As the Bean Moves

This is all I have for you tonight, folks.  This girl can move. (I'm sorry it takes such a long time to load.)
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Today's Sparklies:

1.  IKEA tomorrow!!
2.  Haircut tomorrow!!
3.  The girls had me laughing so much today.  They are so silly. :o)
4.  I got in a few minutes on the elliptical.  No, it wasn't JM, but it was still movement.
5.  Dinner tonight.  Oh. My. Goodness.  We had Roasted Red Pepper and Shrimp Pasta Salad.  Holy mackerel was that delicious! We're already making plans to modify the meat used (we think salmon, scallops and other seafoods would be delicious) and the veggies used, but keep the pasta and the sauce.  Not that we won't make this version again as well.

No milestones.

Irony

 We've had quite the adventures the past two days, and I'll get there in a moment.  But, first, I wanted to share some "spring" photos, since it seems to have taken a bit of a hiatus here.  :o(  It's cold and rainy, y'all.  Did I mention cold?

 Did I mention the snow and ice we got Sunday?  I'm thinking this poor hosta isn't going to make it.  Nor are the other six I planted the other day.  Crud.

 This is NOT a happy leafy green.  :o(

 However, these guys that are now working on year three are quite happy.

 The azaleas have been sick, so I'm pleased to see the new green growth and all the buds.  The shrubs are going to be littered with blooms. :o)

 They're coming...

 The columbines are really getting ready to shine.

 Hannah's lilies are looking good.

 So is her rose.  We tried so desperately to get rid of this guy.  Let's see if it'll put out its profusion of fragrant red blossoms. 

 And, my peas.  I think they'll make it.  They were covered from the frost and sleet/snow one night, and were only exposed the following night.

 And, it looks like the pok choys are going to make it.

 I'm worried about the broccoli, though.  :oS

 The dogwood is lovely.  B has contemplated extending that new bed around the gazebo just a bit more to include the dogwood.  I don't think that's a bad idea at all. :o)

 Oh, dogwoods, how I love thee.  :o)  They make me homesick for the 'burg.

 The lilac will be opening and perfuming the air before I know it! Oh how I LOVE lilac!

The warmth and sun will return soon, right?  I mean, I'm not one to complain about snow in the winter, but now that it's spring, I'm ready for SPRING. 

Okay, on to tonight's story of irony.  Last night, on the way home from church, Brien called to tell me his car had died.  First the battery light came on.  Then, at a stoplight, smoke or steam (he couldn't tell which) began pouring out from under the hood and the check engine light came on.  He pulled over in the local shopping center's parking lot and discovered it was steam and he had coolant spewing everywhere. 

Having no earthly idea what was wrong, but suspecting the radiator was hosed, or the water pump or some such, he called a tow truck to pull him to our favorite mechanic (once more I'm eternally grateful we have AAA) while I removed the girlies from their cozy beds and loaded them into the chilly car.  Needless to say, Ellie was more than a bit peeved with me. 

As we discussed possible problems and decided B could simply drive my van to work the following day, we realized my inspection was expired, and there was NO way they would allow him on base with an expired inspection. 

So, we decided this morning would be a fine day for B to bring my car for an inspection. ;o)  We knew I needed new tires and were ready to go with that.  He got to the store, they got my old tires off and discovered my rack and pinion were hosed.  Folks, it was deader than a doornail.  Talk about unsafe...oh my. 

Ulp.  That was an unplanned for expense and made me wince, but we got it taken care of (my van has over 100,000 miles on it, B's car over 130,000 and we have no desire to get new vehicles and take on a car payment), as well as an oil change and an inspection--which I passed. ;o)  And, we awaited news of B's car.

We received a phone call around 5:00 this afternoon (is 5 afternoon or evening?) and I prayed it was not too bad.  We were told it was merely a dead belt.  That was it.  Huh??  So, we got B to his car, and all he had to pay for was his oil change since the mechanic had replaced the belts about six months ago and they were still under warranty.  SWEET!! :o) 

So, here we thought B's car was going to be bad and mine just iffy (tires ain't cheap), and instead, my van was the one that gave us heartburn.  I told B I thought it was someone looking out for us since we are planning on hitting IKEA Friday and that would be one heck of a long trip up and down the Interstate with a banged up rack and pinion.  By his car breaking, we were "forced" to have my car taken care of.  Thank goodness we found it!

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Today's Sparklies:

1.  Well, this might not be a sparkly, but it certainly made me laugh:

The Beanie grabbed our "Today is" sign from the school room and nommed it.  Oh my.
2.  Mom and Dad are back!  We sure did miss them!
3.  Dinner out with Mom and Dad.  Well be missing out on Friday so took advantage tonight.
4.  For those of you who wear Chico's clothes, or who are familiar with their sizing, I put on a pair of size 2 jeans today!  I haven't been in these for YEARS, and they aren't even snug or tight!  WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO! They've just been hanging there in the closet, and I needed a pair of jeans today and decided to take a chance.  I'm SO happy I did! :o)
5.  Ellie put on quite the walking show for Nana and Pop this afternoon.  She's going to be running in two weeks.  You watch. 

No milestones. 

Changes in Attitudes, Changes in Latitudes

You can thank me for getting the song stuck in your head later. ;o)

After a  night of reflection, and lots of wonderful supportive comments, I realized something--when I began this endeavor, it was with an eye towards improving my overall health and wellness.  I wanted to be able to chase after the girls and bend over without becoming winded.  I wanted to avoid diabetes and heart disease.  It wasn't about weight loss so much as about getting back to the me I was before having children--health-wise. 

I lost sight of that in the face of the weight loss.  I'm not kidding myself.  The weight loss is an important aspect of this for me.  However, more important is feeling good.  And, you know what? When I eat well--not overfilling my gullet--and exercise, I do feel good.  I have more energy.  I was able to move practically an entire houseful of belongings and stuff by myself--within a two day period.  I was able to paint three rooms.  I was able to then move stuff back to its proper home.  I was able to haul loads and loads of junk off.  I was able to carry 3 gallon pots of plants--one in each hand--and garden and rake and plant and haul heavy bags of garden soil and mulch and lug them to appropriate locations and spread them. 

I can tell you with just about 100% certainty that that would have kicked my patootie all over the place back in January.  I'm healthier and stronger than I have been in a loooooooooong time, and that's a very very good thing.  The weight loss is also good, and it makes me happy as well, but being able to move and keep moving is the best.  I mustn't lose sight of that.

So, to Ms. Smirk, I thank you.  I sincerely thank you for kicking my tushy all over the place and helping me to reclaim the me I used to be. :o)

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Some things I don't want to forget:
*Ellie is fascinated with putting things into bowls and on plates.  The other day she had a snack (in her high chair) and found a bowl and put the items in the bowl.
*El is also now signing "please".  Hooray!  Hard headed thing she is, she's resisted up to this point, instead just screeching at us.
*I forget just how fun this age is.  Oh, to watch the cognitive growth and development is utterly fascinating.
*Miss Bean's favorite phrase of late? "UH! Oh!"
*Walking.  Oh, the drunken, bow-legged sailor walk.  I LOVE it!  She is almost to the point she can get to a standing position just from the floor.  The child's motor skills are incredible.  :shakes head:
*She is still nursing at night and not during the day as much.  I might get a morning feed and late afternoon feed in, but forget lunch and bedtime.  She prefers 10:00 pm and then anywhere from 2-4 am.  I'll get sleep again...some day. ;o)
*The child LOVES to be outside.  ADORES it.  For a baby who doesn't much care for grass, she sure does love to be in the out of doors.  If we don't have the backdoor properly latched, she's off and running.
*Cabinets.  Drawers.  Plastic containers.  Cups.  Oh my.  I found my potatoes out and all over the floor this morning.  Oy.

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Today's Sparklies:

1.  The sun reappeared!  It's still chilly out there--and I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed my veggies made it since they were uncovered for the frost last night--but the sun, oh the glorious glorious sun!
2.  B got my shrubs in the ground just in time for all the rain this week. :o)
3.  Supportive bloggy friends.  Thanks bunches, guys. :o)
4.  Lil playing and playing and playing outside.  The girl afraid of the outdoors has disappeared.  Hooray!
5.  I just LOVE looking at my new carpet and looking into the sunniness of the playroom.  It simply makes me smile. :o)
6.  Working on keeping the house and mess under control.  With Beans about, it's tough, but we all pitch in and do what we can.
7.  I was able to polish my toes without grunting or groaning or performing acrobatics for the first time in a LOOOOOONG while 

No milestones.

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Many of you will remember my friend Megan, and her teeny weeny baby Charlie who was born weighing just a bit over a pound.  Well, Charlie is having surgery tomorrow (Wednesday), to have a g-tube inserted, among other things.  Please send up positive thoughts and prayers for Charlie, his parents and surgeons.  He is SUCH a miracle baby.  :o)

Stumbling

Brien left and with him my self-control and will power. :oS  I don't know why I'm better about my eating and exercise when he's here, but I am.  Additionally, the time I took off from the Shred really got me OUT of the habit of working out. 

I still managed to remain within my calorie budget--for the most part--coming in under my 1800 limit.  BUT, I had been staying within the 1300-1500 range.  :oS  I began to eat too much.  My stomach hurt.  I'm just not used to eating like that anymore.  I'm used to eating until I'm satisfied and stopping. 

I did it again tonight, that eating too much.  I'm afraid I'm going to stretch my stomach back out and will have to "suffer" hunger pangs as it shrinks again. 

I don't know if I really did do any damage, but I damaged what I was doing.  :o(

That said, the scale said I had lost yet more weight this morning.  I don't count it until the weight is the same for three consecutive days, but it was down.  I'm at a number I haven't seen since before I got pregnant with Lily.  IF that number sticks around. 

To motivate myself, I took some measurements to compare them to when I began the Shred in February.  I'm STUNNED by the number of inches I've lost.  I'll share when I get to the end of my 30 days, but suffice it to say, it is a HUGE number--greater than 10".  Holy smokes. 

I did Shred today.  I can tell my fitness level is definitely better than it was when I started this, as I wasn't fatigued and didn't become winded as quickly as I once might have.  And, yes, I've been working quite hard what with yard work and moving things and lugging things and painting (holy moly, rolling paint is tough).  Oh, and vacuuming the new carpet is a MAJOR workout for my arms--the pushing takes some serious effort! 

BUT, it's not what I want for myself.  I want better.  I can do SO much better.  I want to feel good again, not stuffed and icky.  I want to get up and get moving and start my day right.  I'm confessing it here to embarrass myself into getting going once more. 

It's not an excuse, but I have to say, it becomes disheartening when you lose as much weight as I have, but still have SO much more to go.  :oS  I've lost anywhere from 26-30 pounds, depending on if you count today's weight.  AND, I still have 35 to go--at least.  Ideally, I want to get to the weight I was when I got married, and that's about 55 more pounds or so. 

However, I'd be happy to get to within 15 pounds of that... I started out strong and motivated, but now I'm just tired.  I miss my highly fatty foods--peanut butter, Nutella, cheese... I know 30 pounds is quite significant, but it sure doesn't feel like anything more than a drop in the bucket.  BUT, 30 pounds is almost a Lily.  Sheesh.  Wow.  I have to get my perspective back, don't I? 

I'm going to go back and reread that post back in February and find my gung-ho-ness once more. 

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Today's Sparklies:

1.  Ellie was SO happy to be with Brien that she wouldn't leave his arms this evening. 
2.  Ellie lobbing toys and saying, "UH. OH."  Hee hee.  Yes yes, not so funny when she's older, I know.
3.  Getting back on track with taking charge of my health.
4.  Ellie found one of her washcloths (I use them to clean her up after dinner) and walked over to me and "wiped" my face with it.  :o)
5.  Lil cleaning up messes she didn't make, without complaint. 
6.  Lil can do her own nose medicine now.  Wow.

No milestones.

The Best Sound in the World...

...is the sound of your children playing together and laughing themselves silly. :o)



Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

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Weekend Sparklies:

1.  B made it home in one piece.
2.  The girls were OVERJOYED to see him. :o)
3.  Although we got snow and sleet accumulation on the ground, I had my veggies covered so they should be fine.
4.  Lil and Sadie playing together this afternoon.  I'm SO happy she found a friend close to her age to play with. :o)
5.  My super stain resistant carpet does its thing.
6.  Dinner.  OMGoodness.  Check out this salad:

Spinach salad with strawberries, mushrooms, egg, bacon, shredded gouda, roasted pistachios, and a homemade raspberry vinaigrette. Mm.
7.  Ellie is a walking fool.  The child charmed everyone in church this morning with her mad walking skills.


No milestones. 

New Mulch

 It's mundane, I know.  The pictures are iffy at best because there is nothing but cloud cover (as will be the case for the next week or so, with a day off here or there for some sun).  But, I couldn't help but share my new mulch.  I so love this time of year with fresh mulch and pretty new growth. 

This is the left front flower bed, looking around the corner.  Cooke's called this morning to let me know my other Indian Hawthorn is in, and the Blue Chips should be in tomorrow.  The girlies and I are going to make a trip over tomorrow afternoon to pick them up.

 Ah, looking around the corner.  See the new growth on those pinky winkies?

 I liked the polka dotted effect here on the mulch.  The plum is just about ready to leaf.

 I'm thinking about putting in two more day lilies up here.

 They do a nice job, don't they?  Look how straight and evenly the mulch is applied.

 Those Blue Chips are going to look fantastic here along the side!

 B will have five things to plant when he gets home--lucky boy. ;o)

 And, the new bed.  Now that it's in, Lil and I can begin putting in the ground cover we purchased.  I'd also like to fill in with a couple perennials.  I wonder if the columbines and Johnny Jump-ups will spread over this way...?

 I'm going to have to correct the curve between the old bed and the new.  A bag of mulch should do the trick.  I'll pick one up tomorrow with the new plants.

 Those double windows there on the first floor are my offudio widows.  I'll be able to look out over the backyard and my gardens and see the girls playing.  It's not a bad thing, this studio move.

It's a veritable field of green there.  I'm hoping the azaleas will get better and bigger, as the beds are in desperate need of some height...

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Today's Sparklies:

1.  Skyping once again with B.
2.  Doing nothing--absolutely nothing!--this morning.  I haven't done that in FOREVER.  :o)
3.  The finished mulch.
4.  Lil playing restaurant.  She was the server bringing me all sorts of fun food items.
5.  New spring/summer Naartjie clothes arrived for the girls.  I SO wish we had a Naartjie nearby.  :sigh: 

No milestones.

Slowly Getting Back to Normal--Whatever *that* Is

My house is just about all back together again (it may be awhile before I can get back into the garage, though...:sigh:).  I'm happily sitting in my living room, enjoying my carpet.  Amy, yes indeedy you CAN leave hand prints in the stuff.  It's fantabulous! :o)

I had snapped a number of photos of the girls over the course of the past two weeks, but hadn't had a chance to get them posted.  I've FINALLY caught a break!

Miss Bean ADORES being outside (just not that whole grass-thing), and will let herself out the backdoor if it's not properly latched.  I was planting something (who knows what at this point), and she came out to join me.  I looked over and found her doing this:

So, do I bother trying to save the plants? Nope.  I get the camera of course.  :eye roll:

Parent of the year material, that's me.  :shakes head:  However, she did discover that dirt doesn't taste that good...oy.

Sweet sleeping Beanie--the only time she's not getting into trouble!  That is one busy, QUICK girlie.  Wow.  "No no" means "hurry up and do it before someone gets over here to stop me!"  She's going 100 mph wide open most days.  Talk about keeping me on my toes.  Whew!

Lil, when not pushing her away, loves to lug her sister around and help her out.  Ellie is walking now--not consistently, mind you, but if she's standing, she'll walk first until she falls, then she just crawls--and Lil loves to try to "help" her walk.  Joy.

I LOVED that you could see Beanie's tummy poking through Bitty's legs. :o)

Lil, like her big sister before her, loves to do chalk art.  Here we have a ginormous flower and a butterfly.

Oh, and she numbered and counted the fence slats.

Here are three piles of rocks.  Please note Lil gets the largest pile and Ellie and Daddy get the Ent's nose.  ;o)

Floor art.

Beautiful beautiful girl. :o)

Then, I found this last night.  I asked Bit if she'd helped El get in the basket only to be met with, "Ellie's in the basket?"  Ahhh, shades of her big sisters. :o) 

I watched her crawl in and out a few times before whisking her off to bed. 

So, life is approaching "normal" once more.  I had a date with Ms. Michaels for the first time in 12(!!) days.  While I expected it to kick my patootie all over the place, it actually went quite well and I'm happy to be back on track with working out.

Lil and I got our broccoli into the ground and planted cilantro.  We also started marigolds, four o'clocks, basil and chives indoors today.  Oh, and we moved our pepper plants to larger containers.  :o) 

We'll go tomorrow to Cooke's to see if my Indian Hawthorn has arrived and if they have received any Blue Chips.  And, when the mulchers arrive (should be ANY time now--what with them supposed to have come anytime between 12 and 2) and do their thing, I have a bunch of ground cover to get in the ground.  Looking at those hawthorns up front, I'm thinking I need to fill in with something...Hm.

I'm trying to scale Mt. Laundrius as it continued to grow and accumulate while I was busy doing other things, and it's now been a week and a half since the laundry was done. YIKES!

My house?  It's almost perfect!  It's cleaner than it's been in years.  I've hit the baseboards and doors with good old Mr. Clean and his magic eraser, I've dusted every flat surface in the house.  I've painted the offudio, playroom and kitchen--yes, Amy, I'm a painting dynamo once I get going.  The carpet is fantastic and gives me quite the workout every time I vacuum--holy cow! Now, to get the main living area painted...;o)

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Today's Sparklies:

1.  Watching Ellie Skype with Brien this morning.  She's never done so before and was absolutely enthralled with the process.  

2.  Skyping with Lissie as well. :o)

3.  So, totally random, but I can still stand on my head.  And this is useful to me how...?

4.  Catching up on the chores that got left in the dust the past week or so.

5.  The sunshine and fresh air.  I SO love having my windows open. :o)

6.  Breakfast for dinner tonight--Lil's request. 

7.  How much am I loving sitting on my couch and looking into the sunny playroom?  It's wonderful!

8.  I've lost 26 pounds!  I'm back to where I was when I got pregnant with Lil--which is still WAY too heavy, but better than it was. :o)

9.  And, in that vein, I have a pair of capris I didn't even go near last year because I was afraid I was going to be like that old Levi's commercial where the button flies off and does some serious damage to the house.  They were tight the previous year.  This year, I slipped them right on.  YES!! :o) 

10.  New mulch.  There is no sight more lovely than fresh mulch around new growth.  :o) (yes, the mulchers arrived and the truck broke so they'll have to return tomorrow.)

No milestones.