I could get used to this...

B has been on off this week, and today he decided he was going to make supper.  He wanted to try a crock pot recipe that we both love and so I made sure we had all the ingredients.  He was nervous, but he put it together, let it cook all day, put potatoes into bake and broccoli to steam...mostly by himself.   It was delicious!  And then, he told me to go do what I wanted and he cleaned up, did the dishes and started the dishwasher.  Yes...it's true!  What a wonderful way to end a pretty crappy work day.

I'm hoping this cooking trend will continue.  I don't know about you, but most days I hate trying to think of something for supper.  I do plan menus for the week...sometimes.  So, just the thought that he might want to take the lead and make supper once a week is like music to my ears. 

I am a micro-manager, and it's hard for me to just step back and let him do his thing.  I think this could become a learning experience for me too!

The Aftermath of Thanksgiving

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family.  We played cards, ate too much, black Friday shopped, ate again, helped Dad shop, ate some more, visited, celebrated a birthday, ate a lot, played more cards, and watched a 10 year old play basketball.  It was a full 4 days.

And when I say full, I mean my belly was full 24/7.  The scales are telling me too full.  My pants and shirts are not happy with me.  I am trying to get back on track.  I walked on the treadmill last night, we've been eating healthy again.  I miss all that great food though.  The home cooked stuff, the Chinese buffet, the greasy spoon diner, all of it.

I've never been thin and never really had it as a goal.  I want to be healthy and I want to look OK in my clothes.  So I will work on those 2 goals...again.  Hopefully in the 4 weeks before Christmas (and another round of fine food) I can lose the 4 pounds I packed on in 4 days!

We're packing up...

We are getting ready to travel to visit my family for Thanksgiving.  We are a family of 2 that packs and takes enough stuff for a family of 8.  I wish I was kidding.

This trip, we are bringing warm clothes, boots, food, blanket for the car, a bunch of wall decorations and pictures that I don't want anymore, but one of my friend's does.  Then there is our toiletries, electronics, and who knows what else is ready and waiting to go.

Poor B started loading the vehicle tonight, the back end is already full.  The sad part is that we are going to shop on Black Friday, so it will probably be just as full on the way home!

I always overpack.  I like to have choices for my clothes and shoes.  I want to be prepared for anything.  I wish I was more of a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl, but I'm not.  B has learned to accept that he will have choices of what to wear and double the underwear that he needs.

I've already checked once, but I'm heading upstairs to make sure I haven't missed anything!

Oh no...more shopping!

Tomorrow I am heading out with a friend for more outlet shopping.  I am fortunate to live within an hour and a half of 3 different outlet shopping towns.  And basically, after tomorrow, I will have hit them all in a week's time.  I'm seriously looking forward to the day, my friend is driving, I've got my Christmas list ready and I'm in the mood to get some names knocked off that list.

Now B is treating tomorrow like some sort of sporting event.  He's told me that I need to be in bed early and get rested.  He made me eat healthy tonight...no Friday night pizza...nope, we had Subway.  It was great, but I couldn't help but think that he was getting my physically ready for my big shopping day.  I won't be surprised if he lays out double vitamins for the morning and  packs me a jug of water to stay hydrated!

I don't have many coupons, but I'm hoping that there will be great sales and I will get some good buys.  It's all about the great deal!

My friend and I have promised each other that we won't allow ourselves to buy anything for us...well at least not too much!

I need...

A pedicure.  But it is November and I'm not heading south anytime soon, so who will see this pedicure.  Me, B and that's about it.  So do I spend the money to make my heals look better, my toes all pretty.  Or do I just wait, and let them get yuckier (is that a word?).

This last paragraph makes me realize how weird I am.  And how much I wished I lived in a southern state or had a trip planned soon.  My dad is heading to Florida for a few weeks.  I don't think he wants a pedicure though, and I don't think he will pack me in his suitcase and take me with him.

Well, I haven't made up my mind, do I get one or not.  I am going to let my feet decide.

Weekend getaway

B and I enjoyed a wonderful 4 day weekend away.  I had an eye doctor appointment during the day on Friday and we just continued on our adventure from there.  A side note, B had worked nights - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  I let him sleep for about an hour and a half Friday morning, then made him get up, get dressed and get in the vehicle and off we went.  He snoozed to the big city and then snored in the car during my appointment.  So he was just a peach for the first few hours after he really woke up.

We ended up in Portsmouth for the weekend at a decent hotel.  It had a pool and a hot tub, the only major requirements for B.  It was clean (well I did find a hair in the bed and we ended up getting upgraded to a better room...that had clean sheets), and a free breakfast - my requirements.  So everyone was happy.

Veterans Day weekend is a busy shopping weekend.  Not sure I really realized that til now.  We outlet shopped on Saturday - it was brutal.  I waited over a half hour to check out of the first store I was at.  Crazy, yes.  But I got some great deals, so it was worth it.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.

We ate out, and my handsome husband has become king of the "split a meal" lifestyle.  It worked out fine, we ate cheap, had good food and enjoyed each other's company.

Oh, and every night we made a trip to the hot tub.  I'm not a huge fan of sitting in boiling hot water that is being stirred up around me.  B loves it though, so I took one for the team, and soaked each night.

Sunday, we went to Rye Beach and walked and dreamed about owning one of the beautiful houses.  We were bundled up and stayed warm.  We meandered back to our hotel, watched the Patriots (actually I napped during the game) and had pizza delivered to our room.  Yeah, it was that kinda weekend.

Yesterday we headed home, stopped in Freeport, cuz we just didn't shop enough during the weekend.  I love Freeport, strolling the streets, the smells of the hotdog vendors and watching all the out-of-staters with their bags of "great buys". 

All in all, it goes down as another wonderful memory with my favorite guy. 

Physical therapy, me?

So in my quest to be healthy, lose weight, get in shape, I do Zumba.  Or I did Zumba.  Somehow, some way, when I started a new class the first of October, I hurt my arm/shoulder.  It throbbed, it kept me up at night, I babied it and then suddenly it felt better.  Super Me decided to go back to life as I knew it.  I am not bright.

Super Storm Sandy was headed our way and our yard was full of leaves.  I decided B couldn't do yard work without me, so I raked and pulled tarps and picked up.  And 2 days later I was in agony.  My arm was worse than before.  I couldn't move it, couldn't shave my armpit, pick up a glass, work the mouse for my computer at work.  I gave in and went to my doctor who sent me immediately to physical therapy.  I was a PT virgin, never experienced it before.  And after my first visit wished I never had to go again.  This sweet, young girl tried to kill me.  She pulled and yanked and manipulated and made me sweat, tear up and almost pass out.   She gave me an exercise to do  4 times a day and I've done them.  This past weekend was tough though.  I had company this weekend and did my best to not let the arm get in my way of having fun.  Pulling my pants up with one hand, blow drying my hair, putting on deodorant all became great adventures.  I slept all weekend in B's Red Sox recliner.

But a strange thing happened on Monday.  My arm started feeling better....a lot better.  I was reaching across my desk with my right arm and it didn't hurt.  I shaved my armpit today!  And at my visit to PT today, my physical terrorist (that's what one of the ladies I work with calls physical therapist) told me that I was 10 times better.  She couldn't believe how much had changed in just 6 days.  So, what she thought might be a torn bicep has now moved to a tendon issue, thank goodness.  I'm still not looking forward to my next PT, but I'm hopeful that it will now be over sooner rather then later.  And no more Zumba for me for now!