April - Photos of my apartment...finally

 This is what you see when you come in the door, comfy cozy living room!

 The  TV stand with my wonderfully round 'wormy chestnut' mirror that Cody and Will helped me pick out at Lowe's, they do have nice things! I also got my sun clock there....in the outdoor section.

 Of course, the loo! Notice the heater on the vanity? There is NO heat in the bathroom!

 The home computer side of my office, pink and black...my girly girl office!!  I took the lily photo hanging on the wall to the right. It fits perfectly with my theme.

 The WORK side of my office, as you can see, I am a bit messy when I work!

 I LOVE my bedroom. I love my headboard, Regis Brick Antiques found this for me...I asked him to look for a GIANT headboard and he did not disappoint me!

The patio will look nice after I get some plants, flowers, vines and ground cover going, soon!!

 Grandma Russell's kitchen table has a nice home again! And I took the photo of the beautiful flowers!

 Showing off my red cookware, can you tell red is my 'accent' color.

The living room goes into the dining room...the dining room goes into the kitchen, the kitchen goes into the hall, the hall opens to the bathroom, bedroom, office, utility room and then also to the living room/dining room...sounds like farmer in the dell. I do believe my apartment is bigger than my mobile home and it is very nice here!!

Help Me Please

At weigh in today, I have lost a total of 8 lbs. This week I tried extra hard with the mindset which I think helped immensely. This week alone, I lost 4.6 lbs. With cut up veggies in the fridge, all 'bad for me' food GONE from the house and just a general feeling of "I know this will work". Is that WILLPOWER?


Having a buddy to keep you on track and it works.
Eating sensibly for each meal/snack and it works.
Lose the weight and the energy comes!
Put your mind to the task at hand and it works.
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Make time for yourself.
Enjoy each moment of each day.
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Prepare for unforseen circumstances.
Leave some food on your plate.
Early to bed and early to rise.
Activites, activities, activities
Sleep 8 hours every night.
Eat what you like but control your portions.
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I CAN DO THIS!!!

Lifestyle Changes

My New Ten "Commandments"
1. eat more fresh vegetables
2. eat smaller portions
3. be conscious of what goes into my body
4. only eat what is good for me
5. enjoy my meals, savor the flavor
6. faithfully exercise every day
7. use the buddy system
8. try different recipes and different foods
9. don't eat in front of the TV !!
10. set a goal for my reward

Week 2 - I am down 3.4 pounds so far. It is a start!

Changes and Memories

I have been thinking about Todd a lot these past few weeks. Memories of our shared times come to me out of the blue and I pause and let the feelings come over me in waves. When I lay my head down at night, I always give the Teddy bear a hug so I can smell Todd;  I breathe deep and soak up the smell of his cologne; his presence seems so near. I so miss him and will always be so thankful he was part of my life; he was so good for me!

Now - for the lifestyle changes; a new home (apartment) was just what I needed to start my creative juices flowing. All who come through the door say that I have made such a cozy spot here on Flower Avenue in Grove City. I have repurposed some pieces of furniture and rethought what is important in my life. A little change here and a bright color there and Voila! Life at my new apartment feels so much like home.

And today, there is veggie soup simmering on the stove with chicken broth, broccoli, cabbage, celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes and zuchinni - all blending together to make a delicious smelling soup somewhat like the Weight Watchers recipe for Zero Point soup. It is a good 'filler' for when hunger strikes and you want something warm and filling.

Last Sunday, Linda and I skipped church and went to a flea market near Youngstown, OH - Four Meadows I think. We had so much fun; shopping, laughing and looking. Produce and Avon were purchased and Spinach salad at Rachel's was enjoyed on our way home. We will do it again! I attended church this Sunday and sat with Sis Barton; it was our monthly dinner and Sis had prepared such good dishes. All of the food was scrumptious.

What will this week bring? The weather is so chilly - but today the sun is shining! Come on Spring - warm up and let us dig into the earth and beautify the world again!

Almost Spring

What have  you been doing? What have I been doing? I am trying to walk and made a change in eating habits. It helps to have a friend doing it as well. Linda and I are both widows.  Linda for a year and one month, me for 9 1/2 months; both new at this widow's life. We will get through this phase of life together. We need each other. We have been friends for a long time and our husbands were friends. We met through the husbands...life is funny, isn't it?

Today is St. Patrick's Day - I don't really like this holiday - I have had two bad things happen on this day in the past.
1983 - miscarriage 
1993 - official divorce date but turned into good 'cause I met Todd and married him!
But it is what it is. Green beer - Kiss me I'm Irish - Wearing of the green.

I tried the restaurant Jordan's in downtown Grove City again with Linda - we had the Greek pizza; we split a 6 inch personal pizza and it was very filling and delicious. There are many dishes to try so we will keep going back and splitting other dishes.

Tomorrow night, I am having a small dinner party for our book club; we read The Secret Life of Bees and will watch the movie. I loved the book - did not want it to end! It will be my first official get together in my new apartment. Should be fun!

Gotta work - many hours to still put in - many cases to still review - many investigators to still call this week.  Until next time...

Sunshine in Pennsylvania

What a rarity! According to the National Climatic Data Center, we only have 45% POSSIBLE days of sunshine. We are at the low end of the chart. Seattle WA has just a bit lower at 43%. The winners are Yuma AZ and Redding CA with 90% and 88%, how about that? So we must ENJOY each and every sunny day, get out there and soak up the sun. Mark your calendars, today was a fantastic day of sunshine!

I had a bit of energy and washed rugs and put them out to dry on the patio fence. I hope that wasn't against the rules? It is a bit different thinking about what rules are out there for this apartment complex. We live in little connected houses with long sidewalks, trees, patios, bushes and birds. Someday I will post a photo on here or you can come and visit; 645 Flower Avenue in lovely Grove City.

The Fog is Lifting

I feel like I have been living in another world these past few months. I could not figure out life - concentration was off, memory was not there, organizational skills that I take for granted weren't being cooperative and the grayness was overtaking my life. Things are starting to clear up now, the fog is lifting. I broke down and asked for depression medication and it seems to be helping already - I hope to be back to normal in a few weeks and figuring out a life's strategy for 2011. Not being able to think clearly was hampering my job skills - that is definitely the main reason I was worried. I love my job - it is like a big puzzle everyday, figuring things out for a person's investigation is interesting and takes a lot of concentration to line it all up.  Look out world, here I come!!!