My beautiful Layla and her amazing new self!

Can you tell that Layla has lost weight? (In a good way!) She moves a lot more quickly now and seems to have more energy! I love my Layla girl, no matter the size, but am glad she's healthier.

They should call having been selected for jury duty 'hurry up and wait'. I arrived, waited in the cold for a while with about 40 others and then we were told the judge was running late and to come back after lunch. (Traveling Judge. What can I say, we're not a big town.) I headed home, spent time with Chris, who had to take time off because.... Grrrr. Don't get me started. After lunch I headed back, to wait again with everyone. They let us in the building and we sat while roll was called, we signed forms, answered questions, and jury selection began when names were drawn from a basket! And received either a swear or strike from either counsel. I kid you not. Small town, remember? All in all I wasn't called and/or chosen, so I was told I could leave. (With over half the others, as well.)
After all that I took care of some things at home and we headed out for a few errands. We ended up being bad and grabbing burgers for dinner, but while I feel guilty- it was ever so yummy. *g* especially since I've been craving red meat like crazy lately. Which is VERY odd for me, I don't eat a lot of red meat, or even meat, usually. Guess this is my body's solution for being so tired lately. Trust me when I say Chris and Daughter don't mind. *g*
As for reading? I've begun the newest Heather Graham book, Let The Dead Sleep. This is the first in a new series, but set in New Orleans like a lot of her other books. I don't mind, I like the other books set there and since I've been there it helps make it a little more real for me.
Annnnd. That's it. Time to get some much needed rest. I hope y'all had a lovely Wednesday. I wish a thankful and thoughtful Thursday for y'all! Goodnight, B.

P.S. Vickie's mom came out of surgery and is now home again! Yay!

Too silly?

What do y'all think of my new headband? Too silly for someone my age? I saw it this Friday and while I normally don't splurge on accessories, this one made me smile. It's sparkly (I like some sparkle.), and cute and I couldn't resist. Not too bad for a little under $10? I have a feeling Daughter may like to borrow it sometime.
Sorry about not keeping up with the blog. Lately I don't know what to blog about, I mean there is only so much about MA classes, the Y, the ligrary and our household I can share without y'all snoozing over your computer (or however else y'all read here).
I can share that Chris and I had one of our "date" errand afternoons today. *g* We had a good time. After all these years we still smile and laugh and hold hands. He treated me to some books at BAMM and then there were the regular errands like the pet store, Target, WW, and a local grocery store. By the time we were done, we were both tired, but had a nice time together.
That's about it. Time to get a little rest. I hope y'all had a nice week and a happy weekend. Blessings and Sweet Dreams, B.

Normal Day!

My new purse! What do y'all think? I manage to fit everything in there AND a water bottle and book this afternoon. It's a gift. *g* when y'all were young did you carry a small purse or a big one? I carried a small purse, but when I had kids that had to go. However, I never could bring myself to carry one of those that looks like it could double as an overnight bag. Heck, when each of my children were babies I didn't carry a traditional diaper bag. I carried backpacks.
Today has been okay. My back is slowly healing, though last night and tonight has not helped. Chris went in later to work today and so I took care of his normal chores as well as a few other things. This afternoon I weeded and put out some new mulch. Then later this afternoon we headed to the kids NA class. I didn't take my regular Zumba class, I knew it would be too much. Instead I rode the stationary bike and walked on the indoor track.
And as for reading, I am about a third into The Heart of a Hero by Janet Chapman. I'm enjoying the merry chase the heroine is leading the hero on, though irritated at how the heroine is too prideful. Hopefully she eases up soon.
And that's our day. Normal and kinda boring. I hope everyone had a pleasant Tuesday. I wish a wonderful Wednesday for y'all. Goodnight and hugs, B.

Exercise: 10.56 miles bike, walking
Exercise hours: 1hr..

Catching Up!

Einstein is the strangest kitty! He thinks he's a puppy. He likes to lay fetch. And he comes when called. As a matter of fact one of his nicknames IS Puppy!
Sorry I didn't get to post earlier. I've been so tired lately, though that's not the best reason. And ten when I would have posted this evening I was at the ER with Chis. He had a nose bleed that wouldn't stop. In the end it was three hours before it stopped and that was with two hours in the ER. The stress of it all also raised Chris' blood pressure- something the ER Doc said was common.
But, to catch y'all up..... Did I tell y'all we finally found me a purse? (Not the best sentence, sorry.) This past Saturday I went back to T.J. Maxx and finally found one! It's not my normal thing- it's not plain black. But, it's cute as heck because its black with polka dots. Best part of all- it fit MY budget criteria. Chris had dragged me back to the store with the intent of buying the more expensive one we'd seen the week before. Um, no. The purse I ended up with has all the qualities I wanted and drags me out of my staid and boring regular thing. It makes me smile to look at it.
While there we also picked up Son some shorts and polos. Don't feel Daughter was left out, because we bought her a cute shirt. She didn't see any shorts there she wanted- said they were all too short. And, best of all for Saturday? Chris had my brakes done! Just in time, too. The mechanic said there was only 30% of the brake shoes left on the front. Ack! Our last vehicle had a warning light when it was time to have them serviced. The jeep doesn't seem to have one of those. I just thank goodness we had them done!
Yesterday wad spent running errands for groceries. I hurt my back with a bad yoga class this past Thursday and it really hurts. I even broke down and took a pain pill, but it didn't really do anything for the pain other than make me loopy and tired. Ugh. Chris was even tying my shoes for me on Saturday! I missed my favorite yoga class today because of it. And I am hoping that it gets better soon.
As for reading? I read Deck the Holly by Marni Bates this weekend. It's a YA, though toward the 18 year old end of it. The book was a cute, funny read with a plot of "misunderstandings" throughout. But, it ended with a happily for now ending and I was okay with that. I also retread an old Nina Bangs book. It was one set at the Woo-Woo Inn, my favorites of hers. Next up? Not sure yet.
Time to get some sleep. It won't be much, but should be enough to keep me going. I hope y'all had a lovely weekend. Sweet dreams, B.

I know I need to post, but its later than I meant it to be so consider this a placeholder until I have time sometime tomorrow (Monday). Thanks for bearing with me. I hope y'all are well. Love, B.

Rambling!

I think I've posted this picture already, but this weekend has left me discombobulated. Between trying to find a purse, dealing with a teenage daughter giving me attitude like she's a cast member from the Wizard of Oz ( and no, I'm not talking about Glenda), figuring out how to take care of getting my brakes fixed without coming off as clueless as I really am and regular household things... I'm done. I need a week of sleep. When I'm not sick- that is. So, you have a cute picture of Layla and Taki cuddling and I bought and read Jana DeLeon's new ebook, Lethal Bayou Beauty. Of course I loved it. It was just the thing to brighten my night. I can't wait until it's on Goodreads so I can add it. The Sinful Ladies Society are up to their shenanigans again while trying to prove Fortune innocent of murder. Of course hijinks ensue, making for a fun, light read.

Time to try and get some sleep. The stupid time change has messed up my internal clock, so this promises to be a rough Monday. I hope y'all had a sunny weekend. Goodnight and hugs, B.

P.S. Melissa and her family lost their beloved kitty Rocket to his illness. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. www.melissamcclone.com

Making Room!

This picture is my bed on a Saturday night. Yes, there are four cats vying for space on my side of the bed. On Chris' side? None. Somehow that doesn't seem fair because as you can see I didn't have enough room to uncross my legs. However, that they love me so much they felt the need to be near me? Warms my heart. As for which kitties are pictured, starting at the top: Teddy, Taki, Layla and Elvis.

Not a lot to share. Daughter and boy bestie are now dating. I kind of saw this coming and am okay with it. As long as it's on terms we are all comfortable with. I don't think they realize how badly this could go if they decide to stop dating. At that age it's hard to go back to being friends. I hope it's worth it. It's been hard this week trying to catch up with cleaning and events and such after being sick last week. As Son and I were the only ones who became ill, we're lucky in that respect.
Yesterday I was very, very bad and for the first time in a long while I bought three books at B&N. I needed a pick-me-up and books are my go-to. Plus, I don't do this very often. (Trying to offset the guilt of buying three books, it's not working, but at the same time. BOOKS!) I now have the newest Erin McCarthy- Seeing is Believing, Janet Chapman's The Heart of a Hero , and Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire. A little all over the place as far as genres. But, that's me to a "T". I've begun reading the Erin McCarthy and am not very far into it as I just picked up and finished the newest Deborah Coates book- Deep Down. As with the first book, I inhaled it. The character is just so compelling and you want her to be okay. To be settled. However, that doesn't seem meant to be. I felt like this book was the ending for this character, but I like her too much for that. Has that ever happened to you?

Daughter worked today, we ran home for lunch and then back to the Y for the kids MA class. I had Yoga while they were in the latter part of their class and was resigned to having a teacher that sets my teeth on edge (I know, the opposite of what I need from yoga, but I needed the class and was going to try and make the best of it.) I was delighted to walk in and have one of my two favorite teachers at that Y. She challenges me and I learn new things and though I walked in with a headache after half an hour I didn't notice it anymore. I left class feeling good, except for the headache which returned. Ugh. (Don't worry about the headaches. I've been dealing with a lot of sinus stuff lately and it's connected.)

Time to get some rest. And maybe read a chapter or two. I hope y'all had a nice week. I wish a fun and enjoyable Friday for y'all. Goodnight and Sweet Dreams, B.

Exercise: Yoga.
Exercise Hours: 1 hr..

Light Action Team Reporting for Duty!

It doesn't take much to amuse cats. Here they are fascinated by the reflection of light off the top of Daughter's phone. Taki will chase that light like it's an obsession. Here are Zoe, Teddy and Aka on top of the cabinets above the refrigerator watching and wishing they could catch the light. Silly kitties!

I'm actually better, but getting back into that rhythm of before being sick is hard. And I still have residual issues. Lots of drainage for one. Ugh. This weekend was spent rather busily. Saturday was spent looking for a new dishwasher.  Ours has been broken/dead for six months now and we were finally ready to replace it. We checked out an outlet store and were not impressed. We also looked at Sears and online and Lowe's and a service that Chris gets through work that gives us a discounted quote. We liked a couple of the service's site, but they were all back order and we are at that point that we NEED a dishwasher. So. For what we wanted we ended up getting one from Lowe's on Sunday. Chris installed it and by that night it was able to run. Yay!
Saturday we also picked up new tennies for me, new unmentionables for Daughter and since Son was sick, nothing for him that day. However, today was spent running numerous errands. I bought Son new sparring gear and tennies and Daughter new sparring gloves. We also picked up my contacts and made a stop by Target and then had Son's hair cut. Whew! It was a long afternoon. I tried on a few things at Academy and Target- work out wear. While mine is still in decent shape I was looking to beef up my work out wardrobe from the same three pair of pants and three tank tops. However, work out wear just doesn't seem to be made for someone of my size. I'm not huge, but I'm definitely not tiny and most workout wear is cut small and made me feel huge and unattractive. *sigh* Oh, well. I guess it's not mean to be. By the time we were done with all the errands I had a monster headache and needed to sit in a dark room. Ugh. I still went to Yoga because I know I most always feel better after class. And I did. I just feel exhausted. I thought since most everything else had passed I'd be all better and back to normal. Not. I am still easily tired and am having to work around that.
Anyway, I've read a couple of books over the past few days, as well. One was The Girl with the Great Personality. This book is a YA and while the sentiment expressed in the beginning of the book was (personally) well received, this book just didn't end the way I'd have liked, but yet it did. I know that doesn't make sense, but there you are. *g* The other book I read was The Best Man by Kristan Higgins. It was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I like that, to me, the title meant more than the obvious and that this book was mostly about two people coming together with preconceived notions about the other than turned out to be false. The strong core of family running through the book was also enjoyable and the grandparents practically steal the book- comically. *g*

Anyway, that's it. I know posts haven't been regular. Sorry about that. I can't promise they will be again, either. It's just too hard some days and something has to give. Not to mention that gets pretty boring, right? Right. I hope y'all had a delightful weekend. I wish a lovely week ahead. Blessings and Best Wishes, B.

Exercise: (tonight) Yoga.
Exercise Hours: 1 Hr..

She's not mean, promise. (Not a great picture.)

Not the best picture of Pepper, but she's still cute to me. Her eyes are so hard to capture on camera. They glow a blue color when the light hits them and most of the time her pupils are fully open. She's so darn sweet and has a habit of licking me when I pet her. I'm not sure why she does that, but don't have the heart to make her stop.

Still feeling the effects of being sick, but the biggie is being so tired. Even more than regularly. I've been taking NAPS. You KNOW that doesn't happen here unless I just can't stay awake. Add in that the tendons in my left hand decided to mess with me today and I am very glad that it's heading toward the weekend. Hoping grocery shopping tomorrow goes well, too. Also, the stress is piling, y'all. Layla has been ill this week, too. I'm keeping an eye on her and it's nothing so drastic as to take her to the Vet, however, she is my sweetie and I've been worried. I changed up her food and it seems to be helping. What is NOT helping is that the food we normally purchase for the cats has recently been changed to "new and improved". Says who?
Not much else to share with y'all. Chris has been out of town this week. He had to give a talk on technology in the classroom at an out of town seminar/convention thing. He did quite well and got the attention of a few higher ups in his company. Something I knew he deserved and told him to go when he tried to cancel the trip when I became sick over the weekend. You never know when the impression you make can come back and benefit you later and since EVERYONE was complimentary to him on his speech/talk, I know it was the right decision. So, for those wondering why he wasn't taking care of me? He wasn't here because I made him go. *g* But, I will admit to being very glad he's now home.

I have been reading, but to be honest, I already turned the books back in to the library system. One was a modern Cyrano de Bergerac set with teens. The other was the newest Karen Rose. It just wasn't for me, though. I think I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for it. Being so tired and missing Chris made it rather depressing to read and while I normally love her books I found this one "meh". Up next? Another YA, Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg.

Time to get some more rest. I need to be back to normal. Now. *sigh* I hope y'all had a good Thursday. I wish an enjoyable Friday for y'all. Goodnight and Sweet Dreams, B.