Is anyone still out there??

I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't.

:(

Well, hello.

It's been over a month again and I find myself wondering how I turned into *that* blogger.

You know.

The one who only blogs once every 157 million years.

Or once a month.

Whatever.

Things are going ok.  School is fine.  The weather is cold.  miss raven is as cute and snuggly as ever.  I'm still knitting.  And I'm still not eating very healthy.  Or exercising.

Sigh.

I hurt my ankle on Wednesday.  Pretty badly.  I did the same thing about ten years ago, but back then it was much, much worse.  Thankfully, although quite painful, this time wasn't nearly as bad.  No need to visit the hospital or even the doctor.  Just some ice, ibuprofen, and good friends who let me borrow crutches and an air cast.

I have a long weekend ahead of me and I am so happy.  It's hard to believe that in just a few weeks Thanksgiving will be here and then after that, Christmas.  Where did this year go??

School is going well.  I am enjoying this class but I must admit, I miss my class from the last two years.  I know I said it before but I really, really miss them.  I am always so happy when they stop by to see me in the morning or after school.  It always brightens my day.

I am teaching this year's crop of students how to crochet.  As is usual, some of them have really taken to it.  I don't know if they will end up as advanced as last year's class but it will be interesting to see how they develop.

That's all for now.  My ankle is getting sore and I am in need of more coffee.  I promise to try to be back soon.  I have pictures of knitting to share.

:)

for my "little" brother...

Who not-so-mildly scolded me over the weekend for my lack of blogging.

I'm a slacker.

I own it.

I haven't had much to say.

The school year is going well, for the most part.  I miss the class that I had the last two years, but this class is good, too.  For the most part.

I miss my niece and nephew.  They are growing up and I don't get nearly enough time with them.

Or pictures.

Ahem.  *cough*mybrotherisaslacker*cough*

Knitting is going well.  I've finished several projects lately, including two shawls.  I'm almost done with a pair of socks and I start a new sweater class soon.  I am so excited about this class!  I've been wanting to make this particular sweater FORever and now I am going to get to make it!

Congress is being a bunch of five-year olds and I am SO over it already.  We were supposed to go on a field trip this Friday that has been almost certainly cancelled because the place we were going is part of the National Park Service and since the government is shut down they will be closed.  So I have a class of disappointed children because Congress is acting like a bunch of spoiled children.

Hmmm....not much else is happening.  It is fall now and I hate it.

Sorry, didn't you know that about me?

Fall comes before winter and I hate winter.  Fall makes me sad because I know winter is coming.  I hate winter.  I hate cold.  I hate snow.  I hate winter.

But I digress.

Football is good and my team is not.  Well, they currently have a winning record but unless something odd happens, like, I don't know, the Earth tilts on it's axis or something, we won't have a winning record after Sunday.  I love the Cowboys and we are playing the Broncos.  And Peyton Manning.  Who is surgical in his slicing and dicing of all teams who aren't the Broncos.  Sigh.  Maybe one year soon we won't suck so much.  But hey, at least we aren't the Giants.  Or the Eagles.  hehehehehehehe!

Done for now.  I'm tired and I'm going to bed.

I hope I have made you happy, little brother.

;)

::crickets::

I truly am so sorry that I have been silent for a while.  I never intended to be.  I was not in a (long) funk about the topic of my last post.  I was however, caught up in the newness of another school year.

The older I get the worse it becomes.  Because of the summer off, by the time I work a whole week of school, I am dead tired.  The last two weeks have actually been really good but I am exhausted by the time I come home at the end of the day.

I have a good class this year.  They are a little talkative and right now I know that I am new to them and they are kind of feeling me out to see if I really mean what I say.  (I do.) Overall, though, I am fairly certain that this is going to be a good year.  At the end of the day today I was asking them what their favorite part of this week was and one of them said to me, "Getting to be in your class."  Awwwww!!!!  Heart melt!!!  Another thing that made me feel good was that every single student I have in my class is in my class because their parent specifically requested me as teacher.  I love being loved again.

I must confess, though, that I miss last year's class terribly.  Having had most of them for two years was wonderful but not having them this year is hard.  I am so thankful that most of them still come by, either in the morning or right after school, to say hello and to give me a hug.  Secretly I hope they never stop.  :)

Not much to report on the knitting front.  I currently have not one, not two, but FIVE projects on the needles.  Two are almost done and I am hoping to finish them this weekend.  One is about 65% completed but I really only have the patience to work on it a little at a time.  The fourth is about 75% completed and that is also looking good for this weekend or by the end of next week.  The last one is a sock.  The dreaded second sock.  Meh.

On the "healthy eating" front...I am doing ok, ,I suppose.  I did really well this week but am currently waiting for a (late) Papa John's order.  (And getting later by the moment.  My increasing level of irritation is directly related to their increasing tardiness with  my order.  My pizza better not be cold.)  I did make the conscious choice to request a light amount of cheese.  That should count for something, right?

Have a wonderful weekend!!

:)

Old letters...

Every once in a while I come across something from my past that evokes some strong emotion and it happened again last night.

Let me set the story for you...

I had just gotten into bed and was getting ready to turn off the light when I happened to look at the floor behind my bed and saw...ants.  Currently they are the bane of my existence.  I loathe them.  Anyway, after a few minutes of investigating, I determined that they were after a rogue cough drop in my nightstand.  I'll spare you the disgusting details of how they were swarming all over it.  I ended up cleaning out my nightstand (and under it and behind it and on top of it...).  This involves cleaning out not only the drawer but the shelf-y thing underneath it.  As I was cleaning out the shelf (it was mostly filled with books, go figure), I discovered an old hat-box that I put letters in.  I would guess that about 90% of the letters that were in there were from my mom.  Some going back as far as when I was in college.  I didn't read through all of them because after about two of them I was crying so much I couldn't see.  I put the letters back and pulled out some cards and discovered that they were cards people had sent me in sympathy when she passed.  Cue more crying.  I finally put everything away, washed my face, and went to bed.  With a raging headache.  Which meant I couldn't sleep.

A month from today will be eight years that she has been gone.  It's about this time of the year that I fall into a really creepy deep funk and usually it takes me a while to figure out why.  I still miss her so, so much but I am going to make a conscious effort this year to try to keep myself from sliding into the depression that leads up to August 12.

Those lazy, hazy days...

You know what's great about summer vacation?  Half the time I don't know what day it is.

Seriously.

I woke up this morning trying to figure out if it was Thursday or Friday.

I'm pretty sure it's Thursday.

:)

I'm enjoying my rather quiet week after three weeks of being on-the-go.  I haven't done all that much and it's been nice.  I did go see Despicable Me 2 yesterday and that was a lot of fun.  It was at least as good as the first one, easily, and I LOVED the first one.

I've also been exercising on the bike.  I do 30 minutes a day and yesterday rode almost 7 miles.  I have to be honest, though...by the time I'm done, my butt really hurts.  I'm thinking about sitting on a pillow today.  Also, my hips are killing me.  I'm old and I don't like it.

I've also been really good about keeping track of what I am eating.  It is easier for me to eat more healthy in the summer because I am all about summer fruits and veggies.  Last night I had an apple and a pear for dinner and this morning I had strawberries and blueberries with my breakfast.  I've also discovered the miracle that is the frozen banana.  Seriously.  You must try this.  Slice up and freeze some bananas.  Once they are frozen, throw some in a blender and blend away.  In a few minutes you will have "soft-serve" ice cream.  Last night I added a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter.  Um.  YUMMMMM!!!!

That's pretty much about it for now.  I am going to drink some water, knit a little, and work myself up to ride the bike today.

Tootles!

:)

I know, I know...

I've been gone for a while.

AGAIN.

But I swear I have good reasons this time!!!

Namely these two:

OMG!  Can you just die from the cuteness?!?!

I spent almost two weeks with them (and their parents and my dad) and had the time of my life.  They are SO much fun and it about killed me to leave them.

We did all kinds of things but the best part was just getting to spend time with them.

Once I got back from Texas, where, I must say, it was hotter than Satan's armpit, I went to see my best friend and her family in Ohio.

We had a great, albeit it short time, and I already miss her like crazy.  The worst part is not knowing when I will see her again.  (In case that wasn't clear, it was a thinly concealed plea for her to come visit me.  I'm not proud and I'm not above begging.)

Confession Time:

In my quest for "healthiness" I have been a total and complete failure.  Mostly.  For the last three weeks I have eaten pretty much everything that isn't nailed down.  It just dawned on my that maybe that's why my raven girlie has been spending so much time in the bedroom.  Poor thing is probably scared to death!  Today was no exception.  And then the guilt kicked in and kicked in hard.

Over in the corner stood a recumbent exercise bike that my BFF's parents generously gave to me this past weekend.  I can not even begin to tell you how thankful I am for it.  I got it hauled in to the house and it has been comfortably sitting there for the last two days.  And then tonight, after I had gone through the kitchen like a eating tornado, I decided that enough was enough.  I pulled the bike over to in front of the TV, got my water close by, turned on Jeopardy, and started pedaling.  Thirty minutes and five and a half miles later, and dripping with sweat, I stopped.  And I felt good.  I'm still fat, but I feel like I have taken a step to fix that.  I am planning on getting up tomorrow morning and doing another 30 minutes on the bike.  I would like to go for a walk but it is REALLY hot outside, even early in the morning.

Anyway.  I am hoping to lose 20 pounds or so before school starts in 6 weeks.  I want to start the year off on the right foot and hopefully, by this time next year, I will feel alot better about myself.  And maybe I won't mind having my picture taken...

:)

WWKIPD...

Happy World-wide Knit (and crochet) in Public Day!

I spent the late morning/early afternoon with the girls from my class.  Almost all of them crochet and they have been wanting to get together since the end of the school year because, in 11 year-old time, 2 weeks is like 200 years.  It doesn't matter that they communicate through some electronic device just about every single day...being together in public (sans parents) is WAY more fun.

Am I right, girls??

;)

I found out today that they have been reading my blog.

Just great.

Now I can only say  nice things about them.

;)

lol!!!

We did have a good time today.  Lunch at Panera and frozen yogurt from Sweet Frog.  And of course, a lot, A LOT of talking and giggling.  They make me laugh so much!

On the knitting front:

I had to completely frog the shawl I was working on.  I screwed up somewhere and since I couldn't figure out where, I just pulled it all out and re-wound the yarn.  I was upset while doing it but I have made peace with it...and found a different pattern.  I am hoping to start it early this week.

My Jaywalkers are almost done.  I am on the heel gusset of the second sock now, although I did discover that I dropped a stitch when I was doing the heel turn.  I managed to pick the stitch back up, but now I am going to have to do some creative "tweaking" when I am finally finished the sock because there is a small hole where the stitch was dropped.  I *should* be able to fix it, though, and am hoping to post pictures of both completed pair of socks by Wednesday.

I have two other sock patterns I want to give a try as well as the Clapotis, which was all the rage a few years ago (or more).  I have some really pretty yarn for that one.

I am having the worst time with ants this year.  I have sprayed and sprayed outside with all kinds of ant-killer (including the kind that is supposed to put a "barrier" around the house for up to 12 months) but I feel like it is nothing but sugar water because nothing seems to deter them.  Every time I think I have them beat, I find one or two more in the kitchen and/or bathroom.  If anyone has any suggestions on how to get rid of the little pests, please feel free to let me know.  It is driving me CRAZY!

Well, if I am going to get those socks done I had better get back to working on them.

Happy Weekend!!

:)

Sushi, Monkeys, and Laundry...

How's that for a title??

I have come to the realization that blogging in the summer is boring.

Don't worry.

I still plan on blogging.

But honestly...

;)

Things are going well on my vacation so far.  By this I mean that I have managed to squeeze in a nap on most days and have gotten quite a bit of knitting done.

The last several days is had been over 90 degrees outside so not much going on out there.  It's a little cooler today but the humidity is still pretty high.

On Friday I had to take my truck to get the emissions test done.  Thankfully it passed.  Phew!  After that, I went to the salon to get a color touch-up and a trim.  It feels so much better and actually looks good.  For now.  Then I decided to go out for lunch.  Nothing fabulous...there is a Wegmans (a nice grocery store) in the same shopping center as the salon so I decided to get something there and ended up with sushi!  Now, before I start talking about how brave I am and stuff, please do note that the "sushi" I ate was a California Roll.

Baby steps, people, baby steps.

It was really good though, and now I think I am kind of hooked.  Like, I really want more.  Sooner rather than later!  :)

Sock knitting is going smashingly well, also.  This means that I am on the home stretch of the first Jaywalker. I am hoping to finish it and it's mate by next week.  This is a good thing since I currently have two other projects on the needles with plans for two more.  And yes, one of the new two is a pair of socks.  MONKEYS!!!!  These are the socks I have wanted to knit since I learned how to knit.  I think that I am ok enough to tackle these and I am super excited about it.

Now I am off to finish folding laundry and drink more coffee and knit.

I love vacations!!

:)

blah, blah, blah...

I love Summer.

And vacation.

I took a two hour nap today.

:)

I did get up early this morning, though, and spent about an hour outside mowing and trimming the lawn.  I'm not lying when I tell you that the dandelions were about thigh-high.

Pardon me while I hang my head in shame.

miss raven is very appreciative of the yard work.  It's tough being a foot and a half tall and having weeds whack you in the face and butt and all over when you are trying to bark at the helicopters.

I also returned books to the library and spent an outrageous amount of  money at Target.  I have my eye on some really cute curtains in there, too, and I am debating about whether they are gift-card worthy.  I'm picky about what I spend my gift cards on.  ;)

I am also working on my second pair of socks.  They are pink, I love them, and I am about halfway done with the first one.  I promise to post pictures when I finish it.

Tomorrow I have to go get the emissions test done on my truck.  It's overdo and if I don't do it soon my license will be suspended.  Sheesh, Maryland, don't you know people are busy?!?

I also have a hair appointment tomorrow morning.  I am thinking about letting it grow to all the same length, keeping it short in the back and angled down to a bob in the front.  Not sure though.  I'll talk it over with my stylist tomorrow and see what she thinks.  I generally let her do whatever she wants as long as I don't come out with some funky colored hair or looking like a boy.

I am also going to start doing yoga tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes.  Hula-hooping is also looking like an option.  I really want to try the Bar Method, but there are no studios close to me.  I am thinking about getting a  DVD of that and doing it at home.  I've heard it's a killer, though, so we'll see.

Ok.  Time to go work on a sock!

:)

So far...

so good.

Although, I have to be honest, I don't feel like I am on summer vacation yet.

More like an extended Memorial Day weekend.

It has been nice so far.  I took miss raven hiking in a park.  Yes.  Us.  Outside.  Communing with nature.

I draw the line at camping, though.

I also went to my LYS, did some grocery shopping, and went to the Zoo.  I love the zoo.  Best time to go = early  morning before the loud groups of children arrive.

I have lots of other plans for this summer which may or may not include the beach, Ohio, and Texas.

I love summer!

:)

Squeamish...

For a while when I was little, I wanted to be a nurse.  My mom was a nurse and she LOVED her profession.  I think all little girls want to be like their mothers at one point and I was no exception.

And then...

I saw...

blood.

And somehow "nurse" changed to "teacher".

I can't STAND the sight of blood.  It makes me queasy and squeamish.  I don't like to see cuts and boo-boos, I don't like to watch blood being drawn.  I don't like watching medical dramas and on any "crime" shows, whenever someone is about to be killed, I turn the channel momentarily so I don't have to see it.  I don't EVER do horror movies or slasher flicks.

Imagine my horror, then, when today at recess, a student noticed an "animal" by my feet.  At first I thought she was just exaggerating the size of a bug and since most bugs don't scare me, I ask her what kind of bug it was.  She told me, emphatically, that it WASN'T a bug.  It looked like a, a, a hamster.

I looked down.

I almost puked.

It was some type of rodent-like critter.  It wasn't a mouse because I know what mice look like.  I had them in my house, remember?  It was a little fat, no longer than the length of my hand (a little smaller, probably), and appeared to be (have been) a baby as it's eyes were still closed.  The worst part?  It had apparently suffered some sort of injury as HALF OF ITS FREAKING INSIDES WERE HANGING OUT!!!!!

Sweet mother!

I shooed the girls away and, after getting a long stick, decided to try to gently move it into the grass as it was laying in the dirt.  I was pretty sure it was dead because, you know, HALF OF ITS FREAKING INSIDES WERE HANGING OUT!!!!.  Much to my dismay, when I nudged it with the stick, IT MOVED!!!!!  The little thing was still alive.  I felt so, so bad for it.  I just wanted it to die so that it wasn't suffering anymore. (There was no way the thing could be saved.)  It kept twitching and squirming in pain and there was nothing I could do.  I kept checking on it (mostly to make sure it didn't flop out onto the grass again) and by the time we went inside I was pretty sure that it had passed.  At least, I hope so.

A nurse I am not.

Ugh.

Overthehump Day...

Wednesday is only Hump Day in the morning, right?  By now, we are over the hump.  At least, that's what I am going with.

Here's what's going on:

• My sock class finished last night.  I have one completed sock.  I immediately cast on for the second so as to avoid the dreaded "second sock syndrome."
• My lawn was UNBELIEVABLY high.  I finally mowed it this evening.  AFTER I had to make a surprise run to the gas station because I didn't have enough.  ARGH!!!!
• I love my class and am seriously considering failing all of them just so I can keep them again next year.  Think the parents would mind??  ;)
• There are only 22 more days of school left.  School days, not calendar days.
• miss raven is doing well.  Enjoying her treats and trying to fell helicopters.  Hasn't worked yet but the girlie still tries.  Gotta give her credit for that.
• Big scale fail on Saturday.  After a month of the scale not moving, two weeks ago I lost a pound!  Yea!!!  Then I promptly ruined that success last week by not caring what I shoved in my mouth and last Saturday gained three pounds.  UGH!  It's not looking good for this week, either.  Sigh.  I wish I didn't like food so much.

That's all for now.  Time for coffee.

Night!

:)

Feelings...

So I haven't really been feeling the blog thing lately.  Not sure why, though.

Stuff has been going on, good and "eh", that I could have blogged about but I just couldn't make myself do it.  I felt guilty about it and all but...

So anyway...here I am.

Again.

The sock class is going well.  I only have one class left and my sock actually looks like a sock.  Score!  It *is* a little tedious though, so I am making a shawl as well.  When I have had enough of the sock I put it down and do a few rows on the shawl.  It helps keep me sane and also keeps me from throwing the sock across the room.

The weather has, I think, finally turned the corner from cold to warm.  This pleases me a great deal for I loathe, yea even despise, the cold.  The patio furniture is out, the tank-top is on, and we have made the switch from shoes to SANDALS!!!!!

I'm not feeling so good about the state of my country.  The tragedy at Sandy Hook affected me, not because I knew anyone there, but because I am a teacher.  I have students that I adore.  I can't imagine losing any one of them.  Now with this awful situation in Boston...I don't understand how a human being can be so full of hate and rage.  There are things I don't like and people I don't agree with but I can't imagine having so much hatred in my heart as to inflict physical harm on someone.  I am so sad about what is happening.

I am also not feeling so good about the end of the year.  It was bad last year and that was with knowing that there was a chance I would have the same kids again.  I KNOW that I am not moving up with them next year and it is about killing me.  I have taught many classes in the last  many year and this class is, by far, the best class I have ever had and also my favorite.  I am going to miss them horribly.

I know this isn't long but I am going to go now.  I will be back again soon so please do go anywhere.

:)

Counting Down...

The end of my Spring Break is drawing near and, I have to say, it is a little sad.

:(

It isn't that I didn't have a good time, because I did.  Well, ER visit aside.

I went to the symphony and that was wonderful.

I went to the ballet and that was sublime.

I went to see a movie and that was nice.

I went to the National Gallery of Art and that was lovely.

I just feel that it went so quickly.

Sigh.

I am looking forward to seeing my kiddos; I really am.

This "Spring Break", though...it whets one's appetite for SUMMER VACATION.

Summer Vacation.

Coming soon to a teacher near you.

Seven weeks.

Let the countdown begin.

;)

March is going out like a lion...

So.

My Spring Break started with a little drama.

Last Tuesday night(ish), I started to feel a little "funny".  As in, my chest felt tight and the pain was kind of going down my left arm.

I took a couple of aspirin and kind of hoped it would go away.

It didn't.

I hurt on Wednesday and I hurt on Thursday.

I went to the nurse on Thursday.  She took my BP and found that, while it was a wee bit high, it was still in the "normal" range.  My heart rate was elevated, though, and that kind of freaked me out a little.

By Thursday night, I was tired of feeling the way I was feeling and decided to go to the Emergent/Urgent Care clinic.

I hate hospitals.

And I have no insurance.

Sigh.

I was poked, I was prodded, I peed in a cup.  I was x-rayed, I was EKGed, I was monitored.

Good news:  It wasn't a heart attack and I'm not pregnant (I could have told them the last part.)

Bad news:  They aren't quite sure what is going on.  It could just be a pulled muscle or "something else."  They want me to go to my PCP (hahahahahaha!!!!) and have a stress test done.  This is what I heard them say, "Moneymoneymoneymoney.  Chaching."  So, yeah.  That will have to wait a while.

Interesting news:  They gave me a prescription for an antibiotic because, as it turns out, I have a UTI.  Who knew?

So I'm taking it easy.  While I am still a little uncomfortable, I feel a LOT better than I did earlier this week.  I think a good deal of that was stress and anxiety over what was wrong.  Apparently, according to the EKG, the x-ray, and the blood work (they took FOUR tubes of blood from me.  And yes, I cried like a baby.  I DESPISE needles.) my heart looks fine.  I know they want the stress-test done to make sure there isn't any blockage, and, although that will involve more needles and running on a treadmill with no bra on (the horrors!), I am inclined to have it done.

Sometime.

In the future.

Perhaps before Christmas or so.

We'll see.

Right now, I am thinking about coffee and knitting and snuggling with miss raven.

Happy Easter! :)

Taking care of business..

I'm quite certain that I was going to post something witty and pithy and fulls of grins and giggles.

But then I woke up.

And turned on the TV.

And turned on my phone.

And made the dreadful decision to look outside.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this supposed to be SPRING?

Aren't we at the end of MARCH?!?!

Could someone please tell me why I am home today because of a SNOW DAY?!?!?

So.

Nothing witty.

Nothing pithy.

No giggles.

No grins.

I say we find the groundhog and, well, take care of business.

}:o(

so, blech...

and more blech.

When will winter ever be OVER already?!?!  I'm beyond tired of being cold.  I am SO ready for some warmer weather.  C'mon spring!  Let's get going!

Not much to report from here.

I didn't lose any weight this last week so boo on that.

I joined another swap on Ravelry.  Coffee, chocolate, and yarn.  Mmmmmmm.  :)

I went to a "yarn party" today.  Kind of like the wool festival I will go to in May but much, much, much smaller.  I did get some lovely yarn though, from vendors I have never heard of.  I love trying new things.  I was hoping to find a nice needle case, but, alas.  There were none to be found that I was willing to spend money on.

Spring Break starts on Friday.  Oh sweet mother!  I can't wait!!!!!

I haven't been sleeping well at night.  Even though I am really tired, I can't seem to fall asleep.

I found a new game to play.  It's called Ruzzle.  Think Boggle, but online.  I'm kicking butt so far.

Our Medieval Times trip was AH-mazing!  OMG!!!  It couldn't have gone any better than it did.  The kids LOVED it and that was all I wanted.  The people at the place were wonderful to us and I even got a "swag bag".  I love me some swag!!  The best thing I heard the whole time was this (from one of the kids):  "I am going to remember this day for the rest of my life!"  That made all the trips to the store, all the hot dogs, all the late Friday nights, and all the hassle worth it.  I can't tell you how happy I was and how proud I was of my kids.

And that's it.  That's all I have to report.  I am really, really going to make an effort to blog every day until the end of the month.  I have to make up for lost time.  :o/

Have a wonderful Monday!!!

:)

insert your own title here...

because I can't think of one on my own.

I didn't mean to go for a whole week without blogging but this last week has been so busy!

I had a pretty good birthday day last Sunday.  I went out to breakfast at the same place that my knitting group meets.  It was good and reasonably priced, so I was happy.  After breakfast I headed to DC.  Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE the city??  I do.  :)

I went first to Eastern Market and, while I didn't end up getting anything special for me, I was able to find something for my BFF for her birthday.  It was fun to walk around and just look, though, and the weather was absolutely beautiful.  :)

I next headed to the Botanical Gardens.  I love to go there and look at the orchids.  As usual, they didn't let me down.  They are such beautiful flowers and I love to look at them and take pictures of them.

I walked around a little near the Capitol but I didn't stay too long because I wanted to get to my LYS before they closed.  They are offering another sock class and I wanted to make sure I could get in to that one.  I was successful and I also treated myself to some new yarn--as a birthday present.  ;)  Like I need an excuse to buy more yarn, right??

I found an AMAZING little Italian restaurant to each an early dinner in and I was so happy with my choice.  My food was delicious and the restaurant wasn't crowded so it was perfect.  I was going to go to Starbucks after I was finished with dinner but the line was so long and I didn't want to wait.  There is a new(ish) frozen yogurt place nearby so I decided to try that.  It was ok but I probably wouldn't go back.

I was so thankful for such nice weather over my birthday weekend.  Especially since the last several days have been cold and kind of dreary.  Doesn't the weather know that it should be getting warmer?!?

School was ok this week.  The kids (and I) are very much looking forward to Spring Break but we still have nine days of school to go before we can relax.  It seems so close but still so far away!  We had our final hot dog sale this past Friday and we did very well.  I am so happy that we have been able to pay for our whole field  trip to Medieval Times without having to ask the parents for any money.  I have to be honest, though, when I tell you that I am SO glad I won't have to deal with hot dogs again for a LONG time!!  Our field trip is this Friday and we are EXCITED about it!  The kids can't wait and, truth be told, neither can I! :)

I went to my knitting group yesterday.  I am really enjoying going and that says a lot coming from someone like me, who is more than happy to just stay home and be a hermit.  I like this group, though, and for the most part, the women who attend are really friendly.  :)

Despite going to the Cheesecake Factory, out for breakfast and dinner on my birthday, AND out to dinner the day after my birthday, I managed to lose almost a pound on Saturday.  I'm still not quite to 15 pounds lost but am hoping that, after I weigh in this coming Saturday, I will be past the 15 pound mark.  I'm still taking it one day at a time, though, and trying not to be too hard on myself for gaining all that weight back.  :o/

I hope you have a great end to your weekend and a fabulous week!  I'll be back soon, I promise! :)

So...

Happy Birthday to me.

Yeah.  Another one.

Thirty-Eleven.

;)

It's been a pretty good weekend so far.  I lost 1.4 pounds last week and then promptly went to the Cheesecake Factory yesterday.  Let's not talk about caloric intake, ok?  White Bean hummus, Grilled Chicken Tostada Salad, and Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake.  It was like licking a rainbow of deliciousness.  Yeah, it was THAT good.

I also did a little shopping yesterday, although I am not thrilled with everything I got and some things may end up being returned.  Namely the shirts that make me look like a whale.  I did get some cute things for my niece and nephew.  :)

Today is all about ME.  I know that sounds selfish and I don't mean it to be quite like that but still, it is all about me today.  Starbucks, Eastern Market, Botanical Garden, maybe the National Gallery, and Fibre Space.  The weather is nice, the sun is shining, and it is getting warm.  This makes me happy.

That is all.

Happy Birthday to me.

:)

Snow Day!...

Here I am.

At home.

On a Wednesday.

At 10:11 in the morning.

Thank you, Snow Day!

As much as I loathe snow, and I do, this was a very wanted snow.  Even though it is in March and it should never, EVER snow in March.  Unless you live in like, Alaska, or something.

Anyway.

It was kind of a catch-22 for me.  I hate snow and hate it even more in March, but I have to tell you, Spring Break was looking like a million years away.

So here I am, contemplating what I should do first:  knit another row on my sweater or drink another cup of coffee.

Win-win.

Update on the weight-loss:  After a wonderful almost 4 pound drop two weeks ago, this last Saturday did not bring much scale-love for me.  I didn't gain anything, but I didn't lose, either.  I'm ok about it, though, because I have lost 12 pounds and so far it has averaged about 2 pounds a week.  I'm doing well this week, although some nights it has been really hard to not go back into the kitchen.  I am hoping for another good week on Saturday.

Speaking of food, because I sort of was, all diet bets are off on Saturday, regardless of what the scale says.  Sunday is my birthday and I am celebrating by visiting my friends at the Cheesecake Factory on Saturday.  Calories and diet be darned.  :)

Ok.  That is all for now. I am off to enjoy my day off.

:)