Well, huzzah to all the queenlies who inhabiteth this realm!
Was just lurkin' 'round here as oft times Am the Crone (as I style self these days) thinketh o' this palace and all o' ye 'n think she will always be with thee in spirit 'n should come 'n say huzzah more often.
Great apologies to be breezin' in 'n out every year or so but life gets away from one.
Shall be 'round more, methinks.
Not a lot to say 'bout moi as I am sort of always the same, though the winds o' fortune buffet moi as they do all us mortal ones (not sure that crones are mortal, but they are buffeted nonetheless)!
Woot! Folkettes, t'is nice seein' ye are still here at the same ol' palace!
Shall just leave a card 'n wander out again, not meanin' to intrude.
build my self esteem through positive self talk & body image (working out and eating healthy really helps with this). i've come a long way in the last year or so but i still need to strengthen how i see myself in a positive way.
good grooming & styling of myself....dressing the size I AM, not the size i want to be...and taking care of myself..also really helps me with my mood.
I DEFINITELY need to put myself first this year. It sounds selfish, but I need to make sure my plans for life begin this year...
Empress Am - so lovely to see you dropped by the palace. Your inspiration is sorely missed and it is nice to hear from you to know that all is still "well" - buffeted though you may be. And the Empress of our realm is NEVER an intruder.
And welcome, Summerlove. Thou hast hit upon our ly philosophy of treating ourselves as we deserve to be treated. In past lives, some of us did not put enough into caring for our souls, minds, bodies and now strive to satisfy our "needs" with other than food. It does require continual striving but we desire (as you) to be the best we can be.
Savying that, I must say I was a real wretch the last three days and am paying the numerical price for same. In a good and resolute mood this a.m. though despite rain. And more rain to come. Still 'tis a sign of Mother Spring here to awaken the earth so I will be happy about it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation of "La Boheme" yesterday. It was not a staged effort but marvelous singers accompanied by the Symphony. Joy, joy.
But now off to the mundane. "Tis Monday, after all.
Couldn't have said it better, Anagram... back to business as usual on Monday! Our getaway was lovely, in spite of a rainy, rainy Friday. We saw a great show Thursday night, Lombardi, a six man (actually 5 man/1 woman) play about Vince Lombardi...which we both really enjoyed. Spent the major portion of Friday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which wasn't nearly enough time, but there's always next time. I could have spent the entire day in the company of Van Gogh and his cronies, and definitely will take more time in that wing next time! We walked through Central Park to get to the museum, a good 25+ block walk. It rained on and off, but with umbrellas it wasn't bad at all, until we were about two blocks from our destination. Out of nowhere, TORRENTIAL, MONSOON-like rain came along, mocking our umbrellas, and completely soaking us from the feet UP, to about mid thigh! Ah well, we were dry by the time we left, hours later. According to my pedometer, I logged 18,000 steps on Friday alone! Balanced that nicely with thoughtful food choices, so I'm pretty pleased with the weekend over all. I didn't use it as an excuse to over-indulge, only to have to pay for my 'sins' later.
So good to see Amarantha breezing through the Palace! Not intruding at all, methinks! Here's hoping the winds buffet you back this way more often... tis a good, warm and welcoming place to land!
Welcome, Summerlove! Sounds like a good plan there, not selfish at all! Anagram put it so well: we strive to satisfy our "needs" with other than food... hence: lovely music, writing, art, gardening, books, spiritual pursuits, etc... that which makes us happy and content. Please make yourself at home here, and do tell what's working for you!
I never did make it outside today for my lunchtime walk... really feel deprived, too, mentally and physically, when I don't get out there! Will make up for that with a good session of something or other on the Wii.
Am off to sweat... have a good night, what's left of it!
'Tis getting closer to spring, it is. We had another snow storm last night, changing to rain around midnight and now mildish but to freeze over again after mid-morning. I'm going to go out there and shovel some slush while it's in a gel state, to make a path to the door. Taking Mom to see The King's Speech tonight and having her to dinner first, so I need to make the approach to the house more doable for her.
Yesterday was my first day solo. Last day of the month, so a little on the frantic side as always. I made a conscious decision not to binge, which is progress. I actually was able to reason with myself and decide I didn't want to be unable to get to sleep, stressed out, and wake up with that feeling of failure. Which seems to be the inevitable result. I did have dinner watching TV but renew my commitment to NOT do that. Always seems to lead to more intake than just eating at the table.
Anagram, I enjoyed your outing for "La Boheme" -- these things nourish our souls so much, don't they? Ah, wretch or no, you've absolutely mastered the ability to maintain and gradually lose, too. Which is probably the best way to do it.
Kat, your getaway sounds just lovely, despite the rain. I usually feel the same way in big galleries and museums. DH has about a 2-hour tolerance and I want to make a day of it.
Amarantha, always lovely to see you. We always keep your corner of the palace ready for a royal visit.
Summerlove I'm renewing my dedication to looking after myself, too -- DH has just started a project that will keep him away from home every second week, so I've got more time and must use it wisely.
So, with that, I'll finish my and get out to shift some of that slush before it solidifies again. Let's make this a good one!
And what a loverly day 'tis, in my neck of the woods! Sunny, breezy, warmish... will definitely get outside for some yard work today. I have a few things that I MUST tend to inside, one being some online transactions, which led me right down the primrose path to the castle! So this will be a quickie post...
I missed my WW meeting this morning, which I hate to do, but the sleep monster was most insistent that I stay put this morning, and so I indulged him. Will go tomorrow morning, for sure. I am so much more focused when I do go. Had missed last week as well, while we were away, and while I did do well last weekend, could definitely feel things slipping away from me during the week. Stress at work + delivery of Girl Scout cookies = bad news bears. NIPPING THAT IN THE BUD, RIGHT NOW.
Arabella, I'm dying to see the King's Speech, (dh, not so much) Was it as good as the hype? I love all the starring actors, so I know I'll like it either way. Pretty sure I'll be Netflixing that one, but we may just do a movie date where he goes to one show and I go to another!
Okay, break time over, back to work for me. Wishing all a happy, productive, peaceful, restful, wild, whatever-you-need-it-to-be weekend!
Loved, loved, loved "The King's Speech". Don't get to movies as often as I'd like but made that one early and SO enjoyed it.
Arabella, how was your solo week? And DGS's sleep-in-the-big-bed?
And kat, how wonderful your get away sounds. And a walk in the rain in Central Park is the stuff of movies.
Got thinking about get aways and my not getting away. So yesterday, I went a little wild and took (getaway) money and made appointments like crazy. By the end of the month, I will have rewarded me with a facial, a massage, electrolysis, mani/pedi and a haircut. Of course, the last two I'd have done anyway. Business has been down, I guess, so there are many offers out there and so on three of these appts, I'll be paying discounted rates but it's still a WILD THING for conservative me.
Usually when I say I'm "shaking it up", I mean calorie wise so this is a different kind of shake up
Not that I've earned any "rewards" (I actually saw a 2 last Monday morning). But since I am recognizing my Royalty, well........what can I say?
I hit 200 on Monday after my wretched debacle and that scared me. I hit 196.4 yesterday and 197 today so it was the yo-yos but I brought it on myself.
Am finished with the prednisone and apparently with no major gain this time. Yay.
Thinking of wsw and Kaylets. Big to both. And hello again to Summerlove and previous Royals and all lurkers.
So off to a lazy day of catching up on little things (not that checking in at the Palace is a little thing).
Mild today and calling for more mild weather tomorrow. The snow is still 3-5 feet deep all over so it'll take a while to go. We've actually got some dripping in the windows on one side from ice buildup on the eaves. We had someone come clean the roof off but they just cleared the snow away. DH is mightily peeved. I'm hoping that it'll be over with before long with no catastrophic results.
Food wasn't perfect last week so I'm not looking forward to tomorrow's weigh in. But I've had a few instances of things fitting better so I guess the 10k steps are doing some good anyway. I either caught a new cold as soon as the old one cleared up or the old one's in a new stage so haven't been at my best all week. But feeling spiritually a little rejuvenated and reenergized and will hocusPokusFOCUS this week, I will.
There are a couple of extremely tricky movements in our Good Friday piece for this year, Rossini's Petite Messe Solonelle -- don't know why the title is French, the composer Italian and the Mass Latin They both include pages and pages of "amens." So hard to get a fix on the right notes without different syllables to attach to them. Oh my. Very challenging but it will be satisfying to be able to do it. I've taken a practice file and recorded it in bite-size chunks so that I can just focus on a bit at a time. O/w, it goes whizzing past and I get lost.
Anagram, spring must really be on the way. Love the sound of your shake-up. I've been longing for something similar. And I still have a coupon for a pedicure that I resolve to use before the end of the month myself. I DID shave my legs yesterday and long overdue it was. Yup, spring must be a'coming.
My week solo was a mixed bag. I over-scheduled myself a bit and wasn't feeling great. I think I'm going to actually travel with DH next time, so I've got some time to plan my next little break.
Kat, I too loved, loved, loved The King's Speech. I think it would work fine on video. The theatre was actually sold out when we got there so I'll be renting it and getting Mom in to watch it before too long. Colin Firth was just incredible.
Did you read the story behind the script? The writer had had a stutter as a child and was intrigued when he learned that King George had been a fellow sufferer. In the seventies and eighties, he did a lot of research but couldn't find much on the therapy. He requested information from the therapist, who agreed to share his notebooks -- as long as the Queen Mum had no objections. However, she said "Not in my lifetime" because the memories were still too painful to her.
So the writer made a lot of it up as he went along but then, when he actually got hold of the notebooks, he found that much was as he'd imagined.
Anyway, very powerful movie. I was a sobbing mess all through the end of it.
Back to Rossini for me. Hope all ly folk enjoy the rest of the weekend. Fresh start Monday coming up!
Good grief, is it almost Friday already? Prithy, where did this week go?
Arabella, I am listening to "your" music as I type this, and it is truly lovely... Very challenging to perform, I'm sure, but I imagine how wonderfully satisfying it will be to recreate such a thing of beauty! <just re-played again, for the fourth time, I'm really loving this!>
Your getaways sound marvelous, Anagram, and well deserved!Treating Ourselves Royally, I believe, is the name of this thread, and so you shall! I need to make a few appointments for myself, thank you for reminding me: Definitely a haircut this weekend, and nails too. I have a gift certificate for a facial that I've been dying to use, just waiting for the 'right' time... not exactly sure when that will be. No time like the present, eh?
The wind & rain here are making quite the ruckus outside... quite tempestuous ... feels as though the roof is going to blow off any minute! Taking a moment here to thank the powers that be for that very roof, I can't imagine being outside in this weather. Kind of regretting asking my son to take the garbage out earlier, it must be a block away by now!
I just deleted a whole rant about our "Biggest Loser" group at work. I really don't like this group this time around... there I said it! That felt good. So much negativity there. Very unmotivated to do ANYTHING to change their habits, everyone has an excuse why they can't, but soooo angry because they're not seeing results, or not seeing results quick enough. Blah. If nothing else, they inspire me to NOT be like them! Moving on...
I think I'm going to treat myself to an early bedtime tonight. Yes, 10:30 is early for me! When I think that it wasn't too long ago that I was waking up at this time, and heading off to work, it boggles my mind. Don't know how I did that for so long, but you do what you have to do, I guess.
YES!!! Feeling energy today -- don't have to get behind self and push!
Now, as always, I have to be careful not to try to do every possible thing today but it feels so good to feel like doing stuff again. I don't feel like I've got to slump here for another hour before I go for a walk. I'm excited about LIFE again.
Had a run-in with a bag of kettle chips yesterday but feeling ready to go clean today. Making a flourless chocolate cake for dinner with best friend couple tonight and will have a sliver. Ooorrr, I might make a sugar-free lemon tart with pecan crust, which would be fewer calories but more work. We shall see... Just finishing Will have my steel-cut oats with cranberrry, apple & cinnamon and then go walking around the harbour on this mild and windy day.
Katrina, you are so right! It's such a thrill to be able to sing it and get it right. I'm going to try recording myself singing it (a bit at a time - can't get through the whole thing in one go) so that I can practice while I cook and etc, singing along with myself. I love doing that -- it's how I learned The Messiah.
Anagram, WSW, Kayelets
K, off I go. Walk, laundry, cook, tidy. And then a lovely dinner party. Life is good!
Glad you had a LIFE day, Arabella. Seems we "coincided again" = surprised me with what I got done yesterday. Have done some yard cleanup this a.m. and will be off to shower and then enjoy the rest of the day. It's to be nice again but not as nice as yesterday and then tomorrow a little cooler but sunnier.
So we are on the way here in Central PA = Now that the snow's gone (for the nonce, at least), the little surprises are popping up. Lots and lots of branches to be cleaned up - wicked wind this year.
Spent Thursday trying to stay ahead of water seeping into basement. All in all, did a decent job but so tired by evening. Got to pool only once this week and only one tai chi class as instructor cancelled first one. Monday's cancelled too as he lives along the river and will be dealing with flooding at his home this weekend. Not as bad as some years but enough his basement will get a good hit and he'll be w/o power for a good while. My leakage seems minor
Niece will be having gammaknife surgery on Monday morning. It's like a one-shot radiation thing and then we'll be in WAIT mode for three months.
Another busy week coming up. Visitors from Arkansas and then, somewhat coinciding, from Alaska. I have no plans for major projects just muddling along on some of the old ones. Cleaned garage up a bit with warmer weather but oh, so much more to go.
Had a couple of run-ins this week with things I should have passed on. I let me down so much. And I certainly am old enough to know better.
198.4 and got haircut and a lovely, relaxing facial this week. Yoohoo!!!!
And I really mean business this time! I woke up feeling like -- why am I messing around? Do I actually want to take this weight off? I do. Do I realize that it will be work? Am I willing to put the work in? I AM!
In fact, as I know from past experience, life is so much better when I'm doing what I need to do. So why is it that I stay in my rut? OUT!!!
I'm tracking things on Spark People. I've tried a few sites and it seems to be the one that offers the best tracking capacity.
Anagram, yay for the haircut! I'm thinking I may be about due. This will be a project week for me -- putting up new Roman blinds, doing a little spring cleaning.
Sending good energy for your niece's surgery! :
Okey-doke. Going to finish this and then off to the gym, even if DH isn't here to shepherd me there.
All is well here on the WOE and exercise front. Got my mojo workin'!
Really, just stopping in to share a funny story:
On Sunday, D & I were going for our traditional walk around the harbour. Just a few blocks from home, D said to me "I put your exercise clothes on the back of the chair because they were still damp." I was quite puzzled, thinking I'd left my exercise clothes in the laundry basket and intended to do a wash when we got back. Then it gradually dawned on me... D had gone through the full laundry basket and methodically folded dirty things and put them away, rolled socks, hung shirts up, all the while thinking he was doing good.
Well. I just cracked up, right there on Ambrose Street. I was shrieking, doubled over in paroxysms of laughter while D stalked off up the block. It took me a while before I could continue, still chortling, and catch up with him. He was a little stung but I could NOT help myself.
Your intention was good, I said. He never did quite find it funny, said that he guessed it qualified as a senior moment. Must have been more like a senior 10 minutes. But, in all seriousness, he's always gone on autopilot from time to time and is not very aware of his environment when he does. Very much the absent-minded professor type.
hello lovely queens. i am so woefully behind. just wanted to check in and let you know i did not fall off the palace grounds, just a little waylaid. have had a physically challenging past few months. just when i get over one infection, i seem to get something else. have had bronchitis past few weeks now, but feeling better once again. had to miss my birthday celebration on the 4th since had to stay in bed instead. will celebrate at end of month instead, though. have been missing you all, and will begin to catch up on some posts, and will be back when i can with more personal responses. in meantime, please know how much i have missed all of you royals. take care.
Well, Happy Belated Birthday, Miss wsw! So sorry to hear that you've been feeling poorly, and glad to know that you are on the mend! Spring will surely bring an end to the miseries!
It seems that I'm destined to these late Sunday night posts, but that's about all the time I seem to have lately. I did spend a large portion of this weekend doing what I absolutely love to do: SPRING CLEAN-UP! Not inside, good Lord, no! Outside, with my wheelbarrow, my clippers, my rake, and the most delightful first weekend o' Spring weather!! Filled three large bags with clippings, stoked the chiminea with the gazillion twigs strewn all over the lawn, gazed upon my daffodils and hyacinth about to bloom, and earned a good 16 activity points, today alone!
I faced the scale yesterday morning @ WW, for the first time in 3 weeks... not as disastrous as I had anticipated: up 2.8 lbs. (St Patricks day corned beef and beer may have contributed... ) It will be gone next week, I'm pretty sure, and hopefully take a few more with it when it goes. I am completely back on track, eating beautifully and tracking every morsel. I bought a nice new dvd that I've been using this weekend: 7 Minutes of Magic: AM/PM Qi Gong with Lee Holden. Very nice way to start the day. I haven't done the PM routine yet, but think as soon as I am done here, I will.
Arabella, I had a similar moment with myself as you: Gave myself a stern talking to and decided that FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. Am I willing to put the work in? BTW, loved your story about dh and the dirty clothes! I cracked up over the image of you doubled over in laughter!
Anagram, I just love the way you put things: Had a couple of run-ins this week with things I should have passed on. I let me down so much. This is something I have been working on; 'passing on' those things that drive me crazy. Am successful a goodly portion of the time, but when I'm not, I hear those cookies call my name. I've noticed that I become very aware of an instant longing for a comfort food (cookies-I am the Cookie Monster) the minute something rrreally aggravates me. It passes, but it's an interesting feeling that I am recognizing the trigger, and am actually able to just acknowledge the feeling and move on. <most of the time!> I got my haircut too, this week! Shorter than usual, am embracing the curls this time around. Takes much less time than my usual attempts at de-curling!
Okay, my dears... time for bed for me (after my PM qigong) Monday has done rolled 'round again...
Have a great week all... keep your heads up and shoulders back; even if you are feeling down, this posture will fake you into a more positive frame of mind... try it!
Last edited by katrinabgood; 03-20-2011 at 11:53 PM.
ly philosophy of treating ourselves as we deserve to be treated. In past lives, some of us did not put enough into caring for our souls, minds, bodies and now strive to satisfy our "needs" with other than food. It does require continual striving but we desire (as you) to be the best we can be.
but with umbrellas it wasn't bad at all, until we were about two blocks from our destination. Out of nowhere, TORRENTIAL, MONSOON-like rain came along, mocking our umbrellas, and completely soaking us from the feet UP, to about mid thigh! Ah well, we were dry by the time we left, hours later. According to my pedometer, I logged 18,000 steps on Friday alone! 
Balanced that nicely with thoughtful food choices, so I'm pretty pleased with the weekend over all. I didn't use it as an excuse to over-indulge, only to have to pay for my 'sins' later.
I'm renewing my dedication to looking after myself, too -- DH has just started a project that will keep him away from home every second week, so I've got more time and must use it wisely.
and get out to shift some of that slush before it solidifies again. Let's make this a good one!
to both. And hello again to Summerlove and previous Royals and all lurkers. 
this week, I will. 
They both include pages and pages of "amens." So hard to get a fix on the right notes without different syllables to attach to them. Oh my. Very challenging but it will be satisfying to be able to do it. I've taken a practice file and recorded it in bite-size chunks so that I can just focus on a bit at a time. O/w, it goes whizzing past and I get lost. 
If nothing else, they inspire me to NOT be like them! Moving on...
Hello, energy?
:
So sorry to hear that you've been feeling poorly, and glad to know that you are on the mend! 
Spring will surely bring an end to the miseries! 
Outside, with my wheelbarrow, my clippers, my rake, and the most delightful first weekend o' Spring weather!! 
Filled three large bags with clippings, stoked the chiminea with the gazillion twigs strewn all over the lawn, gazed upon my daffodils and hyacinth about to bloom, and earned a good 16 activity points, today alone! 
) It will be gone next week, I'm pretty sure, and hopefully take a few more with it when it goes. I am completely back on track, eating beautifully and tracking every morsel. I bought a nice new dvd that I've been using this weekend: 7 Minutes of Magic: AM/PM Qi Gong with Lee Holden. Very nice way to start the day. I haven't done the PM routine yet, but think as soon as I am done here, I will.
