Friday, July 12, 2013

A VERY Happy Birthday!



Happiness is when your parents (who have been ex's for years) put their petty differences and bickering aside so that you can have a wonderful 8th Birthday!

(Really proud of them both. This is what being grown up and putting your children first is all about.)

Needless to say Kaylee was one happy birthday girl!

So...as of this morning's coffee and chat with Idgy...only


                                                                                        more days...

Until "real hugs" and coffee and chocolate-dipped biscotti...and soon our "getaway" with sand and turquoise water...and stones and driftwood and bonfrie and wine and US, of course! Can't wait!!!!

And we are going to share The Fast Diet together!
Which is AMAZING...btw...more on this later...

And everything arranged for PA...and transportation from Philadelphia to Carol's for the lot of us...Thanks Janine! Looking forward to helping Diane in the kitchen as sous-chef...and to help hide the M&M's from Sal...checking out if The Beast really does hit over 110 mph with Carol...listen to Loren play guitar...help Ralph bake brownies...celebrate Sal and Diane's leap of faith...Darleen and Jeff's marriage (June 1st, 2013)...and just listening to Dave talk (...who doesn't love an English accent...) and so much more! 
Can't wait to see 
The Rest of The Family!

Not long now.

About The Fast Diet...this is the end of my second week. Originating in the UK the rules are fairly simple. (I do the AFD as opposed to the 5:2) and are as follows:

"Fast Days" I restrict my total caloric intake to 500 calories.


The next day I can eat whatever I like.

The amazing part is...it actually works!

My first week I lost 2.5 pounds.

This week I have lost an additional 3 pounds and almost 2 inches around my waist. 

I realized something good was happening when I could remove my jeans without unzipping or unbuttoning them!

Like Idgy says:

"When your jeans are falling off your ass...you're losing weight!"


Five and a half pounds in 14 days!

And I did it while enjoying the occasional chocolate cupcake or bag of greasy onion rings.

Yeah...I am completely hooked!
Only 24.5 pounds to go  :)

 Beautiful weather for playing in the garden this week...though my manuscripts (and writing) seem to be suffering for the unseasonably nice...rather be outside basking with a pile of books and a cold drink...frame of mind. They may have to wait till winter now. The garden is wonderful...picking another batch of green beans to go with dinner this evening!  And the blossoms on the strawberries are now clusters and clusters of greenish white berries (see below)







The single pink roses trimmed back and the American Beauties blooming red and beautiful again!

This week's literary adventure The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell. A work of fiction set in a New York City Police Precinct during prohibition. The story of a typist who realizes the power she inadvertently wields as she transcribes the confessions of others. When others think that your flying fingers are recording exactly what is being said...or are they?

Filled with femme fatales...mobsters...bootleggers...and a twist at the end worthy of Hitchcock...I could see this easily becoming an award winning film!

Great summer read. Highly reccomended! 

(...you'll never look at a transcripionist quite the same again...)

And STILL in queue for Stephen King's "Joyland".

Wishing everyone a Wonderful Weekend!