Pie Talk

Fun with family

2008-08-09T21:38:00.002-04:00

My sister Jeanne has been visiting from PA and it's been nice to see her. We only get to see her about once per year. Bummer, eh? We met one of her Flickr.com friends yesterday. We went to Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor yesterday to take pictures and spent about 3.5 hours strolling through and taking pictures. It was great fun. Janet has a VERY NICE camera! What a difference between hers and mine. She's enjoyed photography for several years so she can easily justify having that nice camera. We saw a red-tailed hawk, a red-bellied woodpecker, pretty sure a Baltimore oriole, many finch and likely some other birds but I can't remember. After the Arb, we went to Panera and had coffee and a scone and then to Barnes and Noble where I almost bought an insect guide. I have never been interested in insects but we were taking pictures of a dragon fly type but at the Arb and it peeked my interest. After B&N we went to Jill's and had a nice evening.

Today was mostly spent at Jill's. We ate, got a photography lesson from Jeanne and visited. It was nice. Tomorrow morning at 7 AM, I will likely meet Jeanne and Jill at Denny's where Jeanne is meeting another Flickr.com friend. Should be fun. Jeanne takes great pictures. She always carries her camera.

I'm uploading a photo to this post. Jeanne tought us to use Color Accent, a setting for our Cannon cameras (Jeanne, Jill and I all have the same camera). You're able to focus on one color in the photo and the everything else is muted. For this picture the setting was on red/pink because Jill was wearing a pink sweater. I love the look on Les' face and his body language!

What's Up?

2008-07-14T10:22:00.003-04:00

There isn't much excitement in my life, which seems to be my theme, eh? Since the last post only a couple things stand out. My memory isn't super hot these days. A group of us from work worked on a house for Habitat for Humanity in Ypsi. It was fun. The sponsor of this house puts up their houses much quicker than the house my church works on. I think our church house works only on the weekends and the one our work group worked on works throughout the week. Anyway, Habitat is a good group and I highly recommend volunteering with them if you're looking for that type of opportunity.

Thomas and I booked a cruise. We're going on the Ruby Princess to the Caribbean in February. February is when I'm about to go stir-crazy due to the weather. So, should be fun.

Not much else. There is a pigeon with a green band around his right leg that's been hanging out in my neighbor's yard. I talked to a bird rescue group and was told that it is some one's pet. I went to said bird group to get something to capture the bird and they gave me a butterfly net. Have you seen how small a butterfly net is? They said I might be able to net the head and shoulders of the pigeon. He/she won't let me get close enough is the problem. I might give up soon. I'll see if I can find it's owner by placing an ad in the lost and found.

I also saw a red bird with a black head in downtown Ann Arbor on Saturday. It wasn't a cardinal because the head was all black and it was bigger and rounder. Was it a domestic bird? It didn't act like it but that doesn't mean anything. I didn't see an image in my bird book that looked like this bird. Any ideas?

Out for now. I'm going to weed. Yeah!

Hmmm....

2008-06-21T09:51:00.002-04:00

What should I talk about? I lead a very dull life it seems. I haven't set a goal for myself for at least 3 years so it's time! Jill and I want to run a 5K or go on a long bike ride or something along those lines. Something to help us stay/get fit. Here's a website that lists running races in Michigan and the surrounding states. When will we be ready to run? Who knows. I can VERY SLOWLY run at least a mile right now. I really want to run the Detroit Marathon in October but my guess is I'm not ready, lol. Evelyn said that Josh ran that marathon a couple times and it ends at Ford Field. Apparently you run DOWN a ramp to enter the stadium and I guess many, many racers were collapsing at that point before they made it to the finish line. But, you are show on the large screen when you enter the stadium...how cool is that?! My guess is I'd be vomiting at that point so perhaps being magnified at the end of the race isn't a good idea. I mean, I got sick after I ran a 10K race! 5 seconds after I crossed the finish line. I'd better stop before I talk myself out of running a 5K.

Gonna work on the garden today since it looks as grassy as my yard. Geez, we didn't go to the garden for 2 weeks because it was raining a lot and there was no need to water. I knew there would be some weeds but I was so surprised when I saw how green that garden was. It's pretty bad. At least I can still figure out where our plants are. So, I'm looking forward to weeding today. :)

Went to Elise's graduation party last weekend and that was nice. Some of dad's relatives were there, which was nice. Karen was there as well. Elise seemed to have a good time. Karen, mom and I got to take Leah to her dance recital and I must say Leah was spectacular! I think her category was dance theater.

Bought a Wii and need to hook it up. I might have to hire a 10 year old to help. I'm afraid to even attempt to hook it up. Jeanne, I bet Sean would be able to hook it up in a second. Elise and Leah might be getting a call from Aunt Lori asking for some help!

I'm trying to talk Thomas into getting a cat but he says no. Our church sent out an email that the HVHS is looking for homes for cats or at the least foster homes. I guess there's major overcrowding at the facility. My new angle with Thomas is that we need to foster a cat to save it's life. Hopefully that will work. Perhaps that's deceptive but I guarantee Thomas would love to have a cat again. Buster and Lulu would, too. I think the birds would be OK without a predator though.

Well, I hope to post some pictures later. I caught the heron eating the other night but couldn't figure out what he was eating. What's their diet? Was it a very hearty flower or a baby duck he was eating? I couldn't zoom in that far. Out for now.........

What a week to get bird photos!

2008-06-05T21:09:00.006-04:00

All is well at our home. I will be taking the week off next week after all so only have one day to work. I think I really need a break. I'll watch mom's dogs for a couple days and likely just stay in Tecumseh. I'll get to go to the needlework store. :)

This week I got a photo of a Baltimore oriole, a green heron, a blue heron (I believe) and a deer. None of the photos are that great but I'm just happy to have an image be it good or bad. Plus, I didn't really go through everything to see what I liked and what I didn't. I'm just pulling and these might not be the best. I was walking through Lillie Park at about 4 PM on Monday and saw the deer in the photo. The BO I thought was a flower at first. I then realized it was a bird and was able to snap a photo. It's not a great shot but it's so hard to get pictures of birds! I got lucky with the green heron. I was walking the dogs by my house and saw it fly in. Otherwise I would have never know it was there. It blended into the greenery rather well. Tonight I saw the blue heron. Usually it flies away but it stayed there tonight. I wondered why I always only see one heron at a time but I was reading that they like to eat in solitude...none of their peers pestering them.

Nothing else much. The Detroit Red Wings won last night. It was quite exciting and I don't follow hockey typically. There are some pretty good stories from this team. ESPN had a good article. That's about it. Out for now.........

It's Friday!!

2008-05-30T21:12:00.005-04:00

Yeah! It's Friday!! I'm ready for this weekend. Fridays are interesting because the clinic is slow, only patients who are being treated are seen, but I often work late. I'm sure it's because I'm trying to make sure everything is taken care of since I have Mondays off. Some of my prostate patients are seen on Mondays (since I have Mondays off now, I'm trying not to schedule them for that day) so I need to have everything ready since I'm not there. Anyway, I've scheduled a vacation for the week of June 9th but I don't know that I can take that week because I'll be busy I think. I have 3 protocols I'm trying to open and getting studies approved at the VA is a much longer process these days. I'm hoping within the next couple weeks everything will be approved but I'm not sure. There are so many things pending right now. If I don't take that time, I'll try to take some time in July. Normally I wouldn't let something like this delay time off but I've been working hard and would feel bad taking time off if everything could be taken care of.

Well, this weekend I need to tend to our garden. It's raining here, finally, so I shouldn't have to worry about watering. I do need to plant some veggies though. What else do I plan on doing? I can't think of anything. I think I was so busy last weekend that I want to not have much planned. I found a list of birding sites in SE Michigan and I might start checking some of them out. I'll look at the Observor to see if anything exciting is happening. I'm sure there's something.

The Tigers play tonight. Woo-hoo! It's a late game, too. We play Seattle (3 games?) so hopefully we can win a few games since we swept them earlier this month. They certainly aren't donig very well. They're still fun to watch. Thomas has the Pistons' game on. Ummm.....what else? Dull, dull, dull. I really want to get some tickets to the Tigers' game on the 11th but I've had no takers yet! No one is interested. Thomas might be but both of us have such a hard time with commitment that by the time we get aroung to buying tickets, it will already be the 12th.

Perhaps I'll see Jill and will get to look at pictures of Italy? That would be nice. I know her weekends are busy. Plus, Elise graduates this Friday I think. Kate in PA does as well I'm pretty sure.

I've added my Flickr page but I don't have many pictures posted. I hope to start putting pictures up there soon so thought I'd create a link so I'm all set to go.

Jeanne, when does Kate go on her cruise? Are you still possibly interested in a cruise?

Guess what I saw?! And I didn't have my camera!!

2008-05-24T18:43:00.004-04:00

I was walking the dogs this morning at 8 AM near my home. I was on Grandview Blvd in Pittsfield Township and I looked in the sky and saw a big black bird with a white head and neck...an eagle! At least that's what I think it was. Then about 5 to 10 seconds later I saw a heron, after the eagle dissappeared, so I questioned whether the heron is what I'd originally seen. I'm quite sure it was an eagle. However, I didn't see it's wings spread, or, it wasn't soaring I guess. Stupid question but can they fly without having their wings spread? When I saw the heron I don't think it's wings were spread. I know the heron has quite a take off and perhaps they get going and don't need to have their wings spread? Wouldn't they fall? Sorry, all my really stupid questions have to do with birds. I asked Stephen a question once about hummingbirds and whether they ever stopped or if they were always on the move and flapping their wings. He said it was one of the dumbest questions he'd heard. He said it in a nice way.

The picture I've posted was taken at Lillie Park today. Anyone know the type of bird? I liked the picture because there were 2 birds perched together that actually let me take their picture.

Not much else is new. Jenny and I started our garden. We didn't work very long before we needed a break. Once we took our break we were able to work solidly for a couple hours. We'll need to do quite a bit more this weekend. It's fun.

Happy Birthday!!

2008-05-22T21:06:00.015-04:00

...to Elise (18) and Lulu (3)! Went to Olive Garden to celebrate Elise's 18th birthday and had a nice time. Mom and Jim, Jill, Les, Elise, Leah and myself were there. The food was great and it was nice to see everyone. I hope Elise had a great day. We got to hear about the Griswold cruise around Europe and I'm trying to convince Jill to create a blog so she can post pictures and updates there.

This weekend I will plant my garden at County Farm Park with Jenny. We have to put up some fence. We'll need to bury the fence so it will be time consuming. It should be fun though. We want to build a split door, perhaps have a lemonaide stand and charge a fee to other gardeners for therapy. Well, I suppose our main goal is to actually produce some veggies this year. 2 years ago when we tried this the local woodchuck ate everything but our jalepeno peppers. Smart guy he was.

Don't know what else I'll do. Lulu and Buster will have their hair done again on Tuesday. I'd like to order tickets to the Tigers' game on 6/11/08 because the first 10,000 people in the park get retro 1970's t-shirts. I really want one. I might go to Jill's one day. Um...perhaps take the rest of the weekend as it comes. I hope to take a vacation in a few weeks if my work schedule allows.

OK. I'm out! I've posted a couple pictures, from top (the pictures are not the best but I like them): Duck picture taken at "our" pond 5/322/08; Lulu on her 3rd birthday, 5/22/08; Mom, Jim, Lulu and Buddy and a tiny section o f Jill at Montibeller Park near my home in Pittsfeild Township; Before-paint picture of our living room; After-paint picture of our living room; Close-up color of paint...Benjamin Moore Aura Lodge; Baby Canadian geese at Lillie Park in Pittsfield Township; Ferral cat that lives at the pond by my house...he looks like a Tom cat, eh?; Flowers from mom and Jim for my birthday.

Our Father

2008-05-10T21:43:00.002-04:00

Well, it's already been 19 years since dad passed. Time goes quickly, eh? I was thinking how I'm a completely different person than I was when I was 24. I'm sure that would be the case for most people? Hard to believe that he'd be 75 this August! Wow! Can you even imagine? I would like to go to his grave soon but this weekend isn't good. We had our church flower sale today that benefits Habitat for Humanity. I ended up buying 2 hanging baskets (yellow begonia and a purple/white petunia) and a flat of marigolds. I'll use the marigolds in my garden. They're good for something but I don't know what. Keeping rabbits away? A certain bug? Anyway, I was at the church from 9:30 until noon and then back at 2 until 4. It doesn't sound like much time but getting to and fro isn't included in that time. My in between time was spent taking the dogs out and such. It was for a good cause and I had a nice time but my day was pretty much eaten. And, I'm whining now, I don't have Monday off like I usually do. I do have Tuesday though.

I have been watching the show You are What You Eat on BBC America. I just bought the book of the same title from the doctor on the show, Gillian McKeath. I think that's her name. It's a good show and really gets the point across that certain foods are disgusting and shouldn't be consumed. I'm always craving beets and celery and green leafy food after watching the show. That's pretty amazing to me!

Well, I'm off. I might see about posting a picture or two soon. I've been meaning to. I keep taking the camera to the pond and don't see anything. When I don't have it, I do see stuff. I did have it yesterday and saw a heron...flying away and I wasn't prepared. I took a shot into the air without looking through the view finder but ended up with no heron in the picture. He used to sit in a certain tree when he flew away but he didn't yesterday.

OK. I'm out........

A Nice Day

2008-05-03T18:17:00.002-04:00

Today's been a nice day. Lulu stayed with Jenny and her mom while I took Buster to Mantis Pet Supplies. The Humane Society was there providing discounted shots and microchips. I got Buster chipped for $25, which is a good deal. Lulu was $67 about 2 years ago. We got there a few minutes early but were still about 30th or 40th in line. There were probably at least 100 - 150 dogs there by the time it started. Buster was pretty good and mostly sat but he sniffed a bit, too. He wanted me to hold him some but he's a big boy! I could only handle holding him for a couple minutes or so at a time. When we first got to the event I heard someone yelling, "He's a jumper! He's a jumper!" I turned around and a medium sized lab mix was running toward us. I have never seen a dog jump so high! He jumped at me and almost knocked me over. Buster was frightened and somehow wormed his way out of his collar and therefore wasn't on his leash any more. The excitement ended there and once we got inside, all was well. I'll definitely go back to this store for food because I'd rather support something local and because the prices seemed very reasonable. The treats I like to get the dogs were actually cheaper there. Plus, I hear the owner is very educated about dog and cat food and can tell me what food to give the dogs. When I took Lulu to the emergency vet in February, I was told I should go to Mantis because they'd be able to help me figure out what food to give Lulu since she has a sensitive stomach. I'll definitely make it back there.

An REI store opened in Ann Arbor today and I'm going tomorrow with my neighbor. Her husband went this morning and got a free water bottle. We hope to get one as well. I'm going to see if they have any Keens because I REALLY need a new pair. To me they are well worth the money. Mine are completely worn out.

Hmm. I stopped by Thomas' store today so we could pick out a paint color and while I was waiting for Thomas, I turned around and there was Jim! He was in the area and stopped by to say "hi" to Thomas. Mom was at Target. I would have swung over there to say hi but I already had plans and needed to go. Oh, we're painting the wall where the fireplace is a brownish color. I think it's called carob. It's what we could agree on. He's taking time off this week and will paint and do something else to that wall. I think add some trim of some sort.

Not much else. Hopefully I'll give updates a bit more regularly. I'm living a rather dull life so there's not usually much to talk about. More later.......

What I've been up to......

2008-04-20T19:13:00.002-04:00

It's been a few days since I've updated so I'll give a quick update. I have pictures to post but haven't given myself time to do so. Um...what have I done in the past week? Oh, I went to Chicago! That was fun and VERY inspiring. I'm not a quilter (we were at a quilt show), but the creativity did inspire me to get busy on my next project. Right now I'm working on the Mirabilia Valentine Fairy cross stitch kit. I've made a few errors and have had to rip out my work but I'm still moving along at a good pace. The patter is actually pretty easy, which is good.

I just got home from the Novi Mall. I bought a couple shirts for work since I have none. I also just took the shirt I bought at the Salvation Army out of the bag and noticed it had tags! Never worn! It was $59 and I got it for $4 or $5.

Mom and I will go back on Thursday for hypnosis. I'm looking forward to it. I WILL do exactly what I'm told to do this time. Listen to the CD daily for 30 days and read the book. I only followed along for a week last time and it didn't stick. It did for the week I worked at it, though. I think it will work as long as I do what I should. This is for weight loss. Let me tell you, I'm pretty disgusted with myself after trying clothes on today.

Not much else. Dinner, nachos, is cooking so I'd best get. Chicago was great and I'd like to go back. We were in Rosemont, not in the city. I'd like to go to the city next time. Just take the train.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-04-10T22:01:00.002-04:00

Do I sound full of myself? I don't mean to. I'm just not great at coming up with titles. I had a very nice birthday. Thanks to everyone who wished me well (Jeanne, Jill, Mom, Jenny, Monika and Thomas..and if I forgot to mention you, I apologize but I don't think many people read this anyway). Mom stopped by and brought flowers, Jenny and I are going to the Tigers-Twins game on July 10th, Thomas is giving me some money and that will cover the Mirabilia Valentine Fairy cross stitch kit I bought for myself. I cleaned some, got my car cleaned and took the dogs to the Vet. Buster weighs 21.2 lbs! Still growing! We drove to mom's house, too. I hope Jim recovers from his eye surgery. He seemed to be doing well. Nothing else too exciting. I'm going to Chicago tomorrow with Jill and 2 of her friends to the quilt show. It should be fun. I'm not a quilter but Jill thinks there will be vendors there that I will like.

Out for now. Again, thanks to all for a great day!

Female Bufflehead

2008-03-31T21:14:00.002-04:00

I am pretty sure I saw the female companion to the male bufflehead who's been hanging out at our pond! I'm so excited! I doubt they'll nest, but don't you think it's a possibility? Wouldn't it be great to see little baby buffleheads floating along in the pond? The female is darker than the male. I suppose it looks like a miniature version of the mallard, at least based on the picture I saw. I'll have to take my camera back to the pond in hopes of getting a good photo.

Nothing else much going on that I can think of. Three-day weekends rule, I must say. The rest of the week is rough because I get up at 4:30 and work until 4:30, but the extra day off makes it worth it. I only feel sleep deprived 2-3 days per week.

Opening day for the Tigers and it was great to be able to watch the game on TV. Brandon Inge did pretty well and I was happy for him. Thomas gives me a hard time because I like him, but I tend to like the versatile players and Inge is versatile.

Nothing else that I can think of other than re-starting a diet or life-style change or whatever. I want to drop some weight and actually keep it off!

Later...

The Bufflehead

2008-03-24T17:32:00.004-04:00

I was able to get a couple shots of the Buffelhead at the pond. There were 2 Buffleheads the first day I saw them, but now I only see one. Could they be nesting? Do the male and female look alike? It seemed that the 2 I saw looked exactly the same.

Lulu's Haircut

2008-03-24T17:25:00.004-04:00

Lulu got her hair done as well but it wasn't as big a deal because she's had it done before. Her hair was a mess and was very matted. They charged me a bit more for Lulu because of the mess. She didn't look as bad as Buster but his hair wasn't as matted. So, the picture on the left is from yesterday and the photo on the right is from today, March 24th. Lulu is tiny! She's just a skinny little thing. And so white! She started rolling in the snow right out of the grooming van, trying to get back the stink the groomer got rid of. She's such a tomboy! Oh, Lulu got a C on her report card. She didn't stand for the groomer and kept trying to sit. Plus, the mats didn't help either. She's adorable!

Buster's First Haircut

2008-03-24T17:18:00.005-04:00

So, above to the left is a photo of Buster taken yesterday, March 23rd. To the right is a photo taken today, March 24th. What a difference! We wondered what we might find underneath all that hair! The groomer came to our house and cut his hair in her grooming van. It's a great setup and it's made me want to go to grooming school. I just might. Anyway, she gave Buster an A+ on his report card (yes, he got a report card!). Perhaps it was the children's benedryl I gave him before his cut? He was very anxious prior to the cut. He knew something was up I guess. I took Lulu out to the van first and didn't come back with her. He went crazy so I called the vet to see if I could try sedating him with allergy meds. They ok'd it. The groomer said he did a great job! He's so cute and looks much smaller now!

Happy Birthday!!

2008-03-21T06:40:00.000-04:00

A very quick Happy Birthday to my sister Jeanne! I hope it's a great one and that you do something special. Love, Lori

Bufflehead or Goldeneye?

2008-03-18T08:56:00.006-04:00

I love seeing bird species for the first time. Sunday I saw a bird at our pond that I've narrowed down to either a Bufflehead (to the left) or a Goldeneye (to the right). Of course I didn't have my camera or my binoculars so I didn't get a good view. Here are pictures of a Bufflehead and a Goldeneye. Both birds dive (do all ducks dive?), one is medium and the other is small. The birds appeared on smaller so I'm leaning toward them being the Bufflehead. It was fun to watch them dive and then pop up somewhere else in the pond. They're quite quick under water. Has anyone else seen either of these birds? Now that I look at these photos next to each other I'd say it was the Bufflehead because it seems like the head was white.

Not much else going on. This is my off day for the week (4 day work weeks, 10 hours/day). I'll usually have Mondays. I will see if I can get Buster's hair cut today but I doubt I'll be able to find anyone to do it on short notice.

Well, I'm off to drink more coffee and slowly adjust to the day!

It's been some time since I've posted.....

2008-03-14T19:02:00.002-04:00

Gosh, has it really been almost a month? I suppose about 3 weeks. Let's see, what's happened in our little world in that time? Well, we went to the DIA with Jill and her family. It was great and I really enjoyed it. Jill and I, both being impulsive, came as close as you can to buying memberships. We would have had our husbands not been there. Anyway, I was inspired to paint and went out and purchased some painting supplies. Why do I think I should start out with museum-quality paintings? I was a little frustrated but perhaps I'll get better, eh?

I'm now working 4 10-hour days being told that if it doesn't work out, I'll need to go back to 8-hour days. I used to work the 4 days and it was fine. I'll likely take Mondays off but would prefer something mid-week for a break. I'm sure I'll like Mondays off just fine though.

Nothing else much. We found out today we'll actually get a refund and are excited. We might be able to go on a vacation! Yeah!

It was at least 57 degrees here today and was it fantastic. I sat outside with the dogs for a while. Gave Lulu a bit of a haircut because she's really, really matted. Poor thing. Buster was panting because he was so hot. His hair must be at least 5 or 6 inches long because he's never had a haircut and is 7 months old.

That's about it. My memory isn't super hot so perhaps I'll remember something later.

Some excitement.......

2008-02-24T11:48:00.003-05:00

As I sit down to write this, some of Lulu and Buster's friends are walking by and they're very excited. No one thought I actually had any excitment, right? I'm so ready for spring and am really going stir-crazy inside. The dogs have wanted to sit outside the last couple days, which is a good sign that spring is around the corner. It's been sunny and warm enough (mid 30s?) for them to hang outside. Our walks have been pleasant because the sun is so nice to see.

I might order some seeds for a garden. I'll likely just grow something on my deck as I did last year. I'll have to get something attractive so Thomas doesn't keep moving them. He did that last year because he thought my tomato plants were ugly. I'm thinking about getting some colored swiss chard from http://www.seedsavers.org/. I think red mildweed flowers as well. The swiss chard will be pretty and edible.

Perhaps I can write more later. I did take pictures last week at Jill's house during the celebration of Mom's birthday. Likely they're mostly dog pictures. I was trying to get a good shot of Buddy. I did see Mom, Jim, Jill, Elise and Leah on Friday night. We met at a Mexican restaurant. I didn't talk much because it was really loud. At least we were all together.

I think I sound a little whiny and ungrateful so I'll work on that. I'm really trying to be grateful because I think when you are, everything else falls into place.

Until later..............

Blah, blah, blah........

2008-02-11T21:18:00.001-05:00

Nothing exciting. I'm waiting for longer and warmer days. The dogs and I went to the pet store for some excitement. It was time for more treats. We had an exciting day yesterday with Lulu. She ended up at the emergency vet because she was vomiting (not abnormal for her) and had diarrhea with lots of blood. She has a history of GI problems but I didn't remember the blood in the stool. So, we spent 5 hours at the vet. There was a shift change, a dog-fight case and a siezuring dog that took precedence over us. I spent $300+ but if I'd done everything they wanted to do, it would have cost $850 - $1200! I'm so glad I held off on the x-ray because it would have been about $130 and when I took her to her regular vet today, the x-ray was only $45. We spent $97 today, which is way better than I'd expected. The vet we saw today has worked with Lulu from her early days and knows all about her GI problems. He didn't do anything that wasn't necessary and he didn't charge me as much as he could have so I appreciate that. Lulu is fine and he reminded me that she had a similar incident in March 2006. We'll try the low-residue diet again and see how that goes. Oh, the vet thought this event might have been due to a new treat I have her 2 days ago. The treat was a wierd rawhide that could be microwaved to soften it up. It had a wierd consistency and kind of reminded me of a gummy worm when heated. I should have know that treat would be trouble.

Other than that, nothing exciting. Will likely go to Jill's house tomorrow night for cake and ice cream for mom's birthday. It will be nice to meet her new puppy, Buddy.

I've Been Hypnotized!

2008-02-02T20:47:00.000-05:00

Well, today was the day I was hypnotized to lose weight. I have to say, I ate a small dinner and felt very full. I had a diet pop afer dinner and feel very full..in fact I feel uncomfortable.

There were maybe 50-75 people in the auditorium. Mom was hypnotized, too. We were hypnotized twice, the first time apparently for 20 minutes (seemed like 5 minutes) and the second time for 25 minutes (seemed like no more than 10 minutes..if that). I remember a tiny bit of what was said during the hypnosis but definitely not 45 minutes worth. My guess is that means I was "under" and hopefully some of what was being said sank in. We were given a book to read and follow and also a CD that we're supposed to listen to every day for 30 days and then 1-2 times a week after that. Fingers crossed that it worked! I went to the grocery store and did good and didn't get any thing bad for me. Also, I feel very thirsty. I remember her encouraging us to drink lots of water. We can go to any of her MI seminars for free for the next year.

Nothing else exciting. Precious came over and played with Buster and Lulu while mom and I were out. Mom, Jill and I had lunch. We talked about cruises and such.

I need to post a picture of the hat I finished this week. Perhaps tomorrow?

Blah.........

2008-01-31T20:37:00.000-05:00

It's winter in Michigan and I've got the blahs. Major blahs. I'm trying to schedule a vacation/cruise for next year at this time but I'm getting really confused. What cruise line should I select? Where should we go? I think I want to go to St. Lucia and St. Kitts and I don't know why. One of my docs is going to St. Lucia for a conference and I saw pictures and it looks nice. I'd really like to go to Costa Rica because I saw a picture of a bright bird for one of their ads and it would be great to see some bright birds. There's probably only one bird in Costa Rica but because I saw it in the ad and haven't done my research, I wouldn't know. I found a couple cruises that looked good. I hope to have something planned by the end of the weekend. Any ideas? Please do let me know if you have any cruise ideas. Here's a ship tha goes to the Southern Caribbean in January 2009: http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=295

Mom and I are getting hypnotized on Saturday! It's a Lose-Weight hypnosis session. My co-worker did this and has lost 40 lbs. I just want to re-train my mind so I won't eat certain foods even when I'm not hungry. My co-worker said she doesn't crave junk any more. Wish us luck! Jill wanted to go out to eat after our session but I told her I'm hoping we won't be hungry! We'll likely get together before the session.

Nothing esle exciting. I'm hoping to sleep a bit tonight. I've had maybe 5 hours of sleep over teh last 2 nights. Buster is loud and likes to be in bed with us. Thomas doesn't sleep as soundly as I do and he wakes up when Buster makes noise and then I wake up because Thomas makes noise.... I have some benedryl and I'm hoping that will knock me out!

Exhausted

2008-01-25T21:52:00.001-05:00

Okay. I was on my way to bed about 1/2 an hour ago and I'm still up. I thought I could post a quick update on my not-very-exciting life. The dogs really want me to take them out so this will be super short.

I'm taking Monday off from work so I feel like I have time to slack off a bit this weekend. I went to the steam room and whirlpool earlier tonight and then crocheted. I had to start over on the hat I was making. I messed up very early on and it showed. It looked like I was knitting a dunce cap. My second attempt is not much better but if I pull the hat down over my head enough, it won't look too pointy on top.

I bought some really pretty and bright yarn (says 100% bamboo on the label...is it really bamboo?) and thought I would make mom a scarf or hat. I'm trying to find a pattern that I like that I can actually read. Reading patterns is my biggest problem.

Well, off to bed. I get to clean tomorrow! Yeah! Will probably go out with Jenny for some lunch. Walk the dogs and hopefully relax.

Saturday

2008-01-19T20:40:00.000-05:00

No pictures tonight. I just got home from 1. going to the steam room and whirlpool at the gym 2. the pet store and 3. going with Jill, Elise and Leah to Target and Joanns. Jill needed to get some flannel for her prayer quilts for her church project and the flannel sale ended tonight. It was only $2/yard! Good deal. I bought a bit of fleece to use as a blanket when I'm watching TV.

I had my crochet class. I'm trying to make a hat but I only got to the 3 row and there are about 35 or so. Wish me luck! I have a hard time figuring out where a row ends and when I need to slip stitch. Anyway, I bought some pretty merino wool, it's multi-colored, and it's pretty soft. I'm making a flapper style hat with no embellishments. It's got the flared rim though. Should be nice if I can actually follow the pattern.

Other than that, not an exciting day. I cleaned, walked the dogs in the morning and bribed Thomas to walk them tonight by cleaning the living room for him. It's sad that I'd rather clean than walk the dogs but boy, is it cold out! Those dogs LOVE the cold it seems, too! They were born for the cold weather.

Might go to Jill's tomorrow because Mom and Jim will be going there after church. Let's see if I can get my multiple loads of laundry done first......

Monday

2008-01-14T20:03:00.001-05:00

Boy, I don't know that I was ready for the day I had at work. It went ok, I just think had it been any other day, I would have accomplished so much more. My brain just couldn't jump into "think/work" mode. Oh well. I still got a lot done.

Here's a picture of Buster with his collar. Why is he all wet? I think he must have just come in from outside. And look at those eyes..is he possessed?! You should see the collar now. It's rough looking. It's torn and pieces of the blue fabric are hanging down from the edge. How did he do that? I was trying to monitor his activity to keep him somewhat inactive. Still, he's a puppy and I didn't do a great job. I think he's so low to the ground that the collar would drag and he'd trip over it. Poor thing. I came home from work today and Thomas had taken the collar off. I've not seen Buster licking or scratching his incision so it was probably an ok move to take it off. Doesn't Buster look much older? I was thinking Lulu was sick because she's feeling lighter but I think she feels that way because Buster is getting heavier (weighs more than Lulu) and she feels light as a feather after holding Buster.

Gosh, am I dull! I'm reminding myself of that Saturday Night Live skit with Alec Baldwin about the NPR show where they talk about corn and ways to prepare it. It's so funny because you can't imagine a show like that lasting on the radio or grabbing anyone's attention. They made it sound so dull!! Yet, it had the same pace and rhythm as many NPR shows and they're most often interesting to me. So, go figure.

Out for now.

A shout out to the birds

2008-01-10T06:59:00.001-05:00

I feel like I don't give enought attention to the birds in these posts so I've posted a picture of Winston (yellow bird) and Static. Static is the most loving bird of them all. I'm quite sure she's a female and likely the only female bird we have. We hand fed her so she's a really sweet bird. Sorry but no pictures of Mellow and Bella today.

The scarf I'm making

2008-01-10T06:40:00.000-05:00

I thought I could work on the computer before work this morning. I would usually get Buster up with me but he's getting neutered today and can't eat before the surgery so he's still in bed. Otherwise he'd be bothering me to eat. I thought I had all food and treats up last night but I forgot that Lulu and Buster stash extra supplies, I suppose for situations like this, throughout the house. Lulu was walking around with a treat and Buster would take it from her. I'd take it away and Lulu would stare at me until I gave it to her and Buster would take it away... You get the picture. Lulu finally ate that treat. Buster ended up with a plastic razor cap in his mouth because he's always got to be chewing. I've actually found chewed razors around the house. He is just so different than Lulu was as a puppy! He's a cutie. Anyway, since Buster is in bed, I can work on the computer because otherwise he'd get the birds riled up because it's still somewhat dark in their room and they get frightened easily in the dark.

I've taken a picture of the scarf I'm working on since I took my class on Saturday. Jeanne, why can't I get the flash to work? Should I actually read the manual? lol So, I've posted a picture of the scarf, which is a yellow tweed and also a green tweed yarn I bought. The picture isn't great because I couldn't get the flash to work but you'll get an idea what it looks like. I like it but it's dull. I might incorporate some maroon beeds somehow. Maybe I can finish off the ends with beads?

Nothing else much. I actually worked out at the gym last night. The last 2 times I've gone specifically to sit in the steam room and the whirlpool. The first time I felt guilty so I at least exercised for 10 minutes but the second time I made a beeline for the steam room. The steam room is great during this gray, colder weather.

I guess I'll get going. I will leave a bit late for work today since I'm taking Buster. I don't do well when I change my schedule. I usually have a hard time focusing on what I need to do. I think I'll be ok today though. Until later..............

Quick post

2008-01-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note since I don't write much anymore. Time passes quickly in the evenings. I went to my Missions Committee meeting at church. I never want to go but am happy once I'm there. It was fun. We had a list of 18 agenda items! We made it to number 9 I think in about 2 hours.

Nothing else much. I'm crocheting a scarf and will take another class on the 19th I think. I hope to make a hat after that class. Or at least be able to read patterns. OK. Out for now............

A long week

2008-01-04T20:43:00.000-05:00

Well, even though I worked only 3 days this week, it sure has seemed like a very long week. I've been in bed at around 8 every night, which is something for me. Again, dull Lori has no excitement in her life. We went for pizza (not on my new diet) and I ended up with a medium milk shake (not on my diet) as well. I guess tomorrow is a new day? I haven't exercised since Monday and that wasn't the greatest workout either. I hope to go tomorrow but I'm actually taking a crochet class tomorrow. I'm very excited. Well, out for now. I hope everyone is doing well..............

Busy Day

2007-12-29T20:17:00.001-05:00

I had a nice, non-productive day but it was fun. I went to IKEA with Jill and Leah. What a busy store! You definitely need to be in the right frame of mind, and very alert, when you go there. I got 2 cutting boards for a total of $2 and Jill got some picture frames for $3. We then went to some shoe store that I can't remember the name of but it's a very over whelming store for me. Too many choices. Went to Marshalls and I found the bras that I have been fitted for that cost me $68 each for only $13 each! Well, it's the same brand but a little bit different style. I was very excited! For most this won't seem like a big deal but the right bra does make a huge difference! Clinton and Stacy are right!!

I had a chicken shwarma at Jerusalem Garden with Jenny once I got back from my day with Jill and Leah. I had tons of guilt about leaving the dogs all day so I bought them some Texas Taffey (beef jerkey of some sort), one of their favorites.

Perhaps I can post a picture some day soon. Hasta....

Let's try this again........

2007-12-27T19:30:00.000-05:00

Here it is! What's most exciting is that I figured out how to do a slide show...with Jeanne's help! Again, sorry that most of these are of Lulu. I wanted to get photos of her with her ribbons since she's rarely very girly. Also, why are these photos so fuzzy? I had a hard time capturing a good, clear shot yesterday and they seem even worse in this slide show.

From yesterday's post: The slideshow includes Ted the cat (Jill's family), Moon the black dog (Jill's family), Lulu the white dog (Lori's family), Buster the brown/red dog with hair covering his eyes (Lori's family) and Precious, a red/brown dog as well (Mom and Jim's).

Christmas Slideshow

2007-12-26T21:11:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at creating a slideshow. Jeanne told me how and it was quite easy. Thanks Jeanne! These are all pet pictures, no people..unless you count feet. Sorry about all the feet. I don't have time to crop photos as I have 2 dogs who are barking for my attention. Also, sorry that most are of Lulu but I was really trying to get a decent shot of her since she was wearing her Christmas bows. She hardly ever gets to wear bows so I needed some good pictures. I wasn't having a lot of luck. I should have taken more people shots but didn't. If I find some, I'll put a slideshow together of the family.

The slideshow includes Ted the cat, Moon the black dog, Lulu the white dog, Buster the brown/red dog with hair covering his eyes and Precious, a red/brown dog as well.

OK..the slideshow won't upload and I've tried twice. I'll need to figure this out tomorrow.....

In the meantime, here's a photo of Lulu with her ribbons. Likely this isn't exciting to most, but it is to me.

I have a couple better shots of her but no time to find them... Sorry this is a scattered post.

I'm on vacation

2007-12-19T20:45:00.001-05:00

I'm on vacation from work and I certainly haven't done much! I guess that could mean that I'm having a nice vacation, right? I am. I went to Tecumseh yesterday to Timeless Stitches and bought a new pattern and was given a free pattern. I'll put pictures up soon. I started on the one and I haven't gotten very far considering the time I've spent stitching. I thought I could have it done by Christmas. I mean, I probably could but I wouldn't be able to do anything else. At all. I couldn't even take time to clean! Perhaps trying to get this project done by Christmas isn't such a bad thing after all!

I've given up on the punch needle project for a while. I get bored too quickly. I'll go back to it. I think it's something that I'll slowly work on and it will get done by next Christmas.

I've been walking the dogs a couple times each day for about an hour. We had quite a bit of snow and it's starting to melt and that means it's much wetter than it has been. Well, by the end of our afternoon walk today, Buster could barely walk because he was covered in balls of snow. I wanted to get a picture but couldn't. I had to quickly get him into the tub to rinse him off so the snow would melt. When he walked he reminded me of the kid from A Christmas Story when he had his snow suit on. That kid couldn't walk and neither could Buster! Lulu wasn't so bad because her hair isn't as long as Buster's is.

OK. I will go now and either clean or stitch. I'm bummed because there isn't a new episode of Project Runway on tonight. I guess reruns will suffice but a new one would have been great. There isn't anything else I watch on Wednesdays either. You would think with all the TV stations we have I could find something to watch. It's really more background noise than anything anyway.

I'm out...............

My new project

2007-12-12T21:05:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm trying my hand at punch needle again. This is only my second attempt and it's my first time without an instructor available. Hopefully I'm doing this the right way. It took me a while to remember how to thread the needle but once I remembered (actually, I read the instructions finally), it came back quickly. This doesn't look great but I remember my first project didn't until I was done.

The top photo is the side that will be displayed when I'm done (it's kind of the back since you work from the other side). The second photo is the back (?...again, I work from this side but when done, it will be the back). I think I punch too tightly and could move my rows further apart.

I traced a free online coloring book page for my design. In case you can't tell, this is a Christmas tree. I think it will look ok when I'm finally done.

Not much else is happening. We go to Zingerman's Roadhouse for lunch tomorrow. One of the doctors is taking us. I'm looking forward to it. And, I'm on vacation next week so only 2 more days at work!

Sophia

2007-12-08T20:58:00.001-05:00

Here's a photo of Sophia, myself and Static. This was taken right before we took Sophia to get euthanized. She looks good doesn't she? Looking at this makes me question whether she needed to be put to sleep. Well, she wasn't feeling great and had kidney problems. The vet ok'd me putting her down as she was 18, had arthritis and was developing renal problems. She looked great for her age but you could tell she just wasn't the same any more. She wasn't feeling good. Any way, here's a photo of us. She was a great cat. We miss her and I catch myself calling the other pets Sophia. I've even thought that I've seen her since she's been gone. I think my eyes were playing tricks on me!

It's been a nice relaxing Saturday. I got up and went to water aerobics. I felt brave so I used the bigger weights during class! As a result, I have felt pretty tired much of the day. That's how I felt after I took my first water aerobics class; out of it. I've just wanted to sleep and be lazy.

I'm working on my NOEL cross stitch pattern. I'm finally almost finished. I'm still outlining the letters in red metalic thread. I've so wanted to start something else but I'm pushing myself to finish this project. I'm so good at getting 1/2 way done with something and then never picking it up again.

I watched a program on felting and I'm excited to give it a try. I also found a lady in my aerobics class who used to work at a craft store and taught knitting. She said her dad taught her. He'd had some ailment as a child and couldn't do much so his mother taught him how to knit. Anyway, Alice, the lady I met, said that she'd help me if I need it. Yeah!

As promised, here it is....

2007-12-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't get very good photos. You can't see the sparkle in the linen very well, but it's there. I'm outlining the letters in a red metalic thread but you can't really tell (I've only done the outside of the "O". If I'm able to get better pictures, I will post them.

No photo

2007-12-03T21:16:00.000-05:00

Well, no photo tonight. I'm too lazy to get the camera and the cross stitch project out. If I hadn't eaten 4.5 servings of chocolate today, I wouldn't have had to gone to the gym. That sucked up some of my evening. Sitting in the steam room sure is relaxing (I even exercised some!).

Buster went to the vet today and in only 3 weeks has gone from 9.2 lbs to 11.5 lbs! He's a big boy! He's always happy though and is super cute. As I've said. Lulu got to go out with me by herself tonight and I could tell she appreciated that. She was very happy and loving after the ride. She's a good dog. Out for now. I'm going to go relax and get ready for tomrrow. Hasta.

Not much new.....

2007-12-02T21:27:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post to say not much is new. I relaxed most of today as I wasn't feeling up to par. I did finish stitching the NOEL pattern on the sparkly linen. I think I will outline it in a metallic red to set it off a bit. I'll try to photograph it tomorrow and put it up on the site.

Another Buster photo........

2007-11-26T20:22:00.000-05:00

Isn't Buster cute? I thought I should add another picture of him just to prove his cuteness. His personality is endless and he's very expressive.

NOEL

2007-11-26T20:05:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of my first creation. It's quite simple but it's a start. I used some scrap Aida cloth just to see what it would look like before stitching on the more expensive linen I thought about using. So, I think I might attempt this on some linen I have that has gold metalic thread woven throughout. The cloth is sparkly and I love sparkles! That one should look much better. Or, I do have a green linen with gold sparkle...should I use that one? I think the gold will look best. Also, I'll get nit picky here, I was going faster than usual and didn't rip out bad stitches because I wanted to get this done quickly. I'd say this is about 3" x 5" stitched on 18 count Aida cloth. I think it's 18 count anyway.

My first creation........

2007-11-23T22:58:00.000-05:00

I purchased a software program a year or so ago that would allow me to creat my own patterns. In the spirit of Christmas, I've created a holiday pattern. It's not elaborate and it's my first so it's not that great. It's freeform and I didn't calculate using the graph chart so I'm sure it's not precise. I'm not into precise anyway. I've not stitched it up yet but perhaps I can tomorrow? Anyway, I can't figure out how to add the chart to the blog but will try to figure it out tomorrow.

Buster takes Precious for a walk

2007-11-19T20:14:00.000-05:00

For some reason this video is entertaining to me. We have been watching my mom's dog, Precious, but mom was concerned that Precious should be on a leash at all times because she might run off. Trying to walk 3 dogs while all are on leashes is not easy. Our solution? Put Precious on a leash but don't actually hold it and most likely she'll feel like she's on a leash and won't run off. Well, Buster helped us out; he would chase Precious' leash and would "walk" her. Thanks, Buster for helping us out!

So Many Hobbies....

2007-11-18T11:21:00.001-05:00

My friend/co-worker has a nice blog where she talks about her hobbies. She spins and dyes yarn and will be opening an Etsy Store this Thanksgiving weekend. Check out her store, Middle Kingdom Fiber. I'm proud of her for taking the initiative to do something productive with her hobby and I hope she'll be able to earn a little extra money to support her spinning habit!

Excuse me, but do you have a dog named Lulu?

2007-11-15T18:04:00.000-05:00

That was the question someone asked me today at work. I was walking through the halls at the VA and someone rushed up from behind and asked if I had a dog named Lulu! This isn't the first time that someone has known Lulu's name but not mine. We were walking in the park and someone yelled out Lulu's name. It was someone from Lu's obedience class. Mind you, I knew her dog's name as well but didn't know her name. I don't think I would have been able to pick her dog out of a line-up, though. And, when the kids were out trick-or-treating, a father came to the door with one of his kids and said, "this must be where Lulu lives." It seems she's quite a celebrity in our little world.

Big Buster

2007-11-13T19:57:00.000-05:00

I took Buster to the vet today for his shots and he weighs 9.2 pounds! Lulu, my 2 year old Lhasa weighs only 13.6. Buster is only 14 weeks old! The vet said he'd likely weigh up to 25 pounds. That's huge for a Lhasa!

2007-11-12T19:45:00.002-05:00

Buster and Lulu

2007-11-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

Here are some cute pictures of Lulu and Buster. Lulu is a 2 year old Lhasa Apso and Buster is now 14 weeks. Talk about polar personalities! Lulu is mellow but can be nervous and Buster is always ready to be in the mix!

My Sister's photos

2007-11-11T19:16:00.000-05:00

You can view my sister Jeanne's photo's. She's pretty good. I went out and bought the same camera as her hoping my pictures would turn out the same but I think you have to have some talent, along with the nice camera, to turn out nice photographs.

Re-Thinking

2007-11-11T19:10:00.000-05:00

I've decided to restart the blog but I'm going in a different direction. All Top Chef posts have been deleted. I think I'd like to focus a bit more on my life, my hobbies and my family. We'll see if I like that direction.........