It is the end of a year - time to look back and reflect on the highlights and lowlights of 2011. Before planning and preparing for the future we must first look back and learn from the past.
What do I see in my calendar/planner from 2011 that speaks to me?
Great family times, but not enough of them...
Great times with sisters from church - but I'd like more ...
Quiet times and fun times with my husband, but too sporadic ..
Exercise, but too little
Prayer and scripture time - but not consistent ...
There were good times and rough times, there were days I would like to repeat and days I would like to forget. All of them go into the fabric of life, into the quilt square that is 2011.
As we tie off the last few stitches on that quilt square, I wish you each and all a safe and happy new year - many days filled with joys and blessings, and enough strength and faith to get you through the other days.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Looking for Robins
It is that time of year again. Robins should return to our yard this week.
My mother's birthday was February 23rd, and every year two things happened that week: the hyacinths appeared in the grocery flower shop, and the robins returned to our yard.
So for the past week I have daily looked out the kitchen window to our field, where I hoped to be greeted by our personal harbingers of coming spring. So far, none have been spotted. I asked my Facebook friends to alert me to their first sightings, knowing that if they were seen nearby they would be here soon.
We do look for those positive changes in our lives. Spring brings with it new clothes (or at least ones we haven't worn since the nippy Autumn weather arrived) and flowers and more daylight and opportunities to enjoy outdoor activities. For some it means working in the garden or cycling or getting the motorcycle out of the garage.
But not everything about Spring is welcomed by everyone. Those beautiful flowers and trees come with pollen that make every breath miserable for some. The bees are a menace to those whose life is threatened if stung (and they are a nuisance to thise of us who are just scared of them). Some of us are not garden elves and look at all that outdoor care as dreaded chores.
Change however is part of life - some we welcome more than others.
I cannot comprehend how there are people who look forward to winter and cold weather and snow. But look at all the people who enjoy sledding, skating and skiing. So many who embrace the temperatures I dread. Summer in the mid-Atlantic can be humid and hot and miserable, and yet there are those who love it and rarely turn on the AC because they relish the summer weather for just those aspects.
Of course the normal course of the seasons isn't always like clockwork - we get the early snow, or the weather stays "unseasonably" warm or cool. We plan based on the "normal" and are surprised. (The year I got married, we had an unexpected heat wave in mid-May and it was 97 degrees at 7:30pm. We thought we had planned for not-too-hot-not-too-cold - hah!)
And so it is with the other seasons of our lives. Childhood gives way to adolescence which dumps us into adulthood. Being single ends when we get married and then become parents. Being the parent of a small child is different than parenting the teen who is on his/her own way toward adulthood. Being a grandparent is different than being a parent. Working full-time is the norm for many years and then we retire - another season.
We are sometimes prepared for these changes. We have months to plan a wedding, and months to prepare for the birth of a child. Often we plan our retirement for years. And other times we do not have time to prepare: the child is stillborn, the spouse dies of cancer, we are laid off or injured...
It is good to live prepared. It is good to live so that we are always ready for that new season. And it is good to be accepting when the seasons change unexpectedly. For as the saying goes, the only constant in life is change.
In the meantime, have you seen the robins?
My mother's birthday was February 23rd, and every year two things happened that week: the hyacinths appeared in the grocery flower shop, and the robins returned to our yard.
So for the past week I have daily looked out the kitchen window to our field, where I hoped to be greeted by our personal harbingers of coming spring. So far, none have been spotted. I asked my Facebook friends to alert me to their first sightings, knowing that if they were seen nearby they would be here soon.
We do look for those positive changes in our lives. Spring brings with it new clothes (or at least ones we haven't worn since the nippy Autumn weather arrived) and flowers and more daylight and opportunities to enjoy outdoor activities. For some it means working in the garden or cycling or getting the motorcycle out of the garage.
But not everything about Spring is welcomed by everyone. Those beautiful flowers and trees come with pollen that make every breath miserable for some. The bees are a menace to those whose life is threatened if stung (and they are a nuisance to thise of us who are just scared of them). Some of us are not garden elves and look at all that outdoor care as dreaded chores.
Change however is part of life - some we welcome more than others.
I cannot comprehend how there are people who look forward to winter and cold weather and snow. But look at all the people who enjoy sledding, skating and skiing. So many who embrace the temperatures I dread. Summer in the mid-Atlantic can be humid and hot and miserable, and yet there are those who love it and rarely turn on the AC because they relish the summer weather for just those aspects.
Of course the normal course of the seasons isn't always like clockwork - we get the early snow, or the weather stays "unseasonably" warm or cool. We plan based on the "normal" and are surprised. (The year I got married, we had an unexpected heat wave in mid-May and it was 97 degrees at 7:30pm. We thought we had planned for not-too-hot-not-too-cold - hah!)
And so it is with the other seasons of our lives. Childhood gives way to adolescence which dumps us into adulthood. Being single ends when we get married and then become parents. Being the parent of a small child is different than parenting the teen who is on his/her own way toward adulthood. Being a grandparent is different than being a parent. Working full-time is the norm for many years and then we retire - another season.
We are sometimes prepared for these changes. We have months to plan a wedding, and months to prepare for the birth of a child. Often we plan our retirement for years. And other times we do not have time to prepare: the child is stillborn, the spouse dies of cancer, we are laid off or injured...
It is good to live prepared. It is good to live so that we are always ready for that new season. And it is good to be accepting when the seasons change unexpectedly. For as the saying goes, the only constant in life is change.
In the meantime, have you seen the robins?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Finding Change in the Sofa Cushions ...
... or any other way to make extra money....
It has become my mission to find ways to make extra money while also divesting ourselves of all the unnecessary stuff in our house.
In some instances, these can be mutually advantageous: yard sales, eBay and other sales outlets will allow me to get rid of usable items that we no longer need (or never really needed) while adding a little cash to the coffers.
What I am really searching for is a way to follow my passion(s) while also contributing enough to the family income so we function on an all-cash basis.
For instance, I would like to find a way to make affordable fresh baked goods and other foods for those on special diets (gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free). Tonight I was even researching how to make gluten-free Communion Bread. Also gluten-free muffins, English muffins, and waffles - these can be frozen so they are just as handy for those in a hurry, but as healthful as homemade.
Other ideas:
- Teaching the importance of eliminating processed foods and sticking to the basics of protein, vegetables and fruits, and whole grains (not bread, but the actual grains of rice, quinoa, oats, etc) as a lifestyle choice.
- Making warm/cold wraps from organic fabric and teaching about the use of aromatics and warmth/cold for healing and relaxation.
- Teaching healthy basic cooking-from-scratch (so many are without this skill) and how it is not only healthier but less expensive.
- Helping people find what they do best
- Helping people who want to minister
Of course, I am still writing. I look forward to the day when the royalty checks were sufficient to pay the bills. (Perhaps writing about the subjects above would be a solution?) In tandem with this, I would like to record audio books with my wonderfully talented husband so we could work together and make more books available to those who are visually impaired.
So I have rambled - and you have graciously read - about ways to channel my passions: a passion for people, for healthy living, for the flexibility of schedule to minister to others, and to live in debt to no one.
We are at the beginning of a New Year, and perhaps you too are doing some self-evaluation. Care to share your thoughts? your solutions? We're listening!
It has become my mission to find ways to make extra money while also divesting ourselves of all the unnecessary stuff in our house.
In some instances, these can be mutually advantageous: yard sales, eBay and other sales outlets will allow me to get rid of usable items that we no longer need (or never really needed) while adding a little cash to the coffers.
What I am really searching for is a way to follow my passion(s) while also contributing enough to the family income so we function on an all-cash basis.
For instance, I would like to find a way to make affordable fresh baked goods and other foods for those on special diets (gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free). Tonight I was even researching how to make gluten-free Communion Bread. Also gluten-free muffins, English muffins, and waffles - these can be frozen so they are just as handy for those in a hurry, but as healthful as homemade.
Other ideas:
- Teaching the importance of eliminating processed foods and sticking to the basics of protein, vegetables and fruits, and whole grains (not bread, but the actual grains of rice, quinoa, oats, etc) as a lifestyle choice.
- Making warm/cold wraps from organic fabric and teaching about the use of aromatics and warmth/cold for healing and relaxation.
- Teaching healthy basic cooking-from-scratch (so many are without this skill) and how it is not only healthier but less expensive.
- Helping people find what they do best
- Helping people who want to minister
Of course, I am still writing. I look forward to the day when the royalty checks were sufficient to pay the bills. (Perhaps writing about the subjects above would be a solution?) In tandem with this, I would like to record audio books with my wonderfully talented husband so we could work together and make more books available to those who are visually impaired.
So I have rambled - and you have graciously read - about ways to channel my passions: a passion for people, for healthy living, for the flexibility of schedule to minister to others, and to live in debt to no one.
We are at the beginning of a New Year, and perhaps you too are doing some self-evaluation. Care to share your thoughts? your solutions? We're listening!
Monday, November 29, 2010
It CAN be done!
Losing weight in spite of the holidays, that is.
Last week I weighed 205 on Wednesday morning. I was horrified, thinking that it would only get worse by the end of the Thanksgiving feast.
This morning I weighed 202 pounds. That's three (3) pounds less than last Wednesday. Amazing!
HOW? Did I take diet pills, purge, or fast after Thursday? Not at all.
On Thursday we had the usual (for us) selection: turkey, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and rolls. We also had a sweet potato casserole, thanks to our dear friend Vickie. Dessert consisted of four types of pie (sadly no baked pineapple this year, owing to our daughter's absence over the holiday).
So to what do I attribute this strange phenomenon - the loss of three pounds over a feasting 4-day weekend?
Grazing.
Yes, my theory is that eating little bits throughout the day has been the key. There are so many diets that suggest 6 small meals rather than 3 full meals. Often, when reviewing a diet plan that is set forth in an article, I wonder how (why) there is so much in a meal. For instance: an egg, toast, a piece of fruit, a cup of tea, a glass of milk. That's more than one meal to me. So how about the egg and toast for breakfast with a cup of tea, and later having the fruit and milk?
Another thing that I did not obey was that "always sit down to eat" rule. On Friday, for instance, my lunch consisted of a spoonful of cold mashed potatoes, a spoonful of cold stuffing, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, and a half a slice of cold turkey. But not all at once... I would open the fridge and take a nibble and put the container away. A little later I would do the same with another bowl. If I had actually taken a small plate and put some of each on it, and taken the time to heat it and then sat to eat it, I would have had a whole lot more. But I grabbed it in passing and kept going.
Which brings me to the other part of the theory: moving. I was cleaning and washing dishes and doing laundry and walking the dogs etc. Not sitting at my computer for hours on end.
To continue this losing trend (there's lots of those pounds yet to lose), I will pack my lunch and snacks, and will just nibble all through the day on whatever it is. A few bites of the banana chocolate chip muffin from time to time, A nibble of the broccoli casserole here and there, A few forks full of the stuffing. Later maybe a little of that slice of turkey. By the end of the day it will all be gone.
The toughest part of the day is dinner... then I will have to just eat smaller portions. People expect you to sit and eat the whole meal at once... weird, huh?
In centuries gone by, our ancestors at when they could find something. Likely they had some vegetation here and there, some meat when they caught it, and they got lots of exercise just looking for their food sources. Oh yes - and it was fresh, without excess preparation and additives.
So the bottom line is the same thing my doctor tells me every time I go: Eat less and move more. Eating less (to me) seems easier when I am home and nibbling than it does when I am trying to eat to accommodate a more "normal" schedule. So I will attempt to take my nibbling habits with me wherever I go.
I'll report as I travel on the road to weighing LOTS less! If you have experiences to share, please do - it's great to hear the stories of other travelers.
Last week I weighed 205 on Wednesday morning. I was horrified, thinking that it would only get worse by the end of the Thanksgiving feast.
This morning I weighed 202 pounds. That's three (3) pounds less than last Wednesday. Amazing!
HOW? Did I take diet pills, purge, or fast after Thursday? Not at all.
On Thursday we had the usual (for us) selection: turkey, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and rolls. We also had a sweet potato casserole, thanks to our dear friend Vickie. Dessert consisted of four types of pie (sadly no baked pineapple this year, owing to our daughter's absence over the holiday).
So to what do I attribute this strange phenomenon - the loss of three pounds over a feasting 4-day weekend?
Grazing.
Yes, my theory is that eating little bits throughout the day has been the key. There are so many diets that suggest 6 small meals rather than 3 full meals. Often, when reviewing a diet plan that is set forth in an article, I wonder how (why) there is so much in a meal. For instance: an egg, toast, a piece of fruit, a cup of tea, a glass of milk. That's more than one meal to me. So how about the egg and toast for breakfast with a cup of tea, and later having the fruit and milk?
Another thing that I did not obey was that "always sit down to eat" rule. On Friday, for instance, my lunch consisted of a spoonful of cold mashed potatoes, a spoonful of cold stuffing, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, and a half a slice of cold turkey. But not all at once... I would open the fridge and take a nibble and put the container away. A little later I would do the same with another bowl. If I had actually taken a small plate and put some of each on it, and taken the time to heat it and then sat to eat it, I would have had a whole lot more. But I grabbed it in passing and kept going.
Which brings me to the other part of the theory: moving. I was cleaning and washing dishes and doing laundry and walking the dogs etc. Not sitting at my computer for hours on end.
To continue this losing trend (there's lots of those pounds yet to lose), I will pack my lunch and snacks, and will just nibble all through the day on whatever it is. A few bites of the banana chocolate chip muffin from time to time, A nibble of the broccoli casserole here and there, A few forks full of the stuffing. Later maybe a little of that slice of turkey. By the end of the day it will all be gone.
The toughest part of the day is dinner... then I will have to just eat smaller portions. People expect you to sit and eat the whole meal at once... weird, huh?
In centuries gone by, our ancestors at when they could find something. Likely they had some vegetation here and there, some meat when they caught it, and they got lots of exercise just looking for their food sources. Oh yes - and it was fresh, without excess preparation and additives.
So the bottom line is the same thing my doctor tells me every time I go: Eat less and move more. Eating less (to me) seems easier when I am home and nibbling than it does when I am trying to eat to accommodate a more "normal" schedule. So I will attempt to take my nibbling habits with me wherever I go.
I'll report as I travel on the road to weighing LOTS less! If you have experiences to share, please do - it's great to hear the stories of other travelers.
Monday, June 7, 2010
June at the Ocean
Where I live, when you say "I'm going down to the ocean" you mean the Atlantic and that you are going to Ocean City, Maryland. Many in our area say it more as "goin' downy oshun" either because they come from Baltimore or because they like to mimic the "Bawlmerese" way of saying it.
No matter how you say it, Ocean City MD brings to mind a variety of images at this time of year. Over this past weekend was a car show and an air show. Also this weekend began the steady stream of high school graduates - know as June Bugs - to Ocean City. We are here for a convention, and there are quite a number of others here for other meetings and conferences as well.
Last night there was a tornado warning, which diminished to a really good storm by the time it got here, but it was enough to dampen the evening, move the band indoors and keep some from an after-dinner swim or walk. It also cleared the air of oppressive humidity and higher-then-normal temperatures. Today is clear and almost 20 degrees cooler (the mid-seventies is still comfortable!).
I have spent some time walking on the beach - I had forgotten how much effort it takes to walk in sand! - and watching children and adults have fun at the water's edge.
This morning as I came back in from the beach, a father and his young daughter were coming in after collecting shells. She had her little pail containing the treasures she had discovered. The toddler asked why they were coming into the building and he explained that they would change into swimsuits and go to the pool. She was extremely unhappy with that idea, announcing "I don't want to go in the pool - I want to go in the big splashy water!"
I hope you get the chance to get away - perhaps to the big splashy water. Watch other people, and let them see you having fun too. (Laugh at/with them and give them reasons to laugh.)
And all the better if you can do it under a palm tree!
No matter how you say it, Ocean City MD brings to mind a variety of images at this time of year. Over this past weekend was a car show and an air show. Also this weekend began the steady stream of high school graduates - know as June Bugs - to Ocean City. We are here for a convention, and there are quite a number of others here for other meetings and conferences as well.
Last night there was a tornado warning, which diminished to a really good storm by the time it got here, but it was enough to dampen the evening, move the band indoors and keep some from an after-dinner swim or walk. It also cleared the air of oppressive humidity and higher-then-normal temperatures. Today is clear and almost 20 degrees cooler (the mid-seventies is still comfortable!).
I have spent some time walking on the beach - I had forgotten how much effort it takes to walk in sand! - and watching children and adults have fun at the water's edge.
This morning as I came back in from the beach, a father and his young daughter were coming in after collecting shells. She had her little pail containing the treasures she had discovered. The toddler asked why they were coming into the building and he explained that they would change into swimsuits and go to the pool. She was extremely unhappy with that idea, announcing "I don't want to go in the pool - I want to go in the big splashy water!"
I hope you get the chance to get away - perhaps to the big splashy water. Watch other people, and let them see you having fun too. (Laugh at/with them and give them reasons to laugh.)
And all the better if you can do it under a palm tree!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
More thoughts on weight loss
Well, when last we heard from this blogger, she was trying to decide whether to reveal her true weight... and so she did here... well, today I am at 207.6 and trying to continue good habits. I am attempting also to find the tape measure that seems to have evaporated so that I can track some non-weight statistics... I am also thinking that I will post only once a week as my friend Bob is doing, and so will likely pick a weekend day ...
As always with me, the first days are actually easier - there is resolve that comes with embarking on a new endeavor. After a few days I get bored with the efforts. If I could find the perfect things to eat for each meal/snack and then just eat them every day I would be fine. It's trying to provide variety for the rest of the household (and also gently nudge them into healthier eating habits) that takes too much effort...
Oh well - keep up YOUR efforts ... what are you trying to change? what good habit - healthy habit - are you trying to adopt? Let me know - let's encourage one another!
As always with me, the first days are actually easier - there is resolve that comes with embarking on a new endeavor. After a few days I get bored with the efforts. If I could find the perfect things to eat for each meal/snack and then just eat them every day I would be fine. It's trying to provide variety for the rest of the household (and also gently nudge them into healthier eating habits) that takes too much effort...
Oh well - keep up YOUR efforts ... what are you trying to change? what good habit - healthy habit - are you trying to adopt? Let me know - let's encourage one another!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Weight Loss and Public Accountability
Well, it's has been quite a day, and I am sitting here thinking it is well past time I got rid of the 75 extra pounds that I carry around.
Last night I heard that a young friend (45-ish) had chest pains and was going to have a cardiac cath this morning ... this morning he had the procedure and blockages were indeed found. Stents were placed in the worst places and next week more will be done.
Today I watched a clip of Food Revolution - sobering stuff! Watch it if you have not - just Google it and there are clips on You Tube.
Also today I saw a Facebook post from a man who has lost quite a bit of weight and has been very public in posting his statistics. He is accountable to all of his FB friends with his progress!
So all of this together has inspired me to get serious, starting today, about losing the weight and also to really revise what we eat based on what things contain.
We have done this in the past - watched the labels etc - but we get lazy ... after today, there is no room for lazy - it must become a permanent lifestyle.
What am I planning? For quite a while, we ate simply: chicken with a potato and a vegetable for instance. I used leftover chicken on a large tossed salad for lunch and switched to oil and vinegar dressing. Then our daughter and son-in-law came to stay for a while and I got out of the good habit and began to cook "the old way" again because that is what they were eating (well, they were eating fish sticks and fries bought in pillowcawse-sized bags, but I won't go that far).
Now I see that all of us need to eat the right way rather than dropping to the lowest common denominator..
So my plan is to go back to the plan - eat things as close to their original state as possible. Foods that are foods, not foods that have ingredients.
Now the tough part will be the accountability piece... can I really put my stats here as my friend did on Facebook? Could I post them to Facebook?
I'll start here:
Weight 210
Height 4ft 11in
average BP 135/77
Goals - long range lose 75 pounds
Goals - short range - lose 10 pounds this month (May 2010)
Over the weekend I will try to remember to do some measuring as well and will post that with the next update.
Can I do it? Be accountable? let's see - if it works for a couple weeks here I might get brave and post it to Facebook!
Last night I heard that a young friend (45-ish) had chest pains and was going to have a cardiac cath this morning ... this morning he had the procedure and blockages were indeed found. Stents were placed in the worst places and next week more will be done.
Today I watched a clip of Food Revolution - sobering stuff! Watch it if you have not - just Google it and there are clips on You Tube.
Also today I saw a Facebook post from a man who has lost quite a bit of weight and has been very public in posting his statistics. He is accountable to all of his FB friends with his progress!
So all of this together has inspired me to get serious, starting today, about losing the weight and also to really revise what we eat based on what things contain.
We have done this in the past - watched the labels etc - but we get lazy ... after today, there is no room for lazy - it must become a permanent lifestyle.
What am I planning? For quite a while, we ate simply: chicken with a potato and a vegetable for instance. I used leftover chicken on a large tossed salad for lunch and switched to oil and vinegar dressing. Then our daughter and son-in-law came to stay for a while and I got out of the good habit and began to cook "the old way" again because that is what they were eating (well, they were eating fish sticks and fries bought in pillowcawse-sized bags, but I won't go that far).
Now I see that all of us need to eat the right way rather than dropping to the lowest common denominator..
So my plan is to go back to the plan - eat things as close to their original state as possible. Foods that are foods, not foods that have ingredients.
Now the tough part will be the accountability piece... can I really put my stats here as my friend did on Facebook? Could I post them to Facebook?
I'll start here:
Weight 210
Height 4ft 11in
average BP 135/77
Goals - long range lose 75 pounds
Goals - short range - lose 10 pounds this month (May 2010)
Over the weekend I will try to remember to do some measuring as well and will post that with the next update.
Can I do it? Be accountable? let's see - if it works for a couple weeks here I might get brave and post it to Facebook!
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