I miss my blog!

Is anyone out there? It's me Lily & I'm still here. I've been a little side tracked these last couple of months but I am not gaining weight, I actually lost 1.4 pounds! So I'm happy about that, especially this time of year. It really is a small miracle for me which I am very grateful for. I have more to say about that later.
I just wanted to check in and say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! and share this photo of Miss Priscilla as well. We had a blizzard last Saturday and she can not resist playing in the snow. The only problem is, she gets filled with snow-like dreadlocks and I have to use the blow dryer to get them off while she busies herself trying to lick them off at the same time! This is a dog who refuses to drink the water out of her dish, but should she find some elsewhere, suddenly it's the most delicious water she has ever tasted where she can't even force herself to stop drinking it, even if she tried.

here she is looking really cute


& here she is looking cuter.

I lost the pound (and .2) I gained...

but that was last Saturday, so the question is, will I lose anything this week? Ok, ok, let me rejoice and remain positive!
I'll explain. It really was a miracle I lost anything last week though, because I was hungry every day, all day long, all week long. I didn't keep my food journal and I reluctantly went to my WW meeting last Saturday. I so very much did not want to go. I am convinced the only reason I lost that one pound was because the night before my Weight Watchers meeting my son had a 103.6 fever and I had just given him Tylenol an hour before I read the thermometer.
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when your child is sick? You know the feeling you get when what usually works really well to remedy the illness isn't working and you begin to realize you are moving into unknown territory, or at least territory you haven't visited since your child was 8 or 9.
Plus you realize at 15, your child is more like a young adult and a 103.6 fever is quite high for a young adult and you think back about how a week before you were in a foreign country and all these thoughts come into your mind in rapid succession-in other words, panic starts to set in. Have you ever felt that way as a parent?
Yeah, I was a little concerned, so I called the doctor at 10 PM last Friday, and I was pre-screened by the doctor's phone service. I respect that totally. And I noticed as I spoke to her my voice was shaking, then I remember thinking, wow I must be really worried. Then she asked me, "how did you take his temperature?" and when I replied with my shaky voice, " with a thermometer, I..." (I can laugh at my answer now) she said rather loudly and not so nicely, interrupting me as I kept talking, "ORALLY or RECTALLY?"
where upon my shaky voice disappeared as I morphed into Super Mom and I said, " ORALLY." but I said it in a tone that really meant, don't f#@&# with me now, just get the f-ing doctor on the phone, now please." & she did so and she did so very quickly. & I was relieved immediately because the doctor who was on call has seen my son a lot this year and she knew exactly what I should do and I did so and he is fine. God bless his doctor and her phone service screener person (and I mean that most sincerely).
Yes, he was fine about an hour after that call actually. Though I spent the next couple of hours in the bathroom evacuating everything in my bowels. This seems to happen to me when I get scared. Thankfully I don't get scared too much.
So, I am convinced that is how I lost a pound last week. So the ticker has been moved in the right direction! I guess every cloud has a silver lining.

thought you would enjoy a picture of her cuteness. please click on photo to see cuteness details up close and why she looks like a living breathing beany baby.

Priscilla is posing for a cause!

please go here asap and buy a raffle ticket to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The whole story is complicated but if you go there to that link I just highlighted for you, you will see how important it is. By purchasing a raffle ticket you will get a "virtual" chance to win a brand new Nikon D80 along with the Adobe Photoshop CS4 ! How cool is that?
Either way, you win, even if you don't win the camera, know what I mean?
I hope they raise a ton of money! Let's help them. please be aware, the drawing is this Monday, so if you are so inclined, please get your raffle ticket today or at least as soon as possible! Good luck everyone.

thank you dear Priscilla for doing your part!

please click on above photo to get an up close look at exactly how adorable Priscilla really is.

is she cute or what?

there she is playing in the rain soaked poppies. Actually she is intensely sniffing each and every one of them as if her life depended on it, & she never looks up at me when I call her name so I can snap her picture. That is why I had to hold her tiny chin up for the camera. It's as if she is purposely ignoring me thinking, lady, I got better things to do than pose for you all day, I have to be sniffing these poppies so, bug off. Only she is very tiny, so ultimately I being the master in control realize I can afford to be generous and let her have some time in her favorite part of the garden. Then I take her inside and give her a biscuit.

Finally a loss!

Saturday morning I was sure I had gained a pound. I couldn't get to my weight watchers meeting until later in the morning so I didn't want to eat fearing I'd gain 1 or 2 pounds of water weight that I have a tendency to gain as the day progresses. I was so tempted to skip the meeting entirely, but I knew if I did it would just make matters worse. My WW leader helps me stay on track. After I took care of my early morning errands, I finally got to the meeting anticipating the worst. I thought how great it would be if I could at least stay the same weight. Needless to say when the nice lady said I was down .2 I almost started to cry. I don't think I've ever been been so happy to lose so little. Sometimes I am amazed to find out how little it takes to make me happy. I wonder if that is part of my problem? I am starting to think I need to work this program a tad bit differently. I am starting to think I am settling. I think I need to change my approach. I'll keep you posted.

Priscilla after a bath. Isn't she adorable?

To lose or not to lose, that is the question.

I pray I am finally truly ready to let go of it.
Saturday showed another big loss for me, I'm down 3.2 more pounds. So in the last two weeks I've lost a total of six pounds. This is great news since 3 weeks ago I had gained 4.6 after being away from my Weight Watchers meetings for exactly four weeks. Now the challenge will be can I continue to lose? I haven't lost this much weight so quickly since I first started WW. At this point I don't know if it is due to my daily 1600 calorie regime or the fact that I've been sick the last three weeks! Maybe it's a combination of both. Whatever the case, I'm a bit nervous. I think I've reached my boiling point. I want to be done with this goal and start my six weeks of maintenance so I can become a lifetime WW member. I only need to lose six more pounds. I think I actually want to lose more than that but I don't have too if I don't want too in order to qualify for starting the WW maintenance plan. Right now my BMI is in the healthy range so that is a relief and my waist size is a tad bit less than half my height. & although I am tall, I'm not a big boned girl so I wonder if I'd probably be a little more comfortable with even less weight on me. I guess that is another decision I have to make once I lose these last six pounds. I often hear the last five pounds are the hardest to shed. Maybe that won't apply to me since I haven't made up my mind yet as far as exactly how much I want to lose!

This week should give me a clearer picture in terms of how much I can realistically expect to lose on 1600 calories a day since I seem to be fully recovered from what I think may have been the flu followed by a nasty stomach virus that lasted four days. I'm surprised I didn't gain weight with all the white bread and salty crackers and ginger ale I had been eating. I haven't had a piece of fruit or a vegetable since last Monday! Today I will attempt a berry banana soy milk smoothie. Yum, I can't wait!
This week I commit to staying positive while I track my calories. I also commit to drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep and exercising at least one hour a day.
I have no illusions, I know it's not easy, yet I feel up to the challenge for today.

Every year we let our Yorkie Priscilla play with the wrapping paper on Christmas day. She loves paper. Here she is looking all innocent. If you had seen her just moments earlier you wouldn't have recognized her-kind of like me after I've eaten a chocolate bar!

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.

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.

Indian summer picnic

This is my Indian summer picnic dream, that I would be able to carry my little Yorkie, Priscilla around in my picnic basket, or even better, take her on a picnic with me. Actually, if I could take her with me everywhere I would love that most. But you can see by her actions documented here in time lapse photography that she is not the least bit interested. Well, maybe for a split second or two.
First, Priscilla surveys the situation...


feverishly sniffing the linens she quickly realizes there is nothing of importance in this basket.Priscilla then ponders her next move...


Notice the hairy butt quickly exiting stage left!

Please go here to see what others are bringing to the picnic.
Happy Autumn everyone.

Sylvia is very patient.

When she saw me coming over to her I could tell she was hoping I would pet her. She starts doing all these flips and rolls and acting really cute as if to say, "pet me, scratch my chin, scratch behind my ears, please." Then Priscilla has to barge in and Sylvia has to make a decision,"Do I want to deal with this one now?"
That is why I think she is so patient because Sylvia totally puts up with her. Well, for the most part anyway. Like the other night when she was up on her hind legs fighting with both paws as Priscilla cowered in the corner, no that wasn't good. I literally had to pull her off of Priscilla. Still, I have to give her credit. I'm pretty sure Sylvia could make mincemeat out of Priss if she truly wanted too.

Sylvia seems to understand Priscilla's nosiness.

Maybe in Sylvia's mind she feels she needs to set boundaries thinking that somehow Priscilla will relent. I think Priscilla instinctively knows when to back off, though I would never underestimate her cunning ways.
Most of the time they peacefully co-exist.

priscilla resting

I am reluctantly accepting the fact that summer is coming to an end. It's hard to believe that here we are again about to shift into another season. Ian has started school and Priscilla is on the job. The millisecond the alarm makes that little click sound, the one before the alarm actually goes off, she catapults off the bed onto her bed that is on the floor right next to ours. The question that comes to mind is, does our dog actually wake up to the alarm clock?
Upon waking and catapulting she patiently waits for me to get my eyeglasses on so we may begin our morning routine. Don't worry, I won't bore you with those details. Mainly I just wanted to let you know that although she is very small, she is a working dog and this is what she looks like everyday after her morning shift is over. Do the words beanie baby come to mind?

wow, what a weekend!

Last night I finally finished watching Dan In Real Life. I had to see it, mainly because Steve Carell is in it and like most comedians I think he is a good actor. Anyway, I liked what he said at the end of the film. Talking about life and how most people make plans, he said, "...plan on being surprised..." So true I thought, because I have to tell you no one was more surprised than me this last weekend when I picked up the early Sunday edition of Newsday on Saturday and saw my other blog, Long Island Daily Photo featured in an article written by Darren Sands. When Darren first wrote me in May I wasn't really sure what to think. As a writer for Newsday, he told me he wanted to do a feature article about LIDP. Hard to believe, I thought, why me? I do love this blogging stuff. I can't get enough of what is happening in the blogosphere. There are just so many interesting people out there sharing their interesting experiences.
So let's just say when you consider how much time I spend (a lot) writing and taking pictures for my blogs, I felt pretty lucky standing in Waldbaums early Saturday morning finding the story written in Newsday's LI Life section about Long Island Daily Photo.

Yes, I knew the story was coming out, but I had no idea what it was going to be like. Never having been interviewed I wondered, did I talk too much? Would I be a good representative for the blogging community? -which I love, by the way. Opening up the paper in the supermarket, I immediately found the article. I could hardly believe what I saw. It was hard to hold back my tears of disbelief and joy. I may as well have left the building because upon my discovery I could barely focus on much else after seeing that yes, this was indeed true, Darren actually wrote the story and it is now published in Long Islands largest newspaper. So much for my anonymity!

I didn't want to read it until I got home so I could share it with my husband and son. After all, these two people are a great inspiration to me-one can't help but be creative when you live with such great creative minds. So husband and son loved the article Darren wrote and they loved the photos he included. So thank you husband and son for always being there for me. Thanks Darren for writing your beautiful story. Thank you Mom and Dad and my dear family and friends for visiting my blog, encouraging me. Thanks Blogger for hosting my blogs. Thank you my fellow bloggers for all of your inspiration, especially Eric Tenin who inspired LIDP and Petrea Burchard who first welcomed me at Paris daily Photo. and lastly but definitely not leastly thank you Quasi-Mom for telling me I should start a blog way back when.
I know, I know, all of these thanks may sound a little too much like an acceptance speech at the Oscar's but now is the time for me to be grateful and thankful- and that I am. Oh yeah, thank you Jesus...
Here you see one of my favorite animal lovers holding the baby of the family who just turned three yesterday. Happy Birthday Priscilla!

Is Priscilla staring at the yellow fire hydrant?

No one can ever tell for sure exactly what she is doing or thinking. I can tell you this though, no one should ever have to endure the sound of a nine and a half pound Yorkie barking as if she is a German Shepherd before 7AM. When I watch her bark this early in the morning I seriously question how I could possibly love her as much as I do. Her bark is gruff and loud and pitchy and loud. Her bark makes my ears ring. I tried the dog whisperer tactic of talking softly, standing over her and making her sit. She responds by trying with all her might to sit as she desperately stifles a whimpering noise, eyes pleading, why? Why? Why are you making this so unbearable? She does actually sit there though and guess what happens after I tell her how good she is when I walk away?
Have I gone over her morning ritual as we wait for Ian's bus? How she runs to each of us looking earnestly with imploring eyes, begging us to think about what is going to happen. Once again, the yellow machine will be taking Ian away she seems to be reasoning and WHY ARE YOU HUMANS ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN? Every morning like clockwork she does her laps circling the living room. She jumps on Ian's lap letting him pet and cuddle her. Then she runs past my husband throwing him a glance quickly realizing he's the dog whisperers double so why bother trying to pull one over on him. She jumps up on my lap so she can look out the window hoping to catch a glimpse of the bus. Her head darts side to side, first looking out the window, then over to the door then straight at Ian. She repeats this intense looking at least three or six times. She acts as if her life depends on it or our lives depend on it.
As soon as Ian has one foot out the door it's as if she has completed a mission. She looks back only for a quick moment to make sure she has indeed accomplished her job of aggravating each one of us as she runs towards the kitchen stopping before her biscuit jar hoping for a reward.

Have you ever seen a dog faking sleep?

I know she is faking because it is a rare moment when I make the slightest move and she doesn't spring to attention. This is the dog that jumps up (actually I should say hops, because she really does hop, like a bunny she hops! ) from a seemingly sound sleep a half a second before the alarm goes off. Here she lies directly on top my pillow acting like she is sleeping. She thinks maybe I won't disturb her, like I may not kick her hairy butt off of my pillow, if I think she may be sleeping.
Tired of me taking photos of her in the above position, she gets paranoid thinking maybe she really shouldn't be sleeping RIGHT ON TOP of my pillow, so she moves to the foot of the bed, hoping I will leave her alone.

Still hoping I won't "wake" her...I kneel down in front of her to get a better look. There is no denying it now, she's busted!"OK Mommy, I'm awake...look at me, look how I am so upright," she communicates to me telepathically. Only being like her mother I see her eyes are glassy and she really does need to rest.which is verified by her quickly sinking head...There she goes, eyes glazing over...la la land here comes Priscilla. You can see why I love her.

you're not sick of looking at her yet are you?

I didn't think so, so I just had to share this with you!
You can't tell but she's looking straight at me. Her eyes are tired but that does not deter her mission in life ( I love her little hairy leg hanging down by the back of the pillow). She is happy in this position because she is basically on top of Ian's head but she can still see everything I am doing. This is very important since in her eyes I am the endless supplier of food. I may sprout something for her to eat at any given moment and she is fully committed to be at the ready!

Priscilla sleeping

This is how she spends a good portion of her day. It wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that she has taken up waking me at 5AM for the past two weeks. What gets me is why does she cry for me? Why doesn't she ever go over to my husbands side of the bed and cry for him? This does not make me feel special or loved in any way. I keep telling her this and even though she sits there waiting patiently while I speak, as if she is listening intently, nothing changes.

I am actually feeling sleep deprived. It's terrible. Unless I am sleeping by nine PM I will not get a full nights sleep...ever.

"My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can."

-Cary Grant
I love this quote. Click on his name & you will be linked to a pretty cool website dedicated to Mr. Grant. I was looking for a quote about beds when I found this. It rings so true to me.

Today I bought a new bed for Priscilla-thankfully. Her old bed was fairly disgusting. Our old humidifier would mysteriously leak water and with her bed acting like a giant sponge...well you get the picture!
This new bed is so cozy looking, more like a giant pillow with paisley bright colored quilting. It's big & puffy too.
So acting like a pack mule entering the living room I inadvertently frighten Priscilla as I balance a large mirror, some new linens & Priscilla's bed. She wanted to come and greet me so badly but she trusted her instincts knowing that something about three times the size of her was making a lot of noise inside that plastic bag I was trying to negotiate.
Getting rid of the noisy plastic I figured she would go check out her new digs when I set it down where her old bed used to be. No such luck.
Actually, it's not the first time I have had to return a rejected pet bed. Though I have to say it was always our cat Sylvia who did the rejecting. And they were some plushy warm comfy looking cushiony beds too. Sylvia can be a bit of a control freak though, but that's another story.
Two hours later & Priscilla is still making a giant detour around her new bed every time she either enters or exits the living room. You can almost see her thinking... imagining to herself that if she got too close to that strange kind of psychedelic puffy cloud thing some weird portal may open up & suck her into the bed zone.
Then Ian comes home from school. Immediately seeing the new bed he shouts with glee,"I love this bed!" while promptly lying across it- perhaps reliving the days he used to pretend he was a dog. Right behind him was Priscilla running over quickly curling up into a ball as close to him as she could possibly get.

Bathing Priscilla

So innocent, so unassuming as she perches,
relaxing on her favorite chair.
Little does she know, but wait that left paw
goes up as she sees me approach with camera
in hand... "The water is nice and warm, I could just stand
here for awhile & soak my butt a bit."
"Hey, this isn't too bad this warm bath she's giving me-I
could even lick the water too. " "OK, now I'm getting bored...what's up with this. Uh-oh ... this is not good."
" If only I could lick the soap off of my back."

"I think I have had about enough of this." "I am sooo out of here!"
" How do I get this water off of me?"
" Maybe if I keep running back & forth against the wall
-that should help."

"Wait...I'm smelling something. Hmm, it smells like...me!" "Ahh this is so good, I love this bed spread. The texture is perfect for this."

"I think I can actually get all the water out of my ears if I just keep rubbing them over & over,
& over again. Yes, this is better now."
" A shake right here is very invigorating."
" Just one more."
"Now I'm good!"

Priscilla

I love her.
She is our family dog. If I told you how my hubby greets her everyday when he gets home from work, you would smile-but I don't want to embarrass him, so I can't. & our son, when he gets home from school Priscilla & he are like long lost buddies who haven't seen each other in years. & when I get back from picking up my hub from the train which takes all of five minutes, Priscilla will run to greet him lovingly & longingly but then she will look for wherever I am wagging her stubby little tail (oh how I love her tail- especially when it's wagging) at me as if to say, "I missed you so much!" I always tell her that I was just here & she was with me all day, but that doesn't seem to matter to her.
I love her.
To be continued...

Lots of people talk to animals....Not very many listen, though....That's the problem.

Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

Our dog Priscilla knows how to communicate with us to get her needs met. It's usually one of five things, she is hungry, she needs to go out, she wants to play, she wants a walk, or she wants to go to bed. If I am upstairs working, she will make little crying noises at the bottom of the stairs to alert me. I'll go downstairs open the door & she goes out. Saturday she did this, but when I opened the door she wouldn't go out. Wondering to myself what her problem was, I realized it was her lunch time. So I looked at her & I said, "Are you hungry?" & I kid you not, she very distinctively looked me straight in the eye & nodded her head up & down.

Last Sunday we had our first snow. My husband burst through the door, "Get me the camera!" & this is what he photographed...

This last one is my favorite.