Thursday, September 20, 2012

Random Updates for September

It's that time again...time for me to get all of you up to speed on a few things. ;)

So for starters, I'm only 3 pounds away from my goal weight!! :D  It's been a long haul, with a lot of trial and error, but I'm finally to the point where I really see a difference (and don't cringe every time I see a picture of myself). ;)

I was hoping to reach goal weight this last week, but I actually went up .4 instead of losing.  That might or might not have something to do with the platter of popcorn shrimp and fries I shared with one of my daughters on Sunday...and the Sonic burger I had the night before weigh-in day. :}

Anyway, I'm getting there.  I think the most important thing I've learned over the past few months is to not beat myself up when I have a setback, but to shrug it off and move on.  I'm also allowing myself a few indulgences every once in a while, which is the thing I really love about Weight Watchers.  Using the points system, you can plan for any food you want (within reason, of course, and perhaps in smaller quantities than you would like, but still...). ;)

Once I've reached goal weight, I'd like to figure out a way to show you guys the difference without showing my face.  There are some bloggers who take a picture holding an open book in front of their face, so I might try something like that.  We'll see. ;)

I recently took a bit of a "media hiatus", taking a break from movies, TV, and YouTube (anyone else here end up on YouTube rabbit trails that end up lasting for hours?). :}  It was a good time to reevaluate my priorities and make sure I wasn't wasting all of my time.  One thing I'm trying to work on this month is setting aside time for my devotions every day.  With the early mornings and travel back and forth of school days, I'm finding that carving out that special time is getting harder and harder.  It's so important, though.  I see such a difference in my life and my children's lives when we're in the Word daily.  One of the reasons I took my hiatus was to help me make time for my Bible reading.  I haven't perfected it yet, but it's getting better. :}

In other news, my birthday is a week from Friday!  My mom's birthday is tomorrow, and my aunt's birthday is coming up in November.  To celebrate, the three of us are planning a weekend shopping trip sometime in mid-October.  A kid-free shopping trip, no less! :D  It's pretty likely that this trip will include a stop at a Disney Store, if not more than one!  As you can imagine, I'm super excited about that and already have a list of things I'd like to look for (thank you, eBay sales!!). :D

We actually came really close to going up to Seattle this past week, which would have included my first trip ever to an American Girl Place.  Unfortunately, even though we'd been planning it since mid-July, there were just a few too many things that came up for all three of us that made us unable to go.  Maybe next year! ;)  And for now, we have our smaller trip that will help make up for it. :)

Let's see, was there anything else?  Oh, I got over 1,000 words typed on my story this past week.  It's the first time I've made myself sit down and consciously work on it in a few months, so that was a big accomplishment. :)  I'm falling in love with my characters all over again, and can't wait to introduce them to the world.  It's hard to be patient.  I'd love to give all of you a detailed synopsis, but I know that it will be much sweeter to wait until the story is ripe and ready for everyone to see it. :)  I'll be sure to keep you posted on any updates.  My short-term goals are to get the first book's rough draft finished within the next few months and to attend a writer's conference this March (or April...I can't remember which!).  As always, I'm so thankful for my local writing group that has provided so much encouragement throughout this project.

I have several posts that I'm still trying to work through, so you should see a lot of reviews coming up.  Also, Emma wanted me to apologize for the fact that she has not gotten a post up yet on Jane Austen and Unicorns.  Although really, I should be the one apologizing.  Between my eBay sales and tearing the house apart to rearrange my daughters' rooms, Emma and the others haven't had much of a chance to get to the computer. ;)

I guess that's about all for now.  Thank you for all of the pageviews and followers.  It amazes me every time I come on here and see the numbers increasing.  I've really enjoyed all of the emails I've been getting, too.  You guys make my day! :D

Talk to all of you again soon. :)

7 comments:

Mulan_Fan95 said...

Oh! I can't wait to see your birthday goodies! I hope you review the new Wedding Rapunzel! I want her so badly!

Carolyn said...

I'm so happy for you about the weight loss, as well as the other positive changes/improvements, ebay sales, etc.
I'm with you about the importance of daily devotional and time spent with God. I don't like for anything to interfere with it. Hopefully you will have a plan that will meet your needs.
Congrats on your soon to be book! That's very exciting! I hope all goes well for you with it.
And Happy early Birthday to you, as well as your Mom & Aunt! I hope the trip is awesome for all of you.
:o)

Carolyn said...

Congratulations on the weight loss and the daily bible study! I struggle with eating healthy (I love junk food!) and find the WW Points Plus helpful because it lets me use the extra points any way I want. I also like the WW cook books.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for the comments, everyone. :)

MulanFan, I probably won't end up with the new Wedding Rapunzel until next month, but if I do I will definitely review her. :)

Bama, thanks for the congratulations. :) The weight loss, daily Bible study, and everything else is a process I have a feeling I'll be working on my whole life, but I'm just taking one day at a time. ;)

I'm super excited about my book. I can't wait to get it all finished. :D

Thanks for the birthday wishes, too. :)

Thanks for the comment, Carolyn. I've found that the points work really well for me. I haven't done much with the cookbooks yet, but I do have a couple that I'm hoping to try out soon. :)

Jenny said...

Happy early Birthday! Mine was Sept. 11. Guess we are both September babies! And congrats on the weight loss, that is always exciting!

By the way, if you want to take before/after pics you could have someone take the picture for you and have them put their thumb out into the picture while they take it to cover your face. With them standing so far away their thumb should cover your face completely. Wish I could say I thought of this...alas, I've seen it done on craigslist to cover license plates on cars that are being sold.

Then again, you could just take a normal picture and crop your head off. Hehehe. That sounds funny.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Jenny. Thanks for the photo tips, too...maybe I'll try that. ;)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hee hee...I think I'd feel like a victim of the Red Queen with my head chopped off. ;)