A very full two weeks

Wednesday November 5, 2008 Phase Two Day 198:
My 51st Birthday. The telephone aroused me out of a deep sleep. Sonnet was the first to call and wish me a happy birthday. The next voices I heard belonged to Jared and Anna singing a cheerful chorus of Happy Birthday. It was only Jami and I again walking this morning. Gaye was up working the election until 3:00, Rinez still has Ruthie and Shannon was sleeping in. After walking I had cereal then left for my hair appointment. From there I went straight to my massage appointment. It was heavenly. The phone rang during the massage and when I checked later, I saw it was from Sara. Being on baby watch, I called her right back. She was calling to wish me a happy B-day. Taunie called as I was getting dressed. On the way home, I stopped to get an estimate for car repairs where Kyle backed into my front bumper. Blake made his B-day call so I pulled over and talked awhile. By the time I got home it was noon and I needed to get to work. I stopped by Zorba’s to pick up a chicken salad and ate it at the office.

This afternoon I took down Halloween and put up Thanksgiving. I enjoy doing that. For dinner, I went to the Outback with the Walkie Talkies. We had a wonderful time. I ordered the Queensland salad. Rinez & Gaye both tried it as well. The waitress brought a hot fudge Sunday for my birthday and we all shared. The hot fudge was home made and very good. On the way home, we went to Dewar’s and I got peppermint ice cream with fudge and nuts. Yum. We talked to Taunie on the phone. Sonnet came by after Institute to walk but it was cold and she only had shorts. We decided to pass. It was a delightful birthday.

Thursday November 6, 2008 Phase Two Day 199:
Before I went to bed, I decided I was not going to go to my step class this morning. I slept in and loved it. I had a busy day, so I got up and dressed, ate cereal then headed out. Before I left however, I had a sliver of a cute little cupcake shaped cake Ann Pitts made me for my B-day so. It was sooooo good and I knew I was in trouble.

Mike needed me to pick up something for him to give to Jim for his B-day so I hit a few stored before I found what I was looking for. Also I needed to copy the Christmas program letter and get all the scripts ready to mail. At noon, I met Mom & Jim for lunch at Marie Calender’s. I had the Cabo San Lucas salad. After lunch, I went to the post office then into work. I was only there a short while before I came home. Home again I found myself heading to the cake. Oh Yea, I had some more. Sonnet called to say she had a thing at the Irish’s house this afternoon so we missed another weight lift class. Very poor week for exercise.

I really need to get busy on the blessing dress for Sara’s sister but I have just not been able to make myself do it. I decided to clean the whole back sewing area. It worked – with everything cleaned and moved out I feel like I can get started. It is funny how I like an orderly space. It is the same thing in the kitchen. I cannot work in a messy kitchen. So I began the dress and watched a new little DVD movie I picked up called Snow.

Stephen had an interview with President Russell and fixed himself a sandwich before hand. I popped a bag of popcorn and went back to my sewing.


Friday November 7, 2008 Phase Two Day 200:
Day 200!! I cannot believe I have followed this routine for 200 days. This morning we all walked then went out to IHop for Rinez’s b-day. It was a long breakfast with lots of talk and laughing. I ate a bacon, avocado the cheese omelet. I ate half of Gaye’s pancakes also. Then we ordered a coffee cake pancake with blueberries and cream to share. It was tasty. After breakfast I spent a few hours decorating the church for a wedding tomorrow. Finally home at 3:00, I had a bowl of cereal. Now Stephen is on his way home and we have decided to go out to Sizzler for date night. I think after dinner we will head back home and watch the new Hallmark movie Sonnet gave me for my B-day.

Saturday November 15, 2008 Phase Two Day 209:
Check out the date – check out the date! I have lost a week of my life! Actually, I have not lost it, I just neglected my journal for a week. So much has happened! Let me begin with last Saturday – I remember having a great day last Saturday. I worked around the house and enjoyed the luxury of a day at home. I sewed and finished the blessing dress. It is gorgeous. I amaze myself sometimes! I cannot remember what I ate but I think it was OK.

Sunday was normal. I ate cereal then went to choir practice. Stephen cam in half way through to say he just received a call from Sara saying Blake was taking her to the hospital. We make our excuses and left. What a tender day we had with the kids in Fresno. The baby finally came in the early morning hours on Monday.



It was a beautiful experience to witness and a memory we treasure.



As far as food goes, it was not so good. We ate in the hospital cafeteria. I remember pizza and ice cream. The Termeers brought candy and chips. Pretty bad. When we arrived back home early Monday morning I sent the birth email with pictures to my work friends and then went straight to bed and slept until noon. I did not meet my walking friends. Stephen met me at the plaza after work and together we shopped for the bridal shower on Thursday. We had a lovely time together. Where did we eat – oh, yea, we stopped in at the Red Robin in the plaza. I had a salad that was very good.

Tuesday was Veterans Day. There was no work for either Stephen or myself. We slept in which means I purposely missed step class. The Walkie Talkies planned to meet for lunch for Shannon’s B-day at 11:30. We ended up going to Marie Callenders. I had the Cabo San Lucas. It was yummy. I did have cornbread (bad) and then we all had a complementary piece of pie. German Chocolate – it was heavenly. I was very full and decided not to have much of anything the rest of the day, but of course there was a problem with that. First Sonnet called to say she had a conflict with weight class so I told her I was taking the holiday as an exercise holiday as well. Next, the East Hills ward was having a RS meeting that night. Gaye & Rinez had talked about it during lunch. In addition to a cute skit Gaye & Sonnet were in, they were serving homemade soup and rolls. It sounded like great fun and we teased about crashing it. It was just a joke and I had no real plans to attend. I was still very full from the big birthday lunch when evening came - then the phone rang. Rinez called to say she would pick me up if I wanted to go. I had mixed emotions. I knew I would enjoy the meeting, fellowship and food, but I was still full and not looking forward to the eating I knew I would not resist. The social side of me won out. Rinez picked me up and we did enjoy a delightful evening. The down side was that I ate excessively and was uncomfortable all night. It is amazing to me how I will make poor choices with full knowledge of unpleasant consequences! How adolescent is that! I cannot say another thing about teenagers that make sinful choices based on momentary lust or cravings – am I not doing the same thing when I over indulge with food for momentary pleasure?

Wednesday I walked with friends. I was so full from yesterday, I did not eat the next morning until I met my friends at work and we went out to a pre-arranged B-day lunch for Wanda & I. Let me tell you the B-day season this year is marathon. I had a delicious steak salad at the Sugar Mill. I was happy to find such a good salad at a restaurant so close to the office. It came with garlic toast – that was bad because I ate it. I could not even eat all of the salad because of starting out feeling full from the previous night. Half of it really filled me up. The funny thing about me is that I am a dessert girl. I can be full yet still like something sweet to top off a meal. We did not order dessert. Back at the work, I had a cinnamon roll in the break room and snacked on some candy from Julie’s office. See how loose I have gotten. I cannot say the last time I had any candy from the candy dishes around the office. My problem is that once I begin eating very caviler I escalate quickly past all reason.

Thankfully, I had an appointment at 1:30 with a housekeeper so I needed to get home. She was wonderful. We worked together from 1:30 until 6:00. I have all my windows and glass washed inside and out, I have the cabinets and appliances wiped down. I have the floors scrubbed, the trees cleaned. Everything is dusted and sparkling. It feels so good. Tomorrow is the Bridal Bunco shower for Karrie and I feel much better knowing I have a clean house. I stayed up late decorating and getting things ready for tomorrow. I don’t remember eating that night.

Thursday was Bridal Bunco. What a fun day.




Because of the heavy cleaning yesterday and all my puttering around the house decorating so late, I was tired and too pooped to get up for step class. Before I fell into bed, I told Stephen I was agonizing about not going. This was a dilemma because Jami said she went Tuesday and was surprised not to see me. I knew she would be expecting me tomorrow. I told Stephen I was not only physically tired but somewhat tired out with all the exercising I am doing for other people. I walk for me, I like to swim for me however I have committed to take my Mom swimming two mornings a week so now what was pop-in swimming when I wanted to, has become a routine for my Mom. I am actually happy to do this as I know it is good for her and I enjoy our time together however, it is a time commitment for me. Another thing is the weight lift classes Tuesday & Thursday afternoons. I go to the classes to support Sonnet. I would probably just attend one on our side of town early in the morning but, I go across town in the late afternoon to meet when Sonnet can attend. It defiantly cuts into my evenings. Then on Wednesday nights I have to stay up to go walking at 9:00 with Sonnet after Institute. The thought of having to be at step class for Jami was just too much. I have to feel like I can go when I want and not feel like I have to carry one more person. All these things are good and I enjoy them. It is just that I feel more scheduled than I want to be. But then again I think - what am I here for if not to be of help to others so just quit the complaining and be happy! Sorry, momentary pity party - OK, I am better now.

Stephen is much more level headed than I am. He is a man for one thing, which I appreciate at times like these. He can be very practical and just say, “For Pete’s sake, if you are tired don’t go.” I did not go. It felt great to sleep in a bit then get up refreshed for the big day ahead. I was pretty ready for the Shower but like anything, there are things that need to done last minute. I went into the office for a while then back home. I will say the evening was something special. The house was wedding wonderland from the flower and bows draped banister to the tool tied chairs surrounding china set tables. I know I am crazy but I so enjoy fashioning something lovely. As Rinez quoted Heidi Pheffer as saying, “It pleases me.” I share that sentiment. It pleases me to create an atmosphere of welcoming, beauty and enchantment. The shower began with friends arriving early to change into their dresses. With all of us milling around upstairs, primping, it felt like prom night. We were all ready when the doorbell rang. A hearty Surprise! shocked our little bride. We drew her in, dressed her up and began a fun filled evening. The dinner was catered from Los Hermonos, so you know I ate too much Mexican food. All of it bad but scrumptious. We ate, played Bunco, then settled in the living room for prizes, dessert and talk. What a magical evening.

Friday morning, after walking with friends, I took the leftovers to work. Most of the day I was in the office decorating her photo shower book. It was great fun to put everything together, especially at the office with everyone popping round to chat remembrances of the evening. The book turned out perfect. Driving home, I stopped in Rite-Aide and bought some ice cream to eat on the way home. Later I met with scouts then got ready for Adam Powers wedding reception. Here again I ate very poorly. Lots of M&M’s, cake and potato salad. The good news is today is Saturday. My schedule will slow down a bit. I only have two major things today giving me time to get myself together. I have been up since 6:00. It has felt good to catch up on this fit-day journal. The accountability is good for me. With a day to myself I plan to eat cereal. I know that sounds funny but I feel the need to purge. It is now almost 9:00 and I am going to have a bowl of cereal before my 9:30 appointment. Later today for lunch I will have cereal again. Tonight I have a rehearsal for the Christmas play at 5:00. I will have a salad before I go. A light day is what I need. Sonnet is coming over and we can talk about the coming week. I did much better that one week we looked ahead and made a plan for each upcoming event. I feel like I have grasped the handle on my diet again.

The day went as planned with one exception. I had another bowl of cereal for dinner. That makes three bowls of cereal today. Feels good.

Sunday November 16, 2008 Phase Two Day 210:
Got up when Stephen did @ 5:00. Lots of church work to do. Had a light & fit yogurt and left for choir. The choir sang beautifully today. Very nice. Church was wonderful. By the time I returned home at 2:00 I was hungry. I had cereal. I spent the afternoon making a small cake and some muffins for my Visiting Teachees. It is so fun to experiment with the pumpkin/cake mix thing. They turned out yummy – I know this because I had a small bit just to check. Then I made two big salads for Stephen & I. I knew he would not be home until after 4:00 but they would keep in the frig. When he finally got home, we ate dinner out by the pond. Stephen was asked to speak at stake standards night so I went out while he was gone. Had a nice visit with Susan Pritchett then stopped by the Sims with some extra muffins just for fun. I was home before 8:00 expecting Sonnet to come by for our Sunday evening stroll soon after her fireside. Cheyenne called and dropped by just before Sonnet arrived and we all had an enjoyable time. Idid not have any soup to offer Cheyenne (that’s what she usually craves at my house) but I did have some boiled eggs. She & Sonnet had some and I had a yogurt. Needless to say, we did not walk right away. After a lot of laughter, Cheyenne left and we walked. Now I am getting ready for bed. Two good days of controlled eating – good for me.

Monday November 17, 2008 Phase Two Day 211:
Out the door to walk with friends. Gobbled some quick cereal then was off to pick up my Mom for swimming. I am so glad that I am swimming. Sara called to say she and Blake were coming for a visit but she wasn’t sure when they would get away. How fun. I quickly got ready for work. Had many projects at work to wrap up so I would have time to spend with the kids. Went to the store on the way home and by the time the groceries were all put away I was hungry. I ate a granola bar but then started to feel funny. It was almost like I was getting sick with a bronchial infection – you know, kind of heavy in the chest. Coughing every few minutes. I thought, “Oh no, little Jacob is coming and I am sick!” I found some antibiotic in the cupboard and started popping them. I don’t know if I had anything or not but I thought better safe than sorry.

I put in a roast with all the trimmings and when they arrived, we had a delicious feast. Roast, potatoes, carrots, salad and mixed berries. I’ll be taking Jacob so the kids can have a good nights sleep.

Tuesday November 18, 2008 Phase Two Day 212:
No step class today. Oh, yea, I was up off and on all night. Jacob is a cute little thing, he is also the nosiest little baby I have ever heard. Not his crying – just his snorts, breathing and gurgles. He is so adorable to listen to except in the middle of the night. I kept hearing things and getting up to check. Sure enough, there he was just sleeping and snorting away. This morning I am tired but still going. I am sure I will crash later. I ate cereal then started in with chores. Blake slept in until about 8:20 when he had to get up and prepare to go back to Fresno for 3 classes. Sara stayed in bed until about 10:00 – heavenly. She said it was the best nights sleep in months. Good. I had a cantaloupe snack. We just visited and I did stuff around the house all morning. I had egg mix on crackers for lunch then went upstairs to take a nap.

Stephen woke me up for Enrichment. It was a potluck dinner so I took stew. I think everyone had the same idea because there were lots of soups and roast type dishes there. I had soup and a piece of bread and salad. I did make a trip to the dessert table and select a pumpkin cookie, a chocolate chip cookie with a dollop of ice cream on top. Now at home I am tired and feel a little punk. I should sleep while I can – it will probably be a long night as Jacob has been sleeping all evening.

Election Week 2008

Wednesday October 29, 2008 Phase Two Day 191:
What a fun day. It began walking with friends. Then I was home to eat cereal for breakfast and watch Andy Griffith. Then I was off to pick up my Mom for swimming. Today I told Shannon I would help Karissa with the Pre School. Those kids are so cute. We prearranged to walk the kids over here to look at the fishpond. They had so much fun. We went back and Karissa had them cook these darling pumpkin cookies on a stick, then we decorated them. I came home about 12:30. She insisted I take a pumpkin cookie. At home I ate it – don’t worry, it was not sicky sweet and mine did not have any frosting. Actually, it was very good. I took a few minutes and cut up the leftover roast and veggies up. I added broth, carrots and what ever else looked yummy and brought it all to a boil. One the menu tonight is stew.

For lunch, I fixed myself tuna and ate it with crackers, low fat cheese and pickles. I had a dry hot chocolate mix to top it off. Now I need to pop into the office before coming back home to meet with boy scouts…..Well, I went up to get ready for work but the bed looked so inviting. I thought, ‘If I can just rest for a minute”. Thirty minutes later I decided I would not go in. It is actually a good thing I stayed home because I checked the time for the Boys Scout appointment and it was an hour earlier than I thought. As it turned out thought, they stood me up. That’s OK. I worked on church stuff. Stephen came home and when it was time for dinner I did not even want soup. It was too warm for soup. I suggested we go to Denny’s on Morning Drive because time was getting short and we both had to be at the ball field for a stake YM/YW activity tonight. I ate the best grilled chicken salad. It was just what I was wanting.

I asked if I could make an announcement for the stake Christmas play at the activity. I was so pleased that 22 kids signed up. Now I am home and think I will have a hot chocolate. I cannot have a granola bar with it though. I was telling Sonnet how I have forgotten that awhile back I made a rule of thumb for myself regarding grains. I said I would not have a granola bar and crackers on the same day. What we have noticed about conveniently packaged grain products, i.e. granola bars, crackers, is that they are easy to grab and consequently added to the daily routine at the expense of fruits and veggies. We know grains are good for you so I am not including the healthy cereal I eat in the morning among the other grain choices. Besides, my cereal comes with milk, which is a good source of calcium for me. Hence, because I chose to have crackers with my tuna at lunch. Now if I want a snack, I should choose a fruit or veggie….I did not have anything after all, not even hot chocolate.

Thursday October 30, 2008 Phase Two Day 192:
Well, still no change in weight. No worries, it will happen. Up and out to step class this am. Came home to cereal and Andy. Lots of church work for the Christmas program this morning but now I really must get into work, especially since I did not make it in yesterday. For lunch I will take some soup and an apple. The question is, should I have crackers with my soup or save the grains for a granola bar later on? This is tough. I decided on the crackers. Lunch was very filling, especially the apple.

This afternoon I was on the run trying to get a letter out for the stake Christmas program. My boy scouts canceled (yes) which gave me an extra hour and a half before I needed to be across town to meet Sonnet for weight lift class. I did not eat dinner. Stephen had stew but I only had the last half of my yogurt before weight class then a bite of tuna mix before I zipped to the post office. On the way home from the post office I stopped at the store. It was nice to do big shopping and not just running in for a few things. At home I ate the rest of the tuna.

Friday October 31, 2008 Phase Two Day 193:
Halloween! Tonight Stephen & I have a temple sealing assignment. I will pick him up around 2:30 and we will head down. Do you know what this means? Custard at the temple cafeteria!!! Yea – what ever they are serving we will positively have custard for dessert.

So, my day started off at the church with friends. It was raining when I woke up. The Walkie Talkies have an agreement that if it is raining we will not show up to walk. By the time it was time to leave it had stopped so I decided to go. Rinez was the only one there and she was helping Doug with breakfast for his seminary class. I stayed and helped. At home, I made a cake for the office potluck today. Of course, while it was cooking I ate cereal and watched Andy. The potluck was a potato bar. The potatoes were not done on time so I started with dessert. Don’t worry, just a small piece of my cake to make sure it was OK. I did however, have some pumpkin cookies Alice brought. They were good. I had a potato with onions and spray butter. We arrived at the temple too early for a hot dinner so I had a delicious salad from the salad bar and custard. We were able to get in a session and some sealings before our scheduled sealing time. In fact, we had just enough time to run back down to the cafeteria and gobble another custard before our 7:00 appointment. I was hungry when we got home and had a granola bar.

Saturday November 1, 2008 Phase Two Day 194:
What a wonderful day. Actually slept in until 7:00. Stephen & I had cereal out by the pond. It is a mild, rainy morning. We are due to meet stake members at 8:00 for Prop 8. Sonnet met us there and together we took two packets and began covering neighborhoods with ‘Remember to Vote, Yes on 8” door hangers. We finally got back home around 1:30. I heated up the stew and we all had a warm bowl. I had hot chocolate as well.

My computer desk had two tall stacks of papers to organize, bills to pay and things to file that had been sorely neglected for weeks, so I spent a few hours catching up. For dinner, I fixed a wonderful salad with, carrots, boiled egg, red onion, avocado and grilled steak. It was a hearty salad that left us completely satisfied. We enjoyed mixed berries on the side. Later that evening Stephen & I attended the baptism of a delightful new family. On the way home we stopped at the store. Saturday night at Albertsons is always a social outing because invariably we see friends. This night we saw Shannon Rock, the Pitts and Sonnet. Back at home, I made a big batch of boiled egg mix. I told Steph we still have leftover stew and I did not want to make another roast tomorrow if we still had leftovers. We decided to finish the stew and have boiled eggs salad sandwiches. Egg sandwiches are a favorite. One good thing about the change is that tomorrow is fast Sunday and at least I won’t have to be in a house that smells delicious all afternoon while I am fasting.

Sunday November 2, 2008 Phase Two Day 195:
Today is fast Sunday and we have chosen to fast with the purpose of asking heavens aid in the passing of Prop 8 here in California. So much has been said and done regarding this important issue. Little of which has been mentioned in this record, but suffice it to say, hours of phone work, legwork as well as many prayers have been offered in Prop 8 efforts. When it was time to break our fast Stephen & I ate stew, eggs sandwiches (I ate the egg mix with my crackers) and mixed fruit for dinner. I had a hot chocolate for dessert. I had lots of church work in the afternoon and stake Christmas play auditions at 6:00. By the time I got home at 9:00 I was hungry and reached for half an egg sandwich.

Monday November 3, 2008 Phase Two Day 196:
This morning I walked with friends then picked up Mom for swimming. I ate some cereal then was off to work. For lunch I took egg mix and had a sandwich, some yogurt and a piece of the cake I made for the office potluck last Friday. Well, something snapped in me because it just kept going from there. Even though I had an apple and some carrots in my lunch bag I reached for another piece of cake. That wouldn’t have been terrible but when I got home an hour later I kept going. I took from the freezer the peppermint ice cream Gaye made at movie day two weeks ago. It tasted wonderful especially with the chocolate syrup I poured on top. When I went to put the dish away I reached for a banana – why??? I don’t know. Then just because It was there I had two pieces of peanut butter toast! What a maniac! Isn’t that crazy!!! Oh well, what’s done is done. I will be fine as I eat a salad for dinner.

Tuesday November 4, 2008 Phase Two Day 197:
What a day in history! Today is Election Day 2008 and one way or another we will make election history with either a black president or a female vice president. Those things don’t really matter much to me as I am more concerned with the candidates character and ideology rather than their birth packaging. But, on the other hand, these historic changes do influence our nations future and anything that opens doors to all of our children’s potential is a good thing. Also, it is the due date for Sara & Blake. So far no movement to speak. Maybe tomorrow on my birthday J

So, I was up and out to step class then home for weigh in – yea – I am down 2 more pounds. Sonnet down another pound. I ate cereal and dashed off to the overpass to hold Yes on Prop 8 signs got an hour. When I got home, I needed to get flowers in the ground so I gardened for a couple hours. I knew I would be working the election polls later so I cleaned up, ate and egg sandwich & yogurt then reported to Stephanie’s house.

I had a cereal snack between poll work assignments. No afternoon weight lift class because of poll work. Salad for dinner.

Doing Better

Wednesday October 22, 2008 Phase Two Day 184:
Nice morning to walk with friends. Came home and had a bowl of cereal. You can sure tell it is fall because it is kind of chilly in the house. I have a lot on my schedule today. This morning I help Karissa with the day care at Shannon’s. After that I need to get in to the office to start my annual report that is due next week. As soon as I’m finished there I want to get out to the ball field and begin cleaning up the eating area and restrooms. I set the last of the stew aside for lunch today and will probably have it between day care and work. I have a few minutes now, so I think I will get my menu for this week written down.

OK, I have good news and I have bad news…the good news is that today the b-day celebration did not happen because one of the honorees is out sick. The bad news is that tomorrow is movie day and Gaye is bringing homemade peppermint ice cream. My Favorite!! Ice cream is always in order but peppermint?? I have decided to put some in a container and take it home to put in my freezer. Good for me.

I did eat stew and cracker for lunch. I had a granola bar for mid morning snack and another one for mid afternoon snack. I followed the menu for dinner by making stir fry with chicken. It turned out very tasty. I had a yogurt with it. Sonnet is here now so we are off for a power walk.

Thursday October 23, 2008 Phase Two Day 185:
Step class first thing then to Wal-Mart to pick up a b-day gift for Jared and two baby shower gifts. Back home I ate cereal, dressed then headed out to movie day at Rinez’s house. We watched, “The Pride of the Yankee’s”, a wonderful story about Lou Gherich. Gaye brought home made peppermint ice cream and but some in a container for me. It is in my freezer for later. I had some popcorn and a few grapes but that was all. When the movie was over we all went to the Prop 8 rally downtown. I ran a few errands and returned home about 3:00. I was hungry so I had another quick bowl of cereal and made myself a nice cup of hot chocolate then settled down to read. Of course that lasted only about 4 pages and I fell fast asleep. I got to bed kind of late last night, so it was a welcome rest. Luckily, Cheyenne called at 5:10 to get a recipe. I jumped up, got dressed and dashed to the gym to meet Sonnet. We had a nice workout then hurried home to clean up before going to a baby shower. We were late but it was so packed with people no one noticed. At the shower, I ate five meatballs, some carrots and mixed berries. Lastly, at home before bed I drank a hot chocolate.

Friday October 24, 2008 Phase Two Day 186:
Had some yogurt then met at the church to walk with friends. Ate cereal and now am headed off to work. Only stayed in the office for a bout an hour. Came home to change then pick up Karl’s truck. I feel much more relaxed now that I have picked up the sound equipment and generator. Hopefully I can meet with Danny tonight and we can make sure this music thing will work. For lunch I ate the leftover chicken, a yogurt and the last of the Cheerios. Tonight I have the spaghetti dinner with Mom at the senior center – that does not even sound good. I would really love to have a hearty salad, but what are you going to do - when it comes to your Mom, you just do it. Tonight, Stephen and I will go to the ball field to get things ready for tomorrow. I am happy the stake picnic is almost here. There comes a point when I get tired of thinking and talking about a thing and just want to do it!

Saturday October 25, 2008 Phase Two Day 187:
Oh boy, it’s picnic day! My day started at 5:00. We were not scheduled to wake up until 7:00 but I could not sleep and at 5:30 I got up and went down stairs. I think I was keyed up/excited about the picnic. I snatched a yogurt from the frig and took the opportunity to read. I made some real progress in the latest book I’m reading. Usually I am so tired by the time I go to be I only manage a page or two before falling asleep. When the alarm did go off Stephen came and found me. It begins – he hopped in the shower and I went to the kitchen to fix bacon, eggs, toast and cantaloupe. Then we were off to the ballpark.

First thing, I met with Danny and began experimenting with the sound equipment. Then the Pitts and Sonnet showed up to cover tables and decorate. A slew of Monica ward brethren came to fill their assignment and set up all the tables and chairs, build the hay mountain and do whatever else I asked them to do. We got it all together in no time. Sonnet & I had a baby shower so we left. Because the sound equipment was out there, the place could not be left unmanned. Stephen had plenty of puttering to do and offered to stay. I called Shelby Munn to ask if he would bring him a sandwich. Meanwhile, the shower was fun. Sonnet and I looked the luncheon table over and decided we would have half a croissant chicken sandwich, and a big helping of spinach salad. We also thought one small piece of pumpkin pie (without whipped cream) would be OK. I went back to the ball field to spell Stephen if he needed to go home, but he said there was plenty to keep him busy so I left.

I went to the store to get a roast for tomorrow and a few other items. Back home I had the luxury of getting the roast in the pot for Sunday dinner ahead of time. One great thing – I found my yummy granola bars, yea. Food Max caries them - hooray. The picnic was great fun!! It exceeded my expectation! For dinner I ate, as pre arranged with Sonnet, some beans and a hot dog without the bun. That was fine. Mostly I just wanted water. Later, I grabbed another hot dog. At the end of the evening I was worn out. Our ball field is very big and even though we did not formally exercise, we got a workout toting things back and forth most of the day as well as running from venue to venue throughout the night. I am ecstatically pooped.

Sunday October 26, 2008 Phase Two Day 188:
Sunday, oh, Sunday, day of rest. Awake again at 5:30. Got up with Stephen. Reflecting on yesterday, I cannot say enough how much I appreciate Stephen & Sonnet. They are always right there helping me all the way when I have an assignment. Stephen was up and out to meetings and I am at the computer catching up. I had cereal this morning. I have noticed the last week or two, when I wake up I have an uneasy stomach. I usually have some yogurt right away and that seems to help. Today it was the same. Then after a few hours I was in Sacrament meeting and my tummy started feeling poor again. During Sunday School I ran home - partly because I forgot to put the roast in but mostly because I thought I needed something in my stomach. I had a warm cup of hot chocolate and a granola bar. It really helped. I returned to church for the third hour.

I love to hit the door on Sunday and be delighted with the delectable smell of roast. I will put together a salad and be ready when Stephen gets home. I also love to hear him sigh when he come through the door and say how wonderful dinner smells. We ate dinner out by the pond, it was very relaxing.

Stephen was so worn out from the week of working each evening at the ball field and then being on his feet all day Saturday, that he went to lay down for a while before getting up for an evening priesthood meeting. I had a visiting teaching appointment. When Stephen left for his meeting I went to the stake center with him. I have shifted gears and must move on to the stake Christmas program. This year we are performing a play. I had a couple girls read some parts for me. This week I will be hearing people and getting the cast together. Came home an enjoyed an evening stroll with Sonnet. We reviewed the week and reported on our eating. Sonnet had a brain fade yesterday but overall had a good week. So did I. I stuck to the no white flour (except the half croissant that we agreed upon) and stayed away from all desserts. I have enjoyed following the menu as well. Having something planned really alleviates stress.

Monday October 27, 2008 Phase Two Day 189:
Tummy ache again this morning. Could not really sleep past 5:00. Walked with friends then picked up Mom and it was back to the pool. I am so glad her toe infection is all healed up. At home, I enjoyed a breakfast of cereal and Andy Griffith. Went in to the office and worked all day on a state report. Mid morning, my stomach reminded me it was there so I had a little 100-calorie cracker snack. For lunch I packed leftover salad, a granola bar and hot chocolate. On the menu tonight was taco salad. Stephen loaded up his bike and took the Jeep to the shop downtown then rode home. I was finishing up dinner when he arrived so we ate outside at the pond while he cooled down.

Tuesday October 28, 2008 Phase Two Day 190:
No stomach ache this morning. I did not take my vitamins before bed last night. I occurred to me yesterday that I started taking my vitamins before bed a couple weeks ago. Maybe that is the reason for my discomfort. I got up and going to step class. I had cereal for breakfast. Today was my deadline to turn in my state Medi-Cal report for work. I went in and was bust all day with it. I took my lunch of leftover taco salad, a granola bar and hot chocolate. Mid morning I had a 100 calorie cracker snack. By the time I left work, I was late to a rehearsal with Jenna Ricks and her friend Paige. They asked me to help them with their oral language presentation. They are quit good and it was a pleasure to work with them. We were almost finished when I remembered my 4:30 weight lift class. I checked my watch and noted the time as 4:20. I made my excuses and hurried away. I was late again. When I came in to class Sonnet mimed over the loud music the question, “were you sleeping?” I guess I have been late because of that. This time, no.

We came home and Uncle Mike & Stephen were just pulling in from their excursion setting out a large 4’ X 8’ wooden ‘Yes on Prop 8’ sign. Sonnet & I fixed Fajitas and we all had dinner outside by the pond. I cooked the steak strips with seasoning, red and green bell peppers and onion. Sliced and ready to add were tomatoes and avocado. We served them with salad. It was very pleasant. After dinner, I had a cup of hot chocolate. Oh, I forgot - Today is weigh in day. Our Pow-wow rendered good results for Sonnet, she dropped 3 pounds. Unfortunately I did not. I am not discouraged though. I know I showed restraint. I will simply continue on this good path and patiently await the results.

Pow-Wow Time

Wednesday October 15, 2008 Phase Two Day 177:
Great day so far. Met friends for walk then went to Home Depot. I picked up a few gardening things then went home and puttered in the front yard. It was nice to weed and trim. In the back yard, I cleaned up the pond area. I cannot really spruce up the place until I get some money to buy plants and flowers. I love gardening. I came in about 9:15 to have cereal. Now I will get cleaned up and go to the dentist. I am so excited – I am going to have the spot on one of my front teeth removed. I cannot believe I have waited until I am 50 years old to get something done that has bothered me my whole life. Every picture I take I see that darn spot. I think it is because until now I have never felt comfortable enough with a dentist to even think about mentioning it. So, hopefully by noon I shall have a new look.

For lunch I will take some Chinese chicken salad Sonnet made, a granola bar and some yogurt. Don’t know about dinner……Well, I ate just what I planned for lunch and a few little pieces of fruit from the lounge. There were cookies but I told myself I was not supposed to have them. I think I am about to start my period because I have the munchies real bad. I just want to eat, eat, and eat. I just got home and grabbed another granola bar. Good thing those bars are only 100 calories and mostly whole grains.

For dinner I will probably give Stephen the rest of the chicken salad and some of the leftover steamed veggies from last night. I want some cereal! We’ll see….. For dinner, I ended up splitting the chicken salad with Sonnet. I also had a few of the leftover veggies. Of course, I topped it off with a bowl of cereal. Stephen & Sonnet left and I watched the debates. It was the best one. I liked the format and I liked McCain’s aggression. Well done, finally. Sonnet is coming over after Institute class and we will go for a power walk.

Thursday October 16, 2008 Phase Two Day 178:
Today I went to step class and saw for the second time a very nice girl named Molly. She is a labor & delivery nurse at Memorial. Outside in the parking lot we talked about Prop 8. Now I am off to breakfast with the Walkie-Talkies to celebrate Gaye’s B-day. We are way behind on our celebrations but we needed to get hers in because Shannon’s is coming up next week. I think I will have eggs of some sort.

What a delightful breakfast we had together. I was there first and when the waitress asked me if I wanted anything to drink I said hot chocolate. I should have passed but I didn’t. I might interject that it was very good and left me feeling warn and toasty inside. My friends arrived and we all ordered delicious meals. I had a Denver omelets. Leaning upon my friends for strength, I abstained from having the home fried potatoes that came with it and opted for the fruit plate and wheat toast instead of a biscuit. It was a good choice.

I did not bring anything to the office for lunch which proved to be a problem. I got hungry and began to graze from desk to desk. Most always and especially at holiday time, everyone puts out candy treats. Halloween candy in readily available on most every desk. I helped myself to a few pieces. When I got home, I had a bowl of cereal and a yogurt. Stephen, Sonnet & I went to the show and saw a great movie called Fireproof. It is a faith-based movie based on the sanity of marriage. It even takes on the scourge of pornography – excellent! I ran a few errands on the way home and when I arrived Cheyenne was over. Sonnet, Cheyenne & I had a fun time. I had a little leftover chicken soup in the frig that I heated for the girls. I had the last swallow of soup, a granola bar ad some hot chocolate (sugar free).

Friday October 17, 2008 Phase Two Day 179:
This morning I walked with friends then came home to a bowl of cereal. Now I have some church work then off to the office. Today I will plan better for lunch and stay away of the office candy…..OK, temptation must be my middle name. Here I am, minding my own business, when the phone rings. It is Stephen – he asked me if I remember the BBQ lunch he took me to last year out in Shafter. Yes, I say. Well, this years BBQ turns out to be today! He says he is on his way to pick me up if I want to go. Oh, let me think…YES! This BBQ is sponsored by a vendor of some sort and as I remember, is very yummy. They grill one inch thick pork chops and serve them with beans, salad and a roll. We had a wonderful time. On the way back to town, he pulled in to Sonic to get a hot fudge brownie Sunday. I wonder where he got an idea like that?

After work I stopped by Baja’ Fresh. Tomorrow I really must go to the store and restock, but tonight we had a movie all picked out for date night and I wanted to have something good to eat with it. I ate a chicken salsa salad and two taquitos. Should I mention the churro I ate on the way home? I also had a hot chocolate during the movie. Stephen is going to go on a long bike ride tomorrow morning – what shall I do?

Saturday October 18, 2008 Phase Two Day 180:
Well this is what I did. Stephen & I slept in – I have observed that if Stephen does not set and alarm, or if he says, “I’ll go whenever I wake up” he usually does not end up going out on a ride. Such was the case this morning. We got to bed about midnight and at 8:20 I could not stay in bed any longer. I got up, fixed bacon, eggs, toast and cantaloupe for us, and took it up to our room. Stephen sat up and we had breakfast in bed. The phone started ringing. Stephen was tied up off and on with a Bishop issue for a few hours and I busied myself with Prop 8 calling then did some gardening. I had a bowl of cereal about 11:30. When Stephen returned from his issue, he sat at the computer to get Bishop email business ready for tomorrow. Our printer is not working so the last couple of days when I need to print something, I run over to Shannon’s. I went to print out our church stuff and stopped by Pritchett’s on the way home. It seemed we were busy all morning and on into the afternoon.

We both grazed around the kitchen. I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a granola bar. We were headed over to my brothers house for dinner at 4:00. My nephew, Patrick, is in the Air Force and will be shipping out to Italy at the end of the month. We had a nice family dinner. Before dinner I snacked on carrots and wheat thin crackers. For dinner I ate a hamburger, jello salad and beans. It was so good I went back and fixed myself another hamburger and shared it with Stephen. For dessert Jenell offered pumpkin pie and spice cake – I had a small piece of both.

This would not be a tragic meal for a person who is in maintenance mode, but I am still supposed to be loosing weight. Stephen & I went to the grocery store on the way home. He said he wants to cut the fluff so we purchased good food and I have set a menu for the next few days. I find planning ahead helps to make a difference for me. I also need to get back in the pool. Because of Mom’s foot infection I have not taken her for our usual Monday/Wednesday swim. Without her, I have stopped also, which is weird because I was going for about a month before I ever took her with me. Strange – I guess I am just being lazy.

Sunday October 19, 2008 Phase Two Day 181:
I get to substitute in the Sunbeam class today. You have not lived until you have substituted in a sunbeam class. I fortified myself with a granola bar before setting off to church. Well, four and a half hours and eleven very active sunbeams later I am home and hungry. Although, Stephen did give me a miniature Butterfinger candy after church. He said when Shannon Rock was passing them out he took one for me. He knows I love Butterfinger. I hit the door and the wonderful aroma of roast in the oven hits me. Hummmmmm. That dinner will wait for later when Stephen comes home. Right now I want cereal. Straight to the kitchen I go and what do I see out in my garden by the pond - A cat. One fish has already disappeared so I immediately reach for my BB gun. I sure sent that cat scampering out of here. Now for my cereal.

Stephen came home and we shared a delicious dinner. Roast, potatoes, carrots, onion, salad, and mixed berries for dessert. We ate about an hour after I had eaten cereal so I was very full. I will probably have a sugar free chocolate or hot chocolate later but I think I am pretty much done for the evening. Sonnet should come by after the YSA fireside for an evening stroll. I think Sonnet and I need to have a serious meeting and goal review. Things are not progressing as they should.

Monday October 20, 2008 Phase Two Day 182:
Sonnet did not make it over last night until late so we did not walk. We decided to pow-wow tomorrow night. We need to review goals and reread some of the book. This morning I walked with friends then stopped by Mom’s house. Mom gave me some chocolate kisses, I ate a few then tossed the others out. We did talk about her getting back in the pool. She sees the docter on Wednesday and will ask him if she is clear to swim. I hope so – it really helps me when I have to take her. I came home and had cereal. Now I am off for errands and work. I will take tuna & crackers and cantaloupe for lunch today.

So out the door I go and totally forget to bring my lunch. As it happened Wanda was free for lunch so I took advantage of our schedules to take her out to lunch. Something I have been trying to do since last week on Bosses day. We went to Westchester bowling alley for their famous fish. I substituted the fries and coleslaw for a salad. Before you get too excited I also had a chocolate milk shake. I was pretty full from lunch all afternoon. When Stephen came home, we went to Evelene Epps house to visit for a while then on to the post office to mail my stake picnic letters. We came home to eat. I was so glad I had cut up the leftover roast and veggies and put them in a stew pot yesterday. I just added some diced tomatoes, celery, seasonings and turned up the heat. It was delicious stew. We finished the mixed berries as well. Oh, I did eat one granola bar while I was waiting for the stew. Weigh in is tomorrow and so is my meeting with Sonnet.

Tuesday October 21, 2008 Phase Two Day 183
Up and out to step class this morning. Sonnet came by to weigh in but I missed her because I went to Wal-Mart after step. At home, I ate cereal for breakfast. I am about to hop in the shower then get in to work. I think I will take stew today. That sounds good to me….So I ate a granola bar on my way out to run errands before work. I had lunch at work and the stew was even better the second day. I had crackers with it. One bad thing – there was leftover ice cream in the lounge frig and I had some. It is light – low fat, but still. Later I had my afternoon granola bar at my desk. Now I am home and want to snack so I think I’ll fill a bottle of water and sit down to fold laundry. I have weight lift class before too long.

After class Sonnet came over and we measured then had a honest talk. She has been struggling as much as I have. We pointed out our weak points: White flour (bread, pasta, tortilla chips) and sugar (cakes, candy, desserts, ice cream). She also pointed out her weakness of irregular exercise. My exercise is great but I eat sooooo much and soooo many bad foods that I am falling behind in the calories in vs. calories burned battle. We made a commitment to each other that for this coming week we will address our weak points. That means no white flour or sweet sugar. Sweet sugar is defined as things that are a dessert in nature (pie, cookies) not things that have sugar in them like Catsup for example.

Together we looked at the upcoming week of activities. Of course, I have movie day, then we both have two baby showers, one spaghetti dinner and one stake picnic. Those are just the things that are scheduled. That does not even take into account candy around the office or weak moments at home. Well, we decided what we would and would not have at each event. For example at the stake picnic we can have a hotdog but no bun. We can have the beans but no chips. Needless to say, no pie and ice cream. Tragic! But not really – I am so happy to get back into a better mind set. Sonnet expressed that she missed the way she was feeling physically and mentally. I missed it too. I like to feel in control of my appetite. I think it is a dimension of spiritual maturity that demonstrats my spirit is ruling my body and not the other way around. Oh great, I just remembered we have a birthday celebration at work tomorrow – I think it is supposed to be pumpkin something!!! OK, I can do this. I do not have to abandon my resolve. I will pop into the lounge, laugh and smile and have a quick conversation then get the heck out of there!

In addition, this week Sonnet is going to begin packing her lunch for school again and make sure she includes a salad. I told her that not taking a lunch to work is one of my down falls and totally epitomizes the phrase, “When you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. As for me, this week I am going to write down a menu for dinners. This way I can plan good foods with veggies. Stephen & I love to go out but we cannot afford to keep going out all the time. I hope this menu will help organize and commit me to prepare dinners regularly.

Lastly, I set a new weight goal. I want to be 140 by Thanksgiving. I think that is reasonable and attainable. By the way, evening eating si as follows: after class I had a yogurt then later I had a bowl of Cheerios.

There are days, and there are days

Wednesday October 8, 2008 Phase Two Day 170:
Up and out but back and down. Met friends for walking but decided to come back to the house for hot chocolate. We finalized plans assignments for taking dinner to the Campbell’s tomorrow, flowers for the funeral as well as serving at the reception on Saturday. I have a hair appointment this morning then I have an appointment to get a massage…..heavenly.

It was everything I hoped and more. Boy did I need a massage. I haven’t felt that good in weeks. Back home I ate the last of the luscious lasagna. I also had some cereal. I have really become cereal girl. Some benefits are the amount of calcium from milk and the fiber from the protein Special K. Sew, sew sew. I am having fun sewing.

Tonight we went to the church broadcast for prop 8. What a fight we have on our hands here in the state of California. There are many people who believe in traditional marriage between a man and a woman, however, some are apathetic when it come to voting and even more who think it easier to go along with the flow in the name of getting along. People sometimes struggle thinking it is judging others to stand up for an opposing view. The fireside was very good and I hope it will help all of us in this important endeavor. When we came home I was hungry and realized I never ate dinner. I had a……what do you think…..bowl of cereal.

Thursday October 9, 2008 Phase Two Day 171:
Good morning. Today I ate a light & fit yogurt and went to step class. Some girls were talking about Sarah Palin and I said I wanted a McCain/Palin yard sign. I said I already had my ‘Yes on Prop 8’ sign. A few said they wanted one so I will try to get some to take to class next Tuesday. This morning I will have cereal but I need to make my stake fall social flyer first. I need to hand out all the flyers and posters tonight at Bishopric training.

Lunch – I think I eat too much at one time. For lunch, I had an apple, then tuna and crackers. When I say Tuna and crackers I mean the whole can of tuna with green onion and mayo on six crackers. Then I had the last Skinny Cow ice cream. I was still munching so I ate a miniature pop tart thing. See, that is too much. It is probably because I was at home and could wander into the kitchen whenever. The good news is that when I eat like that I usually have something light for dinner. Stephen cooked two eggs, bacon and one piece of toast for each of us. I went to Bishopric training then home to walk with Sonnet.

Friday October 10, 2008 Phase Two Day 172:
Walked with friends. Came home to eat cereal then off to Connie’s for a quick run through of the song for Shannon’s funeral. I am so nervous. I have prayed for composer. My nightmare is that I will detract from the Spirit and make people uncomfortable with my emotions. Having a voice to sing is one of the happiest aspects in my life but it is not without its stresses. May the Lord help me today, yet even as I speak the words I know He will.

Shannon’s funeral was lovely, just like her life. Together we remembered with laughter and tears the wonderful young woman she is. Testimonies of the plan of salvation were declared with power from the Spirit. As far as my song goes, I can say I tried. I began then had to remain silent for a time as the beautiful piano played on. I finished pretty strong so maybe I did not make anyone too uncomfortable. People said it was all right – I only hope it was.

My good friend Debbie came from over from Sandy Valley. Following the graveside the Walkie-Talkies (minus Rinez), Cindy, Sonnet, Debbie & her sister Kathleen went out to the Hometown Buffet for lunch. Of course I ate way too much but then so did everyone else. I was very full when we left. That night Stephen & I had a company dinner to attend. You know that means trouble. I was still full from lunch when this wonderful steak dinner with mashed potatoes and veggies was placed before me. The meal was especially delectable. Maybe because I have not had mashed potatoes in such a long time, or maybe just because I love food, but everything tasted good. They served a small piece of cheesecake for dessert. I did pay the consequence for over eating though. I felt very uncomfortable for the rest of the evening. I actually thought of throwing up at one point and wished I knew how to make myself do it.

Saturday October 11, 2008 Phase Two Day 173:
What a day! I have three major things going on today. First up, I need to wrap the baby shower gift for Sara. Sara’s mom asked if I would make a blessing out fit out of Sara’s wedding dress so I have been busy with that. I think it turned out nice.



Next, get Sonnet and my Mom then drive to Fresno for Sara’s baby shower. We got there about 10:15 because it started at 10:30. The hostesses Lori & Grace served quiche, breakfast casserole, muffins and crepes. It was a lovely spread. In my post pig-out pain of the previous night, I swore off food for life, however somehow I managed to enjoy the brunch.

Following the shower, I made a mad dash back to Bakersfield and out to Hart Park to attend a Dunn family reunion picnic. We did not get there until a little before 3:00. The weather was cool and breezy but all had a good time. In addition to the traditional chicken, I sampled all kinds of things I have not tasted in a long time. Things like bread pudding, tamale pie and homemade applesauce. By 5:20 we made our excuses and left to race home and change for the Campbell reception. I was due at the Neville’s house by 6:00 to begin dessert and punch preparations.

The evening was cold so we made a last minute adjustment to the menu by adding hot chocolate. It was very popular. Throughout the night I snacked on a few butter mints and a piece of pumpkin pie. By the time we cleaned up and headed home I was wanting a hamburger. Now I do not usually crave hamburgers – check this journal, you will probably only find about three hamburgers’ since I began in April. So, on the way home when I said I wanted a hamburger Stephen did not have to be told twice. We pulled into Farm Boys and had one. I am officially finished with the eating frenzy. Tomorrow is fast Sunday and will be a nice rest for my poor body.

Sunday October 12, 2008 Phase Two Day 174:
Stephen’s car still does not work so I was up to drive Stephen to the church this morning at 5:30. What a good man he is. There is so much he does and so much he carries that I know nothing of. He accomplishes it all without complaint. I came back home a laid down. Before leaving for choir, I stopped by the stake center to put up the posters for the stake social. Testimony meeting began with six babies being blessed. I have never been in a ward with six babies blessed on the same day. It was wonderful. Two more are waiting and will be blessed next month.

It is going on 5:00 so I will go down to the kitchen to see what I can stir up. The heater is off and I am cold in the house. Something warm sounds good to me……Well this is what I did. I just kept opening cans of stuff and dumping them in a pot. Lots of chicken broth, a cream of broccoli soup, a cream corn, a cream of chicken, a few chicken noodle as well as some fresh celery, carrots and chicken that was leftover from the reunion picnic yesterday. We were not sure what it would be like but to our surprise, it was very yummy. I had a bowl of soup, a roll and a half and some hot chocolate. Perfect.

Monday October 13, 2008 Phase Two Day 175:
Boy it has gotten chilly in the morning. I walked with friends this morning and needed a sweatshirt. Came home and had cottage cheeses and cantaloupe while watching one episode of Andy Griffith. Cleaned house a little and did church work. I think I will go in to the office just before lunch to check my desk and eat with them. I will take chicken soup, crackers and cantaloupe. I have a Medi-Cal meeting all afternoon at Mercy.

I ate one cookie at my meeting but nothing else. Tonight Stephen & I had soup and one piece of cheese bread. We went out to the ball field to check out the facility in preparation for the stake picnic. On the way home, we went to the grocery store. I have looked high and low for the granola bars I like so well but to no avail. I am so disappointed. I picked up two other brands to try them. I ate one on the way home. It was good but not as good as my favorite.

Tuesday October 14, 2008 Phase Two Day 176:
Step class day. I am excited to go because a few of the girls said they wanted ‘Yes on Prop 8’ yard signs. Class was good and my friends took the signs. Today is weigh day and I am a few pounds up. I know why though. I am just getting back into life after the shingles bout and except for walking not much exercising for about three weeks. A swim here and a class there but all in all very much off my schedule. Also, I was wondering if all the cereal I have been eating would add weight. I have noticeably laid off the veggies which is bad. I had two horrible pig-out days on Friday & Saturday and to top if off I have not gone to the bathroom since Friday! I think the cereal helps to keep me regular so I want to keep it on my menu. I love cereal and would eat it all day if I could. I really need to exercise self control with the portion size because I usually pour huge bowls which most likely are double the portion size which means double the calories.

So, how should I plan for eating today? I think I’ll start with cereal. For lunch, I’ll take soup, cantaloupe and a yogurt with me to the office. I have the new granola bars so I’ll have one of those for a snack. For dinner tonight I’ll fix Chinese chicken salad. I meet Sonnet for weight lift class this afternoon which I am looking forward to.

Wow, I just laid down to read for a little while and fell fast asleep. I woke up two and a half hours later. Sure did feel good though. So much for sewing this morning. I have eaten cereal and now should get ready and head in to the office. Because I ate cereal so late, I was not hungry at the office until late. At my desk during the afternoon I ate my yogurt then a granola bar. Later at home, I had another granola bar before going with Sonnet to weight lift class. Stephen & I had the salad bar and steamed veggies at Marie Callander’s. What a nice day of rest, work and exercise – oh, and I finally went to the bathroom!

Workin' My Plan

Wednesday October 1, 2008 Phase Two Day 163:
Good Morning! So far so good. I walked with friends this am as planned. I then picked up my Mom to go swimming as planned. It was a good workout. Between walking and swimming I ate some Special K cereal. Now, I had planned to return to work today but decided to stay out one more day. My face looks pretty good but one more little pock blister appeared on my cheek and I want it to dry up before I go back.

This morning I have spent my time finishing up the quilt top for Taunie. I ate tuna and crackers for lunch. Now I think I will file all the rough edges on my fingernails and put some clear polish on them. This will help keep them out of my mouth. Next, I should make an inventory of the grocery scene and make a run to the store. I’ll see if I have the ingredients for Oriental chicken salad. I feel like I am getting a measure of control back.

OK, so Stephen came home and we headed out to the store together. As we were driving, he said Sarah Palin was being interviewed on the Sean Hannity radio show in about 20 minutes. So we went to Zorba’s and got chicken salads to eat in the car while we listened. As it turned, because of rebroadcasting schedules she was not on when we thought so we went on to the store. Once home me evening rounded out with checking out some fabric to finish Taunie’s quilt, cleaning the church and walking with Sonnet.

I am so glad I had a decent day. Good food, exercise and self-control. Well done Me.

Thursday October 2, 2008 Phase Two Day 164:
I got to bed around 11:00 so no step class this morning. Stephen & I had a lovely sleep in. I ate Special K for breakfast then packed a lunch for the office of tuna sandwich fixings, a boiled egg and a nectarine. This morning I have done laundry and ironing. Now it is time to get ready and make an appearance at Standard School District.

Work was nice. I ate my lunch. When I returned home about 3:30 I had a cereal snack then waited for the boy scouts to come by. For dinner I cooked a boneless and skinless chicken breast. It turned out very tasty. First I dipped it in eggbeaters then covered it with a mixture of flour and one package of Italian dressing seasoning. I slow cooked it in light olive oil in a covered frying pan….Mmmmmm. While it was cooking, I made a delicious salad loaded with bell peppers, cucumber, green onion, tomato and boiled egg. I cubed the chicken and put a generous helping on top. Sonnet was over so she joined Stephen & I for salad while we watched the Vice Presidential debate. Sonnet & IO had to leave half way through it to pick up Mom for Disney on Ice. She really wanted to see it so I said we would go with her.

Now back at home I am ready for bed. I did pretty well with my fingernails today. This afternoon there were some rough spots that I picked at a little. I will file them before I go to bed and put another coat of polish on. Two days eating normal in a row. Slowly I am getting it together.

Friday October 3, 2008 Phase Two Day 165:
Boy I am tired. I did not sleep well last night at all. It seemed I was up every hour and when I was not awake, I was dreaming weird dreams. I did not want to walk this morning but I walked anyway. Rinez is in Arizona and Gaye is in Utah but Jami & I walked and met up with Shannon. Back home I had cereal for breakfast while I watched one episode of Andy Griffith. Now I feel relaxed and tired so I think I will unplug the phones and lay down to read. That should only last a few pages and I will be out.

Good idea but it did not really work. I did read and did get sleepy but I did not stay asleep very long. Oh well, I finally got up. For lunch I ate a tuna sandwich and another bowl of cereal. When Stephen came home we decided to go out for date night. We took in the new movie An American Carol. Usually before we go into the show, we stop at Los Hermonos for chicken tacos. They are very good and pretty cheep. If you ask for soft tacos you get two and each has two corn tortillas. So, if you separate the tortillas you end up with four soft tacos. They are simple with grilled chicken, lettuce, onion and cilantro. We add salsa and lime to spruce them up. I was so ready for that but guess what - I forgot to say soft tacos and we got crunchy tortillas instead. Bummer. They were still good but fattier because of the fried taco shell. Back home and in for the evening, I just had a small light & fit yogurt. Oh yea, I did have a hand full of peanut M&M’s on my way into the show. All in all a good day. Wait a minute – am I being delusional? I do not think having a handful of M&M’s is that bad. I am sticking with the good day theory.

Saturday October 4, 2008 Phase Two Day 166:
Beautiful General Conference day. Stephen got up and went for a ride. I went to swim. We both made it back in time to get dressed and go view conference at the stake center. I had cereal for breakfast……Conference was wonderful! But then, we expect nothing less. It is always a feast. I found it especially personal.

For lunch I grabbed a nectarine and dashed out to Beverly Fabric to meet the lady that is long arm quilting Taunie’s quilt for me. When I got back home, I had just enough to slurp down some chicken & rice soup with crackers and a boiled egg. The second session of conference was just as good. For dinner, I fixed a loaded salad with grilled chicken. Sonnet & I went to the store while Stephen was at Priesthood session. I am so bummed - I cannot find my tasty granola bars. I absolutely love them and neither Vons nor Albertsons have them on the shelf. I know I have purchased then in the past and I thought it was at Albertsons. You can bet the search will continue. Sonnet picked up another kind and I tried it when we got home. Nothing special. All in all a very good day.

Sunday October 5, 2008 Phase Two Day 167:
How can one day be so full of life’s emotion when it is only noon? Today is Stephen’s B-day. We were awakened by the phone and Sonnet singing to her dad. We snoozed a little longer before getting up, having cereal for breakfast and leaving for conference. This morning’s session was very beautiful. So many words of counsel. At home for lunch I ate, egg mix on one piece of bread and a little more on some crackers. I had a light & fit yogurt with it. I put a roast on for dinner then headed back to the stake center.

What I have not mentioned is a phone message that was waiting for me after the first session of conference. Jami asked me to return her call. She gave me the news that Shannon Campbell Royer passed away early this morning. So you see, there it was not even noon, and so far I had had a wonderful morning at home celebrating my husband then on to an inspiring session with the church authorities, then back home to this news of our dear Shannon. Life surely happened today.

The second session of conference was just as heavenly. When we got home the house was filled with the delicious aroma of roast. Stephen ran out for a quick minute to extend a calling. When he returned, we had a nice dinner of roast, potatoes, carrots and salad. It was so scrumptious. Stephen remembered when we used to have roast dinners like this every Sunday. It was so easy to put a big pot in the oven before leaving for church then coming home afterwards to a mouth-watering smell and completely cooked dinner. He thinks we should bring back that tradition. We gave him his presents during dinner. He mentioned yesterday that he did not want a cake. He really would like to be better at eating the right kinds of foods. (Of course, today I found him empting a bag of Fritos but we won’t mention that). So, for birthday dessert Sonnet and I found some treats from a brand called Skinny Cow. They make ice cream desserts that are low in fat and calories. We stuck a candle in it, turned out the lights and sang a robust rendition of Happy Birthday. He made a wish, blew out the candle and ate it up. We all had one and I can report that they are very good. For a low fat treat, we all agreed they are creamy and very flavorful. Later that evening I had another.


Monday October 6, 2008 Phase Two Day 168:
Sara’s Birthday today! We called bright and early to wish her Happy Birthday. I did not walk this morning – none of us did. I was busy on the computer in the morning then broke away to get some cereal before picking up Mom for swimming. It was a good workout but afterwards I felt a little nauseated. I wanted nothing more than go home and go back to bed but, there were things at work that were time sensitive so I just kept going. On my way home from work I stopped in Wal-Mart to look for a pattern for a blessing outfit. Did I mention that? I am making two blessing outfits out of Sara’s wedding dress. Actually, it is Sara & her sister Melissa’s wedding dress and they both are having babies in November. Sara’s mom asked if I would make a female and male blessing outfits out of the dress. I am looking forward to the challenge. Unexpectedly I ran into Darlene Stotler at Wal-Mart. We visited a while than decided continue our visit over lunch. Macaroni Grill was handy so we found ourselves a cozy booth and enjoyed the meal. By the way, the grilled parmesan cheese chicken salad is excellent! Later that evening I opted for a light dinner of Cheerios, yogurt, & a plum.

Tuesday October 7, 2008 Phase Two Day 169:
Yes! I went to step class this morning. Now back at home, Sonnet stopped by to weigh in. We are both down half a pound. We continue to loose inches which makes us happy, happy, happy.

What should I have for breakfast?.......Oatmeal….Ummmmm that was good. First thing this morning the wedding dress went into the washing machine. I began perusing the patterns. I did break to pick up the music for Shannon’s funeral. Connie & I went through it. ‘Consider the Lilies’ is such a beautiful song. Not sure how I am going to make it through. When our ward choir sings it, I stand in front of them just waving my arms and choking up. The message of tender love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us is so affectionately articulated in the lyric of that song. Add to that thoughts of beautiful Shannon and I will be struggling. I started praying for help the minute I got the call. You know what gives me strength – Shannon’s own singing. I remember when she sang at the temple fireside. It was a beautiful solo about eternal marriage. Here she is, barely able to breath at times and she just kept singing. Years ago, she had a recital for Maureen. Maureen announced that she had health conditions that caused her to cough at times. She said if that happens do not feel uncomfortable or worried, Shannon will continue as best she can. Well I never heard a cough or falter, she sang pure and clear. That is my prayer, to sing pure and clear.

Back at home, I began hacking into the wedding dress. It is fun creating a design. I ate kind of a lot for lunch. I had a slice of lasagna. Shannon Rock brought over a small pan of lasagna for Stephen’s B-day. It is ambrosia! I’m sure it is packed with fat because of all the cheese, but boy is it good. So, I had a slice of that and two – count them – two of the skinny cow ice cream bars. They are low in calorie and fat but still! The bad thing is I am going with Sonnet to meet Blake & Sara tonight at Chili’s. A salad will be good but they have that cool ice cream thing B&S always like to get….normally I would be up for it but Sonnet will be there so we will see.

What a great evening with the kids. We had a delicious dinner together. I had a Quesadilla Salad – very tasty. We all ended up having dessert (yea). I had a decadence brownie with walnuts, coconut & caramel topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup. Need I say more? Sonnet was good, she had salmon with steamed veggies and a small chocolate cream cake thing. It was small, in fact they are called ‘shots’, meaning they are served in shot glasses. We stayed at the restraint almost two hours enjoying one another’s company.

I'm falling apart!

Wednesday September 24, 2008 Phase Two Day 156:
Today is Sonnet’s birthday. Hooray!



We called to sing to her at 6:00am, as is our tradition, and made a date for dinner at Black Angus. I had Cheerios for breakfast and something I should not have had, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I went back to bed to read and ended up falling asleep until 11:15. I am so swollen and itchy today. For lunch, I put on Andy Griffith and ate tuna and crackers. Later I had popcorn. Tonight at Black Angus, I had steak salad. Stephen and Sonnets dinner came with mudd pie so I ordered one. It was wonderful. Mudd pie is made with Mocha ice cream, which Sonnet & Stephen did not like. You know what that means – Yes – I get all three. One I ate at the restaurant, the other two I took home. I have already had another but the last one is in the freezer for tomorrow. I did not plan this! However, life happens to me.

Sunday September 28, 2008 Phase Two Day 160:
Check out the date. I have really let my entries go. These shingles have left me tired and pretty much home bound the last part of the week. I usually watch TV, read and work on quilts for Taunie. I did go to the Relief Society stake enrichment and broadcast Saturday afternoon. It was wonderful. I have been eating a combination of good, bad and ugly. Most times regular good stuff like cereal and smoothies but I have sure let the veggies go. I have not had a salad since Wednesday. I have instead eaten some handy but carb-loaded alternatives such as peanut butter sandwiches and popcorn. These would not be too terrible on occasion, especially if I was maintaining my normal exercise schedule. This week however, I have not gone to step class once or swam since Monday. I have showed up for walking which is a good thing.

Today I am feeling and looking better. The swelling in my face is all but gone. I can still see two shingles marks but the blisters are gone. What is left just looks like scrapes. I think I will stay home from work until after my doctor’s appointment on Tuesday.

As far as eating today, I wasn’t feeling hungry this morning but made myself eat most of an apple before going to choir. At church I had some trail mix from Stephens stash in his desk drawer. Here at home I had a few bites of a steak Stephen cooked yesterday, one cracker with egg mix and a had full of almonds. Around 2:30, I am going to Cindy’s. Thanks to her generosity, we have a standing invitation and sometimes I pop in, but today she is having a little something special in honor of Sonnet’s b-day.

Cindy’s was nice. She served salad, green beans (Sonnet’s favorite) and lemon chicken with rice. We had lemon cake (another one of Sonnet’s favorites) with sherbet. It was very good. Later at home I had a yogurt. I was happy and satisfied and settled for the night when the doorbell rang. Sabotage! The Rasmussens’ brought over homemade doughnuts – I give up!

Tuesday September 30, 2008 Phase Two Day 162:
It is Tuesday night and here I am trying to remember what I ate yesterday. It has been so wonderful to be at home so much this last week. Shingles is not a fun reason to be home from work but I must admit even with the illness I have loved being home. I have quilted mostly. It sure has thrown off my schedule though. I do not get to the computer or this journal very much. I am kind of falling apart. Do not ask me why but I have bitten all my fingernails off – way off. I have not bitten in years. My eating is a mess and I haven’t been exercising because of the shingles. Today normally is weigh in day but Sonnet did not come by this morning. There is no way I am getting on the scale today – I have not worked out in over a week! Tomorrow I walk with friends then go swimming with my Mom. After that, I am back to work. I think that perhaps getting back to a schedule will help me get things together. I will have a good talk with Sonnet tomorrow night when we walk. I know she will whip me back into shape.

Delusional

Wednesday September 17, 2008 Phase Two Day 149:
Woke earlier than the alarm this morning feeling great. Walked with friends then ate some protein Special K and blueberries. Picked up Mom and went swimming. Now back home it’s laundry, bills and church work. Off to work in a bit. Stephen will be in town today at noon and asked me to meet him at Zorba’s for a salad.

Stephen & I had a nice lunch. Back at the office I had two cookies. At home neither of us wanted soup because it was still warm outside, so I had some popcorn (only 110 calories) and a smoothie. Light dinner.

Thursday September 18, 2008 Phase Two Day 150:
Great day so far. Woke up and went to step class. Back home, I ate oatmeal and watched an adventure of the old TV series Robin Hood. Had an 8:00 appointment to have my teeth cleaned. It wasn’t bad at all. Talked to Dr Lukins (great dentist) about removing the spot on my front tooth. I am so happy - he said it could be done relatively easy. When I stopped by the bank I saw a fruit vender and picked up some peaches and avocado. Dropped a few at Mom’s then gassed up and washed the car. Oh yea, I also got the oil changed. I just love running errands. I know – weird.

Now at home I need to get some church work done so I grabbed a peach and came up to the computer…….Went in to work late today because we have an afterschool nutrition program that will keep me there late. My step instructor, Larry, mentioned this morning that his annual American Cancer Society fundraising BBQ is tonight. The BBQ is at his family business in Tipton (almost to Tulare). I called Blake & Sara to see if they wanted to meet us there. Sonnet was free so we all had a nice dinner together. I ate….a lot. It was good tri-tip and luscious creamed red potatoes and of course salad, bread and green beans. They offered cookies for dessert and I had two.

Friday September 19, 2008 Phase Two Day 151:
I am sugared up again. I know this because I took part in a clinical study this morning. This is the data: whenever I de-sugar myself, that is to say cut drastically back on sugars then have something very sweet, the effect on my system is not very pleasant. My stomach will cramp and I usually have to run to the bathroom. This morning after walking with my friends; Doug came out to the car with two doughnuts left over from seminary. They just happened to be maple bars – the best of all doughnuts. I decided to have one. Now, I had planned to go to the store for a couple things right after walking, so in the back of my mind was the thought that this doughnut will hit my sugar free stomach and I will be hurting and desperately hunting for a rest room right about the time I am perusing the aisles at Green Frog (which, by the way, I hardly ever shop at because it is too expensive, but if I need something quick I will stop in). This is where the results if the study come into play. I had no unpleasant symptoms at all. This can only mean one thing – I am not de-sugared.

Now, anyone who reads this is probably saying to himself or herself, “She thought she was de-sugared? She is delusional!” To which my response is, “Yes, I am delusional”. Only this morning I was laughing with friends about not realizing how erratic I eat. After reading my last Pigs to Twigs entry, Stephen commented how bad my week was. The only thing I can say is, when I am having cottage cheese and cantaloupe, or berries, or a dinner of soup and a smoothie, or tuna & crackers for lunch, I think I am eating well. I know I have treats here and there – I even lament about all the excuses I find to indulge. I write it all down and chastise myself for excessiveness, then wake up and have cottage cheese with cantaloupe again which makes me think I am hanging in there. What is funny to me is that I actually thought that doughnut was going to hit my stomach like a sugar bomb. When I review the cookies I have had over the last few days and the ice cream; logically I see the folly of that thought. What can I say – I think I will stick with the delusional theory.

I have been up at this computer all morning! It is 12:40. I came home from the store after walking, put the milk in the frig and came up here to type. I can’t believe how the time flies. Needless to say I won’t be going into the office today. Now I am down the kitchen and get some protein Special K – I am hungry. Then I guess I will take a shower and head out to pick up Stephen. We are going to the temple tonight and stay over for stake temple day tomorrow. That means we will probably have dinner in the temple cafeteria tonight. You know what that means……Custard! Love it!.....Sure enough we ate in the temple cafeteria. We both had prime rib, salad bar and custard. Unfortunately I also had two chocolate chip cookies.

Saturday September 20, 2008 Phase Two Day 152:
Today we were in the temple and appropriately so. Today is the 29th year anniversary of the day we received our endowment. I saw Lawrence Taylor there today but of course, Betty is gone from us now. Betty was my escort to the temple on September 20, 1979.



Our day began with a nice sleep in and breakfast in the temple of eggs, bacon and custard. The chapel session was wonderful followed by the 11:30 endowment session. Stephen & I had cafeteria duty so after the session we hurried to work. I served hot food and Stephen was in the kitchen washing dishes. We had no time to eat lunch but just enough time to dash back upstairs to catch the next stake session. After we were through we went down for dinner. I had a piece of chicken, salad from the salad bar and ……can you guess? Custard. At home, I ate a granola bar and a frozen smoothie as we watched Scarecrow – an old Disney series that came in the mail.

Sunday September 21, 2008 Phase Two Day 153:
Happy Anniversary! Today is our 29th anniversary.



Stephen was up at the crack of dawn and off to meetings. There was a card waiting for me when I woke up. It was cute. I ate protein Special K before left for choir. The choir sang at church. They are so wonderful. I took my anniversary card for Stephen to church and gave it to him between meetings. I substituted in nursery today. It was fun but very active. Wow – so many kids. At home, I had crackers with turkey & cheese and a peach. I made a yummy chocolate cake and some lemon bars to take to Taunie’s tonight. I called an emergency meeting of the Walkie Talkie’s after Taunie called last night to say she was back in town and packing up her house. Wow – talk about closing a chapter. We ate and talked and enjoyed one another’s company for a few hours. I ate chocolate cake, two lemon bars and a lot of tapioca pudding.

I came home to find Stephen asleep on the couch. He had not even gotten home from interviews before I left at 6:00. He had a long day at church. We came up to the computer together to check blogs and email, but someone called and needed to stop by so he is in an interview right now. I had a cup of soup when I came upstairs.

Monday September 22, 2008 Phase Two Day 154:
Walking, Swimming and Special K for breakfast is a great way to start the day. However, there is more to this day to explain.

OK, what haven’t I talked about – Friday I saw two red bumps on my face by my left eye. What are those I wondered? As the day progressed, they began to swell a little and itch. Bug bites I guessed. I picked up some cortisone cream Friday night to help with the itching. Saturday at the temple they were looking funny so I tried to cover them with makeup. By Saturday night, they had swelled a little more and I looked like I had a dark circle under that eye. Sunday morning I did my best cover-up makeup job and went to church. When the Walkie Talkies met that night at Taunie’s I received advice to go to the doctor. So….this am after swimming I called and got in to see the doctor….are you ready….shingles! Yep, shingles, a strain of the varicella (chicken pox) virus has laid dormant in my nerve system until now when, voila – it decides to pop out. Shingles can be brought about by stress or a low immune system. Knowing my recent life, I vote for stress. Let’s revisit September 5th when I recorded news that was the cause for the edits in my journal a few weeks ago.

“I have some shocking news…That is what Stephen said to me last night. We had been talking in bed then we read and said prayers like always. I reached up to turn off the light and he says, “I have some shocking news.” I asked him what it was. He said, “Blake is thinking of enlisting.” What! As if I could roll over and go to sleep now!!! He then proceeded to tell me Blake had called him earlier to get his opinion. They talked for a while. Of course, I was asking Stephen all kinds of questions that he did not have the answer to. Things like, When - right now or when he finishes school? How long has this been in the works? After about the fourth or fifth question I told Steph I wanted to call and see if they were free for dinner tonight. I called Blake (by then it was 10:30pm) and told him what his dad told me right before I turned out the light He started laughing. I told him I want to meet for dinner to hear what his plans and goals are. I am actually excited to hear his thoughts. So tonight we will be in Fresno for dinner…….
Had a wonderful evening with Blake & Sara. During dinner we talked and listened to Blake. His dad gave him some good points to ponder based on his own military experience. I found out anything he does will be after he graduates, phew! I will ever thank my Heavenly Father for sending Blake to us. He is a special boy and has been his entire life. I am grateful we are exceptionally close. One of the reasons I like the movie, ‘The Work and the Glory’ is the close relationship depicted between Maryann Steed and her son Nathan. They connect. Blake and I connect. Before we left, he asked his dad for blessing and received wonderful council. Whatever he chooses, we will support him.’

I would say that might be a source of stress in a mother’s life. In the subsequent weeks he continues to gather information and will be taking the army aptitude test this weekend to see what options are open to him. Nothing is decided yet. I have learned over the years that my children’s well being, stability and happiness is never entirely disconnected from my own. Lately, I have also had Tiffany on my mind and praying especially for her with the challenges she is facing at this time. Nothing insurmountable, but challenging just the same. I would not be completely honest if I did not add to the mix, concern for my own tight finances. The consequences of expenditures we have made are coming home to roost. Of course, this is all just conjecture as I try to explain my puffy, red, itching shingle face.

The good news is I do not have to worry about work for a few days. This means I can help Taunie. When I picked up my prescription, I joined Jami at Taunie’s for box packing. I ate a pocket sandwich, egg roll, some leftover cake a lemon bar while over there. Not so good. We spent the rest of the day packing. Our Hubbies, Stephen & Ernie joined us at Taunie & Allen’s at dinnertime. Allan ran to El Pollo Loco. We ate grilled chicken breast, steamed veggies and salad. That sounds very good but I added to that a bunch of grapes. Even that would not have been terrible but after the Larsen’s left, Taunie broke out the ice cream and I brought out the cake. Oh boy. Very bad day.

Tuesday September 23, 2008 Phase Two Day 155:
Normally a weigh in day but I am on my period so all bets are off. Of course, yesterday’s disastrous menu would not have anything to do with it. Sonnet came over and we had a bowl of cereal. She weighed the same – said there were too many parties this week. Now I am off to Taunie’s to pack…..Oh my, I am tired. It is after 4:00 but I think we got the house packed. They fed us a lunch of KFC chicken. I had chicken, biscuit and beans. Later we had cake and ice cream. The good news is that the cake is all gone. More good news is that I will probably have more of a normal day tomorrow with my food choices all under my control. OK, so food choices are always under my own control, but I mean I will be the one putting food in front of me – not someone else.

Will I Ever Get Good At This?

Wednesday September 10, 2008 Phase Two Day 142:
Wow – very busy day. Today I have my Employee Wellness event and presentation. I woke up and walked with friends first thing. At home, I ate cantaloupe and mixed berries for breakfast. I started cooking as soon as I got home. I made salsa and egg salad. I experimented with the egg salad mixture. I was looking to replace all the saturated fat of mayonnaise. Mayo is 100% fat! I decided to cream some cottage cheese with a hand mixer then stir some in to the boiled eggs. It worked J I made egg mix with eggs, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, mustard and pickles. It is good. I also mixed salsa with creamed cottage cheese to make a sandwich spread. I used it on a turkey sandwich and it was great. At work, I put on the finishing touches then set up the room. It was great fun to talk with people as they came by. I had everyone sample the sandwiches, salsa, granola and fruit I prepared. I did not have time to make smoothies so I will save that for another time. By the time it was over and cleaned up I was tired. I figure I was on my feet for 12 hours straight beginning with my walk.

During the presentation, I would have a piece of granola here and a peach slice there. When I took supplies back to the office around 5:30, Pam was the only one there and still working. I made smoothies for us. It hit the spot. For dinner that night I ate some wheat pasta (it was very good) with home dame spaghetti sauce. I did have a piece of dark chocolate. Sonnet came over after Institute and we had a brisk walk.

Thursday September 11, 2008 Phase Two Day 143:
September 11, I must wear Red, White & Blue today. Gobbled down some mixed berries. Up an out early this morning. Rinez needs a ride to Shannon’s so I pick her up at 6:20. I will hit the pool after I drop her off……Had a very good swim. I also hit the inner and outer thigh machines. Next was my hair appointment. I look beautiful! On the way home I stopped back in at 24 Hour Fitness to ask about a week long pass for my Mom. She loves to swim and lately has not had a good place to swim. I thought I could take her a few times and she if she likes the gym pool.

When I got home I was hungry. I reached for my whole-wheat crackers to eat with my egg & cottage cheese mix. Delicious. I also had a bowl of Special K. Based on the new information about carbs being friends, I checked out the calorie content of my lunch. It was pretty good. The crackers and eggs were about 300 calories. And the cereal was another 250. I used to think you must eat 1000 calories or less to loose weight but now realize that you need much more that that. I think if I eat 1500 – 1800 calories a day, with my present exercise level, I would continue to loose weight and inches. So eating a 550 calorie lunch is not bad.

At noon, I went to Joel Carpenters funeral. So young to die. Number four out of ten children he is preceded in death by two sisters. The service was comforting and faith promoting. I sat by Jami who was very close to them. Now I am back home and think I will take advantage of an afternoon off to read and more importantly fall asleep – yes and nap. This does not happen very often. I think I’ll grab a smoothie from the frig and take it with me upstairs to read.

I met up with Sonnet for weight lift class. Today I added a little weight to step it up a bit. It was a good workout. On the way home we stopped my Mom’s to ask her about swimming and decided to go on Monday after walking. I hope she likes it. At home for dinner I had a bowl of a new kind of Special K. It is wheat, as opposed to rice, flake. Very good. Cereal is a good way to get milk with the needed calcium in me. I also had two crackers with egg mix. Sonnet came by to try it and really liked it. So, I had about 400 calories this evening. We were doing some research and I was wrong about 1500-1800 calories a day for weight loss. It is more like 1200-1500 so that is what I am going to shoot for.

Friday September 12, 2008 Phase Two Day 144:
Well, I got up and out the door to walk with my friends but ended up back at home. The name Walkie-Talkies was affectionately bestowed on our little group of friends by Doug Campbell for good reason. We have been known to meet for walking then end up at my house for hot chocolate. This morning Gaye showed up to say she has a sore back and can’t walk. So naturally in the spirit of compassion and solidarity for our injured sister, we decided to come to the house for hot chocolate and conversation. While they were there, I had them all try my egg mix and give me their opinion. Rinez liked it, Shannon thought it was bland and Gaye agreed. Stephen weighed in the night before with his opinion that it was too vinegar-ie and that he would not be eating it. When he came downstairs and saw us there sampling it he shared with them his objections. Nevertheless, for all his protesting, he still took a piece of bread, covered it with egg mix and headed off to work. Well, I am glad I like it! Shannon said she has tried making tuna with plain yogurt – sounds interesting. I’ll try that soon.

So far this morning I have had sugar free hot chocolate with a little mint cocoa (about 80 calories) and egg mix and crackers (50 calories). I think for breakfast I will have some mixed berries (75 calories).

OK, so yesterday I did have a nap – wonderful. There was just one little problem – I forgot I had boy scouts coming by to work on merit badges!!!! What a goof! I remembered it earlier that day but it went completely out of my mind in the afternoon. Stephen found a note on the door from the boys. I called this morning to apologize and have rescheduled for today. I should have known I did not have time for a nap!

It seemed like I snacked all afternoon. A granola bar here (130), some light chips there (75). I know I had a frozen smoothie at lunch and at 2:00 Phyllis made her banana, strawberry & orange juice smoothies for the whole office. I got home and had a bowl of cereal. My scouts came and finished their merit badge. They really are nice boys and will let me know when they have their eagle court of honor. When they left they handed me a thank you card with $50 Black Angus certificate in it. Wow. I called Stephen and of course we went out to dinner. I had a delicious steak salad and Stephen had prime rib.
Tonight we watched ‘Bucket List’ – we loved it. What a good, thought provoking movie. Made us cry. I had one hot chocolate while watching.

Saturday September 13, 2008 Phase Two Day 145:
Stephen is up and out on a bike ride this morning. I slept in a little but now am off to my office to copy the flyers for our stake fall social. I like to put them out at stake conference because it is the best way to reach the most people. For breakfast, I had a bowl of wheat Special K. I added mixed berries to it.

What a great day I have had. I copied my flyers then went to my appointment at Toyota to have an estimate for the damage from the rear-ending we had last week. I knew it would take a few hours so I took my book with me. How heavenly. I sat on a bench in the shade and read, read, read. It was wonderful to have that much, uninterrupted time to enjoy a book. After the car appointment, I stopped in at the gym to swim. I had a hard workout. Before I went in the pool, I did the inner and outer thigh machines again. I was sore so I know I worked the mussels. I came home and Stephen was on the computer doing homework. I got my book out again and sat in the rocker by the computer to read some more. When it was time for the leadership session of conference I took Steph and went on to the store, came home and put the groceries away then took the car to the stake center and walked home. I made chicken and veggies teriyaki style for dinner. It turned out very tasty.

Conference was wonderful and very meaningful to me. Now we are off to the Campbell’s for homemade ice cream, yummmmmm. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed everyone’s ice cream. Gaye brought her peppermint and Rinez made root beer ice cream. Both were very good. There were two rocky road store bought offerings, one regular & I brought Albertsons brand ‘light’. I was very pleased with the light rocky road. It is creamy and flavorful. I must admit (I say must only because some people who read this were there) I also had some Oreo’s. What a sugar and fat- I mean friendship and fun filled evening.

Sunday September 14, 2008 Phase Two Day 146:
Today is Stake Conference. We had such a nice session last night I was really looking forward to more this morning. Stephen was able to sleep in until 7:30, which is fabulous for him. He got up and fixed bacon and eggs for himself. When I came downstairs, he had saved two pieces of bacon for me. I ate them then had some protein Special K.

We both sang in the choir and enjoyed conference. President Russell gave some very good insight on the protection of marriage initiative, Prop 8. I am going to email and ask for a transcript just to help me with my discussions at work. Paula Dahl gave a rousing talk on marriage and family. Our visiting authority, Elder Trythall, said she did not need a microphone and he was right. She said the problem is when she gets excited she gets loud.

Cindy Moyes invited us over after so we went to eat with her. I had a small portion of her potato, meat & green bean casserole. I also had some salad, bread and watermelon. She served a small cup of ice cream and hot fudge for dessert. Now, as if that was not bad enough…when I came home, Stephen went straight in to take a nap. And what about me you ask? Well, no Sunday nap for me…I went to the kitchen. I can say it started off with good intentions. I went to the kitchen to make some soup for later. Stephen & I had talked about a big pot of cabbage soup so I went to the kitchen to start one. I took some sausage out of the freezer. I reached for the head of cabbage and saw it was a partial head – no worries, I have a bag of cabbage shreds I can add. I went to get the celery and found only a third of what I needed. I checked the onions and found only old rotting red ones – they will never do. So, in short, I did not have the ingredients to make a yummy cabbage soup. With that realization, there was only one thing to do. Nibble. And so it began. I started with a bowl of ice cream left over from last night rationalizing that after all it was ‘light’ rocky road. Once that finished, I moved on to a handful of almonds snatched from their can when I opened that cupboard to check for popcorn. Moving to the other side of the kitchen, I opened the bag of ‘reduced fat’ chips and had a few. Putting back the bag of chips, I noticed they shared a basket with the bread. Say, wouldn’t a peanut butter and jelly sandwich taste good right about now? Why yes, I think it would! I was right – it tasted soooooo good. I am happy to report that I am over my little binge and will be good again. I guess it is appropriate I will be going swimming with my Mom tomorrow morning.

I have an observation in all this – in fact I have noticed it over the months each time I over indulge: I feel pressure and a little uncomfortable in the middle of my upper back. Months ago, I was having a lot of pain there and had several test checking my gall bladder. The symptoms were so similar to gall bladder problems. The tests came back that I was fine and that my gall bladder functioned well. Two of my friends said they had the same problems and the tests did not show anything wrong with theirs either, however, they both had their gall bladders removed and have not been bothered by the pain any longer. I don’t know - it probably is my gall bladder but since I have improved my fat intake and reduced portions in general (well except for nights like last night), I am not having the pain like I used to. As I say, it is only when I overindulge. I felt it mildly last night, then felt great this morning, and now after the ice cream and peanut butter sandwich I feel it again now. I will keep watch.

Monday September 15, 2008 Phase Two Day 147:
I sure had a rotten couple of days as far as controlled eating goes. It is really shame too, because a few days last week I was stepping on the scale at 144 pounds. That is a little drop from where I was. I do not have a lot of confidence in that type of results when I weigh in tomorrow though. The trick is slow and steady and I am afraid with me it is slow and erratic!

Went walking with friends this morning then back home to change to my swimming suit. I ate a granola bar as I drove over to pick up my Mom. We went swimming and she liked the facility. I had a good swim. Mom swam a few laps but mostly water walked. She loved it. We are going again on Wednesday morning. On Wednesday we reserved lanes at 8:30. There is a senior’s water workout class at 9:00 so we can check it out when we are done. I think she will join. This might mean I will need to commit a few times a week to go with her at least for a while.

When I came home, I ate some strawberries and cottage cheese. I got ready and went in to work. I did not take a lunch because I was not planning to stay that long. From my desk I ate a few almonds, from the break room I had a few ‘light’ chips that were leftover form the Employee Wellness day. I also ate a leftover diced peach cup. Today is picture day for the district but after it was taken, I went to buy a few things at the store then home to make soup. Yum… it smells good simmering on the stove. I was hungry, so during cooking I ate an egg salad sandwich, a peach smoothie and two miniature York peppermint patties. Hummmmm…where did those come from? Well, they might have been purchased when I stopped on my way home from the Black Angus last Friday night to gas up the car. It could have been, that I ate four of the six mini’s on my way home and stashed the other two for later. Oh, did I forget to mention that in Friday’s entry? How carless of me.

Tonight Stephen & I had some soup. Boy, it is delicious. I never know how my meals are going to turn out but this time I did good! I had some with crackers. The only draw back was is that it was hot. I wanted something cool when I was finished so I had a bowl of Cheerios. We are finished and it is only 6:00. I like being finished with dinner relatively early. Tomorrow I will get back to step class. I need to burn calories and use the inner & outer thigh machines.

Tuesday September 16, 2008 Phase Two Day 148:
I have good news and I have bad news. Now, I always like to hear the bad news first so I can end up with good news so here goes. I showed up this morning at the gym at 5:30 and no step class. Larry had canceled it. Had I gone last week I would have know that but I didin’t so I had an unnecessary get-up. I left. The good news is I weighed 145.25 this morning. That’s my lowest so far. Sonnet stopped by this AM on her way to work to weigh and she is down 1.5 pounds also. We will see how that computes to inches when we measure this afternoon. Right now, I am having a breakfast of cantaloupe and blueberries. I have already filled a container of soup and another of strawberries for lunch at the office. Should be a pretty long day as I have over 100 immunization exclusions to mail out.

I will meet Sonnet for weight lift class at 4:30 then home to measure. Nothing much on the agenda for this evening. Maybe I will stop by the fabric store and look at baby christening gown patterns. I need to make one boy and one girl blessing outfits by November 1st……...OK, so now I am home and I do not have good news! Lets start with lunch. The soup never made it out of the house. I packed it along with the strawberries but when it came time to leave I did not want it. I wanted a salad from Zorba’s. That doesn’t sound so bad and would not have been that bad if I had stopped there. Bottom line – I had two, count them, two bowls of ice cream at work after I finished the salad. I actually left the break room after my salad and went to my desk, but then I went back and finished off the Tin Roof Sunday in the break room freezer from some party months ago. I know no one else will touch it (lucky for me) so I scooped it out and poured chocolate and caramel sauce on top, oh yea, toppings too. I took it back to my desk to eat. A little while after it was finished I went back and finished the vanilla, of course I topped it also. What is going on with me? Now I am home and need to change to run to weight class and all I can think about is having some cereal. I am so glad there is no time!!! The only thing I can think of is that perhaps I am about to start my period. I always get ravenous before my period. Time will tell.

I am feeling better about life now. I had a really good workout including the inner & outer thigh machines. Sonnet & I did the machines before we left. We just finished measuring and we both are another half inch down. Stephen is off to meetings and we are having soup for dinner…..Finally I did something right today. I had a bowl of soup and then I ate one frozen smoothie. That’s it! No cereal, no granola bar, no popcorn. Just soup and smoothie. Good for me. Cheyenne came over later and had a bowl of soup too. She’s a doll.