Happy Birthday to Me! (and Lisa)!

ok....so...yesterday was my birthday...and Lisa's, too. She was my 3rd birthday gift! And, of course, we've always thought that made us special! lol She went to Galveston Friday and is spending four days with Kari & Warren. I should have gone. Instead I stayed home and mowed the lawn (and am getting calluses on my delicate fingers from it!!), watered the plants, worked on a doll for Averie (who is scheduled to arrive Thursday unless she decides to arrive on her daddy's birthday tomorrow--that would be special), read a book, cooked myself a special birthday breakfast, did laundry, and napped...I had birthday calls from Lori and Lisa at 7 AM! (they were on the beach---just wanted me to know! ha), Kari, Mother, Lindsey, Tricia & Ray and e-mail from Natalie.

Saturday I rec'd cards in the mail from 2 cats, Mother, Lisa and Lori....and a special package....it had a specially made tiara just for me!!!! It was made by Kris Hurst in Georgia (http://krislhurst.blogspot.com/ and http://www.shurst.etsy.com/). I granted her rights to use some photos from my Flickr account and she felt the need to not only send me three image CDs, but to also make me my very own tiara! Now you know that I've always thought I was born to wear one! LOL (and, btw, it is not easy to take a picture of yourself wearing a crown!)

Yes, I had to shower and put on make up (even mascara!) and get dressed just for this picture! (Ok...the truth is that I finished mowing the lawn and I needed a shower...and I was thinking I might go out to school and start weeding---yes, this requires make-up, too--SR staff are so much more clothes and personal appearance conscience than staff at Carver that it is like night and day! I never put forth the effort for Carver---my effort went in to enduring a 45 min. drive one way every flippin' day for two years! Don't get me wrong--I was very grateful for the job--I just hated the drive.)

Did I say which birthday...ok 51...because if I don't tell you then Lindsey will certainly make sure it is known! I'd planned to throw myself a 50th birthday party this year....but I haven't lost all the weight I want to lose....so the party is postponed until then....could be next year...could be the year after....but it will still be a 50th birthday party...no matter how old Lindsey says I am!

And I want to say Happy Birthday to my dear friend James today! July is THE month as far as birthdays....our dearest German friend, Alexandra Biederbeck's is the 7th (it has been 10 yrs. since we've seen her, but we keep in touch and hope to see each other again someday), Rickey's is the 14th, Warren's the 17th, mine and Lisa's the 20th, James' the 21st, Brent's the 22nd, newly arrived Averie McGinnis is the 24th, Lindsey's the 25th, Vickie's the 26th, and my sweet departed friend Victor's was the 30th....and I could name a dozen more people I know who were born in July.

July people are special....and some of us like to wear tiaras!

Fill 'er up!

I've scheduled another lapband fill for Aug. 5th......

When I had my last fill (in late January), I became concerned because Dr. Green had to remove some of the saline that he'd just injected because the liquid I swallowed wasn't going through.....it made me really nervous about having another fill!

However, it's gotten to the point that I don't feel filled up anymore....like I'm always hungry or wanting to snack...and I was finding way too many things to snack on! Granted, they've been low-cal, BUT they've almost all been carbs. So I didn't buy anymore when I bought groceries this week....

...it's so hard to be good!!! ;)

Exercise....sort of...

Does standing in line for 3 hours count as exercise?? What about another hour of milling around? That's how much time we spent at Antiques Roadshow Dallas! It took right at 3 hours just to get to the front of the line where they "sort" you out--you are given specific tickets to where you need to take your items, such as dolls, decorative arts, jewelry, metal, tribal arts, etc. Then, depending on how long the lines are, you stand in more lines to get your items appraised. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to go....the show will air sometime Jan-May 2009.

Other "exercise" on the agenda for the week: mowing, weed eating (Ashley & Lindsay: sorry I've put you out of a job!! I love you!), re-potting some plants, major rearranging and cleaning in the library, picking blueberries for myself!

Picking fresh blueberries...

Who knew there are fresh blueberries for the picking in this area?? Have I been living under a rock?? Thanks to Natalie M. mentioning to Kari that she'd picked berries near Canton, we started searching for PYO (pick your own) farms to see what is available.

About 10 miles north of Bonham and 2.5 miles west on FM 274 you can find Walker's Blueberries with 20 yr. old blueberry bushes a tad over 6 feet high. They bear fruit from mid-June to mid-July. Miz Walker is 83 and is open from 8-12 am...although you can go pick before she opens, she said you have to stay till 8:00 'cause that's when she comes on down to the blueberry patch to collect your money. She has 1 gallon and 1/2 gallon buckets for you to use when you pick, but if you are smart you'll bring your ziploc bags and fill 'em up right then and there... and they are ready to pop in the freezer. It's a good idea to call in advance (903-583-4739...you'll get her recorded msg. about the status of picking and whether she will definately be open or not) 'cause things come up and sometimes she won't be open (she's got a funeral to go to tomorrow).

If you want to find out where Pick Your Own farms are, visit http://www.pickyourown.org/. Scroll down to select your state and from there you will choose the area of the state you live in (be aware that some areas overlap...such as Dallas-Ft. Worth area and North Texas area). Pick Your Own farms are listed by county within the areas.

Because Kari & I have been driving around southern Oklahoma the past week like our skirts are on fire, we have really had to get creative about scheduling some things that we really want to do....such as pick blueberries. We had appts. today at 9:00, 10:30, and 2:30...so Jake came over to spend the night with us and we got up at 6:00 AM and left at 6:30 AM and were picking blueberries before 7:00 AM...we were up so early we had shoo the guineas out of the middle of the road where they were roosting!

There are a few "rules" you need to know about picking blueberries....

• don't pick anything with a red tinge to it cause it's not ripe and blueberries do not ripen off the vine


• if a blueberry is ready to pick, it will just roll off into your hand when you grab it....or as Miz Walker's daughter, Jane, said, "you tickle the blueberry and if it is ripe it will release into your hand."


• don't wash your blueberries until you are ready to eat them


• blueberries should go straight to the freezer after they are picked if you aren't going to eat them soon


• fresh picked blueberries will keep in the fridge for about 10-14 days


• you don't have to bend over to pick blueberries


• you might need a step ladder if you want to go for the big juicy berries at the top of the bush


• your hands will get stained! (can you see some on my fingers?!)

We picked just shy of 2 gallons in an hour....Jake was picking for Gram. I divided what I'd picked up between Kari and Jake, so that Kari has a gallon to take home with her and Gram has just about a gallon to put in the freezer for herself. I'll be going back out next week to pick for myself...hopefully, Jake and/or one of the girls and/or Mother can go with me to pick. We called it quits at 8 so we could get to our other appts. About a half dozen people showed up to pick just as we were leaving!



Why the craze over blueberries? Well, it is probably the healthiest fruit you can eat.

• full of natural antioxidants to help protect against chronic diseases associated with aging
• anti-inflammatory properties
• promotes urinary tract health and reduces risk of infection
• low-calorie (1 c. = 148 calories)

I try to eat blueberries every day with low-fat yogurt, some walnuts, and low-fat oat granola. I also tried out a smoothie this week using some blueberries.

Kim's Blueberry Breakfast Yogurt

1/2 c. Kellog's Low-Fat Granola Without Raisins
1/2 c. low-fat vanilla yogurt
handful of fresh blueberries
1/8 c. broken walnut pieces

Kim's Breakfast Smoothie

1/2 banana
1-2 strawberries
small handful of blueberries
1/4 c. plain or vanilla yogurt
splash of orange juice or lemonade
spoonful of sugar or Splenda

Whip up in the blender and serve! Yummy!! Of course, you can mix up what fruits you might have on hand, such as pineapple, peaches, papaya, or mango. Experiment and enjoy it!

Mowing as exercise...

I hope that Kari is sitting down when she reads this post....otherwise she may pass smooth out from the shock of what I've just done....


Just a few weeks ago we were discussing the last time I had mowed a lawn....and we agreed I was probably in high school.....do you know how long ago that has been???!!!!

I can't stand to see the grass overgrown...so I decided I was going to mow one day last week...only I couldn't get the lawnmower started....I seemed like I just didn't have the strength to pull the cord hard/fast enough! :(

Lindsey came over and mowed last night....she unexpectedly showed up this morning, too...so I asked her to start it for me....well....it seems I just didn't know HOW to start the mower!! I had no idea I needed to push a little red button several times (prime the gas??)!!

I've tried to be conscious of ways I can add more exercise to my life...and mowing would certainly be one!! ugh!! I realize my job is fairly sedentary (unless I'm having to take over a place and do major cleaning/reorganizing, which has been the case at every library job I've had--but even that is not long-term day-to-day work). Jake and I worked Friday evening/night, Saturday morning till 1:00, and I worked pretty much all day yesterday cleaning/organizing laundry room and my office bookcases. This week I'm going to be working on the front room with Jake....I canNOT start back to school with my house needing to be organized/cleaned!!

Oh....and in case you didn't believe that I really did mow the yard, I offer this picture as evidence...completely un-retouched!!

....and now I'm off to buy vaccuum cleaner....so I can get even more exercise!! ugh!

6/17 update: I also bought a weed-eater....even more exercise!! lol

Chipotle Shrimp Salad

I sent Mother to Kari & Warren's over their first anniversary weekend. She babysat Grace and Pete for them and enjoyed flying down and having a long weekend of taking Grace for walks and watering Kari's little garden. Kari fixed a roast for Gram and some shrimp salad. Mother brought back the recipe and has talked about how good it is....so here it is:

Kari's Chipotle Shrimp Salad

4 c. cooked shrimp, tails removed, and chopped
1 c. diced tomato
1 c. diced mango
1 T. cilantro, chopped
1 T. onion, chopped
1/3 c. sour cream
1 T. fresh lime juice
salt & pepper to taste
1 med. avocado
1/2 c. spicy dressing (French's chipotle mayo, Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch, Newman's Own Southwest or make your own spicy dressing with low/no fat ingredients)

Combine shrimp, tomato, mango, cilantro, and onion. Toss with lime juice, sour cream, salt and pepper. When ready to serve, add diced avocado, and dressing. Mix well to coat. Serve with corn chips, crackers, pita chips, or some other favorite crunchy!

Where to start??

I had a job pre-interview scheduled for after school....I put on pantyhose for the first time, literally, in years (it's a miracle some even were in my drawer!)...and they fit...and not tight either! I put on a dress that I bought last fall and some little black heels. This is a dress I'd been saving to wear when I hit the 50 lb. mark. A job seemed more important that day than whether I hit the mark! So needless to say, all this gussied-upness caused quite a sensation at school from the time I walked in the door until I sashayed out! lol These people have never seen me really dressed up! Sad... I used to dress like that every day!! Of course, I had a full-time aide when I was at Achille and I wasn't the one that had to crawl around in the floor to shelve/move books. During the course of the day, I remembered why I had quit wearing pantyhose to school...and dresses!! Manual labor isn't condusive to wearing pantyhose. Unfortunately, before the day was out, the interview had to be rescheduled for the next day.....gad!!! I couldn't take wearing pantyhose for 2 days in a row!! However, I have to admit that I'd forgotten how empowering heels are! lol

So the next day.....I just stop at the house and put the same dress AND pantyhose back on....and continue on....empowered! click click click down the hallway... LOL

That was last week....

I get an e-mail from Etsy telling me that my AmEx card has expired 5/1/2008...I'm thinking it's odd that I didn't get a replacement one in the mail...so I call them on a Friday. I'm told that they sent me a new one in June 2007!!! (why?) They tell me it was mailed to Denton, TX and returned!! Ok..I could understand that one....maybe. Kari & I share the same AmEx account, but we have different card numbers...and I knew she had updated the mailing address, but if they sent it June of last year just a month after she married, I could forgive that. However, they did not even have my mailing address in the system and said they didn't have Kari's name change to Worsham. Ok...so I took care of all the updating and was assured I'd have a new card out by overnight express. Monday came...and went...no card...BUT, Kari received a new card in the mail at her house!!!! and her card doesn't even expire till 2012!! Tuesday came and went....no card...Wednesday came and went without a card, too. I call them again and am told they don't have a log of me even calling and requesting a new card!!! So I have to go through all of that again....and am assured they will overnight express me a card, but it would be Friday when I get it. Friday comes and I get a call from Kari....Warren rec'd an AmEx card in the mail for me...at their house! I get home and I get an AmEx card delivered...made out to Kimberly Worsham...with a different number than the one Kari rec'd for me!!! AAaaaarrggghh!!! These C- people trying to run the world drive me NUTS!!!! especially when I have to make more than one phone call to straighten out their mess!!!! Needless to say, I call AmEx again...and get them straightened out. I get a call from their customer service at 9 PM!!!! Don't call me on a Friday night when I'm tired, cranky and YOU have screwed up and want to know if I'm satisfied with my recent dealings!!! You know what the answer to that is going to be! Monday I get a new card...gee whiz!!! Wednesday I get another call from customer service telling me they will compensate me with 2,000 customer reward points because I could not use my card for 24 hrs....24 hrs?!!! I told her it was a week!!!! thanks to inefficient, incompetent people at AmEx who could not simply send out a renewed card...to the correct address...with the correct name!!! She repeated again that I was getting 2,000 customer reward points....ok...and I'm supposed to be grateful for that? Today I get a Thank You card in the mail from AmEx customer service telling me it was a pleasure to speak with me about my recent experience and they certainly appreciate my feedback!

This past week I overextended the muscles in my upper right arm (due to two nights of working for about 4 hrs. each night) by sitting on the couch and reclining on the left side and so my right arm was extended across my body...well, P A I N in the night...as in NOT being able to move my right arm AT ALL!!! Nearly killed myself trying to wrestle one-armed into a bra---went to school late---decided I was nuts to try to drive one-armed for such a long way---once there, realized that I was pretty much useless trying to get books checked in and put up---s0 stayed about half a day------didn't go at all yesterday---couldn't get dressed...etc. Moaned in pain....could only sleep a few hours at a time....discovered it is amazing how much we flex those upper arm muscles for the slightest thing....could only lay in a certain position...and even then, the pain never completely stopped....during this time I was taking aspirin, applying stinky muscle rub stuff (can't believe I even had any!!), and trying to keep my arm warm....Ashley brought me some Ibuprofen last night and wrapped my arm in an ace bandage (anything to help keep those muscles still!!!).....then a miracle occurred....I slept all night and woke up with no pain. I can't explain it....MSII Worsham had told me that the nerve would grow back if that was what was damaged....this just seemed to defy explanation-- to go from intense pain to none....well, I do still have some tenderness in areas....and I'm careful to not try to muscle anything around using that arm or carrying anything heavy...there is one position I can't quite move it into.... I did not tell Mother about this because all that hovering around trying to help gets on my nerves when I'm in pain, but somehow she found out and came over this morning...and she was a big help...folded laundry, made my bed, went to get groceries with me....and I appreciated it today because I had no pain!

Needless to say, this gave me a whole new appreciate for Cristian de la Fuente on DWTS. :)

That was this week.... and now I'm like 3 days behind at school already!!!!

Only 13 more days of school!!!!! Woo hoo!! It cannot get here soon enough!! 'cause I need a vacation.