A Little Me Time

I decided to try my hand at painting with acrylics.  They have their good points, but my first love is still oils.  Here's what I came up with.  The colors didn't scan quite true. The blues are more purple,but they're close.

In January, I finished a painting of the newlyweds(more about them and the whole wedding business in a future post). I painted it with my beloved oils,

As soon as I get my nerve up, I'll be finishing another oil painting that for the moment is intimidating me.  When finished, it will hopefully hold a likeness of one of my favorite heros.

That's it for now.  I'm off to hit the eliptical. :) I believe it's a little lonely. :(

I'm Baaaaaack

Well, my birthday is just three months from today and obviously, I haven't come close to staying on track.  I've recorded just 80 hours of exercise for the past nine months.  I have neglected to record some hours, but I have still fallen far short of my goal.  I could vow to reach that 365 hour mark by my birthday, but I'm afraid that's just not realistic.  So my goal for now is to simply get back on track.  So that's my plan. TTFN

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.