It's a beautiful day! Cold, but the sun is shining! I do not have near as many warm winter clothes as I have summer clothes, and with the 16 lbs that I've put on over the past year, my choice as to what to put on for the day is even less, Grrrr! I'm really trying to take off some of this weight, but with my love of food it aint easy! Yesterday I did good all day UNTIL late last night when I sat down on the couch in front of the t.v.! Before I knew it I was shoving ritz crackers with the cheese from a can on them down my throat!
On my last attempt at a diet, Pat was taking a picture of me each and every morning in one of my bikinis (that I have NO business in) because I thought if I saw myself in it, it would make me stick to the diet. And, when I saw the progress I was making, it would make me stick to the diet...NOT! I've decided to have one taken once a week from now on.

I love photography! I used to love everything about it, most of all taking the pictures, but I loved being in front of the camera too. I was (and still can be at times) a real ham! I've learned that with the right lighting, the right time of day, and the right lens, anyone can look younger! I bought a new flash this past year and it's amazing how if it's used outside at the right time of the day, it erases almot all of my wrinkles! ALOT cheaper then botox and fillers or a full fledged face lift! Of course, my facebook friends who have not seen me in years, might not recognize me if they saw me in person! I guess I'm a facebook fraud! lol! Sometimes I think I put too much stock into pictures that I see of myself. If I do not like the way something I'm wearing looks in a picture, I will never wear it again. I could save a lot of money if I would carry my camera with me and snap a picture of myself in the clothes that I'm trying on before I buy them! As crazy as this sounds, I have had Pat take pictures of me before I bought some of my sunglasses! BUT..I splurge on my sunglasses. I bought my first pair of Coco's about 6 or 7 yrs ago and I still have them. (Dang it, that picture did not go where I wanted it to go again..i've got to figure out how to get my pictures I post here to go where I want them)! Oh well, above is a picture of my first pair of Coco shades! Nothing subtle about them being Coco Chanels with the HUGE CC logo on the sides of them! Yep...that's my style...gaudy granny! I do believe that there are three things a woman cannot spend too much money on, her sunglasses, her watch, and her pocketbook. These are things that you shouldn't feel guilty about spending a lot of money on because if you buy the right ones, they will last forever!  I'm still wearing my Gucci watch that I bought in Sicily (when we were stationed there) 22 years ago! I own two of the three things I believe it's worth splurging on. My shades and my watch.  I love my pocketbooks because they allow me to show off my grandkids without having to pull out my wallet that's full of their pictures. I buy them from an online site called snaptotes, but I'm still dreaming of one day owning a designer handbag!  When my daughter Allysons husband Mark surprised her with a Louis Vuitton pocketbook I think I was more excited then she was! I immediately ran to my computer to check out the Louis Vuitton bags to find the one I want! With Pat being out of work for over a year now, I've got a long wait until I'll be carrying myVuitton! Oh well, I can always dream!
With my saying this, I have to tell you that I have absolutely NO money sense! Which is no doubt, why we're in the financial shape we're in. I try to blame it on my mom, because as a child, I remember her saying more then once that "you might as well spend your money today, because you may not be alive to spend it tomorrow". Better to blame her then myself! yep it's all your fault mom!
I think I already mentioned in this post how my daughter Christie thinks I'm manic depressive, because when I shop I feel like I'm on a high...I get giddy! It's not until after I've thought about what I've done that I start to feel depressed! Online shopping is on a whole other level...because I don't even have to hand over or sign a credit card, it feels like it's free shopping to me! Kate will tell me about some new makeup or nail polish and I'm running for my computer, typing as fast as my big crooked fingers can type, ready to place my order! Poor Kate, she always tells me "oh no..please don't tell dad that I told you about this"! She knows her mom all too well! I tell Pat and I say "it's all Kates fault"! I have to give my mom a break from being the one I blame!
Yesterday I saw a post on fb from a friend, (Kim) of a dress from anthropolgie that she liked, I immediately clicked on it and purchased it! It is a cute dress..it has scottie dogs on it! and it was a steal at a mere thirty some dollars!  I know, I know, a 57 yr old woman should not be in a scottie dog print! But remember, in my head, I think I'm in my 20's! Let's just hope that I don't get scottie dog obsessed! Usually when I buy a top or a dress with print on it, I have to find earrings, a bracelet, and/or a necklace to match the print! I call these outfits my "theme outfits". I have my leopard theme outfit, my seahorse theme outfit (I even found seahorse sandals to go with this one), my starfish theme outfit (and yet again a pair of sandals to match this one), and my anchor theme outfit (yep..anchor sandals too),  I usually wear them on cruises. That's just one of the awesome things about a cruise...you can wear whatever you want and not have to worry about anyone looking at you like you've flipped your lid! Or maybe it's all the booze...you just don't notice them looking and laughing at you, because you're two sheets to the wind?! Being on a cruise ship is like being in another world! One cruise I wore a strapless black bra for my swimsuit top..no one even noticed! If I could afford it and it weren't for getting cabin fever, I'd live on a cruise ship!Okay, so my purchase of my scottie dog print dress is Kims fault! Lol...hey, I have to find someone other then myself to blame!
I can't believe that we're so close to welcoming our newest little grandaughter into our family! Kate has less then three weeks to go until her C-section. I'm ecstatic! And not too much longer after she has her little baby girl, Ally will be having her little boy! I just wish Ally and her guys didn't live so darned far away. I miss them terribly. I do thank God that Dave and Kate and her family live close to us, and for His bringing Christie back home to us. That was an answer to a long time prayer!
And with that I shall close...but not before adding on my dose of cute!

DANG it...it did it again...somehow too many pictures posted here! I clicked on three pictures, and I somehow ended up with 6 showing up on this page! The ones of Patrick and H and Eve and Cole are of their halloween costumes...the ones of Chloe Belle are not of her halloween costume...but it is an outfit that of course, gaudy granny bought! Next time she's in it, I may just have to get out my leopard theme outfit and have grandpa take a picture of the two of us!