Ornaments???

Just wondering if there are any of you out there who have certain ornaments that they DO NOT put on the tree, but hang on to them year after year??? I have found myself getting tired of some of my ornaments. This is my oldest daughter Jennifer decorating the tree several years ago. I keep telling myself that I need to "down size" the ornaments. So as I was undressing the tree this year, I made a pile of ornaments that I have that I am not crazy about. There are no special ones in this pile. I figure if I can't remember where the ornament came from, it must not be very special. I think I will donate them to Goodwill. There will surely be some thrifter out ther that would love to have them!!!

A Little of My Christmas Decorating

Pardon my lack of holiday posting. Here are a few shots of some of my Christmas decor. I just didnt' get around to taking many photos this year.
A little grouping on top of my bookcase. The little bear on the far right I made out of a coat of my grandmothers. The rest I purchased.

A view of one corner of my mantle. A couple of firkins that I picked up at an antique mall, then repainted them. Two of my favorite santas.

Part of my collection of paper mache santas. We used to make these for our wholesale line at the shop I work at. Molded with paper mache and using chocolate molds.

Just a few pictures I thought I would share. I would really like to try to do better next year with my posting. But I try not to make any resolutions!

My New Wheels!

Got me a new set of wheels! No gears on this baby. Wide, white-wall tires and a big comfy seat! I'll be riding in style. Well, as soon as the snow disappears!

How Did I Get Here?

I have been doing a lot of soul searching this past year. A lot. Part of my weight loss journey has made me face lots of things about myself. Things that I am not proud of. But, what's past is past, and I shouldn't dwell on it. Here are a few thoughts.

How did I get here? When I go to the Weight Watchers meetings, I hear lots of stories. Most of them are from women who have been heavy their entire life. As a child and then growing into a woman. Not me. I was skinny as a teenager. Tiny. Of course, I didn't see it that way as a teenager. I weighed 115 pounds when I got married.

So when did I get fat? You don't just wake up one day and you are fat. I can't put my finger on exactly when it happened. Clothes get tighter and you just go buy more. Slowly, you don't want to look in the mirror. You don't want your picture taken. You just don't look.

I have cheated myself out of so much the past 28 years. I can say that now. I wish I would have had someone to tell me that then. I look at my scrapbooks. There are pictures of everyone else but me. I mean someone had to take the pictures, right? Fact is, I didn't want to see myself. It might have made me do something about it. But, I have been unfair to my family. Someday, when I am gone, my girls are going to ask why there are no pictures of mom.

So, I don't know when I decided to open my eyes and look. Look at myself and decide it was time to do something. My journey is far from over. I have worked hard for over a year to reach my goal weight. Only to find that it is scary. Really, scarier than losing weight. Everyday is a struggle. I hope I continue to have the strength to keep it off!

My Baby Girl, All Grown Up

So after about six weeks of depressing events, it's time for some celebrating!

My baby girl, Megan, graduated with her degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant on Saturday. Can't believe it. Both my girls grown up and graduated from college.

It seems like yesterday, when we sold our house in Greenfield, Indiana packed up our life and moved to Newburgh, Indiana. Megan was 10 days old when we moved. To say that I love my girls more than life itself would be an understatement. Them, and my pups, are what gets me out of bed everyday!

Congrats to my Doodlebug!

Cross that one off of my list!

Today, I crossed another thing off of my 2010/2011 Bucket List. I made it to my goal weight. I have now lost 71.6 pounds. I have 6 weeks of maintenance and then I will become a Weight Watchers lifetime member. Wish me luck during the holidays!

My Newest Favorite

My newest favorite Christmas decoration that is! My dad used to say this all the time. "When you stop believing in Santa, you get underwear! Christmas was his favorite time of year. Now my dad wasn't the typical dad. No, not at all. He did all the decorating. Inside and out. He did all the shopping, with the exception of what my mom bought to give him as his gifts. He did all the wrapping. Pretty exceptional man, don't you think? Yes, yes he was. So this one is for you Dad!

I Lost A Greyt Friend Today

I am so sad right now. I lost my beloved greyhound, Dixie this morning. To get the whole story, click here.

Tomorrow Is A New Day

Folks, I have fallen of the wagon, so to speak. I have had one hell of a week. I don't know what is wrong with me. I have worked so hard to get this weight off and I have totally blown it this past week. I haven't tracked my eating. I ate probably a dozen fresh baked cookies Sunday. Had pizza, candy, you name it. Now tomorrow I face the scale. I don't want to quit, I am just at a point where I am tired. Tired of watching what I eat. Tired of packing my lunch. Tired of walking. Just plain tired of it all. But I will weigh in and face the scale and start all over again. Tomorrow.

Bucket List

Well, another year is getting close to being done and I find myself looking back at all the "what ifs". So I have decided, I am making a bucket list for 2011. So I will be putting it out there on my side bar as a reminder. I will also be adding to this list as things pop into my pea brain. Things have happened this week that have me a little "pissed off"! So look out, cause when momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

Lose For Good

Weight Watchers is having a challenge right now. They are donating $1.00 for every pound that is lost during the period September 5th - October 23rd and they are asking that you donate a non-perishable item for every pound that you have lost. So over the past several weeks I have been purchasing canned goods to donate. Soooo, since I have lost 64 pounds now, I bought 60 canned goods, 2 pounds of pasta, 1 pound of rice and 1 pound of dried beans. Now I get to carry all that in to the meeting tomorrow. Of course, I should have no problem carrying that in, since I was carrying it on my body, right? Good thing I carpool! I can recruit them to help me!!!

A Little Something I Whipped Up

Sorry the pictures aren't that great, can't quite figure this photography thing out yet. This is my latest Halloween project.

The old black globe came from a church basement sale last year for $1.00. It wasn't on a base, but it did have this metal rod going through the center. I had no idea what I was going to do with it when I purchased it, but it was just too cool to pass up. In the back of my mind I remembered seeing this metal witch silhouette in the attic of the shop where we display Halloween. My boss was generous enough to give it to me since it didn't have the stake. Next I made a little banner that says "Witch Way Dearie?" Used my ink pads to grunge it up a bit. Voila! Don't you love it? I know I do!!!

New Job

Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, my newest employer. I have been looking for a second part time job for a little bit now. My friend Teresa over at Plumwater Cottage has been keeping me updated as to when positions open up at the library. I put my application in several times and it finally paid off. I am an official bookshelver. Shelver of DVD's, CD's, Audio Books and New Release Fiction and Non-Fiction. I must say, I love this job! Show up at my specified time, do my assigned duties, and go home. Nothing like my day job where everything is a crazy, unorganized mess. The library is the place where everything has a specific place. Nice neat rows of books and movies. Aaaah! It still amazes me as to how many books there are in a library. The knowledge that is there is uncomprehendable. Perhaps I will absorb some of this knowledge by just touching the books!

A Couple of Projects FINISHED!

Why does it seem that I have trouble finishing projects? You know, you get something almost done and put it down. Does this sound familiar to anyone? So before you know it, you are in a hurry to clean up your space and you put it in the back of your closet, or other out of the way space.

Here is my Halloween purse. I first posted about here. Crazy, I know. All I had to do was put the button on and hand sew up the lining. While we were on our weekly trip to Michaels and Joann's, I decided I was going to finish it this year and use it!

Found this really cool button made out of horn. Kind of hard to see in the picture.
Something else that has been bothering me forever, this ugly piece of plywood under my cabinets in the kitchen. So, I found some scrapbook paper that looks like crackled paint. Put double stick tape on the back to put it up. Cost was .75 cents. So when I get tired of it, I can just change it again.

These B-O-O letters have been a project in the works for a while too. Painted them black and used scrapbook paper on them too.

Is anyone else out there a procrastinator?

Weight Loss This Week

I have been kind of slacking on posting my weight loss. So, on that note, as of today I am 60 pounds lighter!

Randomness

Is randomness even a word. Oh well, these days I find myself at a loss for words. I started a dog blog thinking that might make me be more creative and have more things to post on this blog. That's not really working either. There is big family drama and I am feeling like I have a huge hole in my heart. I have never dealt well with any kind of confrontation. I was always the peacekeeper of the family. So after 49 (well, almost 49) years of trying to fix everything, I have stepped back. Probably the hardest thing I have ever done. So, here's to randmoness. This picture I snapped several years at a spot that overlooks the river in Rockport. I thought it looked like noses!

New Blog

Since I seem to be posting a lot about my dogs lately, I decided to start a blog about my dogs. My own personal dogs and foster dogs. Maybe I can get creative and start posting about more exciting things here on this blog!

My New Foster

Well friends, I know it has been a while, I apologize. Excited to let you all know that I am getting a new foster dog on Saturday. His name is Show Doggie. His foster family in Florida says he loves his people, cats and ear scritches! His favorite time is meal time, imagine that. Of course, he will fit in just right here! Looking forward to meeting my newest house guest Saturday. Oh yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, this is my 5th black foster. But I will love him just the same!

Business Idea

This past week has me thinking about what I would like to do with myself. I really don't feel appreciated at my current job. I also don't look forward to going to work. So I found this really cool website and it got me thinking. Why couldn't I do this? It's called Lesley's Greyhound Playground. What a wonderful idea. You have people bring they dogs to you at your house! One price for greyhounds and a higher price for other breeds. Last Friday I had 6 dogs here during the day. I have also taken care of greyhounds for adopters who are going out of town. They always ask me, how much? My answer "just make a donation to the group". Who knows if they ever do. Then after several times watching my buddy Bluto, thinking I was doing them a favor, they return him (which he did get a new home last week!). So maybe I need to come up with a pricing schedule and see how it goes! What do you think?

A Little Observation

My sister was hospitalized today with chest pains. She had a heart catheterization and has one artery 50% blocked. They needed something else to measure pressure in this artery to see if she needs a stint. I don't know if it was the meds or not, but she said some pretty "not-so-nice" things to me. So here is the conclusion that I came to today. I may not have always been the best (whatever, mother, sister, daughter) but I was the best that I could be at the time.

Bluto's Gettin' A Home!

Good news everyone! My foster Bluto is getting a home! I absolutely adore this dog and wish I could keep him myself. But with 2 seniors and my heart dog Sadie, I just don't want to strap the budget. But tonight, he is going to his new home (hopefully his last). I will miss you buddy!

P.S. Leaving in the morning for Tennessee to visit with a good friend. I know I will have lots of bloggin' to catch up on when I return.

Heritage Scrapbook

I finished (on Sunday evening) the last 2 pages of my scrapbook just in time to exhibit it in our local county fair (on Monday morning). Just thought I would share with you my very favorite page in the book. This picture is of my grandmother. I did this one all by myself! I love how it turned out.

I went to the fair tonight to find out that I got a blue ribbon and a grand champion on my Heritage Album!

My Dream!

As some of you know, I have been dreaming of moving my storage shed closer to the house. I would love to use it as a studio/getaway. I was inspired recently by My Shabby Streamside Studio.

It is chocked full of stuff. By the time I walk 50 feet to the shed, I usually toss it in and go back to the house.

Something is inhabiting the shed. Any guesses on who left this present for me?

It is about 10 feet by 10 feet and has a really big loft. It is full of wood for woodworking projects. Flower pots, extra dog kennels, the kids rocking chairs. All kinds of stuff.

My friend Teresa of PlumWater Cottage wants to help me move it. Dear husband isn't so inclined to help out right now. Do you think we are crazy?

I'm Still Here Guys!

I know I have been MIA again. I love reading everybody's blogs every morning before I get my day started. I just have been uninspired to post anything lately.

Weight loss is going slow. I hate that part. I did go for my physical a couple of weeks ago and the doc was really impressed. I was even more impressed when I got my blood work results back. Cholesterol is now 163. Last year it was over 240! Bad news, the thyroid is still messed up. My dose had stayed the same for almost 6 months and now we are back to trying to get it regulated. That does mess with your weight too. I have been soo tired, like dragging cement blocks around on your feet tired. She did more blood work to see why that is and so far nothing is giving us a reason. Blood pressure, still the same, and still on the pills. I doubt I will ever get off of them since my mom and her mother both had high blood pressure. Enough of that.

This is what I have been working on lately. My Heritage Scrapbook. I did it several years and was never really happy with the results. So I started over. I am trying to get it done to exhibit at the 4-H Fair. Anyway, enjoy the pictures of my album. I am still trying to figure out how to photograph them. All photos are my family in some way. I made copies of the original photos since I didn't want to alter them.

These photos are baby pictures of my grandfather (lower right corner) and my great-grandfather. I also found this old xerox copy of the page out of a family bible that contains their names. It was in really rough shape, so I grunged it up to make it look even worse!

These photos are of my grandfather and his siblings. The white card is from the funeral of one of his sisters. It is so sad to read, but the artwork is amazing.

This is defintely a staged photo. But I think it is hilarious. I believe the man in the lower right corner to be my relative, my great-great uncle, I think. Enjoy. I will try to post more later.

Veggies!

In between vet appointments today, I did manage to get my veggies planted. Rain was in the forecast, so I had to act quickly. I didn't really want to plant much, but you at least need a few tomato plants, right? So here's what I planted.

Rutgers Tomatoes-9 plants. I figure I will lose a few to the bunnies! Bonniebell Peppers-1 plant. My husband loves stuffed peppers. Cayenne Peppers-1 plant. It has been years since we dried them and used them for chili.

I went out to the shed and found my old reliable granite pot that I used to use for canning. I am excited to get back to some basics this summer. I want to fill up my pantry with pretty jars of canned veggies!

Apology...

My dear bloggin' friends, I must apologize for my lack of posting lately. These days find me in a bit of a funk. My oldest daughter went in for her 2nd ultrasound a week ago Friday and there was no more heartbeat. During her first ultrasound, the heartrate wasn't as fast as the doctor liked, so they scheduled another ultrasound about 10 days later. There was no heartbeat on this day. So she had a D&C the next Tuesday. Things are kind of sad around here these days.

Plus, I didn't realize how long my arms were! I continue to beat myself up about EVERYTHING. I am constantly angry. I can't seem to get anything accomplished. Not to mention, I am seriously lacking motivation these days. I have been visiting my favorite blogs every day. But still no inspiration.

Anyway, I do appreciate my followers. I am not sure which direction my bloggin' will go, but hopefully I will soon find something to motivate me.
I pulled this picture out of the archives. It is a rock formation on the Ohio River down by Rockport. I think it looks like noses.

A Thought for the Day

Getting there is hard-going back is easy. I have been thinking about this for a while now. Gettiing there, meaning my goal weight, is hard. Very hard. I have had to make some serious lifestyle changes and break some very old habits. Going back, meaning back to my old chubby self, would be easy. Very easy. I mean seriously, I could eat like there is no tomorrow. Not give a thought what I put in my mouth. Believe me, I think about this all the time.

But there is NO going back. I don't ever want to be that person again. I realize now that I don't think I really liked myself much. Slowly, but surely, I am starting to like myself again. I can try on clothes now and actually look at myself. WOW! I still don't necessarily like what I see, but at least I will look at myself in the mirror.

I do still see myself as 51.6 pounds heavier. Did I just say that? That's it, 51.6 pounds, my total lost to date. Twenty more to go. I saw a picture of myself that my daughter took of me last week. Is that really me?

This is one of my ex-foster dogs Dave. He got adopted in February. He lived with us for 9 months and I do miss him. It was good to see him again. Someone came up to me and said "have you lost an obscene amount of weight?" Why yes, I guess that's what you could call it! Obscene.

Block of the Month

This year I am participating in a Block of the Month at The Village Mercantile. I wasn't sure how I would feel about only doing one block each month. Normally when I get on a roll, I want to finish something. We meet on the first Saturday of each month and the starting fee was $5.00. Bring your completed block the next month and you get the next month's block free. It is possible to have all twelve blocks done by the end of the year and you only pay $5.00. So far, I have been able to get my block done each month. These are all Civil War Fabrics.

January

February

March

April

and May. I already got my block sewn and ready for the first Saturday in June!

Great Sunflower Project

A fellow homemaker brought us each a packet of Lemon Queen sunflower seeds to our meeting last night. Did you know the Great Sunflower Project is looking for people who are willing to grow the annual sunflower "Lemon Queen"? Once the sunflower is blooming, time how long it takes for five bees total --honey or bumble--to stop by for a visit. The data will be used by scientists to monitor bee populations in different areas of the country. You can find out more information about the project and sign up online at www.greatsunflower.org. So pick up a packet of seeds today!

A Great Weekend

What a weekend! We went back to Greenfield, Indiana for my neice's wedding. We moved to Southern Indiana 22 1/2 years ago when my husband changed jobs. We haven't been back since we moved away. I mean we have visited family in surrounding cities, but not back to Greenfield. My goodness, that town has changed. We took the girls back to show them our first home and the home we last lived in before we moved. We hardly could find our way that town has gotten so big!

Here are the cousins. From left to right: My oldest daughter and the mother of my future grandchild, Jennifer. The bride, my neice, Crystle. My youngest daughter, Megan. Then the baby of the cousins, Sierra. It was great to get to catch up and enjoy the wedding. I said when we took this picture, I wish I had the money that is invested in orthodontics so these girls could have such beautiful smiles!

This week, another pound gone. I put this weight loss ticker on my blog to try to help me remain inspired. At Weight Watchers, when we do celebrations, I always have trouble when they put me on the spot. She asks if people are starting to notice? I guess they are. Even though I have nothing in my closet, because my clothes are too big. I still can't really see it. Why can't I tell that 45 pounds are missing? I just can't visualize myself being thin. What's up with that?

Chicken Taco Soup

I made this yummy soup the other day. It is so good. Even better if you top it with a little shredded cheese and some Baked Tostitos.

Crock Pot Taco Soup





3 Chicken Breasts

1 small onion, diced

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 package dry Ranch dressing mix





1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can vegetarian baked beans

1 can northern beans

1 can corn

Place chicken in bottom of crock pot. Add remaining ingredients, see * below. Don't stir. Cook all day on low temperature. Take the chicken out and shred with 2 forks. Put back in pot, stir and serve.

*When adding all canned ingredients, do not drain. They do however, drain the black beans and kidney beans then fill the can back up with water.

Points value=1 per 1 cup serving.

My Creamer Collection

A couple of years ago, my boss got me interested in these little creamers. I don't know why, but I think they are so cute! At Christmas time I put bottle brush trees in them and put them in my kitchen window. I still have lots of space on my shelf, so now I am always looking for these little babies.

Havin' A Bad Day

Today has been in the toilet. I was tired when I got up and it went downhill from there. I saw a funeral procession today and burst into tears. It has been 2 1/2 years since my dad died. He would be so excited about his first grandbaby becoming a momma. Does it ever get any easier?

Guess What?

I finally did it! 40 pounds gone! When I was bringing this bag of dog food in the house yesterday, I realized that I have been carrying this (plus more) around. I could hardly pick it up. My goodness, no wonder my joints are hurting. So to visualize, here is a picture of a 40 pound bag of dog food.

Rowe Pottery

I finally got this little cabinet repainted and hung back up. This collection was put out by Rowe Pottery several years ago. They made one piece every month and they are replicas of bigger pieces of pottery that they have produced. No kidding, it took me over a year to get this project done. I don't know why I am such a slacker sometimes!

A Good Dog...

Some of you may remember my buddy, Bluto. He used to come to our house for a "sleepover" while his family is away. Well...some of you may know where this is going, he is being returned to the group. It appears his family is just "too busy" for him. I AM SO PISSED RIGHT NOW!!! This poor dog was returned the first time because his owner got diagnosed with breast cancer. The second time, his owner became seriously ill and lost their job. Now the third time, just because they are "too busy"! I really misjudged this family on this one. I mean, they loved this dog, right? I read that e-mail and immediately became physically ill. I shook for about 6 hours. How can this be? So, he will be dropped off here tomorrow evening. This is the most familiar place for him. So hopefully that will make it easier for him. Bluto will be staying with us for a while...climbing down from my soapbox now.

Thrift Store Find

I have been running in and checking out the thrift stores on the way to my mom's house. I hadn't been very lucky until I found this little goodie at the Salvation Army Store. I was thinking I had lost out again, and I found this tucked away on the bottom shelf, almost out of sight. The bargain price, $3.99! Well, at least I thought it was a bargain. It holds recipe books and then the little drawers will be used for some kind of storage. Then, off to Target to purchase the new Hungry Girl cookbook last Tuesday. This is a must have. There are some really good recipes in there!

Oh my goodness, I almost forgot to tell you! I am going to be a grandma. My oldest daughter is expecting. She goes to the doctor the 23rd so I guess more info to follow!

Scamp

While staying at Mom's today, I went through some old pictures. This is a picture of my childhood dog, Scamp. She was my buddy and lived to the ripe old age of 16! Not much else being accomplished but dreaming. I don't get much done watching Mom, but that's okay. We enjoyed the lovely weather this afternoon and I got her to sit outside on the porch with me. She is still very weak, but today I saw some improvement. Today's weight loss was 2 pounds and I am .6 away from my 40 pound mark!

Give Away Time

Hop on over to I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts for a really cool give away. If you have never visited Ryan's blog before, you should. He is quite a talented young man. Man can he sew! So, get on over there and check him out!

Another Week Gone!

OMG! Where did this week go? Mom came home from the hospital on Tuesday. I think it was too soon, but then they didn't ask me. So I am staying with mom while my sister is at work. I am getting a little bored. I took some knitting and other stuff to do, but I haven't really gotten anything accomplished. Totally bummed about this week's weight loss. I actually gained 1.2 pounds. First time since October. Honestly, I don't even know how that happened. Sorry no photo today.

Friday Update

Mom is doing great! She got moved to a regular room this afternoon. The only tube she has connected to her is the drain from her incision. I am totally amazed at her progress. I am totally in awe of how the body can recover from something so major as open heart surgery. I was able to do a little thrift store shopping in between visits. I will try to get pictures tomorrow. This picture is a cute little halloween pillow that I finished up a couple of weeks ago. She is pulling a banner behind her that says "Happy Halloween". On the weight loss front I have lost 38.6 pounds as of Wednesday.

Mom Update

Finally after 12 hours in the OR, mom was moved to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. The doctor said she did great. Her heart was really strong. We got to visit for about 5 minutes. Next visitation, 8:30 a.m. this morning, she looks so much better. Swelling is going down. Now if we can get the breathing tube out, she will be so much more comfortable. Getting ready to go back to hospital. Visiting hours are every 2 hours from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Looks like another long day. But things are definitely looking up!

Waiting at the Hospital

Well friends, I have been awake since 4:00 A.M. We had to be at the hospital for mom's surgery at 5:00 A.M. Wow, it is only 8:30 and I am exhausted. The status board says she is still in pre-op. Man, this is going to be a long day.

I did get a few projects wrapped up this weekend. I was trying to stay busy last night and even got my sewing room cleaned up.

I remembered to take my camera on my walk the other day and snapped this picture of the crocus blooming. Spring is coming!