I missed my weight watchers meeting Saturday morning,

but I did get to go see my grandmother and for today that was more important.
I weighed myself when I woke up & it looks like I stayed the same weight, so that is good, especially after consuming mass quantities of food on Thanksgiving. Though I really didn't completely over do it. My worst offense I think was the eggnog. I love eggnog.
Last week I took the metabolic test my DR prescribed and soon I will find out exactly how many calories I personally need to consume to lose two pounds a week. The test involved my breathing into a tube for ten minutes with a giant clip on my nose to make sure, the technician told me, that I breathe only through my mouth. Supposedly this helps to accurately measure my metabolism.
Last week when I was at my WW meeting I asked if I could recalculate my point allowance, points are what they call calories in weight watchers. I have no idea why WW does this except that maybe it is easier to add them up. So, guess what happened? I found out that I should be eating two less points a day! So there may lie the solution to the weight loss plateau that I've been experiencing. It turns out if you weigh less you should actually eat less. Since I have lost 12 pounds, my points allowance changed. I guess I'll find out for sure if this will finally be the answer to my weight loss plateau the next time I weigh in at WW.
Meanwhile I have to tell you about this tea I finally found. It's called Orange Spice Rooibos Tea. It is completely caffeine free and has a very full bodied flavor. I absolutely love it. Please bear with me while I go off on a little tangent here.
Last summer in the form of a small miracle, I found out I had a dangerous heart arrhythmia. I was very fortunate to have discovered it. Within five days of finding it I was cured of it with amazing medical technology by a DR who has done 20,000 of these procedures. To make a very long story short, I don't know if you remember my story about having to give up caffeine last summer. Well, I never wrote that I had to give it up due to the arrythmia, I just found the whole scenario too overwhelming. I did however write about how much I didn't want too. In case you missed it, you can read about that here if you'd like. In retrospect, I think it was probably good I had the caffeine issue to focus on because the other stuff was way too frightening to think about so giving up the coffee served as a much needed distraction. I found out that decaff still has caffeine in it so for an entire month I wasn't allowed to drink any coffee at all. It nearly ruined my summer. I know... given the circumstances, this may sound pathetic , but I do love a good cup of coffee in the morning.
After I saw the heart specialist for my follow up, he told me I could go back to living the way I did before, but my cardiologist insisted I limit my coffee intake to drinking only decaffeinated. Truthfully I never thought I would be able to have any coffee ever again so this news made me very happy.
So what does this have to do with the Rooibos tea? When I was in the midst of my coffee withdrawal I was looking for a tasty substitute when I read Reluctant Farm Chicks post on Rooibos tea. You can read her post here.
I've been looking for it ever since & I finally found it at Trader Joe's and the added plus is, their brand is organic!
Reluctant Farm Chick is right, it is absolutely delicious. It is so good, my son drinks at least one if not two big mugs of it everyday. According to the info on the box, it is a "powerful antioxidant... high in minerals that may contribute to the maintenance of healthy skin, teeth, bones and metabolic processes". I love finding foods and drink that are both delicious and good for you at the same time. This is what it looks like.

thanks to you reluctant farm chick, I now have finally found a suitable caffeine substitute!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wherever you are & Whatever you are doing today I hope your day is filled with serenity & hope.
With that said, I have been tagged by Tuscaloosa Daily Photo over at my other blog. I thought I would write about it here since my other blog is more of a photo blog. Apparently people in the blogosphere like to tag each other with a sort of theme that the person tagged can respond too. This is the first time I've been tagged so I will do my best.

The rules of this Meme are:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six Random Things About Lily Hydrangea:

• Lillies and hydrangeas are two of my favorite flowers.
• I've been a vegetarian for almost twenty years and the one time I ate bacon (since I've been a veggie) I wound up in the emergency room the morning after. I'm fine now, but I think that coincidence is quite telling.
  
• I've been trying to lose 18 pounds since November 2007, so far I've lost 12.
• I'd like to live in Italy for a year or two at some point in my life.
• I love swimming in the ocean and feel quite fortunate that I live so close to one so that I can do so every summer.

• I believe that world peace begins at home.

Now it's your turn! But don't worry if you don't want to play.
I tag;

My soul sister at Quasi Mom

Bettye at 365 Days in Islip

Barbara over at Life around Levittown

Cynthia over at Muse Swings

Lydia at WriterQuake

Anyone else who would like to play along. Just let me know if you do play, so I can visit you and read what you posted!

Love & Peace,
Lily

It has been 22 days since I last posted on my weight loss debacle. It's not that I have stopped going to weight watchers, it's just that I was so frustrated after my last DR's visit I thought anything I wrote would be tainted by this frustration.
I purposely schedule a doctors appointment every three months so that she will check my weight. I know this may seem rash but I need all the help I can get. So after taking four weeks to lose 1.8 pounds, I get on the scale the morning of my visit & I discover I gained FIVE pounds!
Yeah, that was a wonderful morning. This was after writing down every single thing I ate, exercising six days a week, I was convinced I was in the groove. To make matters worse, by the time I got to the DR's, the scale said I lost six pounds. I'm sure that extra pound was my clothing.
WHATEVER.
I didn't want the DR to think I was in denial so I showed her my weight watchers record so she could see I actually had been losing weight. Convinced it was my thyroid causing all the melee, she sent me for blood tests. I haven't heard anything from their lab though I am fairly certain that must mean it's normal. Two days later, I lost all of the weight I had gained. My conclusion, it must be hormones. I looked at everything I had eaten before and after the weight gain and there weren't any changes. My eating was consistent as was my exercise. What else could it be? If you are a woman you know how this works.
The good DR is also making me take a metabolic test next Tuesday. Supposedly this new test will measure my metabolism so that I will know exactly how many calories I need. It will also tell me if my metabolism is slow, medium or fast.
I'll keep you posted.
On a positive note I should add that I have found much needed consolation in my little yorkie Priscilla. She is going through a bit of a health crisis due to our recent discovery that she has epilepsy. It's strange how this works but my caring for her helps me keep things in perspective. She has had a few seizures but the medicine is starting to take effect. She started gaining weight because the meds makes her feel hungry. It's hard not to feed her when she is begging for food, especially after everything she has been through. You can see by that last comment where I find my comfort! LOL!
So I make sure I measure everything. I also take her for extra walks. This is good for both of us. Yesterday when I took her to get her blood tested, she actually lost weight which is excellent because a few weeks ago she gained almost two pounds! That is a lot for a dog that weighs just 9 and a half pounds to begin with. I count my blessings every day that she is OK. She means so much to our family.
Look at how adorable she is all curled up here. I love how she lets me cover her in a blanket.

sixteen plus years of memories

I say plus because the memories started when your mom knew she was expecting you. I'll never forget the first day I knew we were soon to welcome you into our family. I called Bobbi from work. I was working in Macy's Herald Square in the display department and one of the sales people let me borrow the phone. There I stood in the middle of the fine linens department. I knew your mom was to see the DR & she would know that day for sure, what was it going to be, a boy, a girl? Then she would call Bobbi with the news.
Bobbi answered right away when I phoned, "You'll never guess!"
I could hear Bobbi nearly gasping with excitement.
We already knew there would be twins, so I guessed, "a boy and a girl?"
"No", she said, "you are not going to believe it." "OK, just tell me then, I can't take it!", I nearly yelled. For me, the anticipation, the excitement, it was too much to bear. & then Bobbi said it, "One is going to be a girl... and so is the other one!"
Soon after that, through all of your Mom's amazing efforts, she & your Dad brought you home. & we were all doubly blessed. So now I am starting to get very choked up thinking of that day and all the days you have been in our extended family and then I think of how much we love you & how your own family loves you, especially your brother, & your Mom, & your Dad, and of course, Nipper!
So now I just have to remind you of some of my own memories...

Look at how adorable you two are, side by side, celebrating your birthday together.

Do you remember who made this cake for you?



Look at how kind you were to Ian when he was just a baby. You are still so kind to him and he is very lucky.



One Christmas when Aunt Lisa was in town, we had the crazy idea to try and get all the cousins together to take a group photo. As you can see, chaos ensued. Notice Jenna sleeping on the chair in the midst of it all...

Then, desperate for a solution to group you all together, we thought, hey why not stick them all in a crib? Only Jonny could barely hold big Ian & Ian, sensing he was about to be dropped, began to cry...Bobbi tried her best to make him stop...well we got the group photo, sort of.



Remember all of the times we played in our favorite park together? We had lots of happy times there. I remember Jonny alternating between pushing Ian and Tracy. Jonny is such a great big brother, & cousin!





So here you both are today, sixteen years old, well not sixteen in these pictures, but you know what I mean! & our family has never been the same since the day we were all stunned with the wonderful news. How lucky we all are to have you both in our lives, dear, dear girls. You have brought so much joy into all of our hearts and you have done that just by being you! Happy Birthday Tracy & Jenna!

happy anniversary to me!

I can't believe it has been one year today since I started blogging. I wanted to post something special today to commemorate the occasion so I will leave you with a post about my favorite animals, nudge one & nudge two, my faithful loyal companions.
The way they act, you would think these two are sisters. They love each other very much, but like some sisters I know, they seem to watch each others every move as if to make sure the other one stays in line. Priscilla, the dog, seems to think it's her duty to make sure I let Sylvia, the cat, inside whenever she hears her outside the door. She will bark at the door until I let the cat in and then promptly trot away as if she is thinking, yes, my job is done- your welcome very much.
Priscilla also thinks it's her job to get me to fill up Sylvia's food dish. If I am upstairs she cries until I come down and when I ask her what she wants, she darts her eyes to the cabinet where the cat food is kept and then over to the cat, doing this several times until I get the hint. I kid you not, this is exactly what she does. I know, it's unbelievable, right?
Between the two of them, Sylvia mostly keeps Priscilla in line. She does this by making sure Priscilla doesn't chase any squirrels. If Sylvia catches her chasing the squirrels, she dashes across the yard like a cougar & swipes at her a few times just to let her know those squirrels are not negotiable, at least not unless she isn't too busy sunning herself on the patio.
Sylvia also likes to lie in wait behind the ottoman until innocent Priscilla happens to stroll by only to be jumped over and around by Sylvia the cougar. This sudden movement by Sylvia causes quite the ruckus with lots of very nervous barking and then playful leaping and more half hearted swipes on Sylvia's part. Priscilla seems stunned every time.
Like humans, these two require a lot of attention. As you can see by this photo, they give me a lot of attention too. This is their favorite spot to sit and look at me from. I have never been more stared at in all my life. Notice how they hang out by their food dish & the door. How convenient.
I hope you enjoy visiting here as much as I enjoy posting here. Thank you for reading & leaving your interesting comments. They always make my day. Until next time, Love,
Lily
PS If you enlarge this photo, you can see the contrast in personalities by noticing the look in their eyes.

who wouldn't love this man?

top ten things I love about my baby...

He is a true artist.

His love of New York and sharing it with me.

His ability to keep a confidence, I have never known him once to be indiscreet. Your secret is always safe with him.

His gentle nature, he would never hurt a fly...literally!

He is always interesting to have a conversation with, he seems to have an unending knowledge on most every subject.

He makes me laugh on a regular basis.

He knows what is important in life.

He takes care of his family.

I love how he shares his cherished childhood memories.

He is such a great Dad, always demonstrating his love for our son.

Have you ever met someone who completely inspired you from the first day you met? For me, that would be my husband. I met this man when I was in high school & we have been friends ever since. He is my hubby and my best friend & I love him. Today happens to be his birthday and if he happens to stop by here today I just wanted him to see I was thinking about him much like I do every day.
Happy birthday dear love of my life!

Barack Obama is our Nintendo 64

Videogum so appropriately labeled this, "BARACK OBAMA IS OUR NINTENDO 64"
Watch this if you like to laugh.

the slo mo part is especially funny.

Proud to be American

I hope I am right in assuming that no matter who you voted for, today you are proud to be an American. Just before going to bed last night the news of our President elect Barack Obama forced me back in front of the tele so that I could witness this historical event in real time. I am so glad I did. First there was John McCain's gracious concession speech. This is the part I liked best,

This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.
I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too.

But we both recognize that, though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation's reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.

A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters.
America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States.
Let there be no reason now ... Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.

Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day. Though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.
Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain.
These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

I urge all Americans ... I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.
Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.

please go here to see John McCain's full speech.
I don't think John McCain could have conceded any better than that. McCain's show of unity made me proud to be an American.

And then there was Barack Obama's victory speech. This is the part I liked best,

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our Founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. (Cheers, applause.)
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled -- (cheers) -- Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states; we are and always will be the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.)

It's the answer that -- that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. (Cheers, applause.)

To read Obama's entire speech, please go here.

I had a feeling Barack would win, but I voiced that opinion only to my son and only because he asked me what I thought. Truthfully, I was afraid to say what I thought out loud. I was afraid that the hope I had in what Barack Obama has been telling us was a false hope, unbelievable to most of America. I was also afraid America would not elect Barack Obama simply because he was an African American. I am so glad I was wrong. I am so glad that the majority of people are not afraid. I also was not prepared for the wellspring of emotions I felt deep inside as I watched history unfold before me. I was not prepared to feel the gratitude in my heart upon seeing the utter joy in the faces of my fellow Americans who happened to be black as they listened to Obama's victory speech. This truly is a victory for all of America. Last night for the first time in a very long time I felt true hope for our country. I felt that despite my lack of hope I was surrounded by people who had great hope, and that is a good thing. We all know change is inevitable, but it also requires courage to change. I think I am finally getting the real meaning behind, "Yes we can."

"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew"~Abraham Lincoln

Vote and the coffee is on Starbucks.

update...My son just heard on the news that Krispy Kreme is giving away star shaped donuts to voters & Ben & Jerry's is giving out free one scoop cones!

Go into Starbucks on November 4th, tell them you voted & they will proudly give you a tall cup of brewed coffee for free!



Thanks Starbucks, Ben & Jerry's & Krispy Kreme!