Confession Sunday

I will admit it but I haven't really wanted to talk about it. I must get it out though. I have been hating myself lately. I hate the way I look. What prompted this, it viewing pictures of myself from Denver. I hate the way I look. It is not so much as my weight but my face. I feel ugly. I never look right in pictures. My smile looks fake. When I don't have a big grin, people complain. I never look right. I see other people's photos and they do not look like this. My hair doesn't look good. Nothing looks good. If I am going to dive into the world of online dating, I need a decent picture. In my mind, I don't have any.

Denver!

I really enjoyed my time in Denver. My flight to Denver was uneventful. I loved how Jetblue has televisions at every seat. My flight was filled with Michael Weston and Burn Notice.

Friday, we decided to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. On the drive there from Denver, I saw prairie dogs. Lots of them! I know, they are like rats, but I was excited to see them.

We were able to see a lot of the park, which I was told, is unusual this time of year.

On Saturday, we hit the National Western Stock Show.

Compared to me, this tractor is huge.

I loved the rodeo. Especially the mutton busting, but unfortunately, my camera was not quick enough to catch the action nor it seems, to take a good picture.

We wandered into a stick rodeo, wondering what exactly it was. We found out that a stick rodeo is a rodeo where little kids do the rodeo stuff using stick horses. So cute!

The last two days of my trip, we roamed about the city.

We visited the Molly Brown House. She was quite the woman in addition to being unsinkable.

I got to rope my own steer at the Denver Historical Society.

This big buffalo was outside of the historical society.

Denver was awesome. I could see myself living there.

We ate at some good restaurants. Wynkoop Brewery, Marco's Stone Fired Pizza and Paramount Cafe were good and fun. I met some great women, who I knew for a while but never met. Thanks for having brunch with me.

Thank you for inviting me Cherie!

Just Call Me Scratchy

I got back from Denver last night. I loved it. The city is very different than Boston and I could see myself living there. I went to the rodeo, the mountains, explored the city and had a great time. I will post pictures tomorrow. Mutton busting and stick rodeos are my favorites.

Today I went back to work. It was a crazy crazy day at work. For some reason, I was so itchy today and when I got a chance to look at my thighs, I could see the damage I did. One thigh is one big black and blue. The other is splotchy black and blues. I won't go to the doctor since I do not want another repeat of the doctor incident but I need to stop scratching. Once I get started, it is hard to stop. On the corduroys I wore to work today, I could see the scratching affects on the fabric.

Speaking of the corduroys, the pair I had on today, that I bought recently, kept falling down. It is the first time I have worn them and they would barely stay up. I hope they shrink in the wash because I could take them off without unbuttoning them. They were not this loose in the fitting room. I could barely walk without having to pull them up because I was looking like a teenage boy with this pants down to his thighs. It is not the look I am aiming to get.

I did a lot of walking in Denver, but it would not have that much of an affect. I will hop on the scale tomorrow morning.

I bought a Jordana Paige RIO Green Olive knitting bag/tote. I splurged. The bags were discounted and the money is being donated to Haiti so I said why not!

Denver Bound

Congratulations Jessica of Jessica's Virtual Scrapbook, you won the soup giveaway. Email me your mailing address and I will have the prize mailed to you.

I can never figure out how to get the Random Number Generator thing to appear on my blog. If I copy it, it takes up the whole page and does not carry the number over right. Sometime, I will figure it out.

Supposedly January 18th was the most depressing day of the year. Somehow that missed me this year. I am glad it did.

So, I am off to Denver tomorrow. I am flying Jet Blue, which I heard is pretty nifty with TVs at your seat and maybe wifi. I am not sure how much blogging I will do while I am there, but I will bring my camera and totally enjoy myself.

Denver, watch out, this Boston gal is coming for a visit.

An Answer from 7-UP and Healthy You Challenge Check In

So, in my email tonight, was a response from my plea that I sent to 7-Up about keeping the pomegranate flavor all year long. I decided to write them on their website also. This is what I received back:

Thank you for contacting us about 7UP Diet Pomegranate. We enjoy hearing from you and are especially pleased to learn of your satisfaction. We will pass on your compliments to both our marketing department and our research and development department so they can be made aware of the great job they are doing! We hope you continue to enjoy 7UP Diet Pomegranate products. Sincerely, Consumer Relations

Unfortunately, they did not answer my question of whether it will be offered year round.

In other news, this week I did ok. I worked out 3 times and ate reasonably. I tried to eat my best today. I don't think the pumpkin bread was that many calories this morning but I did have peanut butter on it so I left it as it was.

Today's Log

Breakfast: 322 Bread, pumpkin, prep f/recipe 1 Piece 322 Lunch: 425 Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken 1 Serving 330 Apples, fresh, med, 3" 1 Each 95 Dinner: 427 Seeds Of Change Tikka Masala Sauce 0.5 Cup 135 Rice, brown, med grain, ckd 0.5 Cup 109 Peas, chickpea, mature, cnd 0.5 Cup 143 Peppers, bell, med, fresh 1.333 Each 40 Snacks: 330 Leclerc Mixed Berry Chewy Bar 1 Each 140 Godiva Chocolate 3 Pieces 190

I leave for Denver on Thursday. I can not wait!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway. I will draw a name tomorrow night.

Knitting, Baking and a Giveaway

That was all I did today. It was a slushy mess when I woke up today, which did not help in getting me out of bed this morning. I did get up earlier than expected however. I made a pot of coffee and drank it all.

I then transferred to the couch, where I spent a good portion of today. After I took a shower and before lunch, I decided to bake. So I had a Pillsbury Pumpkin Bread mix in the pantry and instead of oil, I added a can of pumpkin, two eggs and some water. The bread turned out a little dense but it tasted good without the oil. I love the pumpkin spice cake so I thought I would try the bread.

I am working on a reversible cable scarf and I am about a third of the way there. It was a good thing to knit while watching Charlie Wilson's War, which I loved.

I took a nap this afternoon, which I needed, and I felt a bit better after I woke up. It is amazing how sleep is so restorative

For lunch, I had the Progresso Manhattan Clam Chowder, which from Progresso through Myblogspark. This is the second can of soup I have had.

The first was French Onion Soup, which I will not be buying if I see it in the store. It was lacking in beef flavor and onions.

The Manhattan Clam Chowder was better. It was flavorful and had both clams and vegetables. If I see it in the store, I may buy it.

Once again, I will be offering a soup package from the fabulous people of Progresso through MyBlogspark. It includes a jump rope that calculated your jumps, a heavy ceramic mug and two cans of soup.

Just leave a comment and I will pick a winner on Wednesday evening.

Anyone do any blogging on their Itouch? I would like to try to blog when I am in Denver but don't know which app to use. Any ideas?

Don't forget to vote tomorrow if you are in Massachusetts!

Coffee was needed

And lots of it. I could barely climb or roll out of bed this morning. I can feel a cold coming on. The last thing I want is a cold flying so I stopped by Walgreen's and signed my life away for some generic Sudafed.

I went to visit Mom today. It was a short visit. Mom went to a sing along after about 25 minutes so I did not want to keep her from an activity she likes, so I left. She wasn't really in a talkative mood, though her talkative, is different then mine. She was playing cards when I got there and again, she would not divert attention from the cards and I had to ask her to put the cards away to visit with me.

After I left, I stopped at Sears and hit a Land's End sale, where I bought two pairs of pants. One corduroy (I love corduroys and the swish swish it makes) and a really soft pair of khakis. I bought 3 long sleeve shirts since I wanted some decent tops to bring to Denver with me.

Since I wasn't feeling my best, the visit had a bad affect on me when I got home. It is amazing how my mood is effected by how I feel physically. I laid on the couch, had a cat on my hip and got all down. I napped for a bit and felt a bit better mentally when I woke up. Naps are wonderful.

Since I have tomorrow off, I can sleep in tomorrow too. I have to do laundry and a little packing for Denver. I can not wait!

Does anyone know which iTouch app would be best for blogging while in Denver? I don't have a laptop and I don't know who to get pictures to my iTouch anyways but if I want to check in, what should I use?

I Love Long Weekends

Since this weekend is a 3 day weekend for and this work week will only be 2 days long before I head to Denver, I am relaxed and happy.

Today, I had my color knitting where we were taught Fair Isle knitting. I like it more than intarsia. I hope to finish my Fair Isle swatch and show it to you guys this weekend. Fair Isle is more intense and following the charts for me is a bit of a challenge but I like it and I'm up for challenges.

Speaking of knitting, I have been making a moss stitch baby hoodie for Secret Sister's friend, who just had a baby girl. I just have to finish the seaming by sewing on the hood and weaving the end and knit the button band with cute buttons in a contrasting color. I am thinking white. I am not sure.

I have also grown my knitting book and magazine collection. I got an Amazon gift certificate for Christmas and I used it to buy:

I love the patterns in Knit a Kiss in Every Stitch and can see myself making everything, especially the green tote on the cover.

Classic Knits for the Home because my apartment could use some classic knits, honestly.

How to Sew a Button and Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew. I can wait to read it. I don't really know how to sew on a button, which will come in handy soon and my Dad's Mom was not really a crafty woman. My Mom's Mom was a bit too crafty. I don't need to know how to skin a rabbit or pluck a chicken. So I want a combination of the two.

I got my next issue of Interweave Knits and some of the patterns inside really appeal to me.

I will have another soup giveaway coming up. Stay tuned!

Retrospective Thursday

The nursing home my Mom is in has several Haitians on staff and my heart breaks for them. I can't imagine the pain they must be in not knowing what is happening with their loved ones.

Mom hasn't been responsive lately. It is getting hard to get her attention away from the cards or the colorful cartoon on the tv screen.

I have been contacted by the Alzheimer's Association here in Boston on how to serve the needs of younger victims and their loved ones with dementia. The pain we went through trying to get services her and because her dementia was not officially "Alzheimer's", even less services were available given her age. Seeing her now in the nursing home, the youngest in the ward, it makes me wonder Why? What did she do to deserve this disease? Out of her family, why her? Looking back, some of the events that happened growing up now make sense IE the hoarding behavior, the self-centered behavior, the coldness...

So today, I post a picture of Mom before all of this when she was beautiful and young. This is how I want to remember her.

Today food wise, was an average day. Got my veggies, oil, whole grains, dairy. I really need to concentrate on fluids. I barely drink anything during work besides maybe a cup of tea and a small glass of water. That has to be upped.

Today's Log

Breakfast: 235 Oats, rolled, old fashioned 0.5 Cup 160 Pumpkin, solid pack, cnd 0.5 Cup 40 Sugar, brown, packed 2 Teaspoons 35 Lunch: 405 Healthy Choice Honey Ginger Chicken 1 Package 310 Apples, fresh, med, 3" 1 Each 95 Dinner: 512 Egg 2 Servings 154 Kraft 2% Delux American Cheese 2 Slices 120 Broccoli, stmd 1.5 Cups 66 Lunchmeat, ham, ckd, deli meat 3 Ounces 90 Oil, canola 0.667 Tablespoon 83 Snacks: 450 Yoplait Delights Lemon 1 Serving 100 Godiva Chocolate 3 Pieces 190 Pudding, white chocolate, fat & sugar free, inst, svg 2 Each 50 Milk, 1%, w/add vit A & D 1 Cup 110

7-Up, are you listening?

I have developed a new addiction, Diet Pomegranate 7-Up. Yes, I know all about the perils of soda (tonic in my world) but I love this stuff. Unfortunately, it is a limited edition.

7-Up, if you are listening, make Diet Pomegranate 7-Up a year round thing. I won't have to buy the store out when I see it at Christmas time. Thank you.

Today was a decent day. I felt fine, confident and content. It is amazing how my mind works some time.

I brought my lunch again today. So far, my goal of bring my lunch every work day during January is sticking. I once again got into the Godiva but so didn't other people and it is over half gone now. The box was huge, with three trays of chocolate goodness.

I tried on a winter coat that I have not worn yet this winter. It did not fit : ( After a momentary discouragement, I said, it will fit soon.

I had a snack attack today. Other than that, it was a pretty typical day. I need to start to think outside of the box. Weight Watchers Magazine had a mushroom soup recipe I want to try and Everyday Food had lots of good recipes this month.

Since I got home late today after training for the stairclimb, the sandwich and soup were easy things to make.

Today's Log

Breakfast: 414 Van's Waffles 2 Slices 240 Fruit Butter, apple 1.5 Tablespoons 44 Hannaford Box Of Raisins 1 Box 130

Lunch: 451 Fried Chicken, patty, Southern, w/o bone, ckd f/fzn 1 Each 190 Salad Dressing, blue cheese 1 Tablespoon 76 Bread, sourdough, sml slice 2 Each 185

Dinner: 483 Chicken, broiler/fryer, breast, w/skin, rstd 1 Each 193 Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran, Whole Wheat Wrap 1 Serving 70 Kraft 2% Delux American Cheese 2 Slices 120 Dressing, mayonnaise, real 0.5 Tablespoon 50 Progresso French Onion 1 Serving 50

Snacks: 588 Godiva Chocolate 4 Pieces 253 Oranges, all types, fresh, sections 1 Cup 85 Yoplait Delights Lemon 1 Serving 100 Lemonades 2 Each 150

Exercises Stairmaster Vigorous - 20 Min 321