 Memorial Day this year is especially important as we are reminded almost daily of the great sacrifices that the men and women of the Armed Services make to defend our way of life. Robin Hayes Add Comment 
Here are some really great posts and links:THE GIFTS:  I know that the economy's in the tank; that everyone's watching their money and trying to conserve. However, should you find yourself winning the lottery or you just happen to be feeling particularly kind toward me, here's a few things that would be more than welcome:  Tod's pale yellow leather convertible tote Tod's Pale Yellow Leather Convertible Tote This is Tod's, one of my very favorite brands and I love the pale yellow color. It's on sale from $1,405.00 to $1,195.00. So, basically, you'd be saving money. Just a thought.  Vintage Style Sapphire and Diamond Drop Earrings from Lang Antique and Estate Jewelry Vintage Style Sapphire and Diamond Drop Earrings These are really, really stunning and are only $3.350.00. That seems really entirely reasonable to me.  Zoe" Printed Charmeuse Dress monifc.com "Zoe" Printed Charmeuse Dress This dress is, without a doubt, my favorite looking dress of the season. Everything about it, from the colors to the style, is stunning. (I wouldn't however, wear those ugly shoes with this.) This is from monifc.com and sells for $208.00. If you decide to get this for me, please order early so I can wear it out to dinner on my birthday.  3.1 Phillip Lim "Kiara" barneys.com 3.1 Phillip Lim "Kiara" These shoes are beyond sexy. I love the canvas platform with the white stripe and elastic straps. I saw these on the barneys.com website. These are only $695.00 and. since I consider these a classic, they will probably last a lifetime; hence, making these an official "investment".  If for some reason, these items are all sold out or you don't really want to pick up 3 or 4 extra jobs to pay for it, I'll be happy to receive that Amazon.com gift card for $25.00. There's a pair of jeans I could really use. I KNOW...I KNOW...IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS. Moose Tracks Cake from Horchow QUESTION: On one's birthday, is one supposed to stick to a diabetic diet? Because this is my DREAM birthday cake and if any of my relatives are reading this, please note that this cake is ONLY $65.00 and, while I think I've had my issues, I think I really, really deserve this. If you really loved me, you would send this to me. Here's the description: This unique cake features four alternating split layers of yellow and chocolate genoise filled with peanut butter whipped cream with Heath® bar crunch. Topped with chocolate mousse, brownie bits, and chocolate fudge drizzle. 7"Dia. Serves 8. p.s. - in the name of looking out for my husband's health, I will be sure to not share any cake with him. THE BEAUTY OF ROSIE Photo by: Oscar Picazo Rosie Mercado
Tara reminded me in the Comments Section about Sparkpeople.com and I have been wanting to write a review on this great site for quite a long time.  First of all, Sparkpeople is completely free. Second of all it is FUN!Seriously, this site is set up in the most unique, fun way to track your food, nutrition, weight, exercise and a million other things. This is the 3rd most visited diet site. . Here are the pros of Sparkpeople (I am not affiliated with them in any way): 1. They offer nutrition, health, and fitness tools, support, and resources that are 100% free. 2. Their trackers are easy to follow and cause you to challenge yourself.
3. Millions of people use this site and there are different communities you can join that are unique to you. If you want to join a community of diabetics, you can sign up with that group. If you want to sign up for those people that share your religious beliefs or live in your state, sign up. You can sign up for as many communities as you like. 4. You don't need to be on a diet to be able to use Sparkpeople. Their trackers are amazing. If you're not sure how many calories and what kind of calories are making up your day, just enter 'track my food' and it will lay it all out for you. Very user friendly. I met a very nice woman through one of the Spark Teams and we have been 'pen pals' for almost 5 years now. 5. The reason I love sparkpeople is because the whole idea isn't just a weight site, it's a lifestyle site: How to become more aware of what you're eating and doing to keep yourself healthy. It's education, group support and tools to use for toward your motivation of diet and fitness. There are also more than 200,000 recipes to be found on the site. The Cons: For myself, I did not find any cons; however, I saw on this site this list of cons and thought I would include them: 1. SparkPeople.com is geared more toward a low-carb high protein diet that some may not appreciate or be able to maintain. 2. SparkPeople.com puts emphasis on daily exercise but may not provide regimens for the severely obese. 3. SparkPeople.com may be a little user-unfriendly at times and difficult to find certain online tools. (See reader comments.) 4. Although physicians are available for answering questions, an answer may not be provided immediately. Have you tried Sparkpeople yet? What are your impressions?  Are you "outfit- matching impaired"? Here's just one example of her matching an outfit:  Beautiful. Head to toe. I cannot recommend her blog more highly. For more Bridgette Raes visit her Pinterest page and her Polyvore page. Netaya.com has an amazing large size ring at an unbelievably low cost.  10.00 Carat tw Larimar Oval Ring in Sterling Silver The exotic Larimar stone comes exclusively from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. With a total carat weight of 10.00, the striking cabochon Larimar is framed in a miligrain detail and set in sterling silver for a perfect style that says seaside chic. This ring's suggested retail is $400.00 , Netaya price is $240.00, and the sale price now is $132.95. The ring sizes are 6-11. This is available for only 2 more days According to the e-mail I received from Netaya, the price of this ring is $39.89 with code LMR70. Free shipping also. I have ordered from Netaya and find them very dependable and with good quality jewelry. 
As some of you know, my husband's blood sugar was out of control and he is very close to having to use insulin. I've been reading the diabetic recipes, trying them out and taking it from there. Realizing that I could also benefit weight-wise by cooking better for him, I'm giving it the old college try. My husband and I love our food! I decided to concentrate on 2 main problems in my eating. If I try to take on a whole slew of new habits, I give up after a day. My biggest problem was ice cream. But I never stopped with just ice cream. I would have to add cookies, candy, popcorn. I was definitely using food as a drug to get to sleep. As sad as that is, it worked for me. 
Here are the two things I decided to start on: 1. Eat more fruits and vegetables. (I really hate fruit, but I am forcing myself to eat at least 1 apple a day, which is really the only fruit I can stand.) 2. Allow myself 1 small dessert at night. Meaning, don't bring home the gallon containers of ice cream. Even though I say I will only eat 1 cup, it always ends up way more. Doesn't it amaze you when you look at the back of the container after you've just eaten 1/2 the container and realized that there's 12 servings in there? I've been having either a Weight Watchers ice cream bar (really good) or a Skinny Cow cone. I know this isn't perfect, but like I said...if I take on too much, I'll just be overwhelmed. So, taking baby steps and really not incorporating any exercise into this first week, I'm pretty happy with the 3 pounds. I'd love to hear your ideas on how you've achieved success. EMILY MAYNARD - OUR NEW BACHELORETTE  Emily Maynard was the winner of the Brad Womack Bachelor season. They became engaged, then they became unengaged, then they became engaged, then became unengaged again and then just finally said, "screw it". We all pretty much know her sad story: The 26 year-old lost her fiance, NASCAR racer, Ricky Hendricks, when he was killed in a plane crash. She found out that same week that she was pregnant with his child. She was the southern belle that everyone was rooting on. Except for me, of course. I never for one minute believed that she wanted to be picked by Brad. He did not have nearly enough style and glitz for her (my opinion). I think she was really bummed when the guy actually picked her. Could it be she really wanted to just be the next bachelorette? Could I really be that cynical? So, bringing you up-to-date, she has been "persuaded" to try to find life again with another slew of men she probably wouldn't look twice at outside of THE SHOW. This time, however, things will be done her way. The mansion is now in Emily's hometown of Charlotte and she will be with her daughter (Ricki Jr.?) the whole way through. Man, ABC must have really wanted this woman! Here is the dress she chose for the premier episode:  THE DRESS I really didn't think it was that great. It really washed her out and I think I saw those skintone bands to keep the low-cut back in place like they do on Dancing with the Stars. Was that a mesh back also? Actually, I think she got that dress from DWTS wardrobe.  THE BACHELORS They were all pretty enamored with her as they already knew her as the sweet, southern belle single mom, with the tragic story. I don't think a man got out of that limousine without extolling the beauty of Emily Maynard and how lucky they all were for all the stars to be aligned perfectly to be able to breathe the same air as her. Look, I think she's cute but, come on, she CANNOT possibly be every single man's idea of BEAUTIFUL. She's very pageant contestant looking. As usual, Emily handled every one of these goofballs with grace and even made the dorky guys feel good, like the good, mannered, southern belle she is. There's always one doofus that has to do things on his own terms and that |
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