Picture Pages - a day late

Cleaning the garage took all my concentration yesterday so I forgot to post. To make up for it, here are 2 photos to suit today:

 

Happy Halloween!

Where sleeping dogs lie

"Can't you see the dog is trying to sleep here, lady?"

One of my favorite things about the cooler weather is having a furry cuddler to share the evening with, all curled up next to me on the couch in the family room. I don't mean the one I've been married to for 31 years. I mean our loveable canine baby. Leia doesn't like to snuggle in the summer and that's ok by me. Really don't need the extra heat from a warm dog body when it's 90 outside. But on these cool, rainy Fall evenings, a little lap-lab is more than welcome.

Usually I sit at one end of the couch and hubby sits at the other and there is just enough room between us for a 70 pound lab to curl up nicely, although occasionally she has to stretch her back legs onto "daddy's" lap. Luckily for me, she likes her head in my lap. Probably has something to do with all my extra padding. And then while she is hanging out with me, she does the cutest thing. Every once in awhile, she turns her head to look right at me, with her nose as close as she can get it to my face, and she just stares. Like she's telling me how happy and comfy she is.

She's a good dog, keeping her mom cozy all evening. These are the moments that remind me what a treasure and companion a pet is. I wouldn't miss these moments for anything.

And don't worry, Leia - I won't bug you with the camera every time you're in the mood to cuddle.

Picture Pages

Weekly Weigh -in

I could tell you about the cold and rainy weather we're having here in the Toledo area. Or I could tell you about my plumbing/drain issues which are resulting in having water back up into my tub every time I flush the toilet. Or I could tell you about the massive amounts of school projects my son needs assistance with over the coming weeks. And I could tell you about the migraine I feel coming on but I won't. Instead, let me depress you with a story about my weekly weigh-in.

I have been a Weight Watcher member for over a year. By now, you would guess that I have lost a bunch of weight. I mean, how long should it take a person to lose weight, for heaven's sake? Well, if you're me, a long time. Because I'm not very dedicated. Because I go in streaks. Because I fluctuate between sticking to the program and pretending I never heard of the word diet way too much!

In the last few weeks, I have just started to feel tired of the whole thing. Dieting just requires too much thinking and my brain is pooped. I want to be able to have food be one area that doesn't take concentration. Planning, measuring, calculating points - it's just all weighing me down. Literally. I know because the scale has been moving in the wrong direction! But I know I need to do this. And I know I feel better when I do. So to keep me a little more honest and dedicated, I am going to start a Weekly Weigh-in post in which I tell the whole two people who read this blog how my dieting week is going. Hold me accountable, friends! I'm counting on you. Both.

This week I was up one pound at WW. Next week, that pound better be gone. And it can take a couple of its friends with it.

Now I am off to eat a banana. Have a good day.

I am not a hot weather person. I don't like to sweat. I like to wear sweaters, and shoes that don't show my toes. But can I just say, I am not ready for cold weather quite yet. Not that I really have any say in the matter. Doesn't seem as though the man upstairs ever listens to what I say anyhow so He's really not going to pay attention to my gripes about the weather.

But there is one nice thing about the cooler weather. Soup Saturdays. Every Saturday through the fall/winter months we enjoy homemade soup for dinner every Saturday. Well, maybe not every Saturday but as often as possible. This past Saturday kicked off the season with my homemade chili. Mmmm - so good. Now I know there are a lot of different versions of chili (my daughter and son-in-law likes theirs extra spicy) but I like a chili that has just enough heat without burning my face off. So if you'd like my recipe, here you go:

Cook up 1 - 1 1/2 pounds of ground chuck with 1/2 diced onion. Drain.
Add to the pot 2 cans of diced tomatoes (home canned are really the best if you have them).
1 large can tomato juice
1 can light kidney beans
1 can Bush's regular chili beans
salt and pepper to taste
some crushed red pepper flakes - add whatever suits your tastes.
That's it. I put it all in a crockpot and let it cook for a few hours. (My crockpot cooks kinda hot so this works really well and makes the soup all nice and bubbly). Serve with crackers.

And for dessert, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. Oh yeah, Soup Saturday was delightful. More recipes to come through the season. Hope you find some to try. You won't regret it.

Now I'm off to find a sweater cause this short sleeved shirt I'm wearing today is just not cutting it! Dang weather.

Picture Pages

Fall comes to Toledo.

Picture Pages

77 days and counting.

To see the rest of the photos, click here.

Birthday Girl

Today is my 51st Birthday (wasn't I just blogging about my 50th birthday 2 weeks ago? Where does the time go?)

This Birthday:
~ isn't a monumental one - except that I am still alive and kicking so I guess that makes them all monumental from here on out, officially on the other side of the hill.
~ isn't sad because I'm getting older - it's just sad that I can't go back to a time when my heart hadn't been through so much sadness and pain over the loss of my 3 grandchildren. And it's sad that even if I could go back, it still wouldn't be in my power to change things, anyhow.
~ isn't going to be a day full of parties and gifts - but I will be spending the day with my favorite people and that's all the gift this girl needs.

It is, however, a day to look forward, to hope for the future, to enjoy every minute and to live without regret. That's easy to say and unquestionably hard to do but it's what my Birthday means to me. A chance to start fresh. Every year. Like clockwork.

 Happy Birthday to me!

Are you sure it's not Saturday yet?

All day today it felt like a Friday. Not sure why - it's not a holiday week or anything. Those holiday weeks always throw me for a loop. But this is a regular old week and today felt like a Friday. Which is sad because it was only a Thursday. So tomorrow is going to really suck when it's Friday all over again.

Maybe I just want the weekend to get here quickly because it's my birthday and I want cake. That would certainly explain why I want Saturday to show up sooner rather than later. Or maybe because I just don't want to work another ding dang day this week. I have other things that need to be done. Like clean out closets. Get caught up on my blogging. Eat cake. Yes, I am obsessed with cake, why do you ask?

12:04 am - time to hit the sack. Will be morning before I know it. Friday morning. All over again. Nite all!

Picture Pages

This is Leia's friend Miko.

Miko has cancer. Cancer sucks for dogs too.

Thinking of you, Miko (and Jacquie)!

What's Leia Eat?

On occasion, Leia (our Ridiculous Lab) has a few words to say about something or other. Today she posted at Are You on the Fence? about her dog food of choice. If you have a dog, you might want to check it out. And I'll be back tomorrow for another Picture Pages. Until then, have a great Saturday!