Week One - Day Four

Day 4 is winding down. How did i do?

Well, it was a busy day. I started off with a bacon and cheese omelet to get my day started, because I knew I had errands to run and I wasn't sure when I was going to get to eat again. Off I went to get my nails done, pay the rent and grocery shop.  Well, two out of three completed.  

After nails and rent I had just enough time to stop at home and eat lunch before my board meeting started. What did I have?  Yep, those tasty little roll-ups!

Time for my board meeting, which started at 2:45.  We didn't get done until 6:30. Whew, I'm tired, but I'm hungry, and I still have to go grocery shopping.  They say you should never go shopping when you're hungry, but list in hand I was determined to stick to it.

I was very good.  I bought radishes for snacking.  Radishes? Yep, radishes.  Did you know you can smear herb butter on them and they are divine?  I didn't know that either.  Until I found this recipe. Tomorrow I will be trying it.  (Is it tomorrow yet?)

I also bought a cauliflower so I can make cauliflower soup.  Did I mention it has bacon and cheese on top? MMMmmm... it will be so very tasty.

And finally I bought a can of whole chilis so I can make Pioneer Woman's Lazy Chili Rellenos and a spaghetti squash so I can eat it covered with this glorious parmesan cheese sauce.

I am set for a few days except for some staples.  As for dinner tonight? I just steamed a hot dog, crisped it up, cut it up in bites, and chowed down.  I am trying to not eat too much in the evenings. Isn't it great that there are no carbs in hot dogs? Nathans. YUM-O!!! The best! 

Day 4 has been a success. Thanks for hanging with me. 

Love you all bunches!

~Lin

Week One - Day Three

Good morning! Well, morning for only 4 more minutes.  I am lazy this morning and only on my first cup of coffee.  I'm surprised I don't miss the sugar in the coffee. Chalk one up for me! I haven't eaten anything yet, but getting ready to trundle off to the kitchen.  I will continue checking in throughout the day to let you know how I'm doing and what I've been up to.

So my brunch ended up being ham, cream cheese and dill pickle rollups.  I had these at my brother's Christmas party and they are very addicting.  Just take a slice of ham, smear it with cream cheese, lay your little dill pickle(s) down (enough to fit across the ham), roll and slice.  How do they look? Delicious? Why yes; yes they are!

I ate everyone of those bad boys.  If you wanted to get fancy, and if you have toothpicks (I didn't), you could have included an olive on top.  Oh, are they satisfying!!! 

My dinner tonight consisted of Ugly Green Beans and Chinese Cabbage Salad.  I slightly modified both recipes.  For the green beans my marinade was all olive oil and I added lemon pepper.  The dressing for the salad was made with Splenda instead of sugar, and since I didn't have rice wine vinegar I used apple cider vinegar.  Plus I used the peanut butter/oil combination instead of just peanut oil because I didn't have that either. The topping was only the almonds, no ramen noodles here.  Oh, well, it was all fabulous, and I didn't really feel like I was "dieting" because I was eating so many new, yummy flavors.  Maybe it's because I finished my night with a 5 oz glass of Dancing Grape!

So, to recap:

The Roll-Ups!

The Ugly Green Beans!

The Chinese Cabbage Salad with that amazing modified dressing!

Dancing Grape!

Slainte!

Mood? Content!

All in all it has been a successful day.  Here is to many more.  Not all will be as easy as this, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.  

Have a lovely night! 

Week One - Day Two

Well, last night I was trying really hard not to snack, so I made a snacky dinner.  Yes, I know, I was going to make an omelet, but that seemed like too much work. Instead I made crispy cheddar cheese crisps. Oh, my goodness! It filled me up and it curbed my cravings.  A winner! I finished the night off with a 5oz glass of red wine, which is allowed and low carb.  Day one was now complete.

My morning started off just fine.  Coffee and a cheese omelet.  I was full when I got done and feeling very satisfied.  But then along came lunch and I was busy so I didn't eat.  About 2 o'clock I realized I was starving and wanted to eat everything in the kitchen. Remember those evil triscuits I talked about yesterday? They are still calling my name.  Not wanting to eat too much because Captain and I are going out tonight with friends, I decided to make some bacon.  Plain and simple.  Hunger assuaged!!!

Now all I needed to worry about is The Happy Viking whose special beer of the night is Heretic Brewing's Evil Twin!!  As of this time I am planning on eating a salad and drinking a Bloody Mary.  Ahhh... the saga continues!

Well, I made it thru The Happy Viking without too much damage.  I had fried pickles (I was delighted they had minimal breading on them!), two chicken wings, a BBQ chicken salad, and only half a beer.  So although I cheated a bit it wasn't as bad as it could be.  

Like I said, it's a daily struggle.  That's why I'm sharing with you, to remind you that we are all human but we keep slugging on...  Now, on to day 3!

Week One - Day One

Well, today I started my new lifestyle.  I am on a low carb regime.  I have found a couple of great websites that are very useful.  One is called "No Buns Please!"  The other is called "Heart of the Country Home." They are both great resources for encouragement and low carb recipes.  Of course in my googling sites I still come across amazing things that I would love to eat, like Sinful Triple Chocolate Poke Cake, but I will wait a while before making it.  

My reward when I reach my first goal. What that goal is yet, I have not determined. Any ideas? (Does it not look glorious?)

So today is the first day and I have had to just pick from what I had in the house.  For breakfast I have started having my coffee with only cream or half n half and no sugar.  I was using splenda and/or truvia, but neither one are really good for you. So I just quit using them all together. I also had a sausage patty with a bunch of cheese melted on top.  It was delicious.  For lunch I had a salad with LOTS of cabbage (which I dearly love) and some lettuce and olives, coated in my homemade Italian dressing I made the other day. Very filling. Not sure what I will have for dinner.  Possibly a cheese and bacon omelet.  

And just so you know, it has been very, very difficult for me to not go into the kitchen and make a big ol' bowl of buttered popcorn or eat that box of Triscuits that is calling my name.  

Tomorrow I will be going to the grocery store.  I plan to make a scaled down version of Pioneer Woman's Lazy Chili Rellenos. Don't they look amazing?

I have also been walking around the house more, instead of just sitting on the couch.  I try to do something during the commercial breaks before parking my butt back on the couch. I would love to be able to say I can get out and walk and walk and walk, but for now I'm just not able to.  I took a really bad fall last summer and it has impacted more than I realized when it happened.

So those are my thoughts for the day. Stay tuned for my further adventures. 

Love, 

~Lin~

It's a constant struggle!

Well, while working and before retirement May 1, 2012, I had lost 70 lbs.  Since retirement I have gained 20 lbs.  I really do need to get back on track.

For those of you who don't know, I had gastric bypass January 1999. Although I had non-life threatening issues afterwards, I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

All my life I have struggled with my weight. The first time I realized how much I weighed I was 9 years old and weighed 100 lbs.  Bear in mind, I am short - all of 5'1". Whoa!!! I have tried all the diets. What works best for me is Atkins.  But even with Atkins it's still a struggle because I have such a slow metabolism and my brain constantly thinks I'm starving. Therefore it wants to take everything I eat and store it as body fat. Ugh!!!

So here I am writing about my struggles and sharing with you - well, if there are any out there that are reading this.  My goal is to reach 150 lbs.  I will check in with you periodically and let you know how my progress is going.  For now, this is where I am.

Today is Sunday.  Starting this week I will work on controlling my lifestyle so I can reach my goal and make it to Ireland. I want to travel and enjoy myself. I don't want to live on pain medication the rest of my life because of my arthritic knees.  Think good thoughts for me. You can follow my progress on my widget.

Thanks for stopping by!  Love y'all!

~Lin...

Happy New Year!

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged!  I think this is a perfect time to catch up on the past 12 months! 

 

Over the past 10 months I have lost 70 lbs and I am looking sexy!

 

How did I do that? A modified Atkins diet and lots of walking. You know me, I love walking my little lake! 
 

 

The time between Thanksgiving and New Year's is hopeless when it comes to sticking to my eating regime.  After today I will refocus!  I have also started an aerobics class which I go to on Thursdays and walk the lake the rest of the week.  My new goal is to lose 30 more lbs, and then I think I will be good! The challenge will then be to maintain. 

I have been to Hawaii twice this year...

...first in March for Jalen's 1st birthday and again in August.  I have to take advantage of it while I can as Ryan will be stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri after October 2012. 

Ironically I have family in Missouri that I have never met, and I've never even been there! So I am looking forward to a new vacation location. 

Dating has not been very successful, online or otherwise.  The one constant has been Rick...

 

...but he spends so much time in the bay area that I don't get to see him nearly as much as I would like.  So we have settled into a comfortable friendship. 

I had my 60th birthday this year.  My kids threw me a surprise birthday party. I was truly surprised and had no idea!  A big thanks to my kids Jon and Cheryl...

 ...and Megan and Ryan for putting it all together. 
 
To my brother John, his wife Mary...

...and niece Emily for making the trip up to participate in the festivities.

 

To Rick for keeping the secret and being my escort.

 And all of my friends who attended. 

The best part of all?  I did a bunch of cooking for my own party and didn't even know it! The jalapeno popper mac n cheese was a hit!

I think I'm going to retire this year. The countdown clock is running!

I've tentatively set May 1st as my retirement date. That will give me 18 years in PERS, it is my birthday quarter, and I will have made just enough money so it won't impact my social security.  I have places that I want to go and people I want to meet. I have many friends, some that I have never met, who have invited me to their home. Kentucky (Linda), Ohio (Jarmila), Wisconsin (Ruthie), Louisiana (Jamie) and Italy (Amanda) are all on my "must visit" list!  I would also love to visit Scotland (Mcleod of Lewis is my clan!), Wales and Australia someday!


My parents came for a visit the beginning of December.  We had our picture taken with Santa - 4 generations!  It was good to have them visit; they had not been here in a long time.  (I will post the picture as soon as I can!)  Eric is here for the holidays, as well! It has been good to have him home. Hopefully he will find a job here and move back up to Sacramento!


Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone and it is now New Year's Eve.  As I sit here thinking about this last year I realize just how blessed I have been to have so many wonderful people in my life, the love of my children and grandchildren, and lucky to still have my parents with me.  I am looking forward to 2012 with great anticipation. And I have not forgotten about my passport! It is still on my "to do" list!

 

As I close I want you to know that I wish you nothing but love, joy and happiness in the upcoming year. May you all be as blessed as I have been. 

Memories of an Earthquake

Forty years ago on February 9, 1971 at 6:01 a.m., a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck. It happened in Sylmar, California, just a few miles from my home in Northridge. I was 19 years old.

Ironically one of my favorite movies ever was San Francisco starring Clark Gable and Jeannette MacDonald. It was set at the turn of the century when another famous earthquake hit. I watched and quivered with sheer terror as giant cracks opened up in the road and swallowed people; walls tumbled down crushing anything and everything in its way; and cried as the masses of people searched for their loved ones (mostly Gable and MacDonald) and watched helplessly as their homes burned.

The morning of the Sylmar Quake, my mother tells me she and her husband Duke were having coffee; she got up to make a fresh cup and he went to the back door to look outside. As he stood there holding the door open he said, "You know, it's very strange. It's completely silent outside. Not even the birds are chirping." Then they heard the rumble and the shaking started. He stood there holding onto the door; mom set the tea kettle on the floor and started for our bedrooms. 

All I remember is suddenly my bed was violently shaking and I had no idea what was going on. I started screaming for my mom, jumped out of bed on the far side of my room in front of my large picture window, and had to run around the bed to get out of my room. Just as I got to my door, the bookcase crashed down just barely missing me.  I saw mom walking down the hall; she was holding onto the wall trying to not fall. As I was going towards her a big jolt hit, throwing me into her; we slammed into the wall but managed to stay upright. My brother, John, came sauntering out of his bedroom like nothing was happening! Mom pulled both of us into her bedroom, and we sat huddled on her bed until the shaking stopped. I was sure the roof was going to collapse on us any second and we would all die! I could not stop crying.

Finally the hysteria eased and I was able to grasp just what had happened - an earthquake.  The house was not damaged, but as I looked around I could see the side door still opened; the tea kettle was now tipped over and boiling hot water had melted the wax on the kitchen floor; anything sitting on shelves had been knocked over or off; and my bedroom was completely trashed. I was really upset about the bookcase falling over because my fishbowl was sitting on top of it. All that was left were glass shards in a puddle of water and no fish to be found. In fact, it was 3 weeks before I found the fish. Dead. Dehydrated. Behind the leg of my dresser stuck under the baseboard.

Eventually we settled in the living room and turned on the news. I sat and watched in shock seeing pictures of the Veteran's Hospital in San Fernando...

...and Olive View Hospital (which was only one year old) in Sylmar...



...both of which had collapsed.

Sections of the freeway had collapsed as well...

...crushing one man to death as he drove to work.

Many homes were damaged.

A portion of the Van Norman Dam had collapsed directly north of our home. I just knew that there would be a flood and we would all drown, even though we survived the earthquake!

Mom called my Uncle Pat, who lived in Sylmar (the epicenter of the earthquake) and he shared that a fissure had opened up in his backyard, but family and farm animals were safe.  Thankfully all of my family was safe.

Sadly, 65 people lost their lives and there was over $500 million in damage.

Being a Valley Girl born and raised, I had experienced earthquakes all my life but they were just little tremors. This one changed my life forever. Ironically I am no longer terrified of them like I once was. In fact, a week after the earthquake while standing in my driveway working on my VW bug I heard the familiar rumble, said "Here comes another aftershock," and went back to working on my car.

In 1994 the Northridge Earthquake struck.  Sixty people were killed, more than 7,000 injured, and 20,000 were left homeless. Although I was living in Sacramento I went back to help my friend, Lisa, dig out of her apartment and rebuild her life. She had a family friend, Clarence Wayne Dean, a motorcycle officer with the LAPD, who, upon experiencing the earthquake on his way home, turned his motorcycle around to go back and help. Unfortunately Officer Dean was killed when his motorcycle drove off of a section of freeway which had just collapsed due to the earthquake. It was dark and he could not see it. They have since rebult that portion and have named it after him.

Most of us never really get to see an earthquake fault line.  My brother and mother now live in Palm Springs and the San Andreas Fault is visible from their houses.  Intrigued, I wanted to visit it.  So New Years 2010 that is exactly what I did.  It is a beautiful, peaceful, palm tree lined oasis in the middle of the desert.  The ground is cracked open and water bubbles up to the surface, making the area green and lush. It is hard to imagine that a thing of beauty can cause such destruction.

Earthquakes, like any natural disaster, happen coast to coast, from San Francisco CA to Savannah GA, Alaska and Hawaii. So when one happens to you, stay inside and stand in a doorway. It is the safest place to be.

Do you remember what you were doing at 6:01 a.m. on February 19, 1971? I will never forget...

(These clocks were all removed from Olive View Hospital - frozen at the time of the earthquake.)