Believe it or not, another snow day!

<p>Happy Monday friends! I got to sleep in once again this morning. We had a 2 hour delay that was announced last night with all the blowing snow that’s flying around and then around 8am we ended up closing. <strong><u>Hooray</u></strong> for another snow day!</p> <p>I wanted to wait a few days after I was sick to give an update on my weight. I weighed in this morning and was at <strong>163</strong>, which is a <strong><u>1.5lb loss</u></strong> from my weight last week! I was really hoping to be 162 right now and lose 2 lbs these last 2 weeks of February to meet my March 1st <strong>goal weight of 158</strong>, so we’ll see how that goes! Just need to stay focused and on plan!</p> <p>If you haven’t noticed yet, you should <strong>check out</strong> my new links to the left (i.e. progress pictures, about me, goals) and <strong>let me know</strong> what you think!</p> <p>After catching up on blogs & losing track of time I decided I need to get some breakfast! I toasted <strong>2 </strong>left over <strong>pancakes</strong> from yesterday, topped them with <strong>warm cinnamon apples</strong> & a <strong>sprinkle</strong> of <strong>granola</strong>!! I also had an <strong>orange</strong> on the side for a <strong>4 point</strong> breakfast! Yum-o!!!<img alt="DSC06048" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglySlXsFJ2Pm-cP2moD1mMtxA1D1h0woJN0PiJ-fQCk9eLaU0VFlu9lq_j6c_PjeJ_fy_bvMK4mDY3tjXUDGHAopYuI6n4UuuCGf1BTqn8a6jHDQ8Ari7daFBJoehUIH8PuVZoRzU5Yjej/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06048" width="404" /></p> <p><img alt="DSC06049" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkaFYDLeT-zr5BR_DjmRsxSWuLsu46Ay3g4I-TI3Bf_6Iq74QGgJiQMF8bGufYDo4NtSIjkmmelu3sns0Y42OL23HrfUkIto9OrDT2iQvmp2F7y9GdPpENdGraBpnOojNCwIqGygqrXBP/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06049" width="404" /></p> <p>After breakfast I got my list together and ventured out into the wind & snow! I stopped at Wal-Mart, Target, Hy-Vee, and a quick stop to see my man @ work! I didn’t get home till 3pm and was ready for some lunch! I heated up <strong>1c</strong> of <strong>chili</strong> with a <strong>sprinkle</strong> of <strong>ff cheese</strong> and had<strong> 5 ff crackers</strong> and a few <strong>baby carrots</strong> on the side for a <u>wonderfully warm</u> <strong>7 point</strong> lunch. <img alt="DSC06050" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihF13z61_R0SYnU9mhfXvgGWrS4tsE8MAk-An6H5NQKMqqLE5H5MJmaQlgoX8TdWlkZppCaZIp88n5xAF465lijeboWUp-OvTFZBAx7qoGjiiySVET-2kBxE6V4wlBuQBDnyXWU6LM4ehi/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06050" width="404" /></p> <p><img alt="DSC06051" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArDdccxvHs3nm_l-leFR4oAzC_Q1nROPUCd6BeshO-nek3Bk41MBBWi_NnfmEIvmul6epwiblHyAQ6Qb-QFlusuRfnihowclop6fyuKqkWdf8egZ0X4hl0b7V4E8-0RbNJMoHBXsdXhl0/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC06051" width="404" />Kyle and I are headed east this weekend to <strong>Chicago</strong>! Kyle’s sister and her husband live there, so we’re going to visit! We have a few things planned…of course <strong>shopping</strong>, dinner at the <strong>Signature Room</strong> on the 95th floor of the <strong>John Hancock building</strong>, and Kyle wants to go to <strong>Game Works</strong> (he’s a <strong><u>kid at heart</u></strong>)! Does anyone have any recommendations of something <strong><u>fun</u></strong> and <strong><u>unique</u></strong> that you’ve done or always wanted to do in the <strong><em>Windy City</em></strong>?</p> <p>I spent my afternoon <strong>getting ready</strong> for our trip! I pre-portioned snacks into baggies and put them & a few other snacks into 2 large containers, one for the way there and one for the way home! And my list of things to grab from the fridge is <strong>all ready to go</strong> as well!! I also got my <strong>clothes picked out</strong> & <strong>suitcase packed</strong>. I just have to throw in my things I use everyday!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxr2VYJz0P7Erj-oSf36Yu89zIYz19AKWwy7TxFZURK6FfYE2oPwe5SQIsFtZam0lvVlmyLJEdR5P03zy-3LhFFjjr_puEO2965JB4UW8aZpLvZIpLxEsFCQbn_59uPpXloep8BPYKZv4l/s1600-h/DSC06052%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06052" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VSLYKPz4iplwUzmAcumub-KuNUxAOK4hBJPn5eKDggbpv8S8wad9rdY53c1IBHjEDfI7QQVI1fvwxldlwSbxgU8CK6LsNHV_RZNUK7dh_-hsDxJa0oaATmH4oHMvsiteME_r3Itryxr8/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06052" width="404" /></a>  </p> <p>While supper was baking I mixed up my<strong><u> favorite combo</u></strong>! In the mix was <strong>1 1/2c strawberries</strong>, <strong>vanilla ww yogurt</strong>, and <strong>1/4c <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/02/few-updates.html">homemade granola</a></strong> for <strong>3 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lp7R-XpF58o5dgxmwBbdfy8kmxRGMkaM1nGxxgFVfGfIKFvW8E91UG3XKcefVcE1rROZIpWZp2qKJPEn7FIEy8-HGNQxtf8Dg_u-6JzlJ6PHcgnbpQZDy-owuWVrnAMtVmUGf2y4iWZx/s1600-h/DSC06057%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06057" border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WxynITKhTBR0TgZUf6y3s2Ijp7gpaUBXQ4XPOPfcRmOXbZzxFQ1gcDNE2nBMQ_kZuX2vvar-9UHrhZZr0fh5HDGmU6MCX8dk-XmAOORDuRriwIA6Z1PHzd6qJxGi0izsjU7Achl4cOJ2/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06057" width="404" /></a> </p> <p>Supper tonight is a favorite of Kyle’s, <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2009/02/day-112-monday-223_24.html">Creamy Ham & Potato Bake</a>. I had <strong>1 serving</strong> and<strong> 1/2c</strong> of <strong>green beans</strong> for <strong>4 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSvFUCO9L08NusBMiPVas-g3jCKme6e7X976dv8twNdB2GV9sAl-J1atrsum1xYcYu1H4dj87x808qxqQkCQcKi4RTKwQz_AgZJ04S4VO8qFoUth4dl5WkWMU3DRztr5IgaBJmiHdZK_l/s1600-h/DSC06058%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC06058" border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNx2M8lrS9K4yjbU3H1NRvSUppVqSfVpvmmUo7URcEadhjaSCstk0rY22U-xYnUrNaV1wlYCCI9gL9OrPUU4RZS_tFhv72dNJ_kRFcpFP3hWRrJn5kGyxLNYZo12SvgWwgoTWVruTcWL0c/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC06058" width="404" /></a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p> </p> <p>I’m all snuggled in, waiting for Kyle to get off work, and watching the Bachelor! It’s kind of my guilty pleasure! </p> <p>G’nite blog friends!</p> <p><strong>MONDAY’S STATS</strong> <br />POINTS = 18/23   <br />WATER =  72 oz <br />EXERCISE = none</p> <p><strong><em>P.S. Don’t forget to give me your good ideas for Chicago!!</em></strong></p>

Believe it or not, another snow day!

Happy Monday friends! I got to sleep in once again this morning. We had a 2 hour delay that was announced last night with all the blowing snow that’s flying around and then around 8am we ended up closing. Hooray for another snow day! I wanted to wai…

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A Valentine owie

<strong>Valentine's Day from hell</strong><br />Valentine's Day 2010 will go down as my worst day so far this year and probably my worst Valentine's day ever. I had some sort of allergic reaction and my right eyelid swelled up so it was almost shut. In addition, as soon as my eyelid started swelling, I started sneezing uncontrollably for about twelve hours. <br /><br />I have no idea how what happened, but my eyelid felt like it had acid on it and it hurt like hell. Not to mention I looked like a one-eyed monster with a red nose. Yesterday wasn't my best day.<br /><br />The only good thing that came out of this is how sweet my husband was about the whole thing. He was really concerned, and kept checking on me after I took a couple Benadryl and passed out at 3pm yesterday.<br /><br />This morning when I woke, my eye was even more swollen. It wasn't just my eyelid, but the entire socket around my eye was swollen and puffy. Without me even asking him, my husband called the doctor and managed to get a 9:30am appointment for me to see an eye specialist. <br /><br />He drove me there, waited for me, took me to the pharmacy, got my prescription filled and was a carring and concerned spouse. I really appreciated this because I wasn't in any condition to drive and I felt awful. The sneezing had turned into a sinus headache and my entire head hurt and felt like it was going to explode.<br /><br />The doctor didn't have any idea what was wrong with me, just that I was allergic to something. He rolled back both of my eyelids to look at the underside (which by the way, hurt like heck). He said I had eyes prone to allergies, they were "cobble-stoned" on the underside of my lids. Nice to know but this has never happened to me before.<br /><br />My prescription was a tiny tube of salve, 3.5 grams (about 1/8 ounce), and it was $126.00 without insurance. Luckily I have insurance so it was only $25. Highway robbery but I would have paid just about anything for it. It seems to be working and the swelling has gone down considerably and the sneezing has stopped.<br /><br />I'm even thinking about going to the gym, or maybe a walk outside. The sun is shining and it's 47 degrees. I got a new camera for Valentine's Day that I'm dying to try out. It's a red Panasonic Lumix and very cool. It even has a "food" picture taking setting. I love it but haven't had a chance to play with it yet.<br /><br />In spite of the eye thing yesterday and Valentine's Day being a bust, I'm in a really happy mood. Not being in pain is always a good thing. Having a caring and loving husband isn't too bad either. <br /><b><br />Thank you</b><br />I don't say this often enough, but I really appreciate everyone out there in blog world. Your caring comments mean a lot to me. I haven't been commenting as much as usual on your blogs, because I was so self-absorbed in my own sadness and throwing myself a daily pity party I just didn't have the time nor felt very like I had anything worthy to say. Those days are past me now (thank God, and I mean that literally). I feel like I can be supportive and caring about other people again. Just like you always are for me. :)<br /><br /><strong>Picture of the day</strong><br />I'm thinking about adding a picture of the day since I'm so in love with my new camera. I'm copying this idea from a few people's blog. I love pictures and taking pictures.<br /><br />In the picture below, the white and orange cat is my cat, Mickey Mouse, the only cat I've ever met that comes when he's called and loves me the best. The other cat is actually our neighbor's cat, Bear. My husband let's him in the house all the time because he's so cute and the neighbor recently decided to make him an outdoor cat and they won't let him in the house anymore. <br /><br />My husband has a bad habit of bringing home strays. I told him Bear isn't a stray, but even I feel sorry for the little guy when he's standing out in the rain, hovering on our front port, dripping wet. <br /><br />Mickey Mouse will sit and watch Bear for hours. He doesn't touch him or hiss at him, he just watches him very intently. I often wonder what Mickey is thinking when he's staring at Bear. Probably something like 'who the hell let you in here?' or 'one wrong move and you're history!' or 'remember, I'm numero uno around here and don't you forget it!'or 'ummm, excuse ME, but that's MY pillow you're touching, they're all MY pillows!'. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">"I'm watching you"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQbWl0WD1NJ_uyF1PkMTy_lO6s2-OyTkXsGanQM_BI2QO7sL3Ae6eX0lpI55wuMSy_ibfUe6KQxGZKuVVjzeFk-p98d1_D0gGjYkVADqyetctcgMMnEu4_XjU2yt81byx7CJEYtA97fbk/s1600-h/Mickey+and+Bear+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQbWl0WD1NJ_uyF1PkMTy_lO6s2-OyTkXsGanQM_BI2QO7sL3Ae6eX0lpI55wuMSy_ibfUe6KQxGZKuVVjzeFk-p98d1_D0gGjYkVADqyetctcgMMnEu4_XjU2yt81byx7CJEYtA97fbk/s400/Mickey+and+Bear+011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

A Valentine owie

Valentine's Day from hellValentine's Day 2010 will go down as my worst day so far this year and probably my worst Valentine's day ever. I had some sort of allergic reaction and my right eyelid swelled up so it was almost shut. In addition, as soon as…

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6 Job Search Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/rn/ar5l4ll6bmtc46b109rn.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/rn/ar5l4ll6bmtc46b109rn.gif" /></a></div>In any economic climate job hunting is nobody's idea of fun. And with the growing number of folks hitting the bricks these days it seems the task is getting even harder. But that's not precisely true because the actual job-hunting strategies and techniques required of the professional job changer remain the same in any climate. What is bothersome, however, is that the process is quite likely to take longer. This leads to increased stress: financial stress, physical stress, emotional stress and family stress.<br /><br />Most people do not perform at their best in stressful situations. They get tired more quickly, they get frustrated, and run out of patience, and they make mistakes. Here are six of job-hunting mistakes frequently made during a recession.<br /><br />Mistake No. 1: Feeling entitled<br />In the new economy your stellar background, great track record, prestigious degree and glowing references guarantee you nothing. The new employment paradigm is, "What have you done for me lately?" You must be constantly developing your skills, your talents, broadening your interests and driving your career development. If you don't you may well be left behind.<br /><br />Mistake No. 2: Focusing on yourself, not the employer<br />Spend your time finding out which of potential employer's needs are unmet instead of touting your brilliance. Saying, "I need a job" is irrelevant and depressing; that's your problem and has nothing to do with why this organization is hiring. Uncovering an employer's problem areas demonstrates your bona-fide interest and offering your solutions demonstrates your critical thinking, creativity and approach to problem solving. This is how to get hired.<br /><br />Mistake No. 3: Taking rejection personally<br />Face it; there are a lot of jobs you are not going to land. Use rejection as an opportunity to assess and build your job-hunting skills. Evaluate what you could have done better in your research or interview or with your follow-up. If you aren't getting rejected regularly then you either aren't working hard enough to get your foot in the door or you're applying for jobs beneath your capabilities. No employer makes a decision not to hire you; they make a decision to hire someone else who did a better job of selling him or herself into the position. Suck it up and move on.<br /><br />Mistake No. 4: Focusing on your age<br />It is human nature to focus more on one's perceived weaknesses as opposed to one's strengths. This is especially true for people in the job hunt. Younger folks worry about not having enough experience; older folks worry about looking over-qualified. If you don't want a potential employer to focus on your age make sure you focus on what strengths you bring to the party: energy, track record, endurance, patience, technology skills, people skills, creativity and work ethic. Sell yourself based on what you have.<br /><br />Mistake No. 5: Looking for a silver bullet<br />Some job hunters swear by recruiters; others by on-line job postings. The latest buzz is that social networking sites are making all other job-hunting techniques obsolete. There is no one best way to job hunt. If you want to increase the effectiveness of your job search you must spend more time on it and use every technique in the book. This means answering print ads, responding to on-line job postings, contacting appropriate recruiters, cold contacting potential employers, networking your brains out and using social networking sites to pursue all of these strategies. Sorry, there are no silver bullets or genies in a bottle.<br /><br />Mistake No. 6: Absorbing too much news media<br />Yes, there's a recession. Yes, a lot of folks are out of work. And, yes, finding a job is a hard job in and of itself. But, no, the sky is not falling. And yes, if you work hard and long enough at it you will land a good job. The media's motto is "If it bleeds, it leads." Bad news is their stock in trade. You will never see a story about company hiring back 10 workers or a person who landed a great job after a rigorous job hunt. A regular diet of bad news will convince you that no one is hiring (untrue), to avoid employers who have had a reduction or layoff (bad strategy) or maybe you should just move to China (bad idea unless you speak Mandarin). Get out, have some fun, work at keeping your energy and spirits up, and network with optimistic people.<br /><br />Eventually this recession -- like all recessions -- will really be over and you'll be better prepared for (gulp) the next one.<br /><br />By Dr. Paul Powers, psychologist, executive coach, career expert, and noted conference speaker and author of "Winning Job Interviews" and "Love Your Job!" For a free subscription to his "LifeMap" newsletter, visit www.drpaulpowers.com.<br /><br /><a class="addthis_button" href="http://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=rockfordlink"><img alt="Bookmark and Share" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/v2/lg-share-en.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" width="125" /></a><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=rockfordlink" type="text/javascript"></script>

6 Job Search Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make

In any economic climate job hunting is nobody's idea of fun. And with the growing number of folks hitting the bricks these days it seems the task is getting even harder. But that's not precisely true because the actual job-hunting strategies and tech…

Read more »