A peak at the bucket list...

I have been so busy at work that life here at home has taken a back seat, I'm ready to start in around here again so I decided I better check back on the list and see what I have going on.

1. Tree cut out of front yard
2. Robert's car scrapbook FINISHED
3. Set aside a regular scrapnight, I'm thinking Monday
4. Decorate my house and yard for fall==I have a good start on this, couple more things I want to do but want to wait until the first of October.

5. Redo the patio area from Summer flowers to fall flowers (meaning plant mum's in flower bed)
6. Exercise room finished
7. Laundry room finished
8. Scrap area cleaned up
9. Go to Covered Bridge
10. Go to the Hillclimb--A week from tomorrow, we ALL can't wait!
11. Make Robert's vest, getting time for it, maybe I will do it now.
12. Finish our headboard with Andrew (or stay on Andrew to get it made!)
13. Plant trees--1/2
14. Redo the kitchen floor
15. touch up paint on inside of house.
16. Make Christmas presents for friends
17. Get a manicure and a pedicure
18. Start making plans for front bathroom
19. bulbs dug up.
20. Clean out closet and switch from Summer to Fall--this is done!

So, I am thinking, this coming week I will see about finishing the exercise room, cleaning my scrap area and make some real progress on Robert's scrapbook. Also, think I will call the guy about the tree. Andrew planted his three mesquite trees, but I am still wanting a weeping willow and a douglas fir, got to do a little more research and see if I want to do that now or in March. My mom always says you can plant a tree in any month with an R in it, but I'm not sure which kinds of trees you can plant when.....off to look that up right now.

The real thing

Sometimes I want to kick myself for not posting more often and then things pile up and I can't remember everything I want to say. Since the 4th of September though I had spent every evening, except Tuesday's and Wednesday's, going back or staying at work. That put me in a tired funk but between Head Start computer projects and LIHEAP computer projects, it had to be done. Last Thursday evening, Robert came up and helped me get the last 4 computers done, now all I have to do is get them to their new homes, which will happen on Friday afternoons for a while.  I actually officially got caught totally up with work Tuesday evening at 4:00. It was the first time since LIHEAP started that I was ready to turn off the lights and walk out on time. Yesterday, I wasn't feeling great and so I left at noon, I kept an eye on the emails though and it shouldn't take me long to get caught back up this morning. So, I may be on the schedule I want to be on now.

This week, the weight loss was a good one, 2.2 lbs, which I had worked for. All the late nights the week before cut into my workout time, which left me with a whopping .2 lbs to show for the week. I was bound and determined not to let that happen again. I had kept my average at 2 lbs a week and the stupid .2 caused it to drop to 1.9 as my average. I think this will be a good week because I was down a total of 17.4 lbs and am really determined to get to the 20 lb mark this week, so I have worked at it, and when I really set my mind to it, it really does pay off. I am also getting ready for a new 8 week challenge through the weight watchers site, it is the 8 weeks until Thanksgiving challenge and I am setting my goal to lose 16 more pounds by then. I have so many goals right now, the first one is the 2.6 lbs by Monday, then I am just 8 lbs away from my next WW goal, when I reach it I will be just 6 lbs from what I weighed when I started working at Greenup, yes, I have gained 34 lbs since then. The worst part is I have gained a total of 59 lbs since I started working at ERBA. Anyway, as I say, lots of goals to focus on.

Life around here has been interesting too, Last Thursday the Muny announced they were having a garage sale on Saturday. In looking at the pictures, they had a bunch of lounge chairs exactly like I had been looking for. So, Saturday morning, Robert and got up and was on the road at the crack of dawn. I was planning on being there before 10, when it started but first there was more construction on 70 than I planned (to the tune of 64 being completely closed when you came into St. Louis, then I thought, no problem, I can go through downtown, only to have to detour around not 1 but 2 walks for good causes). We ended up getting there at 10 after. I knew I had missed my chairs because there was probably 1000 people there already. I knew from pictures on fb where they were, we walked staight to them, I grabbed one and Robert grabbed two and we had our chairs.....for a whopping total of $6. They need a little TLC and I knew they would but I had priced one at Garden Ridge just two weeks before and they wanted $90 and it was clearanced. I saved probably around $250 because I will have to put a few supplies into getting these up to par but still.

 

 

See the three white chairs with the blue cushions? They are now mine. I also got three posters of programs, one being from 2007, the first year Robert went to the Muny. I spent a grand total of $21. We were only there about a half hour, which apparently means I got the best of everything because the people who were there early stood in line, some of them for over an hour.

 

 

Our AWANA club was a little slow getting started but we got started, that's the important thing. I was hoping for 4 this year, night one I had zero. The second and third nights we had one and hopefully in a few more weeks we will be back to our faithful two. My other guy has football and band and Wednesday is the only night he doesn't have a school activity. He has promised as soon as he gets through football though, he will be back.

 

 

I guess that's it for the main things, as I said, I waited too long to post and have probably forgotten some exciting things like getting the tickets to Wicked for December 15th. I have a two day trip planned with my sister. Can't wait. Also waiting patiently for Blue Man Group tickets to go on sale this Saturday. Robert and I are going to see them the day after Thanksgiving.

 

 

Maybe now that's all.

 

 

Happy Thursday everyone!



"mini" blog

So out of time lately, will try to post a "real" post tonight. Still losing though, 17.4 lbs as of last night,  trying to get the 2.6 off this week to not miss next week goal of 20.

Busy, busy, busy.....

AWANA!

We start back in the AWANA groove tonight, I'm so ready!  I THINK I am going to have girls this year!!  I have had boys only for the last 3 years and am looking really forward to having the scales evened out. I love having boys, and that fact that High School boys, who are supposed to be all rough and everything make the effort to spend Wednesday nights learning about what God wants for them. I am looking very forward to the new dynamic (and not being outnumbered!). Tonight is our planning/getting to know you night so it will be fun and interesting. Praying for a really great year for all our AWANA clubs as well as those over the rest of the world.

Happy to say we made it through September 11th again. I believe it will always be tough. Robert was in third grade and that was the day that me being able to say, "Things like that don't happen in our country" ended. I felt like it took some of his innocence and I know it took some of his security. I think what I find saddest is what it took to turn our nation to God and how quickly we have already looked away. I can't choose parties easily because of my job, I truly have to look at each individual person and what they stand for and many of them are Democrats, however, what happened at the Democratic convention broke my heart and scared me all at the same time. People, God will never turn his back on us, but if enough people turn their backs on Him, I am afraid we will see the results. We already do in so many ways but I don't remember ever seeing such a public outcry against our Lord. That scares me, REALLY scares me.

Just my two cents.

15!!

Right on the money, 15 lbs last night and in the two weeks instead of three. So, new goal is 5 more lbs, or 20 lbs by October 1.
I feel a little guilty and I'm not sure why. It is so easy this time. I have done so many things differently though. First and foremost, I'm TELLING people. I have always kept it a secret which made it easy to quit and easy to cheat and easy to just plain out not do it some days which created major setbacks. I track everything, even if I get a spoon of peanut butter, I now use a measuring spoon. The beauty of it is, I can get that spoon of peanut butter if I want and I have learned a TBSP, eaten slowly is just as good as several eaten without thinking.

Another thing that is different is the activity, it is a struggle some days and I am doing the activelink challenge, which is working me up to doubling my activity in 12 weeks so as I progress, it gets harder to get 100%, it's frustrating some days but apparently, well worth it.

I did something I have NEVER done Sunday though. I admitted to my guys just exactly how much I weighed when I started. That was hard, especially since I very obviously outweigh both of them by a lot. Andrew said he had it ballparked around the same weight, I think Robert was just shocked.

It's done though and it's all there for the world to see. My friend, Dani, who inspired me to go back to Weight Watchers just hit her 45 lb mark. She has to be getting very close to her goal. Maybe that in itself is what clicked. When we were in high school, she fluctuated between a zero and a 3, she always wanted to gain weight and of course, I always wanted to lose. I guess I realized that when you get a certain age, you do one of two things, you watch your weight and take care of yourself or you don't. Sorry if that seems harsh but I was in those shoes for way too long. When Robert was 3 I went from 219 to 145, it was great but then I let other things become the priority and before I really paid any attention, I passed the 219 mark--I did it, it wasn't my "biology" or "just the way I am" or anything--it was me not making me a priority. Somehow I had this warped sense that I was not supposed to take care of me because we are supposed to put Jesus first, other's second and ourselves last, I just thought I was really good at that but I have had a rude awakening that God wants us to take care of what he gave us, including our bodies. My UC isn't because of my weight but the weight definitely aggravates it. The diabetes IS because of my weight. I made the statement on facebook the other day for young moms to make sure they make it a priority to take care of themselves because that helps them take better care of their families. One of my guy friends, who lost his mom WAY too young, when he was little, made the statement that if his mom were here, she would say the same thing. I found it very profound. So once again, take care of you. Your body is the temple that God gave you.

My last note on this. The very first time I went to weight watchers, Robert wasn't even a year old. I went for a few weeks and we came home for the weekend (we lived in PA at the time). When I went back after the trip, I had lost 2 lbs and was so excited I had handled the trip and still lost weight. One of the older women says, "It will catch up with you". I didn't go much after that and I quit. I will never be that woman. Don't be that woman. If you see a friend trying to do better, encourage them, be the one who makes that person's day.

That's all for now.

Happy Tuesday!

The Weekly Weight Watching

So, our Monday meeting was cancelled because of Labor Day. I found out that Gina, our leader has a meeting in Casey on Tuesdays though, Casey is only 10 minutes from work so I went after work Tuesday evening. I had been down more but Tuesday morning when I got up, I was up a little from the weekend, there was truly no explanation that I had done anything wrong and it was still a loss but not as big as it had been. When I got to the meeting last night, I weighed exactly what I weighed that morning and as I said, it was a loss, so I was happy, another 1.2 lbs down. 11.6 is the total right now. Yeah me! Getting a little closer to my car everyday!

My major triumph this week was Saturday. Robert and I went to St. Louis for the day shopping. I had my normal yogurt for breakfast and I wanted to go to Red Robin for lunch. I LOVE their hamburgers, especially the Blue Ribbon burger, which happens to be 26 points. I hadn't used any of my weekly points, saving them for that day, so I knew, if I wanted the whole sandwich, I was going to eat it, track it and not feel guilty. I also knew that I am not used to eating a huge lunch so there was a possablity that I wouldn't want the whole thing. When it came, I asked for a knife and cut it in half. I also sorted my fries in half. We had onion rings for appetiziers, Robert ate 5, I ate three and counted them at 2pts a piece (I took the big ones). I used my appetizer plate for my "extra" meal and ate and enjoyed my burger. When I finished the first half, I was satisfied, so my points went from being 26 and 11 (for the fries) to 13 and 6, add the onion rings and my lunch total was 25, add my 3 from breakfast and I was at 28. I have a daily of 37 so I hadn't even touched my weekly extra's yet. We shopped and shopped and walked and walked, and then before going to the Fox decided we needed supper but didn't want a lot so we went to the food court at Union Station. I had Panda Express. I knew the main thing I wanted was Crab Rangoon, at 3 for 5 points, so I ordered steamed vegetables (2 because of the oil), mushroom chicken (3) which gave me a total of 10. so right at the moment I went over by 1. We stopped on the way home from the show and I got a dipped cone from McDonalds, another 6 so my total for the day over was 7. Now get this, my activelink registered 4 activity points for the day so my grand total over for the day ended up being 3!!! This was a SO "I'm doing it" day!

This morning when I got up I am down 2 lbs from yesterday, whatever water was hanging on is back gone but it gives me a really good start towards the 3.2 I have to loose for my next mini-goal of 15 lbs.

We have nothing major going on so this should be a pretty run of the mill week eating wise. Praying for good things!

From one bucket list to the next...

So, I didn't accomplish everything on my summer bucket list. I tried and somethings just didn't end up happening, some I changed my mind about and some, well some, I just didn't do. So some things go back on the Fall bucket list and some things are out of sight, out of mind. I still like having the ideas of having goals. Each new years I would sit everyone down and we would discuss what we wanted to accomplish that year. I would spend the next 12 months nagging the guys to do what they had said they wanted to get done. With my bucket list, there may be a few things on here that depend on them but mainly, it's about the things I want to get done and I honestly think it helped me so I am going to write out my new fall bucket list. I am NOT going to do another reading list because I get too caught up in other books and decide to read them instead.

Here's how it turned out:

1) Paint the porch- waiting until next year because of getting new siding
2) Sign up for a 5K (yes, I would have to be doing better physically, but may do it anyway)-didn't do
3) go geocaching with our AWANA kids didn't get done :-(
4) buy a lounge chair for the back yard and take a nap (actually did that yesterday!)
5) have a yard sale- decided I didn't WANT to do
6) Visit Springfield's Lincoln Museum 6-18-12
7) Coordinate a Girl's day out with my HS BFF's- 7-28-2012
8) make Andrew licorice caramels 6-16-12
9) organize the garage
10) get a pedicure
11) catch up on my scrapbooking- didn't get done, but am doing
12) make a summer reading list posted 6-15-12
13) start a new Women of Faith Bible Study
14) Go to at least 1 auction
15) Make a scrapbook of Robert's car for him- working on it
16) Visit New Harmony-didn't do
17) have a picnic- "kinda" did but not the way I meant to
18) take an aimless road trip- also, not the way I meant but I think I will count it.
19) make nutella fudge bars
20) make our name out of pictures that I have found- took the pics, haven't done anything with them yet.
21) Visit Indianapolis-didn't do
22) 2 crochet projects done (for my pay it forward promise from fb)-didn't do
23) revamp my laundry room- worked on
24) help Andrew make a new headboard- plans drawn out, he is buying the lumber this week
25) sew Robert a vest (it's cut out, just not started)
26) Visit the Muny
27) Visit the Fox
28) Make myself a new outfit- would have like to have done this, just didn't
29) revamp our exercise room-started, not finished
30) try my hand at making a necklace ( I used to, just haven't forever)

So, here goes the Fall 2012 bucket list:
1. Tree cut out of front yard
2. Robert's car scrapbook FINISHED
3. Set aside a regular scrapnight, I'm thinking Monday
4. Decorate my house and yard for fall
5. Redo the patio area from Summer flowers to fall flowers (meaning plant mum's in flower bed)
6. Exercise room finished
7. Laundry room finished
8. Scrap area cleaned up
9. Go to Covered Bridge
10. Go to the Hillclimb
11. Make Robert's vest, getting time for it, maybe I will do it now.
12. Finish our headboard with Andrew (or stay on Andrew to get it made!)
13. Plant trees
14. Redo the kitchen floor
15. touch up paint on inside of house.
16. Make Christmas presents for friends
17. Get a manicure and a pedicure
18. Start making plans for front bathroom
19. bulbs dug up.
20. Clean out closet and switch from Summer to Fall.

Only 20 things this time, tomorrow starts my busiest time of the year (and most stressful) so I don't want to lay too much on myself. I think my bucket list will run through the 15th of November, and then I will start a winter one.

Had a fabulous day Saturday with the kid, went to St. Louis shopping and to see The Lion King at the Fox. Wow, it was good, REALLY good. Today my list is long of things I want to get done. I am hoping to get back into a routine of getting things done of an evening but I also know my body likes some rest so we shall see.

If today goes well though, by the time I go to bed, my food cabinets, my fridge and my closet will all be cleaned out.

Happy Monday y'all!