Sunday, October 24, 2010

Isn't it the most gorgeous day?!

Male Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang) in the M...Image via Wikipedia
I woke up early this morning, and had breakfast outside with Kevin, enjoying the morning breeze and hearing the twittering of birds.  Kevin raked and swept, and I did some cleaning, and then we went together to the store.

We had the house power-washed this week and the carpet downstairs cleaned.  I've cleaned the whole house and dressed it for fall.  I strung some mini white lights on a tree inside the house and strung fall leave garlands around the windows, placed some pumpkins and fall flowers around, and it looks pretty cozy, if I say so myself.

I've taken a few minutes to blog, catch up on my emails, and now I'm going to read a chapter of "Little Miss Shopaholic."

Wish I had bought a hammock while I was at the store.  

Food, you say? 

Don't ask.

I'm still in vacation mode.
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Thursday, October 21, 2010

FOOD, FOOD, EVERYWHERE!

I just can't get back into the swing of things.  I don't know what my problem is.  I'm not stressed out.  I'm not worried.  Life is good.  So why can't I get back to 1600 calories a day?  I am craving everything that is wrong for me.  And I'm gaining.  Oh this is MADNESS! 

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Feeling the Side Effects

List of U.S. state foodsImage via Wikipedia
I'm feeling achy, tired, and all around lousy, and I know it's due to my poor eating habits the past week and a half.  It's difficult trying to get back into the groove of healthy eating.  I'm craving pancakes, and doughnuts, and pasta, and jumbo shrimp and risotto.

I didn't do too bad during the day yesterday, but I had to work late last night and grabbed a happy meal from McDonald's for dinner, with 3 chocolate chip cookies.  And if that wasn't bad enough, I got a child's size chocolate milk shake. 

While I was eating that, I started catching up on emails and read one that Ellie sent me about what's in McDonald's hamburgers.  YUCK!  No wonder I'm feeling lousy.

Wish I could say I did better this morning, but sweet cravings got the best of me, and I ate a double chocolate chip muffin (not the Weight Watchers kind), and a cup of milk.

The good thing is that I have the rest of the day to make good, so I will heat up a Healthy Choice entree that I brought with me for lunch, with some brussel sprouts.  Ditto for dinner.

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Monday, October 18, 2010

Grandbaby #2 In the Oven

Sometime in the latter half of June, Christina and Dylan will bring another child into this world! 

YIPPEEEE!

I'd write more, but I've got some shopping to do, ya'll!

Vacation

It's been a while since I've visited Bloggerville, so here's a little diddy about what we've been up to.

We went to Cape May, New Jersey, and stayed in a beautiful Victorian home one block from the beach.  We were able to see the ocean from the front porch.  We stayed in the Parlor Suite, which is on the first floor, and included a master suite, private bathroom, kitchen, dining area and living area.  The top of the windows were stained glass, and windows abounded in every room.  The dining area was in a turret-like area with windows all around.  They had a miniature replica of an antique stove, but it had a flat top!  Very cute!  The kitchen also had a full-size refrigerator, microwave, and all the fancy little dishes, teacups, silverware, pots and pans that you would need.  The living area had an adorable fireplace beautiful Victorian furniture, and a flatscreen tv. 

The bedroom was luxurious with a king bed dressed in soft egyptian cotton and elegant bedcoverings with lots of comfy pillows.  There was a huge armoire, gorgeous dresser and a pair of chairs.  A victorian sink was in the bedroom area, and the shower and toilet were in their own room.  The shower was dressed with elegant curtains and soft rugs were pleasant to the feet once you stepped out of the shower.  We had our own private porch off the kitchen with rocking chairs, and private, free parking on the premises. 

The town is flat and everything is in walking distance.  We walked along the beach on the cement promenade that runs the length of the town, and had breakfast at Uncle Bill's Pancake House.  Delicious pancakes made better with a view of the ocean while we ate and drank our coffee.  We went shopping at the outside mall just a block and a half away from where we stayed, and found lots of cute things that we couldn't leave without. 

We took a trolley tour of the city and saw all the beautiful Victorian painted ladies (that's what they call the houses), and heard some interesting stories about the residents, past and present. 

Also took a drive to the Cape May light house and then out to Sunset Beach, where you can dip your toes in the water about 10 steps from where you park your car.  There is a little gift shop, putt-putt golf, and a ice cream joint that was unfortunately closed due to the season.

We had perfect, breezy, sunny weather and enjoyed some marvelous food.  If you ever go to Cape May, you must check out Tisha's.  They serve lunch and dinner, and it's a bring-your-own-bottle kinda place.  We will remember the next time and bring a bottle of wine with us.  They sell bottles, but they start at about $28 a bottle.  We had the seafood risotto with jumbo shrimp and scallops with mushrooms and spinach over risotto with a delicious sauce.  The meal started with a salad with a balsamic vinaigrette that was out of this world, along with crusty hot rolls fresh from the oven and creamy butter.  We simply did not have room for dessert, but will make sure we save room next time!  Tisha's has to be the #1 restaurant in all of Cape May.

Another great place to eat is Alethea's.  It's a huge inn across the street from the ocean, and wherever you sit inside, you will have a nice view.  We enjoyed a fantastic hamburger and chips with sweet tea for lunch.  They have an antique shop on the premises and a huge porch with big rocking chairs where we sat and enjoyed the sea breeze and absorbed some Vitamin D from the sun. 

Cape May was wonderful.  We went off-season, so it was almost like we had the town to ourselves.  Just enough people to keep it interesting, but not too much where you had to wait in line or need reservations anywhere.  The beach is clean and beautiful.  One thing we will do next time is rent a two-seater bike (they kind of look like paddle boats), but they're bikes, and they have a little canopy to cover your head.  Very cute!  We saw lots of bikers on the beach promenade.  It's a perfect place to bike.

As soon as we left Cape May, a little raindrop fell on our windshield.  The weather matched my mood.  I didn't want to leave and wanted to shed a few raindrops of my own!  So we decided to extend our vacation and head on over to Dover Delaware, where we played the slots, and Kevin won $68.00 at the penny slots!  We enjoyed a great late afternoon buffet lunch at Dover Downs, and ended up spending the night in Dover. 

The next morning we had breakfast at Bob Evans and then headed to Wilmington to visit Alfred DuPont's beloved Nemours.   What a place!  The grounds were stunning with pools, fountains, flower beds, statutes.  And the house!  Oh my gosh!  You all should take the time to go visit this place.  Expect to be there about 3 hours (more if you want to walk the grounds on your own).  Start at the Visitors center and take your time visiting the timeline that is the hallway.  Enjoy a 15 minute movie giving you some background about the DuPonts, and in particular, Alfred and his wives.  Then a bus takes you up the winding lane to the house.  They break you up into groups of 6 and give you a personalized 1 hour and 15 minute tour.  Be prepared for steps and lots of standing -- but it is worth it!  After the tour you can walk the grounds and meet the bus a little later, or get on the bus right away and take a narrated tour of the grounds (you get the narrated tour even if you meet up with the bus later).  They will take you down to the garage where you will see some beautiful cars -- the Rolls Royces were my favorite. 

I left Nemours with a great respect for Alfred Dupont, a great philanthropist, and all the wonderful gifts that he left behind, most notably to the Children's Hospital which sits on part of the original 3,000 acres that used to be part of his estate.  His estate continues to provide for the sickest of our children. 

The Brandywine area, where Nemours is located, is gorgeous.  We had been to the area before when we visited Winterthur and Longwood Gardens -- something everyone should see before they leave this earth as well.

We ended our visit in Wilmington with dinner at Red Lobster and then headed on home.  One of our more delightful vacations.  Can hardly wait until the next one!

Now, about food.  What can I say?  I enjoyed myself.  Immensely.

Let's just say I gotta do alotta damage control!  Day One.  Week One.  Again.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

More good news

Got the results from my mammogram.  The girls are just fine!  I'd take them out for a spin and celebrate, but they aint what they used to be, if you know what I mean.  No flashy convertible for them.  Supportive and sturdy humvee, maybe.

Now if I could just join Dr. Oz and his two VERY devoted fans, Judy and Ellie (because really now, Dr. Gloom and Doom couldn't have any more fans), and get the other end checked out.  But I just don't know ya'll.  There's just something very invasive about it.  Yee gads.

The cold is getting a little better.  Kevin got me some chili, and I could actually taste it. 

I had oatmeal and oj for breakfast, chicken noodle soup, rye toast, and prunes for lunch; and chili, a small burger, peaches, and a bananna for dinner. 

We'll see what the scale says tomorrow.  Back to cereal, milk and fruit.  Yum-yum.

Day Two

Chicken soupImage via Wikipedia
I lost 1.4 pounds on the first day.  I am home today with a cold.  I had oatmeal with apple and raisins, and some oj for breakfast.  Because of the cold, will probably have some chicken noodle soup, toast, and o.j. for lunch.  Dinner will be another Healthy Choice entree of lemon pepper fish, brocoli, rice medly and apple crisp for 300 calories.  I will add 50 cal. brussel sprouts and a side salad. 

How I wish this cold would go away!
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Monday, October 4, 2010

Day One of Challenge

I can't believe it -- it actually was pretty easy to do, although it's only 5:00 and I just finished my dinner.  But I feel stuffed, and I can still have a snack if I get hungry later.

Breakfast and lunch (cereal, milk, bananna) worked fine with about 370 calories each. 
Dinner was healthy choice salisbury steak with green beans, red skin potatoes, and caramel apple multigrain crisp (310 calories for the whole meal).  I added 50 calories of steamed baby brussel sprouts, and an apple. Pretty yummy.

I woke up with a cold today, and so I'm going to take a hot shower, and snuggie in my blankie and read until I fall asleep. 

A Very Good Weekend

This past weekend was one of those that go on the keeper shelf.  Dylan, Christina, Madimoo and I went to see Eddie at Woodrow Wilson on Friday.  It was a gorgeous day and a lovely ride through horse and farm country.  Eddie was doing great, and looked good.  He lost a little weight, but he said the food pretty much "sucks."  But then again, he's pretty spoiled as we went out to dinner every night because I just don't cook much anymore.  So bland cafeteria food is hard for him to get used to. 

We went on a shopping excursion to Walmart and all had dinner at a steak joint.  Took some pictures of his dorm and realized the room needs some serious decorating.

He will be coming home for a visit this coming weekend as he has an orthodonist appt, and we plan to get some posters and a floor lamp, and maybe some curtains too.  The blinds in the dorm have seen better days. 

I also accomplished alot over the weekend, purging the house of things I don't use, and taking it to Goodwill.  Still have alot of Christmas stuff to go through and donate, which I plan on doing this coming week.  I'm also making good headway in my fall cleaning, and made a grocery store run to stock up on my week of turbo cereal dieting.

Heath is in gorgeous San Francisco on a job interview with a law firm.  They flew him out last night and he's staying in a beautiful hotel with a room that overlooks a part of the Golden Gate Bridge.  He says the city is beautiful at night.  The law office has two offices in California -- San Fran, and Los Angeles.  The San Fran people will meet him for breakfast at the hotel, and then he will fly to Los Angeles for a round of afternoon interviews.

I'm so excited for him.  He's so young and has already done a lot in his life.  He sang opera in the Young Artists program in Santa Barbara for two summers, studied opera in Italy for a summer while at college and met the love of his life, a fellow opera soprano.  After graduating college, followed her to Chicago and married her.  Honeymooned in Italy.  Got a job with a law firm in Chicago and transferred to their Philadelphia office, and now he's interviewing for a dream job in sunny California.

It's so far away.  But I'm happy for him.  If he accepts the job, we Virginia hillbillies just might have to crank up the jallopy and  join him and Annie.  And of course Dylan, Christina and Madimoo will have to come too.

And you want to hear some more wonderful news?  Christina and Dylan will find out very soon if they're going to be parents again.  Life is sweet.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

New Challenge

A spoon containing breakfast cereal flakes, pa...Image via Wikipedia
Judy and I are going to try out something different this week, starting tomorrow.  We are going to to the Turbocharge Special K Diet for one week -- compliments of Women's World, Jan. 19, 2009.  Supposedly, the skinny-minis that tried it out for Women's World each lost 8 pounds in one week, so I'm thinking I should be able to do it too. 

If anyone wants to join in, let me know, and we'll post our results next Monday.

This is the diet:

Breakfast:  1 bowl of cereal, up to 170 calories
                  1 small piece of fruit or 2/3 cup berries
                  1 cup fat-free or 1% milk

Lunch:        Same as breakfast
                 
                  or

                  1 1/2 cups mixed greens, 2/3 cups chopped veggies
                  3 oz lean beef turkey, or chicken or fish
                  1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese
                  2 tbsp lite dressing
                  2 small whole-grain crackers
                  1 small apple or pear

Dinner:       1 frozen entree up to 280 calories
                  1/2 cup steamed vegetables
                  1/2 cup fresh fruit

                  or sample cooked meal:

                 4 oz fish, baked or sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil
                 1/4 cup mushrooms and 2 tbs ripe olives
                 1 cup steamed veggies
                  1 small whole-grain roll (less than 100 calories)

Snack:  choose one daily:  1 small pear or apple and 2 tsp peaut buter
                                         1 cup lite yogurt; 1 tbs nuts
                                         100 calorie pack almonds
                                         1 small fruit or 2/3 cup berries

I've already bought my stuff for the week.  I plan on doing cereal for breakfast and lunch, and doing a McDonald's chicken ceasar salad, and their bag of apple slices, sans the dipping sauce,  if for some reason I'm out and about and cereal is not readily available.  For dinner I will be eating Healthy Choice entrees, the Green Giant microwavable single serving vegetables, and a piece of fruit.

The cereals I chose were Multigrain Cheerios (110 calories for 1 cup -- so I can have 1 1/2 cups and it will look like ALOT!)  I also got a box of Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Berry Yogurt Crunch (170 calories for 1 cup).

WHY THIS DIET IS GREAT:

Don't really have to think about food much, it's a very simple plan with limited selections.
Budget friendly.
Easy portion control.
Cereal increases your vitamin intake.
Excellent weight loss results.

I'm R-E-A-D-Y!
                
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