......"And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them!  And they were so afraid ... And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all my people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord."

"And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men."

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." - Linus Van Pelt

I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas.  See you in the new year!

Faith Hill has been swirling around in my world a lot lately. Last week we had her on the Morning Show to talk about her new Christmas CD, we’ve been playing her single “A Baby Changes Everything” for several weeks now, my church’s Christmas service this year is even called “A Baby Changes Everything”. Just the other day I was reading an interview with Faith about her “Joy To The World” CD and was so impressed with her. She said as much as she loves the fun songs, like “Rudolph” and “Frosty the Snowman”, for this CD, she wanted to keep religion on this CD. Yay, Faith! She has such a powerful voice and this CD certainly showcases it beautifully!  She's keeping Christ in Christmas......

I don’t know who the webmaster is at my church, but the description for our upcoming Christmas services just sums up the season perfectly….

'One ordinary night, two thousand years ago, an extraordinary event took place – a baby changed everything for everyone for all time. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, became the perfect Son of Man, unlocking the door to heaven with His birth and throwing it wide open with his sacrificial death. In a world that is constantly shifting, it’s good to know that the wonder and mystery of that first Christmas can be reduced to one unchanging word – Love. Christmas is God loving us, calling us, waking us up - changing us from the inside out - not just on the 25th of December but every day, for the rest of our days.'

May I extend the invitation to YOU to come witness my church’s Christmas Eve service. They do it 6 times over 3 days starting this Sunday morning. Let me tell you…..CRB knows how to do a Christmas service!!  It’s all done in drama form and always packs a punch.  If you need a shot of Christmas spirit, you'll have plenty by the end of this service!!  Their doors are always open—bring friends and family, too! But get there early because the services are so popular that they become ‘standing room only’ quickly! Hope to see you there!

I've shared pictures by my friend Kellie on here before.....these I thought were just gorgeous.  Ribbon candy!

(used with permission from Kellie Fowler Photography)

I remember my Dad always HAD to have a box of ribbon candy around the house every Christmas when I was a kid.  Yet none of it ever got eaten!  I think it was just a tradition thing with him.  My Dad passed away 7 years ago.  I'm missing him a lot this Christmas. 

Ok, that is not my headline. It is actually the headline I saw splattered over most news sources today.  I remember Oprah before she lost her first 67 lbs, while she was losing it and that famous day where she wheeled out a wagon full of fat—67 lbs of it. As an overweight person I was sooooo envious of her that day. She looked hot in those jeans and I wanted to be wearing those jeans.  I thought it was cool that she wheeled out in a wagon, 67 lbs of fat to illustrate how much it was that she lost. I loved that she shared how she did it. She quickly put the weight back on. She lost it again a few years ago with the help of Bob Greene, learned to eat healthy and in healthy amounts, ran her first marathon, showed off her new washboard abs on the front of her then ‘new’ magazine. And still, as an overweight person, I was once again envious of her. She had found yet another way to do it.

Now she’s put 40 lbs back on and says she has hit 200 lbs…. and I don’t envy her one bit. Not because she’s gained the weight back, but because she is living her weight gains and losses out for the whole world to see. The fact that she gained 40lbs didn’t bother me—I didn’t care that she gained. You know what bothered me the most about her gain? That she referred to herself as a ‘fat cow’.  I know self-loathing caused by being overweight. I’ve been there and done that for waaaaaay too many years. I would look in the mirror and say some horrible things out loud to and about myself. It is the worst pit you can find yourself whirling around in. And this thought can only be thought by someone who weighs more than 200 lbs……if you, at 200 lbs, are a ‘fat cow’….what does that make me?  If I weigh 300, 400, 500 lbs…what am I?  An overweight person goes there in their head, believe me, I know.

Oprah went on vacation recently to Italy with the paparazzi in tow and they took pictures of her at every meal, eating every last bite.  Can you imagine????  And HELLO!  It was vacation. If she wanted to be free of her food restrictions for the week, she’s allowed! While I was in Ireland this summer if you photographed me you’d have a lot of pictures of a girl eating a big ol’ monster scone with fresh crèam and jam every morning for breakfast. I was on vacation and I was enjoying all the flavors, for sure! Now, when I came back a couple of pounds heavier, I did have to lose it, but it’s vay-kay! Get out of her face, please.  Nobody needs to have every bite scrutinized!

Oprah---you know what to do, girl. I know it’s a pain the butt to lose it AGAIN. If I counted every pound I’ve gained and lost in my life, it’s gotta be 500 lbs!   I shutter at the thought of gaining my weight back, so I have a 'window' of pounds that I allow myself to go up and down and I stay within it.  You HAVE to weigh yourself weekly so you know where you are!  You have to, or it soooo quickly gets out of control.  We've all been there, haven't we?   Oprah knows!  We all know.   Oprah, it is again your chance to inspire millions of people who are either losing it for the first time….or for the 3rd time. No more name calling though. You represent a lot of us overweight people (past and present). You’ll notice I say overweight—never ‘fat cow’ because we all deserve better than that self-destruction!  Go grab Bob Greene again, get back on the wagon and let's go O!!!!  We're pulling for you!!!!

Oprah has written about her weight and challenge of losing again on her website.  It's really well written and is a very good read.   She is such an honest person....check it out by clicking here.  Here's just a quote that just jumped off the page at me.

".....These days I've put myself back on my own priority list; I try to do at least one hour of exercise five or six days a week. As I work out, eat healthfully, and reorder my life so there's time to replenish my energy, I continue to do the spiritual and emotional work to conquer this battle once and for all."      Hallelujah!

Oprah's new magazine cover

!

So the father and husband here in San Diego who lost his entire family Monday when that F-18 crashed into his home, spoke for the first time yesterday.  His first words were “I’ve seen that the pilot is ok….Pray for him that he doesn’t suffer because of this”.    WOW,WOW,WOW.  I don’t know Mr. Dong Yoon and have no idea of his religious leanings or if he has any, but that is a Christian statement if I’ve heard one.  Mr. Yoon lost his wife, mother-in-law and his 2 children and his first thought is to offer peace and compassion to the pilot. I hope and pray to God I never, ever have to suffer the loss that Mr. Yoon is going through right now.  But if I ever do, I hope and pray to God that I have the same grace, compassion, love and faith to immediately go where Mr. Yoon did.  You are a good, good man, Mr. Yoon.  Bless you and may YOU have peace and healing, too.

Hey, I went to this store last night in the North County Fair mall up in Escondido. It’s the NOTW (Not Of This World) store and it has the coolest, hippest Christian clothing and accessories. If you have a cool, hip Christian on your Christmas list, go visit!  They will love whatever you buy there!!  Awesome, awesome place.

Here's a cool website for you to check out, too.  Celebrities who have been saved share their testimonies...... http://iamsecond.com/

If there was ever a Christmas CD you should have in your collection it is Lorrie Morgan’s “Christmas From London” with the New World Philharmonic. It is faaaaaaan-tastic and still one of my favorites to play while decorating or baking for the season.
We played Lorrie's version of “My Favorite Things” on the show this morning and I was thinking about some of my favorite things as Christmas….so I’ve made a ‘photo list’……

Christmas Puppies & Kitties--HELLO? What is cuter?; staring at my Christmas tree in the dark after everyone else in the house has gone to bed; the idea of a horsedrawn carriage in the snow (I've actually done this once--soooo worth it!); gingerbread cookies!!!; a Charlie Brown Christmas (on tv Monday 12/8!); poinsettias--Costco has monster poinsettia plants.  I mean HUGE!; my little Christmas Village; wrapping Christmas Gifts...I know, weird, but I LOVE wrapping!; the Christmas story......... As the song says......"These are just a few of my favorite things......."

Tis the season for Christmas parties!!!!   Whether it’s an office party, at a friend’s house or the dreaded (but delicious!) cookie exchange, there are ways to attend all of them and still keep your portions and weight in check!

***Sit as far away from the food as possible. That’ll discourage you from making many trips. Don’t face the buffet, or the table where all the food is stationed. Just looking at all that food makes you more tempted to fill your plate again and again.

***Use a salad plate. The more food on your plate, the more you’ll eat. THAT is a fact.

***Take a lap around the table once before you even pick up a plate. People who do that are seven times more likely to eat less! It allows you to scope out the better stuff first before your plate gets crowded with the bad stuff.

***Practice The Rule Of Two: You can choose anything you want from the buffet table, but you can never have more than two items on your plate. People using the rule of two rarely go back to the buffet more than twice, so they eat less than unlimited diners. This is a mental trick that really, truly works!

***Eat a salad or something else light before you go to your party. Even if it’s a sit down dinner, if you are partially full, you will eat less once you get to your destination. If it’s an ‘appetizer’ party, fill your little plate with raw veggies or fruit, olives, a couple of small cubes of cheese and a little pile of nuts.

***Eat S-L-O-W-L-Y!  Nibble your selections and make them last.  Did you know it takes your stomach 20 minutes to signal the brain that it is full?  If you wolf down your food you’ll end up over stuffed---even the good stuff has calories, so too much of a good thing can still be bad!

***Stay away from the alcohol. You body processes alcohol just like it does sugar. Ask for a mineral water with lime or lemon and fill that up as much as you’d like! If you just gotta have a drink, have a designated driver (!) have your one drink and then follow it up with that mineral water for the rest of the night. You have to stay away from eggnog. It is just loaded, loaded, loaded with huge amounts of fat and calories. One 8oz cup is almost 350 calories.

***Cookie Exchanges. These are just evil and absolutely delicious! Muster up your biggest amount of willpower so you don’t stand around that table of cookies at the party and start tasting. At the end of the party, gather your cookies that you are to bring home and either hide them in the pantry for your hubby to eat, or take them to the office the next day. You don’t want to offend or seem like the party pooper by not participating, but let’s face it, if they are sitting on your kitchen counter day in and day out, you are gonna eat them. So pass them along to others.

****Remember, the holiday's are about WHO you are celebrating them with and not WHAT you are eating.  Have fun!!!

I don't know who this doggie is, but I LOVE him! 

Thanksgiving is over. How did you do? We’re you good or did you totally fall off the weightloss wagon?  Kim, our KSON listener who is allowing us to follow her weight loss journey on the morning show, says she gained 1 lb. (Rockin' good, girl!)  I got her beat--I gained 2 1/2!  By the 2nd day of leftovers, I finally realized--I gotta STOP eating this stuff!  We threw out everything except a little bit of turkey that was left.   Two years ago between Halloween and New Years I put on 30 lbs.....so I will take my 2 1/2 lb gain, spend the next couple of weeks losing it and be happy!   That is quite an improvement, though!    If you totally blew it over Thanksgiving, DO NOT GIVE UP!   One of my favorite weight-loss gurus, Janice Taylor, send out an email yesterday that summed it up perfectly…..

“Do NOT Give Up!
I promise you that it is totally okay that you overate this weekend. After all, one weekend doth not a fat person make. This is a time to chant our mantra, ALL IS FORGIVEN, MOVE ON!   Good. Say it again ...... ALL IS FORGIVEN, MOVE ON!
That's right. This is a time to MOVE ON, get back on track,  jump back on the wagon (gracefully, please).  I know - it feels overwhelming, but if you try just one (or more) of these small steps every day, you'll be back in the saddle, losing once more in no time at all! And you'll be feeling great about yourself!

13 SMALL AND EASY STEPS THAT WILL GET YOU BACK ON THE WAGON NOW!
1. Take a Short Walk. Even if it's a five minute slow stroll around the block, get up and move your booty!
2. Whip up just one healthy recipe. It doesn't have to be fancy, just healthy. Oatmeal will do!!
3. Start your day with a healthy breakfast. It does make a HUGE difference!
4. Drink your water. Water is the holy life force. Go for 8 to 12 glasses a day.
5. If you BITE IT; you must WRITE IT. Start writing down what you eat (again).
6. Get Support. Join the Kick in the Tush Club; go to the boards
7. Scissors and Glue.  Get busy on your vision board.  Cut and paste and psych yourself up!  Include pictures of your goals and words that are meaningful to you!
8. Head to the health food section of your supermarket or the health food store and stock up on healthy!
9. Do yard work. In your yard or your neighborhood garden! There's nothing better than sticking your hands in the dirt to get grounded.
10. Listen to inspirational music. What are you favorites?
11. Eat fruits and veggies! They say that we should eat 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Imagine, just for today that you actually did just that!  Wow, what an accomplishment.
12. Slow down and savor the flavor.  I promise you, it makes all the difference. You will enjoy your food and eat much much less.
13. Crochet, sew, play cards, work on a jigsaw puzzle. Create some nighttime activity that keeps your hands busy.

If I can get back on track, YOU CAN too!
Jump on the wagon with me!!!”

I love, love, love Janice.  She says it like it is!  You can read her daily stuff by clicking here!!!  

The weather was so gorgeous this weekend after our rainstorms last week, wasn’t it?  Cassie and I went out driving this past weekend because it was soooooo warm.  We got the biggest kick out of driving around Thanksgiving weekend, with the top down, listening to Christmas music on the radio. It was beautiful!  But it made me giggle more than once. We enjoyed watching people outside putting up their Christmas lights on their houses. One man in our neighborhood was wearing his Santa hat while decorating. So cute….I noticed that most of the neighborhoods have their subdivision signs all decorated. It was just nice driving around getting in the mood. I love Christmas and everything about it. I love the shopping for gifts, the wrapping paper and bows, the hiding of gifts around the house, the food, the parties, the sparkles of all the lights and tinsel…..*sigh*…….

I do have one thing that I collect, in regards to Christmas and that is nutcrackers. A few years ago, Tanner gave me a nutcracker for Christmas. At the time, it was not anything I collected, but he was beautiful and I loved it because it came from my friend.  A few days later at a relatives house, they had their very big mantel lined with nutcrackers, big and small.  And I just couldn't stop staring at them.  That was the start.  I now have 38 nutcrackers…..uhhh......make that 40, because I bought 2 more over the weekend. I don’t spend a lot on them and they are not antiques or rare, but I just love finding one that is different than the others I have.  There is such a variety of them out there, too. The ones I found this weekend, one was a typical nutcracker soldier with 3 little nutcracker soldiers standing around his feet and the other one had the nutcracker 'king' sitting on a rocking horse. THIS has become my thing--and I offically blame Tanner.  (just kidding!)  Every Christmas I love pulling all of them out of storage and rediscovering them all over again. Do you have something Christmas-ey that you collect??

I was reading my friend Kellies’ blog this morning and she was telling the story of how she purposefully parked far away from the store she needed to shop in yesterday, in order to get some extra exercise. The walk though caused her son to complain a little about how far they had to walk. That led Kellie into a nice little life lesson with her kids about how thankful they should be that they have the working legs to do the walking.

Haven’t we all—even as adults—caught ourselves ka-vetching about something silly? I think we all get wrapped up in our own drama sometimes that we forget how good we have it. We could all be more thankful for the things we do have. Even the little things. Even when bad things happen, be thankful—‘cause they could be worse, couldn’t they?
Have you ever made a little list of the things you are grateful for? Can you list 5? 10? A fellow-blogger of mine came up with a list of 75! I LOVE THAT!

Can I make this point even bigger for you? This morning during the morning show, we got a phone call from a Dad who wanted the number to Toys for Tots because he needs to register his kids to receive toys this Christmas. I don’t know this man, but my heart just swelled with love for him and his family. Thank you, Sir, for doing what you are doing for your family. I know it takes a lot to reach out for help and today you and yours are included in my list of prayers. And if you don’t find what you need at Toys for Tots, please call us back and I’ll find you help elsewhere. What an awesome father you are.   He also made me thankful for organizations like Toys for Tots to be there for some very needy and deserving folks.

This Thanksgiving….be thankful. For everything---even the small stuff. Even when times are tight, and this year they are very tight. But still, there are soooooo many things in our lives and our world to be thankful for. Make your list and keep adding to it! I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks

to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5: 19-20

I got an email recently from a wonderful KSON listener, who we call Gran’ma Lou. Her name is Louise, but she let’s us call her ‘Lou’. She congratulated me on being baptized and wanted to know how my ‘new life’ was going…..

You see, I’ve always believed in God and the story of Jesus Christ, but never really lived as what I know now as a Christian. My weight loss of 140 lbs started on January 1, 2007 with a prayer—the first time I prayed for the strength to actually lose the weight---and it worked. As everyday passed and every pound came off, I gave thanks and the more I gave thanks, the more I felt my heart changing. It was during this same time that I found my wonderful church who introduced me to a bible I could actually read and understand. And it soooo spoke to me. Becoming a Christian is a major transformation, that usually starts on the inside. I believe God started with my outsides first and along the way, the insides changed too. He does use some creative and unique ‘vehicles’ to get into your life. And through my weight loss was how He got into mine.

I took being baptized very seriously. And making the full-on commitment to Christ has meant a lot of changes for me—I mean A LOT!  I have stepped out of my comfort zone more than once over the past year and a half which is tough for me. To give complete control of your life and every aspect of it over to God, for someone who’s somewhat of a control freak, is tough. But for every change I have made, for every decision I’ve asked guidance on and for every prayer I’ve prayed, good has come from it, so I know I’m on the right track. I love my new life. I feel happiness and contentment like I’ve never felt before. I’m being led down paths I myself would have never thought of traveling and I’m doing new, good things. I’m meeting some amazing people along the way who are teaching me new things and opening my heart to new experiences. My only regret in life now, is that this didn’t happen sooner. But as I have learned—it’s all in the timing and His timing is perfect.

Here is the picture of my baptism. I was baptized by Pastor Harry, the one who introduced me to Christ, in the Pacific Ocean, at sunset. HELLO! What could be more perfect? Only the fact that my husband got baptized with me……

I was making my Thanksgiving shopping list last night and I gotta be honest---it was making my mouth water! I don’t know if it’s the food that is so delicious, or the fact that it’s just food you only have one time a year that makes it so delectable? Why is it that we don’t have turkey more often? Have you ever tried to find a whole turkey any other time of the year besides Thanksgiving? I have and I can never find one.  Or if I do, they are outrageously priced!

ANYWAY……the point here is that Thanksgiving day is full of landmines for sending us who are watching our weight back into some bad habits. But there are some alternatives to the standard high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar dishes that we’ve indulged in in the past. Not that there is anything wrong with any of them, if you are really, really good with portion control.  But did you know the average American eats anywhere between 3000-7000 calories during the  Thanksgiving meal alone????!!!!!  That's ONE MEAL!   Clearly, portion control is not one of our strong points on this day!  So here are some suggestions on how to make your Thanksgiving a little healthier and lighter this year.  And no where am I mentioning tofu.  I just can't do a To-furkey on Thanksgiving.  I’ve collected these ideas from a variety of sources—if you have any suggestions to add—please email them to me and I’ll share them here over the next few entries!!!

Appetizers—stay away from the creamy dips!  Enjoy the raw veggies, just don’t dip.  Avoid the crackers, but have a couple of chunks of cheese.  It's high in protein!  Nuts are also a good alternative, too. Almonds, walnuts and pistachios are great healthy nuts you can enjoy.  Just don't eat the whole bowl!   Dried fruits are good too, but watch how much of those you eat—they are high in sugar. 

Entrees—Turkey IS great. Choose white meat over dark meat, which is higher in fat.  Or you could avoid the temptation and just roast a couple of turkey breasts.  Don’t eat the skin—again, high in fat. Or try a different meat this year—pork loin or salmon or shrimp on the barbie….all great choices!

Side Dishes—ahhhhhh, sweet potato casserole with brown sugar, butter and marshmallows melted all over the top. Now you KNOW you can't go there!  This year—just bake the sweet potato and add a little brown sugar for some sweetness and a TINY bit of butter (and I mean tiny!) and voila', a good for you alternative!  Instead of the full of fat and calorie green bean casserole---how ‘bout just green beans with slivered almonds and some shallots? Instead of mashed potatoes with butter and cream lighten them with just chicken broth. Or for a no-carb alternative—mashed cauliflower. Actually any veggie cooked with olive oil instead of all the butter or bacon grease is a great alternative.

Stuffing—Instead of the cornbread/bread version, make a wild rice or brown rice stuffing. With lots of veggies and broth……a much better version. Couscous is good, too.

Rolls--just have 1!  Not half the basket......(hey, I've been there)

Desserts—If you are going with pie—pumpkin, pecan or whatever—go with a one-crust pie. Much fewer calories and fat. And skip the ice cream!  A dollop of ‘light’ Kool-Whip is ok if you just gotta have something on top.  If you wanna go REALLY good, skip the pies altogether and do a fruit salad with yogurt as ‘the dressing’ or a fruit parfait, again with yogurt. I remember growing up with what’s called a ‘waldorf salad’—nuts, fruit and yogurt together. I always loved it and little did I know how healthy it was!

If you can steer away from the ‘processed’ foods all together and stay as ‘whole food’ as possible, you will be WAY ahead of the game.  Processed foods are packed full of excess fat, sugar and salt and probably a bunch of preservatives that are just horrible for you anywayl    ;  )

No matter what, though, take the time to be THANKFUL!!! For everything in your life--even the bad stuff. The bad stuff makes us stronger and you (hopefully) learn from the bad stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

I have several KSON listeners who email me on a weekly basis to share their weightloss. I am their accountability and I love that! Shellie (her name has been changed to protect the innocent!) wrote me two weeks ago to say she had lost 10 lbs in her first week!  YAY!  Last week she wrote that in week 2 she “only lost 2.4 lbs”.   I get that after a 10 lb week,  that 2 ½ doesn’t seem like a lot, but that is actually a very healthy loss after the huge loss in week 1.   But when it is YOU standing on that scale having worked your hardest allllll week long and saying “dang it, I only lost 1 lb”, those numbers sometimes don’t add up as fast as you want!

Here’s a trick for you and I shared this with ‘Shellie’. This was something I did during those weeks where I had lower losses than I wanted.  I told ‘Shellie’ to go to her refrigerator and pull out 10 sticks of butter and hold them in her hands. That is 2 ½ lbs. (1 stick=1/4 lb)  All of a sudden, before your eyes, you see how much 2 ½ lbs really is.  So for that week when you ‘only lose 1lb’, and are kinda bummin’ about it, go right to the fridge and pull out 4 sticks of butter and realize that that is how much fat you lost off your body…..1 lb all of a sudden looks like the big amount that it really is!
Wanna hear some mind boggling math?? I lost a total of 140 lbs…..that’s 540 sticks of butter!   THAT’S a lot of buttah! See? It’s all in how you look at it sometimes…….who knew butter would be such an eye opener!!! ; )

(I’m still on jury duty for the next couple of days according to the judge. I’ll probably be back at work by Wednesday or Thursday.)

So while I was at the Hometown Handshake Show yesterday morning at Izzy’s Café’ in El Cajon, one of our regular listeners John Johnson stopped by. He handed me a giftbag and told me “you go bake for those soldiers”. Inside the bag was a refrigerator magnet and oven mitts featuring the picture of Rosie the Riveter (the girl above). Also in that bag was a $25 gift card to Von’s. I was completely blown away. What a beautiful random act of kindness!!   And knowing John the way I do, he'll be mortified that I am mentioning this 'cause he's a very humble guy--but I'm gonna sing your praises, John!!    ; )

I’ve told you before that I am a member of Operation Baking GALS.  This month, my box of goodies (and the rest of the KSON/So-Cal teams packages)  will be sent to a military hospital for those who are injured and ailing over in Iraq to have a little taste of home. Here’s what John did NOT know…..that this weekend is the weekend I had set aside to do all the baking for this months shipment. Talk about divine intervention!  On my way home, I took his gift card right to Von’s and bought even more supplies that I would need for this months baking.  It costs me about $25 bucks to bake for OBG every month, a small price to pay considering what those military folk ‘pay out’ every day they fight for my freedom. But that extra $25 from John and his family helped me double the amount that I normally bake!!!!

                                 

I started at 9 this morning and at 3:12 this afternoon, I just pulled the last cookie sheet out of the oven. 139 cookies (that’s 11 ½ dozen!) and 20 brownies later, I am looking at massive stacks of gooey goodness all around my kitchen and I thank God for John Johnson (and his family). You have a HUGE HEART John and thanks to you, a WHOLE bunch more military guys and gals will enjoy goodies in the next week or two. Thank you, thank you, thank you……..

I'm in the midst of jury duty for a pretty lengthy case.  It probably won't wrap up until Thanksgiving week.  Court will not be in session til later this afternoon which has freed me up to be in El Cajon this morning for our final Hometown Handshake Tour for this year at Izzy's Cafe' (try the brisket!!!!!!). I love doing the Handshake shows. There is a recklessness to the whole thing. We’re out of the studio—our comfort zone. In a ‘live’ atmosphere, where you don’t know who’s gonna show up or what’s gonna happen. We’ve never had anything really shocking happen, but it sure is fun to kinda do the show in an atmosphere of the ‘unknown’ every once in awhile. It keeps us on our toes! And thanks to you if you’ve come by one of our Hometown stops. We always love showing YOU the love for listening!!! The Spring tour will kick off in March of 2009. Hopefully we’ll see you again!

My jury service is going very well. Again, I’ll say that I can’t say anything about the trial itself. But that said, yesterday during the trial, I was hit with this kinda sad feeling for some of our youth these days. They can get so twisted around in what is supposedly important in life. When the lack of attention and direction they receive at home causes them to seek attention and validation elsewhere---and not the good kind---it usually does not end well.  I certainly lived an angelic teen life compared to most these days and I get it, that there is the need at that age to break out and discover yourself and forge your own path. But, man oh man, where that path leads too sometimes just breaks my heart. I look at my 10 yr old daughter, knowing that her day is coming where she will start hangin’ with her friends more than she does me. I hope against all hope and pray my strongest prayer that I am giving her the foundation and the good common sense to make the right choices as she starts to take flight. And I hope the bad choices she makes (and she will)  will only be minor things. My heart breaks for those kids who don’t realize or are not showed by their folks that they have true and brilliant potential.

With that said…….give your baby an extra hug today, tell him/her you love them and cherish them numerous times a day. Make sure they know that they are the light of your life……and give them your attention. Let them show off for you. Because if you as their Mom and Dad don’t, they’ll find someone else who will…and that may not be a good thing.

I hope you have a great weekend!  GO CHARGERS!!!!!!

A Prayer For My Daughter

Dear God let me be strong enough to protect her with my every breath,
And please watch over her and keep her safe when I can not. 
 My dear daughter, my prayer is that the amazing, unique and awe-inspiring glow that lights you from within
Will continue to shine brightly and warm the hearts of your friends and family;
That you will greet each new sunrise with eagerness to meet the new day,
And that you sleep each night with peace of mind and spirit.
I pray that as you make your place in this world,
You continue to value honesty, integrity and loyalty above superficial relationships;
I pray that as you confront the often harsh realities that come with maturity
You can still appreciate the daily miracles that make each day a gift;
And that when you face life's challenges and obstacles,
Your faith in yourself and in God will see you through and give you comfort.
I pray that you find someone who will love you without reservation,
Who will stand beside you, empower you and defend you with every fiber of his being;
And that you one day experience the fierce joy that fills your soul when you have a child of your own,
So that you can finally understand how our pride in you will never waver, and our love for you can never end.
I pray that God will always keep you in His sight and in His care,
And that Daddy and I may always stand by your side.

(found on Quoteland.com and altered, respectfully, ever so slightly!)

In case you didn’t know, I’ve been on jury duty since Monday. Today was the third day of jury interviews. They were down to the last 40 or so people and I thought for sure I would not even get called to be interviewed before the full panel was picked. My name was called with 7 others. During the interview process I mentioned that I do news for KSON and I thought for SURE that that would get me bounced from the voter pool. The judge then asked for a sidebar with the attorneys---SURELY they would come back and say I was gone. Nope. They dismissed 7 others and kept me!  I’m officially on the jury of what I understand will be a long trial…. About 2-3 weeks or so.   It's a biggie, too!

So the trial started right after lunch and went for about an hour when, for some reason, the Judge dismissed us (the jury) early.  We all have been instructed by the Judge not to talk about the case and I certainly will not break that command. But I will continue to write here as my jury duty continues and I’ll share with you what I can.

Here’s what I did learn over the past 3 days during jury selection. Everybody has a story. There were some interview questions asked of all us jurors that caused us to have to share some very personal stuff that happened in our lives to make sure we were a good fit for this particular trial.  Ohhhhhh, the stories I heard. There were some people who had so much traumatic stuff happen in their lives, that it made me realize how sheltered or how boring my little life has been. And I thank God for that!   Ya know, God only gives us as much as we can handle and nothing more, but WOW, some people in this world have shouldered a lot! And in comparison, I have shouldered very little. But I guess it’s all relative. Maybe some of the stuff I've dealt with has been just as tough as their stuff. You never know…..

It made me realize, that as we cross paths with people in this world, you just never know what is and has gone on in their lives. Have you ever met someone, walked away and thought  “what a cranky-pants” or "she's just so sad all the time" or "what's HIS deal?"……well you know what—you don’t know their story. That old saying “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover” rang soooooo true for me over these past 3 days.   It's a good lesson to be reminded of that we should be careful how we 'see' people and judge people when we first meet them.   And that 'happy go lucky' person has a story, too.  But they've turned the page.  The story is still there.....they're just in a new chapter.  And isn't that the challenge for all of us to keep turning the pages and create new chapters in our lives.   Exciting chapters, tragic chapters, happy, sad, boring chapters.......they are all there!  Just keep creating new ones..... 

Jury duty continues for me tomorrow…I’ll check back in with you then!

….but first….. CONGRATULATIONS to our new President-elect Barack Obama. In one night of intense TV watching tonight, I saw our new President get picked, history be made and a country renewed. I thought his acceptance speech was GREAT! Thankful, humble, gracious and inspiring. All the things it should be. I gotta give a tip to the hat to John McCain, too. His concession speech was beautiful—very moving. And again—inspiring. I love that both he and Obama reminded us that now we all need to work together to move forward….and the reminder that it’s not gonna be fast or easy! Barack Obama will become our new President of the United States January 20th, 2009. Congratulations, America!

This has been an amazing week for me as a citizen of this country. Watching our election process happen and watching our (soon-to-be) new President get ready to take the reigns of the greatest nation in the world. To the local elections here in San Diego County. It’s just beautiful to watch our freedom and responsibilities as citizens of this nation work…..no matter if your guy won or your Prop passed or not.

Speaking of civic duties.....In case you were wondering why I haven’t been on the Morning Show the past couple of days, it’s because I have been serving jury duty since Monday. Well, not duty yet. I thought when I reported Monday, I would get assigned a simple civil case that would be done in an afternoon and I’d be back at work Tuesday. Not so! I was put into a pool of over 100 potential jurors for a criminal trial that, once the jury is in place, could last a couple of weeks. It’s a big case and that’s all I can say to you right now, as per the judge. For the past 2 days, I have sat in a big courtroom and observed the jury selection process. Now, this is my first time being called for jury duty. After all the years I’ve been a registered voter, I’ve never been summoned!  And my first time, could be a biggie! How exciting!! Now, most everyone I know asked “Why didn’t you get out of it?” First of all, I don’t have one of the ‘legal’ excuses that gets you out of jury duty, and I wasn’t gonna lie. Second of all, I was soooooo dang curious about the whole process and how it happens. Third of all—I kinda felt an obligation as a registered voter and as an American to go do another one of my privileges of living in this country!  Do you know how many people would die…..well, actually DO die…..to have this ability? To actually get a day in court much less a verdict from a fair and impartial jury is unheard of in most countries around this globe. Pretty heady experience if you ask me! I’m also very lucky to work for a company that will continue to pay me while I do my jury time, too!! Thanks to them for that…..

So as of right now, most of the original 110 have been excused from the jury booth for one reason or another. Something in their past or they know someone or maybe they just didn’t have the right reaction to something that was asked. All those things and more come into play when the prosecutor and the defense attorney’s are both trying to find “The Perfect 12” (plus 8 alternates). I’m in a very small group of possible jurors now, so I’m thinking my day in ‘the box’ will be tomorrow. If I’m back on the air Thursday or Friday, you’ll know I got bounced too.   If I do make it---COOL and what great stories (after the verdict) I’ll have for the show!!    If not---what a great experience this has been……it's been like my own personal version of Law & Order!!!   ;  )

(thanks NBC!)

(Paraphrased from Christian author Margaret Feinbergs blog....but so, so, so true.)

' "Are You a November 4th or a November 5th American?

As the date grows closer, I am finding the tone of the election continues to turn darker and more unsavory. One of the biggest issues with politicians turning nasty (on both sides) is that it gives permission to everyone else to do the same--our neighbors, our co-workers, our fellow church members. It brings out the worst in all of us.

Yes, the election is growing closer, but I can't help but ask the question:

Are you a November 4th or a November 5th American?

Are you more concerned with who wins on November 4th or how you can be a part of rebuilding and healing our nation on November 5th and the years to come?

I'm all for voting, please don't get me wrong, but it's going to take all of us--together--to turn our nation around." '

How true.  This election year has worn me out.  I am sooooo tired of hearing the nastiness and name-calling, the un-truths about some of the things up for vote and WOW, I hate to be blunt--the ignorance uttered by some about some of the issues/candidates that will be voted on tomorrow-- is frightening!!!!  I am just exhausted by it all! 

But let's try to remember that whether your candidate(s) wins or your Prop passes or not---you are an American first.  And it is your responsibility--as an American--to then support those people and those things that were voted in on voting day!  We are lucky to have the democratic system that we have.  To be able to vote for who we want--freely.  But afterward--we need to equally show some grace and dignity and acceptance for those who won and act like the great nation that we are!  I hope we do......

NOW GO VOTE!!!!!! 

So I got the name and address of the next soldier I’m baking goodies for thru Operation Baking GALS.  I was blown away that my box of baked goods this month will be going to a hospital over in Iraq for some of our Wounded Warriors. WOW---what an honor!  You better believe I’m packing some extra goodies so hopefully they can all enjoy a little ‘love and healing’ from this side of the world.  What better 'bandage' is there than a homemade chocolate chip cookie??!!   I can’t imagine being away from home during the holidays much less injured, ailing and halfway across the world all at the same time…..and they do it ALL for us!   *sigh*    It just makes my heart swell.  Then you have the famlies who are here keeping the homefires burning, worrying about them.  Again....WOW.  'Thank you'  just doesn't seem like enough.

Do you like to cook? You can sign up here to bake for ‘Round 5’ which comes up in December.

As we are rolling into the holiday time of year, it is one of the biggest struggle-times for those trying to lose weight. Halloween is first, then Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Add to that, that it is fall time. A comfort food time-of-year if there ever was one! There are ways to navigate these temptation landmines!

I’m gonna turn you onto another one of my favorite weight loss on-line gurus. Her name is Janice Taylor and she runs the “Kick in the Tush” club. She pulls no punches and tells it like it is when it comes to losing and maintaining. Click HERE to go to the blog portion of her website.

Last week it was about “BLT’s”…..Bite, Licks & Tastes Count! And it is so true. I’m a baker who had to learn that that batter I was tasting, counts. The cookie or brownie I just baked, counts! That leftover chicken nugget off your kids dinner plate--even a bite of one—COUNTS! Those “BLT’s” add up fast!!!! I don’t remember where I found this list, but it’s called  “Calories Don’t Count When….”   Do you see yourself any any of these??  Have you ever said any of these?

"Calories Don’t Count When...”
….it’s the middle of the night (it’s not today and it’s not tomorrow)
….it was on the plate of someone else
….it’s consumed with diet soda
….your Mom or Grandma made the food
….it’s in some form of salad
….we have recently had problems with members of the opposite sex
….it includes whole grains (or is brownish at least)
….it is in liquid form of any kind (anything that can get thru a straw is calorie free!)
….it’s a free sample at a store
….it’s small and cute like an hors d’oeuvres at a cocktail party
….it’s really fancy and well made and not something you get every day
….when it benefits Girl Scouts or any other non profit

Hey, we've all been there!   Janice suggests--and I agree--to keep a food/weightloss journal.  We tend to forget what we nibble throughout the day.  Her line--If you bite it, you must write it.   I laugh everytime I read that line......
Last week Janice talked about cleaning out your pantry. If it’s not in your house, you won’t eat it. Very true! I know, right now, you are saying, but my husband and kids like it. You know—if it’s junk food, you won’t hurt them by removing it from their diets too. You’ll actually be doing them a favor! Here’s Janice’s entry from a couple of days ago…..

“You CAN'T LOSE IT ... TILL YOU'VE LOST IT! ... Clean out your cabinets NOW!!
I'm going to give it to you straight!
There is no such thing as WILL POWER ... there is only WANT POWER.
If you really want to lose weight NOW, head into the New Year THINNER than you are NOW, then you need to LOSE THE CHIPS, the ice cream, the full-sugared soda, the deep fried Twinkies, the Cheese doodles, the 32 oz. porterhouse steak!

That's right! You Must - conduct a clean sweep of your cabinets. And please, do NOT even TRY to tell me that you HAVE TO keep chips in the house for your husband, your kids, whomever.

Today, I am cleaning out my cabinets! I know that there are some goodies hidden in the back of the freezer and cabinets from weak days and partying nights. Out they go, TODAY!
Join with me ... DUMP the JUNK today! And get ready to wake up THINNER in the New Year!”

Hallelujah, Janice!!!!  Do yourself the favor—bookmark Janice Taylors blog and read it every day. Hey, it's free!  She is GREAT at keeping me motivated and reminds me of the ever present dangers that will keep me from losing or cause me to gain it back!  She will do the same for you.  I have many of her entries printed out and posted on my refrigerator at home as not-so-gentle reminders to stay on track!  Stay strong my sistahs (and brothas)!  You can start the new year lighter than you are right now.  And what a major accomplishment THAT will be!!!! 

I am on what is called “The Creative Team” at my church. Twice a month we meet and plan out the ‘creative’ stuff that will happen during each church service. Whether it is a video, a dramatic read, a play, whatever….that’s what we are charged with. The past few weeks, the pastor has been talking about betrayal and how to get thru it and move on. The sermon this week was “Go to Pieces or Go in Peace”. I suggested weeks ago using the Jimmy Wayne video for his song “I Love You This Much” for this series and they loved it. Yep, this is the same Jimmy Wayne who just had a #1 hit with the song “Do You Believe Me Now?”. Do you know Jimmy’s story? He was abandoned by his father when he was a baby, his mother was in and out of prison a few times. His stepfather….well let me let Jimmy finish this: (from his bio)  'Jimmy recalls visiting his mother in the hospital on Mother’s Day after his stepfather had stabbed her. On another occasion, his stepfather got into an argument with Jimmy’s older brother and shot his brother’s wife, who was paralyzed from the incident. The night before that shooting, he almost killed Jimmy. “We were driving and he pulled over to the side of the road and he said, ‘Load this gun,’” recalls Jimmy. “I loaded it and he started mumbling and started punching me. He took the gun and stuck it up to my head and something told me to move. When I moved, he shot a hole in the window of the car. I got out and ran. The next night he ended up shooting my brother’s wife.” '  Jimmy was in and out of foster care and eventually was adopted by a wonderful couple, who have since passed on, but they are the ones who gave Jimmy a loving and Christian home to finally grow up in.   I’ve known Jimmy for many years and he is an amazing soul. He is just a fantastic guy who deserves every great thing that is coming his way right now!

ANYWAY.....“I Love You This Much”  is a song Jimmy wrote many years ago about his relationship (or lack of) with his biological father.  Well this past Sunday when Jimmy's video played on the big video screens in the church sanctuary,  I looked around and saw people crying while they watched.  I was blown way.  There were some people there that day who saw themselves in that video.   A couple of church members shared their stories of abuse and how they have forgiven and moved on.   They thank God for their lot in life, as bad as it may have been, because they are better, stronger and more compassionate people for what they've gone through--and they ARE.   I read a book recently that will help you tremendously with letting go of that pain and hurt, learning to forgive and beginning to heal,  if you'd like to give it a read.  It's by Joyce Meyer and it's called Beauty For Ashes.  Joyce suffered betrayal as a child at the hands of her father....she knows what she is writing about!  It's a great book.

You know, we’ve all been betrayed at some point in our lives—whether at work, by a friend, by a spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, family, whatever.   I hope this Jimmy Wayne video brings you a little sliver of peace and maybe it will move you closer to the ability to let go of the past and start healing.  But most of all--know that you are loved.  Remember--don’t go to pieces---go in peace, my friends.  (ok, now I’m done with the sermon)  

Jimmy Wayne “I Love You This Much” video
Jimmy’s latest #1!!! “Do You Believe Me Now”  video

    Jimmy Wayne

Oh, I do love this time of year. Cassie, my girlfriend Kim and I went pumpkin hunting this weekend. We ended up at Pinery Pumpkin Patch down on Highland Valley Rd. on the RB/Poway border. They had a nice selection of pumpkins big and small. We also took a hayride. At a buck a person, it was a steal and soooo much fun! My daughter still loves to do stuff like that—she’s 10, so I guess I expect her to grow out of those things soon. But she reminds me that sometimes it’s just fun to be a kid again and enjoy those simple pleasures in life.

My friend Kellie, who lives back in North Carolina (she and her hubby, Steve are also Cassie’s Godparents) does photography as a hobby. It is now budding into a side-profession for her as she is getting booked for weddings and such. She really does take some wonderful photos. With her permission, I’m posting these photos she took at the NC State Farmers’ Market. They to me scream FALL!! Aren’t they gorgeous? I hope you are enjoying this time of year, too…..

(photos are property of Kellie Fowler Photograpy--used by permission)

I love the Food Network. I watch many shows on there from Paula Deen to Iron Chef America. But hands down my favorite show is Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. “Triple-D” as it’s called is hosted by Guy Fieri. This guy got his foot in the door at Food Network by winning “The Next Food Network Star” some seasons ago. His sense of humor just cracks me up. He seems like the type of guy you’d just wanna hang with….and certainly spend time in the kitchen with!

 (Food Network's Guy Fieri)

I love, love, love that Guy has featured a few “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” here in San Diego as some of his favorite places to eat—The Studio Diner & Crazy Burger are just a couple. Hodad’s in OB apparently is one of his favorite places ever, as he talked about it in a USA Today article some months ago: “When you walk in, there is no way you can walk out without a smile. The owner is a wild man, with the total surfer attitude, and the burgers are legit. Everything has a kicker — they boil the bacon in water to render the fat, then they make pucks out of it that they put on top of the burger. My mouth is watering." Hodad’s does have the best burger!!!!

Another of his visits was to the  Ramona Café, which happens to be where we will be for our Hometown Handshake Tour tomorrow! Guy spent time in the kitchen with head cook Sonja Vanderveen. Wanna try the featured recipes from that day?? Click here and print them out! They cooked Sonja’s Cordon Bleu and the famous Ramona Café Cinnamon Rolls---the ones as big as your head and they are ‘bananas’ as Guy would say.

Come join us tomorrow! We’ll be there from 5-9 and would love to see you. Plus we have t-shirts and mugs and other freebies….but they go fast, so come early!!! Not to mention you can have a fantastic breakfast, made by rockstar cook, Sonja! See you tomorrow……..

Thanks so much to a bunch of you for joining Operation Baking GALS. We had founder Susan Whetzel on our Morning Show a couple of weeks ago and your response has been fantastic!!! Thank you!!!! How do you join??  Keep reading......

Operation Baking GALS—(GALS is not a gender thing. It stands for Give A Little Support, so you guys sign up too) is a group of volunteer bakers who bake and ship homemade goodies to our heroic troops that are currently deployed. Each soldier is "Hosted" by a blogger, and potential bakers are "recruited" from the bloggers own site as well as the GALS site. Each Host recruits between 20-25 bakers, meaning LOTS of goodies get delivered to our soldier...so many, in fact that he or she has plenty to share with their fellow troops!

Susan says the response from KSON listeners was so great, that she has created a SoCal/KSON team!!! Click here to sign up for our new team! There is limited space already on our team for this months’ baking, so don’t delay.

Here’s the deal—We bake and ship once a month. You re-sign up every month you want/can bake. That way if you get busy, no worries, just come back when you can!  You can bake whatever will ship well--cookies, bars, brownies, breads, etc.   The post office will give you a free box if you ask for a “APO” box. It has a flat shipping rate, so shipping a large box will cost you $10.95 to ship.  The small box runs you $9.95, I think.  (Full instructions on how to pack and ship overseas is on the Operation Baking GALS website). So for a little investment time-wise and $10 bux--you are gonna give a military person such a great warming in the tummy and in the heart!!!  You can include a nice note in the box too, which I love to do!!!     This is such a great way to show your support with a box of love from ‘home’…..again….visit the website to read more.

And thank you in advance for signing up!!!!  Now--- let’s bake!   GO KSON TEAM!!!!!   ; )

The last thing I did before turning in last night, was check the news on-line to see what the Camp Pendleton fire was doing and getting prepared to bring all that info to the show today. So I laid in bed last night, in the dark, thinking about the fires that we endured last year. I was part of the evacuations out of Rancho Bernardo last year. This was the first wildfire my family and I had been through and certainly the first time we had been evacuated from our home. It was a scary moment. I was here at work and waking my husband at 4am telling him that RB was being evacuated and to get out.  He barely got out of RB when the 15 was shut down.  I know my daughter was freaking out and he was too. I wanted to be there with them. We were allowed back in our house 3 days later and we were soooo lucky, so very lucky. We only had ash and soot to clean up. While only 1 mile away, on the other side of RB, thousands of homes were gone. The houses in the old neighborhood where we used to live, off West Bernardo Rd., were gone. Thirty-six (36) families in my church alone, most living in the Westwood neighborhood, had completely lost their homes. I was just asking one of my church friends this past weekend about the rebuilding of his home and he was so grateful that his home is now framed. He was the first person who came to mind last night. The thought of one of you who may be just rebuilding from last year being affected by one of these fires right now---my stomach just twisted in knots. So extra prayers were said last night for those still recovering from last year and 2003 as well in addition to those who are having to evacuate today. Bless you and know you are in our thoughts

(thank-you Union Tribune)

And to our first responders….you firefighters, volunteers, ambulance, emergency crews, all of you on the front lines……YOU ROCK. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do. You have no idea how dang appreciated you are!

STAY SAFE EVERYONE!!!!   And look out for your neighbor.......

You’re emails about my weight loss have been awesome! Thank you so much for the kind words. Your two biggest questions…… “How do I get started?” and “How do I stick with it?”. With as many times as I started diets, I could be an expert, for sure!

Let me start by suggesting you buy a book called “Joining The Thin Club” by Judith Lederman. It’ll run about $12-$15, but worth every single cent. You don’t have to have lost the weight already to get lots of great help from it. It deals with not only the physical part of losing weight, but the mental part of losing too---including some great tips on staying motivated. A good portion of what I write below I learned from her book.

It took me 35 years to finally make the serious, final decision to lose weight, then 16 months to physically lose my 140 lbs. My motivation, outside of just wanting to be thin, feel good and be healthy, was achieving goals that I set for myself as I began to drop weight. You have to set some very specific goals for your weight-loss journey. Write them down. Post them on your refrigerator, on your desk at work, in your purse—wherever. Then mark them off one by one, when you achieve them. Setting goals and achieving them will give you tremendous confidence. One thing an overweight person certainly needs more of is personal confidence! You will find the more goals you achieve, the more ‘jazzed’ you will be and the more on track you will stay. When I started losing, my first goal was to make it thru the first week. My 2nd goal was to get thru the first month. Then goal #3--lose 10% of my starting weight. I had always heard that just losing 10% of your body weight can do huge healthy things for your body, so it was a great healthy goal to achieve. Then goals 4 & 5 were to hit certain #’s on the scale. Goal 6 was to get below that weight I hadn’t been able to get below for over 20 years. Goal 7 was to get below 200lbs. Goal 8 was to weigh less than my husband for the first time in our lives together…….etc. etc. etc.  One of my many goals was the picture of an outfit from Victoria's Secret I wanted to be able to wear and look great in--Here's the photo:          I never ordered this outfit, but the day I knew I could order a S/M size of this and look fantastic in it, was a GREAT day! 
These goals were in addition to all the other great things that were happening along the way including the biggest ones---dropping pant and shirt sizes like crazy. The day my wedding ring didn’t fit anymore was another great day—I know that sounds bad, but that meant I was smaller than I was 17 years ago!  Then my ‘backup’ wedding ring—a cheap little CZ ring I bought for 15 bucks at Claire’s didn’t fit anymore either. Add all of this stuff on top of all the comments and compliments I was getting---HELLO! Massive motivations everywhere!!! There was no stopping me and there was no food and I mean NO FOOD that tasted better than the way I was feeling as the pounds were coming off and I was hitting those goals.

Now, here you are in week #1 or maybe day #1. Breathe deep. Write down your goals. Very specific ones, not “I want to lose 100 lbs”. That is too big to tackle as goal #1. That can be goal 10 or 15 on your list, but not #1. If you are working toward losing weight for an event…..a wedding next year, your class reunion or whatever…make that your final goal. You have to be realistic though. You will not be able to lose 100 lbs before this Christmas. But you certainly can by next Christmas!  

The first week or two IS going to be the hardest. Pardon me for being blunt, but you are teaching an old dog new tricks. You are denying your body all that junk that it has gotten so used to all these years. You are teaching it that it only needs a little bit of (good) food to run efficiently, not a 5000 calorie meal of fried everything. YOU are now in charge, not those voices in your head. YOU are running the show. YOU now have control, which I bet is something that you never thought you’d have. Get yourself thru that first week, which should be goal #1 and little by little, you will be so strong and so in charge and so totally in control of your body. And if you fall off the wagon, don’t beat yourself up. Get right back on your way. Don’t use one little slip as an excuse to blow the whole day or the whole weekend. One Oreo won’t kill all your hard work, but the whole package and then the bag of chips afterward will.

For next time…..the mental stuff.   THAT you get to deal with along your journey too! You are going to learn a lot about yourself my friends. Nobody said this was gonna be easy!!!!!! There is a lot of mental baggage to kick out of the door along with all those pounds……… Again—do yourself the favor. Buy “Joining The Thin Club” by Judith Lederman! You will be sooooo glad you did.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!  YOU ARE NOW IN CONTROL!!!!!!   

I’m on the mailing list for Better Homes and Gardens daily newsletter and yesterday they sent me a link to some of their new pumpkin stencils for Halloween 2008. These just cracked me up…..

Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin....LOL! (Click that BHG link above if you want the stencils!)

The family and I have planned to go pumpkin hunting this weekend. I buy lots of pumpkins. I usually carve 4-5, yes, 4-5. Then I buy some purposefully to leave whole, so they’ll stay fresh thru Thanksgiving and then there are the little mini pumpkins that I use as decoration around the house. Even though my husband continually asks while we’re pumpkin shopping “how many more pumpkins are you gonna buy??!!” he does like how they look when they are carved up and placed around the house.

Last Halloween, I saw pumpkins outside a house in my neighborhood where they had used mardi gras masks on them. Way cool looking and no carving needed! Might have to try that one year…….Last year one of my carvings was “The Cannibal Pumpkin”. Click here to see the picture that inspired that. That was just dang funny. Might do that one again this year.   And by the way, for your carving, if you are not using the Pumpkin Masters tools---you should!  I'm amazed at how these little saws and such make carving so easy!  You can pick them up anywhere--drugstore, dept. stores, hardware stores.....

……and I can’t talk about pumpkins and Halloween without giving a nod to my favorite yearly must watch “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”.   I don't know when it's on this month, but I'll be watching!!!   

(thank you Charles Schulz for soooo many great laughs as a child and adult!)

 OH!  And in a completely unrelated thought to pumpkins----CSI comes back on tonight.  Great (and sad) article in USA Today about Grissom leaving and Laurence Fishburne coming in as his replacement....

Some people were aghast that I would go on the air and talk about something so personal as my weight. Well, being a person in ‘the media’, I was in the public all the time, so my weight wasn’t so personal. But the biggest reason for me talking about it on the air, initially, was accountability. Me having to come to you every Monday and tell you how much weight I had lost (or not) the previous week, kept me on track. You can do the same thing! Pick a family member, a co-worker, your best friend, your teenager and let them be your accountability person. Pick a day of the week when you do your weigh-in (I picked Monday because it kept me really good through weekends) and after you do, call that person and tell them how you did. If you lost, they should hoot and holler with you. If you gain, they should ask you “what did you do or eat differently and what are you gonna do differently to make sure that doesn’t happen again”. Let’s be honest, the person you pick is someone close to your heart and you are not gonna want to let them down. So in addition to not wanting to let yourself down, you will not want to let them down either.

Accountability—it’s a good thing!

Arlene from Jamul and Kim from Bay Park are two wonderful KSON listeners who contacted me soon after I hit goal about their own weight loss adventures. They wanted me to be their accountability. What an honor! It started as emails every Monday, then we decided to take it to the airwaves. They’ve been such good sports and both are doing fantastic!!! So let me introduce you to them:

Kim from Bay Park was well on her way in her weightloss when we brought her to the show. She wants to lose 90 lbs, had already lost 60, so she is losing her final 30 lbs. Kim is using Nutri-System to help her lose….and clearly it’s working! Here are her before and ‘so-fars’….
           

               Kim "Before" 2006                                  Kim "So-Far" 2008

Arlene from Jamul is just starting her weight loss. She is traversing these rough waters on her own. She’s watching what she eats and walks everyday. Arlene wants to lose 60 lbs and has lost almost 40 so far!   If you read further in this blog, you’ll read about some new challenges Arlene is facing. Here are Arlene’s before and ‘so-far’ pictures…….

Arlene "Before" (far left!) 2006                        Arlene "So-Far"  Sept. 2008

Don't they look GREAT!!!!  I love the side-by-side pictures.  You can totally see the difference!  These two ladies are awesome. They come to our Morning Show every Monday morning and bare their souls….and their weightloss!

You wanna play along? These ladies started by emailing me. You want me to be your accountability person? Feel free to email me--  morgan@kson.com  on your weigh-in day. And yes, you need to weigh yourself EVERY week. Not daily, because that will just drive you crazy. You’re body gains and loses ounces and lbs constantly. One day you’ll be up 1 and down 2 the next; up ½ the next. This is due to water retention, the bigger than normal lunch you ate, sodium, your not drinking enough water that day, or any variety of reasons. Pick your weigh-in day and stick with it. But feel free to email me. I be more than happy to keep you in check! ; )


With her permission, let me tell you what Arlene is going thru in addition to her weight loss. Arlene last week was diagnosed with breast cancer. She just met with a plastic surgeon yesterday to discuss reconstructive surgery after her initial surgery happens. The most mind blowing thing Arlene told me that she believes without having lost the weight she has so far, she doesn’t think she would have found the lump in her breast. How amazing is that??!! She thanked me for the initial inspiration to lose weight and I told her “Thank you for that! But now is your time, Arlene, to be an inspiration and a life-saver to someone else. This is soooooooo your chance to pay-it-forward”. Arlene is just an amazing woman. She was first a listener of the morning show. Then she and I discovered our mutual love of cooking, then losing weight was a further bond and now, for all us girls (and guys!), she is representing every single one of us in her toughest challenge ever. YOU GO, GIRL!

Thinking of Arlene was my reminder to book my yearly mammogram, which I did yesterday. I always get it done in October only because it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that always reminds me to ‘be aware’ and get it done. I know a lot of women who get it done in their birthday month. No matter how you remember to do it---just do it! Do those monthly self-checks, too!! Click here for a diagram on how to do it right, in case you need it.

Have a glorious day, my friends! Check in with you tomorrow.

In September 2006, my husband, daughter and I went to Disneyland. It turned out to be a life-changing trip. Who’da thunk—the ‘house of mouse’? The most magical place in the world? Yes! But life-changing? Yep—for me it was. We had just hopped into our ‘car’ to ride the