Really? It’s Friday already? Well that’s a good thing, but where did the week go?
Excuse the lack of original blog header. I need to create a new one since I changed my theme. And side bars are still being worked on. 
Really? It’s Friday already? Well that’s a good thing, but where did the week go?
From this picture, it doesn’t look like we are under a Tropical Storm Warning. We don’t expect much tomorrow, similar to what we get with a Nor’easter. But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. My husband and I normally keep extra non-perishable food on hand for emergencies. This time we only bought some extra batteries. I took the chair cusions and umbrella in. We’ll just keep an eye on the rest of stuff outside in case we need to bring it in.
So what does one do while waiting, make hummus and cookies.
Hummus sans Tahini
Since I found out I was allergic to sesame, hummus was one of the foods I missed. A couple of nights ago I Googled hummus without tahini and Extra Easy Hummus came up. I was skeptical, but the recipe had good reviews. Other reviews suggested adding lemon juice so I added the juice of 1/2 lemon. It’s delicious! I will be using this recipe as a base and adding other ingredients to it. But next time I will add less cumin.
I like cake mix cookies. I usually make Funfetti with icing. So when I saw a cake mix cookie made with Cool Whip, I thought these will be great and points friendly. Yep, I was wrong. Don’t let the picture fool you, these cookies did not come out that great. They stuck to the parchment paper so part of the bottom was left behind when I removed them. I should have know when I wasn’t happy how the batter turned out. Tidymom did warn that the batter would be thick and sticky, but it was not easy to work with. I blame my lousy turn out on using fat free Cool Whip and probably using my KitchenAid mixer when I know better. Oh well, we’ll see how they taste tomorrow.
Also, the recipe called for powdered sugar which I was out of. I tried to make my own, but it came out more like super fine sugar.

Yesterday I packed up my laptop and my lunch snacks and went to work out of the corporate office. It’s been awhile since I’ve had to wake up to an alarm, shower, get dressed, put on makeup and drive to work. It was a good experience and I may consider doing it more often as a change of pace type of deal. Plus the cafeteria is amazing! It puts my old company to shame and the company who runs it was the same company that ran my college cafeteria.
And what was the reason? To see this man…

Bobby Flay! He was there to judge a cooking contest and gave a wonderful talk to my company. And yes, it was well worth the effort.
you are losing faster than recommend.
Grrrr.
I don’t know why I’m letting this bother me since a human did not say this to me. It’s just rubbing me the wrong way. If I was 12, 16, 25 weeks in and I kept getting huge losses then I’d be concerned. But I’m just starting week 4. And believe me I totally understand the health consequences of losing weight too fast. But can’t I bask in my glory for a little?
So anyway, I lost 5% of my starting weight! I’m kind of excited. More importantly for me, I’m past 10 pounds lost. These 10 pounds are so easily lost and regained for me. I think that’s why I didn’t post last about last week’s loss because I was just over the 10 pound mark. This week’s lost pushed me a couple pounds over 10. If you’re not following me, it’s a mental block for me. Just smile like you get it.
We’ll see what happens next week. But for now, I’m going to have some celebratory light ice cream.

I think I’m going to start calling these bringing the deli home.
Perdue Shortcuts Southwest Chicken – 2 points
Flatout Light Wrap – 1 point
Archie Moore’s Wing Sauce – 1 point
Marie’s Lite Blue Cheese Dressing – 1 point
Reduced Fat Mexican Blend Cheese – 2 points
Salad mix – 0 points
Total = 7 points

It only feels like I’m eating junk food.
Gazpacho from The Soup Girl – 3 points (I know it has oil in it)
Utz Bake Tortillas – 2 points
S&S Reduced Fat Mexican Blend Cheese – 2 points
Grand Total – 7 points and 2 vegetables and 1 dairy.
It’s been awhile…
1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did it come about?
I’m not going to list all the pet nicknames my husband gives me. 1. My high school friends call me MJ short for Marla Jean. One day I complained that they had shortened versions of their names and I didn’t. Mar didn’t work, but MJ did. They still will call me it when I bump into them. 2. My sister-in-law started calling me La Mar on a girls weekend because again, I didn’t have a nickname. Everyone else had nicknames like Gilbert 1, Gilbert 2, Tits McGee (she was breast feeding at the time) and Blackjack (don’t ask). It’s relatively new and it stuck.
2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings?
I am the youngest, but I could have been considered an only child when I was growing up. Yes I do have an older sister and brother, but they are much older. I never had to share with them, they really didn’t play with me, I didn’t have a partner for rides and all the things siblings the same age do. Now that I’m older, it doesn’t feel that way and I feel like the youngest.
3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?
Geddy Lee of course! I have an unhealthy obsession with him. My husband is a bassist, but he’s the backup singer in his band and doesn’t have long hair.
4. What is currently your favorite song?
No way am I admitting this. Let’s just say it’s a dance song that I listen to every morning to get me in a better mood to start my day.
5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?
Funny story, I had just started saving for new tires and brakes when bam, my boss told us that we’d be getting part 1 of 3 of our incentive pay this pay period. I had forgot we moved over to a new schedule. So I’m not saving for anything right now because the money is already in my checking account.
Last night was my first weigh in since I restarted Weight Watchers. I felt really good about it. I had made some great choices the past week, but I made some not so good choices (one Magnolia Bakery cupcake). I did dip into the weekly 35 points and one day I had 8 points left over (don’t ask). I also did a lot of walking.
So I stepped on the scale and mentally crossed my fingers. I was hoping for a loss. I would take any loss. What I wasn’t prepared for was what the receptionist said.
You lost 8.8 pounds.
What?!
I spent the rest of the meeting in shock. I didn’t even want to tell the leader when she was doing the awards. Since it was my second week I need to so I’d get my second week bookmark. And a 5 pound star that I totally wasn’t expecting.
Now I know this is going to be one time occurrence. But nothing keeps up your motivation like a loss like that.
Two weeks ago I was on vacation. My in-laws rent a house on a lake every year. The goal of this vacation is complete relaxation. Every day you set up your chair at the edge of the lake and take in the natural beauty of your surroundings.
So while I was sitting there I got to thinking. There are things about my life that I don’t like. Sure I have a great husband, a wonderful family (both bio and in-law) and terrific friends, but am I 100% happy with my life? Am I 90% happy? Life is too short to answer no. So I need to take charge and make changes.
It’s no secret that I need to lose weight. I’ve talked about it here before. This year my weight kept me from doing things that I love doing – hiking, biking, kayaking. I wouldn’t even go in the lake unless I could be mostly covered by water. It seems like such a waste. Next year I refuse to let this happen.
Last Tuesday I went back to Weight Watchers.
I’m not saying that I logged into eTools and recorded what I ate. I’m saying I went to a meeting. I let someone else weigh me. There is a printed record of how much I weigh in a little book. It is tangible. This is a huge step for me.
I feel there’s no need for me to post how much weight I need to lose. Let’s just say it’s a significant amount. I know it’s not going to come off in a flash and it’s going to be a long journey. But all journeys begin with the first step and I took that step.
Side note for IE users – I had no idea how bad my blog looked in Internet Explorer till this past week. I am working on updating it, but it takes a little time so please bear with me.