denise

Daily Dose of Weight – GAIN

12 Comments / Diet and Exercise /

I hope I’m not jinxing myself here but I’m sort of happy about this and feeling confident about it so I’m going to share it… I. have. gained. weight.   And it appears as though the. weight. is. sticking. 

It’s relatively normal for me to gain a bit of weight, enough so my pants aren’t falling off and enough so TW doesn’t have to ask "when was the last time you ate" every darn day but  it is sort of rare for me to keep that weight for more than a couple of weeks at a time.

At first I thought this was a fluke related to item number 25 on my 101 things list.  Then I thought it was related to my menstrual cycle.  But no, I think this might be real honest to goodness weight gain that might just stick if I don’t forget to eat for awhile. 

Do me a favor, don’t comment about how you wish you had this problem because you don’t.  Just be happy for me and think good food thoughts for the next month or so.  I really dislike having to hold my jeans up when I walk and I also dislike hearing TW ask me when I last ate.  And I really, really dislike Michelle growling over my falling down jeans.

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Daily Dose of Ice Cream

2 Comments / Foodie /

Freecone
Yippeee! It’s Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s.  I’m oh so very excited – umm not really.  I don’t do ice cream.  I’m just a little excited though because this is a great day for so many people.  I’m also a little sad because there are a lot of women "watching their weight" who either won’t partake in the celebration or will partake and then berate themselves about it for the rest of the week.

As someone who spends her life encouraging people to make healthy food choices, I’m encouraging you to go and enjoy a free cone and leave the guilt outside the door.  Moderation is a good thing.  An occasional fun food splurge is healthy.  Have the ice cream cone, get some exercise and reduce your calorie intake a wee bit in other areas of the day if you really must. 

If I was going to have a cone, which I’m not, it would probably be the Chocolate Fudge Brownie (did you know they have an organic version now?) because it brings back nice memories … or maybe the Karamel Sutra because that also brings back some umm memories. What’s your favorite flavor?  Any special B&J ice cream memories in your life?

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The Wright 3

9 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Mystery /

Robiehouse
We really enjoyed listening to Chasing Vermeer so I was very much looking forward to listening to The Wright 3. I am a Wright fan, TW is not so much, so that was an added bonus for me and not so much for her. We listened to it on the way to Lakeland on Friday and then on the way home on Sunday and finished it up today on the drives to and from work. It was good. Lots of fun and full of math and coincidences and art and mystery.

I would love to live in the Robie… as a kid I always preferred the Fallingwater house but now I think the Robie would be more interesting. It would probably drive me nuts before the first dust bunnies settled under the bed though.

Oh and speaking of coincidences… I didn’t realize Florida Southern was in Lakeland or that there were Wright buildings there… was it a coincidence or was there some hidden meaning… we didn’t find a talisman or a copy of The Invisible Man so probably just a coincidence…

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Daily Dose of TV – Turn It Off, Gilmore Girls?

3 Comments / Kid Talk, Sights & Sounds /

Yippeee! It’s TV Turnoff Week! A holiday I won’t be celebrating but have no guilt over not celebrating.   It’s not that I don’t believe television has played a role in obesity, it has.  I’m not willing to make television the scapegoat though.  And, I just don’t watch enough TV to worry about it.  Nor do our kids.  I’m in the "everything is good in moderation" camp and that includes mindless fluffy TV.

Speaking of mindless fluffy TV – I’m tempted to celebrate that news that the Palladinos didn’t come to an agreement with WB/UPN and will be leaving Gilmore Girls after this season.  On second thought, that idea feels a wee bit hollow.  For the first few years I think the Palladinos made some really good television with Gilmore Girls.  It’s a pity they’ve turned the show into mindless fluff that doesn’t even make sense based on the history and character of the characters they worked so hard to create in the first place.  (though that scene last week with Lauren Graham giving the drunk "toast" was fantastic, Lorelai should not have been in that position in the first place)

I don’t watch much TV and it’s a shame that one of the two hours a week that I do watch has become a lot less enjoyable.  Maybe next year, without the Palladinos, will be a better one for Stars Hollow fans.  If it isn’t, I won’t feel at all sad about watching just one hour of TV a week.

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Daily Dose of Stuff – Monday

3 Comments / Monday Meme /

Monday2

I’m not sure you can even tell what these little things are, can you?  They are tiny Christmas trees and they are not only in my house they are displayed on my desk, right this minute, and it is April.  Shhhh don’t tell TW, she’ll get all weirded out over the bad luck of having Christmas decorations out after New Years.

The little kids and Michelle and the 1/2 child made these little trees right before Christmas.  For some reason Michelle and the 1/2 child put theirs on my desk and they’ve been there ever since.  Should I toss them into the trash? Send them upstairs with Michelle?  Drop them into the Christmas ornament bin? Or just leave them be?

I wonder if I’m the first to post What is this doing in my house Monday this week?

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Daily Dose of Shopping – Earth Day?

1 Comment / Foodie, Money Talks, Travel Log /

If we had been home for Earth Day we would have worked in the garden, we really need to work in the garden, but we weren’t so we didn’t.  Instead, we found ourselves using the last of a tank of very expensive gas to drive 30 miles into Tampa to shop at the new Wild Oats.

I’ve never been to a Wild Oats before and I was disappointed to find out it was opening just a couple of days after our Spanish II field trip early in April.  It was terrific to find ourselves a half hour away from Wild Oats and plenty of time to spare on a shopping spree.  And shopping, we did.

First let me just say that you Tampa folks talk really loudly and you should tone down your voices a little bit when you are in Wild Oats.  The lighting and the nice music should be respected and appreciated and your grocery shopping experience should feel relaxing in that environment, not like a three ring circus.  I know it’s a new store and you’re excited but please. relax. 

Once I got use to the sheer NOISE and the crowds I was good.  I even managed to get through the entire store without feeling the need to bolt and drag TW OUT of there.  And, I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Cool stuff.  Interesting stuff.  Familiar stuff too.  And the cafe was nice.  Some weird people there – why would anyone ask the barista if the hot chocolate tastes like milk or tastes like coke?  That’s just a weird question, ya know?  And the dude who tasted every hot entree item and then ordered 1/4 lb of the macaroni & cheese was also weird.   The cute little manager, Ashley, was not weird to me – I have teens who look like she does but a lot of people probably thought she was weird.

So, Wild Oats shopping was a success!  Whole Foods in a couple of weeks and then Trader Joe’s this summer and I can die a happy woman.  I never thought I’d say I enjoy grocery shopping.  I never thought I would be looking forward to visiting grocery stores.   Talk about weird….

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Anyone But YOU!

5 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites /

Anyone But You was pretty darn amusing – for a mindless bit of chick lit for 40ish women. Particularly mindless chick lit for 40ish women who like dogs.

Nothing new or unusual happened in the book. Older woman meets younger man. Older woman and younger man are both attracted and have to figure out how to make a move, when to make a move and why to make a move. Moves were made and then older woman tries to screw it up because she’s sure the younger dude couldn’t love her old flabby body and younger dude tries to screw it up because he’s sure the older woman wants a more high money/high profile kind of life. The dog, of course, pretty much saves the day – with a little help from the dysfunctional brother and dysfunctional best friend.

Even though there wasn’t anything “new or unusual” it was fun and I like fun.

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Daily Dose of Coffee – Blogs

2 Comments / Coffee & Tea /

I am a sucker for two things (well more than two, but we’re focusing on THESE two right now)… coffee and a well blogged review.  Darn if Sarah Gilbert didn’t lure me into buying the Ethiopia Sidamo from Stumptown Coffee Roasters.  And darn if Sarah isn’t out of her ever – food – blogging mind.  This coffee doesn’t taste like strawberries and it isn’t "Neopolitan ice cream" either.  Or maybe it would be if I added milk, but I don’t – I drink my coffee black.

On the other hand, it is a nice coffee.  A wee bit fruity, sure.  It’s light that way, not deep and dark and heavy.  It’s a wee bit like the Starbucks Gazebo in it’s lightness.  This is definitely a spring/summer coffee and I think anyone who likes iced coffee (I do not) would enjoy this over ice – as a lot of people do the Gazebo (click Michelle, are you out there???).

I found it amusing that my bag of from Stumptown arrived not only quickly but with my name written in pencil on the bottom of the bag.  Cute. Small biz feel.

Thanks Sarah and Stumptown, even if I didn’t find it strawberry-like – I enjoyed it.

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Don Aslett

4 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Non-Fiction /

I didn’t know who Don Aslett was til I somehow wound up with one of his books last month. Clutter’s Last Stand somehow ended up on my library reserve list – I probably saw it mentioned on a blog or in a magazine article or something. Whatever the reason, it came home with me and TW talked about this guy like he was famous or something. Apparently he is if you’re into cleaning tips and stuff. I am not that kind of person sooooo I obviously have never heard of him.

I skimmed that first book and returned it pretty quickly. It was booorrinnngggg. But, I reserved another. Weekend Makeover – ack, that one was a wee bit boring but it is also dangerous. It makes me want to get up and throw things away. A lot of things. In fact if anyone who lives in my house notices something that belongs to them is missing – it might be because I got throw it away fever because of this book and ummm. threw. it. away.

I would really, really, REALLY like to stay home one weekend soon and get rid of about half of the stuff in this house. Looking at the calendar, we might have a stay home weekend sometime around the end of September. Maybe.

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