Weight Watchers Update

Yesterday was meeting day again and I am happy to say that I lost another 1.5 pounds bringing my total weight loss to 18.2. It really makes a difference in my stamina and ability to accomplish things - I don't tire as easily as I did. Hopefully pictures will be forthcoming. I am seriously in need of pants that fit - mine are all getting too large on me. The 40 minute treadmill walk/runs almost nightly are helping tremendously.

In other news, 2 great things I discovered:

1. I can take still images from the Dartmouth Webcam and add those pictures to my file of saved pictures from Casey's blog. Cool that I will be able to put together a book of photos, blogs, and newspaper articles of her college years.

2. Found this book at the library - Publishing a Blog with Blogger - and will be able to jazz up my blog with new things. Look for exciting happenings here.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Just a scrapbook page I did about 6 months after they passed away. There are so many things I miss, especially knowing that there are 2 people who care about you more than anyone else. As a parent, I see that now more than ever. So wherever you are Dad, I hope you are with Mom and celebrating your 86th birthday in grand style. I miss you so much.

This is Too Funny!!!!!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning…uphill BOTH ways!

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

I remember promising myself when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they’ve got it!

But now, I can’t help but look around and notice the youth of today!!

You’ve got it so easy. I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!

And I hate to say it but you kids today don’t know how good you’ve got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn’t have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!

There was no email! We had to actually write somebody a letter…with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3’s or Napsters! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ’d usually talk over the beginning and @#$% it all up!

We didn’t have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that’s it! And we didn’t have fancy Caller ID boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn’t know!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn’t have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like “Space Invaders” and “Asteroids” and the graphics sucked! Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens; it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and faster and faster until you died…just like LIFE!

When you went to the movie theater there was no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn’t see, you were just screwed! And cup holders? Yeah right. See that thing at the end of your arm with four fingers and a thumb, there’s your cup holder, you lazy piece of shit.

Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on and get up off your ass to change the channel. There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday morning. Do you hear what I’m saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

And we didn’t have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove, or the oven or go build a friggin’ fire…imaging that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid JiffyPop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot.

That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You’re spoiled. And don’t even get me started about on-demand TIVO, satellite radio, cell phones, camera phones, your sidekick (give me a break), mp3 players and the like! Damn whippersnappers, you wouldn’t have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

Weight Loss Continues

...at a very slow pace. For the past 2 weeks I have only lost .2 pounds each week. I guess I shouldn't complain because it is a loss and not a gain. The good thing is that I continue to walk/run on the treadmill and know that I am gaining muscle. I need to start adding weights to my routine - it would help with mixing up the daily exercise.

So overall, the loss is 16.6 pounds. I'm pretty happy with that considering this began at the end of October and continued through the holidays. We started a new WW 10-week session at work last Friday and I am pretty motivated to lose at least another 10 pounds (1 pound per week). Casey and I are both working out (though separately) and hope to be able to accomplish some good fitness goals (i.e. who is more buff?). Who knows maybe her and I will be able to run a 10K sometime this summer. That is a good goal to work towards. Casey, if you are reading this, I will be looking into finding us a 10K to run sometime this summer. More to come.

Thinking of Some Summer Redecorating

In formulating some goals for the year, I decided that one area that needs a makeover (besides me, the entire house and more) was our screened in porch and courtyard area. I am still working out the details, but I am leaning towards putting in a nice vegetable garden filled with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, and eggplant and turning the porch into a nice retreat complete with comfortable seating, inviting dining options, and just a nice play to relax.
The work doesn't stop there as I would like the hot tub area to be a relaxing area as well with herb and flower barrels, comfortable seating and of course, the hot tub.
I am probably getting in over my head, but I think it will definitely be worth it. I love working in the garden (just like my dad did) and I enjoy summer evenings having dinner on the porch. I have already dragged out my collection of gardening books and checked a book out of the library on outdoor spaces. I think the warm weather we had last weekend started me thinking about spring. It's cold now, but I still am thinking that this will be a great spring project and one that all of us can enjoy.

Hopefully, I won't give up on the project before I even get started. I hope to use this blog as a way to keep me on track and put down thoughts and ideas. My first thought is working out the color scheme for the porch area. I am leaning towards green because I like the color and there is a lot of trim that is green. However, I need some complementary colors as well. Off to think!! By the way, the pictures are in black and white in order to show a lot of contrast when the project is finished.

Weight Watchers 9th Week

Very hesitant to even go to WW yesterday because it had been 3 weeks since the last meeting and the holidays were during that time period. Only 3 of us showed up for the meeting today. I was very surprised to learn that I had lost 2.8 pounds bringing my total loss to 16.4 pounds (even though the WW leader made a math mistake and only has me down for 15.4). I guess all of the nights on the treadmill finally paid off. I'm hoping to be very good all this week so that maybe I will have another loss next Friday (our last class). We are trying to get 20 people signed up so that we can continue WW at work. I hope so as I don't think I want to go into town weekly for a meeting. Besides, I like all of these people at WW. So far I think Debi has 14 people signed up.

See you later Casey

Casey left to go back to college today and I miss her already. She is such a big help around the house and a wonderful person to talk to. I know she has lots of exciting things to get back involved in and some new things as well. I am already thinking of a few things to send her in a care package.

Here is a challenge that was posted on 2Peas. I thought it was interesting.

One last look at 2006...

What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? Traveled to another country outside of North America.
Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Don’t think I kept many of them, but hope to do better in 2007.
Did anyone close to you give birth? My sister-in-law Michelle and my babysitter/friend Christi.
Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully no
What countries did you visit? Ireland
What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? Motivation to complete home improvement projects
What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June 16 because I watched Greg graduate from middle school and receive the highest math award and I watched Casey graduate as valedictorian of her class and give a speech.
What was your biggest achievement of the year? Landing the job at Fred Beans and losing 13 pounds
What was your biggest failure? Not learning to let go of small insignificant things.
Did you suffer illness or injury? Knee surgery on June 15
What was the best thing you bought? The book “The Purpose Driven Life”
Whose behavior merited celebration? My kids
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Parents who push their kids
Where did most of your money go? Bills
What did you get really, really, really excited about? Blogging - mine, Casey's and so many new people whose blogs I read
What song will always remind you of 2006? Ever the Same
Compared to this time last year, are you: Much happier, richer, nicer. I would like to think that I am much happier because of my job change and much nicer after reading The Purpose Driven Life.
What do you wish you'd done more of? Take more pictures.
What do you wish you'd done less of? Complain about what wasn’t done to help me out.
How will you be spending Christmas? With my family – what else is there?
Did you fall in love in 2006? Have always been in love with my husband and kids
How many one-night stands? Absolutely None!
What was your favorite TV program? Project Runway
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Linda - hate is awfully strong, but definitely dislike very much
What was the best book you read? Stacy Julian's Big Picture - changed the way I think about scrapbooking
What was your greatest musical discovery? Soundtrack from Chronicles of Narnia and downloading songs to my ipod
What did you want and get? JAG dvds
What was your favorite film of this year? I have to say “The Devil Wears Prada” which I am watching right now.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Turned 46 this past year and spent the day at Dartmouth with my family. Went to the Vermont Country Store.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Seeing my brothers
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Wearing a belt again
What kept you sane? Long walks with Kitty and my ipod
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? None – don’t care for celebrities and don’t care much for public figures either.
What political issue stirred you the most? The senseless killings going on in Philadelphia and the complete disregard for human life.
Who did you miss? My mom and dad – every single day
Who was the best new person (people) you met? My boss Nancy and all of the wonderful people at work.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006 – That everything happens for a reason. Had I not lost my job at the museum I would probably still be there and hating it and being around miserable people.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Suddenly I see, this is what I want to be - KT Tunstall

Christmas Pics

Christmas is past and New Years is just around the corner. What a blur this past month has been. I am looking forward to getting the beautiful Christmas decorations put away for another 11 months and having an uncluttered (as best as possible) house again. I love the house being decorated, but once Christmas is past I am ready for the decorations to be put away. It didn't feel completely like Christmas this year because the temps were in the 50s and 60s all week. We are now starting to get colder temps but still not December weather.
Casey left for Maryland today with her friend Shon. They are visiting Mary and then the 3 of them will take the train back up to Shon's house for New Year's Eve. We won't see her again until January 1 and then she goes back to school on January 3. The time went by so fast.

I am working on my goals for 2007. They are ambitious ones and as usual, by February I will have forgotten completely about them and decided I had too much on my plate. Hopefully not this year. One thing I want to accomplish is get gifts made ahead of time so that I am not as pressed for time in December. More to come later.

Christmas Tree 2006

Our tree this year is a long-needled Scotch Pine. It certainly was easier to hang ornaments on the tree because we didn't get our fingers pricked by the short little needles of years past. I like our tree, but I think it needed more ornaments. The longer needles does make it harder to hang ornaments and I think that is why we stopped putting them on there.

The penguin is new this year as are the 3 penguin ornaments hanging on the tree. Greg loves penguins and it is pretty cool that the common theme this year is penguins. Macy's had quite a few of them. Maybe because this is the first time in probably 6 years that I am working full time, but boy does it make a difference around the holidays. I haven't done a single Christmas card yet and don't think I will do many this year. I have mailed all my packages (thanks to Larry), had our annual Holiday Open House party last Sunday, finished all my shopping for everyone and wrapped them as well and made about 4 batches of buckeyes. It is no wonder that I am exhausted lately. I really enjoy Christmas, but I also enjoy the quietness of January and February.

As always, with one year coming to a close and another one on the horizon, my thoughts drift to what I intend to accomplish next year. I will try not to make my yearly To Do list too long or else nothing will get accomplished. Maybe I will strive for 3 big things to get accomplished. More on that later!

Off to the treadmill. I am down 13.25 pounds in 7 weeks and hope to keep at it. Pizza for dinner tonight didn't help, but the treadmill will get a good workout tonight.

Christmas Time

My Kinsman Christmas Ball. Years ago when I worked at Kinsman Garden Supply (in the office), these were being sold at Christmas. I thought they were beautiful and bought myself one and Mom and Dad one. Mine broke, but I have Mom and Dad's now and it is beautiful. It is very delicate and made of very thin glass. I just love it.

A Glimpse of Christmas

I love these carolers. They were from Mom and Dad's house and were very lovingly packed up by Mom each year after Christmas. Just looking at them make me happy and thankful for wonderful Christmas memories. Of course, they fit perfectly into Mom's plaid theme. I had the small tree that she decorated every year after we were all gone. It was covered in plaid ornaments. The tree was falling apart every year and I finally got rid of it last year. I still have the ornaments and will probably buy another small tree to decorate in plaid in Mom's memory.

December Sunday

This weekend was a very busy but fruitful one. I knocked out all of the gift shopping for little neices and nephew. Now I just have to wrap and mail the packages. I also came up with some other gift ideas and received in the mail Larry's Christmas present which I think he will REALLY like. All in all, pretty successful. Greg and I went to Target last night and he had lots of fun picking out baby items for Christi and Jon's new baby boy - Nathaniel Jordan Cirillo. I hope to see Christi, Jon and Nathaniel before Christmas, but if not soon thereafter.

Because we got so much done at Target and didn't have to wait in line long, we decided to go to BJ's afterwards and pick up party supplies and food. Again, it wasn't crowded and I was able to get most of the items on my list. I especially needed eggs as today I made a batch of snowball cookie dough, a batch of "healthy chocolate cookies", and brownies for the freezer. I also made one more batch of buckeye dough. With Casey coming home for school tomorrow night, I am hoping that she will be baking the cookies for our party on Sunday.

I still have some shopping to do, but not as much as usual. I am feeling more relaxed about the holidays because I have a lot of shopping already done. It also helps that both yesterday and today I took 2 mile walks. Yesterday's was to clear my head and do some thinking, today's allowed me time to have a nice phone call with John.

Off to finish dinner prep - biscuits in the oven, healthy stew in the crockpot. YUM!!

Lots to be Thankful For

A whirlwind of a Thanksgiving weekend, but definitely a lot of fun. It was great to have Casey home for the holiday and we look forward to the start of her Winter break next week. This picture of her laundry bag is precious to me because that laundry bag belonged to my mom. When we were cleaning things out of their house, I took this blue denim laundry bag and a white cloth bag that we used every year when we went to Maine. At the time, I didn't know what I was ever going to do with the laundry bags, but when we headed to Ireland this summer, those two laundry bags went with us. The white bag was Mom's laundry bag in nursing school and still has the remnants of her name, Marjorie McDonald, and her classmates. Casey used the blue bag while in Ireland and when it came time to pack up for college she took it with her. So the other morning, I came downstairs and saw the laundry bag full of dirty laundry sitting by the washing machine. The memories flooded back.
Our Thanksgiving morning breakfast was the result of a very cooperative effort. Larry squeezed the OJ, Greg made scrambled eggs, Casey made pancakes, and I took care of the bacon. What a feast and what a nice tradition!!

The day after Thanksgiving, Casey and I were at the mall by 6:30 am and selfishly shopped for ourselves. It was fun and didn't seem as crowded as past years. We came home and enjoyed the absolutely beautiful day before going to cut down our tree at Holiday Farm.

We have cut down our tree every year at Holiday Farm since 1990 and we have 16 Christmas mugs to prove it. It wouldn't be the same without our annual trek to the tree farm. The house is now decorated and putting me in the Christmas spirit. I have lots of shopping still to do, but I am trying not to stress out about it. This holiday season is hectic enough, but I volunteered to run the blood drive at work as well. My goal is to get a big turnout for the blood donation day on December 21.
I have always donated my time to Wrapping Presence and visiting nursing homes with gifts, but this year I was unable to do that because of my work schedule. So this year, instead, I am taking part in something just as close to my heart - blood donation. I remember how many times my Mom had to have platelets given to her to keep her alive. This year, my community service will be giving back to something that gave me more time with my mother. So I close on this bit of "blood trivia" -
Despite all of the technological advances, one thing hasn't changed: blood cannot be stockpiled. It has a limited shelf life and must be constantly replenished. For example, platelets for leukemia and cancer patients last only 5 days, while plasma for treatment of burns or shock can last 1 year, frozen. While a limited amount of whole blood can be frozen, not all of its vital components can. New blood donations are needed every day.

Ohio State Goes Undefeated

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Michigan 42-39 today! Going to the National Championship game!!!!! In honor of the buckeyes, I made buckeyes. YUM!!! The first batch of many that will be made during the holiday season. I realize that I have probably been making buckeyes or helping to make buckeyes almost 40 years. Wow!! This is probably why I can limit myself to just one or two each year. I have had them for so many years, that I have lost the desire for them. That's good for me as it will be hard enough staying on WW during the holiday season. I have lost 11 pounds in 4 weeks and want to keep losing up the good habits.

No Braces - Oh Happy Day!

Well today was our appointment with Greg's orthodontist. Greg did not want to go for fear of having to get braces as recommended by our dentist. It turns out that he has a slight overbite that doesn't need to be corrected by braces unless he wants it done. The orthodontist asked Greg if he wanted braces and he resoundingly said no. He may get fitted for a mouth guard to wear at night to prevent grinding, but he doesn't need braces!!!! Dr. Burns showed us pictures of Greg before he had palate expanders in elementary school and it is amazing how different his facial structure was. He definitely had a crooked jawline because of his bite. The expanders corrected that completely.

So after the appointment we went to Staples to see the desk unit Greg is getting for his room for Christmas. While there, Larry showed me this awesome desktop that was marked down to $25 (originally $250). It is perfect for a scrapbooking table in the basement so that I can have my other table back as a quilting table. I missed not having a surface to cut out fabric on. Now that I have my table, I had better get busy quilting again. I think I would like to make a Christmas quilt. Not for this year, but for next (it will take that long).

Off to exercise!!

Happy Veteran's Day

In honor of my Dad and all of the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country, we honor you this day. I won't forget what you have done for us and continue to do for us. What a different world this would be without the brave men and women who fought for our country.
We lose more and more veterans every single day and I am thankful that my father eventually shared some of his stories with us. I miss you Dad and I think of you every day.

Morning Pictures

I was out walking Kitty this morning and I noticed how beautiful the sun was filtering through the trees and bushes. After our walk, I brought out my camera and took these pictures.


Here's a nice picture of Greg waiting for the bus. He was embarassed that I was outside taking pictures and I know he was hoping I would go in before the bus came. I did so that he wouldn't be completely embarassed.
It was almost springlike today - warm and sunny. They had to put the AC on at work because everyone was complaining about the heat.

A Quote for the Day

"To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization."

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Very Busy Saturday

Following a pretty busy week at work and getting nothing accomplished in the evening after work, I decided to get a lot done this weekend. I also had a lot of energy, being on a bit of a high after losing 4.2 pounds this week, making it a total of 8 pounds for 2 weeks of Weight Watchers. Keeping busy keeps me from snacking. Well after a long walk with Kitty this morning, I had the hottub draining by 8:30 am. I went out to check on how far the water was down, when I came upon this little bird sitting on the deck. It must have bumped into the door and stunned itself. He (or she) just sat there for about 10 minutes. I ran in and grabbed my camera and took photos and continued working on cleaning the walls of the hot tub. I turned around later and watched it fly off. I was worried that it was a goner, but luckily he/she recovered and headed to the sky.

My list of accomplishments today include:
- drained, cleaned, and refilled the hot tub
- brought in and repotted my rosemary plant
- swept the leaves out of the garage
- washed the kitchen floor
- three loads of laundry (all mine)
- gave Kitty a bath and 3 long walks
- made Chicken Stew and Orange cake for dinner
- found a funny Ohio State joke and forwarded to my brothers
- cut some articles out of the Dartmouth paper to add to a notebook
- ran dishwasher and unloaded it
- wrote out a menu and did my grocery list for next week

Whew! I accomplished quite a bit today. Maybe tomorrow I will run to Target and do a little Christmas shopping. Greg and Larry were busy today as well. Greg volunteered to help clear wild roses at Honey Hollow Environmental Center. The Environmental Club went to help out. It was Greg, Katie, Ivan and Mr. Elvey. Larry drove him over and came home to get changed so that he could help as well. He went back over with apple cider (Solebury Orchards, of course), snacks, and garden gloves. They were both pretty tired when they got home. I'm proud of Greg for following through on his commitment to the environment and the club. He always volunteers for things and always shows up. I'm glad both of my kids are concerned about the environment. I know they make me think of it daily.

Here's the Ohio State joke:
Two boys are playing hockey on a pond in a Toledo Park when one is suddenly attacked by a rabid dog. Thinking quickly, the other boy takes his stick and shoves it under the dogs collar, twists it breaking the dog's neck and saving his friend.

A reporter who was strolling by sees the incident.

"Toledo Rockets Fan Saves Friend From Vicious Animal," he starts writing in his notebook.

"But I'm not a Rockets fan," the little hero replied.

"Sorry, since we are in Ohio, I just assumed you were" said the reporter and he starts writing again.

"Buckeyes Fan Rescues Friend From Horrific Attack."

"I'm not a Buckeyes fan either," the boy said.

"Oh, I assumed everyone in Toledo was either for the Rockets or the Buckeyes. What team do you root for?" the reporter asked.

"I'm a Wolverines fan," the child said.

The reporter starts a new sheet in his notebook and writes,




"Little B@$tard From Michigan Kills Beloved Family Pet."

Off to do some scrapbooking now.

Happy Halloween

October 31 and I'm home alone passing out candy to the 6 or 7 kids that will come to our door. Greg is off trick or treating with friends in another neighborhood and Larry is teaching.

It was 9:00 last night when an idea of what Greg should be for Halloween occured. It was then about an hour and a half to put the costume together. Making another political statement, Greg went as Harry Whittington. For those reading this who don't remember good ole Harry, he was Dick Cheney's hunting partner who got mistaken for a quail one fine day in the woods. Greg had a lovely bullseye target on his back with lots of buckshot holes that completely missed the center of the target. He wouldn't go for wrapping his head in bandages though. I think it was a coolness thing. Anyways, he was off to school this morning in costume. He was entered in the creative division and unbelieveably he won. This is the second time he has won the Halloween contest at school. His previous win was as a Florida election ballot, complete with hanging chad. He was amazed at how many people had no idea who he was or even who Dick Cheney was. A lot of people didn't even hear about the hunting accident which is old news. Greg was shocked. I guess we just have a teenager who is more aware of current events than his peers. Thank goodness for smart kids.

Well Happy Halloween to everyone. It doesn't mean the same as it used to when the kids were little and we would tire ourselves out walking this neighborhood. What great memories those are.