Biggest Loser--Fall 2011 Challenge for Losers & Maintainers!!

[Rose&Mike]

Maria's QOTD: Bippidy Boppity Boo! Your Fairy Godmother will magically transport you to one of four special events! Your choices are all WDW favorites! Will you go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the MK, the Candlelight Processional at Epcot, the Osborne Lights at DS, or Mickey's Jingle Jammin' Parade at AK? Why did you choose your special treat?

Maria

Ok, I am cheating a bit here. I know "My Fairy Godmother" knows what I would like best, and I know she would understand when I say I want to see the Osbourne Lights DURING the W&D Half with no pain during the race, g-f treats at the finish line and no lines in Mexico for my gf after race dinner. (They have one street lit up during the race, and it's my favorite part of the 13 miles, well that and when we see some of the characters from Spectromagic.)

****
I told Sue to put me back as a maintainer. I am back to my maintain weight, and while I would like to lose a couple more, I'm not going to worry about it right now.

I have a question for everyone? What do you all think about changing the maintain range to +/- 3 pounds instead of +/-2 pounds?

It might not seem like much, but I have found that as a girl, the 2 pound range can be difficult at certain times, and I am such an overachiever that I end up very stressed out if I am out of the range even by a bit. Anyhow just thought I'd throw that out there before the next challenge starts.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

QOTD:
i'm assuming that our lovely fairy godmother is also making it the perfect weather for these events, yes? i was in disney last december (by myself with my 19 month old. dumb move) and it was SO cold there was no way i could stay out at night - and that's coming from a northerner! so assuming the temperature is at least 45 degrees i would choose the candlelight processional since i haven't done that yet.

lisa - amazing weight loss!! you are so kicking you-know-what this challenge!

 

[my3princes]

Maria's QOTD: Bippidy Boppity Boo! Your Fairy Godmother will magically transport you to one of four special events! Your choices are all WDW favorites! Will you go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the MK, the Candlelight Processional at Epcot, the Osborne Lights at DS, or Mickey's Jingle Jammin' Parade at AK? Why did you choose your special treat?

Maria

We would choose MVMCP. Rides, shows, parade... ah I wish I were truly being transported there.

Ok, I am cheating a bit here. I know "My Fairy Godmother" knows what I would like best, and I know she would understand when I say I want to see the Osbourne Lights DURING the W&D Half with no pain during the race, g-f treats at the finish line and no lines in Mexico for my gf after race dinner. (They have one street lit up during the race, and it's my favorite part of the 13 miles, well that and when we see some of the characters from Spectromagic.)

****
I told Sue to put me back as a maintainer. I am back to my maintain weight, and while I would like to lose a couple more, I'm not going to worry about it right now.

I have a question for everyone? What do you all think about changing the maintain range to +/- 3 pounds instead of +/-2 pounds?

It might not seem like much, but I have found that as a girl, the 2 pound range can be difficult at certain times, and I am such an overachiever that I end up very stressed out if I am out of the range even by a bit. Anyhow just thought I'd throw that out there before the next challenge starts.

I think 3 lbs makes much more sense. 2 lbs comes and goes monthly with TOM

 

[jillbur]

Maria's QOTD: Bippidy Boppity Boo! Your Fairy Godmother will magically transport you to one of four special events! Your choices are all WDW favorites! Will you go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the MK, the Candlelight Processional at Epcot, the Osborne Lights at DS, or Mickey's Jingle Jammin' Parade at AK? Why did you choose your special treat?

Maria

Well, I think I would go with Osborne Lights. I've actually never done any so I guess I'd start with that one. Maybe the Fairy Godmother would like to produce warm weather and no crowds?

I've had a pretty good day today. I took my boys to get a picture taken with Santa. With my oldest being 8, I'm not so sure how long the believing in Santa will last. So, I snagged a photo and got some last minute groceries for baking/cooking this weekend. Now, I'm off to do laundry and look up some Department 56 Disney village Christmas sets I saw at a store today. DH said maybe I could get one a year. Hehe...he doesn't know how this works!

I am also pricing trips to Disney in January just to get an idea of cost. I would like to surprise my family with a trip in 2013 after DH graduates. We went Jan-Feb this year and loved it. So I am thinking the same time or possibly May. It looks like it should cost about the same, except airfare will be higher. I'm hoping if I book asap I can have the Disney portion paid off and then all I have to worry about is flights and hoping to snag a good offer (we had free dining this year and enjoyed it). I am getting so excited about a trip that is 13 or 17 more months away!!!

Have a great night everyone!!

Jill

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Maria's QOTD: Bippidy Boppity Boo! Your Fairy Godmother will magically transport you to one of four special events! Your choices are all WDW favorites! Will you go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the MK, the Candlelight Processional at Epcot, the Osborne Lights at DS, or Mickey's Jingle Jammin' Parade at AK? Why did you choose your special treat?

I have not had the pleasure of being at WDW during Christmas, so all of these sound good to me! I would pick the Candlelight Processional, as I think that would be amazing. Plus, I want to get a photo of Kathy with Gary Sinise!

I do wish I could transport us all there magically, and guarantee good weather, no crowds, and lots of Disney

I have loved reading all the replies, it is so great to see what everyone wants! Thanks for playing!

Maria

 

[donac]

Good Thursday morning

Congrats Lisa on the wonderful weight loss this session. That is great.

Question of the Day

What kind of tree do you have real or artificial?

How many trees do you set up?

We only have one (I would love 2 before the boys claim their ornaments) and my dh only wants real. I would love to get a 2nd one but it would have to be aritficial.


QOTD I have never been at Christmas (on our retirement wish list) I would love to see all of them.. Many years ago we got home from Christmas Eve at my parents. The boys were settled in bed and we turned on the tv to the old fashioned Disney Channel and the Candlelight Procession was on. Then they changed the style of shows and we have never seen it since.

The last coupleof days at work has been crazy. Monday we had 5 people out and yesterday we had 4 people out. Progress reports are due tomorrow so I need to fiinish some grading today and get things straightened out.

I still have a lot to do for Christmas but it will get done.

Have a happy and healthy day.

 

[pjlla]

Mom said she did ours last night too!



Such a good book-I read 6 and 7 in under 24 hours each when they came out!

That would have been me in my younger years..... but now I am only able to read when I can find a few minutes in the day or at bed time.



Two things that I have participated in in the past: For my girl scout bronze award, I coordinated a children's morning at the local library. Read some stories, played a few games and did some crafts. You could also do a book drive.

For my silver award, my troop went to a local teen halfway house and re-decorated their "art" room. We painted it and put some things up on the walls, and added some curtains. We also collected toiletries and such for them.

does the community service have to involve the collection of something? i was thinking that it would be nice to organize a group of people (or will it count if she just does it herself?) to visit a local nursing home. our mommy and me class has been having our holiday parties (halloween, christmas) at the assisted living residence nearby and the folks absolutely love it. maybe DD can do something where she visits someone once a week? and if it needs to be a group thing she could get people to each visit one person once a week. my grandpa is *this* close to going to an old folks home and i really think he should be there because at least he'd have someone to talk to. i know he'd give anything just to have someone listen to him talk about the old days, even just for an hour a week. (he lives in PA over 4 hours away and it's too far for us to visit often enough)

I love this first idea! Maybe you could theme it with Valentine's Day? Or another holiday. Groudhog Day could be fun.

We've collected toiletries for a shelter a few times. They organization I donated them to really appreciated it as they like to send the families to their new place with supplies whenever possible as well. The shelter we donated to was for women escaping domestic violence so more often than not, the woman (and children) left unplanned.

A town organization just finished collecting money for our local food bank. I've heard that food banks prefer money because they can buy foods wholesale, so their dollar goes further than my dollar. What about a $1 bill drive? Bake sales tend to be easy. Maybe hold it during intermission of an upcoming play? (My high school had/has a play, one acts, and a musical every year.)

I am not very creative, but one organization when I was in high school sold heart-shaped cookies with personalized messages on them for Valentine's Day and the proceeds benefited another organization. That was probably very time-consuming and I remember being the only person in my homeroon who ordered any. However, they were pretty fancy. They came in plastic containers (a paper bag would be fine) and had loads of frosting on them. I'm sure something simpler would be perfect!

I think the most successful money-raising drive my high school did was: give any donation (coins/cash) and get a lollipop (like a Dum-Dum). I think they donated to Heifer, but the money could go to a local agency as well.

Good luck!

Pamela -- I'm fresh out of great fundraising ideas. I like Nancy's idea of doing something nice in an assisted living facility. Maybe a Valentine's Day party for the residents, where she gets entertainment, organizes refreshments, gets Brownie troops (or something like that) to come in and serve cookies and punch, sing a few songs, etc.? You could do all kinds of things (give the ladies each a paper rose, make door decorations for their rooms, etc.), I bet the residents would be thrilled to receive a Valentine. I suspect that is a lonely day for a lot of elderly folks.

Maria

I did a parent leadership project at DS inner city middle school and we did a book drive--not new books, just books you have at home and then had a night where we handed them out to families from the ms. There were tons of kids/families who never owned a book before, which made me both very sad and very happy. Sad, that they never had a book before, happy that we could help.

Mike's veterans group at work collects books and magazines a couple times a year and donates them to the local VA hospital where they are much appreciated.

Neither of these requires folks to spend money, just donate stuff they are no longer using.

She could organize a Holiday card drive for the military. They've been doing it at bowling on Saturdays then they are distributed to soldiers overseas.

My other thought was to collect old prescription glasses and donate them to the Lyons Club. They have drop off boxes at various locations in communities, but I'm sure they would appreciate the extra effort. My understanding is that the glasses are tested for prescription and given to people in third world countries.

pjlla~I'm not sure what kind of service activity she needs, but how about planting a community garden? Some kids I teach plant flowers ever spring in a low income area. Or maybe organizing a flower garden at a school or nursing home. She could also build bird houses and bird feeders for a local park or school.

My boys (with boy scouts) bake cookies once a month and donate them to Meals on Wheels.

I also know some local high school students who volunteer to help a group of Lifeskills students go swimming weekly. They get in the pool and help them move and swim (some are in wheelchairs and it's great to see them smile and try to move as best they can).

DH suggests a blood drive. You can make it a competition to get more people to come (example~a local place had a Steelers/Browns blood drive and they wanted to see how many fans would show up to support their favorite team. They also gave away tickets to a Steeler/Browns game in drawing for anyone who donated. Btw~we live between Pittsburgh and Cleveland right on the PA/OH border so this was a big deal. I live in PA but can walk to Ohio if I really wanted...it's about 2-3 miles.).

Good luck and I think it's so great when kids get involved in the community! I am trying to teach my own kids to give back.

Jill

Just throwing out some of our Eagle Scout projects that I can remember - cleaning a town forest of trash, one boy put out collection bins for flags to be destroyed then conducted a flag burning - that was a huge success. He passed away soon after, but the troop continues this effort. At the cub scout level we did Project Linus - we asked for the no sew fleece as donations from our churches and we spent the night clipping and tyeing knots for the project. One scout put stickers on drainage grates not to dump hazardous waste into it. Another scout set up carpools at the schools for pick up and drop off duties. My son volunteered to coach a 7-8 yo lacrosse team - he loved that.

At the school level - we have older kids mentor the younger ones after school - helping with homework etc. My DS benefited from that practice in 5th grade. Start a recyle program?? DS, now a freshman in HS, stays on Tuesday to bring all recyle's out to the recylce dumpster.

My DF lives in an Assisted Living Community - and you wouldn't believe how much more active he is now. He goes dancing on Fridays, out to Dunkin Donuts daily, bowling, the movies. I don't think he had gone to the movies since 1965!!!! LOL Great places. Very active group of people.

Janis

You have gotten some really great ideas. One of my students makes cake balls and carries them around in a small insulated tote. She sells them for $1 each and donates the money to St. Jude.

One of our scouts recently asked for donations to put up markers in a local cemetary to honor Civil War Veterans. He had enough money left over to do the same for the soliders from the War of 1812. This takes money but the other thing he did was make a map with GPS markings to locate them all and is then giving the map to the local historical society. The first part takes money but the second part just takes man hours.

YOu could also clean a cemetary. This is what my sons did.


Have a happy and healthy day.

You ALL have so many great ideas! A few really stuck out to me as possibilities, but I will have DD look at them and see what she thinks. Thanks for taking a minute to think of all this and reply, especially during such a busy time of year!!

Maria's QOTD: Bippidy Boppity Boo! Your Fairy Godmother will magically transport you to one of four special events! Your choices are all WDW favorites! Will you go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the MK, the Candlelight Processional at Epcot, the Osborne Lights at DS, or Mickey's Jingle Jammin' Parade at AK? Why did you choose your special treat?

Maria

Well.... I've never been to any of these. It would totally be a toss-up. Can't I do them all? After all, don't I get THREE wishes??? Or maybe that was just Aladdin??

C
Maria and Pamela a special thank you to each of you for reminding me to celebrate my accomplishments instead of focusing on my shortcomings.

You are welcome!

I am so darn happy today, if I was a bird I would be chirping my little head off. I had my whoosh and have a brand new number on the scale that puts me at 29 pounds lost for this challenge and keeps me well on track for my goal for the Tink. I got some new shoes yesterday and was at the track at 5:00 am to give them a spin and I feel so much better. Life is good.

Have a great day all!

Amazing!!!

Sorry I've been absent so much this challenge! Life is so hectic lately that I have been reading occasionally but had very little time to post.

My parents arrived yesterday afternoon from NC. They are home resting today while I work. I've got two clients today and then have to run Mom around and then run around with Ash for dancing and her concert tonight.

I'm holding pretty steady though my mom said it looks like I've gained. I'm going to enjoy the holidays and then hop back into my healthy ways after the holidays are over and life hopefully gets back to normal.

Client is arriving so I had better go now!

If I don't have time to post again! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New and Happy Hannukah and Happy Kwanzaa and just enjoy life!

TTFN

Sorry you've been so crazy busy. Hope your holiday time is fun and special, especially with all you and your family have been through this year with your mom's illness. Merry Christmas!!

Aw, I love my fairy godmother, and am so grateful she is transporting me to the Candlelight Processional, the one led by Gary Sinise, and after the processional he and I are going to tour Epcot all by ourselves, especially the dark boat rides in mexico and Norway, and No, I will not behave myself.
I chose that one because it is the only one I haven't done yet, and I just love Gary Sinise. Not enough to do Mission Space, though.

He is pretty adorable!

Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, you and Maria talking about them, I may need to make some. I usually do oatmeal with white chocolate chips and craisins, but maybe I'll make half that, half chocolate chips.

There are lots of recipes for this cookie out there, but of course, we think that my MIL's is the best. She actually self-published her own cookbook about 5 years ago (with the help of my SIL and niece).

Love all the ideas you've gotten. Having just been at the animal shelter, they are always looking for old blankets and towels there, so that is something you could collect from people, or they could donate money for the shelter too.

Another great idea, and definitely one that DD would love!

Definitely. In my puppy care reading I've read boredom and lack of exercise can cause problems, so I am determined to keep her very active and tire her out each evening. She does love to walk, and what's nice in the morning, she likes a brisk walk, with minimal sniffing, which is great exercise for both of us. Michael is funny, likes to guess what kind of sniff she's doing, a poop, pee, or squirrel.

Reminds me of the dog from Up (?Dug?)....."SQUIRREL!"

glad you relaxed a little. I am determined not to stress out this holiday season, and relax a little more. Which is what I'm doing now. I could be putting the rest of the decoration out, or I could catch up with my friends here and enjoy a cup of tea, so that's what I chose. We are heading out to walk to ds's school and pick him up soon. It's a good walk for all of us.

I have some steak to cook on the grill tonight while ds does homework, and cauliflower to roast. Looking forward to that. I haven't had it in a while.

Enjoy the rest of the day!!

Dinner sounds yummy. I ended up making a last minute batch of chicken soup.... homemade frozen stock, leftovers from rotisserie chicken from yesterday, celery, onions, carrots. I added black beans to my portion and DH's portion while DD added whole wheat egg noodles to her portion. DS had a cold plate of hummus, cheese, pretzels, and steamed broccoli.

Ok, I am cheating a bit here. I know "My Fairy Godmother" knows what I would like best, and I know she would understand when I say I want to see the Osbourne Lights DURING the W&D Half with no pain during the race, g-f treats at the finish line and no lines in Mexico for my gf after race dinner. (They have one street lit up during the race, and it's my favorite part of the 13 miles, well that and when we see some of the characters from Spectromagic.)

Of course she would~! She wouldn't be much of a FGM if she didn't know EXACTLY what you wanted and needed!!

****
I told Sue to put me back as a maintainer. I am back to my maintain weight, and while I would like to lose a couple more, I'm not going to worry about it right now.

I have a question for everyone? What do you all think about changing the maintain range to +/- 3 pounds instead of +/-2 pounds?

It might not seem like much, but I have found that as a girl, the 2 pound range can be difficult at certain times, and I am such an overachiever that I end up very stressed out if I am out of the range even by a bit. Anyhow just thought I'd throw that out there before the next challenge starts.

I TOTALLY agree! I usually go with the +/- 2 pounds as it is the WW standard, but in my head I kind of figure 5 pounds either side of my goal weight is okay, especially during the holiday season!!

Well, I think I would go with Osborne Lights. I've actually never done any so I guess I'd start with that one. Maybe the Fairy Godmother would like to produce warm weather and no crowds?

I've had a pretty good day today. I took my boys to get a picture taken with Santa. With my oldest being 8, I'm not so sure how long the believing in Santa will last. So, I snagged a photo and got some last minute groceries for baking/cooking this weekend. Now, I'm off to do laundry and look up some Department 56 Disney village Christmas sets I saw at a store today. DH said maybe I could get one a year. Hehe...he doesn't know how this works!

I am also pricing trips to Disney in January just to get an idea of cost. I would like to surprise my family with a trip in 2013 after DH graduates. We went Jan-Feb this year and loved it. So I am thinking the same time or possibly May. It looks like it should cost about the same, except airfare will be higher. I'm hoping if I book asap I can have the Disney portion paid off and then all I have to worry about is flights and hoping to snag a good offer (we had free dining this year and enjoyed it). I am getting so excited about a trip that is 13 or 17 more months away!!!

Have a great night everyone!!

Jill

Disney in January is a great time to go! We've been twice in January and would do it again in a heartbeat if we didn't have to worry about pulling the kids from school (easy to do when they were little.... impossible to do now).

Good Thursday morning

Congrats Lisa on the wonderful weight loss this session. That is great.

Question of the Day

What kind of tree do you have real or artificial?

How many trees do you set up?

Well..... as of right now, no tree! Haven't cut it yet! We definitely do REAL trees.... and grow our own for the past 10+ years (although we haven't replanted recently and will run out in the next few years).

One tree only, in the living room, kind of a hodge-podge of decorations.... all of the kids special ones, the ones I got growing up, the ones the kids created in pre-school.... all of them! The kids each have an artificial mini-tree in their room though. Bit of a story behind those, but I don't have time to share right now.

**************

DD is off to swim, coffee made, onto my SECOND load of laundry, dishwasher unloaded and reloaded, dish-drying rack unloaded, newspapers picked up, and DS's breakfast in the oven! Not working today, so I will get in a run this morning (probably inside, as we were having snowflurries at 5am) before getting some wrapping done and picking up around the house!

I'll try to pop on later to share pictures from my table at yesterday's brunch.... it was really pretty!.................P

 

[dumbo_buddy]

QOTD: fake tree! We really cheat with it too - we have a pre-lit tree that comes in three pieces. It is up in 5 minutes. When we had our dog we didn't want a real one since we knew she would eat the needles and then we just got lazy. We also have a tiny one that's about a foot and a half tall that sits on an end table. If we ever get a bigger house we want another tree that is Disney themed. One day...

Morning to all!! I would like to go on the trip when Kathy meets Gary sinise. I just hope he doesn't have the bad hair plugs like he does in mission space!

I've been doing some crazy binging the last couple of days. The stress and lack of sleep from caring for two little ones is getting to me a little. I need to reign it in bc I have a terrible stomach ache. The baby has been having gas issues too and I wonder if that's my fault. I need to remember that I'm nursing and need to eat better. Oh the guilt.

Pamela let us know what your daughter decides to do!makes me realize I should be doing more!!

I think the 3 lbs for maintain is a good idea, rose. Our monthly friend makes a 2 lb gain look like nothing. The three lb limit makes more sense.

Have a great and healthy day everyone!!

 

[my3princes]

We have 2 artificial trees, one all Disney ornaments and one with our other ornaments. This year, however, we chose to only put up the Disney tree (at least for now )

Deb

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Question of the Day

What kind of tree do you have real or artificial?

How many trees do you set up?

We have both but this year the main tree is real. Cut it down at a tree farm last weekend.
It's a hodge podge of decorations but mostly Disney.
When we go to Disney we have a fake 4 foot tree that we put in checked luggage, and a handful of decorations for that.

We put up 5 - 6 trees every year at the house. Big one in the living room, a really small one in the bathroom, one in the boys room, one in our room, the Disney one in the dining/craft room and sometimes one in the kitchen if I have a place to put it.
Not sure if we'll get that far this year, our main tree is still out in the garage!

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

Hello all-I am back from our WDW trip.
We had a terrific time, the weather was great,shorts everyday but one ,the crowds low to moderate on the weekend.

We were able to do most everything we hoped to- the Christmas party, O=lights, sleigh ride, saw CP from the standing area, we did the sleigh ride at Ft wilderness, 2 movies at the fork and dine at amc DTD,mini golf,afternoon shopping at outlets, DTD shopping and the GF gingerbread house.

Lots to do, lots of walking , but WAY to much junk food. I can tell I am heavier but am not getting on that scale today. I jsut want to at least get on my TM.

I have sooo much catching up to do with shopping, laundry,decorating,wrapping gifts(have not started that),baking, and let's not forget the kids are homeschooled...they want the rest of the month off but that's alittle too long for a break.

QOTD--Trees- We have 3 in the house, 1 fake in the FR ,which is where all the realtives and friends gifts go, and a real one(just went and got it last night) in the LR where all our Christmas am presents go. The 3rd is a 4 ft fake in my one DS room from when they were younger and we still put it up. I would have more if DH would let me but he won't go for it.

OK-now that I cked in I feel I can get back on track and to real life. I would not have lost any weight if I had not found these boards. I lurked for a while before joining the BL group. Somehow, seeing real people like myself do it made it seem possible. I finally realize if I stick to it, I will keep seeing that scale go down. Thanks to all of you for that.

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning losers and maintainers!

Who watched the BL finale last night? Next season looks pretty interesting.

ETA: Lisa we found the cat last year, that was hard! We also found numerous hidden mickeys but we were watching some people work on lights down one of the side streets and ended up getting some "help" from the lighting crew when hunting for mickeys. I think we have 4 or 5 CMs all to ourselves for about 2 hours just going over how they do things and such. I think it would actually be a really cool official disney tour.

What a great time for you and your family, Buffy! I haven't heard where the cat is this year. We had to have some CM help to find it in 2009. BUT IF YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS DON'T POST IT BECAUSE ROSE WANTS TO BE SURPRISED AND SHE WILL TELL US LATER.

Maria's QOTD: Bippidy Boppity Boo! Your Fairy Godmother will magically transport you to one of four special events!

I would go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the MK. This is the only one I haven't seen.

I just wanted to thank everyone in the challenge. I don't post much but I try to read the posts 2 or 3 times a week and weigh in on Fridays. It really helps me in my endeavor to become healthy. I'm super happy to be able to post the BL clippy this week!

Congratulations on being the BL this week! That clippie looks great on you!

I would totally be the nut that tries to do all of them in one day. I want to see them all! But I think I'd have to go with either MVMCP or the Osbourne Lights. I want to go to MVMCP just to meet Belle in her amazing holiday dress, but I think the Lights would be cool too.

That would be a feat if you could do all that in one day, Gretchen!

Sorry I've been absent so much this challenge! Life is so hectic lately that I have been reading occasionally but had very little time to post.

My parents arrived yesterday afternoon from NC. They are home resting today while I work. I've got two clients today and then have to run Mom around and then run around with Ash for dancing and her concert tonight.

I'm holding pretty steady though my mom said it looks like I've gained. I'm going to enjoy the holidays and then hop back into my healthy ways after the holidays are over and life hopefully gets back to normal.

Client is arriving so I had better go now!

If I don't have time to post again! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New and Happy Hannukah and Happy Kwanzaa and just enjoy life!

TTFN

Same to you, Tracey! Glad your folks are there safely.

Aw, I love my fairy godmother, and am so grateful she is transporting me to the Candlelight Processional, the one led by Gary Sinise, and after the processional he and I are going to tour Epcot all by ourselves, especially the dark boat rides in mexico and Norway, and No, I will not behave myself.
I chose that one because it is the only one I haven't done yet, and I just love Gary Sinise. Not enough to do Mission Space, though.

Really? You've never done Mission Space even on the green side? I'm betting with your thrill rider that you will be experiencing that ride some time soon. Just remember green = go!

I have a question for everyone? What do you all think about changing the maintain range to +/- 3 pounds instead of +/-2 pounds?

I think a 3 pound maintain is a great idea, Rose!

QOTD:
i'm assuming that our lovely fairy godmother is also making it the perfect weather for these events, yes? i was in disney last december (by myself with my 19 month old. dumb move) and it was SO cold there was no way i could stay out at night - and that's coming from a northerner! so assuming the temperature is at least 45 degrees i would choose the candlelight processional since i haven't done that yet.

ITA it always seems colder in FL -- I think it has something to do with the humidity. You are a brave soul for sure, Nancy.

BRB with the rest of my replies.

 

[lisah0711]

Had a little trouble with there from the smilie police and the poof fairy.

I am also pricing trips to Disney in January just to get an idea of cost. I would like to surprise my family with a trip in 2013 after DH graduates. We went Jan-Feb this year and loved it. So I am thinking the same time or possibly May. It looks like it should cost about the same, except airfare will be higher. I'm hoping if I book asap I can have the Disney portion paid off and then all I have to worry about is flights and hoping to snag a good offer (we had free dining this year and enjoyed it). I am getting so excited about a trip that is 13 or 17 more months away!!!

It's never too early to get excited about a Disney trip! I think that you should consider going in January 2013 and running a Disney race. There are several of us who hoping to do that.

I have not had the pleasure of being at WDW during Christmas, so all of these sound good to me! I would pick the Candlelight Processional, as I think that would be amazing. Plus, I want to get a photo of Kathy with Gary Sinise!

I do wish I could transport us all there magically, and guarantee good weather, no crowds, and lots of Disney

I have loved reading all the replies, it is so great to see what everyone wants! Thanks for playing!

Maria

Great question, Maria! Thanks!

Good Thursday morning

Congrats Lisa on the wonderful weight loss this session. That is great.

Question of the Day

What kind of tree do you have real or artificial?

How many trees do you set up?

Thanks for today's QOTD, Dona.

We have three trees. The aluminum tree in the office upstairs that I already told you about. We also have our Disney tree in the sunroom, that is artificial and white with pastel multicolor lights. Then we have our son's (and pets) first real tree with multicolor lights in the living room. So far it is surviving.

I'll try to pop on later to share pictures from my table at yesterday's brunch.... it was really pretty!.................P

Looking forward to seeing your pics, Pamela!

We have 2 artificial trees, one all Disney ornaments and one with our other ornaments. This year, however, we chose to only put up the Disney tree (at least for now )

Still 12 days to get that other tree up!

I have not had the pleasure of being at WDW during Christmas, so all of these sound good to me! I would pick the Candlelight Processional, as I think that would be amazing. Plus, I want to get a photo of Kathy with Gary Sinise!

I do wish I could transport us all there magically, and guarantee good weather, no crowds, and lots of Disney

I have loved reading all the replies, it is so great to see what everyone wants! Thanks for playing!

Maria

Great question, Maria! Thanks!

Good Thursday morning

Congrats Lisa on the wonderful weight loss this session. That is great.

Question of the Day

What kind of tree do you have real or artificial?

How many trees do you set up?

Thanks for today's QOTD, Dona.

We have three trees. The aluminum tree in the office upstairs that I already told you about. We also have our Disney tree in the sunroom, that is artificial and white with pastel multicolor lights. Then we have our son's (and pets) first real tree with multicolor lights in the living room. So far it is surviving.

I'll try to pop on later to share pictures from my table at yesterday's brunch.... it was really pretty!.................P

Looking forward to seeing your pics, Pamela!

We have 2 artificial trees, one all Disney ornaments and one with our other ornaments. This year, however, we chose to only put up the Disney tree (at least for now )

Still 12 days to get that other tree up!

We have both but this year the main tree is real. Cut it down at a tree farm last weekend.
It's a hodge podge of decorations but mostly Disney.
When we go to Disney we have a fake 4 foot tree that we put in checked luggage, and a handful of decorations for that.

We put up 5 - 6 trees every year at the house. Big one in the living room, a really small one in the bathroom, one in the boys room, one in our room, the Disney one in the dining/craft room and sometimes one in the kitchen if I have a place to put it.
Not sure if we'll get that far this year, our main tree is still out in the garage!

I think you win the prize for the most trees -- sounds like fun!

Have a great day all!

 

[Rose&Mike]

***If anyone posts where the cat is at this year, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE post spoiler alert. We really like finding it.

After the year I have had, this will quite possibly be the highlight.

 

[lisah0711]

***If anyone posts where the cat is at this year, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE post spoiler alert. We really like finding it.

After the year I have had, this will quite possibly be the highlight.

Sorry Rose! I edited my post so hopefully no one will spill the beans.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Sorry Rose! I edited my post so hopefully no one will spill the beans.

Thanks.

 

[pjlla]

Hello all-I am back from our WDW trip.
We had a terrific time, the weather was great,shorts everyday but one ,the crowds low to moderate on the weekend.

We were able to do most everything we hoped to- the Christmas party, O=lights, sleigh ride, saw CP from the standing area, we did the sleigh ride at Ft wilderness, 2 movies at the fork and dine at amc DTD,mini golf,afternoon shopping at outlets, DTD shopping and the GF gingerbread house.

Lots to do, lots of walking , but WAY to much junk food. I can tell I am heavier but am not getting on that scale today. I jsut want to at least get on my TM.

I have sooo much catching up to do with shopping, laundry,decorating,wrapping gifts(have not started that),baking, and let's not forget the kids are homeschooled...they want the rest of the month off but that's alittle too long for a break.

QOTD--Trees- We have 3 in the house, 1 fake in the FR ,which is where all the realtives and friends gifts go, and a real one(just went and got it last night) in the LR where all our Christmas am presents go. The 3rd is a 4 ft fake in my one DS room from when they were younger and we still put it up. I would have more if DH would let me but he won't go for it.

OK-now that I cked in I feel I can get back on track and to real life. I would not have lost any weight if I had not found these boards. I lurked for a while before joining the BL group. Somehow, seeing real people like myself do it made it seem possible. I finally realize if I stick to it, I will keep seeing that scale go down. Thanks to all of you for that.

Sounds like a terrific trip! Share a picture or two when you get a chance!

Good morning losers and maintainers!

Who watched the BL finale last night? Next season looks pretty interesting.

Had to go to sleep before it was over, but watched the rest this morning. Without saying any names, I'll just say that the at-home winner was a surprise to me, but the BIG winner/loser wasn't.

BRB with the rest of my replies.

***If anyone posts where the cat is at this year, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE post spoiler alert. We really like finding it.

After the year I have had, this will quite possibly be the highlight.

Awww... I'm sure if you think hard you can come up with at least ONE other highlight for this year!

***********

Here is a photo of yesterday's table setting. Sorry it is poor quality.... forgot my regular camera and had to use cell phone without a flash.

If you look carefully you can see the silver snowflakes and white snowflakes scattered on the table. Wish I had thought to light the lanterns BEFORE taking the photo.... oh well, you get the idea. When I do it for Christmas Eve here at home I will add just a bit of greenery around the lanterns.

Busy day here, gotta keep moving!................P

 

[bellebookworm9]

Question of the Day

What kind of tree do you have real or artificial?

How many trees do you set up?

We have three artificial trees. The first is a small fiber optic one that sits on the tea cart by the front window. No decorations or anything on it.

The next is my fiber optic tree that I bought last year. It is also small, and has small silver and lilac ball ornaments and a silver star. It is at school with me, but when I go home it sits on my dresser.

Our last tree is the big one in the living room. When I was younger it was real, then we got an artificial one from my mom's cousin. When that one died, we had a year with a real tree and decided never again-the trunk sawing in the basement was awful. I went home today and the (newer artificial) tree was set up, and instead of our normal ornaments, Mom bought big gold and light blue balls. She also bought a new star topper and strung up some lights. The lights are a little awkward as they're bigger and kind of clash with the ornaments-we think white ones would look better.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Question of the Day

What kind of tree do you have real or artificial?

How many trees do you set up?

We used to only do real, but ds is terribly allergic. The allergist told us that the allergens from Christmas trees stays in the house (ventilation system) for months...so we haven't had a real tree for 17 years, and I must say I like the convenience of the artificial trees.

So we have one in our family room. In the past we have had one in our basement, one in our formal living room (front of the house) and a feather tree--very cool, I must say.

This year I have been lazy and only set up the one in the family room. We got a new one this year and it has gold glitter the ends of the branches. I love it! It really is a beautiful tree. It is all red and gold ornaments except for Tom's baby ornament and Goofy and Donald ornament which are part of a set. The other trees have themes as well.

*****
So if it's ok then, I think I will suggest at the start of the next challenge that we go to +/- 3 pounds. Once the new challenge is posted.

 

[SettinSail]

Question of the Day

What kind of tree do you have real or artificial?

How many trees do you set up?

We have an artificial tree and we love it, so much easier. I was one of those who swore I would NEVER have an artificial tree but 4-5 years ago we just had a lightbulb moment and realized how much cheaper and easier it would be and we went for it. We even hauled it to Germany and back and it survived. We only put up the one tree and it is loaded with ~ 300 ornaments. I think I am going to get rid of a few ornaments each year. I am getting so tired of putting them all out and then wrapping them all back up again! I was so disappointed when we got the tree out this year as this house has a beautiful bay window in front that the tree would look great in but unfortunately it's set off from the rest of the room in a little alcove and the ceiling is not as tall and it would not fit! So we have it in the family room where we can only see it from inside the house. We are enjoying it though.

Good morning losers and maintainers!

Who watched the BL finale last night? Next season looks pretty interesting.

ME They all looked GREAT!!! Super motivating for me. I really wanted Antone to win; don't care for John too much. I didn't like Deb winning the at-home prize either! Becky was my fav and she looked great. Next season does look interesting! I loved the sneak peek where Bob killed Santa I thought it was odd they did not say "good-bye" to Anna or even mention that she would not be on next season. Also thought it was odd that John worked so closely with Dolvette but gave Bob all the credit.

Lisa, congrats on your fantastic weight loss this challenge

I am super jealous and hope you win the challenge!

If you look carefully you can see the silver snowflakes and white snowflakes scattered on the table. Wish I had thought to light the lanterns BEFORE taking the photo.... oh well, you get the idea. When I do it for Christmas Eve here at home I will add just a bit of greenery around the lanterns.

Pam, the table is beautiful I missed what the occasion was but it looks great.

Kathy, sounds like Poka is doing great. Gary Sinese ?? (ew) Although I really LIKE him, he seems like a great guy.

Nancy, enjoy your newborn Poor little thing with gas
How is Thomas doing?

Dona, that is a lot of missing teachers! Good luck getting progress reports done

4Holidays, your trip sounds great.

Hello to everyone else. It is getting late and I need to get to bed. Took DS clothes shopping tonight. Bad time of year but he was in bad need of new clothes. We finally demanded that he quit wearing the same 2 Tshirts over and over to school and he said umMom that's all that fits me and he was right!
Ugh, bad Mom. I guess at this age you have to really keep an eye on things like that. Can't believe he is already wearing Men's medium at age 14 and he's really not that large ~5'8 and 145 lbs. He has decided he's no longer a basebal player but now a soccer player. He did play for his school in Germany last year but now that we are home it does not seem there are rec teams for this age level. We can only find classic soccer leagues and they are expensive!!!

Have a great day tomorrow and see you then.

Rose, I agree with 3 pounds too