Last Week in January

It's seemed like a long one.  It's rained every day and been cloudy and sometimes windy, but I'm enjoying it.  I used to think I would get depressed with so much grayness, but now I actually prefer cloudy days.  I could use a little warmth, but just knowing I have a cozy place to spend my days makes it okay. 

Our usual drive in the mornings.  Katherine is learning about mountains for M week, and she's very curious about them:  if you can feel the clouds on top of the mountains, if she will ever see a mountain goat, why there is snow just on the mountains.  I think she loves them as much as I do, and I never get tired of this view.

Maybe there are some pictures in my camera to remind me of what we did this week. 

Very few!

This needs to happen pretty much every day.  Katherine's come a long way with her bravery.

Graysen started gymnastic Friday.  She had been on a wait list, and it was a surprise to her when I picked her up.  The teacher seems very disciplined and seemed to be keeping the girls occupied when I noticed.  I decided to just stay there since we needed to pick up Katherine right after class.

This is the only picture I took, because after they ran around like crazy for about 5 minutes, they went out of my sight.  I noticed them on the trampoline and again on the balance beam.  Graysen said she didn't fall once and learned exactly how to do it.  We'll see.  She was completely distracted by the older girls doing beautiful floor routines to catchy music, and Graysen is completey into competing for trophies now!

 She's insisting on doing her own hair in the mornings, and I'm glad to let her do it.  She probably does a better job than I do.  She dresses herself too, so my main job is brushing Kathrine's hair and keeping them both focused on what they're doing.

 This morning she had a lot of trouble getting that one pigtail to be in just the right position to be cute.

She wanted me to take a closeup to send her mother - who was just exactly like her when she was that age.  I want to do it myself!!

Layla misses Elise being gone so much lately and expects me to throw things for her to fetch.

I accidentally poured some hard food into one of the water bowls today, and she didn't forgive me.  She stared at the bowl and then stared at me, and finally she went over and drank a few drops and then started pulling out the pieces one by one.  I fixed it.

I walked into the sewing room and started working on that quilt this morning and got a good bit done.  For me.

Emily hints that I need to finish them before the girls stop loving castles and princesses.

If I don't lay it out on the floor, I'll get my rows mixed up, and I knew this would happen.

Cats just feel like everything you do is for their comfort.

 She makes it hard to make up my bed every morning since she's just deciding to sleep after a night of romping in the halls.

Tomorrow is my baby's birthday!  The girls wanted her to skip work tomorrow, but she's looking forward to the party her employees always have for her.  We'll do gifts and celebrate tomorrow night when she gets home.  

There is a possibility we'll go see Little Women this weekend, but we'll have to watch the weather to see if we have another snow.  I bought groceries today like I was expecting a blizzard.  I think they should last us for two weeks.

I've been doing Bright Line Eating for 11 months now and am on track to lose my 50th pound before the end of February.  It hasn't been as hard as it seemed to give up sugar and flour.  I still have a little noncompliant food sometimes, but I'll have been a year without fast food (and not one sandwich!) and a year without sugar in my coffee - that's the worst.  I know I'm healthier without sugar and flour and eat plenty of protein, fruits and vegetables - LOTS of vegetables.  I do occasionally indulge in a Diet Coke, and when I do, I thoroughly enjoy it.  I admit I don't keep a journal or meditate and haven't joined any boot camp-type programs associated with the program, but I think I've done great without all that. And have become a better cook, experimenting with herbs and spices and different ways of cooking vegetable (or liking them raw), and can make muffins and waffles and even pizza without sugar or flour!  My favorites.  Emily has joined me and is less serious than I am but is still on board with it.  It's fun to compare notes and encourage each other.  Her goal was 15 pounds!