Penpal match? Just turned 50, want to lose 75!

[Dreamcometru]

Hi everyone: Carolyn, Pam and Sue: Thanks for the encouraging words about DS. He's still a little down about the music thing. Yesterday was the first day of golf tryouts. He and his friend tried to get there by their t-time. They grabbed the bikes out of the garage and rode them in the blowing snow and rain, golf clubs on their backs. They were soaked and missed t-time by 2 minutes. The coach was there waiting for them though and couldn't believe it when he saw them ride up on bicycles. He said "you boys must REALLY want to play." They both agreed explaining they didn't have transportation. He was so concerned because they were soaking wet and miserable, he wouldn't let them on the course. He gave them a pass to get a couple of buckets of balls and go up where it was dry and warm and drive golf balls and said come back tomorrow and try again.

Sue: Don't work too hard on the farm. Skimming plaster, removing paint from windows isn't fun, but oh so worth it when it's done. Yay, flush those carbs out. It won't take long to get your system going again.

Pam: I love the animation you put in your message. Great job on going to exercise. I didn't get much in yesterday and today I have a lunch appointment . I NEED my exercise. I guess I will go to the gym tonight or do a workout video.

Carolyn: The recipe sounds great. I will try it without the bread crumbs. Okay, I'm addicted to creamcheese muffins. They are made with 2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup spenda and vanilla to taste. Divide recipe into 12 of those paper muffin cups, in a muffin tin of course, Bake at 350 until firm. They rise up really big but collapse after you pull them out of the oven. Oh so good. You can modify the recipe by adding unsweetened cocoa, cinnamon or nutmeg.

Ta da! I'm down 3.4 lbs from last week. I was hoping for at least 2, so needless to say, I am happy.

Until tomorrow, Leslie

[Pam in TX]

Morning,

A quick post to say hi.....

No more losses to report but am definitely in ketosis... so hopefully soon....

Eating was on plan and drank water like a fish.... over 4 liters...

DD and I are going to see Lion King again tonight.... They replaced our tickets from the matinee that we missed a couple weeks ago...

Raining here this am... not supposed to last though....

Hope everyone has a wonderful day...

[kayan]

hi everyone

quick note befor off to a dentist appt then I am going to work to cover for a lady who has to leave to go to Boston area to see her mom. She got a call from a neighbor with great concerns but am only working till 3 : 30 so will catch you later

everyone have a great day

kayan

[Suji]

Hello Friends,
I've got to get to kitchen cleanup, so I'll make this short. :-)

Cleaned up 2/3 of the area needing the icky paint removed yesterday and abraded my knuckles on the plaster quite nicely. Other than that--the snow cover was still extensive, but my daffs planted in the fall are coming up on the driveway slope. I can't wait to see how they look! (I interplanted daffs and daylilies.) Of course I need to pull out the grass too as they grow and mulch it.

Fiber Arts Guild was low key--mostly people talking about books for different things. I'm working on that second mitten. I hear I will be the sheep herder for the SHeep to Shawl since I don't spin or weave yet. We are supposed to wear Civil War period costumes so I guess I will be looking at patterns to make for May.

Did I tell you that our little cochin hen has been laying eggs as of last week? They're little bitty things! :-D

Off to do the dishes and eat some breakfast. It will be interesting to see if I've lost anything this week when I check on Monday.

TTFN!
Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi everyone:

I had a busy evening. Had to shuttle DS around and I couldn't sandwich in a trip to the gym so I did the 3-mile video, again to the laughs of my husband at how ridiculous I looked. It's weird, the video works with weights and today my wrists are sore. Oh well, it must have worked, right?

No lunch meetings today, so I plan to get in a nice lunch hour walk. I forgot to put the roast in the crockpot this morning so now I have to figure out what's for dinner.

Sue: That's so cool about your chicken laying eggs. Are they the fertil kind? I wish we were a little less city suburbia and a little more country. I hope your hands recover from the plaster removal. It is a lot of hard work

Kayan and Pam: Hi to both of you. It sounds like you both have been really busy.

Work will be a tough one today, so I better get to it.

Bye for now.
Leslie

[Suji]

Just a quick check in then I'm going to go read--these are not fertile eggs as we only have a hen and no rooster. She's out on the back porch at the moment with our Himalayan cat.

Looks like a major weather event heading our way rainwise...

Good for you doing the video!

Sue

[sleepysue07]

Leslie the cream cheese muffins sound really good, I am going to have to make those and see. How are the golfing tryouts going? My heart went out to your son and his friend riding all that way in the rain on their bikes. What a determined boy you have!

Sue, what did sheep-herders wear during that time period? I would love to see a picture of your chicken. She sounds like the most precious little thing. I can't believe that you can leave her on the back porch with the cat and not worry about her. If I were to leave a defensless chicken with my Baxter ,it would surely meet it's demise. Speaking of my cat, I noticed today that he has butt flab! I once heard a man on television say that if you have a portly pet you should look at the other end of the leash and you will most likely find an overweight owner. LOL. I guess it's true! I am going to have to put the poor thing on a diet. I have tried it before, but he cried so that I caved in. The last time I took him to the vet he jumped from the examining table, into an open, solid-oak drawer, and the the bottom fell out of it! I was embarrassed because I had already heard the vet-tech say to a colleague "Gosh look at this thing!" "He looks more like a pig than a cat."

I don't know how my eating is going to work out this weekend. I am going on a women's retreat at a campground. My girlfriends and I go every year and have such fun! We are leaving early in the morning and won't be home until Sunday night. The food at the campground is always really good, but I've not ever been on a diet when I was there. So this should be interesting.
We will be antiquing on the way up there and will stop for lunch at a tea room. I know that I can find a good salad there.

My husband manages to start an argument with me every time I go on one of these trips with my girlfriends. I don't understand why he always does this, but I cannot wait to get away from him in the morning. My boys are fine with it. It's not as though he is going to be all alone. He has plans with friends on Saturday. He and the boys take an annual fishing trip to the coast in June. I don't have a problem with his trip, in fact I look forward to having the house all to myself. I just need a break.

Anyway, I won't be around until Sunday night or Monday morning. Have a great weekend everybody.

Carolyn

[Pam in TX]

Morning all,

Not much time this morning so this will be quick....

Still on plan with eating and drinking water... down 2 lbs this morning...

Sue: I have some websites for period costumes... will have to go on the other computer and get them for you...

Carolyn: Enjoy your weekend... I always enjoy my "girl time" with friends... Men... sometimes you gotta wonder about 'em....

Leslie: I have made those cream cheese muffins before... They are really pretty good.... think I will make them again this weekend.... They do make great quick breakfasts and snacks...

Kayan: Hope all went well with your dental visit....

[Suji]

Hi Carolyn-
Gosh your trip sounds fun! Perhaps your DH is a bit resentful that you can have fun without him and that he could be a topic of conversation amongst the gals. Maybe it's a fear of losing you too--after all something exciting could happen or you might get "ideas". Who knows the male mind? My own DH is bemused by my newly acquired taste for getting out of the house and doing things. I think he's happy that I'm having a good time.

Today, my Son2 comes home for Spring break. He called to say that he *tried* to come home Thursday--stayed up all night on SUnday to get work done and then found he had to be in Friday class to personally present something. So, he'll be here this afternoon after his 5 hour drive north. He received a second scholarship toward tuition from the physics department! Yay! (As an out of stater, every little bit of help is appreciated when it comes to paying tuition!)

Our caretaker friend is coming down to do some errands in our neck of the woods and will likely stay the night so as to spend more time with DH. THey like to watch movies and drink wine and laugh until they're crying, basically... (Guy time).

I've got to run over to JoAnn's to look at patterns that might be available in the books and pick up a needles for sewing yarn and an extra stitch holder. My new mitten looks much better than the "prototype" I made. :-) Thanks, Pam for whenever you find that URL. Carolyn--I won't have to wear a sheepherder out fit (Laugh)--I'll be a farm lady of the house who happens to be tending the sheep who are going to get shorn and available to answer questions to the public.

I love the idea of period clothing--but everytime I've attended any event with such, it has been blazing hot and I couldn't see how anyone could want to wear those heavy (woolen) clothes. I would have gone more for the lightweight brazen strumpet look-practically falling out of my clothing!--to beat the heat!!!

Tomorrow, I'll shlep Son3 down for his last beginner fencing class and bring my lace making stuff/knitting down so that my sister and I will work on that stuff together at her house. On Sunday, we are planning to go to a "Meetup" event at a Botanical Gardens in Baltimore.

I note there's a birdwatching society. I've been thinking about ordering a CD of bird song so that I can identify what I hear. My maternal grandma was great at that and I'd like to be as well.

I'm so glad you guys are losing weight--I haven't checked the scales in a couple of weeks, but I don't feel any thinner. Harsh to think that 1 1/2 days should be able to do that much damage, though!

Have a great weekend!

Sue
PS I'll try to take a new pic of Chicklet in her adult plumage.

[Dreamcometru]

Good morning Pam, Carolyn & Sue:

Sue: I would love to see a pic of the chicken. Oh, and I know any relief in the form of scholarships is so helpful. DD2 has a half ride for academics. DD1, nothing. Speaking of, DD2 is coming home this weekend. Yay! Her spring break isn't until the third or 4th week in March, but she's close enough to pop in once in a while, but it's been three weeks! Sheesh. I miss her so much. I'm kind of used to DD1 being gone all the time, but I do miss her too. OMygosh Sue, DH loves shooting the breeze, downing a beer with his buds. When he gets together with the neighbor, they never stop talking. And men say women talk a lot! I love JoAnne's. We have a great big brand new one close by. I also live close to a place called Fabric Depot. Phew, if you need it, they've got it. I love it. My mom has this better homes and gardens hard bound bird book. It's really old. It came with a record, you know, the type you play on a turn table. It has tons of bird songs on it. When I was little, I would play it and play it to identify birds in the neighborhood. It was really fun.

Carolyn, you crack me up with your fat cat story. Oh yes, we've been told Misty is too fat, put him on a diet. But my goodness, he goes crazy, gets into things, causes trouble. He's into dumping the garbage can now. He has a sensitive stomach too and can't really eat anything but his food so when he does, we usually have an ugly mess to clean up. I really hope you have fun on your trip. My DH acts the same way when I go on either girl's night out or an overnighter without him. It's resentment or jealousy or something. He gets upset because I won't be there to cook and clean for him I guess. Ugh. I too, love it when he goes hunting or deep sea fishing. I love having the house to myself.

Pam: You go girl. Down 2 lbs!!!

It's the last day of golf tryouts for DS. He's so tired. He's and friend have ridden the bikes every day. It's so funny, he's gained notariety for doing so. He was approached by a teacher he doesn't even know who said "your the kid who rides his bike to practice. Wow, that's dedication." DS is like huh? How do you know? Anyway, I felt so sorry for him I packed him a high protein lunch today in hopes it will give him enough energy to finish up. He won't know til Monday if he makes the team.

Hi Kayan and Sherry. I hope all is well.

I'm going to do our taxes, DD1's tax returns and DD2's tax returns this weekend. Not much fun, but I need to file DD2's FAFSA so I need to get an estimate on the damage before too much longer.

Have a great weekend.

[kayan]

Morning all.

Luckly, I had today off from work as we are suppose to get 12-18 inches again today. I did have to go to town with dbil & sil . Dbil got the results of his c.t.scans. The Dr. didn't know what to make of it. The areas were bigger but he thought the centers might look like they were dying?? or it was hopefull thinking. Bottom line is we still don't know much. He will have a biopsy next week,, He has Lymphoma and has had both Hodgkins & non-Hodgkins and the 8 wk course of antibody therapy didnt appear to work.

Leslie: I also make the cream cheese muffins. I use 1/2 cup of sugar free syrup and add 1 scop of vanilla whey protein and cook the muffins in a water bath, no cracks and they don't fall. I even add different extracts for different flavors

Carolyn, Your weekend sounds great. I love my girls weekends also. Thankfully my husband doesn't mind me going but he does about a week before I go start telling me how lonely and boring it is without me. I give him all kinds of hints of things to do esp. around the house. But he can't be to bored as they are never done when I come home

Sue; Making costumes, Now, Sue I get tired just reading your email. You certainly have a lot more energy than I do. Sue, are you signed up on line for Joann's? They will email you 40-50% off coupons. you just print off as many as you need. You can only use one per purchase but if you live close by you can run in a couple of times.

Pam: you certainly are an inspiration to the rest of us another 2 lbs before you know it you will be in one-der land. My dental visit went fine. I was suppose to have a cleaning, but I had a broken brackett, so they fixed that and I will get the cleaning done in 2 weeks when my next appt was for my braces

Will be missing tomorrow. I am going to work for the nurse i covered for yesterday. She is still out of state with her mom and due to the storm can't make it back. Hopefully it won't be to bad. should only be a 13 hour day and the strom should be done by then.

Everyone keep save in this weather, I feel so bad for the students and their parents of that high school in Georgia.

Kayan

[Suji]

Avatar change: Sita (my 15 yr old Granny cat) and Chicklet a few months ago.

[Dreamcometru]

Sue: I love your kitty and the chicklet. Your kitty is beautiful. It seems weird to have the cat around the chick. I'm afraid if your chick was at our house, Misty would have a hay day. You have a great kitty.

DS found out today he "made" the golf team, but as an alternate. He's happy about that because he still gets to play for free for the next three months. And, the coach is going to work with him and the other kid so they can be on varsity next year. He doesn't get to play any tournaments until he gets below a 40 on 9 holes. I think he can do it. He's already asking to golf this weekend because our weather is supposed to be fantastic.

Kayan: I hope all goes well with your Dbil. My MIL is also going through cancer. I think it's nonhodgkins lymphoma but it's stage 4. She's been very sick this week from chemo. We are very worried about her. This year may be a rough one.

My walking partners can't make it tomorrow, so I'm trying to get DD2 to go with. If she doesn't, I will probably hit the gym.

Til later.

[kayan]

Morning all:

Just enjoying the beautiful day we have here. Will be in the 30's & low 40's today. Tuesday it will be in the Single numbers again. I can't wait for spring.

Busy day here, I worked yesterday, so have only today to get everything done, laundry and baking for week. We have supper at dsil tonight a family affair, I have to bring dessert and bread. I will make a regular dessert as no one else lc but me. This won't bother me, I will have mine when I come home later. I have been eating a cream cheese muffin ( taste like cheesecake to me) covered with coconut bark. This has been helping control my ice cream cravings. Also will bring my own fish chowder as hers will be made with milk and potatoes. I will use cauliflower in mine and 1/2 & 1/2. I will make enough so I can bring to work tomorrow.

Leslie: Congrats on DS making the golf team. I guess the ride to try outs in the rain and on bikes must of impressed the coach. It shows how much dedication yours ds is willing to give.. Impressive!!!!

Sue: What a picture!!That picture must be worth$$$ on some believe it or not show.

Pam, Carolyn & Sherry hope things are going well for you

catch you all later

Kayan

[Pam in TX]

Happy Monday morning ladies,

Weekend was good... Nice weather, eating on plan and drinking water...

I did have too much sodium with the ham at lunch yesterday and only drank 2 liters so the scale is up a little this morning...

Sue: love the avi picture of the cat and the chicken... too cute...

Leslie: congrats on DS making the golf team... His determination paid off..

Sherry: Good to see you posting.... sounds like Kimkins is really working for you...

Kayan: Sounds like you had a busy weekend.... Hope you enjoyed the family dinner...

This is the last week of work before Spring Break.... I am soooo ready for a break... I have my ladies night at church tonight...

Have a good day...

[Suji]

Sherry! I was thinking about you this morning and wondering if you were OK.
Hiya Pam, Kayan and Leslie!
Well, I made it down to 195ish (the ish cuz I was already dressed, had coffee,etc. so allowing some wiggle room). Finally out of the 200's-yes. One of the nicer things was that my son home from college commented on the change--so that felt really good since he's been away and would notice more.
What I see is less stomach and butt than before. Guess I need a pic update soon. Next goal is to hit the 180's.

Busy weekend at my sisters. We ran yarn errands so that I could (unsuccessfully) find another skein to finish my mittens. That first big one was the problem... I may have to be creative to make another mitten to match the "proper" one I'm doing now! We worked on a new lace pattern with a "fan" on one side. I'm going to have to set up a magnifier thingy to see what I'm doing! We have lace guild this weekend coming. ONe interesting set of stores was 1. a very nice high end yarn place next to a 2. quilting specialty store next to a 3. store that specialized in cross stitch and supplies. I told my sister that all they needed was a fabric/pattern store!

We also picked up the Sonoma Diet at the library--thinking of my DH and mom... DH has dropped around 10 pounds working at his own diet version (involves Special K) without my help. :-D

SUnday, we drove into crazy nutso Baltimore to visit the Rawlings Conservatory (@1880's). It was apparently a day that the zoo (next door) was offering free admission so everyone and their brother had taken up parking and were driving like crazy people, forcing their way across moving traffic, jams, snarls, honking--you name it! We had to walk in the horribly blustery weather, hunkered down in our coats to get to the conservatory. SMall--but nice with the "Crystal Palace" look--orchid room, palm room, desert room, tropicals, herb/dryland room etc. THen we went out to eat after agreeing to caravan 4 cars to an unknown spot, of course getting caught behind red lights and other cars pushing in front--etc. I thought we were sure trusting of people we had just met! (grin)

Anyway--back to Monday house blessing day--this place needs it since last week was busy! THis day next week my Mom will be here for a month!

TTFN! Off to update my avatar (nice way to start the week with the right kind of downward trend!)
Waves to Carolyn!

Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Ladies:

Sherry: Good to hear from you. I'm so glad your WOE is working. I'm tempted to slide back and modify a little. Don't worry about the other thing. I got reprimanded once. But yes, a review of the rules is important.

I had a really busy weekend. Both DD's were home unexpectedly. So, I got nothing done that I set out to do. My walking partners were both unavailable so I went to the gym both mornings. My muscles are crying now.

I went golfing yesterday with DS. It was a beautiful warm day. You would think DS had enough, but he was so excited to go. Both DD's and fiance went too. We were a laughable bunch.

Sue: Wow, congratulations on your losses. I' so glad you hit wonderland. I can't wait to get to there. I haven't been there since before DD1 was born. Isn't it great when your family members notice. When DD1 was home, she went through her closet and pulled out the stuff she doesn't or can't wear anymore and told me to try it on. It all fit. So I got some new clothes without having to pay for them . She kept saying, so Mom, now that you are all skinny......" I loved it.

Pam: I hope you have a wonderful spring break. Ours isn't until the last week in March. Both DD's will be home. It will be great. DD1 is coming home to iron out some wedding details. I want to take a day off to go skiing with the kids. I hope we make it.

Kayan: I ate cream cheese muffins this weekend too. I put protein powder in them like you suggested. They were so good. Can you elaborate on the coconut bark? Is it just coconut or is it something you prepare. I've read on here the benefits of coconut oil, but haven't figured out how to incorporate it into what I eat. I don't really like coconut so if coconut bark tastes too much like it, I'm afraid I won't eat it.

Okay, now the bad news and maybe I'm paranoid. My scale says I'm up 3 lbs????? Argh! I'm supposed to be upping my carbs. I exercised really hard over the weekend. But I tried upping my carbs over this last week. On Saturday I ate a lc tortilla at 11 carbs and 1/4 cup of refried beans at 5. These were firsts since I started lc'ing it. I counted the rest of the day carefully. I had the worst stomach ache that night. Too big of a jump in one day I guess. I've been doing okay on about 35 per day, so back I go. When I ate that stuff it put me at about 42. Pleh. But, I have got to tell myself it's my stupid finicky scale at home and tomorrow at my group will be the official answer. I'm not looking forward to it. I'm trying to figure out what I ate that was salty or something. And I'm slugging down the water today to hopefully wash some of it out.

Have a great day everyone.

[Suji]

Wow-It's afternoon and I'm the first poster of the day!
It's really cold here--low of 14 this morning,made it to the 20's but the windchill! Brrrr!

I am still playing catchup with my house work--something about computer distractions yesterday... I swear I can "waste" so much time online doing this and that. WHat I need is a mega burst of energy so that I am motivated to attack the worst areas of clutter--mostly where the boys hang out. I do want to start painting some of the rooms here and planning the redo of the computer room. But having the house all shut up means fumes in the air--not good for health. SO, I'll live with it for a bit longer, I guess.

SO tomorrow is our 20th anniversary and I haven't really made any plans seeing as it is a weekday. Maybe we'll go to an Indian restaurant on the weekend. I'll have to think on this...

TTFN!
Sue

[Dreamcometru]

Hi Sue. It's not afternoon for me! But I peeked in and saw no one had jumped on yet.

I feel sorry for you guys. It's so cold over there. It got to 60 and was sunny yesterday and today. I got hot walking for a change. I always look at the national weather map on the news to see what kind of weather you guys have.

I, too, want to do some indoor painting. But like you, I can't stand the fumes. I cant seem to get DH motivated to do anything, so he may be upset when I get started. Oh well.

I weigh in this afternoon. I'm scared. I think I will show a gain. But then, I always say that, so let's hope for the best.

I managed to get DD2's tax returns done last night and a skeleton of ours so I could submit her FAFSA. I'm glad that's done. I declared her scholarship on our return since we are paying for everything else and we declared the tuition write off, so I hope that doesn't mess things up on the FAFSA. I don't think it would matter since we don't qualify for any type of financial aid anyway. We make too much! Yah, right.

Cool, it's your anniversary. 20 years. Congrats on being together for so long. I've got you beat though. Ours is March 21st and it's our 26th. We did the first day of spring thingy.

Hi Kayan, Carolyn and Sherry. I will check in later.

[Suji]

Hi Leslie,
Well, happy early anniversary to you! :-)

I wouldn't worry over every little week--just the long term trend. I think the advantage of losing slower is that we don't have a lot of excess. I amused myself by watching portions of a Brit show on plastic surgery where people who had gotten gastric bypass had dropped so quickly that they had a lot of hanging folds of flab left to be dealt with. I rather think we are shrinking as we go (even though we are much less weighty than the typical person wanting a bypass).

We don't qualify either. Waaaaaaahhhhhh! Most of the tax writeoffs pass us by... Not "rich" enough to have shelters to "hide" in. Boo hoo.

I really don't mind the winter since it helps prime the pump for spring. WHen it finally gets here I am so GRATEFUL! I just got back from the garden store where they had onions and shallots in (got some), but no taters or asparagus as of yet. Hopefully next week. Looks like our last frost date is MAY 15!!!

TTFN!
Sue

[sleepysue07]

Hi everybody, I am back from my trip and still trying to recover from the lost sleep. We stayed awake long into the nights talking and laughing, and it has really wiped me out. It was fun though. I didn't do so great with my eating, however, but I never do on that trip. There is just so much to choose from.

Leslie I am so happy that your son made the golf team! I really think that kind of tenacity will bring him success in whatever he endeavors to do in life. What a kid! I could certainly take a lesson from him when it comes to not throwing in the towel.

Kayan how do you make your low-carb fish chowder? It sounds good, and I have never made chowder of any kind, but I always enjoy it in restaurants.

Sue, you little chicklet is the just about the cutest little thing I have ever seen! I know that she will sit on your feet, but will she let you hold her? And what a sweet kitty you have. I can't believe that he is so docile as to accomodate her. Okay, now I also checked out the Sonoma Diet book last week at the library, but I haven't had time to look it over yet. What do you think of the diet? Are you thinking of trying it with DH? I thought maybe it was a diet where you could just drink wine instead of water! I'm only kidding. My religion actually frowns upon that. I do indulge maybe once or twice a year anyway, usually with my girl friends.

Well, I guess that I had better scoot for now. I have to start dinner.

Hi Pam and Sherry, hope all is well with you.

Carolyn

[Pam in TX]

Good Morning all,

What gorgeous weather we have been having here... some days a little windy, but sunny and warm....

Still on track with eating and have been drinking 4 or more liters of water a day.... Made it to exercise yesterday...

Sue: Happy Anniversary!!! Are you getting excited about your mom visiting? I want to paint a couple of rooms also, but we