52 years and counting...

Here my parents sit next to each other while they watch their grandson play his violin at one of his Christmas concerts this last December. I first took this photo because I couldn't get over my Dad's work gloves and felt a sudden need to document them. When I looked at the photo later on that evening, I realized it told a much greater story - 52 years worth to be exact!
Happy anniversary Mom & Dad and may you celebrate many more to come!

sorry for the delay!

c r e a t i v e


or... p r o d u c t i v e

I was torn between two words! I thought for sure I had made up my mind (creative) and then another popped into my head that seemed so right and so perfect for how I felt. the only problem is, it (productive) doesn't sound like the type of word you could do a twenty minute meditation on. & I am always happiest when I am doing something that makes me feel like I am a productive member of society. What was I to do? So then I thought, if my new word is to be my mantra for the year then I better pick a word I at least like the sound of and that is when I thought of the third word which really is a combination between the two. If I focus on the word "create", then it is most likely I will not only be productive, I will also be "creative" in my productivity. So without further ado my new word for 2010 is definitely...


~ C R E A T E ~

I miss my blog!

Is anyone out there? It's me Lily & I'm still here. I've been a little side tracked these last couple of months but I am not gaining weight, I actually lost 1.4 pounds! So I'm happy about that, especially this time of year. It really is a small miracle for me which I am very grateful for. I have more to say about that later.
I just wanted to check in and say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! and share this photo of Miss Priscilla as well. We had a blizzard last Saturday and she can not resist playing in the snow. The only problem is, she gets filled with snow-like dreadlocks and I have to use the blow dryer to get them off while she busies herself trying to lick them off at the same time! This is a dog who refuses to drink the water out of her dish, but should she find some elsewhere, suddenly it's the most delicious water she has ever tasted where she can't even force herself to stop drinking it, even if she tried.

here she is looking really cute


& here she is looking cuter.

poll results

Thank you everyone who participated in my poll ! I consider myself lucky you all did since I have been so lax about blogging. let me just say I have a lot of catching up to do-- around here that is, in my little blogging world.
First I want to say I found both the poll results and the readers comments very interesting.
I wish I had the willpower to eat just fruits and veggies and protein but the sad truth is I think I would have to be checked into a mental hospital if I didn't get my almost daily dose of potatoes, be they boiled, fried, whipped or baked. There is something about them, any kind will do, Russet, Yukon, red, blue, ordinary (though I have to admit I'm not crazy about the fingerlings, something about them looking too much like fingers I guess, even their name kind of grosses me out) I'm just not sure I could live without my beloved potato past one week. I always had the feeling they were good for me and I always seem to feel so good after eating one. Besides, regardless of the bad rap they get they really are good for you. Check out the facts here.
With 7 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein a potato even has iron (which I desperately need) and vitamin C in it, the perfect combination for optimal iron absorption!
Thanks to your comments, I did start to stash some almonds in my purse in the event of a hunger attack. I even started weight lifting and I am also eating much less wheat, so it was very good of you to make these suggestions, thank you again! I've always felt small positive changes in habits add up to something bigger and these seem to be sticking.

So based on reading your comments and pondering & looking at this poll, I decided I will stay on Weight Watchers at least until the New Year. Part of my reason is I know who the two people are that voted yes, that I should definitely stay with WW, & I got to talk to them about it & they both said the same thing, stay with WW for the support. That made sense to me.
No more going in on Saturdays just to get weighed, I'm staying for the meetings, sharing my experience & start again, to listen to others. It is easier (& more fun) to accomplish things with help from other people, something I all too often forget.
Besides, is there any other diet where you can eat sugar and still lose weight?

Two weeks ago I lost 2 pounds at my WW meeting, but last week I didn't go so I am a little nervous about tomorrow. That in itself tells me I need to report to someone on a regular basis. If nothing else, I just don't want to gain anymore weight!
Thanks for listening, I'll keep you "posted"!

Please watch this! it only takes a minute...

I've sunk to a new low...

I've gained four pounds in the last two weeks, not exactly the low I was hoping for. The really rotten thing about this is the fact that as of today I have officially gained back all of the weight I have lost since I have started this second stint at WW not quite two years ago. All FOURTEEN pounds of it, how sad is that? That is more than my dog Priscilla weighs. & she gets awfully heavy if you carry her around for more than five minutes.
miss Priscilla, please click on photo to see her cuteness up close

The other twelve I have managed to keep off (thank the good Lord) since I originally began WW, I'm guessing that was four or five years ago.

I warned the woman who weighed me this morning that I thought I'd gained some weight this week. I could tell by the look on her face after she weighed me that it wasn't going to be pretty. Arrgh! what the hell am I doing? why can't I stay focused with my food plan? Seriously, I am not getting any younger. I wonder if I am just destined to be 20 pounds overweight the rest of my life.
It doesn't seem like Weight Watchers is working for me. Then I wonder if I am just not working Weight Watchers.
I am also wondering if I should quit this program. Then I think about how whenever I skip a week of getting weighed at WW I always gain weight. It's as if I need to be accountable to someone, I need to be honest about what is going on with regard to my weight or I'll just keep gaining. This never used to be the case with me. In the past, whenever I put on a few pounds I used too focus on whatever made me happy in life and bump up the exercise and I would start to fit into my clothes better. I never used to weigh myself either.
Would I keep spiraling down if I stopped Weight Watchers, or is it possible I could still do it on my own?

For today I've decided it is very important to me to lose this extra baggage that I feel has been weighing me down.
For those of you who question my weight loss ambitions please know I'm not exactly miserable, I just remember what it was like not having the extra weight on my body. I was much more comfortable.
Somewhere along the way I've lost the knack for maintaining a healthy body weight. I write about it here as I try and figure out how to get that balance back.
I miss running faster, waking up easier, having more energy, and I remember noticing big improvements in all three of those areas when I was 14 pounds lighter.

Please vote in my poll as to whether or not you think I should stay in WW. It's over on my sidebar to your right.
Some good news, I've been exercising a lot. I jogged 3 miles the other day and I felt great afterwards.