Hello 2012!

Dear 2012.
Be nice to me. 2011 wasn't exactly the best year of my life.
On one hand, I WORKED ZERO DAYS because my spine was busy deteriorating.
On the other hand, I worked zero days because MY SPINE WAS BUSY DETERIORATING.

I didn't do anything on my 2011 to-do list. I'm not making any resolutions or even a to-do list for 2012. This way, whatever  I do this year will be an accomplishment.

Want to see what I got for Christmas?

The Kindle Fire was a surprise from Mr Sunshine and I'm enjoying it more than I thought I might. The Willow Tree box is from my sister, the earrings (and the Adele21 CD) were from Sorority Girl and the scarf was from my best friend. She got it for me when she went on a business trip to Kuala Lumpur and went shopping in the marketplaces.

Shall we discuss my hair? I hadn't had a trim in at least 7 months and it was not a pretty sight. Today I let Thomas The Stylist do his magic. He cut 3 inches off the back and worked in a bunch of layers. We will all ignore the color and 4 inches of roots, because I'm giving up coloring my hair...20 years of hair dye is ENOUGH. I can't believe it's still this long after losing 3 inches!

One more thing...arriving Tuesday night.....

Look at the tree behind Cape Cod Kid!! They think it was mangled by some drunk stumbling down Main St.
He's coming for a week with Cape Cod Girlfriend! We'll eat, drink, maybe go to the beach, shopping, visit Mr Sunshine's mom, and WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Survive and Thrive?

I don't have the energy to look back at my Best of 2010. Last year was more like the Year Of Survival for my little family.

Mr Sunshine survived the Diabetic Crisis that landed him in ICU.  I survived The Summer Of The Broken Face...and becoming diabetic...and quitting my crappy retail job. Cape Cod Kid survived a car accident that could have been much worse. The other driver fell asleep at the wheel and totalled the Kid's car. The Kid walked away without a scratch...or a car for almost 2 months. Sorority Girl survived another year of University of Tropical Paradise, with a change in major and moving to a new house...AGAIN.

I do have a few goals for 2011.

CLOSET ORGANIZING: My Mom gave me a gift card to get closet organization stuff.
FILE ORGANIZING: My "favorites" file on this computer has 285 entries...in no sense of order.
RECIPE ORGANIZING: I have been collecting recipes for 31 years. They all live in a plastic shoebox with no sense or order. This year they are going into a recipe book. First I need to weed out all the recipes that are NOT diabetic-friendly.

NEW JOB: I will search for a new job. I think 10 years of retail have burned me to a crispy crunch. I am hoping for a job in another field. I am also hoping for a job that doesn't make my bullshit meter run at full-speed.

LOSE WEIGHT: I know, I say that every year, but I feel like I'm making good progress this year (except for the current uptick that may or may not be medication-related)
KEEP WALKING: I can do 2 or 3 miles, depending on the weather and my back. I hope to either get up to 4 miles, or improve my 50 minute time on the 3 mile walk.
WALK FOR CHARITY: Most charity walks are 5K...or 3.1 miles. Hey, I can DO that! Sorority Girl and I are planning to do our first walk in March for the JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION.  It's hard enough for an adult to handle, I can't imagine being a parent who has to monitor diet and stick needles into their child to check blood sugar and give insulin. I have so much respect for those parents.

KEEP BLOGGING: This one is just my brain thoughts spilling out onto the keyboard. I need to work harder on our other little blog Deperate Diabetic Cooks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR. PEACE, HEALTH AND HAPPINESS IN 2011.

Gracias Por Todo 2009

2009

Wasn't too bad, as far as years go. No major illnesses or disasters for our immediate family.
We moved to a new apartment that we really love. We have jobs.

Here's some of my FAVORITES OF 2009

TV: GLEE. I was a teenage chorus and band room geek. I love the characters (especially Kurt. I want to adopt him). I DVR the episodes, so I can watch a second time.
SONS OF ANARCHY. Sometimes I have to cover my face, because it is that violent, but once again, I love the characters and the storytelling.

BOOKS: SACRED HEARTS by Sarah Dunant. A young woman is sent to a convent against her wishes, in 1570, in Italy.
BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK by Jen Lancaster. She made me laugh out loud, so I read her first 3 books and enjoyed them all.
THE MIDDLE PLACE by Kelly Corrigan. If you have taken care of a parent, you can relate.

BEAUTY PRODUCTS: I started using Patricia Wexler products. We sell them at work, so I was able to sample them before I bought them. They're more expensive than the corner store, but less than department stores. I am completely addicted to her SKIN REGENERATING SERUM (makes your skin feel like satin) and TINTED MOISTURIZER (spf 30 and I threw away all my foundation).

RESTAURANTS: We were in South Beach for the Patriots-Dolphins football game a few weeks ago. We asked the concierge for "the best burger place in South Beach". She sent us to BURGER AND BEER JOINT. It was soooooooooooooo good. They make a 10 pound burger that is the size of a manhole cover. We skipped it, but we heard it had been featured on a Travel Channel show.
In our search for local, authentic Mexican food, we have had a few disappointing meals. Our favorite place went downhill when new owners took over. We recently found GARIBALDI in Apopka FL. This week was our third trip and every meal has been really good.

ADULT BEVERAGE: I'm not a big drinker. YUENGLING will do for beer. PINOT GRIGIO is probably my favorite wine. AMARETTO is my liquor of choice. I have recently discovered I love Amaretto even more when you throw it in some cranberry juice. I'm stocking up on Cranberry juice during the holiday "Buy 1, get 1 free" sales.

FAVORITE BLOG POSTS: The ones I wrote for SORORITY GIRL and CAPE COD KID's birthdays. (Go meet my kids)

BEST NEW EXPERIENCES OF 2009:
Eating an orange I had just picked at the orange grove.
My first NBA basketball game.
My first college football game.
I ate gator and went on an airboat ride.
Joined facebook.

BEST WORK ON A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: 1-1-10, I weighed in at 16 pounds less than I did on 1-1-09!!! 46 down, 24 to go!

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, 2009

*this post idea was inspired by my new favorite bloggy friend, Bunny* (Go meet Bunny)

PEACE-01/01/09

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace ~Jimi Hendrix

There is no way to peace; peace is the way~ A.J.Muste

If you want peace, work for justice~Pope Paul VI

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves~ Dalai Lama

Wishing you PEACE in the NEW YEAR

Farewell 2008-Welcome 2009

Is it over yet?
I didn't lose the last 30 Lbs.
There are people I didn't keep in touch with often enough.
I neglected my health in some areas.
I had a few projects that weren't completed.
I wanted to get more involved with the Community Volunteer projects.

GOALS FOR 2009:

• No pressure on the weight loss, but make a better effort to eat healthy.
• Write more letters to faraway friends and family.
• Take my meds on a regular basis, walk, Reiki more often.
• Finish more scrapbook pages (yes, I'm a nerd), get the Family Album transferred from VHS to DVD, finish a few unfinished knitting projects.
• Check the Volunteer Opportunity list more often.

I don't think any of the goals are difficult. They just require more attention and thought.

To Be Creative

Happy New Year! I don't make resolutions. I guess you could call them wishings...things I wish to do in the coming year.
This year I wish to be creative. I saw a challenge on a blog. It's that new pic in the upper right-hand corner.

It is a challenge to do something creative. It doesn't have to be everyday. And you decide how you will be creative. No deadline, no pressure.
I dabble in a few things. I scrapbook (yeah, the kid's baby pictures from the 1980's and I hope to do some of my parents). I have made jewelry, collages, written poetry, taken photos, knitted, sewn, cooked.
All of these things fill my soul. They can lift me out of a funky mood and make me smile again. I hope to do a few things I haven't done in many years and try a few new ones. I'll post them on here. Eventually I'll get them all organized in one place on this blog.

It's called Creative Every Day 2008. I'm so inspired by the challenge. Check it out.
http://www.creativeeveryday.com/creativeeveryday/creative-every-day-2008-.html

Feed Your Soul.
Peace and Love
Jeannie