Thrilled!!!

It's here!!!

With a few extra goodies. LOVE the Heart shaped Rose Quartz Crystal!!! The other two stones I'll have to look up to be positive what they are.

Gutted....But It's All Good!!

I'm absolutely gutted.

Today is my Birthday (55, thanks for asking!) and my necklace hasn't arrived.
And it was mailed uninsured. It wasn't worth a lot of money- but as I wrote in my post yesterday- it's the sentimental value that cant be replaced.

Praying it makes it to me, somehow, soon.

Otherwise- today was a good day.
I got several cards from co workers and family. I got a bit of cash-(Thanks Joan N Glenn!!) And I bought myself pink and white roses and white filler flowers....and one of my office mates(Melinda) bought be some lovely white flowers that are native only to the UK- and they smell HEAVENLY.
AND My mom got HER Pink and white IT'S A GIRL Bouquet I ordered from the florist for my birthday.
I think that on the day a baby is born- the mum gets all kinds of special attention from everyone...but after that- it's all the kids day and mom gets forgotten. Well, I don't. I send my mom a pink and white bouquet every year for my Birthday with a card and a balloon that says It's a Girl. And I thank her for being my mommy.

I'm glad I can make her smile.

Hubby ordered us dinner in- I got a card from him and a BIG hug this morning. Now, if you don't know my hubby you won't realize how special that really was. He's a bit of a bear until he's been awake for an hour and gotten his first cup of tea in him. Same as me with my coffee. So for him to get up and come straight into the kitchen and wrap his arms around me and give me a hug and kiss and say "Happy Birthday, Sweetie!"...Well That was like winning the LOTTERY on my Birthday!!

And I can't tell you how many people said:
a) they were amazed I gave my real age on my e-mail
and
b) I did NOT look my age at all.
....The tradition is in the office- when it's your birthday- YOU bring in snacky treats for the office to nibble on instead of them bringing gifts.( I kinda like that too- you spend £20 or so to buy a few snacks for the ones who want to partake instead of buying each person who has a birthday a small gift...that can add up to some serious dosh in an office of 100 and a few!) So, when you bring the snacks out you send an email to the office mates letting them know where they are at so if they want they can come by and have a nibble and wish the Birthday Girl/Boy Happy Days.

Anyway- I'm not ashamed of my age. I laughed and told them I usually tell anyone who asks I'm 10 years older than my actual age-(cause then they look at me and think WOW- you REALLY LOOK GREAT to be that age) but since it's a hallmark age this year I am telling the truth.

Anyway- except for the necklace not showing up- it's been a pretty great day !!!!

Compromise...

In view of my post yesterday, I have decided that I MUST view less TV. I have a couple of shows I REALLY enjoy on Monday Nights, so I'm keeping Monday Nights...
Then Friday Nights are really good nights for the Soap cliffhangers....so I'm keeping that night too. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, tho- I can do without TV....I reserve the right to watch TV on the weekends if Hubby wants to watch a movie together, but otherwise- I don't think I'll bother. I can use the time to do more workouts...or to write and work on my books and my blogs.....and do a bit of photography with my new gear, as well.  Weather hasn't permitted me to go out so far. I might have done this weekend, but my camera and lenses aren't weatherproof so I wasn't chancing it, and it's a good thing, too! We had snow- sleet- AND rain off and on all weekend! And they're calling for Snow and Blizzard conditions for the next few days too, now.

I'll believe it when I see it to be honest.

Oh My Gosh......AND this happened today- it was a REALLY GOOD day!!!

First off- one of Hubbys co-workers came in with a case of MONSTER drinks. And my very favorite Monster Drink is Mean Bean.....basically Expresso and milk in a can. Well, over here they are called Midnight. And he brought me one! GREAT start to my Birthday Week!!

And THEN....I got this in a text....

The story behind this is....

A few years before I moved over here to England, my mama gave me some of her jewelry. Two pieces in particular were REALLY pretty but very outdated.
One was a choker necklace made with  Paste(I'm assuming) bagguette "diamonds". The other was a "Sapphire" brooch(pin) and matching earrings set that my Dad's dad had given her on their wedding day as a Christmas/Wedding gift. (Mom and Dad were married on Christmas Day)..

I LOVED the stones but hated the setting they were in....I would never wear them, so they sat in my jewelry box for years and years. Then somehow, in the move one of the biggest stones in the brooch went missing. So when I saw that I decided to have them redesigned. Never mind they were paste- it's the sentimental value of them. So I started looking and all the jewelry shops said no...and no....and no.....and NO. Finally, I found Ashely Davison who is a Jewelry Designer and mummy of two of the sweetest little girls!
Her company is called MOEM Designs.
I gave her an idea of what I wanted. A piece of jewelry that represented  several things......My parents...Me and Paul, My three kids....the moon, the stars, and water.

A HUGE bill to fill. But she agreed to take on the project....... and so it began. Prelim sketches back and forth....then photgraphs as each bit was completed with tweaking at each and every stage.
And finally- after 9 long but interesting months, The final product. It was actually supposed to have swavorski crystals across the top and in the curve of the bottom to represent the stars and water, but I looked at the photo of it before she did it and asked her to not add them. I think it would have been too much and the  baguettes across the top on one side can represent the stars and going down the curve of the crescent on the other side was a perfect representation of the Stars and the water. My mom and dad represented on the upper left side...me and paul on the lower side leading down to my children represented in the three stones at the bottom centre of the piece. Simple, elegant- just my style.

I couldn't be happier!!!

And now the forcast is calling for dropping temps, snow, and Blizzard-like conditions for the next few days. Oh I'm praying we get snow- but not the blizzard like conditions.

The day my mama and daddy took me home from the hospital, there was 18 inches of snow on the ground.
History repeating it's self, perhaps?

I hope so- but I'll believe it when I see it.
In the meantime- It's been a wonderful start to my Birthday Week!!! 

Some Things Never Change....And Are World-Wide!!!

This Is A Rant....A Repost from 10 Years ago- but STILL Relevant!! I've changed a few of the words to apply to where I am now- you can see the original post on my weight loss blog-Striving For Ex-ELLE-ence if you like.

How the heck are we supposed to lose weight in our society?

Have you tried lately?

I try to eat healthily. I bake my fries- I usually broil or bake meats- I DO have a sweet tooth- but even with that I try to limit how much I indulge(only time I REALLY give in is a couple days before Aunt Flo visits so minimal damage).

But to try and eat in public is hopeless.

Order at a restaurant and you get enough food for two people. I know you can eat half and take the rest home- or leave it on the plate...but WHY? I don't like warmed over food from a restaurant. I also don't like to waste food when there are so many people starving in the world- and besides- I don't wanna pay 12 quid for a half serving of food and leave the rest either. I work too hard for my money to waste it like that. And we could share a plate- but Paulius and I don't always want the same thing to eat when we go out- he tends to like spicy foods and I go for a more bland type food- I have an ulcer and spicy foods double me over when I eat them.

Why the hell can't the food industry just serve NORMAL portions and decrease the price a bit?
Everyone would be happier,(except maybe the 600 lb people who think all that food is GOOD for them and would absolutely STARVE if they weren't served enough to feed a small nation at every meal), not to mention healthier. Even if they DIDN'T decrease the price- it would still be better for us because a) we wouldn't be eating those mega portions and all the fat and calories that go with them and b) we wouldn't eat out as much because it would be so expensive to do so,(which is exactly the reason that they don't want to do the sensible thing like normal prices and portions-everything has to be bigger and better than the competetion's).

I can't even watch TV anymore without being bombarded with advert after advert after ADVERT about food- every where I look it's there- and turning the sound down doesn't help either- I can still see the cheese oozing all hot and steaming from the pizza slice as it's served up. I can still see the creamy chocolate dripping from the spoon as the ice cream sundae is gobbled up. I can still see the blissful expressions on the faces of the people eating the stuff too- and even tho I know they are actors- they are DAMN GOOD actors because I honestly want to run out and get some of the creamy, chewy, owwey gooey goodness they are having while I'm watching.

And sodas- Why in the world do they sell those things in twenty oz bottles? First they sold the little 7 oz bottles which were PERFECT for a person- Just enough unless you were DYING of thirst and then you were better off drinking water to satisfy your thirst. Then they upped the dosage to 10 ozs. A bit more- but still okay. Then it went to 12 ozs. Too much. I have a can of soda and a third of it is usually left and wasted. Can't cap it- it's a can- it loses the fizz and tastes like CRAP. ...Then the 16 oz came along. And the 20 oz.....GREAT- for two people- but if you are single- or driving along alone- who needs it? 16 ozs is enough for 2 and a HALF servings. No wonder we are so freaking FAT in this nation. They began making those little 10 oz bottles again for a while- but finding them is like looking for a needle in a haystack- not everywhere will stock them. The two litres are fine if you are a family of six and the three litres are fine if you are having a party. But for normal people it's just TOO MUCH!! But we are tempted by the more is less pricing.

 Looks like I am going to have to give up watching TV and give up going out to eat at all as well to be healthy again.

It just ALL pisses me right off.

Interesting Days.....

I have my first interview almost completed and will be publishing here in a few days. I also have two more in the works and I have three more I'm working on getting approval on. Good times.

I've been inspired by my blogger friend, Michael, a published author and a busy guy recently!!! Check him out here. He is a VERY interesting character and I love his work. Very inspirational, our Michael!!!

Also, I've instigated a weight loss challenge at work starting from 23rd FEb  and ending April 1. We've had them before and first one worked well, but the others kind of fell flat....the other challengers would bring in treats to tempt the others to eat- and then we would all end up eating...me usually less than the others(all GUYS, I might add) but occasionally I would partake as well. It usually ended up me losing 10 or 15 lbs- and them losing two or three...in one case one of the guys actually GAINED 12 lbs!! (No willpower whatsoever-I tell ya!!)

Well, this time I upped the ante a bit.
I said this time that if -COLLECTIVELY- we lost 10 lbs for EACH participant, I would bring in a FRED for each of us the Friday after the challenge ended.

One of the guys said that wasn't really fair- because that was a LOT of weight to lose. I said exactly- and because of it
1) We wouldnt be bringing in naughty food to try and tempt the others.
and
2) We would be trying to lose a bit MORE than our allotted 10 lbs to make up for the slack of another person if they didn't quite make it to their 10 lb goal.

They seemed to see the logic in that. Plus- they all want FRED.

What's FRED, you ask?

Well, this same group also have a Sandwich Swap every few months.... you make a sandwich, name it, label it and bring it in for lunch. Then we write the name of our sammich on a slip of paper, then put it in a bowl/box/hat and we each draw to see which sammich we get for lunch. It's just something to do to try something new and be adventurous....out of the ordinary lunch we would normally have. Sort of putting yourself in someone else's shoes for an hour.

I named my Philly Cheese Steak sammich FRED. And those guys LOVE Fred.

So- as One of our participants said- I've upped the STAKES(Steaks)... (Witty Guy!!)

And I haven't told them yet- but if we can make ONE POUND over HALF our goal, I'll bring in Freds anyway- Just for the effort!!!

In other news.....it was snowing here this morning. HUGE snowflakes the size of quarters......But, now it's stopped and the sky is blue and the sun is shining with the birdies singing in the treetops. I just can't catch a snow-break. 

Luckily, Husband and I have ordered our groceries to be delivered to us this evening and we decided to have a quiet weekend in. We ordered pizza last night- so no cooking or cleanup for us after a long day at work......we slept in this morning....and we will be catching up on the laundry and such today and have a lazy Sunday tomorrow as well.

Right now, I'm waiting on one set of interview questions, working on the other two sets of interview questions, and am getting ready to email the other three persons I have in mind for interviews to ask if they will agree to be interviewed- or in one case re-interviewed.

I'm also still playing around with my new camera, so maybe tomorrow I might get around to taking some decent photos to post on my P52!!!

It's a good thing I have that cloning machine. :)

Coming Soon!!!!!....

I'm currently working on a series of interviews to be posted soon.

I had fogotten how much fun it could be to do those!!!

Stay Tuned for Further Updates!!!

It Wasnt A Good Day.....

Well, today I'm going to be a bit of a crybaby and have a huge massive whinge.....and hope I don't upset anyone.- Mainly my bezzie.

Yesterday was an absolutely horrendous day for me. I came into the office with the remnants of the 4 day migraine still drilling holes in my head. So I get in, make myself a coffee and take more tablets for it.
As the morning wears on, more and more people come in and as they do, my irritation grows and grows and grows.

We have a copier that is noisy as hell sitting almost right beside my desk. The stupid repairman- last time he was in two weeks ago- left not only his screwdriver lying in the desk beside the copier- but TWO SCREWS too!....Now I don't know about y'all- but where I come from, extra parts being left over when you put something back together is NOT a good thing. And ever since then, the copier has sounded like a damn Mina bird every time each and every single sheet of paper has come thru it. Drives us to distraction. Like a faucet dripping constantly. This has to be some form of cruel and inhuman punishment and against  the law, right?

Next on the list is the girl that sits behind me. I think she's from Poland or Romania or somewhere and let me tell you- she beats the HELL out of her keyboard on her computer. OMG- seriously, She hits those keys like she is trying to kill Freddy Kruger with a shovel. Every single day I have to sit there and force myself  to not turn around and ask her is she mad at it or ask her what in the world did it do to her to deserve that kind of treatment?!!!

Now, also- speaking of LOUD, I have a loud talker who sits beside me.  I don't know if it's because he has hearing problems himself or if  he just wants/likes the attention but this guy talks at the decibel level of a chainsaw running at full speed.  It drives me to insanity. And the worst part is he repeats himself at least 4 times EVERY SINGLE CONVERSATION he has on the phone. This is an open office plan too- so asking to be moved to another desk wont solve the problem. Neither will asking him to take it down a notch or two because he does- for about 2 minutes and then it's back to full volume again. And both he AND the office mate on the other side of my desk are space infringers. We each have the same size desks. But for some unknown reasons, they have to inch their papers/phones/ calculators onto MY desk space and get in my way of doing MY work. And they both also tend to have little mini meetings with their "people" and then their people drop THEIR stuff on my desk or worse- lean or sit in the corner of it. OMG- I cant stress how much THAT infuriates me!!! And yes- I have told them they need to move their asses when they do that. Disgusting.

And speaking of disgusting, The loud talker has a habit of making himself a cup o soup at 10:15 on the dot. I don't know what kind of soup it is but it makes me want to heave. I'm talking garbage bin bag after 2 weeks kind of smell. Nuff said about that.

We also have the giggling school-girls. Two of them sit over in the corner and chat back and forth and then howl in laughter...or have long drawn out giggle fests. I don't have a THING against having a bit of a chat and a giggle and making light - it makes the day go so much faster, but quietly.....other people quite possibly have work that needs to get done and find that sort of thing REALLY distracting!!

And then I went to do my printing- and even tho I went downstairs and got printer paper and filled the printers up when I first got there in the morning- the copier was empty.  |And as I was there there was two people walking up opening up the paper drawers to steal paper from it for scratch paper. I let them all have an earful. Lazy asses cant be bothered to go across the hall to get a notepad for their scratch paper- no they have to come steal copier paper out of the copier when we are low on it in the supply room anyway. There is NO excuse for it- at all.

Then just as I thought my day couldn't get any worse, I was texting with my bezzie and asked her was we still on for our outing on my birthday? I said if she couldn't it was okay, I just needed to know in case I needed to make alternate plans.....and I really actually thought that was the case. 
But I was kidding myself.
We went to the fashion show together a few months ago- the only real girl-time we have been able to spend together since she moved away. We had to cancel Thanksgiving dinner together because I had just come out of a week long stay in the hospital for an intestinal problem and I was on doctors orders to stay in and stay pretty much in bed to recuperate. That about killed me- not being able to do our Dinner because we had both planned for MONTHS. Well, we then decided to spend a girly day together on My Birthday end of this month., do some shopping, maybe have our nails done or hair- a lovely lunch somewhere nice- just me and my Bezzie.
And then she texted and said she couldn't get the day off from work.
I sat there at my desk and tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't believe how disappointed I was. I tried to shake it off as just one of those things...but after a half hour of trying to hold it back- I went to the ladies and cried.
And then I cried some more. And then I cried again when I got home.
I know things happen to change plans....Of ALL people I certainly know that. But apparently, I was looking forward to it much more than I thought I was. I'm sorry- I know she will read this and I know she will prob feel bad and I don't want her to feel bad about it because it certainly isn't her fault.
On the other hand, I do want her to know that she really is my Bezzie and she always will be. I love spending time with her and the time we do get to spend together is even more precious to me now since we live so far apart. So forgive me, Li......I had to get it out of my system.

But now I have to buck up and  get back to it. It's the weekend- and I don't have think about the crap at the office.
And there certainly will be other Goddess Days for me and my Bezzie.

Patience is a Virtue....so I've heard.