Maxine Monday

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Lexie's Bracelet

Last week I was reading Bev's Jewelry blog when she showed the steps she uses to make "Lexie's Bracelets". Lexie is a young girl who has been fighting brain cancer since she was only a few months old. She has a CaringBridge site where you can read about her, she is now 10 years old and continues the fight.

But back to Bev - she makes jewelry (Lexie's Jewelry) which she gives a portion of the proceeds of - to cancer research (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA). I thought it was a terrific thing she does, and since Lexie has recently had some measurable growth of her tumor, it would be a good time to buy me some jewels! Isn't it pretty? Made with 5 colors of Swarovski pearls and Bali silver daisy spacers, it's so simple and subtle, easily worn with almost anything! Looks good even on MY chubby wrist!












I just couldn't figure out which picture I liked best! Thanks Bev! It's beautiful!

Sweating at City Hall

Today I went to a town hall meeting and I am SO freaking proud of myself! See, I'm not a joiner. I don't DO this kind of thing. This town hall was held by Illinois Congressman Mark Kirk.

I didn’t see any protestors outside (although they were there when I left) when I got there about an hour ahead of time, because they were already inside the building sitting in every available seat! I found a place to wedge myself (standing) and was very quickly blocked into the spot between 2 very rude move-on.org guys. THAT wasn’t fun.

When they announced there were so many people they were breaking it up into 2 separate meetings – I made my way back out into the hallway after standing squashed between hot and sweaty people for a full hour (BEFORE the meeting even started!) where I may or may not have been experiencing hot flashes anyway.

Below is the transgendered woman who was dressed better than me, who asked if Congressman Kirk’s proposed healthcare plan would cover gender reassignment surgery. Honestly I did not even hear the answer but – REALLY? I mean, I WAS out in the hallway. But – um . . . REALLY???

I’m glad I went, I learned it’s not so hard to be part of the process. I also learned that cops can’t seem to keep their eyes off beautiful female reporters when they keep striding past them. Seriously, they could have been used as decoys if someone had wanted to get by those officers!

Just reporting what I witnessed. Just the facts Ma’am.

**Adding - I forgot to mention how many elderly men and women were left standing today in that crowded and hot room while many a young person was seated quite comfortably, thank you very much! I was appalled.

Maxine Monday

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It goes on and on . .

I have such a headache. It’s the mom thing again. I’m afraid the brother she is living with is having a really hard time with having her there lately. He is ill and this round of treatment is kicking his butt and he is crabby and impatient. I’ll be honest – it’s really hard to be patient with her sometimes when you’re not sick, so I get it.

Trying to find out if she is eligible for Medicaid for an adult daycare program, or maybe some in-home care is a nightmare. Especially from a different state. When I suggested she come here by me she says “I’m comfortable here.” I’m guessing my brothers and I are going to have to decide what to do and she is going to have to go along with it. She can’t be alone and my brother can’t continue being her caretaker when he has all he can do to take care of himself right now.

Tonight? I’m going to take some ibuprophen and check my lottery ticket.

You’re killin’ me here!

I have been having an incredibly hard time keeping up with all the blogs lately. I love reading all the blogs I subscribe to but can y’all do me a favor? Post every 2 or 3 days, okay? Every day and more than once a day means I am going to get behind for sure, and severely limits my ability to comment on all the posts I would like to.

Thank you very much. Please go back to your regularly scheduled activities.

**This in no way applies to The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee because I will look at those pictures any day, several times a day. KITTIES!!!!

Just sayin’.

Wii for the elderly

How many nights do I go to sleep picturing myself getting on the treadmill (never outside, I'm not THAT crazy) and running like I'm training for something? Never mind that I was never a runner, even in high school at 104 pounds (I WAS TOO - my freshman and sophomore years) I couldn't run a whole mile without walking some of it.

There was a time when I worked out all the time, for about 2 or 3 years and that was all she wrote. Now - I not only don't exercise, I don't MOVE. I've been eating better than I ever have in my life and still not losing weight so you know working out is the missing element.

Tonight I got on the treadmill and started moving. I thought about it all day at work, gearing myself up for a workout when I got home and was just starting to walk - when my BF showed up all cute and bearing gifts. He's kind of hard to resist when he smiles and his nose crinkles all up. He brought me a strawberry/pineapple slushy thing that was really good. But spending time with him and having my slushy meant getting off the treadmill almost as soon as I started.

Still, it wasn't all cold, fruity kisses. BF suggested we play tennis. On the Wii. OH! Exercise of another kind, okay, I can do that! He being of the athletic persuasion and me being from the totally sucking community, I still thought it could be fun and it was!

But about 10 minutes into it I looked at him and he looked at me and I realized we were both playing with our reading glasses perched on the ends of our noses. Um . . I guess we couldn't see the remote well enough . . .

You KNOW what I said to him and made us both laugh, right?

"WE'RE OLD!"

But we kept playing!