YouTube
I have an impressive number of excuses for why I fell off the wagon on my efforts to get the lard off, but I’m happy to tell you I’m back in the saddle now and have re-lost some of my re-gained weight.
Life Lessons by AwePost
I’ve been on my ‘start-again’ regimen for about a week now and am finally seeing some progress.
I have been doing fine until dinner, and then my appetite is limitless. I’ve beem disgusted with myself.
I found something that is helping, both physically and as a support. It’s called, “Meta Appetite Control Dietary Supplement.” It’s made by the makers of Metamucil. It’s orange flavored and sugar free. It’s 11 grams carbohydrates with 6 grams fiber ( 5 grams usable carbs per serving. )
They suggest that you put two rounded teaspoons into 8 or more ounces of water and drink it with meals up to 3 times daily. Just having it available is helping me. I’ve only had to make two servings during the week – once between a lunch and dinner, and once when I was up in the middle of the night ready to eat everything in sight. Otherwise, just seeing the can on the counter is motivation NOT to need it, if that makes any sense.
I’m hoping that getting my appetite under control again, plus getting back into my good exercising routine will get me on the road to good progress reports for you again.
I’ve been doing a lot of work in the yard lately, so I’m plenty ‘active,’ but I need to work in time for more regular exercise, as well.
My husband has surgery next week, but once that is over, I’ll try to get my days into more of a routine.
Much appreciation for your support!
Graphics
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, DIET!, exercise, getting the lard off
Lazy Days Wallpaper – Fanpop
I was GOING to work in the garden again and do more weed whacking.
We got up early today
We have his second cataract surgery scheduled for the 16th of this month. His right eye (first surgery) is doing well, except that my husband was admonished for insisting we stop putting in the drops. (We started again when we got home).
I fixed us some lunch and then fell asleep in my chair, waking up just a few minutes ago.
I SHOULD get out and do the weed whacking I wanted to do around the garden, but I’m feeling super-lazy.
I think I’m going to declare this an official working-outside-day-off.
I feel a little bit guilty – but not enough to actually go out and DO anything….
Filed under Attitude
Wikipedia
I’m always sad when a word changes its meaning – due to the population using it differently – and I no longer feel comfortable using it. One example – the distortion causes children’s poems to be suddenly ‘inappropriate for children,’ or you can’t read one aloud anymore without the laughing killing the whole point of it.
I understand that if a language isn’t changing, it dies. But, sometimes, the changes kill wonderful memories, too.
I’ve always loved clowns. Like mimes, they make you see a ‘story’ without saying a word. Truly gifted, they can make you laugh or cry.
babble
But clowns have taken on a sinister aspect, due to movies, weird books, and demented souls who think it’s funny to dress up as a beloved clown and then do horrible things.
Heavy.com
I just looked for images of clowns on the net, and could only find THREE I thought fit MY image of a clown. Most were trying to be frightening or sickening.
I don’t want to accept this change. I’ll just remember when clowns were sweet, gifted, and a joy to people everywhere.
Filed under Attitude, Changes, Favorite Things
Wild Ammo
The grocery shopping is done. The food is put away. Lunch has been fixed and eaten. The lawn is mowed. The leaf blower has cleaned up sidewalks and the driveway pad. I didn’t make it out to the garden, or even start the weed whacking, but I’ll get more done tomorrow.
It was a beautiful day, too, with lots of bright sunshine, a high in the mid-80’s with low humidity. A perfect day to work outside.
We’ll have a relaxing evening at home tonight, maybe enjoying some of the evening on our deck. My husband is taking a nap in his chair in the living room while one of our cats sleeps on my lap as I type.
It just doesn’t get much better.
Filed under Attitude
This is our new-to-us riding mower. My husband put a different, more serious muffler on it, but it’s still really loud.
Since he is recovering from 1st-eye cataract surgery, we decided that “I” should handle the mowing and the weed whacking until further notice. (Or about the middle of June, I think).
We keep the mower in the shop. I asked my husband to show me again how to check that there is enough gas, the oil level, plus which levers did what again, since this is not my strong suit. I was then able to put it into reverse, get it out of the shop, turn it around and start riding toward the yard. I got the blades going after determining grass cut height.
It took me a good hour, since I put the speed on the lowest available for quite awhile until I felt more comfortable. I also told my husband I would weed whack the outer edges of the ‘civilized’ area along our back yard because the mower really leaned and I wasn’t comfortable with that at all.
I got the front, side, and back area mowed, plus the area between the driveway and our trio of brick planters, plus the area between the driveway pad and the shop, drove it back into the shop and turned it of.. HOORAY!
I didn’t run into anything. I didn’t dump myself off with the mower on top of me. I started to feel more comfortable this time.
I’m drinking water and taking a break, but feeling empowered. After I cool down, I’ll get out the leaf blower and clean things up.
AllGraphics123/com
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Encouragement
http://www.swankypress.com via Lisa Bearnes Richey
Or – maybe I should be looking for a zoo keeper to help corral my husband…
Does anyone else have a husband who knows more than everyone else about everything?
Meme Super
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude
GrowingBolder.com via Cathy Ruggiero
The past two weeks have been full of challenge:
We actually found one a few weeks ago. We had to replace some parts (still ordering a new muffler and a new starter solenoid), but it worked! When it was ‘my turn,’ it scared my hair off. At the slowest speed, I feel the most comfortable, but I’ll die of old age before the lawn is finished. I forced myself to stay on after my husband thought I had done enough, finishing the yard. I DID pull the edge of a tarp into the blades at the end, but we got it out and there was no damage to the mower – only to my ego. :0/
I find that pushing myself – either because of necessity or just a good opportunity – is good for me. I can see it from the outside when my friends do less and less, their worlds becoming smaller and smaller. I am determined to keep my world wide open – open to new experiences, learning new skills, testing my courage, moving around outside my comfort zone a bit. The more I push myself, particularly doing things for the first time, I find a new enthusiasm for life and a bit more confidence in myself.
I’m probably not going to do something like bungee jumping or sky diving at this point, but I don’t think you have to risk your life to keep your mind and body active. Just nudge yourself a bit…
taolife.com
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes
Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
I love this picture and the quote.
For me, personally, though, this is a happy WISH, rather than an actual memory.
My mother didn’t like messes. She wouldn’t have provided the rain gear in this picture or countenanced me jumping into a puddle. My parents were both only children, strictly raised. They didn’t ‘forbid’ us to get dirty. They just couldn’t imagine it. Some things my brother and I ‘got’ without having to be told.
My best friend, Ann, down the street, played in the water. And, if some of it DID get on me, my friend’s mom would clean me up before I walked home. For several years I was at my friend’s house every day, and also routinely spent the night on weekends. We were inseparable and enjoyed countless hours of things my mom would have frowned upon – like finger painting, making chocolate chip cookies, and dressing up to play, “Children of Another Land.”
My friend’s house was always full. Ann had one sister and two brothers, and ALL of their friends felt the same way I did.
My wish is that every neighborhood have one shared ‘mom’ who delights in – and embraces – the many memory making joys of childhood.
Filed under Attitude, Childlike Fun
Ned Hardy
I’m grateful that my wisdom tooth chose this late in my life to act up so my dentist could do what was necessary to get it out without scarring my psyche for life.
I’ve been lucky several times, when I had a problem, that the medical community had learned how to deal with it, lessening my suffering. For example, RH factor used to cause death for the mother and/or the baby. I inherited this from my maternal grandmother, who quietly took care of 5 small graves. By the time I had a baby, shots had been developed to help both my son and me.
When I had Graves Disease (a thyroid problem where your body gushes hormone, affecting every part of your body) they irradiated my thyroid and I take very inexpensive pills now that regulate things.
When my gallbladder went on strike, the removal of it had evolved from a really awful surgery with long recovery time to a laparoscopic procedure from which the recovery time for me was about a week. Amazing!
By the time I needed to have cataracts removed, the procedure was a 15-minute one, with my eyes fixed two weeks apart, with very little problem. (My husband has a picture of me with a patch on one eye. He paired that with a picture of Mad Eye McGurk from Harry Potter. We looked remarkably alike…)
Over and over, I have found that I have been so lucky that by the time I have a problem, knowledge and techniques have improved so my suffering is so much less than it was in the past.
So, even though my jaw is still sore from my wisdom tooth extraction last Monday, I thank my lucky stars…
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Changes
Evolver Social Movement via Cathy Ruggiero
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Pictures, Favorite Quotes
Theodore Roosevelt via Messages.365 Greetings.com
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
Purple Clover via Cathy Ruggiero
Gremlin Pictures
These critters get the best of us from time to time around here. They’ll lull us into a sense of confidence and taking things for granted and then attack with a vengeance, knocking the wind out of us.
This week they attacked our phones and our Internet.
PHONES – Suddenly, we couldn’t call out. We had a flashing light on our home cell phone base, but couldn’t get the messages. We tried everything we knew how to do to no avail. I called AT&T today and a wonderful lady named Bernetta helped me. After I unplugged our cell phone base and took out the batteries, she did something on her end that caused the thing to reset. She called our home line while I was still on my cell to test it. She got our “Press 1 if you’re human and not selling anything,” message and we got the call. She was laughing her head off at the message and wanted to know where we got it. When I told her my husband used a program he wrote to generate the message, she said she could sell a million of them, still laughing. She said, “You’ve made my day with that.” She made OUR day by being so nice and helping us make our phones work again. When we got off the phone, we retrieved our messages and then turned OFF that message source, since we have another one attached to our system that helps us block unwanted calls. HOORAY! One gremlin down!
INTERNET – We have a gremlin in our Internet service, too.
I can’t get to my website host panel. This is a problem because (1) I send out newsletters via the panel and can’t get to it. I also can report problems, etc. I can’t sign in. Their main website comes up, but I can’t do anything with it. They’ve been working we me, getting me to run terminal sessions and do strange stuff and send them the results. When I did, they said,”Unfortunately, you will need to contact your Internet services provider,as your traffic does not appear to leave their network.” This is all Greek to me, so I wrote our son, the computer guru my HUSBAND goes to when HE (the computer analyst) needs help. Our son said from what he saw in the dats, it looked like my webhost people were right and the problem was with the Internet provider. My husband wrote a careful email to the tech person we’ve been working with. We’re awaiting his reply, and the gremlin laughs at us.
ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS – We have learned over the years that mice consider wiring delicious. We had never heard of this, but we’re gradually learning to do as much wirelessly as possible. It’s too hard to get into the walls, get under the house, etc., to try to repair the wires they’ve eaten or run new wires. Our new project is to try to starve them out eventually – if we live long enough.
SO – right now we’re running down one thing after another which aren’t working suddenly, and the causes are mysterious. I don’t speak “electricity,” “phones,” or ‘Internet,” so all things are controlled by magic – with the approval of the gremlins. My husband, however, speaks all these languages and doesn’t enjoy the mystery.
Is there a spray that controls gremlins?
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Changes
Life Lessons by AwePost
We are all busy, caught up in what we need or want to accomplish today. It’s easy to move around in your own little bubble, concentrating on getting to the next thing. Every time I see someone take just a moment out of their day to open the door for someone, lift a package, let someone ahead of them in line – do some little thing they didn’t have to do to lighten someone else’s load – I feel three things:
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Encouragement
Today is DAY 5 our renewed efforts on eating healthier and moving more.
YourEllipticals.com
I want to get started gathering ‘goodies’ for the new hummingbird bird bath, but I acted like an adult (at least more than usual :0) ) and did 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer. I’m listing all my food, plus my exercise, on MyFitnessPal.com, getting a more realistic idea of the amount I’m eating and making sure it’s 1200 calories or less, and 40 grams of carbohydrates or less, each day.
Later today I’ll do one session of yoga.
World of Female
I’ll report to you on Wednesday of next week. Hopefully, I’ll be able to tell you that we’re definitely making progress again.
If nothing else, I’m feeling better than I’m TRYING.
taolife.com
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise, Healthy Eating
PositiveHitsper via Chrissie Anderson Peters
When I feel down, I plant something.
When I’m anxious about the future, I plant something.
When I’m frustrated at the world around me, I plant something.
When I’m angry and hurt, I plant something.
When I’m eager to make a difference, I plant something.
Today I planted two bulbs that my husband wanted when he saw the picture. We looked at the picture, then looked at each other and smiled. Here is what I planted –
Who could feel bad when there is hope that this will bloom?
Jacqueline A. Lyons
Okay. My husband and I have been doing a TERRIBLE job lately on following our low carb diet, exercising, and getting healthier. We have lots and lots of excuses, none of which actually hold water when held up to the light – (to mix a bunch of metaphors and clichés’.)
SO –
Last night we agreed that Monday morning we’re going to start being adults again. To this end, we enjoyed KFC last night, and we’re going to Subway tonight for the condemned “last meal.”
This morning I started getting ready to be seriously good. I made a careful list of menus for the coming week and a grocery list to go with it. When we returned from shopping, I started cooking.
___________________
I KNOW I can do this. NO MORE EXCUSES! NO MORE WEAKNESS! Wish me luck?
taolife.com
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise, Healthy Eating
Life Lessons by AwePost
I’ve made a lot of progress in being happy. Mostly, I just REALIZE and APPRECIATE. I’m working on this list, too.
Filed under Attitude
Breathing for Peace via Carol Auclair Daly
I love this for several reasons –
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
creativeartworksblog 