Category Archives: Women

My Goal List for 2011!

Good morning!

Well, I was up bright and early this morning at 6:45 AM. Apparently that is what my body thinks it is supposed to do when I want to sleep in on this lovely Saturday morning!! I guess it actually did sleep in, since I have been up and at ’em every morning this week at 5:30 am – so there you go!! 😉

Yesterday, I had started thinking about My Life List, and thought about how I was able to cross a couple of items off for this year, belly dancing, and being on time to everything for a week. I realize it is already April, but I figured now was better later late than never to decide what other things I want to accomplish this year, and thought I would share this list with you!!

  • Adopt something from the French culture
  • Bake an authentic French baguette
  • Bake fresh croissants
  • Become a plus-sized model for a day
  • Become a vegetarian for a week
  • Blog every day for a year
  • Build a piñata from scratch
  • Cancel cable for at least a month
  • Cook an entire meal for Jason’s family
  • Create a time capsule
  • Create a warm, inviting & comfortable home where everything in it has a designated place
  • Crochet a queen-sized blanket using a difficult stitch
  • Do an entire cross stitch pattern
  • Eat at Voodoo Donuts in Portland, OR
  • Fill up a journal from cover to cover
  • Form a choir to sing Christmas carols
  • Gather a group of people to blow bubbles in a public space
  • Get a passport
  • Get a professional facial
  • Get a tattoo
  • Get an article published in a magazine
  • Get CPR/First Aid certified
  • Get eyelash extensions
  • Get paid to do what you love
  • Give everyone homemade gifts for Christmas
  • Go a day without speaking
  • Go fruit picking
  • Go out dancing
  • Go rock hunting for geodes
  • Go to a large water park
  • Go to Disneyland with Jason
  • Go whale watching
  • Go whitewater rafting
  • Grocery shop using only reusable bags for an entire month
  • Grow a flower garden
  • Grow a veggie garden
  • Hang laundry in the sun to dry
  • Have $20,000 in Savings
  • Have a grown-up sleepover
  • Have a home with an antique hardwood floor
  • Have a pin-up style photography shoot
  • Have a prayer alter in my home with stair-stepped candles
  • Have my photography displayed in a gallery
  • Have something studded with crystals
  • Hike the longest trail at Silver Creek Falls
  • Hold a jumbo garage sale to downsize belongings
  • Knit a scarf
  • Learn an authentic Hawaiian recipe
  • Learn how to build an SSIS package
  • Learn how to hula hoop
  • Learn how to make a ribbon lei
  • Learn how to make a white sauce
  • Learn how to manage money
  • Learn how to serve cheese
  • Learn how to take pictures with a Brownie Camera
  • Learn how to tile
  • Learn how to walk in heels
  • Learn how to work the camping stove, propane lights, etc
  • Learn scary advance SQL – subselects, unions, temp tables, etc
  • Learn to authentically barbecue beef
  • Learn to belly dance
  • Learn to can food
  • Learn to make ambrosia
  • Learn to make doughnuts
  • Learn to play piano
  • Leave $100 for a haggard waitress
  • Leave yourself a letter in a library book
  • Live without eating out for one month
  • Live without junk food for one week
  • Love my entire wardrobe
  • Make & send my own Christmas cards
  • Make a loan to an entrepreneur in a developing country through www.kiva.org
  • Make a quilt
  • Make Aunt Alice’s somen noodle recipe
  • Make authentic spam musubi
  • Make butterscotch from scratch
  • Make fire without matches
  • Make marshmallows from scratch
  • Make pasta from scratch
  • Make something powered by a potato
  • Make sourdough bread
  • Make yogurt from scratch
  • Meet Della Reese
  • Memorize the preamble
  • Milk a cow
  • Milk a goat
  • No cussing for an entire week
  • Organize a group of friends to spend a day picking up trash/litter from a public space
  • Organize a large family picture
  • Organize all of our personal photographs
  • Organize the scariest place in the house
  • Own a home furnishings boutique
  • Paint a mural
  • Paint a self portrait
  • Pan for gold
  • Pay off all debt
  • Perform 100 sit ups in one sitting
  • Play an entire song on a cornet, again
  • Play ping pong with Jason
  • Publish an e-book
  • Read every book I own
  • Read The Art of Being a Woman
  • Record a lullaby CD with my dad for my child in a recording studio
  • Refinish a piece of furniture
  • Ride a bike for an hour
  • Ride a paddleboat
  • Ride on a ferris wheel
  • Ride on a merry-go-round
  • Ride on a ride that scares the shit out of you – DO IT ANYWAY!!!
  • Ride on a roller coaster
  • Run a mile
  • See a classy burlesque show
  • See a view from the penthouse
  • See one of the planes my dad worked on in the Navy
  • See Pink Martini live in concert
  • See the filming of a Twilight Saga movie
  • Sell all of my jewelry from my old jewelry business
  • Send a letter to a politician telling them, “Job well done!”
  • Send a letter to Elisa every month for a year
  • Send a message in a bottle
  • Sew an entire outfit
  • Spend the day searching the Oregon coast for glass floats
  • Start a book club
  • Start a personal black & white photograph gallery of friends & family
  • Surprise someone with May Day flowers (Ding & Run!)
  • Swim 10 laps non-stop
  • Take a child to OMSI
  • Take a cooking class
  • Take a nature walk & press the wild flowers you collect
  • Take a photography class
  • Take a weekend vacation by myself
  • Take a yoga class
  • Take Jason on a surprise trip
  • Throw Jason a HUGE un-birthday party!
  • Try 10 scary fruits
  • Try 10 scary non fruit/veggie foods
  • Try 10 scary veggies
  • Type up great-great grandma’s recipe book for the family
  • Vacation in a yurt
  • Visit a historical cave
  • Visit a movie studio
  • Visit the Hollywood Museum at Max Factor Building
  • Visit the Winchester House in San Jose, CA
  • Volunteer in a homeless shelter
  • Wear a hat in public
  • Wear a size 14 pant
  • Wear a t-shirt that you’ve creatively changed
  • Wear a veil in public
  • Weigh less than 220 pounds
  • Wire a lamp
  • Write a celebrity a fan letter
  • Write a letter to the President

Whew!! That is a HUGE list!! Today, I plan on baking fresh croissants today, which I have never done before! Wish me luck, baking is NOT my forte.

I am also going to be working on my cross stitch pattern, which I almost have done, and my knitting a scarf project, which is about halfway done!!

I want to go swimming, take the girls for a walk, possibly meet up with some friends for lunch, play some games with Jason, take a nap (it sounds like I will need it), do some neglected house chores, organizing, purging, and reading done!! Again, I say WHEW!!!

Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉

The Chunky Dunker’s Club, Week 6

Good evening!

Welcome to week 6, of the Chunky Dunker’s Club!!! Can you believe it has been Six weeks already??

Every week I post a new Chunky Dunker’s article ever Wednesday evening, and you have the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

Tonight’s topic: Staying with the Program When the Program Gets Tough

We are at six weeks in our get fit journey, and I don’t know about you, but there have been a few times that I want to throw in the towel. WHY? I don’t know, there are lots of reason at different times:

  • I’m tired
  • What’s the point?
  • This is taking so much time
  • The weight isn’t coming off fast enough
  • This is too hard
  • Blah! Blah! Blah!

Have you dealt with any of this yet?? Or is it just me? I thought tonight would be a good time to talk about this. To get this out in the open so that we can push through this sixth week so we can keep going on our journey to get fit. How can we make the lulls easier??

  • Get support, reach out and talk to someone who will genuinely cheer you on and help motivate you to keep going!
  • Do at least one thing that you didn’t think you could do before. Once you accomplish that task it will empower you to keep going!
  • Change it up! Is the reason you are wanting to quit because you are bored? Try a new activity, recipe, or something that you have been wanting to do but haven’t taken the time to do yet!
  • Look at the “old you” versus the “new you”. For example, the old me would have eaten that whole box of cookies in one sitting, changes to, the new me was able to eat just two cookies, and walked away.
  • Find something fun to do as exercise, so you trick yourself into burning more calories. For example, tomorrow night I am starting a belly dancing class, something fun, but something that will also get me moving!!
  • Remember why you wanted to get fit in the first place. Me wanting to be able to walk all over Paris without getting tired is great motivation for me to keep going!

What are your thoughts on sticking through to your journey of fitness? Have you had any inclinations of quitting, or giving up? What were some of your reason? Do you have any ideas to add to help the group keep on keeping on?

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and how all of you are doing. If there is anyone new who has just stumbled onto this blog, feel free to join the discussion in the comments section. This is not a closed group – the more the merrier!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

A Thought Provoking Quote!

Good morning!

I stumbled upon this quote this morning…

“The one piece of advice I can give you is, do what turns you on. Do something that if you had all the money in the world,you’d still be doing it. You’ve got to have a reason to jump out of bed in the morning.”
~Warren Buffett

This quote has got me really thinking! What would I be doing if I had all the money in the world? Gosh, I think I KNOW who I am, but why is this such a hard question for me to answer?? 

I love:
∙         Blogging
∙         Antiquing/Treasure Hunting/Shopping
∙         Decorating
∙         All things photography
∙         Fashion
∙         Magazines – but this might tie back into my love of photographs???
∙         The idea of traveling

I would be in ABSOLUTE HEAVEN if there was a way that I could combine all of these things into my life/career!! DIVINE!!! Let me know if this triggers any ideas!! 😉

What would your answer be? What would you do if you had all the money in the world??? I am curious!

Have a FABULOUS morning!
~Christina

Getting to Happy!

Good morning!

I am up REALLY early this morning!! I think my body and I are finally starting to work together!!! I take my tired self to bed earlier, and my body can then get me out of bed with my first alarm that goes off at 5:30 am. AAAH!! That feels GREAT!! What a novel concept! If I take care of my body, it will take care of me!!

So, here it is, 6am, and I am dressed and ready to go to work! I have stopped to take a mental check of how I am feeling this morning, and I have to confess, I am happy! Like consciously, in the know happy! What a FABULOUS feeling!

This morning, I thought I would start something different for me. I would LOVE to post an interview once a week from someone who interests me. Just to get the ball rolling, and really because I am still yet a big chicken, I decided that just to break the ice, I would interview MYSELF first!!

Interview: Christina Basso-Lenz.

Christinaville: What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?
Christina: I always feel absolutely rejuvenated after getting together with family and friends. It doesn’t matter if we are getting together for a cup of coffee, the holidays, or just a random Tuesday! When we get together, we re-energize each other through laughter! You can’t help but leave their company feeling happy!!! I love my peeps!! 😉

What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old?
I don’t think I gave any thought to happiness whatsoever when I was 18, I just assumed I always would be happy. Not that I was happy all the time, I was plagued with insecurities and doubt, but I assumed happiness was something that I deserved – like it was going to be given to me.

Now that I am 35, I am much more comfortable in my skin. I now realize that happiness isn’t something that I am entitled to, happiness is an active choice. Barring anything catastrophic, I will be happy if I choose to do/be/have the things that I deem make me happy. I am the deciding factor in my own happiness, and if I want it, I have to go out there and get it. No one is going to give it to me.

Is there anything you find yourself doing repeatedly that gets in the way of your happiness?
Dreaming big and then not taking action. This has been something that I consciously struggle with. I have this little bubble of fear that has a tendency to hang over my head, and I worry about being a failure or disappointing the ones I love. I have to constantly remind myself that this is the only life I ever get, and if I am going to get out there and do it, now is the time!

Is there a happiness mantra or motto that you’ve found very helpful?
I have a strong foundation of faith and I like to remind myself that God has a bigger dream waiting in the wings for me then what I can see right in front of me. Whatever troubles or struggles are going on right now they will pass. It is up to me to look for the lesson in whatever it is that is going on in my life at any given time so that I am ready for the bigger blessings heading my way.

Has there been a book that has been particularly useful?
A helpful book for me is any great fiction that can whisk my thoughts away to distraction. My favorite for that is probably something like Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, or The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I love the idea that I get to step into other women’s lives, and get to share some of their adventures with them. I have become infatuated with the idea of the southern belles.

If you’re feeling blue, how do you give yourself a happiness boost? Do you have a comfort activity? (like reading children’s books).
There are a few things that do this for me. Purchasing a new journal, or a good quality pen – I love writing my thoughts down on paper. There is something about fine paper, a smooth-writing, heavy pen, and large swirly penmanship that are immediately calming to me.

I also love getting creative whether that is doing some interior design, creating jewelry, or handcrafting a little something for a friend. I love seeing the joy that something I can make can bring to someone else!

Do you have a comfort food that adds to your happiness?
I do have a few of comfort foods that I love to partake in when I am feeling blue – all of them from my memories of my mamma’s kitchen; her fried chicken, baked pork chops, lasagna, those are all foods that can whisk me right back to being a happy little kid in her kitchen!! YUM!

Is there anything that you see people around you doing or saying that adds a lot to their happiness, or detracts a lot from their happiness?
My husband and I have been married almost 16 years, and because we don’t have children of our own, I really notice peoples’ parenting skills, or lack thereof. In my observations there are so many parents who don’t actually take the time to raise their children. They seem to think that great adults just happen all on their own. It makes me sad knowing that those parents will miss out on knowing what great adults their children could have become with some healthy and consistent guidance.

Have you always felt about the same level of happiness, or have you been through a period when you felt exceptionally happy or unhappy – if so, why? If you were unhappy, how did you become happier?
I have always generally been a happy person, but there have definitely been dark periods in my life. My darkest times have been during those periods where I have lost loved ones, but the most difficult was when I lost my mamma, 11 years ago. I have been able to get through those times by surrounding myself with a bunch FABULOUS family and friends – the ultimate support team. They remind me why I work so hard at living my life to it’s fullest; because life is short and yet so very precious!

Do you work on being happier? If so, how?
Yes, I try to live consciously, to be in the moment. One of my hobbies is photography, and sometimes I have to remind myself to get out from behind the camera and see what is going on in real life, not just through my lense. I have a tendency to live my entire life that way – through a lense, as if all of this is make believe and I will get another chance to live my real life.

Have you ever been surprised that something you expected would make you very happy, didn’t – or vice versa?
Yes! Growing up in a family who really didn’t have much materialistically, I was sure that if I acquired this certain thing or that particular object, then I would be happy. I have since learned that is an American myth. Matter of fact, the more stuff that you own, the more bogged down your life can feel. Happiness is all about the people you surround yourself with and the experiences that you choose to partake of. All of this other stuff is just fluff.

Anything else to add?
Get out there and go find your ladybugs! (Under the Tuscan Sun movie reference: “Listen, when I was a little girl I used to spend hours looking for ladybugs. Finally, I’d just give up and fall asleep in the grass. When I woke up, they were crawling all over me.”)

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

Spending the Night With Ruby!

Good evening!

I am needing some chearleading to stay on the straight and narrow with my fitness plan this evening, so I am spending some time watching some Ruby!! I love that girl! She is just such an inspiration to me, and I just hope that I can finally start seeing that blasted number go down on that scale. This episode is the one where she realizes her dream of going camping for the first time! I love this episode, and I just ADORE camping!!

I must tell you, Jason makes camping soooo much fun! I love the zen, the quiet, the peace, and being in the great outdoors! I just love the whole experience of camping!!!

Anyway, back to Ruby and getting back on my own wagon of getting fit! I did do some Kaizen actions today, and I really do want to share them with you today!!

Kaizen actions:

  1. I have drank about 2 liters of water today
  2. I had a healthy breakfast
  3. Walk two blocks to and from lunch today
  4. I had a very vegetable heavy lunch today
  5. I literally took a break just to breath when things got a little stressful at work this afternoon
  6. I did some extra walking after work today
  7. Had a large salad with dinner
  8. I took some time after work to have a really GREAT laugh with my sweetie – a few times tonight!!
  9. Throughout everything I have done today, I have really tried to keep perspective and remain thankful for the blessings that I do have
  10. I did some stretching before going to bed
  11. and I did a 10 minute meditation to get me ready for going to sleep.

So between seeing this list, and the inspiration of watching Ruby making progress, I know I can do this – little by little. Ruby reminds me to not give up on myself – that I AM WORTH IT!! and that I can wake up every morning and find it inside of myself keep taking my baby steps!! God bless you, Ruby!! You keep going girrrrl!!! I know I will!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunkers: If I can do this, so CAN YOU!!!! Don’t give up on yourself!! GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!! 😉

The Chunky Dunker’s Club, Week 4

Good evening!

Welcome to week 4, of the Chunky Dunker’s Club!!! Can you believe it has been FOUR weeks already??

Every week I post a new Chunky Dunker’s article ever Wednesday evening, and you have the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

Tonight’s topic: Keizen or Constant and Never Ending Improvement!!

At work today, I had an 8 hour class on the Japanese concept of Kaizen (pronouned Ky-zen), which literally means “Good Change”. The basic concept of Kaizen is the idea of making minute changes to your processes to create a different outcome than where you may already be heading. Otherwise, constant and never ending improvement through baby steps!! I LOVE THAT!! I thought that this would be PERFECT to apply to our goal of getting fit and healthy.

I had studied Kaizen as it relates to fitness in the past, and one of the things I had read was, if you are having troubles exercising, do one thing – one small thing, just to get the ball of momentum rolling. This doesn’t have to be a big action, I would actually encourage you to do one VERY TINY action. For me, it is simply the act of putting my tennis shoes on, as if I am going to go for a walk. That’s it! Not the walk, just putting on the shoes for the walk. If today was successful, for tomorrow, I might make it my Kaizen goal to put on my tennis shoes, and then add a 5 minute walk. Nothing too big, or scary!!! I can commit to TINY ACTION!! If today doesn’t work, try something else, but just keep trying ANYTHING!

For some of you I know that you might be thinking that exercise is not an option, so maybe your TINY ACTION might be to raise your arms above your head 1 time! Can you do it twice tomorrow? How about 3 times? If you find that it 3 times is too much, then go back to 1 time, until eventually you ARE able to do it 3 times, 5 times, 10 times, etc!!

You can apply Kaizen to your eating habits too! Maybe today you decide you will have diet soda instead of regular, or maybe you will get really brave and have none! Maybe you can eat one more serving of vegetables than you did yesterday, or maybe substitute one unhealthy ingredient out for one healthy one instead. Do you see what I mean!?!?! We can all DO THAT!! 😉

The idea behind this is that if you do enough TINY HEALTHY ACTIONS every day/week/month you will EASILY be on your way to your most AUTHENTICALLY healthy and fit self!! I fully believe that! I don’t always act on it, but that is what we are all here for – to SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER!!!

This week, my commitment to you, is that I am going to carry a small notebook with me every where I go, and ANY TIME I DO ANYTHING that is good for me, or promotes a healthy and fit lifestyle, I will write it down and share it with you every evening! How does that sound?? I would encourage you all to share any TINY ACTIONS or KAIZEN TASKS that you may be taking any and every day! They will quickly add up, and you will have LOADS of proof that YOU CAN GET FIT AND HEALTHY!!!

I dare you to literally take that FIRST TINY STEP! I would love to hear in the comment section what that TINY step might be!! GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!!

Before I go, I was hoping to share a health-ified recipe with you this evening. I “borrowed” this off of one of my FAVORITE sites, Eating Well. They have all sorts of GREAT recipe ideas, and I would HIGHLY recommend going out there and checking out their site!!

This recipe is from their article, 10 Spring Diners in 30 Minutes or Less – you know how much Mamma likes getting in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible!!! 😉

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Aquavit Seasonings

The seasonings traditionally used to make aquavit—a Northern European distilled spirit—vary with every recipe, but they usually include pork-friendly seasonings like caraway, cumin and fennel-so why not combine the two? This easy, pretty dish is great hot off the grill or made ahead and chilled.

8 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes (including 30 minutes marinating time)

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 1-pound pork tenderloins, trimmed

Preparation

  1. Combine caraway, coriander, fennel, cumin and bay leaf in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder; process to a fine powder. Add salt and pepper.
  2. Place 2 tablespoons of the spice rub in a small bowl. Combine the remaining rub with dill in another small bowl.
  3. Place 1 tenderloin on a piece of plastic wrap. To butterfly it, hold your knife parallel to the cutting board and slice through the meat to within a half inch of the opposite side. Open like a book. Cover with more plastic wrap and gently pound with a mallet or heavy skillet to 1/2-inch thickness. Repeat with the second tenderloin.
  4. Spread half of the dill-spice mixture down the center of each flattened tenderloin. Roll the pork, jelly-roll style, to create 2 long cylinders; tie kitchen string around each in several spots to keep them rolled. Rub all over with the reserved (no-dill) spice rub. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.
  5. Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat the broiler.
  6. Oil the grill rack (see Tip) (if broiling, line a broiler pan with foil and oil the foil). Grill or broil the tenderloins, turning several times, until just cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 145°F, 14 to 18 minutes.
  7. Transfer the tenderloins to a clean cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before carving into 1/2-inch slices.

Tips & Notes

  • Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the spice rub (Step 1) up to 5 days ahead; store in an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate rolled tender loins for up to 6 hours. If serving cold, grill or broil the pork, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. | Equipment: Kitchen string
  • Tip: To oil the grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray.

Nutrition

Per serving: 130 calories; 3 g fat ( 1 g sat , 1 g mono ); 74 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 24 g protein; 1 g fiber; 207 mg sodium; 475 mg potassium.

Exchanges: 3 1/2 lean meat

WOW! I am sorry for the SUPER long posting tonight! YOU KNOW ME!!! Anyway, I look forward to hearing how all of you are doing this week with your health and fitness goals, your thoughts on Kaizen, and if you might try any TINY action tomorrow! and if anyone has just stumbled onto this blog, please feel to join in on the commenting, this is not a closed group!! – THE MORE THE MERRIER!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Recipe Pic, Week 4

Another Lazy Sunday!

Good morning!

It looks like it is going to be another lazy Sunday around my house today! My hubby is still sick, but apparently going to fight it, until I can finally convince him to get back into bed!! The dogs are happy, fed, and snuggled up against my side while I blog this morning – I really love that.

It is rather quite this morning at my place. The only sound going right now, is the sound of the heater blowing, which is kind of nice when your week is full of crazy hububb-iness!! The sky is the limit for what I can do today, but I think I am leaning towards going swimming, to give my body a good stretch and workout!

Talking about taking care of my body, well – I have been tracking my food with a daily calorie goal in mind, and for me, that is going to be my bread and butter for getting fit and healthy. It seems to be the only thing that makes the scale tip in my favor – which really makes this girl HAPPY!!! 😉 Water has always been something I like to drink, but I find that when I drink AT LEAST 2 liters a day – OR MORE, that is when my scale likes to cooperate with me too!!! So I am trying REALLY HARD to stay on top of that!! As for exercise, right now SWIMMING is my saving grace. It is the only place in this world where I feel not only weightless, but graceful!! I can do things in the water that I could NEVER do out in the real world – not at the weight and size that I am. With the addition of my friends and family for support, I know that fitness is something that I can and will achieve!!!

OK, I am not sure where that tangent came from, but let’s talk about books for a moment! I would love nothing more than to spend a few hours reading today, but I am having trouble finding a good book worth diving head-first into, to be enveloped inside of it’s delicious story!! This is soooo ironic because my library consists of over 1000 books from which to choose from, and most of which I have never even have read yet. Part of my problem is my self-appointed guilt that I feel whenever I start to read a book and don’t like it – for some reason I feel like I have to read the entire book, no matter how much I feel like I am just trudging on! In some kooky way I feel like I am somehow being disrespectful to the book! OK, TOTALLY CRAZY, I KNOW!!! LOL!! 😉 I will have to just suck it up today, and start reading. I just know I have quite a few gems in this collection that, once I find, I will be kicking myself for not having found them sooner!!!

Another thing I was just thinking of, was my sis, Nette, is remodeling her house. Most of the family is helping her, except me. You see, everyone knows that if you want design ideas, decorating tips & hints, a shopping buddy, I am your girl, BUT if you need some manual labor of any kind, you might as well call someone else (sorry, sis!!!). 😉 This may stem from the fact that I NEVER like to get my hands dirty! This has been a long standing joke in my family! Ever since I can remember I have HATED to get my hands dirty!!! My dad says, that I could have been covered from head to toe in all sort of mud, dirt and grime, but if my hands got dirty, I would come running over, crying, until someone wiped them off and then I would run off to play some more with the rest of my filthy self! All of the witnessing adults would look at each other as if they had just come into contact with an alien species, and laugh their heads off!!! Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I STILL HATE to get my hands dirty – TO THIS DAY!!! I am not sure what that is all about, but I have a nephew who is EXACTLY THE SAME WAY!! So, I am TOTALLY SURE that it must be something genetic!! Well, at least that is my story, and I AM STICKING TO IT, well, as long as my hands don’t get dirty in the process!! LOL! 🙂

Thanks for sticking with me this morning, as I see my post today is pretty random!! Now you have a sampling of what it is like to be inside of my head – scary right??? LOL! 😉

Have a FABULOUS day!!! 😉

The Chunky Dunker’s Club, Week 3

Good evening!

Welcome to our 3rd weekly meeting of the The Chunky Dunker’s Club!

Every week I post a new Chunky Dunker’s article ever Wednesday evening, and you have the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! We will discuss hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!!

Tonight’s topic is Finding your own personal motivation:

I have to confess! I had every intention of doing all the right things this week; eat right, exercise, drink water, meditate, take time for myself, etc. etc. etc. I found that what actually happened is that I just kinda dabbled at everything. Not too bad, but not to good either!! You know what I mean? I walked once or twice, or I drank water on this day, but not so much on that day – I think I realized that I haven’t yet come up with a compelling reason to get into shape. I know I want to, but why do I want to??? I want a reason that when I think of IT JAZZES ME and gets me excited about doing all of these healthy actions that I may not necessarily want to do. You know, something that makes me WANT to GET UP AND DO SOMETHING!!!

So, I thought a little bit about it, and I decided to write one paragraph that describes what I want to do/be/have now that I am fit (dreaming in the present tense). Here is my paragraph:

I have had such an AMAZING time on this health and fitness journey that I have been on for the past year. I can’t imagine EVER going back to my old life!!! I have been able to do and accomplish more than I ever dreamed possible! If you would have asked me a year ago if I thought I would ever be able to run a mile again, I probably would have laughed out loud. Now, not only can I run a mile, I can actually run 2 in one go. ISN’T THAT AMAZING??? The new me can now keep up with all of our nieces and nephews, which has made getting together with them so much more fun! I feel better now then I did as a teenager!! I am stronger, more flexible, and have WAAAAAY more energy than I thought I would EVER have. My sweetie and I are like young lovers again and we are preparing for our trip to Paris. HONEY, we are going to be WALKING FOOLS when we get there! There is going to be NO STOPPING US!!! We seem to be able to walk for HOURS without puttering out, just ask the old us if that were even possible, UHM….NO!!!! You could have NEVER said that about the old us!!! I am really proud of all of our accomplishments! I can’t WAIT to see WHAT IS NEXT IN STORE FOR US!!!

When I read this paragraph, it TOTALLY motivates me to get up, to make the hard choices, and to not procrastinate!!!! I know that I am worth this, and so are all of my friends and family. Those with us now, and those to come.

Your assignment this week is to write your own paragraph. Write your paragraph as if you have already achieved your goals, it should motivate, inspire you, and cause you to WANT to take ACTION!! I can’t wait to read them all!!! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!!

GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!!
😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

My Flexible Saturday!

Good evening!

I have had a really nice day today! If you read my post this morning, you know that I was heading out for a day downtown.

My first stop was my favorite clothing store, Torrid. I had ordered a cardigan that had come in, and I had some items that I needed to return so I was happy to oblige the need to go! Here is a pic of the cardigan that I took in the store last week.

So, of course, I just HAD to try on some clothes!!! You know, to get ready for Spring!!! 😉 This is a pic of the clothes I had picked out to try on – I had planned on taking my time and being there for quite a while!

What you may not be able to see is that these clothes are hung two levels deep! I really was determined to find the perfect somethings!!

Here is what I wore there:

This cute little top came home with me.

Cardigan, yep, that one came home too!

Another white blouse, guilty! Although, as you can see from the picture, this one is going to need some kind of undershirt. I am actually debating taking this one back, what do you think??

After I tried this shirt on, I got a call from my dad. My dad, and his wife, Trudi were in town, by my house and wanted to visit, so I cut my downtown trip short, and zipped over back to my side of town. Once I got home, we headed over to a pizza place for yummy pizza and a very nice visit. On my way, I told myself, “Self, don’t forget to take pics this time!” and of course, I did!! So, unfortunately, no pics!! Maybe next time!!! 😉

After Dad and Trudi went home, I didn’t want to go back to downtown – we are trying to conserve gas, and I was looking forward to getting a manicure, so I was going to get bummed about it, but instead of throwing a pity party for myself, I decided to step up the loveliest nail salon – the one I had created in my living room!!! You can see that they even served me a refreshing drink with cherries – YUM!! 😉

My hands were in need of some SERIOUS attention!

Here is the before shot:

Here is the after:

Of course I chose red! It is still my FAVORITE color! The color of PASSION!!! 😉

That is the end of my pictures for today, but I did get to run a couple of other errands and then spend some time hanging out with my sweetie after he got done with work today. After I am done here, I plan on snuggling with him on the couch and watch another episode of BONES!! I really do LOVE that show! Bones and Booth should just knock off all of this foolishness and just get together already!! WHEW! I am glad that is out in the open!!! 😉 We are still somewhere into season two, so it will takes a month or three more to get caught up, but slowly and surely – we will get there!!

OH, and for those who might be curious, I came home from Torrid after purchasing 3 cardigans, 2 blouses, 1 tank top and 1 blazer!! EEK!!! Maybe I had better stay away from the mall for a while, what do you think??? HEE! HEE! HEE!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

Note to Chunky Dunker’s: Dress for your body as it is today! Even if you are in the process of losing weight. Purchasing clothes that are too small for yourself because you may fit into them someday could backfire, and you will wind up with a closet full of a lot of somethings that make you feel bad because you can’t fit into them. (Take my word on that!) YOU CAN DO IT!!! 😉

Takin’ M’Bad Self Out!

Good morning!

I woke up this morning feeling energized and ready to go, so I have gotten myself all ROXIED out, and I am going to take myself out for some me time!! 😉 I am not sure exactly where I am going just yet, but I do know that I am heading downtown! It is kind of nice, because I am such an easy date – I ALWAYS know what I want, and because of that I am easy to please!!! LOL!! Does that make me a floozy??? 😉

Anyway, I don’t really have any definite plans for any part of my weekend, except for at some point I am going to have to focus and get my house chores done!! I am also feeling froggy and would like to get some cooking done this weekend as well!!!

Today, as I am out, I am going to take a ton of pics, and post some of them here – kind of like “A Day in the Life”, just to share. If I would have had some time to think about it, I would have seen if I could have called on some of my girlfriends and maybe we could have gone out together – oh well! Maybe next time!!

Have a FABULOUS day!!! 😉