Hi all,
Did any of you see the eclipse last night? It was a very clear (and cold!) night here so it was great for viewing it.

Ann: That's a pretty good profit for one day. What designs do you do on the tee shirts? A lady that works with me takes painting classes and does some great things. She did a denim shirt with snowmen that was so cute. Hope you had a chance to rest up.

Siwa: Hope your recuperation is going well and that you haven't been in too much pain. How long before you'll be able to be up and around? Maybe you could do some simple exercises. I got my bulbs planted yesterday.

Candice: I did well with my grocery shopping. I got out of the store without buying any snack items: Bought salad things and lots of fruit. I think we can do quite well this week. The cobbler recipe sounds good.

Alice: Hope that you can get the surveying done next week I'm sure that will be a big load off your mind. Talked to a friend today and she's lost 11# in 3 weeks. She's following Dr. Phil! Gotta get back to it.

Barb: Are you home yet? How is your mother doing?

Have to get back to my laundry now...it has really piled up Take care.

Kate

Hi Gang, . Well we made it home, but not to the Grand Canyon. When we left Flagstaff Monday Morning it was lightly snowing and by the time we got about halfway up the mountian it was snowing hard and freezing and we passed a really bad accident where the car had left the road and overturned, and being the hot weather Texans that we are, we turned around and came back. ended up going SOUTH into the mountians to the little town of Sedona and had a great time. It's truely one of those "tourist trap" towns with millions of little shops and art galleries, etc, but it was fun. We at lunch a a cute little resturant that overlooked the mountians. It was a fantastic veiw.

Vegas was Vegas, what else can I say. We stayed at the Mirage this year and loved our room. The casino was more for the professional type gambler than for the tourist who were watching their money. More 5 Dollar machines than 25 cent machines. Then they tricked you with some 5 cent machines, which really turned out to cost about 2.15 every time you pulled the handle. I didn't win hardly anything, DS won enought to keep playing until wee hours of the night, and ole Alvin finally fo9und his game. It was Casino War and it was played just like the kid's game except you had to bet 10.00 a card. Anyway he ended up coming out with the same amount of money he started with after 3 days. Not me!!!

SIWA: Hope your surgery went well and you are feeling fairly good.

Katey & Alice: I read Remember When by Nora Roberts/JD Robb while we were gone, and we listened to 4 audio books along the way.

I have got to get back into the weight loss mode or Christmas will be here before you know it. I haven't been as systematic as Candice, but I have been planning ahead some. I told Alvin on the way home that I've decided to have the Weight loss surgery, and he didn't argue with me, so I can't use him as an excuse any more. I have really been considering it, but just can't seem to make the commitment that I know it needs to be sucessful.

I haven't mentioned work recently, but things are still going crazy in that area. We made the decision no to buy the other company that would have cost us about a million dollars. We did decide to try to buy company #2 (the one that had been our supplier, then our competitior, the one that has all of "our" molds. to make a long story short we heard while we were on our trip that our SBA loan has been approved, so things will really get crazier when we start up manufacturing our own parts! So much to think about!

Mom is doing great, in fact today she told me she is ready to start back to the health club walking tomorrow. Another reason for me to get serious about this weight thing again.

Well by now you are probally tired of reading, so I'll end. Hope everyone has a great week.

Barb..good to hear your mom is doing better and sounds like you had a good trip.

I'm, off to bed was digging through Christmas stuff and didn't stop to sleep! Gotta run to town later so gota catch some shut eye!

Katey..the cobble recipe is really good!!!!! Dh wants it every night! I ad a bit of extra spenda over the top when it is cooling since my fruit is tart!

Hi,
I made it to Curves today. When I got done, my legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds Serves me right for not going for two weeks.

Barb: Sorry that you didn't get to see the Grand Canyon, but glad you enjoyed Sedona. Sounds like a town I would like to visit..I love to poke around shops. My DH will only do that for a short while. Congratulations on your new business acquisition! A lot more work I'm sure. Will you start manufacturing after the holidays? That's a big decision about the weight loss surgery. You've seen how well your DH has done so you have firsthand knowledge of what you have to go through. Glad your mother is feeling good.

Candice: I don't know how you do so much baking and still stay at goal! I want to switch metabolisms with you Did you find all your Christmas things? I'm thinking I might go out tomorrow and do a little shopping. It will probably be busy though.

Siwa: Hope you're starting to feel better.

Looking forward to my day off tomorrow. We all should spend some time thinking about our veterans and those who are serving our country now. God bless them!

Kate

It has gotten really cold here. I don't believe it's gotten very far out of the 30's these past couple of days. I am back into my winter jacket. Sat. morning we had a snow squall come through which left a dusting on the ground. But, it quickly melted.

Went down to MA on Sun. to visit my cousin. We went shopping and I got DH a couple more Christmas gifts. She & I are gearing up for our NYC trip in about 3 1/2 weeks. Neither one of us can believe that the time is almost here!

Barb, sorry you didn't get to go to the Grand Canyon. Sedona sounds nice. I like poking through small shops like the ones there. Glad you made it home ok. Having weight loss surgery is a major decision to make. Which type of procedure will you have done? Glad that your mother is doing well. Congratulations on buying the new business. With them already using your molds, you're one step ahead. Good luck with your new venture. Did you like Remember When? I do like Nora Roberts and have read all the books she has written as J D Robb.

Candice, hope you got a lot of rest after digging through your Christmas stuff. I saw a mall advertising that Santa arrived Nov. 8th. Now...that is too early.

Ann, glad your festival was a success. Hope you got some much needed sleep.

Siwa, how did your surgery go? Hope you're feeling better.

Kate, congratulations to your friend! That's impressive. Is your friend using his eating plan? That gives me the incentive to get back to Dr. Phil's book. Now, where did I put it??

Enjoy your holiday.
Alice

Hi everyone on this Veterans Day. A good day for remembering what we owe to all the many Veterans.

We are having good weather. A bit rainy yesterday, but today is a good one.

Alice: I'm so glad I don't have to even think aabout cold and snow. How is your camp sale progressing?

I got a shock when I got on the scale. I have been so good saying with the plan and I've gained. I don't really understand why. I haven't been drinking as much water as I should, so that maybe part of the problem. It is so irritating.

Barb: I agree with the others that considering the weight loss surgery is a big step. Knowing what Alvin went through, you have some idea about what it would mean for you. I guess I'm thinking I would be sure my Dr. thinks it would be the best for your health, before taking that step. Keep us posted, okay?

Kate hope you are enjoying your day off.

Siwa: Hope the discomfort is going sown from your surgery by now.

Candice: What's new?

Have a great day all. Ann

I had a pleasant surprise today....I got on the scale this morning which I haven't done in a while. I've only gained 1# since the last time I weighed. Considering how I've been eating I'm thankful and now have a renewed determination. Of course I'm wondering why it feels like I've gained 10. I think I've been eating too much salt and am bloated. I exercised at Curves and plan to go again on Thursday. I don't like Wednesdays...we reverse the circle...I am a creature of habit which probably also plays into why it's so hard for me to lose weight

Ann: Don't get discouraged about gaining. You know that you've been doing everything you need to. Maybe you've just reached a plateau. Maybe varying your daily calorie intake, high one day then low the next, would help. I read someplace that it will sometimes fool your body. I do think drinking lots of water helps too. You probably have cut down without realizing it because it's not as warm as in the summer.

Alice: Yes, my friend is following Dr. Phil. I've dusted off my copy and have started reading it again. I'm almost at the end, but I'll need to go back and refresh myself. Glad that you had a good shopping visit with your cousin. You'll have so much fun in NY. It is hard to believe that December is almost here. They had Christmas stuff up around here before Halloween

Guess that's it for now. Take care all.

Kate

I found most of my Christmas gifts and they are now all over my sons room in little piles! He is not coming home for Thanksgiving so I do not have to rucus to clear it out. Now I can see if I am short any gifts.......then need to get them wrapped and ready to mail.

Katey my metabo is shot. I have to really work at staying at goal. I will go up a few then really stay with the program till I get it off. It is not being able to be active that is the killer for me. If I could work out everyday and be as active as I needed to be I would have a much easier time! Baking is relaxing for me and in the winter time it warms the house up since DH keeps it so cold!

Wonder how Siwa is?????????????

Alice..winter jacket ..oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!A font is going through here today with high winds and we have dense fog right now.

Lizzie...how discourageing but just keep plugging away...It is the long run that counts.

We had some snow yesterday afternoon and the ground is white. They say it's supposed to warm up today, so hopefully they are right and this stuff will melt.

Ann, sorry about your weight gain. I'm sure it's only temporary and you will see a loss soon. On one visit to my Dr. last year, when I was on WW, she told me that I would have stalls and weight gain along the way. About the sale of the cottage, we are still waiting for the surveyor to come, which hopefully will be sometime this week. One of the RE agents called Mon. and said that the people who want to buy it are still hanging in there. So, they do seem very interested.

Kate, gaining 1# is good news. I like those kind of surprises. Didn't get a chance to pick up Dr. Phil's book yesterday, hopefully will be able to today. I'm going to have to go over it again from the beginning because I've already forgotten what I read. I know he said not to, but I skipped ahead to his eating plan. It does appear to be sound. Have you taken all the quizzes? I think it was right after Labor Day that they started putting Christmas stuff up in some stores.

Hi everyone

Have a good day!
Alice

According to the weather bureau we should be gearing up for a very stormy day tomorrow. They're predicting 2-6" of snow, winds over 50 mph and whiteouts. Hard to believe because today has been in the 50s, almost 60! Crazy stuff.

Alice: I need to go back to the beginning of Dr. Phil's book and do the quizzes. I've only done one. As I reread I'll do them. I was like you...after my gf told me how much she had lost I jumped ahead to see what the food was. Eating has been going well so far this week How's it going for you?

Candice: Must be you're sending the high winds our way. Did you have any damage? It's nice to have a room to spread stuff out and wrap without having to pick up each time. This year I'll be able to do that in our back bedroom since I finally got it cleaned out I think you always sound very active! Does your other son live at home?

Hi Ann, Siwa, and Barb Hope things are going well for all of you. Take care.

Kate

We are gearing up for a nasty day today. We have had a lot of rain come through overnight. We're supposed to have 60 mph winds later this afternoon and we're supposed to get snow showers. They say that up north, towards the White Mt. area there maybe some accumulation. I've got my fingers crossed that we won't see any accumulation.

Kate, I didn't get a chance yesterday either to reread Dr. Phil's book. Had an awful lot of errands to run so that I don't have to go out today when the nasty weather hits. Fri. I will have the day to myself, as DH is going away for overnight. I can sit down with Dr. Phil, hopefully with no interruptions other than letting Lacee in and out. Eating has been going well for me too. Are you planning on using Dr. Phil's eating plan?

Candice, I think we were posting at the same time yesterday. I think your winds are heading this way. Isn't it nice having a spare room to keep all your Christmas gifts in? I have a spare bedroom where I keep all the gifts, except DH's, and I love it. One draw in the bureau in the spare room has all my wrapping paper, some bags, tissue paper, etc. and a smaller draw has all my ribbons, tape, etc. It's good for me because the bureau is the right height for me to wrap without giving me a backache.

Siwa, how are you feeling? Hope everything is going well for you.

Hi Barb, Ann

Have a good day!
Alice

Here I was expecting to come back to a board just full of postings that I'd have so spend several minutes reading. Is everyone having a dry spell or what? My surgery went well and I'm one week into an 8 week recovery. Not much pain at all but the boredom!!! I'm just about stir crazy. I've pretty much taken up residence in the kitchen. DH brought in an easy chair so it's comfortable but..........there's nothing to do. I'm reading and watching TV and making crafts. Still I need more. I also don't like being waited on. I'd much rather do things myself but I can't always do it. I'll wear my special shoe for 4 weeks and then probably graduate to a tennis shoe for 4 weeks then I may be back into regular shoes. That's my left foot. The right foot had just a little surgery--a different special shoe for 2 weeks, then tennis shoe or any other shoe that doesn't hurt. Enuf about me.

We had 60 degrees a couple days ago and then snow the next. Today it's only 36 but sunny and pleasant looking outside. I saw the elcipse from my kitchen perch. I sat here watching it go dark and I loved it.

BARB--It must take lots of thinking to decide to go ahead w/gastric bypass surgery. Take your time and what ever you finally decide will be the best decision for you.

CANDICE--That cobbler recipe sounds yummy but I won't be trying it for a while. I'm really concerned about my wt while I'm unable to move cuz I'm still hungry but I must be burning next to zero calories. My boredom has led me to eat when there's been nothing else to do.

ALICE--Good thoughts going your way regarding the sale of your cottage.

Thanks to all of you for your good thoughts. I love it.

Kate-Alice: How different is Dr. Phils eating plan from WW or the South Beach program? It seems that it can't be a whole lot different. I never did buy the book.Just sticking with the south Beach and modified WW low carb. They are very close. I think I wasn't drinking enough water, and so retained more and that made the weight go up.

Hi everyone. Talk to you tomorrow. Ann

We're still having high winds, which is to last the rest of the day into tomorrow morning. So far...so good with our power. We didn't get any snow, just a few snow showers. It is snowing the farther north you go, but not very much farther.

Siwa, thank you for sending good thoughts my way. We think the surveyor or someone has been down to the cottage to do some preliminary work, as there are some little flags where some of the boundaries are. Hopefully it will get done soon. It can get boring not doing very much while recouperating. When I was recouperating from my hysterectomy I couldn't lay around too much, I was always up and about until I got tired. Sometimes I think I overdid it. But, I did like being waited on for a change.

Ann, I think Dr. Phil's eating plan is somewhat similar to SB diet, without having to go through Phase 1. Basically, you replace foods made with white flour with foods made with whole wheat. You limit your carbs to 2-3 serv. Fruit is limited to 2 serv., also with dairy. Fats are limited to 1 serv., you can have regular salad dressing, but the serving size is smaller than if you chose low/non-fat. Proteins you're allowed 3 servings.

Kate, did you have a lot of snow and did you lose your power? I saw on a weather map that your area was getting snow and very high winds. We've had a couple of tree limbs come down and when they hit the ground they embedded themselves into the ground so that they were standing upright. Hope this storm wasn't too severe where you are.

Hi Candice, Barb

Have a great weekend everyone.
Alice

Since there's no wife/mother to do the grocery shopping we were running out of food. So.....DH and I went shopping today. It's a good thing he was good at math and computers cuz he'd make a lousy wife. Can't shop worth a darn. Only 3 weeks til I'm in tennis shoes and then I can do more normal things again. It was good to get out and add a little diversity to my life. Just for a change we're going to eat Chinese tonite and I'm looking forwerd to it even tho it looks like I've gained 2-3 lbs already. I worked so darn hard to take those lbs off and they come back on like nothing. I need to work on my craft projects more cuz I don't eat when my hands are busy. I'm making flower angels for my friends who attend my Christmas party. They're really quite cute. slik flower w/stem cut off--glue wood ball on for the head---spanish moss is the hair---ribbon legs and feet dangle from inside the upside down flower. I'm using different kinds of flowers--roses, peonies, tulips and some unknown flower. They will be sitting on the plates at the table when my lady friends arrive. They have gold thread coming out of the heads so they can be used as ornaments.

I've joined a (red hat) book club and I'm reading fiction for the first time in a very long time. We're reading "Five Quarters of the Orange" by Joanne Harris--who also wrote "Chocolat" I'm not really enjoying the reading or the book but I like the ladies who are in the club so I thought I"d try it. I just would rather read non-fiction. I don't like the fact that I'm spending all this time reading and I'm learning nothing. I can understand people reading just for entertainment but that just not what I want to do. We'll see how the discussion goes next week. I also don't like analyzing books. That's why I never liked humanities classes at the university but I took some to satisfy requirements. I think we're going to take turns recommending books so I'm hoping to stay in long enuf to have my selection read. It will be non-fiction, of course.

I heard that there was bad weather all over to the east of me and it seemed like it would affect all the rest of you. Even to the west of me the weather was not good. All that hail in CA. Hope that it's not really as bad as the news showed for all of you.