Flea Solution

We all have pets, we all fight fleas, so I knew my family would want to know about this.  They discussed a new technology for repelling the little buggers last night on the local news.  Scientists have come up with a chemical-free flea treatment.  They've created a dog tag with some type of magnetic strip that works with the dog's bio-energy to create a force field - I wouldn't believe a word of it if I'd heard about it on an infomercial, but I'm willing to give it a try.  It's called a ShooTag and costs $25-30 per tag.  The tag is good for 3-4 months - so it's considerably cheaper than the drops.  They also make a tag for humans and they repel mosquitoes too.

If you've tried it and it didn't work, let me know quick so I don't waste my money.  Otherwise, I'll let ya'll know how this experiment works out.

40 Pounds and Why am I the Only One Doing This???

Reached a milestone today - 40 pounds - it would be more exciting if I hadn't been calling it 40 pounds for the last six weeks when it's really been 38.5 pounds.  But today, it's finally a reality - 40 pounds.  40 or so more to go.

Now why am I the only one with anything to say in here?

Here's an update on me and Cliff - He got sick around the first of the year - very, very sick.  He's been diagnosed as bipolar.  We're finally see light at the end of this nasty tunnel - he takes a bucket-full of meds and the man I've loved for 14 years has returned.  However, it's doubtful he'll ever return to work.  So we're downsizing, big time.

We bought two little lots on a little lake in Beechgrove, Tennessee - about 30 miles from Karen.  There's a little shack/cabin tucked into the trees (well-built but very small and plain).  It's gonna be an adventure, and I'm looking forward to living a life where we aren't stretched financially or physically.  We will probably make the move around the first of April.

Megan is in her first year at the 4 year college - and teacher's pet, and  Anthony is moving back to San Antonio to start college using his GI bill.  That pretty much sums things up here.

Love you guys.

Grass Clippings

Cliff and I let the grass go for a few weeks.  I think the yard liked it.  We had one of the greenest yards in the neighborhood.  However, eventually it was just too much of an embarrassment to let it go any further.  We finally mowed it.  And then, to add insult to injury, we had to rake it because we had let it get so overgrown.  We filled 5 big black trash bags with grass clippings.  The problem then was we couldn't put them all into our trash can.  It was going to take us a month to send them out one at a time with our regular garbage pickup.  So I convinced Cliff to leave them sitting by the curb.  I told him I would put an ad on Craigslist and get someone to pick them up for composting.  Cliff had no faith at all that anyone would want our bags of grass.  There's nothing I like more than to prove Cliff wrong.  I posted the ad last night, today I had three e-mail replies; by this afternoon the 5 bags were gone.  It's been a very good day!

33 Pounds

Still moving in the right direction . . . even if it is at a crawl.

20 pounds

20.6 pounds!!! : )


Only 80 pounds to go. 


However, I've discontinued the diet pill.  I started hearing wind whipping through my head again.  I'm still walking and increasing the frequency and length of the walks.  That seems to be doing the trick well enough for now.

CATS

About six months ago I was in the front yard with Sigourney Weiner and Allie, our dogs.  We heard a meow and I spotted a cat walking across the street.  Sigourney ran into the middle of the road, tail wagging madly, and did her happy dance as she licked the strange cat's face.  The cat fell over, as though the love had weakened her knees and she wrapped her arms around Signourney's neck and proceded to lick her right back.  As far as I know, these two had never met before.  

How could I stand in the way of a love like this!  I began trying to tame the cat.  Things didn't go well.  I had a vet who would give me a great deal on getting her fixed . . . once she was tamed.  But before we reached that point, Sigourney's cat went into heat.  Every time I came outside, I would find her up in a tree.  Sometimes there were six or seven Tom cats keeping her company . . . all in the tree.  The cat-tree was a bit surreal.  Our lady cat always had her butt pointed AWAY from the Tom cats.  I was hoping she would keep them all at bay.  No such luck.  

About three weeks ago, she entered the house through our doggie door, marched herself back to the master bedroom, and jumped into bed with me, Cliff, and the two dogs.  She stayed until bedtime, and then she saw herself out.  It happened again the next night.  If we sat up, moved in the bed, or reached for her, she ran.  But as long as Cliff and I were still, she apparently liked being part of our "pack."  

On the third night as we shared the family bed, Sigourney's cat gave birth to three fat kittens.  I played midwife offering words of encouragement and pulling kittens out from under her when she landed on top of them.  The birth was a bonding experience and Ms. Feral Cat is now tame and demanding her fair share of attention.  However, she still loves Sigourney better than all of the rest of us put together. 

30 pounds!!!!!

Okay People, I'm telling ya! Diet pills-only way to go. I have lost 23 lbs of fat so far. Carmen, who cares if you hear wind blowing, isn't that better than voices? Diet pills are the Lord's way of giving us self-control over our eating habits. Actually, they just suppress the desire. But, being the religious soul that I am, I prefer to say diet pills were totally inspired by God. After all, he doesn't want a bunch of overweight whiners in heaven, ya think?
Anyway, I have a long way to go. But I am hopefully headed in the right direction.
I should mention that I am back on the treadclimber, too. It's a marvelous little tool to work out frustrations and whatnot. (ie. Dale's situation)

Becoming and lefty

Cliff read something interesting in Discovery Magazine recently.  We only have so much willpower.  If we use our willpower to make ourselves rake leaves, we might not have enough willpower to say no to a chocolate chip cookie (or the whole bag of chocolate chip cookies).  However, willpower can be exercised and increased.  They did a study that showed brushing your teeth for 30 days with your non-dominant hand (left hand for most of us) will increase your willpower.  So that's my new weight-loss plan - I'm brushing my teeth these days with my left hand.

Slippage

I'm not bored of the blog! I like reading what everyone is up to but as for myself, I've been bad. I've been eating delicious dinners every Sunday at a friend's house and on a diet of Ramen and junk food. I had Quiznos Saturday and donuts yesterday and I've been throwing back some Full Throttle's at work.

Those energy drinks are packed with sugars and bad things. And I haven't been balancing it with consistent work outs. I only worked out two days last week. ((defeated sigh))

This really sucks since Mom is going to be here in a week and I wanted to show off some skinny arms and a non-bulging stomach. Oh, well. Discipline can kiss my shoe. I'm gonna stock the fridge with soda and the cabinets with chips!

Gee Whiz everybody. Are y'all bored with the blog? I was really getting in to knowing everyone's business!! How come no one has anything to say anymore?
Well, I've got plenty! I LOST 15 lbs.!!! I'll just say it- it has not been fun. Nor has it been a very social thing for Donna McCabe to cross out mexican lunches in her life. But, at least I am down 15.
I'm still a fat a**, but I will lose it. Slowly, but surely.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE diet pills.

Ok, I fixed it.

I think everything is fixed with my Comcast Blogger account and the Gmail Blogger account. I removed my old self and put my new self in with the rest of you.

As far as the resolutions go: I've (mostly) given up soda. I drink A LOT of water and tea. When I'm feeling desperate, I grab a diet coke. I'm still slipping with late-night snacking. Last night I munched on mini-Hershey's bars and Werther's while playing my Xbox360 till 2 in the morning.

BUT I also keep track of these munchies and any other meals. I've kept a Food Diary on my little Touch iPod Jill got me for Christmas. I pull it up, put the date, the time and what I'm having and, if it's readily available, the calorie count. I've been doing it for a few weeks now. It's so funny - when I go back to the beginning, the list is looong. Snacking all day and weird things, too. 3 Pickles, a Pepsi, and Doritos at 10 pm? I've gotten down to 5-7 entries a day. Breakfast, coffee, munchies, lunch, munchies, and then dinner. Sometimes munchies. When I start feeling the dreaded munchies, I think, 'Do I really want to add that to my list?'

For example, last night I stopped myself from having a king size Twix because I looked at what I'd already had and made myself put it down. I didn't want to add it. If it was on paper then it really happened and I couldn't ignore it.

I'd like to workout more but standing on my feet all day makes the couch look too inviting.

Anybody have "losing weight" at the top of their 2009 resolution list?