More January Random

There is no school today, the teachers have a work day without students.  Last Monday was a holiday so I am enjoying having another Monday at home. The best part of not working on a Monday is the Sunday evening before, just chillin'. 

Just a random post today. I am still on my declutter, get organized and pare down the junk January kick.  I filled the back of the Jeep last week and brought a load of things to the thrift store. I have cleaned the laundry/work room.  I could get rid of more craft stuff, but just wasn't ready. I cleaned out the cabinets above the washer and dryer, wiped down all flat surfaces and mopped.

I sewed a new liner for our dirty clothes basket.  Remember, I am not a seamstress. I'm just a gal sewing seams with stress.  I am pretty proud of the fact that there are no open seams, my arrows are lined up and I didn't lose my salvation.

 All for dirty laundry.

 I refreshed my ribbon bar.

 Romans 12:12 is my Bible verse, I mutter it to myself a lot. I found it online and actually ordered it, hung it up and embellished it with faux greenery. We have lived in the Stone House for 17 years and there are bare walls.  I am not good at wall decor.

 For four years I left Christmas up on the wall at the top of the landing.  It was all I had. That has been fixed too.

 Some days I get more checked off the To Do list than others.   I do have a job, regular housework and a life.  Some days I pick one drawer and clean it out. On Saturday I just could not face the attic so I went through my pajamas.  It's baby steps.

The eat less, move more should progress at this point as Hubby and I have now finished the Costco package of Almond Roca. Yep, we did it! Ugh.

I am walking and I am looking through all of the exercise videos on Netflix.  No, not actually doing them yet but I am checking them out.

Which leads to my other goal of watching more television.  I started Longmire last night and I think I am going to enjoy it.  Any other suggestions?

It's not all work here, on Friday evening Hubby and I enjoyed a strawberry basil martini, appetizers for dinner and spun some Bobby Darin tunes. Good times in the sitting room at the Stone House.
NOTE: Blogspot and videos are not friends so this is just a snapshot.

In my last post I touched on the government shut down which resulted in me deactivating my face book account.  We are getting a break until February 15th, but I am not quite ready to return to FB.  I had enough stupid comments in real life.  It's better if I hibernate right now.

  

Enjoy your week!

Happy 2019

Happy New Year friends! A fresh start and new beginnings, here we come.

 Christmas decor is back in the attic.  I took a lot of time this year organizing and going through things as I put everything away for another year. I kept the poinsettia as it still pretty and some wintry coasters that I love.  There is candy on the kitchen counter but it's not long for this world either.

I took down all of the blow molds, Napco figurines and bottle brush trees from the kitchen shelves.  As I put things back together I went through each basket, found and organized all 2018 tax information, took care of appointments for doctor referrals, and organized bills and records. 

 During December I don't look at the bank account because it may be frightening and because I'm busy.  I have since balanced and checked everything and that feels good.

As soon as the new year arrives I start making campground reservations and airline reservations.

Check and check. I like to look forward to something so the January rain doesn't get me down.

All holiday linens have been washed, starched and ironed.  I am still working on the pile of shirts.  Oh, how I miss Toni and Pearl.  Our local dry cleaners closed in November and I miss those girls and their mad ironing skills.

 I am dreading the power bill for December.  The lights are taken down inside, Hubby has to take down the outside lights this weekend, weather permitting.

 We enjoyed many lovely holiday meals.

 Baked Alaska for dessert, yes please. Oh my, it was fun!

Now recipes like Sassy Water are popping up everywhere.  Not as fun but I'm ready for less.

One last hurrah!  The traditional post holidays clean out the deli drawer mac and cheese dinner.  I'm going to make it for dinner tonight.  Whether it's good or bad this year, it will never be duplicated. 

Vacation ends on January 7 for me and until then I am organizing, prepping and doing some relaxing.  List making is my favorite so it doesn't feel like work to me. Goals and resolutions do not begin until vacation is officially over, as in back to school.

I don't make hard core resolutions so much as goals and just wanting that uncluttered fresh start that comes with a new year.

Here I go!

#thestruggleisreal

Spring has sprung and it is sunny and warm.  It's so great.  On the heels of spring comes summer.  Summer means swimsuits, shorts, sleeveless tops and a diet.  Or as I like to call it, eatlessmovemore.

A few summers ago some friends and I did the 17 Day Diet.  Over and over, 17 days, 17 more days and then another 17 days.  Yes, we lost weight.  Did we have a fun summer?  No, no one has fun eating chicken breasts and salads for every meal.  It was known as the summer of chicken by our guys, no one liked that diet.   Wine on the patio, nope, not allowed.

That said, we did lose weight, so I got my book off the shelf a few weeks ago.  Paged through it and put it back.  A friend mentioned this morning that she went on the 17 Day Diet for a half a day this past week.  Bah hahaha, yep, that's enough.

 I checked out Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight from our local library a few weeks ago.  Doesn't it sound fantastic, thin and organized!  In six weeks, no less!  Yeah, that is a lot of balls in the air, and if I was really good at juggling I'd run away and join the circus.   Dieting and purging closets, ain't nobody got time for that.

Diets are a full time job.  If you don't take it on as a full time position you will end up getting fired.

Fired by a diet.

Now I have the Body Clock Diet checked out from the library.  I've skimmed through it.

You have to ask yourself, what do all of these books advise?  EAT LESS, MOVE MORE.

That is the secret to losing weight.  I've known that for years.

 I have been walking, and walking some more.  It's good for me, good time to think things through, pray, see my little town, enjoy all of the blooming trees, blah, blah, blah.

I've got the MOVE MORE down.

 Over 12,000 steps before 8:30 a.m. this morning.  Go me!

 It's the EAT LESS that kills me.  The struggle is real.  Food is fun, drinks are fun and I am a fun kinda gal.  I also like to feed the pain (my SIL, the social worker diagnosed me, thanks Laura!).  My Dad got sick and then died and I was sad so I plopped on the sofa with a big bowl of Chex Party Mix and a glass of wine.   Hello!  What else could I do?

Last night Hubby and I went to pick up our new washer and dryer because it was in the store but couldn't be delivered until April 13th.  We pulled out the old, brought them to be recycled and waited for them to roll out the new set.  Turns out the distribution center sent two dryers and no washer.

So, we went to Kulshan for a beer and a burger.  Fed the pain!

Undid three days of hard core calorie counting.

It was fun and tasty.

 We are going on a cruise in May.  Nothing motivates this chick more on an eatlessmovemore than a pending vacation.  If I don't drop several pounds before May 16th my clothes won't fit for the trip.  It's how I roll.

Jodi sent me this meme.  Yep, that is pretty much how it goes for moi.

Honestly, at what point do do women just say phooey, I am pleasingly plump and I don't care?

I am buying bigger clothes than my fat jeans.  Again.

I'm not there yet.

But I'm not having much fun either.

You?

If you know the secret besides eatlessmovemore, do tell.

The world wants to know how to have fun and BE on a diet simultaneously.

Do tell.

I'm on the edge of my seat  my scale.

I'm Busy, Kinda

 I'm busy okay?  Since vacay in the desert I have been a little busy.  And possibly a little bit lazy too.  The first week home I was of course, slammed at work.  I needed to fill eight volunteer shifts, get caught up on daily stuff and the new inventory just keeps on arriving.  At home the house needed a Spring cleaning, the yard needed weeding, the '57 Aloha needs to get finished and I was reading some books that I hadn't gotten to on vacay.  Whaaat?  Yes, I have been reading when I should have been bustling around and posting on the blog.

So finally, a very random post because some days random is better than nothing.

I am walking and walking and keeping score with my fitbit.  I am still using fitness pal to count calories but really, how in the world does one add up the calories in a Philly cheese steak sammie topped with mac and cheese and bacon and served with a an IPA?

Eat less, move more is a full time job for moi and my oh my, life has gotten in the way.

I am trying though... until someone wants to go out for dinner.  Then, not so much.

The '57 Aloha is being worked on by Hubby.  A lot of progress on the dinette and the bed area has happened.  The hinges and other cabinet hardware is ready to be installed.  Who knew polishing, cleaning and obsessing over cabinet hardware could take over our lives?

The weather has been so great this spring and most folks in our area have done a lot of yard work. 

 I had not.  I just wasn't feeling it.  Last weekend I jumped in with both feet, a hoe, a rake, a pressure washer and some new potting soil.  Y'all will be happy to know that the patio is party ready and the window boxes are ready for plants.  Whether they are ignored or tended the weeds continue to grow and it's been a tough lesson for me this Spring.

Now, you understand why I haven't blogged much lately...

DAILY LIFE!  And really, who wants to read about cleaning, chores, yard work and failed diets?

No one.

A Story Problem

I don't like it when someone talks about their diet and every stinkin' bite they are eating or not eating.  In my mind, I am screaming, "who cares?  NOoOoO one."

Today I'm that person because people have been asking me where I've been lately.  

So, now you're gonna hear it.  It's not a short story and it's not a nice story so if you can't take the heat get outta my kitchen.

I had to hit the Eat Less, Move More hard this year.  Last year, for whatever reason, I gained weight.  I could not make myself care.  I couldn't resist food or fun.  And boy howdy, did I have me some FuN.  Chex party mix, beer, chocolate, wine, cheetos and chips, cookies, cheese, oh it was fun.  And social.  I mean really, don't those foods say party to you?  I lurve me a partay!

It was a fun year but my clothes don't fit me.  Even my fat jeans didn't fit me.  I had to change my ways.  Last year I bought new fat clothes for my Palm Springs and Hawaii trips.  I couldn't very well go out and buy fatter than fat clothes for my upcoming vacation now, could I?

I am using basic arithmetic to shed some weight.  Each pound has 3,500 calories.  I need to cut back 3,500 calories to lose a pound.  Sounds simple, doesn't it?   I am using two apps to calculate this basic arithmetic, my fitbit app and the fitness pal app.  One counts my steps and one counts my calories.   The apps are synced.  I get a weekly summary from fitbit and it tells me exactly how many calories were deficit for the week.  I want to lose two pounds a week so I have to have -7,000 calories per week.  

Blahh, blah, blah.

Simple arithmetic?

Hardly.

This is the new math, possibly common core math; whatever that is, and honestly, let's not talk about  our core.  I haven't seen my core in a very long time.  This new math is hard.  It's not just  -7,000 calories per week.  It is a menopausal woman in her mid fifties trying to lose weight.  Nothing adds up with this math and very little subtracts.  It's the hardest story problem of third grade.  It's like taking calculus when you barely passed freshman algebra.

Not only have I given up bread and butter butt (pun intended) I have also given up weighing myself.  I have weighed myself daily for many years.  Probably since I was struggling over the story problems in third grade.  If the scale went down I was happy, if the scale went up I was cranky.  If I had a bucket of fun or a bucket of chicken and the scale didn't go up I thought I could do that everyday.  Yeah, I know.  I KNOW, OK?  It doesn't work that way. This time I started my diet aka new math on January 5th so I only weigh on the 5th of each month.   It takes every bit of self control to wait until the 5th to weigh.  I'm leaving on vacation April 1st so I get to weigh early in April.  I'm giddy.  Of course, if I haven't lost, woe to my travel companions.  CRANKY!

Now, back to those of you that asked where I've been.  I've been on a DIET.  I'm not on a cruise, not on a vacation, not anywhere fun.  It is a full time job.  I have to walk, a lot.  That takes time.

I'm counting calories and planning my meals.  That takes time.  I am chopping vegetables instead of opening a bag of chips.  That takes time.

But the real and gritty reason you haven't seen me.  I'm antisocial when dieting.  No, I can't meet you for a drink.  Are you kidding me?  A glass of wine is a very slippery slope.  One sip and Skinny Chick is sitting on my shoulder telling me to eat the cheese tray, the deep fried mushrooms and the order of calamari, right after I order another glass of wine.  She's my evil twin except she's a twig and she likes me fat.  Skinny Chick  is real and she's mean, and oh yes, Skinny Chick  is fun.  She gets in my head and tells me I'm skinny and that I may have whatever I want.    She only comes out when a drink involved.  Trust me when I tell you she can not be trusted.

If I meet you for coffee at Woods and the peach scones are back, I'm toast.  If I go out for dinner it's hard to stay at 1200 calories per day.  As one of my dieting friends says, who wants to meet for lemon water and broccoli?  NO. ONE.  It's not fun.  It's better this way.

There will be fun again, there will be yummy recipes with butter on the blog again.  But first I have to stay the course and gett'er done.  There will be maintaining and moderation and I'll be fun and social again.  I just lost my way last year.

It's safer this way because when I'm solving a Eat Less, Move More story problem I get hungry.  And when I'm hungry I'm mean as a snake.  I am crabby, cranky, and just no fun at all.  Oh, I can go out once in a while.  I do have to see people at work and in town but it's a lot of work to play nice right now.  It's better for everyone if  I stay on the down low.  Really.

Still not convinced?  Ask Saint Hubby how it's been here.  Just don't let me hear you cuz THAT might make me mad.  I don't like people talking about diets or about me.  The struggle is real, my friends and I am HUNGRY.  Don't press me.

Now, you know and aren't you sorry you asked?

End of subject.  Forever.

Drive to Walk

 

 It may not make a lot of sense to drive somewhere to go for a walk, however; there are so many places by the bay, the lake and the mountains that sometimes you just have to get in the car to go for a walk.  This week I pick up my sis, Jodi and her pup, Dottie and we drove to the cliff.  It is part of BP Oil Refinery property but walkers and bikers are welcome.

It was bright and sunny though my pictures look like sunset.

 When we were kids our parents took us here on Sunday afternoons.  At that point there wasn't a sign warning of the dangers so we actually went over the edge and scrambled down to the beach.  After walking on the beach, beach combing, building driftwood forts and having a snack we hiked back up the hill.  There was a heavy rope tied to the top and we used it to pull ourselves back up to the top.  It was always a little scary.  We would start to slide down the cliff and much like roadrunner we would grab branches and hang on for dear life.  What were our parents thinking?  In spite of the danger, we all have good memories or our Sunday afternoons at the cliff.

 Just when you think the view can't get any better.  It's time to turn around to walk back and there in all of it's glory is Mt. Baker.

Though it defies logic to drive somewhere to walk for exercise, some days it's a brilliant idea.

 

Where is your destination walk?

 

 



Random Friday Bits and Bobs

Brrrr...baby it's cold outside!  I have new flannel pj's though so I should be fine.  Vintage trailers and flamingos on flannel?  Yes, please.  I can only lounge in them, sleeping in them would be a hot flash nightmare waiting to happen.

I'm obsessed with finding new snow boots this year.  I really want white with some fur.  I'm thinking about the ones pictured below but I'm not sure there is enough fur.  I have leather boots but I do need some new snow boots.  My last pair was a gift that I received from my husband when we lived on E Street.  Our house on E Street was a 2 bedroom with three small boys.  Hubby came home and told me he'd spent money that day on some thing for me and he knew I'd say we couldn't afford it but he loved me and thought I should have it.  Of course, I thought I was getting flowers. No go, it was snow boots from Cenex Farm Store.  They really were the best gift, I'm so happy he surprised me with boots instead of roses.  Bill and Fred's Excellent Construction bought boots for their bookkeepers. 

Jodi, do you still have your boots?

 I haven't started Christmas decorating however; I am digging around in the attic and finding some treasures to do a bit of Christmas crafting.  I'm also working on making some gifts this year.  The glue gun is loaded.  Hmmm, I wonder if I need a background check for a glue gun with Washington State's new gun laws going into effect in December.  Cuz it's a weapon and smokin' hot over here.

I hope to take the ornament box and create a shadow box.  I love the piles and boxes of Christmas bits and bobs.  Wouldn't it be great to just place piles all over the house and call it good?

Who does THIS?  Who checks out Homemade Decadence  by Joy the Baker and The 21-Day Belly Fix from their library at the same time?  Sigh.  It's not going so good over here.  I've only had time to flip through both of them, not really a lot of time to read right now.  Or bake.  Or diet.

 I did make a pumpkin coffee cake late week.  It wasn't in either book.  T'was delish!

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

• STREUSEL TOPPING:
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
• 
  
• COFFEE CAKE:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 9-inch round cake pan.

FOR STREUSEL TOPPING:
COMBINE flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly; stir in nuts.

FOR COFFEECAKE:
COMBINE flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

SPOON half of batter into prepared cake pan. Sprinkle 3/4 cup Streusel Topping over batter. Spoon remaining batter evenly over Streusel Topping; sprinkle with remaining Streusel Topping.

BAKE for 45 to 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.        

*I am not promoting or getting paid, just passing along a tasty recipe from the Libby and Nestle website.  I don't get paid to write this blog.  Now or ever.  Amen.       

I am fine.  I did warn you this would be random.  So stop thinking that Tami's lost her mind.  I'm all here.

Now I am going to empty my house of all decor to prep for Christmas decorating.

There may be a tree or two going up this weekend.  HAH! 

Stay cozy!

When In Rome do as the Romans Do or When In Palm Desert Go to the Gym

I work out with friends on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  We refer to it as boot camp, though we are not as rigorous as a real boot camp nor as rigorous as when we started 5+ years ago. Four of us meet to walk, use our free weights and occasionally run some hills.

Obviously, I am not in great shape but without "boot camp" I could be in worse shape.

And I am pleased that I have done this consistently for almost 6 years.

Sometimes I take my exercise clothes and running shoes on vacation but I quite often don't use them. Since I was only taking carry on luggage to Palm Springs, I decided to leave my runners at home.

That was my first mistake.

Chris had just gotten four work outs for the gym in the desert.  Her trainer had visited and created workouts specifically for the gym.  The night before when Chris mentioned going to the gym, I deferred.   I didn't really have ideal clothes and I had brought some Guess sneakers but no running shoes.

In the morning though, Chris was going to go to the gym and I thought I may as well go along.  I wouldn't be on the tread mill too long, I could still use the free weights, and I could always bike with sneakers.

A little workout is better than no workout, right?

That was my second mistake.

r

 Chris takes the golf cart to the gym as it is quite a ways from her house.  Oh, fun!  I don't get to ride in a golf cart to boot camp.  This is great!

I had some shorts that I sometimes pull on over my swim suit so I wore those, a t-shirt and my sneakers.

 Ooh my, this place is beautiful.  I'm glad I decided to go to the gym.

 As we walked up to the gym, I thought about just sitting court side to watch a tennis game.  It was so pretty,  the sun was shining, there were chairs set up, I could order coffee... no, I went right into that gym.

That was my third mistake.

There are no pictures for what happened next.  

I waved Chris on, told her to enjoy her work out and not to worry about me.  I know what I am doing in a gym.

That was my fourth mistake.

I got on the tread mill to warm up.  Just needed to tap the screen to get it started.  That thing was S L O W, I kept tapping, nothing happened.  I was leery of it going too fast so I was careful.  After seven minutes of sauntering I was getting a little impatient.  

My impatience was my fifth mistake.

 I had taken the machine in the corner of the gym for several reasons including the fact that I didn't have a sports bra along on the trip so yeah, private might be better.  My shorts were daisy dukes, not athletic wear really and I had on Guess sneakers.  Better to stay on the down low.

I pretty much looked  like a hick.  Like out of place, crazy out of place in the Rancho La Quinta Club.  Give me some credit though, I do work out regularly AND I was working out while on vacation.

Anyhoo, after sauntering for seven minutes I hit some buttons.  

That was my umpteenth mistake.  Let's not count the mistakes anymore.

Because what happened next was horrific.  That machine took off like a bat outta hell.  I was running FAST and FASTER and FASTEST.

Imagine a 55 year old woman in short shorts, no sports bra, cute little sneakers sprinting in the Olympics for the finish line in a very close race.  That blur,  it was me.

I tried to stop it.  I pulled the emergency stop rope.  I tapped every freaking 'stop' button on the screen.  At this point my whole beautiful vacation flashed through my mind, as though I were drowning, I saw myself tumbling through the air and landing with a thud and broken bones.

Noooo... this cannot happen to me.  I was scared to try to jump off because I'm not the most graceful gal out there.   But I had no choice, I prayed, I grabbed the bars and jumped off onto the sides, heart pounding, sweating in my daisy dukes and sneakers, gasping for breath. 

Near disaster, a good  great save, some loss of pride as I was surrounded by the fit and the beautiful, but nonetheless a SAVE.  I  am pretty sure that the fit and the beautiful in La Quinta are still talking about that CRazy lady running for her life sans sports bra in their gym.  Who let her in?

I walked away from that treadmill to use the free weights and a bike.  

That treadmill was possessed.  By the devil, himself.

Chris later asked how fast I was running.  "Uh Chris, like freaking running for your life fast, that's how fast I ran at the gym today!"  Sheesh.

 But I don't give up easily so I went back the next day.  This time I warmed up on a bike and then followed Chris around using her upper body workout from her trainer.  Thanks Bethany!

Safer that way.

Chris let me drive the golf cart home.  We stopped on the way back to the house and picked fresh oranges for juice.  The golf cart and the OJ pretty much made up for the gym.

Nothing was broken, no harm, no foul.  Right?

Palm Springs Girls Trip

I left the snow at home and went to Palm Springs for some fun in the sun with gal pals, Shelly and Chris.  There was a purpose for our trip and I'll post later today about the whole fantastic trip.  

We came home yesterday.  I am missing my morning coffee in the sunshine with the gals this morning.

I know, I know, no one feels sorry for  me. Now, I'm off to work, the skies are grey and of course, all homecomings involve an Eat Less, Move More.

It's January blahblahblah

Every January I begin the Eat Less Move More campaignbattleresolutiondietathon.  It's the wood stove, the cookies, the family dinners, the wine, the appetizers, the chex party mix that get me every holiday season.  By the way I don't eat the wood stove but I do lay, lounge and sit by the fire rather than walk or run.  So, here I go again filled with good intentions, ambition and lofty goals.

Whatever fattening food and goodies that were left in the house I gave to Sam and Max yesterday.  They were happy and I have less temptation to finish things.  I'm a Dutch lady therefore I do not waste.  Ever.

So much to motivate me this year.  I can't share all of the trip itineraries just yet because you'll hate me.  I do have  several sunny vacations in 2014.  How many is several, well, it's more than two.  Don't be a hater.

And of course, I am on the wedding diet.  Sam and Angela are getting married in 2014.  I don't want to be filled with regret every time I go through that photo album.

Are you on an Eat Less, Move Move this year?  Do tell.  What works for you?

I have taken down five Christmas trees and have one to go, a small one.  Whew.  That was a whole lotta fun being on the Christmas Homes for the Holiday Tour but no one tells you just how grueling the take down is going to be.  I am resolved to finish today.

Our guys were all home for Christmas and it was fun.  The best pictures were of the kids in their pj's sitting by the tree but alas I was told I couldn't share them.

Sam was the BiG winner of left,center,right at my folk's party.  The winnings are a  nice addition to the wedding fund.

 Christmas morning brunch after church and then opening gifts was pretty traditional.  Christmas Eve eve a new tradition began.  I love adding new traditions to the mix.

Now the guys are all back to their homes and Hubby and I will settle back into the empty nest routine beginning today.

In between all of the fun and frivolity there were funerals, flu and an oral surgery.

But overall, it was about the best Christmas ever.  It always is.