Hi all! DeeMarie, hang in there!! Do you weigh in front of everyone? I think I would DIE!! : ) Pam, Wildchild... where are you? Hope that you both are feeling better. BarnMom!!! "weigh" to go!! we are so proud of you, you skinny thing. What are you going to do with your "big" clothes? Kathy, you had me ROFL!! Here is our favorite recipe for Tortilla Soup...( I took the tortillas out of mine...) 12 med. tomotillos 1 large onion 5 cloves garlic, 2 tomatoes, chopped 1/2 c. cilantro, chopped 2 tsp. chile powder 8 Ortega canned chiles OR 7 fresh anaheim chiles OR (my favorite), 5-6 chile pasillas roasted and peeled. 4c. chicken broth 1 c. shredded chicken breast 3 small flour tortillas cut into 1/4" strips Vegetable oil or (preferably) cooking spray. 1/4 c. cheddar or jack. ( enough to sprinle on top of soup) salt and pepper to taste. Place tortilla strips on an ungreased baking pan and spray with cooking oil spray (lightly). Bake @ 350 degrees till light brown and crisp. Combine broth, tomotillos, garlic, onion, chili powder and chiles in a lg. pot and simer till veggies are tender (about 20 minutes) strain and puree veggies . return to pot with broth and add tomatoes, cilantro and chicken. Cook x 15 min. more then... ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips and sprinkle with cheese. Low cal, "good carb" and very tasty! If tomotillos are out of season they can be bitter. Adding a pinch of sugar / splenda will fix it. I had mine with a green salad w/lite dresing. My kid ate his with 2 quesadillas, 1 cup of beans, 1 cup of rice and a huge salad smothered with bleu cheese. (I REALLY resent that beanpole!! 6' and 123 lbs!!) Tikanas

Wouldn't we all like to change places with our cruiser today?? Oh McPeg - hugs!! If they wanted to get rid of you they would have. You must be doing something right. If you love the job as much as you say smile pretty and kill them with kindness. They have the power because they write the check. I had a job and boss I loved and changed departments (not my choice!) and ended up with the worst boss in the printing plant. I lasted 2 years. If you can't take it get out of there and go somewhere there is less pressure or ask for a transfer there. It sounds like they are giving you a chance at least. Lots of places are "all business". My cousin (a woman) owns her own business and it is like a tomb in that office. You have had a lot of headaches the past few weeks and deserve all our hugs for that. Hang in there! big big hugs to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The banquet last night was a long drawn out affair I should not complain about free food but - the chicken was breaded fried and had ham and American cheese in it. It looked like a loaf of bread. The Athenians would never have touched that! The salad was really fruit with some dairy sauce on it. About the only healthy thing was the carrots. I passed the dessert right to hubby so that was good at least. The entertainment was good but there was too much of it and after kids singing, testimonials (it was a children's ministry appreciation dinner) and thank yous, group singing with a guy who kept saying "one more time!", kids dancing then they called up a speaker! He was good but I was ready to bolt for the door. I do not need to worry about my doctor's appt Monday because it turned out I had scheduled my appt. and the dog's appt. 10 minutes from each other so we know which one was put off another 2 weeks ;-) I made the Italian pasta dish that I posted the recipe for supper and hubby loved it but boy is it spicy! It would be great food when someone has a cold. If you try it, precook the sausage and cool it before slicing. I had too many things going on at once and overcooked it a little but that did not hurt anything. I thought it "needed" something so added a spoonful of fat free sour cream to my dish. I used frozen pepper stir fry for the peppers and picked the onions out so was a little low on peppers and added mushrooms. Red, yellow and orange peppers here are $4.00 a pound. Hmmm maybe I sould grow some this summer.... Oh heck gals I have been losing and gaining the same 8 pounds forever. BUT I am still 46 pounds lighter than I used to be! It makes a big difference in your life. My problem is I had quit going to the doctor's for years so he did not see the biggest me. To ME I am thin! Mom has tried to find the WW bagels everywhere so she went to the store where she bought them and ordered 10 packs! The manager said they were suprised how many people are asking for them. MaryAnn did you go out on the motorcycle? Hubby wants me to ride with him but it is bad enough riding in the car. You know you (and me!) are getting old when a late night is 10 pm. YH what is O'Charlies? Sounds like a pub. Hmmm do we need to do a 5 pound challenge? Haven't done a challenge in a while. Well big hugs to all who share this torture er/a struggle. Have a great tomorrow! Kathy

Hi! You are on the right track. A bike ride to Curves is a good thing! My advice is this: Drink lots of water,chew sugarless gum to satisfy the urge to put something in your mouth. DO NOT keep junk food in your house.Throw out all junk today and don't buy anymore. Replace all fatty high calorie foods with lite ones ( mayo, dressings etc) Don't shop while hungry. Keep lots of cut celery, carrots and other crunchy veggies around and ready to grab for "the munchies" Make a deal with yourself not to give in to your cravings until after a 1/2 hour waiting period and a tall glass of water. The craving will probably have passed by then. Put up a "skinny" picture of yourself on the fridge. Reward yourself with a treat (NOT FOOD!!) after not cheating for a certain period of time ( a day, a week, whatever it takes...) Pick a "special" non food treat for each samller size that you can fit into. Plan fun, workout activities with your hubby or a friend. Walking, roller skating, biking etc. Pick a buddy to help you be accountable for regular exercise and good food habits. Record your food intake daily ( log EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth)Try fitday.com Pick a food plan (weight watchers, south beach etc) and stick to it. If you don't have a "weight buddy" then weight watchers is a great support system for being accountable. Allow yourself one special meal each week where you eat your favorite things in moderate amounts ( ONE meal!!)Learn serving sizes and measure. Keep busy. Idle hand, you know... : ) Keep posting here and ask for help and support whenever necessary. Volunteer. Help somebody in need. Nothing takes my mind off of me as much as spending some time helping somebody else. You will never make up for love lost during your childhood, but you can add love to your life now by giving to others. It will come back you! You can NEVER accomplish this with food. Food won't love us, people will. This is a great forum . There are some really wonderful people here. We all support eachother! Any other hints for her ladies? Now... Go make this a great Monday! Tikanas

Hi everybody. Kathy, yes, I want to get my little plants into the ground, but I'll have to wait a while longer---may have killed my squash plant. I need to check on him.lol Gals, I'm in a rather bad mood today! I think it's just too much "togetherness" with my DH. I love the guy, but... I need some time for myself. Know what I mean? I'm going into MY room, which is actually the dining room where I have a computer in an armoire and some of my things in a file cabinet, some books, etc.-----and chill out in MY ROOM---ALL ALONE. Walked this morning, had toast and turkey bacon and some apple butter --yum yum. Okay. I had a real egg. I'm bad. Haven't had lunch yet. McPeg, I love those flavored waters. I've tried doing some of my own flavorings, but they just don't taste as good as the store-bought kind. Peach is my favorite. Take care, all. I've got a ton to do, we haven't decided yet if everyone's coming here for Easter dinner or we're going to a lodge or something. I may vote "lodge." They have a nice buffet dinner and then we usually walk, tour, etc. Lodge, I say. Lodge! PS This year, after seeing the movie "Passion of the Christ" I just don't feel right about doing the Easter bunny thingy ( and I love bunnies and stuff) so I'm thinking about instead doing some cookies in the shape of fish and having a story with each person's gift about the resurrection and how Jesus met with Peter and other deciples along the sea and they ate fish and talked before he ascended to heaven. A celebration without bunnies. I wish there was a separate spring holiday with bunnies and stuff---aside from Easter. Oh, well. Traditions are sometimes hard to break. I'll have to find a low-fat cookie recipe 'cause I know I'll want to eat a few.