why eat 1 cookie when you have 3

gotta love saturdays that are started with a good, spin class (yay me!)... i could've easily not the set alarm and stayed in 'vacation' mode but i didn't - i've been eating WAY to many cookies... i will be throwing away a lot of food today as well and will be stocking my fridge w/more healthy things, including a fresh pineapple... if i wasn't home, it wouldn't be such an issue but alas - they call my name at the strangest times... ;o)

i did some more shopping after going to the gym, picked-up a few xmas bargains but nothing major - i also scored some flannel sheets for myself and for my secret santa... i also ordered some gloves online, for the same person, and am officially done w/my shopping... i had to buy a new keyboard and mouse for the mac yesterday and as much as i love my cordless stuff at work - i couldn't justify spending $50 more esp. since i will have to buy a lot of software... hopefully eric will be able to connect my printer but if not, i will have to buy a new one of those too... such is life...

eric and i went to see 'alien vs. predator requiem' yesterday and i thought it was so-so... i prefer the straight sci-fi versions because once you starting mixing present day humans with these things, it adds a level of cheesiness... if you're still inclined to see it, i recommend going to see a matinée - save yourself some money...

today, i'm sticking around the apartment, doing laundry, and taking care of little things... i could always start putting away my xmas stuff but i like to leave it up until after eric's family's weekend and that won't be for another 2 weeks in pittsburgh... besides, i'm still enjoying the lights so who cares...

happy saturday...

weigh-in

the scale finally showed the results of my not counting points and lack of exercise, i was up 2.2 pounds this morning but that could also be the result of christmas (wine, big dinner, etc.)... either way, i'm heading back to the gym tomorrow and getting back to some sense of normalcy, even though i'm off until next wednesday... i ordered a new 10-minute solution pilates DVD so maybe i'll give that a go one day... i can't let myself be a complete lazy-ass this week even though it feels really good not setting the alarm... ;o)

my brother hosted our family christmas today so we headed north to hanover and hung out w/everyone for the day... he made a huge ham and i made a very cheesy cauliflower/broccoli casserole (which i still have 1/2)... we exchanged presents and had some good laughs, my sister is quite the comedian when she gets caffeine in her system... my refrigerator is so full of leftovers right now, i won't have to cook/bake for a week - plus, i have a ton of cookies, caramel corn, and peanut brittle to eat so i'm really going to have to practice moderation... i'm usually not the type to keep sweet stuff in the house but when it's around, i eat it - not a good thing...

well, i'm off to watch 'alien vs. predator' which is perfect timing since eric & i are going to see the sequel on friday...

happy wednesday...

merry christmas to all

hard to believe that christmas day is almost over - seemed to come and go so quickly! regardless, it was a great day with eric and my mom - i fixed dinner here so she wouldn't have to bother with cooking (even though she's been a cookie-making, candy-making machine!)... eric and i exchanged presents after breakfast (as you can see, max helped me wrap), he already got his main gift last week so today i gave him some smaller, fun things... but his present topped them all - he got me a mac mini... i had been talking about getting a mac for home EVENTUALLY since i'm spoiled at work so what does he do? he buys me one! he thought it was funny how i was drooling over them last weekend at the store so he knew that i would be really happy... he's a crazy man but i love him for it - i can't wait to use it (i just need to buy a wireless keyboard and mouse so the unit is complete)... THANK YOU DARLIN! I LOVE IT! :o)

my mom came over around 1:00 and we had brie covered in cranberries, apricots, walnuts, and brandy wrapped in puff pastry - talk about delish! then for dinner i made stuffed flank steak with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic herb cheese, twice-baked potatoes, and fresh asparagus with scallions... for dessert, i made apple and cranberry turnovers, topped with vanilla ice cream, carmel sauce, and walnuts... i'm pretty full, to say the least, but only had a small serving of each (minus the brie of course, who can resist that!)... :o)

after my mom went home, we checked the movie listings and ran to see 'i am legend' - i was surprised at how crowded the theaters were so we were lucky to get a seat... i really liked the movie and because i'm such a dog-lover, i cried in several spots, but still enjoyed the movie - the special effects were awesome... next up will be 'AVP2' and 'cloverfield', which is directed by the guy who does LOST...

so that was my day and tomorrow, we're heading to my brother's for dinner and i'll be seeing the rest of my family... as for the rest of the week, i have no idea what i'll be doing but as long as i'm not at work - i think i'll be okay... ;o)

merry christmas!

jingle bells

happy christmas eve, everyone, and yes - i'm one of the chosen few that had to work today... i don't really mind since i'm off until after new year's and it's been pretty quiet (though busy for some reason, what's up with that?!)... they are letting us leave at 2:00 so i'm going to head to the gym and then head home... i have a ton to do tonight, including: cleaning, wrapping presents, and getting a head-start on my dinner for tomorrow... eric's coming over w/norman and then we'll be going to the christmas eve service at my mom's (and my old) church at 10:00pm... what are your plans for tonight?

my weekend was busy, did some running around w/my mom on friday but didn't really accomplish any shopping since most of the stores were more antiquey... had to grab some gift cards, etc. on saturday and even though we talked about going to see 'i am legend', that never happened - i helped eric unpack and setup his christmas present in the garage... it does look rather good, i have to say - there's something about a brand new, shiny, black, craftsmas tool chest that can make a man look manly... we did watch another movie called 'deja vu' with denzel washington, it was pretty good...

yesterday, i had to run to kohl's for a few things, then the grocery store for my cookie and dinner supplies... i made 3 kinds: sugar, almond, and chocolate crinkle - i'm going to give them away as presents on wednesday, when we go to my brother's for dinner... i had pizza for dinner and watched the redskins kick the viking's asses - whooo hoooo! :o)

food has been okay and exercise has been minimal... i haven't worried about it, or let it bother me, because i know it's just temporary... last year, i had foot surgery in january and i was unable to do real cardio til almost april so at least i know, whatever i gain over the holidays, will come off much quicker this time!

i hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and that you get everything you asked for... :o)

happy monday...

weigh-in

weigh-in:
holy smokes! sorry for being MIA this week (will explain below), didn't realize it had been that long since i posted... but being today is wednesday, i had to face the music (and my blogging-buddies) for weigh-in... the scale showed no loss/gain which is a TRUE christmas miracle, in my book, so i'm pretty happy... i actually thought i had gained but when i got to work and compared it to last week - i breathed a sigh of relief... :o)

flu:
i caught the latest bug that's floating around and was deathly sick from early sunday morning thru most of monday... we're talking throwing-up, chills, heat flashes, aches, pains, and lots of tears (because i hate feeling THAT miserable)... dr. eric put me on the couch sunday, under a ton of covers, and we listened to most of the steelers game, and then i went home still feeling pretty miserable... i slept A LOT that night but was awake for the redskins game (die-hard fan, what can i say) and then called in sick monday just so i could rest... now eric has it but is on the mend, thank-god, i would hate to be sick over the holidays and my vacation (which starts friday even though i'm here monday but only until 2:00)... :o)

norman:
eric had to take norman to the vet on thursday because he was having 'issues' - turns out, he had a urinary blockage and was diagnosed with cystitis... they say it's pretty common w/indoor cats who may be less active as outdoor cats, but it also could be the result of the type of water they drink, how much, and what their diet is... we thought he was coming home on saturday but the vets were still concerned so we went to see him and as usual, i was in tears, because i hate seeing animals in a cage... he was purring though and looked good so we just took the vets advice and let the medicine and new food do it's thing... when eric picked him up on monday night and they said norman was still having issues but it could be because he wasn't at home (gun shy perhaps)... first thing eric did was take him downstairs and reintroduce him to the litterbox - like magic, norman went w/no problem and has been using it ever since... i can't tell you what a relief it is, to have him home and doing better - though we have to change a few big things (water, food, etc.), it's worth it... :o)

work:
the website went live on friday and so far, so good (http://gmm.ici.org)... i will have to add things along the way - like video - which means learning yet another program... anyone have good things to say about final cut pro? anyway, i'm onto the next project - a blacktie 'save the date' - that has to be in the mail the week we get back from new years... we need to get the president's approval by tomorrow, we'll see if that happens...

food/exercise:
have pretty much been on the back burner, esp. with being sick... i had no appetite from sunday morning til about mid-afternoon on monday and then BAM! i wanted food and i wanted pizza (my comfort food)... rather than making myself guilty or eating something i didn't really want - i went to the store, got what i wanted, and that was that... i had cereal twice yesterday (breakfast/dinner) so perhaps i should try a real meal tonight when i get home... i also haven't exercised since last monday so i'm looking forward to the treadmill or elliptical today, i haven't had the energy but think doing a bit of moving will help... :o)

biggest loser:
i'm so bummed that julie didn't win but honestly - is a woman EVER going to win this when it comes to the highest percentage of weight loss? i thought she looked INCREDIBLE (not that the others didn't) and totally thought she had it... don't get me wrong, i think every contestant looked amazing but maybe they need to have 2 prizes - one for male and one for female...

anyway, i promise to not have such a huge gap in my posts - with work winding down and being on vacation til new years, i will be around to post more often... i will also try and catch-up on everyone else's blogs - i've posted very randomly so it was nothing personal if i didn't comment on yours... :o)

happy hump day...

weigh-in

just wanted to post my weigh-in for today... i'm up .8 pounds this week and am too busy to be upset about it - i'm still under my 155 goal for the holidays and that's a good thing in my book... besides the website project that is still 'in progress', i have to design a black-tie invitation by friday so the president can approve it before the holidays... one would think that's an easy project but when you're like me and hate being rushed, it just adds more stress... anyway, it will get done - i have faith but it's just not something i like to have on my plate especially when you have this thing called CHRISTMAS just around the corner... even though my family doesn't really exchange presents anymore, i still like to get little things for everyone and so far - what i have to buy is much more that what i've gotten so far... oy vey... at least tomorrow is thursday and that means, only 2 more days til the weekend... it can't come soon enough!

happy hump day...

thanks for nothing

my web project is still NOT finished and no one seems to care, or respond to my emails for that matter... it just pisses me off that i came in early and stayed late all those days to do my job AND stick to the deadline, and THEN have to deal with unresponsive people... i'm 99.9% sure it's not going to happen today either - we have a mandatory 'town hall' meeting w/the president at 2:00 and then i'm leaving for a doctor's appt. at 3:00... they'll just have to wait til tomorrow i guess and at this point, i could care less... :op

the rest of my weekend was good, eric and i didn't help my mom with the christmas tree because of the weather so we took advantage and had a lazy day at home... he made a batch of his awesome chili for the steeler's game and i, of course, made chocolate chip cookies because his friends have bigger sweet-tooths than some girls i know... crazy i tell you... i did my best to eat well but when you have chili, you have to use cheese right? there was also a few pieces of fresh baquette, chips, dip, etc. - so you get the picture... it wasn't a stellar WW day but really, is there such a thing around this time of year? ;o)

today i'm going to see my ob/gyn and he's a great guy - young, cute, funny, and always has something to say about my hair (he has great taste!)... he used to make fun of my piercings and tattoos but that has since passed, thankfully... my appt. is at 4:15 so that means i'll be in the waiting room for an hour and then in the exam room for another 1/2 hour - anyone care to take bets on when i get outta there? i did bring my gym clothes so in case i get out of there early, i can hit a spin class but we'll see... if not, i'll just go home, and start working on my xmas cards... :o)

don't forget to watch biggest loser tonight, it's the last one before the finale next week...

happy tuesday...

ho ho ho

hello everyone, hope you're enjoying the weekend so far... i'm in a festive mood so i thought i would update my photo and include some christmas cheer (i also got my haircut so ya know)... i did some shopping today, trying to pick-up a few things here and there but still have to get a list from eric... why are men so difficult when it comes to what they want? i mean, i can totally buy him things that i THINK he needs (which is normally on-the-money) but i'd like to have SOME idea of what to buy him (ahem!)... i hate waiting til the last minute but such is life when you're dating a huge procrastinator! ;o)

my week ended pretty well, the web project is almost complete and should go live on monday (fingers crossed)... we had an off-site meeting on friday afternoon and it couldn't have come at a worst time - we're all so busy so it was hard having to sit and listen to the vice president ramble when we knew there was a ton of work to be done back at the office... anyway, there will be a lot changing in the next 12-18 months and that includes a lot of work for the communications area so it should be interesting to say the least... sadly, one of the women i've become good friends with is putting in her two-weeks notice on monday - she just can't deal with my boss's old boss anymore so she's moving on... :o(

i haven't really talked about weight loss or anything related to that lately (sorry!) - things have just been so crazy for me but i hope to get back on the saddle soon... food has been very good but exercise has been lacking because of my workload, i took my measurements this morning but don't have last month's to compare so i'll have to post the changes next week... i do have to say, the jeans i am wearing today weren't as loose last time i wore them so that's pretty cool... :o)

well, i need to go and do some shopping/looking online and then head over to eric's - he was in philly for the day (working on the ship) and we haven't seen each other since last weekend... i finished the swags for his windows last night and will hang them up tomorrow - too bad i'm not around more to enjoy them... anyway, he's making his awesome chili tomorrow for the steeler's game so i'm looking forward to that, and seeing some of his friends that are joining us... speaking of football - HAIL TO THE REDSKINS! what an awesome game thursday night - it's about time we won a game! yeee haaa! :o)

happy saturday...

weigh-in

i was happy to see the scale move back down this week, 1.8 pounds to be exact, so i'm back at an even 25-pound loss... didn't quite lose everything that i gained but i'm working on it... work has been long, stressful, and taking over my life - so much so, that i was in tears today trying to figure out some stupid list code for this website project (anyone know how to fix list alignment issues in IE???)... anyway, just 3 more days and it will be over - for now anyway - and then it's back to my normal workload... good thing i have off between christmas and new year's because I AM GOING TO NEED IT...

i miss reading your blogs and hope to catch-up over the weekend...

happy hump day...

going, going, gone...

the weekend's almost over (2 hours) and it's back to work, unfortunately, tomorrow... and it's raining - perfect! my posting/commenting may be few and far between this week because of work so bear with me until this website project is up and running... :o)

i had a great weekend with lots of R&R with eric, as well as spending time w/my mom... the christmas joy event was fun but more so because i was able to help-out my mom's friend - she must've had 2 truckloads of greens/holly and it had to be cleaned-up and hauled outside for people to take when it was over... if i hadn't been there, i have no idea how this woman would've done it considering no one else was helping (and it was a church event, go figure!)... anyway, i was able to make 2 wreaths - one for me and one for eric's front door - and am very proud of my first attempt... i brought home 2 garbage bags, full of greens, so be doing my swags and arrangements sometime this week... :o)

as for the rest of the weekend, eric and i watched 2 movies - 'the departed' and 'young frankenstein' - both were excellent, though i need to watch the departed again since there was so much going on... we also watched 'robot chicken' which is a goofy show on comedy central and the usual sunday morning talking-head shows... after that, we hung christmas lights on the front of his house and around the tree in his front yard - it looks so nice! we also raked/mowed the front and back yard but have much to do in the flowerbeds - they need a good clipping before winter...

sadly, the redskins blew yet another game today - gibbs, what were you thinking?!?! calling 2 timeouts in a row! come on! buffalo could've missed that 2nd field goal attempt and then we would've won! i really thought they had it, especially since it was the first game after sean taylor died, but they just let it slip out of their hands... again... i'll just have to route for the steelers tonight and so far, they're winning... :o)

happy sunday...