One little corner

The amaryllis isn't ready for her close-up yet, so here is a picture of a little shelf in the corner of my dining room. I just love cardinals. Actually, I love all wildlife, but I suppose cardinals appeal to my love of the color red, too!

Backbone

Mine, that is. Here's one of the shots from my MRI:

I'm just hoping the doctor will find something in the 100 or so shots that will answer the question of why my lower back hurts so much. (My SI joint, that is.)

Not a very pretty 366 picture, but an interesting one! (Pretty will happen when the damned amarylis blooms.)

Becoming

I bought this Amarylis around early December and have had it in my window at work. It more than tripled in height with no flower, but today I finally see that it's about to bloom. Katherine says that after the flower dies and the plant fades, I can cut it down and put the bulb in storage for next year! (Although I won't have the nice, big, sunny window at work by then since I don't plan to be there.)

This puppy is about 3 inches from top to bottom, but the plant itself is almost 2 feet tall. I think it looks somewhat 'alien.'

On another topic, I'm having an MRI done on my back today. I hope they find out what the hell has been killing me for these past 20-ish years. Or at least, a way to fix it. I wish.

Lunch with Katherine

Katherine and I had lunch today at Catfish Annie's. Then we went over to the fabric store to buy a few things. We came home and now we're watching the DVD I made from my 1986 video. She's getting a big kick out of it.
I took two pictures today but she looks like Stan Laurel in one, so I'll post this one, instead:

She still looks goofy, but she did that on purpose!

A few 'finished' jobs

I have a bunch of things I need to 'get to,' and today I actually tackled 2 of them. One was to clean out my fridge. I even went on Supercook.com and plugged in 'orange marmalade' so I could use it up (my mom made it and canned it!) and found a yummy-sounding chicken marmalade curry recipe I'll be making soon.

The other thing is that I've been meaning to paint my knife block. The kids gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago, and constant taking-in-and-putting-out of knives has worn off the paint. You can see the bottom half is the 'before' and the top is the 'after.' I finished it off and it looks much, much nicer! (I even painted over the metal plack because who cares who made it. 

I'm trying to do that picture a day thing, and not every picture will be very exciting. But it does document the little things that make up day-to-day life!

I'm also working on a hanging rack, which is the turquoise and black thing in the picture. When it's painted, I'm going to glue vintage thread spools on the front as 'hangers.'

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A nice gift

Here's what Katherine and the boys gave me for my birthday, along with some killer HUGE Godiva-chocolate dipped strawberries. This is a cute gardening basket with a pot of beautiful purple tulips inside. There are some cute little tools inside and some seeds for herbs. A little bit of spring in January!

Happy B-Day to Me

Today I am 56 years old. Mike gave me a nice card with a $100 gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond inside. Cool! Tonight we're heading out to a nice Japanese restaurant with Katherine and Michael. Nick has work, but I 'm hoping Erick and James can come, too!

Mike and I went to IHOP for breakfast. They had this new thing: crepes with Nutella, bananas and strawberries and whipped cream. Damn the diet, it was goooood. Besides, I did my step aerobics this morning and I've lost a half pound this week, so far.

My daily photo is the nice card Mike gave me:

He always writes really nice things inside!

Plant Sitting

Dr. A is off to India for 2 1/2 weeks, so I'm babysitting some plants for her. Two are basil (they smell really nice) and one is a 'money plant,' whatever that means. Horticulture is not my strong point, so I just hope I don't kill these. I also hope the cats don't get interested in them!

Get Well Basket

Mike's co-workers were nice enough to send him a gift basket of fruit, crackers and cheese. It was a pleasant surprise!

Dinner at the Outback

Mike and I joined John, Nor, Little John, Michael, Uncle Jimmy and Nor's brother Mike at the Outback today to celebrate John and my birthdays. John and I are the same age for one week every year--I'm 55 until this coming Wednesday and John just turned 55 last Wednesday.
I had the wedge salad, which comes with a little steak. I could have done with just the salad, honestly. Mike and I split a piece of carrot cake. All told my dinner cost me about 18 points. I've lost almost 18 pounds and plan to keep at this. I'm looking forward to going down another size (I'm a 14 now) so I can have a whole new spring wardrobe!
I have more than one "Daily Picture" today!

Uncle Jimmy, John and John's little boy, John Joseph.

Noreen is using a 'magnifier' app on her phone to read the menu!

 Noreen and Michael.

Mike scans the menu. He chose a Cobb salad with chicken because it is almost impossible for him to cut a steak with his arm in a sling! (I shared most of the steak from my salad with him.)
No pic of me or my sil's brother, Mike, since I was 'manning the camera' and Mike was sitting too close. Probably wouldn't have wanted his picture taken, anyway.
After dinner, we picked up my BP meds at CVS then came home. Mike has been watching the football games and I've been catching up on some knitting and crocheting as well as writing this blog. A nice Sunday!

Snowy Day

We woke up to snow this morning. I'm not sure how much we're getting, but I do know my outdoor babies were scrounging for food. So, of course, I fed them. And gave Melody the cat a 'show' to watch.

BTW, Mike is doing great today. The pain from taking off that stupid bandage was not long-lasting, thank God.

Oh, My God

Mike had a bandage on his shoulder about the size of a football shoulder pad. I swear they must have used super fricking glue on this because it was a horrible ordeal for Mike for me to help him get it off. I moved sloooowly but I could tell it was really torturing him, and my husband has a very, very high threshold for pain. I think it actually took the top layer of skin off, not to get too gross about it. Made me half sick to see him in pain like that. He actually had to lay down for a while and after his shower (the reason we took the bandage off in the first place) he took some oxycontin. Later he said, "if I told you how much that hurt, you wouldn't believe me."
Oh, hell yes, I would. I saw it in his face. I'm glad that is over!

Mike takes a walk

I don't know what my husband is going to do when he retires because he just can't stand sitting around the house too much. Two days after surgery and he's off to take a nice, long walk. He has his sling on under his jacket, which I helped him get into. I also helped him with his hat and gloves. He almost went out without a hat, because he doesn't feel cold all that much. But hey, it's 25 degrees outside and probably colder with the wind chill. He has his phone in case he wants me to come get him, but I know he'll do this on his own. He said he knows I can help him, but he prefers to do whatever he can for himself, no matter how awkward. My husband is just plain awesome.

Recuperating

Mike says he didn't sleep at all last night, even though he took the meds and was not really in any pain. He's in good spirits today and can do just about everything that doesn't involve lifting his arm up too high. He says there's a long recovery ahead, but I have a feeling he's going to be back to his old self much faster than anyone expects. He is, after all, in infinitely better shape than most men his age! 

Mike is home

Katherine brought Mike home earlier. He has a sore throat and a headache. Unfortunately, the shoulder repair was 'worst case scenario,' meaning a much longer recuperation time. He's resting now, watching TV. Has some good pain meds but has only taken OTC meds so far. He has his arm in a sling. I'm not sure what they did, but it sounds complicated as far as repairing the torn bicep. (He also had something done with the shoulder joint.)
I'm just glad to have him home.

Mike's surgery

I just got home from taking Mike over to a medical center. He's having surgery on his shoulder today, as well as having a torn bicep repaired. He was supposed to go at 8:30, then they switched it to 11, then asked if we could come in at 10:30. Mike is in good spirits, despite having to fast since midnight and being deprived of his cup of coffee! Me, I'd be a bear.
Katherine is going to pick him up later. He'll be there about 4 hours, too long to just sit and wait. Although I did offer! (I can keep busy with my crocheting and knitting, of course.)
Here is my daily picture, just a quickie of my crazy cat Melody:

I don't think she realizes how fat she is!

Doctor today

I went over to see Dr. P today. She is my pain doctor and has been trying to figure out my chronic SI joint pain. It has been part of my life for more than 10 years, and I've tried other things, but I'm hoping she can figure this out for me. I have a scrip now for an MRI.

I usually have to sit there for a long time, so I always bring my NOOK and some crochet or knitting work. Today I made up a snowflake for a little shawl I'm making a friend's daughter and I read a chapter of  "The Stand." I was actually out of there in less than two hours, which was great for that place. I'm now watching "The Nate Berkus Show" and making another snowflake. Enjoying a Fiber One peanut butter and chocolate bar and a cup of coffee. I have work tonight and I need the caffeine!

2 more pounds

I was very pleased that I lost another two pounds! I'm just slightly under 156 now. I think it's about 16 or 17 pounds I've lost. It fluctuates.

I did some Wii Fit exercises this morning, but then I switched to Wii Sports, which I haven't done in a long time. Honestly, if I could bowl as well in real life as I do on the game, I'd probably do it for real.

For my 366-photo project I took a shot of a bluejay helping himself to peanuts we throw out on the deck:

A friend visits

My good friend Virginia came by for a visit today. Her son is getting married and she was down here for the bridal shower. (I couldn't go because of work.) She had a lot of leftover food, so she brought it over and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of baked ziti, meatballs, a vegetable-cheese-pasta dish and salad. Plus really good garlic cheese bread and Italian bread. I'm sure my points went through the roof.
She had a light come on in her car so Mike used the diagnostic tool the kids got him for Christmas to figure it out. It is the first time he really got to use it since none of our cars have given us trouble lately (knock on wood!) so Mike had fun with it. Then he looked up on line what the reading meant:

Once he found out what the code meant, he called Erick, who explained what it was all about. Mostly, he reassured Virginia she could make the two-hour drive home safely.
We talked about a lot of things (especially weddings), and when Michael came over he and Virginia and I played a game of Scrabble. Katherine came by for dinner, too. I had Mike take a picture of me and Virginia:

All in all, it was a wonderful day with a very good old friend (not that she's old)!

Melody

Here is Melody playing with a fishy-thingy. Mike stuck it into the DVD holder so it hangs near the scratching pad.

I'm almost over my cold and feel much better. I did more work in my office this morning, 5 rows on a knitted scarf and half a wash. The other half happens in a little while after the water in the dry well drains a bit, since the damn thing backfloods into the laundry room. But at least I got something accomplished this morning, including helping Mike fix the downstairs toilet. Saturday fun!

Jamie works out

I took this picture of Jamie on the treadmill. He takes out one of his earbuds and says: "Why?"
So I told him about my 365 project. Hmmm, now that I think of it, it's a 366 project this year!

Getting there

The right side of my room is getting close to looking pretty good. I put the star afghan in a drawer in the dining room, where I'll be reminded to work on it more often. I threw out trash and switched out a box or two.
I'm feeling much better today. I think I might be somewhat dehydrated from being sick yesterday, because I can't stop drinking water. Good thing I keep a bottle in the fridge! We have really, really good water here (it wins awards for taste) but I still like it best when it is ice cold.
It's a good thing I am doing okay today because I have too much to do. I'm going to the eye doctor today for my annual exam. It's the fact my driver's license is up for renewal that pushed me, although have two pairs of broken glasses was a factor, as well. I really like Dr. Harris. He's an older guy and very funny.
Jamie is on the treadmill downstairs. One of these days I'm going to sneak a picture of him for my 365 photos. I think this project could get pretty boring if I don't put some people and animals in it more often. But I'm determined to stick with it!

Twenty Five Years Ago

This is a picture I took off the TV. It's Michael, age 4, meeting his baby brother Jamie for the first time. This was 1986. I had a video transferred to DVD and have been enjoying watching my three older kids when they were very little. (Nicky was born 4 years after this video.)

I'm fighting a stomach virus that started yesterday afternoon. Got really, really sick last night and now I feel totally yucky. I hate this. I alternate between being very hungry and feeling very sick. I'm going back to bed now...

Morning visitor

Nutmeg isn't the most affectionate of cats, most of the day. But early in the morning, she loves to jump on our bed and sleep between us. It's her daily dose of cuddles, I think, because for the rest of the day she's somewhat aloof. I took this picture in the very early morning, when it was still pretty dark, using a 'night portrait' setting on my camera.

A New Organizing Project

Nick came home yesterday. He really liked his 'new' room. Now I'm on to another project. Mike and Michael put a bunch of stuff up into the attic yesterday, and I found I still had more Christmas cr*p. So I put it all in one spot in the corner of my office. But I plan to work on the other side of the room this week. This is the before:

I want to get all the stuff off the top of my cabinets and move sewing items across the room to an empty bookcase I have. I was just watching Nate Berkus and he had Peter Walsh on. They both agree: keep flat surfaces clear and use vertical space. So I want to reduce what I have here to a minimum. Much as it looks otherwise, very little of this is 'junk.' It just needs to be organized to look better. And it might help if I ever actually finished the snowflake afghan I've been making for Katherine!

My smart kid

Yesterday, Mike had some computer problems. He could not open some files and it seemed that two years' worth of files had vanished! All told he spent about six hours working first with someone in India, then with some guys in Pennsylvania, and no one could figure out how to fix the problem.

Michael came over today for Sunday dinner and took a look at his father's computer. And he had the problem solved (and the files found!) in 20 minutes.

Just bragging a bit...

Maybe it's the Catnip?

I bought my cats a new scratching pad. You sprinkle catnip on it to make it attractive. It is very, very attractive to Melody (in photo) and Nutmeg, who take turns not only scratching it, but sleeping on it as well!

Saturday

Mike is sitting in his chair enjoying a bowl of oatmeal, watching television; a well-deserved rest after vacuuming the whole upstairs and finishing off Nicky's room!

 

I wish I had taken a 'before' picture, because the 'after' looks so good:

  

I need to keep a lookout for a sale on bedding, but the very fact you can see the rug is a big difference. Nicky comes home tomorrow. I hope he'll be happy with what his room looks like. More than that, I hope he makes an effort to keep it this way. Mike actually rearranged the furniture and it looks really good.
Two photos today. I found an article in a scrapping magazine that says people tend to get bored of this 365 photos thing, and what to do about it. So I'll have to be sure to read that when I feel the urge to give up. I think it will be cool to look at 'a year in our life' next January!

In an organizing mood

What is it about January that puts us in the mood to organize things? You should see my dresser drawers. I emptied them out, got rid of stuff and put stuff back in that's almost Martha Stewart perfect. Ooooh, I love having my socks neatly mated!
My son Nick is on a week-long trip to a gaming convention, so I'm taking this opportunity to overhaul his room. Picture a floor completely covered with clothes and crap. What you see above is Keep-Toss-Donate piles I made. Well, the toss pile is gone. I'm taking the donates to the Salvation Army store today. As far as the keeps, I'm trying to reorganize them. I've already put away videos, games and books. I'm going to pick up some of those things you hang up with clear plastic pockets for all the little junk, including wires.
I hope he'll be happy when he sees the result, but mostly I hope he'll keep it that way!

Vegetable Soup today

I'm a day late posting this, but I did take the picture on December 5th! Here are the components of vegetable soup:

You can't seem them, but there are carrots, potato and onion. The broth is made from beef bones and chuck roast. That's cabbage in the plastic bag. It is a family recipe we've used for years, and probably came from my grandmother--who very well might have gotten in from her own mother! All I know is, the kids love it, and even people who don't eat vegetable soup like this. Maybe because we leave out icky stuff like lima beans, LOL!

Humbug

Okay, Christmas and 'Humbug' season are over now (okay, not until January 6th, but we're close enough.) But I still say  "HUMBUG" when I feel my car making weird bump-bump-bump noises and find THIS when I pull in the driveway:

At least I was only about 2 blocks from home when it happened. I don't have work until tomorrow night, and I already have everything for dinner, so I don't have to go anywhere. We do hit the vet for Shadow tonight, but that's in my husband's car. He might suggest putting on the spare and dropping this off at Firestone (across from the vet), if they can fix it while we're at the vet. We'll see. 

Cold today

Well, of course it is. 26 degrees. It's January, after all. At least the sun is shining brightly! Some visitors came to my deck this morning. Well, one, at least, stood still long enough for a photo. I'm sure the peanuts helped. I have some 'tame' squirrels who will come when I call to them, but this little guy was a bit on the shy side.

PS--notice the pine needles, all that is left of our Christmas tree!

January 2

 

Here is Shadow in his little house. He never used to use it, but lately has had trouble jumping up on the couch, where he usually buries himself under a pillow. I'm taking him to the vet Wednesday evening as he has been limping too much. He's already been checked for this, but of course when we brought him he wasn't limping. The vet moved his leg, and it didn't bother him, so we though it was just a strain. But this is going on for too long, and I can tell Shadow is not feeling well. 

I looked up his pedigree and was reminded he turned 6 years old last November 28th. So he's middle-aged now. Even so, he will always be my baby.

January 2nd, second photo.

Oh, and my mother is 89 years young today!

I wonder if...

...I could take a picture a day as some other bloggers have done. We'll see. Here's the pile of Christmas 'Stuff' to be put away for next year. It's taking up space in my crafts room until Mike and the boys can get it up into the attic. (That's a giraffe pillow pet I got for half price. Not sure who will get it next year!)

New Year's 2012

Last night Mike and I went to Patty and Mark's house for the annual  New Year's Eve party. It's funny to think that a few years ago, we just 'hung around' the house and I was rarely up at midnight. It's still hard to make  it that long, but I managed. In fact, even after I got home I was so wired up I stayed up until 2 a.m.

There were tons of appetizers. We brought pizza crusts (made at my house from dough Mike got at the pizza parlor) but we never got around to making the actual pizzas. I think next year I'm going to ask Patty to make them early in the evening.  Assuming this party will be an annual tradition!

Today I made lasagna for dinner. Michael and Katherine and Erick are here. We are all watching "Trading Spaces." (Well, I'm blogging and listening to it. I just watched it a week ago.) James and Nick are at work and will have their dinner later.

A good start to what I hope will be a good year!