10 Pounds Lighter!

Us, originally uploaded by HA! Designs - Artbyheather.

A little update...I finally hit 10 pounds lost in spite of a little vacation, family dinners, celebrations and chocolate. Back on the wagon!
I'm going to add more exercise to my routine this week...gotta get moving! Up to this point, exercise has been minimal.
There is 8 weeks left until our cruise...and the absolute certainty that I will be wearing a swim suit...in public...
Wish me luck!

WeightWatchers update!

I'm down 8 pounds...and counting.
A few things I've discovered:
I can live without cookies.
Raw veggies are VERY good dipped in hummus.
Watermelon fills you up.
Sugar is overrated.
You don't have to be a "points nazi" to stay on program.  I'm guesstimating and it's working fine.
A few bonuses I've experienced:
I sleep better when not hopped up on sugar all day.
I don't beat myself up for having that second through fifth cookie ...or piece of chocolate...or cake, etc.  every day...because I'm not having any!
It is MUCH easier as time goes by to tell myself no...and I don't dwell on it.  It's becoming a lifestyle.
My pants are looser...but I'm not quite ready to go down a size...

This is how I feel...so I joined Weight Watchers!

This is how I feel...so I joined Weight Watchers!, originally uploaded by HA! Designs - Artbyheather.

Lola, the cat, best depicts how I've been feeling...flubby and chubby. So...I joined Weight Watchers last week and I lost 6.6 pounds!  I'm not very good at detaily stuff...points I can do...and I'm just doing a guesstimate every day. Gosh, they provide all the info for you to get down to the nitty gritty of every little thing, but I'm not.
So...this first week, I really stuck to the points. I don't think I went over even one day. I walked a few days, not every day. 

The thing that REALLY seems to have made a difference for me is that I haven't had any sweets. I have about a half teaspoon of sugar in my morning coffee but that's about it. I've had trouble staying asleep for about the last couple of years...I wake up at 2am and can't go back to sleep until around 5am when my alarm is about to go off! But this week, I've slept until 5am without waking up! It's a freakin' miracle! I had chalked up my sleeplessness to my age...peri-menopause...lovely things like that. But maybe sugar has something to do with it. I have a really HUGE sweet tooth. Surprisingly, I don't miss it!

So, on I go...a journey to a thinner me. I have about 30 more pounds to go...wish me luck!

Tulips!

Oooooh...Aaaaah..., originally uploaded by HA! Designs - Artbyheather.

Tulips are a sure sign of spring! This field of tulips is in Mt. Vernon, WA. We took a little trip up north for Easter to see the tulips! It's been so cold...so rainy...so unspringy this year that I had to go get a glimpse of spring to reassure myself that winter is truly over!
It was beautiful! It was colorful! It was heavenly! It looked like spring!
So, now I'm back home enjoying the tulips I bought...on my kitchen table...waiting for my cherry tree to bloom while it pours outside...thanking God for the hope of spring!

Fun Foto Friday

Thought we could use a fun photo today...amid all of the concern for Japan.  I don't know what this couple is looking at, but perhaps it's a look at the future...and a reminder of how tragedies are difficult in the moment and in the recovery...but someday, it will be sunny again...in time...and in the mean time, we pray and hope for those who are suffering.

Fun Foto Friday!

Oh!, originally uploaded by HA! Designs - Artbyheather.

I love these photos! This little guy is so cute!
My daughter found these one day when we went to my favorite antique store. Little did I know, she is a vintage photo addict too! We looked through boxes and boxes of photos and laughed and laughed! Mixed in with the prim and proper cabinet photos and staged family photos by the Christmas tree, we found photos of people with real senses of humor. People who would break with tradition and decorum and ham it up for the camera! I bought several that were too good to leave behind. There's just something about someone elses' photos...perhaps I'm a little voyeuristic...yep, I'll bet that's it...

Wine Charms

Wine Charms, originally uploaded by HA! Designs - Artbyheather.

Something new...pick-up line wine charms! I made them for my daughter for Valentine's day and I may add some to my shop soon!