Confession: I am a Fabric Squirrel

Don't all Australians have those handy pouches for storing stuff? You know, the kid moves out, and you can visit the LQS and stuff your pouch silly...

possums! or in NZ it would be weka :-)

Sh> > Squirrels are rats with better PR.

I should be so lucky!!! pampered and having people fix delectable treats for me -- where did I go wrong???? :-) :-) :-) Maybe if I grew white hair????

Don't be so quick to laugh, a kangaroo pouch is bigger than squirrel cheeks! :-)

chocolate treats and a Creamery!!! mmmmm-good. Growing up there was a small cow farm nearby and sometimes we could get unhomoginized milk which meant that the cream rose to the top -- we could make our own ice cream -- I'm always a sucker for really creamy ice cream -- why don't they make strawberry with chocolate pieces???

I'll be back your way in the spring -- Monika will be there for a couple years. And she will need breaks. That's a tough grind - school, child and DH. BTDT.

Virginia is really a beautiful place with those rolling hills and the Smokies in the distance. I'll have to try for a time when there is a quilt show, too.

Mim

And a warning for McDonalds lovers down here in Oz. You know the recent "good food" menu they've put out? Well bored one day I pulled out the old WW points calculator and found that ALL the items on that menu, based on their serving size were over 6 points. Most, like the vege-burger and the roast chicken salad I had to estimate the points because the kilojoules didn't go up that high. So if you bought one of the yoghurts topped with oats and strawberries - you'd use up a whopping 5 points -just on dessert. The only almost pointless stuff was the garden salad (at 3 points). Very scary.

Congratulations on the re-sizing, Sharon!!!! way to go!!!! You'll be a new woman when I get to see you. I heard that some restaurants near here are starting to adveritise "thin" meals -- same menu , just portions that are within reason for average eaters.

Somehow the rule of "Drop it on the floor and the calories are cut in half" doesn't work

Save some for me Kris, I am coming your way in March again!!

Christ> HI,

Christina, I'll be looking for you. maybe we can get pat to come up fromYorktown for a visit too. She was in DC today and her, KathyZ. and I got together for coffee.

Kris

I don't eat there by choice. I much prefer Subway.

Wait until Joshua gets old enough to be enticed by the toys, I'm sure things will change even if it's only occasionally. We have to travel an hour east or west or north to get to Maccas. (Can't go south they don't built them on the continental shelf)

Dee in Oz

Yup, they do. Never noticed if they were any good. So glad we're "over" the McDs toys (and McDs).

When the kids were younger (below 3) they used to get "happy meals" and I'd mis-appropriate (ie steal) the toy before they got them (they aren't good for under 3s apparently). So when the girls turned 3 I had a wonderful stash of instant "presents"....oh allright bribery!

When I was traveling, my traveling partner one week told me that (somebody famous that I have forgotten) said the way to cut calories in a restaurant is to order whatever meal you are going to order. Then, when it comes, ask the server for a takehome box and put half of everything in the box. I had already been asking for takehome boxes for leftovers, but I found after that advice that it is easier to eat just half if the other half is already out of sight.

Nell in Austin

A lot of places down here won't do that 'cause people don't store the leftovers correctly then reheat and get food poisoning.

I think I have an odd child. Even as young as three, given the choice of a MacD's Happy Meal with toy or a visit to the pub and real food, he'd choose the pub and real food! One of his favourite pub meals is a giant Yorkshire pud filled with roast beef and onion gravy, and vegetables! He likes the pub that serves REAL butcher's sausages with the kids meals rather than the one that serves 'school sausages' - i.e. mass catering sausages full of filler and not a lot of real meat!