Well despite a slight rise in weight Sunday morning, due to a delicious dinner out with hubby the night before, I clocked in a weight this morning of 209.4, which is a new low! I'm down 2.2 pounds from last week and hoping to continue this rate of loss through the end of the month, in time for our trip to see my family down south.

I'll be trying to faithfully log calories when I am gone and maintain my weight, it will be tough given that we will be doing a lot of eating out but I am up for the challenge. If I have maintained or not gained more than a pound or two over the course of being gone, I will be thrilled :)

I am officially looking good in my 14/16 tops, which are the smallest tops I own right now besides a handful of XL's that fit but are a little tight for my tastes. I still have a good 6-8 pairs of jeans that are 14's, 16's, and even some 18's, but are sized in a juniors or regular cut and not women's (more generous in hips and belly) so they have awhile before they fit. I do, however, have one pair of 16's from Venezia that fit well now, as well as my all time FAVORITE shirt. It is a red ruched button-up in a 14/16, and I bought it when I was 16 or 17. It was my POWER top, and the one I loved to wear on things like dates, because it was so flattering on me.

So you can imagine my glee, just the other day, when it fit beautifully! I had a safety pin under the buttons around the bust because I have always had a chest that caused button-ups to gap. I went from this top gapping all over to TAKING OUT THE SAFETY PIN because it was no longer splitting on the top and laid as it should. This is huge.

Hubby was rather pleased to see that top on me, I think, and I was tickled to wear it again. I have whittled my box of too-small clothes from an overflowing 50-gallon rubbermaid tub to 1/4 full of a few pairs of jeans, old bras, and a skirt or two that don't yet fit how I'd like. It's just another sweet, sweet reward to losing weight and one I am so happy to see. Clothes are getting too big, not too small!

I just got some great new Sorel snowboots from REI, so I will be putting on lunch, a new loaf of bread, and then taking the kids out to play in the snow if all goes according to plan. With just my old shoes it was WAY too cold to tromp through the snow and ice with them, and I am excited to enjoy the winter weather with the girls and an old, orange sled.

I hope everyone else's weigh-ins find them as happy as mine did!