Good morning ladies...here is the new thread!

Jodi-
Matt did pick out the ring himself, it may not be exactly what I would have picked out, but it is beautiful and I love it. You asked yesterday about getting in all the fruits/veggies. I have a banana for breakfast almost every day and a piece of fruit for a midmorning snack. I usually do some salad or raw veggies with lunch and then have a cup of V8 when I get home from work (that is two veggies). The V8 wards of any hunger until dinner is ready....preventing the munchies. With dinner I maybe have some more veggies if I do not have 5 servings yet. Or if I am hungry and need a filler I go for more steamed or sauteed veggies or salad. For dessert I love to have a sliced peach or nectarine and 1/2 cup of yogurt on top. YUMMY. (while matt eats ice cream of course!)

Hi Marcie! I am here....not much is going on-it is raining and the weather is yucky and gloomy. DH and I bought a Ford Explorer! We are hoping to pick it up today...we bought it thinking ahead to two kids and a dog

WI last night went ok-down 2 pounds...I should be happy because I hardly exersized at all....I journaled every day though-even if I was over points! And i found out that i am over most days....maybe I need to be a little bit over to actually lose...

Anyhow-my short term goal is to lose another 5 pounds by my friend's wedding at the end of October. I am now 8 pounds above my lowest weight ever-but I feel in control. Where is everyone? Come out and play!
Lori

Hey everybody! I'm just sitting here, killing time until my Personnel Performance Evaluation. Man, I hate getting evaluations, I'm all worried, didn't sleep very well last night because of it. It's at 9:30 and of course, I ran late today and who's the first person I bump into? Oh, my boss. Damn, of all the days to run into her.

Marcie--Your ring is absolutely gorgeous, I'm very jealous. OK, let me clarify: I'd like a ring, but I'm not sure I'm ready to get engaged.

Jodi--I have a heckuva time sneaking in my fruits and vegetables. I don't really like them raw, and there are a lot of fruits and veggies that I don't like. What I've started doing is trying to eat most of my servings at lunch. I'll have a great big salad, which counts as two servings, a fruit as dessert, and a warm vegetable (usually a can of green or wax beans) which counts as 2 more servings. Then, when I go home for dinner, I don't feel so pressured to include vegetables at dinner. Depending on what I'm having for dinner, sometimes I have broccoli, stir fry, or more beans. And, if I have the points, my favorite fruit dessert is a nectarine cut up and covered in FF Cool Whip.

Well, I don't have much to say today... I'll stop back in later, but I'm not going to be around much today.

Lori--We must have been posting at the same time. Way to go losing 2 lbs! That's wonderful!

Lori-
Two pounds is awesome! Way to go!

I have weigh in tomorrow morning and I am sure I will be up. I have been eating out sooo much on vacation. Staying with in point range, but all that salt. I am dreading tomorrow. C'est la vie!

Thankfully I have a new motivator now....a wedding dress! Gotta get skinny! So...next week is a new week and I am going to be extra good...and now I have started exercising so that should help lots too.

Hi girls!

Its Friday, whoo hoo!!! I just finished working on my goals for this year, my boss and I have really been lax about getting them done, but HR is hounding us!!

Marcie ~ Your ring is gorgeous! I love it!!

Jess ~ You sound depressed lately, is everything ok??

Hi Lori! Way to go on the loss!!

Jen ~ Your basement sounds like lots of work, but will be well worth it to have the extra living space, til you have to pay taxes on it!!

I know I am forgetting lots of responses from yesterday, I just can't get my brain to function today!!

I have some serious grocery shopping to get done tonight, I haven't been there in about a month (except for milk runs) and Nicky's birthday party is tomorrow and I have all the bbq stuff to buy for, so that will take up my wild Friday night!! Other than that, my husband lives at our new house plastering, so I only see him when he brings his white body home at 10:30, so the kids and I are just hanging out this weekend, cleaning and such.

Anyone else with fun plans?

Well, better get some more work done, only working until 3 p.m. today, need to take Nic to get his haircut. Oh and my DD lost her second front tooth, to there is a big wide open space up there, too cute!!!

Later!

I have fun plans....sitting around watching the tree guys deadwood and trim my trees. They have not been done for at least 5 years and were looking a bit scragly. I cant believe how much it costs!! But they will be so much healthier and look nicer....and no more picking sticks up in the yard every time we mow!!!

After that...I think I am going to get a french manicure. I want my nails to look nice when I go back to work on Monday and show my ring off!!

We still have not made it to Dave and Busters, so I think we may go after lunch today. I told Matt I didnt want to eat out today. I made a huge 0 pt veggie salad yesterday and I want to eat some of that for lunch...myabe some cheese and crackers on the side.

I think my goal addition for next week will be to eat no more than one meal/week out. It will be tough, but I think that is one thing killing my progress. I really need to work hard and make this Halloween goal! It would make me feel so goooooood!

Hey all... not much with me. Having a bad work day. Hate these on Fridays. You know the kind where everyone comes down on you and makes you feel all guilty and crappy and then you mull over it all weekend and just feel rotten... That's me today!

The basement is painted and waiting for carpeting. It looks AWESOME! I love the color. I was shocked when I saw it. The taupe in the main area is sooooo awesome of a color and a great dirt hider. The yellow in my room is darker than I thought it would be, but once the room is furnished I think it will look fine. That room may take a little getting used to!

As for getting in fruits and veggies. I usually don't have a problem because I like them. Eat fruit for breakfast and/or morning snack. My veggie servings are usually 2 servings when I eat them. Lunch, cooked veggies or a huge salad. Buy those frozen veggies and fill a bowl with them and nuke them. Too easy. Salad with tomatoes, cukes, peppers, mushrooms, anything you like. It also adds pizzaz to boring lettuce. Cut up raw veggies for a snack with FF dip. I take FF sour cream and mix it with a packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix... Love it. My fave for years. Again at dinner we always eat veggies and I usually eat more than one serving and fill up on them first. Also, V-8 is great to fill up your tummy with, just watch out for the salt content!

Tonya, have a great party. I am again jealous you are leaving early.

Jess, good luck on the eval. I hate them too, it is a common thing.

Marcie, last day of vacation, enjoy it!!!

OK, back to work. Am supposed to go to a lunch meeting. I asked not to, but was told I have to. Not in the mood at all and it may not go well. Ughhhhhh!

So can I just vent to you girls for a minute, and ask for the advice of people who aren't the weeniest, most non-assertive people in the world like me? I think I told you guys about a situation at work, where the woman that was hired at the same time as me was looking at all my lesson plans and telling me that they were all wrong. I took offense. I have a friend ( who helped to get me the job) that works there, and I chatted to her about how it kind of irked me, but as a friend. She took it as a co-worker chat, told our boss that there was a lot of tension between that other new hire and me ( which there isn't, because I let it go a long time ago) and then proceeded to involve all the other teachers in what she called a dialogue to see how they could all fix the tension. So everyone at work has been discussing the two of us, thanks to my former friend, and now our boss has told her that she is in charge of "mediating" the situation (what situation???). So now she is requiring us, on our OWN TIME, to rewrite lesson plans into a format that she chooses and to meet and share them every month so that we can appreciate each other's teaching styles!!! What the &*)(&(* is this???? I am so disgusted, mostly with myself for gossiping, which is what got me into all this. What would you guys do? I'm afraid that every word out of my mouth progressively makes the whole situation worse! And, as someone who directed a preschool for years, I am aware of how counterproductive micromanagement can be. So this former friend, who is now on a big happy power trip, proceeds to start micromanaging as her first foray into the world of management. *scream, scream, scream*

So enough whining, I am posting a recipe I just concocted on the recipe thread because I tasted a sneak preview of it as it cooks now, and it is really fantastic. if I say so myself.

Jen, I'm so glad you are pleased with the results of your basement paint. It's really important to love the spaces that we spend a lot of time in. As for your bad day, I hear you baby! Just try to leave it all at work tonight and take a break from it on the weekend -- mulling over stressful events is what causes ulcers, and you have something much more important in your tummy than an ulcer these days! Look at me, why don't I take my own advice?

Marcie, it's pretty much an unwritten rule that for the first month of any engagement, you must get manicures weekly because you will be showing off your ring so much. Have fun at Dave and Buster's. I think that the eating out goal is a good one. Although there is standard nutritional info out there on all the major restaurant chains, a lot of hidden fat gets into our food this way ( they don't really take the time to measure a teaspoon of olive oil, just dump some in a pan, etc.) so that might give you lots of progress!

Tonya, you and I have about the same weekend plans. My hubby is working all weekend ( and pulling all nighters) so Aaron and I are hanging out and cleaning and doing laundry. Kind of relaxing after the breakneck pace we've been keeping, and I'm really going to love having a clean house. Have a good time at the grocery store...those big trips are a good workout with all the carrying, etc.

Jess, I know just how you feel. I hate evaluations too, as I am not great at taking criticism, so I get stressed about them too. Just remember, this too shall pass. It's only a half-hour ordeal, at most, then it's OVER. Do something to let off steam for you tonight, I bet that would help. (Maybe Big Aaron can help with that )

Lori, mucho congrats on the two pound loss. You are getting so close to your goal...stay with it, baby!!!! You also, I notice, have been really faithful about your exercise...keep that up, and you'll have no problem with your October wedding mini-goal.

The recipe thread is AWESOME! I just finished reading it-I can't wait to try some of those recipes in my new crock pot!!!! thanks to eeryone who posted them

I am going to decide on a couple recipes from the thread and by the ingredients on Saturday. I need to try a few new things. My mom got me a WW cookbook and both things I have tried so far sucked. Thankfully the ones posted here have already been tested!

Well, on top of the stomach thingy I have a cold, so I took yesterday off - I figure, I should while its not too busy, so I can try to recover!

Today I am getting lots done and tonight is Great Big Sea!! Yay!! I am excited about it, although I must admit, I am worried I'll get sick in the middle of the concert, and you know the lines at the loo are huge at concerts, so its not such a good thing....I'll be eating a small, bland dinner...!!

Speaking of veggies, my usual food court lunch is a veggie wrap with salsa - its 6 points (as the rice is about a half cup). anyway, today the girl forgot the rice, so its all veggies and salsa in a wrap - which makes it 4 points. so I inadvertently saved 2 points at lunch today. But, since I am a carb freak, I feel all cheated out of my lunch (and for what I paid,...yikes). but that is good. I, like Jen, have no problem wiht fruits/veg, though I like fruit better. But I can eat veggies raw, cooked, whatever. I like most veggies so its easy for me to get them in. V8 is good too! But I feel fuller with raw veggies, and I am a quantity eater....its true.

Marcie - the ring is awesome, you must be so excited. It hink its more special when they choose them by themselves...!

Lori - good job on the 2 down, esp if you were over and not excercising. I think you could be right about eating more though, I do find if I eat at the higher end, I lose more. When I am strict and in the low range, its slower. I find this moreso when I am exercising religiously....

Jess - sorry to hear about your PPE. May the force be with you.

Tonya - I am with you on the groceries, I still have not gone since I got back from thailand...its very bad for me. But I have not been well (that's my story and I am stickin' to it!). Awww....I think the missing teeth are the cutest, but I don't like when they are loose, I get the heebies!

Jen - glad to hear you like your basement, but sorry about work - I can totally relate to you about that, I hate when Friday events haunt your weekend, that bites!! I hope your weekend turns out good - remember that worrying doesn't help (yeah, coming from Queen Worrier, ha ha!!)

Jayne - sucks for you too about work. sometimes we can't help the gossip thing and get sucked in. Its too bad this "situation" got out of hand....look on the bright side - maybe she'll learn a thing or two?! Ha ha

I have a WW cookbook too Marcie, well 2. One is good, one bites. The recipies in the bad one were dry and gross. But I do like the veggie soup and now that my b/f bought us a blender, I can make it and freeze it in gladware bowls for work - that was a big help when I first started losing....the recipie thread is awesome....

Well, I should get my sorry butt back to work, since I missed a day last week AND this week. I feel so guilty when I stay home though, its horrible. So today I have to feel I've "made up for it" or I'll have a crappy weekend feeling bad...SIGH!!

Belle

Back from my meeting, alive and well. And had my favorite salad. Yah me, even tho it had ham and turkey on it and the new PG rules say no cold cuts. I figure if the cold cuts are fresh, then I should have a problem with the Listeria Bacteria in them. But I will limit my consumption I guess. I ate a lot of sandwiches when I was PG with Emma, so I will miss that. I swear, everything is off limits now adays!!!

Belle, are you on meds for the tummy trouble?? Get well soon! I'm a huge worrier also, but now that it is over with, I think things will be OK!!

Jayne... Hugs... it's too bad that your former friend, who you obviously trusted, was not too professional in her actions. I am management (not micro), so I understand. And I have seen, and witnessed power trips and know that some people thrive on that. Just do your best and show that you are not affected by this so called situation. Maybe you will WOW some people and really make a difference!!!

Belle-
Hope you get to feeling better soon. Maybe you will be able to get some rest this weekend...that always seems to help.

Jen-
no cold cuts? I have never heard that, but I have never had a kid... What else is off limits?