Trip to Home Depot carpet shoping...OMG!!

Home Depot carpet department...over whelming!!!

Last weekend Bootsie and Husband went to Home Depot in search of carpet for our bedroom. You know, just plain every day, ordinary carpet. Piece of cake, right? Wrong!!

OMG!! There are so many choices...thicknesses, weaves, sculpture, shag, short shag, etc...then there's the color! Hmmm, sand, mocha chocolate, taupe, latte dust...crazy!!! Not much difference in any of these colors!! So we finally agree on a color take the sample home, put in on the floor to see how it looks. Kind of hard to tell, the sample is only a 4"x 4" square!! Imagination, kicks in...yes, I think it will work.

Of course, when I go back to the store I have to wear blinders so I don't start looking agin and get sidetracked!!! Can be overwhelming!!!

With the decision made, measurement in hand I head for Home Depot. Standing in the carpet department for a while, no one around...hmmm, go to service desk request help for setting up carpet. Go back to carpet department, wait for help. Hmmm, no one comes. Go back to service desk, "is everyone busy?" I asked. "No one came to help you?" the clerk asked. "No, ma'am!!" I answered. Finally, a really nice lady comes to help me...she is very professional and seems to know her way around the carpet ordering process!! After, answering at least 25 questions, I leave with three printed packets of carpet information!! My brain is fried at this point...OMG!! I just want new carpet!!!

Some one will call to schedule an appointment to come take measurements and order the carpet. Then when carpet comes in the installation will be scheduled!! UGH!! I have measurements, it's one room 17'x 14'!! Had no idea buying carpet was so involved!!

The good thing...Home Depot's six month interest free purchase plan!! Yippy!!

Life is good...

True Delight...love them!!!

Quaker Oats True Delights Cafe Squares

Bootsie is loving these little 2 point treats!! Raspberry with dark cholocate goes great with a cup of Java!!

Rode the bike approx. 2 miles last night!! It's funny, now I find myself figuring mileage from point A to point B, so if I'm riding I know how far I've gone!! It's 1.6 miles from the front door to Williams Road, so a round trip would be 3.2 miles!! Plus I'm really aware of hills and incliens now!! Imagine that!! I'm loving the ride...

Son-in-law #2 sent me a link to the Benbrook triathlon being held on May 23!! Yeah, right...Like I'm ready for a triathlon...maybe next year!! LOL!!!

Changes are good!!!

Bootsie is 1.6 pounds lighter this wonderful Thursday morning! Doing the happy dance! The changes made last week worked. YEA!!!

Sitting in Trinity Park for lunch yesterday a Raccoon jumped out of a trash can with a corn cob in it's mouth! Taking a double look to make sure it was a raccoon and not one of the many cats that live in the park. Sure enough it was a raccoon!! It was a shock to see a raccoon in the middle of the day, much less in the middle of a city park!! Wildlife...love it!!

Met one of my best high school girlfriends for dinner and drinks last night!! She found a picture of us and our dates going to a formal dance. She said "Girl, we looked good!" Can't wait until I look good again!!

It's always fun to get with friends from different periods of your life, but especially high school. Reminiscing about, football games, dates, clothes, etc...however, what is most enjoyable is getting to know the old friend as an adult and making new memories!! Loving it!!

Ride Bootsie ride...

Took the new bike out for a test spin yesterday afternoon!! You know, to get use to the breaks and get a feel for how it rides...I'm happy to report no crashes or causalities! Rode for about 20 minutes, before class...ugh!!! I wanted to keep riding!!! However, it's probably best that I had to stop or else I'd be really sore today.

It was fun. Love feeling the wind blow on my face, makes me feel like a kid again. Being outside getting exercise is awesome!! Beats the heck out of the gym!!

Son-in-law #2, the triathlon participant in the family sent me this link to the Benbrook triathlon happening May 23...don't think I'll be ready for a triathlon this year, but next year might be a different story!! Stayed tuned, Bootsie might surprise you!!

http://www.trifind.com/re_12767/TriCowtownSprintTriathlonformerlyBenbrookTri.html

WW weigh in tonight...we'll see how that goes!! Changed a couple of things up this week, we'll see how it worked...might be too soon to tell...tune in tomorrow for the results!! YIKES!!!

Life is good...

Fianlly...got my anniversary present!! Ain't she a beauty!!

Bootsie is rolling now!! Or will be this afternoon. Got this little beauty last night, with matching helmet...now all that's needed is a matching outfit!! hmmmm....can we say Target!!!

So happy I can now ride outside and enjoy the nice weather and maybe catch a little wildlife along the way!!

Life is good...

Morning commute and Sunrise

6:43 am, sunrise

You would think getting up at 5:00 to be at work at 7:00 would be plenty of time, right?

5:00 am: Hit alarm clock, didn't hit snooze button. Actually got up!! WOW, won't have to rush this morning. Its nice to be able to ease into the day instead of, waking up and hushing around.

5:05 am: Let the dogs out.

5:15 am: Get in shower.

5:30 am: Turn on local news. Lay out clothes, start the morning process of getting ready.

5:45 am: Make lunch.

6:00 am: 20 minutes before time to leave, plenty of time. Almost ready, no problem.

6:05 am: have no idea what happen to that 20 minutes...it's a blur!!

6:35 am: Leaving 15 minutes later than my normal 6:20. Grumble, grumble, fussing at self for piddling and not leaving on time!! Grrrr...

6:40 am: Hit every frigging red light on Camp Bowie. And pounding the steering wheel does not make the light change any faster!!!

6:43 am: Sitting at a red light about to enter I-30 W going east still fussing at myself for getting side tracked and running late. I look up and see the most amazing, beautiful sunrise!! It stopped me in my tracks...

6:44 am: Think it was a sign from the "Higher UP" telling me to slow down and enjoy the moment!! Took a deep breath and watched the sunrise paint fabulous colors on the clouds before the brightness took over. It was a moment...

6:45 am: Then a Tom Petty song came on the radio that reminded me of one of my very best girlfriends and a weekend camping trip, so I called her!! Yep, at 6:45 I call her. We listened to the song and reminisced about the camping trip and laugh!!!

6:52 am: Pulled into parking garage.

6:58 am: Sitting at my desk...wasn't even late!! Life is good...

Life lesson: Make time to smell the roses, watch a sunrise, call someone you're thinking about or hug your dog!! But, whatever you do...Enjoy life!!!

Aministrative Assistant Week

Manicure at the local spa...

Pretty plant!! It's an Angel Garden...not sure I live up to the name. oh well...

Last week was Administrative Assistant Week, got a pretty plant and my IAAP group met at the local spa for a treat. Pedicure and manicure...ahhhh!!! Feeling the love...

Made it through the weekend without too much trouble!!! I stayed focused and busy so I didn't get out of control like the previous weekend!! Something to be said for planning!!

Life is good...

Live and Learn lesson...for non believer of WW!!!

Five a day!!!

Bootsie was challenged trying to explain to a new WW person how the points system works...their thought process is:

Diet challenged: if you stay within your points range on WW you should lose weight. Right?

Bootsie: Well, yes normally. What's going on I asked?

Diet challenged: Stayed within my 20 points range, but didn't lose!!!

Bootsie: Sometimes that happens. What did you eat? Did you journal? (I was really beginning to sound a lot like a WW leader)

Diet challenged: I stayed within my points...

Bootsie: What did you eat?

Diet challenged: What does it matter as long as I stayed within my points?

Bootsie: I matters what you spend your points on.

Diet Challenged: Huge break through...Okay, so what you're saying is, if I choose an apple for a snack instead of three cookies I might lose faster?

Bootsie: You got it!! Spend your points wisely!!

If you're allowed 20 points per day and eat 20 points of junk food you're not going to lose as fast or as much as you would if you made better choices. I'm just saying...

The light is dim, but I think it's getting brighter!!!

Bootsie suggested an experiment to Diet Challenged. Try eating 20 points of veggies, fruits and lean meats vs chips, cookies, hamburgers this week. Let's see what happens!!

Dinner any one...

Chicken grilled on the George Foreman with spices, asparagus stir fried with olive oil and garlic!!! Yummy!!

Kept me on track while attending a IAAP meeting last night!!

New meaning for WWW...Weight Watchers Wednesday!!!

Flowers make me smile!!!

I've been bouncing around trying different WW meetings trying to find a leader and members I could connect with!! I think my search is over...Wednesday night's meeting felt like it was meant just for me!!

Bootsie: Walked in meeting.

Group: They were chatting, obviously all familiar with each other and sharing their weekly progress etc...they included me without being prompted!! That was it...I knew I had found my group!!!

Bootsie: Looked at the flip chart and it said "weekends and control"...I thought "OMG, how'd they know?"

As previously posted, last weekend was horrible and out of control!! Guess what the meeting was about? You guessed it, "how to stay in control on the weekends". It was like when you're sitting in church and the preacher starts preaching and it's like the whole sermon was meant especially for you...well, that's how Wednesday night's meeting was for me...

I gained .2 pounds!! this week will be different!!!

Crawfish boil...crazy!!!

Daughter #1 (left) teaching daughter #3 how to peel and eat whole crawfish...I'm a wimp or lazy not sure which, but that's too much work for one little bite!!!

Daughter #1 and husband's annual crawfish boil!! It was fun to watch people work so hard for a little bite of crawfish tail!! I myself refuse to work so hard for a bite!! Don't get me wrong I love crawfish, I'm just not going to tear them apart and suck on their legs, head or any other part for a bite...the mushrooms were the best!!

It was a fun time everyone had a good time!!

Nature it's everywhere!!!

You don't even have to be out in the country to see nature, it's all around you just have to pay attention and take notice!!! I saw this little guy when I was walking up to the Lockheed Martin building for CPS class Tuesday night. He was digging and scampering around in the grass at the entrance of the building. He stood up on his back legs and held his treasure and look at me...of course, by the time I got my camera out I'd missed the really good shot. But, he was just so darn cute I had to get a picture!!

Where did it go...my will power has left the body!!!

Bootsie had a very tough weekend...Not sure what happen to my will power, but it was no where to be found over the weekend!!! Could not get a grip, I wanted to eat everything in sight and almost did!!!

Nothing satisfied me...I tried all the tricks and tips I've leaned from WW...nothing worked!!! Now I'm furious with myself for giving into temptation and loosing my grip!!! I know this week's weigh in will reflect my weakness!!! Rightfully so.

Oh well..."mother said there would be days like this..."

My attitude is better today and I'm slowly getting my focus back...I hate being in a "funk".

It's working...

Healthy snacks really work... morally I weight on Monday nights, but this week I didn't get to a WW meeting until Thursday night...doing the happy dance...lost 1.2 pounds!!!

YEAH!! CHEER!!! YAHOO!!!

Man oh man, I was sweating this week out! After last weekend's Corona and shrimp boil at the beach I just knew I'd be disappointed...guess I was better than I thought I was...and no, I didn't journal last weekend!! Big surprise...

Have been on track all week!!! Another big CHEER!!! Of course, I'll go back to my regular Monday weigh in on Monday and I'm not really expecting to see a loss. But, you never know...stranger things have happened.

Tomorrow is mine and my husband's 29th wedding anniversary...is the honeymoon over when you ask for a bicycle for you anniversary????

Whine, whine, whine...I really want one, so I can ride outside in the beautiful outdoors instead of at the gym on the stationery bike! It will help with my weight loss and build strength and it's a great cardio workout...

Think he's buying it???

Tune in later and we'll see...

Three point snack...

3 point snack. Laughing Cow wedge = 1 point, Multi grain crisp = 2 points

Laughing Cow is our friend!!! It's very good on the multi grain crisp and very satisfying for a long time!!

Almost sounds like a commercial...

Getting healthy takes a constant effort. There is so much to learn about how and what to eat and being creative can be a challenge. Learning to cook differently and trying new combinations of spices and herbs is fun. Even trying my hand at growing an herb garden, so far the results are not very impressive...but, not giving up!!!

Life is good...

Sabotage...Corona and Shrimp boil...Beach food

I missed weigh in on Monday night, however I'll go tonight. Not looking forward to it, cause I'm pretty sure I drank my daily points in Corona at the beach this weekend!! Life's a beach...

Not to mention the insane amount of food...shrimp boil...oh my!!

More later...

Triathlon, Kemah, TX

Son-in-law #2 coming out of the water (bay at Kemah, burrr...it was cold) after swimming a 1/3 of a mile, headed to the 12 mile bike ride.

Headed for the finish line after his 1/3 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and 3 mile run.

Daughter #2 with husband at finish line after his triathlon!!! He finished in the top 50% and came in 40th (can't remember out of how many) but I think it was around a hundred contestants.

This is the beach house we rented for the weekend...it was awesome!!! It was daughter #3's 22nd birthday and son-in-law #2 was participating in his first triathlon. He did great!!!

And daughter #3, had a great birthday!!

http://www.beachhouses.com/scastle.htm

After the race it was Corona and beach time...

Life is good...especially on the beach!!!

Eagles are awesome...

Homer, Alaska...Eagles hang out there year round, but are in abundance during the winter.

Multiple eagles hanging out in Homer...picture taken by Marlys Jones (my husband's aunt)

Bootsie loves wildlife! Eagles are so awesome! They are very powerful, smart and beautiful birds.

Future goal...Victoria Secret

Pretty undies vs giant grandma panties!!

Needless to say, comfortable panties for the more "mature" figure just aren't pretty!! Functional, yes but absolutely nothing sexy about them!!

This is a very personal goal, but something I look forward to as my weight drops...I want to be able to wear pretty undies again!! Pretty lacy bras and panties makes a girl feel pretty.

You can be wearing a pair of holey jeans with a big baggy shirt and have pretty undies on and feel pretty and have a smile that says "I have a secret". Plus, it surprises your sweetie.

Bootsie isn't normally this bold or open about such things!! However, a new leaf has been turned over!!!

Life is good...

Bootsie is working toward a CPS certification!!!

In January Bootsie started Certified Professional Secretary (CPS) classes. What is CPS you ask, well let me explain!!!

There are three sessions, each are eight weeks long. The first session, Office Systems and Technology, that was a tough one (Bootsie is not techy), Office Administration (attending this class now) it's much easier!! Last but certainly not least is Management (will start in June). Then in October will take a test that last two days!! UGH!! Upon passing the marathon test, the letters CPS will appear behind my name! This will hopefully help advance "my career" (as I like to call it) to an executive level secretary, which will of course be financially gratifying!!

Being a glorified secretary wasn't my lifelong dream (still not sure what that dream was or is), but it's what I do and I do it well. So why not make the best of it and try to advance!!

Maybe one day after paying for the kid’s college and weddings I might try to go back to college and finish a degree I started back in 1977. Why oh why!!! didn't I listen to my daddy way back then...he told me he'd pay for my college if I'd just go!!! Well, I was like most kids at that age and didn't listen. I married my high school sweetheart!! Shouldn't have married so young, could have saved myself a lot of heartache had I waited until I was more mature!!! Oh well, water under the bridge!!! Live and learn...right!?!

2nd marriage in 1981 has been great with no regrets!! But, the girls are grown and the last one is planning to marry next year...after that who knows what Bootsie will do!!!

Life is good...

Bootsie hates paper work!!!

Messy desk, embarrassing!!!

Nice clean organized desk!!!

Bootsie hates paperwork, oh wait I already said that!!! Right??? Well, it's true...

Cleaning the desk and filing all the paid bills and important paperwork is what Bootsie did instead of eating her way through her day off on Friday!!! It felt good...

Bootsie is determined to keep her desk clean and clutter free...and will thrash anyone that messes it up!!! Have started a new routine (which should have been started long ago) process the mail every day!!! WILL NOT LET IT PILE UP AGAIN!!!!

Life is good...

WW Chocolate Pretzel Blast!!! Yummy!!!

This is a great treat!!! Expensive, but worth it this week. I was really needing something sweet that actually tasted sweet and not artificial!! You what I mean? A great substitute for the sugar free, fat free instant pudding!!! I could eat the whole box...but, I won't. Why? Because I have WILL POWER and am FOCUSED!!!

Life is good...

Finally a weight loss...yippee!!!!

Lost 1.2 pounds last week!! I'm happy about the loss, but disappointed too!! Why, you ask am I disappointed ? Well, I'll tell why...I was very strict and focused all week, and 1.2 pounds just didn't seem like a enough!!

However, when I thought about it and realized the size of a pound .2 I felt better. Let me explain, look in the refrigerator at a pound of butter or in the freezer at a pound of hamburger meat. That's a lot of weight I'm not carrying around any more...so I feel better!!!

This week will be even better...Focus, focus, focus!!! Stay on plan!!!

Life is good...

Easter -- ain't what it use to be!!!

As I get older I realize many things change. Change really hit home this Easter. No family get together, no kids hiding Easter eggs, no potluck dinner, no buying pretty new Easter dresses.

Makes me sad...I miss the days my kids were young and every holiday was made special!! Guess, I need to rethink my way of thinking...it's not all about the kids any more!!

I've been very strict with my self this week, so I'm hoping the scale shows a weight loss at weigh in tonight!!! Please, please let me know see some results!!!

Was up at 4:00am this morning and at the gym at 4:30am!!! I'm having a terrible time with my leg calf muscles hurting!!! It really limits my workout...but I'm pushing forward!! A mile one the treadmill, two miles on the bike and a few minutes on the elliptical machine.

Morning snack...black grapes!!! Yummy!!!

These are the best black grapes I've ever eaten!!!

Gone, gone...

See I told you these were the best black grapes I've ever eaten...they're gone!!!

Why OH Why won't kid listen????

This blog has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss...but I had to vent somewhere!!!

You try as parents to guide your kids and teach them right from wrong and most of us do a pretty good job!! However, it's not the right from wrong that worries me, it's the influence others have on them!! Why is it you as their parent can tell them something and they don't listen or tell you you don't know what you're talking about, you just don't understand...I'm like are you kidding me? I didn't get to 50 years old and not learn a few things!!

You try to talk to them and get them to understand you're not against them, you're just trying to keep them from living a very hard life. As parents we all want better for our kids then what we had and you want to protect them from unnecessary heart ache and hard times. But, they don't listen and it's so frustrating and it hurts, because you know where they are headed.

However, a very wise friend once told me...some people (kids) have to live it, before they understand it or see it. The old saying "can't see the forest for the trees" is so true.

Lord help me in this journey of motherhood...Amen!!!