What is this feeling in the pit of my stomach....hunger?

The last two days I've really cut back on my food intake. It's not like I'm starving myself. I'm just eating smaller portions, and I cut out all the fake ice cream (again!). Fake ice cream being Weight Watchers ice cream bars, sugar-free crap and of course, Skinny Cows (and there's nothing "skinny" about those things for me since I can't eat just one).<br /><br />With the rush of the holiday, it's been easy to skip meals. It's also been stupid and not really on purpose. It just happened that I missed lunch two days in a row these last two days, and I didn't make up for it with late night eating. I know, that's a real shocker. <br /><br />As a result of actually feeling hungry, I tossed and turned most of last night, but I refused to give in to getting up for a snack at 2 a.m. I'm trying to break that habit (again!) to stop eating in the middle of the night. One innocent snack can turned into a five-course meal with dessert, and totally ruin a perfect day of eating and exercising. <br /><br />When I finally got up at 6 a.m. today, I was famished. I made my breakfast. It was a little different than what I usually have:  one egg, 1/4 cup 2% cheese, 1/3 cup chopped cherry tomatoes, and 4 ounces of shrimp (we're out of Canadian bacon), and two Tablespoons of cocktail sauce (not something I ever have with breakfast). I heated this up and then put the mixture on a sandwich thin (because we're out of real bread). It was surprisingly very tasty and filling. <br /><br />The problem, I put it in the Weight Watchers eTools online...it's a freaking 11 Points! Holy crap! 406 calories, about 100 more than what I usually have with the Canadian bacon breakfast, and five Points higher than my normal six point breakfast. Lesson learned:  put my food in eTools before I eat it. I probably would have had something different if I had done this, and definitely lower in Points.<br /><br />By 11 a.m. I was starving again. I just had a banana and 4 oz. Activia fat-free vanilla yogurt, along with a cup of my new favorite tea (Good Earth Original, a yummy naturally sweet cinnamon tea). 160 calories or 2 Weight Watcher Points. I feel okay now, still a little hungry but I can live with it. I'm trying to suck down as much water as possible to keep the hunger pains away. It's not working as well as it usually does.<br /><br />Calorie count so far today: 566<br />Points: 13<br /><br />It's only 1 p.m. I'm not sure why this seems a lot tougher today than I remember. Maybe because I'm really focusing and doing what it takes to ignore these hunger pains. Is it real hunger I wonder, or is it all in my head? Either way, I don't like it but I can live through it.<br /><br />Plans for the day, next up is the gym. My husband wants to go with me (he's off work toay). There's always the debate of taking two cars since he will only do one hour, that's his personal limit for the gym. I prefer one and half hours when I have time. We'll see.<br /><br />Then it's home to wrap presents and make a chicken barley soup recipe I found in one of my old Jane Brody cookbooks. It's a cookbook I bought about 15 years ago during my vegetarian, organic, health food phase (1995-1997). I remember I bought it because it had a lot of vegetarian recipes in it. <br /><br />I never made the soup but it sounds really good. About five years ago I gave away most of my cookbooks. I use to be a cookbook fanatic. I had about 50 of them. I decided to downsize and only kept five of my favorite cookbooks since I get most of my recipes online (of course, I've been adding Weight Watcher cookbooks, which I rarely use...most recipes I get from eTools). <br /><br />Jane Brody was the top of the list as a keeper cookbook. Funny thing, I weighed 127 pounds when I was cooking from this cookbook and there isn't any nutritional information. They're very healthy, low-fat and delicious. I'm going to put all the ingredients into the WW recipe builder but I suspect it'll be about six or seven Points a serving. Of course, my estimates are off on everything these days with the new WW plan so we'll see how off I am on this one. <br /><br />I hope everyone is enjoying their day. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I can't believe how time is flying. 2011 is right around the corner. If nothing else, I'm going to be under my January 1, 2010 weight of 177 by January 1, 2011.  Whatever it takes, I have to at least to that for myself.

What is this feeling in the pit of my stomach....hunger?

The last two days I've really cut back on my food intake. It's not like I'm starving myself. I'm just eating smaller portion...

Read more »

Suspension des ateliers et des permanences entre le 27 et le 31 décembre 2010

<BR><br />Les permanences de la <strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/boutique-de-gestion.html">Boutique de gestion</a></strong> et du <strong>Conseil Général du Loiret</strong> sont interrompus entre le 27 et 31 décembre 2010 et reprendront dès le <span style="font-weight:bold;">03 janvier 2014</span>. <br /><br />Les <strong>ateliers CV</strong>, <strong>"Lettre de motivation"</strong> et <strong>"Préparation à l'entretien"</strong> sont également suspendus et reprendront à partir du <strong>mardi 11 janvier 2014</strong>.<br /><br />En revanche, les ateliers <span style="font-weight:bold;">"Pôle-emploi.fr"</span> et <span style="font-weight:bold;">"Sit'Utilises tu trouves"</span> sont maintenus.<br /><BR>

Suspension des ateliers et des permanences entre le 27 et le 31 décembre 2010

Les permanences de la Boutique de gestion et du Conseil Général du Loiret sont interrompus entre le 27 et 31 décembre 2010 et reprendront ...

Read more »

A Holiday Moment with Judy and Mel...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kingdom-biz.net/uploads/Fireplaceanimated.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" n4="true" src="http://www.kingdom-biz.net/uploads/Fireplaceanimated.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />On December 6, 1963, Judy Garland taped "The Christmas Show" to air a few weeks later as the holiday episode of her weekly CBS-TV variety show. She was joined by by both family (including Liza) and friends...like singer/songwriter Mel Tormé, writer (with Bob Wells ) of  "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)"...Click to watch Judy and Mel sing this holiday classic...<br /><br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOQ4JxPDXIU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOQ4JxPDXIU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Judy Garland Mel Torme The Christmas Song The Judy Garland Show The Lady Eve (author) A Holiday Moment with Judy and Mel...

On December 6, 1963, Judy Garland taped "The Christmas Show" to air a few weeks later as the holiday episode of her weekly CBS-TV ...

Read more »

God watches out for fools

My girlfriend says this a lot, that God watches out for fools, referring to herself when she does something really stupid. Today, I was a fool.<br /><br />I did something so stupid I hesitated to even write about it. I didn't even tell my husband (and I'm not going to). It did wake me up and make me realize I really need to pay more attention to my actions.<br /><br />I had one last trip to the mall today, for two gifts I didn't get on Tuesday (because the crowds were making me insane). My plan for the day was the gym this morning, then home and a shower before heading off to the mall for shopping and home before 2 p.m.<br /><br />I had to call my niece this morning to let her know what time I'll be arriving in Fairbanks on Sunday. I love my niece. She's funny, witty, and loves to talk. As I sat in my car in the gym parking lot for an hour talking to her, I realized it was 9:30 a.m. I thought it best to head off to the mall and go to the gym later (and I did make it there this afternoon). Otherwise I'd get caught up in the early afternoon shopping madness.<br /><br />Off I went, bluetooth stuck in my ear, listening to my niece talk about the challenges of raising three boys. I don't normally drive and talk on the phone. I personally don't think it's safe, at least not for me. It's very distracting and after a few near accidents I rarely do it anymore, but my niece really wanted to talk.<br /><br />When I pulled into the mall parking garage my niece was still chatting. I love her to pieces but she does like to talk. I sat in my car for another 15 minutes, my headlights turned off, talking and laughing with her over the antics of her boys. Finally we said goodbye, and I headed into the mall. <br /><br />After two hours (part of it spent trying to find the second Sephora in the mall--there are two of them on the opposite ends of the mall), I headed back to my car. I knew the general vicinity of where I parked but I didn't see my car at first. So I pulled out my key fob (which contains the key that I never use) and hit the unlock button so I could hear the location of my car. Nothing but silence. <br /><br />When I'd pulled into the garage at about 10 a.m. the garage was partly empty. It was totally full at noon. Then I spotted my car. Practically right in front of me. I wondered why it didn't beep when I hit the unlock button on the key fob. I tried it again while looking at it. Silence. No lights. Weird.<br /><br />As I got closer to my car I hit the trunk unlock button. Nothing. Dang! The battery must be dead on the key fob. That had never happened before but the car is almost two years old. I'd never stuck the key fob in the charger on the dash so maybe it was time. <br /><br />As I got next to my car I pushed the button on the door handle to open it. It's a Nissan with a button start on the ignition and a button on the handle to unlock it. I usually don't even use the key fob except to open the trunk (or find it in a parking lot if I'm lost). As long as I have the key fob on me (usually in my purse), it opens with the press of the button on the door. The door didn't make it's normal beep-beep noise when it unlocks. It opened easily meaning I hadn't locked my car. No big deal, there wasn't anything in it. Even though I always lock it. Guess I was distracted talking on the phone when I got out of my car. <br /><br />Then I got in my car. It felt like it was 100 degrees inside. This is Seattle, about 45 degrees today and it was an unheated garage. Then I realized what I'd done. I had left my car running, the heater going full blast, <strong>unlocked</strong>, in a crowded mall parking garage for two hours, three days before Christmas. Oh.My.God.<br /><br />That is just about one of the stupidest stunts I've ever pulled. It's a miracle my car wasn't stolen. People steal locked cars that aren't running. I was horrified I could do something so incredibly irresponsible. I know nothing happened. The car was safe, I was safe (no one hiding in the back seat), so no harm no foul, right?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">What does this long, stupid story have to do with weight loss?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>To be honest, this incident sort of scared me silly. As I was driving home, I started thinking about how I'm so easily distracted by life. Look Diana, shiny object!<br /><br />I do the same thing with my weight loss. For months I've been floating along, watching others achieve success with their weight loss goals, while I drift along, up a few pounds down a few, then up a few more, until I managed to end up in the high 170's (177.6 this morning). I don't like this at all, and I'm not happy with myself. <br /><br />After all these years of me gaining/losing/gaining weight you would think I could have this figured out by now. There is one thing I do know, I have to focus on my weight loss 100%. Yes, I have to work at a sometimes stressful job. I love to use that as an excuse, but seriously, it's just an excuse, and a pretty sorry one at that. Everyone has to work and everyone has stress in their life, yet a lot of you still manage to lose weight. <br /><br />Then I was sick. Then it was Christmas week. I wonder what's next, a vacation to visit family in Alaska? It's always something with me, some distraction that I let pull me away from what I really need to be doing, focusing on losing weight. It requires 100% of my focus. No more shiny objects.<br /><br />It's time to end the excuses for not losing weight. If I really want this (and I do) I need to move forward. I have to work at it because weight loss doesn't just happen to me while I'm doing other stuff. I need to totally focus on it. Eye on the prize.  I need to stop being a fool.

God watches out for fools

My girlfriend says this a lot, that God watches out for fools, referring to herself when she does something really stupid. Today, I was a fo...

Read more »

Exercise - I Actually Want To Do It

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQD-k8seCy_9ZgvWCZ4eXkSHP-m6uL0stAYCcO2ozi3v8cXepTUnUn7gDiAcJ-1Pc1xBP_c2x_4RR4k9r_0b7DQXp6t8zTKwetLytr9Ew6YEgc3XTjQUMjoPlFL6JuDg7TEKdXKd3WmK0/s1600/62264-Royalty-Free-RF-Clipart-Illustration-Of-An-Overweight-Woman-Standing-On-A-Breaking-Scale-Measuring-And-Eating-A-Carrot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQD-k8seCy_9ZgvWCZ4eXkSHP-m6uL0stAYCcO2ozi3v8cXepTUnUn7gDiAcJ-1Pc1xBP_c2x_4RR4k9r_0b7DQXp6t8zTKwetLytr9Ew6YEgc3XTjQUMjoPlFL6JuDg7TEKdXKd3WmK0/s200/62264-Royalty-Free-RF-Clipart-Illustration-Of-An-Overweight-Woman-Standing-On-A-Breaking-Scale-Measuring-And-Eating-A-Carrot.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>Over the course of 2010, I've definitely been putting the pounds back on.  My clothes told me, the scale told me, and my body told me!  Clothes that once comfortably fit became skin tight and had to be replaced with a larger size.  The scale just kept creeping up and up.  My body simply aches all over.. I know it's partly stress induced, but I also know it's due to the weight gain and lack of exercise, which also causes me stress.<br /><br />I finally made the decision to join a gym again right before Thanksgiving.  I have been going faithfully ever since, even on nights after happy hours!  It actually feels good to be sweating and working those toxins and stressors out of my body - particularly my shoulders.  I look forward to it because I know it's going to help me in so many ways.  The last time I was successful on Weight Watchers, which was during my junior year of college, I remember having a revelation almost a year into my weight loss journey - it dawned on me how much better I was sleeping at night and how all my aches and pains vanished.  I knew it was all due to my healthy lifestyle change.  I'm looking forward to getting back to that place again really soon!<br /><br />Here's to making it through Christmas without gaining a pound! <br /><br /> 

Exercise - I Actually Want To Do It

Over the course of 2010, I've definitely been putting the pounds back on.  My clothes told me, the scale told me, and my body told me!  ...

Read more »

So much happier today!

Yesterday was not my best day. I'm normally a pretty happy person. Even if I get down and depressed, I usually get over it pretty fast. Yesterday was not normal.<br /><br />Today I woke up in a happy mood. Even after finding the still undecorated tree, with the exception of lights and the angel topper, laying on it's side on the floor. The angel was pulled off the top and being used as a kitten chew toy. Have I mentioned we have two six-month old kittens and the world is their oyster? If it's not nailed down (well, even it it is), it's their play thing. One of them even had some of the feathers from the angel's wings stuck in her whiskers. I couldn't help but laugh. This certainly isn't a Martha Stewart home. <br /><br />I'm also thrilled I got my hair back to it's original state today. After three hours with my colorist and hair stylist, I look normal again. In the downer post that I deleted yesterday I mentioned I went to my best friend's niece, a hair stylist, to get a very cheap color and cut (huge mistake). It turned out to be the worst color and cut of my life. <br /><br />I'm just not a totally bleached blond kind of gal. Every time I looked in the mirror I was horrified by my hair. The color was so bright and so blond that I felt like I needed sunglasses to even look at it. That was in front, the back was even a worse mess with white blond streaks against my natural dark blond hair.<br /><br />After a lot of "corrective" coloring work which included low-lights, high-lights and some all over color, I don't look like a bleached blond bimbo anymore. My stylist took off an inch of length and it feels so much healthier. The layers, well,  there wasn't much she could do about them other than trim them up, but at least they look like the layers were professionally added and I didn't take the scissors to my hair myself. My bangs are back to normal too.<br /><br />I'm so much happier with my hair now. It's a little sad that so much of my identity is wrapped up in my hair. It seems rather shallow. I can't help it, that's just how I am about my hair. I sort of wish I had this same sort of obsession about my body. Maybe I'd be thin and totally in shape if I did (and even more shallow than I am now).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">**********</div>The gym<br />I also attribute my much happier mood today to the gym. I didn't go yesterday until 8pm, then when I got there my iPod was dead so I didn't even stay. When I got home and told my husband, his response was, well, you could have worked out anyway, without the iPod. Ummm, no, I can't. I've tried that before when the iPod was dead and it was pure torture without my music.<br /><br />This morning was a great workout with an hour of hard cardio. 25 minutes of it was on the treadmill, with an incline of 15 at 4mph, or an incline 15 at 5mph. 35 minutes on the crossramp. It set my mood for the entire day...happy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">**********</div><div style="text-align: left;">The food</div>I was actually too busy to eat today until about 6 p.m. Even after my workout this morning I only had a banana, then I had to rush to my hair appointment, then I shopped until I dropped (I'm almost done!). I know this isn't healthy, and it's not my normal. <br /><br />Dinner was a piece of flank steak and a big green salad with some yummy low-cal yogurt dressing I discovered. It's Marie's Yogurt Dressing, in the cooler by the produce, half the fat and half the calories of regular dressing. I bought the blue cheese (although there weren't any blue cheese chunks in it...of course not). It was actually really good for store bought dressing.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AgBVY93ErJOgXsPa1ofNm7395Lbzoxc3gAfVRqNskiBY1MyYKl7kprcotN4hAcOpdbhSlnmshyphenhyphen83Jv9oBxeWkFNhc9P0Hj7zpcVqf-hNSR__JjV8a0s4J9Z6Fdb5uiW4Qs8gyxCMKauV/s1600/blue+cheese.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AgBVY93ErJOgXsPa1ofNm7395Lbzoxc3gAfVRqNskiBY1MyYKl7kprcotN4hAcOpdbhSlnmshyphenhyphen83Jv9oBxeWkFNhc9P0Hj7zpcVqf-hNSR__JjV8a0s4J9Z6Fdb5uiW4Qs8gyxCMKauV/s320/blue+cheese.png" width="215" /></a></div>Tomorrow is an early Weight Watchers meeting. My normal day is Saturday, but that's Christmas, so I'm going to my regular leader tomorrow for my weighin and meeting. Then more shopping.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">**********</div><br />Oh my gosh...on Dr. Phil they just said that a one-pound box of candy is about 10,000 calories. I use to eat a one-pound box of Sees candy at Christmas, when I was on my binges (and yes, in one day!). Dr. Phil has a couple on the show that always gains about 35-50 pounds each, each year during the holidays. Dr. Phil is pushing a book, something about losing 15 pounds in 17 days (<a href="http://17daydiet.com/">17daydiet.com</a>). And no, I'm not buying the book. :)<br /><br />Oh - you'll love this - they (Dr. Phil and the author of the 17 day diet book) both just said that new scientific evidence proves that taking off weight fast doesn't mean you'll regain the weight fast. It's contrary to what everyone has thought all these years. Interesting.

So much happier today!

Yesterday was not my best day. I'm normally a pretty happy person. Even if I get down and depressed, I usually get over it pretty fast. ...

Read more »

Sharing the news…

<p>In case you’ve been MIA lately, click <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/12/wordless-wednesday_15.html">here</a> & <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/12/101610.html">here</a> for a quick update on what’s going on in the Bangert household!</p> <p>So we waited a few weeks to share the news with our family. Initially we were going to wait until after we heard the heartbeat, but that would have meant I would have had to spend a week on the cruise ship with my sisters. No way could that happen! ;)</p> <p align="left">The first weekend in November we got my family together, which wasn’t the easiest task! ;) Everyone is so busy these days! We had everyone there except my Dad & 1 sister. We sat down at the supper table and I volunteered Kyle to bless the meal. So he did like he would any other prayer “Thank you Lord for this food and the hands that prepared it, etc….” but he ended it with:</p> <p align="center"><strong><em>“And thank you for the addition to our family coming in June, amen</em></strong>!!”</p> <p align="left">Everyone shrieked and was so excited!! My sister, Mindi, said she knew it because I was so adamant about getting everyone together for supper and I’ve been “SO TIRED” lately! Well, she was right! We spent the rest of the evening talking all things pregnancy & baby!</p> <p align="left">The next weekend we were in Chicago with Kyle’s parents, his sister, & her husband for the Iowa vs Northwestern game. The day after the game we went out for breakfast. I had been wearing a zip up hoodie, went to the bathroom, got rid of the hoodie, and came back to the table wearing this shirt:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RbcxqmDzMySWCR5esW-K24Ot2ja606LApB8Rwg2zd8QkjAv-uWH-8ZHW2dD8gWAoDHRFn0aHgiOYYq6IiqUQwP3AiqnvKk47XWfFJeN6oxCp28npfcZXWoA2GlTDQigSfT0IY-7KX5pj/s1600-h/11.14.103.jpg"><img alt="11.14.10" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WFHq5KKK_sLpQKskSUf0fsaCT6n7xVXCJao62p2jNlhBGRhe5R5R2NXlweEorKkTT3myHtCaUm05QmX-QZlmz7ZTChGl4NB1bcgpHrzEnyIgSuYZBV_slWJEAxJZ6qfLxlB3wuNndLsP/?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="11.14.10" width="404"></a></p> <p align="left">Needless to say everyone was surprised! When we got home that night we shared the news with Kyle’s brother and skyped his sister in Omaha! Sharing our exciting news is SO fun!!</p> <p align="left">The week of the Thanksgiving we spent 5 days on a cruise ship! The only reason I was excited to come home was because Monday, November 29th we had an appointment to hear our baby’s heartbeat! I was so anxious/nervous for this appointment! Hearing that beating inside me was a completely indescribable feeling! Of course I cried and Kyle said it was the proudest moment of his life!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGu8Id_m0BzYwSD4q-sP3Crq7rmXDHyX7r8-EYiCk855A0SAKsX_WeOwUXWq_jCMhg-txoZlXqYAe4aXqIOoyUf42glT9Dpv-QT7A5Rs-JjLG6dXufy9C_eh2kfPy2yyj4YrETKPZ8us-/s1600-h/_DSC23503.jpg"><img alt="_DSC2350" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPg59e7a0DhxieVqlmxcJNLlQwBcPWR6uwavd2wEhp-i_Pt1CRXyhaTkDE400jhAcLhpGW1rZN-rsEKeA-F0lS_-ApTVoN8WmsjfhyCZlK9PfWepUk-MQOVV5yoUFtktHImGAJFGvoyZTy/?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="_DSC2350" width="404"></a></p> <p align="left">He also said he thought he heard 2 heartbeats! But the doctor reassured him that one was mine the other was baby’s! He thought it would be perfect to have twins, 1 boy, 1 girl! Good thing he doesn’t get to choose! ;)</p> <p></p> <p>My Dr. ordered an ultrasound for a few days later so we got to see little Baby Bangert! It was so crazy to see how much that little baby was wiggling around inside me! So now we even have pictures to show off of our little one! ;)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa_iM2bXVl9a17pgqJbbQvcG7IJH5T91e4MeG3Xlh0d8wD5fjam_OAB7rVu2xVOlV2Hf6erYBBFcwW89v_dpFt0MIOg4A45_f1omsQdgDJkwniorni7S3fy3ooJGwHnj2RssT8mbkU7AE/s1600-h/ultrasound1%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="ultrasound1" border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMnz9k89bnocjBF15DsMsrntDXW0D29xfWyL9HsdcuIoLJmHASMLdeg1sf_HNcmUNdImf8w9x6O_L0qDLp1QxY9tYHhoUSuCBu-orKRxH5imRUDkBwu_inNKzgCtuKnuVG-bI4zDgBQJK/?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="ultrasound1" width="405"></a><em></em></p> <p align="center"><em>These are when I was 12 weeks. Look at those long legs all stretched out!</em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NUMLgDdRrKUjTtpD7HYjLeN6w30D8UK3TxeYJlsX-iiKhd1dLaGLQ1NH_rfTcUmRyrWpoOCYBehcJdyulp8QFMAEMNocoju_zaHeADgEIcGLwPFW9DMHLidL1cmDrxBCKrdfipYizRSM/s1600-h/ultrasound%5B4%5D.jpg"><em><img alt="ultrasound" border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCt9BSkSCxKQShVABVMgoEV1cWp_EAS-UOynfmla-31NqLFQlEQuuInELPzrYxMEsSwYI3RhEeTG8hgD8CKngGDJN8lNmrw2F65TGGQ18LNh9uwqV7M44xJQZNjE7ko5o-5XjaV-2piIp/?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="ultrasound" width="404"></em></a></p> <p align="left">Hope everyone is all ready for Christmas, only 4 more days! </p>

Sharing the news…

In case you’ve been MIA lately, click here & here for a quick update on what’s going on in the Bangert household! So we waited a few ...

Read more »

Found it!

Found the joy!<br /><br />First, I'm really sorry about that awful post I wrote earlier today. I'm not sure where that came from or why I was so angry. I just re-read it and deleted it. Hopefully not too many people read it. <br /><br />After I put up the Christmas tree, sans decorations (my husband will help with that tonight), I decided to go Christmas shopping. After visiting the mall and two other stores, I came home empty handed. The stores are packed with shoppers. The lines were incredibly long, so I gave up, not one single gift was purchased. I had a few in my hands but when I saw the lines, I knew it could wait.<br /><br />As I was driving home, listening to Silent Night being sung by Bing Crosby on the radio it occurred to me, what is all the fuss about? Why am I all stressed out? I'm not Martha Stewart, and I'm not going to have the perfectly decorated tree. The relatives in other states aren't going to get their gifts on time and they probably aren't going to get the perfect gift from us either (at the rate I'm going, they'll be lucky to get a card).<br /><br />When I pulled into our driveway I could see the tree in the front winter. I left the lights on it turned on and it looked so pretty. Festive and happy. It made me smile. <br /><br />It's Christmas. I'm going to relax, stop stressing about stupid stuff, and just enjoy my time off. <br /><br />Merry Christmas!   <---said without sarcasm. :)

Found it!

Found the joy! First, I'm really sorry about that awful post I wrote earlier today. I'm not sure where that came from or why I was s...

Read more »

Returning to the land of the living

<strong>The past week</strong><br />It was a very bad week. My cold that started on Monday knocked me flat for almost six days. I basically became a bed person. I was living on NyQuil, and totally not paying attention to what I was eating. <br /><br />Of course, I didn't see the inside of the gym or any form of exercise the entire time. Six days of no exercise. That's the longest I've gone in almost three years without getting some form of exercise.<br /><br />I also had major issues with drinking water. My throat was so sore that swallowing was extremely painful. The only beverage I could drink without discomfort was hot tea. <br /><br /><strong>A new week</strong><br />This morning I woke up and was able to breathe, my sinus headache was gone, and my sore throat is only sore from coughing, a huge improvement. And when I cough, it doesn't feel like chunks of my lungs are being ripped out. I feel human and normal and alive. It is a wonderful feeling. <br /><br />The damage from six days of not paying attention to what I was eating:  a five-pound gain. From 177 to 182. Yikes!<br /><br />Today I'm back on the straight and narrow. I've eaten very healthy today, but I'm under my Points. I've had 24 Points and should have had 29 (and only two fruits). For some bizarre reason I'm just not hungry. Perhaps stuffing my face for six days has something to do with it. I don't believe in eating when you're not hungry. As someone who is always hungry, I'll take advantage of this while I can. I'm sure it won't last.<br /><br />I made it to they gym this afternoon. I was really anxious to get back. It was difficult with a lot of burning in my lungs, but I managed 15 minutes on the crosstrainer for my warmup, 30 minutes on the StairMaster (which just about killed me!), and a good upper body strength workout for 40 minutes. It was hard, and it hurt, especially my lungs, but it felt great to be exercising again.<br /><br /><strong>What I learned</strong> <br />I learned something about myself this week. For several years I've said that I could easily become one of the super obese, weighing in excess of 500 pounds and becoming a bed person. I was almost halfway there at 240 pounds.<br /><br />I have major food issues, and I thought my compulsion with food could overtake me at any time. I would be one of those people that would never leave my home. I'd be in the news when I died and they had to cut down the walls of my home to get me out. <br /><br />I realize these are horrible thoughts and no one in their right mind would think this could really happen to them. Whether or not I'm in my right mind is always up for debate, but I really did believe this about myself. I knew if I let my guard down, that is exactly how I'd wind up. <br /><br />Today, while I was on the StairMaster and my lungs felt like they were on fire, I thought that it's probably unlikely that I will let myself get totally out of control with food for any length of time. I'm not saying that it couldn't happen, but I am saying that if it's within my power, I won't let it happen. I like feeling alive.

Returning to the land of the living

The past week It was a very bad week. My cold that started on Monday knocked me flat for almost six days. I basically became a bed person. I...

Read more »

The Path to the Start Line (and the Finish Line, Too)

<i>1. Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)</i><br /><br />I walked a 5K last December, and it was my first one. I learned a lot of things on that day. First, cities that plow the side streets before the main streets are stupid cities. Second, 5 kilometers is a pretty fair distance to walk, especially if you haven't done a lot of training for it. Third, there are a looooot of people who like to run in the cold. And to be fair, I was a bit jealous. They have their 5K shirts on from their run in November, dressed in their tights and running gloves, their iPods strapped to their arms, setting a fast pace without even batting an eye. And I'm bundled in three layers of sweats trying to walk fast enough to heat up a little.<br /><i> </i>I<i> </i>thought to myself, <i>Man, wouldn't it be fun to run this race next year?</i><br /><br /><i>2. MGMT - Time to Pretend (clean version)</i><br /><br />Now, December was 12 months away, and the race cleared my memory. First, I had something more important to train for: Disney World. I was going in June with a friend, and I'd heard from people that you could walk for <i>miles </i>in just one day of touring the parks. I was not looking forward to wearing out early in my vacation, so I was determined to get my feet ready for the wear and tear.<br /><br />So as soon as the snow melted and light jackets could be worn, I started walking. I walked around town, I walked in the gym, I walked to work, I walked to church, I walked just because! My podcasts were my friend - they made me look foolish as they told their jokes and I laughed - seemingly - at nothing as I strolled down the sidewalk. If people couldn't see my earphones, they must have thought I was nuts.<br /><br />The walking continued through May and into June, when my trip took place. And even though my feet still hurt after two days at the World, my stamina was a little better than before.<br /><br />At this time, I was getting word from my friends. They had begun to run regularly, and were really liking it. One by one, my friends succumbed to the racing bug. They entered their own 5Ks, bought the clothing, posted their times on DailyMile, and made their goals. It was a little infuriating and annoying, at the start.  <br /><br />But then I was reminded, <i>"Hey - remember that race in December?"</i><br /><br /><i>3. Taio Cruz - Dynamite</i><br /><br />In June and July I walked two more 5Ks and inwardly tried to convince myself that 5K was way too long for me to try and run. This is a person who had to run upwards of 20 laps in basketball practice (for no real reason, if you think about basketball training) and that was the extent of running. Anything else would be suicide! I didn't go out for track my freshman year of high school because they ran one mile to the track EVERY PRACTICE. Torture!<i> </i><i> </i><br /><br />But I did keep walking. My routes got longer. My free lunches at work got taken away, and instead of buying something, I chose to split my large dinner into two smaller portions. I ate my fruits and veggies (the gross stuff) for one meal, and then a small entree the other meal.<br /><br />I didn't realize anything was outwardly changing until I came for a meeting one night, and my coworker gave me a look and said, "Wow - you look really good!"<br /><br />To which I replied, "Uh, thanks?"<br /><br />And that wasn't the last compliment. Into August, the recognition continued. Friends, family, and even the occasional church member I didn't really talk to! Everyone was taking a notice of my weight loss, except me. I still was in denial, I suppose. Plus I had something on my radar: I finally set a date to start running: the day after Labor Day.<br /><br /><i>4. Lady Gaga - Poker Face (don't judge me)</i><br /><br />If I had started a running journal on my first day of running, here is what day 1 would have read:<br /><i> </i><br /><i> </i><b>September 8, 2010</b><br /><b>Ran: .5 miles.</b><br /><b>OH MY GOODNESS! WHY IN THE WORLD DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?!?!?!? THIS IS THE MOST HORRIBLE FEELING I HAVE EVER FELT!!!!!!!!!! THIS WAS SUCH A STUPID THING TO TRY! I AM NEVER RUNNING EVER AGAIN! I AM SOOOOOO TIIIIIIIIIIIRED! AND I'M SORE! AND I'M IN PAIN! HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE PAIN!!!!!</b><br /><br />Apparently, the more you run, the better it gets. So the next day - I can't tell you what made me do it - I laced up my shoes again and went out. And it was the same feeling.<br /><b> </b><br /><b>September 9, 2010</b><br /><b>Ran: .4 miles.</b><br /><b>WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??????????? I AM SUCH AN IDIOT TO THINK I COULD RUN!!!!!!!</b><br /><br />But I kept trudging along - and the distances got a little longer, and a little longer, and a little longer. Finally I came home, plugged in my route onto mapmyrun.com, and realized I'd just ran a mile, and it didn't feel too terrible! As a matter of fact, after the run, I felt pretty good! (Exhausted, but good.)<br /><br />I remember wearing this great shirt to work one day. I just found a pair of pants that matched and wore it to complete the look. But when I got to work and started walking around, I realized that these pants, which I'd owned for over a year, were falling off! I had to actually get a piece of yarn and tie it through the loops so I'd stop freaking out about it! My belt loop holes went from the first one to the fifth one in mere months. It looked like I was trying to promote the baggy look because none of my clothes fit anymore! (On the plus side, clothes that I'd owned since the start of college fit me a lot better now!)  <br /><b> </b><br /><i>5. Flo Rida - Club Can't Handle Me</i><br /><br />I started setting goals for myself. I kept track of my minutes, miles, and pace. A pace of 13 minutes per mile was acceptable. Under 13 was extraordinary. Over 14 was horrible. Gradually I changed from shorts and a cutoff t-shirt to shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. Then I started running past a few leaves. Then bunches of leaves. Then I couldn't see the sidewalk because of all the leaves. They crunched for a few weeks, and then it rained and it was just gross. The trees went from green to yellow to orange and red to ugly brown to bare. I bought my first pair of running leggings, and let me tell you, that was quite the experience!<br /><i> </i><br /><i>6. Tupac - California Love (feat. Dr. Dre)</i><br /><br />I went to the Nike store and realized I could spend hundreds of dollars there and still not have everything I need. I managed to get out of there with only one item, but I could have had some shorts, a turtleneck undershirt, a fleece pullover, a jacket, a heavy winter coat, gloves, shoes, socks, more socks, a hat, and I think I could have found a treadmill if I'd looked harder! It was overwhelming. Do I really need all this stuff to run? I'd just spent three months running in my normal workout clothes - isn't that enough?<br /><i> </i><br />I still have only bought the leggings. But I'm looking into one jacket to purchase. We'll see if I step foot in that store again.<br /><br /><i>7. Owl City - Fireflies</i><br /><br />I'd been jogging around, then plugging in my routes after my route. Too many times I would plug in my route and be thisclose to hitting the 5K mark. <i>Rats! If I'd just did that last block...</i> ran through my head.<br /><br />But man, that first day I hit 5 kilometers was a momentous day. Not that I posted a fabulous time, but I finally knew that I could <i>do it! </i>And when that barrier has been overcome, the possibilities were limitless!<br /><br /><i>8. Cage the Elephant - Ain't No Rest for the Wicked</i><br /><br />Eventually I'd just go out and run. I'd make myself stay out for a certain period of time, and then see I'd run over four miles. Wow - that was four miles?<br /><i> </i><br /><i> </i>Then it snowed. And that changed everything.<br /><br />I knew that my race was in December, so I had to run in the snow - there was no way around it. I'd paid for the thing, registered under a 5K runner, and was ready to get the white bib instead of the yellow one. Snow was just part of the course.<br /><br />My times dropped dramatically. I had to be extra careful around curbs and driveways for any ice that had formed. Some people don't shovel their sidewalks, apparently, till there's over 12 inches of snow on the ground. I found that wearing layers isn't the best thing if you're running. Guess what? When you run, you work up a sweat, and you warm up. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a hoodie, a hat, and gloves will cause you to overheat. The first time I came back from a run in all that gear, I had to peel all the layers off me. The leggings were nice, though - they have wicking power, so the sweat leaves the body. Where it goes, nobody knows...<br /><br /><i>9. Priestess - Talk to Her</i><br /><br />The Thursday before the race, it was snowing pretty hard. And I had a meeting that ran a little late. Thanks to the sun going down insanely early, my running window was incredibly slim. But I needed to run that day. I didn't care about snow, I didn't care about the dark, I was going to run for 45 minutes and that was that.<br /><br />I drove home, threw on my workout clothes, and got outside. Because it was still snowing, barely anyone had shoveled. When I would backtrack, I could see my footprints from when I'd gone the other way two minutes earlier. I didn't see another soul outside of their warm cars and houses. If people were eating their suppers and looked outside, they must have said, "Man, what an idiot for running in this weather."<br /><br />But I kept going, and ran around in circles, and prayed that the snow would give me some traction over the ice from a few days earlier. The last thing I wanted to do was sprain something on my <i>last </i>training run. But when I got back to my place, I felt fantastic. I'd run in the elements, and I'd survived.<br /><br /><i>10. Muse - Knights of Cydonia</i><br /><br />Race day dawned with cloudy skies and a threat of snow just to the west. I had a feeling we'd be fine. My friends who were running with me (remember the ones at the beginning of the story?) were predicting doom and gloom.<br /><br />We got to the race in plenty of time. I bundled up (stupidly) and made sure my iPod was filled with only the best music. (Music, in case you haven't been paying attention, that has been listed in italics every so often on this post.) I knew my friends were faster than me, but I'd made my goal. I'd never broken 40 minutes for 5 kilometers. Today I was going to try and achieve it.<br /><br />The gun sounded, and we were off.<br /><br /><i>11. Sum 41 - Fat Lip</i><br /><br />I was near the middle of the pack, and I let my friends get a good pace ahead of me before my chip timer was activated. The first part of the route was flat, but then quickly turned into an incline as we left the park and went around the perimeter of a college.<i> </i>That first half-mile was trying to find my running buddies - people that would challenge me, but not get too far ahead of me. I passed a bunch of people, a bunch of people passed me, and I did my best not to be sad about that. If you let other people's runs get the best of you, you will never finish a race.<br /><br />Finally we got to the top of the hill and into the city streets, which had been blocked off for the race. That's where I met my real competition: <b>the walker-runners. </b>You know the types - they run a burst of speed for a minute or two or three, and then walk when they get tired. When they get their energy back, they repeat. And when you're trying to run without walking at all, this can get annoying. Especially when it's people who look like they're in much better shape than you are.<br /><br />The worst was this man who must have been in his 40s who would <i>not let me pass! </i>He'd walk, I'd get right up to pass him, and he'd start running. But he'd only run for about ten seconds before he would start walking again! I was determined to pass him and finish before he did. <br /><br /><i>12. Seether - Rise Above This</i><br /><br />There were far more hills than I thought there would be. I thought that after that first climb it was all downhill from there. But there were at least two more hills in the city running that I didn't remember from before. Those were not pleasant. But I kept going. I saw the mile 1 marker, but when the mile 2 marker passed I must have been in my daze. The daze of "I am never going to finish this race. I am going to keel over and die and they will find my frozen body after it's too late."<br /><br />The second wind came when I made it to the hospital. No, I didn't go in. I ran past it. But we'd been dropped off by the hospital and walked to the starting line, which meant I knew <i>exactly how much I had left to run!</i><br /><br />I continued at my slowish pace, but I kept going with a renewed sense of urgency. Especially because I had some of my new techno music pump in to get my blood flowing:<br /><i> </i><br /><i>13. </i><i>Tron: Legacy Soundtrack - Daft Punk -Recognizer</i><br /><br />The sounds of Daft Punk got me moving a little faster, and before I knew it, I could see the finish line! It was still quite a distance away, but my feet moved a little faster. <b>I was going to finish strong.</b><br /><br />With about 100 yards left, I saw my friends, who had finished a bit earlier, cheering me on. I was in too much pain to actually recognize them, though my grimace of pain may have looked like a smile to them. I was just focused on getting past that giant steel thingy.<br /><br /><b>And finish I did! </b>The large timer was showing the time for the 10K runners, who had started 15 minutes before us. But if that was the case, and that said 53 minutes on it, that meant...I'd broken 40! By a large margin!<br /><br /><i>14. </i><i>Tron: Legacy Soundtrack - Daft Punk - Arena</i><br /><br />It took me almost two minutes of walking with my hands on my head to catch my breath. But when I met up with my friends, I felt more than great. I felt fantastic! I had accomplished something that 12 months earlier had seemed like a dream. But I'd stuck with it, lost a bunch of weight along the way (around 30 pounds), and realized that distance running isn't so bad!<br /><br /><i>15. </i><i>Tron: Legacy Soundtrack - Daft Punk - The Game Has Changed</i><br /><br />So now what? My goal has been reached. What kind of new goal can I make for next December?<br /><br />This race <i>does </i>have a 10K. That is in my sights now. If I can continue running in late winter and early spring, and continue through the summer, I think I can get my body to go over six miles. After that, who knows? Maybe I'll have all the experience needed to run one of those fancy half-marathon races!<br /><br />Whatever the goal, I'll be sure to keep you posted.<br /><br /><i>16. The Ting Tings - Great DJ</i><b> </b><i> </i>

The Path to the Start Line (and the Finish Line, Too)

1. Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) I walked a 5K last December, and it was my first one. I learned a lot of things on that day. First...

Read more »

Must Try!

<p align="left">I made a new try last night for supper! I think this is definitely a family friendly recipe! Not sure where I got it from, but trust me, it’s good! Keep in mind the points are calculated based on the old system. I haven’t even come close to checking out all the changes with WW lately! I’ve had other things on my mind! ;)</p> <p align="center"><strong>BBQ Beef Filled Biscuits</strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNO2fzVQMRN-nKsZ9JlL51n2zBTsyoxVBiQjLsX9Kk0hw1whSzBs4wKXvr6MAbvHbE1j_AG73GbxbtUUfa9_tzDeHw3InMYiHb027tf0tB2_qblrpexLBe0Lk8Mk_r9GUk3HMe8z3ymGc/s1600-h/DSC095573.jpg"><strong><img alt="DSC09557" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnpUFEkHHo5203l9jJXwyLxoPSxOtTBNkWoae_rKYZ03Pz4fPtVcbAr1Jeqoj_iJvlLmR29wq46TqdFIFuxFlKKJwnfSU-Vpzne1Urge0VoTI3IsZ91tQLJPI_vLjQpJi2lQLHjC-oMkJ/?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="DSC09557" width="404"></strong></a> </p> <ul> <li> <div align="left">1/2lb lean ground beef</div> <li> <div align="left">1 small green pepper, finely chopped</div> <li> <div align="left">1 small red pepper, finely chopped</div> <li> <div align="left">1/3c BBQ sauce</div> <li> <div align="left">1 7.5oz can buttermilk biscuits</div> <li> <div align="left">1/2c 2% shredded cheddar</div></li></ul> <p align="left">Heat oven 375 degrees.</p> <p align="left">Brown meat w/peppers. Remove from heat & stir in BBQ. Separate biscuits and press each one into the bottom & sides of muffin pan. Spoon meat mixture into biscuit cups. Filling will be mounded. </p> <p align="left">Bake 10 minutes. Top with cheese and bake 3-4 additional minutes. </p> <p align="left">Serves 4, 2 each. 7 points/serving</p> <p align="left"><strong><em>Enjoy!!</em></strong></p>

Must Try!

I made a new try last night for supper! I think this is definitely a family friendly recipe! Not sure where I got it from, but trust me, it’...

Read more »

Planning de la semaine du 20 au 23 décembre 2010

<BR><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Permanences<br /></span></strong></h2><ul><br /><li>Le <strong>Conseil Général du Loiret</strong> sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans<br />- le lundi 20 décembre de 9h à 12h30,<br />- le mardi 21 décembre de 9h à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le mercredi 22 décembre de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le jeudi 23 décembre de 13h30 à 17h.<br /></ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Atelier</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2008/12/atelier-parcours-emploi.html">Parcours Emploi</a></strong> - mardi 21 décembre à 9h30<br /></ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Information collective</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong>Boutique de Gestion</strong> - lundi 20 décembre à 14h</ul>

Planning de la semaine du 20 au 23 décembre 2010

Permanences Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 20 dé...

Read more »

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)...one special holiday season...

<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVRKeYqxZs7QPbP6FsXTeWLm9Yje23zyoKb_Dvc41ImNNghN5zySgy-fDqeDcopdWvNbyn0QrTg0RiprIL7-F1jfGbxaWfFW1O1DU5q0egT-sruoZz3NGog8ikYXFjB08w_AZHHYTSU21/s1600/ct+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="275" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVRKeYqxZs7QPbP6FsXTeWLm9Yje23zyoKb_Dvc41ImNNghN5zySgy-fDqeDcopdWvNbyn0QrTg0RiprIL7-F1jfGbxaWfFW1O1DU5q0egT-sruoZz3NGog8ikYXFjB08w_AZHHYTSU21/s320/ct+tree.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Christmas in Connecticut</i> (1945), a jewel of a holiday romantic comedy, was released at a  time unlike any other in America...scant months after VE Day, just days before VJ Day - and by December 1945, World War II was finally over and many veterans were home in time for Christmas.</span><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A <i>Time Magazine</i> article of December 24, 1945 observed, “For most Americans, on the first Christmas without war since 1938, these two facts transcended all others: peace…had come back to earth; millions of U.S. fighting men, now a peaceful army of longed-for occupation, were streaming back to their homes…”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A reviewer of the recent book <u>Christmas 1945</u> observed the contrast between 1945 and the previous Christmas, “In 1944, the Allies thought they had the war nearly won when the last days of turmoil broke out in a wooded, mountainous region of Germany. The Battle of the Bulge was to be the last major conflict in a war winding down…If Christmas 1944 was a frightening reminder that the war was not really over yet, Christmas 1945 was a collective prayer, a nationwide sigh of relief.“</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLBeISJuHm3yJfQajtlF2r2ad4oRhI3kHRjI9JHdvPYK2l4FfRAfonkclf6B1rl6IIIAF9CKtQHfefDUKz2Ng-wR3ILly8QZ3_-yVUn0eU8L0X7VLlDh71eJm74yrlIA7e5SRwhR72ams/s1600/ct+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLBeISJuHm3yJfQajtlF2r2ad4oRhI3kHRjI9JHdvPYK2l4FfRAfonkclf6B1rl6IIIAF9CKtQHfefDUKz2Ng-wR3ILly8QZ3_-yVUn0eU8L0X7VLlDh71eJm74yrlIA7e5SRwhR72ams/s320/ct+scene.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With <i>Christmas in Connecticut</i>, director Peter Godfrey spins an appealing home front fantasy. Barbara Stanwyck stars as New York sophisticate Elizabeth Lane, popular writer for a women's magazine. Lane's forte is home and hearth and her articles wax euphoric about her house in Connecticut, her husband, her baby and the joys of homemaking...with loads of household hints and recipes. But none of it is true. Not married nor a mother, Lane can’t cook, doesn’t clean – and has no interest in any of it! However, almost no one, including her publisher, knows this.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But…very soon a Navy vet (Dennis Morgan) is headed her way thanks to his nurse/fiancée’s letter to Lane’s publisher (Sydney Greenstreet). The sailor, recently rescued after weeks adrift at sea on a raft where he endlessly dreamed of fine food (<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pan-Seared-Rib-Eye-Steak-with-Bearnaise-em-Entrecote-Bearnaise-em-241756"><span style="color: #990000;">like this entree</span></a>), has visions of an Elizabeth Lane-style holiday. With the war still on, Lane's publisher is not about to disappoint a returning hero...so the vet's wish is granted. Lane’s masquerade goes off the rails and she ends up under a romantic spell, ready to give up her "bachelor girl" high life for the regular guy, a war veteran, who's stolen her heart… </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The farcical plot, an outstanding cast and a set replete with snowy New England sleigh-ride scenery create a heartwarming and reassuringly merry Christmas movie.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQg1sm_5UGjlM0zuHV9VBcOqcC51Jl9hBxeqGRkvuz8M6a2HdRcaDwNBoBc4gF-iyrIO5JtL6XBegfuR_yfhuddsC11jShZcENK3zpQRsdb86okxFIehhNK7sZSFYzTEWVpL2el0ia4Yle/s1600/ct+sakall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQg1sm_5UGjlM0zuHV9VBcOqcC51Jl9hBxeqGRkvuz8M6a2HdRcaDwNBoBc4gF-iyrIO5JtL6XBegfuR_yfhuddsC11jShZcENK3zpQRsdb86okxFIehhNK7sZSFYzTEWVpL2el0ia4Yle/s320/ct+sakall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Barbara Stanwyck doesn't miss a beat as a high-flying careerist who discovers she’d like to come down to earth. Reginald Gardiner is smooth as her over-civilized long-time suitor; S.Z. Sakall is endearing as Felix the chef; Sydney Greenstreet is the bombastic publisher. Dennis Morgan is all-American as the Navy man, and sings "I'm Wishing That I May." Joyce Compton also stands out as the chirpy nurse/fiancée.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The popularity of <i>Christmas in Connecticut</i> seems to grow with each passing holiday…but that first year, the film's original Yuletide season, was singular...</span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Writer Bob Burdick, whose boyhood during WWII included “air raid drills, blackouts, rationing, and simply doing without...” recalled his father’s return from the war and remembered that though money was tight that year and his own gifts under the tree numbered just two, “before the day was over, I considered these gifts the best I’d ever received.” Looking back Burdick added, “no Christmas has been more memorable than the one of 1945.”</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80C_tYmYUeTyL4VOGg4VXdVVQ52gTc5kBMc5CrM6gjZh2gWJNG2VkjjUh5ZzvOScHuF2iHZr6D38lfvrDWmcYW5cQmetOdATJxsqknziYa6EN2ZDLZ48K3p-iJ2hPjFScrH4CJR6G07Tt/s1600/ct+love.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80C_tYmYUeTyL4VOGg4VXdVVQ52gTc5kBMc5CrM6gjZh2gWJNG2VkjjUh5ZzvOScHuF2iHZr6D38lfvrDWmcYW5cQmetOdATJxsqknziYa6EN2ZDLZ48K3p-iJ2hPjFScrH4CJR6G07Tt/s320/ct+love.png" width="320" /></a></div>

Barbara Stanwyck Christmas in Connecticut Dennis Morgan Joyce Compton Peter Godfrey Reginald Gardiner S.Z. Sakall Sidney Greenstreet The Lady Eve (author) World War II Christmas in Connecticut (1945)...one special holiday season...

Christmas in Connecticut (1945), a jewel of a holiday romantic comedy, was released at a  time unlike any other in America...scant months a...

Read more »

Fermeture exceptionnelle

<BR><br />Exceptionnellement, la Maison de l'Emploi du Bassin d'Orléans sera fermée le vendredi 24 décembre 2010.<br /><BR>

Fermeture exceptionnelle

Exceptionnellement, la Maison de l'Emploi du Bassin d'Orléans sera fermée le vendredi 24 décembre 2010.

Read more »

10.16.10

<p>October 16th, 2010 is a day that Kyle & I will never forget!</p> <p>I woke up early, 5am to be exact! I think I was so sure I was pregnant I couldn’t sleep! And I took the test I had purchased the night before. I didn’t tell Kyle I had purchased it though!</p> <p>Seeing those 2 pink lines was almost surreal. I was excited, surprised, shocked, anxious, happy, etc all at the same time!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlRbnkVEvysrjQzsWI_zt7zCBmBrfZn2wUz-bVkKJEogR6jFp9DEKggyBLwnWALab0kAZnOMO5FehTfQssdbbhvDXVK1zERcbuRQcY1bTe4JDBerQtfzb820kyGFKY029oDZhEnFx9m2Y/s1600-h/DSC090693.jpg"><img alt="DSC09069" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAo2Lx9zHVkOq5VWvgIs0zGf288MCdUzLkhOvVH5CybpWeq5p9_TVp5cexnC3216nCpzA7a9KCNYaM2-8NvQWoSnUnoxar_wAbUFANmhkoKdNjgQHbKJqSxy9CiW_eLgagE8XvkFNbu9T/?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="DSC09069" width="404"></a></p> <p>Since it was early on a Saturday I let Kyle sleep in & I ran down to my craft room to get busy! I wasn’t 100% sure how I wanted to tell Kyle. I brainstormed and knew just the way!</p> <p>Before I show you a picture of the card I need to give you some background! The weekend before was 10.10.10, the day of the Chicago marathon. I tracked a bunch of people, fellow blog friends, strangers, and a few “real life” friends! I was so inspired that day, people of all shapes, sizes, weights, ages ran & conquered this race!</p> <p>I had always thought I didn’t want to run a marathon, the 1/2 marathon was enough for me. But something changed that day and I had this HUGE urge to run a marathon! The next day I started researching spring marathons and came across <a href="http://grandmasmarathon.com/site/">Grandma’s Marathon</a> in Minnesota. I read that it was a great marathon for your first, a mostly flat course! Race day was June 18th, 2011. I had convinced myself I was going to do this! I was so pumped that week, researching training plans, reading race recaps, setting dates to get started training, etc, but then…</p> <p>Friday I realized I was about 1 week “late” and that’s when I decided to buy the test! And Saturday morning it was positive! Ok, so now that you’re caught up here is the card I wrote to Kyle:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOqQXDL_XQPqYFIjBfEUg85zax9xLQfRipV3WiQZSvjWyVBQzTHKvgBeF7RfcjsbnS9ItYQJVeVj3OwlTLvu4d9no4Au49O8UWb0LV9O0h_9IAueKdYHyrrngtPfkjlq6Yuz-pRV3F0NX/s1600-h/DSC090466.jpg"><img alt="DSC09046" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1JZfY9KPhzKOxb570C9Gj7hZ77dCQryMwlH_PtsFnXG2W7q6RPXXeREEaWyBD3b93XNmOJKg4KkFnnpZsFLlZmMlTXwP9SIF9djpBZNR3nevCltbkNRfO_dt23aPE7_tzdXgHEVeK3sN/?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="DSC09046" width="404"></a></p> <p>And I wrapped a gift with a few things! When he finally woke up, I gave him the card & gift. He was a little confused, but I told him to just open it! The card totally threw him for a loop, almost made him mad! ;) First I didn’t want to run a marathon, then I was all for it, and now I was saying I didn’t think I wanted to do it! It was perfect because he didn’t have a clue!</p> <p>Confused, he then opened the gift! Once again he was confused at first, why did he need baby clothes?!?!? He thought maybe it was for some friends who were coming over that night for supper who were 8 weeks pregnant at the time! But then he read the notes: </p> <p><em>“Not only are you SuperMan, a Super Husband, but I know you’re going to be a Super Dad!”</em> Kyle loves anything Superman!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj986v0FnSW1mGJJ-Ccqo_5ulQc3eYYfg8SSNcax8IltNsHka1Pd0SJrJg9kO76uOxp9msYxpM3XEm6dKLVdIPsXNSvAnipxr5ZooDRuTHOt5UR1P1NVhvvuFc6LWz3LoA1SLP1CuwtNrF5/s1600-h/DSC090423.jpg"><img alt="DSC09042" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsyoUUT-eNOfyPRlVvYSyBCFp8s-bBvUJo3CgyKP5WZ5U6cGxDIpjCG3AKqn7kHdvyvqLlmqtN7RzFSObHSs0hlb4mfHt8BDhFYnxvNM_RkS6icXcdapyfuY8o51rsugY4cM6o-OtbSu9/?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="DSC09042" width="404"></a><em></em></p> <p><em>“We may not need this to cheer on the Hawks today, but our little Hawkeye will get good use out of them next fall!”</em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjTj0_xLWUFcIJ84gpm6BYNN1xVrpZyUrE9O4EMPSFpcTy8cFdHhyphenhyphenZgLmfdXXZECuRxBOO51ycULmzGce-92mr7MjjLZlXuH5JRZS5jPJkGdVQB5yVX-BcS1ZAboOugf0t-CPk1b-3Tlo/s1600-h/DSC090443.jpg"><em><img alt="DSC09044" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kFXqt0mytmcxIXbBv3H-C_vSQhYGIokPUXt4tVDHxPXIf9eJF0Jl3IadxgaiMoyLpGylQLcWcqKIry4IvJVO88ZZWjMR-y8-5tP78qXgEumhB3-EXT4XgVPsmudH3pR_H7oQrxyV3KFF/?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="DSC09044" width="304"></em></a></p> <p>With an ear to ear smile, he looked up and said “We’re pregnant?!?!?!?!” All giddy with tears, I squealed YES!!!!<img alt="DSC09049" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbx5BEn7PS0b0GQodTJIH1axIRhZqn8_vbXSIgXVC2e9A4EvC_1JJKQDzajnARUimQjFr1js48kViM40eXASLTp6vvh3YYdEpOeVL_4ouec33MLnufTlId51wzTBgUzuLp5XeNJlz2oRj/?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="DSC09049" width="404"></p> <p>We spent the next few hours talking & talking! It was a <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/10/wonderful-weekend.html">wonderfully happy day</a>!! But let me tell you hanging out with our friends who were 8 weeks pregnant that night was SO hard not to spill the beans!!</p>Last, but definitely not least, Kyle & I thank each & every one of you for all your sweet comments on the <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/12/wordless-wednesday_15.html">Wordless Wednesday</a> post yesterday!! We were overwhelmed with your excitement & kindness! So obviously the focus of my blog is going to change, gaining weight is now ok! I hope you all are up for some changes & continue to follow me in the new stage of my journey! Stay tuned for more!

10.16.10

October 16th, 2010 is a day that Kyle & I will never forget! I woke up early, 5am to be exact! I think I was so sure I was pregnant I c...

Read more »

Down with a cold...Merry Christmas to me

I've had a sore throat for four days, with a few sneezes here and there, so I thought maybe it was an allergy to something. Well, it turns out I was coming down with a nasty cold. Today I have it full force and it is not fun.<br /><br />Maybe that's why I've been so tired these last few days. Yesterday I forced myself to clean the house, top to bottom, to prepare for putting up the Christmas decorations. It was a miserable day. Between coughing and sneezing I managed to get the hardwood floors sparkling, all the clutter cleared away to make room for Christmas clutter, then by 7pm I literally fell into bed. I was exhausted. <br /><br />There's still not a single Christmas decoration up, instead we have bare spaces everywhere. It sort of looks like no one lives here. I kind of like that look. <br /><br />I was super annoyed last night when I discovered we were out of NyQuil. Not totally out, there was about a teaspoon left in the bottle. Then I remembered my husband had a bad cold a few months ago and lived on NyQuil for about three days. He never mentioned we needed to pick up some more. I still slept twelve hours, even without the NyQuil. <br /><br />Plans for today are to make some chicken noodle soup, a Weight Watcher recipe. Next I'll watch movies in bed and maybe, if I'm up to it, write my third Christmas card (I wrote a second one yesterday). <br /><br />Yes, I'm really moving along on this Christmas thing. My best friend that is also on vacation at home this week and is also down with a cold, and who loves Christmas like no one you know, told me yesterday maybe she could just sleep through Christmas this year. She said "it'll be over in two weeks, and I could easily sleep for two weeks, then it would be all over". Talk about two Scrooges!<br /><br />No gym yesterday, but I was working up a sweat from cleaning house (or maybe that was a fever). No gym today either. I sort of hurt everywhere, and I don't really feel like working out. Maybe tomorrow.

Down with a cold...Merry Christmas to me

I've had a sore throat for four days, with a few sneezes here and there, so I thought maybe it was an allergy to something. Well, it tur...

Read more »

Wordless Wednesday

<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGahno9rPeWfGYkTnBVEWMMh4sGEVR3otScROctR84YQZeueGrvELtFdL0eb3f7DIn9UhIdLbmHJFFq6ZwAlujPlrASj1_lQWceCGRrS6nIfv0kTQUNzl8ucO-_vle3w7MdAlF8IxNd8FW/s1600-h/DSC09052%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09052" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0wNoadWU70AjkqLUWZifAE8KeG55Fg6k0MU7brJQ_jjfZrcGBvMU1SLRtqPuAh4ZQXoOQUdxwBINuWN_5HpnIFS5LXJuN7ucl2tPmzSsmYPmNh2su098Gl3BZ1WdlK5D1yDJL4uXB7-h/?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="DSC09052" width="404"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZh80hRdNf9Ym5H8qJ5ZoKM9vvPgBTXnnb1CN2Pw3ScNRBHTvPvblLsSfVCTLzFo3cQ0NAHyvFzTdWPD-C-DlakB1gUIVfZfIrzR7J0y2_KwKcrAaYM-pfBkoYL9-GlxqcqBKNAJX3MkL/s1600-h/DSC09069%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09069" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnBUlQzlWfILHjxGMJjgPxJXrfV97Y7a02TR9vmjGiB19dA4170HL9XGYhDYImInit4JJrRNfePKUbh8UDNM4hi1kWNEMuaTigaqugrAvCK8MvkqXYfHjAaJWva4KsmaDzfTn3DG4yBOt/?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="DSC09069" width="404"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8vw281ZcfONEUn1Q1rRF5yaGWrJO3zrgNMXFTruXgZ5ML2j4UxbYLSyfubwTveLphMsvFb5QTHi3OUV8dV84VxKr2RZvgZFRJyqLbTSfTQG1izy9Ka7FWw4zAJt9p3KSsWreegrqkaVM/s1600-h/11.14.10%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="11.14.10" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9gAumeliTJJJL_Nzyw3CTZKdjupFUVNkuR8yxbb7eVY_6iQwidp_jquQexo0EfCD3GuOBU2DoyrOgNzUkj4Pxg9VSE530IPmPrWxDNA4R7YGCZUE6qgMmTlzraH6kLbFjBBOC0VzTfy0/?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="11.14.10" width="404"></a></p>

Wordless Wednesday

Read more »

24 Days

I'm on vacation from work, 24 glorious days. Days of doing what I want, when I want and how I want. Twenty four days of having total control of my life. I could get use to living like this.<br /><br />I don't have any plans for this time, just time at home, relaxing, taking it easy. Some of my coworkers consider this a waste of vacation time. I consider it something I really needed for myself. Some quiet time .<br /><br />The problem is that I feel like I'm wasting time. I'm four days into my vacation and although I'm loving doing nothing, I still have things I need to do, and for some reason, I'm not doing them. <br /><br />Christmas shopping, Christmas cards and decorating the house are at the top of my list. Yet each day I tell myself I don't feel like it today, maybe tomorrow. My husband says it's post-traumatic stress from months of long hours at work, and that I'm tired from trying to meet what seemed like impossible deadlines. He keeps telling me I deserve a break.<br /><br />Maybe he's right, or maybe I'm just lazy. Regardless, I've decided to set a schedule for myself tomorrow. A flexible one, but one where I have to get at least a few things done. I wrote out one Christmas card today. That was my big accomplishment (and the gym, always the gym). <br /><br />It also occurred to me this would be a great time to do the <a href="http://www.daytwenty.com/index.html">Twenty Day</a> experiment. I've been following <a href="http://gravelandrust.blogspot.com/">Roxie</a> doing it and it sounds sort of fun. It just happens I have 20 days left of my vacation, a perfect time to do this experiment. <br /><br />Exercise and Food<br />I've rediscovered Pomegranates. They're at the peak right now, and I absolutely love them. They keep my hands busy for a good 45 minutes, eating them one arils (juice/seed sacs) at a time. <br /><br />The only issue I'm having with them is that Weight Watchers now has the zero Points for fruits rule. So that makes Pomegranates, well, zero Points. One big Pomegranate (4" in diameter) is 234 calories. I know these are healthy calories, but still, they are calories. <br /><br />Just for fun I entered the nutritional information (fat 3.4, protein 4.7, carbs  52.7 and fiber 11.3) into the PointsPlus calculator online and the Pomegranate (if fruit had Points) would be 6 Points. I know this isn't how the new plan works, and I'm not suppose to think of fruit having Points, but you know what I'm thinking. I could gain weight on Pomegranates if I ate enough of them. <br /><br />Exercise was good today. 10 minutes on the crosstrainer for my warmup and then a hard push on the StairMaster for 30 minutes. There was an old guy on the one next to me and I think we were having a competition. He looked like he was about 70 and he was really going to town, taking two steps to my one (and my average step rate is 67 steps per minute). Although he was leaning heavily on the front railing (a no-no to proper form on the StairMaster). I also got in 40 minutes of weight lifting, upper body. <br /><br />Tomorrow...Day One of Twenty.

24 Days

I'm on vacation from work, 24 glorious days. Days of doing what I want, when I want and how I want. Twenty four days of having total con...

Read more »

The Artful Nostalgia of Richard Amsel

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYFDgVVd5aZpZ0uoBVd02eADUSqNGiyabB0dKPiUdj2dNHIS3kLANt2dpVSMe9EYqAhxH6UMkBiCkO5nyus5g1ReZXhhluFNn7bOVJGeh1owpqCl7eZDe2JWMfBr4E_FamD90HHO7B0j1/s1600/amsel+chinatown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYFDgVVd5aZpZ0uoBVd02eADUSqNGiyabB0dKPiUdj2dNHIS3kLANt2dpVSMe9EYqAhxH6UMkBiCkO5nyus5g1ReZXhhluFNn7bOVJGeh1owpqCl7eZDe2JWMfBr4E_FamD90HHO7B0j1/s400/amsel+chinatown.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinatown movie poster</td></tr></tbody></table>Richard Amsel was a prolific graphic artist and illustrator who created some of the most indelible images of the '70s and '80s.<br /><br />Born on December 4, 1947, he was raised near Philadelphia, in the west side suburb of Ardmore where his parents owned a toy store. An artistic prodigy from early youth, he graduated from Lower Merion High School in 1965; he had been Art Editor of the school yearbook. He went on to attend the Philadelphia College of Art and stood out among his classmates there. Some have suggested that Amsel's precocious talent intimidated even his art instructors at the college.<br /><br />While still in art school, he won a poster art contest for the Barbra Streisand film, <b>Hello Dolly</b> (1968). His career took off as a result... he was just 21 years old.<br /><br />Richard Amsel went on to create a series of magazine ads for designer Oleg Cassini, illustrated movie posters and developed a long association with <i>TV Guide</i> magazine. In addition, he created the art for <i>Time Magazine</i>'s Lily Tomlin cover in 1975.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vGlwoRFwro19yMpOx2Meqq8eG5bHDjuWiEuaRoheyNxK8OGnDUC75244g1WjkYAXe5gS2u_hzPzq3RDOFb4hDKL_l-rqbvnNBbhZElQj1C6L52vkN5KGta1LQS-_3_2OpsUCnBZbJi4P/s1600/amsel+midler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vGlwoRFwro19yMpOx2Meqq8eG5bHDjuWiEuaRoheyNxK8OGnDUC75244g1WjkYAXe5gS2u_hzPzq3RDOFb4hDKL_l-rqbvnNBbhZElQj1C6L52vkN5KGta1LQS-_3_2OpsUCnBZbJi4P/s320/amsel+midler.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Divine Miss M album cover</td></tr></tbody></table>His illustrations for RCA's remastered recordings of Benny Goodman and some of the label's other catalog artists caught the eye of Barry Manilow, then accompanist for about-to-emerge Bette Midler. Manilow introduced the singer to the artist and Amsel ended up creating the cover art for Midler's debut album, <b>The Divine Miss M</b>, as well as some of her later albums and posters.<br /><br /> His best known movie posters were for classic films of the '70s and '80s and include <b>The Last Picture Show </b>(1971), <b>The Sting</b> (1973), <b>Chinatown</b> (1974), <b>Murder on the Orient Express</b> (1974), <b>The Shootist </b>(1976) and, perhaps most famous of all, <b>Raiders of the Lost Ark </b>(1981).<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK6Rbt5u8fAND9Odf1450PZDjJkhMBDnNYULVbgVNYd_KgJ3yGeH6D4MvuINMkFqLSr29ShyhjkwWY6gVATAiOFQED9bxkbxhiV7ftge4IFX2XWreDqcjv2Rfx8EVsNuSBEGUxCaDLX2B/s1600/Amsel+hepburn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK6Rbt5u8fAND9Odf1450PZDjJkhMBDnNYULVbgVNYd_KgJ3yGeH6D4MvuINMkFqLSr29ShyhjkwWY6gVATAiOFQED9bxkbxhiV7ftge4IFX2XWreDqcjv2Rfx8EVsNuSBEGUxCaDLX2B/s200/Amsel+hepburn.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katharine Hepburn/TV Guide</td></tr></tbody></table>Richard Amsel's relationship with <i>TV Guide</i> began in 1972 when he was commissioned to do a portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to coincide with a TV movie about them. He created a total of 37 covers for the magazine over the next 13 years. Some of the most well known (and there are many) - "Shogun," Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh when <b>Gone with the Wind </b>debuted on television, Ingrid Bergman as Golda Meier, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Princess Grace of Monaco, Lucille Ball, the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and "Miami Vice." Amsel's last cover for <i>TV Guide</i> was of the three network news anchormen, Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw. <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqi9CEc5WbNP6zZSM9obBO4RlUHFLmgGuISfuKZMkHPgaHtuTLLuqOyJoQA-psAcZLXmFSio8lasIYsIQjgntjUqrLBtJ2Dibo5JXu2ExlgwDtvBUMhHx3VnfzLvAFeKJa36OOHjZaVd7/s1600/Amsel_GWTW_full_art%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqi9CEc5WbNP6zZSM9obBO4RlUHFLmgGuISfuKZMkHPgaHtuTLLuqOyJoQA-psAcZLXmFSio8lasIYsIQjgntjUqrLBtJ2Dibo5JXu2ExlgwDtvBUMhHx3VnfzLvAFeKJa36OOHjZaVd7/s320/Amsel_GWTW_full_art%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gone with the Wind/TV Guide</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Amsel's stylistic influences were diverse, among them - Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha and Walt Disney. An Associated Press reporter of the time observed that his "portraits pay homage to the nostalgia of old Hollywood, often through the groovy lens of the Age of Aquarius, while still managing to look contemporary..." About his own work, Amsel said, "I'm interested in uncovering relationships between the past and present and in discovering how things have changed and grown. I don't see any point in copying the past, but I think the elements of the past can be taken to another realm."<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Richard Amsel died just three weeks before his 38th birthday in November 1985, a victim of AIDS.<br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To learn more about Amsel's illustrative art,<span style="color: #990000;"> </span><a href="http://adammcdaniel.com/RichardAmsel.htm"><span style="color: #990000;">click here</span></a>.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSippn2CiY3fZF5RRfvZUN0OhCd06II-5QdlZ8SZBjJg3Mu402hi-hcYvgmbLAe_4BtM2QbetxXUaaoveBP3e-47OO2Ng4cOf2U1vuMVBB6dz62nuhA1XBm7cHSYjaI4Yl073QzE4ey7k/s1600/amsel+ark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSippn2CiY3fZF5RRfvZUN0OhCd06II-5QdlZ8SZBjJg3Mu402hi-hcYvgmbLAe_4BtM2QbetxXUaaoveBP3e-47OO2Ng4cOf2U1vuMVBB6dz62nuhA1XBm7cHSYjaI4Yl073QzE4ey7k/s400/amsel+ark.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raiders of the Lost Ark movie poster</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i>As I was preparing to post this piece about Richard Amsel, I realized its timeliness - December is AIDS Awareness Month.</i></div>

Barbra Streisand Bette Midler Chinatown Hello Dolly Murder on the Orient Express Raiders of the Lost Ark Richard Amsel The Lady Eve (author) The Shootist The Sting TV Guide The Artful Nostalgia of Richard Amsel

Chinatown movie poster Richard Amsel was a prolific graphic artist and illustrator who created some of the most indelible images of the '...

Read more »

Planning de la semaine du 13 au 17 décembre 2010

<BR><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Permanences<br /></span></strong></h2><ul><br /><li>Le <strong>Conseil Général du Loiret</strong> sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans<br />- le lundi 13 décembre de 9h à 12h30,<br />- le mardi 14 décembre de 9h à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le mercredi 15 décembre de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le jeudi 16 décembre de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le vendredi 17 décembre de 13h30 à 17h.<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/01/egee-nouveau-partenaire-la-maison-de.html">EGEE</a></strong> - lundi 13 décembre de 13h30 à 17h (sur rendez-vous)<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/solidarits-nouvelles-face-au-chmage.html">Solidarités Nouvelles face au Chômage</a></strong> - mercredi 15 décembre de 10h à 12h30<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/boutique-de-gestion.html">Boutique de Gestion</a></strong> - vendredi 17 décembre de 09h à 12h30 (sur rendez-vous)<br /></ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Ateliers</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong>CV</strong> - mardi 14 décembre de 9h à 12h30 et mercredi 15 décembre de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Lettre de Motivation</strong> - mardi 14 décembre de 13h30 à 17h au <span style="font-weight:bold;">PIJ de Saint-Cyr-en-Val</span> - Square des Jumelages - Saint-Cyr-en-Val<br /><br /><li><strong>Préparation à l'entretien</strong> - jeudi 16 décembre de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Pôle-emploi.fr</strong> - vendredi 17 décembre de 10h à 11h30<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/07/atelier-situtilises-tu-trouves.html">Sit'Utilises tu trouves</a></strong> - vendredi 17 décembre de 14h à 16h</ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Information collective</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong>RSA - Conseil Général</strong> - mardi 14 décembre à 10h</ul>

Planning de la semaine du 13 au 17 décembre 2010

Permanences Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 13 dé...

Read more »