Weekend Review: And the 400 Mile Challenge.

Remember last week when I showed you the melting we were having? Remember how happy I was about that?   Well, we've had 2 days of snow so have from this:

Thursday of last week

To this:

Sunday afternoon

Yup, back in the white for us!  It's so high I can no longer throw the snow UP onto the snow bank and when I shovel off the deck, it no longer goes out and down to the ground, it just goes out!   So we have been cleaning the walks, and shovelling trails for the oil man and for Becke to get out. That is what we have been doing for the past few days. Sounds like fun doesn't it?  

When I was not outside shoveling, I was inside inside painting our living room. Here is one corner of the living room that is done. I love having a different color on one wall, in this case it's the fireplace wall. There is still more to do but I am happy with it. It looks so fresh and clean and this takes care of the "Spring Cleaning" the living room so when Spring is here I will be outside enjoying it and not in side cleaning.  

Ellie is hosting her 400 mile challenge, if you want to log on your miles there you can click on the button and go there, or you can post an encouraging note here.  I wonder how many miles shoveling/painting equals?  For my 400 mile Challenge this past week I logged on  a total of 40.8 miles. The breakdown is like this. Walk 5.59 miles, Stationary Bike 15.21 miles, Weights 11 miles, Aerobics (Step and Zumbia) 9 miles for a total of 341.23 miles. I'm not far from my goal, I see the end in sight!  Then what???

How was your weekend? What did you do?

Funny Police Answering Machine

We have all heard the school's answering machine - well here is a police answering machine and it is FAKE - this is not a real answering machine at any police station but it is what they would like to say sometimes.

I needed something funny because this is what I woke up this morning!

YUP More Snow!!!

Have a great weekend everyone one. Have fun - love someone - laugh - Thank God for what you have! See you all Monday - Lord Willing.

Long Distance Grannie

I have mentioned before that 2 of our grand children live far away. In fact they live on the other side of the country.  Phone calls are hard because of the time difference. By time we think of calling them, they are not home yet from running around after school/work or it's too early in the morning and they are not up yet. As a result, I find that we go weeks not knowing what is happening over there.  I have a great daughter-in-law (DIL) who will let us know when things happen in emails and Face Book (FB) is wonderful for keeping up on some things but I can’t hug them on FB and I can’t play with them on FB. I find that the more time I have with "the girls", the more I realize how much I am missing with "the boys". :-(

Recently, the teacher of our oldest grandson who is in school now, was conducting a project where each child made a “Paper them” and sent them out to family members who life far away.  We got our “Paper B” in the mail with a nice letter asking us to send information about our home town/city/state back to the school, to sign the back of “Paper B” and then send “Him” on to another home to continue the journey.  Well this was so nice and got me so excited that we also took “Paper B” around town and took pictures of where he had been.  Then we sent the photos and a cute letter back to his school –and teacher- and sent the “Paper B” off to a cousin in Maryland to continue the journey.  Here are some photos of us with our “Paper Grandson – Paper B”.

We of course had to feed "Paper B" because "He was hungry"

"He" came to us on a very cold day so we warmed "him" up by the fire

We took "Him" to the town Library

We also took "Him" to the Fire Station

And of Course to the Town Hall

We then took "Him" to the Police Station

It was very cold when"He" got to us and I hope "He" enjoys his trip to Maryland. 

How do you grandparents of children far away keep in contact with your grand kids?  Do you Skype with them? How about those books where you can record your own voice and read the story to them?  Share with me some things you do so that you and your grand kids can be a little closer.  I'm looking for ideas here!!

Wednesday Hodgepodge: Semi-Related.



Thank you Joyce for once again coming up with a bunch of questions and asking us all to share more about ourselves that you all wanted to know but never knew to ask.  Click on the button and join the fun.

1. Did you know there is a National Day of pretty much everything in the universe? February 23 happens to be National Inconvenience Yourself Day...when was the last time you were inconvenienced?


Monday night we had a company here that was giving us an estimate for replacing the carpet with wood floors.  He was 30 minutes late and had to call his manager to get us a better deal. It was sort of like when you go buy a car and the salesman has go talk to the manager about "US".  It really made me feel uncomfortable.


2. When a room in your house needs painting who does the job?

Me. I pick out the color, go get the paint and do the job. Hubby will help move the furniture if I can't do and then the smart man stays out of my way! I have told you I get board easily right?  The living room is getting a make over - photos to follow later.

3. Are you friends with your cousins?

Most of my cousins I have lost track of but one cousin I am still in touch with all the time.  Funny story - we were friends for 4 years before we found out we were cousins.  Our husbands laughed when we all found out and they looked at each other and said "Explains a lot, doesn't it?"  We met as adults and didn't even know we were related. 

4. Do you use an alarm clock? If yes-is it an actual alarm, music, or something else?

Yes I have an iPod Touch that is set to go off at a certain time and it plays music, beeping sounds or something else since it's set to shuffle. Funny thing is, I wake up long before it goes off so often I'm in the shower or riding the stationary bike and hear if go off.  So I guess it's only a back up and I don't really need it.

5. What do you put ketchup on? 

Sometimes on my hamburger, hot dog, and once in a while French fries but really I don't use it much.  I think it looks terrible on eggs but hubby does that all the time. And there must be something wrong with putting it on Pork Pie!

6. What smells make you nostalgic?

I love the smell of flowers! It just makes me think of Spring.

7. Have you heard about the high school English teacher recently suspended as a result of some things she wrote in her personal blog? You can read the story here but in a nutshell she vented a lot of frustration onto her blog. She didn't mention individual students by name but she did make some harsh comments about kids in general and their parents.
What are your thoughts-If you're a parent is your child's teacher online and are you 'friend' or 'follower' there? If you're a teacher are you on facebook and do you accept or friend students on fb? How about their parents? If you're a student are you friends with your current or former teachers online? Do any of them have blogs you read? If you're a teacher or a parent do you ever use your blog as a place to vent your frustrations with our educational system? So much to discuss...

Oh My! What a loaded question.  Where do I begin?   Our kids are all grown up so I do not have a child or teacher connected to FB. Having said that I do not make FB friends with my boss and if she reads my blog, she has never told me that she does. My work life and my social life are not connected.  I think we all have a freedom to express ourselves on our blog and even on FB- BUT we must remember that nothing is a secret anymore and whatever a person says on any form of Internet service, will come back to haunt them someday.  That is why I do not post pictures of our children or grand children.  Our children are all grown up. Our Grand children  have great parents and they can put information and pictures on there FB page, or blogs. I will mention them by either saying Grand kid #1,2,3 or 4 or give there first initial B,N,E,C.  But that is it. 
I do believe that students today have way too much time on there hands and that the schools are so busy teaching things like ethics and acceptance that they have no time to teach Math, English, Writing, History and Science. So much time is waisted in school to teach what students don't need means that what they do need once they leave school doesn't get learned. Parents are often too busy working to pay the bills or working to feed there own indulgence and the kids are alone are too much. When you devalue life, then society falls apart and I see all around me a devaluing of life.  OK I will get off my soap box now. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Spring! I'm Longing for Spring!!

Recipe of the week: Low Carb "Donuts" Treats part two

Here are the other donuts I made for Valentine's Day. These are very light and fluffy and really were my favorite of the two Valentine treats I made.  They froze well and when I took them out a few days later, they were still very tasty!

1 cup Flaxseed Meal
1 cup Almond Meal Flour
1 TBSP Baking Powder
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 stick of butter melted
4 eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP water

Mix all of this and pour into a donut baking pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Allow to cool a bit before removing them from the pan.

Topping:
1/2 cup Splenda
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 TBSP melted butter

Mix the Splenda and Cinnamon together, take each donut and dip the top in the butter and sprinkle on the Splenda/Cinnamon mixture.

Total carbs are 1.5 each!!!  Now I really like that kind of treat.  How about you, have you found any low carb recipes that you love? How about sharing - I'm always looking for new ideas for dinner.

Weekend Review: And the 400 Mile Challenge.

After 2 really nice spring days where we opened car windows and wore light jackets, we went back into the deep freeze and we were 15 degrees on Sunday morning.  We did get some really good melting here as you see I can see more of the dog house, but Becke still can't use it and I can see more of the statue in the front yard.  Good news is that we are waiting for it to warm up and snow again this week. Fun times in NH!

A few weeks ago, just a bump

I see her in the front garden

Becke's house a few weeks ago

Becke's house Sunday

That was not as bad as the furnace breaking! A service call on Sunday - now that is going to cost us! That is not the only thing, one of our kitchen cabinets is coming loose from the celling.   I have this sinking feeling that this the year our home falls apart.  Yuck! I know that God will take care of us and all but I wonder how bad it will be.  See I worry, a lot!  I don't know why, I know I can't change anything, but I do. The furnace service was just over $400.00!  He was here less than 1 hour!  

How was your week at the 400 mile challenge? Remember that the challenge is not for the weekend but for the entire week Saturday - Saturday, I just post it on Monday since I don't write a blog on the weekends. I did better than I thought I would and ended up logging in 51.64 miles this week for a total of 300.43 miles. 3/4th done!  Here is the break down for the week 2/12/11-2/19/11.  Walked 5.77 miles, Biked 21.87 miles, weights 12 miles, Step aerobics and Zumba for a total of12 miles for my total of 51.64.  Adding that to the 248.79 and you come up with the 300.43 that I have up on my ticket.  How are you doing?  Stop by Ellie's blog, hook up with the others who are doing the challenge and encourage them. I know I really feel encouraged when people pat me on the back.     How was your weekend and did you do anything to combat Cabin Fever?

More ways to beat that Cabin Fever

Yesterday I talked about some ways to fight back those winter blues or cabin fever as it's called around here. I heard how some of you were fighting back as well. Great Job!  Keep it up, yesterday it warmed up here a bit and I even had the car window open a bit as I drove home from work. We are suppose to get another nice  day and then we are back in the deep freeze. OH WELL!!!
Here are a few more ways to fight that Cabin Fever:

1.    Paint a room. Paint the woodwork, or the window frame. It can even be the same color but it will look fresh and smell fresh and we can all use "fresh" these days.

2.    Finish a project you started in the fall but never finished. Have that storage closet that you wanted to clean out but never got around to it, well now is the time is finish it. Have some knitting Pattens just hanging around, get out those needles and get to it.

3.    Wash the car. Up here it's been so cold and our cars are covered with sand, salt, and grime from the roads. Now is the time to drive through a car wash and clean the inside while your at it. Riding around in a clean car will do a lot to lift hour mood.

4.    Eat at the table. Do you eat on the run? In your car, in front of the TV, over the sink? Set the table, pull out the "good china", the "good silver" and sit down at the table. Go ahead, treat yourself and your family like company. Heck, light those candles while you're at it!

5.    Make a change. My Hubby loves this one because it means we are moving the furniture in the living room for a fresh look. Now- by saying "My Hubby loves this ones", I want you to know that he will roll his eyes, give a big sigh, go take an extra vitamin, flex his muscles, make grunting noises as he moves the couch - again- and once done, go onto FB to announce that he once again survived the ordeal!  Good thing he loves me. Go shopping for new furniture (if your budget allows) to replace that end table, or lamp,  get a rug for the floor, or whatever you can do to freshen up your home with the intention of tossing out the old. Don't bring in something new without getting rid of something old. Again, donate it if it's good enough.

6.    Get off the Internet and do some old fashion fun. Play board games! We all get caught up reading our books on our iPads (or kindles or whatever we have) and many of us play games on them too so turn them off get a partner and play a board game or chess or color in a coloring book. Get into some indoor old fashion fun. It is still to cold for me to get out and do anything in the yard so I'm planning to play Tri-Ominos with Hubby.

7.  Grow something. A few weeks ago a coworker placed a small plant on my desk as a thank you for allowing her to use my office over that weekend. It is blooming! I smile every time I water it and look at my desk. It causes no weight gain, no guilt and reminds me the sun is getting strong.  So start growing something (That thing growing in the fridge does not count)

OK so tell me some of the things you are doing, we will make a long list of getting ready for spring after all it's 30 days away!

Cabin Fever or Winter Blues. Whatever it's called, it's time to fight back

Yes it's very pretty but I want it all green and warm now please

I see the sun in the sky but it's heat doesn't reach me, the windows are still cold and so the sun's heat can't warm up the house.  Snow is everywhere and it's not even white anymore, just piles of dirty hard snow.  I look in my closet and see dark colors and lots and lots of sweaters/sweatshirts  and I'm getting really tired of looking for gloves, ear muffs, and scarfs to wear to go out side. It's time to blast those blues and fight back - but how?  Here are some things I do to fight back at this time of year.

1.    Pray for others. It's amazing that spending time in prayer with God on behalf of others takes the            focus off of you and on to others. Better yet, pray WITH someone else on behalf of others. Pray, it does a body good. 

2.    Wear something bright. In the winter we wear all those big dark colors and if you are like me you are tired of them all by now. For a Christmas gift , I was given a hand made scarf made of the softest yarn and it's bright blue. I feel better just wearing it. Find something bright and wear it at least once a week. Ladies even bright undies works.

3.    Clean out your closet. You have passed over that shirt for months now. You either no longer like it, or, it no long fits, or you are just plane tired of it. Get rid of it. Do you really want to pack it up for next year when you didn't wear it at all this year? Our church is having a "Give Away" day in May where we just hand out good usable stuff to people who need it. No price - all free. So now is the time to put those clothes aside. You can also donate them to Family Outfitters as well, this organization does a great service to the local community. 

4.    Exercise. It releases endorphins that help you to feel better. I get board easily so I have to mix it up. Dig out those old “Dancing to the  Oldies” DVD’s, change your old work out DVD's with a friends or borrow new ones from your library.  Moving is important. Remember Spring 31 days away and you want to be ready for the short selves, shorts and other body showing styles. 

5.    Read something funny. Even the funnies on line or in the paper. Ask your friends for recommendations for funny stories. Share books with others. You can share many of your Kindle books as well. Pull those old books (remember those things)  down from the book case and re-read Erma Bombeck. Hay read out loud to share the funny story.

6.    Learn something new. Dig out those old cookbooks and cook new recipes, learn a language, become a vegetarian for a week. Take up belly dancing. Learning can really be fun and it makes you smile. How many of us can be smiling and feel cabin fever at the same time?

7.    Do your taxes. Why have that hanging over your head? You will feel great having that mess over with. If Hubby does the taxes, cook him a special dinner - he's earned it

What do you do to fight back the cabin fever that attacks this time of year? I'll share more ideas next time.  

Wednesday Hodgepodge:

Once again Joyce did a great job coming up with the questions so we can get to know each other.  Click on her button and join in. Thank you Joyce.

1. Your favorite chocolate treat?

I'm a simple girl, I really love Peanut Butter Cups and I am grateful that there is a low carb version of the high carb one that I love.

2. What more than anything else makes you feel loved?
For me it's the little things that lets me know I was thought of during the day. The phone call to say "I love you". Coffee pot ready to turn on in the morning and enjoy. Returning from a shopping trip with a cup of coffee for me in his hands or a hot cup of tea made for me after a hard working day.  

3. Cherries or blueberries?
Blueberries all the way.  

4. What is the one trait you most want the leader of your country to posses?

Courage to do what he said he would do!  If he said he would veto a bill and that bill crosses his desk then he veto's it! Truth to keep his promises.  I want to know that I can expect what he said he would do.

5. Are you a saver or a spender?

Yes. Hows that for a clear answer!  I save for small things and once the money is saved, I will run out and spend it right away on what I saved up for.

6. If you gave a party for all of your friends would they already know each other?

Most likely, I have a small circle of people who I feel are friends. All others are associates.

7. Are you interested in antiques?

Yes, I like things old with a story.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
32 DAYS till SPRING!   I so want to be here!!!

Recipe of the week: Low Carb Mini Cakes

I mentioned yesterday that I had gone to a baby shower for a soon to be new grand ma. You all know that  church people know how to party and when they do there is always food! We have the best cooks at our Church There was all sorts of  wonderful, tasty, tempting food spread out on the table and counter tops- but two items that caught my eye were the donuts and the cake. I guess I had a bit of a sweet tooth since that is what caught my eye. I've not had a either in maybe a year and they had to be a way to make them lower in carbs right? Something about Valentine Day made me want to make something sweet for Hubby.  So I Googled Low Carb Donuts and, there were several out there. I combined a few recipes that I saw and created this. I also wanted ingredients that anyone can find at the local supermarket.

Low-Carb Mini Cakes 

1 cup Whole Wheat flour

1 cup soy flour

1 scoops Vanilla protein

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup Splenda

2 tsp Brown Sugar Twin

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp sugar free vanilla extract

3 eggs

2 TBSP oil

 I had this mini fluted pan so I used that to make the small cakes. After all we only want a small sweet treat, something easy to freeze as well.  Set your oven at 325 degrees and grease the pan.

Mix dry ingredients together mixing really well and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the heavy cream, vanilla, eggs and oil together.  Mix this to the dry ingredients. Beat together until well blended.  Fill each doughnut cup about 3/4 full. Bake 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool before taking them out to frost.   I used a cream cheese frosting that I made to keep the carbs down.

The are so cute, even plain. But I like it even better with frosting

Frosting.

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup Splenda

Mix it all and frost away.  Enjoy!

So the result? Hubby liked it very much and with 115.5 calories each, they are a sweet "once -in-a-while" treat.  Carb count is 8.4 each, and yes that is on the high side, but as a "once-in-a-while" treat it is very nice indeed!  

Weekend Review: Valentine and the 400 Mile Challenge

Mini Dessert Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Faux "Donuts"

Happy Valentine's day to you all! How are you celebrating today? I made these this morning for My Valentine!  I will tell you about them tomorrow as the recipe of the week and yes they are low carb.  They are Low Carb Mini Cakes and Low Carb 'Donuts".

Saturday a few ladies from church got together and had a Grandmother shower for one of the ladies who is about to become a Grandma for the first time. She is on cloud nine and it was lots of fun to shower her with silly games, food, and gifts. I am sure she felt our love for her and the joy that we all have for her good news. Her first Grand child (a boy) is due in a few weeks.

How did you all do with your 400 mile challenge this week? I had a grand daughter this past week but  still got in 40 miles. So my new total is 248 miles.  I feel pretty good, do you? Do you see any changes yet? Pants getting baggy or do you need a belt for more than a fashion statement but to really hold up those pants? How about your arms? That is the problem area for me. I have those "Arm - Wings" that I want to get rid of. I took a picture January 1st and again in February and there is a difference. Boy was I glad of that because I really felt foolish taking a picture of my very flabby arms,  I mean who would want to see that! No amount of drugs would ever get that photo out of your mind but the second photo is better, not great, just better so I will take another photo in March and so on until I feel good enough to show you all the entire collection-if I ever do that! I hope you are doing the same thing. The photos are a good way to see your progress and you don't have to share- unless you want to. Click on the button and see how the other ladies are doing with their challenge.


The day our newest grand daughter was born, Hubby was on the roof shoveling the snow off of it. I am not a fan of heights and I was glad he waited till I got home before he did it.  Now that the temps are rising, we hopefully will get some melting and all of this will be a frozen memory.

Back yard off the deck

Woke up to this in our front yard

Hubby on the roof trying to get it off before another storm

  

Wow that was a lot - how was your weekend, your Valentine and your Challenge?  

Wednesday Hodgepodge: Join in on the fun

Joyce is hosting the Hodgepodge and she really does pick hard questions!  Waiting for family arrive at the airport gave her too much time to think. Click on her button and join in the fun.

1. What is more important-doing what you love or loving what you do?

I thought and thought and finally asked Hubby to explain this to me and neither of us see a difference.  If I am doing what I love (care for my family) then I am loving what I do.  Now there may be days when caring for my family is harder, or busier, or even frustrating but through it all, I love caring for my family.

2. Do you like bleu cheese?
That would be a really big NO!!!

3. What is the most difficult emotion for you to handle?
Worry - I worry about so many things, most of which will never happen. I know that He, my God, will care for me and get me through what ever may happen - that no amount of worry will change anything but I find myself worrying anyhow.  An old habit -  I still need to work on. One that I am praying about/working on. 

4. Fresh flowers or a box of chocolate?

BOTH I'm worth them!

5. What's a song you love that has the word 'love' in its title? It doesn't have to be a 'love song'.

The first song that came into my mind is "I Love How You Love Me". I'm telling my age but I do love the way that Hubby loves me. He makes me feel so special all the time!

6. Are you the person you wanted to be when you grew up?

You know when I was little, I never thought I would be alive at my current age. As a teenager I was an angry  person and not happy at all. God changed all that and I began to feel loved and treasured and safe.  I did always want kids and grand kids and I have both so I am very happy with my life.

7. Any special Valentines Day plans?

 I do have plans for Hubby that will not be mention here, maybe next week.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

The Scottish Luckenbooth Added to the baby blanket - a superstition to keep good luck with the baby.

I'm a Grannie of 4! Our 4th grand child and 2nd Grand daughter was born on 2/7/11.   She is beautiful and as I write this I am overwhelmed with emotion. I wish I could describe the feeling of watching my child holding her child! She has become such a wonderful adult and fantastic Mom of her own family.  Listening to her talk to her children and explaining things to them is so fascinating.  The look in her eyes while she looks at her girls brings tears to my eyes.  It also makes me miss our grand sons! They live on the other end of the country and we really need to get toghther more often. My daughter In Law (DIL) is fantastic about getting photos and videos to me but I would love to read them a story or find a way to interact with the boys.  I know that Skype and iChat make that possible, the time difference seems to be the hardest issue.

Ok so go visit Joyce and join the fun or leave your answers here. Thank you Joyce.  

Recipe of the week: BABY NEWS! Refrigerator Casserole

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND WELCOME TO THE WORLD!

Our Grand Daughter is here!  Born 7:45pm 2/7/11

And she has a real name! And it's a beautiful name! Cadence Rose

9 lbs, 3 ozs.  A big girl!

Back of the blanket

Mother and Daughter are fine. Father and big sister are happy.  Pepere and Grannie are beaming and didn't get much sleep last night.

Now on to the recipe of the week.  

I usually grocery shop on Saturday, early, when it first opens at 7am. So, often Saturday's supper is a casserole made up of what I want to use up before it goes bad.  I still had 1/2 of a cabbage and a full head of cauliflower so they got cooked up with some beef stew meat and some soy sauce. This turned out really good and it made 6 servings so I set some to the side and froze it for one of those days when I have no time to cook.  What do you usually have on hand to cook or use up as you "go to Meal?"

Calorie count is  233 (2 cup serving)

Carb count is 7 (cabbage is pretty high)

Weekend Review: And the 400 Mile Challenge

Winter - BOO

This is what we have! What a mess! And there is more coming!!! I'm Dreaming of Spring, good thing our bedroom is full of beautiful Spring and Summer colors. I love the Summer feel it has while still being warm.  Hubby is going to get up on the roof and shovel the snow off. I'll be holding the camera in one hand to get it on film and the cell phone in the other hand to call 911. So I'll be blogging about it..... 

So how was your weekend? Friday night I went to the store and bought the Zumba workout for Wii to add to my 400 Mile Challenge because I get bored easily and after figuring out how to set up my Avatar I was ready to go!  Note to all of you who may go out to buy Zumba for Wii - while at the store, get a really good work out bra! I mean a really tight fitting work out bra. Just saying..  This will really make you sweat and I did the 20 minute beginner workout on both Friday and Saturday. So 2 extra miles and I'll hold those extra 10 minutes to add to Sunday's workout. According to the Rules over at Ellie's remember 15 minutes of a work out video = 1 mile and anything over that can be rolled over so 3 -20 minute workouts will give you an extra mile.  Anyhow, I was able to get in 43 miles this week giving me a new total of 208 miles. I'm 1/2 way there after 5 weeks!! I'll say it again, riding the bike is my best ally right now. I'm going about 3.7 miles every time I get on that bike and I'm getting faster! 18 miles alone on the bike this week.  Just click on the button and see how everyone is doing on their challenge. The challenge is to get up and move.  It all counts so get off the couch and move it people!  Well finish reading this blog first.

We are still on Grand Daughter Alert as her due date is 2/12/11 so any day now you can expect to expect to hear she is born and she may even have a name -because they don't have anything picked out yet. So if you don't see a post for a few days it's because she is born and we are busy playing and loving on our new grand daughter.

Looking forwarded to this scene instead. Summer - YAY

Who had a Super Bowl Party and what commercial did you like the best? Hubby had worked 12 hours Saturday night so we stayed home and had Chinese food - not really low carb but I was careful and had only a little fried rice and lo mein.