Progress So Far

Thought you'd like to hear that I am making progress. By my calculations, I've only lost about 3 pounds, but I've lost 2 1/2 inches around my waist. It's not alot, but I'll take it. The best part is I am feeling better and stronger.

More later.
I still need to tell you all about all the helpful gifts I was given.
Maybe tomorrow.....................

How cool is this?

Goldfinch and Lazuli BuntingUnfortunately, all my "bird" pictures are taken through the dining room window so the quality is not the best.

Magic Goodness!!!!

As part of my birthday gift getting and the plan to "Help Get Bonnie Fit", my sister, Barb, gave me a Magic Bullet and some whey protein powder.... ...and her rhubarb smoothie recipe.
Magic Bullet promoters claim that you can whip up a tasty smoothie in 5 seconds.
Well, I don't know about that 5 second claim, but they got the tasty part right. I have to admit, I was sceptical about the rhubarb at first, but it was a delicious surprise. About a cup of frozen chopped rhubarb, 1/3 cup of O.J., 1/2 cup of plain yogurt, 2/3 scoop of protein powder and several seconds in the Magic Bullet makes a mighty tasty treat. And it's healthy! Rhubarb is a great source of dietary fiber. It's loaded with vitamins and minerals. It has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxident and anti-allergy properties. It can alleviate indigestion and lower blood pressure. And it's FREE thanks to the abundant supply in my own backyard. Mine came from Barb who got her plants from our brother, Ted. You might call it a family heirloom.

Feel free to share your favorite smootie recipes with me, I'll try them out in my new Magic Bullet. "So, is the Bullet really magic?" you ask. You bet it is!

Iris - because they deserve to be seen

I'm posting this photo again because the link for it to Picasa doesn't work on my previous post and it's worth veiwing the large format of it.

For those of you new to blogging - You can click on any of the images for a closer look. Most of them can be clicked on again after the large format opens for an even closer look. That is all of them except the previous post of these irises.

:)

It's All About Me

I thought you might like to know what I've been up to for "Me Time".

I've found a new hobby..... bird watching. Or you might say the birds finally found me after 2 years of nothing except for squirrels at the feeder. A family of Lazuli Bunting moved in. I had never heard of nor seen these birds before, but thanks to http://www.whatbird.com/ , I was able to identify them. They're mighty cute and I'm feeling pretty cool since they chose my yard. I think they're fond of the protection provided by the wild rose bush that I've been threatening to dig up this summer. I may just keep it afterall.

I lured some House Finches in with a finch sock. My kids are calling me the "Crazy Bird Lady".
I've been playing in the flower beds. My sister, Judy, calls me the "Crazy Pansy Lady". (Correction-Judy assures me that she only called me the "Pansy Lady". Whew! Maybe only my kids think I'm crazy.)
I've been painting Sarah's nails.

We painted tiger stripes on them last night. She's feeling rather fancy. I'll post a pic of them when I get a minute.

I spent one afternoon playing with "the neighbors". They came over for some trampoline time. I'll see if I can get permission to post pics of that day. It was a pretty darn good time.

I went to the temple with Mark last Tuesday. That's always a good time for me to get focused.

So far my me time has been fairly unstructured and that's just what I need right now.

The Posse

My sister, Barb, called one day and asked if she and my sister, Carol, could come by for a visit sometime before my birthday. (In case you aren't aware, I have 5 sisters and a brother. That's right, five sisters, and I'm the baby.) We settled on Thursday, 2 days before my birthday. I had the distinct impression they were up to something that I needed to be a little nervous about. My other sisters Kaye, Claire and Judy did nothing to calm my nerves. They dropped a few hints that they had something up their sleeves. Nobody really spilled the beans, but they did have me a little concerned that they were going to come makeover some part of my life. "Oh my, they're going to lay down the law," I thought. I wondered if they were going to show up with garden tools and put me to work in my yard, or get me to committ to a mini triathlon (one of Carol's current passions). Worse yet, I wondered if they were showing up to tie me down and dye my hair. One sister(Carol) has been wanting to cover my gray for some time now(maybe she thinks that if I, her younger sister, looks old it makes her look old). Sorry, but I have a dread of gray roots and of being a little old lady with black hair. Both of which are just wrong. Besides, just like I told Sarah when she lost her hair from chemo, "Wear if proudly, Girl, you earned it!" I'll keep my gray , thankyouverymuch. :)

Well, they did show up and they looked as though they were nearly as nervous as I was. They were loaded down with gifts and a mighty tasty bundt cake. They had invited "the neighbors" (my neice, Andrea, and her 2 adorable little boys.......you'll be hearing more about them) to join us for the party. Barb surprised me with a "Magic Bullet" and protein powder.

I've been putting it to good use and all I can say for now is, "Mmmmmmmm!" Carol gave me a fun new apron and some "Vitamin I".

By this point I was feeling a little like an outlaw in an ambush and thinking, "Definitely the mini tri. Ugh!" And, "How in tarnation am I going to get out of this?" And then, to my pleasant surprise, they gifted me with a $100 certificate to Sports Authority.

And if I used it by Mother's Day I would get and additional $25. This I could handle. Now all I had to do is decide how to spend the money. Carol suggested good running shoes, but I actually have a pair whether I look like I do or not. I just love my Teva's so much more. Now some people might be offended by gifts like this. They might take away the message, "You're a wreck. Now do something about it." But the message I got was, "You're a wreck and we know what you've been through. It's time you got to take care of yourself." You see, these amazing sister's of mine and my brother, Ted(he's amazing too), have been by my side through thick and thin these past couple of years. I can't begin to list all the things they've done for me, and how much their support has meant. They've rallied their little posse to right whatever problems they could. Whenever they saw a need, they were there without being asked. They couldn't fix everything, but they sure made it all MUCH, MUCH easier than it could have been. And now that I've set out to overhaul myself, they're right back here encouraging me along my way. It may take some mighty big guns to whip me into shape, but I know they have 'em and they're not afraid to use 'em.

The Birther's Day Loot

If your wondering how to make a haul on your birthday, I have a few pointers for you. First of all, it helps to make sure that your birthday falls on or near another gift getting holiday. My scenario is ideal because the holiday my birthday falls near (and sometimes on) is the one where moms do all the getting. I happen to be one and I have a husband and four kids all feeling obligated to give me something. It also helps to time the event soon after you've survived a significant ordeal. In my case, it was seeing my daughter, Sarah, through her 28 months of chemotherapy. Although it was primarily her battle, it did involve the entire family. And lastly and most importantly, start talking about some self-improvement project(especially one that you obviously need) a few weeks before the big day. It was innocent hint dropping on my part, but if I'd known it was going to pay off so well, I'd have done it intentionally. :) Had I started telling folks that I was ready to get my house organized, they would likely have shown up in droves to present me with all sorts of bins and totes and cleaning supplies. Instead, I told them that I was ready to focus on getting fit and healthy. Apparently they thought it was a good idea too. They came scrambling to my aid. And they gave me some pretty great stuff to get me in gear for my big venture. It's all helping, and I am in gear. I haven't quite managed to meet my goal in hours, but I have started. Last week I spent five hours exercising and four hours of "me" time. I do believe I am at least headed in the right direction and that this is going to work. I lost a few pounds last week and spent some time playing in my flower beds. Check in later for more details on my new stuff and how it's helping. Meanwhile, enjoy my sweet new playlist that Bridgette made for me. ;)