Great Times!!

A mini vacay, visiting with my daughter and the rest of the crew.  Because of the dream I had where Brian brought me a cheeseburger at the amusement park, I ate my first burger and fries since last August!!  Whoa ..... DELISH!!

Had a good visit with MissT, MrA, MissBree and that gorgeous great granddaughter of mine!!!

And I did something naughty, something I did with MissB at her age, I slipped her a sip of Diet Coke!! lol. (Shame on great grandma!¡!)

Then spent the afternoon reminiscing with MissT and MrA.  So many family memories with my kids, too many to recount here, for now!!  I love you!

Dreams of a Cheeseburger

Last night was a dreaming night. They're always a little nuts, always in color, and almost always very disjointed, as if I'm starting to watch a movie from the middle rather than the beginning. 

I can remember being in a bedroom, with dogs, and making the bed. But next is being in some kind of carnival or amusement park, waiting in line for some kind of ride.  And my son Brian bringing me a cheeseburger.

While there was more, the longer I'm awake, the more the details escape me. But if I were to interpret this: the carnival would represent the craziness that my life has become.  And the waiting, well that's trying to figure out what's best for mom. 

The cheeseburger?  Maybe thats permission to have a nice meal for a change???? (she asks with a lot of hope as its been 10 months since the new eating lifestyle began!)  Maybe its time to indulge thus weekend when I see my daughter.

Cheeseburger, here I come!

Picnic Dreams

I worked for a forklift company for 20+ years.  My boss was a good friend to me, and being I was one of few women in the parts/service end of things, I often helped him organize picnics and parties.  

So I'm doing my sleep thing last night, and dreaming about a picnic.  It was strange in that the memories of the people at the forklift company mingled with the people I met along the way at my BigBoxStore.   

I remember talking with my boss, Ed, about how these shindigs had grown from about 50 people "back in the day" (the 80s ) to over 400.  

I remember walking the outskirts of the crowd, not really taking part.  Most people were eating.  We always did fantastic BBQs back then.  

There were achievement awards for employees and little gift bags for the kids.  

Maybe I was just missing Ed. He was a great boss, an even better friend, and a personal mentor.  We met when I was just 18, so I truly grew up under his guidance.  He was more worldly than my parents. He had been a cop in Chicago for a while.  His son dated my sister a few times.  I knew his wife, Kathy.  He loved his 65 Mustang painted "honey gold".

For years after he and I both left the company and moved to other states, we stayed in touch with cards and letters.  He was one of the truly good men.

I'm a Food Addict

Its been six months since I started intermittent fasting, and eating right.

I have learned that I am a food addict.  I have little to no control when it comes to certain foods.  Especially pizza, gummy bears and chocolate chip cookies.  

I know that if I grab a cookie, a slice of pizza, a bag of gummy bears I don't control my intake.  I want them all!

So my style of eating and fasting isn't a diet any longer. It is no longer a short term solution to a long term problem.  It now has to be my lifestyle.  

And today, I'm ok with that!

We had good rains today!  #cloudporn

New Job

Today is the first day, but not my first time, picking up Mr Z from school.  This is my new job.  The pay is $0 but the reward is better.  Seeing his smile when the bell rings is priceless!

My nephew starts his academy training today, and sent me a text with his new badge.  My sister would be so proud!

I made arrangements to see my daughter and family on Saturday.  I'm renting an SUV to drive, just because I can.  

And I cooked all morning, prepping meals for myself for this week.  Pasta, veggies, chicken and beef.  I may have to pick up some fruit, I wasn't concentrating when I shopped for groceries!  Maybe I should start making a list!

Another commitment checked off ✔ Happy Monday!

Food, Glorious Food (Day 2)

Assignment:  I hope you came hungry, or have a great food memory at hand, because today we’re going to practice writing through our taste buds!

When I think about food -- ok, I'll admit, I think of it probably more than I should -- the one day that comes to mind when it comes to food is Thanksgiving.  One of the best holidays of the year:  there are no gift giving requirements.  All that matters is being with family, being thankful for all we've been given during the year, and having a great meal to celebrate.  

When you're young, Thanksgiving wakes you with Mom in the kitchen beginning her day looking at a (hopefully) thawed out turkey that needs to be stuffed and basted, the sound of celery being chopped and sausage frying on the stove.  The smell is glorious, and brings up an anticipation that continues to build from there.  The bread was cubed the day before and is ready to be mixed with the sausage, onion, and celery and stuffed into the bird.  Once the bird is popped into the oven, it won't be long before the smells drift through the house, creating a bit more mouth watering anticipation.

Of course, there's always setting the table - fancy dishes and silverware, pretty crystal goblets that gleam in the light.  Maybe some pretty flowers, or a cornucopia in the center of the table.  Counting out chairs so there's a place for everyone.

Turkey isn't the only thing on the menu.  Mashed potatoes, gravy, yams with those little marshmallows on top... cooked to a golden brown.  The meal is never complete without some kind of cranberry sauce, whether you like it fresh or prefer it to be from a can, holding it's shape and looking like some kind of jello.  And yes!  There's always room for jello.  When I was young, mom made lime jello with shredded carrots in it.  I've never figured out the real appeal for that, but I always enjoyed it. 

For me, the icing on the cake would be the home made rolls.  As a grownup, I'm partial to really good breads, and I think mom's rolls are the reason why.  The smell of bread cooking brings back so many memories of the house I grew up in and the people in my family.  For me, the ultimate comfort food.  For some, bread is just what's holding the delicious insides together.  But I enjoy bread, plain or buttered.  When bread is in the oven, everyone knows it!

No Thanksgiving meal is complete without pumpkin pie with whipped cream.  Some years, we were ready for dessert right after the meal, but most years we were willing to wait a while before trying to stuff ourselves with anything else.  Whether you think of pumpkin as a fruit or a vegetable, when you mix is up with spices and condensed milk, and bake it in the oven, it's delicious.  Topped with some whipped cream (not Cool Whip) it's the perfect end to a glorious meal. 

Sun Daze

Sunday is usually the day I do all my chores.  But because I was uncertain about my having to work, I had done most of my chores on Friday and Saturday.  Which left me at odds today, trying to find things to do.  I took Sadie for a walk at Riparian, and that was good, lots of sunshine, and it wasn't chilly at all.  Gotta love winters in the Valley of the Sun!

When we got home, it was a little time in the chair, reading and getting a little sunshine :)



Then I decided to do some cooking for the week.  I had gotten some hamburger and ground pork, and then a london broil.  So.. I went a little crazy and cooked it all!   Now we're all ready for the week.  It was two years ago that I started on my intense quest to lose weight. And one of the things I found most helpful was having meats cooked up so I could just toss a salad, cook up some veggies and be good to go for supper.   Otherwise, its too easy to grab things that are bad for me, because I'm too tired, or lazy, to cook.


I am starting off with positive thoughts for the week to set and achieve a very small goal:  do something at the gym every day, walk Sadie every day, and record my meals diligently.

This should be easy enough to accomplish!