Meet Lilo

A few weekends ago I flew to Florida to meet some friends and have a good time. Another purpose was for me to meet Lilo, a 9-year-old female Boston Terrier, being fostered by my friend Shellie's brother Dave. We met and it was love at first sight, at least on my part. Robert flew down on Saturday and on Sunday we picked Lilo up and began the drive to NH. It was fun those three days in the car, but it's even better now that we're home. Bobby seems to like her and she him, so we look forward to many happy years -- or at least a few -- with our new girl.

So we have been watching what we eat now for 4 weeks, and going to the gym to work out at least 5 times a week. I'm down 11 lbs and it feels great. When I gained 10 lbs last winter, I could feel it in my face and neck. Not a good feeling. Now it feels much better. I still have a ways to go but little steps, one step at a time, blah blah blah.

I've also been selling a few beads and earrings on etsy. That's a lot of fun. My knitting is growing. I hope it's done soon, as I'd like to start the project Sarah got me for Christmas. My mom finished hers and it came out very pretty. Another project I've signed up for is a block-a-month using this book. I'm doing it with my friends on the woofboard. At the end of a year we'll each have an afghan to put together.

Today is my friend Shannon's memorial service. She died after eating her usual peanut butter on toast for breakfast, from anaphylactic shock. How weird and random is that? And it just shows us how fragile life can be. It just isn't fair that someone so funny and pretty and full of life  and love should die so young for such a stupid reason as eating peanut butter, which she did EVERY DAY! I knew her online only, but that doesn't make the loss or the hurt any less real.We interacted together on the Woofboard, a Boston Terrier forum.

In the past when one of my online acquaintances died, I felt a loss of an opportunity to get to know them, as they were all just people I knew of, not really that I knew. I feel differently with Shannon because I feel like she was a friend, not just an online friend. It's just so, so sad. She was so kind to me when Java died and took the time to send me some kind words to help me feel better. I just wish that things had turned out differently. Rest in peace, dear Shannon. We will miss you.

So last year, just before the Disney trip, I went to the informational meeting for the bariatric surgery program at the local hospital. It was very informative, as an informational meeting should be. I learned that surgery is not an "easy way out" by any means. After surgery, you still have to exercise and you still have to diet. In order to prevent your stomach from expanding, you have to eat by taking tiny bites and chewing them dozens of times before you can swallow. Yes, the physical surgery itself does something that puts many diabetics in remission, but then again so does weight loss.

I decided that before I have myself cut apart, I'm going to try one more time to do it the "hard way". So I joined Weight Watchers and started going back to the gym. It's been a week since I started the WW, and I can't say I've felt hungry at all and I've been making some really yummy meals. I've worked up to walking on the treadmill for 35 minutes a day. I get weighed tonight and I'm hoping for good results.

Robert has started a blog. It's here. 

I am blogging from the car. iPads are so cool!







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Dinner out with the family











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Another thing I do by the fire at the Woodstock Inn is knit. Here is my latest project.



It's a lace stole in my favorite color.










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One of the best thing about the Woodstock Inn is their huge fireplace. And one of my favorite things to do there is to get up early, when it's very quiet and drink coffee next to the fire. Sometimes my sister or husband joins me. So that's what I'm doing right now: blogging, drinking coffee and soon I'll be working on the crossword puzzle. It looks like a difficult one.


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So we made it home from vacation but 2/3 of our luggage did not. Fortunately they came this morning, although not soon enough because Robert had to go to work wearing socks with his sandals.

The picture above is the completed nose print pendant that I had made. It took a long time to receive, but I'm so glad I did it. It is so Java's nose, and I'll always have it.

All good things must come to an end, and by that I mean my vacation.



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So I am blogging from somewhere in the sky between Philadelphia
and Baltimore. We're on our way to Disney World!










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Lots going on here. Sunday I came home and found a watery drop of blood outside Gary's litterbox. So off to the vet we went yesterday. He has bladder stones and is very uncomfortable. He got an antibiotic shot, and a complete food change. The good news is that he seems to enjoy the new food. It's always difficult if they don't. The food is what's going to create an acidic environment in his bladder to dissolve the existing stones and prevent future stones from forming.

Today I have a nail appointment and then I'm meeting some friends for lunch. At 4:30 I go to the informational meeting for bariatric surgery. I've always resisted doing this, but the promising results in the diabetes reversal department have me looking into it. I would hate to have problems down the road with my eyes or my kidneys. I would like to get rid of it and the added bonus of losing weight is pretty great, too!

Today was the Bead Society of New Hampshire's holiday party at the Red Blazer in Concord. We get to enjoy a lovely buffet and then a Yankee swap. I brought handmade beads, of course. I was happy to see that my beads got stolen from the person who picked my present. I chose to steal a tiny Ott Light from someone and a few turns later, had it stolen from me! The game is a lot of fun as long as everyone is in the right frame of mind. I have seen yankee swaps where one person in particular was very upset that she was stolen from. So of course we kept stealing her things over and over, just to stick it to her. She was a pain in the ass. She drank moldy iced tea once. I thought it was hilarious.


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So we have had a fun few days. My mom came over yesterday and we went out to lunch and then to knitting class. She went over an old project that she hadn't finished and got straightened out. I finished up a project and purchased yarn for a new project.  The ladies at the class are all regulars and attend this drop-in class every week. They were very welcoming and very helpful. Then last night we went out to dinner to MT's Local. She spent the night at my house. And this morning we went to the Farmers' Market in Rollinsford. It was great! I got the maple cream I want to bring to my friend and we picked up a few extra things, too. Not too much as we're going to be eating out a lot this coming week.

This is it! The last day of November. I'm happy that I blogged every day and I hope I can keep the trend going. This is our Christmas card this year. I'm sending it mostly to my dog friends in a Christmas card exchange. It took a bully stick to get Bobby to pose like that with reindeer antlers on his head.

You can upload movies! I had no idea. Here's Bobby and how he chases squirrels.

I finished the ornament for the ornament exchange. We are allowed to make decorations as well; they don't have to be ornaments, but I think mine qualify. They're just ornaments for a tiny tree. I bought this little tree for 3 dollars at A.C. Moore. I made 12 ornaments to hang on the tree, plus a couple of strands of garland made out of beads. This was a fun project and I'm going to have to make myself one, too, at some point.

Bobby saw a squirrel this morning. He gets pretty upset. It's kind of funny.

This is where we placed Java's remembrance stone. It is under a weeping cherry tree and will be so beautiful in the spring.

I keep missing her. I want her back the way she was 4 years ago, before all her back problems manifested themselves. She was so robust. She had the most amazing self-confidence. I think it was because she was so alpha that she figured where ever she was, that's where she was supposed to be. She never got nervous traveling to other places, other people's houses, or even the numerous vet's offices we went to over the years. She had a lot of spirit. Now she's here at home, on the mantel with Barney, Pixel and Ram.

Today I brought Bobby to day care and then I came home and made beads for the ornament exchange. I wish I had thought of doing a little tree like this earlier, I could have auctioned it off in one of the Boston Terrier Rescue benefit auctions that have been going on. Next year, I guess.

I made chili for dinner and I keep eating it by the spoonful. I think I am hungry.

We had a very relaxing Sunday. We went out to breakfast with the newspaper. I had a breakfast sandwich and Robert had raisin bread french toast. I get hungry just thinking about it! Then at home I made some beads and got an order ready to ship out tomorrow. I just bought some new packaging and I think it's really cute and goes with my dog-themed beads well.  The beads I made are for a hand-made ornament swap I'm involved in on the Woofboard. I bought a tiny tree and I'll be making some "ornaments" out of my beads. I'm excited about it. I think it's going to be awesome.