My Latest Read....

Of course we stayed at the lake an extra night. Seems we always do. Me being unemployed and hubby being self-employed has its perks I guess.

I had fun with my sister & her family. It was so neat to look across the lake and know they were only a 10 minute walk or a 3 minute boat ride away!

Today I'm going to use my blog for plug. Not because anyone asked me to - just because I want to! A book review actually....

I just finished reading "The Shack" by William Young. It's a work of fiction in the sense that the story never really happened. But it's true in the sense that it's based on truth. If you read it, you'll know what I mean.

The first few chapters are slow. I put the book down several times before I finally picked it up and got past chapter four - where things pick up. After that I couldn't finish it fast enough! Very few times have I read something that has moved me as deeply or opened my eyes so - as this book has. My view of God has not changed. But it has been enhanced. I can understand the depth of His love so much better now. I can see the difference between religion and relationship much more clearly.

There is much controversy swirling around this book. The legalists are having a hey day. But I believe they are lifting 'catch phrases' from the text and making inferences that I frankly don't believe exist. But hey. Who am I? Just my opinion, that's all. In any event - I strongly would urge you guys to take a look at it. It's available in paperback. (Carried at the local public libraries too - but heavily on back order due to its popularity at the present time.)

I'd love to dialogue here about the book if you've read it. Or plan to. It's awesome!

Going To The Lake To See My Sis!

I've been scurrying around all day trying to get packed for a trip to the lake. This will be the first time we've been there that my sister is there in her new cottage! They closed on it last week and have been there since Tuesday. The lake is pretty quiet (read: dead) during the week so they have been itching for us to get there since...well...Tuesday!

I'm so excited! We've pretty much planned to eat most of our meals together - the hubby's and son-in-laws have plans for an early morning fishing date tomorrow (barring no rain) and I'm sure my sister & I (and our daughters - we each have one coming with a hubby) will take lots of walks and spend hours chatting the day away on their wonderful big deck!

We've talked to one another more on the phone these past 2 weeks than we have in the past 5 years. (used to call each other every day - way back when). So this has been nice. Our relationship has been resurrected by way of a small lake in the southern tier of New York. Cool beans!

About the pic - from left to right (youngest sis, lake sis, me , sister-in-law) I'm the oldest...can ya' tell?

On another note - today I went o Wendy's. ARGHHH! I ordered a #1 combo. DOUBLE ARGHH! I couldn't help myself. It was lunch time and I caved.

So much for my confession. I'm back on the FF wagon. No more relapses.

Have a great weekend!

More Zucchini Recipes....

I got a call just now that the woman I "house sit" with went into the hospital with an infection so I'm not needed this week. I hope she's okay. And on a selfish note - I'm really needing that $300 I won't be getting this week. Have faith Lora...have faith.

So hubby brought home yet more zucchini last night. I decided that maybe I would try my hand at some zucchini soup. I've had pumpkin soup before (it's to die for - honest!) so I figured maybe the zucchini version would be good too.

I found two recipes on the internet that caught my eye. One because it was easy and the other because it was touted as being the most awesome zucchini soup ever.

Don't believe everything you read.

I decided to try both as - as both recipes were different and well...I couldn't not try the most awesome zucchini soup ever. The first batch (the easy one) really was easy and it was wonderful! I will definitely make this one again. I made enough to freeze 6 pints of it. (Hubby and I both ate bowl as soon as it was done...to see if we liked it. And we did!

The second batch - which called for chicken stock and laughing cow cheese was bland and yucky. We tried to doctor it up with some dehydrated onions, salt and some asiago cheese. That helped some but it was still nowhere comparable to the first batch which I'm posting below:

One very large zucchini

(the kind that hide in the garden and you don't spot them until they're about the size of a small child.) Well....not that big but you get my drift.

2 large onions

1 stick butter

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans water

Chop the zucchini into cubes and dice the onions

Simmer in a covered pot with the butter until tender. (stir occasionally)

Blend 1 can soup & 1 can water in blender.

Add some of the zucchini mixture and some of the basil

Blend and pour into large container.

This part you do in cycles until all of the zucchini & onions are mixed with the soup & basil.... depending on the size of your blender.

When all is mixed together - pack into freezer containers and freeze.

I'm not sure about the calorie count - the stick of butter and the cream of chicken soup is divided up into 12 servings so I don't' think it's that high.

Anyhoo -it's really tasty and I'm looking forward to curling up with a bowl for lunch one day this winter!

My personal challenges are coming along...okay. I'm struggling the fruit & veggie thing. Getting lots of veggies with my evening meal (thanks to the abundant harvest in our garden this fall) but not so good on the fruit. I need to get to the market and stock up. Water - check. Fast food - check (except one slip up last week). I think I may have mentioned that before. Moving more - need to remind myself! Small plate - sometimes. Definitely smaller portions. Cleaning (or not cleaning) my plate - that's where I'm bombing. I finish the last bite and then rememberI was supposed to leave some!

I'm still plugging away though.

And last night - Biggest Loser! Great show as usual! It was hard to see the gray team go. They seem to have the deck stacked against them with the way ALL of their family overeats. I know they've managed to do well so far at home - I hope they can keep it up.

And the yellow team - what were they smoking? $10,000 is a lot of money - but no way would I have ever jeopardized my position above the yellow line! I'm glad the old guy is still in though. I want to see him get healthy.

Let me know if you try the soup or pie (yesterday) and what you think!

A Simply Wonderful Sunday Night...

Last night was a perfect night. Not because anything special happened. It was in fact - quite ordinary. I was just sitting on the couch watching my husband play with our grandson. Mega Blocks were scattered across the floor. The room was awash in a an amber glow from the single lamp that was lit on the old table that sits in the corner. It was early evening and we had just finished dinner.

I can't really describe the emotions that had enveloped me except to say that I was at perfect peace. It didn't matter that I still don't have a teaching job. It didn't matter that a stack of bills were resting on the kitchen counter that didn't care if I had a job or not. Nothing really mattered except the moment.

Have you ever had one of those times that defy all human explanation? Where in the midst of the storm, God's love surrounds you and get a taste of that peace that surpasses all understanding? It's awesome. To be in the center of God's will and be content.

Perhaps I've finally learned to let go of my wants and embrace that part of the Lord's prayer that says Thy will be done. At least for now I have. Imperfect woman that I am....I have to remind myself repeatedly.

Dinner. Now that was awesome too!

I've been trying to be very creative with the abundant supply of zucchini that our garden is readily supplying us with. (I told hubby not to plant so much!) We've given lots away - but still - each evening I find another couple of the green monsters on my kitchen counter begging me to do something with them. The freezer holds many bags of shredded zucchini to use in future loaves of zucchini bread (when the ones already made and frozen are exhausted.)

We've grilled 'em, baked 'em, fried 'em.....and frankly...I'm zucchini'd out!

Until I came across this recipe in one of my healthy cook books (Eat Well -Live Well). It's called zucchini pie and it is incredible! Even hubby (my meat man) who balked all the way to the table - asked for seconds and raved about it! It's definitely something I'll make again. And again!

If you want to try it - here's the recipe:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

4 c. zucchini, thinly sliced

1 c. onions, coarsely chopped

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder (I used 2 tsp fresh minced garlic)

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 TBS. fresh chopped parsley or 1 TBS. dried

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried basil (I used 3 TBS. fresh, chopped)

2 tomatoes, chopped (I used 1 can of diced tomatoes)

2 eggs, well beaten (or 1/2 c. egg substitute)

2 1/2 c, part skim mozzarella, shredded

Saute zucchini & onion in oil until tender (10 min.)

Stir in dry ingredients and continue cooking 1 minute.

remove from heat.

Add tomatoes.

In separate bowl, blend eggs & cheese.

Coat pie pan with non-stick spray.

Pour mixture into pie plate.

Stir into vegetable mixture.

Bake 20 minutes or until knife cones out clean.

Let stand 10 minutes.

Serve in wedges.

For those doing WW (or similar) - 1 serving is 2 proteins, 1 complex carb, 1 simple carb & 2 fats.

It's awesome guys - truly awesome!

There's No place Like Home!

Well that wasn't so bad! I was really nervous about going into someone's home I'd never met before and living there for 2 whole days - eating. sleeping, showering there...it seemed weird. But the woman and her husband were very nice. She has end stage cancer - still gets around with a walker (the cancer is in her spine now) but needs help getting dressed and preparing meals. There was a lot of down time that I spent in "my room" with a TV that had over 1000 channels. Too many choices!

Cool thing though - my bathroom (yes - I got my own) had one of those doctor's scales - you know, the real accurate ones with the sliding weights. And I weighed in at 186. Whoo hoo!

Right now I need to spend some time with my hubby. It feels good to be home! But surprisingly enough - I'm not hesitant to return next Wednesday.

More tomorrow!

Biggest Loser Thoughts....

I'm off in just a bit to my "new" job. A tad nervous but feeling calmer with all the nice thoughts of encouragement sent my way. Thanks guys!

I'm not sure if there is a computer there for me to use during my down time. if not - I'll check in Friday evening and let you know how it went.

Who watched The Biggest loser last night? I'm hooked already! And amazed (or maybe stunned) is a better word - at the losses the first week. Is that possible?? I'm thinking these folks pigged out tremendously just before the first weigh in so maybe a lot of it wasn't true weight. In the weeks to come we'll see what transpires.

I'm also eager to see how the guy with the major health concerns makes out. I wish ALL of the contestants could stay the whole time. I felt so bad for the couple that were voted off last night - but happy to see they kept with it lost more weight! Especially the woman - she looked awesome!

Well...gotta finish packing and get going soon.

Take care all and do share your thoughts about last night's show!

One more thing....

Two posts in one day ~ No, I'm not bored, just remembered that The Biggest Loser premiers tonight with the "Biggest Loser Families"! I received an e-mail from NBC inviting me to watch some previews and they were great! They also informed me that they're starting an interactive website called

The network has also started a an interactive website called Biggest Loser League. I've checked it out a little bit but plan to peruse more after tonight's show (when my mojo is in overdrive.) Let me know what you think of it.

Okay - that's all!

This and That....

Can you believe that here in upstate NY we got some of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike? Sunday night we got strong winds up to 60 mph that knocked out power to 60,000 people. We were among them. Our power was only down for about 25 hours and aside from lighting candles and making coffee the old fashioned way - we were fine. I kept thinking of those in Texas and counting my blessings.

Earlier Sunday my sister, niece & I went for a walk at one of our local parks. There is a really nice boardwalk that goes for quite a way over the Genesee River and ends up at the mouth of the river where it flows into lake Ontario. It was HOT! Almost 90 degrees (unusual for this time of year) but we still enjoyed ourselves. We did a little over 3 miles. We're hoping the next time to follow the trail in the other direction where we can see the water falls. The pic above is of part of the board walk that is about a mile long.

I've also decided that in light of no teaching jobs on the horizon I need to do something so that we can tackle this ginormous property tax bill looming over us this fall. New York has some of the highest property tax rates in the nation. What's that slogan song....I love New york...not always!

Anyhoo - my sister owns a company (she's an RN) that places live in companions with people that are elderly or ill. She has set me up with a 60 something year old woman that has cancer and needs help with daily activities. She says the woman is a lot like our mom and that I will really like her. I am going to split her care with another health aide and go to her home from Wednesday to Friday. To say I'm nervous would be an understatement. It's going to be very awkward living in a stranger's house - even if it's only 2 days a week. The woman is married so her husband will be there too. Strange. So I'll be sharing my meals with this family, sleeping a their house, showering there....it's going to be awkward.

I guess I'll get used to it. It's certainly not what I had in mind for a job right now - but beggars can't be choosers.... Hopefully I'll pick up some per-diem sub jobs on my off time. I'm not sure if there will be computer access there (which would be crummy because sis says there is a lot of "down" time where I'll just be in "my room" until she needs me.) I'm going to the library today to get a bunch of books to tide me over and I suppose I'll be watching a lot of TV. I'm too old for new adventures! Years ago this wouldn't have phased me. But I'm doing what I gotta' do and trusting God has a plan. I have this gut feeling that I'm meant to be there for whatever reason.

On the personal challenge front - I've been slacking a little. I broke down Saturday and had a Big Mac. No fries or anything. I just had this craving and I figured since it had been well over 6 weeks since I went to the Golden Arches - that I would indulge. I did do some walking last week three times as well as my "parking farther" etc thing. But I have been remiss on my portion sizes (neglecting the small plate) so I need to work on that.

This week's challenge is to eat a healthy breakfast. All studies indicate that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I must confess that I often either skip it or opt for something that is sweet. I have such a major sweet tooth in the morning! A slice of zucchini bread with my coffee is heavenly. But not a wise decision when it's done daily. So I'm going to concentrate on this area. Opt for some whole grains, fruit and protein.

I'm also making a chart for myself that will serve to remind me of my weekly challenges. They are becoming greater in number and this peri-menopausal mind is like a sieve these days.

I hope the rest of you are biding well - sticking to whatever it is you've decided to stick to and making progress!

Prayers for Texas....

Last night I woke up several times during the night to turn on the TV and see how Texas was doing. I felt guilty all warm and safe in my bed with my window open and a soft end-of-summer breeze drifting in while I knew that down south, thousands and thousands of people were not resting so peacefully. Many were evacuated to shelters where they stayed wondering about the fate of their homes while others were hunkered down where they were - riding it out with no electricity, while the winds and waters whipped around them. And then there were others stranded on roof tops, or oil freighters, or worse.

I prayed for the safety of people I didn't know. It seems surreal. The way we are all connected to one another when tragedy strikes - even though we may be on different sides of the country. Perhaps it's because Hurricane Ike decided to strike right on the heels of the anniversary of 9/11 that the kinship resonated so deeply with me. We are all connected in one way or another - if by nothing else - our humanity.

As John Donne so eloquently penned... "No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

I've tried in vain this morning to check up on fellow bloggers who live in Texas. Silly right? No power...and as if they'd be sitting in front of their computers anyway.

Let's collectively offer a prayer for those who have been touched by this disaster. May God draw near to them and keep them safe. My He instill in them hope...and faith that He will be with them in the days to come. And may He let each of us know what we can do to help.

(I'd say a donation to the Red Cross would be a great way to begin.....please pass that last thought on!)

What We Learn While In The Trenches...

I've been lying low because frankly...I've been feeling a little low. I got passed over (yet once again) for the younger job candidate. In spite of the fact I've taught as a long term sub on 4 different occasions in this particular district. In spite of the fact that I have raving reviews from key people in each school I taught in. In spite of the fact that the previous art department head phoned my interviewers minutes before my interview to plug me.

They still chose the young one - fresh out of college.

I'm feeling better now though and actually have recovered more quickly from this disappointment than in the past. Probably because I've been trusting God a lot more - that in spite of the roadblocks - He has a plan that I can't yet see. Still - being human - the old ego has taken a bit of a brushing.

As I see it - it's their loss (does that sound prideful?) I don't mean it to be! It's just that sometimes people overlook very good qualities in a person because they're too distracted with the packaging instead of the contents. Ring a bell?

I wonder how many overweight people are brushed aside in life because they're...well....overweight! It's not fair. And it's certainly not right. If only we could all learn to look past the bias of color... or status... or age... or weight - we'd meet and learn to love some pretty darn nice people.

That's my sermon for today.

Still unemployed. Still wondering how I'm going to pay the bills. Still trusting God has a plan.

Fried Pumpkin Blossoms and other good things about September!

I just got in from a nice walk. Hard to tell that summer is waning except for the tell-tale goldenrod that has taken over the roadside. Whenever I take a walk on a sunny summer day I'm taken back to my childhood days. I lived outside all summer and came in only when necessary! Hardly ever wore shoes (still don't if flip-flops don't count...)

I live in a rural area so there are stretches that encompass only woods, fields or crops. It's been dry since that big stretch of rain we had a few weeks back. The earth is cracked and the fields are parched. It's the first time we've had to water the gardens in a long while. All that rain did a number on the vegetables. Too much of a good thing I guess.

We only got one pumpkin and it died before it got to the size of grapefruit. Still...there are plenty of blossoms that at this point will never turn to anything before the first frost so I picked a bunch the other day and made some fried pumpkin blossoms. Before you gasp - they are only 54 calories per blossom in spite of the name. And two blossoms are just the right amount!

They're so easy.....!

I gently tear the blossom in two to make two flat halves, then dip them in a beaten egg, coat with crushed saltine crackers that have been seasoned with salt and pepper and then saute in a oil with a little butter. I know...you're thinking...fried in oil and butter?? But these are delicacies that can only be indulged in this time of the year and as I said - the calorie count isn't all that high because you're only eating a small amount.

They were good fellow bloggers. Extremely good!

Gotta' go paint the trim in the kitchen - we're trying hard to get this place ready to sell soon. The goal is to have Thanksgiving in the new house. That will be a real feat!

Oh ~ the interview went well. At least from my perspective. We'll know how it went from theirs if they call and offer me the job.

Waist or Waste?

I have been deliberating all week - what my next challenge will be - or better stated -what new change will I incorporate into my life?

I've done well so far - except the exercise part. I need major mojo there. Otherwise things are sailing smoothly. So yesterday (as I finally found some time to peruse some of my favorite blogs) I got my answer to next week's challenge. Thank you JC for your inspiration! I'll recap what she wrote that turned on the light bulb for me....

When we have the option to leave some food on our plate (that we're not really hungry full anymore) or eat it- we often choose the latter for fear we might be wasting it. She notes that we're wasting it either way. because if we're not hungry for it anymore - then it's not going to be used by our bodies anyway (!) it's just going to be stored as fat. (aka wasted). Good point.

She also notes that most of us have been brought up with the "clean your plate" mentality and we need to switch gears. From now on it must be don't clean your plate!

This makes all the sense in the world to me. I've watched skinny people eat. And they never clean their plates. Often I've looked wistfully at their castoffs and wanted to scream "You're not going to eat that!" They push the last remnants around almost as if what's left repulses them. And in truth...it probably does. They're full. They dont' need what's left - they don't want what's left! They aren't worried about wasting anything. Maybe they've realized too, that they're wasting it either way. Or maybe they are just so in tune with their bodies that they know when they're full and stop. Either way - I doubt they even think about it. It's second nature to them. Which is what my own personal challenges are all about. Incorporating habits into my life that stick and become a part of who I am. That become...second nature.

And so...for next week's challenge I am going to become a member of the "Don't clean your Plate Club." I realize at first this will be hard. But if I can get over that mentality about the starving kids in China (or where ever it was my parents always told me) then I can teach myself to toss out what I'm not truly hungry for and not feel guilty. I'd rather the trash man gets it than my hips.

I've also decided that since the exercise part is coming along slowly - I need to rewrite this challenge - lest in my all or nothing mode I give up. So for now that challenge has been revamped to incorporate movement whenever I can. This translates to:

• park farther way


• take the stairs


• lift weights during commercials or run in place

You get the drift. The important thing here is to stick with changes I can live with. Eventually I'll get the routine exercise thing going again. Maybe when I have a job again I can join the YMCA or take some evening exercise classes at our local schools.

Speaking of which - not sure I mentioned that the interview I had last Wednesday flopped. The one Monday is different. Say a prayer for me on this one.

Ciao and happy weekend!

T.G.I.F.

It's Friday already! And so far it's been a good day. I got called for an interview next Monday in the district I do most of my subbing in. It's part time job - teaching art to elementary kids. We're talking very part time. If I got it - I could do per-diem subbing on the days I'm not working - or get a part time job somewhere else. No health insurance coverage (which stinks as hubby is self employed and we pay out of our pocket now... $733/month for two people which will increase to $1685 in March when COBRA runs out.) I'm sorry folks...something's wrong with the health care system here in the U.S. That equates to over $20,000 per year just to have health coverage. What's left over to live on?

Don't get me going!

Okay - so I said this was a good day so far - and it is! I have the interview (better than nothin' right?) and my sister & her hubby got the cottage on our lake! The owners threw just about everything but the kitchen sink (oh wait - the kitchen sink is included too!) into the deal! We're talking ALL the furniture which was purchased brand spanking new 6 years ago...all the deck furniture (which is that top of the line stuff that looks like a living room out doors)...the motor boat, the canoe, a paddle boat, a stainless gas grill...and too much more stuff to mention!

My sister is SO lucky and I am so happy she'll be on our lake! (the pic is looking at her new digs from the road. Directly across the lake to the right of the boat....and behind the tree...is our place. We can shout across the lake to each other....ride over in the boat in 2 minutes or walk in about 15. Way cool!)

Here's a little background....our husband's were best friends before we met either of them. Sis & I lived in the apartment across the street from them back in the day. History played itself out and we ended up marrying them. We did everything together as couples and when we bought our place (back in 1999) our dream was that they would buy a place too.

But life has a way of interrupting our best laid plans. Sis & her husband ended up getting a divorce. Long messy story...it put a real strain on the relationship since our hubs were best buds. She moved on, met a nice guy and married him. Still, things were never the same.

Second part of the saga... shortly after we bought our cottage, hubby found out he had cancer. 2 1/2 years later - he was gone and I was left with a place on the lake - alone. Not the dream I'd intended.

Eventually I remarried and sis & I ever so slowly started putting our relationship back together again. Seriously - it wasn't until this past weekend that she came to the lake - that things finally felt like they used to. And totally unplanned - totally by a fluke (or perhaps the hand of God) she sees this cottage for sale (that didn't even have a for sale sign....hubby happened upon it on the Internet that day while looking for boats) and the next thing you know - she drags her husband down and they call the realtor and bingo - it's theirs!

So now the dream can continue!

Another reason this is good day (besides being Friday and all) is because the weather is great - warm - sunny - breezy - summery! And nothing puts me in a better mood than a day like that!

On the challenge front - things are good. I'm not doing that well on the exercise part - but I'm sticking to the rest pretty well and holding steady at the 7 pound loss. Haven't graced the drive though (or doors) of a FF place and don't even miss it! Drinking the water and missing that when I don't. Lots of veggies with the garden finally ready to harvest! Small plate....some of the time - but getting used to smaller portions. I haven't even really been too conscious of what I eat...aside from just eating less and getting more fruits & veggies. Yet still...I'm losing. Slowly. But I'm losing.

My challenges in the weeks to come will focus more on the foods.

Hope y'all have great plans for this wonderful weekend!

Who Will Get The Prize?

Allrighty! I did this fair and square. Assigned a number to each person who commented and then tossed the numbers n a hat. (well...actually it was a bowl.) Then I had my daughter pick one.

And the winner is...drum roll please.....Patti from attitude is everything!

So Patti, if you'll e-mail your address to me at this address: lorellen@rochester.rr.com, your stopwatch will be on the way! I'll also include the Couch 2 5k program basics.

Thanks guys, not only for commenting to let me know you're there (we all like that, right?) but also for the kind words , encouragement and prayers you sent my way this week.

Back Home Finally!

As usual, we decided to spend an extra day at the lake. I returned home late last night. I'll be going over the comments from last week - put the names in a hat and pick the winner of the stop watch later today!

Our weekend was fabulous! My sister came a day early with her son and it was the perfect way for him to be with family and spend some quiet time before leaving for Teen Challenge on Monday. I have great confidence that this will be exactly what he needs.

My niece & her hubby were traveling back from a trip to Nova Scotia and also decided to drop by and spend a few nights. We had a full house all weekend (13 of us in a tiny cottage) but it was wonderful and I was sorry to see it end!

While there - my sis happened to spot a cottage that was for sale across the lake (our lake is small - so across the lake means we could shout to one another from our docks). She brought her hubby back - and they put a purchase offer in on it last night! I am so excited that she could actually have a cottage on our lake! That was the dream late hubby & I had years ago when we bought the place.

I must confess that I was not too good at following my challenge while away. I did do the exercise part (knew I would there!) but not so good at the water part. I forgot my case of bottled water and don't care for the taste of the well water there. I drank a lot of crystal light...not sure if that counts.... I didn't use a smaller plate - but I think I did okay on my portion sizes. Not much fruit though. But lots of veggies. Sounds not so bad, right? But there were tons of baked goods and I helped myself more frequently than I should have. Yet still, surprisingly I didn't gain anything. I'm down 7 pounds since I started so I guess I'm actually doing something right.

I didn't start a new challenge for this week because I was at the lake and frankly didn't give it much thought. I think I'll spend the rest of this week getting back on track with he water and fruit and begin a new challenge next Sunday.

One tidbit of encouragement that made my weekend (!) Two people asked if I was losing weight. Both said my butt looked smaller. Yeah! My shorts are feeling looser than they have all summer. 7 pounds isn't a whole lot - but hearing those comments has made me feel more committed than ever now!

Hope you all had a great weekend - stop back to find out who the winner is later too!