New photos

Okay, here are some new photos of my efforts. Well actually I made the log cabin quilt a long time ago. And then I did not have the time to quilt it. I did the piecing and I hired someone to hand quilt it for me. It was actually two twin quilts. When my mother moved to her new place she got rid of her king size bed and replaced it with a queen. I got the two log cabin quilts and I pinned the borders underneath. I whip-stitched them together, and you cannot tell unless you get within a foot to look that they are not really one king size quilt. I made the Euro-shams from some fabric I got on sale. It was not expensive, but boy... those Euro pillow forms were...over $20 a piece. I have four old cabin prints above the bed, but not in this photo... don't know if I just did not have them up yet or what.

The photo with all the birdhouses is the appliqued shower curtain that took me FOREVER to finish. But I kept on it and finally finished it. This bathroom is my "primitive" room. Most of my house is French country or early American or country. The rod for this shower curtain is supposed to be a huge limb. I went to floral places and nursery places looking for this. I also looked in the woods. I had no luck finding what I needed, but I wanted to hurry up and get this up since it had taken me so long to do it. I got a closet pole that I had and I stained it brown and put it up. I like the way it looks.

I am also including the bib that I made for my granddaughter's first birthday. I had a photo of this.. actually it was an order blank from years ago... when my kids were babies. I never ordered the bib, but I kept the photo. I looked at it and made my own pattern. My daughter used cupcakes for the party theme; hence, the cupcake fabric which I found adorable.

Other photos show our camphouse and the antique quilts on the bed. My sister-in-laws (dh's sisters-one living, one deceased) gave my kids these quilts. I had them stored in a closet, and I really needed the room. Also, they get very little light where they are, so I decided to make use of them. My kids love to go to 669, so they can enjoy them out there until they have a place for them. I have included photos of our camp- two bedrooms and a loft. I show the house except for one of the bedrooms. I will post it later.

I am also including photos of my granddaughter's first birthday.

Jackie Again

Okay, so today I finally did Jackie again. First let me back up. Last weekend was my little granddaughter's first birthday. I know... can you believe it? She is already a year old. And I am now starting my third year of blogging. So this weekend there was not exercise. And on Monday I had to take my mom to get a medical test done. I really wanted to do the Jackie workout on Monday, but I did not make it that morning. So I did a walk/jog that afternoon. I went my usual 3.4 miles. It was so cold. I only jogged about 6 minutes of it. And I did it in 2 minute intervals. Yes, I am so lame.. I am so out of cardio shape!! So yesterday, I was busy all day long and it snowed here in east Texas. Now that is quite unusual to have snow. And this is the second time this season we have had snow. It was not enough to blanket cover the ground. But it was so beautiful with the big beautiful flakes coming down. Okay, back to Jackie. Again, I got side-tracked... did my Bible reading, straightened the house, phone calls, etc. So I did not get started until after noon. I still have to stop during the circuit to get a drink or just take a breather. But this time I did make it through the entire workout. I think that I might just do the ab workout in the beginning instead at the end. So tomorrow I will again do the walk/jog. I have to get up early to take my mom to another dr. appt. Any of you that are interested.. the Jackie Warner DVD is a good one. It will give you a good workout. It goes very fast. Sometimes Jackie is going too fast for me, but I just continue on at my own pace.

Walking

Yesterday I was so sore from Monday's workout. My thighs, my shoulders, and oh my gosh, my triceps. I have never done the tricep workout where I kept my arms straight and went back with my arms. I have always been kinda bent over and then did the triceps extension from the elbow. When I was working the triceps I was working them to exhaustion. So yesterday I went for a walk- not a fast pace and my distance was 3.4 miles. And today I had planned to do the Jackie DVD again, but I am still too sore. So I walked again. Only today, I walked at a much faster pace and even did a little jogging also. I did the same mileage - 3.4 miles. Even though it is cold, I still got hot under my layers. I just have to make sure that my head and ears are covered. I also had some plain knitted gloves on. So tomorrow I plan to do Jackie's 40 minute workout again.

Did anyone catch Richard Simmons on Dr. Oz on Monday? I love Richard Simmons. He is just so loveable. If you have ever seen Richard Simmons then you know how he is... so tender-hearted-they of course made him cry by honoring him on the show. They said that he had been helping people for 35 years and that they have it calculated that he has helped people lose over 3 million pounds. I think Richard Simmons has done alot to help really obese people or couch potatoes who get up and move and lose weight. He does make exercise fun. Does he not have any kind of a show on TV now? Does he just do videos? I know alot of people have progressed way beyond Richard Simmons, but I feel he still commands a great audience and continues to help the overweight of America. Go Richard! I applaud you.

Made It Through My Workout

Okay, I had to put this photo on again because I was wrong when I said this was not the right video. It is the same video. The photo I was looking at last night was a little brochure that came with the video and it had a photo of Jackie dressed in a red outfit. So today I planned to do the workout early, but instead I got busy here at the house and then went to town. I got home and started my supper, and began the video a little before 5:00 p.m. This is a tough workout! I did the 40 minute workout. Jackie does three exercises for each body part and then does a power workout where she combines all three. Then you move on to the next body part and again do three exercises for that body part and then the bonus workout. So this complete circuit was quads, hamstrings, glutes, back, all three of these together-biceps, triceps, and shoulders, then upper abs, and finally lower abs. We have a short warm-up, and a short cool-down. I had to stop about three times during the workout. I was so hot, so out of breath, and was pushed my muscles to the extreme. I used either 8 lb dumbbells or 5 lb dumbbells. When I did complete my workout, I went to the kitchen to finish supper. As I was standing there at the stove, my muscles were twitching, and I was shakey. Indeed, she did push my muscles to exhaustion. Tonight I moved in a way that caused me to get a big "Charley-horse" in my hamstring. What I loved most about this workout was that it went very fast- only 40 minutes, but it was very fast-paced. There was no slowing down, not much chit-chat, and it was not boring at all. I would have to give my score as about a 75. Yes, I was passing, but there is so much room for improvement. So since I did the full body, tomorrow I am going to get on the treadmill and I will either walk on an incline or walk/jog. I will do that about 20-30 minutes. So I am going to do this video for awhile and then maybe I will go back to P90X later. But the really good news is.... I'M BACK!!!!!

My New Workout

Okay so this is the DVD I am going to be doing tomorrow. That is if I can wake up since it is now almost midnight and I am still up on this computer. This is from the personal trainer Jackie Warner. She is featured on Bravo. She also has a new book that is due to come out in April. Now that is just what I need is one more workout book. I love to read workout books though. I thought I would do this before embarking back on P90X. I can choose from several 15 minute workouts, or do a 40 minute full circuit. That is the one I am planning on doing tomorrow. I hope to get back into a routine of working out after being off close to 8 weeks. What in the world happened to me? Well, once you get out of a routine of working out, it just becomes easier and easier to put it off and then before you know it, you are not doing it at all. So... tomorrow things are changing!!! Whoops.. I just looked at the cover of my DVD and it does not look like this. So this is not my workout DVD. But... it is similar. It is by Jackie Warner, and it does have everything I said it had. This is either just a different cover or an entirely different workout.

On My Knees

Just today I found out about two couples who are getting a divorce. One is a young newly married couple... irreconcilible differences. The other is an older couple in their 50's married for over 25 years with several children.. adultery. I am so sad for all of these. What God has joined together let no man put asunder. And the two shall become one. ' Til death do us part. So what is the deal? I will tell you what the deal is. Satan moves about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. You think you can go alone up against Satan? Don't you ever believe that!! You must put on the armour of God. You must rely on the Holy Spirit. If you're not a Christian.. forget it.. you don't stand a chance. For some reason we seem to believe that satan is like a football opponent. You know when you are losing in a game.. losing big.. you are 40 points behind. So what happens? The opposing coach puts in his 2nd or 3rd string. He lets up. And we think Satan is the same way. We think he is going to relent and go easy on us. Don't you believe it!!!!! He is going to kick you when you are down. He is never going to let up. He is here to destroy you. And he is here to destroy your marriage, your testimony, your character, and anything that you value. He will go after you, your spouse, and your children. You must seek the Lord God. I am on my knees for these dear people. You know them. Oh, you may not know these exact people. But you know someone like them. We as believers in Christ must be in His Word, be armed, and be ready to pray hard for those we love. I may sound pessimistic, but I am not. I know the end of the story. So does Satan. He knows the end of the story. He will not be the winner. Jesus is the winner. But right now Satan is making hay while he can. Let's all be a praying people. Pray for yourself, your spouse, your children, your friends, this nation. With Christ all things are possible. Greater is He that is within me than is within the world. I am counting on His promises. Meanwhile.. I am weeping and heartbroken for my dear friends. But I am not without hope. I am on my knees.. standing in the gap.

Oldest Son

Today I had planned to do some more work on getting rid of stuff in my garage. I got some more plastic containers so that I could get rid of the banana boxes. There is just some stuff I cannot part with right now. But, I got a call from my oldest son. He lives in town, about a 15 minute drive from my house. He was home sick from work and wanted to know if I wanted to come clean his house. Actually, even though he felt bad, he did help me some. I took the makings for taco soup, and enough was made for our lunch and his supper. We got the carpet vacuumed and then shampooed, got his closets cleaned out- old computer, printer, keyboard, clothes that no longer fit, broken items, and then just stuff he did not want. We got the kitchen all cleaned as well as the bathrooms. We lifted the cushions on the couch and loveseat and got all the crumbs that had fallen in there. Did I mention that this son is a 26 year old bachelor and VERY VERY MESSY!!!! While I was doing the shampooing, he was rebooting the laundry. So he now has a clean house and all the laundry done. We also rearranged photos, candles, etc. As soon as the weather gets nice, I will help him get his yard cleaned up.


I got home from Frisco on Wednesday. My little granddaughter was feeling much better and was able to return to daycare. So, it really is nice that I can be available to help my "kids" when they need me. I hope that when I need some help, they will come to my aid. Tonight, I am really tuckered out from all the work that I did at ds's house. I worked from 10:15 until 5:15. DH did not want takeout which was what this tired old woman was going to get. Instead, he wanted a sandwich, so I went by Sam's and got turkey, extra-fiber bread, avocado, bell pepper, and Monterrey Jack cheese. I also got some of their southwestern hummus. I just love it! So hopefully tomorrow, I will make some progress on that garage.... anyone need me to do something else????

Unome Weekend at 669

Wow!! What a fun weekend with my Unome girlfriends at 669. Okay.. explanation.. my unomes are a group of high school friends that get together twice a year. We began this 6 years ago when we were all turning 50. Our birthdays start in September and go through June. So we are all pretty close to the same age. Our first get together was in Feb '04 and we only met for one night. Then we met in Feb '05- again for one night. Then we met in July '05 and we met for a weekend at Crystal Beach for two nights. That is when we all decided we liked two nights and we liked two times a year- we just could not get it all in with our catching up in one night and we enjoy one another so much we want to see each other twice a year. We have since been to a hunting lodge of one of our members outside of town called Huckleberry Lodge- two times there, one time at Nancy's mother's house, one time at Nancy's house, one time at my house, one time at Jan's house, one time at Jan's ranch in Valero, one time at the Mariott in the Woodlands, and now this last time at our hunting camp. I think I mentioned that dh was worried because there is only one bathroom and if you are in the loft, you have to walk outside and come back in to go to the bathroom. This is the most people we have ever had at 669 at one time to spend the night. But these ladies are all pretty adaptable. Here is how the weekend played out:

Friday- the original plan was to meet at 4:30, load up and go to eat Mexican food in Nacogdoches, and then on to see the Liverpool Legends performance. Well, Jan's plane was late getting here. So we went to a local Mexican food restaurant and ordered for them and they made it in time for us to enjoy dinner before making the drive across the river. Then we all enjoyed the LL performance. I think we all agreed that we liked the early Beatles' music much better than Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, or Sgt. Pepper's album. The guys even had the Beatles' mannerisms down pretty good. It really looked like Ringo Starr. And of course we were quite a spectacle with our matching Beatles' shirts. Okay, then we made it to the camp and we snacked and talked and stayed up until about 3:30 a.m.

Saturday- we talked about going to Crockett to seeB.J. Thomas perform at their civic center. However, this idea was nixed because... when would we visit? So, we leisurely got up, drank coffee, had a breakfast casserole- which I think is a great recipe.. not just because I made it. We then began work on preparing the vegetables for pico de gallo while Fadra made chicken tortilla soup... the temperature was in the 30's so we kept the fire going in the fireplace. We all did get dressed in our camo with hair fixed and makeup since we were doing our group photo, and it was going on the honored wall of guests at 669. We had one of the members of our camp take the photo and then we took a couple with the camara set up on automatic. I think we will use the one by the trees to go on the wall. We had the soup going and we had the photo made, so that meant we had the time free to have a few margaritas- they were the best! We took a late afternoon drive down to the lake and then we came back and just relaxed. Those were the only times we went out the door other than getting more firewood or going up to the loft. Bedtime did not come early. I was the last to go to bed and that was at 2:30 a.m. Oh.. I forgot to mention that Fadra's birthday was Saturday so we celebrated with giving her cards, gifts, giftcards, and a delicious birthday cake!

Sunday- since the road into the camp will not accomodate low-riding vehicles, we parked three by the road, and drove two Suburbans and a Yukon to the cabin. So Sunday morning Carol left early and she took Fadra to her car. Dee Ann left shortly after and she took Sandra to her car. Jan, Peggy, Susie, and I stayed and put the finishing touches on putting the cabin back to pre-unome order. We washed and dried all the dishes, made all the beds, gathered all the towels, swept and vacuumed, and then relaxed until we had to have Jan back to meet Dee Ann to take her back to Bush Intercontinental. I got everyone delivered to their car/house and was home by 11:30. I was only home long enough to clean our my suburban, get the cooler cleaned out, get a few loads of towels done, and then I proceeded to repack and was in the car and on the road by 1:50 to head to Dallas. Since my little granddaughter is still not up to par from her illnesses, I volunteered to stay a few days so her mom and dad could work and not have to take her to daycare. I am so glad that I am retired so that I can help out in a small way. I was unable to help the past two weeks because I was sick and was getting ready for my friends to come. She is such a precious little doll, and I have time right now to post this blog because she is taking a long nap. So... retirement has so far proved to be quite busy for me. I am wondering if it will slow down. And... I absolutely MUST get back to my exercise program!!! I hope that my post will soon say something about that!!!