A Thrifting We Did Go!

One of my most favouritest things to do in the world is to shop at thrift stores.
And there is one in Neenah that is especially groovy called the Bethesda Thrift Shoppe.
We all jumped in the van yesterday and headed there for a good look around.
I only get there once or twice a year, so I can't vouch for all the time, but it seems like I always find major deals on the days that I go.

Being that I am on a weight loss journey, I was hoping to find some more trendy blouses for spring in a smaller size to keep me motivated. It turned out they were having a 1/2 off sale on ladies blouses Saturday! Yippee!!!!

I know I spent more than I should have, and Hubby has been alluding to that fact all weekend, but I have no regrets. Had I bought all of these clothes at full price, it would have taken hours of shopping, and hundreds of dollars. I spent a mere $60 and can't wait to wear all of these clothes.
They are all a size smaller than I am right now. So I will need to lose another 10 to 20 pounds in February and March. Then, when I pack away (I mean donate to a thrift store) all of the winter clothes, I can bring out all of these fun spring clothes and feel fabulous in them.

After the shopping spree, we had to take the Young One to a Birthday Party for a class mate.
This party was at Rocky Rococo. Oh how I LOVE Rocky Pizza! But I have also learned that ONE piece of Rocky Pizza is 800 calories! That's almost two meals worth of a dieter's allotted calorie intake. And who can eat just one piece of Rocky Pizza? No sir! When they invited us to stay and eat, I quickly told them that we had dinner plans and couldn't possibly partake. This gal wants to wear that spring wardrobe!

I am Stoaked!

Cousin Terri sent me an E-mail this morning.
She's been talking to my sis and they discussed the notion of having a "Sisters Night" in Appleton some time this summer (End of May, beginning of June).

This "Sister's Night" would consist of renting a Hotel Room on College Ave and partying our butts off all night.

I told her that this really sort of falls into line with something I had in mind as a use for my Quit Smoking Money. We received a mailer some time back advertising The Copper Leaf Hotel as a vacation destination. It's right across the street from the Performing Arts Center and has gorgeous suites, a spa, a gym, a bar, a restaurant, whirlpool, oh so nice amenities. And I thought it would be totally cool to just spend an entire weekend there because it is right in the middle of all that looks to be fun about College Avenue.

To do this with my cousin and sisters would be extra fun.
In looking at their offerings, it will likely cost a good $450 for a whole weekend, but they would be willing to kick in some of the cost and it would really be a treat that I think we all deserve.

Now, the only trick will be to not get kicked out for being drunken and disorderly! ;-)

I can't wait! Come on summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something Giggle-worthy

One of the sites I surf is photoshop disasters.
It can be amusing some times.
But the one that really made me laugh, isn't technically a photoshop disaster,
it's a graphic art Faux Pas.Oh, yeah, Baby! Fill 'er up! Heh!

My Baby turned Eight!

Yesterday was Jerry's Birthday.
Lately, I love sleeping in on the weekends.
He started my day by waking me up saying "Daddy forgot to say Happy Birthday."
So I gave him a big hug, wished him Happy Birthday and then told him of all the big achievements he has conquered in the past year that make him a year older and wiser.
I think he liked that.

His Birthday Plans were to go sledding with his friends and then to either Dairy Queen or Taco Bell to warm up and eat some food.

I purposely didn't look at the temp for yesterday. I knew is was around Zero, but I also knew he'd be crushed if we didn't at least go to the snow hill and give it a try. So we all bundled up and collected all the kids and sleds and headed for the hill.

Because it was so cold, we had the hill to ourselves. That was awesome. We didn't have to worry about smashing into a stranger who was pulling their sled back up to the top. And the snow hill is the one place where it actually pays to be "The Big Girl" because the heavier you are, the further your sled goes down the hill. I had a blast snuggling cute kids as we whooshed down the hill together, and got a great workout climbing back up the hill with the sled.

Jerry decided after about 45 minutes that his face was getting too cold and that it was time to go on to the next phase of his Birthday Celebration. We had a cake ordered at Dairy Queen, and talked him into eating there as well. But he then felt it would be more fun to bring the cake and his friends home after that. Yay. We had to wait for the cake to thaw enough to be cut, so the kids all played ARMY while we waited. Then we sugared them up with cake and they played more ARMY. I was about ready to go find a quiet place to slit my wrists when suddenly the parents started calling to come get their kids. I love it when an evil plot comes together!

Then, Grandma K. came by with gifts for Jerry. We couldn't talk her into taking any cake home with her though. DARN! So we sent half of it home with Michael and Enoch. I'm sure it's been devoured by now! Jerry had a piece for breakfast this morning. I'm doing my best to avoid it. My angle of thought is, if it won't melt in the sink, then just what is that stuff made of and what is it doing inside our digestive system? Hmmmm.

We had a wonderful surprise in that our friend Berni showed up with a gift for Jerry later in the evening. She's his second mom after all. And being that she just gave birth to her own little bundle of joy last month, and her house is now filled with daily challenges, we didn't really expect her to stop by. It was wonderful that she did.

I think all in all, Jerry had a darn good birthday! Although he did say at the end of the day "Nobody bought me Legos." Can you believe it? I guess he really does want All The Legos In The World!

So it's a journey.

I've been doing fairly good at the weight loss thing.
This is week 3. I'm not the top contender just yet.

But today in the cafe, the chef made home made Austrian baklava.
He only makes this two times a year because it is so much work to create.
For those of you who have never tried Baklava, I recommend you do.
It is a slice of pastry heaven!

I asked the chef's Austrian wife if she knew how many calories are in a piece of Baklava.
Her response in that wonderful thick rolling accent was "We don't worry, we just eat."

SO after lunch, I just had to google up the calories. 550 in one small chunk. And you know what? I don't feel guilty one bit. We only live once. Diet or no diet, when there is fresh baklava in the house, you eat it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to do step aerobics. LOTS of step aerobics. ;-)

Prayers Answered, Favours Received

The power of prayer is truly amazing.
I talked to my sis tonight, and all tests came back CLEAR.

This is truly something worth celebrating!

It's never too late for resolutions

With our computer crashed for 2 weeks, I didn't really get the chance to ring in the new year online.

Unlike last year where I set only a few goals other than reaching 2009, I have several to meet this year.

#1 of course is to get back down to a size 10 again. I felt so much better being thin.
It sucks waking up having stiff joints, and I think losing the weight will help this a lot!

#2 is to do something really cool sometime this year - like saving up my quit smoking money
and go on a mini vacation - even if it's just staying for a weekend at a swanky hotel in Appleton and catching a show at the PAC, and then wandering around College Ave shopping for a day. Hopefully Hubby's mother would be willing to take the kid for a weekend.

#3 is to pamper myself a little more this year in ways other than comfort food.

#4 is to pay off more debts.

#5 is to finish Jerry's Room this year. I've started... but it's waiting for my attention (and some extra cash which is a little tight right now).

#6 which really ought to be moved up to number one, is to be there for my Sister Barb and get her through this tough time.

All of these are reachable. I just need to stay focused.

So, what are your goals for 2009?