My Ups and Downs of Everyday Life

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T00:51:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to all my friends.

testing, testing

2011-08-18T17:04:00.001-05:00

I am not sure if it is working for me today.

Long Time

2011-05-22T22:32:00.001-05:00

I am going to make a post real soon. I am so addicted to Facebook that I never seem to get over to my blog. Miss all of you.

Back On Track Again

2010-10-09T09:52:00.001-05:00

This is going to be short because I have so much chopping and cooking to do today. I lost 9 lbs last week and 3.2 lbs this week. I am so happy with the results. I knew once I got back on track I would be able to do it.
Well, hubby just informed me he needs the computer so everyone have a nice weekend.

Rejoining

2010-09-24T16:41:00.004-05:00

I am rejoining Weight Watchers either tomorrow or Oct. 2nd. I know I gained about 10 extra pounds since I haven't gone in about 6 weeks. I just burned myself out from it and also I have been trying to figure out all this new medicine I am taking & some has me gaining weight but I think most of the weight is because I stopping exercising and have been eating tons of junk. I have been stressing about the RA and I see the doctor in a few weeks to see if the medicine is working or if I have to do the shots in my stomach.
Have a great weekend everyone. I will probably do another entry tomorrow with my new weight total if I join.

Where Does The Time Go

2010-09-04T11:12:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I did an entry. I have been reading all your blogs but I am sorry I haven't had time to comment on all of them. I have been keeping busy with all the vegetables from the garden. Today I am making homemade tomato sauce and making eggplant parmesan. I also want to grill some zucchini & squash I pulled yesterday.
I haven't gone to Weight Watchers in 3 weeks. I haven't given up but I am probably going to rejoin in the next few weeks. I want to talk to my doctor on Thursday about getting off the steroids because I think some of the weight coming back on is due to them. I am up about 4 lbs since my sister was here. We did nothing but eat our way through all the foods that she can't get in Tennessee, well she can get them but it tastes nasty. We have great pizza here in Illinois. We also went to an Italian store so she could get some good sausage and beef to take home. I miss her so much. I really wish we lived closer.
We don't have any plans this weekend. My hubby changed his schedule and is now working 1st shift and his days off are Friday and Saturday. He worked yesterday so I think he is just going to relax. I know we have to take his Mom's car back into Chicago sometime today. I am not looking forward to it since it is an hour drive up and an hour drive back. I think everyone will be on the road today.
I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Labor Day. I can go on and on about what has been going on with me but I need to start my day because the morning is almost gone.

Quickie

2010-08-07T13:15:00.004-05:00

Weighed in and lost 7.2 this week. I know it was because I was sick for 4 days but I will take it. I have been busy this morning grilled zucchini, onions, mushrooms and tried plum tomatoes which didn't work out to well but still yummy. I also want to pull tons of kale & freeze it. I am trying not to pull a ton of vegetables from the garden because my sister in coming out in 12 days and I want to give her a lot.
My neighbor has a peach tree and I pulled about 50 of them a few weeks ago and they were pretty small. I put them all in a brown paper bag to ripen and oh my gosh they are wonderful. I called and asked her if I can get more and she said yes. They are about 3 times bigger than when I pulled them last. I am probably going to take a few hundred since she doesn't eat them. I am going to make a peach cobbler and freeze a bunch after I slice them up. I was thinking about peach jam but not sure about that yet.
OK enough of my rambling this is my hubby's only day off & I want to spend some time outside with him & pull more weeds.
Thanks everyone for all your well wishes. I am feeling great now & I go to see the specialist again on Wednesday but also found a new one that I will see the end of August. I can't wait to tell her off for making be in pain for 4 days and telling me to go to the emergency room when I told the nurse what medicine makes me feel better. Doctors what are you going to do.
Have a great weekend everyone.

Pain, Pain Go Away

2010-08-01T10:42:00.002-05:00

This is going to be a Debbie downer post so if you don't want to hear it don't read it. I am in a very bad place the last few days. I think it might be the new medicine I am on. This morning I can't even lift my left arm up. I have been crying for hours this morning. My hubby had to go into work today so I don't want to call him up & stress him out about it.
I went & weighed in yesterday after not going for 2 weeks and I am up 4.8 lbs. I know I am stress eating and yesterday hubby took me to lunch and we had margaritas and some great food and then last night we got pizza so I am up even a few more lbs. this morning. I hope to get a handle on this situation soon. I am going to call the doctor tomorrow because I don't want to keep feeling like this until I go see her on the 11th.
I told myself I wanted to get back to exercising today so I may ask my daughter to go for a short walk with me. Her boyfriend is taking her to breakfast right now and then she is going to come home and do her chores and help me with a few things.
Please say some prayers for me because I really, really need them. Thanks

Short and Sweet

2010-07-17T20:37:00.003-05:00

I weighed in last week and gained 1.4. Today I lost 2.8 ww total 41.2 my total 55.4 I am so happy and I finally think I got it. I know I am still going to have slip ups but I don't let it devastate me anymore.
I went to the rheumatologist and she was upset that my general doctor diagnosed me without doing more tests so I had 28 xrays done, 6 vials of blood drawn and peed in a cup. I am upset that I read 2 books regarding rheumatoid arthritis and get upset and starting crying a little in the doctors office. I guess it is a good thing that she is so good at what she does that she wanted all these tests done. I don't go back to see her until August 11th but she told me if there is anything to be concerned about she will call. I think I will call next week anyway to see what the results are. I think having to wait another 24 days is a little unreasonable.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

A Good Tired

2010-07-03T19:51:00.004-05:00

This is a picture of my great, great niece Danielle who I haven't met yet. She lives in California. She is a cutie.

I weighed in this morning and lost another 3.4 lbs. for a Weight Watcher total of 40 and my total of 54. I am so happy about the weight loss but I have not been happy about my health.

The month of June I went to the emergency room twice. The first was pain in my knee and second was the pain in my shoulder. I know I mentioned this in a previous entry but what I am getting at is that I finally went to my general doctor and told him my symptoms and he gave me a blood test for about 5 different things. He called me a few days later and told me I have Migrating Rheumatoid Arthritis. I am on steroids and heavy duty pain killers. The first day I took the steroids I started feeling 110 percent better. I took my last one today so I hope the pain doesn't come back. I don't have an appointment for the specialist until the 15th. I had my bone scan on Thursday and I am hoping to hear from my general doctor next week.

I would not wish this pain on my worst enemy. I can't explain it but it really, really hurts. I have been doing some reading on the internet about it. I am going to have tons of questions for the doctor when I go see her. I guess if I can get through brain surgery I can get through this.

The title of my blog is because I have done nothing today but cook my hubby's lunches for next week and make a double batch of Oreo Fluff for my daughter and her boyfriend. I also made some pasta salad for the party we are going to tomorrow at my sister in law's house. They have a new pool and a hot tub so I know I am going to be swimming since it will be the first time I have gone swimming this year. I am a water baby - Pisces.

Well, I am sorry to be such a downer but I wanted to let you all know how I was feeling.

Have a safe and fun 4th of July.

It's A Hot and Humid Day in the Neighborhood

2010-06-18T13:22:00.004-05:00

I want to thank Missie for all the wonderful tags. I hope your pain gets less and less every day.

It is already 88 degrees here and is suppose to get into the 90's. I made the mistake and went to Wal-Mart at 10:30 and it was already crowded and by the time I left it was so hot out and my car's air conditioning is broke. I told my daughter never again am I going that late, that is late for me because I like to go anywhere between 7 and 8 am.

I weighed in this morning that is why I went so late but the good news is I lost another 2.4 lbs. WW total 36.6 My total 50.6 I am so happy. I am happy about the loss but not happy that they closed our meeting down. They said there were not enough members. We are all not happy. We do have 2 close meeting that are both about 8 miles away. I am not sure what meeting I am going to attend. My leader does the one on Saturday morning and I think I may do that one. I have not made up my mind yet because I am still upset.

I had my first salad from a few of my vegetables in the garden. I made a kale, bib lettuce, broccoli and green onion salad. It was so good.
Here is a picture of the garden from my 2nd floor bedroom. My hubby likes when I takes these kinds of pictures because next year he always says he wants to see how he set it up. This year seems to be our best year yet. I think it has to do with all the rain we have been getting. We even had another storm go through this morning. I guess I am saving on water since I don't have to water the garden.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and Happy Father's Day.

Back On Track

2010-06-11T10:33:00.003-05:00

I weighed in this morning and lost 7 lbs. for a total of 34.2 and my total of 48.2
I am so happy to be back on track. I think I did so well this week is because I have been taking a new pain medicine since I had to go back to the emergency room on Sunday but this time for my shoulder. I don't know what has been happening to me lately. I can handle pain but this pain was worse than my knee pain. My knee is fine now and the emergency room doctor told me that if I did have a torn menicus (sp) that it would still hurt. I did to much yesterday with weed whacking that I couldn't put my arm up over my head. I am suppose to call the doctor today. I am just one big pain. I guess turning 50 has it's downfalls. LOL My hubby is going to trade me in for a new model. Oh, I am rambling and didn't finish my shoulder story. They took x-rays and he found nothing wrong with my shoulder. He said I might have pulled a muscle or something. Even though I lost 7 lbs this week I want to start exercising again. I think I might try to get on my exercise bike and do my 3 mile walk away the lbs. tapes. I just won't raise my arms when they do certain exercises.

Our garden is growing like crazy. We have had some major rain and that is really helping. We already have broccoli. My hubby had to more 2 cabbage plants because my squash is taking over. I can't wait to grill the squash and all the other vegetables. I have been using my grill a lot because my oven is broke and my hubby is working so much overtime that he hasn't been able to fix it. I made tons of skirt steak so he can take burritos to work. He says he is always happy with that.

It is time for me to go because I haven't had breakfast yet because I don't eat before I weigh in and it is almost time for lunch so I think I will make a big salad and chop up either some chicken or steak in it.

Have a great weekend.

I Didn't Quit....Again

2010-06-04T11:16:00.002-05:00

I forced myself to go to Weight Watchers this morning and I am glad that I did even though I gained again. The last 3 weeks have been horrible but hopefully things will look up. I think I went back today because I got a beautiful post card from my leader saying that they missed me and that gave me incentive to go. I walked in on my crutches and they all knew why I haven't been coming but I only hurt my knee on Sunday and the last 3 weeks is because I have fallen off the healthy eating wagon. I might try to do the 5K walk this Sunday. My knee is feeling better and I only have a few pain pills left so we will see how I am feeling on Sunday. The 5K walk is the Weight Watcher challenge. I told one of the girls I might met her there if my knee is feeling OK.

We have a lot of things going on this weekend. Our little village holds it yearly garage sale days. I have been going with my neighbor for the past few years. My hubby's niece asked us to help her move so my daughter, her boyfriend and hubby are going to go. My husband wants me to go so I can watch her 3 kids but I told him I do garage sale days every year. I am not sure what I am going to do. I guess it all depends on if my neighbor comes out this weekend. The house that she owns here is only when she comes out on the weekends. She owns a house in Chicago. I guess I will call her later.

Have a great weekend.

Can't Exercise for awhile

2010-06-01T14:46:00.002-05:00

I went to the emergency room Sunday morning. I was going to go Saturday night but thought I would just see if I pulled something in my knee. I started crying Sunday morning and I knew I couldn't wait to see my doctor on Tuesday so hubby took me to the hospital. The doctor thinks I have a torn meniscus. They gave me a pain shot, showed me how to use crutches and gave me a prescription for heavy duty pain killers.
I tell you every time I try to lose weight and get healthy something happens to me. I am suppose to call a doctor to see if I need therapy or surgery. I want them to do an MRI first to see if it is torn. I am thinking of waiting a few more days before I call because my knee hasn't been bothering all that much and I am not in a hurry to go see another doctor.
My hubby's vacation started Saturday and we we suppose to go spent about 4 or 5 days at his sister's trailer but we decided not to. We just took a ride there now to celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday. She went to Woodsmoke for a few days of swimming and to be with her aunts & uncles. She comes back tomorrow. I didn't want to ruin her time of going there because of my knee.

Well, that is all for now. I will keep you all updated with my knee.

Memorial Day

2010-05-29T15:40:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day
by Michelle R. Christman

As we stand here looking
At the flags upon these graves
Know these flags represent
A few of the true American brave

They fought for their Country
As man has through all of time
Except that these soldiers lying here
Fought for your country and mine

As we all are gathered here
To pay them our respect
Let's pass this word to others
It's what they would expect

I'm sure that they would do it
If it were me or you
To show we did not die in vein
But for the red, white and blue.

Let's pass on to our children
And to those who never knew
What these soldiers died for
It's the least we can do

Let's not forget their families
Great pain they had to bear
Losing a son, father or husband
They need to know we still care

No matter which war was fought
On the day that they died
I stand here looking at these flags
Filled with American pride.

So as the bugler plays out Taps
With its sweet and eerie sound
Pray for these soldiers lying here
In this sacred, hallowed ground.

Take home with you a sense of pride
You were here Memorial Day.
Celebrating the way Americans should
On this solemnest of days.

Not Doing So Well With the Scale

2010-05-28T12:29:00.002-05:00

I haven't gone to Weight Watchers in 2 weeks. I lost on the 14th of May but today was a different story. I gained 4.4 lbs. I was going to quit but I decided to go face the music. I have been getting tired of always tracking my points and always being so sore from working out. I am sore when I get up, sore all day and sore at night. I am sorry this is such a whiny post but it is how I am feeling. I didn't even go to my regular WW leader because I didn't want her to see my gain. She is a wonderful leader and has always made me feel good but I couldn't face her. The new place I went to the lady that weighed me was so nice and she said this is a lifestyle change, you are going to have gains and losses. She made me feel better, if only for a moment. I am determined to start fresh today.

On a happier note, my hubby starts his vacation tomorrow. We have a few plans to first go to Woodsmoke Ranch and help my sister in law fix up her trailer. I know we also wants to do some things around our house. We are going to go swimming and celebrate my daughter's official birthday on June 1st. I got her what she wanted but I told her that we couldn't afford it so I know it is going to be a nice surprise. Her boyfriend is coming to spend a few days with us. I hope he will show me how to fish since I never learned. You would think with 6 brothers one of them would have taught me but they were so much older than me, so I am hoping to fish over vacation.

Well, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Memorial weekend. It looks like our weather is going to cooperate.

Trying to Keep Up

2010-05-07T19:35:00.003-05:00

I have been feeling so overwhelmed lately. I think it is because I have a 15 year old daughter who is giving me some problems right now but I really don't want to go into it because I want to feel happy thoughts.

I weighed in and lost another 1.6 lbs for a total of 34.2 I can't believe I lost that because after celebrating my birthday last weekend on Monday I got on the scale and it showed that I was up 3 lbs. I did work my butt off by walking an hour a day and getting on my exercise bike. My hubby asked me if I was going walking today and I said no that I am taking a day off because I was baking for our Mother's Day party tomorrow at my sister in law's house. I am making the pork tomorrow morning but this time instead of barbecue sauce I am making a pork gravy. I think we are all tired of the barbecue since we have it at every party. We are also celebrating my daughter turning 16. Her birthday is not until June 1st. but since we are all going to be together I decide to celebrate. When are kids were getting older we decided not to throw family parties because it just gets too expensive but since she is going to be sweet (yeah right) sixteen I decided to do it.

I had a really great time at my party. I will post pictures sometime this week. I forgot how expensive developing pictures can be. I took my sister in laws disposable cameras and had them developed because I wanted to see the pictures right away. I just ordered the cd's for myself and 2 sets for her. It came out to $78.00 I almost fell over. Thank goodness I only have to pay $15.00 for the cd's.

Well, I need to finish scanning a cookbook and then I am probably going to bed early since I haven't been sleeping well and tomorrow is going to be a very long day.

Happy Mother's Day

I'm Melting

2010-04-30T12:39:00.002-05:00

I went and weighed in this morning. Our leader couldn't make it so they had someone else. I got there early because I wanted to weigh in and leave to go great the food for my big birthday bash tomorrow. I get on the scale and she says you gained a pound. I was a bit frustrated because I have been walking 2 miles in the morning and 2 miles in the afternoon plus riding my stationary bike I just got from one of my friends. I also know that I have been snacking a little to much lately so I would deal with it. I get off the scale and she says wait you didn't gain your lost a lb. She said she read the above number wrong. She told me to hit her hand because she was bad. LOL I am down 32.6 with Weight Watchers and I put a weight loss ticker on the side of my blog that shows how much I have lost since I first restarted this healthy eating last year.

I just got back from Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. I think I will start the pork for the party today so I don't have to do it tomorrow morning. I just want to be able to do my nails and my daughter will be doing my hair. She has to go do her job shadowing tomorrow from 8am to noon. I wish we could have made it another day because I wanted to get to the party early but it is mandatory for her English grade and she only has about 20 more days of school left.

Have a great weekend everyone and I hope to be putting plenty of party pictures on here and facebook within a week

Things Are Looking Up

2010-04-23T14:03:00.006-05:00

I lost 1.4 lbs this week for a total of 31.6 I am so happy about that. I have been walking a lot this week. I have been averaging about 14,000 steps a day. I probably won't get to that today because I just put my pj's back on and I am going to take it easy. You just have to do that sometimes. It is rainy here and I am just in the mood to relax and maybe do some reading.

My daughter and I are going to get our hair dyed, cut and styled. I did have the appointment for next Saturday but changed it because I don't want to be rushed for my big 50th birthday party next week. It is a 45 minute drive to the hairstylist and then back home and then about 45 minute drive to my party next week. We do have my great nephew's 4th birthday party tomorrow and I know I will be home in plenty of time to get ready. The next 3 weekends are going to be so busy. My sister in law is having us all over for Mother's Day on the 8th. I am happy about that because I have plans with hubby & my daughter on Mother's Day to go to the nursery and get all of our vegetable plants and maybe get something to eat. I just want to keep it simple. I love those kinds of days.

I made my sister in laws poster for our 50th birthday party next Saturday. I am not sure if I mentioned it but we are having it together. My daughter hasn't even started working on my poster yet. I just may have to do it myself. I bought my sister in law this box of candy I ordered on line called Old Time Candy. It is candy we ate in the 60's. I just love it. I can't wait until she see it.

I just remembered I have a new great nephew and his name is Jack Henry. I am going to meet him tomorrow. I am so excited. I love babies.

Well, I want to wish everyone a very nice weekend.

Keep Going

2010-04-18T20:09:00.002-05:00

I weighed in Friday and lost 6 lbs. for a total of 30.2 lbs. I have been feeling pretty sick the past 2 weeks. I went to the doctor and had blood work done and they called with the results on Friday saying everything is fine. The nurse said the doctor wanted to put me on an anti-depressant. I couldn't believe it. I went to see the doctor because my stomach was bothering me and that my energy level was way down. I said to the nurse I didn't know they prescribed anti depressants for energy and she was like oh yes. I am thinking my doctor is a pill pusher. I looked it up on line and it says this pill makes you gain major weight. What the heck is this doctor thinking. I am thinking of finding a new doctor.

This is going to be short because like I said I am not feeling well. I hope everyone has a great week.

2010-04-02T17:46:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I posted. I have been trying to post every Friday after my weigh in but I keep getting busy and now that the weather is so beautiful I just want to spend it outdoors. OK, first things first, the week of 3/19 I lost 1.2 the week of 3/26 I lost 2.2 and today I lost 1.4 for a total of 24.2. I am really down a total of 39 lbs since last year but I am just going with my loss since I started Weight Watchers. The support I get at these meetings and from my leader is great. One of the ladies brought in a weighed hula hoop. I tried it and it is hard plus it hurts your hips. She let me take it home for a week to see if I like it. These ladies are amazing. A few weeks back I brought in about 3 Weight Watcher cookbooks and let the ladies take them home. I love how we all share. I have been walking like crazy. I asked my neighbor this morning if I could take his dog for walks during the day and he said just go in the yard and get him. He is a big dog and my Bambi is so small that he can't keep up so I am going to take his dog.

I really want to go buy a new grill this weekend. I am ready to start grilling tons of vegetables. I already made a list of the vegetables I want in the garden. I am also going to learn how to can my own salsa, spaghetti sauce and marinara sauce. I think I am also going to can some banana peppers because I love putting them on sandwiches.

My big 50th birthday party is in 29 days. I can't believe it is coming up so soon. My birthday was in Feb. but we wanted to have a big party together with my sister in law/best friend so we are having one big party of about 100 people. Her daughter in law and son are getting it all together for us. I love that we are going to have a DJ/karaoke. I know the kids are going to have a blast, and so are the adults.

We are not going to do much for Easter this year. My daughter is going by her boyfriend's family to do an Easter egg hunt. She has never met them before so I know she is excited. I bought a ham, potatoes and corn but I think I might just cook it tomorrow or maybe Sunday for just hubby and I. I am not sure yet. My hubby is working so much overtime that I know one of those days he is going to just relax and sleep. He deserves it.

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Easter today since I know I won't be on the computer Sunday.

Happy Dance

2010-03-12T12:56:00.005-06:00

I just noticed that I forgot to post last Friday after my weigh in. I lost 2.8 last week and 3 lbs this week for a total of 19.4. I think it is great that it only took me 9 weeks to lose that much. I am happy with 2 or 3 lbs a week. I did have that big gain 3 weeks ago but I am back on track and feeling wonderful. I have my pedometer on every day and have been trying to walk more steps each day. Today is pretty nice out so I took my book and went for a walk and then sat in the park and got to read a few chapters.

There really hasn't been much going on with me. I have been writing done what I want to put in my garden this year. We took out the strawberry patch so I know I want to try something new this year. I don't think I am going to plant anything on the side of the house like we did last year because it doesn't get enough sun. I did put tons of green onions and those came out OK but I only got 2 big zucchini out of the plants I put on the side.

My weight watcher leader last week asked us to try a few different foods so I decided to try making baked sweet potato fries. They were delicious. I never had sweet potatoes so that was a treat. I also tried couscous but I had to spice it up with tabasco sauce and some fresh parmesan cheese. I did like it but will have to find some recipes to add things to it to make it more enjoyable.

Well, I guess I will get off of here and go watch another disc of season 1 of Nip/Tuck that my sister sent to me.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Weighed In Yesterday

2010-02-27T04:53:00.002-06:00

I lost 5.4 lbs yesterday. I am very happy with that. I am back on track. I am not sure if we are going out to eat to celebrate my birthday because my hubby has to try and fix my car which is leaking oil really bad. My dryer has also broke and he thinks we need to replace the heating element. I do a load of clothes at once a day or every other day. I think I am just going to have to hang dry my clothes or run to the laundry mat which is pretty far away.
Have a great weekend everyone.

Talked Me Into It

2010-02-19T15:42:00.007-06:00

My sister talked me into going back to Weight Watchers because I was going to quit. I had a really bad 2 weeks and I was embarrassed to weigh in. I am happy I went because my leader and all the ladies were great. I gained back a lot but I am ready to refocus my attention on my health. At the end of the meeting one of the ladies came up and hugged me. I thought that was wonderful. She said she was happy that I came back and that I can do this. It meant the world to me.

My mother in law checked into the hospital last night. She was having chest pains and was having a hard time breathing. She also has a mass under her chest. They did an x-ray and she has a mass on her lung. She has a fever and they are going to keep her another day. Her doctor is going to do the biopsy on Wednesday or Thursday because she is on a certain medicine right now. My hubby took off of work to go to the hospital this morning. I just talked to him and told him to stay at his Mom's house and to bring her home from the hospital tomorrow. I didn't go because I had to take my daughter to the doctor for her foot. We didn't get to see the podiatrist but her regular doctor. He put her on antibiotics and a pain killer. I go see the podiatrist on Wednesday morning. My daughter has always had problems with ingrown toenails. She already had 2 surgeries so the ingrown toenails won't grow. They were done on the inside of her big toes and now I guess we need to do them on the outer side. It never fails there is always something. I try to catch up on all our medical bills and more come in. I am still paying for my brain surgery in Dec. of 2008. Oh well, what are you going to do. I just need to let it go and pay what we can.

I got a package in the mail yesterday from Amazon. I knew I didn't order anything and the box was big and heavy. I opened it and I was very surprised. My sister bought me a KitchenAid. I can't believe she did that. She knew I wanted one for so long but never bought myself one. My birthday is on Wednesday and I turn the BIG 50. She put a note with it that she wishes she could be with me. I started to cry. I wish we lived in the same state. I am having a big birthday party on May 1st with my sister in law who also turns 50. I am just going to celebrate next weekend with probably my hubby and daughter and we might go to Greek town or maybe for some Mexican food. I also told them that they have to play a bunch of card games with me because I just love card games. I know I am a wild and crazy gal. LOL

Please keep my mother in law in your prayers. I really appreciate it. thanks

STRUGGLING

2010-02-13T10:36:00.002-06:00

I didn't go to Weight Watchers and weigh in yesterday. I am already struggling. I told my hubby today that I can't have all this candy, chips and ice cream in the house. I guess I am not as strong as I thought when it comes to junk in the house.

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day. Hubby might have to work so we probably won't be doing anything.

Another Few Bite The Dust

2010-02-05T14:50:00.002-06:00

I lost another 2.4 lbs. for a total of 15 lbs. lost in 4 weeks. I am beyond happy. I got to stay for the meeting and that really helps. I love hearing about what other people are doing to lose the weight. One lady took home a Weight Watchers recipe book and made a few things and told us which recipes were good. I know I am going to have to try the pizza.

I almost went to the hospital on Wednesday. My stomach has been burning so bad. I started taking Pepcid about 5 days ago and it seemed to help but on Wednesday I took one and then another and the pain went away but I knew I had to see my doctor. I got to see him the next day and I have acid reflux disease. He gave me a prescription for Kapidex which cost me $69.00. I only have to take it for 2 months so that's not to bad. It seems that every time I start eating right something happens to me. I am sticking with it though.

My daughter's last day of driving with the instructor is today. She still has about 3 more weeks of class and then I think her test is March 1st. She is doing great. I think she is since she won't drive with me. She will only go with her father.

We have a big Super Bowl party on Sunday. My sister in law has it every year. We have a great time. I am bringing barbecue pork in the crock pot. I serve it on hamburger buns and it is so good. I will be having a big salad with either some pork cut up in it or some chicken. There is always tons of food but I know I am going to behave myself. I am only going to drink water.

My sister in law Kathy took me out to lunch today. We didn't plan it she just called because she was in the area and I was grocery shopping in the area so we decided to go. I didn't do to bad with my eating. I had 2 chicken tacos and some rice. I only could drink about half of a margarita because I was driving and I started feeling it. She ordered a pitch and drank the rest of it.

I hope everyone has a super weekend. Time to do some cooking and laundry.

I'm on a roll

2010-01-29T09:24:00.002-06:00

I lost another 2.4 lbs. for a total of 12.6 lbs. I am so happy. I only did 2 miles this week but I am going to add to it each week. I couldn't stay for a meeting this morning because I have to drive my hubby to work since his vehicle broke down. I also have tons of errands to run and pick up my daughter from driving lessons at 4:45.

It is very cold here. I am so ready for spring. I think a lot of you bloggers are with me. It is 5 degrees right now but with the wind chill minus 5. I hate running around when it is this cold but I want to have the weekend to just chill and do some projects.

One of the projects I am working on is scanning all of my families childhood photos and put them on cd's. I am doing this for my sister and eventually I will do the rest of my photos. I have already scanned 300 photos. I did 100 Wednesday and 200 Thursday. I am going to try and do a few 100 more today.

I want to wish everyone a great weekend. Stay Warm.

I Am A Loser

2010-01-22T13:34:00.002-06:00

I went to my meeting today and I lost 1.8 lbs for a total of 10.2. My leader said she was worried I wasn't going to lose since I had such a big loss last week. It is time for me to step up and get motivated. I have been wanting to take pictures of the food I am eating but I feel so unorganized this year. I don't know what it is.

We have a big family party at Aurelio's pizza tomorrow night. My brother in law is moving to Texas for his job. My hubby's whole family lives in Illinois so this is going to be hard. He is the oldest and I know we are going to miss him. I just told my hubby that now we have another state to visit. I have always wanted to visit Texas. It looks like a beautiful state.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Time to get butt in gear. LOL

Weight Watchers Meeting

2010-01-15T13:03:00.002-06:00

I am happy to say my first weigh in I lost 8.4 lbs. I could not believe it. I didn't gain back all the weight I lost last year but I figured I am just going to start from scratch since I joined Weight Watchers. I just love our leader. She is so spunky and really gets you motivated. I am going to start exercising again also. I have truly missed it. I love my Walk Away the Pounds tapes.

Our weather here has been warming up a bit. The snow seems to be melting. I think it will all be gone by the weekend since it is suppose to get into the 40's. It's a heat wave. LOL

My daughter has a 3 day weekend so I really want to go see Avatar but she doesn't seem interested. We were suppose to go when it first came out but I don't remember why we didn't go. She said she also wants to go to the movies with her friends so we will see.

I haven't really done anything today except write out bills and run to the post office and to the library so I think I will end this so I can make the beds and throw some chicken breasts in the crock pot.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Happy New Year Everyone

2010-01-01T10:33:00.006-06:00

Good Morning. I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's Eve. My daughter and her friends were here until they got bored and went to one of the boys house to play Guitar Hero. My hubby got off of work at 10:30 and came upstairs & gave me a kiss because he knew I would be asleep before midnight. He is so wonderful because he worked 12 hours & said he would stay awake to pick up my daughter and one of her friends who was sleeping over.

The phone woke me up this morning at 6:45 and it was my hubby's work asking if he wanted to come in early. I thought I better ask him since he went to sleep late. He said of course since it is double time pay. I woke up at 9:30. I was so tired.

I think I am going to start this new year off being very lazy today.
I have resolved to eating healthier and exercising starting Jan. 8th. They are bringing a Weight Watchers to our little town and that is the day they will be here. I am so excited. I need that group and to be accountable for my actions. I gained back most of the weight I lost in 2009. I am going to start writing in my journal that my daughter and hubby gave me years ago so I will know when I start emotionally eating. I also am thinking about taking pictures of all the food I eat and putting it on this journal. I love reading & looking at all the other food journals out there. I think that will also help me. I just need to really learn how to use my daughter's digital camera but I know with the help from my great blog friend Tabby over at Is It the Weekend Yet she will answer any of my questions. She has helped me in the past when I told her my pictures turn out blurry. Thanks Tabby.

Well, I think I at least need to go take a shower before the girls get up. They may want me to make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast or soon for lunch.

Have a great day everyone.

Christmas Decorations 2009

2009-12-13T18:25:00.014-06:00

I wanted to post these Christmas decoration pictures before I forget. I have a lot more decorations but I always have a hard time with a my daughter's digital camera. All my pictures seem to come out blurry. I hope you enjoy them.

Busy Bee

2009-12-04T14:05:00.008-06:00

Hi Everyone. I thought I would do a quick post since I haven't done one since Oct.
How is everyone doing? I have been keeping busy with decorating, cleaning and like always cooking. I can never seem to catch up. I haven't even wrote out my Christmas cards yet.
My hubby finally finished putting the lights on the outside of the house. I wasn't going to put lights on every window but I was feeling the holiday spirit so I went ahead and did it and I am so happy I did. I will take pictures and post them. They are basically the same as last year. I ran out of lights so I haven't done the tree yet. I went to Walmart but the selection of lights really sucked. I will see if hubby wants to go out
tomorrow.

My daughter is doing pretty good with driving. When she drove home from school the other night I was so nervous. She said she hates driving with me. I guess I just don't have the patience. We have to put in the 50 hours so hopefully on the weekends hubby will do it. He said now that he is working 2nd shift who is going to drive with her. I guess I could do it sometimes if I take some kind of pill to chill out. LOL I first have to go see the doctor to get something. LOL
We had our Thanksgiving on Sunday but after I cooked I was so hot that I wasn't hungry. My daughter & hubby ate in the front room since my dining room table was filled with Christmas decorations.

They were happy. I made homemade dressing for the first time and it turned out great. I loved it. It tasted pretty close to my Mom's recipe. I also made the pumpkin pie and hubby ate it all. That is a good sign that he liked it. LOL
Well, I will probably post another entry once I take some pictures. I need to do the tree first.
Have a wonderful weekend.

Great Kids Halloween Party

2009-10-25T19:17:00.011-05:00

We had a great time on Saturday. It was the kids Halloween party at my 2 sister in laws summer homes at Woodsmoke Ranch. When we left at about 10 am it was rainy and cold and my hubby kept asking us if we still wanted to go. I asked my daughter and her friend and they both said yes. I am so happy we did go because the sun starting shining at about 1pm and even though it was still a bit nippy we had a great time. The kids got to trick or treat from 2 to 4pm and we went through about 17 bags of candy. We knew it was a slow candy day because last year we went through 25 BIG bags of candy. We had a lot of family members not show up because they thought the weather was going to be bad all day. Surprise. lol
We all made tons of food and leave it go all day. I made my barbecue pork in my crock pot, we also had chili, tamales, hot dogs, chicken and mostacolli and tons of sweets.
When it got dark we sat around the bonfire and made smores and my nephew played the guitar. It was so nice. We left fairly early because my hubby had to work the next day. My daughter was disappointed because she was standing in line waiting to get into the haunted house but my hubby was tired so she didn't get in. I told her next year she has to go earlier.
Here are a few pictures:
My great nieces Hope and Alexandra.

My daughter's friend Amber and My Sara as a Green Fairy.

This is hubby and I. I dress up like a pumpkin every year because I am the one who passes out the candy to the kids and they love it.

The carving of the pumpkins. My daughter didn't want to do one this year. That is my sister in law in the orange helping one of her friends sons. We only got 4 kids who did pumpkins. One year we had 20 pumpkins lined up on the deck with candles in them.

We had to use our portable fire pit because we were all sitting up front. They have 2 in ground fire pits in the back of their decks.

I have to have another MRI on Tuesday. I wasn't going to have one but the hospital called & reminded me. It is a follow-up from the brain surgery last December. The reason I wasn't going to have it because I am still paying the medical bills from December & I don't want to add anymore. I guess it will give me peace of mind to make sure the tumor isn't growing back. I am not worried though because I haven't had any headaches except my one that lives with me (my hubby) LOL

Missie made this one and the one above that says Welcome to my journal. I think it was a few years ago.

Have a wonderful week.

To Keep or Not To Keep

2009-09-24T17:48:00.002-05:00

I have been debating for a few months on if I want to keep this blog. I feel frustrated that I don't post more but I also feel like I don't have anything interesting to say. I am a housewife/stay at home Mom, whatever you want to call it. My life just seems to be the same, clean, cook, bills, grocery shop, etc. etc. etc.
I love reading all of your blogs. I may not comment much but I do love reading about everything that is happening in your lives. I don't know if I am just having a pity party right now or what. I can't seem to get back on the eating right & exercise plan. I went to the doctor today and I had to get on the scale. I am so mad at myself for gaining back some of the weight I lost. My doctor asked me if I had seen the surgeon for my hernia to be repaired and I told him I canceled. I told him that I was suppose to be down about 90 lbs. and that I am still paying for all the bills from my brain surgery in December.
I know I am rambling because I have been really stressed about the bills and almost losing our house. OK enough.
Let's see if I can talk about something more positive, like my garden. I am still pulling tons of cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and I will be getting the brussel sprouts off very soon. I finally cut the last of the cabbage because it looked like a garden worm was eating the rest of them. I got 2 batches of coleslaw out of it.
I am suppose to go to Woodsmoke Ranch tomorrow to visit with 2 of my sister in laws. My mother in law called and wants us all to go to see my nephews football game tomorrow. I am thinking about it because I need to get out of the house but always in the back of my mind is money. Are we going to have enough money for gas? I have been trying to get my hubby to take over the checking account so I can sleep at night. My neighbor told him that since her hubby took over their checking account it has been wonderful. I can only dream. LOL
Well, I was going to add some pictures but I want to get ready to watch my 2 programs tonight. Survivor and Grey's Anatomy.

Longer Post Coming Soon

2009-09-06T19:17:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to check in and wish everyone a wonderful Labor Day.
Hubby is on vacation and we are doing some projects around the house. I will try to make a longer entry sometime this week.
I have been reading all your journals but sometimes I don't get a chance to comment because I start to fall asleep at my computer.
Hugs to everyone.

Hello Everyone

2009-08-04T17:07:00.007-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been almost a month since I did an entry.
I have just been keeping busy by playing in the vegetable garden and with my flowers. 4 of my tomato plants didn't make it this year. We seem to have more problems every year with the tomato plants. 2 tomato plants came up next to our bell pepper plants. I guess it is from some of the tomato that fell off last year and started from the seeds. I am not sure if they are going to make it since they are so crowded in between the cucumbers and peppers. We will see.

My daughter starts school in 15 days. The summer flew by fast. We go to pick up her schedule and books tomorrow. She is volunteering at a bible school summer camp all this week. I am not sure if I mentioned this before but she has to put in 40 hours of volunteer work in order to graduate. She is going to have about 20 hours already put in so I told her to just do the bible school next year and you will be all done with your hours. She is going to be a sophomore. I am hoping she will get some kind of job by next summer.

I was on a roll today with the cooking. I am trying to clean out all of the food in the deep freezer so I can defrost it. I also am trying not to buy so much food. I want to get in the habit of just buying food for the meals I am going to make that week. It is going to be hard but with money being so tight lately I have to do something. My daughter is dying because she keeps saying there is no food in the house. LOL
I just finished making hamburgers with onions and green peppers and when my hubby walked through the door I had stuffed green peppers made. I just pulled 7 big ones from the garden and decided to make them.
I also made tuna salad and cabbage/veg. soup for me. I also want to make some orange roughy tonight since I took the bag out yesterday morning. I am trying to eat right again. It has been a struggle. I am slowly losing the few lbs I put back on. I am hoping to be back to all the weight I lost by the end of August. I just need to get back to exercising also. Keep your fingers crossed. I don't think I need to cook for about a week.

Here are some of my cucumbers. I am getting pretty tired of them. I think I need to give some to the neighbors before they spoil.
Here is a picture of one of the frogs in our pond. I have seen about 4 total. My hubby just told me today that there are about 4 baby fish in the pond. I haven't even noticed.

Well, I guess I will go make that fish and maybe pull some more weeds.

More Vacation Photos and daughters birthday

2009-07-09T18:43:00.014-05:00

This is one of the pictures of my daughters birthday. That is me, hubby and my daughter.

My niece was also there to celebrate her cousins birthday.

This was at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. I can't believe it took me 13 years before I went to see it. I visit my sister almost every year and my brother kept telling me to go but I was always content just visiting with my sister and swimming at her house. I am so happy I finally went. I can't wait to bring my hubby here. He will just love it.
The rest of the pictures that I am going to show are from the Hotel. I hope you enjoy.

My daughter.

Me, my daughter, my niece and my sister.

My sister.

All the flowers, trees, plants and bushes were real.

Here are some pictures of us going boating on July 5th with our neighbors. Our 4th of July was terrible because it rained all day and night.

Tubing
Hubby not looking so happy while tubing. LOL

Well, it is time to go. Big Brother is on and I love that program.

Vacation and Garden Pictures

2009-07-02T21:38:00.019-05:00

I have been trying to post a entry since I got home but I have gotten so busy with the garden and working outside that I haven't had the time.
I am pretty tired right now but I am determined to finish this entry.
This is where I spent a lot of my time. My sister and niece both had to work most of the time and I just love the water and swimming. There were days that I would spend 7 hours outside. My daughter and I are really tan. I would love to get a pool one day.

This is my sister and her hubby. He was only home on the weekends because he is an over the road truck driver. I just love him. He is so good to my sister.

We had a great bonfire one night. That is my niece and their 89 lb. puppy Bear. He is huge. We made the kids listen to our music and they kept making all these sounds and noises so we would turn it off. They called it old folks music. We just laughed all night. What a great time.

My niece and her boyfriend.

I have more pictures of my vacation but I am getting tired and I want to show you some of my garden pictures so here goes.

Here is my cabbage and some green onions we planted on the side. I can't believe how big all my vegetables have gotten since I was on vacation.
This is my lettuce which I already cut up and washed and had a salad tonight. It tasted great knowing that you grew it yourself.

Here are the brussel sprouts. We never planted these before and we are hoping they turn out. I wanted to try something new this year.
Here are the cucumber plants. We already have a few growing. I am going to try to can some pickles. My hubby bought me a book on canning and I want to try my hand at canning salsa, homemade spaghetti sauce, marinara sauce and a few other things.

These are the bell pepper plants. I just eat these raw and I also like to grill them with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

We had so many plants this year that we had to put some of our vegetables on the side of the house. This is new for us also. It is spinach. I just love spinach. I put it in my salads all the time.
This is all the lettuce I cut yesterday. I had to wash it and put it in my salad spinner. It took me quite a while to do this.

The one on the left is one of my cabbages. I am going to make coleslaw tomorrow. The one on the right is another head of lettuce. The 2 bowls in the background are basil leaves. I love making homemade basil pesto and basil vinegarette.

Ok, I am getting tired and you are probably getting bored with all my produce so I am going to call it a night.

I do have more vacation pictures but I haven't downloaded them yet. They are pictures from the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen. It is the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

I wanted to mention that I am still down 51 lbs. I gained a few and lost a few so I am back to where I started. I am going to get back on track.

I want to wish everyone a happy 4th of July. Stay safe.

I'M Back

2009-07-01T07:32:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to say I just got back from vacation last night and I will post pictures and tell you all about it after I go through 24 days of mail and make tons of phone calls.
I missed you all and can't wait to catch up.
I want to tell my good friend Tabby over at Is It the Weekend Yet? that my thoughts and prayers have been with Dave since he has been in the hospital. I wish I could be there for you at this time.

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane

2009-06-05T20:33:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to leave a quick entry to say that I am leaving on vacation and won't be back until June 29th.
I will catch up with everyone when I get back.

I Am Trying to Stay Positive

2009-05-18T20:03:00.006-05:00

I haven't been in a really good place lately. I am struggling with staying on my healthy eating and exercising. It all started last Sunday for Mother's Day. I won't go into the details but I was depressed for 2 days and over ate and didn't exercise. I did lose 1 lb this week for a total of 52 lbs. and total for Chubby Chick Challenge 28 lbs.
I was doing fine today and then this afternoon I started snacking and lost all control. I have to refocus. I need to change up some of my food choices. I think I am eating to many of the same things and I might be getting bored with them. This has happened to me before. I am also going to have to talk to my hubby and daughter about all of this. I was doing good with making them cookies and bringing in the ice cream and pastries but now that I am feeling out of control with the food I need to stop bringing in this stuff until I can get back to where I was.

I was reading one of my favorite blogs called Escape from Obesity the other day where she was talking about bloggers who fall off the weight loss wagon and just disappear. That is what I felt like doing. I was going to take a break from making entries. I know I only do an entry only once a week but I am starting to feel the shame of going back to my old eating habits and didn't want to post. I love the weight loss journals that I read where they are so brave and talk about all the junk they eat when they binge. I have been doing so good for 5 months and I have had a few slip ups but 4 days in the past week is over doing it, plus on top of not exercising is making it worse. When you get older it is so much harder to take off. Ok enough of my pity party.

My weekend was really busy but fun. On Saturday we celebrated my nephew turning 30. He was really surprised. He said he did not know about it. I love those kinds of surprises. We had to pay a cover charge but I didn't because it was to eat pizza and drink alcohol. I ordered a salad with chicken in it and had one glass of Merlot. I got a to go container since the salad could have fed 3 people. As it got later in the night I told my sister in law to put some extra pieces of pizza in it for my hubby and all the time I am thinking I wanted it for me on the ride home. She gave me about 15 slices of pizza. I had one on the way home and one when I got home. Pizza is my downfall. I can't be near it when I am feeling overwhelmed with food. I had a few more the next day and finished 3 more slices today. Thank goodness there is no more left.

Yesterday we had a family reunion but it was more of my cousin's side of the family. It was nice and I brought old time pictures that they loved looking at. My brother from California came. It was so great to see him. I invited them over for Memorial day. I think I will make a few steaks on the grill and not sure what else. He will be 60 on Wednesday and I asked him what he wanted to do but he said a few of his friends were having something planned so I might make a cake for him for next Monday. I swear I won't eat any. LOL

Last week I seen a fox across the street.
It had something in its mouth. I thought it was a rabbit but it was a squirrel. I told my hubby not to let our dog Bambi out in front because I think that fox would just grab him. I seen the fox a few more times earlier in the month. I didn't think they came out during the day. I thought they hunted at night. I wish I would have gotten a picture. He was out there for a few minutes. I just copied a picture of this fox from the internet.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T08:36:00.003-05:00

I want to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day.

We had a big party for my Mother in law yesterday and it was wonderful. She only wanted money so she can go on the gambling boat. It is always hard to buy for her because she doesn't need anything so I love when it is as easy as putting money in a card. LOL

My Mother's day is starting out fine. My daughter is still sleeping and my hubby asked what I wanted for breakfast. At first gave him a big list of what I wanted but I was only kidding. I had yogurt with walnuts and wheat germ, 1/2 an apple and some skim milk. I have already started a load of laundry. I know I should let my daughter do it but by the time she gets out of bed it will probably be the afternoon. I told hubby I would like to go on a long walk today. I think it is going to be in the 60's today. I haven't watched the weather channel yet but that's what hubby said.

I have lost another 3 lbs. for a total of 51 lbs gone. Chubby Chick Challenge 27 lbs. gone. I am feeling so much more energized and even though I still have a long way to go, I am feeling so proud of myself for getting this far.

I am feeling a little lazy right now so I am either going to go back to bed for a little while or jump in the shower and start to enjoy the day. I might try to convince my hubby to go to Dunkin Donuts and get us some coffee. I really don't drink coffee anymore but today I have a taste for it. We do have some in the house but I have a taste for a non fat latte. YUM

Oh before I forget I did order my airline ticket and my daughter and I are leaving on June 6th. I did order my ticket back yet. We are probably going to stay until July 6th. I can't wait. I haven't seen my sister in 2 years. I am so happy that she wants me to stay for an entire month. It is time for me to order a swimsuit since I don't have one and she has the most amazing pool. We will probably swim about 10 hours a day and then my sister loves night swimming but I am always so tired from being in the pool all day that I never really get in the pool at night plus the bugs eat me alive. LOL

Have a great day everyone.

Walking Away the Pounds

2009-05-03T15:58:00.005-05:00

Lost another 2 lbs. making my total 48 lbs. Chubby Chick Challenge Total 24 lbs.

My hubby and I went to get all our vegetables and herb plants today. I didn't buy any flowers yet. I am probably just going to do one window box and maybe a few hanging ones. This year I am more into our vegetables. We bought a few new ones like lettuce, spinach, and brussel sprouts. I wanted zucchini but I couldn't find any.

I went to see a new surgeon on Thursday for my hernia. He wants me to lose another 40 lbs before he does the surgery in September. I am happy he made the decision because I didn't know if I wanted it done now or later. I am exercising almost everyday and I didn't want to give it up for 6 weeks after you have the surgery. I am still in pain but he told me the area that I am feeling the pain has nothing to do with the hernia. Oh, well I guess I will just keep taking my pain pills. I am hoping once I lose all this weight that the pain will go away. I have had it for almost 10 years now so I am hoping that is the case.

The next couple of weekends are going to be so busy for us. We have a Mother's day party at the sister in laws house next Saturday and then the following weekend we have my nephew's 30th surprise birthday party and Sunday is my family reunion picnic on my side of the family.

I am going to order my plane ticket to Tennessee tomorrow. I think I am going to stay for a month. I am not sure yet but that is what I will probably do. My daughter and I are going. I asked my hubby if he wanted to pick us up instead of me flying home and he said that he didn't want to use his vacation time to drive 7 hours so we will fly back. The price isn't to bad. The last time I checked it was only $48.00 one way. My niece got her ticket for $39.00 so she will be here in about 3 weeks and then my daughter and I will fly home with her. Sounds like a plan.

Well, I am going to get back outside and enjoy the weather. Take care everyone.

I'm Melting

2009-04-26T10:42:00.006-05:00

Weighed in this moring and I have lost another 2lbs. total 46
Chubby Chick Challenge 22 lbs total.

I went to my great nephew's 3rd birthday party yesterday and my whole family kept telling me how great I look and how they can notice how much weight I lost. One of my family members took a picture of me and my sister in laws and I was not happy with the picture. I didn't say anything but I know I still have a long way to go. Don't get me wrong I can feel it in the clothes I am wearing and how I can move so much better but when I look at a picture of myself or I look in the mirror I tend to still get down on myself. Oh way I guess that is just my way of thinking right now.

The weather here has been way crazy. It rained on and off all day. Thank goodness it did not rain while we were at the party but as soon as we got in the car it started pouring. Today the sun keeps coming in and out and it is suppose to get up to the 80's. I am trying to convince my hubby to take a picnic lunch and go on a nice long trail walk somewhere. His new days off are Sunday's and Monday's. He wasn't to happy about it but that is the way it goes at his work. There was only one guy left ahead of him and he took those days. I will have to get used to it.

I went for my cat scan on Thursday and they called me Friday to tell me I have a large abdominal hernia. I knew I did since I went to the emergency room 2 years ago for a kidney stone and they told me that. I have been in so much more pain since exercising. I go see a new surgeon on Thursday. I need to ask him a bunch of questions. I know once I get the surgery done I can't exercise for 6 weeks and that is what is making me think of holding off until I get more weight off. I am not sure if I want to deal with the pain though. I will see when I talk to him on Thursday.

My hubby is doing pretty good on the medicine to stop smoking. It is called I think Chantix. He seems to be a little moody. He told me he is still smoking about 3 a day so he has really cut down. I do want him to stop completely though. All in time.

I need to get off the computer and start my exercise.

I want to wish everyone a fantastic Sunday.

April Showers

2009-04-19T17:30:00.009-05:00

It started raining last night and it has not stopped all day today. It is also suppose to rain Monday and Tuesday. I have heard of April showers but come on now. It was beautiful here Thursday and Friday. It was in the 70's and I got a little burnt. I spent most of the day outside on my back deck reading and hanging laundry on the clothes line.

I forgot to do an entry last Sunday and I lost another 1 lb last week and another lb this week making my total to 44 lbs lost so far. My Chubby Chick Challenge total is 20 lbs.

I have been slacking off a bit on exercise. I only got in 10 miles this week but I am going to do better. I got 2 new exercise tapes from the library so I am going to try those out.

I am starting to get a little bored with my Walk Away the Pounds tapes. My hubby and I found this little trail a few blocks from our house. It went uphill and I could really feel my calves starting to burn. I am going to go back on that trail as soon as the weather permits.All of Johns tests turned out great. His cholesterol was a little high so the doctor put him on medicine which he takes once a day. When he went for his colonoscopy they found 4 polyps which they removed and they were all benign. I was so happy I made him go for the test. He has to have one every 2 years now. I went to my doctor on Friday because I need to get this hernia repaired. I have been having pain under my stomach and above my left leg. He told my that pain would not be from the hernia so he is ordering a complete scan of my stomach. I have had this pain for about 10 years now. I just want to get rid of it because it has become painful at times when I am exercising. I know once I have the hernia repaired that I can't exercise for about 6 weeks. We also discussed that maybe since I am overweight that something is pressing on a nerve where I hurt. I hope this is the last test I ever have to take for a long time. Ok, enough about my health problems.

The season finale of Desperate Housewives is on tonight. I feel like going to bed now but I want to watch it. I get really sleepy when it is a rainy day plus I got up early today. I am thinking about asking my hubby to record it for me but since he is downstairs watching TV I don't think he will.

My brother from California is coming in for about 11 days. He will be here for his 60th birthday. I am not sure what my other brother and I are going to do for him. I know he is going to a Cub and White Sox games plus he wants to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. I have about 4 more weeks to decide what to do.

I guess I rambled enough for today. I am going to try and record my program in my bedroom and see if it works.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T19:41:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to make a quick entry to wish everyone a very Happy Easter tomorrow. I might not be able to get on tomorrow.

Here is my Easter bonnet. Don't you think it is cute? LOL

I am going to bed very early tonight because we just ran around all day to 4 different stores and than I came home and cleaned the whole downstairs. Tomorrow my daughter and I are getting up early to do the upstairs. Fun, Fun.

Good Night Everyone.

Rain, Snow....Is it really Spring?

2009-04-05T15:07:00.007-05:00

I can't believe the weather we are having. It wasn't to bad yesterday except for the wind which made it feel cold. Today it is raining and the temperature is 39 degrees. We are suppose to get 1-3 inches of snow tonight and then 1-4 inches tomorrow. I am really sick of this. I want to plant some more of my seeds in pots and I love doing it outside. I tried to talk myself into doing it inside today but it doesn't feel right. I just love doing it on the back deck. Ok, enough whining about the weather since there is nothing I can do about it. I know move to Hawaii. LOL

I just got through making 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies and jello with pineapple and mandarin oranges. It is so strange since I started eating healthier that making these sweets does not affect me. I did have one but I don't have the urge to eat more. I think I have finally figured out how to eat right. It only took me 49 years. LOL Oh, before I forget I lost another 3 lbs making my total for Chubby Chick Challenge to 18 lbs and my total since Dec. to 42 lbs. Wow, I feel great. I exercised 6 days out of 7 and I got in a total of 17 miles this week.
I was shooting for 20 miles but I needed a break. I am also taking a break today since I have been baking and in about an hour I am going to try to make homemade egg rolls and pizza from scratch. My daughter just called and asked when dinner would be ready and I told her I just sat down from baking. I will start in about 45 minutes or so.

I had my CT sinus scan on Friday and I will probably get the results sometime this week. I have been feeling great since the doctor gave me something along the lines of a Netti pot but it is shaped like a bottle. I used it twice already and it really makes my nose feel better. I should have gotten one years ago. I went to Wal-mart and got the sinus rinse and I paid $13.00 for 100 packages. I thought that was pretty good.
My hubby went and had an x-ray of his lungs and he has a spot. They are going to call us to set up a scan for him. First it was me and now him. He is a heavy smoker and I asked him if it has scared him enough to stop and he said no. Once we find out what it is then maybe it will scare him.
I wish he would stop already. We got the medicine from the doctor for him to stop but he says he will stop when he is ready. We will see.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Let It Snow

2009-03-29T07:37:00.007-05:00

This is what I woke up to this morning. I couldn't believe it. I know the weatherman said we were going to get the snow but I was hoping that we wouldn't. It has started snowing again. I am not sure how much we are going to get since I haven't watched the news yet.

On my healthy living news, I have lost another 3 lbs. total for Chubby Chick Challenge 15 lbs. Total 39 lbs.

I went to my ENT doctor on Thursday and I have to have another CT sinus scan. He may have to put a balloon in my nose to open it up. We will wait and see after the scan. I don't know when I will be scheduled for that because I am waiting for it to be approved by my insurance company. The doctor also gave me a sinus rinse. It is like a netti pot but it is a straight bottle and I used it yesterday and it made my nose feel so much better. Oh before I forget the doctor was doing a procedure with a long tube down my nose and the power went out. He was just sucking stuff out of my nose when it happened. The power did not come back on for about 5 minutes. I told them I thought the generator would kick in. He said probably on the hospital side but not on the doctor's offices side.
On Friday my hubby had his appointment for a check up. He turned 50 in September and I have been asking him to go in for a check up. I made the appointment myself. He is going to try and quit smoking. The doctor gave him a prescription and I hope it helps. He hasn't started it yet. He says he is just not ready. I told him he better be ready soon since they up the cost of cigarettes and they are outrageous. LOL He has to have some blood work drawn and an xray of his chest on Friday. I will also schedule his colonoscopy. I can't wait to see how he handles that. LOL

My sprouts are coming up nicely. The top ones are my cabbage and a few bell peppers and the second ones are my cucumbers. I am getting so excited to plant them in the ground, now if only mother nature will change her mind back to spring.

It is going to be another busy day for me. I have to plan my meals for the week and cut up tons of vegetables we bought at the store on Friday. My hubby also wants me to make steak enchiladas and since my daughter won't eat them I will probably make her some beef or steak tacos. Yesterday I made more cabbage rolls. I just love them. I cut them up in my salad just to switch it up a bit. I gave some to my elderly neighbor along with some cole slaw I made. He had a big smile on his face. I also made my daughter a jello cake and a pie and fruit salad for hubby.

Time to get myself in gear.

Walk Away The Pounds

2009-03-22T09:04:00.008-05:00

I have lost another 2 lbs making my total for the Chubby Chick Challenge at 12 lbs.
My total pounds gone 36. I have been doing pretty well as far as exercise goes. I started walking outside yesterday and even though I did only a half mile, I am still doing my Walk Away the Pounds tapes.

I try to do anywhere from 2 miles to 4 miles. I already got in my 2 miles and I will probably take the dog for a walk later when it warms up a bit. I took him yesterday and he doesn't seem to like it. When I tell him lets go for a walk he runs into his bed. In the beginning when we first got the dog my daughter was suppose to take him and then she stopped. He just wants to be in the backyard playing. I will just keep trying until he likes it. LOLI am getting ready to wash the sheets and hang them on the clothes line. I love doing this. It saves on electricity and I like how the sheets smell. My hubby hates when I do this because the clothes line goes across his pond. He is working right now so that is why I want to do it early.

My daughter is on spring break this week. She was at a bonfire last night and I think she wants to go to the show today. It is just so beautiful out that maybe she will just want to hang out with her friends at the park.I have to have another MRI in 6 months. I thought I was through with all of that but he just wants to make sure that it doesn't come back. 3 MRI's in 9 months. I hope never again. I also have to go see my ENT doctor on Thursday about my sinus infection. This is the second one since surgery and I want to know what is causing them. In my lifetime I think I might have gotten about 2 or 3 but not all within 2 months. All in all I am on the road to recovery and am feeling my best overall. I want to thank everyone for all the well wishes and thoughts. You guys are the best.

All Is Fine

2009-03-19T16:22:00.003-05:00

My MRI turned out fine. I just have a very bad sinus infection. Well, it has been a long day at the hospital so I am going to take a nap.

Being Irish

2009-03-17T08:26:00.003-05:00

1) You will never play professional basketball.
2) You swear very well.
3) At least one of your cousins is a fireman, cop, bar owner,painter
or holds political office. And you have at least one aunt who is a
nun or uncle who's a priest..
4) You think you sing very well.
5) You have no idea how to make a long story short!
6) There isn't a big difference between you losing your temper or
killing someone...
7) Much of your childhood meals were boiled. Instant potatoes were a
mortal sin.
8) You have never hit your head on a ceiling.
9) You spent a good portion of your childhood kneeling in prayer.
10) You're strangely poetic after a few beers.
11) You are, therefore, poetic a lot.
12) You will be punched for no good reason...a lot.
13) Some punches directed at you are from legacies of past generations.
14) Many of your sisters and/or cousins are named Mary, Catherine or
Eileen ... and there is at least one member of your family with the full
name of Mary Catherine Eileen .
15) Someone in your family is very generous. It is more than likely you.
16) You may not know the words, but that doesn't stop you from singing.
17) You can't wait for the other guy to stop talking before you start talking.
18) You're not nearly as funny as you think you are ... but what you
lack in talent, you make up for in frequency.
19) There wasn't a huge difference between your last wake and your
last keg party.
20) You are, or know someone, named Murph.
21) If you don't know Murph then you know Mac. If you don't know
Murph or Mac then you know Mick. Then you probably know McMurphy.
22) You are genetically incapable of keeping a secret.
23) You have Irish Alzheimer's... you forget every thing but the
grudges!
24) 'Irish Stew' is a euphemism for 'boiled leftovers.'
25) All of your losses are alcohol-related (loss of driver's license,
loss of money, loss of job, loss of significant other, loss of
teeth from a punch...) but it never stops you from drinking.
26) Your skin's ability to tan.... not so much.
27) You met your husband/wife/significant other/accountant/plumber/gardener/etc.
in a bar/pub.
28) Childhood remedies for the common cold often included some form of whiskey.
29) There's no leaving a family party without saying goodbye for at least 45 minutes.
30) At this very moment, you have at least two relatives who are not speaking to each(not fighting mind you,) just not speaking to each other.

Good Morning

2009-03-15T06:10:00.006-05:00

Hi Everyone. I can't sleep so I thought I would come by and say hi.

I lost another 2 lbs this week for a total for Chubby Chick Challenge 10 lbs lost. 34 total since surgery.

I had my MRI on Friday and I didn't freak out this time. I went to a different place where the MRI machine is bigger and more open. I love it. I still had her put a towel over my eyes just in case. It went by so fast. I have to see my neurosurgeon on Thursday for the results. I am still having headaches. The vicodin sometimes works. It reminds me of when I first got these headaches and the vicodin didn't work. I am not really worried. I am the type of person that doesn't worry until I have to.
I just hope it is something simple like allergies or sinus problems. I have been sneezing a lot.

It is suppose to get up to 57 today. I think I will start my walking outside today. I might even take the dog but he doesn't like to go for walks. He just loves the backyard.

I think I will take a few pain pills and go back to bed. I hate waking up to a headache.

My daughter had her friend sleepover and I will probably make them some pancakes since her friend has to leave for church by 10:30. I still have 4 hours left so I am off to lay in bed and watch the news.

Have a super Sunday.

Short Entry

2009-03-08T13:10:00.004-05:00

I have lost another pound making my total 32 lbs lost since my surgery in Dec. and I have lost 8 lbs since my Chubby Chick Challenge started in Feb. I hope you all understand that. LOL
My headache was so bad last night. I think Deborah left a comment about finding out why I have headaches. I had a brain tumor in Dec. and had surgery to remove it. My headaches started again on Monday. I will probably call the doctor tomorrow and see what he has to say.
I might not be on the computer as much leaving comments or sending mail so I just wanted to let you all know.
Thanks for all your great comments.

Hello

2009-03-06T17:27:00.003-06:00

I have decided I am going to start weighing in on Sunday since I joined the on line Chubby Chick's Challenge. I would weigh myself on Thursday and just use that weigh in for Sunday but I don't want to do that anymore.

I haven't really felt like posting. It has been beautiful out the last few days but I don't feel motivated to do a darn thing. My headaches have started back since Monday and I am not sure if I am going through withdraws from not taking anymore pain medicine. My MRI is going to be sometime at the end of the month. If I still have my headaches after a week or two I will probably end up calling the doctor to get me in sooner.

Well that's about it for me. I want to wish everyone a fantastic weekend.

Happy Dance

2009-02-26T07:15:00.006-06:00

I can't believe I lost another 3 lbs. I had kind of a bad night last night well at least I thought it was bad until I stepped on the scale. I have noticed that I can't just drink my calories. Every once in awhile I will drink a Slim Fast for a meal but then I notice I over do it at the next meal. I have about 6 cans left so I will use them but never buy them again. I did step up my exercise to 3 miles and have kept up my exercise for 11 days. I didn't exercise yesterday because I wanted to start my spring cleaning and wanted to give my knee a break. Today I will continue to exercise and more of my spring cleaning. My hubby asked me why am I doing the spring cleaning now and I told him I rather do it before it gets nice outside because then I will just want to be in the yard or the front or back deck sipping Mai Tai's. LOL

I had a really nice birthday. My daughter and hubby got me a few things. I told them don't go crazy because I want to save some money. Here is a picture of my gifts.

I love any kind of candles. I also love sun, moon and stars decorations. I put it in my kitchen for now but once we rearrange the front room I am going to put it in there because that is where all my other sun decorations are.

Well, that is about it for now. I need some oatmeal and tea. Have a terrific Thursday and wonderful weekend.

Happy Birthday To Me

2009-02-24T08:26:00.006-06:00

Yes, today I am celebrating my 21st birthday. No really I turned 49 today. Where did the years go?

I woke up this morning and went downstairs and my hubby and daughter decorated the whole house with balloons and streamers. They put little sayings on each balloon. What a nice surprise.
My hubby is at work and my daughter is at school so we will celebrate when everyone is home. I was going to take my hubby's vehicle today and maybe go to the show but I think I will just go for a nice walk outside today. We are having a heat wave of 39 degrees. That is a warm up compared to the last few days.

Well, it is time to just in the shower and get ready for the day. Take care everyone.

Less Of Me

2009-02-19T07:53:00.005-06:00

I had a really great week on plan. I lost another 3 lbs. I have decided that I am going to go with the weight I started before surgery. I know I said I was going with the start weight as of Jan. 1st but I am so excited to say I have lost a total of 28lbs so far. I know since Jan. 1st that 16lb loss is wonderful but when you have to lose as much as I do you want to show and count for every pound that you lose. That is just me though. Doing a happy dance.

I stepped up my exercising and I have been doing my 2 mile Walk Away the Pounds tapes. I may give myself another week before I move onto the 3 miles. I am feeling strong.

Last night I kept thinking that if I lost I was going to have the last piece of cheese cake but I made the right decision and had cereal with 2 percent milk, 2 tbs of wheat germ and 1/2 cup of blueberries but who's to say I won't grab that cheese cake later. LOL

I don't have much planned for today. I have a list a mile long on wanting to start some of my spring cleaning. I like to get my cleaning out of the way before it gets nice outside and then I will be doing all my outside chores.

It is time to get it in gear. Hubby will be home for lunch in about 2 hours and I need to shower and get the beds made and lunch started.

Take care everyone and have a great weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T01:57:00.011-06:00

My daughter woke me up and said she had bad cramps so I gave her a pain pill and the heating pad and now she is sound asleep in my bed. It is 2am and I am wide wake. I thought I would come on the computer and type a quick entry.

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day. We don't have anything planned. My daughter wants to go to the show with a few of her friends to see Friday the 13th. I think one of her girlfriend's fathers is going with them because it is rated R. I used to watch all those scary movies because my niece always wanted me to watch them with her. I don't think I could get into them now. I am such a wimp. They scare the heck out of me.

On Thursday I was in such a cooking mood after going to the hospital and getting my blood work and mammogram done. Oh, before I forget after the lady did my mammogram we were walking out and she asked me about my last name which is my married name. I told her it was Croatian. I told her my maiden name and she said was your family from Manteno and I said yes. She is my cousin by marriage. I could not believe it. What a small world. My aunt died a few months ago and that was her mother in law.

I had to read back to what I wrote to remember what I was typing about.
I cooked a bunch of ribs, a corned beef, a chocolate cake and a cream cheese pie. I know I am eating healthier but I still have to cook and bake for my husband and daughter. I only had a thin piece of pie.

I have noticed that when I skip breakfast that I then to over eat at night. That has happened to me the last few days. Tomorrow I am going to make sure and have breakfast. I am going to go back to my workout tapes also. I was so lazy yesterday and bummed out that I just stayed in my pj's and didn't get out of bed. I will probably end up staying in bed tomorrow if I don't get to bed soon. I think I just might go downstairs and watch some TV because I don't want to wake up my daughter.

Big Valentine Hugs and Kisses to Everyone.

Another Lb. Bites The Dust

2009-02-12T04:42:00.006-06:00

I am happy to say that I lost another lb. I think I would have lost more if I kicked up the exercise. I didn't exercise for the past 2 days because my throat and the left side of my face was hurting. I am happy though.

I am up this early because I have to take hubby to work and then go get my mammogram and some blood work drawn. I seen the neurosurgeon on Tuesday and he wants to check my hormone levels. I don't have to have an MRI until the end of March. I am hoping to be through with all of my doctors and procedures by the end of March. At this point I am really sick of doctors. LOL

We had some beautiful weather here Monday and Tuesday. It was in the 60's on Tuesday and I was just enjoying the outside talking to my neighbors and dreaming about spring. Yesterday was a different story. It was cold and wind gusts up to 40 miles an hour. I think they said something about snow within a few days. Well, only 37 more days until spring.

The new Survivor is on tonight. I can't wait.

I wasn't that impressed with the last one so I am hoping that the new one tonight will be better. I get so addicted to these shows. I can't help myself.

I need some coffee so I am off.

Have a terrific Thursday everyone.

Weigh In

2009-02-05T03:22:00.004-06:00

I have lost another 2 lbs. I have been exercising every other day. I didn't exercise yesterday because my knee starting hurting me and I was just exhausted. I was in bed on and off all day. I am not sick I just think from the exercise and cleaning, cooking and moving my body more it just caught up with me.

I am happy I lost. I thought I might have gained since I had a few to many drinks and shots at the Super Bowl party on Sunday. I did great with my eating. I had a little bit of taco salad and a few appetizers. There was tons of foods and everyone loved my pork. I just brought home a few leftovers so my daughter could have some during the week.

I hate being up this early. I fell asleep at 7:30 last night and I have been up since 2 am. My daughter has a late start today and I have to take her to her doctor appointment at 9:15. She ears have been itching her for the past few months. I probably should have taken her sooner but she said they were not hurting her. I have to take hubby to work at 5:45 so I can use his vehicle since mine is still not running.

I think I will go start the coffee. I haven't been drinking much lately but today I think I am going to need it.

Have a great day.

Time Gets Better With Age

2009-01-31T08:35:00.000-06:00

TIME GETS BETTER WITH AGE
Read it through to the end, it gets better as you go!

I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we
sings "Silent Night".
Age 5

I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli
either.
Age 7

I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they
stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 9

I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it,
Mom makes me clean it up again.
Age 12

I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should
try cheering someone else up.
Age 14

I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly
glad my parents are strict with me.
Age 15

I've learned that silent company is often more healing than
words of advice.
Age 24

I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's
great pleasures.
Age 26

I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers
have followed me there.
Age 29

I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me,
I must live so that no one will believe it.
Age 30

I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but
just don't know how to show it.
Age 42

I've learned that you can make some one's day by simply
sending them a little note.
Age 44

I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the
greater his or her need to cast blame on others.
Age 46

I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
Age 47

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems
today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
Age 48

I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits
for hours.
Age 49

I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away
from the phone.
Age 50

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he
handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and
tangled Christmas tree lights.
Age 51

I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a
medicine cabinet full of pills.
Age 52

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your
parents, you miss them terribly after they die.
Age 53

I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as
making a life.
Age 58

I've learned that if you want to do something positive for
your children, work to improve your marriage.
Age 61

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
Age 62

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers
mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
Age 64

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you.
But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your
work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can,
happiness will find you.
Age 65

I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness,
I usually make the right decision.
Age 66

I've learned that everyone can use a prayer.
Age 72

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be
one.
Age 82

I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch
someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm
hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
Age 90

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
Age 92

I've learned that you should pass this one on to someone you
care about. Sometimes they just need a little something to
make them smile.

Shrinking Woman

2009-01-29T06:42:00.004-06:00

I am happy to annouce that I lost another 2 lbs making my total to 10 lbs. I started weighing myself on Jan. 1st and that is when I have been writing down everything I eat and all my physical activities.

When I had my brain surgery last month I was heavier. I have actually lost a total of 22 lbs so far but since I started this new way of living healthy on Jan. 1 that is where I am starting and putting it down on my journal. It does feel good though to know that since surgery I have lost that much. I write in a journal at home and keep my total pounds lost in it.

Well, I just want to stop by with my good news. I am getting hungry for some oatmeal and fruit.

Have a terrific Thursday.

Biggest Loser

2009-01-27T19:12:00.005-06:00

I am sitting here watching the Biggest Loser and I was also reading a magazine and I wanted to share this laugh with everyone.

7 REASONS TO SKIP THE GYM TODAY

1. You reached your target heart rate when the cute UPS guy delivered a
package this morning.

2. You felt the burn...from that spilled hot chocolate!

3. Long tunics are in this season.

4. That snowball fight with your sweetie burned 300 calories.

5. You've got three small personal trainers: ages 3, 5 and 7.

6. The price of gas didn't drop that far.

7. If you want to see sweaty grunting men, you'll watch the Super Bowl.

Here is one more funny I found in the magazine

5 REASONS YOU'RE SWEET ON VALENTINE'S DAY

5. You can't judge a bonbon by its cover.

4. There's always the chance that your husband's "surprise" won't be a
fixed sink.

3. You can wear pink and red without clashing.

2. It's an excuse to play that Celine Dion CD without anyone
complaining.

1. It means football season is finally over!

I hope you got a few laughs from that. Well, I have to get back to watching my program. I will be back on Thursday with my weigh in results.

2009-01-24T08:25:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to tell you all that I lost another pound. Slow but sure. That is a total of 8 lbs so far. My goal is to lose between 8 to 10 lbs a month. Today I am going to start exercising to my Walk Away The Pounds tapes. I am hoping my hubby is going to do a side job so I can go into the front room and work out. I feel energized today. I already have done 2 loads of laundry.

I have been drinking blueberry smoothies for breakfast and that seems to give me tons of energy. When lunch time comes around I have been eating spinach salads with either a chicken breast or salmon cut up in them. Even though the weather here has been cold I have been grilling tons of vegetables with a little olive oil and seasonings.

I can't believe when you try to eat healthy how expensive it can get. My hubby and I went to 2 stores yesterday and spent so much. I still have a few vegetables I forgot to get. I love bell peppers but they are so expensive. We love growing our own in the summer. I think I will buy extra plants this year so I can have extra during the winter months.

Well, it is time for me to get off this thing and feel the burn with exercising. LOL

I hope everyone has a great weekend. BIG HUGS!!!!

Illinois Winters

2009-01-19T15:45:00.001-06:00

Illinois Winters

Dear Diary:

Aug. 12 - Moved into our new home in Illinois . It is so beautiful here. The hills and river valleys are so picturesque. I have a beautiful old oak tree in my front yard. Can hardly wait to see the change in the seasons. This is truly God's Country.

Oct. 14 - Illinois is such a gorgeous place to live, one of the real special places on Earth. The leaves are turning a multitude of different colors. I love all of the shades of reds, oranges and yellows, they are so bright. I want to walk through all of the beautiful hills and spot some white tail deer. They are so graceful, certainly they must be the most peaceful creatures on Earth. This must be paradise.

Nov. 11 - Deer season opens this week. I can't imagine why anyone would want to shoot these elegant animals. They are the very symbol of peace and tranquility here in Illinois . I hope it snows soon. I love it here!

Dec. 2 - It snowed last night. I woke to the usual wonderful sight: everything covered in a beautiful blanket of white. The oak tree is magnificent. It looks like a postcard. We went out and swept the snow from the steps and driveway. The air is so crisp, clean and refreshing. We had a snowball fight. I won, and the snowplow came down the street. He must have gotten too close to the driveway because we had to go out and shovel the end of the driveway again. What a beautiful place. Nature in harmony. I love it here!

Dec. 12 - More snow last night. I love it! The plow did his cute little trick again. What a rascal. A winter wonderland. I love it here!

Dec. 19 - More snow - couldn't get out of the driveway to get to work in time. I'm exhausted from all of the shoveling. And that snowplow!

Dec. 21 - More of that white shit coming down. I've got blisters on my hands and a kink in my back. I think that the snowplow driver waits around the corner until I'm done shoveling the driveway. Asshole.

Dec. 25 - White Christmas? More freakin' snow. If I ever get my hands on that (@#*%& who drives that snowplow, I swear I'll castrate him. And why don't they use more salt on these roads to melt this crap??

Dec. 28 - It hasn't stopped snowing since Christmas. I have been inside since then, except of course when that SOB "Snowplow Harry" comes by. Can't go anywhere, cars are buried up to the windows. Weather man says to expect another 10 inches. Do you have any idea how many shovelfuls 10 inches is??

Jan. 1 - Happy New Year? The way it's coming down it won't melt until the 4th of July! The snowplow got stuck down the road and the a-hole actually had the balls to come and ask to borrow a shovel! I told him I'd broken 6 already this season.

Jan. 4 - Finally got out of the house. We went to the store to get some food and a gosh dang deer ran out in front of my car and I hit the bastard. It did $3,000 in damage to the car. Those beasts ought to be killed. The hunters should have a longer season if you ask me.

Jan. 27 - Warmed up a little and rained today. The rain turned the snow into ice and the weight of it broke the main limb of the oak tree in the front yard and it went through the roof. I should have cut that thing into fireplace wood when I had the chance.

May 23 - Took my car to the local garage. Would you believe the whole underside of the car is rusted away from all of that damn salt they dump on the road? Car looks like a bashed up, heap of rusted shit.

June 10 - Sold the car, the house, and moved to California. I can't imagine why anyone in their freakin' mind would ever want to live in the freakin State of Illinois .

Staying Positive Or Trying To

2009-01-19T13:01:00.004-06:00

The last few days I have been miserable. I feel like the last few posts all I have been doing is complaining but I am trying to get my health back.

I almost had my hubby take me to the hospital yesterday morning. My right side of my face and my throat really hurt bad. It takes a lot of pain before I even want to step into an emergency room. It told him to go to work and that I would take some vicodin and see if that helped. It did. I called the doctor this morning to try and get in to see him. They couldn't fit me in so I described my symptoms and she wanted my pharmacy name and she would call me back. I think I have a bad sinus infection but I am worried because my surgery was through my nose. The nurse called me back and said the doctor prescribed Augmentin. She said the doctor would see me in 3 weeks. I couldn't believe it. I said I am in pain so she made it for 2 weeks. What about this week? Doctors. I thought about calling my general practioner but I will see if my prescription works. Ok sorry enough of my whining.

I can't believe how many journals I have been reading where your weather is just as bad as ours. I mean I live in Illinois so I know we are going to have cold and snow. I woke up this morning to more snow. When is it going to end. LOL

My daughter finally goes back to school tomorrow. She has been off since Wednesday because of the wind chill and today is a holiday. She is suppose to be cleaning the whole upstairs today but her 2 friends came over without calling so I made them a pizza and they are watching a movie and I told her after the movie they are to leave so you can do your chores. She was like I promise Mom. We will see.

I made a blueberry smoothie for breakfast yesterday. It was pretty good. I have about 5 different recipes so I think I will try them all until I find the one I really love. I have been trying to eat different foods so I don't get bored with the same old healthy foods. For lunch I had a large spinach and vegetable salad and 1/2 of a pita with chicken salad on it. I froze the pitas and I couldn't open them or they would fall apart. I know better now not to freeze them that way.

Well, I am getting tired and I feel it is time to take a nap before hubby comes home from work. He gets home around 2:30 and I generally take a 30 to 45 minute nap. Have a great day everyone and hopefully my next post will be a positive one where I am feeling better and exercising. We can only hope. LOL

Feeling Good

2009-01-15T08:20:00.003-06:00

I am feeling pretty good today. I lost another 3 lbs. I know I need to start exercising but I am still fighting this cold bug and my nose and roof of my mouth are still really sore. I had to cancel my doctor appointment yesterday because I wasn't feeling good and we got about an additional 8 inches of snow. The doctor that I cancelled with is my nose doctor and I do need to go see him because it will be 1 month since my surgery and the pain is not going away. I need to find out why it is taking so long. I am taking so many vicodin for the pain. I have about 10 left and than another prescription of 75 I can fill. I just want to feel back to my old self.

On the weather front, oh my gosh talk about cold. It is -17 degrees out right now. They say with the wind chill it will be anywhere between -25 to -45 degrees. I hope my hubby is staying warm on his job. They canceled school for today so it looks like it is either going to be a stay home and watch movies or clean the house from top to bottom. I know my daughter is going to want the first one.

Well, I need to take more pain medicine and have my first cup of coffee.

I hope everyone stays warm and has a great day. Take Care.

Hello

2009-01-10T20:43:00.005-06:00

I just wanted to do a quick entry since I haven't been on for about a week. I have lost 4 lbs so far. I slipped a few times with some candy and I don't want to get back on the scale until day 14 because if I show a gain I don't want to get upset.
I seen my neurosurgeon

and he said I can start an exercise program if I feel up to it. He also said that when they sent my tumor over to another hospital for a second opinion they found that it contain 2 different kinds. My doctor said that was a first for him. It was benign so I have nothing to worry about. I told him I knew I was different. LOL
I watched the Titans game today and got so upset that they lost. I cheer for the Tennessee Titans since my sister lives there. I guess there is always next year but that is for my Chicago Bears.

We have been hit with some major snow the last few days. I think the total so far is about 8 inches. I know when I watched the news this morning they were talking about more snow the next few days. I hope not.

It is time for me to go relax. I am going to get up early and start making my meals for the week. I want to make some pancakes with blueberries. I also have been eating a lot of different beans and just adding vegetables and brown rice.

Have a great Sunday everyone. I hope to update more frequently.

Getting Healthier

2009-01-04T16:34:00.006-06:00

I have found some amazing journals regarding weight loss, exercise and getting healthier. I really hate making new year's resolutions but I have been letting myself go for to long. I need to start making myself accountable for all my bad eating habits and not exercising. I know the past couple of months my health hasn't been all that great. I am happy with the outcome of my surgery. I go see my neurosurgeon on Friday and I want to ask him if I can join Curves. I think he will give me the go ahead or may ask me to wait a few more weeks since my surgery was only a few weeks ago. I am ready to start feeling better about myself. I may join Weight Watchers tomorrow. I haven't made up my mind on that yet. My vehicle is still out of commission so I would have to take hubby to work and I know he can get a ride home since we only live about 10 minutes away.

The last few days I have been eating lots of fruits and vegetables. I bought a big bag of red grapefruit and I look on one of my prescriptions and it said not to eat grapefruit. I love grapefruit and I just picked up my prescription and I asked the about it and they said it would interact with the prescription. Oh well, I guess I will be giving away about 15 grapefruits. I made some black-eyed peas with ham yesterday and it turned out great. I also made this ham,egg,mushroom,red peppers,swiss cheese and cottage cheese bake. It was delicious. I don't think that it is really low fat but I only had a small piece and I will probably cut it into smaller squares and freeze since I don't think anyone else in my family will eat it. I am going to make a chicken stir fry tonight for myself. I have to remember to change things up when I start eating right because I seem to get very bored easily with certain foods. It also takes a lot of time in cutting up all the vegetables I bought yesterday.

Well, I won't bore you anymore with all my diet talk. Oh, that's right I am not calling it a diet, I am getting healthier and in better shape.

A Few Pictures

2008-12-26T20:17:00.009-06:00

I made the mistake and went to the mall today. We first wanted to go have lunch at TGIFriday's. My hubby got a $50.00 card for his birthday so we decided to use it. When I seen the mall parking lot I just wanted to go home but I didn't want to disappoint my daughter plus I needed a new top for my hubby's family Christmas party tomorrow. All in all it wasn't to bad. We went to 2 stores for my daughter so she can exchange a pair of jeans for a top and the other store she wanted to use her gift card. I started to get hot and winded so she just got 1 top and then we were off to find something for me. I found 2 tops but didn't try them on and when I got home I really wasn't to happy with them. I will decide tomorrow. After the mall we went to the grocery store because I told my BIL I would make 2 pies. We zoomed in and out and went straight home.

Here are a few pictures of my daughter opening gifts and the gingerbread house my hubby and daughter made.

Our dog Bambi getting in on the act.

Modeling her new jacket. She even slept in it.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T21:59:00.002-06:00

Hello Everyone

I want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. I have been having problems with my keyboard and I couldn't type an entry. I am so sorry. I wanted to give you all an update since I got home on Saturday. My surgery lasted 6 hours and I was in the hospital for 5 days. I am doing wonderful. I didn't have cancer and I have already had my stitches taken out of my nose. I go back to have the plastic plates in my nose taken out on Monday the 29th. I go see my other surgeon on Jan. 9th. I feel very blessed and I know that all of your prayers and well wishes did a world of good. I love you all and I again want to thank you.

2008-12-22T19:05:00.001-06:00

Finishing Up Loose Ends

2008-12-11T17:30:00.002-06:00

I am going to try and get all my Christmas shopping done tomorrow. I am only shopping for my daughter this year. It is a very tight Christmas this year. I also want to wrap the gifts I bought for her on line tomorrow also.
Oh, I forgot to tell everyone that my surgery is on Tuesday the 16th at 12:45 pm. I have been running around getting more blood work done and also had to have a CT sinus scan. I went to see my doctor to get a physical. He also said I should be getting a call to go have a EKG. I told him my surgery is in 5 days and what is taking them so long to call me. I wanted to have all this done by tomorrow. Oh well I guess I will be waiting by the phone for a little while tomorrow.
My sister and her family have decided to come out after I get out of the hospital. I think that makes more sense because I am going to be in the hospital anywhere between 3 to 6 days. I think she is going to spend Christmas with us. It all depends on how I am feeling after I get out of the hospital. I haven't seen my sister in about a year and a half. I try to get out to see her every summer in Tennessee but money has been tight.
I have a long list of things I want to get done before I leave for the hospital. I want my house to be all cleaned and ready for when my family comes. My hubby took a weeks vacation starting tomorrow. They would not let him split it up. I told him it would make more sense for him to start his vacation on Tuesday but the company would not let him. His days off are Friday and Saturday and told him he had to start his vacation on Sunday. I guess I should just be happy that he got the time off.
Well my eyes are getting tired and I am going to relax and wait for my Chicago Bears to play today. Have a fabulous evening everyone.

The Verdict Is In

2008-12-09T12:53:00.002-06:00

I just came from the doctors office and I have to have surgery. We discussed it and I am ok with it. I was driving home and the assistant called and asked if the 23rd was ok but that the neurosurgeon would operate and have to leave town after that and I would have to deal with the associate. I was ok with that but then she also told me the 16th is open with the nose surgeon but that he would be in surgery all day and have to do mine at night. She hasn't talked to the neurosurgeon about the 16th.
I have to have more blood work done and I think an EKG. I am not sure. The doctor said I can be in the hospital from 3 to 6 days. He said he will try to get all of the tumor but if part of it is to dangerous on certain parts of my brain he will take half of it and wait for the other half to fall and I will have to have surgery again at a later date.
Well, take care everyone and I will update when I know more.

Christmas Decorations

2008-12-06T17:28:00.014-06:00

This is the picture of the outside of our house. It was taken last year and my hubby decorated it the same way. I might take another picture this year but will probably wait until it stops snowing outside.
The top photo is of an oil painting they I gifted wrapped to look like a present. I did 4 of my paintings like this. The picture is a little dark but you get the idea.

My Christmas tree. I am thinking of maybe adding some red bows or a big red ribbon around the whole thing. I want more color.
My one set of houses above my entertainment center.
Decorations on top of the microwave.
My small Christmas tree in the kitchen.
The coat stand.
My second sets of houses above the china cabinet. I also have the inside of the cabinet filled with decorations but didn't take a picture of it.

I hope you enjoyed my pictures. I will let everyone know what the doctors say on Tuesday.

Done For Now

2008-12-03T17:17:00.002-06:00

I have gotten all my blood work done and have seen a doctor today and yesterday. The doctor I seen today was another Ear/Nose/Throat specialist. He told me he would be the one going through my nose to get to the tumor. He explained everything to me about the surgery. He put a tube down both sides of my nose to examine it. It wasn't to painful since they sprayed it first. He said I would be in the hospital for about 3 days and my nose will be packed for 2 of those days. It doesn't sound like fun to me. I just have to wait to see the neurosurgeon on Tuesday to find out if I can take medicine to shrink it or if I need surgery. I think since all of my tests are back I am going to call the doctor tomorrow to see if I can get in to see him sooner than Tuesday. I hate having to wait that long for an answer since all my tests and blood work is back.

Well, I am going to relax and watch some television. Have a great evening everyone.

Good News

2008-11-26T09:39:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have seen the doctor yesterday and he is pretty sure it is a pituitary tumor. I have to have tons of blood work done on Friday and then next week see 2 more doctors. They are both ears, eyes and throat doctors. If the one blood test shows its my hormones they maybe able to shrink it with medicine but if not I have to have the surgery performed through my nose. I am happy about that because I didn't really want any drilling through my skull. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can just use medicine to shrink the tumor.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks

2008-11-20T17:42:00.002-06:00

I want to thank each and everyone of you for your thoughts and prayers at this time. It feels so good to know that you are all out there pulling for me. I also want to thank the ones who have been giving me advice on what to ask the doctors. It is very helpful.

I was scheduled to have my MRI on Tuesday but I called and complained that they should make it sooner. I just got back from the hospital and I had it done. I should have the results within 24 to 48 hours. My third prescription for the pain was not working so my doctor ordered Hydromorphone. It seems to be working fine. Thank goodness.

Again, thanks and I will let you all know what I find out. I am a positive person, sometimes LOL so I know I am going to beat whatever comes my way.

Bad News

2008-11-19T12:01:00.002-06:00

I just came from the doctor's office and he gave me some bad news. I have a brain tumor the size of a walnut in the middle of my brain. I am waiting to hear from the hospital so I can have a MRI and see a neourosurgeon. Please keep me in your prayers. Thank you.

2008-11-16T09:45:00.003-06:00

I go to the hospital today at 4pm to get my CT Scan. I never did call the doctor back regarding the 2nd pain medicine he gave me. I thought the vicodin would have worked but it didn't. It took a little bit of the edge off but not completely. When I called and scheduled the appointment I couldn't believe they do it on Sunday. My husband works until 2:30 and if he doesn't feel like taking me I will just drive myself. I have done it before and it is a beautiful drive. It takes about 45 minutes but the scenery is worth it. They always ask me if I want to go to one of the closer hospitals but I tell them no because I just love all the nurses and technicians at this place. I have never had a bad experience there.

It is about 32 degrees right now.
I am just going to read the Sunday paper and all the magazines and books I got from the library. I picked up about 15 books for my daughter. She was busy that day so I always try to get her books that she might be interested in. I also am going to watch the Bears vs. the Packers at noon. It should be a great game.

I hope everyone has a super Sunday.

Finally

2008-11-12T16:18:00.007-06:00

I finally decided to go to the doctor because I have had a headache for about six weeks now.
I have tried everything over the counter and nothing was working. My headache is just on the left side and over my eye. My back of my ear is also bothering me. He checked me out and said he thought it might be a migraine but I told him I had migraines before and the light and noise is not bothering me. He took my blood pressure twice and it was high both times. He doubled my dosage and also gave me a pain medicine for my headache. It is called Butalbital/apa/caffeine taqua. He also order a Cat scan. I go to get my prescription filled and I take 2 at about 5pm. They didn't seem to be working so I took another 2 at about 9pm. Nothing. I called him this morning and told him they are not working so he called in another prescription for viocidin. I have taken 2 so far and I still have the pain. I am lost. I think I am just going to see if maybe my high blood pressure medicine is going to work. I am also going to Walgreens tomorrow to get a, not sure if I am spelling this right, a nettie pot for my nose. I seem to be having a hard time breathing at night and I have been using vick's vapor rub under my nose. I love the breath right strips but they are so expensive.

Ok, enough about me whining and complaining about my health problems.
The weather here has been windy, rainy and cold. I have also seen a few snow flurries the past few days. I was wondering whatever happened to fall. Last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we were in the 70's and now we are in the 30's.

I am debating this year if I am going to go all out for Christmas. It takes me a good 2 weeks to put everything up. I have so many houses and decorations. We are getting a real tree this year because my hubby has a friend who owns a farm and he said he can have one for free. I was brought up with a real tree so I don't mind as long as it's for free.

I think it is time for me to put my pj's on and try to relax. I know it is only 4:40 here but it is so dark already it feels like 10pm. Have a great evening everyone.

A Beautiful Day

2008-11-04T19:40:00.006-06:00

It has been a wonderful day today. I should say the last few days have been great. The weather here has been in the 70's and I am just loving it. I have been sitting outside in the morning on the back deck with my coffee and my book and reading for hours. My kind of mornings.

I went to vote about 9:30 this morning and there was no line. I knew there wouldn't be because there are only about 1,600 people in my small town. It only took about 10 minutes and I was out the door to enjoy the rest of the day.

Here are some pictures from Halloween day. I still haven't developed the ones from the party at the trailer. I am still using disposable cameras until we either find the charger for my daughter camera or I go buy a new one.

2008-10-31T11:23:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to make a quick entry and to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween.

My daughter gets home from school at about 3:50 and her and about 5 of her friends are coming over to change into their costumes and heading out the door. Trick or treating is from 4 to 6 pm in our area.

I never buy candy anymore because in the 4 years we have been in this house I have only had 1 trick or treater. All the kids like to go where all the houses are close together. My house is set far back so kids these days don't want to walk that far.

It is time to get my butt in gear. I have been lazy all morning and I have tons to do. Take Care.

2008-10-27T17:22:00.004-05:00

I just seen my first snow flurries. It didn't last long but I still can't believe it. We are suppose to have a few more tomorrow. It is going to get down to 27 degrees tonight. I am putting extra blankets on the beds.

I was in the garden today picking the rest of the bell peppers and tomatoes. I got about 10 peppers and about 100 tomatoes. The tomatoes are still green and I am hoping they will ripen.

I made chicken breast in the slow cooker today with honey mustard dressing on top. It turned out delicious. My hubby had the leftover mash potatoes and beef with gravy and mushrooms.

Well, I think it is time for me to get my pj's on and relax with a good book. I went to the library Friday and got 2 Barbara Taylor Bradford books and I need to start them since they are so big.

Some Halloween Decorations

2008-10-24T19:32:00.004-05:00

It Has Been Awhile

2008-10-24T19:13:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that it has been almost 3 weeks since I did an entry. Time sure does fly. I still haven't taken the time to figure out how to change my template and to add pictures. One day when I have time I will do it.
It has been rainy and a little chilly today. I am hoping for better weather tomorrow because we have the kids Halloween party at the sister in laws trailer home. This is the last weekend we will spend out there. It is so much fun. The kids go trick or treating for 2 hours and then we carve pumpkins. I went to Wal-mart today and the pumpkins were on sale for $2.48 each. I was so happy. I got one for my daughter and one for her friend since we are taking her with us. I made a pork tenderloin and sliced it and tomorrow I will put Sweet Baby Ray's barbeque sauce on it and put it in my crock pot. We all bring food and share with everyone. It is such a good time. I can't wait.
We had our friend come over and turn on our heat today. I just couldn't figure it out. I tried everything. It has been so cold at night. I am a warm and happy camper now.
I tried to add the top pictures to the bottom of my entry but I can't figure it out. That picture is of hubby and I at a wedding a few weeks ago. That is my mother in law in the picture also. We celebrated her 73rd birthday last Sunday. I love her so much.
Well, it is time for me to get my pj's on and relax. Have a great weekend everyone.

Testing to see if entry goes through

2008-10-05T09:44:00.000-05:00

I wanted to come on here and do a quick entry since I haven't added one yet.
It has been a crazy weekend. We had a wedding on Friday night which was beautiful. We got home around 1am and then had to get up at 6:30 am to take our daughter to her high school parade since she is on the volleyball team. Thank goodness my hubby took her because I was exhausted. I didn't get up until 10am. She went to the football games after the parade and didn't get home until almost 6pm and had to hurry to get dressed for the homecoming dance. Her date and his parents arrived at 6:15. We were rushing around trying to get her ready. He bought her a bouquet of carnations. They were beautiful. We got a chance to take a few pictures and then out the door they went. She got home around 10:30 and she is now still sleeping. I think we are just going to lounge around today and do some housework. I am hoping sometime within the new few days to figure out how to add pictures and to redo my whole layout of my blog.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.

My Ups and Downs of Everyday Life

Merry Christmas

testing, testing

Long Time

Back On Track Again

Rejoining

Where Does The Time Go

Quickie

Pain, Pain Go Away

Short and Sweet

A Good Tired

It's A Hot and Humid Day in the Neighborhood

Back On Track

I Didn't Quit....Again

Can't Exercise for awhile

Memorial Day

Memorial Day by Michelle R. Christman

Not Doing So Well With the Scale

Trying to Keep Up

I'm Melting

Things Are Looking Up

Keep Going

Happy Dance

Weighed In Yesterday

Talked Me Into It

STRUGGLING

Another Few Bite The Dust

I'm on a roll

I Am A Loser

Weight Watchers Meeting

Happy New Year Everyone

Christmas Decorations 2009

Busy Bee

Great Kids Halloween Party

To Keep or Not To Keep

Longer Post Coming Soon

Hello Everyone

More Vacation Photos and daughters birthday

Vacation and Garden Pictures

I'M Back

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane

I Am Trying to Stay Positive

Happy Mother's Day

Walking Away the Pounds

I'm Melting

April Showers

Happy Easter

Rain, Snow....Is it really Spring?

Let It Snow

Walk Away The Pounds

All Is Fine

Being Irish

Good Morning

Short Entry

Hello

Happy Dance

Happy Birthday To Me

Less Of Me

Happy Valentine's Day

Another Lb. Bites The Dust

Weigh In

Time Gets Better With Age

Shrinking Woman

Biggest Loser

Illinois Winters

Staying Positive Or Trying To

Feeling Good

Hello

Getting Healthier

A Few Pictures

Merry Christmas

Finishing Up Loose Ends

The Verdict Is In

Christmas Decorations

Done For Now

Good News

Thanks

Bad News

Finally

A Beautiful Day

Memorial Day
by Michelle R. Christman