HELP - I just finished baking cookies. I have to stay away from the kitchen. I made them to give for Valentines tomorrow so pray for me!!!!

Hi everyone! :wave: Just a quickie, I'm beat!!! Started my 'bra jobs' today. Did 3 stores so that I would have part of the day off tomorrow. There are 8 different styles to the new Playtex plus line that I'm setting. And 7 out of the 8 are underwires! :mad: The one that's not is a leopard print so guess what I came home with today? :o

I'm cooking dinner for the family and I invited mom over for dinner as well. This would have been her and dad's 60th wedding anniversary. Just didn't want her to sit home alone for dinner, ya know?

Can't take time to address each of you tonight. I'm really sorry. :yawn: But can't keep my eyes open.

I do have to address two though:

Tina: Congratulations to you on your loss! Woohoo! That should give you the incentive you need to stick with it for another week!!! Good for you!

Mary: Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Mary! Happy Birthday to you!

Gonna run. I'll talk to you all later.

"I argue that we deserve the choice to do whatever we want with our faces and bodies without being punished by an ideology that is using attitudes, economic pressure, and even legal judgments regarding women's appearance to undermine us psychologically and politically." - Naomi Wolf

WOW.. where is everybody??
 

I was expecting to come in here tonight and find a ton of posts.
What a shock when only a few. I am really grateful to those of you who did post. I would have been really disappointed if no one did.

Kat... what great words of wisdom!!! I really got a lot from what you said. HONESTY about how much we put into our mouths.
What a unique idea. :lol:

Luckylady... You mentioned using Saturday as a "renewal day".
Why wait until Saturday? Why not TODAY??
Did my prayer work ??? did you stay away from those cookies?

Mary.... I am so glad you feel better.
I have had "Better than sex" myself. :lol:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Thursday !!!!

Thin... you snuck in on me while I was posting.
With that new bra you won't need any of that dessert of Grannies. :lol:
You animal you. :lol:

My day went pretty well today. I could barely walk to the car to drive home. I am just NOT the woman I used to be anymore. :(
The new baby is sooooo good. The 18 month old just LOVES her.
She loves her too much... she is always wanting to kiss and hug.
I did laundry and cooked. I am ready for bed. LOL

Followed program all day ...except... I gave into temptation once. Some sort of yogurt pie. :^: I tried to justify because it was yogurt. What a bunch of bull. :rolleyes:

I am out of here. Hope more come in tomorrow. Good night.
This one is for you Grannie. Again.. Happy Birthday !!! :D

Hey everyone :)

Just checking in and catching up on my reading. You are all such angels. A special thanks to Queen for posting the Goose story. This year hasn't been quite as bad, and I do think it has a lot to do with all the love and support I receive here.

Happy Birthday to 2cute and Mary!
Tina, 10.5 lbs?!!! I am so happy for you!
Thin, you are always so solid and supportive. Sounds like you are that way for everyone in your life. :)
Kat, isn't it cool when a program begins to click for you? I love that feeling!
Mary, glad you are beginning to feel better. And I'm hoping that recipe is going to be submitted soon... ;)
Lucky, I couldn't help giggling at the thought of you getting your ducks in a row. Images of a shooting gallery came to mind! :lol: I really do like the idea of a Saturday renewal.
2cute, sounds like you had a healthy serving of self-awareness served up for your birthday. *HUGS*
Valerie, you are off to a great start! Walking around a lake with your dog sounds lovely.
Prism, get well soon! Ribbon embroidery on the bra is such a cute idea.

I didn't post yesterday because I was putting finishing touches on my submission for the newspaper. It isn't perfect, but I wanted to share it with you all even if it is kind of long.


Every once in a while life brings us to a gathering moment where we are allowed to see who we are and what we have become with amazing clarity. There isn’t always a rhyme or a reason as to why these moments come upon us, but they quite often portend change. We find ourselves at a crossroads with decisions to be made.
Recently I found myself at just such a point in time. I was standing on the side of the road with hundreds of other people, waiting for what was most likely to be a once in a lifetime event. We were all waiting for that magic moment the Olympic torch would be carried past.
I am not sure what we were really expecting. There was a carnival sort of atmosphere, despite the bitter wind whipping around us. My youngest kept shouting about “the parade”. One exuberant teen picked up a traffic cone, lofted it high in the air and went sprinting down the street. We laughed and cheered him on. It was hilarious and what I think we were expecting; the ideal of youth, enthusiasm and energy packaged together into an Olympic dream.
The reality of our Olympic torch moment touched me more deeply than I can fully describe. Our bearer was neither an exuberant youth nor an accomplished athlete, but he held the torch high and proud as he moved down the street. And even though he was not what my mind had prepared me for, he carried our hopes and dreams along with him in each shuffling step.
Life has not been particularly kind to all of us. We are faced with challenges from all quarters: physical, mental and spiritual. Money can be tight, education is cut short, and children come too quickly or not at all. Our expectations of the future can come crashing down hard and leave us standing amidst piles of rubble, wondering how we arrived at this point. Other times we are standing high, overlooking all that is good and wondering again, how we got here.
What that moment brought clear to me was that none of it really matters. Where we are in life does not really matter; it is how we arrive at each point and choose to respond to each challenge. I came to realize the one thing I truly want out of life is to be someone who stands out, whose life is so exemplary that it could be chosen to shine as a beacon for others. I want to live a life worthy of carrying an Olympic torch.
For each of us there are moments which define our humanity and bring us together. This last year was full of poignant stories of heroism and sorrow, with many of us being forced to look beyond self, to reach out and touch another human being. I know the Olympics have had their share of negative comments this year, even down to people saying they should have been cancelled. I, for one, am incredibly grateful for what they have brought to me, this state, and the world as a whole. We need a chance to celebrate. We need time to cheer and remember there is light and life in the world. And as far as the running of the Olympic torch is concerned, we all needed to be reminded; a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

Hugs and loves to you all. Hope you have a terrific Valentine's day!

Andria

AWESOME !!!!
 

Andria... that was truly AWESOME !!!!

I knew it would be good before I even started reading... but when I was done I was in awe. You did yourself PROUD. :smug:

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY MARY

Hi everyone,

Back to work for me today. I was okay, felt better actually by keeping busy. I have a long weekend to look forward too, so I can manage 3 days of work.

Reading everyone's posts is such powerful inspiration. Losing weight and getting into our programs. What a difference a year makes. Last year I was struggling alone. This year I have all of you. Have any of you read "The complete idiot's guide to losing weight?" I bought this book many years ago and never opened it. It's pretty informative. I liked this passage:

"Some people do lose weight successfully and they seem to have some traits in common. They follow rules, but mostly they invent these rules for themselves. They lose weight for their own reasons and not to please other people. Some successful losers join weight loss centers; some go it alone. Most important, they don't give up on themselves."

Happy Valentines,
Malia

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a bit early for my first posting of the day, but DH and my oldest daughter just drove off to meet a bus. She is going to one of the Olympic events today. She is so excited!

Any of you who live in colder climates would laugh at the work that went into preparing this child for the trip. It is nearly impossible to find things like snow boots if you live in the southern part of the state. Fortunately, we pretty much knew what was needed. I've never skied a day in my life, but I worked at one of the resorts for years, and her daddy is an avid skier. This child is soooo layered. If she gets too hot or cold, it is definitely her own fault. ;)

Anyone have fun plans for today? I have a hand-made card and a little present for DH. I'm not a crafty type person, but the card came out pretty cute. He has to work tonight, so we'll be celebrating another time. I threatened his life if he thought about buying me chocolates or flowers. We'll have to see if he actually listened.

If I can get someone to watch my youngest, I'll go up to the cemetery and work on repairing some of the damage from that stupid gopher. I have so much to learn about gardening, but things seem to come out all right when you have a ton of love invested in the project. Even if all the plants aren't destroyed, they can use some extra pampering. Time to work in that winter mulch, etc.

I was tempted to do something extra like cinnamon rolls for the guys at work today, but I figured it was a BAD idea. I don't need any excuses to cheat, and I've been keeping to my plan really well. Besides, I know the hardest part of any holiday for me isn't the actual day of, because I plan for it. I have a worse time with the days after, when I go into the store and all that candy is on sale.

DH should be returning soon. I'd better head back to bed and try to get some more sleep. :)

Have a great day!

Andria

Andria 2Cute took the words out of my "fingers"....your article is wonderful. Thank you for posting it so I could read it.

I just heard a building in Chicago had a bomb go off. Please don't let it be like Sept.!

Did anyone see the pairs skating? What did you think? I didn't get to see it but have seen the Canadian's before and they are gold medal material for sure.

Have a Happy (but careful of the chocolate) Valentine's

*~*~*Happy Valentine's Day!*~*~*

Everyone armed against the chocolate onslaught? Here are my weapons: willpower, resolve, keeping goals in mind, determination...anything else? Oh yes! I ORDERED dh that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER should chocolate cross my threshold! Yeah, that oughta do it! He sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers instead! :D

Food choices are still good...I'm planning today's menu as soon as I'm done here...I'm focused!

Andria, that was lovely. Thank you for sharing it with us!

Ooops, my little sick boy is calling...I'll be back

:love: Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! :love:
I hope everyone has a wonderful day today.

Andria: That was absolutely wonderful. Wish I had such a talent with words. You are blessed.
2cute: Don't beat yourself up about the yogurt pie. It happens. Hope you have a good day.
Val: Glad you joined WW. I have joined in the past, but this is my final time and it is the bomb. I love it.
Kat: You crack me up. I love the way you put things. :lol:
Ladybug: Thanks for the congrats. Now I've only got a million more pounds to go!
TT: You are such a special lady. We are all blessed you are here. P.S. Keep sending those great recipes. :T
Malia: Sorry you have been sick. Glad you are feeling better.

Wanted to share a quick little victory with you this morning. Seems like the main problem I have with my weight loss is will power. Which as I guess, many have. After all, if we all had willpower, there wouldn't be any overweight people. Anyways, one thing I ask is that after dinner is fixed, that if there are any leftovers, that my husband put them away. I'm pretty good about leaving them alone if they are put up in the fridge, but if they are actually out....within reach.....well, you guys know where they usually end up. :s: So, last night I baked some chicken I had bought from the store already seasoned in the pack, and it looked really good, but I stayed away from it. Then when DH got up this morning, he heated up some for breakfast, (yeah, I know, chicken for breakfast?) but it gets worse........and when I came in from work, 3 chicken legs were laying out and that ol' devil came upon me and before I knew it, I had snarfed down all three! So, where is the victory you might ask? Well, here it is: Before I snarfed down those 3 chicken legs, I still had the consciousness to peel off the skin and somewhere in the back of my mind, even though this meal was unplanned, I knew I was just eating 3 points. And I honestly feel, had something worse have been left out, I would have maybe just wrapped it up in a towel and with my head turned, tossed it in the fridge. :lol: And that was a victory for me, because in the midst of my unplanned eating "snarf", I was cautious enough to get rid of that skin and know I wasn't wrecking my whole day. That's progress. And out of a small amount of guilt for not being "totally" in control, I threw in my workout walking video and have already walked a mile in my living room. Talk about turning a small minus into a big plus! Anyways, just wanted to share that with you. These are my baby steps...........Hope you all have a nice Valentine's Day and I will talk to you later.
This post is for Mary: Happy Birthday!

Happy Valentines Day !!!!

What GREAT posts to find this morning. You guys are great!!!!
I am already thankful just for being here with all of you.

I have decided to treat myself to that movie I didn't get to see on Tuesday.
I am also going to take myself out to lunch today and go check out that Playtex 18 hour #4395. :lol: What an exciting day I am going to have. LOL

Thankful Thursday.
I NEVER thought I would say this... but ...
I am thankful for the lousy day I had Tuesday. :eek:
It FORCED me to face some of my negative character traits and then DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEM. All though I went through a LOT of PAINFUL soul searching... I have come through the pain with an improved me. Not perfect me... but improved.
The truth is... I did not like those traits in me anymore than my husband did.... and I am GLAD I was FORCED to change.
I like me more now. You know that "good" feeling about yourself.
The one most of us "don't" have when we procrastinate.
Well... I feel "good" about myself today.
And for that... I AM THANKFUL.

Hope everyone has a a wonderful day. I am going to MAKE mine wonderful.

Well there are only space for 2 more posts before we go to another page... and I know Thinthinker is working today so she cant start a new thread.... AND I don't know if someone else will or not.... I am going to start a new thread now. :lol:
I will be gone all day so lets just fill up a new thread today. ;)

This group will continue at 300+ and ready to try again... #133.
See you all there. :wave: