My Last Entry

For November, that is. ^^

I did better, today. I came in just over 1400 calories and no whirling and scrabbling in the noggin. It wasn't a struggle. I didn't have to fight or white knuckle it. Maybe I will be going into some smoother sailing, again. Looking back over my daily calorie log for the month, it has been a rough go. I have had good days and bad. More good, but not enough to count this month as a fist pumping victory. More like I dragged myself, kicking and screaming the whole way. :P

I baked a butternut squash for dinner, tonight. Yum! Easy to do and so tasty. I should have let it go a little longer, tho. It was still a tad stringy and undercooked in spots. But boy was it ever tasty. I had it with some salt (a little salt... :P) pepper and some buttery spray. I am going to stock up on more squash when I go shopping. I have developed a real taste for the stuff.

Turns out that I am going to have to alter my outdoor lighting plan. We are not going to be able to hang my icicle lights all the way across our condo at the roof line as I had wanted to. It is too high up and an extension ladder won't work. So, I am going to just hang them above my front balcony and across the railing. I'll do something with my pearl lights, too. And the tree I put up out there has coloured lights on it but I am going to string clear lights on it and use them, instead. I think that should do the trick. I should pick up one of those cheesy plastic star toppers with lights and reflectors all over it to top the outdoor tree. I like a nice mix of kitschy and classy in my Christmas decorations. :D

I think I will make a cup of herb tea. I just need to choose peppermint or country peach. Those are my two faves from the Celestial Seasonings line.

Okay. Brain dead, now. So I am going to go. :)

Boring Day

Just doing housework, laundry, goofing around on my puter and trying to stay on track. And warm. Let's not forget that. It is 49 degrees, today so we are having a heatwave. lol

Other than that, nothing much of any interest is happening. And I can't think of a frakking thing to say. I just wanted to check in and now I am going to go read your blogs and catch up with everyone.

Later. :D

Warm

Good morning, lovebugs. I hope that you are all keeping warm on this crisp morning. It is a brisk 19 degrees, in my neck of the woods. I am sitting here, under my heating vent soaking up the soft, warm breeze blowing down upon me. Feels so good.

Okay, I just have to say, extra coarse sea salt is baaad. Bad for me, anyway. I am, as I think I have mentioned before a bit of a salt freak. And lately I have been over indulging in gourmet extra coarse sea salt. Well, that extra coarse salt is like little nuggets of crack for me. I was putting them on everything. Even eating them right out of the jar. I know... Bad. And boy did it ever catch up with me. Yesterday, I woke up and I was so puffy I couldn't make a fist. My hands were that swollen. So, the crack extra coarse salt has been stashed away and I am punishing myself with just regular old table salt. And a lot, lot less of it. I like being able to use my hands.

Will I ever learn? :P

I am still having good days and not so good days. More good days than not but still... It is slowing me down and I know that I am not going to make my end of the year goal and that pisses me off. I am responsible. And I am perfectly capable of doing what I need to do. Why I am choosing to sink myself some days is what I seem to be struggling with. And it is stupid, when I sit and really think about it. I really don't have an excuse. I just need to keep my shit together and keep looking forward. I am not going backward. I can't and I won't.

I finally talked the males in my life into bringing up my tub of icicle lights. I am going to get them out, look them over and test them. I'll mark any bulbs that must be replaced then run to Wally World and pick up replacement bulbs and some gutter clips (I have shingle clips...) and then Husband can get them up on the roof line. (I don't do ladders.) I am going to hang some in the back, too. And leave them up all the time. I can use them as extra light when I am grilling after dark. I need more light out there. Cooking by the light of one lower watt yellow bulb sucks big ones.

I can't wait to get seriously into my Christmas decorating. I am so ready for some twinkle, sparkle and colour, around here. :D

It is colder here than in Chicago. Imagine that. :P

Okay, I want another cup of coffee. Then I suppose I should have my brekkie and get some stuff done around here.

Dusted

I woke this morning, looked outside and it was as if someone had held a giant shaker of powdered sugar over town and given it a good shake. The ground is dusted with a fine sprinkling of sugary snow. The tattered remnants of the clouds that gifted us with our first snow of the season are being chased away by a brisk, cold wind.

Hello Winter.

Methinks it is time to start hanging Christmas decorations. I feel the need for sparkle. Lots of sparkle. I do think I am going to edit what I put up this year, tho. When I put out everything I own, it all overwhelms this little place. And I think that this year, I am going to do all clear lights. I did a mix of clear and coloured, last year.

I promised to cook a nice brekkie for the boys, this morning. I have had my first cup of coffee and can begin to function so I suppose I should get to it.

Spaghetti Squash Bake

Hello my fellow frozen weight loss warriors. It be cold, hey? It is 29 degrees, right now here in Prescott. Brrr. I am sitting by my fireplace, trying to thaw out and wake up. I am having a brain dead morning and I have a migraine firing up so please to forgive if this post makes little or no real sense. :P

Last night, I made a spaghetti squash bake for dinner. And, if I do say so myself, it came out pretty yummy. My husband didn't go anywhere near it. He won't even try new foods. He decides it is gross, just from the name and that is that. But my son loved it. He inhaled over half the casserole dish full. I ate a pretty nice sized portion, myself.

This took a little doing, but it wasn't complicated. And you could make it faster by using jarred sauce. Which I would have done, had I had it on hand. But since I didn't, I made my own.

As I assembled this recipe, I calculated the total calories in all ingredients, added it all up and then divided to get calories per serving. The entire pan of this stuff came out to 868 calories. Four servings would be 217 per serving. Three servings, 289 serving and two huge eat like a field hand and gobble like a hog servings are 434 each. Not too bad. Even tho I didn't eat a full half the pan, I counted mine at that calorie rate, since I am all about rounding up. :D Spaghetti squash is 23 calories for 1/2 cup and 1/2 cup weighs in at two ounces.

Okay, here is the recipe. This is really flexible, add meat or veggie protein or veggies, different herbs and so forth to suit your own tastes and nutritional needs. (Just remember that with changes, you have to calculate calories.)

One spaghetti squash (I had 32 ounces of squash strings after nuking and shredding.)
1/2 cup-ish finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms
4 T. tomato paste
1small can tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice (I think next time I am going to drain the diced and use extra tomato sauce, instead, the juice makes the sauce a tad watery after baking.)
1 ounce shredded 2% cheddar cheese
Herbage of your choice
Cooked meat, fowl, veggie burger or crumbles, if desired

Preheat your oven to 375 and lube a two quart casserole dish with Pam.

In a large saute pan heat a little Pam, then add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Salt lightly to make the 'shrooms give up their moisture and cook until the onions are slightly transparent and the liquid from the mushrooms has pretty much cooked down. Add tomato paste and stir it all together. Then dump in the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir well, then add herbage of your choice. I used a little more salt, some black pepper and a little oregano. I prefer basil but I didn't have it on hand. Let your sauce cook for a while, stirring now and then. Taste and adjust seasonings to your own preference.

While your sauce is simmering, bake or nuke your spaghetti squash, shred it and place it in a large mixing bowl. Add your sauce and stir it all together gently and transfer the whole business to your casserole dish. Level it off and sprinkle the top with the cheese. Toss it in the oven and let it bake until it is all bubbly and hot and the cheese is gooey.

Chow down.

Here is a pic of my dish, from last night.

I am embarrassed to have you see the handles on that dish! It is clean, but the handles have a baked on build up that just won't scrub away, any more. *face is red*

It is chilly, chilly this fine, sunny morning. A little warmer than mornings have been, lately. It was on the upper twenties for a low. Downright balmy. :P

I think I have more to talk about but my head is really ramping up and I am starting to have trouble thinking and typing. So, I'll catch up with you all, later. *kisses*

Nonsense~~No Nonsense

You have probably seen it, my blog "motto". No nonsense. It suits me. I am kind of a no nonsense kind of girl, most of the time. I am practical, realistic, down to Earth and not much into putting up with bullshit.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about No Nonsense and I have come to the conclusion that this motto can be a lesson and reminder to me. Nonsense... Ill advised eating and snacking. No nonsense... Staying on track and within my calorie target range. Nonsense, standing in front of my pantry cabinet and sneaking a few potato chips. No nonsense, walking past that damned pantry cabinet and forgetting that those stupid chips exist.

I was fantasizing about Son's left over green bean casserole, earlier. I was playing head games with myself. That nonsensical voice was whispering about how good it would taste, all heated up. How it is just this once, that in spite of the mondo calorie load, I have worked hard, it is Thanksgiving weekend and I deserve it. Nonsense. The voice, the desire to heat and gobble that stuff is nonsense. And I am not going to do it.

I need to go troll through Lyn's blog. She had a post a while back on how to prepare a spaghetti squash in the microwave. I have a spaghetti squash on top of my fridge, a few cans of diced tomatoes, some tomato paste and some fresh garlic and mushrooms waiting to make into dinner, tonight. Maybe I'll grate a little light cheddar and pile it all into a baking dish and toss it in the oven until it is all bubbly and gooey. I wish I had some veggie crumbles for protein... Unfortunately, there is no leftover turkey. That would have been good.

Oh! My green bean dish, from yesterday. I don't have exact measurements, I don't measure. But here it is:

A bunch of long, skinny, fresh green beans, topped, tailed, steamed, shocked, drained and set ready.
A can of  sliced water chestnuts, drained. (A two serving can.)
Half or 2/3 packet of slivered almonds. (A little packet, with two servings.)
A package of sliced mushrooms. (Or slice up whole 'shrooms.)
A little chicken or vegetable broth.
A fat clove of garlic, smashed and minced.
A little fresh onion or shallot, finely diced.
Pam and buttery spray.
Salt and pepper.

Heat a saute pan lubed with some Pam. Add onion, garlic, 'shrooms. Salt and pepper lightly and saute, adding a little buttery spray when needed to keep things moving nicely until the mushrooms are starting to brown a bit. Add the sliced water chestnuts and almond slivers and more buttery spray, saute a bit more, then add the broth and cook until it reduces away (this will happen fast) and a little more spray, cooking until the chestnuts and almond slivers brown a bit. Add green beans, a little more broth, a bit more buttery spray, you get the idea until the beans heat and are coated nicely. Taste and adjust seasoning. (You can add additional herbs and so forth that you might like.) Chow down.

I don't know what the calorie count is, since I didn't weigh or measure, but taking the almond slivers into account, I guesstimated my portion of this dish at 300. I think that was a little high... But in my opinion, better safe than sorry. I really should measure and weigh, next time I make this so that I can compute the calories. :P

Oh man, that heat feels so good. I am finally warming up.

I am ears deep in laundry and I am taking some foundation for a test drive. I like some things about it... Not so much others. I think this might have to go back. Porcelain Ivory... Not really. We'll see how it wears and how my skin feels about it, over the course of the day. And what the shade looks like. So far, I am not in love.

Okay, I think I will make some lunch. I am getting hongry.

Thanksgiving is My Bitch

I ended the day at 1850 calories. Considering it was Thanksgiving, that I had an extra roll with dinner and an avocado for lunch... Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all. Still in weight loss territory for me. Comfortably so. I not only had an enjoyable day and a delicious dinner, I learned that I can chow down, fill my tummy to complete happiness, have flavour and fun and not blow myself out of the water.

I expect a bit of puff action... I was kind of a bad girl with the salt. (Gets me, every time, dangit!) But a few days of downing fluids will take care of that.

I made a yummy green bean dish that Son and I both went over the moon for. I will most likely make it to go with Christmas dinner, too. I think I have found a very nice substitute for my much beloved green bean casserole. I'll post the recipe-ish if anyone is interested. I say recipe-ish because I don't measure when I cook. I just close my eyes, throw stuff in the pan, give it all a stir and see what comes out. :P In this case, it was something kinda tasty.

Yeah. That extra roll. Rhodes Warm and Serve rolls. The bestest frozen, ready to bake rolls, evah! Seriously delicious. Soft, but not too squishy, ever so slightly sweet, yeasty and rich. Lovely little goblins, they. And at 160 calories a piece, definitely workable into my diet, from time to time as a treat. I know better than to have two. I really do. But they were so. good. And I just... Wanted one more. So I had it. It wasn't mindless, I made the conscious decision to go for it and I logged the calories. Kind of like that damned avocado I ate with my turkey sandwich for lunch.

Yes, I had a turkey sandwich for lunch.

Before I had turkey for dinner. :P

I made the easiest turkey on the planet, today. Jennie O Oven Ready boneless, skinless turkey breast. Freezer to oven, after preheating, one minute flat. Line a small baking dish with foil (to catch drips and make for easy cleanup of pan :D) Open outer bag, place turkey breast in the oven cooking bag in the pan, poke a few holes in the bag and toss it into the oven. 2 1/2 hours later, perfect, moist, juicy white meat turkey. Fast, easy and fool proof. Exactly my kind of cooking. Or roasting, in this case. :D I did a full sized Oven Ready turkey, one year. It was also lovely and delish. And easy-peasy.

I even got some exercise, today. We did some running around, went to Safeway and WalMart for some stuff.Came home and put everything away, then I had some foundation to return to CVS and since they were open, I went in, returned the makeup and concealer (why is drugstore makeup so dark? Ivory, my ass!) picked out lighter shades of foundation and concealer, searched frantically for Revlon Purplex. Didn't find it, Begged the gal working there to see if they had it in the back. She refused. Bought a couple of Milani polishes instead, then went to several more stores, searching frantically for the polish I wanted. And still want. I couldn't find it, anywhere.

Prescott sucks. Seriously. If we get something new in stores, it is so much later than other places. I hate that. Now I am going to be a bundle of nerves until I find and get a bottle of that frakking polish. Why can't stores around here just get them in when everyone else does?

So, with all of my shopping, running up and down and up and down my stairs several times and in and out of store after store, I got a pretty nice little walk.

I gave Sabryna her Ultimate Busy Bone just as we sat down to eat dinner. Now, small Busy Bones are gone in less than five minutes. They are a mere chew for that mutt. Full Sized Busy Bones can last fifteen, if we get the Ultimate. The one she got, today was for big dogs and it was huge. That sucker cost five-fifty. And it was worth every penny. It took Sabryna an hour and ten minutes to eat that thing. And we got to eat in peace. No begging, no obnoxious barking and speaking (serves me right, using food to teach her to speak and whisper :P) or breathing on us while we chowed down on our turkey and trimmings. Marley got a saucer of bits and pieces of turkey, which he happily ate and licked the saucer clean.

I had planned to make this post a quickie, tonight.

You know what they say about best laid plans.

He he. Get it? Quickie? Laid?

Har. Har.

I kill myself, sometimes.I'm just so freaking fonny.

Oh, and did I mention is was cold, today? It got down to 14 degrees, last night. Our high was 42. Brrr! And it is cold again, tonight. We are supposed to get to a low of 19. I do believe that cooler weather has finally settled into the area.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to pop in and wish everyone who is celebrating today a happy, healthy, safe and fun Thanksgiving.

I luvs ya guyz! <3

What a Bunch of Idiots!

I just finished watching The Biggest Loser. I can't believe the elimination. Finally, one of The Evil Triad, Fredo was below the yellow line. It was time to cut the head off the monster. They had the perfect opportunity to break up The Evil Triad and they didn't do it. Ada, Elizabeth and Mark just fucked themselves over and ruined any chance of coming out on top. They, through some misguided sense of loyalty kept Fredo in the house. Don't these morons understand what is happening? Are they that easily led? Stupid sheep.

All I can hope for is that The Evil Triad have a couple of really bad weeks and get their comeuppance.

It is a cold, cloudy day, today. No rain, of course. California wrung all the good stuff out of my clouds, leaving us high and dry. I guess that is why this area is called The Desert Southwest. :P I hate the desert.

Oh my! Aren't I just a frakking ray of sunshine? Little Miss Cheerful. Madam Happy Pants.

I am a little pissed, right now. No, actually I am a lot pissed, right now. Husband has landed his ass squarely in the doghouse, once again and I am in a rather bad mood because of it. I'll get over it. I have no choice, at this time. But I am indulging in a little being madder than a hornet, for a while. I am not taking this out on myself. I don't deserve to suffer because my husband is a certifiable idiot.

Dang, it is cold. I think I am going to make a big mug of tea, enjoy it, then I can jump in the shower. My hair wants washing.

Brrr.

I Got This

Hello chickens. :D How's everyone?

I am well and I am feeling pretty good about things. Another good day is in the books. If I choose to have my before bed sugar free cocoa, I will end the day just under 1400 calories. Right on target. :D I came in at 1150, yesterday.

Seems that a good, hard shake was exactly what I needed. And, knowing that my "fatter" clothes are now gone has served to make the fire under my ass a little hotter. lol Which isn't a bad thing. I need a little hotter ass, don'tcha think?

I could definitely stand to have it smaller.

Brrr... It is cold, here. It was all frosty and icy, this morning and I am sitting here, all cold and wanting to turn on my fireplace. But my husband would scream bloody murder if I do. He runs hot. And he hates it when I have any heat on. That nut job likes to run the A/C in his work truck when it is snowing. Insane. Maybe I'll go put on a fleece. I need to run and pee... I could grab a warmie, at the same time.

Stupid overheated husband, anyway...

I need to finish shopping for Thanksgiving, tomorrow. Just have a little more stuff to grab and get a few other things to just eat. After all, Thanksgiving dinner is only one meal, and since I am not cooking to have a bunch of leftovers, it is just one meal. Not The Once and Future Meal.

Oh, golly, am I not clever? :P

Geeze! I'm cold. My little choppers are actually chattering.

That's better. I am a little warmer, now.

Stupid, overheated husband, anyway...

Thanksgiving Menu Plan

Kimberly asked what we were fixing for Thanksgiving. I am roasting a boneless turkey breast and make a box of Stove Top for my son. I am making a small pot of mashed potatoes for the boyz, and a small green bean casserole for my son. I am making lower fat turkey gravy. There will be roasted sweet potatoes and I am going to steam fresh green beans and toss them with some slivered almonds, mushrooms and water chestnuts. I might make a version of Waldorf Salad. For dessert, I am baking off a frozen pumpkin pie for the guys and I am going to bake me an apple or make a sugar free apple cinnamon, caramel crumble thing I have an idea for.

It writes up as more than it really will be. :D  I think it will be yummy and for me, anyway, very healthy.

Doing Better

I think I just needed to grab myself by the scruff of the neck and give myself a little shake. I am doing much better, today. I feel calmer, more in control and not freaking myself out and letting stupid thoughts talk me into bad for me actions.

Thank you all so. much! for your support and encouragement and ass kicking and just being here, whether you comment or not. You are all my lifeline. And I couldn't do this, as well as I am without all of you. <3 <3 <3

Well, I took a step past the point of no return, today. I cleared out some of the 5X and 6X tops out of my closet, five of them and offered them on Freecycle. I received five replies, but one lady's e-mail really touched me. So much so that I decided to offer her one of my fleece jackets and a pair of stretch denim pants, as well. I think she will probably accept the additional items. I just wish I had more to shre with her, right now because I think that she really needs these things.

Anyway, the step past the point of no return is that I have a pair of identical pants a couple of sizes smaller to the pair I offered to this gal. I discovered the other day that much to my delight that they now fit me. (I haven't worn those pants in years.) So I am wearing them out and about and the larger pants were just hanging in my closet, taking up a much needed for other stuff hangar. If the gal to whom I offered the larger pants accepts them, they will be gone. Forever. No going back. No safety fatter pants. No fallback. I am committed to staying on track, because going heavier will not be an option. I won't have anything to cover my arse, if I do.

Incentive, indeed. People don't need to be seeing my bare arse. Waaay too much cottage cheese action, going on back there. Not a pretty sight. lol Besides, it is Winter-ish. I would freeze my ass off. And, I might not like the size of my ass, right now but I still kinda need it. It has a job to do. :P

Day after tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, here in the states. Do all of my fellow turkey gobbling Americans have your Thanksgiving plans firmed up? Your calorie coping strategies in place? Healthy options ready to place on your table, or pack up to haul over the river and through the woods so that you can get through the day the best way you can? I do. And I am looking forward to the holiday. I will have both of my guys here and I have kitteh treats for Marley and a huge Ultimate Busy Bone as a Thanksgiving treat for Sabryna.  It is going to be just the five of us, this year. A quiet, laid back, easy day, for a change. I love and enjoy the all day cookathon and I love, love, love to entertain and have company but a more intimate holiday will be a lovely, welcome respite. :D

Oh, speaking of Sabryna... She is feeling fine. She has always had a goosey tummy, has always been prone to tossing her cookies. It is a pain in the ass and gross, in the extreme. But it is how she rolls. She actually knows to ask to be put outside when she feels as if she is going to hurl and most of the time, I can get her outside before she blows. But I was asleep, when she was sick, this morning so she had no choice but to lose it all over my floor. Poor baby girl. I know that she didn't want to barf in the house.

Now, if I could just teach Marley to hack up his frakking hairballs in his litter box, instead of under my dressing table or my bed... :P

A Sunshiney Day

All of my beautiful rain and clouds have blown away and the sun is shining brightly. My lovely interlude is over.

My weekend, nutritionally wasn't so lovely. I didn't eat enough to gain weight but I certainly didn't eat to lose. I am frustrated with myself. I have really been struggling to stay on track and I don't know what my damage is. I do know that I am allowing myself to slide off track. And it is time to tighten the reigns and get myself back under control.

A lower calorie ceiling is called for. I keep allowing myself to get away with this oh, it is just a couple of hundred over and it is okay and it is getting out of control. So, back to my tougher target range. 1200 to 1400. 1400 is my ceiling. And it is not glass.

I have come too far, worked too hard to let myself go back, now. I will get past this. I just have to do it, soon.

I allowed myself to sleep in, this morning. I needed rest and some additional sleep. I should have gotten up at my usual time. When I came out to my kitchen to put on my teakettle, I saw that my laundry room floor was covered in dog vomit. It. Was. Disgusting. I had to clean up all that barf and wash my floor. The whole time, I was gagging and came dangerously close to adding to the mess. Blech! Gross! What a way to start my day.

At least I got a good night's sleep and actually feel rested. :P

So, yeah. Shitty weekend. Barfy morning. I hope that today is a little better. Food and dog stomach wise. lol

I have laundry to do. I suppose I should get to it.

Happy day.

I Didn't Post Yesterday, Did I?

Not too much to yap about, really. I had a kind of rough couple of days, eating wise. No bingeing but not on track, either. I am getting my shit back together... This is not the beginning of a slide or anything. Just being stupid. I used being upset at my husband, yesterday as an excuse.

Yeah, like that is a valid reason. Still haven't learned not to use food as a drug, have I? I still fall back into this old, bad pattern, on occasion. I don't do it often, anymore. I need to learn not to do it, at all.

*sigh*

Other than that, not too much going on around here. I need to get ready to go, in a bit. I have errands to run, shopping to do.

The Weather Channel has their graphics messed up. I just glanced up at the screen and they had Phoenix at 76 degrees and snowing. :P

Creeping... Creeping...

I weighed, this morning. 316.4 down 1.8 pounds. I'll take it. :)

Creeping slowly, steadily downward.

Tammy, I read your comment on my last post and almost sprayed coffee all over my laptop. Damn, girl. You are as evil as I am. ^^ lol But seriously, no. I don't buy the turnovers and make them for him. He buys them, brings them home and asks me to bake them off for him. I won't even pick up the box and put them in the cart at the grocery store. As I have said, before he has to have his own come to Jesus moment. I can't do that for him. I would, if I could.

It is a brisk morning. The temp is up to 28 degrees. My cat is blissing out in front of my fireplace. I am enjoying my first cup of coffee of the morning. My brain is slowly waking up and my eyes are beginning to focus. I might actually be awake.

Maybe. :P

Getting to Know You... All Over Again

So, I was in my bathroom this afternoon, brushing my choppers. I don't normally brush after lunch but I had fish for lunch and nothing says fresh, minty breath quite like a hunk of salmon. Yeah... Not. lol So, anyway, I was in there, brushing away and I had my left hand fisted and propped on my hip. I looked in the mirror and saw something unfamiliar on my left arm. A lump? A bump? I lifted my arm and gazed, trying to figure out what it was.

Then it hit me. Holy shit! It was my wrist bone!

Welcome back, old friend.

It's been a long, long time.

It's nice to see you, again. :D

It is another sunny day. It was a tad warmer than yesterday. We have the dining room window hanging open, right now. And it is likely to stay that way for a while, since I am going to bake off another batch of frozen cherry turnovers for my husband and son.  Husband keeps chewing on cherry turnovers and he is going to have problems. Add the sugary soda and other stuff he has reintroduced to his repertoire and he is just asking for trouble. That borderline diabetic diagnosis is going to be bumped up to diabetes. Full stop.

Oh well. He has life insurance.

And I look good in black.

Why yes, I am a sick, twisted bitch. Thankyouverymuch for noticing.  :P

Look, my husband is a big boy; he is capable of making his own decisions. He knows what he should do and he chooses to do something else. I know where he is with this. And I also know that until he feels the need to do something different, for his own reasons, for himself, he isn't going to do it. And I can't control that. I can only control my own eating habits. When or if he wants support and help, he knows where he can find it.

My eating is on track. I still need to have dinner... Probably soup. Maybe some popcorn, for dessert. We'll see. I am not too hongry, I don't feel the need to feed all that much. I'll play it by ear.

Okay, time to go put the turnovers in the oven.

For My Gift Wrapping Challenged Bloggy Buddies

May I present: How to Gift Wrap a Cat for Christmas.

Just in case you want to give the gift of purr, this Christmas and Holiday season. :D



Not my video, just sharing. ;)

I Knew Better

But I did it, anyway. I tried everything on. And the result wasn't great. Everything is too small and is now resting in my "later container". Some I should be into hopefully by the first of the year, others are going to take more time. *sigh*

I tried a pair of cotton pants, Merona size three (whatever that means... it has been so long since I was in a clothing store, I don't even know sizes, anymore) that I thought wouldn't go on at all. They did but they are a bit too tight for public wear. There are also two pair of jeans, Venetizia, size 7, (again, don't know what that means) that I thought for sure were miles too small. I started to put one pair on and got one leg in and almost gave up, thinking that there was no way in hell I could get both legs in. But I tried and I did get both legs in. And then I thought I would never get them over my thighs. But they did go up over my thighs. I was convinced that they would never go up over my hips. To my utter astonishment, they went all the way on and I was able to button and zip them. No lying on my beg or sucking n required. :D They are just a tad too tight for what I would consider appropriate to wear out. But I will be wearing them very soon.

I know that when I started this odyssey, there is no way I would have been able to put any of those clothes on, even to try them, they would have not even gone onto my body. And I need to pull out of my little funk and remember that progress is being made and that I am 80+ pounds smaller than I was nine months ago. That those jeans that did go up and buttoned and zipped today probably wouldn't have gone past my knees when I weighed 400 pounds.

I have even more incentive to stay on track and keep on keeping on.

It is sunny, 61 degrees and windy, right now. It is supposed to get to 67 by Thursday then back into the 50's and possibly rain, by the weekend. I hoe that we do get some rain. I know it isn't going to happen but I am hoping for rain on Thanksgiving.

Okay. I am going to find some lunch. I will talk to you all, later. :)

Sheet Washin' Day!

Oh joy! Oh boy! Another fine, sunny day and another day in which I get to run my washing machine and dryer. But, I will have soft, smooth, yummy smelling sheets, tonight so it will be worth it. Isn't is lovely to slip into bed between freshly washed, softly fragrant cotton sheets?

I am also planning a trying on clothes marathon for later. A couple of very lovely, very generous ladies shared some clothes with me and I am so grateful. I haven't had anything different, new to me in a long time. I think a few things will fit me, right now and others in a few pounds and a few things will go into my "future container" for when I get a bit more weight off. And, when I get too small for them, I can pass them along to others who can wear them.

Ya know what is frustrating? Is that I have to lose so. frakking. much. frakking. weight to go down sizes. *sigh* And that I wear a larger size than I look or my weight would suggest. It also makes me nuts that women who weigh the same as I do or even a bit more wear smaller sizes than I. I know that it is silly and that I shouldn't compare myself to others or worry about what they can or can't compared to what I can or can't, but I can't help myself. I can't help feeling somewhat okay, more than somewhat envious. And as if it isn't fair. 

I know... What a whiner. Call the waaahhhmbulance. If I want to wear a smaller size, I need to keep my ass on track and get there. It isn't going to happen by magic. Or by whining and feeling envious. 

So there. :P (That was to me... In case you were wondering. ;))

Okay, I need to go toss my sheets in my dryer and make another cup of coffee. I need moar caffeine. I also need something that will make this fucking migraine go. away. Day two of this round and I can barely move my head. Urgh! I am in for a long blow, this time. I was seeing flashy dots in front of my eyes, this morning which is a signal of nothing good. I wish I could just find a hole, crawl into it, go to sleep and wake up when it is over and I can move without my head exploding.

I wonder if I can teach my dog to put my stuff in my dryer and make my bed? :P

Another Good Day

Hey, everyone. I hope that you all had a great day. I had a busy one. Laundry, cleaning, a couple of projects I have been meaning to get to, I frankened some new polishes and did my nails. It is good to keep busy. Keeps me from wanting to stuff my cake hole.

Food is right on track. I have a few calories for a sugar free pudding or a cup of cocoa. I baked off some cherry turnovers for my husband and son, earlier. Needless to say, I will not be indulging. They sure do look good, tho. I love anything with puff pastry and I have to really discipline myself to stay away from those damned turnovers.

My head is bad and I just want to take it off and put it away in a box until it stops hurting. Too bad we can't do that, huh? lol

Okay, I am going to go read blogs for a bit. See how everyone's day went. 

Here is How to Have Three Columns and a Background Without Doing Scary Stuff to Get Them

Hello dearlings. This is a long post and if you are already rocking the blog of your dreams or you are a tech geek with mad skillz, you might just want to skip it! lol

Okay, I am going to do my best to help those who are Blogger newbs to do a few fun things. Once you get the hang of playing with these features, and get a clue here and there from a helpful fellow blogger, it is super easy, fun and safe. None of the things I am going to help you with in this post require meddling in HTML (something I am waaaayyyy too scared to even think about doing! lol) or having to back up or download or anything. All you will have to know how to do is point and click and copy and paste. In fact, if you don't know how to copy and paste, I tell you how, later in this post. :D

Okay, first of all, Joy asked me in comments about tabs at the top of your blog page. I love this feature. It is handy and fun to have on my blog and super easy to get up and running. I have detailed a how-to in this post. As far as the tabby things around my page tabs, they were part of the template I am presently using. Built in and no effort required. I'll get into that, in a bit. :D

Okay, so this whole thing started for me because I was rocking a two column Minima template and wishing I had set up with a three column and kicking myself because I didn't. I have wanted to convert to three columns almost from the beginning and tried and tried to find a way to do it. Sadly, I think that the only way you can get a three column Minima template is to download a clone, go into the guts and brains of the code of your blog and insert the new code and yadda, yadda. Yeah... Not going to happen, with my tech-challenged ways. lol

If you are really tech savvy, go for it. :D This is for those of us who need a gentler road to travel to the joys of blog customization.

Okay, so... You are rocking a perfectly lovely two column Minima blog but wishing for a three column blog. The basics of making this happen are actually quite simple. Remember, everything you do is reversible and you can back out at any time. Once you set up a new template, I don't know how to get rid of it and go back to your original template, but I can imagine that there is a way to do so. Just take this step by step, take your time, play and experiment and you will soon have the blog of your dreams. Or one that you can at least be really happy with.

Changing Your Template

Step One: Get a cup of coffee. Seriously. Because you are going to be at this for a while. Once you get the workings, you will change this, play with that, tweak this and nudge that and time will fly. Caffeinated? Good! :D Click Design at the top of your page in your Navigation Bar or in your Dashboard.

Step Two: Click on Template Designer. It is at the top of the page, on the left hand side under the tabs. The Template Designer will come up, with new template options at the top and a ghost of your blog at the bottom so that you can see what you are doing as you do it. Which is massively cool, since you see right away if you like it, or not and can then make changes or not, as you see fit.

Step Three: Choose a new template. You will have to do this to get three columns. You can not change to three columns with the basic two column Minima template. The designer will not allow it. So, time to go shopping for a new template. This how-to is restricted to the templates available in this feature. If you want off site templates, lovie, you are on your own. ;) Choosing a template is simple. There are six basic designs and each design has several options for some customization.

Step Four: Choose a template. There is Simple, Picture Window, Awesome, Inc., Watermark, Ethereal and Travel. Scroll through and click on one that interests you and see if you like it. Try on one or all six, switch back and forth and make a choice.

Step Five: Choose the customizations for that template. For example, Watermark has options for pretty birds flying across the page, stripes and so forth. Tabs to go around you new top of blog pages that you did after following my link are built in, you don't have to do anything. Yay! :D  You can choose to Apply to Blog at any time and you can change it at any time. So don't freak if you make a choice and decide you hate it, You can change it. Just go back and follow the steps. :) Play with these, switch back and forth, whatever to get the look you are going for. And remember, if you like a template and option, but hate the fonts and colours, those can be changed, later!

Step Six: Now that you have your new template, it is time to go fetch your three columns!

Switching to Three Columns

Step One: While still in Template Designer or after returning there, click on Layout. Then Body Layout. There are a bunch of different options for two and three column layouts. In the below part, your Design Page will be up so that you can see the column layouts as you choose them. Take a look at the layouts available, then start clicking and see what is going to work well for you, your blog and your needs. I chose the basic three column, with a wider middle and two slightly more narrow sidebars. But there are a lot of options, so just play with it until you get the one that you are going to love. Oh, and don't freak out if your stuff is all rearranged, you can plug everything back into it;s new slots and spaces, later. Also, you might see that your Followers are gone or your slideshows are tiny, don't worry, that will all be back to normal when you get back to your live blog.

Step Two: If you want to change your footer design, click Footer Layout and choose the footer layout that will work for you. I imagine several columns in your footer would be handy if you have or plan to have ads, and so forth.

Step Three: Adjust Width. Click Adjust Width and nudge and tweak your columns and overall width to suit your needs and the images and graphics you like to carry in your sidebars. I had to make my sidebars a little wider to accommodate some wider graphics I carry, so my post section is a little more narrow. And I also wanted to add a custom background, so I had to keep that in mind, too. (More on custom backgrounds, later. dearlings.) I have my sidebars set at 230 and my overall width at maximum. There is a little overrun of the background but it doesn't bother me, right now. It might, later, tho. lol You can test drive other widths, but that is where mine is set, at this time. After your choices are made, don't forget to click Apply to Blog so that they stick. If you don't Apply, when you change the page to go back to your blog, you will lose your changes. You should get a pop-up window to remind you to save, if you forget.

Now that you have a template, option and width all worked out, it is time to have some good old fashioned decorating fun.  

A word about custom backgrounds and headers. Most sites, like Shabby Blogs, Cute and Cool and so forth only make backgrounds that work with the Minima Template. However, The Cutest Blog on the Block also accommodates the new built in Blogger Templates. Their backgrounds work best with the Picture Window Template. That is the one I am using. I tried to get a background up with Watermark and wasn't successful. You might have more luck. But, in my experience, Picture Window is the one to chose, if a cutsie background is your style. :D I am sure that backgrounds for Picture Window are available on other sites, as well. But I am just telling about what I know and did. If you want to go off site or away from TCBotB, you are on your own. :)

UPDATE: Shabby Blogs backgrounds now work with the Picture Window template! :D

Once you have your template and option, you can go to Design and rearrange all of your goodies into the columns and footer right where you want them. This took me a little time, since I am a biotch about balance and symmetry and so forth and I wanted things just-so. :P

If you decide you want a background from Cutest Blog on the Block, installing one is easy as being pushed off a chair. Just go to the site (click the link, above) and shop for your background. Any background you choose should be for three column. You need that extra width. Once you have the background you like, click on that background and copy the code. (Click your cursor at the beginning of the code, then while you scroll down, hold your left mouse button to highlight the code. Once it is all highlighted, press Ctrl c on your keyboard. You have just copied the code to your computer's memory.)

Now go to Design and click Add a Gadget in your footer (the bottom of the page) since Picture Window doesn't give you the option of installing at the top of the page, don't ask me why lol and when the popup window comes up, select HTML/JAVASCRIPT. Paste the code in the big box. (To paste, click your cursor in the box and press Ctrl v on your keyboard. You should see all the code you copied in the box. Yes, now you know how to copy and paste. It comes in handy for all kinds of fun stuff, trust me. :D) If it didn't work, don't freak, just try again. Once the code is safely in the big box click Save and go to your main blog page and you should have your background. Please be aware that it most likely will not look exactly like the preview image on the background site. Mine didn't, but I am happy with what is there.

Now that you have your pretty background (or if you just chose to stick with the options offered in the Designer) it is time to customize and really make your blog look like "you". Click Design and go to Template Design, then to Advanced. You will see options for changing your page font, colours, title font and colours, link fonts and colours. There are options for tab colours, the words in your tabs colours, you get the idea. Blogger will suggest colours and you can click the bigger box of colours and choose your very own. You can bold, italic, change font size, just go on down the line, starting at the top and work your way down. You will get the hang of what is what and what you are doing with it all, very quickly and it is a ton of fun. And all changes will show in the "blog" at the bottom of the page, so you know what is going on as you do it. :D

My background has pretty leaves in the centre that I didn't want covered so I chose Transparent for my post and header background. Just click the bigger colour window at the top of the option to get all the colours and the Transparent options. You will find it. :D That way, my pretty leaves show through. If you want a different colour, choose that colour, then adjust font colours or vise-versa. Just play with it until it is all as you like it. Then click Apply to Blog and go back to your live blog and woo-hoo! Customized, pretty, cutsie or whatever you like blog.

All with pointing and clicking and a tiny bot of copy and paste.

If you want a header, I have a post that gives the how-to here! It pretty much works the same way with Picture Window, but your header will be to the left, rather than in the centre. Titles are to the left with this template and I don't know how to change that, so I live with it and I don't really mind it. If it makes you nuts, there is probably a way to centre it. But you will be on your own for that one. :D

So... Okay. I think I covered everything. If I missed anything, if my explanations were too long winded, not clear or you just need more help, feel free to drop me a comment or shoot me an e-mail. My e-mail addy is in my Contact page at the top of my blog page. I will do the best I can to help. Just remember, I am a tech challenged person. (The PC way of saying that I have no business coming within 1000 yards of a computer or any other tech type device. ;) lolol)

So, what are you waiting for? Get your ass back to your blog and get to prettying it up.

Go on!

Get!

And have fun. :D

Happy Sunday :D

Hello everyone. :D

It is a cool but sunny Sunday morning. Almost afternoon, now. I slept a little later than normal, had coffee, fooled around with my blog, (I will do a post on how to get three columns and have cutsie background and so forth without scary mucking about in HTML and having to backup and so forth, if anyone is interested. Just drop me a comment. :D) had a quick brunch of a light Nutri Grain waffle with a fried egg (in Pam, of course ;)) with a half ounce of light cheese. Yummy, filling, protein and cheese and all for only 185 calories. :D

I need to go get in the shower, in a bit. I would like to get to the drugstore and return some stuff, do a little running around and get out of this frakking house for a bit.

My eating was really good, yesterday. I ended the day on target and feeling better and better about myself. Now to keep the momentum. I am allowing myself to slide a bit too much, lately and it is beginning to scare me a little. I can make that work for me. Yes, I can.

Okay, I don't really have any deep thoughts or profound truths to share. I just wanted to natter, a little.

A Pretty Good Day

Today has gone very well. I got a good deal of protein and that helped me keep things nicely under control. I didn't feel as if I wanted to snack between meals and I didn't feel ravenous at mealtime. I still need to have dinner... Haven't decided what I am going to have. Maybe a bagel and some soup... I am not too sure.

Other than that, not too much going on, around here. It was a fairly quiet day. Got the housework done early with Husband's help, played on my 'puter, did my nails, watched some recorded episodes of Parking Wars. That show is hilarious. We both get a kick out of it.

The Sucky Little Drummer Boy is at it, this evening.

Say, does anyone know how to change a blog template from a 2 column Minima to a three column Minima without having to start a new blog or putting the current one at risk? Anyone done it? If so, was it difficult? I would really like to convert this blog and my nail blog to three column, if at all possible. And if it is and I am able to do it, I promise to write a how-to so that anyone else who might be interested can do it, too. :D

Hungry... Want food... I think I will make a salad. Maybe open that pomegranate that is sitting in my fruit bowl, too. :D

Birthday, Feeding Frenzy, Cat Barf and a Boiled Snatch

My cat gave me the perfect Birthday present. A pile of barf under my dressing table.

Husband gave me a card.

I had a feeding frenzy, earlier. I got a hair up my ass and went off on myself a bit. Ya want to know what is fantastic and weird? Feeding frenzy is as far as I could go. I am no longer physically capable of bingeing. Cool, huh? I had too many calories, this afternoon but nowhere near the damage I had decided to do. All in all, it came in under 1000 calories. Some feeding frenzy, huh? lol I am over my snit and back on track.

Dinner will be a good healthy meal. Chicken, a little rice, veg.

Guess my Birthday freaked me out a bit more than I thought it would. lol Food didn't help. Lesson learned. Next time, try vodka. ;) :P

This danged face cream is going back! So is that useless eye roller goo thingy. Garnier skincare... Sucks. Big green donkey dicks. The cream is blah, makes my face red and my eyes itch and burn and the depuffing eye roller is useless. I don't know why I bought that... I don't have puffy eyes. I have dark circles. Anyhoozle, that is over twenty bucks going back into my pocket. And I can get my lovely Neutrogena. I am also returning that crap nail polish I applied, yesterday. If you see it in your local drugstore, Confetti nail polish is garbage. I am not a polish snob... I have a ton of inexpensive drugstore polish that I just adore. This particular brand blows.

So, have you ever boiled your snatch? I did, today. I was in the rare mood for a really hot shower, as hot as I could stand it and a nice steam. So, I fired up my shower and got my lobster on. Turned my little bathroom into a right proper swamp and enjoyed every moment of it. Until I went to rinse my lady bits. I went in with my handheld to take care of the job and... Eeeeeeeeyowch! Boiled snatch. Dumbass me forgot to turn the water temperature down before rinsing that most delicate of areas. I won't make that mistake, again. I still feel a little scalded.

I am glad that this day is almost over. I think I have had enough fun.

Time to go check my rice and chicken. I must be recovering from this afternoon, dinner actually smells good and my stomach is growling.

Later, gators. :)

No Pretzels and Peanut Butter

So, better, today. I had plenty of food and I am satisfied and happy that I didn't snack like an idiot or go overboard. I really do want to hit my first major milestone by the end of this year and I know I can at least get kissing it close if I just stay on track and work my program.

Yesterday, I put on a 3X long sleeved t-shirt. A top I haven't been able to wear for... almost a decade. It just slid right on, I had room in it, it wasn't loosey goosey, it wasn't tight. It just... fit. And no dirty tricks were needed to make that happen.

You know what dirty tricks to which I refer. We do things to keep us wearing clothes that perhaps we shouldn't, out of vanity or necessity. Things like washing everything on the delicate cycle in cold water "to avoid shrinking", then hanging it all up to dry, rather than tossing them in the dryer. To avoid shrinking. If garments are stretchy, stretch them while wet, so that they dry a little bigger. Before you put them on, give them a damned good pull to loosen them up, put them on then pull them front to back, then to the sides. Ahhh... Now that top fits. And pants, pull them on and do squats or sti down a few times to loosen them up so that you don't look like a stuffed sausage casing from the waist down.

So, yeah... No tugging, no stretching, no games. The shirt had been washed on the regular cycle and through the dryer. And it fits me.

I know that 3X is hardly goal size, here but considering the fact that I was bulging out of a 5X (playing the tricks to get into that size) I am pretty happy with the change.

When I was at my heaviest, I wore a size 6X cotton blend bigshirt to WalMart, one day. It was tight across my hips. So tight that while I was in the store, I had to bend down to pick something up that I had dropped. I have to tell you, it is a bitch to bend down and pick something up when you are hefting 400 pounds around and squeezing into a size 6X shirt. Especially in public. Especially when bending over causes your huge belly to really stress your shirt placket and a button, with a little ping! flies off the front of your shirt and goes rolling under a display. Yeah, that was a real red face moment. :P

I don't want any more of those moments. I have had more than my share and I am over them. And I am more than ready to pass them along. Share. Because I am a giver.

Good Morning

How is everyone, this fine Veterans Day morning?

I have a nasty headbanger. Woke up with it and it seems to be settled in for a nice, long visit. Bleargh!

Guess what else I woke up to? Those charming vertical "eleven" lines between my eyes. I literally woke to them, this morning. I didn't have those lines, yesterday. I do, today. What. The. Fuck??? How the hell did that happen? Geeze! A little early birthday present from Mother Nature, I guess. She probably thought that they would go very nicely with my ever increasingly grey hair? Bitch.

 I had a good day with food yesterday. Right up until I decided, for some insane reason that some pretzel sticks and peanut butter would make a good watching a movie snack. What, I couldn't air pop some popcorn? Nooooo... I had to down about 500 calories. Gah!!! *headdesk*

No wonder...

I have no right to piss and moan about slow weight loss. Not when I make idiotic choices like that. *rolling my eyes*.

I would like to make something about my previous post clear, if I may. I am boycotting Amazon until they remove both listings referenced in the article to which I linked. Not just the newer e-book. I don't have a problem with Amazon or any other retailer offering material of a sexual nature, including pornography, as long as that material deals with sexual activity that is between consenting adults. My objection is with books that are telling other pedophiles how to be better child rapists. This isn't about free speech, this is about protecting children from predators. Books that teach predators how to control and train children to be better victims for them should not exist. Children are not sexual beings. And forcing them to become so, in any way, shape or form is nothing short of monstrous. And I refuse to support any retailer that offers such material.

I suppose that one could argue that protesting these listings is a form of censorship, that if Amazon is forced to remove those listings because a segment of the population finds it objectionable, that they should be forced to remove any other books, movies or music others would find equally objectionable, thus putting their entire business at the top of a very steep, slippery slope. This isn't about getting rid of everything anyone might find distasteful, this is about protecting children. And in this instance, we, as humans have to stand up and protect the well being of those who have no voice, no way to defend and protect themselves. This isn't about controlling what content others decide to enjoy, this is about doing what is right. It should be a no brainer. And Amazon should see this, do the right thing and remove the listings.

 This is my choice. I don't presume to tell anyone else what to think or how to act. I don't judge anyone who chooses to continue to shop Amazon. I am merely stating my own position.

I have some housework to get done, I need to make a shopping list and do a few other things around here. I am glad that I got my bathroom scrubbed, yesterday while I was doing laundry. I was going to do it, today but thinks to this frakking headache, I don't feel up to it.  Oh, and just in case anyone is wondering, caffeine isn't a headache trigger for me. I have just as bad bangers without it. Good thing, since I am not willing to give up my fully leaded coffee fix. :P

Okay. Time for my second cuppa.

Outraged

I abhor censorship and I am a firm supporter of free speech and freedom of expression. But Amazon has crossed the line. There comes a time when we as humans have to stand up for what is right, what is moral, to protect and defend the most vulnerable among us.

I am outraged and until Amazon takes the listings down, I will not do business with them.

A Little Movement

Good morning, everyone.

I jumped on my scale, this morning and saw a small amount of movement. 3.4 pounds in two weeks. Not stellar... I only lost .6 pound, last week so that was 2.8 pounds this week. I am not impressed or happy about it. I am culpable and I need to pull my head out of my ass and do better.

I need to find my mojo. My mojo is off wandering around somewhere, sipping lattes at Starbucks, sniffing late season flowers, gazing at fluffy white clouds dancing across the sky, zig-zagging across ripe, golden fields chasing the last butterflies, diving into leaf piles on someones freshly raked lawn.

Stupid mojo.

I am sucking. I am aware of it. I am working on turning it around.

And I am thankful that I at least lost a few pounds and didn't plateau or gain.

*taking a breath* Not freaking out.

I have a goal. One that is in serious jeopardy thanks to my being a lazy, self indulgent slag. And that isn't going to fly. Time to pull myself up short and stop slipping, grazing, picking, snacking, popping a cheese puff here, a handful of Carolina BBQ chips there. Pop chips aren't bad, but two thirds of a bag of pop chips for lunch is. :P

And this shining on exercise thing I am doing... Not cool.

It is a sunny, chilly morning. And my hampers are full. Laundry day. Yay. Nothing like four loads of dirty, smelly clothes to make a girl feel special on a lovely Autumn day. :P

So, I suppose I should get my second cup of java, my oatmeal and then get to it.

Tagged

 I was tagged by Kirsten to answer some questions. Why the fuck can't I turn off the bold? I keep clicking, it just does bold... So I am rolling with it and this entire entry will be bold. Stupid Blogger fucked up copy and paste bullshit. Bah!

So, I need to answer these four questions then pass on four questions. 


So, here we go.  :D

Question #1: Do you think losing weight “this time” will be different? Why or why not?

I do think it will be different, this time. This time I have a better hold on the shit swirling through my head and heart. I am fighting with myself less and feel stronger and more confident about my run at it, this time around.  (And now, I am not typing in bold. *sigh* Blogger is seriously fucking with me. lol)
 
Question #2: What is your philosophy/personal experience with tattoos?

My philosophy is, it's your skin, do whatever the heck you want with it. I don't have any tattoos, but I haven't ruled out the possibility of getting one, one of these days. 
 
Question #3: What’s your favorite ride at amusement parks and why?

Roller coasters. I have an extreme fear of heights and most rides freak me out. Weirdly enough, I feel safe on roller coasters. 

Question #4: In what ways are you blessed and grateful today?

I am thankful to have a healthy family, a roof and employed husband and son. Life might not be easy street, but we are lucky and I know it. 

Okay, now for four new questions. (Get ready for the lamest questions, ever. lol)

Question #1 If you could eat any food at all for 24 hours without gaining weight, what would it be?

Question #2  Briefly describe how you would re-write the life experience of your favourite character in a book or movie. 

Question #3 What female family member has had the biggest positive influence on you and what was the most meaningful advice she gave you?

Question #4  If your blog were eaten by cyber roaches and gone for good, what would you do different in your new blog?

Okay, now to tag some victims participants. Hmmm...

My Lady Debbie :D

My Lady Kristin :D

My Lady Lapband :D

My Lady Leanne :D

If you have already been tagged, hate being tagged, have not time to be tagged, I'm sorry. :D But if you feel like playing, please answer them and pass on four new questions to four people.

Okay, I need to wrap this up. I have to pee like a racehorse and Husband is itching to get the laptop so he can check his e-mail. Should I let him? ^^

Sunday Night

Hello everyone. I hope that you all had a great day and enjoyed your weekend. :D

It was a busy day, around here. I intended to get up bright and early, get out and do some shopping and running around. Yeah... You know what they say about the best laid plans.

I woke up and eleven-thirty this morning. Huh? I never sleep that late. Never. Must have been tired. So, I got my day started, did the housework, with Husband's help, then got ready to go out. We didn't get out the door until two. Did some shopping, then, parched and starved we pulled into Sonic. By then, it was three-thirty and I hadn't had a drop to drink or a bite to eat all day. I had a small diet cherry lime aid, three of Husband's tater tots and two French fries. Finished our running around. (We still need to hit the grocery store, but Husband's back was hurting him and he wanted to go home. *sigh*)

We had roast for dinner. MIL made a big roast and sent over what she and FIL didn't eat. Husband had his with mashed potatoes, I tossed a potato in the micro and nuked it to have with my meat. I had some gravy, too. Probably shouldn't have, since I am not sure how much flour/drippings she used, but I didn't think that a small serving would hurt me, since this was my one and only meal of the day.

I am slurping down Crystal Light as if I just crawled across the desert on my belly. Man, am I dehydrated. 

Have you ever noticed how delicious scented candles smell when you haven't eaten all day? We were looking at and sniffing the candles in CVS and there was a vanilla swirl candle that smelled just like vanilla buttercream frosting. Oh, boy did it smell good. I wanted to eat that candle. lol

I don't really have a lot to yammer about. I just wanted to check in. Say hey. I think I will slide on down to my blogroll and see what all you loverly people got yourselves up to, today.

G'night. <3

*Burp!*

I don't normally have two pieces of chicken for dinner. But apparently I was in need of a little extra protein because I inhaled two boneless, skinless chicken breast halves. By inhale, I mean Hoover. Down the hatch. Sometimes, when your bod demands an important nutrient, you have to just shut up and send it down.

No, chocolate is not an important nutrient. ;) lol Be nice if it were... Imagine if we had to eat chocolate to survive. And it was low in calories and fat free... I could have all the extra dark chocolate I wanted.

Mmmm... Dark chocolate... rich... smooth... silky. Melting...

Okay, where was I before I got sidetracked?

Oh, yes. Dark chocolate.

Mmmm... Dark chocolate... rich... smooth...silky. Melting...

Oops, I did it, again.

I got my little sweet fix from a cherry Fage. It was yummy. :D

I have nothing more profound to talk about, tonight.

My mind is a swim of blankness.

A Call for Support

Troops, Sunshine, a fellow blogger could really use a hug, right now. If you have a moment, could you go and drop her a comment of support, or leave her a hug or two?

Thank you. <3

Well...

That was fun.

Not.

Housework sucketh.

But I do like the results. A sparkling, fresh, clean bathroom and kitchen, shiny floors, freshly vacuumed broadloom free of surface dirt and dog hair, glinting mirrors, glowing furniture and well polished electronics and appliances. Laundry going.

Whew!

Now I get to make a fresh salad, toss a hunk of salmon in and slurp down about a half a gallon of Crystal Light. Cleaning is thirsty work. lol

Later, lovies.

Good Golly, It's Friday

Hello lambchops. I hope that your day is shaping up nicely.

Mine is off to another early start. When the hell did I become Mrs. Takethedogoutbeforeitgetslight, anyway? It was, the dog would start bouncing around and Husband would say, "I'll get her." Now, he pretends not to hear her, keeps lying there and I have to haul ass out of the sack and take her out. Then, thanks to standing out there in the crisp morning air, I am awake and can't get back to sleep, so I don't even bother to try. So, I make coffee, sit down with my lappie and come here, read blogs and bitch about being up too early.

Aren't I just a frakking little ray of sunshine?

I had a Holy Crap! moment, last night. I raised my arm, for some reason and my fat goggles had apparently slipped down my nose because I suddenly realised that my upper arms are smaller, more narrow and I have more batwing action. Yeah, baby. :D Not to the more batwing action, but to more narrow arms. Well, actually to more batwing action, too. More batwing action means smaller arms. So, yeah... To more batwing action, too.

Okay, 'nuff of that shit. lol

So, it is Friday. The weekend is nearly here. Which means... Dun, dun, dun! Guys. Home. Around the house. Underfoot. Driving me crazy with their presence. For two days. *sigh*

So, I am watching a TV show I recorded while typing this and while zipping through the commercials with my handy dandy fast forward button (don't you just love, love, love DVRs? :D) I saw something that made me go, "Huh? WTF???" The thing that made me do that was the flash of a Wii Fit commercial followed by a Mc Rib commercial. One of these things is not like the other. And, call me crazy but do we really need that nasty, fatty, salty assault on our waistlines to return? I am loving the ads that proclaim that they are back for a limited time, so you had better run out and buy as many as you can and eat them as fast as you can, while you can. Before they, as Disney loves to say, "Go back into the vault" so to speak. Gah! 

It is supposed to be 75, today then it is going to start cooling down. We will see highs of 58, by the middle of next week.

I am going to grab another cup of coffee and some breakkie, then I have stuff to do. I'll catch all of you, later. :D

Too Early

My brain is foggy my eyes aren't yet focusing properly. I don't do mornings. Yet, here I sit, fingers dancing slowly, clumsily across my keyboard in an attempt to type something, anything that could be described as vaguely coherent. And I seem to be succeeding, to some extent. I gotta tell ya, sometimes I fucking amaze myself.

Coffee will help.

My dog had to go out at six-thirty. Six frakking thirty. And not to just take a fast pee... Oh, no! She had to stay out there, using her beak all over the place, sniffing and looking and thinking about it and moving on until she found just the right spot in which to bunch up and take a crap. Dude, women don't take as long to find the perfect wedding dress as that dog does finding the perfect place to drop a deuce.

It was crisp, this morning but not outright cold. The sky was a deep slate blue, turning lighter blue in the East, gossamer wisps of cloud were deep pink and orchid and nestled in them was the merest sliver of a crescent moon. In the West it was still dark enough to see Orion, riding high above the horizon. The light breeze pushed the early morning chill right through my lightweight cotton robe and nightshirt, reminding me that, in spite of the warm days, it is Fall.

I have decided not to weigh, today. I am a puffy mess. There is no point and I don't feel like putting myself through all the mental torture. I'll wait until my ankles return to a more normal state and get to it. I feel smaller, tho so I know that fat is leaving me. That is good enough, for now.

My vision is beginning to clear a bit. I might just be waking up. Caffeine... It is a miracle. A true miracle.

I think I am going to do eggs for brekkie, this morning. I notice I snack more (salt... hence the puffiness :P) when I have Cream of Wheat. Hmmm... Interesting.

My headstorm is calming a bit. I have hopes that today will be a bit more pleasant. :D

Okay, 'nuff of this shit. I need to drink moar coffee and read blogs. See what all you fine people are up to, this morning.

Okay. Later, gators. :D

A Morning Quickie

It is supposed to be nearly eighty degrees, today. What month is this? lol

I had a pretty good day with calories, yesterday. Just over 1700... Not exactly what I was shooting for but acceptable. I ate pop chips, last night. I knew better than to even open the bag... But I did. And emptied it. Not acceptable. It isn't the calories as much as the behaviour. If I want them again, I need to get the little snack size bags. Because I know that once I start on them, I won't stop.

Still have work to do.

Moving on.

My head is in an uproar, I predict a fairly quiet, blinds closed day.

I need to go, now. I am typing in Martain. lol

Cynical Much?

However it shakes out, I am going to be so glad to see this election cycle end. I don't know about the rest of you but I am sick of it all. The long, endless campaigning and the relentless, nasty TV ads and phone calls have just about sent me over the edge. Election cycles have become bloated, soul sucking monsters; too long and too mean. It is all out of control and both major parties are equally to blame. This election is important but I can't even muster up my usual enthusiasm to get out and vote.

I just can't make myself do it. I am fed up, disillusioned and cynical. 

I am sitting this one out, folks.

It Was Inevitible

I knew it was going to happen.

It has been building.

Building.

Building.

The mocking.

The taunting.

Getting sick of seeing it every day...

That smug, fat...

I snapped.

 

It was fast... A few swift slashes with my chef's knife and it was all over but the crying.

That pomegranate didn't stand a chance.

What a mess, huh?

But, look at the ruby red, tart-sweet jewels you get for your trouble.

 

Om, nom, nom, nom.  

I am on track, steady and stable. Had a pretty good day. :) 

It is unseasonably warm, here. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 75 degrees. 

Is this November or May? 

*sigh*

ETA: Am I the only one who hates the new photo uploader? Gah! It is driving me in. sane!!!

Happy November!

I love November. It is, in my mind quintessential  Autumn. Around here, November is the month in which the trees really go riot, the temps (usually! lol) really drop and the air just feels... Wonderful. November is when the run up to the holidays begins. Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas.

And, November is my birth month. And this year, rather than just one day, I am going to celebrate all month long. Let's face it, I am getting a little long in the tooth and I don't have as many Birthdays before me as I used to so my new motto is, celebrate the hell out of every damned one of them! :D

Yesterday was Hallowe'en and not one morsel of candy passed my ruby lips. I am really pleased with myself for this. In the past, I would buy several bags of my favourite chocolate bars... Hundred Grand, Milky Way Dark, Mars and so forth "for the Trick-or-Treaters" who never materialized (duh!) and then I would get to eat the "leftovers". All three or so bags of "leftovers". No frakking wonder I ate myself to 400+ pounds. Several bags of chocolate bars will help a person along that path very nicely.

I was walking through my house the other day and caught a glimpse of myself in a large mirror and had a bit of a shock moment. Most of the time, when I see my reflection. I still see good old 400 pound Erika. But, every now and again, I see a glimpse of what I actually look like, now. Smaller. And it is shock. Like many obese persons, I wear a pretty impressive pair of fat goggles. I am able to easily see past reality to what had become my reality. But isn't so much, any more. Look, I get that I am still obese. lol But I am less obese. I am smaller. But it isn't easy for me to see. So, when I do have a flash of reality and see what really is, it brings me up short. I enjoy the thrill of it while it lasts until the goggles slip back into place.

And I am "just me", once again.

I see, in that brief flash, a glimmer of who I am, who I can be, who I am meant to be. I don't know who that woman is... But I know that she isn't who I am, now.

Well, that was all as clear as mud. :P

Okay, I need to get me some brekkie. My stomach is begging for food and I want to cruise my blogroll and see what you are all up to. And what you didn't get up to, last night. ;)