Our Kentucky Boy Won!! Plus...can you believe Susan Boyles Rendition of Wild Horses?!

"In a Columbia records press release today, the label announced that pre-orders of Susan Boyle's new album 'I Dreamed a Dream' due out November 24 have "topped Jay-Z, Whitney Houston, and even The Beatles' remastered CDs, making Boyle #1 on the Amazon.com's best-sellers list."" Rolling Stone

I loved Barbara too!

I'm happy for him but....part of me thinks why doesn't Kevin Skinner just want to sit on the front porch and sing to the hills...being famous me thinks isn't all it's cracked up to be....

Abby's my girl on the Biggest Loser....

Abby is going to inspire us like nobody's business...I just know it!

I think she looks like a young Paula Dean....she's so cute.

In October 2006 Abby lost her husband,

her 5-1/2-year-old daughter and her 2-1/2-week-old son

in a fatal car collision. Beyond heartbreaking.

Bravely she is carrying on ....she's my girl!
Video of the doctor visiting Tracy in the hospital

to explain why she went down ....wow!

I'm liking Tracy too....

Gotta love Mo! He's from Louisville Kentucky our home town guy....Mo has 6 kids and a really nice guy. They had a write up in the paper about him and he said he no longer has to take insulin for diabetes and feels better than he has ever felt in his life...Go Mo!

Right now these are my top 3....

Season Eight Biggest Loser's...

can't wait

to see all these lives change for the better!

Is it just me??...I'm sad

I watch this movie anytime it comes on...


Patrick loved his wife....

he fought a great fight and always stayed optimistic...

He was a good guy and they are few and far between in Hollywood.

He will be missed...

I believe that's why they are called grandparents.........because they are on such a G-R-A-N-D Journey.....

Dick was playing in a local Senior Golf Tournament this morning so I decided to walk the Anchorage Trail since I needed to run some errands in that part of town. So glad I did.....on my second lag around, two young women joggers ran past me....I heard the sweetest voice say, "that's why I believe they are called grandparents because they are on such a grand journey."...uh, yeah!

I wholeheartedly agree!!

The world is our playground...really!

Last Thursday Dick and I applied to be extras in the movie Secretariat
us...and about 2,000 others...
This lady was trying too hard in my estimation...:-)
Me and my killer publicity photo!...(thanks Sis)...the guy that took my application said it was an awesome photo...I think I'm in!

The lady in back of me was our line buddy....she is a school teacher and was grading papers as she stood in line. She told us she already knew the final grades of all her students. ???

The view from Millionaires Row inside Churchill Downs where we filled out our applications to be in the movie. They wanted info like who our agents are....

oh, dear.
The movie will be shot in Louisville and Lexington starting late September...soon!

It will star Diane Lane as the owner of Secretariat during the 70's...

it's a Disney Film, based on a true story.

Diane will play Penny Chenery the owner of Secretariat. Penny was pressured to sell Secretariat when it became apparent he was a great race horse because she had little experience in horse racing.

I'm thinking this is going to be a very good movie.

Look for us when the movie comes out next year.....

Dick and I will be the ones having a Grand old time! ;-)

A Life Remembered Leon Lebor.......

Leon Lebor
World Trade Center


Universal Sign for Laughs

He was deaf, but Leon Lebor certainly got to see the world. Born in London, he moved to New York and worked as a furrier. Then he moved to Jerusalem, where he was a florist at the King David Hotel. Having problems signing in Hebrew, he returned to New York and became a janitor at the World Trade Center.

"He managed to live his own life and take care of himself," said his brother, David.

Mr. Lebor, 51, was one of the most popular janitors at the trade center. He was known for telling jokes and making hilarious faces that rivaled Emmett Kelly's.

"He loved what he did, and the tenants loved him because he did what he had to do and then some," said Frances Ramirez, a former supervisor. "He worked very hard and he took pride in it. He just loved to make friends."

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 19, 2001.

You might like to visit this website and spend some time praying for the family and friends of all who lost their lives on

Sepetember 11, 2001

May we never Forget!

Be inspired by the lives written about here....the writers will inspire too....

Cupcake Pops..thanks Bakerella!

I made these cupcake pops this past weekend for my girls Leah and Kate. Sis had a bunch of their friends over for tennis and Karaoke. I'd been wanting to try making the pops I'd seen on Bakerella's website, this was the perfect time to do so. Bakerella made these cupcake pops on The Martha Stewart Show. I followed the from scratch cake and cheesecake frosting found on Martha's website. Bakerella has so much information on her website to make these that I'm including it here, she used a cake mix and canned frosting. I found everything but the bark at Jo-Ann Fabrics. I found the bark at Krogers. I added 6 drops of red food coloring to the white bark to make pink tops.

Purchased the cutest bags to wrap them in at Jo-Ann's too...they were all Wilton.

Pink M&M's are supposed to be in stores for Breast Cancer Awareness

I found these pink store brand M&M's at Fresh Market

Perfect size for little ones.

A couple of my favorite photo's Sis took of our girls this summer...

Love my girls....

Sissy's Blog.....

Why I chose Calorie Counting....

Laura this post is for you (or anyone else that might be curious) since you asked why I chose calorie counting over Weight Watchers. I love Weight Watchers and have nothing against them...at all! It just didn't work for me, the points drove me bonkers. I'd loose the weight and gain it back every time...

Losing weight is so very personal...everyone is different and everything I write is my experience, what works for me. My life was changed forever when I made the choice to stick to a calorie counting plan. Every day I thank God for a second chance.

I truly believe counting calories makes you stand on your own two feet...you make the choices what you will eat and the exercise you will do. It's YOUR program. I believe if you forge your own way, turn your own boat around, you will stay the course.

When you log into www.thedailyplate.com or www.dailyburn.com or www.sparkpeople.com... you enter your age, height and weight. The site will calculate the calories you should eat each day to lose 1-2 pounds a week. When I first started at TDP I ate around 1,800 calories a day. In the beginning I just logged in what I usually ate. Didn't change much at first...it evolved as I lost the weight. After about three months of calorie counting, I knew I could do this the rest of my life, which is key. Soon you realize restaurants are making us fat, that we go back for seconds when we shouldn't and our portions are too big. Also seeing the nutrients you are getting each day automatically added to your food charts..priceless.

My daughter Melissa was extremely supportive...she would challenge me to go for it. "Mom, this works ( counting calories) it really, really works!". When she gave me some of her old size 10 pants and jeans, I thought she was crazy! Sis would say, "mom, just try to get one leg in them." Sure enough one day I got both legs in them! Plus seeing her loose weight, going from size 10 to 4's and 6's really inspired me.

I did use Dottie's website which is essentially WW to help with restaurants. Also used WW magazine and WW website for inspiration and recipes. Mostly I use www.myrecipes.com for Cooking Light recipes. Love the fact readers leave comments...tried and true.

If you need the support of a group...WW is the way to go. LeAnn uses WW with success and I have another friend, Melissa that has lost over 50 pounds using WW. The on-line calorie counting websites all have forums and groups to find support....I've used them all. My new site www.dailyburn.com uses motivators. I'm working on improving weight training right now. We loose muscle as we age and I want to do all that I can do to stop that from happening.

Finally, I calorie count because it really, really works! Calorie counting is free, walking is free....that makes me feel good! It gets easier over time and becomes second nature, new skin. It worked for me and it's something I will do the rest of my life. I feel like the girl in the picture above and I'm 56 years old. I'm nobody special ...if I can do it...you can too!

The real truth about diet versus exercise....

These guys are too cute...they are comparing exercise to

in this case, drinking a Starbucks Frappuccino and a Starbucks brownie...yum!

However, together the fappuccino and brownie equal 1100 calories.

Showing this video to Dick FINALLY got through to him...finally!

We walked 7 miles yesterday...had the best time

could have walked more.

To Dick, walking those 7 miles gave him

Carte Blanche to eat anything he wanted.

Dick weighs about 200 pounds, he walks 15 minute miles, give or take.

He burns about 504 calories an hour walking 4 miles an hour...

yesterday he burned about 840 calories.

Say he is trying to lose a few pounds (which he is)

It takes 3,500 extra calories a week to gain a pound

therefore, 3,500 a week less to lose a pound.

That's on average 500 less calories a day.

Hum.....

Eat anything?...

Why not go to Starbucks and get a Skinny Latte?

A Grande Skinny Latte is about 130 calories.

The days of us eating anything are over.

We think and plan

Sis found a new website (you rock sweet daughter of mine!)

http://dailyburn.com

This is a free website....

I love it and am going to start logging in there.

Good site to find out recommended calories to lose weight or maintain.

The Story Behind The Song: It Is Well With My Soul...

Sure most of you know this story.

Used many of these stories when I was teaching senior high sunday school

to help my students to love the old songs.

Can't sing this song, never have been able to.

I'm an alto and I love the harmony to this song...

I'd LOVE to be able to sing it...just can't.

Tears...lots of them.

It is well...It's all gonna be okay

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalm 18:32

Is That Fall in the Air?....

The pumpkins are ready...

we witness these this morning on our walk on the Anchorage Trail.

It was an eventful walk....

a Physical Therapist, also on a walk,

stopped to help Dick out with shin splints.

She explained to him to point his feet downward

over the edge of the walkway and lean in against me and hold for 30 seconds.
Very effective.
As we practiced that exercise, an older couple

stopped to see if everything was okay...

so sweet

We found out the man had just been released from the hospital

and was walking to regain his strength.

He said he was plagued with leg cramps and I told him about pickle juice.

They found that very funny

but since I have experienced severe leg cramping

and found much relief from drinking pickle juice...

Thought I'd pass it on....what could it hurt?

They added a new swing...

Thoughtfully planted sunflowers...lots of them!
Neat rolls of soy beans....


Soy bean flower...lovely

Fields of Black Eyed Susan's...
We had a lovely walk on the Anchorage Trail

this first morning of September

Anchorage Trail

Visit my post from last year with pictures and facts about

this beautiful trail created and paid for by

Papa John Pizza Founder and Owner John Schnattner

If you ever come to Louisville...please visit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's almost that time of year!

St James Art Show time!!

One month away!

Here's my post about last years show....... St James Art Show

The St. James Art Show

"The St. James Court Art Show ® is a juried fine arts and fine crafts show. Always held the first full weekend of October, it hosts an impressive 750 artists from North America. Held in the heart of historic Old Louisville among the country's largest collection of Victorian homes, the St. James Court Art Show® has for over five decades provided our neighborhood, city and state with a rich cultural and artistic legacy." (copied from their site)

October 2, 3 or 4th. 10am-6pm

Friday morning is the best time...

but anytime is a good time to come...I'll be there!