Weighloss Wednesday: Rough Start

     Okay, we have been pretty busy the past few days and my "new start" in weight loss is not such a great start. This week's weigh-in was 177.4--up 2 pounds from last week.

     I have been eating too much "junk" (what's new huh?) and not always drinking enough water. I start the day out pretty well, but it kinda goes downhill later on--especially if I don't drink enough water.

     Also, I haven't been walking in the mornings or doing my Wii Fit, when I should probably be doing both. No matter how much I intend it, I never seem to be able to make it to bed at a decent hour. So of course I don't set my alarm for when I need to, in order to be able to walk before my husband goes to the office. And when I don't walk in the the morning, I tend to be more sluggish throughout the day. 

     On the days I do manage to drag myself out of bed, I generally feel more energized throughout the day. Of course I know this. But it is not always easy to go by what you know when your body is begging you to stay in bed. Thus my dilemma. 

     So, wish me luck this week in my efforts to drag myself up for my daily (well, four days a week) walk and hopefully I will have time to get in a half hour of Wii Fit during (the kids') nap time. 

Wordless Wednesday: 4 Months Tomorrow!

Meet our little string bean! Long and thin, but plumping up and growing fast!

Weight Loss Wednesday--Not Too Hot

     Well, it looks like I went up a pound this past week. :-( I did miss one day of walking. I've been walking 4 days a week for an hour. And it certainly doesn't help when  cave to my love of sweets and soda. So, what were my pitfalls this week? 
     Well for on thing, I think I had more sodas than I had the week before. You know how the general advice is to just not have the bad stuff in the house? Well, it's true! Some things I can moderate and leave alone if they're in the house. Apparantly soda is not one of them! We had 2 cases of soda that I had bought and my husband brought upstairs and I've been drinking them more than I should, rather than limiting to one a week like I had been.
     My other pitfall was visiting the candy shop last week. And they had free samples out. Lots of them! Dangerous ground for a chocoholic like me! Then of course we had to buy some. Not a huge amount, but still! And one day day we tried out this new ice cream place where you pay by ounce, toppings and all, and of course I tried a bit of everything. No, not really, but still a lot!
     So, basically, I've been having too much fun this week! and I'm not off to a very good start now, either! Anyone else doing a weight loss journey on their blog (or off). I always find those stories inspiring!

Wordless Wednesday

Kay Kay's first coon-skin hat!

Walk of Shame: Food Waste Friday

 

     So I've decided to join in on the Frugal Girl's food waste Friday in hopes that public accountability will make me waste less food.It's not like I plan to waste food. But who really does that? Anyone who wants to join is welcome! Please let me know I'm not alone! Even if you don't have a blog, you can join in by leaving a comment. And if you have any suggestions on how to be less wasteful, please share. :-)

     Okay, now for what I've had to throw out this week. Sorry, I don't have any pics. Maybe next week. But hopefully not, because I'm not going to waste anything next week, right?... 

     1. Half a box of Sam's club croissants. I overestimated how many croissants would be required for one tub of chicken salad. Generally, one box of 20 croissants fits one 32 oz tub of chicken salad. I used what I could of the second box until they got stale. 

  2. A pint of cut up strawberries. :-/ All ready to eat and everything. I just didn't get them eaten in time. 

     3. One boneless chicken breast. I usually freeze my chicken breasts in pairs, so if I don't plan ahead for the following day, the second thawed breast goes bad before I get around to using it. One breast usually is enough for me, my husband and my 2 year old. 

     4. A liter pitcher of cold brewed white tea. That made me kind of sad, because that was my free sample from Plum District and I liked it. Guess I'll have to order some now! 
     5. Some leftover chips from Mexican take-out. I must admit this one doesn't bother me as much as the others. Is that bad? We got what we wanted for 2 different meals and didn't really want anymore. 

     6. Three of four onions. I'd bought a 3 lb bag, didn't use them all, and they were sprouting and rotting. This time I only bought one large onion. 
     7. Half a bag of lettuce. No excuse. It was a busy week last week and I didn't get around to making a lot of salads. 
     8. 1/3 of a cucumber. Same as number 7. 
     Well, that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I missed something. Hopefully I will do better next week!

Wordless Wednesday: McDonald's Drive-thru

My Lovely "to go" fudge Sundae--the guy "couldn't find" the right cups

Our hamburgers, just out of the wrapper--after waiting about 20 minutes in the drive-thru, mind you!

     Anybody else have some fun McDonald's experiences to share?

Potty Training Woes

     So...we have really been trying to work on Kay-kay to get potty trained, but she is being very stubborn about it. She can come tell me she needs a diaper change, take her diaper off and even ask for diaper cream. :-/ 

     More than once I have caught her running around with her diaper off only to find out too late that she already "gone" somewhere on the floor. I'm usually alerted to her doing this by her yelling out "she pee-peed!" Needless to say, it has been rather frustrating. 

     One day last week, after she had taken her diaper off sometime in the morning, we finally made her sit on the potty until she went. Meanwhile, my husband gave her one or two cups of warmish apple juice, thinking it would make her go. It took her about three and a half hours. If she had been wearing a diaper she would have definitely gone during that time frame.

     We've bought her a pack of princess "big girl panties," which she really wants to wear, but we keep telling her she can't wear them until she starts going on the potty. We're also trying the M&M system--you know, M&M's when they go potty. Next maybe I will try a sticker chart. If anyone out there has any suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Baby Love Wordless Wednesay

                          Wrestling with her new pillow pet.

     For rules on participating in this Baby Love Wordless Wednesday blog hop, go here. Make sure you like my post, or enter yourself! 

 *please note: you must enter the word "none" as a backlink as the required link was not entered correctly when the owner created the form. 

Adjusting to Life with Baby #2

     Well, my little boy is now a week old. It's hard to believe. We're still adjusting, but everything is slowly getting into a sort of routine. I've been supplementing at night with formula. I know there are some that would frown upon that, but it works for us. I give him one small bottle before bed and one in the middle of the night. By the time I pump and otherwise get ready for bed, that equates to about a 3 hour stretch of sleep for me (4 if I'm really lucky...).

     At first I was afraid he wasn't getting enough to drink because we have those really cool diapers with the stripe that changes color when it's wet--only it seemed the stripes were never changing color. He was definitely having some dirty diapers, but no blue line. I eventually figured out he just wasn't wetting in the "right" spot. So much for those convenient color-changing lines! 

     It has been a really huge help having my mom and grandma here to help with my 2 year old, though. She can be rambunctious, and she is definitely craving extra attention with the new little one around. But she loves her brother and always wants to give him hugs and kisses. I even let her help feed him his bottle once and she was thrilled.

     So we are slowly working through this transition. But I love holding my teeny tiny baby in my arms. I love seeing his little eyes focusing on mine. I love the unique smell that newborns have. Most of all I love that he's healthy and seems to be growing like he's supposed to.

My Valentine's Day Baby

     Well, my new little boy who wasn't due until the 22nd decided to come a week early. I spent most of Valentine's Day in labor, though I wasn't sure if it was real or not. Luckily we had "celebrated" Valentine's Day on Monday, to beat the crowds. And it's a good thing too! 

     So...I started cramping yesterday (Feb 14th) morning. I noticed these were definitely more frequent than the ones I had been having, but still not sure if they were real. They seemed to be getting more intense throughout the day, but I was still having trouble catching them consistently spaced apart, and I spent the day looking up info on contractions and kept reading about how Braxton Hicks could be as painful as real ones. Not sure I believe that 100%, especially now, but who knows?

     My husband ran a few errands and I laid on my side trying to count the minutes while my daughter took a nap. I tried to accomplish things like making fruit salad out of the fruit bouquet my husband got me (it felt terrible to do, but I couldn't let the fruit go to waste!) making sure last minute stuff was packed and taking a shower. 

     When my husband got home, I continued to count, still not sure they were consistently five minutes apart. But finally they got to the point where they had to be something. I was just so afraid of being sent home with these terrible "fake" contractions. But around 7:15 pm I told my husband he'd better get the infant car seat and diaper bags in the van and I focused on getting dressed and my hair brushed. 

     Well, we had to stop at Best Buy to get a camera because we couldn't find ours. Then we had to drive-through McDonalds because we hadn't eaten dinner yet. Then we had to stop and get Kay-kay's playpen from the church building (yes we decided to take her with us). 

     So we finally got to the hospital and checked in, changed into a gown. Then the nurse asked me a lot of questions, then she finally checked my cervix and I was at 8 cm! Now, I had been expecting an epidural and I was worried I wouldn't get it now! Well, they had to get me an IV and draw blood first. So then I've got one nurse drawing blood from my right arm and another nurse sticking an IV in my left arm, and fighting intensifying contractions all the while. 

     Next, the nurse said she was going to get the anesthesiologist for the epidural. Meanwhile, my husband and I are left alone in the room. Not long after, I felt a trickle, along with some pressure. Then I felt a gush and even more downward pressure. My husband tried to adjust my covers and I said "No! Take them off!" So he did and saw the baby's head ready to come out. I was actually trying to hold it in, not wanting to push too soon, but my body wasn't having it. 

     So my husband delivered our son, yelling all the while for someone to get in here! The cord was wrapped around his neck 3 times and his leg and he was purple. I guess this is normal, but still freaky for us! Fortunately the baby was fine and people started rushing in (including the lady who would have administered the no longer needed epidural). It turns out there were four other births happening right around the same time. But baby boy was fine, 8 1/2 lbs and 21 1/2 inches, born at 9:41 pm on Valentine's Day. We're all doing fine, just waiting out our time till we can go home with the best Valentine's Day gift we could have ever gotten.

2011 In Review

     I borrowed this list from the Bargain Babe at Zuchinni Summer and added my answers. 

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Started a blog!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Can't remember what they were last year--so probably not. LOL I made a few--hopefully I will keep them!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

A couple girls at church, but no super-close friends.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.  

5. What countries did you visit?

Just this one.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

I hope to get more organized and better with things like meal planning. Just making more productive use of my time in general.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

My baby's first plane trip, in which she threw up in the middle of the aisle! (Fortunately she wasn't aimed at anyone!) And her first trip to Disney. Also, finding out I'm having a little boy.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Starting my blog, I suppose. We also moved. Again. And I got pregnant.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Letting too much time get wasted

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

If you count morning sickness!

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My Wii Fit

12. Where did most of your money go?

Rent and other bills, without a doubt.

13. What did you get really excited about?

Getting pregnant and finding out it's a boy!

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?

I don't know--I don't listen to music that much.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? about the same

– thinner or fatter? .fatter, because of baby!
– richer or poorer? about the same. Our income went up slightly, but now we have a car payment :-/

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

organizing, planning and saving. Also, working on my book more.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

spending money

18. How did you spend Christmas?

Drove to Florida to see my hubby's folks.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

Wizards of Waverly Place (yes, I know it's a cheesy show for tweens, but at least it's clean!)

20. What were your favorite books of the year?

 I read the Anne of Green Gables series with a friend

21. What was your favorite music from this year?

I don't really have any

22. What were your favorite films of the year?

the last Harry Potter movie and Breaking Dawn (the only 2 I bothered going to the theaters for)

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned the big 3-0 and my parents took us to Genghis Grill for lunch, then we came home and had cake.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

 Enough money to pay off my debts

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

jeans and a tshirt.  "Mom Uniform" (This is the Bargain Babe's response, but I second it!)

26. What kept you sane?

Reading, writing, the internet

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

You need to take time to reflect once in a while and count your blessings, because it can always be worse!
-----
Let me know if you do this 2011 in Review too, I'd love to read it!

Sam's Club--Worth the Hassle?

     Now I have a great (heavy sarcasm on the great) Sam's Club experience to go along with the Walmart cookie experience I already posted about. Now I have a set! Yay! And this is about a week after signing up for a Sam's club membership for the very first time. :-/

     My husband and I had been mulling it around about whether it would be worth it to purchase a Sam's Club membership. We do not have a COSTCO here, though I've heard it is better than Sam's. Paying for "savings" seemed a little counter-productive to me. And the savings weighed against the price of the membership are negligible, in my opinion. But we thought we'd go ahead and try it out for a year. 

     So, we went to Sam's to pick up a couple things on my list that I thought were decent deals. The best deal we found? A 3-pack of Welch's Sparkling grape juice (which I love!) priced at $2.91. That was a great deal, so we picked up 2.

     When I got to the checkout, these 3-packs rang up at 1 cent. Long story short, I was not allowed to purchase the grape juice, even though the sign was still up and there were still other bottles left on the shelf. The supervisor radio-ed someone to tell them to take the remaining bottles off the shelf. She then claimed that she could not override the system to give me a price adjustment, and therefore could not sell me the grape juice. 

      Even after speaking to a higher up manager (who I assume was the manager on duty) I was continually told the same thing--they could not do it. Now, I have been in situations at other stores where something rang up wrong and I was either given the item for free or at least allowed to buy it at the ADVERTISED price. I've never been told I cannot have the item at all. After all, the mistake is on the part of the store, not the customer, right? Why should the customer suffer the consequences?

     I must say this is NOT a very good first impression of my Sam's membership. It really just reaffirms what I've always suspected and continue to hear from people who refuse to shop at Sam's club or Walmart--customer service is simply not a priority at either Sam's Club or Walmart. I suppose they're so far in front of their competitors they don't have to worry about it--but how long will it be 'till people get so fed up they go elsewhere for good?

     To be fair, the manager on duty did end up giving us a $15 gift card to use, and did apologize for the inconvenience, but I am still extremely irritated at not being allowed to buy something at the advertised price. Sorry, but at this point, the few pennies a year I MAY save with a Sam's membership are just not worth it to me. This may be the first and last Sam's Club membership I purchase.

Our Second Hospital Tour

     Last week we went on a tour of the labor and delivery unit of one of the two hospitals I have to choose between for the birth of my baby in February. Remember, before the holidays, I told you about the tour of the nice, new labor and delivery unit that will be opening later this month at the other hospital. 

     My doctor prefers hospital number two. He claims they have a better NICU, but somehow, after touring both facilities, I'm not sure I completely buy that. I think the real reason is that hospital number two is across the street from the doctor's office. But allegedly, he delivers at both hospitals. Though when we asked him about that, he was really pushing us toward hospital number two. 

     So, we went to check out hospital number two so we could weigh our options and make an informed decision. The tour was pretty short. All we really got to see was a delivery room and a recovery room. There were a couple of things about procedure that I wasn't that enthralled with, like the baby being taken to the nursery soon after birth for "observation." 

     The real kicker, however, was that this hospital charges $1,200 more than the other one (with the nice, new unit) for self-pay patients (which we are) and that is if we pay ahead of time (as is the other hospital's price) and doesn't include some things that the other does. We tried to negotiate a lower price, as my doctor had claimed they would, but they couldn't or wouldn't do it. They were very polite, but claimed it was out of their power. 
     So, today at my 35 week appointment, we talked to the doctor about the dilemma. He was understanding and said he wouldn't blame us for choosing the hospital we really wanted to deliver at.  So after weighing our options, we will be going to the nice, new one that opens later this month. :-)

Another Frustrating Walmart Experience

     So, you know how many grocery stores (including Walmart, most of the time) offer free cookies to children? Well, the other day I took my almost 2-year-old to Walmart because I needed to get a couple of things. Before we got to the store, she was starting to get fussy, so I told her we were going to the store and she could have a cookie if she was a good girl. She immediately calmed down at the prospect of a cookie. 

     When we got to the store I asked the greeter if they had the "cookie club" stickers (since a previous time the person in the bakery asked if we had gotten the sticker) and he found them and gave her one. So, to the bakery we went. After waiting for the lady behind the counter to finish her phone call (which started between another customer and myself) I asked if she had a cookie for my little girl. Then she said they were out of samples to give to kids. 

     Well, I asked if she could just open a package of cookies, since that's what they do at HEB when they're out behind the counter. The lady said she couldn't do that, sorry. Though a little annoyed, I would have just moved on, but my daughter, still anticipating her cookie, was starting to get upset and saying "cookie." 

     How do you explain to a 2 year old there are no cookies when she can see 50 dozen cookies sitting right there? So I asked another employee where I could find a manager. She directed me to the little podium in the middle of the front where someone is available for info or to page someone. So I went to over there thinking the whole time "this is way too much hassle for a cookie." 

     Anyway, I told her what the situation was, and after a little more here and there, calling on the walkie-talkie, they finally decided to open a container of sugar cookies. So we finally got our cookie. I felt like an idiot causing such a big deal for a cookie, but I knew my daughter would scream the whole time if she didn't get her cookie. And really--is it going to put a dent in Walmart's massive profits to open a container of cookies? 

     My daughter was actually pretty good and patient until getting her cookie, though she did start to fuss a little when she thought she wouldn't get one. If they had single cookies for sale, I would have bought her one, but I wasn't going to buy a whole dozen. And after getting her cookie, she was actually pretty good the rest of the time I was in the store. 

     So, for those of you who refuse to shop at Walmart for whatever reason, there is just one more thing to add to the list of frustrations. I know it's usually crowded, the company doesn't seem overly concerned about customer service and some of their "made in China" products aren't the best quality, but for some reason, I still find myself shopping there for low prices and convenience. Though I do tend to shop there less than in the past. :-/

Melting Snow and Car Trouble

     Well, we got another snow here yesterday. It snowed a few inches at least. We didn't actually go out in it this time. And it's already melting today. It looked nice yesterday, but the melted snow is dripping off the roof like rain. Kay-kay is looking out the window and saying "raining!" because of the melting snow. This Texas weather is really erratic. 

     My husband went to the office today and when he was going to get a bite to eat, the car wouldn't start. Apparently our car is part of some kind of recall involving the ignition. We actually got a notice about this but hadn't contacted the dealership yet. Our car has one of those funky keys that doesn't really look like a key. 

     So anyway, the dealership had to send a tow truck to get the car and my husband is now sitting down there waiting for them to fix the problem. One of our elders kindly agreed to come get my key for my husband (since the dealership needs both) and I was able to send him something to eat. So at least he isn't starving anymore. I just hope they can fix the problem today. 

     Don't forget to stop by tomorrow. I'm going to be continuing my "series" about online market research companies. Tomorrow I'll be talking about the ones I don't really care for. So be sure to check back!

Baby Talk

     I had my 33 wk appointment today and we got to see another sonogram. It's still a boy. He was being a little shy today and wouldn't move his hand from in front of his face. But he's measuring a little over 4 lbs, which is right where he's supposed to be at this stage. 

     On another note, my baby is 23 months old today. She spent her first night in her toddler bed last night. She's taken naps in it before, but we had always put her in the crib overnight. But we would kind of like to get her used to thinking the toddler bed is "her" bed, so that when the baby gets the crib, she doesn't feel like she is being displaced. 
     She actually did really good and when she got up, she promptly came into our room (we had both bedroom doors open) and exclaimed with glee when she saw us. How cute is that? And she was wearing her 'Santa" slippers her daddy got for her last month and they rattle when she walks, so we could hear when she was walking around. 

     Every day we are more amazed by what she is absorbing and he ever-increasing vocabulary. Tonight we went through the McDonald's drive through and after we ordered, she said "eyes" ("fries" in baby-talk) and we were like "uh oh" because we hadn't ordered any. So we ordered some at the window. She then said "donalds" (McDonald's) and we were really surprised because we didn't know she recognized McDonald's and even knows it by name. I guess that means we eat there too much--though we really don't eat there that often. (Honest!)

My New Year's Resolutions

     Well, it's the beginning of the new year and it's that time when everyone starts to feel guilty about what they didn't accomplish the previous year and we all resolve to do a little better this coming year. I am no different and I have plenty I would like to accomplish in 2012. Wow, is it really 2012? 

     Now, I don't consider myself a complete failure in accomplishing some of the things I wanted to do in 2011. And I don't think many of us are complete failures, even if we don't necessarily accomplish everything we hoped to at the beginning of last year. But if we hadn't made any of those "resolutions" in the first place, how much less would we have accomplished? 

     So, instead of making "new years resolutions" something to laugh at, because we just know we won't keep them, make your goals a little more specific and set reasonable expectations for yourself. If you set the bar too high right away, chances are you will quickly become frustrated at your lack of success and give up altogether. And that seems to be where many "New Year's resolutions" end up around the month of February. 

     So, start small an specific. And don't hate yourself and give up if you don't completely achieve it--just pick yourself back up and try again. Instead of saying "I'm gonna lose 100 lbs this year" start at--"I'm going to try to lose a pound a week." At the end of January, reevaluate if necessary. Instead of saying "I'm not going to eat out at all this year" start out by trying to eat out half as often each week. You will quickly find out whether such things are realistic expectations.

     All that said, here are a few I would like to accomplish this year. 

     1. Meal plan more. This helps with both eating out too often and going over the grocery budget. See my previous post on this. 

     2. Pay off two debts. Even paying minimums, I know at least one will get paid off. With a little effort, I think we can manage two. 

     3. Try making homemade laundry detergent. I hear great things about the stuff, not the least of which is it saves lots of money and gets clothes just as clean! I may have to wait till I have a couple of empty detergent bottles, though. Just letting you know up front!

     4. Use less cleaning products. I read somewhere that baking soda and distilled vinegar are the only cleaners you really need. Hopefully I will get around to trying that out this month! 

     5. Exercise at least an hour a day, starting in April. I say April because that will be about when my 6 week post-partum period will end. I'm sure I will try to do it in more moderate amounts until then. 

     These are just a few things I can think of that I would like to try. But remember, set your goals moderately and keep in mind what you can realistically accomplish. Once you reach those goals, set another one just a little higher, then you'll be on your way to where you want to be.

Our Water Was Out Last Night :-(

     I thought I was going to be home last night writing my first blog post from home in about two weeks, but it was not to be. We got home around 6:30 pm only to find that our water had been turned off. Now, there was the notice we get on our door every month and a half or so about how they're going to turn the water off for a few hours the next day (which was today), but that didn't explain why the water was off yesterday evening. So, we ended up spending the night with some friends. 

     My husband called the office this morning to ask what the deal was, and apparantly some people on the bottom floor (of different buildings) had experienced flooding related to the plumbing, so the administration shut the water off from the whole complex and supposedly it was on at 10:30 pm last night. But how were we supposed to know what was going on? 

     Now it is Friday evening and we are finally at home, with water. I am so drained, mentally and physically, and I feel like I have this whole pile of stuff to do. Oh where will I find the energy? But I finally get to sleep in my own bed tonight. Hopefully I will wake up ready to be more productive tomorrow.

Another Day on the Road

    Well, I was not able to get online at all on Sunday or Monday. Yesterday (Tuesday) was our first day on the road on our way back home. We stopped in the Biloxi, MS area after driving about 9 hours. The hassle to use the internet was horrible. It was "sponsored" by Google music, or something like that and it made me watch an ad, "agree" to terms of use, then "connect" and it made me repeat this process several times throughout the course of the evening and when  I was finally ready to post what I had written last night, the connection "reset" and I lost everything. So I gave up after that. It was late and we needed to get up this morning. So now I am writing this in the car and will post when I get access to another interenet connection.
    We are driving through Lousiana now and my husband is looking for alligator tail meat for a friend back home. We found some gator meat at a small seafood store in Slidell, right over the Lousiana border that one of the ladies at the Lousiana welcome center told us about. But if we can find some alligator tail meat, we might get a couple pounds of that too. And apparantly my husband has decided he wants some andoille sausage as well. Next thing you know, he'll be wanting to make him red beans and rice when we get home. Haha.
    Well, we had a pretty good Christmas, in case anyone was wondering. I can say it's a good thing we upgraded to a minivan, because there is no way all this stuff would fit in our old Ford. Among our little girl's presents were a Radio Flyer wagon and a little rocking chair, both of which were things we kind of wanted for her anyway. But they do take up space! Now the question is where we'll put this stuff when we get home. Our little apartment is filling up with stuff (my husband and I are as bad as the grandparents) and she's not even two yet. But she had good time, and that is what it's all about.
    I hope everyone had a good holiday and had lots of good food and family time. I will try to write again soon, though you never have any idea how the day will go. Every day is an adventure.

Day Trip to Sarasota

     I'm just sitting here at my computer, not sure what to do next. I'm in one of those modes where I've been going going going so long that now that I have nothing to do for a little while and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself! 

     Yesterday we went down to Sarasota for the day to visit some friends we haven't seen since we moved away in May. One of my best friends spent the day with us and we met one group of people for lunch at Troyer's Dutch Heritage. It is a restaurant and gift shop in the mennonite community of Sarasota. I didn't venture to the upstairs section this time, which is mainly things like purses, jewelry and other crafts and collectibles. 

     The restaurant has a buffet, though they also have a menu. I really like the apple butter and peanut butter spread they have that you can put on their rolls. I think the peanut butter spread is a mixture of peanut butter and honey and it is a little more liquid than regular peanut butter. You can buy a lot of their baked goods and jams and such in their downstairs shop, which is more edible items. They have bread, cookies, fudge, donuts, candy, cheeses, jellies, etc. It would be too easy to get carried away with all the good stuff they have in there. I managed to get away with a couple pieces of fudge and a donut (which I still haven't eaten). 

     After lunch, we went over to the Sarasota Square Mall where there is a Yoder's deli that we used to like to eat at. I really love their chicken salad, so I had to get a little container of that and I also got a jar of apple butter. As soon as I figure out how to replicate the chicken salad, I will let you know!

     For dinner we went over to the home of some other friends in the area. It was a nice visit, but we got away kind of late and still had an hour and a half drive back to Tampa! So we didn't get back until after midnight. We were definitely tired when we got back and weren't in a hurry to get up this morning! 

     I seem to be coming down with a cold and the sinus pressure has been giving me a headache all day. And I am still drained for the rest of the week. I feel ready to go to bed, but it is still too early. Normally we like to go look at Christmas lights on Christmas eve, but I think we are all just feeling too drained. We will probably look at some tomorrow, though.

     Hopefully I will be able to post tomorrow, but it will be pretty busy, so I may not. Either way, I hope you all have a great holiday!