PinkNinja

1. I'm doing well with sticking to the NS program. I only had one meal off in the last week.  I got some new food in that was some of their "limited time only" items. The variety is helping me get back into it.

2. I scoped out the frozen section of the closest Wal-Mart. There's not much veggie diversity there. I did buy a couple of new things to try, though. Mostly weird flavors of broccoli. I also got a package of mushrooms because I keep forgetting they count as veggies (with NS). I love mushrooms.

3. I spent money on dog training. I found a trainer only an hour away. Turtle likes her and I think having the help with him will be good for both of us. The first lesson went well, and he's realized that it carries over to my house, not just hers. lol 
Other than that, I've stuck to that goal well. It helps that I got a warranty replacement on my backpacking pack. I bought a NorthFace Women's Pivotal 60 almost 15 years ago. In the fall, part of it broke. I figured it wasn't warranty related, but that if I sent it in, they might be able to repair it. A few weeks ago, I got an email that said they haven't made that pack in years and couldn't get replacement parts, but would I accept a gift card comparable to the value of the pack. I said yes and a day later received an email with an e-card for well over the amount I paid for the pack. I called to double check the amount and they said I was obviously a long time customer and a great brand representative, so they felt I deserve an upgrade.
Well my new pack came in and it's purty! It will carry a slightly larger load and has most of the same features as my old one, but is lighter. I also had enough extra to get a couple small things I thought might be handy and a hat for my guy. I'll have to post pictures later.   Now I need to plan a trip to use it! I haven't gone backpacking since I started working here. I miss living closer to mountains.

I have made lots of progress on my sewing project. My mom's napkins are 2/3 done. I plan on being finished by Friday. My niece's "helped" and now they want cloth napkins for their houses. So I'm going to make some half-sized Paw Patrol ones for them.

I've not done any recreational reading this past week. I need to work on reading before bed instead of playing Hearthstone. I'm hooked on it lately. I wouldn't be if I could get my board/card game fix elsewhere! Or that's one of the arguments I'm using to guilt my family into a semi-scheduled and regular board game night.  I was even playing it WHILE I SEWED Friday night.

So altogether, I'm doing pretty well on my challenge. I'll be really happy to start getting some of my projects finished. I was going to have 3 days off this weekend, Fri-Sun and was considering a trip but the weather has not been cooperative and now I pretty much HAVE to swim test my potential lifeguards on Saturday or Sunday. 

On 4/25/2018 at 1:43 PM, Teirin said:

Doing ok with NS this week?

Yes! I flexed one meal and ate off plan for one meal. 
Flexing fits the program and I said I'd allow a couple meals off. I used it well. My dad is leaving for a job today and made us all dinner last night.

Wickles red pepper relish makes wonderful deviled eggs.

I stuck to the food plan for day 3.

Gotta go get groceries tomorrow or Thursday while I'm off.

I didn't buy the thing.
Something I wanted to order for a couple of weeks but in no way need was in an e-newsletter. I clicked, added it to my cart and then stopped. 
I closed the page and unsubscribed from the e-newsletter.
I am proud of me and yet sad that I'm proud of that.

It sounds like you had a good zero week!

I'm working on almost the opposite of your snack goal. I need to add snacks, but make sure they stay healthy. I'm terrible about skipping meals and snacks. I've bought some V8 and individually packaged nuts to keep at work so I'll have something on hand. I've also got the Epic jerky bars that Teirin got me hooked on.

On 4/22/2018 at 9:13 AM, Luciana Valerosa Culming said:

I learned to sometimes take a break and delegate stuff.

Yay for delegation!! Double yay for breaks!! 

I'm glad you are incorporating both, though I know it can be a hard thing to do.

On 4/20/2018 at 1:51 PM, Luciana Valerosa Culming said:

Are you still a park ranger? I'm looking forward to follow you again.

Yep. I doubt I change career paths anytime soon. I may change locations, though! lol But in July, I'll have been at this park for 2 years.

Thanks!

I'm doing a challenge.

1. Get back on track with NS. Follow their plan for 5-6/7 days a week. (I say 5-6 because if Dad or Mom invite me for dinner, I'm going. lol )
I took a break from NutriSystem, mostly. Between all the stuff going on with my sister's wedding and then birthday after birthday, I just got off track. I didn't do too poorly. I gained 4 lbs back of what I lost. I need to get back on NS totally.  I also need to do better about using "flex" meals, where I follow their nutrition requirements but with my own food. It'll help keep me from getting so burnt out on their food. Though they have started having "limited time only" items. I'm going to take advantage of those as well. I have enough in stock from skipping that I can use my regular orders to stock up on the limited ones that I like. Like the chipotle beef & broccoli bowl that is delicious but rarely available. 

2. Embrace veggie diversity! One new vegetable-centered recipe/cooking method/heat&eat side dish per week.
I need new lower-calorie vegetable recipes. I'm trying to change my diet to eat more vegetables than meat. I've been eating a ton of roasted broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, Brussel sprouts, and asparagus. I'm getting worn out on it even though I vary the seasonings quite a bit.  I had already burnt myself out on sauteed spinach  & kale. So, every week, I have to try at least 1 new vegetable recipe/method of cooking/flavor. I'm especially interested in frozen ones that I can zap in the microwave because getting to a store with a decent produce section is easily a half-day excursion, so I need to branch out with frozen vegetables. I recently tried steamed ranch broccoli that was frozen. It was better than I expected. 

3. Only spend money on food, fuel, and dog food, for the entire challenge. Oh except laundry detergent. I think I'm almost out.

I need tires. I need a better emergency fund. I'd like a new laptop. I have a loaner laptop for a while. So I need to save up for tires and pad my accounts with more emergency money. I am going to stop using my credit card and PayPal for the challenge.  The only exception to the not spending money I will make is if my sister is able to take off and we go to the climbing gym. I will spend $23 for equipment rental and climbing time.

4. Finish at least 1 project at home. At a minimum, make significant progress on another. 
Good grief. I've been bouncing around from project to project for too long, lately. I've got weaving projects on two different looms, two sewing projects spread out across my kitchen table, an LED project on my desk, and a wood project under my porch. I've made small amounts of progress on each one over the last couple of months but I've not made significant progress on anything. I need to just pick one, focus on it, get it done, and move on to the next. I forgot a loom. I've got 3 weaving projects but one is really small.  I also started learning Java on Khan Academy.

5. Finish 2 of my in progress books. Don't start a new one until at least 2 are done.

I have never done this before, but now I'm bouncing around in books as much as projects. I'm nearly finished with a communications book, halfway through TWO different dog training books, 4% into a lengthy audiobook about the science of disgust, and 25% into "Accidental Medical Discoveries".  And on page 9 of a reread of The Gunslinger.

**Bonus**
Get kayak rack (   ) mounted on top of my car.
Go kayaking at least once. My first tour for this season is May 27.

This week I'm not as short of breath and it doesn't hurt to take a breath unless it's really deep. I'm not coughing as much.
Pleurisy is evil.

I didn't walk with Turtle every day. But I think that was for the best. 

As for my list. I got most of it done.

Renew EMT license I'm good for 2 more  years. But unless I find an ambulance service to be affiliated with, after that, I won't be able to renew.

Pare down to 7 t-shirts (NO MORE!) 
Sort of. I got rid of a lot of shirts, quite a few clothes in general. But I'm not down to 7. I am down to over half of what I had though. All of my t-shirts and my white work shirts fit in one drawer with room to spare. I also got rid of extra socks. Now all my socks and undies fit in one drawer. I rebuilt all the drawers on my dresser. I need to go through shorts and pants, now.
Catch up on laundry When you start throwing stuff away instead of washing it, you get caught up pretty quickly.
Clean kitchen counter off (ie dispose of the wedding crap littering my countertop)  My kitchen looks 100x  better. I got rid of a few more things, including some skillets I'd be hesitant to get rid of before. I rearranged some stuff. It's still too small and I still need to do some work in it, mostly some food I need to eat or give/throw away (Anyone want some isopasta?)

Clean off dining room table My sewing machine and Mom's napkins are still on the table. But everything else is gone, so I'm giving it to me. I'm going to finish the napkins next challenge because I'll be home more. 
Finish Mom's napkins (cus they're on the table)  -- Nope
Clean off desk in extra room so I can move the sewing machine back where it goes  I did clean it off, but I decided to leave the machine where it is for now.
Empty one plastic tote in extra room  Emptied 2. Woohoo!
Clean off coffee table Threw some of the stuff on it away and got it cleaned off except for my photo book that stays there.
Clear couch It is totally cleared except my soft blanket and Turtle's throw that he never sits on because he prefers the back of the couch to the cushions. 

I feel like I've been a bum, but looking at that list, I've done more than I thought. I could've done more though.
I was going to get my laptop fixed but it's actually cheaper if I downgrade a little (which I want a smaller one anyway) and just buy a new one. Any tips?

I've been an exercise bum, for sure. I didn't even take a single shot at the dragon. I haven't done anything but walk some.

I've also been a nutrition bum. I've been on the road quite a bit, and had a couple birthdays. So I've eaten out a lot. I used "Oh I'm sick. And I've been blowing it anyway.. Just one more because I'm really craving...." I got back on the Nutrisystem plan yesterday. Until dinner. Then I realized I had leftovers from before and ate sausage and eggs. but I still was within calories. So today will be all NS. I'm going to stick to it all week. This weekend though is my guy's birthday. I'm not going to eat NS but I'm going to stick to the calorie limit. I've gained back 6 lbs of the weight I've lost. Though I had soda Saturday, so I think some of it is water weight and I'll be lower tomorrow because I only drank water yesterday and today.

I started training Turtle. I need to dedicate more time to it. He picks up things quickly and is doing well. I'm going to foster a dog for the shelter. There was drama but in the end, it worked out. It's an older, very calm dog. I'm hoping he's a good influence on Turtle, and vice versa. He's supposed to be here today. I hope they get along so I can foster him.

Time to work on the new challenge. And show up for it.

My niece spent the night. She was missing her mom and I put in a movie to distract her. I had just gotten a second hand television for her room but no dvdplayer. So I set my laptop on top of the television.
This morning she was going to get my laptop for me. I went to stop her but we dropped it. The screen is broken very badly.   :'( 

Stuck with it all day. No soda. No candy. No comfort cups of easy mac.

It helped that I told myself if I stuck to it all day, that meant I got to eat a NS brownier for dessert. 

I'm interviewing people for lifeguard positions today. Wish me luck!

Some of my coworkers are taking bets on how many people show up and how many people show up fully dressed.  I'm betting on at least one pair of house shoes.

Today I'm getting back on track with the NS plan.

So far so good.

Remember last challenge when I said this:

Quote

 

The budget is done. Everything I could do on it has been submitted. Aside from answering questions about things I put in there ( like the $995k cabin renovation 0.0 ) I shouldn't have to deal with it for a few months.

 

It was a lie. The last two days have been spent correcting mistakes that were the result of information not passed along to me, like comparing fiscal year revenue to past calendar year revenue. Anwyay. It should be done now. It's due to legislature soon, so they can't want too much more changed or they won't meet their deadline. lol
 

On 3/21/2018 at 10:55 AM, Kishi said:

Regarding breathing, have you tried the Wim Hoff Method? I'm not sure how safe it would be, but it's all about deep breathing and control, and it can have some pretty potent results. It might help you with getting your lungs back on track.

 

Otherwise... yeah. You take it easy and get back on all 8 cylinders.

 

I looked this up and it's interesting.  I think I may look at it some other time, but right now, it's a little deeper than I meant. The cold therapy is really interesting, especially since I get cold really easily but I like playing outside on  mountains in snow. 

For now, though,  I just need to make sure I breathe normally and don't breath shallow because of the pain. Typically with pleurisy, since it hurts, people breath more shallow to avoid the pain. So the lungs don't fully inflate, so the mucus that's making them hurt makes them get stickier and hurt more. So you keep breathing shallow.  So it gets even worse. You have this positive feedback loop for lung issues that can result in pneumonia. Which you may have known all that, but I shouldn't have referred to it as deep breathing, more breathing normally. lol
 

On 3/21/2018 at 4:27 PM, Starkanda said:

Hi! I'm in recuperation mode this time around too! <high-five>

Hope you make your cleaning goals, I have the giant laundry pile on mine

Recuperating sucks. You feel better but you can't be 100.. lol Thanks! 
I am going to get rid of a bunch of clothes so that I don't a giant pile anymore! I hate folding it. The rest is easy.  I got rid of quite a few last night.

On 3/20/2018 at 4:34 PM, Lou_be_Lou said:

Oh no re lungs that don't want to play nice!

Sounds like getting healthy again should be near the top of your list.  A bit of self care?

All the more energetic goals can just backburner for a bit until you can breathe.

 

Good goals. 

Thanks. I decided to take it easier in the evenings. I've only been spending 20 minutes on cleaning and then relaxing easy stuff the rest of the time. So far, I've played Oblivion some, worked on my personal budget, and done some weaving. But I've also been on call for work and people have been spring break needy.. :| But other than that, takin' it easy! 

I cleaned out my shirts yesterday.
Tonight shall be stress free.
Except for the dog. But he doesn't mean to.

Can I do the goblet squats with a dumbbell? I don't have any kettlebells but I've got dumbbells and a barbell.

It still hurts to breathe, but if I don't make sure I take deep breaths, it'll get worse. I could even get pneumonia. So I think some regular deep breathing is in order.

If I start feeling better, I'll add some training goals. But for now, I'm going to stick to some simple things. Things got a little crazy this past week with my sister's wedding coming up. But she's married now and my house, my diet, and my routine are disasters. So I'm going to work on getting back on track.

1. Stop using my credit unless it's covered with $$ in my account. So track everything in YNAB and stop buying stuff. No purchases that are not fuel, food, or necessary house supplies (ie pretty much just dog food)

2. Walk Turtle for at least 15 minutes a day

3. Meditate with deep breathing for a total of 3 minutes a day.

4. Complete the cleaning list below & work on decluttering

Renew EMT license

Pare down to 7 t-shirts (NO MORE!)
Catch up on laundry
Clean kitchen counter off (ie dispose of the wedding crap littering my countertop)

Clean off dining room table
Finish Mom's napkins (cus they're on the table)
Clean off desk in extra room so I can move the sewing machine back where it goes
Empty one plastic tote in extra room
Clean off coffee table
Clear couch
 

Pissed off cause I still can't breathe. One of the medicines is giving me a terrible metallic taste in my mouth.
I'm craving steak and chinese food. Can't really do those at the same time, and probably shouldn't do either.
My sister says: she needs more moss before Saturday, I need to buy a pair of maroon skinny jeans/jeggings before Saturday, and I need to take easy before Saturday..(Her wedding is Saturday)
I don't think I can do those at the same time either. 

My new, supposedly, super duper sports bra is supposed to come in today. I'm looking forward to trying it out. 

I was going to start running after I got it. They've renewed the discussion on sending me to law enforcement training because of the incident a couple weeks ago. I said I'd go, so I need to be able to do 1.5 miles in less than 17 minutes, 19 push-ups in 1 minute, and 25 sit-ups in 1 minute. I need to get busy. Once I can breathe again. They still haven't decided for sure. The guy that said I was "too nice" last time is gone and the guy that laughed at that statement is in charge now, so *shrug* I just want help here. Whether it's me or they send me someone that's already been.

Welp.
I've found myself with a bit of pleurisy. 
I don't like it when it hurts to breathe.

I had a great day yesterday though. I hung out with my sister.  Then I went kayaking to gather spanish moss for her wedding next week. 

The budget is done. Everything I could do on it has been submitted. Aside from answering questions about things I put in there ( like the $995k cabin renovation 0.0 ) I shouldn't have to deal with it for a few months. I made a list of everything I had to do so I can do it throughout the year instead of all in February next year. I also made a list of the other things I had to do in February and I'm splitting them up in the few months beforeThere's a really good chance I'll be by myself next year because my boss is retiring sometime after the first of the year. Even if he doesn't retire until June 2019, I doubt he'll be into budgeting in his last couple of months. Though, he really wasn't this year either. lol 
Now I'm going to get back to leaving work on time. We're approaching spring break but it may not be as busy as usual due to flooding. The lake is "closed" right now. By the time spring break gets here, the river will be flooding.
I'm going to focus on getting a handle on a daily routine and creating a timeline at work that will help prevent future craziness of working entirely too much.

On 2/27/2018 at 9:56 PM, sarakingdom said:

My radishes are really nice, so I stuck them in the fridge. They are a pretty bright pink. The carrots are a little too salty (though just a little bit) and not very tangy. Though I used iodized salt, which I now gather is a bad idea, so maybe the carrots just brined instead of pickling properly. I was seeing fermentation bubbles, but not tons. Or maybe they just need more time.

 

I want to do a jar of garlic, and a jar of sliced onions, maybe some ginger. And maybe some sauerkraut with hot pepper and ginger.

I've garlic and onions, but not ginger. I've been thinking about doing a hot pepper relish. I tried a fermented spicy sandwich spread that I really liked and wanted to try to copy it.

On 3/2/2018 at 11:37 AM, Teirin said:

How are things?

Wet! lol It's still raining. The lake had started to go down, but then it started raining again. The river is starting to go up, so I've got it coming from both sides.

I'm glad I'm home though. 

I went to training from Sunday to Thursday. I did really well nutrition wise but not so much activity wise. I need to get back at it today. I had my nieces Friday and Saturday. They were a handful.
I've lost 22 lbs in total since Jan. 7th.

I need to get with the balance and strength training. I'm getting excited to try climbing after I've lost so much weight.

13 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Wow. sounds like it was an ordeal for you this weekend. I'm glad to hear you made it through!

Thanks.
And now I'm in trouble for handling stuff apparently? My boss's boss is confusing me.

I'm getting used to being the last stop instead of being able to call a boss. When I was talking to the sheriff I kept thinking "They really need to be talking to somebody in charge." Then it clicked that they were. ugh. (except apparently, my boss's boss thinks I should have called my boss and waited on him despite the fact that he was 2.5 hours away)

But yeah. I handled it and survived. I got a great night's sleep last night. My first aid students all look half dead though. I couldn't coax answers out of them even with tootsie rolls.

12 hours ago, Happienumber said:

Oh my God your life sounds like a tv show!

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
 

I would hope that if it were a tv show I'd be paid more. LOL

It's not usually as crazy as the weekend was. I swear. I was the only uniform person in the park this weekend, so none of the craziness was split up. Usually, we share the crazy as evenly as possible between at least 2 of us.

Just now, sarakingdom said:

You do lactofermentation, right? I put some of my first attempt in my lunch today, so I'm going to see how it turned out. I meant to start with sauerkraut, but I had some baby carrots and radishes that wanted to get used up.

Yeah! I'm glad you brought it up. I remembered I have some sauerkraut that will be ready to eat when I get home. Brightened my day a little.
My first time I had 4 jars. One was carrots, one was cauliflower, one was radishes, and one was sauerkraut, but I used coleslaw mix so it had carrots and stuff in it. I've not made sauerkraut with just cabbage. I've used the slaw mix several times. I've thought about trying it with the slaw mix that also has broccoli slow in it.
Everything but the sauerkraut was too salty my first time. I've not had a batch go bad yet though. My dad liked the too salty ones, but his taste is off.
I hope yours work out! Please tell me how it goes. I mixed cauliflower and radishes. They traded colors. It was kinda neat.
 

Nothing this weekend happened as I had planned because: 

1. Drugs are bad
2. People are dumb

3. Floods are not fun.

The highlight of my weekend was opening the door wearing Batman pajama pants and a white t-shirt while holding my 9 mm to find a sheriff's deputy on my step. He was speechless.
Also not there because of anything I did. Just to clarify.
I'm out of my park to teach first aid. I did well(ish, I didn't eat all my meals) on nutrition today. Better than I expected.
But since I'm not in my park, there is no reason anyone should wake me up for anything, so good night ya'll.

8 hours ago, Happienumber said:

You're workout room looks great! Bummer about the sleep walking, has that happened before or is it new?

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Thanks. I'm pretty happy about it. And it's in the only room where the door latches, so I can have it puppy free. Makes it easier to do yoga. lol

I've been sleepwalking for years. It's usually when I'm stressed. So that makes sense right now. lol But budgets are almost over and my part will be completely done today. I was actually finished yesterday but they sent an email yesterday at 4 that said I had to rename all of my files because they want the priority in the file name. So I'm doing that right now in between driving the park to check the water levels.

I have a space!

The blanket is to fold up for headstands. The blue puddle is the deflated exercise ball. The chair is for dips and to use a bench for stuff like dumbbell rows. Ignore the boxes  in front of the desk and the loom on the wall.
I had to move a phone jack and a wall mount for an old television (both left by previous person) to get a good corner, but I have one. And I'm happy. I spent pretty much all day working on it.
I did a strength workout Monday. I plan to do one tomorrow. That'll be 2 for the week. I enjoyed it on Monday. I was able to do everything easily except the push ups. I suck at those so much. I think I may make a daily thing of push ups next challenge.

I'm pretty much caught up at work and it's not even last minute.
I'm worried about the flooding. We've got a couple of docks that might not survive. Including this pier where my sister plans to get married soon.

I'm leaving Sunday to go teach first aid. I think I've got a pretty solid plan for taking my Nutrisystem food. I saved a bunch of shelf stable meals for this week. And I'm going to take my backpack stove to cook it. The provided buffet will have a salad bar. I hope they overlook me sneaking in a packet of NS tuna salad to go on my salad.  lol

I am going to schedule some basket weaving and regular weaving classes to get rid of my stashes. That will eliminate those boxes.

I've only done the warrior flow once this week. I need to make time to do it today.

I've had success with continuing my evening routine except for the going to bed part. I've not been sleeping well and when I do, I'm sleep walking. Apparently last night sleep me decided that both pairs of glasses belonged in the fridge. Awake me is not amused.

On 2/17/2018 at 3:54 PM, RisenPhoenix said:

It really is always about moving forward. Rarely are things perfect.

Yeah,
I'll probably never get my black belt because when I had the opportunity I thought "oh I can go next time" .
I thought I was too fat (I wish I was that weight!), too slow, and needed too much practice. My teachers really tried to get me to go. I didn't realize how far away I'd go after college. SO I thought Hey, I'll work on it and go next semester. 

Wish I'd went.