A Day in the Life, WI

Hi Everybody.  I had a good day yesterday.  I went out to my running trail with DH and we had a good fast-paced walk along the trail for about an hour.  We ran the final 1/2 mile.  [My Nike+ girlie in the sidebar is happy again.] Then back for a shower and off to my WI.  It was bad, as I expected, but just under my "scream weight."  I wanted to record the weight so I can revel in my big weight loss next week. :-)  I stayed after the meeting for the review of the plan, just to cement it in my mind.  I recorded everything I ate yesterday and plan to track my eating and my points for a while to get myself firmly back on track.

We had enjoyed a honey-baked ham during the holidays and I returned with the ham bone in the cooler.  The day we got home, I started a Navy bean soup.  We had it for dinner yesterday.  Yum.  Just the dry beans, onion, water, a chopped sweet pepper, and the ham bone.  I did take the precaution of checking with my WW leader for  advice as to how to count the ham part. [She recommended counting 2 oz of ham worth of points even tho' there weren't 2 oz in each serving--this accounts for the bone marrow that infuses the soup.]   No picture, sorry.

Here's another picture from our trip:

This is my 87 yr old Aunt Bettie.  She's my mom's sister.  She enjoyed playing pool.  Notice DH in the  mirror.

Johnny has the week off, so I do too (no grand babies this week).  We'll have them over for supper and exchange presents in the next few days.  I want to tackle my house, send lots of things to the thrift shop, straighten, sort, do laundry, clean out drawers, etc.  Is it spring yet??  Guess I'd better prioritize by room so I actually accomplish something.  I also have some business to take care of concerning my Dad's estate.  I'm his executor, but he was so organized that he's made things pretty easy for me, but there are still many hoops to jump through.

Exercise today will be another trip to the gym for weight training and swimming some laps.  I'm not a strong swimmer--I think I failed baby tadpoles when I was little and swim just well enough to have passed the test so as not to have to have an "adult" with me in the pool.  I'm thinking of maybe taking a basic swimming class for adults to try to improve my form.  This new shorter hair style really makes it believable that I'll get in the pool twice a week.  My hair dries fast and I can even get away with not doing anything to it and yet have it look okay.

I haven't decided about dinner tonight--maybe roasted pork tenderloin with baked apples.  There'll be a "numbers game" post coming up soon.

Be good.
Tish
189.4

Take Me Home Country Roads, Unbelievable 0 point Apple Pie

We're home!  We had a great trip.  We really enjoy road trips.  Here are some of the highlights:

The Peachoid--a 150 foot tall water tower in Gafney SC, on I 85.

We stopped by Jefferson's Monticello, near Charlottesville, VA on our way home.  What an amazing place and so well done.   Curiously, the vacation rental house where we stayed was in Monticello, GA (home of Tricia Yearwood).

Jay and my Aunt Bettie in the back seat (our huge cooler took up the 3rd seat)

Self portrait.

DH did all the driving.

Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz had it right.  There's no place like home.  We might miss the company and the fun activities, but nothing's going to feel as nice as our own bed tonight and we really like our house.  I have a definite date with my jacuzzi tonight!

As I promised my self, I've jumped right back into my good routine.  We had baked talipia for dinner with grean beans and whole wheat roasted vegetable ravioli.  This afternoon when we got home I made a new recipe I learned from my sister.  It's amazing.  If you like apple pie, but want your pie without ANY WW points (in the new, fresh fruit is 0 points system) here it is:  

So simple:  Core and Slice Fuji apples in 1/3" slices (no need to peel apples).  Place in pie pan spritzed with non-stick spray.  Add a generous sprinkling of cinnamon--I used 2 tsp for about 10 small apples. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until fork tender.  You can add a TBSP of water, or cover with foil for the last part of cooking if they seem dry, but mine came out fine without.

These are unbelievably delicious.  The type of apple makes a difference--Fuji's have just the right degree of sweetness so as not to need any sugar added.  They are wonderful warm (on ice cream--not WW), but equally scrumptious cold in your oatmeal, or just plain.  I love cold apple pie and these have that same appeal to me.  They would also be a nice dessert with a dollop of FF Cool Whip.  Try 'em, you'll be amazed.  AND the house smells delicious with the apples and cinnamon while they're cooking.

I went to the gym to lift weights after dinner and got in the pool afterwards to swim some laps.  Tomorrow morning I'm going to go out to my running trail to try to earn some R-E-S-P-E-C-T from my little Nike+ girlie.  Then I'm going to go to my WI and face the music from being AWOL for the past couple weeks.  Oh, and my gym is offering Zumba classes starting in early January.  DH and I are both going to go.  I went a couple times with my daughter, Laura, when we were out there earlier this year and it's great exercise.

Onward and downward,
Tish

Charlie Brown Christmas

Here's our tree.  Note my camera tripod which served nicely as a frame.  Fortunately, I was able to use the tripod to photograph the lunar eclipse before the tree took shape!  I figured out a techie way to get it from my camera to my blog without a cable. :-)
 

We have had a good Christmas.  The most important things took precedence.  Time to reflect about God's gift of His son.  Time to spend with family, to support my sister while she's working to regain her health and energy and to remember our Dad.  Time to relax and have fun (pool, ping pong, foos ball, and jigsaw puzzles).  Good food (too much and too many sweets.)  Exercise (too little--I'm not sure pool is exactly aerobic!).

Here's another picture of the gang at the lake house.  (you can see the lake outside the window in the Xmas tree picture).

We'll be home day after tomorrow and I'm happy to say that I'm really looking forward to getting back to my routines.  I can't wait to get back on my running trail.  I notice my little Nike+ icon on the sidebar is dissing me.  I have a couple new cookbooks that are calling to me.  I also want to get back to learning the new Weight Watcher's program and LOSING weight.  I know I've added a few unwanted pounds.  I'm not waiting for the new year.  Just get me home and let me at it.  I've had my fling and I'm ready to embrace my real life.

See you in a couple days.
Tish

Merry Christmas

Hoping you all have a wonderful Christmas day.  I'm with family (sister, brother, DH & Jay, an aunt, and nieces and nephews).  Family is great.  I missed my Hot 100 Update yesterday, but I have to say I'm not doing it now.  We'll get home early next week.  Then it's back to work.  Here's a picture of our "Christmas Tree."  We're in a vacation rental home outside Atlanta.  No decorations at all here, but with this and that, we came up with a tree  (that's my camera tripod under it all!).  Oops, I forgot that I didn't bring my download cable.  You'll have to use your imagination.  Santa found us last night--Jay was worried.  He even filled the shoes in front of the fireplace.  My mother's mother was French and we grew up with shoes, not Christmas stockings.

Have a blessed Christmas.  See you soon.

Tish

Friday Fly By, Hot 100 Update

This will be a Fly By.  I am still not "on plan," in that I'm not tracking or counting up points, but I feel okay about how I'm eating.  Very busy getting through laundry and family papers/pix to get ready for a family rendezvous over Christmas.  I've spent way more time than I'd like in our very chilly attic looking for one certain document among dozens of boxes of my Dad's papers.  Aaargh.

Look what I discovered when I finally took the time to click through the many pix I downloaded from our kids' visit in November.  A good candid "cousins" (our grandchildren) picture.  IIRC, little J was squirming a lot, trying to get himself out of the picture.  His oldest cousin, J, did a grand job hanging on to him and tickling him into smiling for the camera!

Hot 100 Update.  Again failed all three, but I did go to my WW meeting and gained only .2, I have exercised 3 of the past 3 days, and the chocolate is more or less back under control.  Even tho' I'm not meeting my original goal, the fact that I'm still thinking about it and paying attention to it has made a positive difference in how I've managed over what has been a difficult holiday season.

Stick with me, I will get back to my "real" life one of these days!

Tish

Getting Ready for Christmas, Wednesday WI

Hi All,

I'm back home and jumped right in with getting ready for Christmas.  I'd put up the pre-lit tree that I ordered, so when I got home Saturday evening, and I'd forgotten that we'd agreed to babysit that night, I let E unwrap ornaments and deck the tree.  Very cute--she decked it very deliberately all around the bottom foot of the tree, but couldn't reach any higher (our tree is on a piece of furniture).  DH came to her rescue and held her up while she put the others on.  Funny, I've been very territorial about being the one to decorate the tree and decide where things went, but I was quite happy, this time, to cede the responsibility to E (& DH).  While she was thus happily engaged, little J sat in his chair at the kitchen table and played with the new (to him) Fisher Price Nativity scene.  I used the time to make dinner and reflect on my many blessings.

I can't say that I've been at all "on program" this past 10 days or so, but I haven't gone "hog wild" either. Today at my WI I gained .2  After last week's 2.4 loss, I'm okay with that.  I really want to hop back into the new WW plan and did pretty well today.  I got out to run yesterday (dressed for the low 20s complete with ear muffs, scarf, mittens and layers).  Back to the gym tomorrow and easing back into my routine.  

My sister seems to be improving, but we've changed our plans and will rendezvous with my TX brother in GA and spend our Christmas together.  That will be good for us all, I think, in this first holiday season without our Dad.  We've found a lovely big rental house (thanks, Sharon, for the idea! ) and I'll cart food down there so we can do our own meals instead of eating out.  

Oh, another Christmas thing I did with the kiddos when they were here yesterday was making a gingerbread house.  I bought one of those kits from Michael's (I think) for less than $10.  What a deal--everything you need is in the box.  I put the house together the night before and, while J was taking his morning nap (that was his contribution to the effort--napping!), E decorated the house.  She was very precise and loved it.  It didn't tempt me a bit (though I did toss the leftover candy in the trash as soon as we finished) and I sent the house home with her at the end of the day.  Here are some pix:

E has a "thing" about having her photograph taken, so I had to take sneak pictures while she was otherwise occupied.  You can see how carefully she was putting the decorations on, though and the last shot captures her satisfied smile when she saw it sitting under the Christmas tree.

I'm weeks behind with my shopping, but my near and dear know I love them.  I'll try to have presents for the little ones, but am making no promises about cards or cookies for the neighbors.  I am holding together pretty well, but a couple of times a day something will make me realize how much I'm going to miss my Dad and I'll get a little teary.  I guess that's okay.  I'm keeping tissues in my pocket at all times.

Once again, I'm not doing a lot of blogging, but will get back to it soon because I MISS you all.

184.4

Friday Fly By, Hot 100 Update

Thank you all for your kind comments about my father's death this week.  I have been in Atlanta the entire week with my sister who is seriously ill.  Fortunately, she got a diagnosis today and will start treatment tomorrow.  As you can imagine, it's been a very difficult week for our family. Dad's funeral will probably be sometime in the spring.

As to my Hot 100 goals, I have failed all three, but still managed to go to a WI here and registered a 2.4 pound loss.  I need to get back to my routines and I'll do that when I return home tomorrow.

I'll be back next week.

Holding tight to the "reason for the season."
Tish