll go to a nursing home if they can't get her back on track.
Have a good week-end all!

Good morning all....Oh yes growing up in a little town was a wonderful place. You didn't get to knock over Bill Creasy's outhouse until you were an early teen. Creasy didn't use the outhouse and no one knew his housekeeper did. So my generation went down in the town record book. If you screwed up downtown(town was on a hill) Mrs ??? would getcha and by the time you got home they had called your parents and you got it again. By the way our phone number was 14. Dh's was 101R4. NaNaNa....we had a pivate number and he was on a 4 party line. Those were the days when you picked up the phone and operator asked "number please?" I went away to school in PA and when I tried to call home the operators would never believe my 2 digit number. It was 1970 before we got dial there.

Need to increase my vegie intake. Dh is turning his nose up at all vegies. Gotta go thru the cookbooks and find some interesting dishes. A friend gave me "Cooking Light" magazine and it is useless. Read the whole thing yesterday when it came and nothing appealed. Pretty glossy yuppy type pictures but blah food. Sighhhhhhhhhhhh

Did remember to put out the bag of canned food for post office to pick up for local pantry service.

Bobbi...I don't have a rice cooker. For the little rice we use would be more clutter. They make small ones about 2 cup size and don't think they are very expensive. You could try that and see how you like it. Saw one in Walgreens for 9.99.

DH had such fun with the stuff I got that is advertised on tv. Have to do that again. Be fun stocking stuffing. Just need the guy with the loud voice to finish off the joke.

DF the snowbird called last night and they are coming up for Thanksgiving.
She and I giggle constantly. Dh and her Dh were on same highschool foot ball team. My poor Dh gets to hear endless stories about what "Coach said before the big game." Sad that was the only big memories this guy had was when he was 18. Plus he forgets we all grew up together and we know the truth. He forgot and told us last time about when he worked on Wall Street?????DUH? He worked as a pole jockey for power company. Oh well they will eat our diet food stuff and enjoy. Like having company for holiday. Will have busy month! Week in Daytona, then direct 2 Fridays and then company for long weekend.

well off to wander thru the cookbooks....hugs, Karen3

hi...just a note....I made bread pudding that was so good. Used whole wheat bakery bread, Instant SF val pudding FF evaporated milk raisins and spices. It came out pretty dark in color but smelled heavenly and tasted like old fashion bread pudding. Had to bake over an hour so house got good dose of aroma. The whole neighborhood did. Haven't fitday it yet, but probably about 100 cals a serving. Most important to me it was South Beach friendly. Karen3

ps Made fresh Brussel Spruts for dinner and DH chowed down...yeaaaaaaaah!

Hello, everyone. You can certainly tell it's the weekend at 3FC. No one is around.

Bobbi, chick peas are a favorite of mine but I don't know about in chocolate cake. I guess it would be a high protein treat to be sure.

I weighed in yesterday and was down another pound. I'm almost at my wedding weight of over 30 years ago but my stomach is much bigger. Maybe I'll dig out my wedding dress when I hit 145 and see what the difference is. It's almost Halloween so I'll fit right in with my "costume". Ha, ha.

Have a nice day everyone. Oh, I don't have a rice cooker. I have no cupboard space and I have to break something to buy something new.

Sorry I've been missing -- a little family crisis; nothing terrible; just involved a lot of running around. Hopefully, my life will return to whatever usually passes for 'normal' by tomorrow. Although I do have a doctors appointment in the morning.

See you later . . .

morning...hello...hi...okay later gator....bye....karen3

Gonna Be A Bear
In this life I'm a woman, I'd like to be a bear.
When you're a bear, you get to hibernate.
You do nothing but sleep for 6 months.
I could deal with that!
Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid.
I could deal with that!
When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partically grown, cute, cuddly cubs.
I could deal with that!
If you're mama bear everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too.
I could deal with that!
If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.
Yup, gonna be a bear.

That is cute Bobbi

Hello everyone ~ hope you are having a good day.

Take care

Aaaaaahhhhhhhh. I just lost my post!!!! I hate when that happens. So I'll just say hi. Have a good day.

Morning everyone i wanna be a bear too rosey

Yes . . . coming back as a bear definitely sounds like the way to go.

Dull and rainy around here -- but it's fairly mild -- 17C/63F. Pretty dull and boring day for me too (well compared to); trouble is, I went a little overboard on the eating.

Tomorrow I get another fresh start, luckily.

Morning Girls,
We had some excitement with MIL and had to make a late trip into town. It was snowing with 30 mile an hour winds. She apparently couldn't remember our phone number and called the main office a zillion times so she could call us and let us know she was all packed up and ready to go home. When we got there she had part of her apartment packed and hauled out to the main front door of the apartment complex. They said she actually tried to leave the building. DH got really mad at her and started yelling, this resulted in calming her down and returning to 2008. Lately she's been living in the 1960's. We unpacked everything, took her phone away and left. They faxed the doc and he's taking her off the meds that makes her a crazy woman. I don't get too stressed out over this, she's not my mother and I've never cared for her much. Sounds cold but she has been so nasty to us over the years, DH is her only child and she has always tried to dominate over us. She actually took DH out of her will and gave 60% to our daughter and 40% to her church. The assisted living apartment and her meds have gone thru most of her savings and mutual funds so she'll be on welfare in about 5 months. Unfortunately DD won't get a dime.

Now on a brighter note, we're going into town to pick out some hardwood flooring for one of the bedrooms, the hall and the bathroom. We're going to complete re-model the bathroom, pull out the cabinet, sink, etc and start from scratch. We purchased some dark burgundy carpet for one of the bedrooms, we found it on clearance and the size was perfect for the size of the room. We need something to look forward to this winter and this project will keep us busy. We'll pull out the old carpet ourselves and let home depot do the rest. Gotta go, you all have a great day.

Bobbi, that's the kind of excitement anyone can do without. I guess it won't be long before your MIL is in a nursing home.

The remodeling project sounds like it will really spruce up your place. We did our bathroom over about 2 years ago and it still really looks nice. Now if I could get DH to take the breakfast nook out of the kitchen and put in a walk in pantry where it used to be I'd be deliriously happy.

We've got a rainy, foggy day. Better than snow any day.