My blog has been tied up for about 5 or 6 weeks now so I haven't been able to post anything nor have I been able to comment on anyone else's blog. Just so you'd know that I just didn't love you all anymore.... I am up at midnight again. Can't sleep and the Ambien is worthless. My nights and days have been mixed-up for a couple of weeks now making me unbelievably sleepy when I should go to church or to my mission. I am barely able to keep my eyes open long enough to call my sponsor or receive my sponsee's calls. Half the time I sound drunk, my tongue feels about an inch thick and I am barely coherent. I wonder what my sponsor thinks. She knows I'm LDS. I hope she believes me when I tell her I'm really not drunk, just drugged.
Speaking of my sponsor reminds me to update you all on my progress in CEA-HOW. It's been seven months now and I've lost a total of 82 lbs - 70 of it in CEA-HOW. I can't help bursting into song.... "Wonder of wonders miracles of miracles...." you get the idea. There is a woman in our group who has lost 152 lbs. since a year ago last march. She is looking really great - such an example to me. I should have lost all my weight and be on maintenance by this time next year. I have had to replace my whole wardrobe twice now. Good thing we have a good DI close by.
My trip to Los Angeles was good. I attended a lot of good lectures and ate great abstinent food the whole weekend. I had trouble walking so had to take a wheeled chair all through the airport both going and coming. I went to Dr. Brown to see what's wrong with my legs and my gait. He sent me to have several tests but it looks like just a case of needing to strengthen the muscles in my legs. I got the girls treadmill to help out and am going to go much slower this time so I don't trigger a fibro. flareup again.
I have been shopping for a new bedspread again. My white one finally literally got shredded on my side of the bed where I kneel on it to get up into bed. My efforts to shop around to get a good buy were exhausting and I couldn't find a real bedspread like they used to make when I was a girl so I went on line and found a company that made custom made bedspreads. The prices started at $1,200. for the less nice spread. The one I really wanted was about $1,700.
They were absolutely beautiful but way out of my price range.
So then I decided to make my own. Many more exhausting hours later I finally have what will be a less flashy bedspread but one that will look very nice and match the room as well. But I've put the bedspread on hold until I get Jan and Stacey's baby dresses made and Jan's friend's picture finished. They have been weighing my spirit down for much too long.
I finally have my bedroom all cleaned up except for the dresser, chest and my nightstand tops. That should take me about an hour or so to do tomorrow. It will be absolutely heavenly to go in there and have it looking beautiful again. And I won't be embarrassed anymore to have all the little grandchildren go in and hide their eyes on grandma's bed when we play the mailbox game.
Savanna Grace is just adorable, Stace. And I am serious when I say to call on me anytime you get in a bind with the kids and need some help. I would like to feel more needed and have a chance to serve more. Same goes for the rest of you. Call on me. The worst that could happen is I'll say no and whose afraid of that?
Janelle we need to take Kate out to breakfast. Is Saturday good for you/her? Let us know.
Love, Loves,
Mither
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Our Vacation Was Great! Good Books, and Being Committed
We had so much fun!!! It went much too fast and I hardly spent any time at the beach (it was so cold and so windy it about blew us away and made the cold that much colder)
It was a little difficult trying to eat abstinent meals but everyone was so careful to help see that I had food I could eat that it went well for me. I made my pumpkin "pie" and it smelled delicious but tasted terrible. Too much Splenda I think.
We visited all the local sights including two lighthouses, the aquarium (which was amazing), the pools that are made on the beach when the tide goes out and we went to the Tillamook Cheese factory which wasn't local but was very interesting (we bought more cheese than we could eat in a month).... (we'll have to freeze some.) We also visited all the gift shops and a candy store (lots and lots of luscious candy so I bought some for Joe since I couldn't eat it) Turns out that he had been to that same store and bought himself some candy (we weren't together at the time I bought him the candy so I didn't know that he already had some.
The gift shops were richer by a considerable amount when we left them. The girls and I bought some light jackets that were made out of fleece and then a warmer jacket that had a warm lining and a windbreaker outer shell. I bought the small sizes of both jackets as they tended to run a little large. I should be able to wear them by next January or so. Janice tried them on for me so I could see how they would look on me when I reach my goal weight.
We hit a MAJOR traffic jam when were driving to the airport to fly home. It took us an hour to travel two miles. We were all stressed out about it because we didn't want to miss our flight but when we were about 3/4 of the way through the jam we got a call from the airline we were supposed to fly out on saying that the flight was an hour and a half late. We made it with some time to spare - MAJOR RELIEF.
After being cold all week in Oregon it felt really warm when we first got out of the airport that night.
All in all it was a lot of fun. I loved being with the girls and David's family. Annika and Mieka were little angels, never crying or being disagreeable the whole vacation. I never heard David or Melissa even raise their voices at the girls and no "time outs" either. How do they do it? I was a constant "Monster Mom" in comparison. (I know....I know.... I shouldn't compare but it's hard not to when you feel guilty and sorry you didn't do better with your kids. Anyway we enjoyed our time with them all.
I bought three book that got here today. One is a 900 page book "George Washington's Sacred Fire" that disproves the faith destroying teaching that he was a Deist. The other two are books by Hayek on the fatal effect of Socialism and it's ability to destroy America. Both of these books talk about the economic situation of our day as if he had lived in our time. He wrote the books around the 1950"s. He could see the beginning of the end even then.
Emilee made an arresting comment at our 4th of July celebration this month. We were talking about about the wealth and abundance we have in our lives and I made the comment that her children would grow up feeling "entitled" and she said her generation is the one that feels entitled. She thinks her children will grow up saying "remember what we used to have." That's sad commentary on what is happening in America now.
Our children and grandchildren will be the ones to pay for our lack of knowledge about sound economics and the terrible lack of fiscal responsibility in government today.
I leave for my CEA-HOW conference in Los Angeles on Friday. I am starting to get excited about the three day trip and not so scared about going without Joe. I lost another 7 lbs. this last 30 days. So now I weigh 227 lbs down from 292 lbs in January. I still have been granted the power to be disciplined in this program. I am so grateful for the grace of God in my life in this respect. There is an interesting thought from the AA Big Book that says "I can do for 12 hours (of this day) what would appall me if I thought I had to do it for a lifetime." That's the attitude I have to cultivate to stay committed to eating this way long term.
That's all for now,
Love to everyone, Mither
It was a little difficult trying to eat abstinent meals but everyone was so careful to help see that I had food I could eat that it went well for me. I made my pumpkin "pie" and it smelled delicious but tasted terrible. Too much Splenda I think.
We visited all the local sights including two lighthouses, the aquarium (which was amazing), the pools that are made on the beach when the tide goes out and we went to the Tillamook Cheese factory which wasn't local but was very interesting (we bought more cheese than we could eat in a month).... (we'll have to freeze some.) We also visited all the gift shops and a candy store (lots and lots of luscious candy so I bought some for Joe since I couldn't eat it) Turns out that he had been to that same store and bought himself some candy (we weren't together at the time I bought him the candy so I didn't know that he already had some.
The gift shops were richer by a considerable amount when we left them. The girls and I bought some light jackets that were made out of fleece and then a warmer jacket that had a warm lining and a windbreaker outer shell. I bought the small sizes of both jackets as they tended to run a little large. I should be able to wear them by next January or so. Janice tried them on for me so I could see how they would look on me when I reach my goal weight.
We hit a MAJOR traffic jam when were driving to the airport to fly home. It took us an hour to travel two miles. We were all stressed out about it because we didn't want to miss our flight but when we were about 3/4 of the way through the jam we got a call from the airline we were supposed to fly out on saying that the flight was an hour and a half late. We made it with some time to spare - MAJOR RELIEF.
After being cold all week in Oregon it felt really warm when we first got out of the airport that night.
All in all it was a lot of fun. I loved being with the girls and David's family. Annika and Mieka were little angels, never crying or being disagreeable the whole vacation. I never heard David or Melissa even raise their voices at the girls and no "time outs" either. How do they do it? I was a constant "Monster Mom" in comparison. (I know....I know.... I shouldn't compare but it's hard not to when you feel guilty and sorry you didn't do better with your kids. Anyway we enjoyed our time with them all.
I bought three book that got here today. One is a 900 page book "George Washington's Sacred Fire" that disproves the faith destroying teaching that he was a Deist. The other two are books by Hayek on the fatal effect of Socialism and it's ability to destroy America. Both of these books talk about the economic situation of our day as if he had lived in our time. He wrote the books around the 1950"s. He could see the beginning of the end even then.
Emilee made an arresting comment at our 4th of July celebration this month. We were talking about about the wealth and abundance we have in our lives and I made the comment that her children would grow up feeling "entitled" and she said her generation is the one that feels entitled. She thinks her children will grow up saying "remember what we used to have." That's sad commentary on what is happening in America now.
Our children and grandchildren will be the ones to pay for our lack of knowledge about sound economics and the terrible lack of fiscal responsibility in government today.
I leave for my CEA-HOW conference in Los Angeles on Friday. I am starting to get excited about the three day trip and not so scared about going without Joe. I lost another 7 lbs. this last 30 days. So now I weigh 227 lbs down from 292 lbs in January. I still have been granted the power to be disciplined in this program. I am so grateful for the grace of God in my life in this respect. There is an interesting thought from the AA Big Book that says "I can do for 12 hours (of this day) what would appall me if I thought I had to do it for a lifetime." That's the attitude I have to cultivate to stay committed to eating this way long term.
That's all for now,
Love to everyone, Mither
Monday, July 5, 2010
This and That, Summer Holidays
I had such a good time at our 4th of July celebration!!! I love having all my kids and grand babies here. ( missed Seth and his family though) I hate to see the day come to an end when all the kids go home. They all pitched in and got the house all cleaned up. I was a little worried about that as the house was a huge mess and I didn't want to have Janice staying to clean it all up as she usually does. But it was better than it was before they all came. Michelle and Steve even stayed and did all the dishes as well.
I have been feeling weak and tired all day today and now, tonight, I can't get to sleep. Stacey said in her blog that she hasn't been able to sleep at night either. We should get together and commiserate. I haven't been able to sleep several times this last week.
My CEA-HOW program continues to go well but I have been so sleepy in the mornings that I can hardly concentrate on what my sponsees are saying. When I try to respond I feel like I am drunk. I probably sound like it too.
We are going on vacation next week with David, Melissa and their kids and Jan and Jenn. I am really looking forward to it but I worry about where the money is coming from. Then I am going to the CEA-HOW convention from the 23rd to the 25th. Again the money thing is a problem but Joe has been amazingly supportive. I have to admit that it scares me to go without him. I am going with 3 other women but that isn't the same as having Joe there. I don't know how Melissa does it. She has traveled all over the world alone. Maybe it's because she went on a mission to Europe. This is a first for me. I hope I get to feeling better about it.
Well that's all for now. Love to everyone who reads this,
Mither
I have been feeling weak and tired all day today and now, tonight, I can't get to sleep. Stacey said in her blog that she hasn't been able to sleep at night either. We should get together and commiserate. I haven't been able to sleep several times this last week.
My CEA-HOW program continues to go well but I have been so sleepy in the mornings that I can hardly concentrate on what my sponsees are saying. When I try to respond I feel like I am drunk. I probably sound like it too.
We are going on vacation next week with David, Melissa and their kids and Jan and Jenn. I am really looking forward to it but I worry about where the money is coming from. Then I am going to the CEA-HOW convention from the 23rd to the 25th. Again the money thing is a problem but Joe has been amazingly supportive. I have to admit that it scares me to go without him. I am going with 3 other women but that isn't the same as having Joe there. I don't know how Melissa does it. She has traveled all over the world alone. Maybe it's because she went on a mission to Europe. This is a first for me. I hope I get to feeling better about it.
Well that's all for now. Love to everyone who reads this,
Mither
Monday, June 21, 2010
Yes, I'm still alive,
I know it's been a long time since I wrote. I still find I can't get everything done in the mornings when I go to my mission or go do genealogy with Joe (my brother) and Larry and when I have had time it seems something always interferes. I just have to find a way to get my scripture study done in thd morning. I've been praying about it and the thought came to me to have my sponsees call sometime around 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon. I'll have to check it out and see if it works.
I weighed in the 15th of this month and have lost another 5 lbs. I now weigh 234 lbs for a total of 57 lbs lost. I went through my closet and got most of my clothes packed up today and ready to go to the clothing exchange for CEA-HOW. Now I have about a fourth of the clothes left. I am glad I'm losing weight but it is going to be really expensive to replace clothes. One of the women who comes to our group said not to buy new clothes because you'll grow out of them in six weeks. She said to shop at DI. I have done that and gotten clothes from the clothing exchange as well. It's nice to be smaller and find clothes that fit nicely.
I had to find clothes for work as all mine are now gone. I got a cute black and white herringbone skirt (very small herringbone) and one red jacket and one black jacket to go with it. I got several pairs of pants which I really needed because all but two of my pants didn't fit anymore.
I can't write anymore because I have to go back to bed and see if I can get to sleep. I am tired now.
Loves to all,
Mither
I weighed in the 15th of this month and have lost another 5 lbs. I now weigh 234 lbs for a total of 57 lbs lost. I went through my closet and got most of my clothes packed up today and ready to go to the clothing exchange for CEA-HOW. Now I have about a fourth of the clothes left. I am glad I'm losing weight but it is going to be really expensive to replace clothes. One of the women who comes to our group said not to buy new clothes because you'll grow out of them in six weeks. She said to shop at DI. I have done that and gotten clothes from the clothing exchange as well. It's nice to be smaller and find clothes that fit nicely.
I had to find clothes for work as all mine are now gone. I got a cute black and white herringbone skirt (very small herringbone) and one red jacket and one black jacket to go with it. I got several pairs of pants which I really needed because all but two of my pants didn't fit anymore.
I can't write anymore because I have to go back to bed and see if I can get to sleep. I am tired now.
Loves to all,
Mither
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Hospital / Christmas Day
Bowel obstructions are incredibly painful and four days in the hospital not much fun either. At least I didn't have to have surgery so all is well.
Christmas Day means that I lost weight again this month. 14 lbs.!!! for a total of FIFTY POUNDS lost in four months. I have such good food to eat and am more than full after each meal. Giving up anything made with any kind of flour is the hardest part but well worth it to lose so much weight. If I didn't know I was on such a healthy diet I would think it was dangerous. I know I've said that before but it is true. Bring on the vegetables and proteins! :)
Christmas Day means that I lost weight again this month. 14 lbs.!!! for a total of FIFTY POUNDS lost in four months. I have such good food to eat and am more than full after each meal. Giving up anything made with any kind of flour is the hardest part but well worth it to lose so much weight. If I didn't know I was on such a healthy diet I would think it was dangerous. I know I've said that before but it is true. Bring on the vegetables and proteins! :)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Random Thoughts Again
We had our monthly family birthday party last Sunday. Unfortunately I forgot it was Melissa's birthday this month and didn't have a card for her, so I didn't give the girl's their cards. So now I have two birthday cards that I can only use on the 25th of the month. Hope I don't forget. (I can't find my calendar that Melissa made up for the birthdays and summer cookouts. I'm going to have to look harder - I know it is somewhere here as I put it in a special page cover to keep it clean.)
I've been having some pretty serious dizzy spells lately. Dr. Brown has been slowly decreasing my Savella dosage and I haven't had a bad one since the Girl's Night Out (better known as GNO) three weeks ago. I shouldn't be driving as one of my co-workers pointed out to me this week. I'm going to have to work out some arrangement to get to and from work Monday. I think by next Wednesday I should be ok to drive since I will have been off the Savella by then for several days.
Our trees are finally getting leaves on them. My poor little lilac bush is doing it's best to "bloom where it's planted" but for some reason every August something happens to it and all the leaves curl up and practically die before fall. But every Spring it comes back to life as if nothing happened during the last year. It has never been able to grow big at all but has remained stunted all these years (eight) So, I am going to try to transplant it and see if that will make any difference (if it doesn't kill it first.)
Our roses are all getting buds on them and we haven't pruned them yet. Well I take that back, we did prune the two that grow over the arch in the front yard's trellis. We have a cherry tree and a plum tree that also need to be pruned Both of them are getting quite big and have never been pruned so it will take some work to get it done. We bought three new fruit trees this year and planted them in the garden along the back fence so they won't have to be mowed around every week. I still need to buy some bushes to replace the ones that died last year. If I time it right I can get them at Home Depot for $10.00 a bush. That is a huge savings from the regular price in a nursery.
That reminds me, Joe had a man from our ward who is a landscaping contractor come and look at our yard and suggest some ways we could improve it. He didn't charge us for it but asked if we buy some bushes we buy them from him. I hope that doesn't include the bushes I had already planned to buy at Home Depot.
I have been asked to complete the LDS Church Membership Survey 2010 (much like a census only has questions about church activity for ourselves and each of our children.) This is the third time in the last 30 years or so that I have been asked to do something like this. It is amazing to me because I'm sure the church doesn't do this kind of survey but every few years and out of all the millions and millions of members of the Church I should be asked to do it three times. I've never heard of anyone else but me who has been asked to do this kind of survey. The last one asked about our food storage and if we held family home evenings and those kinds of questions. This one asked about family size and the activity level of ourselves and each child. It also asked about each child's marriage (whether it was in the Temple, whether any of us had ever been divorced) and also about what office in the priesthood each of the men in the family hold, missions served, etc.
I'm wearing a bracelet Janice gave me for Mother's Day a year or two ago. It has small pearls, crystals, amethysts and tiny, tiny circles of diamonds, with charms that say "Love," "Mother," "Forever" and a small heart at the end of it. The tiny diamonds aren't real, of course, but it is very pretty anyway. It's so like Janice to make something like this bracelet. I love it. Most of my jewelery is from my children, Karla, or Melissa. I have a lovely Mother of Pearl brooch from Karla and some beautiful black pearls and also fresh water pearls from Melissa. Then I have several pearl necklaces that have little pearls spaced about an inch and a half apart on one strand and then they are combined with other strands that are staggered to make it look like the pearls are almost floating in space. Janice also gave me necklace with a mustard seed in a tiny glass box. It has a tiny gold page that has the quote about having faith as the grain of mustard seed. I tried putting it on a longer chain that I had but over the years since she gave it to me the chain has discolored. I need to get a new chain for it but just haven't found a place that sells gold chains for a price I can afford. I rarely wear much jewelry but everything I have, I love.
I just finished watching a Sherlock Holmes movie with the Guy's Game Night sons and son-in-law (Steve, Michael, Adam and Seth and Joe of course) It was a very entertaining movie but it is late now 10:00 and I am getting up at 4:30 now days so I need to go to bed.
Night All,
Love, Mither
I've been having some pretty serious dizzy spells lately. Dr. Brown has been slowly decreasing my Savella dosage and I haven't had a bad one since the Girl's Night Out (better known as GNO) three weeks ago. I shouldn't be driving as one of my co-workers pointed out to me this week. I'm going to have to work out some arrangement to get to and from work Monday. I think by next Wednesday I should be ok to drive since I will have been off the Savella by then for several days.
Our trees are finally getting leaves on them. My poor little lilac bush is doing it's best to "bloom where it's planted" but for some reason every August something happens to it and all the leaves curl up and practically die before fall. But every Spring it comes back to life as if nothing happened during the last year. It has never been able to grow big at all but has remained stunted all these years (eight) So, I am going to try to transplant it and see if that will make any difference (if it doesn't kill it first.)
Our roses are all getting buds on them and we haven't pruned them yet. Well I take that back, we did prune the two that grow over the arch in the front yard's trellis. We have a cherry tree and a plum tree that also need to be pruned Both of them are getting quite big and have never been pruned so it will take some work to get it done. We bought three new fruit trees this year and planted them in the garden along the back fence so they won't have to be mowed around every week. I still need to buy some bushes to replace the ones that died last year. If I time it right I can get them at Home Depot for $10.00 a bush. That is a huge savings from the regular price in a nursery.
That reminds me, Joe had a man from our ward who is a landscaping contractor come and look at our yard and suggest some ways we could improve it. He didn't charge us for it but asked if we buy some bushes we buy them from him. I hope that doesn't include the bushes I had already planned to buy at Home Depot.
I have been asked to complete the LDS Church Membership Survey 2010 (much like a census only has questions about church activity for ourselves and each of our children.) This is the third time in the last 30 years or so that I have been asked to do something like this. It is amazing to me because I'm sure the church doesn't do this kind of survey but every few years and out of all the millions and millions of members of the Church I should be asked to do it three times. I've never heard of anyone else but me who has been asked to do this kind of survey. The last one asked about our food storage and if we held family home evenings and those kinds of questions. This one asked about family size and the activity level of ourselves and each child. It also asked about each child's marriage (whether it was in the Temple, whether any of us had ever been divorced) and also about what office in the priesthood each of the men in the family hold, missions served, etc.
I'm wearing a bracelet Janice gave me for Mother's Day a year or two ago. It has small pearls, crystals, amethysts and tiny, tiny circles of diamonds, with charms that say "Love," "Mother," "Forever" and a small heart at the end of it. The tiny diamonds aren't real, of course, but it is very pretty anyway. It's so like Janice to make something like this bracelet. I love it. Most of my jewelery is from my children, Karla, or Melissa. I have a lovely Mother of Pearl brooch from Karla and some beautiful black pearls and also fresh water pearls from Melissa. Then I have several pearl necklaces that have little pearls spaced about an inch and a half apart on one strand and then they are combined with other strands that are staggered to make it look like the pearls are almost floating in space. Janice also gave me necklace with a mustard seed in a tiny glass box. It has a tiny gold page that has the quote about having faith as the grain of mustard seed. I tried putting it on a longer chain that I had but over the years since she gave it to me the chain has discolored. I need to get a new chain for it but just haven't found a place that sells gold chains for a price I can afford. I rarely wear much jewelry but everything I have, I love.
I just finished watching a Sherlock Holmes movie with the Guy's Game Night sons and son-in-law (Steve, Michael, Adam and Seth and Joe of course) It was a very entertaining movie but it is late now 10:00 and I am getting up at 4:30 now days so I need to go to bed.
Night All,
Love, Mither
Friday, April 16, 2010
Christmas?
I am a total ingrate! It should have been like Christmas on the 15th but since I only lost 4 lbs. I was seriously disappointed. I guess since I lost 24 lbs the first month and my eating hasn't changed at all I have expected greater weight loss than I've been having. Last month I only lost 8 lbs.
Still 12 lbs for the last two months is better than gaining weight and I am grateful for that, but I don't understand why it is slowing down so much. Still I am committed to this program and will continue my efforts and leave the weight loss results in Heavenly Father's hands.
It's a good thing we only weigh once a month.
If I lose more next month I'll title my post "Merry Christmas," then you won't have to read my blog, you'll just know I am happy.
Still 12 lbs for the last two months is better than gaining weight and I am grateful for that, but I don't understand why it is slowing down so much. Still I am committed to this program and will continue my efforts and leave the weight loss results in Heavenly Father's hands.
It's a good thing we only weigh once a month.
If I lose more next month I'll title my post "Merry Christmas," then you won't have to read my blog, you'll just know I am happy.
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