The country mouse goes to town...

On Friday 13th December I was just sitting here on my Pat Malone, Facebooking away, and (FB) chatting to a friend and as she signed off to go do something productive she asked this question:

To which I replied:

Secret Santa? NAILED IT!!...

Last week Madam Lash and her three minions ~ Minion B, Minion T & Moi, went to dinner for our Christmas party and to celebrate our year of achievements. 

I'm the one in the Santa suit...

Sunday 1st December 2013 was a big day for me, to start with I had to get up at 6 o'clock.

Mensem intolerabilis...

Mensem intolerabilis (Latin)
a terrible month

There have been a few times when I haven't blogged regularly, I didn't think anything of particular interest had happened, so I didn't post.  But then I thought about how therapeutic writing can be for me  and if it's therapeutic for me to write then it must be doing you immeasurable good to read   so I made myself a promise to post more regularly than once a month, I was thinking at least weekly would be good - a weekly round up so to speak.  I had also made plans to really buckle down in this round, and give it my all.  I was chomping at the bit to get started...

You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men.  They often go awry.

You know you're losing weight when...

There are signs that we look for when we're losing weight, like needing to buy new clothes. A perennial favourite of mine, it absolutely never ever gets old.

There was a middle aged woman who swallowed a fly...

Ambulator - noun
A person who walks.

Today is a landmark day because today I became an official Ambulator, a person who walks.  I could have been a Rambler, an Ambler, or even a Stroller, but they were all a little, well, pedestrian.

Nobody ever tells you about the down side of losing weight...

They don't do they?

It's like when you're pregnant.  No one ever tells you about what you're going to go through before you get knocked up do they??

Some things change, some remain the same...

When weight loss happens, relationships can change, some for the better and others not.

Hubby's on a health kick...

BM applied for a new job on 24th February this year, and finally heard back from the recruitment company handling the applications last week.

These things can't be rushed...

Another one bites the dust!...

Two weeks ago Bernice, another of Madam Lash's Minions, sent me a flyer on FB for Singleton Triathlon Club's, of which Madam Lash is a member,  very first annual Fun Run, and asked would I be doing it.

You say tomayto, I say tomarto...

Say what you wanna say, and let the words fall out, honestly I wanna see you be brave...

Mish goes to America...

As we all know, Mish is taking her amazing 12WBT program to the good old US of A.

Getting back into it ~ or ~ New Shoes and a HRM...

After being crook for so long, and not being able to train, or even go for a decent walk while at the farm I decided to treat myself with a new pair of shoes.

My first ever FFS post...

I have decided to do a FFS  post.  It will be my first ever FFS  post... and it's a doozy, in fact, I would go so far as to say it's EPIC... 

Madam Lash, Ironwoman...

I'm going to do a bit of bragging today, and introduce you all to someone very special to me, my wonderful friend and Personal Torturer Trainer, Madam Lash aka Sarah Dunn.

The best laid plans of mice and men (or in this case women)...

Don't you hate getting all fired up for something only to have it fizzle at your feet just when it's supposed to kick off??

That's what's happened to me.

I'm sick.  I'm dying

What I should have done in Round 2...

I should  have done the pre-season tasks in Round 2, but I didn't...

What do you hate more...?

Six little words that have made a world of difference came from a complete stranger.

Guess who did a FUN RUN!?

I think I'm always gonna have trouble with that... Fun Run...  I'd be happier with 'Amusing Walk'.

Wagons, and the falling off thereof...

I'm the sort of person, who wonders where the everyday sayings in our speech come from.

Party Tricks...

Have you ever done something weird?

Just for shits 'n' gigs?

Ready, Set aaand...

Face-plant - demonstrating a more Freestyle Technique

...and this is now.

Some time last week, I can't recall exactly when where or how, I came across the website for the Hunter Valley Marathon, and I checked it out.

I expect you're thinking I must be ill...

That was then...

Here we are at the beginning of Week 2, in Round 2 for 2013, and I'm feeling rather different than I was at this stage of Round 1.

CH-CH-Changes...

12 weeks down and 108 weeks to go!

What do you do with all the blobby bits?...

I went back to training yesterday, for the first time in many months, and LOVE  LOVE  LOVED  IT!!





Madam Lash never goes easy on anyone, and she certainly didn't go easy on me yesterday... 

at least I don't think she did...

You can call me Mrs Ellis...

I have had the most wonderful weekend ever!

On Saturday I married my gentle giant, and I couldn't be happier.

Still can't get the smile off my face...

Dress drama update...

Well, as predicted, the 'woman' reneged on the much promised refund.

The week from hell - a Big Day post...

As you all may have read in previous posts, I am getting married soon - in 2 weeks actually...

WHOAH!!

The knock-on effect...

I've received heaps of encouragement from my entire  family and friends over the 7 weeks I've been on 12WBT, but no more so than that given by DD, who as I've mentioned before, is paying for me to do the program, BM by rethinking what sort of things he would normally buy for me as a 'treat', and BFF, just by being a willing and understanding ear as well as giving me odd not so gentle nudge when it's needed.

Meet Josh...

Today is DS's 22nd birthday, so I thought I'd share with you all, a mother's pride.  Her Son.

The Great Caramel Incident...

After sharing my EPIC FAIL with the Spicy Roasted Chickpeas, and receiving heaps of reassuring feedback from everyone, I've decided to share a story that with be catalogued in our family history for generations to come to laugh mercilessly about.

The monkey on my back...

To have a monkey on one's back is to have a huge problem that follows you around, and is very very difficult to get rid of.

My wheels fell off...

Last night the wheels fell off my little red wagon.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas! nom nom nom...

Last night, after drooling for several few weeks over the Spicy Roasted Chickpea recipe, I decided to make them.

OMG Blogger! Really?...

I don't know what has happened, but Blogger seems to be having a 'moment'...

*WARNING* Depressing wedding post imminent...

There is now only 4 weeks to go until The Big Day.

Extreme ironing...

As part of the prep for Our Big Day - that's what I have decided to call it as I don't like the word 'wedding' when applied to our very rapidly approaching nuptials, see earlier post about pretty young things and meringues - I bought copious amounts of hessian (aka burlap), 25 metres of the stuff in fact!  It will be gracing the tables as runners, the chairs as covers, and whatever else I can think of for it to do.  Useful stuff hessian.

Grapes are the new chocolate...

I admit it, I'm a chocoholic.  I love chocolate.  Chocolate cake, chocolate bikkies, blocks of chocolate, chocolate topping, currently channeling Bubba from Forrest Gump... chocolate ice-cream, chocolate milk, hot chocolate, iced chocolate, chocolate scented candles...  hell, once I even had chocolate scented shower gel, and combined with the kiwi & mango shampoo, I was smelling like a bit of a fruit salad for a while.

A little bit of wisdom...

I've realised it,

now I have to learn the lesson, and put it into practice.

The Blame Game...

It turns out I'm a blamer.

It's a bit of a shock really, as I thought that I pretty much had my baggage handled.  Apart from the whole emotional eating thing...

If Animals Would Eat at McDonalds

Never seen a better Friday Funny.

Off the beaten track...

This post is a little different from my usual, but it can help with your 12WBT exercise and calorie burn...

Hell, it could be your SSS providing you moved it to a Sunday.

Officially fantabulous...

Alarm goes off - hit snooze...

She dragged me...

After yesterday's meltdown, she obviously felt that more extreme measures were called for. So today BFF dragged me, kicking and screaming, to THE GYM.

Motivate Schmotivate...

Where  am I supposed to get this wonderful thing called motivation from?

What does it feel  like?

How will I know when it has arrived?

When I get it, it'll be so  much easier! Right?

REVENGE OF THE WORM... otherwise entitled: Owl... or fowl?

I was a fowl...

For most of my life my habit had been to go to bed at the same time every night, and read for a while, then turn the light off and sleep, and get up nice and early.

Fading away to a shadow...

BFF and I decided to go out for tea tonight as both our hubby's were ether working (hers) or away (mine), and there is a celebration tomorrow (my birthday).  Tonight is our 'treat meal'.

Excuses abound...

I'm so tired...
I miss my Hunny...
The dogs are driving me crazy...
He won't be home for my birthday...
I spent Valentine's Day alone...
The chocolate is calling me...
I'm gonna throw my phone out the window...
DD won't tell me if she's gonna be home for tea...
I haven't got the right food...
What's the point of cooking for one...

Blah-de-blah-de-blah...

A little bit of OCD...

Because my last post turned out to be post number 13, and because I am kind-of-but-not-really-superstitious, along with very-definitely-in-every-sense-of-the-word-OCD, I have to do another post.

I think a little bit of fluff is called for, don't you?

One is the loneliest number...

I don't normally get lonely, but BM is off gallivanting around the countryside (he has an excellent reason), and DD is always out - as young people almost always are, and it is  after all, Valentines Day.

Weekly Surprise...

I've just  spent a bit of time over in the forums, checking out what some of our team mates have done with their Inspiration Boards for the Weekly Surprise challenge.

Slap me will ya?...

Oh. My. Actual. God.

What the HELL have I signed up for?!

Goals and a Commitment...

I know the goal setting & make a commitment tasks were a couple of weeks ago now, but as I said, it was a challenge for me (never having been a goal setter), so here they are...

What a week!...

Forgive me Blog Lord for I have sinned... It has been 11 days since my last blog post.

My secret weapon...

I have to retrain my brain.

Currently, it has absolutely no idea how much food is too much or how much is enough.  Not until its all gone, and my stomach is screaming that it's had enough and is about to burst.  Only then, does my brain seem to get the message to STOP EATING!! 

Ticker envy...

They only weigh 75kg and they think they're fat?  Pfft! Please!

You only have to spend a few minutes of the forums over at 12WBT to see there are a lot of different numbers showing up on tickers in every thread.

Goals, Goals, Goals...

The second task for this week is all about setting goals.  SMART goals.

Gone? Or just lost...

Today being the day, according to what I've been able to glean from the forums, in which we weigh in, I dutifully heaved myself out of bed, waddled out to the hall table (under which my scales live - no room in the place we call 'bathroom') and gingerly stepped onto the scales.

The poor me's and cranky pants...

I've got my cranky pants on, and it ain't pretty.

A young lady asked for help today.  She'd had a blowout.  She hadn't lost any weight.   She can't cook.  She didn't have the right food.  She was screaming for help and support, and my heart went out to her, it really did.  There were dozens of replies to her post, and everyone was so very supportive of her, and her situation.  I read each and every reply to her post,and then, well then I read her responses to them, and I began to get cranky.

The Voice inside my head...

I have a voice - who's name happens to be Voice - inside my head that talks me pretty much every day.

Voice is not an auditory hallucination, such as that suffered by schizophrenics, it's just a voice that usually sounds remarkably like me, and very occasionally like someone else.

Serendipity...

Noun
The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: "a fortunate stroke of serendipity".

My name is Leanne, I am 47 years old - almost 48, I have 2 grown up kids (DS 22 & DD 20) and a coal mining farmer (BM) who is soon to be my hubby.

Once Upon A Time...

Once upon a time there was a woman, who spent most of her life being told (by her mum) that she was fat.  Now, this woman was actually quite thin when she was young, and she could eat pretty much anything, she was always very active, in short she was a normal, happy, healthy young woman. But that didn't stop her mother telling her at every opportunity, how fat she was, how big her legs were, and what a fat bum she had.  The mum loved to put her on diets, and she became so thin, that her friends were worried that she was becoming anorexic.