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Thanks,
Mer

Healthy Living Tip #2

Good morning, sunshine!

Get out of bed and get ready to make a change!  I'm not talking anything wild and crazy, but something small that will help you tackle a goal that you've been facing.  For those that have been reading my posts, you know that I've been trying to live a healthier life with the goal of weight loss, so today, my small change will be to measure the things that I usually 'eyeball'.  For instance, the almonds that I sprinkle (sprinkle=handful, then a little more) on top of my yogurt at breakfast or the salad dressing that I usually pour on and assume is 2T....

For you, it could be weight loss of healthy living-related or it could be something totally different.  Perhaps you always have a salad at lunch (good for you!)- try it with dressing on the side, or take off half the croutons.  Perhaps you always get a sandwich (nothing wrong with that!), maybe add a side salad or try it with mustard instead of mayo.  Or, perhaps you start your day at 5 or 6am and end it when you fall into bed at night exhausted- your change might be to find 15 minutes for you!  Start a book, start a craft project, take the class at the gym that's been too intimidating (Zumba or Pilates, anyone?!) or just pick up the phone and call that friend or family member that never fails to make you laugh!

I'd love to hear what change you decide to make!  Leave a comment and let me know how it goes!

Here's to a healthy, happy Wednesday (we are halfway through the week, y'all).

Surviving the Tuesday (that feels like Monday)

Today was about survival from the start.

And, man, it started off a little rough.  Our usual quiet, peaceful walk around the neighborhood involved an inordinate number of threatening squirrels, 4 puke breaks (the dogs, not the humans), attack birds and two close-encounters with the sidewalk and my face.

After going through both of my closets, only to determine that I have NOTHING to wear, I threw on a skirt (recent ebay purchase, relevant at later point) and mismatched sweater set, and I made a mad dash to the car with Brian dutifully following behind me with the to-go coffee mug, half my breakfast and my lunch that I forgot in the madness of dumping everything I own into my purse.  I then made it halfway to the office (9 miles away, but 45 minutes of my life...), to realize that the beeping was not background music, but rather my insulin pump reminding me that I was out of insulin.  A U-turn, pump change, to-go mug refill and 30 minutes later, I was back on the road and heading into work.

Fortunately, traffic was lighter, and I made it to my desk in time for my first appointment- only to look down and realize that my new skirt had a huge stain on it's silk, dry clean only and WHITE front...

Now, I seriously hope that your Tuesday-pretending-to-be-a-Monday was better than mine, but if it was just as bad, darling, you are not alone.

I've decided that the cure to a bad morning, is a little sweat.  Tuesdays and Thursdays, I work out at the gym in my office building with a trainer, who I refer to as 'The Torturer'.  Today, she tortured, but I actually felt better afterwards.  I also realized, after her grand inquisition of my weekend... Her "how was your weekend? What did you eat? Did you drink? Did you work out?" questions brought a sense of accountability that has developed into an unfamiliar and nagging feeling.  Typically, after a morning that started off with such chaos, I'd make a beeline for the office candy jar and indulge in a good, old fashioned binge of chocolate and caloric excess.  Today, I went to the gym for our session, then I took the stairs up to my office on the 4th floor.  Twice.  I had a salad for lunch and grilled chicken with quinoa for dinner (and two Skinny Girl Margaritas... hey, moderation, not perfection!).

The Torturer (and her questions) made me feel like I had a cheerleader planted firmly in my corner, wanting me to succeed.  I can't guarantee that I will take the stairs tomorrow, or my eating will be perfect, but I'll be ready for her questions on Thursday with some positive and healthy answers!  Just some food for thought, as you recover from your Monday/Tuesday.  And, remember, at least it's a short week!

Since I've been on a working out kick today, here is further proof from the Mayo Clinic that regular exercise needs to be penciled into your crazy and hectic life! 

Stay tuned for Healthy Living Tip #2 tomorrow (and #3 on Thursday.. get where I am going with this??).

Also, I'm adding a poll to get an idea of the topics that you would most enjoy reading about!  Feel free to vote and leave comments to help me build a blog that you really love to read!

Here's to surviving a long weekend and then getting back into the routine!

Healthy Living Tip of the Day

Get out of bed, slurp your first sips of coffee and lace up those sneakers!  Even 15 minutes of activity a day can help you with weight management and overall health.  Of course, it can also give you an excuse to pour a bit more wine into your glass at happy hour... whatever works to get you out of bed and moving!


Have a great day!


P.S. If you have a dog, take them around the block.  We were up at 6am to do just that with our 3 dogs- it turned into a combo walk and upper body workout with the number of squirrels that were taunting the greyhounds along the way...

Don't have sneakers?  Buy some! No excuses!

Best Reads of Summer 2011

When I am not stitching, chasing the puppy or sitting in my garden chanting "grow, grow, grow", I am usually curled up with my Kindle and a glass of red wine, unwinding with a good book.

I devour books.  Always have and hopefully always will.  I can't remember how I traveled before my Kindle, but I am pretty sure it was with a sore back and a carry-on full of 15 paperback books!  (Note: While I do love my Kindle, I also enjoy giving books as gifts and would urge you to use your local family-owned bookstore!!).

I'll admit that my taste in books runs the spectrum of mindlessly amusing to thought-provoking.  In the spirit of summer, please find my personal top ten books of Summer 2011 listed below.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you are reading now and what I've missed on my list!

Summer Reading 2011 (in no particular order):

Carrots 'n' Cake, Tina Haupert (Finished May 2011)
Thoughts: Great book and reasonable approach to healthy eating and working out.  Liked the personal approach and stories.

The Ocean Between Us, Susan Wiggs (Finished May 2011)

Thoughts: This was a beach read and was perfect for that purpose.  Kept me engaged with a good plot, but not so overly complicated that I couldn't enjoy 'happy hour' at the same time...

Smokin' Seventeen: A Stephanie Plum Novel, Janet Evanovich (Finished June 2011)
Thoughts: Laugh-out-loud funny.  I don't know how she does it after 17 books, but the stories are funny, outrageous and then some!  A great beach read, or even better after a long day at work~ I'd recommend starting with the first and working your way through the entire series!

Silver Girl: A Novel, Elin Hilderbrand (Finished June 2011)
Thoughts: An interesting storyline, written from the perspective of the wife (and wife's friend) of a fallen businessman in a massive Ponzi scheme (Madoff spin-off, anyone?).  Well written, interesting, but more of a vacation read...

Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese (Finished June 2011)
Thoughts: This was a deep and thought-provoking book.  It took me a while to read it, both with the complicated medical terms and the intricate plot.  Deserving of the international accolades.


In the queue:
Something Borrowed, Emily Giffin
One Summer, David Baldacci
The Paris Wife, Paula McLain
South of Broad: A Novel, Pat Conroy
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larson

I hope that you've found some time to relax in your favorite spot with a good book and escape for a few hours this holiday weekend!

Needlepoint: Christmas in July

Good afternoon-

The thing that I have never understood about needlepoint, is the timing of projects.  Every July, I dutifully sit outside, soaking up the rare New England sunny days and stitching Santa mini-stockings and other assorted Christmas ornaments.  Then, every December-March, I huddle by the fireplace, freezing with 40" of snow outside and stitching flip flops, summer belts and cute summer clutches.  If you are an experienced stitcher, you know that the September/October finishing deadlines for Christmas have a tendency to sneak up quickly!  Thus, I am happy to report that this 4th of July holiday weekend, I have managed to finish 2 of my 9 projects on my 'Christmas List'.  Last year, I had great fun with the Kathly Schenkel Christmas stockings, but this year, I've decided to go in a slightly different direction- using the Denise DeRusha postcard designs for family and friends from across the country.

***Editorial Note: This decision was prompted by my wonderful mother, Kari, who traded me all the postcards for all of my ACOD ornaments that I had purchased for 2011 ornaments.  I had good intentions at the time, but there was just too much shading and too many details to do them justice!  I much prefer simple canvases, that can be spiced up with great fibers and fun stitches!

Here is a sneak peek of the first finished projects:

Denise DeRusha, Delaware Postcard stitched with Trepizond silk and Silk/Ivory fibers.

Denise Derusha, Maryland postcard stitched with Trebizond silk and Silk/Ivory fibers

The plan for finishing these is in progress.  I'm debating between a simple pillow with braiding around the edge,  large ornament with a flat back or a traditional frame.  The design area is about 4"x4", so the size is quite versatile for finishing.

Now that I have finished MD, then I will move on to a few days of stitching my 'Jingle' pillow canvas with stitch guide from Ruth Schmuff.  

It was a 2010 mystery canvas class from her shop, that I hope to have finished by Christmas 2012!!  It is a beautiful project, but I really struggled with some of the counting/compensation stitching, so I had to start over and take some 'artistic liberties'!  Here is a picture of the adapted background, partially finished.

Regardless of the stitching changes, this will make a fun pillow for the holidays!

So the posts today focused on stitching, but after this long holiday weekend of lots of good food and good wine, tomorrow will start bright and early with some walking/jogging around the neighborhood and back to counting Weight Watchers points!  We head to Las Vegas in 7 weeks, and I'm hoping to be ~15lbs lighter and feeling healthy (and lucky!!).

Happy Independence Day, Happy Stitching and Healthy Eating!

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Thanks for checking out my blog!  This is a creative effort, due to years of friend's exclaiming "you should write a blog" after a I finish a story of work, play or travel.  I live in Boston, with my wonderful husband, Brian, and our collection of rescued animals.   Here is a run down of our current roommates:

Dolce- 3-legged 'Bad Dog' rescued greyhound, enjoys digging large holes, escaping from the fenced yard and filet mignon stolen from the counter.

Cruzan- 4-legged rescued greyhound, likes to sleep on the couch, meander around the block and sleep on the couch (did I mention he likes to sleep on the couch?)

Croix- Rescued 'Coconut Lab' puppy from St. Croix, likes to eat dirt, eat pillows, eat shoes, chase cats and generally cause mayhem.

Fendi- the fat cat, thinks he's a dog, likes whipped cream from the can and believes that dinner should be served shortly after breakfast.

Gabbi- the 'Queen' of the house, is a rescued kitty that takes great pride in beating up the dogs, moving furniture to get the best spot in the sun and perching at the highest point possible in the room.

From L-R: Dolce, Croix and Cruzan- in my garden...

From L-R: Fendi and Gabbi

When I am not chasing after the animals to prevent further destruction, I can often be found playing in the dirt trying to grow a single flower or sitting on the deck starting one of the several needlepoint projects that never seems to get finished!  I also have a great passion for shopping, handbags and shoes, which you may end up seeing sprinkled throughout the posts...

I am on a constant quest for good health, which means putting down the cupcakes and red wine and stepping onto the treadmill (for the purpose of working out, rather than removing the drying, hand-washed laundry)...

I spoken with many friends and family members who easily relate to the struggle of salad (dressing on the side, please) over filet mignon (yes, the gorgonzola cream on top is fine), or trying to coax a flower from a dog-trampled plant, in a garden that has several craters being dug to facilitate easy travel to China, or who started an ambitious craft project on a Saturday morning only to pull it out again a year later and wonder what you were thinking when you started it...

This blog is meant to make you laugh, offer a humorous glimpse into any of the above situations, and provide a creative outlet for my many musings.  I hope that you will read the posts with a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of red wine in the evening, to help you start or end your day with a smile.

As a disclaimer, I don't have a medical degree, so any nutrition or weight information will be formulated from my own research and opinions.  While I do have a yard (and hope to have a tomato this year), I am far from an expert gardener, and would advise that you seek professional assistance from a local garden center.  Furthermore, while I do occasionally finish needlepoint and craft projects, I am hardly an expert.  I'd advise you to bypass the larger chain stores and head straight to the brick/mortar needlepoint or yarn shop for professional advice!

Enjoy!