Sharley's (insert catchy journal title here)

[jhderm]

Hi Sharley,
Love your picture. Love your smile.
Thanks for sharing some stuff about you. Yes, I know all about ornery people- deal with them every day, all over the place. Takes patience and energy out of you.
Funnily enough, I have been a single mother for 10 years as well, my only son is 12 1/2 and the joy of my life. His dad is in the picture, but of course, not financially, and if it's inconvenient, he shakes off responsibility. I have managed so far, but I would sure not be ready to take on more than full time grandmother duties. In fact, I am considering buying a gun to make sure no woman gets too close to my boy ! Well, not buying one yet, I am just thinking of it.
In my previous life, I was a musician, then changed direction and ended up in med school, and now I am a dermatologist (hence the name). I am enjoying it a lot since I like what I do and most of my patients are nice people. We are just as slowed down by the recession as everybody else, since people are careful of not spending too much, and of course the overhead stays the same. But, I won't complain, bec I get to do something that I like every day, and that counts for a lot.
My life goes from boring (work, go home, do nothing on the weekend some weeks) to crazy- work, go home, plus events, birthdays, parties, 5 kids for Halloween night, etc etc, so I am sometimes just like the energizer bunny, going and going. But meeting you here is always fun, and I love your sense of humor, your writing style and your BIG HEART. I hope we will keep going together and walk the beach until and after reaching our goal.
Meanwhile, get rid of the pumpkin pie, it's TOO GOOD! Best is not to tempt yourself if you can avoid it. Personally, I am like Gypsie- addicted and can't stop eating the stuff I LOVE, so I don't start if I can avoid it...
My first added "food" in P2 this week is the wine, LOLOLOL, let's see if I can keep losing wt with it. My old nutritionist used to swear that each glass stops you from losing for one day. I hope she was WRONG!
How did the day go for you?
jh

[SharleyBloom]

Gypsie, you are so right, about the can't eat just one. Here I was so smug about my will power passing on the mountains of candy and sweets and treats and potatoes and such that have passed through the house since the beginning of SB (and I do the shopping!). I'm not so smug today. I know what you're saying about the skinny girls... problem is, I'm a skinny girl inside screaming to get out... and I keep feeding her pie to shut her up!

We're in this together! Thanks!

[SharleyBloom]

OMG Courtney! I was standing in the pizza place to get the Girl Scouts pizza and I heard Christmas music too! But as suddenly as it came, it shut off. I think they knew we were nearly ready to riot! LOL! I'm back and I'm trying really hard to be focused... and not whine! Thanks for supporting me!

Here I am still, walking the beach!

[SharleyBloom]

Hey Judi!

I really appreciate your visits here. Your support means a great deal. I actually look forward to reading your posts when I get up in the morning or as I wander to bed. Thanks for noticing my picture. It was one of the few moments I was having fun, last New Years, I believe. My eldest DD is 26, married to a software engineer, has 3 babes (8,2,1) and was a stay at home mom until she decided it was time to return to college. This is the DD that we currently live with. My 2nd DD is 23, married to a firefighter/paramedic, is a paramedic herself and has a son (2) and expecting her second child in May. My DS is 18 and he moved into the dorms for his freshman year at Western Michigan University the same time we moved out here. He is a writer at heart, but is up in the air regarding his major. My 3rd DD is 13 and is with me. She's adjusting beautifully to her new school and is a wonderful girl, being a teenager not withstanding. All that said, at the beginning of being single it was a struggle, but it was a kinder world then. As it continued, the challanges grew and a darkness began to set in. Sometimes I still see the edges hanging around. But, that's okay. I can deal with it when I see it coming. I have tools that I use such as sleep and diet and activity to keep it at bay. I have always said that my sole goal was to raise the children to become civilized adults and I believe I'm 3 for 4 at the moment and the 4th one shows promise. I'm not going to kid anyone and say that I am responsible for their successes. I claim that they've become wonderful people inspite of my best efforts to sabotage them with the poor choices I've made in my life. (My support system says different, but what do they know!) I am a writer at heart but unfortunately my employment has always been by necessity rather than choice. Eventually the economy caught up with me and change became necessary at the same time it became necessary for my DD. So, here we are. I basically am reinventing myself and I'm not going to lie, it's damn difficult.

YOU are making it easier. Sometimes it's easier to connect with people that can't hold your history against you. So, as I am typing this I am going to thank you again for taking me down a path I needed to visit. By responding to you, I am realizing that now that I am the Grandma, I could be writing one of the five books stuck in my brain during naptime!

So, tell me about the transition from musician to physician. What an interesting choice. Did you wake up one day and think to yourself "Skin, I want to do skin."? (I'm figuring probably not! LOL!) I can relate totally to the work-to-controlled-chaos schedule. That's been one of the harder parts of my adjustment. I'm learning I don't have to be go, go, GO all the time. It's really, really, really strange! What do you do for YOU? Inquiring minds want to know.

Yes, I would absolutely love walking the beach with my new friend. I'm done with the pie (and no it's not gone), but I'm determined to be done because I'm saying I'm done, not because I don't have any. I can't do the out of sight, out of mind thing or I'll have a recipe for disaster when I do come across it. I have to just understand that I don't eat that way anymore when it's sitting right in front of me. It is what it is.

Recipe for the chicken I had tonight because it was so Yummy and EASY.... Mix 1/2C or whatever close amount of s/f Welche's Raspberry Jam with 1TBS dijon mustard, salt and pepper in bowl. Place chicken breasts in baking dish, paint top with mixture. If you don't contaminate the sauce in the bowl, you can use the rest after it cooks to dip the chicken into. Bake until breasts are done on 350 degree oven. This was amazing. The recipe I found on here says to cook the breasts on the grill and paint with the sauce as it cooks. I'm far too lazy for that.

This week's add in has been a carb. Kind of mixed this around a bit to see what I like and don't like. I wish I liked wine. Sadness.

Goal for tomorrow: Stay SB compliant for the WHOLE day, and decide which book I'm going to start writing. Can't wait to hear from you!

[bevvbevv]

Sharley, if you're reading this now, GO WRITE YOUR BOOK! I get the feeling you need to do that for yourself, and I want to read it!

Jhderm: Drink your wine:-). I've never heard that before. In fact, I studied abroad in Belgium for a year and gained tons of weight my first two host families. When I arrived in family 3, who'd met me prior to the weight gain, my host mom took one look at me and plopped me on weight watchers with her. Our version of point expenditure allowed for two glasses of red wine a day, and I lost almost all the weight I'd gained. Now wine does give me the munchies if I drink too much of it apart from a meal, but that's a my only issue.

[SharleyBloom]

Okay, okay! Going.

[Gypsie]

Good morning Sharley,

I'm a skinny girl inside screaming to get out... and I keep feeding her pie to shut her up!

That made me giggle. I certainly got a mentle picture. A pie shaped pacifier.

[purenavygirl]

Beth, chicka! Today, sometime, I'm going to get moving. I swear!

Did you find an activity that wasn't too "painful"?

I find saying "activity" sounds much more appealing than "exercise"...

[bonnie is back]

hey sharley ,what happen to kathy, ? have not heard from her .busy i guess . i left a post that i was going back to weight watchers .but i am staying here ,i just don't here from anyone, i was loving the support and then it stopped....i guess i have more time to post than most . well anyway i am still doing ok ,bounceing back and forth on a lb....my body is so stuborn......i t will go sooner or later......have a good day,,,,,

[SharleyBloom]

Well, I'm gonna start here and then I'm going back to the beginning when I used to read ALL the posts. I learned so much then and was inspired.

It's been a rough week for me and not just because of SB. I didn't have anything tragic happen, just a bit of the darkness wandering up around my edges. So, I'm going to do what I know... sleep well, eat right (yay SB!) and move.

Judi, where, oh where have you gone? I'm going to go back and read some posts and see if I'm missing you wandering off on a trip or something!

Bevv, thanks for the encouragement to write! I didn't actually write, but I did decide which type of book I want to begin with, now I'm working on the story in my brain. You studied in Belgium? How much fun was that? What was the most interesting thing you learned?

Gypsie, I think life would just stink without humor. Don't you? LOL!

Beth, you're right! I like "activity" better. Fortunately no matter how much I fight it, I have stairs I have to go up and down all day, so to say that I don't ever move would be inaccurate. But, I'm gonna step it up (pun intended!).

Bonnie, what can I say? Hang tight sista! Sometimes the boards are very quiet, but that doesn't really mean no one is here for you. Let's walk the beach!

For all of you that have been keeping track, Fu (kitty) is acting like himself lately. Last night I took his cone off his neck. He was so grateful. Now we'll see if he continues on the "right" road. I guess it's sort of like him being on South Beach! LOL!

[Gypsie]

Sharley,

If I couldn't laugh at the things that go on in my life... I would have to commit myself to the looney bin.

[bonnie is back]

hey sharley have you ever ate the ezekiel bread. it is
not made with flour ,it is made with all kinds of sprouts , so i am eating that.

[SharleyBloom]

I've never heard of that. Where do you get it? Is it good?

[joesuzzi]

Definately good bread.............look for it in ther freezer section....right next to the frozen dinner rolls and other frozen breads.
Also wanted to Thank ya for the support .......life is good.......just too full of drama !
*
I know about the darkness that can creep up on you.........but just knowing that it is present is 1/2 of the battle, right? Believe it ...or not ........."activity" helps push those blues away.....as awful as it sounds...it is true !!

[joesuzzi]

I am just a tad concerned Michelle.................you are normally around........so what's up ??
I am kind of missing our "social butterfly" !