blog is a many splendored thing

As you may recall, one of the goals I set a couple weeks back is to lose weight, get healthy, and stay motivated!   In order to track my progress, I determined to weigh myself on Saturday mornings.   The first week I was so happy, I lost 1.6 pounds!   I didn’t make many changes to my diet, I didn’t feel deprived, and I added some exercise to my day to help with my energy levels. The second week my scale said I didn’t lose any weight at all.  Arrggghhh!  I started out to be a little discouraged; then I thought about it a little while and chose NOT to be discouraged.  I hadn’t lost any weight; but I didn’t gain any either!  I decided that was a good thing and that I would count that as a success!  We have to take our battles one at a time and I am content this week with NOT GAINING weight!  That made me happy. As I thought about what changed from week 1 to week 2 I realized that I probably hadn’t eaten a lot more calories in week two t...

I suppose it is in all human nature – ok, I am human and it is my nature – to start something new with gusto and zeal and then I get tired, or run down, and I start slipping into my old ways.  It is so easy to make plans, to set goals, to gather supplies, and to get started.  It’s not in getting started I have a problem; it’s in sticking to that which I start. So it is with books, crafts, sewing, and other projects I’ve started…  I look around and I see dozens of projects started; but the finishing is nowhere in sight.  That isn’t good for me, it isn’t good for my sense of accomplishment, and it isn’t good for the clutter levels in our home. It’s not uncommon for me to have several books going all at the same time because I have started one, saw another with an interesting title, and others were recommended to me; unfortunately I may not make it back to the first book to ever get to “the good part”.   You know, life can be that way too!  If we don’...

Yesterday, I shared that I wanted to get healthy and lose weight.   My motivation is that I am sick and tired of being sick and tired; it is too hard to stay motivated and productive when I am in chronic pain.   Those are strong motivators to change my eating habits, to get a little more exercise, and to keep busy at productive endeavors.   I want to live a healthier, happier, less painful life.   I want to serve God and others with my whole mind, body, and soul. Today I will share something that only a few close friends know.  I am a stuffer, (NO, I did NOT say hoarder – I am not ready for that kind of painful admission yet).  I said stuffer, and just for today, I am sticking to it.  I have stuff stuffed everywhere; there is stuff on shelves, in boxes, on tabletops and underneath them, in chests and dressers. I have stuff piled on beds, and couches, and chairs, oh my!  There's stuff shoved under beds, and couches, and chairs, oh my!...

Ok, it is the beginning of a new year, it seems like a good time to set out some goals to get me moving in the right direction; to that end, it’s time to grab a piece of paper and a pen and start writing…  Did I mention that I am a list maker?  Yes, I am!  I really like lists! Lists motivate me.  They give me a sense of accomplishment.  I love the little checkmarks that accumulate along the side of the page as I finish each item.  I even like the little “X” marks, and scratch out lines, which signify to me that items I once considered worthy of listing have now lost their urgency or appeal. Lists can be fun!  They help me sort through my thoughts, and to prioritize them, so I can see what I need to accomplish.  List making provides flexibility.  Putting pen to paper allows me to respond to distractions but brings me back to what I originally started out to do. Sometimes I get lazy and I am always easily distracted.  I have c...