I hope everyone's having a good weekend. I've spent it unpacking the last of my boxes (from October ) and thinking about where to put artwork and misc decorative stuff. I'm also pondering how the haphazard state of my probably reflects my life since the early fall. I can't believe that it's gone on this long! It's not like I have an attic or a basement to hide these boxes in. Anyways, it's been nice unwrapping photos, paintings and other treasures, and getting rid of these boxes .

Eating has been okay, not great. I've admitted that some foods are hard for me to have around, so no more cereal or Skinny Cow ice cream bars. These are the kinds of things that I go crazy on at night. Last night I pulled out my yarn and knitting needles, to remind myself to do things with my hands.

I didn't work out today. I've been on my feet all day, tho, and maybe I'll do a little on the rowing machine this evening.

judy

Auntie - I'm so sorry to hear about you BIL's illness. I will keep him and his family in my prayers. Hang in there .

Auntie--Ditto what Penny said! You have your hands full. What a year this has been for your family.

judy

Marie - Welcome home! I hope your tooth is ok and that you get your wrist seen to. You've really been through a tough time lately - I hope things quiet down for you now and you get to spend some quality time with your DH and darling doggies. I can understand you wanting to get home asap, especially as you couldn't stand the food. At least food wasn't a big temptation for you on your trip. Not like when I went back to England and gained about 10 lbs.!

Hi Penny, I had quite a day yesterday. Two teeth with tiny cracks. In other words, two crowns on the way. Then the ortho found another fracture amd casted the wrist. No long posts for a while. But I did weigh in and and had lost 3 pounds ob the trip. That's cool. The cast weighs about 1 pound so the net today wasn't as good.
Marie

I'm online for a moment, so a quick check-in. I'm in Boston for a few days. I spent yesterday evening with a friend talking about "balance"--a very helpful conversation for me, as I feel totally out of whack.

Marie, I'm sending you a hug . At least you know what's going on. But crowns are expensive, sheesh!

more later--judy

After avoiding it forever, I'm finally ready to face the truth. I forced myself to get onto the scale:234.5 . I was afraid that it would be even worse, but as it is, that more than 20 pounds higher than last summer. But I'm ready to deal with it. I will lose 15 lbs by the Fourth of July. My eating plan:

• b'fast--whole grain and protien
• snack--fruit and nuts
• lunch--veggies and protein
• snack--vegiies and protein
• dinner--whole grain, protein and veggies
• dessert--fruit and protein

Saturday will be treat day (not Pig-Out Day!). I'll get back to doing at least 250 minutes of cardio and strength workouts a week. I'll ask my friend Susie to be my referee on a Stickk challenge, to log everything I eat. And I'll mention my goal on my Facebook page, in hopes that being more public about my goal will give me incentive.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I'll be dealing with chores and working on a writing project for work. Oh, and watching basketball--go, Cavs

judy

We just got back from a lovely long weekend trip to Leavenworth, Washington - a 'Bavarian' town in a gorgeous setting between high snow capped mountain ranges. They were celebrating their May festival with maypole dancing, etc. and we had a very enjoyable stay in a lovely "pension" style european chalet with fabulous feather bed. Here is some info, in case you are interested: http://tinyurl.com/6lked2

Judy - Good for you making a commitment to get back on track. We're both up 20 lbs. so I know how it feels. I'm also eating lots more fruit and veggies and feel better already. We managed to do quite a bit of walking and I'm going to try to keep it up.

Marie - It sounds like you're back into your normal routine. I hope your wrist is soon healed enough for you to do your favorite exercises. Your long hike in the woods sounds invigorating - I bet your doggies loved it too. They must have missed their 'mommy'.

Auntie & Carol - I hope everything is going well for you.

I just updated/upped my 3FC profile. That was unpleasant! But at least it's true. I have started my "clean eating" plan, and am working on getting everything else (logging, Stickk, etc.,) off the ground. Today I had an egg and and oatmeal for b'fast; apple and wanuts for AM snack; roasted chicken and steamed veggies for lunch, and cottage cheese, cherries and popcorn (hmmm) for afternoon snack. I'll have a salad, fish and rice for dinner. Since I had my popcorn already, I may have a small piece of fruit for dessert. It's Monday, so of course I got up too late to work out. I'll sit on the rowing machine for a while as I watch basketball tonight, then organize Tuesday's menu better than I did today's.

Penny, I've been Leavenworth--it's a hoot! Good beer, tho . I hope we can both move speedily to rid ourselves of these 20 lbs.

Marie, that's a good long walk! It's so nice outside this time of year. Boston was unexpectedly (for me, anyway) gorgeous last week. Everything seemed to be in full bloom, just spectacular. I walked a lot, through the Commons and the Public Gardens.

I hope everyone else is hanging in there. Auntie, I'm sending you hugs:

judy

Judy - I'm surprised you've visited Leavenworth as it's a bit of an out of the way place. It's a bit hokey but the scenery is fantastic. Your menu sounds very healthy and delicious. Lately I've been eating sliced oranges which I keep chilled in the fridge - very refreshing. I also get the tart cherries in a jar from Trader Joe's. Cherries are supposed to be good for your joints - which would be a nice side effect. I haven't had any red meat for at least a week - mainly salmon and shellfish and a small amount of chicken. Boston sounds lovely this time of the year. We were only there once years ago and it was in winter but still a lovely city. I've also updated my ticker too to keep me honest!

Marie, Auntie, Carol & everyone - I hope the week is going well for you.

I'm feeling very stuffy and sluggish since we got back. I'm more and more suspicious that I'm allergic to something around here. I always feel more alert when I'm out of town. There's tons of pollen in the air at the moment as we're surrounded by maples and other trees and of course there's always cat hair everywhere from our fur babies!

Auntie - I'm so sorry to hear the terrible time you and your family are going through right now. I will keep all of you in my prayers .