This week

It's been a busy week. Bitsy, my cat, has been throwing up for a few weeks. So far it has been $300 at the vet to figure it out. She is 12 years old and has always been small but she only weighs 6 lbs right now. We are trying various things to get her to stop but while the amount and frequency has gotten better, she is still throwing up.

My mom was supposed to have gallbladder surgery today but the surgery schedule got messed up and now she isn't having it until next Thursday. Poor thing was already to have the surgery and now has to psyche herself up again next week.  Next week works better for me but I already moved my schedule for this week around. Now I move it back and adjust next week because, hey, it's all about me!

So the diet from hell.... I have 4 more days of Phase 1 (no sugar, no carbs).  I am not sure it's working. I have not cheated..well I did have a few Hersey's kisses... but I have been eating veggies and meat and cheese and eggs in various ways for 10 days. I thought no sugar no wheat, carbs whatever was supposed to make you feel good. Not so much.  I will weigh myself Sunday and  can start adding "healthy" carbs back in to my diet Monday.  The other thing is not eating sugar and carbs is supposed to "cure" you of the cravings. Again, not so much. I would kill for a Starbucks Chai!

 I am off for a four day weekend with no plans!  I am going to try to go see Iron Man and I do have gardening to do but I like being able to just do whatever I want and go with the flow for four days.

Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day!

No looking back.

I started a diet today. First time ever. Over the past 18 months I gained five pounds which is understandable since I was going through some tough crap but add that to the five or so extra pounds I was already carrying and I was feeling a bit voluptuous. I knew I was getting heavier but my clothes still fit so hey, whatever....until I saw this picture!  Where the hell did that padding around the middle come from?  

The South Beach diet has three phases that all seemed reasonable to me. Phase 1 consists of two weeks of no carbs; just protein and veggies with no sugar at all. This phase is to help get over the cravings. Phase 2 is adding foods back and Phase 3 is maintenance. I thought about Weight Watchers but all that keeping track of everything little thing would make me crazy.

Phase 1 is going to be difficult for me because I always like something sweet after I eat. Even if it's only one piece of chocolate or one cookie, eating without sweets will be tough.

I had to seriously prepare myself for this. I made lists, bought cookbooks, threw out food and asked the pizza neighbor to stop bringing me pizza every week. I eased up on the sugar in my morning tea and...sigh....gave up my crack...er...um....Starbucks.  I am as ready as I will ever be.

So that's it. I have a 10 pound goal.  I am back to gym starting Wednesday and I will post my progress here every week.  Wish me luck!

If the boot fits...

I am sporting a mighty fine looking boot for the next 3 weeks! In an attempt to avoid surgery for the severe plantar's faciitis in my right foot, my doctor gave me this lovely accessory and told me to wear it all day. I can take it off to drive and sleep but that's about it. It's better than the cast he wanted me to wear and I wouldn't have been able to drive in a cast.  I was sort of feeling sorry for myself (I have a nasty cold this week too) but then I thought of those people who suffered such damage in Boston and my poor niece whose foot was crushed in a car accident a few weeks ago. She had surgery and will be non-weight bearing for 3 months and then in PT for at least 6 months...so hey, this is nothing!

My vacation in Dallas was great. I loved seeing my nieces and sister.  I also got to have dinner with old friends and spend a couple days with my girl Nancy! The weather was warm and sunny and the entire trip cemented my decision to move to Dallas. It was a tough decision to make alone. Bob and I used to move frequently but thinking about doing it by myself is daunting. I checked out pricing on condos and duplexes while I was there and have a list of all the hospitals to apply to. It will probably be fall before my house sells, which is a better time to move then in the middle of a hot Texas summer!

Have a great weekend. It looks spring may finally be making it's way to Michigan!

Ready for vacation!

Vacation time! Yay!  I am looking forward to getting away. My dog won't go outside in all this rain so I have to stand in the door and boot  her out with my foot. Plus, she eats toilet tissue and drags it all around house every time I leave.  My bathroom looks like a frat party when I get home from work. My cat...let's just call her Pukey, throws up every blasted day. The vet isn't sure what is wrong with her but the barf is the same color as my carpet so I start my mornings with a nice surprise.

I wanted to go some place tropical this spring but I couldn't find anyone to go with me...which leads me to dating, well, not dating. I haven't even met anyone.  It's all very weird. When I was married I thought I looked pretty good for my age and really didn't care much about the wrinkles and little tummy I had. Now that I am single, dammit, I think I look old and fat though my friend and I look at Match.com (I haven't signed up but can look). If these are my choices it looks like I am going to be single for the rest of my life.  It will be a year and a half this weekend since Bob died. I am "carrying on" and all that crap but I sure didn't think I would be single in this stage of the game.

Stay warm and enjoy your weekend. I will be back next week and I am sure I will have a few pictures to post.

Is this Spring?

I think we are finally seeing the light at the end of the looong dark winter tunnel. It's been sunny and in the 50's the past few days. My tulips are trying hard to pop up and all the trees are budding. I don't want to get too optimistic since last year we got a late frost that did a ton of damage to the blooming trees and plants but it's hard not to perk up a little bit in the sun.

So... guess where I will be going next week?  I am off to the Big D to see my sister, nieces and bestie, Nancy! My 17 year old niece, Paige, was in a car accident last week and her foot was pretty much crushed. She had surgery yesterday and all went well but I want to see for myself!  Her sister, Molly, is in college and I haven't seen her in about a year and a half. I miss them and need to load up on hugs and kisses. I haven't been down there in awhile but considering I plan to move there in a few months I guess I should go look around!  Hopefully the weather will stay in the 70's!

I am considering taking a blog break. Seriously, I don't have much going on right now. I am only posting every other week or so as it it. I need a little motivation to clean out my basement and if it is warming up I need to clean up my yard. I don't plan on planting a garden this year but I do want to put a few veggies in pots and it's about time for the lettuce to go in. I guess I will take it week by week but for this week, this is all I have!

Have a safe weekend.

Musings..

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" ~Mark Twain

These are what my peonies looked like last year. Oh when oh when will they show their fluffy white heads this year?  60 degrees one day, snow flurries the next. Bleck!!  This really has been a long cold winter.

My foot, part II.  I went to an orthopaedic surgeon for a second opinion and he wanted to put me in a cast! I asked him to wait until I get back from vacation in a couple of weeks. The plan is, a boot for 3 weeks and then reassessment.  If my foot isn't better I am probably going to need surgery and then a cast for 6 weeks!  Not only do I have plantars faciitis, I have some weird thing called Baxters' Nerve. Baxter can have it back!

Hmm...let's see what else I need to up date you on....Oh I am going on Invisalign number 11. All tolled I have 18 sets to get through. I am hoping to be done by the beginning of July.  I think this summer is going to be a busy one. I need to get the house in order to put it on the market and we all know how busy trying to sell a house is. I will be finishing up my braces and all this foot stuff.  I am trying not to plan my summer away before it even gets here!

My garage door opener died. When the guy from Sears came to install a new one he had to have a long talk with me about my garage door. Poor thing was on it's last leg. It is originial to the house so over 40 years old and I guess I was lucky it lasted that long.  I have to take a day off because it takes 5 hours to install a new one!

Not much else happening around these parts. Have a Happy Easter!



Almost Spring!

I was creating a calendar for work and just noticed that it is almost Spring! 20 days until this long, cold, snowy winter is over. I know we get nasty weather in March but just the thought of Spring being on the way cheers me up immensely.

So why the fridge you ask?  I cleaned out mine yesterday and threw out about $100 worth of old food. This is getting ridiculous.  I buy food with all of the best intentions. I am going to make dinner, I am going take my lunch to work every day instead of buying the gross stuff that passes for food in the cafeteria, I am going to master a great low-fat recipe for my favorite scones dammit!!   For the 27 years I was married I cooked at least 4 or 5 times a week.  For the 1 1/2 years I have been not married I have cooked, MAYBE, once a week. I like to cook. I love to bake so what the hell is going on? 

I think part of my issue is I don't eat much processed foods. I don't buy canned anything nor do I buy much frozen food. After Bob had his heart surgery we completely re-vamped how we ate and now I see salt in everything. The other bigger problem is cooking for one seems like such a waste of food. I steam corn and eat a serving and waste the rest. I make a pot of stew and end up freezing most of it or giving it away though my mom is eating better and my freezer is getting full! The last issue is I go to the gym twice a week after work and it is easier to pick up a salad on my way home.  So what is the solution?  How can I eat healthy and now waste so much food? I don't have a clue but I am open to suggestions.

Enjoy your weekend and stay warm. Spring will be here soon, really!