Sunday

I planted a forsythia bush today. It is just a few inches tall, but I hope it will grow into a nice big tree full of yellow flowers.
Michael came over for dinner. I made a ham, twice-baked potatoes and salad. Everything was delicious. The glaze was made from cola, brown sugar and mustard and was soooo good. I wish Katherine could have come, too.
Tonight is the season finale of  "The Walking Dead." Katherine and I both like that show and I wanted to talk to her about last week's episode. Oh, well, maybe we'll get together for lunch one day soon.

Stylin'

Katherine was cleaning out her car. Her father had told her no trunk is complete without a reflective vest, so she took it out to 'model' it. (Actually, it's kind of nice to know she has it in case she has a breakdown on a dark road!)

The Big Kids Visit

Michael and Katherine came by today to enjoy Mike's delicious Sunday sauce.

We are watching "Jaws" today. Katherine's doing her nails. A nice, relaxing Sunday.

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!

Whoopie

When I went to Ohio last month, the one thing I knew I had to bring home was Whoopie Pies. It's all Katherine wanted, and I did find them at a little Amish store.

My mother called me tonight to tell me my Aunt Mary (that would be Katherine's great aunt) found a whoopie pie pan in a catalog and bought it for her. It's coming in the mail this week.

The conversation went like this:

"Sorry I missed your call, I was at work last night."

"Well, the main reason I called is to tell you Mary bought Katherine a whoopie pan."

Me, thinking of a whoopie cushion: "a what?????" (Why in the heck would my daughter need a whoopie cushion? Is this some kind of weird mid-western wedding tradition?)

Mom: "A whoopie pan! You know, those things Katherine wanted!"

Me: "OH! You mean a pan to make Whoopie Pies!"

Mom: "Yes!"

And we're both cracking up. My aunt got all excited when she saw it in the catalog and ordered one. I'm not going to tell Katherine about it so it's a fun surprise when she opens it.

At least it isn't a whoopie cushion...

WW and K in Utah

Katherine is in Utah (of all places) attending the wedding of a friend she grew up with. Kelly and her family used to live down the block with us. It is pouring rain here on Long Island, so I'm glad she isn't coming in by airplane today. I hope they had nice weather down there in the Southwest for the wedding.

I was afraid to weigh myself this morning, but I'm glad I did. I lost another pound and a half by the Wii Scale! That's 3.5 pounds lost in about 3 weeks! And that damned line that marks my BMI has finally started to drop.

There is hope for the future.

Lunch with Katherine

Katherine brought Chinese over for lunch today. She wanted to go out but I'm coming down with something and just didn't want to go to a restaurant.
So we ate Chinese food and watched "Beetlejuice." Katherine told me she always got excited when she heard the opening music. She would have been very young when she first saw it. It's still a favorite.
I asked her if she's thought about a wedding gown. She said, "anything that doesn't make me look too terrible."

Tree Decorating

The kids came over last night to decorate the tree. We had a nice dinner of baked ham, salad and challah bread, with homemade cookies and eggnog for dessert. After dinner, and before decorating the tree, the kids had a 'conference' in Jamie's room and told Mike and me to stay out. Discussing Christmas gifts, I suppose.

Nicky surprised me because he has gone out and bought gifts for everyone this year. It is the first year he actually has money in the bank. The kids don't usually exchange gifts so I hope Nick will start a nice tradition between them.

The kids did an amazing job with the tree. I probably hung one ornament myself. I told Mike it is nice to have adult children who know what they are doing, LOL!

Got my Christmas outfit

Well, the blouse for it. I am almost finished making a blue and silver brocade vest and I needed a white blouse to wear under it. I found one on sale at Macy's. I also found a nice casual top that looks like a sweater over a shirt and a really pretty pink blazer. Plus a Totes umbrella for a gift. All these cost me about $45--the receipt says I saved over $90. And it didn't really cost me anything. Mike has a client that gives him a $100 Macy's gift card every year so I used that, plus a 20% off coupon. And everything I bought was already on sale. I should shop at Macy's more often. There are some great deals there.

Finally have Katherine's birthday gift to give to her. She will stop by tonight for it. She knows what it is--an iPod. It's a pink one. I love mine. I use it when I exercise. Speaking of that, I burned over 100 calories with the Wii yesterday. Bad allergy/cold/whatever day today--I didn't do anything. But I'm still exercising a hell of a lot more than I did, so that has to help.