Cute as bug. The car, not me.

This is my friend Julie's adorable car. Isn't it cute as a bug? Oh yeah, and that's me, aka Bugs. We're in the parking lot of Austin Java where we had just lunched. People have been asking me why I haven't posted any update photos of Mike and me as we progress with our weight loss. There are two reasons, plain and simple.

1. There is rarely anyone around to take a picture of me anyway, since I have a husband who travels hither and yon.

2. And besides, even if he is here to take a picture, I generally spend my days in my home workshop make-up-less, in yoga pants and t-shirts covered with dog hair, bits of thread and cotton batting ... and with hair that most often resembles a bird's nest.

A photo op is rare. So since I was meeting up with Julie and other good friend, Kimber, to lunch and brainstorm Julie's idea for a new book proposal ..... we had a little photo shoot in the parking lot. (Gotta plug their terrific blogs here: Julie at Midlife Jobhunter and Kimber at Fragrant Liar.) Anyway, a lovely setting for pictures, doncha think? What with utility boxes and phone lines and the cars roaring by. What's worse was the posing and prancing about the parking lot, trying to channel Project Runway model moves. We had a giggle. Nevertheless, I've made an utter fool of myself in public yet again.
And there was yet another photo op this week!
This is me standing on my veranda overlooking the beautiful Texas Hill Country. And by my veranda I mean someone else's 6 million dollar house where we happened to be on a home tour on Thursday. And another pic of me in my study ... er, rich people's study.

So, see? I have lost some weight! Been a little stuck for about 10 days but I've lost almost 14 lbs. now. Just a couple more to go to reach the initial goal of 16 lbs. and then I'll probably re-assess. I just might decide to shave off a few more while I'm at it. But wait. Thanksgiving's coming. Oh.

Mike has also been stuck at the same weight for awhile but his intense travel schedule as of late has made losing weight so very challenging. He gets a pass though, because he actually lost weight in the early part of this year and so, fuhgeddabout our August 16th diet/blog launch date, he's lost a total of 20 lbs. altogether this year! (Which is why I don't think he even needs to lose another ounce.)

Just want to say that with the holidays nearly upon us, I'm about to get as busy as an elf with my creative work and will probably be posting less frequently. What am I working on? Shameless self-promotion: www.bugsie.etsy.com Still much more to come online once I've finished a little more inventory: holiday cards made from vintage Christmas tablecloths, vintage-y pillows, purses ... and the cutest little pincushions you ever did see! Stay tuned!
See ya before Thanksgiving, for sure!

Moving right along .....

So we're, uh ... moving right along. With a little help from our friends.

Mike had a helluva challenge when he spent last week in Japan, with all the fine dining and socializing. Nevertheless, he did pretty well to maintain his weight loss; 10+ lbs. lost so far! Now, had it been me traveling for a week I'd be like ... Hello, Room Service? I'll have the French Toast with a side of sausage, extra pats of butter, please, hash browns, a cheese Danish, a large orange juice, and coffee with cream. And then I would head out the hotel door to find the most divine place to lunch!

Have you ever tried these cherry essence prunes? They are so good! Really! And you could not get me to eat a prune to save my life before I tried these cherry ones. They're like candy, I swear! Five prunes = 100 calories, 24 carbs (a little carby, I admit), 1 gram protein, zero fats, and 290 mg of potassium. That's pretty good, right? Especially if you only eat 2 or 3 of them a day, which has been my practice. And, of course, "they help you out in the bathroom," as Mike's dear Aunt Marge used to to say.

So speaking of moving right along, that tire around my waist which has gradually inflated the past few years, is DE-flating!! And I tell ya, it's so nice to NOT do hand-to-hand combat with my jeans when I pull them on in the morning! I must get some photo updates happening here soon, although Mike has declared that he doesn't want another photo posted until his final, final, Big Reveal, reached-the-goal photo. Okay whatever. (But I'm telling you, people, he looks really good already and imho, he doesn't even need to lose another pound.) As for me, I will get a current photo up here soon. Honest.

Speaking of honest, we've been given the Honest Scrap Award! Yep, presented to us by most talented writer and blogger, Julie, over at Midlife Jobhunter. Thanks, gurlfren! Being relatively new at this blog biz, I'm not very familiar with these blogger awards that go around but apparently they are sometimes known to come with a hitch. Here are the Honest Scrap requirements:

1. This award must be shared.
2. The recipient has to tell 10 true things about themselves that no one else knows.
3. The recipient has to pass along the award to 10 more bloggers.
4. Those 10 bloggers all have to be notified that they have been given this award.
5. Those 10 bloggers should link back to the blog that awarded them.

Hmmm, sort of like a chain letter with pretty Girl Scout badges. I like it.

Okay, so here are my 10 things. I can't say that NO one knows these things about me, but certainly most of you won't know them. Keepin' it clean, as a certain 87 year old mother and a certain 22 year old daughter may be reading.

1. I'm guilty of being a chronic night owl.
2. I've relaxed my housekeeping standards considerably over the past few years ... and I like it!
3. I love a Big Mac.
4. When I was 28, I fell asleep on the back of Mike's motorcycle as we rode over the San Mateo Bridge in the SF Bay Area. (oopsie)
5. I love my solitude.
6. If I let my hair dry naturally, it's a full-on fro. (think Angela Davis)
7. I used to be an interior designer.
8. Mike and I met in a bar.
9. I make a killer coconut macaroon.
10. And last but not least ... and I've not told anyone this and I can't believe I'm now going to blurt it out on the internet ... the day before I knew we were starting this diet and this blog, I drove through McDonald's, got a big Mac and a large order of fries, and wolfed it down in the car on the way home. In record time.

Why, that was rather liberating!
Next.

I can't pass on the Honest Scrap Award to 10 blogs, but I can award it to 4 worthy ones. Please check 'em out!

Fragrant Liar, because she is soooo blatantly honest.
No One's the Bitch, because this blog represents a really important family issue.
O Mighty Crisis, because this is the most hysterical, honest blog ever!
Finding Frannie, because her challenge is greater than ours and she's rockin' it.

Now I'll be moving right along. Until next week .....