A is for...

Stolen from Skinnier and Saner, Mostly
by way of Through Thick n Thin

Animals: Wow, we have lots! Chickens, parakeets, cockatiel, dogs, cats... WOW!

Best Friend: My husband, who works harder than most to keep us in house and home!

Cohabitants: Most of the time--just me and my daughter. Hubby is only home every other weekend and on those weekends, our oldest daughter and her hubby are here too.

Desires: I want to get back to full-time teaching this year.

Eye Color: I say green, others tell me hazel... Who really knows?

Favorite Foods: Steak... Steak is the food of the gods! And, just about anything with cheese in or on it!

Games: Most years we spend the months of April, May, and June (and sometimes into July) at the softball field. Not this year though as my daughter isn't playing.

Habits: My worst is spending toooooo much time on the 'puter!

Interests: reading, cooking, surfing the net

Job: I am a parent trainer for the parents of kids with special needs.

Kitchen: The kitchen is still somewhat my favorite room as I love to cook and bake. I hate, however, cleaning up!

Languages: Just English, though I did take two semesters of Spanish. I just never used it enough for it to really "stick" if you know what I mean!

Most Valued Possession: Wow, hard to say...

Named After: Both of my grandmothers--Ovie LEE and Martha ANN (hence me being Lea Ann)

Outfit You Love: I am loving being able to wear jeans after 20 years of not doing so. I'm also loving being able to go just about anywhere and find something that FITS me!

President: I'm thinking McCain as I'm not sure America is ready for Obama or Hillary.

Quote: 'If it makes you happy than it can't be that bad' - Sheryl Crowe.

Religion: Baptist

Shoes: anything with an open heel--just bought a pair of imitation Crocs at Walmart and have been wearing the heck out of them!

Television Shows: The Biggest Loser, House, ER, CSI (any of them), Law & Order (any of them) and can't wait for the new season of Army Wives and Burn Notice!

Unsavory characteristics: hmmmm, I'll let you know!

Video: as in what do I like? drama and comedy...

Webpage: well, there's THIS one! And, there's also THIS ONE...

Xbox or Playstation?: none of the above...

Year Born: 1967

Zodiac Sign: Leo - Roar!

Garden Progress--rows hoed!

Over the weekend, my daughter and son-in-law were here. Hubby was also home. Between me, my daughter (not the married one--she's prego!), and my son-in-law, we got the rows hoed! While my original plan was to get at least 10 rows, we ended up with 12 the full length of the garden and then 2 more that were about half the length of the garden. SO, now i have to revamp what goes where! The garden is about 27 feet across the end closest to the camera in that pic. It is about 47 feet long on the left side and almost 50 feet long down the right side. The two short rows are in the back, right--along the woodline. I think that is where I'll put the pumpkins!

Finally bought a new sewing machine...

I used to do some sewing for my business. I made little 4 x 6 drawstring sachet bags with ribbon drawstrings. They sold pretty well for me, but they were hard on sewing machines. So, when I started losing weight, I was without a machine as the one I'd been using was worn out. I've wanted to replace it for like 2 years now but just have not had the money. Today, I stumbled on a cheap, Brother machine at Walmart for $69, so I picked one up. It is basically the same machine that used to sell for like $87, but it has had a couple of price "rollbacks" and is now $69. I will be making some maternity clothes for my daughter and will make myself some shorts. I need shorts badly for this summer!

I also did a lot of shopping for patterns for baby stuff. When my youngest was born, I made her crib set--quilt, pillow, bumper pads and such. I picked up a pattern today to make a set for the baby. I've got plenty of time since he's not due till late July! I'll be sure to share pics as I finish items!

TOO many cinnamon rolls...

So, lately I have had the most powerful craving for cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing... The other night (Friday), while in Krogers, I found some at the bakery. Well, not really AT the bakery, but rather on a table in a main aisle. I'd been avoiding the BAKERY! LOL SO, as I'm big on caving in to cravings and getting past them, I bought the danged things. BAD move! So, I had one Friday night. Then, another Saturday morning. And one on Sunday... Monday... Well, yesterday the scale caught up to it all! 201! While part of it is that Aunt Flow is due early next week, it is only PART of it! Another element in this gain is that I've been eating too many of those sugar free bread & butter pickles and the sodium has me retaining water again.

Now, I am back to focusing on protein and getting away from carbs again. I'm on day two of it and I can already feel the carb cravings backing down. But, the scale better start backing down again as well! Momma is NOT happy! LOL

Garden Progress Update 3

Today's progress is meager, but progress no less! I got seeds started for my cherry tomatoes and for cantaloupe plants as well. I have about 75 cherry tomatoes started and about 35 cantaloupes. I also cut a couple of barrels in half for strawberry container gardens. Now, I just need to figure out how many plants I can put in each of these and whether or not I have enough! I put about 100 pounds of potting soil in each half-barrel...

100 posts...

I've only been blogging here since the fall of 2007, but this post is my 100th post! My, how time flies! I'm 20 months postop now. I've lost 213 pounds to my lowest weight of 197 pounds. I've lost over 175 inches from all over my body. My WLS journey has been a wonderful ride and it is not over yet!

April 22--Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. What does that mean? Well, if you go to http://www.epa.gov/earthday/ and read, you find the following:

Celebrate Earth Day

On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. It was a time when cities were buried under their own smog and polluted rivers caught fire. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect our global environment. Learn about the history of Earth Day.

The EPA site lists some things you can do in your home and community as well as at school and work to help make a difference. Here's a few ideas:

reduce, reuse, and recycle wherever possible!
compost your yard waste instead of bagging it up to go to the landfill
be aware of the chemicals you use
make energy efficient choices when buying appliances, light bulbs and such
conserve electricity and water

There is also a list of Earth Day events and volunteer opportunities...

But, when you stop and think about it, what are you already doing to help the earth?
Have you bought any of the reusable cloth shopping bags?

Have you stopped using paper/disposable dishes, utensils and cups?

Do you reuse any of the plastic grocery bags you bring home from the store?

Are you recycling your plastics, glass, and newspaper items?

Are you a member of your local Freecycle group?

Do you keep your car tuned up properly and walk or ride your bike at times to save gas and automobile emissions?

Have you taught your kids the REAL reason why we should turn off lights when we leave a room? why we don't run the water the whole time we're brushing our teeth? It is about conserving energy/water, NOT about keeping the bills lower...

When you shop for groceries, are you mindful of items that use lots of fancy packaging versus items that are more conservative and more earth-friendly in their packaging?

What about water bottles? Are you using a refillable bottle OR are you buying tons of single water bottles? Have you seen the commercial now by Brita--30 minutes on the treadmill, a lifetime in the landfill... It is in reference to a plastic water bottle... Those things don't break down! If you are using the single use water bottles, PLEASE recycle them!

We must all do whatever we can to help keep our earth healthy. Without a healthy earth, we can't have healthy bodies!