The Week in the Proverbial Nutshell and a HOP!

I'm linking up with Cindy at For One Another for my week in a nutshell!  Head on over and join in the fun!  You have until Tuesday- so there's plenty of time!

And now, it's time for my week in a:

I spent the first part of the week waiting for Birdie to get back from her interviews in Texas.  She had a great time and really liked everyone she met.  She did make the comment that, "People in Texas sure do like to talk all the time."  Birdie is our quiet, calm, gowiththeflow child.  She arrived in Texas safely and came back home safe and sound.  She had to fly in, what my dad calls, a puddle jumper from Dallas to Tyler though (probably something like the picture to the left).  "Mom, there was so much turbulence!  And then, we landed sideways and skidded and I thought we were going to spin around but he got it together."  She really could have waited until she got back to share THAT particular information with me.  All in all, she felt that things went well. 

I spent the rest of the week waiting to hear the results of the interviews.  And y'all will have to wait until tomorrow's post to hear all about it.   

DoodleBug got me hooked on DEXTER and I watched the first two seasons this week.  It's a pretty intense series (definitely worthy of it's R rating though).  She thought I'd like it since I enjoy psychological/serial killer type movies.  Man, that sentence just made me seem very strange, didn't it?  On Thursday, Birdie came over and said, "Let's see if instant queue has The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."  It did.  And it had subtitles, which I sometimes love but have to be in the mood.  Once we got started though, it became quite easy to get into it and the subtitles were not a problem.  VERY STRANGE movie but worth the watch (careful though, it's a VERY R rated movie).  Now she's got me reading Stieg Larsson's series.  I normally like to read the book before watching the movie, but I'm still starting with book number one which is the same title as the movie. 

You may be wondering if all these type movies/television programs/books have any affect on me.  Not really.  Just yesterday Tucker and I encountered a new man walking his dog where we go every day.  He was quite nice and asked about Tucker and petted him.  We chatted and I found out he is married with pre-teen aged children.  A nice encounter and very typical of the encounters out at the ponds.  Tucker and I walk one way, the man and his dog walk in the opposite direction.  And then the thought hit me, "What if he's a very nice serial killer doing his research?"  Followed immediately by this thought, "CRAP!  How much did I tell him?"  AND THEN I noticed that he drove slowly around the outer circle at least twice.  Just looking.  WTH?! 

That's about it for my week.  Tune in tomorrow for an update on Birdie's trip to Texas! 

Meanwhile, have a wonderful weekend and a marvelous week ahead! 

  

Friday Hops!

Hilary's Follow Friday Four Fill-In at Feeling Beachie!  

 This week’s statements:

1. I always wanted to knit something impressive and I did it!  Well, it was impressive to me anyway.  It was a  sock.  It took me FOREVER and several re-starts, but I finally did it!  Now, I'm working on a baby sweater.  And no, I have not knitted a mate for the sock.  It was exhausting just getting one completed! You can read about that sock here. 

This is THE sock.

This is THE sock on Hubs' foot.  Tucker just wanted to play with THE sock.

 2. One of favorite things about my spouse / significant other is how handy he is.  There is absolutely NOTHING that this man cannot build/make/invent/repair.  The problem lies in getting him to either begin or complete building/making/inventing/repairing something.   He has built a Dobro from a tree- it's gorgeous and the sound is incredible!  He has built a fueling station so that we can run our vehicles with used vegetable and used soy oil.  He built our raised garden beds from found materials.  We never pay a mechanic to fix our cars because he can do that too.  He also repairs all appliances and plumbing problems.  He set up rain barrels and drip irrigation for our garden.  He can do all of this and so much more but we sure do have to sit and wait for him to get around to it.  Our girls are 26, 24, 23, and 19 now and they are still waiting on their tree house to be built in the Magnolia tree.   

Here's Hubs working on the drip irrigation a couple of months ago.

 
3. The craziest (most daring) thing I did in High School/College was probably the night we slid down the old spiral fire escape at college.  You can read about that little episode at my Slip Sliding Away post.

The fire escape looked like this one...only taller.

 4. I couldn't make it through a day without walking Tucker.  Not only because I enjoy the walking but also-- and mainly-- because he sits and stares a hole through me until I take him.  Don't ever start walking a dog unless you never want to stop! 

This is the real reason Tucker likes to go walking every day.

AND with Java's Follow Friday 40 and Over at Never Growing Old  

Thursday HOP

Discovered a new meme while visiting Shawn at The Becker's (Shawn and Bill).  I'm a little late, but here we go!

This one is from Dollycas's Thoughts.  She will post three questions on Thursdays and you can play along from Thursdays through Mondays!  So there's plenty of time to join in the fun!

Here's what Dollycas has to say:

"Each Thursday I will post 3 questions for you to answer that you can copy and post on your blog with your answers. You don’t have to be a blogger to participate either. I will be using a Linky List for the blogs to use to participate and follow each other around to get to know each other, but if you are not a blogger just answer the questions in the comment section following the post on your favorite blog. Please feel free to click on the links and visit other blogs too." 

"This way we not only get to know other bloggers, we get to know our followers too.  I am really excited about this meme and hope many more people will join the fun!!!!!"

Are you interested?

WEEK 38 QUESTIONS

1. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up? I'm pretty sure some of you already know the answer to this question and it is rather strange.  But, when I was little I wanted to be a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys!  I loved football and I loved the Dallas Cowboys!  I still do although once the Carolina Panthers came to my hometown, I just had to pull for them.  But only when they aren't playing the Cowboys! 

2. Did you go to college?  Yes.  I went to the same college for undergrad and grad school.  I had a blast in college which means that I was on the five year plan during my undergraduate studies.  I have a BA in Sociology and Psychology and a MS in Early Childhood Development.  All four of our daughters have or still are attending college also.  We're kind of an education crazy family!

This is one of the only college pictures I have scanned into the computer. 

3. Do you attend your high school or college reunions?  No.  I don't attend any high school reunions because I didn't like most of those people then and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't care for them now (small town, prejudices, bad politics, small minds).  However, some of the music wasn't too bad (check out the video below-I think it came out junior year).  I don't attend college reunions because none of my close friends were in my graduating class- everyone was older than I was and, by the time I graduated, they were in grad school or already out in the world.  But I am in touch with most of them to this day.  Two live right here in the same town and the rest are all within driving distance with the exception of one.  I'm not driving to Oregon. 

The Wednesday HOPS

The first HOP is from Patrice, at Everyday Ruralty, who hosts Wednesday Words of Weight Loss every Wednesday!  It's a fun HOP that offers encouragement and company on the issue of weight.  It's never too late to join!  Come on, this is your week to join in the FUN! 

  Questions1. I've heard it said that you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. What are your meals like?  Breakfast and lunch are more like a pauper and supper is either kingly or princely.  The reason being that Hubs is at work during breakfast and lunch.  When he comes home, I have a larger meal prepared- he works hard and is hungry after work.  The things that he likes that I am not eating while trying to dump all this excess weight I still prepare for him but I don't eat any of it.  (I sure am glad you didn't ask about between meal eating).

2. Does eating out include all of the trimmings (appetizer, meal, dessert, beverages)?  No.  On the rare occasions that we eat out we never get the appetizers or dessert.  Our beverages are tea and/or water.  Now, if the lovelies are with us, they might order an appetizer but no one orders dessert.  The lovelies will usually go to Kaminski's afterwards if they want dessert. 

3. What's your favorite season of your wardrobe?  Fall and winter.  All those clothes cover up more of this huge body. And they're all dark.  And I prefer dark.

4. If you could take a class or course in anything, what would it be?  Photography.  Or writing.  Or Spanish.  It would be hard to narrow that down to one. 

5. Optimist or Pessimist? Definitely an optimist.  But it has come with age because I used to be a pessimist.  I much prefer optimism!  It's less stressful and happier.   

 

Second is WEDNESDAY HODGE PODGE from Joyce at From This Side of the Pond.  This one is a great way to get to know some wonderful new bloggy friends and learn more about some old ones...not that I'm calling anyone OLD, mind you.   

1. What reveals more about a woman-her refrigerator or her purse? I guess it would be her purse.  When I carried a purse (which was mostly while the lovelies were growing up) I had everything that one of us could possibly need from safety pins/tape/hair ties to Tylenol/bandaids/cough drops and everything in between.  And more!  We were always prepared and rarely, if ever, had to ask someone for anything.  Now, I don't care.  I just carry my Vera Bradley key chain/zipper thingy and my phone- simplicity is more my style.  If we ever get any grandkids, it's back to the purse that holds everything!

2. When was the last time you went to the zoo? Where? What's your favorite zoo animal?  That was back in the early 1990s.  In Columbia, SC.  I don't like zoos.  I don't like taking wild animals out of their natural habitats and shipping them to different countries for people to ogle them.  I feel sorry for the animals the entire time I'm there so I don't go I don't care how natural the zoo is.  

3. What social issue fires you up? Sorry, can't narrow that one down to one.  But whenever the subjects of prejudice, injustice, animal cruelty, child abuse of any kind, hate crimes comes up- people will see me fired up!  And I have definite opinions as to punishments I'd like to see the offenders suffer.  And don't get me started on drunks either.  Or homelessness.  And poverty.    

4. Are you a coupon clipper? If so, are you extreme? No.  I don't buy much along the lines of processed foods (in boxes, jars, cans) and I don't see meat and fresh produce coupons around.  However, throw me a store coupon like $10 off you entire purchase and I AM THERE!

5. What is one of your favorite souvenirs brought back from your travels? In order to bring back souvenirs, one must travel.  I do not travel.  I'm interested in other places, but I hate being in the car and I'm terrified of flying---it's too closed in for me.  My fear of trains goes way back to my childhood and the Tweetsie episode.  However, my dad and all my girls LOVE to travel so, everyone always brings me back Christmas ornaments from their travels.  I have them from Spain, Scotland, England, Germany, Holland, Jamaica, South America, Mississippi, Chicago, San Francisco, and Canada.  And they are all my favorites! 

These are just a few of the ornaments they've brought back for me- these are from London, Spain, the Galapagos Islands, Holland, Jamaica, and Germany.  Oh, and that little back-hoe thing is from a mission trip my dad took to Mississippi.

6. Lemon meringue or key lime?  Lemon meringue and I want some NOW!  Oh gosh but I LOVE lemon meringue pie!!!  NOT that gel kind, the creamy kind...like my mother makes.  It's one thing that I would eat right now- trying to lose weight or not!

7. What is the most beautiful word you know in any language?  Daughter.

8. Insert your own random thought here. DoodleBug got me hooked on DEXTER Monday afternoon.  I've watched all of Season 1 since then.  Today, Season 2 baby!  I cannot believe I am hooked on that show or that I'm admitting it.  But there it is. 

And a HUGE thank you to the gals who host these FUN hops each week!  

Tone of Voice Getting You Down?

One of the exercises for self-exploration was to write about the way we talk to ourselves when we are upset vs the way we talk to our friends when they are upset.  I discovered a bit of a difference.

When my BFF calls upset, it's always over the same issue.  This is a woman who gives 110% every single day of her life with no expectation of return.  Ever.  She loves unconditionally.  But there are people in her life who, well....let's just say that there are people in her life who take her for granted and have no appreciation for her giving nature.  Oh, they take just fine.  But they are not grateful.

We all have someone in our lives like this--or at least most of us do.  And, if we don't, we probably know someone who does.

What is upsetting for my BFF is not that she gets no appreciation it's that she gets negativity to the point of it being hurtful.  She is the first one they come to with needs but, once the needs are filled, they shut her out and use hurtful, hateful words to do so.

When these occasions arise, I am as positive as I can possibly be.  I remind her of all the good she does and of all the people who do love her and treat her with respect.  I talk about how generous her spirit is and that she simply has the misfortune to be surrounded by ingrates.  If I make suggestions, I do so gently but firmly and I am honest with her.  I remind her that she would still give someone the shirt off her back even as they stood right there and threw insults in her face because she does not want anyone to go without.  I tell her that I am sorry she is treated badly but that I am grateful that she is who she is. 

The question now becomes:  Do I do the same thing for myself when I am upset?  Um....No.  Not exactly.  I am way harder on myself than I am on others.  Though I have gotten much better over the years.  I think it had to do with the fact that if my girls were going to have positive self images, then I was going to have to have a positive self image myself.

For example, where I might once have told myself, "You're really stupid to think that."  I will now say something like, "That was not a smart thing to do" or "Come on now, you know better than that."

Oh course, I am struggling now with getting upset over the weight thing.  I try not to give it much thought because I am so good at sabotaging myself.  I figure that if I just eat healthy, I'll lose.  And I have lost some.  But it's SUCH A DARN SLOW PROCESS that I do get frustrated with myself.

I know the process well because, from May 25, 2009 through December 2009, I lost 83 pounds.  And then I let a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie (my dad can bake the hell out of some cookies!) get the best of me and followed that one by another dozen or so and the sugar was back in full appeal.  It took me over a year to put this weight back on.  At first I didn't think I had put that much back on but I had (pretty sure that's called denial).  And so, here I go again.  (Sorry, tangent there...)

Anyway, the point is that, when I get frustrated, I am not very nice to myself.  And when this happens you would think that it would cause me to avoid eating---especially eating the foods I should not.  But no.  It actually triggers my desire to eat.  And this becomes a battle that this time, so far, I have won.  But the battles are many.

The last exercise was to think of what my BFF would say to me while I was upset and try to internalize the kind tone in order to say those things to myself instead of ---well, instead of the things I do say when I'm frustrated about the weight.

My BFF would say, "Come on, let's go do something to take your mind off things" or "You can do this.  Don't let your thoughts control you; YOU control your thoughts."

And that sounds a whole lot better than something like "Look at you.  You're just a fatty." 

Today is a brand new day of a brand new week.  I'm going to look my weight frustrations in the eye and dare them to bother me!

Do you talk to yourself with the kindness of your BFF? 
 

The Week in the Proverbial Nutshell

This week was a whole lot less CRAZY than last week.  Which means BORING.  And QUIET.

Here's my week in a 

First, I'd like to announce and congratulate the winner of Mari McCarthy's Peace of Mind & Body 27 Days of Journaling to Health and Happiness....

1

Random numbers generated May 15 2011 at 7:32:24 by www.psychicscience.org  

CINDY--IT'S YOU!

Yep, Cindy at For One Another won Mari's book!  I have sent you an email and just need to know whether you want yours in print form (in which case I'll need your mailing address) or e-book form!

Other than making some discoveries about myself, this week has definitely paled in comparison to last week.  My week was Tucker, me, Hubs, Walmart, the grocery store.  Yep, real exciting.  NOT.  Well, Tucker did get a bath but that only took 5 minutes.  Why is it that funfilledfamily weekends make us hungry for more instead of glad they're over? 



Birdie, DoodleBug and I did go to Santee this week to visit Mimi (my mother).  She made Birdie several dresses and a suit in case she wanted them for her Texas interviews.  That was probably the highlight of the week.

Or maybe the highlight was when Blogger had a big shut-down.  That kind of freaked me out not only because of withdrawals, but also because I had written a post for Friday that was also for a contest.  And it was GONE.  Friday was supposed to be the day I spent editing the post and then have it up before midnight PDT.  I was panic-stricken!  They got it back to me late Friday afternoon.  HEY!  If I don't win the contest, maybe I can just blame it on Blogger for taking away my editing time!  Yep, that's what I'm going with...right or wrong.

I am sort of digging this whole therapeutic exercise in self-awareness but some days are a little too revealing.  I'm not really sure what I was expecting but I am getting some good self-discovery because of it.  Some things I already knew but had not really dealt with them--just sort of let them go as (and I HATE this saying) 'it is what it is" and leaving it at that.  There have been some things that I had no idea were bothering me and it's been good to get them down in my journal and deal with them so that they will no longer be negatives that drag my mind through the pits.  All in all, I would say it's a good experience.  But then, I'm only on Day 7.

Hubs and I picked Birdie up this morning at 5:30....Yes, that's 5:30 in the A.M.- and took her to the airport.  She's on her way to Texas to interview for the grad program.  We should know something definite on Friday.  I am excited for her but, TEXAS?!  I may have mentioned before that it's 20 HOURS AWAY FROM HERE.  (Just in case you missed it...).

 

And that's it for this week.  I'm going to sit here and wait for Birdie to get back from TEXAS.  (20 hours away from home).  Have a fantabulous week everyone!