Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Happy New Year !!!

I'll be back in a couple days with a real post.  Until then.... Stay safe and have a great evening!

Happy New Year!

I'll be back in a few days with a real post - until then .... Stay safe and have a great evening!

Friday, December 26, 2014

Friend Makin' Monday (on Friday) - Christmas is Coming

Wooo, I've missed doing these!  Many thanks to Sara at sararunsthisweigh.com for keeping this going!


Christmas is coming!

Here’s how it works: you copy the questions, answer them and post them to your own blog. Then you come back here, and in the comments, post the link to your blog post with your answers to this week’s questions. If you don’t have a blog of your own, just post your answers in the comments.

1. Do you celebrate Christmas?  Yes

2. What are your Christmas traditions?  Every other year (this is one of them) we drive to Arkansas and spend Christmas and New Years with my Mother In Law.  We get together with my crazy family before we leave to exchange gifts & hang out.  For the Michigan years, it's changed in the past couple years since Dad passed away, so I'm not even sure what they're doing anymore.  In my house, we also take an evening to go out to dinner at this little diner called chomp (yes - lowercase c) and walk up & down Main Street in nearby Rochester. The entire mile or so stretch is totally covered in lights.

3. Do you decorate for Christmas?  Yes!  I have a small collection of blowmolds for the front yard - for some reason I have no pictures - GASP !!!  I'll remedy that when we get home.  On the inside we have our tree with colored LED lights & I have a collection of over 100 nutcrackers so they are everywhere!

4. What was Christmas like for you when you were a child?  I'm the youngest of 5 so it was chaos.  It always looked so magical, coming down the stairs and seeing all those presents around the tree!!

5. Is there anyone on your Christmas list you don’t like buying gifts for? Why?  The hubby is a pain in the butt to buy for and so is the kid (she's 17).  Neither of them lack for anything. 

6. Is there anyone you particularly like buying gifts for?  Nope.  I was so disgusted this year that I threatened to give everyone in the family nutcrackers from my collection....and I did!  

7. Did you believe in Santa as a child? Do you remember when you found out he wasn’t real?  My brothers & sisters did a great job of not giving away that secret!  I found out the year I was probably 10 when I went into the basement ~ where I never went ~ and saw Mom with a pile of presents behind the couch.  Let me tell you I turned and ran back up those stairs!

8. I know Elf on the Shelf has only been around since 2005, but did your parents do anything similar when you were younger to make you behave during the holidays?  Nope.  

9. Speaking of Elf on the Shelf, do you have one?  No way - they are so creepy!

10. What is your dream Christmas (present/decorations/vacation/whatever)?  My dream present would be something thoughtful that I didn't have to suggest to someone or buy myself.  I actually broke down & cried while wrapping the presents this year since I wasn't looking forward to the annual disappointment (this includes Valentines & birthdays, too). And it was, too.  I didn't get the simple thing I suggested to the hubby because I didn't search for it online and send him a link to it and I didn't get the simple thing I suggested to the girl because her & the hubby didn't make time to go out shopping together before we left to come to Arkansas.  They thought I was kidding when I told them they both suck. 

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas !!

Merry Christmas from all of us at the Love Shaque!!


(Merry Christmas from the Family)

(Santa Claus is Coming to Town)

Merry Christmas !!!!

Merry Christmas from all of us at the Love Shaque!



Friday, December 19, 2014

The downward spiral continues!

Whew! Finally got a minute to sit down & finish this post!

I was up 1 lb last week, but after the company Christmas party & Mother Nature doing her thing, I really wasn't too upset. That made the 1.8 lb loss especially nice this week! I was hoping to just maintain, so very happy!



Total lazy last weekend! Just vegged around the house all day Saturday. Then Saturday night, Miss Angela had a "lock in' at the dance studio, basically a sleepover with usual girl stuff, movies, popcorn, games, dancing - just AT the dance studio. They have a ton of fun each year! So Randy & I dropped her off, then went out to dinner and walked up & down Main Street in nearby Rochester, looking at Christmas lights....



a good mile + stretch is covered like this! We strolled along, looking in shop windows & just enjoying ourselves, along with several gazillion other peoples.

I had a lousy sinus headache on Sunday and didn't want to do anything. I didn't even track!



I did finally go & get my knee checked out. I pulled a tendon and that's why it's been so wonky. The pain is never the same. Sometimes it'll be just fine and I walk OK, then a minute later I'll have shooting pains and can't put any weight on it. I actually went a couple days with it almost feeling normal, then I sat at the desk and had my foot up under me, like I like to sit - and that was a mistake. It didn't like being twisted and let me know! I did manage to get out for a couple walks with the dog, since it's been an oddly snow-less winter so far. Some days 45 degrees feels downright balmy!

So my plans for this weekend include getting my house presentable. We are going to be spending some time in Arkansas soon with the mother-in-law and either one or both of my sisters are stopping in to check on the cats while we're gone. So I prefer it to look somewhat decent for them! I also have a bunch of present wrapping to do and also present buying - the family gathering is Sunday. Ugh, I'd rather draw names and only have to worry about 1 person, but Nooooooooo, Mom & one sister already went crazy. I've joked about giving everyone a nutcracker from my collection (I have over 100 and won't miss a couple), but the more I think about it, the more I like that idea! Nutcrackers for everyone! And maybe a gift card geared toward each person's interests or likes.
Arkansas is going to be a challenge. 16 hours (2 days) to get there and the same coming back. A good week at MIL's house. And since it's just her, she doesn't ever have any kind of food selection in her house at all. I'll pack a cooler with snacks & water (since I tend to let myself dehydrate when in the car for long periods - I have to stop that!!) We will hit Kroger as soon as we get there so I'll be able to stock up on fruit & veggies & stuff. But there will be a lot of going out to eat. We will go to this seafood place to get catfish. I'll simply get it grilled instead of fried. We will go to Outback so Mom can get her coconut shrimpies. There are options there. We will go to Chic-Fil-A since we don't have them here and Randy & Angel have this idea that it's the most amazing fast food ever <<eye rolls>>. Pretty sure they have grilled chicken now. Cracker Barrel will happen, probably more than once. I know they have a lighter menu. And there will be a decent amount of walking. We will walk along the Promenade behind Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs. Angel & I are planning to take a 90 minute walking ghost tour one night. Angel wants her ears pierced again so that'll mean a trip to the mall. There's plenty of stuff to do to keep moving.

ON the plus side, I'm pretty sure Randy is going to renew my gym membership as a Christmas gift for me! Woohoo! Can't wait!

My WW leader gave us all little silver bells at the end of the meeting Wednesday - to remind us to believe - believe that we can conquer the holiday season! I put mine on a ribbon and will be wearing it daily.












Saturday, December 13, 2014

12/13/14

I had to get a post in today just so I could use that title!  Sadly I missed both 10:11 am and pm.  Oh well!

It was a lovely, totally useless day!  I had to get up with the dog at 7 am , then went back to bed.  I heard him stirring again at 9:30 but he didn't bother me, so I laid in bed and drifted in & out for a while.  I really wanted to go back to sleep but it didn't happen.  Around 2:30, we wandered into the living room and turned on the Army / Navy game to watch the Army get stomped for the 13th time in a row !  I admit to napping thru most of the first half - I'm not a football fan at all.
Then this evening I dropped Miss Angela off at the dance studio for their annual "Lock-In".  It's a fun sleepover in the studio - its supposed to give parents a chance to get Christmas stuff done but how much can you get done with drop off at 8??  I got her air mattress set up next to one of the choice spots - both by a friend and by an electrical outlet (to plug in the phone!) and was out of there by 8:02.

Randy & I went to have dinner at this adorable little diner called chomp and we walked up & down Main Street in Rochester, looking in shop windows & seeing the lights.

Of course there are tons of other people, but there's always someone willing to take a pic of you and I myself took a few of other people for them, too!

Then a stop at Tim Horton's for some hot chocolate and we are now in comfy lounge clothes and bed will probably happen soon.

Still haven't been in much of a mood to decorate.  I had a hard time finding places for my 100+ nutcrackers (probably closer to 120 now!), the cat decided she was going to climb the tree after never touching it for the past 2 years - a spank with a branch stopped that right quick!  But the 2 nativity scenes are out, the nutcrackers are settled in, the tree is decorated.  I think that's good enough!!  I haven't even felt the need to do any shopping, other than for actual presents, etc.

I finally got some suggestions from Randy, but no real ideas from the girl.  She wants her ears pierced again.  That's not anything I can wrap and put under the tree, ya know!  I'm going to make a coupon of sorts for her, she wants a North Face jacket, but I'm not sure what kind she wants, so the coupon will be for one of her choosing.   But I think she'll do OK. I told Randy I wanted a Red Wings nutcracker with a stick (good luck with that one!!!) and Angel I wanted a fuzzy steering wheel cover for my car. Normally I have to pick out and wrap my own presents, so hopefully I don't have to be disappointed this year.  That really kills the fun, not being surprised.

Let's see. Last weekend was my company Christmas party.  It was very nice. It's held at a fancy Italian restaurant that has incredible food.  We mingled for a bit.  Then ate, then the owner made a speech and there's some sort of cheesy entertainment - this year it was a game called "where am I?"  They showed a picture of something in the building and we had to guess where it was.  Most of us never have any reason of go into any of the higher-ups in the company's offices so we had no clue what they had!  Luckily, my boss Michelle was sitting at the table directly behind Randy and whispered answers to us. It's funny that 2 of the girls didn't recognize things in their own offices!  But I sure knew my funky turkey that sat on my desk all of November! My table guessed the most (thanks, Michelle!) and we each got a $50 bill!  Then they played some of those "Elf Yourself" videos and we all cracked up.  And we always get a bottle of wine that has a really pretty Christmas scene carved into it.  It was nice to get dressed up and go out.

The family was a bit cheesed, since that was also the weekend that Laurie chose for us to all get together & meet in Ohio to spend time with my brother.  Sorry - I had RSVPd to the party first!  So they went without us.  They met in Findlay this time.  Sorry - there just doesn't seem to be much to do in Ohio.  Plus I've been fighting a pulled ligament in my knee and I don't need to be anywhere near Terry, since he'd find a way to hurt me more!  He rough-houses way too much.

Hopefully tomorrow will be more of a productive day.  I need to get the house put together since we'll have someone coming in to check on the cats while we're in Arkansas, so I want it looking nice.  Monday & Tuesday will be busy at work.  I'm still not caught up from that week my coworker was off and she's gone again!  At least it was planned this time.  I need to get ahead as much as I can since I'll be gone almost 2 weeks!!  Thankfully most plants are shut down, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Ooo, gotta go so this'll post before midnight!  Later!



Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Woohoo!

I came, 
I saw, 
I kicked Thanksgiving's butt!  


WOOHOO!!

Down 1.4 lbs this week!  
And last week when I had the WW meeting's travelling tracker?  
Down 2.4 lbs!

So looking at my progress reports this week - I made sure I tracked everything in my handy-dandy notebook (just like the traveling tracker) as well as on eTools.


This included going out to dinner on Wednesday and having "autumn chicken".  It's basically a chicken breast stuffed with cornbread and smothered in a maple cream sauce and sprinkled with dried cranberries.  Omnomnomnom.  It comes with the soup & salad bar (they had AMAZING mushroom soup that night) and mashed sweet potatoes, corn and a giant chunk of steamed carrot and 2 trees of broccoli.  51 points for the day.

Thursday we started out with my sister's breakfast casserole with who-knows-what all in it.  Hashbrowns & eggs & cheese for sure.  I did scarf a few chips with salsa & some Doritos during the day.  Thanksgiving dinner was all in moderation.  Turkey & gravy.  Mashed potatoes.  3 rolls (OK, I went overboard there, but I like bread!!), green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, a decent sized salad w/ lite dressing.  I only took a tiny spoonful of the stuffing, since for some reason my sister added walnuts to it and it was the most unappetizing shade of grayish black I'd ever seen on something that wasn't burnt.  I know she put all sorts of good stuff in it, since I saw her making it, but that little bite was so bland!  It was scary.  Anyhoo, then I had a half slice each of the apple & pumpkin pie with light Cool Whip and a couple bite-sized cream puffs.  And 1 margarita. I didn't even go back for seconds!  Another 51 points for the day.

Friday I had to work, so Randy & I came home Thursday night.  I was able to have a decent breakfast & lunch.    Friday after work, we met the family in Flint at Crossroads Village, etc.  Usual stuff there.  A lot of walking, considering my knee is still bothering me. And it was cold as crap!!  Afterwards we stopped at this coney island place and I had a half order of fish & chips.  They didn't have much to choose from!  But I got chicken noodle soup & of course fries.  It was OK.   Only 40 points today.

Saturday we had pancakes & way too many snausages, then later on after doing some shopping, I had a beef pasty & a salad for dinner. 44 points for the day.


So we did a bit of walking and such over the weekend.  All last week at work was insane - lots of laps around the room, to the fax machine, to the copier, distributing papers to certain people, etc, etc, etc.   Thursday I was up early & went out to take care of the horses.  We went for a walk.  Helped Laurie in the barn some more, cleaning stalls & scrubbing buckets, etc. .
Friday night was tons of walking at Crossroads Village.  Saturday we took the dogs for a walk again & then did some shopping.
We got home Saturday evening.  Sunday I was out putting Christmas decorations out, since it was in the 50s - got to take advantage of warm weather when it's December! I was so not in the mood.  It took much longer than it really needed to.      

 I was done by 3 pm, then had to take a break.  My knee was swelling again & I was just ready for a break.

So I'm extreme proud of myself for having a loss this week.  My next big challenge is this Saturday - the company Christmas party at this fancy Italian restaurant.  Last year I decided I was only going to eat 'special' things.  Like stay away from the lasagna, since we have it pretty often at home, things like that.  And since they always bring out a ton of food to each table, it's OK to just try a little bit of each - I know I won't go home hungry!

Challenge after that is Christmas.  We're going to Arkansas this year and the mother-in-law isn't known for having a lot of healthy stuff in her house.  We always go grocery shopping as soon as we get there.  Hope we can this time, since we'll get there Christmas Eve!  

It's about time to turn in, so Later!!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Pre-Thanksgiving thoughts....

I've been doing really well with the WW 'travelling tracker' this week. Like really been paying much closer attention to portions & what I shovel into my face & if I'm really even hungry or not.  I just bought one of the WW Success Kits, so I may continue to use the notebook tracker, as well as my eTools.  I can always pretend that I need to turn it in.  We'll see how the scale agrees or disagrees.

I don't know if I'll be able to get on to blog much tomorrow after my meeting, which is why I'm on now.  I'll be going straight to the 4pm meeting after work, and then I'll have to pack up the family & stuff and head to my sister's house.  We'll be going out for dinner, then hanging out for the evening.  Then spend all day Thursday there.

Friday will suck.  I have to work - I was going to attempt to get out of it, but my coworker's sister passed away last weekend and her services are Friday afternoon.  Crap.  I hate covering for her, since 90% of my day is spent doing her work and I get way behind in my own.   She's been out since last Thursday, too.  I do need to leave a little early, tho.  Friday night, we have tickets to Crossroads Village / Huckleberry RR for the tree lighting & carols & fireworks & train ride & all that fun stuff.  It really is a lot of fun.  Sort of our way to usher in the Christmas season.  As of Friday, I will no longer be offended at my neighbors who have had their tree up in their front window for the past week (I keep hoping their cat knocks it over) and I may even listen to some music.

The only problem is that I'm gimpy.  Crossroads Village means a lot of walking!  I got out of bed around 4am yesterday and as I walked to the bathroom, something popped in the back of my knee.  I went back to bed, but when I got up with my alarm, it popped a couple more times.  It hurt like crazy all day yesterday with occasional shooting pains & it was nasty swollen and I could feel the fluid in there. It was worse with my knee brace on!  And of course I had to go grocery shopping and such.  Last night I took the dog outside and bent over to pick up a branch off the patio and twisted slightly - I thought I was going to cry and would have to call Randy to come help me back in the house. It was bad.

Today I felt like I was walking like Asimo....


It doesn't hurt as bad, but I still can't bend it enough to use the stairs gracefully or get in the car without grabbing my leg to pull it in or anything.  It's still swollen, too. Since I'm walking funny, the muscles in both legs hurt & ache.  Hopefully by Friday it'll be better. I'll just take a bunch of aspirin before we go. 

Now I'm really glad Zumba is done til the beginning of the year! There's no way I could do it. 

So Thanksgiving.  Maybe if it was just one meal it would be different.  But we start Wednesday & if I didn't have to work - it would go thru Saturday.  It still does, I just get a reprieve.  I'll just have to be careful with the mindless snacking that tends to happen.  My WW leader, Eileen says to imagine her sitting next to me.  I just don't know how that would work, she seems like she'd be fun to hang out with.  But I'm pretty sure she'd do some silent judging if I reached for the chips or whatever. I'll keep that in mind. 

Oh yeah, Saturday will probably mean more walking - my sister mentioned going to this antique store that has 2 stories and the upper floor is a lot of holiday (Halloweeny) stuff.  Squeee! 
 
So I need to do something to keep my mind off the munchies. Would it be weird to take a picture of Eileen, print it out & glue her face to one of those cheesy wooden masks on a stick from Joann Fabrics?   Too much?

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Craft Show Hauls

Mom & the sisters & I go to at least 2 craft shows every year. We went to the second one today - the other was 2 weeks ago.  We usually end up in pairs - Laurie says she drops back to stay with Mom, since she doesn't move as fast anymore, Mom says she stays back with Laurie since she has to stop and look at ALL the things.  Linda & I end up waiting at the end of the row / hall / wherever.   We have a good time. 

The first one is Christmas in Clawson at the high school - the same school me & all my siblings graduated from.  Mom always runs into some she knows.  She worked at both of the elementary schools for a lot of years before retiring.

I couldn't resist this guy!  The cutest spider ever!
I brought him home just in time to be put in the tote with the rest of the H'ween items. 
 I buy a wood ornament every year.  This year, the old man had this witchy one!
 I'll probably put this on the Mother-in-laws Christmas gift. 
 Jack needed some bandannas for non Fall / Winter holidays - it was tough finding a non-girly Valentine's one! And I'm pretty sure they cut up a real flag for the first one!
 Raggedy Ann & Andy really called to me. 
 These stained glass stockings will go nicely with my trees that I bought a couple years ago from the same guy. 
 I didn't know I needed one of these til I saw it.  A scissors holder.  Mine are just floating around inside my sewing bag, so this'll be handy. 
 And the 14th consecutive year's personalized ornament from the same ladies - I keep a spreadsheet on what shapes I have and who on it.  I have a special smaller tree just for these ornaments. 

Today we went to Eisenhower HS "Santa's Craft Castle"
Laurie usually runs into someone she knows and this year I did, too!  A girl I used to work with.  Glad I was people watching while waiting for Mom & Laurie.

I had to get this huge deer!  I got a red one last year, so the green sparkly deer was needed.  They're so FABULOUS!
They also had a purple one.
 Thanksgiving stuff kept catching my eye.
 This is about as deep as a shoe box.  I'm going to give it to Miss Angela for Christmas.
I was happy to find one in her school colors.
 I don't know why I bought special homemade peanut butter dog treats for the stupid dog who is happy eating cat or horse poop.
I
Stained glass Gingy.  
 The pic doesn't do these earrings justice.
They're Swarovski crystal so they really sparkle!
 I got a cobalt blue ornament like this one last year.
Someone put a LOT of work into these!

Tonight Miss Angela went to a movie with a friend, 
so I hit all 3 Salvation Armies in the area.  
Scored a nutcracker from each one and all were between 25 - 40% off! 

And since Thanksgiving stuff kept waving at me, I found a porcelain Pilgrim girl!
She was brand new, still had her feet wrapped in bubble wrap and the store tag zip-tied to her wrist.

She is currently in the living room, facing the wall.
Angel's friend told me the doll was staring at her & she saw the eyes move.
They do look like of red here, but I thought was from the flash.  They're brown.

So that's all that's going on around here.  Randy will finally be home tomorrow!  
(Today - since it's after midnight)

Any good plans for Thanksgiving?

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Back in the saddle again!

For Realz this time!

With yet another gain under my belt this week (and I'm starting to feel it in my jeans) - this week at my WW meeting, I volunteered to take home the "Travelling Tracker".  I think this is gonna be good for me.  It's simply one of the spiral notebook trackers and someone different has been taking it home each week, and filling it out.  So far, they've been averaging 3+ lbs loss each week with it.  It's kinda neat to go back and see what others have been eating - makes for some new ideas, too. Whoever had it last enjoyed (and tracked) a rum & diet Coke each night!  Heehee!
Yup.  I can totally understand the gain. 

Since the weather was extremely crappy last night, I went from the meeting, back to the studio to wait for Angel to get done with all her classes instead of going home.  I'm sorta bummed that Zumba is done til the beginning of the year, but I digress.  I took that time to figure out exactly what I was going to eat today and the Points values for them.  I even included snacks!  I have my pad of paper in front of me, with tomorrow's figured out so far, gonna work on the weekend next.  Randy has been out of town all week and comes home Sunday - that's when it'll get tough.  He is a total saboteur to me.  I'd really like to get his happy butt on plan with me.  I fear for his health sometimes.  

I know this is what I should have been doing forever, but somehow excuses kept popping up.  I knew what I needed to do, but just hadn't made myself sit down and PLAN!  So here I am.

Like I said, this is going to be good for me.  I'm really paying attention to how I feel in regards to hunger and not giving in to mindless nomming.   I actually an surprised at how OK I feel.  I feel like I want to snack right now but not because I'm really hungry.  7pm is a normal person's dinner time, but I told Angel when I picked her up tonight, we'd stop at Wendy's.  Sadly she doesn't get out of dance til 9:15.  But I already have one of their Apple Pecan Chicken salads written down in the tracker.   They are really good and only 9 Points!  So I shall have something to drink and maybe a 2 point bar instead.

I also went out this afternoon & got my first snow-shovelling activity points of the season!  Woohoo.  We only have a few inches, but the wind is blowing and it's too damn cold!!  This was the second time Miss Angela has driven in the snow this week.  I heard her & her duet partner talking at the studio last night that they want to wait til spring to take their driving tests for their licenses. Sorry, Sunshines.  You live in Michigan.  Driving in snow is inevitable!
Since I just bought my Vue in August, this is also my first time in a long time driving an SUV in snow.  Totally different  I thought because it's heavier than my Escort, it wouldn't slide as easily.  WRONG!  So I'm pretty glad the girl gets to drive the Escort.  It's a good old car, even with the small hole in the floorboard!

Monday, November 17, 2014

Happy Monday!

OMG, I'm actually posting!!  Let me look......oh, I last posted a real post on the 8th - that's not too bad!  

Last Saturday we had a "dance intensive" at the studio. Normally during November we spend an entire weekend in Dearborn at a hotel for a full convention, but Terina, the owner, decided to have 6 other instructors come in and teach for the day at 'home'.  I know there was some mild disappointment at first, but it ended up being a pretty fun day!  I volunteered to help out.  I was kept running all day between the 2 rooms, taking pictures. Kids 12 & under were in one room and 13 & over in the other.  At the end of the day, I uploaded 917 pictures off my camera!  I narrowed it down to 250ish to give to Terina to put on her digital photo frame and for the studio website.  These are some of my favorites - of course they're mostly of Miss Angela!  I tried to be unbiased and get pics of everyone, but it was my time & camera, so there's plenty of my kid that I'll put here!! 

Miss Angela during warm up. 
 little girls' ballet
 Flying Angela
 The girl in the front row on the right looks like art. 
Angel is the 3rd one over from her. 
 Maddie in action!
 Look!  A camera!
She still keeps her knees wrapped up after falling at the beginning of the season - It's been easily 2 months now and they're still not 100%.  The doctor said she did a doozy on them - most likely dislocating the kneecaps but they immediately popped back in.  They told her to listen to her body, if something hurts - don't do it!  So the wraps are mostly for protection. 
 Super girl!
 Trouble X 2
 Sassy Struts (and Angel changed her top)
 Lyrical
 Kayla & Anna in flight
 Nugget Technique (can't call it the little girl's since Daniel was in it!)
I think this is only the 3rd year Daniel has danced - he's amazing!  
Glad his dad let him be in more classes this year. 
 Even the teachers joined in this tap class. 
  Heehee, look at the facials of the 2 girls behind Miss Angela! 
 Nugget hiphop
 Corey was the hiphop teacher - he's amazing!  
Besides being a great story-teller, he is a phenomenal dancer! 

So there were a bunch to still-sore kids at the studio tonight.  I caught the tail end of Angel's small group jazz and none of them were giving it their all.  Their teacher even told me Saturday that she knew she was going to be sore! 

So Randy is in Arkansas. He left last Thursday and won't be back til this Sunday.  He always goes to Fayetteville to visit his best friend for his birthday, which happens to coincide with a certain radio contest they like to do together.  Now that the contest is done, they'll just more or less hang out, messing around with radio stuff and other gadgetry.  He may even come home with a new car, I wouldn't be surprised.  He can get a somewhat older used car from Arkansas and it'll be in a lot better shape than anything that has gone thru multiple Michigan winters with all the road salt & stuff. 

So other than this week being fairly quiet with Randy gone, it's gonna be along the lines of normal.  Poor little Maddie kitty misses him!  He is her person, for sure!  I did some grocery shopping tonight and stopped for cat food. Cleaned the hall bathroom & washed towels.  Can you handle the excitement??   Angel got to drive in snow for the first time.  We had about an inch by the time I picked her up from the studio and it was blowing pretty good.  It was hard to see the lines on the road.  
But she did well!

But for now - it's bedtime.  Chester is enjoying me tossing the extra pillow to the other side of the bed, since he will lay on it like a human.  He's going to get spoiled - oh wait.  Too late for that! 

In closing - 3 years ago today my baby boy, Skeeter passed away.  I got him as a kitten and he slept with me for over 11 years.  Funny that I woke up one day last week thinking of him, and within the past couple days, over 45 people have suddenly decided to repin a pin on Pinterest that I put up months ago - a tattoo of an outline of a cat with heart-shaped paw prints.....and not one person changed my caption.  It said "for my Skeeter?"