Happy MONDAY!

I have a ton of work to get through, but want to emphasize our need to have those inner chats with ourselves. Last night I had a piece of Dove candy in my hand...about to take off wrapper! I said to myself "today is Day 14 without candy or cake or sugar; do you REALLY want tomorrow to be Day 1"? My answer was to say to DH, "I'm getting rid of these chocolates when we see your daughters on Wednesday"!!!

Make today COUNT with a bit of ATTITUDE!
Dee

Good Monday morning!

The sun is shining and I plan to get out today. I am having lunch with some girlfriends and then going to donate blood.

Besh - Thanks for getting the party started this morning.

Dee- I couldn't be in the same room with Dove chocolate either. WTG on saying NO!

I made 2 batches of Date'N Nut bread, but I froze them all for the bake sale. Just the act of baking satisfied me. I had to remember my motto, "I know what it tastes like and it tastes good. But I don't want any!" I think I will print that up and attach it to my fridge.

I have to say, "Here we go Steelers, here we go!". Those were 2 good games yesterday and I am looking forward to a great Super Bowl. Congrats to the Ravens and the Eagles for a great season.

BJ - here is the Minnestrone recipe. Do you remember your recipe for cabbage from our SS days? I have to dig that out and use up the leftover cabbage from the soup. And I make your roasted yams all the time. They are so good!

HEARTY MINNESTRONE
2 T olive oil
1 large carrot, diced
1 large celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1small clove garlic
¼ pound green beans, cut 1-inch pieces
3 C water
1 carton beef or vegetable broth (4 cups)
1-1½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. Mrs. Dash
½ tsp. oregano
¼ small head cabbage, shredded
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 15-oz. can white kidney beans (cannellini), drained
½-1 C tubetini, ditilini or other small pasta
½ 10-ounce bag baby spinach, coarsely shredded

Parmesan or Romano cheese

In 6 qt. Dutch Oven over medium-high heat, in hot olive oil, cook carrot, celery, onion, garlic and green beans until veggies are lightly browned, about 12-15 minutes. Discard garlic. (I smash my garlic and put it in a tea diffuser and let it cook in the broth and remove it before I add the spinach and beans.)
Add water, broth, salt (add the 1 tsp. and taste the soup towards the end and adjust according to taste), Mrs. Dash, oregano, cabbage, and tomatoes with their liquid. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes. Add zucchini and beans and cook for another ten minutes. Check the liquid and add more water if necessary. Then add the dry pasta and spinach and cook about 10 minutes longer until pasta is done and soup is slightly thickened.

Garnish with Parmesan cheese and ENJOY with some crusty Italian bread.

You can play around with different vegetables, or adjust the quantities and just alter the amount of broth or water to compensate. I love the addition of Mrs. Dash, because it adds the right amount of spice without being overwhelming. You could also add another can of beans,
either red kidney or black beans, to stretch the soup.

Have a great day!
Monday

Marci - Enjoy your day off. What a wonderful way to spend it, with friends and then donating blood WTG.
I don't have BJ's exact recipe since I'm at work, but I know it was very much like the one my grandmother used to make. It was fry up some bacon pieces and then saute the cabbage and sliced onions until very tender. I actually let mine start to brown.

Dee - WTG with the dove. I also have those conversations and they do help. I nearly caved last night. I was so hungry before I went to bed. But I told myself that I would be sleeping soon and I wouldn't be hungry.

I think I may be catching DH's cold. Scratchy throat all night long. I go to San Diego on Friday and it will be a very long plane ride if I am coughing - for everyone!

Suzanne - It has been snowing on and off since yesterday, not amounting to much on it's own, but adding to the piles we already have. The sun is out and it is 25 degrees. I never thought I would love 25 degrees but I do.

xoxo

Hi Guys! Thanks for getting the PAR-TAY started, Besh!!!!

Raeanne~Have fun in San Diego. My sis was just there and the weather was NICE, she said.

Marci-Thanks for the recipe. I'm going to whip some up this week! All my recipes are packed until May, when I move into my next house, so I don't have my SS-Friendly Halushka Recipe right now, but I found a similar one on the 'net:

SS-Friendly Halushka

1/2# keilbasa OR bacon
1 large sweet onion diced
1 head cabbage (I slice mine thinly)
Whatever spice you like!

Brown the onion, sausage/bacon and cabbage in a large skillet. I rarely have to add oil as the sausage has enough fat. Keep stirring until the sausage is browned and cabbage is cooked. You can sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the top and put in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes if you wish.

Dee: WOW! Way to go! I love your idea of NOT starting back at Day 1!

Well, Baby V is due to arrive on the ferry at noon, so I am loading some more songs on my MP3 player and heading out for a LONG walk on the beach--solo!

Have a great MLK Day!

I love that I came here today & everyone is so upbeat. Yay! Go team Go!!

OK WW Girlies~Dave & I made this awesome soup & I thought I would run it by you & you can tell me what we need to do to tweak it for WW. If you don't want it spicy, I can tell you what I did to change it to make it spicy & you can change it back:

Quick, Easy -N Fast Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained, or 2 C frozen
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Rotel
1 t cumin
salt to taste
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cooked & chopped (or 1 10 oz can chunk chicken)

Garnish:

Tortilla chips
Shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese for topping

Pour corn, broth, and Rotel into large saucepan. Add cumin, salt, and chicken. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

For added spicy flavor, cook chicken in taco seasoning, or add a couple of teaspoons of taco seasoning or chili powder to the soup.

Makes 6 servings.

(Originally it called for 1 15 oz can black beans but I don't like black beans, 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained & 1 4 oz can green chilies) I just dropped the black beans & changed the tomatoes & green chilies to Rotel. So, tell me what I need to do. This is great. It is a comfort food. It takes less than 5 minutes to fix. The longest part of the entire thing is waiting for it to heat up! LOL

Have a great week! Patti :-)

Raeanne~That's so funny b/c I read this thread backwards & didn't realize that you had chicken tortilla soup until after I posted our new recipe. I tell you, this one is really hard to beat. I'd love to hear about yours too though.

Patti - here's one version of the WW below. I've done mine similar to yours, but used ground turkey (easier than chopping chicken up) and actually tastes good (even my renegade husband loves it - ha!) The recipe I've used before called for a combination of beans, including chili beans, that give it a Mexican flavor and are loaded with fiber.

Speaking of WW, I lost another 2.8 pounds. Adds up to 6.4 pounds lost since January 5. I'll take it. I bought a WW pedometer and just walked 45 minutes but apparently I didn't set something right. It didn't show anything but the time. Jeez. (Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you every pound I lose, because it is going to be a LONG journey.)

Do you find on your new and improved way of eating, that food is tasting better? Things like tomatoes, that I would never eat in the winter, I'm eating like crazy. And strawberries. Yummy.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Community Recipe Swap: Soups
0 pt Tortilla Soup

From the kitchen of *4KTK*

Servings : 9
Estimated POINTS® value per serving : 0
Course : Soups

Print Email

Ingredients

1 cup onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 (12 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
4 cups low-fat chicken broth
1/3 cup salsa
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3-4 celery ribs, chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon basil
4 tablespoons flour, to thicken (or corn starch)
(You can add chicken, beans and/or corn. Just remember to add points!)

Instructions

1. Simmer onions, garlic & green onions in a pan until tender. Put all ingredients in a pot, simmer until all veggies are tender.
2. **** You can add chicken, divide the points by 9 servings. Taste great with a couple toasted taco shells on the side, but count your points -- .

Special Notes

I found this on Recipe Bazaar and it is fantastic!!!!
A great soup that fills you up and only 0 points on the WW program.
originally by Janet W
9 servings 35 min 5 min prep
Nutrition Facts
Calculated for 1 serving (146g)
Recipe makes 9 servings
The following items or measurements are not included below:
low-fat chicken broth

Calories 50
Calories from Fat 3 (6%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 0.4g 0%
Saturated Fat 0.1g 0%
Polyunsat. Fat 0.1g
Monounsat. Fat 0.1g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 173mg 7%
Potassium 300mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 10.9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1.9g 7%
Sugars 4.3g
Protein 2.0g 4%
Vitamin A 593mcg 11%
Vitamin B6 0.2mg 8%
Vitamin B12 0.0mcg 0%
Vitamin C 27mg 46%
Vitamin E 0mcg 1%
Calcium 53mg 5%
Magnesium 17mg 4%
Iron 1mg 6%

Happy Monday!

I was off today, not for the holiday but for my mammo, my mom's doc appointment and general running around. We have snow, not much, just enough to be pretty and not annoying while driving around. More snow in the forecast tonight into tomorrow morning.

I have to congratulate the Steelers Marci....we are pulling for them now. Yesterday our Eagles let the Cardinals run all over them and it was a sad and sorry sight. It would have been great for 2 PA teams to be in the Super Bowl...oh well, maybe next year!

Patti and Jan, those soups sound good. So does Marci's minestrone. I really have to shake up my boring diet, Jan, WTG on that loss! You go ahead and share every single pound with us, we care!

BJ, glad you had a great weekend and enjoyed your own time. It kind of makes Baby V coming home even more enjoyable doesn't it?

Dee, I am proud of you for not eating that Dove chocolate. I don't know if I could have put it down myself. Great mindset not wanting to start all over again..you should be very proud of yourself.

Raeanne ((feel better)). Nothing worse than flying when you don't feel well. I know how easy it is to cave and I always feel bad when I do it. I've done the same thing you did last night by telling myself I'm going to bed soon and won't be hungry any more.

Besh, how's the momentum going for you?

Suzanne, how's Rock feeling?

Got to run, take care and be good!

Donna

Happy TUESDAY!

I have received no less 3 invitations to lunch/dinner this week (business & my oldest stepdaughter). Must be strong when faced with those menus. LOL!!!!

No choice but to get weighed this afternoon. Part of the fitness at work charity competition. The number is what it is, but I may not be happy about it!

Hope everyone is hanging in there with personal challenges, weather, family, etc.

Later.........
Dee

Good morning from sunny and cool (54 F.) SE Texas!

I'm vegging out in front of the tv watching all the inaugural activities. Now that we have a new president, I pray that things will get better for everyone.

Today is hubby's birthday, so dinner tonight will be at our favorite Mexican restaurant. I'll have my Santa Fe salad which is the healthiest thing on the menu, and hubby will get whatever he wants.

This afternoon, I'm tearing myself away from the tv to go to a friend's house to start decorating plans for the sorority style show in late March. How I got on the decorating committee, I'll never know, but I am. At least I'm a willing worker.

I ended up staying in Beaumont until yesterday because my son and DDIL wanted to stay an extra day once they got to Dallas.

Patti, use whatever picture you choose of me. I never like any of me.

Raeanne, I hope you shake that cold before your flight. Miserable travelling like that.

Suzanne, hope your other little buddy's nosebleeds are cured quickly.

Dee, don't you just hate it when you get meal invites right when you're trying to get strong?

Marci, thanks for posting the minestrone recipe. I love that soup, and I'll be fixing it this week for us.

Donna, hope you passed all your tests yesterday!

Jan, congrats on the weight loss. That's awesome.

BJ, your post about your weekend just made me smile. You really made the most of your me-time!

Gotta get cleaned up and ready to head out in a little while. Meanwhile, I'm really enjoying being a part of this historical inauguration!

Make that invitations to:

Dinner on Tuesday
Lunch on Wednesday
Dinner on Wednesday
Lunch on Thursday
Dinner on Friday

Weekend? -- who knows!!!!

Give me strength, gang!!!!!!!!!!!

Good gosh, Dee, you are so popular! Ha! You'll do fine. Look how well you handled the Dove chocolate. I know what you mean, though. Our New Orleans weekend is coming up soon, and I am so obsessed about eating and drinking right, and want so badly to stick with it. I hope each day I get stronger so by the time it rolls around, I'll be mentally equipped to handle it.

Have any of you WW people had The Laughing Cow Chicken Cordon Bleu? I used to fix it all of the time, but had forgotten about it. It's so good and so easy. I think that's what we're having tonight.

Ingredients
4 - 4 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 wedges Laughing Cow Cheese, any flavor
4 servings extra lean ham (such as Deli Select)
1/2 package shake n bake (I like the Oven Fry)

Pound each to about 1/4" thickness. Spread one wedge of cheese on top of each breast. Then put on 2-3 slices of ham. Roll up the chicken and secure with toothpics. Place on baking tray and sprinkle with Shake n Bake (or Oven Fry.) Bake at 400 degrees for about 35-40 minutes.

5 WW points per serving
4 Servings
Fat: 5.2g
Carbs: 7.1g
Calories: 217.2
Protein: 32.g

Wodka~Congrats on the weight loss. You go GF! Share each & every pound with us if you like. I'm thinking that I certainly have. lol

These recipes sound very tasty. It is so nice to come here & read up on everyone.

NH Suzanne~Hope Rock is doing better.

Dave has walking pneumonia. Duh, will he ever get well & stay well? IDK

Dee~You will make it through this too! You can do it.

Happy WEDNESDAY!

Check in everyone and [[[[[[[[[[GET WELL DAVE!]]]]]]]]]

Last night I had half a glass of wine and ordered the seafood platter thinking it was healthy. I had to shake off the butter, but only ate 2 forkfuls of the pasta. It did come with a salad, and left before anyone ordered dessert. Not great but no disasters!

Check in everyone!
TAKE CARE, EAT HEALTHFULLY, AND NEVER NEVER GIVE UP!
DeeMarie

Dee - I have all the confidence that you will handle all those invites just fine. 2 forkfuls of pasta - is proof enough for me.

Patti - Hugs and positive thoughts for Dave.

Jan - sometimes I find if I plan a little cheat for myself, when I am in your situation, it works better. I will bargain with myself - a glass of wine but no bread, or whatever is most important to you. If you plan it then you don't feel like you failed. When I go into failure mode, I just eat everything in sight.

Milkdud - I hope DH had a wonderful birthday. I forgot to mention that your huge TX mug has certainly come in handy this winter LOL.

Speaking of birthdays, what does everyone want to do this year? Should we stick to doing cards like Christmas? Think about it.

I am here to endorse Zicam. I started using it right when I first felt my throat get scratchy and I feel so much better today. DH is still coughing from a week of having his cold.

xoxo

Hi All,

Today's my day off. Just got back from errands and a cut and color. I like it, but I always like it better after I blow dry it myself. The color is awesome though.

Raeanne, I just reread your paragraph about planning a cheat. The comment you made about going into failure mode has struck such a cord with me. That is exactly what happens to me and I guess I never really thought of it in that way. Thanks for turning the light on!

Dave, hope you are feeling better! I am sure Patti is taking good care of you!

Dee, keep up the good work...sounds like you have a busy social week ahead of you.

Went to WW yesterday....lost nothing, but did not gain, so I was actually a little relieved. I didn't do that great this weekend being trapped inside. I am however, not going to let that put me in "failure mode". I love that way of looking at it!

Suzanne, how is the baby doing? On the mend I hope!

Jan, I printed out your chicken recipe. I am going to try it this week...I think I already have all the ingredients. Thanks!

Milkdud, I love the way you are so giving of your time!

Donna, are you doing WW Momentum? It works fine for me because I always did the points...could never really get into Core.

BJ, how did Baby V do over the weekend?

Hi Marci! Gretchen, where are you?

Got to go clean something, anything!

oxBesh

Greetings all!

Feel like I have been gone for too long!

Congrats to all you losers!! I am so happy that we are keeping our "momentum" up!! I lost 2.1 pounds this week and I am pleased as punch! Besh, don't let your results this week phase you! It's hard up here during the winter to walk safely............I love walking the horses but right now it's just too icy for us. I am faithfully wearing my pedometer and getting up to about 6,000 steps a day but I need at least 10,00)!!! I figure in another few weeks the sun is going to be higher and warmer for a little walking on softer ice.

My Rock man is doing just fine. I think he got something caught in his nostril that was irritating him and causing nose bleeds. He's fine......just a little chilly!!

Raeanne, I like your "cheat logic" too! Very sensible you are!

Great recipes here too.

I took yesterday off and DH and I worked our butts off but it was worth it. This is the first time he's been home in three weeks so his "honey do" list has grown!

Hope everyone is staying warm. I must get to count some of the time I spend staying warm as calories burned!

Good afternoon!

Raeanne, thanks for the advice. Our WW leader told us the same thing last week about our craving/cheating, to go ahead and have whatever we are really wanting, just make room for it with our points. I'm not so worried about the food; I've already checked the restaurant menus where we are going to be eating and I know what I'm going to have. It's the wine I want to be sure and have under control. I'm not very disciplined when it comes to having a half glass (way to go, Dee!) or only one, especially in New Orleans when our friends will be heartily "imbibing."

The cordon bleu chicken turned out just as good as I remembered. Once I made it and instead of the deli ham I substituted canadian bacon, and it was very tasty.

Besh, I always did points instead of the core, too, in WW. It seemed to fit my personality more and let me know when I needed to stop eating for the day. Otherwise, I would graze until the cows came home - ha!

Suzanne, I'm glad Rock's condition wasn't serious. He and Belle are such beautiful animals.

Patti, I send my get well wishes to Dave, too! Y'all have been through enough to last a while. Maybe it will calm down for you soon.

Is anyone still watching "The Biggest Loser?" I've never watched it until this year, didn't think I'd be interested, but it's really got my attention, even though they sure have some strange strategies (rewarding the one who cheated and ate the most calories on the temptation game to go home, with their trainer, to work out with their partner?)

Better get back in the closet! Have a great night, everyone.

Jan, I watch the Biggest Loser. I really feel inspired when I see these people work so hard. I don't care much for the competitions - especially the one you mentioned above - I actually think it was pretty bad. I LOVE the weigh in though. I really disliked the whole scene when Bob, the trainer went to the woman's home..........I don't like all that yelling and screaming! Love to see the scale go down for them. Also, this particular season has the heaviest people I have seen to date! Wow.

Patti, I hope Dave is better soon. This seems to be a chronic problem for him? What is rotele and tell me again what you are looking for us to send you for your project?

Stay warm all. It's going down below zero again tonight.

Did anyone see the moon last night? Venus is shining brightly very close to the moon! The sky was full of stars last night! Keep looking up!

suzanne, I don't like the yelling and screaming either. Did you see the faces on the people coming into the gym to see what was going on? Joelle and her friend are my least favorite on the show. At least her friend seems serious about losing weight, but she's a bit "over the top" herself. I have a feeling the next blow up is going to be involving Dan's friend, (Dave?) who is being shown eating french fries, hot dogs, and fried chicken. I really thought he had more determination than that, from viewing the first episode.

I was up early this morning, around 5 a.m., and saw the moon peaking through the kitchen window, so I stepped outside to look at it. (I'm a big moon watcher!) I told my mom the same thing - I've never seen so many stars, especially at 5 a.m! It was a beautiful way to start the day.

Jan, FYI...a full bottle of wine is 13 points; a champagne flute is 2 points. I save my 35 bonus points for wine and wine only!

oxBesh

That's great to know Besh!! I like to save some of my points for wine but one glass just doesn't cut it!!

Jane, I always factor a little Hollywood into that show. Still the transformations are amazing and inspiring.

Good Thursday all!

Just checking in an hoping you are all well.

Good afternoon.....it is a good day. Pushed myself on my walk - now getting ready to eat a delicous Lean Cuisine Chicken Philly flatbread for lunch. They are soooo good - 6 points but very filling and tastes good, if you're looking for some different things to eat.

My fair-weather neighbor just called....the one that wanted me to wait until her cruise was over to join WW, but never did. She saw me walking and wants to walk tomorrow. I hope she doesn't slow me down! (just kidding - I'm not quite yet a bolt of lightning - ha.)

Hope you are all having a really nice day.

Jan

Hi Guys!

IÂve been lurking the past 2 daysÂnow I have time to WRITE A BOOK---e-gads!

Wodka: WAY TO GO ON THE WEIGHT LOSS!!!! I hope your friend shows up for the walk! When you said you were a "moon watcher", all I could think about was changing diapers! I get "mooned" all day long! Seriously, folksÂthe moon-n-stars show here is awesomeÂno light pollution. I think I am going to bundle up tonight, and sit in a lawn chair in the driveway, listen to my MP3 player and enjoy the stars.

Dee: Hold down the fort, weary girl! Only on more dinner to go for the week! No Doves and only 2 forkfuls of pasta?ÂAMAZING!
YOU CAN DO IT! ATTITUDEÂyou know?

Raeanne: "IÂm here to endorse Zicam." Too funny!Âbut IÂm glad it worked. IÂm definitely keeping it in mind! "Failure mode"---IÂve been avoiding it all week and today, DH said, "Honey, you are looking slimmer." GAD! I almost fell on the ground! Of course, I have no way of knowing if I lost or gained since I had DH hide the scale in the garage after my weigh in/binge thing. But for him to say that is SOMETHINGÂso I went to the drugstore and bought myself a pair of cheap dangly earringsÂ!

Patti- Hope Dave is on the mend. I finished 3 CUPS OF TEA and I have to say, the guy is a little naive, and VERY lucky. I just wish more people would help inner city kids in the USA the same way they do outside. ItÂs not nearly as glamorous though, and gets little to no press.

Milkdud: What is a Sorority Style Show? Tell me what happens in one of those!

Besh: No gain is GOOD! Hey, I as just going through my east coast trip pics and found one of usÂwe are having fun! And one of Raeanne and me tooÂtrashed on wine in a restaurant. Good times, good times. IÂll be making THAT trip again in the next couple of years; this time with more stops!

NHSuzanne: WTG on the weight loss---keep going, girlfriend! Glad your babies are okay. I used to find all kinds of stuff up kids noses when I worked in the Emergency Room! One day, my neighbor brought her 2 yr old kid over. She had pushed a raisin up her nose, so I got my "tools" and got it out. After that, her WHOLE family called me the "Raisin Lady." Yuck.

I have been so busy with Baby V since heÂs been back! DonnaSNJ: You were right!---Now IÂm really aware of how crazy I am about him! HeÂs with me next weekend, but after that he starts going every weekend to his pre-adoptive home. Yipes! Well, I am going to do my weekend walks, thatÂs all there is to it. Last weekend, I went to the beach and hiked the cliff trails for 45 minutes, listening to music. Then I scooted down to the beach and rested against a piece of driftwood, put my face to the rising sun, and listened to 2 of my favorite songs. MINI VACATION! So nice! Much better than my light box!

Okay, enough of my yammering. Gotta fly!

I ate chocolate covered peanuts last night and I don't know why. :-(

Good FRIDAY!!!

Besh, I hear your confession!! LOL I don't know why we do stupid, self-destructive things like that. You did it, you confessed before your peers, now move on and don't beat yourself up. If you want a kick in the butt - Dee is really good at that!! LOL Since you told us about how many points are in a bottle of wine I have been working on how to incorporate that into my weekend!!

BJ, thanks for the book! I enjoyed hearing so much from you this morning. There is no doubt in my mind how attached you are to baby V. Also, meant to thank you for your card. It's amazing how much you and your girls look alike! What a lovely family Raisin Lady!! LOL

Dee, it's tough being so darned popular! BJ is right, you can do this with attitude!

Wodka, glad your friend wants to walk but don't let her slow you down! You are in charge and you set your pace girl. It doesn't sound like your friend is really committed to losing the weight yet....perhaps you will inspire her.

Patti, we haven't heard much about your trip yet. Still want to know what you want me to send you . Hope Dave is feeling better.

Gretchen? Where are you?

Glad to hear the Zicam endorsements. I am coming down with a head cold I think. I feel crummy this morning and would prefer to stay home but I can't - too much to do at work today.

Donna, how are you doing? Check in please.

Raeanne, I hope you are feeling better for your trip today. Bon Voyage mon ami. I will do whatever the majority wants to do about birthdays but we better decide soon as time is ticking into February. The days are noticeably longer now and it gives me great joy!! Yesterday and today feel like spring in the high 20's but the hammer is coming down tomorrow.......bitter cold again.

Milkdud, you always amaze me with everything you do! You really are an inspiration. I wish we lived closer!

Hope eveyone gets the chance to check in today.

QOD: Weekend plans? Mine are to stay warm!! LOL and to finish painting my office. I got a new desk so of course I have to redecorate! That will be fun indoor work.

This isn't diet related, but is so funny. Start your day with a laugh!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ellen show

Has everyone left for the weekend except Jan and I?? Wow, it's quiet.

Jan enjoyed that clip of Ellen. I have seen it before and it was just as funny as the first time!!

Good afternoon, Suzanne and Jan! I'm here for a few minutes, but I couldn't let y'all be the only ones posting.

I had a lovely lunch with a friend today, then we caravanned over to the community center to sign up for some stamping and scrapbooking classes coming up in the next several weeks.

This afternoon (reason for the quick post) I have to get this house cleaned up because everyone's coming back here after dinner to play Canasta.

I have to be up and out early tomorrow morning to attend a workshop on how to be a greeter chairman in the Methodist church. It's no longer just about saying "good morning" I guess! LOL

Patti, I hope Dave is recovering nicely by now. That poor guy sure does catch a lot of stuff. Give him extra vitamin C!

Jan, I loved the "Ellen" clip!

Suzanne, I hope you get warmer temps this weekend so that you can get out and play a bit. I'd happily share our too-warm weather with you this weekend. It's 74 F. here right now and sunny, but it's too soon to have warm weather like that. Maybe by May, but not in January, TYVM!

BJ, my service sorority is putting on a style show, conveniently enough at my church, at the end of March. I don't have to worry about modeling as they have already lined up 20 young women to do it. I'll be welcoming attendees at the door, and before then, working on dcorations for the 24 dining tables. Each table will have a theme and a Bible verse to accompany it. ESA is spiritual-based, so it works out nicely that it's also held in the Family Life center at church. Twice a year, we need to hold some kind of big money fundraiser, the proceeds going to St. Jude. The fall fundraiser was the pumpkin head dolls that I sewed together and others had the hard job of stuffing and assembling. The decorations we're using for the tables are all donated and/or scavenged from the thrift store, so no expenses there. The food will be prepared by our favorite Mexican restaurant, King Ranch chicken casserole, salad, chips and salsa, for only the price of the foodstuff. We'll have 24 tables seating 8 women at each, so we should make a nice sum for St. Jude.

Gotta get busy because this house is not self-cleaning, and nobody's banging on my door begging to come in and clean! Have a great day, everyone.

Hi Guys!

I'm here all weekend long! I had an apointment today to look at floor colors and then cabinets for kitchen and baths. But now I'm home. I have an appointment after lunch to figure out signage for DH's biz. Then the weekeend starts!

DD called last night and said she's gonna scoot home from college for the weekend. This is great news, as I LOVE seeing her! We're going to check out a little clothing consignment shop I found tucked away down a random street. It's only open Saturdays from 11-5. This weekend, while Baby V naps, I'll be in the garage, trying to sort things out.

I am going to try to make it to the beach. The weather is supposed to be nice. The kids LOVE the beach and I love picking up pretty rocks! The water has such good vibes! And sun's reflection off the water is so nice in the wintertime!

Jan- I watched the Ellen clip before I took off this morning---SO FUNNY!!!!! Thanks for posting the link. What a great morning starter!

NHSuzanne: New desk? What kind? I tables and desks! I just picked out my desk for the biz office. I'm pretty jazzed about it. Loving your workspace is important, so have fun decorating!

Besh: First, CONGRATS on confessing. It frees the soul. Why did you eat the peanuts? Because they were THERE. Nuf sed. Just start over--today! And don't forget to praise yourself for everything you pass up today. It's a great reinforcement.

Okay, off to the sign maker I go!

O---KAY! I just met with the sign guy and he said we will get more sign frontage on the street of I wear a short skirt and tall boots to the town sign permit office. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? That stuff still goes on...! Arg! Now I have to diet into my skirt and get my calves sized down to fit in my boots. Yes, I'm playing along with their stupid game. We need the sign space, but I'm not thrilled with the motivation. MEN!!!!!! Can we microwave some of them or what?

BJ - I sent the cards a couple of days ago, so they should get there soon.

I'm kind of down today over some things, including my kitty needing a couple of teeth removed. She had the surgery yesterday, but hasn't eaten anything for two days but about a fourth of a cup of soft food.

I know that's not much of a post :), but if I try to write more, I'll end up not posting. I've been too tired to do the typing. Sry sisters :), but I do think of you just about every day and try to read what I can.

Amy

Amy~ THANK YOU for the cards---I'm excited to receive them! I love your artwork! The wild chicken you painted for me is packed right now and I can't wait to unpack it and hang it in my new house!

Ohhhhh. How sad to hear the news about your cat. Perhaps her mouth has just been so sore, she cannot eat. Have you tried something like pure liquid and see if she'll drink it?

I'm sorry you're down about things. I hope it can be resolved and you'll be back to yourself in time. Are you still playing on 2nd life? Occasionally, I see it in the news. I hope the weather in Kuaui is treating your well and you get to feel that wonderful ocean breeze on your face once in a while. Amy, we love you, and whenever you can pop in, it is a treat!

I'm off to the farmer's market this morning. They hold it in the H.S. gym during the winter. Then I'm going to the local consignment shop to see what I need. After that, the beach with the kids for some negative ion therapy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Good link for good-for-you food ideas...

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...cold north wind here today.

Think I'll stay inside and read a book.

Sounds like fun - what book? Do you have a fireplace? We are having a cold north wind, too; only here when we have a cold north wind, it only gets down to 60. You mentioned the weather, and yes, it's been wonderful - exactly the kind of weather I came here for, except it's a little too chilly at night in the winter, but I have a heater that I run when it's too cold.

I've been interested in virtual worlds ever since I saw the movie, Tron. Right now my virtual reality worlds include Second Life, OpenSim, and The Sims2, which my granddaughters gave me for Christmas. I'm glad for it as they play it and it will give us more to talk about. Today, I'm giving two links to a couple of pictures of Sims2 that I put up on Photobucket. copy and past the address into the browser window:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/explorer/The%20Sims/Sims02copy.jpg
and
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/explorer/The%20Sims/Sims01copy.jpg
The avatars, or computer-represented people, can walk around in the picture. It's sort of like an interactive movie. They do things, but the player can influence their choices. The second image is of Cassandra Goth and Peter Halliwell. They moved in together and are having a baby soon. I built and furnished the house they are living in. I love building and creating - virtual 3D art. I've put a copy of the first link below in the useful link box.

Tomorrow I'll put up some pics of OpenSim or Second Life. In those I have virtual galleries. I'm still working on art in first life, too. And of course for virtual worlds, there is always meditation and painting :) Cyan Co. who created Uru that I played for several years are releasing the code to the fans, so that will be available again soon, too. At least I'm hoping so. In first life, I'm working on my art and trying to get an exhibit ready for the hospital here and maybe for one of the galleries. I get very tired and sometimes discouraged, but still going :)

BJ, I'm glad you like the cards. I'll try to get those up on a site soon so others can see them, too.

That's all I can write today, but I'll try to get back more and be more involved again. I work on my eating, too, and maybe will share that. I think this is a wonderful forum and that the people here have done the best job I've seen with supporting each other and caring.

See you soon
Amy

Here is a link that might be useful: