Good Morning friends, the following is a partical article taken from www.yogajournal.com/lifestyles I subscribe to the magazine and the website newsletter. Do I practice yoga..you ask???? Not really, I practice AT yoga!! I love every aspect of yoga, the stretching, the meditation, the "oneness with earth", the lack of love for material objects. So, in all reality I think I am a yogi only I am a yogi in the "clumsy form". My newsletter had this link in it this morning and considering all the constant bombardment we get everyday about the economic meltdown that not only our country but now the whole world is facing right now, I found this quite soothing and refreshing. I hope you will enjoy it also.
When Less is More
Judy Davis never buys anything new if she can help it. A 58-year-old freelance marketing consultant who lives in Red Bluff, California, she favors thrift store clothing and secondhand furniture. Instead of buying gifts, she gives plants from her garden or bags she has sewn from cut-up vintage gowns. Judy is part of a Bay Area group called the Compact. The Compacters have vowed not to buy anything new for a year except bare essentials: food, medicine, cleaning products, and underwear (although not, of course, lingerie from Paris). Although few people take frugality quite as seriously as the Compacters do, more and more of us are voluntarily cutting back on buying and consumption. Many individuals choosing this lifestyle happen to be yogis. The seminal work of yoga philosophy, Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, frowns on materialism, and some yogis find that their asana practice alone helps them be happier with less.
The pursuit of the simple life is nothing new, of course. From Quakers to Transcendentalists, America has always had its share of those who associate simplicity with spiritual growth. Back-to-the-land hippies of the '60s and '70s found simplicity appealing for more secular reasons, such as ecological sustainability. But those who practice pared-down living today are not necessarily spiritual ascetics or off-the-grid granola types. Most are ordinary people modifying their everyday behavior-trying to be conscious about what they eat, drive, and buy.
AND, yes I did enjoy my shopping at the thrift store yesterday. We will be needing a microwave for the office in a few days and we found one that has never been used and does everthing you could want it to do and it was priced at $15.00, however, we got 25% off that since Tuesdays are senior discount day. I also bought 2 more fully lined wind suits that were brand new for around $6.50 each, plus a 3/4 length sweater, shirts for hubby, a movie and my "get to goal by spring 2009" outfit that is a size 8 petite.
No gain or loss on my weight in the last couple of days as I seem to be just holding my own. Got a lot of housecleaning to do today so that will give me a LOT of physical activity. Got some new recipes for chicken that I am going to try also. I like cooking several dishes to have while we are working.....that really helps to keep me from getting caught starving and grabbing a not so healthy food.
Blessings to each of you for peace, health, happiness. Chargail
Mix a few drops of pure peppermint oil with a little baby oil and then entice hubby into giving you a full body massage......eureka....a fine, fun, mentally and physically satisfying orgasmic game and I was the winner!!. All about me day was beautiful. Haven't tried the "all about me" day??....you really don't know what you are missing. A little glass of wine, the magic oil mixture and middle of the day lovemaking.....no appropiate words are in the dictionary to fully describe this event. I have some, however, they are more like sounds than words.
OK, today is shopping day and I approach it with mixed emotions.....the grocery store I could do without but the "shopping" shopping" for whatever...I look forward to. Going to check out some of the thrift stores here in North Atlanta, usually they have fantastic bargains. The worst thing for me and grocery shopping is having to put them away when I get home...UGH!
Yesterday was a good physical and phood day for me....like my new food spelling..phood! I even cooked an apple crisp last night that was love in calories and very delicious. It is a WW recipe. Gotta do something with all these apples. Today I plan to make a chicken breast recipe with apples as well as a side dish of cabbage cooked with apples. Let you know how they turn out.
Off to shop!!! Blessings to everyone and I will be back later today to check out my buddies. Chargaile
I wrote a post last night with the above title and then I saved it as a draft since I had to stop for a little while and now..."where the h*ll did it go to??" That only slams the fact home that it was a real "hellish weekend" ending with a lost blog. We had the most rude, hateful, arrogant, ignorant, stupid, lazy, just plain sorry people here this weekend. Where did they come from?? We never have people like that or at least not very many....thank God. Maybe it is because of the halloween season and all the weirdos are surfacing.
WEIGHT UPDATE! July 17 I weighed 153.6 (totally out of control) and this morning I weighed 144.6 (getting better). My weight chart is beginning to resemble the drawing of mountain terrain.
Today (thank you Jesus) begins day one of our 3 days off. We are going to have a real play day today...just let you imagination take it where you may. This will be an all about me day!!! This is my day to be pleased and pleasured......how did I get this day???? I am a good person. I am a blessed person. Tomorrow will be a shopping day as I have several places I want to check out and then of course is the drudge shopping that I call buying groceries. But I will do the fun shopping first to get my adrenaline flowing strong. Wednesday....who knows what we will do.
I am working on a challenge to myself. I think this will have to be a weekly challenge given our work schedules. On days we are busy I would not be able to accomplish as much physical activities as I would like (unless I got my butt out of bed before 8 AM) and that is not likely. NOW that would be a challenge within itself. Lauralynn has so graciously volunteered to be my buddy during this time. I would be accountable to her for meeting my goals.
We have a vcr/dvd player to take to the office so I can play some of the watp, richard simmons, yoga dvd's on during my work shift when we are not busy. At least I can get in some time during workdays of exercise in addition to walking....outside walking is subject to weather conditions. I have hand weights, bands, tubing, Jack LeLane stepper.....why I have everything I need for a good workout.
I am going to work on the blueprint while I am off these 3 days and I will let you know what I end up with. I think this will be fun and I think Lauralynn can crack a whip if she has to. I want to be down at least 5 ounds before the holidays begin!!!!
Blessings to everyone for peace, happiness, health, success. Chargail
Wednesday night while visiting with the grandsons and family I was sitting on the couch and my 9 year old grandson was lying with his head in my lap and we were discussing major events, like his best friend in school getting a paddling because he got into trouble. This granny was enjoying every minute of the time I was sharing with my youngest loving little grandson when he looked up at me and reached up and lightly touched my chin and said "granny, did you know you have 2 jaws"??? NO, he did not mean jaw bones....he meant I had two chins....double chins...OMG!! I laughed my tail off at his comment. The best part was his complete innocence in what he said.
With that being said I really think I need to get a more serious plan into action to "deplete" that "double jaw" situation. I think to myself....frigg it....I have had months to do something about that "double jaw" and still have not accomplished it. So now I need to get a real plan into action. I have got to quit straddling the fence post and fall one way or the other. I have got to either pee or get off the pot. I will come up with something like maybe a challenge to myself.
Also, I need to get a plan into action to make sure that when I go back to the doctor in two months that my blood pressure is back to normal so I don't have to have an increase in my meds.
Got a call from the doctor today and all the blood work, pap smear and cultures came back NORMAL....praise God.
OK off to visit my friends. Blessings to each of you for peace and happiness. Chargail
Oh yes.....I have been a very blessed woman for about the last ummmmm...maybe 10 years....just skirting around those "stirrup" exams, however, my exempt time ran out today! Believe me, it was as bad as I remembered..with the fingers here, fingers there, fingers everywhere OMG. I wanted to tell the doctor that my sweet hubby didn't want another man, including him (doctor) to be feeling my boobies or fingering his little gold mine ( notice I specified the word little) but hubby wouldn't let me.
I think all the results will come back A-OK since his feeling and probbing didn't raise any flags...(I don't thing LOL).
We had a great trip with the grandsons, daughter and son-in-law. My daughter Michele cooked a delicious and healthy dinner for us last night. She fixed a tabouli salad that was "out of this world" along with moroccan chicken served over couscous. I can provide the recipes for anyone who would like to try them.
Well, my weight was up a little today but I know that the culprit is salt. I don't normally eat a lot of salt, matter of fact, I use very little salt when I cook but over the last week I have been doing more "eating out" than I normally do and that always ends in weight or maybe I should say fluid gain.
I should be back to a normal routine in the next few days and that should help.
Forgot to mention that I have to go back to the doctor in two months to have my blood pressure re-evaluated since it was up quite a bit today. I do think it was the salty foods over the last week and I sorta think maybe the doctor agreed. At first he mentioned increasing my bp meds but then said he would re-check in 2 months and see how it was then. Also got to get a mammogram done around the same time.
Blessings to each of you for success, happiness, health and much peace in your lives. Chargail
OK, today begins the 2nd day of my 64th year on this planet we call earth. Now, to make the most of this day I need to get off this computer, eat a light and healthy breakfast, shower, get dressed and pack a few things and head out of town. We have so much to get accomplished once we get to Eufaula and the longer I delay.....then you know the routine....THE LONGER IT TAKES TO GET FINISHED.
I did have a good active day yesterday and the food intake was fabulous until last night when I blew that with an apple pie that I got this past weekend......ummmm....can I count that as a fruit???? I would think so since it was made from fresh apples....and what about the grease the pie was fried in....ummmmm....can I count that as a healthy oil??? I don't see why not since it was oil....I am beginning to see the GOOD in my fried pie and that SCARES me.
Everyone have a blessed day and I will see you when we return which will be later this week. Chargail
This is about what my doctor will be telling me when I go for my physical on Wednesday!!!!
Knowing this will probably be the verdict of my physical I started back walking for at least 30 to 45 minutes a day on Saturday. I also got in at least 45 minutes on Sunday.
My weight is down a couple of pounds this morning, however, it is about 8 pounds higher that it was the last time I had a doctors visit. I have not been to the doctor since January of this year and I only went then to get bloodwork done that he insisted I do in order for him to give me refills on my meds. Honestly, that is the only reason I am going for this physical because "no more" refills until I get a physical done for my charts.
LONG gone are the days you go to the doctor JUST because you are sick, now it is like cleaning teeth.....must be done every 6 months at least, sick or not. Stuff like this answers questions as to "why is our medical insurance so high"....because the doctor must see you....sick or not.
We will get to see our daughter, son-in-law and 3 of our grandsons since we will be spending the night with them while in Eufaula for the doctors visit. I talked with her last night and they are all excited that we will be there on Tuesday. Will be a short visit, however, it is always so go to get to see them. The boys 15, 13 & 9 are going so fast, the two oldest are 6' now!
Yesterday was a good food day for me and I plan to make today another one. My daughter is taking "healthy cooking and eating classes" in Eufaula and she told me last night she plans to fix a salad for supper on Tuesday night that she wants me to try....not the traditional salad but a very unique and healthy one. Real anxious to give it a try.
Blessings to each of you for health, happiness, success and peace in your lives. Chargail
We just got back home this evening from a two day/one night trip that hubby took me on in an effort to "pick my spirits up" and I must say it worked. Just getting away from one's environment sometimes will help get the mind cleared out.
We went to Ellijay, GA which is the "apple" capital of Georgia and then to Blue Mountain, GA which is the "Georgia version of Gatlinburg, TN". We had a great time both days and had a very, very romantic night in an Inn located high on a mountain with a gorgeous view.
Of course I did not do very well in the eating department but I did buy a LOT of apples from the apple farms. I ended up buying a half bushel each of Rome, Red Delicious, Mutsu and Winesap apples. THAT is LOTS of apples. What was I thinking??? I don't know but I will be sharing apples with the other couple we work with here at the park and I will take some to my daughter when we go for a visit this week. I also bought apple cider, fried apple pies....OMG....there goes all the walking I did.
I love apples as there is something so comforting about them. They remind me of christmas time when I was a child and we had all the apples we wanted. My mother use to make christmas cakes and put them in lard cans with bright red apples to help flavor them leaving them sealed in the cans for about 3 weeks. Apples to me mean warmth, love, comfort and happiness.
Tomorrow begins a new day of recovery from the several days of overeating. The scales will reveal the damage and I will deal with it from there.
Blessings to each of you for happiness, health and peace of mind. Chargail
Mount Everest is the highest point in the world while the lowest point is Bentley Subglacial Trench.........my emotions went from one point to the other is just a 24 hour period. How do I feel after that ungodly extreme.....like HELL. What did I do during that time....EAT that extreme....oh yes that is what I did. I ate 2 whole box of 100 calorie oreo cookies packets (12 total) and a whole can of unsalted, natural almonds (9 ounces).
Do you see the irony in my eating all those bags of "100 calorie" cookies. I actually found myself thinking "it's only 100 calories"...well, yes it is only 100 calories per pack but total it is 1200 total calories when you eat two boxes!!
My "Everest" yesterday was the birth of my Great Granddaughter" and my Bently was the loss of a little stray dog that I had been nuturing back to health for several days. No, it was not a death loss but a loss of the innocent one into the hands of someone that I thought would care for it only to find out that they did not have the same plans.
I can almost hear the laughter coming from some people that don't know the first thing about the love of an animal from God's kingdom. Pet animals are the first to love you unconditionally.....we as humans could learn a lot from them.
What does this have to do with weightloss???? everything....as everything about us is controlled by our emotions. We over eat because of emotions, we under eat because of emotions, we abuse ourselves because of emotions and we abuse others because of emotions. EMOTIONS....they control everything we do.
My Tuesday 9/24/08 was filled with laughter, tears, happiness, hatred, self loathing, anger at my fellow man, anger at myself but worst of all anger at God. My repentance must begin.
Blessings to each of you for HAPPINESS, health, wealth and peace in this vapor that we call our life. Chargail
Transgender is the state of one's "gender identity" (self-identification as woman, man, or neither) not matching one's "assigned sex" (identification by others as male or female based on physical/genetic sex). "Transgender" does not imply any specific form of sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or asexual. The precise definition for transgender remains in flux.
NOW, you wonder why I am doing a post on transgender. Here is the story.
16 months ago my then 24 year old GRANDDAUGHTER called me and said "grandma, I am gay". I was not shocked, matter of fact, I had suspected it for several years but would not say anything until she confirmed it. I did tell her while talking that I felt like I already knew that she was and of course she was relieved that she did not have to endure a lot of questions.
Fast forward to 3 months ago when we received a letter from our now 25 year old GRANDCHILD telling us that after several months of counseling and researching and dealing with turmoil within herself that she realized that she was not gay after all, that she is actually a transgender person. After extensive counseling and research she came to the realization that she is actually "male gender" born into a "female body".
The process of transformation of the body from female to male is an undertaking that she began in the spring of this year. She has to take daily shots of the male hormones and of course her looks and features as well as the voice has taken on male traits.
This past Monday she had the surgery to remove both of her breasts.
NOW, I have spent the last 25 years of referencing my first born grandchild as "she" however, my firstborn grandchild IS no longer a SHE but a HE.
I would be deceiving both you and myself to say that this has not been a tramatic situation in my life and without God's help I could not have come to the point that I have come to. I love my "first born grandchild" with all my heart and I don't understand everything there is to understand about this. Who knows, maybe I will someday but there is the chance that I won't. Bottom line is this.....this is my grandchild....take away the outward appearance.....this still remains my grandchild....and that soul and spirit withing that child is what I love, understand and cherish.
God never puts more on us than He gives us the strength to bear. May each of your blessings be many and may He provide your needs and give you much happiness. Chargail
. All about me day was beautiful. Haven't tried the "all about me" day??....you really don't know what you are missing. A little glass of wine, the magic oil mixture and middle of the day lovemaking.....no appropiate words are in the dictionary to fully describe this event. I have some, however, they are more like sounds than words.
NO, he did not mean jaw bones....he meant I had two chins....double chins...OMG!! I laughed my tail off at his comment. The best part was his complete innocence in what he said. 
