adios 2008

i was dreading coming to work today since i had such a long weekend but it hasn't been bad actually... my boss was going to come in late but then decided to take the whole day which is fine by me, even though she had wanted to take us to lunch... we might order chinese anyway and i need to keep things light since tonight eric & i are going to the melting pot with 6 other people... we hadn't made real plans for new year's and this came up on monday - he thought it would be fun so he told them yes.. i don't know his friends very well so i'm a bit unsettled plus our reservations aren't until 10:30pm (and it costs $65/person, not including alcohol)... bah! i'm going to be (a) starving and (b) tired by then but what can you do - i sound like such an old maid but i can't help it... staying home, ordering take-out, watching a good movie, and then watching dick clark's rocking new year's sounds like a great night to me... there's always next year i guess... ;)

i had a good day-off yesterday - went to the chiro and then spent the rest of the day with mom shopping... we seem to be doing that a lot lately but there were no clothes involved this time - instead, we walked around and visited a lot of nice, small shops... many had christmas items marked down but i didn't pick-up anything amazingly enough... we also had mexican for lunch/dinner and stuffed ourselves - who can pass up fried ice cream with honey/caramel sauce! ;)

yes, i didn't buy any clothes yesterday but i did find some nice things on coldwatercreek.com today --> go here and you'll find a code for 70% off... not a bad deal considering how expensive their stuff is, i got a cute dress for like $17... whooo hooo! :)

i wish you all a safe and Happy New Year, and here's looking to a healthy and happy 2009~

make it stop

ugh, having all this food around is killing me... one positive thing has been i made a huge batch of turkey stock this afternoon so that will come in handy when i want to make soup... but then there's all the bad stuff too - good thing it's only once a year, right? i'm SO ready to get back in the weightloss game but feel it would be best to hunker-down after this week... yes, why not start tomorrow but i have mon/tues off, then it's back to work, new year's, and then eric's family christmas in pittsburgh next weekend... having all that behind me will be much better for me physically and mentally, so that's my plan for now and i'm sticking to it... :o)

my mom, sister, nieces, and i went major thrift store shopping yesterday - we had a lot of fun and i picked up a few sweaters, a pair of JJill jeans, and some corduroys (size 12! bah!)... then we had lunch a baja fresh with eric, then stopped by his place so they could meet norman and tyler, then did more shopping til around 8:30... i had made chili in the crock-pot and was thankful to not have to worry about making dinner when we got home... the girls loved staying at my place too (because i have cable and internet) and enjoyed spoiling max which is always a good thing... they left this morning and i came over to eric's where we've watched some football and ran to target to score some storage containers for the back of his truck... it's been in the high 60s today and doesn't feel like december at all - at least it's not snowing... :)

my plans for tomorrow: go the gym, finish my shopping, maybe have lunch w/a girlfriend, and then head home to do laundry and clean... as for tuesday - i have no plans besides going to the chiro so i may hang out w/mom and do something - we'll see... hope you guys are having a great weekend and i'll catch-up with you soon...

here's a shot of our family from friday night's dinner at my brother's... :)

today is pointless

besides the fact that my company is lame and will not close over the holidays (we're open when the stock market is open), i am here with nothing to do... even if i HAD work to do - i doubt i would do it anyway because it's the day after xmas and it's friday - puhlease! i took my time getting to work this morning, after my chiro appt, bought myself a bagel and coffee at au bon pain (the only place open it seems), and will soon plan out my day... which really means, figure out what i'll be watching online (www.fancast.com)... i did bring my workout clothes and in hopes that the gym is open, i plan on having a good workout esp. since they closed early on xmas eve and i did nothing but eat yesterday... :)

christmas was great - eric bought me a new camera and i can't get over at how much smaller and lighter it is compared to my old one... i will miss my flip-screen but having one that is twice as large and having a camera with twice as many mega pixels will make up the difference... he said that i have more presents coming next weekend, when we celebrate w/his family in pittsburgh, but it's always an issue since i feel xmas here should be ours and where we open all the gifts... he seems to think we should open some there too - maybe someday we'll come to a compromise... :)

my mom came down around 3:00 and stayed til almost 9:00 - dinner came out well though i have a ton of leftovers in my fridge right now... she got me a bunch of little things and a steamer which is awesome - i've been wanting one for a while so now i can iron stuff w/out using an iron... we also made a huge batch of caramel corn last night - my mom is the type that has to do the same thing each holiday... make a ton of cookies, hard candy, fudge, peanut brittle, caramel corn - regardless if people say they don't need it, she makes it anyway because that's just what you do... :)

tonight, my brother is having the whole family over for dinner and that's where we'll exchange more presents (and eat more food and sweets - ugh!)... then my sister and nieces are coming home with me and staying the weekend - we have a busy day planned tomorrow with thrift store shopping, lunch w/eric, and more shopping... i'm not complaining by any means, mind you, when we're all together - we can be quite the bargain shoppers... :)

thought i'd post some pics from yesterday...

santa was good to eric this year and got him a new motorcycle jacket...


finally a blanket we can both fit under (which i made, thank you very much!)...


tyler wasn't very thrilled to wear this (plus it was too small!)...


pardon the hair but look at my new camera!


greek walnut pie for dessert - yum-o!


"i really hate it when she makes me model..."


where is everyone (a view of the metro this morning)...


i hope you all had a wonderful christmas and enjoy your weekend... :)

happy birthday, jesus!

wow

so the mole i had removed last week was deemed skin cancer - basal cell carcinoma to be exact... according to this website, it's the most common of all skin cancers and for the most part - easy to treat if found early enough... the nurse said the doctor had removed all the bad cells and nothing had spread, but i have to come back every 3 months for a full-body check... i'm not really surprised since my dad had the same thing (from being a bricklayer for 50+ years) but i also thought i was pretty careful when it came to protecting myself from the sun... i've always used a high SPF but this just goes to show you, one over-exposed day can do you in so PLEASE wear your sunscreen girls/gals...

my grocery shopping went very well last night - i was in/out in about an hour and spent just over $100 (which is amazing to me and that included wine)... i do enjoy grocery shopping, not sure why, so the cart-filled aisles didn't bother me (though not knowing the store layout did! ha!)... after i got home and unpacked everything - i made two batches of sugar cookie dough and will making those tonight... i also wrapped the rest of my xmas presents and then had some time to relax before calling it a night... :)

the office is desolate today - i'm dressed as casual as i could (no jeans) and put on my santa hat so that was a fun ride-in this morning... my boss just ran to border's to do some last minute shopping and until i get the stat release this afternoon - i have nothing to do... le sigh...

so i'll make good use of my time and share some links with you... enjoy! :)

- nine west shoe sale (30% off)
- watch tv shows online (for free)
- breakfast ideas for over the holidays
- camera for your pet (i seriously might get one of these - how funny!)
- restaurant gift certificates (use code: HOLIDAY for an add'l 80% off)
- holiday tv show marathon schedules

merry christmas eve! :)

how did this happen

i consider myself to be quite the planner/organizer/woman-of-lists but this year - i'm just plain behind with everything... that is SO unlike me so i'm blaming my meds and hope that next year is better (plus i already told eric that we are not waiting til the last minute to buy shit)... i did some more shopping last night after getting home from eric's - border's is closing a store near my house so everything in the store was 30% off... i picked up the calendar i've been looking for my mom, rachael rays big orange cookbook, dean koontz's latest paperback, and a travel journal for my niece since she's going to europe next summer... i have ONE more gift card to get tonight for my brother and then it's off to the grocery store so i can buy everything for christmas dinner and this weekend when my sister and 2 nieces will be staying with me... i dread going but i don't have a choice really and it looks like i'll be working a full day tomorrow even though we close at 2:00 (stupid research just HAS to post something on xmas eve - WTF?!?!)... ugh! :-p

this is what i've come up with for Thursday --> hashbrown casserole for breakfast (with eric) and and for dinner (with mom & eric): some sort of appetizer (TBD), pear, blue cheese, and walnut salad, herb-roasted turkey breast, potatoes (TBD), roasted brussel sprouts, rolls, and greek walnut pie... menu subject to change at very last minute... ;-)

so what else has been going on... my chiro appts are still going well - had one this morning and he commented on how tight my shoulders were... the other doctor told me the same thing on friday and i could feel the knots under her fingers... i did learn some more exercises so i've been doing those and laying on my pilates roll every night - the pain has lessened, that's for sure, so hopefully that's a good sign... :-)

i had a mole removed on my chest last week, that seems to be healing nicely (as best it can anyway)... they said they'd call me either way with the results so i'm hoping it's non-cancerous...

guess that's it for now - h0pe you're enjoying all the last minute shopping, prepping, and planning like me... NOT! ;-)

happy tuesday...

ode to beaker

thought i would share some holiday muppet fun... :)

my weekend has been pretty lowkey so far - took friday off and my mom and i did our usual christmas shopping extravaganza... we wear our red santa hats and go somewhere new each year - people always comment so i'm glad that i'm able to do that with her... i still have more shopping to do - this year i just haven't had the motivation or energy to shop like usual... my family always says that we're not doing presents but then end up getting small stuff for each other anyway... eric's presents have been done and are wrapped under my tree, same with my mom, but i still have more to get so guess i'll be doing that this week... i also need to plan my menu for christmas dinner - saw some good ideas on 'guys big bite' this morning so i need to visit foodnetwork.com and print out some recipes... :)

i'm feeling that part of my lack of motivation/energy is because of my thyroid meds - i was put on synthroid back in the spring and then decided to try generic since it's cheaper and some say, does the same thing... but after a few months - i just haven't been feeling like my usual self (hard to explain in words) and did some research online... some say that you should never switch and that some people just don't respond well to generic brands - though my levels are still 'normal', i asked the doctor's office to give me a new RX for synthroid again... i'm hoping this helps... for those of you with thyroid problems - have you had this same problem? just curious...

well, i'm off to watch some football with eric - dinner is in the crockpot (pot roast) so the rest of my day is going to be easy...

enjoy the rest of your weekend... :)

connected again

FINALLY! my cable is working again and the guy was so nice that he gave me his name and cell phone number if i had problems in the future... he said that some technicians just don't care and if the problem seems difficult, they'll just leave and have someone else deal with it... can you believe that?! seriously, if i knew i'd be in that apartment for another year - then i'd switch to something else... but i'm HOPING that things will progress with eric and i soon (ahem!) and i'll be moving into his place and never have to worry about comcast again... :)

so now that my cable has been fixed, i feel like my life can return to normal... something about being unconnected just makes me feel so unsettled and i know that's a horrible thing to say - but without phone or internet, i just feel isolated... i WAS able to get a few channels though with some rabbit ears so i watched the season finale of the biggest loser... i had watched a few shows over the season but wasn't consistent with it but have to say, they all looked amazing... i AM glad, however, that two women won! :)

as for everything else - i've just been working and doing my usual thing which unfortunately, has not included exercise... i will be honest and say that i'm terrified of stepping on the scale - it's sort of like "don't look and you won't know how bad the damage is"... i mean, i know i haven't gained 20 pounds but i'm not where i was this summer and never thought i'd like things slide this much... i was doing well with monthly weigh-ins for a while but then stopped, and THAT is where i let things go... if i knew that i'd had time to post today - i would've brought my oprah review because one of the main things she said, in the article, was how she didn't keep her health & well being a priority (even with all that money and all that help around her)... how many of you can say you've been there, done that? i know i have and i'm ashamed to say - that is what happened to me...

regardless of when/where/how/why - i DO know that i have to pull-up my boot straps and get back on the saddle... i will most likely do WW again but need to call and find out if i can go to one meeting (to get more specifics on the new plan) before signing-up online... since being promoted - i've had more to do and more responsibilities but that's also led to skipped workouts because i feel i have to stay and do work... work is important but it's not my life and i really need to work on that more in 2009... :)

so that's what's been going on with me... i'm sorry that i haven't been reading your blogs (see above) so i'll try and catch-up as best i can... :)

happy hump day...

i still hate comcast

after rearranging my saturday plans - i was told, after the comcast person finally arrived, that they only key to the closet where the cable-boxes were, was locked and could not be open... something about another comcast guy not returning it - are you kidding me?! isn't that like against the law or something? so i was told they'd have to come back today and the rental office said they'd be happy to let them into my apartment (since i refused to take off work for their mistake)... one would think after the SECOND appt, they could figure things out but nope - i was told tonight before leaving work that they'd have to come back, again, to fix a faulty line... that's such BS because i was told that same thing in september when my cable when out and then found out, they had really turned it off "by mistake"... so now i have another appt on wednesday morning between 8-11 - will they fix it this time? let's hope so... assholes! :o(

besides the cable fiasco - had a busy rest of the weekend... eric got the bed of his new truck rhino-lined so we spent a lot of time driving to VA, then home, then back down when it was completed... he tried on some leather jackets at a nearby harley-davidson dealer so we'll see if santa decides to bring him one... saturday night - some friends of his had us over for dinner and that was nice (she even gave us a doggy-bag!)... sunday, we headed to my mom's to help get her xmas stuff out of the attic as well as put up her tree - she's one of those that just HAS to have a live tree, regardless of how close it is to christmas... the rest of the afternoon was spent watching football (stupid redskins but go steelers!) and i made homemade chicken pot-pie for dinner... yummy!

today was rough - i woke up on the wrong side of the bed so my whole day was shot... i hate when that happens so i hope things turn around tomorrow... at least i have a chiro appt tomorrow morning - perhaps that will at least make my body feel better...

i wrote up some things re: the oprah article and will post this week... that is IF and when my internet at home is working (i'm still at eric's house)... grrrrrrrrrrrrr...

happy monday...

why am i still here?

today was my company's holiday luncheon - they sent an email earlier this week saying that because they were trying to 'cut-back', the cocktail hour (beforehand) would be canceled... okay then! nice way to say HAPPY HOLIDAYS! so as a result, my boss took it upon herself to bring in 4 bottles of wine and we had our own little party in her office... the luncheon itself was good - same thing every year: speech by the president, eat lunch, play a game, eat dessert, and door-prizes... i have YET to win anything so i came away empty-handed... such is life... since everyone came back, the office has been pretty quiet and my boss went straight to the bar leaving us to do as we please... guess i shouldn't be complaining! :o)

i had a nice surprise when i got home last night - my cable was out... AGAIN... motherf*cking comcast - they suck-ass! i mean seriously, how can a company be so incompetent? last time, they 'mistakenly' turned it off - wonder what they did this time... i called and asked if there was a reported outage in the area (of course there wasn't) and was scheduled for a service call tomorrow between 11-2... smack dab in the middle of my weekend too - thanks a lot... so once again - i'm out of cable, internet, and phone... awesome! :o(

i found this great fitness/goal journal on someone's website the other day and ordered one... it's called fitbook and since i'm itching to get back on the saddle in regards to losing weight and exercise - i figured i should start planning and organizing things... perhaps i look at it when i get home since i'll have nothing else to do... :o(

i also read Oprah's article last night (about how she gained weight back) and will give a recap the next time i post - it was nothing new or super revealing but more 'on the level' if that makes any sense...

well, i'm off for the weekend so have a good one... :o)

might as well redecorate

lately i've noticed a few bloggers using their signature on web-postings so thanks to anne - she told me about a website where you can learn how to do it... it also has a bunch of other neat stuff, including backgrounds (as you can see here), so check it out if you're looking to give your blog a facelift... :o)

http://thecutestblogontheblock.com/

she did what?!

who would've thought that Oprah - the queen of all media and the woman that makes more money than all of us will ever see (combined) - STILL has a weight problem... i'm not making fun of her or wishing her any ill-will but have to admit that the news makes me feel a bit more normal... maybe that's not the right adjective but i'm sure you know what i mean... i'm anxious to read her magazine article but if you'd like to read more, you can go here or here...

i really liked this quote --> "when it comes to maintaining my health I didn't just fall off the wagon. I let the wagon fall on me ... I didn't follow my own fundamental rule of taking care of self first."

how many of you can say that this has happened to you? for me - fell off the wagon? check... stopped taking care of self first? check... they seem like such fundamental things, right? but they're not because it takes a lot of work to be 100% 24/7 and that holds true even for people like Ms. Oprah... so many of us (myself included) are afraid to admit mistakes esp. when it comes to weightloss... who wants to look like a failure, or as someone that gave up, or lost hope? certainly not me but it's still hard to do and that will always be something i have to work on... one thing that HAS helped over the years, however, has been blogging and having such great online support... i have learned that i'll never be alone in this battle (or any other for that matter) so thank you for being there for me... :)

happy tuesday...

it's been revealed

WW has officially announced it's new Momentum program on their website - i'm guessing one would have to sign-up before actually seeing the details though (how it really works, what you eat, etc.)... when i did WW in the past, i was an online girl because going to meetings just didn't appeal to me - i know they can be inspirational and motivating but after a while, you start to hear the same thing over and over... and did i really need to pay a weekly fee just so someone could write down that THEIR scale was saying? um, i don't think so...

so for those of you that are currently doing WW - what do you think of this new plan? where would someone, that prefers doing it online, find out more information?

i have a really good friend that may be interested in trying it (again)... ;)

animal lover

eric bought a new truck yesterday and it is beautiful... even though it's a chevy (ahem), it's very nice - a/c, cruise control, and power windows/locks... it also comes with OnStar and XMradio (free for 3 months) which makes it even nicer... it will taking some getting used too though since it's much taller and longer than his old one - i can't wait to drive it! and yes, i talked him into buy harley-davidson floormats... ;)





today, we did the kitten run - there were 7 crates in my car and it was a quiet ride to the rescue (for the most part anyway)... eric held two of them - one was a long-haired orange tabby that had the bluest eyes, and the other was a short-haired grey/white tabby that just loved sitting on his lap... the rescue we went too services over 25 area PetSmarts and the guy said there are some weeks that they don't have enough kittens to give them... even though they will be adopted eventually, it still broke my heart seeing all the cages full - i wanted to hug and kiss them all! so if you are thinking about getting a pet this holiday - PLEASE consider your local animal shelter or rescue - there are thousands of animals that need a good home! :)









as for the rest of the day - it will consist of watching football (steelers vs. cowboys then redskins vs. ravens) and then having eric's beer can chicken for dinner... if you've never tried it - you MUST because it's incredibly moist and tender... :)

enjoy the rest of your weekend! :)

TGIF

sorry for my lack of posting - motivation is hard to find some days especially when i feel like i have nothing interesting to say... i DID notice, however, that when i post gory pictures - i receive a lot of comments (i'm so glad i can amuse you!)... funny how things work that way, perhaps i should post funny/gory pictures more often... just kidding... i know we all have our slumps/bumps when it comes to blogging and i just want you to do know that i'm still around (alive and kicking, as simple minds have said)... :)

my chiropractor appts. have been going well - i was feeling super last week but had some pain on/off this week again... they started me on some new stretching exercises to strengthen my neck, check and upper back muscles and can do them at home... i will also be getting a better chair at work which should help too (though it will take 6-weeks)... i keep wondering though if buying a new mattress is more important than i thought it was - i've had mine for at least 9 years and it wasn't brand-spanking new when i got it...

so here's my question: for those of you that own a sleep-number OR a memory-foam mattress - tell me what you think about it... i've heard good things about both and need to do some research but i wanted to ask you, my blogging-buddies, as well... as much time as i spend in it each night, i should make the best decision possible... :)

weekend plans consist of two major things: helping my mom setup for her christmas banquet tomorrow morning and then driving a car-load of kittens to a rescue in southern MD on sunday... i've done this once before for my sister (who's prez of her local humane society) and since no one wants to see these little guys get euthanized, they are taken to a rescue and then taken to places like PetSmart etc. to be adopted... i will take pictures since it's quite an amazing sight to see, 8 crates in my civic - very funny... and in between all that, i may do some shopping and watch some football though the redskins aren't playing til sunday night... a coworker and i have a bet and whose ever teams loses, buys Starbucks on monday morning... i can taste that grande skim pumpkin spice latte now... GO REDSKINS! :)

have a great weekend, everyone...

where did november go?

hello everyone, hope you had a great Thanksgiving... i've had a nice few days off and tomorrow, it's back to work and time to decorate... i'm known for making our area quite festive at this time of year and look forward to hanging more lights and putting up my little christmas tree... i figured as much time as i spend there, i may as well enjoy the sights and sounds of it all right? i finished decorating my apartment on friday - didn't get out nearly as much as usual since i'm at eric's every weekend but it's still nice to have a tree, various trinkets, and lights on my balcony... and yes, even eric has a small tree here so i think i've covered all the bases... :)

thanksgiving was great - my mom fixed dinner for everyone (my brother, his girlfriend, and my sister's family) so all 9 of us were crammed in her tiny place... the highlight is always her sweet potato & marshmallow casserole but the pumpkin cheesecake i made was pretty damn good too (sorry mom)... eric and i hung some lights on her porch after everyone left and took the much appreciated doggy-bag of turkey, rolls, cole slaw, and yes - 2 pieces of my pie... :)

i had off on friday and after going to the chiropractor (which is going well), i did a bit of shopping, finished decorating my place, and then went for an hour long walk/jog since the weather was in the low-50s... friday night, a bunch of my friends and i got together - sort of like a mini-reunion since some of us had not seen each other in years... i guess i can say that i know someone that works for someone famous - my friend mark (2nd from right) works on "diners, drive-ins, and dives" and said that guy fieri is just as he seems on the show (really nice and fun to be around)... he's even been to his house in california - how cool is that?! anyway, it was great to see them, tell stories from HS, and catch-up - hard to believe our 20th is coming up next year... i feel so old but am glad that i don't look it... ;)





as for the rest of the weekend - eric and i went truck shopping yesterday since he may have blown a head-gasket in the one he has now... we went to 3 chevy dealerships and test drove one - i know it may not seem like it but i'm a truck girl at heart (though we only drove fords!)... i grew up riding in trucks because my dad used it for work and most of the time, i rode in the back with my dog, sandy... and yes, eric already has a mini-cooper, a BMW motorcycle, and harley but a truck comes in handy for when we go to his parents farm, when we go camping, and for towing the bike so it's sort of a no brainer... he's doing his comparison thing now so maybe he'll make a decision soon and i can post a nice picture... does this make me a redneck? ;)

and as for today, besides the redskins getting their asses kicked by the giants - at least the steelers won... eric made another batch of his AWESOME chili and we just had some coffee chip ice cream with bananas, peanuts, and chocolate sauce... *sigh*... i read on someone's blog that WW may be introducing a new plan - anyone hear of such a thing? any idea what i may be?

happy sunday...

ready, set, eat!

wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving... :)

good news and bad news

the good news --> eric and i put up christmas lights...


the bad news --> norman used my face as a scratching post friday night (don't worry, it looks worse than it really was)...


GO REDSKINS! :)

you know when you're bored when...

you post a picture of yourself and your new glasses... 2-years seemed to just fly by so i had my eyes checked a few weeks ago and then made my usual pilgrimage to 'hour eyes' to pick out a new pair... i've become rather fond of thicker frames but chose a subtle blue color this time around... i think they're nice but yet still funky, in a jodi-kind of way, and think they'll work out nicely... :)



i had my 3rd visit with the chiropractor tonight - the doctor can't believe how tight i am in my neck and shoulders, yet only feel pain in my middle back... after a few cracks, he had me lay on my left/right side and moved my arm around (trying to keep your arm "like a noodle" is more difficult than you think)... he also showed me an exercise that i can do while laying on a pilates roll - i remember using that in my class and think it will be a wise-purchase... he said it will be good for my spine after a long-day at work, which seems to be the culprit of all my problems... i suppose 6 years of doing what i was doing, is going to take a while to un-do, so i'm hoping the pain gradually starts to disappear... it can really affect how you feel, on all levels, and i'm so ready to feel whole again... if that makes any sense...

i'm sure many of you received an email about mary lou retton's new weightloss plan... if you have no idea what i'm talking about, check out her website and then you can see for yourself... i'm not sure what to think about the whole "it's a scale but not really a scale" thing but do like that it focuses more on the basics and positive reinforcement... let me know what you think... :)

tomorrow, i am going to a thanksgiving luncheon with eric at AU and then we'll be going to a seminar in the afternoon (to stop smoking)... i don't talk about it often but yes, i'm a smoker though i don't do it often - i do it more when i'm around him... i'm glad that he took the initiative because we've been talking about quitting for a while - i had pretty much quit when we first met 4 years ago and here i am, still doing it... time to stop, once a for all... :)

no exercise for me today but i will do some treadmill work tomorrow... after the luncheon and seminar, it's back to the chiropractor and then i'm done for the week... :)

happy hump day...

do we REALLY need another food magazine?

if you're a foody like me, i'm sure you've heard about the new food network magazine... even though i haven't been keeping up with my current subscriptions (i have 4), one of them is rachael ray's magazine and i DO enjoy that one... as much as i LOVE watching the food network - i'm not sure how different that magazine will be from all the other ones... sure, it's new, well-designed, and loaded with recipes but i can probably find them all online and why add more stuff to my recycling pile... i won't lie though - if my grocery store has it tonight, i'll pick one up but my question is: how do you feel about it or do you even care? just curious... :)

my weekend was busy - went to my sister's cabin friday night, spent the morning with my dad, and then headed to pittsburgh to see eric's parents... the weather was good but yesterday it was cold and snowing... yes, i said SNOWING people! everyone is doing well - got to try my hand at nintendo Wii golf (interesting) and feed the cows some apples (too cute!)... eric's truck overheated twice on the way home so that was a bit scary - hopefully it's nothing serious and/or expensive to fix...

i jogged on the treadmill for 30 minutes today (5-minute warmup/cooldown)... it felt good though more is jiggling than it used too... just need to get my diet in order and we'll be good to go... :)

and i have NO comment on last night's redskins/cowboys game... at least the steelers won...

happy monday...

on the mend

i finally went to see a chiropractor on tuesday (since i had off on veterans day) and found out that my back is ALL out of whack and needs major adjusting... i've been having mid-back pain for months and after they did some muscle spasm tests, it appears the problem is really in my upper/lower back... he also did some neurological tests (reflexes, etc.) which i sucked at, but it just goes to show you how weak you can be when your nerves are not working properly with your muscles... they took xrays of my neck and i went back tonight to get my prognosis - instead of having a nice c-curve, my neck is practically straight so my head isn't sitting on my spine properly... it's evident that i need some major TLC so i'll be going 3x/week for massage and adjusting, and then will slowly work into remedial therapy and then some physical therapy... i started treatment tonight and had 10-minutes of massage and then an adjustment - my neck cracked several times, as well as some areas on my back, and the doctor thinks i'll be as good as new in a few months... i will also need to work on my desk setup at work and at home, as well as my posture and other things... so my advice is - if you're having back pains, don't think they'll go away - see a doctor! you could make things worse by not getting medical attention!

work has been better now that the annual report is done and has been delivered... the president told my boss today that it's the most beautiful publication he's ever seen, and couldn't wait to go home and show his wife! i've also had several coworkers compliment me, including a woman in the media department who can be very harsh/mean at times... honestly, i think it really hasn't hit me yet (that it's done) so perhaps in another week or so i'll be able to look at it without looking for something that should've been fixed... ;-)

exercise/food has been mediocre at best... i needed a few more pairs of pants and have to admit, i had to buy 12's and not 10's... i bought most at consignment/thrift stores so at most, i'm out a few bucks but it's still a bit depressing... i know it's just a SIZE but i can feel that i've gained and i can see more jiggle than i used too... perhaps when my back is feeling better and i'm feeling better in general (still feeling funky), i'll be able to focus on myself again... i've lost interest in reading and am behind about 6 magazines - that never used to happen so i really need to work on that... i'm sleeping okay and haven't had daily crying outbursts so it's a very different depression than i'm used too... could be the change in weather too - this getting dark at 5:00 really sucks!

this weekend, eric and i are going to see my dad and then going to pittsburgh to see his parents... we'll be staying at my sister's cabin tomorrow night and then will spend the morning w/my dad on saturday before heading north to the farm... i haven't seen my dad in a while so i'm looking forward to that, same goes with his family... as for thanksgiving - we won't be doing the annual state college thing (with 80+ people) because eric needs to be in town for work... i'm not sure what i'll be doing instead but am looking forward to having a long weekend...

sorry for not posting/commenting as often... will try harder, i promise! :-)

happy thursday...

change is coming

let me just start out by saying GO OBAMA! whoo hooo, what an amazing election and an amazing time for our country... i made it to the polls after work and waited for over an hour - no one was complaining in line and i found that to be pretty awesome (someone said the location never had a down-time during the day)... i stayed up as long as i could last night and watched mccain give his concession speech but fell asleep by the time obama came on... i was just too tired and couldn't keep my eyes open but it was SO nice to wake-up to such great news! :)

the annual report is officially done - i went to the press inspection this morning and as long as they don't screw something up in binding, i'm done done DONE with that project... i love going to see printers because i find the whole process so fascinating - most have modern presses but some still use the old ones... to see a piece of machinery (i.e. a heidelberg) that sometimes can be over 100 years old is just amazing to me... since i had to wait around in between sheet inspections, i took advantage of their customer lounge, checked email, and watched some talking head shows... the rep bought me lunch and then i was able to call it a day around 1:00 - how nice of my boss to say i could have the rest of the day off... as many hours as i put in - i should have more than that but our company doesn't believe in flex time... such is life...

monday night was the football game and even though it was a lot of fun, the redskins still lost (cus they played like ass!) and eric was all happy-go-lucky... it was quite funny seeing us since he had a steelers jersey and i had a redskins jersey but then again - we saw a lot of split couples throughout the night... it took us almost 2 hours to get there but getting home was easy, thank god - still made for a long tuesday since i didn't get much sleep... anyway, here are some pictures so enjoy! :)

can you tell this was before the game (meaning i looked happy)...


there's nothing quite like being in a stadium with over 90k screaming people...


not sure why i'm smiling but perhaps i thought we'd still win... :(

she's alive, SHE'S ALIVE

last week was utter hell for me - i somehow managed to only have ONE meltdown in my office and still get the annual report out the door at 5:30 pm on friday night... needless to say, i did not participate in any halloween parties or activities and eric went alone... even though he understood that i had a stressful week - i still felt bad that i didn't want to go but just didn't have the energy... so i went home, had pizza for dinner, parked my ass on the couch, and then went to bed around 11:00... i also had THE most lovely sleep-in on saturday (minus several incidents with max) and felt human again by the afternoon... :)

since this project knocked the crap out of me and i was working 10-hour days, i didn't go to the gym... i believe it's been two weeks so i'm making a point and getting there today, come hell or high water... food has been okay but both need worked-on and i need to get back on some sort of plan before things get more out of control... i did try on a pair of my 'skinny' jeans and they still fit so maybe i haven't gained as much as i thought - what a treat indeed! ;)

in other news - eric has adopted another cat... a friend of his found it near a construction site and took it home, only to find that she was allergic... so eric offered to foster him until she found it a new home but since last week, he's become very attached (surprise, surprise)... he got all his shots this past weekend and was giving the go-ahead to be around others - norman seems to have tolerated him quickly and max (my cat) has basically growled more than anything... having 3 cats, in a smaller house, is definitely going to be a challenge so we'll see how it goes... he's very cute, solid black, and purrs very loudly.... as for naming him - we went from jean pierre to tyler since the living room resembled a scene from 'fight club'... anything named after brad pitt is fine with me... ;)



and the only other exciting news is that eric and i are going to the steelers/redskins monday night football game - i have been so looking forward to this game for months... we'll be going with some friends of mine and their daughter who turns 16 today - neither of them have been to a game so it should be fun... she's like, "i don't even know what you're supposed to do"... hahahaha, i'll try and post pics later this week...

i was supposed to have off tomorrow but since this project ran behind schedule, i'll have to come in for a few hours... i did ask to leave early since i have every intention of casting my vote before the polls close at 8:00... GO OBAMA! :)

happy monday...

recap

i'm sad to see the weekend come to a close - work was really stressful last week and due to the fact that my big project (annual report) is STILL not done, this week will be the same if not worse... i was exhausted on friday night and went to bed before 10:00, pretty sad i think but what can you do... i hung-out w/my mom on saturday and we did some canning - i've always wanted to learn since i grew-up watching her do it every summer... she would can anything and everything since it was very economical and then we could enjoy fresh veggies/fruit all year long... my grandmother did the same thing so i'm happy that this tradition has been passed down to me and i hope i can pass it along to my children... :o)

we also went to a few holiday bazaars and even though the weather was crappy (rain), it was time well spent... as for the rest of the weekend, i've been hanging out with eric doing the usual weekend thing and relaxing as much as possible... i will probably go into work early tomorrow just because i have SO much to do - i can only hope it wraps up soon so my life can get back to normal... exercise has been null & void and i'm beginning to feel it... anyway, here are some pics of my first canning experience - enjoy! :o)

i decided to make spaghetti sauce, with tomatoes from our garden, so the first step was to cook them in a spice mix for about 20-minutes...


next, you heat the mason jars in the oven and then fill them with the cooked tomatoes...


in the next step, you seal the jars and let them cook for about another 20-30 minutes...


once they're removed from the water, the jars will seal as they cool... and if done properly, the canned sauce can last for years...


i can't wait to have this sauce over pasta or on homemade pizza... yummy... :o)

fondue for two

yesterday was my mom's birthday so i took her to the melting pot - for those who aren't familiar with this place, you basically have a dinner (4-courses) that is eaten fondue style... you can chose the type of cheese, type of salad, type of entree, and most importantly - the type of chocolate... it was heavenly and our waiter was great which makes for an even more pleasant experience (they even gave a bday card to my mom!)... we ate until we were stuffed - i think my mom can totally outdo me though - i couldn't finish the last course and she just kept going... heck, if it's your 73rd birthday - i say eat and be merry! happy birthday mom! :o)

mmm, look at that cheesey-goodness...


just look at that dessert plate (strawberries, bananas, pound cake, brownies, cheesecake, rice-crispie treats, and marshmallows)...

happy fall

happy fall, everyone... :o)

i have been a TOTAL blog-slacker and want to apologize - work has been stressful and honestly, i'm not even getting on the computer when i get home at night... i just haven't been in the mood really (or for a lot of things lately), so i'm hoping to snap out of this funk soon... i can't really put a finger on what/why but i know it's there, looming behind the scenes, and the only thing i'm able to focus on is work - everything else has been put on the back burner... i know i'm not fully-depressed because i have no problems eating, sleeping, or bouts of crying but i know it's something... ugh!

i've lost focus in the last month or so and it's not that i feel myself slipping, i just don't feel in control anymore... putting myself and my health first was a no-brainer but lately, that hasn't been the case... compared to last year, i haven't done anything new exercise-wise - there's no pilates or kick-boxing class... i'm lucky to get to the gym 3-4 times a week right but know that will change soon once this annual report is done)... as for my diet - i'm not following any plan and yes, this is what i wanted a few months ago but now i'm not so sure... i've gained a few pounds and though i was safe for a while with my clothes - a few pieces are fitting differently and that's like a major wake-up call for me... i feel like i've been skating along, without getting caught, and now the alarms have gone off...

i know some of you will say, "i told you so" or "i'm surprised you lasted this long" and that's fine, but that's not why i'm telling you all this... regardless of what i decided in july, how much i've gained, or how a pair of pants fit snuggly - i do NOT regret what i did... if there's one thing that i've learned in my adult life - it's letting go and moving on... holding onto things and letting past mistakes run your life is not the answer - you will not get anywhere, learn anything new, or grow as a person... how does that saying go, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself"...

SO this is where i am right now... i have no plan nor the time to focus right now (esp. this week) but know i have to DO something... and soon... i don't want to keep sliding in the wrong direction and then hate myself for not reaching out sooner...

happy tuesday...

do you LOVE your body?

today is LOVE YOUR BODY DAY (sponsored by the NOW foundation) and even though i'm not too happy with mine right now, i still love it because i'm the only one that has it... sounds weird but think about it for a minute—sure, someone might have the same shape or size but it's your personality, your attitude, your confidence, your determination, and your inner-strength that makes you different... unlike some people, i don't see it as just a physical thing because learning to accept yourself is just the first step...

after struggling with my weight for so many years, it really wasn't until a few years ago that i began to accept who i had become and embrace what my body was capable of doing... though losing weight was a big part of the equation, it was really being able to accept that i will never be who the person i was in high school or college... yea, it would be great to weigh 140 again but seriously - i'm 37 and my body has changed so why struggle? why not learn to love the body i have today - the one that ran a 5K, or lifts weights, or goes for long walks, or takes a spin class? why compare myself to someone else when that shouldn't even be part of the equation? it shouldn't be an option, in my opinion, because YOU need to live your life and no one else...

here are a few things (from the website) that you can do:

1. indulge in your own terms - love your tastebuds
   
2. stretch your mind and your body - rejuvenate and care yourself
   
3. read - expand your mind
   
4. throw a private party - take a day for yourself and yourself only
   
5. laugh out loud - humor is the best medicine
6. have safe sex - enjoy being w/someone
7. spend time with your family - nurture your close relationships
8. listen to positive music - develop a theme song
   
9. develop a creative outlook - express daily stress/frustrations creatively
   

so on this LOVE YOUR BODY DAY, take a few moments and really think about what that means to you... have you been feeling down in the dumps lately or has that negative self-talk come back into your life? if so, focus on the GOOD things and start from the INSIDE - once love has found it's way in, it will only spread upwards and outwards... :o)

happy hump day...

food find

the next two weeks will be sketchy for me so i'm apologizing in advance for the lack of posting... i will do my best to keep up with things but sometimes, blogging is the last thing on my mind when i get home from work (esp. if i have to stay late)... anyway, i'll do my best... :o)

my mom and i had a nice time w/my sister and nieces this weekend - their log cabin is still not done though my nieces have been living in their bedrooms since school began (something about an occupancy permit)... meanwhile, my sister and her hubby are living in their camper/trailer so it makes for an interesting time when it comes to eating meals... anyway, the weather was great and the leaves were at their peak color in western maryland - quite fitting for their annual autumn glory festival... while they did their thing in the morning, i spent a few hours with my dad - he didn't recognize me but i know that's just because of the disease, not because he choses not too... as for the rest of the weekend - we basically hung out at the house, had lots to eat, went to church, and headed back home... too bad the redskins couldn't have ended the weekend on a high-note - WTF! :o(

since yesterday was an optional holiday for us here, half the office was gone, and it was pretty quiet... in between a few projects, i checked-out hungrygirl since she has new food products listed every few days... one item was arnold's select multigrain samich thins and i thought, what a great idea for my lunch... so i found what stores in my area carried them, bought two packs (they were even on sale!), and had my first one today... holy cow! it was SO tasty and went great with turkey, lowfat provolone, and field greens - i can't wait to try other fillings... i bet PB and banana would be awesome! ;o)

happy tuesday...

weigh-in

thought i'd share two of my horoscopes from today - it's funny how both seem to be saying something to me, but in different ways (i don't take them that seriously, mind you)...

1. you may find that you've been playing with fire lately, and this is a good day to change your ways and focus on a safer way of life.
2. as much as you would love for someone to know that fantastical version of yourself that you've created in your head, the real you is more lovable. so when the questions arise, you tell the truth. helplessly so.

man, oh man - these are so dead-on, i can't even tell you... somehow these horoscopes just knew that i was going to be reporting my weigh-in and today, and they decided to send me a little message... i will not lie to you guys - i have gained a few pounds (4.4 since july), so to say that i've been playing with fire is an understatement... though i've enjoyed not keeping track, perhaps i've been enjoying my comfort zone a bit too much... i am not saying, however, that i hate the way i look - i have worked way to hard at accepting myself, just the way i am, and will not let a few pounds get to me... yet on the otherhand, i can see/feel where the extra pounds have come back and even though my clothes still fit (thank god!), things like tights are a bit more snug these days...

so the fantastical me (created in my head) isn't as thin as she used to be a few months ago... is that a bad thing? not really but i guess it's all depends on how you look at it... i made an honest decision to stop tracking and gaining weight shouldn't be that big of a surprise really... i have never pretended to be perfect or to be someone that hasn't struggled while trying to lose weight... for me, i came to place this summer where i was just tired of everything... tired of counting, tired of keeping track, tired of bargaining this food for that food, and tired of reporting the same loss/gain each week... it was a choice i made and i'm not regretting it by any means but i do think i'm at a place now where i need to be careful... just thought i'd share... :o)

now back to my regular blogging...

i tried yet another new recipe last night - greens, tomato, and white bean soup... i found the recipe in the morning paper and believe it or not - i had all the ingredients in my pantry... unfortunately, i could only find a PDF of the whole paper online so i made a graphic of just the recipe and you can check it out here... the only thing i substituted was the last ingredient - i had a bag of spinach and am pretty sure it would be tasty with any greens you might have on hand... this soup was really good and it would be perfect for a chilly night at home or rainy weekend, and even better with a warm loaf of bread... :o)

work update: my boss gave me the good news on friday afternoon - sorry i haven't posted since then but friday was a blur with the whole photography thing, and then i was super-busy over the weekend... anyway, she had been waiting to get final approval (from the big cheese) and told me that even though i don't have a job description yet - i will receive the promotion which includes a new title (design director) and a 12.8% increase... i know, i know - i shouldn't be bragging about this, considering the state of our economy right now, but damn - i really worked hard for this and am SO happy! she said basically the same thing and that i deserved it, so yay me! my first goal will be to pay-off my car loan and then i'll be upping my 401(k) and putting more in savings... whooo hoooo... :o)

happy hump day...

p.s. i'm back to being a (lighter) blonde again and have updated my photo... ;o)

6 degrees of separation

so this woman that i had photographed this morning, mellody hobson (for the annual report), is dating none of than george lucas... yes, THAT george lucas from stars wars... i'm a little bit shell-shocked since that's like THE coolest thing ever! i wish i had known beforehand or i could've asked her something about him... not that i would even know what to ask but still (like does he have star wars figures laying around the house)... and if you're wondering if she's this gorgeous in person - the answer is yes... her hair is cut more in a bob now with sweeping bangs, and she had these killer platform heels on that i would break my neck wearing... i hope the next 4 photo sessions go this well because she was perfect... :o)

happy friday... :o)

calm before the storm

thought i would take the opportunity and post before the storm hits here - there will be a lot going on between now and next week... between the board of governor meeting, annual report photo sessions, web postings, and anything else crisis-realted - saying that i will be swamped is an understatement... my boss will also be out of town mon/tues which leaves me to handle everything and anything - i don't mind but when it gets chaotic, that's when i tend to panic and start worrying (natural response)... i will try my best though since that's all i can do...

i had my annual review on tuesday - my boss had given me the written version to review the day before and we didn't even discuss it in person (it was glowing, as usual)... she spoke about my promotion and says that even though it MAY not happen this month (when increases are given), that i'm not to worry because it WILL happen... she also said that if i'm patient, it will work to my benefit in the long-run – what does that mean?! i know she wants to reorganize our small department so maybe it has something to do with that, i don't know... the way she said it though was like, "please don't quit if you're not promoted" so we'll see what happens...

i've been doing more cooking as of late - i made an excellent broccoli soup the other night and as you can see, the recipe requires no cream... and it definitely makes pureeing easier if you have a hand-blender (the kind you submerge in the pot)... it was very tasty and i can see myself making it again because it makes for a great lunch, esp. now since the weather has changed... last night, i attempted to make these turkey & vegetable pies - i made the dough the night before so that made it much easier... i had a lot of filling left over though so i decided to freeze it for another batch later... they were a bit messy to assemble but i can see endless possibilities for filling, so it's worth trying if you're into this sort of thing... tip: brushing them with a bit of egg-wash made them golden brown in the oven... :o)

tonight's plans consist of MAYBE some shoe shopping and then watching the vice-presidential debate... i'm SO looking forward to seeing sarah palin squirm in her seat - who knows what's going to come out of her mouth this time... and whatever happens will most definitely be recreated on SNL - tiny fey does such an awesome job... question: are you going to watch it?

happy thursday...

glad monday is over

as i was going thru my blog-list this morning (since i had some spare time), i came across roni's post about vitalicious vitatops... i've never tried them and have only heard positive things, so i thought i would give them a try... you get 4 of each: deep chocolate, golden corn, triple chocolate chunk, dark chocolate pomegranate, fudgy peanut butter chip, and double chocolate dream... as far as nutritional info goes - i'm not sure how much it varies but the deep chocolate has 100 calories, 1.5g fat, 6g fiber, and 3g protein (1 ww point)... not bad, right? use the code "ronisweigh" for a 10% discount and no, i'm not getting anything from this - i just wanted to pass this along to my blogger-buddies... :o)

work was horrendous yesterday... between what's going on in the market, we are posting things on our website more frequently than ever and because the system we use SUCKS-ASS - it takes twice as long as it should... i'm also still having server-connection issues (because our IT department sucks) so i sent a nice email telling them it's been almost 2 months and they better fix it sooner than later... at one point, i was in tears in my office because i was THAT frustrated and to top things off - i didn't go to the gym and that just made me feel even worse... needless to say - by 6:00 i was ready to go home, so i went back to eric's and hung-out with him til half-time and then went home... and yes, i stayed up to watch the entire steelers/ravens game and i'm glad i did - GO STEELERS! :o)

today will be a better day, that's my mantra for now anyway... :o)

happy tuesday...

weekend update

GO REDKINS! what a great way to end the weekend! eric and i had an awesome trip to the harley-davidson factory in york, pa yesterday - though the weather was crappy, it will still worth the drive... they hold an open-house once a year and open up the factory for tours, and even though you get to walk thru the actual buildings - not much is going on production wise... we did find out though that during the week, you can have a more in-depth tour when things are up and running so we plan on going back... after touring 2 separate factories, we walked thru the small museum, watched a 10-minute movie, sat on some bikes, and then bought a few things in the store... a lot of outdoor activities had been canceled because of the weather (including demo-rides of their new models) so we only walked around briefly before leaving and grabbing lunch at the diner down the street... from there, we stopped by to see my brother - my niece got engaged on friday night so he was all excited... her fiance was supposed to be deployed to iraq next year but he found he isn't, so i guess that's why the wedding is in april... either way, it's great news and i'm very happy for her... :o)

as for today - we had a nice sleep-in and then i headed to the grocery store early to beat the crowds... after that, we ran over to the big thrift store and i found 2 pairs of boots, a pair of pants, a cute wrap dress, and a wig (see below)... eric found a weed eater and this huge contraption on a metal cart labeled the "pralinator"... i guess it's a restaurant-type candy machine and when he looked for it online - he found that it retails for almost $3,000... he only paid $40 - you figure out the math! for the rest of the day - i did some laundry, cleaned the bathroom (including the blinds), made oatmeal raisin cookies, and then watched the game... all in all - it was a great weekend... see below for some pics i took including a shocker that i found on friday night... :o)

my first grey hair, are you kidding me?! :o(



some of the harley-davidson museum...



i always thought having a side-car would be fun...



feeling sexy on the harley V-rod...



i wonder how many cups of coffee this mug would hold...



i bought this wig today for $5 - maybe i should grow-out my hair?



not sure if longer-hair works for eric though... ;o)

TGIF

i swear that the weather has turned chilly rather quick this fall - enough to make me to do the dreaded closet-switch last night... i got rid of a lot of summer things (goodwill and consignment) so i'm filling up less storage containers this time around... as for my winter things - i'm in pretty good shape and got rid of some clothes last spring... i highly recommend doing this every season since there's no sense keeping things you don't wear or no longer fit (tough to accept but it's not worth the hassle!)... next step will be to swap my shoes which is a hassle since 99% of them are under my work desk (i keep them here instead of bringing them back/forth from home)... it's probably time to go thru them as well - ugh, such a chore but it must be done... :-p

how many of you caught the season premier of the office and ER last night? i'm not religious about watching either of them but have to say - that damn ER makes me cry every time! i watched that show and chicago hope religiously when they first came out (early 90s) and considering it's the last season - i may need to add it to my schedule... the only other shows i'm waiting for are that new show with christian slater, CSI (vegas), LOST, and 24... what about you - seen anything you like so far?

time for some new products - look what i found below... :o)

– fiber one toaster pastries are hitting grocery store shelves
– jell-o dark chocolate sugar-free pudding might just crave your sweet tooth
– kellogg's all-bran fiber drink mix will definitely fill you up (10g fiber/serving)
– campbell's V8 soups contain a full serving of veggies and no preservatives (i bought 2 of these last week but haven't tried them yet)
– weight watchers now has smart ones anytime selections that contain less than 300 calories

as for my weekend plans - eric and i will heading to the harley-davidson factory tomorrow (york, pa) for their annual tour... the weather is going to sucks so we won't be taking the bike (i guess we could but who wants to ride 2 hours in the rain) but i'm sure it will fun regardless... hopefully i'll get some cool pictures though cameras aren't allowed in the factory... as for sunday - i was supposed to go to a craft show w/my mom but i'm feeling like i need to cancel... this week has been so busy at work, my evenings have been busy, and now with being away tomorrow - i feel like i need a day to just chill-out... oh, and watch the redskins kick the cowboy's asses... whooooo hoooooo!

have a great weekend... :o)

where the sun don't shine

i went to visit the dermatologist today for my annual mole-check... though she poo-poo'd me for having a tan (i never use anything under SPF 50!) and found a "questionable" mark on my chest (that i need to keep an eye on), everything seemed to look normal... i asked her to remove a mole/growth that had appeared in the last year so the nurse gave me the usual "this will pinch and burn for only a second" schpeal and 5 minutes later - off it came... on my way home, i stopped by the shop to check on eric - he was getting a new back tire put on the bike and for some reason the brakes weren't working... needless to say, i don't think i'll be seeing him for quite some time though i'm very excited about the chili pepper poppers i'm making for dinner (from the garden, thank you very much)... :o)

i'm not sure how many of you are aware of lean cuisines designer lunch bags but they have just come out with this year's designs and talk about cute! not only will you be supporting a worthy cause ($5 from each bag goes towards the susan b. komen for the cure) but you're also getting an adorable, insulated bag that can be used for taking your lunch to work... i usually just throw mine in my totebag but i would love to have something a bit more organized and stylish - problem solved! so order one today or like me, order more than one if you can't make up your mind... they would also make a great birthday or christmas present... :o)

though i haven't had much time to read everyone's blogs, i have come across a few posts that i thought were worth sharing... kathleen (pink bunny foo foo) has been doing the south beach diet and wrote about why it is so important to stick to plan, this time around... and jennette (pasta queen) admits to losing her momentum, gaining some weight, and getting back into the swing of things... if you have some spare time, these posts are a must-read... :o)

so why do i think these posts are worth sharing? for many reasons but mainly because i think it just shows that regardless of who you are, what you've done, where you've been, or how you've handled things - shit will happen... it doesn't mean that you're a bad person, that you've failed, that you given up, or that you just don't care anymore but rather - that you are human... some people will do really well on plan, and some will not... some will lose a bunch of weight and keep it off forever, and some will not... and some will just say, "you know what? i love myself just the way i am"...

personally, i've worked REALLY hard at the last one and think i've done a pretty good job at it - i can look in the mirror (naked) and not cringe, or cry, or throw something at my reflection... i have accepted my hips, thighs, small boobs, and not-so-toned arms because it's who i am and who i'll always be... i'm not going to kid myself (or you) and say that i've been able to maintain my weight since this summer, because that would be a lie... i'm exactly not sure HOW much i've gained but i know it's a bit higher than last time i weighed in, and the number i saw on the scale after my vacation was quite a surprise... are my clothes still fitting? yes, but i don't want to get to the point that they don't... do i feel okay? yes, but i know i need to be more consistent with my exercise... am i eating well? yes, but that all depends on the day and where i am (here or at eric's)... either way - i'm still working thru what i'm doing and trying to stay positive and motivated... just thought you should know... :o)

happy hump day...

i love you, cable guy

ah, it's good to be "connected" again... it only took comcast ONE WEEK to figure out my service had been shut-off for no damn reason... yup, ladies and gentlemen - there was nothing wrong with the cable between the main box and my apartment but rather, the repair guys that weren't working properly... WTF?! regardless, i'm back and i feel normal again (is that wrong?) even though i did have a nice day listening to NPR, which included the food show 'splendid table'... that show always inspires me to cook more and try new things... :o)

speaking of food - i finally have a refrigerator full of healthy stuff... i went to the store last night (after arguing w/the cable company for 3 hours) and stocked-up on stuff that i've been neglecting as of late... and yes, i bought a frozen pizza and called it my "pissed-as-hell" dinner and enjoyed every, single bite... after yard-saling w/my mom this morning, i went to another grocery store and bought more stuff including ingredients for chicken noodle soup... this chilly, evening weather has put me in the mood for soup so that's what i'll be making this week... i will also be making my steel-cut oats and look foward to some warm & tasty breakfasts (thanks to all that responded to my post the other day)... :o)

eric popped by, when the cable guy was here ,and after the guy was done - we went for a motorcycle ride and headed to our favorite biker-bar for wings and onion rings (yes, that was our dinner)... my diet hasn't been the best as of late, so it's time to reign things in and be more conscious of what i'm doing... my clothes are still fitting but i don't want to get to the point where they aren't - know what i mean? friday was the first day i had done any cardio in over a week and it felt great, so i'm looking forward to getting back into things on monday... this weather is perfect for jogging, even though i feel like i've lost all the progress i made, so i'm taking it slow for now...

as for the rest of the weekend - i plan on catching-up on everyone's blogs, watching some mind-numbing tv (cus i can!), and then watching not one but TWO football games tomorrow... go SKINS and go STEELERS! :o)

here are some shots i took today (can you tell i was bored waiting for the cable guy?)... enjoy!

my pantry before (disorganized mess!)...


my pantry after (i can actually see what i have now)...


picked-up some new soup by V8 - can't wait to try it...


got all the ingredients ready for my oatmeal...


crepe paper + cat = fun fun fun

clean as a whistle

hi guys... again, sorry for the lack of posts but between my cable/internet/phone STILL being out and work being crazy, i just haven't had the time... comcast came out on wednesday and proceeded to tell me that the connection between my apartment and the main box was not working - well, doh, thanks for telling me... SO they have to come back out on saturday morning to fix and i hope they do! even though it's been an interesting experience not being "connected", it's been difficult since my cellphone doesn't work that well in my apartment... such is life i guess so wish me luck!

eric's procedure (colonoscopy) is this afternoon so i took the day-off to drive him back and forth... he hasn't had any food since yesterday at 1:30 and had to take these huge horse pills both last night and this morning to "clear things out" in preparation... we were talking last night about where he'd like to have lunch once he's done and he jokingly said, "i want a blommin' onion and steak salad from outback steakhouse"... i hope that's not the case... ;o)

this morning i also ran to IKEA to pick-up a dresser for my niece - luckily, there is one less than 20-minutes from here so got there nice and early... it was nice being able to walk around the store without a huge crowd so i grabbed some large tealights for my bath nights, a new non-stick frying pan, some energy-saving lightbulbs, and new doormats for eric's house... i think i was there/back in about an hour which isn't too shabby... :o)

i'm not sure if i'll be taking the laptop with me today but if not, i should have some time later to catch-up with everyone's blogs... i dread going home tonight since there won't be anything to do but i'm glad that all the good shows don't premier until next week... :o)

happy thursday...

steel cut oats

one of the trainers at work told me about a food co-op in the area - he said it had great, organic food and their coconut ice cream was to die for... even though it was close to 95 degrees and i was still in severe, lower back pain - we went and it was a lot of fun... they had a decent-size bulk-food section and i picked up some whole wheat flour, natural granola, and some steel cut oats... we also picked up some ingredients for homemade pizza so that will be our dinner... :o)

since i've never made steel cut oast and have read tons of postings that say how good they are - how does one prepare them? for those of you that have made them, do you have any suggestions? you can email me with any websites or recipes you may have - i'm excited to try them... :o)

and GO REDKINS! nice job! whoo hooo! :o)

along came a spider

sorry for the lack of posts this week - work was incredibly busy and friday, well, it just kicked my ass to be quite honest... since my boss is on vacation til tuesday - i'm sort of the "go-to" person for everything which means dealing with internal clients, responding to various email requests, helping the other designer with their assignments, as well as juggling my own projects... i feel like i handled everything very well, including a small crisis the president was having, and was very glad when the day was over (even if i stayed late to send yet another work-related email)...

i was NOT glad, however, to still be sore from my workout on wednesday... i seemed to overdo it with my new weight routine and could barely walk (sore quads from various squats, etc.)... even one of the psuedo trainers said, "you better take it easy" and i just laughed... christ, he was right! then yesterday, i think i hurt my back from vacuuming... yes, i said vacuuming... i changed the filter on my bagless upright and it was like trying to push a bulldozer across my carpet (could a new filter really create that much suction?)... now my lowerback is KILLING me and it hurts to get up, lay down, and walk... ugh, i'm not even 40 and my body is just falling apart! thankfully eric has a heating pad so i guess that's what i'll be using for the rest of the day... thank god for lazy days and football... :o(

as for the rest of my weekend - it's been quiet and relaxing here at eric's... we watched "grindhouse" yesterday (not bad) and then decided to take the bike to annapolis for dinner... though i wasn't impressed with the restaurant - it was nice to walking around and look at all the big boats that were docked at the harbor... when we got home, we watched another episode of "long way down" and then stayed up to watch a few skits on SNL... tiny fey did an amazing job as sarah palin - did anyone see it?

the only other exciting thing to happen this weekend was seeing two large spiders, spin their webs on eric's front porch... one must be at least 2 feet in diameter and though the other is not quite as large - it's just as detailed... i tried to get some close-ups though the photos don't do the spiders any justice - they were quite amazing to see and watch... check out their hairy, little legs... :o)