Winner/Not a Winner

Good news, Bad news.  First of all, we did NOT win the Mega Millions so we will not be moving immediately to New Mexico.  That would be the bad news.  The extremely excellent news is that I was rewarded for my hard work on Weight Watchers this week with a one and a half pound weight loss!!  I am now only one and a half pounds from  my personal goal.  I’m happy about that! 🙂

Tried something new and yummy…

I mixed 1/2 a cup of Fiber One with some of my crock pot apples and fat-free vanilla yogurt.  It was delicious and very filling.

Do you Love my bowl?!  Got it at Goodwill for 50 cents a while ago and I just found it again.  So cute!

Got to the produce market and stocked up on  Romaine, celery, zucchini, lemons, green peppers, tiny eggplant and snow peas.

The lemons were because…

I keep hearing how good it is for you to have lemon with hot water in the morning.  Tastes pretty good.  Perhaps someone should clean the counter before taking photos…Ooppps…

Assembled goodies for dinner.  I completely forgot about the snow peas… 😦

Very tasty with Penzys Galena and 33rd spice added…

Even better with sriracha sauce on top!  Very good and filling.  I say that a lot, but filling is very important to me.  I have always been a volume eater and the veggie combos I make help a lot as do my Really Big Salads!

We’re on our way to my sister Ele’s house in a while.  We’re about to meet the next to newest member of the family.  Her name is Colette Mary and from the photos I’ve seen so far, she is truly adorable.  Stay tuned Baby Lovers!

Happy Saturday!!

 

25 Years and Counting!

Yes, it’s true…I’m turning 25 today! For those of you who are gullible enough to believe that, I have some swamp land in New Jersey to sell you.  Most of you know that the idea of me seeing 25 again can immediately go on your Fat Chance List.

What is 25 today is one of the most important relationships in my life.  25 years ago today, along with my friends Gail and Alice, I joined Weight Watchers.

I had heard about Weight Watchers for years.  When I was in college, I’d toyed with the idea of joining.  My roommate had showed me her sister’s materials from Weight Watchers.  I looked it over and determined that they wanted you to eat too much food.  I didn’t think it would work for me.  Little did I know that years later I would be singing the praises of this same program.

I’m not sure what got us there that first night.  We had discussed it for a long time.  There may have been a promotion going on.

It also may have been because I was going away with my Mom to visit a friend in Atlanta.  I decided that would be a good time for my Last Supper.  You’ve never heard of the Last Supper?  It’s one of those unwritten traditions that you hear about when you’re with a group of Weight Watchers members.  I spent that weekend in Atlanta eating as much as I possibly could because I knew that on Monday, everything would be changing.

On that Monday night, when we got to the church basement where the meeting was held, we couldn’t believe how many people were there.  We staked our claim on the front row and started to fill our membership forms.  I remember everybody being very pleasant.  The employees and the members were all talking to each other like old friends.

I remember being shocked and somewhat embarrassed when I saw my weight on the scale.  In the years since then, I’ve often been unhappy with the result I’ve seen on the scale, but I’ve never been embarrassed again.  The embarrassment was all mine.  No one ever made me feel that way.

It took me thirteen months to reach my goal of 50 pounds lost.  I had never thought about working for Weight Watchers but in truth most people thought I already did. All I ever did was talk about the program and what it had done for me.  When I completed my 6 weeks of maintenance, my leader Mary Lou had “the talk” with me.  Every member who reaches Lifetime is approached to work for the organization.  I didn’t even have to think about it.  My answer was Yes!

I spent 15 years working for Weight Watchers while I worked other full-time jobs.  At one point I was leading 5 meetings a week.  It was hard but I loved it.

I came to know how much the people who you meet at Weight Watchers can mean to you.  I came to feel so close to the members in my meetings.  It was heartbreaking when I had to give up my meetings due to the demands of my full-time job.  I think about going back to working for Weight Watchers and I still might.  I’m in the thinking stages at the moment.

I have wonderful friends I have met during the time at the meeting where we attend now on Saturday mornings.   We all watch out for each over, staying in touch during the week and supporting each other through our trials both in Weight Watchers and in the rest of our lives.  Gail and Alice are spending the winter in Florida, but still attending a meeting there.  My other WW friends keep an eye out for me while they’re gone.

There of course is one person I need to thank for this.  I met her that first night 25 years ago and though she doesn’t like to hear it, I know that she is the reason I have had such success at Weight Watchers.  She has seen me through good and bad times over these many years.  She is a wonderful person and has shared her joy and enthusiasm with thousands of Weight Watchers members during her 36 years as a leader.

Thank you, Mary Lou for all you have done for me.  I am what I am today because of meeting you that Monday night 25 years ago.  I can never repay that.

Happy Friday!

Time To Focus

Perhaps I should change the name of Broken Cookies Don’t Count to Not Feeling the Focus or Focus? What Focus?  I talk about it a lot.  I do not seem to achieve it.  It seemed that every time I tried to start a project yesterday, I got interrupted.

Riding my exercise bike.  I was excited to finish one book and start another.  Gail called and we talked a while and made plans to Skype later in the afternoon.  I started to do the dishes (yes, dishes are sometimes left in the sink overnight.  I really need to fire “The Help!”)  My phone rings and it’s Gail, they’re ready to Skype…right then! It was great fun and she showed me all of the treasures she’s been getting for her cabin in Maine And some things she’s gotten for me!  I’ll have lots to show you when she gets back from Florida.

Finished the dishes and had breakfast. Ok, so that’s backwards but here it is.

Lemon Chobani and Fiber One.  So good.  Gail taught me that combo and it’s great for breakfast, lunch or a snack.

I got dressed and started on cleaning/organizing a particularly offending dresser in the bedroom.  Ralph needed to run some errands and wanted me to come along.  With the bed scattered with stuff, we left on our errands.

Since we were in the shopping center where Subway is, he suggested lunch.  I thought for a moment…Wednesday…Weigh in on Saturday???  I decided if I only got a 6 inch sub I’d be ok.  I thought I might cave when I put in my order but I didn’t!! 🙂

A Veggie with provolone cheese and Southwest sauce.  Very tasty.  I felt satisfied and not guilty!

The Southwest sauce on my sub inspired me when it was time for dinner.  I’ve mentioned that I’m trying to make my own dressings for salads.  Here’s my latest.

1 Tbsp of olive oil

1.5 Tbsp of red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp of honey

1 Tbsp of plain yogurt, I used Greek

1 tsp of Penzeys Arizona Dreams seasoning

1 Tbsp of water (as extender for Big Salad!)

Romaine, plum tomatoes, carrot, shredded cheese and pumpkin seeds.  I’m out of almost everything!  I need to get to the produce market! 😦  I forgot to add my crock pot black beans to the photo, but 1 cup of beans joined the fun!

All joined together in the wonderfulness that is the Big Purple Bowl!  This was a really good salad.  My dressing didn’t taste exactly like the Southwest sauce at Subway but it was delicious and I’ll make it again.  I’m having such fun with this I think I’ll start a new feature.  I think I’ll call it Dressing Up!  That’ll confuse people! 😉

Happy Thursday!

 

WIAW~Where’s The Green?

So here we are half way through the week already.  Boy, for some reason, this one has gone quickly!  But let’s slow down a minute and smell the wonderful things cooking over at Peas & Crayons hostessed by the lovely Jenn!  Yes, it’s What I Ate Wednesday…the place for all the fabulous Foodies to meet.  Please be sure to travel over there, read some blogs, bookmark some recipes and Leave Some Comments.  We really do all live for your comments! (I’m not even kidding!)

We’re still doing our best to be Green for WIAW.  As you know, I’m vegetarian and it’s almost always Green around here.  Those of you who visit BCDC regularly, you sort of know what you’ll be getting from me in the food area.  When it comes to other things….I’m pretty scattered so you never know what you’ll find!  You rarely get one entire day of food, I’m usually covering a meal here, a meal there.  So in no particular order…

Ralph wasn’t feeling well or Monday so he actually had oatmeal for dinner!  I threw together some whole wheat pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, some broccoli which might have passed its prime, garlic, crock pot black beans and diced tomatoes with green chilies.

Topped with shredded cheese and sriracha sauce…So Good.  I’m thinking I need to buy stock in sriracha sauce, what do you think?!?

I needed an evening snack and since I had made a crock pot full of apples…

So tasty topped with fat-free vanilla yogurt! Tastes so decadent, but this only counts for 2 Points (raisins and yogurt) Yum!

Couldn’t resist some more apples and raisins for breakfast on Tuesday morning.

My recent favorite mixture of oatmeal and oatbran with Splenda and almond milk…crowned with apples and raisins from the crock pot.  This was so tasty and filling.

Breakfast was so filling, I didn’t feel like anything more than Greek yogurt for lunch.

My wonderful Chobani from my Good Deal Saturday!  Black Cherry for today.  I still have a hard time believing I get 14 grams of protein from that little pot, not that I’m complaining of course!

It wouldn’t be WIAW on BCDC without a Salad!  Looks pretty familiar.

Romaine, plum tomatoes, celery, shredded cheese and crock pot black beans.

The new wrinkle in recent weeks…

Making my own salad dressing.  I’ve done it a few times, but I think I’m going to stick with it and get creative. 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1.5 Tbsps of red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp of honey, 1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard and 1 Tbsp of water.  I add the water to extend it because as you can see I make a Big Salad!

So very tasty in my Big Purple Bowl.

That’s What I Ate Wednesday for this week.  Green enough for you?  I do my best!  Now all you have to do is travel over to Peas & Crayons  to savor all of the wonderful foodie offerings and leave some comments.  Make this an outstanding WIAW for some other happy bloggers.

Have a Great Day!  Happy Green What I Ate Wednesday!

 

Sometimes I’m On Target

Well, who knew that when I was eating all of my Greek food on Saturday, that Sunday was Greek Independence Day?!  Thanks to my friends, Eleni and Angie I found that out.  So Oopa or however you spell it.!  I just know that I enjoy the food.  From comments, I guess I’m pretty lucky to have a place that makes veggie Gyros.  I’ve never seen it anywhere else so, if I want one, I’ll have to keep going to the Gateway Diner!

I mentioned yesterday about trying to get just one project accomplished and it might expand into something more.  I feel like that theory actually worked for me on Monday!

I had to miss out on my free Dunkin’ Donuts coffee last week, but I wasn’t going to allow that to happen again…

Grabbed it on the way to run errands.  The girl at DD actually got the point of “not too much cream” this time.  Yum and Yum!

Got a great deal at Shoprite.  Ralph and I like Miracle Whip Light.  For me it’s only 1 Point per tablespoon.  A jar lasts us a good long time.  They don’t have it sometimes which is frustrating and Walmart doesn’t carry it at all.  It was on sale for $1.50 off the regular price…of course I bought 2!

Ralph likes red delicious apples and I bought him some last week.  He’ll eat one, maybe two, then the apples sit there.  Never fear…enter Crock-ette!

Along with the second box of ancient raisins found recently while cleaning out a cabinet. 😉  I ended up having to eat one of the apples because there wasn’t enough room in Crock-ette.

The finished product.  Just cinnamon and a little Splenda added.  So tasty and they make the house smell so good.  Ralph doesn’t like scented candles, but he doesn’t complain when the good smell is coming from Food!  He doesn’t have quote the same reaction when I’m cooking beans…I wonder why? 😦

Speaking of Splenda, anyone who uses it knows how expensive it is in stores, even if you buy a store brand.  Aldi is usually the least expensive-100 packs for $1.99.  At BJ’s they sell it in quantity.  You can buy Splenda for $13.99 for 700 packets, but if you buy the BJ’s brand it’s only $9.99 for 700 packets!  You can’t tell the difference.  It’s such a good savings!

I had made overnight oats intended for breakfast but then it turned into lunch.

I’ve been talking about enjoying hot oats with half oats and half oatbran.  I tried it with this OOIAJ and it tasted great this way too!  I ate it with the lonely apple that wouldn’t fit into Crock-ette.

Afternoon tea is becoming a daily occurence for Ralph and Me.  We’re really enjoying it.  His is pretty standard old regular tea.  I’ve been trying some interesting things.  I’ve always loved Constant Comment.  I found it on sale, bought a box, then I got a box of it as a Christmas gift, so I have to start drinking it.  Recently, someone posted about finding Green Constant Comment.  Well…

I get the goodness of the green tea and they wonderful flavor of Constant Comment.  I always use my Huge mug, because I think it might end up too strong if I used a standard size mug.  Very enjoyable when I get some reading time in the afternoon.

Oh, yes and my project? As I’ve mentioned before, I have a tiny kitchen. The corner (next to my stove) where my trash can sits can become a catch-all area.  Problem is that my largest cabinet is next to it and it’s hard to get into sometimes.  I cleaned out the area and put the trash can flat against the wall so the  cabinet door opens so much easier!  I took a look in that cabinet and it needs some attention, so that is today’s project.  Makes me feel good to accomplish things!

Happy Tuesday!

Thrifty Splurge

There has always been something of an unwriten rule, or perhaps more of a tradition for Weight Watchers members regarding the day you weigh in.  Ok, so I weighed in and I got whatever result I got from the scale so now I can be a little   F-L-E-X-I-B-L-E… In years past, I used to really allow myself to get carried away.  Back when I was still eating chips or wasn’t actually following the Program very faithfully, I could do lots of damage! 😉  I try to be a bit more restrained now, but I can enjoy myself nonetheless.

Ralph and I are trying to stay on somewhat of a budget lately.  We’re not going out to eat nearly as often as we used to and we try to go places that are more reasonably priced.  He asked me where I wanted to eat and I said The Gateway Diner.  They have something there that I love and if I was splurging, I wanted the Veggie Gyro.

It starts you out with a small Greek Salad.  Of course, I requested dressing on the side.

I’m not sure if it was just because I was really hungry, but this was the best Greek salad I’ve had in a long time.  Could be because they use Romaine lettuce rather than iceberg.  That’s always a winner for me.

The gyro itself comes with a side of fries or potato salad and tzatziki sauce.  I picked the potato salad, but I only ate a few bites of it.  Very tasty.

Oh, yes, coleslaw and a pickle too. The stuffing of the Gyro is mushrooms, lettuce,spinach, onions, peppers, tomatoes and cheese.

Closeup!  It does tend to be a little (very) messy.  It comes wrapped in the paper you see in the first photo.  I’ve always thought I should ask the server if I could have some aluminum foil to wrap it in order to make it easier to eat.  I did that this time and it was so much easier.  Still delicious and worth every bit of the $6.49 that they charge you!  The pita that wraps it is fluffy and tasty.  It’s really my favorite thing on their menu.

Since it was Saturday and since I’d been thinking about this for Weeks and hadn’t acted on my desire I suggested a treat to Ralph.  Big Spenders…uh…Thrifty People that we are I suggested we go to McDonald’s for ice cream.

I got the plain vanilla cone, Ralph got the hot fudge sundae.  There may or may not have been yummy oatmeal raisin cookies in that little McD’s bag. 😉  Their ice cream is so good and the cone only counts for 4 Points on Weight Watchers so it’s not that I wasn’t paying attention.  The cost…$1 each!  Excellent!

That was our Saturday Splurge!  Any vegetarians in the area really need to try the Veggie Gyro at Gateway Diner.  It is the best.

Not sure what Monday will hold.  I’ve got a few projects in mind and I’ve been finding if I think small, I can get more done than I expect, because one project always seems to lead me into another.  I just have to get myself started!

Happy Monday!

Good Deal Saturday

Ok,  so maybe it wasn’t such a good deal at Weight Watchers…:-(  Hopped happily on the scale feeling positive as always for a good result…I gained 3/4 of a pound or .8 in WW terms.  When I was still working for WW I had a hard time when we went from calculating member’s weights in fractions to .2, .4, .6, .8.  I had to use a calculator anyway to figure it all…that’s right, I am Not a Math Whiz.

It cracks me up how my friends at WW determine what’s good about their loss or gain.  Both .4 and .6 are one half pound by WW reckoning.  If my friend Debbie gains .4 it’s a low half pound, if she gains .6 it’s a high half pound.  However if she loses either of those amounts…it a half pound!!  I think that all of us who are trying to lose or maintain our weight can drive ourselves a little crazy with this stuff.

I believe I know what caused my gain.  I said I thought I had my night-time snacking under control.  I’ve been snacking on saltines Way Too Often.  I have to get out of that and I think I will see a positive result.  My fingers are crossed!

On to the deals!  I had mentioned how I was seriously enjoying the Shoprite brand Greek yogurt and that it compared well to Chobani.  When I went there Saturday both Chobani and the store brand were on sale 10 for $10.  Guess which I bought?!

Same price, Bigger savings, right?!  I was excited.  Good thing is that it seems to last in the fridge.  If I had more room in the fridge, I might have doubled it.  I’m excited.  I also got the Chobani because it has plain yogurt in the small container and I’ve been wanting to experiment with yogurt in my home-made dressing.  Yay!!

I also made a stop at Dollar General.  What did I find??

Now here’s the deal…On the shelf with the regular canned goods, these were $1 each.  I decided that I use them enough that it was worth it and picked up a couple.  I then found their Last Chance shelf where they have things reduced.  Found them there for 50 cents each!! Very exciting.  I love that store!

I must confess that after this I got sucked into going to Goodwill.  I had a few things to drop off, things I didn’t want to save for my yard sale…more on that soon…I bet no one had to sprain their brain to figure out what I bought…

 Ok, I can’t stop myself…they’re only 49 cents for the paperbacks and 99 cents for the hard back, AND I’ve already read 18 books this year, not like I’m wasting the money! AND I can sell the ones I don’t want to keep at my yard sale!  I’ve never read Neil Gaiman.  I got another of his a week or so ago at Goodwill.  They sound interesting and I think I’ve heard some other people talk about him.  Has anyone read him?  I’d be interested in your opinion since I’ve invested a whopping $1.48 in him! 😉

I found this on Book Riot and I think it accurately and painfully describes me…

Sad but true.  Not really!

So, not sure what the day will hold.  It looks like yesterday’s dreary has come to visit again today. Blah, Blah, Blah.  Guess I’ll just have to get some reading done…  😉

Happy Sunday!

Ready For Success

I’m hoping for a good result when I get on the scale at Weight Watchers today.  I’ve been working hard all week and I’ve even been able to control my night-time snacking to a large degree so I’m hopeful! Of course you can never tell so stay tuned.

Friday I got back to an old favorite for breakfast.

I love the combo of yogurt with Fiber One.  It’s sweet and creamy and crunchy and over all good for me.  This is actually the Aldi version of Fiber One.  It’s over $2 less that the brand name and tastes the same.  I’ve almost finished the Shoprite brand of Greek yogurt.  I’m going to stop there to restock today.  So much less expensive than Chobani.

I actually got some cleaning done around here on Friday, some cabinets re-ordered to make life simpler…that sort of thing.  It feels good to accomplish things like that.

Had time to finish the book I was reading.

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver.  I really enjoyed it.  I think I especially liked it because it was set in the Southwest and even though the town in it is fictitious and in Arizona, it made me think of New Mexico.

Late afternoon brought a cup of tea, I love pairing green tea with another tea.  This lemon ginger from Bigelow is very good.  And a new book.  Celestial Navigation by Anne Tyler.  I’ve read a lot of her books.  Interesting so far.

Dinner was approached with an eye toward weigh in.

Romaine, celery, red bell pepper, plum tomato, Aldi’s 2% cheese this time in a Mexican blend and 1 cup of home-made black beans.  I’m back to making my own dressing. 1 tablespoon each of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. 1 healthy squirt of sriracha sauce and about  1 1/2 tablespoons of water to extend it (I make a lot of salad, I need a lot of dressing!)

So delicious!  Kept me satisfied for the night.

I’m off to Weight Watchers in about an hour.  I’m looking for some good news and I’ve got more projects in mind for this afternoon, so it should be a busy day.

Happy Saturday!

 

 

Full Of Beans

Yesterday, I posted a picture of some black beans that I had cooked in my crock pot.

I didn’t say much about them because I’ve talked about them before and I’ve heard I talk to much about beans sometimes (That’s for YOU, Lillian…) I can’t get over how many comments I got on BCDC and on Facebook regarding making the beans in the crock pot and asking how to do it.

So whether you love them or hate them…here come the beans!

First, if you buy your beans in a bag in the grocery store, most bagged beans now have directions for crock pot cooking.  I’m not sure I agree with them, but that would give you a starting point.  This method has worked for every type of bean I’ve tried.

Soak the beans over night in water about 4 or 5 inches above the beans.  It took me a long time to figure out that if I soak the beans IN the crock pot, I don’t have to wash another pot!  (Yes, I am a college graduate!)  In the morning when you’re ready to start cooking, drain and rinse the beans, put them back in the crock pot.

Cover the beans with fresh water to about 2 to 3 inches above the beans.  I usually do about 3 inches.  Put on your lid and try not to be lured into opening it again.  I generally cook mine on High.

This is were it can become just a little tricky, but after you’ve done it a few times you’ll figure out what works best for you.  Every crock pot seems to cook a little differently (don’t know why) so your first attempts should probably be done while you’re around to check on them.  I cooked my black beans on Wednesday for about 4 and 1/2 hours.  Sometimes it takes 5 hours.  I don’t know if crock pots are subject to humidity or atmospheric pressures.  It just depends.  If you want to be able to do it on Low with more time away (once you’ve found your bean groove) then cook them on Low.

I know I said resist the temptation to look, but at about 4 hours you should probably pull out a bean or two and test them.  Are they cooked to the softness you like?  Then you’re done.  Be VERY careful!  You need to drain them, but they are VERY HOT!! I have big oven mitts I use and you have to keep your face away or you Will get a bean facial.

I suggest that after draining you put them in a container that has a fairly large surface area to allow for additional cooling.  It seems if I put them in the fridge before they are fairly cool, they tend to get mushy, so let them cool.

In my experience, it also seems that different beans will need different cooking times.  In general, it’s probably good to test whatever bean you’re doing at about 4 hours.

That’s about all there is.  If anything doesn’t sound clear, feel free to comment and I’ll answer whatever I can.  I just know that they taste SO much than the canned.  Canned are better than no beans at all, but these are so much cheaper and tastier.  I recently heard that you can freeze them (Duh, never thought of that) and I don’t have to eat all of them at once before they can get funky.

So case in point.  I had been at my sister Ele’s giving a Reiki treatment last night.  I got home at about 8:30 and it was Urgent that I have something ready to eat ASAP because the Finale of Project Runway All Stars was coming on at 9pm!  So may I introduce you to Flash Dinner!

Bag o’ Rice from Aldi…diced tomatoes and green chilies from  Dollar General and 1 cup of home crocked black beans.  90 seconds for the rice in the micro.  Mixed the tomatoes and the beans in a large glass measuring cup-2 minutes in the micro.

Some shredded cheese sprinkled (perhaps a bit too liberally) on top and several spritzes of sriracha sauce.  The rice had a nice smoky flavor, not sure why and it was pleasantly spicy from the green chiles and the sriracha.

Got in the door at 8:30…in my jammies and eating this delicious dish by 8:45.  I’m NOT kidding.

So that’s the story of beans in the crock pot.  I’m sure Lillian has walked away from the computer by now, but I had to do it! This is such a wonderful tool and I love sharing it with all of you.  Try it, it’s cheap, it’s nutritious, it’s healthy and protein packed.  That’s all I have to say about that!

Happy Friday!

Author’s Note: Relative to nothing…I just noticed yesterday at CVS that Beano tablets now look like kidney beans…That’s Hysterical!

 

Old Familiar…

I often bemoan on BCDC the fact that I repeat my foods so often, how boring they seem when I look at the photos and how I should change that.  I could probably save space on my WordPress account by reusing the photos because they look the same.  OK, so I like what I like and I like to repeat.  I’m bored too sometimes, Kids.

All that being said, when I got up bright and early on Wednesday into the crock pot went my bag of pre soaked black beans.  The result…

These beauties!  I’ve said it before, nothing beats the flavor of home cooked beans.  They’re so inexpensive, I think this bag cost $1.29 and so easy now that I know how to do them in the crock pot!  All I have to do is remember to soak them!  I get so many meals out of them, it’s crazy!

Lunch looks pretty familiar over the past couple of weeks…

I am just loving having egg salad ready for a quick lunch.  Ralph loves it in sandwiches and I pair it with my low-fat cottage cheese on top of chopped Romaine lettuce.  I love to liberally sprinkle Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning on top. So Tasty!

Something New and Something Old.  The something new is that I’ve finally figured out how to use Skype!  My best friends Gail and Alice have been in Florida since January.  We talk all the time and we’ve done a lot of “talking” about setting up Skype but none of us has actually done it.  I decided on Tuesday that I’d take the plunge.  Alice scared me yesterday morning by suddenly popping up on my screen.  After figuring out a few things, like the fact that I can see her a whole lot better if she turns a light on  (!!) we ended the session with plans to meet up again in the afternoon.

Ta Da!!!  There they are.  We had a wonderful time, laughing hysterically most of the time and having difficulty getting Gail to behave.  She insisted on making faces at me the entire time, much as she does when we’re together in person.  That’s what happens when you’ve know someone since you were six weeks old.  The story our Moms told us was that Gail was born when I was six weeks old.  My Mom took me to visit her Mom.  They put us in the playpen together and the rest is history.   This was great fun and we’ll probably do it every day.

By the time dinner came around, I had no enthusiasm.  However, a girl’s got to eat!  Started with Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patties.

Cooked them up in the microwave topped with some shredded cheese on a sandwich thin.

And some reduced calorie Miracle Whip.

Nothing fancy.  I was hungry so I had two and I had enough Points left to do it.  This was very filling and kept me satisfied for the evening with the exception of a Lime Tootsie Pop.  I’ve been in pretty good control all week, which makes me happy.  Hoping for a good result at Weight Watchers on Saturday.

It’s dreary and overcast and looks like it will be rainy today.  I’m not thrilled about that, but what can you do.  I’ve also been awake since 3:30am so it will be fun later trying to stay awake.  I’m not worried.  It’ll all work out.

Happy Thursday!