Hear that sloshing sound?

That apparently is what we call "water retention". But 4 pounds of water???

Yeah, the scales were cruel to me this week - up 4.2 pounds. I didn't think I did TOO badly last week. I didn't go over my daily points until the weekend, and even then I still had some of my flex points left. The only thing I can think it may have been was that I hit the diet sodas pretty hard toward the end of the week - Kroger has a version of an extreme Diet Mountain Dew. The name escapes me right now - Big K Diet Drop Dead Extreme? Something like that. Plus I had a lot more coffee than usual. I dunno.

Well, hopefully I will be able to drain the water and have an improvement in the scales next meeting.

A dilemma I have now is the next meeting. Since we usually meet on Mondays, and the next Monday is Memorial Day, we won't be having a meeting. They were going to have one on that Tuesday instead but the church where we meet is having a blood drive that day. SO, do we skip a week and go the next or try to make one of the meetings in Savannah? Can't do it on Tuesdays or Thursdays because of teaching cake classes in the evenings. (meetings start at the same time my classes do....). There's a meeting at 6 on Wed., we could go to that one but that's just going to get us home later than usual. Tal may just have to go to one on his own if he wants to. My schedule is just too screwed up to work one in next week.

Anyhoo....that would at least give me two weeks to get back on track! :-)

Well, got to get back to work! I've got to walk to another building to do an errand, so maybe I'll take a long-cut on the way back and work in some activity points!

Mid-morning in the garden of good and Seraphim

While Tal snoozed away in the bedroom, Puddy and I had a lovely and peaceful breakfast picnic this morning.

It was soooooo yummy - an omelet, lite multigrain English muffins, sliced apples, and herbal tea. The omelet is Southwestern Egg Beaters to which I added a couple of diced, fresh mushrooms (from the store), fat-free sharp cheddar cheese, and some fresh basil, oregano, and chives from my garden. The basil plant (left) is looking a little thin now, because I had the same breakfast yesterday too, without oregano (right). Good thing they are growing so quickly!

As you can see, Puddy was eagerly awaiting a bite or two. How can you ignore such a cute little beggar?

During breakfast, we had a little visitor. I called him Sebastian. Not quite sure why - it just seemed to fit. He sat by quietly watching while we ate.

We didn't have a picnic yesterday, even thought it was just as beautiful in the morning as today was. The reason was because we had not gotten the new patio bistro set until later that day. Isn't it cute? I saw it at Lowe's and just fell in love with it. Wouldn't you know it, as we were looking for the box the set was in, we came across a stockperson loading up the last two on a cart for two ladies! He said we could buy the display, but we asked them to check the stock of another Lowe's nearby and they just so happened to have 5 in stock. We were hesitant about getting the display because 1) there was no assurance that it was put together properly, 2) who knows who has sat and does God knows what to it while sitting on it, and, 3) we weren't sure it would all fit into Rupert (the SUV) fully assembled. As it turns out, with the other stuff we had in there, the box with the unassembled set barely fit!

We were heading over to that area of the other store anyway, so we went over and picked it up after lunch. We were pleasantly suprised that not only did they still have plenty in stock, but it was on sale! We got it at almost half the price that was on the tag at the other Lowe's! Woo HOO!! :-) Of course, since we didn't buy the display which was already assembled, I had to put the entire thing together. It wasn't TOO difficult, instructions were pretty clear and there weren't a whole lot of parts to piece together.


So, after Puddy and I finished eating the wonderful breakfast (what is it about dining al fresco that makes everything taste SO much better?!?!) we checked out how things were growing in this year's garden. Last year's plot didn't pan out so well, so we decided to just limit our growing to pots on the patio this year.

So this year we have - as you have already seen - basil, oregano, and chives, as well as mint (bottom) and snow peas:


We also have tomatoes and peppers:


Green onions (still growing and have a little more to go....) and buttercrunch lettuce (yeah, I've already hit the lettuce, too!):



We have 2 strawberry plants, too. I've gotten a few berries so far, but right now it's not producing. Actually, there are about 3-4 blossoms, but they are all hiding under the leaves right now. Maybe as the summer progresses we'll start seeing some more production:


Here is one of the strawberries (out of about 3) that I got earlier. It was really sweet and very good. Much better than the bland, watery, almost tasteless strawberries that they offer us at the local grocery stores.


In another corner, we have eggplant (both black and white in the same pot), yellow squash (both straight and crookneck varieties together in one pot), and zucchini. The squash and zucchini have developed powdery fungus spots and the leaves started turning yellow and brown. After doing a bit of internet research I found that the best remedy for this is a milk bath. Yeah, at 1 part milk to 6-7 parts water solution sprayed on the leaves is a natural anti-fungal. Believe it or not! I made up and sprayed this mixture on the leaves last night and I swear they are looking 110% better this morning! Here's hoping. Anyhoo, here's how they all look now:

There are no eggplants growing just yet, because it's a newer plant. I have a few yellow squash developing, and a couple of minute zucchini, too:



And last but not least, presenting - Okra Winfrey!! OK, sorry, lame joke I know. The okra plant is also a new plant and has not started producing any offspring yet but I am hoping it will. I think I might need to put it in a bigger pot, as I currently have it in a smaller pot I was just wanting to fill with something.


With all this picture-snapping going on, Puddy was getting a little jealous of all the attention that was NOT getting paid to her. So, we had to get a few shots of her-highness.




Well, I guess it's time to end this post for now. The sun is taking over the patio and it won't be quite as cool and pleasant without the shadows.

Besides, I've got dishes to wash.......



.......and Puddy's allergies are acting up.........


......so I bid you a fond adieu. I hope the remainder of your weekend is a pleasant one and the week treats you well! Hey, next weekend is Memorial Weekend! We're looking forward to it because Tiger is coming for a week-long visit and we've got lots of fun things planned. We'll try to get lots of pictures!

Ta-ta for now! Will report on this week's weigh-in either tomorrow night or Tuesday morning.

Love to all,
Sera

Evens for the odd couple.

Well, I did quite well at weigh-in tonight. Better than I thought but and I am very pleased! 4 more pounds down for a total of 24 lost! Which leaves me with only 15 more pounds to make it to my first goal - 39 by 39! So I now have until July 24 to lose the next 15 pounds. Can I do it? I hope so - if I keep up this momentum I will. Lessee....that's about 9 weeks. If I can lose about 1.6-1.7 pounds per week I will reach that goal easily.

I said I wasn't sure about a loss this week. I was hoping for at least a couple of pounds. I went over to Albany this weekend for Mother's Day. We went to Ryan's for lunch on Saturday and had all kinds of goodies at the mother/daughter tea we went to at my grandmother's church that evening. Although, I have to give myself credit - I did just nibble at a few things and did not go back for seconds. That was a pretty good accomplishment for ME! :-)

Unfortunately, my grandmother was unable to make it even though she planned to be there. The 90 year-old woman decided that she wanted to climb up into her attic to retrieve a hat to wear to the tea, and on the way down she missed the last step and fell, cutting up both her arms and twisting her back. Good news is that she did not have any broken bones, but she did need to have 21 stitches. My aunts had to take her to the ER to get her patched up (luckily, they were there at the time!) and Mom, Sis, and I went on to the tea. We stopped by Grandmother's house afterwards to check on her (they had just gotten back from the hospital) and she was in pretty good spirits, so we all put our hats on and ate some of the tea sandwiches she had made to take to the party, and drank tea (or wine, or rootbeer - I had water :-)).

Well, time to hit the hay.....it's been a long day! Oh, and in case you did not see Talmadge's blog - he lost 6 pounds - for a total collective loss this week of 10 pounds even!

I've lost a toddler.......

....well, not literally!

So, the great news is that I lost 8.6 pounds this week! Yeah, I nearly fell off the scales Monday night at weigh-in. I was hoping to have at least lost the 2.4 I gained the week before plus a bit more to at least have a total loss of 15 pounds. But I well-exceeded that and made it to 20 pounds even! So, I not only got ONE 5-pound sticker to add to my bookmark, but TWO! Woo-hoo!

20 pounds down, but still so much more to go. I try not to let myself think that is just a drop in the bucket compared to how much more I still have left to lose - 20 pounds is nothing to sneeze at, I know! One of my co-workers had a good comparison for me, though, to put it into perspective. She said I lost about the equivalent of a one year-old child. That made me feel pretty good, because I have carried my nephews around when they were babies and they get heavy after a while! :-) Goal is to lose an entire preschool class! LOL!

I really stuck to my Points last week, some days I still had one or 2 points left and there were a couple of days that I went over and dipped into the 35 extra points. (Saturday and Sunday I went over by 4 and 5.5, respectively - WEEKENDS are killer!).

The weekdays are OK, because I'm not around the house most of the day. My usual thing is to bring breakfast and lunch to work - breakfast is usually either a banana, yogurt, and granola or an Egg McMuffin with fruit and walnut salad; an apple or other small snack mid-morning; a frozen Healthy Choice or WW meal with carrots or other raw veggies and maybe a yogurt or pudding; and a mid-afternoon snack (like 98% FF popcorn). Tuesday and Thursdays are crazy these days because of teaching cake classes in the evening. Sometimes I will save some of my lunch or mid-afternoon snack to eat before class and pick something up after class (last night, I had TWO Chick-Fil-A grilled chicken deluxe sandwiches - only 5 points each!) or I will walk around the corner from the store and get a footlong Subway (Subway Club on Honey Wheat loaded with veggies - no cheese - sweet onion vinaigrette - fabulous! - and 13 points!) and eat 1/2 before class and then the other 1/2 when I get home. I feel like I am eating all the time! I've discovered another love - the WW barbecue-flavored pretzel thins! Mmm-MM!



Mmmmm....it's lunchtime now. Time for WW lasagna florentine! Off to get rid of some more toddlers! (I have this visual image now - like those Promise Activ commercials where the word CHOLESTEROL falls off of people - I imagine little kids falling off of me! LOL!)

Onward and downward! :-)

"Pop" goes the vein.....

As many of you may have read in Talmadge's recent blog entry, we went in to give blood today. A local business was sponsoring a fundraiser/blood drive to benefit the victims of February's Sugar Refinery Explosion. They had a little carnival set up, complete with all the little inflatables that my fat butt isn't allowed into for fear of deflating the inflatable. And in the midst of it all was the Red Cross Mobile Blood Donation Rent-Me RV.

Unlike Tal, I had a pretty good breakfast - sliced banana with lite raspberry yogurt and 1/2 cup of Kashi Mountain Medly granola (for a free sample, go to Kashi.com - and once you receive your sample, email Consumer Relations and let them know how much you liked it, and they'll send you some coupons!) - because I have experienced just what the guy who had the fainting/seizure spell at the blood drive did.

This was back in 1988, and I had only had a banana for breakfast. I gave blood, then was sitting on a cot eating my cookies and drinking my juice when all of a sudden the edges of my vision started getting dark and fuzzy. I looked toward one of my classmates and she says, "Amy, are you OK?" Only she sounded like she was tallllllllllkiiiiiiiiiiing in sloooooooooowwwww mooooooooootion. I thought I was going to be sick, so I jumped up and ran to the bathroom, locking the door behind me because I didn't want everybody see me do that! I was sitting on the toilet leaning against the sink. Of course, I didn't get sick because I didn't have anything in my stomach. The nurse and my classmate are outside banging on the door, "Unlock the door, Amy!" I was feeling better, so I opened the door and walked out. Boy, the nurse reamed me good for doing that! "What if something bad had happened to you? We wouldn't have been able to get the door open to help!" And she took me back to the room and had me finish my juice and cookies and rest a while.

So, anyway, to avoid the same thing happening to Tal, we drove up to Bluffton's Golden Corral for some lunch (a big-ass salad for me!! - more on that later). We also made a short stop at the Salvation Army up there because I wanted to look for maybe some gloves, wacky hat, costume jewelry, or other things for our annual mother/daughter banquet at my grandmother's church. This year's theme is "Tea Party". Well, I found not only a pair of long gloves, but also a Pyrex pie plate, a nice and heavy tea kettle, and a pair of Kenkoh Japanese Massaging Sandals.....ooohh, heaven for the feet!! All for a grand total of $9.00 (such a spend-thrift I am!). The lady at the counter is all like, "$5.00 is a good deal for those gloves, because they're antiques." Yeah....whatever.........

Between I-95 and Rincon, we did some videotaping of Hwy. 21 along that route. There's so much developing going on the the scenery is changing every day. Talmadge videotaped the same area a few months ago. We'll probably do it a few more times, just to be able to compare the growth and development of the area. One day, we'll be telling our grandchildren, "I remember when Hwy. 21 was nothing but woods the whole way into Effingham County!"

And so back to the Red Cross Mobile Blood Donation Rent-Me RV. It was pretty neat to walk in after lunch and see Congressman Barrow sitting there. He's a nice guy. Tal was in the "interview room" and didn't hear the Congressman say to me and a couple of others who were waiting, "Well, here's a unique opportunity for you. Congress is always sucking the blood out of the people - here's your chance to witness the blood getting sucked out of a Congressman!" LOL!

Then it was my turn in the "interview room", or I like to call it "The Room of 100 Pointless Questions". No, I haven't had sex with anyone who has visited Africa between 1977 and 2007. No, I have not visited a foreign country in the past six months (and NO, going to Alabama does not count - and apparently the lady interviewing me didn't think that was very funny). No, I am not currently pregnant, nor have I been pregnant in the past three months (no uterus - remember?). No, I do not know the way to San Jose. And, yes, I do really want to hurt you.

So, once I'm finished with my inquisition, I go back out and get sent to one of the beds. I WANT one of these things!! It's like a contoured recliner, really comfy. I'm sure Tal was wondering if they were about to perform surgery on me as he watched from his recliner. First, they blood pressure cuff wasn't long enough to fit around my bulging bicep, so they had to tape the darn thing on. Then they were having trouble finding a big enough vein to tap. Then finally, when the nurse poked me, blood spurted out on my arm (which answered my earlier curiosity about the "Caution: Blood Spray Zone" signs they had posted here and there). I got a little woozy when that happened, but then recovered. Man, that was a BIG FREAKIN' NEEDLE!! Tal had already filled his bag, got his juice and cookies, and was standing in front of me (with ice water from the juice dripping on the floor), "Are you doing OK?" he asks. "Yeah, I'm good." was my replay. So he goes to eat his juice and cookies while I fill my bag.

And so, with bag filled I am sent on my way with apple juice, Lorna Doons, and Fig Newtons in hand. Now, to decide which movie I want to watch first - Juno, Nanny Diaries, Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story, or The Sasquatch Gang. Decisions, decisions! Well, at least I know what I am going to have to eat later.

Oh.....yeah, I promised I would talk about my salad at Golden Corral! So I loaded up my plate with mixed greens (love the spring mix!), shredded carrots, broccoli, green pepper, black olives, cherry tomatoes, a sprinkling of shredded cheese, and a sprinkling of real bacon bits (probably about 2T. each of cheese and bacon), and a spritz of red wine vinegar over the whole lot. In a soup bowl, I mixed a cup of cottage cheese and 2T. of the regular ranch dressing, and would get a tiny bit of that on my fork then spear some of the salad. I think that was probably the best salad I've had there! After that, I got a bit of the Bourbon St. Chicken, 3 meatballs, a little BBQ meat with sauce (the sauce is good with the chicken, too) about the equivalent of 3 small red potatoes (I wanted a baked potato but they just had baked sweet potato which I didn't want - I love red potatoes anyway) and some steamed sliced squash. My splurge was a slice of chocolate chess pie with some sugar-free whipped topping! Not too bad!

With all that, I don't have a whole lot of Points left for the day. I've figured out that tonight I can have 1 cup of Egg Beaters, which I am going to make omelet-style with some fat-free cheese and some chives (from my patio garden - woo hoo!), a multi-grain light English Muffin, and some Spring Mix salad with tomato, and red wine vinaigrette spritzed on. YUM!!

Dunno what Tal is going to have............ ;-)

Sneaky, sneaky me!

This is an addendum to my previous "tripped" post. Confession time, if you will. :-)

Monday night, after my WW meeting, I stopped by the convenience store looking for something to eat. I was still feeling bad and I guess just needed some comforting. I ended up buying a pint of 2% milk - which I guess is much better than a soda! - and one of those Little Debbie fried cherry pie thingys (hey - it's got fruit in it!). Took it to the counter and paid for it. As I was leaving, I caught my reflection in the glass door - and realized that I was still wearing my Weight Watchers' name tag! That was a really profound moment for me. I mean, I still ended up eating the pie and drinking the milk before I got home, but that moment weighed heavily on my mind (and stomach). I couldn't help but wonder what the cashier thought. Here I am buying junk, and wearing a WW name tag! That REALLY made me feel bad - but in a different way. In a way that made me even more determined that I was going to do better and turn this "lapse" around.

Usually after the meeting, we will remove our name tags, fold them, and put them in a box. The leader then does a drawing for whomever to get one of the mini-bars she has. Well, she had 6 to give away that night, and there were 6 of us in attendance so she just gave them to us. And that is why I was still wearing the name tag and forgot I had it on!

Well, I have been doing MUCH better this week! I've only dipped into my 35 points a tiny bit (0.5 used, 34.5 remaining). The online Points Tracker is great. I pretty much plan my day first thing in the morning when I get to work because I already have my breakfast, lunch, and snacks with me and then pre-plan supper and maybe an evening snack. Today, I've even planned in a piece of cake for one of our work study student's graduation party we're having this afternoon. And supper at Carey Hilliard's tonight! Woo Hoo!

I have a feeling that next Monday night is going to be MUCH better! Not only because I know I will have done better - but my dear husband has decided to let the government pay for his WW fees (the restitution checks!!) and will be joining me at the meeting Monday! Yay!

If only I can get through the weekend.................. :-)

OOPS........I tripped........

Or, as I told my Weight Watchers leader last night, "I not only fell off the wagon - it dragged me behind it a couple of miles."

First, let's play catch-up. When I last left off in this weight loss/lifestyle change journey, I was a week into it and was down 7.8 pounds. Here's how the past month has gone:

Week 2: -1.0 (-8.8 total)
Week 3: -3.8 (-12.6)
Week 4: -1.2 (-13.8) This was after Grandmother's 90th birthday party weekend.
Week 5: +2.4 (-11.4)

Poor self-control and giving in to temptation is where I hit my downfall this week. Heck, it's the reason why I am where I am today. Ever since 1988-1989 when I had lost 85 pounds and then started gaining it back every day has been my "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we diet." Only, tomorrow never came and I gained back those 85 pounds and much more!

I felt bad last night before our meeting. I knew I wouldn't have a loss, but I was still going to go and face the music. And I'm glad I did. They are right, the meetings DO help. SO, back on the wagon I go! I'm going to do this, so help me, or die trying! :-)

RIP, Sweet Luke

Today we lost one of our grandpuddys. Luke - of the trio Bo, Luke, and Daisy - was one of a litter of nine that Puddy gave birth to 9 years ago. 3 did not survive their first few days, leaving 6 survivors. My mom and dad gave away three of them, and ended up keeping the aforementioned trio.

They were all good dogs, with a lot of their mother's temperament and their father's, well, schizophrenia. :-) The remaining 2 are doing well. Luke had contracted heartworms and was too far gone for any treatment.

Sleep well, Lukey. We'll meet again at the Rainbow Bridge.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Keep this day in mind. I think it will stay in mine forever. This is the day that I decided to make that change.

I joined Weight Watchers.

My friend Nettie, has been on WW for nearly two years and has make remarkable progress and I hope I can follow in her footsteps. My meetings are on Monday nights, and this past Monday (March 31) was weigh-in after my first week. I lost 7.8 pounds! I'm not qute sure to be excited about that or not. I mean, yes, a loss is a loss. But know myself and anytime I've started a diet I've lost a lot during the first week so that big of a loss wasn't unexpected.

OK, we stop that right now. We are not going to refer to this as a "diet" because it's not. It's a lifestyle change and if I want to improve my health and extend my life, this "lifestyle" is going to have to stick. My health has seemed to decline rapidly within the past few years. My joints ache to the point where I can hardly walk. If I have to sit for a long period of time, I cannot just jump up from my chair and walk away without a great amount of pain - or "working out the kinks"- before I move on. As I say to Tal when we get to a destination and get out of the car: "Hold on, I've got to get my land legs."

Just a few days after I started WW, I was nearly in tears at the thought of all the foods that I've enjoyed in the past. The "food traditions" that Tal and I have developed over the years we've known each other - like our Tuesday night out, Thursday night chicken and rice (canned chicken and cream of chicken soup mixed together and poured over a mound of white rice), going out to our fav restaurants on the weekends, and our Sunday cinnamon rolls and bacon.

It was at that moment I recalled the last time I was in tears - it was one of those moments when I was in pain, my knees hurt, my right heel hurt, my back hurt, and I just couldn't get a simple task I was working on finished because of it. That was my moment of clarity - which was I going to be most miserable over: constant pain which would only get worse if I didn't lose weight, or not being able to eat certain foods? It was a no-brainer.

So here I am a little over a week later. I'm really enjoying it. I've been snarfing down all kinds of fruits and vegetables like there's no tomorrow. I've become addicted to baby carrots and hummus. Tuesday at Kroger, I came across a refrigerated display full of 7 oz. containers of Athenos hummus in all kinds of flavors at 10 for $10. WOW! No, I didn't go nuts and buy 10 containers (yet) but I did get the roasted red pepper hummus and the greek style hummus (with garlic, lemon, and oregano). A 2 TBSP serving of hummus is only 1 WW point. I can put away about 1/2 the container and a couple of handfuls of baby carrots for only 3-4 points - and that is a LOT to eat! (In fact, I'm munching on some now! Mmmm-MM!) The red pepper hummus is WONDERFUL!! I'm also going to make a container of tofu dip - 1 block of tofu processed with an envelope of dry Ranch dressing mix. I think I need some more veggies! :-) (Here's where Tal pulls out the last Kroger receipt and checks the Reward points accumulated.....)

I've also ditched the coffee. I really don't like the taste, and so when I drank coffee it would have to be loaded down with creamer and sugar. I tried the fat free creamer and sugar substitutes but they were just repulsive to me. So, I switched to tea and have gotten different flavors of black, green, and herbal teas - and I DO like those with artificial sweetener! Go figure! I have a little 4-cup coffee pot at work that I heat up water in, and I'll have 2-3 large mugs of tea during the day. That usually is the majority of my water intake for the day, too. I have a 1.5 liter bottle that I fill up and use to fill my coffee pot several times. Today, for example, I've made 2 pots and have about a cup and a half of water left in the bottle that I will chug to wash down the carrots and hummus. That's already 6 of the 8 glasses recommended per day. At home, I have regular and black tea that I make by the pitcher that Tal and I drink.

So, here we begin. Wish me luck, not to lose weight but to have the ability to adapt to my new lifestyle. If I can do that, then the weight will take care of itself!

-S.G. (which in the future may stand for Skinny Girl! LOL!) (Well, not too skinny - Tal likes a little meat on the bones. :-))

A Capitol Idea

Since most everyone else who attended the first-annual Gleckfest has posted about their Savannah experience, I'll refrain to do so since Talmadge, Nettiemac, and Kate/Susan have pretty much covered the activities that we participated in. But I will say that I also enjoyed meeting Mr. and Mrs. General and seeing less of Nettiemac again! :-) And I also had a great time doing the touristy thing with this motley crew!

There have been mutterings of a Fall Gleckfest - or Gleckfest Part Deaux, or whatever other names we've come up with to describe a possible meeting of the minds in the Fall of this year somewhere in the Fredericksburg, VA area. I agree with Talmadge that it technically wouldn't really be a "Gleckfest" since it won't be in "Glecksburg" - perhaps Generalfest or something equally descriptive!

It would be extremely cool if we can pull this off! We'd hopefully have some additions to the crew -maybe Bolivar and J-Lo can join us, along with Kate/Susan's DC crew. Thinking of Bolivar joining us made me think of a discussion we had going amongst the group some time back, which lead to this epiphany I had last night while winding my way up I-95, going home after teaching my cake class.

You see, I have a cousin who also lives in the DC area who just so happens to run an entertainment company. He not only does DJ jobs, but he also runs KARAOKE in some locations. (Insert Seraphim sporting a big, cheesy grin HERE). I'm sure he would be more than happy to let us know if and where he's doing karaoke in the area during the time we're there!

Let me tell you, this guy is a karaoke freak! Last Summer, when we had a family reunion in our family's hometown, his choice of hotels to stay at was based upon the fact that one of them had a karaoke night on Saturday nights. And, YES, we did go to it. And YES, he AND his brother both sang two songs each.

Did I sing? Nope. Uh-uh. I'd just as soon attempt to force-feed Talmadge chocolate cake and Pepsi than get up in front of a bunch of strangers and make a fool of myself. (Some people got talent, but not me.) Which reminds me, I've got video of some drunk girls doing just that I'll have to upload to YouTube. :-) That would probably be the only way someone would be able to get me up there - pour a few Jack and Cokes in me and you might succeed.

You asked for it.....but please, don't tell my achy breaky tea glass!

Yes, dear friends, Seraphim is coming out of hybernation for a little post at the request of fellow Blogger Kate, Katie, Susan and Sue .

She was discussing New Kids On The Block getting back together and going on tour, to which I responded my thoughts and experiences with not only NKOTB but little bro' Marky Mark. I was one of 4 lucky winners of a radio station contest in which we were to take a trip via limo to Club La Vela in Panama City Beach, FL to attend a Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch concert. We also got to meet them backstage before the concert. Admittedly, the meet n' greet was a bit disappointing. The Funky Bunch and their fearless leader were pretty much escorted in the room, we said "HI!", lined up for a photo shoot, then they were escorted back out of the room. What happened DURING the photo shoot lives on in legend.....or at least is a legend in Seraphim's own mind:



See the expression on his baby-face? Yep, young Mr. Walberg just got goosed by yours truly. In case you couldn't guess, I'm the one on the right. The one with a head full of thick, beautiful, curly hair. Damn, I miss my hair! Oh, and the goober on the other side of Mark - that's my sister. All 90 pounds soaking wet, "I can barely wear a size 2", of her. Today, I just poke her little fat rolls and cackle. But I digress.........

OK, I admit, I didn't purposely grope him. I swear!!! I couldn't decide to put my arm in front or behind us and as you can see it made it in front of us before the picture was snapped. But not before my hand accidentally brushed his Calvin Klein-wearing tushy. YES, ACCIDENTALLY!! (Here's where Tal rolls his eyes. He gets goosed, too, but I do it on purpose. HEY, I got a license to do it!)

Hey, speaking of famous teen idol singers, the new Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus 3-D Pre-Recorded Concert Spectacular hit movies theaters tonight. Yep, in answer to the high-pitched whining and crying of disappointed little girls all over the country whose parents did not have several thousand dollars to plunk down to take their baby girls to a live Hannah concert, Disney execs with dollar signs in their eyes recorded one of her concerts IN 3-D so they could feel like they are practically right on stage with her!

Today, it's been total Hannah-monium across the country. There have been several sightings of Billy Ray's baby all over. Talmadge and I were THRILLED to spot not just ONE, but SIXTEEN mini-Hannahs tripping their way through Logan's tonight. Imagine our UTTER DELIGHT when the whole wiggly, giggly bunch of them was seated right next to us. I especially enjoyed trying to hear Tal trying to talk to me with the whole lot of them were trying to talk to each other while walking back and forth between both ends of the table constantly bumping my chair. And it was especially entertaining when the little darling sitting behind me knocked her tea glass off the table, hitting the floor sending ice, tea, and shards of glass flying everywhere. (Why the waitress gave them all GLASS cups instead of the plastic cups with lids like they usually give all the kids, I'll never know.) The highlight of the evening was when a mini-Hannah- who apparently had had one too many Mr. Pibb's - fell out of her chair. Fortunately, she was at the other end of the table and didn't fall in the shards of glass which were still on the floor. I believe it's safe to assume that this was some sort of pre-Hannah-movie-viewing party.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am a complete Disneyana nut. I love the Hannah Montana show, and watch it all the time. But that's where it ends. I suppose that if I had a pre-tween daughter who loved the show, I would be so indulgent. But tonight, I was close to calling our satellite provider and asking them to completely wipe the Disney Channel - both East and West- from our lineup. (Here's where Tal comes in and takes my temperature.......).

In the words of Ms. Hannah/Miley herself: "Sweet niblets!!!!"

And for those who have no idea who Hannah Montana is......be glad. :-)

New Year's MeMe

Following suit of Nettiemac and Kate/Susan, here is my MeMe for the New Year:

Best Album: I have to agree with Nettie and go with the Robert Plant/Allison Krauss album, Raising Sand. I kind of raised my eyebrows at first, but was pleasantly surprised by the duo.

Best Non-Fiction: Anything non-fiction that I have read this year has probably either had something to do with cakes or baking, or gardening. Can't say which is best. :-)

Best TV Series: I've been into Kyle XY, and am usually glued to the TV for most of the CSI shows.

Best Fiction: Kate/Susan really turned me onto Janet Evanovich, I totally blew through the Stephanie Plum series and am waiting with bated breath for the next two books coming out. I still have a few of her other books to read.

Best Kids’ Music: I am a 38 year-old woman with no children, yet my TV is usually tuned to The Disney Channel more often than not. And my favorite show to watch is Hannah Montana. Yeah, it doesn't hurt that Billy Ray Cyrus also stars in it opposite his daughter, Miley. In spite of the recent scandal that Miley has found herself in - which I think is totally ridiculous and was blown way out of proportion (I mean, really, look at any teenage girl's MySpace page and you see that same stupid stuff, girls just goofing off) - I believe she's got a great future provided she does not follow the lead of several of her predecessors. Disney has been a wonderful startup vehicle for many a talented young person, how they handle the fame and fortune as the result is pretty much up to the child star/parents. Miley, I hope, has got her father's (and mother's) support and guidance in this and I am positive that he will keep her on level ground.

Best Movie: Talmadge disagrees but Tiger, Bolivar, and I all liked the movie August Rush. Yes, it's completely fantastical and the plot is a bit trite and sad, but all in all it's just a movie about a little boy whose biggest desire is to be reunited with his mother and father after living in an orphanage all of his life, and the best way he knows how to do it is through music.

Best Sign of the Apocalypse: Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears will suddenly become the models of perfect motherhood and Mama Lynn will finally get to publish her book on parenting.

Best Come Back of the Year: Britney Spears......but of course. (gag)

Best Old TV show you are just getting into: I get on a M*A*S*H* kick every now and again. But I love watching the old episodes of The Waltons and Little House On The Prairie when I am at home on a weekday.

Best grocery store: Kroger!

Best (Summer) Vacation: I have to say that this past summer was the best vacation I have had in a long time. OK, so technically it wasn't a VACATION, because I'd had surgery - but how can I complain about getting to stay out of work an entire month and having people (thanks Tal and Mom!) waiting on me hand and foot and not letting me lift a finger!

(Skipping a couple of categories here, just didn't seem to have any answers thus far.....)

Saddest moment of the year: The year was pretty great up until Dec. 1, when my uncle passed away. He is the first of my dad's siblings to leave us, and probably the uncle I was closest to, because I had shared an apartment with his youngest son for a few years while he was in college and I was getting a jump start on my life. That, among other things, kind of set the mood for the remainder of the holiday season. I for one am glad that it is over for the most part and we can start the new year on a positive note.

Happiest Moment of the Year: When we got through the End of Fiscal Year activities at work and most everything balanced up, considering how screwed up things were when I first started working there and had not much of an idea how to do many of the things. But now everything is running smooth as silk (knock on wood).

Message from Sandy Claws......

......Puddy asked me to post this for her, since she does not have her own blog:

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!
And
Happy New Year!!!!!

Love and Huggies,
Puddy

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads......

I wasn't sure if I wanted to bake any cookies for Christmas this year. In the past I have gone nuts baking this and that but for some reason I just couldn't get into it this year. Until now.......

I was actually intending to just make some peanut butter cookies with Hershey kisses plunked on top of them (peanut butter blossoms is what my friend Susan calls them so I'll go with that, love the name!) and some sugar cookies. Tal bought a package of the refrigerated sugar cookie dough so I'll bake those on up.

I've put it off because I've had several other things I've been trying to get done. Tiger is coming home with us after Christmas as well as my oldest nephew, Boogie, who is 11. Just trying to get the house presentable for them. I straightened up the living room last night and have been working trying to get the kitchen clean, which will probably not last once I start baking! I've also been wanting to get out in the garage and straighten up out there because we've got some things to move out there and I need to make room for them. That will have to wait until after Christmas - maybe I can enlist Tal, Tiger, and Boogie's help for this! (hint-hint) We've got company coming mid-January and I want the house in tip-top shape for their visit! :-) It's going to be here sooner than we think - right, Susan and Nettie?!?!?!

But for now, we've got our staff Christmas thingy coming up on Friday. Technically, it's not a party - just all of us bringing in goodies to munch on all day. For that, I decided to make a big chocolate chip cookie and decorate it with buttercream, and also a batch of red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese filling and frosting using the cupcake kit (shameless Wilton plug) I got in July at our Wilton meeting.

Then I came across a recipe for Holiday Wreaths, basically a spritz cookie, and thought they looked cute and easy enough. And I also remembered I have a quart of sesame seeds in the cupboard that I got last year. I need to use those, so I am going to make up a batch of benne seed cookies. I like Paula's recipe, I made it last year and the year before and they turned out really good. Can't disappoint my cousin, Cokie Jo - she loves them and I keep telling her I'm going to send her the recipe but never get around to it! OK....I just got around to it. It should be in her hot little hands as we speak.

So, to recap the cookie list:

sugar cookies for Tal
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Giant Chocolate Chip Christmas Cookie (we'll call it the GC4)
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting
Holiday Wreaths
Benne Seed Cookies

OK....I confess.....for the GC4, I *did* buy some canned chocolate frosting. Canned frosting is usually a taboo item in my house, I make my own which tastes better than the canned stuff - BUT the chocolate usually tastes better because I just can't seem to get the chocolate frosting chocolate enough for my tastes. Until I can perfect the chocolate frosting recipe, I'll humbly turn to Betty, Duncan, or the Dough Boy for help!

I forgot to mention that I baked and decorated a baby shower this past Sunday. Technically, it's not holiday baking but it's still baking nonetheless!

Yum, all this talk about cookies is making me hungry. YAY, it's lunchtime! I'm going to go eat my leftover salad from Zaxby's and think more about my baking blitz I plan to do tonight!

Until later,
Seraphim

Christmas MeMe.......brace yourself........

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
On the fence about this one. On one hand, wrapping paper certainly does help the mystique of a gift. It's better if you are truly wanting to surprise someone and you KNOW they will try to peek. Gift bags, on the other hand, can be cute and really dress up the gift. Best of all they can be recycled for other uses or re-used for other gifts.

2. Real tree or artificial?
We had an artificial tree for as long as I can remember. I remember what a PITA it was to put together every year. It was one of those that you had to match the color on the end of the branch to its corresponding hole on the "tree trunk". But it had a smell to it that is still ingrained in my mind.....not a bad smell, the smell of things that have been boxed and stored away for a while.

There was this one year when we decided we wanted a real tree. We went down to a Christmas tree farm not far from our house and cut our own, I took our video camera with us and captured the choosing and cutting of the tree. I also have video of Daddy standing in the back of his truck, holding up the tree and saying, "What we have here is a 12-foot tree, and an 8-foot ceiling." Yeah, we ended up hacking about 4 feet off the bottom to make it fit. That was the last and only year we had a real tree! It's a wonder we didn't end up burning the house down with that thing in our living room.

3. When do you put up the tree?
We used to put it up a week or two after Thanksgiving. I always loved to crack out the "A Very Merry Christmas" LP's, stack them on the turntable (yes, stack, Talmadge - we had one of those turntables with the stacker/changer that makes you cringe.) And be-bop decorating the tree.

These days, if I put up a tree it's a miracle. If I'm in the mood to, I'll ask Tal to drag the boxes out of the attic for me. I'm not really in the mood this year.

4. When do you take the tree down?
We always tried to get the tree down before New Years' Day, because we always felt it would be bad luck.

If I put a tree up nowadays, it comes down before Dec. 30th.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I love it! I like store-bought best, but I have to thin it some with regular milk because it's a bit thick for my taste directly from the carton.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
It's a toss-up between the really cool Barbie kitchen and town house that I got one year, and the skateboard I got another year. My mom was always good at refurbishing things from thrift stores or just so happened to find in a pile near someone's trash. She came across a perfectly good skateboard in the neighbor's yard one day and asked if she could have it. She then took it home, spray-painted it a bright yellow and put purple non-skid bathtub flowers all over it, and put new wheels on it. The money she saved on buying a skateboard at the store, she used to get me a helmet and elbow & knee pads. I loved it!

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Not currently. My parents have one that we made in Sunday school when I was little. It was a small, simple creche made from some scrap paneling that our SS teacher's husband cut out for us. We nailed the pieces together, and then the teacher gave us each a little set of white ceramic figurines in the shape of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in a manger. I would set that up on the window ledge every year.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
Our parents......they pretty much get whatever they need during the year and what they truly want is beyond our reach financially. Gift cards work best in this case.

9. Easiest person to buy for?
All the kids - gift cards work best for them, too. Ask a kid what he/she wants for Christmas, they usually give you an answer that leaves your head spinning..."A super megatron power-changing spectra-bot battling.....what??" "What's in a Princess Brittney make-up, hairstyle, and super-model wannabe kit anyway?"

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
When I was a 13 year-old, my great-aunt Doris was apparently under the delusion that I was a perpetual 8 year-old and gave me this hot-pink plastic chain-link necklace with these huge plastic charms. I think I still have it..... IN A BOX SOMEWHERE.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail. Ours will be going out first of this week. (Sorry, Tal.....stole your answer on this one.)

12. Favorite Christmas movie?
The classics - "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol" in black and white only. Don't give me any of that colorized crap, Mr. Ted Fonda. Oh, and "A Christmas Story". I do like to watch it, but like Tal I cannot deal with the marathons of it. Once, maybe twice a season does it for me.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I try to start getting ideas early, but lately we've just mostly opted for gift cards. They travel easier.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes, I have a time or two. But I try to avoid it if I can. Except for that year I got a penis pinata as a white elephant gift. (Was a re-gift from our boss's bridal/bachelorette party earlier in the year.) I couldn't wait to get rid of that thing the next year! That's the last time I get greedy and choose the biggest gift in the stack.........

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Anything not nailed down........Christmas time is usually my "eat, drink, and be merry - for tomorrow we diet" time. Unfortunately, with me, it seems tomorrow never comes.

Seriously, things to eat at Christmas time usually meant baking Christmas cookies, and on Christmas Eve we would have an "open house" of sort. Mama would make Chex Mix, and we'd have cold cuts and cheese on crackers. She would always get some of those flavored cheese spreads from Swiss Colony. Oh, and some of that sweet hot mustard. And the Christmas hard candy mix. Sometimes we'd have a small gingerbread house from there, too. Years later, the Swiss Colony store in the mall closed down and GNC opened in there. I'm thinking somebody was trying to give me a hint......

16. Lights white or colored on the tree?
Colored, that's what we always had on my childhood tree. Yes, we lived in a trailer for a short while, what can I say? My sister and I used to lie beneath the tree and look up through the branches, and blur our eyes so we could see nothing but the greenery, lights, and the occasional twinkle of the tinsel.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
"O Holy Night", hands down. And to Tal's great dismay - "Sleigh Ride", only because my sister and I have a whole routine to accompany it, ending with us falling on the floor after the sleigh gets upset. Big fun.

18. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Travel, rotating between Tal's parents and mine every other year. We have to travel across the state to get to both.

19. Can you name all of Santa's' reindeer?
Yes, it's one of the many useless facts that reside in my brain.

20. Angel on the treetop or a star?
Neither, actually. My childhood tree had a beautiful blown-glass spire that fit on the top of the tree. Then we had a multi-colored lit wreath with a Santa face inside of it.

When I get the notion to put up a tree as an adult, mine has a small angel holding a "candle".

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas morning. We would get to open ONE present on Christmas Eve, and that was usually new pajamas to wear.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
That the sentiment doesn't last the entire year. The world would be a whole lot better if people could act all year long the way they do around Christmas time.

And, I hope I don't offend when I say this, but we should be thankful that the worst issues we face this season is being annoyed that AC stations started playing Christmas songs in July and have about 16 different versions of "Jingle Bell Rock" OR that people are knocking themselves out to be "PC" and get their panties in a wad if someone wishes them a "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays".

We could be homeless, and thankful for the two really good meals we get each year and the old blanket that someone discarded because they got a new comforter for their bed. We could be sitting in front of the Christmas tree wondering how we are going to get through the season without a loved one who just passed away. Instead of wishing for a necklace from Kay Jeweler or that nifty leaf blower from Home Depot, we could be wishing for a visit from the Orkin man or some pest control supplies to get rid of the unwanted houseguests (non-human) that have taken up residence in your home and you can't afford what is needed to get rid of them because you are having to financially support some human houseguests.

To quote a very wise man...."Perspective, man. Perspective." Am I making any sense here?

23. What do you love most about Christmas?
Eggnog.....with lots of rum. It's the only way to make it out alive.

Seraphim's Ode To Chocolate

"All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!" Lucy Van Pelt, Peanuts

"You can enjoy it for the both of us." Talmadge Q. Gleck


A few years ago, our office received a box from a lender rep. Inside were some square-shaped lollypops in various flavors - vanilla, butterscotch and....CHOCOLATE........I of course went for the chocolate one, skeptically, because I have tried chocolate-flavored hard candies before and, well......ecccch would be a good way to describe it. But this was different, it was as if I had taken a square of chocolate and let it slowly melt in my mouth. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I truly do have trouble letting a square of chocolate slowly melt in my mouth. I can for a tiny bit, but after a few seconds I have to chew. I can't help it! That's one thing I love about these lollypops, too hard to chew up so you can enjoy them for a long time!

Anyway, they were made by See's Candies, which has been featured before on The Food Network. Ever since we'd received the lollypops, I've been wanting to order a box of them but never really got around to it. Well, I recently learned that See's has a temporary kiosk in one of the local malls and you better bet that I hightailed it over there the first chance I got. Seraphim went home with a bakers' dozen of those wonderful chocolate confections!

Now, for the good news. Out of curiosity, I emailed See's Candies for the nutrional information on the chocolate lollys. I wanted to compare it to other chocolate treats to see the benefit of having one of these long-lasting lollys as opposed to a short-lived chocolate bar. (BTW, it usually takes me about 30 minutes to finish off one of these lollys. In the same amount of time, I could probably polish off an entire bag of Hershey's kisses!) Anyway, here are the results:

Candy	CALORIES	FAT CALORIES	FAT GRAMS	SUGAR GRAMS
See’s Chocolate Gourmet Lollypop (1 lolly - yep just one!)	90	35	4.5	9
Hershey’s Kisses (9 kisses)	230	126	14	19
Hershey’s Bar – milk chocolate (1 regular bar)	270	140	16	31
Hershey’s Special Dark (1 regular bar)	180	110	12	20
Hershey’s Antioxidant Chocolate (1 bar)	180	100	11	19
Dove Dark Chocolate Miniatures (5 pieces)	210	120	13	19
Dove Milk Chocolate Miniatures (5 pieces)	220	110	13	22
Dove Sugar Free w/ Chocolate Crème filling (5 pieces)	190	140	15	0

So there you have it! Enjoy!

-S.G.

What Kind Of Candy Are You?

Talmadge......this should not surprise you in the least........

Gummy Bears

You may be smooshie and taste unnatural, but you're so darn cute.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

What color crayon are you?

A co-worker sent this to me, and of course I did it. I'm a YELLOW. Sounds like it describes me pretty well. What do you think?

You Are a Yellow Crayon

Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors. You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius. Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way. While you seem spontaneous and free wheeling, you are calculating to the extreme. Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth.

What Color Crayon Are You?