Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; #54 Push It Real Good

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; #54 Push It Real Good

by | Mar 9, 2018 | Trust Your Gut

In this week’s Trust Your Gut; Push It Real Good,  I am pushing myself. I am my own worst critic, and sometimes I am really hard on myself. When I fall off the wagon, it’s not usually a small thing. I don’t do anything the easy way, and I don’t tend to minimize things. When I get back on track, I tend to go all out. Until the next slip up.

I have been working harder to stay on the plan. The scale reflects it. FINALLY! I am happy to say that I am down 3 pounds. That is worth celebrating! A few changes do make a difference. I made it to Zumba twice, and I just finished about 30 minutes of shovelling heavy snow. There is another storm, and I am home first, so I get to shovel as much as I can before my husband comes home. I cleared the steps and walkway and made a path to the street. That took me 30 minutes. At that time, my thumbs usually start getting cold. I learned the last time that if I ignore them and keep going, it will be a painful experience as they warm up. I don’t know if it is caused more by poor circulation, or if it is a side effect of diabetes called diabetic neuropathy. I used to think it was just the one thumb, and although that one does seem to be affected more by the cold.

Diabetic neuropathy can be very painful. I have had nerve pain, and my new doctor is wondering if I am experiencing it because of diabetes. I can’t say for sure. I hurt my thumb that is really sensitive to cold temperatures, years ago, and I always thought that it was a side effect of hitting my thumb. Now I am not so sure, as they were both bothering me tonight.

I also have pain in my right thigh. Not all the time, but it can bring me to tears when it is bad. I have discovered that it is coming from my hip flexor muscles. I have had physiotherapy and acupuncture to try and release whatever is causing it. It is a pinched nerve, so I try and stretch the muscles when I can. I would not wish nerve pain on my worst enemy. Just another reason to keep pushing myself. When I lose weight, the thigh problem may go away. That would be wonderful.

I am a little down this week, as my blog has not been getting as many views as it used to. I don’t know what to think. I do know I am going to keep writing, and hopefully, it will turn around. If you are reading this, thank you. I need all the support I can get on my journies, and I hope in some way I can help people with my writing.  The only way to know is to keep on blogging.

#TrustYourGut

Treasure Seeker Tuesday #22 Love This Viral Trend

Treasure Seeker Tuesday #22 Love This Viral Trend

by | Mar 7, 2018 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays

In Treasure Seeker Tuesday #22 Love This Viral Trend, I am going to share a fun, uplifting viral trend with you.  I could not wait to take my friend, Matty out to help me be trendy. ME! He loved the idea also, and we both had a blast this evening after work.

First, I want to share a teaser of the glasses that I am not buying. I always try on the wildest styles, just for fun! Here are the wildest ones I encountered while I was out trying on glasses. I am told the pair I am replacing are out of style. It is not that I don’t love my current look, but even I admit that I love getting a new look every 2 years. Sometimes, I do have to wait longer, if my prescription lenses don’t need to change.  My husband thinks that I am high maintenance. That makes me laugh so hard! He has NO idea what that means, which is why it is so hilarious.

I must say, that walking around, trying on glasses, looking into a cellphone, and saying, “Cheese!” multiple times until it took the pictures of me was rather amusing.

That is a little sneak peek of what I didn’t buy for my new glasses. I did order a regular pair and a pair of sunglasses. I am really looking forward to getting them on Friday, after work.

So what is this viral trend that I decided to participate in? Well, I saw a video earlier this week on Facebook. I am, as you know if you read my blog, an author, and I am writing my first book. I have been advised many times to get professional headshots done for my Author Bio. I am also doing as much as I can myself, and when I need help, I ask my friends. I know a few people that are photographers, but I really think that my friend Matty is really talented. We have an agreement that when I am a rich and famous Author, I will pay him for his photography services. In the meantime, we are learning what we need to do to make that perfect Author pic happen. We are picking days and learning by having demo photo shoots. Today was one of those days.

The trend I am referring to is to go to your local craft store, find the walls of artificial flowers, and pose like they are real. It is a simple, wonderful concept, sure to chase away the winter blues, at least for a couple of hours. We went for an hour, and had a blast! Nobody asked us what we were up to, although I think some people were curious. Here is the link to where I saw the idea…#HobbyLobbyChallenge.  While I do not have  Hobby Lobby store in my city, I do have craft stores. We went in, had our impromptu photo shoot, looked around for a few minutes, and left to continue on with our regularly scheduled Tuesday. I didn’t come up with this idea, and I know that there is a grammatical error in the video, (I didn’t make the video, either) I do love the concept.

When I was grabbing the link to share here, I noticed a lot of comments about the grammar and the store. I am not going to focus on that. I think that if you look at the pictures we took in the hour at a local craft store, you will agree that it was an hour well spent, and I think for a spur of the moment photo op, we did well!

Here are the 30 pics we took today, for you to view in a slideshow. Let me know what you think!

So I am issuing a challenge to you all to go and have yourself a “Bring on Spring” photoshoot! We liked the idea, and had fun! I am going to be on the lookout when spring and summer are here to try and find a natural floral backdrop for another adventure or ten with my photographer and friend, Matty. Thanks for helping me today, and for supporting me on my journey. We are going to rock this together!

#TreasureSeekerTuesday

 

Weekend Warrior #54 And the Academy Award Goes to…

Weekend Warrior #54 And the Academy Award Goes to…

by | Mar 5, 2018 | Weekend Warrior

In Weekend Warrior #54 And the Academy Award Goes to…I am writing about my weekend as I am watching the Academy Awards. This was a weekend of big and small things. I made a significant decision in my life. It was important, and it will affect me for the next few years.

I have been searching for my new glasses for about a month now. I went out again this weekend with the intention to buy this time. I went back to Costco, where I learned that yes, I could get a temporary shopping pass twice a year, and I could get a member to buy me gift certificates to buy my glasses with there. It seemed like a lot of hassle to me, after I thought about it.

I went back to Pearle Vision. When I couldn’t find the paper in my purse with the frames I had tried the other time I was there, the salesperson walked away. I had told her that I was at Costco and that I was planning to buy my glasses. She lost that sale because she didn’t want to help me finalize my purchase. I had a friend with me, and she wanted to try another store.

I went to Hakim Optical with her. I was worried that they were going to be more expensive, and they were, a little. The prices are not listed on the frames, which made it a little scarier. Vogue was the most expensive store I had visited. I just hadn’t found any glasses that I thought were the pair I wanted to wear for two years or more at this point.

I have written about this on my Facebook page. There was a moment, at the last store. I was looking at a wall of glasses (they have the most frames to choose from of the 4 stores I visited) and my friend missed a pair that I am now saying picked me. Yes, just like the wands on Harry Potter, these glasses stood out from the wall and drew my hand to pick them up. It was magical. That was it. I found them. I got help with the sunglasses, and I am pleased with them as well. I will be sharing my new look as well as a new eyeshadow technique (new to me, anyway) a week from now, as it is less than 20 minutes into Monday where I am now.  I might just try something different with my hair, too. If it works, I will be happy. If not, it will be time to plan to go and get my hair cut in a few months. I have been letting it grow, with a new style in mind, but I do not know if it is going to be an option for me. So I will see what happens when I play with my hair and makeup and new glasses, and I will share that in a week.

Sunday had a slower pace. I have gotten up at my normal time, did a little creative work, and went back to bed. I slept in. How I love sleeping and not having to set an alarm. I worked a little on the computer and helped another friend. I ran the dishwasher and did some laundry. I am starting to get my gumption back. This is good, because it is MARCH already, and I have yet to get my spring cleaning done! If I leave it too late, it becomes a miserable job in the heat. I know this. Spring turns to summer overnight here. One day it is cool and rainy, and the next the heat wave hits. Just like that. So I need to get my act together and get some cleaning done. I started tonight, which gives me hope that I can keep it going and make things better here. I have other things to do too, and I find I need to start wherever I feel like I can, and then I can keep going. A start was made today, and this is a really good thing.

I did watch The Academy Awards. They just finished, and I loved all of the dresses. THere were a few beautiful gowns, and I think my favourite look was the one of Sandra Bullock tonight. I really thought she looked beautiful.

That is a wrap for this weekend. I must say that for me this week, it was a win. Hands down! I made an important purchase, planned an extra blog post for next week, and I got some chores done around the house. When you look at the big picture, that is a win for me!

#WeekendWarrior

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; #54 Push It Real Good

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; #53 Me vs the Bathroom Scale. It’s Complicated

by | Mar 2, 2018 | Trust Your Gut

This week, in Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; #53 Me vs the Bathroom Scale. It’s Complicated, I am going to share that yes, I did get on the scale. It was not a good thing that I saw. Not the highest number ever, but certainly not a good one, either. A teeny tiny voice tried to tell me that it was muscle because I went to Zumba yesterday. I know better. It is because I have been into things that I shouldn’t be.

I am my own worst enemy. I know what I need to do to fix my weight issues. I choose the wrong things and I am not happy about it. I don’t have guilt, per se, but I do the same thing over and over again.

I was on the right track last week. Then I ran into hormones and temptations. I saw the results of that when I got on the scale this morning. it was not a good number.

In my defense, I am not perfect. I am allowed to make mistakes. I am human. They add up though, and I see the results when I get on the scale. So how do I deal with it? There are really only 2 options.

I can do nothing, be miserable, get that happy out of whatever I am eating that is not healthy because I am eating my feelings, not the food that I put in my mouth, or I can change. Change is hard. I have been known to make changes rather suddenly in the past, though, and I am not entirely afraid of change.  Let’s look at it in terms of beverages.

I have been drinking coffee quite regularly for a few years. I added it in when I gave up Diet Coke. That used to be my main source of caffeine. As a diabetic, we are told to drink diet pop instead of regular pop. The experts say that it is better to drink it because the aspartame is better for a diabetic than sugar. Sugar is bad, and there is a lot of sugar in regular pop. (If you aren’t used to the term pop, it is what we call soda in Canada). I am not writing to slam diet Coke alone, I am slamming aspartame. I have been in better health without it. It was a personal choice, and in reality, if I can’t have Zevia (pop sweetened with Stevia), then I should be drinking water, or cashew milk, or a THM beverage. I do drink regular pop sometimes. I have found myself excusing it because I am eating unhealthy, so the healthy pop is a waste, I will just have regular pop. Like that makes any sense at all. In my morbidly obese mind, I have concocted this reason to do something that is unhealthy for me to do and attempted to justify it. I need an intervention. What the what? As I write this, I am shaking my own head. Nope, that does not make sense.

Coffee. I used to put things in my coffee. Then one day, I started drinking my coffee black. I knew it was healthier to drink the coffee straight up. Since adding the Shrinker with the oolong tea, I am actually noticing a difference in my alertness after they are both in me. So I have made some changes that are having a positive impact, and they were decided upon rather quickly. These decisions I have no regrets about.

How did I handle the number on the scale today? Badly. I had takeout for lunch, and a bottle of wine this evening. It was good wine, at least. I now am getting ready to chase it with an electrolyte-rich beverage because I do have to work tomorrow, and I want to be functional. (Rapido Red Italian wine is really good for the price I paid. It was on sale) I have started drinking Bio-Steel from GNC for Zumba, and I really like it. It is a sugar-free sports drink.  It is sweetened with beets, and it is pink. So I am having a Bio Steel “chaser” before bed. Hey, I can start making better choices now, I don’t have to wait for Monday or tomorrow.

#TrustYourGut

 

Treasure Seeker Tuesday #22 Love This Viral Trend

Treasure Seeker Tuesday #21 Getting my BLING ON!

by | Feb 28, 2018 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays

Hello Treasure Seekers! In Treasure Seeker Tuesday #21 Getting my BLING ON! I am going to talk about the other passion that I am following. It might have been a little bit neglected over the past several months, but I need to give the Bling some love and attention! I have some projects that have been adding up, and this week I am going to play with beads!

While I am writing my books, I am also making a collection of jewellery for each book. That is going to take up a bit of time, and I want to get my current projects all taken care of before I start head first into writing and designing for Book 1. I have started both…and I am back into writing. I have not gotten far with the spring cleaning, but that is for my Weekend Warrior to explain.

Designing jewellery is something that I am learning as I go. Just like the blogging, and the songwriting and the book writing. I am just doing it. I struggle more with the jewellery designing. I have to try things, and take them apart, and try not to waste anything, and try again. I am half Scottish, so I hate to waste anything. When I have to take something apart, I try really hard to not wreck the supplies. It is just what I do

Trial and error happens a lot more in the Blinging. When I write, I just write. I can edit, but I don’t always edit my writing. It depends on what comes out. I started making jewellery from following patterns from magazines. I played with colour. Now I work with a few designs I have created. I have found myself starting to draw out designs. That means I am thinking out the projects from start to finish. It is a huge accomplishment. In gamer terms, I have levelled up!

That means when I am ready to launch Collections for the books, they will be completely unique to my creative designs. Quirky, fun, whimsical and something I would wear myself. If I wouldn’t wear it, then that falls in a custom design and is being made for a specific person.

They say you should have a person that you choose as the ideal customer. I have someone in mind. She is a fictional character, from a TV show. If I was to share it here, then it might bias you as a potential customer. You might think that actress wears stuff that you wouldn’t wear. I am not sure that I have captured the essence yet. I am going to try and implement designing the new collections with her in mind. Maybe one day I will reveal the identity. Obviously, I wish for everyone to love what I create.

I have a friend that really supports my jewellery designs. I have made earring sets for her, as she has two piercings, and she has told me that she likes them to match. She has been my biggest supporter in the last few years, and my best customer. With her in mind, I make more than one type of jewellery. The kind she would wear, and the kind she would not wear. I do work for originality, and when I create a design and then figure out how it will work, it is really something to put it all together. That is why I am bringing the Bling on this journey. I know I can make it work!

#TreasureSeekerTuesday