Fairy Tale Wedding

And it sure was. You're right. The music was really great. It was kind of nice to escape and enjoy for a bit. They both seemed very sweet and happy. My favorite next to the music was the variety of hats. WOW!

Sue

Exercise First Think

It's good to exercise first thing in the morning before you break your fast. You burn more fat because there is no food in your stomach.

Sue

Writing it Down

I have always hated doing this, keeping a food journal. You keep writing down the same things. Experts always want you to do this, even online now with the keeping track.

Still raining. We're at 13.5 inches for April, ready to set the record for the wettest April OF ALL TIME. Stuff that loves this is: grass and all kinds of weeds. These especially love the water.

My lungs closed up today. I guess I have to believe I have asthma. Today I forgot to bring my inhaler to school. I know, I should have stayed home. Well, I had several coughing fits and couldn't get air. It was creepy and I didn't like it one bit. I was ok once I got home and took a puff of my medicine - yikes! I'm staying home tomorrow to rest some more. It would be nice if I could sleep. I didn't get much last night due to too much wheezing. I kept myself up.

Royal wedding tomorrow morning. I know, big deal.

Sue

Body Type

Check this website out to make sure you're on the correct diet for your body type. It's interesting

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/11-week-plan-body-diet-dilemma-pt-1

Sue

PS I'm still wheezing, trying to decide if I should go in tomorrow or not.

Asthma - yuck

Well, I have asthmatic bronchitis, so the doctor gave me antibiotics and told me to get out my inhaler. We had testing today and I didn't want to stay home. I wanted to make sure the kids stayed quiet for the 4th grade testing. But I staying home tomorrow to rest and stop coughing and work on getting well.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not a quitter. So, I just got to do it and keep doing it.

Sue

Progress or Lack thereof

I had a big boo-hoo today about my slooooow progress. I mean, it seems like I lose 2 pounds and then gain back 1.5. I need to kick things up a couple notches. Plus, I still have the chest crud. It's really starting to bug me along with all this endless rain we're getting. I can't into my beds to work because everything is under water. The gill over the ground is taking over. This weed just LOVES this rain. Help out there in blog land. I need a shot in the arm.

Sue

PS We had swordfish for Easter dinner, but we had Dorothy Lane cookies for dessert. That's what I mean. I do a lot of good things, but not enough.

Happy Easter

I went to an Earth Day celebration today at Marvin's Gardens, a local nursery that follows the organic practice and grows many of their own plants. I had visited a couple weeks ago and what a transformation. They place looked great and the plants looked wonderful. They had many booths and tables set up with organic services and organizations of various kinds. It really made me feel good to see that there are actually people in this area that care about organic local growing and eating like I do. I am not alone. Hip, hip, horray. Then I went shopping at Dorothy Lane Market, my favorite supermarket that specializes in organic produce, meat and fish without antibiotics (animals raised humanely, fed grass, etc), organic cheeses, fresh baked breads, great wines, and lots of gourmet products. What a pleasure it is to shop there. We get our vitamins and supplements there too. Good stuff! I got this gorgeous looking swordfish that I'm going to fix us for our Easter dinner tomorrow. We had some chicken and challuh for dinner tonight. It was a nice day. I actually got an Essi walk in between storms. We're still getting rain and thunderstorms. The back yard is mushy.

Sue

Spring Salads

Salads... I like them. It's almost salad season where you can grow your own greens. It's good to plant some once a week to have a good supply. I will put some more greens in tomorrow, if I can find a moment between rain drops. And it's only Friday night with two whole days to go yet. Yeah.

What are your favorite salad treats? I like a variety of greens and lettuces, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado, a bit of cheese, radishes, well... just about any veggie raw.

Sue

eatingwell.com

I love this website. I get a newsletter sent to my email address. I also get the new magazine. It's great. Well, both are. There are lots of recipes that are healthy and not too difficult to eat. Check it out.

Happy Easter weekend,
Sue

Rain and Tornado Warnings

Well, we've had 8 inches this spring. Why is it we get too much or too little, never just right? A question for the ages...

We had a tornado warning in the middle of the night last night, so we went down into the basement for a while. It was a heck of a storm - knocked out power to a lot of people, high winds, and LOTS of rain, but no tornado. Of course I could not go back to sleep (the warning went off at 1:13 am) until 5, then I had to get up. Everybody was a wreck today. We all were sleep deprived.

More rain to come - yikes!

Doing ok on the eating, but not the exercise. I still have the chest crud, a bit worse today due to no sleep. We have off Good Friday though and a 3 day weekend. We're supposed to get more rain almost all weekend. Boo-hoo. I'm whining like a baby, so I'll stop.

To bed,
Sue

C and D

These two vitamins are very important. They may even fight PD. I think it's better to get them from foods, but supplements can be effective especially taken with food.

We got heavy rain and thunderstorms, more tonight.

Sue

Crazy Robin

We have this robin that keeps flying against our front windows. We kept trying things to stop him. Finally I hung ribbons from top to bottom on four different windows. When we put something on one, he would go to another. We've had this happen before, but this bird is very persistent. I think we finally have the windows so he won't bash himself. Although this evening I saw him sitting by the windows trying to figure out what was going on. Is there a life lesson in this I wonder?

To bed now,
Sue

Fresh Air

Well, I sure got some today. I did quite a bit of yard work: opened my pond and put the little pump in. Low and behold, all my little fish made it through the winter and they had babies. There were lots of little fish too. The chemistry is in really good shape, I don't think I'll get an algae burst this year. I also cut down the big grasses in the back and cleaned out my bird houses, the ones for the house wrens. I love them. Last year we had wrens nesting in both boxes. I hope they come back this year. I love their song, a long warble. It's unmistakable. I also picked a few dandelions and weeded around the porch and one of our ash trees, pulling up honeysuckle seedlings. It's quite taken over every bit of woodland around here. Bad stuff. At least I can keep it out of my yard. I fixed Bob a nice dinner: pork loin and roasted vegies, lots of them. I guess I'm feeling better and my cold is on the wane.

Sue

Eye on It, Stay in the Present

It's important to keep your eye on your goals. Unhappiness comes from resistance to what is. Being happy is a choice, it is not something that happens to you, but how you choice to feel about what happens to you. Tolle talks about coming into the now. This is where there is peace and contentment. Very difficult for me. My first reaction is to resist what I have no control over.

Sue

Good Report

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is I lost 1.4. The bad news is that I've caught a nasty cold. I had to stay home and rest today. It was also Bob's 64th b-day. We celebrated at home which is where I was anyway :( I'm hoping to fight it off this weekend. I want to do some yard work. But it's raining again. We did get to sit in the yard for a bit today before the rains came.

Sue

Getting Enough Sleep

This is important. Most people don't realize that they need at least 8 hours per night. If they do realize it, they don't get all the sleep they need. A bedtime routine will help you get ready to sleep. Of course sometimes even this does not help me fall asleep when I want, or worse yet I wake up and can't get back to sleep. I have heard though that if you don't get enough sleep, you compensate for it by eating more calories.

Sleep, sleeeeep,
Sue

Early Riser

Boy, am I tired. I woke early again last night at 4 and couldn't go back to sleep. My nose was totally stopped up and clearing it woke me up. Bummer. I hope I can sleep all the way to 5:30 tonight. I am just not an early riser. I like to wake with the sunrise and not before.

Sue

Be Nice

Do something nice for yourself and do something nice for someone else. If you have a favorite charity, do something for them. One of my favorites is Last Chance Corral. It's in Athens and run by a woman who sank all her savings into buying a small ranch/farm (12 acres). She takes in horses nobody else wants, brings them to health, and finds them new homes. She saves foals from the racing industry (don't ask how that happens). I visited her farm once. She does an amazing job, especially this time of year when she brings a bunch of babies home that don't have mothers. She is able to save many of them. I think it's neat what she does. I send a bit of money once in a while, not much. But I like helping her even in a small way. It makes you happy to help.

Sue

Back to 5:30

and tomorrow too. Is it ever hard getting up at 5:30 though. Onward,
Sue

Another Hint - about portions

Check portions. A cup is about the size of your fist. A 1/2 cup fits in your cupped hand. A tablespoon is about the size of your thumb. A teaspoon is the tip of your thumb. Dr. Oz says most people put on weight over the years by eating an extra 100-200 calories per day. Looking on the positive side, you can lose weight gradually over time by eating 100-200 fewer calories per day. This is the equivalent of choosing two less cookies, eating a small potato instead of a large one, walking an extra 30 minutes briskly.

Sue

Oz - Extend the Burn

Have water with every meal - increases calorie blasting 24%, two cups that is
Take a 20 minute walk - after each meal? start with 5 and build it up
Lift weights - walking isn't enough - you need weight training even if you use your own body to lift

Today I did a yoga class, first time in a while. It was great. We did lots of warrior 1s, 2s, and reverse warriors. Lots of downward facing dogs, sun salutations, and chairs. The chair is really good - you stand with feet at shouldar length apart, then squat like you sitting down in a chair, only you hold it there. Good for hips and hams.

We watched "Dive, Dive" tonight with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. At least that's what we call it. They're on a submarine. Good movie.

Cheers and good night. Tomorrow is Sunday, our favorite day.

Sue

Number 58

Well, I had a really nice birthday day. My friend Sally sent a boxful of gifts I've been opening all week. What a pal! My kids sang happy birthday to me. My mother used to call me on my birthday and sing. I was thinking of her when they sang. I've been feeling especially "gorgeous" due to my "day of beauty" Bob got me last Friday. Ha! I had a couple moments to sit and enjoy the pretty day, some outside my trailer waiting for late classes and some after school with Essi on my lap. Bob and I had a nice dinner and watched a cute movie. The scale was even nice to me today and showed a .8 loss.

So now I am 58.
Sue

Healthy Fat is Satisfying

Healthy fats are good for you and satisfy hunger: olive oil, olives, avocados, sunflower seeds, nuts are good in small quantities. Also choose good fiber in whole grains, fruit, and vegies to slow digestion and stave off hunger without a lot of calories.

Tomorrow is my birthday, number 58. Wow,
Sue

Clean out your Kitchen

Only keep the "good" snacks. Don't keep anything that you don't want to eat. This also applies to your office, classroom, and car. That way you're not as tempted to eat a cookie or donut if you don't have them.

Hints from Dr. Oz

A good article in Good Housekeeping from Dr. Oz who says that your best weight-loss tool isn't a scale - "it's a tape measure. A tape will tell you if you've lost risky belly fat. Ideally, your waist should measure under 33 inches; at 37 inches, you're entering the health danger zone.

He has some rules that I think are good. I'm going to share some of them. First rule is "to renew your vow daily." Tell yourself your goals every day. His next rule is to "do something different every single day." Some possible new somethings are: try a new vegie, go to bed a little early, when you feel stress coming on breathe deeply, park in a different spot, sit in a different spot, try a new magazine or book. What are yours?

More tomorrow,
Sue

40th HS Reunion

How is this possible? Yikes! Can it possibly have been 40 years back from this June?

Sue

Last Day of Vacay

And it was a good one Beautiful day, warm and nice. Great walk with Essi, nice lunch with Bob. A bit of gardening and good dinner with a good western. Now to bed and back to the kids tomorrow.

Sue

Sushi

I love it. I usually get some on Saturdays before I go food shopping for the week. It is very good quality. I go to this place not far from here that doesn't have anything fancy, but just the sushi basics. You haven't lived until you've tasted salmon, tuna, and yellow tail fresh and uncooked. It is so very good. Salmon is down right sweet. Tuna tastes like tuna, much better than what comes out of a can. Yellow tail is like eating butter. The texture is very smooth across the tongue. Yum.

Well, one more day of spring break. It has really been a nice week off. I have really enjoyed a week with no schedules and just relaxing, spending time with Bob, Essi, and some friends, but mostly just our little family. I can't say I'm looking forward to going back, but I'll try to psych myself up tomorrow.

Sue

Oz Agrees

The famous Dr. Oz agrees with what we'ver been talking about: colored food, whole grains, smaller meals with snacks. Keep the metabolism stoked by eating often, but not so much.

Day of beauty today for me. Bob said is worked - ha! It was a day of being pampered to the hilt.

Only two more days of vacay - boo, hoo!

Sue