Category: Thursday Thirteen

Since I have not done a Thursday Thirteen list in a while, I thought what better way to start the month of November than with a Thursday Thirteen list of things that will be happening this month.

1. Today I need to take Miss Anneliese into the Vets in the morning. Her left eye is badly clouded over. Not with a cataract, but something else. Her eye also appears swollen and I am more than just a little concerned.
2. I finally get my hair done today after waiting a month and a half. It was just one of those things where time slipped by and I kept running out of time. Today I will get my hair dipped in the fountain of youth, and then have a nice shaping. I can hardly wait!
3. I was sitting here typing up my list waiting for my TV show to start. Suddenly the channel changed. I looked up. I changed it back. Continued typing and the channel changed again. Only this time it changed and changed and…..I got up and looked over at a seemingly harmless Jack, asleep in his chair, holding his remote and in his sleep, he was changing the channel. Jack was relieved of his remote control! He woke briefly, and then fell back asleep!
4. Sunday, of course, the clocks fall back. That is my favorite time of year and I wish the time would just stay there all year long.

5. Sunday also finds me going down to see Savannah in the Community Theater play of 101 Dalmations. Savannah loves being in these plays and she always asks to audition. I am so proud of her. She also works hard on her lines and learning all the songs. I am going for both shows, spending the night and then heading home after I get Savi on the bus in the morning.

6. Tuesday I go in for my facial biopsy. It’s a good size area and so they want to biopsy two places. More than likely it is just scar tissue, but I will be glad when the biopsy is over and we know for sure. Jack has an appointment the same day and his is right after mine, with the same doctor for a few places he is having problems with. Yes, we love our Dermatologist!

7. Tuesday is also “This is Us”. My favorite show and I hate to miss an episode. I’m a little unhappy that next week’s episode will be preempted, due to the mid-term elections. Ugh!

8. Wednesday is WW of course and so I always try to block out that time. I really enjoy the meetings and they do help. Plus I get to spend time with my friends. We have a luncheon planned to celebrate my friend’s birthday and mine. We were born eight days apart, the same year, so we are both turning sixty!

9. There are Christmas Bazaars coming up locally and I am looking forward to those. The one at the Catholic Church is amazing and I plan to go to that one.

10. Of course, my birthday will be coming right up, and I have a nice meal out with Jack planned, as well as a shopping spree at Talbots!

11. My daughter, Mandy has also given me a list of things to pack and a time to be at her house the day after my birthday! I do not know what she has planned for my sixtieth Birthday Celebration, but I’m guessing it will be fun!

12. Thanksgiving will be upon us early this year, on November 22 and it looks like it will be just Jack and me, although I am hoping my cousin and her husband will join us. It’s okay, I love to cook Thanksgiving meals, and the leftovers are awesome!

13. Lastly, there is a German Christmas Market the last day of the month and I am really looking forward to going to that with my cousin.

So that’s the month of November and I am sure a few other things will pop up. It’s always a busy month and then boom, December will be upon us and all the wonderful Christmas Craziness!

As you may recall, last week I returned to Weight Watchers to try to get a handle on my weight. I decided to follow the plan to the letter, to write down everything I ate and just see what happened. Here is how my week went.

1. The first thing I did was to sit down and read everything I was given at class, twice! There is so much information and I wasn’t sure I understood it all.
2. After reading everything, I decided that I needed to journal my eating (write everything down so I could keep track of the points accurately!). Since I have purchased both the online and in-person meeting program, I’ve been keeping track of everything online.
3. Then I set about fixing wonderful Zero point salads, and also Zero point meals. I was thinking about how to plan things that I was eating. For instance, I attended Savannah’s party and I knew there would be steak and cupcakes! And I also knew I would want both! So, I ate only Zero point meals until dinner that night. Then I had my steak and my cupcake too!
4. I was in the grocery store and I saw the first bags of California New Potatoes. A particular favorite of mine. Hmmmm. Well, I checked and a 5-ounce potato was 5 points. Okay, I can do that. So with my wonderful Haddock fillet, I had the New Potato and Corn on the Cob, which is also Zero points!
5. It struck me after a few days that I was never feeling hungry. I was eating balanced meals, and snacks too, and never felt like I was deprived. I am eating all the things I enjoy and it was working.
6. I also got a little worried. Could eating this well really produce a weight loss? What if I did everything right and come Wednesday morning, didn’t lose an ounce! Or worse yet, gained weight! Perish the thought!
7. As I got ready on Wednesday morning for class, I didn’t even dare to sip a cup of coffee before weighed in! I just knew that one sip of coffee would put on at least a pound of fluid in my body!
8. I got to class, went to Tami who has been weighing me in since 2008 when I have attended class and has always been rooting for me. I told her that my scale showed a good weight loss, but if I didn’t show the same weight loss at class, that old scale was being thrown out!
9. I stepped on the scale and………Tami said my scale wasn’t going to the dump just yet! I was down 5.2 pounds!!!
10. I cannot tell you how happy I was and How relieved too. But my leader, Pam and my cousin Rikki were both right. They told me that if I worked the program it would work for me! And it had!
11. So, when class began Pam asked if anyone had anything to share, good or bad or helpful? I raised my hand and was all but jumping out of my seat, much like Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies!
12. She called on me, and I started out by recounting my week. I spoke of Zero Point foods and meals, of not feeling hungry. I also spoke of some of the things I ate, like Baby-back ribs, pork chops, the best grilled steak ever, and the California New Potatoes! And how I had lost 5.2 pounds this week! And how good I felt! Many of the people there asked questions, and other people talked about their struggles and their triumphs with the program.
13. It was a great way to re-start my quest for a healthy weight through the Weight Watchers program. I know I will not lose 5 pounds every week, but I do believe that this is an eating plan I can live with lifelong.

 

Since tomorrow I will be skipping the Friday Five, I thought I might skip back and do a Thursday Thirteen. When I first started blogging, I used to do a Thursday Thirteen list each week. Eventually, I ran out of ideas. Let’s face it, I’ve been blogging since 2005 and I think I may very well have made lists for almost every part of my life.

This week, I am going to write a list of thirteen things I have learned are important in life.

1. Always tell the people in your life that you love them. Don’t miss that opportunity.
2. Life is short. Don’t spend it being angry or carrying a grudge. Go forward.
3. Find your joy! Find it and hold onto it and allow yourself to feel it.
4. Remember that your children and grandchildren are the most important people in your life. Spend time reading to them, getting down on the floor and playing with them, laugh with them and when your kids are nearly grown or grown, remember to always listen to them. I saw a quote that said: Hearing is one of the senses, but listening is so important to learn. I’m still working on this!
5. Remember to treat your friends like you would a beloved garden. Nurture them, care for them and never be too busy for them.
6. Believe in something greater than yourself. I believe in God, and my faith has gotten me through some very tough times. My faith also gives me hope for the future.
7. Go someplace. A beach, a field, a mountain top, somewhere and sit in the quiet. Hear the peace around you. I always love to go outside in the middle of a snowstorm and just stand there and listen to the silence. It lowers your blood pressure and trust me, it will put a smile on your face!
8. Listen to music. Not just when you are in your car, but turn on a series of tunes when you are working around the house, doing laundry, etc. Make a playlist of your favorite songs and then…rock-on!
9. Laugh! If you are having trouble finding things to laugh about, put on a good old comedy movie. Quite honestly, having 4 dogs gives me plenty of chuckles each day. That and the fact that I am a big klutz makes me laugh a lot. Laugh at the silly things you do. Don’t take everything to heart!
10. Listen to the voices of your people when they call your name. A few weeks ago I entered my daughter’s home and the children both came running calling out my name…”OMA”! and my heart filled! Likewise when I hear my daughter call me Mom or Jack call me Hun, I smile because I know I am loved.
11. Take a long walk. Through a forest, along the shore, and just breathe. Remember the things that make you love where you are walking.
12. Take your time. Enjoy what you are doing, seeing, feeling, and believing. Don’t rush. Life goes by in a flash.
13. 

The Me Edition!

1. I was Born on November 17th in Massachusetts.

2. I weighed 9 pounds and 1 ounce, and I was 23 inches long. My mother swears that this nearly killed her, as she was barely 5 feet tall!

3. I was my sisters first baby! She was five and a half years old, and she was so happy to have a little sister. Truth be told, I am lucky to have her!

Melodie and her baby, little sister, Maribeth.

4. My appendix ruptured just before my fourth birthday. I wasn’t scared at all. I did not like the Ether, but I did get twice the gifts for my birthday that year! One I remember quite well was “Digger The Dog”. This may explain my love for long dogs! In my life I have almost always had a dog. And at this point, I think I always will.

5. I was the youngest child to perform in our community theaters version of The King and I. What I remember the most is showering after the shows and watching the make-up and the spray in black hair color wash down the drain.

That’s me, the third from the left right out in front.

6. I remember JFK’s assassination because I was home from school with tonsillitis. I was lying on the sofa with my pillow and blanket and Mom was watching her soap operas, when the news came on. Mom was so upset and at 5 years old, I wasn’t really sure what was happening, but I knew it wasn’t good.

7. When I was 8, I won the much coveted role as Gretl in the community theaters version of “The Sound of Music”. I had memorized all the music from the record, and I loved singing it. I recall a large tryout, and then the announcement was made. I was Gretl in the first cast. In fact, after the play debuted, I was even mentioned in the review of the play. Not bad for a little kid.

8. I loved growing up near the beach and spent a lot of time down there. Actually my whole family loved being therre, with the exception of my father, who burned very quickly, so he almost never went with us.

9. My cousin, Janet and I rode our bikes all over Falmouth. When they came down to Falmouth from Billerica, Uncle George always brought their bikes and off we went. One day we rode all the way to the Bourne Bridge and then rode over. Oh my goodness! It was so windy, that I admit to walking the bike back over on the way back! But Janet and I sure had a great time riding everywhere on our bikes!

Me and my much loved cousin and best friend, Janet!

10. I was a pretty good student until I reached High School. I seemed to lose it then, and although I graduated just fine, I wish I could go back and really work hard to get the grades I know I could have gotten!

11. I sort of played the flute. Okay before you ask, how I sort of played the flute, I will tell you. I had a mild case of dyslexia, which made it impossible for me to learn to read music. But I loved music. What happened was, for me a sort of miracle! Once I heard the music once I could either play it on the flute (or sing it in the choir). But to this day, the ability to read music eludes me.

12. I love to cook. Okay, that is no surprise to most of you, but what you may not know, is that way back when I was married to my first husband, I was a terrible cook. I could barely boil water! I once actually made meatloaf and put chunks of hotdog in it! I shudder now, but well, I guess you have to start somewhere. By the time I married Jack, I had a better idea of what I was doing, and no one was forced to eat experimental cooking that involved ground beef and hotdogs!

13. I think being an Oma (grandmother) is the best thing in the entire world! When I learned that Mandy was expecting Savannah I cried with happiness, and each day since Savannah’s arrival has been filled with joy. And then we were so blessed with the arrival of Quinn, and I cannot remember what life was like before them! They bring smiles to me each day of my life. And I know that it just doesn’t get any better than this.

My daughter, Mandy, Matt and their beautiful children, Savannah and Quinn! My loves, my life!

I haven’t done this in a long time, but I thought it would be fun to do a Thursday Thirteen about me, on this, the day before my 59th birthday! So here goes. Thirteen things about me!

1. I was born in Wareham, Massachusetts. Mom said it was a bitter cold day, but nice and sunny. I weighed in at 9 lbs and 1 ounce, and was 23 inches long. Mom swears I nearly killed her.
2. I was blessed to have a brother, Dickie, who was 7 years older and a sister, Melodie, who is 5 and a half years older. When we were really young we did a lot of things together. One time we rented a cart, where two people peddle and the three of us drove all over town. Many of our parents friends were amazed to see us actually wanting to spend time together.
3. When I was 8 years old I played Gretl in the Sound of Music. That was a big time in my life. I learned my lines with my Mom helping me. I found it actually quite easy  as I had a fairly decent memory. I also love to sing and the Sound of Music songs were simply the best. Looking back I think it was this time in the community theater that gave me so much confidence.
4. The first time, I married young, and had two beautiful daughter before I turned 20!  Despite the fact that the marriage didn’t last, at least I can say that we have remained friends.
5. My daughters were the best thing that ever happened to me. Giving birth to them, raising them, and watching them grow, are at the top of my list of all time most fabulous things!
6. Seeing Mandy grow in her life and have her own children, and a successful career also makes me feel very happy for her.  My daughter is the most amazing woman. I am so proud of her!
7. Finding Jack and having a successful second marriage also has brought great happiness and a lot of adventure and love. It also helped me believe that love can find you the second time around,
8. Becoming a grandmother is the best thing ever. I remember holding Savannah for the very first time. Oh the joy that welled up inside me, cannot be described. Looking in to that beautiful little face, It was as if I had known her all of my life. Even now, five years since her birth, I still feel as though Savannah has always been with us. And my love just keeps growing and growing.
9. The same could be said about Quinn. I held him just a couple of hours after he was born and the moment I held him I knew, that he, like Savannah, had captured my heart and each time I see him, my heart grows a little more.
10. You know, that is the thing. Those two little ones, have a place in my heart and soul that I didn’t even know existed! Oh yes, being an Oma, a grandmother, is just the best.
11. I am also blessed with the fact that I am best friends with both my sister, Melodie and cousin, Janet. I have literally known them all my life and cannot recall a time when they were not there. These women love me unconditionally and this is a wonderful thing.
12. I also have met several women that have become sisters by choice. These women are always there for me and I am blessed. You know who you are! I also have made friends with several men who are like brothers. Especially my brother in-law, Ron. I have known him since I was 8 years old and the night of my car accident, he sat with me in ICU. My other “brothers”, also know who they are and I thank you all!
13. I love my dackels! I first saw a wire-haired dachshund when I went to Germany with Jack to meet his dear friends. They had one, named Shubi and it was love at first sight. I knew then that I had to have one and I dreamt of breeding them. I did not know then that I would breed Greta and keep two of her babies. Raising a brother and sister from the same litter has been one of the most interesting and loving parts of my life.

I’m starting to make up lists and recipes for our Thanksgiving. Which is really amusing, as there will just be the two of us. However, I take my job as chef seriously, and so I plan out each and every detail before hand. So far, here is the menu.

1. Turkey. I have a ten pound young turkey for the big day. I’ll use butter to rub it down and then sea salt and pepper to season it.
2. Stuffing. Usually I make a chestnut dressing, but this year I asked Hubby what he wanted and he asked for a sage stuffing like his mom used to make. It’s fairly simple, but delicious.
3. Gravy. I make my own pan gravy. Yum!
4. Yukon Gold mashed potatoes. I love their slightly yellow tinge and sweet flavor. What a great mashing potato!
5. Green beans. They are flash frozen in our freezer from the garden last summer.
6. Butternut squash. I cooked all my squash from the garden, cooked it up and then mashed it, seasoned it with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, and then froze it.
7. Cranberry sauce. I’m not sure if I will make a cranberry/orange relish or just use normal cranberry.
8. A relish tray with olives and pickle relish.
9. Apple cider.
10. Champagne.
11. Homemade apple pie.
12. Classic vanilla ice cream.
13. Alka Seltzer! (lol)

Today was a wild day. We had so many little errands to run, plus Weight Watchers, so we got into the car around noon and hit the road.

1. Hubby’s new glasses were in so that was out first stop.
2. I needed some adjustments with mine, and so far, I think the nice clerk got it right.
3. We stopped for lunch at Pizza Hut. For $5.00 you can eat from both their salad bar and pizza bar. It was yummy!
4. Then we went to one of my favorite shops looking for a few tops for me.
5. Since my weight loss is slower than slow, I need to have some comfortable clothes that fit.
6. I got no where at shop one, so we went to Talbots.
7. They were having big sales!
8. I got three shirts, one sweater and a pair of beautiful black corduroys!
9. Better yet, I got three more discounts and all of these nice clothes were under $100.00! I love a good deal!
10. We drove home, stopping at the Post Office, before getting in and being greeted by the dogs.
11. I had NOTHING planned for dinner!
12. I thawed some hamburger and then thought! What to do, what to do?
13. I made an American Chop Suey, spicy and nice. We both enjoyed it.

Thirteen things I did today!

1. I went back to Weight Watchers. Don’t ask, don’t tell right now.
2. I went shopping for doggy biscuits and found the little ones the beasts love.
3. Talked to my sister a few times as we both were missing Mom and our talks with her.
4. After a discussion about what to do with Mom’s china, we came up with the best idea.
5. Her china pattern has a soft pink rose in the center of the plate. It’s a gorgeous pattern.
6. The dishes will go to Savannah Rose when she gets married. I’ll hold on to them until then.
7. I had a ton of tomatoes from our garden and since I have already made spaghetti sauce (a ton) I decided to make chili.
8. I made eleven meals worth! It’s now in the deep freeze for the winter.
9. Despite the fact that we have no oven, we had meatloaf for dinner.
10. It was a mini meatloaf that I cooked in the toaster-oven.
11. Hubby has been picking fruit left and right. Plums and peaches and the first apples of the season!
12. Looks like I will get my hearts desire and have a cookout this weekend.
13. Just simple cookout fare. Hamburgers, hot-dogs and chicken. Cooked on the grill and served up with salads and my very own pickles!