Neighborhood In the Fall

Just last week the trees across the street looked like this...
And this week they look like this...

I love Fall in Kansas City.

My Spy Name

Chardonnay Hooker
Glass in hand she hooks along
through the night!

Five Years Ago Today

Five years ago today, my life changed. My mom passed away from tumors and cancer at home. Her 3 year battle with cancer finally ended.

I am sad that she is gone, but my dreams keep her fresh at heart. Just last night I dreamt I was flying to California for vacation, alone. I did not want to go to Disney Land, I wanted to go to the beach. She wanted to go so badly that I said ok but realized when she was packing that she did not have a ticket. When I woke up, she was standing outside on the street with the very few, last oddities that she was willing to pawn for a ticket as I was leaving without her. The symbol there is, I have gone on without her without fear or fret.

Most of my dreams are not sappy, they don't make me cry when I am awake, but instead, I am irritated. That is the mood she provoked in me most of the time. I was always mad at her for her lies, or her deep emotions that were toxic. Don't get me wrong. My mom wasn't a total witch, but in the end the cancerand pain she had made her very, very sour. That is what I dream about with her. That is what makes them so real. Deep down I must miss the arguing with her, or trying to prove my point. She was great at provoking me. Love ya mom.

But now, five years later...My life is super boring! It is wonderful. I can go home in any mood I want and not have to choke it down. I detox by singing in the traffic and release my day's crap-o-la. My husband and I have our very own life together. I wish she could see how much we have grown. I am very sure she would be proud. *** Here is my kudo's to me...My husband and my mother lived in the same house for 10 years with this deep dislike for each other. They tried to keep it light for me, but that failed most of the time. She complained about him and he complained about her. Our friends complained about them to me. UGGG. But my kudo's is: I never took a side. I did not pick. The BEST life lesson I ever learned and practice.

So my normal, boring life is practically perfect except I don't have my mom to listen to my crap. Let is also be learned, my friends, that A Mother is the only person that listens to you and really cares about what you just said. Good or bad, Happy or Sad. And if you are not careful in what you say...the Mother is the one that will quote you on it later!

Here is to you, Mom. I miss you.

Side tracked

Fig does not want me to crochet tonight.

"Day 11

I have lost 11 lbs so far.  My energy is up and I am not as hungry as I was to start.

Another Dana Original

These are my "Live Necklaces".  Little clay pots with succulants planted in them.  Each one is no larger than 2 inches tall. These were the test run.  I will have more colors and variety later.

Day 10

9.4 lbs! I am past the water weight if you ask me. Working out, following a 1300 calorie diet and drinking so much water is helping. What I don't understand is the non support. The employees of the gym are non supportive. But whatever. I really dont need them.

I would rather go to the gym and work out with out them noticing then attending the classes. I am accountable for me. I want this for me.

I am getting used to the calories...even though I had bread for dinner. Just because.

Day 9

Today is day 9. I have lost a total of 8 lbs.
I have kept mostly under my 1380 calorie goal per day. The first couple of days, I was hungry. Not so much the past few days. Working out is not a "drippy" as the first couple of days. And I am trying to be consistent with the 20 minute workout which is not so bad working out 3 times a week. Maybe soon, I can find the time at work to do it every day. Something to look forward to.

The Challenge

Saturday and Sunday I used the detox soup to prep for the Challenge. It was tasty, but I was really ready for FOOD today.
I did not have coffee this morning. Not part of my plans, but I can live through a day with out the caffeine. Go figure! Don't ask about my headache...lol. I have had about 64 oz of water and I am still thirsty. GO WATER!
And I have walked on the tread mill for 10 minutes. I will hit it again later.
Here is what I found; this info online and it seems like common sense to me. http://commonsensehealth.com/Diet-and-Nutrition/Best_Ways_to_Increase_Metabolism_Naturally.shtml

1. Make a Commitment. Like any established bad habit, nothing will change unless you make a commit to changing your behavior.
2. Practice awareness. To be more conscious of what's happening, jot down when and what you eat and how you feel before and afterwards.
3. Manage your stress. Healthy emotional distress management is an important life skill. Positive ways to reduce stress include regular exercise, relaxation techniques and getting support from family and friends.
4. Be physically active. Exercise reduces stress and is a great mood enhancer too. So be sure you make time for regular physical activity.
5. Create new comforts. Make a list of healthy activities you enjoy. And, whenever you feel the need, treat yourself to something on your list.
6. Start eating healthier. When you eat for health you'll choose more high fiber foods, such as vegetables, beans, whole grains and fresh fruits, plus healthy high protein foods, like fish, lean poultry and low-fat dairy. 7. Eat mini-meals often. By eating 5 or 6 small healthy meals a day, including breakfast, you help keep your blood sugar and moods stable.
8. Get rid of temptations. Don't keep unhealthy food in the house, don't shop for food when hungry or stressed and plan ahead before eating out.
9. Get enough sleep. When you're tired, it's easier to give in to emotional eating. Consider taking a nap and be sure to get a good nights sleep.
10. Use healthy distraction. Instead of overeating, take a walk, surf the Internet, pet your cat or dog, listen to music, enjoy a warm bath, read a good book, watch a movie, work in the garden or talk to a friend.
11. Practice mindfulness. Mindful eating means paying attention to the act of eating and observing your thoughts and feelings in the process.
12. Get some support. TAMARA is my buddy and I have my team at work.

I have found that the book on Buddhism is also giving me better mind balance. It is putting many things in my life into prospective. Happiness is truly inside!
We will call this
DAY 1

Damn that movie Marley and Me!

Today is a sad day. We took Buddy, our yellow lab to the vet. As I suspected, he has many tumors. One on each hip, in his neck and on his belly. Over the past 2 weeks he has been dropping weight so fast so the tumors have become obvious. Pete thought maybe he had heart worms, wishful thinking on his part I believe.
We have 3 options for Buddy. Chemo, Steroids that will prolong his life and put him to sleep. The vet said that he may have 3 weeks or so before he gets to the point of being in pain or going downhill really fast. Buddy is almost 11 years old.

Buddy is at home right now. He is an old boy and we do not want him to suffer. The decision will be hard any way we go. Every time we look at him we frown though. All we see now is his sickness. My poor husband has been so sad since we noticed Buddy getting ill. He did not sleep at all last night because he knew Buddy was going to the vet today.

Poor Buddy. I think I will go home and make him a homemade dinner. I will give him all the things he would love to have but can't cause they say it is bad for dogs.

Cheif

My name is Chief. I am a 4 year old pedigreed Basset Hound (French for "rather low dog"). I was living in Half Way, Missouri until yesterday, July Fourth. Independence Day! I was trotting down the center of Mo Highway 32, right before you get to the Half Way Baptist Church (I know, I know.... what's the other half?) when I was nearly mowed down by an SUV. I followed the SUV down to the highway shed, where they stopped, hoping they'd let me in their nice, cool car. No way, Jose. But luckily, my new friend Susan turned around and came back to see about me. She didn't know me but let me get in her car, where I promptly spread around muddy paw prints and shed a bunch of hair so I'd be more comfortable. She drove me to a bunch of places, mostly where no one was home, and asked me if it was my house. Nope. Nope. Nope. Finally we pulled into my driveway. Susan knocked on the door and my dad came out and yelled at me. I cowered and rolled over on my back, hoping he wouldn't hit me. He told Susan that he couldn't do anything with me and that I wouldn't stay in the yard. I could see that Susan instantly recognized that THERE WAS NO FENCE separating my yard from busy highway 32, and appreciated the danger. She also suggested to my dad that he should not hit me. "Do you want him?" my dad asked. "I've been trying to give him away." Mind sharp as a steel trap, my new BFF Susan sized up the situation and knew that if she left me there, I would likely be run down on the highway and would definitely get a smack from my dad. We were gone before dad could change his mind. Susan is a very nice lady, but she already has three kids. Her accommodations are comfortable, but crowded. I need more space. I need someone who will take me for walks and rides in the car or who has a big back yard with maybe one or two other dogs to play with.

Is that you? If you think it might be, please Email Danaroberts76@gmail.com

Thank you for your time.

Love, Chief. P.S.

I am not capable of making puppies and play well with others, even cats. I am not accustomed to spending much time inside as I lived on a farm. My shots are about due and Susan has offered to pay for them if you would like to take me home with you.

Shopping for Books at the Thrift Stores...

What the Colors in your Aura Reveal!

Maybe I will light some candles and draw a bath to read this one. LOL

Something I have been wanting to learn more about!

Hundreds of questions you'd only ask a doctor after your third Martini...

Sounds like an interesting Bathroom Read to me.

An Explanation of the Budddhist Way of Life

I almost feel like the "hunt" for the books surpasses the actual read. I am so excited to find these books, to peel open the cover and digress into a self consumed fog within the books. YUM!

BITE ME

I am reading between two books. Natural Cures is my homework per say. I am going to be working on a "lifestyle change". Tee Hee Hee. This Idea came about from a conversation about the 500 Calorie diet. Yes, 500 calorie=not enough to live on diet. The concept is not imposing any toxins and eating clean while your body eats on the stored fat. It is a quick diet and a hormonal diet. Needless to say, I am researching on this information.

But for the fun side of life, I am reading BITE ME.

Bite Me a Love Story. I am having a hard time keeping with it because the first chapters of this book is summing up the last book, YOU SUCK. I liked the last book a lot so I hope this one picks up soon...

YOU SUCK

A Great Book I read in 2 days. It is everything I would want in a book with humor near mine. I could relate with this book and the plot was a little different then the normal Vampire.

Now I am going to start Bite Me which is a book that leads off of You Suck.

I have a pile of at least 10 books I am wanting to read. Wish me luck!

Quote for the Week

"When we are mindful of every nuance of our natural world, we finally get the picture;

that we are only given one dazzling moment of life here on Earth,

and we must stand before that reality both humbled and elevated,

subject to every law of our universe and

grateful for our brief but intrinsic participation with it.

~Elizabeth Gilbert~

The Garden is Planted!

Out of the 5 raised garden beds that we made, I have slowly been planting. Last night I finished planting the last bits. I bought 22 tomato cages and cut up many saplings to use as bean poles which we set in place.

We have 4 types of lettuce, rainbow swiss chard, carrots, radishes, collards, greens, kale, cabbage, and broccoli.

We ahve red and yellow onions, fennel, basil, cilantro, Armanien Cukes, burpless cukes, and regular cukes.

Sugar snap peas, Zennia flowers, butterfly weed, and sunflowers galore.

Over 50 tomato plants in all; grape tomatos, yellow tomatos, yellow pear tomatos, white and purple tomatos, stripped tomatos, and of course the reds.

12 different pepper plants; Hot peppers, sweet peppers, bell peppers, and too hot to eat peppers.

Three types of egg plant, spaghetti squash, yellow squash and zuccini. Miniture pumpkins will then fill in the corner of the fence.

These are the first bites from the garden.

At the end of the run, I took the starts of tomatos out of the Areo garden and potted them up in a basket of tomato goodies for Mrs. Brown, Pete's boss. In the basket she got crushed egg shells with instructions, fertalizer with instructions, and coffee grounds with instructions. It is so fun to share.

Pete then took a few tomato plants to his coworkers. A kind of bragging rights, I would say.

I am having too much fun with these gardens so far...lets see if I feel the same later in the summer. LOL

Fishin'

A weekend away from the daily grind. My hubby told the neighbor yesterday that "We caught a Mess of fish this past weekend". A mess of crappie, meaning well over 20. Mister Mister cleaned them and we packaged them in the freezer.

This coming weekend they are going down to cathc a MESS MORE. Which means:

FISH FRY soon!

Happy 15th Birthday to My Minion girl.

We went to the lake house for Miss C's 15th Birthday Weekend. It was very chilly all weekend, but no rain. That didn't stop us from having fun. We fished all weekend. Well, we also dug up a bunch of Iris from abandoned places.

Chelsie had no issues with kissing fish...

Nikki, would hardly let me get the fish near her...

We froze our bottoms off catching the crappie and this tiny bass.

Then we headed home ...

When we got home, I made her minion cup cakes.

Well, I don't bake but I can manage...lol

The only thing I would change, is to actually make the icing instead of store bought. The gel icing runs and the eyeballs sagged. LOL

The Tulip Chapter

This is the Tulip Chapter of my Photography. All of these pictures were taken in my very own yard.