I fell into the butter dish!

Wednesday 31st July 2019
It's a slow process but quitting won't speed it up!

Weigh day for me today, I'm not sure what the scales will say, I've got a bit cocky the last few days and not really thought about the points in things, I've had proper butter on my bread, that kind of thing and it's those things that were helping me with my weight loss!  The truth is success doesn't come from what we occasionally do, it comes from what we consistently do, so I'll be reminding myself of that from today.  This weather isn't helping is it, it sucks, I love sunshine and brightness and we have enough drab weather in the winter without having it in July, how much rain does one country need!

I need to start having breakfast again, I've been skipping it, then I ended up having toast at my workshop yesterday, well that's a good 6SP that don't touch the sides, then I had bread again for lunch with these chips, 6SP in half the packet which is great because there was enough in half packet to make two thin sandwiches, which I did, I went back for another one!

This wasn't bad at all for 3SP, I added a splash of soy sauce to mine to give it a bit more flavour, but it was a decent meal and a good sized portion.

Yeah time to get a grip and stop assuming I'm doing the right things, when I know I'm being a little bit of a bugger and not following the plan even closely, just because I'm pointing things to post on Facebook/Instagram/Connect doesn't mean I'm pointing everything or tracking it all either!  If I was honest about yesterdays intake I probably had.... actually I stopped typing here and went and tracked everything I did consume yesterday and without the skimmed milk in my drinks it was 63SP easily!  But at least the peas I had were zero!  Time to give my head a wobble, get real again and continue with my journey because I've gone from 13st 4.5lb on May 1st to 12st 8lb at my last weigh-in, that's 10.5lb and I've not found it arduous at all, so I know I can continue.  My activity has gone by the wayside again, my bloody ankle is still not 100% and I'm not going to lie, I don't miss the jumping about stuff, but I do miss the walking, I'll get back to it though, if it ever stops raining and my ankle gets better. 

Until then, I'll get back to tracking and being honest about my intake, whatever the scales say this morning, I'll suck it up and soldier on because I'm worth the effort.  Hell yes I am and so are you, let's have a really, really, very, great day shall we?  I have healthy food in the fridge, eggs a plenty, and packets chicken breast, no excuses, time to lose some more weight, I want to be under 12 stone by Christmas, see what I did there, I set a goal, but not a difficult one, I've just given myself August, September, October, November and most of December, to lose 9lb, a couple of pound a month, I'd be made up with that, gives me breathing space to have bad weeks like the one I've just had.  

What's your goal?

Here's to making today count, 

Mwah, 

Luv ya

Love me xx

Happy Friendship day

Tuesday 30th June 2019
Friendship is the comfort of knowing even when you feel you're alone - you aren't.

Happy World Friendship Day!

I'm very lucky that in my job, I get to meet so many amazing people and I end up with a huge circle of friends, WW is also where I met my very best friends and thankfully because of it, I'm still guaranteed to see one of them every Saturday.  The thing with life is we all get so busy and forget to make time for each other, my other bestie also lives a 60 mile round trip which makes it even more difficult, I have mom and she has work which consumes her day light hours.   Then there's the unexpected friendships you end up with, thanks to WW I have people in my life I would probably never have met had it not been for them, including Carol who I consider a friend, she is my work mom, she's my little rock, my PA, my personal shopper, my Wonder Woman!   All my WW helpers have become friends over the years, I look forward to seeing them every week, I'm very blessed. 

Let's make today's happiness challenge something friend related, either give them a call, go see them or get in touch in some way even if it's a text message, let them know you care. 

Why are friends important?  Really do we need to be told!  Why are my friends important to me, oh so many reasons, they listen to all my crap for a start, they know me better than most and still like me.  They're great to spend time with and have fun.  They're also there when life's not so fun.  I know I can rely on them and visa versa, there's a trust there that I find to have with people.  They make me smile just thinking about them because we've done so many things together, made such brilliant memories and enjoyed being in each others lives. 

Officially Friendship is important also because it may yield a multitude of long-term physical and emotional health benefits. Studies show that healthy relationships make aging more enjoyable, lessen grief, and provide camaraderie to help you reach personal goals, among other things. Maintaining positive relationships should rank up there with healthy eating and exercise as a necessary investment in your health.

A number of studies have highlighted the importance of friends and good relationships to health, Here are some of the findings:

Socially engaged adults age more successfully. According to surveys of women over age 60, those who are socially engaged and visit with friends and family throughout the week are happier as they age.

Friends can help you achieve your weight and fitness goals. Encouragement and just sharing goes a long way to boosting your willpower.

Happiness is catching. If you have a friend you consider to be happy, you are more likely to be happy and you are able to spread that happiness to the people around you. A study of 4,739 adults who participated in the Framingham Heart Study between 1983 and 2003 showed that people tend to cluster into happy or unhappy groups, and happiness appears to spread not just to those immediately inside the social group, but to their contacts as well. Having happy friends who live less than a mile away was an especially powerful predictor of happiness.

Building a circle of friends makes you happy. People who see themselves as a leader in their social circle are happier than those who see themselves as outsiders — another reason why actively building relationships instead of waiting for the phone to ring is important.

Friends lessen grief. A series of interviews with parents who lost a baby during pregnancy or immediately after birth showed that those who felt they were receiving social support from friends or family were better able to cope with their grief. The most welcome forms of support were simply being physically present, listening, and offering sympathy, encouragement, and practical help, such as making meals or funeral arrangements. In contrast, feeling socially alone tends to worsen grief.

Being social boosts your immune system. Being socially engaged leads to more positive emotions, which in turn may actually boost your body’s immune system and reduce the physical signs of stress, say health experts.

Yeah, appreciate those friends in your life, love them and stay in touch whether virtually or in person.  

I've always loved this poem, it resonated with me from the very first time I read it, it's so true. 

Reason Season Lifetime 

People always come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,

It is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty,

Or to provide you with guidance and support,

To aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time,

This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they just walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON,

It is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.

They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall,

The season eventually ends.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;

Those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person anyway;

And put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being part of my life,

Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

So in other news - who am I kidding there is no news in my world, thankfully I might add because that means it's all calm on the western front.  The biggest problem in my world at the moment is getting a pair of slippers that actually fit mom, 3 pairs down so far, hoping one of my members is going to be sorting the problem for me this week.  Yesterday I nipped to M&S on the way to Sainsbury's for my stock up of long life milk, it's only 50p a carton there - cheapest anywhere!  Well they had a few things reduced so Alfie got chicken for his breakfast, l did too, then I had a coronation chicken grill thing for my dinner with a drizzle sauce, it was good, I wouldn't buy it again because of the points value, it was 15SP in the packet, even if you took off 4 or 5 for the fact it had chicken breast in it, it was still too many Smart Points, I could have chicken thighs for that! 

I do have a fridge full of ready meals now though so no thinking where cooking is concerned this week, I've finally got my hands on Chicken Chow Mein in the low fat range, interested to try that.  

What I am enjoying at the moment is that I'm not thinking about food constantly, I'm not eating just because it's a meal time, if I'm not hungry, I'll wait until I am, it seems to be working.  I'm able to have 1 biscuit occasionally when mom offers without wanting another 12, I even had 4 Pringles from her tube the other day and wasn't fussed about getting more, I shall continue to enjoy this as long as it lasts.  

Anyway, I need to get ready for work, been on my pc for far too long now, here's to a very great day, I shall be eating the food in my fridge in order of use by dates, we shall see what's on the menu later, I'll post pics. 

Luv ya, mwah

Love me xx 

All's happy here...

Monday 29th July 2019
Have the courage to be imperfect.

Another Monday morning, another month almost over, I can't believe how fast this year is going, I'm loving it though.  Even enjoyed the rain yesterday because it gave me an excuse (like I need one!) to chill out and crochet.  I spent the morning making a head band, I love it, the yarn is so soft and I will actually wear it when the temperature drops.

I also love this photo of me wearing it, don't I look pleased with myself, not bad for a 49 1/2 year old am I really ;). I'd say I scrub up well but the truth is I didn't even wash yesterday (dirty bitch), I didn't do anything, just done the washing up from yesterday because we'd run out of cups, I did manage to cook dinner and eventually walk Alfie when it stopped raining for half hour eventually.

I finished my first crochet toy too, this was a pattern in my first box, never really fancied doing toys but I thought I'd give it a go to learn new stuff, he's cute ain't he, almost the size of an A4 piece of paper, I shall keep him to make me smile, I might give him to mom as she seemed quite taken by him.

This was our dinner, chicken dippers left over from a freezer £5 Co-op deal, 5 for 6SP, 2 waffles 6SP, very nice indeed.  Shows you can with WW too, you don't have to live on lettuce at all!

Today's happy challenge is to treat yourself to something, not spending lots and lots of money and not something food related either, so it could be some flowers, a magazine, something that's going to make you smile, you could make it a double whammy and something that helps break the boredom after the chat we had in the workshops last week.  I have to say my crochet kept me so engrossed yesterday that I didn't eat till the afternoon, now that's breaking the boredom, because if I'm honest we struggled to find anything worth watching, we did enjoy Fishermens Friends on Amazon, I rented it but it was worth it as I've fancied watching it since I found out they'd made it.  After that we couldn't find anything on Amazon Prime / Netflix or Sky, in the end I started watching Fast & Furious films from the beginning, 2 down, although mom wasn't so keen. If you have any suggestions, let us know, mom can't keep up with story lines so much now but we love a good comedy. 

Mmm what shall I treat myself too?  I'm going to have to think about that...  

I've just seen a food pic on Pinterest and it's made me fancy a chicken casserole, might have to nip to the shop and get the ingredients, I need milk too so possibly a supermarket visit, might treat myself to a magazine if I do and flowers, sod it, pay day's just been and gone. 

Right here's to a great day, I'm going to be productive this morning and get stuff done, then chill all afternoon with mom, I've got to try and get a ball of wool locally or I'm going to have to either drive to Much Wedlock or do an online order, my other option is I pull back the last section and finish the baby blanket there!   I've already started another baby blanket to use up some of the wool I have, I already know who it's for because I know they'll appreciate it and I like my work to go to someone like that as there's so much time and effort put into them.  I also need to use the yarn I have before I buy more, although now I've worked with super soft stuff like on that headband, it makes me want more of that sort.  Oh dear I've just found that wool reduced on a website and then I could buy the other ball.......

Anyways, let's get on with our days so we can get stuff done, hope you're on track, if you're not Monday is always a great day to press reset and start over.

Luv ya, mwah

Love me xx

Meh to the rain!

Sunday 28th July 2019
Not all the stars belong to the sky.

Well it looks like another rainy day in front of the tv with my crochet!  Not complaining though, I actually like it when the weather dictates my plans and forces me to stop and rest, I know my ankle isn't 100% but I was going to still walk with my brother, so this is the universe telling me 'Erm, hell now you're not!'

Day 3 of the happiness challenge, today is mediate - Argghhh I hear some of you cry!  I can't do it, I don't see the point, blah blah blah.  Give it a go, if you have the WW app, there's the headspace section which gives you some easy, short go to exercises, go try one of those.  Or check out Youtube, google meditation for beginners, have a play with it.  Maybe try a walking meditation you might find that easier.

The thing with happiness is it doesn't come ready made, it comes from your actions.  If you look at what you have in your life, you'll always have more, if you look at what you don't have in your life, you'll never have enough!  I love my life despite all it's challenges, I feel blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people.

And if you think you have problems, I'll have you know I ran out of my wool yesterday, so I can't finish my baby blanket!  I need to order or fetch more, so I spent yesterday trying out something new, a pattern from my crochet subscription, it's a little toy thing, I didn't use the wool supplied I used a thicker one to make it easier for me to see the stitches, but because I wasn't concentrating and because there's UK and USA terms, I used the wrong stitch and ended up doing the first side, 3 times larger than it should've been so had to start again, didn't get much crochet done at all yesterday but I did make myself giggle every time I looked at this huge, elongated teddy thing.  I've almost got both sides finished now, just need to crochet them together, I'll be keeping him because every time I look at him in the future, he'll make me smile and remind me that mistakes are all part of learning.

My second box arrived yesterday so I can if I fancy try a project out of there today, there was some gorgeous wool in the box in glorious colours, those boxes arriving really make me smile, love opening them and seeing what surprises they've sent this month.

Anyway, here's to a lovely day, whatever the weather does!

Luv ya, mwah


Love me xx

Pizza and lager

Saturday 27th July 2019
Don't trip over what's behind you!

Well it's the weekend and the ground outside is wet, so I'm not sure of the forecast and I don't mind as long as I get to relax and have a chilled out couple of days, having said that I would like a dry Sunday morning so I can go for a walk with my brother, my ankle still isn't 100% but meh I like that walk.

I had a smile on my face for most of the morning yesterday after my phone call with my boss, wonderful feedback, I was really pleased because I do love my job so much and I'd hate to think I wasn't doing a good enough job of it.

Mom and I spent the afternoon in the garden eating our dinner out there we had pizza and I had salad with mine, I couldn't resist the £5 pizza and beer meal deal from the Co-op, the pizza's are 14SP for half the cheese one and 15SP for half the pepperoni one, so you can have it and share with your family.  I'm not going to lie, I had the other half cold for my tea, but still that's not the worst day I've ever had.  I didn't snack!  I did enjoy a couple of lagers though.

Today's happiness challenge is to listen to music from your teenage years, have your own little disco in the kitchen or garden or in your car!  Anywhere where you're able to sing at the top of your voice.  Apologies to the neighbours already.   What would be on your teenage playlist, ooo please comment on this blog on Facebook and let me know, I'd love to add to my playlist, my teenager years were the 80's but I love music from most genres, I listen to moms playlist all the time and theres some real old stuff on there.

I'm off to work before my weekend starts, I love Saturday mornings, it's like a coffee morning that I get paid for - mmm could I make a business from that idea ;) Then I have a crochet project I really want to finish this weekend.  I've subscribed to a crochet box, it's a monthly thing and every month you get a box of goodies, some wool and a few patterns, when I had the first box there wasn't a pattern that floated my boat but then the lady who'd designed the boxes said she'd chosen the patterns to help improve techniques and for people to try new things and new stitches and so I decided I will try one then.  Wow, I spent an hour trying to and I ended up pulling it back, it needed my full attention and mom was chatting, but it did make me realise I still have so much to learn re crochet, every day's a school day.  I might be able to knock together a fine looking blanket, but that's about it, there are so many other things I could make. I'll have another go at it tomorrow when I have more time.

Chicken's on my menu today, I'll have fish this weekend too, balance out that pizza, I was impressed with the £1 salad box I had from the Co-op too, saves me ending up with way too much salad that I can't keep fresh for long enough.

Okay, let's have a wonderful day whatever the weather turns out, I can chill indoors or outdoors, makes no difference to me!  Hope you're not too busy to chill out a little and don't forgot that music.

Mwah, luv ya


Love me xx

Hot ain't it!

Friday 26th July 2019
But if you never try, you'll never know....

Seriously, how glad is everyone that the forecast is cooler today, yesterday was a little ridiculous wasn't it.  It had to be my busy 12 hour day didn't it, plus I had a visit from my new manager and 2 other bosses, no pressure there then!

The day flew by as always, my members were awesome and I managed to stay sort of on track, I did indulge in a Del Monte smoothie lolly that one of my epic members bought for me at my last workshop, I devoured it, and didn't care one hoot that it cost me 5SP, it was amazing.

I needed proper food at lunchtime to help me through the day, but no one wants to spend ages in the kitchen, so I had this,

The Tilda egg fried rice is only 9SP for the entire packet, those chicken chargrills are 3SP each though, but I didn't have any cooked chicken breast in the fridge, it was pay day yesterday so I can go top up on the fresh stuff.  I roasted the grills with some leftover peppers and it was delicious.

I've just seen a 30 day happiness challenge on Pinterest and I like this idea, number 1 on their list was

1) Clean bed sheets

I'm going to do this today, especially after yesterday!  I'm going to post one thing every day for the foreseeable that I plan to do and hopefully you'll join me in the challenge, I'm not keen on all 30 on the list I saw so I'll add my own, if you have any suggestions let me know.  I posted a link the other day to a 30 day self love challenge on the WW website, https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/article/30-day-self-love-challenge this is a good one too.

Well today, I need to get my paperwork done, then I have a call with my boss re feedback from my workshop yesterday - eek, wish me luck.  Then I plan to do not a lot of anything, got my massage, hoping it'll be just hot enough to enjoy the garden, get lying on those cushions and relaxing with some music and my crochet (yes I can still crochet in this heat, although yesterday made it difficult)

I'm very tempted to get the 2 pizzas and Budweiser £5 offer from the Co-op but have resisted so far, I do love pizza, they're not bad if mom and I have 1/2 each with salad.  Maybe I will, we'll see.

Right, I'm off, here's to a very, great day, the weekends on its way.  And drink plenty of fluids!

Mwah, luv ya

Love me xx

I'm a loser - AGAIN!

Thursday 25th July 2019
Trust yourself you know more than you think you do.

YAY, I lost a pound, was really chuffed with that as because of my ankle I've not been doing any exercise or walking this week at all, although having said that, even without 'going for a walk' I clocked up 19,000 steps yesterday, that's just doing day to day stuff, Alfie only got one walk too as it was too hot later on.  That's now a total of 10lb lost since May 1st and I'm really chuffed as I haven't seen  this number on a scale in a workshop in a very long time - a good couple of years I bet! 

I'm not being perfect but I'm being consistent, I'm not giving myself a hard time if I indulge in a bag of Walkers, I'm just trying better the next time, hence the including of WW products this last few days, they halve the points for me and I'm quite enjoying having a snack with my glass of wine.

Now every week after I've left my workshop I've considered a bacon sarnie from the cafe, I finally had one yesterday and now I'm cured I won't bother again, they don't do 'crispy' bacon so I might as well make my own, that cost me 12SP, but then the rest of the day was good, I had this for my lunch, 2SP for the WW protein cheese crackers, 1SP for 2 laughing cow extra light, 1SP for the salad dressing oh and I did eat 10 olives but out of a tub as I'd forgot to put them on the plate so that was another 1SP. 

I had a WW protein bar as a snack at workshop, they are good and they're filling too.   I like these crumbled in some 0% Greek yogurt as a desert, they'd be nice in ice cream too!  

Speaking of which, one of my members told me about this recipe last night, it's 3SP a serving and the recipe serves 4. 

Banana & peanut butter ice 'cream'

5 medium bananas, 4 cut into 3cm chunks & 1 sliced, to serve

100ml skimmed milk (1SP) 

2tablespoons smooth peanut butter (12SP) 

1⁄2teaspoons, level ground cinnamon

Cut 4 bananas into 3cm chunks and spread out on a baking tray. Freeze for 2-3 hours, or until solid.

Put the frozen bananas and 100ml skimmed milk in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, then blitz again until combined.

Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze for 1 hour, then serve with extra sliced bananas.

I wasn't hungry when I got home but wanted something so mom and I sat in the garden for a bit and I enjoyed this bagel thin, it had prosciutto on and some St Agur cheese so set me back 13SP including the 2SP for the snacks, I do like the vinegar kick in these. 

Right here's to surviving another week, because it's sunshiny and that screams garden and white wine, plus I've had a move round in my garden and all the furniture is now by the back door so we can go outside to eat, or lie down and I'm hoping I can have a few friends round and sit out there, to chat and crochet.  It's just difficult with mom, if she's in the right mood it'll be amazing because she'll like it, if she isn't well...  The other thing that happens is if she isn't getting enough attention, she starts to sulk and that's just the worst thing ever. 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my Bloxwich babes, I'm hoping they are going to still come despite it being school holidays, we've had some great 6 weeks holidays over the years, I remember having a row of kids sitting cross legged on the floor one year, I told them if they concentrated enough with their eyes closed, they would levitate!  They didn't, they weren't impressed, but as I said they weren't concentrating hard enough, it kept them quiet for a bit though.  I can't believe how I've watched so many grow up over the last 15 years (on the 5th December) seeing them for the first few years, then in the holidays - it's terrifying and amazing all at the same time.  I know my members think I don't like kids but I do really, I just don't like them making a noise when I'm trying to do my workshop lol.  

Right I'm really off now, it's time to get ready for work, let's enjoy what's going to be a crazy, hot day, see how many times you can STOP yourself from saying, 'Oh isn't it hot' let's stop stating the obvious ay ;) 

mwah, luv ya

Love me xx

Inspirational!

Wednesday 24th July 2019

Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going.

I have the best job in the world, it's already midweek and yesterday went really quickly, it'll be the weekend before I know it and I'll have enjoyed being at work, how good is that - no wonder my life is flying by, I'm enjoying it!  I also got to sit outside for an hour or two yesterday lunchtime to enjoy the sunshine because my paperwork can be done when the sun goes in.  Honestly if you're looking for a career change, give WW a look, https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/become-a-wellness-coach 

Yeah yesterdays workshops were great, the morning was super busy for the time of year, especially as it's the first week of the school holidays and what was always shutdown fortnight when I worked for Yale (I think), anyway, we had a lovely morning, then again on the night, completely different vibe but equally as good, I take something from every session, including a feel good mood, so thank you to all my members for making my life better.

Well how about that storm!  Poor Alfie ended up snuggled up in my bed until it past over, then he got off because he seems to like to sleep on the floor these days, mom was okay with that for a change though thankfully but it was the weather and pain that kept waking me last night, rather than mom, the temperature, the noise of the thunder, then I woke at 3am with the most excruciating pain in my left knee, you've got to lose arthritis and whatever else is wrong with that damn knee, it's okay this morning, but ma'an turning over last night, I thought it had been hit by a hammer, my back had seized too, I felt about 90 lol.  

It was too hot to spend time cooking yesterday wasn't it and thankfully my very, lovely sister had left me a packet of warburton's bagel thins, I had two (I weighed them on my scales and one was 4SP, but two was only 7SP) with chicken on and a WW Caesar salad dressing, plus a bag of sea salt and Rosemary chick pea bakes, that was tasty.   This was so good for 10SP!

Later on I had a packet of WW salt and vinegar chick pea, I wasn't so keen on these when they first came out but I really enjoyed them last night and as I've been eating way too many Walkers cheese and onion, I'm going to stock up on WW stuff to limit the damage on my snacking!  

Now I have to share this image with you because I was crazy impressed when she sent it to me last night, then even more impressed that her confidence has grown so much since the first time I met her back at the beginning of her journey, it just shows WW does so much more than help you lose weight, Angie, well done my lovely, you're an inspiration! 

This is what she wrote on Facebook last night, I think it says it all really - WW is amazing!  "This is what WW can give you! I’ve lost 4 stone I’m happy and healthier than I’ve ever been! Osteoarthritis in numerous joints but it doesn’t stop me, I’m happy to share a pic of me cos I’m very proud! I walk at least 5 miles a day, I’m planking 3 times a day, I’m 61 and proud! Come join us, Beverley Longsden will support you all the way!"

I love seeing posts like that, it makes me feel so good about my job and the work I do.  

If that doesn't motivate you, then maybe you can take something from these five W's of life; 

The five W's of life.

WHO you are is what makes you special.  Do not change for anyone.

WHAT lies ahead will always be a mystery.  Do not be afraid to explore.

WHEN life pushes you over, you push back harder.

WHERE there are choices to make, make the one you won't regret.

WHY things happen will never be certain.  Take it in stride and move forward.  

Now let's all have a very, great day and enjoy life and whatever it throws at us along the way. Mwah xx

Luv ya, 

Love me xx

Back to work - yay!

Tuesday 23rd July 2019
No one ever injured their eyesight by looking on the bright side.

I'm going to make that decision to be in a good mood today!  Mom's woke me lots in the night, she's been to the bathroom lots and every time she tries to convince Alfie to come on her bed, he's sleeping on the landing, I'm not sure if it's because he's hot, he's between us both or she's just doing his head in, poor lad.  Anyway, she whispers about as quiet as a donkey neighing, just saying!

My diet improved yesterday, started with egg, mushrooms and tomatoes on toast for 3SP, I had corn on the cob with only a little of the cheese, potato and onion bake and I had a packet of cheese and onion crisps for tea.  My get up and go has got up and gone this past few days, I've just wanted to sit around and crochet, but there are some things you still have to do, washing up and clothes washing, so I managed to do them.  I also clicked 8 FitPoints on my Fitbit, walked Alfie twice, my ankles still not right but hopefully improved after my restful weekend.

I've run out of eggs!  I need to nip to a shop, can't live without eggs, I'll have a scotch egg today though so not completely without them.

How hot was it yesterday, would you believe when I came down from doing office work, mom had put the heating on!  Oh yeah, thankfully I managed to turn it off after about an hour and I even got her outside later for an hour.

I didn't do a lot yesterday so not got much to say, I pulled a few weeds up in the garden, got ready for my working week, did some crochet, pulled some back again, I've pulled back more on this baby blanket than any project I've ever done before, can't see me using the pattern again but it does look lovely, so will be worth it in the end.

Looking forward to catching up with all my members today, it's going to be another really hot day too I think, good news for all those kids that are off school, at least they can get out and play (do they actually do that anymore?), I walked Alfie later last night because of the heat and I watched a group of kids over the shops running and cycling into the metal shutters on the cafe - now that's gotta hurt!  WHY?

On that note, I'll leave you with that puzzle, I'm going to get myself a big mug of caffeine, plan for a wonderful day and a very, very early night!  Bless her, moms just woke up and asked me 'what's the matter with him Bev?  She wants to know why he's sleeping on the landing and not going on her bed anymore ;( I'm saying its because he's hot or he's protecting us both, truth is, I don't really know the truth but I have my suspicions.

Let's have a day that makes a difference in some way,

I'm going to eat well, love my mom, laugh with my friends and enjoy being with my members, mwah

Luv you,

Love me xx

Give up or pull it all back?

Monday 2nd July 2019
Your current situation is not your final destination - remember that!

I'm sitting drinking the best mug of tea after 9 hours sleep, oh yeah, I feel good this morning.  I've had a wonderful, restful weekend, I didn't get very far with my crochet, mostly because I kept getting the pattern wrong and having to pull it back, they call it frogging, well let's just say I did it so much, I started to sound like a from, 'rip it, rip it, rippit, ribbit, get it! 

Well I cooked my much wanted cheese and onion thing and it was lush, even if it did set me back about 18 points, but honestly, I need to do it again but with proper cheese not low fat, I'd rather use less of the good stuff.  Next time, I'll maybe add more sliced veggies in between the potato and onions, it was so good.

I absolutely love fried onions, these were done in 30g butter (11SP), but to be fair I will try them with spray light and vegetable oil but less. 

 It was delicious though, just needed real cheese.

I lost hours of work yesterday because of two stitches, and not once but twice as where I thought the mistake was, turns out not to have been the original start of the error so I’ve just pulled it back again this morning as I knew it wasn’t right when I finally put it down and gave up last night. 

Now I could give up on the project all together, after all it’s only about a foot square at the moment, I could say it’s too difficult but I won’t because I know it’ll be worth it in the end. It’s not actually difficult at all, the pattern only uses 3 or 4 different stitches, the trick is in doing them in the right place and order!  It’s all about concentrating on the project in front of me, thing is I get distracted by mom, by the dog, by the tv, by my phone - erm by life!  

That’s a bit like weight loss really isn’t it, the actual theory - eat less, move more - is simple enough but doing the simple things you need to do on a day to day basis, well guess what, we get distracted by other things, again for me the things I mentioned above, then there’s work, emotions, delicious food, injuries and illness, the list could go on. 

Now for me to rectify my crochet I’ve just pulled it back and I’ll redo that section again, to enable me to get to the next section. 

Again the same with weight loss, I had some good weeks and lost 9.5lb, three not so good weeks and regained 2lb, then redid that section again and lost 2lb, I’m now working on the next section!  I’ll treat my weight loss like a bloody difficult baby blanket I think 😂 I’ll keep pulling it back until it is done, to be fair though it’s gonna be more of a king size bed kind of blankets project, a really intricate one that uses loads of different stitches and techniques in all different colours depending on my mood. 

Oh and speaking of mood, I actually said to Tina and Liz Saturday morning, if my monthlies weren’t all over the place because of my age, I’d guess I was due on going by how I feel and my mood. Well guess what - I was right and I have this morning, so my bodies nothing if not predictable but it’s good that even though they’re not regular, I recognised the symptoms and acknowledged it, that helped a lot because I knew why suddenly my mood and my appetite had changed. 

I’m out with Alfie because he wouldn’t wait, but in fairness he has waited 9 hours whilst we slept so I can’t fault him. I love the quiet mornings especially knowing I don’t have to rush because I haven’t got to be anywhere. My ankles still not right so only dog walking for me this week, no strenuous exercise I’m afraid. 

Anyway back to the kingsize human project, things that have slipped like stitches this weekend for me include 3 meals a day, I’ve had one big meal and probably not the best. So breakfast this morning for sure. Veggies have been lacking, I’ll eat plenty of them today. Water was replaced with tea and wine, I’ve already drink almost a pint this morning. Tracking properly, 100% and honest, not just 3 things to get my wins on the WW app!  

Yeah it’s Monday it’s the law to get back on track isn’t it!  I have some of that cheese and onion thing left but I can have it with loads of veggies, hope mom wants some too. I made scotch eggs for my brother and have a couple for myself, it was three but Alfie ate one! 

My fridge (I typed friend there initially, Freudian slip that i think lol) is full of good, healthy food so time to eat some of it. 

What healthy life stitches have you dropped lately?  Don’t undo all your good rows because the kids have broken up or you’re off work. You’ll regret it, trust me. 

Let’s get back on pattern, mwah

Luv ya

Love me 

late this morning...

Sunday 21st July 2019
when you learn how much you're worth, you'll stop giving people discounts.

I just read that quote to my mom and she said, "well I'm priceless!" and everyone can learn from that, realise your worth and start taking care of yourself.

I'm late this morning didn't get up till almost 6, then took Alfie straight out but sadly my ankles still not right so no walking today and I shall mostly be sitting with my feet up, enjoying some time with mom and my crochet, I do love this rock and roll life of mine.

I finished my first batch of wool yesterday from last weeks shopping trip, I didn't have enough for the last 8 rounds of the pattern so am thinking about whether to put a solid colour round as an edging, no rush to decide, don't even know where it's going to end up as I don't need another lap blanket ;)

Food wise was all about cheese and onion pie, my sisters which is delicious and had to be eaten, today won't be much better as I'm trying to recreate the cheese and onion concoction I remember in my head from somewhere in my childhood, but instead of pastry I'll use sliced potatoes, mom fancies it too so bonus.

Yesterday's workshop included chat about loving all of our body but then we went on to talking about how you get back on it when you really aren't in the right head space.  It's so difficult because it's a vicious cycle, you eat rubbish, so you have no energy which leaves you feeling low and rubbish and then you can't be bothered to cook so eat more rubbish and so on.  It's important to try and break the cycle and that can only be done slowly, one thing at a time.  Advice from members were, plan, shop well, prep, the thing is only you can do it, only you know what works for you and how to get out of that hole.  For me, it actually starts with addressing the problems in my life that are causing me to fall off plan, if those problems are solvable, I work at finding a way, if they're not I accept that and accept that overeating and not taking care f myself isn't going to help my situation in any way!

Anyway, I have a pan of onions frying on low that I need to go and sort, yes I've already been productive this morning, I've baked the oaty bites using the WW porridge, banana and egg, I had 3 bananas on the turn so decided that was a great way to use them up.  My spuds are boiled my onions almost ready, my belly is excited for later, here's to an enjoyable day and not doing too much damage to my weight loss success so far.

Whatever you're up to - enjoy!

luv ya, mwah

Love me xx

oops.... that is all!

Saturday 20th July 2019
If it doesn't make you feel fabulous, don't do it, don't buy it, don't wear it, don't eat it and don't keep it!

Well didn't we have some noisy rain in the night, woke me up anyway!  Yesterday was an epic fail in my WW world and not even of the reasons I'd planned, I ate a chicken breast for my breakfast, so that was okay, I was looking forward to my pie, but when it hadn't arrived by 2, mom and I were hungry and we had these salmon mini burgers with lemon, I wasn't impressed, I'd rather eat salmon as it is in a fillet I think.

then it went downhill, mom had some chocolate buttons sent through the post as a belated birthday gift so we demolished them between us, oh then Walkers cheese and onion crisps, plus my wine.  Oh yeah and 2 of those sugar free Marie biscuits but let's be honest, it could've been a hell of a lot worse.

We had a lovely chilled day, I enjoyed my massage then sat on my backside, we even both had an afternoon nap followed by an early night.  I know the pie is made so I'll enjoy that today because I'll be doing very little again today after I've been to work this morning, my ankle needs resting, I can't afford to be off my feet.

Anyway, all is good in our world still, she's had a few wobbles since Thursday but I'm able to bring her back to happy, it helps that I'm in a good place - damn this carer stuff is hard when you're struggling yourself, big love to all the carers out there having a tough time, just remember the answers not in the fridge, remembering that has helped me loads.  I know I indulged yesterday but that wasn't from a place of feeling low, it was because the food was there and it's nice, my willpower was wake, what can I say, I'm human!

I can't even say I'll be good today, as my slice of cheese and onion pie will break the bank, but I will make sure everything else I eat balances it out, I'll have beetroot and salad leaves with it.  I've got lots of lovely fresh veggies, a cauliflower that might be used to make a lovely cauliflower cheese, or just as a side, I know whenever I look for another recipe to do with cauliflower, it always ruins a good cauliflower.

Anyway, I'm waffling, time to get ready for work, looking forward to seeing my lovely members this morning.

Here's to a very great day in whatever way you like, mwah

luv ya

Love me