Alright, I haven't given an update on my "Quick Fix" posts... mostly because I haven't seen much of a change. I've tried to stick with most of the suggestions (I gave in when it came to chips... I just can't stop myself) but haven't seen any noticeable results.
I've started playing volleyball for 2 hours, 2 nights a week. I have noticed results from that! Mostly bruises and sore muscles (occasionally a sore ego)... but additionally I've noticed I get fatigued less easily, and have more energy during the day. So that's a plus! Unfortunately, volleyball ends in December and I have no idea what I'll do after that. Other than miss volleyball.
Our house guest left today. On one hand it'll be nice not to worry about piling things in front of the bathroom door (our inside doors don't latch) to be sure no one gets a peep show. On the other, it's one less person to hang out with (read: force to watch my girly tv shows).
So what's next? I guess getting ready for the holidays. Picking out a new recipe to take to Thanksgiving dinner.... making/buying Christmas gifts... any requests?
For the most part life has slowly pressed onward... sometimes all to slowly... other times it moves on before I'm ready. Most days its a strange mix between the two.
That's my life!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Just Roll With It
There are times in my life when I know change is coming, and I know I need to be flexible and ready to learn a new way of life. And there are times in my life when I know things will just have to stay the same for a while, and I'll see each day come and each day go, and I'll enjoy the small moments as I wait for the next phase of life to come over the horizon.
I've been in a bit of a holding pattern lately. Just trying to tread water... keep my chin up... live the life I have right now. And there are days that just fly by, and keeping my head above water seemed so easy. And there are days I'm not sure I can make it to dusk. Some days I think "I just need a little something to keep me going... a little glimmer of something new and different to peak my interest in life again."
Enter Ducky.
Ducky is a friend of Ryan's. I've met him a handful of times, mostly in fast food drive thrus. He's always seemed like a nice guy, a little bit "off kilter" like Ryan with that quirky sense of humor.
And now Ducky is our new roommate.
Last Sunday Ducky moved in with us. It's just for a month, but he's the first roommate I've had since college nearly 10 years ago. And he's the only man I've ever lived with who isn't family or my spouse.
I had no idea what to expect. Do I treat him like I would a guest who is staying just a few nights? Do I treat him like a roommate and just let him fend for himself? Will we fight over the TV remote? Will he bring friends over and make lots of noise late into the night? What if he hates dogs?!?
So I put fresh sheets on the spare bed, dug out a spare key to the back door, and made mental notes of things to be sure Ducky knew right away. He arrived late at night so we got him settled pretty quickly and went right to bed.
Then I didn't see him for over two days. He wasn't awake the next morning when I left for work, so I left post-it notes letting him know where the towels and toilet paper were. I left a note on the back door so he knew not to let our border collie run freely outside... I wrote him half a novel on our white board with other bits of information I was sure he couldn't live without.
He works a schedule completely opposite to mine. He leaves a couple hours before I get home from work, and he doesn't get home until I'm in bed. He's still sleeping when I go to work in the morning. He's extremely quiet, doesn't seem to be making any kind of mess at all, and, he likes dogs! He's been the perfect house guest / roommate so far. I just hope we get to talk soon! I keep looking for signs around the house that he's making himself at home. I'd hate for him to feel like he has to walk on egg shells. We're pretty laid back people, and both Ryan and I are really hoping Ducky makes our house his own.
And despite me barely even knowing he's there, he's been that perfect extra something in my life that makes each day new and exciting. "Maybe I'll get to talk to him today" "Oh wow! He watched TV last night, I'm glad he didn't feel like he had to hide in his room" "Aw... no dirty laundry in the hamper yet... he's gotta need clean clothes soon! Maybe I'll leave a note so he knows I'll wash it for him... or is that weird of me? yeah that's weird... but it's ok to be weird right? maybe it's too soon to let him see I'm weird." Every day there's just a tiny something new... every morning I'm excited to wake up and see what he did the night before while we slept (I had clean dishes and an organized kitchen this morning!). Every afternoon I'm excited to get home from work and think of something I can do to make him feel more at home. Every night I go to bed like a worried mother ("I hope his day at work went well. I wonder what time he'll be home. Maybe I should leave a light on.")
As the weather starts to turn cold, and the 'to do' list for the sheep continues to grow, work and bills stack up, and life trudges on...it's nice to have something exciting and new to look forward to each day.
Ducky - my "pick-me-up" sent from Heaven.
That's my life!
I've been in a bit of a holding pattern lately. Just trying to tread water... keep my chin up... live the life I have right now. And there are days that just fly by, and keeping my head above water seemed so easy. And there are days I'm not sure I can make it to dusk. Some days I think "I just need a little something to keep me going... a little glimmer of something new and different to peak my interest in life again."
Enter Ducky.
Ducky is a friend of Ryan's. I've met him a handful of times, mostly in fast food drive thrus. He's always seemed like a nice guy, a little bit "off kilter" like Ryan with that quirky sense of humor.
And now Ducky is our new roommate.
Last Sunday Ducky moved in with us. It's just for a month, but he's the first roommate I've had since college nearly 10 years ago. And he's the only man I've ever lived with who isn't family or my spouse.
I had no idea what to expect. Do I treat him like I would a guest who is staying just a few nights? Do I treat him like a roommate and just let him fend for himself? Will we fight over the TV remote? Will he bring friends over and make lots of noise late into the night? What if he hates dogs?!?
So I put fresh sheets on the spare bed, dug out a spare key to the back door, and made mental notes of things to be sure Ducky knew right away. He arrived late at night so we got him settled pretty quickly and went right to bed.
Then I didn't see him for over two days. He wasn't awake the next morning when I left for work, so I left post-it notes letting him know where the towels and toilet paper were. I left a note on the back door so he knew not to let our border collie run freely outside... I wrote him half a novel on our white board with other bits of information I was sure he couldn't live without.
He works a schedule completely opposite to mine. He leaves a couple hours before I get home from work, and he doesn't get home until I'm in bed. He's still sleeping when I go to work in the morning. He's extremely quiet, doesn't seem to be making any kind of mess at all, and, he likes dogs! He's been the perfect house guest / roommate so far. I just hope we get to talk soon! I keep looking for signs around the house that he's making himself at home. I'd hate for him to feel like he has to walk on egg shells. We're pretty laid back people, and both Ryan and I are really hoping Ducky makes our house his own.
And despite me barely even knowing he's there, he's been that perfect extra something in my life that makes each day new and exciting. "Maybe I'll get to talk to him today" "Oh wow! He watched TV last night, I'm glad he didn't feel like he had to hide in his room" "Aw... no dirty laundry in the hamper yet... he's gotta need clean clothes soon! Maybe I'll leave a note so he knows I'll wash it for him... or is that weird of me? yeah that's weird... but it's ok to be weird right? maybe it's too soon to let him see I'm weird." Every day there's just a tiny something new... every morning I'm excited to wake up and see what he did the night before while we slept (I had clean dishes and an organized kitchen this morning!). Every afternoon I'm excited to get home from work and think of something I can do to make him feel more at home. Every night I go to bed like a worried mother ("I hope his day at work went well. I wonder what time he'll be home. Maybe I should leave a light on.")
As the weather starts to turn cold, and the 'to do' list for the sheep continues to grow, work and bills stack up, and life trudges on...it's nice to have something exciting and new to look forward to each day.
Ducky - my "pick-me-up" sent from Heaven.
That's my life!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Not that I want to talk myself out of a job but.....
Ryan and I have been talking quite a bit lately about how we want the rest of our lives to look. How do we want to live? What do we want to teach our kids? What means the most to us in life? And in the process, we've also done quite a bit of financial forecasting. I have a good job, Ryan has a second job in addition to shepherding, but economic times are tough across the nation, and money isn't exactly falling from the sky for most of us. In this process of planning we've been looking at our student loans. We've crunched the numbers, we've moved loans around (and watched as loan companies move them around among themselves)... and we've come to this conclusion: If we make only minimum payments on our loans, we will have put our own children through college before we pay off our own student loans. In fact: I will have put enough years in at my job to retire before our loans are paid off! Now don't get me wrong, we have every intention of paying off our student loans long before then by making more than just minimum payments. But the fact remains that there are surely other people in this situation, and it begs the question: WHY?!?!?!?
If I correctly understand the teachings of our current society, we should go to college to get a good paying job, so that we can spend 40+ hours a week, 50 weeks a year, 35+ years of our lives paying off the debt we accumulated while going to college to get the degree to get the job to pay off the loans to go to college to get the job to pay off the loans... oh sorry, got caught up in that circle of 'insanely idiotic' there for a minute.
Now let me clarify: college in itself isn't idiotic. Going to college isn't idiotic... for some people. I think college can open a lot of doors for certain people. And I think those individuals who need a college degree to pursue their dreams should go. But let's be honest. According to a study by Northeastern University, 40% of college grads are working a job that doesn't require a degree. And another survey found that 80% of college grads move back in with their parents after college because they don't have the kind of job they were expecting/hoping for. And no one can accurately give a stat on how many graduates aren't working in their field of study, but estimates are: it's low. Why? Because at 18 years old every high school kid is told: go to college. And that's it. They aren't given the opportunity to explore employment opportunities, to find out what kind of jobs there are out there. When I left high school I thought you went to college to be a lawyer, doctor, or teacher. That was it. Pick one. At 18 years old few people know how they want to spend the rest of their lives. So they go to college (because, well gee, that's just what you do!), amass debt, get a degree in something arbitrary, and then they go out and explore employment options. And then, oh wait, they are either working a job that doesn't require a degree, or they find out what it is they want to do, and have to go back to school to get another degree, this time one that actually applies to the field in which they want to work!
The system is broken. And it is breaking the backs of college graduates everywhere. Laden with thousands of dollars in debt, and no "dream job" that makes them six figures a year, they work 30 years of their lives paying off the money owed for a degree that does them little or no good. And because they are so oppressed with their financial burdens, there is no hope of them saving money in their children's college funds. And so, our next generation... my children.... will be faced with the same cyclic problem: go to college, amass debt, work my life away to pay off debt that I accrued while going to college so that I could get a job so that I could pay off my debt. Let's hope we can learn from our experiences, and maybe, just MAYBE, encourage our kids to put college off for a couple years. Explore the world... find out what you want to do with your life. Maybe it requires a college degree. But then again.... if it's sheep you're interested in.... maybe it doesn't.
If I correctly understand the teachings of our current society, we should go to college to get a good paying job, so that we can spend 40+ hours a week, 50 weeks a year, 35+ years of our lives paying off the debt we accumulated while going to college to get the degree to get the job to pay off the loans to go to college to get the job to pay off the loans... oh sorry, got caught up in that circle of 'insanely idiotic' there for a minute.
Now let me clarify: college in itself isn't idiotic. Going to college isn't idiotic... for some people. I think college can open a lot of doors for certain people. And I think those individuals who need a college degree to pursue their dreams should go. But let's be honest. According to a study by Northeastern University, 40% of college grads are working a job that doesn't require a degree. And another survey found that 80% of college grads move back in with their parents after college because they don't have the kind of job they were expecting/hoping for. And no one can accurately give a stat on how many graduates aren't working in their field of study, but estimates are: it's low. Why? Because at 18 years old every high school kid is told: go to college. And that's it. They aren't given the opportunity to explore employment opportunities, to find out what kind of jobs there are out there. When I left high school I thought you went to college to be a lawyer, doctor, or teacher. That was it. Pick one. At 18 years old few people know how they want to spend the rest of their lives. So they go to college (because, well gee, that's just what you do!), amass debt, get a degree in something arbitrary, and then they go out and explore employment options. And then, oh wait, they are either working a job that doesn't require a degree, or they find out what it is they want to do, and have to go back to school to get another degree, this time one that actually applies to the field in which they want to work!
The system is broken. And it is breaking the backs of college graduates everywhere. Laden with thousands of dollars in debt, and no "dream job" that makes them six figures a year, they work 30 years of their lives paying off the money owed for a degree that does them little or no good. And because they are so oppressed with their financial burdens, there is no hope of them saving money in their children's college funds. And so, our next generation... my children.... will be faced with the same cyclic problem: go to college, amass debt, work my life away to pay off debt that I accrued while going to college so that I could get a job so that I could pay off my debt. Let's hope we can learn from our experiences, and maybe, just MAYBE, encourage our kids to put college off for a couple years. Explore the world... find out what you want to do with your life. Maybe it requires a college degree. But then again.... if it's sheep you're interested in.... maybe it doesn't.
Friday, August 26, 2011
What is the perfect relationship, really?
You know, we all want to be loved. And I think, deep down, we all want to know how to love someone in a way that is deeply cherished by that person. So many times we do that by taking them out to fancy dinners, buying them expensive gifts, saying all those things we know we're supposed to say... but then it happens... the food isn't very good at that restaurant or the waiter spills a drink on your date. You lean in for a kiss after dessert and they have food in their teeth. That gift you bought? They have the exact same thing sitting at home already... or they think it's just plain ugly. And you think, well this date went horribly... it must not be love. Or you try to say something romantic, and it sounds like you're quoting a movie... oh wait, you probably are! Let's hope they didn't notice. And all the while they're wondering... why are they saying those things? Do they really love me or are they just saying that to get what they want???
We all want something more genuine than that. Not everyone will admit it. And many are probably happy enough with fancy dinners and expensive gifts, at least for now. But I honestly believe that everyone wants a real, deep connection and love. And I'll tell you how you know you have it:
When, after a nice (but not over the top) dinner out to celebrate your wedding anniversary (or any other special occasion), you can finish off the night by going to Home Depot and buying a porch light - And be just as happy doing that as you would be sharing dessert at a four star restaurant!
Let's be honest here - you can find yourself "in love" with just about anyone who takes you out to nice dinners and buys you expensive gifts. But you know you're really with someone who's right for you when you are just as happy going to Trivia Night at the local Bar & Grille, picking out light fixtures at a home improvement store, or trying to chase your cat back indoors.
It's when you're happy doing the simple every day things. And not just happy doing that stuff most of the time... but happy doing it anytime, even on your anniversary.
Congrats Gretchen and Justin, on finding that extraordinary love, that to many seems so simple and mundane, but we know is the most extravagant love two people can share. Happy Anniversary!
That's my life!
We all want something more genuine than that. Not everyone will admit it. And many are probably happy enough with fancy dinners and expensive gifts, at least for now. But I honestly believe that everyone wants a real, deep connection and love. And I'll tell you how you know you have it:
When, after a nice (but not over the top) dinner out to celebrate your wedding anniversary (or any other special occasion), you can finish off the night by going to Home Depot and buying a porch light - And be just as happy doing that as you would be sharing dessert at a four star restaurant!
Let's be honest here - you can find yourself "in love" with just about anyone who takes you out to nice dinners and buys you expensive gifts. But you know you're really with someone who's right for you when you are just as happy going to Trivia Night at the local Bar & Grille, picking out light fixtures at a home improvement store, or trying to chase your cat back indoors.
It's when you're happy doing the simple every day things. And not just happy doing that stuff most of the time... but happy doing it anytime, even on your anniversary.
Congrats Gretchen and Justin, on finding that extraordinary love, that to many seems so simple and mundane, but we know is the most extravagant love two people can share. Happy Anniversary!
That's my life!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Quick Fix Day 15
Update: I couldn't find oatmeal breakfast bars at the store so I bought a different kind - Only to remember this morning, I can't eat the nuts on top! I don't know why I keep forgetting that. I really need to get some farm-fresh eggs from my mom and make those for breakfast!
Moving on:
Just two more items on the list, and one of them I don't think I need to worry about too much. It is: eat smaller ice creams. Unless I go to my mother-in-law's house and she makes me a bowl of ice cream (fit for the King of Prussia I'm not kidding) I tend to only eat one or two scoops. I'm just not a big ice cream eater. And lately I prefer sherbet to ice cream any way.
So my last addition. Number 15: "Pay attention to the number of servings". No matter how few calories are in a serving of something, if you eat 7 servings, you're taking in more calories than you realize. I'm majorly guilty of this one. "Oh!" I think "only 120 calories in this. Awesome!" but then, after eating a bunch, I realize... I've eaten 4 servings worth! I also tend to serve multiple servings at dinner time. Just last night I served chicken breast and I'm pretty sure each piece was 2-2.5 servings! Yikes! I really need to be better about this one.
Well, this is my complete list. 15 things I'm going to keep trying to do over the next few weeks. We'll see if I see any weight/inch loss results. I'll post updates every so often. In the meantime, you can check out the original article I've pulled these items from. I'll keep working at it, and let you know how it goes!
That's my life!
Moving on:
Just two more items on the list, and one of them I don't think I need to worry about too much. It is: eat smaller ice creams. Unless I go to my mother-in-law's house and she makes me a bowl of ice cream (fit for the King of Prussia I'm not kidding) I tend to only eat one or two scoops. I'm just not a big ice cream eater. And lately I prefer sherbet to ice cream any way.
So my last addition. Number 15: "Pay attention to the number of servings". No matter how few calories are in a serving of something, if you eat 7 servings, you're taking in more calories than you realize. I'm majorly guilty of this one. "Oh!" I think "only 120 calories in this. Awesome!" but then, after eating a bunch, I realize... I've eaten 4 servings worth! I also tend to serve multiple servings at dinner time. Just last night I served chicken breast and I'm pretty sure each piece was 2-2.5 servings! Yikes! I really need to be better about this one.
Well, this is my complete list. 15 things I'm going to keep trying to do over the next few weeks. We'll see if I see any weight/inch loss results. I'll post updates every so often. In the meantime, you can check out the original article I've pulled these items from. I'll keep working at it, and let you know how it goes!
That's my life!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Quick Fix Day 14
Update:
We're almost done. Today and tomorrow and then I'll have added each item to my list of dos and don'ts. Then it's just a matter of sticking with it for another few weeks, and seeing if there's a pay off!
I had a drink with whipped cream on it last night, but I only drank the bottom half (no whipped cream) and gave the rest to Ryan. But now here I sit with an entire bag of chips, just munching away.
Moving on:
There are a couple items on the list I'm already good at. They are:
-No buttered popcorn. I don't know what happened, but lately any time I eat popcorn, it feels like I've swallowed shards of glass. So, I don't eat popcorn at all, butter or not.
-Stop eating when full, not when food is gone. Other than potato chips, which I could easily eat until the bag is empty, I tend to be pretty aware of how much I'm eating, and how full I am. My stomach doesn't tolerate over eating well at all. If I'm full, I stop. Otherwise I get very sick feeling!
So, Number 14: Sugar-free drinks. Like I said earlier; I don't drink pop. But I do drink V8 Splash, and I'm not sure if that has sugar in it. And I put about a tablespoon of sugar in my fruit smoothies. I also put quite a bit of sugar in my coffee. So I'm going to have to be more careful about what I'm drinking, and what's in it!!
That's my life!
We're almost done. Today and tomorrow and then I'll have added each item to my list of dos and don'ts. Then it's just a matter of sticking with it for another few weeks, and seeing if there's a pay off!
I had a drink with whipped cream on it last night, but I only drank the bottom half (no whipped cream) and gave the rest to Ryan. But now here I sit with an entire bag of chips, just munching away.
Moving on:
There are a couple items on the list I'm already good at. They are:
-No buttered popcorn. I don't know what happened, but lately any time I eat popcorn, it feels like I've swallowed shards of glass. So, I don't eat popcorn at all, butter or not.
-Stop eating when full, not when food is gone. Other than potato chips, which I could easily eat until the bag is empty, I tend to be pretty aware of how much I'm eating, and how full I am. My stomach doesn't tolerate over eating well at all. If I'm full, I stop. Otherwise I get very sick feeling!
So, Number 14: Sugar-free drinks. Like I said earlier; I don't drink pop. But I do drink V8 Splash, and I'm not sure if that has sugar in it. And I put about a tablespoon of sugar in my fruit smoothies. I also put quite a bit of sugar in my coffee. So I'm going to have to be more careful about what I'm drinking, and what's in it!!
That's my life!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Quick Fix Day 13
Update: I've been eating my oats and honey cereal for breakfast in the mornings. Wholegrain flakes, oat clusters, honey and cinnamon. It's healthy and delicious. And, I just realized this morning, contains almonds, which I'm not supposed to be eating. Whoops! I'm also drinking a smoothie this morning instead of coffee, I used big plates at dinner last night, and served it family style instead of dishing it up in the kitchen. In my defense though, we had company.
Moving On:
Rather than dwell on yesterday's failures.... let's add another item to my list today: #13 - Eating 2 boiled or poached eggs for breakfast makes you feel fuller all day, and you'll eat an average of 416 fewer calories. Ryan and I learned a boiled egg recipe in India. They hard boil the eggs, then batter them with gram flour. It's delicious! I might try making up a few of those for breakfasts on the go. Boiled eggs are easy to eat even when you're rushing off to work! This should be much easier than the recommended oatmeal for breakfast.
That's my life!
Moving On:
Rather than dwell on yesterday's failures.... let's add another item to my list today: #13 - Eating 2 boiled or poached eggs for breakfast makes you feel fuller all day, and you'll eat an average of 416 fewer calories. Ryan and I learned a boiled egg recipe in India. They hard boil the eggs, then batter them with gram flour. It's delicious! I might try making up a few of those for breakfasts on the go. Boiled eggs are easy to eat even when you're rushing off to work! This should be much easier than the recommended oatmeal for breakfast.
That's my life!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Quick Fix Day 12
Updates: I've begun remembering to count chips. Now I count out a serving, eat them all, and count out a second helping. At least I know how many calories I'm eating. If I can remember to fidget all day long, I end up coming out even in the end. I had another smoothie last night - sans whip! yay! And I left 25% of my food on my plate. Not because I wanted to, but because my throat hurt too badly to swallow anymore.
Moving on:
No pop! This won't be too hard for me most of the week. We don't buy pop, I never have it at home. Really the only time I drink pop is at my mom's house. Every Sunday we go to my mom and dad's for lunch and I have a can of Mountain Dew. I can't go this Sunday because I have to come into work.... so I'm good for a week and a half. Shouldn't be too hard to stick to this one. Which is good, because all of a sudden I'm finding less pasta and no whip on my smoothies really tough!!!
That's my life!
Moving on:
No pop! This won't be too hard for me most of the week. We don't buy pop, I never have it at home. Really the only time I drink pop is at my mom's house. Every Sunday we go to my mom and dad's for lunch and I have a can of Mountain Dew. I can't go this Sunday because I have to come into work.... so I'm good for a week and a half. Shouldn't be too hard to stick to this one. Which is good, because all of a sudden I'm finding less pasta and no whip on my smoothies really tough!!!
That's my life!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Quick Fix Days 9, 10, and 11
Update: I didn't blog over the weekend. So sorry to those of you who really missed it. I had a busy weekend, and I'm still sick, so I figured I'd just do three days in one blog today.
I'm still following most of my new guidelines, but I DID have whipped cream on top of a smoothie Saturday night. My mother-in-law made them for us, so who was I to say no? It was delicious by the way.
Still no nuts, and I bought all natural peanut butter to try. Although, the "natural oil separation" is a big turn off, so I haven't even opened the jar yet. I keep forgetting to count my chip servings... so approximately 5-7 chips in I think "oh no!" and stop eating them all together... which I think is even better than counting out 15 chips and eating them! Who knew forgetting to do something healthy could be even healthier?? I have not yet, however, left 25% of my food on my plate. I just can't come to grips with that one.
Moving On:
9. Beware healthy items on menus - this seems counterintuitive. But what they're saying is that when something on a restaurant menu is marked with some form of a "healthy for you" icon, people tend to underestimate the number of calories by 35%. That's why, when I went to olive garden this weekend, I had the cream based soup. It wasn't marked as healthy, and I knew it was full of calories! No underestimating here!
10. Use stock instead of oil when cooking - I don't do this. Ever. Need something in the pan? Olive oil. Always. I have stock. I use stock in some things... but I never use stock when oil will do.
11. Three hours spent grocery shopping, putting the food away, and cooking/serving dinner burns 640 calories! - well that's fantastic. really. but who has that kind of time?? I don't know how much I'll get into this one. Unless I can put my month's calorie burning into one day - because my mom and I go grocery shopping once a month now. We buy an entire month's groceries at once. It usually takes us about 6 hours to do the shopping... then it takes me another hour and a half or two hours to put it all away, separate things for freezing, etc. So that one day a month I do really well!!
That's my life!
I'm still following most of my new guidelines, but I DID have whipped cream on top of a smoothie Saturday night. My mother-in-law made them for us, so who was I to say no? It was delicious by the way.
Still no nuts, and I bought all natural peanut butter to try. Although, the "natural oil separation" is a big turn off, so I haven't even opened the jar yet. I keep forgetting to count my chip servings... so approximately 5-7 chips in I think "oh no!" and stop eating them all together... which I think is even better than counting out 15 chips and eating them! Who knew forgetting to do something healthy could be even healthier?? I have not yet, however, left 25% of my food on my plate. I just can't come to grips with that one.
Moving On:
9. Beware healthy items on menus - this seems counterintuitive. But what they're saying is that when something on a restaurant menu is marked with some form of a "healthy for you" icon, people tend to underestimate the number of calories by 35%. That's why, when I went to olive garden this weekend, I had the cream based soup. It wasn't marked as healthy, and I knew it was full of calories! No underestimating here!
10. Use stock instead of oil when cooking - I don't do this. Ever. Need something in the pan? Olive oil. Always. I have stock. I use stock in some things... but I never use stock when oil will do.
11. Three hours spent grocery shopping, putting the food away, and cooking/serving dinner burns 640 calories! - well that's fantastic. really. but who has that kind of time?? I don't know how much I'll get into this one. Unless I can put my month's calorie burning into one day - because my mom and I go grocery shopping once a month now. We buy an entire month's groceries at once. It usually takes us about 6 hours to do the shopping... then it takes me another hour and a half or two hours to put it all away, separate things for freezing, etc. So that one day a month I do really well!!
That's my life!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Quick Fix Day 8
Update: I'm still sick. I seriously ate three bowls of ice cream yesterday because it was the only thing that soothed my throat. It seems I'm getting a little better today.... time will tell.
Other than my ice cream binge, I haven't broken any of my new rules... or rather guidelines. I've been fidgeting a little less, as I said yesterday... but I'll try to work on that today.
Moving On:
Next on the list is one I don't struggle with. - The list recommends that when you go out to eat, you search the menu for "mini desserts" which are smaller versions of common desserts. I don't go out to eat often, and I rarely get dessert when I do. I'm just not a big dessert eater. In fact, I eat lunch at my mom and dad's every Sunday... and my mom (or sister-in-law) always make dessert. I'd say I only eat it about half the time. It's nothing against their cooking (they both make fabulous desserts!!).... I'm just not a big sweets kind of person. If you were to put chips in front of me, I'd eat them all! So I understand the recommendation to try to eat smaller desserts... but for me, I'm just as happy skipping it all together.
So the next item to add to my list is: No smoothies for breakfast, eat oatmeal and drink black coffee instead. I don't drink smoothies for breakfast. But I just discovered Wendy's wild berry milkshake (yum!) and I just found two recipes for making yogurt smoothies at home. I was going to try to make a yogurt smoothie that was similar to Wendy's wild berry milkshake and have those. But I guess now I better just not even bother. Most of the time I skip breakfast entirely. I get into work around 8, and by 9:30 or 10 I'm hungry so I snack (yes, usually on chips). I would say I drink coffee about 50% of the days I'm at work. I've always heard eating breakfast, even though it's more calories by adding that third meal, is healthier b/c it jump starts your metabolism. I'm not a morning person... so it's highly unlikely I'm going to get up early enough to make myself oatmeal and coffee at home. But I'm thinking of finding some oatmeal equivalent breakfast ideas that I could prepare at work (I don't really care for oatmeal all that much. Once in a while is ok, but every day would be awful). Then maybe I'll start eating breakfast at my desk when I first get in.
I'm proud of myself because I've been trying to drink my coffee a little closer to black. It's still not even close... but at least now it's sort of a dark brown, as opposed to eggshell white. I'm going to keep working on this idea of breakfast. Tomorrow I get groceries, so I'll be on the lookout for healthy "breakfast to go" items. I think I've seen oatmeal breakfast bars advertised... I'll have to see if they're as good for you as a bowl of real oatmeal.
That's my life!
Other than my ice cream binge, I haven't broken any of my new rules... or rather guidelines. I've been fidgeting a little less, as I said yesterday... but I'll try to work on that today.
Moving On:
Next on the list is one I don't struggle with. - The list recommends that when you go out to eat, you search the menu for "mini desserts" which are smaller versions of common desserts. I don't go out to eat often, and I rarely get dessert when I do. I'm just not a big dessert eater. In fact, I eat lunch at my mom and dad's every Sunday... and my mom (or sister-in-law) always make dessert. I'd say I only eat it about half the time. It's nothing against their cooking (they both make fabulous desserts!!).... I'm just not a big sweets kind of person. If you were to put chips in front of me, I'd eat them all! So I understand the recommendation to try to eat smaller desserts... but for me, I'm just as happy skipping it all together.
So the next item to add to my list is: No smoothies for breakfast, eat oatmeal and drink black coffee instead. I don't drink smoothies for breakfast. But I just discovered Wendy's wild berry milkshake (yum!) and I just found two recipes for making yogurt smoothies at home. I was going to try to make a yogurt smoothie that was similar to Wendy's wild berry milkshake and have those. But I guess now I better just not even bother. Most of the time I skip breakfast entirely. I get into work around 8, and by 9:30 or 10 I'm hungry so I snack (yes, usually on chips). I would say I drink coffee about 50% of the days I'm at work. I've always heard eating breakfast, even though it's more calories by adding that third meal, is healthier b/c it jump starts your metabolism. I'm not a morning person... so it's highly unlikely I'm going to get up early enough to make myself oatmeal and coffee at home. But I'm thinking of finding some oatmeal equivalent breakfast ideas that I could prepare at work (I don't really care for oatmeal all that much. Once in a while is ok, but every day would be awful). Then maybe I'll start eating breakfast at my desk when I first get in.
I'm proud of myself because I've been trying to drink my coffee a little closer to black. It's still not even close... but at least now it's sort of a dark brown, as opposed to eggshell white. I'm going to keep working on this idea of breakfast. Tomorrow I get groceries, so I'll be on the lookout for healthy "breakfast to go" items. I think I've seen oatmeal breakfast bars advertised... I'll have to see if they're as good for you as a bowl of real oatmeal.
That's my life!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Quick Fix Day 7
Update: I'm noticing a trend. I start to do something healthy for myself (like my first attempt - jogging, or this - 25 ways to cut 500 calories a day) and I start to feel worse. I've come down with some sort of illness. Not sure what it is (a weird cold? strep throat? some other kind of infection?) but I feel terrible. As such, my blog will be short today. As an update - I'm still doing all the stuff on my list. Though yesterday (and so far today) fidgeting has decreased as I'd much rather curl up into a tiny ball and not move at all.
Moving On:
-Next on the list is: Eat with 6 or fewer people. It seems if you're in a group of 7 or more, you tend to eat more. I don't really understand that, but I can think of only 2 or 3 times in the last year I've been in a group of 7 or more where food was also included. All except one were work functions. So I'm not too worried about this one.
So #7 for me is - Leave 25% of your food on your plate. This one upsets me a little. I'm already using smaller plates. And I'm dishing my food up in the kitchen so I don't go back for seconds as easily. And now you want me to leave 25% of the little bit I take on my plate? I've always heard you should always leave some food on your plate (from a dietary perspective. Mom always said "it's rude not to clean your plate") but 25% seems like a lot to me. And let's be honest... if I know I have to leave 25% on my plate, won't I just take 25% more to begin with? We'll see how it goes.
That's my life!
Moving On:
-Next on the list is: Eat with 6 or fewer people. It seems if you're in a group of 7 or more, you tend to eat more. I don't really understand that, but I can think of only 2 or 3 times in the last year I've been in a group of 7 or more where food was also included. All except one were work functions. So I'm not too worried about this one.
So #7 for me is - Leave 25% of your food on your plate. This one upsets me a little. I'm already using smaller plates. And I'm dishing my food up in the kitchen so I don't go back for seconds as easily. And now you want me to leave 25% of the little bit I take on my plate? I've always heard you should always leave some food on your plate (from a dietary perspective. Mom always said "it's rude not to clean your plate") but 25% seems like a lot to me. And let's be honest... if I know I have to leave 25% on my plate, won't I just take 25% more to begin with? We'll see how it goes.
That's my life!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Quick Fix Extra Entry
Perhaps instead of cutting out nuts, chips, and whipped cream from my diet, I should just use this work out plan:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1xeZsT/www.patrickmoberg.com/workoutplan/
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1xeZsT/www.patrickmoberg.com/workoutplan/
Quick Fix Day 6
Update:
The fidgeting continues. I wish I could know how many calories I'm actually burning.
Still no nuts. We are having an ice cream social at my office today, I love peanuts on my ice cream. I hope no one brings them.
I ate some ice cream in front of the tv last night, but I was careful about how much I put in my bowl. I took less than usual, oh, and it was sherbet not ice cream (did you know it's 'sherbet' and not 'sherbert'? I didn't until last night).
I haven't eaten a salad, so toppings aren't an issue. And we continue to use smaller plates. I haven't had any whipped toppings either.
Yesterday I was counting out a serving of chips with my lunch and I found myself trying to piece whole chips back together. It's rare that you find a whole chip toward the bottom of the bag you know? And I'm not going to eat 15 pieces instead of 15 chips... so there I was thinking, "well, these two pieces look like they could form a whole chip". I tried not to cheat and make jumbo chips. But I wish they would just say "an 1/8 of a cup" That'd be easier. As it turned out though, I didn't even eat my whole serving... I was eating them slowly, and I got full before I had all 15 chips. The secret was to eat the rest of my lunch first, instead of eating chips first like I normally do.
Moving On:
-Put your dinner on your plate in the kitchen, rather than taking all the food to the table and serving family style. --I grew up eating family style. So when I got married that's how I served dinner to my husband. And he'd always ask me "why do you dirty all these extra dishes? Just put my food on my plate in the kitchen". After about 6 months of that, I started dishing up our food in the kitchen... and I found it saved me a lot of time and work. I also have found that Ryan eats less. I put food on his plate and unless I say "there's plenty more in the kitchen, can I get you a second helping?" he doesn't eat any more than what I give him.
-Use soda water or juice for cocktails instead of syrup or cream -- I don't drink cocktails very often, and I never make them myself at home.
New item for today (#6) - Eat less pasta. According to the article I read, they aren't saying not to make pasta at home. But I guess the average restaurant portion is 480% of a single serving, adding up to a whopping 1,056 calories! We all know eating out is heck on a diet. And I think we all know if you order a pasta dish, you're going to be taking left overs home. Well, most of us do any way. I don't make a ton of pasta at home either, but when I do, I try to be really careful to not make much more than 2-3 servings. I eat a single serving (often less) and Ryan has his serving plus what I leave, and I save a half serving or so for lunch the next day if I can. I think we do pretty well here... but just last night I made a huge 9x13 pan of a pasta casserole. thankfully we didn't eat it all, but I'd say we ate almost half. whoops! I'm going to try to be more careful about serving size from now on. And I think I might try switching to a wheat pasta. Has anyone tried it??
That's my life!
The fidgeting continues. I wish I could know how many calories I'm actually burning.
Still no nuts. We are having an ice cream social at my office today, I love peanuts on my ice cream. I hope no one brings them.
I ate some ice cream in front of the tv last night, but I was careful about how much I put in my bowl. I took less than usual, oh, and it was sherbet not ice cream (did you know it's 'sherbet' and not 'sherbert'? I didn't until last night).
I haven't eaten a salad, so toppings aren't an issue. And we continue to use smaller plates. I haven't had any whipped toppings either.
Yesterday I was counting out a serving of chips with my lunch and I found myself trying to piece whole chips back together. It's rare that you find a whole chip toward the bottom of the bag you know? And I'm not going to eat 15 pieces instead of 15 chips... so there I was thinking, "well, these two pieces look like they could form a whole chip". I tried not to cheat and make jumbo chips. But I wish they would just say "an 1/8 of a cup" That'd be easier. As it turned out though, I didn't even eat my whole serving... I was eating them slowly, and I got full before I had all 15 chips. The secret was to eat the rest of my lunch first, instead of eating chips first like I normally do.
Moving On:
-Put your dinner on your plate in the kitchen, rather than taking all the food to the table and serving family style. --I grew up eating family style. So when I got married that's how I served dinner to my husband. And he'd always ask me "why do you dirty all these extra dishes? Just put my food on my plate in the kitchen". After about 6 months of that, I started dishing up our food in the kitchen... and I found it saved me a lot of time and work. I also have found that Ryan eats less. I put food on his plate and unless I say "there's plenty more in the kitchen, can I get you a second helping?" he doesn't eat any more than what I give him.
-Use soda water or juice for cocktails instead of syrup or cream -- I don't drink cocktails very often, and I never make them myself at home.
New item for today (#6) - Eat less pasta. According to the article I read, they aren't saying not to make pasta at home. But I guess the average restaurant portion is 480% of a single serving, adding up to a whopping 1,056 calories! We all know eating out is heck on a diet. And I think we all know if you order a pasta dish, you're going to be taking left overs home. Well, most of us do any way. I don't make a ton of pasta at home either, but when I do, I try to be really careful to not make much more than 2-3 servings. I eat a single serving (often less) and Ryan has his serving plus what I leave, and I save a half serving or so for lunch the next day if I can. I think we do pretty well here... but just last night I made a huge 9x13 pan of a pasta casserole. thankfully we didn't eat it all, but I'd say we ate almost half. whoops! I'm going to try to be more careful about serving size from now on. And I think I might try switching to a wheat pasta. Has anyone tried it??
That's my life!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Quick Fix Day 5
Update:
I forget to fidget sometimes, but I'm doing pretty well with it.
Still no nuts, though I watched a short 5 min video last night on diets that help trim belly fat, and they said two tablespoons of peanut butter (as long as it's the natural kind) is really good for you. So I think my pb&j sandwiches will be alright next week.
I haven't eaten in front of the tv yet, but I haven't really been given the opportunity either. If I measure out a regular serving size of a snack, and eat it in front of the tv, is that still a bad thing??? I think eating in front of the tv is taboo b/c you tend to not pay attention to when you're full and you keep eating. But if I only have so much ice cream in my bowl, I can't over-eat right????? :-)
No whipped cream for me so far! Again, I haven't exactly been offered any either.
Moving On:
This one is going to be even worse than no whipped cream:
Count chip servings.
At least it didn't say NO chips at all... I think I'd have given up right then. Chips are the one food I cannot live without. I mean, I could, but I'd be miserable to be around. I love chips!!!
so question is: Is it alright if I count out my servings of chips, then eat as many servings as I want?? obviously the answer is no. the article says: "A chip-bender to the bottom of a 9-ounce bag is 1,260 calories". So I'm supposed to limit myself to *GASP* 15 CHIPS!?!?!? That's like telling a shopaholic she can spend $0.35 on anything she wants. I mean REALLY!?!?!
I'm going to go pout in a corner... probably with a bag of chips.
That's my life!
I forget to fidget sometimes, but I'm doing pretty well with it.
Still no nuts, though I watched a short 5 min video last night on diets that help trim belly fat, and they said two tablespoons of peanut butter (as long as it's the natural kind) is really good for you. So I think my pb&j sandwiches will be alright next week.
I haven't eaten in front of the tv yet, but I haven't really been given the opportunity either. If I measure out a regular serving size of a snack, and eat it in front of the tv, is that still a bad thing??? I think eating in front of the tv is taboo b/c you tend to not pay attention to when you're full and you keep eating. But if I only have so much ice cream in my bowl, I can't over-eat right????? :-)
No whipped cream for me so far! Again, I haven't exactly been offered any either.
Moving On:
This one is going to be even worse than no whipped cream:
Count chip servings.
At least it didn't say NO chips at all... I think I'd have given up right then. Chips are the one food I cannot live without. I mean, I could, but I'd be miserable to be around. I love chips!!!
so question is: Is it alright if I count out my servings of chips, then eat as many servings as I want?? obviously the answer is no. the article says: "A chip-bender to the bottom of a 9-ounce bag is 1,260 calories". So I'm supposed to limit myself to *GASP* 15 CHIPS!?!?!? That's like telling a shopaholic she can spend $0.35 on anything she wants. I mean REALLY!?!?!
I'm going to go pout in a corner... probably with a bag of chips.
That's my life!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Quick Fix Day 4
Update:
Fidgeting continues to go well. I just keep thinking, 'I wonder how many calories I'm burning right now'
I haven't eaten a nut! Though, those peanut m&ms did make an appearance at my mom's house yesterday. Also, we're out of peanut butter, so until at least Saturday (when I get groceries) I don't have to worry about that.
I missed the first 3/4 of a show last night because we had a late dinner and I refused to eat in front of the tv. To be honest, I would have, but we were eating hot dogs and corn on the cob and I knew it would make quite a mess if I didn't eat at the table.
Moving on:
The next two items on the list are two I do well:
-Use fewer (or no) salad toppings. Salads are healthy, until you add the cheese, nuts, dried fruit, and bacon. Well, when I make a salad, I'm lucky if I can include cucumbers or carrots... usually it's just lettuce. The only time I eat salads with lots of toppings is at my mother-in-laws, which is rare. And I think her toppings are generally more healthy (broccoli, peppers, that kind of thing).
-Use smaller plates. I've heard this one before. If you use smaller dinner plates, you take less food. And it's true. We got HUGE plates for our wedding. I mean, we registered for them so it's not like I can complain... and I love them, but they really are huge (they don't even fit in my cupboard. the door seriously won't close all the way). And if you put a regular serving size of something on that plate, it looks like the amount you'd give a small child. So, about a year after we were married, my husband and I switched to the smaller dessert plates that came with the set. And, unless we're eating a bulky item (like corn on the cob) our food fits quite nicely on the plate. So we're good there.
New item for today (#4): No whipped toppings on beverages. That means no ice cap supreme or cafe mocha at time hortons, no wild berry smoothie at Wendy's, no hot chocolate made by my dad... unless I have enough will-power to order it without the whipped topping. I don't get them often... but when I do I really enjoy that whipped topping!
That's my life!
Fidgeting continues to go well. I just keep thinking, 'I wonder how many calories I'm burning right now'
I haven't eaten a nut! Though, those peanut m&ms did make an appearance at my mom's house yesterday. Also, we're out of peanut butter, so until at least Saturday (when I get groceries) I don't have to worry about that.
I missed the first 3/4 of a show last night because we had a late dinner and I refused to eat in front of the tv. To be honest, I would have, but we were eating hot dogs and corn on the cob and I knew it would make quite a mess if I didn't eat at the table.
Moving on:
The next two items on the list are two I do well:
-Use fewer (or no) salad toppings. Salads are healthy, until you add the cheese, nuts, dried fruit, and bacon. Well, when I make a salad, I'm lucky if I can include cucumbers or carrots... usually it's just lettuce. The only time I eat salads with lots of toppings is at my mother-in-laws, which is rare. And I think her toppings are generally more healthy (broccoli, peppers, that kind of thing).
-Use smaller plates. I've heard this one before. If you use smaller dinner plates, you take less food. And it's true. We got HUGE plates for our wedding. I mean, we registered for them so it's not like I can complain... and I love them, but they really are huge (they don't even fit in my cupboard. the door seriously won't close all the way). And if you put a regular serving size of something on that plate, it looks like the amount you'd give a small child. So, about a year after we were married, my husband and I switched to the smaller dessert plates that came with the set. And, unless we're eating a bulky item (like corn on the cob) our food fits quite nicely on the plate. So we're good there.
New item for today (#4): No whipped toppings on beverages. That means no ice cap supreme or cafe mocha at time hortons, no wild berry smoothie at Wendy's, no hot chocolate made by my dad... unless I have enough will-power to order it without the whipped topping. I don't get them often... but when I do I really enjoy that whipped topping!
That's my life!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Quick Fix Day 3
Update:
I continue to fidget. It's pretty easy to do actually.... except in the car. I haven't quite figured out how to keep moving when I'm in a confined space.
Wouldn't you know it, we were at the rodeo last night and my husband Ryan wanted peanuts, and asked if I'd share them with him. On the day I give them up. Figures. But since I'd already had french fries and pop, it was easy for me to say no.
Moving on:
3. Don't eat in front of the television. (One step better: go for an hour walk instead of watching an hour of tv)
I almost never eat a meal in front of the tv. I am incredibly guilty, however, of eating snacks in front of the tv in the evenings. It was a household tradition growing up. We had a tv show to watch each night of the week. Everyone went to the kitchen and chose the snack of their choice (usually chips) and found a spot in the family room. My brain now associates watching tv with being hungry... but I'm only hungry for junk food. So not eating in front of the tv is going to be torture. I think I might have to go on that hour walk instead of tv simply so I can resist the temptation to sit on the couch with a bag of chips.
That's my life!
I continue to fidget. It's pretty easy to do actually.... except in the car. I haven't quite figured out how to keep moving when I'm in a confined space.
Wouldn't you know it, we were at the rodeo last night and my husband Ryan wanted peanuts, and asked if I'd share them with him. On the day I give them up. Figures. But since I'd already had french fries and pop, it was easy for me to say no.
Moving on:
3. Don't eat in front of the television. (One step better: go for an hour walk instead of watching an hour of tv)
I almost never eat a meal in front of the tv. I am incredibly guilty, however, of eating snacks in front of the tv in the evenings. It was a household tradition growing up. We had a tv show to watch each night of the week. Everyone went to the kitchen and chose the snack of their choice (usually chips) and found a spot in the family room. My brain now associates watching tv with being hungry... but I'm only hungry for junk food. So not eating in front of the tv is going to be torture. I think I might have to go on that hour walk instead of tv simply so I can resist the temptation to sit on the couch with a bag of chips.
That's my life!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Quick Fix Day 2
Update:
So yesterday I started fidgeting. I shook my foot side to side or bounced my knee up and down as much as possible while at my desk yesterday. I was so proud of myself. Then last night I remembered something... I used to fidget all the time in high school. Non stop. I was always shaking my foot or bouncing my knee. I also remembered why I stopped fidgeting... because my foot does't know to stop shaking at bed time! It becomes almost an involuntary movement after so long... and my foot just keeps on going. So there I lay in bed, foot shaking away, thinking... I wonder how many calories I have to burn before I'll be able to fall asleep.
Moving ahead:
Day 2 - I checked my list last night right before bed to see what I'd be taking on today. "Don't eat nuts". Easy enough. But wait... does that include peanut butter?????? That might not be so much fun to give up. I don't eat a lot of it, but I've been eating a little bit more lately in my lunches. Hmm...
And then it happened... I dreamt (dreamed?) last night about peanut m&ms. They were the size of golf balls and I was eating as many as I could possible fit into my stomach because I knew starting the next day I wouldn't be able to have any. Now, I don't mind peanut m&m's... they are probably my favorite m&m... but they aren't anything I ever really crave.... until the day I can't have them! Isn't that the way it always goes? It's the things we can't have that we want the most.
That's alright though. Anytime I start craving a peanut m&m, I'll just shake my foot or bounce my knee instead.
That's my life!
So yesterday I started fidgeting. I shook my foot side to side or bounced my knee up and down as much as possible while at my desk yesterday. I was so proud of myself. Then last night I remembered something... I used to fidget all the time in high school. Non stop. I was always shaking my foot or bouncing my knee. I also remembered why I stopped fidgeting... because my foot does't know to stop shaking at bed time! It becomes almost an involuntary movement after so long... and my foot just keeps on going. So there I lay in bed, foot shaking away, thinking... I wonder how many calories I have to burn before I'll be able to fall asleep.
Moving ahead:
Day 2 - I checked my list last night right before bed to see what I'd be taking on today. "Don't eat nuts". Easy enough. But wait... does that include peanut butter?????? That might not be so much fun to give up. I don't eat a lot of it, but I've been eating a little bit more lately in my lunches. Hmm...
And then it happened... I dreamt (dreamed?) last night about peanut m&ms. They were the size of golf balls and I was eating as many as I could possible fit into my stomach because I knew starting the next day I wouldn't be able to have any. Now, I don't mind peanut m&m's... they are probably my favorite m&m... but they aren't anything I ever really crave.... until the day I can't have them! Isn't that the way it always goes? It's the things we can't have that we want the most.
That's alright though. Anytime I start craving a peanut m&m, I'll just shake my foot or bounce my knee instead.
That's my life!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Does a quick fix ever really work? (day 1)
I know weight isn't something most women like to talk about. And I'll be honest, I don't like talking about it either. But here's why: all my life I've been naturally skinny. So anytime I talk about how my butt and thighs are too big to fit into clothing, I get lots of eye rolls. I'm not trying to say I'm fat, I know I'm not. But for my height, my thighs and hind end are a bit big proportionally speaking. I'm not trying to complain about the way I'm built, but my proportions do make clothes shopping difficult at times. If I find jeans that aren't 3-4 inches too long (no exaggerations here) I seriously can't pull them up over my bottom half! If I find dress pants that fit around my thighs, they are much too long. It's something I've always struggled with, but get very little sympathy for b/c of my naturally slender build. It's ok, I'm not asking for sympathy. But that's just a little background for you before you read the following statement: I'm going to talk in this blog about my weight. I realize I'm a small girl, but please don't roll your eyes at me. Well ok, you can roll your eyes, b/c I can't see you. But please no comments along the lines of "oh please sarah... you are like SOO skinny!!" I realize I'm small... that doesn't change the fact I'm quickly approaching the limits of my closet. Here's the story:
I've noticed over the last several months that the new clothes I bought in January (because I had outgrown the clothing I then owned) has been getting tighter and less flattering. Suddenly jeans I used to opt out of wearing b/c they were too big, have become a bit tight. Skirts I was nervous to wear b/c they might fall down, were too tight to zip closed. Shirts that used to flow nicely were tight around my middle. Clothing I purchased in January already looked a size too small on me.
It seems I'm getting bigger by the day. I have absolutely no idea why... lifestyle, slowing metabolism, stress, who knows. All I can say for sure is if I don't turn this around really quickly, I'll be buying a whole new wardrobe... for the second time this year!
So I started jogging. I was getting up a few minutes early each morning (ok ok, every other morning) and jogging around the block. About a week in though, and I noticed I had a headache every day... my stomach was upset... my chest hurt. Maybe jogging was bad for my health? So I took a break, and felt better. Alright, jogging is out. But what next? Something needs to be done!
Then today I see this article posted on twitter that talks about how you can lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks by doing simple little things that cut 500 calories a day. Sounds like a quick easy fix to me! So, question is... can it possibly work. Well, I read through the list and I have to say if I was a serious offender on all 25 counts, and cleaned up my act on all 25, I think it could work. But the truth is I already do at least half of them.
Nevertheless, I've decided to work on the second half of the list for the next 5 weeks. And we'll see what happens to my waistline. I've got 25 things to try, so I figured I'd take on one new thing each day. Subtracting some of the things I already do pretty well, I estimate I have 15 things improve on. So it'll take me two weeks before I'm doing all 25 each day. So expect lots of blog updates, as I go through the list, and let you know which ones I'm taking on new each day, and which ones are on the list but I think I already do really well. I don't have a scale so I can't tell you how much weight I gain/lose, but I will do my best to let you know how my clothes fit and I have a sewing tape I can use for measurements (so I can tell you if I've lost inches).
So starting tomorrow I'm going to:
FIDGET - apparently you can burn over 300 calories a day just by tapping your foot or pacing when you're on the phone. I have an office job and I sit in my desk chair all day. Sometimes I'm too lazy to get up and get a glass of water! Surely I can do my best to get up out of my chair a bit more... and tap my foot or swing my leg when I'm sitting in it.
This should be easy tomorrow especially, as I'm only working a half day, then meeting family for a fun day with my nieces. The next two days are weekends... so my first three days of toe-tapping should be a breeze!
That's my life!
I've noticed over the last several months that the new clothes I bought in January (because I had outgrown the clothing I then owned) has been getting tighter and less flattering. Suddenly jeans I used to opt out of wearing b/c they were too big, have become a bit tight. Skirts I was nervous to wear b/c they might fall down, were too tight to zip closed. Shirts that used to flow nicely were tight around my middle. Clothing I purchased in January already looked a size too small on me.
It seems I'm getting bigger by the day. I have absolutely no idea why... lifestyle, slowing metabolism, stress, who knows. All I can say for sure is if I don't turn this around really quickly, I'll be buying a whole new wardrobe... for the second time this year!
So I started jogging. I was getting up a few minutes early each morning (ok ok, every other morning) and jogging around the block. About a week in though, and I noticed I had a headache every day... my stomach was upset... my chest hurt. Maybe jogging was bad for my health? So I took a break, and felt better. Alright, jogging is out. But what next? Something needs to be done!
Then today I see this article posted on twitter that talks about how you can lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks by doing simple little things that cut 500 calories a day. Sounds like a quick easy fix to me! So, question is... can it possibly work. Well, I read through the list and I have to say if I was a serious offender on all 25 counts, and cleaned up my act on all 25, I think it could work. But the truth is I already do at least half of them.
Nevertheless, I've decided to work on the second half of the list for the next 5 weeks. And we'll see what happens to my waistline. I've got 25 things to try, so I figured I'd take on one new thing each day. Subtracting some of the things I already do pretty well, I estimate I have 15 things improve on. So it'll take me two weeks before I'm doing all 25 each day. So expect lots of blog updates, as I go through the list, and let you know which ones I'm taking on new each day, and which ones are on the list but I think I already do really well. I don't have a scale so I can't tell you how much weight I gain/lose, but I will do my best to let you know how my clothes fit and I have a sewing tape I can use for measurements (so I can tell you if I've lost inches).
So starting tomorrow I'm going to:
FIDGET - apparently you can burn over 300 calories a day just by tapping your foot or pacing when you're on the phone. I have an office job and I sit in my desk chair all day. Sometimes I'm too lazy to get up and get a glass of water! Surely I can do my best to get up out of my chair a bit more... and tap my foot or swing my leg when I'm sitting in it.
This should be easy tomorrow especially, as I'm only working a half day, then meeting family for a fun day with my nieces. The next two days are weekends... so my first three days of toe-tapping should be a breeze!
That's my life!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
We fall on troubled times
I generally don't like the idea of making a blog a place to complain about one's life... when I read the blogs of my friends, I enjoy them most when they are witty, fun, and light-hearted. I've been thinking for a couple weeks now that I need to update my blog, but I haven't had anything I felt was worth writing about. Today, with a heavy heart, I've decided to go ahead and allow myself to be less than light-hearted. So I hope you will forgive me if this sounds like I'm complaining.
It's been a tough week. What I thought would be a week of fun and some amazing answers to prayer, has turned out to be a week of exhaustion, sadness, and guilt. This week, we sold our first lambs. Ryan and I have been extremely thankful to finally find a market that is willing to pay the price we ask for our lambs. The unfortunate part is that this market is local restaurants, which means our lambs must go to slaughter. We knew since starting this business a year ago that this was a very real possibility, and I've reminded myself many times not to think of our sheep as pets. It's difficult though, when you bottle feed them, and they run to you when you visit, and you care deeply for their well-being, to think of them as dinner. It's a bit of a necessity for us at this point though, as we need to start earning enough money from the lambs to pay for our farm expenses. And our ability to maintain the right frame of mind regarding our lambs will be put to the test this evening, because we'll be eating one of them ourselves! One of the restaurants we sold lamb to is having an event, and they've invited Ryan to attend and speak about how he raises the meat they will be serving. Having pet the face of this dear lamb on Sunday, and saying goodbye, it will be interesting to see how well I stomach eating it tonight! I've gone hunting before (most of my family hunts each year) and I've never had a problem eating anything we've harvested... but I also didn't raise those animals, I didn't name them and comfort them when they were cold or in pain.
Added to the pain of loss, is perhaps an even more significant one to me. Tomorrow, my beloved horse Sundance, will be laid to rest. His health has dwindled steadily for a number of years now, and his spark for life has faded. It's heartbreaking to know he will be gone, but it is equally difficult to watch him suffer, and for that reason I know what is best. Still, each time a beloved pet is lost, I can't help but wonder if I have the strength to go through such pain again... and I always think to myself "this will be my last pet, I cannot endure such heartbreak again". I love animals too much though, and always opt for the joy of many years together, despite the pain I know will one day find me again.
These losses, my lambs and my horse, were ones known to me. Something I could prepare for (if that is even truly possible). The loss of two of our grown ewes, however, was not. Sunday, Ryan checked one of our ewes who had been injured and ill. She had recovered well and we had put her out to pasture. Unfortunately, what we could not see at that time, was an internal infection that had persisted despite a full course of penicillin. On Sunday, Ryan saw the outward manifestations of that infection, and knew she must be put down. When he went up later in the week to take care of her, he found one of our other ewes dead in the pasture, her lamb curled up against her. We have no idea why she died, and the shock of losing another lamb was something I am still struggling to understand.
It's certainly been a sad week. Add to this that I've been getting less sleep than normal, and I think you can understand that I'm a bit frayed. I remind myself often that we are told to expect troubles, and to allow our faith to grow in hard times. I know the pain and sorrow of this world is temporary. So I dab my eyes dry, and wait for happier times to come my way.
That's (my) life!
It's been a tough week. What I thought would be a week of fun and some amazing answers to prayer, has turned out to be a week of exhaustion, sadness, and guilt. This week, we sold our first lambs. Ryan and I have been extremely thankful to finally find a market that is willing to pay the price we ask for our lambs. The unfortunate part is that this market is local restaurants, which means our lambs must go to slaughter. We knew since starting this business a year ago that this was a very real possibility, and I've reminded myself many times not to think of our sheep as pets. It's difficult though, when you bottle feed them, and they run to you when you visit, and you care deeply for their well-being, to think of them as dinner. It's a bit of a necessity for us at this point though, as we need to start earning enough money from the lambs to pay for our farm expenses. And our ability to maintain the right frame of mind regarding our lambs will be put to the test this evening, because we'll be eating one of them ourselves! One of the restaurants we sold lamb to is having an event, and they've invited Ryan to attend and speak about how he raises the meat they will be serving. Having pet the face of this dear lamb on Sunday, and saying goodbye, it will be interesting to see how well I stomach eating it tonight! I've gone hunting before (most of my family hunts each year) and I've never had a problem eating anything we've harvested... but I also didn't raise those animals, I didn't name them and comfort them when they were cold or in pain.
Added to the pain of loss, is perhaps an even more significant one to me. Tomorrow, my beloved horse Sundance, will be laid to rest. His health has dwindled steadily for a number of years now, and his spark for life has faded. It's heartbreaking to know he will be gone, but it is equally difficult to watch him suffer, and for that reason I know what is best. Still, each time a beloved pet is lost, I can't help but wonder if I have the strength to go through such pain again... and I always think to myself "this will be my last pet, I cannot endure such heartbreak again". I love animals too much though, and always opt for the joy of many years together, despite the pain I know will one day find me again.
These losses, my lambs and my horse, were ones known to me. Something I could prepare for (if that is even truly possible). The loss of two of our grown ewes, however, was not. Sunday, Ryan checked one of our ewes who had been injured and ill. She had recovered well and we had put her out to pasture. Unfortunately, what we could not see at that time, was an internal infection that had persisted despite a full course of penicillin. On Sunday, Ryan saw the outward manifestations of that infection, and knew she must be put down. When he went up later in the week to take care of her, he found one of our other ewes dead in the pasture, her lamb curled up against her. We have no idea why she died, and the shock of losing another lamb was something I am still struggling to understand.
It's certainly been a sad week. Add to this that I've been getting less sleep than normal, and I think you can understand that I'm a bit frayed. I remind myself often that we are told to expect troubles, and to allow our faith to grow in hard times. I know the pain and sorrow of this world is temporary. So I dab my eyes dry, and wait for happier times to come my way.
That's (my) life!
Friday, April 29, 2011
In the shake of a lamb's tail
We have 30 lambs now. It's amazing how fast they were born once it got started. There were days we had 6 new lambs born! It was a very busy time. We'd blink our eyes and have more work to do! Thankfully, all but 7 of our ewes have had their lambs, and the 7 that remain could lamb any time from today to August. It's warm enough for them to be out on pasture now, so they can handle things for themselves. Other than two bottle-lambs, all of our sheep are now out on pasture. It's so awesome to see them running around and having fun out there. There are so many of them! We've doubled the size of our flock. I wish we could keep them all... of course, I'm sure I'll only feel that way until they are grown, and less cute. :-)
Last week we vaccinated, ear tagged, castrated, and docked tails. Not all 30 lambs, because they aren't all big and strong enough yet. But we got a lot of them done. I thought it'd be terrible and I would either be grossed out or feel terrible for the lambs, but they all did so well, and they only acted like they were in pain for about 30 seconds. It really is a far more humane process than I thought it would be. I'm glad I got to see it. And I'll be honest, I think the little lamb tails look so much cuter when they are short!
I'll tell you something that didn't go quickly - our trip to Grove City to pick up a sheep shed. We found a 3-walled sheep "shanty" for cheap on Craig's List, and we needed a shelter for our rams. So rather than build one ourselves, we decided to pick one up. It was only 2 hours away - figure 2 hour drive each way, and an hour to load, that's a 5 hour trip. Not bad! Well, it ended up being a 10 hour trip. How? Well that's easy, did you forget our motto? "Plan B Farms: Where nothing goes as planned". We were about 30 minutes into our trip when the tire on the trailer froze (something got stuck or a bearing went, we're not sure) and we drug (dragged??) the trailer for about 50 feet before getting to a stop on the side of the interstate. The wheel started turning after that, but we had worn the tire down to the inner threads, and it wasn't safe to put the shed on, so we drove it back home, and borrowed my uncle's dump truck. It worked like a charm, but we couldn't go over 50 mph the whole way there and back. It was a long day, but we got the shed, and now the rams can be in their own pasture, separate from the ewe's and lambs. Just so long as they don't jump the fence (for a third time)!!
Our website is up and running (www.lauridellacres.com). I spent hours on it's design at first. I was pulling my hair out, getting I.T. help from the company we were using... and nothing was working. Just glitch after frustrating glitch. So finally, after hours and hours, I demanded a refund (not expecting to get one) and they said SURE! So we dropped them, and went with a new company (fatcow.com). In a flash we had our website up and running! It was so easy! I can't wait to get more photos and finish off some of the details. It was a lot of fun to put together.
Next weekend - a sheep and wool festival in Maryland. I think Ryan and I are going to camp all weekend rather than get a hotel. It should be fun. I don't remember the last time (if ever) I spent more than one night in a row in a tent!
After the festival is over, I think my life might return a little more to "normal"... whatever that is :) Then perhaps my blog won't be strictly a farm blog haha!
One thing that I'm excited about that isn't farm related - my sister-in-law had her baby! 6 weeks early, but they're both doing really well. I can't wait to go visit them!! I'm not a huge fan of babies... I prefer 2 year olds... but as I've gotten older (and closer to having children of my own) I've gotten a little more accepting of them. I can't wait to meet little April. Hopefully she'll help me to move along the path of liking infants. :-)
That's my life!
Last week we vaccinated, ear tagged, castrated, and docked tails. Not all 30 lambs, because they aren't all big and strong enough yet. But we got a lot of them done. I thought it'd be terrible and I would either be grossed out or feel terrible for the lambs, but they all did so well, and they only acted like they were in pain for about 30 seconds. It really is a far more humane process than I thought it would be. I'm glad I got to see it. And I'll be honest, I think the little lamb tails look so much cuter when they are short!
I'll tell you something that didn't go quickly - our trip to Grove City to pick up a sheep shed. We found a 3-walled sheep "shanty" for cheap on Craig's List, and we needed a shelter for our rams. So rather than build one ourselves, we decided to pick one up. It was only 2 hours away - figure 2 hour drive each way, and an hour to load, that's a 5 hour trip. Not bad! Well, it ended up being a 10 hour trip. How? Well that's easy, did you forget our motto? "Plan B Farms: Where nothing goes as planned". We were about 30 minutes into our trip when the tire on the trailer froze (something got stuck or a bearing went, we're not sure) and we drug (dragged??) the trailer for about 50 feet before getting to a stop on the side of the interstate. The wheel started turning after that, but we had worn the tire down to the inner threads, and it wasn't safe to put the shed on, so we drove it back home, and borrowed my uncle's dump truck. It worked like a charm, but we couldn't go over 50 mph the whole way there and back. It was a long day, but we got the shed, and now the rams can be in their own pasture, separate from the ewe's and lambs. Just so long as they don't jump the fence (for a third time)!!
Our website is up and running (www.lauridellacres.com). I spent hours on it's design at first. I was pulling my hair out, getting I.T. help from the company we were using... and nothing was working. Just glitch after frustrating glitch. So finally, after hours and hours, I demanded a refund (not expecting to get one) and they said SURE! So we dropped them, and went with a new company (fatcow.com). In a flash we had our website up and running! It was so easy! I can't wait to get more photos and finish off some of the details. It was a lot of fun to put together.
Next weekend - a sheep and wool festival in Maryland. I think Ryan and I are going to camp all weekend rather than get a hotel. It should be fun. I don't remember the last time (if ever) I spent more than one night in a row in a tent!
After the festival is over, I think my life might return a little more to "normal"... whatever that is :) Then perhaps my blog won't be strictly a farm blog haha!
One thing that I'm excited about that isn't farm related - my sister-in-law had her baby! 6 weeks early, but they're both doing really well. I can't wait to go visit them!! I'm not a huge fan of babies... I prefer 2 year olds... but as I've gotten older (and closer to having children of my own) I've gotten a little more accepting of them. I can't wait to meet little April. Hopefully she'll help me to move along the path of liking infants. :-)
That's my life!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Dogs and Lambs
I got a phone call earlier today that our sheep dog Ellie was hit by a car. :-( She is ok! I guess she jumped the fence in the back yard and got loose. My mom noticed right away, and Ryan went out to get her. He called her, but she wouldn't go to him. He heard a car coming down the road, and knew she would try to herd it. And sure enough she ran into the road. She was standing broadside when the car hit her. Luckily, she was hit by the bumper and she rolled under the car, and was missed by all 4 tires. Ryan says she has a bruise on the side of her face, but otherwise appears to be perfectly fine. She got up and walked right over to him afterward. The woman who hit her stopped, and was crying. Ryan calmed her down and everything seems to be alright. But Ellie will be under constant surveillance to be sure there are no complications. And as soon as she heals, Ryan will be working with her on the "come here" command!! We are so very thankful she is alright!!
In other, happier, news:
We have lambs!
8 so far, 5 ram lambs (boys), 3 ewe lambs (girls). So far all singles except for one set of twins. We have 3 black lambs, and 5 brown ones. We like the brown ones best, as they are worth the most money. But some of the black ones are really cute, so I definitely don't mind having them around! :-) I was expecting more twins, and hopefully we'll get more, but I guess singles are usually born first. Makes sense I suppose.
This is Aram:
In other, happier, news:
We have lambs!
8 so far, 5 ram lambs (boys), 3 ewe lambs (girls). So far all singles except for one set of twins. We have 3 black lambs, and 5 brown ones. We like the brown ones best, as they are worth the most money. But some of the black ones are really cute, so I definitely don't mind having them around! :-) I was expecting more twins, and hopefully we'll get more, but I guess singles are usually born first. Makes sense I suppose.
This is Aram:
He's one of the twins. I can't believe how cute they all are! But, they aren't soft like I thought they'd be. Their fur feels almost like corduroy pants. I think it's so short that you just can't feel how soft it is. It's SUPER short! It'll grow fast though. :)
Ryan and I have decided the nickname for our farm will be "Plan B Farms: Where nothing goes as planned". Literally everything we've done with these sheep has had to be done a second time, because our original plan wasn't working! We've rebuilt barns, pens, fences and bridges... we've moved sheep 'here' just to put them back 'there' again... we had a breeding plan laid out, but then two rams jumped the fence, so our entire breeding plan for this year has changed... it's been really hectic. But I'm loving it all, and we're having so much fun.
The barn isn't very accessible. It's a muddy walk through the pasture to get to the barn, and once you get within 10 feet of the barn, you'd better have either knee-high boots or waders because the mud is literally a foot thick. there's no getting around it, you have to walk through it. Then, once you bravely make it into the barn (without losing a boot to the sticky clay/mud), you have to step up on a chair, over a 4 foot fence onto a ladder, climb down the ladder and FINALLY you are in the barn and can see the lambs. So, while we welcome any and all visitors, please note: if you don't have knee-high boots, or you aren't physically able to climb onto a chair, over a fence, and down a ladder, you aren't going to be able to get close to the lambs. This is definitely something we will be doing differently next year!
That's my life!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Sheep Shearing and the IRS
Well, last week was sheep shearing. Wednesday was supposed to be "the day"... we were going to get all/most of them done. It didn't quite work out that way.
We started Wednesday morning hauling supplies (plywood, skirting table, bags, shears, etc) to the barn and trying to round up the sheep. We had tried to pen the sheep in the barn the night before, but they weren't having it. Most of the flock would go inside, and 7 or 8 would stand in the doorway, and run away when we tried to encourage them inside. Wednesday morning we brought in our secret weapon - the sheepdog. Her name is Ellie, and she's nearing a year old. Soon we'll be able to start officially training her. Last Wednesday though, we just had her walk with us into the pasture, and the sheep did exactly as we asked. Well, all but three of them. One penned herself in a corner of the pasture, up against the barn. So, Ryan let Ellie off her leash, and boy did she flush that sheep out of there! She did a great job... we can't wait to start training her so she can do exactly what we ask. All in all, Wednesday morning went well, but we didn't end up shearing until close to 10am. Then we had to quit early to secure the sheep in the barn in a way that they'd have room to walk around, but not get out. So, we only got to 6 sheep on Wednesday! (We have 39). We spent the night at my mom and dad's because they live just an eighth of a mile away, and we live half an hour away. We sheared all day Thursday, and got 8 sheep done. We were going to shear Friday as well, and got all set up Friday morning, and when Ryan grabbed on to the first sheep he realized - they're wet. And you can't shear wet sheep! (It ruins the fleece). So we only got 15 done last week. Ryan is going back up today to work on it again, and I'm super bummed I can't go with him! But I have a "real" job, and there's work to be done!
Soon, it will be lambing time. I'm super excited about that. We have been waiting to get our tax return so we can order all the lambing supplies we need (ear tags, tail dockers, emasculators, medicine, etc). We should have received our refund three weeks ago. I've been waiting and checking, checking and waiting... but nothing. So finally yesterday I called the IRS. I told them I'd been checking my status online, and it just keeps saying my return is "being processed". Well, she was actually very nice and easy to deal with, but gave me bad news. See, Ryan and I received the "First Time Homebuyer Credit" in 2008. We were in the first year it was available. The downside? We're the only year who has to pay it back! We knew we would have to, and starting this year, they just take 10% out of our refund each year. No big deal. Except wait... despite having three years to prepare, the IRS computers aren't equipped to process this repayment! So it will be a minimum of an additional 30 days before we get our federal return! I was a bit upset. On the up side though, it didn't effect our state return, and we received that yesterday. So Ryan was going to order supplies when he realized... I can't order ear tags without an official flock number (a Premiss flock number I guess it's called), which is issued by the state. No big deal, he says. I've already e-mailed them requesting one, and I'll call tomorrow. It's super easy. ....... Except it isn't. They are mailing him forms he needs to fill out, then mail back, and they'll process it.... and a month and a half or two months from now, he'll have his official ear tags from the state. Well, lambs will start showing up in less than two weeks so we can't wait that long! But there's a way around it. We mail the forms back, wait a couple days, and call them. They can tell us the Premiss number over the phone, and we can order ear tags from a lamb supply company, and they can have them to us in just 3 days! So let's hope we can get the form, fill it out, mail it back, wait a few days, call and get the number, order the ear tags and have them shipped all in two weeks. Let the race begin!!!
so things I've learned in the last week:
How to tie bailer twine with gloves on (take the gloves off)
You can spend 3+ hours trying to heard sheep into a barn, or ask a dog to do it in under 5 minutes
How to skirt a fleece - act like you know what you're doing and just go for it. Everyone will be impressed.
It's not always the people you think are interested that stand in the cold with you for hours, asking you all kinds of questions, and learning about what you do.
Family is always there to help (thanks Pat for helping Wednesday, and thanks mom and dad for letting us move in for 3 days!)
Special tax credits, that were super cool 3 years ago, can come back to be a pain later!
You can't sell a sheep, or show a sheep, without an official flock number issued by the state. Not legally any way.
That's my life!
We started Wednesday morning hauling supplies (plywood, skirting table, bags, shears, etc) to the barn and trying to round up the sheep. We had tried to pen the sheep in the barn the night before, but they weren't having it. Most of the flock would go inside, and 7 or 8 would stand in the doorway, and run away when we tried to encourage them inside. Wednesday morning we brought in our secret weapon - the sheepdog. Her name is Ellie, and she's nearing a year old. Soon we'll be able to start officially training her. Last Wednesday though, we just had her walk with us into the pasture, and the sheep did exactly as we asked. Well, all but three of them. One penned herself in a corner of the pasture, up against the barn. So, Ryan let Ellie off her leash, and boy did she flush that sheep out of there! She did a great job... we can't wait to start training her so she can do exactly what we ask. All in all, Wednesday morning went well, but we didn't end up shearing until close to 10am. Then we had to quit early to secure the sheep in the barn in a way that they'd have room to walk around, but not get out. So, we only got to 6 sheep on Wednesday! (We have 39). We spent the night at my mom and dad's because they live just an eighth of a mile away, and we live half an hour away. We sheared all day Thursday, and got 8 sheep done. We were going to shear Friday as well, and got all set up Friday morning, and when Ryan grabbed on to the first sheep he realized - they're wet. And you can't shear wet sheep! (It ruins the fleece). So we only got 15 done last week. Ryan is going back up today to work on it again, and I'm super bummed I can't go with him! But I have a "real" job, and there's work to be done!
Soon, it will be lambing time. I'm super excited about that. We have been waiting to get our tax return so we can order all the lambing supplies we need (ear tags, tail dockers, emasculators, medicine, etc). We should have received our refund three weeks ago. I've been waiting and checking, checking and waiting... but nothing. So finally yesterday I called the IRS. I told them I'd been checking my status online, and it just keeps saying my return is "being processed". Well, she was actually very nice and easy to deal with, but gave me bad news. See, Ryan and I received the "First Time Homebuyer Credit" in 2008. We were in the first year it was available. The downside? We're the only year who has to pay it back! We knew we would have to, and starting this year, they just take 10% out of our refund each year. No big deal. Except wait... despite having three years to prepare, the IRS computers aren't equipped to process this repayment! So it will be a minimum of an additional 30 days before we get our federal return! I was a bit upset. On the up side though, it didn't effect our state return, and we received that yesterday. So Ryan was going to order supplies when he realized... I can't order ear tags without an official flock number (a Premiss flock number I guess it's called), which is issued by the state. No big deal, he says. I've already e-mailed them requesting one, and I'll call tomorrow. It's super easy. ....... Except it isn't. They are mailing him forms he needs to fill out, then mail back, and they'll process it.... and a month and a half or two months from now, he'll have his official ear tags from the state. Well, lambs will start showing up in less than two weeks so we can't wait that long! But there's a way around it. We mail the forms back, wait a couple days, and call them. They can tell us the Premiss number over the phone, and we can order ear tags from a lamb supply company, and they can have them to us in just 3 days! So let's hope we can get the form, fill it out, mail it back, wait a few days, call and get the number, order the ear tags and have them shipped all in two weeks. Let the race begin!!!
so things I've learned in the last week:
How to tie bailer twine with gloves on (take the gloves off)
You can spend 3+ hours trying to heard sheep into a barn, or ask a dog to do it in under 5 minutes
How to skirt a fleece - act like you know what you're doing and just go for it. Everyone will be impressed.
It's not always the people you think are interested that stand in the cold with you for hours, asking you all kinds of questions, and learning about what you do.
Family is always there to help (thanks Pat for helping Wednesday, and thanks mom and dad for letting us move in for 3 days!)
Special tax credits, that were super cool 3 years ago, can come back to be a pain later!
You can't sell a sheep, or show a sheep, without an official flock number issued by the state. Not legally any way.
That's my life!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
We'll see how this thing goes
A friend of mine told me I should blog more. Seeing as I haven't blogged in over two years, I can see why some people might think I should send along a life update. I'm not sure I'm really the blogging type... but I can give it a whirl. My husband plans to blog about our farm once our website is up and running.... I figure I can always tell a story or two about something crazy that happens on the farm. It certainly happens often enough! Last November I could have talked about how two of our rams jumped the fence and started breeding our females (of both breeds) before we were ready. Just this last week I could have talked about saving a kid's life... and by kid I mean baby goat. :-)
But before I start talking about sheep and goats... I should probably talk about me.
In case you haven't been keeping up, here's my life update:
I graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a B.S. in Geosciences/Adolescence Education.
I turned down a teaching job to take a position in the Environmental Health & Safety office at SUNY Fredonia. I still work there... my hours and job title have changed a few times, but I'm still basically doing the same job as when I started back in 2007.
I graduated from SUNY Fredonia last December (2010) with a Masters in Biology.
I got married in September of 2008 to my high school sweetheart Ryan. He was going to be a sound engineer (and was for a while) but has since decided he doesn't like dealing with people so much, and sheep are easier to get along with. So now we own a sheep farm - Lauridell Acres. It's right down the road from my dad's goat farm - Homestead Acres. We use land owned by a family friend - Sangamon Farms and then there's my brother who also lives on that road, and may or may not be starting a beef cattle operation. But there I go again talking about the farm....
So, married 2.5 years - no kids, probably not for at least a few more years.
We have 2 dogs... one's a pet (Jack) and the other is a sheep dog (Ellie). We have two fish (Red fish and Blue fish) who were part of the center pieces at our wedding.
We own a house about half an hour from our farm.... we bought it b/c it's close to where I work, and it was in the right price range. But we don't plan on living there forever... in a few years we hope to move out by our farm, then I'll be the one commuting to work every day (Bummer).
Other than work and school, I spend my time playing volleyball (recreationally), leading a youth group at my church, knitting, and a few other hobbies I only have time for once every few months. I also work at a tax office on Saturdays Jan - April. That's a fun job. Not sure why, but I love it.
I have 4 nieces and 1 nephew... and I love them all dearly. I have another niece on the way so I'm super excited about that too!
Alright... so I think that's all of the boring life stuff.... at least the basics any way.
Now's the tough part: thinking of something to write about that people would actually care to read.
If you're interested in goats, I could talk about my dad's goat farm. The goats are almost done having their kids. I'm not sure what that's called. For sheep it's called lambing (b/c baby sheep are called lambs). But that would mean for goats it's "kidding"... and that just doesn't seem right. "My dad's goats are kidding"... hmmm... any way... he's got something like 13 baby goats running around.... just a few more pregnant moms. They are SO adorable. It's been a lot of fun visiting them on Sundays when I help Ryan feed the sheep (the hay for the sheep is stored in the goat barn, so he loads the hay while I pet the goats. Seems like a fair deal to me!). Last Sunday we found a mom who had JUST had her two kids. My parents had already left for church, and it was obvious they didn't know she'd had her babies. She was ignoring one of the babies... wasn't cleaning it off or helping it to eat... and it was obvious after a while that it would die if we didn't intervene. So I went in and cleaned it off a bit, and held it up to the mom to help it eat. After it ate a bit, it was visibly stronger, and could cry much louder, and mom started to pay more attention to it! I helped it eat a few more times that day, and now it's up and eating on its own, and playing with its sibling. It's a great feeling when you save a life :-)
We're in the process now (by we I mostly mean my dad) of trying to save another. It was born with "hip splay". Of course, we didn't know that's what it was... we just knew it's back legs didn't work too well, and it couldn't stand or walk. I did some research online and found out what it was, and that it's easily treatable. Dad's treating it now, and hopefully it'll survive. Only time will tell.
So that's the goat farm.
The sheep will start lambing later this month. I can't wait. I'm actually going to be taking some time off work and helping out. I'll be sure to post pictures. By then, I hope to have our business website up and running, so you can view photos there as well. Very exciting.
Before lambing though, we need to sheer. That's presenting itself as a challenge. The forecast says it's going to rain or snow every other day between now and March 20th (the date by which sheering must be complete). If the sheep get wet, we can't sheer for 3 days.... the fleece has to be dry. So when exactly are we supposed to sheer? Hopefully the weather clears up enough. But this is our first farm "crunch time". Will we get the job done in time? I'll keep you posted.
Let's throw in another complication to sheering - I'm going to be "skirting" for Ryan. Ryan will sheer (cut off the wool from) the sheep and when he's done with each one, the fleece (wool/fur) should come off in one big piece - like a blanket. At that point, I take it over to a "skirting table" and lay it out flat. I then "skirt" the fleece - that means pulling off all the unusable or low quality bits. The problem? I have to build a skirting table! We don't have one, and they are easy enough to build, so I told Ryan not to worry about it, I'd build it myself. Well, I haven't gotten that done yet! I've enlisted the help of my brother though, so hopefully I'll have it done in time for sheering, whenever that is! I'll keep you posted.
Well, hopefully that's a long enough update, and not too super boring. I'll do my best to remember interesting things to put in my next post.
That's my life!
But before I start talking about sheep and goats... I should probably talk about me.
In case you haven't been keeping up, here's my life update:
I graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a B.S. in Geosciences/Adolescence Education.
I turned down a teaching job to take a position in the Environmental Health & Safety office at SUNY Fredonia. I still work there... my hours and job title have changed a few times, but I'm still basically doing the same job as when I started back in 2007.
I graduated from SUNY Fredonia last December (2010) with a Masters in Biology.
I got married in September of 2008 to my high school sweetheart Ryan. He was going to be a sound engineer (and was for a while) but has since decided he doesn't like dealing with people so much, and sheep are easier to get along with. So now we own a sheep farm - Lauridell Acres. It's right down the road from my dad's goat farm - Homestead Acres. We use land owned by a family friend - Sangamon Farms and then there's my brother who also lives on that road, and may or may not be starting a beef cattle operation. But there I go again talking about the farm....
So, married 2.5 years - no kids, probably not for at least a few more years.
We have 2 dogs... one's a pet (Jack) and the other is a sheep dog (Ellie). We have two fish (Red fish and Blue fish) who were part of the center pieces at our wedding.
We own a house about half an hour from our farm.... we bought it b/c it's close to where I work, and it was in the right price range. But we don't plan on living there forever... in a few years we hope to move out by our farm, then I'll be the one commuting to work every day (Bummer).
Other than work and school, I spend my time playing volleyball (recreationally), leading a youth group at my church, knitting, and a few other hobbies I only have time for once every few months. I also work at a tax office on Saturdays Jan - April. That's a fun job. Not sure why, but I love it.
I have 4 nieces and 1 nephew... and I love them all dearly. I have another niece on the way so I'm super excited about that too!
Alright... so I think that's all of the boring life stuff.... at least the basics any way.
Now's the tough part: thinking of something to write about that people would actually care to read.
If you're interested in goats, I could talk about my dad's goat farm. The goats are almost done having their kids. I'm not sure what that's called. For sheep it's called lambing (b/c baby sheep are called lambs). But that would mean for goats it's "kidding"... and that just doesn't seem right. "My dad's goats are kidding"... hmmm... any way... he's got something like 13 baby goats running around.... just a few more pregnant moms. They are SO adorable. It's been a lot of fun visiting them on Sundays when I help Ryan feed the sheep (the hay for the sheep is stored in the goat barn, so he loads the hay while I pet the goats. Seems like a fair deal to me!). Last Sunday we found a mom who had JUST had her two kids. My parents had already left for church, and it was obvious they didn't know she'd had her babies. She was ignoring one of the babies... wasn't cleaning it off or helping it to eat... and it was obvious after a while that it would die if we didn't intervene. So I went in and cleaned it off a bit, and held it up to the mom to help it eat. After it ate a bit, it was visibly stronger, and could cry much louder, and mom started to pay more attention to it! I helped it eat a few more times that day, and now it's up and eating on its own, and playing with its sibling. It's a great feeling when you save a life :-)
We're in the process now (by we I mostly mean my dad) of trying to save another. It was born with "hip splay". Of course, we didn't know that's what it was... we just knew it's back legs didn't work too well, and it couldn't stand or walk. I did some research online and found out what it was, and that it's easily treatable. Dad's treating it now, and hopefully it'll survive. Only time will tell.
So that's the goat farm.
The sheep will start lambing later this month. I can't wait. I'm actually going to be taking some time off work and helping out. I'll be sure to post pictures. By then, I hope to have our business website up and running, so you can view photos there as well. Very exciting.
Before lambing though, we need to sheer. That's presenting itself as a challenge. The forecast says it's going to rain or snow every other day between now and March 20th (the date by which sheering must be complete). If the sheep get wet, we can't sheer for 3 days.... the fleece has to be dry. So when exactly are we supposed to sheer? Hopefully the weather clears up enough. But this is our first farm "crunch time". Will we get the job done in time? I'll keep you posted.
Let's throw in another complication to sheering - I'm going to be "skirting" for Ryan. Ryan will sheer (cut off the wool from) the sheep and when he's done with each one, the fleece (wool/fur) should come off in one big piece - like a blanket. At that point, I take it over to a "skirting table" and lay it out flat. I then "skirt" the fleece - that means pulling off all the unusable or low quality bits. The problem? I have to build a skirting table! We don't have one, and they are easy enough to build, so I told Ryan not to worry about it, I'd build it myself. Well, I haven't gotten that done yet! I've enlisted the help of my brother though, so hopefully I'll have it done in time for sheering, whenever that is! I'll keep you posted.
Well, hopefully that's a long enough update, and not too super boring. I'll do my best to remember interesting things to put in my next post.
That's my life!
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