Weight Loss Challange Dec. 7th -15th

This is going to have to be short for a beginning thread. We are expecting an ice storm today, in fact it has already rained a bit and Kyle and Holly's porch and steps were icey and slick an hour or 2 ago. I have to be in town and at the feed stores before noon to get bird feeds. Corn, Milo, laying mash. Maybe some black oily sunflower seeds @ nearly $16 for 50#! I also need to fill the van fuel tank so I will not have to be concerned about a fuel supply if I get stuck somewhere, etc.

I took Kyle his Christmas gift early but I could tell from his reaction that it is unlikely he will use them. I got him some YakTrax for his shoes so he will be less likely to fall on the ice. He thinks the whole idea is foolish but I have told him that all the staff at PG have them and love them. They said last year that after getting them there were no more falls on the ice. Before getting them there were several. They are a metal coil around the stretchy cords on the bottom of the shoe part. I think it covers most of the bottom of the shoe. Unlike the spike type, you don't have to lift your foot so high to take each step.

Eating has been pretty good and I can tell the #s are coming off. The scales are so wishywashy I'm not sure I can believe them everytime. But when I see the stretched skin start to look wrinkled again I know the weight is coming off. I know this will bring remarks about me looking sickly and haggard, looking 20 years older than I am, etc. but my heart will be happier, my blood pressure will stay down and I know the doctor and I both will be happier because of all of that. And I know GOD will be pleased that I am taking better care of the temple he has given me to live in for this lifetime.

I made cake mix cookies yesterday morning and took them to the cafe' for every one to munch on. Everyone liked them a lot. I'll post the recipe here. I did some variations on it from the ones I found on allrecipes.com and they turned out like the first ones I ate 30+ years ago. Nice and cake like and somewhat chewy. They should also keep well.

Cake Mix Cookies:
1 box cake mix- any flavor you wish
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs-I used large ones since generic brand large eggs are usually less expensive here
1/2 cup yogurt - I used plain since that is what I had on hand, but I would think you could use any flavor that would go with the cake mix flavor - you could also use sour cream I think
1 box instant pudding mix - I used cheesecake flavor but again it was what I had on hand.
Sift the cake mix and pudding mix well to remove all lumps as you do not use a mixer for this and there are many lumps in the cake mix which do NOT break up well with just spoon stirring.
Combine the oil, eggs, & yogurt and mix well. Add the sifted cake mix and pudding mix and stir to mix all the ingredients well. Some of the cake mix will go to the bottom of the bowl so dig deeply when stirring.
Drop by spoonful size blops onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 350* just until barely firm. Loosen from cookie sheet immediately, let cool a minute or so and then remove from cookie sheet.
The yogurt/sour cream and pudding mix were my ideas. The original recipe I found only used cake mix, oil, & eggs. There are endless variations you can use for these cookies, like adding chips or nuts, so experiment and have fun. If you want a thin more crisp cookie use more oil. 3/4 cup will produce a cookie that spreads out a LOT and is about as thick as a tortilla chip. 1/2 cup should give something between the 2 textures. Just experiment to find what you like.

Must get going. GOD bless and keep each of you.