Raeanne~Did you notice that I didn't answer the QOD yet? LOL

I think that my greatest achievement so far might have been learning to let someone else's way of doing things be "good enough" for me after I got too sick to do them myself. It probably sounds shallow & I don't mean for it to at all but think about what you might do if you lost the capability to do things for yourself & your DH or someone else did everything for you. It was hard for me to let go. :) It was probably quite a challenge too, come to think of it. LOL

OK, back to ?s like what color shoes do you wear or something important like that. ROFL Patti

Wow, you guys are into some heavy questions!

Biggest challenge - I've had a couple but right now I am challenged keeping balance in my life and trying to help my mom and sister find balance in theirs since my dad's death last year. I also quit smoking cold turkey in 1994 and that was definitely challenging.

Biggest accomplishment - see challenges - I haven't smoked since 1994 and am finding my balance in life. A big personal accomplishment for me was buying my first single family house in 1997.

Patti, since I love shoes that color question will work for me :-) I can relate to the letting go and letting someone else do things for you, it's a very difficult thing to do.

Peg, sometimes it's good to let go and enjoy, not stress over what you are eating. Glad you are ready to get back on track.

Dee, when I quit smoking I gained some weight too. A few months after quitting I had to have my gallbladder removed and my surgeon told me he was happier with me a few pounds overweight than still smoking.

Suzanne, I understand what you mean about a life altering event continuing to challenge you daily...((hugs))

Dody, I enjoyed your memory of your grandfather. It sounds wonderful and you described it so vividly. They say slow is the best way to lose weight - I hope so cause that's how I'm losing mine too!

Milkdud, remembering Aubrey in my prayers. Enjoy your visit with your family!

Groomingal and Raeanne, I get bored too. Patti's peppers sound great and I also would like Milkdud to post the salsa chicken.

I met with my trainer this weekend and I am starting out with cardio until our next appointment. I'm going tomorrow night after work and then taking a yoga class on Wednesday.

Got to run - hi to all!! Glad everyone enjoyed their Easter.

Donna

Good Tuesday all,

Patti has posed some provocative questions to be sure. I don't really think about my challenges/achievements on a conscience level I guess but when I read the other posts here I realize there are certain milestones in my life that I don't really give myself credit for. For instance, I bought my first house, by myself at the ripe age of 25 after my 7 year marriage ended in divorce!! Yes, I married some jerk at 18! That was huge!

Also, like Donna and Dee, I quite smoking cold turkey for 18 years now. I too have gained 40 + pounds but I would not trade them to smoke again either!

Milkdud, I hope you can post your chicken recipe! I have been thinking about it since yesterday! LOL

Okay Patti, we need a light and lively QOD here!!

Good morning!

I'm posting quickly because the DGDs are here, and one of them is very,very active - if you get my drift!

Here's the chicken recipe. It was a big hit last night, and it's definitely a keeper. You can add all kinds of things to it, but I kept it simple so the whole family could enjoy it.

WW Core Crockpot Sour Cream Salsa chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large bottle picante salsa
2 TBS. taco seasoning
onion, diced
8-oz. FF sour cream
I lightly browned the chicken, sauteed the onions, and placed all this in the crockpot. Pour the bottle of salsa over all, then sprinkle with taco seasoning, and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When it's through, I add the sour cream and stir and let it set for 30 mins. on "warm".
You can add mushrooms, black olives, black beans, corn, cilantro, and more sour cream. I made brown rice Spanish rice, just adding some of the liquid from the chicken dish and more salsa, and a little red pepper.

It's already 62 and sunny. My kids are going shopping, but I'm staying home and playing with the baby who gets nothing out of shopping yet because it only consists of riding in a stroller! LOL

Hugs to everyone. I'll peek in if I have some down time!

thanks for the recipe, Milkdud. This will be on the menu next week at my house!

I've been working on a large project that I promised to submit by this afternoon. Not sure I will make it, but will do my best to send out what I have by this afternoon and that should give this vendor a good head start on building customized tables I want for a new web-based system to track our projects.

Overall, since I've started counting points, I believe I'm down about 10 lbs. That is with the trip to Florida (and the dark cherry rum/diet cokes! Not too bad for 4 weeks.

Have a great afternoon!

I drove to town today to do my walking. Where I live it is so hilly, that I want to alternate the more level areas with the hilly areas to walk. It hurts me very much to walk and I am hoping as I continue that it will get easier on me.

Oh, my goodness, I forgot about quitting smoking around 12 years ago. Best thing I ever did, well, except I survived the death of my first husband when he was 39.

I had two young teenagers and a 2 year old to raise. I just pulled myself up with my bootstraps and went on with life. Yes, I grieved, and a lot, but I knew for the sake of my children that I had to get a hold of life again. Nothing that I could do would bring him back.

I went out and got a job waitressing. He died in February and I went to work in August. I had not worked since I was a teenager. That took a lot of guts, which I really don't have. It was so good for me as the four walls were closing in on me.

On to cheerier things. I live in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. Yes, the winters are hard, but as I see news about heavy flooding, tornatos and hurricanes, I am glad I live where I do.

Our temperature got down to around 5 degrees over night and it is suppose to rise to around 38 today. If it does, I will go out and chop some ice from around the house.

I survived the Easter Dinner very well. I planned exactly what I would eat and pretty much stuck to it. It actually was easy. Basically it was controlling the serving sizes. Do that anyway now.

Dody

Wow! There is a mighty powerful group here that have faced huge challenges and continue to do so. No wonder I love reading your posts so much.
I'm shaking my fanny today to Josh Turner country tunes. Cleaning, sorting more junk and started painting my hall. Had enough sitting this weekend that my back is complaining. I'm not a good sitter at all.
Truck on everyone!

Dody, looks like you live in Raeanne's neighborhood! Great country up there!

OK, I'm about to hit "send" for part 2 of my project.

McPeg, welcome back!

Dody~You haven't been here long enough to know that Dave, my DH, grew up in Booneville & Old Forge, so he is familiar with your neck of the woods.

Dee~Congrats on the weight loss! WTG!!

Milkdud~How did your weigh-in go? I know you were posting in a hurry. Glad everyone got there all right. We'll be having your chicken soon too.

NH Suzanne~I never dreamed that our answers would be so heavy. I will definitely ask some "lighter" questions. That is appropriate at a "Diet Chat", eh? LOL

Donna~I'm so glad that you are posting. Write when you can.

Jen~If ya have time to pop in. I haven't checked my other E-mail--have you sent out Easter pics of the girls yet??

Maddie~I'm hoping that you get a few minutes. I'm wearing a "Saratoga Racetrack" shirt today w/the Kentucky Derby pin that you gave me. So cute!

We've all been through quite a bit! And John, even though you didn't post, I know that you have been through a lot too. BJ, you've had more than your share too. I'm so glad that we found each other. :)

QOD: What was your favorite childhood game? Was it cards, dominoes, a board game, something outside? There are lots of options here...

QOD: I'm thinking that when I was younger we played croquet? w/my grandparents & I loved that. You never see it anymore. Then, I think I graduated to tether ball. I remember liking jacks too. All right, that's my deep, dark confession...time for someone else to come out of the closet.

Toodles...Patti ;)

Oh, I saw this question somewhere else & the answers were such a hoot that I have to ask it b/c I might forget to ask tomorrow. I won't ask another one until Thursday. (she blushes!)

QOD for Wednesday: What song personifies your life?

QOD for Wednesday: I'm going to steal an answer that I saw b/c I think it fits me perfectly..."I'm Still Standing" by Elton John.

Just for giggles~someone had this posted too~"Everyone has a photographic memory...some just don't have the film." I can relate to this once in a while. LOL Patti :]

Dody - I am just above Lake George, where are you? We could be neighbors. I absolutely love where I live too and can't imagine living anywhere else. Sounds like the planned cheat worked for you.

Patti - we always used to go to the track on T-shirt day. I wonder if we have the same one. I was on the board at my kids school when they were young and we were being held accountable for the previous boards crimes. We ended up getting sweatshirts that read "We Didn't Start the Fire" - so I love your QOD for tomorrow.

McPeg - sounds like you are on a Spring cleaning kick.

QOD - I have to say "Kick the Can" was my favorite game to play outside, but I used to love to ice skate and swim too. I played a lot of Gin Rummy with my grandmother and I used to play "Oh H*ll" with my neighbors.

Dee - I hope the vendor was satisfied with what you were able to provide.

Gotta run, Tuesday is my crazy day and it has been a little crazier than normal.

Raeanne, I live just outside Chestertown about five miles. Where do you live?

QOD I have a good memory of a game we used to play when we were kids. It was called Red Light. It usually was played at family reunions when there were lots of kids. You would count to 10, I think it was, with your back to the line up of kids who were ready to run once you started counting. Then "say red light". The runners would have to stop. You would snap around real quick and whoever you saw move was called IT and then they had to be the counter. It doesn't sound like much by today's standards, but over 55 years ago, it was pretty cool.

Dody

Dody - We are neighbors! I live in Bolton Landing!!! Small world. We need to talk LOL.

Good morning all,

Milkdud, thank you for posting the recipe! It sounds delicious and easy!

Patti, heavy is okay - provocative questions are good for keeping us all in touch with ourselves.

I think our Raeanne is going to hold the record for meeting the most people here!!!

QOD: I don't recall playing many "games" as a child. Definitely hide-n-seek and in the car we played games like name the capitals off the license plates. We played alot though as kids. We built tree forts and an Indian village. I constantly played a nurse and nursed everything back to health.........all my animals were my patients. I did not play with dolls ever and I loved playing outside and exploring the woods. None of that has changed much! LOL

Suzanne - I love that you are pretty much still doing what you did as a kid. They say what ever you enjoyed doing as a child should relate to what you do as an adult!

Dody - it sounds like Red Light, Green Light, 1, 2, 3.

WEDS QOD - There are a few and many I haven't thought of, but I really love the words to "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas. To me it means to appreciate the small things in life and I believe I do.

I need to get some work done, so enjoy your day.

Good morning! It's already 68 here. Can we say "warm"?

Dson, DDIL, and DGbaby Aubrie are probably at the dr.'s office by now for the pre-op visit. Alexis got very upset this morning saying good-bye to them. Tomorrow is the biopsy, and they'll all 3 stay in the hospital overnight so she can be observed for any reaction to the anesthesia. Once she gets back here, we have to make sure she stays very quiet and still. Unless she's very lethargic, that's going to be my big challenge for the coming weekend! This is one very active little girl.

Alexis and I are going shopping, and she really wants to eat Chinese food for lunch, so that will be another challenge for me today. I did talk her out of going to a sushi bar because I can't eat white rice, and there are usually no other options at the places around here. Maybe at a buffet, I can make acceptable choices.

I only showed a 1/2 lb. weight loss on Monday's WW weigh-in, but I'd eaten 2 large meals already that day, so it didn't surprise me. By Tuesday, I was down 3 more lbs. which has stayed that way to today.

QOD: My favorite indoor game was always either "Battle" with playing cards or "Monopoly". My favorite outside game was hide & seek when I was younger, then softball on a sidestreet by my house when I was older.

Time to put on my face and hit the road. Hope y'all have a great day!

Sending positive thoughts and prayers your way Milkdud!

Milkdud - ((((((HUGS))))) to you and positive thoughts going out to Aubrie and your entire family.

Now ladies and John I have to share with you what a generous and giving lady Milkdud is - just in case you didn't realize it. I came home to a gigantic "un"birthday box. I got a huge (of course) Texas mug, a peace, love, harmony and happiness plaque - which I have the perfect spot for, a kitchen towel with cute little Easter bunnies, a massager, Texas Rub - that I will use tonight on my grilled steaks, Clints Texas Salsa - that will be served the next time I have company, an oil burner with lavendar and vanilla oil, a Lindt chocolate bunny - my favorite chocolate, a bottle of wine (I told you she listened) that came in a lovely wine carrier. It really is true that people in Texas have big hearts. Milkdud - you really touched me with how much thought was put into this package. Thank you so much for being so good to me.

Just had to share - I will send Marci a photo to post.

Enjoy your day - I am.

Hey! We just got home from shopping and eating. I'm so happy to read that you got that box, Raeanne! I've been so distracted lately that I forgot all about having mailed it to you last week. I'm glad that everything arrived and that you really like it! You were so much fun to shop for. I really enjoyed it, and of course, I had to send you a taste of Texas. Heck, even the wine is made in west Texas!

Thanks for the good thoughts. Aubrie has to be at the hospital at 7 in the morning and they'll be there until sometime Friday. Alexis and I cut short our shopping today so that we'll have things to do tomorrow to fill our time. She's so protective of her baby sister that she's having fretful moments today. She's also worried about her parents being there "all by themselves and worrying". It will be a challenge for me to keep her occupied tomorrow and stress-free. Good thing she's so used to staying with us by herself, at least.

I'm off for a nap now. Hope you're still having a good day!

[[[[[[[MILKDUD & Family]]]]]]] Will be thinking about all of you and sending prayers your way. What a wonderful box of surprises for Raeanne!

Maddie & BJ, it's time to stop the lurking and come share with us. I tried to get news from Vegas about Maddie misbehaving, but apparently all is well there! LOL!

Hello to everyone! Have a great evening. I'm off to finish up a project and then run to the fitness center before I leave this office today!

TAKE CARE, EAT HEALTHFULLY, AND NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP!
Dee
:0)

Milkdud, what thoughtful gifts and what a great package to receive!! Hugs.

Dee, you know that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

QOD - favourite childhood game was monopoly, playing school and creating mini communities with plastercine. They changed with age of course.

My best wishes are with Milkdud and family. Praying for good results.

It's sunny out today - been rare this winter. Great for the moral. Working on some wall painting (just starting) and going to putter around with my seeds some more.

Behaving myself.

((Milkdud and family))

Will check in later.

(((Aubrie))) Here's hoping that everything turns out fine!!

QOD: My favorite outdoor game was badminton (I always thought it was badmitten-lol). We had a net set up in our backyard and I would beg people to play with me. Many a birdie landed on our garage roof! Indoors, we played cards a lot, Canasta and a game called Contract Rummy. I also remember fooling around with the Ouiji Board.

Easter dinner went smoothly and I was left with a reasonable amount of leftovers. I made a huge veggie tray with a low fat Roasted Red Pepper dip and I have been taking that to work with some deviled eggs and/or ham. I gave away the leftover candy and my sister took the rest of the dessert home. I was almost glad to get back to "Normal" eating.

Gretchen - I don't think I mentioned how much I loved your kitchen redo. That tile work is beautiful! I am in the process of looking at counter tops and I think I may go with Silestone. Not sure yet though.

I posted a picture of Patti's DGS#3 in the album. And when I get a free moment, I have a picture of my birthday package to Patti that I will post.

Now I am off to find something quick and nutritious for dinner.

Marci

(((A u b r i e))) & Milkdud~Thinking of you. If you want some ideas on how to keep Alexis busy give me a holler. LOL ;)

I thought maybe I'd post a question tonight for tomorrow to try to get a jump on things so that everyone could answer when they got on tomorrow/& or think about it tonight. AND, I'm hoping to catch John around too!

QOD: Do you know who you were named after? How about first & middle names (your choice, of course!)

They called today & we are going tomorrow a.m. back to Tampa to pick up Dave's new glasses. I'm hoping that he is happier with this pair.

I might be asking ?s too fast. I think only a couple of us answered about the songs that personified their life. Hmmm.... Guess I'll answer the new ? later. Keep ya in suspense. NOT! tee hee Patti :]

Wed QOD: Song would definitely be Rick James' "SUPER FREAK" LOL! I do love "Grown Up Christmas Wish" by Natalie Cole.

Wed QOD: We always played Badminton in our family backyard. Parchiesi (spelling?) and Monopoly was a staple, along with a card game PIT which my mom loved to play with us when we were older.

Thur QOD: I was named for Donna Reed, my mom's favorite actress. (For those who don't know my real name is Donna Marie).

Well, today I'm working from home because my car decided to buck and kick and stall in my neighborhood. I coaxed it back to my driveway, had it towed to the dealership, and drove home a white Santa Fe that was loaned to me. Not sure what's going on, but it's a relatively new car, so it may be I got a tank of bad gasoline. At these prices, it had better not be!

So, the GOOD side of being home and near a phone was a woman who called me just now. She got our number from a local roofer (who replaced the roof here in 1999 and my childhood home in 2004 which I still own with my siblings). Anywho, she was a widow and very confused because she needed references to make sense of all her estimates. I gave her the best advice my husband ever gave me (and my friend's widowed mom). When you need major work like that, call local suppliers and ask for their top 3 list! They know who orders lots of supplies and who pays for those supplies! She was thrilled and thanked me for being there for her. See? If my car didn't punk out on me, I would not have been there for her! haha!

Hoping Milkdud's family is in a good place today.

Gotta get back to a PowerPoint presentation!

Later...........
Dee

My name was supposed to be Cynthia but since I was born so close to St. Patrick's Day they changed it. My middle name came from my Aunt Mary whose middle name is Elizabeth. Not many people put that middle name w/the first so I kinda like it.

Dee~WTG on the advice. I'll have to try & remember that in case I need to give advice or heed it. :)

Milkdud~Hope things are AOK.

Patti ;]

QOD - first name my parents liked. Middle name was my birth name (I'm adopted).

Today I've recovered from the weekend eating ... 1 pound away from where I started from. Still doing damage control and I have a new exercise regime.

I've spent all winter moving snow off the driveway, now I'm working on our 8 foot snowbanks (snowblower) to move snow away from the house. Temperatures are finally getting warm enough that the drive is heating up - so snow tossing has become my new spring sport. Good exercise. Mentally I feel like I'm giving the winter a good boot!

Got this week's issue of Woman's Weekly and they have an article on the Special K diet with a suggested weekly menu. It highlights and reports many folk have lost 10 lbs on it. Might be nice to keep for a shake up week on my WW plan. Most important though to always check with your doctor and eat enough not to make yourself ill.

Gotta get those dishes done.

Ciao everyone!

Hi! Sorry I'm so late checking in, but my computer tried to crash and burn today, and hubby just got it fixed a bit ago.

Aubrie came through the biopsy just fine! Son called when she'd been in recovery about an hour to update us. She's had to lie on her side all day, and hasn't been a happy camper! We talked to her tonight, and she said she loved me, and told Big sister she "go home NOW!" She may only be 18 months old, but she can express herself when she wants to! LOL

She's scheduled to be discharged 24 hours after her procedure, so we'll see them around lunchtime tomorrow. She has to stay pretty inactive for the next 2 weeks so she doesn't bump the incision. The results will take about 10 days to return. We're all staying cool and collected, but I'm sure there will be stressful moments. We really appreciate your good thoughts, prayers, and hugs.

QOD: I was named for Carolyn Jones, the actress. I don't remember how I got my middle name though.

See you on the flip side!

Good Friday!!

Good news Milkdud! I know Aubrie will be okay! Will continue to send positive thoughts and prayers.......they never hurt!!

Patti, it's not that I don't to answer your QOD on the song that exemplifies my life.....it's just that I can't think of one that actually does! I am still thinking of one though. There are so many great songs.

QOD: My first name is an Italian word that basically means I hope you grow well. My mother heard it before I was born and saved it for me. My middle name Suzanne is because my older sister wanted her sister to be named Suzy. So for the first 25 years of my life I was Suzy and then switched over to my first name for professional reason.

Guess what??? It's snowing here again! Wet heavy snow.......only expecting 3-4" but it's enough to have to shovel and move. Again, and again, again ... LOL

[[[[Suzanne]]]]~I cannot believe that it is snowing again! It is already 75 here & supposed to be in the 80s today & all next week. And again I say Yuck.

Milkdud~Glad your computer is back up & running. Poor Aubrie. I can't imagine any of our DGC being still for that length of time except maybe DGS#1 & only if he had a gameboy or something in front of him. ;) We'll keep Aubrie in our thoughts & prayers.

I had an early a.m. dr.'s appt. I've lost more weight. I'm thinking that there is a point where you have to give in & get different clothes & I'm at that point. Depending on whose scales you believe~I've lost somewhere between #47 to #56 since the middle of Oct.

QOD: Since John won't come out to play--are you a "tomboy" or a "girlie-girl"? John, feel free to answer I double dog dare you. LOL

QOD: I'm all tomboy. There are times it would have behooved me to be "girlie-girl" but I've never learned how. My Mom is all tomboy. My DSis, however, is "girlie-girl". I had the two DSs & she had the two DDs so I guess that it served us well. :) Patti

QOD: Girlie-Girlie here. I love sports, but as a spectator only! My dad always wanted us dressed like little ladies and sitting on the front stoop (porch to most of you!) while everyone played stickball or basketball in the street.

Good afternoon. It's 75 and partly sunny here. We're supposed to have a rainy weekend though.

Alexis & I have been to the post office and Wal*Mart already. We got a call from my son saying that Aubrie had a temp of 103 early this morning, so they're not letting her come home for another 24 hours. They want to make sure it's not an infection brewing. As disappointed as we all are, we're grateful that the drs. are taking a conservative approach with her. The hospital is over an hour away, and nothing's scarier than having a sick baby and not knowing why.

QOD: I've always been a girly-girl I'm a sports-spectator, also. Or too lazy, not sure which!

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. I'm going to sneak a nap in this afternoon as I was up way too early today. Take care!

QOD: Definitely half & half. I can out work alot of men but I clean up pretty well! LOL

I would consider myself a John-boy :P

Have a great weekend, just been busy with work and stuff!

/hug

John

Jumping back in to further update you on Aubrie. The drs. observed her for a while this afternoon, in her very energetic mode, and after checking out everything, decided that this child was doing fine - no sign or chance of infection after all. She's home and napping. We're all very happy and relieved.

Milkdud - I came online to check on Aubrie. Great news! Glad she is home and resting. Will continue to keep her in my prayers for when those results come back.

NHSuzanne - We are only expecting flurries, but it is cold and windy here. I say......ENOUGH ALREADY!!! LOL

QOD - Girlie-Girl I loved to play sports when I was younger and was probably more of a tomboy then. But I am much more comfortable now sitting on the sidelines and watching others get dirty and sweaty.

We have a friend over helping DH do some electrical work and I need to find out if he is staying for dinner. Either way, dinner will be something easy. It has been a tiring week!

Marci

Good Morning Everyone! I feel so out of the loop again, I will try to remember everything I wanted to say to you all.

First of all, Milkdud, I am so happy that Aubrie is doing well. Little ones should not have to go through such ordeals. ((HUGS)) to you all!

Patti, congratulations on the weight loss. I could not tell if you are happy about it though. I hope you lost it because you were trying to. Happy shopping!

Suzanne, sorry about the snow. We got a "wintery mix" here yesterday, but nothing that needed to be shoveled.

Speaking of the weather, last night was DS Junior Prom. Fortunately one of his friends parents offered their house for us to all come in and take pictures. There were 22 kids all going in one limo. I have never seen such a long car! The kids looked great and the weather didn't seem to bother them.

QOD #1: I am not named after anyone. My Mom just always liked the name. I have 2 brothers before me and my name was chosen both times if they were girls, so I am #4 child and I think that I was going to be named MaryBeth no matter what. I don't have a middle name.

QOD #2: We always played games down the end of my street growing up. We played Red Rover, Giant Step, Red Light, May I, kick ball and baseball or whatever anyone else would think of. There were always a bunch of kids in the neighborhood so there was always something to do. Unlike the way it is today.

QOD #3: Tomboy growing up, but sort of a girlie girl now. I do like camping, fishing and getting my hands dirty still, but I like the feminine stuff too!

QOD #4: My biggest achievement would have to be raising two boys to become fine young men (I know that sounds corny). Both my boys are Eagle Scouts, pretty focused, polite, a little crazy at times (I like that about them) and overall great kids. Spoken just like a Mom, huh!

QOD #5: My biggest challenge? There have been many. I think the most obvious one was losing my Dad when he was just 65 years old, 16 years ago. I still battle it, especially when my family is going through different milestones. I am constantly saying "boy wouldn't Dad have liked to have seen this".

QOD #6: The song one. I don't have an answer to it. I will have to get back to you on that one. I like your answer Patti!

Welcome Dody, if I haven't said that already.

(((HUGS))) all around. Enjoy the weekend.

Goodnight JohnBoy!

oxBesh

Good morning everyone!
Relieved to hear Aubrey is doing fine. She is in my thoughts.
I have a challenge today (who doesn't?) - we are having beer and pizza night with a very dear friend who needs some hugs today. Since I 'enjoyed' last weekend and I'm still recovering from it I am trying to plan today with tonight in mind. I have the 0.5% fake beer from the grocery store in the fridge (1pt per can) and I'm going to have a salad with my slice of pizza. Baking apple tarts in phyllo pastry to limit the fat. I hope I don't succumb to temptation tonight. On a positive note I've picked up some new clothing since I am in between sizes I've gone one size down to encourage me to stick with my goal. I've tried on everything that is tight and I'm visualizing myself fitting into them comfortably. It's more a mental thing for me than hunger.

Do you have any tricks that help you get through your challenges?

Cheers,
Peggy

Happy Saturday!

I am so glad to hear the news about Aubrie, she has been in my thoughts and prayers.

I lost track of the QOD now but will try and answer some:
Games - as kids we played outside lots and played red rover, red light green light, hide and seek, kick ball, stuff like that. Besh, glad to see you! We also played mother may I and giant step too, I forgot about those! We had a pack of kids on our street when we were growing up.
Tomboy or girlie: as a kid definitely more tomboy but became a girlie girl as a teenager with some tomboy tendencies. Today I would say most definitely all girlie girl.
A song: have to really give that one some thought.
Name: My parents just liked the name Donna...my mom says she only heard it once or twice before she named me, guess that was true of the moms of the millions of other Donnas I went to school with! My middle name is Lee and my parents thought it went nicely with Donna, that's all.

We've had nice weather but today is definitely cold but so far sunny. Yuck on that snow Suzanne....and on that wintry mix Besh.

Patti - your weight loss encourages me! You go girl!! That's quite a significant loss. I will email you.

Peg, it sounds to me like you are planning well for tonight.
Clothes is a great encouragement for me, I love them and refuse to buy any more in my current size. Congrats on going down a size - WTG!!! I visualize myself looking good in a sleeveless top this summer....my personal goal. I'm watching what I eat and working with a trainer cause I've learned I can't do this all by myself.

Hugs and hello to everyone!

Enjoy your Saturday!!!!

Donna

Dody - I hope I didn't chase you away - I'm not a stalker - honest! LOL

Milkdud - you must be so relieved!

I thought I posted a long message yesterday but I don't see it here - so it is lost on that internet highway somewhere.

Peg - I was going to suggest a big salad before the pizza - but you have that covered. Try to keep how great those new clothes are going to look on you. That is a tough one for me because pizza is one of my biggest challenges.

Donna - I would never work out as much as I do if it wasn't for my trainer.

We got snow yesterday and the roads were all iced over last night - it is sunny today but only 21 degrees.

I saw one of the best movies I have ever seen last night -"August Rush" - it is beautiful, if you get the opportunity watch it. I can't wait to see it again.

Besh - I saw a stretch limo that looked like a NYC cab - it was so cute. I hope your son had a great time - sounds like he had to.

I may have misunderstood the QOD - I thought it was when I was younger - now I am mostly girlie girl and I can vouch for Suzanne - she does clean up quite well LOL.

Patti - I am so impressed with your weight loss WTG.

McPeg - did you get most of that snow moved?

I need to get back to work...

Hi Everyone!
I'm glad to report I stuck to my plan last night - only had one light beer and one fake beer and 2 med slices of pizza. Drank a huge glass of water too. Ending this week I'm still ahead having 20 bonus point left for the week. I've almost recovered on the scales from last weekend - tomorrow is my weigh day. Planning ahead is worth it.

No, I did not get all of the snow moved. I can now see out 1/2 the window. With the temps warming this week, I will be throwing more snow on the drive to melt and will continue to do so until I can get through my patio gate to the back door and clear the front window snow bank. I can only do so much and have to wait for the snow to melt before I can toss some more. It's good exercise and fresh air - so I don't mind.

Waiting for my swimsuits to arrive in the post (ebay) - going to start playing in the pool at the nearby sports center. Planning on walking there one way and probably busing back now that the sidewalks have been clear. Any water activity really has helped me in the past tone up and get rid of flab. It's also a treat for me.

Dodi, I've only been through your area once on our holiday driving down to Boston area - beautiful is an understatement! I can understand why you drive to town to do your walking!

Raeanne what were you working on? I'm going to check out August Rush on the internet. We watch movies at home so I may have to wait. Where is Lake George?

Besh do you have any other children? They grow up so fast.

Marci what is on the agenda for next week - any time for yourself in there?

Milkdud would you please send some of your heat my way? I wanna garden so bad it's driving me nuts. I can smell the snow melting. Yes, it has a particular smell. How is Aubrey today?

Hey John it's great to have a man's perspective on all of this journey. What do you do to relax after work?

NhSuzanne - what neck of the woods are you in to have as much snow? Let's go visit Milkdud!

DeeMarie - what type of work do you do? Are you still feeling refreshed from your holiday? I loved working on projects in my career - I'm an administrative junkie at heart.

Patti congrats on your weight loss too - trying to find your post on it but I keep getting lost! Can you update me please!

After rereading the posts - I think my crock pot is getting hauled out today. I can't believe I see so many of them in charity shops all the time. There was a smaller one available last week and a bunch of tall mason jars which I'm thinking of returning on Monday to pick up. I have a craving for lima beans and crock pots do them justice.

QOD: What was your first childhood toy that you claimed as your 'buddy? Mine was a stuffed, butt ugly monkey. I traded a toy tractor with my foster brother for it. We were moving from Ontario to Manitoba. My foster brother needed special care that was not available in the military camp we moved to. It broke our hearts to part with Brian. I was so creative I called him Monkey. Monkey had many surgeries in his life, many baths and finally disintegrated in my late 20's to the point of no return - may Monkey rest in peace.

Let's make today count! It's sunny -3' and going to a balmy +2'C (34'F). Might have to do some snow tossing!

Cheers,
Peggy

Good Morning,

QOD: McPeg, I had a stuffed dog that I dressed in overalls and guess what his name was. Doggie!! I still have him. He sits proudly in a china closet in my guest room.

And yes, I do have one other son, 24 years old and married. He and my DIL live in Virginia. Are you doing points or Core? I think I am going back on Core tomorrow. Right now, I am doing....um.....nothing! I have all the food, I just need to get organized, because yes if you don't plan, you don't succeed. I'm glad that you made it through your weekend.

Dodi, do you live near Boston? I live just north of Boston in Salem, MA.

Raeanne, I had "August Rush" in my hand the other day and put it back and got "Once". Very nice movie, a little draggy in parts, but a nice story. I'll have to get "A R" next time.

Me and several of my girl friends went to a "Ladies Night" last night. It was all kinds of toys and lotions and wink, wink, you know what I mean. What a hoot. It was so much fun to have a few drinks and some real belly laughs, and do a little shopping at the same time. :-)

Donna, I dream about firm, shapely arms too!!

Today I am doing laundry, laundry and more laundry. Anyone care to join me?

oxBesh

Peg - Lake George is about an hour north of Albany, NY or about 20 minutes south of Dody - we are right off I87(the Northway). I am originally from Staten Island, NY - a borough of NYC that would rather be a part of NJ which is just a bridge ride away - and there are 3 bridges to choose from - LOL. August Rush was on Pay Per View so it shouldn't be too long before it is on cable. I was working on work at my real job LOL. I do office work in a real estate office and Saturday is my busiest day. I didn't take a lunch break yesterday so I don't feel guilty about checking my emails and checking in here LOL.

QOD - I don't remember ever having a toy that I was that attached too. I used to wish that my barbie dolls would come to life - like the singing twins in the cage on the old Godzilla/Mothra movies LOL.

Another QOD - in "light" of Earth Hour, what do you do to conserve on energy/resources?

I recently went to fiber shopping bags that I take to the supermarket. The hard part is to remember to bring them in with me, but it is becoming habit. I really never leave lights on and we keep our heat low. Since I have to travel 30 minutes to go shopping, I carefully plan my trips so I don't find myself going down there on another day for 1 thing. I recycle everything that can be recycled. I stopped buying individual bottled waters and use a car mug to fill with my well water. I also opted out on all the catalogs that are sent to me.

Anyone else up for laundry? I'm not but I have to do it LOL.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Laundry done here - I am washing all my heavy sweaters and putting them away. I don't care if it is still cold out! LOL

QOD - I don't remember being attached to any particular stuffed animal. I will have to ask my mother when I talk to her.

QOD#2 - We use the incandescent bulbs in as many fixtures as we can. I too use resuable grocery bags (although I do forget to take them into the store at least half the time - I need to do better). I recycle all cardboard, glass, paper, aluminum and tin cans. I routinely take things to Good Will for "recycling" and try to repurpose as many things as I can. Preschool is a great place for repurposing. I try to turn off lights as I leave a room, and I never leave the TV on when I am not in the room. We have a wood burning stove which helps with our electric usage. There are probably more things but I can't think of them at the moment.

McPeg - Since my kids are grown and out of the house, I am now able to find time for myself on a regular basis. I love to read, sew, scrapbook and walk outside when the weather is nice. I have my MP3 player loaded with some good books and I can't wait to get outside and stretch my winter muscles.

I bought some crab cakes the other day and when I opened them to cook, the SMELL was AWFUL!!. We threw them over the hill because we couldn't stand the smell and I wasn't about to put them in my car to take back to the store. Three days later, we can still smell rotten fish. I have opened windows (despite the weather), plugged in an air freshener, and washed my counter tops with Lysol. Any other suggestions??

TIA
Marci

I meant to say that I use the compact fluorescent bulbs in PLACE OF incandescent bulbs!! LOL

Marci~I know that baking soda & lemon juice are supposed to be good for getting rid of odors.

QOD~Turn lights off when we aren't in room, turn off tv, don't take showers (just kidding), we keep the heat as low as we can (we usually don't even use it) & the a/c as high as we can, we only have one car since we moved here & both of us retired, we try to plan our trips to town too since we live 10 miles away from closest store. That is all that I can think of right now.

QOD~I was thinking that a little red wagon, the dog, or maybe a tricycle were the toys that I claimed. Being the oldest of 3 children born 1958, 1959, & April of 1961, put us all so close together that we shared just about everything that I can think of.

Peg~On weight loss, I've lost #47 pounds by my last calculation since Oct. 15th & the dr. had me down another #9.

Besh~I'm ecstatic about it & want to lose another #72. I haven't tried to lose though. I just haven't been able to eat as much & stop now when I feel full. I also cannot stand anything sweet anymore since Oct. 15th. I don't know why...my taste buds just changed.

John~Loved your answer! I thought that you could win the privaledge of asking the QOD, huh? Wouldn't you like that? Besides, we'd like to see you around here more. :)

We went to a softball game yesterday. Today is pretty much a lazy day. We have a busy week planned, first of the month. Anyone hearing from the MIAs? Hello to all I've missed.

Patti :]

WOW, so busy here for a Sunday! I just popped in to take rest from cleaning. It is in the mid-forties right now and I am going out to play with the animals! Yesterday was SO cold and windy.

McPeg, I live in SW NH. We just happen to live in an area that is a snow belt. It's called the Monadnock region. Very lovely here. This is the 2nd snowiest winter on record since it was first recored in the 1800's! I don't mind all the snow, I mind shoveling it.

QOD: We did not have stuffed animals as children. I don't recall being attached to anything either.

QOD: We have replaced all most all of our light bulbs with the more energy efficient, we shut off all small appliances when not in use, turn off lights etc. We make a very conscience effort to eat at least one meal a week that is from locally produced sources. I make big efforts to consolidate my trips to the store and I use reusable grocery bags. Any thing I can do to conserve I do.

NH Suzanne~You are having a heat wave. LOL ;)

Marci~Did you get rid of the smell? I was thinking that you can use salt too and of course I thought of something else but I had a SM. Oops...

Milkdud~Did you mean that Aubrie was "home" resting at your house or at the hotel? Are your kids still going to visit J & A? Didn't know if they would still try to go to Dallas or not.

OK. Just wanted to see if Milkdud had posted. Hugs all the way around. :)

Hi! I'm sorry to not have posted, but it has been a very hectic weekend.

Aubrie was released from the hospital Friday afternoon, and they all came back here. Alexis didn't know until they rang the doorbell. She cried, she was so happy to see them.

Aubrie is feeling fine. No sign of infection! She was a happy, energetic 18-mo. old all weekend. She ate, slept, and played well. Her vocabulary is increasing, and even when we couldn't understand her, she obviously was trying to tell us things because she'd grab a hand to take us to what she was talking about or bring something to us. She jabbers with such expression now. She kept pointing to her foot where they put the IV and called it her "owie". She also started fake-falling and waiting to see what we'd do. Well, other than trying to catch our breath after realizing that she hadn't hit the incision, we just remained casual about it. LOL

I really enjoyed having all of them here this past week. Unfortunately, my son woke up with strep today, so now I worry that his girls may catch it and/or us. I'd forgotten how often families with young children caught stuff.

I truly appreciate all the good thoughts from y'all. It was very comforting. If I get a little frantic at times this week, please bear with me because I can't help but be a bit anxious about the results for her.

I'll come back tomorrow and read all the Sunday postings. But, YEA~, for all of y'all posting today!