13 in 13 update

One of these days I will find a darn template / font that I really like & feels right for my blog. Dammit. I do like this grayish-green, tho.  I wanted my bedroom painted this color, but it came out very minty.  Oh well!

I have another rant about other people's eating habits.  Last week were the annoying people who "forget" to eat.  This week it's the people who think they're eating healthy, but obviously are not.  Have you ever witnessed a work marriage?   It's hard to describe, he protects her from evil co-workers and caters to her every whim - she will go get him lunch and coffee, etc.  It's quite disgusting.  Anyhoooo, this particular couple calls this Mediterranean restaurant almost every day and get chicken fattoush salads.  By the way, everyone else takes their lunch to work.  We don't want to pay the $10 a pop for a freakin' salad!  Besides, they don't offer to pick up lunch for anyone else.  Moving on,  I was curious and looked up what a chicken fattoush salad is. It's basically a salad with a variety of greens & spices, grilled chicken, some kind of garlicky dressing & pita triangles. Looks fairly healthy.  But the past week or two, Princess has been complaining about how swollen her fingers are and she can't get her wedding rings off, no matter what she's done.  Lotion, cold water, Epson salt, nothing will budge them.  Well, I bet there are truckloads of sodium in those salads.  That's probably her issue, on top of whatever garbage she eats at home.  And she sure doesn't drink any / much water during the day to flush that salt out, either.  Of course she's a complainer, too. 

Speaking from experience, I got a basic grilled chicken salad from Burger King a long while back that was reasonable in Points, but the next day I had the same problem with swollen fingers & such.  I looked up the stats on that basic salad & it had like 1700 mg of sodium!  You're only supposed to have 2000 mg a day!  We haven't gone back since, not because of just the sodium, it's been an unspoken, unanimous decision.

I was down a whole whopping 0.2 lbs tonight at weigh-in!  I'm pretty sure it's because I have been slacking on drinking my water, so I'll be sure to remedy that this next week. I mean, why shouldn't I?  Look at what I found at Walgreen's...It tastes like a pina colada!

At the meeting tonight, we got in groups and had to figure out a 10 Point meal that included certain criteria listed in our weekly handouts. It was pretty fun. Lots of ideas.  We were challenged to plan all of our dinners out this week in at least a day in advance.  I usually do this anyway, before grocery shopping.

So let's check in, shall we?

1) plan meals weekly - check!  Randy is gone until Sunday doing radio stuff for a road rally up north, so I only have one picky-ass to feed.  Leftovers last night, Taco Bell tonight, she's going to a friend's tomorrow, so I'll just have to figure out Saturday.  I make more of an effort when Randy is here.

2) eat more / new veggies every week - check!  My new veggie dish was to saute up a mess of squash and mix it in with my leftover spaghetti.  It was really good!

I tried a new fruit, too.  A blood orange!  It was pretty tasty, once you get past how gross it looks. 

3) take better care of my skin - working on that. I don't appear to have any hangnails at the moment, but my cuticles need some work.

4) be a better blogger.  I'm going to be signing up for the Blogging A-Z Challenge again this April with all 3 blogs.  So I've made a spreadsheet with columns for each blog and am listing topic ideas to fit each of my themes.  I'm probably 2/3 of the way done with ideas. Sign up is next week!

5) work on getting my house de-cluttered.  Meh.  I'm averaging 4 days a week.

6) dust off my Walk At Home DVDs.- check!  I've done 3-3 mile walks and about 45 minutes of Wii Yoga.

7) cut back on unnecessary spending. - check!

8) MGC fence  - No Check!

9) rededicate myself to Weight Watchers. - check! I've been tracking so well that it's a real eye-opener.  I ran out of my weekly Points last week and started using my earned activity Points!  I've been guilty of never tracking over the weekend.  I did this week.  Hence all the walking sessions.  I noticed that if I get up on a Saturday and don't have any protein of some sort, I will eat like a freakin' pig all day.  It's like I can't get satisfied.  So I guess I can't just have a bowl of cereal in the morning any more, unless I go somewhere to keep my mind off the munchies.

10) figure out and use my Kindle Fire.  Using somewhat.  I'm actually reading one of the books I got from a little book store that closed.  I don't like going on Facebook on it, since if I click on a post and then go back to my feed, it'll take me back to the top, instead of where I was.

11) get my RACES certification.  I did find and open the book, enough to remind me how incredibly boring Government publications are!  But at least I know where the book is and that it's handy.

12)

The big #13 - Cutting back on pop.  Check!  I've been having water at dinner more often.

 It's been crazy cold here lately, so stay warm, wherever you are!

Friend Makin' Monday - Just some things

Since our lovely Miss Kenlie  is off taking care of some family stuff, Chris over at Wisdom, Courage, Power has taken the reins and created an FMM for this week.

Thanks, Chris!!

Middle name?  Marie.
I have been called the oddball in my family many times.  Besides being the only child born in an odd year (until my own daughter arrived), I'm also the only one named after my Mom.
Dad's name was James Curtis.  My half brother is named Jimmy Curtis.  My brothers are John James and Terry Curtis.  My nephews are James Richard & Alexander Curtis.  My sisters are Laura Lee (Dad's Dad was Homer Lee) and Linda Bea (Dad's Mom was Ora Beatrice).  Yup.  I've mentioned before about the ego in my family - see where is comes from??  Mom's name is Mary.
Incidentally - notice me & my sister's names all start with L, end with A and middle names rhyme?  We're just awesome like that.  Not planned, either!

Pets?  My Beagle Jack and 2 cats, Chester & Maddie. I consider myself to be Bi-petual since I love them all equally.  We also have 3 fish tanks.  One of them is a huge old pleco (the algae eaters that suction themselves to the glass) called Mr. Clean.

If you could only do one workout, what would it be?   Hmmm.  I like the challenge of yoga, but I've only done the Wii version.  I imagine the real kind is much tougher.

Do you have a mentor, or at least someone to look up to?  I can't think of anyone personally that stands out.  My dad, up until he passed away, probably.

If you could have one Superpower, what would it be?   I'm not up on my Wonder Friends, so I'll guess something like super speed so I can get housework & mundane crap done quickly.

Do you have a talent?  I have a vivid imagination and like to create.  My Halloween display at Maple Grove Cemetery is a good example of that.  I made everything myself, with very minor assistance from the hubby.  For some reason he didn't want me using the circular saw myself.  pfft.

So that's all for now - hope Kenlie & her family are all doing well !

btw - don't talk to me about the Wing's game Saturday.  I turned it off halfway thru the 3rd.  Apparently someone forgot to tell them the lockout was over!!

It's hockey time!

Finally!  Get to watch the first NHL game tonight & am very happy about that!  Can't wait to see how our new Captain does!

I woke up at 7:30 this morning & freaked - I thought I was late for work!  Then I realized what day of the week it was.  But I never really did get back to sleep.  Miss Angela was over at a friend's house and I wanted time to do a nice 3 mile walk before going to get her.  She has her acro class at the studio at 11 on Saturdays so I just got up.

Did some tweaking on the blog tonight.  I'm still not sure about it.  It's very blue and the white post background is blinding.  So there may be some other changes, but not tonight, since it's almost time to drop the puck!

Warning! This song will get stuck in your head forever!

400th post!!!! 13 in 13 update

WOOHOOO!!  My 400th post!  My first post here on Blogger was 7/25/09.  I used to blog over at Yahoo 360, but they changed it and I apparently didn't like their changes and imported everything over. The first 2 years I blogged, I had 19 posts each year.  But they were posts of the novel variety - I mean super LONG posts!  I'm so glad that I learned that shorter / more often is better.  And pictures to break up the text! 

brief rant.  There was a dispatcher at my work for about 3 months.  Do you know I never saw this guy eat?  Never!  And another lady does not eat breakfast (she's a friend of mine & we chat every day) and she has a cup of yogurt for lunch.  And don't get me started on ~those~ people who forget to eat.  WTF, people!  How can you NOT eat?  I can't possibly imagine what I would have to be doing that would cause me to forget to feed my face. 

So let's update.  

To Achieve - Onederland
tonight's weigh in was wonderful!  -3.4 lbs!   I sure hope that means things are finally moving in the downward spiral!

1. plan meals weekly - check!  I guess when I plan the week, I need to keep an easy meal on Thursdays so Miss Angela can make / finish it for me.  Her ballet class is 5:30 - 6:30 and my WW meeting is 7 - 7:30.  So if we do it right, it should be ready when I get home.  I'm still not thrilled with the late meeting time, but it seems to be working.

Parmesan Chicken was quite amazing.  I thought I had the seasoning salt but really didn't, so I put the smallest sprinkle of some Smokehouse Maple seasoning I had on hand & it was really good.  Of course Miss Picky-Ass Angela ate hers with BBQ sauce, so it may have just been boiled.  Randy told her it reminded him of Vienna Sausages!  I was offended!  Viennies (they pronounce it vi-eeeeeeeeenies) are gross.  But I guess I shouldn't complain, since I liked it, and frankly, Viennies are something they both eat & enjoy.  So, WIN (I think)

2. eat more / new veggies every week (1 recipe from book per week) - check!  I steamed some Brussels Sprouts one day and finally tried Kale Chips.  Om nom nom nom nom.  Kale is awesome!

Oh, and I tried Blood Orange flavored Greek yogurt.  It reminds me of a very mild orange / grapefruit.  I wasn't sure what to expect, since I've never had a blood orange before.  Tasty.

3. take better care of my skin (lotion AM, wash face PM, lotion PM) - check!  I noticed while putting lotion on my elbows that I've got somewhat droopy upper arms - got to do something about that!

4. be a better blogger - check!  I posted on all 3 blogs, even if I just posted a pic on MGC.  Look at my awesome Detroit / Monster Jam pics here.

5. get my house de-cluttered (15 minutes per day) - meh.  4/7  not doing so well here & it shows.  But I'm keeping up with laundry (folding & putting away is what I hate the most) and dishes, so that's good.

6. dust off my WAH DVDs (2 or more x per week / other DVD or Wii) - check!    2 mile actual outside walk, I don't know how far walked around downtown Detroit, 3 mile walk DVD, & 2 Wii yoga nights.

7. cut back on unnecessary spending (see #5) - check!  I've only been grocery shopping.  I used a giftcard to order a workout DVD and one of those elastic waist trimmer belts.  Apparently they have those belts for the upper arms & thighs, so I ordered those, too. See #3.  I wanted to get one of the wide belts to help with my posture while at work and found these.  I tend to slouch unless I really concentrate on what I'm doing, but I think I need something to pull my arms back. Hmm.

8. MGC fence - nope.  The building where I work is behind an office supply warehouse, so I keep eyeballing the gigantic stack of pallets they have out back.  They have literally hundreds out there. I've gotten pallets from them before, so they're OK with me just taking them.  I need to borrow someone's truck.....

9. rededicate myself to WW (weekly meeting / track every day) - check!  Tonight was pretty entertaining. The topic was about taking control of your fridge, making it more WW plan friendly.  One page of the booklet showed inside of the  "bad" fridge & the next page showed inside the "good" fridge.  So we compared them and had a few laughs.

10. figure out & use Kindle Fire - check!  Well, the using part anyway.  I'm on book #4 already.  I am a voracious reader!  3 of those were done Sunday.

11. get RACES certification (30 min per week) - nope

12.

13. wean myself off pop ( stop drinking one hour earlier every month) - working on it.

So that's what's going on so far.  Did you make New Year's Resolutions?  How are you doing on them?

Friend Makin' Monday - Interesting Things

Happy Monday!

It was such a beautiful weekend!  One of those rare - almost 60* weekends in January in Michigan!  Even better that I didn't have to waste it being at work!  Friday as soon as I got home, I changed and took the dog for a walk.  Last time I took him to the park after a thaw, one section of path was a couple inches under water, so I wore my hiking boots instead of walking shoes.  Mistake!  Halfway around the park and my butt muscles were sore from the extra pound tied to each of my feet.  I count it was a better workout!  Oh, and it wasn't flooded.  Crap.   

We also went to Downtown Detroit Saturday to go to Ford Field for Monster Jam!  We go every year.  We got there early so we could get a parking spot, then had 4 hours to kill.  So I got some nice pics of some gorgeous 1820's Gothic churches nearby, and the Fox Theater, Comerica Park and of course, had a leisurely dinner at the Hockeytown Cafe.  I need to get those pics posted, but Randy had commandeered the desk all day yesterday.  

So now, it's time for FMM!

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!

Interesting Things

1. What is the last movie you saw in a theater?   I am drawing a blank at what we saw!  It's been since Breaking Dawn 2 came out.  I took Angela & her BFF to see that.  But I've gone with Randy more recently.  Must have made a real impression - NOT!

2. How old were you when you had your first kiss? 17. When you go to school with the same people all your life and don't fit into any of the cliques, your options are few.  I was a senior & he was a freshman who also went to prom with me.  That sounds really sad, doesn't it?

3. Share the coolest thing that you’ve done so far in 2013. Monster trucks!  There was a guy in our row who had his son & daughter with him.  These kids were dressed like 2 of the drivers in their fire suits.  So after the El Toro Loco (one of the trucks) finished his freestyle run, the driver came up into the stands and gave part of the truck that had broken off to the little boy wearing his uniform. And when Gravedigger finished his run, the driver took the skull & crossbones flag off the back of the truck, came into the stands and gave it to the little girl wearing his uniform!!  It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen!  Monster truck drivers are all about the fans.  The driver for Maximum Destruction took the trophies he won for racing & freestyle & gave them to kids in the stands, too.

4. What kind of cell phone do you use? Do you love it?  I have an iPhone 4.  I like it.

5. How many times do you plan to workout this week? 3

6. What is your favorite movie from the 80′s?  Top Gun.  It probably led me in the direction of joining the Navy after high school.

7. If you could choose one character from a TV show or a movie to fall head over heels for you, who would it be?  Hmm.  I'd have to say Jason O'Mara.  I may have drooled my way thru Life on Mars when it was on. 

8. If you could eat one food everyday for the rest of your life without gaining any weight as a result, what would you choose? Oh man.  The thoughts are flying thru my head!  If there is such a thing as a peanut butter lava cake with hot fudge topping - I'd be drowning in it. 

9. What is your favorite flower?  Lilacs.  I planted a lilac bush in my yard next to a crabapple tree and they bloom together in the spring.  My yard smells AMAZING!  I love the visual combination of the light purple lilacs & bright pink apple blossoms.  Then the nearby cherry tree is blooming the same time - it's got such beautiful white blooms that look so odd against the gnarly, twisted trunk of that tree.

10. Did you watch the Golden Globes last night? Nope.  Forgot all about them.  I broke down and got some books on my Kindle and made myself useless most of the day. 

How was your weekend?