Hope everyone is having a great week and those that were sick I pray you are feeling better.

We are doing our big neighborhood Christmas cookie baking/carolling Sunday. Usually I make 55 - 60 dozen cookies but not this year. Several of the neighborhood children have been coming over for the past 10 years to bake and decorate the cookies and then we go carolling and pass them out to our 33 neighbors. It is so much fun. For the past 2 years my daughter, Ana & Eric (the original 3) have been coming over and 3 different cookie recipes of their choice. It has turned into an amazing tradition, adding children as we have them. Needless to say I haven't been faithful to this WOE this week.

Our snow here is almost gone. We had alot of rain today.

Hope you all find much joy in tomorrow. Blessings, Maureen

Dh and I finally went Christmas shopping. Oh my.
He wanted to eat out so we stopped at a buffet. I was very tempted but I had salad , chicken and green beans. I was hard but I did it.

Annie: that looks like a wonderful fudge recipe, I'm gonna try it this weekend.


Maureen: we bake tons of cookies here also, I'm sure I'll have to taste a few.

Sarah: Did you get that snow? Here in Central Ohio where I live we haven't gotten any, usaully by now we have had.

Heather: I'm with everyone else. We need the inspiration.

Sorry Maureen and Tina
I must've posted at exactly the same time as you.

Tina when you went out with your hubby I could've used your discipline here!

Maureen, your cookie weekend sounds phenomenal! Such memories! I don't count any calories here, does anyone else?

We hang Christmas cookies on our front door the weekend before Christmas. I started it about 12 years ago. We have pretty red lights with red/green velvet bows attached to the grapevine that surrounds our front entryway. decorated cookies (family affair) get tied with pretty ribbons all around the grapvine and lights the Sat/Sun before Christmas. Kids come up and sneak them off. It is a hoot, and those who have "grown up" keep asking me, "Are you having your cookies this year?' What a hoot. God forbid that we should forget to put them up!

The trick is we always say, "Yes but we better not catch you sneaking any off!"
Of course that is the whole purpose, to see the little sweet potatoes sneaking up to our door. Cars stop by now to take one too, because through the years the word has traveled quickly! We use almond extract in our frosting and real butter (what else), and it tastes great. I will not taste them this year because it's hard to stop.

Maureen have fun with your exchange!

Hugs to you all, Annie-Pie

I have to confess a BIG CHEAT. DH had an accident and destroyed his knee. Thank heavens that was all! I stopped for a meal late thursday after hours with Dr's (day it happened and really blew it(chinese, cheetos, icecream) and had a cone with the kids yesterday. Comfort food big time! Major stress -DH being out of work several weeks without income(I'm a very pt employee and mostly a SAHM). I know this too will pass! Earlier in the week I weighed and was down two pounds. I fully expect that to be added back on plus maybe what I lost last week. UUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!
Annie, I'm going to try the fudge! Thanks!

I'm not doing so well either. It hasn't been any big cheats, just carb creap basically. I've been sick. And I haven't been able to cook my veggies, so I've been getting less. Lot's less. And for carbs most days I've been living on peanut butter. And then last night after dinner I found out there was RICE in the meat loaf. My weight is up quite a bit. My body was still holding on to the stuff from Thanksgiving, plus this now. So I am up 8 pounds, so I'm at 148. I'm getting serious about this. So, today I'm eating right again, and Monday I hit my exercise program full force. Thanks for your support guys. It means so much to me. To everyone thank you.
~CindyLynn~

Cindylynn, want to set a goal to stay in the carb limits and exercise for 1 week at a time? Smaller blocks seem to help for me.
Hope you feel better.

Michelle,
That sound good. I think I do better in smaller blocks too. Thanks for the encouragement. I am feeling alot better. I really have no idea what I had, I just know the symtoms made me feel aweful. But I'm doing better, and I'm being strict for the next 4 days to get back in Ketosis. Keep working on it and we can do this.
~CindyLynn~

WEll ALL don't die of shock, I finally found you and here I am in all my glory.

Hello Everyone!!!!

I am Nancy, the wondering LCer, who never seems to stay home and I am at my daughter who left me to babysit her pouches and bunnies for 8 days with a empty fridge. <giggle> Will have to make a Costco run before I can eat again cause last night it was what ever you can find and that wasn't much. But the kids did make it to Florida safe and called this morning to let me know the flight only took 4 hours....Sheeesh they must of had one hick of a tail wind to make a 6 hour trip in 4 hours. :)

Looking forward to meeting all of Annie's new friends here and chatting with each and everyone of you. I have been quite for a bit now. Kind of having a bad month here for myself. Christmas is a very hard time of the year for me. Miss my love ones who have passed over to the other side greatly.

Ok off to start at the beginning of the thread and work forward... ttfn

hugz
Nancy

Wow, You wonderful people have inspired me and there are only 12 days until Christmas. So I don't think I will make that 4 to 8 pounds but will give it my best shot. :)
Off to Costco to buy healthy LC goodies and do induction for the next 12 days for a boost starter.
hugglez
Nancy

Hi everyone, I havent been posting much, havent had much time.

I am stuck again at 174-175 bouncing back and forth. Seems like my body just loves that weight. I dont and I always get frustrated. I guess I should be glad Idont weigh the 180 that I did almost 2 weeks ago.

Shopping is pretty well finished, gotta find my Dad something and he already has everything so any ideas would be appreciated. I thought about giving a gift certificate but thought that might be tacky and I want him to spend it not his wife (not my Mommy) Dont even want to get into that situation.

I have been doing real good as far as eating, still havent gotten back to exercise tho.

Good news for my DD. She got a 2nd and a 4th place finish in her academic meet the other night. She was so excited.

Hope eveyrone is having a great weekend. And good luck on the weigh in Monday.

Forgot to welcome you Nat. Annie has already told me alot about you.

Hi stacysheil,
Pleased to meet ya.

Annie is a great person and a jewel in the rough.


I just made a new discovery gals. We all love almonds I am sure and the only peanut butter in the house here had 17 grams of carbs. So that was a no no but my daughter had a bag of almond in the fridge and I just took 1 cup of them and made almond powered out of them but left some of the almonds in chunky bits.

Almond Cookies
1 cup almonds ground chunky in food processor
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup splenda (more if you want them sweeter)

Mixed and drop on a greased cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes until golden brown.

You should get pretty close to a dozen cookies from this and mine just disappeared while I was taking my shower. :)

Just think a quater cup of almonds is a nice filler... Now we can have them in cookie form too. <smile>

hugz
Nancy

Hello Nancy.

I'm having a day. DH and I got into it (a doozy). I headed straight for the bread, then I finished off the half gallon of Carb Smart Ice cream.(It was pretty full)
When I get upset seems to be the only time I just can't controll myself. Hopefullty I didn't do to much damage.
Tina