Sherry Morris's Blog, page 18

Mom's Christmas List 2013

AccessoriesCoach Purse
Soft Scarf Black, Red, Gray, Cream or White
Driving Gloves Size Medium

Books Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
The Quiet American by Graham Greene

ClothingSlippers Size Medium 7 (if available Wide Width if not purchase anyway keep receipt)
Snuggle Socks
Crew or Knee Socks: Blue, Green, Brown, Black and Purple
Long Sleeve and Short Sleeve Fitness Shirts Size Ladies Medium (Adidas, Under Armor, Puma)
Ladies Running Shoes Size 7 Wide (keep receipt)
Ladies Cross Training Shoes Size 7 Wide (keep receipt)
Hooded Water Repellent or Waterproof Trench Coat Size Ladies Large (keep receipt)
Pull-over Sweater Ladies Size Medium Pink, Blue, Green, Yellow, Black, Lavender, Gray, Red or Brown

DVDsThe Lucy Show: The Official Third Season
The Lucy Show: The Official Fourth Season
The Lucy Show: The Official Fifth Season
The Lucy Show: The Official Sixth & Final Season (1967)
Perry Mason: The Seventh Season, Vol. 1 (1963)
Perry Mason: The Seventh Season, Vol. 2
Perry Mason: The Eighth Season, Vol. 1 (1000)
Perry Mason: The Eighth Season, Vol. 2
Perry Mason: The Ninth & Final Season - Volume One
Perry Mason: The Ninth and Final Season, Vol. 2 (2006)
Here's Lucy: Season Four (1971)
Here's Lucy: Season Five
Here's Lucy: Season Six (1968)
Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season (2008)
Chicago Fire: Season One

ElectronicsWireless headphones/earbuds/Bluetooth/whatev for my iPod
Fast Hair Drying Blow Dryer
Kindle Fire HD with special offers (I don’t mind the ads, it’s cheaper with them)

Food and DrinkKraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese
Assorted Tea Cookies
Lindor Truffles White Chocolate Assortment or Stracciatella
Assorted Nuts that need cracking
Constant Comment Tea Bags (NOT Decaffinated)
Keurig K Cups: Bigelow/Celestial Seasonings/Twinings English Breakfast Tea (NOT Decaffenated)

Gift CardsQVC, Amazon, Audible, Panera, McDonalds, bareMinerals, Chili’s, Paragon/Regal/AMC Movies, Noodles & Company

Gift SetsPerfume Assortment
Lipsticks/Lipgloss Assortment
Bath Cubes

Home ImprovementGas Fireplace Insert Professionally Installed
Guaranteed to Flush and Never Plug and Overflow Toilet for Powder Room
Built In Microwave Vented Outside

JewelryPenguin Earrings
16” to 18” gold or gold plated necklace (delicate NOT fat & chunky)
Watch

KitchenCanister Set
Kitchen Towels
Pepper Grinder
Salt Grinder or Shaker

MiscellaneousFirewood
High Quality Bug-less Birdseed
Yoga Mat
Soft Bath Washcloths
Donald Duck’s Garden Railway Painting/Print Framed
Artwork and Mirror for Master Bedroom

TicketsSeason Pass to Disney World
Concert Tickets

Are Two Gym Memberships Better Than One?

For the second time this year, God told me to do something. No, I'm not hearing voices. No he didn't knock on my door. But he put a smile in my heart and I just know.

The first thing he told me to do was to allow my daughter to rescue a foundling puppy. We have an elderly special needs dog and the last thing we needed was double work. Of course, I'm the primary canine caregiver. I had denied her countless additional dogs for years. But when she called me this time and was giving me all the compelling reasons why we should welcome this puppy into our home, I was fighting with myself, just waiting for her to stop talking so I could say "Yes." Anyhow, she named him Frank. Moe, our senior dog, isn't keen on him.

Two years ago, we joined Gold's Gym. I loved their facility, classes and instructors. The atmosphere was perfect. I'm more flexible and stronger, but I've gained weight. I'm just beginning to take it off, with a viable combination of exercises which I finally epiphanized. No more dieting for me. I just don't want to deny myself comfort food indefinitely. I've had enough of that.

The only problem with the gym is it's a half hour drive away. So an hour round trip. That's if traffic isn't bad. And it's horrible in the summer, as we live off a major cut-through from the North to Interstate 95. Now that we have the new puppy, he has separation anxiety/what can I destroy syndrome when we leave him home alone. So I haven't been presenting at the gym as often as I'd like to.

There has been a small gym in the strip mall close to home for about eight years. It's changed ownership at least twice that I've noticed. Suddenly, this little happy feeling in my heart is telling me we should join this gym. It's a five minute drive or a thirty minute walk. Walk? Hey, that sounds healthy and environmentally kind (provided the puppy isn't home alone). I finally went to tour Fitness 1440 yesterday and my husband tagged along. It's clean, has all of the cardio and weight equipment we enjoy, a few classes and a friendly staff. Today they offered $0 enrollment and membership fees. We joined. It costs more than the big, fancy gym that's farther away. But to us, it's worth the convenience.

My husband wants to maintain dual gym memberships, he will continue to go to the big one on his way to work and he has a pass to use others in the chain when he travels for work. I will maintain dual memberships because I love the classes and instructors at the big gym. But I'm so looking forward to spontaneously and regularly dashing out some good healthy cardio close to home.

Bra Review: The Genie Bra

I've been searching for years for a light-support bra to wear with my pajamas and sleep in. Bralettes offer no support whatsoever. I was skeptical of an 'as-seen-on-TV' bra, especially since they are sold in the check-out line at that big discount store. QVC has been selling the Genie Bra for quite awhile. Loads of great reviews. So I opened my mind, watched the presentations, rewatched them online, and studied the reviews. I am 5' 144lbs 34DDD. I followed the sizing instructions, my band size is 34 so that would be small, but then it said to size up one size for C cup or greater. So I ordered a medium. I was pleasantly surprised that the Medium was easy to step into even over my 41" hips. There are no unsightly rolls or back fat showing. I do wish they wouldn't just say go up one size for C cup or greater. There are lots of cup sizes greater than C (my DDD for instance). They need to make cup sizes. Add extra fabric. This is a minimizer bra on me. Not as much compression as a sports bra, but my girls are smashed down. I wouldn't wear this bra out and about because it doesn't allow perkiness like an underwire bra with properly fit cups. It is a fabulous bra to sleep in or lounge around the house! When I lay down, the girls don't relax, they stay up! I totally recommend this Genie Bra for large breasted women who want a little support and modesty around the house. Bravo!

Keloid Scars May Be Preventable

In 2005, I had malignant melanoma removed from my left posterior shoulder by a male physician's assistant. This deadly form of skin cancer was caught early, at Stage Zero, so all I needed was more skin removed, no life altering cancer treatments. Per protocol, I was put on the biopsy-go-round. He removed everything that looked suspicious over a series of months. No more cancer has been found to date. Due to insurance coverage, I've had two male physicians since the P.A. and am currently under the care of a lady dermatologist.

From the initial mole removal, and one next to it, I have two large, ugly purple keloid scars. The nerves were severed and regenerated. To this day I will randomly experience a surge of excruciating pain in those areas. It's less often now, sometimes months go by with nothing.

One of the male physicians injected one with cortisol to flatten it. Well, it flattened, but spread out so it's wider.

The lady doctor biopsied a mole on my anterior thigh last year and a tiny keloid developed. Grr... At least it's nothing like the ones on my back. When she biopsied a mole in the center of my chest last month, I lamented about not wanting another disfiguring keloid. She had the nurse add Kenalog to the numbing medication to prevent the keloid from forming. I was stunned. I had no idea they could be prevented. Why hadn't anyone told me? I went back for a six week follow up this morning, to have another steroid injection. It wasn't necessary, the area is healing nicely. She gave me topical steroid cream to use if it does become red/itchy. If it gets hard or changes in other ways, I'm to call her.

If you are prone to keloid scars, speak up the next time you are incised. An ounce of prevention is the best beauty treatment.

Movie Review: About Time

About Time Directed by Richard CurtisStarring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Lydia Wilson
I was so excited that an advanced showing of a movie came to our town! My husband treated us to dinner and the movie, of course with popcorn, peanut M & M's (this theater doesn't sell Goobers) and a soda with two straws. The ticket agent told him she had been given 90 free tickets and we got the first two. There were a total of seven people in the theater.

This was the BEST TIME TRAVEL MOVIE ever! A young man is told all male family members have the gift of traveling back in time for 'do-overs'. Wonderfully played by Domhnall Gleeson, he was the awkward every-man whose life pretty much sucked socially. The do-overs allowed him to have a second chance at getting the girl, a reader of the slush-piles at a publisher. As an author who used to be in the slush pile, this really caught my fancy. He was also able to help a friend, a gloomy playwright who's play bombed on opening day. Unfortunately, this changed things with the girl, and set off a chain of events to overcome.

Very entertaining. The whole cast was superb. I look forward to more Richard Curtis films and Domhnall Gleeson is a leading man I look forward to following!

Book Review: The End of the Affair

The End of the AffairBy Graham Greenean audio book performed by Colin Firth
Colin Firth, actor (The King's Speech et al) is a brilliant narrator for this book. I thoroughly enjoyed his portrayal of all the characters in Graham Greene's compelling THE END OF THE AFFAIR. Other than the BBC Agatha Christie books and Lillian Jackson Braun's cat series, I haven't found another narrator whom I enjoy listening to. This was my summer bubble bath book. It took me four months to finish it, listening to a little each evening as I relaxed in the tub.

I was surprised that this book was written in the early 1950's. I didn't learn this until the end credits. It's extremely well written. Set in London during WWII, it chronicles the life of author Maurice Pendrix (spelling unknown to me because it was an audio book). He has an affair with the wife of a civil servant he is interviewing to base a character on. Jealousy hits all three. The existence/nonexistence of God is threaded through with great importance. I loved the book, though I felt it could have ended earlier. Then again, I didn't want it to end, so bravo.

Suddenly Making It On Twitter

It's been a long haul, but I'm finally figuring out how to gain Twitter followers who stick. 

When I get a new follower, or someone RTs me or chats with me, I look at their followers and follow the last five people who followed them, instead of looking at who they follow and copy them. My reasoning is these people have probably recently followed someone and therefore are looking to make new friends or pick up groupies. At one point, I had a 92% follow back rate according to a free Twitter APP.

Of course, this means I need to follow them back or most will drop me. I've had to lower my snob ratio. Unless I see something horrifying in their profile (bragging criminals, hate mongers and porn profile pictures) I'll follow them back. And if I'm following from my iPhone, all I see is the photo and name so if that isn't gross, I'll follow. At least until I see otherwise.

I've now got more than 20,000 Twitter followers, which pretty much blows my mind. Until I surf around and see all the popular people who have hundreds of thousands of followers. And some have millions. Yep.

I could not have done this without the help of free Twitter APPs that tell me who isn't following me so I can quickly unfollow them. I still hit daily follow limits sometimes, but I can just wait until the next day and use an APP to help me find who to drop so I have room.

I did try a Twitter APP to automatically retweet for me. Even with tweaking their parameters and filters for a couple of days, it was still sending RTs in my name that were offensive not only to me, but to the followers who abruptly dropped me. It also sent useless RTs that had no informative or informational value at all. I ditched the APP. I enjoy selecting fun people who need help getting their word out. I RT as much as I can.

Close to 1,000 people are RTing me regularly :)

Two verified celebs followed me last week. One SOAP hunk I followed first. And a local news anchorman followed me first.

I'm an author in a sea of hundreds of millions. I have a discoverability problem. I'm finally getting 5 Star Reviews from people who've found my books because of Twitter.

Squee!

Photos from my September 2013 Walt Disney World Trip

Bench at Hollywood Studios
Bamboo Art in stairwell of Polynesian Resort Hotel
Caladiums, Berries, Junipers and Pines at the Magic Kingdom
Donald Duck and Daisy Duck in their 2013 Halloween Costumes
Faces were painted in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom
Germany at EPCOT
Mickey Mouse had the need to instruct us in iPhone 5 use at Chef Mickey's Restaurant in the Contemporary Resort Hotel
Breakfast at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. Pooh is the best breakfast chef!French toast with strawberry sauce, blueberry crumb cake, sausage gravy with biscuits, corned beef hash, potato casserole and bacon.
Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet in their 2013 Halloween Costumes
Saturday Night Turndown Service at the Polynesian Resort Hotel. Chocolates!
Clocks for sale in Germany at EPCOT
Donald's Garden Railway Painting for sale in EPCOT
Adorable Piglet at the Crystal Palace Character Breakfast
Fruit, Cheese and Croissant with Tea and Juice at the Crystal Palace Character Breakfast. The best breakfast buffet in Disney World!
Giant Wooden Troll in Norway at EPCOT
Waterfall inside the Lobby of the Polynesian Resort Hotel

Recipe: Quick Chicken a la King

Quick Chicken a la King
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 bag or box of frozen mixed vegetables
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 cup rice
2 cups water or as directed for the rice
black pepper
salt
oregano
garlic powder
chicken seasoning mix

Simultaneously, cook rice as directed in it's own pot. Also cook mixed vegetables as directed in another pot. In a large skillet, brown chicken breasts in canola or olive oil. Remove from skillet and slice into bite sized pieces. Return to pan and cook until white all the way through. Season to taste with listed spices. Add mixed vegetables. In a bowl, whisk together soup and milk. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Heat through. Serve over rice. Makes four servings. My daughter called it chicken pot pie without the pie.

Full Body Skin Exam

In 2005, I was diagnosed with the rarest form of Melanoma, a deadly skin cancer. Click here to read my blog on it. I was lucky because it was caught in it's very earliest stage and cured by just cutting it out.

Ever since then, I return to the dermatologist every six months for a complete skin exam. Sounds tedious, but it goes quickly. She first checks the site where the melanoma was, making sure there is no change. Then she starts at my scalp and makes a quick but thorough perusal down to the souls of my feet, including in between my toes. Anything she finds interesting, she examines closer with a special light.

She always asks if anything has changed or if any areas concern me. Usually there is one mole I'm worried about but she isn't; one mole she's worried about that I'm not; and one that spooks us both. She schedules biopsies for all three categories. My visit six months ago was the first time nothing needed to come off.

Two days ago I had my exam. I was confident nothing had changed. I was surprised she was so concerned about a mole on my chest that she removed it immediately. Since I am prone to keloid scars, she tried to prevent it by including a steroid in the anesthetic and will inject more when I return for a six week follow up.

No news on the pathology report yet. I'm confident that if there is a problem, she caught it very early.

Just to let you know, I've never had a suntan. I did have two bad sunburns as a child. As an adult, I've always slathered on the sunscreen and avoided being out during peak hours. I always took the kids to the pool after 4 PM. And I had skin cancer.

Anybody can develop skin cancer. Please have any moles that change looked at by a doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant. Catching it early saves lives. Every race and age can develop skin cancer. Don't let it kill you. Get all of your moles checked once a year by a board certified dermatologist. You life may depend on it.

"There is a lot of skin cancer in Virginia."--Dr. Conologue at my latest visit.