Wednesday - let's have ya

31st August 2016

Embrace the glorious mess that you are, then embrace the day ahead.

Today I've woken up to a conversation that's made me realise I'm alive!  Today I'm going to act like I'm lucky to be in that position and I will try to do that every day, remind myself that my life is good and I'm blessed by so much and if the worst thing going on in my life right now is a difficulty to eat less and lose weight, damn I'm a lucky lady!  How about you?  Are you lucky? 

I didn't ask if your life was easy, hell not many people's are but when you look around and realise we're all coping with our own bag of crap, take comfort in that because notice how many of them are managing to smile which proves it can be done.  You may not be able to change your situations but you can change your reactions to those situations.  And don't forget that sometimes it's okay to be a miserable cow too!  It's okay to have yourself a pity party, just don't unpack and live there.

I'm in a good place this week, yay to hormones behaving, and not forgetting the sunshine, I absolutely love it, I'm half way through my second book in a week and enjoying the taking time out, it's not an easy read, not my usual kind of book, making me uncomfortable because I'm not good with violence but it's been chosen as the book club read so I'm glad I'm being made to read something different, it's called Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan. 

My never ending mission to keep my weight under control went okay yesterday, I had a couple of slices of toast for breakfast, Salmon fillet with crushed minted petit pois, soft cheese and puff pastry for lunch and only 6sp, then Balinese chicken for tea with leftover mash 11sp, so not a bad day at all, of course a glass of red to wash it down was on the menu.

Mmm what to eat today, I think I have burgers in the fridge, may need to nip out and get me some burger buns and indulge in a big burger nom nom, no work till this evening, forecast looks good too, so might see if mom wants a drive for an hour or wants to chill up the garden, either works for me.  Until she wakes up I'll get about doing the work I do need to get done, spoke to soon I've just heard her shout "what" I think she's been dreaming and it's woke her up.

Better go put the kettle on, here's to a bloody good day - you up for that?

How can you make yourself a priority today?

30th August 2016

Let whatever you do today be enough.

I've had a smashing bank holiday, so glad the sun was shining, the forecasters got that wrong earlier in the week!  The thing about having a really relaxing weekend is getting going again, I will though, just a bit of caffeine needed and we'll be raring to go.  I've woke so many times in the night but I quite liked it because when I looked at the clock I realised it wasn't morning yet and I could go back to sleep - result. 

Finished my book yesterday, "The girl who lied" by Sue Fortin, it's only 99p on kindle and a cracking good read right through to the last page, I really enjoyed it.  I've moved onto "Dear Amy" by Helen Callaghan, which looks like it's going to be our groups chosen book of the month, I'm not finding it quite so easy to read but that could've just been because I was all read out, we shall see. Plus reading is stopping me thinking about food which is always a good thing!

So my eating habits yesterday were improved if still quite high, I had scrambled eggs on a warburton thin with mushrooms and tomatoes for brekkie, for lunch I had a steak with parsnips, potatoes, carrots and corn on the cob with gravy, then for tea I just had a slice of cheese on toast, so all of it was No Count apart from the gravy and about 15g of cheese.  40sp worth of food still though!  It'll be less today because I'll be busy at work, less sitting around.  I overshopped too so will be doing a bit of cooking today, to use some of the meat up I've bought or trying to get it in the freezer!

Right Tuesday is the new Monday this week for everyone who was overindulging yesterday, I'm thinking a good healthy breakfast is on the cards, followed by a delicious dinner full of lots of veggies and a light evening meal.  What they will be I'm not sure but my fridge is full of good stuff so it won't be hard to decide. 

Mmm if you have any good chicken recipes, inbox me, I think I'm going to throw a loads of stuff in the slow cooker and see how it turns out!  Sounds like a plan to me.

But first a cuppa, short blog today, brains still not woken up so can't think of much apart from make today matter...

Actually just copying and pasting this into the internet and putting that image above in made me think to ask, how can you make yourself a priority today?  For me it means actually thinking about what I'm doing and why, not just thinking oh I'll get there eventually.  I'm going to go downstairs now and put the kettle on, whilst I'm waiting for that to boil, I'll going to have a look through the fridge and decide on my day, not wing it!  How about you, how are you going to prioritise yourself?

Take those photos!

29th August 2016

Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after having an experience with you becomes your trademark.

I had a lovely chilled out day yesterday and the sun shone = result!  Managed to read 2/3rds of my book so hopefully I'll finish that today, I love reading a book like that and ignoring everything else that you could be doing like housework, work work, nope not yesterday, yesterday I relaxed and tuned out, it was heaven.

I didn't even cook, I had planned on steak but once I'd had my breakfast, I just couldn't be bothered so I had sandwiches and that did me.  I said I'd track and I'm not going to lie, about half way through the day I through why bother, I know I'm over my day, but I've got up this morning and tracked everything, 83sp!  At least I know what I've had, why and can now work on where to go from here.  I'm stunned that 4 chocolate biscuits which weren't all that and I only ate because mom had them cost me 14 Smart Points!  So getting back to healthy is a work in progress!

A member posted in my group yesterday an image that said:
"One day, all your children will have is a picture of you.  Make sure you're in them.  No matter what your hair looks like, your make up, or your body, they won't care about any of that, they'll just want to see you".

She said that it had made her sad because she realised she deleted so many pictures on herself because she didn't like them, it had made her realise she doesn't need too. 

It struck a chord with a lot of members, and one replied

"I always hated photos of myself, so mostly my husband was in photos with our daughter as she was growing up. We lost my husband to cancer last year. This year I was upset as my daughter took what I thought was an unflattering photo of me without me knowing. My heart nearly broke when she said I have photos of dad but none of you, what if I lose you too, there will be no photos for me to remember you. From then on I have let her take photos no matter what I look like because she loves me as her mom not for what I look like. Hope this helps others have confidence to have their photos taken. Xx"

We really don't see "looks" when we're looking at those we love, I don't anyway, I see them and their heart, I don't care about how photogenic they are or whether they look good in a photo.  Some of my favourite photos when I look at them, I see a memory, instantly I'm taken back to a moment in time and I can feel it.  This is one of my fav photos with my bestie, we didn't care if we looked numpties! 

 

Nor in this one with V, she always looks beautiful even with the wig!

Nor this one with mom, we weren't trying to look the part!

And I think I looking rocking hot here - NOT! Do I care, erm let me think about that for a moment ;)

See the photos are memories of a person and a time you spent together, not what they looked like on the day, so take photos, make memories, have giggles, take time, spend that time together enjoying yourselves not thinking about how you look!

I plan to have one of those days today, it looks like it's going to be lovely, I'll do whatever mom fancies, if she wants a drive we'll have a drive, if she fancies sitting up the garden we'll do that, because the truth is, we giggle wherever we are.

Happy Bank Holiday Monday BeYOUtiful.

Mostly reading today...

28th August 2016

The key is not to prioritise what's on your schedule but to schedule your priorities. Stephen Covey

It appears my internet connection wants to play up this morning and is on a go slow, this isn't a good thing because I want to get done and on with my day, I've just read a sample of a book and liked it enough to download the rest so that's my day sorted - yay, staycation in full progress and not a lot else will get done today.

I've had a really lovely week, my diet has sucked, yesterday was my last day of ignorance, I've had a chat with my leader and I'm going to help myself get back in the swing of things by starting  to write it all down, whatever the points, I just need to see what I'm eating/drinking and where I need to make changes.  So that starts today, I'm still on my staycation don't forget so it might not be within my points allowance but at least I'll know what I've eaten.  I'm really looking forward to my breakfast, I plan to clear the kitchen table because if we were on holiday the kitchen would be a tidy one!  Well until we'd been there a couple of days it would be anyways.  Once clear I'm going to make a big mug of tea and have avocado, tomatoes in sweet chilli sauce, egg and either a wrap or toast depending on what time my food delivery comes and I'm going to read my book sitting up the table.  That's a perfect Sunday morning right there!

Yesterday was another fun meeting, we cooked beef stroganoff and had a debate on chopping boards and how many you really need in a house ;)

Quick beef stroganoff 4sp or No Count

Serve on a bed of tagliatelle cooked according to packet instructions (60g dried = 6sp) use wholewheat spaghetti for No Count

Low fat cooking spray

110g lean stir fry beef steak (3sp)

75g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

4 spring onions, sliced

A pinch of paprika

75ml (3fl oz) beef stock, made using 1/4 stock cube

2 tablespoons of very low fat plain fromage frais (1sp)

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Heat a non stick frying pan and lightly coat with the cooking spray.  Add the beef, followed by the mushrooms and spring onions.  Stir fry for 3 minutes.  Sprinkle n the paprika then pour in the beef stock. 

Bubble rapidly for 30-60 seconds until the liquid is reduced and syrupy. 

Remove the pan from the heat and leave for 1 minute, then stir in the fromage frais and seasoning to taste. 

For veggie version use 250g mixed mushrooms instead of beef and veg stock cube, only 1sp a portion.

All the recipes from this last week can be downloaded in a word document here;

http://happyowls.co.uk/Recipes/30%20minutes%20meals%20for%20meeting%20demo.docx,

After my meeting I went for lunch and a much needed catch up with my bestie, we ate good food at Ego's at Tumbledown Farm in Cannock, really recommend the place, food was delicious and the service was good too, the perfect combination and it wasn't a bad price, £14.95 for 3 courses off the lunch menu.  My main was Spiced Chick Pea, Lemon & Coriander Cakes on giant cous-cous, tomato, red onion & coriander salad with tzatziki.  I think I need to have a go at recreating this dish myself, can't believe how just a little bit of coriander makes so much difference to a meal. 

Well it looks like rain so huddled up in the kitchen with a book sounds perfect, then later I'll move to the living room and cuddle up with the same book!  I will of course walk Alfie if he's willing in-between showers, I need to get back to it.  I've not worn my fitbit for two days either, but it's just been charged and popped in my pocket, there may not be lots of steps done today but we'll call today my warm up day.

Here's to having a great day whatever you're doing, even if you're working - remember to smile because you are BeYOUtiful.