My first hummer!

I hung the feeders about a week ago. I was in the kitchen this evening and I was so surprised out of the corner of my eye a red throat hummer was getting a drink from my backyard feeder!
I ran to my office to retrieve my digital camera and What do I see a hummer drinking at my office window feeder. So I took a quick shot, as shown above. I am so excited! As a wild bird lover and also hummer fan I will be amazed and amused often by my little friends for months to come now! Come back again soon, as I will get plenty of good pictures of them!

From: netplaceus
Joined: 1 year ago
Videos: 1
Not at my house, from youtube user netplaceus

1 PT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

	Chippity Do Dah!
	There is a time and place for everything, people. And the time is NOW for chocolate chip cookies at the HG HQ!!! We've developed a recipe for extra-soft, chocolate-chip-packed cookies, each with a POINTS® value of 1*. Our doughy double C creation is actually more like a hybrid of cookies, soft snack bars, and muffins! And unlike some other cookie recipes that yield four dozen cookies and require several baking pans (who needs FOUR DOZEN cookies?!?), our recipe makes exactly eight chunky soft cookies for your chewing pleasure! What are you waiting for? Grab the chocolate chips and flour... STAT! Ingredients: 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 6 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin 1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) 2 1/2 tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 tbsp. brown sugar, not packed 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/8 tsp. salt Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips (flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt). Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together all wet ingredients (applesauce, pumpkin, egg substitute, and vanilla extract). Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until completely blended. Then, fold in the chocolate chips. Spray a large baking pan with nonstick spray, and spoon batter into 8 evenly spaced circles. Place pan in the oven for about 10 minutes (until cookies appear done and feel firm). Remove pan from the oven and allow cookies to cool slightly. For best results, enjoy while the cookies are still warm and the chips are still melty! MAKES 8 SERVINGS
	Serving Size: 1 medium-sized cookie (about 1.5 oz.) Calories: 88 Fat: 1.5g Sodium: 93mg Carbs: 17g Fiber: 2g Sugars: 6g Protein: 3g POINTS® value 1*

Veggie Burgers

YES!!! There's a FANTASTIC recipe for veggie burgers. They're called "Oatstanding Veggie Patties" and the recipe can be found here. Each of those patties has only 70 calories and 0.5g fat, plus 5g fiber (POINTS® value 1*). That recipe is also great if you toss some canned beans into the burger "batter" for added protein. You can also experiment with different vegetables and more spices. Now even though you didn't ask, I'm gonna give you MORE veggie burger info. I LOOOOOVE the following store-bought VBs. In no particular order, here are my TOP ATE!

1. Amy's Texas Burger (120 calories, 2.5g fat, 3g fiber -- POINTS® value 2*)

2. Amy's Bistro Burger (90 calories, 2.5g fat, 2g fiber -- POINTS® value 2*)

3. Boca Original Burgers (70 calories, 0.5g fat, 4g fiber -- POINTS® value 1*)

4. Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle Veggie Burgers (80 calories, 2.5g fat, 5g fiber -- POINTS® value 1*)

5. Gardenburger Portabella Veggie Burgers (90 calories, 2.5g fat, 5g fiber -- POINTS® value 1*)

6. Gardenburger Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Veggie Burgers (100 calories, 3g fat, 5g fiber -- POINTS® value 1*)

7. Dr. Praeger's Veggie Burgers (110 - 120 calories, 4.5 - 6g fat, 4 - 5g fiber -- POINTS® value 2*) Heads Up! ALL of Dr. P's burgers are good, but be sure to BLOT the oil off of them -- they're SO oily!

8. Morningstar Farms Philly Cheese Steak Burgers (120 calories, 6g fat, 3g fiber -- POINTS® value 2*)

Mmmmmmmm!

Yippee, Got my 25 lb WW award Achievement today!

Okay! Today was a great day. Unknowns to me I was going to get my 25 lb weight loss award today from weight watchers, and actually I have lost 34 lbs in all. That's if I count the 7.5 pounds I lost on my own prior to starting the program in Sept. of 2007. Now I am just 15 pounds from goal. yippee! I am not sweating it, I am thriving and enjoying the healthy life style I have chosen now for myself. The slow process is such a learning experience. It's the right way and the most healthy way for me to lose weight. I have never felt better or looked better. Why is that? It's because my body is getting the nourishment it needs. It's now not saturated with fats, and sugars.

I use the Weight Watchers online e-tools. I am on the flex point system. I know everyday just about what I am going to have for breakfast,lunch,and dinner. This keeps me on track. I don't get bored with my meals, I am most always satisfied.

I did this for myself. As a Christian woman. For many years I abused my God given body with food. That is a sin! God gave me this body and many spiritual gifts. How can I achieve Gods plan for my life when I am not healthy! I can't! So last year I got serious about what God wants for me and he used a Angel friend of mine to get me to Weight Watchers and it has been a very rewarding and healthy experience, that I now want for a LIFETIME!

Tacto-Tastic! By Hungry Girl

	Taco-tastic!
	Taco salads have been around since the '60s. And they seem to be getting greasier and more calorie-packed as the decades pass. Not to worry -- HG is here with a version that has a mere FRACTION of the calories and fat of your typical taco salad. Here's the scoop... Ingredients: 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce 1/2 package Boca Meatless Chili (or about 2/3 cup of another low-fat veggie chili**) 1/4 cup chopped tomato 1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 2 tbsp. fat-free sour cream 1 tbsp. chopped or sliced black olives 6 Guiltless Gourmet Tortilla Chips (any flavor -- or any other baked tortilla chips**), crushed Directions: Prepare chili as directed on package. Place lettuce in a big bowl. Top with tomatoes, chili and cheese. Then add the olives and sour cream. Finish off with the crushed tortilla chips, and enjoy! MAKES 1 SERVING
	Serving Size: 1 salad (entire recipe) Calories: 230 Fat: 3.5g Sodium: 794mg Carbs: 31g Fiber: 10g Sugars: 7g Protein: 23g POINTS® value 4*

He's Back!

Female Wifey of Big Red

Male Cardinal Visitor This Afternoon below!







































































What a gift from God to see this afternoon! I had went to Walmart's after a meeting this morning and picked up some goodies for my precious favorite feathered friend the Male Red Cardinal. I was sitting reading over my emails and WALA! In the corner of my eye he appears. Sometimes I have a hard time getting a picture of him, Because he is so keen and quick to fly off fearing this woman behind the zoom lens! But Thank you God for letting me enjoy his beautiful creation this afternoon!!!

Also after pruning back some rose bushes and lantana dead bushes, My birds are back in full swing letting me know Get ready Ms. Lucy for the Spring is upon you! I am so excited about spring, I can't wait to put out more roses this year and I eagerly wait for my azalea's to bloom. I already have one bush blooming early in the front yard a gorgeous red flower. I am going to check into anew breed of azalea called the echo azalea, it is suppose to flower spring, summer and fall. So that's just about year round!!! Wouldn't that be just fabulous!!!Hope you enjoyed my beautiful Macho Redman that cometh quite often with his wifey to visit me. Did you know
cardinals only mate with the same bird for life. They are and awesome breed!

MATING AND BREEDING

Cardinals mate for life. If you've spotted one cardinal, it's most certain that its partner is close by. The female cardinal lays 3-5 eggs at one time and incubates them herself while the father brings food to her. Baby cardinals hatch in just under 14 days, at which time, both parents share in the responsibility of feeding and watching over them. Up to four separate broods of birds may be raised by one couple during a single breeding season. Very often, the male will tend to the young while the female starts the next brood. Juvenile birds look much like their mother, except that their bills are black at birth. The beak of the young bird will change from black to cream to bright red during the process of maturity.