#walktheworldwithECCO

I've always loved a good pair of shoes.  What woman doesn't?  I'll confess that since I started running marathons comfort beats style.  I really regretted my shoe choice on Sunday night - my feet were killing me by the time choir practice was over!

Ecco makes some really great shoes.  I bought a pair at the Ecco outlet that I wore all over Europe last year on our anniversary trip.  Les has several pairs - both casual and dress shoes.

Ecco has a contest going right now ~  #walktheworldwithECCO.  If you own a pair of Eccos, you can upload a picture (with your shoes) somewhere in the world - from exotic to your own backyard.  Then people can vote on your picture.  The 10 entries with the most votes will win a free pair of ECCO shoes up to $250.00!

Les and I have both entered a photo.  His is in Athens, on Mars Hill:

Mine is in Rome, at Saint Peter's Square:

We would love it if you would go to the site and vote for our photos!  Click RIGHT HERE!!  Voting ends on February 28th.  Of course if you own a pair, feel free to enter and compete against us!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest!

Don't forget to vote for your favorite Ugly Christmas Sweater! Voting starts today ~ go here!!

In case you forgot how lovely mine is...


Funny and true story ~ after I posted my sweaters on Thursday, the mother of two of my piano students wanted to know if I had any ugly Christmas sweaters! Of course I showed her my blog and she borrowed my "winner" for a party she was going to on Friday night. I haven't heard if she won or not...

Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest

A few days ago I received this comment from Mary:

You have been given a Christmas blogger challenge by Mary and Destiny! Go to the link for the details!!! :) http://classicmarymoments.blogspot.com/2011/12/ugly-sweater-challenge.html

As I read the list of contestants I realized I may have an advantage here - I am the only one who is over the age of 30, which means I've had many more years to collect Ugly Christmas Sweaters! And let me tell you, I've got some. Would you like to see what I pulled out of my spare bedroom closet this morning??

Since I live in Southern California, many of my Christmas sweaters are not sweaters at all. Like this nice denim shirt that says, "Let it Snow." Please notice the snowman buttons...


Here's a lovely, albeit very wrinkled, gingerbread man sweatshirt. Ignore my hair and "I just woke up" face, please...


You can't see all the texture on this beauty, but trust me, it's there...


Another gingerbread man. Are you noticing how each of these make me look at least 15 pounds heavier than I am? UGLY!!


The finalists.

I had a really hard time choosing between the next two. They are not technically sweaters but sweater vests which I believe ups the ugly factor by 3. I got these babies in an after Christmas sale for $2.50 each.

The runner up is this lovely snowman vest. Pom poms on each snowman's hat, plus two attached to the zipper. And one on the back.



The winner.

Gaudy felt stockings. Fake jewels. Jingle bells that jingle with each move. There is an additional stocking on the back. Believe it or not, this is a size Medium. It is ridiculously huge. Its beauty increases in direct proportion to the number of days I've been rained out from running/cycling and the number of treats in which I've overindulged. Just pull on a stretchy black skirt, throw this vest over it and I'm good to go until December 26th! No one will ever know...


Now for my dilemma. Is this a contest I really want to win? What does it say about me that I actually own these sweaters when some of the other contestants need to go buy one? The voting begins next Tuesday, December 20th.

Peonies and Buttercups

I have been meaning to introduce you all to a new blogger and now I really have a reason. Suzanne Andrews has a delightful blog called Peonies and Buttercups - Faith, family and southern domesticity....


Suzanne and Les have known each other since they were teenagers, so it was wonderful to see her enter the blog world. She has some great recipes, tips to moms, pictures, memories, even a recipe for Sweet Tea!

Last week she had a giveaway. The winner was announced today and it is ME!!! I can't believe it! And I can't wait to sample her strawberry jam - these pictures are of Suzanne's jam, taken directly from her blog.


I guess I should have introduce y'all a little sooner, shouldn't I??

Contest Winner!

(Gelato in Genoa)

So I stepped on the scale yesterday morning with a little trepidation. I was remembering... Gelato in four ports. Pizza in two. Canoli in Venice. Pastries in Venice. Lasagna in Rome. Tiramasu in Rome, too. Chocolate melting cake on the ship - twice. Oh, and lobster one night.

(Pizza in Mallorca)

The comments weren't all encouraging. They ranged from only one person saying I lost to gaining 4.5! So... the results??

I was down 0.5!!!

That's pretty much maintenance because my weight can vary from 1 to 2 pounds every week.

(Canoli in Venice)

No one guessed correctly, so I am going with the one who was closest. That would be none other than my Peep, Miss Chloee Tarazon! Chloee was the first of three people who guessed that I maintained.

Here is the breakdown of votes:

Lost = 1 vote (Thanks for your faith in me, Stephanie!)
Maintained = 3 votes
Gained = 6 votes

I think the real story here is the fact that I EAT all the time while I'm home. I don't starve myself on a regular basis, in fact I enjoy desserts quite often. So vacation isn't a time where I eat twice what I'm use to. The dinners on the ship are fabulous, but the portions are not super-sized like many American restaurants serve.

Another thing that really helped - my sweet sister, Kim, told me to take the stairs on the ship and I did! We were on the 6th deck, the Lido Marketplace where we ate breakfast and lunch was on the 10th deck, dinner was on the 3rd deck, and getting off the ship was on deck Zero. We took the elevator one time in 13 days! Our excursions had us walking in fortresses, the ruins of Pompeii, and all over Rome and Venice. It was a great balance.

Congrats, Peep! And thanks to everyone who participated. If you want to see how everyone voted, the comments have now been posted.

Anybody Still Here??

I'm writing this post in advance, but I am sure Les and I are having a grand time on our trip. I thought I'd see if anyone was checking this blog while we were gone by having a contest! I'm giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card in my first ever:

Will She Gain or Will She Lose Contest!

That's right, I want to know what you think about my ability to control my weight while on a two week vacation! Here's how it works:

I weighed the day before we left on vacation, Friday, May 20th.
I will weigh again on Monday, June 6th.
You need to guess:

• How much weight I gained, or
• How much weight I lost, or
• If I maintained my weight.

Remember, we are on a cruise with endless food. I plan on enjoying myself, I will probably have dessert every night. But we are also going to be doing a lot of walking at each port (Rome, Pompeii, Venice, etc.) I might even try out the fitness center on our days at sea. I weighed exactly my goal weight on Friday, May 20th, I didn't try to lose before we left. How do you think I did?? The amounts need to be by half pound increments because that's all my scale will tell me. Such as +1.5 or -2.0 or +3.0, etc. Just post a comment (none will be posted until the contest ends) stating:

• You gained ____ or
  
• You lost ____ or
  
• You maintained

Contest ends on Monday, June 6th. Winner will be announced some time Tuesday. If more than one person guesses correctly, the prize will go to the person who guessed correctly first.