7 december

/
wpid3427-120809-blog.jpg

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.


wpid3429-120809-blog-2.jpg

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.

wpid3439-120809-blog-7.jpg

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

/
wpid3394-120309-blog-6.jpg

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

/
wpid3415-120509-palms.jpg

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

/
wpid3392-120309-blog-5.jpg

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

/
wpid3399-120309-soldier.jpg

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

/
wpid3384-120309-blog.jpg

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

/
wpid3376-120109-cuppa.jpg

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.)

i finished reading the end of overeating

/


The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler MD. There is lots of great stuff about the evolution of the food industry and why many of us crave high fat, high salt, high sugar foods. Kessler also explains how we program ourselves to eat out of habit or reward than out of hungry.

I never really thought of myself as an overeater but you don't get to be my size by just looking at food. But when Kessler talked about how some people don't even realize they are eating too much until it's all gone, it hit home. There are certain foods that just call to me. I don't even keep them in the house knowing that once I start, I can't stop. Sun chips, mint chocolate chip ice cream, cheddar cheese crackers...

I only wish he would have spent more time on how to overcome this problem. I know there is Overeaters Anonymous but I am not a joiner. And frankly, I think I am doing OK. But extra tips and tricks would be helpful.

11.28

/
wpid3361-113009-blog.jpg

1:13

Sitting at CFA while Andy plays. We went to the Hillsborough River State Park for a photowalk. We walked about 2 1/2 miles. It's a nice park and rather close. I want to go back with my tripod and practice moving water shots. I need a neutral density filter.

There was a big turn out but I didn't know a lot of the people. Most were from the NPPF and I haven't gone to any of those meetings.

The park has 2 bridges crossing the river. One is a suspension bridge. It does move but not enough to bother me. It might bother Ryan. Andy thought it was cool to make it move.

The park has several playgrounds and Andy said he wanted to play but just sat on the swing. I think he was tired. I made him keep moving so we could go home.

I think I need a moisture wicking top. I am just wearing a long sleeve cotton t shirt and it was damp after an hour. I do have some but in sizes too small at the moment.



8:12

Didn't get much done this afternoon. Was catching up on Twitter when Bonnie called. Then it was 6:30 and time for dinner. Though I did take advantage of Lands' End 25% off sale. Twice. I ordered some jeans for myself. I haven't worn jeans in about 13 years. I ordered some "mom" jeans as I just don't understand the low riders. Especially when the back pockets are halfway down the thigh. I think it looks stupid like you can't get your jeans up over your bum. It looks bad even on the skinny girls.





11.29.09

Just finished dinner. I made some kind of bean soup. I used a mix from the store and added garlic, onion, celery and canned diced tomatoes. The only tomatoes I had were Ro-tel so I not sure if that is what caused the kick. It was OK. I think fresher beans might have been better.

I want to learn how to make more soups. I got a recipe book called Taste of Home. They are separated by type of meat used. I want to find more vegetarian recipes that my dad will like. The only issue with the book is that there is no mention of slow cookers. I like to set it and forget it until I am hungry.

I spent too much time online looking for hiking shoes. I do have hiking boots which I have not worn in over 10 years. But now that I realize there are trails do close to home, I will go back more often. Speaking of the photowalk, I finally did a first pass on my photos. There aren't great. I really needed my tripod and macro lens. But I need to do that without kids.

Anyway, I found a few pairs I would like to try. I wish we had an REI around. Dick's does carry a couple of the styles online. Hopefully they have some in the store I can try.

I was looking at Klean Kanteens an found that they make thermoses. I know I was drawn into Sigg with their Swiss pedigree and pretty designs. I have 2 of the Sigg insulated travel mugs but am not 100% satisfied by them. For one, they do not recommend using them for hot beverages. I did and stained the interior. These are not stainless like Klean Kanteen and Thermos brand. The lids occassionally leaks when I drink making look lovely with wet marks down my shirt. I do not put them through the dishwasher and you can hear water slosh inside the layers. Or maybe it is between the plastic and the metal. Either way, it sometimes drips from the bottom. I like that Klean Kanteen is an American company. And that you can get a café top for your insulated kanteen do you can drink in the car. But then you can have the regular top to make it spillproof.