ME, MY FOUR CHINS AND I

Achuckle, and update.

2012-01-29T21:16:00.000-08:00

I found this on pinterest the other day

and have to say it was just the chuckle

I needed and I was thankful for a good laugh.

I am still growing strong here. This past

week I did not have a class so have to say

I am really looking forward to it this week.

I am proud of myself for making the best choices

for me.

Focus for next week is increaisng the water intake,

and finding good healthy recipes.

Do any of you have certain sites that you use.

I would appreciate it if you could let me know.

I hope you have a great week.

The weather here has improved and sunny days,

so will try to spend some time out tomorrow

in the fresh air. I will visit as soon as I can.

Thursday is weigh in day,

so will keep you posted.

Have a wonderful Week.

Take care, Cinner

No Longer Putting It off Until Monday!

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

So In My struggles with Weight Loss

I usually have been an all or nothing girl,

meaning if I do really really good,

and then cheat, I don't just cheat a little,

I am going to cheat and in a big way,

Meaning well I had a bag of chips,

oh what the heck you may as well finish off

the other bag too and get them out of the house.

Other things I have done is

put off dieting until a new week,

So if it is Tuesday and I have made some bad

decisions, I can justify starting new again

the following Monday, so anything goes

in the meantime.

When I was working new projects usually

started on a Monday too.

And well Friday night if I was going out

and went off my diet, well what the heck

may as well start again on Monday.

.........

These are the kind of things that are not easy to admit to,

You even talk yourself out of it, "Oh no I don't do that."

Now it even sounds ridiculous to know that I can

just sit and eat mindlessly.

One of the problems in my household

is that only when we get company

do we eat at our kitchen table.

It has been a topic of discussion

as our family growing up we had meal time

three times a day,

whereas in our home we tend to grab something

and sit in front of the T.V. while watching sports, etc.

Since I have confronted my Emotional Eating,

I am now eating six times a day at the kitchen table.

At first eating six times a day seemed outrageous to me.

When you journal your food it looks like a lot,

but it is working. I am becoming very aware of

what is good for me, and learning portion control,

counting calories etc., and as I stick to this schedule,

I no longer am eating mindlessly,

I no longer walk by the fridge and grab something

because I may be bored or lonely,

so it is not just something to do anymore.

The set times throughout the day is helping

speed up my metabolism again.

Before I would usually not eat until supper,

and because unknowingly to me I had starved my

body all day then the overeating in the evening

was right out of hand.

So I am learning, I have a great support system

around me, I have the right food in the house,

Nothing comes easy in life,

so I am prepared for all the hard work

that lies ahead of me.

.......

"The healthy, the strong individual is the one who asks

for help when he/she needs it.

Whether he/she has an abscess

on the knee or the soul.". by Rona Barrett

....

I am lucky that there is a program in my area

where I can use the resources available to me.

Wishing you good luck with your day,

We are all worth it,

Until next time,

Cinner

I Am Back this time to stay!

2012-01-23T03:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone, I am back feeling better than I have in a long time. I have missed my Weight Loss Blog. I have recently found what really works for me. I am so excited about the days ahead of me. I have realized that I am an Emotional Eater. It is an ongoing battle not to revert to old ways. I am in control of what I put into my mouth, and about making healthy choices for me. One of the reasons I had stopped this blog was because I was feeling like a failure. Doing good one week and not the next, I also originally thought that blogging would keep me on track, after all I had to be accountable to everyone else, right....What I realize now is that the only person I have to be accountable to is me. My path to admit that I am an Emotional Eater has taken me 28 years. I can finally do that without flinching. I can also agree with the statement that it is not what I am eating, but that it is about what is eating me. A year ago I would have said, What hogwash that is, I just like food...and that was my attitude. Clearly I know now that I was not ready then for the work that is in store for me now. I hope you come along with me on my journey, take care until next time, Cinner

Smooth Sailing

2011-09-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday

Well the move went great,

the weather was hot hot for sure.

What I Learned

my feet swell after two days of sitting in a vehicle,

getting stung by a wasp

hurt like heck

causing me to scream but no cataplexy spell.

this is majot, major for me.

not to fall down when that happened

was like blueberries in low fat yogurt,

oh yeah

Dads dog Buster

was very excited to see me.

he wanted to go for a run with the truck as son as he saw me.

feels like rain today,

staying a couple moree days at my sisters.

I am alone in the house as

everyone is helping at the other house,

Moms stuff is in storage,

and she is very happy to be with her family here.

she talked all the way back yesterday

and seems ten years youbger.

............

Bernie I will help once I am home,

Thanks for all the comments I will respond as soon as

I AM HOME.

have a great week

Update,MISS you

2011-09-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

we have been having the best weather.

the perfect fall days better than our summer for sure.it

we have an 11 hoyr drive and it is supposed to be 31,

we have had a busy week. one of my cousins and her son

had to come and see about him havingn a plate removed in his foot.

the poor fellow it can not make it any worse

but maybe a chance for an improvement.

do off to bed, early to rise.

I will touch base as soon as the move is done.

be well my friends and remember to visit the other blog about the giveaway.

you must leave a comment and be a follower.

Have your best days

Enjoy Cinner.

Moving Da Momma!

2011-09-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hi I hope everyone had a joyous long weekend.

The weather here was beautiful,

worked in the yard, did some steak on the barbie.

Saturday was kind of a bust,

got a flat tire and what a fiasco

trying to find a place to fix it.

not to be done, everyone was so busy

and booked up maybe with getting vehicles ready

for what will be the white stuff.

I refuse to say it yet.

So I will be with my family this week.,

moving my Mom to the big city.

I am going down with my sister and her hubby and then

riding back with my Mom. I don't like her

driving such a long way by herself.

That is the one thing I really miss is being able to drive,

I guess sitting as a passenger has its benefits too,

so I won't be around much unless I can

sneak on my sisters computer.

I will be back as soon as I can.

Remember to enter my giveaway on the other blog

Things About Who, What, When, Where and Why

See Post August 31 for the details.

.........

good things to note. I have a pair of jeans

that are almost too big, I may need to get a belt.

OMGoodness,

a couple pair of shoes are too big to wear,

that is a first.

Hope you are all doing well and

remember if you fall, pick yourself back up again.

Have A wonderful week.

Cinner

So I had a Friend Call Me On It....

2011-09-02T04:36:00.000-07:00

Recently I had a talk with one of my really good friends

and we were discussing how I usually say to

Have Your Best Day Ever.

She said I call Bullshite on that one.

Me batting my eyes at her, Why Whatever Do You Mean?

She said there is no way you can have your Best Day Ever Every Day.

I have thought a lot about this and I think because I have years that

I refer to as The Lost Years, age 39 until about 44.

I had developed the Severe Cataplexy, more info in the page above.

At its very worst I could not stand up without falling down.

This was triggered from any kind of emotion,

Now I want to tell you that when these episodes happen

I am aware of everything around me, I can hear,

I just can not respond or move for a few minutes. Then I would

try to get up and it would continue around the clock.

Luckily there are medications that help to control this,

you just have to find the right combination and

that was worse than the Cataplexy until we found the right

combination of medicines.

What I learned from that time in my life

was that Every Day Matters, it might not be a good one when I would wake up,

but if I went around thinking oh man I feel horrible, well then that was

all I was going to feel. I would wake up and I would think okay I have

energy right now and I would take advantage of it because

I knew that in about an hour there would not be any, so I had to live in the

present moment and that is how I live and hopefully will always live.

Do I have down days, Occasionally sure just like everyone.

But if I wake up feeling down or not well, and I walk around saying

Oh man it is gonna be a shitey day today, well then I really am not

setting myself up for many options or opportunities.

I know this One never knows what Life May Throw At You,

I don't have it in me to duck and hide from Life,

Do I have perfect days, sure but my perfect is not the same

as what you would describe as perfect nor should it be.

But my Best Day is living as best as I can that day.

To appreciate, to enjoy, to be optimistic, to be grateful, and to

do my very best for that particular day.

Every day I wake up and I am as Old as I Have Ever Been,

but on the same day I am as Young as I will Ever Be,

So I do the best I can to do what I can for that day.

Do I have every day life obstacles that come my way,

Sure I do, Just Like Anyone Else, Do I have the perfect

relationship, No but what I have is genuine and I have

a lot of laughter now and I don';t have to worry as

much about controlling my emotions because

of my medications. I used to be a Workaholic, I am

nowhere near the same as I was, but I am so much better.

I understand what is important for me,

A coffee in the morning in my favorite cup,

music to either soothe my soul or to envigorate me.

Knowledge in knowing there is more to me than my work.

Trusting that no matter what things will work out as they will,

that all the worry in the world can not change the outcome,

that sometimes even if I don't understand now why things are a certain way.

I will one day., and that everything in my life that I have gone through

has brought me to my path that I am on now.

What was the worst day of my life,

I have had many bad days because of poor judgement on my part

especially when I was younger.

But my worst day was when I lost my Dad

because it was so unexpected.

Somehow you manage and you remember

things you had forgotten and though I can not see him

there has not been a day I have not felt him in my heart.

That is a beautiful thing, I have become very close to my

Mother, my Mother has become much more independant,

and she makes me laugh at all the new things she has had to face.

But she has done her best and your choices are pretty much this,

,Make it a good one!

................

Sorry I rambled on and on,

Just a reminder about the giveaway over at

Things About Who, What, When, Where and Why

I could not get the link to work today but it is on my Sidebar.

................

Hope You Are All Well,

Have Your Very Best Day Ever!

Take care,

Cinner

It Is Huge, You May Have to Scream!

2011-08-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

So you know how we are all into exercises these days,

Well you just may want to run over to my other blog

Things About Who, What, When, Where and Why

as I am having a Giveaway.

The picture above is just a few items in my Giveaway.

The Giveaway is running from now until September 20th.

All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment

.you may comment on every post, and as well if you

refer to my blog on your blog that gets your named

entered again.

So good luck to all.

...........

Things are fabulous here.

I am reading a new book that I just received yesterday.

The Lean Belly Prescription

by Dr. Travis Stork. M, D.

Host of The Doctors.

I think it will be a good read.

One of his Laws of Leaness

states the following.

You make 200 weight related choices every day.

That's 200 chances to start a new life!

After reading this I could not help but think

that Every day is a gift and I get 200 chances to start my new life.

So you see if you get up and make a wrong choice you still have

199 right choices to make. Before I would be oh Geesh

well I wrecked today, so I will start tomorrow.

I don't know but if the thought process is giving me

200 chances today, I am going to make some

pretty good ones.

So what's working for you today.

I would love to hear about it.

I am saddened by Hurricane Irene

and I am praying that you are all safe.

I know that some of you have families

out east and my prayers are with you and your families.

Until next time I hope you have

Your Very Best Day.

Cinner

In Bed by Nine

2011-08-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you have had a great week.

I had a great visit with my friend, it feels like forever since she left,

although it has only been since Thursday.

Yesterday was my Anniversary,

12 years and even though we both had the flu,

we managed to still be in love.

He did admit he is more the complainer than I.

These are some of the changes we have noticed

since we married twelve years ago.

-we used to stay out until two now we are in bed by nine.

- he used to tell me I had nice breasts, now I tell him his are nice too.

lol that might be more info than you need.

- we used to dance all night, last night we had one.

We used to have no idea what the other one was up to.

Now we can complete each others sentences.

What has satayed(Stayed) the same is our

sense of humor and that we are still each others best friend.

We accept each other as we are, it makes life pretty good.

...............

Tomorrow I am posting a Giveaway on my

other blog listed on the sidebar.

I hope you stop by to check it out.

In the meantime have

Your Very Best Day!

Cinner

Just Saying, Sometime You May Have to Run!

2011-08-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

A picture taken in Victoria, B.C.

so tranquil, peaceful, beautiful.

I have been walking in the mornings

and I swear the area is inundated by dogs.

Almost every house in our area has dogs,

and I might add the odd one would sooner have you for breakfast

rather than to let you pass in what is considered his territory.

I was thinking this morning how peaceful it used to be

when I lived in the country and could go on walks,

where just maybe if you were lucky

you might encounter a deer.

So I continue to walk and take my life in my own hands.

I figure if I get chomped in the gl ass,

well just maybe I might lose some weight.

just saying,

and there is nothing like a feisty Rotti

running at you to really make you accelerate in the morning.

I try to show no fear, but I think the look of terror on my face

is enough of a giveaway.

It is not just the big dogs to be fearful of either,

the little ones are the worse nipping at your heels,

cursing at you as they go by.

My two laid back dogs looking at me as if they are saying,

What the heck was that.

So when we can we go off to the dog park,

there is something about dogs being off leash,

and it is a wonderful way to meet new people.

I have to go with my SIL

because I can not drive since I got Cataplexy.

My best friend has come for a visit

and is staying a few days...

She is the one whom hit a moose last year

and totaled her car.

She is now driving a Canary Yellow Bug

that she named Otis. we went for a drive last night

and I loved it. We sat up quite late and talked

about everything and anything, the funny thing

was how she taught herself to learn how to drive a standard.

Please watch next week for a giveaway on my other blog,

which is listed on the sidebar.

I won't be around the rest of the week,

hopefully I am out with my friend or you

can picture me on my morning walks

being chased by dogs.

There is nothing like a brisk walk in the morning,

a dog running at you with teeth bared,

getting closer and closer,

louder and louder,

the chain that he is dragging behind him leaving ridges in the grass,

I yell go lay down, they usually do. Thank the Lord above.

Be well my friends, I hope you are all having a great week

and that you are feeling beautiful, positive and loved.

Until next time!

Cinner

Inspiration, Health Update, Prayers, Together we are Stronger

2011-08-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, Yesterday morning I had to go for a follow up at the surgeons and She was very pleased. She was pleased at how I was healing and even gave me the go ahead to start doing things now. She told me that I had been more prone for infections because of the fat around my tummy and that sometimes people will get infections. I had none of that at all. So over the next two weeks I can do a bit of housework, even a bit of gardening and slowly build up my strength. So this was very good news. Lately everyone is telling me how good I look, I got told today that there is no pain on my face any more...... I keep telling everyone that I am no longer in pain and what I notice the most is the fact that I can touch my skin without it hurting. I think I must of had a lot of poisons in my system...anyway I have to see her one more time in the new year and then that will be all. As I waited for the doctor I got on the scale and have lost fifteen pounds since my operation so I will never ever see those 300 numbers ever again. not ever....Right now I am sitting at 289 and I figure that I will check myself in October first to see how much weight I have lost. I am keeping a journal and have found it is making me more aware of what I am eating. The numbers have never been the biggest thing for me, getting healthy, being more energetic, doing my part to stay or get into good physical health because as we age well we will just encounter more. I have to be responsible for my health.....As for my Cataplexy I have cut back on a few medications and are playing with that a bit. The less pills I am on the better that will be for me.
I will never be able to stop them altogether.....but it is sure nice to know that there are possibilities of improvements....that is all one can hope for....So mentally and physically I am in a very good place at the moment.....I want to wish Diana a speedy recovery. I know you were having your knee operation sometime this week. sending you wishes of love....Gail I am hoping all is well with Gracie Blue let me know how she is doing. My friend Vicky whom is fighting cancer right now, she is such a fighter and an inspiration. Please say prayers for Beth whose friends were hurt in the Indiana State Fair Collapse, and if I have forgotten to mention anyone here know you were not missed on purpose. What I have learned the most is we all have our struggles and somehow through knowing one another I think we will all continue to inspire one another. Everything and anything is possible. so may we all continue to

one another. What inspires you, I would love to hear your stories. I thank all of you for your kind words and love sent my way this summer. Pathology reports came back and there was no Cancer, so right now I see my llife as fantastic. I am inspired by you and all your hard work, all our stories, all our struggles, determination knowing each of us are worth us giving our best. So until next time may we all have Our Very Best Days.
Take care, Cinner
P.s. Spunky Suzi, I have been amazed at how your hand is healing and your determination to keep at things, you are a great role model. Thats all folks, Over and Out.

The Ups and Downs of the Day and making choices........

2011-08-14T02:15:00.000-07:00

Well today I had quite the day,

My sister and her boys left at seven thirty in the morning.

They were so good when they were here,

the dogs love having them around too,

Both dogs love to play soccer, so with the boys here they were in heaven.

I felt like crying after they left today but I will see them in a month,

They were really excited about getting home and being able to play

with all their computer games, etc. and to sleep in their own beds.

I can't tell you the fun I had with them.

..................

Also today I spoke to one of my Aunts and her daughter.

My Uncle had passed away on Thursday evening.

He was 80. My Aunt had been in the hospital with us when my

Dad died. She was very pleased to hear from me,

and well we had a good cry then, and then I talked to my cousin

and we had a very good talk, of course with some tears too.

I showed very good restraint today, I wanted to eat oh yes I did.

But I did not, I pulled myself together and had to redo my

makeup and off we went to my MIL's 85 birthday.

There was about 25 of us,

Her five sons and one daughter were all together,

We had a wonderful time,

I had the best barbecued salmon I had ever tasted.

Everyone there was amazed at my energy level

and how much better I look since my operations.

The oldest one there at the party was our 92 year old Uncle,

one of the nicest men you will ever meet.

It was nice today to be around family,

things in life happen and somehow we have

no choice but to deal with things.

We are all responsible for our own life, how we embrace each day,

each hurdle, each phase. I used to question why do things happen, etc.

Obviously someone knows that answer, our higher power.

That higher power gave me the strength to enjoy the day,

to be there for others and to know I was surrounded by love.

May we all remember what is really important.

We all have our different things in our lives,

today for me I did not worry about my size,

I thought of my health and how possibilities are opening all around me

as I gain some strength. I am exactly how I was meant to be today

Present and open to others.

I could have stayed in bed and cried,

Life is so fleeting I don't have time for such days.

I could wallow in past hardships that I choose to look at

as learning experiences, through each chapter of our lives

we become more of everything.

I hope you had your very best of days.

Sorry for being so long winded,

we all deserve to enjoy our lives.

Stay well my friends, until next time,

Cinner

New Discovery Sounds Trigger My Bad Eating!

2011-08-10T03:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, thank you for the wonderful comments

on the last post, I finally got a chance to answer back to each one,

so thank you for your understanding.

I realized something new about myself today,

I knew I liked food because of visual presentation,

And there are certain smells that can be so tempting.

Today I realized that sounds trigger me into thinking of certain foods.

Bees buzzing in my garden makes me think of honey

and then peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

How silly is that.

I live in a city where I hardly ever hear the whistle of a train,

Tonight because of the way the wind was blowing

I thought of the farm where I grew up

and one of the favorite treats were

fresh homemade buns with butter and jam.

How do you go from a whistle blowing to that.

Birds singing in the morning makes me

want a morning coffee with creamer.

The sixties music makes me want Root beer and a Burger.

Now I am not saying always but it was surprising for me

to realize the correlation between the two.

Every evening at 530 the ice cream truck goes by.

playing the music that sounds like a fair,

and though I can't see the truck I automatically

start thinking ice cream and even cotton candy.

Batter out strike three

makes me want a hot dog.

Running the tub for a long bath

makes me want a glass of wine.

The sound of coughing and sneezing makes

me crave chicken noodle soup.

The sound of a crackling fire makes me want to

have marshmallows even though I don't

really like marshmallows.

The crack of a beer can being opened

makes me want to eat pizza.

and it is not my beer being cracked open.

The sound of an angry voice not even directed at me

makes me want some comfort food.

The sound of different accents

makes me crave certain foods.

I must be either a nut bar or a food addict.

Thank goodness when I turn on my treadmill

and I hear the beep, beep,

it makes me want to exercise.

Ha maybe I need to start wearing ear plugs for sounds that trigger me,

A really dark pair of glasses so I won't find food visually appealing.

Well I may as well get a noseclip so I can not smell any lovely aromas

Oh and I should wear gloves so that I won't be able to touch food either

although I don't think that really triggers me, unless I were to put a finger

in say mashed potatoes, yes you could not hold me back

and the shouting of encouraging voices saying

Cinner, no, no don't do it

hopefully would snap me back to reality

where hopefully I could pick up my dignity that has fallen

flashing its feet on the floor.

Egads do you think I woke up hungry?

I am starting to think so.

I will try to go back to bed but I know when that alarm

rings in the morning hubby better be out of the way

or a Cinner with dark glasses, wearing gloves,

a nose clip and one ear plug

will hit the floor running and when that fridge door

opens anything is game. It is a good thing I got my food

ready for tomorrow, it is also a good thing I can't drive

or I would be in line at Tim Hortons for a Breakfast Baget,

a double double, oh and well just throw in a box of Tim Bits.

Just kidding I am going to stick to plan,

I am going to do everything I can to.

My nephews are leaving Friday

and I know when we say Good bye,

I will want to eat something right away.

Maybe it is a good thing that I am aware of what I do.

It is up to me to change my Triggers and to

break my habits

So if you see me in line somewhere don't honk

that may make me think

I have quacked up.

I know this too shall pass.

Have a great day.

Do you have trigger sounds.

I would love to hear your stories.

Out of Focus

2011-08-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

Yes this is me admitting that I am way out of focus.

I tallied up my water for the month of July

Goal 300 Actual 152

This is glasses of water not weight....

So first goal for August, you guessed it is actually hitting my target.

The boys say they are going to help me starting in the morning.

why not tonight? Well I sent them off to a ballgame with their Uncle.

My second goal is to get plenty of rest.

We have all been up until midnight the last few nights,

and today well I just have to admit their mother is right.

They do need plenty of rest.

It really reminds me how our moods can effect our whole day.

This is what I learned today.

1. my nephews hate wall papering

2. Things must have really been different in the old days

back in the 80's(what are they kidding me)

3. the boys think their mother needs to learn more about computers

and get into the now.

4.Printers work if you plug them in. oh yes the joy of the 18 year old to tell me that.

I might have to glue his shoes to the floor tonight. lol. ahhh if only I could bend.

5. The pigeons from next door are learning to fly and they can make it to the next

house on the other side. I guess this reminds me to take small steps.

6. I learned today how awesome it is to come here and read all

your wonderful comments and how that lifted my spirits.

A big hug and a thank you to all.

Well off to fill the glass again,

Until next time

Cinner

All Is Good.

2011-07-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

The hot days of summer are among us,

Everything is lush and green.

My nephews are staying with me so I have not been around much.

What I have noticed about an 18 year old and a 13 year old in the house,

they are always hungry, hungry, hungry and that is before, during, and after

they eat. I have been doing okay though and trying to stick to plan.

Everyone is noticing how much better I am after my surgery.

They are surprised by the amount of energy I have.

The other day was the first outing I have had in eight years

where I was able to go to more than one store, and be

able to do more than one thing. I am thrilled to pieces.

3 stores and lunch the other day and a movie later in the evening.

Now I was exhausted the next day and have slowed it down since.

It really really feels wonderful to be feeling fine.

Until next time be well my friends.

Take care,

Cinner

Another day at the Castle.

2011-07-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

So glad my sister and her boys are coming today.

Eating has been off the last few days.

I know better, no excuses.

I looked in the mirror this morning

and I thought sheesh there is another one of my chins.

One that I had lost. So it is a new day to keep going,

keep doing, but just to do it better.

Tired today, thundered and lightning all night last night

again and still raining.

The next three days are supposed to be nice.

So here is hoping, and hoping that you are

having your very best of days.

take care,

Cinner

On the Bright Side

2011-07-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I don't think it is going to stop anytime soon

so here is my list of the benefits of the rain....

The possibilities of a rainbow...sweet

No yard work, no mosquitoes while it is raining,

fresh air, clean vehicles, time to read a book,

everything is so green, birds sing whether it is raining or not,

I love to dance in the rain and I do,

a bowl of hot soup, time to walk on the treadmill,

love to catch raindrops on my tongue,

mud puddles, bright rain coats, cool boots,

barefoot in the grass.........

Have a great weekend.

Remember dance as if no one is watching.

What would you add to the list,

I would love to read it.

Have Your Very Best Days.

Cinner

Decorating 101 yard sale style.

2011-07-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

These are my new yard sale ornaments my hubby picked up.

They remind me of people

twisting and becoming

new shapes, I love things with curves,

always have, always will.

love the depth and

form of each one.

There are two of these and they remind me

of me, But perspectives change every day.

for that I am grateful.

This is how they look on the mantel.

it is funny because they inspire me to keep moving.

The flowers were bought at the yard sale too.

I think hubby did a pretty good job.

This is how it looks outside,

overgrown but still beautiful.

..................

My boyfriend Stanley has been kicked to the curb.

I no longer need my cane.

Maybe I should keep him under the bed just in case.

Went to the doctor yesterday.

everything looked really good,

healing as things should.

I had more energy than I have had in a long time.

..............

My SIL and I went to a quaint book store,

I found a diabetic cookbook that I bought.

going to really try and follow the recipes.

...........

well another day ends with a thunderstorm,

all is calm now, but I do hear the rain still falling,

if only like pennies from heaven.

.............

I hope you are all having your

Very Best of Days!

Cinner

I.m a Believer!

2011-07-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

Alberta Canada

Many times I have crossed the old bridge

to the other side of the fast flowing river.

You can just see a little of the water in the corner,

crystal clear, cold, fresh.

This is where I forget the fast pace of the world in which we live.

This is my peaceful place I visit often.

When I look at this photo,

I see myself walking, exploring, laughing, living.

Hubby said that when I have all recovered from my operations,

that we should try to climb the mountains sometime when we go.

He says this to me whom right now is having trouble getting to the end of the block.

I say to him, sure would you like to do that before breakfast or after.

Whatever works for you, I know how you like to get up early.

The man is challenging me, he knows I can do it if I put my mind to it.

I said to him, I think you are putting your plan into motion

to kill your wife.

What are you talking about he says.

I said well knowing you, you will wait until I am half way up

the mountain, crack a joke, and I will fall off the mountain

due to my Cataplexy.

He says no we will be tied together,

I say great I am heavier than you, so where I fall you will fall with me.

Anyway we laughed and now it is in my mind to climb a mountain

some day soon, maybe next summer.

They say small steps, one step at a time,

so for now I walk the block morning and night.

It is good to have a goal in mind,

I believe anything and everything is possible.

I also do not put limitations on my life

for it is only by overcoming challenges and obstacles,

that we can get past the mindset of

oh no I could never do that.

Today I want to do everything,

and I am going to try as hard as possible to make

that happen.....

I can't tell you how stoked I feel today.

5.40 A,M.

Birds have been singing for an hour,

the sun is going to shine today,

and even though we are mosquito capital

of Canada right now...as per the news.

I have enough bug spray to venture out

and be able to enjoy the day.

..........

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

I am putting climbing a mountain on my

Bucket List,

whats on yours?

I would love to hear about it.

..........

Thank you for all your comments,

although I try to respond to all of them,

I hope you understand if sometimes

I have not been able.

They really do mean the world to me.

Hoping your days are filled with happiness and health,

and that you have your very Best of days.

Take care Cinner!

A Wonderful Weekend.

2011-07-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, we had a great weekend.

It rained the whole time again, but that meant no yard work,

which also meant no mosquitos,

so we visited with friends,

went for supper at MIL's,

which meant yummy,

Watched the football game, which meant exciting,

We even took time to do a few garage sailing

at Sunday at five o'clock, which meant

fabulous deals.

I got art canvases, two huge bags of craft flowers,

a book, some tins, new curtains beautiful,

some pottery that hubby picked out at a sale he went to

when I was napping.

He said they look arty and they are the colors you like,

It amazes me what a good shopper he has turned into,

he loves to find things for me. I will take pictures to

show you later in the week.

...............

So whats up for today,

water, water, water,

I am falling way short of my goal of 10 glasses a day.

so if I don't want to hurt I need to just do it.

Food prep for the week and portion control,

That and flowers and I am all good.

Have a fabulous week.

Hard work, your kidding me!

2011-07-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This recovery thing, though slow process

has been working out to my benefit....

Hubby is surprised at the amount of work

I usually do around here.

He is pitching in and helping.

He vacummed yesterday on his day off.

I had to go outside as it killed me to watch him.

I caught myself about to say something, and decided go outside,

let him be, appreciate his help, and bite my tongue.

I tend to be more thorough, he was wizzing through the house as

if there were a prize at the other end to get it finished as fast as he could..

He had worked up a sweat and then said, Oh that was hard.

I wanted to say Look after 13 years if you don't know it is hard work,

then your not doing it enough. Anyway this is good for me to give up some

of the control I have in the house.....I am learning it is not as important

as I make it out to be. ....I really do appreciate any help I can get.

Both of us remind the other that we really knew how to get dressed all by

ourselves before we came into the others life.

Today I am having friends come over so that will be a nice change for me.

I hope you have a great day, are there things your partner does

that drive you crazy or do you find them endearing and one

of the reasons you love them.

........

Have a great day.

until next time,

Cinner

Do not swallow Chewing Gum

2011-07-05T01:09:00.000-07:00

Found on the internet,

Journal, journal,

it is so easy to forget what we are putting into

our bodies.

I know me I forget alot of things

when I am not writing them down.

I won't ever chew gum again.

Have a great week.

Whoo Hoooo

2011-06-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I go and get my stitches out which makes me a

Happy Camper,

I am on my second week of Recovery

so only eight more to go.

When I feel good I hate sitting around.

But the thing is I feel good and I am thrilled about that.

The last four years had been very tough on me

as just to walk was an issue, so I am thrilled to see myself

able to do this again without hurting or becoming out of breath.

I want to dance right into my day,

In my mind I am even though the body is not quite there yet.

I am finally organized with my eating plan

and have a book strictly for wellness that I am writing

in every day. I also cancelled my appointment

to have the Gastric Bypass Assesment.

Odd that after 2.5 years of waiting

I now change my mind.

They will call me in 2012 to make sure that I still want to cancel.

They told me I might still want to do it once my body heals.

So I am making the biggest committment to me

that I will not need it.

So far is day eight of portion control.

My Goal for July is to drink 300 bottles of water.

That is one of my shortfalls, and then plan to

increase this on a monthly basis.

Once I have recovered is to start a vigorous exercise regime,

but for now it will be walking.

Today I am going to look for a housekeeper

for maybe once a week during the summer.

My husband is awesome but I think he needs a break.

so I am wishing all the Canadians

a Happy July 1st Holiday,

and all of my

American Friends a Wonderful

July 4th Holiday Weekend.

Until next time,

Cinner

I Feel Good........

2011-06-26T02:43:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all I am back at home now,

came home on Friday morning,

and I believe I am doing way better than expected,

and I realized that I will never be that tree on the horizon

that is alone,

I had so many phone calls, cards, flowers and fruit baskets, blog comments

and emails that I so very much appreciated.

Thank you to everyone for making a difficult time much easier.

Now the great news, Everything went great and

drum roll there was no cancer. Some test was

done during the operation, it is also being sent away for a test that

is more thorough but the results will come back the same the

doctors told me; I am on a 10 week recovery now

where I can not lift anything more than four pounds.

that means my pets around here and they are so annoyed,

well I think they are, the looks I get from them begging me to pick them

up is ridiculous. But they will have to suck it up.

As to how I am feeling.....excited because even though I hurt now,

I already don't as much as before. Great news is that I have lost

quite a bit of weight but am still swollen from the operation

so have not gone on the scale and won't for awhile.

My clothes fit bigger, I knew they would because

the cysts were quite large.

Yesterday I went for a short walk, first time in weeks

my back did not ache because I could not stand properly,

It is the first time I can touch my skin by lightly

running my fingers down over my skin

and I don't feel no pain!

(Except where Surgery was done)

A lot of positive things have opened up for me

and I am overjoyed.

My younger sister was with my husband and I at the hospital,

the first two days, 2 days later my other sister and my Mom

arrived. I think they all came to see me, but on the other hand

there seemed to be some shopping going on,

hey just saying,

So Cinner is back,

getting fit, healthy and really thankful

for my outcome.

I hope you are all doing well

I will be by to visit as often as I can,

I am not able to sit up for long right now

but that will get easier every day.

Gotta go lay down for a while,

Thanks for all your kindness

I love when a plan

all falls into place

I am blessed.

...........

Have Your Very Best Days.

Cinner

SIGH OF RELIEF

2011-06-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I am Penquin, Cinners little sister. She wanted me to let you all know that she had her surgery this morning and is doing well. Of course as well as can be, lol. I am sure she is very happy that medication is helping with the pain. The doctors said all went well and now they are keeping her in observation for a few days. She pretty much told me to go away as i was sitting watching her sleep, she told me to go have some fun. I am so relieved that all went well and that she is in recovery. While I am on here thankyou all for been such a great group of people. I am not a blogger myself but Cinner truely enjoys all of you and talks often of you all. It warms my heart to know that she has found so many great people to connect with. I am sure Cinner will be back on here in about 4 or 5 days (maybe earlier if I can:t hold her down) lol, so till then a big hello from Cinner!

Gratitude, Attitude, ..........

2011-06-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hello to all,

Sorry I have not been around much,

The week has flown by and now the weekend has snuck

up on me.

I wanted to pop in and wish the guys

A Happy Fathers Day!

Every year my husband goes to the mailbox

and says "No Cards again this year".

His idea of funny, and I say Better Luck next year.

(Yes he is a character)

.................

I have been doing well with my eating,

although my sleep habits are a little off.

I have heard the loss of a blog friend,

please see my other blog,

plus a friend of the family has passed away too.

It was almost identical to my Dad,

so my prayers go out to all the families.

..................

I am grateful for all things in my life,

for my friends here in blog land

that have shown me care and guidance, support and encouragement,

and most of all friendship.

I am grateful for the robin that stops outside my window

every day. The robin looked a little rough this morning

due to all the rain over the last few days.

I am grateful for friends, family, both new and old.

.................

I will be away from the computer for awhile but will be back

just as soon as I can.

I will be having a Giveaway at my other blog

when I get back , I was going to do it sooner,

but we have had a Postal Strike,

so I have not managed to get cards in the mail either.

Also to Maria, I will do a post when I get back,

Thank you for the award hon.

I will get my sister to post an update after my surgery on Tuesday.

I feel really positive and strong,

grateful that I am in good hands.

.........

so hoping you all are having a wonderful day,

doing your best to achieve the lifestyle you want.

Until next time,

have your very best of days.

I Feel Great Days Are Ahead.

2011-06-14T05:26:00.000-07:00

Good morning,

I can't believe half of the month is almost gone.

Things I have noticed,

my feet are not as swollen,

I seem to have more energy,

I can stay up a bit longer,

I don't feel as lethargic

because of all the fruit and vegetables

I have been eating.

and suddenly I can not get enough

water.

My clothes are fitting better,

I got a new short short hairstyle

so even my head looks smaller

and my clothes are fitting better too.

This has been a strange time for me

and with it has brought a decreased appetite.

I have to say Yeah for that.

I have my preop this morning at 830

and then next Tuesday the operations.

They were able to coincide both together,

I feel like I am getting an overhaul.

They are removing the right ovary,

will check for Cancer, and then depending on that

they will take the left ovary and the uterus.

so this has been weighing heavily on my head,

I never had any children so I guess they may

as well take these parts as they have not

done me any good. lol.

Maybe this is more info than necessary.

but I am being positive and feel like all will be okay.

Once that is done then the hernia will be fixed,

and a fluid sack that has been looking more and more

like a basketball every day.

I guess my Grandma had one and it was 23 pounds.

Am I crazy to hope my is about 30 pounds.

Funny thing is I feel better this past week

than I have in a while, almost like a peaceful place

is hanging over my head.

This morning when I let the dogs outside,

it was raining and everything smelled so fresh.

looks like hubbys ball game is cancelled tonight,

so maybe we will go out for supper.

Will see how much energy I have left after today.

So that is what has been going on around here,

I know I am in good hands, I know I am loved,

so all is great.

I hope you have your Best Day Ever.

It is what you make it.

Thinking of you all, picturing you working out,

eating well so we all get the lifestyle

that we really want.

I want to experience all in life,

I hold it in the palm of my hand,

It is mine to mold as I like.

Anything and everything is possible.

Until next time,

Cinner

wonderful moments, many

2011-06-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever woke up and thought

This day is going to be just the best,

Well that is what happened to me today.

I am so happy that my surgery is booked

and that I know I am going to feel much better soon,

I have felt so long that the Cataplexy has me so tired,

but it is a relief to know that there are other reasons

why I have not been feeling as well as I should.

Nothing could go wrong with my day,

When the puppy got hold of some paper

and tore it up all over the house,

I laughed and picked it up;.

When the sun was shining and the heat was 25 degrees,

I loved it, I closed my eyes and I enjoyed,

When my neighbor came to visit I took time

to be present and really listen. to focus on the moment,

When my other neighbor came over and had to rush away

to find his Dad, I went and helped and we were both

grateful to see him waiting for his son on the balcony.

When I forgot about the water hose running fresh water

through my pond and I left it too long and there was water

in puddles by the pond, puppy and I made trenches,

I felt like a kid. Tonight when Hubby is watching

the hockey game I am glad because he is

so enthralled in his sports this time of year.

I will go be a fan too!

Today was a great day, and tomorrow

will be another, Summer is almost here,

there is nothing like hope and faith to get you through

a day, and to see it as a gift,

Can you think of all the gifts you had today.

And the day is not over yet.

Enjoy your weekend.

Cinner

I Will sit in a corner, and just suck my thumb, omg

2011-06-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been flying by.

I have to say I feel like my head has been through a bug zapper.

No not that bad.....

This was a conversation I had with a receptionist....

ME...Hi it is Cinner ---- I was wondering if Dr..SO and So is in on Tuesday.

HER; let me look, who is your doctor, what is my name.

ME; Tell her my Dr. So and So, tell and spell my name.

HER; yes he is in that day,, what time would you like.

Me; Is one and one fifteen available?

Her: Yes, okay just give me a minute.

ME; no problem,

HER. Okay I have you booked for Tuesday morning,

ME, no I need the one and one fifteen appointment please.

HER, okay I have you in for one and one fifteen.

ME. Perfect, I will see you on Tuesday, Thank you.

HER, Thank you, see you then.....

........

okay so not too bad right,

Saturday morning I get a phone call asking me why I had double booked

our appointments. I explained it had been a mistake made by the other lady

I had talked to, I explained that I only needed the one oclock and the one fifteen,

HER;;;oh oh okay, well I will cancel the 9 ad 9 fifteen, can you hold please.

Me; no problem.

HER. Okay so we will see you Tuesday at one and one fifteen

with Dr. XYZ.

ME,. My appointment was supposed to be with my

family doctor So and So.

.....

are you ready for this?

HER. Your doctor is not in on Tuesday.

By all that is holy I have no idea how I did not come unglued at the seams.

I said, I was told he would be in and I need to see him before

my surgeries that are supposed to be at the end of the month.

HER...oh well then you will need to book a preop appointment

and that will be longer.

I said okay when is my Doctor in,

well he is in but not until the 13th.

Okay I will book the appointment.

HER; What is your number on the form,

ME; What form?

HER..Your preop form.

I don't have the form, My doctor had asked me to call

and see him about my visit to the surgeons office.

.................

HER, I am sorry you can only see your

doctor for one thing at a time.

ME, 100, 99, 98, 97......1, then I proceed to say

Please just put me down for followup..

HER...Oh yeah that will work,

ME, Great that will be good,

HER. What was your name again?

I can not even tell you what was going through

my head at this point,

I can not even type it because

I think my computer

would blow up

...................

Now I know I have been trying really really hard,

I snorfed down 2 pieces of rhubarb pie before

I could even think about it....

but then I refrained from eating the whole pie.

I was just feeling so frustrated,

obviously an emotional eater.

But good thinks come to those who wait,

the next morning I had a phone call from the hospital

and everything just fell into place like it should.

Surgery is booked,

In two weeks I should be good as new.

One catch.

I still have to go see my Doctor

next Monday,

and I can't remember the time,

I kid you not.

I think I will get my Hubby to check.

It was so ridiculous we did have a good laugh

when I was telling him about it,

sorry this was so long winded,

I needed to get this off

my chest.

Take care and thank you all for your

kind comments on my last post.

Until next time,

Cinner

Beware of Strong Emotions!

2011-06-06T00:49:00.000-07:00

Hey there it's the cat,

I am not too popular today,

Cinner was sitting at the table cutting up steak

for her supper. I had dropped a ball of yarn on the table

earlier. I was sitting on the stool, she threw the wool and I leaped off

the stool, to hear a great big bang behind me.

Ooopss I had knocked the stool over.

The noise was incredible.

I guess I startled Cinner because she had one of those

Cataplexy Spells. It was different this time, she did not fall to the floor,

but she could not regain her speech for quite a while.

I jumped up and ate a bunch of the steak,

well it was not like she could give me heck

and after these spells she gets very tired,

so she sure would not be chasing me around the house.

She has not had one of these spells for quite a while,

they are a little scary for her as I saw some tears in her eyes

Mr. Cinner came home and saved the day.

The stools from their new table set has some kind of string in the bottom

of the seat in the stools, so when it fell over,

it did sound like a gunshot.

Anyway now that she knows that can happen,

she won't be surprised next time.

Cataplexy is triggered by strong emotions,

being startled, laughter, excitement, anger, etc.

I think it is much easier being a cat.

It all worked out okay though,

I had steak that was pretty good,

Cinner had a long sleep, and I laid beside her

so she could listen to me purr.

..................

Other than that it was an uneventful day.

Here is something that may be of some interest to you.

It may give you a better understanding of how it is to live with this condition.

take care,

the cat

June, I have been waiting for you.

2011-06-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

June has arrived, I love this time of year.

I walked outside this morning and was met by the lilacs blooming,

smelled so beautiful. I always bring bouquets into the house

and put them in each room.

It is too bad they don't last longer. I have awaited June anxiously this year.

Tomorrow I go see the second surgeon and then the surgeries are

decided if they will do them together or not.

surgery is schedule for June 23, so I know soon I will be feeling so much better.

I have been trying to exercise as much as I can and have to admit

that it has been with great difficulty, however next month I should be able

to go full force ahead again. I have really cut back on my food intake

because of my immobility right now. The waiting lists to have anything done in

our Health Care system just seem to get longer and longer, and yet we

are supposed to have one of the Best Health Care Systems in the world.

I feel sorry for the doctors and the nurses, as there are such a shortage of both.

I have Sleep Apnea and recently purchased a new hose for the Cpap.

what a difference in my sleep, so I wake up and feel rested.

Katie wrote a very good article on Sleep Apnea

and you can read up information from any Sleep Disorder site.

Thanks for all the kind comments about my Dad the other day,

you all made the day much more bearable.

Well I am off to get some sunlight and work a little in my

flowerbeds, so until next time take care.

and Live your Best Days Ever,

Cinner

Lock Up your Kitchens!

2011-05-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I am sorry for not being around,

My sister came and stayed with me for a few days,

and then on the weekend I finally got my yard work all done.

I have found it very difficult this year with my hernia, etc.

Just over three weeks and I should be ship shape again.

Did I say I am looking forward to it, oh yes I am.

The puppy has been keeping me on my toes.

and I have to report that my clothes are fitting a bit better,

actually a lot better. I fall into bed at night exhausted,

but a good exhausted.

...............

Today I woke up

wanting to eat everything in my house,

and then pop by all of yours to finish it off.

I have eaten healthy,

not giving in to the feelings I have today on missing my Dad.

It is two years ago that he passed away.

He is also the reason I did not give in to my eating triggers today.

I used to think that when someone dies,

your love for them would not continue to grow,

but it does everyday.

I wrote more about him on my other blog today.

miss you and love you lots Dad.

..........

My Dad had diabetes, had five artery bypass and then seven

years later went into the hospital to have hip surgery

and passed away of heart issues. You know it was sudden

and then in other ways, the warning signs were there.

I often ask myself how many warning signs do we get

when we make that ultimate decision

that life is a one shot deal.

I am choosing to make the most of mine,

so no need to lock your doors,

I won't be visiting your kitchens today!

Hope you are all well and

living your best Day ever.

Take care,

Cinner

Would you change.

2011-05-25T00:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we are just going to do some odd things,

be a little different, dress a little out of your zone.

This day I was filling a little blue, so I decided

if your not happy change your day.

This was the outfit I came up with,

and I have to tell you I felt all that and a bag of chips

(oops I mean Salad)

Then when I looked at the picture

I could not help but laugh and think

What the heck was I thinking.

Sometimes we need to go to new places within ourselves.

THE NEW ME by cinner featuring POLYVORE.COM
If you have not heard of polyvore.com you will love what you can do and create.
This is just an idea of how I would like to dress.

How would you choose to dress, if you had nothing holding you back?
Wishing you all the best, the sky is the limit.

Take care, Cinner

Never Quit!

2011-05-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is my niece Jess Moskaluke. She has been down in Nashville getting her career going.
She reminds me if you want something bad enough, you have to work hard to get it.
There is no cutting corners, there are long hours, perseverance, and it rings true to how I want
to live my life. So to everyone this weekend....just keep going, keep doing, and what a wonderful
life we all have. we just have to reach up and grab it. Happy Long Weekend! Be Well

where do the days go.

2011-05-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

This week has pretty much been uneventful,

other than me running after the puppy,

and just when I think the potty training is done,

well let's just say it is not.

Did a bunch of yard work,

strong, strong winds for a couple of days,

but the weather has been lovely.

I am just going out for my morning coffee,

leaves have budded on the trees and all is coming alive.

Even me....not easy for someone with Narcolepsy/Cataplexy.

I just know that every day is worth making the most out of,

You have to keep going to keep doing.

So I hope you all have a great weekend,

This was just a quick post to touch base

and wish you all the best.

Roses or Rosey?

2011-05-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hi I hope you all had a great weekend.

Today we went over to my MIL's for a visit as hubby worked on the weekend.

We had a nice visit, came back here and sat out in the sun.

We finally had plus 20 which was wonderful.

I did watch Oprah today,

the audience had all lost over 100 pounds.

very inspiring. The only way it happens

is by having the determination and the drive to do all you can do.

So once again I am getting real with myself.

I want to be one of those people whom love to exercise.

So I am going to work harder than ever.

Have I done all I can,

No not by a long shot,

But I have a plan and a goal,

and a never quit attitude.

I feel motivated and that is a wonderful feeling.

I have been doing a lot of bending, stretching, fetching,

the last few days due to a new arrival to our house.

A mother's day gift for me.

and two days later I have already

fallen in love with the little thing.

I think her name is Rosey.

because hubby said she is better than roses.

So I had lots of laughs today.

tonight she discovered the water nozzle and was quite alarmed

when she got wet, My dog Kula sits across the yard

letting me know this is totally unacceptable,

wants no part of the puppy.

we will all get along eventually.

Take care for now,

oh does anyone have an idea for a girl dogs name.

Wishing you all the best of days.

Lifestyle Warriors

2011-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

How are My Lifestyle Warriors Doing?

Have you had some Fresh Air today?

Sometimes just opening a Window can change your whole mood,

maybe not if you live by a garbage dump,

but if you can it is a good idea.

My house is 99 years old

and I find the air can be stale in here,

so on a daily basis my windows are opened,

it makes me feel alive,

gets the good mood flowing,

beckons me outdoors,

usually for a walk first thing in the morning,

the sun was shining today.

There are so many places to go walking here in the city,

parks and bike trails, side streets, down by the river,,

there is always somewhere that you can find that you feel

is your special place.

Maybe you can only make it to the bench in the park at the end of the block.

How lucky we are that we can get out and live.

I really mean this.

I can't move fast, but I can go faster than yesterday,

That is progress,

I can drink more water than yesterday,

I have my meals prepared ahead of time today,

so I am not tempted to grab anything I should not.

Did you prepare for your life today.

Start by looking in the mirror, tell yourself

you are worth it, you deserve, and you are going to achieve it.

One moment at a time, celebrate each win,

celebrate a feeling of lighter on your feet,

a better attitude, excitement for the day,

laughter, great healthy food, water,

exercising, clothes fitting better, rewarding yourself with non food.

Smiling, just do, don't quit, keep going,

Whatever it takes.

Now is never too late to start, or now is never too late to start again.

Right now, is all that matters, This very minute.

I can do this, so can you.

Have a great weekend,

and

thank you to all of you whom encourage me every day.

Remember you are never alone.

The Miracle Drug!

2011-05-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

As I have been aging, as we all do,

I have really started to notice the changes with my skin.

little lines looking like little highways on a road map.

There are freckles, scratches, age lines, dry skin.

The best thing any of us can do is to drink lots and lots of water.

I can literally notice within a couple of days if I am drinking enough or not.

Also because I have problems with circulation, sometimes just to touch my legs

feels sore to the touch. If I drink enough water, there are no pains.

I have read that when babies are born they are 85% water,

which I find fascinating. As we age we shrink, loss of body mass, and that

number decreases as we continue to age. Apparently stress and dehydration

have very similar qualities and are often linked to chronic illnesses.

Also our brains are about 85 % water,

so if we are not drinking enough then our brain is not acting

as best as it could be.

Some of this info I have read on wikipedia.

I know this, this is something I can control,

With proper levels of water I can look years younger,

I can feel years younger, I can have less pain,

so it is a win, win for me.

............

I hope this encourages you to make sure you are drinking enough water.

It really is Gods Miracle Drug!

Have a great day.

Cheers.

Cinner

Sun to Shine.

2011-05-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

As undecided as I am, so seems the sun.

It shines, it hides,

it graces me with an hour here or there,

teasing me, tempting me,

not quite dedicated to stick to plan,

but then surprising me as the heat from the rays,

seem to put my plan back in motion.

Renewed ummmph to prioritize

so that I too can shine.

............

Hope you are having a great weekend.

Until next time.

Cinner

He was Chickened Out.

2011-04-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

A stir fry with one big onion,

proof that I cooked and proof that it is not chicken.

Hubby phoned on his way home

informing me that he did not want any chicken.

Apparently he has had his fill with leftovers

from our Easter dinner on Sunday, which by the way was lovely.

So I quickly threw a stir fry together

beef,celery,mixed veg, one big onion.

Healthy yes.

I hear at the door, Honey I am home.

There he is with an order of spring rolls,

one lasagna and one donair.

I kid you not, it was like he had won the lottery or had just caught the biggest fish of the day.

He says, I brought supper, I say, I cooked supper.

I swear if I had a chicken I would have tossed it at him.

No husbands were hurt in the conversation that followed.

I ate mine, which he confirmed looked very healthy.

He ate the lasagna and Spring Rolls and is taking the donair to work

for lunch. How I managed to not taste any of it is beyond me,

Must be the stubborn side of me.

He is watching hockey and I was sitting here smelling the

lasagna that was calling my name.

I took the air freshener,

Hawaian Flowers and sprayed it in every room of the house.

I usually count to three, tonight yes ten sounds like a good number.

He is saying I think you sprayed too much of this, are you trying to kill me?

Oh did I spray too much I am so sorry. He looks at me, yeah right!

You know I know he meant well,

but if I eat anything unhealthy, it goes straight for the neck area,

and overnight I have another layer of chin.

I would have to change the name of my blog.

I guess we need to figure it out for tomorrow.

Planning is the best thing in this house.

............

Other than that I was outside today doing some yard work.

I scraped some more snow off the remaining pile in the yard.

The sun was such a treat today, I even dozed for a bit.

........

I hope all of you are doing well,

I hope you have

One of your very Best Days.

Be Well.

Who Am I

2011-04-21T03:12:00.000-07:00

We are as beautiful as we can imagine,

We are as loving as we allow ourselves to be.

Some days I wonder who I am.

Some days I just know.

Some days I appreciate everything,

Some days I forget, but not for long.

Some days I stay on course

and some days I come up short.

Every day brings new joy,

new truths, new learning life experiences,

new hope, and renewed faith.

Dare to dream.

Dare to be your Best!

Dare to be You.

Enjoy your Easter Weekend.

We are truly blessed.

Love one another.

Let's Eat At the Table.

2011-04-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Exciting news to report....I have finally lost another ten pounds.

I was able to walk quite a bit on the weekend and

I think the big thing has been eating meals at the table.

We have been big ones for just grabbing our food and eating on the couch.

Those days have been kicked to the curb.

I have always enjoyed eating at the table, it was always something

that was done when I was growing up. I have found that is not so in a lot of

homes. Heck even the cat enjoys sitting at the table.

Okay usually on it, I am working to fix that problem.

So I am feeling pretty positive.

I also got my call and surgery is booked for the end of June.

At least I know it is booked and that I am no longer on a waiting list.

Just for a hernia and a large cyst repair.

In the meantime I will just keep doing what I can,

the healthier I am for surgery the better off I will be.

I have to say I feel

like today is going to be one of

My Best Days Ever.

...........

How are you doing?

I would love to hear what is working for you.

Have a great day.

Cinner

The sun shines, the sun sets.

2011-04-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it snowed all day, luckily it is melting today,

and now the sun is shining which always makes me feel wonderful.

I have done really well with my eating this week,

not so great with the exercise.

I fell on Tuesday when I was doing some Spring Cleaning,

just a quick startle to cause my Cataplexy.

So I was just a bit sore all week.

Heating pad and hot baths and I am as good as new.

I just wanted to pop in and wish you all to have a great weekend.

I hope you are all in good Spirits,

and just Keep Doing It,

Until we get it Right.

Until next time.

Have your best day ever.

Cinner

Setting Attainable Goals. Not a Cher or a Raquel

2011-04-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends,

Today I found a weight loss journal plan,

lets face it there are bound to be a few in a box.

I was about twenty, so 28 years ago.

Well I opened the pages of this journal,

and it was a laugh and a half,

more so because of me looking at it now.

On page one was a picture of Raquel Welsh,

with notes written underneath,

I want to look just like her.

I would love to have her long legs and sexy body.

She is perfect.

On the next page was Cher,

well once again I wanted her long legs,

and her eyes, and her clothes.....

So my point is this we have too make reachable attainable goals.

both of the ladies are close to six feet.

I am five feet two on a good day,

I know even with stilletos that these legs would look short,

and besides I would not be able to walk.

As for Chers bone structure and deep set eyes,

well plastic surgery is not in my plans...

So I asked myself today okay Cinner

if you could look like anyone who would you want to be.

And I am being 100 % honest.

There is no one that I want to look like,

there are some interesting character traits

I may want or aim for, but no I am me and happy with being so.

I just want a slimmer, healthier version.

You know I loved Phyllis Diller, She could make me laugh and laugh.

I remember watching her on a show where she took off her wig

and showed what she really looked like, she was so beautiful and in her comfort zone.

I have never forgotten that.

.........

I bought a new pedometer this week,

and a new journal and doing exercises for my back.

I walked on my treadmill today and well here it is almost Spring time.

In a few more days I want to start walking outside again,

even if I have to track down Stanley to do so.

Stanley is my cane for those of you who don't know.

So that is my plan for the week, hubby is back to work after a week off.

Maybe I will be able to get some work done.

Have a great week all.

Take care.

Some Soul Searching.

2011-04-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am back, I had a lovely time at my sisters wedding,

She was so beautiful,

you can view some wedding photos on my other blog on the sidebar.

I have come back home with a renewed sense of energy, it was a much

needed time away where I could reflect on some of lifes issues.

I have also taken a look why I started this blog,

it was to help me get healthier, not to be worried by numbers,

or how good or bad I was doing in comparison to others.

Am I eating Healthy......yes

Am I exercising........yes

Do I like myself.......yes

And I am brought back to the fact that I am me and am grateful for who I am,

I am at peace in my mind and loving in my heart, and that is the most important thing to me,

To be a good person, to be patient and understanding.

my weight does not define whom I am, the loss of weight will help me live a more

active life style, that is for sure.

So lifestyle remains a focus, I remain me as I am this size or any other,

I do not apologize for being compassionate and understanding.

I have learned a lesson, only I can choose how I react to

what I percieve to be negativity or anger, and for that reason I

will continue to live Each Day As Best As I Can.

I am strong, I am Proud, and I am staying away from any stress in my life.

Why, Simply Because I have the right to.

Because Life is About Choices and Control.

I am only in control of me and what I choose to write on my blog, and everything pertaining to my life.

..................

Have I had an easy life, no I don't think so, Have I Much to be Grateful for.

Absolutely! So onward and forward believing in me.

Yes I Can Do It, I am not a Quitter.

Until next time I hope you are having

Your Very Best Day.

Stop Bullying the Cat

2011-03-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

well winter is still here, although the days are starting to get warmer.

My husband was off yesterday and we went for a nice long walk,

well a long walk in my terms, and then he took the dog for a run.

When you have an illness you have to work within those limitations,

gradually improving little by little until suddenly you notice a change in lifestyle.

today I am getting ready for the wedding on the weekend.

My sister is so excited, she is going to be so beautiful.

I will be taking pictures for sure, actually I am doing the wedding photos.

Hubby will be helping if My Cataplexy slows me down at all that day.

So as family is gathering I may not be around for a bit.

Lots to do, lots of laughs ahead.

..................

I wish all of you that are undergoing tests the very best possible outcomes.

...............

My dog is turning into a big bully, chasing the cat,

I swear wants to have her for lunch.

they both need to get outside.

........we are all feeling a little housebound.

I am going to exercise, I need to refocus, and continue

on. I hope you have a great day, Stay Strong!

It went Like this.

2011-03-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Good morning everybody, I hope you had a great weekend!

This is a photo off the net that looks like my friends.

new eclipse.

It is beautiful, but not the car for me.

So I took my cane with me because we still have so much snow and ice,

I open the door all is good, I was greeted by that new car smell.

I go to sit down and when I finally plunged into the seat,

I hurt my back a little, But I was in.

My feet were way out in front of me. I was leaning so far back that all I could see was my big belly.,

yes no toes in sight. I have to admit it was easier to get out than in.

Praise be to god, the thought crossed my mind that in the summer if we get caught in the rain,

it will be a half hour after my belly gets wet that the rest of me would..

So we get to the salon, I have to say I love my new hairdo and will take a pic to show you.

But I get in the chair and I say to the young girl, I would like to look like the woman in the window,

she says to me, you would like to look like her or have her hair.

Of course we laughed, I told her if she could make me look like the woman

she was certain to have a very big tip.

It has been over two years since I have gone to a salon,

I could have sat there all day just for the massage they do on the scalp.

so a new look, then off to buy a new outfit for my sisters wedding on the weekend.

I hit a sale of all sales, 2 camisoles, 1 blazer, 1 beautiful lace shirt, a pair of jeans,and some

panties.....all for 36 dollars.

I was doing the happy dance!

then we went for lunch to a buffet

I had one plate mostly vegetables, large glass of water,

I was pleased with the choices I had made.

After when I got back home, I was exhausted from my outing,

but it sure was nice to get out of the house and to have a girls day.

Sorry I have not had a chance to respond to the comments,

I appreciate every one of them.

Have a great day.

Getting Out of Here!

2011-03-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about my day,

A girlfriend is picking me up and off to get haircuts,

going for lunch, I already have myself psyched for a salad,

and then if not too tired we may do a bit of shopping.

I know there will be laughter, trading stories,

plus she has a new red convertible,

not that we will have the top down today,

for more snow for the next while.

But that is okay too,

nothing could change the great mood I woke up in today.

There is nothing better than having a good night sleep

especially two in a row.

whhhooo hooooo.

What have I been up to lately,

slowly sorting out in my computer room.

made some headway yesterday.

So I hope you have a great weekend.

I hope you are all feeling well,

and I wish you

Your very Best of Days!

Here I Go Again!

2011-03-23T01:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been a few days since I have written a post,

Here it is Spring, that wonderful Spring,

where the world comes alive, breaks out into colors,

spirits are lifted, new hope, new goals, excitement for life returns.

So I drew this pic on the computer and then went into picknic to finish it up.

...........

So here in our neck of the woods even with Spring arriving on the 21st,

we have 4 or 5 days of fore casted snow

So it still looks like a winter wonderland.

What's a gal to do just go with the flow.

..................

Monday morning started out with an enhanced CT Scan.

I go later today to get the results, which I already know from the Ultrasound,

but apparently they can get a clearer picture so will be able to tell me more

as to what will be done when I have my surgery. I hope they book it soon!

..................

I got on my scale over the weekend,

and it seems to be a practice I need to implement back into my life.

I have decided not to weigh myself until after this surgery,

as the hernia and cysts or tumor are causing all kinds of problems,

swelling, and thank Goodness for Gingerale,

the burps that have been errupting around this house

can wake my husband from a dead sleep.

and all I can say is Excuse me and I am sorry.

That is probably more info than you needed to know.

So I am glad that I will find out more today

from my family doctor and then will probably just wait until I have

Surgery. My hope is that once this is done I will be feeling

much better and the weight loss will get easier for me.

Amongst all of this, I got a call for a pre assessment

for either Gastric Bypass or Lap band Surgery.

I still am not sure if this is an option for me

or if I will be able to have it done or will have to wait.

I did book the pre assessment as I have been on a list for over two years,

and I figure I should go and talk to them, it is not until May.

So things seem kind of up in the air right now,

may be the reason for not posting as often.

.............

All I know for sure

is to Live Today, enjoy every moment,

cherish each second, do your best today so that Tomorrow gets easier,

Eat Healthy, Exercise, Be Positive,

and above all else

Love Yourself.

Have your Very Best Day!

..............

Update and Thank you.

2011-03-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hi there everybody. Thank you so much for all your kind comments

that you left me on the last post. I am feeling much better today.

There was no sun here today but soon, soon, soon.

......

St. Patrick's day is one of my favorite days of the year.

There is nothing I like better than getting together and singing songs.

I very seldom have a beer, but I usually do have a green beer.

So to all my Irish friends, hold your mug high and shout

Sociables....

No green beer today, I did have a pleasant day,

ate healthy, watched an old Clint Eastwood movie,

walked on my treadmill, talked to my sister about her upcoming wedding,

It is on April 2. I am very excited for her.

....

hope you all have a great weekend.

My plan for the weekend,

..........

no plans, going to go with the flow and

be happy and grateful for what I have,

for who I am, for my lessons to learn in life.

I will be thankful,

and believe it.

I Have To Admit

2011-03-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

I Have To Admit

today with a strong wind I could topple right over,

be gentle with me whispering wind.

I Have To Admit

today I feel every ache and pain,

I could cry tears like the Tsunami in Japan.

I Have To Admit

today I am as unsure as the weather.

..................

Looooking Fiiiiiiiiiine!

2011-03-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

It's Your Turn To Shine

Look at you, you look amazing.

You were a seed and with proper care

you have blossomed into the amazing you that you are.

All your friends and loved ones around you surround you.

They are in awe of your accomplishments.

of your wonderful choices,

You are now the center of your Universe,

admired for your commitment.

You no longer blend into the background,

You feel comfortable being on center stage,

You know your worth, you know how hard each day was

as you worked to your goals,

thrilled when you could toss away your black clothes,

and get that lovely white and pink that your wearing now,

And did I tell you, you smell heavenly.

When I looked at you in this photo today,

it was as if the sun had come out and was smiling for you,

no more dark clouds hanging over your beautiful petals.

You were not satisfied to hide yourself in layers of weeds

that suck your energy and weaken you,

slowly loosing yourself.

I am so very proud of you,

I am just going to sit back, enjoy your moment,

breathe in the fresh air, even the birds are happy and singing for you.

Did you see that butterfly that just flew by.

I think he did a double take and if he could he would have whistled,

look at Mr. Robin on the fence singing you a song,

oh my he is worked up and strutting around.

Your world is magical,

It is the applause that is due after all your hard work.

How lucky that now you are the finest flower in the kingdom.

I could tell by your attitude

you already knew it.

It sure looks good on you!

Have a great Monday!

What an Opportunity!

2011-03-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

What an Opportunity

to live in a world where we are free to make choices.

Choices to choose our destinies,

The choice to do better, be healthier, to be kinder to oneself,

the choice to not self sabotage your goals and your dreams,

the choice to love yourself unconditionally,

What an opportunity we have that we can make the choice

to lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle,

Life is not about a one time deal, or a one time chance.

It's like if you try roller skating and you fall,

well you can either stay down or you can get back up.

We have the opportunity of living to our fullest,

the best life right now today.

I am not wasting a moment because I am overweight,

or unhealthy, or short legged, thinning hair,

age spots from the sun,

not one moment will I waste

thinking that when I am thinner

life will be so much more worth living.

You know life is a gift,

we can open the package or wait until some rainy day down the road

when you feel like you want to face things.

My fact is I am obese, I am using every day as an opportunity to change that,

only by loving myself can that happen at least for me.

LIFE is worth fighting for.

That happened to me eight years ago.

Once I got passed being scared for myself,

and over anger that comes along,

In life there are no quick fixes,

we don't wake in the morning

and poof the weight is gone.

But we wake up with the opportunity

to choose and work hard at what we want.

I hope you have a great weekend,

live your very best life right now.

remember you are deserving, beautiful, and right now today

you are perfect. Imagine what you can accomplish by believing in yourself.

The opportunity is ours for the taking.

What a wonderful world

Be well.

Picture above from webster images I believe.

It is not my picture so I take no credit for it.

I will walk 500 years, and I will walk 500 more!

2011-03-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Everyone

I woke up this morning with a song singing in my head,

I will walk 500 years, I will walk 500 more.

This played over and over in my mind

as I lay there waking up.

I jumped out of bed and after a few minutes in the reading room (bathroom)

I went and walked on my treadmill for an hour,

and it is only 635 am

Thoughts I had on the treadmill

Is it possible I am starting to like this?

Why do we fight so hard at making the right changes?

Why are most people afraid of change?

I have to start a change jar so I can buy new workout clothes,

Why who sees me when I am working out?

Oh yeah me, that's right.

Stand up straighter, shoulders back,

oh yeah that is better!

Dr. Oz said eating beets can increase your libido,

where did that one come from.

I have beets about once a year.

Well there you go I thought.

Note put beets on the list,

Feed beets to husband,

Just saying!

Dog looking at me in disgust,

big brown eyes clearly stating,

get off that thing and take me for a walk like you used to.

Yeah I will do that too.

I like exercising first thing in the morning,

Why did I just think

Yeah right,

I am really starting to!

Life itself is a proper binge.

A quote I read yesterday by Julia Child.

Oh I feel good, like I know that I should yeah.

A little huffing and puffin,

Need to check out gluten free and going vegan,

Hey no barking you silly dog, I about fell off the treadmill.

Oh I feel so good today, alive, happy, loved.

hmmm a little hungry even,

not used to that in the morning,

My body is like a car, needs fuel to go,

starting to over heat,

needs water,

Dawn is down to a size 22, she is doing so well.

Anne is in Arizona, what a great support system I have,

what a wonderful bunch of ladies and some men in there too.

Allan walked over 1300 stairs, amazing. what could I do

maybe 20, note to self, get out stair stepper,

this floor needs to be vacumed, sometime soon.

ten more minutes to go,

raise incline

going to paint today,

whats that saying

Just Do It,

I like that Loretta.

I wonder how many shoes Forest Gump went through?

Yeah feeling a little scattered today,

Take meds and eat breakfast.

Today is gonna be a good good day,

Black Eyed Peas,

Buy Beets,

Wheww, legs a little unsteady and tingly,

First time I ever walked an hour,

Theme from Rocky comes to mind.

Yo Adrian,

Power Down,

I feel good, like I know that I should now.

You know, I know today is going to be my Very Best Day!

Hope you are loving your life, if not it just takes one moment to turn it around.

Thanks for being with me on my walk.

My Life Changing Victories

2011-03-07T03:15:00.000-08:00

"The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have."

Norman Vincent Peale

My Little Victories

I realized yesterday that I have made some major progress in the last year.

The first of which was kicking my boyfriend Stanley to the curb.

For those of you whom don't know my boyfriend Stanley....

well Stanley is a cane, so now Stanley stands in a corner.

I have not had the pleasure of Stanley's company all of this year.

So that is major for me.

Secondly is that I feel stronger

both mentally and physically.

The purchase of my treadmill has helped gain strength in my legs,

and mentally how I feel after I have walked can make the outlook on the day

very positive. I can be drop dead tired, walk for even ten minutes,

and I feel recharged, instantly have more energy,

so I am not spending as much time sitting on my couch

limited by my condition Cataplexy.

I will always have to have naps to control this,

however instead of 3 hour naps every 3 hours,

now I need about one hour every 3 hours,

so that is major in the year.

So because of this I am awake more now

than I have been in eight years.

Lets face it you can't accomplish much if you are sleeping most of the time.

My word for 2011 is Control.

I decided that I needed to take control of my illness as much as I could,

and to not let it control me.

My illness does not define me, nor does my weight.

I guess I started to really live again by putting the effort into my own life,

redefining whom I am and living within my limitations of the illness.

One of the main goals for myself in my Lifestyle Journey

was realizing how much I need to stay on a schedule.

A schedule for meals, for sleeping, for exercising,

for visiting, for outings, etc.

Control the situation.

My clothes have been fitting looser.

I am not getting on the scale until after my surgeries

for my hernia and large stomach cyst

which still may be two months away.

I am increasing my exercise regime

and can hardly wait to see the changes in myself

in even three months.

We all have our own reasons for losing weight,

mine was because so much was happening to my body

that I could not change....see Cataplexy.

I wanted to do everything I possibly could to help me

take care of what I have realized is the best gift I have ever recieved,

sad that I had taken it for granted that it would just keep functioning at 100%.

because why ....it is so hard to get away from the idea that

nothing will ever happen to me.

Well it can, it does and it will

if we take our health for granted.

I am on the biggest fight of my life,

I am worth all my efforts every day.

There is that saying that all good things come to those who wait,

I have changed that to all good things come to those who work hard to be their best.

I may fall down and come a little short on some days,

but I pick myself back up, shake off the cobwebs and keep going.

It is not all consuming,

It is about me choosing

to live a better life.

...............

Words to kick to the curb today.

I'm tired, can't, it hurt's, I don't feel like it,

I don't have time.

.........................

Be positive,

attitude is everything,

and don't ever quit.

...........

I hope you have your

best day ever.

Feel good and remember

you matter.

Be well.

Cinner

I Can, I Am, and I Will!

2011-03-03T02:36:00.000-08:00

“The strongest oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.” ~Napolean Hill

I have decided it is time I get all fired up.

The last few days the winter has had me a bit down,

might be true or is it just another one of the excuses so that I can put off until tomorrow..

I can not wait until tomorrow, if I don't make me my highest priority,

well then I really need to give my head a shake..

I realize it will take more than will power on my part to reach my goals.

“Willpower can produce short-term change, but it creates constant internal stress because you haven’t dealt with the root cause.” ~Rick Warren

I need to work on Commitment,

I don't have time to waste time,

My body is the only one I have to live in,

so I better be committed to take care of it.

It is very simple I keep telling myself that I want this so bad,

well then I better be ready to do the work.

Guess what.....I am

I won't just try, I will do it.

I know I can.

I am important, I am committed to doing this

so I can do the things I dream of doing.

I will be the healthiest I can be.

There will be no stress.

I am doing this,

starting right

now.

I am excited.

It is going to be a great day!

I hope you have one,

remember you are the most

important thing in your life.

Be well.

Just do it!

Cinner

The Best Things in Life are what we work the hardest for!

There Should Be a Limit Even For Me!

2011-03-01T06:48:00.000-08:00

This is the cats favorite place in the whole house.

I put a rug on it otherwise she rolls around on it

and gets hair all over it.

I set up a hook system so I can lift my curtains so they are not in the way.

I love the treadmill and believe it was the best money I have spent.

Great to have this winter that is for sure.

I went outside yesterday

my usual happy self.

a long sleeve shirt, a vest, my jacket,

huge scarf tied around my neck and head,

mitts, heavy ski pants, big polar boots.

I open my door , I take one step out,

the outside door is ripped from my hands by a gust of wind

and once again I thought to myself.....

You have got to be kidding me

if anyone up there can hear me

please let it stop snowing!

Hello can anybody hear me?

So I get started bending knees,

minus 30, shoveling, ice crystals forming on my face from my breath.

I would do as much as I could, then stop, lean on the fence,

catch my breath, do some more, into the house to warm up.

Four separate times I made it outside,

not one soul did I see anywhere.

Did I get the snow done.

Not even near, but I had a good workout,

got lots of fresh air.

I open my back door to let my dog out,

no steps to be seen, the wind had blown enough snow

that it was up above the bottom of the door

and I had to push to get the dog out.

It was a bit drafty, the cold air came rushing up my nightgown,

shiver to the top of my head.

This is the most snow we have had since 1976.

I was a kid then, building igloos, making tunnels in the snow banks,

sledding.

Now I want to be a warm kid,

sipping my coffee, in a big warm housecoat,

slippers and a blanket.

Until this snow slows down my treadmill is going to have to wait,

and I can feel like I have spent all this money for my cat to sit on it.

At least I am not using it to hang clothes on.

lol

I have noticed my tops are all getting big on me.

Will have to measure soon.

..........

March 1st...one day closer to Spring,

it's cold and I don't want salads,

I mean I love salads.

I think it is a soup day.

Hope you have a good day.

We almost needed Snow Shoes To Get Around!

2011-02-26T01:49:00.000-08:00

We went to this park

the other day

There was no one else in sight.

It really was beautiful,

The white of the snow made it exceedingly bright.

There was no laughter of children,

no one was showing off.

The playground was twisted metal,

so cold, calling to the children.

calling but unheard.

The wind was ripping around our faces

telling us it was time to go.

We held hands as we walked back to the truck,

laughing as we were all bundled up.

We talked about how beautiful life can be,

there is so much splendor all around.

we did talk about the snow melting,

and a green grass will grace the path beneath our feet.

We enjoyed our walk, felt rejeuvenated and alive,

we got some exercise and were able to enjoy some time outside.

........

I hope you have a wonderful weekend,

make good choices, act like a kid,

laugh until your belly hurts,

turn your music up and dance,

and sing and smile

and love

and

be you.

Wonderful.

Unique, Beautiful,

Determined, full of will power,

King or Queen of

your Universe.

Love yourself.

It Erupted and went whizzing past my head.

2011-02-25T01:22:00.000-08:00

I had my fair share of water today.

My day started good,

I woke at 9 pm and I could smell fresh perked coffee.

My phone rang and my sister in law was coming over about ten,

great just enough time for me to straighten things a bit.

I had my coffee which was the last in the pot.

I always enjoy my morning coffee,

then I went to put on a new pot so it would be ready when SIL

came to visit.,

and that is when my plans for the day blew up so to speak.

I turned the cold tap, I turned the hot tap and I felt it sllip as I turned it.

And there she blew, the hot water tap blew off hit my cupboards,

the tap fell somewhere and water shot out of my tap

spraying everywhere. keep this in mind about 3 inches around

with the force of volcano. I tried to put a pot over the water

so that at least the water would go into the sink,

by this time I had about two inches of water everywhere..

the pot was not working so I got a great big towel

and then set a big painted rock on top of it.

Great it was going in the sink.

Now I know you are thinking well just shut off the hot water valves.

I can not get to them because they are in the crawl space,

and the trap door is too heavy for me to lift.

The sink was almost full, I got a bucket and started draining into the bathtub.

as soon as things seemed under control in the sink,

I called my husband at work.

I say Honey the hot water tap in the kitchen blew off,

He laughs and says, yeah right,

I think to myself are you kidding me.

I said I am serious and there is water everywhere.

Ok he says I will be there soon

It took him 45 minutes to show up from work,

He comes in and says did you lock up the cat,

what, well he needed to get into the crawl space and the cat tries to sneak down thee.

I say no I have not had a chance to catch the cat between buckets of water.

So he goes down stairs shuts off the water and then says are you okay,

Sure I am fine I say. I swear in the back porch I had freezing water back there,

my windows were so steamed up, my house felt like a sauna, looked like an ice rink and

a swimming pool.

Yes I am just peachy keen.

So he proceeds to fix it, which he had already done last Saturday,

and he says well that should hold it, should hold it,

I need a definate/////will hold it.

Okay honey I gotta go he says,

I kissed him goodbye and thanked him for saving the day.

As soon as he was out the door I headed for the fridge,

and stood there looking and thought why are you here,

what are you looking for.

I just wanted to eat something to feel better,

which I knew would make me feel worse.

So instead I grabbed some cold water,

sat on the couch, deep breathed and fell asleep

after two hours I woke and stood up and felt like I could hardly move.

I figure I lifted about 90 buckets of water

well it was one way to get a workout,

and I thought about water most of the day,

so I drank way over my 8 glasses.

Tomorrow I will finish washing all the towels and blankets

I used to sop things up with.

..............

Progress today was if this would have happened a year ago,

I would have been startled and the Cataplexy would have caused me

to fall and not be able to move. there could have been some serious damage,

and maybe I would have burnt myself.

So looking at the positive

I got to see my hubby a few moment in the day,

I got my floors washed., I got some exercise,

and now I have a reason to surf the net

for new taps and a new sink.

and I did not overeat.

Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow

and I don't mean water.

So how was your day?

Focus on Progress Not Perfection.......

2011-02-23T04:31:00.000-08:00

This morning on Patricks blog he said Focus on Progress not Perfection,

and I actually breathed a sigh of relief and thought why have I been feeling like I have to be perfect and I in a way was starting to find my blog almost stressful. I started my Blog to talk about how immobile I had become with my illness and that I was starting a new healthy lifestyle.

I did not call it a diet. I just want to be healthy.Somewhere lately it has become about numbers and that is not what is important for me, so I thank Patrick for giving me a reminder that I needed.

......................

the following is an article from ezinearticles by Janet Bruce.

As a life coach I have the ability to not only help my clients but learn from them as well. One very important lesson I've learned is that seeking perfection is a roadblock to success. Why do we have such an obsession in this country with being perfect? Whether it's having the perfect body, perfect home, perfect kids, or perfect plans, our obsession with this impossible goal is ruining our collective lives. When setting goals, you can be sure your quest for perfection in achieving them will stop you in your tracks every time. Better to focus on progress rather than perfection.

For example, let's say you've set a goal this year to lose ten pounds. And you know in order to reach that goal you will have to change the way you eat, move and think about your health. Someone obsessed with being perfect will get caught up in all the things they are doing wrong instead of concentrating on all the things they are doing right. This is the number one deadly mistake people make when setting and achieving goals. When you find yourself getting caught up in all of the "wrong" you're doing, get in the habit of instantly recognizing a "right" that you're doing as well. For example:

Wrong: "Nice, I can't even walk around the block without getting winded."

Right: "I'm walking instead of eating a tub of rice pudding and watching Judge Judy like I really want to do.

Wrong: "Why didn't I order it on whole wheat? I know I'm not supposed to eat white foods. Might as well get the fries now too, idiot."

Right: "I did four and a half sit-ups this morning."

Perfection can never be reached by any living thing because perfection is a state of going no further, and life and all that's living it is, by nature, an act of creation, which has no stillness. Perfection, in essence, is exclaiming to the world, "There! I'm done. There's nothing left to become." Focusing on the progress you're making instead of being perfect will keep you motivated and allow you to make the necessary changes in your actions to achieve even better, faster results.

Janet has traveled all over the country and world in an effort to find ways to better herself and help others. It is through setting and achieving goals that she has gained personal strength and a resolve to never give up the good fight.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janet_Bruce

So my reminder today is to Don't Beat Yourself Up,

every bit of progress is wonderful and life changing,

And why try to be Perfect

When You Are Already Outstanding!

Hope you have the best Day Ever.

You may want to check out my other blog today,

there is a giveaway, blog awards that I would love to give to my new followers.

The blog link is over on my sidebar.

Take care, Cinner

Get It Together Tuesday!

2011-02-21T23:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we need to take a good look at things,

like the above photo, I see two cats,

the black on her nose looks like a

black cat, I never noticed that before.

..........

Things I Have Noticed

Dealing with trigger foods, and trigger buttons

to make me want comfort food.

I live for the day that I will reach for a carrot stick when that happens.

I have really had to watch what I am eating with this hernia,

I am craving green peppers and sliced onions.

what a craving, it is only because I can not have it.

So I sometimes wonder why would you crave something

that would make you double over in pain.

just saying!

......

So when I awake on this lovely Tuesday morning

I am prepared for some major work, major planning,

and being organized.

It is going to be a Healthy Day

and I am Just Going to Do It.

After all Living Is Pretty Darn Important.

I can't find any reason better than that!

I hope you have your very Best Day

Believe in Yourself,

A 2 day Break, it feels like a week.

2011-02-18T22:24:00.000-08:00

The sun was beaming in the window this afternoon for about ten minutes.

It was the best ten minutes ever.

I sit right next to where these flowers were,

so I got some sunshine too,

The warmth was heaven.

Now these tulips put a huge smile on my face the other day

when Hubby brought them home.

As soon as I saw the bright pink and yellows

my spirits seemed to lift.

I laughed when I noticed the last time I posted

was Wednesday and here it is Friday,

but I feel good again, so so much for a break,

My surgeries are just playing the waiting game to get in,

but I have restless nights because of the hernia,

so if I fall behind my sleep then I fall.

take for example last night,

I get up in the middle of the night go to the computer room,

after I am coming out, hubby is just coming out of the bedroom,

it was dark, I had not heard him and he says hey what are you doing up?

I was startled since I did not know he was there,

another thing that triggers Cataplexy is being startled,

my legs went limp and down I went,

Hubby turns the light on and is telling me You will be okay,

I can't answer but I am thinking to myself,

Put on some shorts for land sakes,

I am thinking this as I am sitting up.

I say to him, what were you doing in the hallway, and why did you scare me,

He says I thought you were sleeping,

I was trying to be quiet.

I said to him Maybe next time you are helping me you could be wearing your pjs.

That is not what I want to be seeing when I am lying on the floor.,

and now he had me laughing again.,

the look on his face was priceless and I was just thinking,

please stop making me laugh, I just want to get up and walk

and go to bed. Finally we make it there and he asks if I am okay,

yes I am fine, I thanked him for helping me up.

I told him we need to figure out a system so that does not happen again.

you just never know when it will hit.

About a half an hour ago, the light goes on in the bedroom,

I hear in his deep voice, Just letting you know I am going through.

Okay thanks, all was good.

Thank you God Amen I muttered to myself.

.....................

sleep, soup, water, was my regime the last few days.

the flowers above were to make me feel better,

which they did.

Hubby said when he gave them to me,

Its good time to get them after Valentines day.

they were on sale, and they were right at the counter,

I started to laugh, he just makes me laugh all the time,

thats why my sleep is so important.

............

I have thought if I ever wrote a book these might be some good titles,

I am Falling Down Again,

Laugh Until It Hurts

Dying Laughing

Another Laughing Matter

Laughter Can Really Hurt

.............

Sorry I am rambling on. Thank you all for your kind wishes.

Oh and Best News of All.

Hubby and I are starting to work out in the morning.

that should be fun.

as for the rest of the day I don't think

we will be venturing far,

it is minus forty here with the wind chill.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend,

remember life is what we make it.

Laugh at yourself and the world laughs with you.

remember we can do anything and everything

as best as we know how.

Be Your Very Best and I hope you

Have Your Very Best Day Ever!

Cinner

A Bit Of A Break is Required, Doctors Orders.

2011-02-16T00:53:00.000-08:00

Here we are the middle of the week again,

I have been reading some blog posts

and you are all doing so great,

you should give yourselves a great big round of applause,

I mean it, it is so good to read of all your progress,

reaching goals, getting bracelets, denying yourself cake,

why because you can and you are putting yourself first

and being your own best friend.

you know there is power in numbers

and strength when we support one another.

I have met some wonderful new followers lately,

ones that I can so relate too.

I have had a few health setbacks in the last few days.

I am awaiting to have some surgeries for stomach problems,

and because I have not been getting enough rest,

my Cataplexy has kicked into high gear,

so I need to take a break to get this back

under control.

I won't be away long

and I will check in on you when I can.

So my friends take care,

and continued success.

Hope to be back soon,

Until next time,

Have your very Best Days Ever,

take care,

Cinner

p.s. I will be staying on track

and hope to have some progress

when I return.

I Love Me A Mug Shot!

2011-02-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

I Don't know where we got these,

They came in a box of items with my husband.

No the husband was not in a box,

they were.

Such Weird Little Ones,

that I kind of thought they were cute.

And in the box was this guy.

I am thinking to myself,

are you kidding me.

Well it used to be his Dads and his Mom no longer wanted it in the house,

so Particular Son received this from his Dad,

Well how can you say no to that.

And this guy, something about the facial expression

kind of gives me the willies

but it was a gift from his Mom,

and it used to be his Dads,

so there you go with that one.

This one the same thing, I really do like this one

It just reminds me of a jolly guy.

And oh not one but 3 boxes of baubble heads and trophies.

I think there should be a law that at the age of 58

you donate them to little children,

but apparently big kid husband

will have no part of that.

My Dilema is Where do you put these things

in an 860 square foot house.

I even asked him,

and he replied put them by all those flowers you have everywhere.

.....................

So no matter what in life there are things we have to deal with.

Some things you can see, and somethings are hidden in our souls.

somehow we all find the right way, what may work for you, may not work for me,

Compromise, learning and acceptance,

And somehow it all works out

Bauble heads and all.

....

I hope you have room in your heart for others today.

Do you have any odd things in your house,

I would love to hear about them.

Have a fabulous day.

Take care.,

They are No Better Than You! And That is the Reality!

2011-02-13T01:51:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, I hope you have been enjoying your weekend.

Our weather here has been beautiful, the sun shines, the birds sing,

and somehow the world just seems to become a nicer place.

I have had many comments lately about how hard it is to get over

Harsh Judgments of Others .

I am sure we have all experienced that in one form or another, and if you

have not then your one of the lucky ones or maybe you are from another planet

than the one I grew up on..

I was out shopping in an Artsy Area of Town,

prettied up, hair done, makeup, nice outfit,

feeling wonderful and a car of young kids drive down a road,

and yell Have another Doughnut,

I teared up and thought Why are there such jerks out there.

I could go on and on with many other things that have been said to me,

Those boys that day trying to be tough guys and impress their friends.

they hurt my feelings, did a number on my self esteem.

What I have noticed over the years is this

that when you have been hurt, one has a tendency to focus on the negative,

and when you do that, you notice the negative more.

I worked in a ladies plus size clothing store

and met all sizes and shapes, beautiful, warm, caring, confident woman,

and some very fragile woman too.

I learned to take things not personally.

If those boys would pass me today and say the same thing,

I would feel sorry for them. I would wonder what kind of a life

they have that they have pleasure being cruel,

and that would be it, over and done,

They are not someone I would have as a friend, or would even like.

The less you start to care about all of this stuff,

I swear suddenly you will be happier,

you may walk with your head a little higher or have more confidence in your step

and you won't notice them as much.

The only opinion of you that matters is your own.

When I became ill I had some people

say to me well maybe if you lost weight it would be okay.

I printed out information about my illness

that points out that there is no know cure

and would recommend that they do some research as well.

After all knowledge is the key to understanding.

It changed some peoples minds and the ones it did not,

well that is unfortunate for them that they are so shallow.

Once again I don't surround myself by harsh or negative people.

The memories you have in your mind of things that have been said,

or little digs at you, kick them to the curb, they are in the past,

they can be damaging. The only person that has to love you is you.

You may not like your weight,

so then you know you got to change it, but you do it for you.

not for anyone else and remember when you lose all your weight,

someone may make a comment on your new attitude, or your new hair color,

Sadly in society Judgments are made everyday within 30 seconds

of someone meeting you. I would rather someone remember me

because maybe I had a beautiful smile, or I said something kind to them,

and whom knows but maybe the person was afraid she would be judged for something.,

People are really not too different,

most want love, and respect, and self worth, and praise,

and if someone glances at me wrong, or checks me up and down,

well that is too bad for them.

It is not easy but you are worth it to care less and less what others think,

write your list of positives, we all have some,

believe in yourself, tell yourself that you matter.

What are you good at, and don't try to be like someone else,

own you, own your strengths, own your new confidence.

Keep working on your weigh loss

because a healthy body makes for a healthy mind,

and whatever roadblocks we hit, we become stronger.

So try this and see if it helps

and remember it is only your opinion that counts

the rest just don't matter.

The above is my opinion based

on certain events in my life

Also changing patterns don't happen over night,

it takes work.
Do you do things that work well for you,
I would love to hear them.

Laughing Yoga Got My Attention!

2011-02-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

Today would have been my Dads 77th birthday.

When I woke this morning I was a little sad,

because I always talked to him on his birthday.

He was always so happy when we called.

Today would be the second year that he is gone.

Today my sadness was gone once I watched the above video.

Yoga Laughter....I could not imagine what it was, although I did think if anyone watched me doing Yoga,

well there that would be reason enough to have a good laugh, and that is no joke.

So I watched the video and I immediately started to laugh.

I loved it, My Dad had a good sense of humor and I could see him chuckling along with this.

He might have one eyebrow raised but he would be laughing.

.............

The funny thing is that I have Narcolepsy with Severe Cataplexy.

Cataplexy is triggered by strong emotions,

one of them being laughter.

Cataplexy is a loss of muscle control from the dropping of your head

to complete loss of Muscle Control which is what I had.

So every time I would laugh I would fall over and just lay there,

and if I continued to think about what had caused me to laugh well the longer I would lay there.

It was scary at first because I did not know what was wrong with me.

Thankfully I was diagnosed quickly by a neurologist and it has

taken almost eight years with medication to have what I call

a Normal Life....whatever that is.....

A friend of mine asked if you had a choice and had to choose to Never Laugh Again

for your illness to be gone would you want that.

Absolutely not,

I can not imagine a life with no laughter,

As a matter of fact I have been known for my sense of humor.

So I choose to stay just how I am,

getting plenty of rest so that the Cataplexy

happens the least amount possible.

When there is a group of family or friends together,

the more Cataplexy I have.

Sometimes I lay there thinking, for lord sakes talk about something serious,

so I can sit up again. On the phone, my Mom always says are you still there

or did you laugh, then she goes are you there, are you there,

and I think stop because this is insane, your making me laugh inside.

........

Laughter has kept my spirit strong, and the reason for me blogging,

I wanted to make others aware of what Cataplexy is.....

So knowing that if I was at this class or at a laughing yoga class,

probably would not be the best situation for me,

I can laugh here at home and watch sitting down

so that I don't hurt myself.

I say the best medicine for any illness

is Laughter. I know some days are hard, and you think you

will never smile or laugh again

I think Laughing Yoga would help us all.

I think it would be fun to have your own Laughing Yoga Support Group.

I will see if I can get my husband in on this when he gets home from work.

I have remarried, I forgot to state that in my last post.

His most endearing feature,

is his ability to laugh and make me laugh.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

I am going to make it a part of my daily routine,

after all I do love John Cleese.

May you have your Best Day Ever.

Be Your Own Best Friend!

2011-02-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

The above picture is from polyvore.com that I made.

If you have not been there you may want to take a look.

I thought this picture corresponds with what I wanted to write about today.

We are all at the centers of our universe.

and we have choices we make.

We have choices to look in the mirror, to be kind to ourselves,

to find the beauty in all of us, If there is self loathing,

the world around you will look pretty bleak.

I know from experience that changing your life starts within.

I have had hard times, you can either stay in misery or change your life.

some of you know a bit of my history, I was raped when I was fourteen,

I could never have any children, I have gone through a divorce, I have lost many loved ones,

I have a chronic illness that at times can be very dibilitating.

When I lost my job due to illness financially times were very hard.

So I had two choices be negative because my life so drastically changed

or make the most out of things.. And this is how I looked at my life.

The illness had made me realize that I was not my work,

that I could slow down and realize what was really meaningful in my life.

The financial part well I really did not need for much and I learned the difference

between necessities and luxuries. When I got divorced yes it was a rough time, I look at it

that because of my divorce I grew to be a strong woman, I hold no resentment,

two people that certainly did not come from the same walks of life,

no one was at fault, being raped is a tragedy that will not be a negative,

because I have learned from that. The only way to get through that is to work through it

and make it into a positive. I became a stronger person.

As for no children, maybe it was not in Gods plan.

I live my best life, I live it today, Every day I have is a gift.

Every day I do the best I can and Every day I choose to be happy or sad.

Some of the readings I have read lately I have found to be very disturbing,

If you look in the mirror and you hate yourself and tell yourself that,

well I really believe you want to stay trapped in your situation.

By positive thinking you can really change your whole life.

Someone very close to me lost about 130 pounds,

she thought that getting thin would make her happy,

but if you don't start with the inside.

the outside won't make up for it.

This person could not understand

why she was not happy.

I don't want to come across as a know it all,

because I certainly don't.

Please find the positives because if you believe,

the things one hates or dislikes just does not stay important any longer.

And once you find your inner beauty and your outer beauty,

happiness grows faster than any other emotion.

and happy makes for a much better outlook on life.

This life is a gift, I love it, I cherish it,

Because I almost lost it.

Life can be hard

and fragile.

I hope

you find

Have your Best Day Ever!

Odds & Ends.

2011-02-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

this is a shot of my backyard last summer,

I am showing it so that I can say my statue is covered in snow up to her elbows.

She looks rather odd just with her elbows up sitting on the top of the snowdrift.

So yeah that is what a Canadian winter is all about I guess.

.............

I so appreciate all the comments and have tried to answer but for some

reason still having problems commenting on your comments.

I can do this on my other blog,

Does anyone have the same problem or suggest what I do.

I would appreciate any help with this.

...............

Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems

to change, but pretty soon ...

everything's different.

--Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes

I think the above quote applies to keeping our goals in sight,

staying focused and arriving at our individual destinations.

...........

Have a Great Weekend

Are you watching the Super Bowl

and no thats not Supersized.

May We All Find Our Sexy!

2011-02-02T01:20:00.000-08:00

glitter-graphics.com

There is something to be said for being comfortable in ones own skin.

I believe I am.

Skinny has never been important to me.

Healthy on the other hand has.

I believe woman of all shapes and sizes are beautiful, gorgeous.

Confidence is the most intriguing thing a person can have.

We have to love ourselves as we are and that is when we can work on changing

the baggage we carry around with us.

Sure if I get smaller and feel sexier that will be a bonus,

but if I can get healthier and walk to the end of the block without being out of breath

that is what will keep me working on my goal,

it is my health, right now if someone thinks I don't look good,

well they don't have to look at me.

I may not be every idea of what a woman should look like,

but this is me, we all have different reasons for changing lifestyles,

I think the majority is to feel healthier.

That was my feeling once I became ill with Cataplexy.

Today I saw the Surgeon and it will be a wait

but my hernia will be fixed along with other stomach complications.

that on another post to follow..

So take a good look and be real.

It is not an easy road,

it is the hardest job we will probably ever accomplish,

we deserve to live the lives we want,

so I am holding my bottle of water high,

and saying their is a Diva in all of us..

You may want to check out the drawings by Dwayne Breyer

of Hilda.

I think she is the sexiest of all times.

I love her too..

.......

Lastly I have a girlfriend

whom has been working on losing the last ten pounds,

it used to drive me crazy,

I would think it is only ten pounds.

To her that ten pounds is as important to her

as my excess weight.

She tries so hard, so we all have our own demons.

May we all have a wonderful day

and no matter what belief in yourself.

I know I can do anything as long as I get a good night rest..

It takes 3 weeks to make something a habit.

It is a new month and a new day.

Hugs.

One layer at a time.

2011-01-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

Guess what I am doing for fun?

watching the grader go up and down the street

finally removing some of the snow that has built up in January.

As I watch them I am thinking if they would do this daily or weekly

it would not be so hard for them now.

Oh maintenance what a wonderful thing,

Our bodies are the same way,

they can only take so much,

I hear the graders screeching and groaning,

going forward, then backwards, taking another run at it,

taking layer and layers off the street,

maybe getting down to the bottom of things,

Someone said yesterday,

it's not about what you eat,

it's about whats eating you..

I think there is wisdom in those words.

Maybe I need a grader to figure out some of the layers.

It's all in my hands,

and that can be a powerful thing.

I am the driver,

so here I go.