Saturday, December 31, 2016

Two celebrations!

Happy New Year, anybody wandering by this evening!

Not only do we have a new year to usher in, but a new young couple has announced their engagement! My son Jordan popped the question to his girlfriend, Brooke tonight! I believe I got the first phone call, and they were on their way to spread the news at a new year gathering with their friends. (I'm sure her folks got a simultaneous phone call from her, lol.) I believe they're planning the wedding for the summer. Her family is in Oregon, so we'll all be traveling down south to be there. (It will be in Texas.) Just wanted to share! Prayers and blessings on the new couple would be appreciated!




Shalom and Happy New Year, everyone! :)

Friday, December 30, 2016

Paleo and exercise

Here I go with my all-or-nothing ways! I purged my pantry of non-paleo foods and began a new way of eating day before yesterday. Eek! If any of you know of any terrible drawbacks to this eating lifestyle, speak now. I've read a couple of short books with recipes, so I'm not an expert.

I wasn't crazy about this first book. The recipes were very complicated and required so many things I don't have around the house. I know I will have to acquire more herbs and spices and "unusual" ingredients as I go along, but I need a plan that doesn't depend on me buying them all at once!
 This book was much more user friendly. She actually gives you lists of foods that are okay to eat, and you can make copies and take them along to the store. Her recipes are also simpler, though still challenging for someone like me who really doesn't enjoy cooking. But, I may learn to! To start out I'm just eating the "plain" foods on her lists; not worrying about recipes. I did try her Egg Cup recipe this morning and it was good. The main emphasis is on leafy green vegetables, moderate amounts of meat, smaller amounts of fruit and some nuts and seeds. No calorie counting. I LOVE that you can have BACON!
 I've used this book many times over the years. I actually only use a few pages in the back which show the "maintenance" exercises. These are to counteract the aches and pains of muscles and joints from aging. It's really just a few yoga moves. I may move on to a yoga workout as I get more fit.
 My step-daughter gave me a bunch of videos by this lady MANY years ago. This is the only one I kept. It's 30 minutes long and is equivalent to a brisk 2-mile walk. You also use hand weights, so your upper body gets a workout as well. I think I'll alternate between the exercises in the book above and the cardio workout in the video for now. This 30 minute workout was challenging for me! Today was the first day I've exercised in ages, and I'm really out of shape!
And THAT is why I'm doing this. I'm getting tired of looking in the mirror and seeing myself getting flabbier and more tired. Now that I'm working only a few days a month I REALLY need to get out of my chair and move, and I need to eat better.

My dad and his brothers all had diabetes as they got older, so cutting out sugar seems like a no-brainer. The paleo diet also cuts out grains and dairy. I know I've always had a low-grade allergy to dairy, with the phlegm that produces. And with all the gluten intolerance we hear about, I suppose cutting out grain might not be so bad, though this is the one area I'm not so convinced about. The diet proponents talk about it being the "caveman diet". So, we're going back to the hunter-gatherer way of eating. Hmmm... Seems like we've been growing grains since the time of Cain and Abel, so why is it so bad? Anyway, this way of eating is far superior to my usual diet of coffee, cookies, chocolate and comfort foods. I had a headache for the first two days of the diet, but woke up headache free this morning. That's caused by withdrawal from sugar and carbs. I hope I can stick with this or at least some version of healthy eating. I want to be as strong and healthy as I can in my "golden years"! Wish me luck!!

And now for some Bible time! God bless you all and much shalom!


Sunday, December 25, 2016

Christmas in Europe

As an ice storm pelts our town this Christmas, I sit in my snug apartment watching "Rick Steve's European Christmas". This video is almost an hour long, but well worth watching. I found it fascinating to see how folks all across Europe celebrate the season. I hope some of you will enjoy this!

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

That's my Audrey!

I don't know how many of you will remember this picture from about 3 years ago. My granddaughter, Audrey, had decided to climb out of her crib and had fallen. She broke both bones right above the wrist.
Well, this is Audrey today! She fell off the monkey bars at school. This time the fracture was right above her elbow.
I don't know about you folks, but I've made it through 60 years without breaking anything! I guess some just have a different skill set, lol. I was visiting with Micah at home when the school called, so I watched the two middle girls while Micah took baby Sullivan and Audrey to the clinic. Christmas break starts tomorrow, so she won't get to show off her new sparkly blue cast (which she'll get on Friday) until after the break. No more excitement, please, Audrey!

Micah and I spent the earlier part of the day doing errands together in town. I'm looking forward to just staying put at home tomorrow. ;)



Shalom and Merry Christmas, everyone!

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Bean soup simmering on the stove...

It's a good day for homemade bean soup! Tonight it's supposed to get down to -23 or so. I'm so glad this is a glorious weekend off! Actually, most of my days are off these days. Yaaaay!
I borrowed this photo from the internet because my soup isn't nearly this photogenic, lol.
I've had a relaxing day of computing, reading and organizing. The organizing has been mostly my bookshelves. The ones on my desk were getting cluttered with sketchbooks and art materials. I relocated those materials and now have room to spread out my family photos so I can enjoy them more. It's amazing what you come across when you organize shelves! I also filled a couple of bags with books to donate. Other things on my organizational to-do list will be my files and photos. All in due time. I'm not going to try to do it all today!

I really haven't decorated much inside my apartment. My little tree is out in the hall and I've decorated my door. I like the nativity part of Christmas most of all. :)
 This is a reindeer post card I made for a friend at my artist trading card site.
 I filled some little goody bags to hang on my neighbors' doors. They appreciated them, and I've gotten goodies in return. It's a tradition in our little building among the friendlier tenants.
 This is a 5"x7" acrylic painting on canvas board I did for a swap. I tried to do it in the style of an artist I like.
 I know many of you have been holding your breath, waiting for the next installment of "Pages from Lisa's Journal"! Woo hoo! I don't write in my journal very often, but here are a couple of pages. I think you can read them if you click on the image to make it bigger.

 I forgot to post this picture of my little granddaughter, Audrey, receiving her Student of the Month certificate! She's the short one in the front row, lol. The boy next to her and the girl behind her are second cousins, I think. She has so many cousins in school, but doesn't know all of them. It's a small town, folks!
Don't forget to pray for angelic protection to surround your family members every day! Micah's  had a couple of close calls this week on the slippery roads. I never give those angels any rest! :)

Well, back to my soup tending and loafing. Maybe I'll find a Hallmark Christmas movie to watch. You all have a cozy week leading up to Christmas!

Shalom!

Monday, December 5, 2016

Life goes marching on...

I need to go help Micah with picking up kids in a moment, but I thought I'd squeeze in a little blogging!

Got my first SS check on Dec. 1st! I wasn't expecting it until the end of the month. Excellent-o!

I'm contemplating going into the school and signing on as a kitchen substitute. I wouldn't start until January, and I can be making arrangements to cut back to every other weekend at the deli. I may get adventurous and do some hopping around on jobs. The weekends at the deli will give me something steady while I see just how often the school will call for help. I know that's going to vary a lot, so I'm looking for a good balance of "steady" and "not so steady" employment. I also want to be sure I can still help Micah with the after school pick up. Anyway, enough of that!

The Widow's Luncheon at church was really great. I got to visit with a friend I hadn't seen in years. She lost her husband in the last couple of years. Lots of nice ladies. Two men from the church put on a skit that was purely for laughs, which is a good thing at a widow's luncheon! A couple of ladies talked and shared. We had some good food and they showered us with gifts!
Two books and a handmade ornament...

...and a poinsettia!
 These are for yet another inchie swap. My themes were...
faces and birds

tiny houses and mushrooms
 And here are a few of the many decorations that have sprung up in our aparment building thanks to my awesome building manager, Rosie!




Uh-oh! Time to go! You guys have a Merry Christmas and lots of fun preparing! I'll talk at you later!
Shalom!