Back So Soon?

I have yet again re-dedicated myself to my weight-loss... I know, I know... You hear that a lot from me, don't you? Well, this time I mean it. Okay, fine. So I say that a lot, too. Too bad. This broken record is going to keep on playing until at least 20 pounds have spun off. (That metaphor may have spun away from me.)

In all seriousness, I had originally re-dedicated myself to the Weight Watchers program months ago, with exercise and everything. Then I'm not sure what happened. I got really busy at work with a special project, working late and on some weekends. I believe I used that as an excuse to slack on tracking my food and I stopped my mid-day walks when I was working through lunch. It's amazing how quickly good habits go by the wayside. Especially when I know that in the back of my mind I resent having to actually work to lose or maintain weight. Too bad I love food so much!

Reality hit at Thanksgiving, when there were photos taken. Standing next to my tiny mother (who recently had some very successful weight-loss herself), I looked positively stout. Mom looked great though! But, naturally, all I could focus on was how much bigger I looked than I had in any photos taken earlier in the year. Reality struck again when I visited the doctor about the recurrence of my tendinitis and saw the scale.

The Thanksgiving Pie Bar did not help matters.

I decided to hold off on going gung ho into Weight Watchers until after the Christmas festivities were over. Anyone that knows my family will understand the food-fest that any holiday entails. Plus, my father just moved down the Central Coast, and so close to Solvang, I knew I'd be powerless when faced with those excellent bakeries...and I was right.

Heaven on a plate! Cinnamon in the pastry dough!

After all of the festivities, my two Christmas celebrations (Dad's on Christmas, Mom's on New Year's Day) and New Year's Eve, it was time. Again. Which brings me back to the point of this rambling post. I'm back on the "journey" (as so many WW members call it) as of about 3 weeks ago. Tracking, healthier choices, cooking for myself instead of picking up fast food or take out, and relying on fewer convenience foods. Of course, I'll admit that I have not really incorporated exercise into my plan yet, but it will happen. I'm down 2 pounds already, and hope to see continued success.

Expect more frequent blog posts from now on, since I'm afraid my Facebook friends will get tired of me posting all of my food photos there and hearing about my weight loss issues repeatedly. Besides, if I keep my hands busy, I can't use them to stuff food into my face. Alas, this blasted tendinitis has severely curtailed my crafting, which was previously a satisfying non-food activity!

Vacation Time!

Yep, as of this evening, I'm officially on vacation. I took three days off of work to hit Disneyland with my family (luckily, my company gives the day after Thanksgiving off as a paid holiday anyway).

It's going to be a busy week, too, starting tomorrow. Due to my usual severe procrastination, I haven't yet packed a thing...so, tomorrow will start off with a frenzy of packing, then a drive up to Sacramento to attend the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert with my Mom's side of the family. Rather than driving home afterward, I'll be spending the night at my step-sister's house and rolling out of bed (or couch, as the case may be) way too early to get on the road to Anaheim. Since I'm driving down there with my brother, I expect to be dragged out of the house while still technically asleep. That's okay, though, since I have no problem sleeping in the car.

We have arranged to meet up with my Dad (and step-mother, brother and step-grandmother, who are all driving down together from San Andreas) at a Krispie Kreme along the way, so that we'll all arrive at the park at the same time. You know, I don't think I've ever actually been inside a Krispy Kreme before. They'll have coffee though, and I will need it!

Sunday afternoon, after checking in to the hotel (we're staying on-site at the Grand Californian), we're heading into the park and not leaving until they close on Wednesday night (except of course to go back to the room and sleep). We check out on the morning of Thanksgiving, when the family (and my friend Kerri, who is meeting us down there for the week) hops back into our cars and cruises over to my cousin's house in Newport Beach for Thanksgiving dinner. I don't get to see that side of the family very often, so I'm pretty psyched that this worked out this way.

Friday morning is the long drive back home. I also think this will be the first Black Friday in years that I haven't gone Christmas shopping with my mother at the Folsom Outlet Mall. I'll deal (though I will miss my mother).

As much fun as I am expecting to have on this trip, I do think that I'll need the weekend after to recover. And to upload photos, of course.

I am consciously not dieting on this trip. As I told my co-worker today, this is my last hurrah before re-starting my diet. I've decided that since Weight Watcher's is unveiling their new (re-vamped) program during the week after Thanksgiving, that's when I am going to start all over again as if I were a new member. (I need a kick in the pants on that front anyway, and am hoping that the new plan will motivate me to actually follow it.)

Just in time for Christmas!

Mattel introduces the newest innovation for aspiring doctors...it's "Sucking Chest Wound Barbie!"

After the fairy tale ends, reality sets in...

This toy is labeled "A Fashion Fairy Tale" and there appears to be ties to a movie. Based on this particular doll, I'm assuming this fairy tale was written by the Brothers Grimm.

It seriously looks like her chest is exploding...and it gets worse. If you press her belt buckle, the open chest cavity lights up and emits music. (Like fireworks on her chest.) Here's a close-up - if you look closely, you'll see the lights in her chest.

I just do not understand this doll. But, that being said, I am 99.9% certain that if I was still 9 years old, I would HAVE to have one. (And yes, I was indeed standing in the toy aisle in Target taking photos of Barbie dolls with my cell phone!)

Speaking of when I was 9 years old...I don't remember my Barbies being quite this anorexic looking, do you?


For all of those that are wondering what I was doing in the toy aisle scrutinizing Barbies to begin with, it all started with a search for batteries. Since they've added the grocery section and redesigned the store, I can't find anything anymore! I stumbled upon the toys after the "Twilight" Barbies caught my eye.

Age Discrimination!!

Boo!

I heard a story on my local radio's morning show the other day that said the most common age for kids to stop trick-or-treating was 13. 13?! No way! I trick-or-treated into my college years, as did my Aunt and a bunch of my friends (I had to have someone to go with, you know). My siblings all kept trick-or-treating at least into high school.

I still like to dress up for Halloween too, when given a reason to do so. Don't worry though, I did finally accept that I shouldn’t trick-or-treat anymore.

So, I have a question for all of my readers (if I actually have any) – when did you stop dressing up for Halloween and/or stop trick-or-treating? If you had kids, are you going to have them stop at a certain age?

Holiday Shoppers Beware!

Also a warning to anyone thinking of getting short-term retail employment for the holidays. Who would have thought this is what the job might entail...

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_11195127?source=most_viewed

And in Marin County, no less! This just goes to show that money doesn't buy class, manners, or common sense!

Good Old Saint Nick

Check out the headline of the article below:How inappropriate for those poor little kiddies!

Okay, I know the article is really about how to explain to kids why they're not each getting their individual Wii because Mommy did a little too much investing in the real estate market...No, it doesn't actually say that - just that kids may be disappointed in their gifts this year due to parents' inability to shell out the massive cash in order to buy their love. Hmm...still it's not as detailed as that. Maybe I should've written this article?

Anyway, here is a link to the full article, if anyone is interested in letting the kids down easy: http://www.ajc.com/services/content/atlanta-holiday-guide/stories/2008/12/04/talking_to_kids_holiday.html

***Warning - this is the part where my Catholic upbringing and beliefs become very apparent. If you will be offended by any religious content, don't bother reading any further.***

In all seriousness, although the article does have some good suggestions, I don't agree with all of it, but that may be due to my religious upbringing. I think my biggest problem with it is that it completely ignores the true meaning of Christmas.

If you can't afford the pricy demands of your children, why not simply bring the season back to its roots and explain the reason that we celebrate in the first place? Tell the story of Jesus's birth (you don't have to wait for Christmas Day to do this), and celebrate Advent (which is 4 weeks of preparing for the arrival of our Lord). Also teach the kids about Epiphany (the day the wise men arrived bearing gifts, and also the end of the 12 days of Christmas), which is January 6th.

How about explaining the origins of Santa with your children. Saint Nicholas was a Catholic Bishop whose acts of charity for those in need was legendary. Here are some links to more info on the Saint: Saint Nicholas, Ways to Honor St. Nick, St. Nicholas Center. There's also a children's book that can help to convey the origins of Santa to young children: The Real Story of Santa Claus

Originally, honoring Saint Nicholas by giving gifts to others was centered around his feast day, December 6 (tomorrow!), not Christmas. The gift giving has since migrated across the calendar a bit to Christmas Day, and in transit has spiralled way out of control. Maybe the state of the current economy is affording us (as a society) with the opportunity to teach our children what is really important - not money and material goods, but love, family, support and charity. This is the perfect time to start, as there are so many people now in need. We can also teach children the difference between wants and needs, while still having a happy Christmas. Instill in them the belief that Christmas is about giving, not receiving. It's about sharing our joy and happiness. After all, on Christmas, God gave us the greatest gift of all.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to stop giving the children gifts - not at all. Just don't max out any credit cards to satisfy their every whim. There's no need to fall into debt for anything that isn't a necessity. But something does not have to be expensive to be a good gift or to be appreciated. And we need to stop judging our own worth based on what others have. We need to stop raising self-centered brats with feelings of entitlement. Buy what you can afford. One day your kids will have to go out and earn a living, and if they have always had everything handed to them, they will not be prepared to support themselves.

And since that's probably a bit in the future, right now maybe we should just tell them that Saint Nick had to focus on the families that were truly in need this year, and your family is already blessed with what you have. (I do believe I heard this from my own single income, 4 child family in my younger days, and I managed to survive!)

As for Santa Claus, let the kids keep believing. I do.

Holy Crap, she's posting!!

Hello everyone. I hope you all had fun long weekends and that none of you were forced to work over the holiday. I headed up to Sacramento for most of the weekend and hung out with my friend Kerri and her family, then spent Saturday with my Mom and the step-family.

Lots of games were involved (card and board, not mental), and it was all quite fun. I have determined that my mother has a strong tendency to believe anything I say, as evidenced by her constant choosing of my wrong answers to Beyond Balderdash. (The edition we played had dates as a category instead of laughable laws, which sounds like a better category, if you ask me!)

In other news, I am still following the WW plan (except for weekends, when I'm not tracking, but still trying to exercise and make smarter food choices). I have lost 4.4 pounds in the last 3 weeks. It is a good start, and I will keep it up! (I am determined...again!) In keeping with this, I was inspired to actually turn on my oven and cook last week! (Before this current heat wave hit.)

teaser photo

A co-worker brought in a giant lawn bag full of fresh rosemary clippings, which also contributed to my culinary inspiration. Visit here for the recipe.

Here it is again...

I'll spare you all the annual rant, but wanted to drop in and say Happy Freakin' VD to all my buddies, attached or not. And, bitter as I am, I have a tiny little sweet side, so I took the below VD themed quiz. Sorry if it's a repeat...

Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss"

You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship. You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Happy 2008!

I hope everyone had fun ushering in the New Year. Here's the only shot of me from the night with my friend Kristin, taken before midnight. You can't really tell, but the hats do say Happy New Year on them. And I'm trying to see if she's stopped making faces at the camera, which is the exact moment her husband chose to snap the photo. (I would have done the same, I am sure!)

So - here's to a whole new year of fun, good health, great friends and happy families!

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Why do some people make everything so complicated?

Everyone at work (okay, maybe 3 or 4 people, but it was enough) kept asking me if we were going to do a Secret Santa exchange this year. I ended up organizing it last year, because everyone wanted to do it, but no one else would pony up and make it happen. So naturally, people seemed to be waiting for me to take the necessary action again this year. So I sent out the email last week to see if people were interested. Most were, so today I sent another email to the willing participants with more details, and asking for input.

My idea, with verbal suggestions from other co-workers, was to pick names next Monday, cap the total spending at $20, leave little items here and there for our giftee through the week, and exchange final gifts on the 19th. Everything seemed fine, although we changed the date to the 18th because people were out on the 19th...

Then I get this email from the boss (on which she has copied everyone) stating if we are leaving small gifts she can't participate. I responded to all, clarifying the spending cap and making the little (and inexpensive) gifts part optional. Then I get this private email from her - "Then some people will get a bunch of gifts and others won't." I responded to her saying that it's all the same value (since the spending cap is the same for both ways), and she just writes back saying "Tami - you know it doesn't work that way."

Oh my God. Grow up, will you? Just tell me if you're participating or not, and keep your whiny crap to yourself. We're all adults and it's all for fun. This is not something you need to stress over! (My other boss was sympathizing with me on this, and yes, I shared the exchange with her, because she had a similar one and had called me vent while I was staring in shock at my email.) While I was conspiring with the other boss, a response to my clarification email came in saying "Great idea! I like it." It made us both laugh.

And I can't tell you how many of my co-workers came over to me to mention how ridiculous that boss's response to the little gifts idea was. Urgh. I'm thinking tiny little things, like a greeting card or a candy cane or something. It's not unheard of in the Secret Santa circles.

There is a reason everyone wanted to do this and no one wanted to spearhead it. At least I won't have to do it next year! (Perk 1 for getting a new job.)

In less irritating/petty news - I cleared out the corner of my living room for my Christmas tree and it is now up, with lights (though the bottom string is unlit because of a broken bulb...and I pulled out the vaccuum after 10pm because I didn't know when the bulb broke or where the glass bits ended up) and the tree skirt.

I'm Back!

And apparently, I was missed. I wasn't off doing anything exciting or anything, the writing bug just hadn't hit. So...to recap:

I spent Thanksgiving at my mother's house, which was fun. We went shopping at the outlet mall the next day (but unlike my insane mother, I did NOT get there at store-opening...I met her around 10:30am). I managed to complete most of my Christmas shopping, though I had done a lot before Thanksgiving (that's new for me). I only have a couple people left to buy for. Of course, I have supplies to make a few presents, but haven't made them yet.

Saturday morning I drove to my Dad's house and celebrated his birthday (and my step-mother's) and got to see my little brother. I didn't get any pictures this time, so you'll just have to trust me on the uber-cuteness.

I've been working on those scarves commissioned by my boss, and finished them last week. Below is a shot of the scarves, ruffle ends up, in the bag I used to take them in to work.

I finished another hat for another co-worker, which I'll deliver tomorrow. She's already paid, so I hope it fits!

I worked at home again last Wednesday, and since I was home during daylight hours, I went down to my storage unit at lunch and brought up all of my Christmas decorations. I switched over to my winter dishes, and put up my front door wreath, but I haven't decorated my tree yet. Mostly because my tree isn't up yet. I have a fake one, and plan to put it up this week (it was going to be tonight, but I'm not sure now...I mean, Desperate Housewives is on!).

This weekend I worked on some crochet projects and then had a girls lunch and shopping day today. I broke down and bought something for me - a much needed new pair of sneakers. My old pair is developing a visible hole in the right toe, and therefore is really not suitable for work wear anymore. So, I found a cute pair on sale at Mervyn's (thanks Kristin for bearing with me!) and the problem has been solved.

In other news, I'm going to Disneyland! Or as I may start calling it, Jill's wonderful world of knitting spots... (hehe) Moriah has been inviting me to go with her family for the last few years (they always go in January, or have been doing so for a while now), and I figured this would be a good time to take her up on the offer, since I've got the vacation time that's rolling over from this year, and I am still employed. I'm putting aside all the $ from sales to go to the trip, so I'm hoping to sell a few more things to add to my Disney fun fund.

Okay...back to the Desperate Housewives natural disaster show...

Howdy Y'All

Just popping in to say Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all safe and warm with the ones you love today.

As for me, I'm at my mother's house, counting down to T time (that T is for Turkey, that's good enough for me...).

The Head!!

I'm really not that into Halloween this year, which is abnormal for me. I think it's because we're not making a big production out of it at work this year (you know, since there are pretty much no other departments still operating). I don't have any plans this year, and no costume. Though it's possible that some people from work may go out tomorrow. We'll see if that happens though.

Anyway, in the spirit of Halloween, I'll thought I'd share a little tidbit of my childhood.

Although I wasn't the youngest of the 4 kids in my family, I was often the victim of the others, who liked to gang up on me from time to time. So, when I (and my siblings) discovered something that terrified the youngest, I went with it for as long as I could. Of course, now I realize that my youngest brother was probably 5 at the time, and that we may have traumatized him for life...but now that he's 26, I can pull this on him with little to no guilt.

So, I think this all came about after Creepshow was on HBO. I believe it all started when my older sister (who was probably 13 or 14 at the time, and likely was the only one who saw the movie) was trying to scare us all by retelling the stories from the movie. I have no doubt that we were all hanging on her every word. So, she's retelling the "Father's Day" segment, where the dead father says, "I want my cake." (Or something like that.) She did a creepy voice, and it freaked out Tony, the youngest. Somehow, and I can't for the life of me remember how, we figured out that Tony got really scared when we all pointed to the floor in the middle of the room and intoned, "the head...THE HEAD!!"

To this day, it freaks him out. And yes, I test it periodically, because that is how mature I am now that I'm 32.

Anyway, in keeping with the theme of "The Head," I bring you this:

my newest acquisition

Actually, this purchase had nothing to do with Halloween (much to the disappointment of the sales guy at the craft store checkout, who asked what I was planning to do with it. I couldn't think of a good story, so I told the truth). I'm going to use this to display my hats and possibly scarves, so I don't have to struggle to take semi-non-hideous self-portraits anymore.

Nameless head modeling my newest hat creation

I am tempted to add some color to the blank/naked face, but am afraid I will ruin it and make it garish (or more creepy than it already is). I do think I should give it a name though. Anyone want to name that head?

Ella sin nombre modeling Ava. Doesn't she look demure? Pretty impressive "bone" structure, for styrofoam pellets.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

That being said, I'm off to make Christmas cards while watching the rest of Reaper.

It ain't cool, being no jive turkey - so close to Thanksgiving

Quick! Name that movie!

I was browsing around Etsy when a treasury slot opened up, which allowed me to choose cool items from other sellers to feature on the site. So, I decided on a turkey theme, and that line came into my head. I think I picked some pretty nice items, if I do say so myself. If you want to check out my picks - follow this link. I've named it "Jive Turkeys."

Take a peek, look at the items, leave me a comment... You can visit each seller's shop by clicking on the photo of their item. Have fun! (I did!)