Random Ramblings

Finally finished page 5 (the bottom of the first column).  I don't even want to think of how long it took me.  Thankfully it is done now and I can go on to page 2 (top of column 2).

This has not been the year for me.  I seem to get over one thing, and sick with another!  After having the most awful flu in the world, I had several good days before I came down with a terrible cold.  I weighed in yesterday and had gained 1 lb.  I don't know if that was lack of gym time from being sick, fluid retention, or because I had drank so much water trying to stay hydrated.  It was enough for me to momentarily think about giving it all up.  Just didn't seem worth it.  Luckily, things change with a good nights sleep and today was a much more positive day!  I have added some goals for this week so that I can try to push myself a little in the area of training and eating.  I plan on hitting the gym 6 out of 7 days this week (2 out of 2 already accomplished).  Yesterday I spent 45 minutes on the eliptical, 20 mins on the treadmill and played a 15 minute game of raquetball with my son.  Today I decided to just do raquetball, and played nearly an hour and a half!  I haven't had much stitching time, but I fit it in as I get a chance.  I am teaching a class at church on how to be a good samartian.  In addition I have committed to reading the bible through this year.  All that keeps me pretty busy.  Honestly I think sometimes that I just do not have good time management skills, although I know that can't be true LOL.  Josh is training at the gym 5 days a week, twice with a personal trainer.  He is also playing indoor soccer once a week, and tennis is expected to start in the next month.  Top all that off with the beginning stages of submiting applications for college :(  It is wonderful and sad all at the same time.  Robert chose to go into the military instead of college, Zech will never go to college, and is struggling graduating right now from High School......so Josh will be my first to go off to college. 

Well I wish I had more time to share but I am off to pick my husband up from work.  Things are not going well with his job, and there is much rumors of a strike come October.  It has certainly put us into the frame of mind of getting as much paid off as we can before then.  I miss all my friends emmensly.  I know that this does not make up for posting individually, and I will try to that as soon as I can.  Lots of love and prayers coming your way!

Finally feeling like I have a bit of my strength back.  What a crazy couple weeks!  Josh is still sick with what we have found out is bacterial strep (a strep infection in the blood) or whatever.  Doctor ordered more antibiotics and we hope that he will start seeing some improvement.  Poor kid makes it through school, then comes home and goes right to sleep until the next morning. 

Robert left on Sat. to travel by bus to Texas.  Apparently he will be training there for two weeks to start his new "career" selling magazine subscriptions.  From Texas he will take a bus to Myrtle Beach FL and then work his way up the East Coast.  Not at all what I had envisioned for his life, but sometimes we have to make our own way.  Just praying for safety, and that God would put the right people and situations in Robert's path to change his life.

Zech is still struggling, but he has had some accomplishments this week.  He made the youth basketball team and he has been working on putting an engine back together in his automotive class.  He is pretty proud of the engine :)

Allyssa is doing her normal life stuff.  She seems to be floating along fine for the moment, which frankly is a good thing because of everything else going on.

Stitching is at a complete stand still...UGHHHH  All I can say is I NEED SOME TIME!  I am praying that tomorrow evening I see some of that time!

And finally Weigh In was tonight.  I lost 4lbs this week :) :) :)  Which brings me to a grand total lost of 7lbs in the last 6 weeks!!!!  My goal this week is to hit the gym at least 5 out of 7 times and to stay On the program.  I don't want to do anything that will sabatoge my loss.  Now that I have started moving in the right direction it is time to really get cracking.  I have goals!  And I plan on meeting them!!!!

Guess what...I got a new job today.  Now before you ladies, and you do know who you are, question me giving to much of myself......read the rest first.  So I have been a little down about the fact that I finally have gotten to a place in my life where I actually WANT to look like a women,  (You know hair, makeup, nails etc) and we are at a place where finances are not real condusive to me spending the extra cash.  So, I made a compromise and joined our gym, taking the 58 a month out of my grocery allowance.  I figured it was one thing I could really do for myself and feel good about.  Well today a friend from church called out of the clear blue and was trying to solve a conflict in their family.  After some talking and hashing through, this friend said they thought they had the perfect answer.  Seems that his mother bought a new puppy yesterday.  This puppy is a miniture dachsund and is still very little.  She works 3-12 hour shifts as a nurse at our local hospital.  So I will be "babysitting" the puppy 3 days a week for $75.  Isn't it awesome.

This week has just flown by and so much has happened in my life, and the lives of the people around me.  I have been ultra busy in church activities as of recent.  We are getting a few more things up off the ground, and I have decided for the time to pour myself into whatever I can do (within reason).  I have also been busy lending my friend a hand (she is the one I taught to cross-stitch).  She is a young mom with three small boys and is also taking care of her 18 year old sister.  The both come from an extremely difficult relationship with their parents, and the sister has been having a lot of difficulty finding a reason to stick around.  I ended up going with my friend to have her sister admited to the hospital the other evening, and that has been difficult for all of us.  I have grown very close to both!

As for my weight loss efforts, well I am a bit (okay truth be told A TON) frustrated right now.  I worked my BUTT off this week, quite litterally.  Watched every piece of food I ate, and tracked it carefully.  Drank my water etc etc.  So last night I go to weigh in and find that I have lost.................drum roll please.....................
NATTA, NOTHING, ZERO, ZIPPO, BIG FAT AIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ugghhhhh!!!!  The WW instructor informs me that next week will be better, that my body is in shock!  She also told me to (get this) Eat MORE food!  So I will try again for this week, and we shall see.  I am not quiting.  And even if I don't lose weight I am feeling ubber better (except for the few minutes right after my workout).  I have been reading a lot on what Montel Williams does.  I used to fluff it off, but you know I think he has something there.  My balance is improving, my mind is clearer, and my legs cooperate (eventually).

As for stitching, well there is no update there.  I have done none this week!  I am hoping to spend some time tonight!  I am finding it hard to balance tracking my food, getting my workouts in, church activities, children's activities and on and on.  I will eventually find a good balance, but haven't yet.

And finally, I thought a few months ago that turning fourty was the end of the world for me.  But as I come up on the actual date, I am finding that it will be okay to be fourty, in fact it will be a fabulous year!  So I have decided that this year I will be 40 and FABULOUS!  A lot better then being depressed and down about my age.  (A resolution for this year, to be positive in light of everything!)

Sorry this post was so long winded.  I had so much more to say, but I am off again, and don't have time to write off all the wonderful things I have experienced this week.  Perhaps later this week I can reflect on them.

Tonight was weigh in night, and I wasn't going to post, but then I thought what is the use of only posting my successes?  It won't encourage anyone reading this if I just post when things are good and I am successful, right?  People need to see the struggles and the results.  Well I gained this week, 0.8lb.  Now in all honesty I am glad that is all I gained.  I knew that New Years Eve would get me.....and rather then just blowing it one night, I spent the week making really poor decisions and worst of all not tracking anything that went in my mouth.  But as my leader says, turn the page and start fresh today.  And that is exactly what I am doing! 

Weight loss is just one of the journey's I am on this year.  I believe that God has called me to become a healthier person as a whole.  So, in an effort to attend to this, Tim and I joined our local gym.  This morning we went and walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I had been doing an hour, but I did not feel well this morning, and figured that 30 minutes is better then nothing.  My goal is to meet 6 out of 7 days this week, even if it is just for 30 minutes.  Getting moving, even a little bit, is going to help in the long run.  In addition to my health goals, our church is fasting for the first 21 days of January.  I did not join in on the "food" fast, but have instead decided to fast eating out and also watching television.  I am prayful that during the time I would normally devote to watching tv, I will devote to pray and reading the bible.  I have specific people and items that I would like to see God move in, and I am praying for those things to come to be.

My stitching goal this year, as I believe I have mentioned before, is simply to spend time working on those things that I want for my house.  Every year I spend enormous amounts of time stitching presents for everyone else, some of who do not see the value or time that I put into them.  This year, save for a few bookmarks here and there, I am going to do those patterns that I have put in the pile for me "some day".  What a better time then today!

In final closing, I just want to earnestly wish my friends and family (especially my Artecy sisterhood) a fantastic, healthy, financially blessed, and full of wonderful loving memories year of 2010.  I hope and pray for all good things for all of you and blessings to be heaped upon each of you.  I can not begin to explain the importance of loving friends and family (AGAIN ARTECY SISTERHOOD)!  You have all kept me going during times I just wasn't sure how I could take one more step, and I love you all dearly!

Weight Loss
I have to say that I hate the phrase "Slow and Steady" but, I shouldn't.  I weighed in again today, and had a loss of 1 lb.  All in all, not to bad for Christmas weigh-in.  I tracked everything I ate, and stayed within my points........so I should be proud of myself.  (I am not, but trying to change my thinking).  I have a two goals for the week ahead.  The first is to get breakfast in every day for seven days~I am NOT a breakfast eater, and this means that I am eating the majority of my points late in the day.  Second, I want to excercise all seven days this week.  I am hoping between the two different goals, I will hit my first 5lb benchmark this next weigh in.

My big concern this week is New Years Eve.  I am going to a party at some friends.  The invite said bring finger foods and goodies, so already I know there will be lots of things I can get myself into trouble on.  I need to formulate a plan before I go!!

Stitching
I have made a new friend through our church.  She is new to the church, and we have found a lot of things we share in common.  Yesterday, she informed me that she had done some pre-printed cross-stitch but had never attempted counted cross-stitch.  Well, of course, I had to share my love with her :)  I went through my stuff, found a pattern for her, a q-snap, some thread and even some fabric.  She is doing a bookmark for her first project.  I got her going, and could hardly pull her attention away from it to visit :).  Anyway, she called me this morning to inform me that she was 1/2 way done, and had already made her first trip to Hobby Lobby for her next project!  I am so proud of myself for sharing my addiction LOL. 

As for my stitching, I am still working on Artecy's "Old Barn In Storm".  I have 1/2 of the second page done (will post when I have finished the page).  I also pulled out some smaller works that I would like to work on here and there.  This is the year of me, and the majority of the projects I work on will be ones that I wanted to do for my house!  Of course, I won't be able to help myself if here and there I have to throw in something I see that just "HAS TO BE" done for a friend/family!

Today is Christmas Day, and what a beautiful, peaceful day it has been.  We started celebrating last evening (Christmas Eve) with a Vespers service at the church, followed by communion and a church wide lighting ceremony.  It really helps put the right perspective on the holidays, and turns our eyes to the One for whom we celebrate!  During communion our Pastor was speaking of why we share communion on Christmas Eve.  First it is to celebrate the initial coming of the Christ Child, then to celebrate His triumphant return and our home-going.  Following church service the kids and I came home to eat Pizza and have a few hours of relaxation before picking Tim up from work.  We picked Tim up and then hurried home for the kids to unwrap their presents.  Unlike other years, it took less then 15 minutes, and the kids feigned suprise (they all already knew what they were getting).  This morning we awoke to snow falling slowing from the sky, great food (and yes I stayed under my points), and fun company.

All the gifts open, company gone, and Tim headed off to work.  It is now time for me to celebrate the day with the quietness of a cozy blanket, some soft tunes, a good book, and some cross-stitch!  I sincerely hope that all my friends, family and extended stitching family had as great of a day as I.  I look forward to the coming year and all the fantastic things I believe God has in store for my family and our surrounding family!