I have been sick all week so my blog will be longer later in the week. I am down not because of the sickness and just a bad cold but I still am eating healthy and promised transformation Tuesdays. Life is full of up and downs. But I am getting there. I will be doing a special on Friday about an Aldi's cream cheese and something I really like. Have a blessed day.
Caroline
The Girlfriend Next Door

I have been sick all week so my blog will be longer later in the week. I am down not because of the sickness and just a bad cold but I still am eating healthy and promised transformation Tuesdays. Life is full of up and downs. But I am getting there. I will be doing a special on Friday about an Aldi's cream cheese and something I really like. Have a blessed day.
Caroline
The Girlfriend Next Door

Transformation Tuesday November 21, 2017 & Portion Control For Thanksgiving Day

Transformation Tuesday November 21, 2017

Happy Tuesday and welcome to Transformation Tuesday. In life and in phases it's not how fast I am doing this but progress. Although I did not lose a lot I am down a half a pound. It is Thanksgiving week and also a busy week for eBaying. Yes I eBay and planning on a successful Christmas. I am adding my transformation screenshot for today as I always will and I will be sending some photos of what a well put together plate looks like on Thanksgiving Day. In case you are dieting or thinking about eating all those lovely foods I have also included a Pinterest photo so that you can see how to eyeball a portion size if you are watching your weight. My plans for Thanksgiving are to go to a special place as it is a big hall where a lot of friends and family all get together and we bring food and hang out. I do not take snapshots of my friends there because I do respect their privacy but I might do one of me and my husband. We grew up that is me as I grew up in chaos during the holidays. I never knew what Thanksgiving was going to be like and although those were not the greatest of times I have made up for it by being around a lot of positive people during this day. That does not give me the permission to gorge myself. I did plenty of that to get to where I am today and plan on eating healthy things and perhaps a small slice of pie and planning on bringing some great snacks. If you are reading this at Thanksgiving get up a little early, meditate on what brings you happiness, plan on going to a positive house or place. If you still have to go somewhere that is not so pleasant slip outside every once in a while and take a five minute break and tell yourself "this too shall pass". It is only one day and also get some exercise in. It is a busy week and even if you are reading this after Thanksgiving be blessed that you are alive, you can change if you want to and you can always email me with suggestions or comments. Until Thursday which is Thanksgiving enjoy my new blog.

Caroline

The Girlfriend Next Door

Transformation Tuesday November 21, 2017

Happy Tuesday and welcome to Transformation Tuesday. In life and in phases it's not how fast I am doing this but progress. Although I did not lose a lot I am down a half a pound. It is Thanksgiving week and also a busy week for eBaying. Yes I eBay and planning on a successful Christmas. I am adding my transformation screenshot for today as I always will and I will be sending some photos of what a well put together plate looks like on Thanksgiving Day. In case you are dieting or thinking about eating all those lovely foods I have also included a Pinterest photo so that you can see how to eyeball a portion size if you are watching your weight. My plans for Thanksgiving are to go to a special place as it is a big hall where a lot of friends and family all get together and we bring food and hang out. I do not take snapshots of my friends there because I do respect their privacy but I might do one of me and my husband. We grew up that is me as I grew up in chaos during the holidays. I never knew what Thanksgiving was going to be like and although those were not the greatest of times I have made up for it by being around a lot of positive people during this day. That does not give me the permission to gorge myself. I did plenty of that to get to where I am today and plan on eating healthy things and perhaps a small slice of pie and planning on bringing some great snacks. If you are reading this at Thanksgiving get up a little early, meditate on what brings you happiness, plan on going to a positive house or place. If you still have to go somewhere that is not so pleasant slip outside every once in a while and take a five minute break and tell yourself "this too shall pass". It is only one day and also get some exercise in. It is a busy week and even if you are reading this after Thanksgiving be blessed that you are alive, you can change if you want to and you can always email me with suggestions or comments. Until Thursday which is Thanksgiving enjoy my new blog.

Caroline

The Girlfriend Next Door

History of Pyrex & Corning Ware

Good morning all my lovely readers or people who read these posts even a year later after I have written them. As you recall I told you my mother had passed away in Ithaca New York last year. I have a lot of wonderful family on my moms side that I am learning to bond with and that live up in Ithaca. My husband and I have driven from Michigan up to Ithaca a couple of times to visit them. We will continue to do this once a year as I am re-establishing relationships with my moms side of the family . One of the cities we pass on our long 10 hour drive trip is Corning New York. I intend on my next trip up there to see relatives is to take some time to visit that wonderful city. I love Corning Ware and I love Pyrex. There is a huge history of Pyrex and Corning Ware and I am adding a link so you can read it yourself. I always give credit where credit is due. I have several Pyrex measuring cups and bowls. I am a frugal shopper and I have bought several of them at Goodwill in the glass area. Why would someone give away their Pyrex? Who knows people donate things from estate sales and other places and I snap them up when I can find them. It is much cheaper to buy them there for .99 cents than the $5.00 $8.00 you would spend at the regular store. You want to make sure there are no cracks and it is in good condition and boom you have a very versatile piece of cooking equipment as well as a versatile piece of eating out of bowl. I like to use them as a one catch all for food and time saver.  My husband is low-carbing it and I can simply take a a sugar free jello mix and make it all in the same measuring cup and put it in the fridge. He likes to eat the whole thing out of the same glass cup. I like to measure soup in the glass measuring cup and when I know I have the exact amount to put in my food journal I can simply warm it up and eat it if I am  almost out of time as we are getting ready to go out the door. I can eat fast and within a few minutes and set the measuring cup in the sink afterwards for washing. You can do the same thing with cereal and other items. Don't call me lazy it's just why dirty another bowl if I have a good measuring cup I can use for a one purpose . Besides you realize I do wash the measuring cup afterwards before I put it back away lol. I have several different sizes of Pyrex measuring cups. They can be microwaved as well as refrigerated. You can make a portion or two of low calorie pudding and if you don't want to set your pudding in smaller bowls for portions  you can just set it in the fridge and there you go. Once the pudding has set you can scoop out a portion because the measurements are all on the side of the bowl Is it wrong to eat out of a measuring cup? Not to me it's not since it's just the two of us. Let's be real who hasn't done this before? If you don't want to shop at Goodwill for the measuring cups there are other places you can get them. I have seen them at Walmart, Meijer, Big Lots, Target and most grocery stores in the baking aisle.If you love old Pyrex or Corning Ware and are missing a piece or have a piece or lid that has broken you can always go on eBay as there are a lot of sellers who find them at estate sales and relist the lids or whole pieces for sale. I am adding a link if you want to read the history of Pyrex for your self. Thank you for reading my personal blog and have a wonderful day.
Caroline
The Girlfriend Next Door!
  http://www.thekitchn.com/the-history-of-pyrex-the-100-year-old-glassware-company-223352. 

Good morning all my lovely readers or people who read these posts even a year later after I have written them. As you recall I told you my mother had passed away in Ithaca New York last year. I have a lot of wonderful family on my moms side that I am learning to bond with and that live up in Ithaca. My husband and I have driven from Michigan up to Ithaca a couple of times to visit them. We will continue to do this once a year as I am re-establishing relationships with my moms side of the family . One of the cities we pass on our long 10 hour drive trip is Corning New York. I intend on my next trip up there to see relatives is to take some time to visit that wonderful city. I love Corning Ware and I love Pyrex. There is a huge history of Pyrex and Corning Ware and I am adding a link so you can read it yourself. I always give credit where credit is due. I have several Pyrex measuring cups and bowls. I am a frugal shopper and I have bought several of them at Goodwill in the glass area. Why would someone give away their Pyrex? Who knows people donate things from estate sales and other places and I snap them up when I can find them. It is much cheaper to buy them there for .99 cents than the $5.00 $8.00 you would spend at the regular store. You want to make sure there are no cracks and it is in good condition and boom you have a very versatile piece of cooking equipment as well as a versatile piece of eating out of bowl. I like to use them as a one catch all for food and time saver.  My husband is low-carbing it and I can simply take a a sugar free jello mix and make it all in the same measuring cup and put it in the fridge. He likes to eat the whole thing out of the same glass cup. I like to measure soup in the glass measuring cup and when I know I have the exact amount to put in my food journal I can simply warm it up and eat it if I am  almost out of time as we are getting ready to go out the door. I can eat fast and within a few minutes and set the measuring cup in the sink afterwards for washing. You can do the same thing with cereal and other items. Don't call me lazy it's just why dirty another bowl if I have a good measuring cup I can use for a one purpose . Besides you realize I do wash the measuring cup afterwards before I put it back away lol. I have several different sizes of Pyrex measuring cups. They can be microwaved as well as refrigerated. You can make a portion or two of low calorie pudding and if you don't want to set your pudding in smaller bowls for portions  you can just set it in the fridge and there you go. Once the pudding has set you can scoop out a portion because the measurements are all on the side of the bowl Is it wrong to eat out of a measuring cup? Not to me it's not since it's just the two of us. Let's be real who hasn't done this before? If you don't want to shop at Goodwill for the measuring cups there are other places you can get them. I have seen them at Walmart, Meijer, Big Lots, Target and most grocery stores in the baking aisle.If you love old Pyrex or Corning Ware and are missing a piece or have a piece or lid that has broken you can always go on eBay as there are a lot of sellers who find them at estate sales and relist the lids or whole pieces for sale. I am adding a link if you want to read the history of Pyrex for your self. Thank you for reading my personal blog and have a wonderful day.
Caroline
The Girlfriend Next Door!
  http://www.thekitchn.com/the-history-of-pyrex-the-100-year-old-glassware-company-223352. 

Happy Wednesday November 15th 2017 The Lose It App

Happy Wednesday. This is the app I am talking about.which is helping me get to those goals. Lose it is a free or premium app that helps you count calories and trust me it works if you work it girlfriend. I have the premium app and I love that I can pre-plan meals a few days in advance.  The premium is $29.95 for 12 months which is about $2.50 a month but you have to pay for it all at once. It's like having a weight loss coach on your phone. I like the fact that I can be near a restaurant and it will pick up nearby food places if you are in the app and you can pick or look to see the calories before you head in the door. Simply add them and boom you know what you have left to eat for the day.With the premium you also get a lot of tips and other things. If you are just starting out I would suggest you try the free app so you know what you are getting. It saves and learns your favorite foods. You can eat anything with this app and lose weight. You can set goals of 1/2 a pound up to 2 pounds a week and based on your weight it will tell you how much you have to eat that day. The rest is up to you. I will be doing a publication on Friday about measuring and how important that is with the food you eat. It can be simply done and with all kinds of measuring cups and spoons you can have your food prep easily done within a few hours for the next week. Have a blessed day ! I am not paid to be on lose it I just love their program. www.loseit.com. Thank you Pintrist for the quote.

Happy Wednesday. This is the app I am talking about.which is helping me get to those goals. Lose it is a free or premium app that helps you count calories and trust me it works if you work it girlfriend. I have the premium app and I love that I can pre-plan meals a few days in advance.  The premium is $29.95 for 12 months which is about $2.50 a month but you have to pay for it all at once. It's like having a weight loss coach on your phone. I like the fact that I can be near a restaurant and it will pick up nearby food places if you are in the app and you can pick or look to see the calories before you head in the door. Simply add them and boom you know what you have left to eat for the day.With the premium you also get a lot of tips and other things. If you are just starting out I would suggest you try the free app so you know what you are getting. It saves and learns your favorite foods. You can eat anything with this app and lose weight. You can set goals of 1/2 a pound up to 2 pounds a week and based on your weight it will tell you how much you have to eat that day. The rest is up to you. I will be doing a publication on Friday about measuring and how important that is with the food you eat. It can be simply done and with all kinds of measuring cups and spoons you can have your food prep easily done within a few hours for the next week. Have a blessed day ! I am not paid to be on lose it I just love their program. www.loseit.com. Thank you Pintrist for the quote.

This is me!

1. Tuesday Transformation November 14,2017.

• This is me. My name is Caroline. I am on a weight loss journey. I took this photo September 22, 2017. I weighed 229.2 pounds. I have a story to tell, I have a life. I live here in the Michiana area which is between South Bend Indiana and Niles Michigan. This is my journey back into healing.I am 53. I am happily married for almost 5 years and we don't have children. It is my first marriage and although I had some strange long term relationships I finally found the love of my life and like I said we will have five years of marriage on May 25th 2018. We do have 4 cats. My father passed away several years ago. My mother passed away last November which was in 2016 the Monday before Thanksgiving. She was in Ithaca New York. I got to say goodbye to her before she passed and her side of the family and my husband and I planned a memorial on Labor Day of this year 2017. I had to plan the memorial because my two older siblings could not do it. It's a long complicated story and my brother did show up but my sister did not. I don't want to go into the details but it left me depressed, confused and angry. We have so much healing  we need to do from a very abusive childhood that should of been addressed years ago but it was not and that is how it is today. I can't out my siblings because this is my story . I talk to my brother periodically on the phone but have no contact with my sister at this time. She has never even met my husband because she is in her own twisted marriage and although I have a place in my heart for her she is a toxic person to be around.  She lives three hours away near Detroit. She and her husband have never expressed an interest in meeting my wonderful husband. She is in her own emotional food hole and I can't crawl back down there with her and she needs to get her own healing.  That is all I can say about her because I don't want to out her or my brother. How did I get to this weight when the year before I was losing weight and gained it back. I let myself go. I focused on anger, resentment, and self destructed with my weight. I focused the last year of planning a memorial, anger that I did not get help from siblings and just a lot of repressed memories of how we grew up. This is my story of coming back and come follow the chapters of how I progress. I am not a rich person, my husband is a music teacher and plays in symphonies and I am employed to help him part time and I do ebay. After I did the memorial in September I came back exhausted and wiped out. I know the weight had something to do with it. I have all the weight loss tools to finally bury the anger, frustration and get back to a healthy weight and maybe someday have a relationship with my sister but this is how I am doing a weight loss blog on a budget. You will see a lot of things from Walmart, Aldi's and Meijer grocery stores because let's keep it real that is where I shop. I also shop a lot at Goodwill and a lot of the things I use to cook with, things I wear and buy are from there because I am frugal and perhaps it can inspire a reader to say "never thought to do that". Are all the foods healthy no but they are realistic. And so the journey begins.

What can I say I like hats and most of my pictures are of  me with hats. This was taken a week ago. I am now at 217.00 as of today November 14, 2017. I have lost 12 pounds since September 22, 2017. I use Lose It App to help me. Tomorrow I will tell you more about the app. I like to wear a lot of black clothing lol but not always. I am aiming for a pound a week and sometimes I hit that goal with the whole pound and sometimes a little more. Every Tuesday I will show you my progress on Transformation Tuesday. I can also show you the lose it app to prove how I am doing. I have a lose it scale I got from eBay a few years ago and and my goal is 175 by June 1st. Starting on January 1st 2018 I will up my goal of 1.5 pounds a week but at this time with the winter approaching and not a lot of sun and other factors I would just prefer to do a pound a week so I can see some progress. This is not a race but a journey. It will be sad, funny, life hacks that work for me and just a no-nonsense way of losing weight and keeping it off. I promise to blog at least 3 times a week and if I don't blog I will put a positive quote up. Thanks Pintrist for that. But every Tuesday I will show a photo of my journey and the lose it app to show where I am at. May you be blessed today. This is a journey and I have an exercise machine calling my name in the other room.

1. Tuesday Transformation November 14,2017.

• This is me. My name is Caroline. I am on a weight loss journey. I took this photo September 22, 2017. I weighed 229.2 pounds. I have a story to tell, I have a life. I live here in the Michiana area which is between South Bend Indiana and Niles Michigan. This is my journey back into healing.I am 53. I am happily married for almost 5 years and we don't have children. It is my first marriage and although I had some strange long term relationships I finally found the love of my life and like I said we will have five years of marriage on May 25th 2018. We do have 4 cats. My father passed away several years ago. My mother passed away last November which was in 2016 the Monday before Thanksgiving. She was in Ithaca New York. I got to say goodbye to her before she passed and her side of the family and my husband and I planned a memorial on Labor Day of this year 2017. I had to plan the memorial because my two older siblings could not do it. It's a long complicated story and my brother did show up but my sister did not. I don't want to go into the details but it left me depressed, confused and angry. We have so much healing  we need to do from a very abusive childhood that should of been addressed years ago but it was not and that is how it is today. I can't out my siblings because this is my story . I talk to my brother periodically on the phone but have no contact with my sister at this time. She has never even met my husband because she is in her own twisted marriage and although I have a place in my heart for her she is a toxic person to be around.  She lives three hours away near Detroit. She and her husband have never expressed an interest in meeting my wonderful husband. She is in her own emotional food hole and I can't crawl back down there with her and she needs to get her own healing.  That is all I can say about her because I don't want to out her or my brother. How did I get to this weight when the year before I was losing weight and gained it back. I let myself go. I focused on anger, resentment, and self destructed with my weight. I focused the last year of planning a memorial, anger that I did not get help from siblings and just a lot of repressed memories of how we grew up. This is my story of coming back and come follow the chapters of how I progress. I am not a rich person, my husband is a music teacher and plays in symphonies and I am employed to help him part time and I do ebay. After I did the memorial in September I came back exhausted and wiped out. I know the weight had something to do with it. I have all the weight loss tools to finally bury the anger, frustration and get back to a healthy weight and maybe someday have a relationship with my sister but this is how I am doing a weight loss blog on a budget. You will see a lot of things from Walmart, Aldi's and Meijer grocery stores because let's keep it real that is where I shop. I also shop a lot at Goodwill and a lot of the things I use to cook with, things I wear and buy are from there because I am frugal and perhaps it can inspire a reader to say "never thought to do that". Are all the foods healthy no but they are realistic. And so the journey begins.

What can I say I like hats and most of my pictures are of  me with hats. This was taken a week ago. I am now at 217.00 as of today November 14, 2017. I have lost 12 pounds since September 22, 2017. I use Lose It App to help me. Tomorrow I will tell you more about the app. I like to wear a lot of black clothing lol but not always. I am aiming for a pound a week and sometimes I hit that goal with the whole pound and sometimes a little more. Every Tuesday I will show you my progress on Transformation Tuesday. I can also show you the lose it app to prove how I am doing. I have a lose it scale I got from eBay a few years ago and and my goal is 175 by June 1st. Starting on January 1st 2018 I will up my goal of 1.5 pounds a week but at this time with the winter approaching and not a lot of sun and other factors I would just prefer to do a pound a week so I can see some progress. This is not a race but a journey. It will be sad, funny, life hacks that work for me and just a no-nonsense way of losing weight and keeping it off. I promise to blog at least 3 times a week and if I don't blog I will put a positive quote up. Thanks Pintrist for that. But every Tuesday I will show a photo of my journey and the lose it app to show where I am at. May you be blessed today. This is a journey and I have an exercise machine calling my name in the other room.

Welcome To My World

Welcome To My World