LazyNez

Floors are still not done. Surprised? Nah, me neither. But soon dammit! Richard even offered to help me with them today. We’ll see how that goes.

I didn’t workout today. I know I should have at least one rest day, but really, that’s not why I didn’t do it. I’m just lazy today. At least I’m back down to 138 again. The past few days have been a mess. Luckily yesterday really helped me get back on track. It wasn’t planned, it just happened.

Our local BevMo had a wine tasting yesterday starting at Noon and ending at 3. I thought it was going to be some grand affair that lasted 3 hours. I was wrong, but it was still fun. We got there at noon, found that we were not the first people, but got to drinking while they were in the middle of their testing. There were 5-6 different zinfandels that we were trying with some cheese (apple smoked cheddar!) and crackers for in between. Like the brainiac that I am, I didn’t eat before we went, so those cheese cubes and crackers were much needed. It also didn’t help (or did it?) that the lady was generous with her wine portions. By the end of it I was a happy girl and the nice lady showed us some wines we were more likely to enjoy. Not that the zinfandels were bad, it’s just that we don’t prefer red wines. She showed us to the rieslings and muscatos and recommended a few. The one she highly recommended was a sweet riesling from Snoqualmie (yay Washington!) that she said everyone loved. The best part about it was that it was less than $7! So we snagged it.

We grabbed some Chipotle for lunch, taking it to-go, as I wasn’t really hungry, and went home. I was coming down off my little buzz when we got home, and spent the rest of the afternoon on Minecraft, only stopping to eat some leftover eggs and sausage. It was really only a few bites, but it was plenty for me. It wasn’t until around 8pm that I ate anything more. I decided it was time for some mandatory quality time with Richard since we were on our computers (in different rooms) the entire day outside of the wine tasting. So we snuggled up on the couch, turned on the tv and bam, food commercials.

I hate watching tv for just that reason. I’m perfectly fine until big, juicy burgers and fries are paraded in front of me. Every other commercial is about food of some sort. And I’m oh so easily influenced by food commercials. It’s my one true weakness. My weight loss plan would be going so much better if I had better willpower or there were less food commercials on tv. Or I could stop watching tv. But really, it’s only at night that I watch it so it’s not like I’m always glued to it. Anyway.

I had some popcorn. It was wonderful. The thing I love about it (besides the salty crunch) is that I can eat a whole bowl and not really have eaten anything at all. The carb amount isn’t too bad so long as I don’t have it every day. I didn’t need to eat it; I wasn’t hungry. But I didn’t feel bad about it either. Besides, I needed more in me besides wine, cheese and eggs right? Oh! And speaking of wine again. We opened up that bottle of riesling and it was so good! Sweet and wonderful without being too sweet. Richard doesn’t like too sweet (I do) so he loved this. I can’t believe it was so good for only $7! Success!

So yeah. Good day yesterday. Lazy day so far today. Although we did move my lappy into the computer room with Richard. It’s mostly for the warmths. I love my little craft room, but it doesn’t have a door or a ceiling, so the room is always cold and doesn’t hold heat in well. So either my little heater stays on all day or I freeze. Since we don’t want to pay a lot for electricity, I just froze. Until today! AND! I get to see my husband all day! We usually go all day without much interaction (sad, I know), but this way, we can be huge computer dorks AND spend time with each other. Win!

And now I want a nap. Yup, lazy day.

Productivity

Today has been a good day. A productive day. I did the day’s workout on BodyRock, but with the modifications I had to do due to lack of equipment, I didn’t feel like I had done anything. So I did another one. That felt much better.

I went in search of my husband and found that not only had he loaded and ran the dishwasher, he was outside, digging and fixing the fence around the “garden.” What an awesome man.

Back inside I did some alchemies. Mainly fixing my deodorant to be more effective, but I also put some lip balm into a chapstick container for ease of use. Then I cleaned up my mess, switched out the trash can for something less crappy, then decided to get to scrubbing the floor.

I’ve been real lazy about those floors. It’s just so much work and it goes so slowly. But we have a party coming up, so it must be done! I’m taking a break right now, but I’ll be back at it again soon. Maybe if I’m lucky/diligent, I’ll have the kitchen floor done by the end of the day.

4 Days, 4 Pounds

I’m very happy with my progress so far. It took a while to get the ball going, but now that I’m losing, I’m losing consistently and fast. I’ve been exercising for a week now and I’ve been at the all protein thing for 4 days. I didn’t start to lose weight until Sunday morning. I started at 142. Sunday I was at 141, yesterday I was at 140 and today I am at a lovely 138. Yes, that’s 2lbs in one day. Woo!

I’ve been eating very little, but I’m by no means starving. I’ll have a few glasses of water (with added fiber) in the morning after my workout. Then maybe a cup of coffee around noon. At 3 I’ll have a boiled egg or some string cheese, which will hold me until dinner, which is usually a chunk of meat. I drink lots of water with fiber in it to keep me fuller longer. It’s really not until the evenings that my cravings start. I’ve found that nibbling on a small piece of chocolate really helps the sweets cravings and doing the same with string cheese helps with regular cravings. Last night I took a good 20 minutes to eat my cheese and it was really helpful. However, we stayed up later than we usually do to watch our shows, and that made me extra hungry. I’m usually in bed by 9:30-10 and can restrain myself from eating anything bad until then. But last night we stayed up until 11 and I had to have something. So I made a s’more. Just a small little thing gooey with chocolate and marshmallow was what I needed. I was happy the rest of the night and was more than thrilled to see the 2lb weight loss this morning.

I’m looking great, and more importantly, I’m feeling great.

2 More Weeks

Until Kit comes! He’ll be here on the 28th and will be staying for…ever? I dunno how long, but he’ll be here! That means I have 2 weeks to get my ass in gear and lose as much fat as possible. Gotta look good for my guest.

I started doing Bodyrock on Tuesday and did it every morning until today. I had great intentions, was all excited to do it today until I woke up. So tired. I think the sudden drop in temperature and lack of sunshine outside really killed me today. Even after coffee, I was dead tired and had no interest in doing anything. At least I didn’t stuff my face today like I did last night. Man, was I bloated last night. I only had some string cheese and chicken strips today along with the coffee. I call that a win. A small win, but still a win.

Tomorrow the weather isn’t looking to be any better, but hopefully my body will have adapted enough for me to get some exercise in. While I haven’t lost any weight yet, I look thinner (minus yesterday’s bloat) and feel better. My muscles are happily sore and recovering quickly.

For The Birds

When we first got here, there was a dirty, empty bird feeder in the backyard. I’m not sure Shay knew he had it. It took us a week to notice it. But once we did, we went out, bought bird food and set it in one of the trees back there. For the first few days we didn’t have any visitors. But yesterday we got 2 and today we had 6. Eager to keep these new friends, Richard and I headed out to buy bird houses!

We stopped at Lowes first since we wanted to pick up some cheap fencing to keep Koda out of the dirt. We found that, and 2 different types of bird houses. We weren’t thrilled with the selection, so we got the fence and went to Michaels. They had so many bird houses! We each picked our own, debated over cute knick knacks to add, decided no, then ran home to paint them.

The brown and green one is mine, and the yellow and blue one is Richard’s. I know I said we didn’t get little things to put on them, but I lied. Richard got a little fence to add to his. I’m going to add things later. :)

So yeah, all painted, we went to find a place to put them…..hrm. We found some pieces of wood, glued and nailed our houses on them and tried to put them in the ground. Except we don’t have a shovel. Back to Lowes! We also needed more fencing. By the time we got home and got everything put up, it was too dark to take pictures. But I’ll take some tomorrow.

We’re really happy with our little houses and we hope the birds are too.

Job Search

Richard’s really been at the whole looking-for-a-job thing, applying and sending his resume to everyone who will take one. I have been….less diligent. So yesterday, after getting home from dropping a resume off somewhere for Richard, I hopped on Craigslist and started looking around. Then I found it. The perfect job for me.

A Nutrition/Wellness Coach. A new center just opened up and they’re looking for people to help others lose weight, eat right and live healthy. All training provided, no experience required, just a willingness to learn and a passion for nutrition. That’s me! “Please send your name and phone number and the best time to reach you.” Done! About 30 minutes later I got a reply e-mail saying that they were doing interview today (yesterday) and Thursday and to call right away to get on the list. So I called right away. And got voice mail. Okaaaay. I called right back, thinking she was on the phone, but I got voice mail again. So I left a message. Then, every 20 minutes, I called back. When 5pm rolled around, I gave up. I sent an email saying that I had tried and am still interested, please contact me. About 20 minutes later I got an email. Yay! Oh wait, it was the exact same email I got in the first place. I’m guessing it was an automated response. Boo.

Today the plan was to wait until Noon, then start calling again, but Lindi (the lady) beat me! She sent me an email saying to show up to the interview tomorrow, here’s the address and please bring this and that. Woo! I’ve never been so excited to get a job before! This would be the perfect stepping stone in my dream to have my own apothecary and be a Holistic Consultant.

So excited!

Kidney Problems

I woke up yesterday with what felt like a cramp in my side. As if I had slept wrong. I ignored it, thinking it would work itself out on it’s own. I got a craving for orange juice, so we went to the store. By the time we got there, my pain had increased. When we got home, I knew what it was. A little stone decided to leave my kidney and make it’s way down my ureter and into my bladder. This is a very painful process.

I spent the rest of the day on the couch with a heating pad on my back, trying not to cry or throw up. My fabulous husband even cleaned out Shay’s bathroom so that I could have a hot bath in his huge tub. The heat really helped. Luckily it only lasted the day and by the evening, I was even hungry enough to eat something. Today my back is a little tender if you push on it, but that’s it. If I’m really lucky, I won’t feel the stone pass. I’ll drink to that. Water of course. :)

 

A Good Start

We celebrated the new year with the Hernandez’s shortly after they got back from Houston. We played Catan and chatted and were wiped by the time midnight rolled around. The next morning we had a lovely breakfast and Richard and I were off for home. Since then it’s been bike rides, song writing and taking checks to the bank.

In addition to the IRS check, we got a check yesterday from the girl living in our Seattle apartment. Yay more money! We haven’t been having any luck finding jobs, so this really helps.

Today we tried to buy me a new denim skirt but no one carried any. At all. How crazy is that? But at least we got some much needed sunscreen. Richard got a little burned on his arms from being in the car. Chipotle for lunch then home to play with the keyboard. Then Richard got a hankering for fire, so we fiddled with the fire pit until we finally got it to turn on. Dinner, then to the store to buy wood and marshmallows and chocolate and graham crackers! Mmm s’mores!

Yups, it’s been a good year so far.

A Letter from the IRS

Richard and I played 3 games of Catan this morning. We can’t seem to play a regular game. It’s either an obliteration or nothing. Luckily we’re pretty even with taking turns soundly trouncing each other.

We played around outside today, since it’s still 70 on a daily basis. Richard put up some “fencing” around the garden and we made plans for the rest. Then back inside for some more unpacking. My craft room is coming along nicely and so is the upstairs loft.

Then Richard checked the mail. And I got a letter. From the IRS. Uh-oh. “This could be very bad,” I said. “Or very good,” Richard replied. I opened it up. The first thing I saw was “Amount Owed: $900-some odd.” Um…. Then I read the rest. They owe ME! Well, us. This is the money we’ve been waiting from them since the beginning of this year. Talk about a sigh of relief!

So now I’m doing a happy dance. We hope to use that money to pay off some of our debt instead of just living off of it, so the job hunts continue. Such a good day.

Merry Christmas!

Richard woke up at 7, his usual time, and began making hot chocolate. Last night I told him that you can’t start Christmas without hot chocolate, so he made some to help wake me up. Koda had a better idea. Like an excited child she jumped up on the bed, waited for me to stand up, then bounded out into the living room. As Richard handed me my mug and I settled in on the couch, Koda paced and bounced around, eager to start the unwrapping. She even knew where her presents were and kept staring at the mantle. We gave her her presents (squeaky snake and 3 bones) first to shut her up, then we opened ours together. I had gotten Richard Catan and he got me a beautiful box!

We played a game of Catan, Richard won, and then we sat around for a bit. Richard made Christmas pancakes which were very tasty. We layed around some more until he went to play games and I watched tv. We lounged around this way until we went outside to lay in the sun a bit. It got up to 74 today, so after a while we got hot, came in, made smoothies, then decided on hot dogs for lunch. Naps and more tv, then computer time. I chatted with Ana for a good bit too. That was nice.

It’s been a really laid back day. I haven’t put on anything but my robe all day and I love it. A low key Christmas, but a good one.