Congrats on the tat, Eydie. Always nice to treat self to something you really want.

wsw, so good the sprint has been helpful to you. I think it has for me as well. I've been managing to meet water goal and the renewed emphasis on stress management was just in time. In fact, I should have been more on top of that because I still haven't reached my prior level. And I've really needed it. The expected stress with dh has been all that was expected and then another situation also developed with his health that only doubled it or so. Things are on the upside a bit now but neither situation is fully relieved. I haven't been BAD foodwise but it's not been one of my best times. I think it's times like this the new HABITS help carry us.

Hoping to relax a bit more today as no doctors, labs, etc on schedule but I do have to give him three shots today so that's stressful for both of us. Really would have just liked to stay in bed and sleep but that was not to be. A part of me IS starting to whisper "Food would help" but I think I know better now. I HOPE!!!! So far, so good.

Good weekend, all!

Thanks for your kind words, Arabella. Yep, I don't know what great good I did in a former life to have such a good marriage, but I'm grateful! And about the tattoo, I feel like I'm in the club now and I'm discovering that people are only too happy to show you their tattoo. TRUE STORY: Thursday a state auditor was at work and she'd heard that i'd just gotten a tattoo and she showed me the one on her butt!!! The state auditor!
Oh and congrats on losing 6 pounds in a month! You do realize that's a lot, right? That's above average for sure!

Anagram, hope today was more serene for you.

Garry bought us a badminton set today. I'd never played before and it was great fun---and a good workout too! I need lots of practice though. It's the only game [besides ping pong] that I've ever played where I wasn't afraid of getting hit by the ball. Not that there's a ball in badminton but you know what I mean!

To quote Queen Arabella, LOVE TO ALL!!!

Yo! Love the colors and fonts on thy post, Arabella!

This is a flyby, super me-me postie as I'm just beginning to perk up following a major slumpy day yesterday! I've rededicated myself to the journal club we had going here and the 21-day challenge (challenged myself to do yoga once a day, even for a tiny bit of time)!

I'm not sure how my sprint to independence went. Have made plans to go to one of our newspaper offices earlier tomorrow than I thought and work before heading out to do the 4th of July parade that I am covering that is schedule for 5 p.m. rather than in the morning when they usually have it (and when it's cooler)! Then fireworks, then back here and I'm committing to making a report on the journal thread come heck or high water and to watching my food as all this out-of-control eating is making me sick.

Anyway, the above is to explain that I'm going to skip my Sunday weigh-in and just assume I maintained at 153 and am going to go on into the next week with that and see how I do now that I'm focused again. The journal thread helps me more than any other thing I've done, so that's what I'm going to do! Huzzah!

Obviously, I did not make any of my goals for this sprint! Sigh. It was ever thus!

I have a the size of Pittsburgh.

I am not feeling positive about the new job for a lot of reasons, but decided I will relax and give it my all, but not forget there are other jobs and other lifestyles available should it become necessary to obtain one. My weight management, fitness and inner peace programs must continue.

Avanti! I am going to think up some new goals, drink a low carb shake and finish the novel I am reading.

Posted an inspiring message this a.m. and server kicked me off before it "took". Just kicked me off again. Don't know what's up with them today.

Anyway, Happy Huzzahs - for the Fourth of July and for the end of our little sprint. I did manage each day to meet water goals and to do at least a little toward regaining stronger stress management skills. Also did not do badly most of the time on food.

Demon scale actually rewarded me with a loss this morning of .6 of a pound and a new low of 201.4. This loss is from June 1st - in the meantime, I have been up as high as 208 with swelling from starting a new med. So to say I'm thrilled is an understatement. Nothing like a loss (no matter how little) to jumpstart the motivation.

What now? A new sprint? A new thread? How about a sprint to "Moon Day" (July 20) since so many of us are moon-enamored/inspired? Set new goals or keep working on prior?

Enjoy the day!

Congrats on the .6 of a pound, Anagramatic! That's really a whole pound, thou knowest!

I think Moon Day Sprint is a lovely name ... for a person or a challenge! I will come up with a goal if you post it!

We have no moon smilie!

That's not good!

Hello all!

I missed you all!

Sat, DH and I rode about 1.5 hrs north into NJ to look at a commercial sized lawn mower. Turned out to be "as advertised" and we came home w/ it. Traffic was very heavy so DH and I took an alternate route heading towards PHiladelphia and checked out a new Goodwill store I had heard had opened.

Then, we found another yard sale closer to the house and DH picked up a garden sized rototiller at good price. Even tried it out on a piece of ground near the house I needed. Speaking of gardens, my tomato garden is the tallest I've ever had... we did have very hot, humid days with daily rain but I also am wondering how much the homemade compost is helping. Nearer to the house, I have 3 tomato plants that "volunteered" to grow. Either they are seeds from 2 yrs ago plants or are growing from a tomato that didnt make it to the compost pile... they are not 1/2 as tall as the othes ... but then again, they grew from seed whereas the others were planted about 6" tall...
hmmmm


DH and I are still in our Sopranos marathon... Finished Season 3 last night...
I am glad we aren't paying to see it... The writing is pretty good but its very difficult for me to feel sympathy or a connection for any of the characters considering their entire lifestyle is supported on life of crime.

Did make a chick pea salad w/ Italian Dressing, fresh dill, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, onions, garlic ( 3 cloves!) and tofu. Probably would've tasted better if I let it marinate awhile but it was pretty good just put together.
I finally opened up an older WW's cookbook and lo and behold found some tofu recipes in it.
Amazing. Don't know why I'm suprised...

Did I mention that DH and I tried a restaraunt called Betrucci's last weekend?
They were very accomodating when I asked for the pasta dish to come in two separate bowls so I could control how much pasta I was eating. I had a shrimp and pea dish... The shrimp had a very light garlic taste... very delish..
the pasta was wide like fettucine but crimped.... very light cheese flavor...
But what I want to share is the Appetizer and/or side dish... ROASTED VEGETABLES!! so delicious! Peppers, mushrooms and Artichokes! I think they were first marinated w/ Italian dressing spices and then roasted... really, really worth trying!

In fact, DH and I are going back today. Bringing a best friend w/ us too.

Because, this is the day... the big 50 day.
AH well....
Healthier, slimmer, following more dreams than in many a year....

Here's to the next 50!

********

Thought of the day:

"All the great things are simple,
and many can be expressed in a single word:
freedom, justice, mercy, hope."

--Winston Churchill



Question of the day day :
"If you were six inches tall for one day, what would you do?"

----From IF (2) by Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywel

***************

HAPPY 50TH K!!!!

Re 6 inches tall, it's funny but I love cartoons (they're not just for kids) and one of my favorite ones is called "George Shrinks" ... it's about a little boy that's three inches tall. If I were 6 inches, I'd do just as he does, use my brain to compensate and take advantage of the adventure that's all around!

Hmmm, Arabella, that doesn't work for me (re selecting font). I generally just type the codes and then the text, unless I don't know what the code is, in which case I select it and it makes me type something in the little box and I just type a letter to get it to tell me what the code is! Hope that sentence makes sense. Have to get ready to go do my new job from heck!

[B]Happy 50th, dear Kaylets!!!!![/B]

caught up on posts. the heat has gotten to me, but of course, that doesn't seem to decrease my appetite too much. oh well! actually, have done pretty well with food plan, exercise. thinking of you all. take care.

anagram-congrats on your weight loss!!

hello all and thanks for the Birthday wishes--- I guess it says something that I went to a WW meeting for my weighin-- and wore jeans which suprised everyone as jeans are "heavy" and showed a tiny loss which everyone is sure means was really a bigger one...maybe even a whole pound!

So...

Am off to the races!!

Empress... Here is a fistful of Fresh Start cards and sparkling cold water to help w/ the Dulce hangover....
I CAN RELATE!! I remember my own fudge crashes!

BIG HUGS TO EVERYONE!
Thought of the day :
"A fellow can't keep people from having a bad opinion of him,
but he can keep them from being right about it."

---Mark Twain


Question of the day :

"If you could have the personality of on any TV character, whose would you adopt?"

----From IF (2) by Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywel


KETTLE IS ON!

Happy Birthday, Kaylets! And congrats on the weight loss too! Now that's a gift I'd like to receive---soon!

Great question today--I'll have to ponder that one....

Yo! I'll take some fresh start cards, E!!! Need some on the work front, too, as the new job be not working out, to my mind, anyway! Mayhap I've been working out of my home too long to change, but realizing that I'm going to have a real problem with one person and with the amount of time I'm going to have to put in for no more real benefit to myself.

Hmmm. Must banish negativity today. Determined to keep focusing on the journal thread as that really helps. Refocusing on exercise and daily yoga as well. Unofficially weight is up several pounds. Will do an official weigh-in Sunday!

TV character? Can't think of any that I'd emulate other than the aforementioned cartoonish George ...

Middle of night, got to sleep!

Belated Happy Birthday, Kaylets! Not too bad hitting the 50, was it?

Empress, sorry to hear change from working at home is as hard for you as for Old Dog. Bet she's missing you. Hope all perks up.

wsw, sorry heat is getting to you but know well what you mean.

Hi to Eydie, of the Shuttlecock. Really good exercise tool.

Wood Nymph, hope you get a bit of time off soon. Looking for some here too.

Bad habits creeping back - not out of stressful health period yet as had expected to be but hopeful it will be soon. Not much else going on here.