esmerelda in residence

Crank up the volumn

Batuta Discos from Radio Soulwax on Vimeo.

 I love Vimeo!

One of the funniest

bloggers I've run across in a long time.

See for yourself - she speaks my language.

We are going away

For the first time in 3 years, the Mr & I are going away for the weekend.  Since the hounds arrived in our life, no more spur of the moment off to a beach get-a-way type weekends for us. Now getting away involves the booking of plane tickets for the dogminder, booking of cottages and planning of meals.

Of course, since we are headed here, it's raining.

He loves me

even though after 8 years I am still disturbingly vague as to the exact date we got married;

even though I've packed on 35 kilos since we got married;

even though he said "Yes, we can have ONE dog, and it sleeps outside" and we now have THREE that all want to sleep in bed with us;

even though he says "don't put anything on the credit card" and I go out and buy new handbags (hey, it was a bargain) and cookware the very next day;

through all this and much more.

And I still love him;

even though he said he didn't want dogs, I catch him speaking to one dog in french, the other in spanish and the third in japanese and catch him putting the oldest dog on our bed at night ;

even though I am gassier than him;

because all I have to do is mention that I might want something and he gets it for me;

through all the ways shows he loves me, large and small.

Happy anniversary Husband.

Now, I just wish I could find a 5 foot chicken.

Same old me, only the expanded version

When I went back to the states in April (for my daughter's wedding & a whirlwind tour of the US) I got on the bathroom scales.

Sweet jesus I whispered (because the grandkids repeat everything you say) - appalled at how much I weighed. I then promptly went on to eat my way through the US. Then I came back to AU, got dooced and went back to the US for 5 more weeks of extended eating and managed to pack on a few more kilos.

In July I started a new job, in August I started Weight Watchers. I've reached the age where I can no longer starve myself for a few weeks and drop 10 kilos. I have also reached the point in my life where I can afford to buy the "good" butter, but my ever expanding waistline doesn't allow me to indulge as I have in the past.

The husband and I have developed a pattern over the last few weeks. I plan out the menus for the week, he does the grocery shopping. I cook, he helps me clean up. Just starting on to week 3 of the plan and I have managed to drop almost 2 kilos. We spend more money on groceries (lots of fresh veg and fruit - the economists that spout "buy in season" haven't been grocery shopping for a while, it's all bloody expensive). The husband is on the plan by default. We both feel better, but jesus tapdancing christ, it's a rough slog.