Sorry, been busy

Sorry, I have not been posting about my healthier me.  A friend asked me to be an author on a homeschooling blog and I have been busy writing posts for the archives, leaving my others to neglect.  The blog officially goes public on Monday, March 1.

It is the end of February and it is hard to be witty about anything, especially working out, so I just go back and look at my walk post-- Welcome to My Walk.  I'm even ignoring my Hormel Turkey Pepeproni, letting Buddy eat it all. (gasp)

I think, in order to regain my humor today, a bit of yoga is called for

and watch my son, Patrick, play with his food,

                              his plate,

And Harvey's evil twin Hare-Old

Note to self

• Re-establish your relationship with your Turkey Pepperoni before Buddy eats it all
• Get back to your blogs outside of homeschool blog.
• Winter will be over someday, but right now we're not so sure.
• Find laughter in winter where you can.  It's good for your health.

Welcome to my Walk

Welcome to my walk today.  I grabbed Insatiable son on this lovely day and set out with the camera.  Since the horses had seen us before, they didnt' have need to watch us today as we watched them.














The Fire Department sign bit the dust.

The Arkansas River on a winter's day.

An old Baltimore Oriole Nest.  The Black and Orange birds build sack-like nests.  They usually arrive in the area on April 16.  We watch and wait for their beautiful song.  Isn't the sky a lovely blue today?

An old, familiar song comes to mind...

That is my dog, Blackberry in the background.  He likes to escort us down the road.

We get some powerful storms out here in the summer.

The real treat is the Eagle Nest.  It is the taller, darker spot above the tree line. Sometimes you can see the momma and daddy Eagle on a branch. Sometimes you see a head sticking up above the nest.  Is kinda cool.  We walked further than we normally would go to get this foto.  Believe me, my heel was talking to me.

(gasp) I should have had a V-8!! I wondered why my world was going topsy turvey! 

Amos, the Beagle likes to come along too.

And just in case you can't quite make it home, there is outdoor plumbing here in Toad Suck Arkansas.

I have found a wonderful link for good food and tips.  Hungry Girl. Com

I am going to try the breakfast recipe but without the cheese. My gang is milk allergic. She even does a review of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni! Must be a good site

Would you believe I actually ran out of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni a couple of days ago!!  I bought 2 more packages when I finally made it to the store and was so traumatized, I forgot to use my coupon!!

Notes to Self

• 
  
  Enjoy the view during your walks
• 
  
  Don't run out of Turkey Pepperoni
• 
  
  Ditch the upgraded version of Blogger.  It's slower, drives you insane by leaving big spaces and doing whatever it feels like after you've edited.

"Use the energy it takes to pout and write some blues"

I am still looking for the rainbow amongst these clouds...searching, searching.....maybe it's time for me to stop being a big baby cuz everyone has their challanges, just in different ways. "Use the energy it takes to pout and write some blues."

--unbeknownst to me who said it.

"Mic in position? Sunglasses, please, boogie-woogie background boys...

...duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh..

ready?...let's go.....

..duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh......

I got some blues, baby....yeah, I got some blues....

I got some sad things baby....sad to make you blue....

but I got some life! (brass blast), got my dog! (blast)

and.... not eatin' like a hog...

here in Hog Country, baby...

Never been to Pig Out, baby....

Or to Toad Suck Daze..

That rain just makes me too blue, baby...

Too blue for you....

But I got Soo-weee! (blast)...Blue Soo-wee (blast)

Oh, Sweet Blue-wee...

only just for you, baby...

Thank you, thank you, to all my friends (both of them) who tolerate and encourage my Inner Rubber Chicken.

Now, time to take the sunglasses off and talk about taking my body back. After that, this is going to seem really boring. I liked the sunglasses better, that was more fun.....(putting them back on).

I got some Kudos, baby, kudos to those who take the time to calorie count and write down everything they eat. Lists such as that stress me out, baby, stress me out and give me the blues. At the moment, I am just striving for sanity and portion control.



I am not a donut eater, baby, nor a cake eater, too. I don't do ice cream much, either, baby....not tater chip eater--oooo (I don't dare to keep chips around). These are once in a great while things. For me, it's Pop Secret Homestyle Micorwave popcorn--the entire bag, all the way--at night, when I got the blues, and can't write a word. We grew up on popcorn in our home, and any true Haste can eat an entire HUGE bowl of hot, heavily buttered popcorn, popped in oil, all by themselves. If you can't do it, you are not one of us. You have to earn your sunglasses.


Portion control is my issue. And so is Hormel Turkey Pepperoni (a true sunglasses food, worthy of any blues-writer and singer).
And getting back into regular exercise that I can enjoy. Can't do what I love anymore (except write the blues).

Really enjoyed circuit training work out a-la Jillian Michaels style, baby...


(but without the potty mouth, baby...who needs that nasty talk?). It was 5 minutes aerobics, (blast) then 5 minutes of legs and back with weights and tubes and bands, (blast) then some abs, then repeating the cycle 2 more times, baby. I went to bed at 7:00 that night. Just too tired for the blues. I LIKE that workout too much.... legs.... back.... abs....(sigh) For this workout, the music I am using is 2 Unlimited (remember them?) Hits Unlimited. (5 sunglasses music)


Their music was popular on Aerobic Music tapes and CDs in the 90's. Unfortunately I left all my real aerobic music behind in Baltimore at my in-laws home.


Today, Saturday, I will prolly do Yoga with Rodney Yee. Weights will be pecs, delts, arms and abs.


For breakfast I had a few blueberries while deciding what to eat (not turkey pepperoni today) then decided on a small leftover portion of barbequed boneless chicken breast. Grazed on some chocolate nut antioxidant which for some unfortunate reason is STILL next to the computer!! I have to move it back to the bedroom where I won't eat it.

Note to self

• Kudos for getting a handle on your popcorn, baby.
• and not adding butter,too.
• Kudos for striving for portion control, baby, no deprivation for you.
• Kudos again for liking circuit training (blast).
• Move the chocolate nut anitoxidant (blast)
• Remember, when you got the blues, write some blues....
• 

  Briefcase Full of Blues

Have you ever felt like you were being watched?

Despite my trauma of the day yesterday, things that are bad for my health, I grabbed my insatiable son and walked my 1/2 mile just beyond the Toad Suck water tower. It's a pleasant walk, really, especially as we pass the horses. This time it was a little different. As we neared their field, the horses took notice of us. Have you ever been watched by 5 horses at once, just staring at you for several minutes? It was really weird. *;-.) I HAVE see the movie Barnyard. I know they were just waiting for us to get over the rise, where we couldn't see them.

Things that are bad for my health

I have concluded that a few things are really bad for me health. Today I am thinking about ....car trouble. Now, for normal people, they can deal with car trouble just fine, but for me, I liken it unto normal people waking up in a sleeping bag with a snake wrapped around their left arm.

Car trouble not only causes my stress level to go up, it just about paralyzes me to a non-functional level. Both are very bad for my health, but worst of all, my reaction to car trouble causes me to skip exercising and eat extra chocolate.....

AND

I ate 2 slices of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni while grazing for lunch. Once again, I couldn't tell you what I ate for lunch or for the rest of the day. Amnesia is, once again, proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

So yesterday, the only thing I exercised was my right to nearly melt down over car trouble. And pray lots.

We had missionaries for dinner last night (yum yum). We made tacos and home made vegetarian enchiladas with homemade sauce.

Had lots of taco meat left over so, today for lunch I had taco salad

AND.....

2 slices of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni.

Note to self

• Kudos for keeping it to 2 slices every time now and not a fist full.
• Kudos for recognizing what is bad for your health
• Kudos for actually keeping the chocolate intake to a minimum

Fresh Blueberries and Risking an Encounter with Red Neck Roy

I love fresh blueberries. And it is not hurting my feelings one bit that the grocery store is carrying them right now. Insatiable son and I ate the entire carton on the way home from the store this morning after Seminary. He likes them more than I do, I think. *;-.)

SO, I ran out of time yesterday to do what I wanted for excercise, so I braved the cold AND chanced the possibility of an encounter with Red Neck Roy. I didn't run into Red Neck Roy, but I found his cousin, Red Neck Billy Bob Jay John Jack, who had a 4-wheeler in the back of the battleship-grey spray painted truck.

Man it was cold outside!! The return trip is when the wind is in your face...Brrrrr! I think my legs turned the same color as my pants! What do you think? Possible? On a really cold day? The good news is that I walked FURTHER than I usually do. Okay, it was about 30 feet more (15 feet each way), but still.....actually I usually walk about 1/2 mile because of pampering my left foot. I probably walked....let's say....4.5/8 of a mile..... prolly more. I didn't mark it. *;-.)

After those wonderful blueberries on the drive home this morning, I didn't graze on any of that Hormel Turkey Pepperoni. I knew exactly what I wanted... a small slice of this:



Home baked Cuban Water Bread

Not sure yet what I'm going to do today for exercise. We have piano lessons today..which takes a 2-hour chunk of my day. I think I will do what I said I would do yesterday; kicking some boxing with Kathy Smith and weights will be legs/back/abs....(sighing with contentment.)

Note to self:

• Kudos for walking when you didn't have time for what you really wanted, even though it was REALLY COLD.
• Kudos for not grazing once you got home and going for something that was ready.
• Kudos for actually LIKING legs/back/abs

Crusty Cuban Bread
thanks to Amber Peterson for this recipe couple years ago

4 Cups all purpose floiur
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 TBL dry yeast
2 TBL sugar
2 tsp salt
2 c hot water (120 to 130 degrees)
1 TBL Poppy seeds (or Sesame seeds or none at all)

Mix 3 cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour with yeast, salt and sugar. Pour in hot water and beat 100 strokes.* Stir in remaining flour until dough is no longer sticky. Knead 8 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl, cover with damp towel. Let rise 15 minutes. Punch down. Divide into 2 pieces. Shape into 2 round loaves; place on baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Cut an X- 1/2 inch deep on top with a sharp knife. Brush with water; sprinkle with poppy seeds. Place on middle shelf of cold oven. Place cake pan of hot water on lowest shelf**. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 40-50 minutes or until deep golden brown.
* I do this in my Kitchen Aid Mixer with dough hook.
** Personally, I do not use the pan of water in the oven.

Not risking an encounter with Red Neck Roy

Okay, well, I'm havin' abouta 'nuffa 'dis. I'd better stop cleaning or planning cleaning jobs. I'm gonna close my mom's deep freezer and defrost it in the spring!! Not walking today. Is too cold to be able to dodge Red Neck Roy.


This morning's graze while deciding what to eat for breakfast was something different. I love Ann's House Chocolate Nut Antioxidant. It is full of whole almonds, almond slivers, raisins, craisins, and dark chocolate chunks. Wonderful treat.
I dispensed with the Hormel Turkey Pepperoni graze and went for this. And green grapes. For breakfast, I finally decided on leftover Valentine dinner. So I heated up some large macaroni in juice of Eye Roast and a few thinly sliced pieces of said roast.
I have to say, contrary to Mick Jagger's sentiment, I can get some satisfaction.

Today, I think I will kick some boxing with Kathy Smith. Today is also leg day, back and abs......(shivering with excited anticipation)

Note to self:

• Close mom's freezer door. Toad Suck Glacier is re-forming.
• Self, your shivering is brought on by the cold.
• Self, I don't think so. I really do like leg day and back day
• I think I talk to my "self"
• Do you, or is it just me?

Sunday

I take Sunday off from exercise but since my family was speaking today, my heart rate still got up and I broke a sweat. *;-.)

Breakfast was a bowl of Instant gOatmeal with Maple and pecans and 3 slices of Hormel Pepperoni while I waited for breakfast to be ready.

I usually have a chicken in the crockpot when we get home from church and we have that with mashed potatoes, stuffing, home made gravy with the grease separated off as best as possible, a vegetable and Buddy must have cranberry sauce every time. I now eat only a little of everytihng. I don't want and can't eat so much anymore. Oh, and I ate a small piece of THIS while I waited for lunch to be all ready.

Red Velvet cake with home made Strawberry frosting.

Sometimes Ignorance is Biss

Being as I live in La-La land, I'd had no idea of the accident, nor the opening of the Olympics. So sorry about Nodar. *:-.(

The lives of many people will never be the same.

But since life does go on despite tragedy, and an athlete would not want the games to stop, the Olympics carried on. I will be watching just about everything. Winter Olympics is my favorite.

And so is Hormel Turkey Pepperoni. I have just got to face that fact. I had 3 pieces as I grazed through the fridge, deciding what I was going to eat. Ate a few blueberries and a hand full of grapes before deciding on a cinnamon raisin bagel.

Oooooh, I worked my calves really hard yesterday......

Note to self

• Self, face the fact that you and Turkey Pepperoni have a long term relationship.
• Be sane about it, like you have to in any relationship.
• Kudos for being sane.

Squats are great!

What is she doing? Holding a lunge position while doing bicep curls? That's nuts!

Today was leg day(sigh). I love leg day. I love doing squats; squats with barbells, squats with dumbells, squats with tubes, squats with machines, rear lunges with dumbells... Squats are great. And Deadlifts. Yes, those too.

And back. (sigh) Pull downs with tubes, bent over rows with dumbells...it was good.
Later when I have more time I think I shall do Yoga for Beginners with Rodney Yee.
Downward Dog

Patrick made Chocolate Chocolate Chip muffins made with chocolate milk this morning for breakfast. I took one. They are so rich it takes me 3 hours to eat one.

And I had two slices of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni.
*;-.)