Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving was a little quiet this year. My grandparents were ill with a viral illness so they skipped out as did my uncle. Jeff's parents were able to come up and we had a great time. I fixed it all...turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry salad, green bean casserole, rolls, and sweet potato casserole. My friend Mary made a wonderful apple pie.
The appetizer was a turkey that I found on Pinterest. It turned out nicely.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

Book Report: November Edition

I've still been reading and I have read some good books.

1. Look Me in the Eye: John Elder Robison-excellent book. It's a memoir about a guy who has Asperger syndrome. It was well written and insightful. Some myths I have about Asperger adults were dismissed. He really lets you understand Asperger kids want to be liked and befriended. He talks a lot about his time working with the rock group KISS.

2. Housekeeper and the Professor: A quick read and good, but kind of depressing. The professor was in a car accident and his memory lasts 80 minutes. Every morning the housekeeper greets him, she is a stranger to him. It's a kind and tender book about how the professor helps the woman and her son connect better.

3. Love That Multiplies: Jim and Michelle Duggar-okay, I profess. I love the Duggar's. I would never want that many kids, but they fascinate me. And the book talks a lot about parenting. I found some really good tips. They are great writers. I am truly amazed at how simple their lives are despite having so many children.

4. Cross: James Patterson- I haven't read a Patterson book in years. Man, he is a great writer. This is another Alex Cross mystery. Nothing super special, but Patterson writes so well, I am hooked til the end.

5. The Tender Bar: J.R. Moehringer- I've had this book for years. Seriously. All of my friends told me how good it was. And I agree, it was good (although I think they were biased because he is a journalist). This memoir started a little slow, but quickly picked up in speed (my interest). Very interesting read.

6. Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: Nina Sankovitch- Wow. This woman loses her sister to cancer (she was only 37) and for three years, she kept busy to hide from her sister's death. Then she decided to escape by reading a book a day for 1 year. And she did it. And wrote about each book. I'm impressed. Good read.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Lucy is an early morning riser...not something I want to do on weekend mornings. So I thought I'd be smart and stick them in the kennel in the hall. I slept in until 8:30 and felt sooooo good. I was so proud of myself for this idea. I opened the door to let them out and found.....
Yep, they let themselves out. No wonder they were quiet. So what do two puppies do when they are free with no adult supervision? They go to the basement and dig in the kitty litter box and MAKE A HUGE MESS!!!!
They piddle on the floor (oh and leave brown deposits too).
AHHH!! They were so excited, until they saw me. Oreo started cowering...he knew he was in trouble. Oh well...it's fixable. And it taught me a good lesson. Double check BOTH doors.

L's New Room

L has been tired of her pale green room since we moved in two years ago. Finally, I set some time aside to paint her room. I thought it turned out nicely and didn't take too long to paint. We went hot pink and brown zebra stripes. The white is a dry erase board that I painted. It turned out cool.
View from her bed.
L is very proud of her new room. It matches her Bobby Jack bedding well. I need to put up some pink curtains and touch up and it will be finished.

Gingerbread Making

On Sunday, L and I went to the annual gingerbread making festival. We've done this for several years and we have so much fun. We bring our leftover Halloween candy and create some cool looking houses. Maria and the boys join us in the fun. Here's L with her house.
My house: I like the butterscotch roof and gum logs.
The front door.
L's house. Cool red hot roof.
Her front door.

Happy Birthday to Me

Today I am 37. I had a great day. Consult with the endodontist was good-no root canal. I just need a filling. I had a wonderful red velvet cake made by my friend. I got to read while I waited for L to go to dance class. We stopped at the library and then to my favorite Mediterrean place. It was a good day. Ready to start tomorrow making good choices-healthy foods and exercise. Here's to another year!

The Night Before 37

It's the day before my 37th birthday. Wow. And I've been reflecting on what I want to accomplish in the next year and in the next 3 years (before the big 4-0). One of my major goals is to redefine my eating habits. I recognize I am a good person and the scale does not reflect my self worth. On the other hand, I'm tired of eating because I'm bored/anxious/sad/scared/etc. I went on a great diet this summer and lost 15 pounds, but I didn't feel much had changed and my eating habits started to reflect this as I gained the weight back. But you know what? It did make a difference. When I was eating less, I had more energy and I enjoyed being active. So I decided one major goal I have is to make exercise and eating healthy my journey, not just a destination. I want to lose 25 pounds (2 pounds/month plus one to grow on :)) in the next year. And to do so, my goal is to hit 9,000 to 10,000 steps per day (with an exception if I swim or lift weights). I vow to eat when I'm hungry, to stop when I'm full and fill my body with good for me food. Because calories don't have emotions so I shouldn't treat them that way.
I'll post once a month (for accountability) on how I'm doing. Today I am at zero and from here on out, you'll see a +/- for the month.
I'm happy to be 37. I am a successful PA, a good mother and wife. I love being with my family, being with nature and being with a good book.