DeLarla

This is going to be the last clothing exchange I'll be able to accomodate due to lack of space, so let's make it a good one! My house is tiny, and my only spare closet is jammed with clothes for the exchange. I need to make room for new inventory because I'm starting a new, fun side-business and need all the space I can find. I'll hold onto the clothes till after the Vegas Bash. If anyone not attending wants to donate clothes to the Bash Exchange, please start mailing them to me. Is anyone bringing clothes for the exchange? Maybe it doesn't sound like a big issue, but ask anyone who came to last year's bash HOW MANY CLOTHES THERE WERE! My guestroom was heaped sky high - the stuff kept multiplying. I had local plus-size gals rummage through the leftovers but still donated 7 huge garbage bags to Opportunity Village, so I need to plan for space. Any comments, suggestions, concerns?

I've been adding a couple tablespoons of high fiber cereal to my morning shakes. Maybe I'm weird, but I love bran cereal, and it makes the shakes thicker and fuller.

I'm currently reading, "Picture Perfect Weightloss." I find the part about Protein diets particularly interesting. When you deprive your body of carbs, you force yourself into a state of ketosis so you lose weight. I haven't gotten too far in this book yet, but there aren't too many long-term studies showing whether this state of ketosis can be detrimental... I'm not good at recounting medical terminology, so maybe somebody else can help me here. My point is I never believed in protein diets to begin with, and now I'm reading that they might be dangerous. Either way, most of us were concerned at first that we couldn't get enough protein in, but I haven't met one Bandster yet that's suffering malnutrition. Getting enough protein is very easy, even when you are well restricted considering you can drink protein in shake forms.

I bought 1/2 gallon of evil rich ice cream. After 2 servings, I threw the container away UPSIDE down in the trash without the lid. I don't trust myself.

I started gaining weight when I gave up my shakes. But the glass part of my blender broke, so yesterday I bought canned shakes. 4 cans were $8.50, which motivated me to replace the glass for my blender. That's when I came across the Hamilton Beach gadget for less than $14.00. My favorite part is there's only the small cup and top to rinse out - much, much easier than a blender or a Bullet.

Actually, the welding caps keep the hot slag from going in their ears (the melted steel or iron or whatever that molten lava is called.) When they weld, they tilt their heads to the side and flip the bill down over their ears to keep the hot, liquid metal and sparks out of the ear. Before welding caps, lots of welders lost their hearing and had horrible ear injuries. But now even all the guys we ride with are wearing my caps as helmet liners (I make them to match their bikes.) They say they keep their heads warm in the winter and absorb sweat in the summer. I just think they are a cute fashion statement when worn backwards with matching earrings (I can girly everything up, just ask my husband.)

During my last talk with my surgeon about food, calories, dieting, etc., we talked a lot about "the Honeymoon Period." I asked him why it was so easy for the first 9 months, but now everything is so hard. He explained that the Band is just like anything else - when it's new, we are excited and motivated, which is why the weight falls off. But he told me my "honeymoon was over." That's when we have to get down to reality. I think some people are really lucky and they find a way to live the rest of their life in the honeymoon phase, but for me it's a lot harder. I'm sure getting a new port and a fill would be like going on a new honeymoon. But I still have so much restriction in the morning that I wonder if I even need a fill. Next time lightening crashes and the sky opens, I hope the answers fall out.

I found the greatest little gadget at Walmart for only $13.88. It's a Hamilton Beach shake-maker. Takes up a tiny bit of counter space, and it's just for shakes. The Magic Bullet is expensive and comes with too many parts for someone like me who doesn't cook much. But this little shake maker is awesome because you use the mini-plastic-blender part to drink out of. Yep, you pop it right off the base, put the spill-proof lid on, and drink it on the way to work. It even has a sippy-slider to either sip or put a straw in. Now it's at work, so I wash it and toss it in my purse, ready for tomorrow. I love it, it's perfect. Today's shake: 8 oz soy milk, mini banana, frozen blue berries and a couple tablespoons bran Cereal. Love it.

Betty, you gotta get a picture of that nephew! The pics I took don't do those tiny bikes justice. About Big Bear, I spent half my life there before I met Chris, and I loved feeding the wild burrows. This time I brought a whole bag of veggies and potatos, but I was sad to learn that the burrows were all removed by the government years ago. Apparently, the seasonal residents complained that they were a nuisance. Bastards. I used to sit on my friend's front porch (she lived in a cabin there) and hand-feed the burrows dog food and potatos. I can't believe they are gone.

Shake it, Baby!

A local charity asked me for a donation so kids in the hospital would have gifts for their mom's on Mother's Day. I'm such a sucker that I handed over my entire inventory while bawling my eyes out thinking of those poor kids. The rest of my bags are in a local dress shop, so the only ones I had to take pics of are the two I use (one for going out & the other bag goes over my shoulder when I ride my motorcycle.) My husband welds, and he's the one that begged me to make custom welding caps. Since then I've made hundreds of caps and bags but I have a really hard time accepting money from friends, which is why I have orders backed up for miles. Meanwhile, I'm starting my own side business. I'm not going to say much, but I'm meeting my mentor this Saturday and handing over a little investment. No, it's not selling my own things, but I will have sexy PLUS SIZE items in my inventory.

I give the garbage men booze at Christmas, and they treat us like royalty. Our Water heater broke, and I simply asked if that's something they're allowed to take. They stopped the truck and came all the way through my house and carried it out to their truck for me. They also carried our washer & old fridge out. LOVE YOUR GARBAGE MEN! I also have a soft spot for 18 wheelers, so instead of getting pissed off when they block up the freeway, I always let them in front of me. I've got friends in low places.

I'm in Nevada but really close to your resort at Stateline. I take it you own the Primadonna Casino? Okay, bad joke, but if you really did own it then I'd love to meet for a little nickle keno and some Band support.

I just dropped dead of a seizure just "thinking" of 4 shots. I can have two sips of espresso or I'd go nuts. Damn, my house would be clean!

Yep, hot here, and we just got another severe thunder storm warning. I even give the garbage men cold drinks. I'd be skinny if I worked out there.

Dr. Billy told me to buy this book. It's around $30 bucks but I got lucky and paid $6.31 from E-bay, which included postage! So far I'm not extremely impressed since most of the information is stuff we all know (high calorie, dense food is more fattening than lighter choices) and there aren't as many pictures as I anticipated, but I was impressed with certain pictures. For example, there's a picture of a corn muff on the left page. On the right page it shows what you could eat for the same caloric price, which includes an entire pineapple plus an entire melon plus 1/2 kiwi, some grapes and 2 small wheat muffins. I wish there were more pictures of the slabs of butter. A couple pages show how many pats of butter are in certain foods. For example, it shows a small wedge of cheese (about 2 bites) but next to it is about 7 pats of butter. That's where the book gave me at least one meal of success so far. I brought a very small piece of calzone for lunch today. But when I saw the cheese oozing out, all I could think of were all those pats of butter, so I gave the calzone to a co-worker and ate a pile of raw veggies and a yogurt. I was also impressed that I could eat 4 ears of corn instead of medium french fries. So last night Chris asked if I'd like 4 ears of corn, so tonight I'm having a burger and 4 ears of corn... well, maybe just 2 ears. If you want the book, there's tons on e-bay for just a couple bucks.

Awe, it seems like just yesterday you were here thinking about having a baby. What great news! Congrads to you and hubby... lots of healthy band babies being born. Meanwhile, I don't want to hijack but G, is Grand-girl-baby here yet?

Terri, write me a whole book of questions if you need to. Every place in Vegas is built to accomodate the handicapped... heck, let's make millions and find one that's not and sue the hell out of them (sorry, bad joke coming from a law firm.)

Hi Susu (cute name.) Nice to meet you.

Sorry that I missed this one. Congrads! How are you feeling today?

Laura, that's a good point. I'm going to ask my hubby why he never comments on all my clean blouses any more.

Okay, Mandy, my head is still spinning from all the soy milk, and I already have to switch to rice milk? Is that in the same milk section? And Mouse, you are how much older than me? I doubt it. I'm pretty sure I'm peri-menopausal since this is the 2nd month my period came early, while I've been the most regular girl in the world my whole life. If there's potential benefits to soy milk, I'm gonna drink up till my boobs fall off. But now I gotta try the rice stuff, too. Bubba, yes, it's a great source of Protein and tastes great in shakes or just plain. But there are so many types, so I'm not sure if it works the same way as regular milk where you get the skim, low fat, 1%, etc. The one I bought said it's fortified with calcium and lots of protein, so I drink it plain sometimes instead of making a shake. It's kind of like cream, almost. Trust me, I gagged at the thought of tasting it, but it's darn yummy. Thanks everyone for participating here, cause this whole soy craze has me wondering. I don't cook any more since hubby comes home so early and is full by the time I get home, but I'll venture to trick him with some soy next time I make a pot of chowder. How do you buy the kind to cook with? Are you talking about Tofu?

And I LOVE your screen name! When I was young I had the cutest freckles on my nose.

My secret fantasy - if I ever got tiny - would be to hang out at the Bellagio or Caesar's Palace and flirt like MAD with every hot guy that approached me. Just tease them and taunt them, then whisper a fake room number in their ear and promise them a #@#%$%@ and tell them to show up with a bottle of champagne and some lubricant. Then I'd say the room is tricky to find, so I'd write directions sending them on a wild goose chase all over the hotel, up and down elevators, ending up in the parking deck. I'd naturally collect video footage and give copies to all my Banded friends as holiday gifts.

I wore my hair like that for one week last month, then it grew out. It grows like a weed when it's short, then stops dead when I want it long. Can't win. Still, I'm hearing soy this, soy that. Soy is everywhere. What's the big deal? Is it supposed to be better for us than milk?