Hi Suzanne - It was a wash out around here too. The good news is that nearly all the snow is gone now and it made me take care of some things around the house. I also got some spring cleaning done. I packed a very large bag of clothing to donate to a domestic violence shelter. That always feels good.

I have been trying to just eat healthy lately. More fruits and vegies, whole grains, nuts, etc. This was at my Dr.'s prompting - he told me no more fad diets. He set a goal for me to just lose 5lbs in 6 months. He wants the weight to drop slow and steady and for me to increase my cardio workouts. I made a deal to try it for 6 months. I just hope I lose a little more than 5lbs LOL.

Nothing else new to report, just been busy at work, home and play.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

It poured for four days up until Sunday a.m. and I thought our riding would be cancelled. But the instructor did hold lessons anyway, and my daughter and her friend rode in cold muck. This ring has a sandy base, so it wasn't as slippery as some rings can be, but I had my heart in my throat often.

Eating was so-so last week. Exercise so-so but did some. Stocked fridge up this week on healthy fare. Made a delish recipe Sat night that had an avocado salsa to die for, basically chopped 'maters, chopped onion, juice from two limes, and a cubed avocado. Sprinkle that over chicken breast, marinated in lime juice, chopped cilantro and olive oil, and cooked (The recipe called for grilled, but it was too wet and cold to grill, so I just chopped up the breast into small pieces, marinated, then cooked on the stove top). Then sprinkle salsa over it.

On the side, I had broc/cauli steamed with a little melted parmesan on top. MMMMM

Eye status: positive for early signs of macular degeneration, which they will monitor. The sight issue episode I had was not related to that, though, it was more corneal. They are still unclear on cause. I had to have an MRI Friday, and I will get the results this coming Wednesday.

I will also ask them about the studies showing certain vitamin supplements can slow the degeneration effects in a case of macular degeneration, and get direction to the right combination of supplements to take.

Feeling very fat right now - sorry you guys are the only place I can really be negative in front of, so forgive the vent. Bought some size 16s for the first time in my life for our spring break next week. Wish I could shed even 1 or 2 pounds by next week, just so I can fit into last year's shorts.

Trying not to stress over spring break. It took me a year or two to gain the weight; it'll take time to come off.

Anyway, that's my ramblings for today! Did under 1500 calories for yesterday, which was pretty good!

Snacky item of the week, granola! 1/4 cup is a serving, put it in a ziploc and keep it in the car to curb in between meal, running around town, hunger.

Hey, I'm back but sifting through about 400 e:mails here at work, so I've got no time to get into details.

Are my eyes seeing correctly? Do we have Trekaren back? LOL! Hope you are well. I see you once in a while over at the KT.

Gotta run gang. Will catch up eventually with everything.

Oh yes...had a ball. Wish I had enough $$$$ to retire (sigh).

Hi. Just got in from Weight Watchers and the garden nursery. Grabbed a bite and am headed out to go plant some petunias, pentas, and a rose bush before the rain comes back tomorrow.

Lost another 1.6 pounds, total now is 23.2 pounds. I'm starting to really enjoy this. Last night I had fresh asparagus marinated in balsam vinegar and honey, and it was soooo good. Usually I grill it, but last night just did stove-top and it turned out well. Strawberries and fat-free whipped cream are my treat at night. They're so good right now. I bought some new clothes last week, but not too many, because I will be losing more (how's that for positive attitude. ha.) My husband was teasing me this morning saying I was due for a letdown, since I hadn't been walking the last few days. He doesn't realize that working in the yard is tough work, which I did both Saturday and Sunday. Men!

Dee, glad you are back and that you had such a wonderful time. Hurry up and catch up so we can hear all about it!

trekaren, I hope your tests turn out okay and that you enjoy your spring break.

raeanne, good luck with your healthy eating. I know all about slow and steady, because I have not yet had a big "biggest loser" weight loss, but the good news is it all adds up, and you know you're doing something good for yourself.

Suzanne, hope you have beautiful weather this week so you can ride!

Jan

dee - were you being punny with the 'eyes seeing correctly' comment? :-) Yep i came back a couple weeks ago but last week was nuts and I found little time to post. The SS thread gets so busy that I rarely have time to keep up but you guys are inspiring!

Good evening, everyone!

Dee, welcome home! We'll give you a couple of days to catch up on business, then we want details!

TreKaren, back in the Fall, I was misdiagnosed with mac.degeneration, and I immediately started taking ocular vitamins and adding in fresh veggies that are so good for you when you have the onset of it. I say misdiagnosed because it turned out that I didn't have it after all, but I still cook with orange and yellow peppers, among other fresh veggies. Good luck to you, and I'll be rooting for you all the way to stop this in its track!

We had very cool and windy weather here all weekend, but the sun did shine. Our style show and luncheon were a big hit, and I really enjoyed being a part of things. Many of our husbands helped out by setting up things on Saturday and serving and cleaning up afterwards, so that was a huge help.

Raeanne, my new dr. set a goal of 25 lbs. in 6 months for me, and I felt like that was very possible, and not intimidating. I wish you very good luck in losing!

Jan, speaking of losing - girl, you're doing so well! A constant loss is fantastic, and I'm envious. Everybody here knows how hard it is to stay on a WOE, and you've done it successfully. Keep up the good work!

Suzanne, sorry you didn't get to ride last weekend, but you did accomplish something by Spring cleaning! I hope to get that done around here this coming weekend.

TreKaren, I tried your avocado salsa with our grilled chicken this evening since I peeked in earlier and saw what you'd written. We really enjoyed it, and I've included it in my recipe file. Thanks for posting that!

No more "meltdown" meetings until September, so I'll be relaxing at home this evening in front of the tv. Wishing everyone a good Monday evening!

Good morning!

I worked in my yard so hard yesterday, I was exhausted! Some neighbors walked up while I was working, and I just chatted away, then came inside, and had no idea that I was so covered in dirt! Who is the Charlie Brown character who always has dirt around him, ("Pigpen?") - that's me!

milkdud, thank you! You mentioned eating the yellow and red peppers - I love them but have never figured out why they cost so much more than the regular green/bell peppers yet taste the same? I've never really cooked much with avocado, but trekaren's recipe does sound good. Will have to try it.

Glad I worked in the yard yesterday, because the rain is coming and will be here for a few days.....

Need to fix my oatmeal and get moving around here. Hope everyone is well and having a good day.

Good morning! I know I have no room to complain, but it's freezing here in So. Cal!!! Would really like to get out in my garden today but don't think I'll have the time. It's so nice that the weather is finally getting nice enough to be outside, isn't it?

{{gwi:1500104}}

Glad you guys liked the recipe. I can't wait for the weather to improve. I would love to try it grilled. Incidentally, it would probsbly taste good over grilled salmon, too.

Rabbit, Rabbit!!

I have lots to tell you but we are on the run as always. And of course I want to say something to everyone. However, I'll have to come back later to do that.

I got a call from Aubrey on Monday night that said, "Gramma, I'm going to be a big sister!" That's my BIG news. Other news is that the wonderful printer that I had is out of commission & they said it would cost more for S&H & to fix than to buy a new one so we are on our way to Orlando to look for a new one. This one was 3 weeks out of warranty. Bummer. Will be back.

Glad you are back safe & sound Dee. Have a great day & I'll be back to post. Love to all. Patti :-)

Went to my weekly WW meeting yesterday, and stayed exactly the same? I'm bummed. I feel clothes starting to loosen up, but the weight is stubborn to come off. I'm doing alot of time on my treadmill (walk 4 min, run 1 min) for a total of 30 min - 6 days a week, then some weights, and floor stuff. I'm trying to convince myself that I'm gaining muscle, which weighs more.

DH found out yesterday that his PSA is up (he had a total prostatectomy last year). The pathology report from surgery showed some cancer cells had migrated into the muscle outside the prostate, but the surgeon was sure he got it all. Apparently not. PSA is only up 1 point, but it is still worrisome. Dr. says that won't do anything until the PSA rises higher.

Weather here in N. Wisconsin is cold and dreary. Rained Mon and Tue, and today we woke up to a light covering of snow. Well, it is April 1, but I don't like that joke! Right now it's only 34 degrees. Brrr. I'm jealous of those who are planting flowers already. We can't do that until end of May at the earliest.

DH and I worked on our new lot this weekend. We are hoping to sell the big house, and build something smaller. New lot is all woods, and we started cleaning up fallen trees. Good exercise for both of us.

Until next time....Joyce

Happy April Fools' Day!

Do not get on the scales today. Wait until tomorrow or maybe next month!

I am still up to my eyeballs in work, so I cannot offer much info on my l-o-n-g vacation. Also, want to get the hang of photo sharing here.

TAKE CARE, EAT HEALTHFULLY, AND NEVER NEVER GIVE UP!
DeeMarie

joyce, I'm beginning to think something in the atmosphere, maybe the economy, is kind of draining my metabolism, making my eating plan not really have results. But I could be in denial, too :-)

Update on the eyes:
MRI was completely normal. Guess it's good to know no time bomb in my brain anywhere, and makes me a little (a lot) less freaked out about my headaches.

I'm negative for cataracts, glaucoma. Still positive for mac degen but that is not causing the left eye vision issues.

The working theory now is a blood flow problem of some sort. Since my husband was diabetic, I'm familiar with retinopathy and mentioned it. Doc said this is definitely not diabetic retinopathy. But they did the fluorocen (sp?) test today, and took a panel of images.

I go back Friday for results. So more 'what it isn't', and no 'what it is' still. Guess I am looking on the sunny side.
1) MRI shows nothing in my head wrong (despite popular opinion) :-)
2) They only dilated one of my eyes today :-) (hey gotta find positives where I can)

Good Thursday all,

It's awfully quiet here!! I brought Rock with me to liven things up!

Check in please!
{{gwi:37583}}

Hi Guys,
Just quickly...I am on my lunch 1/2 hour!

DS was diagnosed with mono last Friday, so I have been worried about him. He slept 22 hours the first day. His throat was so sore, he was taking, tylenol, tylenol with codeine and motrin and nothing was touching it. He ended up on steroids Monday and is doing so much better. He went back to school yesterday. Yikes!

Eating is going ok. Down 10# w/ WW. I am doing the happy dance!

Hello to everyone and ((HUGS)) and congratulatins to all that need them. I will check back soon.

So glad that Megan Joy went home last night! LOL

Suzanne, did you see my name pop up on the other thread again. I wish I could make it go away! Rock is beautiful!

oxoxBesh

I thought I'd check in (how could I not, with Rock's eyes staring me down - ha!)

Heavy storms, including hail, are headed our way - tornado watch until 5 p.m. My weather alert radio has already gone off once - I jump every time!

Besh, that's wonderful about your 10 pound weight loss! Good for you. Glad your DS is on the mend. I agree with you re: American Idol's Megan leaving last night. She is a beautiful girl, but she just deteriorated from week to week. Last night she really acted goofy. What about Lady GAGA (boy, do I feel old?!) I did enjoy David Cooke's performance - made me want to buy his CD.

Does anyone have a good healthy recipe for lean ground chuck? I've cooked so much chicken and pork lately, I thought I'd have red meat tonight, but don't want to blow my points. Weather is probably not going to allow us to grill outside, so it will have to be an indoor recipe. Any suggestions are appreciated.

joyce, it sounds like you are overdue for a big drop in weight soon, so don't despair. Are you sure you are eating enough points? With you being so good about exercising, it might be that you need to eat a little more. (I know, it sounds crazy to me, too, but WW folks swear by it.)

trekaren, hope you have good results tomorrow. Several years ago I had the LASIK procedure done. In the pre-op exam they discovered that I had a cataract. I thought, swell, there goes LASIK, but the doctor acted like I would not have a problem for years and it would not affect the LASIK. So far, so good, but it probably wouldn't hurt to have my eyes checked, just in case.

Have a good evening!

TGIF!

Jan, I know this is late for your ground beef recipe, but I used to make a great dish for myself(before I was married to guy who hates cabbage!). I would brown some beef (not much) drain well, and put aside. With just a bit of the beef grease I would finely chop cabbage and onions and slowly fry until it was very tender. Add a can of stewed tomatoes, return the beef, and add whatever seasonings you want (I loved caraway seeds in this). Serve in a big bowl with low-fat or fat-free sour cream on top. It was a quick "stuffed" cabbage without rice. Delish. Hope that helps you for next time.

Tekaren, I apologize if you thought I was making light of your eye problems. Actually I had not read all the posts from the 3 weeks I was on vacation, and was happy to notice that you were back! Hope you are progressing well.

I have about 1/2 day left to catch up here at work from what I missed over 3 weeks. Then it is on to the current projects. I'll try not to complain too much, but I'm grateful that I'm still here after 100 or more lost jobs recently.

Marci, I miss you! If you read this, please e:mail me.

BJ, thank you, thank, you, thank you for the wonderful cards and the sentiments. Love you too, kiddo!

Gotta run.
Make today count!
Dee

Hi Gang, checking in!

Finally got my acct to work!

Things are going well, in a weight loss challenge at work, down 18 pounds and going!

Work has been busy, doing all we can to cut expenses and keep all our jobs, so far so good!

Been dating the same girl for about 6 months now she got a new job so we will have more time together, me being on 2nd shift and her working weekends hasnt made it easy.

Other than that and a new car, not much new!

Got a lot of reading to do to catch up!

Good to see some new faces around and some old friends ;) muhaa.

Will check in more regularly I promise!

/360 hug

John

dee no worries, it was my lame attempt to be punny :-)

Doctor says it is a dry macular degeneration, but in a weird way. There is something I can't exmplain to you guys that he saw in the picture, that shows some sort of intermittent inflammation.

It MAY or MAY NOT be behind the fluctuating eye sight.

However, he wants to get more expert eyes on it (LOL) and 1) see if the MD is the kind that can be reversed and 2) to get their opinion on if it is the cause of the fluctuating vision.

So in mid-April I go down to Emory University to see a specialist.

So more weeks of no answers, or at least no firm answers.

Having an off-program lunch right now (sorry, couldn't help it), but have had an on-program week. No weight loss but lots of stair climbing has helped my middle. Tried on my shorts to pack for spring break and most of them fit :-)

5 fruits and veggies! My new mantra!

Good Friday all,

TGIF!!

JOHN!! SO good to see you here finally. We need you around here you know! LOL Glad things are going well with you too! Down 18lbs WTG

It's pouring here today and I feel like having a nap but have a few more hours of work!

QOD: Weekend plans?

Hi, everyone,

I thought I'd pop in to say hello before the little ones tear the house apart in my absence. (The pre-afternoon-nap crazies are kicking in.)

DH and I are having a "date" tonight. Haven't had one of those since December. SIL is babysitting (brave woman!) so we're going out to dinner. We hope to go to Outback because I can eat there and stay on my plan (Atkins). They claim that they don't marinate their steaks in anything sweetened, so steak and salad is on the menu for me tonight. I'll skip the bread and probably bring home the potato for the kids to share at lunch tomorrow.
Then we'll probably get a coffee at Starbucks or maybe even McD's (there were coupons for free coffee in the mail today), and then drop by another friends' house to say happy birthday and hang out there for a little adult conversation.
I'm so happy I could almost cry!

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely ADORE my children. They are the most delightful people I know. But I am so very ready for a little break!
I'm so happy about it, that I'm not nearly as sad as I probably should be to see the scale fluctuating up a pound or so this morning instead of down. That always happens to me, but even though I know that, I usually get a little irked when I see it go up. It was down at Monday's weigh-in, so that was good. Back up a little today maybe won't mean anything for the long haul.

Best wishes for a good weekend, all!

--Rebecca

JOHN!!! Love to see you around, and I'm loving the news about your girlfriend. YES!!!! Stick around for awhile and share with us. WTG on your weight loss.

Dee

I couldn't talk this morning b/c site was down so here goes--long post!

NH Suzanne~Always love Rock's pic! He's so gorgeous.

Raeanne~Love ya Sistah!

Trekaren~ Your chicken breast recipe sounds good. I had my eyes dilated on Tuesday but they said everything looked good. I don't think they'll do it again. My eyes are very sensitive to the stuff they use & stay dilated way longer than they are supposed to.

Dee~Glad you finally had a chance to write a little & hope you get caught up soon.

Wodka~Your yard must be beautiful again this year. You always work so hard on it.

Milkdud~I did 3 layouts yesterday. How's the wedding album coming?

Silversword~I'd just about trade ya. It's been 92 degrees here.

Joyce~The clothes getting loser are the main thing--the weight loss will follow.

Besh~So sorry DH has mono. Ugh! Congrats on your 10# weight loss.

John~So glad to finally hear from you. I've missed you terribly. Congrats on your #18 loss, the #125 gain (lol), & the new car. Please hurry back.

Elelektos~"Date Night"~What fun! We all love our children but we need adult interaction as well. Our weight fluctuates--that is why it is best to weigh the same day of the week at the same time. It is a better indicator. Try not to get on the scale so often. It discourages us too much if we let it. :-)

QOD~I'm going to the Gulf Coast to scrapbook with a couple of friends tomorrow & Sunday Dave is picking up our friend who has been in the rehab center & bringing him back home. I think that is about it for us. Have a great weekend. Patti :-)

patti, are you serious - 92 degrees already? That is mighty warm for April! Today was perfect weather but yesterday was a witch! Three tornadoes in our area alone.

Yes, I love working in the yard - it's like therapy. My latest quest is to find out more about Crinum Lilies - perennial, huge scented flowers - what's not to like? I read about one nursery who donated some of theirs after Katrina hit, which was a nice thing to do. Something about plants and flowers that give one hope.

Dee, thanks so much for the suggestion on ground beef/cabbage. We love cabbage, so that would be a great thing to fix!

John, nice to meet you and welcome back. Your friends have apparently missed you very much.

Rebecca/eklektos - hope your date was everything you wanted it to be and you both had a wonderful time. Good for you!

Nothing on TV last night so I watched the Sex and the City movie. I will never look at Gilles on Dancing with the Stars the same way ever again....good grief!

QOD: Looking for a small shrub/tree to plant in our courtyard, and more importantly, get our taxes done. How did April sneak up on us?

Have a great weekend!

Dee, on the way home from our date tonight, I was asking DH for menu ideas for Sunday afternoon. We're meeting with a group from church for lunch, and I need to take something large & crowd-pleasing that is friendly for my WOE without being too expensive. I think your ground beef/cabbage recipe is exactly what I need too!

Can't believe I'm still up! It's always a marathon to get ready for vacation. Does anyone work their tail off 5 times as hard the week before a vacation to get everything completed so they can relax?

Sigh....better go to bed soon.