hi amarantha- happy birthday!!

cerise-thank you for the lovely things you said. i appreciate your support and warmth very much.

thank you all for your support. it means a lot to me.

hi becky-welcome to the royal court! pull up a royal throne and stay awhile. this is a great group of caring folks.

kaylets-it is still too cold for me today, but it is supposed to warm up here tomorrow and tuesday, and not a moment too soon, i say, although back to much colder again thurs. i plan to try and sneak out a little in the next couple of days. it was nice to realize i am saying "my" condo. now and letting myself get excited about the prospect. i plan to call another dog service organization during office hours tomorrow to request an application. it does feel like i have come to a new place in my journey.

arabella-dogs are a most wonderful species, in my opinion too. you skated---very impressive! i grew up in mn and at my school, we had skating on an outdoor rink for gym class and we could use it during recess. not being a winter person even way back then, i have to say i spent most of the time in the warming house.

hi punkin, ceara, anagram, frogger, zadie k.!

wildfire-congrats on the weight loss! so impressed with the ice skating. sounds like it was fun. must have been nice to watch those guide dogs frolicking in their yard when you used to live near the dog guide training center. i have seen service dogs and puppies on the animal planet channel, and they are always so sweet to watch.

hi eydie!

i have been sticking much more closely to my meal plan yesterday and today than recently and this is feeling good. almost brave enough to weigh myself tomorrow. hmm--we'll see.

hi also to everyone who may have been unmentioned. i am thinking of you all. take good care.

wsw

Yo, thanks for the birthday wishes! I'm feeling really focused and back on track and spent the afternoon sitting in my driveway carving a piece I'm calling "My Re-Emerging Smile!" Sorry if this is redundant because I also posted it on the NOLA thread.

It is pretty much spring here and I hope to start spending more time outdoors and more time carving and I hope to get off this 1.5 pounds that attached themselves to me since the all-club challenge.

Kaylets, I'd say to go for the email compilation by pm ... you have mine ... you never know ... if this site should disappear again, I suppose we could meet temporarily on a yahoo forum or something.

Wildfire and Becky, I live in the U.S. (well, you know that) and I pay for the etools on WW's site. Don't even really use them but am keeping the subscription ... I still use the Flexpoints calculator but I've modified Flexpoints a bit ... I limit myself to 5 AP's on any given day ... if I don't do any exercise, I use the Flexpoints for that ... if I've had a binge and am out of Flexpoints, I still add 5 to the basic 22 points WW says I'm supposed to have, because I think they are too low and I need to eat at least 27 points ... if I go over 27 points on a given day, I don't care. My body needs food to be healthy and I believe I will never reach a healthy weight if I'm exercising and working and feeling starved and deprived. I'm eating healthier than ever before and bullemia is a thing of the past ... I'm eating vegetables and fruit and brown rice and some lean meat and poultry as well as protein shakes and some sweets and other bad-for-you high glycemic things (biscuits). This is my manifesto ... I will exercise and enjoy food and I will reach my goal of 135 pounds by the end of this year. Amen.

Hmmm. Rambling, need to go take nap. Long day tomorrow!

Someone has been shooting a gun off outside and I need to find out what's going on. This neighborhood is a three-ring circus of crazy people.

amarantha- happy birthday!!!!

Hi to all. Just a quickie post as I am super busy.

Just wanted to let you girlies know I am still losing. Down 1lb this week!
The only bad news is my 'girls' if you know what I mean, are really sore. Must be TOM! Should have started yesterday. But we'll see. OK too much info!


I'll be back on around lunchie. See you then!

Amarantha, if worst comes to worst and something happens to the site, I can also create something small out on my server. You're at 22 points? Do you find it hard to stay full on a smaller amount? I guess thats where the AP come in dont they? I was just stressing out about the fact that I've made a couple of bad choices already this morning, but if i actually moved my butt this afternoon and did some walking, it would turn out ok. hmmm . Thinking thinking (btw where in AZ are you? I was in Phoenix 98-2000

Yeah bad choices this morning thats what happens when we plan our lunch at 6am. I wanted to be up and out of the house before 5:30, but i determined the best time to decide to sleep in is at 5 am when the alarm has gone off, the kitten is snuggled on you and your electric blanket is comfy cozy warm. I'd like to do better tomorrow, and maybe even make it back to the gym.
(mantra - 5am 5am 5am)

Anyways. good Morning and happy Monday ladies!

hi all!

frogger-congrats on the 1 lb. down!

i weighed in this a.m. and i am up 1 lb. from when last weighed. i will go back to weighing in weekly. again, another basic for me that works well, which i didn't do while sick, so onward and downward. hope everyone has a good day. take care.

wsw

new icon.. I've still got the picture of the real me around, on my profile page. This is an icon a friend drew custom for me. It's me depicted as a librarian. :-)

Frogger Congrats on the 1 lb, and WSW congrats on realizing what you need to change to fix that lb that crept up on your. Nasty evil little things arent they? Creeping little pounds like bugs or mice or something.

Ok going to work now.. really

Hola.

Ah, what a lovely morning it is. Seattlejo, didja catch the sunrise on Mt. Ranier today? Lovely, lovely.

Got caught in the ferry sheep again today. Garrr. Seriously, they're this group of pedestrians that get off the ferry, then stream up the hill into the business section of town (where I work) in these malevolent packs. If you hit a pack, God help you, because you're invariable going in the opposite direction, and even if you try to get out of the way you'll get glares, sighs, tutting and/or Starbucks slopped all over you. Goddang friggin' passive-aggressive gee golly poopeypants r-r-r-r-r-r-r .

Anyway. Put your happy face on, luv. OK, good enough.

Hey, we got our new format back! God, the sisters have been slaving away, haven't they?

Seattlejo, saaaaay. That's a swell avatar! As a former librarian (well, circulation clerk and book restorer), I have to say that it's perfect for you! Sorry if you're a ferry sheep, m'dear. I'm sure you're not as stupid as the rest. Well, not stupid at all, I mean. Oh, dear...

Congrats on losing the 6 pounds! Here, have a banana. You have a good recipe for chili? Ooooh, tellmetellmetellme...

WSW, I, too am tender towards cold weather and slippery conditions. I'm glad Seattle has come to its senses after that bout with snow last week, and is hovering around 40 degrees. Lovely. Ick, who wants to weigh themselves when they're sick? Phlegm storage alone can up you a pound or two. Have a good cough and weigh again...

Hewwo, Fwogger. Congrats to YOU on the pound down. How DO you do it? Busy and all that. Sometimes I feel like I can only stay OP if my life is on a perfectly even keel. Jeez.

Amarantha, prepare to be barraged with questions about WW stuff since I start tomorrow. Nah, I'm kidding. You just know your stuff, that's all. I don't suppose you have pictures of you or your carvings online anywhere...and Happy Birthday, darling.

Kaylets, darlink, I'm still on for the Danskin Tri, as they call it here. Turns out my future WW leader (starting tomorrow ) does it every year, too, so we'll have lots to talk about. I got on the treadmill on Saturday and found out how much I can run...weeeee've got our work cut out for us.

I'm picturing you, Wildfire and Arabella gliding casually over the ice, faraway looks on your faces, arms loosely at sides (not windmilling, I mean) or reaching up casually to push away wisps of hair...reaching out occasionally to steady a floundering fellow skater - how'm I doin'?

Wildfire, for some reason (I don't know, having nearly grown children?) I thought you were older than 35. I do apologize. Silly of me to assign your age based on your kids' - especially since I have a dear sister who's 20 with a 3-year-old son. You'd think I'd learn. By the way, I've decided to learn Erse! That's Scottish Gaelic, right? I was contacting Clan MacTavish to learn more about joining and was on their internet site, where there was a mournful bit about the fact that even most Scots don't know their own language anymore. William Wallace is spinning in his grave. So, I thought learning Erse would be cool - useful, anyway, since I haven't given up my teensy dream of being a smashing celtic singer. Who cares if I'm a Yank.

Arabella, I'm lucky in that I don't like chocolate (uh, I mean carob) on my donuts at all. In fact, I'm not a big donut fan. Lucky, huh? I make up for it with my unholy obsession with French Fries (uh, I mean Freedom Fries ). Just kidding.

Alright, loves. Do have a lovely day. And if you haven't read Bridget Jones' Diary yet, do. Had trouble breathing, I was laughing so hard in parts. Here's a quote:

"It struck me as pretty ridiculous to be called Mr. Darcy and to stand on your own looking snooty at a party. It's like being called Heathcliff and insisting on spending the entire evening in the garden, shouting 'Cathy' and banging your head against a tree." -Helen Fielding

Har! Har!

Hello all!

Woke up with the alarm and about 10 minutes later, I began feeling like the room was spinning at high speed. Managed to force myself to "spot" a mark to slow things down but became very nauseous and sweaty.
About 30 minutes later, I was turning over in the bed and nearly had a repeat performance.

So........ I am able to keep coffee sipped very slowly down but I am wobbly.

BUT--- Priorities are everything! I did weigh in!!
And scale remains the same!

Hee hee.....

****

Today's thought is :

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
--Norman Vincent Peale

Today's question is :

"Where is your favorite place to sleep?"

***********


Went back to sleep after calling in to work, changing my voicemail there, etc, etc.. and slept like a rock. Woke up ravenous.... Figures, my appetite is willing to take on ALL contenders!!

Zadie! How are you anyway??? Cannot believe I didnt ask over the weekend!

Yes, I can imagine our skaters the same way....with just a "Glow" on their cheeks, and a crowd of admirers looking on appreciatively.....

anyway... Empress, I've seen a few episodes of Starting Over... how do these folks get chosen???
And I think I can relate to the career change thoughts... For me, completely unexpected but still, the thoughts are still coming....

Time for tea!

Well, belated Happy Birthday, Empress.

Have been scanning like mad but not done. Just thought I'd best post before I'm out of time and then see what else I can catch up with.

Kaylets, I'm picking up mail from the PA e-mail addy. Just don't have your email or other things available that are on my home computer. In fact, while this library method is g reat for most things, the time limitations are a pain now esp. when the thread is as active as it seems to have been this past weekend.

Uh, Cerise, it's a 14th story balcony, no veranda, but the rest is pretty accurate. Was pretty "cold" here the last few days but warming up nicely again and sunny. Reaching "relaxed" finally, I think.

Picking ds up at airport tomorrow he'll be with us two days, then next week will join dd and princesses at mouseland for a day.

Must go back to scanning and find wsw post re condo and cerise picture. This keyboard is about the worst I've been on in a while so kindly forgive if I don't do edits/corrections.

Also feel like I've lost the holiday bloat. Not being "perfect" but not bad either. Two problems: 1. I have no scale so won't be weighing until I go home. Being "unweighed" for two months can be good or bad. Hoping to make it good. 2. Eating out at least once every day, practically. Now that's good but then it can be bad if I'm not careful. I'm trying to be. Neither of these are complaints. I can never complain about not cooking. And a scale break can have it's good points too. Going to go by how the clothes are feeling.

So it's been nice being sort of in touch.......

Still couldn't find Cerise pic but must leave......sorry to have missed it and apparently lots of other things. I need my three hours a day for 3FC.

Yes, Seattlejo--it's the one from 'Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates'. Good eye! Do you read cookbooks like novels too?

Here it is, loves. Apparently these are ingredients forund in Tibetan dumplings, only in easier-to-assemble burrito form!

2 cups thinly sliced onions
2 tbsp. oil [I used 1 tsp.!]
2 tbsp. minced garlic
3 tbsp. minced ginger [yes, 3!]
1 tsp. salt
4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1-2 tsps. Asian chili paste
2 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced seitan

Saute the onions in oil until just soft. Add garlic, ginger, and salt and cook 2 minutes. Add cabbage and cook until cabbage is limp.
Add chili paste, carrots and seitan, and cook for about 10 minutes until vegs are soft.

Divide the filling among 8 tortillas, roll them up, and place seam side down in baking dish. Cover w/ foil and heat at 350 for about 15 minutes. Then if you want top with Tibetan hot sauce:
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 c. chpped scallions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. tabasco
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Oh man, now I'm hungry. I think I'll have some leftovers.....

Eydie... did you have a chance to figure the points??

Looks pretty low ... the tortillas are at least 1-2 but everything else looks low....

Sounds tasty!

Eydie, I love cookbooks, I've got far too many in my collection and they have contributed to much of my waistline. I've got the Moosewood book on loan from the library right now, but am very much wanting to add it ot my collection. The burritos look interesting, what did they work out to point wise? I loved their carmalized onion gravy, I used it at Christmas since I was cooking for work.

Afternoon all…

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! This weekend was better than last, but I think no matter how great last weekend was I still would’ve found an issue with it. Just in that kind of mood after 3 weeks of gloom. I NEED SOME SUNSHINE!!!!!!!
Think I can get my Dr. to write a prescription for a trip to Cancun??

Still socked in with freezing fog – 2nd day in a row, I tell ya it’s getting pretty durn old! If we’re lucky it’s barely getting above freezing during the day, so 80% of my snow is still around and what rain we did get just turned my driveway into something Michelle Kwan would enjoy… Spring, where art thou???? Here I go, wishing time away, AGAIN.

This weekend was better than last, but still too cold to do anything. I did accomplish eating myself into oblivion though. I’m not proud, just thankful the ugly episode is over and that I actually feel like crap having eaten like that... when you actually ENJOY eating that way – that’s when it’s scary!

It was a stressful weekend though. My old kitty, who still lives with my mom had to go in for surgery on Friday afternoon – nothing big, just a semi-emergency major tooth cleaning and some gum work – but it was something else I wasn’t expecting to happen. Since I don’t see her every day I didn’t realize anything was wrong until my mom mentioned that she hadn’t seen her eating in the last few days (WHAT???). She’s ok though, she’d lost a little more than a pound and rang up a bill to the tune of $322 (ouch) which my mom is splitting with me since she’s “Grampa’s girl” (Ochoco looooves my stepfather). What we do for our “children”.
Then my mom called me for the cat carrier for a friend of my mom’s. She had to take a cat (thankfully not her cat) into the vet after finding it in her truck engine’s fan (trying to get warm no doubt). Thankfully(?) it lived through the experience, but if the owners of the cat aren’t found, it is probably going to be put down – for all I know it already has been. I haven’t, and won’t, ask. I don’t want to know. Mom’s friend couldn’t afford the $700+ bill to save a cat that wasn’t hers, that she wasn’t emotionally invested in (had it been her own, it would be different). I hope that doesn’t sound cruel… but to fork out SO much money when it’s not YOUR cat. I know she feels awful, but she banged on the hood (as we all do when re-starting our cars after they’ve been parked but are still warm). What else could she have done? (yea, rhetorical question… I feel so bad for her)

Anyway, on to the posties! So much to respond to…

Becky32, Welcome!!!! I too am a WW Lifetimer in pursuit of goal (again). Hope you enjoy hangin’ with our nutty little group!

Amarantha, happy belated birthday to youuuuuuu!!!! Good to see you back!

Zadie, an ice palace?? I’m jealous…. All this snow n’ ice and no ice palace to be found ‘round these parts. Bummer!

Cerise, LOVE the picture of you and your dahling Ramon! You look just like I pictured you too, Ramon is quite the cutie too . Congrats and bravo’s for your pound down too!
Lastly, YES, I do read the long posts and Bridget Jones’ Diary is one of my favorite books/movies. One of my favorite terms came from that book, when she’s listing what kind of men to avoid, “#$%&-wits” still makes me giggle and sometimes is the ONLY way to define someone particularly annoying…

WSW, I am so excited for your move. It’s such a blast being able to say the place is “yours”. Maybe it’s a personal thing for me (my biggest fear is homelessness, not that I’ve ever been, I don’t know where it comes from – past life??) but having a place that is all yours is just the best feeling in the world. Enjoy it!!!!
I am also so thrilled about the idea of you getting a service dog. I’d seen an episode of “That’s My Baby” on the Animal Planet channel and there was a little of Labs born that were going to be service dogs. It was incredible to see them start training when they were just weeks old! One of my old massage clients (also with ms) had a St. Bernard service dog. He was really something, we used to joke that you were going to get help from that dog whether you wanted it or not! Seeing service dogs working made me want to train the next dog I get to be a therapy dog – like the ones that go into the hospitals to visit kids and elderly… Besides being helpful, they do wonders for your emotional state too!

Kaylets, I hope you’re feeling better! Thank you for the wishes too, thankfully my parents have always done a great job of defining Christmas and my birthday as totally separate celebrations. This year, with my dad misspelling my name, and lumping the two days together – well, it just got to me! >( And not being able to do my typical “self gifting” just made it worse – but I did buy myself Pirates of the Caribbean on dvd last Thursday, that was a niiiiice prezzie! . To “yo-ho-ho” with Johnny Depp and a bottle of rum…. Muahahahahaha!!!!!!
I watched the skating on tv too! That kid, the 20 year old young man who placed first, who’s only been skating some 4 or 6 years, Michael Weiss I think his name is?? Wasn’t he amazing?!?!?!?!? I haven’t seen skating that’s made my jaw drop in years (unless you count Brian Boitano (sp?) or Scott Hamilton – or the one who married Katarina, Ilian??), but that kid was incredible! Felt sorry for Sasha Cohen, she’s such a pretty skater but can’t seem to keep it together in competition…. She’s young though!

SeattleJo, big ol’ congrats on the loss!!!!!

Anagram, miss you oodles! I can’t help but picture palm trees, sandy beaches and crystal blue waters now when I read your posts. Hope you and DH are soakin’ up some wonderful rays!!

Ceara, I’m sorry you had to work on Saturday, that bites! Do you get another day off instead then? And what’s this about 3 weeks with the TOM?? Have you talked to your Dr. about this?? I would think that would wipe you out!

Frogger, yeppers, sore “girls” used to be my old sign that TOM was going to be swift and vengeful. Take some Midol now, it may not be pretty when it hits! Goddess bless Depo-Provera… TOM issues are just a vague memory now. I haven’t been “visited” since ’97.

Wildfire, kiss your DH for me ‘k? He SO hit the nail on the head with the comment about you “only” losing 1.4. ONLY???? Why I oughta……
And yes, a rain dance would be MUCH appreciated!!!!

Eydie, I got your e-card! Thank you! I laughed myself silly this morning with the trampoline kitty! Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

Arabella, you’re skating too now?? Ok, now I’m really jealous! It’s really hard to strap on a pair of skates when you live on a DIRT ROAD! Gravel doesn’t tend to make the little wheels go ‘round very well!

So, today’s my first day 100% back on the wagon and not trying to convince myself that I was robbed of birthday goodies (thus, no excuse to treat myself to enough M&M cookies to sink a freakin’ freighter). I’m still feelin’ fat, but also feeling SICK of feelin’ fat and want to actually DO something about it, instead of the normal whine-fest I had been doing.

Onward and downward for me! Remember what the great (I guess he was great anyway??) Paracelsus said “The dose makes the poison” (aka, it’s not always what you eat, but the quantity!) and “Forget mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and DO IT. Today is your lucky day.” ~ Will Durant (may have also been great, not sure, but I like the quote!).

Muchos huggos,

Terri

Yowza, s!!! I'm on my way to mountains for a council meeting ... at least I will be on my way in a sec but wanted to check in here ... please again forgive me if I don't reply to everyone but consider thyselves replied to anyhoo!!!!

SJ, That would be cool if thou couldst create something on thy server for us if we go down again. Hopefully, that won't happen but stuff does, as thou knowest! Re my points, WW has decreed I shouldst start at 22 points, but that's way too low for me, so I use the flexies and APs to stay in the neighborhood of 27-30. However, today I'm just using flexies like crazy and am eating way too much but am still technically OP because of the flexies... I like Flexpoints a lot but it does lend itself to bingeing. Another point (no pun) is that I'm being careful to adjust my points to reach an average of 50 calories per point (I just do it mentally) as some items I eat add up to way more calories than that per point because of the fat and fiber ... but I don't believe there is really any good science (that I find credible anyway) behind the idea that fiber nullifies calories, so I'm really into the idea that a point is 50 calories ... so 30 points is a healthy 1500 cal, give or take. I used to just count calories but I really like using the points, as long as I don't believe that items with 165 calories is really 150 calories ... I realize this probably doesn't makes sense but am running late ...

Frogger: s and for the pound down!!! Huzzah!

Eydie: The "burritos" sound wonderful ... I need to try my hand at those ... I know since I've been doing a lot more cooking, my health has improved sevenfold!

Cerise: I remember the ferry (I lived in Seattle for a few years) but not the sheep! Om shanti! Thanks for the Bridget Jones quote.

Anagramatic: Thanks for the birthday wish!!! I've been enjoying thinking of thee on vacation ... and I think being unweighed for two months is really good for thee! It's best to take a break from that now and then, though I do believe weighing in is good (contrary to the anti-scale folks, I think it's just a number but a good barometer of how the land lies, so to speaketh)!!!

Kaylets: My fav place to sleep is the couch ... in fact I've slept regulary on the couch with Old Dog hunched up next to me for many years (I don't have a dh, as thou probably knowest, but as I've said, the love of a good dog be better than anything!!!)

Punkin: Thank thee also for the birthday wisheth!!!! I'm so freakin' glad it's over, along with Christmas and New Year's ... now it's full speed ahead toward a better life!!!

Guys, I have to go and I AM going to stop and buy a PB cup! Sometimes I think I'd be better off just keeping some in the fridge and just eating them rather than thinking about them all the time.

FORGOT THIS IS PRIA NOT DAY 12!!! Next month is going to be PB cup NOT month!

You bet!