Morning everyone!!! My favorite day of the week has ARRIVED!!!! It's Friday!!!

I walked in the dark, cold air this morning with the doggies. It was 28 out. Brrr. The stars and moon were gorgeous. I got a tad earlier and could have walked the extra .5 today but didn't. I did the bills instead and now I can yoga after work and before DS1, DGS, and almost DIL come over. If I didn't do the bills before work, I would have had to after work.

DS2 and I did yoga together last night. It's pretty interesting that he's doing it with me. Kodiak got into it too as he stood over DS2 and licked his face. :) Then he started crowding me. By the end, he had 1/3 of my mat and I was doing some of the poses on the bare floor. Donkey dog. ;) Boy do I love him. He's such a character.

Food is still just so-so but I'm ok with that for now. I'm really thinking of keeping up traing to be halfway in control and go full tilt after the holidays. My goal is not to gain. So if I do that, I believe I will be happy. I really don't want to seriously diet during the holidays. Just be under control. I think I can do that.

Hey, I got the grant I submitted two weeks ago. YEAH!!! It's unfortunate on the side that I'm getting to be the person to see about grants (I'm a tech person for goodness sakes) but it's good on this one as it helps the tech dept budget. But other ones are coming my way. That I don't like. Probably the reason is my grammar is impecabile for professional documents. I correct principals, teachers, etc. And I don't back down when they say it's OK. I say no, proper grammar is proper grammar. And then my grants get approved. Maybe I shouldn't open my mouth. That includes too much food. I guess my mouth is just open too much. :) :) :)

Take care.
Marie

Hi all, just a quick link to an interesting article about menopausal women losing weight about bone loss. Talks about hips and the such. Take a look.
Marie

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071102/...VXXSMP68gE1vAI

Just a quickie for me today as I'm getting ready for our Guy Fawkes party tomorrow - we're expecting 50-60 guests and from past experience they all try to squeeze into the kitchen to be near the booze and food! My DH is building a big bonfire and we have fireworks we saved from July 4th. The kids will build the "Guy" efigy. This is probably the first year that no rain is forecast so it should be fun.

I hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

I'll catch up with you later.

:hug: Good morning ladies it is a beautiful Saturday morning here downunder it rained most of the night and it looks like we are in for some more today YAY we sure need it.

Carol I guess we all have our own lingo but sometimes aussie slang can be a bit out there ;) WW is working for me I,m on the Flex or points plan I can eat whatever I want even choccy,s as long as I stay within my point range, it isn,t a diet really more of a lifestyle change cutting out all the bad habits. I was on it from Feb last year to July and got to goal then I went away to work and was missing DH so I went back to my old ways of comfort eating and put it all back on and it bought along 10 more friends, so I started again about 4wks ago and so far I,m down 6lbs so slow but steady it is coming off. You sound like your doing well with your food intake good luck with the gym equipment I hope your coping with stress and remembering to get some quality you time in when you can.

Marie, I,m with you as long as I don,t put any weight on in the holiday season I,ll be happy but I,m not going to sweat it, we don,t have Halloween or rather I don,t celebrate it or Guy Fawkes or Thanks Giving so you guys have more temptations than I do to try and stay on track, I don,t think I would be to good with something like 2 chrissy,s to much Yummy food :rolleyes :just thinking about it I,m sure I,ve gain 2lb :ink: Oh my God I,m hopeless :yikes:. I think it is great that your DS2 does Yoga with you and Kodiak too I can just picture it, the simple things in life make it all worthwhile. Good on you for getting that grant you work so hard and your good at what you do that,s why they get you to do it you :kickbutt: girl and they know it, don,t keep your mouth shut just stay the way you are I like you that way but just watch what goes in to your mouth as far as food goes try and keep it healthy ;). Oh thanks for the info on menopause very interesting I,m not on HRT I,ve been reading a book by Vernice Gabriel it tells you the foods to eat and the ones you should avoid for hot flushes and night sweats also what to eat to keep you looking young but I don,t think they are working I,m still getting wrinkles.

Penny have fun with your party all those people :dizzy: have a great weekend.

I,ve started out good, breakfast, an egg and mushrooms on 1 slice of toast, lunch, tuna salad, dinner, fish in cracked black pepper with WW,s fries and lots of veggies, snacks, fruit and yogurt.

Take care Hi Judy and Faith, bye for now all of you have a great weekend I,ll catch up with you later....Juls:grouphug:

Wow, juls, I like your present to yourself for Christmas. Perhaps I might join you and re-think my not gaining during this season and actually go for losing. A present to myself. Wow, I really, really like that.

I'm sitting in front of my fire doing work. :( but then it's done for the weekend. My new laptop should be here on Tuesday so I think what I'll do is get iTunes on DH's computer all set up for him and his new ipod (Christmas present) and put all my music on the USB hard drive so I can get it set up on my new computer quickly. Anyway, the fire is comforting and warm. In a bit, I'll do yoga and when the sun comes up I'll take the doggies out for their walk. A long one today. Maybe the whole 3 miler.

Juls, congrats on the 6 pounds. You're becoming an inspiration. Go chickie go.

Penny, enjoy your party. Sounds like a blast.

Carol, I hope things are going well wtih DH and your family. Have you enjoyed the time with you the evil ex-coworker??? I know I'm very please the guy in our office has left. Incompetent, definitely. Life is easier short-handed instead of fixing his screw ups.

Judy, how are you doing??? I thought you'd be by since you're home. Right, aren't you home for a bit? Your schedule is too confusing.

Well, back to work and the fire needs another log.
Marie

Hi, I'm back. Our two-day meeting was exhausting but productive. I think we'll be contracting with my new boss early next week. If that goes well, she'll start the first of the year, Yippee!!!!:hat: The board or directors was very appreciative of how hard I've had to work this year, but I told them that it's not over. Much of next year will be transition, also, as a new ED takes over, and needs to learn everything, meet folks, start fundraising, etc. So I can't take of my extra hats right away, but over the first half of next year....I should be much saner, in any case.

Carol, I hope the hubby is doing well. Thanks for your encouragement. You'd think that after so many years of climbing on the horse and falling off, I'd have figured out how to stay in the saddle. Well, I guess I know how, I just don't do what I need to do and stick with it.

Marie, I can't belive that you wrote "my grammar is impecabile"! :rofl: I'm home until Wednesday, when I'll be back on the Left Coast for a week.

Penny, the Guy Fawks party sounds like a lot of fun. So many people! I'm haven't had even a small party in a long time. If I stay home for Thanksgiving, I might have a gathering that weekend. If not, maybe a b-day party in December (the Big Five-Oh :encore:).

Juls, I'm glad that WW is working for you! You are really doing great. you sound like you're in a good place mentally, which is probalby helping you stay on track.

Thursday and Friday were long, long days, in the office early for the meetings and then dinner with some of the board members Wednesday and Thursday night. It was great to sleep in a bit this morning and work out. I made an elaborate spinach and lox omlette for b'fast w/half grapefruit on the side, salad with grilled beef for lunch, and almonds for a snack. I'm supposed to be houselcelaning this afternoon, but I had to pay some bills, so once I was online, I began reading email and wanted to check in here...I will weigh myself tomorrow and adjust my tracker accordingly. I really, really dislike posting a bigger number :sorry:, but maybe it will be a little better than it was earlier this week. Tomorrow I will work at the office for a bit, and continue my Holy Grail search for shoes.

Catch you later--judy

:hug: Good morning ladies, Marie your fire sounds warm and cosy I,ve got the fan on here it is quite warm already I,m not fond of the heat I,m more of an Autumn and winter person oh well can,t have everything. My kids asked me what I want for Xmas which they do every year but I always get something I don,t want so this year I thought I would give myself something I do want and need and that,s a little less of me :) at least I know I,ll get at least one thing I want and need :lol: last year my daughter asked what I would like and I said a new pair of sandels so she got me a 2lb box of chocolates, God love her her heart is in the right place she is my second DD and she is also my best friend. What sort of music are you into, my SIL asked me if I would like an MP3 player so I could listen to music when I go for my walks. Enjoy your walk and your Yoga and your fire. Thanks for the congrats and kind words, I,m even surprising myself these days.

Hey Judy, you always sound so busy hope it calms down for you sometime in the new year, :) thanks WW is working for me I have finally found something that I can stick to, I am in a good place mentally and have let go of alot of stuff that I shouldn,t have on board anyway, I can,t solve everyone elses problems and I shouldn,t be expected to, my DS gave me a pep talk and finally made me realise that my kids are adults now and they need to stand on their own 2 feet if I keep on picking up the pieces for them then they will always ask me to, very wise that DS of mine for 23 don,t know where he gets it from :smug:. Your Brekki sounded yummy and your lunch sounded nice and healthy good luck and :crossed: when you jump on those scales tomorrow I,m sure it will be good :goodscale.

Hi Penny, Carol and Faith hope your all well and staying on track :coach: :kickbutt: :rofl:.

Take care :grouphug: Juls

Morning everyone, things are going ok. I did the 3 mile walk this morning with the doggies. It was weird, someone seems to deliberately try to hit/scare me. I was on the opposite side of the road, at the edge so the doggies could water a bush and a truck drove over to the wrong side of the road, speeding up and came within 3-4 feet. Then they went back to their side of the road. I'm unsure if I should call our community watch or the sheriff. What do you all think. It was very deliberate.

Anyway, the rest of the walk was fine. I came across the lady that made me mad a couple weeks ago so when I saw her, I walked up my next door neighbor's driveway and let her past. I didn't want 2 irritants in one walk. I don't htink I'll yoga today as my back has been a little sore. A day break sounds good.

Juls, don't you sort of wonder about the loved ones giving a dieter chocolate. DS2 gave me dark choc easter bunny (a high end brand) and it's still on my dresser. He's very cute as he's wrapped in gold with a gold ribbon. But I was like, geez, that's the last thing I need. So now he's a dust collector. But like you said, their hearts are in the right place so we just thank them and love them.

Judy, excellent news on the hiring of a new boss. It takes at least a year for a new person to really understand their job, especially if the job has a cycle to it (like mine and education). But perhaps you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let's just hope the new boss isn't a train light... It's always so hard to be sure during the interview process. The manager that just left said of course he "puffed" himself up during the interview - everyone does. Geez, I'd never thought of doing that. If I couldn't do a job, I wouldn't want it. He disagreed except about how he oculdn't do the job but we should have been nicer that he was incompetent.

Today, DGS is bringin DS1 over for football Sunday. I'm excited little boy will be here. It's hard not bringing out his Christmas presents as I want to give them to him already.

I started sewing the skirt yesterday and lost the zipper so I did start the roman shade for my craft room. It has no window covering and my parents will be here in 16 days - staying in that room, so it was a good idea. I'm going to go work on them now and get it over with. Tomorrow I'll buy a new zipper for my skirt. I didn't want to drive into town.

Oh and I saw the most beautiful sunrise/setting this morning on the walk. When I crested the hill, the sun was just below the horizon and the sky was orange. The basin was cloaked in fog and the tops of mountains were crystal clear. So all these lumps were popping out of the fog with the backdrop of an orange sky. It was gorgeous. I pointed it out to the doggies but I'm thinking they didn't care. I wish I'd had a camera.
Marie

Marie - That was a scary experience with the truck. If you had a good look at it and can give a description, it might be an idea to report it. There are some real jerks out there! :mad: You are one strong-willed lady to let your easter bunny gather dust! :bunny2: :lol: I loved your description of the sunrise - you live in a truly beautiful part of the world.

Juls - I hope you get the sandals for Xmas this year instead of chocolate! Sometimes people mean well but just don't realize what a temptation it is for some of us to over-indulge!

Judy - I'm glad you're enjoying a relaxing weekend. You deserve it after all that hard work. It sounds like you are making some good food choices. I'm in the same boat not wanting to show my higher weight on the tracker (I'm up a pound). I keep hoping it's just water weight, but I think I'm kidding myself! :^: I usually gain over the winter, but this year the "hibernation weight" has piled on early!

Carol - I hope everything is going ok for your DH. I'll be thinking of him next week.

I hope everyone else is doing well.

I survived the party but my willpower didn't hold out very well and I ended up eating waaaay too much. I had really bad indigestion and didn't sleep much, so I guess it was self-inflicted! :nono: Today is the first day of the rest of my life, so I'm going to practice more self-control - I need to slap myself upside the head and get back on track pronto! :club:

Everyone had a good time and the weather was great - no rain and not too cold. We've had incredible sunny weather here for the past week or so and it should last at least till next Thursday.

:hug: G,day ladies, hope you are all feeling and doing great, OH Marie what an awful thing :censored: damn trucks they think they own the road I think you should report it but with out a licence plate I don,t think there is much they can do, I wonder if maybe he dozed off and woke up in time to notice he was on the wrong side of the road, and then the lady that got you :mad: a couple of weeks ago boy what a morning :( I would have a day off do something that relaxes you :) what a beautiful sunrise you described with only your puppys to share it with but its little things like those that make you glad to be apart of the bigger picture :goodvibes.

Penny, I would love the sandels, but I would really like them to get me a :tread:, there is enough of them so if they all put in $50 each and DH puts in the rest they can get me one they have them here for $398, Doc said it be so much better for me the roads here are so uneven and at times when I want to push myself that little bit further I can,t because my hip and leg starts to complain. As far as the choccy goes last year it wasn,t to bad I opened them and had 1 and the kids and grandkids and DH ate the rest I asked DD why she bought them and her reply was she loves her cuddly mum and just wants me to be happy. I,m glad you had a nice party don,t worry to much about the overeating today is a new day winter is when I put on bulk weight to I love my creamy curries.

Carol my thought and prayers are with you and your DH take care.

Judy hope your well.

Faith if your still out there hope your doing OK and staying focused.

Well I,m off going to clock up some miles on the indoor bike, had a good brekki,2 slices raisin toast and coffee see how the rest of the day goes.

TAKE CARE BYE FOR NOW :grouphug:...JULS

Hubbies surgery is canceled until most likely tues. we are to get a call today. Another emergency bumped us out of his spot can't say he was to sorry. I am different I want it done and over with when its me. Just do it. But he is pleased with a little extra time and being his is more major that makes a difference too. So its like he has been granted a little extra time to finish up what he wants to and spend Bears first birthday going for a little stroll down by the water banks today. Yes Bear has made it one year wow how time has gone by so quickly he is a cutie but has been tons of work and still is at times. Yesterday we celebrated the GS's birthdays I cooked pulled pork thank goodness for crockpots. Then did a baked chicken pan breast drums etc. I also put together an ice cream cake with the boys choices added in sour gummie worms even my 40 yr. old BIL wanted a worm hah hah. Then made a jewish apple cake too. I did pretty good for my intake. Didn't write it down but didn't over do. I pushed myself to keep my schedule with workingout in the a.m. at the gym before the gathering now that had to count for something huh. I am trying to get into a schedule and then it all seems to come together. I am going to make the most of my work day and try to pump out some upcoming reports. My work has been wonderful with my family leave etc. and I also am trying to work with it and get all my own work done so it benefits them and me. This way I won't use up all my sick time just in case in the future I need it. One other girl is going to join the others oh well what can yah do I really like working with her and will miss that. But understand more money for her and she has only been with us for 6 months or so. I did worn her to not get mixed up in the actions of them and just becareful cause their not as friendly as they may appear. I felt the need to tell her and if it gets back to them oh well guess what they deserve it thats the name they made for theirselves. But I don't miss them had to talk to one on the phone the other day about business a client switching over to her . She said oh you and your hubby will be in my prayers I thought oh with that I am a bit scared just what kind of good vibes are you going to send us?????? Well Marie I am going to ck out that site this a.m. about menopause wt. etc. I have added flaxseed into my breakfast this a.m. its suppose to really help us and you can add it to anything. This a.m. it got throw in to my oatmeal. Congrats on your grant. Juls your so funny I love having you back!!! Marie a little dark bunny could be good for you they say just an ear maybe? As long as he is dark!!!
Judy yah think we would all learn but its tough making changes to our way of life isn't easy as there are more choices out there than ever before for so many things. Years ago people just had normal choices we are given thousands of many brands, types and kinds to choose from no wonder we are a little yo yo style once in awhile I guess its just life. Hopefully most of the time we stay on the right road and only take a little turn for a bit. Good luck.
Intake plans: oatmeal with walnuts, 1 tsp. br. sugar, cinnamon and flaxseed
Snack an tangerine
Lunch: baked chicken br. one half in romanie lett. , few garlic croutons and a little cheese. Olive oil and vinegar dressing. One apple with a little peanut butter on the side 1 tb.
Dinner: Pulled pork on a little roll and some broc. steamed, baked beans 1/2 cup.
Have a great day going to try to fit the gym in today instead of tues.....

Monday, Monday...hope everyone is doing well today. I enjoyed the extra sleep yesterday and today. I went ahead and changed my ticker to focus on my short-term, minimal goal for the end of the year. I worked out everyday, although just for 25 minutes so far today. My food choices have been okay. Today I had an egg, a little sliced ham and sugar snap peas for b'fast, and trail mix for a snack. I'll have a cup of cabbage soup and a Lean Cuisine for lunch, hummus and sliced veggies for afternoon snack, and a beef patty with veggies for dinner. If I can get out of work at a reasonable time, I'll ride the exercise bike for a while tonight.

Carol, I'm like you, I'd rather go and get it over with than to toss and turn in bed nights, waiting. I'm getting the hang of incorporating ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil into my days, but it's hard when I'm on the road.

Juls, I hope you get your treadmill! It's great having one in front of your own TV, you can hop on whenever the mood strikes you.

Marie, I would definitely speak up about the crazy driver, even if you don't have enough details to lodge a formal complaint. If this was deliberate, the same person is probably scaring other pedestrians as well. It would be important that the police are able to identify a pattern, but they won't be able to if no one says anything. I'm glad that the sunrise helped you put this ugly business into perspective.

Penny, the leaves are really beginning to fall here, you can hear them almost jumping off the trees, and I thought of your Guy Fawkes party with envy. Is today the second day of the rest of your life, or did you start over again this morning?

Okay, lunch break is over, gotta buckle down, lots to accomplish today and tomorrow...

judy

:hug: G,day ladies hope your all well and feeling gorgeuos :belly:.

Hey Carol I love being back to I missed the support and friendship I get here from you ladies :hug: my thought and prayers are with you and your DH as always I know you want to get it over with and he probably does to but a little reprieve is OK he can do the little things he need,s to do and enjoy your puppy for a bit longer as he will have to take it very slowly when he comes home from the op. I,m sure the other girl going over to the dark side with those charming ladies that left is a bit sad if you worked well with her but everything happens for a reason, and I think you telling her to be careful is a good thing and if she does run with tales to the others then maybe it is good she is going to. You seem to be staying on track and it is good when things just seem to fall into place and all come together.

Hi Judy I hope I get my treadmill to it would be wonderful well I,ve put out hints and :crossed: but my hinting has never worked before I don,t know why they ask me what I would like in the first place they don,t seem to listen :rolleyes: but it would be OOOOOH so good I can just see me now running to meet Mel Gibson in Braveheart, aaaaahh fantasy. You look like your doing good your choices are nice and healthy and slow and steady is good.

I had a good day, a fruit muffin with WW fruit of the forest jam and coffee, a toasted cheese sandwich and an apple for lunch, a small chicken breast with a honey and soy glaze on a bed of broccoli, cauli, and green beans and a yogurt for dinner. Started this moring off with fruit toast and coffee.

Take care, Hi Penny & Marie hope your well it looks like Faith has gone MIA.

BYE FOR NOW....:grouphug:...JULS

Well today is the hubbies rescheduled surgery. He seemed more prepared the other day mind wise. I am a bit sorry that it isn't behind us today but in front of us. It will be fine just a little nerve racking. I never had so many hot flashes and restless sleep tonight I hope is better. I am taking lots of stuff to keep me busy for the down and wait time at the hospital. My oldest daughter will meet me there and then I will have her to chat with. After work my other daughter will be up too. The first two days will be the worst of it then on to a good recovery and hope he sees and feels some difference.
Judi good for you with the cabbage soup I have to make some. I love that and its so good for us. Next week I will do that. Good for you taking control.I will have to ck on the flaxseed oil. How do you use it? In salads or cooking ?
If anyone would like extra leaves I have plenty. One end of my yard is really pretty the ground is all gold from the leaves then the 6 apple trees still have their green leaves quite pretty.
Marie so scary with that driver. You surely wonder what gets into some folks. If you ever see that car again in your trails you should get the info. and report him in.
Juls I think the company is trying to counter offer the coworker hopefully it helps if not we tried. She asked me yesterday about getting together in the spring to kayak. I think that says alot she is my daughters ages but guess she doesn't think of age that way. Nice girl. If she goes I will miss her but will be greatful for our time with her. Things do happen for a reason most of the time. Not so on track last night the hubby had chips out and I got into them nervous eating isn't good. Today I will try to be better. So far had my toast and packed a fiber one bar for the hospital. I will take a bottle of water too. Trying to get that into my day. Yesterday water wasn't up as good as it should of been. I saw you had a toasted ch. sandwich. I was watching a cooking channel my favorite thing on the tv and they used olive oil brushed on the bread instead of butter? I haven't tried it yet but want to soon. Not sure how it will work out maybe i should do a half at a time.
Have a good day girls and I would trade places with any of you today. But I will be strong and supportive and on wed. beable to look back and say well we made it through day one.

:hug: Hey Carol I,m sending you an :angel: to watch over you and your DH and you are both in my prayers and when it is all done you will look back and say well another bump in the road we sailed over. I hope she takes the counter offer and stays from what you say she doesn,t seem to be in the same league as the others that left she sounds nice so for your sake I hope she accepts the offer. The toasted cheese was WW,s cheese and if I have cheese I don,t have butter or marg, I have tried the olive oil Yum I brush it on vienna bread and bake it until it is just crispy, if I,m in the mood for potato chips I make 2 slices of this or sweet potato chips instead, 2 slices with cabbage soup for lunch is good to. You can keep your leaves the Eucalyptus from the neighbours are enough for me to clean up at least they smell good ;).

Hi Judy I haven,t tried flaxseed oil either same question as Carol how do you use it. I love my cabbage soup and always make a pot of it to keep in the fridge, it is so filling and I can eat as much as I want with a no point value.

I weighed in this morning and I,m down another 2lbs Mr :devil: scales was kind and the tape measure says I,ve lost 2ins off my waist and 2ins off my butt which is good I,m a classic pear shape so my butt is always rounded :lol:. Don,t worry about the chips Carol your intitled to indulge a little bit you,ll get back on track when DH is back in the ward after his OP and starts towards a full recovery.

Hi Penny and Marie hope you are well. Take care everyone :wave: :grouphug:

JULS

Carol - I've been thinking of you and your hubby today and hope all is going well. I can only imagine the kind of stress you both must be going through, but as you say, it will get easier with each passing day. I hope your company can hold on to your coworker, she sounds very nice. We have plenty of leaves, thank you very much! In fact I brought some home that blew into my trunk from my friend's house! :lol: She lives in a place called Oak Hills. Now I know why - they were oak leaves which we don't have around here (tons of maple leaves though).

Juls - Congratulations on losing another 2 lbs.! :dancer: You are a real inspiration and always upbeat! I love cabbage too and we had some savoy cabbage yesterday with a chicken breast schnitzel. I use the thin ready-sliced breast meat which is very tender. Instead of a carb I made some zucchini, mushrooms and onions with a little Italian seasoning and a lot of garlic - yum! It was so much food, I didn't even miss the potato or pasta. I'm a "pear" too. Even looking at old photos when I was a slim teenager, I still was a "pear". I thought I was fat at the time, but was really just curvy. I'd be glad to have that figure back! I hope my scale will be as cooperative as yours on Friday (my weigh-in day).

Judy - I start my life over every day! :lol: Trouble is, I keep making the same mistakes with each new day :^:. All the stress from the party and the upcoming bazaar is giving me the munchies all the time.

Marie - I hope everything is well with you.

I had a 4 hour organizational meeting today for the bazaar that's in two weeks time. So many little details to iron out. We're aiming at serving 550 teas this year and have a record amount of crafts to sell. We had a potluck lunch with too many tasty items and I went overboard and had a big piece of rum cake with whipped cream :yikes:. It's like I'm hypnotized when I see all that food and all my good intentions fly out the window. I always "intend" to eat the healthy foods, but can't seem to resist the fattening stuff these days. I'm going to have to develop a plan to deal with being around food so I can stay in control. Any good ideas (other than getting my lips sewn together)???

wow girls I never want to repeat that day again. We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am and ck'd hubby in. He really wasn't in to good of spirits but I knew that it was really rough on him. Never had any surgery or hospital stays before. Then we had to sit and wait til 3 before they took him down after prep etc. he never got started til 4:30 we heard at 7:30 it was almost over and he had done well. Then the doc came up he looked as exhausted as I felt. In fact said to me see him and go home you have had a long day. He said all was well and the skin color etc. was really good and he felt things were just as expected. We waited another 45 min. Then we were able to see him not a pretty sight by any means oh so sad. But his color was good and he was pretty knocked out. My girls were both with me form late afternoon on. They went and picked up food etc. and were good company. My son and I were in contact throughout the time by cell thank good ness for that cell stuff. I got home and went straight to bed after some calls took a little something to knock me out. Got up this a.m. called the hospital the girl said he was a bit freaked out when he woke with all the stuff on him but then she explained and he seems to be better. They say he is doing great surgery wise which is good. I decided to go to work for the a.m. til 11:30. Yesterdy I did about 4.5 hrs. of paperwork there and wrote a couple of reports. So I am saving my time for next week mostly off to care for him. I don't think he will be home til saturday or sunday due to the fact that he had such a late surgery. The parking is an arm and leg about 14 a day. Wow. But we will do what we have too and thats be there. Todays visiting hrs. are 12-3 and 6-8.
Unless they move him downstairs 2-8. Well the food thing yesterday wasn't great by any means. Breakfast 2 toast, lunch sloppy joe on a 1/2 roll, instant potatoes, froz. veggies, Dinner an indian roll with rice and hot peppers, chicken slivers in it good but high in cals. Hand full of bad potatoe chips when I got home. Put those out of my sight now they were right out and first thing I grabbed with a stressful moment. Well I will be making some lovely soup for next week when the hubby comes home. His brother is coming into town and we will have extra people floating in and out I am sure. So soup goes far tastes great and with a salad and some crispy bread it will make a meal.
Gotta fly.

Carol - I'm glad the anxious waiting is now behind you and that your DH's surgery went well. I'll keep your hubby in my prayers for a quick recovery. It's downright cruel that they made him wait so long in the hospital before he had the operation. It's nice that you have family nearby to give you moral support. Don't be too hard on yourself for your food choices at this stressful time. You'll be able to jump right back on the wagon once things settle down.

:hug: Carol I,m sending you and your family all my thoughts and prayers it sounds like everything went well I know it must of been hard having such a long wait but I think that it is the same everywhere, down here you go in in the morning and get done in the afternoon it sounds stupid but it is easier for hospital staff I guess. Don,t even sweat it with your eating habits that is the last thing you need to concern yourself with at the moment you have plenty of time to get back on track when DH gets home and your idea of making a big pot of soup with some salad and crusty bread is great, it was good you had your girls there with you and that you could keep in touch with your son, mobile phones can be annoying but they are a God send in an emergency or to keep people upto date. Take care :hug:

Hi Penny hope your well and fighting fit.

G,day Marie and Judy how you both doin.

Well it is 2.00 o.clock in the morning here I suppose I better go to bed and try to get some sleep insomnia sucks.

JULS

Juls - I'm in the insomnia club too. It's amazing how many people I know who are up at 2am or 3am! I sometimes get up and have a cup of chamomile tea, but of course that usually results in a bathroom trip later on! :lol: I've read that not getting enough sleep causes weight gain. At least I have another excuse!

Carol - I hope your hubby is starting to feel a bit better. How are you doing?

Marie and Judy - how are you guys? I hope everything is well with you.

I'm still struggling with the recent weight gain. I'm up another .5 lb. today so I will have to change my ticker to keep me honest. I was hoping it's just water weight but I can only kid myself for so long. I really don't think I've been eating all that much more (except for the big piece of cake the other day). I'm getting nervous about the "slippery slope" I'm on. To think I was down to 185 just before my trip to the UK. :(

G,day Penny hey don,t sweat it you,ll get there again, just look at how far you,ve come already 32lbs girl that great hey when I get there I,m going to chuck a party I would go dance naked in the street but I think they would arrest me for cruel and unusual punishment to the public, what lies under these clothes oooooh scary LOL, anyway when life throughs you lemons make lemonade OH they are also good for keeping weight down a squeeze of lemon juice in a glass of cold water in the morning is great. I have heard that not enough sleep can cause weight gain to, sounds good another excuse but just something else to grab onto when we don,t want to admit that maybe it is our eating habits and nothing more, I know what you mean about the camomile tea and a trip to the bathroom later on, but the tea doesn,t do much for me in ways of sleeping just relaxing and tastes good LOL.

Hi Carol thinking of you and your family hope all is well.

Hi Judy and Marie hope you are both fine.

Well I,m off to Sydney for my birthday on Sunday and to catch up with friends and family, I don,t have access to a computer there but I,ll try to check in when I can, I,ll get a little culture and some knowledge and go to the Library and use the computer there.

Take care everyone, bye for now

JULS

Hey, I'm still around. I haven't been able to connect to the hotel wireless, so I'm giving up and using my Blackberry. It's a good trip so far. I'm heading to Seattle Saturday night. I bought a MadDog external drive, which allows me to do my cardio videos on my laptop. My food choices need to be better....

Carol, I'm glad things are going well on your end. I hope everyone has a good weekend! I'll do personals when I can sit ata computer and really enjoy the reading and the writing.

Be well--judy

Happy Birthday Juls! :bday2: I hope you have fun in Sydney. Boy, I bet it's changed since we lived there in the 70's! Thanks for the pep talk - I needed it badly! I was feeling very down about it yesterday but I've given myself another kick in butt :kickbutt: and maybe one of these :frypan: and I'm determined to turn things around. I'm going to cut drastically back on carbs and drink green tea instead of coffee.

Judy - Good to hear from you. You must rely on your Blackberry a lot. I guess it's hard to get good internet service in some places. I hope your trip is going well.

Carol, Marie & Emma - I hope you are all doing ok.

I'm off to Curves to make up for not going yesterday. I'm going to put some extra effort in to try and burn off some of this regained fat! :dizzy:

This afternoon we're going to a memorial for a friend's husband who recently passed away after a long battle with Parkinson's.

Hi everyone,

I don't know where to begin other than the accident. On Monday morning I was in an accident. Visibility was about 15 ft. because of fog and the stupid farmers burned their field the night before so it was thick smoke. The two mixed and caused a mess. About 19 cars involved in 4 separate accidents. I was the first accident as the idiot I hit seemed stopped on the highway. I had no warning. By the time I got my airbag off my face, she was gone. Yes she left the scene of the accident. My Darth Jeep saved my life. The damage on it is extreme but since it was new, it held its value and they are going to fix it. I sort of begged the insurance woman who is managing the case as well as the adjuster. I'm bruised and achy but it's minor. It was absolutely horrible. I called 911 within a minute of my accident and I's screaming on the phone that I can hear more accidents behind me. Sort of like explosions. I called them back 12 minutes later begging for them to get someone from the truck stop to block the highway as the accidents were still going on. A man died and that's been **** to deal with. I was the first accident and it took till Tuesday afternoon for me to understand why everyone said I didn't cause it all (police and others that were able to stop). I couldn't see the accidents behind me. I could only hear them. So if I couldn't see them, they couldn't see me. They had their own accident. And two vehicles did stop behind me. Anyway, it's been the worst week of my life but I still have a life so that counteracts it pretty good. Then on Tuesday a gravel truck launched a big rock into the windshield of our Durango. I just paid for the new windshield as I wasn't going to file 2 insurance claims 2 days in a row. Since the beginning of the week, I've just been recovering.

So when I was reading the past posts, I remembered the sunrise on Sunday. It was that fog that was so pretty that was horribly ugly on Monday. The fog and the smoke. I don't think fog will ever be pretty again.

And I'm going to sell my sports car. It's cute but I'm not attached to it and I won't drive it. If I'd been in it, I wouldn't be writing. So we're going to sell it once Darth returns in a month (estimated time line). Poor DH is driving it and I took his Durango. I want big around me.

Ok, enough on that for now. I'm a little screwed up mentally from it so it'll come back again. I'm betting Penny saw the reports. I was told I was on National news but since our paper has insinuated I started it all (and in a different time I could have), I refused to read the news. My co-workers told they saw me on the national news but knew I was darting away from the media.

So I'm typing this on my absolutely wonderful little laptop. My macbook arrived on Monday (I picked it up from work on Tuesday). I gave DH his Christmas present (an iPod Nano) since he's been so wonderful this week. I am very blessed. So the macbook. I really, really love it. The screen is so crystal clear. DH commented this morning how clear it is. I've been working a little on getting iTunes all set up. I have a short playlist done so far that is currently playing over and over, probably driving DH nuts. I put an audio book on it. I couldn't listen to the one I was listening to on Monday. I wanted a lightweight happy one. So in a bit, I'll make a longer playlist and sync it.

Carol, through everything this week, I did keep you and your DH in my mind and prayed for you. I was relieved when I read the surgery went good. I hope your liked co-worker stays. Too bad she doesn't see the bad part of those other people. If she does move on, she'll regret it eventually.

Penny, I start my diet everyday lately. Except this week when I have had no interest in eating. I guess the accident was good for something. I can tell my pants are looser. But you are not alone. We're all in the same boat. Some times we go months being angels but then, bam, off the track we go. I truly believe the weight loss and maintenance is life long war. Not a battle.

Juls, way to go on the 2 pounds. You're cruising!!!! And happy birthday. Tell your Dear Family what you want for Christmas. No hints. Just tell them outright. I really like my treadmill and am thankful it is here when I can't walk outside. I did restart walking yesterday and today. Yoga on Thursday and DS2 will yoga with my this afternoon.

Speaking of yoga, remember I started it for flexibility and balance for the ski season so that falls wouldn't hurt so much. As much as I'm not a big yoga fan, I won't give it up for anything. I was sore for 24 hrs and just my neck was a little stiff by Wednesday. My hands are screwed up but yoga couldn't have fixed that. I do credit Darth Jeep and yoga for keeping me flexible and not achy.

Judy, I'm sorry you had to change your ticker. One thing you should be proud of is that your facing it. How often when we go off track do we pretend the scale doesn't exist and we blow everything we had accomplished? I'm the Queen of that (I haven't stepped on the scale in about 6 weeks - but I'm gauging everything be my clothes which are roomy still - I was getting obsessed with the white box). So be proud that you're still fighting the war - you just lost a minor skirmish.

Last bit of the bad week. Blizzard's paw is sick again. I had to bring her back to the vet yesterday afternoon. Two months off the antibiotics and bam, it's back.

And the good news of the week - DS1 is flying to Reno next week for an interview. He'd had a phone interview with them last week and he liked the job but it wasn't entry level and they didn't sound too interested so he wrote it off. Even though he doesn't have the work experience, he did have experience in the programming language and he'd sent them work samples of what he'd created. During the phone interview they said they'd look at them. And apparently they did and like what they saw. So keep him in your thoughts on the 20th. Reno is pretty close and the job would be wonderful.

Time for lunch. So I'll try to be back tomorrow.
Marie

Marie, what a horrendous experience! I'm so glad you're not seriously hurt.:hug: You must still be very shaken up by the whole experience. I remember hearing about the accident. I'm sure the burning fields didn't help with the visibility. So strange that the person in the car you hit drove off. It can get very foggy here too - sometimes quite suddenly. At least you have your little laptop to take your mind off it a bit. I hope Blizzie's foot gets better soon, you don't need any extra stress right now. Thanks for reminding me that we're on a life-long weight loss journey so we're bound to have ups and downs. I'm hoping for more "downs"! I'll keep my fingers crossed that your DS1 gets the job (that's if he likes it). Reno isn't too far from you guys.

I hope everyone else is doing ok.

The memorial was much easier than I expected - I was kind of dreading it. Not having had any really close relatives or friends pass away before (except some aunts and uncles in the UK which is too far away to go) I've never been to a funeral or a 'wake'. The family had some refreshments out and a poster board with photos of my friend's hubby before he got sick. We sang a bluegrass song "Will the Circle be Unbroken" and Amazing Grace. Everyone was in good spirits as they told stories about Ken. It's good that he was able to be cared for at home for the last years of his life (pretty much a full time job for his son-in-law). Ken's widow was very brave and made everyone feel welcome as she shared happy memories of their life together.

My food choices have been better today and I'm joining a challenge at Curves next week. The challenge is to maintain or lose during the holiday season. I'll be weighing in on Monday. Wish me luck!

Hi all, things are going pretty good. I overdid it on Saturday and yesterday I was sore. I sort of re-strained my ankle (the brake pushing one) when I twisted it on a rock walking the dogs on Saturday. I used the treadmill yesterday so it's better today. Just my left ring finger is still screwed up. So I'm recovering pretty good.

Food yesterday was atrocious. I knew I was being bad after dinner and didn't care. I'm thinking of checking my healt program to see if it's that time of the month again. I'm betting that was it. PMS eating.

Exercise still on track. Walked and yoga'ed yesterday. I did a bit of stained glass. I'm making a bunch of stained glass hummingbird feeders for our families. Too much work, but since I have the supplies - it's cheap. And after the $1000 deductible for Darth Jeep, that's important.

Well, I need to get back to work (from home as it's my day off). Just thought I'd say hi.

I hope all is going good for all of you.
Marie

Wow...Marie, I am so glad to hear that you're alright! We see multi-car crashes all the time, but don't think about the mental fallout for the folks in the first cars. Thank God that the results weren't worse, and that you are recovering. If you'd left five minutes earlier or ten minutes later, someone else would have been the driver that "caused" the accident. I hope the idiot who fled the scene is up nights wracked with guilt. I hope you're able to do whatever you need to do to feel safe and centered. When I'm stressed and tired I'm more likely to stub my toes, cut my finger, and otherwise be more of a klutz.

Carol, I hope your hubby is continuing to recover as well. And that you're taking care of yourself. I was astonished to read that your hubby's never stayed in a hospital before! This is all very scary and stressful. I hope the extended family will give you the comfort and support you need.

Juls, did you have a wonderful time in Sydney? Happy belated b-day! I would love to visit Sydney someday. Everyone says it's a remarkable city.

Penny, you gave me a good idea...I still have my Curves six-week challenge stuff. Now that the last of my big trips is almost over, that's something that I could do to charge through to the end of the year, and would definitely get me a jump start, despite more travel and the holidays. I'm very excited now that I think about it (although I purely hate all that counting of carbs, proteins, fat and calories). It will also help me practice keeping my protein levels up without relying so much on big slabs of meat.

The weather is horrible in Seattle today, cold, windy and rainy. I'll be running around to meetings today and tomorrow, and it would help if things cleared up. Folks are more likely to cancel on me,and it will be harder to catch a cab. Oh, well. Time to workout before heading off to the first appointment. My food choices were better yesterday, but this wet chill makes me crave comfort food...Penny and Marie, I don't know how you do it!

judy

Girls I didn't read back to what I have missed here sorry. But did catch Marie you were in an accident wow how scary. Glad your going to be okay. Never a dull moment. And I seem to have a real grasp for the unexpected lately. I have had a very rough last week and wow so has the hubby. This experience is one we never want to relive not even a moment of it. From the surgery and them leaving in a little piece of their equipment some little plastic thing small in size but still the scary thing knowing something is in there that doesn't belong and the unknown if it will cause any harm down the road. Currently he is still in the hospital suppose to be around 4-5 days now shooting for 7. He went through some very rough times and it was extremly hard for us to watch thank goodness most of it he doesn't remember at this time. He is still there and is on oxygen still and hopefully can get off soon then he can come home. Well exercise has been my hallways of the hospital my junt up the staircase to the second floor instead of the elevator and my walking to the car. I have been trying to avoid the parking garage as I think I currently own a beam in it along with my daughter too. The girls have been great helping out one came over without me asking and prepared the house for his home coming. He will return with a walker instead of his cane at this time. My support from my family and friends and coworkers has been great. The insurance great coverage along with my company being great letting me work from home, office and the hospital. So far I have only used up 5 sick hrs. Well the food front hasn't been an issue actually sometimes I forget to eat crazy as it may sound. But last night I took my daughter after the hospital visit to dinner at a favorite Italian Rest. and ate some good food and have half for todays dinner I will have before going to the hospital. Haven't used the scale or gotten to the gym. Well take care everyone just wanted you to know I am okay and will return soon to trying to be healthy. After seeing so much heart surgery patients I can tell you chips are about as far off my mind as the moon and desserts to at this pt. really does make yah think about food a bit differently. Miss my site here!!

Carol, I sure hope they took their equipment back out. I thought that they inventoried everything used in surgery, then re-inventoried after they're done. How do they make that mistake??? I'm very sorry you've had to go through this. I do know what you mean about not eating - the accident did that too.

Judy, I totally agree about being more of a klutz when I'm injured. I'm living proof of that. Where Penny lives and where I live are pretty different. This is our rainy season but it's actually a desert. I could never live in Portland or Seattle. I need sun. Lots of it.

My hands are still pretty sore, but I'll live. Luckily typing isn't an issue. :) Work was irritating this morning and I'm guessing it was more so since I didn't get up to exercise. That'll teach me. Tomorrow I'm up and out of bed. Either the treadmill or the headlamp for a doggie walk. Probably the treadmill as I'd have to bandage Blizzie's paw before going out. Too much for the morning. I'm trying to convince myself to get on the exercycle or the treamill. But perhaps a day off won't hurt. See how I'm not convincing myself very well????

Food was fine today. Still only wanting/eating bland foods. I did walk yesterday with doggies and DH and then DS2 and I did yoga. No yoga today. If I do it everyday, it makes my back a little sore.

Well, all is good on the Darth Jeep front. We received the ins. check to give to the Auto Body Shop. DH is going to bring that over tomorrow. I talked to them and they said the parts were starting to roll in. The estimate list of parts was 3 pages long. Seems pretty thorough.

Well, I should do something... Oh, I got the funniest email today that I'm going to convert to a webpage, then I'll post the link. It's the grumpy hallmark card lady and dieting.
Marie

Carol - It's absolutely inexcusable that they left something in your DH that shouldn't be there! As Marie says, they are supposed to account for every little thing before and after the surgery. You must have both been going through a terrible time this past week. I hope that each day gets a bit easier and that your hubby makes a quick recovery. I'm keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers.

Judy - Yes, it has been rainy and cold here lately. I've been making some stews which are actually not that bad calorie-wise and very filling. I started the Curves challenge yesterday and was dismayed that when I weighed in on their scale I was up almost 10 lbs. from my lowest weight a few months ago :(. Hopefully the challenge is what I need to get my act together. I'm counting my calories more carefully - especially the "little" snacks!

Marie - I hope your hands soon feel better. Traumatic events tend to make me eat less too but that's not the way we want to lose weight! Hopefully they'll get your jeep fixed quickly, it's no fun to be without your favorite wheels.

Juls & Emma - I hope all is well with you.

I've been busy with last minute organizing for our bazaar and tea this coming
Saturday. I'll be soooo glad when it's over. One of my friends said today it's like D-Day minus 3! The set-up is on Friday and I'll be so glad to get all the stuff I've been storing out of my house!

Girls it isn't right and yes from what I am told that is how its suppose to be a ck before and after. Well to my info. it most of been missing in the end and they couldn't find it. So they all did what they could and sewed him up. The next day sent him for a CTscan and said its on the vense side which is much less likely to cause any issues thats what they say anyways. I have requested an incident report copy and will be contacting a lawyer just to be on the safe side. I haven't told my hubby its in there yet as he is still recoverying and I don't want to cause extra stress. But they say it will imbed itself in the tissue and then tissue will grow over it not causing issues. One can only pray he can't go through this again thats for sure this was so hard on him. The doctor has a wonderful track record of like 11,ooo surgeries without this ever happening whats the chances we were the ones 1 out of 11,000 pretty sad huh? Well on the good side hopefully it won't cause any issues its very tiny. It is a little plastic piece which rides on a wire which the piece helps the wire go from bent to straight. I have been encouraged by many to contact a lawyer and what can it hurt? So I guess I will try to do that today the doctors office said it would be 4 weeks before the committee generates a report on this from the hospitals board. Meanwhile if a lawyer is involved and a second opinionl maybe quicker? Who knows. On the dietary front I haven't been to bad not using the scale but will plan on it by friday. I have to do the hubbies wt. and temp everyday for the next month and chart it. I will be glad when today is over the last day I have to give him shots he said I hurt him and I feel so bad its awful and stressful on my end too. So hopefully this is it on them it is to thin the blood so we don't have clotting and strokes etc...... Now we don't need that happening thats for darn sure.
Marie sounds like their on a move to fix your car. Boy never a dull one huh? Glad your coming around to feeling a little better though. I took Bear for a walk last night around the property it was nice walking in the leaves crunching under my shoes. Haven't gotten to the gym gee I wonder why? I will though this first week he is to have someone here 24 hrs a day just in case of an emergency or he falls etc. PT is coming in again today and then she is hopefully going to be here for 10 visits currently the hubby has a walker and we'd like him back using his cane.
Penny I agree it is inexcusable for this to happen now adays with so many reasons for it not to happen. But now it has and we will have to deal with it just one more thing to do and worry about I guess. I just pray it stays right where it is and have not been able to research it online of what I was told but will hopefully later today. I have been working some at home and have a meeting today. Then will take off friday fully and work from home for a couple hrs. mon. tues. and wed. My company has been wonderful and my insurance from the bills flying is seems to be covering things quite nicely wow is it expensive. Well hopefully next time I can be more cheerful but it feels good to relieve some of my thoughts. Thanks for all of your support everyone it means a ton and I do depend on this thread to vent and try to live a healthier lifestyle. After seeing some of those folks in that heart unit wow yah think about doing what yah should do maybe I should visit weekly? Nah!
Take care and I will ck in again soon.

Carol, I need to stop by the hospital to pick up some x-rays, but maybe I should visit the cardiac ward first, to remind myself of why the journey matters :rolleyes:. I'm glad that you're able to check in with us, despite how tense and busy you must be right now. Thank you! I'm glad you contacted a lawyer, but I hope it won't be necessary.

Penny, I can't get over how varied the temp and terrain is on the West Coast! You guys have it all, deserts, rainforests, mountains, beaches...how did you end up in the dreary bit :p Have fun this weekend, and no snacking!

Marie, I hope things continue to improve. Poor Blizzie.

More later, or in the morning, time to run for the bus!

judy

Hi everyone. What a busy week. My co-worker and I hadn't been able to schedule real interviews for our open position so I volunteered to do a "weeding out" quickie interview. I was so impressed with one that I made my co-worker meet with the lady this afternoon. He's now doing reference checks and will offer the position. She's a great fit. the first time in forever that I didn't have any pink or red flags waving at me. I'm at a conference tomorrow for work (over the mountain and through the woods...) and then I'm off all next week. My parents will be here on Tuesday. They haven't visited in 6 years. Eeks.

Carol, I'd contact a lawyer without a doubt. To be honest, that seems inexcusable. It's best to protect your husband's rights from the beginning. I'm so sorry you've had to go through this. When will he be released from the hospital?

Judy, the west coast is a myriad of climates. Olympia Nat'l Park is amazing for all of the climates. Ocean, rainforest, mountains, it's unbelievable. Too bad the weather ahs been yucky while you're up there.

Penny, I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. The set-up and then d-day. I hope you take a breath and have a good time.

Juls, how are things going???

The weather is to be rainy and yucky (probably snowy over the mountain pass) for tomorrow's drive. I wish I didn't have to go. Driving is not my favorite pastime these days. I'll have my big Durango and I know where the lever is for the 4 wheel drive. At least I'll be rewarded for a trip to Costco. I'm running a little short on a few items.

I'm starting to do better mentally. I was happy and laughing most of the day. I did have a dream about the accident at 3 am, and couldn't get back to sleep (too much work started floating through my mind). So I got up and took the dogs out by 4. Then DH and I commuted together making it so I didn't have to drive at all today. And I made him grocery shop with me. We bought a 26 pound monster turkey. :) He thought that was excessive. Me, I just thought more yummy white meat.

So now off to do more surfing on my cute little laptop. I haven't had a chance in days.
Marie

Marie, congratulations on finding the right person! She will be smart to sign up with you. You'd be fun to work with.

It's a quiet day on our thread, huh? I hope that's because everyone is out doing something good. I just came back from the podiatrist. My foot is continuing to improve, but she thinks it will take another month or more before it's back 100%. Oh, and now I have something to look forward to: I'll definitely be a candidate for hammertoe surgery down the line :(. I mentioned that it's a problem for other women in my mom's family, and asked what I could do (as my toes are already starting to look weird). She looked at my toes and said, flatly, "Nothing. You can try over-the-counter aids, but eventually you'll be needing a bone saw." :eek:

Wow, that was so alarming I pressed the submit button by mistake! Anyway, I like her directness, but geez, now's the time a little equivocation would be a good thing.

My shipment of seafood from the Pike Place Market arrived yesterday, :woohoo: Salmon (of course), tilapia, scallops and catfish, all for my freezer. I stopped by my old Curves to buy their chocolate shake mix, so I can join Penny in the six-week challenge. I usually have Whole Foods or Aria protein powder around but those work best in the blender--with frozen fruit. The Curves mix dissolves pretty well in a simple ice-cube shake. Once I buy some produce , I'll be set for healthy eating again. And I found a meatless "Jerquee" that is actually tasty, unless my bar is now so low that I've learned to enjoy less-awful vegetarian products. With 165 calories, 7 carbs and 14 proteins (but alas, 9 grams o' fat), it "contains all the hearty chewing pleasure of real jerky, without the high concentrations of sterols, antibiotics, growth hormones and nitrates." Ohh, yum! Marie, shall I mail you a sample? :lol:

judy

Judy, thanks for the offer but, yuck, I don't think so. I don't like meat jerky so I'm thinking an imitation of something yucky would be yucky too.

Well, my parents decided to skip the coast and come directly here as it's supposed to be raining on Monday. So now they'll be here on Monday instead of Tuesday. One would think that would cause me to start doing the necessary cleaning. But no, I'm surfing...

Judy, directness is good but diplomacy retains more patients. It's a good thing you're a good sport and like her anyway.

The trip over the mountain was okay. I got to drive home in rain, fog and dark. That's so nice for a recovering accident person. But I did make it without scratching the Durango. I was a bit nervous.

Exercise = good. Food = too much. That's not too new these days. I need to get on board with eating better.

Penny I hope your tea is going well and Carol, I hope your DH is recovering.
Juls, where are you?
Marie

Judy how cool a load of fresh seafood from Pikes my favorite market. Were you there and decided to send some home or did you just order it? I would love too. When we were there years ago there was a special garlic spread that was out of this world I made garlic pizza with it can't find it anywhere like it was there such a cool place brings back great memories.
Well the hubby returned home on tues. It has been some work but he would do the same for me and thats life. We are making it friday was a tough day and I had to call a nurse in. Then after awhile he took some pain meds and things seem to get better its been a slow road but I can say he is now walking just today with his cane around the house v.s. the walker and it makes him feel better to begin with. We have PT coming in a few times a week right now and blood draws again on tues. He has to be on blood thinners for about 3 months I am told we will see. I had to give him these awful shots in his stomach to thin his blood they taught me before he came home that was the toughest thing I have had to do. I don't which that on anyone and what a resposiblity too. I hated it as much as he did getting it. THe last shot he refused and I was worn out and had no fight left and prayed he's be okay. Sometimes yah just have to sit back and pray. I did lots in the last couple of weeks. I am off from work til after Thanksgiving due to his illness and having to be home with him. Still 24 hrs. in the house incase there is an emergency etc... But I think he really is doing fine this is til wed. He is getting around so much better today. I am relieved with that. Food hasn't been too bad today around 1600 cals and that is with apple cider high in cals and a little 1/2 cup of ice cream treat. I haven't been to the gym way too busy here for that. But I did make it to a sale with my daughter a house sale. Purchased a cool rocker about 100 years old like my grams. I don't have to finish the wood just clean it up. And add new fabric and trim its looking quite easy . I got it for 12.50 half off the asking price at the end of the sale and already picked out fabric. One of the whim things just did it. I will recover it on monday a nice little project to do like I really needed more!!! Hah hah I think I deserved this little chair and it deserved someone who will appreciate it.
Marie whats with us being all banged up I stubbed my baby toe in the night oh how it hurt for a few days! We need to be more careful of our lovely bodies their all we got. Take care all and I will try to be better at being on here this week. Oh the a.m. breakfast today was great 1/2 grapefruit and 1 aslice of toast. I am trying to be good. Portions are something I am working on. I will have something just less. Rachel Ray had stuffing recipe today she made it in muffin tins. What a great idea at least you would be in control hUh?

Morning everyone, it's snowing outside. I just looked at the radar and it should be stopping soon. Why my parent's insist on visiting at Thanksgiving vs. any other the time of the year is beyond me. They did it 6 years ago and the weather is always yucky this time of year. But... it's supposed to clear up and stay good until the weekend when they leave. It's just the day that they're getting here that's icky

DGS is sleeping in our room. His first overnighter since they moved out in April. DS1 is flying to reno for an interview and almost DIL is student teaching so DGS is staying with us until DS1 returns on Wednesday. So far, night #1 was good. He was a little cranky that his daddy left but he slept great. I'm excited to spend a load of time with him. My parents and him haven't met and they're nearing 80. I think that part could be difficult. DH will have to do more on his part than last night when he watched DGS's movie that DGS didn't watch...

So far food is great today - I haven't eaten yet. :) I will try to be good. Exercise - we'll be taking DGS out for the doggie walk. I told DS1 to bring back my stroller (I bought one of the all terrain type before DGS was born and they moved it with them). As I'm starting to see blue sky, it should be nice. DS1 packed lots of warm stuff for him.

Carol, I'm glad your DH is home. That is very tough though. It's very demanding taking care of someone that feels like doo-doo. They have reason for being difficult but it doesn't make it any easier. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving.

Penny, how did the tea go?
Judy and Juls, what's up???
Marie

Carol - I'm amazed how well you are holding up with all you've been through! It must be hard to see your DH suffer like that and especially having to give him those shots :(. It sounds like he's getting around better now, with just the cane again. Hopefully he'll feel well enough to enjoy Thanksgiving. I'm glad you found the nice rocker to take your mind off things a bit. Maybe you'll get a chance to just sit and rock in it for a while!

Marie - That's fun to have your little DGS. I bet he'll love going for walks with the doggies in his stroller. I hope your parents have a nice time with you at Thanksgiving and I hope the weather keeps nice without too much wet stuff.

Judy - I'm so envious of your delicious seafood from Pike's Place :drool:. Your meatless jerquee sounds interesting! I've found a good veggie egg salad substitute from Whole Foods called Tofu pate and it's really delicious - I could eat a whole tub full! It's just 40 cals for 2 tbsp. and tastes good on toast for breakfast.

I survived the tea (though my feet are still letting me know about it!) It was very successful and had lots of attendees despite the torrential rain all day. We probably served around 550 teas. It will be interesting to see how much we raised. The editor of a popular tea room guide attended with an entourage of her friends and said she will be giving us a favorable review in the next edition of her book. She can be a bit critical in some of her reviews but she said our tea was "very British", which I took as a compliment! It's harder to turn out a good quality tea for so many patrons in a relatively short period of time. The crafts went well and my cake platters sold out in about half an hour, so I'll definitely make them again. The soaps also went very quickly. We had lots of lovely knitted and sewn items for sale and almost everything was sold.

I hope everyone has a good week.

Marie wow a visit from the parents. Well guess once there here and then leave you can feel like I did once again and now it will be awhile before it happens again. Funny how we dread certain things. I know when our niece was coming to visit right before the surgery I had to write to her and say not now. She said she understood but has been writing as frequent now oh well what can one do head stands for others all the time just to keep them happy? Just think when you need a little mom and dad break take those cute pups for a walk. Hang in there.
Penny the tea sounded lovely and you should be so proud of what you have accomplished. Yeah the chair and I are having sometime together a little sanding and then take to varnish a little area and right to the fabric time. It reminds me so much of my grams which brings me comfort just with that thought. Well I finally contacted a lawyer today about the inncident at the hospital. They are going to get back to me just took info right now. I hated to do it but just felt the need to speak out and also to ensure this doesn't happen again hopefully to anyone. But my son inlaw says it happens more than anyone knows and sometimes your not even told least the doctor did let us know. Well the food front has been not so bad today. Bagel for breakfast a little high in cals. , banana snack, lunch 1 piece of high fiber ww bread, little pot roast, slice of onion and horseradish , 1/2 cup mashed pot. and 5 brussel sprouts steamed with vinegar, dinner is to be a 1/2 stuffed green pepper with cheese on it and I will make a little salad on the side, snack later on will be lowfat ice cream 1/2 cup. I am done for the day ran out of cals. little cider 120 cals, about 1500. I will do a walk later on in the yard with Bear. Take care girls feels good to be back. I have a blood test in the a.m. and Bear is off to get groomed before the holiday and winter not too short he will need his little coat to stay warm.