Change is Upon Us

Greetings:

I had an evening that wasn't filled with course prep or grading.   I got more things done around the house, worked further on some correspondence, and sat on my butt watching TV.  (Currently watching a marathon of Roseanne)  I'm pleased to announce that the Halloween decorations are up and I was able to find niches for several of them.  I can't decorate the windows though or put anything outside due to the upcoming construction. 

The contractor and his crew are going to start work on the house on Wednesday.   I just checked the weather though....rain is predicted so we'll see if the Wednesday is actually the start date.   A load of siding was dropped off today and the new windows will be appearing tomorrow.   We get to move everything away from the windows soon so the house will be nice and disorganized.  

I'm excited for the weigh-in on Wednesday as I did a good job with my food choices this weekend.   We did a major shopping trip on Sunday and despite bringing in a lot of tasty food, I didn't find myself snacking tremendously.   I gained last week so I'm still tetering around the 20 lbs mark.  I'd really like to be close to a 30 lbs loss by the end of the year.  

We tried a new recipe today.   I created it yesterday in the crock pot.   Check it out at this link:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts.html

It was very simple to whip together.   I altered it a little bit.   The recipe calls for two cans of diced tomatoes with chiles and I only added one.   The other can was plain diced tomatoes.   I was worried about the heat and spiciness.   After sampling it tonight, I could have added 2 cans with the chiles.  I also didn't add the optional chili peppers either.  As you can see, you can add sour cream and/or cheese to complete the dish.  I also bought Frito Scoops too and that was a nice addition of salty. 

I'm pleased to announce that I have my permanent crown.  They popped off the temporary crown (literally) and cemented the new one in place.   I'm happy to have that chapter of dental hell over with.   Now I get to whittle down the debt from the process.

I don't have anything real earth-shattering to share but I thought I better blog before work sneaks up and rules my life again.

An October Update

Greetings on this fine Saturday:

I'm hanging out, spending too much time on the Internet (so much for just quickly checking my email), and decided I should create a quick blog entry.   It was a typical week.   Busier than I'd like but I was very productive and tried my best to keep up with all my tasks.  This upcoming week is midterm.   I will have a lot of excess grading to completing as I need to send in any necessary midterm reports for my classes.   Luckily I have a gut feeling about those that need a report already.  I'm sure my math at the end of the week will support that. 

I had a successful weigh-in with Weight Watchers on Tuesday.  I lost another 2.6 lbs so I'm very close to being down 20 lbs.  I was surprised to have lost anything.   It was that "fun" week of the month so I was feeling all bloated but hey, I'll take the weight loss.  It's been easier making better choices.   I'm still not craving restaurant visits but we're also doing a good job of eating out once in awhile so we don't desperately miss a certain food or cuisine.  Hu Hot has been a favorite lately.   If I only get meat and veggies, I can pretty much eat all I want.   We've also visited the new frozen yogurt joint in town.  It's called Cherry Berry and it's just like Orange Leaf in Ames.  You grab your own bowl, fill it with self-serve yogurts, and choose your toppings.   Jon's a lot better about covering his yogurt with fruit.   I'm a sucker for Kit Kat and maraschino cherries. 

I'm trying in general to keep myself moving more at home and work to increase physical activity but structured workouts haven't been a constant in my life.  I'm in the large group of people currently that pay for a gym membership but barely use it.  Bleh.  I'm still lucky that my body is willingly letting me lose weight but I'm waiting for a plateau to hit. 

Gavin had a positive report at parent-teacher conferences.   The only class that was slightly disappointing was his French class.  He currently has a C and I'm hoping he gets up to a B.  He doesn't care for the class much and has felt behind for most of the last weeks as he didn't have the foreign language last year like others in his class.   If he's trying his best I'm happy.   And with the current situation, he probably is just average in the class so the C is a fitting grade.   Sadly I cannot help him much, I know squat about French.  I also learned that he's quite chatty in History class.  

I guess that's enough of a update for now.  

If you're someone that occassionally or regularly partakes in the Smart One meals, do consider the Breakfast Quesadilla.  Holy smokes they are wonderful.   They include egg whites, cheese, veggies, and turkey bacon.  I'm so thankful for those and the breakfast sandwiches.   It's been nice eating breakfast on a more regular basis again. 

Have a good weekend!

Your Thoughts?

So my pal from Mason City brought this clip to my attention.  Take a looksie and share your thoughts.


http://video.news8000.com/watch.php?id=36335


http://video.news8000.com/watch.php?id=36335

 It's also listed on my Facebook page too.   Not sure if the link will work or not.   

TGIF

Greetings Again:

Pleased to report that I lost another 1.6 lbs this past week and my grand total has now allowed me to reach the 5% milestone at Weight Watchers.   You get some recognition and a nice big sticker to put on your tracking packet.  I had actually forgotten about the 5% loss goal.   Jon is actually getting close to losing 10% of his body weight.  

I'm still at work at the moment but I plan to go home soon so I can grocery shop (yippee for payday) and straighten up the house.   Gavin has a friend coming over so some of the rooms need tidying.   I plan to do some more work in our storage room in the basement too.   I've been looking at the bins of clothes I plan to wear again and I have an incredible amount of denim.   I think I may have commented about it in the last entry but I keep finding pairs of jeans.  

I'm also happy to announce that we are going camping next weekend.   We didn't camp at all this summer due to time and the unpleasant weather conditions.  I'd rather camp when it's cool outside than sweat to death due to the humidity, heat index, etc.   We are trying to find some camp grounds that are not closed.  

I'm keeping this short and sweet today.    LeAnn reminded me that I didn't mention my Weight Watcher performance so I wanted to include that information before the next weigh-in.

Adios!

Here Comes October

Greetings:

I'm very excited about the fact this week marks the end of September.   I'm a BIG fan of October.   It's a fabulous month.   I started putting a few Halloween decorations out last night.  My search for Halloween items actually led to the cleaning and organization of our basement.   I was able to unpack some more boxes and make things look a little more tidy.   We have a considerable amount of items for a garage sale next year.  I located my box of coats and another container filled with fall/winter clothing for work.   I was shocked by the number of jeans I had in a few boxes.   I apparently went on a denim shopping spree in previous years.   The cool thing is that many pairs were a size smaller than I am at the moment.   I won't have to buy many new jeans at least when my caboose and waist shrink further.

I had some work to do for DMACC last night which is another reason why cleaning took priority.   I'm more than happy to clean a bunch if it means I can put off computer work.   Nevertheless, I got my work cranked out and did some grading too.   I was able to listen to "Julie & Julia" too.  I'm not sure why I like that movie so much.  I'm actually thinking about getting that cookbook to see if there is anything I can create in my own kitchen.  French cuisine isn't my favorite but I like the idea of putting a lot of thought and hard work into a good meal.   Considering that cookbook as been reproduced and released more than fifty times, you'd think I'd be able to find a cheap copy somewhere.

 I'm curious to see what the scale says tomorrow at Weight Watchers.   I'm trying to be more mindful with my eating but I'm starting to snack more than I should in the evenings again.  I'm also not diligent about tracking my food.   I'll start assuming that I'm still in my point range for the day and I may have gone over.   I was happy to count my manual labor last night so that got me some extra activity points that I could convert to food.   I could be more active every day though.  I'm really going to regret not being outside more often when the snow flies in a couple months.  I really want to solidify good habits now too so Halloween candy, Thanksgiving food, and Christmas goodies don't shift the number on the scale immensely.   Apparently many Americans gain at least 10 lbs over the holiday seasons in November and December.   I'm not surprised by that at all.   I actually read an article in the Des Moines register last week about our obesity epidemic.   Right now 29% of Iowans are obese.   If the trend continues, 54% of Iowans will be obese.   Scary!!  It makes sense though if you consider the age demographics in Iowa.   There is an increase with the amount of overweight children and adolescents.   Those kiddos are going to be the adults in 2030.   If you are overweight/obese during your youth, it will most likely follow you into adulthood.  Here's the article if you're interested:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012309190050&nclick_check=1

On a different note, I now have my temporary crown for my most recent root canal.  The procedure went very well.   The hygienist didn't read very well when I arrived though.   She started prepping me for a root canal when I sat down in the chair.    She seemed surprised when I notified her that I went to the endodontist to  get the root canal weeks ago.   And of course, two minutes later she finds the information in my file.   Anyway, my mouth is now a total of 2K richer with the recent procedures.   I get my permanent crown in three weeks. 

I'm hoping to cruise through this week and have some fun this weekend.  Gavin's having a friend over on Friday night.    Hopefully we can visit the local orchard on Saturday or Sunday.   I'm not thrilled that it will be super busy but it's a cool place so crowds are to be expected.   I want to do more work on the basement organization and do some grocery shopping too as payday is on Friday.   It's nice to finally get a full paycheck from ISU.   The part-time work in the summer and the partial paycheck in August weren't comforting my checking account very well. 

Hope everyone's well! 

Maintenance...It's a Good Thing

Greetings:

I decided to stay on track at work today and not work on this blog.   I attended Weight Watchers on Wednesday and was happy to see that I only gained 0.2 lb in the last week.  I was striving to lose of course but was also accepting of simply maintaining due to the food I ate while in Chicago over the weekend.  I'm grateful we did so much walking.   The scale would have been scarier had we taken taxis or buses.

We took off early on Saturday morning and decided to just hang out at the hotel for a bit before heading into the city.  We did eventually venture in for an early supper at Harry Carry's Italian Steakhouse.   Jon had his bison filet and I had my Pesto Pasta dish.  It was delicious as expected and actually quite different eating so much food in one sitting.  I also indulged in an alcoholic drink and had a Moscow Mule.   Sadly the martini I wanted was no longer offered. 

We took the train into the city on Sunday and took our time to the north side for the Cubs game.   I got to experience riding the subway on the way up and the "L" train on the way back to the train station after the game.   The homeless population makes rides on public transit interesting.   We got to the game plenty early and I got myself a nice big serving of nachos.  Nachos are my sport-event food choice.  I also got a hotdog and some CrackerJack.  It was quite warm though and I actually got a sunburn.   You'd think I'd realize that the sun would sunshine on a baseball game.   I have a nice fairly fully container of sunscreen in the closet at home (Thanks Nicole) and yet I rarely remember to use it. 

The ride home was rather tough since we were both tired.  I couldn't stay awake after we got into Iowa.   It was also tough to be perky for work the next day but I got it done!!  Another thank-you to LeAnn for supervising her nephew over the weekend.   He was happy to see pizza again...we've not had that for awhile.  

I'm going to have a long Friday due to a full day with ISU and a seminar for DMACC in the evening.   The light at the end of my tunnel is the fact that I don't have a lot planned for the weekend.   I hope Saturday morning begins with some sleeping-in action.   We're transporting a basset hound to its new home in the middle of the day.   I may focus on unpacking further....yes I still have boxes in parts of the house that still need to be unpacked.   I have too much crap.

Another biggie for the weekend is exercising more.  I need to at least go for some walks or something.  

TGIF!!

Figuratively Buried Alive

Greetings!

I've decided to take some time to myself and enjoy much lunch and blog in the next hour.  Life's been stressful and I'm slowly but surely burying myself in work.   It's clockwork though.   Each new semester, I find myself overwhelmed and kicking myself for not being more proactive with prep work.   I'm wishing I had done more with my prep work this summer when I was only working part time.   I've been feeling disorganized in the last week and it seems like I have a million things to do each day.   I'm trying to not use my free time on weekends either.   I want to devote that time to tasks at home, ventures out & about, church, Jon, and Gavin.  We've been busy on weekends too so even if I feel like I truly need to work, I usually can't.   I'm a little worried about this weekend's venture to Chicago.   I'm more than excited to go but I have a nagging voice in the back of my head saying "You're going to be so behind come Monday morning."   Stupid self-conscience. 

Despite work being stressful, I do have a lot of good things happening with my health.   I'm pleased to announce that I lost 6 lbs this past week.   I honestly thought it was about 1 pound.   I gained last week due to poor tracking and my wonderful time of the month.   I wanted to lose that 2.8 lbs that I gained but I'm not going to complain about losing an extra 3.2 lbs.  I'm especially pleased because we attended a wedding on Saturday and my attention to the foods on my plate really helped at the scale.   I'm not a huge cake fan.   I seriously contemplated a piece of cake but decided to eat some of the delicious mints they offered.   You know those mints....I think they are made from cream cheese and molds are used to create flowers, bells, etc.   I had them at my graduation party back in 2001.   In the past, I would have still grabbed a piece of cake simply because it was there and everyone else was eating a piece.   Heck it would have probably been 2 pieces of cake.  I was also mindful with my other food choices.   I didn't load my plate down with chips.   The savory food item I did feast on was deviled eggs.  I love those things and they were wonderful.   I kept track of my points and did use some of my extra points for the week.  

Jon and I are planning to visit a nice steakhouse in Chicago this weekend.   I'm planning to get a pasta dish that incorporates pesto and asparagus.   I had it last year when we visited the same eating establishment.  Jon is planning to get a bison steak.   I'm planning to have a martini or two as well.   Alcohol is a bitch on Weight Watchers (alcohol sugars = a lot of points) but I want to indulge a little bit on our mini trip.   We also plan to walk a lot and burn calories. 

I've also been pretty diligent with taking a daily vitamin.   I'm taking a basic multi-vitamin for women (One a Day brand).   Ironically, I didn't take one this morning due some issues with oversleeping and severe panic with getting out the door on time.  Taking a vitamin on a regular basis has been a goal of mine for YEARS.   My mom helped reinforce this habit when I lived at home but I fell off the wagon when I left home in 2001.   I had some success when the gummy vitamins were introduced a few years ago.   I'm back to taking a basic non-chewable tablet.  

I'm also flossing like a champ lately.  I'm getting really sick of paying the dentist oodles of money so I want to prevent cavities in between my teeth.   I also have receding gum lines and flossing helps to slow that.   It's become a nightly ritual.   I've been scolded about flossing for as long as I can remember.   Hopefully my dentist sees improvements at my next 6 month check-up. 

Exercise and extra physical activity continue to be a challenge.  My Weight Watcher leader made a valid point last night.   I need to write my planned workouts in my schedule.   If it's in my schedule, it gets done.   If I keep it on my mental "to do" list, I continually put it on the back burner or let my fatigue at the end of the day take precedence.   I'm paying about $20 a month to use a gym.   I want that bill to actually relate to how much I use the gym.   I could be doing more exercise in the neighborhood too.   There is a walk/run path in the park across the street....come on Jenny. 

I was actually concerned about this week's weight loss because I did do some nightly grazing in the kitchen in the last two weeks.   I sit down in the evening, the TV is on, and I get that urge to snack.   I need to keep a handle on that too so I'm not eating extra, unnecessary calories right before bed.   If I'm truly hungry that's one thing....if I'm just eating to eat, that needs to stop. 

So the good news is that I'm almost at a 15 lbs weight loss.   I hope to be at a 20 pound lost at the end of October.   The season of food is starting up though.   Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas goodies.   Sigh.   Bring it on.