Raffle Winner Announced!

RAFFLE WINNER is Kelly Beazley!

Winner of the quilted tablecloth set is Kelly Beazley, Portland Community College staff member of Technology Solution Services on Sylvania campus.

The money raised for the raffle goes to support the Sylvania Choir, who will be touring with Robert Grey Middle School this spring. This raffle raised over $150!

We want to thank each of you who bought into the raffle and to those who have donated to the Foundation on the choir's behalf.

And congratulations to Kelly for winning a beautiful quilted tablecloth set!

Quilted Tablecloth for only $1

I have not been here for some time, but I have not been simply laying around doing nothing! I wanted to let you know about a raffle we are having to help support our choir. They are going on tour and need support. So I made this quilted tablecloth set to be raffled off. This could be yours for only $1!

RAFFLE!

A beautiful handmade tablecloth set can be yours for only $1

The Portland Community College's choir is raffling off a handmade quilted tablecloth with six placemats and napkins. For only $1 you could be the proud owner of a beautiful handmade quilted tablecloth.

Check out the set: http://spot.pcc.edu/~dwerkman/raffle.html

Tickets: $1 for one/$5 for 6/$10 for 12... $25 for 30

Table cloth is approximately 60x80 inches, 100% cotton and quilted with the finest of threads in order to last a lifetime. Each of the six placemats is 15x20 inches, with matching napkins at 15 inches square. This set will brighten up your dining room all winter long, or will make a great gift.

All proceeds go to Portland Community College's Choir, who is raising money in order to tour as Big Brothers and Sisters with the Robert Gray Middle School's music program. This year the tour takes them to LAKE TAHOE. This raffle, along with donations, will assure that PCC's choir has the opportunity to sing and share music with other young people as they travel around Nevada and the Incline Village area. Your $1 raffle ticket can help make this once in a lifetime trip possible for our PCC Vocal Music students.

Raffle will be held on Friday, December 18. You do not need to be present to win.
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Busy Getting Ready for Fall Term

I have been so busy getting everything finished for Fall term since I returned from North Carolina that I have almost forgotten that I had a week on Topsail Island! But Topsail has not allowed me to forget :)

I went to Topsail Island with two other quilting friends, one who lives in North Carolina. We rented a house on the beach for the week. It has been years and years since I could walk along the beach and more years than that since I had played in the ocean. But walking in the sand is a breeze with these legs and swimming! What a joy it was to play in the Atlantic! At first I could not think how anyone could feel refreshed with such humid heat in warm bathwater, but just a few minutes in the water with the wind blowing a bit and I suddenly understood. It was delightful!

Our days were very much the same. We'd get up, chat, make breakfast, sit and chat and do handwork, have a sandwich for noon meal, sit and chat and do handwork, go swimming, sit and chat and do handwork, make the evening meal, and then sit and chat and do handwork until bedtime. One day we went to Jacksonville to visit their quilt shop. One day we went to Wilmington on a quilt shop run. We visited the sea turtle rescue hospital on the island and found the ice cream store.

The final day we went for our swim and just minutes into the water--I only got one body surf in--I felt this horrible pain and knew without knowing how I knew that I had been stung by a jellyfish. It wrapped around my thigh. I yelled and washed it off with the ocean and yelled and washed it off. We headed for the house, stopping by the people sitting on the beach and asked them if they knew what to do for a jellyfish sting. They were not comfortable peeing on my thigh... ;) I showered and called my son back in Oregon. Baking soda and vinegar. My friend Dorothy went out to buy those things as I watched my thigh welt up. Yeppers, all around the whole thigh. I monitored my breathing--I am deathly allergic to bee and wasp and yellow jacket stings--but I had no problems.

We left the next day and headed for Raleigh to catch the flight home the next morning. We did a nice quilt shop run in Raleigh and visited the historical Oakwood Cemetery. We then went out to dinner, capping our last night together with a good meal.

The jellyfish sting stayed painful for about three days and then it went away. *whew* I got started on my fall classes, worked on finishing all those hand projects I spent the week doing, and cut out the two quilt tops from the fat quarters I bought along each quilt shop we visited. On the Sunday before I had to return to school for week-long meetings, I felt achy and ill. I had a more difficult time walking and my back was in bad shape. As I got ready for bed that night, I felt my thigh itching and as I felt down to rub it, I felt these huge tentacle-shaped welts exactly where my jellyfish had so happily stung me! And they itched like CRAZY! So more Ibprofen and a call to the doctor the next day for some topical cream and antihistamine. Now, the tentacle vision is still there but the itching is almost gone.

A long slow peaceful summer ends with a bang. Many projects completed. Many days floating in our little pool. Many days feeling more revived and happy. And the adventure continues.
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School Clothes

School starts soon and my grandgirl needs to look spiffy for her first days of first grade. Together we went to the fabric store and selected the patterns, selected the fabric, and I sat by my sewing machine for a few days solid like a good gramma. She now has five unique things for school.

The girl has taste! The poodle skirt was the first to be selected, then the minty green one. The purple dress is a jumper...the model didn't have an undershirt. Looks a little funny but still cute.

Living the Ad Campaign

I have been fearful of getting on the scales. I didn't want to read the numbers. But yesterday morning I decided to Just Do It! I was pleasantly surprised that I had not gained as much as I had tried to gain. I say "tried" because obviously I was working very hard at it... Glad I wasn't successful. I was 10 pounds up from my lowest point.

I thought about this amount--a small drop in a much larger bucket--and realized I could easily drop those new old pounds in a very short time. Yes I Can! So yesterday I went back to weighing food, measuring amounts, and eating just a little bit less. Of course I had to Obey My Thirst, so I stayed hydrated much better than I had been as well. And when the weather hits 100 like it did yesterday, that water is Good 'Til the Last Drop.

It is interesting how we often abuse ourselves without even thinking. We sabotage the very thing we want to accomplish. If you think about it, progress is a Terrible Thing to Waste. We all want to Be All We Can Be. So I am back on the trail of good health. Amazing how our resolve can wane; It Takes a Licking but Keeps on Ticking.

I can do this. Each time I walked past the 'fridge with my cute thin picture hanging next to the drawing made by my grandgirl, Kaity, I said out loud, Yes I Can!
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Discouraged But Not Lost

Last spring I went to the coast with Doug and we had a good time. But, having lost 40 pounds, I thought I could buy myself a new top or two. What I discovered is that 40 pounds didn't get me anything new. Everything still looked icky or too tight. I realized after coming home that I had lost some of the sight of my goal. I was discouraged. And talking about it made me realize how stupid that sounded so I didn't write about it.

But that is not the dumbest part of this journey... I hesitate to write how stupid I am, but I promised myself to pay attention to the journey. So here it is.

I mentioned that my sister has lost over 100 pounds this past year. I am very glad for her and proud that she has worked so hard to achieve so much. But... Okay here's the stupid part. But I have always been the thin one. She is the smart one and I am the thinner one. Now she is thinner than me and doing things I used to do but no longer do. She is sort of living my life rather than me living my life. And all this discouraged me. It should spur me on, but it doesn't.

Okay my complete idiocy is now out there for me to explore. Have gained about 10 pounds back but am holding and working on regaining momentum. I found a picture of myself from 13 years ago and posted it on my 'fridge as a reminder of my goal. I remember liking that feeling of thin :)
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I'll Be Right Back

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!

Yes, I will soon be back...meanwhile, have a great Father's Day and enjoy the summer :)
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Things are Looking Up

We are home after a very long intensive week in Pittsburgh. We found a nursing center for Doug's mother where she will be tended to and safe. It is a very nice place where the residents are treated with care and dignity. Doug's father--who was so sleep deprived that he was acting desperate at times--has guilt from moving her to a nursing center, but he is finally getting some sleep. They have been married for 65 years. That is a long long time to be with someone and he is realizing slowly how lonely he feels, even after only a few days.

Doug's mother has now been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She knows people but loses space and time. She is often searching for her Mother or some pet they had many years ago. She gets agitated when she can't do something and can get mildly violent (yells and throws things) if she gets too agitated. Our task this past week was to help Doug's dad find a living place, to allow him to have some rest, and to just spend time with both of them.

Doug's brothers and sister were at odds with us. We learned that their father was not also losing it, but that he just had no had sleep for weeks. They felt he needed to also be moved into a home. But I found him to be sharp and remarkably aware of things. He's slow in talking but not slow in thinking. One sister-in-law harshly said Doug and I were enabling him by listening to him and reassuring him that we understood; she and his brother felt we should instead be telling him what and how to do things. But we spent most of our time just listening to him.

I have come to understand that listening is the key to all communication. We teach people how to speak and interact--that is my job--but we really don't teach people how to listen. Truly listening is such a pleasure. And it is exhausting. Doug's father wanted to know why I "get it" when his own children didn't. They stopped listening.

Also, I told him, I am not his kid. That is an important piece. He feels that because they are his children, they should trust him and listen and understand. Of course they should. But I have the advantage of not being his kid. I don't have to get through my own stuff to listen to him. I don'thave to fight my image and perception of him as my father, as his kid. I don't have to deal with my concern that he isn't who he was when I was 10. I don't have to deal with losing him as my father and dealing with my own mortality. He didn't understand that until I happened to call my own mother. My mother and I are good friends. But I found myself getting irritated while she talked because she wasn't getting things right...she was confused and I wanted to make sure she understood better. And then I smiled to myself and sat back with the phone and breathed. It didn't matter these little details. We could push each others' buttons because I was her kid and she was my mother. So I sat back and listened to her as well.

We got home late Tuesday night and were back at work early Wednesday. Exhausted--both emotionally and physically. I had a tense meeting with the PE department over dance studio space that should have been postponed for a day. I got on the scales yesterday morning and simply said, "Hmmm I have some work to do." And I will do that work. But not today. Not without a bit more rest.

And the beat goes on. Peace~~
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Family Fun

Doug's parents were lost and missing for over 24 hours. Between the police, Doug's brother and sister, and Doug they were found--wandering and confused--and are now back home, safe thank goodness.

Doug and I are leaving at 3 am this morning for Pittsburgh to help them find good living arrangements, to spend time with them, and to support Doug's brothers and sister. Getting old is hell.

Send us positive energy~~~
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Positively Meltdown

Things that went very well this week:

1. I had seven good days for food. I ate very well and followed program. I planned, scheduled, and posted.
2. I continued to follow my walking training program and make little moves forward every day. I can walk around the whole park now in 20 minutes. One and a half weeks ago I couldn't walk around the park at all.
   
3. I rode my stationary bike on the nonwalk-training days.

The rest of the story:

1. I had a complete mental meltdown on Friday, continued it on Saturday, and I don't want to move from my chair today. I cried and had trouble functioning. But I did function and went to work and went out Saturday and played with my grandgirl and I have worked on my class since I woke up at 4 am this morning. But I lost it.
2. I gained another 5 pounds. My poor little fingers are swollen up like sausages.
3. Doug's parents are quickly declining and we are certain he will need to go back east to Pittsburgh within the next couple weeks to help them move into an assisted living situation. They are both 89.
4. We are flying down south to spend a few days with my mother over Mother's Day. We couldn't afford to fly at the last minute back to Pittsburgh and I wanted to see my mommy. So we are off for a few days.
5. I haven't been sleeping very well lately. This comes and goes. Right now it is coming. Soon it will be going :)
6. My grandgirl is the best thing since sliced bread. I need a dose of her every day. We went to Oaks Park last weekend. Oaks Park is a great place. Some friends of ours were playing at a benefit concert and we went to support the cause and the friends. We brought Kaity along so she could play on the carnival rides. That girl is fearless! The higher faster spinnier it is, the better she likes it. I have a great video of her telling me about one ride. I'll post it if I can figure out how to do that. Oh I know how to post...but the camera is new and I don't know yet how to download and edit :)

So life goes on. I have these periods of total meltdown...they go away. They come back. Anxiety. Headache. Can't really function but I manage to function. I am going to talk to someone in Employee Assistance Program this week and find out what's going on. I think I am on the verge of a breakdown. Serious. Gotta prevent that.

And the beat goes on :)
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Two is Better than One

I had two right-on days this past week.

I needed a second eye surgery so had to postpone swimming daily. But I can start swimming this week. Plus I started the Weight Watchers Walking Challenge. Just walking 15 minutes a day as I build up. The "training" is for eight weeks, building up to a marathon sometime in June. Vancouver has a Solstice Walk in the evening that Doug can join me--a 5k walk. They also have a Discovery Walk, also 5k. I can get there. One step at a time.

Weekly Update Pics is here: pics! pics! pics!

Up half a pound, but I had two right-on days.
Life can't get much better than that, can it?

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So What Is Going On?

I have been having a real struggle these last few weeks. My anxiety and stress level have been high. I thought a week off at Spring Break would help me calm down, but it really only increased the anxiety. I haven't weighed in since March 20, adding to my stress level.

In teaching half my classes online, I found I was working 24/7, with no time to relax. I would work my regular hours on campus and then go home and work my online class. I became so exhausted and cranky...which increased my anxiety level to the point of having a full-blown anxiety attack some days. I was eating just fine during these last few weeks, but when Friday came around to weigh in, I was holding 10+ pounds of fluid. I did not want to go in and have that in my face...even though I knew it wasn't me. It was discouraging.

Another discouraging thing is that even with losing 45 pounds, I don't have any new clothes to wear. I went shopping to get a new few things and found that everything fits the EXACT same way it fit before. And looks just as...hmmm....crappy. Doug doesn't agree; he thinks there are noticable changes, but he is not the one noticing the SAME SIZE still fits the SAME WAY. *sigh*

Then I went on break. The first few days I still did work, only not in the office. Phone calls from the dean. Phone calls and email from the Admin Assistant (I once called her "secretary" and she reacted as if I had called her a racial derogatory name. She would not speak to me for two days. It took me that long to figure out what was her problem). Finishing touches on my online classes. Hiring someone at the last minute to teach a newly added class. But I didn't want to stay up all night peeing the night before weigh in days and didn't want to weigh in with a 13 or more pound gain. So I didn't.

Instead I took myself and my fella to the coast. Perfect for relaxing. But that didn't happen. It was not meant to be! And I know this truth...it is very easy to slide down that slippery slop of eating whatever once you decide not to weigh in. I didn't do it the next Friday, either.

Last night I dropped over 8 pounds during the night, but my system really wants this fluid right now. So by the time I weighed in, I had regained a couple of those peed-out pounds. I was 6.5 pounds up. I would say I had a real gain of about two, two and a half pounds. The rest...protection against stress I guess.

One good thing I did during the week off is I began swimming every morning. I found if I use swim fins I can move, even though my knee doesn't bend well. I will continue to swim every morning at school (once my eye recovers--I had to have a second surgery on my eye this week. Everything fine if not a bit more uncomfortable that the first surgery).

No new pictures. Nothing to see. But I made a promise to myself so I will get one taken this weekend. I also made a promise to see this through. Struggle or not, I am in this for the long haul. See you soon.

Peace~~
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Catchin' Up is Hard to Do

I'm thinking spring is here--or at least the idea of spring is here. I have daffodils with their perky yellow faces smiling at the world. I have heather looking beautifully pink. And I found this rhododendron starting to bloom two weeks ago. The rhodie gave me hope :)

It has been over two weeks since I have been here. My life has been too busy to do anything except finish the term--I still have 20 finals to grade. I needed to get the next term classes ready--I still have a bit of tweaking to do on my online course. I needed to get the next term adjusted--I finally found an instructor who can take my second class so I can open another section of my online class. I needed to create Summer term--I still need a few instructors for summer. I needed to hire a new fulltime dance instructor--we had interviews for the past few days. And I needed to sleep at some point. Most everything has been accomplished.

Gawd Winter term is the shortest term of the year and I feel it is the longest!

Over the past two weeks I hit the 45 pound mark. In fact, I have now lost 46.5 pounds. This week I have partied hardy. I have grabbed things on my run and some of them have not been the best choices. But I also gave myself permission to just relax this aspect. I think I needed something to help me breathe because I wasn't able to breathe on the past few weeks schedule. But now it is back to keep on keepin' on. Life is good.

Peace~~
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And the Beat Goes On

It's been an interesting week.

All week I have been hounded by a student who believes she deserves an "A" and I graded her with a "C." I applaud her persistence but every time I see email or hear her voice I have to take a deep breath and try to be patient. It doesn't matter that I am basing her assignment by national standards, she still believes I am being subjective. I have shown her the criteria; she has rejected it. And on top of this, she has decided I am too rigid with students and not flexible. She has continued with the idea that I am not thinking about the needs of the students but am making things easy for me.

You have to laugh :)

Now on top of this, I have a student who has plagiarized two essay exam questions, plagiarized to the point of simply cut and pasted the information from websites. When I told her she would not receive credit for the test questions, she tried to put it back on me, that I was not clear when I said to use the textbook and the Internet to support her answers. She did not plagiarize, she said, because she changed the words into her own. So I had to take both her work and the websites I found and paste them side-by-side, with all language and thoughts the same in red. Both the articles and her answers had little that was not red. A word here and there. I sent this to her. She said she understands why I might think it was plagiarism, but she just forgot to cite her references. One of these "references" was a t-shirt ad...she liked how they talked about a certain motif on the t-shirt... When I referred her to the student handbook, she asked if she could at least get credit for researching the questions.

You have to laugh :)

I lost 3.5 pounds this week, only a breath away from that magic 45 number. I asked Doug to take me out of town for the weekend as I have been feeling anxious and nervous. Probably waiting to hear back from one student of another... So we went to a hotel out of town. We relaxed. I still did school work but relaxed while I did it. The kitties were happy to see us this evening :)

Weekly pics are up. Things are not moving as quickly so I don't notice much change. Still worth seeing since I spent the weekend looking at myself with a whole different set of mirrors. Not a fun thing, seeing yourself from different angles and realizing how much you have to lose. I forget at home. I am just keepin' on keepin' here at home...go out and things look different.

But, between students and an unmanageable workload, I think I will, as Dory says in Finding Nemo just keep on swimming.
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You are Looking at a Winner!

I have some great friends who blog here. Many of them are quilting friends. My friend Debi loves to hold contests and challenges. No matter what the season, Debi has something fun going on--challenges, giveaways, new blocks--something fun all the time. This week she is participating on another blogger's OP Challenge and weekend blog hop. The fabric in the challenge is orange. I love orange :)

Debi said, "Saturday, I am hosting a giveaway as part of the OP Challenge. My giveaway is this 19 piece set of Millefleur by P & B Textiles fat quarters." So who gets an email last evening that says, "Congratulations...You are the winner of my blog giveaway....." Yes! You are so right! ME! Look at those gorgeous fat quarters! Thank you thank you thank you so much, Debi!

I'm a winner! I'm a winner! I never win stuff! And I'm a winner! YippeeSkippee!!!!
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Celebration: The Week is Over!

Celebration time c'mom!

We are celebrating that this week is finished and put to bed! Whew what a week! The struggle was tough, even as I was as busy as all get out. Scales showed half a pound up for the struggling effort. C'est la vie, n'est-ce pas?

I have been trying to figure out why I am having such difficulty with these past few weeks. I think I need to shake things up a bit. I feel the need to mix things up. Part of my struggle is that I am just doing the same things. It is time to mix things up, remotivate myself, get things moving. I want more time in the day :)

First I need to add some exercise into the mix. I have lots of excuses not to exercise. Let me list them.

TIME: When should this happen? I get up at 5:30 to catch the bus at 6:30. I arrive at school by 8:00 and leave at 4:00 to arrive home by 5:30. I make dinner. Doug gets home by 5:45. We eat by 6:00-6:30 and Jeopardy is on at 7...then I have a bit of time to relax and go upstairs to finish grading or getting ready for the next day. Bedtime...so I can get up at 5:30.

I could try to figure out how I can take some time during the work day to do this, but I have never been able to figure this out. I have tried to take a class now and again in the middle of the day but after about two weeks, I have to drop out. I just never can get away from my office. Too many things I need to do. I rarely get to visit with my colleagues. I can make more of an effort to do this, but I have my doubts.

With days longer, I could get in a little walking in after dinner. I can give up Jeopardy but Doug won't. It is our only TV watching and he really enjoys it. I could walk alone, but I won't. Motivation. I will find the answer to this. Before I started riding the bus, I did my biking before school. I sometimes can get on the bike between Jeopardy and finishing school work, but mostly I forget. And I want something besides the bike. I want to swim, but can't yet. In a few weeks I can but not yet.

MOVEMENT: What am I able to actually do? Most machines that helps one get good cardo I can't do. It is too difficult on my knee. But I can swim, if I get some good fins. My knee doesn't bend enough to get me moving, but a good pair of fins will help. Perhaps since I may never get my reward massage (that is another story), my rewrd for 30 pounds will be a set of fins :) If I stop riding the bus, I can swim in the morning at school. If I swim at the public pool (just down the street) the cost adds up, but might find lap swimming in the evening. I will check that out.

So as we celebrate this week finally coming to a conclusion, we can also celebrate a new mix. Whatever that new mix involves. I'll let you know how that goes... Weekly picture will soon be up (I have to wash my hair and get pretty).
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Bright Eyes

I now see the world in bright colors
in all it's technicolor
without halos
the world without hesitation

Life is good :)
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Tough Week; Instant Gratification

Whew was this ever a tough week. I struggled each day to stay within my point allowance. I went over some days, under others. And all along, I was struggling. And on top of that, I was sloshing with excess fluid. Fluid. Fluid. Fluid. My joy LOL Some days up to 12 pounds of extra. Most days only five or six.

I have been battling excess fluid for the past few weeks. I knew I was holding more fluid than my normal 3 pounds and it was not showing the loss I knew I had at the scales. So Thursday I decided to take the highest level of diuretics allowed me later in the evening. Yes, I was up multiple times during the night. Yes, I forgot and flushed most times (if it's brown, flush it down; if it's yellow let it mellow). But I was unsloshed by morning. Eight pounds of unsloshable fluid gone. It just feels so free to be able to bend my legs and ankles and wiggle my fingers easily. And that showed up at the scales: 2 pounds down. This week's pic shows some difference, I think. Either that or it is wishful thinking :)

On another note, I am having eye surgery on Thursday. I have a bad cataract in my left eye. It is causing me to not drive at night comfortably. Nor at dusk and dawn. I can't wear my glasses to see at a distance, so I drive without glasses on. Watch television that way, too. I have them on now, so don't worry about your safety ;) So Thursday morning I am having the lens removed and a new one installed. They are going to take care of my astigmatism at the same time. My right eye isn't bad with distance nor astigmatism, so I won't need glasses for distance, only reading. But I won't be able to read for a few days, not comfortably anyway.

I don't know if I have mentioned but I had my knee replaced two summers ago. My body decided it needed to protect itself after the surgery, so I built up gobs of scar tissue. A second surgery cleared that up...for a bit anyway. The result is that I still can't bend my knee more than about 90-100 degrees. My knee doesn't go straight all the way, either. I'm happy with the replacement. I have so much stamina and have no arthritis pain. Yeah, life is good.

Life is good except when I am in a chair too low and can't get up. Now this is a sight no one should miss. It is the funniest things and I always end up laughing my ass off. On Saturday I was tired and had on stockings. They kept slipping on the hardwood floor, so I couldn't edge my leg under me as I tried to stand up. I asked Doug to help me. Unfortunately I continued to slide and ended up on the floor. Now right away I am already laughing. How the hell can I get up off the floor? When we had carpet, I could rest my good knee on the floor, quickly put pressure on my fake knee to shift my left leg bent under me. I would then stretch out my fake knee leg and by pushing with my left leg and the top of my right foot, I could eek my way standing. I always would yell "TaDa!" when I got up.

This time, I tried to do this, but with the hardwood floors, it was too hard to put any pressure on my fake knee. I even rolled over and put a folded quilt under my knees, but it was too painful. I tried, but couldn't get up. So I looked around and thought of the stairs! I scooched my way over to the stairs but could not lift myself up the steps. I sat by the steps for a bit, thinking I might need to have my laptop brought to me and a bed pan...live by the foot of the stairs. And then it came to me: the front porch steps.

So I scooched to the door, unlocked and opened it, scooching back and forth. Doug was trying to help but I finally asked him to move please. I scooched outside on the porch and made my way down the stairs. And when I hit that ledge and the first step, I grabbed the handrail and pulled myself up. I of course flung my arms in the air and yelled, "TaDa!"

Ha! You really gotta laugh, eh? So the beat goes on, all the while laughing! peace~~~
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Hitting Forty is a Delight

Well I can't believe I have not been here in over a week. I have been very busy with my classes and it doesn't seem possible to hang out online unless I am working with my class. The online class is time consuming, but I think it is going well. My on campus class is great. Between meetings, time spent online, and homelife, well...not here as often. I did manage to catch up on some of my favorites. What creative and delightful friends I have here online!

I lost .8 pounds last week and another .6 pounds today. That makes me a rounded off 40 pounds! It has slowed down and I am really tired of these specific numbers, but I am down 40 pounds over the past 17 weeks! Nothing difficult this week, just cruising on the ice at this time. Keeping my eye on the things I tend to do that might be a problem down the road. Like eating too large a lunch. Dinner is never a problem but I tend to eat a big lunch. I won't be able to do that when I get down to a reasonable weight (right now I can eat much more than shorter, people who have less to lose can eat).

 Hair growing and looking a bit better (although today it didn't look all that great LOL Wind and rain will do that).
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Fabulous Award!

What a surprise to receive a Fabulous Blog Award from my friend Debi! A Fabulous Blog award, quoting Debi: For this one I must list five addictions (in no particular order). So here it goes!

1. Eating! LOL
2. Quilting
3. Hitting the road--am addicted to driving all over the states listening to Bonnie Raitt and Indio Girls
4. My grandgirl--am addicted to being with and playing with her
5. Being on the 'Net--what can I say?

Thank you Debi! I am extending this award to three of my friends: Corinna , Gari, and Myra. Thanks to all my friends who share their thoughts and ideas with us on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. You are all Fabulous!
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Slipping into the Zone

Not sure why but I am going well through this past few weeks. Not complaining at all! LOL Nope, but I am clear sailing. This week weight in was down another 1.5 pounds. In the past if I had felt so out of the loop I would probably jave quit, or stay with meetings but eventually quit because "why waste the money?" I didn't quit this time because it is about the journey. I am committee to follow this river wherever it takes me.

My sister had decided to have a stomach band. One of the requirements is that the person has to eat a certain way and lost weight before the surgery. She had lost 85 pounds before the surgery, which was scheduled for Wednesday. But at the pre-op, the doctor said she was doing so well with the weight loss that they are waiting another six months to re-examine if there is a need for surgery. I am glad. She is relieved but sad, if you know what I mean.

I am still in search of a good haircut since I allowed my hair to go grey and it now grows straight as a board. I hate perms. I hate the stink of perms mostly. And the hassle. And I hate to mess with hair. I never used any products in my hair because it just curled perfectly. Now I have to use products. So my new style probably won't need any stuff in the hair. The weird thing is that the back is still curly, the top straight and flat. Perhaps I should ask my hairdresser to come over every morning and give it that flow dry lift...

This is today's picture from my weekly pics. Oh yeah I am having eye surgery in a month. I might not need glasses afterwards as they are going to fix the astigmatism as well as replace the lens in my left eye. So I am wearing eye make up once again so I have some color in this fave in case I don't need glasses! I am soooooo tricky, eh?

peace~~
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Groovin

YippeeSkippee!
I am back in the groove
and hitting the mark!

Just a little step at a time...

Weigh-in was fine. I dropped the 1.5 I had gained over the holidays followed by another one, for a total of 2.2 pounds. But I decided to wear a lighter skirt...so did I really lose or was it the skirt? Doesn't matter. I am doing just fine and whether or not the scales show it, I am losing :)

Soon I need to have that massage owed to me for the last 15 pounds. My body really needs it! Classes are going well. I am teaching one class in the traditional classroom and one online. Each has drawbacks and advantages. But the different modes is challenging until the term gets going.

Went out to buy a car with Doug today. It was cold and my hands and toes were freezing. Finally warmed up when we went out into the hot tub. Life is good :)

New picture shows...I dunno. Nothing as dramatic as the first few weeks. And of course no one can notice the body changes yet. That will be another 25 pounds or so. But because he has been looking at and helping me select which picture to post, Doug notices changes all over. Sometimes he notices something before I do. He's such a great guy :)

peace~~ Take care of one another this week, okay?
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Shake Shake Shake...Shake Your Booty!

Just a little note...

Rode my stationary bike for 10 minutes and went 1.8 miles. Part of my new routine! I know it isn't much, but it is what I can do. And I'm proud of it! Going to walk when I can. It is a bit chilly and wet out there...so may only walk on the sunny side of the street ;) ha!
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Once Again, It Is About the Journey

It is so easy to give yourself a break when you have no reason or no one to be accountable toward. I mean, ultimately I need to be accountable to myself but I have spent 58 years lying to me...I'm so damned gullible and manipulable. So not weighing in for three weeks--weather prevented and then Christmas--that I knew I was up a tad. I accepted the consequences because I accept the responsibility. I made a choice to not pay attention to what I ate New Years Eve (and then the next day as well but that one wasn't a conscious choice. That one was a "what the heck" choice).

So being up 1.5 pounds did not come as a surprise. Nor do I feel badly. Made a choice and take the results. But I did learn that I need to weigh in for accountability. There is a reason that people tend to lose three times more weight by attending meetings.

And then I looked at my pictures again and I again saw how many pounds I need to lose. And then I shifted my eyes to a different thing. I saw my arms around my grandgirl and we were doing things together. That is what a day is about. If I keep at this direction of my life's journey, the weight will go away. All it takes is time and some vigilant focus and energy. I've got time. I've got energy. And I have my family and friends around me, supporting me, caring about me.

And that is what it's all about. peace~~
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