Tardy to the party

Oh, if only I could blog as enthusiastically as I'm living the vegan life these days. Cooking, walking, and enjoying summer have really taken a toll on my blog love. You know, I've never been a good multi-tasker, so maybe this is just another example of how much I like to work on one project at a time. And my current project is . . . well, me.

Our long weekend away from home for a family wedding didn't do quite as much damage to that number on the scale as I'd feared. As of today, I'm down a little more than two pounds from last week. I'm really focused now on where I'll be at the end of this four-month experiment, which ends July 7th. I came into this with virtually no goals, certainly none that were weight-loss related, but I've suddenly found myself with a 40-pound total loss within my grasp.

So, you know what that means, right? I'll be spending even more time away from the computer!
I've got a little less than 2 weeks to get the last 3.4 pounds off and make it a real 40-pound loss in 4 months.

Meanwhile, I wouldn't be the proud mommy (actually spelled "mami" at our house) I am without sharing pictures of my pretty girls from last weekend. Eloise, as the flower girl, performed her duties to perfection. And Posey was the life of the party. Especially when she kept everyone entertained by doing her best Darryl Hannah (you saw Splash, right?) impersonation.

Wonderful reminders that, no matter what I weigh, I'm a lucky woman.

Weigh-in Wednesday Haikus

Another five pounds --
Gone from my body this week
And let's hope for good.

Attributing it
To long walks on humid days
That keep speeding up.

My meals have been fresh --
Salads so plentiful, a
Fluffy tail has formed.

Life is chaotic:
More updates will soon appear
When things settle down.

Not haiku format --
I can't squeeze it all into
These 3-line phrases.

Saaaaaaweet!

My weekend was like a berry cobbler.

It was
a little bit surprising,
rather satisfying,
and
incredibly sweet
all at the same time.

There was one slightly
too-sour berry,
but it didn't manage to
overpower the rest of
us, er, the fruits.

I'll share more with you soon.
Please forgive me.
After such a busy weekend,
my brain is . . . yep, you guessed it . . .
cobbled.

What a girl wants

Would someone who loves me please, please, please buy me one of these?

Actually, anyone can buy one for me, but I figured only someone who really likes me, or possibly who gave birth to me, would be willing to drop more than $200 on something I'm coveting.

But, maybe you're thinking about how much songs about beets means to you, and how fond you are of the blogger who created this Place You Can Barely Live Without, and now you're just itching to show your appreciation for the fountain of witty commentary you always find here?

Maybe?

So the deal is that you take a cool photograph, and then you send it to Modern Bird Studios, and they create art for you. In case you've already got your trigger finger hovering over the "Order" button, I'm pretty partial to the ones in blue. Like this:


I'm going to be spending my weekend attempting some artistic-looking photography. With an 11-month old and a soon-to-be 3-year old. That oughta be easy. But I want to have something ready to upload right when I get that email from Modern Bird notifying me of the amazing gift purchased by my generous benefactor.

I think this is also good motivation to finally get that lemonade stand Eloise keeps talking about up and running. She suggested we price drinks at a nickel. Maybe I can convince her to up her price if I show her the cool artwork we could get with our earnings. College fund? What college fund?

Hope your weekend is fruitful!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Five pounds went to the wayside this week, which puts me at a total of 30 pounds lost since March 7th.

Wooooo hooooo!!!

I fear this excitement may be short lived, however, because of two things:
the Week O' Bloat will be upon me shortly, and right after that,
we're heading out of town for a weekend wedding (where Eloise is the flower girl -- I'm so excited to see her all dolled up!).

Although most days I feel like I have a handle on the vegan thing, I still haven't quite figured out how to make it work when I'm away from home. Pretty much every meal out has been non-vegan, in fact (but, there have only been a few in the past 3 months). Add to that the fact that I'm also trying to eat, consistently, in such a way that I continue to lose weight . . . and it all kind of makes my head spin.

I'm telling you all this so you're not disappointed when you don't see the scale go down next week. Or the week after. I know how emotional you get about my weigh-ins.

And I'm also telling you this so you send me your tips for eating healthfully while away from home.
Stick carrots in every pocket?
Arrange for a major dental procedure just before we leave that won't allow me to eat for a few days?

What else 'ya got?

Birthdays

Posey turned 11-months old today.
And the other baby I'm nurturing right now, this vegan eating experiment, turned 3-months old.

Although still in its infancy, I've already learned a lot from baby #3.
I've learned that diapers aren't cheap. No matter the size.
I've learned it's okay to fail. It's giving it a try in the first place that really matters.
And I've learned that you really do get back what you put out there. Into the universe. Into your family. Into your health. Into your . . . life.

And as I was snapping shots of Posey today to document her 11-month-ness,




it occurred to me that I've had the pleasure of feeling full of wonder for the past few months. Much like my real baby. How much delight is there in the discovery of simple things?

Like when your sister naps later than you do, and you finally get ALL the plastic accessories to yourself? (And so you hang on to them for dear life.)

Like when you are face-to-face with dazzlingly bright colors?

Like when you realize your hard work, your time, your effort, and your well-intentioned thoughts are paying off? In immeasurable benefits for yourself and your entire family?

Those are moments worth treasuring.

On birthdays and way, way beyond.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Do you think that if I cook my way through Supermarket Vegan, and blog about my experiences, they'll make a movie about me?

Beetnik Mama & Donna

Doesn't that have a nice ring to it? Cha-ching!!

Well, movie or not, I have been working my way through this great cookbook, and apparently the recipes are agreeing with me -- I lost two more pounds this week. That brings me to 25 pounds lost since March 7!

I'm really excited about that.

I'm also excited about another book I'm reading, and if you came across this blog because, like me, you have had "issues" with food, then you should pick up a copy. I haven't finished it yet, but I can already tell you I'll be reading Women Food and God at least one more time. I've been a big fan of Geneen Roth's for ages. And when I say ages, I mean I've been reading her stuff since the late 80's. So when I'd heard she was coming out with a new book, and then learned she'd be discussing it on Oprah, I was very interested.

This book is most certainly speaking to me. Her others did, too, but maybe I wasn't in the right place yet to hear what they were saying? I mean, I just told you I've been reading her stuff for 20+ years, but I clearly still don't have a handle on my weight nor have I managed to lose weight and actually keep it off. But, I'm listening now, and I'd love to discuss some of Geneen's ideas with you. Let me know if you are reading or have read this exceptional book!