Squash me baby

Photo Credit We made this soup Saturday evening. mmm mmm delicious!!! Recipe is also linked.

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Well, for a pre-Thanksgiving holiday prep, I'm doing 3 days of eating nothing but fruits and veggies. I'm not doing the "Raw" thing, I do like to cook some of my stuff, but I am doing this with some girlfriends at work. One lady swears that when she does this, she loses 5 lbs, and then doesn't gain anything after Thanksgiving Day. Also, supposedly it helps flush you out. Matt was a little concerned about lack of protein, but I'm taking Spirulina supplements, and one of my veggies is Edamame - high in protein, so I am thinking this will be fine. It's only 3 days after all. not long term. I feel great so far.

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Went to Dance 101 twice this week. Sunday I did the Yoga class. Wow did that feel great. Then Monday I did my YMCA Cardio Morning thing, and then Monday night (after a bout of wrapping presents and packages), I went back for "The Bridge" class. This one is a mix of Pilates, ballet, yoga moves, and DAMN that girl worked us hard. I loved it though. I'm feeling muscles I haven't used in a LONG damn time. My buttcheek actually started to cramp up during one move, but I was able to work through it. My fave move - which I have NOT mastered yet - was when we had to do a backbend, and then pull our heels off the floor, so we are doing the backbend with our tip-toes, and then she has you balance on ONE LEG and put the other one straight up - 45 degrees from your stomach. Talk about HARD. I tried, but kept wobbling and almost fell over. I need more CORE strength for those I think. WOW! Of course the instructor just kept on, like it was as easy as yawning. I really envy her toned bod, I want mine to be like that. Slim but STRONG as hell. yeah! Gotta keep working my muscles then! woo hoo!

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Today I slept in and gave my aching muscles a bit of a break. Tonight we are headed out to the last APG meeting of the year (Atlanta Photographer's Guild)- they keep telling me the place we meet at has good chili. I may have to pass and order the salad. We'll see.

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In case I don't blog before then . . .

HAPPY TURKEY DAY everybody!!! Happy Thanksgiving!

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And here's some ATL fun - The Atlanta Barbies.

Self-Improvement, how do you fix yourself?

Photo Credit. From a success standpoint - I think I'm doing pretty well, but there are a few things I want to work on. I have a hard time forgiving people, and being tolerant of other's flaws. I also have a hard time being polite when I'm irritated. Well anyway that's just something on my mind right now.

Finally on the 3rd outfit change . . .

Photo Credit goes to Matthew Lane of Zazen Photo.
We spent 3 photo shoots trying to get this photo right. Welcome to a preview of our Christmas Photo for 2008. The first problem was finding an outfit where I don't look fat. The second issue was getting Matt to smile (hee hee), and then Sport needed to have his ears UP not down.
So after 3 outfit chgs and shoots, we finally got it. Don't they always say "Third time is the charm" ?

"This is me expressing myself, and I don't need 15 pieces of Flair to do it!"

Photo Credit goes to my Facebook Profile.
"This is me expressing myself, and I don't need 15 pieces of Flair to do it!"
Actually I used about 42 pieces of flair. HA!
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Seriously I just had to share. One of my faves is the "You had me at Merlot" and the "Caution, this is Sparta"- I mean it doesn't get much better than that! :-D
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Happy National Baklava Day!

Photo Credit
Happy National Baklava Day!
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Total coincidence. I was making Baklava on Sunday (so I could mail some to Grandpa), and then Monday I updated my Facebook status about it, and someone told me that November 17th, is National Baklava Day! I had no idea, and yet here I was baking some! So Happy National Baklava Day everyone!
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Baking Baklava is a Thanksgiving Tradition in my family. My grandmother would always bring a pan of it when she came to visit for the holiday. My family isn't Greek or of Meditteranean ancestry, but we just enjoy the dish I guess. I always thought it was difficult to make, but after Grandma passed away I asked for the recipe from Grandpa. He had 3 different recipes for it, but the photo in this blog, more closely resembles the type that Grandma made. She used almonds for the nuts, and always put a clove in the center of each piece. You would then remove the clove to eat the baklava, but it was a nice flavor to have in the pastry while you baked it. Mmm mmm mmm. Makes the house smell AMAZING too! Free aromatherapy while you bake. You can't go wrong with that!
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Just fair warning, they say it's about 590 calories per piece though. Eat with caution.

Pomaceous-ly Delicious!

Photo Credit

Today is a Pomaceous Day! Yes go look it up! I have discovered my new Autumn breakfast food today. Have a MacIntosh Apple, while sipping hot water steeped with 2 Cinnamon Sticks. Tell me that isn't delicious!

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I'm also wearing my "Witchy" socks from Target's $1 section. You know the ones that are black, with the buckle and stripes design? love 'em!

don't worry, my witchy-self and my apples are NOT looking for a Snow White today.

Double-0 ready in spite of my gut

Photo Credit

I'm so excited for the new James Bond Movie - Daniel Craig is a good Bond (he's no Sean Connery, but he will do very very nicely for today's Bond).

We are planning a nice dinner out tomorrow night, and afterwards catching the movie.

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I hope my stomach can handle it. I caught a nasty bout of food poisoning (or Stomach Flu, it's a toss up which one) on Monday night/early Tuesday AM. It was disgusting. I literally lost everything in my system. I couldn't keep down Pepto Bismol, Crackers, Water, nothing. It was just a mass exodus. On the upside, I did lose 3 lbs according to the Wii Fit. So, maybe it wasn't a total loss. After getting some sleep in between the nausea, then working some in the morning (working from home). I spent most of the day in bed sleeping on Tuesday, and then finally was able to get up and be sociable for my hubby later in the evening. My tummy was not quite right, until - wonder of wonders - I had some McDonald's French Fries and a Diet Coke. I cannot tell you why such an unhealthy food would be such a great help, but it was like life pouring back into me. I even had McDonald's again for lunch on Wednesday (stayed home to take it easy but still worked from the house). Matt says just because I'm sick doesn't mean I can eat junk all the time. I told him I was being very careful. Nothing but crackers, gatorade, fruit, and tuna, water and then finally some Fries and a Diet Coke. I was grateful for the variety and for the nice happy tummy feeling.

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I'll let you know if the 3 lbs stays off.

Photo Credit from Garden Critters, owned/operated by my dear Aunt Julie & Uncle Jerry.
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Matthew & I travelled to Sevierville, TN to see them at a Trade Show this weekend. It was a show for retailers to buy wholesale merchandise then re-sell the items in their stores. We did get some free samples from some of the folks, but you couldn't just say "ooh I want to buy that T-shirt or candle" because they wouldn't sell to individuals. They only wanted to sell to retailers and the items on display were there specifically for the show, not to sell. It was interesting to see where all the little gift-shop type items originate from. Anyway, the whole point of the trip was to see Julie & Jerry and visit with family, not to buy stuff. We had a good time.
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The drive up there was very beautiful and scenic. We took 19 North most of the way, and then cut up 441 through the Smoky Mountain Park & Cherokee areas. Lovely colors with the leaves being all red, gold, orange, etc. Matt said it was like driving through a snow globe, it was snowing leaves most of the trip. Just gorgeous! I will have some photos soon, waiting for Matt to process them first. I got to play with his Nikon D70 for this trip. We will see if I am as good a photographer as my husband (probably not but it is good to learn).
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Well everybody enjoy the lovely autumn weather! talk to you later.

Sobering up to Reality

Photo Credit goes to Matthew Lane of www.zazenphoto.com

Dreaming is one thing. However, the holidays are upon us. Now is NOT the time to be buying new furniture, when there are gifts to purchase. Yes I already have a couch. Yes it is still in good condition. However, it doesn't support my back very well, and I tend to get out of alignment when I sit in it for long periods of time. So what? My friends and dog love the couch. I will compromise by doing the lotus pose on the floor while watching TV. That's better for my back anyway right?

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Besides, I not only dream of a new couch, but I want a King-sized platform bed with a relax-the-back tempura-pedic mattress. Oh sure, if you have about $4000. oh well. I am so over the sleep number bed idea, been there, done that, didnt' love it. I can survive for now with my J-pillow & cervical pillow, and china gel applications. right?

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Well, this weekend we are visiting the family and meeting Matt's Aunt & Uncle up in Tennessee for a artisan/craft show thing. It's for wholesale buyers I hear, so we probably won't shop too much, but it will be nice to see everyone again.

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I'm just cringing because this is the fattest I have EVER been in my life, and I can't blame it on anything like pregnancy to get away with it. Nope. I just love food and wine, and my day job is me sitting on my rear-end for 8 hrs doing reports and scheduling. So I'm getting fat. Working out is not helping me at this point, but I cannot tell you why. It's like my body is saying "oh yeah? screw you, you can work out all you want, but you're STUCK!" ha! well we'll see about that. I haven't been dragging my butt out of bed at 5am every other day to hit the YMCA for nothing.

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Holiday stress is hopefully not going to be bad this year. I have a couple of nifty gifties already and have planned out the rest. The only dilemma (which we solved last night) was WHICH family to visit WHEN and the logistics, etc. Looks like we are planning to stay HERE for Thanksgiving, but still deciding what we are doing for Christmas and afterwards.

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Whew, it would be nice if we could suddenly find a couple of thousand dollars laying around someplace that we forgot about. Yeah right. Toodle-loo for now.

I'm dreaming of . . .

Photo Credit

I'm dreaming of a new sofa/couch.

Just like the ones I've seen in pics.

With a soft sleek brown leather,

support for my back and neck-er

relax

in a sumptious way.

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I'm dreaming of a new sofa/couch.

With every dog hair I vacuum.

Where the cleaning's easy and bright!

And may all your cushions stand up right.

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I'm dreaming of a new sofa/couch.

With lumbar support and stylish chic

Where the decor matches

and the dog can't scratch-it

cozy

snuggling with my boo.

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I'm dreaming of a new sofa/couch.
With every dog/hair I vacuum
Where the cleaning's easy and bright!
And may all your cushions stand up right.

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I finally VOTED today

Photo Credit - unknown, this is an actual sticker I am wearing right now.
Eat Free if you voted. Click HERE for more information.
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Well it took a Herculean Effort, and a ton of paperwork, but I finally got to vote today.
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My voting adventure started in September. I had been a registered voter and voted before, and I still get my voting card in the mail every year. So I did not suspect anything was amiss. I registered for an absentee ballot, so I could vote via the mail and not have to stand in line this year. I sent in my application about 1.5 months before election day. Plenty of time for them to mail me back right?
WRONG.
When I hadn't heard anything back from the Voter's Registration office, I decided I should go "Early Vote" in my county. So, last week on Thursday, I drove down to one of the county's early voting locations and started to look for a place to park. I had already heard of the nightmar-ish lines and 8 hr waits. I figured this location was unknown to many so it would be a great spot. As I'm on my way there, when I get the bright idea to call my county's Registration office to doublecheck my voting status. This way maybe they messed up the mail but I could print out my absentee ballot online? or something? WRONG. They couldn't even find me in the computer. They said I wasn't even registered to vote. Finally after much searching, they found me registered to vote under my Maiden name. Well ok, I had already filed the paperwork to have that changed 2 yrs ago, but I guess that never happened.
I also asked WHY the absentee application wasn't at least responded to with an explanation. The lady told me that if they can't match the absentee applicant with a registered voter, they just toss it. TOSS IT? what a crock!!!
The lady told me she would transfer me to a different phone number so I could see about changing my name in time to vote. She said there would be a form I could mail or fax in. So she transfers me. I'm on hold for a long time and thenI get a busy signal.
In the meantime I'm stuck in a massive parking lot traffic jam at my early-voting location. The line is HUGE and long. And I can't even drive away. It's a one road in/and same road out kinda place. It takes almost 30 minutes, but I finally get back home from this location. BLAH!
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The next morning, I try calling the Voter's Registration again. They said that I could fax in a name change form with copy of my marriage certificate. I had to drive home on my lunch break on Friday (Halloween) to get the papers, and then send the fax in that afternoon (so I did all of this), and then called the office back after 30 mins of faxing it, to get it processed. By the time I called back, the line was busy again and there was no getting through.
She had also told me that I could vote, if I had my name change paperwork with me at the polls.
Since it was HALLOWEEN I figured that nobody would be in line anymore, they'd be rushing home to get to the trick or treater's dressed up, and the candy bowls ready.
WRONG.
I drive back to my early voting location, but this time I'm smart and park at the church across the street from that one way in/out road. This way I can walk in, and walk out if I need to with no conflict. I should have seen the signals. There was a cop directing traffic. There were picketters (is that a word), etc. It was a mad house. I got in an even LONGER line than Thursday's line. Someone who had just voted came back to our area, where he had started his line wait - and he said it would take 2 hrs and 40 mins to vote if you started in line right where I was. Great! It was already 4:30pm when he says this to me. This means I'd barely get to vote by 7pm, if I was lucky and they close the polls at 7pm. Yes you can still vote if you are in line before 7 . . . if you wait that long.
Well I'm not willing to wait that long, and miss dinner with my hubby and the trick or treaters, etc. I also didn't have a lawn chair or book or anything to do except fiddle with my bbry, blah!
SO, I got out of line (with all my name chg paperwork), and went home.
FFWD >>>
Tuesday morning. I wake up at the ungodly hour of 5am. I take a shower, do my yoga routine (the abbreviated version), make some coffee, wear my Red, White, and Blue outfit, and hop on down to the place I voted last time, name chg papers in tow. The line is wrapped around 1 corner of the building, but it doesn't look bad. I even got a good parking space, and I wasn't trapped if I had to leave. I get in line around 6:30am. I wait 30 mins until the doors open. I follow the line into the building. Of course there's a line INSIDE the building too, go figure.
I wait, and wait, and about 20 mins into this, a little lady walks down the hall and is having people verify their precinct. Basically, if you ain't on her list, you ain't voting THERE.
I wasn't on the list. I wasn't on the list under EITHER name (marrried or maiden).
SO, she has me CALL the stupid voter's registration line again.
oh boy.
I actually get through this time (YAY!) and they tell me to go to this little school by my house. I tell her that school is now closed down, is she absolutely SURE that is where I go? She reads me the address. She says unless the building was torn down, I should GO THERE!
so
I get out of line. I get in my car. I drive to the schoool by my house.
I see cars, but I do not see a line. I literally RUN into the school, and get into the SHORTEST line I have ever seen.
But wait! They still have to verify my name information. I end up filling out 2 forms for the voting officers there. And FINALLY they give me the go ahead to vote.
And I have to get into the 2nd line for that.
So I get in another line.
And about 30 mins later. I FINALLY VOTE!
I leave the school about 8:10am.
Not bad. I voted in 1 hr and 40 minutes, including driving time between precincts. ok I can live with that.
And BONUS Starbucks is giving a FREE 12 oz coffee to anyone who shows their voting sticker today.
You better believe I got me a cup of that Thanksgiving Blend. Oooh yeah!
None of the Pike's Place crap (dont' get me started on that rant), but the good stuff! YAY!
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I certainly hope that the future president of the USA appreciates all the trouble I had to go to.
HA!