Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Wishful Wednesday


Wishing I were in:

 ...Rockport, Texas

 ...Nashville, Tennessee

 ...Seattle, Washington

OR

...the American Airlines Center.

Hope you're having a great week.


Monday, April 27, 2020

A Time for the Out of Doors


It's spring in Texas, which mean you have to spend time outside while the weather is nice enough to do so. So I did.

I dragged the kitchen table, which is lightweight and on the small side, to the patio and sat out there for maybe an hour and made some progress on a cross stitch project I'd started last year. It was really pleasant and lovely.

And remember I mentioned that I used to feed the birds...? Well, DD asked me about it and asked me to check at WalMart during my weekly trip to see what they had. Well, they had 20lb. bags of wild bird seed for $7, so I bought some. :0)


So the bird feeder is back in place. I didn't see many birds yesterday, but it does sometimes take a day or two for the birds to realize it's there.

Now that pile of greenery behind it is a very large branch that broke off a very dead tree. It'll get chopped up soon and DH thinks he's going to get around to burning all the logs and branches and sticks we've got piled up around the yard--probably a summer long project...

In other news, the weekend was a productive success. I worked on my WIP early Saturday am as I'd planned and it was lovely! I had a Zoom chat with my writer besties and that was awesome too. And on Sunday, I spent some time working toward creating consistent types and looking files from book to book. Which meant some cleanup on aisles 5, 6, & 7! I didn't get far because of all the various things I found to tweak and then having to circle back to the books I worked on first to make sure they were they way I wanted them to be too.

Hope your weekend was relaxing or productive or whatever you were needing it to be.

Have a great week.




Friday, April 24, 2020

Admin...


First of all--Happy Friday. We've survived another week. The news sucks and I hate it. I have no idea what to believe. At this point all I can do or not do is what the government allows. Otherwise, I really have enough to keep me busy.

Second of all--I'm keeping busy.

Things at work have calmed down and, for me, have almost gotten back to normal. As a result, I've turned my focus on my publishing company, Knotted Hearts Publishing, if you didn't know. I started making sure I have all files for all book and that all books are consistently formatted, have consistent information, and that older books are updated with all books I've written rather than the few that were out at the time. I'm at nine at the moment!



Anyway, cleaning house in that area--going through all folders and documents to see what's old and what's still in use, what needs a quick update, what's a duplicate. It's cathartic to complete these kinds of tasks, so I'm going with it as I prepare to get back into writing mode. My office at home might need a quick de-cluttering too.

Third of all--I'm still doing well at losing weight. Despite the banana bread and mini-chocolates I eat. I do stay within my calorie count though. The targeted workouts are an adventure, I must say. I look stuff up online--I have a list for each body area, glutes, abs, arms, right now--and then I try stuff.

And then I discover that some of those specific exercises are not things I can pull off. For example, I can't do Alternating Forward Lunges right now. I just can't get that leading foot out far enough so that my knee isn't bent our over my foot. I can't stay balanced either. So it's been a lot of trial and error with regards to things I can do--because I'm also not that coordinated--and things I can't. There are also things that don't seem to feel like they're working. If there's no aching the next day, did I work hard enough? Did the exercise "work"?

All that aside...the day is coming--I've already planted the idea in my head--where I go on a carb fast for like two weeks. No more tortillas, no more pretzels, no banana bread, no chocolate. If a food has more than say 5 grams of carbs, aside from veggies, I don't eat it. I see a lot of salad and vegetables in my near future. :0) By doing so and keeping my exercise routine in place, my body will really trove those fat stores for energy, especially during exercise after I've already been fasting for nine hours.

And there will be a good reward for that fast--like a whole pint of ice cream at the end of it or something. Maybe pizza with a lot of my favorite toppings goodies. Maybe a bowl of a favorite cereal. I don't know yet.

Anyway--have a great weekend. Catch you Monday!


Wednesday, April 22, 2020

I'm in business!


Well, I'm in several businesses of my own, but what I meant was...

I got my writing app back on my laptop!! I can write and/or edit again, although that's probably not happening until the weekend.

In other news, my ninth book is on pre-sale and will be released on May 1st...



I don't have much else besides work going on, so we won't belabor the post. :0)

Hope you're well.



Friday, April 17, 2020

It's been a week...


And it's been a week...

Work has been crazy busy and needed all hands on deck, so I haven't had much opportunity to do more than my job.

But here it is Friday again and yet again, what a relief. I guess it's time to catch up a little.

Easter was uneventful as it has been since the kids all grew up and moved out. I did buy one small goody each for DH and DD and that was the extent of things.

The weather has been up and down and we've had late cold snaps--which is nothing to complain about really considering my family in Colorado and Nebraska both got snowed on. I am, however, definitely ready for the super cold to get lost.

The food logging continues to pay off. The weight loss has slowed, but is still happening. I have about four pounds to reach my target. I also began my targeted workout routines. My abs, arms, and glutes are getting their workout and have been making their presences known the following day. The glutes routine might need some tuning as it's the top of my thighs complaining, not my behind.

As I was writing this, DD called to say our local WalMart had 4-pack of toilet paper again, so yay. Not that we need it with the two 12-packs we've bought in the last couple weeks, but it's nice that some things appear to be getting back to normal.

Speaking of getting back to normal, our governor will be announcing his plan to re-open business across the state. Texas has been lucky, although we still need to exercise caution so as not to trigger a second wave.

Digging into the photo archives last week was fun, so let's do it again...

I miss Friday Night Lights with Sonshine.

DD and I need to make another trip to the zoo--once things are reopened.

Ah, that my backyard still looked so neat and tidy.
I had to give up feeding the birds at some point, but the bird bath is still there.
The bed itself is all overgrown however.

Have a great weekend and stay safe.


Friday, April 10, 2020

It's Friday Once Again...


The days and weeks are cycling by and COVID-19 is beginning its wave of peaking in various states across the US. Texas is expected to hit its peak in two-weeks' time. Our state has been truly blessed with a comparatively low number of cases and deaths.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those on the front lines--this includes the janitorial services in hospitals and clinics, not just the healthcare workers. May God's blessing and covering be upon one and all.

Nothing I'm doing compares in any way shape of form to what these folks are doing, so let's end with this: Well over half the NHL facilities (and maybe other sports facilities) lit it up in blue to honor the essential front line workers.

Dallas Stars / American Airlines Center

 Pittsburgh Penguins / PPG Paints Arena

 Philadelphia Flyers / Wells Fargo Center

 
Washington Capitals / Capital One Arena

Take care--


Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Happy Hump Day!


There's not much new going on in my neck of the woods. I'm still doing well with the food logging --> not eating things I shouldn't as well as planning some body-hot-spot specific routines. I've also learned that according to Fitbit, fat burn mode burns more body fat for energy than cardio mode does although the cardio will burn up more calories overall.

That's a tough choice for me--because burning body fat for energy by exercising after having fasted since before 7pm the prior evening was my primary method of actually getting rid of my fat stores. On the other hand, I need all the calories I can earn for enjoyable meals. At my height and weight, I have basically no spare calories for treats and have to earn them via exercise.

Any who... since there was nothing exciting to report, I'm going to dig up some random images from blogs past. Let's reminisce.

 Way way back when Sonshine was in high school, the marching band got to play on the steps of the Texas Capital Building. DD and I drove down to see them. (Look how tubby I was!)

Way way back 2010 (I think), some special friend of mine, known as the JAG ladies, spent a long weekend down on Port Aransas and visited the USS Lexington.

Some other friends of mine (and me), spent a long weekend in Oklahoma City helping one another plot and brainstorm some books. That picture was taken in Toby Kieth's restaurant.

Have a great week. Hope you're well.


Monday, April 6, 2020

Making Progress!


The garage is looking good! DD helped me haul her stuff to the warehouse on Saturday and I was able to sweep and move some of the equipment around. It turns out I can use the Bowflex as a rowing machine so for now I’ve got to figure how to do that.

I also rearranged some of the other stuff, getting things into and onto the cabinets and out of view and off the floor.
 

All that’s left is to haul all the donation stuff once that’s doable and eventually put in a TV. DH likes to watch TV when he uses the treadmill and I’d like one with YouTube access for aerobic and yoga routines.

* * * *

DD convinced me to watch The Aeronauts this weekend too, a movie chronicling some of the first hot air balloon flights into the upper atmosphere to prove theories that weather could be predicted. I enjoyed it for the most part and would rate it a seven.


* * * *

This week's adventures in grocery shopping included finding toilet paper and flour, so yay. They also included having one set of double doors permanently closed and a cordon setup at the other set dividing up the entrance lane vs. the exit lane. It also looks like they've setup a line cordon down the side of the building for busier parts of the day when they might only allow a certain number of people in the store...? Inside there were two employees wiping down shopping cart handles.

And while wearing masks in general has been recommended, not everyone wore masks. I took my makeshift mask, but opted not to wear it.
 
Hope you had a good weekend.



Friday, April 3, 2020

It's Rained Yet Again...


Of course, it's spring in Texas and we do tend to get a lot of rain. But, man, with all the COVID-19 happening, sunshine would go a long way to keeping our spirits up here in North Texas. *sigh*

So update on the Chili Cheese Corn dog Casserole... It was okay. It was good. It was fine. But it wasn't great. 'Cause, here's the thing. Corn dogs are deep friend in their batter, right? And our cornbread batter was not deep friend, it was merely baked. And corn dog batter is usually a bit sweet, too, yeah?

Now the sweet can solved, but the deep friend, not so much, unless we use real corn dogs. Which I'm not opposed to. But here's the thing--I'd rather just have a corn dog with mustard and not all that chili and cheese. I guess the FitzGerald household doesn't have a new recipe to incorporate into the rotation. Shame. But, as you know, I try not to eat too much with high bad-for-you content these days, which corn dogs most assuredly have. So is it really a bad thing that the recipe didn't work out?

Logging food and being aware of calories and all the other bits and bites that the Fitbit keeps track has helped me actually drop a couple of pounds. Might all be water weight for the moment, but it's a start. I still have a few pounds to go to reach the target weight again, and I'm almost dreading it because that means my workouts have to become more targeted in order build the muscle. That also means my daily pretzel habit may have to go bye-bye. Will probably have to go bye-bye so I can replace the calories with more protein to help build my own muscles and reduce those carbs>sugars>body fats.

The garage project will continue this weekend with another car load of stuff to be transferred to our warehouse. I might also start some cleaning now that a stretch of (unfinished) wall will be revealed.

Have you got big, exciting plans for the weekend?

Hope it's a good one. Take care.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

DD Scored Some Toilet Paper Yesterday


It's funny the things that get a cheer these days.

I would have been happy with a 4-pack, but it's a 12-pack, so I can divvy it up between the house and the office. :0)

The food logging is helping. I've been resisting temptation, like Monday when I bought DH McDonald's. I really wanted a Dr. Pepper. I exerted my willpower and didn't get one however. Today, I finally brought a serving of the unsweet tea I bought at the grocery store. I could make unsweet tea, I know. It's not the same, though, so I splurged. I did have pizza for dinner last night, but stayed within my allotted calories even though I definitely didn't need the carbs.

I've discovered a new annoyance in all this COVID-19 business. The PSAs by folks who keep saying "stay inside." That's not the mandate, really. It's to stay home. You're allowed to go outside into your yard if you have one. You can go for a walk or bike ride. *sigh*

DD found a recipe on TikTok that's gonna challenge my willpower. It's called Chili Cheese Corn Dog Casserole. She's gonna make it for dinner tonight, so I guess I'd better be chincy with the calories today so I can afford to eat it. I'll update you on Friday on both the actual taste as well as my efforts not to gorge myself.

So...DD found this while at the store:


This amuses me no end, mostly because Peeps have been a running joke in my husband's family for years. One of my sisters-in-law had a thing for Peeps way back when and so we still buy some of the more crazy flavors we come across.

Anyway, I hope you're doing well, whether your life is relatively normal or turned on its ear. See you Friday.