Teachlady

YOU CAN DO THIS, PAM!! We are all here supporting you and purple power abounds. One day at a time.. think of all the blessing you have... Suzanne, new house, friends, family.. FOCUS on the good stuff... let go and let God.

81 days till Violet Baby Brody Barlow arrives!!

46 days till Violet Baby Sophia is due!!!

Good morning, Violets.. A chilly, dreary day today. I have a staff meeting this morning... first one with the new pastor and I'm looking forward to it. He is definitely a breath of fresh air and as they say in the Matrix.. "He's the one". After that I'll come home, change and head to Curves for my first real workout. Then nothing for the rest of the day until we take the new pastor and his wife out to dinner tonight. Should be very interesting. Oh... we are going to book a condo in Florida for a week in June just to "test the waters" to see if we might like to spend a month there during the worst time of winter here. We are looking at a place in St. Petersburg since we have some friends in that area. Off to get some breakfast and get ready for the day. Everyone make it a good one! Janie.. hope you get everything straightened out at the bank today. I know how frustrating that can be! Now if we could just find the Bobster's missing checkbook, I'll breathe easier today. Michelle... you don't look any older today after Evan's B'day. However do you do it??:blushing:

I hate to break it to you, but that's pretty mild for me.

Good morning, Violets.. Michelle... wish DS a happy birthday for me. He is such a good looking young man. Ya done good, Mom!! Haydee.. the bedding looks soooooo feminine. I love it! I like the pink paint too, but it probably would overpower the shade of the bedding. PamELa.. time is flying and soon you'll be on your way to being a real loser!!:tt2: I went to Curves today and had some really perky, upbeat chickie tell me all the things I already knew. I was a member of Curves before the band, so I really didn't need the motivational speech about exercise and diet and portion control. sheesh... But I got weighed in and measured. My weight is not only at the holy shit number, but 2# beyond that. I know I was wearing jeans so that skews it, but dang, I'm depressed. BUT, I have to keep on keeping on and get back to the exercise part of this journey. I got my 30 minutes in today and will go back tomorrow and Friday. Onward and downward!! I get a fill on Dec. 13 and that should get me through the winter. Off to clean the kitchen and get ready for the day. Flute rehearsal at 3 and choir at 5:30, then dinner out after. Everyone make it a good one!

Good afternoon, Violets.. Boring day here today. Ethan and I walked for a little bit, so at least I got some exercise in. Eating has been good today...1/4 cup ham salad for breakfast, 1.5 cups of beef/broccoli and rice for lunch and homemade chicken noodle soup is in the crock pot for supper. I've had some cheese and crackers, grapes and literally a couple of bites of Ethan's left over pb&j sandwich. Michelle.. I've been following the Next Iron Chef on the food network and the guy you mentioned to us is in the final 2!! I'm betting he wins it. PamELa.. glad you feel better today. I never had problems with the liquids part after surgery and never had to do the liquids before, thank goodness. It's the whole rest of the journey I'm having trouble with!! Like Janie says, it's all consuming, isn't it? Or is that a pun?? Ok.. enough of the rambling. Off to have some soup before singing rehearsal tonight.

Some thoughts for today.. 6 Ways to Beat Mindless Munching Banish hunger "Skipping meals sets you up for intense cravings," says Susan Kraus, R.D., a nutritionist at Hackensack University Medical Center. Eating regular meals of complex carbs—not refined ones like white bread and pasta—with protein and a small amount of healthy fat will keep your blood sugar steady, and you feeling satisfied. When you do snack between meals, make smart choices. Foods with staying power: low-fat yogurt and granola or half a whole-wheat English muffin spread with natural peanut butter. Identify triggers Keep a food log for a week, recording your moods, what stresses you out, and how hungry you feel before eating. Once you've identified the things that drive you to raid your candy stash, you can react productively instead of eating half a pound of chocolate. Wait it out You're most susceptible to your brain's demands during the 20 minutes after a stressful episode—the amount of time it takes for serotonin to bounce back and stress hormones to fall. If you can resist a temptation for just that long, the urge will probably fade. Drink something The hypothalamus, your brain's control center for mood- and food-related signals, detects thirst as well as hunger. Gulp a glass of water or hot tea (make it decaf—caffeine can trigger the release of stress chemicals) and see if the craving passes. Blow it off If you absolutely need an oral fix, reach for sugar-free gum. Researchers in Australia measured the levels of cortisol in the saliva of study subjects and found that on average, gum chewers had 16 percent less of the stress hormone than non-chewers and responded better to stressful situations. See the lighter side Studies show that laughter cuts stress, releases feel-good endorphins, and burns calories—an hour of yukking it up can torch about as many as a half-hour of lifting weights.

47 days till Violet Baby Sophia is due!!!

82 days till Violet Baby Brody Barlow arrives!!

Good morning, violets.. Weighed in this morning and no loss or gain. On to Day 2. The Bobster heads to work today and I have Ethan for the day and singing rehearsal tonight. Not much happening here these days. Joe is working, but not every day. He expects to be living with us until January. It's been working out fine so far. Yesterday was St. Antler's Day in these parts. All schools closed for the start of deer hunting. I always looked forward to that day off. Bob doesn't hunt, but Nathan and Joe and my other son Josh do. Nathan was born and bred as an outdoorsman. I am sure Grady will be too. Off to get dressed for the day. Just finished 1/4 cup of ham salad for breakfast. Wonder how long that will hold me? Everyone have a great day. Will check back later.

Janie... when I got on the scale this morning, it was all I could do not to go back to bed and sleep the day away. I was so depressed. But the good part is I have the band and I know it works. Now I just have to work too! Grady is sitting here eating his supper and I just finished some homemade chicken gnocchi soup. So far today I've had a Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich, cheese and crackers, chicken salad and veggie straws, 10 grapes and the soup. I've had 4 glasses of water so far and will have my 8 in before bedtime. Day 1 is almost over. I have a Messiah rehearsal tonight and then hope to watch Dancing with the Stars. I need to get some more reading in too. I'm 65% done with Freedom. Enough rambling... everyone have a good evening. Sleep well!

Good afternoon, Violets.. Ok.. so I got on the scale this morning and saw a number that was #'s away from a number I never, ever want to see again. Soooooooo I am going public and pledging to myself and my Violets that I will write down everything I eat, weigh each morning and start Curves on Wednesday. All the walking on the beach could not overcome the food "porn" I inhaled this past week. :thumbup: I am looking at clothes right now that were comfortable on me last winter, but are snug now. That is NOT good and the band is not to blame. It's all me and what I convince myself is ok to do. I have made my pledge. You are all witnesses.

Good evening, Violets.. It was such a great vacation, but it's nice to be home. I was soooo tired today. I laid down for a nap after church, but I couldn't sleep well, probably too tired. Bob and I went out and got some new suitcases for our next trip.. the cruise at the end of January. I am downloading the pics of the trip on Facebook right now. Over 200 pics and of course I have to label each one. PamELa.. you are heading out on a new journey. I'm so excited for you!! And none of us is a failure at the band.. we just haven't finished the journey yet. The band is still there. I loved my walks on the beach every day and miss them. I'm going to have to go to the walking path at the Rec. center here to get some more walking in until I start Curves the end of this week. I am looking forward to being back there and getting some regular exercise again. The knee is doing very well. It's just my back that complains and I know it's because of my belly fat. Gotta work on that before we go cruising. Tomorrow is a laundry day and volunteer shift at the hospital. I switched my fill appointment to Dec. 13..just couldn't imagine 8 more hours of driving right away. Grady comes in the evening so Kris can do just one hour of Zumba instead of two. She is starting to feel tired, so that's a good sign. I am sooooooo hoping for a little girl to spoil. Nathan wants to know ahead of time, Kris doesn't, but I sure do!! I hope he and I can find out and keep the secret. Off to finish up the pictures and then watch Desparate Housewives before heading to bed. Everyone sleep well!!

85 days till Violet Baby Brody Barlow arrives!!

50 days till Violet Baby Sophia is due!!!

Good afternoon, Violets.. Quick post. I am in the lobby of the hotel. We have had a great time here. Went to St. Augustine, Silver Springs, Bubba Gump, cabana boy hunting... just FUN! Unfortunately while we were gone there were 6 deaths! 4 from Bob's church, 1 a local lutheran pastor in Alpena and one the wife of a friend of ours from the denomination. All tragic and we are missing most of the funerals. The ones from Bob's church they will hold off until he gets home. Kris went to the doc Wednesday and all is well. She has an ultra sound again in 2 weeks and then will feel comfortable telling everyone she is pregnant. She is starting to feel the tiredness and crankiness. I am sooooooo hoping it is a girl!!! We leave tomorrow evening for home. It's been a great get away and we have enjoyed spending time with Bob's brother. I am 32% into reading Freedom, PamELa and enjoying it. Will get some more reading done this afternoon and on the flight tomorrow. Everyone have a great weekend. I'm so excited for you, Pam!!! When you start your journey, I'm going to restart mine and sign up for Curves again. I am doing ok with the eating, but I know the exercise will help. Oh... I've walked every day here. 2 miles Tuesday and Wednesday, 1.5 miles Thursday and Friday. My knee WORKS!! Catch you all when I get back. XOXOXO

Hey there Violets. In Florida and it's cold!!! 58 degrees when we touched down this morning. It is supposed to get up to 77 tomorrow and we're headed to St.Augustine for the day. Had a great fish dinner tonight and I didn't pb.. wooo hoooo! Everyone have a good night. Bob and Richard are going deep sea fishing on Wednesday and I'm going to sit by the pool with my Kindle. Pam, I haven't finished Such a Pretty Face yet... I have that, then Freedom, then the Room and then The unbearable lightness. Off to bed.. it's been a longggggggggg day!

Good afternoon, Violets.. we're heading out in a little bit to Detroit and then flying out in the morning. will check in when I can. Everyone have a good week!!

59 days till Violet Baby Sophia is due!!!

95 days till Violet Baby Brody Barlow arrives!!

Good morning, Violets.. All is well here in the frozen north. 27 degrees here and I turned the furnace up to 66 in the house. We keep it at 64 at night. brrrrrrr.... Kris is doing fine today.. I have a concert at 2 and then we are going out there for dinner tonight. I am making chocolate chip cookies for the reception for our new interim pastor which will be after church tomorrow. He arrives in town this afternoon. I can't wait to hear his sermon tomorrow. I am singing a solo tomorrow... a golden oldie.. They Will Know We are Christians by our Love. The words are so appropriate for our congregation right now. We leave after church tomorrow to head to Detroit so we can fly out Monday morning to Florida. Not sure if I will have access to a computer, but I'll catch up on everything (including the countdown) when I get back. I'm not going to start a countdown for our new baby until I know things are ok. Off to get cookies out of the oven and put more in. Ahhhh the temptation!! Everyone have a great weekend!!

Great news!!!

Hey Violets.. Just back from the hospital. Thanks for all the prayers and purple power. Looks like we have a baby!!! HGH was double, but she has an appointment on Wednesday with the OB. We will be certain when we hear the heartbeat, but for right now, it looks good. Wooo Hoooooo!!!!!

Good afternoon, Violets.. I got my hair cut this morning so it's ready for our Florida trip next week. The bad thing was my hairdresser said I needed a color touch up bad.....then she said.. look.... and I saw.........gasp............lots of gray........I mean LOTS of gray. I keep thinking my hair color is the original brown underneath all the blonde coloring, but apparently I'm wrong. Who knew? Kris goes to the hospital at 2:30. I'm going with her. She will have an answer by this evening. She said she only slept a few hours last night because of worrying. I know we'll all be glad to have an answer and then go from there. It's a chilly 32 degrees out and it's snaining. We are looking forward to some warm weather in Florida next week. I just hope it doesn't rain! Off to clean up lunch dishes and then go with Kris. Will report in later. Thanks for the prayers and thoughts.