Grateful

Yesterday, was my birthday!  (…I’m still accepting wishes:)

I woke up a year older and a pound lighter.

That’s six pounds, in 8 days…for a total of 36!

It was a great day, spent with my mother.

We had SO MUCH fun!

I am happier than ever….

and so grateful to be healthier!

A wonderful gift.

It’s never too late to start.

…but next year, I’ll have a slice of cake.

Just a small one.

Juicing ideas!

Juicing has set me on a new course! It's like an adventure to health and wellness. Just when I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever find my way out of a web of bad habits and food addictions, God set me free when I ate and drank fruit and vegetables only for 48 days, lost 30 pounds and a new mindset. When I took a 2 month break but continuing to eat healthy, I added a little whole grains, dairy and lean meat. To my amazement my weight fluctuated only a few pounds. After struggling for a month to get focused and reboot again and lose more, I am back on track. Today, is day4 and I have lost 5 pounds to reach a new low! I can not begin to explain what joy this brings to a person who has struggled in this area for decades.

Recently, I have been asked a lot of questions and as you can imagine, I'm eager to help. So, my I have spent sometime gathering up all the photos of juices I made during my 1st juice reboot and have placed them under a tab called "Juice Ideas", at the top of my blog page, under the peach header. Though I'm no juicing expert, I hope this will provide enough helpful information to get anyone interested going. Then over the days and weeks to come, I'll will share more ideas and recipes for healthier feasting as I discover them. So if you have other questions please feel free to ask  and I'll do my best to answer.

Have a great weekend!

Eat more veggies!!!

Juicing Update - A New Wave!

Over a month ago, I verbally tried to begin a second juice reboot with the hope of losing another 30 lbs. by the middle of May. Well, I'm sorry to say that didn't happen and with my goal date right around the corner, I'm feeling a bit disappointed and ...well, a little silly.

The good news is, I haven't gained weight. Which is so encouraging, but as I found out last week at my annual physical, I'm still 40 pounds overweight and my BMI (body mass index) is 30 which simply translated means = obese. In short, it's too early to celebrate. Though incredibly grateful for the significant loss and the nutritional re-education, my journey continues.

I've given it some thought and I'm ready to commit again. I've struggled to get my mind focused but I remember all to well how great I'll feel and how fast I'll lose the rest of this flab. I think my problem the past few weeks has been contentment. I've felt SO much better and enjoyed all the nice comments but when I imagine what it's going to feel like to lose 40 more pounds, it's easy to get excited!

So, the old calendar I used in January and February, is back on the wall. I'll take it one day at a time, eating and drinking and drinking all the fresh fruits and vegetables all day long.

Today was a tough. Truthfully, I didn't enjoy the juice...but I did enjoy imagining how great it will feel to drop 5 lbs this week. For now I'll focus on that and I'll let you know when it gets easier. Probably in a few days. Until then, I get busy cleaning out my closet again. It wont be long until everything in there will be too big.

Backyard Blessing!

After many years and many houses, I have been blessed with the

backyard of my dreams. A densely wooded property with water,

ornamental trees, a greenhouse, established beds full of fragrant

roses and perennials. Like a kaleidoscope of colors, the iris, phlox

azaleas, daffodils, hydrangeas, clematis, larkspur, morning glory

and hollyhocks compete in complementary contrast. Ever changing

and taking turns to show off whose the prettiest. This week it’s

the larkspurs turn and the morning glories and clematis echoing

their brilliant blue. Just in time to cheer on the blue and white

Wildcats, who started spring football this week:) God is good!

I haven’t always had such a place but I’ve always tried. Whether

it was a few flowers mixed with herbs in a clay pot or beds all the

way around the house, I love planting things and watching them

grow! So where ever you live, you too can enjoy a slice of nature.

Look around, ask questions…experiment. Don’t be shy. Just

plant something, hide and watch….and don’t forget to water:)

 

My cup runneth over!

Blue Jay!

 

 

 

 

Birds of a feather, flock together and so do kindred spirits.

I am grateful for the gift of friendship and the wonderful women I share it with. Having friends to talk and listen to, encourage, brain storm ideas, create and pray with,  has enriched my everyday life.

One such friend is, wife, mother and artist, Mary Gregory, who recently came for a visit. Delighted to spend time together we walked, talked and painted ourselves silly! Boy, did we have fun! Mary, found the blue jay feather above and we were smitten with the idea of feathers! We painted all three in a few hours. We struggled a bit with the white one and decided to set the timer and paint more quickly the next two. When finished, we ate a lovely dinner at Meggs Café. We had a blast! I hope she’ll come again soon.

Mary, one of the most thoughtful, kindest, gentlest souls I’ve known is simply put,  precious.  Soft spoken and uplifting, her words have encouraged many.

Though busy as a bee with her fast growing company,

F I G    M A R M A L A D E, she still finds time to be genuine and sincere. Just like her art! Mary, is a breath of fresh air…like the warm sun on your face. She lives on a farm with her husband David, where they chickens, cows and a garden. Mary, paints the lovely life around her and then shares it aprons, cup towels, wall art and much more. It’s the next best thing to spending a few days in the country.

I do hope you get to meet Mary, some day! She is making her way around the country selling to retailers everywhere but you don’t have to wait until then to buy her artful goods.

 

Just click and go to Mary Gregory Studios.

Take your time. There’s no need to hurry. Just enjoy!

Have a lovely day, where ever you are…

Big Hug!