Determination

Tenor

I have gotten past the stage where the most difficult part of my yoga practice is getting back up off the floor. Enough time has passed that I have devised ‘methods’ for this and don’t have to hire man with a crane. Still, this sweet, fat kitty resonates…

Last week was a good week. I am almost to my first 5-pound-off goal! (I am still re-losing weight gained during the pandemic and holidays, so it’ll be awhile before I break new territory, but progress is progress. I am down 4.4 pounds since the beginning of our ‘get-serious’ decision. I will measure at the end of the month and see where I am on lardage.

I have admitted before that I have never grown up and am STILL motivated by the idea of the gold stars I used to try to earn from my teachers for good work in school. Last week I earned 6 gold stars for exercising – doing my elliptical trainer in the garage and yoga stretches in the afternoon. This week I will try to earn 14.

I am moving more, too, as documented by the small, cheap pedometer I keep in my pocket. I’m a bit teed off that the steps on the elliptical don’t show on the pedometer, but that’s life. I’m afraid I’ll never be a walker, unless I can solve the problem of my hips yelling at me after I walk a short distance. (Oddly, if I sit down for just a moment, my system ‘resets’ and I can walk again without pain.) Unless I carry a chair, or there are places I can sit along the walkway, I’ll just try to keep walking around my yard when the weather permits.

As soon as I hopefully build the habit of elliptical in the morning and yoga in the afternoon, I’m thinking of trying to add back my ‘Annoying Leslie’ walking video a couple of times a week. She really grates on my nerves (I hate people who are bubbling over with joy at exercising), but she really knows her stuff.

I have a good start now and hope to be able to report that I’m keeping it going. For now, I have a gold star to earn – as soon as I finish my coffee. :0)

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Newest Pieces

White Flowers – Acrylic
White Iris – Bleeding Tissue Paper

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Newest Tissue Paper Art

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January 10, 2021 · 12:41 pm

Mug Magic

These wonderful, creative mugs were all made by Brooke Knippa, AP Curiosities Studio. The photos are from an article by Robertas Lisickis of BoredPanda.com

I’m in awe of this woman’s talent. Each of the MUGS is different in style, shape, color, and then the whole idea of the ‘nook’ for the wonderful animal not only is outside the box, it burns the whole box down. :0)

I LOVE these! I want them ALL!

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Hope 2

“I’m Really Crying Right Now. I Thought I Was Calling My Mom. But I Had The Wrong Number And – ”

“My Father Has Alzheimer’s. I Brought My New Dog Home For Christmas, And He Said, “I Know I’m Going To Forget A Lot, But I’m Going To Remember This Dog For A Long Time”

“This Is What I Woke Up To On Christmas After I Broke Down & Told My Brother That I Couldn’t Afford To Buy Big Presents This Year Since I Could Barely Feed Myself”

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Under Height

I’m doing well so far with getting serious again about eating right and exercising. My scales are starting to take notice and do something besides smirk. I’m doing my elliptical trainer in the morning and my yoga stretches in the afternoon and trying to concentrate on moving in-between. I felt bad Friday afternoon, but other than that have done well. :0)

Instead of a commercial weight loss program as we’ve tried before, we are enjoying frozen meals for dinner from Real Food and Stu’s Clean Cookin’ – both new to Greenwood, interspersed with my own cooking, the leftovers from which are stored in individual servings in the freezer with the other meals. This encourages paying attention to what a ‘serving’ is. Sometimes I fix an extra veggie or salad on the side, but most of the time, it’s just the meal.

For lunch we’re having homemade tuna fish salad – made from one small can packed in water for the two of us – sugar free jello, plus I have olives and my husband has sweet pickles. We are trying not to snack in-between meals or before bed.

I’m trying to drink lots of water.

I’m hoping to be able to report a good amount of poundage loss by the end of the month, but it will take as long as it takes. As long as the scales are showing a downward trajectory and my measuring tape is showing a bit of progress, I will be satisfied.

I will be delighted if I feel stronger, more flexible, have more energy, and feel fewer balance problems as I continue to exercise daily. I smile when I see the gold stars on my desk calendar. I will have earned 6 stars this week – and will have a chance to earn 14 next week. :0)

With so many things happening in the world over which I have NO control, I take comfort that THIS is something I CAN control.

TaoLife.com

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Hope

“Last Year, I Spent Christmas With A Gun In My Mouth. This Year, We Grilled Steaks And Played Catch. She Has Given Me My Life Back. This is my service dog, Emma, on the night I met her (about a month ago). I am a veteran and she helps me with my PTSD to keep me grounded.”

“A UPS Driver Delivered Nearly 200 Packages A Day Through Lockdowns And The Holiday Season. This Week, Hundreds Of Neighbors Came Out To Give Him A Hero’s Salute.”

Inga Korolkovaite – Bored Panda

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Playing in My Art Room

Prahaas

I have been having a blast playing in my art room, experimenting with my new ‘bleeding tissue paper.’ I’ve tried to do something a bit different with each picture, and I think I’m starting to get a feel for it.

One big lesson – ‘bleeding tissue paper’ is, indeed, different from regular tissue paper. I don’t know how it’s different, I just know that regular tissue paper doesn’t work. I have ordered some different shapes online, and have gotten distracted by trying to find the SHAPES and gotten some UNbleeding tissue paper in really nice shapes…. :0( I ordered correctly enough times, though, to have a reasonable supply to work with. I also am delighted that my sister-in-law encouraged me by sending an assortment of sheets of bleeding tissue paper so I can cut out whatever shapes I want, as well.

The tissue paper works a bit like watercolor. You wet the canvas, paper, or whatever you’re working on. (I use a tiny spray bottle). Then you choose one piece of tissue paper, place it where you want, and then use a paint brush (or the spray again) to wet it down in place. When you have done enough, you let it dry, remove the tissue paper, and see what you have. You can keep adding and enriching until you get the colors you like.

Today I’m starting one where I’ll use rectangular shapes, and then overlay some circular shapes to see what happens. The main part of the pic is a kitty. As soon as I finish my elliptical trainer time, I’ll head upstairs to play. :0)

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Groaner – I Love it

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January 9, 2021 · 9:56 am

Amazing Glass Art 2

Natalie Gibbons – Pinterest
Nata – Sun Art Glass Gallery-Etsy.com- Emma Taggart – MyModernMet
Peggy Collins Photo Art
Vita – Vitraaze – Etsy.com – Emma Taggart – MyModernMet

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Me on a Diet…

Meme

I love this picture. Sweets – even chocolate – are not my downfall, though. My personal problems are salty things, breads, and pastas, starches.

So far, we’re doing well on our ‘get-back-on-the-diet-horse’ effort. I’m losing weight even with Lunch Bunch yesterday. For some unknown reason, I felt bad yesterday afternoon – so no exercise stars – but got over it in a few hours, so am finer than frog fur today. I’ll go do my time on the elliptical trainer as soon as I finish here.

As far as goals, I’m officially doing this in 5-pound increments to manage the overwhelming thoughts that might sabotage my efforts. ‘5 pounds’ is doable. Each time I attain a goal, I’ll do a happy dance around the house and then set my goal to the NEXT 5 pounds.

First, I’m trying to re-lose the lardage I gained over the holidays and that has been creeping up during the pandemic. Since I do my exercising at home, I have no excuse for being a slug.

I’m also going to be trying for 2 stars each day – for my elliptical trainer practice and my yoga stretches – with my goal being better balance, more flexibility, less pain, and gained strength.

My overall goal remains –

TaoLife

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Sing It!

photo forwarded by a friend

We’re having a good day. It’s cold outside (35 degrees F., cloudy and gray, with a bit of spitting rain.)

We just got back from Lunch Bunch. One of our good friends and her husband was there. The other friend and her daughter weren’t. (My friend wasn’t feeling well, so maybe we can see each other and catch up next Friday.)

We hadn’t seen each other since the Friday before Christmas, so it was GREAT to be able to share a meal and catch up. We came straight home afterwards so that we could try what will be the last attempt at a ‘fix’ for our broken microwave.

We bought it in 2004, so we can’t complain that we haven’t gotten our money’s worth, but it would be wonderful if we could fix it. The mechanism that goes between the rotary turntable motor in the bottom to the part the plate sits on inside the microwave is the problem. We have mixed up some really good, apoxy-type glue to see if we can bridge the gap and make the parts work together again. (The plastic parts are not replaceable and we cannot remove them because one part is under a metal plate that is welded in.) So, this is a last-ditch effort before we either live with a microwave where the plate doesn’t rotate or we buy a new microwave. We have it glued now, and will look at it again tomorrow.

I will head out as soon as I finish a cup of coffee to the garage to do my elliptical trainer exercise for today. I’m looking forward to playing in my art room this afternoon. I have another piece started and am eager to see how it turns out. I am planning to take the bleeding tissue paper artwork I’ve done recently to Rags & Roses (the local shop in town where a friend and I share a booth ) either tomorrow or Tuesday. I will do my yoga practice when I finish in the art room. Today is DAY TWO of getting serious about our diet and exercise plan.

My husband is working on an addition to our house security system. He has the physical part done now, and is waiting for help on a password before he can finish up.

I’m in the middle of re-reading #32 in J.D. Robb’s (Nora Roberts’) In Death series. I’m re-reading the series in preparation for the latest to come out in paperback (# 51 Shadows in Death) that I received recently.

It’s a good day to have a warm, dry house and too many interesting things to do for the time I have.

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Amazing Glass Art

Dobriela Koeva – Etsy.com – Emma Taggart-MyModernMet
Emona_trgovina_in_obrt_Wikipedia
Magik-Chroma-Cube-Crystal-Glass-Sculpture-by-Fine-Art-Glass-Artist-Jack-Storms

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Latest Bleeding Tissue Paper Piece

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January 8, 2021 · 9:53 am

Day 2

HaHaStop.com

Hahahahaha. I just love the look on his face. :0)

We are in Day Two today. We ate healthy yesterday. My husband ate a last “French Toast Fritter” for breakfast, but neither of us ate anything between meals or before bed. I gave myself 2 stars for the day – one for 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer and another for more than 30 minutes doing slow, careful yoga stretches. We are back in the saddle now.

Today we have Lunch Bunch. I will try to eat half and bring half home.

I wandered around yesterday feeling hungry, but have now devised a TEST to see if I’m really hungry or just in the slightly anxious/depressed state that results in stress eating for me. I have some low sodium bone broth now. If I’m hungry enough to fix that, I will do it. If not, it’s stress/boredom/general ornery-ness rather than true hunger. Yesterday afternoon I did chew on a piece of sugarless gum for a bit. I’m trying to concentrate on drinking more water.

I’m setting small interim goals for my weight loss, rather than looking at the enormity of all I would like to lose as a whole. I am concentrating on the progress I’ve made in the last couple of years and using that as motivation to continue.

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Decision

Oberto

For my husband and I today is DAY ONE.

This morning we started an honest effort to get ‘back on the horse’ of our healthy diet – and for ME – daily exercise – in a real effort to continue our efforts to get the lard off, get and stay healthier. Our ‘diet’ has no time limit. We are trying to make a lifestyle change. This is not to say we won’t celebrate occasionally, or indulge in a favorite goodie when we reach our goals. This IS to say we will eat mindfully, trying to eat fresh, clean, REAL food.

I made tuna fish salad for our lunch. We had sugar free jello, and I had some black olives.

I read today that drinking broth is a good way to solve any hunger problems. I have some here at home, but will try to find a bone or chicken broth with the lowest sodium I can find. I will plan to make a cup for a mid afternoon snack.

Clipart Library

I have earned one gold star so far today for doing 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer. It’s in our garage, so I got a little cold, but I consider this a character-building – as well as physical – exercise. :0) I will try for a second gold star this afternoon, when I plan to do about half an hour of yoga stretches. I will also make note of my steps, although this is more of a monitoring effort right now, just to make me pay a bit more attention to it and motivate me to move a bit more.

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Filed under Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise, taking care of yourself

Andrea Bocelli – Hallelujah

This filled my heart to overflowing this morning. I hope this link works for you. If not, please try https://biggeekdad.com/2020/12/andrea-bocelli-hallelujah/

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Where There’s Love, There’s Hope 6

These beautiful images were forwarded to me by a friend.

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Holidays

Someecards

The weather forecasters were right – it’s gray, rainy and cold, with another cold front coming through today, possibly bringing some snow. Not my favorite weather.

To add insult to injury, the motor that controls the rotation of the plate in our microwave died suddenly last night, right at dinner time. My husband is taking the microwave apart as I type, seeing if he can fix the motor. We are in ‘discussions’ about what to do if he can’t. I think the rotation aspect is important. He, of course, disagrees. We will see. :0/ Update: He has the microwave apart and the motor that controls the rotation of the plate in his hand, seeing if he can get the old motor to work. (He did – and is trying now to put it back into the microwave. I have just ordered a replacement motor from Amazon. (Isn’t THAT amazing – we bought the microwave in 2004.)

YouTube

I’m having a truly wonderful time playing in my art room with my new bleeding tissue paper. I’m trying to do something different on each one, seeing how it works. My poor brain has ideas rattling around, pushing to come out and be tried. I LOVE it.

Photographer Unknown

Tomorrow morning is DAY ONE of ‘stopping-the-splurging-and-indulgence-that-has-marked-our-holidays’ and starting ‘eating-like-an-adult and exercising’ – which will last until further notice.

I hope that YOUR Wednesday is a productive and enjoyable one.

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Go With All Your Heart

Bleeding Tissue paper and Paint – Linda Lewis

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Tissue Paper and Stencil

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January 5, 2021 · 3:19 pm

Hands Up!

© Blue Images Online Model Release: Yes Property Release: Yes People on Roller Coaster, Santa Monica, California, USA – Masterfile

Mother Nature is laughing at us again. Today is a miracle for a day in January in Arkansas – bright and sun-shine-y and 58 degrees F. It is simply gorgeous.

Tomorrow a cold front with heavy rain, plunging temperature, possible sleet and snow, plus flying hairballs is forecast.

All we can do is hang on and try to enjoy the ride!

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Kindness

Pinterest

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Where There’s Love, There’s Hope 5

Thanks to a friend for forwarded email with these wonderful photos.

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Diet Perspective

Fodors Travel Guide

My husband and I will be getting serious about our diet again on Thursday. Why Thursday, you ask? I have trouble eating right when my husband is not on board – at least with the main thrust of it. I can handle his sneaking ‘goodies’ into the shopping cart that only he will eat, but if he’s not on board with the main program, it’s a waste of time and only results in frustration and arguments. Life is too short for that. HE has decided that Thursday is the day, so I’m gearing up for that.

We’re enjoying a ‘last hurrah’ by eating some of the wonderful things we received at Christmas. We have bought other things, and have been enjoying sandwiches and other things in the bread family, plus a bit from the greasy/salty food group, plus some truly ‘awful’ things from the sugar ball food group. All this ends Thursday morning. We have agreed.

We have given away a huge bunch of stuff. We will put other things in the trash for pickup today. We will thoroughly enjoy eating our way through more today and tomorrow. We will buy good, healthy things needed for Thursday and beyond, and I will plan some healthy snacks.

OUR ‘New Year’ will begin Thursday morning, and hopefully, by the end of this month we will have made some good progress. I have re-started my yoga practice, and will do a session on my elliptical trainer in the garage on Thursday morning. I have my gold stars ready for my desk calendar – one for yoga, one for elliptical, and another for steps.

If YOU are also trying to get healthier in 2021, let’s encourage each other.

TaoLife.com

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Wonderful Palette Knife Art

Leonid Afremov- Punta Allen -Tulum-Mexico
Wilson Lau – Birch Landscape – Etsy.com
Ya Sheng Art – Amazon.com

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More Fun in My Art Room

Latest bleeding tissue paper piece. I’m having SO much fun learning more about this every day!

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W-D 40

Momma Giggles – Facebook – Pinterest

I’m pretty dense (aka ‘stupid’) when it comes to exercise. It’s one of the many things I would LIKE to do – wishing I felt the orgasmic high people on TV commercials get while they pump and sweat, looking great doing it. Sad to say, I have to talk myself into exercise. I know it’s GOOD for me, but it’s one of the many lessons I seem to need to relearn over and over.

During our holiday splurge time, I kept finding excuses for not doing my walking, my elliptical trainer, and my yoga. My exercise DVDs sit gathering dust on my shelf in the living room. I’m a slug.

The thing that has finally gotten me doing at LEAST my half hour or so of yoga stretches daily is the fact that my body is hurting. I’m creaky when I get up from my chair and start walking. My back is stiff. My right shoulder seems to be on strike, affecting my movements at odd times.

My reaction to the stiffness and pain has been to move LESS – because it hurts or is uncomfortable. My body’s reaction to THAT is to hurt more. And so the cycle goes.

My brain finally caught up with the pattern and I started doing my yoga stretches. Granted, the stretches are modified right now, but I’m doing them, breathing into the poses, moving slowly and steadily.

Once again, I am re-learning the getting older lesson – “Use it or lose it.”

I’m feeling better each day now. Starting Thursday, I’ll try to do my elliptical trainer every other day. My gold stars are ready to be put onto my desk calendar.

I may be dense, but there is hope.

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Where There’s Love, There’s Hope 4

Thanks to a friend’s forwarded email for these wonderful images.

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And the Crowd Goes Wild…

Pinterest

Actually, the ‘crowd’ was my husband, our dog, Amber, and our cat, Abby, and me, but HEY! – you have to take your joy where you can get it.

We have been eating the things we don’t eat at all – or rarely – in the last days before we get serious about getting the lard off again. Yesterday I made a crock pot full of beef stew. And we had rolls with it. Amber and Abby licked our bowls in the kitchen while we were cleaning up.

My husband said two or three times while eating it how good it was, and a couple of times afterward. Then, this morning, he asked if we had leftovers and if we could have more tonight. :0)

As I gathered trash this morning, I got rid of some more things that we shouldn’t be eating in preparation for our getting serious about trying to lose the lard. We should be starting formally, as well as upping my exercising on Thursday. Right now I’m doing yoga stretches, but that’s pretty much it.

We have had a nice long break from doing what we are supposed to do. Part of me is actually looking forward to being in control again. Isn’t THAT a kick in the head!

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Filed under Attitude, DIET!, exercise, holidays, taking care of yourself

Can Fish Grin?

I don’t really know, but my fish SHOULD be. Their water is sparkling clean. They have nice decorations in the tank. New filter innards….

They have made it clear over the years that the only thing they really care about is getting fed twice a day. They see me coming, jam themselves into the corner of the tank, wriggle their bodies and blow bubbles at me until the flakes come raining down. Then I am forgotten.

Our aquarium is on the divider between our kitchen and our dining area. This is a high traffic area in our house, so it makes me happy when the aquarium is bright and shiny.

I have made lots of changes on how I take care of the tank and what I put into it, but the fish remain goldfish – and seem to take pride in their reputation as ‘messy fish and champion poopers.’ I used to have a 40 gallon tank with lots of fish. It stayed looking good with relatively little work. THOSE fish didn’t react to me at ALL, so I finally gave the fish and the equipment away. I’M not easy to live with, either, so this is a good match. :0)

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