Down Hill All The Way!

Our tiny little piece of heaven in finally quiet and peaceful - and clean.  The fire is reduced to embers and quite frankly I am pooped!  This is the weekend of the "Home Hill" races for our Ski Club - the club hosted the entire Ski Council for a slalom and giant slalom event all afternoon here at the resort.  We're too small of a hill for Super G - that's next weekend!  We also host a fundraiser this weekend to collect ski equipment, helmets, warm clothing, boots and poles for the Special Olympics which will be holding their Olympic event here early next month!  The children (and adults) just love receiving ski coats, gloves, skis and boots!  They're always so happy to have the equipment!  Last time I checked in the box, I also saw a couple of gold medals and trophies in there too!  They'll be sooo excited!  There was also a tandem collection as well.  A fire destroyed the main lodge of a ski resort close to here - so very sad.  The quaint and antique building was imported from Germany many, many years ago, and it was completely lost in the fire.  A few of our ski club members had their equipment stored at that resort - which meant their equipment was lost as well - so, the entire council came out big to help them all replace their equipment so they can fully participate at the events the rest of the ski season.  I love how it is not always what is happening on the hill that matters most...

Shot-Ski



It goes without saying though that these weekends wrap up with everyone coming to our tiny little place.  And it also goes without saying that alcohol is definitely involved..    It seems like a realization of the funny you see when clowns come pouring out of a Volkswagen!  This year was no different.  Besides the annual tour of Scotland, a dear friend brought a "shot-ski"!  Ingenious little invention, I must say!  It is four shot glasses connected to a ski - a real ski!  That's it - just four shot glasses on a ski.  Four people drink a shot of Scotch while holding the ski - it's a scream to watch!!  Especially if the participants are not the same height! 

Tour of Scotland

Let me explain the infamous "Tour of Scotland"...  I preface this by saying that by no means am I an expert on Scotch..  I drink dirty martini's, remember??  Anyway, the "Tour of Scotland" is a revolving dispenser holding Scotch Whiskey from the four regions of Scotland that produce the different types of Scotches.  I understand there's a distinct difference.  I don't taste it though..  I guess one needs to be a connoisseur of Scotch to really enjoy the difference.  I don't know a Speyside from a Highland, but to hear the Hubs talk, I commit blasphemy when I say that!

Besides the Scotch, cigars (dirty martinis) and laughs, it was a terrific day for a ski race.  Tomorrow is the giant slalom and the guys are pretty excited about it.  I plan on taking the day and just sitting by the fire and watching the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines - (golf..)  I chose R. Fowler in our "One and Done" fantasy golf game, the Hubs has Tiger - I have a dinner riding on this event, and so far my guy is beating Tiger!!  Yay for me!  I also found a terrific sounding recipe for a clam sauce that I think I'm going to make.. 

So, with that I will bid you all a good night, and a happy, restful and wonderful Sunday tomorrow!!

Until Next Time!

Blonde Moment/Old Age - You Decide!

So today, I am taking my shower..  And, as I always do I weigh myself before my shower.  I don't know why I do this, but I do.  I have the eternal love/hate relationship with my scale - the "Health-O-Meter" - honestly!  That's what it is called!  In this instant I wanted to revel in the recent loss that was tabulated at the weight check at the Bariatric Doc's office..  So, I step on the scale... 
 What the &(*#^T!!!  I gained back the three pounds that I lost before the visit!!  How could that possibly happen???  I've been on track food wise, I've been moving (hey, a day with the GrandAngel is better then ANY day at the gym) and I haven't been within sight nor sound of ANY Ben and Jerry's!!  How could this possibly HAPPEN????  Disgusted with myself, I proceed with my hot and steamy shower.  Now, like many women, I shower AND shave killing two birds with one stone - and this shower was no different...  Afterwards, I just had to check the scale again - you know how that works.  So, I step on the scale, and lo and behold, I am not only down the three pounds, but two more!  WHAT is going on....  I know that I shaved, but I don't have THAT much hair on this old body.....  I am a red headed blond in every sense of the word - between the blond hair and the fact that I have gone "beyond my women's cycle", there just isn't that much hair anymore!  DOH!!  It  dawns on me...  I weighed myself with ALL my clothes on, my cell phone in my pocket, my keys AND my wallet...  And now, I am nekkid as a jaybird - hence the difference....  Oh Mercy...  I think as each day dawns, I am getting closer and closer to "Shady Pines" rest home...  Either that, or I am the living embodiment of every blond joke ever written....

So, today I decided to come home.  Me and the GrandAngel decided to spend one more day in NY.  To be completely honest with you, I just wasn't in the mood to drive in the snow.  I hit the wall.  And with the recent storm that hit the east coast, I just wasn't budging - not for anyone or anything.  I refused to drive in any amount of snow.  So, we stayed and enjoyed a quiet day at the ski resort.  We went out and played in the snow - but playing in the snow with an eighteen month old only lasts about ten minutes.  After that, we just vegged and watched Dora the Explorer and played with farm animals by the fire.  I can't think of a better way to spend a cold snowy day then playing with farm animals..  Now because of my refusal to budge in the snow, I have a crap-load of work that is due tomorrow..  Such is life though..  What do they say??  "Que sera, sera" - Whatever will be, will be.  I remember when Doris Day sang that song back in the day...  Anyway, the work will get done, life goes on...

Before I sign off, I would like to thank all of you who have nominated me for the Stylish Blogger Award!!  I am truly touched and heartened that you've thought of me - and I thank you!  You are ALL special friends, I love each and every one of you!!  You are all Stylish, Beautiful and Wonderful!!  You are my motivation AND my inspiration. I know I would not have the tolerance to have gotten this far in my journey without your kind and loving words - I  thank you!!

I hope your week is shaping up to be all you want it to be!!

And, remember to smile!  It makes folks wonder what you're up to!

Until next time!

A Gold Star Day!

It's been an interesting couple of days around here. Due to horrific weather on Monday I never made it to my NUT appointment and had to reschedule. However, I did get my rather rotund derriere to my weight check today - check #4. Ya ready for this?? I'm down three point four pounds for the month of January!! How cool is that?? I was kind of worried about this weigh-in because I didn't go to the gym as often as I would have liked. I did do my pilates and yoga DVD's regularly and went swimming with my GrandPeanut at every opportunity we've come to the mountains, so it wasn't as though I was Jabba the Hut all month either.. Anyway, I received the "gold star" for being the best pre-op patient my PA had today! Hooray for me! I have two more weight checks, one more NUT visit, I still need to schedule my Psyche appointment, (yeah.. I know, I know.. Call me "chicken".. I'll get there, I promise) and attend some support group meetings.

So, we've spent the past few days up in NY.. The break has been wonderful! just what the Dr. ordered... Tomorrow I'll be taking the GrandAngel home then it's back to real life stuff.. I was getting to the point that I just wasn't in the mood to deal with real life stuff, so the break was definately needed and good for the soul! Not that the real life stuff is anything out of the ordinary, I am just having "motivation" issues - LACK of, that is.. I think it's the absence of color and sunshine that's getting to me these days.. I'm so desperate I'm sitting here blogging and watching "The Golden Girls"!! Hey, there's palm trees - cut me some slack! "This too shall pass.." Perhaps a day of shopping, a mani and pedi AND a filthy martini are in order.. Waddya think??

I hope you smile this week!

Until next time!
~Lisa~

"The Terrible Towel is Poised to Strike..." (Myron Cope)

Due to an impromptu Steelers party, we decided to come home just for the day to a house full of "guests" (including my Dad and our boys) waving terrible towels and drinking all our beer.  I'm glad they made themselves at home...  I really didn't see much of the game, but I heard it was a good one!


It all got me to thinking about Pittsburgh's "Terrible Towel".  The iconic yellow cloth that has been duplicated but never matched.  It has been seen around the world including Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Sphinx in Egypt and even the White House (yes, President Obama does own a Terrible Towel)  We own about twelve terrible towels, and have probably inherited a few more after today!  Anyway,  a little history:  The Terrible Towel was the brain child of Pittsburgh's beloved Myron Cope who was the voice of the Steelers for over thirty five years - the longest of any team broadcaster in history.  Cope was also the first football announcer inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame.  He passed away in 2008, but is still loved and remembered as THE voice of Pittsburgh.  He coined several nick-names for players which stuck including,"The Bus" for former Steelers running back, Jerome Bettis.  He introduced some pretty interesting sayings into his broadcasting such as "Yoi" (and "double yoi - if the play needed emphasizing),  "okle dokle" and "Mmmm hah" - any true Pittsburger would recognise these terms!  Most heartening though was his life long love affair with his wife Mildred - he spoke of her constantly while broadcasting the games - as though she were a part of the story along with the play by play action that was going on.  He and Mildred lived close to us when we lived in south Pittsburgh...  They had three children together, one of whom was autistic, Daniel.  Going back to the Terrible Towel..  WTAE radio and Cope decided that there needed to be a "gimmick" for the Steelers games and Cope created "The Terrible Towel".  The story doesn't end there though.  His name is on every towel which means there are royalties.  Cope turned over the rights to the Allegheny Valley School in Coraopolis PA.  The school provides care for over nine hundred persons with mental retardation - including his son, Daniel.  Millions have been raised for the school through the Terrible Towels - all thanks to an idea from Myron Cope. 

I started thinking about all this when I was reminded by Bill Hillgrove (the present broadcaster for the Steelers) that Myron Cope would have been eighty two years old today.  Today is also my Dad's birthday. My Father is a life long, bleed black and gold, die hard Steelers fan who could never watch a game without turning off the sound on the television and listening to Myron.  My Father called in regularly, at least two or three times a week to Cope's radio show.  Myron knew him when he called in, calling him "Big Red".  I can't think of two men who enjoyed the Steelers win today more then them.... 

Happy Birthday, Big Red!! 

Myron, this one's for YINZ! 

Until Next Time!

I Think I Need A Bigger Trophy Case!

Oh my heavens!!  I received another award!!  Can you believe it??  MERCY!  I thank you MandaPanda from Candyland to Bandland  for this lovely - and from the picture, a true guilty pleasure - award!!  You are so kind and thoughtful to have given this to me, and I am truly touched - gettin' all blushy here again!!

Ok, here's the deal.  I have to list five guilty pleasures (I guess the one on the award doesn't count..)  and send it off to fabulous and sweet bloggers I know and love...  here goes!

1)  Desserts..  Sweet, gooey and scrumptious desserts.  Now you know why going to my class is such torture sometimes!!

2)  I have an insane addiction to cheap earrings!  I do have expensive "one" but I don't wear (it) them.  I've written it that way because I only lose ONE of the expensive ones - ALL the time!  You can't lose a cheap one though.  They're like plastic in a landfill - they just never go away..

3)  I speed.  I guess living in the city for so long with driving stop and go driving and traffic has unleashed this Mario Andretti within me.  Now that I live where traffic signals and people are far and few between, I get on the back roads and just go...  Oh, I'm careful when others are in the car with me and I always wear my seat belt - but you can't help it here!

4)  I'm an office supply nerd.  There, I said it - an office supply nerd!  I have more date books, paper clips, staplers, colored files, cork boards, markers, push pins, colored pens etc.. then a normal person should be allowed to have.  They're all crammed in my home office and a trip to Staples is a weekly event for me!
 
Then it's off to the Pagoda to check out the new earrings....

5)  Sometimes (heavens, not always!) while I'm flipping through the channels, I'll find and watch "The Real Housewives of Whatever.."  In all honesty, I truly hate the program - but it's like seeing a train wreck or an accident - you HAVE to look!!  And 99.99% of the time, when the program is over, I'll mumble to myself  "that's an hour of my life I won't get back.."  But the next time I find it, I just have to watch..  I can't even tell you what channel it is on or what night it is on - I just manage to find it and then I throw that hour right out of my speeding car window...

So, there you have it - five guilty pleasures..  Now to think of whom to send this fantastic award off to!

Christina

Tessierose

Sandy Lee

Heather

Ohhhh I can't narrow this down... I award ALL of you irresistably sweet, fabulous friends of mine this award if you haven't gotten it already!    Enjoy!!

Until Next Time!!

A "Not Much Happening" Tuesday...

What a strange day it was here in the hinterlands of Western Pennsylvania.. In a twenty four hour period, we experienced ice (I woke up to at least two inches of the hellish stuff), rain, sleet, more rain and now snow again. Can you say "insanity"???  As of today, there are sixty one days left until the first day of Spring - do you think I'm just a little anxious???

I feel as though I am studying for a final exam..  Can you imagine??  I am one week out from my Nutritionist visit and my weight check visit, and I am checking and double checking my food log - several times a day - to make sure it gets a passing grade!!  It is not that I go "hog-wild" in the weeks immediately following a weight check visit, but it seems that as the weeks get closer to my next visit, my diet gets better..  Less snacking, more fruit and vegetables, better choices, more moving and exercising..  I like that, but my question is this, why can't I seem to do that ALL the time - and not while "they're looking"???  I feel like a classmate just said "the teacher is coming - LOOK BUSY!!"  Anyway, here's hoping that I get a shiney gold star on my assignment journal!

Speaking of classes, I really need some motivational help here.  I attend a Monday evening Scripture class which I truly enjoy.   We rotate classes at each others homes every week and I love just enjoying an evening of discussion, learning and spending time with friends.  Well, the gracious folks that they are, they always come with loads upon loads of desserts for our breaks!  I've tried bringing fruit and cheese plates, nuts - healthy things.  But there is always some kind of absolutely amazing dessert someone brings that just seems to taunt me mercilessly until I break down and have some.  I've tried taking a tiny amount (just to taste), but it is taking everything inside me not to go crazy at the break table!  How much longer until Ash Wednesday????  The group thankfully goes healthy during Lent....  Anyway, my question is this..  Other than duct taping my lips shut, do you bandsters deal with social situations where food - especially sweets - abound??  Help!!

Welp, that's about all that is happening around here today, yeah I know, slow day...  I am having tea again with my friend Sr. M. tomorrow, which I am very much looking forward to!  I will be hosting the tea this time - and am keeping my fingers crossed that my tea ball isn't petrified shut...  I haven't used it in ages!  I'll let you all know how it goes!

I hope you all had a terrific Tuesday!!

Until Next Time!

A Delightful Weekend!

We're back at the mountains again this weekend and I'm posting from the trusty new toy, the Ipad. So once again, if I've made any terrible typos on comments I may have made On your blogs, blame it on the fat fingers and an on-screen keyboard!

What a wonderfully crazy weekend it's been so far! We're up here this weekend for our annual Parish ski trip.. The kids are having a blast skiing, snowboarding and swimming - and the adults seemed to have found their nitch either in the hot tubs or by the fire in the main lodge ordering plenty of drinks to get them through the day! There is something almost spiritual here that I don't find while I'm at home.. It is hard to find words to describe it... I'll post some pictures when I get home!

I remember a homily I once heard about being asked by God, "Did you delight in my creation?". When I am here I know that my answer would be a resounding "Yes!" Words can not begin to explain the incredible beauty of this place... The snow, the crisp air, the colors (blues, pinks, yellows, there all here), the silence.. The pink cheeked smiles and squeals as children are careening down the side of a mountain, the incredible sight of seeing folks who "should be slowing down" at a late stage of older life, strapping on helmets and ski boots for the first time. Seeing the orange vested guides of the blind skiers leading them down double black diamond trails, the special made chairs for hanicapped skiers (and the group of seemingly wild and uncaring teenage snowboarders helping the handicapped skier off the lift). these are just a few of the reasons I do love being here... "Did you delight in my creation" .... This week at home? Probably not so much..... But, I promise to "delight" more come springtime!

After the Parish ski trip, we attended our "Baby's" football banguet! We were able to see the championship rings they'll be getting, and will post a picture when I get back to my trusty laptop! They're gorgeous though! Something our Guys will have for the rest of their lives... Terrific memories! The banquet was a little "distracting" though by the sheer number of cell phones that were connected to the Steelers game that was being played at the same time the banquet was taking place. What was funny though were the groans (during the awards presentations) everytime the Steelers screwed up - and the cheers when they did something good! It was all taken in stride though.. We're in Western PA where football rules life itself - at a football banquet! How much testosterone can one take??

We'll be headed home tomorrow before the ice storms should hit. My word! How much more bizarre weather can we possibly have??? Ice on top of snow measured in feet, not inches....

I'll Remember to "delight" when I settle back in here on Friday!

Until next time!

Please Accept This Award - This Means YOU!

Awwwww...  I'm getting all blushy-like here!  I received the Stylish Blogger Award, and I am touched and humbled beyond words to have gotten it - thank YOU!!!  Receiving this award sure did lift my gray and snow filled spirits and it so wonderfully put a smile in the heart of my heart.. 

Seven Things You Don't Know About Me

1)  The stupidity of youth sometimes produces amazing things.  I was married at the tender age of nineteen.  By all accounts we should have been a sociologicial statistic.  However, this May it will be thirty years for us - and I am still as hopelessly and completely in love as I was thirty years ago.  Me 'n the Hubs put each other through school, him through Law School, worked full time, and had two incredible sons in the process.  How??  I have noooooo idea..

2)  I have taken several years of voice lessons, play piano and classical guitar.  I've performed professionally, and now I direct the music ministry at our Church.  I can play a mean "Lady of Spain" on the accordian and personally own a glockenspiel.

3)  I am a Certified Microbiologist.  Well..  In a previous life.  I am still certified, but have my hands full taking care of the microbes this family produces.

4)  I have a passion for cooking.  Top on my bucket list is a culinary trip to Italy.  Maybe one day.....

5)  I paint.  No, I'm not planning any shows at the moment, nor will you see any of my paintings in the Louvre anytime soon, but it is something I love to do.

6)  I have an insane adversion to printed clothing - not all printed clothing just floral printed clothing.  My Mother had flower printed EVERYTHING!!  When I see floral printed tops in the department stores my immediate thought is the curtains my Mother hung on EVERY window...
7)  I wear a size eleven shoe.  Erika from Fat Like Me mentioned the new chunky, platform shows that are in fashion these days - well, just imagine those babies in a size ELEVEN!!

The final step in the award process is to give this award to fellow bloggers.  I choose ALL my followers to award this Stylish Blogger Award.  You are all so stylish, beautiful, wonderful.  You are incredibly brave and strong women, and I am fortunate to be taking this journey with YOU.  Each one of you teach me, lift me, and help me through this journey we call life.  I pray that I can be the same to you.  Please accept this award, post it to your blog, and tell me seven things about YOU that I don't already know!!

Oh!  And a "thank you" to all of you who gave me answers and advice about my Psyche appointment, and for all the kind words that got me through my "whine and cheese" party! 

Until Next Time!

Thank You, Again..

Thanks to all of YOU, I think I'm over my little pity party..  I don't know..  Just kinda feeling blue these past few days, but I can always count on my blog-buds to help me through - and you came through with flying colors!!  I told you I need COLOR in my life and you came through!!  Thank you.

The Hubs worked from home today which is always a blessing - I was climbing the walls, he noticed (or rather he couldn't take my sighing anymore) and offered to take me to the office so I could finish those projects I started two days ago, then we had lunch and ran some much needed errands.  I think that deer I hit on that fateful Friday the thirteenth was a blessing in disguise (story here) - We were able to get out and about today because he now has a truck!!

I am really trying to be positive in all this - honestly, I am.  I rescheduled my Nut appointment - which happens to be the day before my monthly weigh in.  No, they couldn't do it the same day - I already asked.  It seems the Nutritionist is there certain days and the PA who does my weight and fitness evaluation is there different days.  Sooooo (stay with me, there's a purpose)...  Since the Bariatric Center is One Hundred miles from home - and only twenty minutes from the place we have in the mountains - AND - the appointments are on a Monday and a Tuesday....  Well, you know where I am going with this!  I just bought myself a five day trip to the mountains at the end of the month!!  Yay!!  That is the only place on earth that I tolerate the snow - where it belongs - on a ski resort!  So, I suppose you can say that something good came out of all this pouting that I did the past few days...  The weekend before is the Hubs Diaconate Reserves weekend, so we're going to the mountains on Friday and won't be home until Wednesday - it's all good!  I just have yet another month to make up with my Support Group Meetings. 

I need to schedule my Psychiatric evaluation next.  That and my three group sessions are about all I need to finish.  I'm kind of worried about the evaluation though..  Not that I have any psychotic tendencies that I know of, I have just never done anything like this before, and not knowing what to expect is really driving me up a wall.  What are they looking for??  Will they pick apart all my faults??  All my quirks??   Any words of advice out there??  Waddya think??  I don't suppose I should take my trusty notebook with all the lists, checkmarks, history, Excel spreadsheets and color coded dates on it - Probably looks a little too OCD..  I'm just obsessing - yet again - nothing new here!

So, that was my day today.  Instead of wallowing in my own self pity (I allowed myself one day of indulging in a "nobody loves me" kinda mood - I'm over it now) I just sat down at my desk, took a deep breath and figured out a way to get past this.  Oh, by the way, my Christmas tree is still up.  I found that I like the little bit of color it gives me right now, and I'm in no hurry to take it away.  All the nick-nacks, trinkets, cards and stuff is all put away, and so is the outside stuff - just the tree is up.  It's holding up nicely too!  We're having our friends over on Sunday so it will probably be gone by then.  I promise, it won't still be up on Good Friday - as it has in the past...  In the meantime, I'm just drinking up all that pretty color while I still have it!

I went outside today and just took a walk through the snow.  I've posted the photos of my little walk with nature.  I figure that since it's going to be here awhile, I may as well become friends with it. Uhmmmm... We're not quite BFF's yet, but it's a start...

Until Next TIme!!

The Blues, Blahs and Everything In Between..

CAUTION!!  Pity Party ALERT!

Ok..  whoever turned on the snow making machine and left it running for TWO WEEKS STRAIGHT can now get off their hairy bottom and turn the damn thing off!!  I've come to the realization that I need color in my life - real color, bright color.  Greens, reds, yellows....  Everything here is white.  White, dreary gray, and brown.  I look out over the property and that is all I see.  I am sooo over this.  I thought my state of confusion yesterday was just me being overly tired - not the case.  I guess I'm just overly miserable.  Kinda cranky, actually.  I had to cancel my Nut appointment today, and I still haven't gone to a Support Group Meeting.  Not that I was looking forward to being told to "chew, chew, chew", "sip, sip, sip", and spend and evening with a group of individuals who seriously need a mirror under their noses just to check for life, I was looking forward to the fashion show and the cooking demonstration!  That was to be the agenda for this month's Support Group Meeting. 

I guess part of my cranky is that this Bariatric process just keeps going on and on and on..   It has been going on since June, and I am not one who is well known for my patience.  I am doing my part in watching what I eat, exercising, going to all the appointments, being enthusiastic, jumping through all the hoops - but like a hamster, I'm just not getting anywhere.  Oh, I know that I really am making progress - I see it on the scale and on my trusty notebook I have with all the red check marks on it - it just feels that way.  It seems as though everything that is out of my control is holding me up from getting to where I really want/need to be.  And, I am such a control freak who is no longer getting the joke...   

On a more cheerful note.  I did manage to get through yesterday's list of projects, and even most of today's projects as well.  I'm actually ahead.  Nothing has changed though.  I am still feeling bewildered and befuddled, but these things just had to get done - today.  So, I flipped on the "FOCUS" button!!  That just means I had an extra cuppa Starbucks...

If you've gotten to the end of the post, I applaud you and thank you for allowing me to unwind..  The pity party is over, please remember to take your favors and have a safe drive home!

Here's to a day of lucidity!!  Happy Wednesday!

Until Next time!

1/11/11 - Scatter Brained Mumblings And Musings...

Today was one of those days..  Not sure if I'm the only one who has them.  It feels that way sometimes though.  Everyone I know is super organized, on top of things and just plain "normal" - today, I wasn't.  Let me start at the beginning.  We were at the mountains this weekend and everything was terrific. Wonderfully busy, but terrific!  It snowed crazy-like up there, then again, it always snows crazy-like up there!  It's a ski resort!  Why would I expect anything different??  Anyway, it began snowing on Friday and didn't finish until 9:00pm Sunday night.  Real snow too, not the pretty little stuff that flurries around as happy little snowflakes, but snow measured in feet coming down so hard I couldn't see the lodge one hundred yards away.  So, I decide to wait until Monday to come home rather than drive Sunday night with the GrandAngel in tow in that awful weather.  After the long drive home, the rest of Monday was good.  Again, very busy but good.  Took my friend back for her chemo, then off to Scripture Study that night.  Today though?  Ohhh today my mind is just blank.  Nothing.  Nada.  It's like I couldn't even function today - like a sieve head (what went in quickly sifted right back out again)..  I woke up, had my breakfast and coffee and began to make a list of everything that needed to be done today.  I'm a list freak, remember??  I make lists of lists I have to make!  By noon, I had fifteen different projects started and no idea how to finish any of them!  I would start one thing, then think of another, then I would begin that one - which of course led to another.  Then I would remember the first project, but couldn't finish that until I started yet another project!  What is going on here????? 

So what did I do??  Rather then start over and actually finish the projects that needed to be done, I went out into the snowy, cold weather and had my nails done - something that was NOT on my list!!  However, I did beat the blizzard by about an hour or so!  Hey, I figured that tomorrow is another day, and I do have some really nice looking nails..  I really don't think I'll be able to get anywhere in this blizzard we're having, so I will - hopefully- get back to actually finishing all those projects I left hanging today.  I guess after not really being fully recovered from my flu-ey illness and going away this weekend, my body simply said "we are not amused - and are NOT budging today"  Bodies have an uncanny way of cracking down on us when we need to slow down for awhile...

My Nut appointment is tomorrow, but I spoke with her earlier today about possibly rescheduling.  I don't think I'm interested in driving eighty plus miles in a blizzard to be told to chew, chew, chew..  I think she was a little relieved too - I was to be her only client tomorrow!

Welp. if you actually made it to the end of this post, I am incredibly proud of YOU!  It was clearly - or unclearly - written while still in my boggled state of mind - and it truly reflects it, too!  Have a GREAT night and remember...

...tomorrow IS another day!!

Until next time!
~Lisa~

Breathing - It's a Good Thing...

We made it back to the mountains this weekend. The Sudafed has kicked in, and I can finally breathe, taste, and function like a human being! The Guys have their first "serious" race this week and this tiny little condo looks like ski central.. The things you learn! Different races need different skis, different waxing techniques, and different gear.. We could probably outfit this entire resort with all the equipment jammed into this tiny place.. My biggest pet peeve is that this stuff is all jammed in here and not in the ski closet where it all belongs.. Skis, poles, boots, helmets, yadda, yadda... I've been told that it all has to be kept "warm" until race time.... WARM??? They're SKIS, for petes sake! The "Baby" informs me.. "Mom, you just don't get it...." as I trip over a snowboard and go hurling into a line of toasty warm boots....

Our GrandAngel is here with us too! He and I took his little blue sled out yesterday onto the tiny hill next to the deck. The only problem we had was that there was too much snow! I pulled him up the little hill and he sunk! We spent about fifteen minutes tamping the snow down to make a decent "run". I checked our little home made sledding run this morning, and there must be at least eight inches of new snow that needs tamped down again before we can use it.. I wonder if they'll consider grooming it for us as they do the real runs.... Probably not..

Food wise, I do really well when I am here. Not sure why that is.. Probably because I get too busy to mindlessly eat. I came in yesterday at around 1100 calories And with all that tamping, pulling, and sledding through the deep, deep snow, I'd say I got a pretty good workout too.

Welp, I think I hear the little one stirring which means it's time to let the fun begin! The Guys left about six this morning to travel to their race (the equipment is finally OUT of here) so it's just me 'n the Munchkin today! Should be a good day!

Until Next Time!
~Lisa~

Rant of the Month - January..

Have you ever tried to buy Sudafed in the pharmacy??  Mercy sakes!  It's easier to buy whisky in this State then it is to buy cold medicine!!  I not only had to give them my name and number - which, by the way, is already on record at this particular pharmacy - but I also had to give them my driver's license too!  They needed to scan it.....  My WORD!  I've been using this particular pharmacy for about ten years.  They know me - everything about me.  They know the Hubs, the children and even the GrandAngel - it's a small town!   I am a forty nine year old woman with a red chapped nose, disheveled hair, and red, watery eyes, standing quite impatiently in line... What are they thinking??  Do they really think I've got a lab here in my office producing illegal substances and selling it to unsuspecting minors????  Is my mug shot in the local post office locked in the "wanted" board???  All I wanted was cold medicine to get rid of this damn cold once and for all...  What in heavens name is this world coming to.......

Oh, and for the record?  Hannibal (the name of my C-PAP mask) is really enjoying the fact that I can't breathe out of my nose, I heard him laughing devilishly last night..  The C-RAP is a real adventure when one has a cold.........

Ok..  rant over.  The Sudafed is kicking in and I can breathe again...  I think it's time for tea - waddya think??

Other than that, all is good today.  I've gone to yoga and I'm plenty stretched out!  I've had plenty of fluids, the calories are well within range, and I am sipping a cuppa tea watching the snow fall.. 

Until next time!

A Sight To Be Seen...

Picture it...  Me, your humble blogger, sitting here at my trusty lap top (PINK trusty lap top, mind you..) wearing my purple leopard print pajama pants on, my pink fuzzy bathrobe, and completing this spectacular ensemble is my golf slippers - oh, and this glamorous photo isn't quite complete either..  I also have my nose tampons in - tissues poking out of my nose - there isn't a medication in the world that is working for this runny nose!  That little germ bag - I owe him!  I love him, but I owe him.......  Even the Hubs is sniffling.  We've decided not to take him again until we've both purchased our "his and hers" HAZMAT suits!  Actually, we're taking him to the mountains again this weekend, so pray that ALL of our sniffles go away - SOOOOON!!!  Our friends visiting Arizona tried to convince us tonight that martinis are better then NyQuil - I beg to differ!  Tonight I've chosen a shot of the blue.....  That stuff knocks me out anyway!

I did manage to get my well endowed derriere to the office today, and as usual, my drawer was overflowing..  That kept me busy until I had to leave to take my friend to the hospital for tests.  Now there was an interesting ride!  I think I drove with my head pretty much hanging out the window like that commercial with the pig yelling "weeeeeee" all the way home!  That's all I need is to give someone who is undergoing chemo a head cold...  She was desperate for the ride though, and I did all I could to keep my germ infested body far from hers!  We had a nice time together and even stopped for coffee after her visit. 

I finished the afternoon with my phone calls, and tonight I came in at just under 1500 calories - 1480 to be exact..  Not bad, but I could have done better..  I moved more today though - and that's always a good thing!  Tomorrow is yoga!!  Yeah!!  I could use a good stretch!

Just hope I don't have nose drainiage while trying the downward facing dog!!

Until next time!

A Lazy Butt Kinda Day..

I had a quiet day today - a much needed quiet day. I slept in nice and late, maybe even a little too late for my liking..  It was a day for doing laundry (loads and loads of it), and simply taking a breather from the craziness of the holidays...  I think I have a good case of PTGAS - Post Traumatic GrandAngel Syndrome!  I love the child more than life itself, but he reminds me constantly of the reasons why I had my children twenty five years ago!!  I may be spry and active but I'm no spring chicken!  I sleep reeealy well before AND after he's with us - and we spent a whole week with him!!  I think the little germ bag gave me a really good head cold as well!  He is so huggable and kiss-ey in the mornings, and the last few days he was with us he had the sniffles - I believe the little typhoid Andrew, in all his cuteness, decided to share his "wealth"...

I did get to play with my ipad for awhile - and loaded some really interesting apps on it!  I needed a day to just play like a child with my new Christmas toy!  I found a cook book app that is really incredible!  So, I spent the day putting all my recipes in the new cookbook!  And, as always, I roamed the blogosphere to see what all of you were up to! 

I do have to make calls tomorrow, do some much neglected office work, and take a friend to the hospital for tests..  I figured I would just take today to recover from my PTGAS...

Me 'n the Hubs had an early dinner, had a wonderful martini with friends (long distance) and watched some television..  Nothing exciting to report here..  I say "long distance", because our friends are vacationing in Arizona this week and called to have "cocktail hour" with us!  So, we cheers-ed over the speaker phone and had a few laughs!  Ohhhhh what I wouldn't give to be somewhere warm right now!!

I had a lazy butt day today, but I did remember to eat accordingly.  I figured I came in today at around 1250 calories.  Healthy calories, too!  I remembered to chew, chew, chew until the food in my mouth turned into cud.  Even on a lazy butt day I'm still trying ro remember my eating rules.  I had plenty of water and even enjoyed a cuppa Starbucks this afternoon while the snow swirled around the yard.

I hope YOUR day was terrific!!

Until next time!

A Special Thank You, And Some Photos!

Oh Mercy!!  I can't believe that there are actually FIFTY of you out there who have "signed on the dotted line" to be a follower of this little blog!  Thank you so very much!!  I appreciate you, I learn from you, you motivate me and you inspire me!  You are all my friends, and I am loving getting to know each one of you more and more as we take each step of this journey we're on - together!  Thank you!

I know that since I've begun keeping this blog/journal I've grown in countless ways (and not weight-wise either!)..  What begun as a project aimed at journal-ing about my path to becoming healthier has turned into so much more than I ever imagined..  I am humbled that you are remotely interested in my little life, my journey, my mumblings and musings..  Again, I thank you....

We're all settled back home from our week in the mountains, finally!  And, know that you've all shamed me into talking the Hubs into getting our Christmas stuff down either this week or next.  I'll probably begin doing it beginning tomorrow -  little by little each day.  Perhaps this will be the year that our stuff will be down before Good Friday, I can always hope, right?!

Here are some of the photos that I've promised to post from our week away!  I wish I could have put them in a nicer arrangement, but I'm not quite sure how to do that - but anyway,  Enjoy!

Until Next Time!

~Lisa~



Sled Riding!



The Hubs famous
Pineapples and
vodka!



He left it ALL
on the mountain!





Teach 'em how
to wax skis young!



Happy New Year, Happy New Life!

(Written on Jan 1st, 2011 - computer was giving me major issues, so here it is today..)

I'm sure you can tell by the new blog design that we made it back to the Ponderosa, and I'm back at my trusty lap top!  I love our time in the mountains, but I also love returning home too.  We had a glorious week together, had lots of friends drop by, did fun things and for the most part we didn't stop!  We came home for the rest..  I promise I will post pictures as soon as I upload them.  We spent New Years Eve doing exactly what we wanted to do.  We watched a movie (which finished in time to watch the ball drop), had a few cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, prepared a lovely pork dinner for us and a few friends to enjoy after midnight, (eating a meal after midnight is a Hubs family tradition) and after the stroke of twelve, we banged our pots with the GrandAngel until they dented!
1/1/11..  Today is a day for new beginnings.  We begin a new year, a new decade for that matter!  I've made resolutions in the past - which usually have gone by the wayside by about February 24th.  So this year, I'm not making resolutions..  I'm not setting myself up for failure - again.  Oh, I've come out big on New Years Eve..  "Joining the gym and going five days a week!"  "I'm going to cut out all foods that aren't good for me.."  Yadda, yadda, yadda...  I guess each year I've set the bar so high that no mere human could possibly attain to my lofty goals - and usually ended up chucking the whole idea after a few weeks.  So..  this year, I've decided to take the advice of Lap Band Gal (http://lapbandgalsjourney.blogspot.com/) and have a "word" - my New Years resolution is my "word" for this year.  When I first read about the "word", I fully embraced the concept.  What a terrific idea!!  I can handle a "word" - for an entire year, too!!  I loved Lap Band Gal's word so much from last year that I thought perhaps I might snarf hers.. and, in a way, I guess I sorta did - not entirely - but a FORM of the word!  I know you're all holding your breath in suspense!  My word for the year is "choose".   I figure that each new day gives me new opportunities to "choose" - and whether I "choose" the right choices each day is entirely up to me..  My daily choices reflect on the larger choices I am making for myself - big responsibility..    For example..  I am "choosing" to become healthier.  I am "choosing" to no longer allow my weight and my arthritis to define who I am and what I can accomplish.  I am "choosing" to not make food a top priority in my life - but make living my top priority.  I am "choosing" the path I am taking to lose weight.  So, each day's choices are miniature goals of the overall choices that I am making for myself and for the ones I love.  Make sense??  If I "choose" to eat an entire container of Ben & Jerry's, that IS my choice for the day - however, by making that choice, I am not living up to the choice I've made to become healthier, and I must live with the consequences.  By thinking it out that way, I can "choose" to have a small portion of the ice cream, and still maintain the overall choice I've made about my health.  So, each day is a clean slate of choices.  If I examine my choices, that just may make me think twice before downing that large milkshake from the DQ.  Perhaps it is a bit of a head game, but if I am consciously thinking about what I am doing in the form of choices rather than not thinking and just acting, I believe that I just might begin making the RIGHT choices!  I know, a bit confusing - but as long as I'm the one who gets it, I'm ahead, right??

So, I hope everyone had a Safe and Happy New Years!!
  Here's to a New Year and a New Life!!

Until next time!