Trials of a Long Haired Girl

I was feeling a little down last week.  Getting past the anniversary of my Mom's death and with Christmas approaching quickly, it has been difficult for me to get into the spirit.   I have been on an audiobook kick of late and happened to have finished my audiobook earlier in the day than expected.  I decided to take that time to listen to some Christmas music to try to help me get myself where I thought I should be.  I started out listening to the "pop" Christmas music.  I promptly decided that was NOT going to get myself in the Christmas spirit listening to that, so I switched to the Bing Crosby channel.  So many memories popped in my head.   One of the memories that came to mind was working on crafts such as pipe cleaner ornaments at our dining room table, while singing Christmas carols with my Mom.  We sang songs such as Silent Night, White Christmas and Silver Bells.  All this made me a bit melancholy, but I was reminded ...

Today, changes finally showed up in my tracker.  I am trying to prepare myself to get with the new program.  I am of the impression that several of the things that I already eat, are now free.  As I think we discovered when fruit became 0 Smart Points, what works for one, may not work for everyone.  It is going to be an adjustment and everyone is going to have to figure out what works for you, while you are working the plan.  It has dropped my SmartPoints budget to 23 SmartPoints per day.  I think it will be better when I get all the information and can plan ahead a little bit.  I am determined to make this a positive change.   Yesterday, while I didn't hit 10,000 steps, I got close at 9,801 including 53 active minutes.  This exceeded my desired 30 minutes.  I feel pretty positive about that.  I have realized that I may need to focus on other parts of the goals so I can really celebrate my accomplishments.  I have been...

Good day friends!  I hope everyone is doing well.  I am feeling pretty good about my strides of late.  I may not be doing everything perfectly, but I'm trying and that counts.  I tried another recipe last night...one I've tried before, but don't think that I have shared.  Last night, I prepared two things.  One was a big pot of spaghetti sauce from my Better Homes and Garden cookbook.  I have made it before and my family loves it. The basic recipe, as I modified it is this:  4-14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of onion, I added at least 4 of the small snack size bell pepper, a liberal dash of Italian Seasoning and then my husband added some fresh basil, 1 small can of tomato paste and 2/3 cup of water.  We normally have leftovers unless I'm feeding a crowd. I also threw a variation of the 7 can soup (the Pioneer Woman's version) in the crockpot for lunches.  Her recipe can be found here:  Pioneer Woman 7-C...

Good evening all!  I hope everyone had a great day!  You know that moment when things just don't go as planned?  Yep, I had one of those days.  While I think that my dinner plan was a good one, it wound up changing.   Today's meals: Breakfast was my breakfast smoothie, coffee with coconut milk creamer.  Lunch was my Subway steak and cheese salad with a little ranch and 2 of the small packages of Club crackers.  Dinner was leftover pizza (1 small piece and 1 standard size piece and 2 cheese sticks.  Water to drink all day.  I was a little lax on getting my steps in today but still managed to get my current goal of 6,000 steps.  I wanted to hit 10,000 but we got a little busy and it was hard to keep moving and type at that point.  I did get in 39 active minutes so that's a positive.   My spaghetti sauce didn't get started as early as I wanted, but it is prepared and currently in the fridge so we can make a quick d...

Overall, today was a good day.  I didn't get everything accomplished that I wanted to, but I did track and I got over 10,000 steps in on my FitBit...only 15 Active Minutes, but I'm proud of it.  It's a start...and a good way to start off the week.  This is going to be short because I'm so super tired.   I had a breakfast smoothie, coffee and coconut milk creamer for breakfast.  Lunch was a crispy chicken Caesar salad from the deli at work and I added my grape tomatoes.  Dinner was a Steak and Cheese Sandwich from Subway.  We added lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, onions, pickles bell pepper and black olives on wheat.  It wasn't my first choice, but it was within my Smart Points.   Tomorrow is a breakfast smoothie, coffee and coconut milk creamer.  Lunch will be a steak and cheese salad from Subway.  Dinner will be the spaghetti that I was planning for tonight.  Tomorrow's goals: tracking (I've got a head st...

I feel like I've been missing for some time.  There seems to be much going on around our world.  My oldest son had a seizure and wound up on a wheel chair for the time being.  Unfortunately, we don't have a reason behind it at this point, he's still going through testing.  I also was in a car accident so I wound up losing my workout momentum that I had going, but I am determined I will get it back this month.  There has been more, but I don't want to discuss on a public forum.  Honestly, my health sort of got put on the back burner.  While I haven't had a problem with it for a number of years, I am currently experiencing flutters in my heart.  I have an appointment with the cardiologist that took care of my Mom during her last stay at Methodist.  I trust him and appreciate that he's not just going to randomly label with with high blood pressure.  I pray that it is simply a reaction to stress, but I feel like I am better served to get ...

Hi all.  I hope everyone is well.  I can't say that September went quite the way I had planned.  I was doing so well going into September and then I got rear-ended.  I was stopped at a red light and she hit me.  I know she didn't mean to and accidents happen, but it sure did through a wrench in my plans for the month.  So basically no workouts since I was hit, but did get released from my chiropractor to resume my walking workout dvds.  He said I needed to listen to my body but he thought I was doing well enough to resume my workouts.  No Yoga or Pilates or strength training, but I can do my walking workouts unless it is too much.  So, Hello October!    I started the month at 195.6 (my weigh in on 09/02/201) and my weigh in today was 194.8.  For the month, I am down 0.2.   Here's the other side of October for me.  This is the anniversary month of losing my Momma.  I am trying to focus on the posit...

  Happy Monday!  Already 4 days into September and I'm telling you, I am feeling positive about this month!  For the last couple of weeks, when not suffering with a migraine, I have been working out in the mornings.  While my weigh-in on August 26, 2017, showed a gain and I was at 199.8.  I continued to push through and workout 4 days this past week and it paid off when I weighed in on Saturday, September 2nd with a 4.2 pound loss!  My food was not 100% last week but I do feel good about that loss.  Time to re-group and re-focus on the food.  So I am definitely trying to keep on with my workouts, so today, with my day off, I did the Tuesday workout (4 miles + arm session).  I knew I would have more time today so I did it.  Friday, however, I think I will have to do a "create your own" workout because I will not have time for 5 miles first thing in the morning.   So my cousin has included me in a challenge for the month of ...

I have to tell you that August just flew by for us.  Prepping for vacation, going on vacation, getting back and having so much to catch up on once we got back.  Good things have happened this month!  What happened, you ask?  Well, the thing I have been waiting on for 8 years...I MADE IT UP THE MOUNTAIN BY MYSELF!  Yes, I am proud of this!  I did have to make several stops on the way up and on the way down, but I MADE IT!  For most of the days of our vacation, I hit 10,000 or more steps.  There were times we were in the car so long on the drive that it was impractical to think I would hit 10,000 steps, but I felt good about my efforts on vacation.   There are several places that I wish we'd had a little more time to spend there, but DH and I are already trying to plan another trip to try to ride more trains and see more train museums.  I do hope to see more of Colorado for sure.  When we left the Y of the Rockies, we headed towar...

I decided to start a plank challenge today with a friend from a FB group.  Honestly,  I also talked to my cousin a few days ago about being my accountability partner.   She had obliged and is checking in with me.   Because I told her I was doing a Leslie walk tonight,  I made myself do it.  I almost talked me out of it, but didn't want to have to admit it!  Those 20 seconds tonight were tough, but I did it! 

This morning my sweet husband and I got up and then he took me to check in with Weight Watchers.  I was down 1 pound this week making me 197.0.  While that may not seem like a lot, I've recently kicked up my steps again and I have been really trying to make a point to track, at least during the week.  I feel good about my choices this week, including the cupcake that I had yesterday afternoon for my boss' birthday.  Really, this journey is all about learning how to navigate life.  There are going to be birthdays, graduations and other celebrations, these are not going to stop because you are on a weight loss journey.  I am learning to look at things differently and figure out how to navigate and make the choices that are best for me.  I have made the decision to cut back on the sugar.  No, I haven't given up on my creamer and such, but those extra sugars...I'm trying to steer clear.  I also want to move in the direction of using honey and ...

  Happy Tuesday, friends!  A week or two ago I was reading blogs and ran across one talking about the new Trader Joe's cauliflower crust.  I mentioned it to my sweet hubby and he decided to pick up a cheese pizza with a cauliflower crust for me.  We finally had it Saturday evening.  This definitely gets 2 thumbs up from my DH, DD15 and myself.  In fact, my DD15 liked it so well that she almost didn't believe that it was not a standard "pizza" crust.  Next time, I think I will probably put something else on it, but I did enjoy it just as it was.  Honestly, I really suggest trying it for yourself. And in other news...I have been making a point to steer clear of sugar filled treats.  I have been using honey along with fruit to sweeten my Greek Yogurt.  It has truly made a difference.  I decided to get myself a small treat for when I was craving something sweet.  We purchased some little mini peanut butter cups.  The se...

Good evening friends!  At the end of last week, a young lady at the T-Mobile store asked me about my Mom and my memories of her.  I do indeed have some very fond memories of my Mom.  She asked me to share some with her...which I was happy to do.  There are truly so many and I shared only a few.  One of which is when we couldn't afford to pay attention, she would tell me to get dressed.  Once I would get dressed we would head south to the Dallas area and we would go window shopping.  There were nights when we would stay home and play Yahtzee or rummy.  Other nights we would create ornaments out of pipe cleaners and beads or make bracelets with leather and beads.  These are only a few, but were such fond memories for me. I was getting a little lax again and my friend Kate invited me to a FitBit challenge that I had not done before.  It really gave me a kick in the behind and I've managed to exceed my goals most days.  I am trying ...

  Happy Sunday friends!  I hope everyone is having a FANTASTIC day!  We had a blessed service at church this morning!  I was thinking a little bit yesterday on my goals for this month.  I really want to make sure that I am on task for the bigger goal next month....we are returning to Colorado this summer and I want to make sure I can make it up the mountain without my husband's assistance.  This is a picture of my sweet husband and I on our honeymoon 8 years ago.  I have wanted to go back, but we really never had the opportunity.  I know there are times I was in better shape than I am in this picture and, to be honest, better shape than I am right this very minute, but this is something that is important to me.  I remember how beautiful that it was and I remember the mini-milestone views on the way up.  I know that there is not an artist alive that can match God's handiwork.  He simply does amazing work.   So my goals...

Wow!  I was looking back at June and realized I went from posting everyday in May to almost non-existent posting in June.  I am really trying to make an effort to increase the cardio this month so that I will be prepared for when we head for the mountains.  I did check in this morning and my starting weight for July is 198.  I also talked my sweet husband into taking my measurements so that we could monitor my progress better.  I have realized in my life, even just my life with him (8 years now) that I have been in better shape.  When we last did my measurements, some were the same as today and some were definitely not.  I am definitely focusing on a variety of things and not just what the number on the scale shows.  I am still trying to get all the goals for the month straight in my head before I post them.  I don't want to set myself up for failure.   Sorry for the delayed post, but I intended to add more/complete this post last ni...

Not hitting my step goal today which makes me sad,  but I came home with shooting pains in my head.   I just pray it's better tomorrow morning.   Early night for me.

Happy Monday friends! I hope y'all had an amazing day!  My day was busy, but good.  My poor DD got all the way to camp and then realized she forgot her toiletries.  DH and I had to make a quick run to the camp grounds to drop her off.  I am so glad that she isn't too far away.   I was not sure I was going to hit my 6,000 step goal today, but I managed to.  My afternoon got a little busy and I wasn't able to walk the way I wanted.  Also, it started pouring down rain this afternoon.  Between the rain and the busy work afternoon, it just wasn't happening.  I did get to take a nice walk around the building before the rain hit.   Again, my food was not 100%, but I am making progress listening to my comfort zone.  That is something for me.  I noticed I have not been paying attention to it and I am making myself sick.  I am a work in progress.  One thing I have noticed is that my body rebels in a not great wa...

Happy Sunday friends!  I hope you have had a fantastic Sunday!  We certainly had blessed services at church this morning.  I always feel recharged after a good service.  I was reminded at service this morning that we need to have "Great Expectations" of God.  Truly some good food for thought.   I have less than a 100 steps to get to my step goal and I am determined to hit it.  One step at a time.  I feel positive about this week.  My DD will be at camp, but I'm hoping that I can start getting my workouts back in order and get things on a schedule.  I know how I feel when I workout and I need to get started again.  My eyes are burning pretty badly so I am off for the evening.  

Good evening and happy Saturday friends!  I hope everyone is well!  I was exhausted last night and wound up dozing off before I managed to even get the computer opened on my lap. I did get up and make a run to check-in with Weight Watchers this morning.  I managed to lose 0.2 lbs in the last 2 weeks. I definitely have some room to improve that's for sure.  I was a little frustrated with myself yesterday but while I didn't get my steps in during the workday, I refused to just give in.  Although, I will admit it was tempting just to go to bed without finishing.  I walked standing next to my bed just to hit my 6,000 step goal.  I was in a similar situation tonight.  We worked on my house so I managed to get some movement in, but not quite enough steps.  I did a little walking around the house to get my last few steps in.  I am feeling pretty good that I have managed to hit my step goal this week.  It was definitely a busy week, but...

Hello friends!  Welcome June!  This year is just flying by for me.  What about you?  I am feeling pretty positive about this month and setting myself up for achieving some goals for this month.  I do need to check in at Weight Watchers so I have a starting weight, but I promised my DD that we would go to the mall tonight to try to pick up some pencil skirts.  It was a successful trip.  For the new month, my goals are: 1. Track, no matter what I eat; 2. Focus on hitting my step goal;  3. Meal Plan, even if I don't have an opportunity to prepare it ahead of time. What goals have you set for yourself for this month?   My Pastor was talking about the "Next Right Steps" and it's really giving me some food for thought.  In the grand scheme of things, it can really apply to different areas in our lives. I am hoping to share a little bit about it soon.  I should get to bed!  Hope everyone has a great night!  

Happy Wednesday, friends!  I hope everyone had a wonderful day!  My day was pretty good and we enjoyed a good Bible Study tonight at church.  I am so thankful for my church and my church family.  It is a blessing indeed. Points-wise, I definitely went over.  I am proud that I tracked though.  Step wise, there was no 1 mile walk in the middle of the day but I did get my hourly steps in for most of the day and managed to hit my step goal this evening after church.  It was another busy day at work, which I am also thankful for.  I hope everyone has a great night, but I'm off to bed!  

Happy Tuesday, friends!  I hope everyone had a fantastic Tuesday!  While not a perfect day, I still feel pretty good about my choices.  Breakfast was a Trader Joe's Pretzel bagel with about a tablespoon of whipped cream cheese.  Lunch was a salad with .5 oz of shredded cheese, 3 oz. of ground beef, tomatoes, mushrooms, red bell pepper and about a tablespoon of dressing.  Snacks were a Golden Delicious apple with 1 tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter and about a cup to a cup and a half of grapes.  Dinner was Trader Joe's Sun-Dried tomato chicken sausage on a hot dog bun and about 1/2 cup of baked beans.  I am in debate on whether I want some Halo Top or not.  I did go to the store tonight while they are still on sale and stocked up on about 6 more.  I just can't see spending $6.00 for a small container of ice cream.  I did buy ice cream for DH and the kids as well. I think I have made the decision to carry this everyday thing into Jun...

Happy Monday friends!  I hope y'all had a blessed Memorial Day!  We had some great family time!  Some family that I don't get to see often.  I was happy to spend a few hours just hanging out and enjoying some delicious food.  I fixed s'mores bites and some s'mores dip with graham crackers.  It was really delicious, as was the burgers and the hot dogs and the fixings.  But the family time was definitely worth the extra calories that I ate today.   I am determined to make small changes this week.  I need to get a good handle on my cardio.  We are going to head to Colorado for vacation and I am determined to get up that mountain by myself!  I know I need to get back on board with Leslie Sansone...start from the beginning again with those 2 mile walks and throw in some strength training as well.  One positive change at a time, right?   I also want to take a moment to honor our fallen soldiers.  I better get some sle...

Happy Sunday friends!  I hope everyone had a blessed day.  While the evening didn't go quite as planned last night, but today has been a good day with some family time and a nice long nap.  Tomorrow is going to be another day filled with some family time.  I have been reminded just how important my family is to me.   Church services of late have been such a blessing.  Providing not only bread for the journey, but truly food for thought.  I know God has been meeting us where we are.  Some days you just need to have a little talk with the Master and know that His shoulders are broad enough to help carry the load. Food hasn't been great of late and neither has my steps, but I am determined to move forward and make some progress with both.  I'm a work in progress and learning to live while working the plan.  Just one step at a time.  I hope everyone has a great night!  

It was a busy,  but productive day.   Although we got up late,  we did manage to get to Sherman and pick up tile for my house in Denison.  While we were there,  we found out they had a tax free sale for things that were tagged as certified Energy Saver, so purchased a new air conditioner unit as well.   We also made it to Guitar Center to pick up some items for the church.   It was a good day.

So tired.

Wow!  This day has certainly not gone the way I planned, but it has been a good day!  We have been busy at work.  I would much rather be busy than bored for sure.  I am determined to get back into a workout routine aside from the walking I've been trying to do.  I haven't successfully managed to hit 5,000 steps this week, but I got close today.  There was just too much going on for me to take the time to walk.  With our new girl getting up to speed, I feel like I should be able to take walks soon.  I tried to make better choices today.  The one thing I do feel like I've done though is get more fruits and veggie in.  Okay, off to bed.  It's going to be a long day tomorrow!  Hope everyone has a wonderful evening and a fantastic Friday!   

Happy Wednesday!  I hope everyone is doing well today.  It was a busy day at the office, but a good day.  It definitely makes the day go faster when you are busy.  It sure makes the day go quickly.  Since I'm going to sleep sitting here, I should call it a night.  Have a fantastic evening!

Good evening friends!  I must apologize for last night's post.  I literally sat here with the computer in my lap and dozed smooth off.  When my husband woke me up getting ready for bed, I just didn't have it in me to do more than put a picture in.  I've posted everyday in May, although a couple of times it's just been a picture.   I have really been trying to do better with my eating.  I went over my points today, but still feel like I made some better choices today.  My breakfast wasn't the best choice, but lunch was a tasty salad with 0.5 oz of shredded cheese and 2.8 oz. of hamburger meat and 33 grams of Catalina.  Dinner was a roast (approximately 3 oz.), 2 King's Hawaiian rolls and Brussels Sprouts.  My plan is to have a salad again tomorrow, but perhaps with not so much dressing and such.  And I will definitely have more than a bacon, egg and cheese croissant for breakfast.   My walking has definitely been lacking today....

Happy Sunday, friends!  I hope everyone has had a great Sunday thus far and a wonderful weekend!  I apologize that my posts have been short, but I have wound up falling asleep when I'm typing.  I think I just simply have not fully caught up on my sleep since the Women's Conference I went to, but I would not change that for anything!  I am wishing, however, that I had purchased more pencil skirts and now I need to order more for myself and for my daughter.  Today was lots of fun.  Church this morning and then shopping this afternoon with my daughter and my mother-in-law.  We had an overall successful trip.  I even got a new shirt out of the deal.  This week, food-wise, hasn't been the best.  I did, however, got weigh in yesterday morning and am down 0.2 lbs this week.  I am really trying to check in at least once a week.  I am determined to make this week count.  I will be heading to the store tomorrow to get some fruit...

Today was a busy day.  Honestly,  it did not go as planned,  but it was good.   I hope everyone had a good day.

Happy Friday, friends!  I hope everyone had a fantastic day!  It's been busy at the office, but a good day.  We slowed down enough at work that I was able sneak out a few minutes early.  That was kind of nice given the last couple of weeks. I am back to twice a week for the shots.  Not my idea of fun, but it sure helps!  

Happy Thursday Friends!  I hope everyone had a great day.  Overall, a good day for me.  I am trying to do better with my goals.  Unfortunately, I don't have meals prepped, etc. at this point.  I am determined to try to make better choices.  I have hit almost 6,500 steps.  I also decided that today was the day to start my closet purge.  I got rid of quite a few clothes and shoes.  I know there is still much to do, but is definitely a start.  I want to go through my purses next and really look at what I can get rid of there as well.  I am feeling like I am making some progress.  I hope everyone has a great night!.      

Happy Wednesday!  I checked in with my sweet friend who came into town for her son.  He is making amazing progress.  I thank God for his progress and pray that he continues to improve.  I moved into the office with the window today.  I better get to bed.  Hope everyone has a blessed Wednesday!

  Happy Tuesday, friends!  I hope everyone has had a fantastic day!  Mine was busy but overall pretty good.  The move has begun and I should be in my office with a window by the time I get back from the doctor tomorrow.  I go to the allergy doctor tomorrow morning for a reevaluation. I just hope that we are making some headway.  I just hope that I can get comfortable in there.   I hit about 5,800 steps today, but it seemed like more.  My food wasn't all that great, but I listened to my body and stopped when I was full.  I really need to run to the store tomorrow evening on the way home to pick up a couple of things so I can get dinner done before church.  One of the days, I hope it happens soon, things are going to calm down a little bit and I can get some meals prepared and frozen.  I am going to call it a night!  Have a blessed night!

Just tired

First off, Happy Mother's Day friends!  This is my first Mother's Day without my Mom.  I won't lie and say it hasn't been emotional or that she hasn't been on my mind.  I miss her dreadfully and, honestly, I did not realize quite how much it hurt those friends who no longer had their mothers here on earth.  It is very real to me today.  I know the firsts will continue to be difficult and that there are going to be good days and bad days.   Church was a blessing today.  I am so thankful for my church family.  They have been through so much with me.  My Mom's illness and hospitalization to her passing.  They have prayed with me and for me.  I honestly don't think I could get through this without Him and my church family. This weekend has been a good one.  Tomorrow I will likely post some additional memories.  There are so many I have floating around and some of them are not anything super special, or at least they were...

Hope everyone had a great Saturday!  DH and I woke up early and ran some errands.  This included making a trip to Weight Watchers to go weigh in.   I was not able to go to my regular meeting since DD had a concert.  Even though I haven't been following the plan like I need to and have been drinking far too much Dr Pepper, I still managed to lose about a half a pound.  We did manage to pick up what we needed to make the taco salad for DD's birthday.  We had a pretty good turnout for the party and we enjoyed the ice cream pizza.  It was pretty tasty.  It was a good day and we had lots of fun including playing a little frisbee out back with my sweet husband.  I got 7700 steps.  My food wasn't great, but I enjoyed the day.  The fact of the matter is that there are going to be celebrations, etc. on this journey and we need to learn to navigate them.  I hope everyone had a great night!

It was a long but busy day.  A day that reminds me to be thankful for what I have.  I am blessed to have employers that try to take care of me.  I have a tendency not to stop and take a break when I need to, but today, they bought me lunch and made me stop for a bit.  I am feeling the effects of the longer hours this past week, but I need to get back to working from 8:30 to 5.  I suspect I will be working a little longer next week as well.  I made a pretty good choice for lunch, but my choice for dinner was not so great.  At least I didn't eat all of it.  Tomorrow will be a busy day for sure with our daughter's party and such.  I am hoping that I can take some time on Mother's day to rest a bit.  I hope everyone has a great night!

Wow!  Where has the week gone?  I feel like it's just flown by!  I have been so tired last night that I could not even keep my eyes open to really even write my blog last night, but I didn't want to give up my EverydayinMay streak.  Yesterday I felt good about listening to what the Lord put on my heart and inviting my friend from out of town to Bible Study last night.  Honestly, we simply don't know when or why God puts us in someone's life.  I am certain that neither my friend nor I anticipated when we became Facebook friends that we would ever be in a situation where we would meet in person.  God truly works in mysterious ways.  I am thankful for our friendship.   As Mother's Day approaches, I am missing my Mom, but I am truly thankful for the time that I had with her.  She did so many things for so many people, even those that others might have turned their noses up at, but she chose to help.  I love her so much and miss her ...