Morgan Alexa Designs

Thirty One

2011-12-21T21:17:00.000-05:00

NEW HAPPENINGS AT THIRTY-ONE GIFTS

RETIREMENT LIST

The link above is a PDF file that is a llist of the products and fabrics that are being retired from Thirty-One. So, if you want to match something you already have, or want something else completely check out the link. Items/fabrics will expire Jan 31th, 2012

Shop in your slippers! Don't fight the crowds!
Get ready for post-holiday savings in Thirty-One's Year-End Outlet Sale!

Here are the highlights:

Opens to my Customers on December 28

Your favorite discontinued prints and products from past catalogs are available at deeply discounted prices

On December 28, my customers who receive my newsletter "Thoughts, Talks & Trends" will be sent an email with a direct link to the sale!

If you aren't on my newsletter list, email me scoleman31@bellsouth.net and I'll add you so you can take part in this great sale of the year! These products are perfect gifts for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, teachers, graduates and Valentine's Day!

I receive credit for your purchases which help me earn some awesome consultant incentives.

The shipping charge for the OUTLET SALE is a flat rate of $10 for the continental United States no matter how many items you purchase.

864.430.0102

scoleman31@bellsouth.net

House For Sale

2011-12-05T16:13:00.001-05:00

Rhonda Holder is our agent for selling our house in Greer.

Here is the listing on Realtor.com

Here is the listing on Rhonda's website

Happy Holidays

2011-11-15T20:01:00.005-05:00

I'm so happy to introduce the Holiday Specials from Thirty-One Gifts. I now sell their products on the web and through home parties. Look at our CATALOG and order your holiday gifts before December 12, 2011 to guarantee delivery before Christmas. You can download an ORDER FORM, fill it out and either email or call me and I will put in your order for you. Thanks for all your support!
scoleman31@bellsouth.net CELL 864.430.0102

Customer Special Nov.23-Dec.12

#3033 Soft Wallet SAVE $17

#3039 Cinch Sac SAVE $15

#1367 Flat Iron Case SAVE $15

#3258 All In One Organizer SAVE $15

#3593 Zip-Up Pencil Pouch SAVE $5

Hostess Special Nov. 23-Dec. 12

Host a $500 party and get an Expand-A-Tote Day Extender for only $10.00

That's a $39.00 Saving!

#3612 Expand-A-Tote Day Extender

Customer Special Dec. 13 - Jan.31

Thermal Tote #3000

A classic favorite! It’s great for taking lunch on the go. Whether you need to keep your food cool or warm, it does the job. Great for school or work lunch, or for taking to a ballgame. Also great as a baby bag to keep bottles cold.

Measures approx: 9.5”H x 14”W x 4.5”D

Cinch It Up Thermal Tote #3785

Item not available until Dec. 12th

Hostess Special Dec 13 - Jan 31

Contact me via email or phone and I will place your order.

Products must be ordered before December 12 to arrive before Christmas.

864.430.0102

scoleman31@bellsouth.net

Three Generations

2011-08-21T21:35:00.003-05:00

Home For Sale by Owner

2011-07-23T13:31:00.003-05:00

House FOR SALE

Here is our beautiful home...

Click HERE for more online images

HOME LOCATION:

Greer, SC 29651

Shown By Appointment ONLY

For your appointment contact: Sandy morganalexa@bellsouth.net

Brokers are welcome to view and show by appointment. Percentage of sale is negotiable.

DESCRIPTION
One owner home on a secluded street in an established neighborhood. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, covered porch and patio, laundry room, living room with stone fireplace and a dream kitchen. Lot is .8 acre

Market Area: Greer
Square Feet: 2252
County: Spartanburg
Property Tax: Under $750.00 for 2010

Purchased: May 2005
Number of Acres: 0.80 acres
STYLE: Ranch
Attics: Stairs dropdown in garage and master bedroom closet.
Ceilings: Cathedral/Vault/Trey. Smoke detectors. Linen closet in hallway. White wood slat blinds throughout and decorative/stylish light fixtures. Ceiling fans w/lights in all bedrooms, living room, kitchen and office/den.

Kitchen: (27’3” X 13’4”) Breakfast Bar, dishwasher, disposal, stainless microwave, and stainless double sink, built in stainless range with smooth cook top. All appliances are Whirlpool except the refrigerator which is a Kenmore. Vaulted ceiling with shelf above cabinets perfect for collectables, plants or baskets. Kitchen fan with light and breakfast bar lighting are visible in pictures 2 and 4 below. Over 50 cupboards/drawers.
Sliding glass doors open off the separate eating area onto covered back porch.

Entryway: Entryway into kitchen off garage. (7’9” X 7’9”)

Living Room/Family Room (24’ X 16’9”) Arched doorway from living room to kitchen. Stone fireplace with gas logs, beautiful wooden mantel and stone hearth. Vaulted ceiling, ceiling fan with lights. Recessed lighting over fireplace.

Dining Room/Den/Office (13’7” X 11’7”) Trey ceiling with ceiling light with fan. French doors to living room. We use this room as an office.

Master Bedroom (17’3” X 14’5”) Walk-in closet (9’6” X 7’7”) with shelves. Attic access with dropdown stairs. Ceiling light with fan (remote control) Trey ceiling, recessed lighting with dimmer. Whirlpool bath with stone surround. Separate shower. Single sink.

Bedroom #2 (15’4” X 13’8”) Ceiling light/fan, carpeted

Bedroom #3 (12’9” X 13’3”) Ceiling light/fan, carpeted

BATHS:

#1) Master Bedroom: Whirlpool bath, separate shower, single sink, large closet with shelves.

#2) Main bath: Full bath with tub/shower combo, single sink, large linen closet with shelves.

#3) Half bath off kitchen: Single sink with under counter storage. Laminate floor.

Laundry Room: Off hallway beside the kitchen. Laundry sink with hot and cold water, cabinets and shelves. Hot water heater is located in the garage.

Exterior Finish: Brick Veneer and Vinyl Siding (beige) Shutters are on all windows and the color is maroon.

Interior Finish: All walls are painted. I would call the color French Vanilla.

Foyer: (7’10” X 5’10”) Stone floor, guest closet. Front door: etched glass insert with etched glass side windows.

Floors: beige carpet in living room, hall and bedrooms. Ceramic tile in foyer and master bath, hardwood laminate in the kitchen .

Corner lot: 0.80 acre, Cul-de-Sac, Legal Lot Number 2,
Dimensions: 147X148X175X165

Foundation: Slab

Exterior Features:
Covered Front Porch: Brick and Concrete, approximately 140 square feet with overhead light fixtures.

Covered Back Porch: Brick and Concrete, approximately 168 square feet with ceiling fan and light.

Concrete sidewalks from the front porch to the back patio.

Tilt-in thermal windows with Vinyl/Aluminum Trim.

Landscaping: Bushes in flowerbeds along the front, side and back.

Garage Features: 2.5 car garage: approximately 532 square feet. Two garage door openers. Motion detector light in garage, exterior lighting. Yard door to driveway, partially floored attic with dropdown stairs. Two sets of windows with blinds.

Water/Sewer: City water, Septic system with no maintenance except monthly Ridex

Water Heater: Gas

Heating/Cooling: Natural Gas, Central Forced

Click HERE for more online images

Riedel Law Offices

2011-03-02T01:27:00.014-05:00

Brian J. Riedel, Esq.

is proud to announce the opening of

Riedel Law Offices

"Your Legal Connection"

Email: Brian@RiedelLaw.com

Phone: (216) 378-7578

Office hours are by appointment

One Chagrin Highlands

2000 Auburn Drive, Suite 200

Beachwood, Ohio 44122

Supreme Court of Ohio Admission to the Bar

2010-11-18T01:39:00.004-05:00

NOVEMBER 8TH, 2010

What a great day in Columbus, Ohio. Danielle, Mason, Alexa, Chase and David were there to see Brian admitted to the Ohio Bar. It's been a long journey with a great deal of support from family and friends. We are so proud of you Brian!

This link to will take you to the video of the Supreme Court of Ohio Admission to the Bar ceremony. To see Brian, forward the video to 1:13:30 Watch for about 30 seconds and you'll see him receive his certificate and a few seconds later walk down the steps.

RIP Griffin

2010-09-23T20:01:00.003-05:00

Born September 1, 1993

He was a great companion to Wayne and we will miss him. I got Griffin from the SPCA in Clearwater, FL in 1994. I was going to school, working and teaching at the time so Wayne was home alone. When I was home, I was closeted in the computer room working on homework.

I got the brilliant idea to get him a dog to keep him company. The SPCA had a lot of dogs to look at, but the small dog named "Scruffy" caught my eye. They let me take the dog outside...I sat on the ground while he licked my face.

I had to wait a few days while they did surgery (no puppies for him). At that time I was working in a walk-in clinic up in Clearwater. During my lunch hour I went to pick up "Scruffy" and took him to a co-worker's home to keep until I got off work.

I'll never forget taking him home. I had him on a leash when I walked into the house. Wayne was standing in the living room and spotted the dog. He said "what have you done?" I let the dog off leash and he literally went running over to Wayne, sat down in front of him and rolled onto his back. Total submission. Wayne knelt down and said to the dog "do you want to live here with me?" And THAT was the beginning of a loving bond between a man and his dog.

We couldn't decide on a name....Scruffy just didn't cut it for us. I took the dog to the vet within a couple of days of bringing him home. The front desk lady asked, "and what is his name?" I laughed and told her I'd have one by the time I left.

Sitting there waiting for the doctor I looked at the dog and thought...what can I name you? The vet came in and put the dog on the exam table. "So who is this?" she asked... and from out of nowhere I blurted out "Griffin."

Where the heck did that come from? I have NO IDEA. Really. When I got home I looked up the word Griffin in the dictionary (yeah we had one) and it read:

The griffin is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle.

PERFECT! With his fawn color, he looked like a little lion... the eagle part... not so much.

We miss you Griffin. We gave you a good life and you gave us a lot of great memories.

Summer into Fall 2010

2010-09-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday

2010-07-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

I am so fortunate...my friend Teresa made Wayne a carrot cake for his birthday.

Here is a picture of the birthday boy as he blows out his candles. Thanks Teresa and everyone who called or sent cards for his special day.

Although he hates it when he is the center of attention I know he got a kick out of it.

The INFLATABLES

2010-07-19T18:46:00.004-05:00

Today we went to Chapel Hill Mall, one of my old stomping grounds.

They have an area filled with different Inflatables for the kids to play on. For $8.00 each, they get the run of the place from noon - 8:00pm. (we didn't make it that long)

So we started the day playing, broke for a lunch of honey and bourbon chicken, then resumed playing until about 6:00pm.

Here are a few pictures...

There were areas to sit and catch their breaths.....and mine!

All five on one of the larger inflatables.

They do love to golf...no scores of course.

Four didn't make it home without a cat nap.

Now it's on to the PIZZA....

Bowling

2010-07-15T14:46:00.000-05:00

How much fun is bowling??? The kids are having a ball (excuse the pun) and I sit and watch wondering if I can ever bow again.

I'm thinking that I'd love to try it, but I'd probably trip over my oxygen tubing.

So here is the bowling team of the Riedel 5

July update

2010-07-13T15:31:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been a fast moving summer for me. The month of June just flew by...and July is doing the same.

Here is a picture taken at Swings and Things in North Omstead, Ohio. David took me and all 5 grandchildren out for a day of bumper boats, go carts and miniature golf.

Thank goodness for my scooter. I tooled around the park for hours (no rides for me).

Here are the future golfers of tomorrow.

Hard to see but they're all on the track racing and bumping. The day was beautiful and there weren't too many in the park. The kids would run off the track and get back on.

I'm enjoying all the time I get with them. We joined a summer bowling program. They get two games a day for free at Roseland Lanes in Twinsburg, Ohio. The only money spent was a summer pass for shoe rental. It's a great way to expend some of the energy they build up and I love to see them improve each week.

I am getting around a lot better this year since my weight loss. I'm still watching and keeping it off. The up and down with the kids is giving me needed exercise.

On the weekends I travel to my friend Linda's house in Akron. Her mom is here from Arizona and we have a lot of fun together. It's a break for me and the kids too.

The kids taught me the game "Apples to Apples" and I taught them how to play what we used to call Michigan Rummy when I was a kid.

Oh that reminds me....look at this picture I took of the house I grew up in.

I lived in this house in Maple Heights, Ohio until 1959 when the family moved to Northfield, Ohio.

We had 5 children, mom,dad and my Russian Grandmother (Bobka) living in this little itty bitty house. There were two bedrooms downstairs and just a large space in the attic. Four of us kids slept up there and my brother John slept in one of the downstairs rooms with Bobka.

I have good memories of baking with Bobka and coming home from school to the smell of freshly baked bread and home made apple butter. Too bad I didn't get the gene for cooking or baking or canning.

My brother Denny and I crept into the cellar to eat the wax off of Bobkas home made strawberry jam. I remember the consequences of that action and we never did THAT again.

Sherry and I used to go to bed planning to wake up in the middle of the night and raid the refrigerator. We didn't wake up often, but one night we each took swigs out of the Vodka bottle that was kept in the refrigerator. I don't think we got caught because we would have been beaten, but the taste kept us from doing that again.

Oh the stories I could tell......

I LOVE BEING GRANDMA LICORICE

Ohio Trip May 2010

2010-05-19T18:34:00.003-05:00

These pictures are a mixture of my Ohio visit, Brian's vacation to Georgia and Teresa's Wedding in Charleston.

My Journey Back to health April 2010

2010-04-07T22:15:00.005-05:00

Wednesday, April 7th

I've had a great first week of April. My friend Teresa and I drove to Charleston to take a look at the beach where she is going to be married on May 15th. Since I'm performing the ceremony, I wanted to see how far I have to walk to get to the beach. It's not too bad and they have a nice ramp from the parking lot to the beach boardwalk. From there I have to walk down about 10 steps to the sand.

Since I've lost over 45 lbs so far, it should be a lot easier for me to manage the walk. I certainly don't want to take my scooter down onto the sand.

We finished her invitations and I have her approval for the vows. Tonight I finished the jewelry she is wearing. I can't tell you much more 'cause it's a secret!

Brian, Danni and the kids made it here from their Georgia vacation at about 3:00 pm.
We're planning to hit GattiTown and maybe the zoo while they are here. I'll be driving back to Ohio with them. I have a Communion and a swearing in ceremony to attend.

My weight loss continues, but I am constantly on my guard. I still have a great deal of trouble judging healthy portion control. It's also inportant for me to actually eat 3-4 meals a day and I absolutely have to eat breakfast. Wayne's been a great help in keeping a ton of veggies in the house. I tried egg beaters for the first time...and they are pretty good. I still miss pancakes, but I gotta do what I gotta do to keep this weight off and keep losing.

Friday, April 16th

So, where am I now? It's like looking for Waldo isn't it?

We left SC on Friday, April 9th. Brian drove my car and Danielle drove the van. We spent the night in Charleston WV in a Ramada with a great indoor pool. The kids were in their glory.

I'm doing OK watching what I eat and the amount...so far so good. I just must stay away from Dairy Queen...my favorite place to take the grandchildren. They have all grown a foot and Mason is almost as tall as me.

All 5 grandchildren are in different sports for the spring/summer. Mason, Alexa and Chase are playing baseball. Morgan and Madison are playing soccor with David coaching Morgan's team.

Before I left SC I received my new oxygen system. The concentrator, which I use during the night is much smaller than the old one. It weights only 30 lbs and is really quiet when running. The unit also has a humidifier attached and does not put off the amount of heat the old one did. In addition I received a POC (portable oxygen concentrator). It's a small machine on a cart that produces oxygen and eliminates the use of oxygen tanks for daily activities. It's a little more cumberson to carry but a lot easier to pull behind me on its wheeled cart. The main reason that I switched to this unit is it's approved for air travel.

It's not that I need oxygen while on the plane, but I do need it getting to and from the plane. Between Medicare and my supplimental insurance, I didn't have to pay anything.

I'm off to my friend Linda's house for the weekend. We are designing T shirts for the upcomming celebration in Akron of A.A's 75th anniversary. I designed a couple of shirts last year, so we are looking for new things this year.

Wayne is doing great and enjoys eating all the things he doesn't eat when I'm home. The house should have the aroma of onions, sardines, garlic and the like.

That's about all that's new in my journey. I am a lot more active when here with the kids, so I hope the weight will continue to drop off. Life is good!

Monday, April 19th

How cool is this.... I'm in Ohio where 2 of my sons live. My 3rd son lives in California and is comming to Ohio and will be at the AF base in Youngstown (about 40 miles fron where I'm staying in Aurora) SO...what's so great about that you ask????

Well... ALL three sons will be in Ohio ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Holy cow, I can't remember the last time all the boys helped me celebrate my BD. Now THAT'S COOL!!!!

House in South Carolina

2010-04-07T18:46:00.005-05:00

Click on this living room picture to see images of our house in Greer, SC.

From House

Home For Sale by Owner

140 Fairway Estates Road

Greer, SC 29651

Shown By Appointment ONLY

For appointment contact: Sandy Coleman

(864) 968-9825

DESCRIPTION
One owner home on a secluded street in an established neighborhood across from the Greer County Club. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, covered porch and patio, laundry room, living room with stone fireplace and a dream kitchen. Lot is .8 acre

DIRECTIONS
Wade Hampton Blvd from GREENVILLE: turn LEFT on Hwy 14 N. go approx 3/4 miles (second light) turn RIGHT on Country Club Road. Go to stop sign and turn RIGHT on Gap Creek then left on FAIRWAY ESTATES ROAD (across from the Greer Country Club) House is 2nd on the RIGHT.

ASKING: $199,900.00

Market Area Greer Country Club Area

Square Feet 2252

County Spartanburg

Property Tax 2009- $737.23 Tax ID Number 9020214300

Year Built 2004

Purchased NEW in May 2005

Number of Acres 0.80 acres

Middle School /HS Greer

STYLE Ranch

Attics: Stairs dropdown in garage and master bedroom closet.

Ceilings: Cathedral/Vault/Trey. Smoke detectors. Linen closet in hallway. White wood slat blinds throughout and decorative/stylish light fixtures. Ceiling fans w/lights in all bedrooms, living room, kitchen and office/den.

Kitchen: (27’3” X 13’4”)Breakfast Bar, dishwasher, disposal, stainless microwave, and stainless double sink, built in stainless range with smooth cook top. All appliances are Whirlpool except the refrigerator which is white and a Kenmore. Vaulted ceiling with shelve above cabinets. Over 50 cupboards/ drawers. Sliding glass doors off breakfast area onto covered back porch.

Entryway: Entryway into kitchen off garage. (7’9” X 7’9”)

Living Room (24’ X 16’9”) Arched doorway from living room to kitchen. Stone fireplace with gas logs, beautiful wooden mantel and stone hearth. Vaulted ceiling, ceiling fan with lights. Recessed light over fireplace.

Dining Room/Den/Office (13’7” X 11’7”) Trey ceiling with ceiling light with fan. Entrance through French doors off living room.

Master Bedroom (17’3” X 14’5”) Walk-in closet (9’6” X 7’7”) with shelves. Attic access with dropdown stairs. Ceiling light with fan (remote control) Trey ceiling, recessed lighting with

dimmer. Whirlpool bath with stone surround. Separate shower. Single sink.

Baths 2.5
#1) Master Bedroom: Whirlpool bath, separate shower, single sink, large closet with shelves.

#2) Main bath: Full bath with tub/shower combo, single sink, large linen closet with shelves.

#3) Half bath off kitchen: Single sink with under counter storage.

Bedroom #2 (15’4” X 13’8”) Ceiling light/fan, carpeted

Bedroom #3 (12’9” X 13’3”) Ceiling light/fan, carpeted

Laundry Room Off hallway beside the kitchen. Laundry sink with hot and cold water, cabinets and shelves.

Exterior Finish Brick Veneer/Vinyl Siding

Foyer (7’10” X 5’10”) Stone floor, guest closet. Front door: etched glass insert with etched glass side windows.

Floors Light beige carpet in great room, hall and bedrooms. Ceramic tile in foyer and master bath, hardwood laminate in the kitchen .

Lot Corner lot 0.80 acre, Cul-de-Sac, Legal Lot Number 2,
Dimensions: 147X148X175X165

Foundation Slab

Exterior Features: Covered Front Porch: Brick and Concrete, approximately 140 square feet with light.

Covered Back Porch: Brick and Concrete, approximately 168 square feet with ceiling fan and light.

Concrete sidewalks from the front porch to the back patio.
Tilt-in thermal windows with Vinyl/Aluminum Trim.

Landscaping Bushes in flowerbeds along the front, side and back.

Garage Features 2.5 car garage: approximately 532 square feet. Two garage door openers. Motion detector light in garage, exterior lighting. Yard door to driveway, partially floored attic with dropdown stairs. Two sets of windows with blinds.

Water/Sewer City water, Septic system with no maintenance except monthly Ridex

Water Heater Gas

Heating/Cooling Natural Gas, Central Forced

March 2010

2010-03-02T14:16:00.008-05:00

March 1st

I know, I've been MIA for a few weeks. Here's the scoop. Brian came to SC to spend about 10 days with Wayne and I studying for the Ohio Bar exam. I picked him up at the Atlanta airport on Sunday, Feb 7th. By Wednesday he was in excruciating pain with a pinched nerve in his neck. We were able to get him into a chiropractor on Friday here is SC but the relief was minimal. Sunday we headed by car back to Ohio to get him into an orthopaedic doctor. Without some type of treatment he wouldn't be able to sit through the 3 day Ohio Bar exam on February 23rd.

Luckily, Danielle was able to get him into a Sports Medicine MD and an acupuncturist. He couldn't take any high powered pain medication 'cause he needed to b e able to think clearly for the tests.

Between the two physicians' treatments, he was able to sit for the bar exam... all three days. We are so proud of the way he handled the entire fiasco. The next step is finding a way to treat the problem on a long term basis.

I left Ohio on Sunday, February 21st and headed to Nashville,TN where Dale was attending a week long conference. We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. WOW is all I can say about that facility. It was great to spend time with Dale since I haven't seen him since October 2009.

Check out this link to see pictures taken at the hotel....
http://picasaweb.google.com/morganalexadesigns/NashvilleGaylordOpryland?feat=directlink

While there I had to eat one meal a day and use Optifast the rest of the time. I passed the 15 week mark on the full Optifast program and had to begin to eat 1 meal a day. It wasn't easy to find something to eat off the menu in the fancy eateries in the hotel. Most of the time I ordered shrimp or chicken without any sides. It worked out pretty well and I didn't eat any bread or anything else.

It was a real test of my will to be with the grandchildren for one week and then be at a fancy hotel for the other week....and NOT eat anything I shouldn't eat. Both Dale and Brian tested me by having peanut butter waffer cookies and potatoe chips within my grasp. My resolve held and I made it through.

I got home from my travels on Sunday, February 28, knowing that I would have to weigh-in on Monday, March 1st. Although anxious about getting on the scale, I knew that I did my best to keep on the program.

TO MY DELIGHT....I lost 9.9 pounds over the two weeks. I am now down a whopping 36.8 pounds.

Life is good!

March 19th

I had blood work drawn on the 10th and it was abnormal. My calcium and the thyroid values were really out of whack. So, today I had to go to my internist and have a little chat.

She increased my thyroid dose and redrew the calcium level. She said the weight loss affects the thyroid and the fact that I need to bump up the dosage may have contributed to the decrease in weight loss. So, once I get the dosage adjusted I probably will begin to see better weight loss results.

I'm happy to announce that I bought a pair of jeans the other day. That's probably not a big deal to anyone but me. I never wear jeans because I find them uncomfortable. Now that I've lost 40 lbs I decided to give them another chance and was pleasantly surprised to find they actually are pretty comfortable. Another perk of losing the excess baggage.

I have an appointment with the dietitian on Monday to put together a plan to continue weight loss while introducing more food into my diet. Since I started eating one meal a day I find that cravings for carbs is lurking just below the surface. It was easy when I was full Optifast because there were no choices to make. Now, I have to put together a meal and I'm having a problem with keeping the meal small.

Have you seen what 3-4 oz of meat looks like? Well, it's a hell of a lot less than I EVER ate at one meal. Gosh, no wonder why I was so fat. Portion control is going to make or break me for sure.

Monday, March 22
So, today officially ends my Optifast Program. I've completed the 21 week program with a total weight loss of 38.2 lbs. Now the hard part starts...actually eating 3 meals a day.

I was so pleased that Dawn, the dietitian, sat down with me for an hour and a half putting together an eating plan with only the foods I like. Now I know exactly what I can have at each meal, staying within the calorie restrictions to continue losing weight. Although I'm thrilled with the weight loss, I still have another 20-25 to lose.

People I haven't seen in awhile really notice the loss in my face and the fact that I'm not huffing and puffing after taking a few steps. I do feel better and I think my stamina has improved.

I'm also happy about the fact that I got the Medicare and BC/BS authorization to get a new oxygen system. My new concentrator weights only 31 lbs, so I'm sure that will make my family happy when they have to carry it to my room when I visit. The system also includes a portable oxygen concentrator (POC) which completely does away with carrying oxygen tanks. Since it's a concentrator itself it provides oxygen on a continuous basis, doing away with the tanks completely. The main reason I got it is it's accepted on all airlines. Because I couldn't carry-on my oxygen tanks on a flight, I really avoided airline travel. Now that I can take the POC with me, I'm a lot more confident that I can make it on a longer flight. So, California here I come!

Tuesday, March 30th

So, I've had a week on real food and it's harder than I thought. My main problem remains... portion control. I never realized that MY portion and the RIGHT portion are not even close in size. I've measured everything and it's a joke to actually see what a third or a half of a cup really is. But, I gotta do what I gotta do to get healthy.

I'm happy to report that I followed the menu that the dietitian set up for me at my last visit. On my scale at home I've lost 5.5 lbs this week. That is another milestone because my loss crossed the 40 pound mark! Whooooo Hoooooo 4 me!

My friend Teresa and I are going to drive down to Charleston this weekend. She is getting married in May on Folly Beach. Since I'm performing the ceremony I'm looking forward to seeing the location before the big day.

Week of February 8th-14th

2010-02-10T16:13:00.005-05:00

Wednesday, February 10th
I know...I have been missing for a while. For the first time since October 16th I gained weight. The first pound I gained was at my weigh-in on January 25th and then to my horror I gained another 1.4 pounds at my weigh-in on February 1st. WOW...I was not happy since I stick to my program and do not eat anything except the drinks and the protein bars.

Luckily I had a doctor appointment on Feb 1st. She feels that it's time to change up a little and add some food. Now, my mind says, "if I add food, I'll gain even more weight." She feels that my body has gotten used to the diet and I must have hit the plateau like most people on any calorie restricted diet.

So here is the breakdown... I had 13 weeks of weight loss and then 2 weeks of weight gain. Dr. Brown said I absolutely have to start eating one meal a day starting the week of Feb. 8th. My total loss is now 26.9 lbs. ('cause I had to ADD 2.4 lbs) and I've lost 12% body fat and my BMI is down from 38.5 to 33.5.

After that meeting I was pissed off at myself and really down in the dumps. I stayed on the Optifast, did not add a meal and didn't go to my meeting on Feb 8th.
I just couldn't face the possibility of another weight gain.

The dilemna is, am I going to listen to the Dr. and add one meal or am I going to be stupid and continue full Optifast?

How come weight is so very easy to put on, and such a bitch to take off???? HUH?

Today is Feb. 10th and Brian is down from Ohio studying for the Ohio Bar Exam. It's much quieter here than at home with three kids. It's such a pleasure having him here. Wayne ordered a pizza the other night and I didn't have any problem not eating it.

Since I can't go out to eat (OH how much I miss going out) we went to the store yesterday and got some grocery items (and snacks) for him to eat. He bought the peanut butter filled waffer cookies that I LOVE!!! It's so funny because I'm so into this diet that I don't even want one.

I'm afraid to begin eating again. Yep, that's it and I said it. Here's what I feel.... IF I eat one thing....I'm going to eat everything! How sad is that?

Also, I'm losing all my hair. The doctor said it happens because of the low calorie Optifast diet but will grow back. So, I can eat and get my hair back, or diet and go bald.
(just kidding)

I've made my decision and I'm going to eat right now. The doctor said I should at least eat some fiber. So Wayne is cooking me up some green beans. No salt and no butter...just beans. Here I go to have my first real food in 15 weeks. I'll be back to let you all know how it went.

______________

I ate my Del Monte green beans. First time I've eaten with a fork since October...nearly stabbed myself in the lip. They were not very good without the butter or salt, but I did OK.

Wayne is going to buy me veggies in a steam bag tomorrow to try. I hope they're as good as fresh veggies. I like the convenience of frozen because so often we wind up throwing out food because we forget about it.

I can have any green vegetables so I'm looking forward to asparagus and brocolli.

The next step is to add 3-4 oz of meat along with the vegetable. As far as the Optifast, I can have the shake or protein bar for 3-4 meals and real food for 1. I'll verify this next week when I go to the meeting. It was not a smart move to skip it... ever hear of cutting off your nose to spite your face?

I am back on the right path I think! Thanks, Mary.

My Journey Back to health January 18-24

2010-01-18T23:04:00.007-05:00

Monday January 18th, 2010

Oh goody....3.8 lbs lost this week. That's very encouraging and maybe getting on the treadmill is the reason. I didn't walk a lot, but I did walk.

So, my total is now 29.3 lbs after 3 months of Optifast. This week I did have a few times where I almost gave it up on the program. I wanted a bowl of popcorn for some unknown reason. I couldn't get the craving out of my mind...but I didn't act on it. I went to bed instead with a copy of Twilight. The thing that really helps me is looking at the amount of money I've spent on the program and their protein bars and shakes.

I was able to get into a pair of slacks and a blouse I haven't worn in a long time, so I am seeing some changes. The problem is I see myself every day and it's not easy to see the weight loss. It must be spread out along every inch of me...although I will say that I notice that the layer of fat under my scalp is almost gone. I remember my sister Sherry telling me, when we were going to weight watchers together, that she knew she was losing weight because her scalp was thinner. Now I know what she meant.

I am having a few problems, but I'm not sure if they are related to the diet, age or just my overall karma....but I'm losing a lot of hair and I'm suffering from insomnia again.
I can go to bed at let's say 1:00 am and just lay there until 6:00 am. I keep thinking that I'll fall asleep, but every time I look at the clock it's an hour or so later but I'm still up. Luckily I don't have anywhere to go in the mornings, but it is maddening. If I had to go to a job it would be almost impossible to function.

The hair loss is expected I guess on the program, because they weren't very concerned about it at all. So, I'm not going to worry about it.

The other good news is that the weather has warmed up. It got into the 60's today.

Friday, January 22nd

I'm bundled up again...enough of this COLD. We had 2 days up in the 60's and 70's and then the cold blew back in.

I'm posting the link to our house that is for sale here in SC. I can't move to Florida until we sell so.... TAKE A LOOK....please!
http://morganalexadesigns.blogspot.com/2009/01/check-out-my-link-for-pictures-of-our.html

I'm hoping to sell by owner to avoid the 6-7% real estate fee. We did list it last year with Prudential, but I don't think they did anything I can't do for myself. Matter of fact, they never even held an open house, which was the main reason I hired them.

Even though most buyers start looking on the internet, I think an open house couldn't hurt. As soon as the weather breaks, I'm going to do open houses on my own.

*******************************************************************

Check out this site where Dale and Jenn got the newest member of their family.
http://www.coastalgsr.org/
They rescued the second dog on the page named Leera. Such a cute puppy who despatately needs Jenn's help with her horrible injury. There is a special place in hell for people who harm animals and a special place in heaven for those who rescue them.

Here is Leera with Libby, they are getting along just fine.

Sleep without fear puppy, you are in good hands now.

Journey back to health Jan 11-17

2010-01-12T15:49:00.001-05:00

Monday January 11

I wasn't going to go to get weighted in today because I was sure I gained weight. Not that I ate anything because I didn't, but because I haven't been out of the house since last Monday. The reason is...it's too cold outside. The minute I get into the cold, my poor old lungs have a fit. Anyway, it sounds like a good viable excuse. NOT!

Anyway, my friend Teresa called me about 1:00 and made me get out of bed. Really...I was going to just stay in bed the entire day. So I got up, got dressed (into a blouse I haven't worn in years) and went off to face the music.

Happily, I lost .6 lbs. I know that's not very much, but it is a loss when I expected a gain. So I can say with delight that I have now lost a total of 25 and 1/2 lbs. That's a little less than half way to my goal.

My journey back to health...January 4th-10

2010-01-05T05:10:00.002-05:00

Monday, January 4th

Well it was bound to happen...this week I hit a plateau. Didn't gain and didn't lose anything. Maybe my fat is just frozen...it's really cold here in SC. lol

Here's a picture of my daughter-in-law Kim who turned 40 today. I guess I won't complain about the cold here in SC when they are dealing with this in Ohio!

December 28- January 3

2010-01-01T18:16:00.000-05:00

Monday, December 28
So another week has passed and my weight loss was 2.4...almost at 25 lbs now.
That's pretty good I guess for not getting any exercise. I still can't bring myself to get to the Y. Sounds like I need a New Years resolution....

Friday, January 1, 2010
It's so cold here in SC. I did go over to Teresa's yesterday. She had a kitchen accident and got 2nd degree burns to her arms and face. Recalling my nursing skills, I rewrapped her arms. I miss working in a doctor's office.

Wayne and I are watching OSU vs Oregon. GO OSU!

Journey back to health December 21-27

2009-12-22T00:54:00.001-05:00

Monday, December 21
Ah...there is good news from my weigh-in....I lost 2.4 lbs. So my total in 9 weeks of Optifast is 22.5 lbs. That comes out to 2.5 lbs/week. I guess that's not too shabby considering I'm pretty sedentary. I'm still trying to figure out why I can't seem to get myself motivated to get to the Y. There is absolutely no reason, none.

On a much more positive note I can compare my lab results.

In October I had the first set of labs and last week I had another. Here are the things that changed for the positive.

Glucose dropped from 119 to 105.
Cholesterol dropped from a borderline high of 236 to a desirable 176. WOW...
Triglyceride dropped from 250 to an amazing 110. Double WOW
Hemoglobin A1C dropped from 6.1 to 5.5.
LDL cholesterol is a little higher..it was 102 and is now 105. Optimal is <100 but I'm classified as near the optimal.

So, a good overall report for me!

Tomorrow, I'm going over to Teresa’s to help her make cookies. Can you believe it! Me making cookies...my boys will tell you...I NEVER made cookies...in my life...ever.

I did try once though..I got a bag of pecans, sat on the kitchen floor and hammered the shells off. I then made pecan and chocolate cookies from the recipe on the bag of chocolate chips. I kid you not...they were as hard as hockey pucks. I had the boys taste them when they were still warm, so they could get them down with a big glass of milk. But when they cooled off..no way could anyone chew through them. In the rubbish they went and I never tried again.

Anyway, it should be fun and I know they will turn out because Teresa is an absolutely fabulous baker. She once made me a carrot cake that was to die for. Wayne and I fought over the last piece and I don't even like carrot cake. (I do now)

My journey back to health December 14-20

2009-12-15T22:06:00.024-05:00

Monday, December 14

I lost another 1.6 lbs this week. That makes 20.1 in 8 weeks. I’m not going to complain because it doesn’t change the scales. I did exercise twice last week and I’m really happy about that. I’m still committed to the Optifast program and in reality I am not having any problem sticking to it. I owe my thanks to Carmel Crunch protein bars!

Tuesday, December 15
I went to the Y alone (Wayne was shopping) and completed everything and more. I did all of the weight lifting machines, walked for 15 minutes and biked for 30 minutes. I’m happy with that. The Y is getting all new weight machines on Thursday and only the cardio part of the workout room will be available.

Today is the anniversary of my sister Sherry’s death from brain cancer. She was 59. She was my best friend and confidant. No one will ever be able to take her place in my heart and mind. Even today, some 8 years later, I still reach for the phone to call her and think to myself… “I’ve got to tell Sherry about this.”

I miss her so very much. She was the only person I let really know me. We could talk for hours about anything and nothing. We shared highs and lows throughout our life together…we had no secrets.
If you have a sister…give her a big hug and cherish the moment…I would if I could.

Saturday, December 19
We've been hunkered down the last few days with this cold front coming up from the Gulf of Mexico. I didn't make it back to the Y this week because they put in all new weight machines on Thursday and Friday. I will get back into the swing of it next week.

I got the most beautiful gift today from my niece Mary K. in Florida. I've just got to show you some pictures.

This is the front of the book. Notice the piano and the penguins. I played piano for years and have an extensive collection of penguins. Both were a big part of my life.

Now the piano is in Dale and Jenn's home in California and most of the penguins are in the bedrooms of my grandaughters.

When I open the book, each side has a cut out portion where decorated cards hang by ribbons to hooks across the top. Each card flips up to reveal another underneath.

Every card has different pictures on it that mark a precious memory for me.

The first page (above) has a picture of Wayne and I taken this year in Captiva, Fl. That's the resort my brother took us to in October. It was a big family reunion for his kids and I am so greatful he included us. David, Kim, Morgan and Madison were able to come from Ohio.

I took pictures of the cards as I flipped through and labelled them so you can tell who is who. I think the dates are correct, but if not, someone let me know.

Isn't that a beautiful work of art? Thank you Mary for a wonderful gift that I will treasure forever.

Now I know why you wanted to know my favorite color. Anyone want to guess??

My Journey back to health December 7- 13

2009-12-07T23:00:00.005-05:00

Monday, December 7
Again, I’m not happy with my weight loss this week. It might have something to do with the fact that I haven’t added exercise to my program yet. But tomorrow I start putting forth some effort with my appointment with the trainer at the Y. Hopefully it will go smoothly unlike last week’s fiasco.

Alright I’ll tell you… I only lost 1.8 lbs. this week. I did see the doctor today and all my labs are just great.

She said I really have to try harder to eat a minimum of 5 meals (shake or protein bar) each day. I’m still only getting 4 in each day.

After my meeting I went to Teresas and helped her wrap all of her Christmas presents. It was a lot of fun, especially since Wayne and I don’t really have gifts if there are no grandchildren around. Looks like this year, we’ll be spending the holidays here at home together. That doesn’t happen too often because I usually go to Ohio or Florida for the holidays and he stays home with the dog.

I may even buy him a present...

Tuesday, December 8
We were off to the Y by 9:15 am. I absolutely love my trainer. She has a good sense of humor and worked with me for about an hour. I now have a set routine that I will do 3-5 times a week. It's geared to upper body strength because when my chest muscles and intercostals are in good shape, my breathing should be less labored.

I will do 30 minutes of cardio (bike or walk) and 4 different upper body exercises on the machines. The machines at the Y are the old kind where you have to put a pin through a slot for the weight you want. Where we used to go, their machines were digital so you just set a number of lbs weight by pushing a button.

Wayne likes his trainer Jeremy and has another appointment on Thursday with him. So, looks like I'll be going back on Thursday for sure.

Thursday, December 10
Back to the Y where I did my first unassisted routine on the bike, treadmill and weight machines. I did everything she wanted...barely! I had to lower the speed on the treadmill from 1.5 mph to 1 mph in order to finish 15 minutes. It was the last thing I did, so I guess I was worn out by then.

Jeremy set Wayne up with his workout schedule, so all in all it was a good day!

Friday, December 11
I'm madly making things for the Barnyard in Greer. I've never done a flea market so this should be very interesting. Teresa and Kevin are meeting me there at 8:00....in the morning!!! Can u believe I'm dragging myself out of a warm bed to make a few bucks?

Saturday, December 12
We had a great time at the Barnyard and thank God Teresa brought a heater. The high was 40 degrees. A couple of us had a sale or two, but nothing to write home about. I did have a man buy the ribbon I was going to use on items I might gift wrap. A lady was looking pretty hard at my wraping paper too! We will do it again, but NOT until the spring or summer.

We went to Pam's house in the evening for a faculty party from Greenville Technical College where I retired from in 2005. I'm so happy that I still get invited, not only to see my friends, but to catch up on the changes.

My journey back to health November 30 - December 3

2009-11-30T19:32:00.005-05:00

Monday, November 30th
OK…I’m DONE!!!
No more sitting on my a$$ waiting for the weight to drop off. I’ve GOT to get myself moving. Thanks for the support from my family in Florida...I’m NOT going to let Michelle walk more than me.

I talked to the dietitian and it’s time to transition into eating real food. I signed up for the 9 week program which has me on Optifast for 6 weeks and then slowly introduces food over a few weeks. BUT…I’ve decided that it would be a big mistake for me to start on food. I would absolutely sabotage myself. I know me too well and food at this junction would just set me back. With that in mind, I changed to the 21 week program. It’s an additional $425.00 because I’ll have more lab work and be monitored by the physician through the 21 weeks.

This way, I can do full Optifast for 12 weeks instead of 6.

Ok, I know you’re dying to know how much I lost this week….ta da… 3 pounds. That’s the most I’ve lost in a week since the very first weigh-in. I’m encouraged by it and know that if I add some exercise I will be able to lose more. Now I have to set a goal to keep me on track. My goal is to lose another 10 pounds by Christmas and to walk and exercise at least three times a week. There it is “A GOAL” that’s obtainable and I know I can do it.

I talked to my brother Denny tonight and told him I would love to come to Fl over Christmas but I know that I wouldn’t be able to stick to my plan. One of the things we do as a family when I visit is go out to eat…a lot.

Eating out is one of the most enjoyable things I do. I love nothing more than to have a meal with family and not have to clean up the kitchen! Plus, my very favorite restaurant of all times in Largo called “Sweet Tomatoes.” If they had one here is SC, I’d be in a lot of trouble.

I know that in order to stay on this program that I have selected to help me; I need to stay home and concentrate on getting healthy. I will however visit Fl soon, just not before Christmas. I figure I need at least 3 months to get a firm grasp on this program and be able to trust myself to be around food again.

So all in all it’s been a good day with a new resolve on my part.

Tuesday, December 1st
So where did this year go??? I can’t believe December is here already.

I did as I said and had some activity today. I lifted some hand weights while sitting at the computer watching a TV show I had streaming from Netflix. With a little push from my friend Teresa, I went to the Y. They set me up with an appointment with the trainer for next Tuesday. I had to wait that long because I specifically wanted a woman. Wayne, on the other hand got an appointment for tomorrow. So I’ll go with him and at least walk for awhile.

I picked Teresa up and went to a cooking demonstration with her. A really cute chef, from Baptist Hospital, cooked beef tenderloin, a salad and some kind of dip. All with ingredients that were low fat, low carb and low sodium. I have to tell you - it smelled so good that I had my first twinge of a hunger pang. But..I only smelled it!

Wednesday, December 2nd
First let me say that at noon today I called the Y to make sure they had Wayne’s Doctor’s release that was faxed to them back in October. The lady at the front desk said that she couldn’t check because she didn’t have access to the files. I told her to cancel the appointment because we weren’t going to drive all the way there to be told that they misplaced his paperwork. She put me to the voice mail of the fitness director and assured me that Lisa was due to come in 15 minutes and that she would call me back. So, I left the message.

And guess what???? Lisa did not call me back….

OK, even though it was the wettest day I’ve seen in awhile with roads flooded all around us…we still went to the Y. I can’t go into too much detail ‘because I’ll just get pissed all over again. Suffice to say, they did have Wayne’s paperwork but DID NOT have him scheduled. Oh Yeah….I drove all the way there yesterday and made the appointment, drove in a freaking’ deluge today and the trainer said “Wayne wasn’t in the computer”.

I thought I was going to have a stroke.

Poor Wayne was saying…just calm down…over and over. I left Wayne to deal with the trainer because I was “this close” to reaming him a new one. Ah…I did sort of raise my voice a little, I guess…

I can’t help it that when I get excited my voice goes up about 500 decibels, what’s a girl to do?

So, here’s what he did “for us.” He made Wayne an appointment at the same time next Tuesday as my appointment so we “don’t have to make two trips.” Yes…I did have him check and make sure I was in the computer and scheduled. As we were leaving, we had to pass the front desk. This is where Wayne decided he didn’t want any part of my “letting them know” their screw up …. he went to get the car.

The lady had the note on her desk that I called earlier and told me Lisa just left the building…oh how convenient. I told them what happened and got a lot of “oh we’re so sorry”. Now mind you, this is the second time that I made an appointment with a trained and was told we were not in the computer. What would you do????? BTW…when we go in next Tuesday, I’m going to bring the appointment card with the date, time and trained on it to prove to the -------- that I indeed had one.

I’m going to have to learn that no matter how people screw up, no one will take responsibility and no one really cares. It must have somehow got deleted from the schedule. I saw the lady type it in the night before and mine was in the computer so…………who’s messing with my appointments??? Huh?

Is that the end of my saga???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

At 8:00 PM guess who called???? Why Lisa of course. She said that she got my message and couldn’t find Wayne scheduled for 2:00, but did have all his paperwork. WTH….don’t co-workers talk to each other anymore? I had to go through the whole thing again with her and get the “so sorry” all over again.

I would have thought, after all we went through that day and the other time the computer ate our appointment… she would have given us one month’s free membership. Would that have been so hard to do?

Nope…just got “I’m sorry that this happened.”

So guess what I did to punish them??? I didn’t go to the Y this week again. Boy…I really showed them huh?

Friday, December 4th
Today we took a ride to the lab and had my bloodwork taken again for the Optifast doctor. Since I changed to the 21 week program there are more labs and more doctor visits. As a matter of fact on Monday I see the doctor again to go over the last two labs.

Saturday, December 5th
Today is Morgan's 10th birthday I can't believe it! Now I have two grandchildren in double digits! They are going to her favorite restautant (and mine) Olive Garden! I sure hope they don't send me a picture of her spaghetti.

BTW...what's this sending me pictures of food? I know I have a sense of humor but...that's hitting below the belt....which BTW is getting looser. lol

My journey back to health November 23- November 29

2009-11-24T00:10:00.006-05:00

Monday, November 23
Another weigh-in with good results but NOT great! I lost 2.4lbs. which makes my total, for being on Optifast 4 weeks, 13.7 lbs. Somehow, I expected it to be a lot more after a full month.

The problem has to be not walking. I know they want me to walk 10,000 steps a day. You know how many I walked yesterday... 57...yes that's right... a whopping 57.

So, my next big decision is when to get started at the Y. I don't have excuses, so the hold-up is totally ME. I'm going to have to do some real thinking about why I haven't gone and made arrangements with the personal trainer. Hummmmmmm?

Sunday, November 29

So, where have I been all week? Nowhere... and that includes the Y. What's holding me back from getting in the car and going to work out??? Absolutely nothing! I really don't know what the problem is...I think I've lost my motivation 'cause the weight is not coming off like I thought it would. BUT... I have not eaten a bite of food...just the shakes and protein bars.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with the nutritionist so maybe I'll find out what I can do differently to jump start my weight loss. It seems like such a waste to spend all this money on a program and have minimal success...but success none the less.

I spent a lot of time this week making more bookmarks. On Friday, Wayne took me up to our local flea market called The Barnyard where I rented 2 spaces. Some members of my SC etsy team are going to try to sell some of our items there on December 12th. It's like the Wagonwheel flea market in St. Petersburg, Fl. where my sister and I used to go.

It's open-air so I hope the weather is good. The nice thing about The Barnyard is that right behind each space is one parking spot. That will make it really easy on me.
Our spaces are in the first building off the entrance, on the left A-7 and A-8.

My Journey to Health November 16 - November 22

2009-11-16T23:30:00.004-05:00

Monday, November 16th Gosh, I don’t even WANT to say how much I lost! I’m bummed! I didn’t eat one bite of food all week and I only lost 2.2 lbs. What the heck is the problem?

Seems I’m not eating enough so my metabolism slowed down. That’s what they said anyway. I’m supposed to eat 5 meal replacements a day… three shakes and 2 protein bars.

Last week I had a sore throat so I only had two meals one day, three meals on 3 days and 4 meals on three days…that’s 12 missed meals for the week. I find it hard to believe that I didn’t lose more weight, but I’m really going to try to eat all five meals each day and see if there’s a difference next Monday.

Teresa and I went shopping tonight to “get me out of the house”. It’s the first time I’ve taken my scooter out since I was in Ohio at the Art Museum. I bought a new scale that measures weight, BMI and water weight. That’s a lot more than a scale used to do huh?

Tomorrow Wayne is taking me to the Clerk of Court in Spartanburg. I just received my appointment as a notary and I have to register the certificate there. Anyone want to get married?

Man, do the Browns suck or what? I liked the sign a fan was holding “rebuilding since 1964”.

There are 5 minutes left in the game and the stands are virtually empty. Doesn’t look too good on Monday Night Football. Last night however, Wayne said he saw one of the best games ever…Payton Manning…his favorite player made quite a comeback.

Tuesday, November 17th
OMG, I've never seen so many cops in one place. We went to the Spartanburg Courthouse to register my notary certificate . There was a metal detector at the front door and the cop went through my purse. I nearly croaked when he pulled out a knife that I had put in there a while back and forgot about. It's a really little one, but he confiscated it.
I felt like a criminal...

Other than that, I'm busy making jewelry for the Holiday Bazaar that I'm having here on Saturday. I sure hope someone shows up.

I ordered some more protein bars from online. Yes...I did buy a few boxes of those great tasting caramel crunch bars. My goal is to limit them to one replacement a day. I swear, I could eat a whole box...they are that good.

Wednesday, November 18th
Nothing new except I'm making a great bunch of earrings. I'm displaying them on a pewter family tree that my niece Mary K. gave Wayne and I for Christmas last year. I took all the family pictures off (they're in a safe place) and hung the earrings on the branches. It really makes a nice jewelry display.

Saturday, November 21
Today I had a Holiday Bazaar at the house and 5 of my etsy friends came and set up a display of the items they make. It was a lot of fun. We decided to get together again at a local flea market called The Barnyard. It’s only $12-14.00 to rent a space. So, we’ll try to get there sometime in December, before Christmas.

Another great thing about the day was that everyone brought goodies to share. It was my first contact with real food and deserts since I went on Optifast. I didn’t have any problem at all and didn't eat a single thing. Yep…not a bite! It felt good not to be obsessed with food. I had a shake right before they came so I was full and not craving anything. It was another first for me...and I did it!!
Sunday, November 22
Today is football day for Wayne and rest up day for me…yesterday wore me out!

My journey back to health 11-9-09 t0 11-15-09

2009-11-10T17:34:00.009-05:00

Monday, November 9th
I lost 2.8 pounds this week. Is it a sin to round it up so it sounds better???

I knew it would be less than last week… so I’m happy but a tad disappointed too.

I spent $100.00 toward the plan fee and bought 10 Chocolate pre-made shakes for $35.00. Oh, and $1.35 for a bottle of Dasani Grape flavored water. Who’d of thought that I’d be buying water... that’s the height of laziness, but it’s so convenient.

I have to admit that buying the pre-made shakes is a real convenience and they are smoother than the ones I mix in the blender. I can get them colder than the mix too.

I also had a meeting with the behaviorist. Since I know myself so well I think I surprised her. Most of the hour I had her in stitches talking about my family.

I had about an hour to kill before my group meeting so I went to the $ store. I guess the holidays are right around the corner huh? I bought a few glasses to put my shakes in…they have snowflakes on them…time to get into the spirit of the season.

Tuesday November 10th
After yesterday’s weigh-in I started walking. I know, I know…I didn’t get the OK from my doctor. That hopefully will happen on Friday when I see her.

I figured if I monitor my oxygen saturation with my pulsox, and keep it above 90, I shouldn’t croak. I ended up walking for 15 minutes on my treadmill.

That’s all I could do without pushing it. Tomorrow’s another day…if I can get out of bed!

You know, when I was healthy, back in 2006, I was walking 2.5 miles per hour at a 5 degree incline…without oxygen. Oh I pray I can get back to that again.

Wednesday, November 11th
Today Wayne took me to get my blood work done for the Optifast program. I have one more to do in December.

We went to Michael’s….50% off one item…couldn’t pass that up; then off to Wal-Mart for some more stuff to put in my water. The Wal-Mart brand is really pretty good and a lot cheaper than Chrystal Light.

Wayne found a bottle of Chocolate syrup (sugar free) so I’ll try it with the vanilla shake. Vanilla is one flavor that I can’t seem to get tasting good. If the chocolate doesn’t work I may have to mix ½ a vanilla with ½ a chocolate shake. Help...I’m running out of ideas!

The last place we stopped was Publix…had to get some yummy ham for the dog. Yep…the dog gets ham. Wrapping his night time pill in a slice is the only way to get him to take it.

I walked again tonight. I cranked my oxygen up to 5 liters per minute. It’s ok… the doctor at the Cleveland Clinic said 5 was good if I was exercising.

Here’s an interesting fact about oxygen therapy. The oxygen is not for my breathing. Really, it’s for my heart and brain. When I was having trouble with my “brain”… or old age, I’m not sure which… the doctor said to wear the oxygen more. So, I thought it would improve my Phase-10 scores with Brian but…. Nooooooooooo...he still beats me every time!

Back to exercise…tonight I did .6 miles in 30 minutes. I was turning the speed up and down as I could tolerate it. OK I’ll admit it…I did stop it one time for about 15 seconds.

So, what more can I do? No food and exercising… I should be a twig in no time!!!

Wayne has been so helpful. The other day, he was going to make fried shrimp, one of my favorites, and he cooked it in the garage so it didn’t tempt me. He has trail mix hidden in his bedroom. He also buys stuff that I wouldn’t eat if it was the last food on earth…like head cheese and spinach bread…yuck! That’s my man!

Thursday, November 12th

Wayne and I watched Pelham 123 the original. The storyline was basically the same as the new one and I was really surprised at the swearing in the movie. I didn’t think they said those words in movies back then. Oh well…we liked it but I liked the new one better.

Today I didn’t walk on the treadmill. My knees are a little sore. I didn’t wear walking shoes and I’m paying the price. What did I wear you ask...why slippers of course.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with my doctor…hopefully my echo cardiogram is good enough so I can start working out. If not, I’ll have to cancel my membership because I know Wayne won’t go if I can’t. I’ll let you know tomorrow…wish me luck!

Friday, November 13th

What a great day! My doctor signed the form to let me work out at the Y.

My echocardiogram was the best it’s been in 4 years. When I was really sick, back in 2005, my ejection fraction was 30%. The test I had last week shows it at 60%.
That is really, really good news.

All labs were good too so I have no excuse not to get off my butt and start getting this body back in shape.

Today was the last broadcast day for three of my favorite TV shows. Tru TV (used to be Court TV) took Ashleigh Banfield, Jack Ford and Jamie Floyd off the daytime court shows because they are moving the show from NY to Atlanta. Tru TV is owned by CNN who has made some really bad decisions in the last couple of years. They went from informational programming to this reality “crap”. They have completely ruined the station IMHO. Although the programs continue they will have different hosts and who knows what else will change.

I’m really sick about it as I loved watching real court cases. I’ve watched court TV since it became popular back during the OJ trial. I’ve learned enough to be able to understand Brian and Dale when they talk about the law.

Today I watched 7 episodes of Flashforward. Brian told me it was a good show so Tivoed it but never watched it. Boy...once I started...I couldn't stop. It was like watching 24...I couldn't wait until the next scene. Like 24, it moves pretty fast and kept me on the edge of my seat. So, what's up with the kangaroos?

Sunday, November 15th
I’ve spent the last few days making a ton of zipper pulls and earrings. Next Saturday a few friends and I are having a Holiday Bazaar at my house. We’re all members of etsy and sell our handmade items online. So we thought, why not get together, bring our stuff and invite our friends, families and neighbors to come and possible do some holiday shopping.

Here's a link to the flyer I put together. Feel free to come if you live in the upstate.
Upstate Holiday Bazaar

Today was a special day for my three granddaughters. David bought them all tickets for the Miley Cirus concert in downtown Cleveland. David is so thoughtful, he originally bought the tickets for Kim, Morgan, Madison and himself…but decided to let Alexa go in his place. Then to make the night extra special for the girls, he surprised them and hired a limo to take them. When they went to pick up Alexa, Brian told her Miley was in the limo. They all went out to dinner before the concert so Chase and Mason got to ride to the restaurant in the limo with the girls. What a wonderful, sweet and loving thing to do. David…you ROCK!

David left his truck at work so the limo driver dropped him off to get it…then David killed about 4 hours then went back to pick the girls up.

Here is a picture of the girls at the concert. Kim is there with them so don’t freak out!
Someone had to take the picture.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DALE AND JENN

Tomorrow I weigh in again. It’s been three weeks since I started this journey and I simply can’t believe I’ve gone three weeks without one bit of real food. Isn’t it amazing what you can do with a little motivation???

My Journey back to health November 2 to November 9

2009-11-04T17:04:00.037-05:00

Monday, November 2nd
6.3 lbs. WhoooooooHooooooo! How about that for one week??? I'm really happy with that loss. I figured about 3 lbs max. I paid my $100.00 program fee and bought 10 of the chocolate shakes that are premade. So, cost today was only $135.00.

We dropped Griffin off at the vets this morning and picked him up about 4:00. The surgery went well and they said they got it all. He needs to return on Thursday for an antibiotic shot. There's no way we can give him a pill...he'd bite your arm off. They also put him in a collar to keep him from licking the incision. Now that's funny to watch. He bumps into everything and can barely see over the collar. He smells like a barn… seriously, I had to clean him up, there was green “stuff” under his chin and along his side. Even after trying to wash him off a second time…he STINKS.

Tuesday, November 3rd
Gosh the weather is like summer. Today it’s 70.

Wayne bought some extracts to add to the shakes. I tried banana and it’s really pretty good in the vanilla mix. I’ve cut way down on the water I add to the mix. You can add 6 to 10 oz. so I use 6…mix it in the blender and then pour it over ice. I think when I was grinding the ice cubes in the mix, it just added to the amount I had to drink and diluted the taste.

I need to buy some protein bars, but refuse to pay $17.00 for 7 of them at Nutrition Solutions. I’m going to buy it online where it’s $10.00/box of 7.

Wednesday, November 4th

Anyone happy to see that the republicans won in NJ and Virginia?

I sold three banner sets from my etsy shop over the last two days. Isn’t it funny how I can go a month or two without a sale and then get a few on the same day? Here’s what the finished products looked like…

Shops on etsy are getting ready for the holidays and like to change out their banners. Lucky for me...they bought mine!

I made a website for a friend and evidently messed it up the last time I worked on it. She called me last night to say she got an email from a potential buyer who couldn’t access her site. Looks like no one could access it since the middle of October when I attempted to utilize Google’s webmaster tools to get the site more visible in searches. I remember doing something in the total DNS access page on Go Daddy.com where I host her domain. I had to call tech support which I hate to do. They always treat me like a 10 year old. Anyway…this guy John took a look and told me what I did… and he kept reassuring me that he could fix it.
So…time will tell. I still can’t access the website but he said it might take some time, like 48 hours or so. I sure hope he fixed it because it took me 4 months to build.

Wayne and I watched “The Taking of Pelham 123” last night. It was good…what movie with John Travolta and Denzel Washington wouldn’t be…only problem is the language is really pretty bad. It’s the first movie I’ve watched since I came home from Ohio in September. Just not in the mood plus not much is out that I’m hot to see.

Griffin still smells like a sewer! Wayne called the vet, but there's no one there. We have to get him bathed...he really smells...and I swear it's getting worse.

Another thing, I placed an order on-line at BariatricChoice.com I decided to try the protein bars from another company to save money. I spent $57.94 and got:

4 boxes of BariWise Crispy Bars: Peanut Butter, Lemon Meringue, Cinnamon Raisin and Double Chocolate.

1 Box WonderSlim Shake
1 Box BariWise Bar (Caramel Crunch)

Each box has 7 bars/shakes in it. The Crispy bars were $9.99/box, the Caramel Crunch was only $7.99/box and the shakes were $9.99/box. I figure I saved a ton because a 7 count box of Optifast protein bars is $16.99 and the shakes are $20.49/box. Hope they compare in ingredients and taste better then the Optifast!!

Thursday, November 5th
First thing I want to talk about if Griffin. Wayne took him this morning to get a bath. They called about 3:00 and said we could pick him up. The receptionist said the smell came from his EARS….for God’s sake!! She said both ears were horribly infected, but that they cleaned them out and packed them and put medicine in them so we don’t have to do drops. (This dog will NOT tolerate me putting drops in his ears…past experience). So I asked…”You mean that green stuff all over him was infection from his EARS???” She said probably. OMG I was steaming. How could they even operate on this poor dog with bilateral ear infections????

SO, that means they never even looked in his ears before surgery. I thought (and Jenn confirmed) that one doesn’t begin a surgery without a cursory, once over of his general health, like his weight; listen to his heart etc. which should include looking in his ears.

Another thing… how could they release him to us that way???? I know, thinking about it in retrospect, we should have taken him back on Monday when we picked him up and got a whiff. But the poor dog was shaking like a leaf and we just wanted to get him home. My bad.

I think it’s time to get a new vet… too bad Jenn is so far away.

Friday, November 6th
I went to have blood drawn today in preparation for my doctor appointment next Friday. While I was there I asked if someone could see me because I have a horrible sore throat.

It started on Tuesday….after I choked on my pills. I thought I was a gonner…my airway was completely blocked …I looked at Wayne and thought… OMG I don’t want to die this way he will never get over it. Really, that was what came to mind. I don’t mind going, but not in front of him he’d have a stroke! Anyway, I’m still here and VERY grateful but this sore throat is killing me. I think maybe the pills that melted in my throat may have irritated the tissues or maybe the hour long coughing jag I had caused the soreness. I got an appointment for later in the day with the PA. The PA looked in my throat and said it looked OK. I asked if she was sure as it really hurt on the right. Nope…she said both sides “Look the same.” My lungs however are congested, so I got an antibiotic.

OK here’s the rub… I got home and got out my 10x magnifying mirror and a flashlight and said “Ahhhhhhhh…” Guess what I see? On the RIGHT is a, shall I say pustule, (sorry, but that’s what it is). I’m beginning to think there are no competent people left in the world. I think the treatment is the same either way, so I’m just happy she didn’t send me on my way without an antibiotic.

When I got home I had a box waiting. The order from Bariatric Choice was here. That’s fantastic because I ran out of the bars and I really like them. Took them only 2 days to get it here.

Since I have to take my antibiotic with food…I decided a Caramel Crunch Bar would count.

It was FANTASTIC!! Better than any candy bar I have ever eaten. I’ll have to treat it as a “Treat” because I can see me eating 5 of them a day and not drinking the shakes. The shakes have all the vitamins and minerals in them so I really need to get 3 a day down. But I’d eat this bar if I wasn’t on a diet.

Finally, after 2 calls to Go Daddy...they got the website I made running again. So, if you need a Christmas gift for someone who likes inspirational items this is the site to go to. Linda has some really neat T shirts, some of which I designed, the cutest little stuffed camels and great keychains. BTW, the highest priced item is $20.00. Take a look and get your orders in...
http://www.lindahenrettadesigns.com/

Saturday, November 7th
Poor Griffin…he’s still in the collar and will be until the stitches come out on Thursday. I hate to laugh but he is funny, running into the walls with the collar and bouncing back.

I’m still doing great on the diet. I did reach for a banana the other day again…old habits die hard. Those Caramel Crunch Bars I told you about yesterday are going to be my downfall. Luckily I only bought one box (7 bars). They are sooooooo good that I could eat them all at one time. I’m serious!

My throat is still killing me, so I guess I’m lucky to be on a liquid diet…although drinking hurts too. Just waiting for the antibiotics to kick in.

Sunday, November 8th
Well, tomorrow is my second weigh-in and I also have a meeting with the behaviorist at Nutrition Solutions.
Since I didn’t cheat at all, I think I should have another good weight loss. I’m pretty sure it won’t be six pounds again. They told me that the first week you lose a lot of water weight.

I’ll know pretty soon!

My journey back to health October 26 to November 1

2009-10-26T22:00:00.032-05:00

Sunday, November 1

Tomorrow is the big day…my first weigh-in. I really did a great job with the meal plan and didn’t cheat one time!

Saturday, October 31

Another quiet day at the Colemans. Wayne spent the day watching college football and I spent the day freaking out because my computer acted up. I was sure I lost everything. I was on the internet and wanted to open a Word document. Word hung up and I couldn’t open or close the program. I even brought up the Task Master and couldn’t get out of word there either. One of my really bad character traits is my inability to be patient so after a few minutes I restarted the computer.

As that was being done I saw that Windows Update was attempting to install 2 new downloads. So I patiently (for me) waited until the 2 downloads were installed. Then the computer continues to shut down. That damn little blue circle went round and round and round and round…nothing was happening. By this time my heart was racing and I didn’t know what to do. So…I held down the off button until the computer shut off.

The next hour was not pretty. To make a long story short…I finally got everything working by restoring my system to a point about two weeks ago. OMG I thought I was going to have a stroke.

As soon as the net was up and running I went to Carbonite and bought a year subscription to their backup software. I’ve been meaning to do that for a few weeks and did some research on the products available. I couldn’t decide between Carbonite and Mozy. I went with Carbonite because it’s rated the best by Kim Komando on her site and on nextadvisor too. It will take hours for the site to backup my files but once the initial backup is done it continues in the background updating any new or changed files.

I got a little creative with my shakes today. I have to find a way to make the vanilla palatable or I’m going to have a bunch of expensive white powder to get rid of. For my first shake I cut the water back to 6 ounces and added two tablespoons of the caramel syrup to the mix. Instead of blending the ice with it, I just poured the mixture over a glassful of ice. In this way the amount I had to drink was less and I think using ice cubes actually made the drink colder than if I crushed it into the shake. The next one I made the same way but instead of caramel I put the raspberry syrup in the mix. I also had two protein bars… that makes 4 meals for today. I’m supposed to have 6, but I’m just not hungry.

I’m surprising myself by drinking 64 oz of water a day. I’ve never been a water drinker but I’m determined to follow the program to a T. Crystal Light is a great product to make water actually tasty.

On a lighter note:
Every night Wayne gives griffin a piece of ham with a pill in it. It's a treat for the dog and it's the only way we can sneak the pill past his tongue. Tonight Wayne left the ham out on the kitchen sink. When I went in to make my shake I unconsciously reached out for the ham. I stopped myself before I actually took a piece, but I found it funny how I just did it without thinking. I've got some really bad habits to break in the coming weeks.

Hope you all had a great Halloween…. Mine was candy free for the first time EVER!

Friday, October 30
I had my Cardiac Ultrasound this afternoon and on the way home stopped by our veterinarian about Griffin (our 17 year old mutt). When Dale and Jenn were here, Dale found a lump on Griffin and Jenn said it looked like melanoma. So, I scheduled him for surgery on Monday to have it removed. There’s not much we can do except remove it and hope it hasn’t spread.

I was able to get in 2 shakes and 3 protein bars today. I’m not feeling hungry at all which I really find surprising. I thought I’d be starving but that’s not the case at all. If anything, it’s hard to get 6 meals in at all. I seem to be only able to do 5 a day but I think that’s what I start next week anyway. The first week is supposed to be 6 meals because they don’t want you to be hungry at all. Having the meals spaced 2 ½ - 3 hours apart keeps your blood sugar at a good level…no real highs no real lows. It must be working….

Tomorrow is Halloween and we are NOT having candy in the house. We’ll turn off all the lights so no one comes begging. Truth is, we’ve been here 5 years and haven’t had one single trick or treater. Of course that didn’t stop me from buying Snickers, Bit O Honey, and other goodies…knowing full well that I would get to eat them.

Thursday, October 29th

Not much to report today except that I got through another day. I’m having a little problem getting down the vanilla shakes. I’ve tried mixing in both the caramel and the raspberry syrup and it’s pretty bad. I did get one strawberry and one chocolate down.

The problem is I bought two boxes of the vanilla shakes. I’ll keep trying to find something to mix in. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to let me know.

Wednesday, October 28th

Another day over and I made it with NO CHEATING! Really, I can’t believe it myself.

I couldn’t do the three shakes… I had the chocolate powder this morning mixed with one once of caramel syrup. It was pretty good and I blended a ton of ice into it. It took me 45 minutes to finish it. I sure do miss my hot tea in the morning (or when I get up for those of you who know me, I don’t crawl out of bed until late morning). I can’t drink tea without milk so I just decided not to have it at all. I looked up in the cupboard and saw that Wayne has 6 boxes of Lipton tea bags in my stash; I hope they’re still good when I start drinking it again.

Later in the day I made a strawberry shake and I didn’t care for it very much. The one I had yesterday was premixed and I thought it was good. Maybe I need to blend a little longer next time. In between the two shakes I had 3 of the protein bars. That’s 5 meals for the day…but I should be doing 6.

The Lemon Meringue bars are awesome! My grandma used to make lemon meringue pie every time I spent the night at her house. So…I think of her and remember all the good times we had. She would take me on the bus from Nelson Avenue to downtown Cleveland. We’d go to the basement of the May Company and have a malted milkshake and always bought me licorice from a small candy store on Cleveland Square. Now that I’m a grandma I so appreciate all she did for me and how special she made me feel. You know what??? My grandchildren all call me Grandma Licorice… How cool is that?

Tuesday, October 27th
I was up early this morning so I could go to the doctor with Wayne. He had a couple of old people’s barnacles frozen off his back, chest and forehead. It didn’t hurt me a bit!

In addition he had an A1C because his glucose numbers are slowly getting higher. As a result, he’s now going onto diabetic medication.

What I bought today:

While we were out I did some more shopping. I went to the World Market to get some syrup to add to my Optifast shakes. I picked up a large bottle of Caramel and a tiny bottle of Raspberry. I’ll give them a try in the next shake I fix.

A stop at Nutritional Solutions was necessary because I need some of the protein bars. Originally I was just going to go straight liquids, but I tried a couple of the bars yesterday and they were pretty good. The brand is Health Wise not Optifast. They are going to phase out this brand so I figured I best get loaded up before they are gone. I got 3 boxes: Lemon meringue, Cinnamon Raisin and Double Chocolate. The price however about put me into cardiac arrest. Each box has 7 bars and the price I paid was $16.99 which works out to $2.42 a bar. My total spent on the bars was $50.97.

Since I’ve never bought supplement bars I have no idea if that is price is good or not. Does anyone know? I’m going to google the brand and see if I can get them cheaper online. I think a look on ebay might be in order too.

Wal-Mart was our next stop. I got 3 boxes of Chrystal Light drink mix @ $2.50 each and one box of an off brand for $1.79. Colace was on my list so I found a generic brand for $3.78. So all in all I spent another $73.99 on things to help me stay on this program.

I was able to get in 2 shakes and 3 protein bars. I really like the protein bars and could probably just get by with them. Unfortunately, I’m only supposed to have 2 per day.

I went online and tried to find these Health Wise protein bars that I like so much. The company only sells them to weight loss centers. I did find some other brand that looks promising for $9.99 a box of 7. That sure beats the $16.99 a box I paid today.

You know if I spend all this money on the shakes, I won’t have any left to buy new clothes. I certainly hope I have that dilemma.

Tomorrow I’m going to do at least 3 shakes and add the Torani Syrups I bought.

Monday, October 26th

The group meeting:
The first thing I did was go to the Group meeting at 10:00... can u believe I was up and functioning that early?? The topic was "body image". Mine's not too hot right now. I enjoyed the presentation and got to talk with a few people. There were a few average weight people there, so I see that the program works.

Vital Signs: I weighed in, had my BP taken (120/70), had a Body Composition Analysis and an ECG.

Meeting with Dr. Browne:
I really liked her and we talked about my history, meds, labs, tests and then she explained the program she wants for me.

History:
There is nothing in my history or my current health that prevents me from doing this program. I was a little worried that all the meds I take might be an issue but... NOT SO...yeah!

Lab work:
The good news is that my HDL (good cholesterol) is great @ 84. But, as I expected, my cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL cholesterol results were all high.

The shocking lab results were my glucose and AIC results were both high.
Holy crap!!!! That means I'm heading toward diabetes if I don't get this weight off. It's ironic that I didn't mind when students practiced venipuncture on me in class... I used to come home with bruises all up and down my hands and arms. I believed that they needed to have a "real" person to stick not one of those plastic arms. Now, if there is a chance that I'd have to give myself insulin shots...I'm freakin' out. NOT GONNA HAPPEN... when I lose this weight the numbers should drop into the normal range.

I was impressed with the amount of lab done. It was really comprehensive and even included a full thyroid panel with TSH, T4,T3 uptake and Free thyroid index.

Another nice thing was that I received a copy of all the tests without even having to ask. Now I can take them to my doctor in a few weeks.

ECG:
I am happy to report that this was normal. I've had myocarditis in the past and always look for my T-waves to be inverted. Now THAT would NOT BE GOOD!

Body Composition Analysis:
OMG...These numbers are embarrassing. I know I'm overweight (OK FAT) but I sure hate to see real numbers, ranges and percentages that prove it. So, my Body Mass Index (BMI) puts me in the World Health Organization classification at Grade II Obesity (there's only one grade that's higher than that). Fat % should be 36% and I'm at 50%. No wonder I floated in the pool at Captiva. I just bounced along sitting on my purple noodle like a fishing bobber. Fat Mass is 112 - the desired number at the top of the range is 62. So what have I learned???? I have a lot of work to do and I'm ready to do it! Also, my hydration level was at 36%... I don't drink enough water. This too shall change.

Pedometer:
Yep, I bought one. I need to put it on in the morning and take it off at night. Right now Dr. Brown agrees that I shouldn't get into an exercise program for a few weeks. But, I can keep track of the # of steps I take in a day, eventually working up to 10,000. "Do pigs fly yet?" Naw...just kidding, I know I can get there. I just have to be realistic and build up to it. So, I put it on after I got home at about 1:00 pm. So far today I walked 409 steps. Most of them were trotting (literally) to the bathroom since I already drank 48 oz of water and had a couple of shakes. Janet at the center showed me her pedometer at about noon...she had over 5,000 already today. Oh yes, I have a lot of work to do.

What I paid today:
$100.00 towards my enrollment fee.

$39.99 for the pedometer

$29.99 for a 30 day supply of a fiber additive. I imagine I can get it cheaper or use Benefiber instead, but it was there...on the shelf...calling me. You're right, I was too lazy (and tired) to go to the store. Anyway, this stuff is colorless, odorless and GRITLESS... I mixed a dose with a Strawberry Shake and really didn't taste it at all. OK, back to what I spent... So that's $1.00/day to ward of constipation which can be a problem on Optifast. Darn, I was looking forward to chewing the bark off a tree. I also have to get some Colace and keep the ExLax handy. Sorry...too much information huh?

Optifast: I need to have 6 meals a day during this first week. So, I bought 5 boxes of the powdered shakes @ 20.49 per box. 2 chocolate, 2 vanilla and 1 strawberry. Some of the women gave me hints for increasing the tastiness of the shakes by adding flavoring. They were so helpful... thanks ladies!

I had a coupon for $100.00 off the drinks and $5.00 off the pedometer. Drum roll please.... the total paid today was $175.09 including tax.

What I had today
1 strawberry shake, 1 chocolate shake, 1 Double Chocolate Bar, 1 Cinnamon Raisin bar (these were given to me to try when I signed up and were not Optifast bars. They were actually pretty good, I'm going to see if I can buy more)

My journey began today and I survived it.

It's almost midnight and I still have to drink at least one more shake and another 16 oz of water.

Feelings:
Overall I had a great day. I met some very nice women. One in particular really made my day....I was paying for my food and Kim, a lady I talked to in the hall while waiting to see the doctor, came over and handed me a paper with her phone number on it. Wasn't that a nice thing to do???? She invited me to call her anytime.

When I got home I sat down and explained everything to Wayne. He is still a little skeptical about my commitment to really do this. I can't blame him because I've said I was going to do things in the past and my resolve only lasted a few days. I really feel that this time I will change in my life and I will be successful. I have to do it for me and for my health.

I have to admit that I thought about the ice cream in the freezer and the hot fudge in the refrigerator. I had these thoughts "no one would know", "I can wash the bowl so Wayne won't know", "I'll really start this diet tomorrow", "I'll have a small bowl"... and guess what??? I DIDN"T ACT ON THEM.

My journey back to health

2009-10-16T21:39:00.025-05:00

Preparation... 10-16-09 to 10-24-09

I am keeping a journal here on my blog of my journey to better health through weight loss and exercise. I'll start a new post every week and do a running log for that week only. That way, if you're following me, the most recent week will be at the top and you won't have to scan through old posts to find it.

My feelings and thoughts, in addition to helping me, may encourage someone else to take control of their own life. I've always tried to find the easy way out or a quick fix to problems... this time I realize there is no quick fix and I'm ready to accept that and finally get moving in the right direction. My hope is that I can stick to my program because talking about it will keep me focused.

10-16-09

This is me...Sandy...this picture was taken in May of 2009

This is Wayne and me in 2006. I was about 160 lbs and feeling pretty good. It's my goal, to get back to this weight. I was on a pretty high dose of prednisone at the time so my face is full due to the side effects.

The lights of my life...my grandchildren.

Time for a little story I was staying at David & Kim's house earlier this summer...Morgan and Madison were heading off to bed. They had a candy bar or some sort of candy on the kitchen table. Morgan kissed everyone goodnight and started up to bed with the candy. Kim said, "Morgan, leave that on the table" to which she replied, "But grandma will eat it!" I nearly peed my pants laughing...out of the mouth of babes. This was a real "moment" for me because she was right...I probably would have.

A little background information:
I’m 62, have emphysema and need to lose weight and get into a healthy state of mind or I won’t be around to enjoy my family and grandchildren. I realize that I have got to make some serious changes in my life now. I decided to commit to a weight loss program and an exercise program before it's too late.

I had a dream job, as a college instructor doing what I always dreamed of doing…teaching radiology…my profession… at the college level.

I started teaching as an adjunct professor in 1990 at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Fl. In order to get a position as an instructor I had to get a college degree. So, in 1990 at the age of 43 I went to USF. It took me 9 years (I worked full time as an x-ray technologist, taught as an adjunct and went to college). I received my M.Ed. in Instructional Technology and Curriculum Development and went on to a part time position at Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Fl. In 2000 I moved into a full time position as the Clinical Coordinator in the Radiography Program at Greenville Technical College in Greenville, SC. I worked for 5 years until I ended up in the hospital for 3 weeks with MRSA and an exacerbation of my pulmonary disease. I was really in bad shape at that time and had to take four months off from teaching. In April I returned to the classroom and attempted to keep up the pace of teaching, doing clinical visits and all the extra committees and meetings required of the teaching staff.

In October of 2005 I began a downward spiral…to this day I don’t know what triggered it, but I assume it was because I couldn’t keep up with my responsibilities as an instructor due to my failing health. About this time I was put on oxygen with exertion. How embarrassing that was to drag that tank with me. I also was on a nebulizer every 4 hours.

The changes came on gradually, but brutally. I couldn’t eat or sleep and was just on my last nerve every minute of the day. I went to my pulmonologist begging to be put into the hospital. Looking back, I’m pretty sure I had a nervous breakdown because I couldn’t cope. I finally went to the emergency room and insisted on being admitted or being put onto something to help me calm down. Finally I was give medications to calm me down and help me sleep. I lasted until December 5th, 2005 when I had to quit my beloved job and go on disability retirement. I did it to myself through smoking and now I was going to pay for it. I began to gain control of my life after a few months and decided to look into new procedures available for COPD sufferers and found a research study at Cleveland Clinic.

The study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the IBV Valve System for the treatment of severe emphysema. The research was experimental to help patients with acute and chronic conditions of the lung. As a believer in research I was thrilled to get into the selected group and to participate. An additional incentive is the fact that two of my sons live in the Cleveland area so I had free room and board too! I really worked hard to get into shape so the company would accept me into the study. I lost 50 pounds and went into pulmonary rehab at St Francis Hospital. Wayne and I went three times a week from January until June. I was up to walking on the treadmill for 50 minutes at a speed of 2.5 miles per hour. In addition I was working on machines to strengthen my muscles, especially chest muscles used for breathing. I was really proud of my accomplishments.I went into Cleveland Clinic in June, 2009 and had the surgery. Here is a link to the research information http://spiration.com/ the valves didn't work for me and I had to have them removed after about a month.
At this point I think I gave up on myself and lost hope. I quit going to rehab and started to gain my weight back. I lost sight of the fact that my illness was progressive but that my quality of life depended on being a healthy weight and being as fit as possible.

My wake up call...
This summer I spent months with my sons and grandchildren in Ohio. The limitations I experienced were almost overwhelming. Even small trips out to the store or to a park were nearly impossible. In October we took a trip to Captiva, Fl with my brother and I had a rude awakening about my deteriorating health. Thank goodness he brought along a golf cart to help me get around the resort. I could hardly function at all. Walking just a few feet in the heat nearly put me into respiratory arrest. I couldn’t catch my breath and would have to stop doing whatever I was doing and rest until I could breathe again.

Denial bit me in the ass….I took a good look at myself a few weeks ago and saw how much my health has deteriorated. I have gained all my weight back....plus about 20. I can't walk across the room let alone a mile and my breathing is getting worse. I'm on oxygen at 2 liters at night, but find that I need it during the day if I'm attempting to do anything around the house. Getting dressed is a major feat and taking a shower exhausts me for hours. So it’s decision time… I either have to take charge of my life and get back in control or… continue on this downward spiral until my health is completely gone.

The hardest part is getting started...
Today I signed up at Nutritional Solutions in Greenville for help with weight loss. The program I chose is 9 weeks with doctor supervision. The 21 week program is still open to me, but I want to make sure I can do it before I commit to 21 weeks. The cost was $949.50 of which I paid $249.00 down and owe $100.00/week for 7 weeks. I saved $250.00 because there is a special on now with 1/2 off the down payment fee. It's usually $499.00. I received a notebook and program information, a lab form to have blood work done, a bag full of the products to try before I buy and an appointment with the doctor for October 26th. I can't start the program until I see the doctor and she goes over my history and the labs. I'm feeling positive about this because I know after I lose about 20 lbs. I will be able to get back into exercise. I also joined the Y and will begin once I get the OK from the doctor. I decided to blog about my journey, hoping that I’ll stay on track if I write down what I'm doing as I go along.

I will probably write a new post each week and put the most recent post at the top of my blog. We’ll see how it goes…this is a work in progress.My sweet hubby Wayne is very supportive and will probably join me on this journey. He’s in excellent health for his age of 81 and I might need his help getting around to the different meetings and appointments. So, when I talk about Wayne…you’ll know who he is…

And now it begins......

Tuesday 10-20-09

Tomorrow I'm going to go for my lab work and then see the doctor on Monday.

I finally got my flu shot today. Since I have to attend weekly meetings on this program I sure don't want to catch anything. The flu would probably put me in the hospital...thank goodness for hand cleaners. Now if everyone would just cover their mouths when they cough...ahem...

We went to Sam's and bought a blender to mix the Optifast powders. I think that they are cheaper than the pre-made ones.

My friend has just gone through gastric bypass surgery and is having a hard time getting enough protein down. She's an inspiration to me because if she can take that drastic step I certainly should be able to stick to a program for 9 weeks.

Time to taste the Optifast

The vanilla pre-made drink took me about an hour to drink. Not the best taste (doesn't compare with a MacDonald’s shake) but palatable.

I tried their berry bar and their peanut butter bar. They gave me samples to taste before I buy an item. Each is 170 calories and can be substituted for a meal. I finished the Berry one, but the peanut butter one got pitched. I have one more to try, it's the chocolate bar and I'm saving that for Sunday.

Wednesday 10-21-09

A visit to the YMCA...
Wayne and I started the day at the YMCA checking out the facility. It has a large pool with lap lanes. Problem for me is that the chlorine smell was overwhelming and I wouldn’t be able to stay in that environment for very long. As we get into a routine, I need to find out when they chlorinate and avoid those times. There is also a sauna and a hot tub. They don’t provide towels or locks for the lockers.

The exercise room was much smaller than I expected, but had three huge TV screens and they had Nancy Grace playing on a TV in the lobby….my kind of place.

A visit to the lab...
After the Y we went to Spectra lab in Mauldin. That’s where Nutrition Solutions has an account.

Thursday 10-22-09

Wayne and I went to the Y today for an orientation on the machines. Jeremy showed us how to use every machine but we can’t see the personal trainer until we get medical clearance from our doctors. In my case that’s two of them, my internist-Dr. Bray and my Pulmonologist-Dr. Hollinger. Why do they make it so difficult to get into an exercise program???? Come on guys… I’m not trying to run a marathon after all.

I made an appointment with Dr. Bray for tomorrow and I’m hoping that my pulmonologist, who saw me last week, will fill out the form without needing another appointment.

Friday 10-23-09

It looks like I won’t be going to the Y for a few weeks at least. The doctor wants me to have a few tests before she’ll sign off on the Medical Clearance Form. I need an echocardiogram and some more labs. I swear if it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all…. My recheck with her is on Friday the 13th of November… hope that’s not an indication of things to come…

Wayne’s doctor filled out his form and already faxed it to the Y.

I will start the Optifast 800 on Monday regardless and will begin to walk on the treadmill here at home.

Saturday 10-24-09

Today I had lunch with Norma (bannercelebrations) , Hazel (nascarnanna) and Rosemary (minniemaes) who are members of my SC etsy street team. We try to get together once a month to talk about etsy and how our shops are doing. It's great to network with others trying to sell their handmade items on-line. We decided to get together again in November at my house for a Holiday Bazaar where members can bring their items to sell and invite family and friends to shop. Sounds like a great idea to me! Since I'm always looking for something to organize, this is right up my alley.

Sunday 10-25-09

Today is a gloomy day in SC, but I feel pretty good. Beginning in the morning I won't have to worry anymore about what to eat. Meals (drinks) will be lined up in my frig... what will I choose??? vanilla, chocolate or strawberry?

Team South Carolina Give Away

2009-10-16T08:38:00.003-05:00

Enter now for your chance to win 12 items from South Carolina artisans. Just leave a comment on our blog for a chance to win!!!

http://scstreetteam.blogspot.com/2009/10/team-scs-sample-box-giveaway-enter.html

If you'd like to purchase a SAMPLE BOX of items created by members of our etsy team, they are available in our team shop located here

TeamSC ETSY Shop: http://teamsc.etsy.com/

Looking back at 2008

2009-01-16T21:01:00.050-05:00

Maddie has this beautiful dress to wear for school pictures.

This is one of our many lunches in Ohio.
Maddie, Chase and Alexa smile for the camera.

Mason and Chase, Alexa, Madison and Morgan.
This is one of my favorite pictures of my grandchildren.

Look at those angelic faces and sweet smiles. I am so blessed.

Aren't they the cutest bunch of kids you ever saw??? I love my time with them and I think their smiles tell you they love it too!!

This picture was taken in October.
It doesn't happen often that I have all three sons together AND my grandchildren.

Back row: Kim, me, Dale, David
Middle row: Alexa, Morgan and Mason
Front row: Brian, Maddie and Chase

Dale visited us not long after he moved to California
The Air Force sent him to school in Alabama and he drove up for the weekend.

HALLOWEEN 2008 Two Witches!!!!

CHRISTMAS 2008

Chase, Alexa and Mason

Did santa bring someone a new outfit???

Mason and Chase make sure there are cookies for santa.....

Maddie and Morgan fill the big guy in....they weren't naughty....

Grandma and Grandpa got a wonderful visit after Christmas.
What a great present!

Captiva and Florida Visit Dec. 2008

2009-01-16T13:25:00.034-05:00

This is the reason Wayne and I are moving back to Florida. I have loads of family and nieces and nephews to play with. Although I'd rather move back to Ohio near my grandchildren...my second family is here and I love them too. I'll visit Ohio in the Spring and Summer!

My brother Denny took us to Captiva with all his kids for a week.
Many memories were made like the parrot that scared the hell out of Jason, having all my nieces and nephews around with their children and playing dominoes and Phase 10 until the wee hours!

Here's Zoe on one of her beach walks.

Denny with Victor in the gorgeous pool.

Wayne and I had a room in this awesome building. It was a full suite with kitchen, living room, patio, bedroom and bath.

Wayne and Denny pondering what to do next.

Denny, Polly and little Jillian enjoy the beach.

Mary, Zoe and Jillian enjoying "girl talk".

Zoe, dad Todd and Victor with dad Jason off on an adventure.

Grumpy and Victor

Dawn, Victor and Uncle Denny at the pool

Dawn and Moose square off in the pool

I took this picture of Jillian with Grumpy.... she's precious

Jason and Victor at the dominoe table.

The boys got to go fishing a couple of times before the rain came.

All my brother's kids...what a wonderful family!

The Priolo family on Christmas.

Victor had a visit from santa too!

A vacation in Captiva

2008-12-07T13:14:00.002-05:00

We're off to Florida for a week at Tween Waters Inn. This resort is on Santabell Island. When I get back, I'll post some pictures for drooling!

See you later....

What was in the stocking???

2008-11-10T13:24:00.006-05:00

Here is a look at the wonderful items in our TeamSC Holiday Stocking. There were a few more, but I don't have pictures of them.

From top left to right:

LadyPippie - Two knitted dish cloths

LullaBuyBowsBoutique - Holiday bow

Beadifulworld - Keyring with heart charm

CustomCandyCreations - Gift certificate

AllAboutTheButtons - Holiday mini purse

CurlyfrySC - Blue, black and glow rexlace keychain

AinsleyBarrett - Gemstone pendant necklace

Roagom - Hand-hammered copper pendant on silk cord

ShashaJewelry - Handcrafted earrings

BittyBooks - Itty bitty book pack

NascarNana - Hand-painted tote bag

SweetTeaDesigns - two ACEO cards

MinnieMaes - Scrappy Patchwork mini tote

Iryna - Decorated cosmetic bag

BeadDazzled - Pine-green with amber crystal, bookmark

StrangeLittleGirl - Wire-wrapped citrine pendant

MaryMarsh - Set of magnets and button bookmarks

ItsAllAboutYou - Scrabble tile pendants

BannerCelebrations - Decorated/Embellished felt soft tree

TheSheilaRoom - Dark gray knitted scarf

Holiday Stocking Hunt is over

2008-10-21T20:45:00.032-05:00

It was so much fun. We had 41 correct entries and the winner of the grand prize stocking was

Indulgent Creations

The South Carolina Etsy Street Team (TeamSC)
is having a fabulous holiday game for all etsians.
“Holiday Stocking Hunt”

This is the stocking graphic that you need to fine in participating shops. Now that's not a hard thing to do, especially when you get a chance to win the beautiful stocking that is our grand prize.

Everyone who completes the hunt wins a shopping spree … just in time for the holiday season.

The grand prize winner receives a gorgeous handmade “Holiday Stocking” stuffed full of items donated by South Carolina Artisans.

Here is the Stocking made by Ashley from Rocknrollmcmama filled with items. We couldn't even fit all the treasures inside. What do you think is in those boxes? You have to complete the hunt to win it and find out.

Here are some of the wonderful items handmade by members of TEAMSC that are in the stocking. Images are cropped so the winner will be suprised when the stocking arrives at their home.

DON'T DRINK ON HALLOWEEN

2008-10-16T18:55:00.003-05:00

Madison's BD

2008-09-30T19:29:00.007-05:00

I just got pics from Madison's BD. She is an awesome artist and loves to paint. She started school and gets to ride the bus with Morgan.

Look at how sweet she is...that smile would light up a room... This is the place setting that she's going to paint for grandma.

Hard at work

So many colors to choose from...

Ta Da... isn't that a beautiful plate? I love the pink and purple butterfly, and those are Madisons favorite colors. Great job Maddie!!! Love u

Welcome to Jillian Rose Priolo my greatniece

2008-09-29T17:05:00.007-05:00

Big sister Zoe with Jillian

Grumpy and Jillian...

Mom sure makes Jillian smile...

What a beauty...

2008-09-27T19:42:00.007-05:00

Here are some great pictures of Victor's Baptism. Dawn said he slept throught the whole ceremony.

His Christening outfit was worn by both of his uncles and is 40 years old. My sister Sherry bought it for my nephew Dennis' Baptism back in 1968. How do you keep cloth white for 40 years???

Jason, Dawn and Victor

The last days of summer...

2008-08-26T14:09:00.005-05:00

Ready for school??? Chase, Alexa and Mason are. Don't you just melt looking at their smiles???

When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for school to start. I remember going to "Federals" (anyone remember this department store?) for new clothes and to Kresgee's for supplies. The first day of school was full of anxiety mixed with excitement...what teacher did I get, were any of my friends in my class...who would I set next to... Back then we didn't get to sit anywhere we wanted but were assigned seats alphabetically by last name. Does anyone remember the "cloak room"? Honest, that's what we called the back of each classroom where we hung our coats. No lockers, no bookbags, no backpacks...imagine that! Over the years, I've had many nightmares centered in the cloakroom. The one I've had over and over is...I go to take my coat off and realize that I forgot to put my skirt on and am standing in my slip.

OK, here's a story from probably 1953. My very first day of kindergarden I took a bus to school. It's the only time I can remember taking a bus and I only did it this one time. (don't know why...) Anyway, I remember that my classroom in Broadway school, now demolished, had access through a window. It opended like a french door and there were steps leading into the room off of the window sill. Hey, I don't make this stuff up...

I don't remember the actual bus ride home, just that when the door opened and I stepped onto the sidewalk, I didn't recognize anything! Panic set in and I started walking to my left...sobbing with every step. It didn't take long for a lady to come out of her house and say "Little girl, are you lost?" At the same time I heard my name being called from behind me. Turning around, I saw my mother. I ran toward her, sobbing "mommy...mommy", I can still hear my voice. When I reached her, she grabbed me by the arms and said "Stop your crying...why didn't you just wait here until I came?" What?? No one told me to wait...no one told me what to do if I got off the bus and my mom wasn't there... Somehow, this was my fault. I said "but you weren't here...you weren't here...I was scared" and her reply was "You should have waited."

I never took the bus again. I walked to and from school. I know, you're saying, "yeah...when I was a kid I had to walk a MILE...in the snow and rain..." No really, I did.

So, let's take a look at what I learned from this experience.

1st, I am NEVER late. Ask anyone who knows me...I'm early to a fault.

2nd, always have a backup plan.

3rd, know where you are going and how to get back.

4th, don't trust your mom to be there for you

When I became a mom I always tried to take any experience my sons had and look at it from their point of view. What they think is earthshaking may to me be nothing...but my reaction may be what they remember...

When David was in about 5-6 grade, he got a horrible haircut. I let him go to the barber by himself...my bad. He was so upset with the GI butch cut that he didn't want to go to a concert that his class was having that night. I talked him into going and told him that at the end of the last song, where all the kids threw their cowboy hats into the air, he could keep his on. When we got to the school, I went into the room where all the kids were waiting and told them to leave his hat alone or deal with me. (I was playing the piano for the concert, so the kids knew me)

It all went fine that night but in the morning I found him sitting in the basement, crying that he didn't want to go to school...the kids would make fun of him... I told him...OK...you can stay home today, but you have to go tomorrow. Next morning, he went to school. As a mom, I felt so sad that I couldn't shield him from the pain we would suffer at the hands of his classmates. At the end of school he came literally bounding into the house..."Mom, the girls loved my new haircut! They kept rubbing it!" End of story...

Moral of the story...your kids grow up too fast and you don't have a second chance.

Pictures from across the nation

2008-08-12T20:17:00.011-05:00

One good thing about having family all over the country is I get new pictures all the time! First, from California....

Here is a shot of Dale and Jenn's dog Kinsey, who loves the pool.
I hope they have a great filter for all that hair!!

And here's Liberty...such a sweet puppy (although she does love to get into trouble when Dale and Jenn are gone). She's partial to chocolate and doesn't leave any for the rest of us.
If you've never seen a dog upchuck after a mouthful of Hydrogen Peroxide...you gotta see it!!

They are loving the weather and unlike Washington DC, there are no winter days when the bikes have to be put away.

And from the other side of the country are new pictures of Victor. Dawn says he's turning over and it looks like he has quite a sense of humor too!!!

Here's the latest of Victor and "Grumpy" isn't that look incredible???

What a cutie pie!!!

New pictures

2008-08-02T18:17:00.005-05:00

Morgan and Madison at Aurora Farms.

This came from Dale and Jenn. It's a vineyard in California. Makes me thirsty!!

Back from Ohio

2008-07-24T17:04:00.006-05:00

After a day with grandma, Alexa was all tired out...notice the remnants of chocolate ice cream???

Madison had fun at the Aurora Library. Her and Chase did puzzles and built towers out of bricks.

Pictures from Mason's baseball season. I got to watch three of Mason's games while visiting. We tried go to one of Brians, but it was over by the time we got there. Oh well, next year!

Look at those smiles...what a great picture of the "Riedel boys."

This is my very favorite picture of all 5 grandchildren. Unfortunately, I had the glare of the window behind them. They're all holding flowers from a vase in the restaurante's window. Every smile is perfect and they're all looking at the camera. I wish I was better at PhotoShop...so I could fix it.

Alexa, Morgan and Madison are all smiles after stopping at my favorite ice cream stand ...Stoddards in Stow on Rt. 59. OMG...it's the greatest.

I had a great time and came home only because it was Wayne's 80th birthday... and we'll be married 25 years on 9/11. Where has the time gone??

I Opened another ETSY shop

2008-06-27T14:58:00.015-05:00

I've decided to open another shop to host my jewelry and bookmarks separate from my banners and avatars.

So today I officially opened BEAD DAZZLED on etsy.

My other shop MORGAN ALEXA DESIGNS will now host only banners and avatars for the etsy community. I'm having a great time learning about PhotoShop. I took a three credit course at USF in it, but that was back in '99. It has changed quite a bit.

It's so exciting to see my banners in someones shop.

Here are my shops' banners. On top of the blog I put them together for one banner. I don't want to favor one shop over the other right??

Morgan Alexa Designs Banners for the descriminating shop owner

Bead Dazzled Encourage reading with a beaded bookmark!

Here are the shops on ETSY that are currently showing banners that I created. Enjoy!

Silver Canyon s

Bitty Books

Moon Mystic

CurlyfrySC

Creations By Sea Star

UKcatfan Shop not open yet

I'm now making ETSY Banners

2008-06-05T22:37:00.017-05:00

Here are a few of the ETSY banners you can purchase in my ETSY shop. I knew I'd use that degree I received in Instructional Design someday!!!

More pics from my Florida family

2008-05-27T16:22:00.008-05:00

Caught in the act...per mom Mary...

I think Victor might not be happy about my posting his bath picture, but he won't be able to make me remove it for a few years so here he is!!!

This picture of Dawn, Victor and Jason, with Zoe looking so mischevious at her Uncle Jason is really one of my favorites.

What a great big smile!

Looks like Mary is giving Zoe the tickle treatment.

Washington DC... I love this place...

2008-05-24T17:50:00.013-05:00

Well, my last trip to DC was a riot. First of all, I got to see all three of my sons AND three of my grandchildren. I was there for about 10 days, spending time with Dale and Jenn before they embark on a 2000 mile move to the west coast in June.

David came to DC one weekend and Brian with the grandkids came the next. We had a lot of fun and visited a lot of monuments.

You can't have a great visit without lunch at the mall.

Chase, Brian, Alexa, Mason, Dale and Jenn

How cute is Chase, here with a Gitmo bear Uncle Dale brought from Cuba.

Mason, Alexa and grandma enjoyed eating our favorite Jelly beans from Aunt Jenn's stash. The licorice were the best.

Brian took the kids to the playground behind Dale and Jenn's townhouse.

I don't remember if Brian is packing or unpacking...

Mason was having fun taking pictures with my camera. I think he may just have a director's eye. Here, Chase and I are wavying to Mason who is out in the driveway. Not bad huh???

Here we go on my last Harley ride for awhile. Jenn, Dale and I took a nice, long ride to a Virginia winery called The Winery at La Grange.

Isn't it beautiful???

Dale with his new camera, which by the way helped me get his old one. Thanks David for helping him buy it!!

We actually got to go into the holding room of the barrels.

More from Washington DC

2008-05-24T16:28:00.015-05:00

The WW II Memorial and Washington Monument

This trip I got to go to the WW II memorial twice. Once with David and Dale during the day, and once with Brian, Mason, Alexa, Chase and Dale at night.

The night visit worked out great because we got a wheelchair and the boys pushed me over to the Washington Monument. I haven't been there since Dale was 4. My girlfriend Shirley, her two daughters and my three sons went to DC for a vacation back in 1977. While standing in line to go up in the monument, Dale took a fall and cracked his skull on the granite floor inside the monument. Needless to say, we didn't get to go up to the top. However, who's to say that the fall didn't knock something into Dale that brought him back to DC some 30 years later. Nah...I don't believe in that mumbo jumbo... do you??

Dale at the Pacific side of the monument.

The Ohio Monument with a good shot of an OHIO STATE shirt and Dale of course.

David and Dale at the fountain.

A view of the Washington Monument from the WWII Memorial.

These are pictures of the Air Force Memorial. I've seen it from a distance, but Dale, David and I got up close and personal this trip.

I love this picture with Dale, me and David caught in the reflection of the polished granite. Notice the three spires from the monument in the background. It's a really cool picture don't you think???? When did I get so short??

I got David and Dale along with these beautiful statues of an honor guard.

This is a beautiful tribute to the Air Force and I'm so glad we took the time to visit it. I especially love this picture because David was in the Air Force during Operation Desert Storm and Dale is presently a Major and a Jag.

This was shot from the bottom of one of the spires...it looks like it goes on forever... I think David took this one...

The memorial was made to look like contrails which are the condensation trail emitted by jet aircraft exhaust. Contrails form when hot humid air from jet exhaust mixes with environmental air of low vapor pressure and low temperature.

Can you believe that it rained all week...until David came up? Then on Sunday, the storm clouds parted to display the most beautiful blue sky you've ever seen.

Here is a great picture of Jenn with the dome of the Capitol in the background. Dale took this one...

Just look at that sky!!!!

Jefferson Memorial

The Pentagon...a memorial is still under construction.

The Supreme Court...OK, I altered the blue in this one...but only this one

The White House...the president wasn't at home

The Iwo Jima Memorial

Guantanamo Bay

2008-05-24T16:07:00.009-05:00

Dale went to Guantanamo Bay and took some pictures of the terrain and wildlife. Yikes Look below....

This little guy was just out walking along...and, YES...he's as big as he looks.

After landing on an airstrip, Dale had to take a boat across the bay to the compound. Beautiful water shot...and look at the mountains way in the background...never pictured Cuba with mountains.

The above pictures of the landscape were a little surprising to me. I never thought there would be a rocky shore instead of a sandy beach.

Victor is getting so big

2008-05-05T19:17:00.003-05:00

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww how cute is Victor getting????
Here he is with grandpa.

2008-05-04T00:55:00.007-05:00

Happy Birthday to me... This is a beautiful bouquet I received from granddaughters Morgan and Madison for my 61st. There were sooooo many flowers, that I was able to make two beautiful arrangements out of them.
Thanks sweeties...

Here is how the Riedels spent their Saturday. Alexa had a soccer game and Chase and Mason are dressed for the rainy day. I hope she won!

Now to the beautiful weather in Florida. Mary sent these pictures of Zoe and her first swimming pool.

New Pictures

2008-05-01T16:38:00.012-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Victor, my great nephew.
I haven't been able to get to Florida to visit him yet, but I can't wait! Dawn says he's a really good baby and a good sleeper.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

This is my niece Mary with Zoe. Aren't they the cutest?? Zoe turned one in January, and Mary and Todd are expecting their second in October. More grandchildren for my brother to SPOIL ROTTEN!! LOL I told him his life would change when he had grandchildren and now he knows what I meant!

Dale and Jenn had a dining out ceremony to go to last month.
Jenn is missing from the picture but Dale (middle) looks pretty sharp in his dress uniform.

I just had to show you all a picture of the house that Dale and Jenn bought in CA. What a beauty... I have my room all picked out. It has a pool and spa in the backyard, so you know where to find me!

A quick look at my bookmarks

2008-04-28T17:02:00.003-05:00

I really love making bookmarks. They are quick to make and I like putting dangles on them to match the bead or charm that is the focus.

Dale and Jenn's @ 2,335 mi OMG

2008-04-21T16:25:00.006-05:00

Boy, I'm going to have a really LONG way to go to see Dale and Jenn. Since I hate to fly, and certainly can't drive it...I think I'll look into taking a train. Anyone ever travel that way???

I would take a couple of my grandkids along to keep me company.
It sounds like fun to me.

View Larger Map

My first Rosary

2008-04-12T14:20:00.008-05:00

I finally made a Rosary. I've been meaning to try it for a long time and my last order of beads had these beautiful ruby red Czech glass beads. Instead of wire wrapping the beads, I elected to string them on beading wire.

It came out great. I have sterling silver wire for my next one. The only problem is that my links don't come out the same size, so I need a ton more practice.

FOR SALE in my ETSY SHOP

This bookmark uses a Bamboo Jasper stone that has shades of orange and green in it. I had a cute cat's eye kitty charm that now sits on top of the jasper.

My last new addition to my ETSY shop is this aqua and peach bookmark. The focus is a large glass pendant. The aqua leaves are acrylic, so the bookmark is lightweight.

Jet Team Wedding Challenge 2008

2008-04-09T14:12:00.008-05:00

I made this bookmark for The 2008 Wedding Challenge sponsored by Etsy teams: Jewelry on Etsy Team, EtsyFAST and Etsy Greetings.

I think any bride might have a little time to sit by a pool or on the beach during her honeymoon. What a glittery way to mark the page in her favorite book. After the honneymoon, I invision this bookmark either in her Bible or her Wedding Album.

The focal part of this bookmark is a clear baroque 1 1/2 ” x 1” pendant. Pictures simply do not due this bookmark justice. The bling factor is extraordinary!! If you are interested in more pictures and information on this item, visit my Etsy Shop.

Beads used in my design include cultured pearls and Swarovski crystals. Charms that reflect a wedding day include a silver closs, an angel, silver hearts and a "Hand Made With Love" charm. All wrie wrapping is done with 20g sterling silver wire. Findings including head pins, spacers and bead covers are stainless or silver plate.

Please visit our Jet Team blog to learn more about the challenge and vote for your favorite handmade wedding item.

Check out the Flickr site to see all of the challenge entrys. http://www.flickr.com/groups/711212@N21/

Say hello to my "little friend"

2008-04-06T18:33:00.006-05:00

Isn't he cute??? We moved here to SC about 8 years ago from Florida. Not all of our boxes were emptied at the time. So, in cleaning out the garage a few weeks ago, we found this little guy.

I just couldn't resist posing him. He certainly makes a great model...stays where I put him, no backtalk.... no food breaks...and no pay!

...it's a Florida lizard. He's about 4" long from the tip of his tail to his snout. The warm, dry climate in Florida has petrified him into a dried up pet for me. He brings back good memories during our 12 years in St. Petersburg.

Trip to Ohio for spring Break

2008-04-04T11:44:00.013-05:00

I had a really great time in Ohio with my five grandchildren. We did a lot of fun things. Sorry that the pictures aren't clearer, but they were taken with my new Verizon phone and not a real camera.

Morgan and Madison had fun coloring Easter eggs, grandma missed this fun, but I was there on Easter when the girls found all the eggs the bunny hid.

It just wouldn't be a trip to Ohio without a visit to the Twinsburg DQ. Don't tell anyone, but we went more than one time!

This is Griffin with his new friend Brock. Since I liked Brock better than all the other webkinz that the grandchildren have, my nine year old grandson Mason gave Brock to me to bring home. Isn't he cute?? According to Mason, Brock is one of the retired webkinz and isn't available anymore.

The kids and I went to a Mc D's in Aurora that has quite an indoors play area. We always go there at least once when I visit.

There is a Bungy Jump ride inside the Chappel Hill Mall in Cuyahoga Falls. Here are pictures of Mason and Alexa taking their turns. Mason was able to do flips, but Alexa isn't heavy enough yet. Maybe next year.

It took a few days, but Alexa finally got her front tooth out. The tooth fairy gave her two gold coins for her effort. Boy does she look different! The other front tooth is loose, but not ready for the last pull.

Lots of news from Floirda too. This is a picture of Uncle Denny and newest grandchild Victor. Proud parents Dawn and Jason are enjoying their bundle of joy. He arrived on March 31st and weighted over 8 pounds. What a cutie!

David and Kim got a new truck during my visit. They traded in their well worn van for this beauty.

Here is a great picture of my great niece Zoe in all her Easter splender!

I put up this picture of Wayne and I because I think it's one of the best we've ever taken. It's from a student picnic in 2005 at a park here in SC.
Not so young, but definately in love....

Newest Bookmark

2008-01-20T22:23:00.001-05:00

I finished this one for Valentine's Day. As usual, it has a lot of bling.

I used lots of garnet and clear crystals.

For more pictures, check out my shop.

Holiday Travels

2008-01-13T13:03:00.000-05:00

I spent New Years day at Dale and Jen's in Washington DC. They were going to visit LA, his next assignment for the Air Force and I was watching the dogs. Brian and Dani were able to meet at Dales to celebrate New Years Eve. How cool was that!!

Alexa, Mason and Chase got to visit the National Zoo and meet the famous Panda bear.

Dale and Jen took me to my first winery.

Christmas was spent at the home of my brother Denny in St. Pete, Fl. Just like old times...This is a picture of Zoe and Stephanie. For Zoe's first Christmas...she had multiple Santa visits at her grandparent's homes.

Unfortunately, Denny took a fall and broke his left wrist during our visit. He always did have to "one-up-me". He needed four pins put in to stablize it, whereas my wrist only took two. I'd put in a picture of him, but he'd kill me!

Dave and Kim, back in cold Ohio, celebrate Christmas Eve at Kim's sisters home. Morgan and Madison look ready for Santa's visit.

My latest creations are two bookmarks made for the Winter Beading Challenge on etsy. For the challenge, anyone who wants to participate buys the exact same set of beads and makes something. A judge will choose the winner. It's amazing what can be created with the same beads.

The Lilac one on the left is made for paperback books and would make a great suncatcher. The Cobalt blue one on the right is longer and made for a hardcover novel sized book.

A Christmas reminder of giving...

2007-12-18T13:04:00.001-05:00

ARLINGTON CEMETARY

Wreaths Across America...how this project was born.

The Original Arlington Wreath Video

Thank you servicemen and women for your sacrifice.

We will never forget.

I am so proud of family members who have served and are serving our country.

My uncle, Charles Corr, was a paratrooper in the Army Air Corp during WWII.

My husband, Wayne Coleman, served in the Marines during WWII and the Korean War.

My cousin, Raymond Fischer, a graduate of West Point, served in the Army during the 1950's post war era. He retired as a Full Bird Colonel.

My brother-in-law, Joseph Gray, served in the Army in the late 1950's.

My cousin, "Butch" Pavlukovich, lost his life while aboard a Navy ship during the Cuban Missle Crisis in 1962. He was 19 years old.

My brother, Dennis Pavluk, served in the Army during the Vietnam War and received two Bronze Stars.

My son David Riedel, served in the Air Force during Desert Storm.

My son Dale Riedel and his wife Jen Riedel both graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1996. Jen has since separated from the Air Force and obtained her Veterinary Doctorate from Ohio State. Dale, received his Juris Doctorite from the University of Dayton and is currently serving as an Air Force Jag in DC. He has a scheduled deployment in January 2008, to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After that, they head for March Air Reservce Base in California.

2007-12-14T19:05:00.000-05:00

Got a couple of great pictures of my friend Sally. She lives in Kentucky and this is her first grandchild. His name is Chance and he just turned 1 year old on Dec 5th.

Joe, Sally and Chance

I told her, grandchildren are the best thing that will ever happen to her and she's spoiling him silly.

This is my latest bookmark. It's such a pretty shade of blue.
I love the vintage simulated star sapphire that I used as the focal bead.

Morgan's Birthday

2007-12-11T15:35:00.000-05:00

Morgan is now the ripe old age of 8.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORGAN!!!!

Dave and Kim really went all out on the X-Mas decorations. Their house always looks so festive at the holidays.

Morgan got her very favorite gift...a Pink Nitendo PS2.

(I think that's the name of it)

I love the sepia tone on pictures. I changed these using Picasa from Google. It's free, easy and does a great job with pictures. All my pictures in my etsy shop were cropped and sharpened in Picasa. Did I mention it's FREE!!

Santa's Coming to town!

My newest bookmarks

2007-11-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

I've sold quite a few of my bookmarks over the last two weeks. I think people are doing their Christmas shopping on Etsy. So, I've been busy making more.

Click on each picture for more details. Thanks for looking.

2007-11-28T21:48:00.000-05:00

This is the fireplace at the Harrah's Casino in Cherokee, NC

My friend Teresa took me and Stacy for a Sunday drive up into the mountains. Ummmm toasty!!

Here is a picture of the beautiful mountains of NC in their fall colors

What a difference 600 miles makes. This is David's back porch the day after Thanksgiving!

My latest Treasury favorites

2007-11-18T16:39:00.001-05:00

How about this beautiful display of craftmanship?
These are some of my favolrite brooch and pendant makers.
ZudaGay works in polymer clay while the other designers use vintage jewelry in their creations.
Here are links to their shops:
Zudagay
Vintage Brooch Company
Delicate Designs by DD
Wild Thyme Boutique

New Family Pictures

2007-11-17T20:05:00.001-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ! ! !

Mason, Alexa and Chase are all decked out for going trick or treating! Cute pumkins!!!

Madison and Morgan are ready to go...

Someone is pretty good with a knife at the Riedel house. Unfortunately, I was home by the time the kids went out trick or treating...so who got to eat all the licorice??? Hummmmm???

This is an update on the newest Riedel cat...Snowball. She's getting big, but not nearly as big as Sammy. Looks like Sammy and Morgan had a hard day... sweet dreams!

Go Team Go... Morgan loved doing her cheers for the Aurora Football team. The team came in First Place, so Morgan cheered during some really cold games. I was lucky enough to get to see her in action the last time I was in Ohio. She really enjoyed doing this and seems to have a talent for it. Maybe her dancing experience helped.

Happy Veterans Day to Wayne, Uncle Charile (deceased), Denny, Joe, David, Dale, Jen and every other vet who served or is serving the USA!

We now know that Dawn and Jason are expecting a little boy next year. His name is Victor...

Congratulations!!!!

New Bookmarks

2007-11-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

This Heart of Gold bookmark combines pearls and gold beads

Here Kitty Kitty is made from a vintage stainless steal kitty mixed with silver and blue beads, it's purrfect!

In addition to a beautiful angel, this bookmark has a " Praying Hands", a cross and a small angel charm.

Ah, my vintage wooden piano makes a beautiful bookmark for any music lover.

A real favorite of mine is this Peguin bookmark made with black and white beads. I had another one made similar, but it sold to a lady in England.

Zoe's Baptism

2007-10-22T17:35:00.000-05:00

October 14th, 2007

Looks like Zoe made it through the ceremony awake, alert and smiling.
Alex, Mary, Todd and Jason look on.

Look at her beautiful gown. The dress is actually 136 years old. It was hand made in 1881 by Todd's great-great grandmother and worn by his great grandmother on her baptism...then by his grandmother on her baptism...then by his father on his baptism...then by Todd in 1970... and now by Zoe in 2007.

Another successful debut. Now a nap before
my big party!!

Mom and dad are always smiling when I'm around.

PARTY

Ohio Vacation

2007-10-20T11:57:00.000-05:00

I had a great trip home...got to spend lots of time with the grandchildren, see old friends and meet members of the Etsy Street Team from Cleveland. We destashed...got rid of things we didn't want...and I really got some great things.
Beautiful beads, findings and a magazine. Thanks to my new Clevey friends.

L to R: Sara, Lori, Renee, Ramona, me, Gretchen and Toni

"Congratulations" to son Brian, who completed his first marathon, The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. In spite of the heat, Brian was able to complete it without difficulty. We are soooooooooooo proud of him. Not only is he going to law school at Cleveland State, but he spent a lot of time training. The race was quite an accomplishment and I know he couldn't have done it without the support of Dani, Mason, Alexa and Chase. You all get a medal from Grandma!!

MARATHON TIMES:
START 0:07:25 5K 0:33:08 10K 1:08:26 15K 1:46:43
20K 2:29:25 HALF 2:38:04 25K 3:10:45 30K 3:57:34
35K 4:44:24 40K 5:30:30 FINISH 5:47:45 Pace: 13:15

I spent the weekend with Mason, Alexa and Chase cruising the malls. We went to Chappel Hill Mall where they had a terrific display of Halloween costumes. We feasted on honey chicken and rode the Merry-Go-Round. A good time was had by all!

Chase got hold of my camera and spent about an hour photographing everything in the house. This is his rendition of a "Self Portrait". As we were scrolling through the pictures he'd taken, many were unrecognizable to me. I'd say..."Chase, what is this?" and he'd show me what he took a picture of. How much fun we had!!!

Here's Madison and Morgan all dressed up for a party. I got to see Morgan cheerleading at one of the local games. How cute...the excitement was just like it was in high school...except instead of watching David in the band, I got to see Morgan cheer. Am I getting old or what????

Meet Snowball, the latest addition to the Riedel family. David found this beauty in the trash at work...and just had to rescue her. She's all white with the most piercing blue eyes you've ever seen. The vet thinks she's about 4 weeks old. Although she nips and bites a little, she's friendly and should make the transition into a house cat without any problems.

My three princesses

While in Ohio, I had time to make this necklace for my great niece Zoe. She wore it for her Baptism on October 14, 2007. It has a sterling silver cross, pink crystals and pearls.

A scenic trip around NC

2007-09-19T17:08:00.000-05:00

My friend Teresa and I went for a Sunday drive to Ashville, NC last weekend. It's about time I see the countryside around where I've lived for nearly 6 years!

These two pictures are of the Blue Ridge Mountain village of Lake Lure.

Teresa said that some of the filming for Dirty Dancing was done here. I looked for Patrick or Jennifer, but they must have gone home.

School Days

2007-08-23T22:48:00.000-05:00

Here are the Riedels heading for the first day of the new school year. I can't believe it! Where did this summer go?? Mason, Chase and Brian all had birthdays this month. Mason is 9, Chase is 3 and Brian is...well telling his age just makes me feel ancient.

Chase, Mason and Alexa are all smiles heading off to school. For Alexa, this is her first day of kindergarden.

No problem getting Alexa on the bus.
I remember bawling like a baby the first day each of my sons went off on the bus for the first time.

Gee, doesn't Mason look spiffy??? Love your hair Mason!!

Now this little one won't be going off to school for awhile. The little shadow on the right is LBM or Little Baby McCoy. Dawn and Jason are looking forward to their first bundle of joy in March/April.

Back from my Florida vacation

2007-08-12T10:59:00.000-05:00

I had a great trip to Florida. First I went to my brother's house and saw my great niece Zoe for the first time. What an angel and I might add, a ham when it comes to picture taking. She can't take a bad picture! I'm happy to announce that my niece Dawn and husband Jason are expecting next April. Boy, will my brother have his hands full. Ya gotta love grandchildren... it's spoil and play...then spoil and feed...then spoil and buy something...then spoil and give to mom or dad to change...what a life for grandparents.
Here's Zoe at lunchtime at Mary and Todds. It seems that grandpa is getting more on her face than in her mouth.

It wouldn't be Florida without a ride over the Skyway Bridge. This was the route to Upper Captiva Island where I spent a week with son David and his family.

Here's Morgan having a great time at the beautiful pool in the Clubhouse. The weather was great for swimming with only a few afternoons of rain.

It was HOT!!

Both girls got a shell necklace and a play lizzard.

Madison floated like a balloon with her water wings.

A furry friend.

We all had a great time. I stayed inside a lot because of the heat, though did venture out a few times to the pool and beach. We got around the island on a golf cart (no cars allowed). Now that was a riot!

Brother Denny and I also visited Scott and Tammy in Brooksville. This is a picture of the beautiful victorian farmhouse they are building on a scenic 10 acre lot. It's absolutely stunning, with a stone fireplace that I can stand in. Tammy drew up the plans and is waiting patiently for the kitchen cupboards to be delivered. It looks like they'll be in the house by Thanksgiving.

My last picture is of Zeus and Titan, my brother's doberman pinchers. Zeus, the brown one is hugh and the most even tempered dog I have ever been around. He constantly wants attention and will come over and lay that gigantic head on your lap for a little lovin'. Titan, the black one is a lover too and just a tad smaller than Zeus.

Wrist recheck

2007-07-26T11:44:00.000-05:00

Today I had my 6 week check up at my orthopaedic surgeon. I had x-rays taken too. Luckily, there was a student there named Roxanne. She is a senior in the Radiography Program at Greenville Technical College where I used to teach. So, I've now been x-rayed by three different students. I love it! Everything looks good but the healing is not complete. So, I have to continue to wear the splint for another six weeks and return at that time for another x-ray. BTW I received my hospital bill for having the plate put in. Mind you, I was in the hospital for a total of 6 hours. Are you ready???
Over $18,000.00. It's a miracle that neither Wayne or I had a coronary.

Today I'm packing to take a trip to Florida. If you remember, the last time I packed for a trip, I fell and broke my wrist and nose. Boy, am I being careful today. I think I'll just sit in the corner until I leave tomorrow morning.

The plan is; visit my brother and his family in St. Petersburg; head for Captiva and spend time with my son David and his family on the island; head back to my brother's house; head for home!!!
Wish me luck!!! I'll catch up when I return and hope to have some beautiful island pictures.

Newest set

2007-07-25T16:26:00.000-05:00

I made this set now that my wrist is feeling better. This has turquoise and pearl beads. It's simple enough to wear with a T-shirt and jeans or with a simple summer dress. Click on the image to see more!

I also put up this set that I made a while ago. It's made of nine strands of crochet with pink chip beads. The strands are divided into three sections and then braided. It took a long time to make and I added the large pink focal beads at the last minute. Click on the image to see more pics.

My larimar stone got its new setting!!

2007-07-23T15:50:00.000-05:00

Here is the larimar stone that Dale and Jenn bought me in the Dominican Republic. I shopped on Etsy until I found an artist to wire wrap it into a new setting.
Cynthia, from Wire Your World agreed to design a wrap for me.

Now take a look at this finished piece. I'm speechless!!! This setting is the most beautiful one I've ever seen... and it's all mine!!!

Thank you Cynthia from Wire Your World.

I mailed the stone from SC to Cynthia on July 16th in Florida. She completed her work and I received the completed setting on July 23rd. What a turnaround time. It's amazing. Here are a few more pictures... you can now proceed to drool!!!

Next Trip

2007-07-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

I'm planning (don't tell anyone...I don't want to jinx myself) on visiting my brother and his family in St. Petersburg, Fl. Also, David and his family are spending a week in Captiva down by Ft. Myers. Since my broken arm prevented me from going to Ohio in June, I may try to catch up with them in Florida.

This is the house that they rented in North Captiva. To get to the island you have to take a water taxi. There are no bridges and no cars are allowed. Also in the deal is access to a clubhouse with swimming, tennis etc. and the use of a golf cart to get around. I guess they don't even have roads... looks like sand paths, just wide enough to fit the cart. The house is beautiful and only a block from the intercostal. It has three bedrooms and even has an elevator for us old folks. David and Kim have to grocery shop on the mainland and ferry all the food over for the week. Poor Kim, it doesn't sound like much of a vacation if she has to cook all the time. Luckily, her sister Pam and niece Mandy are going along too. God knows, I can't cook!! It should be fun and I'm so looking forward to seeing Morgan and Madison.

Like me, Madison got her cast off a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure she's back to normal. Mine still hurts a little if I have it in a certain position. I can, however, turn it over now. I really exercise it...just like the doctor said.

I can't afford to loose function. How the heck would I make jewelry????

This is my latest set. It's a real pretty light pink and a darker rose color.

Poster Challenge

2007-07-18T01:26:00.001-05:00

Here is my entry for the Etsy Treasury Poster Challenge started by Jared. I made a Treasury with a template provided by Etsy, and added jewelry by some of the JET members.

I have a bigger picture on my flickr site. Take a look!

Support a St Jude Hero

2007-07-10T21:46:00.000-05:00

My daughter-in-law, Danielle Riedel, is running in a marathon in Chicago to support the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital located in Memphis, TN
To see more information on the race and perhaps make a donation click here.

My lucky day (for a change)

2007-06-22T20:33:00.000-05:00

Boy, I hit the jackpot today. Not only did I get a Treasury, but two of my jewelry sets were selected by someone else to be in theirs.

Here's the one by backroomtreasures with two of my blue sets in it. ( Second row, first and third column) I have never been selected to be in another person's treasury. It's a great way to have people visit my shop and maybe buy something.

Here is a link the entire Treasury at Etsy in case you want to see what I'm talking about. There are over 200 different pages to select from and a lot of buyers look here first when shopping. Everyone tries to come up with a cute name to get more visits.

Here is a screen shot of mine. It's only good until Sunday the 24th at 8:00pm. Then it's gone.
Click HERE for my page. Don't ask why I named it what I did or why I picked Rosarys for it. Maybe with the bad luck I've been having, I'm starting to think that I should pray more.
As a youngster in Catholic School, we used to say the Rosery all the time to pray for world peace. It was something we did as a group and in private. I always wanted a beautiful, shiney crystal beaded Rosary.

When I was in High School, my homeroom nun, Sister Mary Frances, gave one to me (I was homeroom chairman) and one to another girl (she was student counsel representative). Hers was made out of crystal and mine was made out of wood. I never forgave the nun for what I felt was a slight. I was the class clown and probably gave her a little bit of trouble...but not THAT much.

Cast is off

2007-06-22T10:10:00.000-05:00

My stitches are out. Dr. says I have to keep it in the splint and exercise 4x a day to prevent loss of function. Right now, I can't turn my hand over externally. I can turn it internally as far as I can the right hand. So, my work is cut out for me. It still hurts, but I think I can cut down on the pain meds.

Here is a pic of the top of my arm. Still rather bruised, but boy, did it feel good to have the cast taken off. It can breathe!

This is a pic of the underside of my arm where the surgical incision is. It looks pretty good.