by Tish MacWebber | Aug 27, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Happy Weekend to you! I am here on Sunday morning, using my AGENDA to figure out this busy day. Friday I started a new challenge. It is another five-day, free, online challenge, and since I had such a successful run at the last one I did, I signed up for the next one. The first one taught me about how to Brand myself, as an Artist and an Author. The current Challenge is about Tribe Building, and that is a logical thing for me to learn tips and tricks for, also. Both of these subjects need to be worked on, constantly, because the audience of today may be a different audience a month from now, six months from now, and onward. Not that the core audience should be changing itself, but the needs of the audience will change and refocus over time, and I need to stay relevant if I am going to level up as an artist and author.
The homework for today, Day 3 is making me hesitant to answer. It looks easy, because of launching the contest, I think I am already figuring out the next step for me. I am actually going to delay answering today until after the video for the challenge is posted. I want to be sure that my answers are well thought out because I am Always Thinking…and I need to get the most out of this challenge that I can, which means sometimes I have to think about the answer, not just slam it out onto the keyboard.
I am really inspired from taking these challenges. I ran a contest for people to check out different online projects I have on the go, and I picked a winner. Today I need to create the prize, after having a consultation with the winner, yesterday. I will be delivering the prize tomorrow, as she is someone that I work with.
Yesterday should have been an easy win for the cleaning and prep cooking. It wasn’t. I actually spent the whole day writing on the blog and working on my social media presence, as well as completing day 2 of the GYT Challenge. I made the video, and I wrote two stories for the blog, one has been published, and the other one has been written in draft format. It is waiting for approval on some links before I publish, as I want to be sure that I have gotten permission from the sources before sharing the links. (I did get permission already for the one shared here.)
You may think that it is not hard to spend the day in front of the computer. In one sense, you would be correct with that assumption. On the other hand, I am working on many things at the same time, most of the time with writing as the main event, either here, on the blog, or writing my book, elsewhere. I enjoy the social networking, and I have friends that I interact with online. I also try to share only the best, most clever tweets. I have not branched out far in the Twitterverse, but I do check in daily. It is something I am getting the hang of how to use.
If I am writing, and that is working, then yes, there is a fun factor there for me too. I really enjoy writing, and I do want to work hard at launching my trilogy to be a success. I am trying to learn as I go, and do as much of this as I can by myself. I know my limits, though, and will be in need of an editor when I have the manuscript and my initial editing completed. I will need help in different areas, but I just took a Facebook quiz, and it said that I will be a millionaire in 2019. If that is correct, I am going to be a successful published author by then. I don’t really believe that it will happen because Facebook said so, but it is something that could happen if I work hard to make it so.
Today I went to a movie with my husband. We went to see The Nut Job 2, and it was cute and funny. Full of puns! Not a lot, alright, but there were a few. Then I rushed home to put a roast in the oven for supper. Then I ran out again to help a friend buy what she needed for her store to create a new display. We were both a little off, maybe tired from being busy, so we decided to go get some iced coffee. We both had the sugar free vanilla. I really enjoyed it, and it was just what I needed to pick me up. We also sat down for a bit to have a chat. Sometimes it is good to make time to just catch up. The down side of this is that I had to turn down a visit with another friend today because I had already committed to the first friend yesterday. The timing just wasn’t working out to do everything, and I still have homework and earrings to make.
When I publish this I am going to finish making supper, watch the video for my challenge, do the homework, make the earrings, and empty the dishwasher so I can fill it up again. If I get REAL ambitious I’ll throw a chicken in the crockpot for tomorrow’s prep cooking adventures. I LOVE Roast beef sandwiches, so lunch tomorrow will be a treat! Tuesday I will need something prepared, and I am going to make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole. Hence the need to cook the chicken, tonight or tomorrow. It is a simple recipe so it can be done in the morning. Then all I will need to do is steam the broccoli, grate some cheese, and mix the recipe together and pop it into the oven. If I get that far. Right now, I could seriously go for a nap. What does that mean? I win this weekend! I even conquered a hard avocado last night when I was making nachos for supper. It never stood a chance. What did you do this weekend?
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 27, 2017 | Events
Tish before Makeup or hair styling was done.
A few months ago, I shared a story about makeup. Makeup: A Purge and Purchase Story was fun to experience, and fun to write about. I was surprised by the comment thread my makeup questions spurred on my Facebook page. Quite a few people had opinions, and some joined me on my shopping trip.
This morning I woke up and decided I would do my hair and makeup for my Facebook Live video. I was announcing the winner of the Scavenger Hunt Contest I had going on all week. I didn’t just want a “like and share” contest. I wanted people to follow links to my different areas of expertise, one page for my jewellery making business, Tish’s Treasures, another my Facebook Author page, Tish MacWebber’s Author Facebook Page, and here, on my blog.
People showed interest, but not everyone participated. Some tried to do all of the steps, and others liked the pages. I made my first Facebook live videos this week. I found that the one I made from my personal Facebook page was the one that had the most interaction, so I am learning as I am trying new things. I have watched them after recording, just to hear what I sounded like, and to learn. I will keep working on them, as they are another way to reach out to people that might not want to spend their time hunting for different pages.
That being said, at some point in the future, I am going to make the leap from this Blog page to my own website. That will be a new step for me, outside of my comfort zone. I want to combine the Bling, Blog, and Books I am creating on to a website. I will be looking for help to do this, and I know that people in the communities I am involved with in my social media circles will point me in the right direction so I can figure it all out. I am doing all of the work myself, since this page launched for the second time. I had help at the start and took over when I was ready to take the reins. It has been a bumpy ride at times, but so much fun.
Now for the makeup. I am going to share a series of selfies I took this morning while getting ready for my video shoot. That sounds bigger than it was. It was less than five minutes long. I am still not used to how things are flipped on the laptop. It is another thing to work at until I am great at it.
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Before I started. No glasses selfie.
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This is what my Evil Twin looks like. I “flipped” this pic. My sisters are twins. This is as close as I can get.
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Foundation, blush and eyeshadow applied.
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Foundation, blush, and eyeshadow applied on the evil twin. I know it is a selfie. and I have MY glasses off, I wish it wasn’t blurry…
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Now with Mascara
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With Mascara, on the Evil Twin.
Close up! Lips have been found! I hardly recognize myself!
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Hair done.
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Hair done, and glasses back on.
Ready to shoot my video!
This happens to be the second tube of mascara I have tried. I miss my wonder-curl mascara, they don’t make it anymore. I will give them each another try before blogging my thoughts. I also tried a new eye makeup remover. I have not found one that completely cleans mascara from my lashes, ever. Any tips will be appreciated with this in mind. I asked about this today on my personal Facebook page, and it became quite a thread. I am always happy to see another person’s point of view. 😉
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 24, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 27
Summer is slowly sneaking past us, and soon it will be fall. I have seen other people do challenges, and I have a few things I need to get back on track with. One of them is my zig-zagging on the path less travelled to living a healthier lifestyle. I don’t have kids, and I am not going back to school. But September can be a new start for this and other areas of my life that are lacking commitment right now.
In THM, there are many different groups to belong to. You can join based on food types, health issues, location, budget friendly, beginner, very fluffy, the main THM group and allergy issue groups. There is even one for people that Blog about THM. I am involved in several and have not been contributing much lately. I can share my Blog stories on their pages, but not if that is the only thing I am contributing. I think that is fair.
I do write this to keep myself accountable, and also to help other people. If you don’t have the same issues I have with being morbidly obese, then reading this Blog might help you learn how to be a better friend to someone like me. It may even help you figure out what you can do to help them.
Let’s go with a big one. Do not be the food police. Every person that is capable of feeding themselves is also capable of deciding what to eat, what not to eat, and how much of that they are going to eat. If I am having a piece of cake at a social gathering, and someone makes me feel bad about it, I am going to eat two or three times the amount of cake I allowed for with my meal plan and insulin doses. Saying nothing and judging by silence or a look is no better. I eat the guilt instead of feeling it. That is a dangerous option for me. I am trying so hard to make better choices, but a simple thing like me having chocolate to get through a rough work day can compound to a box of chocolates at home later on. Yes, a box, not one or two pieces. If I bring them home, I want to gobble them up so they aren’t there to tempt me anymore. When I think about that, it is really messed up. But it is how I think.
I hid being a type 2 diabetic for a long time. Now that I am open about it, I feel like people are always watching what I eat, and judging me. If I was realistic, I would think that I am not so important in other people’s lives that they spend time critically thinking about what I am eating. I have answered a lot of questions regarding what I am eating for lunch at work, and when it is a healthy recipe, I am proud to share. Even if the cauliflower that I had to heat up is stinky, or someone is grossed out by the way I am assembling my cheeseburger pie. If it tastes good, fills me, and doesn’t make me feel bad after eating it, then I am happy to share about what I am eating, and even share the recipes I love if people want to try them.
Back to September coming up. I am going to focus more on me, and the THM plan. What do I mean? It is going to be hard. I am going to have a 30 day no cheat challenge. Eek! I have commitment issues when it comes to being 100% on plan, but it is about time that I really put an effort into it. At the same time, I am going to post in the groups more in September, so that I can share the blog posts that relate to THM in the groups more. Finally, to get myself on track and stay there, I will have to prep cook. That also needs time and energy. If it is focused, it does not have to take a lot of either, because I am prep cooking for me, and sometimes for my husband, not an army. Leftovers are handy for lunches, as long as I have the means of storing them properly.
One thing that concerns me is maintaining a solid balance of my blood sugars. I am worried about lows and treating them while staying on plan. That is a tricky path in the brambles and may require bending of the rules a bit. If I have to pick a quick source of the wrong kind of sugar to avoid a hospital or death, I am going to have to be OK with that. Before I start, though, I am going to hang out in the THM Diabetes group and ask some questions to make me feel better about how to treat the lows. I am giving myself time to do this, before the official start. I will need to start recording my blood sugars, insulin doses and keep a food diary to make this work because if I don’t know what the patterns are, it is hard to manage the blood sugar highs and lows properly. This sounds like work to me, but if you do something consistently for 30 days it becomes a habit, and I am trying to develop better habits for a healthier lifestyle. I wrote it here, so now I have to follow through.
Accountability. It is time to take things seriously again. Writing it all down every day will help me track patterns and find out how different foods affect my sugars. I know I am not going to be 100% on plan, being me, but if I can give it my best attempt, I will have something I can be proud of working on. So I am going to make a real effort in September. I need to refocus on a few things, and this is one of them. Time to start planning. Anybody else getting ready to start fresh in September? I will cheer you on as I share my progress every week, here. It’s time to refocus.
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 18, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 26
Struggling with a weight issue is hard. It is hard to stay motivated all of the time. It is hard to commit to making the changes needed to see results. The results don’t happen overnight, and there is no quick and easy fix.
Words matter. Whether they are good to hear and provide encouragement or not, a person that is struggling with weight issues has deep rooted insecurities that can make a little comment pack a punch that hurts so bad that you want to give up.
I am writing this week to tell you to keep going. I am writing to tell myself the same thing. Sometimes the little monster inside is making the biggest racket and causing you to doubt yourself. Other times the damage is done from someone that you would least expect it from, and when you are blindsided by hurtful words, it can cause a setback in your progress.
It is easier to give up. It is easy to blame someone else. Neither option is the right one, though. I am working on choosing my battles carefully right now. There will always be petty, jealous, mean people out there. I need to choose to be the bigger person. Yeah, I just wrote that, but it is how I am supposed to say it. I don’t mean physically, of course. If it was that easy, I would just eat so much that I would sit on the people that hurt me. Oh, that would be nasty. Fun to think about, but not very realistic.
I guess I could rephrase that into being the more mature person. Fat or old. I don’t think there is a real winner here.
Being practical about what I choose to believe is something I am working on. I am an emotional, hormonal, creative, over the top, learning to believe in my own skills woman. That is a lot to deal with, and it can all happen in five minutes or less. If my hair is frazzled, it is expressing what is going on inside. If I am quiet, I may be mulling something over in my mind, or too angry to speak without a filter. That brain to mouth filter gets a little less effective as I am getting older. Sometimes it is a good thing. Other times it is not.
As a creative person, I embrace my emotions. ALL OF THEM. Which means that sometimes when someone is mean, I OVERREACT. I over think, over analyze, and get overly upset. If it is something that is mean, I may focus on it for a really long time. This is not healthy and it is not helpful.
There will always be people who think they know more than I do and think that they are experts because of their own education, opinion, or life experiences. I am confident that I am unique and a one of a kind. If I am not an expert on me in my own life, well there is just no way that I can accept someone else’s opinion about what I am doing to better myself. I am living my life, not just existing in it. I am making changes, and not just letting things happen. I am not perfect so I will make mistakes along the way. But they are mine to make, and I am going to own them. All I can do is admit when I am wrong, and learn from the mistakes. That is all anyone can really do about it.
Tackle something with me this week. Let the inner glow out of the cage. Shine as bright as you can from the outside in. Believe in yourself, and prove to yourself that you are worth it because you can take one thing that is hindering you and just let it go. Release it.
I once did a group relaxation exercise in university. We were to go to our happy place inside our mind. Check. Then we were to imagine taking all of the negative and stress causing issues we have and put them inside something so we could leave them locked up and not worry about them anymore. I am sure it was supposed to be an imaginary box or trunk or something that we could close, lock, and throw away the key for.
I shoved it all in a blender and turned it on. Man, that felt good. It made me giggle, and that was the point. To make it all go away.
Find your blender, and pulverize the negativity out of your life. Theoretically, of course. Then dump it out and clean it so it is ready for your next concoction. If it is nasty enough, flush that negative smoothie down the imaginary toilet.
It works for me. How do you make the things that are weighing you down leave your mind to be clear?
Trust Your Gut. It knows you want to shine. Have a bright and glowing week!
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 13, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Here comes another weekend. I am relaxing with a bottle of wine on this fine Friday night. It is well deserved and has been in the wine rack for a while. I kept it so that when I wanted to indulge, I would enjoy it. I have, indeed.
What else did I do? I started an Orphan Black Marathon of season 5. It is the last season, and it ends tomorrow night. Oh, how bittersweet it will be.
Saturday will be a full on, all out Bouncing the House day. I need to get some cleaning done, and except for the washing of my delicates tonight while I enjoy the wine, I am falling behind in the housekeeping department, and I need to give it some TLC. My husband will be drafted with a “Honey do list”, and we will get some work done here tomorrow. Update: I am visiting a friend on Saturday, and I caught up with another friend while running an errand.
Sunday involves a volunteer event. I am working with the Boston Terrier Rescue Canada group again. I am an official volunteer, and we will have a booth at the Fredericton Pride Parade. I have signed on for the walking time in the parade because if I am going to be there, I want to get some exercise. Walking is good for me. BTRC needs fund raising by people like me to help the non-profit group rescue more dogs in need, foster them, and hopefully place them in homes where they will be adopted.
Volunteers ready to walk in the parade
These t-shirts are hilarious like the bandanas
Flags and phone covers and bling!
Magnets and information about the BTRC Recycling program
Bandanas for the dogs
One of the BTRC bandanas.
The chocolate cupcakes were delicious. They also had popsicles and pup-sicles!
Just like MasterChef! Hands in the air! All done setting up!
Action shot! There were a lot of people out, it was the best turnout ever for Fredericton Pride Parade day!
The Booth is ready for business!
Katie and Sally, all dolled up and riding through the parade in style!
I made it after walking in the parade.
I met some new volunteers today
Face painting success!
As a Catholic who believes in science and that the unexplained mysteries of how science and religion mingle will not be fully explained to me until I reach Heaven (which I sincerely hope to do, but realistically I expect to land in purgatory because nobody is perfect) I try to live my life guided by the church and the bible. That being said, I have spent many years in conflict with myself.
I have come to terms with how I am able to be friends with different people. That is the secret. They aren’t fat or skinny, male or female, black or white, young or old, gay or straight. They are people. And as people, we all have our own belief systems. Mine happens to be based in the Catholic Religion. It teaches us to love one another, and also not to judge. With these simple rules, I leave the rest to God. I am able to be friends with some wonderful, incredible people, and because I do not judge them, I think I am a better person for leaving the judgements aside and letting more friends into my life. Like I said, nobody is perfect, and when it is not up to me, I am free to be true to myself. I am able to open my eyes and see people as they are, people. Like me.
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Lynn showing her t-shirt and flag she wore for the parade
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Truck for the parade
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Ambulance for the parade
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After the Parade, before the Thunderstorms
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They must be at the start!
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People in the parade
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Fire in the parade
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People in the parade
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Matty & Me
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BTRC Group!
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BTRC group!
I don’t usually write about my faith and religion. I am not attempting to erase the past wrongs done by the Church, or by other Catholics. I am only responsible for myself and my own actions. I do try to be a good person, and live my life by example, with the 10 Commandments as my guide. When I think about the state of the world today, I feel concerned. I am not confident that humankind will survive the future of what might be. I decided to write about it because change is possible. It starts with one person. I am putting this out there and making it known that I do not tolerate evil, no matter what form it takes. Hatred is evil, and there is no room in my life for it. If I had my way, there would be no room in the Universe for it.
The weather is iffy for tomorrow. There is a chance it will rain, and maybe there will be thundershowers. Not the best forecast for a parade. It will happen, rain or shine. I will try to dress for any weather (that will be challenging) and my sneakers are the best I’ve got for walking. I am thinking about wearing something fun, in support of my friends. I don’t have a costume, like some people, but then I am an ally. It’s not about me. It’s about allowing people to be true to themselves and to celebrate their acceptance of themselves and each other. Together. The way people are supposed to be. United in a common cause and belief, in a peaceful celebration. I hope it does not rain on the parade.
It poured! There was a thunderstorm indeed, complete with rolling thunder and lightning. This happened after the parade, though. People packed up as quickly as they could and ran for cover. Imagine it, if you will. I went to the Fredericton Pride Parade, and I left all wet! A little (or a lot of) rain never hurt anyone.
Laughing in the rain!
YES!
Before heading home, we stopped at the Tiki Iced Tea Bar. Yes, it was shaken, not stirred, and wonderful!
The city has implemented a rainbow crosswalk downtown. I think it is nice, and living in such a diverse city, and country, it fits in very well.
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The rainbow crosswalk
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The other end of the rainbow crosswalk
Feeling the love after the rain at Fredericton Pride Parade, 2017
That’s a wrap for another weekend! I won today, but the house did not get bounced properly. I will say the weekend won Saturday, even though I still had a great time meeting up with friends, I did not accomplish what I set out to do. This weekend, it was a draw. What did you do this weekend?
