Honeymood started!

We have begun our 15th honeymoon celebration. Our anniversary is not until August, however, we are celebrating early to avoid hurricane season. We are in Miami, on our way to the caribbean tomorrow. Our drive to the airport and flight to Miami was great. We watched a favorite tv show on the King's computer during the flight. We ordered room service once at the hotel and are slowly beginning to relax. It's been so rushed getting ready that it is taking a while to realize that we are truly away from everything. We miss our Princess and know that she is having so much fun as well.

Precious, when you read this, know that we miss you and are praying that you have a super day!! Sweet dreams! It may be Saturday before we can post again. We love you!!

New Jeans, Kipper and Dixie

Well, life has been nuts! School is out, parties I helped with or hosted are over, and now it's just a mad dash to get everything done before we leave on Thursday.

Cutie and I went to the mall today to get a smaller pair of American Eagle jeans. Josha gave me some during spring break and they were too small for me, but I brought them home anyway because they were so soft. Now they are way too big for me and I need some new ones. Get this ... AE is phasing out the "favorites" style of jeans. Why do companies do this?? The style is called "Favorites", for pete's sake. If they are the "Favorites" then leave them in peace and let us all buy them. But, no, they are phasing them out for lower rise jeans called the hipster. Let me just say, that I do not need any more of my hips showing. I have stretch marks, people. No one wants to see stretch marks. :)

So, after walking the mall (after my 2.5 mile walk this morning), I searched the mall for jeans. Have you priced them lately? I was stunned. $65 dollars for jeans. I just couldn't pay it. So, while getting the King's Levi's at Wal-Mart, I found cute jeans for ... yes ... 15.98! I'm feeling a little sassy in my new, smaller, dark wash jeans. Woo-hoo!

I've been walking and eating well most of the time. We had a cookout and I ate a Boca burger instead of the real cow meat. I am starting to branch out and eat mostly NS, but add normal food in. I hit the 30 lb mark! 30 pounds gone from my frame ... forever. Or atleast until I go on my vacation this week. There will be no dieting. 5 course meal every night. There will be no gluttony, but no dieting either. We'll see how big I am when I get back! :)

I have been MIA at the blog for several reasons, not the least of which is that we found a new home for our precious, dear, sweet, adorable Kippy (our Ragdoll cat). Kipper is the most amazing cat. He is with his new family now and last account is loving all over them. It was a horrible separation though and I'm not sure we have completely recovered. I haven't heard Cutie cry like that many times during her young life. Sobs from very deep within.

It helped that we have been looking and praying for a poodle to join our family. We found one this weekend - what great timing. We will not pick her up until the weekend after July 4th. Her name is Dixie and she is a white, tiny toy poodle, about 5 pounds. We can't wait to meet her and I'm sure you will see dozens of pictures of her in the days to come. For now, here is her picture from her breeder's website. What a little doll baby.

Boca Burgers

I had a great day today!! No paralysis, no migraines and I got to walk my 3 miles this morning. Woo-hoo! Here are the pictures of the baby swans that I took a couple of weeks ago. They are twice this big now.

I normally eat Nutrisystem food every day, all day, but I only ate it for breakfast this morning. I had a Boca Burger for lunch ... my first Boca. I nuked it, put A-1 sauce on it and ate it on toasted Ezekiel bread. Oh. My. Goodness! Y-u-m! The Ezekiel bread is amazing and so easy to keep fresh. I have been keeping it in the freezer, so I just take it out, toast it and eat. Fast, easy and good for me.

I'm knocking on 140 lbs. I am almost there... I really want to be in the 130's by the time we leave on the 31st. We'll see. I weighed 141 today.

I really need to go to bed, so I'll post pictures from my walk on tomorrow's post.

G'Day

It's been a good day, Mate! Since my King and Princess were still on their camping trip this morning, I had all the time in the world to get ready for church services. I took another bath (took one after my walk last night) and did my tan, did a pedicure, had NS brown sugar oatmeal ... It was great! At the church building I taught second grade during the 1st hour and during 2nd hour service, I worked in the nursery (infants). I do this every week and factor it into my exercise routine. Some of those babies are chunks! And of course, they like to be bounced and held at the same time. It is a great leg and arm workout to minister to them. I take a step and go up on my toes, take a step and go up on my toes ... very good for the calves. Or I stand in place and do a partial squat to make the bouncing motion. All the while I get to snuggle one of God's precious little lambs and sing about His Gracious Love. The best workout in the world!

Feeling Better

Oh, the blessing of good potassium levels! I don't know where my K+ (potassium) is going, but I seem to be losing it this week. I've had to take liquid and slow release K+ the past few days. This afternoon I started into an episode, but slept it off. I have felt like this kitty though. I'm totally aware during my paralysis, just can't move. Might was well just lay there and be cute!

I made dinner for a family in our small group ... Meatloaf, potato salad, fruit salad and chocolate chip cookies. Half the dinner was homemade, half was purchased. Sam's has Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies in a tub that makes 84 cookies. I baked 30 last night and 15 this afternoon. My goodness, the house smelled good. I am proud to say that I didn't eat one crumb, cooked or uncooked. But I wanted to. :)

I did get to exercise last night and today. I walked 3 miles last night and two miles tonight. King and Cutie/Princess went on a camping trip, so it's just me at the ole palace. I enjoyed my walk, my NS dinner and I even got the dishes done. I'm ready for some Sudoku and some sleep!

Challenge 2 Met

Here are pics from the successful challenge #2. I didn't get to finish it until this evening because there was real work to do this morning, surprised Cutie for lunch and then...

I can't even type it.

My potassium dropped and I...

I had my first paralysis attack in over 10 weeks. I have no words to describe my disappointment. It's just been a hard day. Cutie has a migraine and is having PP issues, too, I think. The King of the palace is stressed. It's just been a trying day. As I lay in the floor of the closet, paralyzed, I remembered the peace of paralysis. I can do nothing. I'm helpless. I'm so dependent on God for everything. No one knew I was in trouble because we are all out of practice and so I lay there ... with the dead centipede on the floor. We lay there, he and I. It was a good reminder that though Satan can sting me, he can not bring death. I'm safe in my Savior's mighty right Hand. I fear no evil, for He is with me.

I'm off to bed. Episodes bring a weariness that is hard to express. Low episodes, like today, also bring a chemical induced depression that is hard to shake. Time in the Word, potassium and sleep are the best treatment options.

Thanks for checking in on me and holding me to my challenge. I didn't forget to post ... it just took me a while.

2nd Challenge

Today's posting is a triple post. Start below with Choo-choo and work your way up!

I'm unspeakably embarressed to post this picture, but it's not like hiding the picture is going to change the status of my laundry. If you will believe the truth, all these clothes are clean and waiting to be put away. And it's just the laundry from this week! Some of them are set out to be packed for the trip. Those two things aside, I have to admit a couple of things. I love to organize, but hate to clean. Love washing clothes, but hate folding and putting them away. Actually, I don't mind folding, it's putting them away.

So, (gulp), here is my second challenge tonight. I'm taking the room and flipping it. That's right, folks. You heard it here first. I'm going to fold all these clothes and put them away before bed tonight.

I'm not going to even set a time limit. But, it's 8:51 and I like to be in bed by 9:30. Pray for me. I'll post the after picture tomorrow morning.

15 minute challenge

(...waiting for the applause to die down...)

Thank you, friends, for your enthusiastic support of this 15 minute house challenge! We are pleased to report that an unholy amount of cat hair, dust, dirt, mites and other disgusting paraphernalia was extracted from the floor of the palace in 20 minutes. The tile areas were vacuumed as well as the living room. Posted are the before and after photos, complete with the unsightly evidence in the vacuum cleaner ... and the guilty suspect looking on.

Tah-Dah! Thank you for your kind support!

Shall we have another challenge?

Choo-choo

I'm on track again after my slight de-railment. Is that a word? :) My eats have been good today and yesterday. I seem to have a slight fever though ... spring fever. Not much is getting done around my house. Ewww. My floors and bathrooms are crying out for attention. I'm so overwhelmed with it all that I find it easier to ignore. Perhaps if I set the timer for 15 minutes? Ok, here's the challenge. 15 minute house blitz. I'll update you in 20...

Bad, Bad Choices, Girlie!

Wow, I not only cheated yesterday, I blew the top off the "cheat-o-meter"! I felt awful yesterday and was very hungry. Normally, I can push through any struggles, but I bombed. I ate a fold-over sandwich at 9:30, which was fine. I needed the protein. However, the subsequent Hershey's chocolate bar at 10:30 and the spoonful of chocolate chip cookie dough was NOT okay. By 11:30, I had consumed 780 calories!!! Bad. Very bad. I normally am at about 400 calories after lunch. Well, I think I finished the day up around 1200 or 1250 calories, which is right on target, but I felt so sad about my choices. You know how you feel great when you lay down at night if you've done your best during the day? You can say, "I may not have completed everything on my list today, but I worked hard and I had a good day!"

That was not how I felt yesterday.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I was having low potassium trouble yesterday (one of the main reasons I was feeling awful and sad). Low potassium causes depression/the blues, not to mention the muscle weakness that it causes in me. I didn't think to test my potassium until Princess complained of aching muscles after school. Turns out her potassium was low, too.

Today is a better day. Whew. :) I've had cinnamon oatmeal (NS) and a bowl of strawberries with fat-free cool whip for a total of 190 calories before lunch. And look at my strawberries?! Doesn't that look yummy? I'm totally on today!

I Got It!

I had another migraine last night, which oozed over into today. But, I think I've got it! I think my trigger for these is hunger! I think when my body starts fasting/being hungry that I'm having an "episode". The difference is that I'm not paralyzed, I just have the migraine. I'm going to watch things for the next few days, but I've noticed that if I'll eat some protein when I get a migraine, I feel better.

So, due to migraines and hip healing, I haven't been walking. I did get my Resistance Bands today. I am looking forward to trying them ... maybe tonight?

We leave for our anniversary trip 3 weeks from today. As of this writing, we leave for the trip in 21 days. Or, if you prefer, 501 hours. Or, better still 30,060 minutes. :) I'm just a little excited.

Hip Trouble

God is so Gracious to remind me of His gifts to me. It has been 67 days since my last paralysis episode. I haven't had a migraine in two days. My hips are where the majority of my muscle damage exists from years of paralysis. I've been walking 3 miles, 3 times per week with the occasional extra mile or two thrown in for fun. This past week was a low exercise week because of migraines and this week has been frustrating because I hurt my hip while walking (3 miles) Sunday morning. It's taking it so long to recover, it seems. Normally, I can be fine in a day or so. I did a prayer walk this morning around my block and just that .2 mile aggravated my hip again and it's hurting. I guess I am just going to have to rest it for a couple of more days. In the midst of that "frustration", I am reminded of the joy it is to be able to walk to do my daily duties, not to mention the ability to walk for fun! I'm so blessed.

I bought a book on workouts with a resistance band last night. Now I just need a band. I look forward to this. Anyone with a good resistance band recommendation?

I took my daughter out for a date last night. She was so thrilled. I do most everything with her, but evidently I don't "date" her and she was over the moon about going out last night. We had dinner and browsed the book store. She has been studying state history all year and her choice of either shopping or bookstore after dinner? She chose to go get a history book at the bookstore. I love her! And I love her school for the joy of learning that they have given her.

Catch up

Well, I can't believe it's been 5 days since I posted. I had so many migraines this week. True to my wish, Wednesday was headache-free until evening, so I got in a 3 mile walk in the morning. I took pictures of the swans and their babies at the lake while I was walking, but I can't get them from my phone camera to my computer. I emailed them, but no luck. So, you'll have to use your imagination. They were gray, fuzzy and adorable (the babies). Mom and Dad swan were very proud and brought them right up to the dock for everyone to see.

I didn't get to walk again until this morning. Eats have been okay. I saw the scale drop again this morning as well as my measurments. I'm down 1 1/4 inch in my trouble zone again. It's been about 6 days since I measured. I absolutely don't have any jeans to wear now. The ones I got from my SIL are so big, it's embarressing.

Hubby is losing a lot, too. None of our jeans fit and we are trying to hold off on shopping until we get down to our normal size. We are going to have to have a few interim things though. We leave for vacation in 24 days (squeal!), so we'll need to get our vacation stuff in the next couple of weeks.

We went for a picnic at the lake in the neighborhood last night. The snake, kindly went back into his "lair" to let us pass. I was nervous the rest of the hike. (shudder).

Another Migraine Day

I had another migraine today. I was fairly functional until this afternoon. It was still a great day! Today is day 60 with no paralysis!!

Eats were good:

Bkfast-NS chocolate chip granola bar

Lunch- NS Tex-Mex Rice and Beans, 100 cal sweet

Snack- Zone bar

Dinner- NS lasagne

bed night snack- skinny cow fudge bar.

Total calories: 1100.

I drank 60 oz of Peppermint water today. I measured myself and in 9 days I have lost Waist:1/4"; Abdomen: 3/4"; Thigh: 1/2"!! Woo-hoo!

I didn't get to walk again today as the thought of more blood pounding in my body made me even more nauseous. Perhaps tomorrow will be a migraine-free, paralysis-free day!