Emotions – Vessels and Vittles

Turning Over a New Year 🎉🎊

Only one day left in 2018.

I’m sitting here thinking about the past year. So many changes yet a lot has stayed mostly the same. I lost a lot of extended family, close and distant friends, and friends who were as close as family; I mean lots, more than a dozen. It seems I’ve said, “Sorry for your loss” at least monthly this year. Just odd, but it really caused me to think about my own life a lot. I felt more conscious of time. I remembered my dad, now in his 80s, always saying when in his 50s, “I have more years behind me than I do in front of me.” I was in my 20s then, now I’m in my 50s. I can sincerely say I have more years behind me than in front of me; the death of so many friends and acquaintances this year brings those words to the forefront more than ever.

So, what does that mean for my life decisions? In short, it means I want to focus on the things that are important to me. What are those things?

In no particular order:

Portraiture / Art – For most of this year, I contemplated returning to school to obtain a doctorate degree. It was just a matter of nailing down what I wanted to study and where. I reviewed/applied to a few schools and interviewed with one, in the Technology field. In the end, I decided to pit it on hold, if not nix it. Why? Because as a middle-aged woman I discovered I had a talent for art, specifically, drawing portraits. It has changed my focus more than I thought. I like my job a lot, it suit my skill set, and personality. … but I love drawing! At this point in life, I need to focus on what I love. None of the schools I reviewed sparked my heart; I was not wanting to do it even before I took the first course. Apparently, getting a doctorate was a goal, but not a heart’s desire; if that makes sense. Nope, I don’t plan to go to art school, I just plan to use my years left doing something that makes my heart happy and makes others smile! Simple. 🎨

selective focus photography of paintbrush near paint pallet — Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com

Family/Friends – I have a small immediate family but a pretty large extended one. Thanks to social media I can keep in contact with many of them much easier than I probably would have otherwise. I also have many friends from all the schools and churches I’ve attended, and neighborhoods I’ve lived in. I’ve been thinking about the friends who are like family a lot… because I lost some this year. I have a very small group of friends who are like family to me. They know me more than anyone else really. It is important to me to work hard to maintain these friendships, keeping the air clear between us, sharing time together, and making memories.

two man and two woman standing on green grass field — Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

God and His Son Jesus…and children and widows. – I would have said ‘religion’ but I’m lowly interested in religion actually. … but boy, what a bone of contention the name of Jesus has become in the past few years?! My belief has been a foundation for my life though – there is no shame in that for me. I will not disparage you for what you believe but I want to be a light, a reflection of Jesus, in a dark world.

The Bible says, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27)

three bibles on wooden bench — Photo by Bryan Schneider on Pexels.com

Health/Wellness: If you’ve followed this blog, you know that I strive to be as healthy as I can. This year was a challenge after losing a significant amount of weight, but I plan to keep working at it. I want to be strong in my mind, body and spirit in order to face life boldly.

This also includes keeping an orderly physical space. I don’t know about you but clutter around my house, also clutters my mind and thought processes. For some it doesn’t matter I know but I want to minimize where necessary keeping “junk” outnof my space.

person rolling green gym mat — Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

You might want to call these four things New Year resolutions, but I don’t. I like ro call them Life Discoveries. One of the best things about being an adult is that you can make your own decisions about your life and you can live out the consequences; good or bad.

Hello 2019! Thank you Lord for breath, life, peace, salvation and hope!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! ❤️🙏🏽🎊

Life is Precious

It’s a joyous time of the year for the most part …but for some it will be a difficult time. Many people have lost loved ones this year.

I know of a wonderful family who recently lost their father/son/husband, late 50s, diagnosed with a rare cancer just a few weeks ago. I was reminded again how life is so fragile and is but a vapor. Psalm 144:4 tells us this… “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.”

I am often at a loss for words during difficult times; in spite of deep feelings I have. I am thankful for an outlet in art to express myself and share my heart.

I saw this sweet, special moment in a photo of the gentleman who passed with his only grandson and wanted to do something with it for his wife. As I studied it, I felt I wanted to convey the time, place, mood, feeling, and memory of this photo rather than the exact replication of the faces. So, I attempted to do a pen and watercolor wash to capture all the things the photo revealed to me. When I presented it to his wife, she immediately recalled the week the family was together at the time this photo was taken. It’s just a quick sketch, not my typical style, but I think it fulfilled what I’d hoped to accomplish.

Say a prayer for those who are hurting this season… and go hug your people! ❤️

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Hi …It’s Been a While

It has been a while people! Summer rolled on by as I was trying to ‘get things done’ around here. Now it’s Fall.🍁 And just like I wasn’t paying attention to the calendar I haven’t been paying much attention to my food choices. Sooooo, 11 pounds later I sitting here like … what exactly did I eat that equates to 11 extra pounds?🤨🧐😞

Really, it’s all good, well, not really good but … I’m trying to say I reacted so differently than I had in the past… which is growth in more than just my weight. Back in the day, those 11 pounds would have sent me spiraling but this time I KNEW I just needed to readjust and be aware…. stop the mindless grazing…but doesn’t this look goooood?… Warm Peach Cobbler from Brookwood Grill 😊. Tasted good too! Happy Birthday to me.💕

41460B21-8501-4B0E-88A7-E26DAFD136E5 — Warm Peach Cobbler!

…for the record, I shared this with another person….too much for me.

I did readjust… and have lost 5 of the 11 pounds so far. I had to change something though. For the past 2 years I’ve used the My Fitness Pal app, which I really liked…. just got bored with it and slowly stopped using it, which means I wasn’t tracking, and therefore was eating more. Uggghh! For me, logging my food, not necessarily every morsel but keeping a general idea of my calorie intake, is a GREAT HELP!

I switched to the Lose It! App. I LOVE IT! It’s colorful, engaging, lots of little tips and applications to play with…and it rejuvenated my desire to log. I only have the free version too. If you want to pay…there are lots of additional things to help you.

I have been eating fun stuff that I love to celebrate my birthday month. That’s over for now…. back to lots of water, lots of veggies, lots …OK, ‘some’ exercise 😂. I do feel better, less dense. I actually did a bit of a detox to get back on track… it helps a lot. I did start eating these….they are healthy, easy, delicious and not too caloric. There are a few different varieties all of them are good.

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Well, that’s all for now.

Lesson learned: The road to healthy living has U-turns, potholes, traffic violations, and sometimes a broke down vehicle but road side assistance comes along in various forms; a motivational article, an encouraging friend, and sometimes just a fun new app. 🤗

Peace and Love! 😘

Sneaky Little Pounds

It’s crazy how pounds creep back if I don’t stay diligent in my efforts to stay aware of my food choices. Sigh. 😒

I am not in trouble yet but I am see how and why folks lose a bunch of weight then slowly over the following weeks it creeps back on… sometimes more. Here is what I think happens:

1. There is an initial rush of excitement after losing weight. Your body is in burn mode so you are granted the ability to eat a bit more without any changes to your weight.

2. While being on track, you probably are earning less sugar and carbs and your body has gotten used to it. However, once you start eating a few more carbs and more sugar, your body will retain fluid, and worse, you get addicted to it again and start to crave it, where during weight loss you hardly thought of it.

3. You probably started exercising less and drinking less water.

4. Basically, you just quit paying attention…. eating more and eating out more.

I don’t know…. that’s just what happens to me. I get it, because I have done all of the above. So, I have gained 3.4 lbs in the past three months yeah, that’s not a lot but I need to reverse things now, not after I’ve regained 10 or 20… or 30+ pounds.

So, when you see this in my refrigerator… you know I’m back to business.

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It’s found to be a green veggie week for sure. With summer foods coming back in it should be easier to get on track. I love veggies which you know if you have followed my blog. Going to do a lot of raw veggies this week to get a jumpstart. The fiber fills you up and helps with detox.

I’m ready! How about you??

Peace and love!✌🏽💕✌🏽💕✌🏽💕

A Package From Lolli

Yesterday I received a package in the mail. That’s not unusual though. I sat it on the bench next to the front door … and left it there. That is unusual.

Eight days ago I called Linda (known to her family and close friends as Lolli, or Lol) because she was my go-to for essential oils and things related. We discussed Thieves(R) and whether ingesting them or not was what I should do as I was feeling a cold or something starting. A6E3EE12-8801-486D-A932-A976FE8E952C She suggested I try the Thieves Lozenges. I told her I wanted to try them. Our last messages to each other that day said she was sending the Lozenges by USPS, that Thieves Lozenges was the best and I should receive them in 3 to 5 days.

The next morning I received a call from Lol’s sister, Sandra, saying,… “Lolli died.” I can still replay the scene of me trying to process the words I just heard through all my tears. So unexpected.

Today is a week later. I am still reeling. It has taken me this long to even write about it. Sandra, Lolli, Angela (Sandra’s daughter/my li’l sis) and me; we formed sort of a family unit about 25 years ago when I lived with Sandra and Angela for four years. And like family we had some rough spots but we also had some the most fun, memorable times and greatest laughs ever! I can hear Lol’s laugh right now as I am writing this. Everyone loved Lol.

So, when my package arrived yesterday, my cough-and-cold ridden body wanted to tear into it and pop some Lozenges, but I didn’t. Somehow, now I want to keep these Lozenges forever. I am sure I will have to place another order with someone in order to try them.

I’ve spent the last week thinking a lot about life, and how quickly it can be gone. I do know Lol loved Jesus which brings great comfort, but I can’t help feel sadness for all of us who will know longer hear her infectious laugh. I am so grateful for that last conversation we had. I am so grateful for the time spent last summer hanging out with Sandra, Lol and Angela. Precious, precious moments.

I’ve had many friends and family lose loved ones just since Christmas. Hard days for many people. Everyday someone loses someone. I am going to do better this year. I am going to make a better effort to stay in touch with those near and dear to my heart… because you never know when that last conversation, will indeed, be the last. Go hug your loved ones.

Love and hugs to you guys! ❤️🤗