HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

May your day be blessed with Family, Friends, Food and Precious Memories.

WEIGH IN 9-17-18

175/167/135

Hanging in. Considering the stress I've been under the past two weeks getting my new book ready to release, I'm surprised there wasn't a gain. Based on the circumstances, I wouldn't have been too upset. 

The book, An Ozarks Christmas, is uploaded to Kindle and KOPD. I just need to get someone to go through the proof copy then I can set the pre-order and release dates. 

There is so  much to do before the book releases but I'm not stressing - too much. I'm speaking at the Ozark Creative Writers Conference October 12th on Social Media - Choosing Your Top 3. I can't begin to cover everything in a 35 min. workshop + 10 min of Q & A so I'm creating a companion workbook. Thankfully, I am printing/ binding that one myself so I can work pretty much up to the last minute.

My only hiccup is that we have family coming in. Bob's youngest brother/ wife will be here on the 28th. His mom and her husband will be here on the 29th. Dean and Rhonda will leave October 1 - so only a 4-day visit. Rhonda and I are great friends as well as co-workers. She is one of my recruits in Stampin' UP! so we want to be able to craft that weekend.

Mom and Dick will leave on the 7th. So they'll be here an entire week while I'm trying to finish the workbook. I don't want to be cramming those the night before I leave for conference. That would make for a REALLLLY long day the following when I have a three and a half hour drive plus getting settled and an afternoon conference session. Then I'll need to be all bright eyed and bushy tailed for my session on Friday. the 12th. 

So.. not a lot of stress, just needing to break everything down and make things manageable. My sugar has been up as a result so I need to really work on that this week. 

But everything is part of the Journey. What ever path you choose, make the most of everything along the way, but most of all...

Enjoy the Journey!

WEIGH IN 9-3-18

175/166/135

Hangin' in at the 166 this week. I'm okay with that when I look back to the weight a year ago..

I'm only down three pounds in that year but at my heaviest between then and now, I weighed 172 in October.

But at my lowest I was 161 in January of this year.  

In looking back, I also noticed I've been at 166 before - that spot being a hump I could not get past. Let's see if I can push past 166 this time around. 

Bob is on the boat so I'm on my schedule, eating what I want when I want. Lots of leftovers in small portions, meats/ fruits/ seafood. I need to work on the vegetable thing. Just those are something I don't eat well with my dentures and when I don't have to go anywhere, those seldom go in. Will see what I can come up with this week. 

I did eat at Ryan's Buffet yesterday. They do a good steamed broccoli. Done just to tenderness, still retaining color and very flavorful. 

I hope you're enjoying your Labor Day weekend. Treat yourself. It's okay! Don't beat yourself up about eating foods you think you shouldn't. Remember my keyword:  

MODERATION

Enjoy the journey!

WEIGH IN 8-27-18

175/ 166/ 135

Thursday morning when Bob and I did our weigh in, I was 167... had been the entire month he was home. This morning I was pleased to see a pound gone already. Now if I could just lose at least one more per week the entire time he's gone, I'd be looking at 162!  That would be just short of amazing.

The scale is reflecting that I'm back on my eating schedule. No full course meals. Mostly proteins. I want to add in more fish. (those raw jumbo shrimp in the freezer are calling my name!) But I'm thinking mackerel patties. I haven't had those in ages. Bob doesn't care for them. He's not big on fish in general. So maybe after I get past the spaghetti tomorrow, that will be next on the menu.

I've also been lax in taking my vitamins so I plan to re-integrate those tomorrow. Still too hot to do  much outside so probably not a lot of steps in my future after tomorrow. I did get in 11,000 steps last Wednesday. Can you tell I did laundry that day? LOL

So here's to a fresh, full week, alone to do my own thing and see if I can drop another pound.

What's on your plate for this week? Whatever you have planned, Enjoy the Journey!

WEIGH IN 8-13-18

175/167/135

Apologies for not getting in here on Monday. After being gone all last week on a research/ revisions trip I was not only tired Monday but had a week's worth of housework to catch up on. 

I'm up a pound, but considering I ate out for eight days, I'm not complaining. I did more sitting at the computer than getting any walking in, though I did log steps walking from the Inn of the Ozarks up to the Crescent Hotel and back. Boy, am I out of shape!  

I ate lots of protein for lunch/ dinner meals. Muffins and fruit cups made up most of my breakfasts. I really miss salads but I just don't enjoy them with my dentures. 

I know it seems like there is a lot I can't eat comfortably anymore but I think I've discovered the issue. I have a ridge of jaw bone that rises from the rest of the jaw line.. almost like having a peak on a flat plane. The uneveness may be preventing the bottom plate to seat properly. For now I'll deal. But I'm pretty sure I'll be paying my dentist a visit in the future to see if we can remedy the issue. 

I'll try to be on time next week.

In the mean time, if you'd like to see pictures of my research trip in beautiful Eureka Springs Arkansas, they are in THIS post on my author blog. 

WEIGH IN - 7-30-18

NOTE: This post has been edited to correct the transposed numbers in the weigh in caption

175/166/135

A quick check in this morning. Bob is on his way home - should roll in about 2:30 and I have TONS to get done before then.

As you can see, I've stayed the same for two weeks. I dreamed last night that Bob had lost more than I so we shall know tomorrow.  

I do know I should have worn my stepper yesterday. I'm going to put the band on this morning and retrace one of the repetitive step actions I took yesterday to give myself an idea. I know my knees hurt like crazy last night when I'd finished the project. 

With Bob home there will be lots of going. Four weeks on a boat have given him cabin fever, I'm sure. I'm hoping if the humidity stays low that we can take some day field trips to do some hiking or check out neighborhood walking tracks. We shall see.

In the mean time, what's on track for you this week?

Remember PORTION CONTROL and ACTIVITY are the keys to any weight-loss success.

Enjoy the Journey! 

WEIGH IN 7-23-18

175/166/135

Glad to see that my craving for comfort foods last week didn't hurt me too bad. I had this thing for mashed potatoes and creamy gravies more than once last week  - okay 3 or 4 times.  The good thing is that I was able to feed my cravings without going overboard. Everything is about Portion Control

I'm hard at it on revisions this week plus working on my talk outline and the companion workbook. Bob should be home sometime this week so that will change how I work. 

Weather is much cooler this morning and should be this way through most of the week. Which means I'll have time to get in the garden and yard.

I've also determined that if I'm to get steps in, I HAVE to use the gazelle. Anything more than about 4,000 REAL steps and my shin splints are giving me fits. So yeah... cleaning the living room today so I can reposition the Gazelle.

Whatever is on your menu for the week, remember...

Enjoy the Journey!

ON HIATUS

At some point we all need to decide what is the most important. For now, writing is the most important. I am on multiple excruciating deadlines. If you'd like to know what my schedule is looking like for the next eight weeks, please visit my author blog post on DEADLINES.  I hope you'll be come a fan.

By the end of September I need to finish revisions/ publish my romance novel, finish rough on first of a western historical trilogy, get contest entries written/ polished/ submitted (By Aug. 25th!) and hopefully a companion workbook to a talk I'm giving on October 11th.

So I hope you'll understand that except for the weekly weigh-in, this blog has to take a parking space for the time being.

Thanks for understanding!
~Enjoy the Journey
Kelly

WEIGH IN - 7-16-18

175/166/135

Do you see that middle number? YaYaYa! Finally off that shelf. Now if I can just drop one more before Bob comes home sometime next week (if not this weekend). 

It's been a really long week. I didn't make it to the Gazelle because I was putting in so many steps elsewhere that most nights I went to bed with my legs screaming at me. This week is probably going to be a repeat but I am going to try and pace myself so the legs are not quite as vocal when I go to bed. I really do prefer sleep.

Speaking of.. I turned out the light last night at 10 p.m. Well actually, at 9 because I was dozing off during my recording of the British Baking Competition. As soon as I turned out the light, I was awake so I turned the TV back on and finished watching the show. There are some amazing talents on there. The challenges they provide are very hard, and get increasingly difficult with each week. Though I found it hard to believe last night that so many of them fought with pastry. Pastry is not difficult to make yet only one member managed to meet the technical challenge - barely. 

I miss my days of baking competitions at county fairs. For several years I participated in up to five different fairs per season. I earned decent prize money which paid for my trips to the Ozark Creative Writers conference. I've looked over the local fair book and may enter next year. We'll see.

Later this week, I'm going to be talking about a big box store, their route to invasion of privacy and my attempt to not step foot in their store again. We'll see how that will work out. 

In the mean time, I encourage you to do what you love and Enjoy the Journey!

RECIPE WEDNESDAY - Quick Chicken Fried Steak

While there are some things you can buy less expensively at other box stores, these Ribeye Steaks from $Tree aren't bad.

They are very thin sliced. Some are more gristly than others but otherwise they'd be great for a steak and cheese sub. Think of them like a breakfast steak.

The gristle is found in all ribeye steaks. The thicker the cut, the less pronounced you'll deal with. And face it, if you're eating a nice thick steak, unless the leaders are really bad, you don't notice them.

One day last week a writer friend and I were discussing Chicken Fried Steak - the best you can find in Texas. Afterwards I couldn't stop thinking about it so I went scrounging the freezer. I thought I had a couple of cube steaks. No such luck, but I did find two of these and thought 'why not'?

I pounded them out to break up those leaders and cooked them up as I would have any other cut I usually use for chicken fried steak. They fried up beautifully!  And sooo very tender. Pounding them out gave me 4 steaks that I used for dinner that day, breakfast the next day followed by two additional dinners.

You'll notice I get some really good, quick meals for Bob and I from $Tree. I've heard that not all of their stores have the coolers so check yours out next time you're grocery shopping.

Whatever you choose to eat,
Enjoy the Journey!

WEIGH IN 7-9-18

175/167/135

Are you seeing a pattern?

My goal is to finally get on the gazelle this week. The pain factor last week from Monday and Tuesday made doing much of anything until late week hard to do. I'm going for 2 days this week and see how I do.

As to food, I'm working on clearing out the freezer. I've been pulling a couple of things out every two days. Things that would normally be one meal, I've been making into two most of the time. Drinking plenty of water and decaf/ unsweet tea. I drink one cup of fluffy in the morning, tree until about 1 then switch to water the rest of the day. I usually have a coke in there somewhere between the tea and the water. I pour it into a freezer mug to make my own frozen coke then top it with a mini coke and work on it for a couple of days, freezing/ thawing a bit/ refreezing, etc. 

I'm also dealing with a bit of a sore throat from sinus stuff. Just enough that I know the glands are irritated on the left side. I picked up a package of Chloraseptic lozenges last week and use one of those if the irritation really starts to bug me.

For this week, 2 days on the gazelle, keep food in check and try not to overdo the steps again so I'm not dealing with pain afterwards. The cool thing about the gazelle is I'll get steps in without impact so that might help on multiple fronts.

Whatever you have planned for the week...

Enjoy the Journey!

RECIPE WEDNESDAY - Freezer Stock-up

FoodSaver

I use my foodsaver a lot. After solid research, I knew I didn't need a fancy one to start with but that I did want the Foodsaver brand. The one shown above is what I use.

About every six weeks I buy protein in bulk, bring it home and package into portions using the Foodsaver. This prevents freezer burn and lets me keep meat much longer than if I just tossed it in a zippy bag or froze in original packaging. Incidently, you should NEVER freeze meet in the original package. Meat department packaging is not meant for long-term storage.

One thing I use a lot of is chicken in many forms. This time around I'm showing you breasts and tenders. 

A #5 bag will net you approximately this in Breasts:

Solid breast pieces

Stragglers.

I have the breasts on the cutting board how they were packaged - one pkg of 3 and three packages of 2. The larger package will be great for Bob and I in the crock pot. I can also use the 2-packs for either both of us or just me, cooking two meals at once. This comes in handy during NanoWrimo.

Stragglers make the best chicken bites, chicken and rice, sweet n sour chicken.. those dishes where you're going to chop them up anyway.

Next, I had a #4 bag of Tenders (failed to take a picture) but here's what I came up with:

These I packaged in 4 pieces each. That gives Bob and I two tenders each for a meal. I can also oven-fry a 4-pack for myself and have them to nibble on over the course of a couple of days.

Do you purchase in bulk? Do you have meals in mind? I'd love to hear what you do!

Enjoy the journey!

FLYLADY - Home Economics

Instead of the usual Flylady routine post this week I thought I'd delve a bit into how I came to be a Flylady. Actually, I was a 'flylady' long before the term existed.

My (step) mom grew up during the depression. She taught me how to cook and to clean. To be self-sufficient if necessary and keep a well-stocked pantry for lean times. Almost fifty years later, I'm still putting those practices to use on a daily basis.

Along with what mom taught me, I learned a lot in school. Home Economics class was mandatory in Middle School (6-8th grades) and an elective in High School. Home Ec was an easy class for me and I enjoyed every moment in class. I see so many young people who have no clue how to run a home efficiently or cook a basic meal (that doesn't require a microwave or drive-thru). But I'm also seeing a resurgence in the willingness to learn how things were done 'back then'.

Thanks to Home Ec, I not only built upon the skills mom taught me but I learned other things, such as basic architecture. We were taught how to sketch out a floor plan. I used that skill when we bought this house. I drew out the floor plan, measured for cabinets, determined where outlets needed to be set when Bob did the rewiring, etc. I also used the same principles when we built my office. My contractor was amazed. Of course, he and his crew also feasted on the labors of my kitchen skills every day for a noon meal.

I have a lot more research to do on this 1950s housewife in regards to cleaning, but I thought I'd share this video I found on YouTube:

Whether you are a 1950s housewife or modern day, I hope you'll Enjoy the Journey!

WEIGH IN 7-2-18

175/167/135

My weight post is beginning to sound like a broken record but at least I'm not gaining. Now that Bob is gone, I'm determined to get an exercise routine in. I HAVE to if the numbers are going to budge.

This first week, I'm going to focus on two days on the Gazelle. I have enough housework/ yard stuff to give me plenty of movement. 

For food, I'm starting on leftovers in the freezer. Wednesday, for the 4th of July, I won't be going anywhere. I have leftover BBQ ribs in the freezer. I'll make a single potato into potato salad, maybe a couple of deviled eggs and a single serve of Cherry Cheesecake. That last one is important.

Growing up, Mom and I always made a 9x13 cake pan of Mother's Dream Cake. 

Graham Cracker Crust, a mix of Dream Whip and Cream Cheese and topped with Cherry pie filling.

We only made this on 4th of July. 

Since it's just me, I can't justify making even an 8" pie pan of the Dream Cake - which I would do if Bob were home. So I bought a tub of Philidelphia Cheesecake Filling. That stuff keeps a long time so I can portion it out. Thinking of trying some of it frozen for a cool treat. I'll let you know how that works out.

I have a ton to do today so this post is short. Tomorrow is Flylady. I have an idea for a different type of post but still related so I hope you'll come back to see what I come up with.

In the mean time, what are your plans for the 4th? Family stuff? Food?  Let me know.

Enjoy the Journey!

RECIPE WEDNESDAY - Surf n Turf

For me, the only thing better than all-you-can-eat lobster or crab legs is to combine seafood with a good steak. 

When it comes to portion sizes at a restaurant, they are way more than you need to eat at one sitting. Bob and I like to go out for a good steak and I'm slowly training him that because it's on his plate, doesn't mean he has to eat it all in one sitting. I have always cut my steak in half and packaged one portion up right away then enjoying the other half with my meal. With Bob gone, I can bring mine home to the freezer and enjoy a good steak while he's gone without having to leave home - or eat alone in a restaurant. That doesn't really bother me, I just like to have a conversation if I'm out in public. At home, I can enjoy a movie. 

That's what I did with this meal:

I started with the salad... greens cut from my own little garden. Well, to be clear, this salad bowl came pre-planted from Menards garden center with five different lettuce, a parsley and chives - for under $6! All I had to add was a diced tomato and a drizzle of blue cheese dressing.

Next, I thawed out a package of medium shrimp. I buy the $6 bag from Walmart then package them in portions using my Foodsaver. This allows me to thaw out a small amount for me when Bob is gone without disturbing the temperature of the rest of a large bag.

I put the steak in the toaster oven to reheat while I put the shrimp into a skillet with a bit of butter, then added some of the Teriyaki glaze, tossing to get all of that sweet/ tangy flavor on every bit of the shrimp quickly without overheating them. 

A quick, easy dinner for one that could have easily been a leftover for both of us by adding Bob's steak portion and another package of the shrimp. Bob would have passed on the salad, having cottage cheese instead.

How do you handle the large portions from restaurants? Do you have a favorite way of stretching that doggy bag at home?

Whatever you do, Enjoy the Journey!

WEIGH IN 6-25-18

175/167/135

No Change. 

While I'm thrilled to not be gaining, I'd really like to see the numbers going down again. I've hit that plateau and I'm the only one who can make the number move. 

Bob is only home for a few more days then I'll be back to  my own thing. I have a freezer full of leftovers to feed on plus I can add more vegies back in. 

And the Gazelle is still calling my name.. .but this time the cry is getting louder. 

What's on your agenda for this week?

Whatever you choose, Enjoy the Journey!!!

FRIDAY RECAP

This has been a really good week. We didn't get the rain the meteorologists kept predicting so the garden will need watered but the front that went over us has left us with a decent breeze and cooler temperatures. The thermometer reading this morning was only 66*F! I have all the doors and windows open, airing out the house. Hopefully, we can keep this around a couple of days.

I need to work in the garden while it's cooler but this morning, we are taking Bear to the groomer for the first time, ever. Go figure that about the time we're going to take a good portion of his hair off and thin him out, the temps would cool off. LOL Just can't win!

I kept track of my steps this week. I get most of them doing laundry. Tuesday was the big laundry day this week, helping me rack up over 9,000 steps. Almost made that 10k!  Then another day was all computer work and I barely managed 700.

I'm not doing much this weekend. Bob will be going back to work soon so this weekend is all about him and our time together.

What are your plans for the weekend? Whatever you choose....
Enjoy the journey!

RECIPE WEDNESDAY - Breakfast Anyone?

I've always heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For me, that is protein of some sort around 10 a.m. I can't eat much when I first get up. A couple of fig newtons with my coffee and I'm good. Just something light to kick in the metabolism.

A couple of weeks ago I had two hamburger patties left over from supper. I sliced them in half horizontally, turning them into a true hamburger 'bun'.

Next I fried an egg over easy and added a slice of american cheese.

Bottom slice of hamburger, topped with fried egg

Slice of American cheese and other 1/2 of burger patty.

YUM!

You are still eating this with a fork but was so very good. Another great addition would have been to top it with a bit of country gravy. Will try that next time.

What's your go to Breakfast of choice?

Whatever you choose, Enjoy the Journey...

WEIGH IN 6-18-18

175/167/135

No change from last week, which surprises me considering Bob and I ate out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday during our get away then again on Friday for Date Night.  

One thing that did help, and I might be getting through to Bob is the portion control thing. He'll be the first to admit that is his biggest stumbling block. At dinner on Friday night, he followed my example by bringing half of the 18 oz Prime Rib home. We'll be having steak and eggs for breakfast this morning. Of course, last night we had surf and turf here at home. We're still working on the 4 oz lobster tails I bought a couple of years ago during a Valentine's sale at the grocery store. The neat thing is that with the Foodsaver bags they keep really well, allowing me to buy them in bulk when they're on the annual sale and enjoying them for several months out.

So this week may be Bob's last week home before he heads back out on the boat. We've planned out the menu. 

Monday - Goulash Casserole

      I made this from leftover goulash I made for his lodge meeting on Saturday night. I put half the goulash in a 8x10 pyrex casserole dish, spread 8 oz of homemade pasta sauce, then a layer of Mozzarella slices. I topped that with the remaining goulash, the other 1/2 of the jar of pasta sauce then Velveeta slices. I might make a couple slices of garlic bread to go with using sourdough bread

Tuesday - Tacos!

Wednesday - Cheeseburgers on grilled sourdough bread (think Hardees), tator tots and Vanilla Milk Shakes (National Milk shake day!)

Thursday - Homemade Chinese Buffet with Beef/ Broccoli, Beef/ Mushrooms, Teriyaki chicken, fried rice, egg roll and possibly baked crab rangoon.

Friday - Baked Cajun Tilapia, noodle side dish and peas

Saturday - Chicken Breasts - I'm thinkin' Cord en blu, scalloped potatoes

Sunday - Pork Steaks in mushroom gravy, Rice and cheesy green beans

Bob's going to call the office on Thursday so we'll see how the schedule actually holds from there. If he leaves, I have plenty of leftovers in the freezer to work on before I have to worry about cooking full meals. 

That's my week - what's on your plate?

Enjoy the Journey!

FRIDAY RECAP - Really!

Okay.. so this week was crazy. I really thought I'd get a Recipe Wednesday post up before Bob and I left for a couple days of R & R. When he's home, I am not on my own time schedule. I'm scrambling now to get things done before we go to dinner... and pretty sure I'm not going to get the things done I wanted to before we leave.

We got home Wednesday afternoon and I was just done for. It's bad enough that once I've been out and about, I'm pretty much done for on the return home. The heat indexes are NOT helping. I just want to go sit in Alley Spring and not move til fall.

Yesterday, I took too much heat working in the garden - later than I would have liked yesterday morning but since Bob was working on a task for me, I couldn't leave him out there alone even though 'early' is not his thing.

I've never been able to handle heat. Even as a little girl, too much sun would give me nose bleeds. That's why I became a 50's housewife. My mom taught me everything about keeping house. I got to stay in to do household tasks while my younger sister had to do time in the garden.  Sadly, I enjoy both sides. I just know I have to be out there early in the morning or wait until the sun has gone down before I do much outdoors.

All of my progress photos are on my phone so I'll have those for you next week. Not enough hours today to pull them off, resize and upload here.

I've been getting steps in, just not remembering to mark them down at the end of the day. But I think I've hit upon a system that will help me remember.

I'll see you Monday! Have a great weekend, Happy Father's Day to the men in your life and...

Enjoy the Journey!

WEIGH IN 6-11-18

175/167/135

No change from last week. I'm surprised I didn't have a gain. The menu last week seemed to be about comfort foods. Yesterday we had a buddy of Bob's for supper. He was curious about my straw bale garden. Bob tried to explain the process and he couldn't get his head around it so I thought seeing it in person might help. 

This week we'll be eating out the first part of the week so I'll have to work extra hard to have a loss next week. 

I meant to have more posts up last week but I was determined to get my business blog on track. I wanted to make sure to have a new project up every day and promote my special for the month of June. So far so good. 

I do have several pictures for Recipe Wednesday. Just need to get them resized and the pieces written up to go with them. This week I'm showing you a simple high-protein breakfast. I will tell you up front, it's RICH. So have good cup of coffee or cold glass of milk ready when you read Wednesday's post. 

With Bob only home another week or so, I'm trying to spend as much time as possible with him but he's finding stuff to keep himself busy so I can work.  He's uber supportive.

I've also come up with an idea for the office so stay tuned for that post coming up near the end of the month... hopefully, if all goes well. 

What's on your path for this week? Please leave a comment and share your story.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kelly

WEIGH IN 6-4-18

175/167/135

I'm up a pound. On the positive side... for me anyway... Bob is also up a pound, while I'm down a pound from our challenge weigh-in. That puts me $100 to the good :-D

Overall, the month of May wasn't bad. I won the challenge, had two days that I topped the 10k mark in steps and I THINK I have the internet back up and running.

Last week, I intended to be on here and have things rolling. Memorial Day weekend, my internet got really slow and wouldn't open third party applications - like email, pinterest, youtube.. yeah. I wasn't happy. 

So here I sit on Sunday night determined this post will be live in the morning. I also have several food shots on my memory card for Recipe Wednesday posts with more in mind. This week, I'm not going to share a recipe but rather what I've started doing that will help insure Recipe Wednesday actually happens. ;-) So stay tuned for that.

Bob is home. This week is Laundry Room/ Kitchen for Flylady. Hopefully, I can get the under the sink project done. Maybe take stock of the dry goods cabinet. We'll see. 

Whatever I do, I know I'll enjoy the journey because Bob is home.

What's on your plan this week?  Enjoy your journey!

TEMPORARY HIATUS!

THIS WEEK ONLY!

Every time I tried to work this week something has gone wrong - and it's only Tuesday!

Seems like every time I sit down to dive in the deep end and get stuff caught up, 

Life Happens!

I try to keep this consistent but this isn't my paying job.

I blog here because I want to share my struggle with weight loss, various health issues and just every day life.

With things already getting in the way

~like a power outage yesterday and unexpected computer updates today ~

I'm not going to stress about getting stuff up at all this week.

I have some ideas for posts.

Rather than stressing about getting them up on time - daily

Instead, I'm going to lay the ground work for scheduled posts NEXT WEEK.

Then next week I can get the posts up for the week after that... and so on.

I can tell you I weighed in at 166 Monday morning. 

That's down 1 pound from last week!

Bob won't be home at least until June 8th - as we know right now

So I'm going to work hard getting as many posts written and scheduled as possible.

In the mean time, check out this video.

I've not watched it but the title looked like something you might be able to use while I'm off!

Enjoy the Journey!

RECIPE WEDNESDAY

I had planned to have a recipe up for today, as well as a Flylady post for yesterday.

I have developed a pinched nerve in my left hip that is really throwing me off kilter. All I want are the pain meds and a comfy place to sleep. Hopefully, I can get relief and be back on track for next week.

I'm still Enjoying the Journey - just at a slower pace.

Kelly

WEIGH IN 5-14-18

175/167/135

I'm pleased to say I'm down a pound. Now if I can just keep it going! I'm hoping I'm at the point where this roller coaster takes a steady downward glide. I don't want the 'whoosh' of a fast drop weight loss. Quick doesn't allow time for your body to adjust to the extra room. Thus the reason you see so much sagging skin on those weight-loss shows. 

Our skin has an elasticity quality that once we stretch it out, we have to allow time for our body to recover from the abuse of indulgence.

Stretching exercises are a good way to help this along. Though I have to admit, at this point stretching in some directions are tough for me as I struggle with the ability to lift my left arm past a certain height. 

But that doesn't prevent me from working the waistline, which is my goal for this week. 

As I type this, I'm looking at the Gazelle sitting unused. That, too, will change this week. Bob left last Wednesday and I'm ready to kick this week off with my own schedule. I'm hoping for a routine with elements I can keep in place even after Bob comes home.

I did miss tracking steps last week. The battery died in my CopperFit band. I bought a replacement on Tuesday but wasn't until yesterday that I actually swapped out the old one. Before the battery died, I did have a day where I exceeded 10,000 steps. I've also discovered I'm moving more around the house than I imagined. Days when we're out shopping, I don't rack up near the  steps I do when I'm here at home doing every day activities.

The first couple of days after Bob leaves I'm pretty much useless. For the first couple of days I spend my time getting back on my sleep schedule. Wednesday night didn't help when my youngest cat has developed allergies. The pollen count here is through the stratosphere and she was coated in the yellowish substance. when she came into bed she took her bedtime bath, licking and inhaling the pollen. She spent the rest of the night coughing, sneezing, and breathing oddly. Needless to say, not a lot of sleep for this fur-mommy. Friday night I was in bed by 5:30 p.m and slept straight through for 12 hours. 

I think I'm caught up. I got up at my usual time this morning and feel like I can accomplish something without needing a nap half-way through.

I have some recipes I've been working on and a new topic for FlyLady coming up soon. I look forward to sharing my journey with you... as I hope you will Enjoy yours!

Enjoy the Journey!

WEIGH IN 5-7-18

175/168/135

Last week was interesting and I'm not surprised there is no loss. I am surprised there wasn't a gain. We ate out multiple times last week, including a Mexican restaurant for Cinco de Mayo. I did get in a lot of steps though. One day I surpassed the 10k mark. 

I did discover I actually get more steps multi-tasking here at home than when we go out and seem to do a lot of walking. Saturday was one of those days. We went to an auction. I did a lot of walking around the yard as well as inside the home - both upstairs and down. Yet I barely broke 4500 steps! Seriously?

Thankfully, I think I'm home all this week. I need to be. I am behind in scheduling blog posts as this particular blog can attest. I was sure I had flylady and recipe up for last week. Since I've not figured out the menu for this week except today, Wednesday and Friday I'll have to see what I can find on Pinterest to showcase tomorrow. Something Bob will eat.

I have to say I've been really sore through my shoulders and back the past few days. I think that is partly due to the balance shoes I wore all day on Saturday. they have a balance 'bump' in the arch, forcing you to stand up straight and to walk heel/ toe. I'm not sure I'll be wearing them again. May be time to do some shoe shopping. 

I'm off to get caught up around here so I can get out into the garden. I hope you have a great week and ...

Enjoy the Journey!

WEIGH IN - 4-30-18

175/ 168/135

While I'm showing a gain of two pounds since my last post, I'm actually down one. I was at 169 last week. I'm laying blame on the big dinner the night before.

My whole work life gets turned around when Bob is home. I find myself staying up later while still trying to getting up at the same time and be able to function. I get a couple hours worth of work in before he gets up around 8 then we're at the dining room table until around 10 drinking coffee, eating breakfast and talking. Sometimes we throw in a game or two of cards before dividing and conquering. By the, I'm out of the flow and it's really hard to accomplish much. 

Which brings me to the question: Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Bob is a night owl. Even with getting up at the early hour of 8 a.m., he still doesn't come to bed before midnight most nights - though I suspect he doses in his recliner.

Me, I'm happiest stretched out by 7:30 but can hang out til 9. I don't sleep right away. That's just my place to relax, watch tv shows I enjoy or read. By the time I'm done for the day my legs/ knees/ ankles need the cool sheets and I am ready for the fan to stir a breeze across me and circulate the air. My light is usually out by 10 or 10:30. 

With Bob home I still haven't gotten on the gazelle. Every minute I can spare I am working on office stuff and trying to build up my Stampin' UP! business as I close in on my second anniversary with the company.  I am logging between 8-10 thousand steps on my ped every day and garden work will begin in earnest this week, giving me something else to squeeze into  my day. 

With that said, I am Thankful to be able to spend my days doing the things I love and sharing them with the most important person in my life. How many people can be so blessed?

However you spend your time, 

Enjoy the Journey!

FLYLADY - Office

I'm not focusing much on the actual cleaning of the Office this week. Bob is home so not a lot of time spent in here. Also, the retired list for Stampin' Up! was released on the 9th so when I do get time in here not 'work' related, I've been trying to integrate retired items into the general populace of stamps/ supplies and making room for the items I'm pre-ordering in preparation for the new catalog launch in June.

I also have an 11-day trip planned just prior to the release so I need things in order so I'll be ready to jump in with both feet as soon as the catalog launches. That means A LOT of prep work before my trip. 

GOAL:

Keep the work surface cleared after each project

If I can accomplish that, then I can Enjoy the Journey!

What's your Zone this week? Any area you particularly would like to have in order before the outdoor activities call you away?

Enjoy the Journey

RECIPE WEDNESDAY - Pesto Pork Chops

When I saw THIS recipe for Pesto/ Parmesan Pork Chops I knew I had to give the recipe a try... with a couple of modifications.

The recipe comes from RealLifeDinner

Before I began, I knew there would be a couple of modifications. Number one, I'm not a fan of Parmesan cheese. As a base for Alfredo Sauce, yes. But not shredded on top of my pasta or just about anything else. The cheese has a sharpness I don't care for, much like Swiss or Sharp Cheddar. Just not a fan.

So I started with the Pesto. I do enjoy Pesto. As she points out in her recipe, there are many varieties. Everything from different labels to homemade. Making homemade just for me doesn't seem worth it, so my next best choice is Classico. Well-balanced in flavor and texture.

First step, cover my roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Then I added two organically-raised, non-processed pork chops and spread them liberally with a heft 2-3 Tablespoons of Pesto.

Aside from leaving off the Parmesan, the other change I made was to cover the chops with aluminum foil. I was afraid they would dry out and I wanted to retain the juices. Boy, did they turn out juicy!

Look at the reserved juices in the bottom of the pan. 

I wound up not eating these for supper so recovered them and put them in the refrigerator over night.

The next day, I drizzled them in Ragu Alfredo Sauce:

I baked them uncovered in the toaster oven at 350 for about 20 minutes.

I was going to make fettuccine pasta but didn't have any in the pantry. (on my supply list now) but I did have a Knorr Alfredo pasta side dish. I fixed that up and served with green beans, basted in the juices from the pork chops.

Overall, a very yum,y recipe. I will fix this again when Bob isn't home. But when he is, I liked the Alfredo sauce on the chops and will probably fix them that way sans Pesto for him. 

What's on your table this week?  Whatever and however you choose to eat...

Enjoy the Journey!

FLY LADY - Master Bed & Bath

I smile every time I read this header. Yes, I love naps. Though now days it's more about either putting my feet up for awhile between the cool sheets so they'll stop aching or snuggling with the two cats that are pretty much banished to the bedroom during the day because they and Tabby can't get along.. and I can't sleep with them at night. Goddess, my nursemaid of a cat, has to sleep right up on m y shoulder. Breathing her dander all night about kills me - but we do okay for an hour or two during the day.

Oh, right, back to cleaning.
The bedroom has become more manageable since Bob built the laundry sorter tower in one corner. He hates when I find ideas on Pinterest but is more agreeable when he sees it is something that is really useful - not just a 'want'.

Okay.. so projects this week are:

BEDROOM
sort through the basket of pet sheets and eliminate that basket from under my nightstand
Clean my shoe shelves. They seem to become a catch - all :: sigh ::

BATHROOM
Under the sink orgnaized similar to the kitchen

Regarding the under the sink organization in both the Kitchen and the Master Bath - I have the drawer units I need to put in both of these places. Just a matter of making myself get down on the floor to do this particular task. Getting down is one thing, getting back up has become a bit tougher these days.

What's your Zone for this week? Is there a challenge spot you've been avoiding? Tell us what it is. Maybe we can help!

Enjoy the Journey!

WEIGH IN 4-16

175/ 166/ 135

No roller coaster this week. I've managed to keep an even keel. Of course, Bob may be home Wednesday night and I've not hit my goal of 165. We weigh in on Thursday morning so I'll be thrilled to have lost more than him - cash wise. On the other hand, he needs to win a few to get a motivation going. Competing against someone you truly love and want to see succeed is tough.

The step counter on the waistband has been working like a champ... literally. Know that I'm able to wear it from the time I get dressed in the morning until I switch to jammies at night, I'm seeing that while I thought I wasn't moving much, most days I'm getting in 6500 steps or more a day. That's over 2.5 miles - mostly just multi-tasking within the house and a walk to the mailbox and back. Seeing that I'm not as sedentary as I thought is a big motivator to keep going. 

Not sure how my week will go. In a couple of hours I'll attempt to load Bear into the back of the Suzuki. After the diagnosis from the vet to let him be happy as long as he wants to be, I discovered he has an abscessed canine. No wonder he isn't eating or barking and just lays around. If his abscess is anything like we get, then he is miserable to the core. Hopefully, this vet trip will put him on the road to at least being comfortable AND happy.

As I said, Bob is due home on Wednesday night. While I didn't accomplish much in the living room/ dining room last week - but did make strides on the office. My goal is to at least get the white folding table down and the holiday tubs moved to the basement. With that, I'll call that area a success for this month.

This week brings on a new area of the house but with Bob due home, my first three days will be more about finishing tasks I wanted done before he arrives.

What's on your plan for the week? Whatever your choices, remember to...

Enjoy the Journey!

RECIPE WEDNESDAY - Super Crock Pot Soup!

A few weeks ago I picked up a can of Beef in Gravy at Dollar General. I've been buying various types of their canned meats for storage. They are cooked, good for 1-2 meals depending on how you prepare them and have a long shelf life. While I'm not a SHTF Prepper, when I watch the news, I have to wonder and figure ANY preparation is better than none at all.

I did this meal in my 1.5 qt Rival Crock Pot. I purchased mine several years ago at Walmart and it's still going strong.

The whole concept behind this meal was to have everything in can storage for quick meals. Dollar General doesn't carry canned potatoes so I picked those up at Walmart. You can find them in any standard grocery store. I'm also going to check $ Tree next time I go and price compare.

So here are the ingredients:

That's it. I drained the vegetables and the potatoes but left the diced tomatoes juice.

I dumped everything into the crock pot, gave it a stir and set the temp on HI. Two hours later I had this:

At first, I didn't think there would be enough juice but as you can see, the cooking brought the juices out and the 1.5 qt is brim full. I barely had room to stir.

One very delicious bowl of soup. You might wonder why I added potatoes since there are potatoes in Veg-All. Usually the mixed vegetables are more carrots than anything and since I don't do crackers with my soup, I wanted the extra filler. I like potatoes. LOL

Beef in Gravy - $2.50

Diced tomatoes - .68

Diced potaotes - .68

Mixed vegies - 1.25 (maybe I should buy them at WM next time!)

COST - $5.11

SERVINGS - 4

Next time I want to add a beef gravy packet to the mix and see if I get more of a stew. That and a personal size loaf of Guiness Brown Bread should hit the spot.

Share your soup recipe! I don't think we're out of the cold yet. Even if we are, now is the time to begin preparing for fall.

Enjoy the Journey!

FLYLADY - Living Room

The living room is the one area of the house I see most of my waking hours when Bob is gone. Our living room/ dining room area is one open space  - 15' x 24'. When Bob is gone and my 'office' is set up on the dining room table, I can see it all! The living room isn't bad but the dining room needs serious work. I have two major tasks for this week:

LIVING ROOM:
Dust everything!
Put the items for the girls scrapbooks in a tote that I can keep in the office.

DINING ROOM:
The girls' old book case has become a catch-all for garden books and recently-purchased cook books. I want that shelf to be strictly garden books. I have shelves in the garden shed for my books/ magazines but I also have mice that are destroying them.

Dresser we had for Adrian when she lived here. I want to get that cleared out of accumulation so the girls can use it when they're here this summer. That's still kind of up in the air due to travel issues on Sue's end but we're sending good vibes all works out and we can have them again this summer.

This is the week Bob may be home (I'm typing this up on the 2nd). I'd really like to have this area looking sharp and at least less-cluttered when he comes home. We spend a lot of time in these two areas - either watching TV or playing cards. We shall see!

What's your focus area this week?
Whatever I'm able to accomplish, I'm going to Enjoy the Journey and I hope you do to!