I am winding up my four courses this week and getting grades in etc. It is so nice to be at this end of the term. Students are way less stressed and fun to be around.
I have been struggling with motivation too but today feel really strong. I hope that this mindset stays with me through another 60 lbs
Pam, Congratulations on your midterm. Good job! Wow, you are so close to your goal. I really appreciated your pep talk to Grandma last week. It really spoke to me too. I you know that we are there for you too.
I am so impressed with everyone being so organized around Christmas. Kudos to everyone who has been able to bake and not eat the goodies. That is still too dangerous for me so I just don't wrestle with it.
Grandma, I hope the painting helps to keep your mind and hands busy. I find when I have a creative outlet, things are much easier and I feel better.
Cat, Sounds like a bit of a soggy Christmas happening for you but I bet it is nice and green. We are like Pam, awfully brown around here the holiday. I think we will be taking the kids to the park for a break on Christmas day instead of sledding.
Dahlia, Although there has been so much going on for you the past few months, it sounds like it will be kind of nice being surrounded by family new week.
DP is working Christmas day beginning about 2:00 pm so I will be hanging out with my mom and dad, sisters, partners and nephews. I am looking forward to that.
I am off to be a Christmas elf and try to complete some of the jewelery I have started as presents.
Good Afternoon Ladies..it is an absolutely beautiful day here the sun is shining i have no heating on and if i did'nt know better i would think it was spring i simply can't believe it is only a week off christmas day it just does'nt seem like it at all to me even tho' my home looks like a grotto and every tree i can get an extension cord to has lights on it I am doing pretty good I have absolutely no chocolate in the house apart from low cal choccie puddings in the fridge..hope i can keep it up
The sun is shining, there is no snow, it is already 39 with a promise to get into the high 40's... my house is so Christmasy with the stockings hung on the mantle, the tree all aglow and I found the holiday spirit...
DS#4 is doing so much better, he may be coming down to join us for supper starting tomorrow.... he can't sit for more than 20 min. but that is enough to eat and join the family for a little bit... course he can't sit at the table, but the recliner in the tv room is better than being secluded upstairs... course everyone tries to get up to spend time with him as often as we can.. I watched a movie with him late yesterday afternoon... was good to hear him laugh...his whole attitude has been so great despite all the pain he is in...I am very proud of that guy..
Tomorrow ds#1 and #5 are driving to Chicago to pick up ds#2 and dgs#1 from the airport and also ds#5's gf who is going to school in Chicago.. when they return, the whole clan will be home.
Everyone will be here except ddil who is still in Okinawa till next month... we will have to make a video tape of the babe opening his gifts for mommy...this has been so hard on her....and him. he is only 2.
This afternoon I am going to town to get a few little stocking stuffers, it's to nice to stay home... yesterday dh and I went grocery shopping and later he took me to supper... he is such a sweet man...
I hope after the holidays you all can post more. I miss reading how everyone is doing. So far I am maintaining,, I decided if I can just do that during the holidays it will take off some of the stress....then in Jan. kick off to a good start, get more exercise in.. can't use my treadmill as its in ds#5's bedroom... and while he is home, I don't want to invade his privacy, but when he goes back to college, I'll hop back on it... plus I'll be going back to active work at the greenhouse later in february, that always helps.
Ok. gals, take a break in your busy days and post a word or two in here. Hope everyone is staying healthy and enjoying them selves.
Dahlia, it is so good to hear the joy in your posts again. I'm so happy for you and DS. Wonderful to hear how he is progressing. Hugs to you and yours and I'm so proud of you anc your resovle during all of this. Great job.
Karie, I'm glad to see you posting again. Sounds as though you've had an awfully busy time of it. Isn't this winter something else? I can't believe I'm saying that I wish it would snow, snow, snow. It's so hard to believe it's less than a week away and it looks like March here.
My sister came over last night and we wrapped some gifts. She's still over the moon over being engaged and she's set the date as Sept. 13/03. We're going dress shopping after Christmas and I'll tell you her excitement is contagious. I wish for her this glow always.
Hope you all have a great day and I'll pop back in later.
Hello Ladies..Pam..wishing for snow not me!! i'll take the sun anytime I went to the Superstore earlier and a couple were looking at some toy dancing/singing mice..one of them sang "let it snow..let it snow..let it snow" i did'nt buy him..but..they were so cute i ended up coming out with one that sang Jingle Bells he's sat next to the telephone.
Still not doing to badly with eating although the "christmas" butter cookies have gotten to me the last two day's..i'm treadmilling faithfully and completed day 8 today for a total of 21 miles my goal is to be able to run on it eventually
A quick post to let you know I am still here and still op. I have really got my motivation back, my goals are clear again and I am working toward them. Thank you Pam for that pep talk, it really helped. Keep strong with your resistance to chocolate! You can do it, I know you can. You are so close to your goal. When you see chocolate, think about that bridesmaid dress you will be wearing for your sister's big day and how gorgous you will look in it!
Goodbye chocolate!
Cat, you are doing great with the treadmill. 21 miles in 8 days. Wow that is fantastic. I am doing good (at least good for me) on the exercise bike. I started on an exercise challenge and pledged to do 10 miles a week on the bike or treadmill. I have only been doing 1 mile a day but hope by doing it every day, I will soon be able to do more. Surprisingly, if you stick to it every day the miles do add up even if you start out as slowly as I have. And the challenge helps to make me do it daily!
I have to do something to get off this plateau and get that scale moving downward faster I am eating right again and exercising so I know I will begin to make some progress, right?
Well is everyone ready for christmas? It's warmer today, 33 degrees F. and we are getting rain, so we may lose our snow. I am just about ready for Christmas, I think, decorations all set, gifts all wrapped and I have been working on getting my house cleaned. Getting busy cleaning the house has helped me get back op. I think when I sit around being lazy, I tend to eat more. Even if it is the right things, it still isn't good to overdo on them.
I have a few more cards to send. I've sent out nearly 70 and still keep getting cards from people I didn't send to! Isn't that always the way Having the computer has been so much of a help with cards. I can print the address labels and write the many letters so much faster then I used to when doing it by hand!
Hi to Karie, Dahlia, Meg and anyone else I missed.
Where are you Meg, how is everything going with you. Are you lurking! or just too busy to post.
Well it is time to get on that exercise bike. Goodluck to all of us for an op day!
I just had to share something! I decided to do the treadmill this morning instead of the bike. I hadn't been using it since I put the tree up because I had to move it out of the living room and into the gallery folded up. However I decided to plug in an extention, unfold it and use it in the gallery. It was great, I think I will leave it there.
First I put in a Tom T. Hall tape -"Old dogs, children and Watermellon Wine", then I started walking while looking at some of my paintings. The first was a painting I did of our Hawiian vacation in 1994. It was a beautiful warm night with a light breeze and I was at a lu au, probably not spelled right, but its the Hawaiian version of a beach party, with my dh, my sister in law, our daughter and our son and dil who were stationed there in the service. There was a good meal and a great show and the scene I painted was the ocean as the sun was setting and reflecting on the water with the rays spreading up into the clouds. A small boat was floating in the waves as the water lapped against the shore and the palm trees swayed in the breeze. Just a perfect night and a wonderful memory. I walked for 25 minutes and went a mile and I didn't get the least bit bored. There is a memory with every painting. This is the place for me to walk!
Well just as I predicted earlier, the temperature is up to 49 degrees F. and we have lost most of our snow! We may not have a white christmas after all.
Hi Ladies..Grandma..what a lovely description of your vacation in Hawaii i don't have any paintings so it's the Bold and the Beautiful for me or "the young and the restless" i need something to look at too so it's the old t.v. i did another 3 miles today but so far its not making an impact on the scale..i'm still eating too much of the wrong thing i'm not too worried about it because i know i'll be 100% in the New Year
Grandma, what a great way to make walking fun! You really are walking down "memory lane"
Pam,what a great start to a New Year. Things are looking great for you. I just know that this is the year of the goal for you. I am right there with you!
Cat, it sounds just gorgeous where you are. I picture your yard much like Dolly Parton's house in the movie with all the women like Julia Roberts and Sally Field (I can't remember the name right now). It sounds fabulous!
Dahlia, what a house full and how much fun!
I am wrapping presents and finishing off my decorating. My sister is having a Solstice party tonight so I am organizing a veggie tray that will keep me in good stead with the metal monster.
Better get going or I will be taking water to the party! Have a good weekend everyone. DP is off for the next three days so I don't know if I will get to the computer. I'll be thinking about you all.
Hmmm..not sure which movie you're thinking of Karie..at first i thought it was Steel Magnolia's but i did'nt think Dolly Parton was in that..or maybe i'm getting mixed up..the one where Julia Roberts died..Sally Field played her mom..anyway..it does'nt matter because i don't know what the place looked like anyway I don't really have a yard..we're on top of a hill just imagine a house on top of a hill surrounded by fir trees overlooking a valley with the ocean to one side and the Olympic Mountains in the distance was Dolly's house like that?
Almost 3pm already..hubby is cutting firewood and i said i'd go help so i'd better move before its dark Enjoy the Party!
I should be sleeping but I can't, must have been regular coffee at the senior citizen's christmas dinner and party last night. Does it every time Boy did I get my exercise yesterday. In the morning I walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes, in the afternoon went grocery shopping, then last night out dancing to the "Old Timers Band"! Boy what a band. We didn't plan to do much dancing because my husband's back has been bothering him and my feet were hurting me after all the walking, but we just couldn't resist when the music started. Strangely enough both his back and my feet felt better after the dancing Boy do those senior citizens know how to party! My dh was santa claus I stayed op with my eating at the dinner only turkey, no ham for meat - no rolls - no desert and no cheese, crackers or pepperoni later in the evening. Only water and coffee with equal for drinks. But I still had plenty to eat. It was a buffet and I had one helping of everything except the ham and peas. I don't like peas!
Cat, it sounds like a beautiful area where you live - it would make a great painting. You must really enjoy the view. We don't cut our firewood any more. We order it cut, split and delivered then hire someone to put it in the cellar. But some of our childrens best memories are of going to the woods and cutting our firewood. We used to contract with the state on state land along with other family members and we would all go with several families of cousins, take a picnic lunch and spend the day in the woods. The men would handle the chainsaws and wood spliter, our oldest boy would drive the tractor, the mother's and younger children would drag the brush and load the split firewood. Not many kids have that experience today, yet my kids look back on those times as really happy family memories. And so do I!
Hi to anyone I've missed - Good luck to all of us for an op day
Afternoon Ladies...Grandma..sounds like you and hubby had a ball i was out with my hubby too..went out for dinner was'nt good either had eggnog cheesecake for dessert..it was yummy!!
Hubby does all the cutting and splitting of the firewood..it's usually me that does the hauling and stacking..it's good exercise.
Last year we did'nt have any seasoned wood down so we ended up buying from a "friend" NEVER AGAIN..it was so expensive and the pieces were cut so big that they would'nt burn..hubby had to split it all again..i let the friend know and he said "i thought it would be!" you know what they say "with friends like that" etc.
Did'nt exercise this weekend hope to get back in the swing of things tomorrow
Steel Magnoiias was the movie. Dolly Parton was the hairdresser. Her house seemed to be in a pretty treed area but not like what you describe. Your home and area sound beautiful.
Good woods workout for you.
Heres to the dancing Grandma! Sounds like your motivation is back. I am hoping to just maintain until after New Years and then get serious for the Valentines Day challenge.
Went shopping today to get some last minute surprises and tonight will stay cozy at home and wrap presents. DP video tapes a dinner theatre tonight for a local theatre company. We get 8 free tickets in return so in January we will have a little treat.
Just wanted to say good morning and wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the time with your loved ones and friends and let's be good to ourselves.
Take care and I'll talk to you all after the holidays.
the sun is shining i have no heating on and if i did'nt know better i would think it was spring 
i simply can't believe it is only a week off christmas day it just does'nt seem like it at all to me even tho' my home looks like a grotto and every tree i can get an extension cord to has lights on it 
not me!! i'll take the sun anytime 
I am eating right again and exercising so I know I will begin to make some progress, right?
Hi to Karie, Dahlia, Meg and anyone else I missed.
so i'd better move before its dark 
