It's nice and quiet and I thought I would write a little before I read and go to bed. I am so happy it's Thursday and I will head home tomorrow. We will be going to the basketball game Saturday afternoon and I am really looking forward to it. I will take some pictures this week. I need to show you how cute those little basketball players and cheerleaders look.
My daughter needs me to do some alterations and I hope to work on covering some journals. I have been seeing some of my blog friends covering them and it looks fun.
Isn't it funny how smells take you back to certain places and times? I have read that the part of your brain that remembers things is right by the smelling area. Is that cool or is it just me? I have the best memories of walking into the home economics room and smelling either cloth or sewing supplies or food that was cooked during the cooking sessions. I loved that smell and sometimes when I catch a whiff of something similiar it really takes me back. Another favorite smell was when my mother would hug me and she had on her apron. It was full of wonderful cooking smells and freshly ironed cotton. I'm missing my mother tonight.
God was so good to give us these senses. I don't ever want to take them for granted. My job everyday is to help people see again and I still don't thank the Lord enough for giving me vision. I want to pray I will keep His blessings on my mind and never take them for granted.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
This is a chilly night in Georgia and I thought I would share my thoughts on a few things. Is it my imagination or has the world turned upside down for a while? We see so much corruption in the world and it doesn't really seem like a whole lot of people care that much. People are losing jobs at an alarming rate. Things that used to be secure have fallen apart. What do people do that don't believe in the Lord? We have a Redeemer and He will take care of us.
That was my serious thoughts and now I will share something light. Avery started cheer leading for her school basketball teams Saturday and it was adorable. Watching little 4 and 5 year olds play organized basketball was so funny. They are adorable. They want to just run down the court and make the basket. They are not into dribbling that much or following the rules. They are so cute. They play three different age groups and they are too funny. I loved it. I don't remember when I have laughed that much. I needed that. The kids, boys and girls, were playing and getting great exercise. They are learning to be on a team and learning to follow directions.
Why can't we all learn to be on a team and follow directions? Maybe some of us never learn.
That was my serious thoughts and now I will share something light. Avery started cheer leading for her school basketball teams Saturday and it was adorable. Watching little 4 and 5 year olds play organized basketball was so funny. They are adorable. They want to just run down the court and make the basket. They are not into dribbling that much or following the rules. They are so cute. They play three different age groups and they are too funny. I loved it. I don't remember when I have laughed that much. I needed that. The kids, boys and girls, were playing and getting great exercise. They are learning to be on a team and learning to follow directions.
Why can't we all learn to be on a team and follow directions? Maybe some of us never learn.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
I've Been Tagged
My sweet friend, Pat at Millefiorifavoriti tagged me to Name Five Things. I thought it was fun so here goes:
1) Name five things in your purse: highlighters, calendar, bills, lipstick, nail polish
2) Name five things in your work room: art supplies, books, photos galore, sewing supplies, fire extinguisher
3) Name five things you have always wanted to do: learn to knit, publish a book, visit with Billy Graham, go to a retreat for a month (get away from phones, work, everything but my bible and writing paper and pens), go back to school (I love school)
4) Name five things you're interested in: teaching Avery about life and helping her enrich her life, working to the best of my ability, living for the Lord, reading, art. Not in this order.
5) Five Blogs to pass this on to:
1) Lavinia at Bird Bath Chronicles
2) Judy at Judy's Front Porch
3) Betsy at My Five Men
4) Julie at Julie King Art
5) Maree at At Home
I love learning more about others and if you girls would like to participate that would be neat.
1) Name five things in your purse: highlighters, calendar, bills, lipstick, nail polish
2) Name five things in your work room: art supplies, books, photos galore, sewing supplies, fire extinguisher
3) Name five things you have always wanted to do: learn to knit, publish a book, visit with Billy Graham, go to a retreat for a month (get away from phones, work, everything but my bible and writing paper and pens), go back to school (I love school)
4) Name five things you're interested in: teaching Avery about life and helping her enrich her life, working to the best of my ability, living for the Lord, reading, art. Not in this order.
5) Five Blogs to pass this on to:
1) Lavinia at Bird Bath Chronicles
2) Judy at Judy's Front Porch
3) Betsy at My Five Men
4) Julie at Julie King Art
5) Maree at At Home
I love learning more about others and if you girls would like to participate that would be neat.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Ramblings on a Chilly Night
You will notice that I changed my banner again. I like the freedom of being able to change it. The view from my hotel in Florida last summer helped me remember how nice and warm it was on that June morning.
I have a new banner picture that I took Sunday. Avery and I were at one of our favorite places, Books A Million. She got her latest favorite beverage, hot chocolate. I had a diet coke and she brought her Webkinz dog, Taffy. We love to discuss so many different things. We had gone out to eat after church and Papa had dropped us off while he trekked over to Target.
It is so cold here in Hot Lanta. I was going to run to the store after work tonight and the wind was so cold that I said to myself that I would 'make do'. Sometimes my daughter fusses at me because I find it too easy to 'make do'. I guess growing up without a lot of material things taught me to figure out a way to do things with less. I wish I had been frugal in lots more things. I would be better off financially now. I am blessed though.
It snowed back in South Carolina today and Avery was thrilled. She looks forward to snow every year and I was so happy she got to see it again. One of the girls that works for me got to go to D.C. for the inauguration. She called us right after the swearing in and she was having a blast. Crowds are not my thing and that freezing weather was definitely not my thing.
What is it with all the sleeveless dresses in the freezing cold? Maybe it's super warm in all the places they are having the inagural balls. It's probably interesting to see the celebrities, but I am happy to be right here doing my thing.
I have a new banner picture that I took Sunday. Avery and I were at one of our favorite places, Books A Million. She got her latest favorite beverage, hot chocolate. I had a diet coke and she brought her Webkinz dog, Taffy. We love to discuss so many different things. We had gone out to eat after church and Papa had dropped us off while he trekked over to Target.
It is so cold here in Hot Lanta. I was going to run to the store after work tonight and the wind was so cold that I said to myself that I would 'make do'. Sometimes my daughter fusses at me because I find it too easy to 'make do'. I guess growing up without a lot of material things taught me to figure out a way to do things with less. I wish I had been frugal in lots more things. I would be better off financially now. I am blessed though.
It snowed back in South Carolina today and Avery was thrilled. She looks forward to snow every year and I was so happy she got to see it again. One of the girls that works for me got to go to D.C. for the inauguration. She called us right after the swearing in and she was having a blast. Crowds are not my thing and that freezing weather was definitely not my thing.
What is it with all the sleeveless dresses in the freezing cold? Maybe it's super warm in all the places they are having the inagural balls. It's probably interesting to see the celebrities, but I am happy to be right here doing my thing.
Monday, January 19, 2009
An Interview by PoetKat
I agreed to be interviewed by PoetKat at Poetkat's Invisible Keepsakes and I really enjoyed it. She asked some thoughtful questions and I must recommend her blog. She's a very creative poet and I have enjoyed getting to know her better this past year.
Here's the Interview:
1) Of all the places you have lived, which is your favorite?
I would say my favorite place that I lived would have to be my childhood home in Indianapolis. I got to visit in August to show Avery where I grew up and I realized then that those memories of this little one bedroom home meant so much to me. Although there are some painful memories from my daddy's illness in that house, I choose to focus on the sweet, loving times with my parents. We would sit on the screened-in front porch and my parents would drink coffee and I would either read books or color in coloring books. There was much love and as I look back on the times, I must say I didn't seem to have a worry in the world. We would walk down the street to church several times a week and life for me was blessed.
2) What do you like to do best with Avery?
I have thought about this for a few days and I must say that just spending time with her is great. No matter what we do, I enjoy being with her. I love to cook together, do art together, and one of my favorite things is a little game Avery came up with when she was 3 or 4. It's called, "Hard Working Sisters". It started when I would have her help me do chores such as laundry or dishes and she came up with us pretending to be sisters living in a big mansion with a king.(Papa) We do the laundry, cook the food, and of course, plan elegant parties.
3) What is your all time favorite movie?
Since the late 60's I have loved the movie, Dr. Zhivago. I never tire of watching it. Omar Sharif writing in the abandoned Snow House is very romantic. This movie has a wonderful cast and a story that is heart wrenching. I can remember the first time I saw it and thought how beautiful it was.
4) If you could spend one hour with Jesus, what would you say or do?
I think is a very difficult question. I think I would be in so much awe that I would be numb and couldn't talk for a while. I would probably cry and hug him. When I got myself together I would thank Him for giving me life and salvation. He has blessed me in so many ways. I have known Him all my life, but didn't come to love Him so deeply until I was an adult. I wish I had realized sooner, but I can't go back and I'm thankful for all the years I have had a sweet relationship with Him.
5) What is the biggest obstacle in your life that you had to overcome?
I would say the biggest obstacle I had was losing my father as a little girl. My mother and I had lots of love, but very little income. I graduated from high school and chose to marry a month after graduation. I started right to work and realized after a couple of years I should have gotten my education right after high school. I started college in 1973 with a one year old and went to school in the 70's, 80's and graduated in 1998. It took me 25 years, but thankfully I was able to get into positions that had required degrees, but they took me anyway. God has been so good to me and I continue to be blessed. I was adopted by a loving couple and not a day passes that I don't miss my parents. They would have been crazy about Avery.
Thank you, Kat for this opportunity to share.
If you would like me to interview you here's the rules:
1)Leave me a comment saying "Interview me".
2)I will respond by emailing you 5 questions (I get to pick the questions).
3)You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4)You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5)When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them 5 questions.
I will post a list of those who have agreed to an interview so everyone can follow along as they respond.
Here's the Interview:
1) Of all the places you have lived, which is your favorite?
I would say my favorite place that I lived would have to be my childhood home in Indianapolis. I got to visit in August to show Avery where I grew up and I realized then that those memories of this little one bedroom home meant so much to me. Although there are some painful memories from my daddy's illness in that house, I choose to focus on the sweet, loving times with my parents. We would sit on the screened-in front porch and my parents would drink coffee and I would either read books or color in coloring books. There was much love and as I look back on the times, I must say I didn't seem to have a worry in the world. We would walk down the street to church several times a week and life for me was blessed.
2) What do you like to do best with Avery?
I have thought about this for a few days and I must say that just spending time with her is great. No matter what we do, I enjoy being with her. I love to cook together, do art together, and one of my favorite things is a little game Avery came up with when she was 3 or 4. It's called, "Hard Working Sisters". It started when I would have her help me do chores such as laundry or dishes and she came up with us pretending to be sisters living in a big mansion with a king.(Papa) We do the laundry, cook the food, and of course, plan elegant parties.
3) What is your all time favorite movie?
Since the late 60's I have loved the movie, Dr. Zhivago. I never tire of watching it. Omar Sharif writing in the abandoned Snow House is very romantic. This movie has a wonderful cast and a story that is heart wrenching. I can remember the first time I saw it and thought how beautiful it was.
4) If you could spend one hour with Jesus, what would you say or do?
I think is a very difficult question. I think I would be in so much awe that I would be numb and couldn't talk for a while. I would probably cry and hug him. When I got myself together I would thank Him for giving me life and salvation. He has blessed me in so many ways. I have known Him all my life, but didn't come to love Him so deeply until I was an adult. I wish I had realized sooner, but I can't go back and I'm thankful for all the years I have had a sweet relationship with Him.
5) What is the biggest obstacle in your life that you had to overcome?
I would say the biggest obstacle I had was losing my father as a little girl. My mother and I had lots of love, but very little income. I graduated from high school and chose to marry a month after graduation. I started right to work and realized after a couple of years I should have gotten my education right after high school. I started college in 1973 with a one year old and went to school in the 70's, 80's and graduated in 1998. It took me 25 years, but thankfully I was able to get into positions that had required degrees, but they took me anyway. God has been so good to me and I continue to be blessed. I was adopted by a loving couple and not a day passes that I don't miss my parents. They would have been crazy about Avery.
Thank you, Kat for this opportunity to share.
If you would like me to interview you here's the rules:
1)Leave me a comment saying "Interview me".
2)I will respond by emailing you 5 questions (I get to pick the questions).
3)You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4)You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5)When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them 5 questions.
I will post a list of those who have agreed to an interview so everyone can follow along as they respond.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Some Things I Have Eaten to Lose Weight So Far
Several of you have asked how I have been losing my weight and I thought I would take a few minutes to tell you what I have been doing. It's not a big mystery. I am not going to Weight Watchers. I do recommend it though. I have gone about 20 different times. Off and on from 1969 until last year. I don't mean 20 meetings, I mean 20 periods of it. I have lost large amounts on it and also I have not been in the right frame of mind and I only lost a little and gave up.
I am someone that has had a huge issue with overeating for over 40 years. I love to eat when I'm happy, sad, depressed, excited, tired, etc. You get the picture. Food has meant more than a means of staying alive and nourishment for many long years. In the last year or so I have gained so much and unfortunately I weighed the most I have ever weighed the beginning of December. I had been reading Maree's blog, At Home and read about her adventures losing weight and staying on plan. It was and is inspiring to me. She shared some before and after pictures and it really got me enthused. She's younger than me, but we are both grandmas and I just kept thinking, "Trish, she looks fabulous, why don't you face reality and get on board?" So I did. I feel better and look forward to my Monday 'weigh-ins' by myself.
Here's some of the things I eat now. I eat lots of soup. Usually, vegetable or clear broth soup with some chicken, but I also eat chili sometimes, too. Soup is very satisfying to me and low in calories overall. I love Wolfgang Puck organic soups and I look forward to breaking open a can on a cold night. I also eat Pepperidge Farm Wheat Crackers. Get the small ones because you can have like 14 or so and it makes you feel like a really nice meal.
I eat some salads, but I try not to go overboard on them because to me salad is no where near a comfort food and I enjoy soup so much more. I eat a lot of Sugar Free Jello. Also, I splurge and have the Diet Puddings with a little Lite Cool Whip. It's yummy and the pudding is only 60 calories a container. The jello is 10 calories so I usually have 2 or 3. I am not saying I count calories, but after years and years of being conscious of how many calories are in everything I intellectually know what is better for me. My problem has been having my mind ready to take the steps to do what I needed to.
I have a couple of different breakfast choices and it seems to work well for me. I have LUNA bars or scrambled egg whites and fruit with turkey bacon. I enjoy these choices for breakfast, but it is not my favorite meal. I love fish, chicken and most vegetables.
Pop over to Maree's blog and look at some past posts when she has talked about eating out and food suggestions. She has inspired me and I am totally indebted to her for getting me on the right road.
I mainly want to lose weight for my health, but I will be honest...I am tired of being the 'thick chick' whenever I go anywhere. It also ages me. I don't mind looking my age, I just don't want to look 10 or 15 years older because of my size. Carrying around this extra weight is hard on my body and I recently was diagnosed with high blood pressure and losing the extra pounds should help.
I think portioned meals like Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers are good for me. When I am in a setting where I have access to family-style cuisine I tend to want to overeat. Buffets were a blank check where I felt like I needed to get my money's worth. I want to move around better and I want to ease some of the pain of my arthritis. I have another 60 lbs. or so to go. I realize it will start coming off slower, remember I have been down this road before. I must keep reminding myself that this is a marathon and not a sprint. It was a process putting it on and it will be a process taking it off.
Unfortunately, people tend to treat heavy set people differently than they treat thin people and that has always bothered me. I am so thankful the Lord loves me thick or thin. I just want to feel better and be healthier. I pray 2009 will be a healthy year for you, too. We are blessed and life is good where I am worrying about losing weight and so many people in the world are worrying about where to find food to eat.
I will let you know from time to time about my journey with this situation that has consumed me for years and years. I can tell you what size I was when I did significant things in my life. I somehow always measured myself by my size. It's not who I am, I'm more than a fat woman, it's just that I am so much healthier and happier being smaller. We can say all day long over and over how it's just important what kind of person we are on the inside, but truthfully, and you know it's true....people do judge by our size. It's not supposed to be that way, but it is. I hope this isn't depressing to you, but I guess I just needed to get it off my chest......and hips and all over. I love you guys and appreciate you being there.
I am someone that has had a huge issue with overeating for over 40 years. I love to eat when I'm happy, sad, depressed, excited, tired, etc. You get the picture. Food has meant more than a means of staying alive and nourishment for many long years. In the last year or so I have gained so much and unfortunately I weighed the most I have ever weighed the beginning of December. I had been reading Maree's blog, At Home and read about her adventures losing weight and staying on plan. It was and is inspiring to me. She shared some before and after pictures and it really got me enthused. She's younger than me, but we are both grandmas and I just kept thinking, "Trish, she looks fabulous, why don't you face reality and get on board?" So I did. I feel better and look forward to my Monday 'weigh-ins' by myself.
Here's some of the things I eat now. I eat lots of soup. Usually, vegetable or clear broth soup with some chicken, but I also eat chili sometimes, too. Soup is very satisfying to me and low in calories overall. I love Wolfgang Puck organic soups and I look forward to breaking open a can on a cold night. I also eat Pepperidge Farm Wheat Crackers. Get the small ones because you can have like 14 or so and it makes you feel like a really nice meal.
I eat some salads, but I try not to go overboard on them because to me salad is no where near a comfort food and I enjoy soup so much more. I eat a lot of Sugar Free Jello. Also, I splurge and have the Diet Puddings with a little Lite Cool Whip. It's yummy and the pudding is only 60 calories a container. The jello is 10 calories so I usually have 2 or 3. I am not saying I count calories, but after years and years of being conscious of how many calories are in everything I intellectually know what is better for me. My problem has been having my mind ready to take the steps to do what I needed to.
I have a couple of different breakfast choices and it seems to work well for me. I have LUNA bars or scrambled egg whites and fruit with turkey bacon. I enjoy these choices for breakfast, but it is not my favorite meal. I love fish, chicken and most vegetables.
Pop over to Maree's blog and look at some past posts when she has talked about eating out and food suggestions. She has inspired me and I am totally indebted to her for getting me on the right road.
I mainly want to lose weight for my health, but I will be honest...I am tired of being the 'thick chick' whenever I go anywhere. It also ages me. I don't mind looking my age, I just don't want to look 10 or 15 years older because of my size. Carrying around this extra weight is hard on my body and I recently was diagnosed with high blood pressure and losing the extra pounds should help.
I think portioned meals like Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers are good for me. When I am in a setting where I have access to family-style cuisine I tend to want to overeat. Buffets were a blank check where I felt like I needed to get my money's worth. I want to move around better and I want to ease some of the pain of my arthritis. I have another 60 lbs. or so to go. I realize it will start coming off slower, remember I have been down this road before. I must keep reminding myself that this is a marathon and not a sprint. It was a process putting it on and it will be a process taking it off.
Unfortunately, people tend to treat heavy set people differently than they treat thin people and that has always bothered me. I am so thankful the Lord loves me thick or thin. I just want to feel better and be healthier. I pray 2009 will be a healthy year for you, too. We are blessed and life is good where I am worrying about losing weight and so many people in the world are worrying about where to find food to eat.
I will let you know from time to time about my journey with this situation that has consumed me for years and years. I can tell you what size I was when I did significant things in my life. I somehow always measured myself by my size. It's not who I am, I'm more than a fat woman, it's just that I am so much healthier and happier being smaller. We can say all day long over and over how it's just important what kind of person we are on the inside, but truthfully, and you know it's true....people do judge by our size. It's not supposed to be that way, but it is. I hope this isn't depressing to you, but I guess I just needed to get it off my chest......and hips and all over. I love you guys and appreciate you being there.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
I Have Missed You
Hopefully, I am back and this is not a false restart. I have missed my friends and I have been drowning in numbers. Here's a news flash! I admire people that can work with numbers all day long every day. I'll admit that seven days a week, day after day, has been an overdose for Nana Trish. All I have to do is tweak a few things and I should be all the way done.
My life has felt as though something was truly missing. It was my "blogging life". I kept wondering what everyone was doing, but I knew if I jumped in I would not be able to do what I had to do. Thank you guys for being patient with me.
My friend, Maree, at At Home, has inspired me to change my eating habits. She has lost a lot of weight and I kept reading about great suggestions for snacks, eating out, and hanging in there. I have a lot more to lose, but so far 18lbs. and counting. This is from a thick chick that has been on every diet known to man. It's all about the choices and thank the Lord I am loving feeling my clothes get big on me. I need to go to Seattle in June and I really want to have a significant amount gone by then. I want to be healthier and have more energy. This is a long process and I didn't get big all in one day. It will take a while and I just have to make the right choices.
I must not delay. I must hop on over to visit you guys. I have had withdrawals. I thank you for all the sweet comments in my absence and I can't wait to see what YOU are doing!
My life has felt as though something was truly missing. It was my "blogging life". I kept wondering what everyone was doing, but I knew if I jumped in I would not be able to do what I had to do. Thank you guys for being patient with me.
My friend, Maree, at At Home, has inspired me to change my eating habits. She has lost a lot of weight and I kept reading about great suggestions for snacks, eating out, and hanging in there. I have a lot more to lose, but so far 18lbs. and counting. This is from a thick chick that has been on every diet known to man. It's all about the choices and thank the Lord I am loving feeling my clothes get big on me. I need to go to Seattle in June and I really want to have a significant amount gone by then. I want to be healthier and have more energy. This is a long process and I didn't get big all in one day. It will take a while and I just have to make the right choices.
I must not delay. I must hop on over to visit you guys. I have had withdrawals. I thank you for all the sweet comments in my absence and I can't wait to see what YOU are doing!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Happy to Be Back in The Groove!!!
I have certainly missed it outside of blogland. I am still working on my year-end reports, but I am at a place that I have to wait for others parts before I can proceed. So since I had been anxious to get back to visiting every one's blogs I took a break from the work and here I am.I have worked so much on these reports and I'm nearly dizzy by the time I step away from them. I will feel like jumping up and down and praising the Lord to thank Him for helping me finish. I must thank Him anyway for helping me with the tires and then this past weekend our water heater broke. The carpet got soaked, but we didn't realize until yesterday that it was the hot water heater. We thought it was a broken pipe or the roof leaking somehow. Well, Mark is still on vacation and he was there to get the new hot water heater.
Don't you just love it when you get these challenges somehow all at once? Tires, hot water heater, what fun thing will be next?
I'm off to visit you guys and I am happy to be back in the saddle. Oh yow! Thank the Lord also because I've lost 15 lbs. since the first of December. Hooray!!!!
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