Well, another weekend is coming to a close, and I have hibernated for as much of it as I could. Winter is here, and it has been cold outside. Sleeping in was on my list, and I can say that it happened indeed. I woke with no alarm clocks being set for 2 days in a row. It was glorious. My favourite thing about the weekend is sleeping in. Sometimes I have to get up and go do things, but not this weekend. I stayed home and did things here instead.
Friday night I didn’t even go get the car. I came home after a day of Christmas Cheer at work. I had to decorate my pod for Christmas, and I did it up right!
I don’t know why the pic is squished, and I had to add a little bit of graphics to hide the photo bomber. 😀 The wall on the left had a lot more Christmas balls hanging before I was done. My taller Santa is on the top right, and there were 2 gingerbread people behind where my head was by the time I had finished. I had fun, and I am hoping that my efforts earned me a prize.
I had to pack it all up at the end of the day and brought it all home. I have just encouraged Roy to clear a space for the Christmas tree and village in the living room. Since it is a small tree, I will set it all up in the little spot I had him clear. I will share pics of that next weekend after I have time to set it all up. There is just the two of us, so no need to make a big production. I do want to set it up, though. Tis the Christmas Season, and I am wanting to take a pic with it after it is all done.
Saturday was spent working on Social Media. I am working on building my author profile, as you know if you are reading my blog, and I came across a post by a friend asking about what word I would want to use to define my 2018. I thought about it, and 2017 was worthy of 2 words. Learning and Challenges. As I thought about it, really not that long at all, a word came right to the forefront of my mind that I wanted it to be. I then turned it into a graphic and made it my cover pic on my wall.
Also this weekend, I have set goals for working on my website, done 2 completely different profile pics in preparation for my Author Headshot, and also for my Blog. I am launching the monthly Makeup Monday category tomorrow. I will not be posting there every week, I have 3 weekly posts now, and if I add too much more I will not have any time to write my books! I can say that I am steeping the GGMS I wrote about making on Thursday, in Trust Your Gut and that I have 3 types of chicken cooking in my oven as I write this. Last week was more of a ground beef week, this week it is all about the chicken!
I will be sharing more about my word choice for 2018 in Treasure Seeker Tuesday this week. Which means the one I wrote for this week is now scheduled for Boxing day. What? I actually have a Tuesday already drafted for 2 weeks in the future AND I know what I want to write about this week? I think I might actually be getting a handle on this blogging thing. I would love to get ahead enough that I don’t sweat missing the deadlines anymore. But, as I have said before and will again, progress is progress.
I did not go out into the cold and snow this weekend, but my Ambivert Personality has to be balanced somehow. I found out this past week that when I do the personality type quizzes, that I am sometimes an Extrovert, and other times an Introvert. That tells me I am a little of both, which is called an Ambivert. I like being social, and outgoing, but not all of the time. Sometimes I need a weekend or two to just be at home relaxing. I can do either when I want to, but I also equally enjoy both activities.
Do you have a Defining Word picked out for 2018 yet? If you do, please share it below, and keep it in mind for Tuesday. If you are up for a challenge, I have an idea that you can participate in if you want to try an experiment with me.
#WeekendWarrior
Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues. It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on. Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real. The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale. If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog. I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.
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 42
I got creative in the kitchen, yesterday. It has been a while. I made brown rice and added fresh mushrooms, green onion, and leftover roast beef in it. I used hoisin sauce. It was in the cupboard, so I used it. It made supper for 2 last night, and my lunch today. I have a little roast beef and green onion left for my roast beef special sandwich for lunch tomorrow. I really love roast beef, green onion, tomato, mayo and A1 sauce done up like a roast beef salad sandwich. My mom named it The Roast Beef Special, and I make it every time I cook a roast beef in the oven.
It has been a busy year for me. I have been working hard on the book, the website, the organizing, the blog, and building my business from the ground up. I have spent hours working on all of these things, but I think I forgot something along the way. Me. My health. I got lazy.
It is so much easier to be lazy and not do the work needed to live a healthier lifestyle. I have lost and gained. I am again scared to weigh myself. I am just not wanting to know the bad news. I am getting back into the practice of making better choices. I have to. My health depends on it.
I have had to work on the insulin levels again. That means I am doing better, when I start having lows it means I am needing to lower the dose. That means my body is responding to the things that I am doing right.
We are on the edge of a food-centered holiday. I am not sure how well I will do. On one hand, I can make treats and try to stick to the THM plan. It is a good way to try to plan ahead. There will be times, though when I will not be in control of the meal, and I will have to make the best choices that I can at the time. Other times I will make things that I know will be good choices to have to eat when I can. So I do have a plan. Sort of.
I also need to start making the moonshine again. Yes, you read that right. THM has a recipe for Good Girl Moonshine. GGMS as it is called, has water, apple cider vinegar, and ginger with a sweetener in it. I add Black Cherry Berry Celestial Seasonings tea to mine. I really enjoy drinking it, and it makes you run to release it if you catch my drift. I have learned that I should not drink it during the day while I am at work. I can have it after work and on the weekends, though. I bought a mason jar with a spout just for the GGMS. I think it is time for a test run. I need to start making little changes now so that I will be on track for 2018.
Have you started thinking about New Year’sResolutions yet? I have, and I will get them organized and plan things out better this year. I did a lot in 2017. What do I want to accomplish in 2018? More. I want to take everything I have done in 2017 and do it better in 2018. It is a place to start, and to build on. That is something I can do, start with little things, and push my limits and go for everything. One thing at a time, then another, and another. I have to start somewhere, and I am not going to wait. The only one that loses out if I keep putting things off is me. And the only thing I want to lose is weight. The time is now.
#TrustYourGut
Double Digits. Do you remember when you turned 10 years old? I remember that it seemed like a big deal at the time. I had lived through my first decade. I never had any real big parties for my birthday, it was in the summer, and I lived outside of town. I remember the day I found out in grade one that my phone number was long distance and nobody wanted my phone number to call me. That broke my little six year old heart. I didn’t understand what it even meant at the time, except that none of my new friends wanted to call me because of my phone number.
I am still feeling a bit out of the loop in the modern world. My household budget does not have room in it for a cell phone. I don’t NEED it to survive, I am getting along just fine without it. However, I work in the industry, and it is hard to not want to be connected in the land of text messaging as it happens, literally all around me every day.
I don’t want just a cell phone when I finally get the go-ahead from my hubby to get one. He manages our household budget, and I am eagerly awaiting the day when I can make plans for purchasing things like the next pet we bring home, 2 cell phones, attending an event that I really want to go to, my next bottle of wine, and a second car. For now, we make ends meet, and we work hard to get what we can within our budget.
One of the most important features for me when I finally do get a cell phone will be to get one with a really good camera. I use Pixabay and Canva as resources in most of my blog pictures. The picture above was actually taken by me with my Olympus 2.8 x Optical Zoom 5.0 Megapixel camera. I try to get good quality pictures with it, but sometimes they are a little out of focus because I am not a photographer. I will need a camera that is so advanced that it makes me appear to be a good photographer so that I can feel more confident about sharing my own pictures here and on my website. I am still working on that project in the midst of everything else, and I have a lot of the planning done in my head, just not executed on the internet. It will happen. I am going to plan a launch for it, and I hope that all of my current followers here will follow me and the blog to my website.
The other thing a cell phone is going to need for me to consider purchasing it is an ease of transferring the pictures for storage on my computer. I need the phone and computer to be able to work together. As I have a PC, I am guessing I may have to go with an android phone. I do know that there are many opinions out there about cell phones, and I would love to find out more information on which ones have the best cameras, work well for listening to music, and are easy to get to talk to my computer. It also needs to be reliable and wants to be easy to use. I have not yet owned a smartphone, and I am impatiently waiting for the day that I get to share my digits with my friends and family. It would be useful for blogging in my spare time, too, or checking out how the blog looks on a smaller screen.
With the recent change in Canadian Laws regarding unlocking cell phones, I am less restricted by what phone I can get, as I can use it with any Canadian carrier, including the company I work for; if I decide to go with that company. I am not as concerned with what provider I choose as I am about the camera. So I pose the question here: What cell phone would you be getting if this was your decision, with these requirements in mind? I know there are some people out there that are fiercely brand loyal, and that is OK, but if you only buy one type of phone, it may be harder for you to be objective in answering this question.
Double digits. Phone numbers. Megapixels. Optical Zoom. It all goes back to numbers. Which I am not all that crazy about. I am passionate about writing, and in the Blogging world, a good quality picture can mean the difference between someone choosing to stop and read your article or not. Blogging is something I am still fairly new at, but I know it is something that I enjoy. I will keep working with the tools I have until I can purchase something better. So, I ask you, Treasure Seekers, what would you be spending your gold on if you were in my shoes?
#TreasureSeekerTuesday
Friday after work I got the car. I do that sometimes. I get my co-worker to drive me to where it is parked, and I call it “Grand Theft Auto” even though it is my car and I have the keys, and my husband knows I am going to use it. I have to go and get him at the end of his shift at his work, so I don’t usually get the car on other days unless there is a reason I need it.
I found food and then went to Shoppers Drug Mart. Again. This makeup thing is starting to get a little serious. I got a fourth mascara and a blending sponge. I had found out that I was sold the wrong type of facial toner, so I bought the correct one and I got a double glow facial mask, that I tried Sunday. I am only supposed to use it two times a week. I will let you all know how I do with it. The skin care is Vichy, I like their products. I got another eye makeup remover, too. I do not like the ones I have. The products that I bought that are wrong for me will be offered to a friend that might be able to use them. I am thinking about a new Blog category. It is not going to be weekly, it will likely be monthly. I am thinking Makeup Monday (coming soon!) will be what I call it. I will then review different products, and maybe I will be able to do that in an official capacity when I launch the website.
I have had so many thoughts relating to the website this weekend, my head is spinning. I am going to work on it this week, with the million other projects I have on the go.
On the way home, I stopped in to see friends. They had told me not to buy a photo box for taking pictures of my Treasures aka Bling for the website. They had a DIY version, and they wanted to show me how to make it. I am sure I can make it, but I am still not sure how it will work. Once I have the box, then I will have to work on optimizing the pics from the camera I have; or find a new camera. I am watching the cell phones to see what one has the best cameras. I will be aiming for a new phone in 2018.
I stayed for a visit with my friends. We had a lovely evening, just chatting about makeup, cats, NaNoWriMo, and my book writing. My friend has gone a little further than I have into the land of makeup, and I appreciate learning all that I can.
Saturday was a slow start to the day. I got to sleep in, which was nice. I did a little work on the social media and got ready for a party. I am a Member of the Fredericton Science Fiction Society (FSFS). It mainly consists of a core group of friends that used to have official business meetings, and now just plan potlucks and events. I brought the ingredients to make your own big mac salad with me. People liked it. There were other treats and pop to drink. The Christmas FSFS party has a Ferengi Swap, for gifts. We also had a trivia contest, and a Sci-Fi themed ‘Pictionary’ game. It was a lot of fun, even though somebody I am married to didn’t want to do anything. LOL! Majority ruled!
I sometimes go swimming at these parties, as they are held at a hotel. This year I would have had to go alone, so I chose to stay with the group. We had a fun time, and there was a door prize that was not actually a door.
Sunday I continued with my challenge, and then participated in an online chat with the Happy Writing Group, both on twitter and facebook. I have been learning how to use twitter with this chat, and I think I am getting the hang of it.
That wraps another weekend up nicely in a bow. What did you do this weekend?
#WeekendWarrior
Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues. It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on. Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real. The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale. If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog. I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.
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 40
This week has been hard on me. I am writing a book, and I participated in NaNoWriMo to try to write 50,000 words in the month of November, with several hundred thousand people all around the world. I am currently waiting for the final validation as I write this. I am really anxious about it. I want to beat 25,000 words. Time will tell.
I have not finished the book, just like I have not finished my journey to become a healthier version of myself. It is going to take more work. I will have to spend time on the writing, editing and then work on publishing and sales.
In my journey to be a healthier version of myself, I have to work on my diet, my exercise, my self esteem, and being able to stop listening to the little voice in my head that talks me into doing destructive things, and to eat things that are not going to be the best option for my goals.
I know all of this. I know what to do. But being human means that sometimes I make the wrong choices. It is inevitable. So instead of focusing on what I did wrong this week, I am going to share what I did right.
I went to Zumba twice. Excellent. I didn’t overeat the wrong things when I chose to eat them. I didn’t panic today when my sugars were close to a low at lunchtime. I ate my lunch, and then I had 1 sucker just to make sure I would be OK. I avoided the panic of wanting to get chocolate, just in case.
I did alright, all things considered. My official word count is 25,223. I broke 25,000. That is a lot of writing. I am learning about my style, and how to get things going again. The same must be said for my struggles with my health. I went to Zumba twice this week, and my body responded better than previously to insulin. That is why I almost had a low. It shows that hard work pays off and that I can do it.
I have finished NaNoWriMo for this year. I do not know if I will do it again. I do know that I learned a lot about how I like to approach writing a book.
I have happily worn some of my new clothes this week. The new jeans fit like a glove. I don’t have to be losing weight to appreciate something that fits me well. I am going to need some more jeans soon, but these are a good fit for now. I haven’t worn all of the new clothes, yet, but I am liking what I bought so far.
I have 4 spaghetti squash to cook this weekend. I am supposed to share it, as my friend gives me some to turn onto something edible to share. Maybe now that I am done with NaNoWriMo, I can shift my focus to my healthy journey again. I am trying, and that is what I will keep working on until I am doing it again. It will happen. I just have to keep working on it.
#TrustYourGut