Pics From My Walks

Here are a few pics from last week's walks. This is the 13-year old huskey I rescued.  He'd been missing from his home for 4 days.  I'm guessing all the snow made it hard for him to find his way back.  Luckily for him, I ventured out for a walk and found paw prints in the snow leading to the backyard.  I found him sleeping under the trompoline.  I called the animal sheltor and they were able to hook me up with the owners.  Boy, were they delighted to have Sulu back. 

Bare pavement! Need I say more?  Today, I believe I'll be able to get a shot of dry pavement.  Woohoo.

And look at this cutie patootie I found one day.  As I was heading out, she was heading home from the Mallory's.

I owe you a few more photos, but I wimped out some days(just didn't care for the icy sidewalks) and stayed indoors on the eliptical.  Guess I'll have to take some pics of the family room for you.  :)  Just so you don't feel too cheated, here's a pic of the countdown chain that the lovebirds made.  And no, it's not counting down to Christmas.  As of today, it has 31 links left on it.

Snow Day Fun!!!!!!

We couldn't pass up a yard full of "snowman" snow.  Let me introduce Pig In Idaho and Oleksandr(named after our waiter on the Royal Caribbean).

Be sure to look closely at our noses in the pictures with the snowpig. :)

This Overhaul is Bordering on Crisis

My year is over half over and I'm seriously behind on my hours.  I've been working on recommitting myself.  I had planned to up my excercise to 2 hours a day in order to catch up.  Great idea, right?

Ha! Not gonna happen just now. It happens that my lovely daughter, Heather, got engaged to a fine young man, David.  As you might guess, we're delighted.  They're great kids and they're crazy about each other.  In spite of the fact that we're delighted, we're in a bit of a panic.  Why?  They got engaged the night before Thanksgiving and will be married on January 8.  That's 38 days away!!!!!!!

  We're scrambling to pull it together. We've scheduled the temple, scheduled the church, bought a dress, made mints and made tons of plans in just one short week.  It's been pretty hectic, but it will all be worth it when it's all said and done.  Meanwhile, I'm committing myself to at least a short walk outdoors every day for the next 38 days.  I figure it will help me keep my sanity.  The 2 hours per day will have to wait until after the wedding. To prove that I've actually been out walking in this winter wonderland, I'll be taking at least one picture of my walk every day.  I may not post it daily, but I will post one from each day when I get the chance.

I didn't have to venture very far to find some worthy sights today.  We have just recieved the largest snow storm Boise has seen in years.  These pics were taken in my yard. It's absolutely gorgeous out their. 

I should probably refill the feeder.

Pigs in Idaho

In preparation to send Bridgette off to seek her fortune, I got a little "me" time when Alan volunteered to cook dinner for us. He whipped up a batch of Pigs In Idaho(spiral cut potatoes stuffed with sausage, wrapped in bacon and smothered in mushroom soup and cheese). He also treated us to a delightful Peach Cobbler. Feasting and fun ensued.













Thanks to Alan, who gave of his time and talents....

...and to Grrrrthelda*, who gave her all.......

.....we were all well fed and we had one happy little fortune seeker to prove it.

*Disclaimer - The above pictured sow is not Grrrrthelda. I was unable to picture the actual pig here as she has been consumed.
Note - Not all pigs from the Vickery farm have the honor of being the focus of such grand events. Only those with bad dispositions or who are unusually ungraceful find their way into dutch ovens.

A special thanks to James for providing us with pig snouts.

Next Big Project

I said I'd post my next project. Well here it is. My sister, Judy and her husband, Lynn, gave me this enormous saw blade to see what I can create with it. I have something in mind. I'm hoping it'll be great. Check back later to see what I do with it.

Oh, I also promised to post all my hours for the week. I totaled 5.5 hours of exercise and 6 hours of "me" time.

Keeping With Tradition

The other day, I decided that our little Utahn might need a Halloween treat, so I pulled out Esther's old popcorn ball recipe.

After all.......it's tradition. Way back in the olden days, Esther would whip up several huge batches of popcorn and kettles of syrup. Then Wells and all us kiddies would go to work forming the balls by the hundreds. Our neighborhood had an over abundance of trick-or-treaters. Many of whom would return repeatedly for the sticky concoctions. As Carol and I would be making our rounds we frequently heard delighted "spooks" shouting, "That's the house that gives the popcorn balls!" The scrumptious snacks were legendary in the Hidden Village subdivision. It was great fun making and giving out the best treat in the neighborhood. One year though, Wells decided he wanted to have just a little more fun. He tried offering a bit better prize. It was a great joke and well recieved until he brought one little tot to tears when she sobbed, "My mommy won't let me have a kitty." Nearly broke his heart. He went back to handing out popcorn balls.

These are the ones Bridgette gets.

I hadn't kept up this tradition in years. It was pretty fun. So does this count as "Me Time"? Hmmmmmm, juries still out.

Box-o-treats for the Utahn

Getting Back On Track

I've been missing in action for a while. It's time I reported back in. The problem is that I haven't kept track of what I've done very well. I have been exercising a bit but my performance hasn't exactly been stellar. I've been walking some during Sarah's swim team workouts but since I haven't kept track, I won't be able to count those hours. I promise to report all my hours this week.

I do have some fun "Me Time" events to post. But they will have to wait until later. You can look forward to hearing about Bridgette's "Pigs in Idaho" going away party, Barb and Mom's birthday celebration with the Nelson Aunties, the Women's Fitness Celebration 5K with the Nelson girls, and a visit from Mike and Debbie to name a few.

One of the main purposes of starting this blog was to get me back to doing and/or finishing some crafty/artsy projects. I also promise to post about my next project this week. Here are a couple pics from a project Sarah and I did recently. It was given to Sarah when she was mighty sick from chemo. She started working on it back then but never finished it. See what you think of it now. :)

Before


After

I'll have to post a pick after we get it hung in her room.

The Blanky

One of the things I intended to accomplish when I started this craziness was to finish old projects. I finally did one. Bridgette was supposed to recieve this quilt before she left for Utah State last Fall. When that didn't happen it was going to be a Christmas gift. That didn't happen either, but it did get to go to USU this year.

I signed my name.

Pig in a blanket?

Just before she headed out the door to seek her fortune.

In the dorm.

My Evening Walk While Sarah Swam

I've seen the light!

As July and August got hectic, I got less diligent and paid for it. I had a very busy 3 week period of very little exercising. I fell drastically behind on my hours, and I gained back a couple pounds. However, the worst was that I felt AWFUL! Or maybe that was the best part, because it taught me something. The worse I felt, the less I wanted to exercise. The longer I went without exercising, the worse I felt. Go figure. Well, that's what I did and deduced that I needed to get back on the horse. Or rather, I needed to get back on one of the horses. That's what I call my stationary bike and my eliptical machine. (I'll post photos of the livestock later.) Well, I did just that and guess what...........I felt better from the very first day. I've been going strong for 4 weeks now and in that time I've just missed 5 days of exercise(most of them Sundays....gotta get better at Sundays), taken off the weight that I had regained and realized just how much good a daily hour of exercise is for me. I've also figured out that when I exercise, I retain less water.....a definite plus in this ridiculously hot weather we've been enduring. Although I've believed all along that I need to make this a lifestyle change, I hadn't known just how much a few missed days could effect my well-being. I've seen the light! Exercise has moved way up on my list of priorities. Now when life gets hectic, I plan to fit an hour in just so I can cope better with all the other pressures. Maybe I can keep it from getting quite so hectic. Yeah, right! Oh well, at least I should feel better through it all.

More catching up.

I also said I'd report back after I spent my gift certificate from my sisters. I decided I'd spend it on a heart rate monitor and went to work to find the one I thought I'd like best. After looking them all over at Sports Authority, I settled on a nifty little number with alot of bells and whistles....the Sportline Solo 960. I like that it is worn around the wrist and is easy to read. Not only does it monitor heart rate, but it also functions as a pedometer, stopwatch, clock and countdown timer. The pedometer function monitors steps, distance, speed and average speed. The heart rate monitor can be set to sound an alarm when your heart rate registers above or below your target zone. It's a motivating little gadget. It helps me to monitor my activity level all day long and encourages me to work a little harder. I ran into a friend a couple days ago who has lost 85 pounds. Her secret......she clipped on a pedometer 1 1/2 years ago and as she puts it, "I just keep going until I've walked 10,000 steps every day." She's had a weight problem for as long as I've know her and that's been for 25+ years. She even underwent gastric bypass surgery many years ago that was only mildly successful but the new exercise gig is working for her. The other good news is the store was having a special and if I spent my $100 on Mother's Day weekend, I would get an extra $25 toward a future purchase. I put that money toward the Biggest Loser Wii Fit game. I'll be honest, I haven't used it much yet, but I have big plans to. It's just a little involved and will take some time to figure it all out. By now you're probably wondering if I've made any progress. I'm pleased to announce that I have. I've lost 10 pounds since my birthday. Woot! Woot! That's only 5 lbs. per month, but I'll take it. It beats the heck out of gaining 1/2 a pound or so. Right? And the other bonus is that others in the family are jumping on board. We're making some good changes around here.

As I promised.....

A while back I promised to post a pic of Sarah's tiger fingernails. They were pretty GRRRRREAT! It was especially cool that they matched her cane. The last week of school she had finals, of course. That meant no books to carry so she used her cane instead of her walker. Hence the tiger striped nails. She asked me on the way into the school if it was all a bit too flashy. Silly goose. They were a hit!

Progress So Far

Thought you'd like to hear that I am making progress. By my calculations, I've only lost about 3 pounds, but I've lost 2 1/2 inches around my waist. It's not alot, but I'll take it. The best part is I am feeling better and stronger.

More later.
I still need to tell you all about all the helpful gifts I was given.
Maybe tomorrow.....................

How cool is this?

Goldfinch and Lazuli BuntingUnfortunately, all my "bird" pictures are taken through the dining room window so the quality is not the best.

Magic Goodness!!!!

As part of my birthday gift getting and the plan to "Help Get Bonnie Fit", my sister, Barb, gave me a Magic Bullet and some whey protein powder.... ...and her rhubarb smoothie recipe.
Magic Bullet promoters claim that you can whip up a tasty smoothie in 5 seconds.
Well, I don't know about that 5 second claim, but they got the tasty part right. I have to admit, I was sceptical about the rhubarb at first, but it was a delicious surprise. About a cup of frozen chopped rhubarb, 1/3 cup of O.J., 1/2 cup of plain yogurt, 2/3 scoop of protein powder and several seconds in the Magic Bullet makes a mighty tasty treat. And it's healthy! Rhubarb is a great source of dietary fiber. It's loaded with vitamins and minerals. It has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxident and anti-allergy properties. It can alleviate indigestion and lower blood pressure. And it's FREE thanks to the abundant supply in my own backyard. Mine came from Barb who got her plants from our brother, Ted. You might call it a family heirloom.

Feel free to share your favorite smootie recipes with me, I'll try them out in my new Magic Bullet. "So, is the Bullet really magic?" you ask. You bet it is!