My Little Artist

My daughter is a pretty talented artist - for her age. I am sure she gets it from her great grandmother and not me!! (My mother-in-law published a book - pictured to the left - containing her moms art - much of which hangs in my home! It can be found here.) I am amazed at some of the things she can come up with. She has made some really great drawings. I really should scan them in one day. Late last fall we were at my cousin's house and Baylee picked up her little boy's "magna" doodle and began to draw. Sometimes it is the intensity and concentration more than the picture itself that amazes me when she draws. She is a very special little girl. It has encouraged me to look around for a possible art class she could take...I have a feeling she could be very good. Like I said before it is not so much the art but the concentration, attention to detail and creativity that she comes up with when she draws! If she could draw a picture of me right now it would be one with a huge smile on my face.

Application to Date My Daughter

*I am telling you my child is just growing up to fast so I decided for future use I need to impliment this application!*

Note: This application will be incomplete and rejected unless accompanied by a complete financial statement, job history, lineage and medical report from your doctor.

Name:________________________ Nickname/Alias:___________________
Date Of Birth:____/____/____ height:______ Weight:______ I.Q.:______ G.P.A.:________ Soc. Sec.#______-___-_______
Driver's License#____________________ Boy Scout Rank:_____________
Good Standing: Yes_____No_____
Home Address:_______________________________ City/State/Zip_____________________________ Home Phone#: (___)___________ Car Phone#:_______________ Pager#:__________

Do you own
a. Van?____ b. Truck with oversized tires?____ c. Car with a trunk full of speakers?_____

Do you have any of the following:
a. An earring_____ b. nose ring______ c. belly button ring_____ or piercings on any other body parts_____ Explain:_____________________________________________________
Tattoo?______ (If you answered YES to any of the above questions, discontinue and leave the premises immediately.)

In 30 words or less, what does "LATE" mean to you? ________________________________________________________________
In 30 words or less, what does "DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER" mean to you? ________________________________________________________________

Church you attend_____________________ How often______________________
Best time to interview your pastor?_______________________
Fill In The Blank. Please answer freely, all answers will be confidential.
a. If I were beaten, the last bone I want to be broken broken is: ____________________________________________________
b. The one thing I hope this application does not ask me is ____________________________________________________
c. Now answer the question you filled in on B ____________________________________________________
NOTE: If you have answered any of the previous questions dishonestly (and I will find out), discontinue application. It is advised that you leave the premises quickly keeping your head low and running in serpentine fashion. I swear that all information provided above is true and correct to the best of my knowledge under penalty of death, dismemberment, electrocution, and/or hot pokers.
_____________________________ Signature (This means sign your name)

Thank you for your interest. Please allow 4 - 6 YEARS for processing. If your application is approved, you will be contacted in writing. Please do not call or write, this could cause you unexpected injury. If your application is rejected, you will be notified by two men wearing white ties and answering to the names GUIDO and LOUIE.

Re-Inventing Me

My world has been topsy turvy lately! I don't know so much that it has been crazy but I think I have just been focusing on all the wrong things! I have had this site for awhile but it was formally listed as "Mind Diversion". I decided to change it to Garrett's Corner and focus it now more on me and my family and friends. It seems crazy but it is like I am just now finding out who I "really" am. Thank you to all of you that have hung in there with me!

Whew!

My husband likes to work on vehicles. He has had a truck for several years now he was going to "get around" to fixing. Well he got it cranked and drove it around the block. When he got back my daughter asked if he fixed it. He said yes would you like to go for a ride? Well we all piled in and rode around the block. When we pulled in the driveway and got ready to get out my daughter said, "Whew!" *While holding her hand to her chest as if she were having a heart atack!* We looked at her and she just shook her head and got out of the truck like, "Thank Goodness." My husband asked her "Were you scared that I didn't fix it right and we weren't going to make it home?" She said, "Well..." and then to keep from hurting daddy's feelings she turned around and walked inside. It really cracked me up! You know she is a daddy's baby because had anyone else "doubted" him he would have hit the roof! Ha!

Gym Rat

I am not sure but I think I may be going about this whole "weight loss" thing the wrong way. For years I have focused mainly on what I "eat". I could tell you just about everything to eat or not to eat in order to lose weight. I don't think I particularly "over eat" all that often. I have actually gotten better about making "healthier" choices at meals and eating less food. My problem is the very sedentary lifestyle I live. Don't get me wrong with an 8 year old and as much as we do we go quite often but I don't really spend enough time really exercising. I go enough that my body is used to it. Initially I lost some weight because I changed the way I ate. Now I am not losing because I haven't changed my "exercising" habits. SO hopefully in the next couple of weeks the hubby and I will be joining the gym! We are making it a family "effort" to exercise...gulp...at least 5 days a week and my own personal goal of swimming once a week. (Mainly cause I like to swim!) We will see how it goes. I think after I start seeing results I will really get into the whole exercise thing!!

Switchin' it up

So, I have been doing the counting calories thing for quite sometime and I have to be honest....I'm tired of counting!! It has been a really good experience though. I have a much better understanding of what I am eating and I realize how many calories are in some foods that I would have thought otherwise. If you haven't even counted calories, I would highly recommend doing it for a month...it is very eye opening. So I've decided it's time to switch things up.
A friend of mine recently joined a certain weight loss program. Well she shared the info with me and I'm going to try it out. It is very similar to another weight loss program that I did a few years ago. It was great and I lost about 15 lbs in a month... it was just way to expensive. Anyway, the program is a balanced mix of carbs and proteins and you use store bought food. They do recommend their drink supplements. The other program also had drinks supplements. The nutritional content of both are almost identical to these, so I am going to order me a few boxes. These are much cheaper than the ones at the facility. I can't really start until I go grocery shopping, so I plan to begin this coming Sunday. As for my current program....I guess I'm really not on one. I'm just trying to watch what I eat. I weighed this morning and I'm still right where I was last week.

My pants story...

It's so funny that you posted your pants story, because the very same thing happened to me this morning and I was going to post about. My post was going to be titled "Who needs a scale when you have jeans?" Jeans have always been a great indicator as to how my diet's going. You always know that you've gained a few if you have to lay down to button them up! I pulled out a pair of 18 misses that were still pretty snug last month. I could get them on, but I could barely breath. Well, I needed to wear jeans today because I have to do some manual labor at work later. My other pair (18W) were dirty, so I went for the snug ones. I was shocked, they went right on and buttoned without any sucking in. They are even a little loose in the waist. I've only lost 1 or 2 lbs since the last time I tried them, but I've obviously lost a few inches too. Woo Hoo! It's a good day!! I may get brave and pull out my 16's this weekend.

By the way, I love the part about your "sucker in panties" - I can so relate!

Tiff,

Congrats on being the biggest loser!

I am so proud of you. 14 lbs is no easy task...it is hard work! You have no reason to be "disappointed" - you did awesome!!!

I'm The Biggest Loser!!!

We had a biggest loser competition at work which started about 3 months ago. I have been on and off dieting since then. Well total (including before the Loser Competition) I have lost 17 pounds!!! Well as far as the Competition goes I have lost 14 pounds!!! AND guess what...we had the final weigh in Monday and out of 10 people...I AM THE BIGGEST LOSER!! I last 5.38% of my body weight since the competition started! I was so excited that I won but disappointed because I know I could have done better had I tried harder! Oh well! Needless to say I am super motivated now and you will be seeing lots of me around here hopefully!!!

Oh Those Pants!!!

Yup those pants..you know the ones. You buy them and they really aren't that comfy but you think just a couple of pounds and they will be fine. Well I bought those pants...last year. I wore them once with those good panties that suck you in. WELL I have been SO busy lately that I forgot to wash work clothes and I was left with ...you guessed it...the pants! I couldn't find my good "sucker in panties" so I just had my regular ones on. I closed my eyes, slowly pulled them up, buttoned them without sucking in...WHAT...did that really just happen!! I run to the mirror and look to see if they really were "the pants" and guess what...they were!!! They are even lose in a couple of places!! Woohoo!! SO I had to share my pants story with you!!

Do any of you have a good "pants" story???

I'm stuck...

or in fancy diet terms, I have plateau’d . When I first began writing this post, I decided to begin by finding articles on the subject, so that I could figure out why I am stuck. Once I began reading, the answer was very obvious … I haven’t plateau! I’m just not doing what I was doing in the beginning when the weight went quickly. I’ve had myself believing I was doing well, and although I have been doing better than I was 6 months ago, I’m not doing as well as I was in the beginning. When I first begin I was...

…drinking 100oz of water a day; now I’m lucky if I get 50oz
…avoiding caffeine; lately I’ve begin drinking a diet soda everyday and 3 or 4 on the weekends.
…getting no more than 1250 calories a day: I now average about 1600
…walking at least 3 nights a week; I’ve only been 3 times in the last 2 weeks

So, this weeks goal are to get 100oz of water everyday, avoid diet soda, stay under 1200 and walk, walk, walk. I’m also planning to try Curves this week. The articles I read said that if you aren’t building muscle as you diet, then you are losing muscle along with the fat and that slows down your metabolism. So I’m hoping Curves will help me in that area.

Think you have hit a plateau? Take a step back and reevaluate what you are doing, it may just be a slacker disguised as a plateau.

Weigh - In Wednesday...a day late - Traci

212...ok 213, is in the right direction but I'm not celebrating until I get back to 208, my lowest on this journey so far.

So there were no donuts to battle this morning, but there was a huge Easter basket full of goodies on my desk this morning. It had a huge chocolate bunny, lots of candy and several other non-edible items. So cute! We all got one. They were from the diviion heads.

Well it's 3:00 in the afternoon and I've sat next this basket all day and only been tempted once...and I gave in. I caved...I ate the one and only peanut butter bon bon in the basket. It was goood. I had to eat it, Brayden hates peanut butter :) The rest will be recycled into his Easter Basket. I tried to find how many calories were in a bon bon....I'm estimating it was around 150. Considering that only brings my day's total to 500 so far, I'm not feeling too guilty about it.

Ding, Ding, Ding - Round 3

Somebody has so generously brought 2 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts to work for the last 3 days. They are in the kitchen right next to the fridge. That's the 1st place I go when I get here in the morning to put my lunch up. When I first walk in, I instantly think "Yea, someone brought donuts" and then that thought is immediatly followed by "Oh yeah, I can't have that" and then the following conversation ensues in my head while I'm fixing my morning cup of coffee...


Sensible Traci: "Don't even think about it"
Addicted Traci: *thinking about it* "So if it's 300 calories, then half would only be 150, not bad."
Sensible Traci: "You're going to kill 150 calories on 2 bites of a donut?"
Addicted Traci: "You're right, if I'm going to do it, I should just eat the whole thing!"
Sensible Traci: "Snap out of it, you CAN'T have it! Would you rather taste that donut or lose weight?"
Addicted Traci: *big sigh* "Oh all right, I won't have one"
Addicted Traci: *as I leave the kitchen* "Those skinny people just don't know how lucky they are"
Addicted Traci: *as I sit down at my desk* "I feel good that I resisted it, I mean come on, it's just a donut!"

I know it's good when "addicted me" starts talking like "sensible me". That's progress!

The battle of the bulge is not easy, but we can do it ....one donut at a time!!

Update

It's been a while since I've posted about the diet lifestyle change. I've been on a bit of a hiatus for the last month or so. Even though I have posted a few times that "I am back on plan", that's only been lasting a day or so before I slowly start straying. So for the last time, I am back on plan and have been for about 3 days. I'm back to counting the calories and staying under 1300. I started to gain a few when I quit counting. One day I thought I had done pretty well, but then went back and counted the calories and it was at 1800. I think my internal "calorie estimator" is off just a bit!!
When I was keeping it under 1200, the lbs were going. And even though it seemed slow at the time, 2-3 lbs a week is actually pretty quick. I'm watching the fat also and trying to increase the protein. I've started drinking a Slim Fast Low Carb Shakes (20g of protein) in the afternoon and it's seems to really help curb the hunger.
I weighed in at 217 on Friday, but I'm back down to 213 today. I'll make my "official" weigh in tomorrow on "Weigh In Wednesday"!

WANNA BE A LOSER?

To all of our loyal readers, you may have noticed that there is now an "invitation" on the sidebar. It's inviting anyone that is trying to lose weight to join the blog. So go read it and join us!Also, I went through and removed all of the daily stats. I'm still keeping track, but I'm tracking it on FitDay.com instead. It's just a lot easier.

Kitty On House Arrest!

Thought this was interesting - if it was a dog they would have already had him put to sleep though...yes I am a dog lover!

Residents of the neighborhood of Sunset Circle say they have been terrorized by a crazy cat named Lewis. Lewis for his part has been uniquely cited, personally issued a restraining order by the town's animal control officer.
"He looks like Felix the Cat and has six toes on each foot, each with a long claw," Janet Kettman, a neighbor said Monday. "They are formidable weapons."
The neighbors said those weapons, along with catlike stealth, have allowed Lewis to attack at least a half dozen people and ambush the Avon lady as she was getting out of her car.

Some of those who were bitten and scratched ended up seeking treatment at area hospitals.
Animal Control Officer Rachel Solveira placed a restraining order on him. It was the first time such an action was taken against a cat in Fairfield.
In effect, Lewis is under house arrest, forbidden to leave his home.
Solveira also arrested the cat's owner, Ruth Cisero, charging her with failing to comply with the restraining order and reckless endangerment.

I have a Personal Trainer!!

So, I'm gettting ready this morning and I turn on our Christian radio station. (you can listen live on the internet here - it's awesome) They are having their day of Praise and Prayer today. Basically people call in and talk about what God has done for them. The common thread was "God did it, I couldn't have done it with Him, I had to let Him take control." So let's just say I had a bit of a "come to Jesus" meeting this morning. It's like he was screaming "Let go, Let me - you cannot do this alone, but I can do it through you". I am sick of doing this alone. I can't do this alone, so here is my prayer for today and everyday from here on out.

Jesus, my Lord and Savior. As of today, I am turning this over to you. Push me aside and take this thing head on. Help me to conquer my addictions to food and give me the drive that I need to get the exercise program back on track. It is not your will that I be fat and miserable. It is your will that I be healthy and happy! Let Your will be done God. I give this to you. I am just going to sit back and let you move in this situation. I've said it before, but the control freak in me just can't let go. Forgive me for not trusting in you enough to let go. I want to let go. Teach me how to let go. I need you pick me up and take me through this. I love you and am believing you for health, strength and happiness. Not only do I want to lose weight, I want to learn to love myself more. Teach me to love myself. Surround me with positive, supportive people that will only build me up. I commit to you today to do whatever it is you speak to me. Amen!

I've said a thousand times that if only I had a personal trainer, I could do this. They could motivate me and be there to hold me acountable. But they are so expensive!

Well, God just spoke to me and said "You do have a Personal Trainer! I've been sitting right here next to you this whole time just waiting for you to call and sign up. The best part is that I am FREE!!! I paid the fee along time ago! I will motivate you. I will hold you accountable. I will teach you and guide you. I will walk with you every step of the way. I am your Personal Trainer! I don't ever close, I'm always here for you"

So I went to Ask.com and decided to type in "What is a personal trainer"?

Here are some excerpts from what I found...

A qualified trainer understands principles of anatomy, physiology...

A certified personal trainer is the difference in a successful fitness program...

A certified personal trainer is proven to be unparalleled in achieving desired fitness levels, increased motivation, and long term wellness...

So I am declaring today that God is my new Personal Trainer!!

Confessions of a Pig: Part I & II & III & IV & so on

I basically could have reposted the last post everyday since that post. Just replace Maple Nut Goodies with ice cream, fries, cookies, etc... I have just completely thrown the calorie counting, water drinking, walking, and healthy eating out the window. I gave up! We went on vacation last Thursday and we just returned yesterday. Of course the word vacation is defined as "permission to eat anything you want" in my dictionary. Here are just of the few "not so healthy" choices I made this weekend.... Moose Munch, Cherry Cake Double Take (1100 calories!!!!) , Corn Dogs, Yogurt covered Pretzels, Cocoa Puffs, Fries, Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Smoked Sausage, Kettle Korn, Truffle (just 1 though), chocolate covered fruit (just 2), chips and salsa, Chocolate cake & I'm sure there are a few more. Can you say "SWEET TOOTH". Now keep in mind all of that is over the course of 4 days - but still!! I had quite a rude awakiening this morning when I stepped on the scale and saw 214!! That's 6 lbs since the 8th!

How Goes It?

So how has everyone been? Things have been crazy around here so I haven't had much time to even email much less post!! Just thought I would put up a picture from a float we were on at the St. Patty's Parade. (Some of mine & my daughters friends - my daughter is on the far right.) Hope everyone is well! Talk to you soon - I hope!

OH By the way - Bombadil & Goldberry's sites are up and going and "safe" again! I just now got around to adding them back! Glad to know!