[Mamacita]

Good morning, Chickies~~

Can't believe I'm starting the thread this morning!

I saw Laurie's update on Ange and baby Ethan. Glad to hear they're both doing so well. Continued prayers for Ethan to keep fighting and hope he's soon home with Mommy and Daddy.

Had really heavy rainstorms all day yesterday, but they moved on during the night. Now, it's just foggy out there...but no more rain for the rest of the week. I guess I'll have to spray my tropical plants with some pesticidal soap and some fungicide and bring them in for the winter. I always hate that...such a chore. But my schefflera loved it out under the covered deck this summer. Grew from about 4 feet to well over 6 feet!

Going to get this wild mane of mine trimmed tonight after work. Other than that, not much going on in my corner of the world.

Hope everyone has a great day on the Beach

Mamacita

[Bamiegurl]

Ok I don't know how I got here but I cannot get out without posting so... Good Morning all!

[Bamiegurl]

Mama... I was waitin for someone to start and finally decided to go ahead and we posted at the same time. I'll go back and delete mine! Rain has finally moved out here as well! Have a great day all!

[Ruthxxx]

Do not delete. I'll combine

[Bamiegurl]

Ok now I know how it got there! Whew! I thought what is goin on but now I see you combined. Thanks Ruth!

[Ruthxxx]

Nice to see some other earlybirds starting us up. Thanks, Mamacita and Bamie!

I was up at 4 something again , did my journal and then got involved in some domestic duties - laundry, soup, fridge cleaning and garbage toting. I lead such an exciting life! Some of the morning stuff should have been done yesterday but our power was out most of the day! It's hard to make soup without water and, as to packaging chicken breasts, fergedaboudit! I am pretty OCD about washing my hands when cooking. This was a good wake-up call to prepare for further outages during the winter. Heat and cooking are OK but I must get in a supply of water, batteries and candles! What I really need is a generator but will need to get some male advice on that.

Dull and cold here today and my cold seems to have moved back in so I will probably skip my walk. I have a meeting about investments this afternoon and do have to go to the bank in another town to "shift some funds" - doesn't that sound too, too impressive! If I set up an IPO on Portuguese Water Dogs, do you chicks want in on it? Remember you read it here first!

Rehearsal tonight instead of Thursday and I still do not know my lines. Maybe they'll kick me out!

I'll pop in later - right now my split pea soup is close to scorching!

[anchor weight]

Morning all!

I'm feeling better today! I have the cheery teachers here today so things should be better. Not that everyone has to be happy all the time but it does make working together better.

I did well last night staying OP! It was a defining moment for me and weight loss - maybe some kind of break through. Instead of the ricotta with cocoa powder - I did a low carb/low fat yogurt strawberry banana. It was really a treat. My waist is a full inch smaller so I have to refigure my body fat % and change my signature. I think I'm going to start weighing in on Fridays instead of Mondays. We always have Sunday dinner at 5 pm and I stay OP but I eat more than I should.

Ruth - I'm in on the IPO for the water dogs. They are absolutely adorable!

Bami - you crack me up!

Everyone else have a great OP day!

[beachgal]

Wow, it's nice to get here when the daily is still small!

Mamacita, thanks for the kind thoughts for Ange and Ethan! It really does mean so much to me (and to them) to know that others are keeping them in their prayers and thoughts! It's definitely time for me to bring my plants in, too! What are you getting done to your hair? Do you feel the desire to do something fun now that you are getting thinner?

Bamie, glad you found the daily...have you been posting in this thread before? It's a lot of fun!

Ruth, I'm with you on the chicken. I had salmonella once and believe me, that was enough! I'm sorry you lost power and water! That must not be fun! Wow, what a woman! Shifting funds and all that! I have this image of you in gloves and a hat with a veil, carrying your clutch purse as you click into the bank in heels! Now fill me in...what's an IPO? If it has anything to do with cuddling and loving on those puppies, count me in! Take gentle care of yourself and blame your cold for not learning your lines!

Anchor, good to see you! CONGRATS on your defining moment! Those are awesome! I love the little things that let you know you really are changing the way you think and act, in major ways!!!

Me:

I'm behind on homework...we did not have classes on Monday and Tuesday and I have felt lazy! Have to finish up tonight and make dinner, too. Plus, we really need to do a load of towels! I don't think things ever get really done! I have stacks of library books that need to go back to the library...a few of them are totally overdue. Oy! I don't mind paying my fines, but I hate the uber-dramatics of the librarians. "Oh my! You have $7.10 in fines! I cannot check these out to you until you pay it. " Oh well...

Am finally back on my exercising track...at least that's how it feels. Did my strength training on Monday, though no time to do cardio. Did Jazzercise Tues. night, then did 15 mins of cardio this morning (and NO itching!!! ) and have yoga/pilates class tonight. It felt so good to do that elliptical this morning...I love getting hot and sweaty (no comments, Ruth! )and how wonderful those endorphins make me feel!

Am plateauing at 236.5, but not too worried about that. Have lost a lot this month. However, I have a feeling it has to do with the SF Tapioca pudding that I've been indulging in for the last three nights. I couldn't get a straight answer on whether tapioca itself is a no-no...so I just figured I'd try it. I think it's probably okay, but I should space it out a couple days apart.

Last night, in an attempt to convince me that I'll love eating in Germany, DH made a German meal from recipes from the embassy website (who knew embassies put forth recipes?). He made some beef wrapped up with turkey bacon, dill pickles, onions and parsley, with a gravy. I helped him make spaetzle (little dumplings) with WW flour. It was soooo good! Who knew beef and pickles, heated up with gravy, go well together? It really was tasty! Tonight we are having a pork and peanut sauce over buckwheat noodles salad. Should be good!

Hope everyone has a great day! <-- me wishing it was sunnier outside...

[Barb0522]

Morning, everyone! I've been mixing some Uncle Sam's cereal in with my yogurt and really enjoying it for breakfast this week. Yum! So far I am still losing so the extra starch doesn't seem to hurt. The newspaper had an article on the electoral college this morning so I ended up explaining that to my son instead of talking math like we usually end up doing. The paper explained why it all started but it was interesting seeing what a 7 year old thought of it all.

No time for exercise again tonight which is a real bummer but I have to head to Cub Leader training at 6:15 which barely gives me enough time to make the Hearty Bean and Pasta Soup and still have time to eat. I'll make up for it this weekend but I hate going too long during the week without working out. Although right now it is hard to exercise without coughing so maybe it is best that I have to take a couple of days off.

Anchor - Great job resisting temptation! I try to go quickly through the sections of the store with the baked goodies and just dart in for bread, tortillas and pitas. Laughing Cow and hummus are in the same section but I know where everything is that I want and I don't focus on the other stuff. Normally I go after eating at least a snack so then I am not as tempted.

Laurie - that German meal sounds like it might be good. I usually think of German food as sausage and sourkraut and I have never liked sausage so it isn't tempting. I know what you mean about the library books. We have to check out books from three different cities' public libraries plus Brian's school since he is on number 91 of a series he is reading. It makes it really interesting to try to keep up with the date everything is due. Thank goodness for internet sites that show the due dates!

[Bamiegurl]

Laurie... I post here daily. What I meant by I'm here and can't get out is I was trying to delete the daily thread I started at the same time Mamacita did but Ruth moved it while I wasn't looking (teehee) and so I had to post because it would not let me delete. I bought some of that pudding as well but was not real sure of it so I only have it every few days.

Anchor glad to see you have happy teachers today! :-)

[Under a Palm Tree]

Hi everyone and Happy Hump Day

Not much new here. Day 3 Phase 1. Going pretty well. I was really proud of myself. Last night after 9, I was hungry and instead of eating the nuts (it would have been a second serving), I had nsa ff vanilla yogurt. I'm trying not to eat after 8pm but at 8 I wasn't truly hungry so I held off. I think it was a good choice.

I'm debating about working out today. My asthma is still bothering me so I may pass. I was so excited that the Dr. didn't put me back on prednisone. He increased my advair instead.

My DS is moving to the extended day plan today, which means no more naps. It seems like just yesterday I was breastfeeding and changing diapers. They sure aren't kidding when they say time flies...

Sorry no individual posts today. Take care all and have a beautiful day!

[RNMOM]

Hi,

Not an early riser today, trying to get lots done. Have a batch of homemade bread rising, need to go to work for about 4 hours, fix dinner, do laundry...blah blah blah.

Mama, have fun getting a haricut, I love having someone comb my hair.

Bamigurl, hope you are getting rain you want.

Ruth, have fun with the practice tonight, you are really something, never a dull moment.

Anchor Weight, Yippee! I love when that happens, that defining moment when you KNOW you are in control and food isn't in control of you.

Beachgal, no worries about your plateau, your body just wants to make sure you are serious

Barb, maybe you could explain the electoral college to me

Under a palm, glad you don't have to do prednisone and congrats on toughing out the evening hungries.

Hope all the rest of you chickies to come have a great OP day.

[beachgal]

Barb, you are SUCH a good mom! Seriously! I just spent lunch with a fellow grad student in literacy talking about what parents can do to help their kids and you are doing it all, already! Good for you! Brian is one lucky kiddo.

Bamie, so sorry...I've been out of the daily for so long that I didn't know! Go figure... Ruth and Ellis can tell you that I'm often out of it!

Under a Palm...I can totally relate...my doc upped my Advair too instead of the prednisone. And it actually seems to be working! She also prescribed an albuterol system...the kind with the mist floating out of it (cannot remember the word for some reason...). Haven't gotten it yet because I've been feeling better. Do you have one? If so, what do you think of it...does it help? Hope all goes well with the new extended plan. Your DS looks adorable in your new avatar!

RN, you are killing me...you are making bread??? Can I come over? Seriously, enjoy...all that kneading sure does help relieve tension!

I finally read yesterday's daily, and there was so much I wanted to say, but go figure...I've forgotten most of it! Though I know I wanted to let Peggy know that she's in my prayers...I hope you are feeling better, Peggy and that the doctor had good news for you.

As to Halloween, I feel like a televangelist for SBD, but I figure that knowing what that candy does to my body, I don't want to give it out to kids! I thought I might give out sugar free gum, but found it to be really expensive! So we're giving packs of peanuts and sunflower seeds. Also some little plastic spider rings I got at the dollar store. Some other ideas were pencils and games from Current or from Oriental Trading Company. I just wanted to do something I knew wouldn't add to their sugar high.

I hope everyone is doing well and wanted to say how inspired I am by all of you and your defining moments and great moments of control, patience, and persistence! We have a very strong group here!

[GoldieFun]

Hi ladies -- back from Tulsa. Now I've got a botched job on press I've got to go take care of.

But I had to confess: I had M&Ms last night -- first real sugar item in 7 weeks. We were working late into the night listening to focus groups and bowl after bowl of candy was there and after my day hit the 12-hour mark I couldn't take it anymore. And after reporting a 2 pound loss! I am so MAD at myself.

Back OP today -- but gotta run, sorry....

Lauren

[Bamiegurl]

Well I hope they were peanut M&m's Goldie cause they are not near as bad! Glad you made it back. I will be out tomorrow I have to go out of town for a funeral. They found my cousin dead Sat. morning. She died in her sleep. She was only 28 and I have not heard the autopsy report yet. My sister and I are goin to drive down and back in one day. It's about 4.5 hours away. Way to much goin on here to be gone overnight. Looks like everyone is having a pretty good week so far. I will have to be real careful tomorrow to not get off plan while on the road. Have a great afternoon all!