Master's Degree Paid in Full

Well today my student loan payment came out of my checking account for the final time. I thought my final payment would be over $500 this month, but it ended up being only $224--bonus! I've been making those payments for more than 10 years now...sure feels good!

Not that I'll see any of the money....it will go towards my daughter's rent at college. Always a payment there....for the next few years anyway.

Still feels good though!

Easter Blessings

We were naughty and did not fight the crowds at mass this morning. Instead, we slept in a bit, read the paper and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of bagels and bacon. Since it wasn't too cold outside,we decided to go for a bike ride.

Since Megan and I have not been for a ride yet this year, we opted for a short ride. Starting at the trail head of the Glacial Drumlin trail, we road out to Sunset Park, which is about 3.66 miles one way.

Sarah joined us too and was surprised how far 3.6 miles is in reality. She wants to run in a 5K in a month...a big step for someone who has never ran other than a bit on the tread mill. Not that I'm one to judge...I need to get my butt moving daily.

Today was a great way to welcome Spring...thank you sunshine! Happy Easter!

Sleepovers and Hangovers

My oldest is home from college for spring break. Her two BFFs came and spent the night and it is so heartwarming to hear the giggling that only young girls can do. I am so grateful she has such good friends who are good kids, come from good families and have good values. The timing on last night's adventure wasn't the best. Hubby had to go into work for an overnight change to the company's infrastructure and since all did not go well, he didn't get home until after 8 a.m. Which means as I sit here and work outside the sleeping area in my office off of the bedroom, I worry that a phone call will happen any moment and will wake him up. If the girls were not downstairs, I could set up shop down there. I feel I can focus better with snoring background noises than giggling. :-) Last night's adventures had more casualties than my hubby. My daughter ate too much junk food and got violently ill this a.m. Think Melissa McCarthy (aka Megan in the movie Bridesmaids)where stuff is coming out both ends.... Guess eating a rich Italian Meatloaf, loaded mashed potatoes, cupcakes, chips and dip, ramen noodle salad and cookies, it gets a bit much for the tummy (which is used to basic college fare) can handle. At least she is old enough to successfully make it to the basement bathroom without throwing up all over. (and if she did throw up all over, she would have had to clean up!) Another sunny day in Waukesha!

Tired Slob

How did I let my bedroom get to this state? As I put away months of jewelry I've worn and tangled at the end of my dresser, dust surfaces that haven't seen the back end of a dust rag in months, I wonder how I can let things go this way?

Our bedroom is quite large. We live in an old Victorian home that is over 120 years old. Our queen bed, two night stands and a tall boy dresser are tucked into the old "dressing room" and my office is what some might coin the bedroom. My dresser, a hutch, file cabinet, my desk, and a fireplace occupy the space. So does years of clutter, filing to be done, clothes worn once but not enough to throw in the wash. Kids art projects, dry cleaning, ironing board....you get the idea.

If I would just put stuff away as I take it off, put folded laundry away as my hubby brings it upstairs, all would be well with the world. I found a pair of earrings I've been looking for--then remembered they are broke and in need of repair.

As I type this blog, I feel my aching feet, sniffle at the dust I'm uncovering, and revel that I've uncovered 2 1/2 feet of clutter from my dresser. Can I change?

Inspiration

While tweaking my profile on Facebook, Archbishop (new Cardinal actually)Timothy Dolan is next to Eminem and Ellen DeGeneres. Three public figures who are so drastically different!

I enjoy reading Cardinal Dolan's blogs--because now that he is based in New York, we do not get to hear his radio messages like I used to. Especially this time of year with Lent beginning on Wednesday.

What folks hate about Eminem, I admire. He isn't afraid to say what he is thinking, even if it means his music is tagged as "explicit." He sure has endured a lot in his young age and I like that a white boy can rap.

Ellen's lifestyle doesn't jive with my Catholic values, but she is a good role model with her kindness, generosity, and sense of humor.

Wouldn't it be cool to eat dinner with all four of them at once? Quite the interesting topics of conversation I'm sure!

Perpetual Grumpiness

I hate myself lately. By 6 p.m. I am the worst form of evil....so tired and grumpy. This isn't good for my disposition or anyone within a 6 ft. radius. I'm raring to go at 5:30 a.m. but by 5:30 p.m.--watch out! Is it my age? My lack of exercise? Hormones? Stress? All of the above?

Whatever it is, I need to take action! Beginning tomorrow, after a long night's rest, and mass, I will go for a walk. It's a start...on my way to a new me. :-)

Friday Night Funk

One should look forward to the weekend but it seems like when Friday night rolls around I have absolutely no energy to do anything. Nothing, nada. No initiative--just want to crawl into bed and sleep. Work sometimes sucks the life out of me. :-(

48 in January in Wisconsin?

I reveled in the sunshine today when I ran some errands over lunch today. My car temperature gauge said 48 degrees! This seems to be the norm this year instead of the usual very cold temperatures. I worry about my perennial flowers and some of the farmer's crops without the blanket of snow, but I have to say I'm digging all of the sunshine!

UW-Madison Band

Got to experience the Madison band at a fundraiser for Oconomowoc High School bands. Very entertaining of course. Two former classmates of my oldest daughter are in the band. They put on a very good and entertaining show. Got to spoil my youngest daughter by taking her for ice cream after the show.

Renting Movies

I mailed a care package to Sarah, my oldest daughter today. Our post office is within walking distance, which I like. There also happens to be a video rental store nearby as well. Since renting a movie through Time Warner Cable is cost prohibitive, I decided to rent through the store. I was able to get almost three times as many rentals for the price I would have rented one movie through the cable provider.

After an evening of doing absolutely nothing last night, I was productive this morning...making Valentine cut out cookies for the care package and getting the dishes caught up.

Productivity

Disruptions were minimal today at work. First two early meetings were cancelled and that left the day wide open to be productive. Got some documentation completed along with a record number of items crossed off of my TO DO list. Hoping tomorrow will be as productive!

Had an amazing night with Megan. Sarah was working at her job in Madison and Corey was at a wood working guild meeting so it was just her and I. We ate breakfast for supper, did dishes, practiced her piano a bit and we read some from a book about giant squids that no human has seen alive (only dead, washed up on the shore bodies). Quite interesting. I like evenings like this when we have time for her not to compete for any attention and she is more relaxed and amenable.

One Sentence Blogging

I was inspired today from an article in Good Housekeeping magazine (February 2012 issue) to keep a journal but be realistic about what I write. Try and write one sentence a day about a memory of the day or something witty one of my kids has said etc. Can I do this? Can I keep it to one sentence?

Today was quite relaxing. After mass I was able to read the paper, several magazines, and watch a slew of movies with the girls. I made a large batch of spaghetti and generally lazed about all day in my lounge chair! Nice!

No TV?

It's 8 p.m. and our cable is out...which forces me to do something constructive...I've been constructive all day....come on! I want some mind-numbing nothing, some witty dialog, some easy comedy or some HGTV education why my decor is screwed up.

My youngest is at the park with her father and my oldest is working on summer school homework for college. 8 p.m. is too late in the evening to get anything started but too early to hit the sack--remember, hubby is at the park ;-) Guess I'll have to read a book...

Not Pregnant!

Nothing like shopping with your youngest daughter to bring you back to reality! Yesterday I was shopping for a summer dress and while trying on a particularly tight one she said "You know mom, if people didn't know you, they'd think you were pregnant!"

OK, I have grown a bit of a gut...there is truth to what she says...Out of the mouths of babes and drunks comes the truth! Makes me want to improve my diet!

No Energy Friday Nights

I'm sure it is an age thing, but I know many people older than myself that make a night of it every Friday night. I can barely keep my eyes open past 6 p.m. What's with that?

I do work hard all week long--10 hour days at work and usually some time in the yard after supper. Gardening is my passion...my flower gardens are evidence of that. This year I have a vegetable garden on top of that. So with all of that activity you'd think I'd have a lot of energy? No way. I just can't seem to catch my second wind.

Time to go for ice cream....now that got me going!

Bill "The Big Unit" Michaels

Have you ever experienced running into someone at work and you realize you haven't seen them in a while....you make some small talk sort of comment and then they inform you they've been on disability for 12 weeks or something like that? I was delivered a blow on my drive home tonight...I am an avid listener to WTMJ 620.

I was a Jonathan Green fan and didn't think I'd like the new guy, John McCure. He's not as annoying as he was on TV. I decided the reason I still like the new talk news program on my drive home was thanks to Bill Michaels.

Bill is a straight shooter, breaks it down very simply and uses terminology that everyone can understand--even if they aren't a rabid fan of the sport. He is a master of his trade. As a female, casual fan of most of the big sports, he taught me enough to talk the talk with the guys at work. He got me to see the games from a different perspective.

The blow I got on my drive home tonight was John McCure welcoming some new schmucks to Sports Central beginning next week and I'm like WHAT? Imagine my surprise to look Bill up on Facebook and get the news that WTMJ and Bill could not come to agreement on his new contract. I'm sooo bummed! I actually shed tears...I like this guy that much! (like when they announced that Fr. Dolan was tapped to go to New York)

I am numb right now...not sure if I'll listen to 620 in the afternoon anymore. This really blows!

Weight Watchers wise I am still hanging in there sticking to the plan. Got 60 minutes of walking in at lunch and only went over on my points by 2. This is the first time I've gone over on points (in four days.)

Day Three and Staying Strong

This is my third day on Weight Watchers and I'm amazed I've been able to stick to it. It has been years since I've gone successfully for this long...I just haven't had the will power.

So far so good. The daily point value I'm allowed seems like too many. Today though, I wanted to have a beer, but after tallying up my totals, I had like three points left and I needed 5 for a beer. I could tap into my 49 extra weekly points, but I decided I didn't need a beer that bad today! So after a 60 minute walk I ate two small cookies sealing the deal on the points for today.

I tried a new recipe today, it was a crock pot white chili recipe. I initially cut the recipe in half and added half the spice, but ended up adding extra beans and chicken broth but forgot to up the spices too. It was fine...not sure I cared for the ground turkey meat...I think diced cooked chicken might have tasted better.

On my walk tonight I heard a lot of bird cacaphony as well as a woodpecker. Spring is definitely on the way!

Turning 50, Diets & Will Power

So what is it about dieting that makes you want to eat everything in sight, even if you aren't remotely interested?

I'm proud I finally decided to do something about my body image and joined Weight Watchers this morning. I've been contemplating this for a long time...not necessarily Weight Watchers but doing something to jump start me into a healthier mode and hopefully lose weight. My goals for 2011 were to get a new job (done) and to lose weight. That's it. It's achieveable...but I've been on the downward spiral for the past five years and I've decided enough is enough.

My first step this week was signing up for a class in the fitness center at work called "From Couch to 5K in Eight Weeks." The first class is next Thursday after work. I knew I wanted to lose weight, but haven't had the initiative to do anything about it. Well, this morning I had this epiphany, hit the web to see the class schedule and did it. My hubby and youngest daughter weren't even out of bed yet!

Breakfast was fine, lunch was fine, but the rest of the day....I wanted to snarf cookies, chips, dip...all the naughty items left in our house after last week's party.

The Weight Watchers plan will definitely be doable...a beer is only 5 points--so worth it when I'm having a bad day. Cookies are 2 - 3 points....again, I can plan for that! Today in fact, I had three cookies and still have a point left to burn today if I care to!

Tomorrow after I get dolled up I'll have Corey take a "before" picture...then it will be to stick with the plan...tracking what I eat online or on the phone app to see if the new PointsPlus plan will work for me. Anything in a positive weight loss will be good for me!

Blizzardness

Howling winds tonight...wind gusts upwards over 40 mph at times. The wind is blowing so hard that the snow has made it between the storm window and our 118 year old windows. I'm in my favorite lazy boy chair and cannot see the bird feeder or suet feeder that bring me joy. Cannot look out my kitchen window either.

I have a drift at the bottom of our driveway that is at least five feet high and one off of the fence by the garage that is about the same. The front sidewalk to our porch has drifted over to the point you cannot see there is even a sidewalk there.

Leave it to the college kids to enjoy the snow. The frat boys from down the street are drinking it up and walking somewhere...no boots, no hat...idiots. At least most folks are heeding the warnings and are not out and about driving.

On my drive home, I stopped at the grocery store to get a few things in hopes we would have a snow day. There was only about 4 gallons of milk left in the cooler!

Work officially cancelled tomorrow. I get to work from home in my jammies!

A Piece of Americana

On July 11th I got a taste of Americana in quaint Eagle, Wisconsin. My husband, daughter Megan and I attended a community concert to benefit the local cemetary. This cemetary was desimated by a tornado that ripped through the area in June, uprooting older trees, which in turn fell and ruined many a grave marker--doing much damage. That damage was still evident everywhere you looked...trees split in two, people's property still showing signs of the power behind that storm.

We sat in lawn chairs we brought. An empty bucket was passed for donations. As the Palmyra-Eagle Community band played patriotic songs, I looked around and felt I was experiencing what the Midwest is all about--a strong sense of community, apple pie and lemonaide.

Ages of the patrons ranged from infant to old geezer. There was ice cream to accompany your piece of cake or cookies--all donated by local bakers who wanted to do their part. All free, but donations were welcome and taken before you helped yourself.

The band was typical for a small community...all volunteers like you and I. An occasional off note, but their pride was absolute. Directed by none other than Ed Pierce, they did the community proud. (and I'm not just saying that because he was my band director in junior high!)

The local boy scout troop presented the colors, we all sang...it was, America at its best. A wonderful way to end a sunny weekend in Wisconsin.