Core Chat for Dec. 18-24, 2006
 

New week, new attitude ... let's get this party started!! :carrot:

Like the saying goes ... If "ifs and buts" were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas!

So how was last week? How about the weekend? What can you do differently this week than you did last week? And what's the plan to deal with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Our celebrations can be, and should be, separate from our meals. We should celebrate all the wonderful things in our lives and all the blessings we've had in the past year.

:lol: kathy. i'm not going to change anything. i already changed from flex to core but that wasn't really for the holidays. it was so i'd keep my strength up while training and competing. right now i'm working the plan and letting it work for me.

i don't mean to sound smug. we have two holiday events coming up in the next few days, and i think i'm ready. one thing i did several days ago was to buy a cute christmas outfit. also, i'm taking core foods to both. i plan to spend most of my time visiting with friends at the first and family at the second.

what about you? what are your plans?

Good question, Kath. I wish I could say that I have a plan but I don't. I'm thankful that I have time to make one though.

I'm weighing, measuring, and journalling.

And...I'm oh so tired.

Good Morning Chicks! My spirit feels a bit renewed this morning. One meal at a time.

I'll be baking Scottish Shortbread today (3-4 batches) and fudge (plain and nuts). In between I'll be cleaning. The shortbread has to be made in small batches one pan in the oven at a time. It's a bit of a pain but everyone seems to think it's worth it. I'm making a gift assortment tin for Cassie's Vet and for our favorite waitress at our favorite Core restaturant. We ask for her every week and she takes great care of me including always giving me extra veggies! Of course, she'll get an extra nice cash gift too! :D

I really got a couple of AP's yesterday. I worked solid for 4 hours. I always underestimate the intensity when it's not traditional exercise and I don't eat them. I just like to know I got them and I hope it makes up for any BLT's along the way. I'm guessing I won't have too much trouble resisting my baked goods. My experience has been that desserts are far too sweet for me now. My poison is real food....pizza in particular.

I wish I had a nice new outfit. I don't feel that I deserve it. I'll wait until I get back where I was. In the meantime, it's business time!

Have a great day chicks. I'll try to check in on all of you during my breaks.

Good morning ladies. Vickie, :hug: to you. You can do this, I know it. Weighing and measuring is a good step. Good luck with the baking. I don't do holiday baking, because I'd end up eating it all. :)

Sandra, congrats on getting back to "hard-Core." I'm sure you'll end up with more energy.

I'm not really too worried about Christmas festivities this year, since my mom and sister are also in WW, we should have many healthy alternatives. I'm just having a bit of a hard time since I've been sick. I eat for comfort, and I feel cruddy. But I have been decently good, and can continue being good. I'm looking forward to my meeting tomorrow...they always re-energize me.

I'm debating whether or not to keep the girls home from school another day. I think dd #2 I will for sure, since she had a bit of a fever yesterday evening. But dd#1 just has a cold. However, I know how miserable this cold makes you feel. She's just lying on the heat vent on the floor now, and her face is pale and blank. Poor little girl! But yesterday, all day, they were running around and playing just fine. Decisions, decisions!

Later,
Angela

Good morning!

Sandra, I didn't think you sounded smug at all! Your plan sounds like a very good one to me, and I'm sure it'll go well for you.

Vickie, just hang in there, girlie! It's all any of us can do. I told my boss this morning that I feel like I've gained five pounds since I've been working on this cookbook. I see recipes all day long and am thinking about food in my sleep. I've never been hungrier in my life. Your shortbread sounds like a perfect gift and I'm sure they'll enjoy and appreciate it so much. That reminds me that I need to get cracking on my neighbor gifts, and the tray to take to our vet. I usually take tins of chex mix, almond bark covered popcorn, and fudge to them. The neighbors will get cookies this year because another neighbor gives everyone the popcorn and I don't want to steal her idea.

Oh dang. They're messing with me. Gotta go...

good morning. we're up and at'm earlier than normal. yesterday's w a helped me in a way i didn't expect. last night was my first night in about 2 months that i was able to sleep comfortably without neck/shoulder pain. i'm thinking now that the pain wasn't cuz of archery but was stress-related. w a is a destressor for sure.

kathy, i have to confess that after i posted last night i got a bit worried. i was afraid i was setting myself up by being to "sure of myself." however, posting online is making me be accountable. i'd hate to goof up now that you all know i'm feeling confident.

vickie, don't tell anyone:censored: but i bought my outfit at walmart. i think it's cute, though. i am impressed with all your baking. i'm not doing much baking. we've never established any traditions for me to bake. i am going to make some of those dream pies. i think i'll do white chocolate/peppermint. i'm going to make one of those cakes using no-sugar added pie filling. maybe spice cake/apple pie filling. i'm not sure.

angela, did you keep dd home today? i know the girls want to be at school this week what with all the holiday activities but it's best to keep them home for their sake as well as so they won't spread anything to others. i want to tell you again how happy i am that you're back coreing. i have missed your support. i need you.

we're about to leave to go train. i hope all of you are having a terrific tuesday. see ya later.

Angela, I hope your DD is much better. Bless her little heart, how miserable would it be to feel rotten over Christmas? :hug: I also hope it doesn't spread to the others.

Sandra, you aren't setting yourself up for a failure, you're setting yourself up for success! I believe that with dedication, portion control, and resisting the sweets that we can all do it. Other people are saying this is a bad time to try and stick to a diet ... we say it's the BEST time! We don't need a lot of extra food to have fun!

I'm having the worst day here, with people wanting hurried changes. They're all trying to get their fixes done so they can test them and be off over Christmas. The simulators are occupied every hour of the day.

Back to it ... I'll check in a little later.

kathy, i hope your day lightens up. how long will you be off for christmas?

Ooohhhh...this baking is hard! I'm not doing it next year for sure. You cannot imagine how my house smells. I'm done with two batches of shortbread and a batch of fudge. I'm going to eat lunch now since I'm feeling weak physically and emotionally and Jim isn't here. He went to get me more supplies and stuff I need for dinner.

The crisis has passed for the moment. I ate lunch and feel a bit better. I had a can of split pea and ham soup which I thought would stick to my ribs better. I'm also guzzling water.

Bake to the baking!

Frouf, where are you again? I hope you're not crazy at work like poor Kathy!

Hi All:

I took most of today off and took my ex's niece shopping for herself and her two children (5 and 6 months).

I've done OK with food today and the challenge comes in a few hours when we go to our friend's tree trimming party. I'm going to have to really, really control myself. I'll try to think that the best present I can give myself this year is to NOT gain any weight and to eat consciously. I can do it.

Vickie, that baking is very hard to do when trying not to eat any of it. I KNOW that challenge.

Kathy, hope it calmed down for you at work; and Sandra have you looked to see how much energy it takes to do archery. I "googled" it and was amazed at the calorie expenditure. Angela, hope the babies feel better soon. I hate colds myself...they make me feel miserable.

Wish me luck tonight. I'll report in.

Rhonda

Good Luck, Rhonda!

Kath, how did your day go?

Sandra, I don't think you're smug. I think we need confidence and ALOT of it to survive the holidays without a gain.

Angela, I hope the girls are feeling better.

I don't know why I agreed to bake this stuff. It's almost like I intended to sabotage myself. I'm going to try real hard not to do that. I got everything done that I needed to get done today, including finishing the cleaning of the last room upstairs. Now I'm cooking dinner and trying to figure out what to make tomorrow night that will be easy and still Core. Tomorrow is another big cooking, cleaning day for me. Yeah....more AP's! I ate two tiny pieces of shortbread and I've counted the points. I sure am glad that my new WW week begins on Monday. That means that I get a new 35 points beginning on Christmas day. That should help. I'm trying not to eat anything non-Core because I know I'll have a cookie or two. As long as I stop.....

It has been a heck of a day. I wouldn't even know where to start, so I won't.

Let's see ... tonight I made tater tot casserole for Judd because I WAS going to make Mexican cornbread for the potluck tomorrow, and the ground beef was thawed out. I decided to just take double the amount of meatballs instead, so needed to cook the ground beef. The casserole was the easiest thing I could think of.

We're about to frame a barn picture and I'll take a picture of the picture and post it later or tomorrow night. Then I'm just cleaning up the kitchen, figuring out my work clothes for tomorrow, and stopping. Tomorrow night I'm making something called Baked French Toast for a breakfast (not the whole program, only five of us) Thursday morning. We do that instead of exchanging gifts.

Vickie, it sounds like you did very well with staying out of the goodies! You go, girl!

I'll be back tomorrow morning. I hope everyone has a good night! Frouf, where are you??

i'm home from w a. what a workout! i'm pooped. we just finished dinner. that gave me a little more energy.

vickie, i know what you mean about the smells being hypnotic. i'm still trying not to bake much. so far so good. it's hard, though. i'm still op. we go to a party fri night. i have ww wi and start my new week fri am. that should help.

rhonda, how many pts did it say? i've never looked for pts spent on archery. i'll go see if i can find out. (just in case, though, what did you find out?)
i know you're having a good time at the tree trimming party. makes me smile.

kathy, i don't blame you for doubling the meatballs. i think the easy road is the best.

got to go. i need to spend time with curtis.

Yeah, Frouf, where are you. I bet she's got her head in a bunch of cruise brochures!

Well, I didn't do as badly as I feared I might but not as well as I wish I had....know that feeling?! I did stay away from the alcohol except for one glass of white wine. I tasted many of the treats but did not overindulge. It was a struggle. I had to make myself stay in a chair because everywhere I looked or strolled by there was some NON- Core food or another.

Tomorrow, I'm going to stay Core all day long. I might have to make it one minute at a time. I have to get back to writing it all down...this month away from a routine has taken a toll on my thoughtfulness. But, I'll get back, I have NO doubt.

Nite all,
Rhonda

We are doing great Chicks! A few tiny slips won't kill us as long as we don't let loose all together.

Thanks for the morale support! I didn't have anything to eat after dinner. I wasn't hungry but I wanted to eat anyway. I watched a Christmas movie that Jim DVR'd for me and then I went and had a bubble bath. Now I'm here having a hot vanilla. It helps me get in my second milk serving. I especially like it before bed because it's basically just hot milk. Tonight I put 1 oz of Torani caramel SF syrup in it. It tastes really decadent with a bit of cinnamon sprinkled on top.

We'll be turning in soon. Big day ahead of me.

rhonda and vickie, we get to mark one day down. i'm taking this one day at a time, too. well, probably one minute at a time. we're doing all right. sounds like you both had excellent days. and didn't you have fun, too? i'll bet you're both smiling right now.

vickie, i like what you said, "We are doing great Chicks! A few tiny slips won't kill us as long as we don't let lose all together." i agree 100%

"slips" are just a part of life. we all know we have to keep living while on this wonderful journey to healthier bodies.

i'm off my soapbox now. night night.

Sandra, I found a calculator that says a person who weighs 168 pounds and shoots at a stationery (sp?) target for one hour burns 267 calories.

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.html

thank you, vickie. i bookmarked this. 267 calories per hour doesn't sound like a lot, does it? i know i get dehydrated when i'm pulling the bow back a lot, especially the longbow. that takes something out of me for sure.

does that mean 5 pts?

Good morning! I have to get to work but wanted to stop in and say hey.

Hey! :wave:

Hey yourself(ves)!

I have a very busy day fighting the good fight against University administrators, having lunch with good women friends and an early supper with another friend. I'll have to really be careful, again!

But, I'll do it today and let tomorrow worry about itself.

I'll check in tonight. Have a great OP, Core or Flore day everyone. We can do this. :cheer2:

Froufy...you lurking out there??


Rhonda

Morning ladies! I had a good night's sleep, after imbibing in some delicious hot Thera-Flu for Severe Colds. :lol: I'm sending the kids back to school today, and am going to try to get on with my day.

I had a big NSV yesterday. A friend of mine brought over a huge plate of holiday cookies...the kinds I love, but the kinds my kids and husband don't. You know...mint chocolate, dried cranberries w/vanilla chips, coconut? Anyway, I knew my weakness for cookies, and with my mom's moral support :) , I put them down the garbage disposal. I appreciate my friend's thoughtfulness, but I don't need 10 cookies for myself! I did keep one miniature dark chocolate bar with peanuts and ate that. Not too shabby!

I have weigh-in tonight..we'll see how I'm doing then.

Angela

Good Morning Chicks! I feel a bit stronger with the morning light. And....I'm very, VERY proud of myself for not eating anything after dinner last night....not even Core food.

But I am no where near as proud of myself as I am of Angela! OMG, I am bursting at the seams with happiness for you for dumping those cookies! I completely understand how hard that was for you. I don't eat junk cookies. You could put a package of oreos in front of me and I won't touch one. However, homemade pastries are quite a different story. Great going, GF! I'm sure you'll be rewarded on the scale tonight. I can't wait to hear.

Sandra, that's a great question. I don't know how to convert from that calculator to a WW point. I know how you got to 5 though using the 50 calories per point theory. What does the slide rule calculate for you doing 1 hour of moderate exercise? How many for extensive? I'd be curious to know. I love that calculator. I think Kathy might have posted it a LONG time ago. It was definitely someone on this list that gave it to me. I love that it takes your weight into account in the calculation.

Rhonda, you've got the right idea! One day at a time...one meal at a time. Have a great day with your GF's. I hope you have an easier day than you thought with those Administrators.

Good Morning, Kathy! How dare they keep you so busy that you don't have time to get to your site? How was the cookbook received? I'm so tired I don't know how I ever worked and got all this done. I think I just said no to a lot of things. Jim said he feels like we are on vacation this week and not retired. I told him it's because we are doing all the things that we used to do on Christmas vacation. When do you start your vacation?

Ok...time for a menu thread. I even know what I'm cooking for dinner!

:lol: I eat good cookies, junk cookies, whatever you put in front of me, even if they aren't very tasty. :cookie:

Angela

Angela, you are a stronger woman than I. I put the cookies in the freezer, but did you know frozen cookies are wonderful? The rest are coming with me on Christmas to my MIL. Then we are back to a core household. I don't dare step on the scale right now - it won't be pretty. :(

It feels like such a long time since I posted. Amazingly my foot healed very quickly. I ended up ditching the crutches Saturday and by Monday I could wear a regular shoe. Now it feels fine but gets sore on spot now and again - I assume that is where the frature is.

I had a wonderful weeked - family party on Sunday. But food wise I did not do so well. Not being able to walk put me in an eating mood. Sunday I ate to the point my stomach hurt. Not good. So, Monday I was back to being on plan as best I could. I officially finished my Christmas shopping today and everything is wrapped -- even all of Santa's gifts are wrapped. It helps alot to be off from work this week.

Tomorrow I need to run to the office to drop off a gift and show off Sarah -- she has been asking for months to go to mommy's office. So I'll take her tomorrow. Then I have to grocery shop and we have neighbors coming over tomorrow night. Friday afternoon, getting together with my girlfriend and her kids, Friday night either another neighbor or my husbands cousin. Saturday night another party at a friends house, Sunday the children's services are at 10:45 am so Christmas eve we are home alone! Whew -- I'm tired already.

Its alot of fun - I love this time of year.

I dropped of Sarah at school this morning and then took an hour walk. Pretty good I think - then I went to the mall. Thank goodness I don't have to go back there.

How is everyone doing???

Here I am - yes busy doing cruise research - ha ha ha....but also crazy busy at work and I am so looking forward to taking some time off over the holidays.

Vickie - you are a stronger woman than I - I could never bake and not try the results - or not snitch some 'dough' - good for you. I bet the house smelt divine!

Angela - kudos to you too for making the cookies 'disappear' - I think that was a wise decision and keeping only one seemed to work out well for you!

Kathy - your tree looks amazing - have you put the gifts underneath yet?

Paula - glad your foot is all healed - sounds like you are back to exercising again?

Rhonda - love the white meal thing - I too always look forward to the shortest day - cuz I know from then on the days get a bit longer each and every time and yes as silly as it seems it does help me psychologically get thru our long cold and dark winters.....however i can't complain cuz the past week has been abnormally warmer - all snow gone - I can see green grass everywhere - very weird - but we know it won't last - I bet we still have a white christmas!

Well I did have go to out and buy a new menorah - slim pickings - but I got something I liked for $60....so far the old one has not turned up! And ds is really enjoying lighting his little menorah - he even brought it into school on Monday and did a 'presentation' - all kiddies also got their own dreidel and bag of chanuka gelt (chocolate coins)! Today he is off on a field trip to see Charlotte's Web as they have been reading it in school - very excited!

Trying to finish up stuff at work and feeling a bit stressed but nothing new. My eating is not that great altho I do try to watch my portions? But I am not eating hard core. Yesterday was a lunch out (today's was cancelled thank goodness) - italian restaurant - had a veal calzone (inside out pizza) - w/side salad - but I only had HALF of it and doggie bagged the rest! Trying to snack on fruit, lf yogurt, popcorn, and eat healthier in general. My goal is NOT to gain weight over the holidays. And I do need to start exercising - esp in preparation for my upcoming cruise (73 days to go but who's counting? :D)

Going to sil's for xmas eve - dinner and present opening - have almost all gifts except a few - and need to do some major wrapping! Poor dh is down with a cold that is not getting better (up most of the night coughing) so he is not much help right now. I think I can get him to do some wrapping? And we can get out on the weekend (with the thousands of other last minute shoppers) and get our final goodies.

Kids presents are bought - dd finally got a digital camera (no photoshop yet tho) so I hope she will stop harassing me -got ds this big furry hoodie he wanted from The Gap - now little ds needs one more 'real' gift from me and I still need to get that. He still thinks Santa is coming and dh got him this great train set (more for dh I think than ds :D) so that will 'appear' on xmas morning - but I need to give him something when I give the 'other' kids their presents!

I am already dreaming of blue skies, aqua waters and seeing some exotic places! Waiting for my buddy Ray from Vegas to book the cruise (he claims he will have $$/tax rebate on jan 2nd) - he is a platinum cruiser and if we link our reservations it seems I may be able to get some of the same perks? (I'll believe it when I see it!). Also just applied for my new passport as mine expires in February. Still no good airfare deals so I am waiting to book that!

Back to work!

Frouf

Frouf, I LOVE to hear the stories of your life! I'm glad you checked in because we were all worrying about you....well at least wondering.

Paula, isn't it fun but crazy all at the same time? Just be as good as you can. That's all we can hope for.

For me, it's best if I just don't get started.

One batch of cookies mixed. Time to go bake them! I don't feel like eating lunch. I have to make sure I don't get too hungry lest the snitching begins!

Wow....we are busy! I'm talking to myself this afternoon. I finished two batches of cookies. Jim cleaned a bunch of stuff for me and now I'm cooking dinner. Tonight is the last night I'll cook until I make something light for us on Christmas Eve. I don't have time and I don't want the house messed up. It's bad enough that I didn't get any of my cleaning done today. I'll have to be very efficient tomorrow.

I have to make a catch of cookies in the morning and then some deliveries before we go out to dinner. I'm not sure what I'm going to eat for dinner on Friday and Saturday. I'm considering Texas Roadhouse because I can be good there. I'm not sure about Saturday. I'll make the best choices that I can.

Hang in there girls! All too soon the holidays will be over and we'll just be struggling to get through the boring Winter.

I have absolutely no time anymore, so I'll just say if you don't see me in the next few days, don't worry. I have to spend pretty much every waking hour at work to get it all done or I won't have a Christmas vacation. Dammit.

Bye, Kathy!!!

Oh, yes, frozen cookies, junk cookies, soggy cookies, stale cookies, any cookies. I can be very bad. But, I am trying to reform.

I did not too badly today. I talked to a friend of mine who is an addict and as he talked about his cravings, I began to feel more and more empathy for people who are in those situations. We crave the food and they crave other, normally more destructive things but it is about craving...and learning the basis of that deep desire.

It just has to be replaced by an even deeper desire to be healthy. The best thing that I can do now at almost 8PM is get out of my work clothes, take a long, hot shower and rest. What a long day I had.


Rhonda

Whatever you have to do to get a vacation, Kathy! Poor thing.

Rhonda, enjoy your evening. It sounds like you really deserve it. I'm going to go lay on the couch for a while and then go shower for bed. Tomorrow is another busy, busy day.

i typed a long post earlier but lost it somewhere in cyber space. i'm baking. i didn't go to w a today. i went shopping and am doing some baking. i decided the world didn't need to do without because of me. i'm going to bake some more core fall muffins in a minute. i may also make some killer brownies.

i'm doing all right. i did taste a bit of pecan pie bar but spit it out after i got a taste of it. i remembered one time a ww leader said something about after the taste there's nothing left to do but swallow. i can do without swallows. :lol:

angela, earlier i congratulated you on chunking the cookies. that took willpower for sure.

kathy, don't work too hard.

frouf, you do have a lot going on. that is so cute about little ds making his presentation. i think that's wonderful. can i have a chocolate coin? and your cruise? i hope ray can get your bookings linked. what perks will you get?

vickie, you're a busy busy baker. you inspired me to get with it. you're right. boring winter will soon be here. oh, well. spring's on its way as they say.

rhonda, sounds like you had a full day. enjoy your evening.

Morning all:

I slept from 9PM to 6AM with getting up only for necessities.

OK, NEW day, NEW resolve. I'm at one bite at a time; forget the whole day. Sandra, I loved spitting out the pecan pie bar. I need to do more of that.

I think it's going to get easier because beginning at noon, I'll be home more and have more control over what is in front of me. I'm really struggling with all the temptations in the environment right now.

Rhonda

Good Morning Chicks! I need a lot of energy for today. I hope I find it. I'll be baking and cleaning the downstairs. I'm not looking forward to it. I'd just like to relax. Guess I need to buck up!

Sandra, you are TOO cute. I need to do more spitting.

Rhonda, I'm glad being home will be easier for you. It hasn't been for me with all this homebaked pastry around.

i was starting to have trouble, too, (and i may have more trouble ahead) so i made some 1 pt brownies and the core fall muffins. i made the muffins 2 ways: one with grated pears and the other with mashed ripe bananas. the one with bananas--i added a little more cream of wheat and some butter buds and baked it as a loaf. i really like it better than the pear muffins. i'm going to call in a bit to see if my doctor/nurse are in today. if they are, we're taking them a plate of brownies/banana bread.

i got up about 2 hours ago and did a bit more in the kitchen. curtis just got up. he smelled the muffins baking. i am now thinking of making mexican cornbread. that's always good to have on hand for quick meals. i ate the last of the core taco soup last night. i still have some frozen polenta cakes, so i need to make some core soup today, too. (curtis/others will get the mexican cornbread.)

rhonda, i'm glad you'll be able to be home more after noon today. i remember well how much harder it is to be iop when around a lot of festive activities. we used to have a big breakfast cooked by the men teachers/coaches when i was teaching at high school. it was a fun tradition and was full of good food.

vickie, you always amaze me with your energy. i probably won't do much housecleaning since we'll be going to get togethers and not hosting any. however, last night we were surprised by a couple who stopped by for a visit. the house was a mess. she and i stayed in the kitchen because i had foods cooking. the men were downstairs playing with bows and arrows. laundry to be folded was on my recliner down there. oh, well. i guess he'd seen underwear before. they stayed almost 3 hours. we had a good visit.

the problem with the spitting is--it can't be done at get togethers. it's an "alone" thing. :lol:

WEll I am NOT doing well - on a sugar high right now! Came in to find my chair STACKED w/xmas gifts - and SOMEONE STOLE MY TRADITION!

I love giving gifts to my team mates (12 of us) but don't want anyone to feel obligated to get me a gift so for the past 3 years I go to Starbucks and get 15 gifts cards to distribute ($7 each) - and on each card I write to :X from Santa! Then I sneak them around on people's desks, chairs, keyboards and watch the fun (okay most of them come to thank me anyways...sigh).

So this morning I stop off at Starbucks on my way in (yes I know I should have done this last night - too lazy) and get the 15 cards (yes it took forever!). Come in this morning to distribute - and don't I ALREADY find a 'similar' gift card ($5 starbucks) already on my seat from SANTA! How's that for stealing my idea? So now everyone is even more confused cuz they each have 2 gift cards!

Have a pretty wrapped box (from my boss I think?) and my cruise buddy Andrea left me a tin of BAKING - so of course things were already crazy busy here this morning and I had not eaten breakfast so at 11 am I had to open the tin and partake - very delish - but fattening and bad for fat froufies!

Now it's lunchtime so I shall go reheat my salmon/veggies/couscous and forget about that tin!

Sandra - good for you for preparing some core friendly baked goodies - I'm sure that will help you stay on track!

As for the cruising perks! - if I can be linked to his platinum card - we get VIP embarkation and disembarkation (this is very vey good - out of the main line into a special faster line to get on and off the ship!), I think he will get a plate of canapes in his room one night, he gets free laundry (okay so should I throw a few things in with his? wink wink), priority reservations in the supper club (yes we are planning to go to Harry's for a fabulous 2 hour meal!), and priority tendering (altho we should be docking not tendering in all of our ports). There is also a special lineup and concierge for platinum cruisers at the purser's desk so they don't have to stand in line with us 'regular folk'.

Dh still not feeling well and very behind on the wrapping (okay he managed to wrap one 2 x 2 inch box with some earrings in it - not that helpful! :D). DD is dancing tonight for 2 hours - dare I go to the nearby mall? I know it will be super busy but maybe I can get a few more things? I would much rather go to a movie when she's dancing, relax and munch some popcorn!

Tomorrow morning we have a breakfast pot luck at work (I am bringing bagels) and then another 'party' hosted by the Director and somehow I don't think much will get done? Sometimes we are let out early but seeing at it's the 22nd and NOT xmas eve or anything it really is a full working day.

Vickie - how's the house cleaning going?

Kathy - have fun and look forward to hearing all about it later!

Frouf

frouf, i'd be upset, too, at somebody's stealing my tradition. but i would also take it as a compliment. good ideas get stolen. folks don't steal the bad ones--well intentionally anyway.

i'm worried now that i will eat too many pts with my ww stuff. guess i need to get over it and relax.

i hope you do get out early tomorrow. i'm guessing the higher ups would really like that, too.