Thursday, October 31, 2013

HAPPY HALLOWEEN YINZ

Happy Halloween YINZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I hope you all have an amazing and fun night taking the kiddos trick or treating!!! I do not have kids and in my condo I do not get trick or treaters so I think I will get to the gym early and then carve my three pumpkins to get in the spirit!!!!!!

I normally carve them way earlier than this and light them up each night but have not felt like it this year.?.?.?

I will carve them if only to be able to sort out the guts and make roasted pumpkin seeds - MY FAV!!!!!!!!!

So, have a great Halloween and I will leave with pics of my adorable nieces and nephew that will be trick or treating a state away tonight - these are the times I sooooo wish I lived closer!!!!!!!!!!! Also also pics of their pumpkins which turned out pretty great (I think Daddy carved them)!!!!!! hee hee

My nieces were Dorothy and Glenda the Good Witch from Wizard of Oz and my nephew was a plastic army man.  Cute, hugh?!?!?! My sister made the army man costume (pretty crafty right?) I think she got it from pintrest.





HAPPY HALLOWEEN - STAY SAFE !!!!!


Monday, October 28, 2013

Happy "Moan"day

I dont have anything good to report.

I was sick all weekend although I did attend most of my to dos for the weekend.

Friday night I started feeling sick and then my "friend" cancelled for our casino date so I just ended up going to my homegroup meeting and then to bed early.

Saturday am I was up early setting up everything with some friends for the Speaker Jam 2013. It went awesome although I spent the WHOLE time blowing my nose and using sanitizer spray - HA HA!

Saturday afternoon I was supposed to attend a spagetti dinner fundraiser.  I ended up running by and getting mine to go...still in the fridge....

Then Saturday night I was supposed to dress up and go to a Halloween party.  I did not dress up as I was still not feeling well but stopped by the party to say hi and chat with some friends I have not seen in a long time....namely Joe and Pat!!!!!!!!!! It was a huge turnout but again, I went home after 1/2 hour and went right to bed!

Sunday I laid in bed ALL day!!! Aside from some cleaning and washing of my bed sheets - when they were clean I put them on and crawled right back in! :-)

I chaired my other homegroup Sunday night after a sad loss for the Steelers....and now here is Monday.

Even when I am sick the weekend goes WAY too fast!!!!!!!!

Hope you all have an amazing week!!!




Friday, October 25, 2013

Five on Friday

I went into work early yesterday so I could leave early and get all my errands done (pick up prescriptions, rotate car tires, etc.) and still make it to workout last night in the South Side.
Well, I got home and felt really sick and tired...sore throat, tight chest, headache, etc. so I decided to just lay down and take the night off.

I slept from 5PM to 8PM and then got up and watched Big Bang and went back to bed for the rest of the night.  Woke up this AM feeling a little better but not a lot....however, I AM NOT SICK!!! I HAVE WAYYYYYYYYYYYY too much to do this weekend to be sick...as you will see in my Five on Friday! This is the five awesome and exciting things i have planned for my weekend!!

ONE:  Homegroup meeting tonight!! Soooo excited to see all my peeps as I have not been able to make it to this meeting for WEEKS!!! Yippee!!! Also, prepare for the harassment and all of the "where have you been"s...HEE!



TWO:  Rivers Casino tonight after homegroup!!! I went here once before with Rose and we arte going again tonight! Yippee!!! I got $20 from the Casino to play the last time we were there...I used it and ended up leaving with a total of $43...so I MADE# 23 dollars!! Thanks Rivers!! I have the card with my $43 dollars on it and will be using that tonight until it is doubled, tripled or more thank likely gone.  However, I do not spend my own money...yea me!!!! PS - this is some seriously AMAZING people watching...I will try to get pics - ha ha



THREE:  Speaker Jam all day Saturday!!! I am sooo excited to hear from four amazing individuals that have been working recovery and have amazing lives - really awesome day of fellowship!!! 



FOUR:  Saturday night Halloween Party at Buffalo Inn!! Sooo excited for this one too...dinner, speaker and dancing all night - or at least until 11PM...HA! I will be pulling out the Mr. Potato Head costume again this year I think! Yes, that's me on the right two years ago...



FIVE:  HipHop with Kristy on Sunday afternoon!! What better after a weekend of no workouts (may try to squeeze a run in on Saturday afternoon) than a good butt kicking from my favorite instructor Kristy!?!?!? That is Kristy upside down below (amazing right?!?!) and her class with her in front below that (I am in the second row, to the right in pink next to the girl in black - that is my buddy Jenna)...




I am soo excited for this fun-filled weekend! I promise to post lots of pictures and also to keep you posted if I win the jackpot tonight! Then I can pay my own way into the Super Plunge - $0 donations so far...not looking good :-( 


Happy weekend ya'll!!


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Everyone Needs a Little Variety


It's halfway through the week and I still have to do a recap of my exciting weekend! WOWSA!! Little too busy at work I guess...whateves....HEE!

This past weekend I got to enjoy such a great time! Every year we put on a Halloween party for the kids at Variety Charity.  Every year it just gets better and better!! We decorated the cafeteria on Friday, employees carved some seriously creative pumpkins for a contest and we got everything ready for the party on Saturday!!! Such a great time!!!

Here are just a few of the pumpkins that were turned in for the contest. Employees carve and decorate them and the kids vote for the top three winners...this year they were sooo creative...

Here is a spaceship...with little aliens!!!!!!!!!!


Then below you see a minion and a furry thingy...the two on the outside of the picture were both Cinderellas....they were also amazing!!!

Here is Minnie Mouse and a few that were carved to perfection!!!
 This is an awesome witch and next to that (the blue thing to the left) was pocohontas..it was pretty awesome too!!

Then the little teacup...soooooooooo cute!

And humpty-dumpty!!! Seriously, people are so creative!!!

This is the cafeteria at work all decorated like a scary forest....the theme this year was storybook forest so people went is so many awesome ways with this!!!

Another clearer shot....(on a side note: I am getting my blackberry replaced with an iPhone so I should have better pics in the future-ha ha).

This is a far off view of the pumpkin voting areas...

Here is the photo room...every kid gets their photo in the photo room either alone or with their family - it is a great free keepsake of the event for the families - as if the candy belly ache is not enough of a reminder - HAHA!

Here is me before I left on Saturday morning...serious

And a smile...

I am definitely not a make-up pro.  This is in the car when I realized I may have rolled right on past smokey-eyed witch into prostitute....HA!!!! I posted this shot on FB and got a whole lotta comments!!! :-)

Here is one of my favorite costumes and people in the same shot!  This is the greatest Pirate Parrot ever!!!! His family made this costume and it look EXACTLY like the real Pittsburgh Pirates mascot!! And the guy on the right is Charlie-he is with Variety and he truly is one of the best people I have ever met!!! The man has a heart of gold and he loves each and every one of these children as if they were his own!!!

A shot from the side...

Here is a photo of me and two of my work buddies. Kathleen is the card...she volunteers every year with me and Jenna is the sword girl sitting next to me...this is her first year but I think she loved it!!!

Here is Jenna alone...

Here is Chelsea on the left (she is an amazing girl that I end up seeing at every function I participate in - she does everything and does it ALL well!!!) She is crafty and very talented...she actually made the photo set this year by hand and also sewed her own costume. I am in the middle and Jenna on my right.

Here is me and the lovely dinner guests....I was joking that this is my new date...definitely would be a step up from what I am used to!!!!!!!

Hope you all enjoyed the recap as much as I enjoyed the party!!! What a great weekend!!! Amazing children and it feels sooooo good to see them smile!!!


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

BEGGING for donations - Special Olympics

I have registered for the Polar Plunge here in Pittsburgh.

It was cold when I did it last year and this year I am upping the ante.

I have joined the Super Plunge...I have to rasie $3,500 for Special Olympics and then jump into the river once an hour for twenty-four hours...fun, hugh?!?!?! 

I am sooooooooo excited!!! I love to do "out of the box" things to be able to throw a checkmark on my bucket list!

So, here is my plee.....please, even if you just give $1...I promise to not ask for another cent - at least until next years plunge.

Here is the link to donate to my page...HERE...and thank you for even considering donating! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Cardio HipHop Of Course

What to do...What to write about...What to say...

I got NOTHING!!

So....I am going to absolutely bore you with my weekly workout routine that I have been religiously sticking to to get back to weight loss mode!!

Monday: Cardio HipHop with Kristy
Tuesday: Cardio HipHop with Linda
Wednesday: Cardio HipHip with ChiChi
Thursday: Zumba with Kristy and 3 mile run/jog
Friday: 6 mile run/jog
Saturday: 6 mile run/jog
Sunday: Cardi HipHop with Kristy

Can you tell I love Cardio HipHop!?!?

Hope ya'll have a great Thursday!!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Back to bed and re-start?

Ever have a day you wish you could restart? That was me...I got a new water heater three years ago so I never thought that little puddle meant I needed a new on already....I was wrong. Here is a picture below...it is hard to see but there is a little puddle around the leg of the base.... :-(

Thank goodness the heater was under warranty however, I had to pay for a new expansion tank and install :-(

This is my guest bedroom after emptying out the entire utility closet for the plumber to fit in....

This is the new water heater...exactly like to old one so chances are I will need another new one in three years....although I paid the additional 50 bucks to warranty parts and labor for five years this time....fingers crossed....if you are from Pittsburgh area and need a plumber, Brown's Plumbing is AWESOME!! They are great and quick and clean!

And this is the utility closet re-loaded....

In case you have not tried this...this is the coolest tip I ever got from Real Simple Magazine. You buy a heavy duty, clear shoe holder and hang it up to hold bottles, etc. it is perfect...I love this idea...here is a picture below of mine

Now, I am off to bed to curl up and have a pity party...starting over tomorrow. Thank God for interest-free financing....such is life! :-(

Hope ya'll had a better day than me!

 

Monday, October 14, 2013

The Color Run - Pittsburgh and FMM

 The Color Run this weekend was awesome!!! First let me say...it is called the Color Run Pittsburgh but it was held in South Park and packet pickup was in Homestead....hoping next year will be a little LESS spread out!!! HA HA

It was so nice to get to spend some time with my sister, nieces and their friend.  We had an awesome time aside from some side-snarls about "I am going to scream if this does not come out of my hair" and "Now I need new tennis shoes because mine are a mess", etc...  The girls had way less fun than me and my sister as we went into not caring how silly or goofy we looked and it was simply awesome!!! Just to be able to act and dress like a goof and everyone else was the same ! HEHEHEHE

It was so much fun!!!

Here is the girls posing before the run all clean....notice ...they had to be begged to wear their tutus and vetoed wearing the neon monster socks we got for everyone! See my sister in the back row right?? She wore hers....and so did I....soooo cute! Gotta say - I am happy to be old and just not care what anyone thinks about me!!! Made me realize I do not want to be young again - so there! HEE




This is a photo from above....LOTS and LOTS of people showed for the run!!  Cute outfits too!!! Fairy wings, halos, all different color wigs, boys in tutus - it was awesome!!!!!!!!
 

This is an after shot!  This is L to R Gretchen (friend of my nieces and a lovely girl I must say - soooo polite and nice all weekend!!! Thanks for coming Gretchen!)  Then my niece Jessica is in the middle  and my niece Jordan on the right!  I love these girls with all my heart and it was so nice to spend a weekend with them...I soooo wish I lived closer and could pop in for lunches, etc. at their schools......love love love these girls!!!!!!!


And this is all of us at the end! L to R - my sister Kerry, niece Jessica, her friend Gretchen, niece Jordan and Me on the end right.  Sooooooooo much fun!!!!!!!


And another without the tutus......awesome fun morning!!!!!! Can't wait to do it again next year!!!!!


This is a shot of the lovlies after we went home and cleaned up. We headed out to lunch at Panera and then to shop our butts off at Robinson Mall.  What a fun day!


 I have to say, I don't mind living alone with my little cats but it sure was nice to have company the past few weekends!!! The cats just loved these girls so much too.  Thanks for visiting and please come back soon!!! See you all soon - Thanksgiving if not before!!!!!

You are WELCOME at my house anytime!!!!!


Now, onto Friend Making Monday...

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!



All about the Blog
1.  How long have you been blogging? About four years now - WOW! How is that possible?!?!?
2.  What is the overwhelming theme of your blog? I use it to document life and family stuff....and weight loss and venting...hee hee! It;s a little of this and a little of that but basically a documentation tool for myself and my family.
3.  Have you connected with people in person after meeting them through blogging?  No....not yet...
4.  What do you enjoy most about blogging? I love seeing what everyone is up to and meeting new friends! I feel so close to many blogger friends because I follow their lives everyday. I LOVE getting recipes and run ideas and exercise and diet tips as well. Thansk for all the advise all of you!
5.  How often do you blog? I try to blog daily and usually skip weekends - I sum up my weekends on Monday.
6.  Share one thing that you don’t like about blogging.  I don't like to see bloggers slamming each other and negativity everyday. I vent sometimes too but constant negative and I will have to unfollow you - :-)


7. Do you talk about your blog in everyday life? Just to a few friends and my family
8.  What is the coolest and most unexpected thing that has happened to you as a result of blogging?  Nothing yet....
9.  Are there topics that are off-limits on your blog?  If so, name a few… nothing so far
10.  If you could accomplish one thing through your blog before the end of this year, what would you want to accomplish? Nothing-maybe just post more often.
Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments, and say hello to someone new! 


Friday, October 11, 2013

5 on Friday

Happy Friday y'all!!!

It's time for 5 on Friday...

ONE:  Who cares if my date has not called me since we went out? It's all good to be single forever, right?!?! What is WRONG with me?!?!?!?


TWO:  Who cares if I just lost a friend of over 16 years...I have been a doormat in that relationship the WHOLE time and the one time I stuck up for myself and did what I wanted; she walked away! I have plenty of other friends, right?!?!?!??! 





THREE:  Who cares if I am going to look like a cow in my giant, white, sparkly tutu tomorrow for the Color Run next to my sweet, skinny nieces and sister?!?! It's all for fun right?!?!? 





FOUR:  Who cares that I gained one freekin' pound OVERNIGHT from not working out yesterday and eating an apple dumpling from Trax Farms?!?!??!  You have to have at east one cheat day even if you are on DietBet, right!??!?!?!?




 FIVE:  Who cares if I end up being the crazy lady when I get old? At least I could have lived a long, fun and happy life full of family, friends and cats, right?!?!?!


 



I hope ya'll have an awesome weekend!!!!!!! I will report in with some lovely tutu pics I am sure!! HA HA


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

I Scream, You Scream...

 Today at work is the Employee Appreciation Ice Cream Social.  I have pretty much done everything as far as the planning, etc. so I am hoping this all works out well.

Here is a picture of the 28 ice cream scoops we had to supply ourselves along with ladles and aprons for our managers to wear since they are the ones scooping....ha ha!



We have Sarris (a local chocolatier and ice cream shop) bringing in the ice cream and toppings so it is sure to be good!! YUMMO!!! I will definitely post after pics tomorrow!

I drove past these cars on my way home yesterday...they were sooo cute! My sister and brother-in-law said they are called camo cars and that are prototypes being tested...I would like to buy one....kinda neat!!!!


And, finally...I have a date tonight! We are meeting at a restaurant near both of our houses.  He is such a sweet, nice guy and I am looking forward to seeing how this goes...wish me luck!! Lord knows I need it!! :-)




ICU Nurse it is

 Hi everyone!! I am just here checking in quickly. I almost feel bad checking in as it has been an eternity since I posted!!! UGH! Life has ...