It's ours (and the bank's)!

 We closed yesterday. I took some photos so you could see why we felt the carpet and painting needed to be addressed immediately.

Not shown: the results of the initial pest control after discovering the roach infestation. Sigh.

House pictures

I think these are fairly self explanatory as to what is what. You will notice this is A LOT different from our last house! This house is NOT my style. But it is newer (important to my spouse who was tired of dealing with wiring and plumbing older than us), the neighborhood is small but nice, and the back yard is a good size. The bones are good and eventually it will be more my style, but it's going to take a while.

So here we are:

View from front door.

View of the front door.

Living, dining, kitchen is one open floor plan. 

The master bedroom is immediately to the left as you walk in. To the right is the coat closet and door to the garage. It has a walk in closet and master bath with soaking tub. I'm not a huge fan of the master facing the front of the house, but we have that nice little enclosed patio out front which adds a layer of privacy. I also plan to add some plants to further block the window.

Moving back out to the living area, you can see off to the right there are doors to a bedroom, a bathroom, and then a little landing where the stairs are and a second guest bedroom.

This is the guest room that is the last door on the right - the windows face the backyard so this is going to to be the home office.

This is the hall bath

And on the other side of the landing at the bottom of the stairs is a third bedroom.

Those windows face the side of a neighboring house, so this will be a guest room.

Then there is a bonus room (FROG) above the 2 car garage.

And then the back yard. They had a trampoline and a pool,  so the grass isn't in great shape and there is no real landscaping. But it's a mostly blank slate!

So that's it. The people had 4 kids (as you can tell by the paint colors). The walls and carpets are in terrible shape. They had already dropped the price and it had been on the market 30+ days when we looked at it the first time. A lot of that is that people don't seem to want projects - they want turn key. So we got 13k off the price for a floor and paint allowance. Next time you see photos the carpet will be gone and everything will be painted. Closing is May 31, then we'll have the floor & paint people in, and then we'll start moving our stuff in!

The end is in sight

 Closing is set for May 31. Floor deposit made so we can get it ordered. Getting a second quote on paint.

Still crazy, but getting there

 So the appraisal came in low and we had to renegotiate, but it looks like we have a good contract, now for the lender to wrap up and for us to set a closing date. We will have a house by the end of the month!

Crazy

 I haven't abandoned this blog, its just that between work, life, the house, etc. I don't have a lot of brain left over. I'm ok and will be back to posting more frequently soon!

We're under contract

 Yep, made an offer on a house!! 

The weight of my weight

I'm up 5 pounds in 2 weeks. That's not good but in my brain it feels like 50. I'm tired of being weighed down by my weight, you know? 

I was okay until I wasn't

 Yeah, really bad week. Mentally struggling. Emotional eating. Exercise = ??? Dog training = abject failure. I think I have been beaten by a 10 pound chihuahua.

On the plus:

• I did my skin care
• I moved the kettlebell to the bedroom and I swung it some
• We are looking at a house tonight
• I ate a salad for lunch (I need veggies!)
• I signed the waiver to get my colonoscopy results from old place sent to new place so I can schedule

So not horrible. I did some adulting.

You can lead a horse to water (and I got on the scale)

 First off, the scale. Yes, I did some pretty major emotional eating, but I'm down 0.2 pounds. So that's not great, but not terrible.

So after my husband put together a spreadsheet with 3 months of their spending, the response he got back from his son was "yeah, we know what the issues are. we'll take care of it."  Um, please. If it were that easy we'd all be debt free with money in savings. So just an example, they made 1 car payment in 3 months, but spent $900 on DoorDash. Dude, these people should be working for DD, not ordering it!

I have no intention of giving them money ever again.

Just ugh.

Other than that I'm ok. Going over to my bestie's tomorrow to do some costuming. So that will be fun!

Take care.

The silver lining

 I know I left stuff in a bit of a cliff hanger. It's been busy at work and I'm out of spoons (as the young people say).

The silver lining is that hub and I are on the same page when it comes to the kids. We told them we wouldn't give them money, but we'd sit down with them and have zoom calls and review their finances and help them figure their own shizz out. Hub and I both took financial peace and while we don't follow it religiously, we're both pretty good about having a budget.

Food is pretty good, I'm doing a lot of walks with the dog (3 or so miles per day). That's about all I have right now. We started dog training with the dogs (another wholes story there) and we have nightly homework. So my plate is pretty dang full.

Do the best you can with what you got.

Just ugh

 So, yeah the funeral was every bit as sad as you expect for a 26 year old who should have his whole life ahead of him. 

Then last Tuesday my best friend's dad was crushed to death under a tractor. They did not have a good relationship, he was not a good person, and she felt about as welcome as a tick at a dog show at the hillbilly hot mess that was the funeral weekend.

Oh, and my stepson and his wife had their car repoed, so naturally they came running to the first bank of dad. The same dad who JUST paid off the $1200 fridge they put on our Lowe's card. His mom had offered them a free fridge, but apparently that isn't what they wanted..... We just found out about the free fridge and we are both pissed. So yeah.

I'm in a crappy place.

Fiber

 In reading about reducing cholesterol, fiber kept coming up as being important. For me this is a twofer: in order to eat more foods with fiber you are crowding out more highly processed foods. 

Since I am able to prep and eat here at the house and I prefer to eat at home anyway, this felt doable. But I've actually never intentionally tracked my fiber! I use the free version of myfitnesspal, but I was able to poke around and find where I could see my fiber intake for the day. The standard recommendation is 25-30 grams per day - yesterday I had 27. 

This does mean I'm going to need to log my food, but since I eat a lot of the same (or very similar things) it shouldn't be too difficult. 

Take care.

Annual physical

 So I had my annual physical last week.  My 2 big take aways were: my A1C is creeping up and kissing pre diabetic. My cholesterol is higher than she wants. 

Time to get serious.

Hard

 My son's best friend passed away Friday afternoon after a hard fought battle with cancer. He is gone far too soon.

Almost there!

 I have been dancing around in the 200 - 208 range since early September. With all the stress its understandable. But now that warmer weather is here, I am motivated and feeling good, and feel like I'm close to getting into my groove, I weighed 200.2 this morning. I'm about to cross a big line for me, and I'm excited!!!

Back and back at it

 We had a wonderful time! The Outer Banks are really special. If you've never been, highly recommend! We had a lovely time but it's nice to be home and be getting back into a routine. 

I didn't go too off the railes, I enjoyed myself but made generally good choices. Now I'm back home and back to walking the dog, going to the gym, and being more careful about my food.

It feels good to go away and not go off the deep end.

Take care!

Vacation

 Happy Valentine's Day! Some friends are arriving today from Alaska, so I am taking a long weekend/ short vacation and heading up the coast to the outer banks. I hope you have a great day & weekend!

Surprise!

Day 2 back at boot camp. I didn't even know how much I missed the gym until I went back.

I logged my weight (I'm trying to only weigh a couple of times per week so the scale doesn't may me cray cray). I thought "eh a little over a pound." Nope, a little over 2 pounds. I hate that slow & steady wins the race, but at least I'm making progress. Now to stay the course Sunday.

Take care. 

Back in the saddle again

 I went back to boot camp after an 8 day hiatus. It was hard, but it also felt good. I am still sniffly, but I feel like I am (finally) on the mend. I don't know if it was time or the antibiotics, but either way I'll take it.

It's in the 70s here - for a couple of days at least. That means a lunchtime walk at the beach. Yes! I might survive winter. :-)

Take care.

Over 2 weeks

 I broke down and went to the urgent care over the weekend. I have antibiotics and I'm feeling some better, but I still have congestion and my energy level is just bleh.

I want to feel better!!!

Another post!

 Lol. I haven't been a very faithful blogger lately, but here I am again.

First, thank you for the comments. It's makes me feel better to know that others noticed as well about Sean. He had such a big heart and yes, he loved both his brother (who passed many years ago) and his mom who recently passed. I think it was the three of them against the world when he was a kid.

I went to the doctor on Sunday. The congestion just kept getting worse and I was keeping myself awake with the coughing. I have antibiotics and a night time cough medicine that knocks me out. I am not up for boot camp but I'm at least able to get out and walk the dog. I can't walk both, but I can get out so that's something.

Anyway, here's to hoping this stuff clears up soon!

Shock

 For those of us that have been blogging for quite a while, you probably read Sean Anderson's blog at some point. Losing weight every day was his story about losing a lot of weight, regaining a lot, and losing it again and then keeping it off. His blog was very personal and his passion for family, life, and being his best self came through. I just found out he passed suddenly and unexpectedly in late December. We emailed back and forth several times and I feel like I've lost a friend. It's so weird. My heart goes out to his girls - they and his grandkids were his world. We really never know how much time we have.

I've stayed off the scale until today, choosing to focus on getting my head into a good place and making what feels like good choices. Despite a 3 day trip to Savannah I lost a minuscule amount of weight. I can live with that. But I do feel like it's time to get more serious, so I'm going to begin logging food into my fitness pal for a few days to see where I am. Am I making mistakes or are my mini vacations eroding what would otherwise be success?

I walked for an hour yesterday despite the fact that the cold I had last week has morphed into a persist wet cough. I don't feel bad, but it's def affecting my breathing - boot camp Wednesday sucked. Walking was better. Today is rainy and yucky so I will head to Anytime and walk on the elliptical today.

Take care.

A good place

 This past weekend I took a day off work and my bestie and I went to Savannah for a girls' getaway weekend. It was marvelous. She especially was in dire need of a break. We both came back feeling refreshed, renewed, and motivated.

Right now I am focused on getting out and walking, getting to boxing bootcamp a minimum of 3 times per week and eating plenty of fiber and vegetables. I am feeling better, sleeping better, and my mental health is my better. I know that's a result of several factors, but for the first time in years I feel like I'm in a really good place.

Not much new

 Going to the gym, scale slowly headed down. I am going to Savannah with my bestie for a long weekend. Still loving the boxing gym.

Going well

 Still loving the gym, eating pretty well, scale slowly going down.

Love my gym

 I'm not always excited about going to the gym, but I always feel amazing when I leave. I did 3 visits week 1, 4 last week, and my goal for this week is 5. I am really enjoying it and I'm so glad I joined.

My son's gf did my nails and they are making typing tough. Too long! I need her to trim them down when she gets back in town from her business trip. First world problems. Lol

Have a good week!

Good week

 If I tell you that it has been a successful week and that I lost 0.2 pounds would you be confused? 

We went out of town last weekend and to say that our diets went off the rails would be a massive understatement. Monday I was up nearly 4 pounds from Friday.

I nearly gave up. I nearly quit on my 6 week challenge at the gym. I told myself I couldn't be successful so I might as well quit. I sulked. I pouted. Then I kept at it. I tightened my diet up a bit and upped my water. I got back in the gym and worked hard. I dropped 4 pounds and ended slightly under where I was last Friday.

I don't know whether I will successfully complete the 6 week challenge, but I won't quit on myself.

Catching up

 Post holidays have been a bit of a blur - getting back into the swing of things at work and T getting back into the swing of work! So it's been a while. I know there aren't very many bloggers out there any more, but I still much prefer blogs over Fb or Instagram. I guess I like the boring back story. :-) So anyway, for those of you still around, here goes. :-)

My ex moved to Missouri and his brother lives in Maryland. His mom had moved to Kernersville to be closer to us, but of course over the years we have all moved away. Her relationship with both her sons is lousy and while she isn't my favorite person, my mom couldn't stand the thought of her being alone at Christmas, so she spent the holiday with us again this year. The situation doesn't bother T, but she is a fairly annoying person so having her here is not the most relaxing part of the holiday. Having said that, T jokes that he's the son she always wanted - she thinks he is terrific, so that helps.

I signed up for a 6 week challenge at Cape Fear Boxing. Who says you can't buy discipline? LOL. I love it! It's a boot camp and the folks there (employees and members) are really cool. I'm enjoying it! It is really helping keep me on track. We were out of town this weekend and my diet went off the rails, but the accountability of the challenge helped me to get right back on the wagon.

Living with my mom is going pretty well and I am thankful to be able to say that. Not only is it helping us save money to put even more down when we do find a house, but its just nice to go to the thrift shops or beach or sit down and have lunch. 

Work is going okay - the company as a whole is experiencing some growing pains but it's still a great place to work and I love my team.

My weight is terrible but I am doing something about it and I believe I can be successful.

My husband is doing Optavia (formerly Medifast) and has lost over 25 pounds so far! I couldn't do it, but I'm super proud of him. 

So he's eating a "lean & green" for dinner - which he generally prepares (although I may hand him say hot chicken and green beans for him to doctor). I try to provide some of the basics based on what we are having. I generally cook for me & mom (mom isn't a huge fan of cooking and is content to let me cook & she will clean). My son's best friend has cancer. I have to say the prognosis isn't good. It's awful. I mention it because in addition to his medical limitations on eating, he has a diet proscribed by and eastern medicine doctor. So I have been cooking for him as well and sending over meals. So yeah, a LOT of cooking. It feels like tetris some days, but I'm thankful I am able to help out in some way.

In any case, my life is dogs, cooking, gym, reading on my kindle, and trying to get together with my bestie. We have a girls weekend getaway to Savannah planned at the end of the month.

Life is good.

Take care.

Back in the saddle

 Well the holidays were stressful and I gained weight. My ex-MIL was here, and yes, she's as annoying as ever. 

Having said that, T got a job and started today. I found a gym I think I'm going to love. So things are looking up! Upward and onward!

Friday weighday

 I was down 1.3 pounds so that feels pretty good. If I can lose at that rate I know I'll start feeling it pretty soon. I'm currently 202.9 - looking forward to crossing under that magic 200 number.

Having said that, this is a busy weekend of travel. We have an SCA holiday party, heading back to our former part of the state to cook lunch at church one final time, and getting together to celebrate Christmas with T's family. I'm trying to have a good plan in place so that I don't cave and go overboard with the food.

The holidays can be a tough time for weight loss but I'm hoping I can manage to keep my current good habits.

Take care!

Not a bad week

 Work has been super busy this week as folks try to get stuff in under the wire before people start going out on vacation. Despite that I have managed to walk the dog every day, get to the gym one day, and keep my food in check. It's not breaking any land speed records, but the scale is slowly moving down and that feels fantastic. I'm starting to feel more in control. Water is going well so I feel like next week I'll be ready to tackle a new habit: regular trips to the gym.

One change at a time.

Monday already?

 Gosh, I was busy & forgot to post Friday!

My weight was down to 204.2, but its up to 204.9 this morning. I had a crappy eating day Saturday, but I did much better yesterday. 

I'm (finally) going to the gym today after joining 2 weeks ago today! No excuses - first I didn't have any energy and then I just got busy and didn't make it a priority.

Have a good day!

Ugh

 I got on the scale Friday. I didn't cry, but it was close. 205.8

The tortoise and the hare

 Well we are here and somewhat settled in. There are several boxes in the garage that need to be unpacked & sorted out, but overall we are in a good place. The weekend getaway was pretty much as fun yet tiring as I expected.

In a rather timely coincidence, I received an email/newsletter from Nerd fitness titled "Success secrets: one habit at a time" about the importance of changing and mastering habits one at a time rather than upending your whole lifestyle. Currently the husband and I are a perfect example of polar opposite plans.

T started Optavia (formerly Medifast) Yesterday. He is off soda, caffeine, sugar, and on a very low calorie, low carb diet. He is pretty much as miserable as you would expect. I will say that he has done this and been successful in the past. Successful in the sense that he lost a lot of weight on the diet, but failed to transition off appropriately or make permanent lifestyle changes, so of course he's gained nearly all of it back. I'm hoping this time it will stick. 

My "lifestyle" had devolved largely into chaos by the end of the move/ first week here. I was mentally, emotionally, and physically overwhelmed and exhausted. Not taking care of myself was only making it worse but I was stuck in a vicious cycle. I felt the move was the perfect opportunity to break that cycle. Rather than trying to do all the things all at once, I decided to make a list of goals/ habits. Some are very small and easily bundled, others will require more effort. Not necessarily in an order, but here are the things I've thought of:

• Skin & dental care. Get better about using my skin care products (done)
• Drink more water (working on, but this one is pretty easy if I do the next one)
• No alcohol (done). Now to keep it out - so not worth the calories or yucky feeling or effect on my sleep!
• Improve my diet. This one is pretty vague, but step one is cutting out a lot of the junk, mindless snacking etc. This one sets me up for the next goal - (doing this one)
• Start tracking my food. Find a plan and stick with it. To that end I will likely
• Find a nutritionist / someone to go to for info, feedback & accountability.
• Get on the scale (I will do this Friday)
• Work on my weight. I'm uncomfortable and unhappy at my current weight.
• Join a gym (done - Anytime Fitness is right across the street from the neighborhood!)
• Start going to the gym (next week I hope)
• Find a yoga studio & sign up (next week or week after?)
• Need to start doing yoga - I am so inflexible. Its not good.
• Swing my kettlebell 
• Get the garage unpacked

Yes, that's a long list. I'm giving myself until the end of January - that feels fairly reasonable. But if its 60% done it's still forward progress, and that's what I'm aiming for here. 

Two different people, two different approaches. I hope we can both be successful - permanently this time.

Here

 Well we are here. Still need to unpack a few boxes, take some stuff over to the storage unit, and unpack the pantry items once we have some shelves set up in the garage. It's been rough, but we made it.

We are completely debt free and have a significant sum in the bank to go toward the next house. Once T has a job we can start looking!

So that part is exciting!

Life at the UPS store

 Yeah, my house is still box land. Packing continues. Progress feels so slow right now. I'm down to the last bits, a lot of which needs to go to the house with us. I'm still using some of it and .. I'm tired. I just want this down. My husband and I have a trip to Asheville scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend and I just want to laze around and do nothing. Oh well. It'll be nice. Right now even a vacation sounds like work! lol. 

But I'm still here. Operation "Fresh start" begins on Friday December 2, with me getting on a scale and joining a gym. I don't know how much I'll be posting, but take care of yourselves and happy Thanksgiving if I don't write again before that.

Thank you

 Thank you for the kind comments. Yes, this is only temporary. And how blessed am I that I have family resources to gift us with the luxury of time. In the past, buying a house has meant looking at 3-4 in a day and picking one. This time we can be more intentional. 

I have been using the heck out of both my amazon kindle (thanks kindle unlimited!) as well as my bath tub. Mom's house only has a step in shower - alas I am a hard core calgon girl. Oh well.

So yes, some things I am doing well - others not so much. This is temporary and every period has its blessings and stressors. My feelings have been up and down, but I am slowly getting excited. One big plus (in addition to being close to family) is being close to my bestie. I'm not a person with a large social group - living near friends is going to be wonderful!

Take care.

Waiting for my life to start

 Things are weird. Our house is box central, a bunch of furniture is sold/ gone, and its basically chaos. We will be packed up on time. T still hasn't found a job and honestly we've been eating out a lot. I just don't feel like I have the energy or motivation to cook. I'm not exercising beyond walking the dog. I feel crappy. It's not good. 

House prices in Wilmington are coming down slightly, so we plan to stay with my mom while we take a time and find a house. I'm glad ours is sold - that's a huge weight off our mind. And I know we'll find a house, but putting my stuff into storage for an unknown period of time (again) just feels sad. My logical mind knows all the reasons this is the logical choice, but it still feels sad in a way. I don' tknow if that makes any sense. 

Anyway, just mentally struggling right now.

Take care.

The end is in sight

 Packing has slowed down this week, as we have focused on some cleaning & making it feel less crazy. And donating. This weekend we are headed out of town to go to an event and hang with some friends.So we well deserved break before we focus back down for the final dash to the finish line. Moving truck arrives morning of 19 November.

Take care.

Shifting Market

 The housing market is definitely changing. We sold our house just under asking, they came back with concessions after inspection, which we countered, which they accepted. It sold fairly quickly and painlessly, but I feel like we squeaked in under the wire. Still in packing purgatory.

Still waiting

 No news on the home sale front. I got on the scale this morning. Not happy.

Ugh

 So the buyers want a plumber to scope some of the pipes due to the inspector saying some are deteriorating? UGH

Update

Things progress. The home inspection and appraisal have taken place - the termite inspection is tomorrow. We continue to pack up. We've reserved a moving truck. It's getting real.

We continue to be impressed with Hungryroot. I can only speak to the vegan menu since that what we've been ordering, but 2 weeks in and we love it! I can send a code for $50 off if anyone is interested in trying it.

I'm tired, but I'm managing.

Take care.

Changes

Change isn't easy for me. I thrive on routine. I've just been putting my head down, focusing on the next thing and not thinking too hard about the somewhat vague future.

If you live in the U.S., then you know that the housing market has been insane. The prediction is that prices will fall into 2023, which is kind of what we are betting on. The market in our area is already slowing down - we had 6 showings in 7 days and 1 offer. That's still great, but its not the bidding war that was taking place a few months ago. I'm not complaining - just recognizing that I think we sold at the right time before missing out on a great market. I can say we sold our house for double what we paid for it 6 years ago. I can also say we put a fair amount of money and sweat equity into it!

So what's next? Our plan had been to build on land next to my bestie. We found a great builder and even put money down. But as we looked into it, we realized that land plus the house plus a garage, fence, etc. was going to be about $100k more than we wanted to spend - without any landscaping. I didn't want to spend my golden years house poor.

We're betting on the shifting market. We're already seeing houses near our target price range in the Wilmington area. So for the interim we're putting our stuff in storage and staying with my mom while we look around. I recognize we are extremely fortunate that we have a family situation that allows us to do that - my mom is excited about us staying with her for a while. We're moving our furniture into her guest room so we have our bed, her 3rd bedroom is becoming a sitting room so we can watch UFC and she can watch British mysteries. It will feel a bit cramped, but honestly? Three people in a 1800 square foot house with an outside area isn't really cramped. 

I've taken a step back from some things that matter to me (like my kettlebells) to focus on the here and now. My plan has been to focus on eating healthfully and walking the dog often. Hungryroot has been super helpful - it's been hysterical to see my husband excited about vegan food. (That's the option I chose for our boxes and so far its been amazing!). 

Friday I will climb on a scale and see where I'm at, but I'm going to try & focus on healthy mental and physical habits for now at least. If I see something too out there that plan may change.

Home inspection

 Home inspection is scheduled for Friday. Fingers crossed! We are headed back home tomorrow. Mom is going with us since she has an appointment with her surgeon. We'll likely be up there until closing, other than bringing mom back down here.

I feel like I'm in a holding pattern here - so I've bene playing solitaire and doing puzzles. :-)

Meal planning

Things have been pretty hectic. Inspection scheduled for Friday - fingers crossed! So meal planning has been ... non existent. So I decided to sign up for hungryroot. They describe themselves as being somewhere between meal kits and grocery delivery. I ordered 3 entrees, a couple of breakfasts, and we got some snacks. Overall I've been really impressed by everything we've tried!

We have a date

 We are officially under contract. Closing date is Nov 21!

Maybe baby

 We verbally accepted an offer last night. Just waiting for the paperwork. Fingers crossed!

And before

 Just for comparison, these are the pictures from the listing when we purchased the house 6 years ago.

Holding pattern

We had 2 showing requests for Friday - one with 20 minutes notice and one with 5 minutes notice. So we packed up and came to the beach. 

I declined one of those showings (I was about to start a meeting). So 1 showing Friday and 1 yesterday. Le sigh. I hope we didn't leave it too late.

In any case, mom and I are here with the dogs and T went back home to do some yard work etc. So I'm not set up down here (because once the house is under contract we'll be living there to pack up), so everything just feels in limbo. I'm not sure what to do about joining a gym or anything since I KNOW at some point I'll be gone for 6 or so weeks. 

We'll be fine, but the limbo stinks. I did sign up for hungryroot - a sort of grocery delivery/ meal kit hybrid. Trying to plan meals is a bridge too far. I'll report back.

Take care.

Listing pictures

 

In no particular order....

And we're live

 My house listing is up. So now we wait! I don't have control over what happens next, so we'll see what happens. It feels kinda like walking out of a big test, knowing you did the best you could, and just waiting for the results.

As much as I was excited about building a house near my best friend, I am now rethinking that. We aren't making any decisions right this minute, but the reality is that building what I want is going to be about $100k MORE than buying similar - and that is no paved driveway, no landscaping. So.... I dunno. It feels like I can have my dreams or a brand new "dream" house (and its not my ideal), so I'm wondering if that's the right choice.

My husband still hasn't found a job. We are toying with the possibility of doing a road camping trip prior to buying a house because it seems like a good opportunity. So much is up in the air, but that also means so many opportunities.

T minus 5 hours

 The photographer will be here in 5 hours to take the photos for our house listing. The past few days have been beyond exhausting.  Minor repairs, yard work, some painting, and of course decluttering and cleaning! But I hope it pays off in the form of a solid offer that comes in quickly. Fingers crossed.

If y'all are interested, I will share a link to the listing once it is up. I think I'd prefer to email that rather than post it on my blog though. What you you guys think?

Making progress

My son and his girlfriend came for a couple of days and helped with some maintenance type chores around the house. We've continued to pack up some extra stuff and now comes the big push to deep clean and stage before the photographer comes Tuesday afternoon. The appraiser came this past Tuesday, and the house should be listed & on the market come next Friday. So scary and exciting!

I'm not rushing the process on the new house, I know that adds time but right now I don't have the bandwidth for keeping that ball in the air.I will think about it soon. All of this has been very stress filled to say the least. I'm beginning to do a bit better, but its been a struggle. I spoke with my doctor about an antidepressant to help deal with things - especially going into winter (which I hate).

So not great, but not terrible.

Friday reflections

Good morning and happy Friday. Weight is down 2.6 pounds from last week, which is a miracle. Still no intentional exercise beyond walking the dog.

As I am packing up and getting ready to sell this house, it feels like a right time to reflect on being intentional in creating the next stage of my life. The goal is for the next house to be the last house, so beyond some obvious choices (one story & other aging in place choices), things like size of house matters as well. 

I am aggressively down sizing my furniture to minimize what gets moved & stored. While I'm keeping important family items, things I've collected and like but aren't emotionally attached to are going to go. The house we've looked at is roughly the same size as this one, but I'm wondering if we would be comfortable in a smaller one. Given that I work at home, I do need an office space, so maybe not. But size affects price, and price matters! Thankfully that isn't a decision we need to make right away.

My ideal is that I have a new house that is decluttered, which will translate to less maintenance.  The reason is that I want to be able to do more traveling - which requires money, so mortgage size matters!

The other reality I am dealing with is my husband's health. He has gained a fair bit of weight since his knee replacement surgery (much more sedentary role plus stress plus depression) and his weight definitely affects his activity level. One reason I went to Alaska alone was the simple fact that he would not have been able to do the things I wanted to to. I'm not trying to throw stones - my fitness affected what I was able to do in Alaska! 

I don't want to sound mean, I love my husband. But work demands, raising a child, etc. has meant certain dreams of mine have been deferred. I'm ready to stop deferring my dreams. If that means I do trips with women's groups or other organized travel groups or other family members and T stays home - well, that makes me sad. I'd love for him to have adventures with me, but I can't control the choices he makes around his health. We've had that discussion.

I don't know what that looks like. I need to think through that. I do know I need to set myself up for success - and that means creating a lifestyle that prioritizes physical activity and minimizes the constant sorting/ cleaning/ organizing that takes up a lot of my time now.

Have a great weekend!

Uncertainty

 I feel like I should be using this blog more than ever, but I feel so frazzled that even sitting down to write seems like an effort.

We've made some progress on packing up some stuff to declutter for photos. My son is coming Sunday to help with some of the "work" - we need to paint any exterior peeling paint, mainly the ceiling of our 3 season porch. Plus wash windows, tidy up yard, etc. A lot of manual labor, but we've been primarily focused on the interior.

It's just so huge. I'm trying to just do a bit at a time and not freak out. My goal is to have the house listed by the end of the month.

I had major sticker shock when we went to talk to a builder. Our new mortgage is going to be higher than I would like, that's for sure. But I still feel now is the time to do this.

Anyway, some days I do pretty good, other days not so much. Exercise is out the window for now, unless you count packing boxes.

Take care.

TGIF

 My surgery went ok, but my eye is pretty swollen and sore. Mom is on the mend and doing okay. House is a mess as we try to pack up to move on.

My weight is up - way up. Not happy.

Onward and downward.

Have a good weekend.

1 down, 1 to go

 I am at the hospital, waiting to take mom home. Her surgery went extremely well - even better than last time!

I'm super nervous about my surgery tomorrow - I am having a skin cancer cut out right beneath my right eyebrow. Not looking forward to anything about that.

The company is fighting husband's unemployment claim. I'm like, what????? So that sucks. Trying to get the house ready for pictures - I hate moving.  Also, house prices are crazy.

I am scared to get on the scale. That is all.

First Pennsylvania, now Alaska

 August has been vacation month! I am currently in Alaska for a week. It's amazing!

It's been crazy. So we went on our annual camping trip that was cancelled the past 2 years. Had a lovely time. Got home and my husband was laid off the new job he just started! They are having some $$ issues, and he was the newest hire, so ...  

I'm upset for him because of course he was so excited. OTOH.... We contacted a realtor and decided we are going to sell our house and move to the beach. His job was the only thing keeping us in the area, the housing market is still strong, so we're going for it. To say there is a lot on our plate is a massive understatement.

And of course there's this Alaska trip that has been planned for months. It's amazing.

Once I get back mom has her second knee surgery and I am having MOHs surgery to have a skin cancer removed. So its pretty much crazy.

Not too bad

For the first time since this whole horrid a/c saga began, I got on the scale today. I was only up 2 pounds. It's a miracle.

Now to get heading in the right direction.

 

Still here (kinda, sorta)

When last heard from, our protagonist was getting her a/c fixed and then headed for the beach with her ex-MIL in a couple of days. Things did not go as planned.....

Why no, the a/c was NOT fixed - it was more complicated than that. I finally got a/c back last Friday. It has been a rough month - my house has been generally 85 degrees and 75% humidity. Yes, we have a portable unit we used in the bedroom so I didn't die, but it's been tough.

Basically, I've managed to do my job and that's it. Too hot to use the kitchen - we ate out, bought deli food, etc. Exercise hasn't happened, it's just been survival. And spending $6k.

What else? Food has been "meh", exercise non existent, my trip with Jan (ex MIL) stressful, and I have of course used food to cope. So.... not very happy about that. 

But you know, no use crying over spilled milk.

 

Summer of crazy

 Not even sure where to start. This summer has felt crazytown.

We haven't been to Pennsic since 2019. Costumes don't fit, stuff been lost/ worn out/ given away etc.  Trying to figure out what we need to take and make sure we have everything we need. We are leaving July 29.

My back has been bothering me for the past 4-5 weeks, sometimes better sometimes worse. Why? Who knows?

The logistics of August are a nightmare.

We came home from the beach last Monday to our a/c not working. I mean, the unit works but the ducts had to be replaced. Remember the whole "couldn't get materials"? Yeah. Thankfully a family friend was able to get what they needed. After a week with no a/c they are here working on it today.

I am leaving for the beach tomorrow b/c my ex-MIL needs to get to Wilmington to get a ride to her grandson's wedding. (No, they won't drive out of the way to pick her up even though she's like 90 minutes away.) So out of town for 5 days while frantically trying to prep to essentially move for 15 days.

I've been up and down the same 2 pounds for forever now. I'm beyond frustrated. I need to reset and rethink my plan. I need to make this a priority. But that's a challenge with the crazy schedule that is August.

I haven't given up, but maybe treading water in place will have to be ok for now..... sigh.

Back, again

 Another crazy weekend that ended in self sabotage. All I can say is that t got a HUGE service award this past weekend in our hobby organization - it was a lot of work to get things ready and keep it a surprise. Also, he put in his notice at work and starts a new job next week. I'm happy for him, but change is hard for me and this is going to cause significant changes in our daily schedule. Right now he commutes 90 minutes one way, 3 times per week and works at home the other 2. New job is 25-30 minute commute one way, but he goes in every day.

He hasn't been going to the gym at all - hasn't even been bothering to ride the exercise bike at home. After my come to jesus 2 weeks ago, he is riding the bike (sometimes) but no gym. With the commute excuse removed, we'll see. Also, we planned to sell our house next spring and move to the coast, now that's up in the air since the new job is NOT remote. 

So, big changes, lots of unknowns, stress. 

I just keep trying.

Rough weekend

 I was feeling tired and stressed this weekend, and it was reflected in my eating. Today I am getting the week kicked off on a more positive note!

Return to normalcy

 Overall a pretty good week. Struggling to get back into kettlebells weirdly enough, but swimming and going to Planet Fitness for the elliptical, so calling exercise a win. Weight is down 1.6 pounds, so yay. Eating is getting back to normal.

Mom's gardenia bushes were gorgeous, so I was happy to come home to find my (much smaller) shrubs also blooming. Gardenias are my favorite flower.

My hydrangea is blooming - I wish I could capture the amazing, deep blue.

A couple of weeks ago my son had to get a pretty big shark off the line that a passenger caught. This week he caught one of his own:

Have a great weekend!

Back

 We took mom home last weekend. She is doing amazing and the doctor discharged her! So things around here are beginning to settle back in to a routine. I'm glad.

Weight was up & down for a lot of her visit, but I think I'm back headed in the right direction.

Slow & steady

 Getting food a bit more under control, gym is slowly developing into a schedule. and weight is down another half pound. Not as quick as I would like, but I'm feeling better about life in general.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Nothing new to report

 Mom is on the mend, my eating is up and down but I'm trying. I am back at the gym!!!!!!! So that my friends is HUGE progress!

A little better

 Mom went for her 2 week follow up with the doctor Wednesday. He is taking the back issue seriously, did an x-ray, and is looking at giving her a shot. In the meantime she is on more effective pain meds and is getting rest. Her knee is fantastic, its just this darn back thing!

Meanwhile..... can I just say my husband's work is a hot mess? They are super busy, never trained him, his boss is a bully.... it sucks. I keep telling him to go on LinkedIn and look for something different. Now is the time.

I went to the gym today for the first time in forever! I swam laps for 45 glorious minutes. Weight is easing back down (down 0.8 pounds this week). Still up about 4 from my lowest (this time), but better.

Have a good weekend!

The way things are

 So my mom has been here about a month so far and she's 2 weeks out from her total knee replacement. This hasn't been easy.

First they gave her some meds in the hospital that made her very sick to her stomach, then they gave her some that made her super constipated. Then she pulled a muscle in her back and had to wait 4 days to get something for that.

And she isn't supposed to be left alone, but gets upset when I call a friend over to "baby sit" or help out while I'm working. I think the need and money spent bother her. So there's so much to unpack in this situation. Add to it my husband and I have had exactly one evening to ourselves in that month (we went to dinner last night), so our relationship has taken a hit.

It's like having a newborn, but the newborn is an adult with their own feelings and agenda and fears. My weight is on the same roller coaster as my energy level and emotions. I'm just trying to hang on and not get thrown off the ride.

Argh

Y'all, its been stressful. I am not even looking at the scale, I've been stress eating like a looney, and I am feeling super frustrated with myself!!

Good week

 Hey there!

Not ghosting the blog on purpose, just been a busy week. Weight is coming down slowly. I'm not really working out - just walking dogs and doing yard work, housework, etc. 

My mom is coming this Friday - we are going to Biltmore, then she has some dr. appointments, then visiting friends, and then her knee replacement surgery is on the 26th. So I feel like stuff is happening quickly. At that point she's going to be here 7-8 weeks, so I need to prep the guest room so she has room for clothes and to be comfortable.

And its spring so yard work is happening. Anyway, just going along. Hope you all are well!

fruits and vegetables

 Good to know! https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/07/health/dirty-dozen-produce-2022-wellness/index.html

slow & steady

 I'm behind where I'd like to be with weight loss, but it continues to inch down. So I will try to be patient! I am going to the beach tomorrow (yes, again!). It's my last shot before my mom's knee surgery at the end of the month. She'll be with us at least 6 weeks, so it'll be mid to late June before I get back down that way. Can you blame me?

Take care.

Busy weekend

A friend came & stayed with us - we went to a medieval event near us. My first big thing since the pandemic started! I did okay, but by 5 I was exhausted and worn out. Sunday was a day of doing the bare minimum b/c I was just wiped out. Still not my normal self this morning, but I'm getting there. 

I'd been ignoring a volunteer position I have for nearly a month. Ouch. Today I put on my big girl panties and checked the email. I'm behind, but it isn't terrible. 

Take care.

Week of ups & downs

 My feelings have been all over the page this week. Feeling good, active, nailed my kettlebell workout Wednesday. Had a stupid argument with T yesterday, dreading my kettlebell workout today, some big changes at work (new boss, team moving to a new department) have me feeling anxious. So all over the page.

But a new (this time) low on the scale: 188.7. Yay!

Have a good weekend!

How Stella is trying to get her groove back. lol

 As much as I love having guests and going out of town, guests for 6 days after 2 years of lockdown AND a beach trip did a number on me. For two days I felt like a highly anxious zombie and I have struggled to get back into my routine. Good news is that I'm up 0.2 pounds from where I was before we left. I can live with that. 

I lifted weights this morning for the first time in 2 weeks. Ouch. I've cooked even when I didn't feel like it and chose a salad when we met my in-laws for lunch Sunday. Life is full of stuff (good and bad) that will throw you off your routine. The trick is learning to ride those waves without getting too far off course.

Take care!

Life's a beach!

 Lovely weather and I am enjoying my visit. Eating is pretty good but there is no scale so no idea whats going on there. No worries, I'll just keep on doing what I know to do and check in on Monday.

Take care!

Where I've been

 Well hello!

No, I haven't fallen into a vat of cheese dip or anything. Last week my son & gf came up for a couple of days and they helped me knock off some chores around the house that required a pickup truck.

We got rid of the old sofa (new one being delivered Friday), donated an old desk, moved my desk to a different room, set up the new desk we bought, painted and redecorated our home office (formerly the dining room), installed security cameras.... You get the idea. The before & after of the home office are up over at runs for cookies blog if you are interested. We are both very happy with how it turned out. All of the art was from around the house - stuff that wasn't being used and a couple of pieces from a different room. I'm big on shopping my home when I want to change things up.

A friend came down yesterday and we are headed to the beach this afternoon. So don't expect to hear a lot out of me! But no worries, food & exercise are going well. The extra sunlight gives me such a boost!

Last week I was down 1.4 pounds - so doing good!

Take care!

end of week

 Been a long, stressful week. Personalities and politics - they are all around us, at church, work, hobbies, whatever. They can be tough at times.

Down 1.4 pounds. Amazing.

Take care.

Checking in

 I'm still here - is anyone else????? :-)

Between having a friend visit from out of town, cooking at church, a meeting for church, etc. etc. it's been a crazy week! Work has been busy too - we had a critical team member out for jury duty! Thankfully he wasn't selected.

It's going okay - working out with the trainer tonight - working with her and my husband! It's a first, so we'll see how it goes. 

Anyway, not much to report - scale seems to be inching down. Fingers crossed!

Take care. I can feel spring around the corner!

Tired

 Did I tell you guys that we had to have some sub flooring replaced in our bathroom? Ugh. Today is day 3 of contractors in the house. I'm tired, my chihuahua is freaking out, and its been a rough week. Last night was take out burgers from Ruby Tuesday. Up a half pound. Sigh.

I have a friend coming for the weekend and I'm too tired to even be excited.

Sorta hump day

 I had Monday off, so yay for short weeks! 

Kicked my butt with my kettlebells this morning, invited T to meet me at the gym after work for cardio. Contractor is going to be here today to replace some of the subfloor in our bathroom. Cha-ching. Good times.

Take care.

 Had a great time at the beach - saw friends, celebrated my son's birthday, spent time with my mom. I was down a pound from when I weighed before we left, so yay! My weight has been stalled out for 3 or so weeks, I'm ready to get moving again!

Kettlebells are progressing. Spring is nearly here!!! So things are looking up.

Take care.

Headed for the beach

 I am still up a pound from last Friday. UGH. Oh well. Headed to the beach after work today, so nothing but crickets (probably) until I get back.

Take care you guys. Spring will be here soon - with warmer weather, more sunlight, and hopefully and attitude adjustment! LOL

I am a rockstar

 Ah, the vagaries of the scale!

We went out Friday - I had a salad, 1.5 stuffed shells, and left the bread alone. I was up 2.5 pounds the next morning and I'm still up a pound! And I was good! ARGH.

Oh well. I nailed my kettlebell workout this morning and my lunch is portioned out for today and tomorrow and I logged the calories. Tonight I am making a nice meal at home (I despise going out on Valentine's).

Despite the scale, it's going to be a good day!

Take care.

Warmer weather

 It's supposed to be 67 today! Yay! Lost 1.1 pounds this week. Not every meal is optimal, but overall I'm doing pretty good.

Have a great weekend!

Hump day

 I ate fast food for breakfast yesterday and dropped a pound. Go figure! Weights are going well, grateful its getting warmer (more outside walks!), still don't love yoga.

Working on eating more oatmeal, meatless meals, and vegetables.

Take care.

More of the same

 Not much to report - eating is going okay, exercise is going okay (except yoga, but I keep trying!). Needing to get some subfloor replaced in the bathroom we had remodeled. Sigh. It's always something, isn't it?

My son's gf has covid and is having to cancel a planned trip to Mexico with friends. I have a birthday trip for family planned up to Biltmore in April. I can't wait to have a vacation.

Winter stinks.

Take care.

Stepping it up

 Amazon replaced the kindle (yay!). After 3 days of reading my book on my phone, I realize how spoiled I've become! Dog is fine. Husband hasn't shown any symptoms (fingers crossed!). We had a pretty good weekend. We went to the pool twice, which was awesome! And I worked out with my trainer Friday. It motivated me to up my kettlebell workout a bit. 

I sorta did yoga twice. Sigh. I want to like it....

Going to crack down on the snacking so I can start making better forward progress again.

Take care!

TGIF

 Been a week - insomnia, kindle dying (its was a Christmas gift), husband exposed to covid, dog throwing up. Calgon take me away.

Down 0.7 pounds this week. Not great but I'll take it.

Groundhog day

 And I'm not talking about Phil! My weight is back up to where it was last Friday. ARGH.

On the plus side: I did yoga yesterday and I am on week 2 of restarting my kettlebell habit, AND Sunday T and I went to the pool and did 40 minutes of water aerobics. So yay to exercise!

Monday night my anxiety was really high and I did some serious binge eating. I have better stress relief strategies, and thankfully I'm using food less. But still - work in progress.

Take care!