Good MONDAY morning!

Lynn, welcome back! Please don't hesitate to post your food diary. You will notice that we let each know when something went wrong. I find that it makes me a bit more honest with yourself so that the next time I try to improve if I know I have to post it. Little by little I improve.

Sunday, 10/14
B: ww bagel w/ too much peanut butter & smart balance
S: cantalope & strawberries
L: (homemade low fat) meatball sub, serving potato chips, carrots, grapes (at the JETS game tailgate)
S: shelled peanuts & 6 "Dots" candy (at the JETS game)
D: salad w/ lite dressing; single portion of rigatoni, cauliflower, white beans, sundried tomatoes @ Benzi's
S: single serving choc pound cake

Not good, but could have been much worse, so I'm actually happy especially that I got lots of water in too!

My sis and DBIL were happy that the Eagles won, but it looks like it's over for my JETS. Nothing that I have not gone through with METS & JETS for the last 40 years! LOL!!! It's part of being a fan through thick-and-thin.

Well, today I have the day off and I"m off to a Wal-Mart at 8am to just look around for a bit. Still do not see the appeal across the country of this store. We just got one recently and I've run in and out for an emergency item with DH if we are in the area.

9am I'm off to the dentist again for yet another problem under one of my bridges. I cannot believe my luck this year with teeth. My family was laughing because I brush my teeth at least 5 times a day and throw away old toothbrushes at least every 4 weeks. Have not had such problems in the past, but DH suggested I'm brushing too much and they are melting! We'll see. The last time I had the problem (on the other side), the dentist said it was nothing I was doing or not doing. Just the luck of the draw that I've had 3 root canals since January. OK, maybe it's just my wisdom tooth back there but we shall see this morning. NOt the way I want to spend a vacation day.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[HUGS][]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] to all who may need them today.

Check in and let us know how you are!
Dee

I'm moving this to the current week!

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Posted by aka_raeanne (My Page) on Mon, Oct 15, 07 at 10:18

Lynn - I am glad you enjoyed your visit. Did you visit other wineries? If so, is there one that we MUST go to. We have a gift certificate for Auberge du Soliel, so we have a reservation for lunch. We are staying in St. Helena the first night and Yountville the next, the following day we are going to San Francisco. I know a lot of the better wineries you need to make reservation at, but we don't do well on a tight schedule. We have a pretty loose list of places we want to go with reservations at only one winery for a tour and tasting.
Marci - you are so right about not beating yourself up after a cheat. I can be so good about that and then somehow I slip back into that old pattern of guilt.

Donna - good to hear from you.

Dee - sorry to hear about our Jets. I saw a lot of sad looking fans in NYC yesterday.

B - nothing
L - Artichoke
D - Reward Meal - salad, 2lb lobster, string beans, sangria (that was my reward and I enjoyed every drop)
no workout - not even a fast pace walk in NYC - we actually got parking spots yesterday LOL.
Definitely not enough water on purpose - we were in the car for about 7 hours yesterday.

Enjoy your day.

PS - Patti are you out there?

Thanks for moving me BJ - I was reading yesterdays posts and forgot where I was.

Good Morning!

Saturday:
B: 2 eggs, ¼ cup cottage cheese, salsa
L: tuna salad on Romaine
S: handful of Fritos
D: grilled chicken breast/grilled corn
-mindlessly drank too much apple juice at dinner
All day: iced and hot tea w/ Splenda

Sunday: (at a swim meet all day but packed food b4 leaving)
B: eggs/salsa/grilled corn omelet
S: pepperoni crisps, celery
L: grapes, celery, and pepperoni crisps
S: more than a handful Lays baked BBQ chips
D: chicken, a bit of ranch dressing, whole wheat rye crisp w/ butter
Drank 2 quarts of water and tea during day.

---------------------------
Hi Lynn! Nice to see you posting! Sounds like your vacation was great!

Raeanne~ The wine tour sounds like it'll be lots 'o' fun! Enjoy CA! ---Weekends and vacations are SO tough for me diet-wise. The whole family is together and so we EAT! Posting menus makes me at least slow down and think that I have to confess here to whatever I eat! Your lobster meal sounded SO good! I wannna lobster! I guess I'll have to settle for the big Russian King Crab on Friday! That's pretty yummy too. Our Costco has a Friday fish market and the prices are ridiculously low!

DeeMarie~ Hope your tooth appt goes okay! I had a root canal earlier this year due to my ortho. Now I think I have 3 crowns---a real princess, I am! My dentist says I floss too often. I'm a stress flosser. My kids think I'm terminally strange. You might be brushing too much---only the dentist knows! :) ...I don't get the pull of Walmart either. We have one about 45 minutes from here. When my dad is in town, he always wants to go to it. There's never any parking and the customers are kind of rude there. I have to go cartless to survive the experience...lol! I put Fred Meyer in the same category: slow lines, crowded aisles, and not pleasant. If I have to go to a variety store, I always pick Target. Here they are bright, cheery, helpful, and I can get in and out fast. That's my review!

Marci: I really like your sensible and balanced menus. When I stop procrastinating, I am going to eat just like you! I was envisioning you and Raeanne and all your sauces going up and down the stairs. My next house is a ranch style and will have no stairs!

I am sitting down to plan my week by the ½ hour! I am W-A-Y behind my personal curve, so I need to catch up and make myself work hard! I am usually a real newshound (I LOVE READING THE NEWS---ANY NEWS!!!), so I am depriving myself of any news-reading this week so I'll get more stuff done.

It's raining here again. What a surprise.

Start the week out with renewed energy! Let's go!

Marci! I just noticed you are only 1 lb away from your goal....YAY!!!!!

Raeanne, I find it hard to believe that you found a parking space in NYC yesterday. LOL!!!!

BJ, my dentist tooth 4 x-rays and found nothing, so I"m off to the endodontis on Wednesday for more high powered diagnosis. Looks like root canal #4 for me this year. My Catholic guilt is making me think I'm being punished for something. haha

Marci - WTG on the loss - glad we didn't jinx you LOL. That number slipped right by me.

Dee - I feel your pain sister - I have had my share of root canals. I find the actual root canal is pretty painless - it is just that I absolutely hate having anything done to my teeth. And you did absolutely nothing to be punished for LOL. We were shocked to get legal parking spots too. I don't know if you have ever been to Francisco's Centro Vasco on 23rd St - it is our favorite spot for lobster. DD had the paella and that was excellent too.

BJ - slow down girl! Target is my discount store of choice as well. I only go to Walmart when I know exactly what I need. I love crab legs too - I have never heard of Russian King Crab is it comparable to Alaskan King Crab. Brunettos, the restaurant we went to the first night of your visit serves Alaskan King Crab and the shells are all cracked and cut for fast consumption LOL.

Have a good evening.

Back after another day of eating!

Monday, 10-15:
B: eggs w/ leftover grilled corn (kernels from ½ a cob) & fresh deli salsaandhomemade coffee. "Homemade coffee" sounds strange, I know, but I had to dig my coffee maker out of back of the pantry closet! Hey! I live in Seattle where we have drive-through coffee on EVERY corner! Seriously, Ive got to cut out the breve brekkys---theyre killin me! So Im making my own. No, I am NOT cutting coffee out of my diet. Thatd be like a Hawaiian cutting poi out of their diet! ---Aint happenin!
S: 10 whole wheat pretzels
L: chicken, coffee, ½ & ½ , and sugarran out of Splenda and didnt want to go to the neighbors with a cup to borrow sugar (too passé IMO).
S: coffee w/ ½ & ½ and Splenda (made a store run on the way to DDs swim practice)
D: Kumara, roasted w/sweet onions and garlic olive oil. I ate too much.
S: (much later) red delicious apple

Weigh in is tomorrow for me. Yipes! I'll post it; whatever it is!

Raeanne: Russian King has bigger legs than Alaskan King and the Russians fish it freely. They'll probably over-fish it and then the catches will be limited, as they are with the Alaskan King. But, for now, it's available and delicious. BTW, I had a GREAT time at your restaurant-now come to MY town so I can take YOU out!

DeeMarie: I am on board with Raeanne. I hate to have anything done to my teeth. But my root canals were pain-free! My endodonist puts movie goggles on me and works away. The last time I was there, I watched Seinfield, but the bass guitar started getting to me, so near the end, I took the goggles off and my doc said, "Welcome Back!" He's funny. My endodonist is my 'other' favorite guy. And I like to think of it this way: Tooth loss is weight loss...oh, well...I tried...

BJ - What is Kumara? I could look it up, but it's more fun (read easier) to just ask you. LOL
And I will quote Eeyore, "Thanks for noticing." :~)

Raeanne - See the above quote from Eeyore. :~)

DeeMarie - I have only had one root canal and it was painless, although a pain to have to keep one's mouth stretched open for so long without being able to say anything! LOL Hope all goes well for you, you deserve a break!

NHSuzanne - I too could only see two of the three pictures. If you want to send me the middle one, I will post it in the album for others to see. I envy you the fall foliage this year. Our weather has been too warm and the leaves around here haven't even begun to change.

10/15
B 1/2 a mini-loaf Pumpkin Bread, 4 oz. Lite Vanilla yogurt, 1/2 small banana and Peach Melba Tea
L 2 Turkey, Swiss and Spinach Roll-Ups, Veggies and Lite Ranch, black coffee (LCM)
S small handful of pistachios
D red pepper slices, 4 Triscuits and some dip (Had to taste test), 1/2 Granny Smith apple (other half went into a dip)

I didn't really forget to eat last night, time just slipped away from me. After two trips to the grocery store, 3 phone calls, and 1 goof-up of a recipe, it was 8/pm and I hadn't eaten anything except the pistachios since lunch! So I nibbled on some things while I finished cooking.

What is YOUR mantra!
Marci

10/15 -- I was out running errands most of the day
B: ww bagel w/ ff american melted on top
L: 2 slices homemade low fat pizza; fruit salad
S: string cheese -- lots of H20 today!
D: salad w/ lf rasp dressing; baked ziti (ww pasta & lf cheeses)
S: single serving popcorn, tiny box jr. mints (DH got into the Halloween candy! grrrrrr), 2 oreos

Sort of a mini binge which I paid for during my REM sleep last night. I always have horrid dreams when I eat too much sugar before bed.

Back in the office and very quiet. Today and tomorrow we do our Days of Caring in the community. More than half the staff picked today to volunteer. Tomorrow I'm going to a local Children's Museum to help out with a fundraiser.

Thanks to everyone for their encouragement about my teeth. I really don't mind the root canal as it is painless, but sitting in a chair for that long is not my cup of tea during a day off! They do have a TV at the ceiling which I always tune to HGTV so it's fun for me, but if I need root canal #4 this year, I'm going to start looking for Jeff Foxworthy CDs. LOL! In a year or two it might be "Pass the PoliDent please"

QOD: Anyone watch Dancing with the Stars? I catch most of it and would really like to see Marie Osmond do well. She's had more than her share of downs lately.

Make today count!
Dee

BTW, for those of you not playing along with posting menus, please come and check in anyway. I don't want anyone to feel excluded because they would rather not post.

Good morning all,

Marci, it's so weird that some can't see the third picture. I wonder why. I will now have to go to your site to figure out which one it is! Congrats on being so close to your goal! I am cheering for you. Our foliage season has been off because of the drought. Some trees haven't begun to change and others are losing leaves due to the drought. The big sugar maples are really beginning to pop now. Each year is vastly different - all beautiful.

BJ, I too would like to know what Kumara is. Do tell.

Dee, I hope your root canal goes well. I had my first one this past June. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated and it was painless except the palate shot! My teeth continue to be sensitive all this time later which is annoying. The dentist now thinks the bite is too high on the RC'd tooth. Arghhh

Raeanne, a 2lb lobster! YUM. It's a favorite of mine for sure. You drove a long way to have it though! LOL

I am down another pound this week bringing me to -22LBS. YEAH.

I have a few mantras but one of my favorite is:

Everything is perfect the way it is ommmmmmmmm

Okay, I couldn't stand it - It's a sweet potato!!!

The kumara has a long history of cultivation in New Zealand. Brought here by the early Maori settlers over one thousand years ago from its Pacific Island source, it was widely grown especially in the semi-tropical regions of the North Island. Archeological diggings at the Waipoua Forest near Kaipara have revealed kumara cultivation from very early Pre-european Maori times.

The Maori managed kumara growing with great horticultural skill, making use of the ideal growing climate and controlling kumara caterpillar with the use of tamed black-backed seagulls. Kumara caterpillar could devastate a crop almost overnight, hatching in their thousands. Pre-European Maori grew several different varieties of bush kumara, but compared to the varieties we eat today, were very small in size, being no bigger than a persons finger.

The kumara we eat today has evolved from a larger American variety which grows on a creeping vine. It was imported in the early 1850s, and was quickly adopted by the Maori for its superior size and taste. Over time a dark red variety developed and named Owairaka Red.

In most other countries they are called sweet potatoes. New Zealand kumara are available in red, gold or orange varieties, each with a deliciously different colour and taste. The majority of kumara is grown in Northland.

Kumara means son in Sanskrit.

Leave it to BJ to have us run around looking up sweet potatoes. LOL I just KNOW she was typing it out and saying to herself "shall I enter sweet potatoes or leave them guessing at the meaning of kumara?"

With all that homemade coffee, she's running on 12 cylinders....the secret to her energy is revealed! hehe

Tuesday Menu:
B:1/2 c. pasta leftover, coffee (Rrrrrrrrrrrr!)
L:Keg Restaurant rare Ahi Salad--so good! Corner of the bread loaf and a pat of buttah. Coffee. Had a wonderful lunch with my old boss. Caught up on all the gossip about old co-workers...loved it.
D:leftover roasted sweet potatoes(haha)/onions/olive oil.
Not enough liquid today, so I will watch TiVo and drink 32 ounces of Crystal Light lemonade as soon as I'm done here.

Tuesday is weigh-in day for me:
171.4/169.6/154.5(my 10% goal)

Okay...Hellooo!!!!! Geez! We had a terrific NW wind storm last night and my internet got knocked out until now! 2 power outages later and I am back on! It's almost 10pm here. But I got a lot done today between the homemade coffee and NO internet---lol!

NHSuzanne~ YOU WIN THE PRIZE FOR RESEARCHING WHAT KUMARA IS! If you come to visit me, I will give the prize to you in person! :) Hey, CONGRATS on the big TWENTY-TWO LB loss! OMG! That is really, REALLY cool!

But, DeeMarie, you're right, too---I did ponder to myself if you guys would actually notice that little menu item! Anyway, why would I ever doubt you eagle-eyes catching it?

I've been tearing Himalayan Blackberries out of my back yard ALL DAY basically. Someone imported them long ago and the NW is the perfect climate for the berry vines to go CRAZY! Some of the stalks were 3/4" thick! OUCH! Big spiny thorns too. But we conquered them--I and a college guy I hired to help me. He is a workhorse-drinks coffee in the morning and swigs Gatorade in the afternoon!

Anyway, HEY!!!!! ALL YOU MIAs....What DeeMarie said:

You don't have to diet, post menus, or anything else to CHECK IN! But you DO have to show up and let us know waz up wit-chu.

WEDNESDAY IS SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE STOP BY HERE AND SAY "HI" DAY!

OK, I'll play. Good morning all and congratulations on all the losses. I went to WW yesterday and am down another 4#. I thought it would be a good week because I seemed to spending alot of time in the loo! That makes a total of 10.2#. Slowly but surely!

I have to get ready for work, but will try and check in later.

Have a great day!

oxoxBesh

10/16
B 2 slices Whole-wheat toast, 1 T peanut butter, ½ banana, SF cappuccino
L 2 Turkey, Swiss and Spinach Roll-Ups, Veggies and Lite Ranch, black coffee (LCM)
S Veggies, Asiago and prosciutto, cantaloupe (munched on while finishing food for sewing club)
D & S Sewing Club 2 bruschetta, 2 glazed meatballs, crackers with dip, veggies with dip, 4 oz. wine (Not bad considering all the food I had!)
I skipped my dessert and saved it for breakfast the next morning.

I am foggy this morning, so I am not going to try and say anything of importance. LOL

Just CONGRATS to NHSuzanne and Besh on those losses! And BJ - How do you roast your Sweet Potatoes? Whole? Sliced? Now you have me craving a sweet potato or yam!

Have a good day,
Marci

PS - The little girl's mother dropped by school yesterday and we had a nice chat. She finally admitted that she was seeing some of the behaviors at home that we saw at school. She did follow through with all the suggestions and once she gets all the paperwork signed, she can start to get her the help she needs. She was very appreciative of the things we tried to do and I wished her the best and asked her to keep in touch and let us know how her DD was doing.

Good morning all,

BJ, you sound like you are wired on your homemade coffee!! I love berries but have never had or heard of Himalayan Berries. What do they taste like?

Marci, I am glad that you had the opportunity to talk to the mother and that she is appreciative of your efforts. It must make you feel better and validated. It's hard to see your child with issues like that.

Besh, WTG on the loss! Are you doing Points or Core? Keep up the good work you loser!

I love sweet potatoes just baked with a little butter. So good for you too.

Where is Patti? Donna, how is your WW program doing for you? Check in when you can sister. Gretchen, you have dropped off again - check in sister. Maddie? Lynn? Jen? You know who you are!

Does anyone here watch the Biggest Loser? I love that show it's so inspiring and I am going to start using a line in their theme song as a mantra.......

What have you done today to make yourself feel proud?

Can you imagine a time when the horse was the only mode of transportation? I would love to go back to that time.

Good Morning,

Tara has beem sick with a high fever and viral infection. I think she is finally getting over it.

Congrats to everyone who is eating great. I started out real good this morning, had a piece of pumpkin cake. Yummmmm! But, ooops! I will do better for lunch.

Better run, first day back to work this week. Lots to catch up. Have a great day.

Jen

NHSuzanne~ I don't watch the biggest loser, but I've heard that many are inspired by it. I think horse transportation is great--I live inside a state bridle trail park! It's beautiful here and there are LOTS of horse riders/owners all around me. Springtime is the best, when all the new babies are out on the fence lines. The horse owners tie blue or pink ribbons on their fences to indicate the gender of the new arrival.

I prefer bicycles to horses tho'. Less maintenance!

The Himalayan Blackberries are super yummy, just like other blackberries, but they don't produce much fruit compared to the jungle of very long, thick, stickery bushes they produce. They are terribly invasive and will choke out everything around them, making any pathways an impasse. We cut them out, dig them out, and then douse them with Curtail, an AG-strength growth inhibitor. SOMETIMES it works. Seattle just adapted an ordinance allowing neutured pygmy goats as pets since so many people use them already to control the Himalayan blackberry bushes! Many people have business that rent out the goats for blackberry control. They deliver the goats, teather them, and watch them eat until they have cleared the vegetation. The attached article is an easy read and VERY interesting!

Marci~ I peel 3 sweet potatoes and cut them in 1" chunks, then mix in 1 chunky cut Spanish sweet onion, salt pepper, and garlic powder. I pour olive oil over it all and toss into a Corning Ware casserole and roast at about 375 until the potatoes are soft-it takes a little over an hour.

Jen~ YAY for you stopping in! I hope Tara gets better SOON!

Besh!!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!! Keep on truckin'!

Wow BJ, my Pygmy goats would never dream of eating the lowly wild blackberry briar's I have around my property and they are free range and can eat whatever they please! For me it's an urban myth that goats eat anything! Anything you don't want them to eat that is!! LOL Your blackberry invasion is yet another story of carelessness when it comes to moving plants from state to state. Here we have milfoil (a water plant) and Loosestrife and beautiful plant with purple flowers that is chocking our wetlands. No matter how hard I've tried, I can't get the same satisfaction from a bike as I do from my horses! LOL

Good Morning!

BJ - I am so going to make those sweet potatoes soon. My parents brought me back a bag of sweet potatoes from Mrytle Beach and they are HUGE (the potatoes not my parents - lol)! Thanks for the recipe.

Jen - We have had a lot of kids out sick early this year. The stomach flu has already hit some kids, as well as the usual upper respiratory infections. Hope Tara is on her way to feeling better and that no one else gets sick.

NHSuzanne - I love that picture of Sweet Pea and the covered bridge. I put all 3 pictures in the album. A friend of mine had 3 goats that kept her grass trimmed. She gave them names of lawn mowers, like John Deere, Lawn Boy and Toro. They were the cutest bunch of goats!

You guys mentioned vegetation that was taking over, which reminded me of this picture I took in the swamps of LA. My addled brain can't remember the name of the algae, but this green scum covers much of the swamps and it costs millions of $s to try and control it every year. They actually have to drain the waters and try to get rid of it that way, as it grows from the bottom up. I couldn't even see the alligator when I first looked at this pond. {{gwi:1504877}}

My eating suffered yesterday, so I got rid of anything funky (remember that word from SSing?), and I am starting fresh this morning. DH took the rest of the cake to work, I threw some things out, and I shared some things with the girls at work. Now I just have some dip left (which I made with the lite cream cheese) and a few meatballs. It is funny how bad I felt after eating too much late at night and too many things I wasn't used to eating. My eating habits really have changed and I was actually looking forward to getting back on track this morning.

10/17
B Banana Streusel Cake, Cantaloupe and Peach Melba Tea
L Whole-Grain Wheat Thins and Gruyere Apple Dip, Roasted Red Pepper Dip and Veggies, Black Coffee
S Small handful Macadamia Nuts
D Glazed meatballs and broccoli with Parmesan (LCM)
S - Bruschetta

Have a great day!
Marci

Good Morning,

We finally got the well needed rain last nite. Almost 3 inches. I think it soaked right in.

Well, my motivation has slipped, so I need that kick in the seat!

I think Tara is back to normal, just hoping that Erica doesn't get it. She is on a growing spurt though. Eating like she never has. Seriously, she ate 4 slices of toast the other day for breky.

Gotta run. Have a great day.

Jen

Good THURSDAY morning all!

Jen, hope both girls stay healthy for you. Put the last few days behind you. It is never too late to start over; this very minute is OK. If you fall, pick yourself up. I think all of us here realize that this is all about choices. Today you can choose better foods even tho yesterday you slipped.

Marci, looks like you got a bit too close to that gator for my nerves! I won't even ask for recipes from some of those snacks; sound good tho!

10/17
B: ww toast w/ ~ 2 oz ff cheese; coffee
S: 16 oz water
L: 2 slices super veggie pizza, salad no dressing, 16 oz water
afternoon: 4 hours spent in endodontist' chair getting root canal; sipped on water and blue listermint lol!
D: large green salad lightly dressed with evoo, red wine vinegar; and too much leftover baked lf ziti
S: ff pringles, 32 oz orange flavored seltzer

Spent the morning yesterday with our Days of Caring team at the kids' museum. Had lots of fun, but not much control over the lunch menu as you can see.

Turns out it was a good thing I ate the pizza because I needed lots of numbing for that procedure and was quite light-headed until almost 11pm last night. (Because of my blood pressure, I cannot have novocaine, so they use something that only lasts 1/2 hour---need to keep shooting me with stuff). What an ordeal, but I'm glad it's over. This guy sees yet another potential problem behind the tooth he did yesterday. It reacts to cold, not hot.

My feeling is that there are many many people suffering from illnesses that cannot be fixed. I'm thanking the Lord that my teeth are fixable (for now or until I put them in the glass on the nightstand at the end of the day) lol!

OK, let's hear from the rest of you.

I'm on my way to the weight loss coach here at work; we start our new 10week, lunchtime session, so I may be forced to weigh in. arrrrrggggghhh root canal and weigh=in all in 1 week? blech!

NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!
DeeMarie

PS: If you guys ever leave this site, I'll be one of those people you see on TLC who weigh a ton!

B: 1 egg, 2 egg whites, deli salsa, grilled corn omelet, coffee
S: coffee and a granola lemon bar (my friend was an HOUR late-grrrrr-so I got hungry and chose the most healthy thing I could find in the coffee shop case; what a waste of calories!)
L: 1 cup cottage cheese mixed with finely diced tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and spicy spices
S: 10 pretzels
D: Taco salad: 1/3 c refried beans, 1/8 c. shredded cheese, lot of shredded lettuce, tomato, ¼ c cottage cheese, salsa, 120 cal worth of baked chips on top.
S: Arg. Lays Baked BBQ chips, 2 handfuls, and a ½ c of fritos. I hate having chips in the househate it! Salty snacks call to me.
S to redeem myself: one red delicious apple.
-----------------------
Marci~ It must have been the moon or something. I went on a snack hunt as well yesterday. Did some damage, but am back on track today. ...That's a cool pic you took, but I can see the damage the algae does. It's sounds like a nightmare to try and get rid of! Too bad someone can't harvest it and market it as a health food.

JEN!!!!!! Start posting your menus NOW that Tara is better. I know when a kid is sick, hard hard it is to stay on track! You're tired and then fixing carb-y foods for sick kids is SO tempting. Is there anything more enticing than the smell of baking bread or toasting toast? :) Just start over...TODAY! I'm lining up all my pairs of boots to kick you in the hind-end...and I have a quick a few pairs!

DeeMarie~ That endo appt sounds like REAL KINDA FUN!---not! We better ALL light a candle for your other tooth. You have a great attitude about it tho'. It's sounds like you're going to healthfood boot camp at work! Bon Voyage!!!

NHSuzanne: I'm curious. Do you guys get ticketed if you don't take care of the noxious weeds? I have some property up north and if I don't clear the Canadian Thistle every spring, the fines start! The county fines people a 100 or more dollars a day for noxious weed spread. Now that's motivation to do yard work, eh? Needless to say, I've never gotten fined.

We're expected to have a hella wind storm tonight. Remember last year when we were out of power for days? They're saying this one won't be as bad. That was a 10 and this is supposed to be a 7. I'm bringing in wood today and getting the candle and flashlights ready. And we're all sleeping downstairs tonight. There are 200 foot trees next to my house and they DO fall occasionally! If I'm not on tomorrow, it'll be because I have no power!

Short story: Yesterday, my DD in college called me. She says, "Mom, I have a problem..." Well, I am thinking the worst, but then she tells me that she's babysitting a friend's offspring and that the baby has been crying for 40 minutes. I can hear the baby on her shoulder crying its heart out. 10 minutes later, we finally got the baby quiet--air in tummy or overstimulated; I'm not sure. Dimly lit room and some pats on the back, pressure on the tummy, etc---but talking my DD through that baby's crying spell gave me the strangest feeling. Now I know how my mom felt when I called her with my colicy babies! It's tough not to BE there to help!

Is Raeanne on her wine tour in CA already? And where's Maddie? Patti? Tikanas? JOHN???????? Halloween is almost here, so let's get motivated to step away from the candy.

Anyway, have a great day and stay safe!

BJ - I'm here, just really busy. I know it was tough not to be there with DD, but didn't it make you feel good that you were the one she called. Batten down the hatches.

Suzanne - great photo. I have seen a couple episodes of The Biggest Loser - it is a great show. I often think I would like to be on there - the workouts look hard, but I think very rewarding. Love the photo!

Jen - I hope Tara is feeling much better by now. It is very hard to eat right when you have a sick child.

Marci - great photo, I couldn't tell that was an alligator at first. It is amazing that algae could do that.

Dee - Good outlook on the root canal. I agree that things could be much worse. Good luck with the weigh in.

B - piece of pork
L - broccoli soup
D - salad, roasted sticky chicken, coleslaw
no work out, no time
more water

I am going out to dinner with friends tonight and that can be a challenge for me sometimes, but I feel strong. I will only have 1 glass of wine LOL.

What size wine glass would that be? :)

Good morning,

Okay Raeanne, now we all want to know what SIZE wine glass you had! I wish I had the time to devote a majority of my day to working out and taking care of myself.......but if I did I would probably be out riding my horse! LOL What a loser!

Marci, great photo of the alligator! They are so cool the way they just hang out. I must have the most finicky goats in all of history! They even pick at certain feeds that I have gotten them. We once had a stand off when I brough home 2- 50Lb bags of a new feed. It looked beautiful with pressed corn and a lovely molasses aroma.........they would NOT eat it - just pick. Even though goats go down very rapidly when they have nutritional imbalances I decided if they got hungry enough they would eat it..........well, guess who won? I ended up dumping both bags out for the deer (who are in the goat family) and buying them the usual feed. Grrrrrrr Let me tell you how they adore my landscaping while the weeds remain untouched! The little devils. LOL They are so smart and so capricious.

BJ, how nice that DD called you and you were there to help! It's all good. I am not aware of any fining going on for noxious weeds in this state but I think it's a great idea! Makes each one of us responsible in a way but you have no control over seeds spreading on the wind so it would be hard to fine someone. Our highways are covered in areas with the purple loose strife.

Jen, I hope the girls are all okay. My whole office is out sick this week with the flu! I am here solo and hope I don't catch anything.

Dee, you are being so brave over your root canals. I am such a baby even though the one I've had wasn't as bad as I imagined........just the thought makes me cringe.

QOD: What are you doing this weekend? It's supposed to be great here - warm - but nice. I am taking Miss Pea to a drive about 1 1/2 hour from home for the day. She will love it even though it's going to be hot for her in her winter woolies. I am going to stencil a Fleur di lis on her beautiful butt and spray some gold dust in her mane to dress her up for this drive.

What have you done today to make yourself feel proud?

BJ - I heard on the news that the winds did arrive by you - let us know you are ok if you can.

VERY FUNNY - the wine glass was small, but I must admit it was filled up twice LOL. I kept telling myself that I had to be at the gym by 6:30 and that kept me on track. LOL

Suzanne - it is 65 here at 10AM. I went out in short sleeves at 6:30 this morning - it was strange, but I love it. I would love to see SP all glammed up.

Today to make myself proud - I actually got up in time to go do my workout and did it! That always makes me proud.

Maddie - I made the sticky roasted chicken the other day and I always bust out in a laugh thinking of you. Thanks.

QOD - Tonight I have rehearsal for our annual variety show. Tomorrow I work and then meeting up with 4 friends. If Sunday is a pretty day, I want to go take some photos for art projects to do over the winter. There is an "Open Door Barns" tour about an hour from me and thought I might get some good shots there. I am not quite sure what it is, except that some barns allow visitors to come and see what is going on. I love barns.

Dee - I hope all went well with the coach. How is the mouth feeling?

Gotta get busy at work. Enjoy

TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

QOD: We are going to see my sister tomorrow in Donna's neighborhood. Cranberry festival; should be fun. Sunday morning we leave for home early to meet with Ed's family later in the afternoon. MIL always takes the family out to celebrate the life of DFIL who passed in 2005. His birthday was yesterday; he would have been 82.

Raeanne, did you get my e:mail I sent to Maddie?

10/18
B: ww toast w/ Smart Balance spread
S: ff, sf chai
L: virginia ham on ww bread; cherry tomatoes
S: banana, FF strawberry/banana yogurt
D: scrambled eggs (2 whites; 1 yolk) 1 slice taylor ham (NJ thing); dry english muffin, lots of sauteed spinach, 1 serving hash browns
S: 1 serving Trader Joe's mini Oatmeal raisin cookies; bunch of dried cranberries; orange seltzer

OK, yesterday's weigh-in.....weight remained the same; however, my body fat percentage is down almost 11% since I started with her. She said it is a wonderful step towards better health. So, I'm calling that success. My next goal is to take smaller portions or leave some on my plate (as my coach suggests) for the next week.

We are due for lots of rain here today. BJ how was the storm?

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

Hi Guys!

162,000 without power today here in Western WA. I'm not one of them, but one road out of our neighborhood is completely blocked by fallen power lines and trees. Alternate routes for sure!

I'm headed to the capitol today-about an hour and 45 min drive...delivering DD#1's bike to her and giving her guy friend a tank full of fancy, huge goldfish. And, of course, delivering clean laundry and food!

What am I proud of? Hmmm..I'm getting my house ready for my home study and am proud of all the stuff I'm getting rid of! :) Also, getting a lot done in the yard.

Has anyone here heard of eyelash extensions? I, as a side job (since I can't fly yet), have been modeling/selling them for about 3 weeks for a local hoity-toity salon. I just got them off this morning. Gad! I loved them-delightfully glamorous-but they are heavy. My eyes now look dreadfully anemic w/o them, since now I am used to having thick LONG lashes. That was fun tho'. I got them for free since I was modeling/selling them, but I wouldn't pay for them...is that bad? Back to heavy 80's style mascara and eyeliner for me!

MENU YESTERDAY:
B: 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, salsa, corn scramble, coffee.
Late L:Meatloaf, veggies, dollop of potato
S: Baked Lays BBQ chips
...Coffee,coffee, coffee
D: 250 cal. Corndog w/ kids. I really enjoyed it.
S: Sugar-free hot apple cider

NHSuzanne~ What do you use to make gold dust in SP's hair---bronzing powder? lol. Really, I am curious! There is a brand of apple wine here named "Sweet Pea"---who do I ALWAYS think of when I see it in the grocery store? Your goat feed sounds yummy. I probably would have eaten it.

Raeanne: Good girl! I would have had 4 glasses of wine and gotten trashed, I'm sure. I'm going out w/ DH on Saturday and it's been a while since I have had alcohol---since NHSuzanne said laying off of it helped her lose weight, I haven't been indulging and viola, I've actually dropped some lbs. But we're going to have a cocktail or 2 at din-din.

DeeMarie! CONGRATS on the BF %!!!! That's great! You'll start feeling it in the way your clothes fit! In answer to your question, we had a LOT of rain here, but no floods. We have an "Adopt a Drain" program here, so we adopt a street drain and keep the leaves and stuff cleared away from it and that keeps the street flooding away...hey!--it's something to do...!

Well, gotta get on the road. Catch you guys later.

This weekend we are cleaning, doin' laundry, swim meets both days, and putting up kiddie gates on the stairs and kiddie locks on the drawers...SOOOOOOO much fun!

BJ,

The product is Twinkle Toes. See the link below. The gold dust is a spray which they don't show at the link below. It's fun, fun, fun. I love sparkling my girl up and my DGF's think I am nuts! Sweet Pea wine huh? Has a certain ring to it don't you think? Sweet Pea would love the eyelashes but she already has some pretty nice ones.........how on earth did you get involved with that? LOL Don't get trashed at dinner!!

BJ - My hairdresser had the eyelash extension - they look beautiful and I was ready to sign on until she told me the cost. I wouldn't mind the initial cost, but the maintenance would kill me. I'm glad you have your power. I think the planned cocktails are fine, it's when you don't plan them you run into trouble LOL. Enjoy your night out tomorrow.

Dee - No, I didn't get your email. WTG on BF loss!!!

I forgot to post my menu, so here goes:

B - a couple pieces of sticky roasted chicken
L - a few more pieces of stickly roasted chicken
D - baked artichokes, salad, clams, green beans in garlic, 2 glasses of red wine
Worked out with my trainer - very high cardio

BJ here is a better link that shows all the products including gold dust.