So Peaceful...

Seeing Claudette (and/or Crystal) sleeping peacefully on our porch never fails to bring a smile. When she's not on the porch, Crystal is never far away. She always comes running when she sees me, but Claudette is happy to spend her days right here. I suspect she does her roaming overnight, so she needs to recuperate from her forays during the day.

I was the one roaming yesterday. I began my day with a little housekeeping. I tidied up the living room, and then ran the vacuum through the house. I made a grocery list to fill when I went out for my haircut. 

Handsome traveled to Milwaukee to watch our granddaughter in the State soccer semi-finals. Sadly, they lost to the number one seed in Wisconsin, so her high school soccer days have come to an end. She starts college-level soccer in about six weeks, so I think she'll enjoy the time off.

After my haircut with Wendi, I did some grocery shopping and then came home. I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you I've been working on a weight-loss program through an app with "Noom". I check in daily and report my weight, meals (with a handy calorie counter), and activities in the app in my phone, and this program works with the psychology of weight loss. (Working to reprogram the childhood "you're not getting up from the table until you clean your plate" mentality, and more.) 

I've lost a solid twelve pounds in six weeks, and my shape has changed, too. I've hit a bit of a plateau this week, but the scale is finally moving again. I'm able to eat almost anything I want as long as I stay within the proscribed calorie range for the day, and I'm moving around a bit more, too. My goal is to lose sixty pounds by my birthday this year, and according to the experts at Noom, that's perfectly achievable.

Why am I telling you this? 1) to be accountable to someone beside Handsome, and 2) to explain why it took me over an hour to put away the groceries. I'm eating breakfast now - which I hadn't done before - and that usually consists of fresh fruit, Oikos™ greek yogurt, and a tablespoon of Grape Nuts™ cereal sprinkled on top. Before I put the fruit in the refrigerator, I soak the strawberries, blueberries, green grapes, and apples in water with a touch of white vinegar. Then, I rinse everything, let it dry, and then place it into canning jars with a folded paper towel in the bottom of the jar. 

I also prepared much of the vegetables I brought home, along with putting away the rest of my purchases. It felt like it took forever. By the time I was finished, Handsome was walking in the door and it was time to feed our furry charges. I'd put a small beef roast into the slow cooker late morning, so that was completed cooked and ready for me to add gravy, prepare some vegetables, and serve up hot roast beef sandwiches on homemade buns, with the veggie side dish. Needless to say, there was no needle dancing as originally planned.

However, today is Friday! I'm going to stitch my way into the weekend! I'd like to finish the flower embroideries so I can assemble the strawberry and share a finished piece tomorrow or Monday. For now, it's time to feed the critters, and pour my first cup of coffee (to go with breakfast). See you tomorrow!