As I stepped out to my appointment this morning, the vibrant glowing trees seemed to take the place of the sunshine. Not only is the vivacious color of nature a beautiful site but the free cool air-conditioning of Mother Nature is sublime. This truly has to be my absolute favorite time of the year.
The pretty view of fallen leaves just outside my door
The trees from whence they came
And more brilliant color at the entrance of our apartments
May the splendor of autumn bring joy to your heart.
First up for Monday is my health and what I’m doing to bring down my cholesterol. I’ve boosted the fiber, and have started eating at least 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I’ve also cut off the consumption of coffee cold turkey the last couple days (yes coffee was my breakfast every day of the week and that’s it). It’s not the coffee so much as it was the Crème Brulèe Cream that I generously used. I had “BIG” plans to forgo the coffee earlier in the week but it was a very painful struggle so I didn’t kick the coffee ‘til the weekend. I’ve replaced my coffee with oatmeal and I’m really enjoying my little bowl of oats a lot more than I thought I would. I’ll be kicking another habit this week and I’ll write more on that next Monday.
My morning bowl of oatmeal with just a few walnuts, banana and blueberries
Next on the agenda is this pansy I started so long ago it seems.
I’m terribly sorry for the decline in drawing and my only excuse is that I can only concentrate on one thing at a time. I had high hopes of finishing the drawing last week but when hubby asked me to join him in Boston I couldn’t turn him down.
It looks like it’s going to be a good week to begin working on the pansy again and I have high hopes to have it shipped to New Delhi, India soon! I’m terribly sorry for the delay.
My final note is that I’m wishing all of you a very pleasant week!
Bobby and I made our way home from Boston late Thursday evening. As we were heading west I could tell by the dense layer of haze that we wouldn’t have a sunset to speak of. But the night sky had a nice surprise in store for us as it came alive with so much color. It was like a very bright blanket that quilted the sky with swirls of blues and magical bursts of red. It truly was amazing as we drove into the sunset.
Friday morning was the best as Bobby didn’t have anything pressing at work so we slept in without the alarm. We got up and around visiting over a cup of coffee and breakfast and Bobby didn’t leave the house ‘til 11:30am. It’s been such a wonderful week with Bobby and today we’re just chillin’ with a little heat on. We don’t have anything pressing and we’re just letting the day unfold together.
Since moving to NY, it still has not quite felt like “Home – Home” yet. All of our stuff is in storage (as many of you have heard me say time and time again) and I’ve been taken from my pottery studio for a little over a year now.
So what does the What Ta Do part have to do with this – you ask? Well I’ve been thinking about going back to work lately. Sometimes I’m not sure if this is what I want and hubby certainly loves wifey at home but he’ll be happy for me if this is what I want. I quit work 2 weeks before we married some 9 + years ago so this would be a big change for me.
I thought about teaching pottery classes but then I would have to teach night classes and I’m not up for being away from Bobby when he’s home. So it would have to be working during the days – absolutely no evenings or weekends.
Well it just came to me and I mentioned it to hubby yesterday to see what he thought about it. So my thought is to apply for a secretary position where hubby works. I think this is something I would enjoy and get me out to greet the world each day. And the bonus would be to carpool with hubby every day. So when I think about it, I’ll actually get to spend an hour a day more with hubby each day by carpooling. I’m sold hook line and sinker with the thought of that and hubby says “we would even get to do lunch more often”.
I’m still thinking about this and it may take me a while to really decide if this is what I want. I have a few nerves but I have a feeling I’ll enjoy myself. We’ll see.
I’ve been tagged by Jamie over at Baldwin Bungalow and here’s the rules.
1. When my hair is short, I want long hair and when my hair is long, I want short hair – Now that’s just downright weird.
2. I sleep right through my hubby’s snores, but when he sits up in bed I wake up in an instant to see if he’s alright.
3. I’m not cut out to be a leader but as soon as I see a path, I can follow just dandy.
4. The older I get the more I enjoy life
5. My favorite times are times spent with hubby.
6. I love a good salty sweet snack and right now my favorite mid afternoon snack is the 100 calorie mini popcorn sack of kettle corn. (I can’t do this right now due to following strict Dr’s orders) but Candy Corn mixed with nuts is an amazing treat and it reminds me of a Pay Day.
7. Long eyebrows drive me nuts and I’m so happy hubby lets me keep his nice ‘n trim.
Now I tag anyone that would like to play.
It’s a beautiful crisp autumn day in the heart of Boston. I was up before Bobby this morning showered and dressed to hit the road as soon as he left for work. He carpooled with one of the other guys whose here in town and I had the car for the day.
I started the day bright and early with Nellie, one of our best road trip friends. Yeah, that’s what we call our Nuvi Garmin. Normally I would be nervous to endeavor such a drive to the city alone but not today as Nellie had my back. She’s been our pal for nearly 2 years now and I can’t imagine driving without her.
Deeper
And Deeper into the city we go just me and my little pal Nellie.
We found a nice parking spot and I programmed Nellie so that she could take me right back to that spot should I get lost.
The first little jewels I saw were these beautiful babies all nestled into this Baby Limo as I call it. That little carriage seats 6 babies and on the side reads bye bye buggy. I have never seen such a carriage in all my life and I had to capture the moment. I just can’t understand why that little guy in the front seat didn’t have any socks or anything on his little feet. It was in the low 40’s this morning and reaching a high of 65 for the day.
I passed by so many beautiful buildings and this church really caught my eye
But the doors of the church are what truly caught my eye first
$1.00 for a sack of red peppers. I’m kicking myself for not swooping in on that deal.
No doubt this is Chinatown
Pretty little nuggets
Thought they were just too cute watching the birds
It was a feeding frenzy in the heart of town where bread and rolls were freely given.
This telephone booth with the pagoda on top caught my eye.
Nellie and I stopped for lunch and I had tilapia on a bed of rice with some nice steamed veggies on the side. It was oh so yummy!
I walked and walked, shopped and took in the city one step and block at a time and by the time I was ready to go I was completely lost. There is absolutely no way I would have been able to find my car. Even though we’ve had Nellie for about 2 years, I panicked thinking what if Nellie steers me wrong and I can’t find my car. But as always, she knows right where she is at all times and she directed me right back to my car without any trouble. And little Nellie and I will continue to live happily ever after.
Now I’m ready for a little afternoon nap and then I’ll be ready to go out with Bobby when he gets in from work.
I realize I’m not getting any younger and one thing that has had my attention this past year is my weight. Sure, I’m happy with me and hubby tells me he loves every single ounce of me but still. I’ve put on some weight with this past move and I know it’s not doing me any good whatsoever and I realize it causes other areas in my body to fall apart.
We have both started eating healthy and the weight is coming off (18 pounds for me and 17 for Bobby as of this morning) but more importantly I feel we’re getting healthier because of it. I had my physical and blood work last week and didn’t pass with flying colors either. I would have rather waited ‘til I was down another 20 pounds but felt I should get checked, so I did.
I got a call from the nurse today that my cholesterol was 249 and that I need to go back in three months for a check-up. And there is one more issue (blood in my urine) that they have asked me to come back in three weeks for another check.
I have really been kicked in the teeth today but I’m going to work as hard as I can to stay off meds and get healthy. This is a definite wake up call for me and its certainly got my full attention.
I had no intention of writing about my weight loss but I feel it’s nice to get it out as I could use your support to help me keep focused and to get this cholesterol in check. Perhaps I’ll make this my Monday post just to keep me in check. More on this later.
Ever wonder what you would have looked like back when? Well me neither until today. Hah, I saw someone’s blog where they did the Yearbook Yourself and couldn’t help myself. I dug for a photo when I wasn’t wearing glasses and had fun seeing what I would have looked like. You can laugh with me and then do it yourself if ya like. My 1964 is hubby’s favorite.
Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.
Here are a few things I brought with us to the apartment as I wanted to ensure the right paint color for our rooms.
The background is a pillow sham from our bedroom. Then my handy dandy Sherwin Williams chart. There is a swatch of the same yellow leather that’s in the living room and two green swatches of fabric that match the celadon pottery we purchased while living in Korea. That pottery is displayed in our kitchen but I don’t have any really good pictures of it as it is pretty much displayed over the cabinets. The family room is not that difficult as we purchased the identical leather furniture for our apartment and basically our accessories are blue and white.
Fifi asked about the program I was using to do my project and it’s called Better Homes & Garden – Home Designer Suite 8.0. It’s a very user friendly program and I can’t say enough good stuff about it.
I’ve been working in the kitchen a bit more. We want the kitchen “open” to the family room but not “open – open” if you know what I mean. We would like a bar area and pillars of sorts flanking both sides of the bar. The picture below gives a similar idea of what I’m talking about. I’m still thinking of some cabinets over the bar area but have not decided 100% on what to do on that just yet. I just don’t want to box myself in too much in there so we’ll see.
Not sure if you noticed but the pottery was changed to match similar to what I have and I also tweaked the color of the green walls in there. Still playing in my “Doll House”. I’m already looking forward to working in the yard. This program allows you to make gorgeous flower beds, plant huge trees and then gives the most amazing 3D effects outdoors as well.
I love it when I can put a face to a name. Bobby always talks about the guys at work and I always get to know them before I meet them. I’ve already met quite a few of the team and last night I was able to meet several more.
Bobby’s group had visitors from Maryland in yesterday and a dinner was planned last evening at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant. Bobby made it a point to tell the guys he was bringing his wife but like so many times, I was the only wife to show up. I always tell Bobby that I don’t have to go but he always insists saying “if my wife’s not invited, I’m not invited” and he has said that (to me) from day 1. I had such a great time visiting with these guys as I felt like I already knew them.
He guarantees that he will never leave home without me if he can possibly help it so next week he’s taking me to Boston on his business trip. It’s gonna be a road trip since it’s not that far to drive.
We’re really enjoying this stage in life with the (Bobby’s) kids in college and the freedom to do these things at the drop of a hat.
Today Kari And Kijsa
Bobby calls the little 3D program I’m working on “Debbie’s Little Doll House”. I’m such a visual person as I want to get an idea of how things are going to look. I started with a blank screen in this 3D program and added the entire floor plan with the correct dimensions. I’ve also taken the dimensions of our furniture and plugged them into each piece of furniture (in this 3D model) so that I can get an overall idea of how things will fit. I was able to select the type of furniture, flooring, fabric, color and size to everything you see.
Yesterday I shared several color choices. As a matter of fact there are close to 2000 Sherwin Williams colors not to mention the thousands of other paint colors from other companies on this program. My mind feels like it’s going to pop with all the choices out there. I’m truly lovin’ this my friends as my hubby is letting me pick out all the paint! YEA!!!
Today I’m sharing different angles of the family room and kitchen. And here is what I’ve come up with so far.
Family Room in TX
My Doll House Family Room – I’ve had so much fun in here pretending. That thing above the fire place is Bobby’s tv as that’s where he wants it.
Another Angle – and notice how much brighter this picture is when I changed the way the light filters in from the outside. I didn’t change the paint color of the room, just the light source. I’m thinking this Honey Gold color is going to be the dominant color of our home.
I moved the camera up and changed the angle for a little bird’s eye view.
Kitchen in TX
Debbie’s Doll House Kitchen
View to the left
View to the right – Kitchen Breakfast Bar Area – This was the first light switch I added on the far wall next to the door. I need to connect the switch to the light (in the program) to turn the light on… But I’m still experiencing some technical difficulties. I think I shall call the “Doll House” electrician.
Breakfast Bar In TX – and the little desk/cabinet area
Doll House Breakfast Bar – That’s supposed to be the desk area as I realize it doesn’t look like a desk, but it will. Work with me here – we’re just pretending in the Doll House… K?
View Out to the Family Room
That’s a wrap for today. If there’s a color you would like to see on any of these walls, just ask and I’ll post them.
We’ve been busy beavers with the new and improved update on our house plans. We had another meeting with our builder Saturday and things seem to be taking shape.
I have been so engrossed in this floor plan program adding details and similar furnishings to the rooms like we had in our home back in TX. This program also allows you to change the lighting in the room as well as the outdoors. I still need to figure out how to turn the lights on in the chandelier overhead. As soon as I get that figured out, I’ll give you a peak of that too.
Today I’m demonstrating what I can do with color in the dining room.
This Olive green is winning my heart at the moment.
Singin’ The Blues – I’m quite fond of the Slate Blue Grey. I’m thinking this will look nice in our office.
Checking out the Autumn Spice
Dripping with Honey
Dishing Out Some Watermelon
Steeped in Berries
Dandelion Yellow
I’m taking just a smidgen of a break for lunch and thought I’d share the pansy project that I’m working on for Dreams And Beyond. I started working on this project yesterday and I pretty much have the sketch complete. Now I’m concentrating on the foundation by adding layers of color.
A Work In Progress
I just finished all the little finicky things around my site like adjusting the margins and moving my profile from the left over to the right. I’m tellin’ ya none of that went down without me throwing fits with html! I continue to say that I’m through with html and then I dive right back into the slurry mess. However, I love those light bulb moments and I believe one of these days I will embrace html.
In other news: I plan on picking up my pencils next week and I’m looking forward to drawing and getting back into my “zone”. I especially like the part that I’ll be giving this drawing to
I’m debating another free drawing and this time I get to keep something. But it will depend on how much interest there is out there to participate. I’m thinking of launching the next Christmas Gallery Days Giveway around the end of October. Here’s how it would work – I’m looking for a Christmas theme picture. Anything Christmas and the deal is the person I select once again gets the piece of art but I will get to make copies and print out our Christmas Cards this year. I think it is plenty early enough to have this project finished by the end of November but I will need a lot of interest or I will have to come up with something myself. If you have any thoughts or suggestions I’m open, talk to me.