On break today, I made a new Pandora station on my phone. I set it to play songs from and "similar to" Les Miserables (funnily enough, it only played songs from Les Mis and nothing else!) The song, "Do You Hear the People Sing" came on and I just knew that I had to find it to post on here. I am dedicating this to all of those who are marching in uprising against their cruel dictators, those freedom fighters, peacekeepers, 'troublemakers', those who are getting the word out to let us know what is REALLY going on in their country, to the woman in Libya who is being 'silenced' for accusing those in power of raping her...
This is your anthem.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Chubby Cushion of Comfort
**Author's note: The formatting on Blogger is wonky and isn't retaining my paragraph breaks, so I apologize for the really 'wordy' looking post!** I read a blog post yesterday that completely describes my current state of mind! "Sometimes You Just Need Baggy Pants" I've reached the point where I am slowly running out of (what I will call the) Chubby Cushion of Comfort. I can feel my hip bones, my collar bone is noticeable, and I can even see my ankles and the veins in my feet on a regular basis. This is WAY beyond my 'comfort zone'. It's almost a little weird and unnerving. Like, where am I melting away to? Where did it all GO? I'm not taking the weight loss for granted, don't get me wrong. It's AWESOME. I feel AWESOME. But I barely have that Cushion to hang on to. It's the Cushion that let me slide through life just being *average*. It's the Cushion that gave me the excuse that I was too overweight to exercise, because...what difference would it make, right? Well, now that the Cushion is fading away, I don't have an excuse to have excuses any longer. I don't have an excuse to NOT buy the cute shirt. I don't have an excuse to NOT sign up to run a 5k. I don't have an excuse to NOT smile when my husband compliments me. Do you or did you have a Chubby Cushion of Comfort? If you still do, have you thought about ways to chip away at it? If you did have one, what steps did you take to push it out of your life? On a side note, I'm down 85 pounds! Just this week, I was able to fit into three pairs of pants that I'd been hanging on to for over 6 years. Baby steps!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Our Delicious 'Snow Day' Trash Bowl
A few weeks back, I left work early because of an impending blizzard and it just happened to also be Matt's day off. For lunch, we fixed up a yummy 'Snow Day' Trash Bowl. :o) We gave it that name A) because it was snowing and B) because we wanted a fun name to give the big delicious mix of food that we'd dumped into our bowls!
This recipe can be done any time of the day - it is NOT just for breakfast.
'Snow Day' Trash Bowl
Serving Size: 2
Weight Watcher Points - 9
Ingredients:
1 cup 'Fake' eggs (ie. Eggbeaters)
2 cups Frozen hashbrowns
As many as you want - Frozen mixed peppers & onions
1/2 pound of ham or turkey ham - diced
1/4 cup of shredded cheese
Meanwhile in another pan, cook the pepper mix & diced ham
When both the hasbrowns & pepper/ham mixture are ready, add them together
Time to add the eggs!
Once the eggs are set & scrambled to perfection, add the cheese
Voila! Divide it into two servings and you have an amazing, delicious 'Snow Day' Trash Bowl!
Enjoy!
This recipe can be done any time of the day - it is NOT just for breakfast.
'Snow Day' Trash Bowl
Serving Size: 2
Weight Watcher Points - 9
Ingredients:
1 cup 'Fake' eggs (ie. Eggbeaters)
2 cups Frozen hashbrowns
As many as you want - Frozen mixed peppers & onions
1/2 pound of ham or turkey ham - diced
1/4 cup of shredded cheese
Fry up your hashbrowns according to the package directions - you can use a tbsp of oil, if necessary
Meanwhile in another pan, cook the pepper mix & diced ham
When both the hasbrowns & pepper/ham mixture are ready, add them together
Time to add the eggs!
Once the eggs are set & scrambled to perfection, add the cheese
Voila! Divide it into two servings and you have an amazing, delicious 'Snow Day' Trash Bowl!
Enjoy!Friday, February 25, 2011
A Pictorial Journey
I've been meaning to do this post for quite awhile - so now without further adieu, I'd like to take you on a journey.
We're not going to a magical place filled with sweeping vistas, ancient castles, and beautiful unicorns (though that might be a nice change of pace, eh?). Instead, we're taking a trip back in time...back through my life and my weight loss journey.
You need to understand something, before we begin. Do you see the girl in this first photo? Yes, that's me - circa 2006. But what you can't see is the unhappiness, the void inside. I didn't care about myself. I cared about my boyfriend (now husband), my dog & cats, and my family. That's it.
I ate whatever I wanted, when I wanted. I ate bags of chips, tubs of ice cream, boxes of candy. There was NO limit. There was nothing stopping me! A few people did voice their concern, but that's like trying to tell a rock that it needs to be paper. I heard what they were saying, but I felt like it didn't apply to me. This picture was taken when I was at my highest weight ever. I remember stepping on the scale and seeing 275. That was honestly VERY frightening, but I didn't do anything about it right away. Instead, I turned back to the food that had always been there for me, on my darkest of days.
To know that my family and wonderful, sweet husband have never given up on me means so much. I had given up on myself, but they were always there (and still are) with words of encouragement.
Our first anniversary - 2006
Christmas 2008 (Such beautiful sister in laws!!!)
On a road trip - 2009
Wedding shower at work - 2009
Friend's baby shower - late spring 2010
Spring 2010
August 2010
February 2011 (Let's just say that these pants haven't fit since I bought them around 2004)
I remember all of the compliments that I received on my wedding day...thank you again for all of them. I wish that I would have BELIEVED them at the time! As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm working on myself from the inside out. It's been an arduous process, but it's worth it. :o)
My weight loss journey is not over - I'm down 82 pounds and have about 50 more to go. Thank you for cheering me on thus far!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
On the Cusp
I am on the cusp, on the verge, of seeing a number on the scale that I have yet to witness in my adult life. It's all been baby steps and will continue to be, because I am all about taking it slow. I've lost 76 pounds so far (technically over the course of 3 years, but it's been steady now for a year) and I have about 45 more to go. I'm excited and OH SO VERY NERVOUS at the same time. I keep thinking that I'll wake up one day and it will all have been a dream. Or maybe the next time I eat a chocolate chip cookie, I'll immediately gain it all back on.
It's such a balancing process! I'm having to learn to retrain my brain into NOT thinking those nasty thoughts. I know that I won't gain it all back on with ONE cookie. I know that I can eat anything I want, but just in moderation and appropriate proportions.
The cravings really have all gone by the wayside. I did have an urge for a delicious chocolate bar the other night, but satisfied it with a cup of hot chocolate instead. I don't want fast food any more (it actually makes me sick now, if anything). I don't want to eat an ENTIRE pizza or a WHOLE bag of Doritos. So the retraining of my brain has at least gotten that far!
I'm still working on the lesson of myself. Loving myself. Respecting myself. Realizing that the compliments aren't fake - people really do mean what they say sometimes. Owning the fact that I AM beautiful.
I'm a constant work in process, but that's the way it should be. We should all learn more about ourselves. Life isn't cut and dry, there's always potential to discover new things!
It's such a balancing process! I'm having to learn to retrain my brain into NOT thinking those nasty thoughts. I know that I won't gain it all back on with ONE cookie. I know that I can eat anything I want, but just in moderation and appropriate proportions.
The cravings really have all gone by the wayside. I did have an urge for a delicious chocolate bar the other night, but satisfied it with a cup of hot chocolate instead. I don't want fast food any more (it actually makes me sick now, if anything). I don't want to eat an ENTIRE pizza or a WHOLE bag of Doritos. So the retraining of my brain has at least gotten that far!
I'm still working on the lesson of myself. Loving myself. Respecting myself. Realizing that the compliments aren't fake - people really do mean what they say sometimes. Owning the fact that I AM beautiful.
I'm a constant work in process, but that's the way it should be. We should all learn more about ourselves. Life isn't cut and dry, there's always potential to discover new things!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Christmas - 2010
Dear, sweet Milo
Uncle Matt!
:o)
Poor kid had some SERIOUS hat hair
Rachel the Nurse!
Siblings :o)
We are all so excited for her!
Mama looooooves Milo...serious face and all
Our present to the little man - I painted it over the course of a few weeks. I chose words that I felt represented both David & Tiffany's ideals. :o)
First Christmas!
I think I got a few tears out of her!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sunday
Matt and I have had a wonderful Sunday! I feel blessed to be able to enjoy a WHOLE DAY with him. (What a concept, right?) We made a yummy 'over stuffed' omelet this morning (thanks for the recipe, Weight Watchers!), ate breakfast at the table (*gasp*), then started putting up Christmas decorations. Our house is all sorts of cheery now!
Hand carved Nativity - by Matt's late grandpa, Lloyd (yes, we know that little baby Jesus is missing...he's at the babysitters. Because, as my sister in law Tiffany said, Mary needs a break too!)
Doggy & kitty stockings
My big bear, Brownie. He's such a scrooge!
Sugar -- why so sad?
Buddy staring intently at Matt
Noah and Daisy, cuddling cuties
Along with putting up decorations, I've also been busy adding more necklaces to our shop!
Our tree.
We came to the agreement that we're going to purchase a new one for next year. We'll keep this little guy (he's 5 feet tall), but the poor thing looks a tad puny in the dining room. Plus, he's getting VERY full with all the ornaments we (and our families) keep adding to the collection!
We came to the agreement that we're going to purchase a new one for next year. We'll keep this little guy (he's 5 feet tall), but the poor thing looks a tad puny in the dining room. Plus, he's getting VERY full with all the ornaments we (and our families) keep adding to the collection!
Hand carved Nativity - by Matt's late grandpa, Lloyd (yes, we know that little baby Jesus is missing...he's at the babysitters. Because, as my sister in law Tiffany said, Mary needs a break too!)
Doggy & kitty stockings
My big bear, Brownie. He's such a scrooge!
Sugar -- why so sad?
Buddy staring intently at Matt
Noah and Daisy, cuddling cuties
Along with putting up decorations, I've also been busy adding more necklaces to our shop!| Etsy sharonemilydesigns |
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