Memorial

Today was the 1st Anniversary of Father Richardson's passing. We had a special Memorial Service for him today and a Reception Afterwards. Church was full with a lot of people we don't always see anymore. It was a really nice service and it was nice to socialize with old friends after Mass.

The World is a Little Less Bright Today

I just learned that an old friend of mine just lost her battle with Cancer. It's so hard to believe. Shelly was always so full of life, so happy and bubbly, always with a smile. Always the optompist, and from what I hear she carried all of that, right up until her last breath. It's not a total surprise. We kinda had a feeling that her last days were just a matter of time. She had been seeing a specialist for awhile trying some 'new treatments" . Then we got word that the treatments weren't working as they hoped and that she was leaving the treatment center to go home and 'be with her family" . She was just a truly Beautiful person Inside and Out and her Beauty will continbue to shine even though she's no longer of this earth.

Please keep her husband and children in your prayers.

Dinner

In keeping with today's theme I had a really yummy, relatively healthy, dinner. I marinated a boneless porkchop( I was just watching Cooking with Sam on FitTV and it said Skinless Chicken has more fat than Boneless Pork Chops) in some Raspberry Vinaigrette mixed with a little bit of Chinese Sauce( I"m trying to use up what I can in my fridge in anticipation of my impending move sometime in the next century). And I sauteed some Onion, Zucchini and Yellow Squash...nothing fancy just sauteed in a little bit of butter with salt and pepper...and that was it...and it was REALLY good....this was extrememly easy and only took maybe 15 minutes to make( I did marinate the chops earlier today)...sometimes 'simple' is more than enough.I did also have a glass of what I'm calling "Cheater Margarita"....It comes in a box with a spigot ( kinda like "wine in a box" except it's "margarita in a box") ..It's actually quite good and now I can have a 'ready made" Margarita any time I want...LOL

Updated to add:

I took my walk around the block..it took me about 25 minutes walking atg a good clip. Man am I out of shape though. I started getting aches and pains right away....but then as I came to the end of my walk they were gone and I was feeling ok. I really just need to get out regularly a DO it! One 'good' thing about being so out of shape, is that I will probably start to see and feel results pretty quickly which should help to keep me motivated....I think I will try to blog daily about these new 'changes' I'm trying to make on my old weightloss blog. I'll post here occasionally too ,but want to keep the bulk of the posts about eating right and excercising over there.

Relaxation

Today was a day of relaxation. After I got a few chores done this morning, I spent a little time surfing some of my favorite blogs. One I was reading this morning is The Chic Life...she's in the 9th week of a 12 week challenge of making Small Changes with Big Results, which she calls SCBR. I hadn't read her blog for a few months, so I had been missing out on this really inspiring and encouraging blogging! So now I'm trying to backtrack and catch-up on her plan. It sounds extemely doable. It's about making small changes to get healthier and in better shape..It's not about losing a specific amount of weight , just about getting healthier and I like it! I also have to say I love reading her food and cooking posts. She makes healthy look GOOD and I've gotten some of my best meal ideas from reading her blog. I really need to read her more regularly.






Anyway, she also has a small food challenge where she is challenging her readers to incorporate certain 'healthy' foods or ingredients to their weekly menus. Again I am behind on reading about this so I missed out on most of her challenges..but that doesn't mean I can't catch up and apply these tidbits to my life today. One of the ingredients in her weekly food challenge was Tumeric. According to the post Tumeric is an anti-inflammatory and may have Cancer preventing properties. She challenged her readers to incorporate Tumeric into their weekly menus. I think this was back in February, so of course I'm a bit late in this 'challenge"...but...I decided to go ahead and try it today. For breakfast I made scrambled eggs, with onion , greenpepper,a dash of Cheddar and a nice dose of Tumeric..and you know what? It was REALLY tasty. the Tumeric really added another dimension to the flavor. It was far from bland...and I will be making eggs with Tumeric more often.







So today, inspired by The Chic Life I had Scrambled Eggs with Tumeric with a slice of whole wheat toast for Brunch( didn't get around to eating breakfast when I first got up. I was too busy getting a few chores done and reading ehr blog..LOL) . I did have two cups of Coffee. I then did a half hour of Namaste Yoga( also inspired by TCL) . Then I spent part of the Afternoon relaxing out on the Balcony with a good book( also inspiring) and downing a few glasses of water( it was HOT today) . The inspiring book I read today?

It was a really good read. It's a Christian based book on how to be a Diva like various women of the Bible such as Ruth, Esther, Deborah, the Virgin Mary, and Proverbs 31 Woman as well as a few others. It's not about being a spoiled, Prima Donna....but about being a strong woman in God's presence.

After a few days of Sunshine and warm weather I'm starting get a nice glow about me, and feeling totally UNstressed. I plan to spend the rest of my afternoon relaxing some more. I think I'll snack on a nice fresh apple after I post this blog, drink some more water, eat a nice healthy dinner and take a nice relaxing walk around the block this evening when it cools down a little bit. And talk to my hubby tonight,when he makes his nightly call....

This Afternoon's Outfit:

Bikini-Walmart

(this is why I put the blankets up on my balcony...don't want to share TOO much with the Neighbors...)

Sundress-One of my latest mark. purchases.

Pink Ballcap-bought last fall at a Tourist shop in VA Beach

Sunglasses-Lilly P a recent eBay Purchase!

Enjoying Life

I've been a little scarce these days..Nothing special going on , just enjoying these beautiful days we've been having. Trying to catch up on some of my reading...enjoying the outdoors and taking care of myself. I've taken to sitting out on my balcony reading and enjoying the view of green grass, green trees, birds, and blue skies. I've also been inspired by a few bloggers to get back to my Crochet. In May my Church is having our Third Annual Charity Baby Shower. We basically have a fun 'shower" party and all the 'gifts' get donated to a local children's charity. We also collect donations of baby items thruout April and May each week at our Church. And a monetary donation is also made by our Church in honor of all the "Moms" . Rather than each 'mommy" getting a Carnation or Rose on Mother's Day , our Chapel allows us to donate the money that would have been spent on them to a Charity of our choice. I love crocheting 'baby' items, so I usually make a bunch of baby blankets to donate. This year will be no different. I've started on one this week that I absolutely love...although I think this one will go to my niece who's expecting her first daughter( she has 3 boys already) in a couple of months. I'm really enjoying this one though ..so I think I'll make a few more to donate.

There's also something about warm spring weather to inspire one to a little self improvement. The weather being nice enough to walk and get a little outdoor excercise...the warmer weather also implores me to eat a little lighter...enjoying more fruits and veggies and to drink more water. As much as I miss the Commander, I realize that these final months apart can be viewed as a small gift to myself. A time to renew, and really devote to ME. Taking care of ME. Preparing myself for a time when I can again take care of HIM. I do miss taking care of HIM though. Lately he's been sujected to microwaved meals and working so hard to get the house ready for my arrival. The other day he told me the neighbor across the street came by with some homemade Carrot Cake, and I was so grateful for her kind gesture. I can't wait to get up there though and start taking care of my own husband again.

How Cute is This?

I'm horrible about keeping up with my text messages..I hardly ever check them....so today I was catching up...CDR sent those pics of the "new' house destruction and then as I was flipping thru I came across these from the Co-ed!!
My Birthday was on the 9th and I had no idea she had done this!! How cute is that!! I really need to check my texts more regularly...LOL

To Market Again

The new Realtor came by today to take pics for our 'new' listing. So, I spent most of my day sprucing things up around here....making sure everything looked clean and neat and as uncluttered as possible. Everything must have been good because he didn't ask me to move anything or change anything for the pics....

Todays Outfit:

Purple Top-Target Converse All Stars

Cropped Pants-Walmart

Pink and Orange Flowered Flops-Joe Boxer/K-mart

In the meantime, CDR is up in Wisconsin working on the 'new' house.....here are a few pics...not sure exactly what they are...LOL

I think this is what used to be our Downstairs bathroom?? It will now be our laundry room and still part of our downstairs bath.

This is what will be our Master bedroom....there used to be a wall right after that first radiator and window on the left....that big gray bos thing is the AC unit....it used to be in a closet in the master bedroom.....CDR is moving it up to the atticd...he will then put in a new wall a little further out to make the room bigger...

I'm not sure where this is I am thinking it is one of the other bedrooms ...

A Sudden Storm

I'm one of those people who just loves sudden thunderstorms. When I was little I was terrified of thunder and lightening, but now MANY years later, I love watching a sudden storm outside my windows, while I keep safe, warm and dry inside...
Threw on some leggings and stripey socks...

Lunch

Spring!

I think Spring has to be one of my favorite times of year! Spring here in Virginia has been absolutley wonderful, so far. The Weather has been glorious( most days). We live 'sortof" out in the country, so it's peaceful, the sun shines, the birds chirp. Of course, with Spring, comes that feeling of "New Beginnings" , "Fresh Starts" and so on.....

In a month or so I should be able to move up to my new house in Wisconsin. CDR is renovating, he's torn down walls, pulled up floors, knocked down stairs(yes THOSE stairs...but he's rebuilding not 'moving " them) . The decorator in me can't wait to see what he's doing and hoping he impliments some of my ideas! I can't wait to just 'get in there" and start arranging furniture and making it pretty. I have so many ideas running in my head as to what 'style" I want to do this house in. It's taking everything in me not to go crazy shopping for the 'new' house!


These days I'm slanting towards a softer, slightly romantic( but not overly so), pared down look. Pale colors, mostly blues and grays and whites. A little Frill but again not overly so. I'm trying to carry that over in my clothing style as well. Spring just brings so many ideas and options.

What I wore to Church Yesterday:

Tulip Dress-Dress Barn

Green Ruffled Cardi-Target

Yellow T-Strap Sandals-DSW

And...What I'm wearing Today:

Ivory Ruffled Top-Target

Fair Isle Cardi-Thrift

Pink Ruffled Tiered Skirt-Rose's

Leopard Print Flats-Old Navy

(I have a bit of a love affair with Ruffles lately)

On the home front we've hired a new Realtor. The old one just wasn't cutting it for us, and when her contract expired last week, we found someone new. Hopefully this new guy can get people in to at least LOOK at the house! Of course now that our house 'went off the market"(it's being listed again today) I am getting phone calls galore from realtors in the area who want to promise they can sell my house....the phone has been ringing off the hook all day!

Relaxing while I get ready to blog!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Here are some pics and a couple videos from Thursday's BIG Excitement! My home was the 'location set" for a short film! Granted it's just a Student Film for Regent University(think Pat Robertson/ CBN) . The daughter of one of my closest friends is studying film at Regent, and asked if they could use our house for a film she's directing. It's amazing how much work and time goes into even a short Student Film. They 'shot' ALL day, for an 8 mintute movie! It was really cool though, and I think a few of my neighbors were perplexed as to what was going on here...LOL

Oh and the Caveman in the Billboard? is Adam....he's the main "star" of the movie.

...and actually it's more like : SOUND, Camera, Action...LOL

"have you been drinking?"

"You need some Holy Water. It's Excorcism time!"

I'm not entirely sure what the actual 'story' is. The jist of it is that this engaged couple just bought the house and are moving in....and everything just seems so perfect.....except.....he is seeing these weird visions....everything gets red and the house changes and looks decayed....at one point he sees a child in the house....wonders who it is....no one else sees what he's seeing....and that about all I know...LOL..I guess it's sortof based on an Apocalyptic theme? Based on the Mayan Calender ending. I can't wait to see the end product. Hopefully they'll b e done with editing the rough cut by the end of May. I should be getting a copy of the finished product sometime after that......I can't wait!!

Correction...

I tagged the wrong 'caveman".....it's the one in this clip.....he's the one on the billboard.....more info to come later...I have about 1000 pics to upload and a few videos....LOL

Bloggy House Tour-Chez Maggii

A few Fellow Bloggers are particpating in a Bloggy House Tour so I promised I'd participate. I decided to try a Video Tour....Let's see if this works?
My Video Skills leave something to be desired and my home isn't perfect, I've never claimed to be the Perfect Housewife. While watching it myself, I saw a few things that obviously need my attention. It probably wasn't a bad idea to do this because it allowed me to see my home thru the eyes of others......

I also hate the way I sound ....I'm very breathy and get tongue tied on more than a few occasions...LOL ...and Yikes..some of my inflections??!! I must drive my friends crazy if I talk like that all the time...LOL

Here's a Hint about Thursday's Excitement

The Caveman in the Poster of this video, should be at my home on Thursday....although I don't think he'll look much like a 'Caveman".....

Coming Soon

There are some exciting things about to happen here at Chez Maggii's....Thursday is going to be a Big day for me here. I'm not going to 'give it away" now...you'll have to tune in sometime, either this weekend, or next week, to find out what I'm talking about. I am pretty Excited though....

and.....a few of my bloggy friends are doing some "Home Tours" so hopefully tomorrow I can get some pics done and add my home to the tours as well.

What I Wore....

for Easter Sunday:

Skirt and Cardi by Isaac Mizrahi for Liz Claiborne
Shoes by Payless

Easter Brunch...

The Hubby had to head back to the Frozen Tundra on Friday so we didn't get to spend Easter together......he was here for my Birthday on Thursday though and that was nice...

I did have a houseful for Easter though....Good Friends of ours who moved away a couple years ago..came into town to spend the Holiday with their Daughter who still lives here. We decided to all get together here ,at my home, for one last Holiday Bash before I move, they invited another couple who are friends of theirs , we often all spent holidays together. ....we also invited the daughter of one of my other close friends who also moved a couple of years ago. She is now engaged and getting married in October. Here she is with her Fiance...

Everyone came over right after Easter Mass, and we decided to make this more of a Brunch than Dinner. They brought fixings for Grecian Omelets which turned out awesome. We also had Mimosas. It was just a really wonderful day, and felt sooo much like the old days when they all still lived here and we got together all the time.

Happyness!!

The Commander is here for the next few days so as you can all imagine I am quite the Happy Camper this week. We had beautiful weather here this weekend...I am REALLY starting to rethink this whole relocating to the Frozen Tundra thing...I'm thinking a nice Big Southern Plantation Home would be nice!! I have a feeling after a couple years of shoveling snow and driving to work in the frigid cold...CDR might agree..LOL. So who knows what the FUTURE future will hold...for now we'll fix up our cute old fixer upper and enjoy what Two Rivers Wisconsin has to offer. It actually sounds like a really neat little town and I plan to make the best of my life there , no matter how long or short....in the meantime I am enjoying this short visit with my Husband and his Brother.

Home at Last

Hey all...I'm baaaccckk...from my trip to Florida and Mississippi. It was a good trip. I haven't uploaded the rest of the pics yet so those will have to wait. Got Co-ed settled into her new place..then we spent a week in Biloxi with my family. I also spent a few days in SC visiting my Brother on my way home. It was a great visit all around but I am sooooooo glad to be back at home.

and.....tomorrow the Commander is coming in for a short visit!! Yay!!!

We are trading vehicles.....he origionally took his cute little Merzedes convertable with him. But now that we have a new house up there that needs a LOT of rennovating....he wants the pickup . So he's driving down with his brother. They will pickup the truck and a trailor we have and a bunch of his tools...and leave me the cute car. Still not sure when I'll ever get to move up there. Right now the house is pretty much torn apart. He just got the Permits for remodeling and will be able to start on it as soon as he gets back up there. I'm hoping I can at least visit at the end of the month. Then I'll have to be back to move Drama Teen out of the Dorms for the summer.

Birthday Wishes

Today is my Brother Bruce's Birthday. He would have been 40 today...I still cannot wrap my mind around the fact that he is gone. He died 3 years ago in a terrible Trucking accident. I posted about it here. Later today we are all going down to the Cemetary...It's strange to visit here and not have him around.

Family Visit

Yesterday, after our day at the Beach in Pensacola....we traveled west to Biloxi, MS. Most of my family now lives there. My parents took us to Mr. Greek's for Lunch, and then we got to visit with my SIL, Nephew and Niece...We all had Gyros...they were VERY good and VERY Big!Here is my niece with her son...

My Nephew and MY SIL...My Niece's daughter....Nephew again....Co-ed with my niece's daughter...