It’s Not Enough

I’ve been packing my suitcase. It’s the size that I can carry on along with Miss Anneliese. After spending several hours packing and repacking I have decided, it is simply not big enough!

In this day of baggage limits I find that a normal person cannot pack for a trip within the “rules”. I finally got out my packable space bags and put everything in those. Now I have my outfits in them with the hopes that they don’t pop mid-air. Should that occur, I’m totally screwed! Imagine the mess my 15 year old suitcase will be!

Yeah, my suitcase is 15 years old. It is also nothing very special either. One day I was in K-Mart and I saw this suitcase with a nice print on it. It cost me all of $12.99! And it has a handle and wheels, which after 15 years of being brutalized by travel, still work. I love this suitcase and when it finally falls apart, I will be extremely sad.

I also packed Anneliese’s little soft sided carrier. The back has a pocket for her things and I put in her little panties, her pads and some bones and crunchies. Now Arnie sits next to the bag looking longingly at the back pocket!

I took Anneliese to Weight Watchers on Wednesday. I wanted to desensitize her to large, noisy crowds. Well, she did just great! In fact she only barked once, never shook and seemed to enjoy the activity around her. Her little panties were a real hit!

Well, back to packing and organizing. Something I simply am not good at. Oh well, somehow we’ll make it over and hopefully so will my clothes.

This, That & Anneliese

I’ve been sort of quiet today after waking up with a silly old winter cold. You know, the kind that makes you have chills, sneeze a ton and feel all filled up. My answer to this was to stay in my pajamas until 10:30 this morning and then take the day off. I stayed in my chair reading things on the computer, cuddled with various dackels, and playing Scrabble.

I’ve also been watching and checking Anneliese for any sign that she is going into heat. I’m sure she is sick to death of me coming at her with a Kleenex to check her out! So far, nothing!

I have gotten all my documentation put together for Anneliese’s little rendezvous. And once she does go into heat, she must be taken in to our Veterinarian’s for an International Health Exam. They know all about it, and are on standby.

Tomorrow I will start setting aside clothes to pack for myself. I also have to go to the dentist to have a filling replaced.

Don’t even get me started on how much I detest going to the dentist. It’s a childhood thing. I just get completely unglued, even though I like my dentist and he is very gentle.

Fear not, gentle readers, I shall let you all know the moment Anneliese goes into heat. Then the fun begins.

We take Anneliese off to Germany to meet her husband!

Weight Watchers

Today was Weight Watchers. I got up and did my make-up and hair and dressed in some nice clothes. I even put on jewelry. I looked good.
I got there early, because I always weigh in, in my shorts and a tank top, and then re-dress in my warmer clothes. Tami is always there early and we talk.
Then people started coming in and I talked with them. A little time passed and they asked me if I could lead the group because our leader was delayed in traffic. So I got up and welcomed everyone and did the celebrations part of the meeting. I gave out 5 pound weight loss stars, and I even gave out a 10 % key chain! Oh I was so happy. I spoke for half of the meeting and then the regular leader, Suzanne came in and she finished.
After class she spoke to me for a while encouraging me to become a leader. Also several women at the meeting spoke to me and also said I should do this. One woman, she is very nice and recently started the program came over to me today. I had brought with me my before picture and I showed it to her and then she could see the after. She started to cry. I asked her why, and she said that I gave her hope that she too, could do this. I told her to keep my picture and to let it give her strength. She hugged me.

I think I will go to classes and learn to be a leader. It’s something I realize that I really believe in.

Blah…….

I’ve got one of those 24 hour stomach bugs that makes you just feel plain old  blah! I’ve tried to work through it by ignoring it and just doing my usual work, but this darn germ is winning out.

At about 2 o’clock I took my temperature. It was 99.6 (F). Now usually my temperature is 97.5 so this little temperature of 99.6 is a big deal for me.

So I sat down.

I started having chills and then hot flashes. I’ve decided that being menopausal with a fever is a real pain in the neck. I mean, here you are already burning up with a fever, and your cute little menopausal body decides you aren’t hot enough and gives you a “royal flash”!

I’m not feeling too hungry either, but since I like Hubby I made him a nice meal of goulash and mashed potatoes. I think I will probably do something totally exciting, like make myself some cream of wheat and tea.

Hopefully by the morning I will be back on my feet and ready to go to Weight Watchers.

I really dislike feeling this way. Blah is no fun!

12 Plus

The weather man says we got 16 inches, but Hubby swears it’s no more than 12. Walking around today I think perhaps the weather man is a little closer.

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As you can see we have a good three feet of snow sitting in the back yard. Some of it is from the previous storms, but most of it is from yesterday.

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I did finally get Anneliese to pose for me. She’s the cooperative one. You can see how petite she looks next to the snow banks.

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Now here are a few pictures of Hubby as he cleared the path for the dackels. I was shocked to see my picnic table. Now that’s all from this past storm!

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Hubby works hard, but he tells me that it’s good exercise for him. I bet he will be tired tonight.

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This was a small avalanche in front of the green house. Hubby got through it and now the dackels can get to their special place!

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I love this one of Hubby, with my neighbor’s house in the background. Yes, that’s a lot of snow.

I went up to go skiing today, but I must confess that the snow was too much for me. I am an average skier, but I like the conditions to be packed and firm. Today was a powder lovers dream and my personal nightmare.

I kept falling and I got more and more afraid, until I just skied to the bottom, took off my skies and said to hell with it! Hubby wasn’t happy with me, but I have to say, when you feel like I did and you are a simple skier, you are much safer in the lodge!

I came home and took a long hot bath and tried to unwind. I don’t think I am calm yet. There is something terribly scary for me when I fall and end up buried in snow that is as deep as my arm.

I’m trying a new Weight Watchers recipe for Scalloped Potatoes. It smells heavenly. Wouldn’t that be a nice way to end the day, with a nice steak, asparagus and scalloped potatoes?

Saturday

It wasn’t a very productive day today. Besides walking dogs, and cooking meals, I’m not sure I did much else that was useful today.

I think it all sort of caught up to me. I just felt tired.

I did watch a few episodes of “What Not To Wear”, and I decided that their hairdresser sure could use a refresher course on restyling hair.

I watched the news and decided that I was glad I was home in my nice warm house and not standing on some railroad platform waiting……….

I made a batch of black bean soup, only to discover that it wasn’t really a great recipe after all.

I went through my closet and took out the clothes that no longer fit me and set them aside. Some for friends and some for charity.

I stripped the extra fur off the ears of Arnie and Greta, and picked up piles of Fritz fur off the floor. Wow, that dog can shed!

I got the mail and picked up some groceries to finish off the weekend, before doing a big shopping next week.

Wait!

I was pretty productive today, wasn’t I? Well, no wonder I’m tired! I think I need to tell Hubby I need a vacation! All this work and no play makes Maribeth a dull girl!

LOL!!!

Tomorrow I will be doing a post on my new jacket. I will be taking a picture of me in it, and then you can all vote if I should keep it or give it to Mandy. Personally, I love the jacket, but I’m going to let you all decide.

Fantastic Friday

Despite the cold weather, today was a great day. I was able to get a lot of things done, and the last box of ordered clothing from Coldwater Creek arrived. Everything fits wonderfully, but one item, a jacket, that I love, Hubby isn’t so sure of.

He says that he has never seen me in such a wild printed “anything” before. I am finding now that I am slimmer, I want to sort of “push the envelope” and try new things. I’ll give it a go at Weight Watchers next week and if the consensus is a no go, then Mandy is a lucky girl, because it is definitely something she would wear.

Hubby is staying busy with games of Scrabble, and this afternoon we got a nice fire going int he hearth to take the chill off of the family room. It’s so cozy when we have the fire .

I also heard back from a woman in Berlin, Germany about fixing up Anneliese for a “hot date” when she comes into heat. Can you believe I get this excited about mating my dog? Woo-hoo!!!

The best part is that I get to see Uschi!

I also made an interesting recipe. A Weight Watchers Blueberry Buckle. If you’re interested, leave a comment and I’ll send you the recipe. It’s super easy, and delicious!

Have a good weekend!

I’m “Lifetime”

Today at Weight Watchers I got my “Lifetime” card. Basically this means that for the last six weeks I have been able to maintain my weight, and now I enter a new phase of maintaining my weight on a long term basis.

You know a year ago I looked like this:

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But with hard work, and learning a new way to look at food, prepare it and portion it out, I met my goal and now I look like this:

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(Me with my daughter, Mandy)

I’ve set a few new goals for myself. I would like to firm up my body now and get in shape. Unfortunately the old body doesn’t respond at 50 the way it did at 20, but that’s okay. I think I’ll use the same philosophy to get in shape physically, that I did to lose the weight. “One Day At A Time”.

I think that in time I would like to go on and perhaps become a Weight Watchers leader. I would like to be at my goal weight for a little longer, but I think I have a lot I could offer to other people searching to control their weight.

But for tonight I’m enjoying the achievement of reaching “Lifetime” at Weight Watchers!

Time….

Just when I thought that life could not possibly get any more interesting, I found myself living through the last four days. I’m actually thinking that perhaps we should fast forward and get through 2009 quickly before anything else happens! Let me explain.

On Saturday late in the evening Hubby exhibited all the symptoms of a small stroke. It was there for a few minutes and then he seemed fine. Tired, but fine. I forced him to come to bed early and all seemed well.

Sunday he lazed around and rested. I watched him like crazy, but he really seemed just fine. I was determined however, to get him into the doctor’s office as soon as I could.

Monday I woke up to find him out the door going skiing! I wasn’t happy about this, but off he went. He was home by noon, as the conditions were not the best.

Monday night after dinner, we were sitting watching the TV when Hubby exhibited classic symptoms of a stroke, only this time it did not resolve and were more severe. I dressed quickly, got Hubby into his clothes and into the car and raced drove the car down the eight and a half miles to the local hospital.

He was quickly admitted and testing began. CAT scans, blood tests, everything you could think. All the while, I sat and paced, nearly unable to breathe. I felt like a deer standing still in the headlights of a car! Trapped. Fear causing me to be unable to move or make things better.  At midnight they determined that they needed to keep him overnight to continue drug therapy and testing, so I kissed Hubby and left.

I got to my car and sat there, exhausted. I picked up my cell phone and called my friend, Gail and she talked me up the road to my home. I have to say that driving eight and a half miles when you are this exhausted would have been impossible if it hadn’t been for her. Thanks Gail!

I slept for a few hours and then woke with a start! I got up, turned on the coffee and called the hospital to check on Hubby’s condition. All was stable. I called a few people, then I sat and just stared into space. I prayed.

I know I write quite often, joking about Hubby, but this man, this wonderful man that I have been married to for nearly 21 years, is the most important man in my life. He’s my best friend, my husband, and my lover. I simply cannot think about life without him in it!

Today I spent the entire day racing back and forth up and down that same road between our home and the hospital. I sat on Hubby’s bed and held him, raced home, and walked the dogs. Then I was back to the hospital and was trying to learn as much as I could about Hubby’s condition. It was indeed a stroke.

Later in the day I saw a surgeon. I have not felt well since before Christmas and today I learned that I have an ovarian cyst and will need surgery soon to have the ovary and cyst removed. Things like that I can handle, but not stuff happening to my guy.

My sister called late in the day to tell me that my Dad has been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS, formerly known as “preleukemia”). He is quite old and hasn’t been well for a long time, and although I am not surprised by this it still saddens me.

Too much right now, Gentle Readers. It’s all feeling like it is too much. I told Mel that I felt so tired. So very tired.

Then Hubby called and he had gotten the doctor’s to release him. I drove down the same road and picked him up. I loaded him, with his things and drove immediately to a pharmacy. I seemed to be purchasing the entire store, but soon was back in the car, prescriptions in hand, and drove Hubby back home.

We’re sitting here in our pajamas now. Both of us feeling exahusted and weary. Time, dear friends. It can be your friend, filling your life with fun and frivolity, or it can be your enemy, making the time drag by and filling those hours with real unhappiness, tension and illness.

The Office

I bit the bullet, folks.

Today I got a bucket of cleaning water, rags, an extra large garbage bag and steely determination, and entered our office. My goal? To clean out the closet, and to clean the entire room, from top to bottom.

Why? Well, I am thinking quite seriously of turning this room from only an office into an office/den. You see now that both Hubby and I have laptop computers we are very seldom in the office, and I am thinking that at night when I pull a pillow over my head to dampen the sounds of the TV, how great it would be to banish Hubby into the “den” at the other side of the house, so I can fall blissfully, silently to sleep!

With a nose that kept running, and sneezing, Arnie and I set about cleaning the room. First I pulled all the “bad” stuff out of the closet, and then sat down on the floor to go through all of the “clutter”. I cannot believe the stuff I have saved over the years!

I have to mention that it would probably be best to have done this without Arnie. His contribution to the project was smothering me with doggy kisses, and although I love him and appreciated the affection, I didn’t get a lot done during his “helping” time!

I’m not done yet. By all accounts it is going to take me about 2 days to finish the project, especially since I have appointments to keep outside the home.

At least the project has begun. But boy, do I hate dust!

Ah-choo!