A Reflection

Do you have time to stop and smell the roses?

Do you take time for yourself and leave those guilty (narcissistic) feelings at the door?

Do you have a situation where you think I'll get to it later?

Well, today is the day, Grainiacs!!!

Take time to stop and enjoy God's great gifts to us.  Life is shorter than you think and there will come a day that you might not be able to stop (and stoop) and smell the roses.  You won't be able to smell them from your coffin!

Last night, Hubby and I were watching Strange Inheritance on TV and the host was highlighting a family whose patriarch had meticulously and carefully collected and added to his toy soldier collection.  He even painstakingly painted exact details (buttons, ribbons, facial expressions) to make it more realistic.  He added talcum powder on shelves to reflect snow or dirt to show the desert (think Christmas snow villages).  They estimate it is worth 300-400,000 dollars if all sold separately.  Guess how much it would cost to start a museum to house the 10,000 toy soldiers (the dying man's wish)--- a mere $10 million dollars.  Yep.  So the family is left to handle what to do with Pappy's toys.  I do not want to do that to my children or spouse.  Actually nothing I collect is probably worth a hoot to anyone so it will go in a garage sale to be sold for $0.25.  And that is okay!  It brought happiness to me, and if someone else can love it for 25 cents so be it.  Treasure your toys, but don't saddle your loved ones with a laundry list of what THEY need to do with them.  The last line of the show is "you can't take it with you."  Stop.  Enjoy. Today.

I would not classify this man as narcissistic....obsessed, maybe.  Taking time for yourself is not narcissistic....unless you do it all the time and expect everyone to cow-tow to YOUR every move.  Going weekly to get your hair done (is Graini-Mom the only one who still does that?!) is therapeutic.  Self therapy comes in many forms: pedicures, Starbucks coffee, traveling, buying clothes for your pet!  Who are we to say what makes you feel good?  I won't judge you if you don't judge me!  Think about this:  the first thing Adam and Eve did was make clothes for themselves. Narcissistic?  No. Maybe they weren't ashamed at all....maybe they were just cold!   Maybe Adam and Eve found a calling as a tailor.  We can't be sure but one thing was for sure: humanity has a burning desire to persevere.  Take care of yourselves.

What about an ache, a pain, or something that you thought "I should really get that checked out."  Do it!  Why wait?  A friend's sister recently passed away from cancer.  The sister knew something wasn't right but she waited.  She was a healthcare worker, for heaven's sake, and she waited too long.  The cancer metastasized and before long, she was looking at hospice care.  Don't be that sister.

I found a growth on my leg.  I thought it was an age spot but the next time I looked, it had grown.  I have been traveling and I thought "I'll wait till my traveling is done." I heard another scare story and I picked up the phone and made an appointment.  Don't wait for "scare" stories.  Be pro-active.
P.S. My growth was exactly what I thought: an age spot gone wild (it is on me, after all!).  The Dr. said he could freeze it off now because it was going to continue to grow.  Of course!  So now it has really grown and soon will blister and then fall off.

I get it.  We are afraid of the news we will hear and for some of us we think "maybe....just maybe....it is nothing."  But sometimes it is something.  I would rather pay an office visit now and find out I was being a hypochondriac and will suffer through a huge blister than the alternative.  I shudder to think.

So be good to yourselves, Grainiacs and Happy Friday!!! 

Hello, Mole!

Mirror, Mirror on the wall....will I be liked?

This past weekend I was privileged to chaperon our youth at a winter convention.  Oh my!  Want to remember what it was like to be 12+?  Sponsor youth at any event!  I have to laugh.  The very things that annoyed me this weekend are the very things I did to my own youth adult leaders.  Note to self: send apology letters immediately to those saints!!!!

First off, no girl can make up her mind.....at all.  Period!

"Come with me to the bathroom; I have to go."
"Nah, I'm going to get a juice."
"Okay; I'll go with you" (she says as she is wiggling on one foot, then the other).

"Do you want to head over to the auditorium?"
"No, I'm going to talk to ______(fill in a name)."
"Yeah, me too; I want to see if _____(fill in a name) will go to the bathroom with me (still wiggling on one foot, then the other)."

When girls get into a tribe, they lose all sense of being; it's an acceptance thing.  It is also a time of discovery.  Who do I want to emulate?  Who am I?  Will I be liked?  Will I stand out? (Heavens, please don't let me call attention to myself).

That is why they are in front of the mirror so much.  Our group stayed in a dorm with about 50 bunkbeds.  Most adult leaders could not get in front of a mirror due to the youth masses.  Those teens primped and primed and checked themselves throughout the day.  I could have taken a lesson from them.


Most of the time I don't wear make-up at these conferences.  I barely wear make-up at all.  I have a love/hate relationship with my mirror.  I don't like who's looking back at me and sometimes I don't recognize that person!  Usually I forget I'm wearing the stuff and I rub my eyes and rub off a whole made up eye.  That was not the case this past weekend.  I was leading a small group, so I thought what the heck....let's look nice for the kids! Wrong!!!!

I brushed a little eye powder on those hazel babies and penciled in an outline underneath and coated my few eyelashes with a coat of mascara.  Checking myself out in my tiny make-up mirror, I looked presentable.  I immediately got out into the cold and walked to the dining hall.

Funny thing about the cold and mascara.  If it isn't completely dry and you are scrunching up your face to keep the wind out of your eyes....

Good morning, Bright Eyes!!

 You look something like this; only I had mascara dots over my eyes too!  And here's the funny thing, I didn't notice till I went to the bathroom AT LUNCH!!!  I went the whole morning.... and through my whole morning small group session.... and walked and talked to people (adults included) on the way to the dining hall.  NO ONE TOLD ME!!!  Most of our life lessons today say "Accept people" "don't be judgmental."  Well, for heaven's sake, please tell me when I have mascara spiders walking down my face!

This weekend was not without its "aha" moments for Strawberry.

We all come from different places.  Each story tells or reminds us of a different event happening in our lives at that particular time, in that particular place.

 I am thankful each time I go to these events.  It is a reminder of where I've come from and who I am today because of the love and acceptance I received as a teen.

It also reminds me HOW OUT OF TOUCH I AM!  LOL  Even working with youth each week, I am clueless.  So  I am thankful for these events because it keeps me humble.  I am not the greatest youth leader on the planet.  I am quirky and awkward and old.  And you know what?  I'm fine with that!

I've gotta run; I have to go look to see if sleep buggers are hanging from my eyes and toothpaste residue hasn't formed on my chin!

OOps, did I do that?

There is a song with the words "oops, I did it again."  Although it is a song about "playing" with someone's heart, I find myself singing those words over and over this past week.

I was on a roll (and I'm not talking about a gluten-filled one!). I was eating healthy, counting my points and reveling in the losses.

Then I went out of town!

count whaaaattttt?????

I meant to be good.  I meant to count all those points and for a while I was.  But then Marie Callender's hit and I couldn't resist her mini pot pie special!  You might be thinking "well a mini pot pie is better than the full-fledged monster-sized one, BUTT!!!!.....yes, that's where it went....that delicious, creamy, whip-creamy pie that came with the special.  Yes, Grainiacs, the pot pie might have been a mini, but the dessert pie was anything BUTT!

does this tail make me look fat?

It is Thursday and I'm going out of town again!  I haven't gotten back on my program but I have high hopes for this coming weekend.  There will be hiking and a salad bar.  I can do this one baby hippo step at a time.

More Stinkin' Thinkin'

"For the love of all things creamy and java and fun, take that photo down!!!"  I wanted to text my friend.

Yesterday I met with friends for coffee and although some partook of the house's delicacies, I did not.  I was feeling good.  I was fitting into formerly tight jeans and now they were loose- not a little loose, r.e.a.l.l.y. loose!!!!  and I was wearing a formerly snug sweater that I loved but never loved how tightly it hugged my torso.  P.S.  It is still not "loose" aka big, but probably fits the way the designer intended. 

So yeah, I was feeling pretty good about myself.

But then the universe took a pot shot.

My friend sitting across from me took a photo of the now empty coffee cups and yummies and unfortunately a not so flattering muffin top developed into that photo.....MY MUFFIN TOP!!!!

And the stinkin' thinkin' swirled around in my head.  Egads, that is a horrible picture of me.  Oh no, everyone is looking at that photo.  These thoughts would not stop.  All those negative body image thoughts kept flooding my head.  I immediately lost all thoughts of friendship and fun and was focused on my roll sitting there for all the world to see.

UrrrrKKKKKKK.... step on the brakes, Strawberry!  You think this is a revelation for everyone?  You think your table mates have not witnessed before that large muffin sitting off the table?  Do they care?  Obviously not, you keep getting asked back for coffee with the girls.

I am making great strides with the losing weight part.  I am making better eating selections than I have before.  Kaaaaaa, that conniving scale is finally smiling up at me.  So my next action plan is to love my body....bumps, rolls, cellulite, and varicose veins and all.

Warning: Not a pretty sight, but heck, the coffee was delicious and the friends are priceless.  So yeah, I'm embracing this picture for what it is....it isn't about the muffin top in the photo; it's about friendships, and for me....loving me rolly, polly and all.

Body Image Photo...Take 1....it's a keeper

 

New exercise program

Not to be outdone by my belly, my eyes have decided they want in on the action: exercise, that is.

Really????  Eyes????  Do you not know me and working out???

Each day I do my eye exercises and wash my eyelids with a special soaked cloth and use special eye drops.  e.v.e.r.y. d.a.y.

Last night Hubby and I watched The Quartet.  A recurring quote was "Growing old is not for sissies."  I would also add "Weight loss is not for sissies."  It's hard work. And oh so time consuming for this Strawberry.  Going against my grain is a 24-7 commitment.

I have to keep constantly reminding myself about healthy choices (surprise! they aren't my first choice).

I am working on an eye schedule which is becoming second nature.  My hope is this whole lifestyle will become second nature.

I did it!

I stuck to the plan and it paid off!

Down

Yipee

Now as you know, Grainiacs, this has been a constant battle.  I lose 15, gain 5, lose 0.3, lose 0.8, lose zero.  

It takes me no time at all to gain 4 pounds in a week and then 8 weeks to take it off.  I am the worst kind of yo-yo.  I yo-yo up and stay in that vicinity FOREVER (Moana cries).

My continued goal is to keep the 4.8 pounds off and continue to lose.  Please don't ask me out for pie and coffee.  I cannot go to a burger joint with you.  I am not that strong.  It is easy to fall off the wagon.  I have not lost all the weight I want to lose so I cannot celebrate with food....yet.

I don't usually blog on the weekend, but I wanted to share my great news with you.

Keep strong and I'll keep strong.

Have a great weekend, Grainiacs.

And now for your weekend zen..... I bring to you a downward dog....

That's what happens when you take in a water dog!

 

Ringing in 2016

Wow! Another year has come and gone.  It is amazing how fast time is going.  Yesterday flew by too.  As if I didn't have enough going on, I decided to create a new blog specific to the new Weight Watchers Smart Points program.  It's called "It's Okay to Point."  Get it? <wink wink har har>  If you are interested you can follow me @ It's Okay to Point.  Since I'm using the same blog site, I had to make a few changes...like getting rid of my Strawberry photo...sniff....sniff.  I'm new to this blogging thing, especially multiple blogs, so I'll keep searching and updating and maybe....just maybe I'll be able to bring back my Strawberry emblem.  Until then, I am still forever Your Strawberry!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


I hate to admit it, but yesterday I didn't get out of my jammies till almost noon!  It was quite easy and I'm not a bit ashamed.  Unfortunately I did not get in a Breakfast of Champions and you know what?  I was in a bad mood most of the day until I figuratively slapped myself into reality.  THIS IS NOT HOW I WANT TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR!  I mean really, who wants to be pissed off on Dec. 31st?  That is a time of joy and merriment....isn't it?

Sadly for some, it is not.  It is a time to reflect on a life lost, a loved one lost, missed opportunities.  I hurt for them. I really do.  Life is what we make of it.  And yes, lemons get thrown at us, but instead of making lemonade, why not collect those lemons and reflect on them?  What can I learn from this lemon?  How will I treat others?  Will I throw lemons back?  Or will I truly make lemonade and lift a toast to myself that I overcame.  I am not trying to make light of serious illnesses or events.  I am reminded of several friends who have overcome cancer (Thank you, God) and have turned that horrific experience around.  One has a deep heart for missions and has helped others to think mission-wise.  Another has decided to learn Latin and shares her newfound (dead!) language with her Facebook friends.

I would like to think my little 2016 motto of (hahahahaha.....senior moment.....I forgot my motto!!!)

Downsize and Organize!

 is helping others to realize a dream or wish or goal for the new year.  Maybe your wish is to downsize negative talk and organize your thoughts on taking care of yourself.  That is not selfish if it is helping you become the amazing person God sees in you.  Maybe you are like me and need to downsize and organize EVERY aspect of your life.  Walk with me and we'll do this together.

And now for your daily Breakfast of Champions photo and recipe!

We Are the Champions, My Friends....and we'll keep on eating till the end!

 

Creamy Chocolate Banana Oatmeal

 

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ cups uncooked old fashioned oats
• 1 tsp Hershey's Natural unsweetened cocoa
• ¹⁄₂ medium banana(s)
• 1 TBSP Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla flavored nonfat yogurt
• 1 cup water
• 1 packet Truvia Sweetener or sweetener of your choice

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Instructions

  1.  In a bowl, add water to oats and microwave in 30 second intervals making sure oats do not rise up and over bowl!

  2.  After first 30 second interval, add unsweetened cocoa and sweetener of choice. Stir

  3.  Cook oats to preferred consistency and then add 1/2 or whole banana and top with yogurt.

   

  WW SP=5 

   

  Happy New Year, Grainiacs!  May your 2016 be filled with love and joy.  I love you.