Happy Friday!!

Day 12 I got slack on taking pictures of what I eat but I eat some of the same things everyday or every other day. I don't want to bore people with my food pictures. Fridays is my weigh in day and I am pleased with what the scales said today.

I have lost 5.8 pounds since I have started this. 

I have been trying really hard keeping my calories down but it is so hard. Yesterday I ate 182 calories over and I have almost everyday this week but not by much. For now I have stopped exercising  for right now and it has seem to help for now.When I hit a plateau I can add some exercise back in. I hope I can keep it up I want to get to 160 but for now I just want to get under 200 lbs. I am having to be really careful with this because I don't want to get to discouraged or to over confident that I am doing good and back slide. I am weird like that LOL. I need to get to the store and to PR Moores and get me some fruit. I have been out for around 3 days and it makes it hard. Oh well just pray that I will make it to get healthy. 

Oh yes I wanted to share something. You know Wednesday when I was down and hungry I went outside to sit in my new favorite place. We have 2 swings in the yard. One in the front and one in the back. Clay loves to swing but he does not like anyone swinging with him

My favorite place

Clay swinging with his pooh stick and his bag of balls Our bull Jimmy watching him.

Well anyway has you remember I was a little down and a little hungry on Wednesday so we decided to go outside and watch the Farmer mow the yard. Clay loves to watch his dad mow the yard

Farmer mowing

While sitting in the swing thinking about what I wrote in my blog and thinking about how much better a person can feel by just going outside. I was thinking about what my next blog entry could be on being "Happy" I was thinking what really makes a person happy? Having children that have fragile x syndrome can draw a fine line on being happy and upset. Clay is really happy when he has multiple entertainment going on and then again all of these things can make him upset just depends. Me on the other hand I try to be happy. I love it when everyone in my family is happy. I love it when little things make me happy and so forth, but even when were are happy sometimes something little can change that mood. Like a comment, someone else mood changes, and so many other things no matter how minor or major it is. Well I am thinking about all of this and looking up in the trees for birds. You know I have a new obsession on taking pictures of birds. While looking for birds I notice this tree and it made me smile

A Happy Tree!!

Now when I go to my new favorite place I get to see my happy tree!! 

Thanks for stopping by I hope I did not jump around to much but that is me.

Hungry Wednesday....

     I am glad that my children are grown and for most part don't need me to hover over them like I did when they were small. They still need my supervision on almost everything but they usually occupy there time with technology. So this leads to boredom for me. I can only stand to look at facebook for so long. I check my emails which I don't get many. I check my blog and then I get up and straighten up the house. The house stays pretty clean now that the boys are grown. Oh well I try to find things to do so that I don't eat. I have got to start back taking photos of my food this was working really well for me.

     I started this blog a few years back to help me get through summers. I have always loved summer breaks from school but I hated them to.I have not always been open and honest on my blog because I don't like people judging me or my family. I also hate pity unless I am the one wallering in my on pity party. 

     Many days I have sit in this house because I could not get out with both of my boys. I have never had a cap worker or friends and family that really helped out. My parents died when my oldest son was a baby. The farmers parents help some but I have seen times when I wish they would have come by every day. Back then the farmer worked in a mill on 3rd shift so he slept during the day and some days he worked as a plumbers helper. So we had many days stuck in the house. There was never anything that I could do with both boys to keep them happy and occupied outside. We have had pools, bikes and other things but they only worked for a short amount of time and then there was usually a meltdown and I found it easier to keep them in the house. I had play groups when my oldest son was young but after the second one it become impossible to take both of them. My oldest son when he was young had horrible panic attacks and would whine and cry to go home until you took him. He still panics but he is not as bad as he use to be. My youngest son has meltdowns and can be hard to control but I always managed until he got as big as me. He does not really get violent but he will sit down and not get up. I just find it easier now to wait and do stuff when the farmer is done with his work.

So here I am bored again. My oldest son is spending some time with his pops and my youngest son has taken over the tv watching his dvr shows and I would love something to eat. It is almost 12 so I guess I could make me some lunch now.

Well thanks for stopping by. 

Sunday and birds

Taking pictures of my food has helped me lose weight this week but I have been slack today taking pictures. We had spaghetti which is my second favorite food to pizza that we had yesterday. I did good for breakfast only eating 3 slices of cantaloupe and a cup of coffee. I eat a plate of spaghetti and a small salad with my light balsamic vinaigrette and one roll. I ate a small plate of spaghetti for supper and one roll. I had one of those small round cakes they sell close to the strawberries with fresh strawberries and fat free cool whip. I am not sure on calories but I am sure I went over today again. Oh I forgot I ate a few M & M's and 1/4 of a york peppermint patty with 6oz. of coke. Oh well tomorrow is Monday and I will be on full track again.

For two days the farmer, me and my boys have been bird chasing. I have been trying to capture another picture of an indigo bunting. I asked the farmer about calling in one with the bird call on his phone. So we tried it and it worked. It was so funny watching the birds trying to figure out where the bird was calling from.

See him checking out the phone?

the summer tanager

Female summer tanager

Female summer tanager

Now I need a new bird to chase and get a picture of. I need to look up some native birds to see what I can find. 

Thanks for stopping by. Sorry for being so boring but it is my struggle to lose weight and I am loving taking pictures of birds. According to the research I have done I could be doing so much better if I had a 400 mm lens but I am happy with what I am getting.
  

Day 6

Today is Saturday and the scales are looking good this morning, but weekends are very hard for my. Now if I can keep it off this weekend.

I am down 4.2 pounds. 

 I started off good with my Greek yogurt and crunchy pecan cereal and a cup of cantaloupe.

crunchy pecan Great grains 140 calories
1 cup of cantaloupe 80 calories
1 light and fit Greek Yogurt blueberry 80 calories

250 calories

1 cup of watermelon 46 calories

I had 7 squares  980 calories 

12 pringles100 calories


I am over 450 calories today. I must do better tomorrow.

Day 5 of picture journal

I think I did better today but I did have several sweet snacks. The scales will tell I will weigh in Monday when I started.

1 cup of Cheerios 147  calories

1/2 banana 52 calories

90 Calories

I drank 1/2 of it 70 calories

1 tbs. 12 calories

2 cups of popcorn 60 calories

I had 1 cup at lunch 54 calories
I had 1 piece at supper 27 calories

had this for lunch 8 calories
had 1/2 of one for supper 4 calories

1 cup for lunch 2 calories
1 cup for supper 2 calories

1/2 cup ice cream 150 calories
1 sugar cone 50 calories

1/3 cup 45 calories

I had grilled chicken tenderloins 3oz. 82 calories I forgot to take a picture of it.

1/4 of the candy bar 48 calories

I had 16 pringles 71 calories

According to fitness pal I have 186 calories left for today and I ate 1014. I also took another short walk with my family this evening and worked a little bit in the yard cleaning weeds out of my flowers and trans-planting some others.

Day 4 Food Photo Journal

I did better today but I did not get many veggies or fruit in. So did I really do better today?? I took a little walk with my family but it was more like a stroll. I had a really good day other wise. My in-laws came and got both boys and took them until around 12:30 today. It was a nice break. I wanted to get some pictures today but no luck. Well Thanks for stopping by.

Hardee's Ham biscuit 370 calorie

Popcorn 60 calories

peppermint candy 20

Ball park smoked whit turkey dog 2  90 calories
bun 120 calories

Cookies and Cream ice cream 1/2 cup 150 calories
Sugar cone 50 calories

Smart ones 280 calories

1/2 banana 60 calories

1/2 coke 70 calories

Day 3 Photo Food Journal

Day 3 of my photo food journal. I weight this morning just because I usually weigh every morning unless I have eaten really bad the day before. I was down 2 pounds Yay!! Now if I did not gain it back today. I have not had the best day eating.

Greek Yogurt 80 cals. and Great grains Crunch pecans 1/2 cup 140 cals

Hamburger buns 2: 220 calories
85% beef grilled burgers 2: 385 Calories
Provolone Cheese 2 slices 160 Calories
Kraft olive oil Mayo 1 tbs. 35 calories

5 chips 80 calories

11 chips 140 calories

I also had 1/2 bottle of coke 100 calories and 4 pieces of dark chocolate 63 calories

My total calorie intake was 1,412. I went over 212 calories. I know what I did I did not eat lunch/supper until 3:30-4:00 and I was hungry. I stayed outside taking pictures most of the day and then we went to town. We decided to grill some burgers on the grill so after picking up the stuff we need it was getting on toward 3:00 o'clock So to help out on eating over my calories I decided to take a mile walk. . 

Oh well I will eat more vegetables tomorrow and get back on track. This is keeping me honest.

Photography???

I have been trying to get better at taking pictures by practicing everyday just like they say but I am feeling so discouraged today. I took way over 75 pictures and I deleted many of them and some of the others ones are not real clear. I know one of the reason is because of zooming out to far. I have tried learning more about my camera and taking pictures in other programs but I really think I need some instructions. The book that comes with my camera is good but I want to know how to take better pictures by setting the apeture and shutter speed and maybe capturing a clearer picture of the birds I am taking. I have been researching on the internet trying to learn everything I can and one thing it said to take good bird pictures you need 300mm to 400mm to get the best shots. I just have a point and shoot camera that I use it mostly in auto. I am going to sign up for this next photography class. I am going to add to my list of things I want a new camera!!! I have never been good at anything and I really would like to be better at this.

The baby rabbit 

The baby birds hatched

Male Summer Tanager 

Male Summer Tanager

Red Winged Blackbird

Mallard ducks

Mallard Ducks

Mallard duck

Mallard duck

Female Summer Tanager

Female Summer Tanager

Male Summer Tanager

Baby mockingbirds

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated woodpecker

Mallard ducks

Red Winged Blackbird

Red Winged Blackbird

I know my blog is probably getting boring to everyone but I am in a new phase of my life and I am trying to figure out how to full fill it. I sometimes feel like a failure because I started back to college and I did finish my 2 year Early childhood associates degree and I tried to finish my Special education degree but I got so burned out and when asked where did I see myself in 5 years with this degree I could not answer it because I knew I would be where my children/adults would be. So that is where I am. Like I have said more than once I know that God has a plan for me and I need to be patient and wait and see what he has planned. I don't want to make money at photography but I do want to be good. You know how questionnaires ask for a hobby and I don't really have one. I like to make Christmas ornaments at Christmas time. I loved being a teacher and planning for the classroom but those days are over. I am working hard on getting healthy. I need to start reading the Bible more and I pray a lot. Maybe I need to listen harder. Sometimes I really miss having a friend to talk to but life goes on and friends don't last forever in my world. 

Well thanks for stopping by if you read this far.