We were up early this gorgeous Saturday morning, enjoying the cool morning and the peace and quiet before all the neighbors wake up. I have some big yard projects on tap today, so I will be thoroughly exhausted (and quite filthy) by the time I call it a day. Let’s get it started!
Happy Saturday!
The first day of spring already! It’s a rainy start to the season here, but this weekend is shaping up to be absolutely gorgeous. I’m itching to get outside, get dirty, start that seemingly never-ending yard clean-up before hitting the garden centers and bringing home as many colorful flowers as I can carry.
It’s a lot of work, but I look forward to it every year. I like watching the yard transform, one section at a time, as we spend time in it and give it some love. Every now and then, while we’re working in the yard, someone walking by will stop to tell us how cute our house is or how nice our yard is, and it makes my heart and head swell with pride. We put a lot into our home, and it’s cool when someone else enjoys it, too.
Happy first day of spring!
Monday already? Hmmm. I had a really good weekend. It started off with a pretty good weigh-in, not quite 2 pounds (my goal for the week), but I lost 1.6. Close enough to celebrate, with the acknowledgement that I need to tighten up some things this week.
I spent most of Saturday afternoon in the yard, sweating and nearly passing out, but I got a lot done. My husband came outside to help, then my stepson wandered out for a bit. I suppose my neighbors are getting bored with this social-distance/stay-at-home thing, because almost the entire street was outside, puttering around. We were calling out to each other from our yards, waving, joking around. (For the record, our yard is still the best-looking one on the street!)
I figured 5+ hours of manual labor was enough of a workout for Saturday, but on Sunday, I suited up and did a weight training DVD that I have only done once, quite some time ago, and forgot how hard it is. I struggled through it and got it done. I’m not sore yet, but I am sure I will be.
This is going to be a busy week. I have several meetings scheduled, some brief time in the office (locked in my office with disinfectant wipes), and a pretty big project I need to finish by Friday.
My goals this week: lose 2 pounds, drink more water, drink less soda, at least 15 minutes of exercise each day, and get more consistent with logging my food.
Maybe we should turn the clocks back an hour every weekend, because I got so much done this weekend! Okay, maybe that’s not exactly a great idea. In fact, it’s a terrible idea. But I am seriously proud of how much I accomplished this weekend, even with the time change.
First up, as always, was weigh-in on Saturday morning. I lost 1.4 pounds, still slowly but surely crawling closer to my goal. My weight loss has definitely slowed down, but that’s okay. It means I am really close to my goal. I am just getting really impatient to hit the 140s already, because I can’t wait for my next weight loss reward!
With help from my husband and stepson, the yard is completely mowed, leaves and branches raked up and bagged up. I love our house and our yard, and it looks so nice when it is freshly mowed. Even after the manual labor, I wasn’t done: I swept, mopped, vacuumed, scrubbed down the showers, and then cleaned out and organized the cabinets and storage shelves in our laundry room. (Color-coordinated baskets, anyone?)
Yesterday I spent some time meal prepping, and I am looking forward to lunch today. I made salmon, asparagus, and red potatoes (recipe here) and boxed up enough for several lunches this week. I also washed and sliced strawberries for my dessert. No excuses when everything is already prepped and packaged for the week.
Last night I tried on some pants in my closet, and I have added another pair of pants to the collection of clothes that finally fit again! My goal-weight jeans are still stubbornly holding out on me, but I know they will fit again. Soon!
I skipped weigh-in two weekends ago because I had been sick, and I just didn’t feel up to facing the scale, knowing I couldn’t put in the effort that I wanted to that week (and because I already felt bad enough!) Then, this past week, Hurricane Michael decided to rock our world. Between our power being out for several days, the gym being closed, the house being hot as hell, and the sidewalks not safe to run on yet, I wasn’t able to do a formal workout for a few days.
I didn’t want to skip another weigh-in on Saturday, though. That is a recipe for disaster and weight gain! I decided to bite the bullet, weigh in, face the number, and just move on.
I sighed, stepped onto the scale, cringed…and saw that I had somehow, some way, managed to lose 2 pounds instead of gain!
One thing I had stressed over was not being able to hit the gym, but don’t worry, hurricanes come with built-in workout plans. Our yard ended up without a single square inch not covered in tree limbs, branches, heaps of leaves, or other debris. Cutting up fallen trees, hauling branches to the curb, raking up the mess…obviously those are all pretty good calorie burners.
Our yard still isn’t completely cleaned up, if anyone would like to test the calorie-burning theory and rake for a few hours. Any takers? Anyone? No? Well, it was worth a shot!
This week, our power is back on; my gym opened back up today; and I am ready to take on this week full-force and drop 2 more pounds.
Yesterday was pushing 90, but my husband and I are stubborn and worked in the yard longer than we really should have, red-faced, sweaty, gasping for breath, covered in bruises and scratches from hauling tree limbs. As we passed each other in the yard, though, I had to smile. I am beyond grateful that despite the mess, our house suffered no damage. None of us got injured. My stepson, my husband, and I were in a hot, humid house with no power for 3 days, and we didn’t have the first argument, making the best of it with jokes and by taking care of each other.
My husband and I shot smart-ass comments at each other each time we passed in the yard, back and forth to the curb, dragging tree limbs or clutching piles of branches, making each other laugh. We collapsed on the tailgate of his truck, draining water bottles, and made plans for dinner while I joked with him about a hole that got torn in his shorts, telling him he was trying to be hip and cool with ripped-up pants.
It wasn’t fun, and I don’t look forward to the next storm or power outage, or stressing over a tree crashing through the roof onto our heads. But we checked on our neighbors, and they asked if we needed anything. We shared what we had with each other to get through. We made the best of it and appreciate what we have even more. I suppose if I have to ride out hurricanes and storms, I can’t think of anyone else I would rather ride them out with!
Sweat & Sparkle 