Tuesday, May 26, 2009

SPT-May 26-- Something Blue

The SPT challenge this month was a recycle for some but new for me. This one was easy, I have something blue that people comment on all the time. So I just decided to not be too creative or go searching for something blue when mine is a built-in. I just went with the easy choice.
The eyes have it.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Two thumbs way up...

This week has been just crazy. We've had a million things going on and I was checking in with Jim on his weekly schedule and he mentioned that he had a late appointment Thursday(last night) and I said there is some reason that you can't have a late appointment we have something on the calendar. What's that date? 5/21. Oh my gosh! We have Lion King tickets. Santa brought us tickets and they have been put away for safe keeping and it almost slipped our minds. I am so glad the we didn't miss it. It was indescribable!!

It was so amazing. I can't even imagine having the imagination to come up with the costuming. The music was unbelievable. It was a wonderful evening and nice respite to an otherwise stressful week. If you get a chance to go, do it. It was well worth it. I woke up Jenna singing Cirlce of Life just to start off her last day of 6th grade with a jolt. It has really rasied my spirits, and now I'm ready for the long weekend.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

SPT-May 19, Something Borrowed

SPT-This month's challenge is a recycle. This week --Something Borrowed.

I'm not typically a borrower--I think that comes from being an "A type", "I am island" kinda girl. If I don't have it then I don't need it or if I need I find someway to get on a bargain. So this week's photo has been a little difficult for me to get a handle on.

So I went a little vague and intangible. I find myself in need a of dose, maybe two, of patience at this season of life. I need patience to get over this sickness that seems to linger indefinitely. I need patience to get this weight off. I need patience with a MIL who is ill and just a little off balance. I need patience with an office with no walls. I need patience to endure the summer with a pre-teen who will prefer TV to every other activity offered. I need patience counting the days til vacation. And on and on... I guarantee that I will have to borrow all this patience from somewhere because I do not have the gift of patience. So if you have a suggestion on coping skills for when to proverbial @$#^ hits the fan, feel free to share, and allow me to borrow your thoughts and ideas.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Here Comes the Sun...

In the words of Sheryl Crow:

I'm gonna soak up the sun..... (for the few moments that it might last)
Sun coming through the car windows

Blue Sky--yes Blue Sky



This is my shadow--we have not seen each other in a while.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Stop the wagon...I want back on!

Help! This calls for Oprah. Get Jenny Craig on the phone now. Have Richard Simmons run his little butt to Oklahoma. Have Marie Osmond mail me some food. What does a girl have to do to get back on the wagon?
This has been an awful week. I have had four Sonic Happy Hour Cokes. I have had to skip exercising for three days and counting. I have eaten everything that might even seem remotely tasty, or maybe not even so tasty just available. I have been sick.

Being sick is the pits. It messes up my whole routine, and I am a routine kinda girl. Two weeks ago I fought the whole my throat hurts so bad do not make me swallow sickness but I muddled through. I kept up the food plan, I kept up the exercise. I prevailed. That lasted about 10 days.

Two days of feeling pretty good then the cough and snot head set in. There is no way that there can be any more mucus in my sinus cavities. I'm not sure that I'm really the kinda of woman who can pull off the Kathleen Turner voice, (even if I do put on as much weight as her during this round of sickness) but I have seemed to develop it. I need this to go away. I need to get back to my routine.

I am hoping that today is my turn around day. Maybe I'll only use half a box of tissues, drink only three cups of hot tea, cough up only a quarter of my left lung (the right one has to already be gone), and be able to a least go for an evening walk.

It might be a little too soon for an intervention by the powers that be, but a couple more Cokes at Sonic Happy Hour and I might be on the road of no return.

Monday, May 11, 2009

SPT- May 12, Something New

This week in the monthly challenge is something new. It seems appropriate that it fell right after Mother's Day where there are new things in my household. I had a great day and dinner with my family and my husband installed these. Which, by the way, he got on a great online deal, because he is the King of online deals.
New LED lanterns lining the sidewalk. Thanks hon!

In the words of Karen Carpenter...

Talking to myself and feeling old
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around,
nothing to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

I am so tired of the rain. I am a sunshine kind of girl. I need my vitamin D fix. I had to head to the tanning bed this weekend to get my fill. It got me thinking about all the songs about rain. There are a ton of them. But here are few of my personal favorites, do you have some?
"Have you ever seen the Rain?"--
Creedance Clearwater Revival

"I Love the Rainy Nights"--
Eddie Rabbit

"Laughter in the Rain"--
Neil Sedaka

"I Made it Through the Rain"--
Barry Manilow

"Don't Rain on My Parade"--
Barbra Streisand

The longer this goes on the more I am looking forward to our days at the beach. I don't mind those mid afternoon sun showers that the summer on the gulf brings. But I will have to say that as green as it has made everything and taking into account those whose areas need rain desperately, I am sick and tired of it. Bring on the Sunshine.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Somewhere between Kirstie and Valerie

Okay I am 38 days into trying lose this freaking weight to get into better shape. The process is really slow, of course I've put the weight off and on over the last ten years, so slow is relative. I have stuck to no coke(the drink, the drug could be optional at this point), no eating after 7:30 ish, smaller portions and exercise.

I have had one coke, at Chili's last Friday, it was wonderful, heavenly, unbelievable, and made it harder to resist it during the week so maybe I'm not quite ready for that splurge yet. The 7:30 thing works okay and unless I have to work late or we are scrapping into the wee hours. Smaller portions seems to be directly related to my mood at the moment. Believe it or not exercise is not the hard one for me. I have been exercising regularly for about four years. I think the routine of my exercise is probably what's working against me. So I am now up to running 30 minutes about three times a week along with some days of walking and other days of Pilates. Even if I don't loose weight I'm sure I loose 3 gallons of water out of my body every time I run.

This is me after a 30 minute run (2 1/2 miles)--yes the shirt discoloration is me sweating all the fluids from my body:


My scale went nuts this week and it had to be recalibrated and that was not good news. Although I realize that it doesn't really change that weight that I have lost (10 lbs., by the way). Of course I still need to lose about 6 lbs. to actually be able to say I am losing new weight. It was very depressing to discover that I started out about 2 1/2 lbs. heavier than I thought. Oh well ignorance was bliss for a while. So I will continue to chug along a little progress at a time and my drug dealer doctor gave me some appetite suppressants to help be along the way. I figure if I can at least get to the place where no one mistakenly wants to harpoon me at the beach in June I will have made a few steps in the right directions.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

My Cynical Self

Sometimes my cynical self rears its ugly head and I have a difficult time focusing on the things that really make a difference in my everyday world. For instance:

  • Does anyone else think that it is a little too much of coincidence that Jon and Kate are getting all this news coverage just as her book comes out and their new season is to begin?
  • That the whole media world thinks that it is too much to ask of teenagers to maintain a life of abstinence -- it is unrealistic because of hormones and such--I think you get what you expect.
  • That the Swine Flu H1N1 Virus has gotten more attention than world hunger and human atrocities that kill millions of people a year worldwide.
  • That Heidi and Spencer get any media coverage AT ALL is atrocious.
  • That every little thing that any and every person utters can be taken, shaken, mixed, remixed and spit out for all the world to analyze and break into millions of pieces to find hidden meaning that was never there in the first place.

I am thankful today that in my everyday life no one really holds me accountable for every word that is breathed from my mouth or every action that I take. That those who love me give me leeway --they find it in their hearts to forgive me and move forward. I try to respond to others the way I would want to be responded to. I try to remember that I do not know what others are going through and how that effects their responses. I try to let the cynicism pass. I try to let the cynicism pass and grace replace.

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. -Acts 20:24

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

SPT- May 5, 2009 Something Old

http://www.lellysmusings.blogspot.com/

This month Lelly went to back to a SPT that has been done in the past. but since this is my first year participating it is new to me. So here goes...Something old...

There are a number of things old in this Self Portrait:

  • I, with my arthritis and gray hair I keep coloring, could be the old.
  • The Disney kaleidoscope that a friend gave me as a gift for my collection.
  • The wonderful old yellow stool and cart behind me are from my grandfather's house.
  • The old Coca-Cola paraphernalia on the cart.
  • The old turquoise couch that I'm sitting on was $35 at a garage sale.
I will have to tell you almost everything in my family room is old. Whether it be the furniture, the decor or the collections. We have a great appreciation for the old, the retro, the formerly loved, the big trash day finds, the treasures the come from age. You can always count on me for a look into the past via the things I cherish.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Not just a run of the mill crop...

Tonight, I am attending a crop and it won't be just a normal, stay out late, eat too much, talk about the joys of raising girls on the verge of teenagerdom, scrap a little, run of the mill crop. I am attending with my friends Kristie and Alisa, I don't know if you're heard but they are good friends with the Pioneer Woman, Ree. I am going to be in the presence of two people who have been in the presence of Ree.


In retelling this story to others I have likened their being invited to The Lodge with their good friend Ree, to me invited to sing around the piano at Sandi Patti's home. I can only imagine how they felt and now I get to sit around a table and scrap with them. I'll let you know what it feels like to be in the presence of someone who has been in the presence of someone that they only dreamed of meeting. Oh My Gosh! What should I wear?