Today was an awesome day. Bob got up early with me and we went out to pick up our order of Tangelos and on to the Mennonite Market... Did a little shopping and then back home again.. I sorted through some old coffee mugs and will be putting them in the spring yard sale for the Hope Fund at church..I know I will have tons more too. Christmas stuff especially.. I have waaaaay too much in the way of Christmas ornies.. I just keep the ones with sentimental value to them like some hand painted ornies my mom did and little gifts of ornies from a lot of really nice online friends I have met over the years.. Carolyn, It is so amazing when you can get more order in your life by purging what is just not working to the good in your life.... Hanging on to what is doing absolutely nothing but draining you either financially or physically or spiritually is not worth it... Kick it to the curb or give it away or sell it or donate it... but yeah.. don't let it drag you down.. sometimes things can act as an albatross around you neck..and will keep you from doing other things that really are worth while... besides, if you give it away or donate or so... then someone else may garner a really great blessing from it.. and guess what... your blessings will increase too..Just because you remove something from your life that is doing you no good, doesn't mean it doesn't have value.. to someone else it may be just fantastic.. It is turning cold for the next week, so walking will be brisk.. and not really long treks.. just a mile and a half.. and that's it.. toes get cold after that.. lol So ar this year I have walked every day.. and still watching my intake of calories.. so it's all good. Keep on keeping on folks.. and thanks for the squeezy hugs Dee.. we always can use a hug or two.. Stay well everyone.. CS

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

hi! Checking in. I'm taking my DD out for her first driving lesson this morning at dawn's early light. Wish me luck. I've been practicing "calm" all night long! DeeMarie: Vegas? I love Vegas! When are you going? LUCKY wishes for you! Tikanas: Glad to hear SB (South Beach) is relatively easy. I have found I'm not having any trouble yet, nor is DD, but DH is asking for Bugles and OJ! He is REALLY having a hard time (carboholic) and has had terrible nightmares every night since cutting out the carbs---I wonder why? Really! If anyone knows anyone else who has experienced this, please let me know what happened after they cleaned their system out---will it get better for him? Only the shadow knows.... I hope you get your appetite back, T. We are all pulling for you. Starting my figurative scupture class at the local college today. I am really challenged in that area, so this ought to be an exercise in teaching for my teacher---lol. Jen: Did you get my email w/ Maddie's addy? I want the roasted cauliflower soup recipe, Raeanne! While I was flying home, I read a good recipe for clam soup - no cream - and we tried it the other night. DH and I liked it a lot. I made a small batch, but tomorrow, I'll make a larger one, then post the recipe. NHSuzanne, once again, the end of the month and I'm thinking heavily about you and your deadlines. Hope they went okay. I bet you are going to ride your heart out and breathe in the great outdoors this weekend! We'll wait to hear of your adventures! Hi to everyone else. Hope Magic Kitty and Patti and Dave are doing okay in FL! Be good to yourself and your bod! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) *** beginning 4th day of South Beach - I'll add a star tomorrow if I get through this BBQ party tonight!

Donna - DeeMarie forgot to tell you that she is our resident motivator, butt kicker and cheerleader! I am one of the priviliged that got to not only meet her once, but twice and she has a beautiful smile and sparkle in her eyes that warms your heart immediately. Just some more insight to some of the people here, we have busy busy Jen who made us all aunts and uncle with 2 precious girls since we have known her, Tikanis although relatively new in comparison, fit in all too quickly - she is adventurous and has a warped sense of humor (that's why I like her), I don't think you met Patti yet, no matter what she is facing she remembers each and everyone of us (WHERE are you Patti & Dave?), there is also Gretchen from the windy city and she blows in just long enough to catch up and then disappears (very busy at work, etc.) but we miss her. Which reminds me Lynn hasn't been around in quite a while, I hope all is okay with her. I haven't kept track of who was mentioned, but I am sure there are others I haven't mentioned - but everyone here has something unique to offer and that's why this place is so special. I am getting sappy in my old age. Jen - I was the one to leave all my friends behind and I never thought they could be replaced - well they can't - but fortunately you find new friends and still have your old ones. I stay in touch with my closest old friends, but not on a regular basis (as they are ALL computer illiterate LOL), but when we do talk or get together, it is like we haven't missed a day. It does get better. Tikanis - Someone asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I couldn't think of anything - I said I felt I had all I needed and didn't want anything. I felt just like you said, thankful and grateful for what I do have. I love the gingerbread house making party with DD - those are the things I like to do. You found yourself a great place to work. Menu: B - Smoothy S - 3 bagel chips (I had an uneasy stomach from the night before) L - 2 eggs Christmas Realtors Party: S - Appetizers before dinner, shrimp & scallops wrapped in bacon, vegie skewer, deviled egg D - 2 Beef fajitas with no tortilla NO alcoholic beverages, plenty of water The night before, I thought I had 3 glasses of wine, which was bad enough, but my DH said that the waiter and a friend filled my glass at dinner more than once - so who knows how many I had and we ate very late, so we had drinks on an empty stomach. I paid dearly for it yesterday, bad headache, uneasy stomach and exhausted. I wasn't a whole lot of fun last night - but boy you should've seen me the night before. The next day a casual acquaintance, kept telling DH that he had no idea how funny I was - I don't have a clue what he's talking about - but I sort of remember it had something to do with an air guitar. Too Much Information!