Hi Guys! DeeMarie~ WOW! Great progress---that feels so good, doesn't it? Gretchen: Your DEX is a real prize! I'm happy you're able to keep your sense of humor with him! NHSuzanne~ Your lunch sounds fun. I'd love to go to lunch with a couple of friends. Think I'll pick up the phone and do some work on that! QOD: 1st choice: DisneyWorld in Florida 2nd choice: Kauai, HI. 3rd choice: Chicago I wanna go where it's WARM! Had my doc check up today. He said things are progressing normally, but I have to slow down my activities for up to a year. BAH! I really wasn't pleased to hear that-lol. My bady has to rebuild some lymph cells, build some 'cord' (don't ask!) scar tissue, and relearn how to process fluid and purge it without fluid retention in my abs. I haven't mentioned it, but after I do some strenuous exercise, lifting, or just run around a lot, my abs swell to a tight and uncomfortable size. I usually hang back a lot the next day, wear the body strangulator they gave me after surgery, and the pain goes away. But I wanted to know how long this would go on. I ain't used to sittin' in a chair, unless it's the driver's seat! I was planning on getting some good hiking in while in Alaska this summer, but I'll have to take it one hike at a time and see how it goes. Everything looks like it's on track though. Did I mention I am spending the summer in Alaska? I am. We're moving there and 'trying it out' for the summer. I'm searching for rental houses and a way to get my rig up there without haivng a financial meltdown---lol. I love the weather today---sunny, and a little chilly. I'm gonna go move some wood out of my driveway---had a tree removed and the guys stacked the cordwood in front of my garage. Not to worry, though, I bought a hand truck from Lowe's Hardware, so it shouldn't take too much energy to move it, one log at a time---S-L-O-W. The whole project will probably take me till the weekend though, as there is QUITE the stack out there. Here's another CUTE site! Check out the ex-boyfriend pj's. They have photos on them with the ex scribbled out---what a riot! They have some really cute jammies here! Here is a link that might be useful: Ex boyfriend pajamas

I have never tracked my points on a daily basis on CORE. I probably should -- my weight loss has really slowed down in the last 6 weeks. But I did lose 2.4 lbs this week. My typical daily menu -- Breakfast steel cut oatmeal w/ 2 Tbsp. raisins and 1/2 c milk Snack Apple or banana Lunch 2 eggs scrambled with mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, spinach and FF cheddar cheese Fresh fruit or Large toss salad with turkey or smoked salmon -- lots of veggies --- FF dressing with blue cheese tossed over it Afternoon snack - more fruit or carrots --sometimes, I eat one serving of FF/SF pudding here to get past the chocolate cravings. Supper WW pasta with variety of sauces -- maybe with beef, shrimp or chicken or Grilled meat with roasted potatoes and salad and veggie or Soup with salad or a sandwich on 1 pt bread (always fill the sandwich with lots of goodies --spinach, roasted red-pepper strips, cukes, FF cheese) Snack Popcorn or WW ice cream treat I use most of my 35 extra pts on dried fruit,cheese,nuts (love almonds!) wine and the occasional slice of bread or English muffin. We try lots of the WW recipes -- just got the new Comfort food cookbook. Looks good to this midwest farm girl! Not a lot of pure CORE recipes but some can be used with simple changes -- like whole wheat pasta or FF cheese. and some things -- I'll just count into my pts. I don't have the patience to count points and since I am a bit of a health food nut (we can all our own veggies and fruits --over 500 jars a year) and buy all of our meat from local organic farmers........... CORE works well for me. But you have to "shake it up" -- If you eat grilled chicken everyday for supper and a salad everday for lunch -- you will get bored quick. Cathy

Good afternoon, y'all! I've been up and out since 9 this morning for our sorority. A friend and I drove over to Kemah/beach area to the Hilton where our sorority was having an Arts & Crafts day and board meetings. We just went to sell ESA aprons that one member made. We sold a lot of them, and we shopped a LOT! Every chapter had at least one table and sold handmade items from small bags of snacks to fruit cakes, quilts, painted items and lots of Christmas gift items. I bought decorated gift baskets to hold my homemade fudge for neighbor gifts this year, goodies to include in my WV friend's Christmas box, and soup mixes, jellies, pickles, and chili mixes to include in stockings. One chapter was selling paperback and hardcover mysteries, and I really stocked up there! Once I read everything, I'll donate the books for our community Expo in January where we (ESA) have a table and pass out literature about St. Jude hospital and try to earn $$$ to send to them. We sell the books for 50 cents each, and last year we were able to mail St. Jude a check for $33.50! Viki and I stopped on the way to the event at a Tuesday Morning store and had a blast mostly just lookingm too. Once I rest a bit, I have to fix my corn casserole to take for the covered-dish luncheon at church tomorrow. I love that stuff, but it's terribly fattening, so I'll just make a very small dish of it for us and the rest for tomorrow. Tikanis, I like how you emphasized 'considering'! Happy puttering to you! Raeanne, you get to attend some neat sounding parties. Things aren't quite that upscale around here, but that's alright. It is what it is, right? Suzanne, that video was a hoot! Thanks for posting it. Glad you finally spotted your fox! The dr. told hubby to continue eating red meat because his hemoglobin count has dropped some, so we're having grilled steak and baked sweet potato (me) and red potatoes (hubby) and salad for dinner. I'm already hungry as lunch at the event wasn't all that exciting or filling. Once he gets that grilled fired up, I'll be ready to eat! Wishing everyone a relaxing Saturday evening!

Heart-shaped meatloaf --very cute, georgysmom! My dinner was just a tuna sandwich, because I had a late lunch of a Greek gyro in a pita w/tzaziki sauce, Greek salad (feta, lettuce, cukes and a delicious dressing), fries. If you watch "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," you might recall the restaurant: Metro 29 Diner in Arlington, Va. Deeeelish lunch! This is the place with the bakery in the basement and makes French toast with home-baked challah (bread). (Funny thing: There was a couple at one table who were talking about the show, and I'm pretty sure they were first-timers, and at another table was a family of 6, also first-timers because of the show!) If you ever come to the D.C. area, you've got to stop in there!