BeAtitudes: Working from the INside Out

What needs to be worked on from the inside out?  My devotion time. It has been non-existent of late and that will change.

This picture was taken over Christmas. Calvin the Cat (man, she is mean....I guess she truly is a Calvin!) was posing by her name-sake.

That got me thinking:

A thought from above!

God, is that you?

I'm not telling you to read Calvin; I'm telling you to FEED ME!!

Well, last night I picked the book out of the box and started reading it. Let me tell you the Introduction is a real snoozer.  I guess I shouldn't say that....there might be people interested in when he preached, why he preached, why he didn't preach, why he did not want to preach, why he did want to preach, where he preached, how the book was organized, why the book wasn't organized in a different manner, yawn, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


This little book is a compilation of Calvin's sermons on The Beatitudes. Walk along with me if you dare.  Each Saturday, I'll (hopefully) share my insights (if I remember!). 

I love snapchat faces!!  just saying, er, barking! woof

In Matthew 5, Jesus "went up the mountain" and  began teaching:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Do we see ourselves in any of these scenarios?  I see myself acting in the opposite way too much of the time, so this 2017 I will be a work in progress.  I will be working to improve myself from the inside out....beginning with my spiritual life with the help of the The Beatitudes and John Calvin.

Have a Happy and Safe New Year's Eve tonight, Grainiacs; and I will see you next year.

From my computer screen to yours, Happy New Year, Grainiacs.  Be safe.

A New Year; A New Blog

Good morning, Grainiacs! Be forewarned....this post is a scramble of thoughts and emotions.

I have been silent for too long.  Truth be told, I was a little blue.  I wasn't feeling like myself because I really didn't know who "myself" was anymore.

I knew my "before" self.  Raising children, working as a Christian educator for my church, a student.  I felt like I had a purpose.  Then the kids grew up and are succeeding and thriving.  I graduated (with honors, I might add) and I haven't been able to find a job in my field for over a decade.  I am super busy with plenty of volunteer activities.  And I cannot forget that I'm my Mom's medical proxy and that is Very Important.

I have been feeling stuck, Grainiacs, and I don't like the feeling one little bit.

So it is time to take action.  We are coming up on a new year. New goals. New opportunities to redefine myself and my life.  Time to prioritize and decide what is important (family) and what can be postponed for the time being or totally dropped.

I am de-cluttering my life, my cabinets and closets, my body, and my brain.

Years ago, I picked up Dr. Phil's "The Ultimate Weight Solution" and read part of it and promptly boxed it up.  I am reacquainting myself with his philosophy and marked a page to read everyday.  I will share it with you because I think it describes whatever blockage we possess...whether weight, social, mental, etc.

"You have generated and adopted a lifestyle to sustain it" (referring to being overweight). You have set up that lifestyle, based upon numerous self-destructive behaviors such as overeating, bingeing, not exercising, and self-defeating internal dialogue, that have contributed to and sustained your weight problem.  You have set up your world to keep yourself overweight, even though you consciously confess that you want to be fit, energetic, and of normal weight.  You make sure your life revolves around food. If you are chronically overweight, I know that your manner of living can be characterized as inert, harried, and chaotic."

I have become inert, harried, and chaotic.  A friend recently pointed this out to me.  I get a call and I go.  I don't think twice that I haven't eaten breakfast and will be famished by the time I arrive. I forget to bring things to do while we wait at the dr. office.  I'm just "harried and chaotic."

So my blog posts for a while will be about changing my ways of doing things.  I've tried in the past but then my excuse is "life gets in the way."  No more excuses.  No more running out the door.  No more!

Starting today I will organize and redesign myself from the inside out.  I have some skeletons in my closet that need pushing out.  Moana is a BIG skeleton...my inner child wants to sabotage any good thought or action I want to take.  It's time to take charge of Moana.

Walk along with me if you will.  It might get sticky...and I don't mean caramel sticky...okay..maybe a little caramel sticky.

Peace out, Grainiacs.  Love you, Strawberry. 

A Place for Strawberry

The internet and specifically Pinterest and Instagram are very dangerous places for this strawberry.  I love looking and dreaming and wishing and hoping....oops, I've also been listening to oldies music!

HGTV and all those remodeling shows really get to me too.  As a child, I wanted to be an interior designer, but I am lousy at art and when I looked into I.D. degrees...well, let's just say it is a hobby and not a career.  Poor Hubby would come home from work and the whole house would be turned upside down.  I'm that way; I have to start with a clean slate which usually means pull everything out and start over.

That type of designing happened again. 

Two days ago.  

I had ordered a very basic desk.  I wanted to place it in the living room so I could get away from distractions (mostly the TV, but also cats, dogs, people...you know every one and every thing!) and get some computer/ reading/ writing work done. I didn't want anything large that could hold a bunch of papers and writing paraphernalia (another weakness of mine....oooh, an office supply store!).  I know myself and it would be another cluttered area.  My eldest son is living at home so I find odd jobs for him to do and my new disassembled desk was a perfect odd job.  He put it together and we set it in the living room in front of a window.  I wasn't "feeling" it; you know when you room arrange and think "Oh sh!t, what the h$ll is THAT!"  I didn't exactly have that kind of a thought, but I wasn't satisfied with it.

That afternoon, I had an epiphany (yes, it does happen!) and opened up this puppy.  What a mess!

what's a little sharing amongst friends, eh?

Remember my clean slate mentality?  I pulled all this crap out of the closet and started weeding out things I didn't want to deal with long ago which is why they got dumped in this closet to begin with.  We no longer have a VCR player so we really don't need VHS tapes.  I did keep all the VHSes with personal family stuff on them, though; I'm hoping to convert them to DVDs....yeah, right! LOL

I still have some working to do in the TV room, thanks to cleaning out this closet but now I have....

In my own little corner, in my own little room....

I love it!  I would prefer to have painted it a nice bright color but for now, it is perfect and the best news is I can close the doors and my little "cloffice" will wait and keep clean.

P.S. the kitchen is still clutter-free....now the kitchen table (out of picture view?)....shhhhh.....it is next.  Of course after the TV room-it is still full of the stuff vomited out of my new cloffice.  So I have my work cut out and the holidays are coming up.  Yes, Grainiacs, my life is a mess, but it is getting there.

Happy Wednesday, Grainiacs.  What projects are YOU working on?

The Big Squeeze Ended

Good Morning, Grainiacs!

The BS ended and unfortunately I gained weight.  As per Strawberry mojo, I started out great.  Drank my water, tracked what I ate, even got in some exercise.... and then.....I got sick.  Doggone it; it gets me every time.  It seems our local farmers are burning sugar cane and my head/ body/ nose/ sinuses DO.NOT.LIKE.IT!!!! not one little bit.  Man, sugar is biting me in the butt one way or another!!!!  Although sugar is not my comfort food of choice when I'm sick, ooey, gooey, creamy things are!  We have a church member who makes chicken and homemade noodles.  You read it right;    h.o.m.e.m.a.d.e. noodles.  Come to me, baby!   Now that is some kind of good. 

Yes, officer, there were left-overs.

Yes, officer, I took them.

Yes, officer, the whole pot!

So....although I did gain this past week, I am ever so grateful it wasn't a 10 pound gain!

Yep, that's that.  It is done; it is over; it is time to get back on track.

In other news, I read somewhere (probably on the internet so you know it is true) that women tend to gain if they have a cluttered kitchen.  For the past two days I have soldiered on and cleaned up that puppy.  The rest of the house might be a pig's sty, but my kitchen shall be a clutter-free zone!

Ain't I purty??

My goal is to see this beautiful sight each day.  You might notice that my decorative plates are missing from the photo.  I'm still looking for them since the big electric-turn-your-house-upside-down fiasco last year.  Can you believe one year ago I was packing up the fragile stuff so the workpeople didn't break anything?  One year ago our lives were turned upside down and we were street people again living out of HEB bags and sleeping at the church or in friends' homes.  One year!

I guess I'm feeling melancholy because another year has almost passed and I'm still fighting the weight game.  Will I be feeling this way even when I lose?  Will I ever be happy with myself?  These are the things I ponder Like sands through the hour glass so are the days of our lives.  Talk about The Big Squeeze!!!!

Happy Tuesday, Grainiacs. Time to put the big squeeze on another room in the house!
 

Feeling lazy

Would it be okay to share my WW blog with you today, Grainiacs?  I have the blahs.  Farmers are burning sugar cane and my head is achy and my throat is achy and I am achy.  I wanted to share this recipe with my WW peeps and thought: why not share it with my Grainiac peeps?

Hope your day is going better than mine.  I DID, however, get dinner in the crockpot so....Win!

Here you go....

It's Okay to Point

Have a great Grainiac day.

Strawberry

The Big Squeeze Day 2

Let me back up a day since I didn't really tell you about my sugar detox plan.

Day 1 was to drink half my body weight in H2O.  I was gung ho in the am and by the middle of the afternoon I'll confess: I was water-logged.  Getting all that water down was a challenge!

Also I had to travel about 45 minutes to a meeting.  I know those ladies thought I had a bladder infection or something because I kept getting up to pee.  Drinking a cup of coffee and 48 oz of water will do that to a person.

I went to visit The Momma another 30 minutes away and I was still running to the bathroom over at her house.  

thank you Google images...you can really distract a Strawberry!

The great news is I wasn't hungry AND I got my water in.

Yesterday of my Day 2 Sugar Detox was a      HUGE  success.  Believe it or not, I had another meeting.  Thanks to my successful Day 1 of no sugar, I was able to pass up homemade pound cake (the woman's mother's recipe!).  I told her I would take a slice home and eat it after my sugar detox challenge.  We all got busy after the meeting and I was able to leave without that pound cake in tow.  I know me; I would have scarfed it down before I got out of her driveway!  It is better NOT to even have it in the house.

I did not finish all my waters yesterday but I still have the cup filled with it.  My plan is to finish yesterday's allotment and then start on today's allotment.  Whew!

OH and today is weigh in day so I am not downing 24 oz of water before that "reveal."  As it is, I made myself a cup of joe forgetting that I do not eat or drink before I weigh in.  I have to go find my lucky Mexican dress and head out the door.

Wish me luck!

~Strawberry~

Day 1 of Sugar Detox

From now on I will call it The Big Squeeze!  I'm squeezing out the sugar from my diet.  Did I tell you I have a fatty liver?  

Of course!  Everything about me is fatty; why wouldn't my liver be too??
  

Hubby told me to talk to a church member who also has been diagnosed with a fatty liver; she is more diligent about researching "fatty liver" and what to do about it.  I'll give you the Reader's Digest version: basically stop eating ALL the foods (and coffee) I like!  hmmmm
In other words, what is good to my palate is killing me.  P.S. how do I know?  I had one of those package tests you do at a local church....Life Scan or StRoKe sCaN or something like that!  My friend and I were wondering how many people have had fatty livers and not known about it and have suffered a stroke.

  Well, I'm drinking my H2O along with my coffee!

All in all, good Day One.

 

Trunk or Treat!

Here's the deal: Tomorrow I'm planning to participate in a  Sugar Detox Challenge on Facebook.  I woke up today thinking I'll start today....why start tomorrow?

Two hours hadn't passed and I had already eaten a snickerdoodle cookie!

I didn't fuss at myself but decided to pick up where I left out.  I mean when you fall off the bike, you get back on.

That afternoon I had downed 3 Reese's peanut butter cups...my downfall.

Oh my gosh!!! What a mess and how disappointing, but you know, I'm still not fussing at myself because the sugar detox starts TOMORROW!!!

Tomorrow...I'll be posting daily to keep me honest.  If I don't, please check in with me.  I need the support.

As Weight Watchers always says "it's the Bermuda Triangle" time: Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day.  The 3 horrible sugar days.

Speaking of Bermuda Triangle:  Happy Halloween from this Trio!

 

trick or track

I'm back to my old tricks, Grainiacs...that trick of over-scheduling-losing track of what I eat-and basic total exhaustion.  I think I have posted before that it is getting to the point where I cannot schedule anything for myself because life continues to happen and things beyond my control enter in.  Does that make sense?  Does it happen to any of you?

What's a Strawberry to do?

First I have to prioritize.

• is that meeting REALLY that important or can the meeting go on without me
• will life come to a screeching halt if I take time for me and let someone else handle x-y-or z
• who or what is most important that I can drop everything AND can someone else lighten the load and help out

I sometimes think I am the ONLY one who can help out.  I like being asked.  I like being wanted and needed but it is taking its toll on me.  Feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders is not doing anyone, especially me, any good.  

I have not tracked in several days.  I got on kaaaaa and he was not kind.

Today is a new day with new possibilities and I will make the commitment to add myself to my priority list.

So trick or track, Grainiacs.  I for one will be tracking what I eat today. 

Pointing Away

So I've been attending WW consistently since July; now I've been a member for quite a while but starting in July I brought a buddy and more importantly the buddy brings me.  I am more likely to weigh in and skip the meeting or more than likely skip the whole thing and say "I'll catch up next week" if I'm left alone.  Unfortunately 10 pounds later I have not caught up but gained.  And so my cycle goes.  Start back; lose sight; quit; rejoin; go great guns; lose sight; quit; ...... you get the idea.

Over ten years ago, I had a buddy. We met at the meeting and went to breakfast afterwards celebrating success or encouraging each other.  Weight watchers started the Points Program and we knew exactly how many points in a breakfast biscuit at Whataburger.  It was a great way to connect on those Saturdays and I treasure that time with my buddy.

Before long I was in a new town and started WW again.  On my own I fell into my -go-, -don't go-, -quit-, -restart-.  Old habits are hard to break.  I found another buddy and as long as I had a buddy to go with, I was good to go.

Again, we moved!  By then WW was online and my membership moved with me.  I attended....alone and yep you guessed it.  YoYo-ing again.  I brought Hubby with me (remember, I need a buddy).  It's not always the best to bring a man with you as they tend to lose weight lickety-split and yeah, that's what happened.  He lost; got annoyed with a certain woman (not me, promise!) who dominated the meeting, and I was alone again.

I wish I was the type that could do it on my own; the type that could go to a meeting and then go home, but I like the socialization.  I WANT to go have breakfast with someone and talk and laugh and have girl time so I am on a buddy system.  My buddy is losing at a faster rate, but that is O.K.  I have a back-up plan in case I'm alone again.

Shhhhh, he doesn't know it, but I'm pointing at my hubby buddy! After all, he promised "through fat and through thin," right?

Hello, Friend

I was looking in a cabinet and found an old WW weekly that caught my attention.  On the cover is a woman smiling and hula-hooping.  I must confess I'm not quite sure I can even hula-hoop or even get the hula-hoop over my hips!  The title on the cover is "Befriend your Body" June 12-18, 2016 issue.  

I have horrible body image.  I never liked my body even when I got down to my lowest at 118 in high school!  Here's the sad part- a man/child I was dating at the time made me feel that way.  I was dating a child in a man's body.  I mean who keeps telling their girlfriend "It looks like you've been eating again?"  Or grabs a small bit of a love-handle and jiggles it.  No matter what I did (starve myself/ exercise/ give in to advances/ etc etc etc....ad nauseum...) I was never good enough. And the even sadder part was I KEPT PUTTING UP WITH IT!!!!

Do you ever have moments you wish you could have a do-over? 

Thankfully we do have do-overs.  It's called waking to a new day, Praise God!  True, we can't go back in time and redo past mistakes, but we sure as heck can make sure history does not repeat itself on our part.  That's the clincher- our part.  We cannot control what others do or say, but we sure can control how we will respond.

My older and wiser self will befriend my body and it's bumps and lumps and squishy parts.  I'm still blaming childbirth on those squishy parts and I will till I die, but I have 4 beautiful, wonderful, loving, made my life complete children who I wouldn't trade for the world and if it means I have a not-so-perfect body in the eyes of the world....well just go to hell.....that is if I believed in hell....which I don't.....so just go to Wal-Mart!  ;)

Pop Quiz Time...pull out a sheet of paper and number 1-10....hahahaha....just kidding, but really, let's take a body image test brought to you by the above mentioned weekly with a little tweaking from Strawberry.

1. Overall, your feelings about your body are:
A. "Eh. It'll do."
B. "Yay! Weight loss will make me more confident." (really? Who says that?)
C. "Yuck. I won't be happy until I'm thin."......mints, that is.  Oh man, I'm craving Girl Scout cookies

2. When friends compliment your appearance, you think:
A. "They're loyal and kind" (and I want what they are smoking)
B. "They're right!" (pretty full of yourself, eh?)
C. "They're lying to make me feel better" (we do think this sometimes, don't we?)

3. You don't plan to get into a swimsuit until...
A. you have to.
B. your next trip to the pool/beach/lake
C.the bathtub (Okay, I added the bathtub...in which case, you have terrible body image!...just saying)

So how'd ya do?

Mostly As- the article says your body image is neutral so show yourself a bit more love!

Mostly Bs- You, girlfriend, love yourself. Way to go!!

Mostly Cs- "Your body image skews negative" and believe me, there are too many negative nellys in the world and you don't have to fill that role.  

Love the body...love the mind...and let's love each other and show compassion (especially now that we are in such a divisive election year!).

As for me, I'm heading out to purchase a hula-hoop.

Peace Out, Grainiacs

Back from wherever

Good morning, Grainiacs!  It's been a while, I know.

Let me re-introduce myself.

My name is Strawberry and I'm a food-aholic and a hater of exercise.  Truth be told I love Netflix and popcorn but decades of sedentary living and overeating have left me fat and out of shape.

Years ago I started a blog to help keep me real.  I shared ups and downs and all-arounds (yes, I AM talking about my hips!). I lost almost 20 pounds...maybe 20 pounds...it's been so long I'm not sure anymore.

What kept me going was talking daily to you.  I received "kudos" and "hang in there" and "I know exactly what you're talking about" in response to my posts.  I needed that; I needed you; and I still do.

Life keeps happening.  I schedule (and you all know I am NOT a scheduler) and blockades keep getting in the way: seminary classes, a move, an ailing parent, yada yada yada.

You know what?  Yes! Life does happen, but there are plenty of svelte people out there who have lost weight while attending to "life" matters.

Life is gonna keep happening-- that's a good thing, right?  The alternative? Not so great if you aren't ready to die.  I need to stop with my excuses and get on board the "lose weight while life is happening" cruise ship.  Otherwise I will be buried in a grand piano box.

So, are you ready to walk this bloggy road again with me?  I sure need you if you will come along.

Getting back with it, Strawberry

Tuesday Morning and it's all good

"It's all good" is a favorite phrase of my friend.  When someone complains about something, she will end with "it's all good."

But is it?

Ranting for women is a release...like tears.  We have to get it out of our system otherwise we'll explode.

But can we go too far?

Yes! Of course.

Last night I had one such episode.  I told a friend "Okay, here is a rant coming on."  And we laughed about it, but I didn't exactly let it go and I told Hubby. And we both got worked up.

And then we ate Mexican Food!!!!

And our digestive systems got worked up too!  (TMI, I know, but hey...all you South Texas folk know what I'm talking about!  Absolutamente!!)

So can we take a release/rant too far?  Yes.

Sometimes I think my friend would really like to say "whatever" instead of "it's all good" and maybe that is because she knows if you don't stomp that release in the bud it can turn into a full-blown rant with Mexican Food results!

Why am I talking about this after being on such a long hiatus?  Because I could rant about what's been happening in my crazy-busy-never a dull moment life; OR I could say

"It's All Good!"

A New Vow

Last night I finished binge-watching  The Tudors....and guess who I dreamed about?  Yep, Henry VIII. Oy vey...he is NOT the man I want to dream about.

I woke up with a new resolve: no more binge-watching.  I got on my glider and glided for about 10 minutes.  I'm going to eat healthy and not binge-eat! you know what I'm talking about....that mindless...WHAT! I ate the whole family size bag of chips by myself???!!!

Tonight I am going to practice the discipline of Examen.  (I'll post about that later).  I have to get ready for the big WI today.  Wish me luck!

July 14, a Thursday, is a good day to take a new vow.

Do you have one, Grainiacs?

Wednesday, July 13th

I have no catchy title today. Maybe it will come later.  My brain feels full.  Have you ever experienced that feeling? Brain Full. I think if one more thing is required of me, my head will burst like an overblown balloon!

I need a vacation from my volunteer work; seriously!  I know I keep saying this....so why in the hell do I keep doing this to myself?  Am I suffering low self-esteem that I need to make everyone like me?  Do I over-commit because I possess Savior Syndrome?  Do I have so many good ideas and I'm the only one who can do them? Yes, yes, and yes!!!  I suffer through all of them at times, but now the Trifecta has come home to roost in my little pea brain.

Sooooo....what to do?  Well, first of all I am binge-watching on Netflix instead of working.  I am hooked on The Tudors (a Showtime Original).  It is for mature audiences but I have to say, we are talking porn in some scenes.  Why?  Why? Why?  The content is so good.  The writing and acting are terrific.  The humping and nudity are, in my humble opinion,.....UNNECESSARY!  I use those scenes to run and refill the drink (think commercials only there are no commercials on these Netflix shows).  So this is my disclaimer: I recommend The Tudors on Netflix but beware!

Back to my saga, I think I see light at the end of the tunnel.  I think I've blogged before that when I get through July, my August is pretty smooth sailing.  The stepdad is going out of town the first part of August and I'll be down in B-town with the Graini-Mom.  If you want to eat a breakfast taco and have a cup of coffee....I'm game.

Until then...stay positive, Grainiacs.

Something New

When certain things are no longer working for you, you have to change or get them to change.

My old laptop was getting well,  old and slow and I worried each time I typed that it might break down, close down, or go "kaput!"  Have you been in the middle of a project/ letter/ reading an article online and zap...the screen goes black and boom, you are sitting there cussing at this inanimate object? The problem with changing something out is you have to get use to the new thing.  I'm still getting use to my new laptop.  My old files are condensed into a folder called "Desktop."  I haven't taken time to move them to my desktop on my new laptop so they are stuck in a folder...neatly hidden away.

Recently Big Black Beast chased the blonde cat and knocked over a full glass of water...right onto the built- in table in the couch. Needless to say we have A LOT of stuff on that horizontal space and unfortunately the TV switcher was not hidden away in a nice little folder.  It got wet as well as a bunch of papers.  The papers dried...

Have box. Have a home!

But the universal TV switcher didn't like getting wet....at all...and even when it dried it revolted by not working! Take that, Triple B and Blonde Ollie!

In keeping with this certain thread, I noticed the Batmobile was not working up to snuff.  It lunged and felt a little sluggish at the stoplight.  I prayed it would keep moving as I drove home.  I told Hubby.  Of course I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to cars so he decided we would drive it to B-town 40 miles away.  No sooner had we lunged out of the driveway and down the street, I remarked "it shouldn't be doing that, right?"  I could tell he knew right away something was wrong and we were soon making a circle back to the house.  hmmmm   I drive enough to know when something is wrong.  It must have Hubby worried enough that he is now looking at cars on a website!

Thing come in threes, correct?  I pray that these 3 mechanical blips will be it for a while in the Strawberry Patch.

This got me thinking about weight loss.  I don't really like change when it comes to eating.  I like my comforts.  It is a struggle to not make mindless eating choices.  I have to constantly think about what I'll eat.  This morning was one of those choices.  I had a conference call scheduled and I was running late with my morning rituals.  Unfortunately it was 9 a.m. (time for the call) and I was hungry.  Former Strawberry would have grabbed a pop tart out of College Son's stash and nibbled on it while sitting down for my conference call.  New thinking Strawberry pushed the "mute" button and clinked and clanked the pans while making an omelet.  These choices will not be as easy as today.  I have to be a better planner.  If this meeting was out of the house, I would have been out of luck and not able to make an omelet.

My "something new" is my new planner.  Career Girl introduced me to The Happy Planner last year and the crazy thing about this planner is it starts in July!  Remember my "you are not behind" mantra?  How cool that it is July 1st and these Happy Planners are in stores now starting the year in July???!!!!  On Instragram I have joined a Happy Planner challenge.  Day 1 challenge is to decorate your intro page.  I received this card from the b-i-l/s-i-l.  I love it.  It says "It's not just the clothes, it's the attitude" and it looks like a young Strawberry!  I really love this card.  I decided to decorate my happy planner with it and yes, I smile each time I open my planner.  Now I've decorated my first page....

It's the attitude!

I was talking with Graini-Mom on Tuesday remarking that life is sweeping by. She said "Yes, time is marching on." 

Try something new today, Grainiacs.  Love life.  Live.

Happy Friday, Grainiacs.

Today is Now

Today’s the day! I’m stepping back on a Kaa…not my Kaa…Weight Watcher’s Kaa.  There is a wedding coming up….and pictures for the church directory.  I don’t want to look like this.  I told Hubby he’d have to go with me.  I cannot do it alone.  I need support.  I need someone to hold my hand and take me to the meetings.

Hubby is off the hook.  A church friend also has a wedding to attend (not the same as mine) but she does have a church directory picture coming up too.  We are going together.  Today.

My problem is not going that first time. Heck, I can even get to the second meeting.  The hard part is sticking with it.  I'm going to stick with it...hopefully my buddy has more willpower than me!  LOL  I sure don't need a buddy to help come up with excuses.

July 1st is tomorrow.  My perfectionist/ OCD/ Fiddle-Dee-Dee mentality makes me want to start something at the beginning instead of in the middle or the end.  June 30th is the perfect day to start.  It is today; it is now....really, she is coming in a minute to pick me up so I'll close with

Don't wait.

Begin now.

As FlyLady says "you are NOT behind."  I love that.  There is no catching up.  There is only now.  And today for me is Now.

Happy Thursday, Grainiacs.

Sunday Sunday

Today is June 12th.  A week has passed since Graini-Mom's horrible fall.  Life has gone on.  The in-laws have celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary; Hubby and I have celebrated our 31st; Master College Girl has celebrated her 25th birthday; Mum-in-law has celebrated her ??? birthday; and we all celebrated on Saturday!  It was good to be with family.  It was good to laugh. 

 Did I mention that the in-laws have had their own medical issues???  My mum-in-law recently had her gall bladder removed. The Dr said it was close to rupturing and she possibly would not be here today.  My pops-in-law's blood pressure soared one day to 200/100 (not sure if it was on his home BP machine or the Dr's....I'll have to investigate!).  So....yeah.....glad to be with the family this weekend.  Life is precious.

Now for a zen moment.....

I'd rather be on the beach!

I've gotten into fairy gardening.  I love this beach scene.  I want to purchase a little rake so I can rake the sand and "ommmmm."  I need more zen moments and less stress moments.


Mom and Me update:  She went to the ENT last Monday.  Sure'nuff there WAS blood IN the left ear.  The right ear/jaw seemed fine but he was concerned about the left ear.  Unfortunately the CatScan done at the hospital did not show all the way to the ear.  They just took a frontal picture.  So, the ENT ordered another CT scan....of course!  The dried blood in the ear, he thought, was a burst blood vessel from when she fell and jarred her jaw back into that space.  He mentioned seeing her aneurysm coil and I laughed "from your exam? That doesn't sound good!"  "Mom, he can see straight through; you really ARE losing your mind!"  Disclaimer:  you DO have to laugh about some things!!!  And PS**he saw her files and the CT scan.  Her coil was not falling out of her head and into her ears!  ;)  So we left that ENT with a smile on our faces (he would wait for the CT scan but did not think her jaw was broken.).

Funny thing:  he stuck 2 "wicks" in her left ear to help the ear drops reach where they needed to go.  Mom kept saying "there's something in my ear."  I reminded her of the wicks to help the ear drop meds.  At Subway I went to get her a drink and when I got back PLOP...something fell to the ground.  I looked and yes, you guessed it....2 little bloody ear wicks!  bahahahahahaha  So much for the medicine getting to where it needs to go.  You're on your own, ear drops!  Tomorrow we head back to the ENT so I'll have that to report and I haven't mentioned her oral surgeon appointment!  Poor woman- hardly spent any time at Drs' offices in her younger days (the only time she was in the hospital was 50+ years ago having children).  I guess she is making up for lost time.

I do believe everyone needs some zen moments....especially if you have this guy!

who? me???

ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm