Interesting Things That You May Enjoy: Music, Books, Movies, Politics (?), Social Issues, Pro-Life Stuff, etc

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It’s been a while since I updated my weight loss story. I’ve actually been a member of Weight Watchers for a year and about a week. And I’m happy to announce that I’ve lost 38 pounds during that time.

I had hoped to lose more like 50 lbs during the year, but I must admit that I struggled a bit over the holidays. I started a new business in October and found it a little more difficult to plan, shop, read my cookbooks for new recipes, and stay on the program when I was eating out more often.

But I’m proud that I stuck with it, only missed a couple of meetings during the year, and never gave up! My weight loss slowed down from 1 1/2 lbs a week to 1 lb a week, to now losing fractions of a pound per week. I did gain a pound or so a few times, but overall, the journey has been very successful. I will be happy if I can get back to an average of a pound a week.

I have renewed my commitment this week and think my weight loss is going to pick up dramatically. I have started tracking again and measuring my portions. For me, those are definitely the keys to success.

Also, the weekly meetings are a super support system for me. I’ve made so many wonderful new friends through Weight Watchers and I am grateful for each one of them. It’s a great inspiration to get together with like-minded folks each week and celebrate with them and just have fun. Our group leaders, Brenda and Sue, are so supportive, so knowledgeable, and just plain great gals. I feel privileged to be a part of such a special group.

One thing I am getting good at is coming up with a great meal from what I find in the refrigerator when I haven’t had time to go to the grocery store. In fact, just tonight I had enough ground beef in the fridge for two patties. I dug out some fresh mushrooms and onions and made Salisbury Steak with Mushroom (and onion) gravy from the WW Comfort Classics cookbook. I scrounged some potatoes and cooked some “home fries” with onion and found a bag of baby lima beans (filling food!) in the freezer. Turned out to be a delicious 9-point meal. Very filling.

I’ve got some new and exciting things happening in my life so I hope to find time to update my blog more often. Thanks for reading.

Can you believe that any woman could get to be 58 years old and never cook with fresh garlic? What about getting to that age and never buying and preparing a fresh pineapple? Well, I’m that woman. And the silly thing is that I never used the fresh garlic or the pineapple because I wasn’t sure how to “peel” them. Now, in the age of YouTube, you can learn how to do just about anything.  (See videos below.)

About four months ago, on March 24, 2009, I joined Weight Watchers. I haven’t written about it before now because I wanted to be sure that my commitment was real and that the program really works.

Well, I am here to say that Weight Watchers rocks! This is the best weight-loss program, by far, that I have ever tried. In 16 weeks I have lost 23.4 pounds. That’s an average of just about 1 ½ pounds per week. If I continue to lose at this rate that means I will lose 78 pounds in a year, which is about the amount of weight I want to get rid of.

The Weight Watchers people have really done a super job with this program. As I began following the plan, I immediately lost my cravings for sugar and I am rarely hungry. But, I didn’t have to give up sugar totally. What a concept!

In fact, I didn’t really have to give up anything I like. The program is based on a points system which allows me to eat basically anything I want as long as I account for it and include it in my plan for the day or the week.

Best of all, I am eating much healthier and trying foods that I never ate before, such as the fresh pineapple and fresh garlic that I mentioned.

Here are a couple of videos I found on YouTube that teach you how to peel garlic and pineapple.

I was surfing around on the web tonight and came across this YouTube video.  I got to this inadvertently and I liked it so much that I decided I wanted to include it on my blog. 

I think the abortion issue is so much more than politics.  Whatever your politics, how can anyone look in the face of a child and not see how precious life is.  Thinking of children I’ve known in my life, I’ve often speculated about how much poorer the world would be if they had not been born.   Or perhaps I should rephrase that to say how much richer my life is because they are in it and how much richer the world is because they are are living.  Every life is priceless.

We’ve lost over 40 million precious children to abortion in the past 35 years.  I’ve made a pledge not to remain silent any longer.  Sharing this beautiful song on my blog is just one way to speak out. The song says it so much better than I.

Thanks for watching. Choose Life…

LINA JONES ARNOLD  February 3, 1924-March 16, 1996

Thirteen years ago yesterday Mama died.  I can’t believe she’s been gone so long. 

I think I’m finally over being mad at her for leaving.  She was only 72.  It was a sudden heart attack that took her.

We got her to the hospital and the doctor told us that she was having a heart attack.  I thought she would be fine.  After all, people have heart attacks every day, they go to the hospital, get treatment, and live for many years afterward. That morning, I just never thought she would die.  But she did. 

I still miss her every day.  Hardly a day goes by that I don’t have a question I want to ask her, one that usually only she could answer.  Or I think about all that she did for me, all that she gave me, especially the music.  Oh, you mothers out there, you should always sing to your children.

And teach them that they can do anything and be anything they want to be. 

I promise to post something else besides Corrine May soon, but today, this is the perfect tribute to my mama.  I’m finally able to let her “Fly Away.”

I miss you Mama.  Thank you for my life and thank you for the music.  I love you.

In my last post, I highlighted a song by Corrinne May which I found while doing a YouTube search. 

 I was curious about this singer with the beautiful voice so I googled her.  Turns out she is from Singapore and has quite a resume.  She has released several cd’s and she’s received numerous awards.  She now lives in Los Angeles and sings throughout the US on college campuses and in other venues. 

I just downloaded her newest album, “Beautiful Seed.”  I was captivated by the title song which she says was inspired by the image of an unborn child that a friend had painted on the bumper of his car with the message “Let the Little Stinker Live.”  The song basically says that one person can change the world. 

 Some of the lyrics:

“There is hope in every heartbeat, tiny as it seems.  You’re a beautiful seed.”

And

“Every hope, every power
Lies in the heart of a seed that flowers
Intertwined all across the land
We’re all seeds in the maker’s hand.”

 I found this on YouTube and post it here so you can enjoy “Beautiful Seed” right now.  And if you like her music, you can get it on iTunes or order from her website: http://www.corrinnemay.com

Update:  March 19, 2009.  After I posted the video above I found a video with Corrinne singing this live and I really like it a lot better.  I’m going to post it here for others to enjoy if they prefer.

Several weeks ago I was searching on YouTube for a song to celebrate the birthday of my twin nieces, Susan and Ellen, who turned 21 years old on February 28th.  I wanted to make a little video collage for them. 
 
I came across “The Birthday Song” by Corrinne May, a singer/songwriter that I have never heard of before.  I love the song.  It is just perfect for what I wanted to say.  I made the video using “The Birthday Song” and you can view it and hear the song below.  I’d like to thank Corrinne May for the use of her beautiful song.

My name is Susan Arnold and I’m a small-town girl (not really a girl anymore) from Georgia. I lived in Hawkinsville, GA, most of my life and now I live in Monticello, GA.  Did you ever see the movie “My Cousin Vinny”?  Well, it was filmed in Monticello.  And Monticello is really still a lot like that movie. 

I’ve wanted to start a blog of my own for quite some time but I could never really come up with a focus.  However, most everything I’ve read and studied about blogging teaches to just start writing and posting and the focus of the blog will reveal itself.  So that’s what I’m doing. 

A friend named John Leonard helped me to get my blog started.  He has a neat video that he made.  I’ll share it with you here.  Hope you enjoy it!  Thanks for sharing, John. 

If you want to visit John’s blog, it’s http://www.becomeamlmrockstar.com.