Wadda Week!

What a strange week.  It started with the Boston Marathon attack on Monday, so very sad.  The chase pursued of suspects continued through the week until Friday evening - one suspect was dead and the other suspect apprehended by Police and taken to a hospital for treatment.  I didn't realize until today that the one in the hospital was injured in the throat, which is the reason he cannot speak.  Stupid me, I thought he was unconscious, like a coma or something, duh.  I'm not going to spend anymore time on this.  I know we've all had enough because it has been all over the media this week.  Prayers for the victims and their families.

I did join Weight Watchers online last Saturday (4/13).  I had joined it a couple of years ago, no results really.  I decided to go back again because they've made some changes.  Maybe it wouldn't hurt from taking a better look at Weight Watchers and give it a chance.  I'm learning something everyday.  It is similar to the SparkPeople (free) that I was using, except the point system.  Saturdays are now my weigh-in days (use to be Fridays).  This past week I've lost 1.4 pounds, woohoo!  I was angry after awhile with the doctor's 1200 calories a day.  I was going over almost every day.  Weight watchers is working out better for me because the fruit and veggies I'm eating doesn't have any points, and I eat a lot of fruit and veggies, so that matters.  I just have to find the magic pill that kills the cravings.  I'm trying to keep going to the fruit when the cravings hit instead of the chips.  I know, I'm not suppose to have chips.  I don't - hubby does.  Right now, I'm taking it slowly, trying to stick to the points.  I love that I get "extra points" for activity.  So my walking earns extra points, which is good - if I get in trouble (go over), I have the activity points that I earned to use after I use my daily points.  I know, it's confusing...moving on.

The weather turned COLD Friday after a downpour, temps took a nose dive actually.  We had a beautiful weekend last weekend (4/13 & 4/14), it was in the 70s.  We got the back deck and patio furniture cleaned up, ready to spend some nice evenings on the back deck.  Not in the cards, not this week anyway.  Temps need to warm up a bit.

I went to the grocery store today.  Here's the temperature when I left about 12:30pm.  This is 20-30 degrees colder than we should be.  Yes, we're suppose to be upper 60s to upper 70s.  There's a frost warning tonight, hubby unhooked the hose so it wouldn't freeze.

The news in Boston had everyone in the office talking and on edge all week.  We always have events going on in the Washington, DC area, so we're prime target, not to mention center of the Government here as well.  I kept with my routine yesterday and today.  I slept late yesterday (I love my Saturday sleep ins!) and did laundry, Saturday is my easy day (unless I flip flop my chores).  Today it was grocery shopping (two stores), the gas station and liquor store.  I started out at Shoppers Food Warehouse with a list of just a few things.  Funny how that goes, it's never "just a few things" - $158 later, ugh.  As I put groceries in my cart that are not on my list I tell myself "that's a good price!"

I went onto Giant Food and bought the items that WERE ON MY LIST.  I went to a different Giant Food than I normally go to.  I don't know this other store as well as my regular store, everything is in a different place.  Needless to say, it took me three hours to go grocery shopping at two stores.  Finally arriving home, hubby helped me with the groceries into the house.  It's the unpacking that takes so long.  I also buy A LOT OF FRESH FRUIT, so it all has to be cleaned/washed and put away.  I have to let all the berries soak for about 20 minutes in vinegar water.  Putting a tablespoon of White Vinegar into a quart of water and soaking the berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries) will keep berries from spoiling so quickly.  The soaking kills the fuzzies - that fur that forms on berries after a few days.  There's a tip for today, if you didn't already know it.

Good news at the gas station - prices continue to drop!  I fill up my (16 gallon) gas tank when it's half empty, so it's not such a dent in the wallet.  Today was a nice surprise when I pulled up to the pump - $3.55/gallon (regular gas).  I topped it off to an even forty bucks.

I headed home, I still have groceries in the trunk.  Once I got everything unpacked and the berries soaking, I went back out again to the liquor store.  I give myself a treat with my dinner glass of milk.  I put a shot of French Vanilla Kahlua in my glass of FAT FREE (skim) milk for a little flavor.  I have been out of Kahlua, don't judge.

Hubby had mowed the lawn while I was grocery shopping.  Everything is popping up S-P-R-I-N-G here, it's green and getting prettier each day.

The Azeleas have started to bud, they'll pop in another week or so.  The Hostas are poking up and even the Dogwood is looking marvelous as well.

Hubby bought 40 bags of mulch and put it down last Wednesday.  It helps makes everything pop I think.

The Dogwood almost looks like it has snow on it, it has just started to bloom.

Unfortunately, the bad part to Spring, for those of us who suffer from pollen allergies, is that pollen is everywhere in the Spring.  Here's the roof of my car, I almost wrote "Wash Me" in the yellow pollen film.  We're expecting rain on Wednesday, we call it relief.

This was my smile for the day, I'm sharing.  Someone on my street must be having a birthday party.  They have a Moon Bounce in their yard, that means birthday party to me!  On the way home from the grocery store, the Moon Bounce was full of children - what a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  I wish I was a kid again - sometimes.