Good morning! Evidently my post from yesterday is lost somewhere in cyberspace! Had a pretty good weekend overall--the Daffodil Days Kick Off event was very nice, although the food was not that great. We got 2 tiny, and I mean small, triangles with a tinge of cream cheese and a thin slice of cucumber on it, the rest of the plate consisted of 2 scones, 2 sugar cookies and a small bunch of grapes :frown: I was starving when I left!

Yesterday was the first day that my legs felt good--I can't believe how sore they were from that class last Thursday.

My eating has been so-so...I polished off a box of caramels last night but now they're gone and I don't have to worry about them!

Weather is changing here--an "Alberta Clipper" is bearing down on us and we're supposed to have some Lake Effect snow (the lake isn't frozen!). I read in the paper this morning that Massachusetts got hit pretty good in some areas. Pam, did you get an major accumulation?

Hi to Lisa, Lala, Susan!

Hi, Melissa, thanks for starting the thread. Uh-oh, an Alberta Clipper--those are usually not good. The food at the Daffodil Kick Off sounds chintzy. I've never heard of the Daffodil Days.

Had a good weekend, got lots of stuff done around the house. Golfed with DH and went to see Last of the Red Hot Lovers (Neil Simon Play). It was well-done. Got invited over a friend's house for a visit on Sunday night and ruined an otherwise good OP weekend. She gave us cake and, of course, I ate it.

Working on another proposal today and it's not going well. Oh well.

Heard from the tile installer; he will start next Wednesday (hooray). DH needs to pick up the tiles on Thursday.

Hello, Pam, Susan, Velveteen, and lala.

Hi ladies,

I kept meaning to post yesterday but never did make it...too many interruptions, today is much calmer. I had a nice weekend, didn't do a lot but that's OK. My eating has been soso, my bigger problem lately has been wine consumption...a glass on Friday, a glass on Saturday, two on Sunday...you get the picture. Don't know what's going to happen at weigh in tomorrow but I'm really hoping for a little loss.

Melissa I just love caramels, I wouldn't be able to exert any willpower if I had them in the house. Yes, we got dumped on yesterday, 8 inches of snow where I live. The kids got another day off from school which made DD very happy. The weather continues to be crazy, this past Saturday the temps were in the 50's. On Sunday in the mid 30's and on Monday a snow storm. Tomorrow back up in the 40's. Hope the Alberta Clipper misses you.

Lisa sounds like you had a very nice weekend. Yup, it's hard to pass up cake,especially if it's carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (my favorite)!! Glad the installer is coming so soon.

Someone just came by with a girl scout cookie order form and I just bought 4 boxes....why did I do that??? Hope you all have a great day...talk to you tomorrow.

Hi everyone.

Melissa - Is Daffodil days part of the american cancer society? That meal does sound a bit chintzy. I'm with you on the caramels, I devoured a box of rice crackers - low in points, but still today and yesterday. Very strange. Brr is the weather outlook for you!

Susan - are you surprised by your election outcomes?

Lisa --good luck with the tile installers and picking the tile. You have picked something I take it? I know we'll live through the mayhem of the work, but its killing me now.

Hi Pam, Austin and Velveteen!


I totally spaced yesterday. I am having a bad week at work and we're really overwhelmed by our house. It is a disaster. Everything is in our living room including the kitchen and I wouldn't recommend it.

However, this morning we added two more stain colors to our palette of choices and decided on nutmeg - redder than before, but since we have teak cabinets, fir trim and oak floors, it goes pretty well.

Next stop, calling the cabinet refinishers. Money just keeps on flying out the door.

Had a nice weekend in Chicago. Actually, it ended up being a night and morning, but it was still nice. We waited in line for about 1.2 hours at the Berghoff in 26 degree weather before we got pulled out as a two top, had a good meal of wursts and a apple strudel for two. We were upgraded to the monarch suite at our hotel- the suite is bigger than our house and it was very nice and totally over the top. No idea why. I think it might be because I was a diamond member of the hotel chain's frequent stay program, but we're staying their next month and I'll be happy with a deluxe room.

The fireplace, grand piano and pool table were bonus items.

Anyhoo, I have a big M for this week. Really didn't lose, nor gain. I am a bit bummed but the last three days of little exercise, mindless but journalled eating and stress have taken its toll.

I'm trying to get back on track for the rest of the week. We have no kitchen at home and I have two back to back trips to Atlanta next week. Yikes.

So, enough of my pathetic ramblings....

Pam, oh no, are the Girl Scouts out there again?? Every year, I say I won't buy any and then I do. Last year, I only bought 1 box and then DH came home with 3! I've been drinking more wine, too. Hmmm, a trend?

lala, I don't like having the house all messed up either, but I keep thinking of the end result. The installer said it will only take 3 days. I'm not sure whether to believe him because when we redid our kitchen, 1 week stretched into 3 1/2. The suite sounded gorgeous. Wow, a grand piano! Right up my alley.

Took the car in for some routine maintenace (I hope). It may need a tune-up, but I hope nothing else serious.

Got the proposal out last night last minute (is there any other way?)

Arrgghhh, weighed in this morning and stayed exactly the same as last week. Very slow going taking off these pesky pounds. I'm so mad at myself for putting on the weight, I really have to keep things under better control. Another challenge looms tonight. It's DH's birthday and we're going out to dinner with his kids. I think the choice will probably be Bertucci's. Hopefully there will be something WW friendly on the menu.

Lisa yes the girl scout cookie sale has begun. I think when they come in I'll bring them to my DS at school. He and his roomates can have them.

Lala yikes cabinet refacing, we had that done a few years ago...you're right about $$ flying out the door. Breathe deeply...everything will be back to normal soon and the house will look terrific.

Melissa hope your weigh in goes better than mine today.

Hi to Susan and everyone else.

Hi everyone.

Quick type by right now. Sun is shining and hopefully I'll go do a mundane drycleaning library run tonight to get out into to it.

They sanded yesterday in the front hall, I thought they were going to stain the kitchen. I am confused, oh well. Our whole house is enclosed in plastic, its very strange.

Pam - I stayed the same as well and everything feels tighter, I'm journalling, but I'm probably in need of cutting back some more to get down. Sigh.

It'll happen. I know it will. I need to get down to 135 before the end of April just for my self-preservation.

Okay, must go back to major data manipulations. I was here until 9:30 last night working.

HI everyone else!

lala

Hi everyone! It's cold, windy, and downright dismal here today. At least we didn't get any major accumulation along the lakefront. The traditional snowbelt is getting hit instead.

Lisa & Lala: Yes, Daffodil Days is part of the American Cancer Society. Each year I coordinate the sale here at the university. They sell bunches of daffodils for a nominal fee. We usually have nasty weather the week they're delivered so they really are a breath of spring. The arrive as just tight buds but once you put them in water they open up.

Pam: My WI wasn't any better *sigh* I was up 1.6# this week. I'm getting so frustrated--my eating was not that great but not enough to warrant a gain like that. The only thing I can possibly attribute it to is possibly hormones. My TOM is due next Saturday but then the way my cycle has been going it could be tomorrow :frown: It was very hard to sit through the meeting today.

I booked my flight to Chicago for February--ended up getting a good deal. The flight had been running around $400 and we were able to get a flight at half the price! I'm trying to refocus and stay positive.

lala, sorry you stayed the same, but no gain! I worked late last night, too, but not that late.

Melissa, sorry about the gain; it could be hormonal. That's a good price on your flight. Which travel site did you use?

Keely Smith is doing a concert in Palm Beach, FL and is acquainted with one of my friends, so we're going there at the end of February. Yesterday I finally got the tickets and found a reasonable hotel.

Also, traded our timeshare for one in North Carolina, so we're headed there in August. I hope it's cool We'll be in the Smoky Mountains. I also want to go to Pigeon Forge (outlet shopping) and Asheville (Biltmore Estate). I keep adding things to do; we'll be there a week. I hope I'm not too ambitious.

Well, I'm really bummed out. TOM came again; I guess I'm not out of perimenopause yet. DH lost his Christmas weight and I've not lost an ounce. Yuck.

well isn't that nice. I just composed and lost a very long post. I don't have the energy to do it again. The essence...

M's dad passed away yesterday morning. He was there with his mother for the end. His dad had celebrated his 91st birthday on Sunday.

I have a terrible cold and a ginormous cold sore that covers my entire top lip.

I will try to post again later today or tomorrow. Just not firing on all cylinders right now.

Welcome velveteen and hi to lala, melissa, lisa, pam and austingal.

Susan

Hi ladies,

It's sunny and warm and best of all today is my FRIDAY!! Yup, taking tomorrow off for a nice 3 day weekend. DH and I are making our annual trek to the casino's in CT for his birthday. We go once a year and always have a great time...sometimes I actually come home with more $$ than I went with.
Went out to dinner last night and think I made an OK choice, shrimp fra diavolo over linguine. Ate about 1/2 and brought the rest home. Passed on the bread, soup and dessert and only had one glass of chardonnay. Yeah for me.

Melissa sorry about the gain but I agree it could be hormonal. My TOMS have been a little off lately also. Whats your weather like today? It looks like we may have sunshine and fairly warm temps throughout the weekend.

Lisa a good friend of mine moved to Asheville 3 years ago and absolutely loves the area. I've only passed through and never really spent any time there. I like NC. Sorry about your TOM issues. My opinion is once you reach a certain age it should just stop. I think the age should be 30.

Lala I'm journalling too but I think I'm also going to have to make some cutbacks. Nothing seems to be working this time which is very frustrating. Hows the house looking today?

Susan good to hear from you. Sorry about M's dad, I hope he wasn't sick a long time. Sounds like he had a nice long life.

Well ladies hope you all have a nice weekend. I probably won't get a chance to check in tomorrow but I'll talk to you on Monday.

Hi everyone,

Susan - I'm sorry to hear about M's dad. Yikes, but I'm glad he was with his mom. very very sad and its okay not to fire on all cylinders all the time. Half the time, I'm not firing very well.

Pam - sounds like a good plan on the cutbacks, I'm weaning myself off of half and half. Hard to do. Sounds like a fun weekend you all have planned.

Melissa - It is hormones. I'm going to chicago again in March for a day or so. I have a layover in chicago on president's day as well. I hope the flights are on time and yes, getting a cheap airfare is always good in my book.

I'm down a lb today. Yipee. I have to weigh in on Thursday of next week, so I'll take it as the weight I'll keep.

Well, I told our program manager that there was no way in **** I could finish the huge amount of data he needed processed and calculated and mapped before tomorrow and he needed to prioritize. Of course, now he wants me to do a bunch of stuff on the east coast where their is no good data available to me. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRR.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Now back to the regularly scheduled work until midnight to get these calcs and maps done.



Hi to everyone else! Please post what is going on in your life, I know I'm interested....

Hi again. Feeling better and more with it this morning; even my lip looks better, but certainly not good

I spent last nite at Mark's house (formerly mine), trying to pack. Very, very hard. I finally had a good long cry and got down to it. I need to put my organizational skills to work because what I did yesterday is not going to be helpful when I get to my new place. I hope the worst of the sadness is in getting started...

lisa: A friend of mine lives in Asheville. She lived here for several years, retired about five years ago and returned home. The area looks and sounds beautiful. Re TOM - do you know if that one-year-without-a-period thing can be trusted? I am about two weeks away from that milestone.

lala: I'm obviously not going to make my Feb. 2nd goal but I am not giving up. My new lose-the-excess date is April 16th. I have 22.5 lbs to go but I am feeling stronger mentally this morning. My new mini-goal is 7.5 lbs by the end of February. Halif marathon training starts next week and if I can keep myself healthy and get all of my workouts in, this is entirely do-able. Will you make your target by next Thursday?

Pam: I know you are away today but want to offer a pat on the back for a nice job with dinner last nite. Ya done good girl.

Melissa: In the post that I lost yesterday, I mentioned that I think I note a pattern in your weight fluctuations. Have you? What I seem to recall is that you lose or gain in either 1.6 or .4 increments. So you always stay in the 2 lb range from your current weight. Guess that's your body's set point?

It's chilly here this morning - normal for January but it feels colder because we've had such a warm winter to date. Hope the snow holds off til I get back from New Brunswick.

Any weekend plans?

Lisa: I can empathize with your TOM issues...lately I'm surprised by its arrival. I've always wanted to go to the Biltmore Estate--it looks impressive. North Carolina is beautiful. I actually found the airfare on the airline's website.

Susan: Glad you're feeling better today. Sorry to hear about M's dad--at least he was able to be with them. Try not to be so hard on yourself--it's stressful having to sort things, move, etc. and sometimes you need to let go before you can move forward. I'm not sure if that's my set point or not...for 4 years I've been able to maintain 5-6# lower and since I've been taking the provera I've been struggling with my weight. I'm within my 2# but it's not where I'm comfortable and I have some slacks in my closet that I can't wear because the 5# is just enough to make them snug in the waist!

Pam: Sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday--it was clear & cold (21) and windy. The air literally took your breath away. Today it's sunny and right now it's 23 but the temps are supposed to get up to 40! Go figure! We didn't get the snow they were predicting, just lots of cold wind.

Lala: I figure it's more hormonal than anything--it's just frustrating because I've been really trying to get more activity in and watch what I'm eating. Maybe I need to buckle down some more and be a little more strict. Congrats on being down a pound!!! How's the data coming?

Velveteen: How are things going with you? We'd love to hear more from you!

Well ladies, the weekend should be on the quiet side--DH and I are going to a "Souper Bowl" where they feature different soups from different restaurants. It's a great way to check out various places and it's a nominal fee ($10) to go and enjoy soup. I may try and squeeze in some time at the Wellness Center or maybe even a walk outside if the weather cooperates!