4 the Birds #105

[Maple]

Time for a new thread.

It's really cold and windy today so I'm going to have to bundle up a bit for my walk. I didn't walk last night after all so I have to walk today or else I'll start making excuses again. Neither wind nor rain will stop this bird!

[PattiG]

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Wednesday afternoon and all is well on the OP/exercise front. We are gonna make that 1 lb by Friday Bon Jovi ! (lol or is that "by jove?!")

BTW, has anyone read the new book by Sue Monk Kidd ...."The Mermaid Chair?" I enjoyed her first book "The Secret Life of Bees" and was wondering if anyone has picked up this new one.

In other news...I've started back to jogging again. Not that I was ever very good at it (not very far and certainly not very fast), but I would love to be able to run at least two miles again. Since my new treadmill has an automatic incline function on it, I'm thinking it might be easier to simulate more realistic outdoor conditions when I'm actually able to get out on the weekends. The last time, the transition from treadmill to outdoors was very hard. lol I seemed to forget the little things like inclines, wind resistance, etc. Wish me luck!

Patti

[Maple]

All's well here too. I snuck a look on the scale.... :help: nothing is happening :ugh: Serves me right doesn't it? Keep off the d-mn scales I can hear you shouting. LOL So it's jogging again is it? I wish you luck in your treadmill to outdoor transition Patti. I absolutely HATE running of any kind....never liked it as a kid....still do. Maybe if I took up high jumping? I was good at that when I was a kid..........hmmmm. ROTFL. Can't you just see it? I'd break my foolish neck for sure.

I've been running about all day picking up ingredients for our dinner party this weekend. I will declare Saturday between 6:30 pm to midnight a grace time or a mulligan (can I use that for food?) I figure as long as I have planned it will be OK. I'll do some extra walking to help cover the indulgence. The menu? Pre-dinner cocktails with cheese straws, gourmet olives and caperberries; Coquille St. Jacques; Field greens, pear and Stilton cheese with balsamic vinegarette; Coq au Vin with roasted rosemary-garlic potatoes; Mini eclairs for desert. We are serving the approprate wine with each course. It sounds really heavy, but if you break it all down and eat small portions it shouldn't be a diet buster. Of course, it will really depend on me being mindful of portions and a dedication to work extra hard the following week.

[PattiG]

Oh Maple, that dinner sounds absolutely delicious! But be honest...you've mentioned some pretty rich foods....you can stay OP with all that? Plus some delicious wine? You can't fool Mother Nature.

LOL We're going to have to get Sven to work those extra points off! ;)

[Maple]

I've added up all the points for Saturday night dinner including wine and it adds up to 20.5 points. Not near as bad when you actually plan ahead and decide on your portions for each item. In the past, I'd call it a disaster dinner and not look at the points. When I do that, I would say "What the heck! I'm doomed anyhow........pass the potatoes." LOL seriously, I feel confident I can hold the line and really enjoy my dinner. I'll have an egg white omelette (2 points) for breakfast and a salad for lunch (1 point) which will bring the daily total up to 23.5. That's not much over no matter how you look at it; the weekly bonus points will be there to take care of the overage........next day = 1 hour brisk walk.

Just finished making some spicy cheese straws for appies. They are 1 point each......just had a sample and I've added that to my breakfast points for today. Today is starting out strong and I'm in a good head space so I'm thinking I'll have a good day.

Evening Update:

Since no one has posted after me I though I'd just update the rest of the day. It WAS a good one in every way. I walked twice today: once in the morning with Porsha for 40 minutes briskly then another 40 minutes at a leisurely pace with Charlie. I'm full of energy and have begun the long process of putting together an authentic French Coq au Vin. The nice thing about this recipe you can make it a day or so ahead and just glaze the surface with more stock and it will only get better the longer it sits. I have the Coquelles done and the floral centerpiece finished and in place. Tomorrow I have an morning appointment, afternoon tea at my MIL's then a birthday party dinner to attend. I wouldn't have time to do everything on Saturday to the lion's share had to be down today. Phew! A nice hot bath is calling me................

[Maple]

Good afternoon ladies. Have we all forgotten what day this is? Weigh in for our mini challange within a challange....April 15th. Since nobody has posted since my post yesterday, I'm assuming some of us are hiding. Could this be right? As for me, I'm not telling until one of you tell. I'll give you a hint; yesterday I was smiling, today not so much.

[PattiG]

Not hiding, just haven't weighed myself. I'll have a better idea after I get home. Let's put it this way. It's possible that I lost a pound, but I don't see it or feel it in my clothes. I weighed in last week on Sunday morning, but I'm sure I can get a vague idea tonight before dinner.

I have been doing pretty good all week, but honestly, I think I'm still paying for my sins from weeks past. I wish it was easier to undo all the easy easy doing. lol Did that make sense?

Maple are free for IM tonight? I'm got a quiet night alone (don't even have my little Teddyboy anymore)...wouldn't mind a little company!

[Maple]

I managed another .8#'s. That adds up to 1.6#'s for the 2 week challange. Oh well..........next week might be better............probably not since we're having a party type weekend.

Sorry I couldn't join you last night IMing but we were out at a birthday party. Tonight we are having our dinner party so I'll not be available tonight either. I"ll really try to get on IM with you sometime next week. OK?

[PattiG]

Happy Sunny Monday Morning!

Oh, what a great weekend. I can't say the weather is warm yet (we're squeeking into the mid-upper 60's) but it's sure trying. The daffodils and hyacynths are up and smiling and all our birdhouses are occupado. I was itching to get at the flower beds yesterday to ready for planting, but no one plants things on Long Island until around Mother's Day.

In WW news, no loss on my end (literally) but I've been so good OP all weekend and walked/ran 3.2 miles yesterday. I am trying sooo hard, this body BETTER show a loss next week or else! Next weekend I'm going to dig my bicycle out and get it cleaned up. That will be one more thing to add to my repetoire to keep it from getting monotonous.

Maple, how did your dinner party go? Sophie, where are you?

Patti
P.S. My parents have been making some noise about getting another dog. In reality I don't think it will happen, but I'm wearing them down ever so slowly. I was the one who talked them into it with Teddy. Let's see if I can still work some magic. Magic or blackmail...lol whatever works! I'd give my eye teeth for another pooch.

[Maple]

Good evening :)

I'm pooped! I've been on the go all day including an hour walk, half of which was up a mountain road and trail. Charlie's next stage of therapy is some serious hill climbing. We'll both be better off for the extra effort. LOL I had him in to the Vet this morning for his Cartrophen injection and check up and the vet was very pleased with his progress. So all is good for our little pal. Patti, that would be great if you got another fur baby. Would you get another poodle? I wish you luck in the convincing your parents of the need for the patter of 4 little paws again.

Our dinner party went well. Everyone had a great time and raved about the menu. They all went back for seconds so I know they really enjoyed the meal. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped point wise. The residual sugar in my system (wine and desert) sent me off on a sugar binge Sunday. :( I have to somehow figure out how to prevent that because it always happens when I drink more than 1 glass of wine. I'm not liking the solution either :sobbing: Today was a new day and the weekend is a memory so all is well again.

[Maple]

:mad: Bad day :mad:

[PattiG]

Bad Maple :(

New Day, New Start, Happy Wednesday, Good Good Good Maple. :)

I've been running like a lunatic at work so this will be short. On the flipside, I may have some exciting news (somewhat work related, or the lack thereof) that I am waiting to hear about. Say a prayer that my wish comes true today...I'll keep ya posted.

Patti

[Maple]

Indeed, this is a bright new day :water1: and all is well again. I have some running about to do today myself but I wanted to let you know I'm OK again :work_out:

Here's a prayer for whatever you are wishing for today. Let me know later.

[Maple]

Me again. Anyone out there? Patti how did things go yesterday? I'm hoping your absence isn't because of something you are upset about.

I've just got back from the most amazingly awesome school production of The Lion King.............grades 1 - 6! Our 7 year old grandson (grade 1) was in the choir so we went to support him. What a shock we had. The production was put together and produced by a man that runs the theatrical department at the university and what he did with these youngsters was totally amazing. The show was so good it brought tears to my eyes several times in all the same places it did in the movie. There was a standing ovation and cheers for a full 5 minutes. I'm still overwhelmed with it all. A video of the production will be available soon..........I'm on the top of the list for one! Ha Ha. The school had some art competions for the show which highlighted more talent in the kids. The winner's artwork is now imprinted on tee shirts, the second place entry; one the cover of the programs, and the third place art embellished the tickets. I am so impressed with our grandson's school that I plan on keeping an eye open for more of their special events.

Other than that, I've been busy, busy, busy and journaling, journaling, journaling. :bcbsalute

[Maple]

OK Patti, this is getting a bit much...........this is my 3rd post..........what the heck are you up too? Better get you butt back in the nest or I'll find Foxworthy and have him come and get you. I saw Snickett posting on a bird site awhile back but I accidentally clicked it off before I took note of the "address". Oh well, he seems to be fat and happy over there. LOL

I got in a good fast one hour walk this morning and I haven't touched the chocolate-toffee cookies. In fact, I froze 16 and only left out 8. So far DH has eaten 3 (12 points! yikes!) and granddaughter ate one on her way home. That leaves only 4.............2 for Matthew and 2 more for DH. I'll beg one little bite just to see how they taste. DH eyes rolled back and he had a silly smile on his face while he was eating them earlier if that is any sort of indication. LOL

I'm looking forward to a nice quite movie night and some popcorn tonight. Tomorrow will be challanging.......both breakfast and dinner out. :help: I'm going to research some restaurant fare tonight so I can go armed with good information. I'm hoping to find a nice chicken or shrimp salad on the evening menu or maybe something with lots of fresh steamed veggies. After that, off to the Cher concert. I can't wait! I think I'll be using a lot of points applauding. LOL :crazy:

OK pal, the ball is in your court. Post away!

BTW, Sophie if you're out there lurking about, come on back, we miss you.

[Maple]

Well darned if I just didn't lose my post. I clicked on the X instead of "submit reply". It was a good post too but since you're not around Patti pal, I'm not going to tell you all my news. So there! ROTFL :crazy:

If you are hiding under the table hanging your head in shame you better come out and straighten up or I'll have to send Foxworthy after you. I saw Snickett posting on a birding site awhile back but forgot to take note of the address, so he's lost again. In any case, he sounded fat and happy so what more could one ask for?

I had a nice energetic one hour walk this morning with Porsha. She's a really little walking machine. You should see her go. She out there like she's on a mission and not to be distracted. :work_out:

[PattiG]

I'm here, I'm here!

It's been a hectic two days since Thursday night on IM. I ran into a wall (figuratively speaking) with my application to the university and I've been begging, pleading, and talking as fast as I could to get past one moronic secretary in the depart who was the cause of it all. Anyway, I got things straightened out and have spent the rest of the time completing my application, writing three essays, and arranging to get all my other supporting documents (transcripts, recommendations, etc) all submitting for Monday. I'm done. Now all I have to do is sit back and what (??) weeks for an answer.

Therefore....let's leave Snickett and Foxworthy to their own devices. I don't need to be explaining things to them! lol

I've been pretty good OP today and did manage to get on the treadmill for a half hour this morning. Tomorrow I'll go to my WW meeting and get on board 100%.

OK, what's your news? Your post didn't get lost, I see two of them from tonight. Was there more or are you just messing with my head???. On another note....I think you are crazy. First day back OP and you're tempting yourself with 4 pt freshly made home-baked cookies? You really do like to punish yourself!

Last thing...you're going to a Cher concert? I thought she completed her "Farewell Tour" about 4 tours ago! This woman never quits. Seriously, I thought she had thrown in the towel last year? I'm sure you'll enjoy the concert. I saw her show many many years ago (come to think of it, it was MANY MANY years ago!) and she was terrific.

Yes, I'll be here for IM on Monday. Have a good night!
Patti

[Maple]

Well now, what a surprise to see both my posts. I swear the first one wasn't there so I did anyother one. LOL Not messing with your head pal..........messing with my own it appears. I'm glad you finally got everything sorted out. Phew! What a lot of work you had to do just to be considered. What did you write the essays on?

I NEVER ATE ANY COOKIES! I'm so proud of myself and there is still one lonely little one there.........I'll "make" my DH eat it before we go out so it won't be there after I have a glass of wine with dinner. Can't take any chances now can I? As for dinner I have 5 points left for the day and I plan on using 2 of them for my glass of wine. :confused: I will be looking for a very veggie dinner for sure. LOL

My neck still isn't better and I had to lie down this afternoon to try to nap off the headache. I know all the things to do to fix the problem but it takes time and careful exercise. At least it's not my legs so I can still walk. Speaking of which, I walked twice yesterday. 60 mins. fast and 40 mins. slow. Today there won't be any walking so I'm glad I did the extra yesterday.

I'll be looking for you on Monday...........let me know how you did at WW this morning. I weigh in first thing Monday morning.

[PattiG]

Hi There,

I must have missed something in one of your posts about your neck. I went back but couldn't find it. What's going on? I've gotten some wicked headaches from pulled neck muscles, are you on any kind of muscle relaxants or something?

I think we did equally as well with our exercise. You were really charged today, huh? Two long walks in one day. Very very impressive. I was up and on the treadmill first thing this morning for an hr. I can't wait till it's nice enough outside to do this regularly on weekends. This morning was cold, grey, nasty, and foggy.

I was thinking about the points you saved for the glass of wine tonight. I know they say that as long as we count it into our daily plan, anything goes. BUT...just be careful not to do that every night (if you have a glass with dinner each night, or whatever). Wine has a lot of sugar. I'm thinking it would be comparable (I'm wildly exaggerating here)....skipping the healthier stuff and filling up with empty calories. Technically we shouldn't eat a candy bar a day even if we work it into our program. Make sure the wine doesn't become your candy bar and derails your good efforts. It's hard to stick strickly to 4 oz. lol I wouldn't.

On the WW front, I weighed in this morning. Haven't lost anything since last week. I didn't expect to, but I do expect to see something grand by week's end. I'm in full battle gear now. I think we both are! :bcbsalute:

Patti

[Maple]

Don't worry about the wine. I don't have it regularly so when I leave room for a glass or two it isn't an issue. I do however, understand what you are saying and your point is a valid one for sure. The concert was excellent. I think I wore most of my wine off with standing up cheering and clapping. LOL I don't see another glass of wine in the near future so I'll be using all my points for heathier fare for quite some time now.

As for my weigh-in results. It's a bit complicated. I am down .8#'s since two weeks ago BUT since I gained last week (4 really bad days in that week) I'm down 2.8#'s since last week. To put it in a nutshell, I averaged a .4# loss each week for the last 2 weeks. Our one week challange began last Friday and that is the weight I'll be comparing with this Friday. Are you confused yet? I am. LOL

You are right about missing something in my post. What I thought was the lost post wasn't after all. Darned if I can remember what I said in it either. Something about an old neck injury I think. Yes, I am taking a muscle relaxant and I also have a small electro gizmo that sends pulsing currents to the muscles involved which works like a hot d***. I'm much better today so I know I'm on the mend. (LOL I got censored!)

I'm supposted to be concentrating on paying bills and got side tracked here so I better quite playing around and finish the bookkeeping chore.

UPDATE:

The day is over and I'm off to bed for an early night. Sorry we didn't connect on IM tonight. Try tomorrow?

[PattiG]

ROTFL I'm trying to figure out what word you used that started with a "d" that you got censored for! I'll just have to call you smutty mouth from now on. lol

So far so good today. OP all the way and 3.3 miles in 56 minutes on the dreadmill tonight. Suffice it to say, I'm tired. I don't see you on IM so I'm going to hit the pillow.

BTW, we've got a robin's nest in the tree right next to our back door. You can just about see the nest from the inside of the house, so we're getting a front seat viewl. I can't wait for my little birdlets to be born. It'll be great!

[Maple]

We've got a robins nest right outside the french door in our bedroom. It's up under the eaves on the ell of the downspout. So we'll both have birdlettes soon. :headover:

I didn't get out for much of a walk today........too busy waiting for the fridge repair man to call. What a waste of time that is! I only managed a little 20 minute walk along our trail with the dogs. Tomorrow I'll do better. The good thing was I got the pantry and fridge freezer cleaned out while I waiting for the service call.

We are having some really good low tides at a convenient hours right now so I'll be back walking the beach this week instead of forest trails. Of course, that will only apply if the weather stays warm like it's been lately. If a storm blows up I'll retreat to the protection of the forest. Everyone here is running about in summer clothing now. Lots of shorts, halters and sandals. I'm not in short shape at the moment............... :ugh: But I will be! :work_out: