For the past few years, Jim and I have been blessed with either hosting or contributing heavily to our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. And I truly enjoy all that it entails. I have made laminated place mats for every member of the family with individual and special occasion pictures. The Lord of the Rings goblets we collected from Burger King a few years ago hold the traditional egg nog or almond tea. Each one also has a switch at the base that produces a red glow. For Christmas, the tree ornaments, the various serving dishes and recipes help us recall beloved people and cherished events from of our family history.

This year we will be blessed in a different way. We are skipping Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact I think that would make a good title for a movie. : )

But I see it as a blessing and think it will be easier to live within my Weight Watcher points as I won't have to offend anyone for not partaking of his or her contribution to our feast.

I also see it as a time to focus on some of our remodeling projects instead on preparing the house for company.

Also, it will be a time of blessing in that I should have opportunity to withdraw and be alone with God. My life longs for a reprieve from some of the responsibilities I have had to assume. My nerves have been ragged and my temper short. I desperately desire a "season of refreshing."

Enough is enough!

Satan is whispering in my ear. He is using every device imaginable to throw me off, distract me, terrorize me, etc, etc. I emailed a friend yesterday and she said, "Tell that ole devil to take a hike!"

Well, I didn't tell him to take a hike, but I did tell him where to go!

Beware Nanna-Red!

Across the street from my office lies the elementary school. It has 500 students and takes up 2 city blocks. Occasionally, my services are required when the elementary counselor is out.

The 3 main campuses that compose our school district share a police officer. His name is Bobby Dean. The kids call him "bah-bay-deeeeeen" And it is all one word. He is the right and the left arm of the law, making certain that kids are in school, drug-free, weapon-free, etc, etc. His size and build are intimidating.

Most kids seem to accept the fact that the school campuses are his "beat" and don't see him as a major threat. Others shudder when they see him coming.

Now Bobby has 19 grandchildren, many of whom are making their way through elementary and jr high. One of the ones in first grade is called "the screamer". He hates coming to school and when he gets there, he screams and screams and won't let up. The teacher called the mom. Nothing changed. She called the dad. Still no change. Bobby heard that the little feller was having a really hard time, so he stuck his head in the door......And the screamer stopped screaming.It was like magic!

I asked Bobby what was his secret? "Is he afraid of you?"Bobby shook his head no.

"Then, what is it?"

"It's Nanna Red", he confided. "He is afraid of Nanna Red. All I had to do is poke my head in the door brush my hand over my cell phone, and the screaming stopped. He was afraid I would call Nanna Red."

By now you have probably guessed that Nanna Red is his wife. She is about 5'2, 100 lbs and wirery as all get out. She also has this obvious shock of red hair. I would never want to get in a scrap with her, but neither have I found her particularly intimidating. But, I will take one former screamer's word on it: "Never mess with Nanna Red!"

Monday was a Monday, alllllll day. It was followed by another Monday that everyone thought was gonna be a Tuesday. Wednesday was a ....... well, I really don't know what happened Wednesday, but it was a chore cleaning it up.

I know that everyone at work is needing a break and will probably feel much better after Thanksgiving.

But I am doing a v-i-c-t-o-r-y dance because I lost 3 more lbs.! That's over a 2 wk period. : )

The truth about diets.......

Who knew?

The Facts:

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it...don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise
program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO ...... Cocoa beans ..... another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!


Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets, but if you are still concerned and think this might be just a little to good to be true, Weight Watchers is working for me!