Days 160 - 173

Happy New Year!!! Yes, I've been on holiday and everyone deserves a little bit of a holiday now and again. It has been lovely! I haven't done anything special, but have accomplished a few things for myself. Being that it is the last few hours of 2013, I think you can humor me with one more list, so here it is!

Top 10 Things I Did Over My 13 Day Holiday

1. Celebrated a lovely Christmas with my family.
2. Shopped.
3. Worked...a little.
4. Rested (read: slept...a lot).
5. Ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it and as much of it as I wanted. (read: Overate.)
6. Shopped.
7. Went to the library and read books.
8. Cooked special meals for the family for each of the special days.
9. Did some baking.
10. Oh yes, and SHOPPED!

I don't really like shopping, but at this time of year it's just necessary. There are gifts to purchase and tons of great sales! Before Christmas it was all about gifts, but after Christmas I was into solving problems around my house. For instance, due to the small size of my closet, there really is only room for 3 pairs of shoes. I have more than that and have been using an over the door shoe rack. However, this had become very uncomfortable for me as it prevented the proper closing of the door and also made it hard to get in and out of the closet. So, I needed to shop for a new solution. Problem solved at the after Christmas sale at The Container Store. I was able to secure a new under bed storage solution for the shoes that works perfectly! Now, I have the three pair of shoes I use most often in the closet and the others are safely and neatly (most importantly) stored under my bed. With the added benefit of taking up under bed space so that monsters don't have room under there, who could ask for a better solution? I also found a better container for storing my handbags while I was at it and bought a special hanger to hold my scarves. My closet was GREAT before, but now it's just FANTASTIC!!

So, I'm good with shopping as long as I have a purpose. Otherwise, count me out. One of the things I did while on holiday was to work on my annual list of 52 Things to get done in the next year. I'll be posting that list on New Year's Day (tomorrow) so be sure to stop back by tomorrow to see what I want to get done next year. 2014 is my year to get all 52 things done...I can feel it in my bones!!

Thanks for checking in! I hope you enjoyed your holiday season with people you love. Now, I have just a few more things to do before a midnight toast and bed time. One thing that is very important to me is that my house be clean when I go to bed on New Year's Eve. That way, when I get up on New Year's morning, after I brush my teeth and make my bed, my house is clean!! Crazy lady, I know, but it makes me really happy when I can have that. My boys worked really hard with me to make it happen and I really appreciate it. So, until tomorrow when I will dazzle you with lots of New Year's fun, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Days 157, 158 and 159

Cairn Terrier Puppy - Photo by Onesojourner via Wikipedia

I want a dog. If you didn't know that, then you know it now. It isn't the right time in my life for a dog, but I still want one. The thing is, I want a specific kind of dog and I'm just going to have to wait to have it. If you're not a dog person you'll never understand, but I love animals. The problem is, I'm not at home enough to care for a dog. Like most people I work and dogs need attention. I know that when I retire, that will be the time to enjoy a pet, but I'm nowhere near retirement! (Or so I like to tell myself...clearly I'm about 12 years away from it! Not long!!!) What kind of dog, I hear you asking? I want a Cairn Terrier. I have it all planned out. The dog will be male, black and I'll name him: Paladin. That's right...I love the character Paladin, played by Richard Boone in the TV show, Have Gun-Will Travel. You might not have the opinion that Richard Boone was handsome, but he is definitely on my list of strikingly dark attractive men. As with dogs, I like my men dark and handsome. Listen to me! Like I've got dark handsome men lined up for a whirl with me!! HA!!!

Every so often I get this desire for a dog...it will pass.

I'm afraid that today's calorie count along with the last few days was WAY out of the park. Celebrations are going on for the holidays and it has just been useless to try to count the calories. I had a hamburger today that's called, "The Big Ass" burger for lunch and I'll tell you what...I can't decide if it is so called because it is as big as your ass or if it just will likely lead to such an ass. I'm not really sure...maybe both! The burger was huge! I keep testing the old rule of not eating things that are bigger than my head!

Every day this week I've had the need to be at my office very early in order to be ready for some special project or for a meeting or some such thing. Tomorrow is my last day to work this week and I'm looking forward to a more normal day. Now, it's time for me to get myself to bed and dream. Until tomorrow when I'll attempt to get back on track where I belong, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Days 154, 155 and 156

Last Sunday = 280.2  Today = 276.2  Down 4 lbs.

Good Sunday morning! I can say that because of the above (don't tell me you didn't notice!!). No, it's not a HUGE loss, but for me, any amount of pounds down is great! I feel pretty good, although I'm having a bit of a headache today. As it is Sunday, I will most likely stay indoors, complete domestic tasks and take head pain reliever. *smile*

Last night was the first night of the luminaries in for my neighborhood. I took a video, but I don't know how much of it really makes sense. So, let me explain just a little. Every year, my neighborhood association sponsors luminaries (white bags with sand and little lit candles in the bottom) being placed all along the walking trails of the neighborhood.  There are over 30 miles of trails in the area, so this is no small task! The park part, is right across the street from my house. The event goes on for two nights around Christmas and the second night is tonight. Here is the video I shot last night:

Keep in mind that I shot this video with my iPhone5 and clearly I don't know how to use the camera on that phone well, yet. I'll get better, but you have to watch the videos and give me pointers. Yes, there is homework with this blog! Now, get moving and leave me tips!!

The plan for this week is to share the calorie count I reached each day and whether I was able to workout or not that day. Over the past two days I had a calorie count of 1,550 to 1,700 per day. Yes, I was a little over, but remember, I'm not a machine and neither are you! My goal is 1,500 and I will stay as close to that as I can, but God gave me a big huge appetite! I'm hungry, no kidding, all the time! Some days I will be under the calorie count and others I will not. It all evens out and I'm going to be just fine. The exercise is KEY. I have to get that in most days.

I'll share with you that today, I am not counting the calories. I won't be going out for any HUGE meals (restaurant portions are tremendous, you know!) but I also will not count anything today...except for maybe headache pill as my head is splitting wide open now.

So, I'm off to do something else. Have a lovely Sunday and enjoy the wonderful life going on around you. There's only one shot at today, so make it right for you! Until tomorrow when I'll share 5 of Nancy's prime nuggets for the day, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 153

Have you ever had a moment where you thought to yourself, "What just happened here?" I have that particular thought lots lately. Usually the answer I have to give myself is, "You opened your big, fat mouth, Nancy. That's what happened!" Yes, I have a big mouth. I didn't know it was possible to get all of my two big feet into my mouth at the same time, but it is! Most of these situations start out as innocent questions from me (because I'm just stupidly curious) or just a moment of "sharing" as a woman will sometimes do. How was I supposed know that your Great Aunt Lucille was a contortionist when I shared that I thought all double-jointed people were freaks of nature? And, oh yeah, why...WHY...is it I thought I had to share that? Somehow I get lulled into a false sense of security and open my BIG MOUTH!! No, that isn't exactly what I did, but close enough. Needless to say, I had an interesting day!

I've thought and thought about the food thing and I'm still working through this issue. I really don't think you want to read about my oatmeal everyday! So, what do you think if I just tell you what the total calorie count was? Let's try that! Remember, the daily goal is 1,500. For today it was:

1,535

I went a little over today, but I did really well the other days this week, so I'm okay with this. I am eating fresh fruits and veggies and I have me a moto:

Eat food, the kind your great grandmother would recognize as food;

Not too much;

Mostly plants!

I think I read that in a book somewhere, but it fits me and is EXACTLY what I have to do! Yes, I need to keep up with what I'm eating, but really if I don't over fill myself, eat mostly "whole" foods that are really food and not pretend food made in some laboratory, I should be good. Also, I need to exercise as much as possible and drink water. This week, I'm striving for every other day; doing a 1 mile walk using Leslie Sansone Walk-Away The Pounds videos. Just like everyone else, I have to work into the routine and make sure I don't injure myself again. That sciatica giant needs to keep sleeping. Therefore, I take it slowly. I will weigh myself and post my weight each Sunday and if I start to go the wrong direction, I'll go back to posting exactly what I ate...boring!!! I don't want to be boring, I just want to be NORMAL!!

We are moving ever closer to my annual list of 52 things that I want to get done in the new year. No, this isn't a list of 52 resolutions, it is simply a list of 52 small things that I would like to do in the next year. I have never once gotten all 52 done in a year, but by making the list and doing just one thing a week, I feel I get WAY more done each year when I have the list. On top of that, IT'S A LIST!!!  Who doesn't love a good list? If you'd like to check-up on the 2013 list of 52 things, click here to reach that blog posting. Some of the things that didn't get done in 2013 will undoubtedly show up on the list for 2014, but usually I like to look at what I got done and try to refocus myself where I need to be. Sometimes, I need to be more productive at home, but other times, I need to do more fun or relaxing things. I don't know exactly where I want to focus this year, but it would not be a new year for me without my list of 52 things! My cousin, who is also my sister-in-law (go figure that one out and tap me on the shoulder when you think you've got it all worked out...I'll bet you'll be wrong) turned me on to this 'list' idea about a hundred years ago. Okay, not really a hundred years, but at least 30 years ago. I've been doing it ever since. It started out on both sides of a piece of notebook paper and now I make it a blog posting. I love the list of 52 things!

Well, it's time for me to clean up and get ready for bed. I will be on vacation tomorrow and will sleep in a bit for a change. We are moving ever closer to Christmas and preparations have to be made for gift giving and special meals. That means errands and house cleaning this weekend! Yippie!! So, until tomorrow when we will see if Nancy can keep her size 9's out of her mouth, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 152

I'm sick of tracking my food already! What is a confirmed nincompoop about weight loss supposed to do? I know this works, but I HATE doing it!! Aaaaahhhhh!!!!! (That was me screaming...just in case you could hear it.) There are so many great things I could be doing, but no, I'm over here writing about the food that I ate today and thinking, "Who the heck cares whether I had celery or cheesecake for supper tonight?" I could lie down on the floor and hold my breath and kick my feet...you know, throw a fit, but I hope I'm beyond that. Nope, instead I'll just do what I know has to be done and calculate my calories here in this blog. Today I had...

• Breakfast - Egg, turkey sausage and cheese breakfast sandwich
• total calories = 370
• Snack - Pop Chips (Sweet Potato)
• total calories = 110
• Lunch - Homemade Chili, carrots and plain non-fat greek yogurt
• total calories = 340
• Snack - Celery and Almond Butter
• total calories = 190
• Supper - Zucchini Lasagna (leftovers) with carrots, pickles and a slice of toast
• total calories = 380
• Total Calories = 1,390

There...I've done it. I'm doing it, but I don't like doing it. Please, God, please let the weight come off me so I can stop doing this!  PLEASE!!! Yes, I'm whining and begging...don't look...it's not pretty.

I'll be donning my sneakers here in a few minutes so that I can Walk-Away the pounds with Leslie Sansone. I have some of her DVDs, but there are workouts also available on YouTube. Here is one that might be good to try...

Basically, someone just shot a video of Leslie's video playing on the TV.  Kind of crazy, but there you go! I suggest going onto Amazon.com and buying her DVDs. Her workouts are easy to follow, progressively challenging if you move up the scale adding more miles and they work. I really did lose 107 lbs. counting calories and walking to Leslie's videos and I'm going to do it again!  Apparently I will complain the whole way, but you can kick me in the ass if I don't make good on this promise! Hey! Stop that lining up to kick me thing!!

Now, I want to get on with doing my walk and getting myself then ready for a big day tomorrow. So, until tomorrow when yes, again you will have to hear about what I ate and all of that, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 151

Hello!  I watched a YouTube video today during lunch where a YouTuber ranted on about things that have been over done on YouTube and in blogs. She says that showing you pictures of or talking to you about food is bad and that it's over done and that I need to stop doing it. All I want to know is,  who made her the expert? I checked and as I understand it, I can put whatever the heck I like in a blog posting or in a video. You have the right to not read or view the content if you don't want to! Great arrangement!! I really want people to read my blog, but I have a greater need to write than I do for you to read. I've thought about my unstoppable desire to write and I believe that I just enjoy it so much that it doesn't matter how many people sign up or view my pages. Yes, I get excited when I see that someone has been on my page and I hope they found something helpful or entertaining, but really, I write for me. Clearly I'm not an expert at anything except, Nancy Hemati! I know everything there is to know about her and at this time, I'm trying to rebuild her from the ground up. By the way, she's fantastic and I love her...er...me!

At the risk of making some blog reader or YouTuber freak out! Here is what I ate today (just being transparent so you know what I'm up to with the food...remember...I can't be trusted!):

• Breakfast - Irish Oatmeal with Golden Raisins, Brown Sugar, Roasted Walnuts and Half&Half
• total calories = 327
• Lunch - Lean Cuisine Cheddar, Potatoes and Broccoli with carrots
• total calories = 255
• Snack - Celery and Peanut Butter
• total calories = 190
• Supper - Zucchini Lasagna, 1 small glass of Malbec, 1 pickle and carrots
• total calories = 380
• Snack - 1 tortilla with 1 thin slice of Gouda and a banana
• total calories = 260
• Total Calories = 1,412

Again, I didn't do anything special except eat thoughtfully and sensibly. So easy, but for a person like me, not so much! I would have loved to have worked out tonight, but it was Parent University at my son's school and I wanted to participate in that, since the subject was, "How to Raise Successful Children." You'll have to check back with me to see if I've wrecked my son or not. (i.e. Will Nancy over or under parent? Will Sloan be a contributing member of society? and etc. Stay tuned!!) The presentation was good, but it was over an hour and with cooking supper and all the other things that need to be done, I have no time tonight. Today just became my exercise 'skip' day. Okay, so be it!

The rest of the day was very busy and I loved it. Tomorrow will be much the same. I need to get on with getting ready for bed. So, until tomorrow when I'm sure I will frustrate some 'expert' somewhere by talking about the food and eating, as if you care, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 150

A beautiful day in Central Texas! Drizzle mixed with poor drivers and lots of stop lights flashing RED, made for an interesting drive to the office this morning. I just took my time and listened to talk radio, well, talk!  Since I love my work, it's all good. I had a lovely day catching up from Friday's vacation day and tomorrow will be even better. This was my second day of tracking my food and here is what I had today:

Lunch and Snack at my desk!!

• Breakfast - a Special K Breakfast Sandwich (the veggie one) w/ 1 slice of Turkey Sausage
• total calories = 300
• Lunch - Homemade Chili w/ 1 cup of Rice and Baby Carrots
• total calories = 574
• Snack - Celery and Peanut Butter
• total calories = 190
• Supper - 1/2 cup Lemon Turkey w/ 1/2 cup Rice, Steamed Broccoli, Baby Carrots and some pickles
• total calories = 250
• Snack - Glass of low-fat buttermilk
• total calories = 90
• Total Calories = 1,404

I've done well again today and stayed below the 1,500 calorie goal. I know that it is going to be a challenge overall to keep up with everything, but I can do it! I know that I can. In my opinion it's never too late to do the right thing. That's what I'm doing now; the right thing.

Exercise today has not been completed yet, but is right after this blog posting. With the drizzle I'm going to do a one mile walk with Leslie Sansone (Walk-Away The Pounds video) indoors. I think that will be fun and will take me about 20 minutes. I'll set myself up right here in front of this computer and enjoy the walk. Wish you were here with me! ;)

Nancy's Nuggets (5 things that were true about my Monday):

1. Everyone I met had value and contributed something to my story.
2. I wish I were 15 years-old again.
3. Memories are more valuable than dollars.
4. My years of experience have value only if I use them to help me learn something new today.
5. I forgive myself for being 280 lbs. today.

So, we have two weeks in a row with Nancy's Nuggets! A trend!!  We'll see if it sticks around. I'll try to be good about taking a picture of one of my meals each day. You can see I was not great at putting together the shot above and that's because I was SO hungry. I made the lunch portion a little too large and hence the large calorie count for lunch today. I made supper smaller, in order to compensate and it all works out fine. Now it's time for me to go change my clothes and get ready to walk in about 30 minutes. Until tomorrow when I'll share more of my road to renovation, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 149

You'll notice immediately that I did not write a blog entry for days 147 and 148. I've skipped them, because I can. They were uneventful except that I had a good time getting ready for the new way of things for now and into the future. I'm still working on how I will count the calories but I'm sure I'll use technology. There are so many apps out there to choose from, I just have to work out that detail. For today, I used an app called My Diet Diary. I'm not in love with it, but it counted my calories for me. So, first things first. Here is what I currently weigh in at:

280.2 lbs.

Yes, that's nearly exactly what I had estimated (I said 280) and absolutely unacceptable. I can't believe that I'm here again, but it's true.  Will I never get this right? My goal weight is:

160 lbs.

which is 6 lbs. more than all the charts say I should be. I'm sure I will have other goals, but this is my first and grand goal. So, yes, I need to lose 120.2 lbs.; that's a whole person! I'd like to do it as quickly as possible, but still remain a sane and even-tempered human being. My goal date is: January 1, 2015. To keep myself sane and human, I will allow myself an off day now and again. We'll see how it goes.

Each Sunday I will weigh and log the amount at the head of the blog and include the statistics about the weight loss. I promise to log faithfully my food and exercise each day, as well. All of this will keep me on track, because the last thing I want to do is to have to tell you that I gained instead of lost weight on any given week.

Food Log:

• Breakfast - Irish Oatmeal with Golden Raisins, Brown Sugar, Roasted Walnuts and Half&Half
• total calories = 327.7
• Lunch - Vegetable Beef Soup with 1 Chicken Jalapeño Cheese Lean Pocket with Raw Carrots
• total calories = 411.5
• Snack - Jolly Time Popcorn and Low-Fat Buttermilk
• total calories = 190
• Supper - Turkey Cheese Burger with Brussels Sprouts and a glass of Malbec
• total calories = 500
• Total Calories for the day = 1429

Exercise Log"

• Walked in the park on the trail with Sloan for 10 minutes

Overall, I feel very good about the day. I'm still eating foods that were in the freezer and was able to eat well and enjoy my food. This time of year, I love oatmeal and soup, so I had foods I really liked. That will be important as I move along through this process. I will eat lots, because I am always hungry.

I've done laundry and the walk I took with my son was outside, which is where I love to be. It's COLD today, but at least I'm not dealing with the ice they have up north in my state! So, now it's time for me to get on with the laundry and close out the weekend in time for the start of a brand new work week. So, until tomorrow when I will give you an update about what the day looked like for a person trying to lose an entire person from their frame, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Days 145 and 146

Okay...it is quite clear to me that at 146 days into my work to renovate me, it isn't working. A recap here: In 2008 I did a pretty good job of taking off 107 lbs. only to suffer an emergency umbilical hernia (yes, I am stupid) and after surgery to repair that I learned 10 months later that I had cancer. More surgery and recovery and **POOF** 80 lbs. back on me!! In between events we had bouts of self-loathing and lots of pissed-off Nancy-ness, which just made everything worse. That's the story in a nutshell. Fast forward to July, 2013. I decide I am now in a place (mentally) where I can do this again and maybe, just MAYBE, I can make it stick, BUT I wanted to do differently. (Stupid girl!) Well, someone slap me because I'm stupid! It ISN'T working!! Yet, I know what does. (See, I told you...stupid!!)

After a short discussion with someone unimportant to the story, it is clear that this is what works for me:

1. 1,500 calories per day, counted meticulously.
2. A meticulous food blog with transparency equal to one of Zaza Gabor's negligee's.
3. Exercise daily documented in the blog with the same transparency as with food.
4. Weigh-in on a weekly basis and report that in the blog so that everyone knows what I did and what the results were.

I know he's right, but I sure wanted to be right instead. It is so very clear to me that I have to have a pretty rigid routine and that counting calories is for me. The only thing I will do differently this time around is incorporate some opportunities to have some kind of treat now and again. I didn't to that in 2008 and I really think I will have to do that this time. It may slow me down, but I am a human being, not a machine! One of the other things I did when I had success is I limited, quite severely, meat. I ate mostly fish, vegetables, fruit and grains. Eating a mostly vegetable diet just allowed me to have more volume of the foods I could eat and thus, satisfied my TERRIFIC appetite (thank you, GOD!). So, yes, I will be starting this again.

The blog will be transformed and will contain a segment for:

• food - which will contain everything I ate during that day, including calorie counts
• exercise - what I did and for how long I did it; pictures to prove it if necessary & they may be!
• weigh-ins - yes, I will weigh in each week and post the weight in the blog **cringe**

I'm not happy right now, but I do know this is right. I'll use tomorrow and Saturday to do my preparations and get my menu planned and supplies purchased and all will start on Sunday, December 8, which will be day 149. That means I have 216 days (no, I'm not starting the day count over) to get a firm grip on myself and start getting this right. There may be loud complaining around here and I may slam a few doors for a few days, but I'll get over it. I just know this is right and I know it will work. Don't give up on me!! I will never give up!!

Now it's time for me to go on and have some fun. Until tomorrow when I hope to wake up to an icy wonderland outside, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 144

Have I explained about my issue with being overwhelmed by things? This is a problem and it seems to be getting worse as I move along through life. I'm not complaining, mind you, but I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by some things and I may need some help. First of all, Pinterest. I'm still not sure why I need Pinterest and what it's supposed to do for me. We won't even start the subject of how it works! For now, we'll stick to the reason I can't get my head around it. The bottom line...it's overwhelming. The first time I opened it up I thought, "Oh no! No, no, no, no, NO!! This is not for me." I shut it down and immediately walked away. Then a blogger I follow did something sneaky. She and her buddies decided to do this online "Christmas Party" thing and to play you had to subscribe to everyone's Pinterest channel...board...thingy...whatever! So, I joined and subscribed and the party is tonight and I'm going to go and play along, but all those pictures and stuff and emails!! I'm REALLY overwhelmed by it all. The images make my head spin; there are so many of them! I'm thrilled all these women have so much time on their hands to do all this stuff, but I'm real limited on what I can do here. So, we'll see how it goes, but I'm not confident Pinterest is staying around. So far, I'm okay with Instagram. I'll give an update tomorrow as the party on Pinterest is from 8-9:30pm...starts in about a half hour.

Today was busy at work. Things are heating up and I have lots of little things that I'm doing to wrap up the year. Little projects, but all good stuff. I even had some time to help out a coworker with proof reading the holiday newsletter. Yes, I was in heaven for about 15 minutes. Would love all the writing/editing they would give me. Maybe I'll get more of that for Christmas! **smile**

Today some department visiting our office from headquarters catered in barbecue for the whole office. When I left this evening I was starving for some real Texas barbecue. When Gena gets here we're having some of that! I skipped it today as I had brought my own lunch and I really hate throwing away food just because something is available that's better. It sure smelled good in there. I guess it was good for me to skip something that smelled that good. Character building...that's it...**sign**

Tonight will be the continuation of getting my house ready for company. There is always so much to do. The weather was GREAT today. As I drove home my cell phone said it was sunny and 82 degrees F. Lovely!! Friday the high will be 40 degrees and raining.  Payback is tough!! For now we'll just enjoy what we have and feel fortunate. Short blog today and not much to share, but be sure and let me know what you think about Pinterest. I need to figure it out fast or else...bye, bye Pinterest!! Until tomorrow when hopefully I will have LOTS more to share, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 143

First of all, let me just say that life is one busy thing after another! I absolutely love this time of the year, but it goes by so quickly I hardly have time to recognize all the fun I'm having before *POOF* it's gone!! At the moment I'm supposed to be cleaning my living room in anticipation of my company that will be here Friday afternoon, but instead I'm writing, which is just a WHOLE other level of fun for me. The living room isn't really a mess, but it could use some love and care. I'm hoping I can get my husband on-board with helping me out a bit. *smile*

Last night was steak night and when I say steak, I mean the only steak that's worth having and that's Prime Filet Mignon. I'm so glad you can now find prime beef in the local markets. Some people say that filet doesn't have to be prime to be good, but I do not agree. If prime beef isn't available, I'd rather have Salmon or Halibut instead. Dinner was easy as I had leftover roasted potatoes and broccolini to go with it and so here is what the plate looked like:

The wine was a really good one last night. Yes, another Malbec! Red has become my wine of choice and specifically a Malbec. So far, as long as I stick to the true Malbec of the Mendoza region of Argentina, I've not been let down. I am not a huge wine drinker, but my doctor says that red wine, in moderation, actually can be quite healthy for you. I drink about a glass of red wine a week. With all the cooking I did over the weekend we are firmly into leftover land now. I hope the family doesn't get too tired of it all!

Up until now I've been fairly cautious about social media. I recognize that this is how people get traffic to their blog, but I honestly don't see how other bloggers are keeping up. I have accounts with Instagram (see my postings in the right sidebar of this blog) and now Pinterest. Twitter I see as like a mini-blog, but it's still all about connecting with people and wow! These sites can consume all your free time just keeping them all updated and full of new content all the time. I don't even do that much on these sites and I'm already overwhelmed! I'm seriously evaluating all of the sites I'm currently a member of and looking at what it's doing for me. We'll see who stays and who goes!

Nancy's Nuggets for Monday:

• It was about 75 degrees F today...I love Austin!
• Update: the items on my 2013 52 Things List are as DONE as they are going to get.
• As soon as you paint your nails, you will chip the prettiest one! **sigh**
• In life, you will get exactly what you accept. (Chipped nail be gone! I do not accept you!!! Did it work?)
• It's impossible to help someone who doesn't know they need help! (Translation: He who doesn't know, and doesn't know he doesn't know, is forever mired in benightedness!)

Nancy's Nuggets were fun. Maybe they will be a regular on Monday's! We'll see how it goes. Now it's time to tidy this living room and then get myself to bed. I'm really tired since I didn't sleep well last night. I'm confident that tonight will be better! So, until tomorrow when we'll have to find something new and fun like 'nuggets' to introduce, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 142

Hello and happy Sunday to you! I LOVE Sunday for a whole host of reasons, but most of all, because it is the one day that I do not leave my home unless I absolutely need to for some reason. Believe me, I limit the 'need' whenever possible. I was calculating recently the number of hours I actually get to enjoy my home. During the week, assuming I sleep 8 hours, I actually get to be at home and awake a measly 6 hours a day. On the weekend, I'm out running errands most of Saturday, so Sunday is my only day to really just enjoy all that I work so hard to fund. I suppose that's just like everyone else, so I'm not complaining. I just quietly wish I had more hours at home. (Okay...that wasn't so quiet, but you know what I mean.)

Yesterday I did bake the ham I was planning to prepare and it turned out great. It was served with roasted baby gold potatoes and broccolini last night.

This was about an 8 lb. ham. I roasted it with a glaze made with brown sugar, mustard and a shot of brandy. It's delicious. I love a good ham. I carved the ham completely and used the bone to cook with my pinto beans today. Then I used a portion of the pinto beans to make chili. So, when you add it all up, we have ham, beans and chili to get us through the week. The ham will make great breakfast ham and eggs, hot ham and cheese sandwiches and ham dinner of you like. The chili will probably be frozen for use when we run low on food and the Beans will be eaten up in no time as this family loves pinto beans. With the ham inside the beans, a bowl is a whole meal! I also baked a pumpkin pie and there was enough filling for me to make myself a couple of servings of pumpkin custard (without the crust). I LOVE Pumpkin pie/custard. I'll really enjoy that this week.

Yes, cooking is really kind of heaven for me. I don't know why, but it is. Actually, it probably comes from my desire, at a young age, to be just like my Mamaw. Although my mother could cook, she was a terrible homemaker. It was Mamaw who was queen of the homemakers. Honestly, down deep inside, I always wanted to be married, with a little family and a little house, just like Mamaw. I did make that happen, but what I hadn't planned on is that I'd also be the main source of income, working outside the home. Funny how life goes, isn't it! Anyway, Mamaw wasn't impressed by the outside world; never worked outside her home.  She was loving to everyone and her house was the best place on earth. It was so clean you could eat off the floors (bless me Father, for I have sinned, my floors need mopping RIGHT NOW) and her smiling face was the shear joy. I miss her every day. It's sad that I didn't figure out how to make my life like hers, but I've done my best to be as like her as I could be. To me, she was perfect. I'm a terrible replica of Mamaw, but she inspires me still today.

Eating is more like one long snack today. We will have steak for supper tonight, except for Sloan, who loves hamburgers more. Bijan and I will have steak, leftover potatoes and broccolini and some beans. Yes, I'm still in the business of making sure everyone has at least something they like at a meal. Of course, I will eat pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream. Oh, yes, and I'll LOVE it!

Before I end today, I wanted to share a video with you from Julia Graf. I subscribe to her on YouTube and she is going to be doing a video practically ever other day though out December! She's calling it her 'Holidaze' series. Her videos are great fun and since she's in Switzerland, she sometimes speaks in German, which is so wonderful! I'm learning lots from her. She is such an inspiration with weight loss and very creative. Be sure to enjoy the video and go subscribe to her videos on YouTube. (Not viewable on an iPhone/iPad...go to a computer!)

Isn't she just the prettiest thing ever? She's not a religious person and I respect that, but I still wish her a Merry Christmas, just like I wish the same for all of you!! It's time for me to get on with the beautiful chores of life and enjoy the rest of a wonderful Sunday. Thanks for dropping by and until tomorrow when I'll share the mysteries of another Monday in paradise, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 141

It's a beautiful 60 degrees today with a bit of gloom. Like my son, I appreciate a gloomy day since it makes me look forward to the sunny days even more. He on the other hand, just likes gloomy days better than any other day. As you know, I've been missing cooking and so I am cooking this weekend. Having had a couple of extra days off makes me feel like I can invest the time it takes to cook something good. First, let me say that I stayed in bed, on purpose, until after 10am! Yes, and it was lovely to do. After arising and feeding the masses with sausages and eggs for breakfast (breakfast is my favorite meal to cook, by the way) I started the planning for the rest of the day and tomorrow. I'm baking a ham tonight so that we have a great evening meal, leftovers for lunches next week and a nice ham bone for my pinto beans tomorrow. Yummy!! However, I also wanted to bake something. I briefly entertained baking some sweet muffins, but decided instead on the savory variety to go with Chili I am also going to cook today. So, here are my favorite corn muffins to serve with Chili. (I don't know where I got the original recipe from, but I made changes, so it is an adaptation of someone else's recipe!)

Chili Cheese Muffins

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I like medium Cheddar)

1/2 cup taco sauce (use picante if you like, I did with this batch)

1/3 cup sour cream

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons corn oil (or whatever fat you have and like)

1 can (3 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin and set it aside.

In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir in the cheese. In another bowl, stir together the sauce, sour cream, egg, oil and chilies until well blended. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add the wet mixture and stir to combine. If the mixture is very dry, I add more sour cream or sometimes a little milk or buttermilk. The mixture is a heavy batter what with all the cheese!

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups; bake 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then remove the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve them warm or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow the muffins to reach room temperature or warm slightly before serving. They also freeze well.

As I said, these muffins are great served along side a nice steaming bowl of your favorite chili!  My son always asks for seconds!!

The rest of today will be spent doing things to get ready for my sister's visit next week and more cooking. It's been a long time since I baked a ham, so I'm sure you're going to see pictures of that, too! Along with the ham, I'll be serving Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes with Onions and Broccolini and German Carrots. I hope it all turns out good!

Today so far, I've eaten two slices of Pumpernickel toast, a flour tortilla with some butter and half of one of the Chili Cheese Muffins. All bread!! Watch out everyone, I may actually be a hopeless case!! No, I haven't been for a walk yet, but the day is still young. I'll do my best to either get outside or on the treadmill. I did take good care of my skin this morning and teeth, so there is some good in the day.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the blog. I hope you found something interesting here. Until tomorrow when I'll likely share more about cooking, chores and life, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Days 139 and 140

My excuse for skipping yesterday is the holiday. We drove to see family (they live in San Antonio, Texas) and I left myself no time for writing. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, anyway. It was a lovely day. We ate great food, spent LOADS of time trying to take pictures and I got to see a Great niece and nephew that I hadn't been able to meet yet. They are both adorable!

Does your family struggle taking the perfect photographs? At one point we were outside trying to take a panorama of ourselves with someone's iPhone when a police helicopter was spotted overhead. I immediately thought, "Which of the neighbors has called the police on us?" We were a mess! Here are my collages of the process. This first one just to the right is what it was like outside as we tried to complete the simple task of taking a panorama photograph that included everyone. This meant that the first person photographed at the head of the line would have to take over the camera so that the original photographer could go to the end of the line and be in the picture. That's right! If a thing like a family photo can be complicated I can guarantee you, we can do it! High comedy is the best way to describe our photography feats!

Next there was the same attempt at the end of the meal. We had many theories about how to make a successful table panorama and we had many attempts, but the best we could do was identify how Jackie, my sweet niece who will be studying to get her PhD in Psychology, will be able to earn all her money just taking care of this family. We are a mess!!

The meal was excellent and there were 14 of the family present. Later in the day, some additional family stopped by to join in the fun. We left San Antonio to get back to our snug little place in Austin at around 5:45pm and were back home by around 7:30pm. I was in bed by 8pm.

It was a great day of fun and if you celebrated Thanksgiving I hope you had a lovely day, too.

As I've said the day was fun, but it left me wanting to cook something! I'll share what I come up with over the next few days. Also, now it's time to plan for Gena's visit next weekend! She'll be here on Friday and she and I will do lots of fun shopping and stuff to get ready for Christmas. It's been quite a while since she visited, so I'm really looking forward to seeing her.

No, I didn't care what I ate yesterday and that is how it should be. I know I have to figure out the food part of my life, but I don't have to do it right now. I want to get outside in the bright, sunshiny day and take a walk. Also, I need to work on plans, update my annual list of 52 things and see where I stand for making my next list of 52.  So far, I've completed 29 of the 52 things. Not as good as some years, but better than some others and I still have a few weeks to get a few more in there. You can check that posting by clicking here or by locating the posting in 2012 for 52 Things, the in archives to the right of the blog. I'll update you tomorrow on my progress. For now, I have things to do and so do you! Go take a walk!!! Until tomorrow, when I'll share more nonsense and hopefully a smile or two, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 138

On this the eve of Thanksgiving Day, there is so much for which to be grateful. I'm sure that everyone has a list of things they are thankful for *smile* and I love me a good list! So, here is my list of the top 10 things for which I'm thankful:

I'm thankful...

10.  to be alive. (Life can be a challenge, you know!)
  9.  for creative people who share their talent with the world every day.
  8.  I'm a girl. (Okay...settle down boys, you're great too, but you know you love us girls! *wink*
  7.  that life is full of surprises and that regardless of what happens, I can always smile.
  6.  that I haven't yet eaten the last cheesecake on earth. **smile**
  5.  to have been blessed enough to be the mother of the most wonderful son ever born.
  4.  for a great job, in an exciting industry working for the best company, EVER.
  3.  to have been blessed to be the keeper and maker of a modest home and life.
  2.  for the love of a good man. (And you know who you are!)
  1.  that Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to Him belong. They are
       weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!! Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible
        tells me so! (I love that song!!)

I have to tell you a story about the song above. As a little girl I learned that song along with so many others in Sunday School. As an adult, whenever I've had a scary, sad, bad moment, that song is what I've heard playing in my head and it is the most comforting reminder of what is important in my life. Regardless of how bad it is or how bad I am, Jesus, still loves me.

I just looked up and see that it is just 3 minutes till midnight. So it's time for sleep. Until tomorrow when I'll share the experience of Thanksgiving with family, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Days 135, 136 and 137

Day skippage appears to be inevitable. No, I haven't been 'too busy' but I have been giving myself a bit of a break from writing. I just haven't been feeling well. I think it must be due to the weather. Since any excuse will do that should satisfy.

For the last couple of days I've been working at what I do and trying to just take it easy in the evenings. Last night, I struggled with sleeping and learned something important about myself. It seems that sometimes when I can't sleep and find myself tossing and turning, I calm quickly and fall asleep if I get up and put myself into a place where I feel snuggly surrounded, almost like in a cocoon. Luckily for me, there is a small wing back recliner that sits in my bedroom next to my bed and when I sit back in that lovely chair I immediately feel like I'm being held. I don't think I'm explaining this well, but the bottom line is sometimes I just need to be in a position that prevents me from moving very much in order for me to relax and fall asleep.

This is the chair and my sweet little bedroom!

Weird, maybe. But I was able to fall asleep and stayed asleep in that chair about 2 hours. Then returned to the bed and slept the rest of the night. I hope I've sufficiently tired myself out so that I don't toss and turn tonight.

In years past I would at this point in the days before Thanksgiving, have been cleaning the house like mad and chopping every kind of root vegetable imaginable. Not so this time! We will visit family who are taking on the chore of hosting Thanksgiving this year. I'm so excited not to be cooking and cleaning. I love to cook, but I really love to

The ghost of Thanksgiving past!

cook for just my family. Cooking is hard work and I want everyone to have their favorites, so you can just imagine how many dishes I end up preparing when we have 12 to Thanksgiving dinner! It's lovely to see everyone happy with what I make, but I'm honestly glad to allow someone else get the praise this year. As a confirmed 'Old Dog' I have learned a few new tricks and this weeks new trick is sit back and let someone else go crazy over Thanksgiving!

Days are passing quickly and I still don't have myself back on track in the area of food or exercise. I have to be honest, I don't know the answer. All I know is that I'm positive that there is a solution and
that I just need to figure it out. Don't worry, I'm not tempted to do anything rash. I've crazy things to lose weight in the past and I can tell you that the side effects are not pleasant. Therefore, I'll not take drastic action ever again. Although I'm probably going to find that the solution is easy, apparently I'm so blind that I can't see the resolution beacon anywhere on the horizon. What is it people say about it being darkest before the dawn? Does that mean I'm going to slap the side of my head with a solution any day now? GOD! I hope so!!

Now it's time for me to take myself off and start to get myself ready for bed. Thanks for dropping by and checking out the craziness that is my life. Until tomorrow (and I promise I'll write tomorrow) when I know things will be more interesting, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 134

What a great weekend day it has been. Normally I would be resting now from my errands, but since I was on vacation yesterday, I was able to do some errands yesterday. That gave me the ability to actually rest today, which was good since I didn't feel great to begin with. I'm better now and have been busy even though I rested all along.

As you know I'm cooking again, and so today was a great day to do one of my favorite things, make beans. Although there are thousands of ways to make beans, I prefer to bake beans. No, I don't mean like the Boston kind with tons of sugar. It's more about the method than the style. When the weather is hot, I cook beans on top of the stove and they are great, but the best way to cook beans is in the oven. Today I made Red Runner beans, my second favorite bean on earth. The best dry bean is the Christmas Lima bean. However, they are sometimes hard to find and I didn't have any. What I had were my number 2 and 3 beans. If I don't have Christmas Limas or Red Runners, I make Pinto. Here is my recipe of for Baked Red Runner Beans (Baked ANY Beans, really!)

1 lb. Dry Red Runner Beans (or whatever beans you like)
1 large yellow onion
1 can diced roasted tomatoes
Olive oil
1 quart Beef Stock
1 pound Chuck Roast (well trimmed and cut into cubes)
Fiesta Brand Uncle Chris' Gourmet Steak Seasoning Blend (if you can't get this...I'm sorry for you)
Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb blend
Salt and Pepper

Clean the beans making sure they are free of debris or rocks (dry beans are notoriously dirty) and wash them in a colander. Place the beans in a Dutch Oven and cover them with cold water to within an inch of the pot rim. Place the pan on the stove top, cover and bring the beans to a rolling boil. Turn the burner off and set the timer for 1 hour and allow the beans to soak covered. About 15 minutes before the soaking ends, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

When the beans complete their soaking, drain and rinse the beans and return them to the pot. Cover the beans with beef stock and add cold water to cover the beans by 3 inches. Cut the onion into large slices and add them to the pot.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and sauté the beef, seasoned with the Uncle Chris' and Mrs. Dash, salt and pepper at medium high heat. When well browned add to the pot. Pour in the tomatoes and stir. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and place the covered pan into the oven to bake.

Set the timer for 2 hours. After that time passes, check the beans for liquid and stir. Return them to the oven for 2 more hours. Again, stir and check for liquid. I like my bean more on the dry side, and so typically I do not add liquid during the process. Bake the beans until done. For me that is 6 hours at 400 degrees (checking them every 2 hours).

Here is what my beans looked like in the end today:

They may not look beautiful, but these are great beans. Red Runners are large, dark beans and I love them. The baking process keeps them whole and the long baking creates a complexity of flavor that is so delicious. We will eat these beans and meat over rice for supper. Yummy! I tasted them already and they are perfect! Just like I like 'em!

Yes, I loved cooking today. The oven kept the house warm and I indulged my love of TV cooking shows (something I don't usually do since they make me hungry). I still have some errands to do, but I'll go do that next.

Sometimes its just important to have a day of doing what you like early and then doing the work of errands later. That's today. Thanks for stopping by and checking out the day's activity. I hope you try the beans. Remember, any dry bean will work and of course, any seasonings you like. The best food is the food you like! Now it's time to do some errands. Until tomorrow when I'll share a Sunday full of life, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Days 132 and 133

I continue to ride the roller coaster of weather here in Central Texas. Today the high temperature was at about 1AM this morning and the current temp is 33 degrees! Brrrr...I'm cold! I like cooler weather, but cold just makes me want to stay in bed. There are several good things about cold weather that I do like. I can bake things in the oven when it's like this and I can wear layers, which I love! I just love a jacket, gloves, scarf and a groovy hat! I'm kind of a hat fanatic. The only problem is I don't really look great in hats. Anyway, it's cold!

I was supposed to be off today and I kind of was, but I did have to work at a couple of things. No problem! I love my work and I'd rather have to take a little time out of a day off to do something for someone at work than not have my great work to do! They were short tasks and meetings, so all is good.  Catastrophes are always the start of something new! Today's events weren't catastrophes, but at one point it felt close! **smile**

Have you ever dreamed of making a major change in your life? I've always wanted to visit England, but live there? Umm...I'm not sure about that. In fact, if I had to choose another place to live, other than the United States, I think I'd choose Norway or Switzerland. I have no Norwegian ancestry, (at least I don't think so...my father was adopted, so I just don't know) but my mother is 100% German, so Switzerland seems right to me. Both of these countries are places I would at least like to visit some day. Since I'm a dreamer, I'm always thinking about all the possibilities. That's part of the fun of life; figuring out all of the possibilities that exist for any given scenario. Maybe someday I will live in another country, but I can't imagine it, so probably not.

Today was supposed to be my day to put on clothes designated from my closet and take pictures. Since any excuse will do, I'll use the rain and cold weather as the reason there are no new photographs of me in my 'old/new' outfit. I'm a SAD individual who has not been watching what she eats for at least a month now. #DowncastEyes #Failure #StupidGirl  Yes, this is my thorn. Honestly, I'm not even thinking about being thin, I just want to be in good health. The more weight I carry around the harder it is for me to move around and moving is KEY! On the other hand, I am cooking again and I love how I feel doing that. I'm getting vegetables into my family and I'm happy about that. My problem is still my problem and there is a solution. I'm still just baffled as to what it is.

I visited my favorite store today and purchased my Christmas gift for me that my son will be giving me. I'll wrap it up and put it under the tree, but I can't wait until Christmas day to open it up! I love Christmas!! The tree this year is going to be a small 2 foot one, but again, that's okay! I don't have to have a HUGE tree to feel the spirit of the season. Since I'm a Christian, I do celebrate the holiday as intended.

Okay, so that's about it for the last two days. I'm making it a point to add new snapshots to Instagram as often as possible, so be sure to check me out there. I'm HumbleVoyager there too! Now, it's time for me to clean my face, brush my teeth and get to bed with a nice read. Until tomorrow when I will sleep late, cook beans, bake cornbread and run more errands, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 131

As you can tell, I've done a bit of redesigning on the blog site. Lets face it, I get tired of looking at the same old thing. So, we have a new look and feel. The new aesthetics gives me more flexibility and photos and videos stand out better. One of the things I'm working on is how to get the embedded YouTube videos to be visible on tablets. I'm scratching my head over this one, but I'll get it figured out. Until then, if you're using a tablet and you see a big open space in the middle of the blog, there's a video there and you will have to go to a computer to see it.

One new thing I've added is my Instagram postings. They are in the right sidebar at the very bottom. I'm newly into Instagram, but I love it! I hope you like the pictures I'm sharing there. Be sure to go over to Instagram and follow me...if you like, that is! No pressure!! **smile**

Today was a fun day completing the annual recertification of my company's business ethics and corporate code of conduct. A necessary evil, I know. Whenever I have to do something like this I know that people ahead of me messed it up and so that's why we have to go through that work. Why can't people just do the right things? Is it just too much to ask?

Besides being a FANTASTIC day at work, day 131 was just down right fun. I took some coworkers to lunch as my Thanksgiving gift to them. I'm very thankful to have great people to work with. The day was full of laughter and fun and I'm glad I got to experience it. Dinner tonight was leftovers from last night and I had just one serving which I portioned out last night. It was perfect. I just have to stick to that going forward. I really think the eating thing just needs to be uncomplicated and sort of invisible. I want it to be where no one can tell that I'm watching what I eat, or how much I eat. Normal sized people don't do anything special...do they?

Exercise was not present in today's activities. Yes, I regret that, but tomorrow is another day to get it right. I want success with this renovation, but I also have so many things that I want to accomplish at the moment. Focus is what I lack, but I'm not certain focus is possible with so many things being important. You've heard it said that, "If everything is important, then nothing is," right? Well, I think I'm experiencing that at the moment! Lord, give me patience with myself! I will get this right...eventually...at the end!

Now it's time for me to go prepare myself for rest. I've earned it and need it tonight. I should have done laundry again, but I didn't, so tomorrow will be a creative day of figuring out how to dress myself for work with the limited number of clean clothes remaining in my closet. I think I have it all worked out in my head, so we'll see how it works out in reality! Keeping my closet 'lean' has it's down side. **smile** So, until tomorrow when life will deal me a hand like no other and I'll force you to read about it, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 130

I love life. Yes, I'd prefer to be free of concern and fear, but I suppose that is what makes me appreciate the good that is around me. Today was like most other work days, in that I got up, got ready, traveled to work, did my job, traveled home and now am doing what I love, writing. I'm conditioned to do what I do everyday. There is more to my day than what I listed here, but it is sufficient to say I also did all of the necessary things one must do to be alive on planet earth.

One of the things I did today was watch the latest episode of MarieTV, which I'm going to link below, because I think it is wonderful and that all of you GREAT people out there need to know what she knows. Also, she's just cute as everything and I just love watching her. So, here you go! Watch, learn, enjoy and thank me later!

Don't you just want to stick her in your pocket? She's so cute!! She is just fabulous! I love how she teaches with humor for human beings. We are real people and I'm thankful that she's around talking about real, successful people in ways that other real people like me can understand. Be sure to subscribe to MarieTV on YouTube and sign up at her website (www.marieforleo.com) for weekly email updates. Helpful stuff! I promise!!

Okay, so meanwhile, back at the ranch (I always wanted to write that in something **smile**) I was focused on writing my comments today on my yearly evaluation. Yes, it's a bit early this year, but the company is trying to get things done more efficiently. I am okay with this and got the task done. I hope I didn't miss anything! Writing!! Yes, I was in heaven today. In fact, I get to be in heaven most days at work. I love my job and my company and I'm so thankful I get to be there and do what I do with all those great people. Wish I could tell you about the company, but they have rules about people like me to write on the web. Since I don't want to cause any trouble, I keep their name out of things. **Smile**

During this 365 day renovation of Nancy, I've been working on thinking, teeth, skin (which I think includes hair and nails, too), eating and exercising. I have some successes and I have failures. I'm doing lots of falling down, picking myself back up, dusting myself off and starting over again and mainly in the eating area. I refuse to say that I'm hopeless, but honestly...I'm like some sort of brainless idiot when it comes to food. I really think this is my 'thorn in the side' that God placed there to keep me humble and constantly looking for his help and guidance. At 54, I've come to grips with the fact that I'll never be thin. Now, I just want to be healthy and not cringe every time I look in the mirror. So, today was not a fantastic food day, however, I did stick only to the foods I brought from home and I did not venture out of the office at lunch to eat out with people. I kept busy and ate only what I had allotted to myself. The problem is, I allotted a little too much...sigh... When will I get over this? This reminds me of a line from one of my favorite movies, Moonstruck. Loretta (Cher) says, "Bad luck! That's what it is. Is that all I'm ever gonna to have? I should have taken a rock and killed myself years ago." Different context there maybe, but the sentiment is the same. Although I don't believe in luck I am just as drawn to food sometimes as she was to the 'gypsy eyes' of Ronnie! (Go watch the movie, you'll love it!) When I go to packing a lunch, sometimes there are just so many things that I think, "Oh, that will make a nice snack!" or "How about some fruit?" I won't give up, because there is a solution to my problem, I just have to find it. That's what I think about everything, "There is a better way to do everything, we just haven't found it yet!" So, I continue to be a work in progress. In 3 more days, I have to take pictures. I'm afraid...very afraid. We shall see then what the damage is. Again, pray for me...I know I'll need it.

That's if for me today. Be sure to go and learn about the 4 things really productive people do by watching the video above. Really, you will thank me later! Thanks for checking into the blog and I hope you've had a great day!! It's time for me to go and do other fun things like laundry! Aren't you sad you aren't me? Until tomorrow when I will let go with something I think you should know and that I just want to get off my chest, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 129

Can you point to the day that represents the last major turning point in your life? I believe that each person experiences multiple crossroads arrivals during life. Birth, the moment you know you're an adult, marriage/committed relationship, education, career, sickness, you name it! For some of us every decision we make seems like a moment of truth. I've seen people become frozen with fear that they will make a mistake and I can relate, since I've made SO many of those myself. However, I believe that inaction is what should be feared most in life and I'll use the blog today to make my point.

As a writer, I practice my craft all of the time. Besides writing this blog, I write quite a bit in my career, I write stories (beginning to post these online now), letters, and help others with the art of writing. I'm an editor as well as writer in this life. Each writing project presents me with new crossroads to navigate. What is the purpose of the project? Who will benefit from the finished product? How much of 'me' should I invest in the piece? Each of these questions and more present a moment of truth; a place where a decision is needed from me to move forward. They are all important, but unless I put word one down on paper (or computer) the answers to those questions are useless. I love building a plan to get things done, but I've also had to learn that planning can just be another way of procrastinating. Taking action is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

Recently my sister commented on how interesting (at least I think she meant interesting...she may have meant weird...who knows) it was that I was always doing something. She secretly fears that I don't get enough rest, but I assure you, I do! Anyway, yes, I'm usually busy with something. This is because I've learned in business that we shouldn't always wait for the BIG project delivery date to see some results. For example, I was once asked to build a dashboard for associates in my company so that they could quickly/easily see their previous day's work performance. This was a HUGE job that I was really not the right person to tackle, but I went on out there and started the planning. Very quickly I found myself bogged down in the process and presenting a timeline that wouldn't have us seeing any portion of a dashboard in my lifetime! Okay, not quite, but close!! The key stakeholder shot back, "Why can't we see this in pieces?" Well, why not indeed! Mainly because I limited my thinking and was investing action in the big picture instead of moving us forward. I mistook my 'planning' as action when what the key stakeholder wanted was a dashboard and he didn't care if it came in pieces or not. Since I love to write, it is easy for me to think that writing a plan is action, but I had to learn a tough lesson; that what is important is identifying what your customer thinks is action and then doing that. So simple!

So, what crossroads am I facing today? Thankfully, I don't think I have any major turning points on the horizon. Middle-age is probably my most recently felt turning point. I can remember being back in my late teens/early twenties and thinking about being 53 and how OLD that was and how FAR away it was. Little did I know then that the years between 20 and 53 would fly by without the slightest how-do-you-do! Here I sit at 54, nothing special, but very happy. Would I do anything differently if I had it to do over again? Well, yes, probably. But who's to say that I'd make better decisions or that the outcomes would be better if I did? I'm not perfect and I haven't had a perfect life, but I'm also not done yet! In the end, whatever happens will be because I stepped out and made it happen. I take action. There is chatter running in my head all of the time. No, not like the guy who says a little voice in his head told him to do some horrible thing! I think it's really self-talk that's going on in there. Some of it is just stuff that people have said to me over the years that rang some bell or was just valuable stuff to know. One of these 'self-talk' things is the phrase, "Don't just stand there! DO something!!" Now, God only knows who said that to me, but honestly I hear that all the time. I may not always do the right thing or I may have to go back and edit myself or even start over, but I wasn't idle and I bet I learned something about myself along the way!

In the end, if there is something to be feared it is inaction. Life does not 'owe' you anything. It doesn't owe you a chance, a living, a story, a dime or a THING! If you want success in this life, "Don't just stand there! DO something!!" Create something that at least needs a good editor. Action is what gets noticed and is what a customer, bless their little hearts, pays for. I have a family member who is 51 years old and has wasted 51 years doing nothing. It is more of a shame than you can imagine. I often wondered how this happened and I've come to understand that it is simply the results of inaction. With so much time wrapped up in inaction, this family member doesn't have a clue what to do and can't even hear the voices of people trying to help get them out of the mess they have created.

I know you love a pretty picture and I wish I had a great one for you that represented this blog posting. Can you take a picture of a turning point? Just let me say that I had a nice day, worked at what I do, tried to eat reasonably and thought about how to help the people around me find their own brand of happiness. I think those were all really great actions for a splendid day on planet earth. For your viewing pleasure, may I present the last rose of the season (I think) which is currently fighting for it's last breath on the bush in the front yard:

I don't know a thing about that bush except that it puts out the biggest, hot pink blooms on the planet! I love it!! Now, it's time for me to go refurbish myself (as my husband puts it) and get ready for bed. Until tomorrow when I will, no doubt, make you think again or at least read, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Day 128

What a lovely weekend! I drove to Temple, Texas today to pickup an item ordered by a nameless person in my life. It was such a lovely day I had a great time driving and listening to big band music on the radio. It was GREAT! The weather was HOT today. It got up to 90 degrees so, if you're having fall like weather, just remember us down here. We're all over the place with the weather. One minute we're freezing the next we're baking in the sun. I wouldn't be surprised if people start to get sick from the weather fluctuations.

Since it was a full day with driving and such, I didn't do some of my normal Sunday stuff, but I did cook.  Made a big pot of soup, which I'll be eating for lunch this week and baked chicken (game hens) and rice. Yummy!! I think I've really been missing cooking! I'll probably be cooking more and I just have to stay out of the kitchen and not eat such big portions.

I am slightly disgusted with myself about eating. I've eaten WAY too much this weekend. Tomorrow is another day and so I'll do better, but I wonder sometimes if I ever will truly solve my problem.  Although I fail, I will always keep working at it. The work is too important to me to ever give up again. I'm tired and want to get to bed, so I'll leave you for now. Until tomorrow when I know I'll have more to say **smile** sweet dreams, Sweeties!!

Days 126 and 127

I am a YouTube-aholic. There, I've said it out loud. I can safely say that because I don't find that my addiction is actually causing any problems in my life. YouTube actually teaches me stuff and I love to learn something new. In fact, I spent over 30 years of my adult life not doing something that YouTube has helped me learn to handle again, makeup. This may seem trivial to you, but to me it is monumental. I have a couple of skin conditions that range from debilitating to just annoying. The debilitating condition doesn't affect my face, thank God, but the annoying one does. I leave the worst for another blog, but the annoying condition is Rosacea. I've suffered, and I do mean suffered, with it for most of my life. It was only about 20 years ago that I learned it could be controlled with a topical ointment. However, more than 10 years ago, that stopped working well for me. About 1 year ago I began seeing a dermatologist for both of my skin issues and now I take a daily pill which keeps the Rosacea fully in check. This made it possible for me to wear makeup once again after more than 30 years. With so much time away from the art of good makeup, I needed to learn a trick or two...or 1,000. Anyway, in steps YouTube. I also read makeup Blogs as well, but I must say, YouTube has provided hundreds of videos for me to watch and copy. I've even made a couple of makeup related videos for my own YouTube channel! What fun!! I have a reason for wanting to talk about makeup...really...I do! There is a tag flying all over YouTube called the Perfect Palette Tag, where the YouTuber makes a video in response to the following about makeup palettes:

1. Best Packaging
2. Best Color Payoff
3. Most Versatile
4. Best for Traveling
5. Biggest Regret
6. Best Color Names
7. Least Used
8. Most Used, Most Loved, Desert Island

It is my desire to do this tag on my blog today! I love makeup. I love the colors and the art of it and I love how it makes me feel. Now that I'm actually able to use makeup, I realize that all those years without it I either looked sick from all the breakout on my face, or I looked like I didn't care. With makeup, at least I look like I made an effort. No one could possibly understand if they don't have Rosacea, but with the condition under control, I will always wear makeup whenever I desire. So, here is my response to the tag list above:

1. Best packaging: The award goes to Urban Decay for the Vice 2 palette! (By a hair...Inglot is great too!)

Oh, MG, this is the most fantastic packaging. I complain every morning while putting on my makeup that some of the companies who design the product packaging, don't actually use the makeup! There are some packages that I have to grab my trusty tweezers that my sister bought me to get the dang things open!!

2. Best color payoff: The award for rich color again goes to Urban Decay for the Vice 2 palette!! I've only had the palette for a short period of time, but the looks I've done with this shadow have been so rich and beautiful. Also, I just barely tap the brush in the shadow and that's all I really need! I'm so glad I invested in this palette!

3. Most Versatile:  And the award for most versatile palette goes to Inglot! I can change out the colors with tons of color options and this palette gives me shadow, powder foundation and blush, to boot!

I've only had this palette since my trip to Las Vegas and it is my first Inglot palette. I can tell you for sure it is not going to be my last. Love it!!

4. Best for traveling: This got the test during my recent trip and proved to be perfect. Small, colors I love and great packaging on top of that! The award for best traveling palette goes to Marc Jacobs!!

I love the small shape, protective pouch and the three colors work great for me. The included mirror is large and it fits into my small handbag perfectly. Thanks, Marc!!

5. Biggest regret: This award goes to Urban Decay for the Naked2 palette. I bought it and I've used it maybe 5 times, but it doesn't have colors I run to and the palette is really big. It was expensive, so hence, the regrets.

I like the Naked Basics palette better!

6. Best color names:  The award for this goes to Too Faced for the Natural Eye palette. The shadow names are sexy, like Velvet Revolver, Honey Pot, Sexpresso, Erotica and Silk Teddy. The colors are beautiful and the eye looks I've made have been lovely. I especially love Nude Beach!

These colors look really great with my brown eyes, or at least, I think they do! **smile**

7. Least used:  The award for this goes to Tarte for the Aqualillies palette.  I've used it twice. The best way I can describe this palette is, "Meh!"

The palette should be great for travel as it has face and eyes covered, somewhat, but I don't like how the products look on me. The blush doesn't look like anything special, the bronzer is way too orange and the highlighter is too yellow! Expensive too!! The best I can say is it is round, which is different.

8. Most used/most loved/desert island:  The palette that I love and use the most and would not want to be without is one that probably no one else likes. The award goes to Sephora for their Natural Instincts Palette! I use this palette most of the time. I love that I can do neutral to smokey looks and lovely down-played blues for my brown eyes. Thanks, Sephora!!

I wouldn't call it the most pretty palette, but it has neutrals, golds, silvers, grays, blues and browns. I love every look that has come out of this palette and the shadows are very pigmented, too! I just dab and go, so the palette should last me for quite awhile.

So that's my palette love for today. I wore a no-makeup makeup look today which I'm working to perfect. You'd be surprised how much makeup is needed to make you look like you don't have any makeup on! Crazy!!

The next week I will be cooking for the first time in about 4 months. We're going to see if I can eat normal sized portions of my own cooking with lots of veggies and fruit. Pray for me! I think I'm going to need it.

In the area of exercise, please make it a point to go over to gooveanywhere.com and check out their site. These folks are really doing a great job and they are helping me get the exercise right and even enjoy it. There are also helps for nutrition and such. Really, don't take my word for it, go look!! That's okay...you can thank me later!

Now it's time for me to get on with other things in my day. Until tomorrow when you'll hear about something I just can't wait to tell you about, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!