Mindy Memories

Say goodbye to the old, hello to the new

2011-10-12T13:09:00.002-05:00

So, I haven't posted anything here in nearly a year, and not much the year before that. I now am mostly over at Facebook. I'm Mindy Bogue if you want to friend me over there.

However, I have created a new needlework blog. I talk about most everything on Facebook, but still want a place to discuss my needlework in a bit more detail, show pictures, etc. Please join me at Mindy's Needlework Mania.

Thanks.

"How could he cheat on her? She's beautiful!"

2010-01-13T06:51:00.002-05:00

Since Tiger Woods' accident in November that eventually brought out his cheating ways, how many times have you heard (or maybe even said) something like this? I remember hearing something similar to this when Hugh Grant got caught with a prostitute when he was married to Elizabeth Hurley. We hear this sentiment all the time, actually. It really goes against my grain for several reasons:

1. I'm not one of the beautiful people, so maybe I'm just jealous. LOL, I don't really think that way but I'm sure there are those who will assume that's my problem. I figured I'd put it out there first.

2. I hate the assumption that someone who looks a certain way physically isn't supposed to be mistreated, but it's OK for average people to have husbands who cheat. How many times have I seen something like "Oh, of course he cheated on her! She got fat/got ugly/got old/whatever." Often women are the worst offenders. I see many women making these excuses for men who cheat on their wives/girlfriends. We basically are telling guys that if we gain a pound or get old (because none of us get old, right?), they can use such excuses for cheating.

3. I also hate that assumption because physically beautiful women are more than just their looks. I know many beautiful women who are also intelligent, hard-working, generous and kind. I've heard some comments made by men about some of them about their looks, but not so much about who they really are. Frankly, I think that's just as offensive as the guy who walks by me and makes a "Fattie" comment.

There's a lot more rambling I could do on this subject, but I need to get ready for work. It just drives me crazy that so often I hear these things coming from women's mouths. It's quite mind-boggling to me.

Oh, and men don't have a monopoly on cheating. There are certainly plenty of women our there who are having affairs and make up all sorts of excuses why it's OK, like "the heart wants what it wants." Gimme a break.

I hate it when good people die and the evil still live

2010-01-02T19:10:00.002-05:00

Went to my friend's son's memorial service today. It was the fifth one for him and the large church was packed with friends and family. He was involved in several organizations and some of them had their own service for him. He was diagnosed with adult-onset Still's Disease back in 2005, a rare form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. He was 23.

He was an Eagle Scout, had been part of City Team of Philadelphia (our AmeriCorp program), was a member of several music groups and a junior soccer coach at Clark Park. Although he had been diagnosed with this very painful and dibilitating disease, he still did what he could to stay independent and continue to be involved in his community and mentor to younger people. He did more for others in his 23 years than many of us will do in twice as many years.

I really didn't know him, just knew about him and his brother and sister through his mother. I met her at my needlepoint shop and I just feel for her. It angers me that someone like him has been taken away from us while other people his age are out there doing absolutely nothing but smoking pot and playing video games, or even worse, doing violence to each other. They are still here, yet he is gone.

I know life isn't fair, and they always say there are reasons for why things happen. It's just hard to understand why someone like this is gone. I'm thankful for the time he was here and saw today how many lives he touched, and I hope that will help his family get through the tough times ahead.

Organizing the Christmas Party (funny)

2009-12-10T09:47:00.004-05:00

A friend sent this to me and I think it's definitely worth sharing. I think we've all gone through something like this at one time or another. Enjoy. :)

FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All Employees
DATE: December 1
RE: Christmas Party

I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take placeon December 23, starting at noon in the private function room at theGrill House. There will be a cash bar and plenty of drinks! We'll have asmall band playing traditional carols...feel free to sing along.
And don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus!

A Christmas tree will be lit at 1:00pm. Exchange of gifts amongemployees can be done at that time, however, no gift should be over$10.00 to make the giving of gifts easy for everyone's pockets. Thisgathering is only for employees! A special announcement will be made byour CEO at that time!

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Patty

------------------
FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All Employees
DATE: December 2
RE: Holiday Party

In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees.We recognize that Chanukah is an important holiday, which oftencoincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year. However,from now on we're calling it our "Holiday Party."

The same policy applies to any other employees who are not Christians orthose still celebrating Reconciliation Day. There will be no Christmastree present. No Christmas carols will be sung. We will have othertypes of music for your enjoyment. Happy now?

Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Patty

------------------
FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All Employees
DATE: December 3
RE: Holiday Party

Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymousrequesting a non-drinking table ... you didn't sign your name. I'mhappy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table thatreads, "AA Only"; you wouldn't be anonymous anymore. How am I supposedto handle this?

Somebody?

Forget about the gifts exchange, no gifts exchange are allowed since theunion members feel that $10.00 is too much money and executives believe$10.00 is a little chintzy.

NO GIFTS EXCHANGE WILL BE ALLOWED.

Sincerely
Patty.

-------------------
FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
To: All Employees
DATE: December 7
RE: Holiday Party

What a diverse group we are! I had no idea that December 20 begins theMuslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating and drinking duringdaylight hours. There goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate howa luncheon at this time of year does not accommodate our Muslimemployees' beliefs.

Perhaps the Grill House can hold off on serving your meal until the endof the party - or else package everything for you to take it home in alittle foil doggy baggy. Will that work?

Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Weight Watchers to sit farthestfrom the dessert buffet and pregnant women will get the table closest tothe restrooms. Gays are allowed to sit with each other. Lesbians donot have to sit with Gay men, each will have their own table. Yes,there will be a flower arrangement for the Gay men's table.

To the person asking permission to cross dress, no cross dressingallowed though. We will have booster seats for short people.

Low-fat food will be available for those on a diet. We cannot controlthe salt used in the food. We suggest for those people with high bloodpressure to taste first. There will be fresh fruits as dessert forDiabetics, the restaurant cannot supply "No Sugar" desserts. Sorry!

Did I miss anything?!?!?

Patty

--------------------
FROM: Patty Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: All #%&$ing Employees
DATE: December 10
RE: The #$%*!%Holiday Party

Vegetarians?!?!?!? I've had it with you people!!! We're going to keepthis party at the Grill House whether you like it or not, so you can sitquietly at the table furthest from the "grill of death," as you soquaintly put it, and you'll get your #$%^&*! salad bar, includingorganic tomatoes.

But you know, tomatoes have feelings, too. They scream when you slicethem. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right NOW!

I hope you all have a rotten holiday! Drive drunk and die, you hearme!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!

The Bitch from HELL!!!!!!!!

---------------------
FROM: Joan Bishop, Acting Human Resources Director
DATE: December 14
RE: Patty Lewis and Holiday Party

I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Patty Lewis a speedy recoveryand I'll continue to forward your cards to her. In the meantime,management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and give everyone theafternoon of the 23rd off with full pay.

Happy Holidays!

December 7: A date which will live in infamy

2009-12-07T15:12:00.001-05:00

Reprint of FDR's speech is below. We often forget that it wasn't just America who was attacked on that day. We also now know that Japan's intention was to declare war on us before the attack, but things literally got lost in translation and we didn't get the message in time. Granted, I doubt it would have helped us because it was vague. At least the carriers were out at sea.

Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

Great passages from book I'm reading

2009-11-19T06:49:00.004-05:00

I'm currently reading The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey. I picked it up on a whim -- it was the free book in a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale at Barnes and Noble. The author is Candice Millard and I'm very glad I have discovered this writer. Her writing is so interesting to read, and the subject matter is very interesting. The topic is Roosevelt's South American journey on a then mostly unknown river. It was after he lost the 1912 election and the way he dealt with losses was to do such things, like when he joined the Rough Riders.

Anyway, I really admire the way she writes about both the expedition and the native people and animals of the area, and some of what she writes is funny and scary at the same time:

"These particular dugouts [boats], moreover, were in questionable condition. In fact, Roosevelt's counting of them sounded ominously like a description of the Seven Dwarfs. "One was small, one was cranky, and two were old, waterloogged, and leaky," he wrote. "The other three were good."

Another passage I noted just is beautifully written. I'm good at writing about facts, but I'm always working on writing more creatively. I just love this:

"As the ex-president stood at the river's edge, surveying the jungle he hoped to master and explore, the forest surrounding him met the dawn by exhaling thin white clouds of condensing moisture that rose over the canopy about him like the breath of a wolf on a winter morning."

My dream job

2009-07-24T20:00:00.003-05:00

I went to Eastern State Penitentiary today with our interns from work. Had a great time on the tour and plan to go back on my own to get more detailed information. The tour guides were very knowledgeable.

If I ever won a huge lottery jackpot (guess I should play it once in a while), I would love to do this for a living -- not necessarily at Eastern State, but as a historical guide in the Parks system. I think many of them are volunteers and those who are paid don't get much. I'd love to be a tour guide at Gettysburg or Antietem, or some of the other Civil War battlefields -- Petersburg, Franklin, Chancelorsville, The Wilderness (if stinkin' Wal-Mart doesn't take over The Wilderness batttlefield). Hosting walking tours of Philly or leading tours at Valley Forge could be fun, too. I'd probably enjoy doing the same thing at Fort Ticonderoga. The possibilities are endless.

Of course, I still need to make a living and need to live in this general vicinity due to family connections here and in NY. Heck, I already bore my friends and family with stupid little things that I know about history, or rant about people who think Winston Churchill was a fictional character, so if I had one of these jobs maybe I'd be less irritating to those around me. Then again, it could make me worse. :)

Got thinking about an old post

2009-07-21T18:56:00.003-05:00

I've been a bad blogger lately, and here I am reposting something from a year ago. I guess this is a clip show. However, it's been on my mind again lately due some things I've seen and heard. A friend's niece (she was 16) recently killed herself because she could no longer deal with her anorexia. Today I've seen some very painful posts on a board I frequent -- people who have been very hurt by the way they have been treated simply because they are overweight.

I'm fat. I can say that without making it a judgment on my value as a person, just the way it is. I didn't always feel this way, though. I look back on my high school years when I was in fantastic shape and I thought I was fat because I wasn't girly. I was muscular from swimming and playing sports but I didn't have that nice, thin figure so many of the other girls had. Of course, now I look back and see how I really looked and it bothers me that so many high school kids are pressured to fit into a very specific form.

I've been putting off rejoining a fantastic health club with a beautiful pool that is near my home. I wonder if I'm putting it off because I'm afraid of becoming obsessed with working out and counting calories again. Well, I'm going to start slow by using my sister's pool while I'm visiting and then seeing how I'm doing. I hope to rejoing my pool when I get back.

Anyway, enough blathering. Here's the pertinent part of that long post, inpsired by last year's Summer Olympics:

Olympics and body image

...I wanted to post something about the Olympics and body image. I'm sure men go through this just like women do, but since I'm not a man I'm only going to go by my perspective.

As much as I absolutely love the Olympics and the athletic ability of the Olympians, I think it's important for us to realize what they go through to have those bodies -- mainly talking about the swimmers, as that was my sport. There seems to be a train of thought out there that all women who are 41 can be in the same shape as Dara Torres, or that younger women can look like some of the other swimmers. Don't get me wrong, Dara is AMAZING and this is NOT a knock on her in any way. However, most 41-year-olds have jobs. Dara's full-time job is swimming, and most women can't swim full-time.

I bring this up because of something that happened a few years ago, something I'd mostly forgotten about until I was watching the swimming again. A few years back, when I was on yet another diet trying to practically starve myself and swim my pounds away, I had a conversation with my older (and wiser) sister. I said I'd taped a picture of Olympic swimmer Amy VanDyken to my fridge because that's the body I wanted and thought I could achieve if I ate right and worked hard enough in the pool. Maureen is silent (on the phone) for a minute, then says, "So, your goal is to look like an Olympic gold-medal winner, and you think this is realistic?" Up until then, I hadn't looked at it that way and that really helped me realize how I was completely unrealistic with that goal. I was in my 30s, worked two jobs at the time, and didn't look like that at my peak performance when I was 18. But somehow I felt I could have Amy's body.

At that point, I could almost hear an audible "click" in my head when I realized how unrealistic I was being. Since then, I've slowly become more comfortable with my body and feel pretty good. I'm fat, yes, but I haven't eaten so well in years. I eat well, don't count calories or any of that stuff that leads me to become incredibly obsessed with food. I currently have different foods to choose from in the fridge -- yesterday I made some rice with edamame and chili made with lean ground turkey and white kidney beans. I have some fruit in there, veggies, chicken to cook, stuff like that. And yes, I had some Pillsbury crescent rolls and I have a little pint of ice cream in the fridge. So sue me, lol.

Church update

2009-06-03T07:51:00.004-05:00

Well, after my last post about how much I liked that Unitarian church, I haven't been back. The next weekend I was dogsitting and she was having some issues and I really couldn't leave her alone for too long and it was about 45 minutes from the church. Last weekend my license plate was stolen off my car on Saturday as it sat at the local train station while I was at my needlepoint place all day in the city. So, I didn't think it was wise to drive around without a legal plate the next day.

Now, everything is back in order and I intend to be back this weekend.

I may have found a church I like

2009-05-17T21:02:00.003-05:00

I think I may have found a church that I can actually attend and feel like I'm staying true to my personal beliefs. I've not been to a church (other than when I visit my parents) in over ten years because I felt that I had to sometimes go against my own conscience in order to feel like I belonged there. I've been a Presbyterian most of my life -- not exactly a restrictive Christian denomination, lol -- but I still felt like there was a lot of emphasis on having children and not necessarily accepting all people into the fold. I loved my Presbyterian church in Florida, where it was emphasized that our Communion was not just for members of Presbyterians but for anyone who believed in it. When I moved here in 1995 I tried a few churces, but they were full of either people much, much older than me or families -- nobody my age who was single or not married -- and I felt like an outsider.

So, I've been investigating Unitarianism lately and decided to check out the local church. I'm fortunate that it's only about 10-15 minutes away. The are a Welcoming Congregation, which means they openly accept people of various sexual orientations and other religions. This is important to me. I'm so sick of people claiming to be "good Christians" who seem to hate everyone who aren't exactly like them. I'm tired of feeling like I need to go against my own beliefs and what's in my heart in order to be part of something bigger. I like that the Unitarians are very involved in many social issues that are close to my heart and that we don't all have to have the exact same beliefs in order to be part of the mix.

I suppose that to many people this means I'm no longer a "true" Christian. Well, maybe I'm not. I've been questioning my spiritual beliefs quite a bit lately, to be honest. In the end, I will do what I think is best. I can't imagine that God wants me to hate everyone who thinks differently than I do.

And just to be clear...
I do know plenty of Christians who are good and very decent people, and don't mean to say all are hateful. I think I've come into contact with too many who are, but also many who are wonderful people. I just don't feel like any of the churches I've tried in the past are as inclusive as I tend to be in my own life, and that's what I need. This post turned into a bit more of a rant against hateful people than I intended.

Yeah yeah, I know.

2009-05-10T17:00:00.002-05:00

I've been so bad about the blogging lately, there's probably nobody out there and I'm talking to myself. Oh well, that's OK -- it's not like there was a huge amount of trafic here. :)

So, I found the cutest cat picture. It's in the Foster & Smith catalog and snagged it for my blog. Does this not look like the happiest and most content cat you've ever seen? This kitty makes me smile every time I see the picture.

On a totally unrelated note, I've been watching the Eureka marathon today and am now going to have to rent the DVDs from Netflix and start watching this show when it starts up again in July. There aren't many current TV shows I actually watch, but I like this one.

Yeesh! Why is everything such a big deal to some people?

2009-03-01T08:56:00.002-05:00

Saw this article posted on a message board I visit. It's about a woman getting a negative reaction from some parents because she was born with one hand instead of two and is on a children's program.

How do you explain a missing hand to a child?

Once again, I should clarify that I have no children and to some that means I'm not allowed an opinion. Too bad. :) I remember meeting people who dealt with various disabilities as a kid and I'm hardly scarred by it. We knew people with missing fingers, a missing arm, etc. One of my father's cousins has Down's Syndrome and his niece and nephews grew up with him in the house like he was an older brother. My parents explained these things to us in simple terms -- He lost his finger in a factory accident. He lost his arm in a car accident. That was enough for us and we moved on. It REALLY isn't a big deal and will help kids to understand that people can look different but still be able to do what everyone else does.

Funny Simpsons

2009-02-27T14:05:00.003-05:00

OK, anyone who is still reading my blog knows that I'm a fan of "The Simpsons." I was watching one last night and about went into hysterics. Good ol' Grandpa Simpson was telling one of his WWII stories. Apparently, he was the guy who went ahead of the troops to find mines. He ends up directing tanks off cliffs, trucks onto mines instead of around them — you get the picture. Then he says, "And that's how I earned the Iron Cross."

Think about it.

:)

Need to update

2009-02-17T21:40:00.002-05:00

Wow. I really need to update some of my links. Maybe over the weekend...

(I'm such a bad blogger.)

I'm still here

2009-02-17T21:23:00.003-05:00

Holy crow! It's really been a long time since I've been here. I'm afraid I got addicted to FaceBook for a while, but I think I prefer to use my blog for my normal meanderings, God help you.

Well, I finally found my cord to connect my camera to the computer, so more pictures should be coming soon. I've also become a fixture at a new needlepoint shop (Rittenhouse Needlepoint) near work and have added needlepoint to my stash. I really enjoy it, and it's nice to have another type of project to work on, although I may need a room all to myself for all my stash.

Other than that, I suppose things are about the same. I had a great time visiting my sister in San Francisco over the holidays. It was tough coming back. While I was there, I went to her dentist. This was planned ahead of time. Long story short, I have a dentist phobia and she also did, but said this dentist is so good that it's not an issue. So, he ended up redoing two root canals because my previous dentist apparently didn't make the little poles long enough and that's why one of my crowns broke a while back (don't worry, that didn't hurt). He also pulled the tooth that had the broken crown, which I expected. Now I need to get an implant. Oy. At least it's far enough back that you can't see it. Even with the dentist episode added in, I had a great time out there. Heck the dentist had me on laughing gas so I wasn't really doing too badly there, either.

Things at work are starting to get busier -- more funding for one program, new program opening in Delaware, creating a better website for another, Annual Report coming up, etc. The fact that we are doing so well is absolutely fantastic and being busy in this economy is a very good thing.

Pearl Harbor Day

2008-12-07T07:06:00.002-05:00

PSA

2008-12-04T11:15:00.003-05:00

This is a Public Service Announcement.

Just because a person doesn't give to the charity YOU give to or brag about how much they give to charity in general does NOT mean they don't give to charity. Just because you don't personally see someone giving money to a cause or they don't talk about it, don't ASSume that you KNOW they don't.

That is all.

:)

Gonna be a long post

2008-11-08T10:09:00.004-05:00

Wow, been quite a while since I posted here, and so much has happened in the past few weeks -- not so much in my personal life, but in general.

1. In case you didn't know, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series! I work downtown at 18th and Walnut, just a few blocks from Broad Street. So, my boss decided that, after the large affair we hosted the week before, we deserved a "field trip" to the Phillies parade. We went with a bunch of other people from work down to Broad and Lombard, waited for about 90 minutes for 5-10 minutes of parade, and loved every minute of it! Luckily, I know how to get home using SEPTA in ways that do NOT involve regional rail, so I was able to avoid the 4-5 hour wait at the trains and took the El and a bus that dropped me off literally across the street from my apartment -- thank God!

2. The Presidential Election -- I'm not going to go into detail, but I'm very happy with the result of our election in the United States. No, I DON'T think that the day Obama takes office everything will automatically change. I DO expect that over many years some things will go in a different direction than they have been. After eight years of the current administration, I'm ready to see what someone else can do.

3. Our fundraising/visibility event was October 23 and was a huge success. Our Inspiration Award winners were all very... well... inspiring! I don't think there was a dry eye in the house and when you see people like this overcoming obstacles such as AIDS, drug addiction, mental illness, depression, job loss, and homelessness, it helps to realize that maybe you aren't as badly off as you previously thought. I know some people I'd really like to drag to one of these luncheons to show them how bad it can really get and that if these people can drag themselves out of it (with a little help from us), than we're OK.

4. Did I post my declaration here that I wasn't going away for any holidays this year? LOL, well THAT'S been blown out of the water. I'm visiting my parents over Thanksgiving and my sister is coming out from CA, too. It's a 5-6 hour drive, so mostly gas is what the expense will be. My sister has also decided that I will be visiting her over Christmas and New Year's in San Francisco! I'll be out there about 10 days. She'll be working part of that time, so I can take BART and get around that way. She offered to leave me her car to drive around, but she has a nice Acura and I'm not much of a city driver and think I'm better off navigating BART. I'd be a nervous wreck with her car, but it's nice she offered. :)

5. I still haven't found that camera cord, but (again) I really haven't been looking. I'm almost done with Skeleton Crew. If I really tried, I could have finished it by Halloween, but I was a bit headachey and didn't want to push it.

6. I now have a Facebook account. If anyone is interested in friending me, I'm Mindy Bogue. I may not friend everyone, but most of the people who read my blog have been coming here for a while and I "know" you. :)

No Matt, this is NOT a typical family

2008-10-22T07:19:00.002-05:00

Interesting. I'm watching The Today Show this morning and they're talking about how much to tell your kids about the economy and how it's affecting the family. What got me is the main family they focused on mentioned not going out to eat or to the movies anymore and spending less on groceries. I'm assuming they are spending less on groceries by eating more rice and beans type stuff than steak, don't really now -- the kids are eating. Now, how many families with less than 7 kids (this family had 7) have been doing without movies or going out to dinner for years?

I hate it when they focus on families that, IMHO, do NOT reflect the reality for many families. How about focusing on the families or couples who make just over minimum wage and are trying to better themselves by getting an education but find it almost impossible when they can barely pay rent and put food on the table? I guess that's not stylish enough for The Today Show, but it seems they ALWAYS focus on families that really don't represent what many families are truly going through.

Made my day!

2008-10-08T19:39:00.002-05:00

A woman at work today was telling me how much of a difference she's seen in me over the last year. I mentioned to year about a year ago when I started dressing better and why -- sick of waiting to lose weight to do things, figured I'd just deal with what I have. She asked me where I get my stuff and I told her a few places (Kohls, Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, sometimes Dress Barn and Talbots). I also told her I get a lot of inspiration from What Not to Wear and she said they should hire me as a consultant. Oh. My. Gosh. I can't tell you how good that made me feel, even though I'm sure they could find a lot to change, lol. She said I inspired her to dress better.

And get this -- she's not even plus-sized like me. I can't believe that a non-plus-sized woman asked ME about style advice! This coming from the girl who wore nothing but t-shirts and jeans to work for years and then wore too-baggy dressier clothes to her next job where the dress code was business casual.

I am just floored, in a good way. :)

Glad I checked my stash

2008-10-05T07:46:00.002-05:00

I organized my stash a little last night and I'm very glad I did! In my last post I mentioned that I was now two behind on the Mirabilia Christmas Trees. Well, while I was going through my things I found the chart and checked the floss -- yep, have that, too. So, I found some fabric I could use for it so that I don't have to order more and now I have that completely kitted up, too. I'm very glad I did that, as those kits aren't cheap and I would have been highly annoyed if I had doubled up on it.

So, I will definitely start it in January, if not sooner. I have to see how I progress on my current WIPs. I'm currently adding beads to the Christmas ornaments I made this year. I can finish that today and then finish Skeleton Crew sometime this month, I think. Maybe the tree can replace Skeleton Crew. We'll see.

I still need to go through my StRIP list and goals and see where I am. I was in a bit of a stitching slump for a while there, but am back into it now. I still haven't found my silly USB cord for the camera, but I honestly haven't been looking that hard, either. I'm sure it will turn up. Then I can post some photo updates.

Stitching Jubilee

2008-10-04T11:54:00.002-05:00

I went to Stitching Jubilee yesterday and, as planned, spent most of my money over at Picture This Plus. I tell ya, they must make a large part of their money at these festivals because that booth is always packed. It's so nice to be able to see the fabric in person, although their website is pretty accurate.

So, I bought a lot of fabric, but also got some fabric at Enchanting Lair, some bugle beads and size 8 beads, and some GAST and WDW threads I needed. I really had to keep to my list and not buy charts, but of course when you have told yourself not to buy more charts or kits you see a million that you like. The Mirabilias were back (nobody had them in NH in April/May) so it was REALLY tough not buying any that I don't have, particularly the new Christmas Tree. (Sigh) I am already behind on those trees as I haven't bought last year's kit, yet. I should get caught up on them this year, as I really like them and stitched the first one as soon as it came out.

So, there wasn't a huge number of exhibitors, but that's par for the course these days. The exhibitors who were there had a good variety of stuff, which is nice. There were two stitching rooms in the hotel. Since King of Prussia is just down the road, I went there for the day and then came home. I was thinking of going back today, but I spent most of my budgeted money and there's really no reason to go back unless I want to just hang out in the stitching room. I like meeting the people, but hate driving in King of Prussia and am more comfortable stitching at home.

One thing I noticed about my stash while I was packing my stitching stuff for the day -- I really DO have less WIPS than I used to. This is a GOOD thing! I've been trying to work down that pile but really haven't kept up with tracking my STRIP list or goals list lately. I went through my kitted up projects and fit them into less carriers than I had them in before. Now, I may have just packed them more tightly, so I'm going to actually go through and see where I really stand. Hopefully, I'm right about this. :) I still *may* take part in Guilt-Free January, we'll have to see how I do through December. If I do, I think I'll only start one, probably something for which I just bought fabric -- although those Mirabilia Christmas Tree kits are calling my name...

2008-09-18T13:31:00.002-05:00

Someone please explain to me how we are worse off today than people were during the Great Depression? I've seen a few people say this today and I don't get it. Things are not good, for sure, and are probably going to get worse before they get better. However, last I checked our unemployment rate is not averaging in the 30% range.

Much of the problem is that we as consumers got greedy. Everyone wants to blame the Big Evil Corporations. Sure, they were making money hand over fist, but nobody FORCED people to buy homes they couldn't afford, or is forcing everyone to go into huge amounts of debt for their instant gratification. Used to be that people had "nice things" when they were older, things they bought slowly over time. Now there's this sense of entitlement that we should have everything we want in our 20s (or sooner). Well, we in general are paying for it now.

We've done this to ourselves.

Quick vent

2008-09-02T14:47:00.003-05:00

Can't write much as my computer at home is goofy and am writing while on a break at work. However, it has come to my attention that a person who has been "missing due to computer problems" from a board I haunt has actually been back for a while, under a different screenname. I guess I find this very rude and sneaky, as this person has been rather rude under that new screenname and didn't tell people who she was, especially since many were concerned about her absence and frequently asked if anyone had heard from her. I know, it's the Internet and people can pretend to be who and what they want. On many of my boars, though, we are a closeknit group of people who have "known" each other for years and these things are hurtful.

I find the whole thing very interesting, coming from someone who tended to have a holier-than-thou attitude and who could do no wrong.

McCain has 7 houses. So?

2008-08-28T04:50:00.003-05:00

I'm no McCain fan, but please tell me why I should vote based on how many houses the man has? Just because a person is wealthy doesn't mean he's done something illegal to get/keep the wealth, nor does it make him morally corrupt. Yes, perhaps he doesn't completely understand what the average person goes through, but he's definitely had hardships in his life and is not some spoiled grown-up kid.

I hate how so many of us have this attitude that the wealthy should give all their money away and only buy what they really need. Well, most of us buy more than what we really need. People buy houses that are much bigger than they "need," but they WANT those big houses, new cars, etc.

Food meme

2008-08-19T18:12:00.002-05:00

Snagged from Ottermatic's blog:

Bold what you’ve eaten and strike through what you would never eat.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
~~4. Steak tartare~~
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
~~15. Hot dog from a street cart~~
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
~~68. Haggis~~
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
~~75. Roadkill~~
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
~~89. Horse~~
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Mwahahahaha!

2008-08-19T11:36:00.002-05:00

I somehow got Tim watching the Olympics with me last night. He is not into sports at all, and usually if I'm watching sports he goes back into the other room to watch Sci-Fi Channel or something. Last night, I came home and turned on the Olympics and sat down to eat the dinner I just made. (We have no dining room, so we are bad and eat in the livingroom.) He comes in to join me and watches volleyball, gymnastics, and track & field. About halfway through the evening, he says, "How the heck did you get me out here watching this?" Well, I laughed and thought that was his way of saying he was leaving, but he ended up watching them until they ended at Midnight. I told him that all I did was turn on the TV and he's the one who sat there, and that now he knows how easy it is to get drawn into this stuff. If you watch just a little gymnastics, you want to see the rest to see how it ends, right?

Movie meme update

2008-08-18T11:55:00.003-05:00

Well, looks like I have a few movie quotes left from my earlier movie meme that need to be identified. I was happy to that most of them were recognized. The leftover quotes are:

6. Ladies and gentlemen, I have been to the Great Wall of China, I have seen the Pyramids of Egypt, I've even witnessed a grown man satisfy a camel. But never in all my years as a sportscaster have I witnessed something as improbable, as impossible, as what we've witnessed here today!

That was from the commentator named Cotton at the end of the match in Dodgeball.

12. Now, you listen to me, Mr. Grand High Poobah of Upper Buttcrack, I'm just about half-past give a shit with your fun and games.

That was one of my favorite lines by Kathy Bates in Delores Claiborne.

Olympics and body image

2008-08-17T09:58:00.002-05:00

On the cusp of the last post, I wanted to post something about the Olympics and body image. I'm sure men go through this just like women do, but since I'm not a man I'm only going to go by my perspective.

As much as I absolutely love the Olympics and the athletic ability of the Olympians, I think it's important for us to realize what they go through to have those bodies -- mainly talking about the swimmers, as that was my sport. There seems to be a train of thought out there that all women who are 41 can be in the same shape as Dara Torres, or that younger women can look like some of the other swimmers. Don't get me wrong, Dara is AMAZING and this is NOT a knock on her in any way. However, most 41-year-olds have jobs. Dara's full-time job is swimming, and most women can't swim full-time.

I bring this up because of something that happened a few years ago, something I'd mostly forgotten about until I was watching the swimming again. A few years back, when I was on yet another diet trying to practically starve myself and swim my pounds away, I had a conversation with my older (and wiser) sister. I said I'd taped a picture of Olympic swimmer Amy VanDyken to my fridge because that's the body I wanted and thought I could achieve if I ate right and worked hard enough in the pool. Maureen is silent (on the phone) for a minute, then says, "So, your goal is to look like an Olympian gold-medal winner, and you think this is realistic?" Up until then, I hadn't looked at it that way and that really helped me realize how I was completely unrealistic with that goal. I was in my 30s, worked two jobs at the time, and didn't look like that at my peak performance when I was 18. But somehow I felt I could have Amy's body.

At that point, I could almost hear an audible "click" in my head when I realized how unrealistic I was being. Since then, I've slowly become more comfortable with my body and feel pretty good. I'm fat, yes, but I haven't eaten so well in years. I eat well, don't count calories or any of that stuff that leads me to become incredibly obsessed with food. I currently have different foods to choose from in the fridge -- yesterday I made some rice with edamame and chili made with lean ground turkey and white kidney beans. I have some fruit in there, veggies, chicken to cook, stuff like that. And yes, I had some Pillsbury crescent rolls and I have a little pint of ice cream in the fridge. So sue me, lol.

Olympics - possible spoiler

2008-08-17T09:50:00.002-05:00

...although if you haven't heard this by now I'd be shocked. :) Yay, Michael Phelps got his eight medals! I was so thrilled for him last night. Some people seem to be bothered by the hype around this because some of his medals were due to relays. Yes, that's the way these things go. But, if I recall correctly, five of the golds were individual medals and he always gives credit to his relay teammates -- always. Let's give him his due.

What an amazing week in the pool! I knew it would be, but not by this much -- 20 world records broken! They said this was more than the 18 combined broken records in the last two Olympics. I laughed when Dara Torres said she shouldn't have filed her nails before her race that she lost by 1/100th of a second -- same amount by which Phelps won that crazy 100m butterfly race. She was amazing. I really wanted her to win individual gold for herself, but winning the silver is amazing. Her sportsmanship says a lot about who she is.

The all-around gymnastics ended the way it should have, but I would have been ticked if it hadn't. There was definitely something weird going on with the scoring -- I don't know what, but there were some scores that were a lot higher than they should have been, and a lot that were lower. I suppose this always happens, but it's frustrating to see. In the end, it all worked out and I was thrilled for Nastia and Shawn.

So, I probably won't be watching as much this next week, except diving. My main interests in these games has always been swimming and gymnastics because those were two sports I was good at as a kid and young adult.

Fun movie meme

2008-08-12T18:11:00.005-05:00

Snagged this from Fatistician's blog. It's a fun movie meme. Some of mine are pretty easy, I think, but they are favorites of mine from those movies. No. 1 makes me cry a little, lol.

1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions.
5. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.

1. Cathy got this one (Shawshank Redemption)
I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man...felt free.

2. Jennifer got this one. (The Usual Suspects)
~~After that my guess is that you will never hear from him again. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And like that... he is gone.~~

3. Annette got this one. (LA Confidential)
~~Get me some narco skinny. I want to do an all-hophead issue. You know, schwartze jazz musicians and movie stars. You like it?~~

4. Annette got this one. (LOTR: Return of the King)
~~Bad idea. Very handy in a tight spot, these lads, despite the fact they're dead.~~

5. Jennifer got this one (Office Space)
And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were married, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire...

6. Ladies and gentlemen, I have been to the Great Wall of China, I have seen the Pyramids of Egypt, I've even witnessed a grown man satisfy a camel. But never in all my years as a sportscaster have I witnessed something as improbable, as impossible, as what we've witnessed here today!

7. Jennifer got this one (Wedding Crashers)
~~I'd like to be cowboys from Arizona or pimps from Oakland but it's not Halloween. Grow up; Peter Pan, Count Chocula.~~

8. Shinobi got this one. (Transformers)
~~And you didn't think that the United States Military might need to know that you're keeping a hostile alien robot frozen in the basement?~~

9. Shinobi got this one. (King Arthur)
I came to see your face so that I alone may find you on the battlefield. And it will be good of you to mark my face, Saxon, for the next time you see it, it will be the last thing you see on this earth.

10. Dianne got this one (A Mighty Wind)
I had a garage band in Stockholm, which was a challenge in its own right, to keep an instrument tuned with that temperature swing. There's a block warmer for the Volvo in the garage but it's cold in there in the winter. So we played and I had a hit that you might have heard of. "Hur ?r l?get, lilla gumman?" which means, "How's It Hanging, Grandma?" and it was big on the Swedish charts.

11. Shinobi got this one. (Drop Dead Gorgeous)
Oh, Yeah, Frida, sure. She was the oldest living Lutheran. Now she's dead as a doornail. It's them damn Shriner's, won't take down the God damn sign the lazy sons of bitches. Every year, every damn year I tell them, "Take down the God damn Frida sign, you lazy sons of bitches!"

12. Now, you listen to me, Mr. Grand High Poobah of Upper Buttcrack, I'm just about half-past give a shit with your fun and games.

13. Shinobi got this one. (Batman Begins)
You have learned to bury your guilt with anger. I will teach you to confront it, and to face the truth. You know how to fight six men. We can teach you how to engage six hundred. You know how to disappear. We can teach you to become truly invisible.

14. Dianne got this one (Chicago)
~~I don't mean to toot my own horn, but if Jesus Christ lived in Chicago today, and he had come to me and he had five thousand dollars, let's just say things would have turned out differently.~~

15. Shinobi got this one. (V for Vendetta)
I remember how the meaning of words began to change. How unfamiliar words like "collateral" and "rendition" became frightening, while things like Norsefire and the Articles of Allegiance became powerful. I remember how "different" became dangerous. I still don't understand it, why they hate us so much.

Startling news! Fat people may not die tomorrow!

2008-08-12T17:45:00.003-05:00

I've been saying this for a long time, as have many others -- like MoPie over at Big Fat Deal, where I saw this link: Half of overweight adults may be heart-healthy. The other side of that is about half of the people who are thin have the problems so many consider "fat people diseases."

The intro:

You can look great in a swimsuit and still be a heart attack waiting to happen. And you can also be overweight and otherwise healthy. A new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people — about half — have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity.

In other news, water is wet. I guess I should be glad the media is saying something, although those who believe anyone without a flat stomach is going to die in five minutes probably won't be changing their minds.

Someone is trying to make trouble

2008-08-11T12:37:00.003-05:00

I saw an article on MSNBC about fake fireworks at the opening ceremony of the Olympics Friday night. I thought perhaps everything was faked, but apparently it's just the footprints. Hello! Bob Costas made it clear during the broadcast that those were computer-generated, not real.

I think it's irresponsible to raise a huge fuss about this when it's not news and China was not trying to pull something on the TV viewers. I feel like people are puroposefully trying to be deceptive. I know, what else is new, but it's not right.

Olympic Spoiler

2008-08-10T22:39:00.002-05:00

That men's 4x100 relay was SO AWESOME!!!!!!

I love seeing trash-talkers get their comeuppance. It has nothing to do with what country it's coming from, I didn't like Gary Hall, Jr.'s nonsense either.

I was so tired, keeping myself up to watch that relay. Now I'm wide awake because of it, lol. This is why I love swimming and loved it when I used to do it (nothing ever remotely close to this, of course).

WAHOO!!!!!!!!!

Will note Olympic spoilers

2008-08-10T16:33:00.002-05:00

We were discussing posting about the Olympics on a message board and someone mentioned noting spoilers so people in Central and Western US (and other places) know not to read. I'm going to post what I want to post in my blog when I want to post it, but I will note in the title something about Olympic spoilers so if people see that in the title they are warned.

Trying to be thoughtful of others, but I also don't feel I need to wait to post stuff forever on my own blog. :)

Why I like Keira Knightley

2008-08-09T22:02:00.003-05:00

I meant to link to this post at 5 Resolutions earlier, but forgot. Basically, it's about Keira Knightley refusing to allow any retouching of her breasts in publicity photos for her upcoming movie The Duchess. She won some money from a tabloid that basically blamed her for a young girl who died of anorexia, and she donated that money to an eating disorders charity.

I've always thought she was a great actress, taking on adult roles while other women her age were still doing teeny-bopper movies. I've hated how everyone gets on her case because she's thin. After reading these things about her, I can guarantee that her movies will continue to get my money, and I will pay the ridiculous amount my theater charges to see them.

Phelps got off to a great start!

2008-08-09T21:51:00.003-05:00

So, Phelps has his first gold medal. Yay! I really want to see him win all eight. I also think it was cool that the Korean swimmer won a gold, especially after DQing back in 2004.

I wonder how many Americans are already up in arms about The Star-Spangled Banner. The beginning was weird, and it was cut off at the end. I guess we're the land of the free but not the home of the brave, lol. Seriously though, I'm sure the kinks will be worked out and if Phelps and President Bush can laugh it off, I sure can. :)

Fun play on names

2008-08-04T21:11:00.002-05:00

Snagged this from Diary of a Skinny Girl

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Bessina Corolla

YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
M.Bog (half the time that's how people pronounce my last name, anyway)

YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Red Cat

YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Jane Penn Yan

YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Bogmi

SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Purple Yuengling

NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Warren Clare

STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Haiku Raisinets

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names)
Elizabeth Miller

TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Miles Minneapolis

SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Autumn Morning Glory

CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Blueberry Pajamy

HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Blueberry Maple

YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Cross Stitch Breeze Tour

Curse you, YouTube!

2008-08-01T18:30:00.002-05:00

Well, not really. I just keep finding more and more of these great Muppet videos. Enjoy!

Muppets sing "Stars and Stripes Forever"

Muppets sing "Danny Boy"

Oh boy, oh boy.

Little accomplishments make a difference

2008-08-01T18:01:00.003-05:00

Nothing huge, but I have to celebrate that I accomplished a little goal I had for the week -- only going to Starbucks on Friday, then getting whatever the heck I want. This is part of my goal of paying off my debts, but I also know that I can't do without completely. So, I didn't go all week and this morning got a small lite mocha mint frappuccino with half the usual amount of whipped cream. Yummy! It was a great treat, and I like the lite version better -- the heavy version is just too sweet.

I plan on keeping this up as long as possible. I have a lot of different kinds of teas and have been drinking that instead. It's cheaper and probably better for me, and I love getting that frappuccino as a treat on Friday.

So, this week I saved about $13 I normally would have spent on coffee drinks, which comes to about $52 a month. :)

Beaker sings "Ode to Joy"

2008-07-26T19:00:00.001-05:00

OK, I was pointed to another fantastic Muppets video on YouTube. Beaker sings the "Ode to Joy" with disastrous results (as usual). It's actually quite impressive.

Disgruntled cat

2008-07-26T18:47:00.003-05:00

I don't seem to have a lot of actual content to add here lately, but I saw this over at Lolcats and thought it was great! Enjoy!

By now, everyone who comes here knows I'm very easily amused.

more cat pictures

Does that cat look annoyed or what?

Muppet music!

2008-07-24T17:03:00.001-05:00

If you're a Muppet fan you will love this! I stole it from Fatistician's blog.

Finances

2008-07-20T08:27:00.003-05:00

I posted a few days ago about taking some time off to visit my parents, maybe go to Gettysburg. Well, I've done a bit of an about-face since then. I was doing pretty well for about a year on my goal of becoming debt-free. However, in the last few months I've really lost my focus and the only way for me to get it back is to concentrate on paying it off and getting more into my savings. To do this, I'm putting off any travel for the next 6 months or so. I told my family so they know I don't plan to travel for the holidays, and they understand. They want me to be financially secure. I'll still have that stinkin' student loan for a while, but this way I can get everything else out of the way and then I can put extra money toward the student loan.

I have one exception that I will make. If my sister visits my parents at some point, I will probably go ahead and visit at the same time. She's in CA and I'm in PA, so we try to make plans to see each other if one of us is on the other coast for anything and have a little extra time. A 5-6 hour drive to NY is cheaper and quicker than the flight from Philly to San Francisco.

It's going to be tough, but I'm trying to keep the big picture in front of me. How great will it be to only have that student loan to pay off, and then not even have that? It's also important to me to boost what paltry savings I have, as I work for a nonprofit and if the government starts making budget cuts nonprofits will probably be one of the first sectors to really feel it. We are a successful nonprofit, but we do get a lot of funding from government grants.

Now, that's not to say I'm not going to take any time off. I do plan on taking a day here and there and maybe do something local -- go out to Longwood Gardens on a work day in the fall, go to Fireside Stitchery during the day to pick out some nice threads for the Christmas gifts I'm making, etc.

PSA

2008-07-20T07:58:00.002-05:00

If you and your coworkers come up with a great practical joke on your boss while you're out having a few beers together, it's probably not a practical joke you should actually go through with. Everything is forgiven I think, but what we thought was hysterical, uh, wasn't.

Next time, just say No.

It's alive!

2008-07-14T17:55:00.003-05:00

Well, I think I am, anyway. Felt really crappy last night and this morning and slept most of the day. My head is still pounding but I feel a little better. I find that when I feel like that -- head feels like it's going to explode, etc. -- it's best to sleep as much as possible.

At any rate, I was feeling better so took some catch-up pictures of my stitching. Now I can't find the stupid cable that connects my camera to the computer. D'oh! I usually put it with the camera but it's not there. So, once I find that piece of vital equipment I'll update my photos.

I can tell you that I finished Alpine Garden on Saturday, so that's something I can take off that long list on the sidebar.

I'm thinking of taking a vacation day around either Yom Kippur in October or Veterans Day in November, as I have both of those days off. I was going to take a mini-vacation to Gettysburg last fall and didn't, but I'd like to do it this year. I suppose it depends on if I'm getting together with my sister in Petersburg, VA at Thanksgiving this year. We planned it last year but canceled at the last moment because she was just exhausted and couldn't deal with the flight from CA to PA, which I totally understood. So, it may make more sense for me to go in October. We'll see. I really enjoy getting out there and it's a nice opportunity for me to take a couple days off by myself. I haven't been out there for about 7 years, so it's time for me to go back for a few days.

Stitching, movies

2008-07-05T18:20:00.002-05:00

Well, I still haven't uploaded any new stitching photos. I suppose people are used to that, but I've really gotten lazy about keeping up with those things. Maybe I'll get my act together this evening and post some. I've made progress on Joan Elliott's Autumn Angel, Tsunami Sampler, L&L Oh Christmas Tree and DT's Alpine Garden. In fact, I think I can finish Alpine Garden this weekend if I apply myself. I may be forced to buy some more Drawn Thread designs after working on this one. They stitch up very nicely and the diagrams for special stitches are very good. I can see that Oh Christmas Tree will take some time, though. All that green! Well, it IS a Christmas Tree, but all that random green in various shades was starting to make my eyes cross. At least I'm far enough down that I can do a little work on the kids to take a break from the tree.

Didn't do much for the Fourth, which is the way I like it. I feel conflicted about it, as here I live just a 20-minute train ride from where the Declaration of Independence was signed, but I just can't deal with the huge crowds downtown on the Fourth. So, Tim and I went to see Wanted yesterday afternoon. Oddly enough, I liked it a lot better than he did. The whole Brad/Angelina thing gets on my nerves because it's difficult to get away from it, especially now with the twins. (Yes, they're having twins -- like people do every day and get on with their lives.) However, I do like her in the movies, usually. Plus, I *really* like James McEvoy, so I guess he was the main reason I wanted to see it. He didn't disappoint. What bothered Tim was the whole "curve the bullet" thing. He's a gun guy and it drove him crazy, even though it's not meant to be a realistic movie. Anyway, I liked it. :)

After that we went out for dinner and came home to watch something on On Demand to get away from the crowded theater. We ended up watching Untraceable. Yikes. I knew it would be twisted, but I didn't realize it was going to be so graphic and as twisted as it was. I expect movies like Saw and Hostel to be gross, which is why I don't watch them. I guess I thought that since this had Diane Lane in it, it wouldn't be so bad. Well, I liked the plot but could have done without some of the really disturbing parts. I'll leave it at that, in order not to give anything away.

Speaking of gross movies, I'm soooo thankful that I read The Ruins so that I knew there was no way in this life or the next that I wanted to see that movie. If I hadn't read the book (and about gagged) I wouldn't have realized how icky it was and would have paid money to see it. I enjoy a good horror book, but that one was over the top -- not to mention that I didn't like any of the selfish little brats in that book. I wasn't even upset over what was going on, just disgusted.

So, let's see if I can get myself together and get some photos updated this evening. Probably should see if I can find those extra batteries for my camera, as I'm betting the ones I have in there are dead.

Joy Nash: Staircase Wit

2008-06-21T07:59:00.001-05:00

I had a lot of things I was going to talk about, but I think this is better than any of my normal blatherings. Have I ever said that Joy Nash is my hero? I think she's awesome and her Fat Rants have helped me quite a bit over the last year. Enjoy. :)

Warning: whiney post ahead

2008-06-17T03:56:00.002-05:00

I'm so sick of hurting, and so sick of being told "wait until you're older, then you'll be thankful." Yes, I'm only 37, so I suppose that means I'm really not in pain, it's just my imagination. Quit fricking patronizing me! Just because I'm not over 50, or 60, or whatever the magic age seems to be for allowing pain, doesn't mean I don't hurt on a daily basis!

For the record, I'm going to the doctor again tomorrow, now for my elbow. I know I've banged it a few times but I didn't think I did anything too bad, but it looks weird. Now, it's not as bad as it sounds or I wouldn't be here typing on the computer, but it looks like either there's a big bump on that outer bump of my elbow or a bone isn't right or something. It bothers me off and on, but is more of an ache or a throbbing than any sort of sharp pain. I can't lift much with it and it hurts for me to answer the telephone when I'm at my desk.

Add that to the tendonitis in the wrist on my other arm that never really went away, just gets better or worse, my ever-present knee pain that I've had pretty much since I was a kid, and the foot issue (something else I'm going to mention when I see the doctor tomorrow), and I'm just hurting all the time. I'm REALLY trying not to be a baby and suck it up and not complain. When I mentioned problems when someone asked me why I wasn't in the yoga class anymore, I pretty much got the "Well, be thankful that you aren't worse off." Well, thank you. I KNOW I could be worse off -- duh. However, that doesn't always help when you're in pain, you know?

Anyway, that's enough of that. I just had to get it out. I'm sick of being treated like there couldn't possibly be anything wrong and I couldn't possibly be in any "real" pain because of my age.

Where I've been

2008-06-16T16:55:00.001-05:00

Hmmmm, can you tell I've always lived on the East Coast? I've visited the blue states at some point in my lifetime. I could've sworn I've been to more places, but I guess it has mostly been up and down the coast. I'll have to work on that.

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

PSA

2008-06-12T20:14:00.001-05:00

Here's your Public Service Announcement for the day:

When walking across a street, you should really look both ways before crossing. Just because you're young and handsome and beautiful does NOT mean you can just look one way on a busy street and assume that anyone coming the other way will stop for you.

She gained weight! Oh no!

2008-05-30T15:30:00.003-05:00

So, I'm reading one of my boards and there's a post about Oprah and Steadman breaking up and that it caused her to gain weight. Someone then mentions that they broke up a long time ago because she's gained a lot of weight.

Oy. I hate how we are so quick to pay attention to how much weight everyone loses and gains. I know, Oprah has tons of money and I'm really not a big fan. It seems she's very high on her own list of VIP. I freely admit she does a lot of good things, but I'm not going to do something just because she says so. Nonetheless, money or not, she has the same body issues many of us "normal" women have -- probably moreso because she's constantly being scrutinized by people. When she loses weight, people give her a hard time. When she gains it, people give her a hard time and laugh at her. It's sad.

Maybe I'm just sensitive, but I really hate seeing people being judged by their weight -- fat, skinny, whatever. So often, I see people attack a person's looks/size if they do something that isn't liked. What the hell that has to do with what a person says or how a person acts is beyond me, but that person will be made fun of because they are fat. If you have a problem with a person, keep it to the issue at hand. Once people start the personal attacks like that, the argument loses credibility, at least to me. Funny, often these attacks come from people who aren't tiny people, either. Makes no sense to me, can't wrap my head around one fat person picking on another one for being fat.

And yes, I'm using the word "fat." I'm tired of using euphemisms for it. Hey, I'm fat. I'm not fluffy like a cat, I'm fat, lol. So often that word is used to hurt people, used in a very derogatory way. It's simply a descriptive word, but has become a word that indicates the actual worth of a person. I'm not going to let that word get to me anymore, at least most of the time. :) These things don't happen overnight, but I want to react to the word "fat" in the same way I'd react to a person describing me as "short" and a "brunette."

Enough ranting on that for today. :)

Stitching updated (photos coming soon)

2008-05-30T15:04:00.002-05:00

I've put away my Tsunami Sampler for a while and have started working some more on my Joan Elliott Autumn Angel. I'll upload pictures of both this weekend. (I know, famous last words.) I'm pretty happy with how the Tsunami Sampler is coming, but will need to add a few more colors. After the fact, I realized that some of the floses I used are Six Strand Sweets, and when I went to order more I'm finding them impossible to order anywhere. Perhaps they aren't being made anymore. It's no biggie, as I had enough for one whole motif using the floss, but not enough for two, and each color belongs to two motifs in this chart. I'm pretty sure that, with all the overdyed floss out there, I can find some that matches it pretty well, well enough for a matching motif somewhere else on the design. I could choose a completely different color, but I think that sampler already has enough going on in it.

I should also update my sidebar. I'm so bad about housekeeping in general -- both in my home and on this blog, lol. I hope to get to it this weekend, maybe while I'm doing my laundry.

I've done 76 of the 122 Stupidest Things

2008-05-21T18:05:00.004-05:00

Snagged this from nesmith's livejournal. Honestly, many of these I don't classify as "stupid" as much as "having a life."

Level 1

(x) Smoked A Cigarette 
( ) Smoked A Cigar 
( ) Kissed A Member Of The Same Sex  

SO FAR: 1

Level 2

(x) Are / Been In Love 
(x) Dumped Someone 
(x) Been Fired 
( ) Been In A Fist Fight  

SO FAR: 4

(What? No level 3?)  

Level 4

(x) Had A Crush On An Older Person 
(x) Skipped Class  
(x) Slept With A Co-worker 
( ) Seen Someone / Something Die  

SO FAR: 7

Level 5

( ) Had / Have A Crush On One Of Your Facebook Friends 
( ) Been To Paris 
( ) Been To Spain 
(x) Been On A Plane 
(x) Thrown Up From Drinking  

SO FAR: 9

Level 6 

(x) Eaten Sushi 
( ) Been Snowboarding 
( ) Met Someone BECAUSE Of Myspace 
( ) Been in a Mosh Pit  

SO FAR: 10

Level 7

( ) Been In An Abusive Relationship 
(x) Taken Pain Killers 
(x) Love/loved Someone Who You Can’t Have 
(x) Laid On Your Back And Watched Cloud Shapes Go By 
(x) Made A Snow Angel  

SO FAR: 13

Level 8

( ) Had A Tea Party 
( ) Flown A Kite 
(x) Built A Sand Castle 
( ) Gone mudding (offroading) 
(x) Played Dress Up  

SO FAR: 15

Level 9

(x) Jumped Into A Pile Of Leaves 
( ) Gone Sledging 
(x) Cheated While Playing A Game 
(x) Been Lonely 
( ) Fallen Asleep At Work / School  

SO FAR: 18

Level 10

(x) Watched The Sun Set 
( ) Felt An Earthquake 
( ) Killed A Snake  

SO FAR: 19

Level 11

(x) Been Tickled 
(x) Been Robbed / Vandalized 
(x) Been cheated on 
(x) Been Misunderstood  

SO FAR: 24

Level 12

(x) Won A Contest 
( ) Been Suspended From School 
(x) Had Detention 
(x) Been In A Car / Motorcycle Accident  

SO FAR: 27

Level 13

(x) Had / Have Braces 
(x) Eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night 
( ) Danced in the moonlight  

SO FAR : 29

Level 14

(x) Hated The Way You Look 
(x) Witnessed A Crime 
( ) Pole Danced 
(x) Questioned Your Heart 
( ) Been obsessed with post-it-notes  

SO FAR: 32

Level 15

(x) Squished Barefoot Through The Mud 
(x) Been Lost 
( ) Been To The Opposite Side Of The World 
(x) Swam In The Ocean 
(x) Felt Like You Were Dying  

SO FAR: 36

Level 16

(x) Cried Yourself To Sleep 
(x) Played Cops And Robbers 
(x) Recently Colored With Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers 
(x) Sang Karaoke 
(x) Paid For A Meal With Only Coins  

SO FAR: 41

Level 17

(x) Done Something You Told Yourself You Wouldn't 
( ) Made Prank Phone Calls 
(x) Laughed Until Some Kind Of Beverage Came Out Of Your Nose 
( ) Kissed In The Rain  

SO FAR: 43

Level 18

( ) Written A Letter To Santa Claus 
(x) Watched The Sun Set/ sun rise With Someone You Care/Cared About 
(x) Blown Bubbles 
(x) Made A Bonfire On The Beach Or Anywhere  

SO FAR: 46

Level 19

( ) Crashed A Party 
( ) Have Traveled More Than 5 Days With A Car Full Of People 
(x) Gone Rollerskating / Blading 
(x) Had A Wish Come True 
( ) Been Humped By A Monkey   

SO FAR: 48

Level 20

(x) Worn Pearls 
( ) Jumped Off A Bridge 
( ) Screamed "Penis" or "Vagina" 
( ) Swam With Dolphins   

SO FAR: 49

Level 22

( ) Got Your Tongue Stuck To A Pole/Freezer/ice Cube 
( ) Kicked A Fish
(x) Worn The Opposite Sex's Clothes 
(x) Sat On A Roof Top  

SO FAR: 51

Level 23

(x) Screamed At The Top Of Your Lungs 
(x) Done / Attempted A One-Handed Cartwheel 
( ) Talked On The Phone For More Than 6 Hours  
(x) Recently stayed up for a while talking to someone you care about  

SO FAR: 54

Level 24

(x) Picked And Ate An Apple Right Off The Tree 
(x) Climbed A Tree 
(x) Had/Been In A Tree House 
(x) Been Scared To Watch Scary Movies Alone  

SO FAR: 58

Level 25

(x) Believed In Ghosts 
( ) Have had More Then 30 Pairs Of Shoes 
( ) Gone Streaking  
(x) Visited Jail  

SO FAR: 60

Level 26

( ) Played Chicken 
(x) Been Pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(x) Been Told You're Hot By A Complete Stranger 
( ) Broken A Bone 
(x) Been Easily Amused  

SO FAR: 63

Level 27

( ) Caught A Fish Then Ate It Later 
( ) Made A Porn Video/got asked to make one 
( ) Caught A Butterfly 
(x) Laughed So Hard You Cried 
(x) Cried So Hard You Laughed  

SO FAR: 65

Level 28

( ) Mooned/Flashed Someone 
(x) Had Someone Moon/Flash You 
(x) Cheated On A Test 
(x) Forgotten Someone's Name 
( ) French Braided Someones Hair 
( ) Gone Skinny Dipping 
( ) Been Kicked Out Of Your House 
(x) Tried to hurt yourself  

SO FAR: 69

Level 29

(x) Rode A Roller Coaster 
( ) Went Scuba-Diving/Snorkeling 
(x) Had A Cavity 
( ) Black-Mailed Someone 
( ) Been Black Mailed  

SO FAR: 71

Level 31

(x) Been Used 
(x) Fell Going Up The Stairs 
( ) Licked A Cat 
( ) Bitten Someone 
( ) Licked Someone  

SO FAR: 73

Level 32

(x) Been shot at/or at gunpoint 
( ) Had sex in the rain 
( ) Flattened someones tires 
(x) Rode in a car/truck until the gas light came on  
(x) Got five dollars or less worth of gas 

TOTAL: 76

Nothing but Calvin Klein hose for me!

2008-05-18T15:57:00.004-05:00

I've been experimenting with different types of sheer nylons for warmer weather. I love my tights in the winter, but they don't work in warm weather. My legs are very pale and my hair is black, so even immediately after shaving I get that weird thing where you can see the hair below my skin and I hate that on my legs. So, when I wear knee-length skirts or dresses I prefer to wear something on my legs, even if it's very sheer -- just makes my legs look better but it's not overly obvious, you know? I'm not into tanning and I can never get self-tanner on correctly.

Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that my favorites are the Calvin Klein 20 denier pantyhose in colors 1 and 3. I haven't tried 2, but I'm sure I'd like them, too. No. 1 is my favorite, as it is very light (kind of a champagne color) and matches my skin. I've found great deals on them at Burlington Coat Factory -- $3.98 as opposed to the normal $8.50 -- so I bought a few pairs of those today, as well as a few sheer black pairs.

Anyway, if you wear pantyhose and have never tried the Calvin Kleins, I HIGHLY recommend them! They are so soft and silky soft and sheer that I hardly know I'm wearing them. Their thigh highs are really nice, too, but they tend to be too long for me so I stick with the pantyhose. If you have a Burlington Coat Factory or Feline's Basement near you, check them out -- they may have them at half price.

Mindy no yoga

2008-05-16T17:32:00.003-05:00

Yeesh. How many times do I have to try yoga before I'll finally get into my head that it hurts me more than it helps? Everyone thinks yoga is so wonderful and easy, but whenever I take a class or followed a video or TV workout, I just end up in pain. It's not the stretching -- I'm very flexible and do a lot of the stretches anyway. What gets me is all the work that is done on the knees. I've never met an instructor who didn't say, "Just double up the mat/towel under you knee and that will cushion it." Well, I guess that works for most people but not for me. That bump under my knee is big and sticks out and no matter how much I try to cushion it it still hurts.

So, this week was the yoga class at work and I tried it for 20 minutes. I tried extra cushioning, I tried other moves, nothing really worked for me. Finally, I decided that it wasn't worth hurting my knee more than it already was, so I politely explained why I was leaving and left. Oh well. I'll just do the Pilates, which doesn't hurt (except when it's a good hurt, ya know?) and I enjoy.

Let's see if it will stick in my brain this time, lol.

Cool!

2008-05-15T10:44:00.000-05:00

I'm wearing my cool sparkley blue heels today. I call them my Happy Hour Shoes, as I'm going to happy hour today and these shoes scream out "Party!"

Anyway, one of the ladies commented on how I always look so put together and stylish. I about hit the floor! I thanked her very much, of course, but it sounds so strange to hear people say that about me. I always used to think that style/fashion was only for people who looked a certain way or were a certain age, and I figured I missed both boats for a long time. Now I know that I can be fat and still be stylish, as being thin is not a prerequisite. I think some people assume it is, but -- well, you know what happens when you assume things. :)

So, just had to post that because it made my day. I'm so glad I found that Fatshionista website and some other websites and blogs that have helped me to appreciate myself more than I have in years.

It's all my fault, lol

2008-05-15T10:27:00.002-05:00

I found out through a post the other day dealing with the whole "In God We Trust" on money issue, that if I, as a God-fearing Christian don't pass on the whole thing about writing "In God We Trust" all over everything, that I'm responsible for the mess the world is in at the moment. Now we know!

It's my fault that:

there was a cyclone in Myanmar
there was a huge earthquake in China
gas prices are rising
George Bush is President
young girls wear jeans so low you can see their underwear
New Kids on the Block have reunited

Wellness program at work

2008-05-11T16:07:00.002-05:00

So, we've started a wellness program at work. We actually started it at some of the other locations and I took part in it on a limited basis earlier this spring. Now we've started it at the headquarters, which is where I work. It's not too complicated -- counting how many servings (1/2 cup is a serving) of veggies and fruit we eat and how many 10-minute increments of exercise we get each day. I eat a lot of veggies and fruits anyway, but it does help me to be more consistent about it on a daily basis. We are also having some classes of different types at work, and get 2 points every week when we weigh-in, if we want to. I'm not doing the weigh-in thing, as I don't want to become focused on weight, but I can do the other stuff.

So, I've told myself for a long time that I'm in better shape than I look, but now I feel better knowing that I'm not just fooling myself, lol. We had an hour-long Pilates class Friday and it was me and a lot of thin people. Not that any of them ever treat me different or anything, it's just it can be a little intimidating in a class environment. However, I was doing the harder versions of most everything and was keeping up with them and was even used as an example of how to do a move correctly, so that made me feel much better. Two of my coworkers who are about 10 years younger than me, and thin, were very supportive, knowing a little about my reservations about the class. Now, it's been a while since I've done Pilates and even then it was in 20-minute sessions by myself in front of the tv, so I'm STILL feeling this even though the class was Friday, lol. However, I forgot how much I like them and I can do them without causing foot pain, so I'm determined to get back on that horse and start doing these home sessions again.

Celebrations haul

2008-05-11T15:39:00.004-05:00

Not a huge haul, but some of what I bought are large projects and are pretty versatile. It was sad, though, to not see one Mirabilia chart while I was there. :( I know that once Nora's affairs are settled we'll be seeing them again, but it's a bummer. However, that allowed me to buy some charts that I may not have otherwise, and a few I've been drooling over for a while.

I told myself I wasn't going to buy "Sleepy Hollow" until I was done with "Skeleton Crew", but it's easier to say that when it's not staring you in the face, lol. When I eventually stitch it, I'm not going to put it in panels but in one large piece. I doubt I'll ever stitch the "ABC Tapestry" in its entirety, but think the individual motifs are great to have for personal gifts and such.

I've liked both of these tree designs and bought them the last day of the whole thing. They are beautiful framed and I think the designs are pretty neat. I'm not big on trees and florals, but these are different.

Hee hee! I loved these snowmen when they first came out and grabbed up the chart and floss as soon as I found them at the market. I'm crazy about snowmen, but these are different and I love the colors. Too cute!

Got these at Gitta's, and I'm sure I'll be buying more from that booth at future stitching conventions. The models for both the over-one and over-two versions of "Aurora Borealis" were beautiful and the Eskimos so cute that this was one of the first charts I bought at the market. "Bird of Paradise" really looked beautiful stitched up, so I grabbed that one up, too.

I probably wouldn't have bought these if I hadn't seen model for the silver sampler. It's really beautiful and the picture doesn't do it justice, then I bought the gold sampler because they are a pair. :) I'm not sure what fabric I will use, and I may use one variegated floss instead of a few solid colors.

Love the Jeanette Douglas designs, and if I had more money would have bought more. My favorite is "Vintage Stitches," the one with the grapes, and it's stunning in person. I see that Bits and Bobs is having a sale and may take advantage of that sale and buy the embellishment kits for these two designs.

Yo!

2008-05-08T18:33:00.001-05:00

Haven't been here in a little while, but that's because I was at Celebrations of Needlework in Nashua, NH for an extended weekend! Karri and I went up last Wednesday morning and came back Sunday, and I've been getting caught up at work and around the house since then. I have some pictures of the leaflets I bought and will post them soon. We had a great time and intend to go back next year.

Obituary for Dr. Ralph W. Seager

2008-04-24T11:56:00.003-05:00

Ralph was my grandmother's cousin, and I have no idea what that made him in relation to me, but I was always fond of him. I've been slowly collecting his out-of-print books over the years when I can find them used on Amazon or Ebay. When I was a kid still living in rural NY, I played violin in the community orchestra. Ralph played trombone and sat behind me, and always joked that if I didn't act right he'd get me with the slide on his trombone. :) He was a good man and a good friend to those who knew him, and he led a very full life. He will be missed.

DR. RALPH W. SEAGER (from the April 23 Penn Yan Chronicle-Express)

PENN YAN — Dr. Ralph W. Seager of Penn Yan passed away quietly at Keuka Comfort Care Home on Sunday, April 20, 2008.

A noted author and poet, Ralph published some 800 poems and essays, as well as several books, among them the well loved and much quoted “Songs from a Willow Whistle”, “Wheatfields and Vineyards”, and “Sound of an Echo”. Among many other themes, his writings expressed his thoughts on faith, love, nature, patriotism, the Christmas Miracle, and the joy of growing up in rural Yates County.

For 20 years Ralph taught creative writing and English at Keuka College, and taught poetry workshops across the United States. His love of teaching was only exceeded by the admiration of his students and colleagues toward him, particularly in his ability to awaken one’s senses to the discovery of the unfamiliar, the beauty of the ordinary, and the potential of the unseen. Ralph was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by Keuka College in 1978.

Ralph grew up in Guyanoga Valley, graduated from Penn Yan Academy and spent most of his life in Yates County. As a trombonist, he played in boys’, high school, and village bands for nearly 50 years. His marriage to high school sweetheart Ruth Lovejoy flourished for nearly 73 years until she passed away in 2005. Together they traveled to Africa, Europe, Russia, and across America and Canada, relishing the pleasure of meeting new people of different cultures.

Serving with the Navy and Marines in World War II, Ralph saw duty on Pelelieu in the western Pacific. He was instrumental in the rescue of survivors of the battleship Indianapolis attack in July of 1945.

Ralph continued to write and publish poetry until his death.

He is survived by sister Margaret Drakeley of Penn Yan, sons William, Douglas, and Keith, daughters-in- law DD, Emily, and Linda, seven grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.

Nice party last night at friend's house

2008-04-20T20:48:00.003-05:00

Hey! I don't remember getting Eric Clapton tickets for my 17th birthday! Man, I missed out!

*Ahem*

So, I went to my friend's son's 17th birthday party last night and had a great time. It's usually close family and friends and him and his friends, and they kinda do their thing and we do ours. He usually makes out like a bandit at these things, as this was no exception. I know he got some cash, $100 in I-tunes gift cards and those Clapton tickets for him and a friend. I told him that he will have people kissing up to him until that concert comes around, lol.

That being said, he deserves it. He made honor roll again this quarter, has steadily brought his grades up in a tough class from a D to a B, and is still volunteering at a nursing home twice a week even though his required hours for school were met quite a while ago. So, I won't hold the Clapton tickets against him. :)

Today, I went through my clothes so that my spring/summer stuff is out and my winter stuff is put away. I still have some laundry to do so not all the winter stuff is away, but that should all be taken care of this week. I didn't realize I had so many capri pants, lol. I know they aren't the most flattering, but they are comfy and a little cooler than pants and I can sit however I want in them but can't in a skirt or dress.

I also had a shopping spree at Payless the other day. I'm really becoming a shoe hound, but it was Payless and they were having their "buy one get the second for 1/2 off" sale, so I paid about $65 for four pairs of shoes -- not too shabby. I got two pairs of slingback peep-toe wedges, one in brown and one in yellow. I also bought some simple black patent pumps and some cute brown & white closed-toe wedges. I really prefer closed-toe shoes to peep-toe, but it's downright difficult to find spring/summer shoes that aren't peep-toe. Oh well, people are just going to have to deal with seeing my toes.

Stitching update

2008-04-14T18:54:00.002-05:00

OK, I'm a bit scared posting this, but I think I finally beat the crud I had for about a month. YAY! I was actually able to get in some serious stitching this past weekend, instead of serious napping. I've been working on Skeleton Crew and Tsunami Sampler oer the last few weeks and got a lot done on Tsunami Sampler over the weekend. I'm stitching it using blues, greens and purples as those are my favorite colors. Looking back, I probably should have used DMC instead of variegated flosses, as it makes the sampler a bit busier than I usually like, but I still love the colors and think it will work out. The fabric is actually white, not mottled like it looks in the picture.

Feeling better :)

2008-03-29T08:55:00.004-05:00

Well, I actually got through a whole week of work this past week and lived to tell the tale, lol. I am feeling much better. Still have the cough and am more worn-out than usual and needing a bit more sleep, but other than that I feel pretty good.

I actually had a bit of delayed retail therapy earlier this week. I've never been a big dress person, but for some reason lately I've been wanting more. So...

...about a month or so ago I picked up a few at Kohls that are cute. (I was excited that the XL in their misses section usually fit me, as Kohls really doesn't carry plus-size dresses, at least not in the stores here.)

...I ordered one from Target and two from Roamans (here and here), figuring if they don't fit I just have to return them.

...Oh, and I got a beautiful cotton turquoise floral dress from Torrid. I've been lusting after this dress for a while and decided to buy it before my size is gone. I plan on buying a short-sleeved cropped cardigan, bolero or jacket to go with this so I can wear it to work, and will probably need to wear a camisole under it. I bought some pretty and inexpensive rings, too.

...I ordered some nice thigh highs and pantyhose from Bare Necessities for the spring and summer. I've decided to go against the current style of bare legs with skirts and wear light and sheer thigh highs instead. I think my legs will look better and I've never really been comfortable with the bare legs look with a skirt, anyway.

...I got a great deal on a skirt from Talbots, and it's a petite!

...Then yesterday I went nuts on the E.L.F. website. Apparently this company has been bought out by Nordstrom's and they are having a fire sale so they can off-load all the stuff. Great makeup for hardly any money at all, and I've been experimenting with different colors and stuff so figured I'd take advantage.

Looking at all this, it looks like I spent major money, but I got most of it on sale, which makes me happy. :) So, we'll see how much of this fits correctly and how much doesn't, and some may get returned. Shopping on line for clothes is always a gamble, but I don't find a lot of dresses I like in local stores. There's a nice Lane Bryant near me, but their dresses tend to be too long for me. So why is it that fat women aren't supposed to show their legs according to some people anyway? My legs aren't tiny but they are muscular and have shape to them, so I don't want to wear stuff that cuts me off mid-calf. I like knee-length or a little shorter.

Anyway, today I think I'll get some things done around here and maybe visit my friend Karri who had foot surgery and is going a bit stir-crazy. I actually did get some stitching done over the past week (mostly on Skeleton Crew) but you know how bad I am about taking pictures and uploading them, like it's some sort of huge task, lol. I think I'll take care of that this weekend, too.

Blah

2008-03-21T15:45:00.003-05:00

Sorry, not in a mood for creating a title today. :)

Seems I have asthmatic bronchitis. Basically, the infection is gone but the congestion is still there, which is why my chest has felt very heavy since finishing the medication. I've also been pretty worn out because I'm not breathing well. So, I have an Advair inhaler and Ocean nasal spray, and hopefully after two weeks everything will be cleared up.

I'm so looking forward to being healthy to go to Celebration of Needlework in NH! I may buy that new Stitch-Opoly and take it with me. That could be fun. I may take a class in Hardanger, I'm not sure. I have to look at my budget for the next few months to see if I can swing it. I guess I should do that soon, before the class fills up.

My department at work is having a tough time lately. Our work is up to snuff, as usual, it's our personal lives. I've been having health issues for a few months; one of the guys has been sick or his wife has been sick; my boss's grandmother died last week; a woman's great-aunt has been very sick and she's been helping her get things in order, find attendant care and see about hospice care. I really like my coworkers and hate to see them in pain like this. :(

I have been doing some stitching lately. I'm almost done with the ribbon topiary. I would be finished but I ran out of floss and just ordered some more of Dinky Dyes' Gum Leaves so I can finish. The last few days I've been working a little on Skeleton Crew. I'll get some pictures over the weekend.

Not planning on doing much this weekend, other than stitching and resting. I should have some nice progress pictures to post by Sunday night. I haven't been stitching as much as usual in the last month or so, but I think I'm getting my mojo back. :)

What kind of nerd am I?

2008-03-14T12:26:00.001-05:00

Snagged from Whizgidget's blog:

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Artistic Nerd Whether it's painting, sewing, drawing, arts and crafts; or just splashing paint onto a canvas and calling it art; you mostly fit this description. Lots of people envy the artists, but be humble and keep working on it. There is a shortage of true artists today who actually contribute anything to society.
Literature Nerd
Musician
Drama Nerd
Social Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Missed another day

2008-03-13T18:30:00.002-05:00

Well, it looks like I pushed it too hard yesterday and stayed home again today. I think my boss has pretty much banished me from the office for the rest of the week. I understand -- her immune system isn't the best right now plus her grandmother is very sick and I'm sure she doesn't want me to give her anything for her own sake or that she could carry to her grandma. I have no idea what I'm going to do about my trip with my friend to the Celebration of Needlework show in NH at the end of April, as I've had to use some vacation days for that and will be down to one, maybe two days instead of four. I can deal with that, but I feel awful for my friend. I'm sure she'll understand -- she's a good friend -- but I still feel bad. Oh well. I really really hope this is that last of my winter nonsense.

I am still going in tomorrow morning for the EARN Center event in the morning, but I think I'll just come back home and work from here. Then Saturday morning I need to go to the Health Expo we're running, but that's just a few hours in the morning. I probably won't do the wellness walk because it's supposed to rain and I think that would REALLY be pushing it.

Book Meme

2008-03-11T08:16:00.003-05:00

I haven't done a book meme in a while, and found this one over at Terri's blog.

Look at the list of (100) books below. Bold the ones you’ve read.
Italicize the ones you want to read. Leave blank the ones that you aren’t
interested in. (Movies don’t count.)

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) (I'm actually reading this right now)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Yes, I'm whining again.

2008-03-10T15:48:00.003-05:00

Well, I never did get to that stitching, which is a shame because I've really been in a slump. My "just a cold" isn't. It's an upper-respiratory infection, a lovely thing that seems to be making the rounds at the moment. I honestly thought it was just a bad cold, but then I kept getting a 101 fever every night. After it happened again last night (4th night in a row), I told myself I'd call my doctor. So, he gave me some antibiotics and very low-grade steroids. I can't believe how much work I've missed during the last few months, but there's not much I can do about it. I told my boss I'd try to come back tomorrow, but she said she really wanted me to see how I feel tomorrow for two reasons: 1. she doesn't want me to come back if I should be resting to get rid of this thing; 2. she doesn't want me to give it to the rest of the department, lol.

So, we'll see how I feel in the morning. I can still check email and put out fires as needed from home, so I'm not letting everything completely go. I'm just irritated as heck about the whole thing. I'm glad I talked myself into calling the doctor, at least. I don't like calling about a simple cold, but that fever was bothering me and I developed a lovely cough yesterday. Last thing I want is to let this sort of thing go to long and end up with pneumonia or something. Ick.

Maybe I'll get some stitching in tonight. We'll see. :)

Good day for stitching

2008-03-08T10:36:00.002-05:00

I really have been in a bit of a stitching slump since getting back from San Francisco a few weeks ago. I'm not sure why, just haven't been in the mood. I think the fact that my livingroom was a disaster area was too distracting for me, lol. I got most of it under control last weekend and will do the final touches today (shouldn't take more than 30-60 minutes) then I can sit and enjoy the place while I'm stitching inside and it's raining and icky outside. I have to run a few minor errands, but I can do those first and get them out of the way.

We'll see how I feel later, anyway. I came down with a nasty cold during the day on Thursday. I do OK during the day, but Thursday and Friday nights I've been running a fever and had a hard time sleeping. Thursday was 100, last night was 101. It's not THAT high, just high enough to make me very cold no matter how many blankets I use and make me generally uncomfortable.

What I'm very thankful for is that the small event we were going to have at the EARN Center has been postponed. It was going to be this morning, meaning I would have had to get up very early to take 90-120 minutes to get up there because part of the El is shut down due to construction and they are using shuttle buses, and in the rain with a nasty cold. I was soooo thankful when I learned we postponed it!

Oh, I bought a few cute spring clothes last weekend at Kohls and Fashion Bug. Fashion Bug has some pretty trapeze-type short-sleeved sweaters in pink, yellow and white. I bought a pink and yellow and will probably go back for the white. I also bought some similarly styled tops at Kohls, along with a dress and a pair of jeans. I'm slowly getting rid of my lighter wash jeans in favor of darker jeans. I'm not getting rid of them until they either don't fit or are worn out, but I don't wear them to casual Fridays and such anymore. The old ones are comfy, but I do notice that I look better in the darker jeans.

Sigh. Just don't know what's wrong with me lately

2008-02-25T19:27:00.002-05:00

I didn't go to work today because I went to bed and woke up feeling dreadful. I think my TMJ kicked in because my head was pounding. I barely have enough sick time left after the back problem a few weeks ago and taking a day off after that lovely fall a little after that, but I think I have just enough to cover me. Doesn't really matter, I couldn't have done anything at work today, anyway.

I wanted to watch the Oscars last night, but went to bed while watching them and was in and out of sleep. I did see No County for Old Men win at the end, and was happy about that. So, I slept until about 4PM this afternoon and feel more like myself.

The problem is that I'm still in a bit of a funk. I had a great time over Pres' Day weekend, visiting my sister and getting away. Of course, as soon as I got back I got back into my same routine. I'm trying not to act any differently and actually hung out with friends all day Saturday and saw There Will Be Blood and saw Atonement on my own on Sunday morning when I still feeling OK. However, when I'm by myself I just want to cry. I don't know why, really. I mean, my life really isn't that bad and except for my recent klutziness and health issues things are fine. I'd say it was the weather, but the weather really hasn't been that bad, either. I either sleep too much or not enough lately. I don't know what's wrong with me but it's starting to get old. I don't want my health and klutziness to start affecting my job.

So, I'm feeling better and will go to work tomorrow and act like everything is fine and just laugh everything off like I usually do. I'm getting tired of laughing it off, though. But it's not like I can just go off one people at work (which I don't want to do anyway, and have no right to do) or go into some sort of crying jag because some little thing will set me off. Then they'll REALLY think I have problems and next thing I know I'll be a client instead of an employee, lol.

(See, there I go, laughing at it again. I guess I'm just not good showing my emotions and use humor to cover them. I don't know how to not do that.)

Meh, I'll get over it, but just had to get it out.

Foot mystery may be solved

2008-02-20T11:26:00.002-05:00

I was planning on getting a referral from my doctor to see a podiatrist after my vacation, and after comparing notes with my sister I am very interested in seeing what happens.

My foot problem has not gotten better. I bought new athletic shoes and casual shoes (and not cheap), thinking that would help -- nope. That foot still hurts like crazy if I wear any flat shoes other than my Crocs. It's frustrating hearing people lecture me about the dangers of wearing heels when that's the only time my feet don't hurt. People talk about how ugly Crocs are and how sick they are of seeing them because "I can find plenty of comfortable shoes that aren't ugly." Well, good for you!

Anyway, I knew Mo had had a foot problem but we really hadn't talked about the issues we were both having until we got together this past weekend. Seems we had the same symptoms -- only comfortable in heels and no flat shoes (including sneakers), pain and swelling in the same place (even the same foot!), throbbing in the area when sitting after walking a while, excruciating pain if we bang that part of the foot or the other side of the foot, practically dragging the foot behind us when it really hurts, etc. Turns out that she went to a podiatrist who told her she has a genetic defect in that foot -- apparently a bone in the arch area (I don't say arch as our feet are completely flat) never fused properly and after 35+ years it had finally had enough. This started for her a few years ago, when she was about my age. She had orthotics made and she says it's completely different and her feet have been great since then. She can wear shoes that these don't fit in for a day without a huge problem, but she wears these in pretty much everything.

So, I have the feeling this may be my problem and will let my doctor know this new information. I'm hoping I can get to the bottom of this soon. I'm sure orthotics aren't cheap, but I haven't been exercising or even walking as much as I used to because it just hurts too much. I really noticed it when I was in San Francisco this past weekend and didn't do my usual wandering. I miss that.

Great weekend!

2008-02-20T11:14:00.002-05:00

I got back from San Francisco about Midnight last night and went straight to bed. I planned on taking today off from work and am thankful I did!

I had a great time! I got in very late Friday and Saturday we went to this fantastic little place called Ella's where we ate breakfast on Saturday and Sunday - Best. Pancakes. Ever! The pancakes were lemon ginger oatmeal and were divine. Then we went to a very high-end wood furniture store to look at a table my sister has been eyeing for a while. I hope she didn't take me to talk her out of it, because the table is stunning. She ordered a square version of the table (the one they had was rectangular) and two chairs. They are made of cherry and are really pieces of art and get made to order in Maine. We both went home and hung out for a while and napped, then went to get pizza and see the Midnight showing of "The Princess Bride" at the small theater down the street. That was a lot of fun. I just love how there are so many interesting places within walking distance from where she lives.

Sunday we went up to Sonoma for a while after breakfast and did a little shopping. Later that evening we went to a luxurious spa and she bought me an 80-minute facial and they gave me trial-sized products to take home. Great stuff!

Monday she had to work part of the day, so I spent a lot of time reading. I didn't wander as much as I usually do when I visit because of my foot pain. I read "The Other Boleyn Girl" and finished it that day -- great book, gotta see the movie. Then we went to a Thai place for dinner.

I got a cab to take me to the airport at Noon on Tuesday, but I had time to check out a stitching place that was about a 15-minute walk away. It's called SF Stitch and was mostly for needlepoint but had huge amounts of silk floss and some other stuff. I ended up buying a few magazines and some books and next time I visit I plan on raiding all that beautiful silk floss they have. It's a great little shop on Sacramento.

So, now I'm back in reality and have to go to work tomorrow, but those little trips to San Francisco always help me feel better. I think it's the combination of being in a city I really enjoy, seeing my sister who I don't see often, and having the time to do anything I want -- or nothing. :)

One person's experience with Alli

2008-02-13T18:33:00.003-05:00

I've heard about the so-called "side effects" of this drug, which made me want to never try it. However, here's one person's experience with this drug. I'm amazed that this was prescribed by doctors, let alone is now over-the-counter! Be sure to click on the "Read More" at the bottom of the teaser to get the whole story.

Almost there!

2008-02-13T04:55:00.004-05:00

I've been acting like a little kid getting ready to go to Disney all week, lol. I'm really looking forward to getting out to see my sister and San Francisco for the weekend. The week is going slowly but still too fast, as tonight I need to do some laundry and pack my clothes to take to work tomorrow for Friday. That way I don't have to lug them around on Friday when I have to be at the EARN Center for most of the day.

I think I've been doing well with my eating. Yesterday I went to a luncheon and they had some really good chicken and vegetables. I ate all the veggies, some of the pasta and much of the chicken. However, I didn't feel the need to clean my plate as I usually do, so I wasn't stuffed and uncomfortable. I had a little cake, but wasn't thrilled with it so only had two pieces and left it. Everybody did the same thing, as the desert was set out with the salad before dinner. By the time we got to it, it was stale and crusty from sitting out too long. Blech. That's one way to get me to not eat the cake. Next time I see a set-up like that, I'm going to eat my salad then my cake. If people give me weird looks, fine. They'll be the ones to miss out on fresh cake. :)

I'm up ridiculously early this morning, so I guess I'll go ahead and get ready for work and go in early so I can leave a little early and get my laundry going. I should have done some last night, but I wasn't feeling my best and went to bed early.

Intuitive Eating progress

2008-02-09T17:41:00.000-05:00

I think this intuitive eating thing may work for me. I'm slowly making progress on it. I sometimes catch myself eating because I'm frustrated or upset, but the fact that I'm catching it means I'm going in the right direction. I'm working hard on thinking about what I want to eat before I eat, and making sure I'm actually hungry and not just trying to feed something else. Sounds pretty "duh," I'm sure, but I've been on so many diets and used food as an emotional crutch for so long that I really need to reconnect with what it means to actually be hungry, not just to eat because it's Noon.

One important part of the whole thing is not concentrating on fat-free, low-calorie, no trans fat, etc. that we are trained to rely on. Some things are fine fat-free or sugar-free, but most of them just don't satisfy me and I end up eating more to be full and don't necessarily like the taste. For instance. I had been buying Dannon Light & Fit vanilla yogurt (4-oz.) to mix with my fruit and oat granola in the morning. It was OK, but I wasn't crazy about the taste and it was a bit runny. So, I bought some Dannon La Créme vanilla yogurt instead. Wow, what a difference! It's very thick and creamy (as the name insinuates), it tastes good, fills me up, and is just much more satisfying in every way. The light stuff has 60 calories and no fat. The creamy stuff has 140 calories and 5g of fat, which is probably why it satisfies me. But after I eat it I don't want more to eat, you know?

Speaking of low-fat and sugar-free, I've always bought the low-fat Jello pudding cups. They are actually pretty good, but now that I'm eating the regular pudding, it does taste better and fills me up quicker -- and doesn't have much more fat or calories than the low-fat. It's interesting, though, that there are more low-fat and sugar-free varieties of the Jello pudding than of the regular, at least in the refrigerated cups.

So, today I wasn't very hungry for much of the day until afternoon. Usually I eat breakfast, but since I wasn't hungry I didn't. I read that this is one of those things were one day you'll be hungry often and eat to satisfy it, and other days I won't be as hungry so won't eat as much, and it all balances out. Anyway, I bought groceries today and some nice salmon and a large amount of green beans for a mid-afternoon meal and am now enjoying some white wine. :)

So far, I'm pretty happy with this new way of eating. The hardest part is really asking myself if I'm hungry or if I want food for another reason, and stopping every so often while eating to check if I'm full and to actually taste the food and ask myself how much I really like it. That's when I realized that the particular light yogurt I was eating needed to go. :)

Wahoo!

2008-02-08T20:46:00.000-05:00

My sister is saving me! We were tentatively planning to get together in San Francisco (where she lives) over Easter weekend, but it won't work with her schedule. After hearing about my latest incident, she decided to fly me out for an extended weekend over Presidents' Day weekend! I'm soooo looking forward to this! Plans include swimming in her gym's pool, hanging out in the hot tub at her spa, checking out a stitching shop she saw that is walking distance from her apartment, and general stitching, reading, sleeping, talking, and probably a little drinking. Oh, and she and a friend were planning to go to a midnight showing of "The Princess Bride" on Saturday night -- they've never seen it! So, that's going to be a lot of fun, too. I've never seen it on the big screen with a large group of people, so I'm looking forward to that, too.

I'm hoping this is the vacation I need to get out of this weird funk I've been in lately.

I have discovered Tim Gunn`

2008-02-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

I've heard about his show but have never been able to catch it on TV. Today while I was wallowing in my misery under a blanket watching TV, I saw that there were a bunch of his shows on Bravo. I watched some of them and think he's wonderful! I so appreciate the fashionistas that are focusing on what an individual woman has going for her, both body and personality, and helping her find a look that represents both to their highest potential.

Five years ago, I never would have DREAMED I'd be hooked on shows like these, but they have helped me so much over the past year it's unbelievable. Now, if only I can find a show that helps klutzy people become a bit more graceful...

:)

Oh, for the love of Jeff!

2008-02-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

I thought I was done with my body revolting against me, but I pulled another stunt today. My coworker and I were walking back from a meeting and I guess there was a dip in the sidewalk that I missed because all of a sudden I tripped and almost fell on my face. Instead, I fell on my bad wrist and knee. I didn't ruin my clothes or hurt myself in a big way, but my wrist is worse, my knee is scraped and sore, my good ankle hurts and my middle back hurts. Sigh. I'm going to see how I feel in the morning and go from there. I'm sure I'll feel better, I'm just so sick of this. I'm thankful, though, that I didn't fall in front of a car or really hurt myself.

I think this is really becoming a problem

2008-02-04T21:35:00.001-05:00

When PBS premiered Ken Burns' The War back in the fall, I heard him in interviews say that he made this because a large percentage of high school graduates think we fought WWII with Germany and against the Russians. I think people who didn't live through any of the Cold War think we were always enemies with Russia, so of course we were against them in WWII. However, it's still not a good thing -- not at all.

Today I see that we aren't alone in being ignorant of important events in our own history: 1 in 4 Britons Think Winston Churchill Never Existed. I find it interesting but sad that people think Churchill, Cleopatra and Sir Walter Raleigh, to name a few, were made up for movies and books, but think Sherlock Holmes is real.

Sigh.

Fat acceptance TV segment

2008-02-02T18:53:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have seen a segment about fat acceptance last week on the Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. If you didn't, check out Big Fat Deal or The F-Word. The owners of those two blogs were featured and were awesome! I'd rather not post the actual videos here and ask people to go view them at one of the blogs so that you can see their blogs and comment, if you'd like. You may have to scroll down a little to see the videos on their blogs.

Anyway, I've been reading a lot of comments here and there about the whole thing, and one point really sticks out: why didn't the thin people on stage tell us their stats? Mo and Rachel were asked their height and weight, along with questions about their blood pressure and cholesterol. As usual, it's simply ASSumed that the thin people are perfectly healthy and the fat ones have to justify themselves, and probably still aren't believed. I'm pretty sure people don't believe me when I say my blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure are all normal. Of course, the old "Well, it may lead to problems when you're older" comes up. Sure, it may also lead to problems in thin people, too. There are plenty of thin people who have problems with blood pressure and cholesterol.

I'm not anti-thin and I'm not pro-fat. I just want people to learn to feel good in their own bodies. As many of you know, this is something I've fought for years and have finally started to come to terms with in the last year. I'm also focusing on eating when I'm hungry, not according to any time table or schedule. I eat what I want when I'm hungry. Sometimes that means blueberries and tomatoes, sometimes that means a few Hershey's Kisses, sometimes that means chicken, sometimes that means a burger, etc. I feel much healthier and have started limited exercise again (limited due to the tendonitis in my wrist and the Dammit foot, as I like to call it). I got off that for a while and had no energy, was depressed, had all sorts of injuries and just felt awful. So, I'm back to what seems to work for me and I'm not gaining weight.

We are starting a health program at work and I'm part of the marketing team. I'm so proud that this program focuses on overall health, not weight loss. There are weigh-ins for people who want them, but the focus is on eating well and being active. This is great, because I'm done with diets. They don't work for me. All diets have done for me is make me fatter, lol.

Another interesting point that came up in that segment: Meme Roth, an anti-fat activist, says (and I'm paraphrasing) that fat people are already accepted and that an article in the New York Times touting that thin people should be accepted would be met with a backlash. I about spewed my drink on the monitor, lol. Didn't I see an article VERY recently that stated a prominent clavicle is the latest fashion accessory? Don't we see airbrushed people all over the magazines -- not just their faces, but arms and other body parts so that they look thinner (and ridiculously tan and smooth)? Doesn't every woman's magazine have at least one article in it about losing weight? How many times do you hear people who are a normal weight say they have to lose 10 pounds... or 20?

Oh, and one more thing while I'm thinking about it. I can't remember the doctor's name, but she did say these things aren't all black and white. That I liked. Then she went on to say that we can't use height and weight to determine health -- we should use BMI. Well, what the fark is the BMI number, if not a number based on your height and weight and no other factors? That one really boggled me.

So, Rachel and Mo were EXTREMELY poised, looked fantastic, and really handled everything so much better than I could. When I get mad my face turns red, so I would have been purple by the end of the segment.

Again, I want to stress that I'm not about hating anyone. To be fair, I think Meme Roth has some good points, particularly about getting soda machines and that kind of crap out of the schools. She doesn't mention it in the segment, I don't think, but I've seen her mention it in other places. I just wish she didn't have to act like it's horrible that we fatties have access to clothes that actually fit us instead of wearing mumus to punish ourselves until we lose weight to fit into "normal" clothes. I've lived that way (well, not in mumus) for way too much of my life, wasted my life waiting to do things until I lost weight, and I'm not going to do it anymore. I find it interesting that since I stopped dieting, I feel better and I look better.

Anyway, enough of the rambling. If you've made it this far, thanks. :)

Best. Deal. Ever!

2008-02-02T15:14:00.000-05:00

So, I was talking about very bad deals in my last post, right? Between then and now I went shopping with a friend. She was looking at clearance racks for something to wear to an upcoming formal, I was looking to spend the $25 gift certificate she bought me for Christmas. I really didn't see anything and was going to save the certificate for later, then I saw it -- a beautiful brown suit jacket. I've been looking for one and there it was. Now, it's a smaller size than I usually wear so I looked at the size and figured it wouldn't fit and put it back. I wandered around for a while and helped Karri pick out some clothes, then I went back and that jacket was still there. I figured I might as well try it on. Lo and behold! It fit! It's not loose, but it's not too tight. I guess that's the definition of clothes fitting but I tend to go a little large, although I've gotten much better about that.

This is where the big deal comes in. It's on the clearance rack, and there's a sign that shows the prices. According to the sign, everything over $45 is marked down to $19.99. I looked at the price tag -- $144 marked down to $107. I'm thinking that maybe this is in the wrong place, etc. So, I took it up to the register and it was only $19.99! Sold!

It's lined and has a beautiful embroidered lapel and bottom, and also beadwork in those places. It's just stunning and don't think I've ever gotten such a good deal. I looked through it and there's no tears or anything, so it's good to go!

In case you don't already know...

2008-02-02T09:43:00.000-05:00

Do not order from Cross Stitch Keepsakes! I can't tell you the many stories I've heard of people paying for orders that never shipped. I've lost track of how often I've heard about it, and this has been going on for years -- at least 5, but I think more. I tend to lose track of time. The "business" will be up for a while, then there's some sort of "crisis" and it's not updated for months. This usually happens after people order supplies that they never receive. I think one time there was a health issue, which wouldn't be so bad if this hasn't happened repeatedly over the years.

The reason I bring this up is that an email went out from the site, saying it has been updated and there will be a Super Bowl sale. WARNING! WARNING! DO NOT BUY FROM THIS SUPER BOWL SALE! You're better off paying full price for something than going here and getting a "deal" that never delivers -- literally.

To be honest, I ordered from her when she first went up and got my order. I found that I was very lucky, because it was soon after that the problems started. I think when things first start up again she's OK, but soon after all sorts of stuff goes down.

You can see info at the Better Business Bureau.

All About Me

2008-01-19T13:10:00.000-05:00

I stole thus from Suzemo's blog. Answer the questions and type your answer into Google images search. Post a photo from the FIRST results page. (this can be tough!!)

Age you will be on your next birthday?

Place you would like to visit?

One of your favorite places

Your favorite object?

Your favorite food?

Your favorite animal?

Your favorite color?

Name of a past pet?

Where you live?

1st grade teacher’s last name?

Middle Name?

A bad habit of yours?

Favorite flower?

Favorite Holiday?

Too tired to sleep

2008-01-18T20:11:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've all been there. You're absolutely exhausted and your body and mind hurt and you just want to sleep, but you lie there wide awake. So, I decided to get on my blog and get things off my chest.

In the past month, maybe a little more:

--I had the foot problem and tendonitis in the left foot and wrist. They are better, but still wearing the braces because they aren't great.

--Had a back problem that lasted most of last week and made me lose 3.5 days of work. I sometimes get sciatica and all I can do is take muscle relaxers and pain meds and do nothing but lie around for a few days. Sitting is awful. Luckily it was pretty much over in a week and I had enough sick time to cover it.

--Earlier this week broke a tooth that had a crown on it. Luckily, the tooth seems to be dead so it doesn't hurt. Made an appointment to see dentist this morning, but had to cancel because...

--I cut my middle finger on right hand opening the #$!@$%@ can of cat food and had to go to the ER to get a few stitches and a tetanus shot.

I keep telling myself that I'm getting all my injuries for the year out of the way now, but that cat food thing this morning really ticked me off. I haven't been to the ER in over 20 years, and to go for something that stupid is irritating, but I'm also laughing because this whole thing is absolutely ridiculous. So that whole ER thing first thing this morning really tired me out. I went to work and was somewhat productive and then came home.

Another thing that has been bothering me is what feels like the break-up of one of my favorite stitching boards. Apparently, there was a disagreement between admins and there are now two boards. There's no us vs. them or anything like that, and both boards seem very keen on keeping it that way. I'm not sure what happened, and I like most of the people on that original board very much. I think many of us will be going back and forth between boards for a while, but realistically people will probably gravitate more toward one than the other. I was afraid that this would happen when we had admin problems a few months back, although that was a completely different issue. Oh well. Just gotta get used to the idea that things just don't stay the same forever; people come and people go. I'm going to do my best to visit both because I like people at both boards. I'm surprised I'm as bothered by it as I am, but I guess I always felt that board to be a safe haven and that somehow that safe haven has been violated. Keep in mind I'm very tired and irritated about other things, so I'm probably a little over emotional.

Now, hopefully I can go to sleep. :)

Thank you, Carson Kressley!

2008-01-11T21:10:00.000-05:00

So I just watched two episodes of Carson's Look Good Naked and have such emotions about it. I was crying along with the women when they looked in the mirror and realized how beautiful they really are, even though they aren't perfect. It was very interesting to see how many extra inches they added on to their weigh due to their own misconceptions of what they really look like. As someone who has battled my weight all my life, I really can empathize with them. It's so refreshing to see somebody help women see how beautiful they are, rather than tell them what parts of their bodies they need to change to be beautiful. Of course, there are still lots of people who think you aren't beautiful unless you have a flat stomach, but screw 'em, lol.

As I've mentioned in the past, I no longer diet. Since making that decision, I lost about 10 pounds and have pretty much stayed in that range, give or take a pound here and there. I'm going to get back into some sort of exercise regimen next week, possibly over the weekend. It's nothing huge, just getting in 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week. This is in addition to my walking I do to and from work. There really is no reason for me not to get in 30 minutes on an almost daily basis -- except this past week. I wanted to start this past Monday, but I woke up with a bad back and was actually at home mostly sleeping from Monday through Thursday due to the sciatica problem and the muscle relaxers they gave me to help. It did help, though, and I went to work today and can once again sit without too many problems. So, I don't want to push it yet, but early next week should be fine.

So, thanks Carson! Between this show and What Not to Wear, I've really started to gain confidence regarding how I present myself.

Stitching progress

2008-01-06T12:41:00.000-05:00

Below is the progress I made on Angel of the New Dawn and Ribbon Topiary. Angel of the New Dawn is one of my 2008 finish goals, Ribbon Topiary is one of my Guilt-Free January starts. I may also finish it in January, we'll see. The original is in pink, but I'm stitching it in teal.

This weekend I started another Guilt-Free January project, Mermaids of the Deep Blue. I'll post some progress after I get some more done today. I should have the hair head and arms done on one mermaid by then.

Good grief, what a loud mouth

2008-01-06T05:14:00.000-05:00

The couple across the hall started arguing last night and are STILL arguing at 5:23AM. I guess they slept or one worked in the meantime, but when Tim got home he could hear them and he left to go to work a little while ago and it had escalated. I understand arguing, Tim and I aren't perfect and have our moments. I just don't get it when people are this loud and just don't care about anyone else hearing all their personal stuff. She has such a loud mouth that it sounds like it's going on right outside my door. He gets loud sometimes, but most of the time I really don't hear him.

They do argue from time to time, but not usually like this. That thing on New Year's seemed to be more about the other couple that was there than about them. I guess I'm just getting old and like my peace and quiet.

ARGH! Had to call cops twice tonight

2008-01-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't been to bed yet, partly because I didn't go to bed until about 2:30 or so because I was stitching, but mainly because since then I've had to call the cops twice because of the idiots across the hall from me. First, there were two guys arguing in the parking lot, and they were loud. It went on and on so I called because I thought it sounded like they were going to come to blows. I think by the time the police got here they'd stopped and come back inside. Then, about half an hour ago, a big blow-up between two girls and a guy started. I thought it was in the hallway but I guess it was actually in the apartment -- just loud enough that it sounded like it was in the hallway. So, got them out here again and this time they got here in time to talk to them. I think the two arguments were related and it sounded like the one woman was hyperventilating or something.

I don't usually call the cops but I figured better safe than sorry. I know people argue, but this was ridiculous and at one point I heard one of them hitting the other, just ridiculous. There's a difference between an argument and something that sounds like it's going to come to major blows any second and has gone on for many minutes.

At least I don't call them all the time. I felt like a dufus for calling them twice in a night, though. This place has really gone downhill in the time I've been here, which is about nine years. The funny thing is that the people who live across the hall from me tend to think they are better than the rest of us here -- yeah, obviously.

So, Tim will be coming home from work soon and I guess we'll be going to bed at the same time. I was planning on going to bed late, but not this late.

2007 Finishes

2007-12-31T18:39:00.000-05:00

How silly of me! I listed my finishes but not pictures of them. I forgot to take pictures of the ornaments I made, though. I realized it after I'd wrapped them all and just didn't want to do that all over again. Yeah, I'm lazy. They are basically the same as I usually do -- my own little specialty stitch ornaments in flat tuck ornaments.

So, here are the rest:

1. Halloween Fairy (Mirabilia). Finally finished it a few days ago, on Moonglow from Picture This Plus (PTP). Kinda bummed because the Dandelion Stem I bought to finish the wing didn't quite match the rest of the wing.

2. 2001 Mirabilia Cherub. Stitched for coworker who had her baby this weekend. (Or should have. I haven't heard anything, so may need to check my work email.)

3. Why Hoard Gold? (Dragon Dreams)

4. My freestyle embroidery experiment

5. Mermaid of the Pearls (Mirabilia) on Jubilation from Silkweaver

6. Christmas Elf Fairy (Mirabilia) on Cherub from PTP

7. Easter Fairy (Mirabilia) on Willow from PTP

8. Liberty Sampler (Hester's Needle). Hmmm, didn't get another picture of it after I stitched in a few stitches a fellow stitcher noticed I missed.

9. I Shall Wear Purple

10. 2006 Mirabilia Christmas Tree

Finally submitted to the Silkweaver Showcase

2007-12-31T17:31:00.000-05:00

Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I had a picture but wanted to get as close to the actual color as I could. I still don't think I got the exact color of the fabric across, but it's better. I just uploaded a larger version of this image:

Looking at it again, I can see the little shadow at the bottom from where the couch cushion ends. I probably should have cropped that out, but oh well.

I think I have a chance at maybe winning a prize, but so do most of the other submissions, lol. We'll see what happens. This is the first time I've submitted anything to Silkweaver. It would be so cool to win some of that fabric. It's a tough competition, though.

New Year's Eve memories

2007-12-30T19:31:00.000-05:00

Over at the 123 board we were talking about who is and isn't going out for New Year's Eve. When I was younger I used to go out, but these days I stay home and take advantage of the stitching time. I don't like big crowds so I don't do the Penns Landing thing, although sometimes friends of ours have a party.

After thinking about it, though, I only really remember going out on New Year's twice. I often had people over to our place when I was younger, though. One time I went out was when I was home during winter break my freshman year of college, so I was 18. A bunch of us got together and went to Church Street Station in Orlando to see the orange drop (yes yes, laugh laugh). We had designated drivers, and I was the oldest one there, although we were all about 17-18. We went to Rosy O'Grady's and were debating if we should ask for drinks, figuring we'd get ID'd, when the bartender asked us what we wanted. ??? So, we asked him what he recommended, and he made us all Flaming Hurricanes. Whoa! That was one awesome drink! I think that's the only drink I had all night because I didn't want to push my luck, but I'm amazed that they served us like that. He never actually asked us our age, so we went with it.

The other time I remember, and was actually a lot of fun although it will probably sound very geeky and boring, was getting together at a friend's house. He was actually an ex-boyfriend from earlier in my life and, after hating each other for a while, we became good friends. It was my senior year of college and I was once again home for Christmas. He and I went over to a mutual friend's house and a bunch of us (pretty much me and a bunch of guys, lol) played card games and drank Rumplemintz all night. I really had a good time just hanging out and listening to music. I've come to the realization that I usually have more fun doing something like that than going out to huge parties that make me feel claustrophobic.

So, that's my New Year's ramble.

Yeesh! I can't hold my booze anymore

2007-12-30T19:25:00.000-05:00

In college (early 90s), I could drink shots of Bacardi 151 and not even feel it in the morning. Now, when I go out once in a while for happy hour I get three beers tops and eat while I'm drinking (and drink water) and can get pretty happy. Of course, I plan ahead of time and don't even drive to the train station those mornings, I take the trolley so I don't have to step foot in a car on the way home.

I just sat down with a nice glass of some Riesling I picked up in NY over Christmas. I have had not even half a glass and I wouldn't drive down the block, lol. I probably should eat something, as I haven't eaten since about 2PM and it's 7:30, but still...

Guess I'm a cheap drunk. I do love my non-dry white wines and my Yuengling beer, though. :)

2007 almost outta here

2007-12-30T16:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished Halloween Fairy two days ago. YAY! I didn't get that Dandelion Stem floss in time to finish it by the end of November for the Mirabilia contest, but at least I finished it before the end of the year. I've been working on Mirabilia's Angel of the New Dawn and she now has two wings, thank goodness! That's one thing I don't like about stitching angels -- they look sad when they only have one wing and the other wing hasn't been stitched yet. I'll get some pictures up later today or tomorrow.

I've been off since last Saturday and go back to work Wednesday, but didn't do much stitching until the last few days as I was at my parents until this past Wednesday. So, today I watched the Pirates trilogy, now that I have the third movie. Tomorrow, I think I'll watch all the Harry Potters, now that I have the fifth one. I may or may not do that -- that's a lot of Harry Potter in one day, lol. Maybe I'll start them tonight. Anyway, I think the next day (or next weekend), I'll watch the Bourne trilogy, as I also received the third Bourne movie. I've put that off because I really need to watch it, having missed it in the theater. I wonder if they're going to make another Bourne movie. From what I gather, it started out as a trilogy but I've also seen "The Bourne Legacy" and "The Bourne Betrayal" out there. I haven't read any of the books, but may at some point. I'm already extremely behind on my book list.

If I'm not back here before the first, here's hoping everyone has a SAFE and happy New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

2008 Goals

2007-12-27T11:49:00.001-05:00

Here's my ongoing StRIP list. As usual, I changed some things around but I keep at it because it helps me keep some sort of control over my stitching stash, except for when I go to stitching festivals. :)

Mermaid of the Pearls (DONE) + Why Hoard Gold? (DONE) > New Year's Fairy
Angel of the New Dawn + Ouroborus > Christmas Cat
Skeleton Crew + Christmas Elf Fairy (DONE) > 2007 Mirabilia Christmas Tree
DT mini bellpull + 1998 L&L angel > Cinnamon Bear
Easter Fairy (DONE) + Alpine Garden > L&L County Fair
Autumn Angel + Oh Christmas Tree > Valentine Fairy
Garden Verses + Rose Celebration > Thanksgiving Fairy
Fairie Treasure + Angel of the Sea > Moon Fairy Spirit
Earth Dragon + TW English Garden Welcome > Titanic
Spring Queen + Sweet Dreams Santa > Blossom Harvest
Misty Morning Vineyard > Egyptian Garden

Guilt-Free January Starts
Mermaids of the Deep Blue
Tsunami Sampler (may use different colors)
The Ribbon Topiary (stitched in teal instead of pink)

2008 Finish Goals (the last three are less likely, but we'll see)
Angel of the New Dawn
Skeleton Crew
10 Ornaments
2007 Mirabilia Tree
Ouroborus
Autumn Angel
Alpine Garden
New Year's Fairy
Thanksgiving Fairy
The Ribbon Topiary (teal)
Garden Verses
Rose Celebration
Oh Christmas Tree

Other 2008 Starts
Mermaids of the Deep Blue
Tsunami Sampler
New Year's Fairy
L&L County Fairy
2007 Mirabilia Christmas Tree
Christmas Cat

Stitching Goals Round-up for 2007

2007-12-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't finish some items I'd hoped I would, but I also started and finished some other projects. I'm not the type of person who can completely stick to a stitching goals list for a year and not start or work on other items. However, I have found that at least posting my goals forces me to think about what I want to get done this year and helps me to stick to a general plan instead of being completely all over the place.

I think I have done pretty well with my Ten Project Challenge. Of course, the idea was to not start anything until all ten projects were finished. That didn't happen, but it did help me to focus on those particular projects and they are all finished except for Angel of the New Dawn. I've been focusing on her these last few weeks (although I haven't been stitching much) and, while she won't be done by 2008 she should be done by the end of spring.

Oh, and I got my Dandelion Stem floss in so I can finally finish Halloween Fairy. She'll be done before January so I put her on my list of finishes. All I have to do is fill in that wing, a little backstitching, and the beading.

So, here's my progress on my various lists:

Ten Project Challenge

WIPS (when I started the challenge)
1. Lady of the Flag (finished in September06)
2. Angel of Love - L&L (finished 11/12/06)
3. Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle (finished 7/5/07)
4. I Shall Wear Purple - Leisure Arts (finished 2/20/07)
5. Mermaid of the Pearls - Mirabilia (finished 5/16/07
6. Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia

New
1. Why Hoard Gold? - Dragon Dreams (finished 11/24/07)
2. Crescent Moon - Mirabilia - chart colors (finished 12/1/06)
3. 2006 Christmas Tree - Mirabilia (finished 1/8/07)
4. Easter Fairy - Mirabilia (started 1/07, finished 5/24/07)

2007 Finish Goals

At least 10 ornaments (DONE)
Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle (DONE)
I Shall Wear Purple - Lanarte with color changes (DONE)
Mermaid of the Pearls - Mirabilia (DONE)
Why Hoard Gold? - Dragon Dreams (DONE)
Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia
Drawn Thread mini bellpull (This has been on my list for a few years. Will I ever start the little thing? lol)
Ouroborus - Dracolair
1998 L&L Angel
Skeleton Crew - Cross-Eyed Cricket
2006 Mirabilia Tree (DONE)

2007 Goal Starts
Started first four. I don't know why I thought I'd be able to have so many starts, but my WIPs would REALLY be out of control if I'd started these and not been able to finish what I did.

Easter Fairy - Mirabilia (DONE)
Alpine Garden - Drawn Thread
Autumn Angel - Joan Elliott
Oh Christmas Tree - L&L

Celtic Noel - L&L
mini bellpull - Drawn Thread
Cinnamon Bear - JCS Christmas Issue
Couer de Saint Valentine - don't know name of designer off-hand, French
Christmas Cat - from Holiday Cats leaflet

All Finishes for 2007
Halloween Fairy(not finished yet, but will be before 1/1)
2001 Mirabilia Cherub
Dragon Dreams Baby Samler
a freestyle embroidery I created
Mermaid of the Pearls
Christmas Elf Fairy
Easter Fairy
Liberty Sampler
I Shall Wear Purple
2006 Mirabilia Christmas Tree
ten ornaments

Hope all had a nice Christmas

2007-12-27T10:29:00.001-05:00

I had a very nice and quiet Christmas. Tim and I drove about five hours north to visit my parents in Central NY. We went up Saturday and got back yesterday (Wednesday). Coming back we hit some lovely rain and sleet for the last 2 hours of the trip, but the rest of it was fine.

The nice thing about visiting The Parents is that they are once again living in Wine Country, very near to where we lived when I was growing up. So, Sunday and Monday we went to some local wineries that my parents wanted to visit again. Of course, I don't feel right going to a wine tasting and not buying some wine, so we came home with 8 bottles, lol. Tim only drinks red and I only drink white, so we always have to get a bottle for him and a bottle for me. That should last for a while. One thing I can't stand about PA is how difficult it is to get wine from other places. I don't drink California wine, tending to stick to local PA wineries or the NY wineries, but I prefer the NY wines and they are hard to get here. So, I usually stock up when I visit.

I'm very fortunate that my parents are the way they are. Many people, unfortunately, would have issues with their daughter living with a man of a different race. My parents don't care and really go out of their way to make him feel welcome. Of course, my mom made her normal Christmas dinner, which is full of food that Tim loves -- turkey, sweet potatoes, banana bread, broccoli with cheese, stuffing, etc. She sent us home with quite a bit of turkey, banana bread and her yummy Christmas cookies. If you really want to make some good sugar cookies, use the recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook (mine is a red and white checkered pattern). It uses less sugar and also uses honey and they taste so much better than standard sugar cookies. My mom used Splenda in them and they tasted the same as always.

So, we exchanged gifts but that didn't take long as we try not to spend too much money on them. We tend to get more for our spouses than anyone else, and we pick names out of the hat so that we don't feel we have to buy for everyone. I like it so much better that way. We were never a family to go completely nuts at Christmas, but always had some nice things under the tree.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a nice holiday season. That month between Thanksgiving and New Year's sure can get a little crazy sometimes.

In case you haven't heard...

2007-12-16T16:49:00.001-05:00

CATS has been reborn as Stitching Jubilee! The only show I know of will be Oct. 2-4 at the Valley Forge Convention Center, which is either in Valley Forge or King of Prussia, depending on who you ask, lol. I think it's right on the dividing line. I will miss Hershey, but it will be nice for me personally to not have to travel as far. The website isn't up yet, but I believe it is www.stitchingjubilee.com.

Thanks Rachel for mentioning it in your blog!

Watching Dave Ramsey...

2007-12-13T20:05:00.001-05:00

and for some reason it cracked me up big time when he used the term "hoopty" when referring to buying an old used car, which he suggests instead of car payments. (And I agree, as long as you get an old used car that's not a money pit.) It just sounds strange to me, coming out of his mouth.

He's actually in rare form tonight. I've been watching his show for the last few weeks and enjoy it. I don't agree with him about everything having to do with non-financial stuff, but his financial advice is working for me.