[Catlover777]

Just a quick note--I am really excited about the EAT program. So far it's eliminated the cravings, the out-of-control feelings and I feel lighter. I wonder if they have training for counselors. Guess I'd better finish it first!

[Shad]

This is a picture of my piggy bank after filling up with fuel this morning.

[[email protected]]

Hello Ladies,

Just bringing us to the top.
Will post later.

[Catlover777]

Shad--that's funny!

A little busier at work. They've taken some of us off the phone to work on helping health care professionals who want to help with Katrina relief. Still, sometimes it's 17 minutes between calls.

[[email protected]]

Hello Ladies,

Shad - I feel your piggy's bank's pain. We had several stations here who not even posting the amount per gallon, they were putting up the words " arm and then leg".

Cat -I think I need to look into this EAT Program.

I had planned to get on treadmill tonight, but was tired when I got home. I think i'm going to try and get on in the morning.

Hope everyone is having a good day!

[Catlover777]

Kickin' us up to the top before I take my walk.

[Shad]

Morning all,
Haven't yet gone south for the weekend. Will be doing that in a couple of hours. Meantime better get some work done around here. I'm only staying away one night because of the puss cat. I had originally thought of the entire weekend and asking DS2 to come and stay while I was away, but he is busy on other things. So I will toddle off down there, rage on into the night (well to 9.00pm anyway, we'll think of other things later) and come home around lunch time tomorrow. The plant is repotted, I just have to festoon it with golden ribbons since it hasn't obliged with a golden flower! I've done the eggplant rounds for the antipasto dish as requested. I've got my outfit sorted and just need to pack some underwear and shoes and do a bit of housework so that the house is not full of ants when I return. They are bad here at the moment. Can't leave anything around. I'm trying to think of what I might do to keep the cat's food safe overnight.


New acronym for the BW module (that is the part of SAP I am working on at the moment. Learning how to create, change and read reports. It should be BBW - Business Bl**dy Warehouse - since I am sick of the sound of my own voice telling the OSR population that they can get all the information they require simply by changing the order of the columns to show the info in a new and different light. Now they are getting the hang of Lies, damned Lies and Statistics I hope!!! You want the Minister to see ???? Then change these figures to read this way, delete this characteristic and whammo you see just what the population is not doing with their payrolls - or rather what some of the population is not doing since we left out the high earners and added in those on the widows pension to foul up the figures so they look really bad!!! I'll probably see some of my sins come back to haunt me on television one night!!!! Don't worry if you didn't understand that rant. I get stroppy about my job once in a while.

Hello to all. Hope Thin and Mooz are okay. Haven't seen them around for a while. I don't even get jokes from Mooz at the moment either. Things are obviously not funny where she is. Love to hear from you Mooz!

Right better go and get started on the kitchen, followed by the pots on the patio, followed by hosing and cleaning the pavers, followed by sweeping the floor, followed by........... (fill in the blanks as required). Back tomorrow afternoon. See you then.
__________________
Joy

[HalGal]

Good Saturday Morning Girls!

Whew, back in the real world, and at full throttle. I'll tell you one thing, I absolutely must take care of my weight in order to be able to maintain these 10 to 12 hour days. This next week will be no less than a 10 hour day daily, and I see one 13 hour day (detention coverage immediately after school for 2 hours to be followed immediately by a 2 hour open house for parents - all after a 8 hour school day). So... having strength, stamina and energy are a must. I have the positive attitude, now to kick start it into action, huh? One teacher said he thought I was losing weight 'as we passed in the hall' and that was nice. I have been eating roasted meats (mostly chicken) and microwaved frozen veggies (least expensive and quick).

I am haunted by the faces of the victims of hurricane Katrina. I cannot dwell upon it too long, as it will give me nightmeres - something they are living. One thing is certain, the strength and effect of our countries emergency services are not what have been advertised by our leaders. How does the saying go, the 'proof is in the pudding'. I cannot imagine how it must have felt thinking they may have received the debit cards, think about making a few needed purchases after 10 days, only to have the rug pulled out - and the wait extended.

Do any of you have HBO? If you do, watch Real Time with Bill Maher this week. He has much to say, as do his guest speakers including Kurt Vonnegut that are eye opening. Both sides are represented, and it is very interesting.
Very sad. Altho, Bill Maher is a humorist - very little of this is funny.

Nita: Surgery date is coming up, and I know you are nervous and busy. My thoughts and prayers come your way also. Keep us posted, and don't forget to show us your sewing projects! Remember we are here for you.

Shad: Love to read your posts! Girl, you have the energy I want to bottle up! I sent the Keith Urban info along to my friend. Let me know if it gets corrected! He is such a cutie, and I love to watch him play his guitar. In his genre of country music - you rarely see such licks on the guitar - usually only in rock and roll. Go Keith! LOL Do you work for automotive manufacturers... when you said SAP I wondered. Trust me, we all understand manipulation of charts and numbers - we Americans receive such reports from, well.... guess. Sad, sad, sad state of affairs. The rich get richer, the middle class shrinks, the poverty level sores. I hope you had a great overnight trip!

OneDay: Good for you taking a few days off. I believe we need to take time for us. So important. Thanks for bumping up us up. I am watching pets on TV as I type to you - dogs from New Orleans looking for homes. SO sad, the owners must miss them immensely. I hope some of them can be returned to the owners. So muuuuch sadddddnessssss.

CatLover: The eating awareness program sounds really good. I have tried to really pay attention, and eat nutrient dense foods. I have, however - been sneaking in some dark chocolate here and there. Word out it is good for us!
What does 'taking us off the telephone' mean for work. I know you have said, but what is it you do? My elder years allows for such lapses, huh?

Mooz and Thin - we miss you. Take good care, you little lurkers! = )

I have a few get togethers this week with different friends to celebrate my new decade. The food was generally very healthy - crab cakes, shrimp, fresh spinach salads... roasted chicken... all good stuff. I hope you guys are enjoying the same. We splurged on a strawberry pie, as the season ends.

Here's a quick foil pack fish recipe: I prepare these on Sunday, and use them during the week. It is nice to walk in the house, turn on the oven and have time to play with Rocky while dinner cooks. Ahhh... what a life!

Foil-Pack Fish Florentine

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
2 cups warm water
1 lb. flounder fillets, cut in half crosswise (any white fish works!)
4 cups fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup minced green olives
1/2 cup minced black olives
1/2 cup capers
1 cup diced tomatoes (can use drained/minced canned tomatoes)
1/4 cup Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1/2 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix rice and water; spoon evenly onto center of each of 4 large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Top evenly with half of the fish. Cover with the spinach, cream cheese spread and remaining fish pieces. Drizzle each with 2 Tbsp. of the dressing.

TOP with minced olives, capers and diced tomatoes.

BRING up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place foil packets in single layer in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

BAKE 15 min. Remove packets from oven; let stand 5 min. Place 1 packet on each of 4 dinner plates. Cut slits in foil with sharp knife to release steam before opening.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Nutrition Bonus:
Incorporate fish into your family's diet with this easy low-calorie meal. The spinach adds a splash of color and an excellent source of vitamin A.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories 380

Total fat 11g
Saturated fat 3.5g
Cholesterol 80mg
Sodium 570mg
Carbohydrate 43g
Dietary fiber 2g
Sugars 4g
Protein 28g
Vitamin A 110%DV
Vitamin C 15%DV
Calcium 10%DV
Iron 25%DV

I love this dish - it is one of my favorites!

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!!!!

[Catlover777]

"Taking us off the phone" is just doing something other than sitting in our little cubicles asking Medicare questions.

EAT requires you to forget every "diet" rule you've ever learned, and listen to what your body wants.

This a.m. DBiL asked if someone could watch DMiL tomorrow morning, so they could have some free time together (BiL and SiL). They really deserve because of working so hard as care givers--but guess who was the only one available? Not that I mind staying with DMiL, who is delightful, but it was such a busy weekend already.

So I'd better get back to work tho kitten wants more attention. Choices, choices.

[[email protected]]

Good Morning Ladies,

Shad - Hope your having a wonderful trip. I forgot where you were going or for what event, but hope your having a good time. On your ant problem with the cat food. I know a friend of mine uses a tin plate, or pie pan fills with water then set a smaller bowl inside with the food. Ants won't swim to the food. Your right didn't quite understand your work jargon, but that's what were hear for anytime you need to rant about work, we're hear to listen and We won't tell them.

Hal - The fish recipe sounds good. How does it taste as leftovers? If i made it I would only use 1 packet. I've been following the doggie rescues on the different news sites. Maybe next time something like this happens they'll let the people take the pets with them, when their getting rescued. WTG for eating healthy. And yes your right dark chocolate is good for you.

Nita - Keep us informed about the surgery. I'm thinking its the 15th. Keeping you all in my prayers.

Cat - I think that might be a good idea to forget about all the rules of eating and dieting. I get so confused on what I am suppose to eat. I don't have time for reading right now, working on another book but that might be my next choice.

As for me, work was really busy taking off 2 days. Went into the office for a few hours yesterday to get a few things caught up. The heat is not as hot as it's been we're in the high 90's. Looking forward to some 80 degree days. Went to chuch last night, so today is my cleanhouse day and going to a 48th B-day party for a friend. Need to eat before I go, so i won't be tempted to eat chips,dips and cake.

Thin and Mooz - hope to hear from you all soon.

[HalGal]

Good Sunday Morning Movers and Losers!

What a beautiful morning here in central Kentucky! What a wonderful day yesterday was - doing next to nothing. I did some laundry and read from a mystery novel, napped and had breakfast twice - once for real breakfast and later for dinner. My kind of day. Today - more laundry and back to school to work out notes for two meetings I have to facilitate this week, and new unit plans for the four class preparations I teach. With all new textbooks and resources (well, I am still waiting on some of the 'resources') it is kind of like teaching the first year - but with experience. OK, it is like having homework all the time, plus having to grade the papers - maybe that explains the extra.

The Hummingbirds have found my Canna plants, and they stop by the Petunias also, I saw one first thing the AM - life is good...!

OneDay: I freeze the 3 packets and then bake them from the frreezer to the oven, just allow 15 more minutes. They are fine that way.

CatLover: So, I bet you are glad to be 'off the telephone'! My job previously to teaching required almost nonstop telephone use and I lost my love for using a telephone even at home! Wild, huh? I hope you have a good day with your Mother in Law!

Here is a healthy dessert for those of you looking for a way to enjoy fresh fruit and still have a nice treat.

Fruit & Custard Tart
Creamy custard, fresh fruit and a nutty crust...light and satisfying, this
is a great dessert.

Oat & Nut Crust:
1 cup rolled oats
1⁄2 cup almonds
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/4 cups brown rice syrup

Filling:
1 cup amasake (may substitute milk)
2 teaspoon kuzu dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water (may substitue cornstarch)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Fruit
3-4 cups fresh fruit-i.e.-sliced strawberries, halved grapes, sliced
peaches, pears or apples (tossed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice to prevent
oxidation browning), blueberries, raspberries

Glaze:
1⁄2 cup apricot preserves (unsweetened or fruit-sweetened)
1⁄2 cup brown rice syrup (may substitue Karo syrup)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon agar flakes (may substitute 1 tsp gelatin)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350º.

Prepare tart dough by blending oats and almonds into a fine meal (in a
food processor). Mix in corn oil and rice syrup to create a very stiff
dough. With wet hands, press firmly into a pie shell to create an even
covering. Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside.

Prepare the filling by heating amasake thoroughly. Stir in dissolved kuzu
until mixture thickens and starch cooks, about 3 minutes. Stir in vanilla
after removing from heat. Spoon amasake into pie shell evenly. While custard
is still soft and warm, press fresh fruit in an attractive pattern covering
the amasake completely.

Amazake
A fermented sweet rice drink. It has the texture of milk, making a great,
creamy base for custards, puddings and frostings, not to mention a
wonderfully satisfying drink on its own. You may substitute milk.

Kuzu (Kudzu)
Kuzu is a high-quality starch made from the root of the kuzu plant. A root native to the mountains of Japan (and now in the Southern US), kuzu grows like a vine with tough roots. You may substitute cornstarch.

Prepare the glaze by heating ingredients over low heat, stirring
constantly, until agar dissolves, roughly 10 minutes. The mixture will
thicken slightly. Brush or spoon over the fruit while very hot. Allow the
tart to set up for about an hour before serving. Makes 8-10 servings.
Note: Pouring the glaze over the fruit while hot, cooks it just enough to
make it slightly tender and bring out the sweetness.

Agar (sometimes called agar-agar) is derived from a species of red seaweed. It can be found in health-food stores and is sold either in powder, flake, or bar form. Agar bars can be crumbled to make flakes. Equal amounts of powder and flakes will thicken dishes differently, so they are not interchangeable. A general rule of thumb is: 1 tablespoon of agar flakes or 1/2 teaspoon of agar powder will thicken 1 cup of liquid.

I have included some explanations on what some of these whole food ingredients are. You may have to shop in a health food supermarket for some of these items, or go on line to shop. I think there is much to be said about cooking and eating whole foods. Stay tuned...

[mooz49]

Hi chickies ....... sorry I have not been posting recently. Things are much the same here ........ no weight loss..... just about getting enough sleep ...... have to snatch naps during the day to make up for the broken nights sleep but my mother is keeping fine for a 93 year old. I got her a new chair with a foot rest so she can sit all day with her feet up! One of her legs swells up during the day when she has her feet down so this is helping her that way. It also has a clip on tray which means she cannot get up and try to walk on her own now. She cannot walk on her own but thinks she can and that was a problem up until now. I just hope she does not figure out how to take the tray off!!
I will post a photograph of her taken on the day I got the chair for her.

I am thinking of going to WW this week to see if it gives me the extra push to lose this extra weight. I have been able to keep off the biscuits and coffee which is great for me. I think Paul McKenna helped me there and I should read his book again and listen to his CD every day but I don't!!
I will try and post every day as I know I will get the support I need here from all you lovely ladies.


Have a nice day all.

[Catlover777]

Mooz--
Good to hear from you again. Nice photo of your mom. Are you anywhere near the riots we read about? (Naturally they are tucked inside the paper, because everything is Katrina and then Ophelia here).

Hal--that fruit sounds delicious. Will try to fix it.

Poets against the War reading this afternoon--must try to do a few more things before I leave.

[Shad]

Yes I am back - had a nice time. It was a very pleasant evening and apart from half a can of bourbon and coke and a glass of very dry champagne I stuck to coke all night. Not that we went into the night too far. I called quits and went to bed around 11.00 because I had had enough of the day - 5.00am to 11.00pm makes a long day. I did watch a bit of an old Rambo movie on TV and some news from CNN when Rambo got too much to take. Not sure that the news was much better. I saw some starving dogs rescued in New Orleans. And some old men who didn't want to be rescued but were starving, scared and ornery!

Went for a run along the Terranora Inlet on Sunday morning. Photo's are on Webshots - here's the addy [url]http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=446868323

Got back around 10.00am on Sunday and Miss Puss missed me so much she ignored me. She's back on speaking terms now. No ants either - I found an old feeding bowl that had a moat around the outside of it. Ants don't swim so the cat's biscuits were fine. I then cooked me a huge breakfast and slept the rest of the morning away in front of the television and went out into the garden for the rest of the afternoon. I turned the sprinklers on late afternoon and gave the garden 2 hours watering and lo and behold what happened?? We had a storm and rain overnight to really get the garden wet.

I'm waiting on Shane the travel agent to get back to me re the flights to Japan for the end of October. I seem to be going up on the 27th and back on the 8th November but am wait listed for the 6th November. I tried to get the trip on my frequent flyers card but it is just so pathetically painful to try and find a date - I could get up but not back. Why can't that website simply list what days there are frequent flyers available. Grrrrrrrrr. Chris is progressing. She was allowed home for Saturday night but had to go back for Sunday so they can do more tests. She is walking with a cane. Hope they sort out the origin of the allergy soon. Yep that is what caused it. It's not any of the usual allergies either - not plant, food, flower - that they can find. Still searching.

So onward to another week. Wonder what joys await me.

Mooz - good to hear from you. Your Mum looks so comfy in that chair. Say hello to her from me. Not that she will remember me, but that's okay.
Glad to hear that although you are not losing anything, you are keeping off the biscuits and not adding to the total like I am.

Hal, that fish sounds good. Since I love fish, I might give it a try myself. Packets for the freezer are a good idea too. No I don't work for an automotive manufacturer. I do contract work, I actually work for myself. I've been in coal mines, iron ore mines, diamond mines (no I didn't see any), Nickel and gold refineries - again no I didn't get paid in gold, power stations, fertiliser manufacturers, plumbers, oil companies and at the moment I'm working for the Queensland State Government. SAP is in many places and doing many things. I prefer the private sector, but government is fine as long as they pay the fees.

Cat - hoping you are coping with the weekend and the MIL.

One Day - I like the service stations sense of humour. Arm and Leg - well that's what we are paying at the moment. Day by day, sometimes hour by hour it rises. Yesterday I saw it over the $1.30 per litre - there are just over 4 litres to the gallon - thats over $5 per gallon ye gods!!!!!!! I filled my car before I left for the coast on Saturday, put the trip meter on and did 96.4Km to the motel. Did 96.7 back and the car wasn't even down to the 3/4 mark so if that is reasonably accurate, my car would be doing 800Km (500 miles) to the tankful on the open road. Not too bad and a lot better than the 4WD's around the place. Apparently since the price hikes, the sales of 4WD - SUV's - has dropped nearly 40%. Good, then they won't be around to terrorise us on the roads anymore! Don't know what it is like in the States but over here I'm positive that the 4WD drivers think they are immortal and that they own the roads!!!!.

Better go and strike a blow for the working week. My two cohorts are not coming in today so I shall be on my own in the office. Oh well could be worse. At least no one will know what I am up to! See ya

[Nita]

Hi Ladies,

Just a quick note to let you all know I have read your posts and I find them very motivating. Yes, we did get our 20 members so the WW program will start this Wed. Since Gene's surgery is on Thurs. I will be going to work on Wed. and that way I may be able to attend the WW meeting before I go bowling. Yesterday Gene walked from his bedroom into the living room to get the telephone without his walker or cane. His TV wasn't working and he just didn't take the time to use the walker. I am very optimistic that sooner than later he will be walking again as he used to. Yes, his surgery is Thursday morning at 9:00 o'clock. Thanks a whole lot for your concern and prayers.

My very good friend's surgery to remove one of her kidneys that had cancer came out wonderful. She is doing fine and the surgeon believes they got all the cancer. We just never know what we may have to face in the future.

I am still having bad indigestion and no matter what I eat in the evening, I end up being very uncomfortable. I took some medication this morning and I will see if it helps. I do believe I can start the treadmill tomorrow morning. It has finally cooled off enough to open the doors in the morning, at least for a couple of hours.

Take care, and I will write soon again.
Anita