fish rider

Liz is also a fan of nudes, so I wanted to make her a special birthday card. The origami fish is made from a page of a libretto for Die Fledermaus that I got at a library book sale. The origami pattern is from a book my late sister Jeannie brought back for me when she stayed in Japan for a while. I think it was around 1970. She liked unusual things, and I know she would have loved this card. The water plants* at the bottom were done with a metal leafing technique. *Liz interpreted them as flames of hell - which is a very cool concept (wish I had thought of it!).

hello, spring

Bird party.

View from our front door - snowy Ricky.

Last week winter threw a last (hopefully) bit of snow at us. It didn't last long. Yesterday and today were beautiful, though. Sunny, mid-50's, light breeze. Perfect for running. Yes, I said running. This boot camp business has me doing stuff I never would before. On warmer days Mike and I have been going to a park with a bike/walking path that has 5K marked. He rides his bike around. I do a combination of running and walking. Today - except for about a 20-yard section of steep hill which I walked - I ran the rest of the 5K. Woo hoo. The old fart is getting healthier.

a farewell, boot camp, and flaming bananas

My poor, neglected blog. I dread posting sometimes because our computer is so old and so slow - everything I have to do to prepare photos takes forever. Frustrating.

A couple of personal notes.....

Jim's mom passed away a few days ago, three days after her 93rd birthday. She was an amazing woman. Drove her car until she was 90. Was sharp as a tack until the end. Avid golfer up until a few years ago. Warm and witty, with a terrific sense of humor - we always had some good laughs together. She was the perfect mother-in-law - easy to get along with, loved her grandkids with all her heart, and never pried or criticized. She and Jim's dad raised four wonderful human beings. She will be missed.

I'm still plugging away at the boot camp classes. The weight is coming off slowly - about 12 pounds so far. I think it's a little harder to lose weight now because of the cancer med I'm on - it messes with my hormones. Plus, I'm just getting older! Thank goodness for Goodwill - I can find smaller clothing at a small price. I'm hoping to drop more weight, but don't want to spend money on "in-between" pants sizes. Every Sunday is half price for seniors (which is me!). I got a couple of pairs of really nice jeans for $3.50 each - woo hoo!

Dieting sucks - I love to eat! But, I do splurge sometimes. Like tonight. Mike made us Bananas Foster - caramelized bananas topped with flaming rum, served over vanilla ice cream. O-M-G so amazing! It's something I've seen on cooking shows and have always wanted to try. The kid's been on a cooking kick lately, so I asked him to make this dessert. It was actually very quick and easy. We've decided that next time he makes it, we want to add homemade Belgian wafffles under the ice cream.

all-state 2013

Mike made All-State again. This year he was in the Symphony Orchestra - mostly strings, relatively few woodwinds and brass. It was a nice change of pace for him. The music selections were beautiful. Four students from his school made All-State this year - all in different bands... Mike in the Orchestra, one guy in Symphonic Band, one in Concert Band, and one in the Jazz Band. Congratulations to them, and all the talented musicians from all over the state.

decorated envelope

I like to decorate envelopes before mailing to my artsy friends. Usually it's just random stamping, and usually I don't take pictures. But this one I thought I'd share. My friend Dena sent me this gorgeous notecard, and usually I would save something like that forever. But - I am so proud of myself for not hoarding this time - I cut it up and stuck it on an envelope back to her. I couldn't resist adding a couple of friends peeking out behind this lavish lady - can you see them? The "same outfit" stamp was from a Viva Las Vegastamps grab bag - you never know when a silly stamp might come in handy...   I also used the back of the notecard as the address label - it was too pretty not to.

another tradition

Every Christmas Kim makes wonderful soft caramels for people on her "Nice" list. She delivers them in a pretty bag, with a tag and ribbon. Last year I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to make a thank-you card using all the wrapping bits. It was so much fun, I did it again this year. Here is this year's card. The bright paper is the goodie bag - I used one of the Spellbinders cut/fold/tuck sets. The sparkly bit in the center is a silver twist-tie (that was used to close a cello bag inside the paper bag) folded into a little rosette. The ribbon is tied on the inside of the card. I also like to use the tag - cutting out and reversing the To/From.

Inside:

Last year's card:

happy new year

This week I started a fitness program. It's a local group that has had a ton of great success stories. I wanted to post here and make it extra official - no slacking. It's a 16-week "boot camp" program, with really tough exercise classes, support group meetings (nutrition, etc.), and a running club. I've been to boot camp classes three times this week (I am so sore all over!), and I may try a running club tomorrow morning (eek!). I can't even run a block, but they tell us that people like me are broken in slowly.

I like that the exercises are nothing fancy - we just have to bring some hand weights and a mat to class. But they're nothing like the old aerobics classes I went to back in the 80's. This is a full hour of harrrrrd work that includes both strength and cardio. I started it with Susan & Sue, and have seen other people I know in classes. Woo hoo! I'm excited to get fit, shed a few (ok, more than a few!) pounds, and make some new friends (everyone in class is soooooo nice - not those snooty fitness club rats).

Wish me luck!