Busy week

We had a great trip to the beach but it's been super busy since we got back because I start my new job Monday!!!!!!!

The bad news is that the house didn't close on the 14th, nor on the 28th which was the date in the extension. Lender has asked for an additional 2.5 weeks.  I don't know what I'm going to do.  I'm afraid it will drag on/won't close and I will have missed prime showing season.  These delays cost me $$.  OTOH, I am sick of this SH%&^ and ready to be done. 

BUT... did I mention I got a new job???? ;-)

A surge of energy!

I was feeling crappy yesterday (more on that in a bit) and didn't accomplish anything.  I was feeling pretty overwhelmed this morning but T gave me a hand with a couple of things and before I knew it I had gotten nearly everything on today's 'to do' list done!

I have an interview at 4 (wish me luck).

Yesterday I went to the dr to get an IUD.  That is apparently the new thing in birth control. As a woman over 50 they don't want you on bc pills, this seemed the best option.  I was pretty crampy and felt really rough yesterday.  I was beginning to think I had planned this pretty badly since I have an interview today and tomorrow is my birthday, but I am feeling much better today!  Today is like the worst day of my period, which for me means an OTC naproxen and maybe an ibuprofen - so not too bad.  Dr. said this should carry me through menopause. Woo hoo!  We've had our kids!

Still haven't gotten the rent from former tenant.  Signed an extension to close on the house the 28th (wish me luck on that too!). We will see about this interview - it's a second round interview so we will see what happens!

Tomorrow t and I are getting together with mom and Jan for my birthday dinner and then friday we are headed to the beach to spend the weekend with the boy and his gf.  So it should be a really nice time.

We got really derailed last week, but are back on track with the diet this week, and will add exercise back in the mix as well.

Take care.

Lovely lunch

I met a friend for lunch today, that was really nice.  She is taking the EMT course so has been super busy but had the day off.  So we had lunch, then wandered around a consignment shop & used book store just to visit.  It's lovely to catch up with friends!

Still no word from tenant. :-(  The house was supposed to close tomorrow so that's when the contract expires. Having received the extension request yet, what a pain!

I feel like I am not being nearly as productive as I should, but I am getting stuff done.  I have a follow up tomorrow with my doctor.  They put me on a very low dose of a diuretic for my bp a couple of weeks ago, and she wants to follow up.

Doing okay - not great, but I haven't burst into tears today, so there's that.  Trying to hang tough.

Take care.

Anxiety level 11

My anxiety level has been very high so far this week.  I did okay for the interview yesterday.  I did my best - we will see what comes of it. I finished the online training to sub teach here in my county - I just need to go & turn in my forms.

My former tenant owes me nearly $4k in back rent - I am hoping we can get that resolved this week.  I hope we can work it so the title company which is still holding her deposit can send me my part and give her the remainder. I'll get the money quicker and with certainty.

The buyer's bank had the cheek to send my realtor a very pithy email saying they were hopeful we should be able to close by the end of the month. She told them if they didn't get off their ass there wouldn't be a deal to close.  So pissed about their whole attitude like they are doing us this huge favor to even process the application.  Customer service is dead, I swear! Ugh!!!

Okay, T is out mowing the lawn.  He is helping me today do the quarterly report for the non profit where I volunteer - I am the regional treasurer. I nearly had a panic attack thinking about the report, so he said he would help.  He is awesome.  I am fortunate.

So, anxiety like mad, but trying to just take care of myself and remember that it will subside.

Quiet Sunday

Just a quick check-in.  T is taking the Red Cross class for CPR and first aid.  I am home working around the house and taking the online course to substitute teach in my county.

Got a call from my realtor Friday - sounds like the closing will be definitely delayed.  :-(  On the plus side, I have a phone interview for a project manager job on Monday.  So, life is a mixed bag, but hanging in there.

Have a good weekend!

Let's just forget this one

I didn't really feel like writing about it yesterday, but straight up this has been a shitty week.

Last weekend T was cooking with friends (I wasn't there).  He went to check on the grill - and by grill I mean a HUGE grill/smoker combo.  It was supposed to be lit.  When he got there to check and it had gone out, he re-lit it.  What no one realized at the time, the person who set it up didn't know what they were doing.  The vents weren't open - oxygen wasn't getting in and gas wasn't venting.  When T re-lit it, it exploded. 

Thank god he is mostly okay - it could have been SO much more serious! But he is burned on both forearms, neck, and face.  His lips and left arm are especially bad.  As a result, he's been in a lot of discomfort.  Add my special diet and colonoscopy, and you've had 2 pretty cranky people in this house this week.

I'm just feeling really dejected, demoralized, and discouraged.  I'm ready to move on.

Day 1 Again

I'm feeling much better and things are pretty much back to normal for me.  T is feeling under the weather though. :-(

Today I got my mom's taxes done, so that was good.  She is headed out of town Saturday and I wanted to have them finished so she could go ahead and get them mailed in.

I'm feeling a bit sad, and a bit overwhelmed.  I'm reminding myself that those feelings are normal and I need to just accept them.  I am moving forward, getting things done that I need to.  But it's hard when the house is in that limbo where everything is in underwriting so it's feels like nothing is happening, my tenant hasn't paid rent in 2 months and I haven't heard anything fromher, and it leaves me not knowing what bills to prioritize. :-(

Still and all, I am making progress and have many blessings.

Take care.

Clear liquids only

Today has been a day of fasting, with only clear liquids.  From 5 to 7 I had a drink a cup of the solution every 15 minutes, and drink something in between to stay hydrated. 

I get up at 3 to drink another quart of the prep over the course of 2 hours, give it 2 hours to work, then off to the doctor.  Nothing to drink after I stop drinking the prep liquid. I'm avoiding the scale as I'm sure the numbers wouldn't make any sense.

Anyway, doing okay - looking forward to this being done!

Low fiber

I miss my vegetables.  That's all I got today.

Forgot to mention food - Day 0 for the next few days

I know, me forgetting food! LOL

Friday:

B: protein shake
L: gyro salad
S: protein shake
D: leftover butter chicken with zucchini, cauliflower, and green beans
S: 2 slices of cheese and some mixed nuts

I am having my colonoscopy on Wednesday, so today and tomorrow are a low fiber diet (no vegetables) and then Tuesday is clear liquid only following by fasting until after it's over, then some gentle food.  So I am unable to follow the Metabolic diet for the next few days until I get past the procedure.

I need to stay off the scale since I know it's going to be all over the page.

Take care!

A good day (Day 13)

Yesterday was a good day.  We had lunch with T's parents on the way to my appointment at the VA (my stress management class).  Then we picked up a desk that a friend gave me - she'd been wanting to get rid of it for 19 months and just hadn't bothered!  I posted on facebook about our unsuccessful shopping trip to look for one and she offered it up.  Yay!  I think I will paint it, but I am very excited to finally have a desk!

T is out for the day at a medieval thing I am doing some stuff around the house and enjoying some alone time. :-)

Have a good one!

Day 12 and weigh in

I lost 1 pound this week.  This doesn't sound that great, but after losing 6 last week that sounds pretty darn good to me!

Day 10, nothing says summer like a new swimsuit

For T that is!  I have plenty of swimsuits to last me the next 40 pounds or so lost! :-)  One of the things about having a pool in your backyard - you end up with a lot of swimsuits since you are in and out of the pool so often.  T's swimsuit was too small, so we picked him one up yesterday.  Why are guy's suits so much less expensive that women's?  We got him an OP for like $14, and a nice Catalina for me would have cost $30.  What?????

Food was good:

B: 2 eggs, 3 slices bacon
L: ham and cheese with lettuce and horsey sauce on half a low carb wrap
D: Indian butter chicken over riced cauliflower with sauteed zucchini
S: golden drink, 3 slices salami, 2 slices cheese

One night I woke up in the night hearing this very quiet beeping.  It was so weird!  It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen but we couldn't find it.  Then I went out of town but when I got back it was still going on.  Again, couldn't find it.  Finally the next day after looking everywhere (I was beginning to think there was a fire alarm with a low battery covered by a cabinet or something) we found it: a fire alarm someone had taken off the wall and stuck in the cabinet under the kitchen sink!  What!??!  So glad we found it - I seriously thought we were going to be driven nuts by that beeping!

Okay, hope you have a good day.  T is cleaning the kitchen and then we are off to water aerobics!

Take care. 

Day 9, on plan - and weight lifting

Hello there.

So, day 9 and this is feeling very doable.  I avoid carb foods except low carb bread, wraps, shakes, etc.  I can have 5 net carbs from that group no more than every 5 hours. So carbs with breakfast means none with morning snack, but yes at lunch.  That's the only counting!  We do that for 8 weeks.  So far so good!

Yesterday:
B: protein shake
S: piece of laughing cow cheese
L: burger on half a low carb pita
S: half a fast food salad from Subway
D: taco salad at home
S: slice of cheese and golden drink

We have started lifting weights.  T always needs a program, and I admit that's a really good idea!  So I went through some of my books and selected "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women".  Don't let the title fool you - this is a good program for anyone.  It has an intro level workout, followed by 3 phases. We will probably do this initial phase for 4 weeks.

T was impressed by how good of a workout it was for just doing 2 sets of 8 exercises.  This program definitely gives you a lot of bang for your time!

Tomorrow he is going to try water aerobics with me.

Take care. 

Day 8

This weekend was a quick out of town trip.  We had a lovely time visiting with friends, but it's nice to be back home again.

My doctor recommended I start a low dose of hzct (a diuretic) to help with my blood pressure in the short term.  I'm not happy about it, but am proud that we are doing the things we need to get ourselves healthier.

Anyway, not too much to report.  I still owe you guys dining room pictures.

Take care!

Day 5 and weigh in

Got home a few minutes ago. I had to take a class today at the VA on getting my colonoscopy. Only the military could turn basic instructions into a 1 hour class, complete with slides and handouts. LOL

I know my weight had popped up over the weekend due to TOM, nevertheless I saw a 6 pound loss over the week!  Woot!  This diet feels very doable for 8 weeks (excepting the days of my colonoscopy prep) and seeing such a great result is encouraging me to stick with it.

Last night I found myself with a very high level of anxiety - I am still having periods of extreme anxiety despite my stress management class.  But they do seem to be less frequent and overall I am feeling more positive about most things in my life.  Employment & finances continue to be major areas of stress, but other things are feeling better.  My sleeping has improved on this new diet and exercise plan, which I think has served to make everything else feel more manageable.  

We have gone to the gym the past 3 evenings.  We're leaving town right after an early supper so today will be counted as a rest day.

Food yesterday:
B: 2 eggs and 3 slices of bacon
L: leftover roasted chicken and a salad
S: a slice of cheese
D: 6 oz sirloin, cauliflower au gratin, grilled zucchini and a beer 
S: 3 slices salami, 2 slices cheese

Yesterday was better! day 4

Good morning.

Yesterday was better.  I was in a better mood, things seemed to go easier, it was just a better day.  I made another good dinner and went to water aerobics.

I used to go to water aerobics before I moved and I really enjoyed it - it was a great group of gals and a fun class.  I went last night and my experience was very different.  Not a single person (including the teacher) said hello.  I don't think I looked mean or threatening, so what gives?  I tend to be shy in that kind of situation, so I'm not going to go up and start chattering away.  Oh well, as I told T in the car on the way home "I don't need them to be friendly!"  He asked if I wanted to switch back to the old Y (over 30 minutes away v. less than 10).  Uh, no.  This Y is smaller but perfectly serviceable!  And the class itself was a decent workout.  I will probably continue to go on Wednesday nights.

Food:
B: protein shake
S: none
L: salad and leftover meatballs and cauliflower rice pilaf in a low carb wrap.
S: almonds
D: asian roasted chicken and spicy zoodles.
S: lunch meat and cheese

Last night T was really jonesing for something sweet after the gym.  We came home and I used a vanilla protein shake, added 2 tablespoons of PBFit and ice, and turned it into a peanut butter shake.  He really enjoyed it!  I was glad I was able to satisfy his sweet tooth.

Day 3, and my really horrible, not good, lousy day

So, yesterday.  I don't know if it's the "carb flu" or what, but yesterday was a bear.  I was tired, I was cranky, my stomach felt 'off.'  I was in an overall crap mood and I struggled mightily trying to get stuff accomplished on an internet that wanted to nap instead of work.

I finally gave up on the d^%# internet.  I continued on with laundry, picking up the house, etc.  You would think we live like slobs - we don't, it was just to finish up unpacking.  A dear friend that was my lunch walking buddy for years came over and we went to lunch, so that was nice.  I took a nap.  T tried to cheer me up and I got very frustrated.  I appreciated that he didn't want to see me unhappy, but sometimes you don't need someone to 'fix' it, you know?  Anyway, we went to the gym last night and I did 25 minutes on the elliptical - 5 more than the minimum I set for myself and 5 less than I hoped to do.  But I did it!

Food yesterday was labor intensive (well, dinner anyway), but really good!

B: omelet with lots of veg, some country ham, and cheese.
S: a slice of cheese, and a couple of slices of lunch meat
L: huge gyro salad at the diner.
S: none - lunch was big!
D: spicy turkey meatballs, rice pilaf made with riced cauliflower (this was really yummy!), and sauteed green beans
S: golden drink and lunch meat & cheese

I like to buy the uncured deli meats - they sell them pre packaged at my W-M grocery.  They make a good quick snack and I think they are better since they have less preservatives.  I buy the ultra thin sliced cheese - I could eat my body weight in cheese, so I try to portion control and those super thin slices help.

The golden drink was better!  Maybe the flavors mellowed in the fridge?

Hope I will be less cranky today.

Take care!

Day 2

Good morning.

Well yesterday wasn't too bad!  I did a few things around the house, but kind of ended up taking the day off from mail, dealing with job hunting etc.  I was feeling mentally tired after being out of town for a week, but I planned our meals, did the grocery shopping, did some laundry, and did some cooking. So for a "day off" I got a lot accomplished! 

As I mentioned, my doctor recommended the book "The Metabolism Miracle" which is basically 8 weeks of low carb with a slow carb introduction after that.  You aren't counting all your carbs, really just the carbs in processed foods (stuff like corn, potatoes, etc is not on the initial plan). 

Anyway it wasn't too hard to get the hang of.  I will say we ate a lot more vegetables than normal and that's a good thing! 

Breakfast: protein shake (3 net carbs)
Snack: lunch meat
Lunch: tuna salad on half a Joseph's lavash wrap (4 net carbs) and a cup of loaded baked potato soup made with cauliflower (the recipe was in the book and this was tasty!)
Snack: almonds
Dinner: cube steak sauteed with mushrooms, steamed broccoli, and a salad made with homemade creamy Parmesan garlic dressing.
Snack: golden milk

I think I mentioned we were going to try this whole "golden paste" thing as it's really supposed to help with inflammation.  You make up a tumeric paste, which will keep in the fridge.  Then add some to a cup of almond milk to drink.

I made up the paste, then added some to the milk and warmed.  I sweetened with stevia and added a tablespoon of cocoa powder to each cup.  It ended up tasty like a spicy, not very sweet hot chocolate.  T loved it, I thought it was drinkable.  Since it's supposed to be so great, we will use what I made and see if it makes any difference. I will keep you posted.

If you are curious, this is the recipe I was given:

1 C water; 1/2 C organic ground turmeric; 1/2 C organic ground ginger. Boil until like a paste. Stir in 5 tbs organic coconut oil, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground pepper, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup raw honey. (Pepper is necessary to activate turmeric benefits.). Let cool, store in fridge for up to a month. This is called Golden Paste. To make the Golden Milk, add one tsp of paste to 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and microwave for 2 minutes.

I left out the honey and used stevia.  I used 1 tablespoon of the paste for 2 cups, which I heated on the stove.

Take care!

Monday - Day 1

Good morning.  After spending a couple of days at the beach with the kids and going down to visit my great aunt, I am back home.  I missed by bf and my dogs.

I didn't get the job I was really hoping for.  I have to say my initial reaction was "devastated."  I wonder if my age is a factor (I'm over 50), my mom wonders if my weight is a factor (there's a lovely thought!), I dunno.  And in a way it doesn't matter. 

I am dealing with a lot of feelings.  For one I was hoping for this job because it's a good company and I was excited about that.  I really need a steady job since T is very unhappy in his job and his industry is not in a good place right now.  And I really wanted to get something with good insurance, which contract jobs don't offer.  Right now I'm getting my son's insurance through the ACA and I'm depending on the VA, and T's work insurance isn't that great.

So there's the stress of money, insurance (which the current political climate is NOT helping), dealing with the disappointment of not getting something I was really excited about, and the growing frustration that perhaps I'm not ever going to go back to a regular job in corporate America - so what do I do and how do I support myself?

There just aren't a lot of jobs out there, it's very discouraging.  

So there is a lot around work and income that I will probably be writing about here just to get it off my chest - it helps. 

Today we are starting our diet and I am going to get out and go for a walk later - I hope T will join me.  He has band practice tonight.  I could go to the gym, but I'd like to help him get out of the house and moving.

Anyway, I'm home so hopefully I will get to posting more regularly.

Take care!