Quick Post

As a warning to others, as well as a reminder to him, this is one of the gifts my husband received from me this Christmas.  

He accepted it quite graciously and we all had a good laugh.  Things are definitely better than in 2009. :-)

A Belated "Merry Christmas" To All!

I hope everyone's Christmas was fabulous!  We had a wonderful day which, unlike so many in the past that began in the wee, wee hours of the "morning", didn't begin until well after 8:00 AM.  Both of my children were extremely happy and even somewhat surprised by the gifts they received which thrills Santa to no end.  :-)

The December Daily pages I'm sharing with you today will give you a better picture of what we've all been up to these past few days.  (I apologize in advance for the crappy photos.  They really don't do the album justice AT ALL.)

Meg's Christmas List and Gifts For My Girlfriends

The Wrapping Fairy Finally Arrived...and I Found Me a Baking Fairy Too

A Night Out with Girlfriends and More Holiday Baking

Photos from Christmas Eve and Day

More Christmas Day Photos

Post Christmas Exhaustion and Meg & Friends

Only a few days left in the month.  I haven't done much in the way of scrapping this past year so I'm very happy that I was able to stick with this project.  I hope the mojo keeps flowing into 2013.

Phew!!!

Thank goodness the Mayans were wrong about their end of days prediction. Meg was really sweating it.  LOL!

Because my dear friend Catherine has been hoarding The Wrapping Fairy I've spent the better parts of two days wrapping gifts.  With the exception of a couple that can't be wrapped until last minute, I am done.

Meggie and I started our holiday baking last night and will continue through this weekend.  She's actually a great help as she can do it herself with just a bit of supervision.  Of course once she's got a few warm cookies in her belly I lose my helper but it's all good.  :-)  I'm still not sure just what's on this year's baking list so if my family is reading this and has a request, please speak up.

I realized after I last posted my Dec Daily pages I forgot to include the 13th.  I love that I got to include Jay through the use of awesome Iphone technology.

I'll leave you with one more photo that I found on Meg's phone. Looking at it hurts me to no end...

She'd videotaped herself on her phone and then pulled photo clips from the video.  She is obsessed with perfecting this move which I believe is called a needle.  From one who is still recovering from a hip replacement, this is nothing short of torturous.

Preparing for Christmas

Last weekend was one of my favorite days of the year, our 3rd Annual Baking Day with friends.  I spent Saturday prepping for the big day by baking cookies for the cookie exchange and gathering supplies for the projects that I like to do with the kids.  This year I toted along supplies to make Christmas cake pops and candy cane sleighs while another girlfriend brought items for Nutter Butter reindeer.  Afterward the kids all gathered outdoors to make their annual gingerbread creations.

Several other girlfriends joined us later but here's a group shot of us taken early in the festivities.  The pretty lady on the left was our wonderful hostess.

A photo of Meg's completed gingerbread work of art.

Finally I have some additional December Daily pages to share.


Last Friday night Meggie and I were invited to our local high school's Jubilate concert.  The choir was fantastic and we both enjoyed it very much. Saturday's photos show the cookies I baked for our annual cookie exchange.

Sunday's page shows the projects completed by the girls as well as a group photo of the gingerbread station.  Monday's page is of the lone unidentified present that I placed under our tree with the sole purpose of driving Meg crazy. Yes, I have succeeded.

I actually ventured out to the mall on Monday where it was surprisingly quiet.  I only went to two stores (Old Navy and Macy's) and was successful in finding exactly what I was looking for.  I honestly think that with the exception of stocking stuffers, this represents my only local Christmas purchases.

Up next....the creation of my girlfriend gifts and lots and lots of wrapping, my least favorite part of the holiday season.  You'd think that one who loves to play with paper would also love wrapping but nope....HATE IT!  You?

December Daily Catch Up

Just a quick post to share my latest December Daily pages....

Day 6 - lettuce and green onions from our garden.

No, Day 7 wasn't a very bad day.  I've blacked it out because it's displays this year's Christmas card.  Because most of you will be receiving one so I don't want to give away my photo just yet.  

Day 8 - Garage sale 

Day 9 - Tree up, not decorated yet

Day 10 - Christmas decorations still in the boxes

Day 11 - Finally, a decorated tree

Day 12 - A photo of the clock today at 12:12

Today, 12-12-12, is my nephew's 15th birthday.  Happy Birthday Clay!!! (Hint: Stalk your mailman.  *wink*)

Some Moments Just Plain Suck

We have a couple of Christmas functions coming up and apparently no amount of wishing is going to make these 20 extra pounds magically disappear.  I'm tired of wearing the same three pairs of crop pants for the last 8 months so it was time to put on my big girl panties and go shopping for a nice pair of jeans, no matter the size.

I spent a good hour this morning trying to stuff my fat ass into cute jeans while at the same time searching for shirts that cover my muffin top.  (Not an easy feat, either of them.)  So it hits me....here I am limping painfully around the store because I had to stop all anti-inflammatories last night due to  a colonoscopy scheduled for next Tuesday....wearing sunglasses inside because I had my yearly opthalmogist appointment for my pre-glaucoma condition and my eyes are totally dialated....all the while desperately trying to make my way to the back of the store because, thanks to my high blood pressure medicine, I have the urgent need to pee....and I'm having hot flashes to boot. (All true...I couldn't make this stuff up.) It totally sucks to feel old when you're not.

I'm off to physical therapy, dragging my fat ass and muffin top along with me.....
 

Days 4 & 5

Just a quick post to share my December Daily pages for the 4th and 5th.  Today I'm showing the pages as seen in the album, rather than scanning them in singly.

Meg is feeling much better.  The fever is gone but I kept her home today with a bit of congestion.  Earlier this morning we went through the Christmas boxes and with the exception of our tree, we have everything out and displayed.  As you can see by today's photos we had a bit of fun modeling our Santa hat collection on Jasmine, who was pretty "ho-hum-bah-humbug" about the whole situation.

Bad Mommy

Last evenings festivities didn't go exactly according to plan, as explained by Day 3 of my December album.

She's home today and feeling better.  Her mama is feeling extremely guilty and has been trying to make it up to her by attending to her every want and need which most recently included a trip to Wendy's for a vanilla Frosty.

December is Here!

Ready or not, December has arrived.  I am doing 100% of my shopping online this year and am nearly finished.  While part of me feels badly that I'm not out supporting our local merchants the convenience is just too wonderful, especially in a year where hours of standing and walking have absolutely NO appeal to me whatsoever.  I'll sit in my chair and hit the "click" button, made even easier by the fact that both my kids have conveniently loaded up my Amazon shopping cart.  :-)

I have done very little in the way of scrapping this year but I can't let a December go by without my December Daily album.  I'm keeping it extremely simple this year because right now, a simplistic completed album is far better than a gorgeously decorated abandoned album.

Here are my pages for the first two days of December....

(The actual pages are banner shaped.  The red is just a photography background.)

Assuming Meg doesn't have a load of homework we'll probably start the indoor decorations this evening.  I've downloaded some new Christmas music which includes Merry Christmas Baby by Rod Stewart, Christmas Jazz, and Christmas in the Sand by Colbie Callait to play while decorating.  We'll see if anyone appreciates my choices.  (Wouldn't place any bets....LOL!) 

Our Beaches

Here on the east coast of Florida we don't have to take a direct hit from a hurricane for it to impact our beaches.  In fact, the worst beach erosion seems to come from the hurricanes that stay off our shore.  As you'll see from my photos, Hurricane Sandy inflicted some major damage to our coastline.

Here is our lifeguard shack dangling over the edge of the huge cliff that's now our beach.  Sad.  It costs millions to replenish our beaches, which we've had to do many, many times in the years we've lived here.

This photo gives you a better perspective of the height of the dune.

As you can see, it's still a very beautiful beach but one must be prepared to climb up and down a major drop off to get seaside.  (Not an easy feat with my new hip but hubby had a very tight grip on me.)  

Thankfully hurricane season is officially over tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Photos

I hope everyone had a fabulous Turkey Day!  While we were disappointed that we couldn't be with my extended family on Thanksgiving, we did have a wonderful holiday with Jay and our friends.  My "hostess with the mostest" girlfriend Kelley prepared a fabulous dinner for 36.  The thought of doing that myself would give me nightmares but she always does it with ease.

Isn't this gorgeous?

The Kids Table

The Dinner Buffet

So large it required two photos.

I didn't get a photo of the final dessert table but trust me, it was bountiful. Meggie and I tried out Catherine's pumpkin bar recipe and it was a huge hit.  We also made a tray of Pilgrim hats using chocolate wafers, bite sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and peanut butter.  The kids made short work of them.

Jay only stuck around for 24 hours but it was a great visit.  We haven't seen much of him on Thanksgiving these past several years so I was thrilled that he made the trip.  I have to wonder though....did he come home to see us or to eat at Kel's?  ;)

Cake Pops

Meg has been BEGGING for a cake pop machine for ages but it's always fallen on deaf eyes, that is, until now.  What changed my mind?  A little thing called Pinterest.

I discovered and joined Pinterest not long after they started two years ago but frankly, I couldn't quite see the fascination.  After all, I read tons of blogs and use the "save to favorites" option on my blog reader so I could come back to them later.  I really couldn't see needing anything more but two things recently moved me "to the dark side."

1)  the new Pinterest for Ipad app was released ... and
2)  my recuperation from surgery

All of a sudden I had more time on my hands than I could stand and it wasn't long before I got sucked into the black hole known as Pinterest.  In the past two months I've pinned so many cute craft projects, recipes, home decor ideas, organizational and household tips, sarcastic cartoons, etc, etc, etc....all of which leads me back to cake pops.

After seeing so many cute holiday ideas for cake pops I realized that this would be the perfect project for the kids on our Annual Baking Day.  After lots of research I decided to follow the advice of many reviewers and try them out before our big day.  Meggie and I, along with one of her friends, made our first batch on Sunday.

I have to admit that the BabyCakes cake pop maker works like a charm, is very easy to use and I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to try them.  (I got mine on sale at Kohls and used a 20% coupon as well.)  We did run into some snags with the decorating however.  Most all blogs and recipes tell you to use melted candy wafers for the icing but we found it to be rather thick, even when thinned down with a bit of shortening.  We used the microwave method (again from most of the recipes) but I think next time I'll use my mini crockpot which may provide better results.  I also came across a recipe that uses canned cake frosting melted with baking chips (choc or vanilla).  I plan to try this as well.

In the end though we had a fun time and the cake pops were a huge hit with the girls.  I froze away some plain cake pops which I'll experiment with before the big day, set for Dec. 16th.  Hopefully I can work out the snags.

*edited to add*  ---  On Pinterest? See my boards at pinterest.com/julesp  Where are you?

For My Northern Friends

Here in Florida, it's a beautiful day for a convertible.

Just sayin'......

You Know You're Old When....

you get one of these babies in the mail....

Yep, between the new hip and the titanium bolts in my opposite shoulder I have plenty of metal to slow me down at the courthouses and airports.  I'm on my way to being bionic.

The End of Another Week

Today marks six weeks post surgery and I am so happy to report that I've made MAJOR strides in my recovery since Monday.  My gait has remarkably improved and my limp is just ever so slight.  I guess those therapists know what they're doing.  :-)

I have spent several months purging and reorganizing every corner/closet/shelf in my house, gearing up for the Mother of All Garage sales.  Last week I totally reorganized every cabinet and drawer in my kitchen which resulted in three more huge boxes of stuff for the sale pile.  Very little in my cupboards are as they were and and I'm really liking the new arrangement.  Here's a photo of my new spice arrangement.  I didn't get a "before" photo but trust me, everything spilled out onto the counter as soon as you opened the cabinet.  (my apologies for the bad Iphone photo)

There are three of these racks total (one is hidden in the back).  The jars were included with the racks but I created all of the labels myself.   Did you happen to notice how much extra room I have on the shelf above it?  :-)  It's no longer dangerous to open this cupboard.

This weekend is the RAK Soiree hosted by my very good friends Kelley and Hans.  For the past 5 years they have opened their home to upwards of 150 people for an evening of food, drink, music and dancing.  Each person donates a $20 at the door and is given an opportunity to cast their vote for a local family/charity in need of some extra support.  (Attendees are provided a list of recipients from which to choose from.)  At the end of the night a random drawing is held to determine the lucky recipients.  We usually collect between $1500-$2000 each year and surprisingly, to the best of our knowledge, the past recipients have yet to figure out the benefactors  :-) The tears of gratefulness and joy that it brings to a deserving family is beyond imagination.  I'm so proud to call these generous hosts my bestest of friends.

Last night, being the crafty friend, I was called upon to decorate these lanterns that Kelley found at Lowe's for $3 each.  I really, really love how they turned out and can't wait for tomorrow evening.

Pineapple Festival and PT

The 25th annual Pineapple Festival was this past weekend.  We've attended every year for the past 16 years so I wasn't about to miss it, limp or no limp. Sunday's are Kids Day ($20 gets you an armband for unlimited rides) so we always taken Meg down for several hours on this day.  Yesterday we left the house at 11:30 AM and were there for the opening. Meg got her arm band, met up with her friends, and was long gone...checking in only when she wanted money.  Randy and I window shopped the booths, watched a couple of local performances (juggling, cheerleading, etc) and then met up with friends.  For those of you who know my friends, this usually leads to cocktails and loads of laughs.  Yesterday was no exception.  So....a few cocktails. kid hunting, chats with everyone from our community who has children ('cause EVERYONE goes on armband day LOL!)  more kid hunting, a great concert by a local band of old hippies playing classic rock, even more kid wrangling, dinner at a local downtown establishment and finally a Vanilla Ice concert....and the next thing you know it's 9:00 PM and I'm still on my feet, barely, but still walking.  

Needless to say, I came home absolutely exhausted and pretty much went straight to bed, deeply wishing that I didn't have Physical Therapy this morning.  My therapist is an awesome but she works me.  Right now I'm doing an hour of bikes, elliptical, lower leg weight machines, bands, steps, etc.  Its all good but I always leave feeling like I've been hit by a truck.  Today I went IN feeling that way and left totally drained.

As for my progress, I have to continue to work on my gait as my right foot wants to in-toe.  I've consulted with three PTs now (one is a friend) who all tell me that the loss of muscle in my right thigh/hip/buttock is causing my leg to turn in.  I've been told I need to concentrate on walking correctly (it takes great focus, let me tell  you) in addition to continuing with the muscle building exercises.  I was relieved to hear them all say that I'm doing great for 5 weeks out and that it takes women 8-12 weeks before full recovery is achieved.  (the time for men is less.  Go figure?)

It was awesome to get out into the world again and "play" but I'll be taking a lot of "down time" the next few days to make up for it.  :-)

Halloween Photos

Just a few quick photos from last night....

Progress

I am definitely starting to feel like my old self again.  I braved the mall with Meggie on Saturday to purchase a birthday gift for one of her BFFs.  And guess what?  I survived!  And just yesterday I tackled the grocery store for the first time in ages.  I almost turned around when I got to the parking lot and saw the "old people trolley"  but I decided that I actually fit right in.  (not sure whether a *sigh* or an *lol* is the correct emotion here.)   Fortunately the colder weather kept most of the elderly crowd hunkered down at home so shopping was a breeze.    

Today I'm considering a long overdue mani/pedi.  Things are most definitely looking up!

Another Update

Today marks four weeks post surgery and I'm making great strides, literally.  I'm walking on my own but do still have a significant limp.  My pain is down to an irritating, deep ache that I am continuing to work through. 

Because of the nature of my particular surgery (posterior vs anterior) I still have several restrictions.  One huge no-no is bending down past a 90 degree angle, something you don't think of much until you aren't allowed to do it.  Meg and Mom solved this problem by buying me this awesome birthday gift ...

It's become my new BFF.  :-)

Short Update

It's currently two weeks post surgery and I'm doing very well.  I'm surprisingly quite mobile, with the help of my walker,that is, but still experiencing significant post surgical pain.  Thankfully the pain lessens with each passing day and I'm slowly weaning myself off the pain killers.  My home health nursing period has passed and I've now graduated from home physical therapy to outpatient PT, three times a week.  I won't lie....it definitely hasn't been pleasant...but I'm doing well and "on the mend" so look to "see" me back in a week or so.

Blog Break

Tomorrow is surgery day.  Wish me luck and I'll be back when I'm able.

xoxoxoxox

Julie

ReWind Wednesday

I thought I'd showcase one of Meg's 2006 creations.  She and Lexi met at preschool and are still very good friends.  Interestingly, Lexi is the only one from Meg's circle of friends (and beyond) who continues to beat her in height.  

Girls Night Out

Not a lot of blogging because frankly, there's not a lot going on...just counting the days until my surgery with the hopes of getting my life back.

I did manage a girls night out a recently.   Two friends joined me for a painting class held at a local studio.  It should be obvious why I picked this particular night to attend.  *wink*

We had a wonderful time and plan to return for a mother/daughter evening once I'm back on my feet.  (different theme, of course.)

Who knew we were all such fabulous artists?  :-)

ReWind Wednesday

Meg's Christmas list, a kindergarten assignment in Dec. 2006.  So sweet.

Then and Now

A year ago I was running 40 miles every month.  Granted, I always felt like I'd been run over by a truck afterward but I was out on the streets moving.

Today my life can be summed up in a blue badge...

Lovely, isn't it?

While one part of me is elated, knowing that saved steps equates to reduced pain, the other part of me is extremely depressed, realizing that this is what my life has become.  I am an old person.  My mental well-being seriously rests on the success of this surgery.

ReWind Wednesday

What did you do in school today? as quoted by Meg on her 4th day of kindergarten....

The Hitch in my Giddy-up

If you follow my ramblings you know that I've had issues with my right groin/lower back area for ages. After five months of chiropractic visits, multiple x-rays, an MRI, a cortisone injection and two consultations with my orthopedist, the verdict is undeniable.  I have a severely arthritic hip and relief will only be attained through a total hip replacement.   Forty years of running have taken their toll.   And while I struggle with the notion that I am far too young for such a surgery, I also struggle with day to day living. The number of days spent in bed on pain killers and/or hobbling around with a cane have increased.   So, while in my mind I'm too young for "old people surgery", I've come to terms with the fact that I am also far too young to be missing out on life.  I deserve more. My family deserves more.  My surgery is scheduled for the end of this month.

Because of my condition, the work on my bedroom/bath has been slow.  Very, very slow.  I'm really anxious to have it completed before I'm totally bedridden but I'm not sure that will happen.  For now though, I'd like to share a sneak peek at my new bedroom ...

The photo color is a bit off.  The wall color is Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray, a soothing bluish-gray.  The bedspread is a soft, dusty blue.  The new furniture is black.  The new king sized Tempurpedic mattress has been a wonderful "life-saver" on my hip.

With any luck I'll have completed room photos to share before my surgery!

ReWind Wednesday

Reading the journaling from this 2006 layout strengthens my belief that the time I spend documenting memories is so totally worth it.  I had forgotten all about Meggie's kindergarten obsession with the school's monkey bars.  

Journaling reads....

From day one kindergarten has been all about the monkey bars.  For some reason that particular piece of playground equipment holds both a fascination and an obsession with you.  Every afternoon without fail you come running to the school gate anxious to give me your daily playground progress report. One day during your third week of school you came running up with “exciting news”.  Silly me, for a split second I actually thought I was going to hear something new about your day.  Maybe you got your long sought after tenth sticker?  Or you learned to read a new word?  Or perhaps you had news of a field trip?  Nope.  ”Guess what Mom!  I made it all the way across the monkey bars!”  You were beaming with so much pride that even the other mom’s took notice, smiled and commented.                           

          

School’s now starting its sixth week and your palms continue to show the fruits of your labor.  I don’t always hear much about your daily lessons but I do know that you and Emma are the only ones who can make it all the way across the bars…Gracie only goes one rung and then lets go…Chase and Lexi can almost make it …Ty prefers to play on other things …and Kelsie, well she’s just a “scaredy cat.”   For you kindergarten truly is all about the monkey bars, as it should be when you’re five.  I wonder if they have scholarships for that nowadays.   Sept. 2006

Big Yellow Bus

A few photos from the first official day of school.

We live on the main drag through our subdivision and are fortunate enough to have the bus stop right at our corner.  Meg only has to walk out the door and across the street but for those who live on the side streets, it can be quite a walk.

Typical of the age, the boys and girls tend to keep to themselves.

Right on time and off they go....

I really love that I can see everything from my front door.  :-)

ReWind Wednesday

My posts are spotty, I know.  We're still not done with the remodeling, mainly due to "the hitch in my giddy-up" but more on that later.  Here's today's ReWind...

From 2006.  What I wouldn't give to look that good again.  *sigh*