Friday, February 23, 2007


I'm a Wind Spirit


Thought above feeling and mind over matter are your mottos. Others come to you for advice and guidance. Some see you as introverted and snobbish, but they are merely jealous of your common sense knack to think things through. Don't be afraid to listen to your heart though.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

OK, so there was no "weight loss" post this week, nor was there anything about the life of Jen. I do have a good reason, though.

Influenza A.

See, told you it was a good reason!

Oh, and the kid got strep throat. Know what that means? Yep. Hubby has become nursemaid.

More later when I'm feeling better.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

No one likes to be woken up at 3 in the morning. When you're NOT a morning person, though, and no one is dead or dying, it almost qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment.

But that's what happened to me today. I was woken to my brave and loving husband yelling my name.

Let me digress. You see, we have only a crawl space under our house. Somehow a stray cat managed to find its way down there about two days ago. Now, we do have three cats and two dogs of our own, so another cat meowing below the house isn't really something we need or want. Not to mention that the temperature last night was -24 (yes, that's negative twenty-four degrees!) -- BRRRRRR!!!!

OK, so for two days we've tried to catch this mystery cat. My brave husband even put a "Have-A-Heart" trap down in the crawl space to capture it. At 3 a.m. today it finally worked.

As he yelled for me to see the cat (which I've named "Harry" for Harry Houdini) did what is supposed to be impossible. He escaped.

My husband dropped the cage and grabbed the cat. Harry didn't appreciate that, as you might imagine. Harry tried to escape again. This time using claws and teeth, he succeeded for a second time in less then 2 minutes.

That's when all heck broke loose. Our three cats scattered in every direction and Harry took off like... well, you get the idea. Thankfully, the two dogs were outside already, doing their own thing.

As a side note, 6-foot tall men with heavy Texas accents should never scream like young girls. Not at 3 a.m. and not if they don't want their very tired wives to laugh.


Harry darted away and ended up in the bathroom. It took every ounce of focus I had at that time of the morning to close the bathroom door and trap Harry. Meanwhile, my husband, still sounding a bit like a pre-pubescent girl, grabbed a sheet to use on Harry.

The brave man went into the bathroom and said "Calm down, boy." It didn't work.

Crash! Bang! Crash!

"Open the door!" Hubby then ran out of the bathroom carrying a wad of bed clothing that wiggles more than when the kids were little and thought we might not notice the lump in the bed. I opened the door as he tossed the pile into the front lawn. By the time the sheet hit the ground, the cat was gone.

I was back in bed by 3:15, although it took much longer to actually fall back asleep!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Have I ever mentioned here that I really don't like Microsoft? OK, so now a whole bunch of people will probably shun me and I'll be taken off Bill Gates Christmas card list for sure, but it's true.

I'm a Mac girl. I think I'll probably always be a Mac girl, much to the dismay of my father. (Who isn't allowed to touch my Mac, but that's another post!)

I'm a Mac girl, but I'm a mystery buff. I really like the Nancy Drew computer games. I also have an AWESOME embroidery machine that I just love. Unfortunately, both of those hobbies are Windows based. (Yes, my embroidery machine runs off a computer. It's a Singer Quantum Futura for those who are interested. AWESOME machine, but I think I mentioned that already.)

So my loving and adoring husband got me a laptop — an HP Pavilion. Unfortunately, it has Vista and I needed XP, so I've "adjusted" it. And there's no recovery disk.... grrrrrrr

After spending two days trying to fix the problem myself, I finally called HP. An hour later I have a set of recovery disks on the way and for a LOT LESS than I was afraid I'd have to spend.

So, while I'm not real happy with my laptop right now, I am very pleased with HP. Let's just hope I can fix what I did!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

I finished the Zodiac socks last night. The kid wanted socks with the Taurus symbol on them from "Hip Graphic Knits." They were made with super-soft yarn and seem to be pretty cozy! Of course, she almost never wears *truly* matching socks, so I didn't see the point of making her matching socks! Being the snot of a mom that I am, I made one green with the symbol in blue and the other blue with the symbol in green. Now she can wear matching socks WITHOUT matching!

Yep... I'm a snot!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Down another 1.6 pounds this week. And then hubby and I went out to lunch and I'm not sure that was the best plan I've ever had! (But it was some GOOD Mexican food!!!)

I'm still on a major high from finding out that the book has been published. I ordered a few from Amazon and they were shipped today. The book is supposed to be here next Tuesday. Would hubby be mad if that's all he got for Valentine's? ("Here, honey. I autographed it for you!")

Monday, February 05, 2007

It's here!!!!

OK, after a long wait, the anthology with my story has been PRINTED! It's now listed at Amazon.com and can be purchased for $14.99 (Donard Anthology)

Thursday, February 01, 2007

I spent years thinking that I didn't have time to exercise. I didn't have time to eat right. I was wrong.

In the past two weeks (and, yes, I know it's just two weeks - six weeks makes a habit), I've found the time to exercise and eat better and still get to my hobbies. I've completed one sock for the kid (I'm starting the heel of the second one), I've worked on my second mystery novel, I've attended all the meetings and *junk* that I'm supposed to and started cutting out a quilt for my bed. (Or should I say the husband's bed since he's the one who really wants the quilt? Nah. What's his is mine and what's mine is mine, right? *smile*)

I will admit, though, that I didn't get my five geocaches done in January. Nor did I finish any bookmarks on the embroidery machine. That's OK. I have time. Besides, there's a reason I call them "goals" and not "resolutions"!

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

OK, another weigh-in day and I lost a pound. That puts me at just over the 10 pound mark, which is really cool. Now, with WW, though, I have only lost 7.6, because I lost 3 before joining (which is reflected on the blog, but not at WW).

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

I took my first-ever yoga class today. That was an experience.

The class was a yoga-pilates mix, and a real workout. I had walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes before that, so I was totally ready for the showers when the hour-long class was finished.

Exercise is usually NOT something I enjoy. I would much rather curl up on the couch with a good book, not walk for a few miles in place. And, as my super-skinny daughter likes to remind me, running could be hazardous to my eyes. (Gotta love teenagers!) Anyway, despite my aversion to exercise, though, I really enjoyed the class. The gym only offers yoga once a week, so I guess I'll be heading there each Wednesday morning for awhile.

Or until I can justify paying for a separate class, anyway!

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Down another pound this week. That's a big thing for me, since it's been a tough week.

I found out yesterday that my kidney stone is still there. I guess it's "stuck" in the tube somewhere, which is pretty gross to think about. Yeah, really gross to think about, actually! Now they're talking about breaking the stone with a laser and then some surgery to remove it. Not really what I wanted to hear yesterday!

I'm drinking so much water that I think I could float away!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Finished a knitting project this week. I meant to make a hat for my sister, but the first one was a little "small." Instead of frogging it, I opted to finish that one and do one a little larger. So my sister and niece now have matching hats!

One of these days I'll remember to check my gauge before I'm half-way finished with a project. But, honestly, I don't have the patience for that part!

(Isn't my niece so cute??)






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You are interchangeable.Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007

FINAL UPDATE: Hubby is home and kisses have been delivered!!!
UPDATE: 57.9 miles from home and still driving.... He should be here (hopefully!) in an hour.
UPDATE: 103.2 miles from home and still driving......
UPDATE: He's 150 miles from home and still driving.....
Ever notice how one phone call can change your day? Or your outlook on the day?

That's where I am right now.

This morning I was in such a good mood! Today was weigh-in day and I'd lost 4.6 pounds! Go, me!!

I called my loving hubby to share my good news and all was well. (He's been driving from Texas to take care of some things with his mom's passing last November.) So I'm enjoying my mood when "WHAM!" I get that call.

The call came from my hubby. He's about 230 miles from home now and I haven't seen him in a week and now his transmission is going. The stretch of road he's currently on doesn't have the best cell reception and his phone isn't totally charged right now, either.

Now I'm worried. I'm scared. I just want him home...

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

DANG IT!

Today was "weigh in day" and I only lost 0.8 lbs. Now, before I get the "hey, at least you lost" messages, I know that it's better to lose 0.8 than it is to gain 0.2. But I guess I was hoping for more. I felt like I really worked my buns off (figuratively, of course!) and wanted to see that scale really tip.

Oh well. I guess I'll just have to try harder for next week.

On the "plus side" of the day, though, I didn't blow it after the WW meeting. I went to the grocery store and got a salad for lunch. I skipped the candy bar that was "calling my name" at the check out and didn't opt for a coke, either. I'm working on more water.

Next week will be better....

Sunday, January 07, 2007

OK, I'm bored. So I think I'll write out some more of my 2007 goals.

Around the house, I plan to organize my office and organize the kitchen. I am going to paint the kitchen this year and create a weekly cleaning routine.

I have goals for my hobbies, too. I plan to do 5 geocaches each month; embroider 6 bookmarks each month; do more quilting; keep knitting and crocheting; keep making soaps and candles; write my pen pals within seven days of getting their letters; and learn to play my guitar.

Finally, I am going to keep going to church each week (singing in the choir and teaching Sunday school make that happen!); continue my daily devotions; and "meditate" more.

Well, that's it. No more goals.

Now to make them all happen!