Pam the trip sounds wonderful. I could use one. My whole family goes out of town for Thanksgiving every year. We usually stay in a state park somewhere. This year we are going to Hocking Hills in eastern Ohio. I found us a couple of big houses to rent. We aren't sure how many more years we will be able to go as my parents are 88 and 85. There will be 35 of us this year. It is a lot of fun. I am always in charge of the menu and assign everyone what to bring. Fortunately they are all pretty much healthy eaters. We do a lot of hiking etc.
Anastasia I have several of the Hungry Girl cookbooks. I love them. They have a lot of innovative ways to make favorite dishes cutting the fat and calories. Some of her recipes need a little more seasoning for my tastes. She also has a website you can subscribe to. She sends daily emails with recipes and new foods. She has a recipe for alfredo sauce that is really good. I add some garlic to it. I cooked it last week and my family loved it. My daughter commented that she thought I was on a diet and alfredo is bad for you. Ha ha my little secret. I did put mine on tofu shiratke noodles.
I need to get off of here. My DD and I are going to go on a segway tour today along the river. Or if the weather doesn't shape up we will go tomorrow. I have never been on a segway and have always wanted to try one.

Ana, welcome to our little group. You can play along as you choose. Now, on the first of next month, when we have the sign ups, you can send your FQ in - and you're playing for the gold - kinda like the olympics except we play for fabric - And slimmer bodies! If you've been lurking - or if you've read all former posts, you see we have all sorts of good recipes coming in, lots of tips, a Taboo Tuesday and sometimes a cry fest - its all part of our family. Some of us have lots to lose and some of us, not so much - we're all in it to lose. And having the dangling carrot (which is on our taboo this week) of those FQs is great to look forward to. Welcome aboard.

What a lovely description of our group, Vanogay. I will chat later as I am on my way to a quilt show. I'll have to look up the Hungry Girl alfredo sauce. I have an imitation I cobbled together that is very good.

I feel ya, I've been out of work since May when I quit my job. Couldn't handle it anymore, was so neurotic and depressed and stressed. I keep getting rejected too so I just try to focus on doing really well in school and have projects to work on. So much more relaxed now. probably too relaxed cause I'm becoming one with the couch.

Ok this is a long one. I just finished reading the entire thread.

I also have agoraphobia. Well, what I officially have is Hypomania bipolar, generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks and agoraphobia. They like to try to change my bipolar to just major depressive but that’s not accurate, they just don’t see the mania cause who goes to the therapist when they’re having good days? Haha.
I need a sunlamp I think. Northerner here, and like to stay inside..I know when I get up and move and do things then I am less depressed. It’s that willpower to get up that’s hard.
I’m also a teeth grinder and have TMJ (I have braces on to try to fix this)from a car accident where I smacked my head on the console. They have a mouth guard called an Aqualizer. Works REALLY well. It doesn’t dig in to the gums and holds your jaw very gently in a relaxed spot.

Soda is one of my downfalls. I have not been able to give it up completely for more than a month but I can get it down to 1 per day and only diet. If carbonated water was sold by the 3 12pack for $11 deals I would drink that with crystal light stuff instead but nooo.. I need my bubbles that are bad for me and I need the caffeine. I like coffee and tea but I like them with so much other things that they end up being extra calories.
I quit my job too cause I was just a basketcase. It was the worst job in the world for me to be stuck in. I worked in a call center. And while I appreciate their high standards of excellence, I was falling just shy of meeting them and it was making me neurotic. Plus I have a social anxiety problem and being on phones all day every day tethered there because of the major strictness, it just drove me nuts. Literally. I did go on a few different meds to try to make it. We had to stay in one department for 1 year before we could transfer out and I was just trying to make it. When I got to my one year mark, they wrote me up for not meeting their goals… and I just lost it. Completely lost it. Had a mental breakdown, went on a several month medical leave, racked up a huge bill with the therapist.. went back for a week.. lost it again.. went back on medical leave.. then they were like.. you HAVE to come back and the situation WILL be the same.. so I was like.. I can’t. I quit. I had been looking and looking for other jobs but nothing. SO I went back to school to do something I enjoy, and I’ve been going for a year now and loving it and can’t wait to finish and start working in the field.
Try eating with your eyes closed and putting your fork down completely after each bite and chewing as slowly and as long as you can.
It takes about 4 weeks to shrink an appetite by eating less. I’ve finally shrunk mine. Now it hurts like heck if I eat too much, and it keeps hurting.. ALLLLL NIGHT.
Also, anyone ever looked at the Eat Right 4 Your Type diets? They’re based on blood type. I did it for awhile, and I felt AMAZING. But it’s a very restrictive diet that I just couldn’t keep up. Do you know how hard it is to find anything that doesn’t have corn OR wheat?! I’m blood type B so it’s like one of the least restrictive diets but holy cripes. Anyways. What sold me on that diet was when they were going through and saying if you’re this type and you eat these foods you probably experience these symptoms.. Sure enough, had every one. I also learned some additional vitamins and mineral supplements to take and those really helped make me feel wonderful. I did that diet for 2 months (I can’t seem to stick to anything consistently for more than 1-2 months, grr) and it was the most wonderful 2 months. It’s really hard to eat right when you’re broke. Hehe. I need to find a person that’s one of those extreme couponers. Get them to hook me up.

just checking in. house is quiet. have it to myself this morning. i am losing so slow this month. 4 lbs for the month so far. but down is down.
ana welcome. sunshine always helps me. in the winter on nice sunny days, i open the big front doors, and set in the sunshine and read.

I just tried to type a short little document for my DH. When I tried to print it everything froze up. I had my document and several quilt patterns waiting to print. I lost it all. I spent a long time searching for quilts. Grrrrr! I had a grd time even getting my computer to shut down. Now my Word program won't work and it is coming up saying I have to reinstall. Grrr. I wanted to spend the rest of the day hiding in my quilt room.

cindy, still haven't received the FQ's for last month. did you mail them to me, or some other lucky person? you know, that is possible. even with the correct address. we get neighbors mail all the time..... check my new envelopes with the FQ's in them. i sent you postage.

No I haven't mailed them, I have them sitting at the door and everytime I go out I forget to grab them. When I realize I forgot them am in the middle of a store. I will get them mailed before I start work this week. I am so sorry that I keep forgetting them. I will put them in the car today for when I am running errands tomorrow.

Hi all
Been running errands for the last few days and haven't had any time for quilting or keeping up on here.

I am also not losing as I think I should, trying to eat off smaller dish, drink water, no sodas, no sugar(well almost none) so what's up? I'll keep on this has to show up at some point. Being good is soo boring.
We are having French Onion Soup with salad tonight and fresh fruit for desert. Better go stir the onions befor they burn.
hugs to all
Gail