by Tish MacWebber | May 29, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
I am so PUMPED after this weekend! I HULK SMASHED IT! Without turning green and angry! What a busy, productive weekend!
Friday night I was at Relay for Life, specifically for the Zumba at Relay. Expect a story this week to tell you all about that. It had some real special moments, and there are some great pics to share.
Saturday was cool and rainy and drab. Hubby worked this weekend, so I got up and got the car. Got a few groceries on the way home and got some cleaning done. I did some laundry and ran the dishwasher. Nothing picture worthy. I found out that I lost a pillow sham (and the puns did find my post about it on my personal Facebook page). This caused a full stop on the kitchen cleaning and started a full-on search for the missing sham. No house elves were found wearing said sham, either. The search continues. Maybe, just maybe it is in the towel area over the washer and dryer? It was not in the linen closet where it should have been (I am in the middle of reorganizing that mess since yesterday) or maybe it is under the bed ( I tried to look but with my knees, I try not to get down on my knees on the floor) and I am running out of places to look. I am sure it will reappear. I am crossing my fingers about that one.
Sham on me my cousin wrote. It was never a real pillow it was just a … 😉 was left by another friend. The puns keep me laughing while I tear my home apart to find the culprit of the whole sham.
I got inspired while in the master bathroom working on the linen closet to do something I have been thinking about for a long time. I have been wanting to purge my makeup. I do not wear makeup every day, but as a collector, I had gathered quite a stash. It was neatly organized in 3 wicker baskets on my counter, gathering dust. I panicked about tossing it all because I might need some of it for a special occasion or something in the future. My budget does not always allow for this type of purchase. The last time I bought makeup it was January 2016. I have had some product since the wedding in 2010 or even before that.
I will be writing a separate blog about that adventure. It happened Sunday. I got up and put a roast beef in the oven right away. I set the timer for 3 hours, it was frozen going into the pan. I had planned to get ready and go to church before the makeup shopping event. I mean, it could have been an event, it was a big thing for me. I decided that I did not want to rush, and had breakfast and got ready for my day. I postponed church until this evening (I actually went and was not late). The makeup event happened-details will be in a separate blog.
I got home, sliced the beef, made sandwiches, ate 1.5 sandwiches and rushed out to church. I then fit in a few small errands on the way home, finished the last half a sandwich I made earlier, made 2 sandwiches for my husband, picked him up from work and rushed off to see Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2. It was a fun movie.
I have yet to finish my next submission for a well-known publication that has a deadline this week. That will be tomorrow’s priority. I have started writing it already, but it is not ready for the beta reader yet.
There you have it! Non-stop, action-packed, super busy weekend! I got some cleaning done, in tandem, from one end of the mini home to the other, all day Saturday. I want to an extra Zumba class, for a good cause. Spent time with friends Friday and again today. Different friends on the different days. I even fit in a movie with my husband to finish it off! Sorry, I’m a little late getting this one published this week, this is the first chance I had because I wanted a productive AND fun weekend to write about. Mission accomplished! HULK SMASHED IT!
by Tish MacWebber | May 25, 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 14
Getting back on track is easier said than done. It takes determination and effort. I have missed a few Zumba classes. I went today. I was eating anything and everything, the last few weeks. I prep cooked earlier in the week. My insulin is now working well enough to lower my doses again. Some days it is a fight just to get motivated to do what I should be doing. Other days I feel prepared to tackle everything. I am gearing up for another run at living a healthier lifestyle.
Last week I was watching the scale climb. This week it is starting to go down. I am working hard to try and stay on plan as much as I can, and it is working.
The last few months I have been consciously trying to drink more water. It is a good idea, not just for me, but for everyone. It would be better if I enjoyed drinking water. I have to force myself to drink water, sometimes. I have a drinking buddy, my straw! I need to get it in quickly or I won’t drink as much water in a day. Straws certainly help with that.
It is time to get out the measuring tape again. Still, nothing to report. With the last few weeks of being sick, I will have to take the number on the scale moving down as my encouragement. It is good that it is going the right way again.
My heart rate was steady in class. I do love that I can check it. Now I have to keep a better focus on what I eat and how much insulin I am taking because my body has come around to responding to it well, again. That happens when I work hard. I feel better so I want to do more and I do that and I feel even better. It is possible. Just not when I am sick. Everything goes out the window when I am sick.
I did go to the doctor last week. He gave me a different antibiotic. I bought a probiotic to take with it because we all know the warnings about what happens when you take one antibiotic, and now I have had to take two. It has been a little challenging to keep track of when I have to take what medicine. The good news is that it appears to be working, and worth the trouble.
This week I am feeling more optimistic. When I feel like doing things, there is a better chance that they will get done. I am finally feeling like trying again. So lesson learned. When my sugars are skyrocketing out of control, it is not me, or what I am or am not eating; I am probably sick. Which is good to know, because I don’t remember this happening when I was off work with my infected knee. There is a good reason for that. Painkillers. I was on some heavy-duty painkillers.
I am sleeping better this week. Quality sleep is also important in the struggle to live a healthier lifestyle. If you are well rested, it will boost the energy. Again, you can do more. It can snowball in the right direction. It is happening for me right now. It can happen to you too. If you need help, ask. Don’t be afraid. If you don’t ask for help, it might be too late. We are all worth helping. We are all worth loving. Believe it. When you believe that you are worth investing your own time and energy into, good things will happen for you too. One change becomes two, then three and so on. What change are you going to work on this week?
by Tish MacWebber | May 21, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Here we go again! It is the middle of a sunny, not too hot but a little too breezy weekend. I say that because it is BEAUTIFUL out, but not quite warm enough for wearing shorts. Perfect weather to cook and clean in. Too bad yesterday was an errands day, so not a lot got done around the house. We did take some time to enjoy the sunshine, though.
We went out to a fundraiser for Great Danes yesterday. Roy bought a t-shirt to support the cause. I am holding off because I would rather buy one from the Boston Terrier Rescue Canada group, BTRC as I volunteer with them. We had lunch and hit up some stores.
There was a bead sale, so I went there first. I then went to Bed Bath and Beyond. I would spend more money in there if I had it to spend, well who am I kidding, I love shopping, and money flows faster than mercury through my hands. Blink twice, and it’s gone, kind of like my awesome time management skills, I have the same ability in both of those areas. Amazing talents to have…not! My husband went to the pet store. He is working really hard on his 75-gallon fish tank set up. I cannot wait to finally post some pics when it is all done! I will share the finished setup photos when he is happy with it and ready to show it off.
At the second store I found some coffee on sale, not as good of a sale as the last time I was there, but still, a sale is better than full price. The reason I went was to get an organizational drawer for my fridge. There is a drawer on a slider in the middle of my fridge, but the space underneath that drawer is a nightmare to keep organized. My husband does not want to open the fridge and see multiple organization containers inside. I see the value of the system, but don’t want to buy more bins for the fridge until he changes his mind. This is the beginning of that transition. It may never proceed past the initial phase, but at least I get to tackle one huge problem area in our fridge.
I started my Sunday off in Church. I do like going and was a little late, but better late than never, I thought. So I went. Then I went to a coffee shop to wait for my ride home. It was a good start to the week, and to my Sunday.
I am headed back into the kitchen today. I NEED to run the dishwasher and get the dishes back under control. I think I am starting to feel better, hurrah for antibiotics and trying a different kind! I am wanting to do things again. Still not feeling completely healthy, but feeling like I want to get some things done around here again is a big plus.
I didn’t get things done last weekend. I was really feeling awful, and sometimes what you need to do has to be prioritized. I needed to rest so that I would get better, and be able to get some spring cleaning done this weekend.
I am not going to focus only on the kitchen today. I have an issue in the Master Bedroom that needs attention. I am notoriously famous for piling things up everywhere I go. My desk, my craft supplies, clothes or anything and everything. I do not like putting things away. So today, I am going to take the time to change the sheets and put my clothes away. Then I can rearrange the dresser and assemble the 6 cube shelving unit I bought a while back. If I really get on a roll, there may be pics here next weekend! I am still not feeling the motivation to finish the kitchen, so I am going to change the plans for today after I get those dishes done. I have some prep cooking to do also. I want the kitchen clean before I start cooking. I have 3 lbs of ground beef and a whole chicken to work with today when prep cooking. The beef will make 2 different meals, and the chicken is going into my crock pot. I really love making this recipe with whole chickens, ever since I found it online a while ago.
So, I intend to fully bounce the house today. That is a Tish-ism. You can read about it here: Bouncing the House. The tunes will be cranked, and I will be doing a little singing and dancing while I work. After all, if it isn’t a little bit fun, I will never get it done!
by Tish MacWebber | Apr 16, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Happy Easter 2017! I am having a quiet day, having no children myself, and recovering from The Head Cold 2017 has been my priority for the last 2 days. I am finally feeling like doing things again today, which is great! I will be taking it slow, but working in the kitchen is on my list of things to do.
I am happy to say that the overthinking portion of what to rearrange in my kitchen has reached completion in my mind, this morning. I will be moving things around in my kitchen over the next few days, as I have Monday and Tuesday off this week. I had some vacation time left to use up, and I will be taking a few days here and there in the next couple of months to help me get a jump start on what I need to finish my spring cleaning. I am really excited to work in my kitchen today, knowing that I have a plan!
That is a key point for me. Having a plan. I have been planning and planning in my mind on what to move where. I did this with my counter tops a few weeks ago, when I set up my Coffee Station Complete! project. I have to figure out how to move things around in my mind before I do it because when I am in the middle of a project, improvisation is a possibility, but having to reverse all the work because I didn’t plan the project properly is not acceptable. Double the work without the task being accomplished is just not an option for me. So with that in mind, I will move forward with the kitchen today.
The plans I have will not be finished in one day. That is why I am glad I have the extra days this week to continue working on it. Once I have everything rearranged, then I can work on cleaning the top of the cupboards, empty all of them and put things back when I have cleaned inside each cupboard, and work my way to cleaning the floors. I will have to dust my pantry and shuffle some things around as I figure out new ways to place everything in my kitchen all over again. My fridge was cleaned earlier this year, and it is in need of a touch-up, but that will not be as much of a chore this time around.
The ultimate goal is to have a picture worthy kitchen that is clean, organized, and functional. I want to hang up my new kitchen decorations and be able to really enjoy them! I want to be proud of the final result and move on to the rest of the house. The living room is in progress. My office corner in the living room is an unorganized disaster and will need a few days to complete. I have been puttering, but no real progress has been made there, yet. The Master bedroom and guest room are works in progress. The Master Bathroom is in desperate need of time and effort, and that will not wait much longer. The Main bathroom is in decent shape, and the Man Cave is not on MY list. It will all happen, it just needs time and for me to be really focused on the end goal. Finishing on or before July 1, 2017.
What are you working on this weekend? Are you celebrating Easter with Joy? If you are spending time with family and friends, that is just as important as my plans to move forward with my spring cleaning. I stopped last weekend to recharge. I spent the last 2 days fighting a really horrible head cold. I am ready to start cleaning again, and I have the time I need to work on it. Have a Happy Easter, Weekend Warriors!
#WeekendWarrior