Week Twenty-Four - A Quiet Wednesday - NOT!!!

It's Wednesday and my daily grind has started. Captain has had breakfast and is gone; I've made myself a bacon sandwich on my almond flax bread and I'm sitting here enjoying my second cup of coffee.

Then the phone rings...

It's mom calling about dad. His blood pressure spiked up to almost 200 systolic, so he took his Cataprese, which brings his BP down in about 30 minutes. Unfortunately it went too low to 100 systolic. I rushed over there to see what was happening first hand. He had a little bit of coffee, which can raise his BP, and it was now 120 systolic; the diastolic was always in the mid-50's. After talking with the doctor we are slightly modifying his meds, hopefully for the last time.

My brother had gone out for a bike ride this morning before everything went wrong, and he finally called to say he was stuck on the other side of the river and how did he get back across so he could come home? I tried to explain it to him, but the words #epicfail comes to mind; so I picked him up.

I am a good sister!

Fortunately when we got back dad was taking a nap, which is a good thing. And since it was past lunch, John decided to eat something. There was pot roast left over from dinner so he took some of the meat, added barbecue sauce to it, put it on a ciabatta roll, and had a great sandwich. I, on the other hand, just took the meat with barbecue sauce and ate it as is.

Um... yeah, that was not a good choice, apparently. It sat in my stomach like a rock the rest of the day.

I finally decided to eat some cantaloupe about 9 o'clock tonight, and that was it for me. I was done eating.

It has been another successful day, even though I would love nothing more than to eat a big bowl of rice with butter and soy sauce. #CRAVINGS Ugh... But I resisted. So I am calling it a night, wishing you all well and sending you much love. I will be checking back in tomorrow!

…Lin…

Week Twenty-Three - It's That Tuesday!

Yes, I am pleased with myself! Made it thru Monday and now Tuesday. I love how I feel when I've stayed on track.

Monday night I did have the munchies after I had posted my blog, so I ate one of those vanilla bombs. They are really rich! Next time I will make the servings smaller. I also pan roasted some walnuts. YUM!!!

Tuesday I went to my parents' house because my brother was coming to town. Before I headed over there I made myself bacon and an egg. Their place is a mine field with all the goodies they keep on hand! Good grief!

Dad bought a pot roast for dinner so he seared it before putting it in the crockpot with the potatoes and veggies to cook for dinner. Then we were on our way to Costco to shop!

I stocked up on a few basic - peanut butter for cookies, nuts for snacking, and coffee. They have fabulous Costa Rican coffee. MMMmmm...

It is so good!

After shopping we decided we needed to get out the coffee grinder and see just how good it really was. And yes, it's just as good as we were hoping it would be!

I then got a phone call from Captain. He had a hard time getting out of town (he had been invited to dinner that night) and he wanted to know if brother John & I wanted to meet him at The Happy Viking for a pint.  Absolutely!!!

And what was the pint? Heretic Brewing's Evil Cousin. The boys liked it. I try to avoid beer! LOL! Yes, I had my Bloody Mary... After they had their two beers we headed back to the house, where dinner was waiting for us.

Now remember, I only had bacon and an egg for breakfast and a few nuts that afternoon. So when dad got dinner on the table, well, it looked amazing! Not only did we have the pot roast with potatoes and carrots, but a kale salad and raw broccoli with ranch dressing. I ate everything except the potatoes. And might I just say, it was all yummy. Dad is such a good cook!

And can you believe what Mom wanted for dessert? Yep, pumpkin pie. I did have a couple of bites, but that was it. Not enough carbs to affect my day.

Calling it a night, Captain and I finally came home. A little conversation, a little news, and that was it - good night!

Now on to a new day. I know it will be just as successful as today was, so I can't wait! See y'all Wednesday!

…Lin…

Week Twenty-Three - Happy Monday!

Yesterday I told Captain I was getting really serious about watching what I eat because, remember, only 2 months until Cape Cod! And today has been successful.

My morning started with bacon - I cooked 6 thin slices so I could eat some now, some later. Out the door I go because I have a Quality Assurance committee meeting at Peach Tree Health.

After that I stopped at Mom's house so we could fill out her application for Butchie's Pool. We took it over there and got us all enrolled and... oops! She forgot her checkbook! Well, I got a check from her later and when I go over there tomorrow I will take it to them.

On the way home from Mom's I did a little bit of grocery shopping. I needed a few basic things, such as a new bag of generic Splenda, because I was going to make my Vanilla Fat Bombs again. If you haven't made this #recipe yet, I would highly encourage it. It really helps cut down on the cravings!

After that it was a quiet day spent going through 5 days worth of emails and such. Finally I decided to have a bit of dinner, so I made a beautiful salad. I used George Stella's #recipe for Green Goddess Dip as the salad dressing. I couldn't find any tarragon so I used dill. One word to describe it would be "yummy!" My salad had lettuce, ham, cheese and artichokes on it. So good and filling!

Doesn't this dip look delicious?

Maddie and I went for a little walk; I came back and relaxed with a glass of wine. Just one glass! Merlo Vineyard's 2011 Rosé chilled icy cold. Now I am going to bake a loaf of Almond Flax Bread. I will let you know how that #recipe tastes tomorrow.

In the meantime have a great night and I will see you tomorrow!

…Lin…

Week Twenty-Two - Pint Night, a Graduation, & the Rest of the Week!

Today I am feeling really focused. It feels good after the duck walk I've been on the past few days. Yesterday I was having cravings but did not cave into them. Sleep has become very erratic too, as I have had those darn Charley horses! They are not as bad as they were (am I getting used to walking more?), but when I have to get up and walk them out I want to snack! What's up with that? I just don't get why it gives me the munchies.

Tuesday morning was a quick breakfast of ham, then I was off to get new sparklie stuff on my nails! Checked on the parents (dad had a bad BP night, but is better this morning), came home and had lunch. I was going to have a tuna salad made with olives and marinated artichokes, but ended up not having the tuna, just the rest of the stuff. That's because I knew there wasn't a lot of time between lunch and Happy Viking. HV ended up being our usual - chicken wings and the Bloody Mary for me, a burger and pint for him.

Wednesday I was on my way to Indio to attend my niece Emily's high school graduation.  It is a very long drive - almost 600 miles - and so worth it, because not only did I get to see Emily, I also got to see her sister Danni, who is graduating from UC Santa Barbara.

Emily and Danni.
Aren't they beautiful?

Thursday was the graduation ceremony. It was a beautiful evening for it too, since it was outside. As the ceremony went on, a full moon rose in the east. The heavens were smiling that night!

She is now officially out of high school and getting ready for college - CS San Francisco!

Friday was the semi-formal graduation party and dinner at home that Emily requested. It was a sit-down dinner and we had grilled flank steak with olive tapenade, sour dough baguette with butter and roasted garlic, roasted red potatoes, a beautiful caprese salad, and creme brulee for dessert. Just a fabulous dinner! And the wine flowed like... well, wine!

Saturday I was up at 6:15 because I was taking Danni back home to Santa Barbara before I headed home. I had not driven up the coast in a long time and I really enjoyed myself.

Santa Barbara, California

Even though it took me 150 miles out of my way it was worth it. We got to discuss boys, her upcoming wedding, and all sorts of grown up things. It was so much fun moving into a new phase of life for her.

I got home late Saturday night, but not before stopping in Sacramento and having dinner with Captain. We ate at On the Border, one of our favorite chain Mexican restaurants. We also made plans for dinner Sunday at Pete's Brewhouse (pizza and Angry Orchard hard cider), as I had a Groupon that had to be used before it expired.

A boy and his pizza!

Even though I had not been strictly sticking to my "diet" but not going crazy overboard, I reiterated to Captain that Monday I will be getting back on track because Cape Cod is only 2 months away. He said he will support me. Hum... that remains to be seen as he has a tendency to order "pizza bones" at Happy Viking. Those are evil little pieces of pizza dough cut into bone shapes and covered with butter, garlic and cheese, baked up all hot and bubbly. Aghhh!!!

I know I stated on last Monday's blog that I wanted to blog daily, but this week has just not afforded me that pleasure. So you got the rest of my week all on one. Sorry... I'm hoping next week will be better!

So that has been my past 7 days. Hopefully the next 7 days will be more focused and in line with my goals. I will be starting water aerobics this week and they have a scale there, so I will be weighing myself more and sharing my progress.

Hope your week was productive! Sending much love your way.

…Lin…

Week Twenty-Two - Refocused with Goals!

After waivering a lot this last weekend it is time to get focused once again. Blogging daily helps me stay focused, so I am back to the daily grind, as boring as my life is.

It's Monday, the start of a new week. I've been so busy helping take my parents to all their appointments that I haven't had a chance to really try any new recipes, even though I have a bunch I would love to try. So my breakfast was the ever present hot dogs. I am pathetic that way, aren't I?

I had to take the parents on lots of errands this morning - VA, Big 5 Sporting Goods, Target, Butchie's Pool - and then I realized it was almost 1:30 in the afternoon. I was hungry!

So I told them that I wanted to go to Sizzler for their salad bar, and did they want to go or should I take them home? They decided to go; and needless to say, they were both hungrier than they realized.

Mom and I had the salad bar, dad had the fish n chips. I had a huge salad with carrots, cabbage, beets, peppers and spinach with blue cheese dressing; their seafood salad (I wish I knew what their seasonings are in it because it's yummy!); and chicken wings. I also had a couple bites of their broccoli cheddar soup. I was stuffed when I got done. Parents loved their food, too. It was a success, to say the least.

After dropping them off I ran my own errands - pet food and yarn for a baby blanket. I love to crochet. I knew I would not be hungry for dinner tonight, but I did want something to crunch on. I am glad I had celery and peanut butter on hand. It's a life saver! It's a winning combination! It's a match made in heaven! OK, maybe I went a little overboard. But it does assuage the need to eat something, and that is what is important.

It's bedtime, and I'm happy to say it's been a winning day for me. One day closer to Cape Cod; one day closer to losing the next 20 lbs. I hope you had a winning day, as well.

…Lin…

Week Twenty/Twenty-One - My Crazy Week!

Sunday, June 1st, was not a good food day for me. Why, I don't know. I went with my friend Peggy for a girls day in Napa. Nope, not doing any winetasting; we were on an expedition for fun, new quilt shops! Can you believe, we didn't find any!

Something similar to this is what we were looking for.
Our hopes were dashed. 

But we had lunch at a little cafe in St. Helena called Gillwoods Cafe. The food was just amazing! The girls (Peggy, daughter Rebecca and granddaughter Lilly) all had burgers. I had a beautiful salad with apples, walnuts, and grilled chicken breast set on top of romaine lettuce and coated with a lemon thyme vinaigrette. It was just fabulous! There is nothing I like better than when they bring me a salad and the lettuce is fresh, moist, crisp, crunchy and icy cold. Perfection...

Suddenly I could feel that it wasn't sitting right in my stomach. Two hours later I lost it. :( I hate when that happens!

I was hoping it would pass, but it didn't.  It continued on into Monday... I stayed on plan all day, but eventually decided that maybe a soda cracker would settle my stomach. No, that didn't work either. I gave up.

Another issue I've been having the past week or so is Charley horses in my feet and ankles! Doesn't bother me all day long, but at night... OMG... it is just awful! The only thing I've done differently is wear a different pair of shoes that have a firmer sole that doesn't flex side-to-side. I'm going back to my other shoes today and see if that helps.

Tuesday was voting day! After having a bad Monday night, it's hard to get motivated to pull myself together and go vote. But I did.

More adventures that day included meeting Tom and Susan and their friends at Happy Viking for a quick pint night. We then went across the street to Sopa Thai for a crab feed with friends! All of us girls belong to a group called Fluffing Tuesday Ta-Ta's. Occasionally when we get together we allow the boys to come along. This was one of those nights. Ta-Ta's include Charee, Kailia, Monica and me; Carole and Darlene could not join us. :( Captain is always the token boy. :) Another couple, Barbara and Bill, joined us also.

It was quite a spread! Started off with clam chowder (I had a bite), followed by crab, steamed veggies (both of which I ate) and rice (nope, didn't eat it!). Then dessert was cheesecake (I had a bite). Can you believe through all of that I actually stuck to my plan? I was very pleased with myself. Yes, for me that is sticking to my plan. An occasional bite of something does not derail me. Eating an entire serving can derail me.

Wednesday was spent helping my dad get his will and medical directive in order. Surprisingly it didn't take very long, but it was incredibly stressful for my mom. Now she needs to get her estate in order. I don't think it's going to be as easy for her as it was for dad.

Revisiting the Charley Horse issue!

Remember those Charley Horses we talked about? Well, I went back to wearing my other shoes and, low and behold, they are not an issue! I have not had any the last two nights. I have been checking out some good walking shoes and I think I might have found some. One brand is Dansko clogs. Aren't these yummy?

The other brand is Klogs.

I can't make up my mind! I'm leaning towards Dansko because they have more styles. They are also pricier. Ugh... But I am really tired of wearing athletic shoes everywhere I go. They are not all that sexy, ya know! I'm also really tired of having Charley Horses! Hahaha!!!

And now...

Thursday started off with taking Mom to the orthopedic doctor. She needed to have her knee replacement checked. All is well. Not only that, the doctor wrote her a prescription so she can go to Butchie's Pool, a local pool facility built "to enrich the quality of life and uplift the well-being of persons living with disabilities through high quality, warm-water exercise therapy." She is really thrilled to be able to start water therapy again.

I had to take her shopping after the doctor's visit. New shoes, Dr. Scholl's insoles, walking sticks (in lieu of her cane). It was a busy day.

So how did Wednesday and Thursday go for me? Just fine, thank you very much! The only deviation was Thursday when mom and dad wanted Jimboy's Tacos for lunch. When they do that I know I am eating 18 net carbs in the 2 corn tortillas. So it is all taken into my plan. Now I only have 3 more days to get thru, and I will have a 4 year old with me. Hum... That might be a challenge.

And then came the weekend... 

I had my little grandson Jalen all weekend. When he shared his cheetos and goldfish crackers with me, I knew I was in trouble!

Jalen, age 4; Evan, age 7; Erin, age 12! 

Friday started with taking all three of my grandkids to the carnival to visit family and friends. Their Uncle Rick was there with his carnival ride. I haven't seen him in a couple of years so it was good to catch up and introduce him to Captain. It was also good to catch up with the Johnston clan. It was a wonderful evening.

Saturday we went to a couple of family-friendly winetasting events. At Cante Ao Vino he got his own "wine" glass - filled with water. But he had to do "cheers" before he drank!

Sunday morning was a quick breakfast before returning him to Mommy and Daddy. I was exhausted! At my age I'm not cut out to have a 4 year old all the time! I slept like the dead Sunday night!

By the time I got home Sunday night I felt like I had lived thru The Lost Weekend! It was a (controlled) food binge. I never went overboard, but I ate what I wanted.

And now I am paying the price because of my wheat allergy. Itchy! Aghhh!!!

I did tell Captain that I wanted to lost 20 lbs in the next 2 months before we go to Cape Cod. That is the same amount in 2 months as I've lost in the past 4 months.

So starting Monday I will be back on track. He said he will support me in whatever I want to do. Gosh, I love him!

And there you have it - that was my week! Not sure how this coming week will be as I am going to Palm Springs for my niece's high school graduation. I will keep you posted.

Be well, stay strong, and love unconditionally!

…Lin…