Happy Mothers Day

I Miss You, Mom.

Love,

Cheers!

At last, the numbers on the scale are moving in the right direction. My weigh-in yesterday showed a tiny loss, I'm back down to 154.4. I still have a long way to go if I'm going to meet my goal by my birthday, but I'm relieved to see some progress after weeks of nothing.

Jenny introduced a couple of new meals this week, Mesquite Chicken and Beef & Cheese Slider.




I tried both of them, was thrilled with the Mesquite but not-so-much with the Slider. You know I'm not a big fan of beef anyway, would much prefer a Boca burger over the real deal any day. Since JC doesn't offer such things, I'll stick with the Turkey Burger for now.

In other news, I was forced to participate in the most-hated chore of the season: bathing suit shopping. *groan* Other than my beloved pin-up models, is it possible that any woman truly enjoys this task? No matter how accepting you are of your figure, once you get naked in front of those dressing room mirrors, any prior self-confidence you once had slips quickly away. Here's what I've learned: don't bother with the discount stores. The suits are poor quality, cheaply-made and do nothing for your figure. Head straight to a high-end department store, suck it up (along with your tummy) and pay the big bucks for a good bathing suit. I personally love Macy's and if you have a credit card they give you nice little discounts which help immensely. I personally paid about $100 per suit, and painful as it was, I've gotta admit that the end result was worth it. Bo Derek I'm not but I was able to purchase a smaller size than last year (yay!) and walked out with two figure-flattering suits that I'm comfortable wearing to the beach as well as around my own pool. If I get brave enough I may have Beren take a picture for you. *wink*

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend so far, have a beauty-full day!

Hoppy Easter!

I'm Stuck!

I apologize for my disappearance, have been overwhelmed with household projects and busy season at the office. As April 15 looms closer, I find myself seeing the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, knowing that I'll have more free/Me time very soon.

I've been maintaining my weight, stuck at 155-ish, but am ready to recommit to my program, and myself, starting today. I only have 131 days left until my birthday, gotta get serious if I'm going to lose 20 more pounds.

Hope all is well with you all, and thank you for hanging in there with me!

xooxoxoxox

Purging..in a Healthy Way

Daily Om ~ March 18, 2011
Blending Thought and Feeling
Leo Daily Horoscope

A need to explore the range of your abilities can come upon you suddenly today, prompting you to look for opportunities to make use of your intellectual and creative talents. You may feel innovative as you endeavor to imbue your practical projects with an aura of creativity. Similarly, your resourceful and clever mood can drive you to explore methods of using your creative skills in your professional life. You may discover today that the imaginative yet commonsensical ideas that appear in your mind help you to see your world in a more balanced way. This can be a wonderful time to tackle projects that have stymied you, because you may be able to perceive new techniques of achieving your goals.


While lying on the couch sniffling and sneezing for the past couple of days, I caught up on reading, favorite tv shows, and started planning some long-overdue house projects. Inspired by the book, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston, I took a good look around the family room and, not happy with what I saw, decided to start purging. Choosing my bookshelves as the first area to tackle might not have been the best idea since the swirling dust contributed to a sneezing fit, but I did it anyway. By the time Beren got home last night, I had two out of three bookshelves cleared off & dusted, two huge stacks of books for donation and the remaining tomes neatly returned to their proper place. I freed up two whole shelves which I'm sure will fill up again eventually, but for now I'm quite content to leave them bare. I now have a bunch of books up for swap on Paperbackswap and another 50 or so set aside for donation to the library. Whew! As much as I adore my collection, so many of my books were no longer needed or loved, coming from a different time in my life. My interests have changed, why hold onto things that no longer make me happy?

This weekend I plan to continue with the de-cluttering, tackling the entertainment center next. It's very freeing to let go of this stuff, to clear out unwanted items to make room for fresh, new possessions, thoughts & ideas. The process is emotionally as well as physically fulfilling, and I can't help but wonder if purging myself of clutter is also contributing to the slight loss I noticed on the scale this morning? I'm clearing out unwanted junk in my home, in my mind, and maybe in my body as well! There are studies that back up this theory...hmm...something to think about while I tackle the dust bunnies today.

Have a Beauty-Full Day, TGIF!

Catching Some Zzzzz's

Yesterday's weigh-in was not as bad as anticipated, I lost a couple ounces, bringing me back down to 155. I expect that once I get rid of this nasty cold and can start exercising again, I'll drop the pounds in no time flat.

I got very little rest last night, up & down with the sniffling, sneezing and sore throat. Ugh! I decided to stay home from work and rest today, am sure my co-workers appreciate me not spreading my germs all over the office. I have a pile of books & movies to entertain me, have no doubt I'll be back to myself in time for the St Patty's Day festivities tomorrow! *grin*

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Under the Weather

Popping in for a minute..am headed to my JC weigh-in shortly, am not expecting fabulous results since 1) we just returned from a mini-vacation (more about that later) and 2) I have an awful, nasty cold! *achoo!*

I'm hoping to feel well enough tomorrow to do some blogging 'cause I miss you all! In the meantime, it'll take all of my effort just to get through the workday. *groan*

Have a (sniffle..sniffle) Beauty-Full Day,

Veggie Love

Looking over my food journal for the past week, I realized that I haven't been eating quite enough veggies. So, off to my local farmers market I went..



I came home with a big ol' bag of yummy fruits & vegetables, washed and prepared them all, then turned some of them into a huge salad.






While others, along with some peppers languishing in my crisper, got grilled and served alongside my Jenny Craig Lasagna.



I am amazed at the difference it makes when I "volumize" my meals with vegetables! I'm fuller, more satisfied and feel so good about putting more healthy stuff into my body!

Hope you're all having a wonderful, relaxing Sunday! Now, go eat your veggies! *smile*

xoxoxoxo

Bad News

I have rotten news to report today, friends; at my weigh-in this morning I was disgusted to see the numbers climb up on the scale - 2 pounds worth. Ack! I'm obviously disappointed and frustrated, but only with myself. It's not Jenny's fault, or my skinny-can-eat-whatever-he-wants boyfriend, or my kids who bring goodies into the house, or my stressful job, etc. etc. It's me. I know what I did "wrong" the past couple of weeks and need to own up to them before moving forward.

For instance, I stopped planning as carefully..



Didn't exercise enough...



and, silly as it may sound, I put down my crochet needle! Keeping my hands busy, doing something productive instead of eating, was a really big key to my success.



So, now that I've confessed to what I did "bad," next up is making the changes necessary in getting that scale moving back in the right direction!


*I went back to Week One Planned Menu and will follow it to a "t."

*I asked my JCC for my weigh-ins over the last two months so that I could see where the struggle started; as suspected, it was right about the halfway point. Something in my mind shifted. I'm not sure what that's about quite yet, but I'll be pondering it.

*Hearing great things about the Linda Spangle book, I ordered it from Amazon. I had previously borrowed it from the library but didn't have time to really work through the exercises.

*Planning, planning, planning. I'm going to log onto Sparkpeople every night and log my meals for the next day. I'm also getting up 15 minutes earlier (and staying off the computer) every morning so I can get 30-40 minutes on the treadmill before work. Saving it until I get home is not working, there are too many distractions that can turn into excuses.

*REST. I have not been sleeping well and we all know that factors into weight loss.

Off to implement some of those changes now, hope you're all having a beauty-full day! TGIF!

RIP Ms. Russell

Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell
June 21, 1921 ~ February 28, 2011



xoxooxo

Day of Rest

February 27, 2011
Energetic Influx
Leo Daily Horoscope

Whether your objectives are related to your career or are personal in nature, taking on too much can leave you feeling drained today. Long bouts of heightened activity can exhaust you even if the activities you engage in are primarily pleasant. To combat the tiredness you feel and ensure that you can continue forward until the day's end, you may need to put aside your responsibilities in the short term so that you feel less overwhelmed. Even if you cannot at first see where one or more breaks will fit into your schedule today, you may be surprised to discover that you have more free time at your disposal than you might otherwise have imagined.


I plan to follow my horoscope's advice and take it easy today. Beren and I have both been working hard and need a little more rest; he was exhausted at the bar last night so we were home by midnight and I swear he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Below is my food log for the day. I know that I'm under in calories but that's because we're attending a charity event after lunch and I'm allowing myself some wiggle room in case I want to have a snack or drink there.



I seriously doubt there will be anything as good & healthy as what Beren and I shared yesterday, though. Check out this veggie platter with a side of smoked fish dip! Why can't more restaurants offer healthy entrees such as this?!



Well, I'm off to have breakfast and then perhaps catch up on some of my favorite bloggers. Have a beauty-full day!

Sail Away..

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water, dipping my proverbial toe ever-so-lightly into my newly-refurbished computer, the giant shark which is my ISP provider took a bite of out of my plans. Yep, as of late Thursday night I am sans internet and cable in my home, and the $#>?/ cable company are unable to schedule a repair call until Monday freakin' morning! GRRR!!! So, what's a pirate wench to do? Sail away to another port, that's what!

Beren and I headed up north Friday afternoon, are now happily settled into the Ormond house where we're thoroughly enjoying the working cable & internet as well as the other lovely features of this beachy little town. This morning we took Loki over to Flagler Beach, walked an hour down the shore, watching him frolic in the surf. Such fun! This afternoon we've been puttering around the house, catching up on e-mail and blogs, resting up for tonight's festivities. We plan to check out a new-to-us country band at the little bar down the street, looking forward to donning my cowboy hat and tossing back a couple of (light) beers.

Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend so far!

xoxoxoxoxo

Aargh!

Thank you for being patient with me, dear readers, as I muddle through the restoration of my computer. I'm still not 100% up & running, need to load a couple more programs, but I haven't had much time to deal with it, too much else going on with work, home projects, etc.

Beren and I took a long-overdue break yesterday, spent the afternoon at the Florida Renaissance Festival. This is something we do almost every year and always have a blast!




Alas, today is back to normal life! We have to do some gardening, shopping, and then meet the family to celebrate my beautiful daughter's 21st birthday! Yes, my dear Lily is 21 today, I can't believe it! I'm looking forward to a small glass of wine and a big salad at the restaurant, feel like I over-indulged a bit at the fest yesterday and need to get back on track today.

Hope you're all having a beauty-full Sunday so far!

Closed for Repair

Please forgive my absence, dear friends. My computer crashed last weekend, ack! I've just received it from my fabulous tech guy and am working to restore my programs, etc. Once I'm up & running I'll be back in full force!

Until then, have a beauty-full day,

Pop Open the Bubbly!

I finally, finally reached my 20-pounds-lost-goal! I know it's "only" been 4 months but that seems like forever! The last month especially has been rough as my weight loss has slowed down a bit, need to rev that back up just a bit.

Say tuned for pics/details of what I gifted myself for this occasion..we're in Ormond this weekend so it'll have to wait until we return home.

In the meantime, hope you have a Beauty-Full Day! TGIF!

Heavy

Have you all been watching the new A&E show, Heavy? I started tuning in last week and am hooked! So inspiring and encouraging, I like it much better than the super-competitive and sometimes-negative Greatest Loser. The only thing I'd like to see more of is their eating plans; other than an occasional dinner shot, we don't know much about how the participants fuel their bodies. The focus is more on exercise which is great but we all know there are several parts to this weight loss thing - food, body & mind.

Here's my food log for yesterday. Other than needing more veggies and increasing my water (not shown) I did ok.



Anyway, thanks to Heavy, I did two stints on the treadmill yesterday. The morning workout was fantastic, really energized me and put me in a great mood! I found myself driving along to work with the convertible top down, singing along to the radio. (I've mentioned that this is the busiest time of the year at work, right? The fact that I can walk into my office with a smile on my face is miraculous!) The second treadmill session was right before dinner - Beren was running late so I put his dinner on warm and hopped on for another 20 minutes, just long enough to finish last week's episode. Now, thanks to my DVR I have another episode waiting for me so guess where I'm headed in just a few?

Hope you all have a beauty-full day, and to my northern friends out there: please stay warm & safe!!