HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow, July 13th is my sister's birthday. She has many names or I should say she has acquired many. Her name is Elizabeth. No one calls her Elizabeth. I remember our Dad calling her Lib and Beth. When I was little I started calling her Bethy and for over 50 years I still call her Bethy. Most people call her Liz but when grandchildren of my siblings appeared on the scene she became Grandmama and Tiz. Well, I invite you to Tiz's/Bethy's virtual Birthday Party. Yes, this post is a repeat but hey why mess with a great thing.

First of all I don't know of a person who enjoys her birthday more that she. The entire month of July is spent in celebrations. However, this year her husband Gene will be having surgery on July 15th for a hernia repair so feel free to add him to your prayer list.

Bethy this picture reminds me of what I think your spirit must look like.

This is a picture of a print/painting by Marie Barber the title of the piece is Colors of Praise. The scripture reference she prints underneath is Psalm 139:14 "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and Wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."

The quality of the picture isn't good but the way this little girl's head is up and back with her hand up in praise basking in the light of our Father makes me happy to look at her. Hope you like it.

Every Birthday party must a balloon or two so here you go.

Of course, balloons would be attached to flowers but there were so many to choose from . You certainly deserve roses but I love lilies so maybe a mixed arrangement.

Flowers are so beautiful but you might prefer something a little different.






Something soft an cuddly with a can of candy or a decorative cup. HUMMMMM

Now for the very best. What would a party be without a Birthday cake!!!!!

Sorry about the glare but the clerk at Winn Dixie wasn't interested in breaking the seal, taking the dome off just so I could take a picture. Imagine that. While I was busy looking at birthday cakes and picking out the very best one for my Bethy, something else caught my eye. I know how much you love chocolate and how much I love fruit desserts, I found these. I honestly think these would be better than the cake. How about you???

YUMO!!!

I know what you are think and no I did not take one home. Yes, I wanted to but I didn't. I would still like to have one but you know they may have been sitting around a long time and just look good but taste ugh.

Now let me sing to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday my B-E-T-H-Y. Happy Birthday to you.

Well, Beth the sentiment is the same as last year, hope you have the best ever birthday, Sis. Love you.

WEEKLY UPDATE

Not a lot to talk about today. I've done well eating wise so I've lost 5.4 lbs since I last reported but only .5 inch down. I've really be slacking on exercise so I've got to step it up. I don't know if the heat or work stress is really getting to me. I'm so tired then I leave work that a couple of days I've taken a nap as soon as I get home. I'm busy making decisions as to how to get my budget to zero by the end of this month. That sounds easy as I read it but it isn't at all. I could go on and on about that but it really is to boring to go into.

I'm still 7 lbs away from my lowest weight and I'm completed ticked with myself for gaining. There are no excuses, I'm the only one I can blame. I would love to lay the blame on work, friends, church, family, did I mention work but I can't.

I don't have anything to do this weekend so I'm going to take full advantage of it. Curve's opens in 30 minutes so I'm going to be there. Y'all have a great weekend. Maybe I'll come visit you this weekend.

BACK TO REALITY

There is nothing like a really unflattering picture to jar you back into reality. My worse side is my side view. I look like the baby may come anytime. Seriously. I've always looked this way even at 7 or 8 years old. I can blame it on that hormone that make you big around the middle due to stress and that may play a part. I do have a stressful job but beside the job my stress level is pretty low.

I actually saw the picture on my sister's computer July 4th. So Monday after the doctor's visit and the Sam's hot dog, I bought healthier food. I have eaten according to physical hunger for the last two day. It hasn't been easy but having great tasting and healthy food helps a lot. A whole lot. Hopefully I'll be back in the grove in another day or two.

Today, I settled in to read a few blogs. I was enjoying a slide show from the 4th on Jen's blog when to my horror there it was (splatter on the Internet for the whole world to see) me in my most unflattering pose possible. Of course, Jen, has blamed one of her three children with taking this picture but I don't know. Jen did see how much I ate a lunch so maybe posting that picture was a subliminal message (Aunt JC, get your rear in gear and get on with losing). HA!! She would never own up to doing such a thing.

Note that I am not linking to her blog. If you want to see, you will have to figure it out for yourself.

Hope y'all had a great day.

SOMETIMES I WONDER

About myself.

Apparently I misundertood Dr. A last week. I was expecting a plan today but what I got was a 1 1/2 hours of biting into wax. I thought she said she would make a wax model of my teeth but that isn't what she said. She did make a plaster model of my mouth but where the wax came in was she said she would make wax molds of my bite next time. That is what was done today. Another appointment in two weeks (July 20th). I was disappointed but one Sam's hot dog for lunch/supper and a walk all over Sam's club later, I was fine. I bought fruit & veggies to replenish my kitchen so when the urge to eat hits there is healthy food available.

That is all I have to report for today. Don't you love a short post from me? I know it is highly unusual. Bye for now.

COMPARING

I must admit I cannot even believe what I am going to do. Yep, you guessed it. I'm posting a picture of this year's back side pic to last year's pic. I'm really leery you might not be able to tell any difference. Let's see, here is July 4, 2008. Top size 2X, pants 19/21 (didn't know there was such a size until I bought them), shoes girl size 5.

Now, let's compare to July 4, 2009. Top regular size L, pants 16 (I don't know what happened to the cuff of the left leg.), shoes size 6 (I know you can't see them but they are cute red flip flops).

HUMMMMMM, I'm not to sure. I need to stick to the same family member when taking these pictures. The arms are smaller and the legs. Yep, the legs and ankles are much smaller. Why do I stand crooked? The left shoulder is down, why did I do that? Why am I not standing up straight, Mama always told me to stand up straight. Please, I do not expect answers, I'm just thinking out loud.

Yesterday was perfect. The baby is now 18 months and curious about everything, especially the road in front of my sister's house. He is a fast little fella, too fast for Aunt JC to catch without causing him to fall and scratch his forehead. Yep, I did. Praise God it didn't faze him any. He didn't even cry but he had a red spot and bump. I felt terrible. It is hard being part of the old generation especially when I'm getting thinner, stronger and younger looking every day.

One of the grand nieces saw Bambi in the road just down the hill from where we were on the front porch. I zoomed in as far as I could to get this pictures. Bambi didn't linger long once the kiddo's decided to see how close they could get.

See where my nephew and two grand nephews are and where the road bends in the distance. The bend in the road is where the deer was. I'm still on the porch in the shade. The porch post is in the foreground and a cedar tree to the right of my nephew and two grand nephews.

Hope y'all had a great and wonderful weekend. Tomorrow is back to work and back to see Dr. A in the afternoon.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY Y'ALL

I know you were expecting "WEEKLY UPDATE" but since it is a holiday in which I will be traveling to where I call home. See the picture below doesn't it look like a place you would call home. It is where my Daddy grew up and where I've spent most of my holidays for the last 55 years. My oldest sister and her husband own it how. They take such good care of it that I always look forward to going home. You know my sister. She is Tiz over at Prayerfully Yours.


I'm skipping the weighing and measuring in favor of having a good day. Not that the number on the scale or measuring tape would spoil my day but I just don't have time for my regular Saturday routine today. I'm writing this on Friday. Overall this has been a fair week food wise and I know I have lost some. There were too many times when I would forget to wait for hunger. I'm wrestling with the idea of putting the scale away for the month of July just to see how I do. I know I've had more peace in my life from just not thinking so much about the do's and don't of food. That is not to say I'm giving up. Certainly not. I'm still exercising and eating a whole lot less so I'm feeling good about my progress. I just need a break from letting it consume my life.

July 4th is my favorite holiday. I think I said that last year but I'm too lazy to look up the post. There is no dressing up, well that isn't exactly true if you remember my rear end shot from last year with the miss placed starburst on my rear. Hey! Wait a minute, I'll find it for you. My rear is a couple of sizes smaller this year than last year. I wonder if any of my family will be up for another back side picture. HA!!! The things my family will do for me. Here you go. I knew I could find it. Hey my arms and neck are smaller. I think. I know I've already given away the clothes. I still have the shoes.


My sister always decorates for holidays but I think she out does herself on July 4th so I tryed to blend in with my outfit. HA!!! I crack myself up. Anway here are a few pictures from July 4, 2008.



I hope you have wonderful plans for Independence Day. I'm going to play and eat and talk and play and eat and talk and well you get the idea.

CONTINUING STORY

I know you have been waiting to hear about my today's grand adventure. I love my Prosthodontist. I still can't spell or pronounce her name but I will call her Dr. A because she isn't a big fish doc after all but I wouldn't consider her a guppy either. She is in her second year of a three year residency. She is very personable and put me at ease. She appears to know what she is talking about or either she is faking it til she makes it. She was to have another appointment at 2 but that person was a no show which was good for me. I've never had a better dental exam ever in my life. She explained everything she was doing and why. She took pictures (a lot of them), then x-rays (21 or those), then molds (4 of them, 2 top & 2 bottom impressions). From one set of molds she will make a wax model of my mouth and from the other she will make whatever is needed.

I will go back Monday afternoon to meet with her and her director and discuss an overall comprehensive plan for my teeth. She said if they feel that braces are the best for the health of my mouth for long run then that is what they will recommend. That would involve pulling the upper baby teeth then attaching wire hooks to the permanent teeth and over time (2 to 3 years) pulling them into place. This would close the gap in my front teeth but the new teeth may not match my existing front teeth as far as color goes. I know more than you wanted to know. She said they (not sure who they are) will come up with multiple plans for me to consider. She said that while she is concerned about aesthetics the position of the school of dentistry is about oral health first. I suppose that is a really good thing.

Tonight I am very tired and my mouth, jaws and face in general is sore and achy. My mouth is scratched up from the x-ray tab thingies. You know those hard square pieces of x-ray film they stick in your mouth and tell you bite on while it jabs and slices the inside of your mouth. Even the outside of my mouth is scratched from a mirror used in taking pictures. I'm a pitiful looking but peaceful and joy filled mess.

Eating wise today was great. I ate an egg & cheese on wheat bread for breakfast. and sipped stevia sweeten iced tea all morning. Breakfast was early (7:30). I left work for B'ham at 11 a.m, got there, parked and in the building by 12:45 p.m. I didn't leave until almost 4 p.m. I was so thirsty and the taste of latex or whatever she made the molds from was gross. There is an Arby's near the parking deck so I drove through for a Diet Pepsi (I know I haven't had a soda in ages). They were giving away a beef & cheddar sandwich when you bought a drink. When I got to the window to pay the server asked why I didn't want the free sandwich. Apparently I had not read the sign telling me about a free sandwich (I was more concerned with traffic). Well, my lunch and supper was the free sandwich. It was really good. However, fearing the sandwich had a zillion calories that has been it for my eating. If I get hungry before bed I'll have some blueberries.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go on and on. I think I'll go to bed. I'm to tired for TV. Sweet dreams y'all.

PROSTHODONTIST

Prosthodontist is a word I had never heard until last Friday. Dr. Guppy (not his real name), the student resident oral surgeon, asked if I had see a Prosthodontist. Of course not to sound completely stupid I just said "no". The answer in my head was "what's that doc". Later Big Fish Doc told me I would need to see a Prosthodontist to get a plan for my other dental work, since he would only be concerned with the cyst, the impacted teeth and the baby teeth will fall out. To keep from being snaggled toothed, I need a Prosthodontist. Apparently the right word for a cosmetic dentist is a prosthodontist. I had to look it up to find out exactly what they do but they specialize in replacment teeth (implants, bridges, etc) and comestic stuff (veneers, whitening, etc). It sounded to me like a person that make prosthetics for someone who has lost a limb. See I learn something new every day.

Another term I didn't know was Endondist. This is a dentist that specializes in root canals. Praise God I don't have to go to one of those.

Who knew the world of dentistry could be so complicated.

Anyway, I'm starting to ramble. Friday, Big Fish Doc. said he was going to contact one of his Big Fish Buds and get me in to see a Prosthodontist. He said he would handle it himself and call me directly. I thought to myself "I'm not holding my breath on this one." Well, Big Fish Doc left me a message at 4:17 pm yesterday afternoon. Telling me who to call and who I will be seeing in the Prosthodontist part of the UAB School of Dentistry Clinic. I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon 1 p.m. (woo hoo I can work 1/2 a day) just in case you need something else to pray about. I would tell you the Prosthodonist name but I can't pronounce it much less spell it but I do know that this Big Fish Doc is a she doc. So now Oral Surgeon is He Big Fish Doc and Prosthodontist is She Big Fish Doc. You do have that straight don't you? I'm sure I'll accumulate more Guppy docs along the way.

I love a good adventure, don't you. For me, getting to the right place in the maze that is the UAB School of Dentistry Clinic is an adventure.

That's all the news I know. Y'all have sweet dreams.

SLOW DOWN

You move to fast, you've got to make the morning last.
Just kickin' down the cobblestones,
Looking for fun and feeling groovy.

Remember those lyrics from Simon & Garfunkel. Sorry, they are stuck in my head so they might as well be stuck in yours.

For me "slow down" applies to food. I realized this weekend that I gobble food down like someone is going to snatch it away from me. So I've got to slow down my eating. Not a new concept but just one that I realized was being ignored big time.

When I say "slow down", I don't mean just a little, I mean eat painfully slow small bites. It is amazing how little food your body can be satisfied with. Food should be enjoyed but I've eaten so fast that I don't taste the food at all.

Can any one relate? Yes, I'm busy. Everyone is busy. However, if I am to stick to eating only when I'm physically hungry, I must eat what my body craves and enjoy it to the fullest. When I eat what I truly want and desire, I'm satisfied with a lot less of it. Therefore, I can half my portion and safe calories.

Now I know you are thinking that if you eat what you desire you will eat chocolate or fried chicken all the time but that simply isn't true. If you desire a certain food, try eating just that food all day, for each meal. You will discover you get sick of it very easily.

I've stayed on track this weekend and was down 5 lbs this morning so I'm feeling pretty "groovy" right about now. "Life I love ya, always groovy." I think those are some of more words to the above song.

Seriously, do you deal with eating so fast you are unaware of the taste of the food or how much you have wolfed down?

WEEKLY UPDATE

I'll start today with the doctor's visit. Turns out not to be so bad after all. In his office, he pulled up and reviewed the MRI done earlier this year. He says the cyst does have to come out and I will lose teeth as the result and I will have to have a bone graft but the cyst in contained in the bone so the surgery can wait until after the BLOGHER Conference. WHEW!! Well, actually it will take 4-6 weeks for my insurance to agree to pay for it. I go back to see him July 31st.

On a side note he has a resident doctor that works with him. I was impressed. He told me his name. His last name is Guffey. I thought he said Guppy. I spent a good five minutes trying to see his name badge just to make sure. Now that I type it, I don't know why I found that funny. I guess I was imagining Guppy Dr in a pond of Big Fish Drs.

Thank you all for your prayers.

I admit I have a hard time focusing on more than one thing as I age. This is new to me. Although I still do pretty well. I did make an appointment to take my car in for service and get a loaner car yesterday so technically I did focus on more than one thing.

My eating and exercise however were not even on my radar. I exercised at Curve's once this week. No field trip walking. Apparently riding around looking for where I'm suppose to be and finding a parking space doesn't count. After a month of not journaling my food intake, my inches are up along with my weight. I could go on and on, moaning and groaning and making excuses for myself. They would all sound very good but I'm not going to. I set myself up to fall by not staying focused and falling into old habits. Familiar habits; fifty year habits. As a result my weight is up 12.4 lbs from 4 weeks ago when I was at my lowest and inches are up 5.75 from a month ago. This goes to show how easily I can get out of whack. I don't understand how I can do this but I can. I can spend much time an effort on self analysis or even go to a counselor of some sort or I can go to the one that understands me better than I understand myself. That is what I did last night. So today is a new day, it is already to hot for me to walk outside but Curve's opens at 9 am. I'll be there.

The Psalms talks about when David would get down in the dumps, he would remember good times and cheer himself up. Well, I'm spending today remembering what worked and get back to it. Basic WW stuff. Eating according to hunger and fullness is my goal for this week. Eating only according to when my body needs fuel. I've done this before and I know it is effective. Zero would indicate stuffed; 5 would indicate really, really, getting a headache hunger. I need to eat at a 4 (just past a stomach growl) and stop at a 2 (comfortable not stuffed). When I eat this way, I eat very little. I know it is because my body wants to burn up its excess fuel (fat). This may not sound like an ambitious goal to you but I got to start somewhere. In addition to this goal, my food will be healthy (more fruit and veggies); no McDonald's (or any other drive thru). That should get some weight and inches off before July 4th.

Well, I've rambled on and on so I gotta go and get ready for Curve's and the farmer's market (gotta get more blueberries). Y'all have a great weekend.