The Evolution of a Blog

Hello everyone! I took a little hiatus but I’m back at it!

My daughter Allison and I started this blog four years ago (say wutttt). We had just come back from a destination wedding in Florence, Italy (yes like WOW). She was still teaching elementary school and trying to corral two youngsters, while I was also teaching at a local community college. We worded our blog from two unique perspectives: teacher/wife/mother and teacher/grandmother/traveler. Allison has since moved on to other projects (she’s been able to retire from teaching and be a full-time mom while working on building a side business). I am now retired (mostly thanks to Covid) but still very active!

But I forget that EVERY year starts off cold and/or rainy and generally dreary. It often messes with your head, doesn’t it? It can’t be just me! So when my husband accidentally banged up my Mercedes convertible (fondly known as Maybelline) I guess I just went into a funk! Writing this blog was just not high on my To Do list. I just couldn’t make myself sit and write about, well, anything!

As we all know life goes on and you should choose how to live it! One thing I have neglected to do is choose my word. “The practice of choosing a “Word of the Year” is that, instead of setting a lot of different New Years Resolutions, you select one single word to be your focus for the year. You can use that word to set goals or intentions for each area of your life but have them all tie back to the single word.” So this year I choose EMBRACE. I am going to embrace my people (literally and figuratively, which means letting go of past differences), embrace opportunities and embrace challenges. I may be 65 years young but I was put here for a purpose, and if my purpose is to be a light then so be it!

So here we/I go! I’m done fretting about things I have no control over and will keep looking forward and embrace. My grandkids are at an age of getting involved in activities, so I see a lot of baseball games and gymnastics in my future! This weekend we are going to Caddo Lake in east Texas. Did you know that it is the only naturally made lake in Texas? After this weekend I will be able to tell you a lot more about it–and with visual aids! Ha ha!

Thank you faithful readers and I hope I haven’t lost too many of you. I’ll be back each week on Wednesdays to share my adventures with you, as well as keep you informed of my exercising and weight loss success. Not too sure about that, because I sure do like my wine! Ha ha ha.

As for Essential Oils (Young Living being my chosen brand), my first recommendation this year is purification.

Purification® essential oil blend is a combination of Citronella, Lavandin, Lemongrass, Myrtle, Rosemary, and Tea Tree that is formulated for diffusing to neutralize and cleanse your home and work environment. It is also soothing to your skin for everyday irritations.

See you next week!

Local Activities Are the Best, Pt. 1

Thank goodness the weather has changed from blast furnace to milder temperatures! Here in Texas we just never really know what to expect. If you have been following me you know that I am always up for an adventure. So it was great that getting to go to a local festival this past weekend was not sweat-inducing. Bacon Bash, held in the little town of Cranfills Gap, is a fun event that Rick and I have been going to since its inception ten years ago. Did you see the word BACON?! I mean, what else do you need to know?! But there is a serious background to it. It’s beginning was and is two-fold: Niki Warms the Cold, and Children with Type 1 Diabetes. Niki was a local woman who kept blankets and coats in her car to distribute to the needy and encouraged others to do the same. Her cousin Lexie was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In 2015 Bacon Bash took on the responsibility to raise money for scholarships for kids to attend specialized camps. These important ventures made helping a very tasty event that Rick and I (and thousands of others) attended easy peasy!

While my exercise routine is going well (walking daily, yoga 2x/wk and Zumba), I am bothered by this stomach, aka belly fat! I realize that it’s harder to lose it as you age, but it’s just not an attractive look. According to Prevention:

A bigger belly not only affects your wardrobe, it also sets you up for health problems. Underneath the subcutaneous fat (the muffin top you can grab with your hand) lies more harmful visceral fat, which builds up around your organs and pushes against your abdominal wall.

“Visceral fat produces chemicals that create harmful inflammation in the body, increasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer,” says Scott Isaacs, MD, a clinical instructor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and the author of Hormonal Balance. The good news: Whittling your waist a mere 2 inches is enough to take you out of the danger zone.

So along with my daily walks and yoga I am getting serious with weight training and exercises that target the middle. Each day I start with 30 crunches and a 45 minute plank. I will increase 15 seconds when my arms stop shaking! Ha ha! I rotate reverse situps with bicycle crunches and reverse crunches. Definitely not easy but I am determined!

I’ll continue to promote Young Living oils–I think they are the best! Ginger is a delightful fall fragrance. Uses for ginger essential oil are balancing hormones, good digestive health, enhancing energy and aiding in circulation. Diffuse with tangerine and geranium, or try lime and cedarwood! Heavenly!

Thank you for being a loyal reader! If you enjoy the blog, I would love it if you would Follow Me and I’ll come straight to your email. Until next time!

Everyone Can Be Kind

Will you indulge me in a little story? I have this friend that I have known FOREVER. Like, over 50 years! That’s a long time to call someone a friend. We don’t get to see each other much but we talk often. I tried to talk her down off of the ledge when she was lining up her THIRD husband, but she took the plunge anyway. They are now divorced. A good friend wouldn’t say “I told you so,” but I sure did think it!

A few months back she decided to put in a pool (at a sizeable expense, as those of you who have done it know). Then a monsoon happened and her new/dirt backyard got into the pool. Yikes! She worked feverishly over the next 10 hours to clean. Of course it was a backbreaking task. And now the pool builder says the retaining wall, placed strategically behind the pool, “wasn’t really functional. It’s just for looks.” Say whaaaattt? I told her what I thought she should do and then we talked about landscaping her yard. Not only is she clueless on how to do any of that, taking into consideration her pool area, but she is also new to the area so she doesn’t know a reputable company to help her out. Firemen to the rescue! I’ve mentioned before that my son-in-law is a Battalion Chief. Since almost all firemen have a side job, I asked Jeff if he had a guy who did landscaping and of course he did. So we are setting up his guy with my friend. I know he will help her design her yard so it is beautiful and functional.

So long story NOT short (sorry), she was very grateful that I was able to do that for her. I told her, “you just gotta know somebody that knows somebody.” My point is:

It was a small thing, and I’m not saying this “to toot my own horn.” I’m saying this because I could, with little effort, help someone, so why wouldn’t I?And you can, too! Some people think that they don’t have the money or time to take on some projects that would help someone else, but it’s really all about the little things, isn’t it?

As you get older, stretching is more and more important! You lose elasticity in your muscles. “Stretching is useful at any age. It increases your range of motion, keeps muscles limber, improves posture and balance, and helps prevent falls. As you age, stretching becomes even more important. Your joints become less flexible over time. Inflexibility puts a crimp in daily activities, making it harder to walk, raise your arms overhead, or turn your head while backing up the car. It undermines balance, too, which can cause life-altering falls.” That’s why I love yoga! I love my cardio/Zumba, but yoga works all of my muscles and keeps me limber so I can keep up with my grandkids. If you don’t believe it’s a good workout, I encourage you to find a yoga class near you and give it a try!

I’ll continue to promote Young Living oils–I think they are the best! Clove is a fall favorite! It has a warm, spicy scent. Its medicinal properties include easing tooth pain, killing bacteria and fungus, boosting immunity and supporting digestion. Diffuse with lemon and cinnamon and your house will smell warm and cozy!

Thank you for being a loyal reader! If you enjoy the blog, I would love it if you would Follow Me and I’ll come straight to your email. Until next time!