Yay it's the Weekend

Well, I made it to work on Thursday and Friday. That's about all to say there. Today, it warmed up to about 34 degrees with plenty of sun, but it isn't melting a lot out there. Hopefully it will melt tomorrow and I can get to the store.

By 9:30am today I had washed my dishes, done a load of laundry and vacuumed in the living room. Later I took a nap. I've also eaten way too much. I am completely off any kind of schedule and hopefully, once the weather straightens up, I can get back to a good eating and workout schedule.

Fritz has been sick lately. Coughing. It was a dry, hacking cough. And with the addition of garlic powder to his food, the cough went away mostly. Then I got some herbal worm medicine and gave to him. Two doses and his cough was horrible. Like how it sounds when a human taks some medicine and his or her cough breaks up and they start coughing up stuff. Fritz was really bad yesterday morning and I contemplated taking him to the vet. But I stopped giving him that worm medicine and by the time I got home last night, his cough was nearly gone again. And he's been doing well today too. So, I think the vet visit can wait for better weather.

I did have to carry a bag of frozen chicken breasts up the hill last night because I was running out of food for the dogs. That was a workout. It really makes you aware of how much weight you lose when you add the pounds back on like that. I didn't notice how bad the walk was when I was that many pounds heavier.

Walmart is not carriying my favorite brand of puppy pads. I'm very unhappy about that. They are the Hartz brand and they are quilted. Quilted puppy pads are the best. I will probably have to buy them from Amazon now. Good thing I stock up on those for this exact reason - I know walmart has a habit of getting you hooked on a product and then not selling it anymore.

I've been watching the Australian Open tennis tournament. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are in the final. The Nadal-Verdasco semi-final was classic. It was good to see Fernando Verdasco play so well. As for the final, I don't know who to cheer for. I would like to see Roger eclipse Sampras' record and eventually get more majors than Tiger Woods has in golf. But I would also like to see Nadal win a major on a hard court. I don't think he could be considered a true #1 player unless he wins majors on all surfaces. Just like I don't think Federer can be considered better than everyone who ever played unless he wins the French Open.

A Half Day of Work

Well, I got to work on time this morning. But by 1pm I was headed out the door to come home. We were getting pounded with a fast, heavy snow storm at my workplace. Oddly enough, we weren't getting anything just 5 miles away. Skipping over the aggravations of the day (tailgaters on bad roads, idiot neighbors, idiot employees I have to deal with at work), I prefer to think of happier things. I continued reading "As You Do" by Richard Hammond of the tv show Top Gear this evening. I played with the dogs today. And it looks like I might get to go to work tomorrow too. Okay, so that isn't especially happy. But as I have something else to mail out tomorrow, it will be nice to get out. And maybe I can shop a bit at Walmart - Just window shop. I can't very well carry a bunch of stuff up my driveway.

Another Day Off

Well, I had to take another day off because of snow. This time, we got about 4 more inches on top of the inch we had yesterday. I did get ready for work and walk all the way down to the car but after surveying the two roads I would have to drive on, I decided to stay home. This afternoon I dug out the car and a turn around area in the driveway so I can hopefully get to work tomorrow. And mail out my mail. And hopefully get some stuff I ordered last week - it's supposed to be delivered to mom and dad's. I have a feeling I will be walking to and from the house until at least Sunday. Maybe longer. It depends on the forecast.

So, today I went out with Fritz and played a bit with him. And I carved out some pathways for Fritz and Lapcat so they wouldn't have it so hard roaming around the yard.

A little Haha moment - the new laxzy neighbor just had to go out today and drive on the 5 plus inches of snow in the driveway. He has a big truck with big tires. The haha moment - he backed out of his driveway and came within an inch or so of backing down into his big ditch. Heehee.

An Unplanned Day Off

Well, we got about an inch and a half of snow last night so I called off today. I swept out two tracks of the driveway all the way from the house to the road and by the time I took my car down at 3pm to park it alongside the main road, the tracks had melted out and the driveway looked pretty good. Just in time for 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight and 2 to 4 more tomorrow. I will be walking the rest of the week probably. I think Thursday it's supposed to be above 32 but then it will be cold again Friday and Saturday. Sunday, it's supposed to be above 32 again and I may be able to shovel that day. I know the part of the driveway used by the lazy neighbors will be solid ice for several days to come. They don't know what physical work is so I don't expect them to shovel.

The substitute mail carrier must have been working today. All the mail in my mailbox belonged to someone on down the road. How hard can it be to match up the address on the envelope to the number on the mailbox? 168 doesn't look anything like 170B.

I've been trying to watch tennis today but they keep showing the Tsonga/Blake match. I've seen it something like 4 times now. Enough already. I did manage to see the Murray/Verdasco match. That was a good one.

A Lot of Mail

I have a very unusual amount of mail to mail out tomorrow. Four envelopes. Usually I don't have any mail to go out but tomorrow I have two tax returns (state and federal), a subscription renewal to Dog Fancy magazine, and an order from The Lakeside Collection.

I did my taxes this morning at Mom and Dad's. I tried filling out copies of the forms on the couch and Winnie and PJ kept walking all over me and the forms. But eventually I got the copies filled out and then went into the other room to fill out the real forms and make the copies of everything before sealing the returns up in their envelopes.

I still have to wash out the bathtub from where I gave Fritz a bath yesterday. And I might get around to updating my checkbook. I try to put off the number crunching stuff since I do that at work.

Your Stomach Does Not Taste

I just heard this statement from a winemaker on the Rick Steves travel show. I thought this was a profound comment for us big eaters. If we can separate the great taste of the food we eat from the size of our stomachs and remember both are equally important when eating, then we might be able to cut down on what we eat, knowing that while our taste buds would love to have more of that really great ice cream or pizza, our stomachs are only food containers like that Tupperware, Lock & Lock, or Gladware container you have in the cabinet. (Or any brand of food storage containers-no endorsement is intended). This is why one of the four rules of the I Can Make You Thin system is "eat consciously and enjoy every bite". Give your taste buds what they want. Leave the food on your tongue long enough for your body to realize that you've actually eaten a piece of pizza, or a serving of ice cream.

I've taken a bit of a break from working out. And I ate a bit more last night and today. But still healthy - I bought a sub sandwich from walmart last night and threw away half of the bread. Then this morning I bought another one because I still had half of a tomato to eat and I've made this sandwich last all day. When I'm next hungry, I'm going for ice cream. I bought some low calorie/low fat cookies and cream ice cream this morning.

I have to start working on my tax returns this weekend. And there's some ordering I would like to do from a catalog. I know I said spending season was over, but these are good deals on things I either would really like to have or would get but have been putting off because I wasn't going to spend 'that much' money on them. I also need to update my checkbook. Hopefully I'll get my credit card bill today so I can get that payment in the mail.

Still Working Out

I've been working out some this week. Either the treadmill or the pilates machine. So, that's a good thing for me :)

I've been sticking to my eating plan and not even wanting to stray, even with all kinds of desserts at work this week. Another good thing for me :)

I've been tricking Fritz into drinking water. He hasn't been drinking any water because he won't drink in the house and the water outside has been frozen. But I've been mixing up some chicken broth and pouring it over some cooked chicken. He will eat it and drink the broth if it's not in a bowl. Sometimes I can use a Lean Cuisine container and sometimes it's just a paper plate.

Winnie and PJ got into my room tonight while I was changing clothes. Winnie helped me out a lot by going under the bed and retrieving one of my ponytail holders. I should tie a dustrag to her and send her under there once a week. LOL.

Sunny Day

The sun came out today and helped to melt some snow. Yay! I went out and swept the snow off of most of the driveway today anyway. It was good exercise. I didn't go as far down the driveway as I usually do because I have new lazy neighbors who drove in and out twice today before noon and I decided I wasn't going to try to clean off the driveway from their house down to the road. They must be related to the old neighbor woman's lazy relatives.

The Australian Open tennis coverage has started on tv. I hope to watch quite a bit of it. If I can pull myself away from QVC. I can watch it tonight since Top Gear won't be on. For some reason, BBC America thinks the Inauguration is a big deal. What they don't realize is that we're going to be seeing Obama for the next four years practically every single day we turn on our tvs, we don't really need extra coverage on the big day tomorrow.

I've been doing the I Can Make You Thin plan for about 22 days. Yay!! Some people say that you form a habit in 21 days. So, maybe I have formed a new eating habit. I have been cheating a bit though - I've been eating Lean Cuisines which are portion controlled. I'm technically supposed to fix a big meal and then not eat it all. So, I've been doing that on the weekends. Today I fixed some Kraft Mac and Cheese and put two thirds of it in the freezer. And I still have most of the hard candy left that I made in December.

One More Day

I've got one more day off and I am so happy! Today it warmed up and we didn't get all the snow that was predicted, but we still could get about an inch. It's coming down now.

I got on the treadmill today and on the pilates machine. I needed to get on the treadmill since I lazed around with naps a couple of times today.

I took some measurements of my driver's seat of the LaCrosse. I'm thinking of trying to make a seat cover for it. I thought it might be cheaper than buying one.

Weekend and a Holiday

I have a three day weekend thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Yay.

I took Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off from the pilates machine. Wednesday and Thursday I had to walk up the driveway because of the weather and that made me late with everything else I had to do in the evenings so I skipped the machine. I still walked in place so I still got some exercise. Friday, they had Lock and Lock on QVC when I got home so I skipped the machine to watch it. But I got back on the machine tonight. I tried to do every exercise slowly instead of fast.

I went to the store this morning and then took the puppies to see their grandparents this afternoon. We are supposed to get snow tonight and tomorrow so I thought I would go today to avoid the weather.

It's been very, very cold here these last few days. My car registered -4 at work on Friday morning. Brrr... Lapcat somehow is keeping warm outside. I think she's staying under the old chicken house out by the garden.

Fritz finally got a drink of water today. He won't drink in the house and all the water outside is frozen. I put some out this morning and he got a little bit of it and then I broke through the layer of ice that was covering it later on today and he got a better drink that time.

Mom and dad say that Ralph, their little kitten, hasn't been seen in a couple of days. I hope he's okay. He's an outside cat. His mommy has been to their house for some food.

I picked up the Elvis cds I ordered from QVC today at mom and dad's. I played them when I got home and the songs are very good. Someday I need to put them on my mp3 player to listen to when I'm on the treadmill. Someday, I have to get back on the treadmill. I can't just do the pilates machine only.

Brrrr...................

It's going to be pretty cold here the next few days. Single digits with below zero wind chills at night. I ran out some water just in case my pipes freeze overnight. And we are supposed to get some snow. I parked my Lumina at the main road tonight so I don't have to worry about trying to drive down my driveway. But there's a problem - my driver's side car door lock was frozen this morning. I hope I can get into the car tomorrow if I need it.

I've been using my new pilates machine every day since I got it. I didn't use it tonight because I walked up to the house and it put me behind in all my chores. So, I figured I would use what time I had to do my dishes, run out water in pans and storage containers, wash the dogs' bowls, and do a small load of laundry.

My internet connection is not behaving tonight. I try and try to connect and it won't let me and then when I do, they sever the connection for some unknown reason. They better get it fixed, whatever it is.

I was going to watch American Idol this week, but I saw some clips of that new judge and thought that I didn't want to see them argue that much more. The show is about the contestants, not the judges. So, I'm stuck watching QVC. Believe me, there isn't much of anything else on tv.

Day Two

Day two and I still love the Pilates Machine. I wasn't sore this morning, just aware of some of the muscles I used yesterday - mainly the shoulder area because I tried some moves I saw on the sales programs on QVC and they weren't on the level one workout dvd. And there's a bit of awareness right above the knees. But it will go away. And I have some irritation between my lower back and my mid-butt area because my clothes are scratching against me as I lay on the padded bench.

I started reading a book written by Richard Hammond of Top Gear. It's called "As You Do" and it's a funny account of some of the trips and adventures he's had on the show and off. I'm not too keen on the naughty language, but I can get by that. I do have to switch gears, so to speak. Usually, when I read a book, I just read the dialogue. But this is a memoir of sorts so there isn't a lot of dialogue. I was a couple of pages in and realized I missed a bunch of the story.

QVC has a pretty cool treadmill on air right now. If I didn't already have a treadmill and the pilates machine, I might be more tuned in to the sales pitch. It's pretty cool.

I Love My Machine!!

I got my pilates machine last night and I love it. I was on it for 50 minutes today and it didn't seem like that long at all. I need to watch the dvds a few times that come with the machine to get all of the exercises in my head.

I made turkey meatloaf this morning. Newsflash: they say food won't stick to ceramic bakeware, but they are wrong.

Tired of Doing Nothing

Work is making me tired. Not because I'm overworked. But because I can't work. The stupid computer program we use has printing limitations and this week, there's been at least 1.5 hours each day when I can't print what I need to print to do my job. You all don't know how tiring this is. The frustration of not being able to do anything really wears you down.

I need to apply The Secret to work. I should start doing that and see what happens. Things can only improve since The Secret works.

According to two internet weather forecasts, we could see 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight. According to the tv weather that Mom saw, we might get an inch. I'll find out tomorrow how much snow we did get.

I watched the Discovery Health Body Challenge last night and I was very disappointed to see the participants at a boot camp. I don't like the boot camp thing and think it doesn't do anyone any good to attend a boot camp or watch it on tv. It's unrealistic for those in the audience who can't just up and leave their families and their jobs to attend one and I don't think those who attend one could settle back into their lives after it's over and stick with their programs. I'm still going to watch it this week, but I wish they could go back to how the Body Challenge was done a few years ago - several weeks of watching the participants lose the weight. That way you feel a connection to them and it really does inspire you more.

My diet and exercise plan is going well. I'm following the I Can Make You Thin plan and walking in front of the tv for a half an hour every morning. I'm also doing some mat pilates every other day. I'm hoping I get my pilates machine soon. The delivery estimate was for today so hopefully I'll get it before the weekend. And then I hope I don't have any snow on the driveway and I can get it home.

Inspiration

In this new year, if anyone is trying to get into shape or lose weight, there's a place you can go for inspiration. Yes, I'm talking about Richard Simmons' website. You may not want to sweat to the oldies or cruise to lose, but reading Richard's daily messages or reading about the many, many successful people who've followed his programs can inspire you to keep up with your chosen food plan and workout schedule. Check out today's message on Richard's website by CLICKING HERE.

Last Day of Vacation

Well, today is my last day off. I go back to work tomorrow and my next holiday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It's a lazy day for me today. I went to Mom and Dad's this morning with the puppies. And when I got back, I took some laundry out of the dryer and rolled up some loose change. I also got on the treadmill for a half an hour. I'm doing pretty well with the exercise. I've worked out virtually every day since I've been off. And my diet has been pretty good too. No overeating. I'm not weighing myself so I don't know if I've lost anything. I'm going to go by how I look and fitting into my smaller clothes that I have in the closet.

I've been watching a lot of QVC while I've been off. There's a bunch of stuff that I could buy, but I don't need to buy. There's one more full hour of the Pilates show on QVC today and I plan to record it so I can watch it after I get my machine and watch it for inspiration and motivation.

No Nap Today

I spent half a day cleaning my bedroom. I even washed my curtains. I did three loads of laundry and have no idea where I'm going to put it all. It's not going back on the floor.

I read some of the posts on the QVC forums and I have to say I'm surprised there are so many unhappy people out there. Talk about people who need to follow "The Secret" and try to be positive and happy. I feel the need to speak up about a couple of the comments made on their forums: 1. I like Sandra Bennett. The reason she talked so much during the pilates show yesterday was because the other lady couldn't talk. 2. I liked the trip to Austria. Granted, in times of economic hardship, companies need to examine how they spend their money, but the trip to Austria was cool and since that guy is a host on the UK version of QVC, maybe the US QVC got some kind of a deal on the expense. 3. One of the subject titles was "Who cares about scrapbooking". Well, some people do and they deserve to have a chance to buy scrapbooking materials. I really don't like the shows about clothes of any kind. But I'm not going to post a 'get rid of the clothes' comment on QVC's message boards.

I have probably 10 to 15 shopping channels on my TV. I'm sure these unhappy posters have just as many. There's no one forcing them to watch QVC. There are other alternatives out there. Not to mention that some of these folks can turn the tv off and go to stores if they want to shop.

Sneezy, Headachy Day

Well, I did a bad thing today. I stirred up the dust in my bedroom. LOL. Before stirring up the dust, I took a nap and developed a headache so I thought I would clean some in there. There needs to be a lot more cleaning.

Winnie and PJ didn't like that I was in my bedroom without them. They found my prepaid mastercard records and chewed them up into little bits. I had to sort through all of the pieces to find my current balance.

I got on the treadmill today despite the fact that I really wanted to take my nap. I took the nap later.

So Easy It Was Weird

I ordered the pilates machine last night from QVC. I dialed their number, there were no rings, and when the operator came on, she knew who I was without even asking me. I guess their computer system matched me up with my phone number. I didn't have to give them my Q number or my pin number. I can see why so many people order bunches of stuff from QVC. It's really, really easy to just put it on the credit card and not think about it.

I cleaned more in the back bedroom where the machine will go. And I rearranged some things in there. Hopefully it will work even though it will be sitting on the shag carpet. It's very low to the ground and I don't know if the carpet would get caught in the machine as it moves. I'll find out when I get it. It's being shipped to Mom and Dad's, as usual, and I should have it by the end of next week.