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Archive for November, 2009

Doctor brought out the big guns today...

November 24th, 2009 at 10:34 pm

I called in sick this morning. I rarely take time off because I am too sick to work...usually time off means I am taking care of my mom or someone else...But I hardly slept last night and woke up having a hard time breathing. So, I went to the doctor. I guess that was a good decision cause now I am on strong antibiotics, prednisone and a much stronger inhaler for the asthma. If this doesnt kick the cough and congestion, I dont know what will!

Good news...because we have dual insurance, no co-pay for the visit. My dr gave me a free sample for one of the meds (which was the most expensive and would have cost $35 if Id had to buy it) and the other two were $12 together...so little output for hopefully much needed relief.

I will probably have to have one of my DDs buy the food for Thursday. I have ZERO energy, wobbly legs and my brain just feels 'fuzzy'. Sigh...sucky time to be sick!!!



Have you lost weight?

November 24th, 2009 at 01:52 am

Big Grin

4 words that were music to my ears today. I have lost 14 lbs so far and I have had 3 people ask me if I am losing weight...Big Grin Big Grin

Best of all, I am doing it by being really healthy...instead of really starving or food obsessed. I am just learning good habits, thanks to Weight Watchers. ANd to think I was one of the biggest doubters of programs like this.

I came home from work early today...cough and headache won. I am ready to feel good and get ready for Thanksgiving. The kids and grandkids will all be here that morning for breakfast...and then my mom, DD3 and I will have a quiet dinner of homemade Chicken Picatta (our favorite).

Not doing Black Friday this year. I am working Friday- really, there is nothing we need from Black Friday. I am done shopping for the grandbabies and I am planning to do gift cards for the kids so they can partake of the after-Christmas sales...so no need to go with all the craziness that Black Friday promises. Good luck to everyone that does brave it.

The hub arrived safely back in ALaska...and DD3 is working tonight...so I (and all 14 less pounds of me Big Grin) am coughing in peace tonight...Smile ugh.


Life....is very good!

Up, up and away...

November 23rd, 2009 at 12:12 am

The hub is off in the wild blue back to Alaska tonight. This past two weeks went by crazy fast. I woke up this morning thinking I was having an asthma attack...but as the day wears on I am more leaning towards I have caught a nasty cold. Scratchy,burning throat, cough, stuffy nose. YUCK. So our last day together was not much fun for me.

We did find a Christmas gift for his dad while the hub was in town.. This is the one present I dread, just because I have no idea what to get him...but the hub had a great idea for a pack for the back of his ATV. FIL will enjoy it and I can tackle the rest of the shopping without the hub here as he is not back home until 12-21.

I have a crockpot of black bean and chicken soup on...so that will be dinner/lunch for the next few days. I love the stuff and it is so healthy and cheap.

Otherwise, it will be a quiet night tonight. DD3 is at work, the hub is gone and I am dealing with a cold...

but...Life is very, very good!

A Christmas they 'deserve'....hmmm ranting tonight...sorrry

November 20th, 2009 at 03:17 am

Wow. A local station is sponsoring a program this year where families submit their 'story' and the community votes on the story/family that needs $1000 the most... and the family with the most votes will receive a nice gift card for Christmas.

I was reading some of the stories and was shocked by the number of parents whose entries were on the order of "I want to give my (4, 5, 6) children the Christmas they deserve"....um, huh?

I am by far 'scrooge' when it comes to Christmas...and being in the financial industry, I completely understand how hard the economy has hit people...but c'mon! Children deserve love, a home, a hot meal on the table....but a lavish, commercialized Christmas?? I had plenty of lean years as a single mom...and my kids Christmases were very memorable without being expensive. We just made do...

It made me sad to read entries where the $1000 prize would give the kids a 'Christmas to remember"...'A christmas they deserved"

My vote went to a young couple with an infant who has been in and out of the hospital that need the money for a deposit on a rental home...since their home was foreclosed on because of the mounting medical bills...

However, the stories all made me greatful for where my kids are in life...they are all healthy, happy and working. They have all been somewhat immune to the ails of the economy. (thank goodness) We have MUCH to be greatful for...

And...I will be dropping a little extra into the collection jar each week for the family (s) that are chosen in this give-away. there are an overwhelming number of families that are experiencing true hardships this year that I am compelled to help with what I can.

Life is very, very good here.



Nana vs. the Judge....

November 19th, 2009 at 02:47 am

Today was my moms court appearance for the careless driving ticket she got last month. Poor thing just KNEW she was going to lose her license...or at the very least have to take a driving test...so she literally memorized the driving test book.

Her turn came and she stepped up to the bench and pled 'no contest' and the judge asked her for her comments. She was well prepared...had a letter from her doctor that shes not incapacitated, a letter from dialysis that they wont let her leave sick again, and I was there to attest that I will make sure she gets home on days she isnt feeling well.

The judge asked if she had any other tickets and she explained that this was her first ticket in 55 years of driving...

The other offenders in the court burst out in laughter and applause when the judge said she deserved the chance to go to traffic school then. Smile So, he reduced her ticket and signed her up for traffic school and the case is closed!


(yay nana!)

and best of all, Nana knows the driving rules backwards and forwards now!!

I LOVE free shipping on things I need to buy anyway...

November 18th, 2009 at 03:48 am

Don't you just love it when you need a gift, you find it online and it comes with FREE SHIPPING? Time and gas are always factors when gift shopping...and it is such a treat to be able to order something I KNOW I want ONLINE and then get it at a great price delivered straight to my door at NO ADDITIONAL COST. Got a few gifts like that so far this year. Great time savers!! I certainly appreciate those stores that understand us who want a good deal and an opportunity to take advantage of it in the comfort of our own homes!

Tonight our GS (age 5) is spending the night. He and the hub bought the movie 'UP' this afternoon and we are watching it now. The hub is here until Sunday, then he goes back to Alaska until Dec 21. Good news is that he will be home for Christmas this year AND more importantly, DD3s 18th birthday (which is Christmas Eve). GS and the hub always have a sleepover at least once each time the hub comes home...they are (and always have been) tight buddies.

Tomorrow is the court date for nana's ticket...my fingers are crossed that all works out and she can maintain her license...but we will know after the judge rules tomorrow.

Life is good!!!



Zillow good news

November 15th, 2009 at 04:41 pm

Greetings from the vacation house! Everyone is still in bed this morning so I am enjoying Sunday morning coffee and perusing the SA blogs. Our weekend has been wonderful. There is snow everywhere, the house is beautiful and we are all enjoying each other! Yesterday we went to some nearby outlet stores and our fav little bbq joint (yum) today we will stay 'home' and our friends are making prime rib for dinner. (double yum)

I was very pleased this morning when I plugged in my address on Zillow and learned that my new house has gone up $34,000 in value since I bought it in July. Smile Our other house has gone up a little, but is still well below its high point (which seemed ridiculously high to me at $330k)...However, at just under $300k it is still valued $160k more than we originally paid for it 17 years ago.

Additionally, my 401k has almost doubled this year..so I am pretty pleased with our financial performance this year so far!

My only purchase yesterday was a Christmas present for my grandson-to-be, who is due right after Christmas. Itty bitty Nike tennis shoes...How stinkin cute are baby shoes? Normally $24 but on sale for $14. A splurge for something he wont wear for long and doesnt even need...but too darned cute to pass up..

My moms surgery went VERY WELL last week. The doctor was able to repair the fistula again. So no plastic tubes or chest tube...Thank goodness!

AND..I am now up to 12 lbs lost!!! yay

Well, the hub is up now...so time to visit with him.

Life is very, very good!

Hubster is home and he made dinner!

November 11th, 2009 at 02:57 am

WOW...after a month of being alone and doing everything myself around here I came home tonight to a nice home cooked meal NOT made by me! Smile Pot roast, potatoes and salad!! His: lots of beef smothered in gravy, mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream and salad somewhere under that dressing!!! Mine- a slice of beef the size of a deck of cards,(no gravy) potatoes (boiled) and mixed with some horseradish(only), and salad drizzled with low fat ceasar...Who says you cant eat the same food and lose weight!! Smile

Now my xbox addict is playing the game he bought today while I am catching up with my SA friends!

I mentioned that we are going on a getaway with friends this weekend to the mountains. This will actually be a fairly frugal get away. 1st, we are splitting the cost of the house...but even better, it was pay for two nights get two nights free...(cost = $180 per night for two nights and two nights free...so $45 per couple per night)THEN we take all of our own food and each family splits/shares meal planning and prep. We WILL eat one meal out while we are there...a fabulous little bbq place that we all enjoy...but its also one of those places where an entire meal is $10 or under per person. Entertainment will be games, movies, (all supplied in the house) hot tub, walks, and visiting...so no cost there. So its really an inexpensive way to spend a weekend away.

Tomorrow is a holiday where I work but I am working 1/2 day so that I can take a 1/2 day off on Friday. The hub is going to work with me (we are testing disaster recovery generator power while staff is off) so I can go to work in tennis shoes and jeans rather than a suit...it should be an easy fun work day.

I suspect GS (age 5) will be spending the night tomorrow...which is fine. We always enjoy him and he so loves being here.

Much to be greatful for...life is good.



Hub will be home tonight

November 10th, 2009 at 04:25 am

Another month has passed and the hub is on his way home tonight. He gets in at midnight and will be home for two weeks. While he is home this time, we have a trip this weekend with friends to the mountains. We rented a house for the weekend and are taking their son and our daughter (both are seniors in HS this year and they've been friends since they were both babies). I am really looking forward to the get away. There is a hot tub at the house...and it is always so nice to sit in it when it is really cold outside.

The following weekend we will have our youngest granddaughter & her aunts birthday party (GD was born on aunts bday) it is also close to GD's dads bday...so we get a three-fer in one party!!

Then the hub will leave and will be gone until just before Christmas. While he is home on that trip, and if all goes as planned, we will welcome our newest grandson...who is due Jan2.

I joined weight watchers about a month ago and have lost 10 lbs!! I want so much to get healthy and have decided that I am never going to get there on my own. It feels good to have those 10 lbs gone...and I plan to keep going until I get to a healthy-for-me weight. Brave words as we enter the Holidays...but I have set a goal for 6 more lbs lost by the end of the year.


Because of this, I haven't gone out to eat since the hub was last here. I have been training myself to fix healthy meals for one at home. (and it is much cheaper too)

Ive gotten a good start on Christmas shopping. ALmost done with the grandbabies...and I am going to give gift cards to all the kiddos. Ive finished shopping for my friends...and so I feel good about the holidays being less stressful this year! (yay!) Christmas is one of my fav times of year...and I have always saved money in every check for it so that I have a comfortable, guilt free budget to spend. I will even have time for baking this year, which will be alot of fun!

Life is very good!