Thursday Thirteen-Before & After

food-turkey

It dawned on me the other day that when I am watching what I eat, and by this I mean, tracking the points and being careful of calories and fats, etc. not only do I lose weight, but I feel better. Here is what convinced me this was true.

  1. I was not careful at all in the month of December.
  2. I gained a total of five pounds during that time.
  3. That was on top of the other weight I gained after my Dad died.
  4. I can tell you that I felt really unwell during that time.
  5. Sluggish stomach and at times a really aching belly.
  6. At one point I thought it was my gallbladder!
  7. At New Years I was determined to get back on track with Weight Watchers.
  8. I started New Years morning, eating healthfully and tracking it all.
  9. I have been struggling, as I wasn’t sure it was working at all.
  10. I think it takes some time for your body to get back in shape.
  11. I went to class on Wednesday January 9th and I have lost two and a half pounds!
  12. I’m still struggling, but it will be a good month until I am feeling comfortable again.
  13. I so want to look like my after picture again!

Nov 17 051 Nov 17 08 one year later

Before I joined Weight Watchers (left) & After I reached my goal a year later. (right)

What I Did This Past Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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Since I got my diagnosis on Friday for my heart, I’m feeling as though a tremendous burden has been lifted off of my shoulders. I know what it is, and it will not inconvenience me or anyone else. It’s just a little uncomfortable and perhaps, since I know what it is, I will forget about it and live flip flop free.

On Saturday I was looking for something to watch on the satellite and I found Leonard Maltin’s  best of “movie reviews” for movies that have gone under the radar. Two were foreign films. So last night Hubby and I watched one!

Headhunters. It is a Norwegian movie and I found I did have to speed read the sub-titles, but it was well worth it!!!

Headhunter

I was on the edge of my seat and could not believe the twists and turns. This is not for the squeamish, but if you like a good mystery movie, this is for you! I watched it on Amazon.com Prime for free.

I was about to take my Christmas tree down, and I heard that Sunday was Armenian Christmas and also the day the Kings arrived to see the baby Jesus. Somehow it just didn’t seem right. So, I did laundry instead

I made steaks and baked potatoes one night, and Buffalo Wings, celery with blue cheese and french fries on the other night. I’ve been counting my points and I am hopeful that Wednesday will be a good weigh in.

I go on Tuesday to see my Retinal Surgeon. I have been having a little problem with my eyes and i hope he can calm me and assure me that all is well.

I desperately need to get my hair shaped. My bangs are in my eyes, the crown of my head is flat and I look like I stuck my finger in a light socket. The woman substituting is wonderful, but I think she worries about cutting my hair.

I am not sure if I mentioned that my good friend and hair stylist is in treatment for cancer. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Well that wraps it up for now. Have a great week!

Good News

I finally got in to see the Cardiologist. What a nice man he is! I have been diagnosed with having PVC’s. This is extra, abnormal heartbeats that begin in one of your heart’s two lower pumping chambers (ventricles). These extra beats disrupt your regular heart rhythm, sometimes causing you to feel a flip-flop or skipped beat in your chest. Premature ventricular contractions are very common – they occur in most people at some point. Many of them occur when you lie down at night. You feel your heart having this extra beat, and then a momentary skip until the heart starts again.

It is a harmless, benign, condition. Aside from this condition, I’m a very healthy 54 year old woman. I was so happy to be given such a happy report.

So this is the final verdict, and I am so relieved!

Thursday Thirteen

Feb 8 tt13

  1. Here we are 2013. A whole new year, with many pages to be written on.
  2. This weekend I will work De-Christmasing the house.
  3. I want to go through all my ornaments and carefully put the ones I like away, and perhaps donate some others.
  4. I really need to lighten my load of ornaments.
  5. I would love to find LED lights for my Christmas window candles. The current bulbs get so hot and when I untwist them at night I burn my fingers!
  6. Hubby wanted me to ski today, but the temperature is supposed to be well below zero (f) and I do not freeze ski.
  7. I also will be seeing a cardiologist tomorrow, and I would hate to get to my appointment exhausted from skiing.
  8. I stopped in at the local grocery store today, to find out they were opening a pharmacy there.
  9. I was interested because our insurance changed for our prescriptions. So I stopped to talk.
  10. Soon they issued me a swag bag full of goodies!
  11. A pill container, a kit for taking on travels. Tissues and the cutest little tote bag!
  12. I’m starting to feel old.
  13. You know this when the bright spot in your day is getting a medical swag bag!

Unbelieveable & Happy

It started yesterday morning (Friday). The dogs went out one by one and returned to the house where they got their nice juicy bones. All was well, but Hubby thought Anneliese had eaten hers too fast, which she did. Normally I don’t worry, but right after that she went down. By that I mean, she lay down and started to act sick.

I started to worry that she had swallowed the rawhide too fast, and so began my day of worry and concern. I watched her like a hawk, hoping she would vomit. By early afternoon she had not vomited, nor had she eaten anything. So, I made her my remedy for ailing dogs. Baby rice cereal, with warm water.

She ate hungrily, and then lay back down. I was worried. About dinner time, I took her outside and she did her business, but then she lay in the snow, and I had to go outside and carry her in.

Okay, I got even more worried. I brought her in, and then got ready to bed. I’d been cuddled up in bed with her for about an hour when she cried, crawled closer and wee-weed on me and the bed!

So, at 11:15 PM I was changing sheets, mattress pads, and blankets. I also got out the crate, put Anneliese’s bed in it, and we were back in bed by 11:45.

The next morning, Liese was still not doing well. I was so worried that she had a blockage that I called the Veterinarian. They told me to bring her right in.

I told Hubby I was going, and he quickly dressed so he could drive us. The roads here are still not the best.

The Vet examined her, and low and behold it had nothing to do with the little bones, but with the fact that she lives with a clumsy German Shepherd, who more than likely stepped on her shoulder.

Anneliese is now on meds to help the inflammation and pain. She is now asleep in her bed, and does seem more comfortable.

Okay, now, while that was going on and once I settled Anneliese, I gathered up the heavy blankets and comforters, from our bed and went to the laundromat. I was feeling tired and just wanted to cry. The Owner of the shop helped me get my stuff in, and then while it washed off I went to get the mail.

That’s when I got a text message from my cousin that my Facebook account had been hacked. Once I got home, I changed my password and locked down my account.

Just then I figured that nothing more could go wrong, and I was putting dishes away and I slammed my finger into a cabinet door and broke the nail right down to the quick! Oh, the pain!

About this time, I thought perhaps I needed to go and hide somewhere! This was just not my day.

Then Mandy called me and told me that Savannah pulled herself up to a standing position for the first time today!! Wow! Seriously. This piece of news just made my day!

Savannah standing

Just look at that big girl!!!

What I Did This Past Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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I worked literally all weekend long, shopping, wrapping and baking. It was crazy. I actually reached maximum burn out today (Sunday) when my feet literally gave out on me. They hurt so much to stand on I just didn’t know what to do. I finished the wrapping sitting down on my bed and I somehow managed to get dinner made before collapsing in my chair.

Now I am sitting, yes, with my feet up and my plan is to grab a nice glass of wine and get to bed early.

For as Scarlett O’Hara said in “Gone With The Wind” ‘Tomorrow is, another day!’

Thoughts From The End Of The Year

The card table was set up in my bedroom. The movie “The Santa Claus” was put on the VHS player. I started, what would take me about 2 hours of non-stop wrapping before I needed to stop and give up for a while. I’d wrapped almost everything, including dogs toys and treats. Tomorrow I probably have another hour of wrapping to do, but will finish that up then.

On Sunday I want to bake loaves of banana bread, and make up baskets of goodies for two of my neighbors. Then on Monday I will make a Rum Cake to bring down to Mandy’s for our celebration there. It’s been forever since I made a Rum Cake, so I am really looking forward to that.

Tomorrow I need to get all my recipes out for our Christmas dinner, so I can make sure I have all the ingredients. We’re having Prime Rib. What are you all making?

The last present I ordered for Savannah arrived today. Can you believe that FedEx delivers on Saturday? I am so excited about it.

I’m also amazed that here we are December 23rd and soon the year will be over and we will start all over again. How did that happen? A year ago I didn’t even know who Savannah was. Now, I’m learning more and more about her every day. And even though she is a mere six months old, it’s like we’ve always known each other.

What I Did This Past Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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I finally got to see Savannah before the snow moved in. What a doll she is! And smart as a whip too! And did I mention incredibly beautiful?

MB & S 12

6 month old Savannah & Grandma!

Home 2a

Then I told Hubby that it was shopping day or else. I knew that snow was on it’s way, and we desperately needed food and a few gifts.

So off we went on a reconnaissance mission. Three hundred dollars later, we had food for us, food for the four dogs, a few Christmas presents and some gas for the car, before heading home.

We got back 15 minutes after the dogs dinnertime, but somehow they survived, and after feeding them, we worked to put it all away.

Sunday is a quiet day as the snow started about 10:30. It’s light snow and so now six hours later, it is measuring only about an inch. I call this pretty snow!

Have a great Monday, Everyone!!!

What I Did This Past Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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The past weekend, Hubby and I spent an inordinate amount of time sleeping, watching mindless old movies, and finishing up the Christmas cards. Hubby was a big help with the annual Christmas letter. I did a rough outline, tossing in a few pictures, and he took the letter and put it together, and got it to make sense! Anyway, it’s done for another year….(thank goodness!)…and now I wait to see who I forgot.

Our colds are getting better. We’re definitely quieter, not coughing or sneezing as much, and my fever is gone.Yay!

I’m hoping to get down to Mandy’s place on Friday so I can see her and Savannah, and we can go and Christmas shop! It’s also getting close to Mandy’s birthday and I really want to take her out for lunch some place nice.

I’ve been writing a new blog which is helping me focus on my weight-loss journey. You can go HERE to The Wednesday Morning Losers site and read what I am writing about. It is geared toward the Weight Watchers plan, but anyone who has ever dieted can relate to what I’m saying.

I think this afternoon I will pull the Christmas tree out of the attic today, along with all the decorating boxes. Then I will work on Monday actually putting up the tree. We use an artificial one, as I’m so allergic to pine trees.

And today is the 6th birthday of Arnie and Anneliese! So here is a little montage of their their time with us! It is so special when you keep puppies from the moment they are born and raise them. I’ve never had a relationship with an animal like this before!

Arnie and Anneliese Birthday from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

My Grandma Honey

I was thinking about all the people that I have crossed paths with over the years. Some people, like my grandparents and Aunt and Uncle, were very special. They taught me so much, and made me feel loved and cared about.

When you’re young, you take for granted that people will always be there. Then sadly, one day you wake up and they are gone.

My Grandma Honey was sort of the one who held the family together. She insisted we all gather at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and the 4th of July.

And we all came. Not because we HAD to, but because we wanted to!

Gram2

Grandma Honey, whose real name was Mary Frances Daniel Prussman, was just a plain nice woman. She loved us all, and although she didn’t say it very ofter, she showed us in so many ways.

Tea time was one of those ways. We all got linen napkins, china tea cups, and usually a few cookies. On a special day, Grandma would a make treat. Cookies, brownies, or lemon squares.

I don’t recall her wearing pants until she was well into her sixties, and then she wore dress up pant suits. The pant suits were a modesty thing. At 65 she had trouble crossing her legs, so it was pant suits to the rescue.

The loved long haired cats, and Boxers, but in later years she opted for mixed mutts. Teddy was a cockapooh, and he was the bane of Papa’s existence! Teddy had terrible allergies and just scratched and scratched and scratched. But since Mary wanted it, he put up with it!

Grandma kept a tight control over her money. Back then telephone calls were very expensive. Grandma kept a 3 minute egg timer next to the phone. She told me once that if you couldn’t say it in 3 minutes then you should write a letter! She did that too.

When I was really young, I would run through the woods to her house and stay there to escape from things at home. Later, I was lucky to live with her and Papa.

She loved to hear me sing, and we loved to sit with our heads together talking. I remember one time I visited her after I got married and we were having tea and talking. She was smiling broadly and I asked what she was smiling about?

“I have missed you talking, and telling me all about your days.” I didn’t realize, but I had missed her too.

It’s been 28 years since she died, and I still miss her, but I like to think of her waiting for me, having a few cookies and sipping her tea.