The House That Jack Built

<div align="center"> <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/AVvXsEjXESnRLkg8tkOsnvRSnOcUKNyXSd_avIPApiaCk62ooag2BKaWHwUfA2XP0_6tImst9_EOc2FbfsZEarEYkpqyfWq_xveGOt4WioaVYQr7Xq0_quQeSDDFSrLTBJqUu8F0EhX1J1BwDhb7/s1600/gilbert+john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXESnRLkg8tkOsnvRSnOcUKNyXSd_avIPApiaCk62ooag2BKaWHwUfA2XP0_6tImst9_EOc2FbfsZEarEYkpqyfWq_xveGOt4WioaVYQr7Xq0_quQeSDDFSrLTBJqUu8F0EhX1J1BwDhb7/s320/gilbert+john.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Gilbert</td></tr></tbody></table>  <b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Estate was Home to Hollywood Notables for 55 Years</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the mid-1920s, when he was a top star at MGM, leading man John Gilbert built a house at 1400 Tower Grove Road in the Benedict Canyon area of Beverly Hills. A two-story Spanish-colonial with tennis court and swimming pool, the estate was on a narrow road that curled up a hill behind the Beverly Hills Hotel. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gilbert’s daughter, </span><a href="http://classic-film-tv.blogspot.com/2010/08/about-john-gilbertan-interview-with.html"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Leatrice</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">, then a young girl, remembered her father greeting her from the top of a long, red-tiled stairway when she arrived for her first visit to his home in the early 1930s. She recalled soft light filtering through high, leaded windowpanes as she climbed the steps.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During one of her visits, he showed her a secret panel in an alcove adjacent to the living room and a button hidden under one of the bookshelves. The button opened a door to a stairway that led to the basement. He told her there had been a bar in the basement before Prohibition was repealed. </span><br /><a name='more'></a></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/AVvXsEid7Fy3kbYJt7CXibdNYYT4rqFhSmiV4fSbZ8npR1w6WWfK_G0rYLHW-54DvGKEj4D7eYR26OOGn20f6HfKWzI16KISV1dnvUegYpLm4OiZNUYl7jOEENJHDk5lfCMpEPeaL612hK9iHjzR/s1600/Gilbert+Home+Rendering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7Fy3kbYJt7CXibdNYYT4rqFhSmiV4fSbZ8npR1w6WWfK_G0rYLHW-54DvGKEj4D7eYR26OOGn20f6HfKWzI16KISV1dnvUegYpLm4OiZNUYl7jOEENJHDk5lfCMpEPeaL612hK9iHjzR/s320/Gilbert+Home+Rendering.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1400 Tower Grove Rd., early '30s (click picture for larger view)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">She recalled that one evening at sunset, while they walked up the hillside in back, her father warned her to keep an eye out for rattlesnakes... and Leatrice remembered that from the top of the hill you could see "all Los Angeles out to the ocean" and Santa Catalina Island on the horizon.  </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Leatrice later wrote that it was clear to her even as a child that her father loved the place.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When it was built, the first floor of the main house featured an entry area and a large space for entertaining. Blessed with stunning panoramic views, the second floor held the living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and bath. Most rooms were furnished in 17th-Century Spanish reproductions, a style popular in Hollywood at the time.<br /><br />Harold Grieve, a silent-era art and set decorator (<i>Ben-Hur, The Thief of Bagdad, The Sea Wolf</i>) who was a founder of AMPAS and later became an interior designer, worked on the home several times over several years. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmNDIky8LyAk4Ga7kLnc3MQjQPjsbiAS-iYGnGtNiK8GHK0aP7wZul-x4A23o4MlzFSIqLqnVDWd0u4dVlsALfLGglBy0KrHMK3pZsAsa2LTqjQ4xvflX3BrJftM1BVxain_dyagXjUqR/s1600/gilbert+home+hopkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmNDIky8LyAk4Ga7kLnc3MQjQPjsbiAS-iYGnGtNiK8GHK0aP7wZul-x4A23o4MlzFSIqLqnVDWd0u4dVlsALfLGglBy0KrHMK3pZsAsa2LTqjQ4xvflX3BrJftM1BVxain_dyagXjUqR/s200/gilbert+home+hopkins.jpg" width="163" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Miriam Hopkins</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gilbert's wives and girlfriends were many, and his master bath and bedroom were redecorated as women came and went, according to Grieve. For example, when Greta Garbo came into the picture, Grieve installed walls and a sunken tub of black marble in the master bath. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">John Gilbert died in January 1936 and, soon after, actress Miriam Hopkins purchased the home and hired Grieve to redecorate it once more. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The house was redone in the emerging Art Moderne style. The newly contemporary walls of Miss Hopkins’ living room provided a showcase for works from her art collection, paintings by artists such as Picasso, Renoir and Matisse. </span><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/AVvXsEgPB6OaOTXChpno02dKn9aqNELIQTQ9Eo_y9zEgBcVA4FVjQWOvdTeR-HmZpLZsD9Sy2NpC6jWVNDQSdgnkLIXXP76TfOpbcghk4J-uxVfBvDZTNmCIvUbtLC_bxwRYhMu9IwbZIiuis6Wt/s1600/gilbert+home+selznick+and+jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPB6OaOTXChpno02dKn9aqNELIQTQ9Eo_y9zEgBcVA4FVjQWOvdTeR-HmZpLZsD9Sy2NpC6jWVNDQSdgnkLIXXP76TfOpbcghk4J-uxVfBvDZTNmCIvUbtLC_bxwRYhMu9IwbZIiuis6Wt/s320/gilbert+home+selznick+and+jones.jpg" width="252" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">David O. Selznick and Jennifer Jones</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Tower Grove Road property's legend was enhanced with the arrival of its next resident, producer David O. Selznick, in 1945.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Selznick rented the house when he separated from his wife <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/09/conversation-irene-mayer-selznick-life.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Irene</b></span></a> (L. B. Mayer’s daughter) after he'd become involved with actress Jennifer Jones. Selznick purchased the property from Hopkins just before marrying Jones in 1949. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With this sale, the home was substantially remodeled.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </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/AVvXsEjADvOQ_lLDIXdqT1RZ5OTY6dddnoIXB5ym6Owst2B1znY7FX8YSaV60Q57HSlnjbwSe2HyH3pNY_Tkd0xgA5YRdwxH9ZklPajQQjByZdwnXTGh9mytllKF7xd0CjBTsDMrOXQ1xKjNLNCP/s1600/gilbert+home+when+selznick+owned+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADvOQ_lLDIXdqT1RZ5OTY6dddnoIXB5ym6Owst2B1znY7FX8YSaV60Q57HSlnjbwSe2HyH3pNY_Tkd0xgA5YRdwxH9ZklPajQQjByZdwnXTGh9mytllKF7xd0CjBTsDMrOXQ1xKjNLNCP/s200/gilbert+home+when+selznick+owned+it.jpg" width="198" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Selznick/Jones grounds</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Plate-glass windows were installed to dramatize the views and bring indoors the lush beauty of the foliage surrounding the house. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another notable change, the addition of a first floor bedroom/dressing room for Jennifer Jones, featured a striking waterfall just outside her window that could be turned on and off with a switch.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><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/AVvXsEhTO0aW4lutlDBlq_1KM-qGtI04lEGKmkIvVhvyOpUHstj3woO1FaeCV-oxYl5w8Jfh_BLpb_RTpvLdrFd3UYOubs2WztGI0By6iGzvsYJUiQOwb1aHDUE6nsoWP6juBUU54iT8MixAsD4C/s1600/gilbert+home+selznick+hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTO0aW4lutlDBlq_1KM-qGtI04lEGKmkIvVhvyOpUHstj3woO1FaeCV-oxYl5w8Jfh_BLpb_RTpvLdrFd3UYOubs2WztGI0By6iGzvsYJUiQOwb1aHDUE6nsoWP6juBUU54iT8MixAsD4C/s200/gilbert+home+selznick+hall.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Selznick/Jones home</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Selznicks hosted dinner parties, screened movies and lived a grand life on Tower Grove Road for twenty years, until David O. Selznick’s death in 1965.  Selznick's obituary in the New York Times reported that he had "lived in an elegantly rustic home on an estate atop a hill overlooking Beverly Hills." Jennifer Jones and their daughter remained there until 1969. The house was then sold to <a href="http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2010/12/ted-ashleywarner-brothersand-new.html"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ted Ashley</span></b></a>, Chairman of the Board of Warner Bros., the man credited with overseeing one of the studio's most successful eras, 1969 - 1980. It was during Ashley’s residence that Leatrice Gilbert Fountain was invited into the home her father built, a place she had not visited since childhood.</span>  </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZOv1NgMLXm9FOZRX0bbsh9d4zKTMR0069llpXwaHPVffhwCZVi2FCA80WQ75GW7QqhUwYvUAd8zUb3D2CdyFXO3BCgEttccsJ8gK-s64TSFbYyg04Ae0RJeADcycuG7Ph1WsdZajQtmq/s1600/gilbert+ted+ashley+left+w+warner+and+valenti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZOv1NgMLXm9FOZRX0bbsh9d4zKTMR0069llpXwaHPVffhwCZVi2FCA80WQ75GW7QqhUwYvUAd8zUb3D2CdyFXO3BCgEttccsJ8gK-s64TSFbYyg04Ae0RJeADcycuG7Ph1WsdZajQtmq/s200/gilbert+ted+ashley+left+w+warner+and+valenti.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ted Ashley, Jack Warner & Jack Valenti in 1969</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Eight years later, in 1977, hit-maker Elton John bought the house. John’s style was more flamboyant and his taste included Art Deco and Art Moderne (echoes of Miriam Hopkins!). His master bedroom featured a wall covered in mirrors and another covered in ultrasuede. Not too unexpected for a rock star of the '70s, especially one famous for appearing on stage in outrageously over-the-top costumes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXW1brNNJcqqrx6uVljM93Uc90vkBQ1F3QMLkZV7jAEkQRAQbIAflBy8Vuvbk2V5WUkOyM3hwhEJp7suoVZPaW4hnmZl97ky6MjFvjKOEKbLO9IN4AXgGIIkctuMDCyHQ8i3EbisL8PX3/s1600/gilbert+elton+john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXW1brNNJcqqrx6uVljM93Uc90vkBQ1F3QMLkZV7jAEkQRAQbIAflBy8Vuvbk2V5WUkOyM3hwhEJp7suoVZPaW4hnmZl97ky6MjFvjKOEKbLO9IN4AXgGIIkctuMDCyHQ8i3EbisL8PX3/s200/gilbert+elton+john.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Elton John in the 1970s</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> In 1981 the house was sold to its first non-entertainment industry resident. The businessman who purchased it had apparently planned only to remodel, but structural problems were uncovered and the building was demolished to make way for an enormous mansion.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When John Gilbert lived on Tower Grove Road, other major stars like Harold Lloyd and Jean Harlow lived not far away. Today Jay Leno, Halle Berry and other 21st Century A-listers reside in the area.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /> <br /><table 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/AVvXsEgwQZ5kik9mdlK4kfZ8VCh6b_21GXbWOU9klF22Z-iBmx_KsfoXXiU9Em57X9EFxX-_mTjTIH1SU1rbiV6TkFZB7Xmr9LkHULgjgpA39k_hQnw7GyXL29qs-GSyr8rhTM2ET8FLQ0tGtXsP/s1600/gilbert+home+selznick+study.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; height: 149px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 251px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQZ5kik9mdlK4kfZ8VCh6b_21GXbWOU9klF22Z-iBmx_KsfoXXiU9Em57X9EFxX-_mTjTIH1SU1rbiV6TkFZB7Xmr9LkHULgjgpA39k_hQnw7GyXL29qs-GSyr8rhTM2ET8FLQ0tGtXsP/s320/gilbert+home+selznick+study.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Selznick/Jones study</span></td></tr></tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div></div>

David O. Selznick Elton John Jennifer Jones John Gilbert Leatrice Gilbert Fountain Miriam Hopkins Ted Ashley The Lady Eve (author) The House That Jack Built

  John Gilbert   Estate was Home to Hollywood Notables for 55 Years In the mid-1920s, when he was a top star at MGM, leading man John ...

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A great day for a ramble

On two occasions since my last posting, I was sharply reminded of the fact that I do not get outside enough.  Or, more importantly, I don't take my daughter outside enough.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhPpefwvY7Ts7J1eLJJGQCnOhNRAxkuYdfxk_39uHcnVC_dvSteUN_UBNTFs_JCsMvQ0nhVO_1ofecDO21oMLoWoGfkkPtumIQTazJ8HAkBGExDK-PAxAuVlrooySMbopSa0b6lorro1x/s1600/IMAG0231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhPpefwvY7Ts7J1eLJJGQCnOhNRAxkuYdfxk_39uHcnVC_dvSteUN_UBNTFs_JCsMvQ0nhVO_1ofecDO21oMLoWoGfkkPtumIQTazJ8HAkBGExDK-PAxAuVlrooySMbopSa0b6lorro1x/s320/IMAG0231.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The first was a short and, what I suspect was, an off-the-cuff speech at the <a href="http://www.ohiolnci.org/">Statewide Leave No Child Inside Call to Action Rally</a> on September 24th by the Director of Ohio's EPA.  Chris Korleski stood up and lamented not spending enough time outdoors with his own children and openly wondered how much he was missing.  Director Korleski then advised us all to "get off our butts" and get outside with our children before too much time has passed.  It was an informal and funny pronouncement, but it hit home with a lot people.  Shortly afterwards, ODNR Director Sean Logan introduced a Proclamation from Governor Strickland that reads that all Ohio children shall have the opportunity to by physically active, have access to nature, discover plants and animals, and learn how to give back to nature.  These two speeches gave me pause about my own efforts with my daughter.  And, I know I wasn't the only one in the room looking in the mirror as it was one of the primary discussions at the end of the event.  <br /><br />The other was a small, seemingly insignificant act that my daughter did the other night.  I'd had a bit of a rough day at work and, while I normally am pretty good about not bringing work home, either in my hands or in my head, I had gotten on the computer to check and see the progression of a discussion that was ongoing on emails at work.  My daughter, who is not quite two, came up and physically pulled my hand off the computer mouse and repeated "Outside!!" over and over again as she pulled.  At first, I tried to put her off, but she is a pretty persistent little girl and kept pulling and yelling "Outside!"  Then it hit me...she's right!  And off we went.  <br /><br />I put her in the car and we went down the road to the new Natural Play Area I'd read about at <a href="http://www.metroparks.net/NaturalPlayAreas.aspx">Prairie Ridge Metropark</a>.  It was a beautiful fall evening and I was surprised that there weren't other people there.  But, I was also glad.  We had the whole place to ourselves.  So, we took a walk, she got filthy dirty in her pink bibs as she stumbled and bumbled around down the paths.  It put me to mind of one of her books where Piglet tells Pooh "It's a great day for a ramble."  These natural play areas are really a great way to let kids explore off trail the way we used to when we were kids.  I'm glad that parks are starting to add these to their offerings.  And, I know my daughter loved it too.  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNecwE7VMuheVxcC7hHb_URDLkhLxpIV2NhP5yPcqd-K4lFbvdU5KJOwLwWyIKZnueunszy484AgMQkrFl9xjJ5G6ZDnAaHywru7HojoJaPQIjGs6qJGGL2qeEPmdYWyKYQ2H7K7FqnmmI/s1600/IMAG0230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNecwE7VMuheVxcC7hHb_URDLkhLxpIV2NhP5yPcqd-K4lFbvdU5KJOwLwWyIKZnueunszy484AgMQkrFl9xjJ5G6ZDnAaHywru7HojoJaPQIjGs6qJGGL2qeEPmdYWyKYQ2H7K7FqnmmI/s200/IMAG0230.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Have you rambled with your kids today?

A great day for a ramble

On two occasions since my last posting, I was sharply reminded of the fact that I do not get outside enough.  Or, more importantly, I don...

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The lost weekend

I said I'd post my driver's license pictures from the last twenty years today. I started to but after fighting with Photoshop for about an hour trying to crop them and change the blurriness I decided I'm just to tired and it's past my bedtime. Maybe later this week. They all look like mugshots anyway so I'm not sure why I want to post them. Some of them are really bad pictures. Especially the one where I weighed 240 pounds that was taken five years ago. I look like I'm wearing a fat suit.<br /><br />My weekend was okay, but I worked both days. Saturday from home and today I went into the office. All I can say about that is "yuk". Not fun to work on the weekends. I want my life back.<br /><br />My scales lured me back on to them today. Old habits are hard to break. I was actually down to 173.6. So I actually lost the 1.4 I gained plus another .4. In the big picture, that's really nothing. I still want to lose at least another thirty or more pounds, but I refuse to go on a "diet". <br />I like not being so stressed out by my eating. I even had a glass of wine yesterday without guilt. I'm cutting back a bit on my portion sizes. I know how much I should eat and this isn't a free-for-all where I can eat until I'm stuffed. The idea is still to lose weight, but not get so crazy about it. I don't want it to consume me like it has in the past. <br /><br />I want to write more about the other eating guidelines, but right now, I can barely stay awake. Later, I promise.

The lost weekend

I said I'd post my driver's license pictures from the last twenty years today. I started to but after fighting with Photoshop for ab...

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Wonderful Weekend

<p>Howdy friends! Can you believe it’s already Sunday evening?!?! Hope everyone made the best of their weekend! Mine was <strong>great</strong>!</p> <p>Saturday morning I was up before 6am for some reason! The positive? I got lots done before 8am! Breakfast was <strong>2 eggs</strong> with <strong>2 slices</strong> of <strong>toast</strong> for <strong>5 points</strong>. I love to dip my toast in the yolk! What’s your egg preference?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPUhBvi06RRMe_HXUCjR2mvZJlccW8wZGKW65uW5ibBi5W337ZYOy389pUbVntHhWLf4dq8KOgGdhDbJFsF6-nSViRshaYXr77tvKb6sIDo4jVXkIKqmNZJHKPdURbuw3um-RHEoMZ7yc/s1600-h/DSC090373.jpg"><img alt="DSC09037" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0X2BwOLqsQ25b3G-AshwSQx8fHDtc3_ayFM3J3Eez1R-p17HZVhxc6v5uTiFz5VSiUYh4ygyklIXeSuLxIHmzdlieKBKsFNhyoq7q4k5SShvyJ4fo8p_cjwejWPK4yuU4GPZGLtFWlrk/?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="DSC09037" width="404"></a></p> <p>Kyle and I hit up the grocery store to stock up for the week! The majority of the rest of my day was spent the in the kitchen! I cleaned, chopped, peeled, cut, etc our foods for the week! I also made a big pot of soup! More on that another day!</p> <p>Lunch was quick in between everything! I had 2 oz whole wheat pasta, <strong>1/2c marinara sauce</strong>, and a sprinkle of <strong>mozzarella cheese</strong> for 5 points. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPiBNLmVhFGTtL4rE-Kmy4gnhHz_AvX6Dl4UF407AHEOtePskj_NcMf7RNPl4sRs9_mUprvplJZhF8c7s93CFx-V2cuFcg5xoQOz0dxHWwhiQsTyPoRM54H0iJr4jh5JFDsSUsq3jkgJU/s1600-h/DSC090383.jpg"><img alt="DSC09038" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZV0GiabeSyBwkJYsaGUCPF0Yho0r-SGJqNPXQ8zftPVyZ80lUEOpsbiDPjwiKRLSW9suUTDz_HMo6Vat4dTxRe_y1C31sAkETThbBYD3sTt2nutPM7luWhz8GYagJ1MjSvap7cWLvSRr9/?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="DSC09038" width="404"></a></p> <p>We spent the afternoon cheering on the Hawkeyes to another win! Woo hoo!!!</p> <p>I was anxious for our evening, we had dinner guests! :) I made <strong>creamy baked chicken</strong>, <strong>roasted carrots & potatoes</strong>, and had <strong>pineapple</strong> on the side. My servings totaled <strong>7 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVyFP_1a4dTb-2aqzeRa19P8upLaL1YpA4xAGKN2Cv7qsarjAcdKu5Yo59hnBefooKIwCi0gcay6vMhwPigVDy3yPFc24gSWFwisW_IFlDtyKvhSknFAlBBSnAT-GCfY9RIN5WKvFhGT1/s1600-h/DSC090393.jpg"><img alt="DSC09039" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgNAxQQh7MnfvWqQX3yrnLySaNujgg0aeEDJ16nOr-ix9pSOAnjI_59nic7evZYCAYVvSqEhtKoBfGV0qA97X3t2IYr0xFJKuGB8CWTvmflrrRwZ0W-f3BoDSxIt00oN30nRGokCBBj3o/?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="DSC09039" width="404"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJiwUznSXNYRQ8ennDeZDFTw2YcDVApKSxfd9kYl1y_Xv_7NjivifbPGqXysE10Q4ju9ELf0w1xkOgYmtDWz18iiN8gW9a37hhzGy6Agwprg_hP8dZqp9D7-YGgEPlHpAbY0j6iEcSqC5/s1600-h/DSC090403.jpg"><img alt="DSC09040" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofVcujhOXLO5CjcnG3y2SV4-11zuvU_PhKL1zIR73l2wjvgBQztr3wt5bVs_FF8YjJxRXAdfHAyPyrEIyOq-qGsYRkRwMWADhkhgFz_gsjzYa8XEy2YIttDPlTmM463rVOnYcWNMDJ9G7/?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="DSC09040" width="404"></a></p> <p>We can’t forget desert! I made <strong>mint brownie ice cream bars</strong>, <strong>4 points</strong>/serving.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRQ4fdKe2N7rS2CkCRMdVbWpBM21fBqz6qDqtnkkSJrl3_O45_DsEq2a6Y6j1qZIVkyZi0vzhfZvMQB9QnLbn4TrzBy5H2P08gClO4Nbv9S1tFx0mbaLpbzPxdh4ezSWpY5abpO7i6xpa/s1600-h/DSC090413.jpg"><img alt="DSC09041" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYayjWeEMi6SADihaIto0aHJCdm8_BBEWh6ZUfMjoM2IHfezMikDnFheFYikwFvCv-km4TkHTJl1D1_6dWHQ7rMz54TloHJMfpiAFazcSUEzAglSCtVDXVie-1Ir5gto0JN9vlZkY3LzzI/?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="DSC09041" width="404"></a></p> <p>This was a recipe from one of my many WW cookbooks!</p> <ul> <li><em>1 13.7 ounce package of ff fudge brownie mix</em></li> <li><em>2/3 c vanilla low fat yogurt</em></li> <li><em>3 cups vanilla low fat ice cream, softened</em></li> <li><em>1 t peppermint extract</em></li> <li><em>18 chocolate thin mints, chopped</em></li> <li><em>2 T chocolate syrup</em></li></ul> <p><em>Prepare brownie mix according to package instructions, using 2/3c yogurt. Bake in foil lined 8X8 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 34 minutes. Cool completely. Combine ice cream and mint extract, stir well. Spread evenly over brownies. Cover & freeze for 8 hours or until firm. Sprinkle chopped mints over ice cream. Cut into squares; drizzle with chocolate syrup before serving. Yields 12 servings. </em></p> <p>We spent the evening watching the #1 team get upset and talking all things pregnancy & baby, they are 9 weeks pregnant! Too fun! :)</p> <p>Sunday we went to church, had lunch w/Kyle’s family, napped, I got a 2 mile run in, and we caught up on house stuff! An over great day!</p> <p>I don’t have my usual food pics for the day, but I do have this one! I picked up a fall wreath for our door! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvJk972hi8SCgoHiWCPXKlA28T1DnLvralbtMPMAQIk0qdi1KB4OaG9c0ciBbmxVE4kGtEBYtzOacfcAw1Gq_z84W-DbIedCvVKdU-LiQdQ7Bg2GDgjNCMxl0FMJNlZ8xliTzLFrYWG9V/s1600-h/DSC090553.jpg"><img alt="DSC09055" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG55ftF3MuX3xT6sdDUT6v9xkKZ0h3JG2oooh1qjC2bx5gGwKTr9mx0ULI3jJf2SeIaI49ja_cRyWVHNviAoJUQbzwvr5hJHz-uT5r_seqXWq8UTUEdASrMtNsO7Q0ODfd5gfgD1eFtjrc/?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="DSC09055" width="404"></a></p> <p>That’s all for me friends! <strong><em>How was your weekend? What was the highlight?</em></strong></p>

Wonderful Weekend

Howdy friends! Can you believe it’s already Sunday evening?!?! Hope everyone made the best of their weekend! Mine was great ! Saturday morn...

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Planning de la semaine du 18 au 22 octobre 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 18 octobre de 9h à 12h30,<br />- le mardi 19 octobre de 9h à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le mercredi 20 octobre de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le jeudi 21 octobre de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le vendredi 22 octobre de 13h30 à 17h.<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 20 octobre 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> (sur rendez-vous)<br />- lundi 18 octobre de 13h30 à 17h<br />- vendredi 22 octobre de 09h à 12h30</ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Ateliers</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong>CV</strong> - mardi 19 octobre de 9h à 12h30 et mercredi 20 octobre de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Lettre de Motivation</strong> - mardi 19 octobre de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Préparation à l'entretien</span> - jeudi 21 octobre de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Pôle-emploi.fr</strong> - vendredi 22 octobre 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 22 octobre de 14h à 16h</ul>

Planning de la semaine du 18 au 22 octobre 2010

Permanences Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 18 oc...

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I'm amazingly okay with my weight gain

Today is my weigh-in day. After a full week of practicing Geneen Roth's Women Food and God eating guidelines I stepped on the scales. I knew I had gained a little. Over the years I've become very attuned to the ups and downs of my weight. I always know if it's going to be a gain or a loss.<br /><br />Before I looked down at the number I had a conversation with myself. It went something like this:<br /><br />"Diana, it's okay. If you've gained and you probably have, it's not a big deal. This is an experiment. Something new you've never tried before. It's just a number. It doesn't define you. Remember, this was a good week regardless of what you see on the scales."<br /><br />I looked down and saw 175.4. Last week I was 174.0. A gain of 1.4 pounds. Did I have just a twinge of regret? Yes, just a twinge. Not a foot-stomping, full-out "I hate myself" reaction that I would normally have over a weight gain.<br /><br />I realize I don't really understand when I'm hungry. If you consider that for 42 years I've either been on some sort of restrictive diet to lose weight or on a full-out binge streak, it's not surprising that I don't know how to listen to my body and give it what it needs. I haven't been listening to it for 42 years. Things aren't going to change in a week. <br /><br />Although I have made huge strides this past week. Things happened that I never thought possible. My night eating almost stopped. I slept better than I have in months or even years. I didn't feel stressed out about my eating. I felt more relaxed. I felt satisfied with my food. I ate healthy, wholesome food.<br /><br />Then last night happened. It was not a good night for me. I got home late from a Toastmaster's function and then proceeded to get into a huge argument with my husband. He went to bed mad at me. I'd eaten an early dinner at 4pm before the function and it was 11pm. I was starving. <br /><br />I ate until I was stuffed: a big handful of pecans, a piece of bread, a banana, a large bowl of my South Beach veggie chicken soup, 1/2 of a cantaloupe, a tapioca pudding cup and about 1/2 cup of Redi-Whip straight out of the can (I would have had more, but the can was empty). I felt physically sick and mentally hurt.<br /><br />Why did I do that? It's pretty obvious. I was frustrated, angry, hurt, and feeling lost and alone. Not good emotions. I was also very tired from another incredibly stressful work week. I didn't want to feel the pain of all of it so I ate. I shoved those feelings down with food. I knew what I was doing but I did it anyway. <br /><br />On the other hand I ate normally the rest of the week. 167 hours of normal behavior with food. One hour of craziness. I say that's about a 99% improvement over my past behavior when it came to food.<br /><br />I didn't follow all the eating guidelines perfectly last week, but it isn't about perfection. They're guidelines, not rules.<br /><br />It's more about trying to be more normal. Learning to listen to my body. More importantly, figuring out if it's hunger or something else. I was amazed at how often I identified it as something else. I think that's a big reason why I stopped eating late at night, with the exception of last night. I would consciously think, am I really hungry? Or is something else bothering me? Most of the time, it was something else. <br /><br />Last night I was a little hungry when I got home since it was so late, and I'd eaten at 4pm. I was also extremely tired. Even though I was very aware that I should stop eating, and that I was actually really angry and hurt by the argument with my husband, I still chose food. I just wanted my old friend, food, to comfort me. It didn't work. I woke up today feeling like the food was still in my stomach. Feeling sluggish and more tired than when I had gone to bed. <br /><br />On the exercise front I've been doing excellent. The past seven days I've hit the gym every day for a great workout. The old StairMaster at my gym finally completely stopped working about three months. It was my favorite piece of equipment. I spent many hours on it climbing the stairs to nowhere. <br /><br />A couple weeks ago I asked the young receptionist if there was a possibility they could get a replacement StairMaster from another gym. A friend told me the Ballys in Bellevue had three new StairMasters. Now we had none. Why couldn't we get one of theirs? She said she'd look into it and she did!<br /><br />I walked in yesterday and there sat a beautiful, almost new StairMaster. It was like Christmas! I jumped on it even though I'd already done 45 minutes of cardio on the CrossRamp in another room, but I did 20 minutes on the StairMaster. She was quiet and smooth as I climbed her stairs and her heart rate monitor works! She could read my Polar heart rate monitor. Oh how I love thee!<br /><br />So another week of trying to follow the eating guidelines. I'm still not tracking my food or counting Points or calories, although it's really hard not to add things up in my head. After years of restriction or binging, this isn't an easy process. <br /><br />I still won't be weighing in every day. That's another really  hard habit to break, but it was also freeing. It felt good to get up and know I didn't have to beat myself up over my weight. I'll weigh in again next Saturday. I don't have a fear of another gain, although it could happen. I'll probably cut back a little. My bowls of soup have been about three times what I would normally eat. I probably took the "what my body needs" to more of what my mind wants instead. <br /><br />Tomorrow I'm going to post my driver's license pictures from the last twenty years. I found them in a box from my decluttering my life binge I've been on lately. Kind of interesting how my weight has gone up and down during the years and how much I lied on my driver's licenses about it. The only time I told the truth was in 1995 when I weighed 126 pounds. I remember weighing that morning before I went to the DMV and thinking wow, I can actually tell them what I really weigh and not be embarrassed about it.  That was probably the last time I was actually happy with my weight. Fifteen years ago. Sad.

I'm amazingly okay with my weight gain

Today is my weigh-in day. After a full week of practicing Geneen Roth's Women Food and God eating guidelines I stepped on the scales. I ...

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Hello to the weekend!

<p>We made it through the week! Ah, the weekend, everyone’s favorite 2 days of the week!</p> <p>Friday morning I finished off the last of the <strong>pumpkin pancakes</strong> for <strong>5 points</strong>! They were just as good as the <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/10/saturday.html">first time around</a>!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgdGMqpTl5MXN37avvUZ-jjA8kRjwKbmoB0WDMe6uG8sOW2ETF6A7bj0Ow5_1ARX-i2DFzZPw5geOOo1-k0Ma23-bAp8bLibPgyJFj5NGIQ6UPAMe6KNCYPNvUdMdP3G-5eCNrgPArL-i/s1600-h/DSC09028%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09028" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriecv7lWG9u3hyphenhyphen8od3i_Vtr_ytO99OoA-eXyyvLch9SzH3sW2Xs5zUjQZ3us0FXQ-xdk8BqcEHwZJBKh-xXpjUvMr8epQK2yxmRfd_FIA2WllnmB4u9K2bGenetqfaVg5F34qHQi61e4R/?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="DSC09028" width="404"></a></p> <p>My morning snack was a new try! I’ve only had <strong>greek yogurt</strong> once and wasn’t a fan of it. I decided to give it another try! Surprisingly I enjoyed it! <strong>3 points</strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w9ATQpwN3ta3y3LpwDa86P_eyC4k5wMdhelN6-lo2wqxjPSuh_gU3S_5jgQ26-qumPl_vDbciHBHX68mMd7SAB7k3QWubEN3R2X-NqrNQ4bdgWdED1kVDMg8ezW939ScycpNhExb-7Qi/s1600-h/DSC09029%5B3%5D.jpg"><strong><img alt="DSC09029" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9brwJRSHfiI5AQQjClgdcFFYU42LOZUEQyKxqcSplXF9TRYe2FxhA1ZIq8aPmaclOni27_1mYAPiO-Ab2-7lx_N_D4RZn2DIJzs_Tc9UAsH2CTBp8BDyLqMN3eErjNe76sxxWgtifJIO/?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="DSC09029" width="404"></strong></a></p> <p>I had a few errands to run on my lunch break today so I grabbed a <strong>Smart Ones</strong> for <strong>4 points</strong> to make for a quick lunch!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioN5wS5EzouEYULLgrv-X-HT8zrrgl3M_tx0La3gdLRCcpyvOZ6ivr1-xEivoHobIKGNE_cbPThV5Qpn4LEAm2YpVvFkQfYqLaBG94pNgWOZQ59HyKWSmZOtuQLEMdTmEq7sERTAlMFvbf/s1600-h/DSC09030%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09030" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG91zYnOwwk5eUqnZ7GEZ7vWVV_8E2cwH3gQg4hjBmzhTmAijSKCxAa0L8qjguw7AL6BT3vbPeC6XsSan_kKsOrii8thyeZx6KnPoLy_ZirayMTF5meooMiiO_12rbj41WPbiQ5a3IBwrw/?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="DSC09030" width="404"></a></p> <p>4:30pm rolled around and I gave 3 cheers for the weekend! Hooray!! :)</p> <p>I jetted home quick to let Abby out and grab a snack. The last of the delicious <strong>apple cinnamon muffins</strong>. I love that they are only <strong>1 point</strong>! Click <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/10/10-reasons.html">here</a> for the recipe. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBN8a7kGcogXziE7Ko5UIZvLu006H4_UOTLqC3HfEKYwexE_FO1eGeLi3Uss9gAM7_f4c9p1NMJkJ5Liw0toViHuoN2obpQSrFJf7Mpf6Yn_Lh11LE4oNwR3WPIoiuM5LSWDRor2nk8Xf/s1600-h/DSC09031%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09031" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLKdrjbutu80NqtcPMoLHR9RTIcI3obnifUfR4SIGmZpbmiS9s1XCGSQBjHLOB2AZEA8zTgI-Cq_YCioOSPqpT1jQtizfIwmnT-yvswC7_bunrQNdk1kzaB1f36SXNsNakbKhc7vqYC9j/?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="DSC09031" width="404"></a></p> <p>Kyle headed west to go see his Grandma and I head east to go see my Grandpa in the hospital. Hopefully nothing serious and we’re thinking he might get to go home soon, so that’s good! His spirits were high and he talked my ear off! Grandparent time is always good!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Yhl1x6-UWA_AFu8vajGx28ZPQnihVeadd3F7HeXot5J5p_U1Vnpa_qBZBhje89fiyryVhQJAyTYPa6B33wjXsQICdqJDkeYIPMlSB32QLeYrGm2kSgh84FVl0ODquJDWufLonkoS0CFm/s1600-h/DSC09032%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09032" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yb6DY7ley6JS60YkJtZm4_vtj3IOtb9gHjIr4feSIksdCv47bSvlAg04eDiF-OHqjOW25D8L2pvSR7Lm4iWFNhQYZr7LHt6LpQYZwVyx-du4PlUhoBDOvRlDl6EkhpbcZdnVBt-UpFvQ/?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="DSC09032" width="404"></a></p> <p>By the time I left the hospital I was <em>STARVING</em>! It was already after 9pm! I stopped at <strong>Subway</strong> for a quick supper for the drive home. I had a bag of <strong>Sun chips</strong> for <strong>4 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJ7gDQtoOUE0Sizum6FuhW-kv96RqHJzaysiIYAV4KvKHhO1i4V4Ag-y82t-nlVKSwmuhx9e2WCxnkOvPW9RkX9tlJ0ws00JDj-p98isTt98O-rI03KQqg-o81L3UkNob2LPHNHbYtbZ-/s1600-h/DSC09033%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09033" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1yIXJ60lFzcFJfstAjwZIrb_aCJZMYzueqJ_uBL5tvU4f2QOJzUXS9LlsgB6MhOBoPXs6Wyb-Mkgj4gn5ZGIZKDCtvJHj1x5IKehLIardTDCUfP-dMGYoYP-MOTE7nBIPqvL1syRksot/?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="DSC09033" width="404"></a></p> <p>And a <strong>6in ham & turkey</strong> on <strong>wheat</strong> for<strong> 6 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIhaekq9o8vYlDx4FIRsd3rhQelaqNTAZZRmgRgGLxo5Fv2JeB5bNevN4E5Wbc5wTCqbOKtAqMjCbd2ChTTznKupTtBYFkmImW2IqRduiTOiPfUc1pLCJpq7_cTUOmLnJkwFrpeDX1Nkm/s1600-h/DSC09035%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09035" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqpplyd47wFtCWhwiX3AdO90rqMH9dRJ1sIfnApL2CKrLZ2r5MuVgRVuu33vZEjvUbtijphCRKZMS0tPyHLh_9pU3OorA7BU0hYkoCx0yz5UVmHzD16zItNcs7LW45D4BE1O6NSQAqETz/?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="DSC09035" width="404"></a></p> <p>I made a quick stop at the store when I got home for a few essentials and also a <strong>sweet treat</strong> for<strong> 2 points</strong>! I <3 ice cream!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhan_xLzFNBn5S2xCWLMwN2e9wq70BfWN6wso4Wju-C5Tt3TRcwpa4Vl4fHh74hmHte2zyd17fU69QARm7t1V33Qmc6FVWmVkrSNK8jhqhmRBx77_FBC0cnUvoz5m8UCLhi6gzjE08ldZoq/s1600-h/DSC09036%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09036" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-18Q_A8x9x3re4bD0IVHD2833qFmmKUTEtG1V3-zilxqe4r-UH_WJ4pvVKJxj-fPQcU4Fs2vHPeRyutBTSqkvzffsNMfhL8dxtu5H4adH0zsutpqUiCr9hFbfPg_zVs4bP2IzuYwioTB/?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="DSC09036" width="404"></a><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>FRIDAY’S STATS <br></strong>POINTS = 25/23 <br>WEEKLY ALLOWANCE POINTS = 2 used/33 remaining <br>ACTIVITY POINTS EARNED = 0 today/6 week <br>H2O = 114 oz <br>EXERCISE = none</p> <p>Alrighty, time to get to work! I’ve got a little <strong>cleaning</strong> to do and then need to <strong>stock up</strong> at the grocery store, we’re having dinner guests tonight! Oh and can’t forget about <strong>cheering</strong> on the <strong>Hawks</strong> too!<em> I’m thinking it’s going to be a great Saturday!!</em> ;)</p>

Hello to the weekend!

We made it through the week! Ah, the weekend, everyone’s favorite 2 days of the week! Friday morning I finished off the last of the pumpkin...

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Weekend’s Coming!

<p>Happy Friday everyone, we’re almost to the weekend! Let me first catch you up on my Thursday eats!</p> <p>I whipped up a quick bowl of <strong>almond banana oatmeal</strong> for <strong>4 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrvcLNKPiLOU_zxde0TRvDPFGUlkmxbkY7oDujmao6TpapY8sxzD3DjXPviNcasRC4iHtWNe1fYXumWp1v5WYvAjHZb9UwwfWAGXfcOZCycLR6XVXtx7hduBUp-0nc067_JQ2Dce8AzSW/s1600-h/DSC09019%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09019" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oW_yNdxuJQVDrMjlbrValpjYRrUjugMwIF9EIYKIOLMRgtfuKRE_iFJTzKMO3qLuLHv9XdrQwfaXOdSk3wnNMCwr4JYBkqABgphDUy9keZerHDG6UfK0-RtKk6P7yGlwRvfyIDVz8ic6/?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="DSC09019" width="404"></a></p> <p>My morning snack was <strong>1 c grapes</strong> for <strong>1 point</strong>. Sadly these crispy guys are all gone now, time to go grocery shopping!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGUyL5YRmm97Z4sOjFEoIMBwFVz2TegxFQVhLVTAH2Z4pkz2R5nRSTr4s2ugqBwUnGdQror8ZxGmtzcvWaqVeTGCd5HyXykSjw67Fx6ZLVxUVrwh9fwYIhE3Ra6v9NICLfuD8-dk3PJ_q/s1600-h/DSC09020%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09020" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQS1W9SyZesubOqhJXTZms6MwMRv5t2l0xahCdotGu4-MFlrL-4JGizOrtF-sTQwk7N_613SWoum1YyqBdoJDL4zXSNR5_5cR0R1I8ypcqx4srfwqOKn5Dtwh3K3XsVKVP8-i_PCCrY7W/?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="DSC09020" width="404"></a></p> <p>Kyle and I came home for a quick lunch break. I had a <strong>chicken salad wrap</strong>, <strong>carrot sticks</strong>, and <strong>1/2c cottage cheese</strong> for a total of <strong>6 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKl2ZJ0DKKzOQq_k3kfbsUDcgWm1VU9212B33g033ZmQMXoAbJ-8qxJ9xdrw9RVYmNujqiSnH5u93ai9DPzDj4tJFx8NKVvw54X24n4WiCGhd5Fnzbyf_gBz-kvuIDArO4iiKnY2f-bUz/s1600-h/DSC09021%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09021" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVvpi7JDw8yWwk9D3CF2iYbF6RLeHEDlBvkrFiiGXY9CcB8Ej6vpMmSYmw6XrWQR3WqJpt-9gG14ynPVZU3Kti3Y6FdBLeTcz88JKFg6edmLs3_S_0s8MKnIRuFX37xV3g3aF8TRGzIZe/?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="DSC09021" width="404"></a></p> <p>Thankfully my afternoon flew by and I headed down to hang out with my sister, Wendi, and Hayden!<img height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs366.snc4/44887_534326370613_210201033_31363972_2631996_n.jpg" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" width="300"></p> <p>Wendi and I got in a<strong> 40 minute power walk</strong>. Hayden stayed home with Grandma, it was a warm evening, but quite windy! We got in some good sister time! :)</p> <p>My step Dad made supper tonight! I had <strong>1/2 ham & cheese sandwich</strong>…<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqS8g1CeIDI11_7O8E35Q8aeucYx7agZE9NEX99GRI9URye1KgKWKeZj_68XSL4zlOaG9xx0TbT9cE4Fi6Gfubvd4zxXa08tMYdkfEatj7HHy9g4c7YFoRiVnYZYO2WZpjwZv_KPk8LJb/s1600-h/DSC09022%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09022" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKHfNzyRs_x-Bx-7J_bvrT0e3PxSUcnzI4pU5vmDaUwnfolDzLgjzuAARN40EkliVP3lb_ftFbQG-4d_Ksay_4kfI9D9IuR_U_GPEipA9zuLE-NNv6HGClIeRM-QCahcJFiCVfPPWXpwU/?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="DSC09022" width="404"></a></p> <p>And a small cup of <strong>homemade chicken noodle soup</strong> for a total of<strong> 6 points</strong>. Good stuff! :)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkfekwGrUrzIPlS54VEuYJygmmWgKqw6xWvV4-QxFq08gn_vQMulycfEYyD-chBBqLsa4-DB57-TbiTjrB7npraijPH4l8mgEPLDr9RTEBlaBsnO_5ZTfUszOxXGPgG9tvdTDZkgYy4tV/s1600-h/DSC09023%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09023" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kRUFVozeidi3rJQv4BKFCdEc2W1Bd8VkNin6cMC8qk28yY-h8w_dofLEZR7oTiXWWkQbd1-j_yVlH82RanHyDMwta9w1BKCYQ34ykCU2Ew7Xb-2MF8a-7V8Y-bJC6MCRzfTIERC83sYn/?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="DSC09023" width="404"></a></p> <p>It was a pretty exciting evening, we spent the majority of the time doing this:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM8AhKPnj6pkvuryf-3vAC5saUV6JdayXiNk344KIErlBoUGrMurTxoAiqgvgbE21nUlqsdSlp-izGEsvpgJr_Xnyw1oLjmhKgwgE8kTHe7c8zvi49BWu9mDBeOv5wy9heBX3LCQ_9-2u/s1600-h/DSC09024%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09024" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_L9KT475kz6eOfUMwsw6M2lbGYYsas6MNb9KSVt8-tyX8b1s48v4k5hJCXXx0hrSfIKODuhFbm3O9Tz48VIoPHARJ-9XPXSbOgLF2ELJkw7JbM48uYwj27bGDjdAlfBfvxKBDbucHN8k/?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="DSC09024" width="404"></a></p> <p>Gotta love some snuggle time! :)</p> <p>I finally woke up and drove home. For some reason when I got home I was really <em>snacky</em>. I had a <strong>granola bar</strong> and a few bites of <strong>cottage cheese</strong> for <strong>3 points</strong>.</p> <p><strong>THURSDAY’S STATS <br></strong>POINTS = 20/23 <br>WEEKLY ALLOWANCE POINTS = 0 used/35 remaining <br>ACTIVITY POINTS EARNED =2 today/6 week <br>H2O = 90 oz <br>EXERCISE = 40 min power walk <p>Alright friends, I’m off to work! Hope everyone has a fabulous Friday! <strong><em>Let’s make it a great one!!!</em></strong></p>

Weekend’s Coming!

Happy Friday everyone, we’re almost to the weekend! Let me first catch you up on my Thursday eats! I whipped up a quick bowl of almond bana...

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Partenariat avec Orléans Loiret Basket et la préfecture

<BR><br />La signature du partenariat entre Orléans Loiret Basket, la Préfecture du Loiret et la Maison de l’Emploi du bassin d’Orléans qui vise à intégrer des jeunes en recherche d’emploi au sein d’entreprises partenaires d’Orléans Loiret Basket a eu lieu le mercredi 13 Octobre 2010 à 17h au Complexe sportif de la Source à Orléans.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipj0AAaKFr0x0gxqtIssJNeuzG1XW9Fqd_0oJj4dEXZgU1kcK4-LMQSQ6VgZBxxZDrsWHXPaBzNWqUgFz9V9ymzU2ne1iaFeb6EsybArBhau3CXGa0FocDhpRL9tlq_GB3FW1rAXpVRZS4/s1600/OLB.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529730072721041666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipj0AAaKFr0x0gxqtIssJNeuzG1XW9Fqd_0oJj4dEXZgU1kcK4-LMQSQ6VgZBxxZDrsWHXPaBzNWqUgFz9V9ymzU2ne1iaFeb6EsybArBhau3CXGa0FocDhpRL9tlq_GB3FW1rAXpVRZS4/s320/OLB.bmp" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" /></a><br /><br />Cette signature a également été l'occasion de suivre l'entrainement de l'équipe professionnelle d'Orléans Loiret Basket.<br /><br />Durant la saison, 10 personnes en recherche d’emploi seront suivis par une des 180 entreprises partenaires d'Orléans Loiret Basket.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">crédit photo : Jérôme Grelet - Ville d'Orléans</span><br /><BR>

Partenariat avec Orléans Loiret Basket et la préfecture

La signature du partenariat entre Orléans Loiret Basket, la Préfecture du Loiret et la Maison de l’Emploi du bassin d’Orléans qui vise à int...

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What it means to me: Eating Guideline #1 Eat when hungry

When I first read Geneen Roth's Women Food and God last July, I was very excited. It was all I could talk about. I was about three fourths of the way through the book when I read about the Eating Guidelines. <br /><br />I couldn't wait to read the "Eating Guidelines". So I skipped ahead to page 111, eagerly reading what I just knew would change my life. <br /><br />Guideline #1 - Eat when hungry.<br /><br />What the hell? I was angry. Furious at this Geneen Roth woman. She must be a freaking idiot to write such nonsense. Eat when hungry? Seriously? Excuse me lady, but that's what got me up to 240 pounds. If I had kept eating when I was hungry, in a few years I would weigh five hundred pounds. I'd become a bed person and they'd have to cut down the walls to get me out of my house. Eating when hungry? Who would think of such foolishness?<br /><br />I felt like I'd been scammed. Cheated. I was hungry 24 x 7. I thought of food continually. If I really ate when I was hungry, I'd never put down my fork. So much for Geneen Roth. I was done with her.<br /><br />Then there was the workshop. You have no idea how much I didn't want to go last weekend. I was dreading it. Thankfully Grace decided to go too. If it hadn't been for her I may have just not showed up, and then I would have missed one of the best learning experiences of my life. <br /><br />Eat when hungry. <br /><br />What does that mean? Sounds pretty obvious, if you're hungry, you eat. Not exactly rocket science. But wait. There's more. When are you hungry? Do you even know? I didn't. I thought I was always hungry. I thought I had some type of mental or physical disease. Most people don't obsess about food like me. It's like there was something wired wrong in my brain, something that made me think I always needed to eat.<br /><br />After the workshop I started to really analyze my feelings of hunger. Was I really hungry? Or was it something else?<br /><br />Maybe I was hurt because my husband said something insensitive, or he left for work without a goodbye kiss, just a "bye, see you later!" as he ran out the door. <br /><br />Maybe it was worry about my job and that stupid NY Times article about if you're unemployed now at age 55 you'll probably never work again. <br /><br />Maybe it's rejection, lack of love, fear of being homeless...maybe it's none of those things, maybe I'm just thirsty or bored. <br /><br />I remember once I told a coworker that I was starving to death. I was being super strict with my diet (Weight Watchers), and I was really hungry. His comment was "well, eat something!". My response, "I can't do that! I might gain weight!".<br /><br />Stupid, stupid girl. I really was hungry. Why didn't I just eat? Because I was afraid of gaining weight. It's been my lifelong theme.<br /><br />I'm coming to terms with the idea of eating when I'm actually hungry. What's harder is coming to terms when it's something else and that something isn't thirsty or bored. What about rejection? Or the feeling of not being loved and cherished? Loneliness. Sadness. Past hurts. Current hurts. Fear. Feeling those emotions isn't fun. It would be easier to push them down with food. It's easier to just not think about the bad stuff.<br /><br />The thing I'm most amazed about is that this isn't the hardest guideline for me, although it's somewhat difficult facing all those emotions I use to smash down with food. I was sure it was going to be impossible. I was sure I'd want to go on a full out binge. Surprisingly I really have no desire to eat like a crazed, food obsessed mad woman.<br /><br />For the first time in 42 years, I think I know what it's like to eat like a normal person. Normal has always been my goal. I just want to feel normal about food, and I want to be a normal weight. <br /><br />I'm still early into this process, and I have a lot to learn about myself. It's only been five days and I'm sure there will be bumps in the road. I only know that in a short time I've made huge advances in how I feel about food, about myself. I feel more comfortable with my decisions of what I'm eating, more relaxed. Calm. <br /><br />Eat when hungry. Apparently it is possible for me.

What it means to me: Eating Guideline #1 Eat when hungry

When I first read Geneen Roth's Women Food and God last July, I was very excited. It was all I could talk about. I was about three fourt...

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We’re over the hump!

<p>Did you miss my WI post yesterday? Click <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/10/10-reasons.html">here</a> to check it out!</p> <p>I’m getting low on oatmeal so today I had a packet of Quaker Oats Blueberry muffin oatmeal! I made it in to <strong>banana blueberry oatmeal</strong> for <strong>3 points</strong>! Surprisingly good combo!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNx4u48GBdKkpXtMGayFUI4XLYJQ2mxGtgnhXlJ45_mSg_uD18ROhlzxnJNAbF3HYYoHOW68MxsU4oEpl291T8U0-t2VNOs8n98WHZhtylkMoEfLqLadex2C42XIfwDc9e-LE6cE7eBkx1/s1600-h/DSC09013%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09013" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXGSVIyVZCLwmydmv3h6VfvLFRgrCaO_spwFtuhovh0zaiFiKTxe-4tC0Irpke0uYWHZWUULUdDtq6pOmUmPtHpbxrLF04guU8ARUWrUohmiCID80rJaWE0dY61eFU-8rVUCGp6HJOuje/?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="DSC09013" width="404"></a></p> <p>I sliced up a <strong>peach</strong> for my morning snack. I thought it was ripe, but it was quite light colored on the inside! Still tasted good though for only <strong>1 point</strong>!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIm1WpY28RxI49S7MDo69ihvpFpJHcJO5rlL6PDRQNx86lKTVviGMicFIWvuAUEvcVz3lAKo-QLffLlzCejtqq3FYWph2OwqKjWPtDizv9ycYOkIte-DpZRi5-j_xq1m6dnw5sfpoGBzqx/s1600-h/DSC09014%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09014" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5GE-v6Xin72B6wO6FJAhV31ug2438HGX9VUnXilQHE0v-sqoe9Rk6iAqQCdpRyLKCG_Qw9AZ8Z3pILw5XqLNOWYrMumHbd8hTvbfMy2zzRg4M_p5ooSrQZjnlfiZLD9DzZausf3Do7Yt/?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="DSC09014" width="404"></a></p> <p>It was a usual busy day & lunch was here before I knew it! I had a plate full of goodness consisting of <strong>carrot sticks</strong>, a <strong>ham & turkey sandwich</strong> with <strong>cheese</strong>…<img alt="DSC09016" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz41eyY8YWcywlq2oyLnRYNjJRI4DPQMYhoIkjt4bo0KwKRbJqKgTVMJDTFP8OC5ZV86XJdAsoKE031at1SnkL1A8d05ZBAegF5st50Ut2FigeXMCIgCjHu1-BRpoCVQWYq0AZlX2uQq0u/?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="DSC09016" width="404"></p> <p><strong>1/2c cottage cheese</strong>, and <strong>1 c grapes</strong> for a total of <strong>6 points</strong>.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAvsdk4iA0Vl9GqK3K8-HRDpFGY4c55KH2Q6XgLcuLXffMatnxJCbfyqwriYbWKtwNT4tBb_RdhY4kQ_tXdhTrAvaTkXp80HB8msYZDZH-xezUSRiCjNnFNyaS6oy0LPZTPRPwO1I8xFy/s1600-h/DSC09015%5B7%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09015" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISXcH4HBkMMBUu3uvhv2L6CVklCqqr7ZGcdHj-0Sji1jEJO8ZeXtzMsL25vUnl-T0vbZ5Vz70Fk351RertFQE4fYRTnn9p0kWTmaNB9rFqhxwa9CU5Z7h374utlSWWShUw7GsYtxfxfyn/?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="DSC09015" width="404"></a></p> <p>I had BIG goals for my afternoon, trying to get some important reports done! By 5pm my eyes were going “buggy”!</p> <p>I came home for a nice quiet evening in!I ended up snacking on a serving of <strong>cottage cheese</strong> while cooking for <strong>2 points</strong>.</p> <p>Supper today was a “go-to” favorite combo of mine, <strong>2oz whole wheat pasta</strong>, <strong>sautéed zucchini</strong>, and <strong>1/4c 2% shredded mozzarella cheese</strong> for a total of <strong>5 points</strong>.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQyVPwAfp4rfwJdqZP5ptsH7t2hLbUlmQneGrzRqlEjGVOgBYAc8mjFs0x0Rl78Cecr2wNbXl5WIQpody9sPGi7KXFNcvGr0FUO5d91l9hensLMuMaCgHTCuDOy4Dp_SQj5ri4OSN5ICI/s1600-h/DSC09017%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09017" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznoMRwkJWQEO3C3QcTPLtQG1RQ6NfGiUmLtRXGJ_9NOWSNExVPN9rfbU56-IuQsIzEKe1sNuD5WEUb82pA_kqQWpvS4LHI-BHX6FZwLUWQ9s2bK4Zan5IhbWYeIRCG6CazJKgkzhKz1iK/?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="DSC09017" width="404"></a></p> <p>Kyle and I finished our quiet night in with a glass of <strong>white wine</strong>! We don’t drink wine too often, but we’re on a mission to find one we love! I guess you could call us newbie's to the wine world! I had 1 small glass for<strong> 2 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKhwV4tRFCsgpEZoKSuOIpZnxxy1gpjE7dkzpZaBKNjcfSahfsJL4KPDAZzLgrt0of6ICGcZ0bwgxWZ8BBeIHgYv4sY48LLB0v2CDqfmdTIwvh8qVvU4xPSsEtlJg_Xqsqwr8zNIW4OGv/s1600-h/DSC09018%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09018" border="0" height="471" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZLchhZq72lZCjskvwEuINajL08vSLy4EURkH4-FnYoLDBBQyOocPYlR2PPF7aRyjUTL7x6IdlwxE3bDCLKbFErDhi8w10LRPeV6cV3bB7BpYpkYffeOZfUKfLIdnUobx7DqAe8fvT3au/?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="DSC09018" width="354"></a> <strong>WEDNESDAY’S STATS <br></strong>POINTS = 19/23 <br>WEEKLY ALLOWANCE POINTS = 0 used/35 remaining <br>ACTIVITY POINTS EARNED = 0 today/4 week <br>H2O = 122 oz <br>EXERCISE = none</p> <p><strong><em>Are you a wine-o? Any good advice or suggestions for this newbie?</em></strong> <p>Lastly, check out my two news tabs at the top, <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/p/tips.html">tips</a> & <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html">recipes</a>!</p>

We’re over the hump!

Did you miss my WI post yesterday? Click here to check it out! I’m getting low on oatmeal so today I had a packet of Quaker Oats Blueberry...

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Light, Shadow and Synergy ~ von Sternberg and Dietrich, Part III

<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;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaddiQJ9_NAT8zWS3qg5tty2-JtQRNztxu20ONGXZ4WAeLQx-ch42uwaJenpQ5bXZA1rI2bkXObj_Dc2CPxTcOLFRUOV7U_qau_dDY-ZlEeK9soAJ8cDqaxlpXh28ltYeMR9IUxCeYE4nN/s1600/devil+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaddiQJ9_NAT8zWS3qg5tty2-JtQRNztxu20ONGXZ4WAeLQx-ch42uwaJenpQ5bXZA1rI2bkXObj_Dc2CPxTcOLFRUOV7U_qau_dDY-ZlEeK9soAJ8cDqaxlpXh28ltYeMR9IUxCeYE4nN/s400/devil+poster.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Scroll down for Parts I and II of <i>Light, Shadow and Synergy</i>...</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #990000;"> </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">In 1933, during a hiatus between studio contracts and filmmaking, Josef von Sternberg traveled to Germany to explore establishing Marlene Dietrich and himself at UFA, the studio where the two had made <b>The Blue Angel </b>three years earlier. Just as the director was returning to the U.S., recently appointed Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler suspended the German constitution and soon began revoking the citizenship of Jewish artists and scholars; not much later came the burning of books. Back in America, von Sternberg, an Austrian Jew, and his star signed on once more with Paramount where the director's new contract gave him almost complete autonomy over his films.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">He later wryly reflected on his next (and last) two productions with Dietrich, “I completely subjugated my bird of paradise to my peculiar tendency to prove that a film might well be an art medium…”</span><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Of the first of these, <b>The Scarlet Empress </b>(1934),<b> </b>von Sternberg recalled, “The film was, of course, a relentless excursion into style…the tapestry of the Russia of Catherine the Great was evoked in all its grandeur, though it was a re-creation not a replica…” </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><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/AVvXsEg8mijMqT6AluVW_IR5Uvwzn5k80FgJ01nKk-VYc2V2WCHsa6q6qy_PIaH0BquzuA02iDJ27m0b0A2Jugac1p2OdiFTe4wG8LChO78B0w69FkHqFL853R8Q7dPyyMOoG4lzasuqrUNL3wya/s1600/scarlet+with+horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mijMqT6AluVW_IR5Uvwzn5k80FgJ01nKk-VYc2V2WCHsa6q6qy_PIaH0BquzuA02iDJ27m0b0A2Jugac1p2OdiFTe4wG8LChO78B0w69FkHqFL853R8Q7dPyyMOoG4lzasuqrUNL3wya/s320/scarlet+with+horse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Scarlet Empress</td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">"Based on a diary of Catherine II," von Sternberg’s re-creation follows the life of innocent young princess Sophia of Germany who is summoned to the Russian court to wed Grand Duke Peter (Sam Jaffe), a lunatic. Eventually adept at palace politics, the disillusioned royal wife (now called Catherine) becomes increasingly detached and power-obsessed, ultimately and victoriously seizing the throne in a coup. Along the way, she also becomes a powerful seductress whose countless lovers include a great number of soldiers in the Russian Army.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Von Sternberg’s re-imagining of events was so opulent and unusual that audiences and critics may have been put off by its byzantine iconography, Grimm’s Fairytale-esque characters and overt eroticism. <b>The Scarlet Empress</b> was unlike any of the many other Hollywood-produced historical spectacles of the era. </span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Critic Robin Wood suspected that "ironic tragedy and a kind of macabre farce" were so closely bound within the tone of the film that audiences and critics simply weren't ready for it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>The Devil is a Woman</b> (1935), reveals von Sternberg and Dietrich at the pinnacle of their partnership, though it, too, failed to connect. Von Sternberg, uncompromisingly expressive, produced a masterwork - audiences and critics and foreign governments be damned...</span><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/AVvXsEjVXwGOevBxjUnaWxE0uspl_CgvoHRpGkRX_9GUiOWkgbdKWZzO5vWyN-AMaws4NEPlDv35qt__G4b180ksWWqN4K1pw6MhSNf617OCNIpehLIAcgSE009wfk-4WSx-qrik8UXiuKvD2G7O/s1600/the+devil+is+a+woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; height: 171px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 211px;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXwGOevBxjUnaWxE0uspl_CgvoHRpGkRX_9GUiOWkgbdKWZzO5vWyN-AMaws4NEPlDv35qt__G4b180ksWWqN4K1pw6MhSNf617OCNIpehLIAcgSE009wfk-4WSx-qrik8UXiuKvD2G7O/s200/the+devil+is+a+woman.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Devil is a Woman</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The film begins in turn-of-the-century Spain at the outset of a carnival. Arriving on the scene is exiled freedom fighter Antonio Galvan (Cesar Romero) who flirts with Concha Perez (Dietrich), the local femme fatale. A tryst is arranged but before they meet Galvan encounters old friend Don Pasqual (Lionel Atwill) who relates in humiliating detail, told in flashback, how his enchantment with Concha ruined him. Pasqual makes the younger man promise not to see Concha again but Galvan and the woman do meet and this sparks a duel between the two men. Concha and Galvan run away together but Concha proves to be...capricious.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>The Devil is a Woman</b> is a visual carnival. Von Sternberg saturates the screen in every scene with layer upon layer of filigree and texture (streamers, confetti, balloons, masks, scarves, veils, mantillas, sequins, bouquets, shutters, screens, baskets, stairways, archways, ironwork, birds, horses, sheep, trees, rain, mist, plumes of smoke). It is also a witty flamenco demonstrating the futility and absurdity of enslavement to superficial beauty and romantic ideals. Strains of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Capriccio Espagnol" punctuate this cruel and ironic tableau...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dietrich portrays Concha, the spoiled and wily coquette, with an operatic flamboyance reflected in every gesture and inflection, in her makeup, costumes and coiffures. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lionel Atwill is at his best, and most notice that his performance as Pasqual is an artful take on von Sternberg himself. Cesar Romero is charming as the younger fool; Edward Everett Horton is a droll choice as the local governor.</span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">As the production was ending, von Sternberg wrote a note to Dietrich about their final film, "My parting gift to you will be the greatest "Dietrich film" yet. In it, I give you all my talent. You will see the ultimate Dietrich and it will be your favorite of our seven films."</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br /><br /><div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In the end, it was Dietrich's favorite film, not just among those she made with von Sternberg but of all her films; she felt it contained her best performance and showcased her at her most beautiful. But, she also remembered, “Josef von Sternberg’s decision, against my will, to terminate our collaboration – to which the studio executives probably also contributed – marked for me the beginning of a long series of mediocre films.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <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/AVvXsEi73dFewu-1NGTo4OYFSHb0nLvz3TB0h-6Cwww8NY1g_lJDyupKBKkGfrBM11yKf594IdKptVIIi9ZKJ-tlQCyqjl7isgHXOxkNJ_QbvO6V09muPFGCzl_wX2akoITluegw6cF7O0vANozC/s1600/destry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73dFewu-1NGTo4OYFSHb0nLvz3TB0h-6Cwww8NY1g_lJDyupKBKkGfrBM11yKf594IdKptVIIi9ZKJ-tlQCyqjl7isgHXOxkNJ_QbvO6V09muPFGCzl_wX2akoITluegw6cF7O0vANozC/s200/destry.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Destry Rides Again</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dietrich, whose screen goddess persona became more fixed and formal (her daughter observed that her mother's image was no longer recreated but simply perpetuated), managed to rebound. I</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">n her autobiography Dietrich wrote that, in 1939, producer Joe Pasternak called her to say he was willing to take a risk and make a picture with her (she was by now "box office poison"). When told it was a Western, her instinctive reaction was to turn it down. However, she wrote, “Josef von Sternberg advised me to take the offer.” Her comeback in <b>Destry Rides Again</b> (1939) <b></b>was one of the most dramatic in Hollywood history and she went on to become an enduring legend.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><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/AVvXsEiaXmY0rY3zrNDyrl6zmdywtbCUkLA9eFfMJCP-qsWtGU21AYa0XC_bY4jbJwPXBtoA_yM2F26t0m8qMnJBY4KurO3O0jDoxH39ipcbd7pnDUnhytCH_QcQoOkHY-It5aY47K2bw0ZCd_o0/s1600/shanghai+gesture.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXmY0rY3zrNDyrl6zmdywtbCUkLA9eFfMJCP-qsWtGU21AYa0XC_bY4jbJwPXBtoA_yM2F26t0m8qMnJBY4KurO3O0jDoxH39ipcbd7pnDUnhytCH_QcQoOkHY-It5aY47K2bw0ZCd_o0/s200/shanghai+gesture.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shanghai Gesture</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">Von Sternberg directed only a handful of films in his remaining career. Though a 1937 production of <b>I, Claudius</b>, starring Charles Laughton and Merle Oberon was promising, it was never completed; <b>The Shanghai Gesture</b> (1941) is the best known of his post-Dietrich films. The director's final film, <b>Ana-ta-han </b>(1953) was made in Japan, in Japanese with the director's own voice providing English narration.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Josef von Sternberg was fortunate enough to be "rediscovered" during his lifetime. <b>The Devil is a Woman </b>had become a "lost film." Pulled from circulation in 1935 under pressure from the government of Spain, all prints were thought to have been destroyed. But in 1959 the Venice Film Festival screened von Sternberg's own print; both film and filmmaker were showered with accolades. He became the subject of documentaries, wrote his idiosyncratic autobiography, <u>Fun in a Chinese Laundry</u>, and lectured on film at UCLA. Today his work is regularly studied in film programs and screened at festivals and retrospectives around the world.</span><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dietrich would always give von Sternberg full credit for her success, “I was nothing but pliable material on the infinitely rich palette of his ideas and imaginative faculties.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Von Sternberg's assessment was slightly different, “I did not endow her with a personality that was not her own…I gave her nothing that she did not already have. What I did was to dramatize her attributes and make them visible for all to see...”</span><br /> </div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><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/AVvXsEitcQ8q_MZh2bv0_lHHnQdXW4ksCYrRFsi33J0eYmlTIQaGpx5kj59eLPjoHCEthvq8Z-DRDE7UyjXt565sZXvsY8C2eT3fcmsuUX1f-50I0JR1TURDbUiB6oeY6xd4CDz_x5XWudscD_o2/s1600/von+sternberg+oberon+laughton%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcQ8q_MZh2bv0_lHHnQdXW4ksCYrRFsi33J0eYmlTIQaGpx5kj59eLPjoHCEthvq8Z-DRDE7UyjXt565sZXvsY8C2eT3fcmsuUX1f-50I0JR1TURDbUiB6oeY6xd4CDz_x5XWudscD_o2/s400/von+sternberg+oberon+laughton%5B1%5D.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">von Sternberg, Oberon and Laughton</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Released this August by Criterion,</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <b>3 Silents by Josef von Sternberg</b>  - the set includes his signature work of the late silent era - <b>Underworld</b> (1927), <b>The Last Command</b> (1928) and <b>Docks of New York</b> (1928).</span></i></div></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>

Cesar Romero Charles Laughton Joe Pasternak Josef von Sternberg Light Shadow and Synergy Lionel Atwill Marlene Dietrich Merle Oberon Sam Jaffe The Lady Eve (author) Light, Shadow and Synergy ~ von Sternberg and Dietrich, Part III

Scroll down for Parts I and II of Light, Shadow and Synergy ... In 1933, during a hiatus between studio contracts and filmmaking, Josef von...

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Healing thyself

During the past four days I've come the realization just how sick I was when it came to food. I have abused it my entire life. <br /><br />Tonight as I was eating dinner, distraction free, I realized this is the first time I wasn't either on a diet of some kind or in the midst of a full-blown binge. I'm a black and white kind of gal, either I'm on a diet or I'm not. If I'm not, then it's a literal food fest, eating anything and everything in sight.<br /><br />For four days I've eaten like a "normal" person. I haven't binged, eaten in the middle of the night, or eaten mindlessly. I haven't stuffed myself until my tummy hurt. I haven't eaten in front of the TV or while reading reading a book or while on the laptop. I haven't had crazy cravings or felt like I was going to die if I didn't eat something or in some cases, everything.<br /><br />I also haven't abused my new found freedom. I'm eating a few things I haven't eaten in a really long time. Today instead of Stevia I added honey to my Greek yogurt.<br /><br />Dinner tonight was a very small piece of top sirloin steak, broiled to perfection. The piece was pretty small, but I cut it into small bites and savored each one. I had red bell pepper slices drizzled with real blue cheese dressing. Not a lot, but enough so that each piece had a small amount. I had Brussels sprouts again, but without Smart Balance, just a little sea salt. My beverage was a glass of milk of 1% milk. It was a very tasty and enjoyable dinner. I felt totally satisfied.<br /><br />This morning I made my favorite soup. It's a South Beach recipe, Chicken and Veggie Chowder (the recipe is at the end of this post). In the past when I'd make this soup, I'd cook the chicken separately and then careful weigh four ounces of chicken for each serving. Today I just added all the cut-up chicken breasts in with everything else, just like the recipe says you're suppose to do. It'll all work out in the end. This is part of my healing process, to stop being so compulsive about my food, always worrying about it. Always trying to be exactly perfect in my eating. It's exhausting.<br /><br />I'm trying to look at food differently. Instead of it being my main source of pleasure as well as my main source of pain, I'm trying to look at it for what it really is...a source of nutrition for my body. If it tastes good, that's a bonus, and then it also becomes a source of pleasure. <br /><br />I'm also trying to listen to my body more, not my mind. Of course my mind would like candy and cake and ice cream. My body, not so much. I didn't post this last week because it was embarrassing, but Monday of last week, in the midst of my cold, I had a pint of ice cream, Ben and Jerry's Heath Bar. I ate the whole thing. The I ate an entire package of vanilla Oreos. An entire package. I was so sick I thought I was going to die. I had night sweats from the sugar. Horrible night sweats where I was drenched. I think if my body could have killed me at that moment, it would have. The funny thing, none of it tasted that good. Probably because I had a cold, but it really wasn't worth it.<br /><br />Another discovery these past few days is that I really hate coffee. I've always hated it. It's okay if you add sugar and milk, but plain coffee, yuk. Yet I've been drinking it, along with a few caffeine pills here and there and then sleeping pills at night. It's a miracle my body didn't just shut down a long time ago because of the abuse I've dumped on it. I've almost entirely cut out the coffee, and have stopped the caffeine pills and sleeping pills entirely<br /><br />I've been thinking about all the diet plans I've been on in my life. The list is endless. Every single one of them was restrictive, and I would follow them perfectly, 100%. For a certain amount of time. Then, I'd reach my breaking point and all bets were off. I'd become a crazed, food obsessed nut case.<br /><br />The hardest part for me is the math. Stopping myself from doing the math in my head. I know the calories, fat grams, carbs in almost every food. I know the Weight Watcher Points as well. When I'm preparing a meal I find myself adding up the items. I have to consciously tell myself to "STOP IT!". It's not important right now. <br /><br />Also, for the record, I'm not following any diet. I was thinking back to when I felt my healthiest and was when I was eating the foods recommended by the South Beach Diet. Since I'm not on a "diet", I'm not following the SB Diet per se, but I did enjoy the foods on that "diet" the most. The difference though is if I want a little honey in my oatmeal or my yogurt, I'm going to have it. <br /><br />I'm really curious how this week is going to end. Will I gain weight? Will I lose weight? Will I be furious if I gain a couple pounds? I'm trying to keep an open mind about this. It's an experiment, to see if I can be normal when it comes to food. To see if I can really heal thyself.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7FQgdUZyXTz5WeIbSgIynkOdmwx6esSCJjLI0uGoVaBPk9F6zy1LMGqWvJdq9c4eRcRUgDH2ZyvEygP43VwuNSprayMCYz1896XGLB2uI6wJWB4qRZPUfkbUPZ-E207LlJv6hh4C1Ed1/s1600/recipe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7FQgdUZyXTz5WeIbSgIynkOdmwx6esSCJjLI0uGoVaBPk9F6zy1LMGqWvJdq9c4eRcRUgDH2ZyvEygP43VwuNSprayMCYz1896XGLB2uI6wJWB4qRZPUfkbUPZ-E207LlJv6hh4C1Ed1/s640/recipe.png" width="516" /></a></div>

Healing thyself

During the past four days I've come the realization just how sick I was when it came to food. I have abused it my entire life. Tonight a...

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10 Reasons…

<p>Howdy friends! Tuesday = WI day for me! Remember the past 2 weeks? I had no loss, I was stuck at 165. Well I’d like you to read something for me!</p> <p><strong><u>10 reasons why I didn’t stress over the scale being “stuck”!</u></strong></p> <ol> <li><strong>13.5 lbs</strong> – In the 4 weeks prior to this I had lost 13.5lbs, quite a large amount of weight to lose in a short time. I knew it would eventually slow down. <li><strong>Comments</strong> – I think I got more comments in those 2 weeks when my weight was “stuck” than all year long, “Darci, are you losing weight?” “You are sure looking fit!” If that isn’t motivating, I don’t know what is?!?! My body was still changing even though I didn’t see the change on the scale. <li><strong>Eat</strong> – You have to eat to lose weight! The majority of those 2 weeks I ate all or more than my allotted points. Sometimes I’ll have a snack after doing my post just to make sure I’m getting in my daily points.  <li><strong>Fluctuate</strong>– We all know it, depending on the time of day/week/month, your weight can vary greatly! <li><strong>Journey</strong> – Weight loss/fitness is a journey, not a destination! This journey is more than just 2 weeks. <li><strong>Other</strong> – I like to use other forms of “measurement” to determine how I’m doing on this journey. Example: I wore a pair of jeans I hadn’t worn in quite a few months! <li><strong>Patience</strong> – period. <li><strong>Success</strong> – I do not let the number on the scale determine how I’m doing on this journey. Yes it is one way to gauge your progress, but it does not control my outlook on the overall picture. I knew I was doing what I needed to! <li><strong>Tone</strong> – It’s very possible for your body to still be changing shape & size without seeing the scale go down. <li>And the last, but not least, I knew the scale would move again…today it said, <strong><font size="5">163</font></strong>! <em>A 2 lb loss!</em> <em>15.5lbs</em> gone since I started back on plan on August 23rd and <em>39 lbs gone</em> since I started this journey nearly 2 years ago!!!</li></ol> <p>I had the perfect breakfast this morning, leftovers! I had<strong> 2 pumpkin pancakes</strong> for <strong>5 points</strong> <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/10/saturday.html">left over from Saturday</a>. If you have tried these yet, you MUST!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UFcRlgw2G4odF1EwmI6r9M9Uyl9JlFIfZiEBl6f3uATTCDZrAwu58ywXb5IIB_BJrMCtX1eZuLqSekwKiOx3iPsyBwkRdL318Ysz8phZPIYnyd8svElNHOnV_ZXf0hyphenhyphenXsRqO0sb78_t6/s1600-h/DSC09005%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09005" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHoP99rxSopJHY0kyhMjSfpV6-a5d-X8VLELM98s9pAOLrFWOEbCUWRkYU1EWnh-QrwTRj9ZFjhMNdEf_RHhqCuv_1Uk207aCou2__YBp0gHZpGx2vefb0m44TFxsw72Or9LNGAyWApTr/?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="DSC09005" width="404"></a></p> <p>My morning at work flew by and my pancakes held me over nicely! Lunch today was delish! I had <strong>1 c butternut squash</strong> with <strong>1T</strong> of <strong>brown sugar</strong> for <strong>2 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4dr5fbv8NDvqyRB6DZI68EQZ3h6MgC420BdsjlYLlfuVryZLUhxX0-iceFgVHdVSO2d1T6nLhSFL63HZMO02zc-jH5d08YFmN0c3_YRKqEDTtBomaSHagfONfYBD5Q-wZqo9spUdrtNv/s1600-h/DSC09006%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09006" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir04BEocQstXtSLVeUehaI8z1Y1-Z2efKUwHAZ__n7yC4VznH_qhlEZaHDG4mOsT8-WN90pSD7zdeTc1h3BPT7r2gjynLjfLhtmOjDq6C8_CAJoNSvI2G5dCgRJUqf2SzacUH4QeIuVJDA/?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="DSC09006" width="404"></a></p> <p>I also had a <strong>chicken salad sandwich</strong> with <strong>swiss cheese</strong> for <strong>4 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7rRsKVnZgfs3CufOMQhYdmi1tzPfXoyrBKW_Og1C4pJcjyKNo3PCXfc9E9xb9QmbQB6e_54WQvOVwGPQBcd-oVmAmJB-n3Z5nhfHEX9l0GDqtQ8R-FmEYBONuQmdI_b8A2T6B1h3B6Qg/s1600-h/DSC09007%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09007" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNTzJjmJB-tcHUolTAjLu7rPKu5kPolQ22T7oqsmZmJrmycj0jnwj6QTlk8b-HI78tG8XLTDSMNCVbGmEfhJV3S_s-O5vSGsB2mkr9lSOVE905GpuMDLvn-7xrWP9SC9pXjT5RoOiK8Ar/?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="DSC09007" width="404"></a></p> <p>I couldn’t resist these guys anymore! Remember my friend <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/10/saturday.html">Jenna & her Mom from Saturday</a>. Well they made these delicious <strong>1 point apple cinnamon muffins</strong> for me! Super easy & quite tasty!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnLponjkBx6TErMp9Vh6xowW22ltbvz7SFz0AM-3ywUzeKSQM4v-xuWg6cebs16Mf01grOsu2nVgbYmehhBFensmFIlPSVx_wZbJvxOycJ_vJZQ_wSaYs1xwhzp30QM4P2pZwXFI7L8JE/s1600-h/DSC09008%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09008" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYY9B5ZgC-zOMlVs2NeJO82wT1CRA_aXyp9i71hzJ428RHSGpofqQLDBjRchIqMsPQlpwUt3yj9BAaT6kVgOt0nv_ZljV3mCgBfPyrdqpfcW9Fwm0OcBtGe1R4Yx6k94Tb9erbsoj-ZEMU/?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="DSC09008" width="404"></a><b>Ingredients</b></p> <p>1 box Fiber One Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix (dry).<br>1/2 cup "Better N' Eggs" egg substitute.<br>1 large apple chopped <br>3/4 cup water </p> <p><b>Directions</b> <p>-Chop apple in food processor until almost liquid.<br>-Add the remaining ingredients and mix just until moistened.<br>-Pour into 12 large muffin cups (greased).<br>-Bake at 425 for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown and tops spring back when touched.<br>Number of Servings: 12</p> <p>My <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/10/reveal.html">SIL</a>, Laura, came over to hang out for the evening & go on a run! Kyle joined us too! We chatted & Kyle entertained us the whole way! We got in 2.4 miles and Kyle & Laura stopped off at our house. I got in another 1.1 miles and finished <strong>3.52 miles</strong> in <strong>39 minutes</strong>. </p> <p align="center"><em>We are strong. We are beautiful. We are women.</em> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9oH8k7gZOa2lE9_HuDJio7qzcGSekINoiyBnEJCbqFyE34z_NXnW9wGWC91ZEjvov6AbzhhCyMt9JahDWYpmJIo7nZ6o0qEOP78mxnUyYTaydNfXVdBkPq-l6CJJs6l6SkonxMI1j-F4/s1600-h/DSC09009%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09009" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3_sqQR7qVl8hbdXRgXqnQMuXgq5qOzF8rFg3u9Hv49L8qE5vRNZFxevxfhKOpqpwrNvzbAi_5oJ3Hs_yn0MEo4cAC5PMJFzl88lJQuxBeWjKFV1WswizxBam8pgIE1S5a3QgCl2Jya7d/?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="DSC09009" width="404"></a></p> <p align="left">I made grilled chicken…<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUqde5ZuU3cddkhTRz2KcZl5W_FDq0mZ6GrSs-pcNkqlF8-CYKa0rdiIfYlzr7aU6OPQ3X4bHSCeOQ5wwd0SG0KL9v6013zFnGjM4WUBcag1taD_ko6QdX5gxm7L5I3moE5BaEkpSXURi/s1600-h/DSC09011%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09011" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qeoAOcj_8bh-KTy4rJ_nanX4sbVa2VNEHfVD8irz-enaFdu6saYdLDGBUzKonvBzdPfErAZR9FqLxDF_pVELFNkNTJ0BAYy5oXNzcvzPqCM0m-138g7YiNKs8702XI_5dlo3g8HozJUQ/?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="DSC09011" width="404"></a></p> <p align="left">…and<strong> roasted veggies</strong> for a total of <strong>7 points</strong>. Mmmm good!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzzVGkgK0qaEDBxsMRM4U0g7hfBdh_XIcN-aHqUJ9d6qubZJhstg15KrpZX2iIcIXCM0WZbNbTzF5ltpBvOTmdrDzbE8pNgrVm5EC6f4aJUxdfeFsvDPmGg8PpyuVsaZ7qFWhIP1cbRTw/s1600-h/DSC09012%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09012" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4EZB9R8ijmWpEfWj2wfW7lYWMQoNvyZZoOMhX8hWT_PxIQnMngXAoOI9Pd3Shn4q7NtMhK0MI2TmKHltby07Nk3TlPiW8km-dnPDReT0LaLj81M4XotBVAbQ26S0tEYmpooFE-85Pm9r/?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="DSC09012" width="404"></a></p> <p align="left">And lastly, happy 1 month to my sweet nephew, Hayden! Check out what I was doing 1 month ago today, <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/09/hes-here.html">here</a>!<a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31341636&id=210201033"><img height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs067.snc4/34717_534087529253_210201033_31357482_7524310_n.jpg" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" width="300"></a><strong>TUESDAY’S STATS <br></strong>POINTS = 19/23 <br>WEEKLY ALLOWANCE POINTS = 0 used/35 remaining <br>ACTIVITY POINTS EARNED = 4 today/4 week <br>H2O = 146 oz <br>EXERCISE = 3.52 mile run </p> <p><strong><em>So tell me your experience, when you weren’t seeing the numbers on the scale go down, what did you do to stay positive?</em></strong></p>

10 Reasons…

Howdy friends! Tuesday = WI day for me! Remember the past 2 weeks? I had no loss, I was stuck at 165. Well I’d like you to read something fo...

Read more »