Thursday, October 29, 2015

Life and Lines





Feeling a little introspective today.  I had my annual physical -- and yes, all things are just fine, thank goodness! -- but I saw this poster and thought, yeah, that's me, that's right.  My life hasn't always been easy, but it's been bearable.  I've made it this far, and every wrinkle, every mark, every scar, is just evidence that I lived.


One of the things I tend to notice on people are their hands.  You jut can't hide much with hands.  There are "prissy" hands of people who don't do as much as others who have well worn hands.  I like large squarish hands; I don't mind scars, bumps, bruises, even a little crookedness -- it means you've used your hands to do something in life.


Me, I work with a lot of cardboard, my hands are dry a lot of the time.  They're also squared up, my fingers are short and kind of stubby.  I have scars scrapes and cuts much of the time.  But I do honest labor, I come by these marks because I am not squeamish about doing hard work.  But they're also known to be loving, to caress or massage a person I care about with them; I have helped people move with them, taken photographs with them, painted, gardened, lifted, hoisted, shoveled, hauled and anything else under the sun.

It's the same with faces.  We've all walked our walk, we've endured pains and enjoyed happiness, and everything else in between.  The lines on my face -- well, I like to think of them as character lines, not wrinkles.  It took a lot of years to have this much character -- and I don't care if it shows!

Life isn't meant to be easy - it's meant to be lived!

and if these character lines are any indication --- I have definitely lived!  :)

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Keep it Simple

I spend quite a bit of time journaling and writing down my thoughts.  I don't post a lot of it, because I feel as if most people don't read it, or care about the mundane events in my life.   But being down is when I need to journal things the most, get me aware of what's going on, to focus on the positive in my day.

It's been overcast in the Valley of the Sun, and yesterday, I didn't manage to get outdoors and get into the sunshine - which is always a good thing. As I look back over yesterday, just what DID get accomplished?  After being on vacation, I had extra laundry to get caught up on, along with household chores and a trip to the grocery.   I also spent hours getting a DVD of photos together along with the right music.  I heard an awesome song on the radio on the way to work and wanted to incorporate it into my DVD - I send them to my daughter and my mother every quarter.  I know Mom enjoys them :)

Today, I forced myself outdoors to begin the painting process on one side of my house.  It's an odd composite board pressed to look like wood paneling - that's the best description I can come up with.  Reading up on it, it should be painted every 7-10 years.  I don't think this has ever been painted after the original paint job?  Or if it has, it was sprayed on in a very light coat.  Me, I tend to slather paint on, fill the little nooks and crannies -- well, took me about an hour to paint 12 foot of wall, up 8 feet, although my walls are higher than that.  But I thought it best to stop when my son left for work -- being on a stepladder and home alone don't mix too well.  More painting next weekend!

As for the rest of it - I'm not exactly sure if you call this depression, or more de-compressing.  I went to bed and slept last night, but still found my eyes drifting closed when I sat down to read or watch TV.  I guess a week of  "catch up" after being on vacation takes a toll as we get older....  *hehehe*

Image result for quiet simple lifeIt's good to be home;  I am walking Sadie more than ever now that the temps are cooler than 80 degrees most evenings.  That's a plus in my book.  Wish it helped HER to sleep better -- every little noise and she's waking up barking - which wakes me --- what a cycle!!  No wonder I'm napping every time I sit down!

The joys of a simple, quiet life.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Girl Time

It takes a bit of time to think and write up a post, especially when a Gal gets busy!  Catching up on housework and real work after a vacation keeps me on my toes.  I missed my weigh in weds (sort of on purpose) because I know I'm up 2 lbs after a few days away from the gym.

Today, I hit it hard, 15k+ steps today, and a half hour with weights for some resistance training.  On days after I hit the gym, I'm tired - its a good tired, but tired juts the same.

My mom has ordered her carpet, it will be installed just before Thanksgiving - what a nice holiday gift she's giving herself!   She has been wanting carpet for like five years, but just didn't know how to make it happen.  Mostly because of Dad's illness.  We were trying to calculate, and the carpet she has now was installed back in the 80s, so it's nearly 30 years old!  Yikes!  I remember when they got the carpet, they ordered the best carpet and the best pad available.  I'm sure that contributed to such a long carpet life!

I'm excited about things - I ordered a dress for The Wedding - it's black and beige - and I ordered it two sizes smaller --- that sure leaves a lofty goal for me to achieve now!   But when I slipped it on this afternoon (it was in my mailbox this morning!), it fits, but there are still um bulges and lumps over the belly and butt.  So a little work will go a long way to making this look terrific on me!  (And you sure can't beat $50 for a fab dressy dress! - that I'll probably never wear again. lol)  

Tonight's football game is on the TV:  49ers vs Seattle Seahawks.
#7 Colin Kaepernick is yummy to watch    *droool*


Image result for california girl quotes

Image result for california girl quotes

Friday, October 16, 2015

Special Days

Vacations are supposed to be good.  This one's turning out that way too.   I enjoy being here with Mom, spending time and helping her do what needs doing.  We had a successful trip at Walmart, finding a set of prints on canvas that look great in her bathroom - beige flowers on a brown background that are really well done- and you can't go wrong with trying something for $22 !!!!


Lunch was at my alma mater high school where my nephew attends; he is in a culinary class that does the whole restaurant scheme six times per semester.  We ordered a turkey sandwich - seemed safe enough! - and it was excellent!! Cracked wheat bread, turkey, bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and the best part, cranberry spread on the bread instead of butter or mayo.  Made it taste extra delish!  Was so much fun seeing my nephew be one of the servers, getting drinks, bringing out ice cream for dessert -- home made pumpkin spice.
Quite a special day!


I'm not doing much in the way of exercise, just the handyman jobs around the house.  But I'm being careful with my food intake as well.  I'll have to work extra hard when I get back home and back on routine.  But I can do it!


Thursday, October 15, 2015

Honey Do Please!



Image result for honey do list
Being single, a Honey Do List is never something I have, or do.   Being single, I just do what needs done, what I feel like doing, on my own time.

this weekend is different.

I am visiting my mom, and since Dad died in December, she's having to do stuff on her own and not happy about it much of the time.  I can't blame her.  When you've had someone at your side to do things with you for more than three fourths of your lifetime, you kind of get used to never having to make your own decisions, do your own thing all by your self.

Since I talk to mom nearly every day, I know the things going on, and the things she wants done but hasn't had them done.  So we arranged a weekend so I could help with these things.

Three or four months ago, she got ambitious and pulled down all the wallpaper in the front bathroom.  Then she painted.  She was hoping to have a shower installed in the tub portion of the bathroom, but someone came out and quoted her $15k.   Its a 6x8 foot very basic bathroom.  All she needs are the plumbing installed from the tub faucet up to a shower head (she is pretty sure the plumbing is all there and just needs the faucet assembly and showerhead) but I'm not sure I'm equipped to ripping out drywall just to see if it's there.  So a trip to Home Depot yielded us very little but new towel bars.

Yep.  I flew 800 miles to install a towel bar in my mother's bathroom.   *laughs*

she's also been wanting new carpet in the house for the past 5 years.  But with everything that happened, there just wasn't time.  Or they never made time.  So we looked, she found one she really liked, and I grabbed my phone and called to set up a guy to come measure.  With any luck, she will have new carpet in less that 2 weeks  It will make a HUGE difference in this house!

I played taxi driver and took her to her fav shoe store where she got new shoes.  then we stopped into a JCPenney store and she found a pair of boots.  Good sale going on, and I had a $10 credit to use against them, so $100 boots for $40.  lol   We're good shoppers!!!!!!

Image result for round table pizza logo

We got a lot done in a single day -- add in watching my nephew's water polo game, and ending the day with a glass of wine (or two) and some Round Table Pizza -- what a really good day  :)

Monday, October 12, 2015

Busy Monday

Image result for busy dayWhat a busy Monday!

Four hours into my shift at my BigBox store, it's time for lunch.  But I don't stop to eat, I head to the gym and hit the elliptical trainer for 33 minutes.   Back to work and boogie through the rest of my day to get it over with quick.  When my shift is up, it's back to the gym for another 33 minutes on the elliptical trainer.





Image result for cooking clip art
Once home, it's time to cook up meals for the week.  I grilled 4 burgers, boiled a dozen eggs, and then fixed up my salad with chicken breast on it.  Kind of boring, but ... it gets the job done.


I'm anticipating a good week, even busy ones can be good!  I'm back and forth on the progress of weight loss, but I'm not slacking in my calorie counting or in my exercise routine.

Now I'm ready to watch some Longmire, then Antiques Roadshow!

My thought for the day:

Image result for spark people motivations

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Painting!


So nice to relax after a weekend full of workin' on the house!   I got a "bug up my butt" and headed to Home Depot after work Friday and bought a gallon of paint.  When I woke up Saturday, I got out into the backyard and started painting.  It went faster than I anticipated, but it was still quite a project!   The second coat had to go on Sunday morning, but now that it's done.... ahhhhhh.   It's amazing what a coat of paint can do to spruce things up!


Image result for home depot color sample canvas luggage













The window and french door trims are painted in "Bleached Spinnaker" - sort of a light cream with a hint of sage.  The walls are a sandy shade called "Casual Khaki".   Both are a satin finish, and in the right light, there's a sheen, but not a shine.   Perfectly suits me!



What makes me a little disappointed is that I didn't get in very many steps this weekend.  I was up and down the step ladder, but that doesn't seem to count up in miles very fast!   I'm sure it will show on the scale on Weds, so I'll have to up my game on Mon and Tues.



Work in progress, the old color on the left below the window..... I can't be sure how long ago this was painted - I'm thinking it hasn't been painted since it was built?  Perhaps once but many years ago!  Because the boards are so rough, I brushed the paint on by hand.







Finished today,
and I'm happy with results!










One reason why I like "hands on" so much when it comes to doing things on the house is because of the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".  When we touch things, fix things, we leave a little piece of ourselves behind, a little piece of our soul stays with our works.


“The way to see what looks good 
and understand the reasons it looks good, 
and to be at one with this goodness as the work proceeds, 
is to cultivate an inner quietness, 
a peace of mind so that goodness can shine through.” 
― Robert M. Pirsig, 
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values




Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Small Achievements


Weigh In Weds.  The thought brings a shudder to me, because I'm never certain if I've done enough work to reach a goal.   Truthfully, we could all make a bugger effort when it comes to achieving our goals.  But some progress is better than no progress!  And this week was a good week for me.

I've lost 6.5 lbs in 3 weeks.  That's pretty much on track for my goal of 2 lbs a week.  But I can honestly say that it feels like slow progress.   My trainer didn't work me quite as hard as last week (thank goodness!)  but he doesn't let me slack either.  It was "arms" day, and I'm sure by tomorrow I will be feeling the effects.  In a good way  :)

I've increased my steps to over 12k a day; it helps to have cooler temps and I can walk Sadie around the block before bedtime!   I'm actually looking forward to my workouts and the progress I can make in the next week.  :)


Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Progress!


Image result for fitbit penguin march badge Another day of progress:

over 12K steps, and my 2-mile time today was 28:52



They say the way to reach a goal is to make a plan,
get to work, stick to it, and you will get there.

It's true, it works!




Image result for set goal


I'm doing the *HaPpY dAnCe*
but only for the moment.....

tomorrow is weigh-in weds!