Happy Monday ladies. I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend and are refreshed and ready to start a new week. The first weekend of fall was fabulous here. It was cool and overcast on Saturday and cool and sunny yesterday. On Saturday my friend Chris and I went to Grist Cider Mill in Parashville, Michigan. I had never been to a cider mill before so I didn't know what to expect. First of all, the apple cider was the best I have ever had. I don't know if I liked the cider or the cinnamon sugar donuts better. They make everything on site and the donuts are made to order. After Chris and I got our goodies we sat outside for about 2 hours just chatting and enjoying the day. I think she and I are going to go to a few more mills as the season continues. Yesterday was devoted to cleaning, football and I started a new blanket. It's a new pattern and I wasn't sure if I liked it when I first started but now that I'm a ways into it I'm really starting to like it. My one concern is that it's a very dense pattern because of the way the stitches lay so it will take a lot of time and a lot of yarn to make a full sized afghan. Oh well, it will be worth it in the end!
I had a good week last week. I did really well with my scheduled work outs and stuck to my planned menu. I am really trying to work on cleaning some of the stuff out of my cupboards because I buy certain things for recipes and then never make them. I always use the perishables but the dry stock tends to sit there and then I end up with a cupboard full of things like great northern beans, sauerkraut, boxed red beans and rice and creamed corn. I've been going through and trying to pull at least two things out of the cupboard each week and plan a meal around them. When I was organizing I found all of the cupboard items for chili so I think I'm going to be making that in the next week or so. I have noticed that I have been snacking too much so I really need to work on that. I think that will most likely be addressed when I set my goal for October.
On a different but related topic, one of my aunts is writing a book and she has asked that my cousin Jessica and I help her edit. Now, I'm no editor but it has been fun to read through what she's written. I feel that I should mention that as much as I love my aunt she is no writer. She actually started working on her manuscript when her son was in Afghanistan. She had a hard time sleeping at night and instead of just sitting up and fretting about him, she decided to put pen to paper and start writing. Her book is called Straight Talk from a Fat Chick and it chronicles her most recent, and only successful weight loss attempt. It's highly unscientific and there are some things that I don't really agree with but, as she states in her disclaimer, it's not meant to be scientific. If you want you can buy hundreds, probably thousands of scientific weight loss books. Instead, her book is about her struggles with being over weight all of her adult life and the trial and error that lead to her weight loss. Anyway, the book itself is not nearly long enough to publish, even as a thin paperback so she's trying to add more content. Last week, she called all of the adult women in our family and asked them to share their beauty secrets. She wanted us to share 4-5 things that we do to make us feel healthy and/or sexy. The goal was for us to realize that no matter what size we are or where we are in our lives that we can and should do things that make us feel beautiful. So, I'm requesting audence participation today. Can you think of 4 or 5 things that you do, not necessarily every day, to make yourself feel beautiful or healthy? I'll post my contributions but if you'd like to see what the other women in my family had to say just let me know. Anyway, think about it and let me know what you do for yourself!
3 comments:
It's quite the coincidence. I know Jenny visited an orchard, and Jason and I went to Gays Mills, WI, which is apple country. It's just that time of year. The apple pie we had was soooo good. I'm sure I'll do some baking with all the apples we bought. We also bought some apple donuts. Yum! I'm hungry right now, so this is hard to talk about.
Your Sunday sounded like mine, minus the sewing/kniting/crocheting. It sounds like you have a useful way of getting rid of unused occupants in your cupboard. Chili sounds yummy too.
Kudos to your aunt for being ambitious. I plan on writing a book too, but who knows when that will get under way. I'm curious about the responses you got from your female relatives. I'd have to say that dressing up can make me feel beautiful, but at the same time, dressing comfy makes me feel beautiful in a different way. Buying something new (clothes or under garments) can make me feel beautiful. Being active in general gives me a feeling of being athletically accomplished (healthy). I'm not too creative in my answers, but they're honest. Maybe I can add better ones when I think about it more/longer.
Thanks for sharing!
Hey there-
Your question about how we feel healthy and beautiful is a good one yet tricky. I've had your entry open for awhile now while I've done other things so I can ponder. I did think of a few and I may be copying LeAnn on a couple.
1. I feel great when I have my comfy clothes on
2. I feel beautiful when I venture out to the store and buy a few new items that fit well. They may not be my desired sized but the fit appropriately and flatter my body shape.
3. I feel healthy and beautiful when I surround myself with friends and family that value me for what's on the inside...not my size or appearance.
That's all I have so far.
Those are great responses ladies! As I was reading yours I suddenly realized that I didn't share mine with you, which I had intened to so here they are:
-getting my eyebrows and lip waxed. It hurts but it's worth it.
-buying properly fitted and sexy bras.
-Taking the time to really look nice sometimes...hair, make-up, nice outfit, cute shoes, accesories.
-Stretching...instead of doing a major cardio or weight work out just spend 15-20 minutes doing stretch exercises to relaxing music.
LeAnn, I'll post the list of responses from the women in my family. There are a lot of repeats there but some really good ideas!
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