Change and money

I gained just over a pound this week. First time since joining Weight Watchers in October 2008. (I'm not counting the two weeks I gained .4 pounds each week.) In spite of this gain, I stayed under goal for the sixth week in a row and I'm now an official Lifetime Member, meaning I have to weigh in (any WW meeting, anywhere) at least once a month and not go more than two pounds over goal. And it's all free now! I'm at the top of my weight range, so I'm not done yet; intend to get rid of 10-15 more pounds. I'm back on track after my poor showing this week. Having tools in hand to succeed makes it easier. For instance, I didn't keep written records last week. This week I am and the visual does help. I continue the exercising. Plus, I notice when the voices in my head start putting me down; I set them aside because I'm in charge of my health, not them.

My WW dollars - at least some of them - will now go for a Y membership so I can swim. Great low impact exercise. I already bought two swimsuits and am ecstatic over how fit I look. Right now my exercise consists of walking wherever I need to go - always with a destination - and riding my stationery bike. The bike is so easy now. Fifteen minutes used to be killer. Last night it was 26 minutes before I thought to check the time, then I stayed on another 15 minutes. Equivalent to about seven miles according to the gadget that measures everything I do on the bike. One day last week I rode for 50 minutes. I find long phone conversations to be a good time to pace quickly around the apartment.

Daughter drove me to buy slacks. Forced me to try on a dress. Bought the slacks and the dress. The dress... I'll take a photo soon. It's deep forest green, simple lines, hemline above the knees. Is a 63-year old woman allowed to wear that short a dress? No law against it, is there :) Love the look.

I sold another Helium article to an online publisher. Yay! That means I've sold in 2 out of 3 attempts. Gotta do this more often. Right now my biggest focus is on editing articles previously written. My writing score is going up, up, up. I'm good at this editing.

I'm a holdout! I have no cell phone. I have no call waiting or caller ID. I do not have television cable. My indoor antenna works fine - kind of. My local phone service and AT&T LD card are enough. Then daughter - she's a pushy chick - told me I could get phone service through Time Warner that would give me unlimited local/LD, call waiting, ID, etc for almost the same price I'm paying now for local calls only. So, I called TW and during the conversation, DVR came up. I'm familiar with DVR - my son has it. The reason I don't have cable is that I hate commercials and each time in the past when I've signed up for cable, I've constantly changed channels to avoid commercials. Now, with DVR for only $10/month, I can avoid commercials. Yep, I signed up. Now I have Internet, phone and cable (200+ channels) through Time Warner. Not a bad price either. I was already paying for Internet and it's now bundled and discounted. Won't need to purchase any more time for AT&T LD card. Plus, will probably cut back on my Netflix service till I see everything in my Queue, then drop Netflix.

Between winter and spring

Walked by my tiny garden this cool morning and reached down to pull out weeds. A closer look showed me rows and rows... wait a minute, that was rows and rows of mesclun, one pair of "starter leaves" each plant. Didn't I plant those just 3-4 days ago. Growing conditions must be perfect. The birds residing in, and visiting, the evergreens outside my windows begin their songs and their chatter at an early hour; sometimes by 4 AM if I happen to wake The noise doesn't seem to bother me. Maybe because the dog down the street has been quiet for several days. Wonder what's wrong with the dog. Pea plants are about an inch high.

I've been digging in dirt and handling worms inside, too. I found an unopened bottle of Karo Syrup in my cupboard and went online to find a use for it. Made "Worms & Dirt Cereal Bar Treats" early this morning... light corn syrup, semi-sweet chocolate chips, chocolate sandwich cookies, chocolate crispy cereal, gummy worms. Although it didn't call for them, I think the taste would be enhanced with a teaspoon of vanilla and a dash of salt. You get to cut up some of the gummy worms and stir them into the mix, then press the remainder into the top of the mix after pressing it into an 8x8 pan. When I cut it into bars, the worms tended to "dig" into the dirt, so I left them that way, some with their "heads" sticking out of the ground. Wish I had a tiny garden trowel to serve it with.



There's the dog! A basset, which means its bark is more like a howl. Poor thing is lonely. Poor me has to listen to it, some days hours at a time. I've called the dog control officer so many times, he doesn't call back anymore. I call; it's quiet for a week or so; the dog starts again; I call...

Daughter is flying to Florida today for a four-day visit with her half-sister. She looks forward to the beach, massage, tattoo, clothes shopping, and a long break from the little (2 & 6) guys. She deserves a break. With her gone, It'll be very quiet around my place. Love her, love them all, but I need my peace and quiet, too. Lots of writing this week, I hope. No meetings.

Weight Watchers tonight. Speaking of weight, I looked in the mirror yesterday (the full length mirror) and saw my mother. Now, considering my mother was only about 5'5" and tiny framed, and I'm 5'8" and big boned, that was quiet a feat. But, although I've got my father's height, I did remind myself of her. Might have been partly due to the white shirt and white cutoffs. She was a Florida gal and dressed like that a lot. I, on the other hand, have been in coats and sweaters and slacks that covered my changing body since mid-October. I sometimes "hear her" when I laugh or cough, but this is the first visual I've ever had. Strange, yet pleasant.

Grandsons, gardens and celebrations

Image by Per Ola Wiberg (Powi)


Spring is on its way, or maybe it's here. All in your point of view, I guess. It's been, as usual, a wonderful week with family, friends and celebrations. Planted the last of my seeds yesterday ~ mesclun. One pea plant has poked its head through the soil. No sight of the nasturtiums yet. With the 70+ degree weather this weekend, things will start moving.

Easter dinner at my home with daughter, son-in-law and grandsons. They brought and cooked the food. I cleaned up. At one point after dinner, I looked into the living/dining area and saw Mom and Dad doing a puzzle together, big grandson doing his own puzzle, and the little guy doing "his own thing". No television, everybody engrossed and content. Loved it.

Another dinner that was a real treat... ate with Indonesian friends and their two little girls one evening. I brought spiced-up cornbread and a cheddar version of "Eggplant Parmesan". She served rice and several simple Indonesian dishes in her wok... showed me how to make them. Yummy food and a lovely, welcoming family. Heru and Meilina recently opened an online Indonesian gift store. Years ago, when Heru was in America and courting Meilina who was still in Indonesia, he wanted to send her flowers, but could find no way to do so without spending a fortune. Now they've linked up with a supplier in Indonesia, in Jakarta, so that people anywhere in the world can send flowers, for any occasion, to friends and family in Indonesia. They hope to eventually add other products, when they find the right suppliers.

The boys came over to spend Friday evening with Grandma while Mom and Dad shopped for groceries. Fridays at Wegmans are busy, busy, so it's not a good time for shopping with kids, especially the bigger boy who, like his mom, tends to get over-stimulated by lights and crowds. When my daughter was little, I learned quickly to take her mall shopping early on a weekday, when it was still peaceful. Anyways, these boys - ages 2 and 6 - are what is referred to as "all boy". They constantly bump and bruise in their endeavors to live life in the fast lane. But, not at Grandma's house, not until Friday night. Little guy want to tromp through brother's dinosaur set-up. While doing so, he hit his head on brother's huge puzzle which stuck out over the edge of the table. Tears! Then he decided to knock over big brother's "tower" with a big swing of his arm. The tower flew straight at brother's nose. Tears. Then, little brother decided to tromp on the dino setup again, and whacked his head, again, on the puzzle. Still more tears. Whew. Other than that, we had a great time.

I go to Weight Watchers meetings every week. I can feel my weight climbing, or is it simply my body bloating. 'm sure I've been eating too much of the wrong foods this week. I'm beginning to gain an understanding of the anorexic state of mind. Although I'm over 40 pounds lighter than I was six months ago, there are days - those bloated days - when I feel fat again and look in the mirror and think I look fat. Get a grip, girl, and eat healthy.

Birthday grandson -- it's his day and his cakes

When my daughter was small, I kept a full-length mirror in the living room. Taped to it was a sheet of paper with the words: "Help me to do it myself." I need to return to that frame of mind. While my grandson and I were working on his birthday cakes this week, I did a bit too much teaching. He reminded me several times that he had listened to what I told him; now I should let him do it, his way. I learn so much from children... and grandchildren.

Spring planting, birthdays and baking

Start planting seeds outdoors and you can almost guarantee cold weather will return. The good news is that if you time the planting right, a bit of cold won't hurt your potential plants. I took a chance about a week ago--maybe a bit more--and planted peas and nasturtiums. (I even learned how to spell nasturtiums correctly--thank goodness for Spellcheck.) Plus, I had two tiny pots with parsley and chives. Did what you're told not to do in that I didn't thin the parsley very much and broke apart the pot and separated the roots so that I ended up with three plants, not one. Another no-no is transplanting before they have at least two sets of permanent leaves (don't count the first set you see). Covered each transplant with a plastic 1/2-gal or 1-gal milk carton with the bottom cut out. In spite of heavy rain, cold, and bits of snow since the planting, they are growing well in their mini greenhouses. It must be that 'Read Luck' kicking in again.

I'm no longer feeling unproductive, at least for the time being. I know it's a feeling that will come and go. We all have down time and need to be good to ourselves while we "weather the storm". Editing and improving eight of my articles at Helium, which also improved my writing score, was very productive and got me back in the swing of things in all areas of my life. Good grief, why am I using all these tired phrases: thank goodness, weather the storm, swing of things?

The Mac Mini arrived, and is up and running. I'm learning how to use it and the programs -- iWorks, iPhoto, iMusic, etc. Don't know how I would have managed the choice, the purchase, the set up, the learning, without my son. He purchased a Mac several months before me. Not a Mini; he got one in which the computer is in the monitor. Anyways, he did the testing and learning and is passing everything he knows on to me. I love it! All those years invested in teaching a child and one day he returns the favor by teaching you.

I'm sure I've mentioned "Read Luck" before, but I'll clarify here. My maiden name is Read and in our family, the bad is always offset by the good. When that happens, and it does, I call it the Read Luck. For instance, when I decided to buy the Mac Mini, I worried a bit about having to spend the next year, probably more, paying off the debt. Within a week of its arrival, two sources of unexpected income popped up - $425 ($85 per month over the next five months) and $250 in May. Plus, I reached goal at Weight Watchers and will no longer be paying the monthly fee, so that will go toward the computer. Five months to pay it off, maybe even less depending on my writing at Helium.


Don't you love the twists and turns that life takes?


This entry is long enough, I know, but I can't resist mentioning my grandsons again. Grandson #1 is having his 6th birthday tomorrow. Yesterday Grandma took birthday snacks of his choice to his kindergarten class -- Jelly Bean Nests (see AllRecipes.com). After school he and I baked cakes for his parties tomorrow. Yes, partIES. The families are so big that two parties are being scheduled to accommodate everyone. Grandma learned that small ovens may hold two 9x13 pans, but the cakes will, for some unknown reason, cook lopsided. We're decorating them today and he doesn't care a bit about the valleys and hills in his cakes.

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