Day Four - Home alone!

Home alone because the mosquitoes ate me alive yesterday at the house (they must like my new diet too!).  My arms look like I have the chicken-pox!

Stephen left bright and early this morning to do some of the finishing work on the drive-way and I opted to stay home and get some things done around here.

Home alone with all kinds of foods I can't have and really craving ice cream for some reason.  I picked up my book, It Starts With Food and the section I turned to simply stated, Dont' dwell on the foods you can't have, focus on what you CAN have!  So I started planning out my day....

• Packed a few boxes
• Listened to an old school Michael Jackson CD.
• Made a few necklaces and a cool bracelet.
• Banjo-Banjo-Banjo
• Made dinner....
• Mexican pork chops with a side of shredded brussel sprouts, baby spinach and almond slivers sauteed in clarified butter.  My goodness it was quite yummy!

As good as dinner was, I could still kill a bowl of ice cream....homemade pistachio, to be specific!  But, I'm good - I'm good!

I did read today though that I should be eating "raw fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut and kimchi, a priority. (they provide a rich source of nutrition and digestion-enhancing enzymes.  And....the fermentation process also provides natural probiotics, helping the intestinal track maintain a healthy balance of bacteria by increasing the "good guys")"....Ummm....I don't think Kimchi is going to make it to my grocery cart.  But I will try and work in sauerkraut.  That will definitely need to be another day I'm home alone.

Day Three of the Whole30 - Is this burger as dry as the other one?

Day three of the Whole30!

Yesterday, they built a house!  Today, I'm starting to pack the old one and being home while trying to change your eating habits is harder.  I won't give in - but it is harder.

The night before I was to start the Whole30, I bought extra-lean ground beef and cooked hamburgers for myself and the guys (Stephen and Andrew).  I see now why Five-Guys, Cook-Out, Pierce's have such mouth drooling burgers....they use ground beef with the highest amount of fat!

These burgers had a good taste, but Lordy were they dry.  I choked and had to act quickly to keep from spitting it across the room!  The guys just lathered theirs up with condiments to choke them down.

I originally hid the 2 leftover because I can't have all the 'stuff' they can have.  But I gladly offered one to Andrew for his lunch, and he accepted.  I warned him again and suggested he put some ketchup....nonono....bathe it in ketchup.  I watched his face for some sort of expression....nothing.  Once, he finally got it down, he turns to me and says, "Mom, the spices you used on the burgers were perfect!"  He turns to leave the kitchen and says....."But they are REALLY dry!"  We laughed!

Today, I tried again!  This time, I purchased patties from Trader Joe's thinking they were already cooked.  Nope.  I had to pull our the George Foreman - again - and cook them.  Being lured by the smell of burgers cooking, he came out of his man cave upstairs and said, "What's for lunch?" (glad I guess that I have the day off and he won't have to fix Ramen!).  His eyebrows told his feelings as soon as he saw the GF grill cooking, and with a hint of smile says, "Is this burger as dry as the other one?"  What else could I do but laugh?

If that's the only complaint I hear today - I'm good!  Love me some Andrew!

Day Two of the Whole30....The House that Jack Built!

Day Two!

Rise and shine - let's build a house! 

We've waited a long time for this and today was the day our house was set on the foundation!  The team from the crane operator to the truck driver that walked around picking up trash....had a mission and didn't stop until the job was done.  It was quite an experience to watch and yes, I took lots of pictures!

I knew my options for lunch today would be fast food or fast food.  So, I packed my lunch in my handy-dandy Thirty-One lunch bag (little plug there for ya Ash!) and off I went.  When everyone else was feasting on fried chicken, I ate every morsel of my lunch.  And, Cuzzn Thom's specialty salts made my avocado quite yummy!

I feel great and want to get on the scale to see if the last two days have made a difference, but I vowed not to and I won't. 

Tonight, we celebrated Kiley's 3rd birthday and yes, Kiley and Great-Grandma Weezie made birthday cake today!  Per her request, she wanted a 'strawberry cake with REAL strawberries on it".  To top it off, I had to stop and buy 2 large pizzas for everyone else.  Pizza AND cake!

I was packin' again and survived the night!  Bring it on Day Three!

Day one of the Whole30......and feeling groovy!

Today was MY day one of the Whole30 Program.  However, with so much going on, I forgot to log in on their website.  So, tomorrow will be my 'official' first day.

I'd actually planned ahead last night and cut up my fruits and veggies.  Cooked a dinner that would be good leftovers for my lunch and was all set when my feet hit the floor this morning.

I vow to be completely honest during the next 30 days....and I did weigh-in this morning and honestly won't be sharing that number!  I will share however that through the course of the day, I was only hungry one time and that was right before dinner.  We actually went out to eat and I knew it would be hard, but I did it and no eye rolling or complaints from my special requests.  Nice.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow and feel great because I already have in mind what my menu is for the day!

I did have a little help today!  My grand-daughter Kiley spent the day with me and kept me very busy.  She got to pick out her Birthday present first thing this morning and after a slight diversion, she picked out a Disney Princess Shopping Cart!  You'd never know she was quite the princess after we got to our lot and she rode the tractor!  Thanks Kiley for your support - Grammie loves you!



Grammie's co-pilot!





Million dollar smile!



What!! I have to give up my Greek yogurt!  I FINALLY found one that I like and now I have to omit it from my food choices......BUT.....I'll reintroduce it after 30 days and go from there!

Being raised a "Bailey" I learned early on that fried is the way to go!  Or....maybe it was Pap's secret ingredient for his famous Apple Crisp.....Karo Syrup!  Nannie's block of cheese in the scrambled eggs to make them 'ropey' and perfect for biscuits. I need to stop reflecting because it's really not even making me hungry.  Missing Papaw, but not hungry (right now anyway)!

Wednesday, August 14th is my day!  The first day of change.  The first day of improvement.  The first day of feeling better.  I've read the web page many times www.whole9life.com and at least ten personal blogs about the Whole30 Program and was actually happy to see pros and cons.  Bottom line being, the majority of those that I read did feel better.  I wasn't quite on  board at first because people weren't talking about the large amounts of weight they were losing. But, the changes made mentally, emotionally and physically (inches more than pounds!) by far out weighed (pun intended!) the lack of weight lost in that first 30 days.  AND....I also saw that the majority of the people blogging didn't really have a ton of weight to lose.  I do! 

So, here we go!  I've found in the past that really limiting and restricting carbs works for me.  We'll see how I feel when I'm finished, but I anticipate gradually adding back in my newly found favorite Greek yogurt, skim milk, etc. I am however looking forward to eliminating sodas and artificial sweetners. Time will tell.......No......the bloating will tell!

Sometimes after eating a simple meal, of what I've always thought was healthy and healthy portions....I still feel like I've just finished a Bailey Thanksgiving dinner!  I don't like that!  I also don't like the severe edema I'm having in my lower legs.  First thought by the doctor's was 'venous insufficiency' but a 2 hour Doppler study showed the main veins in the legs are satisfactory...not wonderful...but OK. 

So....Miss "I don't have time to go to the gym today"....needs to find time and that all starts again tomorrow!

Are there other diets out there not as drastic?  Yep!  Do they cost an arm and a leg to do?  Yep!  I have to ask.....if obesity is a problem, and it is, why does it cost more to fix it?  Gym memberships - cha-ching!  Organic foods - cha-ching!    But, I need to make changes and these need to be lifetime changes.  I want to see my wonderful children continue to grow and flourish in their own lives.  And, see my grand-children grow up and invite me to their Kindergarten Tea, first t-ball game, first formal dance and be escorted down the aisle as the grandmother of the bride/groom.  Brings tears to my eyes already!

My doctor is on my side and wants me healthy too!  Having a good team is crucial and I have to be committed to doing my part too.  He can't provide a chef for me or an electric shock built into my car seat to nudge what needs work the most (when I turn into Chic-fil-A)!  I have to put my big girl panties on and do it!  (It sure will be nice to buy panties from the OTHER girl section.  THAT my lady friends is an entirely different blog post....I don't even want to get started on what's the right type of panties to wear under a dress, pants....somebody stop me!)

I'm going to try and post daily about my success and/or struggles.  I do welcome your comments and words of encouragement!  Pap & Dad, I love you and miss you terribly....but the Karo syrup and battered fried pork-chops have to go!
Love ya...mean it! 
Robin

Beauty Through Strength

What makes us strong?

• Relationships?
• Confronting a fear?
• Saying good-bye to a loved one?
• Facing those dreaded numbers on the scale?
• That proud walk back to the locker room after a workout?
• All of the above!

What makes us beautiful?

• Holding  your chin up and shoulders back to prepare for the fight of your life.  Whether that's a relationship that needs mending or the strength to move on.
• Being scared to death, but you saddle up anyway! (Thanks John Wayne!)
• The tears that are shed as you say good-bye to that one person that loved you, supported you and taught you how to laugh at yourself!
• The numbers!  And tomorrow, the number is smaller and the next day even smaller. 
• Sweat!  I may not smell pretty - but I feel my best when my hair is saturated, face is red and legs are feeling a little like mush.
• All of the above!

As I battle my "Marriage 25" and the wonderful diagnosis of "Venous Insufficiency" I'm having to put aside all my cute wedge shoes, flip flops (only those with zero support), anything with a heel and find a shoe that's comfortable AND stylish.  I'm beginning to think that's a combination that doesn't exist. I don't care what you say, Velcro is NOT stylish! And...let's not forget the ever-so-fashionable compression knee-highs that I have to wear. 

Today in the heat, I'm trying to improve both my wardrobe and shoe collection and came home with alphabet stickers for another craft project, ink cartridge for the printer, black tank top and feeling anything but beautiful.  

And then it happened.......I browsing through a hairstyle magazine and admiring all the latest and greatest ways to get your hair did.....and it jumped off the page.....Beauty Through Strength! 

You mean all those life events that I've faced and conquered, makes me not only strong....but beautiful? Ladies....We hold our heads higher, walk with purpose, talk with confidence and yes, sweat......... because we've achieved beauty through strength! (And for me....a wonderful husband that tells me I'm beautiful every day!)

I do have one question though......Why why why can't a designer make that cute top in a size slightly larger?  For some, that top with the pastel butterflies is just lovely.  Or, the Capri pants with the bedazzled beading along the side. But for me, not really my style.  This is why I only came home with a black tank top.  It made me want to enhance my sewing skills.

Got scraps? Make jewelry!

Sometimes I find myself needing to visit Michael's or Joann Fabrics just to browse or touch the fabrics.  On my last trip several weeks ago, I stumbled on a deal!  This entire bag of really cool paper scraps just jumped right into my cart! 



Bag-o-scraps!

I loved that there was a variety of paper thickness as well as really cool prints, colors, etc. 

I do love paper!  I love note cards, stationary, decorated, plain.....it just doesn't matter.  I love it!

Along with my paper addiction, I'm attracted to little metal gadgets and gizmos that make jewelry creating interesting. 

While shopping at my local Ross store, I found this little life saver!  $5 on the clearance shelves and another item that just found its way into my cart.

As soon as I saw it, my creative wave links started moving around and I couldn't wait to get home.

I didn't really know what to call them so I kept saying "little lovlies" until I could think of something better.  I think I'll stick with it.

The step-by-step creation of Little Lovlies.......

The hardest part is picking out only 5 of your favorite pieces of paper!  But, once you do, layer them on top of one another, making sure to even up the edges.  (I picked the thickest piece as my back piece just so it will stand up better).

Pick five (5) of your favorites!

Now, because the edges are already pretty even, I eye-balled cutting the rest, but if needed, measure and using a light pencil mark, draw your cutting lines on the back of your bottom piece of paper.  Cut through all layers at once. (Don't stress over being exact - I actually prefer if everything doesn't match up perfectly).

Remember to save your scraps!

Now I get to use my handy-dandy gadget I purchased for $5 @ Ross!  

Cut a hole one one end of the square stack of papers.  Eyeball finding the center of one end.  Make sure you come in about 1/8" or so.

I used the largest setting to cut out the circle/hole and give it a little Umph! when squeezing it so it will cut through all the layers of paper.  And, you might have to turn over the stack of papers and cut from the back too.

 

Right side is 'finished'- Left side is 'unfinished'



For this Little Lovlie, I've selected a copper grommet.  But, as you can see there are also black, silver and gold grommets too.  Can you see the hint of copper on the top piece of paper?  This will be perfect.

Push the copper grommet through the stack of paper from the front side.  You'll want the unfinished side to show on the back of the paper stack. (see below).



Unfinished side will show on the back side

Carefully place the paper and grommet on the head pin of the gadget (I really don't know what it's called - but that sounds good!).  Make sure the finished side is up before squeezing the gadget.



Finished side of grommet is UP



Now both sides are finished!



Now both sides of the grommet are finished and should have a smooth edge all the way around. Almost finished..........

Remember you have five (5) layers of paper and you want a little of each layer to show.  So....leave the back layer as is and with each layer moving forward, tear off just a little bit from the bottom.  Gradually tearing a little bit more with each piece.  Tip:  If you tear in little baby tears and use your fingernail as your guide vs one big rip, your lines will be straighter.   





This is just a little larger than actual size.





You are finished!  Well, at least with your Little Lovlie you are!  Here is an idea of what you can do with it and some other varieties as well. I already have a handful of different ideas to do with some artwork by my grandchildren and leather!  Have fun!