New Year's Eve

Well, the year is almost history. I wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll take a cup o' kindness yet For auld lang syne
by Robert Burns


Happy New Year everyone!!!

2 Days until 2009

Today is our anniversary. 16 years. I presume we will be toasting another year of good times and togetherness tonight. We have had our share of fights and ups and downs. But we can honestly say that we do love and respect each other. Happy Anniversary Sweetheart.

I got on the scale this morning and since I didn't last week I was sure I had gained a pound or two. To my surprise I am down another 2 pounds. It has to be the gym workouts reving my metabolism. And I did toss out those leftover cookies and fudge. It's a good thing I did that. I kept the bag of cut up veggies that I dipped in ranch dressing dip. When I want a snack I have been grabbing a slice of zucchini or celery.

I am trying to think of something I hope to achieve in the coming year. Something that will help others. Maybe I will do some volunteer work in town. I think I will look into this and see if I can be a benefit to somebody. I feel fortunate that I have my health so maybe I could help an older person who is in need of help. I helped my mother in her declining years and I know how grateful elders are to have extra help around the house or just a ride to the doctor or the market. I will give this some more thought in the next couple of days.

Three Days Until 2009

Well, the lights are still up around town but I know several people who have already packed away their Christmas decorations and are ready for the new year. I wonder how many people who read this are planning to go out on the town. Are you planning to attend a party at a friend's house or go to a hotel for their celebration, or just go to dinner out? Or maybe you like to stay in and have your own little party with your significant other and your kids? Maybe you wait for the ball to drop in New York's Times Square, or Dick Clark's Rockin New Year's Eve show. Or maybe you are like I have been many times and fall asleep by 10ish and miss the whole event of welcoming in the new year. We have no plans this year. I will probably plan a nice dinner at home and maybe a couple of snack foods to eat while we watch some rented DVD's and hopefully I can make it until midnight. I remember years ago having a dinner party on new years eve and we invited four couples to join us. We ate lobster and steak and had chocolate mousse for dessert. There was champagne and appetizers and one of my guests, a coworker of mine fell asleep and missed the midnight celebration. I took pictures of her sleeping on my couch. It was so funny to me then, and now I have been known to do the same thing. It just occurred to me that I can't drink champagne this year. Hmmm! Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow and we usually have champagne then too. My hubby doesn't drink wine. I may have to open champagne for him and wine for me. Any great ideas for ringing in the new year??

You Versus the Scale

Well, I didn't throw out the leftover cookies on the plate and it was a good thing. Some friends came for dinner last night and they enjoyed snacking on those cookies and candies. Now I will get rid of what is left. I can highly recommend the LapBand for anyone out there who has been fighting their weight for a period of time. It is a tool that truly helps you control your hunger and when properly adjusted keeps you on track. This time last year I was thinking of nothing else but having the LapBand surgery. I didn't have a date for that surgery yet but I knew I would very soon. This year when it comes time to make New Year's Resolutions, losing weight won't be my primary resolution. It is a given. I did get some deals at Macy's yesterday. I bought myself 3 sweaters and some new sheets for our bed. I washed them when I got home and they are so soft. I plan to put them on the bed today. They also had their bra sale going, where you buy 2 and get 1 free. I got 3 of them also. When I showed hubby my 3 sweaters he said, " did they have any others you liked?" He liked the ones I bought. Isn't he sweet? Our Macy's is very small, I think of the Macy's in New York City and this is like one department compared to it. But it's a small town without that many people so that makes for less mechandise needed so I guess it will have to do. I can always drive to a larger town with a bigger mall. I love our little town. It is supposed to be a rainy weekend here.

Time to Face The Music

Even though I can't eat much, what I ate was more than I usually do. This morning I can tell I overindulged a bit. I have a lovely plate of cookies that I made up of all the leftover cookies I had here. I took them with me yesterday hoping they would all be gone, only a small portion are gone. I took a tray of fresh veggies and a dip. I ate lots of these so that was good. But I did sample several goodies and a very small slice of pumpkin pie. I also had red wine which is heart healthy. :) So today I think I shall dispose of all the leftover cookies (since they are my biggest weakness). Also a trip to the gym to get in a really good workout should help. Then I'll make my way over to Macy's and see if I find something I can't resist.

Merry Christmas

Wishing all my blog followers and their families a very Merry Christmas filled with friends and family members. I hope you are filled up by love and make many new wonderful memories.

One Day Until Christmas

Well, folks this is the day. The last day before the big day, that is unless your family has their celebrations on this day. In that case you had better have your act together and have all of that shopping done. When my kids were young we always had the family over to our home on Christmas Eve and that is when all the presents were opened after all the eating. The tree had so many presents under it that it spread throughout half the livingroom. The presents were handed out to each person whose name was on them and the idea was for the kids to open theirs first. We tried to get them to wait so we could all see what everyone got but it didn't seem to work out that way. After a few minutes of organized unwrapping something would go terribly wrong and a whirlwind of ribbons, and paper was flying in the air. There were squeals of excitement and thank you's abounding and nobody knew what anybody else got because we were opening gifts at the same time. When the dust settled we had big black trash bags to stuff the discarded paper in and hopefully you weren't throwing away some little pieces of gifts. We would keep the bags in the garage so we could go through them later if need be. Ah, yes those were the days. The days of having children at Christmas time. As they grew older some of the magic of Christmas was gone forever. It just wasn't as fun without children there to be bouncing around with glee. But when the kids grew up I started to focus on the reason for the season. Now I truly enjoy the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve. It's a much quieter evening to be sure, but comforting too. Hubby and I have already exchanged our gifts this year. I got a new digital camera and he got a new digital camcorder. We will be having lots of fun with our new toys. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Two Days Until Christmas

I decided this morning that whatever I haven't already done that was on my To Do List will have to wait for another year. I think it's time to draw the line on what is enough. We tend to try to make the best for our friends and family even at the risk of neglecting ourselves and our everyday rituals. I think it's time to say enough. I have baked enough, I have shopped enough, I have fretted and worried and run around enough. Now it is time to enjoy what this holiday is all about. We will visit with friends this year and not see any family for Christmas. The friends we are spending the holiday with won't be with their families either so we decided to have our own little potluck holiday. We are contributing a prime rib we've been saving for a special occasion. I will most likely prepare a side dish or dessert to go with it. I am both sad that I won't be with family again this year but also grateful for the newfound friends in our town who have become blessings in our lives. I am praying that my family (my brothers in particular) will set their computers up with webcams so we can visit face to face on a regular basis. We all live in different states and I feel it is very important that we come together regularly to share what we're doing and just to touch base with each other. We never know when one of us is going to be called up to go home to our Father and I don't want to look back and say " I wish we had spoken to one another more often" I wish you all a very Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah. Thank you to all who have been kind enough to leave me comments and I hope we can continue on in the future sharing our lives by way of this forum. Blessings to you all....

Three Days Until Christmas

Well, we are getting down to the wire now. Last minute time. The grocery stores and the malls should be packed with people stocking up on food for the special day and last minute gifts as well. I need to do the grocery thing myself. I think the best time to go to the market before a big holiday is around 8am. Plenty of parking and everyone is still in a good mood. I do have 2 more cookies I want to bake. I don't know why as we aren't really eating them. But they will be enjoyed by friends and neighbors (I hope). I am going to bake Russian Tea Cakes and English Shortbread. These are two of my favorites. I also have some Amish Friendship Bread to make today. I was given the starter and a loaf from a friend about 10 days ago and now I need to make some loaves and bag the starter and hand them out to 4 people to carry on the tradition. It actually was the best tasting friendship bread I ever had. It was so moist and was more like a pudding cake. Very yummy. I had to stick it in the freezer. My freezer is beginning to be a catch all for things I love but can't eat in time for them not to spoil. I was given some giant english muffins from a friend in another state. The company she ordered them from specialize in these muffins and jams and breakfast foods. Well, english muffins are pretty hard to eat right now so, I popped them in the freezer too. Our cold weather isn't below freezing anymore so now we have rain. Well, I need to get busy so until next time.........keep calm and keep smiling and wish everyone you meet Happy Holidays......

5 Days until Christmas

Okay, here is the picture I took yesterday of our snow. The weather was supposed to be even worse last night and today. Well, that didn't happen. In fact, the snow is pretty much gone. There are a few patches here and there. But the sun came out and that was the end of that. It sure looked pretty while it lasted. Today I have got to get those cookies mailed off the to grandkids. I have them all in Christmas tins and in boxes all ready to go. Then I need to buy a few items at the market. I should probably wait on that until very early Monday morning. I know the stores are going to be packed with last minute shoppers this weekend. I had a hard time with my band yesterday. I don't know why but I was stuck all day. I couldn't get anything down it seemed. I drank protein drinks to make sure I got my nourishment. I am hoping it will be better today. It seems like everytime the weather changes I get tighter. I also need to clean the house good. I have been neglecting it other than picking up for the last week or so. I find it hard to really clean with hubby around. I need to send him off to the store or somewhere. Since he doesn't just jump in there and help he needs to get lost for a while. LOL. It sure would be nice to have a white Christmas. I haven't had one since I was a kid. I hope everyone is done with their shopping and wrapping, etc. I was thinking of a couple of more cookie I would like to bake to give to neighbors and friends. English shortbread and russian tea cakes. Yum!! I may or may not do those today. Depends on what else I get done. Have a great Saturday everyone........................

Baking Day Mishap

Okay so yesterday I was baking and had my first attempt at gingerbread cookies. I was successful making one "boy" the dough kept sticking to the counter and I couldn't get it off without ruining the "boys" I was very frustrated. I put the dough back in the freezer for quick cooling and tried again on my stone counter thinking it would be cooler and work better. Not!! After trying again I decided I would make slice and bake cookies and that worked just fine. I was a little disappointed since I wanted to decorate my little "guys" but they made the house smell devine and they taste really good. My baking is ready to send to the grandkids. I hope they don't look at my flat gingerbread cookies and think "What the????" I thought of putting faces on them with the frosting I bought but I don't know. Oh we also got more snow last night and this time there is more of it. Here is a pic. Well, I have never tried to put in a second picture and I just realized I don't know how. It keeps putting my picture at the top of the post. Oh well. It is still snowing so maybe later I will have more to show off. Have a Merry day everyone!

Seven Days until Christmas

Here's a picture I snapped a couple of days ago. There wasn't a lot of snow but it usually doesn't last more than a day here because it isn't cold enough and the rain washes it away. This time we have had some really cold weather and the freeze lasted a few days. I thought it looked so pretty. Anyhow, it's raining now so it's all gone. But they are predicting more snow for today and tomorrow but we'll see. I made my Chex Mix recipe yesterday. It makes a huge amount. I also made gingerbread and I just have to roll out the dough and cut the gingerbread boys. I've never made it before so I am looking forward to that. Next I am making Snickerdoodles. My oldest grandson and I made them when he was little and he said the word so cute. I don't know if he will remember making them but I thought of him so I decided to make them. I may make a couple of more things too before I send them off to the boys. Whatever is left I'll give to my neighbors. I don't want this stuff laying around here calling my name to try just one. I am very weak when it comes to cookies. And they go down so easily with the lapband. And hubby doesn't need them, what with his diabetes. So off they go. I hope you are all ready for Christmas.

8 Days until Christmas

Well, these last couple of days have been pretty busy. We've had a freeze and more snow is in the forecast for today and tomorrow. I am going to start some baking today. I plan to send baking care packages to my grandsons. Since their mother isn't here and they are missing her I figured some cookies and loving goodies from Grandma might soothe their souls.
I managed to lose another pound this week. I am averaging one a week. If I lose 2 pounds one week, the next week I don't lose. So it all averages out. I am so grateful to have had this surgery. I think back to last year and I was feeling so badly. So unhappy with my weight and having nothing to wear. Everything I would try on in stores looked frumpy or just plain awful. Now if I do go shopping for something to wear, (which I am trying to wait on) I can find something in the misses sizes and not only does it fit, it looks pretty good. I think the changes in me are are more than physical. Inside I am feeling so blessed and proud of myself for getting to the gym daily. I feel so much stronger and my general well being is so improved. Okay, enough of my pumping myself up.
I hope everyone in blogland is enjoying the season and starting to feel the spirit of Christmas now. Have a good day.

Ten Days til Chrismas

Well, last night when I went to bed I noticed it was snowing again. It looks so pretty out there. I am anxious to see what it looks like in the daylight. It's pretty cold out there and even inside it is pretty chilly. I have the thermostat set to 60 for night time and it doesn't usually come on until around 7am. So I am sitting under a quilt with Chloe laying under it and up against my leg. She is toasty warm. Our church program ended last night and it was mighty cold out there. We had the heater in the motorhome going so we could go in there to warm up from time to time. On Friday night it snowed a little and it was enough to collapse our screen room. Many of the poles that held it up were bent when we picked it up. Don't know if we can get replacements but we'll try. We had approximately 550 cars come by to see the program. Not bad for a small town. Today I have to finish my Christmas cards. They are done I just need to enclose a few pictures and put stamps on them. I also want to make some chex mix and cookies so I can send them to my grandsons. They won't have their mother with them this Christmas so I'll try to send some love in the form of food. LOL
Hubby is doing really well with his eating and even has stopped drinking his regular sodas. He doesn't like the diet version (yet) so I bought some sugar free Kool Aid for him and he likes that. He doesn't care for iced tea or that would be another option. But he has lost over 10 pounds so far. I am proud of him.
As soon as it becomes light outside I am going to take some pictures. We don't usually get snow here in the western part of the state. Maybe once a year and only a few inches and then it will change to rain and the snow is gone in a day or two. But they are forcasting freezing temperatures for the week so it might stick around a while.

Twelve Days Until Christmas

Let it Snow-------It's snowing here in Western Oregon. Not something that happens in this area very often. This storm was predicted to arrive last night (it hit around noon) and it is supposed to be from Alaska (that it is, it's pretty cold) Last night it was in the 30's when we went to bed. I woke up around 1am to let Chloe out for a potty break and voila!! snow. When I woke this morning it was still snowing but it's very wet so it isn't sticking to the driveway. Now tonight and tomorrow are supposed to be the worst days of the storm. We will be at the drive through Christmas program at the church and hopefully it won't get too bad while we're out. Good thing Hubby took our motorhome there yesterday to use as a place to get warm. If need be we can sleep there tonight and not have to worry about driving on slippery roads. This is going to be an adventure for sure. Woohoo!!

Fourteen Days til Christmas

Well, we finally got our lights up and last night we turned them on and had a section that was out. GRRR! And it was on the highest peak of the house of course. So hubby went up there today and replaced the whole string. These LED lights are so nice. We have 6 strings all plugged together and only one plug to the house power. They are such low voltage you can plug in like 40 strings on one circuit. Isn't that cool? I think I am just going to put up my little tree this year. It's quick and easy to put up and it has built in lights. I have small ornaments for it and I think it will be perfect. I haven't been on here in the last few days. I have been a bit upset with a family issue. My daughter and her DH (dumbass husband) up and decided to move to California. No planning, no money, no kids. Her oldest is 18 so he doesn't have to go and the younger one is 14 but lives with his Dad. I was so upset that she just left the boys at Christmas time. Well, nothing I can do about it but continue to pray for her to come to her senses. Enough said on that subject. I made a meatloaf I got from the Martha Stewart website tonight and it was really good. While it was cooking it smelled terrific. Hubby is doing pretty well with his diet. He's already lost 6.5 pounds the first week. He hasn't had a regular soda in 2 days. He saw how much better his blood sugar was when he didn't drink one. He even ordered just water yesterday when we were out with friends for dinner. I was amazed. Now he just needs to start exercizing. I think he will, he doesn't want to become disabled over this thing so I am pretty sure he will do his best to improve his health. Tomorrow I have about a billion things to do. I need to get stamps so I can mail my Christmas cards. I 've had them addressed and ready to go and keep forgetting to buy stamps. Then I have to go to Walmart for a few things and the vet to pick up food for my Chloe and a couple of other stores for other things. Tomorrow night and Saturday and Sunday our church is having a drive thru Christmas program called "Journey Through Christmas" They had it last year and we went to it and were really impressed. It is so well done and they give out hot chocolate or apple cider to all the passengers of the cars driving through. My hubby reluctantly took a part as one of the guards for King Herod. I'll be serving cider and chocolate to the guests. Should be a fun weekend.

Maxine's Christmas Gift

I got this in my email today.

��Merry Christmas To My Female Friends

If I were ol' Santa, you know what I'd do I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you And deliver some things just inside your front door Things you have lost, but treasured before. I'd give you back all your maidenly vigor, And to go along with it, a neat tiny figure. Then restore the old color that once graced your hair Before rinses and bleaches took residence there. I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted So things now suspended need not be uplifted. I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back Till you'd be a dream in those tight fitting slacks. I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin So you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells And you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells. No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes No searching for spectacles when they're right on your nose Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or fanny From a doctor who thinks you're a nervous old granny. You'd never have a headache, so no pills would you take. And no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache. Yes, if I were Santa, you'd never look stupid You'd be a cute little chick with the romance of a cupid. I'd give a lift to your heart when those wolves start to whistle And the joys of your heart would be light as a thistle. But alas! I'm not Santa.I'm simply just me The matronest of matrons you ever did see. I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got But I'm due at my doctor's for an estrogen shot. Even though we've grown older this wish is sincere Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year

Okay, so far this is the only card I have given for Christmas. I bought 3 boxes of cards and so far they are still in the bag from the store. I also have yet to get my decorations out from under my house. I am seeing a pattern here, are you? I gave up on putting my Christmas do dads on my kitchen cupboards and just put my usual decor up there and filled it in with the Christmas greenery I bought at Michaels. I think it looks good, even if it isn't snowmen and angels and santas and reindeer. I can't say I haven't had the time because I work full time, since I am retired. So what is my excuse?? I have none. I guess it is a bit of the blue Christmas that seems to be going around blogland. I keep thinking I don't want to drag all that stuff out and put it all up including my tree when I have no family coming for the holiday. We are thinking of getting out of town and heading south to the sunshine shortly after Christmas so we would just have to put everything away before leaving. So there is my dilemma. To decorate or not to decorate....that is the question.......

Kindness and Generosity

I think another way of sharing the joy of Christmas is by doing something nice or generous to someone you don't even know. These "random acts of kindness" tend to make us feel as though we've done a special favor for someone and we hope they are so inspired that they will "pay it forward" by doing something thoughtful for someone else. And so on and so forth. I wanted to elaborate a little on this idea so I went to my best internet friend, Google. I found a website called http://www.helpothers.org/ I found a wealth of things that you can do to feel better about yourself and make someone else feel better at the same time. For instance, what can you do with five bucks to make someone's day? Tape the exact change for a soda to a vending machine or a payphone. Pay the toll for the person behind you. Leave flowers in front of someone's house. Bake cookies for your neighbors. Put quarters in the laundry machine for the next person. Send cards with beautiful messages to anonymous people. Leave chocolate on the desk of your co-workers. Treat someone to a cup of their favorite coffee. These are just a few inexpensive ways to feel better about yourself. The link has many more. Here is one more, Reach out to the homebound -- seniors, ill or incapacitate children or caregivers committed to caring for their family members at home. Connect them to communication resources like radio, TV or Internet so they can stay connected to the world at large. Find a good-news story in the media and email them regularly. Tag them with an inspiring book. Offer to bring them books from the library. Share 'smile stories' you've read in this newsletter. Help them take care of their pets. Convince a beautician or barber to make a house-call. Buy them nice stationary so they write appreciative notes to those they are grateful for. Maybe one way to avoid being blue this Christmas is by donating some of your own kindness and generosity. It couldn't hurt and just maybe it will help. Bless you all and to all a good night............

Doctor's Follow-up Visit

Yesterday my DH had his follow-up visit with his doctor. He told him he has diabetes and also he tested him for a reactive protein in his blood. It came back very high, in fact the doc said it's the highest he's ever seen. So now he is prescribing him a drug like Lipitor to lower his cholesterol and fight placque. He said that DH needs to lose weight and start exercising. I was relieved to hear he had diabetes and not something they couldn't diagnose. Not that I wanted it but I kind of knew in my gut that he did. He is tired all the time. In fact he has changed so much over the last few years that I knew it had to be something like diabetes. I don't know that he is taking it seriously. He wanted to tell a friend he talked to that he was borderline diabetic. He isn't. The doctor didn't prescribe him any meds for the diabetes at this time. He wants him to try diet and exercise first. He has to go for another blood test in 2 months. I sure hope he thinks about what is at stake here and makes the effort to lose some weight and get up out of the recliner and start walking or come to the gym with me. Men can be so stubborn! He went ahead a drank a full sugar coke last night. I told the doctor he was drinking them and he said that one soda a day will add a pound a month. He didn't come right out and say no sugar!! I think that may be why DH isn't taking it seriously. My mother died as a result of diabetes and I don't want to lose him too.

Twenty Four Days Before Christmas

Well I got some LED lights for outside but we haven't hung them yet. I still have to drag out my decorations from under the house. I know I was going to do it the other day but instead I went shopping. I went to Michael's and got some more silk greenery for the house. They were 50% off plus I had a 20% off coupon. Quite a deal I think. I took down the fall garlands I had up over the kitchen cupboards and had hubby help me with the rope lights we have up there. I had to replace them since the old ones had discolored from use. Now I just need to put some Christmas decorations up there and then I can add the pics and things I bought and it should look festive. I'll take a picture or two when I do.

I took Chloe for a walk to the park where they have the Festival of Lights display yesterday afternoon. I took my camera but I don't know if I took anything worthy of publishing here. I haven't checked them out yet.

We are going to go see a movie this afternoon. It's Fireproof with Kirk Cameron. Last week we saw 4 Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It was very funny. I really enjoyed it. Well, I need to go fold some clothes out of the dryer now. Hope everyone has a good day today.

The Christmas Season is Officially Underway

I have packed up all my Thanksgiving and fall themed decorations and am in the process of dusting and vacuuming. Then I will begin the monumental task of crawling under the house in our mini basement and taking out the Christmas boxes. I think I have about 30 of them. They haven't been out in about 4 years. We were not at home the other years so I didn't decorate. We need to get new outside lights since the last time we used ours they had sections that were dead. Now with the new LED lights you can plug in a really large amount of strings together and they don't overload the circuit. I was checking the ads in the newspaper and Home Depot has a pretty good deal on them. Now all I have to do is to get DH up out of his recliner and get him moving so I can have some help with this job. He was playing WII Golf last time I looked in the livingroom. Men!! Little boys in a bigger package. Well he is moving around now so I guess now is the time. By the way, I didn't go shopping today, YET. I went to the gym and saw lots of cars on the road and the parking lots were all full at the stores I passed. Maybe around dinner time would be a good time. All the early birds will be home by then. Well, better go check on him.

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving from my house to yours. I also want to thank those of you who have posted such warm and encouraging comments on this blog. I hope you will all be surrounded by loved ones and friends who help to make new memories for years to come.

Blessings..........

Today is the day. The day for taking care of all the last minute details of what needs to be done for tomorrow (The Big Day). Last minute cleaning and dusting and making sure everything looks perfect, so when the family arrives and comments on how they just don't know how you do it all, you can say, "oh, it was easy" Yeah, right!! We know how we stretch ourselves it sixteen different directions trying to get everything done. We wonder if it will all come together and somehow it does. There may be a few things that go unfinished but they usually go unnoticed also. If the truth be known, the important thing is that you are with your family and your friends and that you make new memories to cherish in years to come. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and be sure to thank God for all our blessings.

Time to Rant a Bit

I think it's pretty darn infuritating that when the gas prices went up as fast as they did last summer, restaurants and grocery stores, among others wasted no time in raising their prices. But now that gas prices are down to what they were over a year ago the restaurants and grocery stores haven't done anything to adjust their prices accordingly. That is my rant for the day!! I am suffering from band tightening right now. I fixed dinner and wasn't able to eat it. It won't go down!! Certain things affect the tightness of the band, one thing is the barometric pressure and I don't know what ours is here but the weather was foggy and dreary all day. Maybe that is what does it, I am not sure. I was also a bit miffed at DH. He was being grouchy and yelling at the dog and the cat and then he didn't care for what I had made for dinner. Baked chicken and rice. He isn't much of a rice eater. But I love it. Anyway, all that combined made me as tight as a camels arse in a dust storm. So here I sit, reading blogs. Tomorrow I have to go out and brave the crowds at the grocery store and buy what I need for Thanksgiving dinner. We are having dinner with friends at their home. I am making pumpkin pie to take and a vegetable dish. Haven't quite decided what veggie to make yet.

November is coming to an end soon

The leaves have just about all fallen out of the trees, but I like this picture anyway. It's a Thomas Kinkade. My hubby and I collect his paintings. We have 12 of them throughout our house. We started buying them back in the early 90s and I don't think we've purchased one since the late 90s. We have no more wall space in our little house. We both love his work. I am cleaning house and doing laundry. I got in a really good workout today at the gym. I had my leftovers from dinner out last night for my lunch and I am taking a break right now. It's a sunny and cool day outside. Possibility of rain later I think. No clue what I am going to fix for dinner today. Maybe some leftover pork tenderloin from Thursday night. It turned out really good. Well, I just heard the dryer turn off so I best go fold some clothes. Have a good weekend all.

Friday

Not too much happening here today. We are meeting some friends for dinner at Sizzler tonight. Not exactly a gourmet restaurant but we like it. I haven't been there much since my LB surgery. Last time I ordered a dinner with salad bar and just asked for the dinner to be put in a to go box as soon as it arrived. I ate my salad bar fixings and was happy with that. The next day I ate my dinner that I brought home. I did get in my workout today. We are still waiting to hear the results on the blood tests hubby had done the other day. Amazingly enough he has had very high blood pressure since we bought our own little monitior last year. Since he went to the doctor the other day, his pressure has been normal. I mean like 118/74 up to about 120/80. Not higher than that. I thought for sure the doctor would have to prescribe something to lower high pressure. I am wanting to put away my Thanksgiving decorations since we are having dinner at friends' house and start to decorate for Christmas after reading all the blogs I read with some of the beautiful decorations some of my fellow bloggers are doing. I haven't put any out in the last few years because we didn't have any festivities here. I love putting a tree up and all my many collectables so this year I think I will drag them out and put them up. I'll take some pictures if I do.

Doctor's visit results

Well the doctors appointment went well. I went in with my hubby and planned to tell the doctor about all of my concerns. But before I could start telling him how tired and lethargic he had gotten over the last year or so he told him himself. I was so relieved that he told him. I expressed my concern about diabetes and he said he would have bloodwork done to check all the possible causes of exhaustion. He has arthritis and has terrible pain in his feet, knees and back. He also mentioned that hubby should be doing some form of exercise. I am hoping he will decide to go to the gym with me before long. This morning he went to the lab for his bloodwork and hopefully things will turn around for him shortly. Now I am trying to come up with something easy and quick for dinner. I just took a pork tenderloin out of the freezer but I don't know if it will thaw out in time. I may have to nuke it. Anyone know an easy pork tenderloin recipe? Well, I guess I will check out my numerous cook books.

Doctor's Visit

Today I made an appointment for my hubby to have a physical. He is one of those guys who never goes to the doctor. I finally asked him a couple of weeks ago if he would go if I made the appointment. He agreed so today is the day. He hasn't had a physical in over 5 years and that was only because he was very ill with blood clots in both lungs. He hasn't felt well for some time and I suspect he may have diabetes since he is tired all the time. I am very worried so I hope the doctor can stress that he needs to take better care of himself. I pray it isn't anything major and if it is diabetes it is treatable with diet and exercise. We shall see.

For a Deployed Soldier

Here is a website that will send a card to a deployed soldier for you. You only have to fill in the blanks.

https://www.uso.org/donate/custom.aspx?id=1082&


I hope we can all take a moment out of our days in the follow weeks and send one of our dedicated soldiers a card.

Thank you

Great Idea

When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get. A Great Idea!!! When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

A Recovering American Soldier

c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue,NW

Washington , D.C. 20307-5001

If you approve, please pass it on.

I got this in an email today and I thought it was worthy of placing here on this blog. I already sent it to all the people in my address book and I thought maybe those of you seeing it here can do the same. I will look for an address to send cards to soldiers over seas in one of the combat zones also and post that next.

A QUIET SATURDAY MORNING

Saturday morning, and all is quiet finally. I was awakened by my cats again this morning. They have started wandering around and meowing at around 4:30am recently. I don't know what the deal is but it sure isn't fun. I usually get up early but not this early. So I got up just to apease them (probably a mistake) and they settled down and got quiet. I love when it's quiet early in the morning. I can read or pray or do whatever and all is peaceful. It is looking a bit foggy outside but it will burn off since we are forecasted to have another beautiful day today. I think when I go to the gym I shall take my camera and get a few pictures of the last of the trees around the area that still have leaves. Our leaves are just about gone but I have noticed in town there are still some with really pretty red leaves. I love this time of year. So crisp and beautiful. I got some work done outside yesterday. I finally got rid of my tomatoes. They still had fruit and it was ripening but I tossed the plants in the compost pile. The deer probably ate what they wanted off them. I also had a few herbs that had gone to seed and were all leggy looking. I had all these plants in pots on our deck since the deer would get to them if they were in the yard. We hope to install an 8 foot fence around the backyard for next year so I can have a flower garden and even a vegetable garden and not have the deer feeding on it all. I trimmed a few other plants down and noticed I had new blossoms on the "four o'clocks" or "evening primrose" as my neighbor calls them. They bloom at night and fade the next day. They hadn't bloomed since August and suddenly got a burst of energy. Well, I need to get the coffee going. Have a great day everyone.

Nothing much happening here

These are my nieces boys, aren't they cute? Well, the rain stopped and the sun was brilliant today. I love it. Temperatures back in the low 60s and grass is greening up again. I guess we are forecast to have sunny days for the next several days. Maybe I can get some work done in the yard. I have some irises that I need to thin out and I plan to relocate them also. I lost another pound this week. I'll take it, don't mind losing only one a week as long as the scale moves downward. I tried a new recipe in the crockpot today. It is called TexMex Chicken Chowder. It was pretty good and spicy too. It made a huge amount. It isn't a low calorie recipe but since I can't eat very much I just eat what I want. My hubby (the world's pickiest eater) liked it too. I measured out enough to have for lunch tomorrow and the rest I will freeze for another time. Only problem is there are pototoes in it and they may not freeze well but it's too much to try and eat now since it's just the two of us. Hubby Bob is having issues with his back. He is laying down because it's really hurting him. Been bothering him for a few days now. He had back surgery about 20 years ago and from time to time he goes through this. I keep telling him to try my chiropractor. He worked wonders on me when I had a back injury. I hope he feels better soon. Well, I am going to go and watch some of the shows on DVR now. Good night....

I'm sitting in my computer room looking around at the stacks of paperwork that need to be gone through and of course I log onto my computer instead. I came in here with the intention of tidying up my desk and all the papers but instead I am reading blogs and answering blogs and not taking care of what needs to be done. It is raining pretty steady outside and has been since I awoke today. The forecast says it will rain through tomorrow and by the weekend we should have sun again. I'll believe it when I see it. My kitty lays on top of the tower of my desktop computer and she has knocked petals off the dryed hydrangeas on the desk and managed to push a couple of stuffed beany babies off the tower as well. I think she lays up there because the heat from the tower warms her. She loves laying in the sun or anything warm. I got my workout done this morning and went over to Ross to pick up a new spoon rest since I broke my other one last night. They always have them there and they are usually around 2 to 3 dollars. Well, I think I will attack this task and log off here for now.

Rainy Weekend Fun

Saturday afternoon my hubby and I decided to try out our WII game that we bought back in July and never used yet. I know, hard to believe we hadn't used it but we left for a trip right after we bought it and by the time we got back we just kind of forgot it. Anyway it was raining and there was nothing to watch on the tube so we pulled out the controllers and proceded to play the bowling game. I cleaned his clock and his ego couldn't take that so he suggested we play 2 out of 3 games. Well finally the third game I let him win one. Then we tried the boxing one and he kept knocking me out so he won that one. All in all we decided it is a fun thing to have and when friends are over next time we will definitely play it. Now last night when I went to get up off the sofa my hip was aching and I was limping. I couldn't figure out why. It is still sore this morning so I finally realized it was the bowling game. I used the same form I do when really bowling and that action is what is causing my soreness. Man, sure can tell I am getting up there in years. My hubby said his arms were tired. He stayed up and played with it until about 3am on Sunday morning after I went to bed. So now we're both sore. I hope I can do my workout at the gym today. I think once I start moving things will be ok. Guess the WII is good for more than game play, getting a workout in too. Maybe I need to get the WIIfit. Have a good day all.

The Rain is Here

I'm glad I took my walk early today. We were only home about 15 minutes when the rain started. It is dumping on us now. I just got back from Walmart and while I was in the store you could hear the rain pounding on the roof. As I went to leave there was a crowd of people standing by the door waiting for the rain to subside.

Sunny Saturday Morning, for a little while

Upon awaking today I see blue sky and the sun is peaking out from behind the mountains. The weather forecast was to have been lots of rain starting last night. There must have been a delay. They are now saying it will be here soon. Weather forecasting is an imperfect science. Sometimes they are way off base. Other times they are right on. Sometimes I wish they were off base and they aren't. It is nice to see the sun for a while since soon it will be nowhere to be seen and the darkness of the clouds will be present as the rains fall. I just need to remind myself of the trees and flowers that need the rain and enjoy the fact that everything is "greening" up again. Maybe a walk this morning would be a better choice than going to the YMCA.

Live puppy feed

Here is a live feed of a litter of 6 puppies. I heard about it on a television show today, and after doing a Google search I found it. It is fun to watch them play and interact with their people. They just finished nursing and eat outside their bed. I thought it was pretty interesting.
http://cdn1.ustream.tv/swf/4/viewer.45.swf?cid=317016

This is our granddaughter. She is eleven and she got straight A's on her report card today. What a proud moment. She is actually my husband granddaughter and my step granddaughter. She is a beautiful and a real charmer. This was taken at the beach in August this summer. We are both very proud of her achievement. I have been really getting in some good workouts at the gym. I am trying to get in a good hours worth and I plan to work up from there. Hubby is going fishing tomorrow so I will have plenty of time to do whatever I want. Maybe I will have to hit the mall after I work out. Oh the possibilities!!

Yay!! I figured out how to add a new template. Now I just need to add back my gadgets, etc.

Well, today is election day and after today we don't have to watch those blasted political ads on television, or in the mail, or answer the phone calls known as Robocalls. I for one will be really happy to end all the political stuff that has been shoved down our throats for the last year or so. May the best man win, and if he doesn't..........GRRRRR!! Anyway, I got in a great workout yesterday and today. Managed to lose one pound. Every little bit helps. My clothes are really looking baggy. It's such a great feeling. I even had a couple of people from church the other day mention that I had lost weight and they didn't know I had WLS. One lady wanted to know what diet I was following. I haven't told many people who I know so I just said I was limiting my caloric intake. Well, I am!! I wish I was more witty and creative with my blog. I am new at this so I will just give it my best shot and see what happens.

It's been a rainy weekend off and on. My plants are happy since they got a good drink. The rain is helping the leaves release their grip from the branches of the trees. They are landing all over the driveway and the deck. My hubby Bob keeps going out there with his blower and tries to corral them all up. It's a thankless job, since as soon as he finishes his task, a breeze comes and the processes starts all over again and covers the driveway and the deck with colorful, beautiful leaves. But it looks so clean and neat for a few minutes anyway. The weather forecast is calling for rain for the whole week until next weekend. And so it begins, our rainy season. I hope I can escape somewhere south of here where the sun continues to shine in the winter. Having grown up in Southern California I really miss the sun in the winter. After a month or two of gray skies and foggy days and nights it gets very draining on my soul. I have never considered myself a sun-worshiper but every so often the sun will shine in the winter here and everything looks gloriously beautiful. It's amazing how your whole outlook on life improves when the sun is out. I've met a few people who have lived here all their lives and they love and prefer this time of the year. They actually don't like the sunny days. Can you imagine?? Not me. Give me sunshine anytime. I love it.

Here are a few of the little things I bought at Michaels. Looking at this picture it sure doesn't do it justice. Looks much better in person. I haven't finished my other project yet. I went to lunch with the ladies of my lunch club yesterday. We meet on the last Thursday of each month for lunch. My neighbor has been meeting these ladies for years and when I moved here 6 years ago she invited me to join them. I really enjoy it. We sit there for a couple of hours and just laugh and have the best time. Not much else happened today, other than my workout at the gym. Oh and we met some friends at a bar-be-cue place in town. Boy the meat just melts in your mouth. I had a smoked chicken salad. It was the best! Hope you all have a Happy Halloween. And hopefully I will not be tempted by the "c" word. I didn't buy any since we don't have any trick or treaters at our home.

Today I went to Pier One Imports and found 2 really nice counter stools for the counter in the kitchen. They are wood with a faux suede cover on the seat. They look great and now we can eat closer to the kitchen and not have to eat in the diningroom or on tv trays. I also went to Michael's and they were having a great sale on the fall silk flowers, etc. I got some cute things for around the house to make it more fall like and also for above my kitchen cabinets to accent the items I have up there. I already have some silk flowers and ivy up there but this will add a bit of fall color to it. I haven't put them up yet but will take pictures tomorrow when I do. I also bought some indian corn and gourds. And a scarecrow too. I think I spent a total of $14. I love bargains. That didn't include the counter stools. They were on sale for $99 each. I got 10% off for applying for an application for the store credit card. Didn't make it to the YMCA today cause I had to babysit kids at church but tomorrow I'll be there. Weighed myself yesterday and haven't lost anything more for a couple of weeks. Also, I had a flu shot at the doctors office yesterday and last night I felt like I was getting sick all over again. I thought, Oh no not again. I had sniffles, and body aches and it suddenly went away and all was well. Then I remembered the symptoms that sometimes come with flu shots. Well, hubby is calling. Til next time...

early mornings

Sometimes I wake up very early for one reason or another and since I can't go back to sleep I just get up. I started coughing at about 3am and didn't want to wake my hubby so I got up. I love this time of the morning. The house is so quiet, the cats are snuggly and come a lay in my lap or next to me on the sofa. Everything is still and new. I had a chance to read some of the book I am reading and also checked my email. I tried to doze here on the sofa but Nope! too wide awake now. I am sitting here with my quilt on my lap and and my laptop humming away. Times like this make me glad to be alive. I am happy to be able to just sit and relax. I don't have to worry about getting back to sleep or I will be exhausted at work today. If I get tired in an hour or so, so be it. I'll go back to bed and sleep if I want. Ah, this is the life. Maybe I will have some tea now. Have a blessed day all.....

Here's one of the shots I took the other day at the farm stand near our house. I had to water all my plants today since everything was drying out. Neither one of us thought to water since it is usually raining this time of year. My plants were very happy after their drink. I managed to get my workout in today and also picked up a few items at the store. My neighbor now has my cold. Boo. I feel badly. I am hoping she didn't get it from me. I don't think I was still contageous when I started going to the gym with her. This is a real doozy of a cold. I hope none of you get it. I am still waiting to go to the Haunted House just outside of town with our friends. They asked us to go 2 1/2 weeks ago and I was just getting sick. Fortunately the place will be opened until November 1st. Our friends went without us after about 3 days. She wants to go again. Said it was the scariest thing she'd ever experienced. Also said she almost Pee'd her pants. She would die if she knew I added that. Good thing she doesn't read my blog. Well, I am off to finish dinner. Have a good evening all.

Halloween is coming......

Today we went for a drive to look at the changing leaves on the trees. One of the houses we passed on our trip had this in their front yard. I remember they had it last year too. The pumpkin head was larger at one time. I think it's starting to shrivel. But I thought it was a cute display anyway. It was nice to get out in the sunshine. We have been housebound for a couple of weeks now due to both of us having bad colds. We took our Chloe with us and all she did was whine. She wanted to be carried by hubby Bob as he drove. She knows better than to carry on when I am driving with her. She is well behaved and lays down. She knows I won't hold her as I drive, but Dad is a big push over. I also stopped at our local farmstand which is a large stand with a bakery and all. They had all kinds of apples and squash in forms I have never seen. They still had some corn on the cob all locally grown. And of course pumpkins galore. They have a hayride and the wagon takes kids out to the field to pick their own pumpkins if that is what they want to do or they can just choose one of the many there in the lot. I took some pictures of those too.

Beautiful Fall Days

The weather has been unseasonably beautiful here in Western Oregon. Usually by this time the foggy days and dreary drizzle has started. So far all we've had is a couple of days of rain followed by sunny days and a little fog in the morning that burns off by noon. Sure makes all the leaves look that much prettier in their color palette. I haven't been able to write the last couple of days because everytime I started, I would look back at what I wrote and thought "that is dumb" and I would delete it. I guess it's writer's block. Not that I am a writer but I guess that is what it is attributed to. I just got back from my workout at the YMCA. I had a protein shake with a banana in it. Yesterday I had a heck of a time eating. It seemed like everything I ate got stuck. I chewed until it was very small and took little bites but still it would get stuck. I can't figure out how some days I am tighter than others. I am reluctant to get a slight unfill for fear that it will allow me to eat too much to continue losing weight. I guess I will just play it by ear and see how things develop. Hope you all are having a good day.

Pumpkin days..........

I bought a couple of pumpkins yesterday and thought I would put them on our new deck in front. I placed them on the railing one on either side of the staircase. I also want to get one of those stuffed scarecrows that are always available this time of year. Last night I was fixing dinner and I let Chloe out to do her business. While she was out sniffing around I ran back to check my dinner on the stove. Suddenly, I heard her barking at something. I ran back to the door and there she was standing on the deck barking at one of the pumpkins. Silly girl!! I guess she noticed something different and decide to vocalize her displeasure with the intruder. I also went to the YMCA yesterday for the first time since I got sick. I worked out on the treadmill for a half and hour and then met my neighbor and we went to an aerobics class. It was a moderate aerobics class so I didn't feel like I was gasping for breath throughout it. It was mostly stretching and slow movements at first. Feels great to be back in the swing again.

High Tea

Today I was invited to a High Tea. It's the first one I ever went to and I could really get into these events. The ladies all were required to wear a hat. If you didn't have your own the hostess had a bed covered in all colors and styles of hats to chose from. We all looked so dignified in our hats and we sat at our tables and waited patiently for the party to proceed. Each table had a hostess to serve us and so we were expected not to get up and move about the room. Each table was beautifully decorated and the dishes matched throughout the room. There were spaces for 18 ladies. She had 8 different flavors of tea. The tea started out with scones. We had the choice of two different kinds. A lemon poppyseed and a cherry pear scone. They had devonshire cream, lemon curd and raspberry jam to spread on the scones. Next, they had a fruit bowl filled with small chunks of frest fruit. Apples, bananas, strawberries, kiwi, grapes, and maybe more but I can't recall them all. With the fruit there was a dish of raspberry cream sauce to serve on top of the fruit. Then the trays of sandwiches were brought out. All in different shapes with different kinds of bread. A chicken salad with tiny pieces of cranberry and cashew nuts, an egg salad, a cucumber with cream cheese, and a rolled up sandwich containing an asparagus and havarti cheese all wrapped with a pretty pink ribbon. Then for dessert there were all kinds of homemade cookies. There were iced sugar cookies in the shape of a tea pot and each one a work of art and all different, and a mushroom shaped meringue, a walnut pastry, a striped chocolate and vanilla layered ice box cookie. It was all so impressive. So much work went into it and I guess these ladies put this tea on once a year. I felt so priviledged to have been invited and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wasn't able to eat too much but I did eat enough to be satisfied. Made for a fun afternoon.

Is it Thursday already??

Here is Chloe "singing" with her Dad. She loves to sing and does it on command. She is so funny. I have to get myself in gear and get busy. It's almost noon and I am not even dressed yet. This week has flown by. I guess since I was sick I slacked off on many of the things I usually do. I still have to get all the iris bulbs out of the ground and replant them in their new location along with the bag my friend gave me. I would like to do that after a rain when the ground is a little easier to dig in. I did get my Halloween decorations out from under the house yesterday and put them up. I was disappointed that I didn't have more. I haven't put them out for the last few years and I thought I had more than I do. I must have gotten rid of some of them. Time to go stock up on more right?? We'll I had better get in the shower or the afternoon will be gone too.....................later

6 month checkup today

Well, I went for my 6 month check up today and I have now lost 57 pounds. I am so happy. I actually lost about 5 pounds this past week while I was sick. I just couldn't eat I was so miserable. All my bloodwork was normal and my bp was 110/75 . The doctor agreed that I shouldn't have anymore fill put in the band today. I explained how full it has gotten over the last few weeks and he said that should slowly dissipate over the next month. He suggested I call in if I stop losing from 1 to 2 pounds a week and then get a small fill. It was good getting outside today after being inside so many days. It was beautiful today too. When I got home some dear friends brought over some homemade salsa and chips for us and a flat of fresh tomatoes they got at a local farm. Some of them were huge, like 6 inches in diameter. All different varieties. She made salsa with some of hers and froze the rest. I think I will freeze mine too. Maybe tomorrow. I am sure glad I feel better. I sliced one just now and it tastes fabulous. I love fresh produce. Well it looks like this system is going down in a few minutes for maintenance so I best hurry up.

Monday, Monday.....

Well, I survived the weekend and the illness that overtook me. I was beginning to think it was the end until about 9 o'clock last night I started to feel a little bit alive again. I still have a headache but other than that things are getting back to normal. I am sorry I missed the whole weekend but that is the way it goes sometimes. I didn't eat very much so I am sure I lost a little weight. I go for my 6 month checkup tomorrow morning. I am anxious to see all my results such as blood work improvements, etc. Not to mention the number of pounds I have lost as well as my bmi and percentages of fat loss. The weather was beautiful all weekend and today. Mild and sunny in the high 60s and pretty cool at night. My hubby took good care of me while I was sick. Although he isn't a cook, he did drive into town and but me something to eat and he heated some soup for me last night. He also made himself a pot of chili last night so I don't have to make him dinner tonight either. I am sure glad this thing is behind me now.