Here's a photo I snapped while I was waiting for Hubby

He was getting supplies for his new hobby. He makes pens using a lathe. I waited in the truck with Chloe. I saw the clouds and thought they looked beautiful.

I am entering it in the Looking up at the Sky Friday. Here is the info on it from the blog of http://www.crazyworkingmom.com/2008/12/looking-up-at-sky-on-friday-information.html(If you would like to participate in Looking at the Sky on Friday, all you have to do is post a photo of the sky on Friday. That's it. I don't care what else you have on your blog. It makes no difference to me. Have fun and be creative. Visit others if you have time. Thanks for playing along.) I haven't figured out how to just put a word up and when you click it you get a whole phrase.

I lost three pounds this week since my fill last week. I feel like I am back on track now. Of course taking the candy out of my sight helped a lot. I am also trying not to snack between lunch and dinner. That was a problem for me for the last several weeks but hopefully now I won't be as much of a grazer.

Aren't these horses beautiful? They are Arabian fillies. We visited a horse ranch on our vacation in February. I went through my pictures to find one suitable for the A Thousand Words Thursday and I like this one.

I had a dental appointment this morning. I went for a cleaning. The dental hygienist is a new one there and the old one just used instruments to clean my teeth. This one used one of those ultrasound machines too. I hate those. Makes me feel like my skull is vibrating. But my teeth are nice and smooth and shiny now.

It's so pretty out today. We are supposed to have warmer weather this weekend in the mid to high 70s. It's probably in the low 60s now but it sure is nice out. I helped hubby in the yard a while ago. We were shoveling gravel into his little trailer. After about 20 minutes it occured to me that I could never have done this a year ago. I would have been too tired after a couple of shovels full. I never did get tired. Of course I didn't tell him that or I would still be out working.

I have some dahlias to plant and also some other bulbs to get in the ground. I want to make a bed for the dahlias. I need to fence it off or the deer with eat them. They came on our porch last year and ate some of the dahlias out of a large planter. We have cages around most of our little bushes and plants. Our neighbor put an 8 foot fence around his back yard so they could have a vegetable garden and tulips and such. I would like to do the same thing.

Well, back on track today. I put the leftover Easter candy away so it wouldn't continue to call my name every time I walked past it. I weakened and ate several pieces yesterday and then I chastised myself afterward. I need to go through the pantry and get rid of snack foods too. But I probably won't. They aren't as easy to eat as the candy is. Candy doesn't stick it just goes down easy. I have to remember I am still a work in progress and will from time to time backslide.

Our friends sold their RV over the weekend and they want us to drive to Eugene today with them while they look for a new one. I am resisting because if I go with them I won't be able to get in my workout. I am hesitant to not go to a workout because I know me and if I start missing them pretty soon I will make excuses and stop going all together. I found out I can apply to be a volunteer at the Y (ymca) and if accepted I just need to work for 2 hours a week and my membership fee will be waived. I am excited about that. I filled out an application and I am going to turn it in today.



When I woke up this morning it was snowing outside, in fact it still is only it's starting to look more like rain and the sun is trying to burn through the clouds. This has been the strangest weather year.

Well, I need to get up from this computer and get moving. Hubby went into town to get new tires on his "silver bullet" and I need to get my workout duds on . Chloe is snuggled up at my side. She has a sore leg today. Her legs are very short and she jumps off the furniture and hurts them from time to time. We try to stop her before she jumps but sometimes she hits the floor before we can get to her. Poor baby.

He Is Risen

Easter is a promise,

God renews to us each spring,

A promise that we'll always have Him there, And like the flowers that bloom so bright,

And birds that sweetly sing,

We always will receive His tender care,

A promise that He'll hold us up,

Each time we start to fall,

And see us through each hour of care and strife.

Easter is God's promise,

That His love rules over all,

And through Him,

We will have eternal life.--Amanda Bradley

May you all have a Blessed and Happy Easter spent the way you want, be it will family,

friends or in solitude. Enjoy this special day. My hubby and I will be spending it with friends after attending our church service. God Bless........

Today I have lots to do. I need to make my sign for the Cardboard Testimonies tomorrow at church. I still haven't decided on what I will write on it. I also need to get the things I still need for dinner tomorrow. I am making a ham and haven't decided what I will use as a glaze. I think Pam at Sidewalk Shoes is preparing a Cranberry Bourbon Glazed Ham. Doesn't that sound mouthwatering? I need to find a great recipe for a glaze. Then I will make Deluxe Potatoes using frozen hashed browns and cream of chicken soup and sour cream and cheese. It is far from a diet dish but, Hey it's a holiday right? I will make some rolls and a salad and then dessert. Maybe I will let my friend bring dessert if she wants. She said she wants to bring something so that is a good idea. Besides she makes pies to die for. She uses butter in her crust and it turns out golden brown and so buttery tasting and flaky.

I went to my doctor's appointment on Thursday and he filled my band again. I only wanted a tiny bit, but he put the same amount he took out 6 weeks ago. I wasn't sure I was going to be happy with that since it caused me problems before. But, since I had the fill for 6 months before the problems arose I guess he figured that is the best amount to add. My first night was a little difficult because I ate dinner late and had a cup of tea before bedtime. I felt like my food was gurgling up all night. I finally got up and came out and sat in my recliner. Last night I made sure to eat by 6pm and didn't eat or drink anything after that. I slept like a baby. Until 4:30am when I woke and couldn't get back to sleep so I figured I must have had enough sleep. That was a new experience. Anyway, I was able to lose much better with the fill when I had it before so now I should begin losing at a steady rate again. Unfortunately, I won't be able to eat much of my Easter dinner tomorrow but I will eat a little of it.

I have a new blog I just started to read, actually it's only just been started. It is a long time friend's daughter and her husband's blog about their baby daughter that was born March 19th and wasn't due until June 30th. She is in the Neonatal department at the hospital and she is so tiny. She needs prayers from my friends. She is expected to remain in the hospital until at least after her due date. I am praying daily that she doesn't develop any problems and grows strong and healthy. The blog is http://allisonnicuprogress.blogspot.com. Maybe you can stop by and check out the pictures of her. She is just a little over a pound now. Isn't that incredible? Well, I am off to the gym and then the market. Have a wonderful Saturday all.

Are you cooking this year??

Are you planning an Easter dinner? If so, what will you have. Will you have guests for dinner? Family or friends? We are having ham. I bought one several months ago on sale. It's one of those spiral sliced hams. We have invited some friends of ours to dine with us. I am debating on what to serve with our ham. Should I make scalloped potatoes, or macaroni and cheese? Or Deluxe potato casserole? Then what veggie should I serve and how about salad. I think a nice spring salad would be nice. I won't be dying any eggs this year since I don't have any little munchkins around to enjoy them. Maybe a light dessert so calories aren't an issue.

Our church has a wonderful Easter program planned. It's called Friends Day. We are all encouraged to invite a friend who isn't already attending a church to our church for the service. During the service we all have been encouraged to participate in a program that will be video taped (by my Hubby) called Cardboard Testimonies. The idea is to show the visiting guests and others your life before Christ and after Christ. Here is an example of it:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ I am struggling to find the perfect wording for my cardboard. Lord knows I am not perfect and there is probably plenty for me to write but so far I haven't come up with any. It promises to be a very motivating service. We tried it at Christmas and it was a huge success.

The weather here has been just beautiful the last couple of days. Of course the forecast is for rain towards the end of the week. This is typical for the month of April. Winter's last hold on the day. But it was warm and sunny and the grass and flowers are growing with abundance. I haven't been posing much lately since I make the mistake of reading the posts of the blogs I follow first. Then I feel so inferior by comparison that I think, "Oh, I guess I won't write anything today" I need to stop doing that but it's been a lifelong fault of mine to compare myself to everyone else.

I have an appointment this week (Thursday) for my one year checkup. It's been a year since my LapBand surgery. I am eager to get another band adjustment since I know I am eating way faster, and way more than I was before the doctor removed some of the fill last time I saw him. I have been able to lose a couple of pounds but if I wasn't exercising daily the way I am I know it would be a gain instead. I beat myself up for this every day and I need to remember that this is the reason I had LapBand surgery in the first place. Because I am not perfect and I succumb to temptation at times.

Can't you just imagine the embarrassment this poor woman is facing? Toilet paper on her shoe and her dress tucked into her pantyhose. I saw this picture and had to capture it. Today is my yoga class at the gym and I get so much from it. I feel so refreshed and relaxed after the class. It's a "Senior" Yoga class. When I first heard about the class I thought. NO way!! I will go for the regular yoga. I had never taken yoga before and always wanted to. My friend and neighbor, Bonnie suggested we try it and if it wasn't challenging enough then we could take the regular yoga class. Well, we both loved it. In fact the class keeps growing every week and not all the people taking it are seniors. In fact there are a few people in the class with physical limitations. One lady has a prosthetic leg and she does what she can and when we stand up or use the chair she stays on the floor. Our instructor is terrific and stresses that we are where we are supposed to be as far as our fitness and it's okay. To only do what we can, and if it hurts back off until it doesn't. Have a good day all!