Wanted to post a different picture , but didn’t realize it came out too blurry. Decided to post this from a weekend we went back home to my husband’s family’s farm. This was a dress I got at a Good Will in Pa. when I visited my daughter and grandkids there. Got it for $4.99. Put my new dark gray cami shaper underneath and got gray tights to coordinate with it also. I already had this jewelry set I had made which also went great with it. Finished it off with black flats and was set to go. Judging from some things I’ve read lately , some people are having bad days and then being too hard on themselves. I have to reiterate what I said in yesterday’s blog. It is times like these that we have to let cooler heads prevail , instead of letting our emotions lead us in the wrong direction. When we let emotions rule , we usually makes decisions that are not in our best interests. Having a bad day in our food choices is not the end of the world , unless we keep on compounding those bad choices with more bad choices. When you make bad choices, use that as an opportunity to reevaluate what you need to do to be successful. No one and I do mean no one, goes through their weight loss journey without having bad days or even bad weeks. It’s how we handle these times that make the difference in our success or failure . You cannot fail unless you just give up and stop trying. Instead of being mad at yourself and letting your mistakes lead to a downward spiral, stop it in it’s tracks. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and make the right decision the next chance you get. One right decision at this moment will lead to another and another. Before you know it , you will be back on the road to your success story. You’ll forget all about your bad days or weeks , whatever it may be. Success breeds success. With the holiday’s coming up, we all need to get our heads in the right place, so we can navigate through them and come out on the other side happy at where we stand in our journey. Now onto the recipe portion for today. I’m going to give you guy’s a Weight Watcher’s variation of that perennial favorite, ” Green Bean Casserole”. Ingredients are: (16 oz) package frozen French-cut green beans –1/4 cup chopped onion–1/4 cup water–1/3cup shredded Parmesan cheese–1/4 teaspoon salt–1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper–1 (10 3/4 ounce) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium Cream of Mushroom soup (I use Chicken cause I Don’t like Mushroom). Top part. Cooking spray–15 onion Melba rounds, crushed- (if you can’t find onion ones just substitute and add more onion-flakes)–1Tbl. Onion flakes–2 tsp butter melted. Directions : 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Combine green beans, onion, & water. Cover and microwave at high 7 minutes. 3. Combine cheese and next three 3 ingredients in a bowl. Stir in bean mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. 4. Combine Melba rounds, onion flakes, & butter. Sprinkle crumb mixture over bean mixture. Bake at 350’degrees for 20-25,minutes or until bubbly. Serving size is about 3/4 cup. 100 calories- WW points 2. Now go have a good productive day. Remember every day is a new beginning. See you next time.
February 10
Welcome to Carol’s Corner. Sorry it’s been so long since my last edition. Was gone for a week and just haven’t had time to get one started again. I wanted to share this amazing picture of my husband and myself at a Pre-Inaugural Ball on the 18th in DC, where we attended the Welcome Concert on the 19th and the Inauguration on the 20th. This is my most favorite picture EVER of the two of us, in all our 43 1/2 years of marriage. At some point we plan to have this made into an 11×14 picture that looks like a canvas. Everyone that sees this, tells me I look like a movie star in it. I adored this gown and felt really beautiful wearing it. It will always be my most favorite gown I have ever owned.
I was worried about not being able to exercise while we were there, but no worries. Both that Thursday and Friday I logged over 7 miles each day. And when we went to our daughter’s in Pa, the weather was such that I got some outdoor walking in along with my walking workouts . I almost always take workouts to do down in their basement. I had almost decided to ditch my FitBit while on our trip. Glad I changed my mind because I made or exceeded my workout goals every day of our trip. Every trip we go on, I manage to find ways to walk or do workouts. It can be done, but you need to make a conscious decision to do so. It is something I never regret and gives me great satisfaction. Wearing my FitBit 24/7 makes me aware at all times where my activity level is at. I encourage all of you to invest in some kind of activity tracker. It really makes you more aware of how active you really are. I need to stay physically active for a number of health reasons. I can’t even remember the last time I actually took a rest day ( except when I fractured my foot and ankle). I’ll say I’m going to, but in the end I can’t bring myself to do it. I can’t wait till winter is over so I can resume my outdoor walking. Sometime this next week I have to find time to register for the Silver Sneakers Program through The United Health Care Medicare Advantage Plan, that Verizon has us enrolled in this year. It’s kind of a nice perk, and I can enroll in both places in town that participate in it.
Just a little video clip to inspire you to get moving. Make time every day to do something, even if it’s only 15 minutes. My motto these days is,”Use It Or Lose It”!
This brings me to the serious topic I would like to discuss with you. I’m going to start with these questions. Do you tend to dismiss or ignore for as long as you can, your bodies warning signs that something is awry? Do you think that if you ignore or pretend that nothing is wrong , that the signs are just going to miraculously disappear? I implore you not to do so. The importance of of not doing so, was brought home to me with a call from a friend of mine ,while we were recently gone on our DC trip. She called to talk to me from the hospital ,and informed me she had cancer. Not just any Cancer , but Stage 4 Liver Cancer. They told her she probably has had it for 6 months to a year. The thing is, she ignored all the signs that something wasn’t right. She didn’t tell her doctor everything that was going on inside her body. She just never took the time. If she had ,how much different would things be? A doctor can’t know something is terribly wrong if you don’t tell them. You need to be pro-active when it comes to your health. You need to be aware of your body on a day to day basis. No one knows it better than you. Have regular check ups and let your Dr know anything you think is unusual for you. Be as specific as you can. Get whatever routine bloodwork or tests your Dr suggests you need. Have screenings at intervals suggested by your health care providers ,such as Mammagrams and colenoscopies. They may just save your life. Because of my friend I am having a few things checked out myself. I had my thyroid nodules checked and they remained unchanged since last year. Don’t have to go back for another year. One thing off my mind. Waiting on some test results to make sure I’m not developing kidney stones. Of course finally went to talk to the doctor about some intermittent pain I’ve been having , and the day of the test the pain stopped.But after finding out about my friend, I won’t ignore anything I think is not quite right. I am going to post some links for you to read on important health tests that may just save your life. Please take time to read them. I also would love feedback from you, my readers. Let me know if there is a certain topic you would like to see me blog about.
7 Health Tests That Can Save Your Life
These Tests Can Save Your Life
6 Health Screenings That Could Save Your Life
I hope you will take this to heart and not end up like my friend Elsie. I have shed a number of tears over this and know there will be many more . Be pro-active when it comes to your health and well being. Your very Life could depend on it. But while you do that, remember to live each day to the fullest. Till next time, as always, God Bless.