Vero Saloon

I see spurs a jingle jangle jingle. Here at the ole Vero Saloon, you have Deputy Arthur and his sidekick Nicolette, trying to keep one good eye on the folk of Vero beach. I hear that they have a reward for two wanted women "Annie O" and her sister "CC Keating", two of the most feared criminal masterminds this side of Okeechobee!

Don't try to be hero's. If you see these two, remember "keep your cards in your hands. Don't put down, so they can't build off of you". (private private joke).

Oh, Arthur let me ask you this............ and this, and this... wink, wink

The Lawn Crew

My daughter is much like her dad and so little like me, but I wouldn't change a thing. She has the cutest things that she likes to do. She can be such a girly girl at times and then equally a tomboy too. This I admit is like me. I love perfume, champagne mimosa's and all things pink, but give me a pair of gap jeans, baseball hat and wife beater t-shirt and I am just as happy.

So, when Nick is doing his "handy man" things like installing a new screen for the sun room she is there ready with her "tools". When Nick is cleaning out his truck or going to the shop she is ready and waiting for him before he can ask her to go. And when he cuts our lawn, she loves, I mean loves to go on the machine with him and help out.

Since I think this is so cute, and will no doubt be used as blackmail when she is 16, I decided to share with all of you!

Peace-

Claudette

The Wonderful life of Dieting

A Beautiful Friday night, the first day in 2 weeks that it had not rained. We (Nicolette & I ) decided to go to the much anticipated car show. Because of Karate and bad weather its been so long since we have been.

At the car show I got a lot of complements on my recent weight loss, so that made me feel great. On the other hand, Nana, myself and Nicolette went to Lorenzo's Pizzeria for dinner. I, thinking that I could handle myself (still wasn't eating solid food) with the ever so enticing aroma of one of my favorite things PIZZA! Did you hear me, I said Pizza. With this being said, I have attached a photo of myself at Lorenzo's.


I must say, that although I would have sold my soul to the man with the horns and pitch fork (aka the Devil himself) if given the chance but luckily chance was on my side.
Common Excuses for Breaking your diet

But the doughnut was calling my name.

But it was my birthday, so I had to eat the whole cake.

I had to get the bitter taste out of my mouth from eating the so-called dish, so I had an ice cream.

If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.

If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are canceled out by the diet soda.

If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.

Cookie pieces contain no fat -- the process of breaking causes fat leakage.

Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. Examples are peanut butter on a knife making a sandwich and ice cream on a spoon making a sundae.

Only eat things that have been broken into pieces; that way, all the calories fall out.

Chocolate is a vegetable. How, you ask? Chocolate is derived from cacao beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived from either sugar CANE or sugar BEETS. Both are plants, which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.

Bearly survived Alaska

My folks are back from Alaska, and had a great time. Now they are planning the new trip/adventure to the Panama Canal. They don't leave until April, and I fear that it will take the Nana that long to get ready for it.

School is back in session today, after only attending one day last week. Hopefully all goes well, thus far it has so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Nothing else all that exciting to write about. Its been kinda quiet, ohhh I haven't had coffee in something like 25 days, I also have lost about 22 lbs. (No, not from the coffee). As you know I have (again) stopped eating meat. I think its been like a year and a half., but not sure. I have been eating mostly organic and just trying real hard to fix my ridiculous stomach, so that maybe, just maybe one day I can go back to eating some of my favorite foods.

Short list of things that I would love to eat:

POP CORN
Pistachios
Tomatoes with the seeds
Cucumbers with the seeds
Cashews
strawberries
Kiwi's

I think that's enough, it's making me hungry. At the present time, I am not eating much of anything to do my "master cleanse" to get my stomach in shape. I will let you know the final outcome, when it happens!!

Ciao

Forgive me Nana for I have sinned.

It has been approximately 22 years since my last confession.

OK, so here i am driving to your house to collect the mail and check on the house (we had another bad storm come through town) etc. I am en route when the next thing I know, I am at the window of our beloved Dunkin Donuts. Without even thinking I blurt out "medium carmel iced coffee, cream , 2 sugar". I wondered how I even got there. It was all a blur. The car was on autopilot I surmised.

Then, as I hold the chilled container that holds what I can only describe as liquid gold, I take a long sip (much like a smoker that takes that beloved drag of a cigarette) that seems to last forever. Then it hits me, the familiar friend that I have been missing. I am ecstatic. But as quickly as that feeling hits me it is gone equally as fast.

Good bye feeling good, HELLO guilt. How could I have gone without you? How could I knowing that you were feeling the same emptiness. Each day on board the cruise ship, having to settle for something less than perfection? I am ashamed.

Well, I was ashamed until I took another sip!! Then all over again, that warm and fuzzy feeling of content that only dunkin's coffee could give.

The cycle continues, the guilt with pleasure after every sip. Now for the first time I truly understand that saying "Guilty Pleasure".

So Nana, what do you say a few Hail Mary's and we're good?

PS. Is there a local chapter of D.A. (dunkin's anonymous) in Port Saint Lucie?
oxoxoxox

The Silent Treatment

I find it amusing that at this age, I am still subject to the ever so deadly "silent treatment". Do i deserve the treatment? Perhaps. But I actually don't see the point. As if I really mind the peace and quiet! Ha. It's been several days and my husband has decided that I am not worthly of his words! Double HA HA.

However, last night he needed someone to pick him up... So who did he call... YUP, he actually had to put his tail between his legs and call ME.. HA HA HA.

So, I did what any good wife would do... GLOAT.

Hardy Har Har Har.

Lost & Found

No need to worry. I guess in Alaska things are a little slower than here. The folks were at the Hotel, but I guess it wasn't in the system yet. SO, they have been found!

A few gray hairs later, but they are found!

Sending out an S.O.S

Poof and they are gone.

After I successfully dropped my folks off at the Orlando Intl Airport last night for there "Great Alaskan Adventure" they have manage to have quiet the adventure already.

Cancelled flights, missed connections because of bad weather, and now for the last 4 hours I HAVE NO IDEA where they are.

Apparently they managed to get to Fairbanks, (several flights later)but have not checked into the hotel, which is all of 10 minutes from the airport!

The great Houdini could learn a little something from this disappearance act.

I will keep you posted!

Seperation Anxiety

I wake up this morning and realize that tomorrow around this time, I will be taking my folks to the Orlando Intl Airport for the beginning of their Alaskan Adventure.

I am both excited and sad. Not for reasons of Jealousy that I am not going, more like what am I going to do without you know who... The NANA. I have made a list of all the things that we (Nicolette & I )are not going to do without her.

1. Go to our favorite spots

a. Dunkin Donuts
b. Any boutique this side of Florida
c. Wal-Mart
d. Publix ( apparently we are not eating while she is away )

2. Do our Favorite things

a. go to the movies
b. go to Breakfast with the Blue hair Ladies
c. go to beach
d. go to sprinkler park

I guess Nicolette and I are just going to sit home and just be pool potatoes!!!!

Nana, for the love of Mary GET HOME QUICK!

the GREEN MONSTER

So, my daughter is a self proclaimed tree hugger. Yes, at four years old, and NO it doesn't come from me. For example I am told on a regular basis the following rules per my daughter.

1. do not pollute, EVER (not even gum, MOM)
2. do not smoke it kills mother earth and your lungs
3. Do not flush when you pee, only poop (if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down)
4. When brushing your teeth you do not need to run the water, MOM!
5. Turn off all the lights when not using them, MOM
6. Pick up all the trash (not just ours) at the beach

Gee, i think that's pretty much it, but I am sure I am missing something. Oh yeah, duh Recycle!

I actually love the idea that at her age she is very aware of her environment, immediate and global. However, when we are in public and she is yelling at the lady outside the store for smoking, I have to politely remind her that some people just do not care as much as she does, and although I think what she is doing is wonderful, some might find it a bit intrusive.

So, we are working on a fine medium so we are all happy and living peacefully together (cue in some 60's hippies music).....

Summer is here...... Let the madness begin

So, here it is. Children are out of school for the FIRST official day, and what do I do? Go to all the places that ALL these children with pent up energy go..... But I am not complaining because of course, I have the most well behaved child on earth.

We first go to the library because it is Thursday and it is story day. I, expecting a zillions children was ever so disappointed when (again, this is the first day of "no school"), My brilliant, eager to learn child was the only one there. NO SHIT... We had to wait for 15 minutes for 2 other children that weren't even there for story time to start. But it was fantastic.... My daughter (Nicolette) some time ago, (she is 4, so it cant be all that long ago) decided that she is going to be both an animal and a human doctor. So, with this in mind of course we had to find books on the Human body etc.

I, excited at the notion that My daughter was going to be a DR., was soon taken back to reality when my daughter began to say " mom, is this the boy's JOHNSON?" yeah, at that point i thought, does she really want to be a doctor or is she that clever that she knows this book would have that picture.... OH, by the way, it wasn't a Johnson, and there is no naked pictures, she, as I have mentioned is brilliant and has found a way to PUNK me....

So, after this we grabbed a pick-a-nic (as my mom "the Nana"* calls it) at SUBWAY and went to the water sprinkler park at Jensen beach. However, this time there were all those crazy kids that I thought would be there, and to be honest only one child out of a zillion were annoying to both myself and the Nana.

Later that evening while Nicolette and I sat and had dinner, she said that today was the BEST day, and then started with her unusual questions ( i have to list a few because again at 4 who asks these questions).

1. So mom, What is it like to be a grown up
2. What was it like to have me in your belly
3. When Am I going to have babies

Then, as soon as these "grown up" conversations start they end with her putting on her favorite blue high heel shoes and pretending to be singing on "American Igol" (no spelling error she says it that way)

Now, we are getting ready for bed, and she is picking out her bedtime tea. Bedtime tea! Does anyone else thing that I am living in a some what Twilight Zone?