Penny to start off wow are you right on the menopause and weight loss. I am a bit upset I went up 1.5lbs according to yesterday and todays scale. I am not a happy camper and don't feel like I should of gained. My intakes aren't prefect but with in a reasonable amt. most of the time. So I am not really happy ooops can yah tell. Sorry girls for my off feelings! I did go to the gym on monday and worked out for 45 min. wasn't sore yesterday but a bit today. I plan on returning today even with my wt. issue. I am not giving up! Sorry to hear about your soaps and I am sure they were wonderful. Sometimes people can be so hurtful and I wouldn't make her another bar no matter what she was paying! That is just not nice at all what she said. I am sure anyone else would be so grateful to have your lovely soaps and I bet they all smelled wonderful. I like the ones I made using your ideas.
Marie sounds like the sun was nice but not the burn. I could do for some sun and warmth here we were down to -0 yesterday today a warm spell of 22 I guess. You have surely been enjoying the skiing good for you! I bet you have lost lots of inches with that many hrs. of skiing ? I hurt just using muscles I haven't in awhile at the gym. Monday was a quiet day there and glad I broke the ice and finally got there to workout. Now that I did I will make an effort for 3 -4 times a week. Waiting for my friends to go walking just didn't work out. If the scale doesn't cooperate with in a week or so I will go get my thyroid ck'd again cause something is gone haywire this dang menopause crap I wake up hot get cold easier wow its not fun! I tried some herb stuff last night no difference yet. Well I am done b-------! Hope my day improves as time goes on. I have two meetings on one client today back to back. I think they are going to go well. I am moving my emergency intake from last year to another home which will meet her needs better. I feel good about that at least. I am going back to doing my intake journal even though I have been calulating in my head cals I think putting them down will be better for now. That way I can see whats slipping in maybe. I will do that dang scale everyday til I see a loss! Have a nice day all and hopefully mine will improve. Nikki and Marie wish you could see the cute little cotton shop I found with cool materials to quilt with last weekend. Nice stuff and great classes.

Carol It always stinks to gain but keep a positive attitude. This to shall pass. I wish I could see your quilt shop. I am colecting fat quarters from different stores in Earth tones so I can make a queen size ohio star and nine patch quilt with cream background. My machine is so messed up I need to figure out if I need a new one or if this one can be fixed for less then price of a new one.

Nikki

Morning everyone, yes Judy, DH is crapping part of my lifestyle in the evenings but it's way outweighed by the help. Babysitting is easier - I actually got a chance to vacuum last night and DH put the pizza together (I made the crust and he did the rest). But you sure did get me to laugh. I think the hardest part of his computer hogging is that I don't plug in my USB drive and log my calories. So I need to ask him to break for a moment so I can do that. I know he wouldn't have a problem with it - I just ahven't asked.

Tomorrow is DH's 45th birthday. I finally got him to say what cake he wants me to make and what his B-day dinner will be. That at least helps since I have to make the cake tonight and tomorrow while cooking dinner I need to pack. He's already got his present - the skis - so I'm going to pick up a card and try to think of a simple, small gift. If I don't succeed that will be okay. Now the key is to see if DS2 forgets his birthday for the 3rd year in a row... DS1 and almost DIL reminded him this weekend so it'll be interesting.

I did 2 miles jogging and 2 miles walking this am. It felt good since I didn't want to get up. Yesterday at lunch a friend and I walked since it felt like spring (gone now) and afeter work, DH and I took the 3 doggies and DGS for a 2 mile walk. I'd say I got my exercise yesterday.

Penny, NEVER, EVER make that B**** your soaps again. What an absolute ditz. Does she not realize that you put love and time into your craft. What an idiot. If a person doesn't treasure your labor of love then dump them. Never again. I'm sorry that happened. I know I'd LOVE one of your soaps. Geez, people can be so thoughtless.

Carol, I'm sorry that the scale is making you mad. Mine should have been nice yesterday since I'd cleaned it on monday night, but no it's say I ate 10500 calories. I know that it's already gone - I'd felt bloated and it truly didn't bother me (for once). But if you're on track and moving that bod, then I'd talk to your dr. and also look at the meds you might be taking. all my psychiatric drugs made it impossible for me to lose weight.

Nikki, I'd have your machine looked at. I think repair is cheaper than new especially a cheap new one - you get what you pay for. I have two machines - one collecting dust in a closet but we save it for sewing tough materials (like DH's desire to reupholester his restored vehicles).

Judy, sometimes stress reduction is way more important than aerobics. I'm lucky, aerobics reduces my stress and yoga irritates me.

Okay I should look at the materials I will be teaching this afternoon. at least I remembered my inservice this am so I could get ready. But it wouldn't have been the first time I totally winged it.
Marie

Penny, your post reminded me to be more careful and not just breezily verbalize every stray thought that comes into my mind...our thoughtless comments can cause people a lot of needless distress. I bet your ex-buddy forgot it as soon as she said it, but her words really stuck with you. It's definitely okay to scratch her off your list, or just hand her a cheap bar of Irish Spring .

Carol, hang in there! Maybe logging your food again will show you if you're taking in too many calories. I'm not looking forward to more fun with hormones. I'm on the edge of the Pause (I'll be fifty this year, which I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around), and am looking forward to being on the other side of all this.

Nikki, you're another crafty person, too! I love seeing homemade quilts, but can't imagine doing one myself. Where do you get your ideas for patterns?

Marie, hope you enjoy baking the hubby's b-day cake. It's nice that you have a family tradition. Growing up, we did things any which way, which had its good points (some years, anyway), but I envied families who had traditions to look forward to.

I'm good. I felt kinda beaten up this morning, so I didn't work out. I plan to go to Curves after work, though, they haven't seen me over there in ages. The weather has turned cold and snowy, and so I feel "hungrier" than usual. I ate my afternoon snack by 2PM, so I will drink mint tea for a while and hope that the craving for carbs gives up.

judy

Carol - Sorry to hear about your gain - I can come over and smack your scale if you like . It's probably water weight and will come off quickly. That's a good idea to start journaling your food intake again. It's what keeps me on the straight and narrow (most of the time).

Nikki - I always envy people who can sew. It would be a nice hobby, but I just get frustrated with the fiddly bits.

Marie - Happy birthday wishes to your DH. I hope your DS2 takes all the hints and remembers. I have to drop a few hints now and then too. Thanks for your kind words about the soap fiasco. I definitely won't be making soaps for that person again. It wasn't a slip of the tongue as she brought it up again later, which was embarrassing in front of my other friends. Unfortunately, I can't avoid this woman as she is a member of my group, but it's not the first time she's pulled a stunt like this. I just found out she's been invited to a dinner party we're going to on Friday and now I don't feel like going. If she starts on about the soaps again I might lose it!

Judy - I could just see this woman's face if I handed her a bar of Irish Spring!
That's so funny. I'm officially off my 'soapbox' now . I hope you soon get your energy back. I'm having problems staving off the munchies this dreary afternoon. I'll have a nice cup of tea and hang in there till dinner time.

The good thing about yesterday was that I got so many compliments on my weight loss. I wore a new outfit on that I found at the upscale resale store a friend volunteers at - a dark grey silky blouse embroidered with little red rosebuds here and there with a black velvet collar. It was very flattering and a steal at $7! I wore it with my new size 14 black pants that are a change from the baggy size 18 ones I've been wearing.

Penny you surely made me laugh! Well I think you should go on friday if she is there or not. But if she starts in on the soap approach her on it and say well yah know no one is forcing you to get it from me or use it. So maybe next time don't order any. Facing people with whats on your mind is sometimes easier than we think. It also nips it in the butt. So good luck.
Marie happy b to the hubby.
I want to thank you all for your kind words. I did go work out at the gym today again starting off slowly at first 45 min. But 2 miles and some wt machines so I feel good about it. It would of been very easy to drive away today and come home but I thought twice and said go do it. Then did! Work was good today my two meetings went well. The girls brother thanked me and gave me a lot of credit for helping his sister so much. As I told him it made me feel good to beable to help someone else so much. Its not that type of ending all the time and some people yah just have nothing to help them with really. So she is moving in a couple of weeks to a home with more to offer her than the current one. We ck 'd out her room it is lavendar and is really cute she deserves every bit of it and then some. Well the end of my Cinderella story for today. I did pretty good with cals. I am up to 1340 in cls and have just enough space for a fit lite yogurt with a couple of walnuts in it.
Take care and thanks for all your support I SURELY NEEDED IT!!!!!!!!!

Judy, quick question for you since you're our resident traveler/dieter. Can I bring fresh fruits on the plane or did they whack that out also. I know I have to buy my water in the airport but I'd really like fruit and there is water in them where I could hid bad things. I also bought 100 Nabisco snack packs.
Marie

Too Funny...

NEWS FLASH:
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on
nutrition
and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting
nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than
Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than
Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks
than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks
than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beer & eat lots of sausages & fats &
suffer fewer heart attacks too.

CONCLUSION:
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what
kills you.

LOL Marie that is great !!!

Okay, now that's I've caught up on the posts, I can do a real one. I wanted to beat Judy today so that maybe she can answer my flying woes. I'm still bummed that at no point can I have soda - no airport that I have ever been through has caffeine, sugarfree soda. But I'm a lemonda freak so I'm going to buy the individual Crystal Light packets so I should be okay.

I did 4 miles walking this morning. Boy I didn't want to. I wanted to be a slug but forced myself. I did do the music only and didn't listen to Leslie's chatter but the music was boring so that didn't help.

Penny, I agree with Carol, confront the woman if she ever mentions it again. What a terd. I really loved the Irish Spring idea.

Judy, you are too funny. I hope that you have more energy today. I bet the people at Curves were glad to see you.

Carol, congrats on the great praise. You deserved it. And take Penny up on the scale slapping. I bet she does a good job teaching it its lesson.

Hey Nikki, how are you doing? Have you gotten your test results yet?

I made the birthday cake - red velvet. But I had Hershey's Dark Chocolate Cocoa powder and the red velvet is more a dark maroon velvet cake now. Trust me, if anyone acts like Penny's ex-buddy and mentions the look, I'll slap them.

Well time to work...
Marie

Hmmm, red velvet cake.... Marie, I hope that you whole family enjoys the birthday celebration. Re TSA: The way I remember it is not to try to carry anything through security that you can pour or spread, unless it's 3 oz or less and packed in a quart-sized freezer bag that you can pull out for the xray machines. They aren't rummaging around looking for stray Chapsticks, but if you carry lots of little lotions, nasal spray, etc. in your purse, you might want to go ahead and put it in a quart baggie anyway, to save yourself the trouble. Apples , sandwiches and similars foods are fine, which is great, since you are rarely offered 'real' food during the flights anymore. It's generally things in cups, tubes or jars that they fixate on. And once you get past security, you can buy overpriced drinks and bring them onto the plane with you. Now that I think about it, I don't plan to fly again until mid-April, imagine that!

Carol, I'm glad that your client's sister let you know what a great job you're doing. You can never say thanks enough to people! A lot of people really value your spirit and your energy, I know that we do, anyway.

Penny, congratulations on showing of your weight loss . The blouse sounds beautiful. Don't let one person deprive you of a good time with your friends. If she brings up the soap yet again , just remind yourself that's she's the one with the problem, not you, and give her a pitying look. Your friends are probably sick of hearing about this, too, maybe one of them will speak up and tell the woman to put a sock in it.

I had a good workout this morning. I made the mistake of bringing a bag of pistachios to work, and so of course I've already had two servings of them today.

Hey, tomorrow's Friday! It's a cliche, but I'll be really glad to see the end of this week.

judy

Thanks Judy for the info. I will put my purse stuff in a quart bag (actually a sandwich bag probably). I just wanted to bring real food with me. I don't like airport food and I'm doing the red-eye so the choices are even more limited.

I too can't wait to see the end of the week. I'm ready for a beach. I definitely decided not to bring the computer with me - I've got my ipod so I'm happy.
Marie

Carol - I am going to the party on Friday and as you say, if she acts up I'll "nip her in the butt" . You certainly deserve the praise from the people you help. The world needs more caring people like you! I like the idea of nuts in yogurt - I sometimes put some chopped pecans in some maple yogurt for a special treat. You're doing great with the calories - keep up the good work!

Marie - I like the joke about the English language being a risk factor for heart attacks . Maybe they're onto something - I'll have to start brushing up on my German. I'm happy for you that you're soon going to have some much deserved time off for R&R. My DH travels a lot so I always pack him a good lunch and a snack for the plane as you get nothing but a little bag of peanuts these days. I always pack a sandwich of some kind, a boiled egg and a piece of fruit. He also takes a couple of Zone bars for snacks. He says he gets some envious looks from other passengers when all they have are their little packages of nuts. I could sure eat a piece of that red velvet cake - yum!

Judy - I'm glad for you that you're getting to spend some time at home for a while. It will give you a chance to get healthy again. Pistachios, or any kind of nuts, are my downfall - I can't just have a few, they are so more-ish!

Nikki - Hope you're feeling well.

Our DS has been offered a job in Boise, ID and they will be flying him out next Friday for an interview. It kind of came out of the blue as he wasn't looking for a new job. It would be a good career move for him, but we'd sure miss seeing him around here all the time. I'm starting to get stir crazy here and can't wait till the weather warms up so I can get outside more.

Marie good choice in the cake making that always is so good and moist. I bet he loved it. Getting excited about your trip thats wonderful. One year ago today I was standing at the Syr. airport going to board a plane to start my trip to Hawaii. Oh what fond memories I have. I am going to take some pictures to my office so I can look at them on bad days and remember how nice it was and that I will go again soon I need to work to pay to go! Work has been over the edge and then some I was very stressed yesterday and it was my cause to give in to potatoe chips jalopenos. At least they may of raised my metabolism??? Hah hah! This lady either needs to move on or stop causing trouble. I know our dept. has a few issues but telling other people all over the agency your issues is tabooo! And I am dang sick of listening to the whispering and tee heeing on the phone. If anyone of you have ever had to do this I am so sorry! If she doesn't leave and doesn't stop this behavior I am going to ask to change offices. I only get one choice and thats with 3 girls one computer now I have 1 and she doesn't even use it. So I do have draw backs. Oh girls I am sorry for going on! Ooops! Marie your trip sounds wonderful! Can I go in your suitcase??? Maybe I need a little break soon. I am getting out early today by 1.5hrs. I am going to work out at the gym. Thought fridays would be busy there so I am going early. I will make my 3rd visit and other than the chips have been pretty darn good. I did make raisinbran muffins last night for work today we had a lovely young girl start yesterday and we are doing a breakfast today. The other one seems a bit jealous. Oh well! Judy I read if you have about 8 walnut halves before a meal it fills you more? Anything is worth a try. I like them in my yogurt or cottage cheese. Funny huh? Weird stuff is sometimes tasty. Penny that scale did need a spanking and it will go down or I WILL replace it! Off to the dump it will go we will not put up with this! I do think that menopause might be a bit of my problems I have been having trouble sleeping with flashes etc. I am trying some herb stuff. It seems to help a little. Judy enjoy being home for a little while it will be nice to put your feet up and read a good book. The weather is crazy this week -5 one day up to 30's today next week in the 40's wow its nuts. I told my girl friend which we hang out tog. alot that I have returned to the gym. I said if you want to walk on the weekends or my off days thats great but I need to do this for me. She understood! Take care everyone and sorry for the length I guess I needed to release this a.m. and hopefully I am off to a good positive day!

Well the coworker is staying so no new office mate. Oh I hope her spirit gets better and less bitter or it could be a long road ahead. Yesterday was another stress day. The intake wasn't perfect but some choices better than others. Today I will get it back under control. At work the bosses met with the rest of us and understand so long time concerns that we have had. They asked for something in writing but I still don't think I want to do that. That can come bakc to bite yah even with them saying oh we won't use any names. So we will see a couple of other girls were concerned and will go forward with their thoughts on this matter. I can't wait to just not have so much B--- S--- at work. Can I just go in and have things the way an office should be? The upper hand will be around more to ensure things get better and any junk will not be tolerated. So with all that said I hope to start monday off better and have a less stressful week with intakes good and working out going along nicely. Today I am taking a friend to breakfast then we are going to the Casino for a little while then off shopping I think. Still looking for that perfect Mother of the Bride dress. Going to try a different shopping area today. Well take care girls Marie hope your having a blast! Judy your resting around your house right? Everyone else have a good day!