Water Of All Kinds

It's raining.  Yup this morning it is raining.  Sounds awesome.  Think I will go to the screened porch for a bit this morning and enjoy the pitter-patter of the raindrops on the metal roof. 

 

We've had a very quiet weekend here at the cabin.  Friday night we had dinner at PH's and she fixed a most delicious dinner, and it fit right in with our diet.  She made chicken breasts that were filled with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon.  The veggie was spaghetti squash casserole au gratin that was to die for. 

 

Yesterday afternoon I bit the bullet and went to the creek and SAT in the creek.  I'm just not one who does the creek anymore so this was kind of big.  When a kiddo I, we, my bro and sis, absolutely lived in the lake or creek, but I think the stupid movie JAWS ruined me on bodies of water that you can't see the bottom of.  There are critters in them waters! 

So Saturday afternoon, a rather hot afternoon, I joined a few friends and sat in the softly flowing creek and enjoyed the coolness.  I also sat on the creekbank and sketched a bit too.  It was quite pleasant. 

 

Here's to wonderful times spent with friends!

A Lesson Before Dying

I finished this book yesterday.  It has been in my "stack" of books for years and I think was on Oprah's Book Club list probably over 10 years ago.  I finally got around to reading, well listening, to it.  Such a good book, sad, thought provoking and in this time really thought provoking.  With all the stuff going on with Paula Deen and that girl on Big Brother lately with racial slurs and words tossed around my mind has been on the subject a lot.  The books time period is in the 1940's in Cajun country about a young black man named Jefferson who somehow gets tied into a robbery gone bad and he's the only one left standing.  Being black, in the 40's and the south he is convicted to death and all of the waiting for his execution effects everyone in town in some way or another.  The story is of course sad but it brings thoughts to mind of the time era and how far we HAVE come in the world yet when I watch the Big Brother show and see that young girl espousing the racial crap I see we still have not come very far.  Why can't we learn to love everyone, to stop this insane difference that keeps us so far apart from becoming human beings!  My mind is a jumble of these thoughts lately.  Sorry.  It's a really good book.

Cotti

Last night I chauffeured my friend Sheila to our monthly meeting of Alpha Rho Tau or ART.  We were excited to attend and left at 5:30 to get across town to get good seats which didn't really happen.  Between the stupid traffic and the "reserved" signs on the nearly entire first two rows, well, we got the best places we could.  There were two artists sharing for the evening, Lopeeta Tawde, a watercolorist and jewelry designer, and a man by the working name of Cotti.  Cotti is a world renowned portrait artist who has been commissioned by the likes of Sly Stone, Marlene Detrich (she died before that happened), Louis Armstrong, BB King, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and many others.  Sheila and I just had to go to see his work.  What an interesting guy and an opportunity.    

This is one of his pieces that he is most famous for.  Unfortunately, I only had my camera phone and the pictures were a bit blurry.  He paints in the style of the "Old Masters", like Rembrandt.  And it just so happened that it was Rembrandt's birthday yesterday.  

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Paint, Toilet Paper and Food

Good Sunday morning.  It's been a fabulous weekend so far.  Rain is on the horizon today and that makes me kind of happy.  We definitely need it.  Yesterday I was up early to take care of the granddog, Mondo and Clayton and my planned breakfast.  I'm kind of bummed that I have not lost anymore weight than 14 pounds after three weeks, but I will continue.  I have not had any white stuff, as in bread, rice or potatoes in three weeks.  I've given up soda pop.  I think its still working because at least the body is changing but I want the scale to start changing.  Good news is when I take the blood pressure it is more in the normal range now too!  I spent yesterday taking some more pictures for possible still life paintings and my laundry.  While running around doing a few household chores, I was putting toilet paper in our various bathrooms, when I turned from the bathroom to walk through the darkened bedroom to the hall bath, I did not see the black granddog laying on the carpet.  My foot met his backside and with my arms full of toilet paper, down I went.  SPLAT---I hit the floor, partly on the dog, my right knee (the good knee), my left elbow and I think on top of a couple of rolls of toilet paper.  I think the TP saved me.  When I rolled over to my bottom I sat for a few minutes to see how the knee was and my poor elbow.  OUCH!  Toilet paper was all over the place.  Mondo came over to me, sat on his haunches and put his paw on my shoulder.  Awwww, sweet baby, he was either apologizing for being in the middle of the floor or making sure I was okay.  I'm fine and the only real injury was a rug burn on the elbow that plagued me all night long.

Life goes on.  On a good note, I got a Facebook message from one of The Hubby's distant cousins who is a retired teacher and AMAZING photographer.  He takes the most beautiful photos of his property, birds, bird baths, butterflies...etc.  He asked if I could do a painting from one of his photos that has a butterfly.  He sent me a couple of pictures and wanted a quote for certain sizes.  I quoted and he accepted.  EEK!  He wants it to look like a painting (no problem) not a photograph.  So a commission!  Yeah.  I did finish a painting and am almost finished with another, probably today.  

Tick-Tock

I am making one last plea here for our youngest, Afton, stage name Sangster.  She is 12 days out to fulfill her fund drive via Pledge Music to raise funds to record her debut EP - Sangster:  Human Becoming!  (5% of the funds raised will benefit the ASPCA.)  You can go to the site and even listen to her voice and ENJOY!


The link for her PledgeMusic campaign is HERE!  

Pickle Eater

I am TOTALLY stealing these pictures from Af's Facebook page but I just had too.  

When my girls were this age my mother told me to let them chomp on dill pickles to help with teething.  Something about the alum that is used in pickles helps to numb the pain.  Not sure if this is right but B is an avid researcher in anything to do with baby Rio so must be something to it.  So during a Facetime with her Auntie Af she is enjoying her dill pickles. 

Yummy! 

Well, since she has a few teeth now you have to be careful when the odd piece is chomped off.  They are too big to swallow but Rio doesn't care.  She loves her pickles!

Not happy at all!

Whew, much better!

Garden Bounty

Yesterday I went out to the garden and immediately wished I had gone on Sunday, before I went to the store and bought cucumbers.  Wow!  The cucumbers that were all as tiny as my little finger on Friday were huge and ready to pick, and I will pick more later today.  The only tomatoes ready for picking are my sweet little Juliette's but more will come soon.  

I fixed a delicious dish from "the book", that included cucumbers.  I grilled tilapia on my grill pan and seasoned it with Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic and cooking spray.  Then on another plate I put a couple of Boston lettuce leaves.  When the fish was done I put it on the leaves and topped with chopped cucumber, chopped red pepper, and cilantro then drizzled with a olive oil vinaigrette (red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper).  YUMMY!  So delicious.

This recipe, Shrimp Salad, from "the book", is delicious too. It called for baby shrimp but I just used regular cooked shrimp and chopped them up.  A couple tablespoons of chopped dill, celery, a tablespoon of mayo, lime juice and serve over chopped romaine leaves.  Another fabulous meal for lunch.   

So the new eating is going very well.  

Weekend Wrap-up

Good morning, good morning.  The scale is up a bit this morning but I'm not too worried.  It could be not enough water or a bit more wine this weekend.  This morning I've already prepared our lunch and had my breakfast.  I've hit the ground running and will continue on my quest of a lighter me.  I can honestly say that my body feels lighter and my tummy is shrinking faster than you can imagine.  This is going to work!!!  The Hubby is so excited and happy by my desire and success so far that I came home yesterday to find these sitting on the kitchen counter -

I have chiggars!  Saturday, my time in the hammock has somehow caused me to have chiggars all around the bra area and I HATE it!  In fact, I have one bite from nearly two months ago that is still healing.  Gosh I so hate chiggars.  Why can't it be mosquito bites that my body seems to absorb and disappear quickly.  Nope, I shall have these for awhile!  Awww, lovely weekend!  It was also the fireworks show at the cabin retreat so I spent time indoors in the evening watching Clayton not care one lick about all the big bang boom!  He doesn't mind fireworks, like I hate them.  I did finish a book, A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams that I highly recommend.  I'm finishing a audio in the car called The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton that I thought was a bit long but the ending surprising.  I liked it.  Started the new Janet Evanovich book The Heist which I should finish this week.

I told The Hubby that this next weekend I wish to stay in town.  I have a lot of paintings to start and finish and many in my head to do.  Since my show is in October they need to get done so there is time to dry, since I paint in oils.  So next weekend I do not wish to budge from this house!  Besides we will be taking care of the granddog, Mondo and I don't want to take him to the cabin.  He's fun to have and Clayton will so enjoy having him around.

How was your weekend.  Staying cool!

Reading, Hammock Sitting and Flower Picture Taking

Today is the celebration of the 4th here at the lake.  Some may not know but a few years ago, July 5, 2008 to be exact, The Hubby was injured in a fireworks accident.  I won't go into details but you can read about it HERE.  It is not my favorite holiday.  I love Independance Day, all for that but I HATE fireworks!  Anyway, I am just hanging around the cabin and the hammock not partaking of the PARTY atmosphere that is going on.

 

I am instead taking pictures of some of my flowers for paintings, hammock dwelling and reading a great book. 

Daylilies

 

Trumpet Vine (that is encroaching in our yard)

 

My beautiful hibiscus!

 

The book I'm reading is A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams.  I wasn't sure when I started but in two days I am halfway through and probably will finish tomorrow.  It's been on the top best sellers list for summer reads this year.  I've also enjoyed a few books by one of my favorite authors, Elin Hilderbrand and Mary Kay Andrews.  Hope you're having a reading summer!

After the 4th!

Yesterday was such an awesome day.  Up for breakfast, later, much later than is the norm, then read, and take some pictures and paint, paint, paint!  A bit of a nap and more reading and relaxation.  That is what the doctor ordered, so to speak!  I actually finished a couple of paintings and started another so I accomplished a lot on the 4th.  

This is one of the pictures I took, a still life for possible painting.  The Hubby attended a recent bottle show and brought these lovelies home.  I couldn't help but photo them in anticipation of a painting.  

Started this one too today.  It needs to dry so I can do something more with the background.

Finished this abstract too and I must say I love it!

Last but not least is this pepper.  I did a tomato a couple of months ago and posted it on Facebook and it was snatched up quickly, like in 15 minutes by a friend who then requested a companion piece, a green pepper.  She loves it!  So SOLD!

The #14

Just a quick hello and good morning and HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!  And to impart some good news.  As of June 5, this morning the scale says I have lost 14 pounds!!!!!  Woo Hoo!  I am so excited I can hardly stand it and gives me encouragement to continue on with the diet or lifestyle.  The Hubby is dropping too but he is now asking if he can eat this or that.  I think he may be hungry but I'm not.  I'm very satisfied with what I am preparing.  My only hitch is that I getting kind of tired of constantly chopping and cutting and sauteing and COOKING!  We will have to break down and eat out sometime and I can handle it.  I have book club in a couple of weeks and we will HAVE to go back to Bangkok, our favorite place.  I just have to have a lot of veggies and chicken that is on the buffet and I can do that.

Weight Down

Monday evening and I am rejoicing in the fact that I have actually finished and successfully so, a full week of a diet.  I have not done that in a very long time.  I'm not sure how to count the weight loss since I actually started kind of watching it on June 5, after the devastating doctor's appointment.  I am going to say that since June 5, I've lost a total of 11 pounds and am quite proud of that.  It's not been too tough and so much more enjoyable with The Hubby doing it with me.  I know that The Hubby looks like he doesn't need to lose weight but his cholesterol has a problem and he will definitely benefit by eating better.  I am glad he's along for the ride, I hate doing it alone.  We started week 2 today and the lunch...YUMMY!  It was baby shrimp, which I couldn't find so I used regular cooked shrimp, chopped up.  I then added lemon and lime juice and a tablespoon of mayo with a teaspoon of chopped dill.  It was then put on chopped romaine lettuce.  Boy, let me tell you it was so delicious and no salt!  The dinner was not salt too.  I didn't realize this was going to be a low salt diet too, but it is and my blood pressure is happier.  

Now, Bri asked me if I'd been taking progression pictures...not really of my body but my face so let's take a look, shall we!

2-3-2013

4-4-2013

4-21-2013

5-17-2013

5-23-2013

6-4-2013 (my 57th birthday)

6-17-2013

7-1-2013

The one thing I see is not as fluffy on the sides and my chin.  I know it's only 11 pounds but that is big for me and I already feel it in my walk and bounce in my step!  I'm pretty happy so far.  Onward!

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.