About me...

Pop the lid on my Mason Jar and meet my family. Jim {Jimma} and I have four kids, Creston (Ashley), Jami (Matt), Brandon and Chance. Our grandkids, Cade, Kirby, Eisley, Beck and Reed bring us more joy than any Mason Jar could ever hold. I am counting my blessings over and over and thanking God for His amazing love and grace.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Possible Diet Disaster

My biggest hurdle with my diet will be tomorrow at the Scottish Highland Games. They sell “Empire Biscuits” a Scottish cookie that is simply out of this world delicious. Two shortbread cookies, sandwiched together with raspberry jam, topped with a delicious icing and a maraschino cherry is simply delightful! Just thinking about them makes my mouth water.

Every year I buy not one, but two boxes of the cookies. I eat an entire box while walking around the games. Then I come home, grab a glass and the gallon of milk. I eat some cookie, drink some milk, eat some more cookie, drink some more milk, until the last little crumb is gone. I dare say I probably consume in excess of 2,000 calories eating Empire Biscuits and drinking milk on Scottish Highland Game Day, every year.

I was talking with Jim about the cookies the other day, and he said I should splurge and treat myself tomorrow. Not sure he’s aware what I consider a “splurge.” A typical splurge with the Empire Biscuits will probably put at least two pounds on me, and will take me a week or longer to get it off. Is it worth it??? The verdict is still out on that one!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A Couple of Updates and A Cute Comment

~Diet News~
As of last Friday, Sherry and I have both lost four pounds. I LOVE the Weight Watcher’s Core Program! It’s such a wonderful feeling to lose weight without feeling deprived and hungry. If only it came off as fast as it went on, I’d be one happy camper. As of today I have 11 pounds to go and I’m back at my goal weight!

~Dad~
Things are getting worse with Dad. He's starting to get confused as to who we are and where he is. Whatever is going on, we can’t help but laugh at some of the things he does, but on the other hand, some are quiet serious.

On Saturday I went to visit Mom and Dad. When I arrived Mom opened the drawer where she keeps band-aids, Tylenol, etc. and found an unwrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the drawer. There was no guess work as to who put it there.

I called Mom on my way to her house to make sure had milk for the cornbread I planned to bake. When I opened her refrigerator to grab the milk, I saw something brown floating in the bottom of the milk jug. I asked Mom what was wrong with the milk. We looked at the jug from the bottom and realized the brown stuff was Raisin Bran! No guess work as to who is responsible for that one, either. How Dad was able to get Raisin Bran in a gallon jug of milk, without making a huge mess that Mom would have discovered, is a mystery! Did he pour it from the box into the gallon jug or did he fix himself a bowl and pour what he didn’t want, back in the milk? We’re all stumped on this one.

You can only imagine the panic Mom felt when Dad got out of his chair and started to shuffle across the room with a knife blade sticking out of the front pocket of his jeans. She started yelling, “Stop Johnny, there’s a knife in your pocket!” He can’t hear worth a darn, and just kept shuffling along. I jumped up to see what was going on, and was horrified to see one of their sharp kitchen knives, about ten inches long, sticking out of his pocket, with the point up. I grabbed the knife and Mom asked him where he got it. He looked at me and said, “She gave it to me this morning!” I found it humourous that he blamed me for the knife, especially since I just arrived a few minutes earlier.

Creston and I were talking last night about Dad and how clearly he thinks at times, yet is so confused at other times. Even through the confusion, he seems happier than he’s ever been. Then it hit me, he’s faking this whole memory thing and playing mind games with Mom! It’s payback for all the times she stifled his fun! He can do whatever he wants and get away with it, because everything is blamed on his mind. Hmmm... this is why he’s so happy! I can see him hiding the Reese's in the band-aid drawer, devising a way to put cereal in the gallon jug of milk and sticking a knife in his pocket to scare the heebie-jeebies out of mom. How clever! If only this were the case, we could all have a big laugh. Something tells me this is going to be a long journey into the unknown with Dad. As I keep telling Mom, we have to focus on what we’ve had, not what we’ve lost.

~Comment by Cade~
Cade and Kirby love church and don’t like to miss a service. A couple of weeks ago Jim happened to be at Creston’s house when Cade said the blessing. After thanking God for the food, Cade asked God to forgive them for not going to church that morning. Priceless!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Back to Square One

Oooo.... I am so mad at me! I really messed up. I blew it! Looking at the scales I should say that I blew it over and over. And now I have to pay the price or be completely miserable. After losing 45 pounds in 2008 and swearing that I would never, ever diet again, I’m DIETING. I’m back on Weight Watchers struggling to lose weight that I had such a hard time losing in the first place. ARRRGH!

All my adult life I have struggled with my weight. I’ve gained it and lost it several times, and every time I’ve sworn that I would not put it back on. If only it were that simple! My experience with weight loss has taught me that keeping it off is a lot harder than getting it off. It doesn’t help that I’m a boredom eater and a true sugarholic, with zero willpower when it comes to something sweet. One bite of a piece of candy, cake or a cookie sends me into a binge that lasts until the very last bite/morsel is gone. The only solution to stopping the binge is to flush the offending food down the toilet. And let me say, I’ve had to resort to this tactic on numerous occasions. Apparently not often enough!

What to do, what to do??? I called my friend, Sherry. Sherry was the inspiration for me to join Weight Watchers in 2008. We shared recipes, tips and encouraged each other on our weight loss journey then, and I knew she would be the perfect person to help me get back on track. Sherry has gained some of her weight back and was ready to tackle it again. Even thought we’re back to square one, we’re determined as ever to get this extra weight off and keep it off. At least this time we don’t have as much to lose, so it won’t take us as long as it did in 2008.

Sherry and I have a plan and we’re sticking to it. Since neither of us like the new Weight Watcher’s program, we’re going to follow the old Core program. It worked for us in the past, has a lot of foods we like and offers some flexibility. We’re researching other diets to get the best tips from each one and see what food and recipes they recommend, that are on the Core plan or use the Core foods. Every Thursday we will weigh ourselves and email each other the results. Just making the commitment to follow the Weight Watchers plan with Sherry, has already helped get me back on track.

To encourage us in our endeavor, Sherry and I came up with a reward system that we believe will make a huge difference in our battle against the bulge. We are setting goals based on our combined weight loss and planning rewards when we achieve those goals. Once we reach goal, we’re going to continue using rewards to motivate us to keep the weight under control. Knowing that if I blow my diet I’m keeping Sherry from the reward and vise versa, will be the carrot that keeps us on the right track. We’re also motivated with our closets full of skinny clothes that neither of us can fit into.

I can’t think of anybody I’d rather have on this weight loss journey with me, than Sherry. I have confidence in her and know we’re going to conquer the weight issue once again, be back in our skinny clothes and spend some fun time together along the way!


Sherry found a recipe for “Black Bean Hummus” that is so delicious I thought I’d post it. It’s zero points on the Core plan.

Black Bean Hummus
1 can black beans - drain
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar (I substituted white balsamic vinegar)
½ tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste.

Blend in a food processor until smooth. Sherry likes this with cucumber slices. I like mine with the “Arnold Select Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins” (only one point).