Hi all.

Jaz---Nothing like home sweet home, no matter how great the vacation. I bet Bella was beside herself w/happiness to see you. Having a dog makes coming home super sweet. We travel w/ours when we can, so many dog friendly hotels these days, but not always possible and the best thing about coming home is that tail that wags as fast as an outboard motor!

Oh man, I cannot believe your boss was on your chimes to work today. Short of an absolute emergency, this is SO out of bounds. I hope you didn't give into it. No reply would be appropriate, it will all be there for you tomorrow morning. Your boss has a severe case of lack of boundaries, and sometimes the only way to answer to that is with strategic silence.

AND, DRUMROLL, a pound down!!!! And, over vacation! Wow, you did so well. And, on LC my experience is that pound down looks even better on you than the scale indicates.

Lori---Ok, more free advice, LOL. Get yourself some new golf togs that fit!!! There's all kinds of ways to do this economically. Whether second hand, or brand spankin' new---so many great sales out there, and so much on line that is near as reasonable as a consignment shop, not to mention getting exactly what you want, vs. what someone else chose.

IMO, when you've lost 5 pounds and your shorts are all but falling off you---which means they're baggy and HIDING your weight loss---you put out a few bucks to reward yourself for that. You make sure you look and feel darn good for your efforts, now. There's past, present, and the future. NOW is too often disregarded and the only thing we have for sure.

But you know what they say about free advice. And I say, throw it out the window if it's irritating.

Nic---That omelette you made for your husband sounded so freaking good to me I made a note to make it soon for myself. Sounds like you guys were all set up for a great Father's Day.

Please share any recipes you end up trying that you particularly like. I'm looking for new inspiration too. Nice that the LC key lime ice cream was pretty good. I know some frown on subs, but I live for the good ones.

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Well, hubby and I had a lot of ideas of what to do for Father's Day. First we were going to go to a great art fair on the river in downtown Mpls. But then we decided the parking would be a huge hassle and we didn't want to work that hard at it. Then we decided we'd go to a late afternoon movie. But when the time for that came, we were happy doing our own things around the house. Finally, we decided we'd just go out for a casual dinner. But then when the time came to decide when and where, hubby finally said to me, "Ya know Darlin', I really don't want to do a darn thing but relax at home."

Ha! The best laid plans and all that. So I just ordered him a pizza, and me some meatballs and a Caesar salad from an outstanding place in the neighborhood. We are as cozy as two peas in a pod waiting for our dinner, and trying to decide what movie we're going to watch on TV.

Lovely day. I would have done whatever he wanted to, it just took him all day to figure out he wanted to do nuttin'!

Oh, and Jaz---wanted to also mention I'm sorry to hear about your mom's increasing health issues. But DO agree w/you that the best you can do is offer to be there and/or listen if she wants to talk about it.

Everything you've said about your mom indicates she will do this her way, and trying to convince her otherwise is banging your head on a wall. SIGH.

Blue- I love the plan for hubby/fathers day! Sounds absolutely lovely. I love the DARLIN part......... so sweet.

OK you ask........ SO BIRDS EYE RICED CALI/PEAS/CARROTS (frozen section veggies)- 5 carbs per serving. BUT........ When I only eat my one meal of the day and use chicken or shrimp- in it too- it's a huge meal for me- then I top it with the aminos and sesame oil. I swear It tastes JUST like Chinese take out- and fast. And yes I have tried making it stove top- but really it tastes better steamed outta microwave then add the chicken or shrimp. REALLY REALLY GOOD. Thinking about it- what would be incredible are those grilled chicken strips from TJ already cooked- just frekin heat and add- 5 min. and WHAT A MEAL!!!!!!!!!

You are so right BLUE- My mother is going to do it her way or the highway- and I better just let her do it. After all what the fudge do I know?

Bella was beside herself to see me- never left my side. The entire time (30 min) to go to store she laid like a wet pup by the door thinking I left her again. I'm back and she has not left my lap. LOVE LOVE this fur baby.

I actually did go on my work computer for an hour- and was steamed about it the entire hour I was on. I had days and days worth of emails I read. I also very kindly let her know I DID work an hour on my time off today- and am caught up........as an FYI. I won't next time. But as I was gone an entire week- I didn't want blindsided. Still she has NO boundaries. Never had a job that had no boundaries.

LORI- tell ya what- my shorts are slipping down too. LETS GO GET NEW!!!!! I won't have time until next week. But BLUE is right- if they are fallen off - we can get something not off the chain, but pretty!

Plus I have the Florida tan on these legs too. Buy gosh if they are going to be be bigger they are going to be tan. !!!!!!!! Yes

I finished my 4th load of laundry- and finished grocery, and cleaned up after my son/ spare room and fell asleep for 3 hour nap. I am WIDE awake now. NOT good. I gotta get up early- hopefully I can sleep again. I just hit that wall and had to sleep.

Got an email just now from my mothers husband- that he had to go pick her up from the store as she had another dizzy/ vomit/ fall/ in the grocery- they wanted to call 911. But no..... She called him and put herself to bed. SIGHHHHHHHHHHH At least she is going to the doctor tomorrow at his request. HANDS OFF JAZ......grhhhhhh

Ok......... Going to put my fresh sheets on the bed- pull my NETFLIX in and the the pooch for one last walk. I have tuna salad I made/ tuna mayo little for lunch and salmon. I will walk at lunch time. I am loving moving more. Feels awesome.

Have lovely evening

Good Morning!

You are right girls! I need to get myself out to do some shopping! It's been a while since I've shopped in a store.....Amazon girl here. I really do need to go somewhere where I can try on since I'm not exactly sure what size I need. The last ones I ordered from Amazon are a bit too big, but I'll wear them for the golf tournament tomorrow as we all wear the same colors. White shorts and the same style/color shirts.

Did I tell you that I'm walking around looking like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer? I'm currently treating a spot on the end of my nose that I believe is basal cell carcinoma. It is not attractive. The Derm Dr gave me cream that will kill it, but the process sure makes it ugly. This cream is weird....it won't react at all if the cells are normal, but if it's cancer it will get "angry". Let me tell you, it's angry. I'm using concealer, but it's hard to keep it hidden. Not sure how long it will be so inflammed. I use the cream for 4 weeks(till the end of June). Back to the Derm in August. The end of my nose looks like someone touched a lit cigarette to it. Pretty!

Off to boot camp in a few minutes. Scale down another pound. Not sure why the weight is falling off right now, but I'm not going to argue.

Have a great Monday......I'll be thinking about all you working girls today. Hope it goes well.

JAZ!! You GO GIRL!!! You were gone a week, stayed on plan, walked your bootie off and lost a pound!! That is GOLD right there! Well done, girl! Proud of you and glad your trip was good.

I'm a little worried about your Mom, as I'm sure you are too, and hope some answers come and come quickly.

Your boss is a piece of work. Now that she has seemed to make it clear that she is going nowhere fast, I think that you do your stuff and to let her manage her own crap. I'm glad you were gone and she got a taste of all that you do, but I also think she is the type of person who is more than happy to have you take her stuff back on the minute you are in grabbing distance. I know your co-workers will be glad to get you back!

Blue- What a lovely day you had with your hubby (ha, at first I typed huggy- I guess he's that too!) The kind of day in which the possibilities are endless and slowly the day spools out in a kind of contentment and happy togetherness. I like the two of you together!

Lori- very glad you are using that cream on your nose and taking care of it but sorry that it is making you look like Rudolph in the process! Skin cancer is no joke. Yay on another pound, you crazy woman!

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Father's Day was nice around here. Pretty low key and just good. I told you all about making DH's breakfast I think, then we went to Wonder Woman. I am a fighting/violence WIMP of the first order, so whenever there was a fight scene, I looked at my phone that was hidden deep in my purse so as not to disturb anyone. When all the grunting and yelling stopped, I would turn it off and resume watching. This is so NOT the type of movie I usually go to with DH but his kids were all too busy on this Father's Day. Guess that will be happening more as we go along.

We had all but the youngest, though, for dinner. We spent big bucks at the crab house, a once or twice a year thing, and oh Lord is it yummy and YES we had dessert after and I did too. It was yum. Moving on!

Doing a MoW sub shift today. DD22 and her Fi are meeting with the pastor today and also doing the first of their look-sees at a venue. I will be with them for the other 5-6 venues on Wed-Thursday.

It's very strange having DS15 gone. More having him gone and not having communication either. The others I have gotten used to spinning off and on the family unit but he is young enough that I'm not used to it quite yet.

Lori: Hope that skin cancer can get taken care of with that cream. I am sure they will want to watch it. You are such an inspiration with your weight loss. I can't remember...are you at an all-time low?

Blue: Loved the story about your Father's Day. Loved that you made plans, but then did not feel the need to follow through with them! Sounds like it ended up being just the kind of Father's Day your hubby wanted!

Nic: Made me smile that you look down during the violent scenes. Me too. Gotta look back on the previous page to see about your omelet! You know I love omelets!

Jaz: Welcome home! Loved "living life" through your vacation as you sent us such great details! Boss is a major case. Hope you can figure out how to work with her.

Trig: Hoping the start to your vacation is great. So happy for you that you can go to your Happy Place.

Well, lots going on here. SD was here so that makes life very maxed for me...but such a good maxed! She helped a lot getting the house ready for my sister and husband to come. They arrive on Wednesday and will be here for a week. She is in intense pain and in a wheelchair. But she has true grit and I am so proud of her! The ramp is amazing! Hope it works like I think it will!

Just had my O4. I savor every bite. Planning a bacon cheeseburger for lunch on LB. I only use a small piece of LB which I think would be two carbs at the most. Also will have half an avocado. I am inching my way down to my 10X4 which I held for so long. I need that to me my new set point and then go down more from there!

Beautiful day here! Crisp air and the sun is shinning!

K-Mom 10x3

Lori- URGHHHHHH - OMG- I hope the cream kills it. Red nose aside, so glad you found it. I worry about spots too. Especially us southern gals that are outside every weekend. We should all be more mindful of sunscreen. I will be the first to admit I am not great about that, because I love a little color.
Hope your game goes great!

Leeann- I thought about you today- and your CASA babies. I am not sure exactly what you do, but I am sure it has to do with interventions for these little ones. Ya know not every parent is equipped to care for themselves let alone kids. Bless you for being there.
There is an employee that might be caught up in something maybe like that. Do you know if there is any $$ support if you "inherit" a kid you can't afford? You can take the answer "offline"

Hope you are taking some time to catch your breath. You have been one busy gal

BLUE- yummmmm crack slaw tonight. Ya gotta try the recipe I posted a few posts ago.
How is your week shaping up? I was behind when I got there.
Has your new health care coverage plan kicked in yet? What a chuck of change every month!

Trig- in the yonder- I feel ya!

KMOM- you have your guests in now right? Do they eat like you? I worked on water today. Would love to know if you are cooking for them.
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Yes work was exactly as one would expect with a week off and a dysfunctional office. But my staff was fun to return to. We are losing the last of the bad apples next week. Enough of that. Leaving it at the door.

So I was on the phone talking to my mom when she was INSISTING she was so fine- when she gets dizzy, falls and drops the phone.
So her husband comes over- picks her up. I am screaming in the phone..... MOM MOM. HELLO...... He answers and says.... Well I need to put her to bed. She just had a little "spell"........ WTF..... Really........ She wants no intervention. OK- walk away Renee- I can't MAKE her get help. SIGHHHHHHHHHHHH No reponce needed

So today I took a walk at lunch..... had tuna/ mayo/ raw spinach -

Crack slaw for dinner-

Oh.......will get some sleep tonight...... tired.....
hope all is well

Water Hounds! Forgot to start...sorry

Let's start tomorrow with tracking.

Good Morning!

KMom...yes, I'm at the lowest weight I have been for MANY years. Would still like to lose another 10-15 lbs. We'll see.

Jaz...sounds like you made the best of your return to work. I hope they realize that they have a gem in you.

Well, I went shopping. What a fiasco! For one thing, it was pouring rain and I had to fool around with an umbrella going in and out of a few stores. And the clothes? Butt ugly!! I didn't even find anything to try on. All I want are some basic color Bermuda shorts. Is that too much to ask? The "golf" clothes I looked at were ridiculous. The shorts and skirts were SO short my a$$ would have been hanging out......ain't nobody wanting to see that! They looked like the clothes that the women professional golfers wear....well, the 20 something ones. Sigh...Came home and got online and ordered a pair of black Bermudas. Fingers crossed that they fit, or back they go. Also ordered an insulated metal water bottle to use on the golf course. A regular bottle of water gets too warm and icky when it is WAY hot.

Cancer spot update-I think it looks a little less angry this morning. It looked really bad last night. Maybe I'm turning a corner on it? I'll have to load on the concealer before heading to the golf course this morning so as not to gross anyone out. I'll be seeing a bunch of new people today. It's a tournament where 4 different clubs send 8 players & 2 alternates and they compete. I'm an alternate, so no pressure.

Cat was in last night and got me up at 3:30. :-( Everyone got awake and hubby got up at 4. Here we sit. I head for the golf course at 7:45.

Hope your day is a good one.

Lori- really you couldn't find anything????? Did you go to a sports store? That would be disappointing. I hope the ones you ordered off line works for you.
Awesome that cream is working. I have never heard of a cream that kills cancer cells? That is really something. Good to know! So do you buy everything from amazon? You know Amazon and Google rule the planet.

KMOM- yesterday 4/6. Six will be my goal. That is doable I think. How are things going? Is your sister still there?

Blue- Hope your work week going well. Do you get to work from home any this week?

Leeann- how are you doing?
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Seems very quite on here! That could be a good thing as we are all humming along and doing well.

So even though the scale only said 1 pound, 2 people said it looked like I am losing weight! Maybe it's just the tan! HAHAHAHAH

I tell you what though- I have been feeling so good with some walking in the mix. I have been to sedentary for too long- time to keep it up. I think that is why LORI- you feel and look so great.

To use Leeann's word- balance. I think a good LC lifestyle and moving in someway everyday = healthy. I know somebody that worked out everyday and is a carb addict- she became a diabetic. Even as a gym rat. Ya still can't out run your fork. Food first- then moving.

I gotta find time sometime this week to get my brakes looked at. I might have to wait until Sat. There is a place not far from where I work that has a good rep. I just need a ride to and from. I ask my boss yesterday if she had time to swing by this morning and pick me up from the dealership- believe it or not she said no.
She said morning's were to hard for her. OK......... I don't get it.

Speaking of- So yesterday I am walking Bella after work and found some guys check laying on the curb. It was the real deal hard copy check for 1500.00- they he needed to cash. I thought- wow, I would be upset if I lost a check for 1500.00. So I tracked the guy down, I kept asking people if they know where "frank" lived. Finally someone knew.
So I knocked on his door- ask if his name was ..... he said yes. Took the check and slammed the door in my face. STUNNED. Had it not been for the fact that 2 little boys answered the door- I was tempted to kick it.
I know not very lady like of me. I was still in my dress from work!

We have 2 interviews set up for today. Ya know just when I thought I have heard it all- my boss actually ask me if anybody I talked to was WHITE. SAY WHAT???????? I have no respect for her.
The thing is I really like the program, I like my co-workers, I like my team. I like the company as a whole. It's just her.
I am learning how to work with a difficult person. I think it would be a really GREAT environment if she would just retire. But it isn't happening anytime soon.
I happen to be in a good position, with some good $$- so I will make the best of it.
I don't think there is any place that doesn't have "that person" in it. At least I know how to handle her. Ok- done with that rant.

I took the steps yesterday at work and went for a walk during my lunch hour. It has been raining here about everyday though. Florida is getting soaked! I am so glad we didn't get rain!

Today- I am making chicken in the slow cooker. I will have that and a small salad for dinner. Lunch- Tuna or salmon/ mayo. I find that if lunch is the same thing- just enough to keep me fueled for the day I don't care. I like eating the same thing about everyday. Takes temptation away.

Ok all have a lovely day

KMOM- Go you, inching your way back down to 10x4. CapD all the way! Glad your DH was helpful for you.

Jaz- In order to answer your question I would have to know some more details. A 'stipend' of sorts is given if a child is in foster care. If a child is adopted, though, that ends. To the best of my knowledge, anyway.

Lori- Sorry that you weren't able to find anything that you liked clothing wise. That's disappointing. Glad your 'nose spot' looks less angry today!

Jaz- I agree with you that movement is probably key. I need to do more of it than I do for sure. Your boss is a piece of work!

•••••••••••••

Things are fine here. Experiencing the strangeness of having older kids AND having them be busy. Not at all a bad thing, just a different thing, you know? I am enjoying the opportunity to relax and get things done at a slower pace, read a book, etc. I got Leanne Vogel's book on Keto and I have been reading that some each day along with a novel, and also catching up on way-old TV that has been filling the DVR for weeks.
I have a few errands to run today but otherwise plan on chilling with the mutts.. oh, and taking a walk! Being motivated by my peeps!

Hi all,

Lori---I spent over an hour today reading Jason Fung stuff on IF, thanx to you. Not sure how I can make this work for me yet w/my crazy and always changing schedule, but it sure was motivating to read and I really got the whole idea of it. He makes it so understandable.

What is your eating window again? In terms of hours. Do you think the IF is responsible for your weight loss? Seems it is as if I've got this right, this is the thing you've changed lately.

Like I said, not sure how to make this work for me, but I'm interested. It will never work for us to eat early every night. When home, we eat between 6:30 and 7 most nights. But yeah, we do have an active social life where dinner is often later.

I have long eaten 2 meals a day, lunch and dinner, and sometimes I just do iced coffee and cream for "brunch" and when it feels right, don't eat again till dinner.

In any case, it really felt good to get my head into this again, with new ideas thoughts and challenges. Again, thanx for leading me there.

Nic---I hear you struggling a bit w/your youngest gone for a bit, and your two others either out of the nest or well on their way. I say "struggle" in the way that change always is. To me, you are super mama. Been your identity I think for a long time. And your kids will still need you for a long time to come, really always, but yeah, it becomes different.

But I'm not worried for you at all, just empathizing. You are one heck of a capable and smart woman. You'll figure it out, not doubt. Till then, hugs. Change is scary, but also it's amazing what can happen when we go with its flow. I think this is a challenging but huge bonus of growing older. We are once again tossed back into figuring out who we are, in yet another new phase.

Jaz---OMG, that woman! Couldn't take the time to give you a lift to your car, but has no problem taking and taking and taking. These people are vexing and I've known my share of them. Particularly hard when it's your boss.

But you are one savvy dame, my favorite kind. You've been around the block enough to know it when you see it. And you're so RIGHT when you balance out her w/everything else that's good about this job. Don't let her take that away from you.

And yeah, there's always one of these wherever we work, again, tough when it's the boss. But my bestest and most caring advice is---don't give her too much power over you. You've got her pegged. Now you just have to learn to work her better than she's trying to work you. I think you're totally up to it.

I hope you hold your vacation in your heart when it comes to your joy in movement. Yeah, you can't walk the beach where you are, but you CAN walk something, LOL.

K-mom---Thinking about you as your sis and her hubby are due at your house. I am sorry to hear how things are going for your sis, but happy to hear she has such a loving hubby and sister in you. These things can make all the difference, and I hear you working hard to give her the gift of that.

OMG, Water!!! I am once again out of shape on this and have let it go a bit. It's not that I run around de-hydrated all the time, and I do watch the color in the toilet that tells me if I'm in trouble. I rarely am. I drink a lot of things besides water, and it seems to be doing the trick most of the time. Still, I need to do the water. Will start again tomorrow and report.

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So, it's late. I was out tonight with a dear pal for dinner, and then we cozied up in her apartment and chatted the night away.

Confession. I snitched some of her french fries tonight. I had a good day on plan till then. I can feel that I'm getting too loosey goosey about all this. Bites here and there and everywhere.

Have not been on the scale for two weeks. Although I'd bet that it's going to tell me what it's been telling me for a long time. No change, no matter what I do. Everything is flashing danger, danger, danger to me right now. It's NOT that I've gone on a hog wilder, it's much smaller and more insidious than that.

Need to figure this out. NOT for me a believer in no treats ever. That's just not ever going to be the way I roll. But I do seem to have lost more of my commitment to LC than I would wish for right now. And yet, I also have to say that regardless of my bites or treats, I do remain more LC than I ever was before.

Sometimes I tell people that my default is 25 NCs a day and they are amazed. It reminds me that STILL, to most this sounds extreme. To me it feels normal. LC has changed my life, and going on 5 years on/it, I DO SEE that it's got a grip on me. Good. But I also see that the challenge never ends.

Like everything else, it keeps changing. How I feel about it, how I deal with it. SIGH. Anywho, again, that's why I'm HERE. Because I know I want to hang on, I know I want to spend my life being mostly LC, and I have to see myself type that out now and then.

Oh, and Jaz, got a book for you.

This is totally a beach read, whether you're at the beach or not. But what made me think of you is that it's about a woman who has made her bones writing a successful blog until....and of course, therein lies the conflict that is necessary for even a good beach book to be interesting.

It's called "Ladies Night" by Mary Kay Andrews. It's totally undemanding as a read, and fun.

Good Morning!

Had fun playing golf yesterday at a different course and with some different ladies. I didn't play my best, which is disappointing, but fun anyway. Back to my home course this morning with one of my "regulars".

Blue...my eating schedule is typically 16:8. That is 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating. Not that I eat for the whole 8 hours, but that is the time I'm "allowed" to eat. I would like to get to 20:4, but just not there yet. So, I usually break my fast around 10AM and stop eating by 6PM. Since I go to bed SO early, I like to stop eating early too. I have read that it is best to stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. The IF is really the only thing I've done differently to make the scale move. Although, I have cut down on the "fat" coffee that I was drinking. I was having 1 cup a day, but now often don't have it at all because of my fasting window. A combo of the 2 has caused the loss, I think. I really like Jason Fung. He seems like the kind of guy you could sit and talk to and feel like you've known forever. Yesterday my fasting window got "busted", but back to it today.

Jaz...I can't believe people. From your boss not having time to pick you up in the morning and the guy whose check you found that slammed the door in your face! ARGHHH!!! Couldn't you just scream sometimes? What has become of basic civility and kindness? Sad situation. But you know what? We just have to keep on being kind and helpful.

Well, time for me to have some more coffee and get myself awake. Time to chase that little ball for a few hours. Have good days!

Hi everyone-

Blue- Love the thoughtful way that you speak and address people and whatever is going on in their lives. You are gifted in that way and you have a huge heart. I love that about you.
I get the struggle with the bite here and there mentality. I have struggled with it too and struggle still. Partly because I don't know what the heck I am doing but still. You sound more in control of it than I have felt lately but nonetheless- hugs. It is a constant journey, isn't it?

Lori- Have fun golfing!

Busy day on tap for me today. DD22 and her Fi will be here shortly and we are going to look at 3 wedding reception venues today and 3 tomorrow. That should be enough to wear me out! lol

I was motivated to go on TWO walks yesterday- one long and one short. The second one was with the Hubs. We also enjoyed some porch sitting. Shades of the future, with no kids? Maybe!

DS15 posted a pic of himself with a little kid on IG last night along with a little blurb on how great a time he is having serving in Costa Rica. AWESOME!! From anxiety to loving it- I'm thrilled for him! Good job growing, little man.

DS18 spent the day from breakfast to midnight with his beloved- she had a whole day planned with activities. They went to a lighthouse, to a drive in movie, paddle boarding etc. They are such a sweet couple. Very thoughtful of each other.

Good stuff all the way around!