Last Wednesday evening I knitted with three amazing young women.

 

The first will graduate college soon and will be interning in Chicago in just 2 weeks.  The second is a stay at home mom of 2 very small children and a champion recycler.  The third is a successful engineer working for a cable company, and just happens to be involved with my ”office” son.  And then there is me, who is way past her 20’s and early 30’s, and is contemplating retirement in 2 or 3 years.  It will be an early retirement, I’m not that old, at least that’s what I tell myself.  J

 

We drank tea, knitted, talked, knitted, showed each other pictures of our two legged and four legged children, knitted, went outside and watched the storm clouds north, went back inside and knitted more. 

 

I am soo looking forward to next Wednesday so we can meet again to knit.

So, what have I been up to?  About 5’2” and I still need to lose weight.  That hasn’t changed much.

 

I did make it to Weight Watchers (to be known as WW) once in the last two weeks.  I did lose a pound the first week.  I wanted to go the second week, but my german shepherd had surgery, (she had two tumors on her neck removed) and she wouldn’t leave my side.  No one else in the family could make her happy, only Mom.  She is my baby and I couldn’t leave her.  P.S.  she is fine, and her tumors were benign….

 

I have had great intentions.  I went to the store and bought a ton, and I mean a ton of low fat food.  And have I eaten the food?  No, we have been out to dinner almost every night.  I am making much wiser choices though, I’m pretty proud about that.  I’m choosing salads instead of sandwiches, and cutting my sandwiches in half and bringing home the other half. 

 

I have been craving sweets like crazy.  I love Skinny Cow low fat mint ice cream sandwiches and have one every night for dessert.  I also bought low fat graham crackers and fat free cool whip and been eating a couple of cracker covered with cool whip.  That really satisfies because the Cool Whip is so sweet. 

 

I decided to try to find another WW meeting, I am just not “clicking” with my Leader at my current meeting, and I need to find the right Leader for me.  I’m going to a Tuesday meeting next week, and will see if that will make the difference.

 

I’ll find out…

Sorry for the delay in getting back to my blog, but I had so many blocks I was starting to feel like this wasn’t meant to be, but a new laptop (really a netbook and I LOVE it) to replace the old, broken one and life is better.. J

 

 Oh boy, have I been knitting, and it's been great.  I take my knitting with me everywhere.  I knit every chance I get, in waiting rooms, on breaks and lunchhours at work.  I've even been known to pull out my knitting while I'm stuck waiting for a 100 car train.  I have been finishing a lot of projects and it has given me a good sense of accomplishment.  I don't know about you, but sometimes I have just to put a project away for a while before I can finish it.  I have a terrible time sewing buttons on..   But I got the buttons on 3 sweaters, finished a fourth, (yes, the buttons are on, I just have to weave in the yarn ends)  and am a little over half on a baby afghan.  It was a free pattern from LionBrand and you start out with 6 stitches, increase up to 160, then decrease down.  Sounds a little confusing but soo easy,  I'll post a picture of it when its done, give me another week or so. 

Hello World, I'm back!

Sometimes life just interferes and you just can't get it going again, and it happened to me.  Too much, and not enough time, and you have to let something go, and it was my blog.  I was really sad about it too.  I cannot believe how much I missed writing on here, it's healing to me to let everything out. 

So, here goes, and it's gonna be a ton of updates, so be prepared... 

I have attended a funeral each Friday for the last two Fridays and enough is enough.  I lost a co-worker and wonderful person to breast cancer last week.  My best friend's stepdad passed away this week, and his service was today.  And then on top of all this, my boss's husband had a serizure, stopped breathing and was taken to the hospital.  They are doing tests and awaiting results.  She is a very good friend too, and I know them both so well. 

All this has really made me think about how precious life really is, and how you shouldn't ever take family and friends for granted.  

You never know when you will turn around, and they won't be there.

>/c>I am just soo proud of myself, I think I have finally figured out how to stop the puppy from digging..

He was going nuts in the backyard.  He had 6 holes dug and it was starting to look like a war zone.  Jack said I wasn't allowed to walk in the backyard in the dark anymore until he had them all filled.  (5 years ago I stepped in a hole my husky had dug and broke my ankle.  Guess he didn't want a repeat of that.  It wasn't very pretty, actually, I was pretty pathetic).

So, back to the holes.  I was trying to figure out what to put in them to make them unattractive and couldn't think of anything.  I was idly watching Jack do the "poop patrol" in the yard, and a huge light bulb went off!  Why not try??

We emptied the bucket (Jack emptied the bucket, it isn't my job)  into the holes and covered them with a layer of dirt.   Mr. Marley went to a hole, started to dig, and INSTANTLY stopped!

No more holes and we were estatic.  Then, this weekend he dug another.  Guess what we are putting in that one....

Try it if your puppy is digging, it might work for you too..

I remember Mama...   It was the name of a movie back in the 40's. 

I remember my mom.  I remember the good times, the bad times. I remember being an impatient teenager, who couldnt wait to grow up and all the battles that caused.  I remember all our Saturday shopping trips and how much fun we had.. 

I remember her excitement when she became a grandma, but she wanted to be a "Mimi," and she was.  I remember her watching Matt when he was little, because I had to work.  I remember coming to her house to pick Matt up after work, and her having dinner waiting for me so I wouldnt have to cook, and she would have our laundry done for us to help me out. 

I remember how devastated she was when my dad was diagnosed with alzheimers, and when we had to put him in a nursing home.  I remember leaning on each other while he was in the home and when he passed away. 

I remember her strength for me when I was going through my divorce and how she was there for me and Matt, no matter what. 

I remember the day the World Trade Centers collapsed.  I was teaching a computer class in Gary, and she came to my house to be here for Matt when he got home from school so he wouldnt be alone while the world was falling apart. 

I remember her calling me to take her to the hospital because she had pains in her chest.  I remember holding her hand in the ICU after her open heart surgery, and I remember the doctor telling me that the surgery didnt help her and I needed to make arrangements for hospice.   I remember she wanted some water, and when I asked the nurse to get her something, she said she couldnt have it.  I remember yelling at the nurse, that my mom was thirsty and if she wouldnt get the water, I would.  I remember yelling at her that my mom was dying and she was going to get anything she wanted.  The nurse got her the water.  Sounds like Terms of Endearment, doesnt it?

I remember moving into hospice with my mom, and staying with her until the end.  I remember sitting next to the bed, holding her hand, talking to her, telling her it was okay to go, that I could take care of everything, she didnt have to worry.  I remember her squeezing my hand when I was talking to her..

I remember the nurse gently waking me up at 3:15 am. to tell me it was time.  I remember holding my mom's hand again as she left this world.  

I remember my mother's love.

                                                             
We have a 7 month old half golden retriever, half chow puppy we got from a rescue in northern Illinois back in November.  His name is Marley, and no, we didnt name him from the movie, we named him because we like Bob Marley, and he looked shaggy in his picture on the website.  He was an adorable puppy and is growing up into a great dog, except for one problem. 

He has discovered digging.  He saw Jack dig up some ferns to transplant, and figured out that if Jack could dig in the dirt, he could too.  The back yard is starting to look like a bombfield. 

We had even put a small child's pool in the backyard and put sand in it for him to dig in, but he just likes to lay in it.  It was an idea we got from watching Victoria Stillwell, but this one didnt work.

Any ideas or suggestions would be most greatly appreciated... thanks!!