funnypicture.org
I told you last week that for some unknown reason, I can eat a week’s worth of carbs and calories after dinner. Part of the reason is that we’re staying up late. My husband has trouble sleeping. We used to go to bed and read until we were sleepy. He read that he would sleep better if we quit doing that, so we’re downstairs until we’re sleepy now – leaving about 5 hours or so after dinner when we’re close to the kitchen.
Yesterday I put my foot down hard – telling myself I was finished gorging myself and would look forward to my orange dream bar after dinner and THAT WAS IT! Last night was the first night in ages I’ve actually done it. My scale even noticed the difference. So – I’m starting day TWO of acting like an adult on my eating.
Since I’ve been shoving everything in the house into my mouth, my weight and measurements have fluctuated. I’m determined to get back on track, eating low carb and as little sugar as possible. I’m trying to stay under 40 carbs of carbohydrates per day and under 1200 calories. AND I’m trying to exercise regularly. To date I’ve lost 34 lbs and 19″.
I’m doing better on my exercising than my eating. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been doing yoga three days a week, the elliptical twice a week, and upper and lower body strength exercises. My poor old body has had sore muscles to show for my efforts, but I’m feeling better overall, and I feel that I’m working my body from head to toe, in different ways so my body doesn’t get used to anything.
Now that I’m finally on track on my after dinner eating, I’m hopeful I can continue to report actual progress to you.
taolife.com
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise
Katie Kacvinsky via hangoutwithoutfreakingout via Desiree Angelique Hackett
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
Yesterday I started painting my newest order for stationery and note cards in my newly cleaned and organized art room. What a pleasure! I finished the package of deckled edge floral stationery last night and I’ll start the package of note cards today. I’ll share some photos when I’m finished.
I have to tell you I love my life. I don’t know how I ever found the time to work full-time, as I did for some 45 years. Then I changed to working from home, continuing to do medical transcription I used to do at an office in Fort Smith. I also started my website, Creative Artworks, in 2000.
I still run my website, which has about 25 other artists right now. I love writing this blog, trying not to bury you alive in pictures I’ve found, thoughts I’ve had, and more each day. I love working in my art room on orders or ideas for new things, plus working in our shop with my husband, creating metal yard critters out of scrap metal, cutting new mailbox decorations out on our CNC setup with computer-guided torch, creating stained glass pieces and mosaics. I’m brimming with ideas for a new mosaic project, a new technique for working with gourds, a glass etching, and ideas for a new theme for Christmas cards and wooden ornaments.
My raised bed square foot garden is always in my thoughts. As soon as I finish a few more things, I’ll get out my master ‘map’ of my six 4’x4′ raised beds and figure out what I’d like to try to grow for our veggie garden in the spring, as well as where to put them in the garden. I’ll start some spinach seeds inside, since I have real trouble finding spinach plants.
A gift that keeps on giving is our brick planter beds all around the house, brimming with flowers. We’re trying to add more perennials each year, since we ARE getting older, as well as planting our favorite annuals each year.
I started practicing yoga – the old ladies’ version called “Gentle Yoga” by Sixty & Me. I’m still surprised that it is so helpful in controlling pain and promoting flexibility and better balance. I’ve bought a 2nd DVD from them, called, “Gentle Yoga Flows” which combines what is taught in the first DVD set and guides you through four different practices that leave me feeling looser and much more relaxed.
I have more books than I can read and feel rich for it. I love learning new skills. Between the Internet, YouTube demonstrations, and books (either physical or on my Kindle) I can learn things as fast as this old brain can absorb them. What a luxury!
My husband’s and my health are improving, thanks to our low carb lifestyle and a newer emphasize on avoiding as much sugar as we can. We’re both feeling better for it. (The latest new thing is Cashew Milk, thanks to my sister-in-law, Mary Lou’s, recommendation.) It has 25 calories and 0 grams of sugar per serving. He says it doesn’t taste watery and likes the more creamy taste. My husband is wonderful about encouraging my efforts to cook new recipes, not griping if the recipe is just not for us, and very complimentary if I find one he likes. This makes it ALMOST fun to cook!
The days, weeks, months, and years whiz past our heads. We truly enjoy getting in as much fun as possible each day.
So – today picture me up in my art room, dancing to favorite CDs while painting note cards…
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
Giggle Juice via Vickie Eisenlohr
We’re really dry here in Arkansas, so I’m delighted that we’re having several days in a row of nice rain.
I also freely admit I’m grateful we didn’t have ice this time and we’ve only had one snow so far this winter (knock on wood).
I’m using the time when it’s nicer to be inside to TRY to get better organized. (I know – you’ve heard this before….)
For example, I spent some time upstairs in my art room yesterday afternoon. I was planning to get started on some ideas I have for some new Christmas cards and some painted wooden ornaments. The room is in SUCH a mess that I spent much of the time trying to get things put away, find the things I was looking for, etc.
I DID clear off a work table. I set it up as a ‘learn to draw better’ station, with the new, gorgeous suitcase of all kinds of pencils my husband gave me for Christmas. (It has drawing pencils of lots of gradations, colored pencils, prisma color pencils, pastel pencils, charcoal and more.) I found my Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain book I’ve had for years which has lessons that will help me see things with the more creative side of my brain, helping me reproduce what I’m seeing in a more satisfying fashion. (At least I HOPE so anything is up from here. :0) ) The last time I tackled the book I made several templates suggested in the book to help me focus on a particular thing. I found those, as well. All is set up for when I can make the time. I hope to get through all the lessons this year.
Most of the rest of the room is awful. I’ll spend some time today setting things to rights – at least so my drafting table is clean and I finish finding what I was looking for yesterday. The biggest problem is that I have a lot of fun stuff up there. As I try to put things away, I get distracted by what I find, making me want to stop cleaning and play…
I’ll try to do Practice 3 this afternoon of my new “Gentle Yoga Flows” DVD by Sixty & Me, and tonight we’re going bowling with three good friends.
Beautiful morning, afternoon in my art room and stretching to yoga, bowling and ice cream with friends this evening. It doesn’t get much better than this!
I hope that YOU are having a wonderful day, too.
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Housekeeping - Maintenance, I'm a slob
HandsOnAsWeGrow.com
I’ve decided that this afternoon is a perfect time for me to have some fun.
I thought of some ideas for new Christmas cards and Christmas ornaments. The ideas have been driving me nuts, rattling around in my head, particularly when I’m trying to get some sleep.
I’m going to take this nice Sunday afternoon to go up to my art room and play – to at least get a start on seeing if I can bring my ideas to paper and wood.
I hope that YOU have some fun ideas on how you’ll spend this glorious day. Have some fun!
Filed under Attitude, Bright Ideas, Childlike Fun, Lewis Art, opportunities
Love Your Life via Stephanie Youmans Wilson
Filed under Attitude, Bright Ideas, Challenges, Childlike Fun, Encouragement
Bajiroo.com
Since I’m being honest with you, I’ll admit that I’ve been intimidated ever since I received my new yoga DVD in the mail. That’s dumb, but there it is. No one is telling me that I can’t just simply use the “Gentle Yoga” DVD set for the rest of my life. The same people who created it, though, are offering a follow-up, taking the practices to a new level.
I guess that’s what intimidated me – the idea of ‘taking it to a new level.’ The DVD has been sitting in the pile on the table by my chair in the living room since it arrived, 3 or 4 days ago. Not only have I not tried it, I hadn’t done the other practices that I knew I could do!
I was frozen in limbo.
Today I decided I would play it and just LOOK at it – kind of like steeling yourself to watch a snake wriggle across the room. Then – talking to myself – I decided I would get my stuff set up, just in CASE it wasn’t too hard for me to try.
I’ve just finished “Practice 1” (of the four on the DVD). It was wonderful.
I should have known that the instructor, Cat Kabira, would guide me carefully through the poses, giving clear directions and reassuring me that if I tried to do the poses, I would get the same benefits as if I could actually fold myself into a paper airplane. This first practice was a series of wonderful stretches that hit the high spots, head to toe, along with the relaxation time at the end. I now am looking forward to doing Practice 2 tomorrow.
With the 2 DVD set of “Gentle Yoga” and the new DVD containing 4 practice flows, I have a total of 5 ‘flow’ practices and then 7 practices designed to target different parts of the body.
I’m gradually loosening up. I realize that I’ve spent many years getting stiffer and less flexible, and that I won’t correct the problem overnight. This wonderful instructor makes sure to remind you that as long as you’re trying to do each pose, you’ll get the same benefit as if you could actually touch your toes, or bend yourself into a pretzel shape. :0)
I’m learning to listen to my body, breathe into any tight, sore, or stiff areas, and I’m learning to relax. I’m FEELING much more. I realize what areas need work. I’m recognizing that I’m improving gradually!
I now heartily recommend the “Gentle Yoga Flows” DVD by Sixty & Me as a great follow-up to the “Gentle Yoga” DVD.
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Encouragement, exercise
Reddit via GrowingBolder.com
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Childlike Fun, Encouragement
Save on Phone
We still have a ‘land line’ at home, although technically it’s a cell phone with a fixed base. We have this because a lot of our long time financial stuff likes this information, plus really long time friends and relatives are familiar with this number.
We get a LOT of phone calls we don’t want on it – several per day – always in the middle of something we’re trying to do. We stop what we’re doing, answer it, to find no one else on the line, or an obvious robocall, or an obvious ‘wait-until-someone-answers-says-hello-twice-and-then-a-pickup-and-sales-pitch.” The disruption of whatever we’re trying to do is more than annoying, causing frayed nerves, bad moods, intemperate words, as well as a lot of time for us to regain composure and figure out what it was we were trying to do when the call came in and get back to the place we stopped.
After several months of beating his head against the wall, my smart husband bent a new computer language (Asterisk) to his will and created a phone answering system that we’re hopeful will stop most of the crank calls while allowing the people we want to hear from to call without noticing anything different.
We created a list of people and numbers from whom we would like to hear, (using three address books, our Christmas card list, and both contacts lists from our computers) and then a shorter list of people from whom we NEVER want to hear. The new system will check its lists and decide whether to let it ring through as usual, give a message, “If you’re human and you’re not selling something, press 1”, at which point it will ring through (assuming the person pressed 1), or will give you a message, “Don’t call us anymore!” and then hangs up the phone without our hearing anything. We’ll add to our good and bad lists as calls come in.
We have it on line now. I was talking about how it might be difficult to know if the phone system is actually working or not, since it’s been quiet all morning! My husband answered that we could look at it ‘from a hysterical perspective’ and see if anyone is on the call log. I fell apart laughing. When I told my husband that he’d said, “hysterical” rather than “historical,” he had a good laugh, as well. :0)
I’ve decided that this is too good to just forget, so the next time I ask him to check the log, I’ll ask for the HYSTERICAL perspective…
Filed under Attitude, Bright Ideas, Challenges, Changes
stop domestic abuse via desiree angelique hackett
Lately, I’ve been ‘good,’ doing my exercises every day. I do well on my eating until after dinner – then spiral out of control. I’m thinking about wiring my jaw shut.
I’ve asked my husband, who keeps us well supplied with cashews, to hide them from me. I’m TRYING to only eat a sugar-free chocolate pudding after dinner and before bed.
The problem is that we eat about 7pm and don’t go to bed until about midnight. In that 5 hour expanse the kitchen calls to me.
“LINNNNNNN _DAAAAAAAA!” “COME INNNNNN here…”
This is ridiculous and I know it. I’m NOT starving to death. I could live off my fat for months. I’m trying to drink water after dinner and wait until about 9:30 for my pudding. So far, it’s a downhill spiral, making my poundage removed smaller.
I’m going to print this and hang it up somewhere in the kitchen to remind me, when I’ve answered the call, that I’m heading in the right direction….
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, DIET!, Encouragement, exercise
Marilyn Vos Savant and Nino Chakvetadze via Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
The opportunity to learn something new is a quality of life thing. Being open to new information keeps your brain active. Being aware of what’s happening around you allows you to appreciate being in the moment. Pushing yourself to try something outside your comfort zone is a challenge that keeps you more vital. Trying new things opens up whole new worlds!
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Pictures, Favorite Quotes
Neil Barringham via Lifehack.org via Evie Zimmerman, Trendingly.com
Every year time goes by more quickly. When you get to be as old as ‘I’ am, it is really WHIZZING past your head and blowing your hair!
I’m continuing to try to get my to-do list under better control. At the end of each day, I want to be able to say that I did something of value. “Value” is a relative term, I realize, but I mean something that has value to ME. It might be
I ALWAYS have too many things and not enough time or energy to accomplish the list. That’s a given. What I’m trying to do is to make sure that I include FUN in each day possible. I’ll MAKE time to do things I can’t really justify, but love to do. And I’ll consider it a day well spent if I don’t end up in the slammer for ignoring a ‘have-to,’ plus did something that gave me pleasure…
I’m watering my FUN grass this year. What are YOU watering?
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Encouragement
Yesterday I wrote down a goal weight for the end of this month. This morning I had actually gained half a pound. I immediately started feeling like a failure – a long-held attitude from my past.
When I did it, the feelings overwhelmed me for a moment or two, and then I got disgusted with myself – not for the weight gain, but for the ATTITUDE. This year I’m going to concentrate on NOT putting down my efforts to improve.
I’m going to look positively at the differences between the ‘old me,’ and the ‘newer me’ and concentrate on trying to continue my efforts one meal at a time (in my efforts to lose the lard) and one day at a time (in my efforts to move more). I’m NOT going to set myself up for failure. If I’m better than I was, that’s a WIN.
I’m going to try to mentally picture my past failures going through the shredder above, lightening my load, lessening any guilt, raising my consciousness that I’m focusing on being a better me…
123rf.com
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Encouragement
Postconsumers.com
These are my ACTUAL resolutions –
Southern and Blessed via Cindy Bassnett Thurman
2. Fold Myself into a Paper Airplane Daily
Damn Cool Pictures
3. Continue Getting the Lard Off –
GrowingBolder.com
4. Show My Friends How Much They Mean to Me –
GrowingBolder.com
5. Take Time for Art –
6. Take Time to Play –
Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
7. Quit Being So Hard on Myself –
Nino Chakvetzdze via Zen to Zany
8. Read and Dance –
Anita Opper via Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
9. Be Better Than I Was Yesterday –
TaoLife.com
10. Show my husband I love him every day, in every way I can –
Inspirely
MAKE 2017 A GREAT YEAR!
advancehappynewyear.com
“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other.” ~ Anonymous
Filed under Attitude, Favorite Quotes, holidays
GrowingBolder.com
Raising kids is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Sometimes your kids become really good people in spite of you. Whatever happened in our case, I’m really proud of our son. He’s across the world from us, living and working in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He spends part of each day learning Thai. His kindness and generosity make me humble.
He wrote us last night, saying he was going out today with New Year’s cards – with money in them – giving them to people he didn’t know who ‘had crappy jobs.’
My eyes are filled with tears of pride that he would think to do this, and actually do it. He makes ‘loans’ he won’t allow people to repay, he gives away stuff he has to people who don’t have it, he gives hugs to me without my having to ask. These are only a few examples of the way our son lives his life. How lucky I am to know such a person!
Filed under Attitude, Family, Favorite People, kindness
Huffington Post
There are lots of good reasons for trying to keep my mouth shut.
Most of the time it’s a good idea to keep me out of trouble for saying the wrong thing in the wrong company. This time – keeping the other in mind – my efforts are focused on not eating after dinner time. I made it last night for the first time in a LONG time.
I followed that with an hour long session of yoga this afternoon emphasizing “Joint Mobility” and “Overall Flow.” I had a talk with my husband about helping me carve out an hour either in the morning or in the afternoon for my yoga practice. He is seeing how much better it makes me feel, and was encouraging about my efforts today.
Michelle Cazares
I’m re-reading The Shift by Tory Johnson
the book that initially got me excited about trying to get the lard off and get in better shape. I’m happy to say that it’s beginning to do its magic on me again, motivating me to stick to my guns and start impressing the scales and my tape measure again. I’m about half way to where I think I would like to be weight-wise. If I’m successful enough to get there, I’ll decide if more is needed or if that’s enough. (I’m trying for the middle of a healthy BMI weight range for my height.)
Our low carb lifestyle and our new low or no sugar emphasis should help both my husband and me feel better.
*2 new finds! –
In a little over a year I have lost 40 lbs. and 23+ inches. Albeit slowly, I AM making progress on being as healthy as I can be. I look forward to seeing what 2017 brings!
GrowingBolder.com
My goals to eat right, lose weight, gain flexibility and strength have a beginning date – August 22, 2015 – but they will have no end. I’ve made some progress, losing 40 lbs and 23+ inches thus far, eating low carb and trying to move more. I’m about half way to where I would like to be.
Right now I’m concentrating on jump-starting my motivation, which left about the time my husband was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I dove in, once HE was convinced that he was showing symptoms that were quite bothersome, and could be controlled by cutting out sugar. The symptoms were feet, especially toes, hurting badly; double vision; lots of indigestion, dizzy spells, etc.
He’s done a wonderful job of trying to cut out his sugar. Our doctor is really pleased with his efforts, and we’re hoping that the A1C blood test he gets in February will reflect the same results as we’re showing at home.
In the quest for sugar-free and other things that would take the place of what he was missing most, I lost my motivation to
taolife.com
I used our more complicated eating situation to slide on my own discipline. I’ve discovered that my low carb diet is really good for my husband, too. Watching our sugar is good for both of us, and should be no problem.
I’ve also discovered that folding myself into a paper airplane doing yoga stretches is very helpful. I found a 2-DVD set called, “Gentle Yoga” which is geared to old women like me who have never done yoga before and are a bit intimidated. I have discovered for myself that doing the stretches when I’m sore HELPS. Amazing!
Bajiroo.com
So, if I KNOW what I’m supposed to eat, and I’m DOING yoga most days, what is my problem?
I do fine on my eating until after dinner. We’re eating at about 7pm, but don’t go to bed until about midnight. And then, sometimes, we end up downstairs in the middle of the night, not able to sleep, again providing an opportunity to stuff my face.
I’ve tried moving my ‘dessert’ (sugar-free chocolate pudding) later, to bridge the 5 hours before we go to sleep. That has helped a bit, but even with low carb snacks, I’m craving salty stuff. It calls to me from the kitchen. Incessantly.
I really that I’m engaging in a ‘whine and cheese’ party here, and that I have no REAL reason for stuffing my face after dinner. I realize I’m not really hungry. I have no good excuses. BAH. HUMBUG.
I’ll make a point of
Hopefully, by the middle of NEXT week, I can report to you that I’m back on track…
Please cross your fingers for me!
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, DIET!, exercise
AnimalWallpapers – DesktopNexus
I’m finally getting my eating after dinner until better control, though I have to admit it’s a fight, one night after the next.
I’m doing a combination of
My scale is beginning to show a downward movement again, although I’m still re-losing the weight I thought was gone.
I’m feeling good about my yoga practice.
Bajiroo.com
Most every day I’m doing two 1/2 hour sections of the DVD set “Gentle Yoga.” Today I just finished “Legs,” and “Overall Flow.” I’m beginning to feel looser. I’m beginning to be able to sit with my knees bent, feet under me, without my feet cramping so much, and without the tops of my thighs screaming. I may never be able to bend over and touch my fingers to the floor, but I’m stretching the right muscles to do so. When my back is hurting, I now know that doing yoga will make it feel better. I’m also learning to relax at the end of the sections for 5 minutes, something I feel REALLY hard to do at the beginning. AND, I can now lie on my back on the floor and put my hands over my head and touch the floor behind me – something that was impossible in the beginning.
I’m pairing the yoga practice with some exercises for my abdomen. I’m hoping all this will come together gradually to impress my tape measure, too.
Today I made a new recipe for dinner – Low Carb Minestrone. My husband came in while I was avidly chopping up veggies and said he thought it was good I was making Beef Stew. I told him it was Minestrone. He said, “But it has beef in it, doesn’t it?” I told him it didn’t have ANY meat in it. He looked disappointed, and asked, “But COULD it have some beef in it?” At that point I relented and added some leftover roast beef to the mix. I’ll let you know what we think tomorrow.
I hope your day has been fun.
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise
GifAbyss-AlphaCoders
I’ve always wanted to make a gingerbread house. I tried to get my mom to make one with me when I was a child. She had no interest in it.
When I got married, I thought I would make one just for myself and our visitors at Christmas, but somehow, it never happened.
When I was a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I thought about making a gingerbread house with my 1st grade students. It never happened because (1) it was logistically difficult since essentially everything had to be baked my me at my home and then the gingerbread and all the supplies for making the house would have had to be transported to the school. I was already getting in trouble for playing my guitar at school to teach my kids phonics (I was told, “Ms. Lewis, this is NOT a music class!) plus other reasons…
When our son was old enough to be counting the days ’til Christmas, I thought he and I might make one together. I discovered that HE had no interest in the project…
THIS YEAR –
AuntyAcid via Ged Backland 2016 via Stephanie Youmans Wilson
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
AwakeningPeople.com via Josh Mortensen via Laufrain Taylor
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
creativeartworksblog 