Back To Reality - Losing Weight "Again"

It was absolute heaven to have two days in a row off. DH and I decompressed and I got most of my closet moved back in from the den (happy, happy me!). Although we had discussed a turkey for New Year's, I ended up making a pot roast instead - so good! And on Thursday we finally got some shopping done - Target and a calendar for DH at Barnes & Noble along with a stop for fabulous pizza at Old Chicago. Yum! But I'm officially declaring the holiday OVER!

Yes, I could see myself in this progression. But it's going to
take work, dedication, and commitment.

I'm tired of the holiday and think it's time to get back to an even keel. I gained 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years. I know I can get them off again, but it's frustrating to have that extra weight back on again. Still, starting today it's back to common sense food and that's just fine with me. In fact, it will make me very happy indeed.

I want my scale to be my friend again, so back to the
grindstone and watching everything that I eat. 

My local health club is offering their once-a-year fabulous membership deal, and I'm sorely tempted to join. The problem is the time. So last night as I was settling down to sleep, I was thinking..."OK. So if I continue to wake at 3:15 am and leave the house around 6:00 am, I can get my coffee and oatmeal and relax or write until 7:15 am - 7:30 am, then go to the health club for 8:00 am - 9:00 am and then to the shop in time to open it ... BUT, if I have a mail order I need to mail, or an extra chapter I need to pound out, or...or...or. Feh!" No, it just doesn't work into my morning if I want to continue writing and that's primary, so I'm out of luck for another year and that doesn't make me very happy. I will tour the facility one more time, though, just to get another look at what they have and how it might work for me in the future.

Lifetime Fitness is quite close to my house and would be pretty
convenient. If I didn't have to go to work. But I just don't see
how it can work realistically into my schedule yet. 

So I'll be losing my weight the harder way - diet only with minimal exercise. I wish that exercising my brain counted as physical exercise...but it doesn't and never will.

"Food, glorious food..."
I hear voices singing in my head - LOL. 

I hope that all of my friends had a fabulous New Year and that you also are ready to make 2014 a year of great accomplishments both personal and throughout the world that we all share. Start today by making someone's day really happy. Why not? Just one smile can cascade and light up the day for many people.

It's the Little Things that Matter

In my day yesterday, it was the little things that pulled the day from just OK into WONDERFUL. Just little things like...

Target got a bit of my money. I bought a new bathroom carpet for my guest bathroom and a full-length mirror for the 3/4 bath. The carpet is bright, sunny yellow - so pretty and happy. The room is small with yellow ceramic tiling, black and floral wallpaper and a floor of tile in pale tones of grey, yellow and blue. I have had a blue and white striped carpet in there for years, but it was disintegrating so it was time for a change. This one is a warm and sunny yellow and VERY soft. My feet approve!

That's what I need to remember. Despite the weight, I'm
still a pretty good looking XX-year-old broad!

The mirror was something I have been wanting for many years. Now that I'm serious about losing weight I really wanted to be able to look at myself realistically, not in my mind's eye. The mind is a liar. My mind tells me that my body is a lot better looking than in reality. And even though I've lost weight, I have a long way to go. A truthful mirror is essential to my success. So I spent the money and bought a full-length mirror and mounted it on my door yesterday. DH hasn't seen it yet. He'll probably notice it this morning. He might pitch a fit because I put screws into the door, but if we sell the house, they can buy the mirror too. I think I could afford a new one if we were to move.

I was very careful at the grocer yesterday, figuring that I can pop back over again later in the week if I need to. I got two pounds of strawberries and a bag of oranges, but since I still had grapes I didn't pick up more of those. I did get chicken which I made for dinner. Yummy! It's the first time in weeks that my Wednesday grocery shopping has been less than $50. My funds are very limited this month, so that was a VERY good thing.

The infamous "Plot Twist" - gotta love it!

I had a fantastic talk with my friend Aearwen in the afternoon. We talk every week and it's always fun, but this time we delved into plot development, backstory fill-in and Point-of-View theories in several original fiction pieces that we are working on. We bounced ideas off each other, talked about particular issues and possibilities in plot twists and turns, and generally had such fun that I was very surprised when I checked my computer and realized I had been on the phone with her for more than an hour. I could easily have talked longer, but those chicken breasts don't cook themselves, so I had to sign off.

Squeezing in some writing unfortunately did NOT come with
an omelette attached, but it had its own rewards.

I actually did get a bit of writing done yesterday too, although not as much as I wanted. My latest short story is being squeezed out one little bit at a time. I really want to get back to working on my latest o-fic instead, but I have to finish the short story first. Both of the stories are compelling to me and they are screaming at me from opposite sides of my head like two children calling for attention. *sigh* It's so unfair. After a few weeks of nothing knocking at my mental door, I now have two suitors calling for my time, each carrying gifts and flowers. Which to choose....

I have a new bumper sticker for my car and my DH will be MOST
upset with my putting it on, but I don't care! Gay Rights are Civil Rights
and are LONG overdue. This has to pass!

Finally, today is a very important vote for same-sex marriage rights in the state of Minnesota, so I'll be using the picture above as my avatar today and even though I haven't checked in on FaceBook for a couple of weeks, if I do I'll switch my pic there for the day also. Cross your fingers that this passes now - we need to extend true civil rights in all aspects to all of our populace.

Do I Really Have to Work Today?

I've had a new novel perched in my brain that I really need several uninterrupted hours to whip into synopsis form so that I can see if it is something that has legs or not. I have a picture in my mind that I want to find the models for so that I can arrange them and ink them for coloring. I've had a desire to continue my spring cleaning by organizing my craft room area (before my DH decides to do it on his own). I haven't taken my kiln out for a run for more than a year!!! I want...I want...I want.

Me time. Oh my but that sounds wonderful...

Well...I want time. Time without interruptions. Time in good weather so that I don't have to worry about snow shoveling, rain flooding or sun baking. I want what I will probably never have. It doesn't stop me from wanting it.

The jeans I was wearing are beaded and so pretty. Not as nice as these,
but really fun. A friend sold them to me for cheap! SCORE!

Sunday I actually did exactly what I planned to do. I slept in and after my shower put on a pair of pants and a t-shirt. The pants were really loose, so I pulled out a pair I haven't been able to wear for more than five years and put those on. Comfort! Whoo-hoo! I was really pleased because the pair I can now wear are one of my absolutely favorite pairs of pants. So, attired we started our errands.

I'm not counting calories, but this is a good number and
the sandwich is REALLY GOOD! Highly recommended.

Breakfast at McDonald's - really good! I tried one of their new Egg White Delight McMuffin sandwiches and it was marvelous! Just the right blend of flavors. Add a cup of coffee and I was good to go. After dropping business cards off at a store that has been referring customers to us, we went to Mills Fleet Farm.

Mills Fleet Farm - Wal-Mart with a Western edge. No blue coats here - here
orange is the color and camouflage is a fashion statement. 

Why to Mills Fleet Farm? Because MFF is like a Wal-Mart for farmers and ranchers and DH wanted something to help catch or kill our mole. The mole that we have is digging near our house foundation, endangering the house. If it was in the middle of the yard we wouldn't care. But I can't take a chance on foundation problems because of him, so he has to go. After searching he found some kind of contraption that, if it doesn't kill the poor critter, might frighten him enough to get him away from us. I'm on the side of scare him to death because I hate to see animals purposefully harmed.

I own a Hoover SteamVac Ultra. Why I own a carpet cleaner is a long story
that I may tell one day if I'm searching for a topic. It was a gift from the
gods of Tequila and I am grateful to them for it.

Then I started my house cleaning. I vacuumed like a mad woman for four hours. I even steam-cleaned a section of really filthy carpeting that I had been wanting to tackle. I dusted, I swept and I scrubbed some of the floor coverings and carpet protectors. The only thing I didn't get back to was washing the slate tiles of my entryway. I swept them but forgot that I wanted to return with a mop and bucket to get them really cleaned. But the house is nicely clean and I made a good start at spring cleaning. Now...can I avoid work today? Unfortunately...no.

Wednesday - A Day of Frustrations

Sometimes I'm so stupid! And sometimes I'm just so...STUPID! Yesterday was one of those days. With a need to get so many things done, I ended the day up with a ton of stuff unresolved. After shoveling a minimal amount of snow (it will really be hitting the Twin Cities today), the day continued well - an egg white and veggie scramble with fresh fruit at one of my fave restaurants, then I started my errands. I got the shop opened, talked with my accountant and approved the e-filing of my income taxes and purchased an artists pad (50% off at Michael's - whoo hoo!). But after that the day started going downhill.

It has many colors...I couldn't resist.

Apparently to put the contribution into my HSA account they have to verify my bank account information by depositing an amount into the account. I will then tell them how much they deposited and will be activated. Simple, right? Something that PayPal and other places do all the time and something that's usually fast and simple. Except - they say it will take from 1-3 days - yes...DAYS! WTF? It's the same damned bank and it will take DAYS? The deposit has to be made by the 15th of April or I'm in trouble with the federal government. As of this morning it still hadn't happened *sigh*.

The bank and the program are talking past each other...

Groceries were fun this week - lots and lots of grapes, two pounds of strawberries, chicken breasts, a large container of low-fat yogurt, same-old, same-old. By the time I was at the checkout it was more than $70 on mostly fruit! Ack! And I still ended up forgetting the fixings for tonight's dinner. DH will pick the rest up today.

I love grapes, so I picked up a lot of them this week.

After a quick lunch that actually was pretty good I settled in to get my chores for the day done. I have a TV in the computer room and the start button has been failing for a few weeks. It had gotten so bad that it would take more than 1/2 hour of constant attempts to get it to turn on. I pulled that TV and replace it with a TV that I keep in my spare bedroom - "Sharon's Room". At least that will get us a good TV for a while although I want the TV replaced upstairs before she returns in September. The new TV worked perfectly, but I couldn't get any of my cable channels.

So apparently I needed to use this remote to change the
channels. I'm sure it's clear to anyone else, but it wasn't
to me. Like I said - I'm SO STUPID!

I spent two long talks on the phone with Comcast customer service and finally they gave up and scheduled a service call for me. The tech arrived late in the afternoon and it took less than a minute to figure out that I had been using the wrong remote for channels - that I had to use two different remotes to have this TV work properly. So...as I said at the beginning - I AM SO STUPID!! But then again, it seems that I have plenty of company in the ranks of the customer service people at Comcast. Thank goodness for sweet technicians! Of course, nothing else on my list got done at all *sigh*, including my weekly talk with Aearwen or a recolor for CB.

Wednesday Crazy and Diets are Expensive

As many of you know, Wednesdays are my studio days - my days off - my 'time for myself' days. That basically means three to four loads of laundry, errands in the morning, grocery shopping, food prep, and for fun - my hour-long weekly conversation with Aearwen.

I love my weekly talks with Aearwen.

Yesterday was no exception, but the schedule was all akimbo because my city, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to update all of the water meters in the homes to radio-signal types for easier reading and less personnel hours. This required an appointment with a technician carrying a new meter and a very large pipe wrench accessing pipes in a hard-to-access part of my basement while he changed things over. Of course, this appointment was in the early afternoon so I had laundry started at 3:30 am to be sure I didn't get caught in the middle without water while said technician was changing things over.

My tech wasn't this good looking. Mine was rather
young and uninteresting, although friendly. Oh - there
was no hard hat either *sigh*

But - success. The meter has now been changed and the city will have even more control over my life and available funds *sigh*. Of course I was working on a repair at the time he was working and it ended up breaking on the final knot. Nothing like being on my knees with a powerful flashlight trying to find very small beads on my basement floor *le sigh again*.

One of the things I do is grocery shopping on Wednesdays. This is when I get the things that I want to eat. I indulged in a container of mango salsa which led me to chicken breasts on which to put the salsa. Yesterday evening's dinner turned into something wonderful with a beautifully seasoned chicken breast covered with mango salsa, brown and wild rice mixed and a large salad. NOM!

I love produce - fresh veggies and fruit - NOM

Of course, I picked up a lot of grapes, two pounds of strawberries, two pounds of kiwi fruit, a bag of organic navel oranges, lettuce, a bit of cheese...can you say expensive? By the time I swiped my debit card I had racked up more than $70 in groceries and almost all of it was produce. Eating healthy is expensive!

Weather, Thanks and a Great Book to Read

I'm sitting at my computer, it's 4:45 am, there are built-up snow banks surrounding my house, ice on the walks, and it's raining. Not only is it raining, it is thundering and raining. If things are more or less controlled, i.e., if we don't have a gullywasher of a rain, the snowbanks will be eroded and things will be much lower by the end of the day. If we get a real gullywasher (I know it's repetition, but it's such a wonderful word), then we might flood. It's the plus and minus of a long winter accompanied by an early spring. But, if the rain and snow interact interestingly, it might leave lots of pockets and unusual places for the Easter Bunny to hide eggs in. Maybe children will have a fun time on Sunday if it is a warm day.

This bunny is quite the natty dresser, isn't he?

DH was really good when we were shopping for Easter dinner. Although he wanted beef (think "BEEF" in a manly voice) we settled for stuffed chicken breasts, green beans and rice. I can live with that. I'm not 100% sure how that will fit into my Weight Watchers plan, but before I cook it all up, I'll have it figured out. I've already told him he gets half of my chicken - LOL.

Thanks to so many of you who sent condolences on my post yesterday about my friend Nancy. I appreciated all of the in-person and virtual hugs. I know that she's out of pain now and I'll miss her, but life goes on and she would have wanted sunshine, rainbows, and strange things like thunderstorms over snowbanks. Maybe today's weather is perfect after all...

Finally, I have a book recommendation for all of you. Most of what I read I wouldn't recommend on a public forum, but I got clued into this young adult book that was pure joy to read. Take a chance, pick up a copy or download an e-book version of Eleanor & Park. It's perfectly phrased and paced - discovery and first love between two very unlikely people amidst normal high school angst. It's an easy read, but it will stay with you. You'll be thinking about this one for a while.

Baby Steps and More Snow...

Weight is a constant fight in my life and periodically I admit to myself that I am horrid at self-governance and need outside help. I've belonged to Weight Watchers on and off throughout my life and have joined again now. When I want a plan that actually works for me, I always return to Weight Watchers. I rejoined the program two weeks ago because I was getting nowhere losing the 40 pounds that I really need to get off and their on-line program and mobile tools are making things easier than ever, even with my crazy hours and poor food choices. So, two weeks on program and six pounds lost so far. I have 36 pounds to go, but I'm feeling much better because I'm at least doing something positive for myself.

Jennifer Hudson is the latest spokesperson for the Weight
Watchers program. She looks outstanding and is such
an inspiration. If she could lose it, so can I.

We're back into snow again. Yesterday was a mix of rain and snow that made walking in to the store across the parking lot an exercise in extreme care and shuffling along like a 90-year-old arthritic woman. Oh...I was so NOT happy about that, but I do have to be cautious because of my osteo issues. I can't afford to break a bone because I slipped on ice, and I can't afford to replace my computer if it doesn't survive the fall along with me. So care and baby steps.

I'm quite sure that this is photoshopped, but it is so cute!

But it started snowing in earnest overnight and I will have several inches to shovel this morning before I get to the coffee shop for my morning coffee and oatmeal. Oh well, at least I'll get some exercise - LOL. We're supposed to get a serious dumping of snow Sunday night into Monday - from three to ten inches worth. I'm hoping we'll get closer to the three inches :-)

Chickie can read the various glyphs and
takes great joy in it. Personally, I love my
Egyptian hieroglypics more, but these
are pretty too.

I'm short staffed at the shop today. Chickie is taking one of her three allowed Saturday vacation days to attend a workshop on Mayan Iconography at the college across the street. All of us at my shop have a background in Anthropology and varied interests. My interest is Egyptian hieroglyphics, hers are Mayan, and my Manager's interests tended more towards the Aztec. Chickie belongs to the Maya Society here in town which is quite large and active and for many years has been involved in the more advanced workshops that they have put on. She'll have a great time today, I'm sure, and I'll miss her at work, but we'll make it through.