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?

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!

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!

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!

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?