2011 weight loss recap

How cool is this?  Instead of a ball drop for New Years Eve in Detroit - there's a "D" drop!  By the way - I found a new blog to follow... MichiganLifestyles.  Just tossing that out there, since that blog is where I found the picture!

Moving right along!

This is a sad, sad, eye-opening post.  However, I choose to focus on the positives. 

A.  Both my weight & inches are less than when I re-started WW back in March. 
B.  I know when the times finally comes - I should be able to maintain easily!

OK, so there isn't a really long list of positives, but there are some!

In a nutshell....since March I've lost a whopping 5.4 lbs. and a total of 5.5 inches.

Wooo. 

Hold your applause.

Sheesh.

2012 is going to be better.  A happier year. 

I am currently charging my iPod, so I can start listening to my hypnosis CDs again to hopefully find my focus and get somewhat closer to a healthy weight / BMI.  The main issue I have with these are that when I relax like they want me to, I tend to doze off so I don't know if what I'm hearing is actually working.  Heck, I'm not even sure of WHAT I'm hearing!

I'm going to get back on the FlyLady bandwagon and get my house in order.  If I'm tired of living in this mass of clutter, I'm sure Randy & Angel are, too!

I'm going to really watch unnecessary spending this year.  Randy is very concerned with his job.  I could really go on a detailed rant about the ignorant assholes in charge at that place, but that will just piss me off.  So let's just pray the worst won't happen like it has to so many people here in the Detroit area.
 
I hope that everyone will have a safe and wonderful celebration tonight and an equally great 2012!

See ya next year!!

SQUEEE!

First order of business - I have been horribly remiss in saying anything about my weigh ins.  I have actually been going to the meetings!  I'd rather missed going.  There's just something about my leader, Carol, that is highly entertaining.   She follows the topics according to the WW website, but her mannerisms & how she talks is just different.   I also like that since they changed up the program again, they give us the paper trackers with a 7 day sample meal plan.  YAY!  I was in such a food rut I was getting discouraged again.

Last week I was down 1.8 lbs, which made me very happy!  This week I'm almost afraid to get on the scale.  I didn't overeat at all on Christmas Eve - but also I didn't even make an attempt to make good choices.  And Christmas Day??   Cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  Leftover Chinese food for lunch.  Dinner at Zehnder's.  Oh my.  Dinner at Zehnder's....  Little crisp toast rounds with chicken liver pate (no one else ate any of that - so more for me!!) Chicken noodle soup.  Coleslaw.  Mashed squash that tasted way too good to NOT have butter in it.  Mashed potatoes.  Stuffing.  Chicken gravy.  Fried Chicken.  And ice cream for dessert.   I was full, but not to the point of pain - unlike poor Randy!  He had to unbutton his shirt for the hour drive home.

And some good news - The lovely Miss Munchberry at I'm just PUFFY nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award!  I feel so honored to receive this from someone who is so open and real in her writing and always very entertaining.  Gosh - I feel like I have high standards to maintain.....UGH!  THE PRESSURE !!!!

OK, I'm good now.

So I'm supposed to choose 15 bloggers to pass this on to, but I'm going to follow Munchberry's lead and roll dice.  FlabbyMcGee  please step forward!!  Flabby is another who has the brass to post *real* pics of herself and tells things how they are, but also is able to maintain her humor and sarcasm thru the good times & bad.

Now....7 things about me. 
1.  I have recently discovered a nutcracker addiction.  I mean literally. You know, these guys?  Yeah.

I am sort of glad Christmas is over, since I will be less likely to find them in stores & add to my army.  BTW - I started out with 5 this fall.  I now have 16.  Is there Nutcrackers Anonymous?? 

OK, this is harder than I thought!

2. I am friends with both of my ex-husbands on Facebook.  I know.  Odd.  #1 isn't on there very often and #2 is my daughter's sperm donor, so I feel obligated to be his friend.  He hasn't actually seen her since March 2000 (his choice - not mine, but no complaints!) and this gives him an opportunity to actually see what he's been missing out on, because he finally realized he is an ass.

3.  I LOVE peanut butter.  I can eat it off the spoon and even mix it in my morning oatmeal. I used to only get the reduced fat Jif.....until I mentioned to a co-worker that I was making those PB cookies with Kisses in them for Christmas.  She recommended getting the cheapest PB I could find, since Jif was too creamy.  So I grabbed a jar of Velvet.  Of course as soon as I got home, I had to try it.  OMG.  It was like heaven on a spoon.  I looked closer at this treasure.  4 lonely ingredients - all of which I could pronounce.  A smidge more fat than Jif, but fewer carbs, more protein & more fiber.  AND is made in Michigan.  And has the same Points+ as Jif.   Soooooo - goodbye Jif!

 <3 Om nom nom nom <3!!

4. I really don't know what to think of Chobani Greek Yogurt.  The texture reminds me of drywall compound.  The fruit kinds are OK.

5.  Oh crap.  I'm going to cheat.  Look about at the tab - 123 things about me - that should more than fulfill the requirements!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! 

Friend Makin' Monday - how we celebrate Christmas...

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Do you celebrate Christmas and/or Hanukkah? If so, tell us about your Holidays 2011 experience…Did you enjoy it?  Do you wish it had been different? 

I really enjoyed Christmas this year, even if I had a hard time getting into the Spirit. 

This was a stay-home year for us.  Since my family is here in Michigan and Randy's is in Arkansas, we have been alternating years between here & there.  We spent Christmas eve at my sister Laurie's house.  We just had snacky stuff like white chicken chili & shrimp cocktail & veggie pizza for dinner.  Plus desserts.  And wine.  I only had one glass this time - mainly because Laurie was emptying out her cabinets & her selection of wine consists of whatever they let her bring home after working an event at a country club.  Meh.  

Christmas Day.  I woke up, took the dog out & started the coffee while Angel & Randy were both still sleeping.  Angel wanted to wake up on her own, so I settled in on the couch with my book until she got up - before 9 which is really early for her!  Then I sent her in with a cup of coffee to get Randy. 

 We got snow on Christmas Eve morning!

But then it melted.

 My Nativity Scene

(OK, maybe not the hockey moose)

 Detroit Red Wings ornament tree.

 The Kitty Nativity.

 Jack patiently waiting to open presents.

He is so funny on Christmas morning! 

He kept looking back & forth between me & the tree!

 Maggie looking slightly stoned with her catnip toy.

 This is what a half-pound Reese's Cup looks like.

 My sister Linda gave me the Ken ornament, so he's hanging out with the girls on the tree.

 Chester getting happy with his catnip toy.

I really enjoyed this Christmas, since in the past we'd always have to rush over to Mom & Dad's to spend the day over there. This time we got to relax & play with our new stuff. Randy got me a laptop like I asked for - SQUEEEEE!! And we got handheld Garmins to go geocaching with. Angel got her sparkly black boots, 2 full sets of books, a huge pair of granny panties (LOL!) and all sorts of stuff to make her happy. Randy got his scanner antenna and anemometer for his weather station. Plus the requisite clothes, socks & underwear. As a family gift, we got Wii Pictionary & the drawing board.

Last evening we went to Zehnder's in Frankenmuth for dinner.  This restaurant is well-known around here for their amazing chicken dinners.  Frankenmuth is a quaint little German town with the World's Largest Christmas Store, Bronner's.

Angel's getting too tall!

Bronner's was closed, but their parking lot is always decorated a tons of Christmas stuff & nativities all year round.  So Angel & I had to get out to play.

Overall, it was a nice day, but on the same token....I'm glad its over.  My house has been insanely cluttered because I have no place to put anything.  And I was also a dork and didn't take any time off work, so as soon as I get home tonight I plan to start taking stuff down.  The tree can stay up thru New Year's but everything else is slowly going back into the garage!

Christmas Traditions

I found this on Regan's blog while particiapting in Friend Makin' Monday and had to do it - I love questionairres!

Christmas Traditions

1. Eggnog or Hot Chocolate?  Eggnog!  I love it both with or without rum!  But I'm not opposed to hot chocolate, either.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or leave them under the tree?   He has his elves wrap the presents.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?  Colors!!!  We have LEDs on the tree for the first time this year, and altho it looks cool, I miss the chaser lights.  Outside we have a strand of big old-school C-9 lights across the eaves, a trio of spiral trees and a collection of blowmolds.  

4. Do you hang mistletoe?  No - no particular reason - just don't.

5. When do you hang your decorations up?  Normally the weekend after Thanksgiving, but this year I ruptured a tendon in my calf the day before Thanksgiving and hubby was in Arkansas.   So that messed up my whole season!!!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (besides dessert)? We don't really do a big Christmas dinner.  Snacks on C-mas Eve at one of my sister's houses.  So probably fresh shrimp cocktail.   Or sister Linda's white chili. 

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?  Nothing off the top of my head stands out - just spending time with family.

8. What is on your Christmas wish list?  a laptop and maybe.....a Red Wing's Octopus pillowpet!

9. Do you open any gifts on Christmas Eve?   Maybe 1.  I usually give my daughter her new pajamas to open, but everything else is the day of.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?  Like a crazy person!  LOL!  I like "unique" items so we have ornaments ranging from Red Wing's hockey sticks to Tim Horton's coffee mugs to monster trucks to peacocks to stingrays wearing Santa hats. 

11. Snow. Love it or dread it?   I could take it or leave it.  I do love watching it come down and when I'm out shovelling (no love there!) I like to stop and listen to it fall.  I'm OK with driving in it - it's everyone else on the road that ticks me off!

12. Real tree of fake tree?   Fake.  our living room is so small that we leave off branches in the back lower layers so we can push it closer to the wall.   The only downside to this is that the tree looks a bit sparce.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?  This may not be my favorite, but it stands out the most...my sister & I have regifted the same Chia Pet for at least 15 years now.  Crap - it's my year to get it!

14. What is the most important thing about Christmas for you?  Just spend time with family, even if they do make me crazy.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?  Hmm, that requires thought.

16. What is your favorite tradition?  We discovered this awesome little diner in downtown Rochester, so we go have dinner there and then walk up & down Main Street.

 

17. What tops your tree?  An angel wearing a Razorback dress.

18. Do you prefer giving or receiving?  both.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?  My favorite funny song is Montgomery Gentry's Merry Christmas from the Family.  Skip Ewing's Christmas Carol never fails to make me cry. 

20. Candy Canes, yuck or yum?  I'm not crazy about the traditional peppermint ones, but I go nuts over the chocolate mint ones!

21. Favorite Christmas Movie?  I don't watch a whole lot of movies.  Probably Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

22. What do you leave for Santa?  Cookies & a Mexican Coke.

23. Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?  All our old traditions changed since Dad passed away in 2009.  We used to get up & open presents at our house, them meet over at Mom & Dad's for more gifts and then pancakes for breakfast.  then we'd just hand out all day & visit until the ham dinner with all the fixin's.  Now, every other year we have been going to Arkansas to spend with Randy's mom.   

24. Do you prefer to shop online or at the mall?  I avoid the mall the rest of the year, so there's no way I'm going at Christmas time!   So mainly regular stores & online.

25. Christmas letter, or Christmas card?  Cards.

Friend Makin' Monday - Have you ever....?

 

FMM: Have You Ever?

1. …traveled outside of your home country?  yes.  While I was in the Navy, I travelled to Hong Kong (very neat place - at least it was when it was British), Singapore (also very cool), Jebal Ali in the Persian Gulf several times,  Bahrain and of course - Canada (I live less than 40 miles from 2 different border crossings!)  edit: I can't believe I forgot I got engaged in Cozumel, Mexico!  Also stopped in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, the Bahamas, Grand Cayman.

2. …performed on stage in front of at least 1,000 people? No - but almost!  Here's the story.

3. …watched an episode of Jersey Shore?  I'd rather watch grass grow or paint dry.

4. …baked a cake from scratch?   A box is 'scratch', right?

5. …worked in a grocery store?  Nope, but I did work at a hardware store in high school!

6. …dated someone who was your best friend first?  That's a good idea.  But no.

7. …made a difference in someone’s life during Christmas?  I think so.  We've adopted a family at work and I made sure to get things for their girls that I knew my daughter would love. And I always make sure to put $ in the Salvation Army kettles.

8. …been on TV?  Yes.  I was crossing the street in the background of a news clip, but I was there!

9. …had cosmetic surgery? Nope.

10. …learned a second language? If so, what else do you speak?  Fluent Redneck & Sacrasm.

Happy Monday friends…

I'm better!

just a quick note to say that I'm over my snit and I'm back to being my normally happy self.  Yay!  I'll post later when I have relevant info to share.

If you want - click  Here  and see my videos of the JV dance team competition from last Saturday. 

Happy Monday!

WI & waxing poetical.

Just as I suspected - weigh in sucked last night.  I was up a good 3 lbs.  I guess that's not as bad as it could have been - seeing as how I have a serious case of the Hum-Bugs  Either that or my give-a-damn is truly busted.

So yeah - I've been crabby.  Allow me to vent for a moment.  We have entirely too much stuff for how small our house is.  There's no place to put anything away, so clutter is EVERYWHERE!  I get no help from anyone.  I cannot believe that I am the only person to generate dirty dishes / dirty clothes / trash.  However, unless I load the dishwasher / load the washer & dryer / take out the trash - it won't get done.   My greatest hope would be for someone else to take it upon themselves to fold clothes!  I would swoon!!  And then maybe we could actually SIT upon the loveseat!  Right now it's heaped full.   Maggie the cat likes it, but she's the only one.

Let's start with Miss Princess Angela.  I love her dearly, but I really don't know why she's such a damn freakin' airhead.  I could go on all day about the stupid stuff she does.  I asked her one day to get all the trash out of her room.  Seems fairly simple.  However, I mistakenly assumed that she would know that meant both the floor and her trash can and didn't specify both areas.  So her can is - still - overflowing.  I asked her yesterday to unload the dishwasher & scoop the litter boxes.  5 minutes. 10 if she was very thorough. Not too tough a chore - but she acted like I wanted her to scrub the entire house with her toothbrush or something.  Speaking of toothbrush - I don't think I should have to tell a 14 year old to get in the shower after she's been to 3 or so hours of dance classes.  Or brush her teeth every day  (I know she goes to school with dragon breath because I leave before her in the morning) or wash her face.  Or feed the cats.  She makes me crazy.  Oooh and her schoolwork.  TURN IN HOMEWORK!!!!  That is not a surprise that you should have to do such a thing.  It's only been happening daily since what? Kindergarten???

And I understand that Randy has a lot of stress at work, dealing with company assholes, deadlines & such.  But he's still perfectly capable of helping me out some.  He comes home, changes clothes & either vegs on the bed or gets on the computer until dinner is ready.  Then he's right back to it.  I know his philosophy is that sometimes the best way to help is just to stay out of the way.  But if I'm doing something in the kitchen - there's that pile of laundry in the living room!  And a really nice TV! 

Then, let's throw 3 critters underfoot.  And I mean totally in the way - underfoot.

I'm totally not in the Christmas Spirit.  I barely have the tree decorated.  And boxes are still everywhere. And I sure as hell don't want to deal with cards! 

I have to waste my entire day tomorrow taking Angel to competition with the school dance team.  Drive for a good hour.  Sit on hard aluminum bleachers for 6 or 7 hours.  Drive home for another hour.  Yay.  Someone kill me now!
 
OK.  I'm done.  Now I must speak about 2 things that really make me happy right now.  I will warn you - this may sound odd.

A).  I really like my chair at work.  I'm not even sure where this chair came from - it's not new.  But it was at my desk when I came in Monday morning and it's just Aaaaaah!  I think about how it hugs me so nicely when I lean back in it.  I'm afraid if someone tries to take it from me - they will get hurt.  My flat, squeaky old chair is against the wall behind me - and it can stay there!

B).  Maple Sausage Pancake Rollers from 7-Eleven.  OMG.  Talk about convenience store heaven!!!   I want to hug the person who thought this up.   The sausage is slightly smaller than a regular hot dog.  Not greasy in the slightest and good meaty texture.  And it's wrapped in a not-too-thick & not-too-thin blanket of pancakey goodness.  I don't know if the sausage or the pancake itself has the maple flavor, but it was a perfect balance of flavors exploding in my mouth.  I had stopped on my way into work and almost had to pull off the road.  One or more moans may have come from me.  Glad I was alone & it was still dark out!  

I looked up the stats on it and at 8 P+, it wasn't as bad as I expected.  But also not good by any stretch of the imagination, either.  I'm glad I controlled myself and only gotten one to try.  But it was SO good and for only $1....I could have easily stuffed myself with 2 or 3.

Now I need to convince myself that they do not exist at the store that is located at the corner near my house and also just down the road from my work!

A day which will live in infamy....

I was just reading this awesome article about how survivors of the Pearl Harbor attacks are afraid once they're all gone - they & the events of that day will be forgotten.

Wow.  Just wow.  I can't even begin to imagine the horrors they saw that day.  I was in the Navy from 1992 - 2000 - the time of long-range missiles and surface-to-air weaponry that these gentlemen didn't have.  Can you imagine the feeling of panic of hearing those planes and trying to find someplace safe to hide?  I can't.  And then the carnage afterward?  Insane!

The oldest ship I was on was built in the mid 60s (USS Canopus AS-34) and although I thought it was a small boat, it was a LOT bigger than the ones from 1941.   If I would have stayed in the Navy, my next command would have been a destroyer in Pearl Harbor.   I did have the honor of visiting the Arizona Memorial both when I was a freshman in high school and again in 1995 when I was on my way back to Alameda after a 6 month deployment to the Western Pacific.  I sure did not appreciate what I was seeing when I was a kid.  As an adult, even though there was a group of us ferried out to the memorial...it seemed very quiet and cool inside and seeing the oil sheen still on the water's surface was the eeriest thing I'd ever seen.   It honestly felt like you were stepping back in time.

USS Arizona BB39 Memorial

I know I will not forget.  These people deserve to be remembered.

Friend Makin' Monday - I am...

Happy Monday!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: http://www.alltheweigh.com/2011/11/friend-makin-mondays-dating/www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: I am…

1. I am good at…being creative and making stuff.
2. I am happy when…I'm with my family and / or pets
3. I am working on...getting the house cleaned & decorated for Christmas
4. I am interested in…lots of stuff!  New experiences, food, travelling, etc.
5. I am always...looking for ideas.
6. I am enjoying…life !!!
7. I am in…paper shuffling hell right now - aka at work!
8. I am reading…All the Sweet Tomorrow's by Betrice Small (for the umpteenth time!) once I finish I'm going to start reading my daughter's copies of the entire Twilight series.
9. I am concerned about...coming up with good ideas for the 13 days of Creepmas on my Maple Grove Cemetery blog.
10. I am looking forward to...watching my daughter at her first competition with the school JV dance team this weekend.

Now it’s your turn! 

Oh my!

I've been SO missing in action!  I haven't been to weigh in for 2 weeks.  Last week was Thanksgiving & this past week, the girl was dancing with the school team at the township tree lighting ceremony.

They were so cute with the black sparkly Santa hats!

I was a bit disappointed with whatever moron scheduled that - why would you have the choir & orchestra out playing carols, bring the township officials out to yammer.  Bring Santa out, give him a key to the township, flip on the lights on the "official" tree - then tell everyone to stick around for another 30 minutes to watch the dance team???  How totally unfair!!!  I commented on the township FaceBook page & the township clerk replied that she noticed that, too & was going to bring it up to the planning committee next year.  Good!

Anyway.  Next week on the scale is going to be horribly scary.   I got a boo-boo during dress rehearsal for the Detroit Lions half-time show the day before Thanksgiving.   After the first run thru of the entire production with Nickelback and FoxSports - they decided that they wanted us - the Mosh Pit - to run to the stage instead of walk calmly.  So we (there were probably 30 of us in our group) heard our cue & took off running.  I felt something pop on the back of my calf & thought someone had kicked me.  It really freakin' hurt & as I was trying to clap & dance right next to the stage (right in front of the one guitarist!!!)  I kept looking down at my leg, since it felt like something was running down it.  Anyway, I was basically useless the rest of the night.  I could hardly walk, let alone run out there.  Thursday I got up early because my sister Linda was coming by to pick up my contributions to Thanksgiving dinner at sister Laurie's house.  I was almost in tears because my leg hurt so bad.

Anyway, I toughed it out.  I was concerned but didn't think it was bad enough to go to the ER.  I hobbled all weekend & even passed on horseback riding!  Saturday when Angel & I got home - I went to go shower & realized my calf & ankle were all swollen & there was some nasty bruising around my ankle.  Randy was still in Arkansas, so Angel texted Laurie & tattled on me!   I was ordered to bed with a pile of pillows & a bag of frozen veggies.

I went to the doctor Monday & had it checked out.  Ya know - hearing the doctor look and say "Oh, my!" doesn't really give you a lot of hope!  When she suspected it was a torn muscle and was concerned for my Achilles tendon, & Tuesday I went for an ultrasound.  I found out I ruptured my plantaris tendon.  It is a common injury among tennis players, due to starting & stopping suddenly.  In my case, it was from taking off running.  So anyway, it's been  painful & colorful.  I can't take a long stride, so I've been limping - which puts more effort on my bad left knee!  Doc said to treat it symptomatically.  Otherwise - suck it up & deal!   I'm really looking forward to being able to wear shoes other than my winter boots or my ballet flats - since I can't wear socks other than the peeky-boo ones.

 Cankle!!!

At least my gingerbread goalie ornament is cute!!

Soooo, I haven't been trying in the slightest to stay on plan.  I did see an email that the WW plan is changing like tomorrow, so I'm going to read up on it and make sure I stay for the meeting next week.  I've been entirely too lax in skipping them.

Sigh.  It really sucks getting old.  Terina from the studio (whose idea it was to be in the Mosh Pit) really felt bad and keeps asking how its going.  She said next year she's going to offer a conditioning class for us before we go!  LOL!

Fire Up for Fall - the Finale (late!)

Crazy busy this week - so this will be quick.  I'm at work since I won't have time to do it at home!

I probably mentioned that the girl is dancing at the Detroit Lions half-time show at the Thanksgiving day game with Nickleback.  Anyway.  as soon as I get home, I have tot turn right around and take her to Ford Field to practice.  It was like that last night (which included a non-scenic drive home, because I made a wrong turn and we ended up driving thru a really, really bad part of Detroit - with 2 teenage girls in the car - to get home!!) will be like that tonight and will be even longer for dress rehearsal tomorrow. 

OK, in a nutshell - Lousy.   This has been the craziest fall of my entire life! 

Loss on the scale?  hit or miss.  a couple small losses and a huge gain and another decent loss.

Get out the Wii?  Well, I did get it out one day.  And luckily the snnoying little Wii person was more ga-ga about it being my 300th day than the fact it had been 30+ days since I'd been on it!

Get out walking?  Some, but not as much as I wanted.

Cider & donuts?  Once we got past Halloween - awesome! 

New recipe?  Sadly, none at all. 

Well, at least I pretty much maintained & not gained!

Here is my positive pic. 

This is the majority of the girls from our studio at Ford Field last night. 

Angel is the blonde right in the middle, leaning forward.

This is a close up of the shirts they're wearing.

And then I forgot!

Yeah, I forgot to post about my weigh in.  It's been crazy for a while & next week will be again!

Thursday was just crazy.  My last post explained that one.  Friday morning, Randy finally got on the road for Arkansas.  The girl & I didn't do a whole lot.  We watched a movie & vegged.  Saturday I went to another craft show with Mom & the sisters.  Then as soon as I got home, I had to get Angel from dance and then meet at the high school to help carpool the JV dance team to another school to watch the Varsity team compete and also get a peek at the teams they'll be competing against.  That was pretty interesting.  But it was pretty late when we got home.  Today we went to see Breaking Dawn and then to get an oil change in the car and to go grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, since I won't have time the rest of the week!

I made the mistake of signing up with the girl to be part of the Detroit Lions Half-Time show on Thanksgiving.  I call it a mistake because we have to be there both Monday & Tuesday from 5-9 PM for rehearsal and then 3-9 for dress rehearsal on Wednesday!   I literally will get home from work, change, grab the cooler & have to leave again.  It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to Ford Field from my house.  She, along with probably 10 other girls from their studio and 100 or so kids from other studios will be dancing on the field while Nickleback does their thing.

I will be in "the Mosh Pit" with an unknown number of other adults. It's not going to be the head-banging, body-slamming, crowd-surfing chaotic mess that those words bring to mind.....2 years ago at the Thanksgiving Motown Tribute it was located in one section of the bleachers behind a small stage, so when the TV cameras zoomed in on the stage, you can see the people in the Pit doing the same hand motions as the kids on the field.  It looked quite awesome.

So anyway, on Thanksgiving Day, my sister Linda is coming by early to get pick up my contributions to the feast to take to sister Laurie's house where we will probably stay until Saturday morning or so.  We have to pile on buses and leave Ford Field as soon as the half-time show is over, so we probably won't even get to Laurie's until 4ish or so.  I guess that's good that it will cut down on the snacking!

So yeah.  I still have Halloween gels things on my windows and a pile of laundry to fold, but it's all going to have to wait!

So anyway, I lost 2.4 lbs of the 3 I gained last week.  Yay!  That is a step in the right direction!  And everyone loved my little quilted pocket guide cover!  I really need to get back to staying for the meetings.  It just is so convenient to pick the girl up from ballet and go straight to WI, then home - using her as my excuse not to stay for the meeting.  It's really not out of the way to take her home first.  It's just an excuse.  I am just so tired right now that I don't even really care what I do over Thanksgiving.  I promise I won't be a total glutton!

So I probably won't get to post any until next weekend, so HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!!

RIP Skeeter, my sweet baby boy.

 I'll post about my weigh in & stuff later.  I'm too upset right now.

Today was a really sad day.  I got the worst call ever from the vet.  Skeeter didn't make it through the night.

~sniff~

Let me back up.  Tuesday evening, he was acting a bit off.  Like he was concerned about something.  He was normally fairly talkative, but he was making loud, odd-sounding howls.  I didn't know what to think, so I spent more time with him and he seemed OK.

Wednesday, he was very lethargic and zombie-ish.  He acted like his tummy hurt.  I checked all my houseplants and none of them looked freshly chewed - heck even if they were - I'd suspect Chester, not Skeet!  I checked the ribbons on the balloon Angel still has floating around her room, since he has been known to chew on those.  Nope.  Still neatly cut.   He came when I called him (slowly) and I lifted him up on the couch next to me to watch the Wings game.  He literally didn't move.  Not even the end of his tail.  I just sat & petted him until I went to bed.  I left him on the couch since he seemed comfortable.

Thursday he seemed a bit perkier, but I still called the vet and got him an early appointment.  She wanted to keep him for x-rays and to take some blood for tests.  OK.  She called me later in the afternoon and said he wasn't happy with them (he never was!) and they could only get a tiny blood sample and the x-rays showed a blockage in his urinary tract.  Poor guy couldn't pee!  No wonder he hurt!  So she catheterized him and flushed his bladder with saline and then was going to put him on fluids and something to reduce the inflammation in that area.  She also said she was going to give him a little something to calm him down so he could rest and relax and that she'd call me in the morning.

So when she called me this morning, she told me that they ran the most important tests on the small blood sample they got & the levels of these certain chemicals (I forget the 3 she rattled off ) were so high, they were off the scale.  And that's when she dropped the news on me.

She said cats tends to hide when they are in pain, so he may have been hurting for a while and it just got to be too much, so that's when he started talking more.  Apparently the sedative was enough to help him go peacefully.

Randy was supposed to leave for Arkansas today.  So he was still home when I called him.  He went to the vet to get Skeeter, since I sure didn't want him cremated. I was still at work and for once, the office grapevine worked in my benefit.  Geri apparently heard me say "Oh No" and saw me grab a box of Kleenex and run out onto the dock.  She in turn told my boss, who was waiting inside the door when I went back inside.  I told her what happened & she told me to go home if I needed to.  So I did.

Randy had him in the garage when I got home.  He was still in the crate, wrapped up in a blue cloth that had a piece of tape with his name and hearts drawn on it.  We chose a nice spot in the back yard for his final resting spot.  He's under some pine trees and nothing will grow there, so I plan to find a nice statue or stone to put his name on.   We got the area dug out, then waited for Angel to get home from school.  She had a half day today, so we didn't have to wait long.

I admit to be mildly creeped out.  So was Randy.  He brought him out of the garage and handed him to me to wrap in one of my old shirts before putting him in his grave.  I really wasn't expecting him to still be warm!  I was expecting cold & stiff.  Randy said he swore he felt him purr.

I'm really gonna miss my baby.  He just turned 11 in July.  I was expecting to have a few more years with him.  Randy was really tore up, too.  When we came in after the burial and all 3 of us were sitting on the bed, Chester & Maggie both got on the bed with us.  I think Chester is wondering where he is, too.

 It's sad, but I know he's probably up in Heaven, laying on my dad's lap already.  He's hopefully comfortable and safe and I really need to get some tissue!!!

Fire Up for Fall - week 9

I went to a craft show with my Mom & sisters yesterday - this was one of the two that we go to every year.  Even tho I prefer Halloween, I still find myself excited about going to "Christmas in Clawson" and "Santa's Craft Castle" every year.  It's just a nice day with the "girls" and we have a good time. 

And of course when I got out of bed yesterday, my knee was bothering me.  It's hasn't hurt for weeks and the day I plan to do a lot of walking - it acts up.  But I made it OK.   I found a couple neat things and got some ideas for both Christmas and Halloween 2012. 

Today has been spent putting the last of the Halloween stuff away.  I get the outdoor stuff put away on November 1, but the inside stuff I leave out longer to enjoy.  Randy has been outside mulching the leaves that actually fell before Thanksgiving this year, cleaning out gutters and putting away patio furniture.  The neighbors probably think its weird to see him out working in the yard instead of me! 

Oh yeah - and my eating has been - eh.  I have gotten into the snacks a bit much.  I admit.  The girl finally realized there was a small jar full of candy corn on the shelf and some of them may have found their way into my tummy.   Same with the cookies.  Damn them!

So anyway.... here we go into week 9!  As usual I will be linking back to Rebecca's  site to join in the fun.

1. What have you done this week towards your goals? 

Loss on scale?  Ugh.  I don't even want to talk about the 3 lb gain this week!

Get out the Wii? Nope!

Get out walking? YES!  I couldn't stand the thought of wasting these last nice days, so the dog & I went around the park. I wish I would have went more times, tho.

Cider & donuts? None!

New recipe? Nope!

2. What have you done to make yourself feel fabulous?  Went & had an annual physical & female exam.  Was told everything looked OK! 
3. What is the most positive thing you've taken away from this challenge?  That even tho I may mot be staying on plan well or getting results because of that, there are still supportive people out there who are going thru or have gone thru the same issues I am.
4. It's your last week, the run to the finish, what is your priority?  TRACKING!!!
5. Fun Stuff: Desert Island, you can take 1 person, 1 famous person and 3 items besides food and water. Who and What do you take?   I would take my husband.  Famous person would have to be someone cool & interesting like John Wayne (someone not a helpless wuss) - or if they have to actually be alive - someone funny like Bill Engvall.  My 3 things would be a camera with unlimited batteries, something to make fire with and a big box of books.

LOL - I asked Randy (husband) & Angel (daughter) what they'd say about #5.  Randy said he'd take a comedian for his famous person and his 3 things would be a star chart, a full ham radio station and something to build a fire with.   Angel said she'd take one of her friends & Taylor Lautner.  Then a blanket, pillow & clothes.

This is my positive pic.  At the craft show I really wanted to find something to help remind me to do my tracking.  So I found this really neat bracelet.  I love the blue stones on it!  Since I don't normally wear one, the idea is that having it there will remind me to track.  Especially since that is what I bought it to signify.  That's the hope, anyway!  I need to make sure to actually wear it so it will do the reminding!

And the blue "I Can Do It" thingy is a quilted pouch to hold my WW pocket guide.