Snow very pretty and annoying as hell. I understand it hit a record in NYC where Mike is--over 26 inches. But never mind--yesterday and today were such fun. Yesterday, Larry and Helen came over for lunch instead of dinner (made sense so they didn't have to drive in the dark) and we had a wonderful time together. Served the shrimp, plus cold cuts and salad. Later, I just picked here and there and, I'm afraid, treated myself to the dried jackfruit, guava, and mango Mike brought from Singapore, the rest of the rainbow sherbet, and various and sundry other goodies--all the height of foolishness for a WW member, especially one who has to get weighed tomorrow.
Today: Pat and I just got back from meeting Larry, Helen, and friend Jack for breakfast at Dynasty Diner. Angelic Rosemary had oatmeal (albeit with whole milk, but only about 4 ounces), grapefruit juice, and coffee with two half-and-half creamers. Altogether, it totaled 6 points, 2 more than usual, but not bad at all.
Saying goodbye to our Florida family was hard. Larry is a wonderful brother and friend and Helen a super sister-in-law. Hope to see them again before too long. Incidentally, Jack is leaving for Fla. tomorrow and will spend a week with L. and H. while there.
Today, I intend to stick pretty much to the program. Must do a lot of wash, go to the post office, clean up, etc., so will be plenty busy. Will try to think of something for dinner both good for me and agreeable to Pat--not as easy as it sounds.
Tomorrow? Well, it can just take care of itself.

Update after the entry below: Mike just called from Newark Airport. When they got there, they found Patrick's flight has been postponed--to 6 pm! Aagh--they could have stayed several more hours. Oh, well, they made it and are safe.
Spoke to Larry and Jim. L. and Helen will stay over until tomorrow. I invited them for dinner and, if roads are okay, they'll come. I'll serve the shrimp I didn't have last night and have plenty of other stuff. Jim (he, Therese and Chrissy at B and B nearby) said they'd play it by ear to see how roads are. Called Joannie and Jim. They made it home to Virginia all right, although the last hour was through snow; said they had 13 inches down there. Not sure what we had--maybe that much; the Weather Channel said 8 to 12 inches total. It seems to have stopped now. Talked to Alison, who said they had a lot. Ellen won't get in until 3 am after her 6 pm flight, so probably won't try teaching school tomorrow. Alison and Mike are off tomorrow, due to Washington's birthday--why isn't Ellen?

Good news: Pat's birthday party yesterday turned out to be a great success and we all had a wonderful time! After my usual histrionics, with weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth because of the predicted snow, I was overjoyed when it held off. The most regretful part was that brother-in-law Bill and his family were unable to be there, as Regina's surgery was postponed until yesterday and naturally, Bill and their daughters needed to be with her. A few of the out-of-towners were not able to be with us, but most came, and what a great bunch.
The party was terrific. Daughter Alison decorated the room, and included a "story board" of wonderful old pictures of Pat from childhood to present. On the walls, she hung huge enlargements of newspaper articles concerning his Holy Spirit H.S. football exploits and other items. To top it off, she showed a wonderful CD on Pat's life that she projected from Mike's laptop onto a big screen. The food was very good: sandwiches of ham and cheese, roast beef, and turkey, each on a different bread; delicious chicken rice soup, two kinds of green salad, plus pickles, chips, and drinks. After the singing of "Happy Birthday," the cake was cut and served by staff (it wa excellent) along with coffee. Judging by what the guests commented, and by observation, everybody had a wonderful time.
We then hosted the party after the party back at the house. Our immediate family (remember, that's ten people right there) plus brother and sis-in-law Larry and Helen and friend Jack came in, along with Pat's nephew, Pat, and my niece and husband, Joan and Jim. Larry and Helen left to go to mass, then continued on to their overnight accommodations, but brother Jim, wife Therese, and daughter Chrissy came in after the later service, and we had a terrific time together. They're staying at a bed and bath in Tuckerton, less than 2 miles away. We were so pleased and relieved about that when the weather forecast got more and more ominous.
Oh, yes, this is a food blog: Well, I served chili and what I used to call "slymphie stew" (long story; it's just macaroni with ground meat and sauce), both in crockpots. Had three kinds of rolls, banana bread, and a big salad, and Alison contributed a rice dish and corn pudding, about which everybody raved. Of course, we also had wine, soda, and so on. For dessert, I served apple cake, amaretto cake, and chocolate-covered pretzels from Pat's niece, Donna. There was plenty of food, and the chili made a big hit. We had the best time talking, laughing, and joking together and--happy day!--next week I get to do it over again. I'll see my lovely extended family in Virginia when niece Chrissy hosts an 80th birthday party for her dad, Jim, my big brother.
Today? We got up to a blizzard, with several inches on the ground already. Ellen's flight back to California from Philly had been scheduled for this morning, but was postponed to 7 pm tonight. She stayed at Alison's, who will drive her there. The boys left at 6:45, about an hour ago, as (incredibly!) Patrick's flight back to Tokyo (from Newark) is still on for 11:00 am. Luckily, Mike had rented a big, 2006 Land Rover and is now driving his brother there. He'll then continue on to Manhattan for the business portion of his trip. He just called to say they were on the Parkway and driving conditions were okay.
So---it all worked out! The party was wonderful, the food was great, and the company was superb. I should never forget what a lucky woman I am.

About 8 last night, son Mike blew into the house after an 18-hour flight from Singapore. He rented a car at the airport and he and Patrick went to the supermarket today (they have bizarre tastes, if you ask me), then to a few other places. They came back in for their dad and are now on their way to Atlantic City where they'll go to a casino, then to Sacco Subs for lunch. It's good to see my three men enjoying themselves together.
Ellen comes in tonight; am anxious to see her, of course.
All that is the good news. The bad news is that Pat's sister-in-law, Regina, wife of his only surviving sibling, Bill, fell and broke her arm badly last night. She's to be operated on this morning--we fervently hope the procedure will go well. Bill will be unable to come to the party, and we're still not sure about their daughters. If they can't come, that's a total of 7 people we had expected who won't be there.
The other bad news (although it certainly isn't on a par with the above) is that snow is expected tomorrow--I hope not until evening, but that's bad enough, as I invited family (31 of them) back to the house and have prepared a whole other meal. As for the major party, if out-of-town guests feel they can't chance the trip, it will sure put a damper on it. Must play it by ear, but boy, it's upsetting after all the planning and anticipation, etc. Well, the important people will be here: our children and grandson and his family--must concentrate on that.
As for my diet: Had the salmon, etc. last night and regular cottage cheese meal for breakfast. I'll just have some leftovers or something for lunch.
NO SNOW, NO SNOW, NO SNOW...!

We're enjoying having son Patrick here and younger son Mike comes in tonight. Today, we went to the big city--Manahawkin--on various errands and Patrick saw a sub shop and ordered one for lunch. He asked if I wanted one and, mightily tempted, I almost said "yes," but my WW angel intervened and I shook my head--I'm a real heroine. Instead, I had spaghetti squash. Just a good as a sub (NOT!).
When we got home about 9 last night, I treated myself to a glass of cream sherry, a hard-boiled egg sandwich, and a handful of spice drops. Orthodox WW? Certainly not--but not criminal stuffing, either, so I'm okay with it. Must get to the supermarket to get flounder for Pat and Patrick for dinner--I'll have salmon.

Second entry for Wednesday: Want to mention that I went to exercise at 8--"Walking Away the Pounds, the Three-Mile Walk"--as I do three or more days a week. Will either walk through the neighborhood tomorrow or follow another strategy to get the exercise in. My doctor often repeats, "Exercise is the fountain of youth," and I heartily agree. I'm convinced that a strong factor leading to my mother's long and healthy life (she died at 97 after 95 good years) was SHE NEVER LEARNED TO DRIVE. That means she walked often and everywhere and not just around the block either. Regardless of weight, diet, or other variables, exercise is key to good health and long life. Naturally, there are no guarantees. Genetics count and if you smoke and drink a lot, or are 80 pounds overweight you might have a problem. You could get hit by a bus tomorrow or have a piano fall on you, but other things being equal, exercise is going to help a lot...

Busy and productive day. Finished up everything I could so far to prepare for Pat's party, plus got everything in readiness for Patrick's arrival. For breakfast, I reverted back to my two pieces of WW toast slathered with a cup of cottage cheese, and orange juice. Of course, my day begins with coffee--full, robust, caffeinated, strong, dark coffee. It is the staff of life (forget bread). I cannot function without it. I drink my first mug (the equivalent of two cups) sitting at the computer reading e-mail, the NYTimes, other people's blogs, and so on. I then go to exercise at the clubhouse. When I come home, I have my reward: breakfast, with another cup of java--ah! Am I addicted? Oh, yeah, sure I am--so what?
Lunch was a big bowl of dump soup, followed by some extra-dark pretzels. Now I'll prepare Pat's dinner (hot meatloaf sandwich) then drive up to Princeton to get son Patrick. Can't wait to see him--it's been two years. (To "meet" Patrick, see my early entry in September, 2005, describing my family).