Morning Carol and Judy, I'm doing great. It's Friday!!! YEAH!!! I'm taking Monday off so it's another 3 day weekend.

Carol, I received my yarn order so I'm going to finish the pink sweater tomorrow. This morning, before work, I got all the pieces ready to sew together. Machine knitting makes the edges roll so you have to carefully iron them flat. I did that so I'm ready to put it together. I just have to knit the button/buttonhole bands and sew it together. I'll look pretty.

Judy, your new outfit sounds perfect. Good for you making yourself feel beautiful!

I didn't walk yesterday. That's the first day in 3 weeks. I was very frustrated with Ebay (I sold several items and when I change my email with Ebay, I changed it with Paypal as well - Ebay had them send the money to the old email address with Paypal - so I haven't been paid and my buyers are mad). Anyway, I was frustrated and let my emotions rule in not exercising. But I didn't eat so that was a good sign.

Well, I'm at work and better get to it.
Marie

Okay Marie and Judy yah got me walking! I got in 8 miles this weekend with a friend. We went around the two lakes at the park. It was a beautiful Feb. day yesterday and today a bit cooler but nice. We are charting our miles for the month. Cool huh? Wonder where I got that great idea. See we do motivate one another and thats a positive thing. I only have 31 days til Hawaii and I will be wearing a bathing suit and I need a tan! I have to go tanning before the trip something I have never done before. My grandson looked so dang cute in his littel Thomas the Train sweater I made. It came out so cute I will get a picture on here for you to view. I am starting to quilt now and seem to feel a bit motivated with that too. Needless to say I am feeling so much better last couple of weeks wore me down. But not for long! Gotta shake it up a bit here and get losing. My friend asked me the other day how much I have lost I said only 2.5 since 1/6. She said it looks like a lot more. Maybe its inches an thats okay too I will take anything. I am doing better with my over all choice making and that power makes me feel good. I am trying to do some portion control , increase the water, exercise is a must! If I can do at least 12 miles a week it will be an accomplishment for sure. M
2/4 start date= 4 miles, 2/5 4m.

All right, Carol!!! 8 miles is great. I'm up to 8 miles for February so far, but yesterday's 2 should have counted for 10. DH and I took the huskies to our mountain trail behind our house and went snowshoeing. I couldn't move last night. Just vegetated in front of the TV. The Superbowl was like taking a nap.

I can't wait to see a picture of the sweater and your grandson. It sounds so cute.

I'm going to finish the pink sweater today. It's mostly sewn together but I still have to knit the button bands. I did get the yarn on Thursday so I am set to go. I'm also in the process of making a "pine" colored sweater. I have the front and back done. It's a navy blue / forest green mix. Very pretty but the yarn is horrible. It's Lion's Brand Woolease - which I normally love. I'm up to 4 skeins that have been spliced in the middle. So I end up ripping out a lot to get the knot out. I've never come across that before and I have every intention of complaining to the company. They definitely have made me mad.

Anyway, ha ve a great day and I'll chat with you later.
Marie

Congrats, Carol and Marie, on getting this month off to such a great start! I've been offline for a few days, sorry I haven't checked in earlier. I'm out of town until tomorrow night, and trying to be better about holding the line while traveling. At least now I feel guilty about eating badly on the road--before I felt like I deserved pizza, ribs, beer, etc., for some reason.

Anyway, I just have a minute here, but I wanted to say how good it is to hear that you are moving andadding up the miles. I did sneak off to the exercise room in the hotel for a workout today, and will do it again tomorrow.

Oh girls I tell yah this job can take a toll on you after awhile. I had an emotional brownie attack last night. I was looking at a cake recipe and decided to go with the brownies instead less cals. Hah hah! Well after my overall stressful work day I ate prob. 3 brownies oh they did hit the spot. So my calories today were MSC calories my job title. I am losing a battle over a consumer which I have worked for 5 years with. I have taken him from being evicted from an apt. he and his dad lived in to now. He has decided to go back home to live. All I can say is I hope their taking him for the right reasons and not for financial reasons. Because his life style is going to change so much. My heart felt like it was ripped out when he made his decission. He couldn't even give me eye contact. Part of me knows he's doing exactly what he's been told to do as he was like a robot thoughout his meeting. Well now I have vented defeated is how I feel like a balloon with the air let out. This was my case the state just reviewed and was so pleased with the job I had done over the years. Well only to let it go backwards. Oh I just had to let this out. Thanks for being here!
Other than that no exercise as of yet. I think the gym is in order for this evening as I need to lift some wt.s. Energy well used would be better than baking brownies. I did read the rest of a book I had and that was nice by the fire eatting my brownies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today is another day and thank God I get another chance to make a difference for me and someone else maybe.
I will preplan my meal today. Judy you and I could get together on the feeling badly over our choices of food. I guess its good for both of us to acknowledge our mistakes and that is progress in itself! Good move for both of us. Lets get moving miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Exercise our stress away not eat it away!
Marie I will get that picture today I hope the little guy is coming over later on. I use that yarn sometimes too. I think I have the color your working with matter of fact. I need to locate a pattern for my newest yarn.
Preplanned meals today: Breakfast=ww english muffin 120 cals little canola marg.
1 hard boiled egg70 cals
Snack= 1 orange 110
Lunch= tuna 70 cal. w/ a little miracle whip 35 cals., green grapes, celery and served on a bed of lettuce. 5 reduced fat crackers with 40 spice hummus 100 cals. and cukes sliced up.
Snack= 1 yogurt 80cals
workout 50 min.
Dinner= cube steak lean w/ spices and brussel sprouts with a dab of canola and vinegar, 1 baked potatoe med. with lite sour cream
Snack= skinny cow ice cream sandwich 140 cals.
Thats it folks when I preplan more food for my calories!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Morning Carol, I'm really sorry about your job frustrations. Three brownies isn't that bad - it could have been four. So you just move on. I had a snacking problem yesterday with the original Oreos - the vanilla ones. I never should have bought them. I just can't stop eating them once I stopped. Luckily I didn't eat dinner so the calories weren't as bad as they could have been, but they were still over. I definitely am still struggling with food.

On the exercise front, I'm doing great. I'm up to 50 miles walking since 1/12/06. On Sunday DH and I took the huskies out on the mountain trail. Snowshoeing is hard work. I nearly was passed out the rest of the day.

My "pine" sweater is coming along nicely. I only have the ribbing on one sleeve and the entire other sleeve left to knit. I think it's turning out beautifully event hough I'm still mad about the splicing of the yarn.

Well, back to work. I'll chat with you all later.
Marie

Marie I can't get over how quickly you whip up those sweaters. Unlike me that handknits and takes forever. Another late work day yesterday all my thoughts of the gym were wiped out. But I did better with food. Changed my dinner into a grilled cheese sandwich on italian. Nothing else had some water. But hopefully today will be a gym day. I have my friend whom had the stroke in the fall working out. She is getting motivated through me and I love it. If we can help others how great is that. She doesn't need to lose wt. but to live healthier lifestyle and exercise. So its nice for me to beable to share some ideas with her. She is also my walking buddy and that makes it all easier. Being my hubby can't do that with me. I wish he could recently I have noted more trouble with his walking and his disease is crippling him more. My heart breaks to see him struggle. Well soon we will be off to Hawaii maybe that will give him and up lift. He doesn't care about Hawaii at all just seeing his son. Thats his only reason for going but hopefully all the rest will fall in place. My friend is going with us and it will give me someone to sight seeing and kayak with etc...When the kids are working. My hubby may go to the worksite somedays with our son. He is building a home for someone there. Well its thurs. snow is on its way by monday we are to have a northeastern stormm not fun! But we have had a great winter and spring is coming fast. I am checking out tanning salons soon. Going to get a base before my trip. Hang in there everyone. Looks like we lost Maureen again and Brokeneyes but I still look forward to my daily visits here. This is helpful to me. Thanks girls for being around!

Good afternoon, Carol and Judy. It is a beautiful day here today. Sunny and pleasant. I wish I hadn't gotten a cold, but I'm still enjoying it. Carol, I think at some point I missed what is wrong with your husband. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's very difficult to watch him suffer. I hope the trip to Hawaii does him good. sounds like you'll have fun and getting to see your son is great.

I ordered more yarn today and I received a shipment of yarn yesterday from Mary Maxim. It's bernat satin and is gorgeous. Today, I ordered baby coordinate and it's a textured satiny yarn that's gorgeous. And, not expensive. How cool is that. Now I just have to knit faster since I have about 10 sweaters in the waiting.

Well, I just purchased my hubby's and my tickets to go to MN in July. Another $900 out the window. Can you tell I love to visit Minnesota? Oh, well, that's where the family lives so we have to go.

Back to work I go. TTYL.
Marie

You guys with the knitting! I feel like such a slacker, with no productive hobbies at all!

Another frantic day is almost over....It will be good to go to Curves and work off the tension! Things are good, just lots to catch up on. I worked out as soon as I got home last night, and slept like a baby Worked out again this morning, trying to catch up on the cardio. I put in 255 minutes of cardio last week, which is right around my goal. I have no perishables or fresh produce at home, even so it's nice to be in my own kitchen, without so many temptations. it's supopsed to snow here this weekend, so I'll have to stock up Saturday.

Snowshoeing? I like walking, but not in the cold! Bet that's a great workout, though, great for your legs, Marie.

Don't fall asleep on the tanning bed, Carol.

judy

Well its almost friday hurray! I am still feeling a little under the weather this cold thing is a pain. I got better but not completly now I am sounding funny again and have a bit of a stuff nose. Man what a pain. At any rate we had a little snow storm here today. I made some crockpot blk. bean spicy soup. So nice to come home to. My hubby doesn't eat it but my daughter stopped in and took some for her dinner. We like similar stuff. The good stuff! I had a lean hamburger tonight also but stayed with in my days worth of calories. No real workout I have to walk again this weekend seems like this week it just didn't fit in. Well Marie your yarn sounds beautiful. Could you give me the address or phone number or web site for that yarn company? I think I used to many years ago order sweater kits for the kids from there. Wow that was many moons ago. Sounds like your sure busy. I should be knitting tonight or sewing that quilt. Just can't seem to get started. Judy nice to have such time to yourself to workout I wish sometimes I had more time. Rushing to get home some nights as I feel the need to do so. Not always but sometimes.

Hi Judy and Carol, I'm procrastinating exercising. So here I am...

Carol, the site is www.marymaxim.com and I really like their stuff. I think I'm in love with Bernat yarns and since I'm so mad at Lions Brand for splicing my yarn, I'm ready for a change.

Carol, my cold from Christmas never really went totally and away and now I caught another. I need to get rid of it since DS and GF are due any day to have my first grandbaby. The due date is/was today.

Judy, I don't like walking in the cold either, really aggravates my asthma but I love snowshoeing in the forest. It's pretty awesome. It is a great workout on the legs - hence my exhaustion on Sunday night.

Well, I need to get to the exercise.

TTYL.
Marie

Marie thanks for the info. as always. I will ck that out today. Do you have a Michaels Craft Store near by? They really carry some nice yarns. Thats where I bought my nice Italy yarn from. Now I need a nice pattern to go with it. I may stop at the yarn shop. She is really expensive but has nice stuff. I will ck out her patterns and take one ball with me to show her. If I make a sweater its something I use for years so sometimes spending a bit extra is worth it. Last night I got out the quilt thats started its cute but I made it out of little squares and its taken me forever. I designed my own pattern so I think I am going to take the piece done and work a border around it then one more row of small squares and another border. At least it will get worked on being in sight. Its a 2 year project! Would be nice to finish it off. The snowshoeing sounds like a lot of fun. One of my guys on my caseload loves it. I like being in the forest so it would be something fun to try. Now that we have snow.
Judy we'll have to get you knitting? It is very relaxing and you can take it anywhere to work on. Since you travel so often it might be fun. Not as hard as folks make it sound. Learn 2 basic sts and your all set.
I did the scale no loss no gain. I guess I should be greatful after the lunchoen and brownie attack the other day and a stressful work week. BUT I have only 27 days to move that scale and I wanted it down 4 more lbs. I have noticed my belly fat seems to be firming up. I think the yogurt is helping me there? Who knows but I will take every little positive thing that comes up.
My current wt. is the wt. I was down to in October thank God for my journal. It helps me see how things were going and when I lost. Maybe I should ck back on my intakes and try some as well.
Have a great day/

Yes, I want to be a knit wit, too! I should look at Netflicks to see if they have that instructional video, so I can learn to do something besides cast on.

My weigh-in was today. I've lost a pound since last week, which was better than I'd hoped, after the ragged way I was eating on the road. The ticker site is being weird--probably due to the 3FC server work--so I'm having trouble changing my weight tracker. At any rate, I will fall short of my Valentines Day goal, unless three pounds magically fall off by Tuesday. But it's progress, and I feel good about hanging in there despite the ups and downs of the past six weeks.

It's nice to know that you are both pushing yourselves to find time to work also. I'm not a morning person, so it's painful for me to wake up at 6AM. And sometimes instead of going to Curves, I would really rather go straight home and take off my shoes and my bra But then I read different people's success stories, and I see that most of them had to work out for an hour a day to take off as much weight as I need to lose--while raising kids, dealing with illness, whatever--and I feel priviledged to be able to make the time for myself.

I will probably be in most of the afternoon, the news is going on and on about a lot of snow coming our way. I hope you all have a great weekend!

judy

Judy think of the lb. as a lb. of butter gone thats what someone said to me. I guess its true and a lb. is an lb. So long to that one! I did the scale but it didn't go down. Last night I got into a few too many chips and a bit of dip we were playing cards with friends. But this evening when we gather to continue our game I will be cutting up some fresh veggies to dip in lowfat dip and fresh fruit too. So when others are munching I can too. But my choices will be on the healthy side. I paid for part of my trip yesterday and that felt great. Now we are working on the spending funds for the trip. It is expensive there but with staying with the kids it will be cooking and grilling etc. Sometimes out but limited forsure. I am getting pretty excited to say the least. I agree its hard to get to workout sometimes coming home is more comforting. But maybe I should try the gym in the a.m. again. It is slow at that time and I am only 10 min. til work from there. I am shotting for that monday morning. So I won't ck in on here til the evening. Lets see how that goes. Good idea I think it will be done and out of the way. As long as no snow storm works its way here NYC its getting it today I heard. Ritht now its little flakes once in awhile with lovely sun shining.Judy I hope you do ck out the knitting its so relaxing. THere are free instructions on line as well. Just do a search.
Marie good weekend to knit. I am going to quilt the stuff is out and I am getting in the mood. Thats the only way to get it done.

Happy Weekend Carol and Judy. I plan on knitting today but the cold is geteting worse, not better. So I'm first going to take a nap. We're having a partly sunny day and it's supposed to hit 52 degrees. February is so much better than January. Not to mention spring is around the corner.

No news on the baby front. I think my grandbaby is happy where it's at.

Carol, I don't have Michael's close by. We have a really pathetic Joann's. Ordering off the internet is a much better choice. I can actually order enough yarn to make something. Most of the time, the Joann's only has 1 or 2 skeins of a color. It's an icky stor although I did buy buttons for a sweater I'm going to start this weekend. They're very pretty.

Well, I will chat later. I'm getting pretty sleepy.
Marie