How many dogs does it take to decorate a tree??
EIGHT.... or 1 cat! Mwahahahahahaha!!
2 weeks ago
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
DAY 126 Day of Rest & Favorite Photos
Hi Journal & Friends,
Since we are all super busy with the Christmas season, this will be short and sweet.
It was mid-December when Jim photographed this red rose. He was excited about the contrast between the delicate rose and the jagged ice crystals. He felt it was so unusual that he couldn't wait to capture the image. I just loved it... it feels so Christmassy to me! (click pic to enlarge)
And of course, a bonus Christmas kitty!
Enjoy the Journey,
Loretta
=^..^=
Saturday, December 12, 2009
DAY 125 Lazy Caturday
Hi Journal & Friends!
It's only 12 days til Christmas, and today I think I will put on Christmas music, turn on my lights early, and just de-stress. Chill out. Lay back. Take a break. Check out. Cool my jets....
Well, mentally, anyway! Sometimes it seems like it would be fun to just ditch all responsibilities... and I USED to escape like that using food as my means of transport.
I'd get my food supply all lined up... find something on tv to veg out in front of... and let the eating begin! I would eat until I hurt, and then wish I wasn't full so I could keep going, off into oblivion. Usually I planned these trips at night, when MyGuy was asleep. And by morning all traces of my "crime" would have been erased. How sad! But I am not that person any longer.
Am I ever tempted to indulge in my familiar "escape" routine?? Ohhhh yes. I am not past that. But I can honestly say the waves of intense urges that feel so overwhelming are a thing of the past. The biggest change came after I stopped eating sugar and flour. When the urges happen now, they are not as strong, and even if they wash over me a few times, each time it feels less and less strong, until finally it evaporates. Most of the time now, it's more like an old echo, trying to get my mind to accept it and dwell on it.
Instead, I have found that reminding myself of WHY I am doing this gives me the resolve to resist. In fact, a lot of the time all I have to do now is ask myself this question: well, which do you want? To eat THAT and be fat, or to lose weight and be healthy and strong and free?? One is temporary, one is permanent. One will cause regret and pain, and one will cause self-respect, health and joy. I didn't used to be able to see past immediate gratification, immediate escape.
Now I can.
That is growth. That is progress. Knowing that fills me with gratitude and joy!
So, today will be a "happy" escape. I will sing with the Christmas music... watch the twinkling lights twinkle... enjoy my bubble lights bubbling... and eat healthy and responsibly. And feel GOOD about that. An early Christmas present to me.
From Dr Phil's book: "I do not want you to think too much about the number of pounds you want to lose. What I want you to focus on is requiring more of yourself, starting right now."
My verse for today: "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
My quote for today: "The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin." --Jay Leno
Enjoy the Journey,
Loretta
=^..^=
Friday, December 11, 2009
DAY 124 Friday Favorites!
Good Morning Journal & Friends!
I could hardly wait for today! You know how we all have our "favorite" things we use as little treats along this journey? Well, one of mine is tea. Hot, cold, with or without creamer, but always with stevia and sometimes xylitol. Mmmmmm. Think of a chilly evening, all bundled up and sipping a warm mug of flavored tea.
Oh, I forgot to say... I am sooo spoiled. I never, EVER drink "plain" tea. Nope, I am a Citizen of the Republic of Tea. They are my favorite purveyors of fine tea in the whole world. I love getting their little catalog in the mail, with the gorgeous photos, descriptions of tea flavors, and.... the free sample tea bag. And this time the sample was out of this world!! It was called Comfort and Joy Tea, a Holiday Spice Blend.
Gotta say, I'm itching to order some before it's gone! Their online site is (HERE). You can go there and just request a free catalog.
They carry all kinds of flavored teas: black, green, red, white, and caffeine free. And some of the most lovely teapots I've seen. Me? Well, I confess to just heating the water in a plain little pan, and steeping in the mug. Maybe someday...
I must have about 15 different flavors all together. I bought them a few at a time in the cute round tins they came in, and if I really like the flavor, I get the refills in the cheaper paper bag, and refill the tin. We wrap up the bulk tea well, and store in the freezer, so it stays fresh a long time. It's cheaper to buy in bulk sizes, and you save on shipping that way, also. Oh, and I would recommend getting a sampler first, to see which flavors you really like.
Here are some of my absolute favorites:
For a pick-me-up hot tea earlier in the day, Yerba Matte Latte is scrumptious.
My favorite hot caffeinated tea at breakfast is Wild Blueberry Black tea.
For yummy iced tea, Kiwi Pear Green tea, or Pineapple Ginger Green tea.
This is MyGuys all-time favorite iced tea to make, Good Hope Vanilla. It's made with Red Rooibos, vanilla and spices, and is caffeine free. It is wonderful! If you love all things vanilla (like me) it's a must try.
I won't hardly ever drink water plain from the tap. Our water doesn't taste that good to me. So I almost always have big container of iced tea in the fridge. I lightly sweeten it with stevia, and this helps me get my "water" in for the day.
For a treat, and if I can spare the calories, in the evening I love having a mug of hot tea with stevia and a splash of creamer. It is so.... luxurious!
As always, these are just my favorites, and my opinion... no compensation, company association or freebies involved. I really do love this tea, and just thought someone might enjoy having something on this journey to "indulge" in that has no calories, yet is thoroughly yummy!
From Dr Phil's book: "Don't just wake up every morning and react to what happens. Be proactive by setting goals and making plans for their attainment."
My verse for today: "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
My quote for today: "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." --C.S.Lewis
Bonus quote just because: "A woman is like a tea bag, you can not tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." --Nancy Reagan
Enjoy the Journey,
Loretta
=^..^=
Thursday, December 10, 2009
DAY 123 We Are In Charge of Our Attitudes
Hello Journal & Friends,
If all you had to do to succeed was to change ONE thing... would you do it? Depends on what that one thing is, right?
Several years ago I read an article by Charles Swindoll that forever changed my thinking. It opened up my mind to that fact the most of us go through life not realizing how much WE are contributing to the circumstances of our life by our own Attitude.
In his article Dr Swindoll talks about "playing on the one string we have". He is referring to the story of a famous violinist who had the strings of his violin break, one at a time, during a concert. At last, he had only one string left. Instead of giving up, this talented man finished the concert playing on the one string, and received a standing ovation. I don't know if this really happened or not... sounds like urban legend to me, but that's not the point.
Here is the part of Dr Swindolls article that I have saved all these years:
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of Attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
It is more important than the past, than education, than money,
than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the Attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that
people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our Attitude.
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes!"
Just to be clear, I looked up Attitude in my trusty dusty dictionary. Similar words are: viewpoint, outlook, perspective, stance, position, reaction, opinion, ideas, feelings, thinking.
In other words, how we choose to think or feel about something... the attitude with which we approach our life.
We can choose a defeatist, lousy attitude, or we can choose a positive, can-do attitude. We have the freedom to choose something this powerful on our own behalf... what good news! Our Attitude will make or break us on this journey to health, so this really is a big deal.
I don't always live up to this... but it's my goal to remember that Attitude is not a fact, it is a CHOICE.
My journey is a long one... from 460 to 199. To make it, I have had to DECIDE to be tough about some things... to be DETERMINED to succeed... to be FEISTY and not allow anything to steal this from me... to CHOOSE to be positive when it would be easier to float downstream like a dead fish.
And one of the best things to help keep me going is to choose a good Attitude. Besides... a good attitude is more fun!
Bonus link: Yesterday I read a post that was terrific by Jack You-Know-Who. It had to do with a can-do, give it 110% attitude. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. He's not referring to perfection (that is a RESULT, and an impossible one at that) but rather to our EFFORTS. "Give a half-assed effort, and you get a half-assed result". Go (here) for the whole thing... buckle your seat belt!
From Dr Phil's book: "Design your life so that it pulls for you when you're weak, when you're not pumped up, when don't feel like behaving maturely, when you don't want to tell yourself 'no'. "
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
DAY 122 Is it Real & Choosing to Live
Hello Journal & Friends!
I keep seeing the little Century Club badge on my blog.
And you know what? As weird as this sounds, as excited as I am to have finally made it to this milestone, a part of me felt it wasn't real. It was just a number. I didn't "feel" that different.
I was puzzling over this out loud, and MyGuy silently disappeared out of the room. I figured he was bored from hearing me go on and on about this weight thing again. But a few minutes later he reappeared, with the hand truck loaded up with cat litter bags and bricks! Huh??
He told me to sit in a sturdy chair, then started to carefully pack this weight around me. He said it was about 100 pounds. Yikes!! Stop!!! He didn't even get it all onto me before I felt smothered and so pinned down that I literally could not move!!!
Talk about a tangible lesson... wowee zowee!! I was stunned. I absolutely cannot believe that I was able to stand at all, let alone walk a few feet, even with a walker or canes.
No wonder my knees were excruciating.
No wonder my back gave out in 60 seconds.
No wonder I was breathless walking across the room to the bathroom.
No wonder I can't breath at night without being hooked up to a machine.
No wonder I was exhausted all the time, regardless of sleep.
No wonder I was injured at the slightest wrong move.
No wonder my body was crying out to me to DO SOMETHING before it was too late.
I can't tell you how grateful I am to finally "get it". There just aren't enough words to adequately express how wonderful it feels to have Hope again. To be seeing progress. And to have found a community of like-minded people here in Blogland, and my online friends. People for whom weight loss is not a "hobby", but it is life or death.
I choose to live.
From Dr Phil's book: "If you program yourself and your environment in such a way as to support your goals and actions, then you have programmed your world to help you lose weight, to sustain your commitment, and to live your life in a meaningful, purposeful driven way."
My verse for today: "Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord."
My quote for today: "Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." --Samuel Ullman
Enjoy the Journey,
Loretta
=^..^=
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
DAY 121 Toon Tuesday!
Hi Journal & Friends,
Yes, it's time for another....
And the Toon Tuesday Challenge continues!! Dust off your crayons, sharpen those scissors, untangle your yarn, focus that camera lens, rinse out those paintbrushes, sharpen dem colored pencils! Lets have us some FUN on this journey to wellness. Let's not worry about the food parties and focus on loved ones and enjoying our journies! (Oh, and check out Alan's Toon Challenge and Giveaway over at Foolsfitness, here).
Last Thursday, Alan at Foolsfitness posted a great Toon of a mouse fighting a giant...?? foot (here). I loved it. He drew it first on paper, then colored it digitally (on his computer). WELL! I was intrigued. I don't have a stylus (a device to hold like a pen or brush) so I used my good ol' mouse, and went to town on a Christmas drawing. Drawing with the mouse was...well, challenging. Kinda like drawing with a brick. But it was different, and I had fun. I have officially put a drawing stylus on my Wish List.
I originally created this illustration in black and white only, because it was part of a series done for a local newspaper. I thought it would be fun to try to color it digitally... and here are the before and after results (click to enlarge).
I would love for anyone else to join us on Toon Tuesday... or Funny Friday... or Silly Saturday... or whatever day tickles your fancy. Use whatever medium you like. No need to be a "professional"... just enjoy yourself. If you are slow like I am, and start now, you might even get one finished by the year 2010! LOL!!
From Dr Phil's book: "It's about changing yourself from the inside out, so that being what is fit and healthy for you is as natural and as normal as breathing."
My verse for today: "... that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving."
My quote for today: "May you live all the days of your life." --Jonathan Swift
Enjoy the Journey,
Loretta
=^..^=
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