What can you make from a half of a circle ?

Happy almost end of the week Blogland Neighborhood ! Nothing really new or exciting here at MBIAJ .... more snow and ice yesterday .... another snow day resulting in a house full of bottomless pit teenagers (ah yes .... remember those days of super efficient metabolisms ? when just looking at a chocolate chip cookie didn't just automatically bloat you up a quick 10 pounds?). Well, I must say the snow and ice do provide some outdoor exercise (and I don't mean the fun kind) .... I mean the kind involving shoveling and scraping the frozen precipitation off of my car, etc ....and, why you might ask don't I just put the car in the 2 car garage we purposely made sure was included when we built this house 5 years ago so that I don't have to shovel and scrape the snow and ice off of the car ???.....




.....that's why ..........there are 2 dirtbikes, a motor scooter, 4 mountain bikes, 3 road bikes, 2 mattresses, a lawn mower and proably a partridge in a pear tree in our garage ....all that crap seems to rank higher than good ol' mom and her car (and don't think that all of it belongs to the kids ..... oh no ... the CEO (i.e. dear old dad/Mr.Moonbeams himself) owns at least half of it .....but that's OK , I'm not bitter .... but I do think that the next time the weather guy predicts more snow and ice that stupid (I mean precious) motor scooter and a few of those bikes may just find themselves OUTSIDE in the yard.... OK, now I feel better ....

Anyhow, back to the original topic of today's post .... "What can you make from a half of a circle (of fabric, that is)?" .....


...you can lay a bunch of them out on a table and alternate the colors to admire them ....


....you can fold them in half and pin one side to make a bunch of these and.....



....let the photography dept practice taking close ups .... (I think they need more practice ...)




...you could chain piece/sew all of those folded over half fabric circles and make.....



.....some sort of a garland .....



......or a snakey kind of a thing ...




....or.... I know !! how about a scarf?!?!?



....oh...of course .... a new hat for Kitty ....brim down or.....



.....brim up ....(hmmmm...wonder if we could interest Aretha in one of these hats?)





.....OR..... you could make .....




....FABRIC FLOWERS !! These were lots of fun and very quick to make..... and I have Dawn at Sew Ritzy Titzy to thank for the great instructions ! Now, I must tell you all that I had to add an extra layer of "flower" on my flowers to hide my sloppy stitching .... I added a yo yo flower under the fabric covered button on top of the 2 layers of fabric petals .... but that'll be our little secret.....shhhhhhh.....

Be back soon ....

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Ethel ! Ethel !!! It's here !!!!!!!!!

Good morning Blogland Neighbor-hood! We're so excited here at MBIAJ Headquarters cause lookie what the nice UPS gal (yes we have an UPS gal named Peggy Sue who is the nicest , friendliest gal on the planet .... she knows everybody in town and goes out of her way to wave at you from her UPS truck if she sees you walking or driving down the street ..... and she just turned the BIG Hawaii 5-0 yesterday .... I know this because somebody plastered a BIG sign near the bridge that said "Happy 50th UPeggySue ! " .. get it?.. U- P(Peggy)-S(Sue) .... OK ... I got a little off track there .....anyhow, as I was saying ..... lookie what Peggy Sue delivered to my house .....

...."I Love Lucy" fabric!!


....and more "I Love Lucy" Candy Factory fabric !!!



......so, we're really itchin' to get at that fabric and do some sewing, but ....






we've got the usual Saturday "to do" list of chores , etc to do ....I'm proud to say, however, that unlike last year I got the Christmas tree undecorated on Martin Luther King day and Inauguration Day !! Not bad, not bad .... getting that done on January 19th and 20th is an improvement over Feb. 4th !! Anyhow, even though the tree was undressed doesn't necessarily mean it left the building on that same day ....... noooooooo...... even with repeated requests to the male population of this organization, they saw nothing wrong with letting the brown, brittle, drooping tree sit in the living room for just a few more days until they were motivated (by my foot ) to get it OUTTA HERE !!! However, they then felt their work was done .... I requested that one of them (Matt or Evan) vacuum up all of the pine needles all over the floor , then I went upstairs to bring the laundry down ..... and this was the scene I came back to ....




......Matt and his buddy Mark relaxing (Matt with his feet up on the coffee table) watching tv (of course) and Matt's girlfriend, Erin doing the vacuuming !!! .....and do you know those guys had the nerve to tell her to hurry up because they couldn't hear the tv over the vacuum cleaner noise !!!! WHAT !?!?! .....and what, you may ask was Evan doing instead of helping ? ..... well, he apparantly had much more important things to do ........



....like seeing if a plastic slinky would fit around his head .....







Have a good weekend !! Be back soon!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Desperately seeking COLOR !!!!!!

Good Sunday evening Blogland Neighbor-hood!

I took these pictures today ..... and they are NOT black and white pictures ..... these are COLOR pictures ...... talk about DRAB !!!! UGH !!!(you think that's bad ... you should see my pasty complexion...) SHOW ME SOME COLOR !!!
Well, I knew I wasn't gonna find it outside anywhere today (at least not in northeast Pa !) .... but lookie what I came across at the grocery store .....




...COLOR !!



......bright, sunshiney COLOR !!! Isn't that glorious !!!









.....and, at the fabric store I was able to buy me some COLOR !!!!


.....I'm especially lovin' that bright yellow bumble bee fabric!







....which brings me to this breath of fresh spring air picture ....


















....which is in this "Mary Jane's Farm" magazine ....


















.....OK , enough dreamin' for today (only a few short months and it'll be sunshiney yellow in these parts OUTSIDE !!!.....sigh)

Anyhow, technically it's Monday here (1:47 AM) and that means it's Loser Monday ....time to report in to the Diet Master ..... hmmmmm .... let's see ..... I've been good about tracking my Weight Watcher points everyday ...... but not so good about keeping up with the exercise end of it (missed 2 out of 3 days last week ..... sorry Diet Master , Ma'am ...... plan to do better this week, Ma'am ! ) To make it up to you, here's my fun diet tip of the week ......




......these babies are only 2 points each in Weight Watcher Land !!! YAY!!!.....see, a little fabric, a new magazine , some pretty flowers at the grocery store, and a chocolate treat ..... all better ..... the "Drab" is all gone !

Be back soon!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

"American Thighs" (a "Before" picture)....

Good morning Blogland Neighbor-hood! Well, our Diet Master is demanding "Before" pictures (by yesterday .... oops....) So, anyhow, here's mine! Aren't I cute? OK, OK .... so that's not really me (no kidding!) That is one of the latest books from one of my VERY favorite authors, Jill Conner Browne the founder and Head Queen of the Sweet Potato Queens. I'ver read 3 of her other books and I must say wearing Depends while reading them is a MUST ..... her books are HYSTERICAL!! (eg. "The Sweet Potato Queens Wedding Planner and Divorce Guide", and "The Sweet Potato Queens Big Ass Cookbook and Financial Planner"). This new book, "American Thighs" is "The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Preserving your Assets" (thighs included) so that the dread transition from "cute girl" to "ma'am" won't be quite so unsettling." (as stated on the book jacket). There are all kinds of good tidbits of wisdom in this book eg. "how the muumuu has been fashionably resurrected as the "patio dress". Also, if you're in the market for a brand spanking new bigger than life tiara and some black cat-eye "diamond" encrusted sun glasses, The Sweet Potato Queens have got your back .... they have all that fun stuff on their website ....

OK, OK so I'm stalling ..... trying to avoid posting my "Before" picture .... oh well, here's my version of "American Thighs".....



.....(sorry I couldn't jump in the air while trying to look cute and take my own picture .... standing on the toilet was the best I could do without breaking my neck .... and even Daisy, who is sitting in the sink, is looking at me like I've now officially lost the rest of my marbles ....)

.....OK, while we're at it .... what should I do with my hair? (and please keep in mind that I'm totally lazy when it comes to my hair .... as far as I'm concerned, I only have patience for wash 'n wear). Right now it's LONG and I just throw it in a pony tail .... and my bangs are now to the point that they're DRIVING ME CRAZY .... they're too long, so I pull them back with that beautiful hairband .... because I cannot stand to have hair in my face and eyes .... so, do I let the bangs grow out or get them trimmed again ....AND do I keep the long hair or go for a shorter doo .... when my kids were little I had short, short hair ..... I did come across this website where you can upload your picture and try on different hair doos , etc (but for some reason, I can't get my picture to upload .... I'll have to wait for tech support to come home from school today to assist their computer challenged mother....

.....anyhow, my "sea hag " hair and "American Thighs" are the least of my irritations these days .... seems I'm spending less time working lately and more time .....


...reading through the "help wanted" page ..... yippee .... to ad to my midlife crisis, it seems I'm having to job hunt ..... the economy has taken a toll on the healthcare/homecare biz in these parts and referrals are WAY down , and have been since before Thanksgiving (this is the longest slump I can remember in all my 29 years working as a physical therapist ).....now, I'm trying to figure out if I want to take a job an hour's drive away and work in a Rehab or Skilled Nursing Facility OR take this opportunity to try and change careers all together (my body is pretty well falling apart from 29 years of dragging people out of hospital beds and wheelchairs ... maybe after a total shoulder replacement and a total hip replacement I could carry on for another 29 years? but have I mentioned the total brain burn out from years of mind numbing paperwork that comes with the healthcare biz?).....anyhow, if I change career paths, change to what? .... I have always thought about being a teacher ... I could go back to school for 1 year and get my teaching degree ... BUT we have Kid #1 in his first year of college with tuition, books etc and Kid #2 coming up in 3 years for college .... so tuition for yours truly is probably out of the question right now ..... hmmmmm, let's see .... the manager at the local Subway where Evan works is going on maternity leave in March .... I could try and get her job! (but me working around food every day is probably not a good match!!!besides, I would look dumb in that hat ) ..... oh I know ! I could start a dog walking business!!! that would keep me in shape! and, of course, a job/business where I get to play with fabric in some way shape or form would be IDEAL! ..... or, I could just buy lottery tickets everyday.....well, if any of you have any bright ideas for a new career path for me , feel free to tell me about it! Maybe I'll go to the Acme Employment Agency with Lucy and Ethel.........

OK, I must get back to my laundry and my job search! Be back soon!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Bliss.........

Happy snowy Saturday Blogland Neighbor-hood! Today, here at MBIAJ, Bliss comes in the form of these little chocolatey wonders .... AND, in Weight Watcher-land they are each 1 point ...... now I could eat 22 of these and that would completely use up all of my points for the day ..... OR.....I could be a bit more nutritionally responsible and eat .....



....these ... also each worth 1 point in Weight Watcher-land....that would still leave me 19 points for the day ..... well, 19 chocolatey Bliss's isn't quite as good as 22 , but it's better than none!!! (I'm just kidding ... I know I shouldn't eat 19 of those chocolately Bliss's .... OK, how about this ..... 3 pieces of fruit, a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner and 10 of those chocolately Bliss's .... hmmmmm.... that probably wouldn't work either because that would only leave me 3 points for each meal ..... OK ..... how about this.... 3 pieces of fruit, a 4 mile hike, a healthy breakfast and, and, and ..... ENOUGH ALREADY !!!)

Anyway, aside from driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to lose weight and "eat crap too" .... I've been .....


.....doodling a little and .....




......sewing a little and.....




.....sewing a little more and...




....stitching a little and.....




......NOT shoveling the snow off of the driveway or walkway .... (it started snowing late this morning and it's supposed to snow all night ... so why shovel mid storm?)

Oh, and here' another thing I SHOULD be doing ......



.....UNdecorating our sad looking droopy Christmas tree ..... well, maybe tomorrow .... right now I'm gonna go crunch some more Weight Watcher numbers to see if I can squeeze in a few more Bliss's today ......

Be back soon!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Cozy morning .....

Good morning Blogland Neighbor-hood ! Well, it's a cold, drab January morning outside (we've had sleet and freezing rain all last night, so no school today ...our driveway and walkway are a sheet of ice.)






.....Evan put his sneakers on with his pj's (and no coat , of course) and took this close up picture of our frozen grass ... then he realized how cold he was and ...



...came in and settled in with Shadow for a cozy morning of watching educational TV shows like "Jack Ass" (and I'm rolling my eyes here and remembering when he and Matt watched things like "Barney" and "Winnie the Pooh" and then moved on to "Power Rangers" .... and I recall being concerned about the violence on Power Rangers .... oh yea ... those were the days .....)


Anyway, after slip sliding around outside trying to throw Ice Melt on the driveway and steps, I came in to have a nice hot breakfast .... and since our Diet Master means business I decided to have this ....



.... a packet of Kashi Raisin Spice oatmeal (Wt Watcher points = 2) , with 2 tbsp of organic ground flaxseed mixed in (WW points = 1) , and an orange (WW points = 1) ...the Kashi oatmeal has "6 natural anitioxidents , including green tea, white tea, and grape seed" and the ground flaxseed meal "provides fiber, lignans, and omega-3 fats" ..... I've been eating this for breakfast on and off for awhile now and I think it tastes pretty good (not like some of the sawdust Mr. Moonbeams the vegetarian eats .... seriously gross looking stuff .... and I don't care how "healthy " it supposedly is .... if it looks and tastes like cardboard topped with saw dust I'm NOT EATING IT !!)

Anyway, back to our "cozy morning" .....


.....ahhhhhh..... relaxing by the fireplace with some new magazines and my late morning snack (I find if I plan to eat something every 2 or 3 hours it keeps me from being a hog at one sitting .... I think it has something to do with keeping your blood sugar levels stable .... I'll have to consult my personal Registered Dietician sister Boop ).....anyhow, my snack is a nice cup of tea (with fat free milk and a packet of Splenda) and a low fat scone (in the shape of a muffin ..... I originally found this recipe in one of Fig Tree Quilts "Fresh Vintage" publications .... I just made some substitutions to make it more Wt Watcher friendly ... each muffin = 2 WW points. I think they're really good (especially when they're warm from the oven ) .... if you'd like to make some, I posted the recipe way back in my 3rd ever post (almost 2 years ago!)

OK ... well I think I'll go scarf up that scone/muffin and tea before I have to go find Kitty and drag both of our butts downstairs to put some mileage on the exercise equipment ....

Be back soon!
Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Give that chicken fat back to the chicken.......!

Hi there Blogland Neighbor-hood! OK, so we've got another holiday season under our belts .... literally !! AND, it's the start of a new year so you know what that means ...... time to get in shape (again ..... ugh! ) Anyhow, Kitty's got her game face on because she (and I) are taking on Sharon's Weight Loss Challenge. As a matter of fact, everybody seems to be getting in the act from Martha Stewart to Oprah.

Anyhow .... today Kitty and I decided to get back to our exercise routine (which was sidelined for the past couple of months due to foot and ankle pain, the holidays, and a nasty case of "oh who cares" )so we did a half hour of cardio ....


...we divided it up between the eliptical trainer and....


...the stationary bike ....(but I'm pretty sure Kitty was cheating because she never did get out of that car....)



.....we followed the cardio with some strength training with free weights and an exercise band ..then a teeny bit of pilates and yoga stretches ..... and all of that was followed by a dose of Advil and an ice pack to my right heel/ankle.

Now, Kitty and I know fitness isn't just about exercise, it has to be combined with a sensible eating plan. I have done Weight Watchers online for about the past 3 years .... and I did very well with it until..... I got bored of counting points .... counting, counting, counting , COUNTING EVERYTHING !!!! AAHHHHHHH!!!!!
One day I just stopped ..... then I started having ankle and foot pain and couldn't continue my 4 mile walk/runs 3 days a week .... I would end up limping on mile #2 ..... so, like Oprah, those pounds just flew back on ..... again..... OK, so, what to do, what to do , what to do...... I guess Weight Watchers (those point values are pretty much ingrained in my brain) ... but this time instead of using up my points on crap, I'll try and make sure they're used on healthy foods (with the occasional ..... and that's the operative word here .... OCCASIONAL bit of crap/goodies..... cause too strict and I say NO FUN .... FORGET IT !)

OK, time for me and Kitty to hit the showers !

Be back soon!
Mary Anne (aka Mare)