Thursday, July 31, 2008

Thursday....

and all of my Flex points are gone. Today, they were consumed by a Big Mac and half an order of fries. Ah well. There will be more on Saturday!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

I'M Sooooooooooo H U N G R Y!!!!!

Must be nervousness or something, but right now I could eat a bear. My internal points counting isn't all that great...I went ten points over the other day. It didn't seem like much at the time, I can assure you. So, today, I am really watching myself. Mainly because I have two Flex points left for the week. Darn Vince and his generous servings of pie! I eat the filling only and leave the crust, but it still is a guilty pleasure!

Tonight, we will be experiencing fine 'pantry dining' at its best. President's choice white cheddar mac & cheese, with bean salad on the side. My preference is for beet pickles, but hey, any port in a storm.

Whoo hoo!




Here we go! Since the first thing on the holiday agenda was to make some major decisions about household purchases, we bought new family room furniture today! It may seem like a lot of impulse shopping, but (whisper) we have been planning this for a good 12 years...we are just slow starters! LOL Finding the family room furniture so quickly was such a nice surprise....I thought it would take a week to find something, but walked into the store this morning and there it was, waiting for us! The pieces all have slouchy, removable cotton covers, and it is no surprise, that the style is called "Beachside". It is a large, well padded (seems to be a theme in this house, from people to furniture) and cotton! I stretched out on the couch in the store, and ooooooo it was comfy! So, now all we have to do, is something with the kitchen, and get all of the painting done. Oh, and a blanket box for the end of our bed. Tomorrow, before the delivery comes I have the opportunity to earn all sorts of activity points, hauling furniture upstairs and into the garage until it is picked up and taken away. Thirty-five years of marriage does seem to be the same as a fire, doesn't it?

Sunday, July 27, 2008

So, first day of holidays...

and what do we do? SHOP! We went looking for a gizmo to hold my hair dryer, and ended up buying carpeting for the house. Finally, this old carpet will be gone. Our house is about 12.5 years old - we bought it when it was 6months old, and our first reaction was "this carpet has to go". Well, it finally will be making it's exit! We have been tossing around different flooring ideas, but really, when a house is designed for one kind of floor covering, it is difficult to change...unless you have a boat load of money, anyway! The cost of doing stairs and a special curve just blew my mind...the cost for these custom touches equaled the cost of doing the "straight runs" of the house! So, carpeting it is. We chose , a 50 oz short nylon plush, in a nice soft taupe. Of course, I was drawn to the funky shag carpeting, but alas, it is too trendy. That stuff will exit as it did in the 70's. Besides, it doesn't look good on stairs. Now, what has this got to do with Weight Watchers you may ask? Lots. We were out all day, and I must admit, that for the first time I didn't record my intake. I am going to do that now, though. I am curious to see how my "internal" points tracker worked! I will let you know, good or bad tomorrow!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Potato Salad

This is one of those once a year weaknesses that I am indulging this holiday week. As it turns out? It really isn't that bad calorie wise, since I thinned down the miracle whip with vinegar...didn't go easy on the eggs though! You need it to be rich, and yellow and chunky! MMMMMM When I entered it into the WW recipe builder, it turned out to be 5 points per cup....that sure isn't enough to keep my face out of the trough...I mean frig. It is soooooo good! I am going to mix in a little fresh dill to give it a little zing just before serving, although adding an extra 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard has given it a good bit of zing already! I used dried chives, as well as Spanish onion. Ahhhh little green bits! It will be a nice treat to have for lunch on our lazy summer days at home this week, and tomorrow night it will be the star, served with a generous amount of good old low cal salad! Just a bit of this stuff gives me the feeling that all is well with the world!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

How is this for five points?



MMMMM creamy coleslaw, with celery,onion and raisins..tender roast chicken. We don't think twice about going to Subway for six points, but treat summer favourites like the plague! I would way rather have my fill of this decadant salad than anything today. I mixed the chicken into the coleslaw to moisten it with the dressing. HOW GOOD WAS THAT!!! And, shameless person I am, I went back for seconds. I am always starving in the first part of the day, and find if I fill myself to satisfaction, I am quite content with a lighter supper. Here is the dressing receipe. You can stretch it over as much shredded cabbage as you like, but I like the dressing to be dripping! Don't forget the Kosher salt to taste.


4 3/4 Tbsp Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
1 Tbsp Heinz (U.S.) Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 cup Skim Milk
3 Tbsp raisins (plump them in hot water)
2 Tbsp Splenda
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1/8 cup spanish onion
6 cup packaged coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

Enjoy!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Busy day ahead.....

and I haven't even started it yet! Already 10:42, and we are just shaking ourselves out of bed. Rick is off again tomorrow, so we have one day to "relax" together. I am just not up to a lot of travelling these days...somebody has to stay behind to water the flowers!

So, today will be a mix of shopping and socializing. Last night we were invited out to a lovely dinner, and although I tried to pace myself, I was lured by Lisa's potato salad. Creamy, delish! She puts mixed vegetables in with the perfectly cubed potatoes and it was sooooooooooooo good! I had to have two servings, even if it meant passing on the homemade strudel! Does that tell you how good it was?

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Just thought you would like to see


my chubby toes! I have decided to make getting a pedicure a monthly thing...I found a lovely full service shop that will cater to fingers, toes, and hair. One stop shopping at its finest! A happy coincidence was that my toes are an exact match to my new red dress. How fortuitous was that?

I spent a happy day tidying things up around the house. I discovered a great way to dry my make-up brushes. I keep a basket of washcloths in my bathroom, and I tucked the handle of the brushes into the folds of the cloths. Now, there is a furry arrangement that is quite startling! They will be dry by morning, so it is a temporary shock! Although I pared down my cosmetics to a minimal amount, I seem to still have too much to wade through for a "quick face" in the morning. Time to cull the cosmetics, yet again!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Flowers soothe a troubled spirit, but cleaning



is what I should be doing! I thought it would be interesting to post pictures of how a humble little bunch of carnations can brighten my life! Hubby is always doing the roses thing,but these little flowers are so sweet and delicate. So far both the bedroom and master bath are "in transition" from messy to shiny, so a little break is in order. This week I also treated myself to some Winnipeg rye bread...mmm good. It is a smaller than normal loaf, so it works out to be 1.5 points for two slices of bread. That makes a pretty tasty sandwich, too. This morning, I found that I have gone down a bit, but more or less? I hover for weeks at a time at the same weight before shifting. Hopefully downward. Not to weaken and give up, I continue the fight no matter how many "battles" I lose with the scale. Sigh. The flowers do help though!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Ever have one of those days?

I put a long, deep scratch into my car today. I am still just sick about it. However, I keep hearing hubby's words in my ear...."if you can throw money at it and it goes away, it isn't a problem". Of course, he makes the money and then relinquishes all budgeting to me...I think throwing money at the problem morphs it into another one! I want to put a bandaid on it or something...anything to make it just go away until I can get it fixed! It will take about three weeks to get it in, due to travel schedules etc. In the meantime, what are the chances that no one will notice? To comfort myself, I made a casserole for supper....a potato, two organic carrots, 5 points worth of sausage and an onion, topped with half a cup of cottage cheese made the world go away. Nothin' says I love me like vegetables and cottage cheese! I may love me, but right now? I am wondering why in the devil I wasn't paying attention to that killer sign on a stick by the parcel pick up!

Encouraging....

An experience of a young woman who had lost over 100 pounds had a very encouraging thought.
When you tally losses, also tally gains. It puts everything in perspective. Over the course of three years, I have lost over 100 pounds and gained nearly as much along the way!
I have stuck faithfully to the program, and yet the pounds seem to have a life of their own, coming and going at will. I just have to keep this woman's comment in mind, because frankly? Some days I wonder if it is all worth it. There is satisfaction in keeping meticulous records of every bite. It is comfirmation that I am fighting a good fight. The ups are losing to the downs in the big picture!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Oh my....

I just realized how long it has been since I have updated...I have been busier than a one armed wallpaper hanger! Do you slow down when you get older so it just seems like life is rushing by? We were in Regina last week, when I turned 58. Oh my. I just wish the pounds would fall off as quickly! July 3 marked my one year anniversary on Weight Watchers. A grand total of 22.6 pounds that took one year to remove. I have faithfully counted points and followed the rules, but for me? It really is this slow. Better off than on is my battle cry as I move into year two. And I must say, that regular "feedings" have really improved my quality of life!