QOTD for Friday, October 9, 2015
So as we move into the weekend, I think this is something we could all benefit from remembering - I KNOW that I definitely could. We all get caught up with work, school, family, stress, work outs, weigh ins, cooking, cleaning, etc. and more often than not, we forget to take a minute to take care of ourselves. So this weekend, try to take at least 15 minutes for yourself - lock yourself in the bedroom, read a book, take a bubble bath, paint, go on a jog and don't worry about your time or your distance, go for a drive, listen to some music, WHATEVER can help you have a minute to recover from the week behind us and replenish your energies and just focus on you.
What will you do this weekend to take time for you?
Well, as silly as it sounds, taking the time this weekend to make sure that the house is clean and organized is my "me" time. I have a bit of (self-diagnosed) adult-onset OCD about things and definitely have a bit of (self-diagnosed) adult-onset ADD..... sitting still makes me a bit nutty. DH was burning brush last night and asked me to sit with him at the fire for a bit.... I opted OUT of the usual "bonfire" cocktail and then couldn't sit still.... I just kept hopping out of my lawn chair picking up sticks and brush bits and tossing them into the fire and poking it with a stick and then..... well, you get the idea. DH finally commented....'"you just can't sit still, can you?" I know he was bugged that I couldn't just sit and relax with him.
Anyhow, I will leave for my trip my HAPPIER and MUCH MORE RELAXED if I know that the house is really clean and organized!! Plus I have 6 days of "ME-TIME-ON-AN-ISLAND" coming up soon!!
My friends, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, are here to help me celebrate GETTING INTO ONEDERLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I FINALLY DID IT! I weighed in this morning at a flat 199.0!
Of course, then I wanted to take a picture, so I went and got my phone... The phone + the case made me weigh in at 200.2. NOPE! So I put the phone down and was 199.0 again. So I tried weighing, then grabbing the phone before the number flashed away, and couldn't get it to focus... and every time I tried, the number was different! So today I weighed in at 199.0, 200.2, 198.8, 199.6, and 199.2. 
Goes to show you just how finicky those scales can be, and why your number should absolutely not be the be-all-and-end-all of your journey!
I finally got a picture at 199.2, so that's what what I'll use for my "goal" tracking today. 199.2/204.0 puts me at 148% of my don't-gain-weight-goal!
So I've done a really bad job at coming back and answering my own QOTD's! Haha. My apologies. I'll start catching up with this one! This weekend we have got a busy, busy list of still-to-do's to knock out, but I am going to make sure that at some point tomorrow morning or tomorrow night before bed, I take at least 15 minutes just to sit outside on our deck with my puppy and do something NOT-wedding-related. Most likely, I will find my way here! Haha.
I absolutely COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED for you!!!!
We are planning for a December trip next year as well! It is a great time to visit WDW. But I am sad that I won't be able to see the Osbourne Lights again in 2016...
Hello everyone! It took me over two hours to write the above reply, I am sure the thread has moved on since then quite a bit... ;-)
I am still struggling. I managed to get my eating goal yesterday, but not with the best choices and only because I went for a 30 minute walk at 9:45 pm to use up more calories... I don't know why it is so difficult right now. Unfortunately I woke up today feeiling lousy with a headache, I think I might get a cold. And the scale shows ugly numbers. I can feel that a lot of that is water, I am all puffy in my fingers and feet. But it is still frustrating... I just want to lose that water and see where I am really standing. Not reporting any progress today as anything that I would report would be a negative number... Thanks for letting me vent! And on to come up with a good dinner plan for tonight. I feel like I need to up my protein again...
Sorry things are going the wrong way. It seems like your body must be fighting something between the headache and the puffiness. I would TOTALLY give myself a "do-over" week and skip this week's number. Why cause yourself the stress?
Pour on the vitamins and green tea and perhaps you will feel yourself in a few days!
Happy Friday to all my new friends! I had a great weigh in....I've lost 5 of the seven pounds I gained on vacation....Whoohoo! I may even be able to get an actual loss this month, which would be great. I've been digging in really deep and it has really helped. This weekend I'm going shopping for Balsamic Vinegars, attending a play this evening at our BRAND NEW THEATER in WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT. Tomorrow is DEAD NORTH....lots of walking through the haunted corn maze (and running....lol!) Does screaming expend energy, if so.....I'll be doing lots of that! Sunday is just chillin'. Monday is a lunch with former co-workers....hence, dealing with the homemade food goodies! I've done okay the last two times....did eat a bit too much on the last one....but not off the charts. I will do a mantra all the way over there....."You look good. You feel good. I will control the food...the food will not control me!" Everyone have a great weekend!
Sounds like a great weekend! Hope it is going well!! And HUGE congrats on losing most of that vacation weight!!
I'm happy to report my WW weigh-in today-- down 1.2 pounds/goal this month is 5lbs! Slow and steady! That's almost 25% to goal!
WOOHOO!
SO, what do you do when there is LITERALLY no work left to be done, and you have an hour remaining before you can go home? Catch-up-palooza, DUH! I technically need to make up as many hours from being out Monday as I can, so that less PTO is used to cover it, so that more PTO will go on my final check.... But that would mean staying until 7pm, when all of our work has been done since 3pm, and I don't know how much I'm feeling that today! Haha. Just not sure the extra $30 is worth it in the end.
That is how I was feeling about my second job earlier this week.... the few extra $$ wouldn't make up for the time spent away from home!
So sorry I didn't make it back around last night! I ended up making some great progress on one of the bigger wedding crafts, so yay! Definitely feeling good about that one. Hopefully it will be 100% checked off the list by the end of the weekend.
That is WONDERFUL! You must be getting SO excited!!
In exciting news, I have a job interview this Tuesday afternoon! A long-time friend of mine is a hair stylist at a day spa here in town, and I was there Wednesday afternoon, so I filled out an application for their front desk, just for them to keep on file... I was the front office manager at a hotel for a couple of years, and managed a tanning salon for a couple of years before that, so I've got some experience answering phones at desks.
I actually met with the manager that night - me with deep conditioner and a shower cap on my head, and her with foil and red hair dye on hers.
At least that means she couldn't judge me for my appearance, right? LOL. Turns out they had JUST filled the position they had open, but they weren't 100% sure if that girl was going to work out or not. Well, got a call today that sure enough, that position is open again! So YAY!
Fingers crossed and prayers going out for the PERFECT new job to land in your lap!!
Every little bit counts, so here is some pre-weigh-in pixie dust, too!! Hoping for good things! 

It was a good weigh-in..... not outstanding but good.... so thanks for the PD!
Thank you for stopping by, even if just for a moment! Hope your day was a GOOD kind of busy - no leaky sinks or anything this time!
It has been a few busy but good days at home. I've been working SO MANY hours lately, I didn't realize how much I've let stuff go around the house!
Congratulations on already dumping most of that vacation weight! So that puts you at 71.4% of your goal for October, yes? Have fun at the corn maze! We went to ours last year, and it was ok, but I probably wouldn't go back... Ours is set up so that there are questions at every junction and what direction you go depends on which answer to the question you pick - obviously the right answer will lead you down the right path. We tried really hard to play, but there were SO many teenagers just running and screaming through the maze that it was really difficult. That, and, I was NOT a fan of the guys with the chainsaws... They had taken the actual chains off of them, but they were REAL chainsaws, you could smell the gas and everything, and they'd walk right up to you and put the chainsaw almost up to your neck or your leg or your arm and act like they were cutting you apart. NOT my idea of "fun scary". Who knows when one of those guys would think he's being funny and put a chain back on the thing? Nope. Not a chance I want to take. 
As a matter of fact, we left the corn maze saying how old it made us feel.... DH2B and I both walked through the majority of the maze saying "That can't be safe.", "That's not a good idea.", "That's a lawsuit waiting to happen." 


Yup, you are officially OLD!!
SO SORRY for the lengthy post, BUT I think I'm caught up now!!
We've got a pretty full weekend ahead of us - tonight we are planning to run a bunch of errands and will HOPEFULLY be able to buy EVERYTHING that we still have to buy for the wedding and the Disney trip. Fingers crossed that I don't have an anxiety attack from the amount of money I know we'll end up spending.
Maybe I'll get lucky and find a good sale, haha. I try not to buy anything full price if I can help it.. I'm not a crazy coupon lady by any means, but every little bit counts! Especially during a wedding, especially when you're facing a questionable period of time on one income LOL. I can't even explain the relief I felt this weekend when we FINALLY caved in and decided to get this box that we both loved for the wedding, but had said for months that we weren't going to get because I could craft something and it'd be cheaper and blahblahblah... It took probably 30 minutes for us to decide to get it, because we loved it, but didn't really love it $30 worth... DH2B finally convinced me to get it, so we get up to the register, and she scans it, and says "Oh, you know that's 50% off, right?" I think I heard angels sing. 



I will definitely be around this weekend! Looking forward to chatting with you all some more!
*Click to expand for all of my comments....if you so desire...

WOOHOO on the unexpected sale! The "wedding angels" are definitely smiling down!!
Here's a wall hanging I put up in my office. It's a Halloween Trick or Treat snack quilt. Each of the 9 bags are filled with candy so coworkers can pick their treat when they need a little 'sweet encouragement' to get through the day.
There are many others at home, but I figured this one was the most 'fun' and relevant to the season.
SO SWEET!
I am sleeping in for once. I am also going to a back handspring clinic to work on my back handspring and I will feel a lot less stressed if I get it. I lost yet another pound and am at 40%.
Wowza.... the best I EVER did as a cheerleader was a respectable cartwheel! Losing the weight will definitely help with the handsprings!! CONGRATS on the pound!!
Morning friends! Happy weekend!!
Posting from my phone right now which is always a pain, so I'll come back later to make this pretty.
QOTW for October 10 & 11, 2015
It's the weekend so I know several of us are looking at the what we'll be eating in the week ahead, so..
Let's see those yummy healthy recipes! It can be anything - crock pot meals, low carb, freeze ahead, detox water, soup, salad, whatever! Just keep it healthy.
Wowza.... this is kind of FREE-REIN for me! Love recipes (but don't love cooking.... go figure...

) I'll post them separately.
Weigh-in Results - Week 2
Pounds lost: 3.5 of 5
Goal Progress: 70%
Sorry
@DisPup75 - you're going to have to save my seat in the Overweight Club for another week. I am at 164.5 and needed to be at 164 or lower to get admitted this week. So close! I can't complain about a 1.5 pound loss though -- I'll be there soon with you!
Congrats on the 70% so far!! WTG!
Just need to share with people who will get it - I AM BUYING A SIZE 14 DRESS RIGHT NOW! AND I was able to fit into and zip a size 12! It was just a little more snug than i'd like. At the beginning of the summer I was in an 18!!
WOWWOW!!

That must feel GREAT!
*******************************
Morning all! I promised to be here with my first cup of coffee..... so I had to hold off on the coffee until I got at least two loads of clothes on the line!
SO MUCH TO DO HERE to get this house in order and finish packing..... yet I've been awake since before 6 am and have done nothing but make coffee and do two loads of wash.... and search for "perfect carry-on packing" on Pinterest.......

I'm an idiot!
DH is going up to the big lake (Winnipesaukee) to help his brother take out the dock, so at least I'm not going to be stumbling over him all day.... and he won't be here to track in more dirt as I clean!

And I am pressing DS into service (once he wakes up, of course).
In order, my priorities for today are......
dinner in the crockpot in the next 30 minutes
make a batch of chicken soup for DH's lunches while I'm away.
clean all three bathrooms (including the floors)
clean the kitchen (including the floor)
finish all the laundry (probably only have two loads left to wash) plus drying and putting away.
vacuum EVERYWHERE!
Generally picking up (I am pretty organized, so this shouldn't take long)
Dust the living room and dining room.
Sweep the mudroom and front porch.
Empty all the trash.
Print the menu list for the men (I keep revising it!)
FINISH PACKING (yup, not done yet!)
Straighten up my bedroom.
If I can finish ALL of this today, I may still be able to work on Tuesday..... but right now I am considering calling tomorrow to beg off... (easy to do when you are a sub!).... because I am feeling SO UNPREPARED! But once the house is clean I know I will feel better!
BTW, I am down another .5 lb this week..... not exactly a
WOOHOO.... but definitely a
woo......... since my goal for October was a NET LOSS of 1 lb, I think I'm at 90%! And while that sounds delightful, let's wait and see how I END the month, post-vacation!

I am happy to say, though, that my line graph shows a steady downward trend since late August.
Off to grab breakfast and get cleaning! I'll start with the half bath....that will be quick!............P