So...confession time. I have gained 30 pounds since Brian and I got married. And while I am happily married, I am miserable in my own skin. I have never weighed this much..even CLOSE to this much in my life. My metabolism hasn't just slowed down...it has SHUT down the flippin' factory completely...or so it seems.
Brian lovingly calls me his own personal linebacker. Oh no he didn't!! I knew he was kidding, but it kinda hurt anyway.
I drink one cup of coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day..unless you count the glass of wine I have while making dinner...
I take my lunch every day and usually make a salad and eat yogurt. EVERY day.
I stopped making the Southern dinners I was brought up to make and cut out the red meat.
My running was improving as never before until a month ago when I severely...let's say strained until I get the MRI results... my right calf muscle. It's painful just sittting here, forget running or even walking for exercise.
So that is definitely not helping. What the heck, man? And though I thought I was eating pretty well...one day's entry on the Weight Watchers website told me the real story. I am still not doing enough.
My cholesterol is much higher than I would like...part heredity, part my choices.
To top it all off...it's Halloween time and there is candy galore out there tempting me at every turn. And if it's Halloween, that means that Thanksgiving and Christmas are not far behind. We do some good cookin' round here for the holidays.
I know there are women out there who would kill to be this size, but what really matters is how I feel about myself. I know I will never be a size six again. That's ok. I get it...I'm on the back side of my 30s. I just want to be a size that I am comfortable with again. Perfect 10, perhaps?
I am going to do whatever it takes to get this weight off...within reason, of course. My goal is to look great for the Pat Green concert in December. Two months to get a good start on looking fine again? I can do it!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Carving Pumpkins
Our family has many holiday traditions. Our Halloween tradition began about 6 or 7 years ago. We get together on a weekend before Halloween and carve pumpkins.
My brother, Brian and I go to a pumpkin patch and carefully select the perfect pumpkins. Mom and Dad get dinner together while we are out. Mom finds the patterns from last year, and just in case they are in a safe place she can't remember, I always buy one or two more books with the carving utensils.
My nephew is five now, but his first pumpkin was carved when he was about 6 months old. That Halloween, he was dressed in his brand new Halloween pjs and we sat him on the table. We put his hands in the goo and seeds from the inside of the pumpkins. The look on his face was one of joy and confusion as he squished the slime between his little fingers.
Brian looks so cute as he concentrates on getting the pattern just right. You can almost see his tongue sticking out a little to one side as he focuses on the task. I usually just get to pick the pattern and he takes over from there. I wouldn't mind doing a little of the carving and each year I think I should just get one for each of us, but I never do. I suppose I secretly enjoy the zeal with which he attacks the project, even if I don't really get to help much. Besides, if the knife slips and he cuts something important off, I get to blame him for the oops. Hee hee.
This year, we went together to the Farmer's Market to select our canvases. I love the fall and everything that goes with it, so I couldn't resist some of the smaller gourds and dried corn for an arrangement on the mantle. I love the different textures on the surfaces of the squashes and the colors--greens, golds, and oranges. Zachary wanted a little pumpkin too, selecting an orange and white one. He insisted that this one would not be carved, however.
It was difficult, but we got Zachary to eat a bit of dinner before we started our project. We spread an old shower curtain on Mom and Dad's table and set out the bowls, spoons and knives. Zachary and I had already selected the patterns we wanted to use this year. A bat for me, a goofily grinning jack-o-lantern for Z-man. David went out on his own and drew a "T" for the Texas Rangers baseball team. An added addition to the family tradition this year was watching the Rangers clinch the right to play in the World Series for the second year in a row.
Brian and David got to work cutting the tops off, so we could clean out the insides of the pumpkins. Zachary jumped around in the background wearing his new Halloween outfit, a cowboy vest and chaps. The pumpkins were very thick, so the boys had to work to get them cleaned out.
When we started carving, the thickness of the pumpkins continued to prove challenging, and Zachary, despite my mother's best efforts, was bent on carving his pumpkin himself. He sawed quickly but not so carefully at times, as his motor skills are developing. In order to keep him from being upset, David and Brian got out the toothpicks and did a little reconstructive surgery to save the pumpkin.
We had one more pumpkin to go, and Zachary wanted to help with that one as well. The game was too good to miss, so my dad was reluctant to help him. No worries. I can listen to the game and help carve, as Zachary suggested in the first place. It's all about him, you know.
Zachary did a pretty good job sawing on the pattern, but by then his interest had dwindled. He was more interested in eating now that he was finally hungry and putting his costume back on.
Unfortunately despite my best efforts, I broke off an important part of the last pumpkin, and though we did some reconstruction with toothpicks, I suspect that it won't last long.
Ultimately, we had quality family time, and the Rangers are on their way to the World Series. Now, that's a tradition worth keeping.
My brother, Brian and I go to a pumpkin patch and carefully select the perfect pumpkins. Mom and Dad get dinner together while we are out. Mom finds the patterns from last year, and just in case they are in a safe place she can't remember, I always buy one or two more books with the carving utensils.
My nephew is five now, but his first pumpkin was carved when he was about 6 months old. That Halloween, he was dressed in his brand new Halloween pjs and we sat him on the table. We put his hands in the goo and seeds from the inside of the pumpkins. The look on his face was one of joy and confusion as he squished the slime between his little fingers.
Brian looks so cute as he concentrates on getting the pattern just right. You can almost see his tongue sticking out a little to one side as he focuses on the task. I usually just get to pick the pattern and he takes over from there. I wouldn't mind doing a little of the carving and each year I think I should just get one for each of us, but I never do. I suppose I secretly enjoy the zeal with which he attacks the project, even if I don't really get to help much. Besides, if the knife slips and he cuts something important off, I get to blame him for the oops. Hee hee.
This year, we went together to the Farmer's Market to select our canvases. I love the fall and everything that goes with it, so I couldn't resist some of the smaller gourds and dried corn for an arrangement on the mantle. I love the different textures on the surfaces of the squashes and the colors--greens, golds, and oranges. Zachary wanted a little pumpkin too, selecting an orange and white one. He insisted that this one would not be carved, however.
It was difficult, but we got Zachary to eat a bit of dinner before we started our project. We spread an old shower curtain on Mom and Dad's table and set out the bowls, spoons and knives. Zachary and I had already selected the patterns we wanted to use this year. A bat for me, a goofily grinning jack-o-lantern for Z-man. David went out on his own and drew a "T" for the Texas Rangers baseball team. An added addition to the family tradition this year was watching the Rangers clinch the right to play in the World Series for the second year in a row.
Brian and David got to work cutting the tops off, so we could clean out the insides of the pumpkins. Zachary jumped around in the background wearing his new Halloween outfit, a cowboy vest and chaps. The pumpkins were very thick, so the boys had to work to get them cleaned out.
When we started carving, the thickness of the pumpkins continued to prove challenging, and Zachary, despite my mother's best efforts, was bent on carving his pumpkin himself. He sawed quickly but not so carefully at times, as his motor skills are developing. In order to keep him from being upset, David and Brian got out the toothpicks and did a little reconstructive surgery to save the pumpkin.
We had one more pumpkin to go, and Zachary wanted to help with that one as well. The game was too good to miss, so my dad was reluctant to help him. No worries. I can listen to the game and help carve, as Zachary suggested in the first place. It's all about him, you know.
Zachary did a pretty good job sawing on the pattern, but by then his interest had dwindled. He was more interested in eating now that he was finally hungry and putting his costume back on.
Unfortunately despite my best efforts, I broke off an important part of the last pumpkin, and though we did some reconstruction with toothpicks, I suspect that it won't last long.
Ultimately, we had quality family time, and the Rangers are on their way to the World Series. Now, that's a tradition worth keeping.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Losing the Iron Skillet
My beloved Horned Frogs are having a tough season. They really seem to miss the seniors from last year that helped dominate every team they encountered.
They lost yesterday to an old rival--SMU. The schools trade custody of an iron skillet, the symbol of winning the game. We didn't have to lose that game. The boys had any number of opportunities to get the job done, but ultimately they couldn't do it.
So, at home in our nice new stadium, we had to hand over the skillet. Only the second time in 10 years. And it was hard to see on Facebook...all my SMU friends celebrating, though if TCU can't be successful, at least SMU can be.
But this morning as I poured my coffee, I remembered my favorite SMU fans. My grandparents. I miss them so much it's painful still sometimes, but this morning I had to smile. They loved sports..football best of all. And Grandpa loved his Ponies..even through the death penalty and regrowth years. They were thrilled get to June Jones from Hawaii; they had high hopes for what he could do for their program.
So this morning, my Frogs may be one step closer to the Poulan-Weedeater Independence Bowl instead of the Rose Bowl, but my grandparents are having quite the celebration in heaven, I have no doubt. Heaven help my Horned Frogs...Nonnie and Grandpa--would you put in a word?
They lost yesterday to an old rival--SMU. The schools trade custody of an iron skillet, the symbol of winning the game. We didn't have to lose that game. The boys had any number of opportunities to get the job done, but ultimately they couldn't do it.
So, at home in our nice new stadium, we had to hand over the skillet. Only the second time in 10 years. And it was hard to see on Facebook...all my SMU friends celebrating, though if TCU can't be successful, at least SMU can be.
But this morning as I poured my coffee, I remembered my favorite SMU fans. My grandparents. I miss them so much it's painful still sometimes, but this morning I had to smile. They loved sports..football best of all. And Grandpa loved his Ponies..even through the death penalty and regrowth years. They were thrilled get to June Jones from Hawaii; they had high hopes for what he could do for their program.
So this morning, my Frogs may be one step closer to the Poulan-Weedeater Independence Bowl instead of the Rose Bowl, but my grandparents are having quite the celebration in heaven, I have no doubt. Heaven help my Horned Frogs...Nonnie and Grandpa--would you put in a word?
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