Summer Healthy Living Thread

[marcy]

Hi everyone! I hope you have a great day!

My mouth / teeth / tooth are not doing well yet. I did a search online for home remedies so I tried vanilla extract. Don’t know if it helped. I tried a heating pad and an ice pack. Again. I don’t know if it helped. I think my check is swollen too. I hope I sleep tonight; sleep last night was elusive for me. I’d call in sick tomorrow but I have to test some new software with a guy coming up from corporate.

I met a friend for supper tonight. Everything was too chewy for me so at least I didn’t eat much.

We had quite a bit of rain tonight but at least we didn’t get any more hail.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Well I slept till about 2:30 before my teeth told me to get up. I tried rinsing with salt and soda water. I tried heat and cold. I took more advil then resorted to whiskey on a Q tip. Hmm. Still awake and awfully hungry. Rats.

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi All!

Maybe once a year, for oh, the past few years, I've dipped back in here very briefly. I *think* I'm here to stay. Yeah, I've said that before, but hopefully I'll hold myself more accountable this time around.

I was thinking about food journals and how important it is to me that I keep one. I love reading other people's journals too because it helps motivate me and I get ideas of what I can add to my own.

So, do you think it would be worth it to have a food journal thread of its own or just use this thread? It would benefit me but I don't want to be the only poster in it. I talk to myself all the time, but that would be a bit odd here. Would you find it useful? I'm afraid that the separate thread might not get much traffic BUT I'm also afraid that the info. would get lost if it's part of this thread.

What do you think?

 

[marcy]

Hi Zoe. It's good to see you here again. A lot of us post our food and exercise for the day so I don't see why you can't include that in your posts here. Anything that helps any of us be motivated and diligent is good, right?

I was kind of chilly last night since we had lots of rain so I went to bed in sweats. About 1 am I woke up really hot so I got up and put on pj's. About 3 am my mouth pain went in to overdrive so I got up, passed the house, put whiskey around on my teeth and gums, used heat then ice and got back to bed by 4:30. Work was very long today but my boss's boss saw me about 4 looking for salt to gargle with and told me to go home. I didn't argue. There is kind of a lump under my tooth so I guess I'd best call a doctor or dentist tomorrow. Besides Marty pretty much told me I was seeing someone tomorrow. He'll be back from Arizona tomorrow.

Food wasn't bad today. BF was yogurt, lunch was 1 1/2 small pancakes and half of a milk shake, supper was a baby bell lite, tomato soup and a few crackers. I need to get more yogurt tomorrow. I thought of mashed potatoes tonight. I bet I can eat them. Sweet.

Well, take care.

Deegee, I hope you are having a nice vacation this week.

Sharon, I know you are enjoying shopping in CA.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[deegee]

marcy - I'm so sorry you're having so much pain with your tooth! You're back on the really soft food diet. Boo. I developed a hematoma in my jaw after my very first root canal and it was extremely painful. It took almost a whole month of them treating me for infection and being sent back & forth between the dentist, endodontist & oral surgeon before they figured it out. Once they correctly diagnosed it, the fix was quick and the relief was almost instant. I hope they get yours figured out quickly. Tooth pain is miserable. Maybe stay home tomorrow and rest. I still can't eat really crunchy food because of the fracture in my jaw, and chewy food really wears it out. I got my new mouth splint a few weeks ago, and it's awesome...it really helps control the pain.

zoe - I keep track of every single thing I eat every day. I have been maintaining my weight watchers weight loss for nearly 2 years now, so I still keep track of points. My hubby joined WW a few weeks ago, and he's keeping track of everything too. I'm so proud of him! He said that actually keeping a log of everything he eats has really helped him realize just how bad he was eating. We both go by the "if you bite it, write it" philosophy with food tracking.

My day - oats & a banana for breakfast, salad and leftover spaghetti for lunch and watermelon for an afternoon snack. For dinner we had turkey breast (from the crockpot), green beans and mashed potatoes. We both had lots of points left over so we made a TCBY run for a tasty dessert. I still have points left but I don't really want anything. I'm having trouble using all of my points with this new point system and usually go to bed with 7-10 points leftover. I think I need to eat a bigger breakfast. I haven't walked all week because I'm having a spell with my back. I've been to the chiropractor a few times this week for adjustments and therapy. I'm feeling a lot better, but I think I'm going to wait a few more days before walking. I'm so looking forward to vacation next week! I think I'm going to have to take my work laptop with me because I really need to do some work, but my guess is that it will stay in its case. My parents celebrated their 49th anniversary today. Yay mom & dad!!! Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Marcy and Deegee!

Marcy -- I hope you're feeling better today.

Deegee -- I'm glad WW is working out for you and your husband. It sounds like it's going well. I hope your back feels better soon.

I'm on day 3 of tracking what I eat, and I think I'm doing very well so far. I have a meal plan through a nutritionist, but she doesn't recommend counting calories, oddly enough. She works in a practice that helps people with eating disorders, so maybe she doesn't want her clients to be focused on the numbers. I can see her point but I can't stop counting and using the nutrition database we have at home.
I feel like I need to go by numbers and not "exchanges." So, although I suppose I'm not doing things the way the nutritionist recommends, as long as I'm not binging and focus on eating healthy foods, I think it's okay.

I'm aiming for 1250-1300 calories (which is what a former nutritionist three years ago recommended). So far, at 1:30, I'm at 777. Here's what I've had so far:

2 packets of Quaker instant oatmeal (plain)
1 packet of craisins (100 calorie pack)
1 handful (24) almonds
leftover chicken stir fry (8 oz. of chicken, 1/2 serving of Green Giant broccoli slaw, 1/2 serving of Asian sgtir-fry vegetables, mixed with garlic hoisin sauce -- SO GOOD!)

Oh, and I went to the gym today. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill (set at a slow pace of 2.3, but that was high enough for right now) and then I did 10 lengths (5 laps) of swimming (breast stroke). Who knows if I'm swimming the correct way but at least I was moving the whole time. I signed up to work with a personal trainer too. I'm going to start at 1x per week and then I may decide to move it to 2x each week. We'll see.

 

[deegee]

marcy - did you get in to see anyone today? I'm worried about your tooth! I'm hoping for some serious relief for you.

zoe - I bought stuff to make stir-fry, but I never made it. I'm not a real creative cook and am afraid I'll mess it up, and I love stir-fry. The new ww system doesn't take into account calories anymore. It's really weird looking for nutritional information but ignoring the calorie count. I'm having a hard time getting used to it. The focus is now on protein, carbohydrates, fiber and fat.

My food so far today was an egg beater sandwich for breakfast (35cal bread, an egg beater, and 2 slices of deli ham-very filling). For lunch I had 1/2 c white rice, a whole bunch of broccoli and a fortune cookie. (Can you guess what type of restaurant I visited today?) I had grapes, watermelon and strawberries for snacks at various times at work today. I'm starving right now, but Matt is painting our neighbor's fence and I have to wait for him to finish and get a shower before we go eat. Our neighbor's husband died last year and she has now put her house up for sale. She has an open house on Sunday, and he's trying to help her get it ready. He's a complete sweetie, especially since it is 1000 degrees outside again today! I was hoping to get out of work early today to run a few errands afterwards, but ended up staying 1 1/2 hours over. Grrr. Have a great weekend.

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. I got up at normal time but I called in sick. I actually slept through most of the night and actually felt a little better but wanted to get in to the dentist. They got me in about 11. They had to Xray me a few times because the Xrays turned out too light. It looks like there is an infection below the roots which means maybe a root canal but when he looked inside my mouth he said my gums looked irritated like something was stuck in them. The 2 molars in question both have crowns so he cleaned them out good and irrigated my mouth twice so he said if I’m better by Monday then that was what was wrong, if not I need a root canal. He gave me a referral sheet to an endodontist. I ate lunch and was pretty sore after that so I took some advil and tried to take a nap.

At the dentist office they have pictures of us in our files - the girl taking my Xrays said I didn’t look like my picture at all. I told her I used to weigh 360 pounds so she asked me what I did to lose weight and then said I was much cuter now. I told her she made my day.

Marty got home about 5 and we went out for supper. I managed to eat a soft shell taco. We then went out and helped our local economy. Marty needs a garment bag since he has an interview in Atlanta on Monday. We found one he likes, picked up some coffee pods for his k cup coffee maker, I got some thermal glasses for ice water, we picked up some throw rugs for the house. The ones I bought a few months ago haven’t flattened out yet and the doors don’t open over them so this time we got runners that he’ll need to put backing tape on so they won’t slide. I like the ones we got a Lowes a lot better than the other ones so I hope the tape works.

Breakfast was a few canned biscuits, lunch was mashed potatoes and a baby bell cheese, supper was a soft shell taco and I had a ww frozen chocolate bar.

Deegee, yes I am back on soft food. I hope if I have to get a root canal it won’t be a lengthy process like yours - that sounds awful for you. I am glad you have your mouth splint again and it helps control the pain. Happy 48th Anniversary to your parents. I thought you were on vacation this week. Shows you how my memory is these days. LOL - I guess you visited a Chinese restaurant. Did you get a good fortune? Tell Matt he is a total sweetie painting the fence for your neighbor.

Zoe, sounds like you have things all planned out on food and going to the gym. I agree it’s probably not a good idea to totally focus just on the numbers. I was so unhealthy I never worried about what I wanted to weigh, I just wanted to be healthier. My mom and a girl friend do the points / ww system and love it. I just found the calories work great for me. I have an app on my phone for calories but do fine just using a spreadsheet. You are doing great on calories today. Yay.

Back to my book.

Marcy

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. I tried to sleep in today but once Marty left for golf I didn't really go back to sleep. He took my car so I was Marcy no car. I made myself some mini muffins for snacks this week - they are nice and soft. Marty was done with golf about 11:30. We picked up laundry then went out for lunch. I had a hamburger pattie and some mashed potatoes.

This afternoon I got laundry done and did some house work. I ran a few errands later today.

For supper we had some dead cow and corn on the cob cooked on the grill. The corn turned out great that way.

I finished my second to last Vince Flynn book tonight. There won't be any new V Flynn or Michael Connelly books out until November. Rats. Time to start buying some new books.

I hope you are all having a nice Saturday.

Marcy

 

[zoebartlett]

Marcy -- dead cow, hahaha! I hope you don't need to have a root canal, but at least if you do, the pain will go away for good, right?

I didn't go to the gym yesterday and I'm struggling to make it out the door to swim today. I'm all ready to go, too, I just can't get myself off the couch. I did find a water aerobics course that meets three times per week. I've never been to one before but I might check it out this week if possible. I won't be able to once school starts again and there are no weekend classes available (which stinks), so I should take advantage of it while I can.

I ended the day yesterday at 1277 calories. I was kind of angry at my husband for ordering delivery last night. He had Doritos, a sub, and a whoopie pie for dessert. It all looked so good, especially the whoopie pie (this place near us has the best ones!). I stayed away though and stuck with my Crispix, skim milk, craisins, almonds, and banana dinner/dessert.

I hope everyone's having a good Sunday morning!

 

[marcy]

Zoe, my teeth and mouth are vastly improved - I may see what happens. I don't want a root canal but I don't care to have another round of pain either. Good for you sticking to your calories even when you husband had tasty treats for supper. It's rough. I wasn't so good today myself.

We got up about 7 this morning. Marty went to the driving range and I took a shower then worked on breakfast while he was gone. He got back about 8:30. I made us your basic BF - eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. Of course he gets a lot more of it than I do. He left for the airport about 10. He has an interview tomorrow and flew to Atlanta for the interview. His interview is scheduled from 9 am to 3 pm, then he flies out about 5 and gets back to the airport 90 minutes away about 8:30 our time. He'll have a very long day.

After Marty left I dusted, vacuumed and cleaned bathrooms.

About noon I went over to visit my parents, then picked up a few things at Target then picked up the packet for this year's Race for the Cure. The race is next Saturday and I am the team captain for work. I picked up a sandwich and lemonade for lunch. I thought the lemonade was way too sweet so I didn't finish it. I saved calories there!

I came home and watched Dante's Peak on TV. Have I mentioned lately I love the picture on this giant TV?

Then boredom and stress then led to me making my famous "death cookies" of which I ate 3 hot ones for supper. (Death cookies came about because I used to stick poison or skull and crossbones stickers on Marty's food so the guys he worked with call my cookies "death cookies". Yes I think I'm funny! ) The stress part has to do with Marty looking for a new job. I wouldn't care except for one thing - we might have to move. I am not one for change so that is very much stressing me out. Hence the decision to make cookies. I made a single batch and put the rest in the freezer. I've been singing the REM song "It's the End of the World As We Know It" in my head all day.

Well, I think I'll get ready for bed. I doubt I sleep well tonight but I'll try.

Marcy

Marcy

 

[deegee]

zoe - mmmm....whoopie pies. My sister has a really good recipe with awesome icing. We're always tickled when she shows up at a Sunday family gathering with a fresh batch of them. I'm always okay with blowing a bunch of points on a whoopie pie! Your husband sounds like mine when I was in weight loss mode. He is a serious chocolate and potato chip addict, so we always had junk around.

marcy - I'm glad to hear your tooth is a little better. Will you go back tomorrow, or just wait to see if it acts up again? So many weird things happen to me that I just chalked up the hematoma after the root canal to my rotten luck! Is there a chance that you guys will have to move across the country? You probably have mixed emotions for his interview, especially if it will require a move of some sort - regardless of how far you would be moving. They are still talking to Matt about this promotion, and I grilled him yesterday as to whether or not we would have to move again. I don't wanna...but that would get me out of this computer project! Good for you for putting the rest of the batch of death cookies in the freezer.

We're leaving for vacation in the mountains in the morning. I'm so looking forward to getting away! We have an appointment to take the cat in for shots at 9. Our vet has a very nice boarding kennel, so we're boarding him there while we're gone as well. I'm worried about the appointment in the morning though. We've been avoiding the vet because we think he'll recommend we have the cat put to sleep. He has hyperthyroidism and takes 2 big doses of medicine a day, but he's still very thin. He recently lost a bunch of hair and looks really pitiful. He doesn't act like he feels bad and he eats everything we give him & still grooms himself. I lost my 2 elderly girl kitties in the past year and a half, and am not ready to lose him too. I'm hoping the appointment goes well. My food for the day - yeah, not great. We went to my parents' house to celebrate my nephew's birthday and for our usual Sunday gathering. I didn't eat anything all day until we got there, and once there ate a turkey sandwich, macaroni salad, fruit, sun chips, and 1 big piece of birthday cake with lots of icing. When I got back home, I had a Newcastle brown ale. I allow myself to not be so strict one day a week (sometimes 2). Have a great week!

 

[marcy]

Okay ladies, I guess I don't know what whoopie pies are - I thought they were something that came in a box. I need a recipe now. Or maybe I should quit while I'm ahead since I don't know what these delicious things are. Mmm.

Deegee, I am very anxious for Marty to get home. He should be here soon. They talked to him from 9 am to 4:30 today and didn't ask him many questions. They took him around every where and showed him everything. I've only talked to him for about 2 minutes today. He got to the airport late, barely got checked in on time. Picked up something to eat and called me then they started to have people board the plane so I didn't get much info yet. I really have mixed emotions about all of this. I don't want to move but will do what we have to do. From the initial info I have on this job he'd work from home and travel. We'll see what happens. I mentioned to his boss today I hope our company does something for him and he kind of indicated it was a 2 way streak and Marty needs to let the company know what he wants. Aak. I think there are opportunities at our company for him but it may take time for them to come about. I think the unknowing is the worst part. Once I know what's going on I can freak, cry, whine, etc then deal with it. LOL. At least is Matt has to move that would be nice to get out of your project. Good luck at the vet with your cat. As long as he eats well and seems to feel okay that is what's important. Have a blast in the mountains.

My day was long. I wandered around work for about an hour handing out the race for the cure shirts. Then I realized I had dropped tooth paste on my shirt so I turned it inside out for the rest of the day. A friend and I went to lunch and had salad. For supper I went out with another friend. I didn't eat much but had 2 glasses of wine.

Ooh, I think the garage door opened. Wish me luck!

Marcy

 

[deegee]

marcy - do a google search for whoopie pies. Basically it is a bun made of chocolate cake with white icing as filling. My sister makes really good homemade icing, and I think that's why I like hers the best. How did things go for Marty? I'm sure you guys have quite a bit of talking and thinking to do. A move is a big deal! How long have you been where you are now? After our last move, Matt and I decided that we would be happy wherever we are, but it would be awfully hard to leave where we are now. Good luck to you both. How's your tooth?

We made it to the Smoky Mountains last night. I love this cabin! It's a 1 bedroom with a loft (pool table and reading nook in the loft). It's perfect for 2 people and a dog. The kitchen is bigger than mine at home, and the bathroom is just as big as our master bath. It even has a wireless router. Now this is my kind of camping! Lily is really wanting to take off down the mountainside (this thing is built out over the side of the mountain), so we have had to keep her on her leash at all times outside. For food yesterday I had watermelon for breakfast, I packed ham sandwiches to eat for lunch on the way, and we went out to a restaurant called the Mellow Mushroom for dinner. We had a really tasty pizza, and I had a beer called Fat Tire Amber Ale (brewed in CO, according to the menu). I love finding restaurants that carry craft beers from all over and I always try something we don't have in WV. We had planned to get dessert somewhere, but were stuffed after 2 slices of pizza. Have a great day!

Oh - and about Queso.... We dropped him off yesterday morning and got a call from the vet about 2 hours later. Living up to his nickname Evil Kitty, he bit someone really hard and drew lots of blood, and now he has to be quarantined for 10 days even though he has had all of his shots. We had paid to board him for 7 days, so we'll have to take more food and medicine for him when we get back. I'm just wondering how many people we'll have to send apology cards to by the time we get back! He loves Matt, tolerates me, and everyone else is a no-go.

 

[zoebartlett]

Deegee -- It sounds like you're having fun on vacation.

Marcy -- Oh my, whoopie pies are so good. I hear ya on not wanting to move. My husband and I had to move two years ago for a new job opportunity he had, and it was hard. But it was what we needed to do and it ended up being fine. We've since moved back to our home state. We gave it a year and then came back home when another opportunity came up. Can you give it a year and then re-evaluate?

I went to school and worked on my classroom (I teach elementary school). I was there for a few hours but didn't get much done. I set up my room a bit and then wandered around and talked to a few other teachers who were doing the same thing. It's been such a short summer vacation and no one's quite ready to think about school yet.

I've done very well today but I'm HUNGRY. I had a Chobani yogurt and 1 cup of crispix for breakfast. Lunch was grape tomatoes, cucumber, and tuna on flatbread, and a serving of RF cheeze-its. Dinner will be chicken stir fry, rice, a banana, and a cup of tea for dinner/dessert. I'll end the day with 1286 calories. I have a feeling it's not enough but I'm not sure what I should be aiming for. Maybe I should aim for 1300 calories.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Hi!

Ok, I admit I have been missing in action. The reason is pretty simple: I am ashamed of myself. My antidepressants seem to have unbalanced (again), throwing my mood in the dumps, my chocolate craving to an all time high and my self control jumped out of the window in fear. Yup, I have been very bad and I threw all my hard work out as well. To top it off, I can't afford to go back to my doctor this month.

I did, despite the chocolate binges, try to keep eating better: plenty of fresh veggies (mainly roasted) and whole grains.

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone!

You guys are definitely making me want to try whoopie pies. Mmm.

Food today was english muffin for BF, yogurt for snack, small portions of an enchilada and lasagna for lunch, supper was rice with leftover steak in it and corn on the cob.

Deegee, I am a native of where we live. It would be very hard for me to leave here. Marty has been here for 21 years - his grandparents lived here so he stopped to see him on his way home for the air force and stayed here. I would be fine no matter where we lived as long as it was with Marty. My tooth is pretty good. I can tell it’s a little tender but I can brush it now. Your cabin sounds wonderful and no that’s not camping. Fat Tire is quite popular around here. Sorry about what happened with Evil Kitty but I did laugh at your story. He’s thinking “I’ll teach you guys for deserting me”.

Zoe, I remember when you guys moved a few years ago for the new job opportunity for your husband. That’s nice you moved back home for another opportunity. I know we’d be fine is we had to move. Luckily this job would be him working from home or he’d be traveling. If he travels a lot he’d want to move closer to the airport but I think we’d give it a try for awhile living here anyway. I bet you aren’t quite ready to go back to school. What grade are you teaching? You did great on your calories today. Probably 1300 isn’t a bad range to shot for. I am hungry too but I am ready for bed so no more food for me.

Lady Disdain, don’t beat yourself up over hitting a bump in the road. You are still eating healthy veggies and grains. Sometimes we just need chocolate. The key is just work at getting back on track. There is no reason you can’t eat chocolate you just have to learn how to eat it in moderation and work it back in to your food allotment for the day. As long as we keep trying that is all that matters.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[marcy]

All right it's almost Friday. Sweet.

Hi everyone. I hope you had a great day.

Work was busy. Marty is playing golf so I am working on laundry.

Food was good today. English muffins and fruit for breakfast. Break was yogurt. Lunch was rice with a little steak in it. Mid afternoon snack Graham cracker. Supper was lean cuisine pizza and ww frozen chocolate bar.

Have a great evening.

Marcy

 

[marcy]

Yippee! The weekend is finally here.

How are you doing today? I rode in with Marty to work today so I could go with him to the golf course after work. We met some friends and they played 9 holes. We went and had Mexican food afterwards. I ate way too many chips and salsa so I'm kind of full now but it was sure good. Hopefully I'll burn off some of those calories in the morning. We have the Komen Race for the Cure here tomorrow so I'll be walking it. Marty is actually going to join me for the first time this year. His tee time isn't until 1 and since I am the team captain and most of my friends are going to be in it he's going to join us. The best part is I won't have to try and take my keys now. Sweet.

Well, I'd best get to bed since I'll be getting up early.

Have a great weekend.
Marcy

 

[zoebartlett]

Good morning!

I headed to my parents' house for a few days to help my mom out. She just had surgery a week ago, and since my dad had to go to work for a bit, I was on mom duty. I ate here and there and I hate to admit it, but what I did eat wasn't the healthiest. That was a few days lost but I'm back home now, and back on track.

Today for breakfast, I had peach Chobani yogurt and 1/2 cup of Crispix. My husband and I got Chinese take out last night, and I got steamed chicken and vegetables. It's very bland but healthy. I'll have leftovers for lunch or dinner.

We're off to the pool and then hopefully the gym today.

ETA: Marcy, have fun walking today! Oh, to answer your question, I teach 2nd grade. We start school in just over 2 weeks. I'm not ready to start working again but I am excited to get to know my new class.

 

[marcy]

Zoe, how nice of you to help take care of your mom. I hope she is doing okay and has a speedy recovery. School starts here on the 23rd, that seems early for us. Second graders sound fun for you to teach.

The walk went well yesterday. Marty actually walked with us. My sister was in town with her doll clothes for a craft show so we walked over there after we were done with the walk and visited with them for awhile. Marty and I went to Kohl's and got some new pillows and towels. Glad I had a 15% off coupon. Ouch! Marty played golf in the afternoon. I went back and helped them take down the craft show booth and pack their car. All of us went out to supper.

This morning Marty had an early tee time so I went grocery shopping and put a roast in the oven for us for lunch. When I was taking the roast out of the oven I didn't pick up the cookie sheet right and dropped it all in the oven and burned my arm. I got some cortaid on it right away so it's not too bad. I can see some small blisters there but it could be a lot worse. Marty marched me over to the living room and finished fixing lunch for us. D'oh!

I did a few batches of laundry and watched TV today. I got through all my Angry Birds in my iPad but many have only one stars. Rats.

I was kind of cranky today. Don't know why. We watched the American version of Top Gear tonight which had some funny spots so that kind of cheered me up. Tomorrow is back to work. Yippee!

I hope you all had a great weekend.
Marcy

 

[deegee]

zoe - I'm a big fan of Chobani, but only one grocery store in our area sells it and it's not convenient to get to. When I do actually get there, only the flavors I don't like (plain & honey) are left. I taught 6th grade for 5 years when we lived in Ohio. I decided to take a year off from teaching and try something else when we moved to WV, and I never went back to teaching. I tell everyone that I retired after 5 years!

marcy - when Matt & I go out for Mexican, I could make my whole meal on chips, salsa, and beer. Our favorite place has a 35 oz glass for draft, and I always have to get a Dos Equis Amber in that size. Technically I only have one beer with dinner... That's really interesting how Marty came to stay in your area. I'm always interested to find out how people end up where they are. For instance, there was a lovely French girl who waited on me at Baskin Robbins in Pigeon Forge. I was wondering how someone from France (very heavy accent) wound up in the Appalachian Mountains working at an ice cream shop. It would be really hard for you to leave since you're a native of the area. I was so happy when Matt chose a position in a city that is only 1.5 hours away from my hometown. He also had offers in Cleveland Ohio, which would have been more like 6 hours away. I bought new towels tonight at Kohl's too. I bought the Chaps bath towels. I had bought one a few weeks ago and it passed the test, so I went back tonight (while I had a 30% coupon) to buy the rest.

We got back home late last night. I so don't want to go back to work tomorrow~ Waahhhhh!!!!! I didn't go completely overboard while on vacation last week, but I didn't do great either. Matt, bless his little heart, tried so hard to keep his points last week. I'm on maintenance, so I wasn't as strict. He's in weight loss mode so he tried really hard to be good. We found some really nice, pet-friendly trails while we were in the mountains so we got plenty of walking in. We've got to get back to eating healthy this week. We went grocery shopping this evening and bought lots of fruits & veggies, as well as ingredients for healthy meals. I've got to get to bed - tomorrow morning is going to be rough. Have a great day!!!

 

[deegee]

marcy - just saw you burnt your arm. You're as klutzy as I am! I hope it doesn't blister too badly and heals fast. I still haven't bought an iPad. I'm trying to decide if it is worth the extra $$ to get the 3G model, just in case. What did Marty get?

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. Marty worked late and his dinner was pretty much mushy or crispy but he ate it anyway. What a trooper, huh? I have to say he doesn’t complain about my cooking. After I had dishes done I went to Kohl’s to return a few things, stopped at Walgreens and the mall looking for a card and got gas in my car.

We are watching a program right now on Nat Geo about the quake and tsunami in Japan. Wow. How terrifying to see it all unfolding.

Deegee, neither of our iPads have 3G of course where we live has limited service with anything other than Verizon. We hook up to wifi both at home and at work. Yes, I am a klutz - we do seem to have many disasters strike us, huh? My burns don’t look bad at all today, I have very small blisters but just barely - more like puffed up skin. It is interesting to see how people end up living in different places. That’s nice Matt accepted a position close to your hometown. Has he heard about the new position yet? I looked at the Chaps towels, they seemed nice too. I tried the Vera Wang ones because they had a color of sage green we both liked. I’ll have to give the Chaps towels a try with my next coupon - since they passed the towel test for you. I am sure you weren’t ready to go back to work today after you fun vacation in the mountains. I bet Lily had fun exploring new trails with you guys.

Well, take care. I am going to finish watch this show then get to bed.

Marcy

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great day!

I worked on procedures at work. I assigned my team assorted procedures for the summer and they aren't anywhere near being done before we get busy in a few weeks so I dug out some of the old ones that just needed updated and worked on them. Not my idea of fun but it made the afternoon go by quickly.

BF was wheat toast and strawberries. Mid morning snack was a 100 cal yogurt pretzels. Lunch was a 6" wheat ham subway sandwich with baked lays. Dinner was not very healthy. We went out and I had a small portion of Marty's chicken fried steak and a few fries. We had a glad of wine and split some cake for dessert. At least we wandered the mall for about 90 minutes tonight to help burn off some calories.

Well so much for saying I didn't have blisters on my burn. Not only are they there they are popping open. It's a good thing the area isn't huge. I guess burns get worse before they get better. I might get out something to wrap it up tomorrow that might help.

Well, I'm off to get ready for bed.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[deegee]

marcy - I'm sorry to hear your burn is worse today because of the blisters. Those suckers hurt! They have told Matt that the job is his if he wants it, but he's really wanting to talk to the guy from the corporate office who is over this particular department. That guy has been in Ireland for the last few weeks and then Matt was out last week, and they've been missing each other's phone calls all this week. I have a question about the ipad. I'm trying to decide between the 16GB or 32GB. Do you have one of those sizes, and do you wish you had the bigger/smaller one? Matt will be taking over my macbook, so the ipdad will be my "computer". I really don't use my macbook for anything other than surfing the internet, post here, and pay bills.

I'm ready to run away from work! I'm going to have to talk to 2 of my employees tomorrow, including my problem child. He works so hard at figuring out ways not to work, he's driving me absolutely crazy. I'm only in my office about an hour a day now and I don't have time to babysit. Grr... I'm so far behind because of working on this computer project, so I stayed a few hours extra the past two days trying to catch up. I understand that I will be working on this project 100% of the time beginning in January/February, and I have a lot to do to get my department in good shape before then to hand it over to someone else. I want to run away!!!! I had nothing for breakfast, a salad and fruit for lunch, and Matt and I met at Cracker Barrel for dinner. I had chicken & dumplings, green beans and carrots. For snack tonight I had 94% fat-free popcorn and a Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer, and we walked 3 miles this evening. I have a meeting bright and early in the morning, so I'm off to bed. Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone!

Deegee, I wore a gauze pad over my burn all day and did a lot better with it. One blister looks pretty bad but the other ones didn't get any worse today. I told every one at work it was my "burn awareness band". I told them if I didn't wear it I was very aware of my burn. LOL. Sounds like Matt will get everything settled soon. Those last minute details and answers can make a big difference. Marty was told he'd hear in a few weeks and it's already been 9 days. I wish everything would get settled for him. I have the 64 GB iPad and I only have used about 5 to 6 GB of space. I have about 700 songs on it and about 200 photos on it. I have maybe a dozen games, a few apps like a notepad, journal, calculator, white board. The few programs I bought were Pages, Number, and Quick Office. I use mine for surfing the internet, email, and watching videos from Netflix, HBO GO and MAX GO. I think the 16 GB would work for me no problem. If I'd bought a new one instead of inheriting Marty's old one that is probably what I'd buy. I know a lady at work with a 32 GB and she has a ton of pictures on hers and she's fine on memory but hers is pretty full. Marty on the other hand uses most of his 64 GB. He iTunes library won't fit on 64 GB; his iPod is 160 GB and it's full. I don't have a check book on my iPad but I do pay bills online with it. I am still using the Quicken on my Mac for my checkbook. They have quite a few apps like that for iPad but I haven't tried any of them yet. Sorry to hear you want to run away from work. That stinks your problem child is acting up again / still. Especially with everything you have on your plate with the project. I am interviewing again for a swing shift position (one employee is leaving Friday) and I'll probably be losing a day shift person (the person I leave in charge) in about a month. Aak. I'll be down 2 people going in to a busy season. I'll be wanting to run away too.

Well my day was hectic trying to schedule interviews, proof read procedures, we had a going away luncheon for the guy leaving Friday and then I spent my afternoon getting things ready for interviews next week. We had homemade tacos for supper.

Tomorrow is Thursday. Yippee!!!

Laters,
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Deegee, I also use my iPad as my Kindle now too. Apple recently wanted to charge Amazon a fee per book download so you can no longer buy a book on your iPad. You just have to buy books on your PC or Kindle and tell it to deliver it to your iPad. I haven't tried this yet but I would be you could go to Amazon on your iPad and buy it that way too. It's not really much of a hassle for me.

 

[deegee]

marcy - thanks for the iPad info. Matt had said he wished he knew someone who had one to figure out which size I would need. I am getting really excited and will probably go play with them at Best Buy again this weekend. This time I need to take a list of questions to ask with me. I was wondering about the Kindle/iPad. That is definitely a must for me because I don't want to carry both of them around. I sit on the porch a lot in the evenings and read while Lily is running around the yard playing with the neighbor dogs (got to babysit the kids), and I don't like the clip on light for my Kindle. The iPad would definitely work much better, I think. My work laptop is really big and heavy, and I'm having to lug it all over the place while working on this computer project. Our meeting today was offsite and I was practically dragging it because my shoulder and back were hurting so much. I'm not looking forward to traveling with it in September. The project manager mentioned getting me a computer like hers, which is a 10 inch notebook. While that's awfully small for a work computer, I can hook it up to my 2 monitors and my regular keyboard while I'm at work. I would only notice the difference (as in teeny screen) when I use it away from my desk. To save my back, it might be completely worth it. I meant to tell you, don't get the Kohl's brand The Big One for towels. We bought one and it started unraveling and falling apart before it even got washed two times. You know, the absolute worst part about being a manager is the employee/personnel stuff. I can handle everything else, but I completely lose my patience when people don't do their jobs. You and I will be sharing many a sob store in the days ahead, huh?

Our meeting offsite lasted from 9-4:30 today and we go back again all day tomorrow to finish it up. I was really proud of myself - my eyes didn't glaze over and I didn't fall out of my seat! We met with the State Office of Technology with regards to all the technical stuff in the vendor proposals, and they sent their managers of all the different technology areas - network, server farms, database administration, etc. Totally not my thing, but it was actually kind of interesting to hear them talk. It was like listening to a foreign language being spoken! I did come home and zonk out really hard on the couch for an hour. My brain was tired. For breakfast I had a egg beater and ham sandwich, lunch was a salad and banana, and dinner was pork roast (crockpot), green beans, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Both Matt and I had lots of points leftover, so we went for a peanut butter sundae run. YUM. We just got back from walking our 3 miles, and I think I'm ready to go back to sleep. Have a great day tomorrow!!!!!

 

[zoebartlett]

I haven't caught up on the latest posts but I hope you're doing well, Deegee and Marcy. BTW, where has everyone else gone? Is Rod still around?

I've been spending a few days this week and last week helping my mom out. I can't remember if I mentioned it, but she just had surgery and can't do much on her own yet. I was off the food plan for a bit but I'm back on it as of today. I should compare the food plan I've done (just counting calories and weighing/measuring everything) with the one I was given at the clinic I've been going to. I wonder how well they match up.

I've spent the day straightening and cleaning our house. I was going to do some food shopping later but I might see if my husband can do it on his way home from work.

I think we're having stir fry tonight, made with salmon instead of chicken. It will either be that or maybe tacos and veggies.

I hope everyone's having a good day.