It's Brand New And I'm Tired Of It Already.

Day 3 of a brand new year and I'm already grumpy. I guess it's not the new year that has me grumbling, but rather the season. Winter has only just begun according to the calendar but the cold wet weather has me down, down, down!

I started compiling a list in my head about all the things that complicate this time of year for me.

1. It's cold. 
Cold means finding ways to keep warm.

Our house tends to be drafty and we heat with a wood burning stove.

Bringing in fire wood daily means wood chips sprinkled on the carpet, which means vacuuming WAAAAAY more often than I want. My back does not appreciate this, nor do my shoulders. (Of course the obvious option is to not vacuum again till spring but ignoring the trail of wood fibers just goes against my nature)

Dust is an ongoing issue and it collects in my nasal passage as well as on the furniture. My sinus's do not appreciate this anymore than my back or shoulders do. I should buy stock in Allegra.

2. It's cold
Cold means finding ways to keep warm.

I have to dress in layers this time of year, whether I am staying inside or venturing out.

I have a nice collection of fleece lined leggings that do a great job of keeping me cozy. But... if you wear your leggings under jeans like I do, we are faced with another little issue...known as the Force of Gravity. Ever since the invention of stretch denim this conundrum has existed. Because you know as the day goes on that the stretch part of stretch denim means gravity will eventually win.

I can feel my jeans sliding down my hips ever so slightly, rubbing against the fleece which causes the leggings to begin to slide downward as well. You know what that means right?  Yes....the undies travel with them. Seems I'm stopping every 5 minutes or so to gently tug all things upward... one layer at a time. Not so easy to do in a lady-like fashion when you are out in public. Who am I kidding? There is no lady-like fashion in which to do this.  I found myself waddling precariously through Fred Meyer's the other day, as the crotch of my leggings somehow snaked past the crotch of my jeans and no matter how tight I cinched my belt I could not keep them upright where they belonged. (Try wrestling your panties out of that mess on aisle 9 and see what kinds of looks you get!) (on second thought, DON'T --I'm not sure I can ever shop at the store again)

The other issue with dressing in layers is a word most women shy awake from in the fashion world.

Bulk. 

No, sorry. Not THAT kind of BULK!!

You know what I mean, right? You may have starved yourself through the holidays only to look in the mirror and see a much wider silhouette than you prefer once dressed and while you can blame in on the layers, you just know everyone else is thinking "she packed away a lotta truffles this Christmas."

Or, if you did indulge in every cookie, pie and chocolate goody and are now paying the price by squeezing into your jeans, you find that the added layer of fleecy means the stretchy part of your denim will indeed be getting a work out and when you look in the mirror at that wider silhouette, you know it's not just the layers talking.

Sigh. It's depressing no matter which way you look at it.
But. At least you're warm, right?

3. It's cold.
Cold means finding ways to keep warm.

And what better way to keep warm than to exercise! And what a perfect way to shed those unwanted holiday pounds!

Unfortunately, because it's so dang cold or wet (or both) you need to dress appropriately for the weather. I add extra-extra layers when I am going for a walk. (Of course the sound of the coat zipper triggers something in my brain to send a signal to another part of my body that necessitates some disrobing in order to 'take care of my business' before heading out the door. Dang it!)

And walking, (or waddling in the case of the slippery legging syndrome) does manage to work up a little bit of a sweat so that halfway through my routine, I find myself desperate to shed a layer somewhere. Of course, this isn't likely to happen because when I turn around to head back to home I face a wind that whips through me and the dried on sweat bringing chills. It's hilarious.

4. It's cold.
Cold means finding ways to keep warm

Toddy has it figured out.

Some days, the only logical solution is to make something hot to sip, grab a book and a blanket and pull your chair as close to the fire as possible.

Veg there all day long, ignoring the dust on the furniture and the wood chips sprinkled across the carpet. Get lost in that book, and occasionally gaze into the flames and dream about tropical vacations --or, central heating, take your pick. I'll take central heating... because it's only the 3rd day of the new year and we are barely 3 weeks into winter, and as you can probably tell...I'm tired of it already.

Rest for My Soul

9 years ago, in a moment of desperation I told to my husband that I wanted to run away from home. I wanted nothing more than to escape to a sterile hotel somewhere and do nothing for 48 hours. He looked at me like I was quite possibly deranged. He tried to qualify my statement by paraphrasing. "You mean you and I running away for a weekend." (Not a question.)

I shook my head quite vehemently. "No, not you and me. Just me. Alone."

I wasn't mad at him or wanted to leave him. We hadn't been fighting. It was just that life had gotten incredibly crazy and my house was too full and my personal bubble had been seriously invaded. And I wanted nothing more than to be completely alone with no pressures, no expectations, no obligations or responsibilities.

I never did get my 48 hours of solitude and I did survive the crisis but when ever life has dished out some rougher times I have returned to that particular little dream of holing up somewhere by myself to just 'be.'

Oh, sure I have had lots of alone times at home. Bruce goes on his 'wild at heart' adventures with the boys or on a mission trip and I am home alone and I do fine. But there's just something about going to another space to rest and relax....

here I am this week living out my little dream.....
someone else is preparing the meals and cleaning up the bathroom and even making the bed. With one click of a switch I have a romantic warm fire burning and I never have to throw a log on the fire. The bed sinks softly around me, enveloping me with clean pristine sheets and comforter, the quietness soothes me.

I took a walk yesterday in the frigid air, bright sunshine making it possible to endure the biting cold. The possibilities for a walk were endless; over 5 miles of trails to choose from in a garden that come summer time must be breath taking.

Even so, in this winter shrine, the stark beauty stirs me.

Twisted vines, frost bitten plants, scruffy bushes, frozen ponds, hopping robins scratching out food to survive.

For an hour I explored the garden and breathed in deeply the invigorating air. When my nose was as shiny as Rudolf and my toes were numb I  finally headed back to my hotel room where my cheerful fire awaited me. I snuggled under the blankets and mindlessly channel-surfed. I skyped with my sister, I shared photos on facebook. I sipped coffee and made a carefree lunch of meats and cheeses. And my soul sang from the activities.

When Bruce got home from his day of labor, we dressed up and went for dinner in the resort's dining room. Feasted on Pacific NW Salmon and shrimp and scallops and rice pilaf and fresh steamed winter vegetables. Drank far too much wine and laughed hysterically over everything. We came back to our room and collapsed on the bed, fully connected in heart and soul.

I have expressed to him that this week, despite all the hardships we endured to finally get here, is such a gift to me. To think that with out much effort on his part, he has provided me with the perfect birthday gift, giving me more than 48 hours. He understands me so much more than he did 9 years ago. Understands my need for rest and solitude as necessary ingredients to a healthy balance in my psyche. So when I thank him again for this week, he merely looks at me and grins.

Determined to Stay Healthy!!

Or Food on Friday--since we all seem to have themes on certain days ;)

I am fighting a cold or it's allergies but I am determined to NOT get sick. Airborne is great but I know I have been eating like a fool for awhile and combined with not being very active I can feel my backside spreading.... like butter in the hot sun....

Last night I had a very tasty concoction of POWER GREENS which was a mix of baby spinach, baby red and green swiss chard and baby tat soi (that's a new one for me). I cooked them over low heat in the frying pan, with some olive oil, crushed fresh garlic, coarse ground black pepper and a dash of salt. As the greens got soft, I sprinkled in some raisen/craisen mix and tossed it all together. Just before serving I sprinkled chopped almonds. It was super yummy and packed with nutrients. I felt powerful just eating it!
Next time I plan to try it with cooked crumbled up bacon and some parm. cheese. 

This morning I decided instead of skipping breakfast, or calling my coffee my breakfast (and then eating everything in sight around 2pm) I would make a nice healthy cocktail of....

1/2 banana and some fresh raspberries

2 scoops of Curves Protein Powder (vanilla)

a heaping scoop of my homemade yogurt (yum)

I chose SoyMilk but it could have easily been 2%

ice cubes in any protein drink are what really make the difference!

BLEND WELL

here's to good health! enjoy! (straw is optional)

Being Thankful Day 23

Bun Warmers!! On my how I love my heated car seats!! When it takes x many miles to feel heat circulating in the car, my heated seats are warm by the time I pull out of my driveway. And on these frightfully frigid days, that is a luxury I do not take for granted. Thank you Lord for providing me with a wonderful mode of transportation that also included the extra bonus of bun warmers!

Today was also my first experience of our weekly Tuesday morning Staff Mtg. Wow! Worship, sharing thanksgiving blessings with one another and an inspiring message from our awesome Sr Pastor. Whoo!Hoo! That'll get ya charged up and ready to face the day! Can we do that every morning??
What an amazing blessing to have landed a job where I am surrounded with Christian co-workers and the feeling of family. It is truly awesome!!

And again, as we face this wild wooly winter wave, I am just to thankful again for this warm cozy house to come home too. I have my recliner facing the wood stove so my feet can soak up the heat, my cat is stretched out like a limp dishrag under the foot rest of the chair. He is quite thankful too, I'm sure for the warmth.

Warm thick socks, wool sweaters, fuzzy mittens and colorful hats and scarves... all things we are probably taking for granted as we dress each day to go about our business. but so many people are homeless tonight and it is cold enough to literally freeze to death. What can we do to extend mercy and compassion to those poor souls?