Flower Weekend

I spent the afternoon yesterday tooling around on the golf cart snapping pictures and visiting with friends.  I think I have some candidates for paintings here.  What do you think!

This one was at Whole Foods! 

A Rushed Girl

Good Saturday morning all.  Today is day 1 of the 8th year of this blog and I hope to start off with something that will interest you.  We finally got away to the cabin this weekend and that means that the diet will follow.  Yesterday was also payday and pay a few bills so I had a lot on my mind.  With the office work done and the grocery store list handled too I was ready to run my errands.  I arrived home with frozen shrimp, milk and other odds and ends that needed to be taken in quickly.  Just as I rolled around the corner into our neighborhood I remembered I was supposed to go to the liquor store for red wine, which I can have on this diet.  Rats!  I went ahead and took the stuff inside, safer anyway, and rushed off to the liquor store that is just up the street.  Back home The Hubby was pruning our ornamental grasses in front.  He seemed to think they were too tall.  Whatever, they were just fine.  Now they look like flat tops!  Right off the bat as we were getting stuff ready to load into his truck I realized I left my Jorge Cruise 100 diet book at the office, with my list of stuff to pack from home, and my meal plans.  I told him we would have to run by and pick it up.  We proceeded to load up and take off.  Two blocks away and I remembered that I left the fish for our dinner that night in the freezeer (didn't have my list from home.)  We turned around and went back and I rushed in and grabbed it.  We took off again and just as we pulled out of the neighborhood I remembered Clayton's dog food.  We had to go back for that.  Turn around yet again and inside I went.  The Hubby told me to take a breath.  I felt so disorganized and I think a little apprehensive about taking the diet "on the road."  We FINALLY headed toward the office and nearly there I remembered I forgot the fixin's for the Skinny Muffin.  RATS!  No matter, I can have my scrambled egg mixture two days in a row.  WHEW!  I was so glad to finally be on the road.  I don't know what was wrong with me and I hope to goodness that payroll was right after all of this!

 

We are here and enjoyed a nice dinner of fish, a glass of red wine and the company of wonderful friends in a place that I like to think of as our sanctuary! 

Blogoversary

Happy Anniversary to me, Happy Anniversary to me, Happy Anniversary to me.....

Yeah, well it is now 7 years that I have been blogging on this blog, Today!  I can't believe it has been that long since I started spilling my stuff on this site.  I thank you one and all for being a reader and follower and friend.  This blog has been such a healing place for me after Gail and my Mom died.  You have been there for sure.  Thank you and it seems that I will continue to next year as I seem to have found my writing chops again, not good chops, but at least I am writing.  Love to you all.  Carla

"Memories, like the corners of my mind"

"Memories, like the corners of my mind"

Yes that is what is happening at work lately.  Briana has been scanning and scanning everything we can bring her.  It definitely stirs up memories of years gone by.  I keep bringing more and more boxes of pictures and memorabilia for her to scan, my supply seems endless.  This all started when she started scanning our business scrapbook of 34 years of business.  Then she found pictures in an old desk and pictures in frames that weren't safe from her scanning fingers.  Then she brought her stuff to scan.  Today I brought "her" box of stuff of school papers, class pictures, coloring pictures, everything I have gathered over the years.  I have another box for Afton too, someday!  I also brought her buckets of old pictures from probably early 1900's to 1990's era.  Wow, the memories that popped out of the look through made me very nostalgic.  Soon I will share.

Dieting Update

This is day three of my new diet and I must say it is going very well.  In fact, I weighed Monday morning just at the before I started this thing and from the first of the month from when I had my physical I had lost 4 pounds.  That was good news because I had been trying to watch it a bit.  Then I weighed this morning, Wednesday morning and lo and behold I had dropped another 6 pounds!!!! WHAT!!!!!!  Incredible!  I told The Hubby today that this has been rather easy and I haven't been hungry which is very strange.  I haven't even had a craving for anything.  Maybe there is something to this no flour, no sugar thing.  My real challenge will be at the cabin this weekend.  I so hope the ladies there are sticking to it and make it easy but I am not holding my breath.  What I have decided is that if there is not "group" meal planned then we will do our own meal and then gather later to socialize.  But if they are still doing it and group meal is planned, on the plan we will join in.  I am going to stick to this thing!  The Hubby just got his doc report too and his cholesterol is up too.  Usually it's his triglycerides but they were fine.  The doc wanted to put him on meds but he told them we were doing this diet and he wanted to wait and see if there was a difference.  Sadly I had to buy a blood pressure meter today to keep track of my BP for the doctor.  I really didn't want to do that but I gave in.  Hopefully, the weight loss will right all of this.

Diet 101

Well, I am beginning Day 2 of the dreaded diet.  The first day, yesterday, Monday, was really not bad.  Actually, most days I don't eat that bad so yesterday wasn't a hardship.

For breakfast I made the "Skinny Muffin"from the book by Jorge Cruise 100.  Interesting recipe for sure.  Basically it is made in a coffee mug for 50 seconds in the microwave.  I was not sure about flax seed flour but I found it at my regular grocery store.  1/4 cup flax seed flour, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 egg, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 package of Stevia.  That was it.  Not much taste but it was filling with my coffee.  I am finding that I really have to pre-plan so I had The Hubby grill our shrimp for the lunch Sunday for our lunch on Monday.  He's doing it with me and that is so going to help.  For dinner I did fresh green beans and then another recipe from the book.  It was supposed to have orange roughy but I could not find fresh or frozen at the store so I used tilapia.  It was dip the fish in beaten egg and then Parmesan cheese and saute in one tablespoon olive oil.  So good!  One good thing is two glasses of red wine if you want every night!  YEE HAW!  My kind of diet, although it won't be every night.  So Day one is in the books and we look forward to day 2.

Paula Deen

I don't mean to bring up a weird subject but I'm a bit miffed by the happenings with Paula Deen.  I'm sorry for her and think the Food Network jumped the gun a bit.  I mean this happened years ago, a much younger Paula, a much different era.  True it is a horrible, horrible word but people change and should not be pre-judged which is what has happened at FN right now.  I'm just truly sorry and sad for her, her family and everyone who knows her and loves her.  I am still a huge fan and am a bit ticked a FN.

Off soap box now.

The Joy of Rio

We had another overnight with the darlin' Rio!  This one was much better as she is 8-1/2 months old.  

Momma dropped her off and unpacked the entire household with her (I remember those days).  I was excited and a bit scared yet again.  It's a huge responsibility as I also recall in my younger parent days. 

She was quite a content little lady crawling around, laughing and giggling, especially when Clayton came into her eyesight.  Don't you just love this photo of her.  What a dumplin' she is.  The only problem was she DID NOT want the bottle.  Momma is getting ready to wean and bottle was not on her radar.  Kind of worried me but she seemed fine and ate her fruits, veggies and oatmeal.  She went down at about midnight till four then up till five and down again till 8:30.  Not too bad I must say. 

This morning I enjoyed my coffee outside and she enjoyed watching the bubbles I made for her.  Confused Clayton a bit too.  Ah, the joy's of Rio!  We love her so.

1985

Exactly 28 years ago today this precious girl was delivered into this world to take it by storm.  Our sweet Afton is 28 years old and has accomplished a lot and we are so very proud of her. 

Just look at those brown eyes.  

All grown up and out in the world. 

Love you bunches my dear! 

 

And now she has found love.  We couldn't be happier for her.

 

Diet - Yes or No

This picture was taken about 1974 when I was probably at the smallest in my life.  I also didn't eat much which was not healthy but it was the only way I was tiny.  I did sit-ups, 100, every night to keep the tummy flat and the waist small.  I was 36-26-36 roughly.  Sometimes I yearn for those years but you know what, life does happen.  You marry, you have children and it just happens.  After each child I did lose the weight but after awhile I think I just gave up and let it go.  You can play the blame game and give all kinds of excused of why this all happened but plain and simple, I got fat and I have to fix it!

When young, my brother and sister and I played outside all day long.  We rode our bicycles around the neighborhood constantly, around and around the block.  We played softball in our backyard with the neighbor kids running and running.  And we walked everywhere.  Exercise was a constant in my life at that time.

Now I am faced with this spread that is dominating my life.  I have exercised for years with Jazzercise and now with my trainer but I've just stopped loosing the weight.  My body has grown to a size that it feels comfortable with but it is starting to take a toll.  My knees are not happy lifting an over 200 pound body.  My feet complain constantly, but I ignore.  My lower back is tired of holding the tummy that wants to hang out front. And now my blood pressure is an issue.  I have a physical every single year and everything has been just perfect, everything, but since the knee incident my BP has slowly crept up.  Dr. L has decided that enough is enough and put me on meds.  This is now where I say enough is enough.  I have played around with different diets and just half-ass go through the motions but this time is different.  Several of my friends have started the Jorge Cruise100, no flour-no sugar, sort of like the Dr. Gott that used to be in the newspaper.  It is the first diet that I have found lately that makes more sense to me.  I have been a lifetime Weight Watcher but the new point-system is too much for me.  I liked it the old-fashioned way and was successful at it.  Anyway, I have a support system in place with my friends and I've told The Hubby he would be doing the lunch and dinner with me. He's very on board, thank goodness.  It is time I really get serious and maybe I will be able to walk outside again or even run.  I really enjoyed that but this knee thing is prohibiting me from pursuing that option, so the stationary bike and my trainer is where I'm at.  Wish me luck and hope you enjoy the journey with me.  Monday is the day I officially start.  This week I've read the book and on Sunday I buy food and prep for the week!  

Retirement

Last night I just happened upon a very interesting show on PBS on Frontline called The Retirement Gamble.  Wow, it was so informative on the history of mutual funds, 401K's, IRA's and retirement.  It was a perfect video to send to my girls to understand stuff.  The Hubby is all the time thinking about retirement and talking about retirement but I just don't see that happening.  He's just such a go-go kind of guy.  I think he dreams of it being great but not sure he can do it.  We'll see but that is a few years off and we have a few years left to try and build up that "fund".  Well worth a watch for everyone.

High Heeled Girl

I had an idea this week for a new painting.  I was looking at a local estate sale Facebook page and for their next sale there were pictures of shelves.  The shelves were just full of cool high heels.  It gave me a great subject idea for my next painting so I started drawing high heels, prepped a canvas and yesterday began the first layer of paint.  Now mind you this is truly a first layer of paint.  There will be designs, polka-dots or even tie-dye heels but I at least got the general design on canvas and we will go from there.  What do you think???

Leather and Lace

Good morning all.  Yes, I am on a roll here, blogging away.  So much is rattling around in my brain this morning.  I have just STUFF to do and I'm not getting around to doing any of it lately. 

First, I gave away our loveseat.  Yes I did!  Really, I gave it to B&B2 to match the couch we gave them when we moved some 7 years ago.  The Hubby hated it, of course sense I picked it out and he LOVES leather which this was fabric.  We've been having an on going battle about leather and fabric for some time now.  He has his beloved leather couch, actually, three of them.  We have one at the office and one at the cabin too.  I had a tiny fabric loveseat, which now I don't.  We also have two awesome large leather chairs that were perfect at our other house but just are a bit too large in this house.  The debate with The Hubby is that he wanted to replace the loveseat with yet another leather couch and I just had to put the brakes on and say "HECK NO!"  I love, love, love our decorating sense but it does tend to lean towards the guy kind of feel and I want, no NEED a bit of feminine in that house with his collections of lighters, flashlights and African head mounts on the wall (3 at the cabin too).  I had to make a stand for my lady side and insist that we not have an entire house of leather.  Then last weekend he had the bright idea of getting rid of the chairs too but I'm not so opposed to that idea.  With the help of brainstorming with Harri and B the chairs are moving to our new offices upstairs in the living area and I'm going shopping!!!!!  I am going to appease him by trying to find a leather loveseat to accompany his leather couch then I am going to get a couple of nice chairs with an ottoman in FABRIC!  Yup, and I told him it may have a bit of floral in it!!!!!  Yes I did and he was not opposed but we will see when I finally get around to shopping.  This brings me back to the stuff I need to do.  I need to shop and I hate to shop.  I have just got to hit the pavement and start the hunt with the help of the designer brother-in-law!  I have an idea of what I want but I HAVE TO SHOP! 

No Left Turn

I've written a few times before about pet peeves and apparantly I have yet another. 

Pet Peeve number 6,025: 

People who do not read road signs, specifically NO LEFT TURN!

 

The road I travel to the office and home is under a bit of construction but at one intersection there is no left turn going north-south, the direction I'm usually traveling.  There are signs everywhere that say NO LEFT TURN, yet these non-observant drivers back up traffic, usually only allowing one car through a light, themselves!  Do they not realize that the traffic is backed up and it would make sense that they should not turn left anyway.  Oh no, that would make too much sense.  Oh gosh it is infuriating that people just don't read signs.  There is another one the next mile north that has a No Left Turn, but it is between 7-9 and 4-6 only.  People do not pay attention there either and it is a permanent sign.  I had one guy lay on his horn when I was turning left at 2 in the afternoon there, when I was LEGAL to turn.  READ THE SIGNS!  Lord knows you have time while you wait for the light, I know I do when the idiot in front of me is TURNING LEFT ILLEGALILY! 

Happy Father's Day

Daddy

 

The Hubby 

Construction - AGAIN

Good Saturday morning to everyone!  Yes, I am trying to get into the habit of posting EVERYDAY!  I think I have forgotten how to use the writing muscles in my brain. 

The Hubby and I skittled off to the cabin fairly yesterday afternoon.  We both so needed to get away.  He has been working out in the field quite a bit and he is just not young anymore and although he is in terrific shape, it takes a toll.  You know you are old when you hit the bed at eight o'clock at night and doze off at nine, both of us.  Of course we are up at 4:45 every morning too.  I think I may have mentioned some good news for us, maybe.  Well, anyway we are about to undergo some more construction.  Not in the house but we are building some office warehouse space to rent, The Hubby calls it "mailbox money" for retirement.  We are also renovating the old stone building on the property for the move of our offices soon.  I'm so excited!  We've been in our current location when we built the building in 1984 and have sort of outgrown the space.  (Thought I had a picture but can't find it.)  It's a two story stone building build sometime in 1920-something and in great shape.  The first floor will be our offices with an open concept but the upstairs!  The upstairs will be like a living quarters.  We thought of being able to rent it out but I have talked The Hubby into...get this.........AN ART STUDIO!  We are still having a kitchen and great closets and bathroom with fold out couch bed but the front part of the floor will be my art studio that has a view of downtown Tulsa.  The first time I walked into that building I knew it would be a great studio and I am finally getting a space for ME.  Yes I know I have my "room" at home but that room is also filled with family history/pictures, books, financial stuff, etc.  Since I'm starting to sell some of my stuff I needed to get a place that more inspiration than what I have.  And since he has whole warehouses for his "stuff" it is my turn!  Besides the upstairs will be a place where Rio can nap while her momma is downstairs working.  We will have phone upstairs too so I can answer the office phone too.  We've been to several meetings with the architect on the plans and they've started framing!  We are still in the stages of getting building permits with the city for the new building and wow, is that a process.  So construction time is upon us yet again...oh boy!

Food Memories

I finally got my garden installed and lookie...I have tomatoes.  This little wonder plant is called "Juliette" and last year it produced tons of grape-like flavor filled tomatoes.  I also have tiny cucumbers, and potatoes that were left over from last year and popped up this year!  We'll see how that goes. 

Since we've done some landscaping in the backyard we also added some fruit options:  thornless blackberries, grapes and figs.  The fig trees are just loaded and the grapes seem to be doing fine too.  I don't care if I use the grapes, the birds can eat all they want, I am quite capable of making some tasty grape jelly.  We had grapevines at one of our other houses and they were wonderful.  The Hubby has an obsession for "vines" of any kind so to appease his desire we settled on grapevines.   That same house we had a neighbor who was of Lebanese decent and made grape-leaf rolls from our grape leaves of which she shared with us and her homemade yogurt...drooling!

Figs bring wonderful memories for me.  When the landscaper said she was going to plant them I smiled with the sweet memory of yet another neighbor when I was a child.  Next door to us growing up was an elderly couple named Mr. & Mr. Schumacher.  His name was Herman and her's Elsie.  The neighborhood kids thought they were mean and said she was a witch.  They didn't have children together but he had a daughter I never met.  When my brother, sister and I walked to school he would sit on his front porch or in his front picture window when cold and wave to us, every morning and every afternoon.  We drew pictures for them and gave them gifts for Christmas as they did us, inexpensive dime store gifts that we could afford with our small amount of savings.  Mrs. Schumacher was a heavy-set woman who was of the generation of wearing dresses everyday.  She had the most wonderful gray hair that she kept braided and wound around her head.  On the days she washed it she would take that braid down and her hair hung nearly to her knees.  She would walk up and down the sidewalk with it flowing behind her drying in the breeze.  It was a sight that made an impression on this young girl.  We all still thought she was kind of a shrew but we three children kind of mellowed her.  

Mr. Schumacher was a jewel.  He was a kind man who loved us.  When he wasn't in the window or on the porch we knew he would be sick and we would take him candy or cake or something to make him feel better.  I think I was his favorite because one day when I got home from school he called and told my mother he had a surprise for me and to meet him over the fence in the backyard.  I went out in the back to see him standing at the fence and he showed me a little tree that he was always fussing over.  There on that tree was a fruit, a fig.  It was a fig tree.  I had never seen anything like it.  He picked that fig, showed it too me then cut it open and let me have a taste.  I had never eaten anything like it.  It was the first one off of his new tree and he shared it with me.  So these fig trees make me smile with such a sweet memory of a gentle elderly friend.

After Mrs. Schumacher passed away, he sold the house and moved to Wagoner to be closer to his daughter.  I was married but continued to correspond with him and still have the wonderful letters he sent and signed in his shaky elderly fashion, Herman Schumacher.  It broke my heart when he died I heartbroken and attended his very strange funeral (they spoke in tongues and fell on the floor) for my friend.  I still have a little glass jar containing a pine-scented candle that he gave us kids for Christmas one year.  It is very special and I will never get rid of it.

Hacked Off

Hello, hello, hello...If you are on my email list I AM VERY SORRY!!!!!  After 14 years with the same email address I was HACKED today and SPAM emails went out to everyone in my email list and that, over 14 years has become quiet huge.  I can't possibly send and email out to everyone in my list as there are too many and if I did AOL would see that as SPAM and shut me down.  Trust me I've had it happen when I was sending out mass emails to my high school class for reunion.  I have to break it all up and that takes some time I can asure you.  Anyway, I am so very sorry and I have changed my password within the hour of it happening.  DO NOT click the link.  Dang this really makes me mad and HACKED OFF! 

I was going to write about something else but I'm a bit too angry to do that.  Hopefully tomorrow it will be better....deep breaths!

Anyone For A Swim

Anyone for a swim.  I finished this one in art class yesterday.  I think I love it.  It is from a photo that a friend gave me and I hope she may want to buy it but, if not, well...I posted on Facebook and almost immediately had a buyer for it.  COOL!

Life in General

Stuff is a happening in my life lately.  No big stuff, well, maybe it is.  I've been very quiet here and I'm not sure why.  It is coming up on my 7 year anniversary of blogging here and I've toyed with the idea of closing this down but after 7 years I just can't quite give it up but I feel guilty for not sharing.  I haven't even written in my handwritten journal either but twice since the fall and that is truly not like me.  

The painting thing is really hopping and that is great fun.  I’ve been selling and creating which is a huge high.  I’m gearing up for the show at The Canebrake in October and that takes a bit of my thought process too. 

I am SOOOo very glad that summer is finally here.  I know this spring has been horrible for a lot of people with the tornados here in Oklahoma and I know we have needed the rain immensely because of the drought but I’m done for now.  I’m ready for sunshine and warm temperatures.  The warm temps also help my knee.  You can’t imagine how much better my knee is with just warm sunshine to make it move better. 

On that note I had my yearly physical last Monday and was a bit nervous because of course the weight.  Even though I am overweight I do eat well and exercise and my blood pressure and cholesterol thing has been awesome but I always live in the fear that the BP could be an issue.  Especially since last fall when I was dealing with the intense pain from the knee and my BP was not good, but it was from the pain.  Well, Monday it was up and so he put me on blood pressure meds.  I don’t like that and then I thought about the fact that I have been eating a bit of Aleve to help with the other pain I’ve been dealing with in the knee when the cold temperatures were affecting it.  Do you think that could have made my BP higher?  I do question that, but I will do this medicine for a couple of weeks and go back and ask more questions and see if I’m better.  Dang it, I’ve always been able to keep everything A-Okay up until now but this gives The Hubby cause to give me the evil eye about the weight.  I don’t know why it just doesn’t budge, even though I was down 4 pounds.  I really eat very well and pretty much the same and even if I cut down a bit the scale doesn’t seem to move much.  My body seems to like this weight, the knees not so much, so hopefully, with the summer warming my joints up I can move better with the exercise

Family Reunion

Yes we hosted an impromptu family reunion at the cabin this weekend.  Daddy's nephew and his wife were in town so we quickly put it together.  After the storms on Friday night in Oklahoma City I was afraid it would not be possible but the turned out great for us.  

We gathered.  We chatted.  We ate.  We

 laughed.  We took tons of pictures. 

My sis and her lovely family. 

Daddy's nephew Dennis and The Hubby touring the grounds. 

Nephew (my cousin) Dennis and Vickie!  When Daddy went to Arizona a few years ago, this is who he stayed with.  Dennis's mother Aunt Dee is Daddy's sis and still living with them.  Her health doesn't let her travel so the siblings often visit her.  

Daddy and his sister GiGi and sweet Rio!

Siblings minus two.  

They were lucky enough to catch sight of a deer.

it 

The rains have caused the area to begin the spring floods.  By then end of the weekend the dam was almost completely under water.

We also celebrated a semi-birthday for little Rio.  She was 8 months old on Saturday.  Can't believe how time flies. 

More chit-chatting with cousins, aunts and uncles. 

Awwwww, we let had to get in on the picture thing! 

This kiddo is just so photogenic...

Mondo was racing around her he was so excited to be in the meadow. 

Whew, a breather. 

There's that little beauty!

Poppy (The Hubby) and Rio