Saturday To Dos

Work out on elliptical.

Go for a walk if weather cooperates.

Go to library for peace and quiet to work on my Bible study class for church tomorrow.

Practice piano: Bach A-minor invention, Beethoven Moonlight Sonata, Joplin Pineapple Rag.

Work on my poppies painting - preliminary sketches and nail down the composition.

Go to grocery store.

Eat, drink and be merry.

Poppies on My Wall

One of my New Year's resolutions is to rekindle my artistic fire and create some beautiful artwork. My first project is to paint a picture for my living room. It will be a large painting of poppies. Poppies are my favorite flower to paint; they are delicate, colorful and full of whimsy and magic. Just what I need right now.

In my research I've found some lovely pieces of art for inspiration:

White Rabbit

My entry for the Doritos Crash the Superbowl commercial is now on my YouTube channel. It's an Alice in Wonderland theme and my darling hubby is the White Rabbit.

The rules limit the commercial to 30 seconds which was very difficult because I had some great footage that I couldn't use. Oh well.

I shot the commercial at the Historic Hynds building in downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Eureka!

Say "Hello" to my new handbag!

It's perfect and beautiful! My Kindle and sketch book fit just right and it holds all my stuff. Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement in the Great American Purse Search!

Pursonal Shopping

It's time to buy a new purse, aka Handbag, Tote, European Carry All, or whatever. So what am I looking for?

Not This

Something large, but not enormous. Something stylish, but not prissy.
Something colorful, but not garish.

Too Scarlet O'Hara



Too Jack Sparrow



Too Samsonite Luggage

Too Cindy Lauper

Too Margaret Thatcher

So what features do I need? A front pouch for my keys. Separated compartments so I can quickly find what I need without digging through a pile of rubble. Dual purpose straps that I can carry in my hand or slip over my shoulder.


You might be wondering what I keep in my purse. Glad you asked:

Cell phone
Pens
Gum
Wallet
Business cards
Tweezers
Nail clippers
Nail file
Lipstick
Mirror
Band-Aids
Keys

I also want a purse that can hold my new Kindle Fire and a small sketch book and pencil case so I can sketch or draw at the drop of a hat.

Well, that's about it. Wish me luck. The great purse search begins!

Your mission. . .

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Best Movie Ever!

Tom Cruise may be a madman in real life, but in this movie he ROCKS! It's still playing in our local theatre and I've seen it TWICE! Just sayin'.

I guess I was in the mood for a wild action flick and didn't even know it. This movie delivers big time.

Fave scenes:
Tom climbing the glass walls of the hotel.
Fight scene with Agent Carter and Moreau.
Dust storm scene.
Kremlin explosion.

I'll stop now. Don't want to give too much away. Watch it and let me know what you think.

Weighing In

Okay, I'll admit it. My bathroom scale has become my nemesis.

I've never had a weight problem in my life. Until now.

For me, the weight I am now is UNACCEPTABLE! I don't even have the courage to post it. Let's just say I weigh more now than I did when I was nine months pregnant.

I have never been on a diet in my life. And I don't ever intend to go on a diet. Until a few years ago, I chose to eat whatever I wanted but exercised it off. I was a runner and that kept my weight under control for decades. Things started to change in 2007 when I couldn't run due to a knee injury.

It was all downhill from there.

Reasons why I gained:

1) Portion sizes (I would eat large portions of food and go for seconds, sometimes thirds)
2) Wrong food choices (high fat, high calorie foods, high sugar)
3) Less exercise
4) Not really paying attention to what I eat (read or watch TV while eating)
5) Ignorance about how much fat and calories are in my favorite foods
6) Age (does peri-menopause cause weight gain?)

Last week I decided it was time to STOP THE INSANITY!

I put an app on my Kindle to help me lose weight. I logged in my weight goal and how many pounds I want to lose each week. It calculated that I will reach my goal weight on May 30.

I've never been a calorie counter, but I'm desperate. I keep track of my calories now. The app tracks my calories and my exercise for each day. If I stay under the daily amount, I will reach my goal. The best thing is that the more I exercise, the more calories I can consume. For example, my daily calorie intake is 1225. This amount was calculated based on my age, gender, height and how many pounds I want to lose per week. Today I worked out on the elliptical and burned 420 calories. This is added to my calorie total making it 1645.

Running = 557 per hour at 12-minute miles

This is great because it keeps me active. I count the calories lost in all my favorite activities: running, bowling, tennis, yoga, walking, etc.



Bowling = 159 calories per hour



Tennis = 557 per hour

Yoga = 119 per hour

Walking = 223 per hour - brisk

I also like this app because you can create recipes and it calculates how many calories per serving!

Guess what? It's working! I lost three pounds the first week. I think it's because I was under in my calorie total because of exercise. It's not an exact science. I'm probably burning calories right now typing this post, but I won't add it to my daily total.

So what does all this mean? It means I have more awareness of what I'm eating and of my body in general. I feel stronger and healthier and I know that I will reach and maintain my goal.

A New Year -- a new me!

Friday Flicks: The Fugitive

One of my favorite Harrison Ford flicks, The Fugitive (1993) is non stop action. The story tells of Dr. Richard Kimble who was convicted of his wife's murder. He is innocent and becomes a fugitive on the run, tyring to find the real killer (the one-armed man).

Tommy Lee Jones is the Federal Marshall who is trying to track him down. It's the best man-hunt movie in Hollywood history.

The train crash scene is spectacular! If you have the DVD, you know from watching the special features how crazy it was to shoot that scene.

Resolutions?

Okay. Let's DO this thing! (channeling Kung Fu Panda)

These are my New Year's Resolutions for 2012. 

LIST ONE:

1. Attend the Northern Colorado Wrtier's conference.

2. Start writing my novella.

3. Eat to live - not live to eat.

4. Play more tennis.

5.  Do the A to Z Blogging Challenge

6. Grow an herb garden.

7. Draw and paint more.

8. Change jobs.

9. Buy a house.


LIST TWO:

1. Rock black nail polish.

2. Say "NO" to home decorating parties.

3. Master "Bohemian Rhapsody" on karaoke.

4.  Watch "The Island" again and try to figure out what Michael Caine was THINKING!!!

5. Eat flax seed.

6. Learn Tai Chi.

7. Read "Crime and Punishment" for Dummies.

8. Wear Valentine's Day socks.

9. Cook a brisket.

10 Things I Will Never Do

1: Calculus.

2: Eat hominy.

3: Buy an SUV.

4: Knit.

5: Iron underwear.

6: Build a two million dollar garage.

7: Wear white pants.

8: Read  a book about computer codes.

9: Kill a deer.

10: Go on a cruise.

DISCLAIMER: Never say "never". . .

What's one thing you will never do?

New Year 2012

I hope you all have a wonderful blessed New Year!

I'm looking forward to a great year. My Word for the Year is FREEDOM. I believe that God gave me this word as my focus for the next 12 months. Freedom to be do what I need to be doing; freedom to grow, mature and persevere in various problems and trials; freedom to pursue my dreams; freedom to enjoy life, family and friends; freedom to help people in whatever way I can.

Ironically, the last day of 2011 I was watching the TV series "Roots" on DVD (a Christmas gift I received that was on my wish list). It's all about Freedom.

My goal this year is be more creative. I want to write stories and create works of art. These projects have been on the back burner far too long. It's time to get cooking. But they can't happen unless I prune the dead branches in my life which are time-consuming activities that were once a joy but have now become a burden. As I type this, the pruning shears are chopping away. I feel FREE!

What are your goals for 2012?

P.S. I changed my Skating Buffalo URL. Click here.
Also Fixing Madison is back.