Biscuits and Clothes...

Decided I couldn't stand it any more and made myself a batch of biscuits this morning. I had them left over after the eldest came to visit and started having one in the mornings. It stayed with me a lot longer than my regular breakfast so it's worth another try. Had one hard boiled egg with it and some light butter. Just a little over 300 calories including my coffee so I feel good about that. Will keep the left overs in a zip lock for as long as they will keep. Didn't know how much batter to use for just me and ended up with 9 biscuits. Will cut that in half next time so I won't have so many. 'Cause I'm sure they will spoil before 9 days is up, and I just hate wasting food. Especially with the economy the way it is right now. Gotta save every penny we can, you know.

Looked back at my calorie intake from this past week and it wasn't so good. Won't know until tomorrow just how bad or good it was, but mostly stayed around 1350 calories. I think I have to do better than that to show a loss on that scale demon. Boy this last 35 pounds sure is hard to get off. Yeah, yeah, I know don't put so much weight (pun intended) into the scales, just look at the way the clothes are fitting. Well, they aren't feeling any looser lately either.

Been giving some thought to making the trip, 70 miles, to the thrift store for some winter clothes. Haven't figured out yet if it will save me money with the gas prices the way they are or not. Probably be better off just going to Cato's next time I go to the dentist. Wally World had zip-point-shit the last time I was there. I really prefer shopping on line but don't know what size to order right now so will have to try them on, and I HATE trying on clothes.

Talk to ya later blog-buds.

Cleaning, Eating, Sleeping and Bears...

I haven't figured out yet why I'm even posting, so this may not even get a title or at least not get one until I have an epiphany. I guess I'm doing this because I'm bored and am afraid the great blog demon in the sky will strike me with an unusual and horrible illness if I don't post. I think I've only missed a couple of days since beginning with this and they were days that I was so down I didn't want to burden anybody else with my negative ramblings. So today I'm going to bore you with just ramblings.

Got my tail in gear and got the kitchen cleaned. Been trying to talk myself into it for quite some time. I mean when I'm the only one here, who cares if the dishes pile up and the table piles up with mail and other stuff I dump on it when entering the house. But, alas, I finally got tired of looking at it and I must say it has brightened my spirits some to have a tidy kitchen. Now I'll just be dirtying it up again when I cook supper. SIGH!

I have started sleeping on the couch at night. For some reason I just got tired of going up to that lonely bedroom by myself. I don't really understand that because my hubby never was able to climb the stairs and sleep up there after we built the place. It just all of a sudden got lonely up there. And the couch is closer to the bathroom if I have to get up in the middle of the night, which I haven't since I started sleeping down here. In the bed I'd wake up a lot throughout the night and on the couch I sleep like a log all night. Go figure.

Eating this past week has had some good days and some not so good days but no bad days. I had a taco salad last night. I used a cup of the chili I had frozen as my sauce to pour over it. I don't know what it is about that salad but after I eat one I feel so bloated I'm uncomfortable. Not full just bloated. Then an hour later I'm starving. I think I try to remind myself every time not to have one again but I don't listen to myself. I'm just soooooo stubborn that way.

A neighbor called me this morning and said she thinks some hunters killed my bear. They said they got a yearling about 100 pounds. So it may be the same one that visited me. How sad. I wish they'd hunt on other mountains besides this one. I love watching all the wild life. But I do understand that they need to be thinned out. Just wish they'd thin them out somewhere else. This is an unusual time for them to be having bear season. It's usually not until the second week of December but since the bear needed thinning they put in a week in September for it.

Can't think of anything else to ramble on about so, bye y'all.

Another Road Block Gone...

I finally did it! I got my sketching materials out yesterday. I haven't had them out or used any of them since hubby died. He was my bestest critic and it was just something that I wasn't looking forward to doing without him to tell me what needed work or what was perfect as was. Another road block removed!













I usually sketch animals. Here's a picture of one of my cats and the sketch I did of him with my watercolor pencils. Well, anyway. Yesterday I decided to try people. I'm still working on it. I've got the person looking like himself but I haven't captured the personality yet. I think this will be a long project. Can't decide if it is the eyes or what that hasn't captured the personality. Maybe I just can't do people and should stick to animals. Oh, I also do "pen and ink" sketches and have one hanging in our local county court house. It is a sketch of the building that houses the county offices.

Enough boasting about myself. But, hey, it's my blog and I can put anything on it I want, right?

Was listening to the news in the background while I'm typing this and just heard something interesting on their doctor's segment. Having night mares? Try fresh flowers on your night stand. He said that they did a study in England with people that were having horrible night mares. He said that after the people went to sleep they'd slip in and put a bouquet of fresh aromatic flowers right beside the bed and they'd have sweet dreams. Then when they'd slip rotten eggs in there they'd have night mares. He said that the sense of smell is the only sense that continues to work while we sleep sending signals to the brain. This makes sense to me because we all have experienced memories when we smell certain things. So for those of you out there that have night mares often it might be worth a try.

Have a wonderful Sunday, what's left of it anyway.

Let Them Eat Cake...

I finally figured out what happened that made my cake fall! Actually it was my daughter in NJ that brought it to my attention. But it's my blog and I want to take the credit. I live at 3100 feet above sea level and I keep forgetting that when I bake. Soooo, I looked at the box of angel food cake mix and saw the "high altitude" directions in little itsy bitsy teeny weeny type. So when I make the next one I'll follow those directions and it will probably be fine. I guess I didn't think about that because I don't bake very often and never have. I'm just a cook(er) not a baker at heart.

Eating has been on plan for this past week. Except the weigh-in day at the restaurant. Think I will rethink my splurge days and only have them on weeks that I show a loss as a reward instead of every week. They don't seem as important to me right now as they have been in the past. I've even been doing really well in the "snacking after dinner" respect. I've been trying to make sure I eat enough at dinner to get full and just talk to myself all evening telling myself that I'm not hungry and asking why should I eat if I'm not hungry. Then I allow myself a healthy dessert about 1-2 hours after dinner and sometimes that is all I want but most of the time I want something salty so I have a small 100 calorie pop corn or 100 calories worth of pretzels just before bedtime. I have discovered that if my tummy isn't a little full at bedtime I can't get to sleep. I just keep thinking about eating. And I realize that is all mental but it is still there.



Hope the rest of your weekend is a great one.

I'll Wear Jammies Anywhere...

I made Mary Frans cake (see yesterdays post for the link) and it is scrumptious. Only problem is that it fell. I've never baked an angel food cake before and I'm not sure what I did wrong. I didn't have a tube pan and had already decided to make it in loaf pans so I could freeze two of them for later. I followed the directions for loaf pans and everything. I had gotten a call earlier reminding me that it was a neighbors birthday and decided to take him one. Ugly as it was he really liked it. He knows that I can cook so he was a little surprised that my baking left a lot to be desired. I drizzled chocolate glaze on top of it to make it a "chocolate covered cherry" angel food cake. Didn't do that with the ones I kept for myself. Although I really wanted to. Wonder how it would be with chocolate chips inside? Hmmmm. No I don't think I'll do that either cause I would probably eat a whole loaf in one setting.

The friend that I lost a couple of weeks ago called me yesterday. I must have been on line because she left a message on voice mail. She apologized for what she had said to me but said she wasn't up to talking about it yet and she still sounded angry as all get out. So I'm not accepting that as an apology. It's going to take a whole lot more than that. And it's going to take a lot of time for the wounds to heal.

When I took the cake to the neighbor, I rode my 4-wheeler down there. It was a little chilly and I dressed accordingly. I stayed for an hour and a half and when I went out to come back home it had rained. Well, as you know 4-wheelers don't have tops to them so I had a very soggy butt when I got home. And in my new size medium jammie bottoms no less.

Yes, I wore my jammie bottoms to the neighbors house. You see this is the man that one of my daughters called to come and help me get out of bed when I had a cyst on my spinal column and woke up one morning and couldn't get out of bed on my own. Don't know what possessed me to call my daughter who then lived 2 1/2 hours away, but I guess I just wasn't thinking. But she had me hang up and called him to help me. I have to say that now I have no modesty at all around this man. He saw it all. I did have on a t-shirt and under pants but with all the pushing and pulling he had to do with me he definitely saw it all. And to beat it all I had to have him get a towel to put under me because I had to tinkle so bad I was afraid I'd soak the mattress before he got me up. He is one person I really call a friend.

Hope all of you have a great weekend.

Snifffffffffffff...

I hab a code. I woke up with it yesterday but forgot to mention it. That was fun at the dentist with all the nasal drainage running down my throat.

Boy am I ever looking forward to a regular meal today. Think I'll saute a chicken breast in a little olive oil along with some onion and garlic then sprinkle some cheese over it (wish I had some mushrooms). With Brussels sprouts and a big vine ripe tomato on the side, my mouth is watering already. And the best part is there will be enough for tomorrow night too without having to cook.

That's all for now folks.

Sex at the Dentist...

Why, oh, why do we do this to ourselves. Left for the dentist early armed with floss and a toothbrush, because I was stopping for lunch on the way. I did something I'd never done before. I went to a restaurant (instead of a drive through) all by myself. I've always been self conscious about eating alone in a restaurant so I just decided that today I'd give it a try and see how it went. I took my book and read between ordering and getting my meal. It went fine and I didn't feel awkward at all, like I thought I would. Then came the meal. It wasn't worth the calories. I was very disappointed with myself when I left. And to beat it all I gained a pound today too. I knew I would so I wasn't really disappointed about that. It seems that I always gain a half a pound to a pound after a good loss.

I stopped at Wally World on the way home and stocked up on Mary Fran's crack (granola bars), protein bars and stuff for low fat desserts. That stuff I can not get at my local market so I have to stock up on it when I'm near Wally World. I even got the ingredients to make the scrumptious looking cake Mary Fran talked about the first of this week. I decided to bake it in small loaf pans and try freezing it, because I don't think I can wait until company comes to try it. So, just in case I really like it, I got enough stuff for two batch's so I'll have it for my company in October.

While I was at Wally World I also bought myself a pair of flannel jammie bottoms in a size medium and THEY FIT! I also picked up a size large shirt to keep around and work to under-grow into it. I didn't try it on there because, of course, it wouldn't fit. When I got it home and looked closer it is half spandex. ARGH! That thing is going back in two weeks when I go back to the dentist to get my crown. What I found interesting is that all the clothes in the plus size section of that dreadful store were really cute and the stuff in the regular section were hideous.

Something interesting happened at the dentist. I have to precede it with the fact that my dentist is a very good looking, tall, silver haired, 50ish, hunk. Very, very nice to look at with my mouth gaped opened, but I digress. I took my book in there with me because he is always running back and forth between two patients and I usually have some down time while waiting on him to return his attention on me. I was reading and all of a sudden the book had a really, really sexy scene in it. I slammed it shut immediately. There is no way I could have read something like that and then looked at him with his hands in my mouth without blushing. And I don't blush easily, folks.

I can't figure out why I'm setting here typing when I should be dead to the world in bed. I couldn't get to sleep last night. Kept turning the light back on and reading after a half hour of trying to fall asleep. The last time I turned the light off was after 5:00 AM. So I've been running all day on about 4 1/2 hours of sleep and I'm really not that sleepy right now.

Have a happy, out there.

Group Therapy...

Stayed on eating plan yesterday. And I have to admit I did step on the scales a couple of times this past week but it wasn't an obsession like it had been. I think that week of having it covered up helped. I was really tickled one evening when I did it that my weight was the same as the weigh-in morning but it is back up this morning one pound. Official weigh-in is tomorrow and I have been really good this past week except one day so hopefully it will pay off. If not I won't be discouraged, because I already know that the weight loss isn't consistent with me at this point.

As I'm setting here typing this I'm wondering why I want to get down to 150. I already feel better, a LOT better. I already look better, a LOT better. I don't have anyone in my life to look better for except myself. So maybe I'll just keep doing what I'm doing because it makes me feel better. My BMI is still in the overweight range but not in the obese range anymore. I know! ::did you just see the light bulb light up:: I'll just keep going until I can wear a large shirt comfortably. Then reevaluate the situation. Sounds like a plan. Course I haven't been to the doctor in over a year to see what he thinks I should do and maybe that would be something I should do. I'll think that one over too.

Have to go to the dentist tomorrow and I really hate that. Hopefully this will be the last tooth he will be working on for a while. Well, since it will be another crown it will take at least two trips to get it finished, but...

It is really funny about this blogging stuff. I whine or rant about something that is bothering me and then the next day it isn't bothering me. Sometimes the problem returns and thankfully you all don't seem to mind me reiterating my problems so it continues to help to vent. This blog world is very therapeutic.

See Ya...

Power and Recipes...

D-a-m-n that power company. Woke up this morning to the power being off AGAIN. When I called to report it I got a recording that it was a scheduled outage to replace some equipment. I finally got a customer relations person on the phone and asked why I wasn't being notified about the "scheduled" power outages. They told me that they put it in the local newspaper this time. I then relayed the info that our local newspaper is only a once a week edition and is not home delivered. She then said that it wasn't a "scheduled" outage (yea, right), after telling me that it was put in the newspaper. I told her that they could use automated phone calls like they use when the power is restored. I requested that they use another form of communication than the newspaper and she said she would be putting a note on my account to call me to inform me or send me a post card. I even told a little fib that I had a doctors appointment this morning and couldn't take a shower before going and that I had to cancel my appointment. I bad. Now we'll see if that works.

And to beat it all I had just reset the microwave and stove time because we don't have any storms coming our way that could knock it out. Guess I'll just leave those unset and maybe the power will stay on.

Have been staying on plan and that was a really hard thing this weekend. Living alone and not working really play havoc on my self control. All I can think about all day long EVERY day is food. What will I have for breakfast? And as soon as that is completed, what will I have for lunch? And after that...you get the picture. And since I'm at home where the refrigerator and cupboards are it makes it really hard not to think about food. Then the cravings start. All of a sudden out of the blue a food will pop into my head that I haven't had for a while and it drives me crazy. Last night it was nuts. Peanuts, almonds, cashews were all I could think of. Thank goodness I don't have any of those in the house. I know they are good for me and wouldn't hurt to have a controlled amount but I also know me and know that is one food I can not control.

I've tried my hobbies as a distraction and that doesn't help because while doing the hobbies food stays on my mind. I just can't seem to chase that demon away. Even while exercising I think of food. This must be how an alcoholic feels. But at least alcoholics can rid their surroundings of boose, I can't.

I have had a couple of people ask me for recipes lately so I am going to start another blog that is just recipes. I will put a link to it on my side bar so you can go and get them if you like. I will add WW points to each recipe and calories. These are recipes that I've been using my whole life but have made them weight friendly and they are still scrumptious. So be on the lookout, it will appear sometime today.

Have a great week blog-buds.

Short, Short...

Not much going on today and I have no epiphanies. So this will be short.

Eating was relatively good yesterday and so far today.

Got the chili made and most of it in the freezer. I'd almost forgotten how much I love the stuff and it sure is hard for me to have just one cup but that's what I do now. I'd really love to set down and eat it the way I used to but know that I would regret it later. I like it with cheese on top and a huge piece of cornbread soaked in butter. Oh, well those times are past. And one day I will have that again, AFTER, I'm at my goal weight.

Hope your weekend is a happy one.

Gripes and Socks...

Today is Cara's birthday! Go on over and wish her a great day!

Yesterday wasn't so good food wise. I even went to where I log my meals (SparkPeople) and printed off several of my good days in the last month to see what I'd eaten that kept me full and not wanting to snack a lot. Now I have to review, review, review and make some plans so that I will have successful days in the future. Glancing at a couple of them I noticed that I had a whole tomato with my evening and sometimes noon meal. What am I going to do when the tomatoes are yucky? I just can't stand to eat those horrible winter tomatoes like that. I'm sure I'm not alone. When I can get them in the winter I usually get the hydroponic ones (and pay through the nose) because they are more like fresh, vine ripe ones but they are still not the same. And another gripe, I can't get my local grocery store to stock up on Brussels sprouts. They rarely have them and won't listen to me about stocking them. I can't understand this because when they do have them they are gone in a days time, so I'm not the only one around here that likes them. I have to stock up on the frozen bags of them when I go to Wal-Mart, which I will next week.

Okay, enough on the griping.

Gonna make a big pot of chili today and freeze it in one portion containers. It will probably last me a couple of months. Then tomorrow I'll do the same with spaghetti sauce. Don't know what it's like where you live but it's cool here. That's why I thought of the chili.

I've been crocheting a lot in the evenings while watching TV. Guess what everyone I know is getting for Christmas this year.

I've also got an afghan to finish that I started last winter. It's going to be 6'X6' and that sure takes a long time to crochet. It's also for a gift even though the recipient paid for the yarn. All the time involved in making something that large is sometimes overwhelming. I just couldn't make myself work on it this summer so since it's getting cooler out there I can now stand to have that warm thing on my lap while I work on it. I've also gotten two requests for toboggans and mittens. I'd better really get busy. Only 97 days left to get them done and I have to subtract some of those to allow for shipping.

Have a great weekend!

Let Them Eat Beef...

I had an interesting experience yesterday. Well, maybe you wouldn't call it an experience. Anyway, I had decided to get the ingredients for a big pot of homemade spaghetti and a big pot of homemade chili, which I freeze in my one serving containers. So my thought process started kicking in and I thought that I'd make it out of ground turkey this time instead of beef. You know, healthier, less fat, less calories. Oh NO, it isn't. Not the ground turkey they sell at my grocery store. I looked at the nutrition label and just about dropped my jaw. Four ounces of the ground turkey was 260 calories and 12 grams of fat while the lean ground beef I buy (93/7) is 140 calories and 8 grams of fat. That's almost doubled! I can't remember the brand but if I were you I'd be sure to check the labels on meat if you aren't already doing that. I'll just stick to my red meat for my spaghetti and chili, thank you.

Since it's been a little cool here lately I was thinking yesterday that I'd have to get out some of my winter clothes, like long sleeve shirts and such. Oh my, I don't have any. All this past winter and spring when I'd out under grow something I'd throw it into my give away bag and get rid of them. All my bags are gone! I think I still have a trunk upstairs that has some stuff in it that I hadn't worn in a couple of years. Probably fancy stuff that I haven't worn since I retired so I may have to raid that trunk for something to wear in the interim until I can get some long sleeve stuff. I hate buying much because I'm sure I won't be able to wear it winter after this coming because I'm going to be real skinny by then. :o) How's that for positive thinking? Thank goodness I didn't throw away all my winter coats. Those are expensive items to replace and I decided when I started this weight loss trip that I'd just wear them big and not replace them until I was at goal. I've always wanted a navy pea coat for winter and they just didn't look good on me before. Wonder if they will next winter? Are they still in style? Hey, I'll even be able to buy myself a leather jacket then too. Never could find one that was pretty in a 3X.

I did have a splurge lunch yesterday. Didn't enter my foods last night so I don't know if I went over budget on my calories or not, but will check into that as soon as I'm finished up here.

Gosh, is it Thursday already? Well, have a good one!

Strutting...

Official weigh-in this morning. I lost 2 pounds!!

My weekly calorie average was 1344. And I see no pattern or rhyme or reason. But I'll accept it with a whoop and a holler.

Gettin' ready to go to town and strut my stuff. Actually I'm going to the dump and grocery store. And believe you me there isn't anyone there worth strutting for. As a matter of fact if I were looking for a man in my life this county is the last place on earth I'd be looking. The men here are gross. And I don't mean just looks.

See ya later...

Just More Ramblings...

Spent a lot of time reading again yesterday. I'm reading "Charade" by Sandra Brown. Not as good as the last one "Exclusive" but still entertaining.

Was supposed to take "the kids" in for grooming today but the groomer called last night to reschedule. She was going to be closed today for personal matters. I decided I'd just wait until next month and see how it goes. She assured me that if I couldn't wait she'd work me in with only a day or twos notice. I think I can make it unless they get into something stinky and I just can't stand sleeping with them. I think I've mentioned before that I can't bathe them myself because I don't have a bath tub or utility sink. I used to do it in the kitchen sink ::ok, everyone all together, EEEEEEWWWWWW:: and that consisted of a lot of cleaning and bleach afterward. I only did that a couple of times and then just decided to take them to the groomer to get bathed.

What's with this weather? It's already like fall here. And really interesting is that the past few days have been really overcast then the night times have been so clear that I had to close the blinds to keep the moon out of my eyes.

Yesterday's eating was much better than the past week. I cheated and stepped on the scales this morning and it showed no gain, YIPPEE, and no loss. Now we shall see what tomorrow brings with the official weigh-in. I've noticed in the past when I was weighing myself everyday that on Tuesday there would be a loss or stay the same and on the official day there would be a gain. Wonder if my body is telling me that it wants the official weigh-in to be Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays? Hmmmm.

Some comments have been left that I may be sabotaging myself by purchasing unhealthy snacks when I have company coming. That I may be secretly doing it for myself and not them. That may be the case. So when the next company comes, I'll let them bring their own snacks and just have stuff I can eat healthily in my cupboards. One of my favorite things lately for lunch is pretzels and cheese. Yummmmm!

Gotta go and read some more. It keeps my mind off my problems.

Later blog buds...

Walking...

Now don't get excited out there. I haven't started my walking routine back up. Seems that I only get it in when someone is visiting and don't have anyone coming for another month. So, guess you know what that means...

Anyway, I was watching a news program yesterday and they had a doctor on telling about the benefits of walking. He said that walking 40 minutes a day will lower your blood pressure. He went on to say that it is more beneficial to do it in four 10 minutes walks disbursed throughout the day instead of all at once. Just a little tidbit from little ole me.

Just another lonely weekend for me. It's good not to have company because it really cuts down on the stress of getting ready for them but it sure is lonely too. Guess you just can't please me.

I researched the statement I'd heard of eating the same things day in and day out wouldn't produce a good weight loss. Or at the least would produce a plateau. Well, couldn't find any documentation out there that said it was bad. As a matter of fact what I did find is that it is a good thing. They said that if you find something you like while trying to lose weight that you should stick with it so that you will stick with your diet. As I remembered back to where I'd heard the negative statements about eating the same things, it was from WW leaders. The interesting thing that I found in my research is that even WW didn't mention it as a bad thing, so I wonder where the leaders are getting their training?

My eating is still the same. Haven't broken out of the tummy grumbling yet. But I am proud of my nutritious choices instead of the fattening ones. Guess I've finally gotten my head on straight.

Hope you have a wonderful week out there in blogland.

Same Things...

Yesterday was pretty much the same eating wise as it had been the past few days. I've only gone over my high calorie number one time in the past 4 days but that is too high to show a loss come Wednesday, I know. Just can't help it. Surely the tummy will stop growling soon and I can get back on track. The over eating I've been doing is healthy stuff like yogurt, a low-fat granola bar, homemade apple sauce, light pop corn and so forth. Oops, I did have one dark chocolate kiss yesterday and it was soooooo goooooooood.

Finished a book yesterday morning. It only took me 2 days to read it. Do you think that maybe all I did for 2 days was read? Yep, you're right.

Hope you have a great Sunday afternoon, blog buds.

My Pity Party...

I took yesterday off. I won't do that again real soon. It took me over 2 hours to catch up on reading and commenting on my blog buds.

Took the day off because I was really down. Both mentally and food wise. Since I weighed in on Wednesday I've been famished. I can't eat enough to keep me full for more than a couple of hours. And it's not cravings that has me that way. My tummy has really been grumbling, LOUDLY. Since I don't have the "ick" any more I'm thinking that the change in hormones is still the culprit. I need to make a note of the dates and see if it happens again next month at the same time. As I'm thinking back it seems to. Today seems better. I didn't have breakfast until just after 10:00 AM and am still stuffed. Maybe it has passed. I sure hope so.

I was mentally down because of the loss of the friend last week. I am really hurting for her and I really hate it that she is so miserable with her life. She has done some really stupid things since her husband died 2 years ago. I tried to talk to her in the beginning about the mistakes and wished her happiness in her choices but she hasn't had much of that. And she blames me for the mistakes. We all have to blame someone and I don't mind her using me as a scape goat. But I really don't want her unhappy. I'm just worried about her well being and mental health. I'm afraid both are in trouble. So, I spent most of yesterday in pain for her.

What an awful post. I'm sorry I brought you along to my pity party. But, being the friends that you are, you know full well that it helps to talk to someone that understands. So I hope you don't mind my ramblings.

Have a great weekend.

Sleepy Day...

Someone mentioned in a comment yesterday to just not have a splurge day this week. Can't remember who it was, wait, let me go check...Ah, yes, it was JC. You know that option never occurred to me. I just kept thinking what I could do all day long and didn't check my comments until after all the food was placed into my mouth. Duh, that would have been a great suggestion if I had read my comments before hand. Will have to try to do that in the future.

I decided yesterday that it had been a long time since I'd had a grilled cheese sandwich so that's what I had for lunch. Won't do that again because I didn't enjoy it at all since I didn't have any Velveeta cheese in the house and those are the bestest kind. Then I made my burger for dinner a little bigger than I usually do and used REAL mayo on it instead of the light kind. Now those two splurges weren't so bad and I was really proud of myself. Then while the doggies were outside for their last potty break of the night and I was standing in the kitchen waiting for them I hit the potato chip bag. That was horrible and I didn't count chips or anything. Just kept stuffing them in my face. UGH! I hate it when I do that. Didn't eat enough to make me sick (like last week) but believe you me I didn't have just one. So today is the first day of the rest of my life and I will be good! And from now on I won't splurge except on errand days when I can get something out that I don't have around the house.

One of my cats had a traumatic experience the other day. While I was letting the dogs out she darted in the house just as the screen door was slamming. Yep, caught her tail. The screaming started behind my back and to beat it all the tail was jammed. I had to really push hard to get it unstuck. She took off at a run for the loft and I couldn't tell her how sorry I was. About an hour later she came back down and wanted back out. She wouldn't let me near her for a while. But I went outside with her and sat on the steps and pretty soon she came over so I could see if there was any damage and give her some lovin'. She forgave me, whew.

I was awakened yesterday morning by a phone call after only 4 hours of sleep. (went to bed kinda late.) And it wasn't one of those short and to the point calls. Then had to shower and straighten up around here because Orkin was coming. I never know when they will show up so I had to get ready and wait. About 2:00 in the afternoon my eyes were drooping so I decided I'd wait for them on the couch while catching 40 winks. Just as soon as I drifted off the phone rang again. Was the Orkin man telling me that he was on his way and where he was at the time. I knew I had at least a half hour so my head hit the pillows again. As soon as I was drifting off that durn phone rang again. It was the same person as in the morning and couldn't get off the phone in a hurry. So needless to say I was really tired last night and couldn't stay awake to watch my usual TV shows. So I hit the sack at 9:00 PM. I woke up at 4:00 this morning and REFUSED to get up. I sure do feel rested today. Wonder what meanness I can get into today.

Until later..

I LOST...

Whoa, Cammy, you misunderstood (in your comment yesterday). I was referring to continuing with the once weekly weigh-in as to whether I'd stop or not. I most definitely wasn't referring to the healthy eating and the occasional exercise I get. Never fear girlfriend, I'm in this for the long haul. I certainly don't want you scouring all these mountains looking for me. You could get lost up here. I'd much rather give you directions so that I don't have to worry about you.

One and a half pounds gone this week! My experiment worked! You know what that means. I gotta keep doing it. Maybe this next week won't be as hard as the last one was. Those scales never stopped yelling at me when I walked past them, even with them covered up.

Since this is my weigh-in day it is also my splurge day and I haven't got a thing in the house I can splurge with (I don't think). The Orkin man is coming today so I won't be going to town for errands since I never know when he'll show up. Maybe I'll just splurge by eating more of the healthy stuff. That sure sounds boring, doesn't it?

Just got word through the grapevine that the ex-friend is on her way to her winter home. YAY! Now I can breath easier.

I never thought I'd be glad to be alone but these past few day have been heavenly without company. I've sure had a lot of it this summer. The only ones in the foreseeable future are a niece and nephew coming the 17th of October. And then Cara and her hubby may come sometime in October. At least that will give me some breathing room. And then the long, cold, hard, lonely winters will be here and I'll probably be wishing I had company coming. Never can please me.

Have a great day.

Cooking for One & Plenty of Water...

I've been wondering lately WHY water helps in losing weight. We all know that it does but me being me, I just had to know the WHY and the HOW of it. So I went searching. I found a really good article that explains it completely and in really simple terms. It's called Why Drinking Water Really is the Key to Weight Loss by Maia Appleby.

My paraphrased version is:

We all know that water is processed through the kidneys, right? Well, when the body doesn't get enough water it throws the metabolism out of whack. When the kidneys are deprived of the necessary water it causes the liver to take over and do some of the work that the kidneys are supposed to do. The liver is the place that gets rid of the fat. When the liver has to work for itself and the kidneys, it can't do it's job properly and it's not as productive. Therefore fat is stored where we don't want it.

The article also gives some guidelines of how much water is best for losing weight and how to get it all down. Basically it says that we need at least 64 ounces a day to be healthy...but...for those of us that are over weight we should add 8 ounces for every 25 pounds of excess fat we carry. It goes on to say that the extra potty breaks we take will subside once our body gets used to getting the proper amount of water.

There's a lot of good advice there so give it a read.

Now on to cooking for ONE. I'm reading on most weight loss sites that your body gets tired of eating the same thing day after day. And when it gets tired of that it stores fat or at least doesn't get rid of it like it should. (Haven't done the research on this one yet but I will and then report back to you as to the why and the how.) My problem is that it is difficult to cook for only one, especially if you've spent 40+ years cooking for a family. I already package my chicken breasts or other meats into one unit per package before freezing them. But my biggest problem is (being the lazy person hat I am) that I hate to dirty up the kitchen just preparing one little measly meal for one measly person. So when I do cook I prepare enough for at least two meals and pop one in the fridge for the next day. So as I was entering my foods last night, I just copied and pasted them into today's food journal to save me time today. I wonder if that makes a difference. Does it mean that having the same thing today as yesterday will hinder my weight loss or does it mean that it has to be day after day after day? Something to check in to and believe you me, I will.

I've been getting really tired of grilled chicken and decided to try something a little different. Here's what I did:

Sauteed one (diced) chicken breast in 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
Added a half cup of mushrooms.
Sprinkled 2 ounces of (real) shredded cheddar cheese over it and allowed it to melt.
274 calories and approximately 5 WW points.

I served it over a cup of noodles (I hate rice but for those of you that like it, it would probably be better for you). It was just so yummy, and I've got enough for today! I used whole cheese since I just can't stand the FF stuff so if you like it you could change to the FF cheese and cut back on the calories and/or points. I had some Brussels sprouts and a whole tomato with it. It wasn't just good it was colorful too! When a meal looks good it makes it so much more fun to eat, doesn't it? Even if it is good for us.

Still haven't stepped on the scales yet but tomorrow is the day. This has been a really hard thing for me to do but I do know that it has kept me on target better than in the past when I was weighing every day. I'm so anxious to see what the outcome will be. The outcome will determine whether I will keep it up or not. So far my average calorie intake for this week has been 1267. One of those days I was way over because of my weekly splurge and one day I was way under because of the stress in my life.

Wish me luck on tomorrow's weigh-in.

Some Ups and Some Downs...

Another horrible day yesterday. AGAIN... The ex-friend started with the harassing phone calls again. You'd think this person was 15 instead of a senior citizen. Anyway it had me upset all afternoon and evening. On the bright side my calorie intake was low. Guess I'm one of those people that don't eat when REALLY stressed. That's a good thing, but I don't think I want to lose weight like this. She leaves the state in the winter time, usually by October 1st. Maybe it will be sooner this year.

Still haven't been on the scales and I am really wondering if there's a difference. This is so hard. I think one of my problems was that when I'd see a slight loss and sometimes a "staying the same" it would prompt me to eat a little more than I should. So if I can keep this up maybe the weight will come off quicker.

I didn't even think about measuring myself before I started this journey. Sure wish I had. I measured myself right after I started blogging and was disgusted that I didn't have a true starting point. So I got to thinking after reading a fellow blogger that I could go to a clothing store web site and look at their size chart for the sizes I was wearing. When I did that it all started to click. I remembered measuring myself when I would order clothes online a few years ago and I remember that the sizes on the chart weren't exactly like my measurements, they were smaller than me. So I still used what they said as my starting point and that has really amazed me. I knew it had to be a lot because of dropping 4 jean sizes and 3 shirt sizes but wow. Unfortunately my waist isn't getting much smaller. :o(Not in comparison with the other measurements.)o:

Have you checked out my daughter Cara's blog site lately. She has updated her before and "during" picture. Just look at the amazed look on her face in the during photo. That's the look I had when I first saw her last month. I hadn't seen her since she started on WW and up until last month all I had to go on were photos she'd post or send me.

I was just looking back at some of my previous posts and had to laugh at Saturdays post. I'm not a short and to the point kinda person but that post surely was. I was so distracted that day with my oldest being here that I didn't even think about posting until late in the afternoon and then my thought was that I'd be struck with some sort of horrible illness if I didn't post. I have this thing in my head that I HAVE to post every day or the world might come to an end or something. Now that's what I call commitment. Course this blogging stuff is a real blessing for me. I have someone to talk to every morning on here. And reading and commenting on your blogs gives me some conversation with people instead of dogs and cats. You, my friends, are a real blessing. Thanks bunches for being here for me.

See ya later...

Hidey Ho, out there...

Yesterday evening did not go as planned. When we decided to go to the Oktober Fest at Snowshoe we had to change clothes and put on something warmer. By the time we did that it had started to rain. And since all the activities are outside up there on that cold mountain we didn't want to walk around in the rain. So we headed to Lewisburg to catch a movie and have dinner. Well...the movies that were playing sucked. We decided we'd just eat dinner and come home and see what was on Pay Per View instead. So we walked around the little town (which pulls the sidewalks in after five) and window shopped. We did find one gallery opened and enjoyed a lot of beautiful and expensive craftsmanship. Then on to dinner. When we first got to the town we weren't hungry and stopped to see what time the restaurant closed. So we came back later only to find out that we needed a reservation. What? Why didn't they tell us that when we asked about their closing. So we put our names in and waited another 45 minutes. This is the same restaurant I took Cammy too and their food is well worth the wait.

I was so surprised last night when I entered my foods from Friday (I forgot to do that Friday night) and Saturday. Both days it was just a little over 1200 calories. WooHoo! I still haven't stepped on the scales since my Wednesday weigh-in so I don't know how I'm doing. But my personal challenge is going well. How have I managed to stay off them? I just threw a towel over the durn things so I couldn't hear them screaming for me to step on them. I can still hear their muffled cries but not as loudly as before. And the muffled cries, I have been able to resist...so far.

Sorry I haven't gotten to visit any of your posts and comment but I was a busy person yesterday and I'm sure you understand. Will get to all of you as soon as I'm finished here.

The kids have already left for home and I am back in my routine. Setting here typing while sipping my morning coffee. Yep, we all slept late this morning.

Hope your Saturday was as happy as mine.

Quick and to the Point...

Oldest is here.

Been busy today.

Eating was good yesterday and today.

Heading to Snowshoe Mountain for Oktoberfest events. (Eating won't be good there, I'll bet.)

More tomorrow...

YUCK...

Boy did I ever blow it yesterday. But I think I cured myself at the same time. Just had to buy some chips and dip when I went to the store. My excuse was that the "oldest" loves them. Was so down last night that I decided to go ahead and open the packages and have just a little. I had eaten good all day so I thought, what the heck, a little won't hurt. And a little probably wouldn't have. But I didn't have a little. I had a lot. I measured the dip and counted the chips and everything but still... I decided to get my fill. And I did. YUCK!!! By the time I'd finished what I had doled out I was sick to my stomach. And had to pop the tums in the middle of the night. (Still have some in the night stand drawer from my "fatty" days.) Why oh why do we do that to ourselves? And I know I'm not the only one 'cause y'all fess up at times too :o) It will be a long time before I want any more of that stuff. To beat it all, after adding it to my other food the calories didn't go above 1400. Just think what a wonderful food day I would have had if I hadn't grossed out. I know me, I probably would have had another kind of snack, but it would have been a healthy one at least.

Company didn't come yesterday and that's a good thing. They decided to drive to a town near the white water rafting place so they wouldn't have to get up so early here for the drive. It's about an hour and a half from here. Smart choice on their part. So they will be here this evening sometime after they are off the river.

I'm into a really good book right now. It's by James Rollins. He writes action books that delve a little into the historical, biblical stuff. They are usually set in present times but take place in biblical areas and have some biblical connotations in them. His books are a little slow for the first chapter but after that they are really hard to put down. Think I'll be reading a lot today, in between cooking, because I can hardly wait to see how the main characters are going to get out of their predicaments.

Later Y'all...

Stress in My Little World...

What a day yesterday was! I'm glad it's over! Had a problem with a friend (well now ex-friend) and I still can't figure out what I did wrong. After talking to a mutual acquaintance (who had talked to both of us) I was told that I did NOTHING wrong. It was all her. Her jealously. But I won't go into it here.

The stress from yesterday has my system all off whack. As I write this my tummy is growling but I feel that if I put anything in it, it won't stay there.

Waiting for company to come and I really don't need that today but maybe it will get my mind off my problems. Gonna cook a pork roast and turn it into barbecues. That way everyone can enjoy, no matter what time they arrive and I don't have to keep food warm and worry about it not being any good left over. Barbecues are always good warmed over.

I think I should close this "bed and breakfast" for the year. I hope I don't get anymore company that isn't closely related and doesn't mind if I don't get the sweeper run.

Later y'all...

Ramblings again...

More company coming. Not today I hope but maybe. Gotta check that one out. Oldest is coming tomorrow night but they are sending two guys ahead of them. I can't remember if they said that the two guys were coming Wednesday or Thursday. One of the guys I've met and the other I haven't. I just keep opening up my home to people this summer. And I only have one bedroom! Thank goodness for air mattresses. They are definitely gonna be in use tomorrow night. Think I will keep my bed this time, I usually give it up for company. But I'm sure two guys won't want to sleep together so one can have the couch and the other the twin sized air mattress. Then when oldest gets here with her fiance they can have the queen size one. I've got a plan.

Gotta go stock up on non-diet food for the hoard that's coming. I'm being selfish with this one. I don't want them eating all my skinless/boneless chicken. That's MINE!

Don't know what's gotten into my boy dog. He has gotten up in the middle of the night several times in the past two weeks and had a poopy good time on the rug in my bathroom. I sure am getting tired of getting up and having to clean that up before I have my coffee. He's only nine years old so he shouldn't be getting too old to hold it all night. I could understand it if he were a senior citizen but he's not. I know the problem the first time was the corn cobs I gave him after supper. He was looking at me with those that pretty blue eye of his (he lost the brown one in a scuffle over a bone with a big dog) and I didn't want to share anything else with him. I just don't feed them from the table. And really don't want to start that habit. Late hubby did and it took me a year to break them after he died.

Gotta get going just in case they are coming today. Got a lot to do before they get here.

Later y'all.

Blue Skies, Nothing but Blue Skies...

The sky is such a beautiful shade of blue this morning. This is one of my favorite things to do. When I'm upset or stressed I go out on the porch, set in the swing and look at the tree tops. I love watching them sway in the wind (no wind this morning though). It's such a peaceful experience. That small act gets my mind off things that are bothering me and settles me down. Give it a try sometime.

If I don't quit one of my bad habits I'm going to find myself on that swing a lot more often than usual. My bad habit? Stepping on the scale too much. I don't usually do it more than once a day but that is too much I know. Check out Donna B's last two posts. She's got some good points there. So that's my challenge for this week. I have to admit that I already stepped on them this morning (before I read Donna B). Tomorrow is my official weigh-in and that will be the last time I will do it until next Wednesday. I'm going to have a hard time sticking to that one. But I want to try it for one week and see if it makes me feel better about myself.

I haven't seen much of a change for the past couple of months on that horrible ole scale but when my oldest came to visit this past weekend one of the first things she said was that I'd lost more weight. I just saw her 3 weeks ago and she said that she could see a difference. Was she telling the truth or just blowing smoke up my butt? She insists she's truthful. I haven't noticed much difference in my clothes. Except that I put on a shirt last week that I had bought in March that was a little TOO snug through the middle and now I have enough room in it that I don't have to walk around sucking in my tummy. So maybe she's right.

Anyone else out there want to join me in staying off the scale for a whole week. Come on, give it a try and join me. Then we'll have blue skies all week no matter what the weather brings.

Laborless Day...

This was a labor less day for me. How about you? Spent the day at home alone. Big daughter and her entourage left early this morning to go home. They'll be back in the wee hours of Friday morning. Probably won't see them much since they have scheduled a white water rafting trip for Friday and will go home on Sunday morning. I would go rafting with them but they are going on the upper Gauley and it is treacherous. I love white water rafting but don't like to do the extreme ones that they like. I like to stay in the raft and they like to be thrown out. They even ask for a specific guide that will throw them out. NO THANK YOU. I guess age has finally caught up with me. I used to be a water dog. Any time I was near a body of water I was in it above my head having a blast. My late hubby was fair skinned and didn't like being out in the sun because he always got burned. So for 21 years I got away from the water. Now it kinda scares me when I'm not in control. And in a raging river I'm definitely never going to be in control.

Here's a picture of the little one. She just couldn't stand the dead moths that were on my porch from the porch light. She must have picked up the broom about every 10 minutes finding something else to sweep up after she had gotten all the moths. Can't remember if I ever did anything like that when I was little. I can't imagine wanting to sweep anything. House work is not one of my favorite things in the world.

You know I think Cammy may have hit the nail on the head about my exercise in her comment on my last post. It's not that I don't like to exercise, it's just that I don't like exercising alone. Yep, she's right. Any time I have someone here I'm really anxious to get out there and do something exerting. I might even like it by myself if it weren't so dangerous where I live to do it alone in the wild. Because the wild is where I like to be. Guess you could just call me a "wild child old lady." There is a new exercise/mini-gym that opened up in a town near me recently. It doesn't appeal to me at all, so I guess I'm just the kind of person that likes to be outdoors when I'm getting fit.

So I guess tomorrow is the new Monday for most of you, heading back to work. Hope your long weekend was what you expected and that your short workweek is productive and fun.