rainy monday....

It's cozy and dark in here, with the rain coming down and my pumpkin spice coffee warming my hands. My walk was earlier, before the rain moved in. Jonathan is reading, "Stuart Little", and Kathryn is working on her Norwegian.

The rainy weather is going to clear up and we are going to have a nice, sunny, mild week here in central New York state. Lovely autumn weather. There is a conference at church this weekend, which means we are running the grill/candy store, which means taking inventory, planning, and shopping.

I also have a mammogram scheduled for Wednesday, and am going to go get my bloodwork done tomorrow morning. My last mammogram was two years ago, it wasn't fun, but honestly it wasn't as bad as I had imagined it would be. The technician was about my age, she was very pleasant so it wasn't so awkward. Because, come on, it is kind of awkward. But, if you have a strong history of breast cancer in the family like I do, you should get that mammogram done. Even if you don't have a strong family history, you should get one done. Because we all know that early detection can be the difference between having treatment, or having a death sentence. (My mother had breast cancer in her early forties, double radical masectomies, cancer spread to the lymph nodes....she lost her hair and was quite sick, but she suvived it and lived another 25 years)(25 blessed and much appreciated years)(My mother's mother died of breast cancer in her thirties, and my father's mother died of it when she was 52, I believe).

So I have a busy week ahead of me.

Duke is a great dog. When we first got him, I had this heavy feeling, like, "What have I done?!" But he has fit in so nicely! Jonathan just loves him to pieces. Duke likes to put his head, or even his whole upper body, on Jon's lap. He is a snuggler, and he loves to be pet and praised. He doesn't really like to run around and play much, he goes outside and just walks around, never straying too far. He likes to pee in the hallway, so we started to put the couch across the hall during the night, but they both jumped over the couch. So Paul cut a piece of plywood to put across, real classy I know, but it keeps them out of the hall. Dogs often won't pee if they are in smaller quarters, so he holds it now until morning. He is smart though, I let bring them out between 6:30 and 7:00 every morning, so on weekends, he starts barking by seven. He has to go!!!

Anyway, he is a sweetheart, and I am glad we have him as part of our family. I never ever thought I would allow a dog on my couches, let alone TWO dogs on my couches. We keep them covered and wash the quilts all the time, but still. Duke actually lies on the floor alot anyway.

so, enough about sweet little Duke. Suri is still sweet too:)....

I have been walking diligently, and eating well. But. In the evenings, ugh. No chips or candy bars or anything too bad, but popcorn...too much popcorn sometimes, and chocolate. The dollar store has 3.5 ounce bags of Lindt chocolate, two for a buck. It melts in the mouth, is so so yum. I only meant to have a few, but dang it, the calories add up too fast. So I am working on staying out of the goodies in the evening. The scale is staying the same same same these days, this morning I thought, "The heck with this! I am just going to eat a pumpkin spice donut for breakfast!" But I didn't. I CANNOT give up. Even if I don't lose another pound, I am NOT going to regain. No way no how. I feel a million times better than I did 70 pounds ago.

Okay, so lately I have been battling this interesting sort of Feeling Sorry For Myself. Poor me, I haven't accomplished anything. I can't do anything right. When someone can't find something, it's because I am such a lousy organizer. I spend too much, dinner is too late, I can't lose any more weight, I have no friends, I have no career, oh poor me. Never mind that I KNOW how blessed I am. These thoughts seem hilarious, but when they are mulled over and taken seriously, they can be the seeds that grow much discontentment. So I decided to really take a stand against them.

Right now, Kitty Kitten is sitting between my face and the computer, purring and kneading, making me into a more comfy bed. He is also a cuddler, sweet as can be. And since Jonathan is chatting away to me between sentences, and Joe just came home from work because it is raining so hard, I am distracted. Quite possibly I have nothing left to say this morning, although I doubt that.