A new version of the sisterhood of traveling pants

I am sick and tired of trying to sell my clothes that are too big for me and I have given so many away to the Salvation Army and I noticed last time I took a bunch there, they were just leaving things outside in the snow and weather and I don't think that shows much appreciation. So, I have another idea. Why not try my blogging bandits for fun! I am a professional and so my clothes do not get much wear and tear. I have four pairs of size 18 pants to send traveling. Sag Harbor stretch corduroy in a warm brown color, Chaps dark brown heavier cotton, Gloria Vanderbilt jeans, and Vanessa black dress pant (not lined). I am 5'1" tall and these are the "right" length. Going to a new home. If you would like them, I will ship to you upon request. They are clean and ready to wear. For those of you who are losing, I wore these when I was in the 200 - 215 range.

I love iris

Since I was a little girl, I have always loved iris. I can remember having so many of them in the yards of my three childhood homes. A couple of years ago I order these two varieties in the mail and each year they don't disappoint me. I finally left the quilting room long enough to go and snap a picture. They are so delicate. I wished they would stay beautiful longer but as with many things, we must enjoy them while they last and stop wishing for more.

We finished quilting the top of the "rolling on" quilt yesterday. It is so beautiful and it makes me feel so good that we are doing something for someone else. I got a brainstorm in the night that Dillon could display it at the Laptop Academy in two weeks and help up sell tickets. It is in honor of his teacher who has been fighting cancer all year and is starting a foundation.

On Doc Sly

I have had an inquiry about my "pen name" or e-mail address. In 1997 I came to Dakota Wesleyan University as the Chair of the Education Department. I have always been a fan of baseball and it happened the university coach was the same age as my son and he began to rely on me to speak with prospective players and their parents about DWU. By chance, some of his earliest recruits were interested in teaching and it was a "best fit" for both of us to recruit the best and brightest. I began going to all of their games and even got to travel with them on some of their trips.
I have a doctorate in education and thus came the Doc part of my nickname. My first name is Sylvia and many times in my life people have spelled it wrong and I have found saliva, slyvia, etc. The coach and players began to call me DocSly. I have a warm up pullover with that name on the back and now I have vanity plates for my car with DOCSLY. Over the years, the players come back and have had children and so on and I must admit it is a most endearing event when one walks up and gives me a hug and says, "hi DocSly".
The coach has moved on to another "field of dreams" but I will always have a special place in my heart for the DWU baseball players of 1997-2006.

We Are Family!

We just arrived home from an absolutely wonderful three day break. Of course, I forgot the camera but I will try to reflect on our trip and give you a verbal picture. One of the most beautiful vistas in all my travels is 70 miles west of home when you drive down the hill across the Missouri River. It is especially beautiful right now because the hills on either side are green and the sky is almost always blue here on the prairie. I just love this spot.
When I was in sixth grade I memorized a poem by Edgar A. Guest that begins, "It takes a heap of living in a house to make it home." Well, we visited that place this weekend. Vince's cousin, Cleo and her husband Alan, live in Sundance, Wyoming. 348 miles west of our house on I-90. I have always wanted to have the time to really get to know them as Vince has few living relatives and he has always spoken so fondly of them. Theirs is the home Guest speaks of. It is absolutely a home full of wonderful memories and a family who really values each other. Cleo and Alan have raised a son and daughter (we got to meet them and their delightful spouses) and Gay has a daughter, Abigayl, who is the sparkle in her grand dad's eye. We could easily understand why. We had the time of our lives talking and sharing and talking some more.
They live on a hillside across the break from Sundance Mountain. We watched parasailors each morning. I also relaxed (yes, I did) watching a herd of mulies munch, lounge, and meander in their yard right outside the beautiful windows of their home. I just can't express how much it meant to me to be with family and to watch Vince become so animated about his ancestors and the information he has gleaned. Vince's parents were older when they had Vince and he was an only child. Cleo is the daughter of Vince's father's sister and has lived in Wyoming most of her life. Alan was born in Sundance as was his father. Oh, the stories he can tell. I know there are many wonderful places in our country but you just don't know country until you have visited western South Dakota and Wyoming. The Black Hills in the distance, the deer outside the window, and the vivid blue sky overhead is just a tribute to how great God is.
Cleo is a marvelous cook and we spent our time eating great meals and getting acquainted. I even was entrusted with a lap throw she has pieced and will quilt it for her this week so that she has it to use. What fun! Cleo and Alan opened their hearts and home to us and we felt so welcome.
Today we drove home through Spearfish Canyon. It is beautiful in the spring however the aspen have not yet leafed and there were small piles of snow on the peaks. We shared some time with our friends in Rapid City before heading home. Catherine and Mike gave us the news of their family and our many friends. It was just a wonderful break.
Vince is already in bed as he drove all the way over and back. We did manage to stop at two quilt shops in Rapid City and I found the fabric for my mini-quilt exchange. More on the other blog about that. Now it is time to get ready for another busy week at work. Life is good!

Fill er up!

So I went to see my favorite Lapband surgeon yesterday and they put in another cc. I now have 6 ccs in the band. I keep hoping to get to that "sweet spot" everyone talks about. I still want to eat way too often and I am not always certain I am hungry or just "STRESSED"! I really wish I could let go of some of the "stuff" on my mind! Pray for me and I too will ask God to take over and let go of it.
Vince and I are driving to Wyoming tomorrow to see his cousin and her husband for the weekend. I just want to sit back and enjoy the ride across this beautiful prairie. I plan to NOT answer e-mails on my Blackberry and only answer the phone if it is family. A day off is a day off!
I went to the Rec and exercised yesterday and as soon as I complete this post, I am going again tonight. I need to go in the morning so it is done and I can't put it off because of schedule or the just plain "worn out" excuse.
Dr. Glatt was his happy self and again told me how proud he was of my progress. I was disappointed yesterday that I was only down 2 pounds since February. My goal is to drop 15 pounds before I go back in August. That will be about one year after banding and it would be 60 pounds for the year! I believe that is reasonable. I just need to work out five out every six days. Hard workout and then eat right. I think I will set another chart on the bottom for how far I am going. It seems I am motivated by those little tickers that keep moving from left to right.
On a personal note: I got measured for a new bra in Minneapolis the other day when I was with Allison. A 38! When I started this work, I wore a 44. Also, I am so thankful they now make bras in D, DD, F, G, H, etc to K cups. I can remember in the 60s and 70s when I could have used those amounts, there was no such thing. The girls (Nola's term) either fit in a teacup or you were out of luck! I feel very good in my 38G by Wacoal. Supported and one can actually see my rib cage under the shelf.
On another note: Nola, e-mail me with your address so I can send your 100th blog post surprise!

Happy Mother's Day

My goodness, the time is absolutely flying by. I went to Doctor on Friday and it would appear we will seek insurance approval and get that flabby fat flap removed in June. So as not to be lopsided, we will opt for both sides at once but of course, the right side will be at our expense as there is no danger of infection on that side. It will take that long to get the paperwork passed through the insurance.

I had a very nice day today. I spent the morning with Vince in our yard. I can't really tell you which is my favorite season. When I was in seventh grade our English teacher read us the book, The Secret Garden. I know this story is one of my favorites and I distinctly remember being able to see that garden in my imagination. I always think about that story in the springtime. Even before the snow is gone, I begin strolling around our yard and looking for the green tips of something peaking through. I love the greens of spring. I took two pictures today. One is of the ivy that grows on our brick home. Makes me sorta believe I live in a castle. The other is of the groundcover I planted six years ago that has taken over and makes a lush carpet in one of the flower beds in the yard. Helen, I found a trumpet vine and we planted it next to our fence in the back yard. We will really nurture it until it takes hold.

After church Dillon came over to spend some time with me while his younger brothers took their naps. We had fun watching the Twins play and just hanging out together. Later his mom came back with the little guys and we then went out for dinner. I am packed ready to fly to St Louis in the morning for a grant meeting and then fly home Tuesday. It seems it will be a busy week.

Needle and Thread

Some of you know that I am a quilter and knitter for fun. Do as much as I can to keep me busy and out of the food. We just had a pair of baby squirrels born in the near proximity and they have become my diversion. Vince and I have named them needle and thread. Needle first came to visit last week and I posted its (don't know if it is he or she) picture on the window outside my quilting room. He stayed for a long time and watched me smile, laugh, take its picture, and just be happy the little one is living. We knew there were two because Vince has seen both heads in near proximity. Well this afternoon when I went down our stairs, I saw them both on the front porch. Gracie, our cat, was watching them from her perch in the front window. So I now have pictures of both of them. Needle and Thread are pretty identical and are so cute. Have to share. And then don't miss the foxy lady of the house.

Two Weeks and 2 and 1/2 pounds

Well, sorta! I have been trying to eat like a normal human and not focus so much on this whole diet thing. Kinda trying to let the band be the tool and just live a regular life for two weeks. Exercise when I could, eat correct food most of the time, and try to know when I am full. Today when I went to the Rec to work out with Thomas, he had the scales out. 195.5 and body fat reading of 44%. Since surgery, I have lost a real 12% of body fat! I was pleased. I really had no idea what the scales would show this morning.

I also went to my GP today for what has been an episode with strep throat this week. No aches so the pigs haven't infected me at this point. We also talked about the plastic surgeon. Way back in 1978 I had a double reduction mammoplasty (I know you can't tell from pictures). I did put a lot of weight on there also. But at the time of the mammoplasty, I hemmoraged and had a bad port scar under my left arm. I had lived with the lump for many years until about 7 years ago, Diane sent me to a plastic surgeon to have it repaired. I am not certain that he did not make it worse but again, one lives with these things. This fall after the band surgery and a few pounds, I was fitted for a new bra and low and behold this really great bra started to interact with the back scar and when I went in for my November surgery regarding the port, I was broken wide open under the arm and would bleed regularly if I didn't have it securely bandaged. Since I have lost weight, there is a real flabby flab flap (don't know how else to explain it). Those of you who are obese know how we collect those flabby flab lumps everywhere. Long story short, we have to get this corrected before summer or I will be having problems with perspiration and such.

Enough of this, I don't know if insurance will cover this but I need a new bra again and I don't want to go through the wound business again.

Dillon and I went to MN last weekend to watch over Zachary and Garrett. We had fun!