Great Weekend

We had an awesome weekend.

Friday night we went out to dinner with good friends. It was just such a relaxing evening. Good food, good talk, and plain old comfort in the air!

On Saturday, we had a special dinner with more friends. They brought the Pasta directly from an old pasta factory in Italy. They also supplied the anitpasto. I made the "gravy" (with meatballs) and dessert. A wonderful collaborative effort!

Sunday was quietly filled with sleeping in, watching football and wearing sweatpants!! A PERFECT combination.

Each night I plug in my iphone. Once a week I plug in the laptop. This weekend, I re-charged MY battery!

Update

I figured all my avid readers (all 2 of you!) would like an update after my hypnosis session. Well, there is not really much to report. I can say that I am very conscious about what I am eating and I have noticed the ability to make better choices. I will stay off the scale for at least another week....baby steps.

#1 Son is still sucking the life out of us - one breath at a time. I pray that he will find the strength to make the best possible decisions.

#2 Son is working hard and diligently saving money for a house. We will miss his dog when he moves out. His wonderful girlfriend still spreads sunshine every time we see her.

#1 Daughter is busy raising my beautiful granddaughters. I hope they always remember their recent trip to Paris and England.

#2 Daughter is also working hard and saving money for a house.

#3 Daughter is still pondering going to Europe for a year to work.

WHAT, I HAVE STRESS???? HA HA HA HA!!!

I need to go back for another hypnosis session - it was the best rest I've had in a LONG time!!

You're getting sleeeeepy....

I went to a seminar last night. It was a hypnosis session for weight loss. Hey, I am desperate, I will try anything short of getting my jaw wired.

I did hypnosis once before - 26 years ago - to quit smoking. I walked out of that one session completely smoke free. Of course, I was so motivated to quit that I think if a stranger on the street came up to me and said, "STOP SMOKING", I would have!

I am no less motivated this time. I have tried, unsuccessfully, to diet for quite a while now. The only thing I have succeeded in doing is gaining a few more pounds. Granted, there is extra stress in my life right now and I could blame that - but anyone who has kids knows - THERE IS ALWAYS STRESS!! It is time to get a grip!

The seminar was free. They charge you for the hypnotic session and follow up materials. All follow up seesions are free, also. Not a bad deal, so I paid and sat through the group hypnosis.

It is going to work? I'll let you know.... I want it to work, and I think that is half the battle. The other half is trying to keep my hands from shoving food into my mouth... baby steps....

Jersey is not THAT far, is it?

Saw the extended family this weekend. The family will be growing again - it was a baby shower. So nice to get together for happy occasions. I must love my cousin a lot - did I mention it was in South Jersey??? When I got the invitation, I simply responded, "Yes". There is nothing I wouldn't do for my cousin, "The Matriarch".

Trying to remember some of the highlights of the day.... Was it when Mr. W. touched something on the GPS and had us going around in circles? How about when we were making the punch and I decided to sample it, with an extra shot of Vodka (hell, it was 12:30 already, certainly time for a cocktail). Smelling the 5 different chocolate candies that were melted into baby diapers? Watching Jen open gifts? The hugs... I love hugging... it was good to hug everyone.

Yes, those were memorable moments - but for me, it was the 'visiting' that was the most fun... seeing my cousins, huddling in a corner, catching up in quiet conversations - THIS is what it was all about.

Thanks, Jen, for giving us a reason to all be together. Thanks, Angela #2 for hosting it at your beautiful house where we could all mull around and visit with each other. Thanks, Matriarch, for pulling the family together for this happy occasion. Thanks, "Accidental Mother", for showing up and proving to me that you are a real person and not just an avatar! And, a special thanks to Mr. Wonderful for never blinking when I said, "We have to leave at 9:30 tomorrow morning to go to a baby shower."

Bedroom Humor

The picture below is what is on the wall over our headboard:





The last time all the kids were together, they decided to surprise us with an addition:



Ah, they know us so well....

Labor Day Weekend

This is the first Labor Day Weekend that I have NOT been in Key West with Allison and "the girls" in 4 years!! We have decided to postpone the trip until after Michael allows us all to breathe normally once again! (This kid always was a pain in the ass!!)

We had a wonderful weekend - the boys spent the weekend with us. Spent a quiet Saturday evening together and got up early to do some marathon shopping at the outlets on Sunday. LOVE shopping at the outlets on the Sunday of a holiday weekend. There was no traffic and HUGE sales! We decided to come home when there was no more room in the car for packages.

After the shopping trip, we did take-out on Sunday night and went to bed early. Monday we held a contest to see who could spend the most time in their pajamas without showering. Michael won (or was it Joe??) - I totally lost (I was in the supermarket by 8:00am). BTW - a BIG thank-you to Joe for cleaning the downstairs - the bar looks absolutley amazing,!!

Michael has another stressful session this week - send the prayers, please.

Ice Luge

Just in case you were wondering what an "Ice Luge" looks like. The birthday boy is pouring a shot down the luge, while Bobby waits for the iced delight at the end! It is so refreshing to see all the kids play so nicely together!

This is what the yard looked like the morning AFTER the party. You would think I would have a picture or 2 of the yard DURING the party, but then again, I was not in charge of photos...