Thursday, May 30, 2013

Weekend Activities a little late posting.

Memorial Day weekend was the beginning of the summer season but as you can see from our picture below, it was a little chilly here.  Saturday we went to Northport with friends and they had a car show.  We walked around and checked out the show.  
 This car reminded me of Leo's Mustang which was his first car.  He told me that his car was the same color but it had one black stripe down th middle and it was not quite as old as this one.  It was fun to walk along the water and look at the old cars anyway.  The sun was shining and we enjoyed catching up with friends.
 On the way touring Leelanau County, we stopped for lunch at an out of the way diner and then stopped by an old church where they were having a quilt show.  I had heard about this show and the guys agreed to wait while Joan and I went in and checked out the quilts.  Most of the quilts were hand quilted by the ladies of the church and quite like the quilts that the 'Ladies Aide' would do in the church in Coleman.  It is nice to know the tradition still lives in small communities around N. Michigan.
 Bud with Bill and Joan.  Bill lived next to me when I moved into my first house so I have known him for a long time. So, lunch, quilts and cars.  That is how we spent our afternoon.
In the evening we went out and celebrated a birthday with some other friends.,  The couple in the middle are both retiring this year.  Larry has an office in the same building as Bud and his wife Kathy is retiring from teaching.  A new adventure is in store for both of them with the retirement ahead.

Sunday and Monday we were pretty quiet here around the house, doing chores and some projects for me.  The boat is not in the water yet and the weather has been cold so just working around the house was good for us.

Now you can see why I was a little delayed in posting this week, not a lot going on.  The hot weather has finally arrived here and Bud just got the AC ready to turn on. School is winding down and the trees are greening up so time goes on.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Phase 3

If you have been following our diets these last few months you may know (and possibly not care but it IS my blog) that Bud and I have been on a SERIOUS diet.  It involved a high protein low carbohydrate plan that was difficult for me (I whined a lot) and easier for Bud but it worked.  He has lost almost 30 pounds and looks as thin as I have seen him in a long time.  I lost 23 pounds and am back to where I was about 4 years ago when I lost the same weight on Weight Watchers before we took our big cruise.  This time I am planning to keep it off as is Bud.  Anyway, we have transitioned into the 3rd phase of this diet.  We just came off phase 2 where we just added lunch of real food instead of a protein shake.  This phase is suppose to 'reset' our metabolism by introducing carbs at breakfast.  We were both looking forward to having a great breakfast.  I have been craving toast for quite a while, just needing some carbs and some variety in my breakfast.  The whole idea of a BIG breakfast is to introduce carbs in the morning and letting your body become accustomed to insulin again but not storing the fat.  It is kind of complicated but the information they give us to read sounds 'logical' and I am just 'going with the plan', hoping it works.
SO.....   all this introduction and probably more information than you really wanted to know, just to set up this picture of my delicious and VERY ample breakfast.
My first 'real' breakfast was from their plan which included 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 2 slices of wholewheat toast with butter and a cup of fresh strawberries.  Believe me, it was great.  We will be eating like this for the next 2 weeks and then we go on the final phase of trying to maintain our weight loss.  I don't know a lot about the final phase but am hopping that it doesn't include a BIG breakfast like this all the time.  Even though this looks great now, I could become tired of this much food on a regular basis.  I have heard that Phase 4 includes eating 'sensible' meals for 6 days and a 7th day of 'splurging' with any treat that you wish.  The idea behind the day of 'splurge' is that it is better to have a day off the diet than to add a splurge every day.  The every day ice cream cone is more dangerous than a one day splurge.  That is all I really know about Phase 4, right now I am just enjoying my lovely breakfast.

I hope you enjoy your long Memorial Day weekend.  Bud will be taking off all 3 days so maybe we will get out and do something like go on a bike ride.  He is hoping to plan a motorcycle ride with some friends.  The lawn also needs to be mowing and I need to do some weeding in my little garden beside the driveway so it will be a mixture of chores and fun.  The boat isn't in the water yet but it is probably too cold to be out on the water, the temps are only in the high 50's around here and a possible frost is in the forecast.  (Dad always said that you shouldn't put in your tomatoes until after Memorial Day anyway so this is probably just a normal spring.  I'm not planning to put in any tomatoes but will look around for some flowers to plant.)  I haven't heard if Leo is planning to come up.  I invited him several times and he has traditionally helped me plant my flowers so I am still hopeful.

Happy Memorial Day to everyone.  I already did my duty by putting the wreath on the grave in Coleman so I am free to relax and enjoy the weekend.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Sunshine, beauty and compassion

I awoke to sunshine today.  It is slipping away as the clouds close in but the sunshine was wonderful.  I walked out to get the paper, the smells of spring and growing were in the air.  In a far off distance a woodpecker reminded me that the woods around our house are full of wildlife as well as the spring flowers.  The Trillium are in full bloom in the woods around us and the green leaves are growing bigger every day.  The warm weather, sunshine and rain from yesterday are aiding the progress of spring here and I am thankful for the beauty around me.  By now the clouds are threatening storms or at least some more rain but I have projects to do inside my sewing room so a rainy day won't make me too idle or at least any more idle than my usual day of retired life entails.  
Enjoying each moment of the day is always a goal for me.  I sometimes forget to enjoy the beauty around me, especially on a day like today when there are so many people who have lost their homes to the storms in Oklahoma.  It reminds me to be thankful that the only storms that we have to deal with here in N. Michigan are winter blizzards and for them we just stay home.  My heart goes out to all those people who are struggling in Oklahoma and of course many other parts of the world.  I live a blessed life and sometimes need to remind myself to listen, smell and gaze lovingly on the beauty around me every day.  

I found these words on a picture in a magazine the other day and thought I would share it with you today:

This bright, new day.....complete with 24 hours of opportunities, choices, and attitudes. A perfectly matched set of 1440 minutes. This unique gift, This one day, cannot be exchanged, replaced or refunded.  Handle with care. Make the most of it.  There is only 1 to a customer.  

Words to live by. Words of wisdom. 

Last week I was in the Coleman area again.  Leo and I went to Bay City on Thursday morning to check out some housing possibilities.  I think we have found a possible 'couple wide' that could meet his needs and fall within his budget limits.  We agreed that waiting until some time in July would be a good idea but at least we have a possible plan and someone to work with.  

I also stopped at the cemetery and put a wreath on the grave before Memorial Day.  We are ready for the upcoming holiday.

 Thursday evening I was back in town in time to see Charlotte perform at her high school evening show.  She sang 'I'm Walking on Sunshine' and it was beautiful. Her voice is wonderful and I am amazed at her growth and beautiful voice quality.
We were proud and blessed to be able to pose with such a beautiful young woman.

I continue to volunteer in Kingsley twice a week.  Lately I have been doing a lot of teaching.  The last 2 times I taught Molly's class for part of the afternoon so that she could do some individual testing with students.  I still enjoy teaching and love just 'stepping in' and teaching a lesson now and then.  I still have those skills and it is fun to do when I don't have to do it full time. This has been a difficult year for the 3rd grade teachers. They have an average of 30-31 students in their classrooms and quite a few 'high needs' special education students included in that mix.  Many of the special needs children have emotional issues so that brings with it a difficult set of problems.  I NEVER regret my decision to leave the teaching field after my 35 years.  I do enjoy going back and helping and that is very rewarding.

The lessons today include, enjoy the life you have, share your talents with others and have compassion for those around you.  Do just one of those suggestions and you life will be better each day AND today.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

The week in review

I guess I haven't written a post this week.  I don't exactly know why but maybe just laziness??   I have been working on some cool projects though.  I started making some of my baskets again.   It is fun to have projects that I can complete quickly, not like making a whole quilt.  Sara asked for some baskets to keep toys in for the babies so I went to work and created these baskets for her. 
 They are all quite big and have these little handles in the side.  This one has a decoration on the side,  I was trying to cover up the fact that I am not too good at the "finishing" last row so I put some flowers to cover up the end.
 This one is a little smaller and I just wound the end so that takes care of the problem of ending nicely.  I learned this little trick from my friend Kathy.  
 The third one is ended the same way but with a button in the middle to give it a little extra.
 And finally you can see that they stack inside each other.  That was my goal and I did accomplish it quite well.  I sent her some pictures and will send them out to her soon.
 Thursday of this last week I took a class with my friend MaryAnne.  We were learning how to make this cool bag, kind of a 'market' bag that holds a lot of stuff.  I don't know what I am going to use mine for but I liked the sample and we decided it would be fun to make and spend the day together.
 I made mine of all batik fabrics but you can't see it here.  I will show it off when I am done.
 This is the teacher's bag.  Mine will be different because the fabrics will be more to my taste and I put on long handles that will go across the body.  It was fun and I enjoyed the day of sewing, lunch and the companionship of a friend.
 I am also working on making table runners for Brittany's wedding.  I finished the first 3 this past week and showed them to her.  Both Sue and Brittany gave their approval so I will be making about 20 more.  I finished cutting the fabric yesterday and have started the hemming process.  I am using some special hemming material that only requires me to iron it to make the hems so it is pretty easy.  Her theme is nautical and the colors are blue and white so I am sure that this will look great on the tables.
Today we went to a concert at a local 'tavern'.  This is my friend MaryAnne in the middle and her two daughters beside her.  It was a wonderful concert for a Mother's Day.

The weather has turned on us here in Northern Michigan and we are back to winter.  The snow was falling like mad yesterday.  Fortunately, it didn't stick on the ground.  We here are all ready for the cold weather to be over.

Bud and I reached a decision this past week about our diet.  It has taken longer than we thought to take off the weight that we had as a goal.  Bud has lost 25 pounds on this diet and he had lost about 10 pounds before he started it.  I have only lost 21 pounds but didn't have as much to lose.  We decided that it was time to 'give it a rest' and go on to the next phase.  This diet has 4 phases and we want to get to the maintenance phase before summer.  I also think it is a good idea to let this weight loss settle and try to maintain it for a while before going at it again.  It is a VERY expensive diet because you buy your protein shakes from the doctor's office.  Bud found a less expensive and comparable source so when we go back on the program we will use that source.  The next two phases involve putting regular food back into our diet so I will be putting carbohydrates back on my plate slowly for the next 4 weeks.  This is suppose to 'reset' your metabolism and keep you from adding fat to your body.  Time will tell but I am glad to have the weight off and to go on to the next phase.  We both look slimmer and that is important for now.

Speaking of for now, that is all for me for now.  I hope all mothers had a great Mother's Day.  

Monday, May 6, 2013

Graduation at the BIG HOUSE

Saturday we had the pleasure of attending the a University of Michigan Graduation in Ann Arbor.
 Danielle (David's girlfriend) and David were graduating after 4 years of hard study. We went out to dinner on Friday night with the familyl .
 What a wonderful group of young people.  We are Thankful to be a part of all their lives.
 The adults were at the other end of the table but we sure enjoyed watching the 'young folks' laughing and sharing the celebration of this wonderful evening.
 All were up early and in our seats.
 The 'sea' of graduates.

 The ceremony was over and they made it.
 Once again those wonderful Noble children.
 The whole family.
 And the extended family.
 We headed back to Brittany and John's house for a lunch.  John also graduated with his law degree but we didn't see him in his cap and gown and rumor has it that they don't give out those degrees until much later when the check to make sure that everyone passes their last classes.
It was a wonderful weekend, a great party and most of all a time to celebrate the graduates, David, Danielle and John.  Our future is in their hands.  

Friday, May 3, 2013

SIN

Forgive me, my sister but I have sinned.  I just checked the commandment and realize that it is the 10th commandment that I broke.  I the event that you, like me, can't remember that specific commandment her it is for you:
Thou shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

NOW, you may be thinking that it might be impossible for me to covet my neighbor's wife but you ALL know that it means anything not just wives.  So, yes I have committed this sin and need forgiveness from my sister. I decided it was worth risking to just ask forgiveness after I gave in to my sin.

Her goes the story.  When we were visiting Eva this spring I saw her in this BEAUTIFUL  cardigan sweater and remarked on how great it looked on her. (can you see where this is going???)  She told me where she bought it (probably her mistake but who is placing blame on her???)  I came home and checked on line and sure enough there it was and on sale.  I decided to resist, knowing that I was sinning.  I tried and tried but over the weeks that have passed, I have checked the sweater on line several times and then last week, in a weak moment I placed the order.

So the sin has been committed and I am asking for forgiveness.  I promise I won't wear it while I am in the company of my sister so we don't look like 'twins' but it sure is a beautiful sweater, don't you think and I do have a weakness for cardigans.