9 december

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My feet were bothering this morning and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to walk. I had some large bandaods and put them over the blisters. I could still feel the blisters but they didn't hurt. I didn't have a problem walking.



I had to make another stop at Target and found some bandages specifically for blisters. They provide some cushioning and are supposed to stay on a few days. I got a box to try.



Starbucks had been having Twelve Days of Wishes. Each day they have a different special offer with their coffees or drinkware. The drinkware usually sells out before the morning rush is over. And the coffees don't interest me. Oh well, it's not like I need more stuff.



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I made Dutch butter cookies today. My sister-in-law used to make these and I loved them. She sent me the recipe a few weeks ago. They are pretty easy to make with few ingredient. Maybe too few since they did not taste as good as I remember. Hmm...

8 december

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I am starting a new routine today. Well, I've done it before but... I am going to my meet-up then walking. I am going to walk either at Lettuce Lake Park or one of the numerous parks along the Hillsborough River. I'll stick to the paved trails on wet days.

My dad is going to mass so I'll be late to my meet-up. I love how he never thinks about his standing commitment to make sure Ryan gets on the bus. His obligations come first whatever they may be.



I packed up my new backpack. It's more than I need for a trail walk but I love its versatility. I only wish it had a bottle holder and perhaps straps for a tripod. The laptop sleeve is pretty nice and makes me wonder if I should get a laptop instead of a desktop. I really want a bigger screen and I could hook up another monitor. But a desktop makes for financial sense. I really don't go many places I need a computer. And my iPhone does much of what I need. So... when I win the lotto, I'll get myself a laptop. Of course you have to play to win and I don't play.

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After all that, I never took my camera out of my bag. The walk was nice but there really wasn't much to photograph. I took a few shots with my iPhone.



3:22

Meet-up was fine. Though it was pick-on-Sharon-day and I didn't get the memo.

I was hungry for a sandwich and thought I'd try Panera. It was just past 11 am and the parking lot was full. So I went to McAlister's. I haven't been there since my chiropractor moved. The manager, Les, was still there and still cute. He didn't remember me but that was a few stones ago.


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I tried out Flatwoods for walking. It was OK but it is really geared more towards bikers. The trails are long so I ended up going back the way I came. It wasn't very interesting.

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I wore my new hiking shoes. Remember the days when you had to break in hiking books? I don't but I think I should have done something with these. I have hot spots at the junction of the balls and pads of me feet. No blisters yet. Maybe I need different socks? Remember the days when tube socks worked for any and all athletic adventure? (There are blisters but they didn't swell up with goo.)



Ryan teacher wants to test him for gifted. It makes me chuckle.

7 december

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It was a bit chilly this morning when it was time to walk. I decided to try on my new long sleeve wicking shirt. It fits but it's fitted so I knew I wouldn't be comfortable wearing it alone. It wasn't cold enough for another long sleeved short so I threw on my short sleeved polo. I haven't worn a short sleeved shirt over a long sleeved shirt since the first time it was in style. And isn't the rule? If you wore it when it was first in style, you are too old and should not wear it when the style comes back. Oh well, it was just for walking in the neighborhood. I'm sure I get my fair of odd looks when I stop to take photos of Christmas decorations and such.

My friend called while I was walking. I have never talked while walking and wasn't sure what would happen Run Keeper. It does stop when you answer the call. And I'm not sure but the call may have knocked the GPS for a loop because Run Keeper said I had done 4 miles in just over 20 minutes. I wish it were true. It was nice to talk and the second half of the walk flew by.


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Today I started baking for Christmas. I made Grandma's Chocolate Cookies from Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share (Martha Stewart Living Magazine). After the first batch was done, I realized I had made the wrong cookies. I had meant to make Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies. I think they are better and less of a chore to make. Also, I don't make them giant, only small and I get about 4 times the yield.

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Anyway, Grandma's Chocolate Cookies are good and rich. But they have to be chilled to firm up the batter. Then you need to roll them in sanding sugar. Not only is sanding sugar been difficult to find, it's rather pricey considering you use almost the entire jar.



I set up a calendar of Christmas tasks. I had planned on wrapping gifts while the cookies were baking. But because I had to chill the cookies, there wasn't much time before the boys came home. I'll try again on Wednesday.



The Starbucks gift cards for the teachers came today. Two of them look a bit muddy where the text went. Oh well, I am hyper critical.

6 december

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Another chilly day. At least there was no more rain.

Ryan has been watching a lot of Cartoon Network. I don't understand how he can watch Hong Kong Fooey. I think his dad liked it.

I made Chicken Tortilla Soup in my new slow cooker. I used a recipe from Crock-Pot Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes (Best Loved Cookbooks). There wasn't much liquid but it was good soup. Dad thought it was a bit spicy. I like that the slow cooker's "warm" really is just warm. Even when I put my other one on the lowest setting, you had to let it cool down.

I started reading Fourth Comings: A Jessica Darling Novel. I am not sure why I am punishing myself. The books aren't that good, the main character drives me crazy, and I feel too old for the whole story. But, I have to see how it ends.

I never said I wasn't good at finishing. I actually have a problem with not finishing. Obviously I am a member of the clean plate club.

5 december

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Chilly morning and it would be nice to stay in bed. But...

Hey! I've lost some more weight. Seventy pounds gone! Ü



I got my Christmas cards done. For some reason I only ordered 50 prints. It was hard reducing the list to that. I may order some more cards for those I forgot. Oh I already now one name. Oops.



Have I mentioned how much I love Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark with Dark Chocolate? I saw that Junior Mints has a Christmas variety with peppermint crunch on the outside. I have never been a fan of those so I didn't get any. I bet my sister would like them. Here is a review of them.



3:18

At Barnes & Noble and it's so busy. I was lucky to find a table. Guess I'll skip the chai.



Andy has been getting more tense when he is getting his hair cut. At first Dana thought it was the change of salon. But this was his fourth visit. Even Andy doesn't take that long to transition.

Since we ate late, I was hoping the boys might want to skip dinner. Right. Andy's is a growing boy and is not likely to skip a meal for the next several years. Though he did eat less, he did eat. Actually, he ate a "normal" portion rather than than 3 or 4.

4 december

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Cold and rainy today. Instead of walking I moves the file cabinet and printer over to dad's desk. I alsobrought in a floor lamp that was sitting by the garage.

Dad went to the doctor. He fasted for bloodwork but they didn't take any blood today. I wonder if dad even told him that he had fasted. Dad said the doctor was late and seemed rushed.



I went to Joann's looking for more treat boxes. Once I was there, I realized they wouldn't have the Martha Stewart ones. I would have to go to Micheal's. Instead of leaving then, I walked around and found more stuff to buy. I did get one Christmas gift. Everything I got was on sale and I just couldn't not use my coupon. So I bought so Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark with Dark Chocolate. Oh I love this stuff.

I didn't have a coupon for Michael's but was hoping to use another Joann's coupon. You never know if they will accept it or not. They did but the treat boxes were already on sale. I left before I spent even more money.



You know it's cold when Ryan leaves his sweatshirt on all day. This is the boy who hates to wear anything but t-shirt and shirts 365 days a year. He wear long johns to bed every night. Goofy? Just a bit.



My new slow cooker came. Now I have to decide what to cook. Hank and I are at opposite ends of the food spectrum. I would be happy with vegetarian soups and stews. He would love pot roasts and pork chops.

3 december

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Andy was going on a CBI trip today. CBI is Community Based Instruction. They were going to Wiregrass to go Christmas shopping and have lunch. I had put $20 in his wallet and put the wallet in the backpack. The school called saying they couldn't find it. It wasn't at home. Maybe he left it on the bus? I searched my memory and recalled putting it in the green backpack. Oh. The green backpack is Ryan's. Oops. Luckily, his teacher will cover him and I will send in money tomorrow.



We had big storms last night and th forecast said morning showers. There was nothing on the radar so I took a chance and went to the zoo. It was overcast and not crowded. Nice.

I went back to the Safari area. The zebras were too far away and I didn't bring my longer zoom. I walked around and took shots of other things like architecture. I like how the architecture is part of the experience, no longer just utilitarian building trying to hide in the background. One of the giraffes was pretty close to the walk until I went for my camera. Bugger.

The zoo has been decorating for Christmas. They have special evening events. We won't go as Ryan doesn't like the dark. Then again, maybe Andy & I should go. He would love the lights.



A visit to the chiropractor and lunch. Then off to Target to get some drugs. Such an expensive trip especially since I found more crap stuff to buy for Christmas.



Andy brought home a wrapped gift for me. I pulled out the Christmas tree so we could place the gift underneath. Andy kept touching the gift and saying, "What do I do now?" Wait until Christmas. Then I asked, "Who is the gift for?" He answered, "Me!" "Um... no honey. You bought it for me. You wrote the tag." He walked away and never looked at it again.

12.2

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Wednesday and nowhere to go.

I feel a bit like a cage animal on the days I don't have to go anywhere. I know I should stay home and get stuff done but I just want to go out and play. No, not shop, because that gets me in trouble. But go walk and take pictures.

I walked today. Darn ankle is making too much noise. I tried to stay home today. But once I finished lunch I was itching to go out. Yes, I ended up at Starbucks. What DO they put in their drinks to make me want to go back everyday? Carrie took her break and chatted with me. She is so nice. She is from Michigan, near Kalamazoo. She said she would exercise with me anytime, though she is usually at work when I walk. But... why would a 25 year old want to hang out with someone who is old enough to be her mother?



The family album pages came today. Do they seem a bit dark? Maybe it is time to calibrate my monitor? My Christmas cards have not arrived. Both were ordered and shipped at the same time though in separate orders.



I ordered customer Starbucks gift cards for the teachers. I was a little disappointed that they were $4 extra for the customization. I did pay it. Oh! I forgot Ryan's inclusion specialist. She loves Starbucks too. It's odd that you have to place each card in a separate order. Though you can order multiples of the same card.



I made oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips. The recipe said 5 dozen but I was just shy of 8. I used the smaller scoop and they are just right. And only 77 calories.

I stuck the brown bananas in the freezer. I'll make dad some muffins next week.



Storms are coming through tonight. There is a tornado watch until 4 am. Weird for this time of year.




12.1

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Oh wow. I forgot to do a blog post for Monday. Well, it's not like anything exciting happened. Though we were ALL happy that the boys returned to school. I do not look forward to Christmas break. We will have to schedule some outings to keep Ryan from going bonkers.



We had someone new to the photography meet -up today. I wonder what she thought about it. Our meetings are unstructured and loose. We talk about cameras and photography and computers... Jeff talked about a possible trip to the Galapagos Islands. It's not something I can imagine doing anytime in the next few years. It's something that came up and the price is good but I still don't have $5000 pluse feel comfortable leaving the boys for that long.

There are those in the group who are older, retired or semi-retired, and who have the money to take such trips. I am not there. Though it would be nice to go sometime in the next 10 to 20 years. Gotta find that rich and supportive husband...



I went to Lettuce Lake Park after the meeting. They have increased the entrance fee to $2 and have made it mandatory. It used to be the honor system buy now they have a gate house with a park ranger. I walked along the jog/bike path. It's paved and mostly flat. There were few people around. There are some interweving nature trails. I stayed clear since I didn't want to see any snakes. Maybe I will try them next time. I wore my older sneakers and it was a mistake. After a mile, my knee and ankle were hurting. The path is 1.2 miles and I only did one loop. Next time I will wear the better shoes and hope to go twice around.

I drove up Morris Bridge to Shannon's. I passed Flatwoods Park and a couple of other parks. I need to check them out. There might be some good trails. (There are lots of trails. I will have to try them after the Tuesday meetings.)