Girl Gourmet for WLS

My sister is considering this for my daughter as a Christmas present. After seeing the video I think we should try to make it work for us using Eggface's 5 minute protein cake. I think I would need a frosting replacement too.
Whadda Ya think??



Check out a few of her recipes-
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/11/more-5-minute-cake.html

Berry's bags continued

One more go at the Berry Bags.

I have tried this before and paid Ebay without making a sale but what the hell.

I am hoping someone will need a Christmas gift in the shape of a bingo bag, Ladies, anyone.....

So check me out-

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250334542368&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123

Money, Money, Money

I am preparing for my second meeting with Housing Assistance Corp. on Monday. I have to show up with my undies all out in the open. How much money do you make, how much do you spend and how much do you save?!?!? Bahahahah-Save? Yeah ok. My savings account is like a sieve the money comes out as fast as it goes in.

I am hoping a fairy flies in at this meeting and waves her wand to make everything all better. I know you are probably waiting for the same fairy to fix everything for you too but I am first in line ok??

Wish me luck

Pictures with Santa

We attempted to have our pictures taken with Santa today. I usually go to Mahoney's Garden center because the set up is pretty with real pointsetta and a friendly real photographer not just some guy making $8/hr.

Anyway as usual we are super excited until Santa comes out and we are now gripped to Mom's leg. So of course I am now in the picture again. He took it at the exact second that Ava stopped crying into my shoulder and I blinked. So much for a Christmas card picture. If I can find a way to scan it I will share the laugh with you.

We did meet Bonnie and Carlie there and spent a long time walking around and seeing all the decorated Christmas Trees and the live animals outside. We walked all the paths thru Christmas trees outside and we got the bug so we called Daddy and asked when we could get our tree.

Maybe next weekend. Next weekend is a big one for us. The Christmas tree lighting at the village green in Saturday night and the Falmouth Christmas Parade on Sunday which we are in this year. Much excitement when Santa comes into the harbor on a boat Saturday morning too.

I am a bit partial as it is my town but I think they do a great job.

Oh and this is a picture of a picture but you get the idea......

Thanksgiving 2008

This was probably the best part of the day. While I was mashing and carving Olivia set the whole table and made the place cards. We usually don't go that formal but she had specific seats for everyone and hell if you don't do what she says.
The meal was good but not as good as my memories. 1Tbsp servings were not what I remembered.
So a turkey wings and 1 T Cornbread, mashed and corn is all I had before I was stuffed. I did have a couple slices of pie with no ill effects and for dinner 2 stuffed mushroom caps that I had missed earlier in the day.
All in all it was a good day. My sisters and Mom were with me for Thanksgiving and that was awesome.
Now 4 freakin' weeks to get Christmas together.

Gooble, Gooble

Are you ready???

Tomorrow is like the decathalon of cooking events or at least in my house. After a doctors appointment and a quick x-ray of the broken finger ( which is healing fine thank you very much) we headed out to Stop and Shop for some goods.

$281.57 later I wheeled my 18 wheeler of food to the car.

I got tied up while picking up my daughter - catching up with my good friend who I do NOT see enough of. So when I got home I only got 1 pie and the corn bread for stuffing baked. The pie is a gift so not even for our dinner.

Half the fun is producing all of this food from scratch for the most part all in time for dinner by 2pm.

Tomorrows menu so far-

15 lb Turkey

corn bread stuffing

gravy

mashed potatoes

sweet potatoes

corn

broccoli casserole

green bean casserole

creamed onions

rolls

cranberry sauce

homemade apple pie.....

That might be it - that doesn't seem that bad. Wait I just had to go back and add 2 more things. Ok it is a little bad. I think I will start my day with a click shake so I can start on a good note. I expect to be sliding down quickly after that.

What are you having??

Adam Sandler - The Thanksgiving Song (with lyrics)

Santa are you listening?????

BTW I am a Size 10 in case you forgot.

Happy Thanksgiving

1st day on the new eating

I may start wearing one of these so I can snap it when I want to eat. Better yet I may just start smacking myself in the forehead, I don't know yet.
I am attempting to eat as suggested by the nutritionist and she wants me to eat every 3 hrs to maintain my sugar. She also thinks I need more carbs in my life. Boy is she wrong there-the last thing I need is more carbs in my life. I think she means more mixed meals including carbs. I have not figured it all out yet. I brought all my post operative paperwork tonight to re-read because some of the things she asked and I said NO I can't do that-I can't remember why I just know I shouldn't , like avoiding bread, pasta,ect. So I am working on adding carbs but the ones I feel comfortable with like veggies, fruit and a few whole wheat things. I actually ate oatmeal for breakfast.
I guess I am not aware of what I eat because I am hungry although I have eaten every 3 hrs today. I made some more mini quiches and boiled some eggs and of course I will have 10,000 lbs of turkey in just a few days to get all the protein I need.
1 important thing- I need a digital scale. The cheap one I have isn't cutting it. Today I put what I think is about 2 oz of steak on it and it actually went backwards. F it I am calling it 2 oz.
The time thing may be more of what I need - it is black or white no fudging.
So it is currently 6:25pm and I am off the fridge watch until 9:30 - Can I make it??

Meeting with the diabetic nutritionist

Friday I had my first appointment with a diabetic nutritionist - she is supposed to be helping me regulate what I think is reactive hypoglycemia.

Short version is I eat a sugary or high fat/carb food and 90 minutes latter my sugar reading drops to between 30-50. Now i just eat all day as many of you has seen. I do this mostly without thinking. When I have tried to cut down on my eating and longer periods of time occur between meals or snacks I tend to have more reactions. When I just nosh all day I am able to balance my sugar but pack on pounds.

So that is fantastic. I had Gastric Bypass Surgery and am back to putting on weight. The funny thing is I am angry about it. I hate myself for the smallest weight gain and that only leads to more chocolate. It is a revolving shit storm.

She wants me to food diary for 2 weeks so be ready for alot of blah,blah,blah about what I have been eating. I need to try to eat every 3 hrs to keep the sugar balanced but a decent balance of carb and protein. I feel more and more confused about what I am supposed to do after GBS. I am losing the basics I thought I was supposed to do. She says add more carbs but I am a carb addict so this seems counterproductive for me.

I am going to give it a whirl by planning out the next few days. She says she hopes we can manage this with food.

I am still looking into the difference between Dumping and Reactive Hypoglycemia as she says the food diary will help us determine which I truely have. Reading explanations of both sounds like they are the same thing.

I'm Done

I sat in a freezing cold room with no heat and sold 2 bags today at a craft fair. After paying $35 to be in it and donating a bag I basically lost money-not to mention one of the people running the show walked around drinking a beer ?? I am not sure why I thought this was a good idea. I am so tired of feeling let down. I guess that comes from expecting too much, I should lower my standards.

I stopped at a new craft store to see if they were interested in selling some bags on consignment and the owner makes them herself and sells them for $25. I am asking $20 but it doesn't matter.

I am so frustrated and like I have time to waste or money to spare.

Berry's Bags is closed.

Scratch and Sniff

We have sunken to an all time low.

The Sexiest Man Alive issue is out complete with scratch and sniff so here I sit on my couch sniffing and nuzzling the neck of Michael Phelps.

Do you want to sniff a sexy man? Check it out this week.

I am back to see who else I can sniff.

I know, I know ....There is medication for people like me but I like the crazy better.

Fall Fun

I think all I have done this week is whine about my finger- Boo Hoo! I am over it let's move on.

What else have we done? We raked most of the leaves up which gave us some fun in the pile. We left about a quarter of the yard leaved to make some scarecrows so hopefully we will have some to post after the weekend as long as it doesn't rain again. It has been butt a$$ cold so if anything it may be more snow.

I am posting some Fall fun but actually it feels like January this week. We had to break out the hat and glove basket and see what we have. Olivia and I are on the hunt for a winter jacket tomorrow as she has grown out of everything.

We also have been thinking warm food and cranking up the wood stove. This week I tried to make a treat we made as a kid with my Step dad called Monkey Bread. Unfortunately the rolls didn't rise well and I made it from memory so I might have missed something. We will be making it again after I find the correct recipe. Something about cold weather and warm cinnamon bread.

It is Broke!!

I decided after the finger grew larger and bluer(is that a word?) I would stop in the doctor's office and show off my new appendage.
She promptly sent me to the ER for an x-ray. I didn't expect to hear anything and I still don't think they are going to do anything but tape the crap out of it but she has confirmed it has a fracture and now I have to go to an Ortho. So I can pay more to a specialist to tape it to my pinkie.
The good news is I am a spectacular 2 finger typer!!

Light at the end of the tunnel

And the $4 per gallon was a supply and demand thing. RIGHTTTTT!!!!!

Want an update on my crappy life??

Today a volunteer from the Boxer Buddies came to my house to meet Caleb. They will soon find him a foster home and post him on their website. He will hopefully be better matched with someone that has the energy for him. I do not.

While he is meeting her dog(she brought 2 - a male and female)they first play a bit then go ape shit and start to fight. We separated them and when they approached each other again he takes off and screws my finger up while ripping his leash out of my hand.

It is now a swollen blue sausage and hurts like a mother! Thanks.

She then tries with the female and the same love fest happens with spit and dogs hair flying. I am worried this isn't going to be good. She says no problem and puts her dog back in the car. I am kind of thinking bringing another dog into his yard wasn't cool with him and he was a bit pissed.

Anyway I am icing my finger and explaining to my 5 year old how he needs a new home, blah,blah,sob, blah.....

Next I am meeting with Housing Assistance Corp on Tuesday to bare my soul and checkbook in an effort to keep my house. I don't know what can be done but I am up for any and all options. We are currently NOT for sale but it may come back to that if we can't find relief.

I need a sugar daddy!

Craft Fair at the Hyannis Elks Lodge

Holiday Craft Fair


Nov. 22 10-3:30

Hyannis Elks Lodge
852 Bearses Way, Hyannis

Many Local Crafters & Baked Goods,
Supervised Childrens Activity Area, Delicious Food & Drink, Wonderful Raffle Prizes
Autographed Goodies and a visit from Elroy the Elk

Fun for the whole family
Bring your camera and spend the
day

All proceeds benefit the Youth Activities Committee Charitable Giving Programs

I will be there selling my Berry's bags so come and say Hi!

Ho, ho, ho...

Last night a friend and I went out to use a 20% coupon for Christmas Tree Shop. I don't know what she was looking for but she was trying to be on her best behavior. Me...Not so much.
I spent $100 - 20% = $80 so off we go on the Christmas spend a thon.
I did get a bunch of stocking stuffers and a few presents so I am Ok with my $$ spent.
I also hit Toys R Us and left only spending $20- How I am not sure.
I feel like it is too early to be having this much Christmas talk but I am poor. I need to budget my pennies out.
The good news is I am scraping together my time off for some Holiday plans that I do every year. They have become family traditions. We may not have "stuff" but we have things we "do".
December 6th - Christmas Tree lighting on the Village green.
December 7th - Falmouth Christmas Parade

Got any good Holiday plans??

This + This = Smoke detectors

In New England it is a beautiful but Fall day so I decide to save some oil and start a fire in the wood stove. Shortly after I notice a smell but I chalk it up to the cardboard I threw in and think it may have had a piece of plastic on it.

Oh No.....

The devil above has put some type of plastic item in the vent of the stove and it is now melted and smoking. The stove has an electric fan that kicks on when it reaches a certain temperature so now the smoke and smell is pumped all thru the house-GREAT-and smoke detectors are going off. I had to use a fireplace tool to scrape out some mystery blue goo melted inside the vent.

Good Morning!

Now I have all the upstairs windows open to air it out and to enjoy the chilly Fall day. So much for a toasty fire.

2 words people - birth control!!

7 Signs you have a Work Spouse

A work spouse is a co-worker of the opposite sex with whom you have a close platonic relationship. In many ways, these relationships can mirror a real marriage.
According to a 2007 survey from Vault.com, a career information Web site, 23 percent of workers reported that they had a work spouse.
Do you have a work spouse?
Here are seven clear signs you might have a work spouse:
1. You depend on a particular co-worker for office supplies, snacks and aspirin.
2. There are inside jokes that you and a specific co-worker share.
3. You can be bluntly honest with this person about his or her appearance, hygiene or hair (and vice versa). You're comfortable enough to point out that the other's hair is sticking up -- or that someone's fly is down.
4. When something eventful happens at work, this co-worker is the first person you seek out for a de-briefing.
5. At breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks, your closest co-worker knows what to order for you and how you like your coffee (and vice versa).
6. You and your co-worker can finish each other's sentences.
7. Someone in your office knows almost as much about your personal life as your best friend or real-life spouse does.
Pluses and minuses of a work-spouse relationship
There are great benefits to having a close relationship with a co-worker. Among the benefits of a work spouse:
• You have a friend who provides emotional support at work during challenging times. During times of stress at home or at work, you have a built-in support system.
• Work spouses often complement each other in terms of skills, abilities and their approaches to work. The two of you can make a very productive team.
• Having a trustworthy co-conspirator for those occasional workplace escapades (and juicy gossip) can be beneficial, and often acts as a way to release work-related stress.
The possible pitfalls of a work spouse may include:
• The relationship between you and your "spouse" might be misinterpreted by other co-workers as a clique. If others feel excluded, it may be a catalyst for personal or professional disagreements.
• If the relationship goes sour, it can have a negative impact on you, your "ex" and your team as a whole.
• If your real spouse becomes aware of their counterpart, it can create issues in your real-life marriage.
Managing the work spouse relationship
Here are some tips on how best to keep everyone, including your work spouse, happy on the job:
Keep the lines of communication open. Make sure that other co-workers are not feeling shut out by the perception that you and your work spouse are an exclusive clique of two. If you are working on a project together that also involves the team, be sure to reach out to everyone for feedback and suggestions.
Avoid crossing boundaries. It's great to have a support system and a close confidante, but be sure to set boundaries for how much to share with your office mate. More importantly, honor those boundaries. If the relationship becomes antagonistic or is too close for comfort, let your work spouse know you need a little space.
Lighten the mood. If your life at home and at work is filled with complications, bringing a co-worker into the middle of those issues may not be beneficial for you. You should aim to keep the mood light and happy with your work spouse. You'll look forward to enjoying gossip, taking breaks and being able to relax with a friend without any concerns or complications.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/11/10/cb.seven.signs.work.spouse/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular

Thanksgiving vs Christmas

As you may know I am headed home from work late and in the super dark of night. Last night I come across a few things of interest. The first ....A giant inflatable Turkey.

Perfect in my eyes as when I was growing up we weren't even allowed to talk Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Now that seems kind of silly as you basically need to start shopping at the After Christmas sales for next year to be able to afford gifts but I do try to keep to this tradition as much as I can. We don't really have any turkey decorations except for the hand print ones from the kids so we keep our Fall leaves and not rotten pumpkins out.

Maybe it is because we are a semi-round family or that we never had huge amounts of money but Thanksgiving was always a big holiday for us. My mom would say it was her favorite because it was more about getting the family together for a meal. We always had 12 billion people and 12 billion side dishes and we cooked it all from scratch. 1 year my Mom invited a nun from work and she brought mimeographed sheets and ordered us to sing grace before our meal.

So the plan is Wednesday we cook pie, bread and desserts. Thursday is the big thing with a HUMUNGO turkey going in the oven at the butt ass crack o'dawn. We work all day making veggies and cheese sauce, potatoes, rolls, homemade cranberry sauce and gravy....Ok I am starving now. Anyway we do it all as a family and usually leave the non-cookers screaming at the TV in the living room. Fun is had by all.

Since getting married we would go to the in-laws because my Mom lived 2 hrs away. Now she lives here as do my sisters so we started to do it on a rotation and the good news is-This is my year folks. Why I am so excited is beyond me. I can pretty much eat zero pie or bread but it is the act of cooking for my family. I should put this to better use and volunteer somewhere but I think the feeling would be lost while mashing 1500 lbs of potatoes.

Anyway our tradition is if you have no where to go you come to our house. Anyone??

Now this is my second WOW!! Shortly after the turkey I see a house all decked out in full lights. Huh?? Not only is this against my moral code but I am also thinking -How the hell can you afford that all the way until December 25th?? I certainly can't. My decoration may not go up until December 23 if things don't start to look up. I may be explaining the candles in my home to the kids as an old Celtic tradition- LOL!

So gooble, gooble and let me know if I can cook something for you.

My new toy

After our date last night we could not help but hit Target. You know how sexy a Target store can be.
Anyway my sweet husband bought me a new muffin pan after I scrubbed the old one for 2 days. When we got home I promptly threw the only egg stuck one in the trash.
This is a Wilton pan and it is non-stick so a baking we will go.
For our date we went to Longhorn Steak house. Boy somedays I wish I didn't have this small pouch because I would have loved to eat the whole steak. The good news is I can have the leftovers tonight so I am a 2 for 1 girl. The steaks were kind of expensive but well worth it. I will be back-Yummo!!

http://www.longhornsteakhouse.com/

I've got a date tonight!!!

Thanks to various friends and family we have collected quite a few gift cards to various restaurants. Tonight we are going to shuffle them up and pull one out-That is where we will go.

It will not be a place with a drive thru or pizza so I can't wait. I may even wear a dress-Oh my!!

2 or 3 Birthday parties this weekend so I will be packing some legal foods like a bag lady when I travel to our friend's houses. I am down 2 lbs this week and want to at least hold my own until Monday-LOL!

Eggy's Bites

After my return I have been trying really hard to continue eating well and real food. Yesterday I attempted to make some of Eggface's Bites. They are like a mini crustless quiche baked in mini muffin tins.

The first picture isn't great but they puffed up and looked fantastic.

And then.....

I tried to get them out. Cheap A$$ pan!!! I oiled the pan like the directions suggest but that is NOT a non-stick pan. Needless to say I still can't get the egg out. I have been washing and resoaking since yesterday-UGH!

More importantly they are awesome. I made them with egg,cheese,ham,onion and mushroom. I ended up just scooping them out with a metal spoon and bagging them in 4's. I am not sure what the nutrition info is yet but I am goining to try to get it from fitday or daily plate.

They were easy to make and I have a good solid breakfast that didn't come from a box.

Ruby

During our travels Beth and I came across an advertisement about a new show on Style Network called "Ruby". I am not sure if it available to all-It looks like I may get this channel at home but will be at work.

It is the story of a 500 lb woman and how she lives day to day. For my readers that are overweight it seems like there will be a lot of nodding as we agree with how difficult it is to live in a "normal" world. The most memorable thing I read and immediately could identify with was the issue of seating. I was always afraid to go someplace with fixed seating like a theatre or show. We loved the Blue man Group but I think they forgot to measure the persons other leg when they planned the seat size.

When we saw the ad it was a little vague as if it may lead to some type of weight loss surgery but after checking out the site I am not sure that is the case.

So if you have the channel I would say check it out. Sunday nights at 8pm on the Style Network.

http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows/ruby/index.jsp

Back from LA with stories to tell

My Costume with Boots Thanks to Cheryl !!The woman that made this trip possible for me deserves a huge Thanks.

A new friend from Miami- Sarah.

Michelle the Scarecrow who taught me to love tequila.

I don't even know where to begin. I invested a lot into this trip. Not just the need to get back to my Gastric Bypass roots but just the fact that I needed a bit of my own time and space. I filled that space with some fantastic and crazy people and it turned out to be one of the best trips of my life.

I feel like this may turn into a rambling so bare with me. I will just tell you about the stuff we did and maybe we will get back to the heart and soul stuff later.

We arrived on Thursday night which gave us all day Friday to see a few things before the Halloween party(hence the costumes above). A few of us jumped in a cab and took it to The Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. There were almost too many things to see so why not check out some of the diversity. We went from the Coach store to a cheap tattoo parlor in a matter of 10 minutes walking but I have to admit both places had some nice people. I never really met a rude person .... Oh wait until the Philly Airport but that's for later. We shopped at some interesting places, got pierced, got lunch and were back in a cab. It all was too short.

The party took place outside in a Japanese Garden under paper lanterns. The wall photos became our way of being a bit Hollywood I guess so we all had to pose a bit. I needed some shots to bring home to Mr. FB. How many times have any of you seen me in anything that wasn't kid friendly?

The next 2 days allowed for the kick in the pants I needed. The food offered was great and I got to see how other post-ops lived. Some better than others but we each have to figure this crazy eating thing out for ourselves. I got to enjoy food again instead of eating protein bars 10 times a day-unfortunately I also found Starbucks and Tequila but that was not all bad.

Monday was a day of travel again. Due to the time change back to EST the flight seemed to last forever. We left at 11am but didn't land in Philly until 7:28. Not good when your next plane leaves at 7:30. We ran as fast as we could to be greeted by a smiling but sarcastic airline employee that told us we would have appreciated the plane leaving on time if we were on it- Gee Thanks. She was able to get us on the next flight out leaving in about 15 minutes but....It was 42,000 miles away in terminal A so off we ran AGAIN. Luckily their flight crew was also late so we were all set and into Boston by 9:30pm.

We dropped off Melting at her Hollywood East estate and were home to unload the dirty clothes around Midnight- YAWN!!!!!

I have only a few pictures myself but there are hundreds to be seen at Mm's site so check it out.

Follow the link-http://www.flickr.com/photos/meltingmama/sets/72157608550688928/

Be home soon

I am alive and have too much to write about so I may be posting multiple times over the next few days with more stories as I remember them.
A few photos can be seen at Meltingmama.net but there are about 200 more to come.
We currently are not under arrest, in the care of a psychiatric facility or in a rehab but we have 12 more hours and are meeting people in the bar right now.


P.s. I love Petrone.