I've Been on a Break

I went back to the gym today.

I've been on a break. I was only going to be on a break for about 10 days, but it has now been a month.

I meant to work out, I really did. It just got so crazy with all of the Christmas goings on...and something had to give.

....and so I took a break.

I must say, it was really hard getting there this morning, had to talk myself into it. It's never as bad as you think it is going to be once you get there.  I always seem to forget this.

I workout with some great friends. They hardly ever...if ever "take a break" and if they take a break,
they go mountain bike riding or take a break to go run a marathon, or take a break to go rock climbing...
See where I am headed with this...they NEVER take a break for a month...much less to do NO physical activity or eat their way through Christmas buffets.  They are so nice to let me have joined their workouts.

Here's what I loved about today's workout. We talked about food pretty much the whole time. No kidding. We talked about chocolate chip covered Oreos and yummy coconut cake. We talked about how we should have no sweets  from Sunday - Thursday...or was it Monday thru Thursday...I like the latter so I'm gonna go with that.

They did mention a few "healthy " recipes.  I kind of zoned out on that part, but nodded my head, as if to suggest I might whip that up when I got home.

We have a great trainer...and he knows his stuff. He is a patient man...as he has to listen to all of our fodder.  I know he thinks I talk too much...and somehow I think he did not mind my break.

We talk about Resolutions...(refer New Year's Resolution Post) and how we will all try to do good this year.

Our trainer wants us to keep a journal..a food journal. He has wanted me to do this for a long time.  I always say I will...and I do start to, but then I eat a candy bar or m&ms and do not want to disclose this...so I forget my journal every time.

and of course he says....No Diet Coke.

Our workout was complete...I did feel much better than when I got there, I always do.  We are about to leave....

I was almost out the door before he said...and "You WILL start a food journal today and I want to see it in one week!"

"Yes sir," I said and I think I meant it...It's a New Year of course...


Our workout was over at 9:30 a.m.


Start of Food Journal:

10:00 a.m.  Egg McMuffin and a Large Diet Coke.


Dang it!

Finally....Not Another Poem

Ok,  it's been a couple of days since my last post.  Not because I couldn't come up with a poem...because I could-a...but because my 18 year old daughter, before even reading the second post said, "They are not all going to be poems are they?" I said very emphatically and kind of snarky,  "NO! They not ALL gonna be poems."  (Although at that point, I kind of thought that they were, but I didn't let her know that! I acted like that was the dumbest thing I ever heard. Sheesh!)


I'm still a little bitter.
I might put that on Twitter.


Okay, fine....I won't do a poem....at least not today....

It's just that poems tend to keep me from rambling...make me a little more succinct.

My blog has been stagnant for a couple of days.

In researching blogs, it seems to me, the writer always has valuable information to share...
You know a skill of some sort...

Well, that puts me behind the proverbial eight ball immediately.

What could I possibly have to share with people that they would even want to know?

I still don't know...but for some reason, I am strangely compelled to do this. 

So in the meantime, I am going to pretend that I am just telling a friend "stuff I think they should know."

This is my admonition to you ....I am most certainly not an expert in any field whatsoever, except maybe on diet coke, and on  that dear reader I AM the expert.....I excel.  Anything I share with you is strictly for my benefit...just stuff I think you should know. These are just my thoughts and observations.  Hmmmm, this is beginning to sound like a disclaimer...I am an expert on that too. (I guess I have more skills than I thought.)

School starts back tomorrow, Christmas Break will be over.....




Pretty sure I will have some stuff to share this week...please check back in.

Taking Down The Tree

Tomorrow I take down the Christmas Tree,  the New Year has just begun...

Somehow putting Christmas away is not nearly half as fun....

As when I pull  it all out each year to kick off the Holiday season...

and no one wants to help me, they give no rhyme nor reason.

What was once so pretty just a few days before, somehow soon fills my eyes with clutter...

The New Year begins and I want a clean start..."Put away this all now,"  I mutter.

Away to the attic, you Christmas things...all colors of Red and Green...

I know this sounds harsh and cruel you think....I sure don't want to sound mean....

It's just that after Christmas, I'm kind of tired...surely you know the drill....

The shopping, the wrapping, the cooking, the cleaning...and waiting for the big fat bill.

Please know that I love Christmas...it's my favorite... that's a cinch...

But after midnight on New Year's Day....I turn to a bit of a Grinch.

I want my house back the way that it was, just before good ol' Turkey Day...

When I could straighten things up and have a clean room without garland in the way.

When every thing is packed up and the rooms are all free and clear...

I feel like I am ready to face the upcoming year.

And so I will....the months come and go, in fact they somehow flee...

and before you know it it's Turkey Day...and I'm so excited to put up that Tree!!

Merry Christmas Cleanup!!

New Year's Resolutions

Look at Me....I added a Photo



Out with the Old Year, In With the New....
It can't start yet, I have Resolutions to do.
I love the New Year, all brand new and shiny...
I've got lots of plans, some big and some tiny.
I might run a marathon, or write a few books....
I might eat good and healthy and work on my looks.
I' ll bring good will to all, and help my fellow man...
I'll learn to cook gourmet and maybe go to Japan.
I might take up yoga...and get nice and limber....
I'll get Christmas shopping done....wayyyyy before December.
I'll start writing letters...the old way to keep in touch....
I'll learn to listen more and not talk so much.
I won't watch TV...Reality or other...
I'll get super organized...one way or another.
I'll never eat out...never go to Chick Fil A...
I'll give up Diet Coke and drink water all day.
I'll think of others, never putting myself first...
I"ll never, not once miss going to Church.
I won't gossip or judge others...thats' never nice to do....
I'll make chicken soup for those who come down with the flu.
I'll never , not once get into another's business...
I'll floss my teeth lots, even better than the dentist.
Sugar and chocolate will be things of the past....
All my "People" magazines will for sure go in the trash.
I'll eat tons of veggies each and everyday...
and take all my vitamins to avoid turning grey.
I'll learn to really budget and learn the value of a dollar...
and never, not once will I talk loud or holler.
I'll be current and savvy on all world events...
It all will be understandable and of course  will make sense.
I'll keep up with my blog...and never miss a day
and take my dogs on walks and have fun on the way.
I've got a lot to accomplish...there's lots on my list....
I'm trying to think of things I have missed.
I guess that's it, all I can think of at this time....
these are just a few Resolutions of mine....
In case they don't get done, I have nothing to fear....
I'll just put them all down for my Resolutions next year!!!

                                         
Happy New Year!!!!!

Christmas

I LOVE Christmas. "I wait for it the whole year 'round, " just like Dean Martin does in the song, "It's A Marshmallow World."  This year was no exception, and I was particularly thrilled when Thanksgiving fell early this year, as I would have more time to enjoy, "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

I have friends that are entirely finished with their Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving Day.  This year, I wanted to be that person. How hard could it be?  I'll just crank out my list and be done with it...

It all started off nicely.  Every time I saw something that would possibly make a good "neighbor gift" or " teacher gift", I purchased it.  A few here and a few there.  The gifts I found were very reasonable, some even on sale...so why not buy several?  I felt so accomplished...boy was this going to be  a great Christmas. No last minute hustle and bustle for me. I would be sitting by the fire, maybe watching "It's a Wonderful Life, " eating all the homemade cookies and fudge I would undoubtedly have time to bake...for of course all my shopping would be done. I was making quite a stash in our guest bedroom.

Each day I would make a little shopping excursion, and though it might be brief, I would always add to my little stash.  Boy was I ahead of the game...Thanksgiving wasn't even here yet and I was almost done....except for my kids and husband and other family members. They would be easy...I just needed to get a few for neighbors and friends....then I' ll focus on family.

 Here is where it all seemed to fall apart...I kept finding cute little things here and there, and here and there and here and there and always buying in multiples. Before I knew it, Thanksgiving had come and gone and my list was no where near complete. That was ok though, right? Thanksgiving was early this year.... I had loads of time.  Since I was going to have extra time this year, I was going to need lots of recipes to make all the Christmas goodies I planned to make. Pinterest is good for that...so after, or sometimes before my daily shopping exercise, I would log on to Pinterest and explore all my options for the Christmas feasts and  delectable goodies I would prepare. I printed out recipe after recipe.  I am a regular "Martha Stewart "  I thought.  Seriously, people are going to walk in my house (I was planning on having lots of Christmas parties and open houses and cookie exchanges...remember all the extra time I had?) and they are going to think, "How does she do it? The girl is amazing...and can you believe all of her shopping is done? " Yep...it was pretty awesome, pretty terrific... pretty much all in my head. This is where it all gets foggy...the days started to snowball, and not in a good  Christmas snowball kind of way.  I mean the kind of snowball that smacks you in the face when you least expect it and it hurts you because it is not entirely made of snow but made mostly of hard ice. That's the kind of snow balling I mean. All of a sudden it was the middle of December and there were office Christmas parties and school Christmas parties  and  every other kind of organization Christmas parties and before I   knew it I had so much left to do and only a mess of stash in the guest bedroom.  How could all of this  have gone so terribly, terribly wrong...what about my baking and movie watching and the roaring fire and all the parties I was gonna have? What about my "Martha Stewartness?" 

Well, in the end, all the shopping got done...but I was most definitely in the hustle and bustle...in fact, I was the hustle and bustle. I even managed to do a little baking...but  I never got around to watching "It's a Wonderful Life." For the first time in forever, my Christmas Cards did not go out....(we will celebrate Groundhog's day) and I felt more Christmas frantic for a longer time...it was simply not worth it.

What is the point of all of this you say? I have no idea.

It seems to me, that the harder I tried to enjoy Christmas, the more elusive it became....I felt like I was running a race that was not mine to win. 

I always vow each Christmas, that NEXT Christmas will be much more simple, not so frenzied, not so hectic, but I know it will be, thats just me.

I feel so calm on Christmas morning...everything that needs to be done is done and there is a sense of peace...and then I feel it.... it is the Christmas Spirit...  The Spirit fills me with the knowledge that this is what Christmas is all about...the sense of calm, the peace, the miracle of the tiny baby born in a manger, with gifts of only gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Christmas Spirit fills me with the knowledge that to enjoy Christmas one must not try, but simply be still and receive the gift of Christmas...and if one truly receives the gift, that is the Christmas gift they must share with others. That gift is mine to give all year long if I choose to do so. I hope I do....and in that moment...I enjoy Christmas...all the hustle and bustle and plans were for not...for it was with me all along. I hope I remember this next year...and hopefully way before Thanksgiving.  I am putting it on my Resolution List for the New Year....afterall, whether or not I got to watch it....It 's A Wonderful Life.

I Am Not Detail Oriented...So There!

     It has been a year and half since my last post.  I guess I'm not really good at this blogging thing. A lot has happened since my last post...a lot of great stuff and some tragic things too...but that is not the direction I want to take this.  Like it says in the name I gave this blog, I have stuff to tell people.
     It is December 29th, 2012, and again I am in Montana. Seems only fitting I should revisit my blog of only 3 entries at the place of it's birth.  Anyway, the family is working on a puzzle. They all seem to enjoy puzzles. I am only puzzled by the enjoyment of the puzzle. So many pieces...and they all look the same...just variations of color here and there.  I sit down several times and pick up various pieces and pretend to search for the right fit.  I move all the pieces around and act like I am trying to make a fit.  I look around at the others at the table...they are really thinking about this...really working at it.  Even my 11 year old has a mass of puzzle in front of her, of which she put the pieces together.  I am amazed and confounded. I get up.
    I am not detail oriented. I use to deny it, but now I embrace it.  I have no choice...it's the way I was made.  So I get up from the puzzle...and head to the computer to check out my blog....Could it be my lack of detail will lead to the demise of my blog? I think maybe so, but I so want to write and tell people my stuff. Sometimes it may just be a brief sentence I want to share, or an awesome "Target " find or who knows what....I just want to share.  You may be thinking a Twitter account might be perfect.  Yes,  I thought of that too. I signed up. I  have a Twitter acount, yet have not been able to tweet once, (except to Conan O'brien, by the way, he never replied). I can't get back into my account, it 's  the lack of detail thing again. My solution, I am going to tweet off my blog.  However, it can't be called a tweet, or a blog, so I am going to "Bleet" or "Tlog".... Let me think on it!

  

Oh Where, Oh Where has My little Blog Gone!

I have a blog....I have a blog with only two posts! Wait...after this, it will be three!!
You see, I have never been a good planner... Never! I am a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of girl. I use to deny it, but now I have chosen to embrace it! So in "planning" my blog, I did not take into account that I would be moving into a new house in a matter of days...but my fortune cookie told me to "share my thoughts"(refer to 1st post)... Well of course I had to do what it said. You can't tell a fortune cookie your too busy... It should know that, right? Right!So of course, I started my blog...
Please bear with me ...my posts may be few and far between for a couple of weeks...and maybe no one is reading this, so this may not even be a concern..but I'm going to pretend it does.
Now...I have been thinking about what is going to keep the interest of my dear reader, let's be optimistic, readers. I am not above bribery, so I do plan to have give-aways. What shall I give away....well, of that I'm not sure...details to follow.
Please keep checking in...sign up for the emails that will alert you when I have posted!! I just might have stuff to tell you!!!!