Congratulations Anita! I know you are going to make it. Let's get together and celebrate after the holidays!
Just a short note tonight. I learned that my son will be coming home for Christmas and we'll be spending Christmas eve with him and then he will go up north to be with his sons. I am blessed by having a close relationship with all my children. My grandkids are all wonderful, healthy, smart, and I love them all dearly even if I don't see enough of them.
I want to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and New Year with your families and hope you are all as Blessed as I am.
Rock On!
Christmas Poem 2008
The Christmas Orange
When I was barely a person, not much more than three
I loved the smell of a fresh Christmas tree.
We would tramp through the snow to find the right one
Then squeal with delight knowing the Yule had begun!
We put up the tree on that bright holy eve
Leaving treats for Dear Santa so he'd know we believed
My most favorite part of the pre -Christmas rite
Was hanging our stockings by the hearth's mellow light.
The tree would be bare when we trudged up to bed
And tried to bring sleep to our excitement filled head
We didn't think we could sleep even a wink
But soon dawn would be here in almost a blink.
We would tumble down stairs and gasp with awed pleasure
As we saw a trimmed tree just brimming with treasure
There were strings of cranberries and gay popcorn balls
Sugar cookies on strings and gaily lit walls.
Our stockings were filled with nuts and sweet treats
And crayons and paper made our joy complete
I'd go through my stocking in awe of each candy
Looking for the gift that I thought was just dandy
Each year in that cold and icy winter night
I'd marvel that Santa could bring such a delight
A most savory fruit, a bright golden sphere
My Christmas Orange was the best gift each year!
I wonder now as I watch my Grandchildren play
With all their fine toys if they could ever be so gay
As to wait with delight on a cold winter morn
TO bite into and orange that Santa has borne
From a far away land, off a tropical tree
TO bring such a wonderful Christmas to me!
By Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2008
I have one more poem I wrote just for my husband that I'd like to share. I know you all will be able to identify with this one.
Your Christmas Gift
Starting in September, I begin to plan and dream
I picture how you'll gasp as I unveil my scheme
The glorious Christmas presents you'll find beneath the tree
Will fill your mind with wonder at the gifts to you from me
I want to fill your stockings with frankincense and myrrh
And gold beyond imagining that make your pulses stir
If I could buy a snowmobile, or a speedy motorboat
How it would impress you and make you want to gloat
But as Christmas Day approaches, reality sets in
And that gifts that I can purchase fill me with chagrin
As I wash and fold the laundry, I notice with a sigh
That your stockings are all full of holes, not that you can't deny
Your underwear is shabby, your t-shirts all a mess
and your jeans are getting worn out, all this you must confess
So when I start my shopping and begin to make my list
I want to buy you diamonds, but these I must resist
But remember this, my Darling, as you don your Christmas socks
What I really want to give you is expensive bonds and stocks.
I picture you out climbing up a mountain white with snow
and must console myself to know that what you're wearing down below,
What keeps you warm and toasty as down the hills you ski
Are all the undergarments you found beneath the tree
I betcha even Santa as he soars on his magic sleigh
Is wearing B.V.D.'s Mrs. Santa packed away
So enjoy each Christmas gift, be it t-shirt, sock or brief
And let each garment hug you like a lovely Christmas wreath!
As you unwrap each present, see a hug, a smile, a kiss
And know your daily comfort is my secret Christmas wish,
Love you forever,
Your devoted wife,
Christmas 1999
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Health Trek Day 52
I am taking a quick breather to pause and reflect in midst of sewing, cleaning and tomorrow cooking for the holidays. I feel like I am beginning to sound like a broken record talking about the true meaning of Christmas, the old traditions and all the preparation we go through. So today I am just going to share a really nice e-mail that I received from my sister in law last week.
The Bell
Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it.
From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down,but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing. If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her bridle is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her. As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and end even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to see...
This story reminded me of an incident that happened to a friend of mine. He is 85 years old and had parked in a handicap parking space so his frail wife could make it into the supermarket more easily. He had placed one of those cardboard handicap signs in the window of his car as all of us who use those do. He had gone back to the car to get his wife's sweater when a lady started yelling at him and accusing him of stealing a handicap space depriving someone who was really handicapped. He was so surprised he found himself speechless as this lady berated him up one side and down the other. He just shook his head and went back to his wife who was waiting in a wheelchair out of the cold, just inside the store. I think many people are too quick to judge just by what they see with their eyes. First of all this man himself is 85 years old, parking in an icy parking lot. Even if he was in the best of health, at his age falling on an icy pavement could be the death of him. Secondly, you can't tell by looking at someone if they may have COPD, severe arthritis, be recovering from surgery, have heart problems or dizzy spells. There are so many reasons why someone might have one of those cardboard handicapped signs, they are too numerous to mention. So for this lady to judge my friend without knowing the circumstances is unconscionable. Sometimes a family member may be driving an elderly person around too. So a good reminder for us all. Don't judge a situation until you have all the facts. There may be things we can not see. So be the bell and help even if it is just by being tolerant of others.
Rock On!
Christmas Poem 2007
Merry Christmas Memories
What magic do we know this day
That abounds year after year.
Is it mistletoe, or lights that glow
or wishes of good cheer?
The price one pays for a shiny toy
or the IPOD beneath the tree
will be but shadows in the mind
just a hazy memory.
Each cozy home creates it's own
Embellishes a tradition
that has passed down from parent to child
for many a generation.
We make our Noel feast unique
by surrounding ourselves with love
inviting friends and family
as we give thanks to the Lord above
The magic that abounds this day
is the memory that we share
as we pass on the Gift Christ gave to us
and spread love everywhere
Don't worry about the money
or if your gift is the perfect size
Just plan some beautiful moments
that forever your heart will prize
Christmas is making memories
That will make your spirit soar
So savor each precious moment
So they will last forevermore.
Merry Christmas and a prosperous, healthy New Year to all!
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2007
The Bell
Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it.
From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down,but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing. If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her bridle is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her. As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and end even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to see...
This story reminded me of an incident that happened to a friend of mine. He is 85 years old and had parked in a handicap parking space so his frail wife could make it into the supermarket more easily. He had placed one of those cardboard handicap signs in the window of his car as all of us who use those do. He had gone back to the car to get his wife's sweater when a lady started yelling at him and accusing him of stealing a handicap space depriving someone who was really handicapped. He was so surprised he found himself speechless as this lady berated him up one side and down the other. He just shook his head and went back to his wife who was waiting in a wheelchair out of the cold, just inside the store. I think many people are too quick to judge just by what they see with their eyes. First of all this man himself is 85 years old, parking in an icy parking lot. Even if he was in the best of health, at his age falling on an icy pavement could be the death of him. Secondly, you can't tell by looking at someone if they may have COPD, severe arthritis, be recovering from surgery, have heart problems or dizzy spells. There are so many reasons why someone might have one of those cardboard handicapped signs, they are too numerous to mention. So for this lady to judge my friend without knowing the circumstances is unconscionable. Sometimes a family member may be driving an elderly person around too. So a good reminder for us all. Don't judge a situation until you have all the facts. There may be things we can not see. So be the bell and help even if it is just by being tolerant of others.
Rock On!
Christmas Poem 2007
Merry Christmas Memories
What magic do we know this day
That abounds year after year.
Is it mistletoe, or lights that glow
or wishes of good cheer?
The price one pays for a shiny toy
or the IPOD beneath the tree
will be but shadows in the mind
just a hazy memory.
Each cozy home creates it's own
Embellishes a tradition
that has passed down from parent to child
for many a generation.
We make our Noel feast unique
by surrounding ourselves with love
inviting friends and family
as we give thanks to the Lord above
The magic that abounds this day
is the memory that we share
as we pass on the Gift Christ gave to us
and spread love everywhere
Don't worry about the money
or if your gift is the perfect size
Just plan some beautiful moments
that forever your heart will prize
Christmas is making memories
That will make your spirit soar
So savor each precious moment
So they will last forevermore.
Merry Christmas and a prosperous, healthy New Year to all!
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2007
Monday, December 21, 2009
Health Trek Day 51
Today is the first day of winter and we have already had two blizzards, weather below zero and been able to skate on the Pond. The ice rarely is thick enough to skate on this early in the season. A rare treat, but icy cold! I feel bad for the people anxious to see their families that are stuck in airports and train stations. But I guess you just make an adventure out of it and move forward. Think of all the interesting people you could meet. And a great excuse to sing Christmas carols. I miss the caroling we used to do as kids. We would stroll along the snowy sidewalks and pause and sing before our neighbors house. People often brought steaming mugs of hot chocolate to the singers and often joined in as we walked to the next house. Nowadays we'd probably get reported to the police for noise pollution or something. I think maybe this small neighborhood might enjoy the caroling, especially since most of us are seniors on this street, but my kids always look at me as if I was a lunatic if I suggest it and they have no idea what the words to all the old Carols are. I am going to have to start looking for some crazy old bats like me that would like to go out and make fools of themselves. I think I would like to let the temperature go up just a tad first though. Maybe we could write some fourth of July carols and go out singing then!
I hope you are all enjoying your last minute shopping and wrapping and baking and celebrating!
Rock On!
Christmas Poem 2006
The Unexpected Gift
Hope abounds in children's faces
As stockings adorn the chimney places
They wonder what St. Nick will bring
As Shepherds watch and Angels sing
The unexpected makes the season bright
As candles light up a snowy night
What wonder this year will unfold?
That warms the spirit despite the cold.
Perhaps a call from an old friend
Or a card some one will deign to send
Random acts of kindness reign
A break from loneliness and pain
Christmas promotes philanthropy
Makes us the best that we can be
We'll want to be a Tiny Tim
As we hum another Christmas hymn
Anticipation is the key
Not promises from Santa's knee
It's the action that is unforeseen
That brings the meaning to the red and green
As we seek the Shining Star
A journey traversed near and far
For a few special days each year
we follow the path that Christ made clear
If only we could hold this force
We might change the world's whole course
Bringing unexpected joy
to all God's children, girl or boy
What waits for us this Christmas Season
What is our goal, and what our reason
Will we become a Christmas light
And truly make the Season bright?
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2006
I hope you are all enjoying your last minute shopping and wrapping and baking and celebrating!
Rock On!
Christmas Poem 2006
The Unexpected Gift
Hope abounds in children's faces
As stockings adorn the chimney places
They wonder what St. Nick will bring
As Shepherds watch and Angels sing
The unexpected makes the season bright
As candles light up a snowy night
What wonder this year will unfold?
That warms the spirit despite the cold.
Perhaps a call from an old friend
Or a card some one will deign to send
Random acts of kindness reign
A break from loneliness and pain
Christmas promotes philanthropy
Makes us the best that we can be
We'll want to be a Tiny Tim
As we hum another Christmas hymn
Anticipation is the key
Not promises from Santa's knee
It's the action that is unforeseen
That brings the meaning to the red and green
As we seek the Shining Star
A journey traversed near and far
For a few special days each year
we follow the path that Christ made clear
If only we could hold this force
We might change the world's whole course
Bringing unexpected joy
to all God's children, girl or boy
What waits for us this Christmas Season
What is our goal, and what our reason
Will we become a Christmas light
And truly make the Season bright?
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2006
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Health Trek Day 50
I have not been concentrating much on dieting lately. Just been working on Christmas projects and getting ready for the big day. I lost another pound this week without trying. I am beginning to think there may be something to this idea of letting go. We can get so wrapped up in a goal we want, we end up sabotaging ourselves and create obstacles to keep us from getting there. By just doing what needs to be done each day without agonizing about it, I seem to be having more success. I am trying to do the same things with my Christmas preparations. I make a list each day of what needs to be done and try to accomplish that much each day. I am not stressing about all the things I need to do. I know I will get it all done by Thursday so am trying to enjoy the process. Tomorrow I plan to do some baking and put together the gift bags for the neighbors. We all give each other baked goods or hand crafts and thoroughly enjoy sharing the recipes and our various talents. I love Christmas and the joy that fills the community!
Rock On!
Christmas Poem 2005
My Christmas Wish
If I should find just cause
to visit Dear old Santa Claus
I wouldn't mumble gibberish
I'd make a very crucial wish
I would make a wish for Time
And not just the usual kind
The time I need is many fold
And much more valuable than gold
I'd wish for lots of Time to give
For as long as I am allowed to live
I'd give my time to all my kin
This is where I would begin
I'd also like the time to take
And learn to listen for my Kids sake
I'd take the time to let them speak
Maybe help find answers that they seek
Spending time is always fun
It's gone before we've just begun
But I would spend it every day
To be with family while I may
So Santa if you see my letter
Help me make my life much better
By taking, making and giving time
To make our family life sublime!
Merry Christmas Every One!
Judy Patt Hall
Rock On!
Christmas Poem 2005
My Christmas Wish
If I should find just cause
to visit Dear old Santa Claus
I wouldn't mumble gibberish
I'd make a very crucial wish
I would make a wish for Time
And not just the usual kind
The time I need is many fold
And much more valuable than gold
I'd wish for lots of Time to give
For as long as I am allowed to live
I'd give my time to all my kin
This is where I would begin
I'd also like the time to take
And learn to listen for my Kids sake
I'd take the time to let them speak
Maybe help find answers that they seek
Spending time is always fun
It's gone before we've just begun
But I would spend it every day
To be with family while I may
So Santa if you see my letter
Help me make my life much better
By taking, making and giving time
To make our family life sublime!
Merry Christmas Every One!
Judy Patt Hall
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Health Trek Day 49
Only six more days before Christmas. We won't have to worry about a white Christmas this year. The ground is white and Santa's Elves must be scurrying about putting the finishing touches on all the toys to be ready for the big night. It's funny how kids react to Santa. Sometimes I think the whole myth is for the grownups. I have a 3 foot Santa that lights up and his arms move up and down. My grandson is terrified of him. When he hears that a big man in a red suit is going to come to his house on Christmas eve, he goes into a panic. So we told him the alternate story. How we can all be Santas and join in the spirit of giving. I think that is the tradition about Christmas that I like best. The giving part. Not just presents, but giving time to each other and our neighbors. Pausing from the hustle and bustle of life and taking stock of our blessings. Realizing that there are others a lot less fortunate than we are and taking time to help. Have you ever spent Christmas Eve in a soup kitchen, or had a sing-a-long in a nursing home or hospital ward. It is most rewarding and benefits the giver even more than the recipients. So teaching your children to be a Santa is a good thing. If we get caught up in that spirit at Christmas maybe it will flow throughout the year and someday this race of Man can truly find Peace on Earth.
God Bless us Everyone!
Christmas Poem 2004
Christmas Again
People celebrate holiday seasons
In many ways - for many reasons
Some scoff at all the platitudes
Adopting superior attitudes
When I decorate my tree
Each bauble contains a memory
I see each child across the years
Hear all the laughter and all the tears
Christmas brings us all together
Not hindered by distance, time or weather
Our family ties are bound much tighter
Our future each year looking brighter
Maybe miles separate the celebration
We're scattered all across the nation
But still our thoughts are intertwined
We're together in heart and mind
So give me all the platitudes
I'll accept them all with gratitude
For peace on earth, Good will to Men
We'll have a Merry Time again!
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2004
God Bless us Everyone!
Christmas Poem 2004
Christmas Again
People celebrate holiday seasons
In many ways - for many reasons
Some scoff at all the platitudes
Adopting superior attitudes
When I decorate my tree
Each bauble contains a memory
I see each child across the years
Hear all the laughter and all the tears
Christmas brings us all together
Not hindered by distance, time or weather
Our family ties are bound much tighter
Our future each year looking brighter
Maybe miles separate the celebration
We're scattered all across the nation
But still our thoughts are intertwined
We're together in heart and mind
So give me all the platitudes
I'll accept them all with gratitude
For peace on earth, Good will to Men
We'll have a Merry Time again!
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2004
Friday, December 18, 2009
Health Trek Day 48
Last night was our last TOPS meeting of the year and I lost another pound. I have been so busy getting ready for Christmas that I haven't had time or energy to go to the gym so I was sure I had gained. I have been too busy to eat I guess. I am trying to make healthy meals but often only get two in a day with a quick yogurt or salad for lunch. I guess the answer is to keep busy. After the holidays I will get back to the exercise program!
Just a short note tonight as I am really tired and am turning in early. I want to share these Christmas poems with you so I wanted to get this out tonight. The Christmas deadline is getting closer!
Rock On!
This Christmas was a special one for me because we were waiting for the birth of my youngest grandson, Ben. He is a delight and just turned six on Monday. Enjoy!
Christmas Poem 2003
The Christmas Babe
We have another wondrous reason
to celebrate this Christmas season
We're awaiting the arrival of a new little boy
A baby destined to fill us with joy
Another grandchild- this one makes eight
Gives us a reason to postulate
Our children bring hope in a world filled with strife
Bringing new meaning to eternal life
As I gaze at our clan expanding each year
I see our lives going on long after we're here
I can't help but think of the babe long ago
Who promised hope and peace to all that we know
Twenty centuries ago in a small obscure town
they awaited a baby to be known the world round
We all know the story, but often forget
The reason for Christmas is not just what we get
It's not the huge profits the season will bring
It's the celebration of Life that makes the bells ring
A promise that each tomorrow will come
So bring on the pudding and bring on the rum
We have but a blink of time on this earth
So precious the moments that bring us such mirth
When we all gather from far and from near
We'll honor the Baby who brought us all here.
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2003
Just a short note tonight as I am really tired and am turning in early. I want to share these Christmas poems with you so I wanted to get this out tonight. The Christmas deadline is getting closer!
Rock On!
This Christmas was a special one for me because we were waiting for the birth of my youngest grandson, Ben. He is a delight and just turned six on Monday. Enjoy!
Christmas Poem 2003
The Christmas Babe
We have another wondrous reason
to celebrate this Christmas season
We're awaiting the arrival of a new little boy
A baby destined to fill us with joy
Another grandchild- this one makes eight
Gives us a reason to postulate
Our children bring hope in a world filled with strife
Bringing new meaning to eternal life
As I gaze at our clan expanding each year
I see our lives going on long after we're here
I can't help but think of the babe long ago
Who promised hope and peace to all that we know
Twenty centuries ago in a small obscure town
they awaited a baby to be known the world round
We all know the story, but often forget
The reason for Christmas is not just what we get
It's not the huge profits the season will bring
It's the celebration of Life that makes the bells ring
A promise that each tomorrow will come
So bring on the pudding and bring on the rum
We have but a blink of time on this earth
So precious the moments that bring us such mirth
When we all gather from far and from near
We'll honor the Baby who brought us all here.
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2003
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Health Trek Day 47
December 18th: My mother turns 89. Really makes you realize how time flies. I still remember my childhood so vividly and the woman that seemed like such a giant to me. But seeing her now gives me hope. Although her body is aging and she is getting frail, she still makes wine, knits and crochets, paints and is the Matriarch. I will be her age in 26 years, which is time to see my grandkids grow up and time to write a few books, time to cherish all the Blessings that have been bestowed upon me. So I pray I will have the time she has had and use it wisely. And that I have 25 or 30 more Christmases to enjoy and savor. Time to make more memories that maybe my children and grandchildren will pass on.
One important lesson I learned from my Mom is that Christmas is not about the money and presents, it is about family and making the day special for children. I learned from her that home made gifts were the ones to be cherished as they are made from the heart. I thank her for that now, even though sometimes when I was a child, I was not so grateful and used to envy the other kids that got the shiny new bikes when I got one that was secondhand and painted by night when I was asleep with my mother's artistic touch.
So even though we have had our differences, I see now the wonderful lessons that she was teaching by her example. I hope I can pass on the spirit of Christ to my progeny and they will never be blinded by the tinsel, but moved by the spirit of love and giving.
Rock On everyone!
Christmas Poem 2002
Christmas Memories
I remember strong arms holding me tight
as I placed the bright star and we sang Silent Night.
Later I helped my thrilled little brother
Then each sibling continued to help one another
Too soon we all had our own family
And helped our small children trim the Yule tree
I remember candy cane kisses stuck to my cheek
And smiling, as children tried so hard to peek
Shaking each package in hopes of a clue
Dreaming of treasures shiny and new
Children so innocent laughed with delight
As we turned on each bright Christmas light
Now Grandchildren assist in our Yuletide endeavor
Creating new memories that will last forever
I remember the gingerbread houses we built
The squeals of laughter when it started to tilt
Children amazed as we made a pink rose
The unfettered delight when they frosted my nose
I remember each moment and treasure them all
Each paper ornament, each trinket, each ball
Each Christmas Season builds on the other
Bonding each family, each sister and brother
Stopping the sameness of every day life
Lightening the load and reducing the strife
I take time to remember on each holiday
Why I continue day after day
In spite of the news that we see on the Telly
It all goes away when we see Santa's belly
Then I remember what we all can give
Peace and Love for our family- It's the reason we live.
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2002
One important lesson I learned from my Mom is that Christmas is not about the money and presents, it is about family and making the day special for children. I learned from her that home made gifts were the ones to be cherished as they are made from the heart. I thank her for that now, even though sometimes when I was a child, I was not so grateful and used to envy the other kids that got the shiny new bikes when I got one that was secondhand and painted by night when I was asleep with my mother's artistic touch.
So even though we have had our differences, I see now the wonderful lessons that she was teaching by her example. I hope I can pass on the spirit of Christ to my progeny and they will never be blinded by the tinsel, but moved by the spirit of love and giving.
Rock On everyone!
Christmas Poem 2002
Christmas Memories
I remember strong arms holding me tight
as I placed the bright star and we sang Silent Night.
Later I helped my thrilled little brother
Then each sibling continued to help one another
Too soon we all had our own family
And helped our small children trim the Yule tree
I remember candy cane kisses stuck to my cheek
And smiling, as children tried so hard to peek
Shaking each package in hopes of a clue
Dreaming of treasures shiny and new
Children so innocent laughed with delight
As we turned on each bright Christmas light
Now Grandchildren assist in our Yuletide endeavor
Creating new memories that will last forever
I remember the gingerbread houses we built
The squeals of laughter when it started to tilt
Children amazed as we made a pink rose
The unfettered delight when they frosted my nose
I remember each moment and treasure them all
Each paper ornament, each trinket, each ball
Each Christmas Season builds on the other
Bonding each family, each sister and brother
Stopping the sameness of every day life
Lightening the load and reducing the strife
I take time to remember on each holiday
Why I continue day after day
In spite of the news that we see on the Telly
It all goes away when we see Santa's belly
Then I remember what we all can give
Peace and Love for our family- It's the reason we live.
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2002
Health Trek Day 46
We ran out of temperature this morning. It is zero degrees out. A good day to stay inside and cuddle up with a good book. Dream On! I still have lots of preparations for Christmas but my Kindle is tempting me to stay in bed and just read. I have always loved to read and am so glad that I have been able to pass the gift of reading on to my kids and grandkids. I asked my Florida grandkids what they wanted for Christmas and they said a gift card for Borders so they could buy their favorite books. This is a real break through for my grandson who has special needs and reading has always been a challenge for him. He now is reading faster and better and actually enjoys it when he normally wants to spend all his time playing computer games. His parents have insisted that he read every day and they are now seeing the great results. So books are still the best gift you can give. TO give the gift of reading is a very good thing. I hope one day to have one of mine on all your shelves!
I must run and see if I can get through my long list of Christmas chores. Being an elf this time of year is not easy!
Rock On all!
Christmas Poem 2001
Ring the Bells
Bells are ringing in the square
Pure, sweet carols fill the air
Christmas time is surely here
But our hearts are filled with fear
When the Towers crashed and fell,
Life was for some a living Hell
The terrorists were all delighted
But we stood Tall and were United
Everywhere one chanced to roam
Flags appeared at work and home
Families, fragile and so dear
Longed to keep their loved ones near
Our Children sent to parts unknown
Fight a battle all alone
We fight a war we did not choose
A war we know we will not lose
Live must go on to prove to all
That cowards won't make our Nation fall
So Ring the Bells for Honor
Ring the bells for Pride
Ring with all the feelings
That you hold inside
Ring the Bells for Peace
And to keep us all from danger
Ring the Bells for Love
Of the Baby in the Manger
Judy Patt Hall
December 25, 2001
I must run and see if I can get through my long list of Christmas chores. Being an elf this time of year is not easy!
Rock On all!
Christmas Poem 2001
Ring the Bells
Bells are ringing in the square
Pure, sweet carols fill the air
Christmas time is surely here
But our hearts are filled with fear
When the Towers crashed and fell,
Life was for some a living Hell
The terrorists were all delighted
But we stood Tall and were United
Everywhere one chanced to roam
Flags appeared at work and home
Families, fragile and so dear
Longed to keep their loved ones near
Our Children sent to parts unknown
Fight a battle all alone
We fight a war we did not choose
A war we know we will not lose
Live must go on to prove to all
That cowards won't make our Nation fall
So Ring the Bells for Honor
Ring the bells for Pride
Ring with all the feelings
That you hold inside
Ring the Bells for Peace
And to keep us all from danger
Ring the Bells for Love
Of the Baby in the Manger
Judy Patt Hall
December 25, 2001
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Health Trek Day 45
I wonder if there is some great universal scheme that all inanimate objects have made a pact that makes them break down at Christmas time. It is inevitable that the dryer will malfunction, the dishwasher stop working, the transmission on the car quit. Whatever. It happens every year. Something decides to die just when I am in the middle of the busiest time of the year. One time I planned to make everybody fleece lounging pants and was sewing my heart out when we had a blizzard which knocked the power out for days. DAYS!! So the result was I was up all night sewing in a frenzy once the power came back on. I have two sewing machines now, so if one breaks down I have another one. This time of year you need a Plan A and a Plan B. I always swear I am going to start making Christmas gifts in January so they will be all ready and wrapped by November first and I can relax for the holidays. I used to make gifts to save money. Now I do it because it seems like a tradition and in a world where not as many people knit and sew, People (most people) really like to get home made things, so I make them every year. Now just for those who actually request them. Socks are very popular. I can't knit them fast enough, and as soon as I knit a pair someone wants to buy them from me so I knit another pair. Haven't had time to knit myself some in months. I sometimes wish people had just one foot so I wouldn't have to make two of the same thing. Or perhaps I could knit one this year and make the matching one next year. Or start a new fad where you wear two completely different socks. Oh well.
So now I am working on the last minute gifts and praying that all the appliances will stay intact for just a few more weeks so I can get through this year without that hassle. I think maybe the Great Spirit of Christmas Cheer has to give us some grief so when the day dawns, white snow on the ground, family gathered around, it truly seems like magic that everything got done and is wrapped and under the beautiful tree that has only been re trimmed three or four times after the cat has knocked it down.
I wonder if all went smoothly, we found exactly what we wanted when we went to the store and I made all my home made products months in advance, would Christmas day be as special? Probably not. So I'll take it with all its flaws and foibles for the chance to see all those smiling faces when they open the gifts and gobble up the food and shriek with delight at all the games and plans that seem to happen so effortlessly. Bless their little hearts. No wonder someone made up stories about Santas and elves. It is hard to believe we can really make this happen every year. So for all of you who are the frantic elves and Santas that know and are chuckling right now and nodding your heads at the memories of being up all night Christmas Eve trying to assemble some toy that was advertised as "so easy a child could do it", I take my hat off and applaud you. Try to smile while you are running around frantically, mopping up the spills when the washing machine leaks all over the floor, and think of the perfect Christmas day that will happen next week, Thanks to you. And me. And all the others out there going just as crazy.
Have a great pre-Christmas week.
Rock On!
Christmas Poem 2000
The Christmas Chads
It was confusing
The print was too small
The arrows were pointing to nowhere at all
But whether the fault was the Print or the arrow,
Some ballots were cast with a margin too narrow.
The people all wondered, oh who will it be?
Who will win this Pres-i-den-cy?
Who will, oh who will and how will we know?
The ballots must be counted to settle this woe.
Newscasters predicted there'd be no Christmas season
The question of "who will" the sinister reason.
There was no sign of snow, no sweet Christmas sound.
The only white powder were the chads on the ground.
Be they pregnant or dimpled it just didn't seem right.
It looked like the counters would be counting each night.
They'd count all the ballots, or maybe a few.
They'd count them again.
Just once wouldn't do.
Some were predicting that the Season was spoiled
All the land's Christmas planning seemed to be foiled.
No lights would be hung, no shoppers or singing.
We would not this year hear the sweet Silver Bells ringing.
But just when the Grumbles and predictions were growing,
a light from a farmhouse came on and was glowing.
Soon others were glowing all through the town
and all the sad faces were turned upside down.
Christmas was here in spite of the squabbles
It came with a wreath, bright lights and gay baubles.
Storekeepers were happy as people went shopping.
The good season spirit showed no sign of stopping.
The magic of Christmas had happened again.
It was time to send greetings and think of a friend.
It would open each heart no matter how small
and bring joy to a child with a toy or a doll.
So I'll end this small tale
with a verse tried and true
Merry Christmas to all
And may GOD Bless you!
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2000
(Remember that election??)
So now I am working on the last minute gifts and praying that all the appliances will stay intact for just a few more weeks so I can get through this year without that hassle. I think maybe the Great Spirit of Christmas Cheer has to give us some grief so when the day dawns, white snow on the ground, family gathered around, it truly seems like magic that everything got done and is wrapped and under the beautiful tree that has only been re trimmed three or four times after the cat has knocked it down.
I wonder if all went smoothly, we found exactly what we wanted when we went to the store and I made all my home made products months in advance, would Christmas day be as special? Probably not. So I'll take it with all its flaws and foibles for the chance to see all those smiling faces when they open the gifts and gobble up the food and shriek with delight at all the games and plans that seem to happen so effortlessly. Bless their little hearts. No wonder someone made up stories about Santas and elves. It is hard to believe we can really make this happen every year. So for all of you who are the frantic elves and Santas that know and are chuckling right now and nodding your heads at the memories of being up all night Christmas Eve trying to assemble some toy that was advertised as "so easy a child could do it", I take my hat off and applaud you. Try to smile while you are running around frantically, mopping up the spills when the washing machine leaks all over the floor, and think of the perfect Christmas day that will happen next week, Thanks to you. And me. And all the others out there going just as crazy.
Have a great pre-Christmas week.
Rock On!
Christmas Poem 2000
The Christmas Chads
It was confusing
The print was too small
The arrows were pointing to nowhere at all
But whether the fault was the Print or the arrow,
Some ballots were cast with a margin too narrow.
The people all wondered, oh who will it be?
Who will win this Pres-i-den-cy?
Who will, oh who will and how will we know?
The ballots must be counted to settle this woe.
Newscasters predicted there'd be no Christmas season
The question of "who will" the sinister reason.
There was no sign of snow, no sweet Christmas sound.
The only white powder were the chads on the ground.
Be they pregnant or dimpled it just didn't seem right.
It looked like the counters would be counting each night.
They'd count all the ballots, or maybe a few.
They'd count them again.
Just once wouldn't do.
Some were predicting that the Season was spoiled
All the land's Christmas planning seemed to be foiled.
No lights would be hung, no shoppers or singing.
We would not this year hear the sweet Silver Bells ringing.
But just when the Grumbles and predictions were growing,
a light from a farmhouse came on and was glowing.
Soon others were glowing all through the town
and all the sad faces were turned upside down.
Christmas was here in spite of the squabbles
It came with a wreath, bright lights and gay baubles.
Storekeepers were happy as people went shopping.
The good season spirit showed no sign of stopping.
The magic of Christmas had happened again.
It was time to send greetings and think of a friend.
It would open each heart no matter how small
and bring joy to a child with a toy or a doll.
So I'll end this small tale
with a verse tried and true
Merry Christmas to all
And may GOD Bless you!
Judy Patt Hall
Christmas 2000
(Remember that election??)
Health Trek Day 44
My sister in law has a son who is a Pastor in a Church in Texas. He is a wonderful speaker who motivates all who listen to his sermons. He did a sermon recently about "Unique Thanks". This is when you thank God for something that happened to you that maybe at the time you didn't think was a good thing. For instance, when you were a child you were punished for something and then realize later, that this lesson you learned made a huge difference in your life. So My "sister" challenged all of us to share stories of how we could give Unique thanks for things going on in our daily lives during this wonderful Christmas season. I had a unique experience the other morning that I would like to share. It may or may not meet the criteria of the Unique Thanks premise, but it gave me goosebumps.
First I have to start with my anniversary on November 20Th. My hubby took me to dinner and bought me this wonderful laptop I am writing on as a gift. We had agreed to meet in the parking lot of a restaurant as he had to bowl later in the evening as he is on a bowling team. When I arrived at the restaurant, Mark was standing there holding a beautiful card and a large pink Mylar balloon in the shape of a heart with the words "Happy Anniversary" in floral decor emblazoned on it. I have kept the balloon in my living room since our anniversary. A week or two ago, Mark noticed that the balloon was getting a bit limp. He took the string off of it and blew some air back into it, then he tucked it into the nook of a built in bookcase in our living room. A few days ago, I noticed it had come out of the nook and was bobbing around the living room ceiling. I smiled and thought no more about it.
Later that day, I was upstairs in my craft room making Christmas presents and wrapping gifts. My kids and other family members are having a rough time right now, and I was remembering all the hard years Mark and I had as we raised our kids. I looked around the craft room, saw the shelves that Mark had put up for me so I could organize all my crafts and a surge of love came over me that shook me from head to toe. At that moment I saw something out of the corner of my eye and I jumped, startled and turned around to see what it was. That pink heart came bobbing in to my craft room. It had made its way through the living room, the kitchen, up the stairs made a right turn then a left turn to bob into my craft room at that exact moment! A coincidence? Maybe. But maybe there are forces there we can't explain. A higher being who is there for us and guides us in our daily trials. I am convinced we are not alone. We are all together in this big beautiful, mysterious world with a benevolent God watching over us. I give thanks to Him for the profound blessings I have in my life.
Rock on, everyone!
Christmas Poem 1999
My Christmas Wish
I wish a special Christmas day
A most glorious holiday
One that will fill all hearts with joy
And impress each and every girl and boy
Each year we seem to try and compete
With all our neighbors to find the best treat
We light our homes and stoke our fires
Each house ablaze with Christmas wires
We worry so much that our gifts won't suffice
And try really hard to be extra nice
But the message we need to remember to say
Is the really true meaning of each Christmas day
The babe that was born brought such a sweet, simple word
Through the blazing of trumpets, it needs to be heard
The only gift that we need to impart
Is the one that can only come straight from the heart
Love your wife, love your kids, and your neighbors and friends
This is where the true Christmas must begin and must end
Listen to others, GIVE your time and your TALENT
You don't need a shield and white horse to be gallant
It just takes a moment, a gesture, a smile
To make Jesus's birthday a memory worthwhile.
Merry Christmas to all!
Judy Patt Hall
1999
Plan for today: Be thankful and eat lightly
First I have to start with my anniversary on November 20Th. My hubby took me to dinner and bought me this wonderful laptop I am writing on as a gift. We had agreed to meet in the parking lot of a restaurant as he had to bowl later in the evening as he is on a bowling team. When I arrived at the restaurant, Mark was standing there holding a beautiful card and a large pink Mylar balloon in the shape of a heart with the words "Happy Anniversary" in floral decor emblazoned on it. I have kept the balloon in my living room since our anniversary. A week or two ago, Mark noticed that the balloon was getting a bit limp. He took the string off of it and blew some air back into it, then he tucked it into the nook of a built in bookcase in our living room. A few days ago, I noticed it had come out of the nook and was bobbing around the living room ceiling. I smiled and thought no more about it.
Later that day, I was upstairs in my craft room making Christmas presents and wrapping gifts. My kids and other family members are having a rough time right now, and I was remembering all the hard years Mark and I had as we raised our kids. I looked around the craft room, saw the shelves that Mark had put up for me so I could organize all my crafts and a surge of love came over me that shook me from head to toe. At that moment I saw something out of the corner of my eye and I jumped, startled and turned around to see what it was. That pink heart came bobbing in to my craft room. It had made its way through the living room, the kitchen, up the stairs made a right turn then a left turn to bob into my craft room at that exact moment! A coincidence? Maybe. But maybe there are forces there we can't explain. A higher being who is there for us and guides us in our daily trials. I am convinced we are not alone. We are all together in this big beautiful, mysterious world with a benevolent God watching over us. I give thanks to Him for the profound blessings I have in my life.
Rock on, everyone!
Christmas Poem 1999
My Christmas Wish
I wish a special Christmas day
A most glorious holiday
One that will fill all hearts with joy
And impress each and every girl and boy
Each year we seem to try and compete
With all our neighbors to find the best treat
We light our homes and stoke our fires
Each house ablaze with Christmas wires
We worry so much that our gifts won't suffice
And try really hard to be extra nice
But the message we need to remember to say
Is the really true meaning of each Christmas day
The babe that was born brought such a sweet, simple word
Through the blazing of trumpets, it needs to be heard
The only gift that we need to impart
Is the one that can only come straight from the heart
Love your wife, love your kids, and your neighbors and friends
This is where the true Christmas must begin and must end
Listen to others, GIVE your time and your TALENT
You don't need a shield and white horse to be gallant
It just takes a moment, a gesture, a smile
To make Jesus's birthday a memory worthwhile.
Merry Christmas to all!
Judy Patt Hall
1999
Plan for today: Be thankful and eat lightly
Friday, December 11, 2009
Healthtrek Day 43
Good Morning! I'm back. I took a little break for several reasons. First and foremost the holiday season is in full swing and I am not having enough hours in the day to get everything done that I need to do. Second reason is that I received some good advice from a friend. I was stressing about not losing weight consistently and fast enough to the point that I was making myself miserable. She told me to take a break from the stress and just let it go for awhile. I took her advice and lo and behold, I actually lost some weight over the Thanksgiving holiday. I think I can become so obsessed with eating properly that I think of nothing but food and consequently eat too much.
Enough of that. I am back and feeling stronger and full of Holiday cheer. I love this time of year. Not because of the exchanging of gifts and I hate the commercialism of Christmas, but for the spirit of Love that is so prevalent this time of year. How we all pause and count our blessings and help those who are less fortunate. Random acts of kindness prevail this time of year and normal sales persons who hardly notice you exist as they scan your purchases, light up with smile when you wish them a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Yes I am one of those politically incorrect people who actually dare to say Merry Christmas! I am proud to live in a country where all religions are respected and recognized and reserve the right to savor Christmas and all it stands for.
My father passed away in 1998 on Christmas Eve. He was a musician who brought his talent to so many people and shared his gift for no profit at Christmas each year. He visited all the nursing homes in the air and brought Christmas cheer to all the shut ins. I used to go with him and loved the sing along Christmas Carols. I wrote a poem at Christmas that year. I knew his time was getting shorter and had no interest in celebrating Christmas. My kids were all grown up and I was working, helping Dad and thought it was silly to put up all that Christmas junk when I was feeling so low. My husband had other ideas. He and my Dad showed me that year that Christmas comes no matter what. You can not put out the flame of the human spirit and I am sure my Dad is busy right now accompanying the Heavenly Choir and giving them his expert advice as to how to project their voices!
I have written a poem at Christmas every year since then and would like to spend the next few days of the Blog sharing these poems with you. For those of you that have already seen them in Christmas Pasts, please bear with me.
Merry Christmas everyone and Rock on around your Christmas Tree!
1998
Oh Christmas Tree!
Twas the week before Christmas
And all through our home
Not a sound could be heard
I felt so alone
My family had grown up
And all moved away
There'd be no Children's laughter
To cheer Christmas Day
I was feeling so sad
So sorry for ME
I wondered "Why bother
to put up a tree?"
My husband was whistling
As he hung out the lights
That would brighten our home
Through the long Yule-tide nights
I sighed and opened the old Christmas Chest
As I decided for his sake, I must do my best
I picked up an ornament, turned it around
And saw a small Care bear, all chubby and brown
A small clothes-pin angel with lace ribbon wings
Made my heart mellow so I started to sing
Reverently now, I hung up the treasures
Each trinket resounding with Past Christmas pleasures
And soon I could see all my Children around
The room filled with laughter ad new memories were found
There was Judy and Cathy and Mickey and Rob
Nicole, Katie, Lexie were doing their job
Arjay and Tyson, Devin and Paul
were shouting with laughter as they hung the last ball
When the tree was completed, I sang with delight
"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT"
Judy Patt Hall
December 16, 1998
Plan for today:
I am planning to keep busy getting all my Christmas projects done and start journaling and exercising religiously after the holidays!
Enough of that. I am back and feeling stronger and full of Holiday cheer. I love this time of year. Not because of the exchanging of gifts and I hate the commercialism of Christmas, but for the spirit of Love that is so prevalent this time of year. How we all pause and count our blessings and help those who are less fortunate. Random acts of kindness prevail this time of year and normal sales persons who hardly notice you exist as they scan your purchases, light up with smile when you wish them a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Yes I am one of those politically incorrect people who actually dare to say Merry Christmas! I am proud to live in a country where all religions are respected and recognized and reserve the right to savor Christmas and all it stands for.
My father passed away in 1998 on Christmas Eve. He was a musician who brought his talent to so many people and shared his gift for no profit at Christmas each year. He visited all the nursing homes in the air and brought Christmas cheer to all the shut ins. I used to go with him and loved the sing along Christmas Carols. I wrote a poem at Christmas that year. I knew his time was getting shorter and had no interest in celebrating Christmas. My kids were all grown up and I was working, helping Dad and thought it was silly to put up all that Christmas junk when I was feeling so low. My husband had other ideas. He and my Dad showed me that year that Christmas comes no matter what. You can not put out the flame of the human spirit and I am sure my Dad is busy right now accompanying the Heavenly Choir and giving them his expert advice as to how to project their voices!
I have written a poem at Christmas every year since then and would like to spend the next few days of the Blog sharing these poems with you. For those of you that have already seen them in Christmas Pasts, please bear with me.
Merry Christmas everyone and Rock on around your Christmas Tree!
1998
Oh Christmas Tree!
Twas the week before Christmas
And all through our home
Not a sound could be heard
I felt so alone
My family had grown up
And all moved away
There'd be no Children's laughter
To cheer Christmas Day
I was feeling so sad
So sorry for ME
I wondered "Why bother
to put up a tree?"
My husband was whistling
As he hung out the lights
That would brighten our home
Through the long Yule-tide nights
I sighed and opened the old Christmas Chest
As I decided for his sake, I must do my best
I picked up an ornament, turned it around
And saw a small Care bear, all chubby and brown
A small clothes-pin angel with lace ribbon wings
Made my heart mellow so I started to sing
Reverently now, I hung up the treasures
Each trinket resounding with Past Christmas pleasures
And soon I could see all my Children around
The room filled with laughter ad new memories were found
There was Judy and Cathy and Mickey and Rob
Nicole, Katie, Lexie were doing their job
Arjay and Tyson, Devin and Paul
were shouting with laughter as they hung the last ball
When the tree was completed, I sang with delight
"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT"
Judy Patt Hall
December 16, 1998
Plan for today:
I am planning to keep busy getting all my Christmas projects done and start journaling and exercising religiously after the holidays!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Health Trek Day 42
I watched a documentary today narrated by Judi Dench. It was about the Kindertransport in postwar Britain where 10,000 refugee and Jewish children were rescued from Germany and sent to live in England. What these families must have felt when they had to send their kids off to an unknown fate. Some of the kids were accepted and loved, but many were put into service as maids and work laborers. They interviewed several of the survivors and I found myself watching in tears as it hit home how lucky we are in this country to have been spared the horrors and devastation of war that was experienced during the Nazi regime. I thought of how I have been complaining about not being able to lose weight BECAUSE I HAVE TOO MUCH TO EAT! So many people in this world struggle to provide food for their loved ones and we in America have this huge obesity problem. Because we have too much! I am not suggesting we should all go off and join the peace corps and live in dire poverty as was promoted in the sixties. But we should at least ponder about our good fortune. We have brought suffering upon ourselves because of our own gluttony and lack of self control. It makes one wonder what would happen if war made it's way to our doorstep. Would we be able to make strong decisions that would save our children or would we be weak and take the easy way out as we do every day as we make bad choices in our eating habits and our lifestyles of watching too much TV and running up too many credit cards and needing too many electronic devices. It makes me feel very humble to see how others have made such sacrifices to survive while we complain if our car breaks down or the dryer doesn't work or we have to work too many hours.
I think I will start being Thankful for what I have and try to make better choices in my quest for a healthy life. I intend to Seize the Day and
ROCK ON!
Night Shadows
Shadows of the past haunt me at night
Memories long entombed fill my dreams with fright
Daylight keeps me in control, intelligent and bright
But my ruse will never fool the shadows of the night
Memories engraved in subconscious plains
Forever spew forth my childhood remains
In sunshine my grown up image sustains
but night issues screams of the child's repressed pains
As the moon slowly climbs to its peak
Lord how I pray for the solace I seek
I descend to my bed all trembling and meek
Dreading the havoc Night Shadows will reek...
JPH
4/30/87
Plan for tomorrow:
Breakfast: 1 egg, toast and tea
Snack: apple
Lunch: Spinach and Shrimp salad at Applebee's
Dinner: stirfry and rice
Snack: celery
Exercise: Walking and shopping, evening Yoga.
I think I will start being Thankful for what I have and try to make better choices in my quest for a healthy life. I intend to Seize the Day and
ROCK ON!
Night Shadows
Shadows of the past haunt me at night
Memories long entombed fill my dreams with fright
Daylight keeps me in control, intelligent and bright
But my ruse will never fool the shadows of the night
Memories engraved in subconscious plains
Forever spew forth my childhood remains
In sunshine my grown up image sustains
but night issues screams of the child's repressed pains
As the moon slowly climbs to its peak
Lord how I pray for the solace I seek
I descend to my bed all trembling and meek
Dreading the havoc Night Shadows will reek...
JPH
4/30/87
Plan for tomorrow:
Breakfast: 1 egg, toast and tea
Snack: apple
Lunch: Spinach and Shrimp salad at Applebee's
Dinner: stirfry and rice
Snack: celery
Exercise: Walking and shopping, evening Yoga.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Health Trek Day 41
I missed writing my Blog on Friday and almost decided to quit writing it all together. I feel like a fraud and a failure. I started the Blog in September after our Inspiration meeting and pledged to lose weight and get back on track. I did start an exercise program and starting planning my meals, but the truth is, I was only half-heartedly changing my eating habits. I have not told all the times I did not stick to the eating plans. And all the times I did not exercise for one reason or another. Now we had our November Inspiration and I had gained four pounds instead of losing the five I pledged to lose. I should have been able to lose at least 10 pounds in the two months since I started this journey. So I am discouraged, disgusted with myself, and full of loathing and self pity. But after thinking all day how I can truly get serious about this journey I'm on, I have decided not to give up. One of the problems I see is that when I get up in the morning and start the day by writing the Blog, I then spend the next few hours playing with the computer instead of doing what needs to be done. So I am going to change my format and write the BLOG at night after Hubby goes to bed. I usually sit here in the evenings fighting the urge to eat and most times giving in. So instead I will keep my mind on healthy thoughts and do my meal planning for the next day each and every night. I will also evaluate how I did throughout the day and see where I succeeded or erred. This will help me to plan what to do the next day.
I apologize for this mundane note today. I just need to get my act together and have to be truthful. I can not try to be cute and funny when I am failing so miserably.
One of my son's friends died today at the age of thirty something from a heart attack. She was overweight and I am sure that is one of the reasons she is no longer with us. Why do we wait until we are sick or diagnosed with a medical problem before we do something! What a tragedy obesity is! This journey that I am on is to keep me healthy for the last few years of my life and to prolong those years as long as I can. It is not a train I can disembark from. There is no destination that will end my journey, except Death. So it is time to get serious and do what needs to be done.
Rock On!
Just Do It!
When you look at the end of your arm
and see junk food that will bring naught but harm
Put down that poison and find something to do
Let a good book bring nourishment to you!
When the chocolate cravings are driving you insane
Remember from sweets you have to refrain
at least until you can stop at two
You must go find something else to do
If your children are screaming and there are chores to be done
Your life is a mess and you are not having fun
Don't think that food is going to bring you some joy
Take the kids for a walk using exercise as a ploy
Remember that food is simply a fuel
Follow the dieter's chief golden rule
Whatever goes in just adds to your waist
Being healthy's worth more than the most succulent taste!
JPH
11/15/09
Plan for tomorrow:
Breakfast: Egg, toast, tea
Snack: Apple
Lunch: cheese sandwich
Snack: celery and cream cheese
Dinner: Chicken and rice stir fry
Exercise: Walking and Yoga
I apologize for this mundane note today. I just need to get my act together and have to be truthful. I can not try to be cute and funny when I am failing so miserably.
One of my son's friends died today at the age of thirty something from a heart attack. She was overweight and I am sure that is one of the reasons she is no longer with us. Why do we wait until we are sick or diagnosed with a medical problem before we do something! What a tragedy obesity is! This journey that I am on is to keep me healthy for the last few years of my life and to prolong those years as long as I can. It is not a train I can disembark from. There is no destination that will end my journey, except Death. So it is time to get serious and do what needs to be done.
Rock On!
Just Do It!
When you look at the end of your arm
and see junk food that will bring naught but harm
Put down that poison and find something to do
Let a good book bring nourishment to you!
When the chocolate cravings are driving you insane
Remember from sweets you have to refrain
at least until you can stop at two
You must go find something else to do
If your children are screaming and there are chores to be done
Your life is a mess and you are not having fun
Don't think that food is going to bring you some joy
Take the kids for a walk using exercise as a ploy
Remember that food is simply a fuel
Follow the dieter's chief golden rule
Whatever goes in just adds to your waist
Being healthy's worth more than the most succulent taste!
JPH
11/15/09
Plan for tomorrow:
Breakfast: Egg, toast, tea
Snack: Apple
Lunch: cheese sandwich
Snack: celery and cream cheese
Dinner: Chicken and rice stir fry
Exercise: Walking and Yoga
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Health Trek Day 40
It's Thursday again and I face the evil scale once more. I have done some soul searching this week and found myself wanting in the willpower department. Every day I make a plan, but find that my day takes on a life of its own and I am still not taking enough time to do the exercise, make the healthy meals and keep track of what I eat. I am now Leader once again of our Chapter, and I hope to be an example to everyone of what to do right, not how to procrastinate and continue the yo-yo pattern that has become my life. So I am going to pretend tonight is my first night at TOPS and ask all the members to pretend with me. Than we are going to start with DAY ONE and learn together what we must do to lose weight. I hope they will agree to some weekly assignments we will do every day and discussions each week that will keep us on track.
I know what I have to do and I will do it.
I am eating healthy and exercising more, but I know my portions are often too much. I need to cut out more of the starchy and fatty foods, and limit my snacking. Night time and solitude are my worst enemies because that is when I eat. Not out of hunger but out of habit. My refrigerator will soon look like a bulletin board with all the notes to myself on it. I realize I seldom read the notes, so I need to get the food out of the house that I shouldn't be eating. First plan, shop sensibly and not when I'm hungry. Second plan, write down what I plan to eat then follow it up with what I actually ate. I have started an honesty journal where I am making two columns one for my plan and one for reality. Then I can comment on why or why not my plan for the day worked.
So everyone, no funny quips today or silly stories. I am getting serious about my health!
Rock On!
Thought for today:
Lost Sundays
Modern times have brought many wondrous things
Ipods and phones with personalized rings
Cars and appliances to make our lives easy
Magical rides that make us feel queasy
We thought years ago these inventions would bring
More time to laugh and to dance and to sing,
But the truth of the matter is we've lost more than we gained
When you think of how our free time has been maimed
We used to have Sundays as a day to reflect
A time to recoup when we felt like a wreck
Now we use our days for a chance to fulfill
A long list of chores as we chug down a pill
That will give us the energy to get through the day
Since we no longer have time to muse and to pray
Our children are schooled to use every minute
Fill all of their time without any limit
We cart them to games and to gyms and to pools
Forgetting to teach them our Lord's Golden Rules
We have become too sophisticated to believe in a God
We no longer have time to look around and feel awed
Special effects in our modern movie shows
Take away the wonder of the winter's first snows
So many take drugs to make them feel right
It is no longer safe to go out at night
Our children have lost their summers of play
And no longer sit at the table to pray
What good are the gadgets if we can't find the joy?
That we used to know as a young girl or boy?
JPH
7/7/2008
Plan for today:
Breakfast: fruit, tea and toast
Lunch: 1 piece of Shepherd's pie
Snack: apple
Dinner: Bowl of chicken soup and six crackers.
I plan to drink more water today.
Exercise: walking and Yoga.
I know what I have to do and I will do it.
I am eating healthy and exercising more, but I know my portions are often too much. I need to cut out more of the starchy and fatty foods, and limit my snacking. Night time and solitude are my worst enemies because that is when I eat. Not out of hunger but out of habit. My refrigerator will soon look like a bulletin board with all the notes to myself on it. I realize I seldom read the notes, so I need to get the food out of the house that I shouldn't be eating. First plan, shop sensibly and not when I'm hungry. Second plan, write down what I plan to eat then follow it up with what I actually ate. I have started an honesty journal where I am making two columns one for my plan and one for reality. Then I can comment on why or why not my plan for the day worked.
So everyone, no funny quips today or silly stories. I am getting serious about my health!
Rock On!
Thought for today:
Lost Sundays
Modern times have brought many wondrous things
Ipods and phones with personalized rings
Cars and appliances to make our lives easy
Magical rides that make us feel queasy
We thought years ago these inventions would bring
More time to laugh and to dance and to sing,
But the truth of the matter is we've lost more than we gained
When you think of how our free time has been maimed
We used to have Sundays as a day to reflect
A time to recoup when we felt like a wreck
Now we use our days for a chance to fulfill
A long list of chores as we chug down a pill
That will give us the energy to get through the day
Since we no longer have time to muse and to pray
Our children are schooled to use every minute
Fill all of their time without any limit
We cart them to games and to gyms and to pools
Forgetting to teach them our Lord's Golden Rules
We have become too sophisticated to believe in a God
We no longer have time to look around and feel awed
Special effects in our modern movie shows
Take away the wonder of the winter's first snows
So many take drugs to make them feel right
It is no longer safe to go out at night
Our children have lost their summers of play
And no longer sit at the table to pray
What good are the gadgets if we can't find the joy?
That we used to know as a young girl or boy?
JPH
7/7/2008
Plan for today:
Breakfast: fruit, tea and toast
Lunch: 1 piece of Shepherd's pie
Snack: apple
Dinner: Bowl of chicken soup and six crackers.
I plan to drink more water today.
Exercise: walking and Yoga.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Health Trek Day 39
Once upon a time there was a man who had everything. He had all the newest technology and had thousands of MySpace and Facebook friends. He sent all his pictures to Flicker that he took with his high tech camera on his solitary walks. He was able to build cities with his complex video games and work out each day playing all his favorite sports with his Wii games. But this man felt that he was dying. He had constant feelings of dread and premonitions of impending disaster. He was convinced it must be something physical because he did everything right. He ate all the right foods, worked out and stimulated his mind with all his high tech electronics. He made an appointment with his doctor and waited anxiously for the results. The doctor called him into his office and from his grave demeanor, the man was convinced he had a terminal illness. "Am I going to die" asked the man, his voice quavering. "If you continue as you are doing now, I would have to say yes," replied the doctor. "You need to make some significant changes in your life." "Well, money is no object, said the man. "I can afford all the most expensive medicines or surgical procedures, just tell me what I need." "Oh, prescription drugs can not help what you have." replied the Doctor. "Your situation is completely hopeless, unless some miracle happens in your life." "A miracle, you can't buy miracles!" replied the man. The Doctor smiled, and said "Exactly. Miracles you have to seek. You have to have an open mind. You need to reach out to others. You need to learn to open your eyes and see the world around you. That is where you will find miracles. You see, young man, your ailment is called defeatism. You spend all your time alone and the only thoughts you share are your own. You have lost the joy of living and without that you will surely die. Go out into the world and meet people. Have fun. Help others. Get out of your technical box and live your life. Man is a gregarious animal, he needs people around him, not machines. Go and seek joy!.
The man did as the doctor bid, and he found the most wonderful miracle, friends!
Rock on, Everyone!
My feeble attempt at a sonnet:
Love Questions
Can you find Love in mystical moonbeams
or lips as sweet as roses are bright red?
Can Goddesses emerge from wistful daydreams
to plant a stream of kisses on your head?
Can Love be caught like a lovely bluebird
and locked with key into a gilded cage
Bound forever, will its songs still be heard
When youth is gone and you are middle aged?
If by fortune Cupid's arrow finds you
and Love is game enough to come your way
Will inconstant heart abide and stay true
When Married Love brings routine to each day?
You must nurture Love's sweet power
With care and patience every hour!
JPH
8/5/89
Plan for today:
Breakfast: tea and toast, banana
Snack: fruit
Lunch: cheese sandwich, diet coke
Snack: jello
Dinner: out with friends, hopefully I will order a healthy salad!
Exercise: walking, yoga and Mr. G's list.
The man did as the doctor bid, and he found the most wonderful miracle, friends!
Rock on, Everyone!
My feeble attempt at a sonnet:
Love Questions
Can you find Love in mystical moonbeams
or lips as sweet as roses are bright red?
Can Goddesses emerge from wistful daydreams
to plant a stream of kisses on your head?
Can Love be caught like a lovely bluebird
and locked with key into a gilded cage
Bound forever, will its songs still be heard
When youth is gone and you are middle aged?
If by fortune Cupid's arrow finds you
and Love is game enough to come your way
Will inconstant heart abide and stay true
When Married Love brings routine to each day?
You must nurture Love's sweet power
With care and patience every hour!
JPH
8/5/89
Plan for today:
Breakfast: tea and toast, banana
Snack: fruit
Lunch: cheese sandwich, diet coke
Snack: jello
Dinner: out with friends, hopefully I will order a healthy salad!
Exercise: walking, yoga and Mr. G's list.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Health Trek Day 38
Many of my friends and family are going through hard times with job losses and cutbacks causing financial hardship. I remember being a single parent with three children and how scared and depressed I could become worrying about our future. How do we get through such hard times and what good do all the platitudes that people say to you truly do. Things like, "ten years from now, you'll be able to laugh at this." or "you are much better off than some people so you should be thankful" or simply, "this too shall pass". I know from experience that knowing that someone else is worse off does not change my situation or make me any less scared, or less worried when these problems are looming on MY horizon. I remember I got through them by making daily plans of things I could do to change the situation, praying a lot, and trying to keep my kids from knowing just how scared and worried I was. I tried to find ways to have fun that didn't cost money. When the cable TV was shut off because we didn't have the means to pay it, we started having board game night. We read books together, had picnics outside, took walks and just talked to each other. I think the best thing we did is to pull together and work out the problems as a team. No blame games, or wallowing in self pity. Just pulling together and doing what needed to be done on a daily basis. Not looking too far ahead or too far back. Just living day by day. I remember one time we had lost our home and a woman had let us move into a one room cabin next to a small stream. We had to pump our water with a hand pump at the sink. We had to use pails to flush the toilet. We had no washer or dryer and often did not have money to go to the laundry mat, which meant washing our clothes by hand. One day I came home from work and found all the kids busy washing the clothes in a tub of water using the top of my broiler pan as a scrubbing tool. They had strung up ropes to hang the clothes on and were having a ball. They thought of the whole nightmare as an adventure! That is how we got through it. Finding a way to make it an adventure. Looking for the fun. A spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. I guess that is all we can do, what we must do to get through the hard times. Whether we are trying to make ends meet or reach weight loss goals we can use this philosophy. Take one day at a time, find the fun in the chore and make life an adventure every day.
Rock on everyone!
I wrote this poem on Sunday for my son-in-law's birthday:
WHY
When the world is green
And the days are long
It is fun to bask
In Nature's sweet song
Our troubles seem to be
So far away
We work for awhile
Then come home to play
But when the winds blow cold
And our supplies become low
We are getting too old
To keep working so
We wonder sometimes why
Things are so hard
Why keep going
To bring home the lard
When we struggle each day
Far into the night
Then head for home
We see a bright light
At the end of the road
When we open the door
We suddenly know
What we're struggling for
Our families are there
With such trust in their eyes
A fire in the hearth
In the oven some pies
Such simple pleasures
But without them we'd be
just the shell of the person
God intended we be.
JPH
11/8/09
Plan for today:
Breakfast: tea and English muffin
Snack: fruit
Lunch: tuna sandwich
Snack: pretzels
Dinner: beef and onions, brown rice, carrots
Kitchen closed!
Exercise: Walking with Ben, Yoga and THE LIST!
Rock on everyone!
I wrote this poem on Sunday for my son-in-law's birthday:
WHY
When the world is green
And the days are long
It is fun to bask
In Nature's sweet song
Our troubles seem to be
So far away
We work for awhile
Then come home to play
But when the winds blow cold
And our supplies become low
We are getting too old
To keep working so
We wonder sometimes why
Things are so hard
Why keep going
To bring home the lard
When we struggle each day
Far into the night
Then head for home
We see a bright light
At the end of the road
When we open the door
We suddenly know
What we're struggling for
Our families are there
With such trust in their eyes
A fire in the hearth
In the oven some pies
Such simple pleasures
But without them we'd be
just the shell of the person
God intended we be.
JPH
11/8/09
Plan for today:
Breakfast: tea and English muffin
Snack: fruit
Lunch: tuna sandwich
Snack: pretzels
Dinner: beef and onions, brown rice, carrots
Kitchen closed!
Exercise: Walking with Ben, Yoga and THE LIST!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Health Trek Day 37
I have decided it is time to start following my own advice. Today, I made the decision that I would live in the moment. See if I could find joy in all the mundane things that are on my chore list today. We spent the weekend outside enjoying this beautiful, unexpected warm weather, but the inside of the house now looks like a Nor'Easter blew through it and the Laundry has somehow multiplied so it is reaching the ceiling! (Partly due to the winter clothes we took out of storage that needs washing to get that "musty" smell out) So I have a long, long list of things that need to be done yesterday, so I can do all the things I want to do!
I began at 4:30 a.m. by going to the gym. It is amazing how hard it is when you miss just one week. We didn't get there at all last week and now it feels like I had to start over. So to take my mind off the pain, I brought my kindle book and immersed myself in a good story. Soon the exercise was done, and I was able to walk out with only a slight limp to show for it. When I got home, instead of heading to the computer, I decided to start on the laundry. I had a couple of loads that needed folding so did those while the machine washed the rest. I put on a nice CD of my favorite music. This one was called the romantic piano, and has all the songs on it my Dad used to play. Listening to it always makes me nostalgic. I forced myself to stay in the moment however, so I started paying attention the the folding of the laundry. I made each fold perfect, felt the softness of the fabric, the clean smell, and the warmth of the clothes from the dryer made my hands feel good. I actually began enjoying that task that I usually try to race through. I then stripped the bed and changed the sheets. I noticed the rich aroma of the clean sheets as I put them on the bed. I relished in the fact that I could once again lift the mattress without my arm hurting. Once the bed was made, I stood back and admired my work. A bedroom looks messy with the bed unmade, but when it is made it makes the whole room look inviting.
I may seem like I am dwelling on mundane topics this morning, but I think getting older makes one realize that if we don't enjoy the time we have left and slow down a little to savor it, we will find our lives spent and discover all we did at the end of it is give in to malaise and discontent. I want to spend my remaining years enjoying every moment even if it means learning to like housework!
I received the new TOPS Day One this weekend and I have decided to use it. I am starting as if I was a new member and going through the booklet every day learning how to get on track to lose weight. Along with my Choice is Mine workbook, I intend to make 2010 the year I become a KOPS!
ROCK On!
A parable for you today:
Imagine Life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called Work, Family, Health, Friends and Integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will come back. The other four balls are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will irrevocably get scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. Once you have understood the meaning of the five balls, you will have the beginning of balance in your life.
From "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" by James Patterson
Plan for today:
Breakfast: toast and tea, banana
Snack: celery
Lunch: tuna sandwich on wheat bread, pickles
Snack: pretzels
Dinner: Roast beef with mushrooms, baked potato, broccoli
Snack: jello
Exercise: 1/2 hour treadmill; 1/2 hour bike at gym, therapy exercises
Chasing Ben around tonight while I babysit.
I began at 4:30 a.m. by going to the gym. It is amazing how hard it is when you miss just one week. We didn't get there at all last week and now it feels like I had to start over. So to take my mind off the pain, I brought my kindle book and immersed myself in a good story. Soon the exercise was done, and I was able to walk out with only a slight limp to show for it. When I got home, instead of heading to the computer, I decided to start on the laundry. I had a couple of loads that needed folding so did those while the machine washed the rest. I put on a nice CD of my favorite music. This one was called the romantic piano, and has all the songs on it my Dad used to play. Listening to it always makes me nostalgic. I forced myself to stay in the moment however, so I started paying attention the the folding of the laundry. I made each fold perfect, felt the softness of the fabric, the clean smell, and the warmth of the clothes from the dryer made my hands feel good. I actually began enjoying that task that I usually try to race through. I then stripped the bed and changed the sheets. I noticed the rich aroma of the clean sheets as I put them on the bed. I relished in the fact that I could once again lift the mattress without my arm hurting. Once the bed was made, I stood back and admired my work. A bedroom looks messy with the bed unmade, but when it is made it makes the whole room look inviting.
I may seem like I am dwelling on mundane topics this morning, but I think getting older makes one realize that if we don't enjoy the time we have left and slow down a little to savor it, we will find our lives spent and discover all we did at the end of it is give in to malaise and discontent. I want to spend my remaining years enjoying every moment even if it means learning to like housework!
I received the new TOPS Day One this weekend and I have decided to use it. I am starting as if I was a new member and going through the booklet every day learning how to get on track to lose weight. Along with my Choice is Mine workbook, I intend to make 2010 the year I become a KOPS!
ROCK On!
A parable for you today:
Imagine Life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called Work, Family, Health, Friends and Integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will come back. The other four balls are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will irrevocably get scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. Once you have understood the meaning of the five balls, you will have the beginning of balance in your life.
From "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" by James Patterson
Plan for today:
Breakfast: toast and tea, banana
Snack: celery
Lunch: tuna sandwich on wheat bread, pickles
Snack: pretzels
Dinner: Roast beef with mushrooms, baked potato, broccoli
Snack: jello
Exercise: 1/2 hour treadmill; 1/2 hour bike at gym, therapy exercises
Chasing Ben around tonight while I babysit.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Health Trek Day 36
I am traveling on a large river, at least I think it is a river. The banks of the river are narrow and covered with muddy silt. I am traveling with a lot of very intense beings who seem to be on a grim and determined path as they make their way through the sludge that is in the river. Many of them are weeping. Often they seem to disappear through the slimy banks of the river. "What is happening", I cry. "Where am I and who are all of you?" "You are looking within and we are part of you, trying to bring healthy nutrients to your body," one pale organism answers. "But why is the river so thick and filthy and the banks of the river so narrow and filled with sludge?" "Alas, answers my new friend, it is the junk food that you are putting in your body each day. It makes our job harder and harder and who knows how long we can prevail! Take warning... You are what you eat, You are what you eat...."
I woke with a gasp and realized I had been having a really weird dream. Boy have I been watching too much Dr. Oz! But talk about listening to your body! I guess I had better start paying more attention to what I put in it. The thought of my blood flowing through a river of sludge of my own making really makes me think.
We had a guest speaker at TOPS last night that showed us little vials of how much fat is in the basic foods we eat. What an eye opener. I did not realize there was so much fat in the foods I eat way too much of. She also had a "fat vest" she had us put on and put a bag of flour and several cans of food in the pockets which added up to about 14 pounds. It really makes you realize how hard it is to carry around that extra weight. Okay, Okay, I am convinced. I need to try harder. I will, I will! Please no more nightmares!
Seriously folks, with the holidays coming it is even more imperative we listen to our bodies and give it only what it needs to maintain our health. Get out there and exercise and take off those pounds that are causing us all the back aches, leg aches and fluid retention. Drink water and flush out the sludge.
By the way, I did lose 1 1/2 pounds this week. A big surprise as I had not eaten as carefully as I had planned. Today is a new day and I will give my body nutrition it can use well. The weekend is before us, let us use it wisely and well.
Rock On!
A quote for you today from Ralph Marston:
Smile
Sit up straight. Lift your head up. Lift your eyes. Take a
long, deep breath, and smile.
Though things may be far from perfect for you,
act like it's a great day to be alive.
Because it is!
Keep a smile on your face and in your voice.
Put a spring in your step. Act like you would act if you were
the most confident, successful, joyful person in your town.
Speak to others in kind and positive terms.
Think and speak to yourself the same way.
Embrace the challenges and see their positive possibilities.
There is no need to delay, even for another moment,
the fulfillment that life can bring.
See the world around you for what it is,
and know that it cannot bring you down.
Live today as if it is the best day you could possibly imagine.
And in doing that you make it so.
Ralph Marston
Plan for today:
Breakfast: cereal, toast, tea
Snack: fruit cup
Lunch: soup and crackers
Snack: veggies and dip
Dinner: lean pork cutlets, sweet potato, applesauce, spinach
Snack: ice cream bar
Exercise: Walk, Yoga, therapy
I woke with a gasp and realized I had been having a really weird dream. Boy have I been watching too much Dr. Oz! But talk about listening to your body! I guess I had better start paying more attention to what I put in it. The thought of my blood flowing through a river of sludge of my own making really makes me think.
We had a guest speaker at TOPS last night that showed us little vials of how much fat is in the basic foods we eat. What an eye opener. I did not realize there was so much fat in the foods I eat way too much of. She also had a "fat vest" she had us put on and put a bag of flour and several cans of food in the pockets which added up to about 14 pounds. It really makes you realize how hard it is to carry around that extra weight. Okay, Okay, I am convinced. I need to try harder. I will, I will! Please no more nightmares!
Seriously folks, with the holidays coming it is even more imperative we listen to our bodies and give it only what it needs to maintain our health. Get out there and exercise and take off those pounds that are causing us all the back aches, leg aches and fluid retention. Drink water and flush out the sludge.
By the way, I did lose 1 1/2 pounds this week. A big surprise as I had not eaten as carefully as I had planned. Today is a new day and I will give my body nutrition it can use well. The weekend is before us, let us use it wisely and well.
Rock On!
A quote for you today from Ralph Marston:
Smile
Sit up straight. Lift your head up. Lift your eyes. Take a
long, deep breath, and smile.
Though things may be far from perfect for you,
act like it's a great day to be alive.
Because it is!
Keep a smile on your face and in your voice.
Put a spring in your step. Act like you would act if you were
the most confident, successful, joyful person in your town.
Speak to others in kind and positive terms.
Think and speak to yourself the same way.
Embrace the challenges and see their positive possibilities.
There is no need to delay, even for another moment,
the fulfillment that life can bring.
See the world around you for what it is,
and know that it cannot bring you down.
Live today as if it is the best day you could possibly imagine.
And in doing that you make it so.
Ralph Marston
Plan for today:
Breakfast: cereal, toast, tea
Snack: fruit cup
Lunch: soup and crackers
Snack: veggies and dip
Dinner: lean pork cutlets, sweet potato, applesauce, spinach
Snack: ice cream bar
Exercise: Walk, Yoga, therapy
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Halth Trek Day 35
Tonight is weigh in night again. Unfortunately, I have been feeding the cold, not starving the fever. Why is it that when we feel bad, we eat more. Part of the problem is that I have done the lazy thing all week and just grabbed the easiest thing to eat because I didn't feel like making an effort. So we shall face the music and know if I gain, the reason why...
While I am in confession mode, I must admit that I have not done the exercises I planned either. So today, I plan to start over and stick to the plan. I will eat a healthy breakfast, then do my exercise right away before the day changes all my plans. Yesterday I had planned to stay home and get some housework done, but my cell phone died and I had to go into town to get a new sim card. Then my daughter's car broke down and I had to help her out so I came home and did nothing. My head was stuffed up and I was feeling very sorry for myself so headed for the fridge. You know the rest of the story, we've all been there.
I then remembered that my ear, nose and throat doctor had given me some packets and bottle to rinse my sinuses with and thought maybe that would help. I am very squeamish about having to do anything that concerns putting foreign objects in any orifice in my body like eye drops, ear drops, dental cleanings, etc. It took me five years to learn to gargle as a kid because I was convinced I would choke to death. Taking pills was a major accomplishment in my life and I did not learn to choke them down until my mother started making me chew cod liver oil capsules, Yuck! Last year my dental assistant persuaded me to buy an electric toothbrush and it was 3 months before I could convince myself to try it. The thought of something electric mixed with water and putting it in my mouth made me shudder. Now I love it and my dental exams produce less lectures on not flossing properly. So you can imagine my hesitation when I had to pour a saline solution in my nostril and let it drain out the other side. If you have your head raised too much, it will go in your throat and that is not the correct way according to the instructions. Do not swallow the liquid it says. When something is in my mouth, my instincts are to swallow. So what happens if I do swallow? Will I die? Anyway, after about 30 minutes of reading the directions and reading them again, my head still pounding, I thought oh what the heck. Dying seemed not so bad with my head pounding as it was, so I took the plunge and poured the stuff in my nose. For about an hour after this procedure, I needed to blow my nose (gently, according to the instructions, without squeezing the nostrils). My headache disappeared and I felt better. My daughter told me that she uses a "Neti Pot" to cleanse her sinuses. This is a little miniature teapot that looks like if you rubbed it a genie would appear. She saw them advertised on the Dr. Oz show and has been cleansing her sinuses ever since. I have to begrudgingly admit it seems to work. All you need to do is mix some sea salt in warm water and flush it through your nostrils once or twice a day. If it prevents a sinus infection, I guess it is worth the effort.
I am off to do my exercise and eat my healthy breakfast!
Rock On!
Poem for today: I have heard parts of this poem all my life, but had never read it in its entirety until I downloaded "The 12 poems All Kids Should Know" on my Kindle. I never realized these words were the wisdom of Rudyard Kipling whom I had admired as a child when I first read "Kim"
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise.
If you can dream- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
to serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings- nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And- which is more- you'll be a Man, my son!
By Rudyard Kipling
Plan for today:
Breakfast, one egg, toast and fruit.
Snack: pear
Lunch: chicken soup
No snack, off to TOPS
Dinner: zucchini quesadilla
Snack: low cal ice cream bar
Exercise: Yoga this morning and Mr. G's list.
Walk, weather permitting.
While I am in confession mode, I must admit that I have not done the exercises I planned either. So today, I plan to start over and stick to the plan. I will eat a healthy breakfast, then do my exercise right away before the day changes all my plans. Yesterday I had planned to stay home and get some housework done, but my cell phone died and I had to go into town to get a new sim card. Then my daughter's car broke down and I had to help her out so I came home and did nothing. My head was stuffed up and I was feeling very sorry for myself so headed for the fridge. You know the rest of the story, we've all been there.
I then remembered that my ear, nose and throat doctor had given me some packets and bottle to rinse my sinuses with and thought maybe that would help. I am very squeamish about having to do anything that concerns putting foreign objects in any orifice in my body like eye drops, ear drops, dental cleanings, etc. It took me five years to learn to gargle as a kid because I was convinced I would choke to death. Taking pills was a major accomplishment in my life and I did not learn to choke them down until my mother started making me chew cod liver oil capsules, Yuck! Last year my dental assistant persuaded me to buy an electric toothbrush and it was 3 months before I could convince myself to try it. The thought of something electric mixed with water and putting it in my mouth made me shudder. Now I love it and my dental exams produce less lectures on not flossing properly. So you can imagine my hesitation when I had to pour a saline solution in my nostril and let it drain out the other side. If you have your head raised too much, it will go in your throat and that is not the correct way according to the instructions. Do not swallow the liquid it says. When something is in my mouth, my instincts are to swallow. So what happens if I do swallow? Will I die? Anyway, after about 30 minutes of reading the directions and reading them again, my head still pounding, I thought oh what the heck. Dying seemed not so bad with my head pounding as it was, so I took the plunge and poured the stuff in my nose. For about an hour after this procedure, I needed to blow my nose (gently, according to the instructions, without squeezing the nostrils). My headache disappeared and I felt better. My daughter told me that she uses a "Neti Pot" to cleanse her sinuses. This is a little miniature teapot that looks like if you rubbed it a genie would appear. She saw them advertised on the Dr. Oz show and has been cleansing her sinuses ever since. I have to begrudgingly admit it seems to work. All you need to do is mix some sea salt in warm water and flush it through your nostrils once or twice a day. If it prevents a sinus infection, I guess it is worth the effort.
I am off to do my exercise and eat my healthy breakfast!
Rock On!
Poem for today: I have heard parts of this poem all my life, but had never read it in its entirety until I downloaded "The 12 poems All Kids Should Know" on my Kindle. I never realized these words were the wisdom of Rudyard Kipling whom I had admired as a child when I first read "Kim"
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise.
If you can dream- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
to serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings- nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And- which is more- you'll be a Man, my son!
By Rudyard Kipling
Plan for today:
Breakfast, one egg, toast and fruit.
Snack: pear
Lunch: chicken soup
No snack, off to TOPS
Dinner: zucchini quesadilla
Snack: low cal ice cream bar
Exercise: Yoga this morning and Mr. G's list.
Walk, weather permitting.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Health Trek Day 34
My sister-in-law is a nurse in Cape Cod. She has sent e-mails to all of the family encouraging us to get both flu shots, but availability is scant right now. I talked with the York county VNA (visiting Nurse Assoc.) and they gave me a flu hotline number to call to find locations where the vaccine is being offered. It is 283-6808. If you don't live in York County and would like information, check with your local VNA agency. My Doctor's office told me they don't know whether they will be receiving any vaccines and my best bet was to check with pharmacies or the VNA.
I have been a little under the weather all this week with plugged sinuses and have been imagining that I am coming down with a flu. I guess it is easy to become paranoid with all the scary stories we hear on the News. But everything I read still mandates that our best defense is to wash our hands frequently and stay home if we feel sick. I took my grandson to McD's a couple of weeks ago to get a happy meal and while we were eating I sneezed, covering my mouth with my hand. He looked up at me in shocked dismay and said in a very loud voice, "Nana, you are supposed to sneeze into your elbow, like this (mock achoo as he demonstrates). People don't want your germs all over the place!" Well, I was properly chastised, but glad to see that the schools are teaching even kindergartners what to do about colds and flu. Ben washes his hands with soap every time he uses the facilities. He also likes to wash the mirror and walls and even soaked my toothbrush in warm very soapy water last time he was visiting. He is such a big helper!
So on this journey to health we are traveling on, we must not forget to take care of ourselves every day so we can stay healthy and on track. It is hard to keep up our exercise and daily regimen if we feel like we have been run over by a bus. My wish for you all is that you will be able to avoid the flu this season and continue to strive towards your healthy goals.
Rock On!
My poem today is dedicated to my daughters and all the daughters out there that become our friends for life...
My daughter, My Friend
When your child begins her very first day.
You wonder what future years will portray
Relentlessly years have flown by so fast
All that I fantasized is now in the past
The woman I envisioned so long ago
Shadows the one I've since come to know
She is mother and cook, she surpasses me now
Her housekeeping ventures force me to bow
But what makes her special, what makes her unique,
Is the self she's maintained and the knowledge she seeks
She strives to look without and within
To find the pure soul that made her begin
I never surmised when I held that small hand
That the child that I taught would help me understand
That balance exists between body and mind
That enables a peace and a joy for all time
I am filled with such awe at the woman I see
That is such a great part of what used to be me
I treasure each moment and will to the end
For the child, My daughter, My mentor, My friend.
JPH
2001
Plan for today:
Breakfast: tea and toast
Snack: a bosc pear
Lunch: Chicken soup
Snack: carrot and celery sticks
Dinner: Teriyaki stir fried beef and veggies
Snack: ice cream bar
exercise: Yoga and Mr. G's list. Walking outside on my road.
I have been a little under the weather all this week with plugged sinuses and have been imagining that I am coming down with a flu. I guess it is easy to become paranoid with all the scary stories we hear on the News. But everything I read still mandates that our best defense is to wash our hands frequently and stay home if we feel sick. I took my grandson to McD's a couple of weeks ago to get a happy meal and while we were eating I sneezed, covering my mouth with my hand. He looked up at me in shocked dismay and said in a very loud voice, "Nana, you are supposed to sneeze into your elbow, like this (mock achoo as he demonstrates). People don't want your germs all over the place!" Well, I was properly chastised, but glad to see that the schools are teaching even kindergartners what to do about colds and flu. Ben washes his hands with soap every time he uses the facilities. He also likes to wash the mirror and walls and even soaked my toothbrush in warm very soapy water last time he was visiting. He is such a big helper!
So on this journey to health we are traveling on, we must not forget to take care of ourselves every day so we can stay healthy and on track. It is hard to keep up our exercise and daily regimen if we feel like we have been run over by a bus. My wish for you all is that you will be able to avoid the flu this season and continue to strive towards your healthy goals.
Rock On!
My poem today is dedicated to my daughters and all the daughters out there that become our friends for life...
My daughter, My Friend
When your child begins her very first day.
You wonder what future years will portray
Relentlessly years have flown by so fast
All that I fantasized is now in the past
The woman I envisioned so long ago
Shadows the one I've since come to know
She is mother and cook, she surpasses me now
Her housekeeping ventures force me to bow
But what makes her special, what makes her unique,
Is the self she's maintained and the knowledge she seeks
She strives to look without and within
To find the pure soul that made her begin
I never surmised when I held that small hand
That the child that I taught would help me understand
That balance exists between body and mind
That enables a peace and a joy for all time
I am filled with such awe at the woman I see
That is such a great part of what used to be me
I treasure each moment and will to the end
For the child, My daughter, My mentor, My friend.
JPH
2001
Plan for today:
Breakfast: tea and toast
Snack: a bosc pear
Lunch: Chicken soup
Snack: carrot and celery sticks
Dinner: Teriyaki stir fried beef and veggies
Snack: ice cream bar
exercise: Yoga and Mr. G's list. Walking outside on my road.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Health Trek Day 33
We all need to get out and vote today. You know what they say, you can't complain about the politicians and laws unless you get out and vote for them. No matter what side of the issue we favor, we should all exercise our rights and go to the polls. No matter what flaws we feel exist in our country, I still feel it is the best place to live. We can influence what happens by making our voices heard.
Okay, I'm off my soapbox. Now I just have to vote to get my lazy self dressed and start my day. I have a little cold so am pampering myself a bit and going a little easy on the exercise. But have to work the shoulder and do some yoga this morning. Mr. Gestapo has given me an even bigger list of resistance exercises but the good news is I can do them at home and don't have to see him again for four weeks. That will give him plenty of time to think up new tortures and give me lots of time to strengthen the putty in my arm that used to be muscle. I know now why they call it resistance training. I resist doing it everyday until the last minute and then I am too tired to do it properly. So this morning I shall follow the adage, Do the worst first, and get it behind me.
But first a cup of tea.
Wasn't yesterday a beautiful day! I guess we have to savor each and every one with Winter hovering on the brink. We have been doing all the yard things that need to be done before snow falls and are just about finished. We have a Pellet stove this year and already see a difference in the quality of heat in the house. It warms the entire downstairs and the floors upstairs are warmer. The gas we usually heat with warms our living room, but my kitchen has always been cold. So we tend to eat in the living room and seldom use our table, unless we have company. I tried to get hubby to eat with me in the kitchen, but he likes to watch TV during supper so we eat in our recliner. A big no-no according to the Weight Loss experts. One is supposed to sit in the same place each meal and savor the food as we eat. Eating in the moment and not mindlessly. Reminds me of my grandmother telling me to chew my food 100 times before swallowing. All those old adages made sense, didn't they? Anyway, hubby has to get up at 3:00 a.m. for work so the only time he can watch TV is between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. so we eat in the living room. So I try to eat mindfully from my comfortable chair and savor my food as I watch the News. Maybe it is a good idea. Sometimes the News turns my stomach and kills my appetite. Especially with all the political ads driving us crazy right now. Just think, after today, they'll e gone! Back to the normal ads that drive us crazy.
My friend came home from the hospital yesterday, so I plan to visit her this morning as soon as I finish resisting exercising.
The day begins and we can all Rock On!
Poem for today.
Perplexity
If you were born in 1912,
the world was a different scene
now even when we try to talk
We don't know what we mean.
Can you remember when a Ram
was just a father goat?
And Far Away the only word
that translates to remote?
A computer was in a Sci-Fi show
And Memory dreams of long ago
Then Log on would make the fire glow
If you had a Floppy, you hoped we wouldn't know..
Meg was the name of your female friend
Hard drive was a trip that would never end
A web was where the spiders grew
And virus simply was the flu...
But even though so much has changed,
On one thing you can rely
Friend still means caring
and lots of sharing, this fact you can't deny!
JPH
Plans for today:
Breakfast: English muffin, tea and fruit
Snack: almonds
Lunch: ham sandwich
Snack: cheese and crackers
Dinner: Chicken stir fry
Exercise: Mr. G's list. Walking with Ben. Yoga
Okay, I'm off my soapbox. Now I just have to vote to get my lazy self dressed and start my day. I have a little cold so am pampering myself a bit and going a little easy on the exercise. But have to work the shoulder and do some yoga this morning. Mr. Gestapo has given me an even bigger list of resistance exercises but the good news is I can do them at home and don't have to see him again for four weeks. That will give him plenty of time to think up new tortures and give me lots of time to strengthen the putty in my arm that used to be muscle. I know now why they call it resistance training. I resist doing it everyday until the last minute and then I am too tired to do it properly. So this morning I shall follow the adage, Do the worst first, and get it behind me.
But first a cup of tea.
Wasn't yesterday a beautiful day! I guess we have to savor each and every one with Winter hovering on the brink. We have been doing all the yard things that need to be done before snow falls and are just about finished. We have a Pellet stove this year and already see a difference in the quality of heat in the house. It warms the entire downstairs and the floors upstairs are warmer. The gas we usually heat with warms our living room, but my kitchen has always been cold. So we tend to eat in the living room and seldom use our table, unless we have company. I tried to get hubby to eat with me in the kitchen, but he likes to watch TV during supper so we eat in our recliner. A big no-no according to the Weight Loss experts. One is supposed to sit in the same place each meal and savor the food as we eat. Eating in the moment and not mindlessly. Reminds me of my grandmother telling me to chew my food 100 times before swallowing. All those old adages made sense, didn't they? Anyway, hubby has to get up at 3:00 a.m. for work so the only time he can watch TV is between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. so we eat in the living room. So I try to eat mindfully from my comfortable chair and savor my food as I watch the News. Maybe it is a good idea. Sometimes the News turns my stomach and kills my appetite. Especially with all the political ads driving us crazy right now. Just think, after today, they'll e gone! Back to the normal ads that drive us crazy.
My friend came home from the hospital yesterday, so I plan to visit her this morning as soon as I finish resisting exercising.
The day begins and we can all Rock On!
Poem for today.
Perplexity
If you were born in 1912,
the world was a different scene
now even when we try to talk
We don't know what we mean.
Can you remember when a Ram
was just a father goat?
And Far Away the only word
that translates to remote?
A computer was in a Sci-Fi show
And Memory dreams of long ago
Then Log on would make the fire glow
If you had a Floppy, you hoped we wouldn't know..
Meg was the name of your female friend
Hard drive was a trip that would never end
A web was where the spiders grew
And virus simply was the flu...
But even though so much has changed,
On one thing you can rely
Friend still means caring
and lots of sharing, this fact you can't deny!
JPH
Plans for today:
Breakfast: English muffin, tea and fruit
Snack: almonds
Lunch: ham sandwich
Snack: cheese and crackers
Dinner: Chicken stir fry
Exercise: Mr. G's list. Walking with Ben. Yoga
Monday, November 2, 2009
Health Trek Day 32
I spent the weekend trying to be mindful of what I ate. I read an article on the TOPS website about mindful eating and one phrase really made me think. "If a craving doesn't come from hunger, eating will NEVER satisfy it." I thought of all the times I just grazed through my kitchen eating one thing after another, and never feeling satisfied. Even when my stomach hurt from too much junk food, I still felt this void. If I investigate what the void is, maybe I can find another way to fill it. Perhaps I am a little bored, lonely or trying to avoid doing something I don't want to do. So this weekend, I tried to be present, live in the moment and not succumb to filling the void. I made sure I had healthy snacks around since we had that bucket of candy beckoning in the pantry. "The beckoning bucket" I like the alliteration...
but I was able to keep busy and to tune out the tempting voices in my head. I kept a picture in my mind of what I want to look like and planned meals that would be healthy but tasty. So all in all, I had a good weekend. Now I feel like I am ready for this week instead of having to do penance for binging all weekend. I am convinced that my yo-yo weight losses and gains are the direct result of my yo-yo eating patterns. It does not work for me to eat for three days and then starve for four so I can show a loss on Meeting night. What works for me is to eat about six times a day, healthy food and healthy portions. If I make eating the focus of my day, whether it is obsessing about dieting or binging, I tend to eat more. So this week, I am focusing on things I want to do that will fill my day and let food be just the fuel I need to keep going.
My mother used to cater parties and I was the one that cut up the food and arranged it prettily on the platters. I think that is when I first became obsessed with food. We had spent my early childhood with barely enough to eat and then just when I started puberty, my mother remarried a man who owned a restaurant and we could have anything on the menu. I used to snack on lobster and french fries. But I also ate them while I danced to American Band Stand, so the calories were being burned as I consumed them. But, I digress. The important message to myself today, is to live in the moment. Do what you enjoy doing and use food merely as a tool. Do not obsess about it. Giving it that much importance, keeps eating at the front of your mind.
Have a productive day, everyone and
ROCK ON!
One of the things I have given myself permission to do is to get serious about writing once again. I always tell myself I need to clean house first, but now I am allowing myself to write as I feel like it. The following poem is one I wrote ten years ago and I found in a drawer recently; this is how I need to fill my VOID...
Words
Words are waiting, marking time
Still strong- virile- in their prime
No matter my hair is streaked with gray
Still young and vital the words will stay
For ages now they have been stilled
Pushed aside by ones more willed
The tyranny of necessity
has kept the words from being free
But now the dam's about to break
No more these words I can forsake
In silent agony they scream
To make reality the dream
I find them coming out at night
In ways that fill my soul with fright
Demanding their own place to find
I must free them or lose my mind!
JPH
1999
Plan for today:
Breakfast: egg, toast and tea
Snack: yogurt
Lunch: Chicken quesadilla
Snack: carrot sticks, celery and light ranch dip
Dinner: cubed steak, sweet potatoes, zucchini and onions
Snack: low cal ice cream bar
Exercise: Vacuuming the house, walking with Ben, Yoga in the evening
but I was able to keep busy and to tune out the tempting voices in my head. I kept a picture in my mind of what I want to look like and planned meals that would be healthy but tasty. So all in all, I had a good weekend. Now I feel like I am ready for this week instead of having to do penance for binging all weekend. I am convinced that my yo-yo weight losses and gains are the direct result of my yo-yo eating patterns. It does not work for me to eat for three days and then starve for four so I can show a loss on Meeting night. What works for me is to eat about six times a day, healthy food and healthy portions. If I make eating the focus of my day, whether it is obsessing about dieting or binging, I tend to eat more. So this week, I am focusing on things I want to do that will fill my day and let food be just the fuel I need to keep going.
My mother used to cater parties and I was the one that cut up the food and arranged it prettily on the platters. I think that is when I first became obsessed with food. We had spent my early childhood with barely enough to eat and then just when I started puberty, my mother remarried a man who owned a restaurant and we could have anything on the menu. I used to snack on lobster and french fries. But I also ate them while I danced to American Band Stand, so the calories were being burned as I consumed them. But, I digress. The important message to myself today, is to live in the moment. Do what you enjoy doing and use food merely as a tool. Do not obsess about it. Giving it that much importance, keeps eating at the front of your mind.
Have a productive day, everyone and
ROCK ON!
One of the things I have given myself permission to do is to get serious about writing once again. I always tell myself I need to clean house first, but now I am allowing myself to write as I feel like it. The following poem is one I wrote ten years ago and I found in a drawer recently; this is how I need to fill my VOID...
Words
Words are waiting, marking time
Still strong- virile- in their prime
No matter my hair is streaked with gray
Still young and vital the words will stay
For ages now they have been stilled
Pushed aside by ones more willed
The tyranny of necessity
has kept the words from being free
But now the dam's about to break
No more these words I can forsake
In silent agony they scream
To make reality the dream
I find them coming out at night
In ways that fill my soul with fright
Demanding their own place to find
I must free them or lose my mind!
JPH
1999
Plan for today:
Breakfast: egg, toast and tea
Snack: yogurt
Lunch: Chicken quesadilla
Snack: carrot sticks, celery and light ranch dip
Dinner: cubed steak, sweet potatoes, zucchini and onions
Snack: low cal ice cream bar
Exercise: Vacuuming the house, walking with Ben, Yoga in the evening
Friday, October 30, 2009
Health Trek Day 31
Friday again! Time seems to fly by so quickly these days. I have discovered that sitting around doing nothing all day doesn't slow it down. It just makes me more tense because I have the huge list of all the things I want to do in this life, and worry I won't have time to do it all. You probably have seen or heard of the movie, The Bucket List, well it is all the things you want to do before you kick the bucket. When you reach your sixties, I guess every day is a gift and we need to treat each day as if it was the only day we will have. This is not a morbid approach. It is living in the now. We spend most of our lives working and planning for the future, then all of a sudden we seem to run out of future before we have stopped to enjoy the moment we are in. Some of the things on my bucket list are writing a book and getting it published. Go to Alaska, Hawaii, and Europe. I especially want to see England and Norway as that is where my ancestors hail from. Other things I hope for is to see my children and grandchildren grow up, and to make some special memories with them that they can pass on to their kids. None of us want to be forgotten, and I hope to leave a trail of books behind that my great, great grandchildren can still collect royalties on. Some dream, hey? But we need the dreams and the motivations to keep us moving so we don't just sit and do crossword puzzles all day until we become one with the couch. This morning I dragged myself out of bed at 4:00 a.m. and went limping off to the gym. Why am I doing this, I asked myself, when I can lie in bed for another few hours! All of the above. Time gets shorter and shorter and my list gets longer and longer, so Now is the time to work on the goals that will get me there.
The scale and I compromised last night. I stayed exactly the same as two weeks ago when I left for vacation. I guess I'll take it. I did not gain even though we were eating things I don't ordinarily eat. I must have walked off the excess with the sight seeing we did. Now however it is time to get serious. November Inspiration is coming up, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and all the food events they entail! Let's get our plan books out and ROCK ON!
Poem today was one I wrote when a medical situation turned around and fooled the doctors:
Our Miracle
Miracles are only a myth, some might say
But many happen to us every day
The wonder of Spring as it bursts into bloom
A rainbow that chases away rainy gloom
We're often too busy to witness the sight
as a small bird spreads his wings and soars into flight
We take Life for granted and forget what is real
In a race to make money we forget how to feel
Till something happens to threaten our Fort
and make us all realize that Life is too short
It may be an illness or loss of a friend
That makes us remember all things must end
We pause then and ponder the worth of each day
The gifts that surround us should show us the way.
Sometimes a miracle can be so profound
It turns our safe little world upside down
Such a moment has brought us together tonight
As we celebrate the end of a very long fight
And toast the beginnings of so many tomorrows
We can cheerfully say goodbye to our sorrows
We have been blessed with a gift so sublime
More precious than jewels- we've been granted Time!
Time to make memories as we cherish the joy
You have brought to our family with the love you employ
Time to hear the music and stories you share
And maybe you'll hear some of ours if you dare
Soon we will welcome the fruit of your love
A small little angel sent down from above
So many miracles we are thankful for
And Time to celebrate so many more
We don't know the turns in the road that we tread
But believing in Miracles, we can face what's ahead.
JPH
2003
Plan for today:
Breakfast: 1 egg, toast, tea
Snack: apple
Lunch: salad
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: baked chicken, sweet potato, broccoli
Snack: ice cream bar
Exercise: Gym, 1 hour on bike and treadmill; Mr. G's list and evening Yoga.
The scale and I compromised last night. I stayed exactly the same as two weeks ago when I left for vacation. I guess I'll take it. I did not gain even though we were eating things I don't ordinarily eat. I must have walked off the excess with the sight seeing we did. Now however it is time to get serious. November Inspiration is coming up, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and all the food events they entail! Let's get our plan books out and ROCK ON!
Poem today was one I wrote when a medical situation turned around and fooled the doctors:
Our Miracle
Miracles are only a myth, some might say
But many happen to us every day
The wonder of Spring as it bursts into bloom
A rainbow that chases away rainy gloom
We're often too busy to witness the sight
as a small bird spreads his wings and soars into flight
We take Life for granted and forget what is real
In a race to make money we forget how to feel
Till something happens to threaten our Fort
and make us all realize that Life is too short
It may be an illness or loss of a friend
That makes us remember all things must end
We pause then and ponder the worth of each day
The gifts that surround us should show us the way.
Sometimes a miracle can be so profound
It turns our safe little world upside down
Such a moment has brought us together tonight
As we celebrate the end of a very long fight
And toast the beginnings of so many tomorrows
We can cheerfully say goodbye to our sorrows
We have been blessed with a gift so sublime
More precious than jewels- we've been granted Time!
Time to make memories as we cherish the joy
You have brought to our family with the love you employ
Time to hear the music and stories you share
And maybe you'll hear some of ours if you dare
Soon we will welcome the fruit of your love
A small little angel sent down from above
So many miracles we are thankful for
And Time to celebrate so many more
We don't know the turns in the road that we tread
But believing in Miracles, we can face what's ahead.
JPH
2003
Plan for today:
Breakfast: 1 egg, toast, tea
Snack: apple
Lunch: salad
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: baked chicken, sweet potato, broccoli
Snack: ice cream bar
Exercise: Gym, 1 hour on bike and treadmill; Mr. G's list and evening Yoga.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Health Trek Day 30
Halloween is almost upon us. We don't get many children here, but I always feel the need to buy some candy, just in case! It was so much easier when you could buy a bushel of apples and pass them out, but now the fear of needles being pushed inside or some chemical injected into them, we have to go with safe, individually wrapped treats. The only problem with that is the candy sits on the shelf singing out to me all day long. I find myself eating two for each one I pass out. This year I am making the candy part of my Halloween decoration in hopes that I will think of it as just decor and not listen to the little voices calling to me. As soon as Halloween is over, the rest goes to the Grand kids!
Holidays are difficult as we are all programmed to make food the basis of our celebrations. As much as we know we can cook healthier dishes on Thanksgiving and Christmas, we all have our traditions. So I am making a game plan as of today. I am planning to eat all I want on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. The rest of the time, however, I will eat salads and take walks and go to the gym. When I do eat holiday foods, I shall put little small portions on my plate and savor each bite. I have read that when we crave a sweet, it is the first 3 bites we enjoy and if we could all stop there, we wouldn't have a weight problem. If we can remove the guilt of eating sweets, then perhaps we wouldn't feel so compelled to gorge when we do "cheat". So I plan to let myself enjoy small portions on very special occasions, then get back on track. No guilt, no beating myself up, just savor the food I choose to eat. Now, let's hope that greedy glutton that dwells somewhere in this over sized body of mine is listening to this plan! I shall keep her in her prison and not listen to the voices. Pretty soon, the men in white coats are going to carry me away if I keep talking about voices. But I am referring to those thoughts that pass through our minds about pouncing on the snacks that are lurking in our pantries and on the grocery shelves. Let those thoughts sail away, or visually throw them away and think about how good you will look in that size 10 outfit. Or how good it will feel to be able to take a hike outdoors in the spring with no pain. Concentrate on a goal and let those temptations go flying in the wind. Make good choices and enjoy the holidays.
Rock ON, All!
Dieter's Prayer
Strict is my diet. I must not want.
It maketh me to lie down at night hungry.
It leadeth me past the confectioners
It trieth my willpower
It leadeth me in the paths of alteration
for my figure's sake
Yea, though I walk through the aisles
of the pastry department,
I will buy no sweetrolls
for they are fattening.
The cakes and the pies, they tempt me
Before me is a table set with green beans and lettuce
I filleth my stomach with liquids
My day's quota runneth over
Surely calorie and weight charts
will follow me the rest of my life
And I will dwell in the fear of the scales forever!
Author unknown
Plan for today:
Breakfast: toast and tea
Snack: yogurt
Lunch: ham sandwich with lots of lettuce and a smidge of mayo
Snack: forgetabboudit, I messed up and ate a tootsie roll.
Now it's time to go to my TOPS meeting
Dinner: Out with friends, I will choose wisely!
No evening snack, kitchen closed!
Exercise:
No, the handle on my recliner, does not make it an exercise machine, so I will get up and put in a healthy DVD. Tonight I am dancing and singing at our meeting and when I get home I will do my Yoga P.M.
oh yes, mustn't forget Mr. G's list!
Holidays are difficult as we are all programmed to make food the basis of our celebrations. As much as we know we can cook healthier dishes on Thanksgiving and Christmas, we all have our traditions. So I am making a game plan as of today. I am planning to eat all I want on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. The rest of the time, however, I will eat salads and take walks and go to the gym. When I do eat holiday foods, I shall put little small portions on my plate and savor each bite. I have read that when we crave a sweet, it is the first 3 bites we enjoy and if we could all stop there, we wouldn't have a weight problem. If we can remove the guilt of eating sweets, then perhaps we wouldn't feel so compelled to gorge when we do "cheat". So I plan to let myself enjoy small portions on very special occasions, then get back on track. No guilt, no beating myself up, just savor the food I choose to eat. Now, let's hope that greedy glutton that dwells somewhere in this over sized body of mine is listening to this plan! I shall keep her in her prison and not listen to the voices. Pretty soon, the men in white coats are going to carry me away if I keep talking about voices. But I am referring to those thoughts that pass through our minds about pouncing on the snacks that are lurking in our pantries and on the grocery shelves. Let those thoughts sail away, or visually throw them away and think about how good you will look in that size 10 outfit. Or how good it will feel to be able to take a hike outdoors in the spring with no pain. Concentrate on a goal and let those temptations go flying in the wind. Make good choices and enjoy the holidays.
Rock ON, All!
Dieter's Prayer
Strict is my diet. I must not want.
It maketh me to lie down at night hungry.
It leadeth me past the confectioners
It trieth my willpower
It leadeth me in the paths of alteration
for my figure's sake
Yea, though I walk through the aisles
of the pastry department,
I will buy no sweetrolls
for they are fattening.
The cakes and the pies, they tempt me
Before me is a table set with green beans and lettuce
I filleth my stomach with liquids
My day's quota runneth over
Surely calorie and weight charts
will follow me the rest of my life
And I will dwell in the fear of the scales forever!
Author unknown
Plan for today:
Breakfast: toast and tea
Snack: yogurt
Lunch: ham sandwich with lots of lettuce and a smidge of mayo
Snack: forgetabboudit, I messed up and ate a tootsie roll.
Now it's time to go to my TOPS meeting
Dinner: Out with friends, I will choose wisely!
No evening snack, kitchen closed!
Exercise:
No, the handle on my recliner, does not make it an exercise machine, so I will get up and put in a healthy DVD. Tonight I am dancing and singing at our meeting and when I get home I will do my Yoga P.M.
oh yes, mustn't forget Mr. G's list!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Health Trek Day 29
We're back from our Camping trip. We had a wonderful time, the weather was mostly sunny, even though the temperature range was between 29 and 70. We had a great week. Except for a few homemade desserts prepared by our hosts, most of the meals were pretty healthy, but portion control was not in our vocabulary this week, so I may suffer the Evil Scales revenge on Thursday night. Tremble, tremble. I got up at 4:00 a.m. this morning and hit the bike and treadmill so hope I managed some damage control.
My friend and side kick had a knee replacement last week, so I sent her a card every day letting her know our progress and hoping to raise her spirits. What a time we had trying to find mailboxes. Remember when they were at every grocery store and strip mall? They have virtually disappeared in Massachusetts and Connecticut. We only found mailboxes at Post Offices and there are not to many of them on the major highways. So Hubbie and I began listing all the things that our great grandchildren will never see:
Ranger Rick Decoder rings; souvenir cards in shredded wheat boxes; prizes in cereal or cracker jacks; covered bridges; telephone booths; party lines; television tubes; roof antennas; record players; cassettes or 8 track; maybe even cd's; Newspapers?; DVD rental stores??; VCR's;
The list can go on and on and I bet all of you could add a few. I guess with progress comes change, but it sure is hard to give some of these things up when they have been such a part of our lives. I wonder what changes there will be in the next 50 years. If newspapers and books get replaced with electronic devices and readers, what happens if there is a major longterm power outage. When all of us old timers are gone that know how to add, subtract and multiply without the aid of calculators, are people going to be helpless when the cash registers don't tell them how much change to give back? Or is money going to be obsolete too. If all the computers break down then or the satellites disappear, how will they be able to buy food and necessities? My mind is totally boggled thinking about it. I love all the new gadgets, but I hope people will never forget how to live off the land, just in case...
I have vowed today to start the next phase in the baby step changes I have been making on my weight loss journey. I have increased my exercise and closed the kitchen after 7:00 a.m. but I am still yo-yoing and not showing a significant weight loss. I do feel better from the exercise, but need to get serious and eat mindfully. Going on vacation really opens your eyes to how much we center our recreational times around eating. So starting today, I am planning to remove some of the comfort foods from my diet permanently until I get my weight under control. The first to go is salty snacks like potato chips, pretzels and popcorn. I will replace them with fruit and veggie snacks. I have been eating the lower salt chips or baked chips, but still have a problem with swelling in my legs, so the salty stuff is history! Good bye! Good Riddance! Hello healthier me!
Have a wonderful day everyone and remember to
ROCK ON!
Since all the News is prevalent with stories of Flu and Flu shots, I will share my Flu poem with you. This was written one day many years ago when I had one of those flus that brought you to your knees for a couple of weeks. We had no flu shots then...
Ode To The Flu
Oh Flu, you ignominious disparager of health,
What insidious glee do you derive from
bringing humanity to its knees?
Not one of us is safe from you.
What good is wealth?
What care you for our feeble-minded attempts
to stifle your ever prevailing sneeze?
Must you nauseate our bellies and fuzzy up our heads
with a dizzy spell?
Is it necessary to make Pepto-Bismol manufacturers rich
And us poor Peons miserable? Oh Hell!
Be damned you parasite of human frailty!
I refuse to bend to your command
I'll fight you to your death...or mine
You will not get the upper hand!
But alas, I do not think I'll be able
to see you to your tomb today.
But if I ever get out of this bathroom, Beware!
Because I may!!
JPH
November 1975
Plan for today:
Breakfast: Tea and toast
Snack: granola bar
Lunch: Salad
Snack: apple and cheese
Dinner: Stir Fry veggies and pork over brown rice
Snack: jello
Kitchen closed!
Exercise: Worked out at the gym for 50 minutes, Mr. G's list, evening Yoga
My friend and side kick had a knee replacement last week, so I sent her a card every day letting her know our progress and hoping to raise her spirits. What a time we had trying to find mailboxes. Remember when they were at every grocery store and strip mall? They have virtually disappeared in Massachusetts and Connecticut. We only found mailboxes at Post Offices and there are not to many of them on the major highways. So Hubbie and I began listing all the things that our great grandchildren will never see:
Ranger Rick Decoder rings; souvenir cards in shredded wheat boxes; prizes in cereal or cracker jacks; covered bridges; telephone booths; party lines; television tubes; roof antennas; record players; cassettes or 8 track; maybe even cd's; Newspapers?; DVD rental stores??; VCR's;
The list can go on and on and I bet all of you could add a few. I guess with progress comes change, but it sure is hard to give some of these things up when they have been such a part of our lives. I wonder what changes there will be in the next 50 years. If newspapers and books get replaced with electronic devices and readers, what happens if there is a major longterm power outage. When all of us old timers are gone that know how to add, subtract and multiply without the aid of calculators, are people going to be helpless when the cash registers don't tell them how much change to give back? Or is money going to be obsolete too. If all the computers break down then or the satellites disappear, how will they be able to buy food and necessities? My mind is totally boggled thinking about it. I love all the new gadgets, but I hope people will never forget how to live off the land, just in case...
I have vowed today to start the next phase in the baby step changes I have been making on my weight loss journey. I have increased my exercise and closed the kitchen after 7:00 a.m. but I am still yo-yoing and not showing a significant weight loss. I do feel better from the exercise, but need to get serious and eat mindfully. Going on vacation really opens your eyes to how much we center our recreational times around eating. So starting today, I am planning to remove some of the comfort foods from my diet permanently until I get my weight under control. The first to go is salty snacks like potato chips, pretzels and popcorn. I will replace them with fruit and veggie snacks. I have been eating the lower salt chips or baked chips, but still have a problem with swelling in my legs, so the salty stuff is history! Good bye! Good Riddance! Hello healthier me!
Have a wonderful day everyone and remember to
ROCK ON!
Since all the News is prevalent with stories of Flu and Flu shots, I will share my Flu poem with you. This was written one day many years ago when I had one of those flus that brought you to your knees for a couple of weeks. We had no flu shots then...
Ode To The Flu
Oh Flu, you ignominious disparager of health,
What insidious glee do you derive from
bringing humanity to its knees?
Not one of us is safe from you.
What good is wealth?
What care you for our feeble-minded attempts
to stifle your ever prevailing sneeze?
Must you nauseate our bellies and fuzzy up our heads
with a dizzy spell?
Is it necessary to make Pepto-Bismol manufacturers rich
And us poor Peons miserable? Oh Hell!
Be damned you parasite of human frailty!
I refuse to bend to your command
I'll fight you to your death...or mine
You will not get the upper hand!
But alas, I do not think I'll be able
to see you to your tomb today.
But if I ever get out of this bathroom, Beware!
Because I may!!
JPH
November 1975
Plan for today:
Breakfast: Tea and toast
Snack: granola bar
Lunch: Salad
Snack: apple and cheese
Dinner: Stir Fry veggies and pork over brown rice
Snack: jello
Kitchen closed!
Exercise: Worked out at the gym for 50 minutes, Mr. G's list, evening Yoga
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Health Trek Day 28
I have a confession to make. I like to play cards, but just don't seem to get together with friends like I used to. Everyone has such busy lives nowadays and our entertainment is the boob tube that we are all glued to most of our free time. So I play Hearts on my computer each morning and have really gotten to know my computer adversaries. My game strategy is to go after the Black Queen of Spades. If I get her dealt to me, I usually keep her so I know right where she is and I can get rid of her at the first opportunity. You have to short suit yourself so when someone plays a suit you don't have, wham! You lay the Queen of spades on 'em. Ouch! I face Life the same way. If there is a problem in my life, I lay it right out there where I can see it. I check all my options and figure the best way to get rid of the problem then wham! Do what has to be done. I have been pretty successful most of my life treating the bumps in Life's road in this manner. Sometimes you get a bump you can't smooth out and you have to ride with it for awhile. That's when you get your support group to come along and help. I guess losing weight is like that. It's not a bump I've been able to just jump over and move on. It keeps following me or dragging me with it. I have my totes of clothes I keep hoping to fit into and my totes of clothes I don't dare throw away because I might get back up there again! So how do I get over this bump. I think back to when we were kids and how many times the only thing we had to eat in the house was the tomatoes my mother canned (I always wondered why they called it canning, when she put them in all those glass jars??). She would buy day old bread and fill the freezer. Get damaged vegetables from the local farmers in exchange for the homemade wine that she made and spend all Fall canning in her spare time. I used to get to cut all the bad spots from the veggies. Anyway, sometimes all we had to eat were the canned goods and bread and butter. There were seven of us kids, 6 boys and me the only girl. My Mom worked as a waitress, and sometimes she would scrape the leftover steak off of peoples plates that her customers didn't finish and bring it home. She told her boss she was bringing it home to feed the dog, but she actually would make it into stew to feed us hungry kids. So when I overeat now, I know I am not doing it for all the kids in China or the starving children in Europe, I am doing it for that little kid inside of me that used to fantasize about having a whole steak to herself. When I shop I buy more than I need because I can't stand to have the cupboards bare. I cook as if I still had to feed those seven children, so always have leftovers in the fridge. So this morning I decided it is time to face the Queen of Spades and acknowledge that I do not have to feed the child any longer. I need to love her and cherish her and let her know that she is valued in this life and needs to take care of herself.
I picked up my Grandson from school yesterday and when he saw me he was walking with his teacher. His face lit up and he pronounced, "That's my Nana!" Later my friend Gwen and I took him to buy a Happy Meal, and Ben looked at her very seriously and said, Do you have a Grandfather? When Gwen said no, Ben said, "I have a very nice grandfather." This made me realize how important we are. I need to be here to see that little fellow grow up and help make some very special memories with him. So today I say goodbye to the ghost of the Child I was, and hello to the vibrant, healthy Grandmother I want to be for Ben!
Our camper is packed, we are headed out at first light tomorrow morning to start another adventure on the road. I will be thinking about the BLOG and taking some notes to talk about when i get back. Expect my next one to be on or about the 28Th of October. In the meantime, everyone,
ROCK ON!
Today's poem is dedicated to Ben, my youngest grandchild (5 years old)
A Face In The Window
Every time I drive away
After a day of fun and play,
I see your face pressed to the pane,
And wish that I could just remain.
I wish that I could stay the age I am,
So I could see you become a man
I fear that when you're big and tall,
I won't be on this earth at all.
Will you remember angels in the snow?
Watching the birds fly high and low?
Will you recall swimming in the lake,
Four candles on your birthday cake?
The walks we took with your hand in mine
are etched in memory for all time.
But you are so young my lovely boy
Time will erase your childish joy
When you bounce your child upon your knee
Will there be a fleeting thought of me?
And when you tuck him into bed,
Will you tell him the stories we once read?
I love you now, and I will love you then.
Once I leave the world of Men,
I will see you from afar
And be your Angel, your shining star!
Love to Benjamin from Nana
January 7, 2008
Plan for today:
Breakfast: Tea and plain doughnut, cup of fruit
Snack: jello
Lunch: chicken soup
Snack: apple and cheese
Dinner: Refrigerator leftovers (We are getting rid of all the stuff so we can leave for a week)
Kitchen still closing at seven!
Exercises: Walking DVD; Mr. G's list; Yoga
Have a wonderful, healthy, week.
I picked up my Grandson from school yesterday and when he saw me he was walking with his teacher. His face lit up and he pronounced, "That's my Nana!" Later my friend Gwen and I took him to buy a Happy Meal, and Ben looked at her very seriously and said, Do you have a Grandfather? When Gwen said no, Ben said, "I have a very nice grandfather." This made me realize how important we are. I need to be here to see that little fellow grow up and help make some very special memories with him. So today I say goodbye to the ghost of the Child I was, and hello to the vibrant, healthy Grandmother I want to be for Ben!
Our camper is packed, we are headed out at first light tomorrow morning to start another adventure on the road. I will be thinking about the BLOG and taking some notes to talk about when i get back. Expect my next one to be on or about the 28Th of October. In the meantime, everyone,
ROCK ON!
Today's poem is dedicated to Ben, my youngest grandchild (5 years old)
A Face In The Window
Every time I drive away
After a day of fun and play,
I see your face pressed to the pane,
And wish that I could just remain.
I wish that I could stay the age I am,
So I could see you become a man
I fear that when you're big and tall,
I won't be on this earth at all.
Will you remember angels in the snow?
Watching the birds fly high and low?
Will you recall swimming in the lake,
Four candles on your birthday cake?
The walks we took with your hand in mine
are etched in memory for all time.
But you are so young my lovely boy
Time will erase your childish joy
When you bounce your child upon your knee
Will there be a fleeting thought of me?
And when you tuck him into bed,
Will you tell him the stories we once read?
I love you now, and I will love you then.
Once I leave the world of Men,
I will see you from afar
And be your Angel, your shining star!
Love to Benjamin from Nana
January 7, 2008
Plan for today:
Breakfast: Tea and plain doughnut, cup of fruit
Snack: jello
Lunch: chicken soup
Snack: apple and cheese
Dinner: Refrigerator leftovers (We are getting rid of all the stuff so we can leave for a week)
Kitchen still closing at seven!
Exercises: Walking DVD; Mr. G's list; Yoga
Have a wonderful, healthy, week.
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