Where to begin……

What a year right?  Isn’t that what all good year end/new year blog posts begin with?  I have been remiss on blogging for a lot longer than I thought.  New Year, new habits to form and bad habits to break.  One of my goals this year is to write more.  Writing is not something that I really ever thought I would enjoy, yet it has been on my mind a lot lately and honestly, maybe this is how I can deal with the emotions I have. 

Let’s start with the weight loss.  I came to a screeching halt in June and at least maintained until December.  December, I came to the realization that I am more of an emotional eater than I imagined.  Heartbreak set in and so did the cookies, and the junk food and the “I don’t care” attitude.  Needless to say, I have had a “come to Jesus” talk with myself and decided that one of the few things I can control in my life is what goes in my mouth.  So, January 1, along with the millions of others who decide this is a good time to get healthy again, I will be hopping back on the wagon and recommitting myself to not only shedding the pounds, but working towards being healthier physically and emotionally.  I have a “Micole of the Bride” dress to find and fit into in about 15 months so let’s get moving!

What’s next on the agenda you say?  I won’t dwell on it nor elaborate much.  This year has been quite the emotional roller coaster.  The first 11 months of the year were pretty okay with several exciting events such as my stepdaughter getting engaged!  Wedding planning is a lot of fun these days.  We have many positives to be thankful for and just like everyone else, we have had some things that were not so great and frankly heartbreaking.  Many of these things we have no control over, so I am trying my hardest to, as Queen Elsa tells us to “Let It Go”, focus on the things I can control and make a difference in, and be grateful for the blessings we do have. 

My nugget as I refer to him, one of the two teenage boys who I am fortunate to be “Mom/Micole” to, is doing well as well.  We had a rough start to the school year this year but he has worked and improved and that’s really all I can ask for is for him to try and do better than he did in the past.  The other nugget has had some changes this year that I hope turn out for the best.  Hopefully he is on the road to happiness and harmony.  

School is school and work is work.  I’m finally getting into the meat of my Social Work program and am enjoying it.  Yes, I just said to the world that I am enjoying school.  Shocker I know!  Work is fun as always and keeps me busy.  My work family is one of the blessings I do count in my life.  Working with the people I work with is a very positive influence in my life and something I am very grateful for.

Last, but certainly not least, my HoneyBunch.  This December we will have met 11 years ago.  It seems like not so long ago that dark and snowy night, him driving down to Indy and getting his car stuck at the end of my driveway……little did I know the adventure that would ensue from there.  There have been good times and bad times just like every relationship.  But I can tell you one thing, I’m grateful to have him and his kiddos in my life.  I’m also grateful for the role he fills with my nugget as well.  We may not see eye to eye but my life is richer and fuller because of him. 

Well that about wraps up my year end sentiments.  I hope to come back here often to share more of my journey and story.  What started out as a way to share my weight loss journey is I think, going to be more about sharing my whole life’s journey.  Many people have said I should write a book and who knows, maybe I will.  But until then, I’ll keep coming back and spending time with you all here on my front porch of the World Wide Web.  Thanks for stopping by and come back soon.  Happy New Year!!!

I need to control what I can control

We held a company meeting today and our CEO ended the presentation with a statement about attitude.  The statement was something to the effect of the only thing you can control 100% of is your attitude.  That hit me, hit me hard.  Not just about work life but personal life as well.

At work, I'm a firm believer that if you don't like what you're doing, do what you can or need to do to change.  Life is too short to not enjoy what you do for a living.  Yes, you have bills to pay and obligations and responsibilities.  But do what you can to be happy in what you do.  There are a lot of things you can't control in life, especially at your workplace.  Your attitude can make or break your experience as well as the experience of others around you.  Be the leader and make the others around you appreciate what they do and what they have to help all of you be a success.

So many things in my personal life, I do not control.  If you have children, you know what I'm talking about.  They need a last minute supply or project completed.  Or maybe they don't have any clean clothes for school today.  Maybe your significant other has a last minute change in their schedule which means everyone needs to change what they are doing.  Families are in constant flux and schedules change from moment to moment, most of those changes are out of your control.  Go with it!  You may not be able to change what's going on but you sure can change your reaction to the disruption.  Life is too short to stress out over things you can't control.  Just focus on what you can control, your attitude.  You and your family will be much happier for it.

I can control what goes in my mouth, food and drink wise.  I can control how many steps I get in every day.  What I cannot control is how my body reacts to these things.  Every morning, I step on my scale.  Yes, every morning.  People may disagree with that system, however, it's what works for me.  The main thing I can control is my attitude about my weight loss journey.  I get frustrated some times because I may lose from week to week, but it may not be as much as I'd like.  Well maybe I should have gotten more steps in.  Maybe I shouldn't have eaten those 1 1/2 scrumptious peanut butter cookies (yes, that happened yesterday.  And they are not bite sized cookies).  I'm ok with that.  I enjoyed it, I stopped after 1 1/2 and I made good choices with the rest of my food yesterday.  I need to stop bullying myself if I don't see the results I want to see, control my attitude and get back on track.  I have come a long way and have a ways to go.  My attitude is a large part of my success so far.   I see the results and my attitude stays in check.  Those times when I don't see the results I want to see, those are the times that I have to work harder to keep my attitude in check.

Life gets messy sometimes and sometimes, you need to find something that you can control so you feel you have power over something in your life.  When you can't find that something, look at your attitude and do all you can to control it so you have that comfort that something in your life can be controlled.

Thanks for stopping by......

Stop the bullying!

No, I'm not talking about bullying among kids, or even adults, but yourself!  I was listening to a podcast this morning and the person that was being interviewed is someone that helps people on their weight loss journeys.  She said something that stuck with me, stop bullying yourself.  We are our own worst enemies aren't we?  No matter how good things are, we still beat ourselves up and focus on our shortcomings.

I say today is the day to stop bullying yourself!  It has become normalcy to focus on our faults, even make jokes about it.  Why can't we celebrate our successes?  Why can't we toot our own horn occasionally?  I'm not suggesting you gloat and become self absorbed.  However, be proud of your accomplishments.  Be proud of how far you've come to this point.  Let me start.

I'm not one to toot my own horn very often.  However, I don't feel I have had much to toot about over the last, 2 decades.  Well that is changing.  I have decided that I want to be successful, I want to make something of myself.  My first step of transformation was returning to school.  I did that about 1 1/2 years ago.  I earned my Associates Degree and now I'm on my way to earning my Bachelors Degree.  I changed my program to the program that I was too afraid to go into when I started out.  Now I'm on track to earn my Bachelor's of Social Work in Spring, 2017.

My next step of transformation was my weight loss journey which many of you know about.  I have been losing part of a pound here, part of a pound there.  Slow and steady wins the race right? Well this past week, I tried really hard to focus on portion control and making good choices no matter if we were at home or not.  2.3 pounds gone this week!  I haven't had that much of a loss in a while. And I'm so close to losing 50 pounds!  This is shocking to me.  Less than a year ago, I did not care what went in my mouth and whether or not I got any type of physical activity.  Today I am 180 degrees the other direction.  Sure I flub from time to time, but I do NOT go without.  I find an alternative that makes me feel satisfied and proud of myself for making a good choice.  Proud of myself.......

Yes, I said it.  I AM PROUD OF MYSELF!!  Sure it helps that people are calling me "skinny" now which cracks me up.  Sure it helps that I am in a smaller size and almost able to share clothes with my "skinny" stepdaughter.  But most of all, I'm proud of myself for making positive changes in my life.  And YOU can too!

I get asked at least once a day, how are you doing this?  I love sharing my journey with anyone who will listen.  If it can help them, I am happy to share.  Even if they don't jump on the bandwagon with me, that's ok.  I didn't jump on right away either. I had to do it in my own time and I'm so glad I did.

I want to challenge each and every one of you to make a list, start with 5 but list as many as you want.  Make a list of at least 5 things that you like about yourself.  Even if the list includes things like sense of humor or the shoes you're wearing today, that's ok.  Make a list of 5 or more things you like about yourself.  Burn it, delete it, post it on Facebook, make it your phone background, whatever you need to do with that list so it makes an impact on you, DO IT!  Stop bullying yourself and focusing on the negative.  Build yourself up like you build others up.  YOU are worth it and you deserve it!  We are all special in our own way.  God doesn't make mistakes.  He made all of us in our own unique way for a reason.  Find it, celebrate it, share it and stop being a bully to the person that should be your favorite, YOU!

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed your stay here on my front porch.

Mom, I think I lost the peanut butter

How many times have you heard something like this at your house?  I hear something about some item being lost at my house daily, however, this one struck me as quite comical.

Over the years I have realized that I am a clutz who misplaces things.  I have accepted it and moved on.  However, of late, I thought I was getting it together.  Weekly menus were planned and grocery lists made.  Laundry was getting done on time for the most part, homework for both Nathan and I was getting completed and getting completed well.  Things seemed to be going well.  Then it happened......

I went to the grocery store on my way home from work, which happens quite often.  I will admit, I was not thoroughly prepared, nevertheless, we had to have a few things from the store.  My honey bunny had been asking for white bread and peanut butter so he could make old fashioned pb & j sandwiches for his lunch ('tis the season of Lent).  I proceeded to buy what I thought was healthy white bread and further down the aisle I grabbed a jar of peanut butter.  The pride eminated from my face and I was thrilled to be able to provide this simple pleasure for him.  He doesn't ask for much and this was one thing that was pretty easy to give to him.

When I got home, my nugget helped me put the groceries away while I got supper started.  My HB (short for Honey Bunny) arrived home and I was anxious to share with him I had his fixin's for pb&j.  It's the simple things in life sometimes......he seemed happy as well that he could chomp into a piece of heaven soon as well.  He went to get the bread out and made me aware that I had not purchased white bread, strike 1.  I convinced him to maybe use the bread I bought.  He then proceeded to get the peanut butter out of the pantry....can't find it.  I asked the nugget to look for it since he put it away, or so I thought.  After a few minutes he declared, "Mom, I think I lost the peanut butter"!  What? Are you kidding me?  You lose Lego pieces, pens and pencils, homework, even shoes from time to time.  Those are all things I expect.   But you lost the peanut butter?  How does that happen?  I got up and went to the pantry to look for myself because I just have to.  I couldn't find it either.  Our house ate a jar of peanut butter.

It dawned on me that I had left the Onion Powder I bought at the store, at the checkout as well.  My guess is the cashier put the Onion Powder and the peanut butter in the same bag that was left at the checkout.  I do not know this for sure, but I'm going with it.  After all, I'm really not losing it so badly that I think our pantry consumed a jar of peanut butter.

Life gets crazy sometimes.  There are times in your life that are quiet and peaceful and enjoyable.  There are other times when life gets hectic and feels like someone dumped a whole truckload of "stuff" on top of you.  Those are the times when you think you lost the peanut butter.  We had a good laugh and realized that together, we can do what it takes to make a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  It may not be the bread that we want and we may have to use different ingredients to make our sandwich.  At the end of the day, we will still eat the sandwich and enjoy the journey it took to get that sandwich made, as long as we are on the journey together.

Thanks for stopping by.  Come back and visit again soon!

Are you talking to me?

The majority of my life, I have been "fluffy".  There was a short period of time in high school that I wasn't, but for the most part, I have had a little extra to love.  Oh wait, I was less than 5 pounds but that didn't last very long.  Yesterday was my official weekly weigh-in day.  I am officially 43.8 pounds gone on this weight loss journey.  That number is just astounding to me.  Many things about this journey is shocking to me.

My clothing.....the fact that my "skinny" clothes that I bought a couple of months ago, which were snug but I was bound and determined to wear them, are loose.  The fact that I can wear a pair of leggings underneath my "skinny" pants and they be loose, well it just makes me chuckle.

People's comments make me chuckle too. Lately, I have been receiving a lot of compliments about my weight loss.  I'll be honest, they are flattering and good motivation. But every time I get a compliment from someone, I look around and think "are you talking to me"?  They couldn't be talking to me could they?  Wait, maybe I think they are.  That's pretty cool......

I say these things, not to gloat.  Although, I am proud of the fact that I have lost almost 44 pounds.  I share these thoughts for a couple of reasons  For those that think they can't do this, YOU CAN!  I really can't believe how much easier this is than I thought.  Don't tell anyone, but it's actually become kind of fun.  Shhhh, don't say a word!  :)  I also am finding that challenging myself has become something I'm enjoying as well.

I also share this because there are people who can relate to this bu may not want to say anything.  Being confident in yourself and sharing accomplishments can be difficult for those of us who have been "hiding" in the shadows of our weight and obesity.  To put ourselves out there for people to see can be intimidating and downright scary.  As we shed the extra pounds, we end up shedding alot more than just weight and bigger clothes.  We shed walls that we have built up over time that have been built up as the extra pounds that we have packed on throughout our lives.  Sometimes we realize this and sometimes it sneaks up on us with no warning whatsoever.  As those pounds or walls start to crumble, we start to see ourselves for who we are.  We even start getting ideas and inspiration to become the people that we have always wanted to be.  I earned my Associates Degree and am looking forward to hopefully soon working in a field that is closer to what I really want to be doing.  That journey started before the weight loss began, however, I am more confident with that decision then I was before.  It truly is amazing how just changing to a healthy lifestyle can really affect the rest of your life in a good way.

These days life is hectic and stressful at times.  One thing is certain, I am enjoying this "blog" thing.  Other people are reading it and enjoying it too.  As always, thanks for stopping my front porch of the worldwide web.  I hope you enjoyed this piece of my journey.  Come back again soon!

If you would have told me........

I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but I truly am shocked at myself.  If you would have told me a few months ago, that I was going to get with the program, change my ways and lose weight, I would have told you you were full of it.   Today, I'm 42.6 lbs. gone and to top it off, I won a weight loss competition I was a part of at work!  Seriously; lazy, chubby, unmotivated ME won a weight loss competition!  I don't mean I won by a hair, I won by 66% like holy cow!  To be honest, I didn't over exert myself, I just followed my WW program.  I lost 16 lbs. in 8 weeks.  That really is astonishing to me.  

What am I going to do with my "pot of gold" you ask? Many people thought I should buy new clothes.  New clothes are short lived for me now because I don't intend to stay in one size for very long.  I want something that will help me with my journey in addition to last longer than a few weeks like a new piece of clothing.  Maybe a Coach purse?  Nah, I don't need those and they won't help me on my journey.  But a new bluetooth headset will! I always am bothered by the cord of my current earbuds when I'm walking.  And last week, when I was at a sales conference, I used a treadmill in the gym at the hotel and was afraid of jerking my phone off the treadmill because the cord to my earbuds was too short.  So, now the quest begins for bluetooth earbuds.  I'm open to suggestions if you have any.  

I did not blog last week because I was busy at our annual sales conference.  Always a good time to see people I only see once a year.  This year, it was really fun because people kept asking me where the rest of me was.  I'll be honest, I loved it!  That is one of the things I am enjoying about this journey.  People are calling me skinny.....seriously?  Me?  C'mon now!  Their kind words and recognition are truly motivational to me and what helps me keep plugging away.  

When I was away last week, I was concerned about my eating.  The last weigh in for the competition was the morning I came back to the office from the meeting.  Are you kidding me?  I have an opportunity for all you can eat 3 times a day and to eat at a nice restaurant downtown, and I have to behave?  So I prepared and went in with a gameplan.

My first game plan was pack my snacks that I usually consume daily.  My first daily item was my Weight Watchers oatmeal.  Easy to travel and delicious!  I took a few apples and my handy dandy 16 slice apple slicer.  I also took a portioned out bag of Special K chips for each day and an extra one in case I got the late night munchies.  Cheerios you say? I had a bag with me at all times in case I got the munchies.  Popcorn was also my friend.  I took a few brown paper bags and a few portioned bags of popcorn kernels, hoping and praying I would have access to a mircrowave.  Along those lines, I made a new discovery (thanks to one of my colleagues who travels often) - Ziplock steamer bags.  Put a sweet potato in one of these bad boys and nuke it for 7 minutes - pure deliciousness!  So I took 3 sweet potatoes in steamer bags as well.  Special K brownies and Weight Watcher peanut butter mini bars were also part of my arsenal. I knew there was going to be dessert lurking around and wanted to be prepared as I could be.  

Coffee was another dilemma.  My current coffee regimen is fat free half n half along with sugar free coffee syrups.  Yes, I have these items at work and utilize them at least once a day if not more often.  At home too!  I couldn't take those things with me easily so I took it up on the advice of a WW leader I spoke with to use the Weight Watchers smoothie mixes as Coffee Creamer.  I should have tried that before I actually wanted to do it.  Not so much for me however, I only put half of one in a cup of coffee and well, it wasn't tasty enough for me.  So coffee was consumed with skim milk and lots of Splenda.

For breakfast and lunch, I mostly ate my own food because there wasn't much I could have that was served.  I made the best choices I could combined with the food arsenal I took with me and it ended up being a successful week.  I should have drank more water last week for sure.  But my steps were out of this world!  One day I had over 22,000!  For a gal that has a goal of 10,000/day that hasn't been achieving that goal lately, That was awesome!  I'm very proud of how I handled the food last week.  In the past, it would have been a free for all and I would have gorged myself.  Instead, I prepared, planned and was a success.  That doesn't happen often in my life and I'm so grateful it did last week.

Those of you stopping by for the first time, thank you so much for doing so.  Those of you that are coming for a visit again, I'm so glad you stopped by.  I am going to work hard at trying to post more about my daily routine with Weight Watchers as well as my journey of school, momhood and just life in general.  I hope what I write inspires someone.  If that's you, fantastic.  If not, that's ok too.  Keep stopping by, you never know what will be the next topic on my front porch. 

So close......

So close to a milestone weight loss!  I took the opportunity though to have a date night with my HB (for those that don't know, HB = Honey Bunny) and my son to celebrate mine and HB's 10 year anniversary last night.  I could have ordered more sensibly and not had part of a dessert, however, this journey is all about give and take for me.  I don't want to give up the food I enjoy; I just want to be smarter and healthier about it.  So I had a few bites of dessert and half a cheddar bay biscuit.  I'm up .4 lbs from yesterday but I'm ok with that.  I had a nice dinner with two of my favorite boys in the world.  Today I'm back at it and back on track.  I'm still down 2.3 lbs. since last weeks weigh-in on Thursday.  I'm hoping to pass that 40 lb. mark tomorrow but if I don't, maybe the next day.  I don't want to beat myself up and cause myself to get down and make bad food choices.  I am learning to accept what's on the scale, pick myself up each morning and go back at it again.

A lot of people are starting to notice my weight loss.  I'm getting called "skinny" by someone at work which cracks me up.  People who I don't know that well are congratulating me on my weight loss and making comments about looking good.  That is HUGE for me.  I have also realized because it's huge for me, I try to be more positive with people as well.  I tend to be a negative nelly at times but am trying really hard to share this positive feeling with others because I know it works for me.  My hope is that it works for them to and they pass it on or pay it forward.

I also have been asked alot lately about what I'm doing to lose the weight.  For me, sharing my tips and tricks is exciting.  This experience of sharing with others what works for me and having the opportunity to encourage them has sparked interest in doing it professionally.  I did not have a goal weight before, I just wanted to lose weight to the point that I felt good about myself.  However, now my goal is to get to the weight that I need to so I can possibly become a Weight Watchers leader.  I have a ways to go before I get there, however, now I have a goal.  People who are driven say that you must set a goal so you have something to go towards.  So I have a goal weight folks!  I'm making it public now so that I can be held accountable.  Drum roll please........130!  This means that I will have lost 100 lbs when I get to that goal.  I'm almost at 40 lbs. down so you do the math.  :)

The weight loss piece of my journey......

The main idea behind the suggestion of doing this blog was to share with others what I personally am doing to "shed the pounds" if you will.  I have come up with many directions I'd like to take this blog, however, my weight loss journey is definitely one of the directions this blog will be taking.  

At the end of July I began my journey with Weight Watchers a bit nervous but ready to make a change.  I really had no idea what I was doing and have picked up many things as I have come along.  When I first began, I was following their program they called Points Plus.  The jest of it is that everything that you put into your mouth to eat and drink has a point value.  You have a certain amount of points per day to use and then extra points to be used throughout your week.  I did well on this program.  However tracking points was tedious and I was concerned that because of it's labor intensity, I wouldn't stick with it.  I had been reading alot of posts on Facebook about their other program, Simply Filling and thought I could give it a shot.  So I made the change and am still going strong on the Simply Filling plan.  How the Simply Filling program works is you can eat what you want off of their Power Foods list until you are satisfied.  If you deviate from the Power Foods list, then you have to count points which, you get 49 points per week to use for such occasions.  

I tend to be a creature of habit mostly for ease purposes.  When I find something that is easy, tastes good and seems to be working for shedding the weight, I tend to stick with it.  I am open to trying new things especially things that other members have come up with that have worked for them.  My meals/snacks are a combination of their ideas along with ideas I have come up with on my own.  My intent is to share with all of you my thoughts, ideas, what I eat and other things that help me on this journey.

So, let's begin......breakfast.  I used to not eat breakfast on a regular basis, end up REALLY hungry by 11:00 am and then the eating went downhill from there.  Now, I am cooking breakfast almost every morning (which benefits myself and my nugget - another blog topic for another day) and yes, most every morning is the same thing but that works for us.  Below is a picture of what Nathan and I eat; my version of the McMuffin - Healthy Life english muffin, scrambled egg, canadian bacon on mine and sausage on Nathan's, and a slice of Borden fat free cheese.  I put some chives, maybe a little celery salt, or cilantro on mine.  They really are delicious and all Simply Filling so no need to count points.  

Snack you say?  Didn't I just eat breakfast?  My mid-morning snack is usually fruit (banana or a Golden Delicious apple) or a yogurt.  I'm not a yogurt fan, however, I have finally found some yogurt that I do like.  Yoplait 100 calorie Greek yogurt and Dannon Light & Fit 80 calorie Greek yogurt.  This past week, I came up with a delicious combination that satisfies my sweet tooth and crazy addiction to caramel - I cut up my apple and mixed it with the Dannon Fit & Light 80 calorie Greek Salted Caramel yogurt.  It was scrumptious!  In fact, I just had it for a late evening snack tonight as well.  

My afternoon snack is usually microwave popcorn - 94% fat free Jolly Time has been my go to until I just figured out this week how to make my own microwave popcorn - 1/3 cup popcorn kernels in a paper bag and microwave for 3 minutes or until there are a few seconds between pops.  I haven't perfected this yet but definitely a work in progress.  Depending on what I'm craving at the time, I'll either shake some cheese flavoring on it or a bit of salt and a bit of Splenda which creates kettle corn that is delish!  

Dinner is a whole other story.  The other two people in my family are not following Weight Watchers however, I am cooking dinner so that I can eat almost the same things that they are.  My approach is to take what they want to eat and then make the changes necessary so that it fits in with my way of eating as well.  There are also nights that I do my own thing while the others have things that are more work to make Weight Watcher friendly.  The picture below is from one of those nights.  I sauteed some zucchini, squash and onions in olive oil with some seasonings.  I also cooked a batch of Minute Rice's multi-grain blend which is a blend of brown rice, red rice and quinoa.  I mixed that all together and that was my supper.  Really tasty!

Late evenings are challenging for me.  I like to snack like most people.  Sometimes I'll have a serving of Special K chips or crackers,  or another serving of microwave popcorn.  The night ends almost every night with a Weight Watchers ice cream bar.  My favorites are the Salted Caramel and Chocolate bars.  

Phew, that was a lot of information.  Hopefully it sparks some inspiration to those of you that are looking for menu suggestions.  For those that want to take that first step, maybe this will inspire you to try it and see what happens.  Whatever spot you are in, I hope this visit with me on my porch was helpful.  See you next time......

Stay Sparkly

As I walked to my car Tuesday evening from my office, there seemed to be a fresh coating of light, fluffy snow in the grassy area between the building and the parking lot.  The sun was setting but still up enough to reflect off the fresh snow.  You know the kind, the sparkly kind.

There is a local jewelry store (that I love I might add) that has been running a campaign playing off the Dos Equis "Stay thirsty my friends" ad advising us all to "Stay sparkly my friends".  I do get a kick out of seeing those billboards around town however, that sparkly snow on Tuesday made me think of another reason to sparkle.

I had lost my sparkle.  I pretended to sparkle, but when I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn't sparkle.  So that's when I decided to make the change and do what I could to lose weight and get healthy. I've only lost chased away 38 lbs. however, that's 38 lbs. that has helped me to revive my sparkle.  I don't mind looking in the mirror as much now.  I don't mind shopping for clothes as much anymore  I don't mind parking a little further from the door to get those extra steps in.  The sparkle is coming back!  

Now that my sparkle is returning, I want to help others find their sparkle again (just another reason to do this blog).   Find what has diminished your sparkle, face it and do what you can to chase it away.  Take that first step whatever it may be.  Maybe it is your weight.  Instead of shoving food in your mouth that you shouldn't, do something productive like play a game with your child or call a friend you haven't spoken to in a long time.  Maybe it is a relationship you are in that you are not happy with.  Talk to that person and try to start the healing process.  Maybe it is housework that seems to be overwhelming.  Take 10 minutes and clean up one pile in your house.  Maybe you are lonely beyond comprehension and don't know where to turn.  If you don't want to reach out to a friend or family member, drop to your knees and ask God to show you the way.  

We are all meant to sparkle in our own way.  Just like those snowflakes on the ground.  If you just look at them out your window or as you're shoveling them off of your driveway (like I have to), they look just like a pile of white snow and cold that causes grief and coldness to so many.  Yet, in the right light, at the right time, in the right moment, they sparkle and shine and turn into this beautiful piece of art that God has given us.  They haven't changed.  They are the same snowflakes that we think are menacing and a hassle.  With the right perspective, they shine and become the beautiful scene that God wants us to see.  

We are all beautiful people in our own ways.  Some lives and people are more difficult to see the beauty in then others.  However, God didn't make mistakes.  He put us all here for a reason.  The crosses we bear a lot of times are put in place by our own doing.  Sometimes we think the life we have been dealt isn't fair.  Yet, if we step back and view it from a different perspective, we too can see the beauty that God has given us in our lives.  

It's all about perspective and how we view our lives.

Stay sparkly my friends......

The inspiration for this blog

I won't lie, when my friend encouraged me to write a blog, I really couldn't understand why.  After I gave it some thought, I realized that I gain encouragement from others that are doing this so maybe I can be encouragement to others.

My whole life I've been "fluffy".  When I was a kid, I was the chunky one in the class.  I thinned out a bit later in high school just to put on the "freshman 50" when I finally went away to school.  However, I always seemed to carry my weight well.  Most people were shocked when I told them how much I really weighed.  Due to some health issues (PCOS) in my early twenties, my physician put me on low carb and on that lifestyle, I was able to shed 60 lbs. in 4 months.   That was amazing to say the least.  My life changed a bit when I found out I was pregnant with my nugget.  Due to gestational diabetes, I was put back on low carb and lost even more weight.  Motherhood was rough for me, I won't deny it.  My nugget was a baby challenge.  I ate to cope with exhaustion and depression.  Since then, I had given up caring about what I put in my face.  Eating is an enjoyment exercise for me.  Unfortunately, as I have gotten older and hit that 40 year mark, my metabolism has not been so kind to my choice of what I consume, yet, I still wasn't concerned at all about my overall health.

This summer, my nugget stayed for a large portion of the summer with his big sister who is a teacher.  She sent me a picture of him at the swimming pool and I cried.  What have I let happen to my nugget who just a couple of years ago, was skin and bones?  That was it. I had to do something to get myself in better shape and hopefully him and whoever came along for the ride in my family.

I started this journey at the end of July.  To day I have lost 38 lbs. and am feeling good about my accomplishment.  I wish it could be more at this point, however, I'm learning to be proud of the work so far and focus on the work ahead.  Many people ask me how I'm doing it.  That is what the inspiration of this blog is however, I see it blooming into more but we'll get to that down the road.

At the end of July, I made two commitments - I purchased a Fitbit and I joined Weight Watchers.  I am not a jock by any means and I will admit, since it's been cold, I've not been as committed to walking.  But my commitment to Weight Watchers is still going strong and I want to be committed to my FitBit.  That will come back in time.  I actually want to start running (shocking I know) but again, that will come in time.

My future blog entries will be around what I eat, what I do to get my steps in and my overall mental well-being.  There are many parts of me mentally that have improved since I have been successful at taking some weight off.  There are other parts that are rearing their ugly head that I need to deal with as time goes on.  But today's entry is about explaining to you where this is coming from and sharing with you on my front porch where I hope to be headed.

My ultimate goal on this weight loss journey is to lose 100 lbs. total.  That would be amazing.  I have 62 lbs. to go.  I want to do this, I'm committed to doing this, I CAN DO THIS!  I hope that if you are reading this and need encouragement, I hope that this blog will help encourage you.  If you are looking for inspiration to make some changes in your life, whatever those changes are, I hope you find inspiration here.  If you are looking for someone to journey with, I hope I can be that person for you.  Together, we can all come together and accomplish what we set out to do, whatever that is.  I truly believe that.  It happens one step at a time but that first step is the scariest.  Today, think about what that first step is for you and make plans to take it.  Maybe even step off the porch today and take it.  You CAN do it!!!

Why the quilt.....

You may or may not have noticed, but I have changed up the background of my blog already.  I am one that has a hard time making decisions even about simple things like blog backgrounds.  The idea came to me as time has gone on since this blog was born last night.  I wanted to use a quilt in the background and here's why......


Growing up, one visual stands out in my mind; my dad wrapped up in quilts.  Whenever my dad was watching tv, he was almost always wrapped up in a quilt (I personally enjoy this as well).  Those quilts I remember from my childhood were handmade by my grandmother and her sisters.  Time took it's toll on those quilts.  They were definitely put to good use.  Those quilts sparked a love of quilts in myself as well.  I do not sew so I do not make my own.  I do not have a large collection of quilts either.  I own one quilt, a quilt that my grandmother made for me and all of my cousins as well.  A piece of her to keep with us as we continue down life's journey.  Today, that quilt is only used as my Christmas tree skirt then carefully put in a drawer to be hopefully displayed someday to have a part of my grandma as part of my home.

Quilts are beautiful pieces of art.  I am fascinated how people who do quilt can look at piles of fabric, that look like a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns yet nothing special.  Then they take that pile and put together a work of art that to me, is amazing.  I wish I had that kind of creative eye.

I like to think of my life as a quilt.  There have been times in my life that I have felt like a pile various colors and patterns, not knowing which color to be today or which pattern I wanted my life to be.  There are still days like that, however, as I have grown older and learned from life's experiences, those piles have more order to them than in the past.  So many experiences and decisions I have made through the years, I scratch my head and think how on earth did I survive that or what the heck was I thinking!  However, each one of those is like a piece of a quilt.  Every piece that is carefully picked and placed is a part of the big picture or pattern if you will, that makes that quilt a beautiful piece of art.  Every piece of my life has made me who I am and for the most part I'm happy with that.  Some of these experiences though not so great at the time, have enabled me to help others.  I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.  I went through those trials and challenges so that I could help others go through similar situations.  Each experience is part of the beautiful quilt pattern I truly think my life is.

Even though I just started this yesterday, I already have many ideas about topics I want to share with you my friends on my front porch.  As I make entries, I hope that somehow the stories and thoughts I share will come together as the beautiful quilt I think my life is and you will get to hopefully be helped and inspired by the pieces of my journey.

Post #1

I'm not really sure what I'm doing or how to do this.  However, that has not stopped me in the past so why let it stop me now right?

I guess the first step is to introduce myself.  Hi, my name is Nicole.  Some people think that I should share the pages that make up the story of my life.  I am still not convinced that this is going to work, however, I am willing to try just about anything.

My life has been a series of not so great decisions followed by various transformations that led to better decisions.  One of the reasons I'm writing this blog is to hopefully be a help to others that may be on similar journeys as I.  The other reasons, well, I'm not sure of them at this point, however, I'm confident that the reasons will make themselves known as time marches on.

To set the scene, I am a 41 year old female who has a significant other of almost 10 years.  I also have a 12 year old nugget and bonus nuggets that I'll tell you more about as time goes on.  Oh, I'm also mom to a 5 year old beagle.  My days are filled with kids, honey bunny's, work, school, working on my metamorphosis.  Again, more about that later.

My promise to you is that I will be honest.  I will attempt to make you laugh, sometimes I might make you cry (after all, sometimes, you just need a good cry).  Overall, I will share my life story with you in hopes to make a connection and/or help you face and overcome a challenge or ten.

You can thank my friend and colleague, Sandy, for encouraging me to try this out.  I think my stories entertain her and sometimes shock and bewilder her.  She thought it was a good idea to see what happens with a blog, and she comes up with good ideas quite often so let's see what happens.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed your visit to my "front porch" on the world wide web.  Next visit, let's pull up a nice rocking chair, pour a tasty beverage (whatever that means for you) and let's start talking about the pieces of my journey.