Wake up ladies! We are that much closer to the weekend! I can't wait for General Hospital to come on at 3pm! Yesterday was a wonderful eating day for me! I drank tea for the first time in a long while and it was soothing and calming. I'm going to start exercising reeeal soon! I hope to be close to 154lbs by the end of the year. Who reads Harlequin novels on here? I have not been tempted to cheat at all. I am shocked. Phase 1 does work miracles, lol.

Good morning Okie!

I love hot tea, too. I drink a lot of plain old black tea - that's my favorite - but lately I've really been enjoying a pomegranate white tea. It's got a great taste.

I read a lot of novels, but haven't read a Harlequin in a long time. What's your favorite kind of exercise?

Hello to the rest of you, too. It feels cold and dark this here this morning. I even checked the thermostat when I got up because the house feels cold. It's just me though - the furnace is working fine. lol I've got my oats cooking and I'm drinking a cup of tea so I should be warmed up soon.

I couldn't check in from school yesterday, I'm not sure what the problem was but I missed you. Hopefully I'll be able to peek in today.

Have a great Thursday!

Hey Heidi! My fave. kind of exercise is walking!

That's my favorite too. I live in western Maine, lots of logging roads right in my backyard and we're close to the White Mountain National Forest so I've got so many great places to walk that I never get bored. Tired - but never bored. lol

Hey guys,
I'm a bit down in the dumps toda
1. AF is coming.
2. My hearing is tonight and I am very nervous.
3. There is a mentally ill individual who lives in our neighborhood who is periodically hospitalized, but then released and goes off his meds and becomes very aggressive. He's back, and the other day he followed me for a bit until I asked a man for help on the street, then he backed off. I almost hesitate to bring this up here, but it's been totally on my mind for the last couple of days. I am certainly not the only person he is menacing, and I know it's nothing personal (ie he doesn't know who I am necessarily), but I just can't stop worrying about running into him.

Also, I didn't sleep well last night AGAIN and had a fight with my boss yesterday afternoon. Send good vibes my way, ok??

Good morning!

Okie, I am also a tea lover. We have a wonderful tea shop downtown that we love to frequent. I have quite a selection in my cupboard but my favorite right now is a chili truffle. It's so good!

Heidi, sorry you're so chilled this morning! It's finally warming up here. The sun is out today (miracle of miracles!) and the snow is melting. I don't think it got below freezing last night. Spring is coming!!!

Mmckellen, I will send good vibes your way for a fresh start today. I'm sorry you have so many things to deal with. I hope they all pan out for you!

I just got back from a walk. The other day when I went over to the city hall for recycling bags, they were closed for lunch. Today I made sure to get there before they locked the doors! I am on day 4 of my decluttering plan. I'm taking a break from doing the shoe room. It really has a lot more than shoes but we tend to call it The Shoe Room. The big fridge is in there as well as the coat closets, and the door to the garage is also in that room so a lot of garage stuff collects in the corner. I got a whole corner cleaned out and the top of the coat closets and fridge done and now I need to go through the shoe bins and weed out the too-small shoes. There's also a box in there that I shipped myself from my parents' and I need to unpack that and put those things away. Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the kitchen!

I can't believe it's Thursday already. This week has flown by!

Good morning!

Okie, thanks for starting us up. I used to read Harlequin novels, I would buy them by the boxful at the thrift store or yard sales. Fun, easy reads. I'm glad this plan is working so well for you. Congratulations!

Heidi, it's chilly in my house today, too. The thermostat is set on 69* though, so it must be just me. What's going on in your classroom this week? Do you do anything special for the 100th day? That seems to be a big celebration in my GD's schools.

I'm getting some laundry and other housework out of the way this morning before I go to Trader Joe's for a big shop. I hope it won't be as crowded on a weekday as it is on the weekends. Other than that, I don't have anything else planned for today. I'm just going to enjoy my extra long weekend.

In case Ruth doesn't make it in here today, she's been having lots of problems with her computer. She's going to take in today to see if it can be fixed, or else get herself a brand new one. Let's hope she's not away too long!

Good morning

Okie - Good morning. I'm a tea drinker, get about half my fluids that way. I love the sweet herbal teas this time of year - apple cinnamon, the zingers, blueberry green tea and candy cane lane. I also work in a very cold building so use my tea to warm my hands

Heidi - Hope the oats warm you up this morning.

Ruth - wow, lots of clean-up yesterday. Thanks

Mmc - Sorry you are having such a hard time. Hope all goes well with the hearing. Sounds like your neighbor needs a more supported living arrangement. Unfortunately the system responds far too slowly to that sort of need. You have every right to feel safe in your own neighborhood.

Kara - I try to declutter periodically but it's a challenge. Not the easiest task if you are doing it alone We also have a large storage space which is not the best thing for pack rats Your success is encouraging me.

It's a meeting day so not enough time to Wii this morning (well not if I want to check in here and see what's going on in the world ) I like to get out early enough to stop for a latte on my way to the meeting. Have to stay awake for these things. Tomorrow is a day off for errands so I'm looking forward to the end of my work week.

Had a good visit with the Dr. yesterday. Apparently my cholesterol was so good last year she isn't even rechecking it this year. Not too bad with 2 parents on cholesterol meds. Everything is great but I was told that the weight gain is probably all about age & hormones and I might have to lower my intake a little more if I really want it off. I'm just not sure I have it in me to stay that low but we will see. There a great thread I've been following on the Maintainers Forum about sustainable end weights so I've been puzzling this idea myself. I remember when I thought it would all be smooth sailing once I got to goal. Yeah, not so much I think I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and get through the winter and then see if things shift when the spring arrives and I'm more active all day.

Time to plan my food. I have to bring lunch, not as easy when I'm not in my office. Have a good Thursday all!

ETA - There you are Cottage Enjoy that extra long weekend. I like being able to shop mid-week too. I still think you should have come to Vermont though

Good morning! This PC is going to the PC graveyard today as it has been misbehaving a lot. It's eight years old which I'm told is pretty old for a PC. I will be getting a newer one and transferring files at the computer shop this morning. Who knows when I'll be back online!

Mmck, so sorry you are going through this bad time. I hope the hearing goes well tonight, Aunt Flo arrives quietly and the spooky shadow finds someone else to follow. Maybe your boss?

Okie, thanks for starting us up. Thanks for the good word about Phase I. I get pretty tired of hearing the griping about it. Tea is wonderful! It's coffee in the morning for me but I'm back on tea in the afternoon.

Heidi, I envy you your oatmeal! After skipping breakfast yesterday I put out my Fibre 1 ready to go this morning and the milk was sour. Grr! I ended up with scrambled eggs and Ryvita.

Kara, I know you are hours ahead of me but still feel I'm goofing off when I read all you've done in your daily post. I still have not finished - or even started - the storage room sorting.

There are Cottage and Cyndi sneaking in. Hey! I want to go to Vermont too! One of these days...........

I'm outta here at 8:30 and will try not to grieve much over my PC. My main worry is getting all the files transferred. You'd think I'd do back-ups, right? The accounting is all backed up as of right now.

Guess I'll see you when I see you. Behave!

Good morning!

FoodO - Thriller? Is that another GH reference? I have been drinking several cups of tea a day, a big change for me, and find it really helps me not to snack and to get in more water. I read lots, but not Harlequin.

Heidi - Have a great day with the kiddos. Keep warm. My new favorite teas are the Celestial Seasonings holiday collection. I envy you the beautiful place to walk!

Mmc - Wow - you have lots on you mind. I hope everything goes well tonight and with your "neighbor." I slept horribly too! Sending those good thoughts

Kara - I have always wanted a room like that! Growing up we had one we called the "mud" room. I have one all designed in my imaginary dream house.

COttage - I am feeling Trader Joe envy! Are you expecting snow? Thanks for the info on Ruth.

Cyndi - I will have to check out that maintainers thread, since that is always where I fail. I hope we add one on here too. My whole immediate family is on cholesterol meds, and I have been for so long I cannot remember. Glad to hear yours is so good. I do worry about the impact of aging on our metabolisms. And it seems to add fat to our bellies too! I hope you will share what you learn about this whole maintaining thing - I am confident you will figure it out.

Ruth - I sooo feel your computer pain! But you will love how much faster the new one is. Hope they get you up and running soon!

Speaking of aging... I have been very scatterbrained lately. Today I woke up and found my pajamas (a t-shirt) on backwards. I took it off to weigh myself and put it on the same darn way! DH and DS2 are going out of town overnight and tomorrow to visit a college. I am looking forward to having the house to myself.

I am such a dufus! I just went downstairs to put the clothes in the dryer, only to find out I never closed the top of the washer so it go through the cycle. Duh!

Mmc, you need a hug this morning! I hope your day goes well at work, and am sending you good vibes for the hearing tonight.

Kara, that chili truffle tea sounds great! I love my tea, too. My favorite is green tea w/jasmine and the candy cane lane, and I really enjoy a cup of sleeptime tea before bedtime. You've become a real decluttering dervish!

Cyndi, congratulations on your great Dr. visit! I briefly considered tagging along to Vermont, but there wouldn't have been much room to squeeze me in! They're going up again in a few weeks, maybe I'll go then.

ETA:
Morning, Ruth! I wasn't sure you'd check in this morning or not. Happy computer shopping!

Karen, your son may have already told you we are expecting a big snowstorm. It's supposed to hit us tomorrow evening and they're saying to expect a lot of snow. I hope it doesn't deter your DH's travel plans!

Ruth & Cottage - isn't Vermont halfway for you two?! Too bad you can't make it this weekend. Julie actually has a show and she doesn't have time to do that much anymore.

Karen - It was so important for me to read the Maintainers Forum while I was preparing to maintain. Like you I've lost and regained more than once and I was determined to stop that cycle. They helped me prepare so much. I also love Thin for Life and really think everyone should read it. My copy gets lent out a lot Just like losing we are all unique and need to figure out what works for us and what is realistic.

Okay, time to get moving and on the road!

Cottage - that is exactly something I would do! I had to laugh. DS cracked me up too... yesterday I emailed that I thought he'd be getting snow and he emails back, "No snow here." This is my engineering student! Well, he will either get a surprise or suddenly flash back to his mother and have an aha moment. My other guys are going to Syracuse which would normally be the snowier place! Fortunately, nothing big heading there. DS was smart to want to see it in the middle of winter to get a picture of the snow they get.

Cyndi - Thanks for the tip; I am going to read it.

Good morning chatty chickies!

Okie - Great for you!! Isn't it amazing? I've only been doing fruits, no grains, for the past few days, and that does it for me!! I'm not even tempted to eat the Oreo cookie edy's ice cream in the freezer for the DH"s bday...amazing!!

Heidi - We set our thermostat pretty low since the house is decent size, and we have huge windows. And, I'm a cheapo!!

Oops, hit the return button...here I keep going....

Kara- you are amazing. You've inspired me to at least consider on working on my house!!

Cottage - our problem is to not turn the dryer on. We can't wait for the snowstorm here!! My attitude is, it's so freakin' cold, it might as well be pretty!!

Cyndi - what's your body fat? Your pics are fabulous, and I can't figure out how anyone (you and kara) can do 3000 minutes a month. Just amazing. I think I'd be pretty happy at your weight if I were you! My own ticker is lying. At 122, I had to stay very strictly on phase II, and run 15-20 miles/week. I maintained at 125 with cheats. I'm a bit higher than that now....I have these levels depending on how bad I am!!

Ruth - congrats on finally getting a new computer!! See you soon!

Karen - I am envious...house to yourself!! Enjoy!

Me - I get to go to work a bit late (it's been a slooowwww week), so I'm going to go on the treadmill after DS gets on the bus. I'm much happier now that I've been at phase I.5 for a few days...I'm eating fruits but no grains...and it helps so much with the bloating and cravings!! That blueberry omelette was so good yesterday, i have to figure out if I want that again, or my black bean one .

Have a great day beachers!! Glad we have so many joining us!

Good Morning!

We have no water again today. I'm heating up a pot of ice so that I can give Auston a spit-wash. I'm going to take a real shower at my in-law's home in the little town were I work. It will be so nice!

I have to leave early and pack, so I don't have time for personals this morning. I want to say to Mmc, I believe you have the right to know if your stalker has any arrests or warrants. Call your local police and ask. It's better to be safe... Hope your day gets better, and your hearing goes well.