Workin' My Plan

Wednesday October 1, 2008 Phase Two Day 163:
Good Morning! So far so good. I walked with friends this am as planned. I then picked up my Mom to go swimming as planned. It was a good workout. Between walking and swimming I ate some Special K cereal. Now, I had planned to return to work today but decided to stay out one more day. My face looks pretty good but one more little pock blister appeared on my cheek and I want it to dry up before I go back.

This morning I have spent my time finishing up the quilt top for Taunie. I ate tuna and crackers for lunch. Now I think I will file all the rough edges on my fingernails and put some clear polish on them. This will help keep them out of my mouth. Next, I should make an inventory of the grocery scene and make a run to the store. I’ll see if I have the ingredients for Oriental chicken salad. I feel like I am getting a measure of control back.

OK, so Stephen came home and we headed out to the store together. As we were driving, he said Sarah Palin was being interviewed on the Sean Hannity radio show in about 20 minutes. So we went to Zorba’s and got chicken salads to eat in the car while we listened. As it turned, because of rebroadcasting schedules she was not on when we thought so we went on to the store. Once home me evening rounded out with checking out some fabric to finish Taunie’s quilt, cleaning the church and walking with Sonnet.

I am so glad I had a decent day. Good food, exercise and self-control. Well done Me.

Thursday October 2, 2008 Phase Two Day 164:
I got to bed around 11:00 so no step class this morning. Stephen & I had a lovely sleep in. I ate Special K for breakfast then packed a lunch for the office of tuna sandwich fixings, a boiled egg and a nectarine. This morning I have done laundry and ironing. Now it is time to get ready and make an appearance at Standard School District.

Work was nice. I ate my lunch. When I returned home about 3:30 I had a cereal snack then waited for the boy scouts to come by. For dinner I cooked a boneless and skinless chicken breast. It turned out very tasty. First I dipped it in eggbeaters then covered it with a mixture of flour and one package of Italian dressing seasoning. I slow cooked it in light olive oil in a covered frying pan….Mmmmmm. While it was cooking, I made a delicious salad loaded with bell peppers, cucumber, green onion, tomato and boiled egg. I cubed the chicken and put a generous helping on top. Sonnet was over so she joined Stephen & I for salad while we watched the Vice Presidential debate. Sonnet & IO had to leave half way through it to pick up Mom for Disney on Ice. She really wanted to see it so I said we would go with her.

Now back at home I am ready for bed. I did pretty well with my fingernails today. This afternoon there were some rough spots that I picked at a little. I will file them before I go to bed and put another coat of polish on. Two days eating normal in a row. Slowly I am getting it together.

Friday October 3, 2008 Phase Two Day 165:
Boy I am tired. I did not sleep well last night at all. It seemed I was up every hour and when I was not awake, I was dreaming weird dreams. I did not want to walk this morning but I walked anyway. Rinez is in Arizona and Gaye is in Utah but Jami & I walked and met up with Shannon. Back home I had cereal for breakfast while I watched one episode of Andy Griffith. Now I feel relaxed and tired so I think I will unplug the phones and lay down to read. That should only last a few pages and I will be out.

Good idea but it did not really work. I did read and did get sleepy but I did not stay asleep very long. Oh well, I finally got up. For lunch I ate a tuna sandwich and another bowl of cereal. When Stephen came home we decided to go out for date night. We took in the new movie An American Carol. Usually before we go into the show, we stop at Los Hermonos for chicken tacos. They are very good and pretty cheep. If you ask for soft tacos you get two and each has two corn tortillas. So, if you separate the tortillas you end up with four soft tacos. They are simple with grilled chicken, lettuce, onion and cilantro. We add salsa and lime to spruce them up. I was so ready for that but guess what - I forgot to say soft tacos and we got crunchy tortillas instead. Bummer. They were still good but fattier because of the fried taco shell. Back home and in for the evening, I just had a small light & fit yogurt. Oh yea, I did have a hand full of peanut M&M’s on my way into the show. All in all a good day. Wait a minute – am I being delusional? I do not think having a handful of M&M’s is that bad. I am sticking with the good day theory.

Saturday October 4, 2008 Phase Two Day 166:
Beautiful General Conference day. Stephen got up and went for a ride. I went to swim. We both made it back in time to get dressed and go view conference at the stake center. I had cereal for breakfast……Conference was wonderful! But then, we expect nothing less. It is always a feast. I found it especially personal.

For lunch I grabbed a nectarine and dashed out to Beverly Fabric to meet the lady that is long arm quilting Taunie’s quilt for me. When I got back home, I had just enough to slurp down some chicken & rice soup with crackers and a boiled egg. The second session of conference was just as good. For dinner, I fixed a loaded salad with grilled chicken. Sonnet & I went to the store while Stephen was at Priesthood session. I am so bummed - I cannot find my tasty granola bars. I absolutely love them and neither Vons nor Albertsons have them on the shelf. I know I have purchased then in the past and I thought it was at Albertsons. You can bet the search will continue. Sonnet picked up another kind and I tried it when we got home. Nothing special. All in all a very good day.

Sunday October 5, 2008 Phase Two Day 167:
How can one day be so full of life’s emotion when it is only noon? Today is Stephen’s B-day. We were awakened by the phone and Sonnet singing to her dad. We snoozed a little longer before getting up, having cereal for breakfast and leaving for conference. This morning’s session was very beautiful. So many words of counsel. At home for lunch I ate, egg mix on one piece of bread and a little more on some crackers. I had a light & fit yogurt with it. I put a roast on for dinner then headed back to the stake center.

What I have not mentioned is a phone message that was waiting for me after the first session of conference. Jami asked me to return her call. She gave me the news that Shannon Campbell Royer passed away early this morning. So you see, there it was not even noon, and so far I had had a wonderful morning at home celebrating my husband then on to an inspiring session with the church authorities, then back home to this news of our dear Shannon. Life surely happened today.

The second session of conference was just as heavenly. When we got home the house was filled with the delicious aroma of roast. Stephen ran out for a quick minute to extend a calling. When he returned, we had a nice dinner of roast, potatoes, carrots and salad. It was so scrumptious. Stephen remembered when we used to have roast dinners like this every Sunday. It was so easy to put a big pot in the oven before leaving for church then coming home afterwards to a mouth-watering smell and completely cooked dinner. He thinks we should bring back that tradition. We gave him his presents during dinner. He mentioned yesterday that he did not want a cake. He really would like to be better at eating the right kinds of foods. (Of course, today I found him empting a bag of Fritos but we won’t mention that). So, for birthday dessert Sonnet and I found some treats from a brand called Skinny Cow. They make ice cream desserts that are low in fat and calories. We stuck a candle in it, turned out the lights and sang a robust rendition of Happy Birthday. He made a wish, blew out the candle and ate it up. We all had one and I can report that they are very good. For a low fat treat, we all agreed they are creamy and very flavorful. Later that evening I had another.


Monday October 6, 2008 Phase Two Day 168:
Sara’s Birthday today! We called bright and early to wish her Happy Birthday. I did not walk this morning – none of us did. I was busy on the computer in the morning then broke away to get some cereal before picking up Mom for swimming. It was a good workout but afterwards I felt a little nauseated. I wanted nothing more than go home and go back to bed but, there were things at work that were time sensitive so I just kept going. On my way home from work I stopped in Wal-Mart to look for a pattern for a blessing outfit. Did I mention that? I am making two blessing outfits out of Sara’s wedding dress. Actually, it is Sara & her sister Melissa’s wedding dress and they both are having babies in November. Sara’s mom asked if I would make a female and male blessing outfits out of the dress. I am looking forward to the challenge. Unexpectedly I ran into Darlene Stotler at Wal-Mart. We visited a while than decided continue our visit over lunch. Macaroni Grill was handy so we found ourselves a cozy booth and enjoyed the meal. By the way, the grilled parmesan cheese chicken salad is excellent! Later that evening I opted for a light dinner of Cheerios, yogurt, & a plum.

Tuesday October 7, 2008 Phase Two Day 169:
Yes! I went to step class this morning. Now back at home, Sonnet stopped by to weigh in. We are both down half a pound. We continue to loose inches which makes us happy, happy, happy.

What should I have for breakfast?.......Oatmeal….Ummmmm that was good. First thing this morning the wedding dress went into the washing machine. I began perusing the patterns. I did break to pick up the music for Shannon’s funeral. Connie & I went through it. ‘Consider the Lilies’ is such a beautiful song. Not sure how I am going to make it through. When our ward choir sings it, I stand in front of them just waving my arms and choking up. The message of tender love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us is so affectionately articulated in the lyric of that song. Add to that thoughts of beautiful Shannon and I will be struggling. I started praying for help the minute I got the call. You know what gives me strength – Shannon’s own singing. I remember when she sang at the temple fireside. It was a beautiful solo about eternal marriage. Here she is, barely able to breath at times and she just kept singing. Years ago, she had a recital for Maureen. Maureen announced that she had health conditions that caused her to cough at times. She said if that happens do not feel uncomfortable or worried, Shannon will continue as best she can. Well I never heard a cough or falter, she sang pure and clear. That is my prayer, to sing pure and clear.

Back at home, I began hacking into the wedding dress. It is fun creating a design. I ate kind of a lot for lunch. I had a slice of lasagna. Shannon Rock brought over a small pan of lasagna for Stephen’s B-day. It is ambrosia! I’m sure it is packed with fat because of all the cheese, but boy is it good. So, I had a slice of that and two – count them – two of the skinny cow ice cream bars. They are low in calorie and fat but still! The bad thing is I am going with Sonnet to meet Blake & Sara tonight at Chili’s. A salad will be good but they have that cool ice cream thing B&S always like to get….normally I would be up for it but Sonnet will be there so we will see.

What a great evening with the kids. We had a delicious dinner together. I had a Quesadilla Salad – very tasty. We all ended up having dessert (yea). I had a decadence brownie with walnuts, coconut & caramel topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup. Need I say more? Sonnet was good, she had salmon with steamed veggies and a small chocolate cream cake thing. It was small, in fact they are called ‘shots’, meaning they are served in shot glasses. We stayed at the restraint almost two hours enjoying one another’s company.