Loni's Life

I'm not fond of this move by CBS to Wednesday night.. but I still enjoy the show and still get together with Mama and the Girls to watch on the new night.  Interesting twists so far this season include the young vs. old; changes to the clues for the immunity idol; and the Medallion of Power.   After 2-weeks, the tribes are even at minus 1 per tribe. My first impressions so far: Young Tribe/La Flor Alina - Very pretty gal, think she will fly under the radar. Benry - Who? Brenda - Cute & Conniving Chase- Totally Clueless Jud aka Fabio - Not sure where his head is in the game; comes off as a bit Naive Kelly B - Totally Underestimated... just because she has 1 leg. Kelly S/Purple Kelly - Strikes me as girly girl; what is she doing in the jungle NaOnka- Probably next to go because she has too much attitude; too much mouth; and is rubbing people the wrong way. Sash - Will play as many sides of the fence as he can for as long as he can Shannon - ...

BFF and I are road-tripping to Austin this weekend for the Trek Tri. Normally, I don't bring Jenny Craig along on the road; but after the past month of staying on track and seeing results, I've invited her to go along and will be packing Jenny portables to go with including 3 JC Anytime Bars, 11 fruit servings, Bread & Peanut butter, 1 JC Toffee Cookies, 1 JC Smores bar; 1 JC Tuna Salad Kit, 1 JC Chicken Salad kit, and along the way we'll pick up some skim milk or yogurt. Road trip meals in the past have been pretty much 'anything goes' because I chose to leave Jenny at home. Instead this trip, the plan is Sat/Travel Day Breakfast at home - JC Breakfast Scramble, fruit, milk AM Snack- JC Anytime Bar & fruit Lunch- JC Chicken Salad kit, tossed salad, fruit PM Snack - 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, fruit Dinner- Out/TBD - Light pasta meal PMSnack/dessert JC Toffee Cookies, milk Sun/Event Day Breakfast- Event Day Standard - Egg sandwich, hashbrow...

I've been back at Jenny Craig since mid-July and really following the food plan and tracking my weight since the end of August... so from the end of August (an all-time high on the JC scale) until the end of September, I'm happy to report I'm 8.6 pounds lighter, woohoo!     I've been really working at the food part of the plan with planning my menus; being able to reconfigure for some meals out; being able to reconfigure on the fly when needed because that's how life works.   I've also worked on rewarding myself (pedicure in Austin this weekend), a new knitting magazine, and some uninterrupted knitting time. Now, to focus on very consistent exercise... I've been aiming for 2-2-2 for 2 swim workouts, 2 bike workouts, 2 trek workouts... and some weeks it's more like 2-2-0, 1-1-1, 1-2-0 and so forth... so now my new aim is 30minutes of whichever activity at least 5 days per week...  I think October should be a pretty good exercise month since there...

Here is the cutie!  Have a terrific week!!!

The Late Night Stampers Royal Blog Tour is coming November 5th thru 8th and I have been lucky enough to be selected as one of the Princesses on the tour. You can read my LNS Intro here .

The movie only got so-so reviews....but I enjoyed it.

Last night Mama C and Auntie J joined BFF and me on a Girl's Night out to The Melting Pot.   I've always wanted to try The Melting Pot, but just had never made it there and figured it would be a bit fru-fitty for my hubby plus I wanted to share the experience with my BFF.  Since her WLS is in less than 3 weeks, figured now would be the time to do it or forego sharing the experience with her. So many choices to make: Wine - BFF and Auntie J split a bottle of white wine; Cheese fondue; Salad; Cooking style for the entree; the entree; and then dessert. We lucked out and had 2 cooktops at our table so that we could have a little mix and match going.  We selected a Spinach Artichoke fondue and the Cheddar Cheese fondue.   The server must have captured our request wrong as we ended up with a Swiss fondue and a Cheddar fondue.  Cheese dippers were chopped green apples, bread squares- rosemary, French and honey wheat, and veggies- broccoli, carrots, ...

I've had another good Jenny Craig week so far... I've been keeping my food chart for 3 weeks so far and have the one for next week ready to discuss with my JC counselor on Monday.   I've even planned in for the roadtrip to Austin that BFF and I will be making at the end of next week.   It's been an effort to be sure to pack my lunch and snacks; get the healthy stuff at the grocery store i.e. fruits and veggies.. and to eat on schedule as well.. .but I'm doing good and closing in on ten pounds down.. woohoo! Tomorrow night I'm going for a Girl's Night Out to The Melting Pot .. so I've been really good all week at following my JC plan knowing that I'm going to splurge tomorrow night.   Now off to grab my closing treat for tonight some JC Cookies & Cream cheesecake and a cup of skim milk.. I better pour some extra for Mocha or she will stalk my milk cup when I am not watching.

A nice tool from The Family Minute Three Wishes I had already done a similar exercise after I read Debbie Macomber's Twenty Wishes.. but it's been a while since I've updated this list... and I've actually completed a few more wishes! 1. Take a cake decorating class--; plan to do this as soon as BFF gets finished with her audit certifications and we can go do playtime in cake decorating class 2. Knit an afghan for someone I love ~ Completed Christmas 2008 for Mamma C 3. Take a ballroom dance class 4. Learn how to line dance 5. Learn to play piano 6. Go skydiving 7. Go to Australia and climb the Sydney Harbor bridge 8. Take an Alaskan Cruise --> Planning for 2012!!! 9. Take an ice skating class 10. Complete the DFW MS150 2-day event; changing to a TDC 2-day - or a Biking Vacation type adventure. 11. Knit an adult-sized sweater 12. Go on a $1000 clothes shopping spree 13. Swim or dive with dolphins -- Completed Jan 2010, Big Island, Hawaii-...

Happy Mocha Monday... this morning the pretty girl wanted to perch in the bathtub.  Calgon take me away!

19 eligible comments and Random.Org selected Lucky #13 ~ congratulations on winning my Blog Candy/Glitter Brads-Basics! Stamper Shirley said Loni, what a cute card! Your color combo is great - such rich colors - and the web embossing makes the card! And using punches always makes me happy! Thank you for all your hard work to get this blog hop on the calendar - looking forward to next month. Hugs, Sassy Shirley

I've had one of the best eating-on-plan weeks even handling a few variations quite well.. we'll see what the scale says later.. but for now I am really proud of myself for following this so diligently.. now to get some more cardio in this week as last week was a lazy week with only 2 walking days. Each day I had either my planned Jenny Craig meals -or- my planned Meal on My Own Meals which were limited. "Meal on my Own" Options Tue night we had El Grande Burrito where I had a Chicken and Cheese quesadilla, sour cream, refried beans, and corn chips. Wed night for the Survivor watch party we had Rotisserie chicken, green beans, corn/cheese cornbread Sun night I went with Mama and our Undergrad student to Discover UTD and I had some cucumber slices, green beans, mashed potatoes, pasta, and just 2 little nibbles of chocolate brownie and chocolate chip bar... because I knew we would be stopping at Beth Marie's for ice cream where I had 1 scoop not 2.. in a bow...

If you came from Fancy Nancy Kay  , then welcome to Loni's Life and the last stop on the SU Stars Inaugural Blog Hop.    If you happen to be one of my friends and family popping in to see what I am doing, then feel free to continue on to the SU Stars home page  and continue onward to see 17 more Autumn and Halloween projects. Stamps: Batty For You, Teeny Tiny Wishes Ink: Poppy Parade, Concord Crush Paper: Concord Crush, Poppy Parade, Whisper White Accessories: Stampin' Write Marker- Concord Crush; Big Shot; Textured Impressions Spider Web embossing folder, Scallop circle punch, 1 3/4 circle punch, 1inch circle punch, word window punch, modern label punch, paper piercer and mat pack, Glimmer Brads - In Colors (Concord Crush), Poppy Parade ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals. Thanks for hopping with the SUStars... we hope to bring you a new Hop to spark your creativity! Please leave a comment by 10pm Central time Sunday, Sept 19th for a chance to win some Blog C...

.... About me... This week we started a 5-week series on Body Image... we had to come up with a list of 10 things we like about ourselves... Loyal Trustworthy My hair My smile A generous spirit Wilingness to help others A good friend Loving Athletic A nice tan :) Hard-working Adventurous spirit We also have this thought to keep with us: We have skills, talents, personalities, brains and hearts and that's what makes us unique.   Each one of us is different, each one of us is special, and that's where we need to start.

Ok, maybe better variety of colors for today's lunch plate... JC turkey burger, broccoli with cheese sauce, canteloupe, sugar-free cherry jello and water

I am really working at sticking to my JC plan...and while I normally just eat out of the containers rather than present on a plate...I gave this TOPS exercise a try. This was today's lunch- a JC tuna salad kit (tuna salad, six crackers, and peaches), plus one cup salad, plus an additional fruit-pears.  With 16oz of water. Presentation on a plate did provide a better visual than from the containers...and helped to eliminate the wolfish mindless eating. PM snack today is half a peanut butter sandwich and an apple.

Hotter 'N' Hell Pics 2010 Edition

I've been paying attention to the recent TOPS Lesson series on Mindful Eating... and have been trying to really work at portion control along with the mindful eating.   If I find myself eating too fast, I will swap to my non-dominant hand which can be a challenge.    I am also trying to make sure that it is taking at least 20 minutes to eat including chewing my food well, putting down the utensils while chewing, really savoring the flavors of the food, and being appreciative of all it took to get from the farmer/rancher to my plate.    I've also been doing better at the JC plan since I've started pre-planning my week and really following the plan with some suitable substitutions along the way.    For example, instead of my JC dessert option and a glass of milk, I substituted 1/2 cup of ice cream.  Instead of my JC meatball stuffed sandwich, I had chicken fried rice for the same calorie count.  Trying to keep all things i...

Jail Baby Mocha Monday since Phoebe Chan is here. Happy Mocha Monday...Have a great week!!

Stamps: Word Play Ink: Marina Mist Paper: Real Red, Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Confetti White Accessories: Big Shot, Northern Flurry embossing folde. Real Red satin ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin Write Markers- Cerainly Celery, Baja Breeze

We just finished a 3-week series at TOPS on Mindful Eating.   This week's activity task was to create a list of the things for which we are grateful and then to remember to be grateful for the food/nourishment we eat each day. Here's my Gratitude List in no particular order Family including Husband, Dad, StepMom, Sibling, Grandmother, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins Friends that are really Adopted Family (you know who you are) My Cat Other friends A job that is generally enjoyable and serves my need My home Stamping Knitting Hobbies Ability to ride my bicycle and to raise money for charity Support groups like TOPS Chocolate That I live in the USA Armed Services that serve, protect, and defend Public Servants- especially Fire & Police Clean Water Access to healthcare Access to education Internet Cell Phone Libraries Art Music Dancing Parks and Recreation Centers Mother Nature Good

BFF has her weight loss surgery scheduled for Oct 14 …   and I do have worries of the dynamics this change may introduce …   A t one time we had a kind of light-hearted no-chubby-left-behind pact that if it came down to it we would do WLS together … but here it is … just as I get things back into balance for myself while training swim-bike-trek and get back on tr ac k with JC, it comes down that she is ready for WLS while I am simply am not.  Namely, I know that when I follow a modified nutrition and exercise plan in a dedicated and consistent manner, that the weight comes off … when I don ’ t, the weight hangs around.  And e ven if I were mentally prepared (which I am not), then from a pure work/schedule wise I am totally not ready either to do this on BFF ’ s schedule as I ’ m working on some bigtime Major projects.. and in this environment where layoffs are fairly common, it behooves me to have my b ootie in a chair working on these projec...

Rainy, drizzly, dreary day thanks to Tropical Storm Hermine

Not sure why; but the BFF's - both Mama's and mine - seem to think that Mama and I are just off partying or something super-duper extra-special when they are not around.   Also, I'm not sure why there is this impression that I am always at Mama's ~ even to the point this past weekend that on Sunday, my BFF asks if I spent the night at Mama's and I'm like... hmmm... No.    I am generally at Mama's on Thursdays, Saturdays, and an occasional Sunday. Thursday for Survivor night ~ which will be changing to Wednesdays for Survivor night this fall.   This night is just dinner, followed by the CBS line-up; and then a couple of games of Split or Quirkle. Saturdays aka Craft Day at Mama's - Usually everyone is doing their own thing at Mama's - Mama in quilting projects;  Auntie J in a quilting project; M into reading or studying; and I am usually knitting.  Then there is usually an opportunity for a change of pace with a ...

Good holiday weekend.. would have been nicer if Hubby had been in town.. but since he wasn't...I did the next best thing.. spend it with other family. Saturday afternoon/evening was at Mama C's for some knitting and then some games of Split with Mama while Mama and Auntie J working on their quilting projects.   I brought a new hummingbird feeder to replace a broken one and 20-pounds of birdseed mix to help feed the critters. Sunday was an early start at Mama C's for biscuit breakfast and then grilled burgers in the afternoon.   Stan joined us and provided lots of laughter opportunities as usually.   Mama's eldest was in attendance though his girlfriend was not feeling well.. and had a bit of snarkiness in him as Mama was just checking on simple things like 'Do you know what kind of chicken soup she wants?"   'Cause you know, when you're not feeling well, and you have it in your head that you want a certain something-something; t...

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it! Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself. Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both. Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity. Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them. Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your ...

Happy Labor Day 2010!

http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/2010/09/192.html Happy Labor Day weekend to all who celebrate it. And...here we go! 1. Family time is the very best! 2. Mocha likes to pace back and forth on my pillow at bedtime . 3. I love a good time with family and friends . 4. Mama C always makes a good meal. 5. I've got the Friday Happy Dance going! 6. You want what?  When? : wth!!! 7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to leaving the office until Tuesday , tomorrow my plans include knitting at Mama ’ s and Sunday, I want to prepar e for a Stampin ’ Up Shoebox Swap !

I knew I was hauling, but I just didn't know by how much... completed it in well UNDER 2-hours.. and I though I just squeeked on in.  1st into BP1 with a 19.5mph pace 16th into BP2/Shepherd AFB at a 13.1 pace Finishing strong in 11th place overall for the 25 milers with an average pace of 14.5mph!! And best yet, 1st place in my Age/Gender Bracket... woohoo!