MOST WONDERFUL MOSAICS! Land of Tennessee...

At least once a year I love to go to the Land of Tennessee.

The air is clean, and peace settles within.

 

You can see why they call it the Smokey Mountains.

I love the winding roads that seem to only lead to more peace within.

I love the little small towns and the wide open spaces.

It's a time for deep breaths and a spiritual connection with God.

While sitting on the porch at the cabin, you can see wild geese fly overhead,

wild turkeys trekking up the hill, and a fox taking its turn at the pond,

then scurrying back to the woods for protection.

While there, the country life seems to go at a slower pace. NO ONE gets in a hurry for anything.

Everyone smiles and waves at you, giving you a real good down home feelin'.

As you travel through the area, you get lots of warnings 

to be aware of bears and some other most important things.

And you don't want to pass up the home grown watermelons!!

A great walk up the mountain was the best!! Let God's Light shine through.

I took this last shot in my side rearview mirror of my car

as we were leaving Tennessee.

Lord, youngins! It was great seein you'ins over yonder!

We came in and sat a spell, talked about the days gone by.

 Traveled the mountains, sang some songs, and smelled the flares (flowers).

We were so tarred after each day, we were meetin ourselves 

gettin up in the mornings!! Best trip ever was! See ya next year!

Bye ya'll...

I am joining Roberta and Judith for Mosaic Monday.

Is it Possible to Have Weight-Loss Resistance?

Is there such a thing as weight-loss resistance? I believe I am experiencing this very thing!! Our culture is always trying to put all of us in one box, to where the same solutions should work for every person. We are ALL unique. What works for one person does not necessarily work for another. Even personal trainers and practitioners relay that same message to women everyday.

So, what is weight-loss resistance? Weight-loss resistance arises when a woman develops or has a preexisting metabolic imbalance that makes losing weight and maintaining healthy weight extremely challenging, despite her best efforts to eat less and exercise more.

According to Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, there are six core systemic imbalances that greatly contribute to weight-loss resistance in women:
      1.  Hormonal imbalance (including thyroid dysfunction)
      2.  Adrenal imbalance (this one I have been diagnosed with)
      3.  Neurotransmitter imbalance
      4.  Digestive imbalance
      5.  Systemic Inflammation
      6.  Impaired detoxification

So what does a person do besides cry themselves to sleep every night! I have never had a weight problem until I hit my mid 50s. My hormones and digestive system has become imbalanced, and dealing with stressful situations have caused my adrenal's to be overworked and I've become exhausted. OK, so what do you do...

Marcelle suggests six fundamental measures you can begin to apply today:

      1.  Understand your unique physiology. Work with a functional medicine practitioner to identify any metabolic imbalances keeping you from weight loss. Once you find out  your imbalance, then you can tailor your nutritional plan and lifestyle changes to re-balance your system.

      2.  Get the best raw materials.  Eating three well-balanced meals and two snacks each day! Organic fruits and vegetables are good choices, but also be sure to include some high-quality protein like legumes, nuts, fish, or lean organic meats. I love the whey protein shakes with almond milk (or water) when I'm in a hurry and need to rush out the door. It's a wonderful snack!

      3.  Move your body.  Don't be discouraged by your past efforts of fruitless workouts. Regular exercise is integral to a woman's health! Overcoming weight-loss resistance and resetting your metabolism will generally require a little sweat... My practitioner suggested for me, 30 minutes walks three times a week, until my adrenals start functioning as they should. I am starting to feel a lot better.

      4.  Address stress and emotional health.  Explore what is working and not working in your life. For some, rebalancing your body may be as easy as ending a troubling relationship!  If that is out of the question, then finding ways to ease the stress will greatly help. Find time to get away, take long walks, do breathing exercises, read, or have tea with a friend; anything to help yourself.

      5.  Find time to restore and SLEEP.  If you are serious about losing weight, sleep has to become a top priority. Did you know that sleep plays an integral role in how hungry we feel? Studies show that getting too little sleep causes us to consume more calories. A total of eight hours is needed to overcome weight-loss resistance.

      6.  Gain the benefit of a supportive social network.  Research shows that people who join together in their weight-loss efforts are more successful. So find a friend or a group and reap the benefits!

Now, take your disheartened feelings and the guilt (from not being able to lose weight) and release them for good; from your body, your soul, and your mind. Weight-loss resistance is not our fault! Once we address the imbalance, the weight will come off.  I really hope so!!

Here's to your health!

The Lord heals your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, satisfies you with good, shows compassion to his children, and knows your frame. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 103: 3-14

MY THIRD TEACUP TUESDAY!

The teacup world is very new to me! I don't have the very delicate, elaborate sets to show. BUT I do have "cups and things!"

This cup actually belongs to my wonderful husband. It was purchased by a best friend in Memphis, TN at Graceland.  I love to use this cup when I have my protein shakes in the mornings, while singing, "I'm all SHAKED up!"  LOL!

Another favorite is the cup with "The Beatles!" The Beatles are my husbands very favorite band in the whole wide world. 

I have them placed in the photo with my very favorite teapot. It's whimsical and the color of my kitchen! I don't use this pot for hot water, but I do store my teas inside. In the background is my 70's bread box.

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE HER! The beautiful eyelashes, the neck ornament, and the lovely wings!

Her tail is pretty colorful, too!

Here are some lovely little teapots I found at three different yard sales. They all seem to be made from the same factory. The little salt and pepper shakers were given to my by my dear friend, Marianne.

The little teapots have their own chamber where you can place a tea light. I am guessing you can put fragrance oil in the teapots and send a wonderful aroma throughout the room. I have not used them in this way. I place them on top of my microwave and leave them there to look pretty.

And a couple of cute little teapots that the granddaughters love! I do believe the one on the left is from the Dollar Tree. It seems at one time they had a cute little collection of teapots.

The one on the right was given to me by my father-in-law. He noticed that I had little teapots sitting around. When he came upon this one at a garage sale, he picked it up for me. That was sweet...

I am linked to Terri's Teacup Tuesday, and Susan's Tea. L. C.And also Trish's Sweetology.

MARVELOUS MONDAY! Mosaics....

IT'S MOSAIC MONDAY! I would like to share with you some awesome little books I found in my dear friend Marianne's neighborhood during their annual garage sale. Not only was I excited, but also were my darling little granddaughters.

They picked these two books right away. The youngest loved "Lucille;" such a sweet little horse is she. The oldest LOVED "The Scary Book."  They have always loved me telling them scary stories. Most of the time I was just making them up in my head and saying it as it came to me. But when they would return the next week and want me to tell them the same story from the week before, I had a hard time remembering how the story would go. When I would try again to just make something up, they both would chime in and say, "NO, NO, BB, that's not how it goes!"   

 All these wonderful little books has put some smiles on some little faces. What a great find!

 

Remember the Weekly Reader Books!

I love the illustrations throughout the whole book!! The drawings are absolutely precious! By the wear and tear of this book, I would like to think that one child enjoyed it so much that he/she was always flipping through it.. I love the dedication; "To Bonnie, who now has her own baby bear."  And to think that now her own baby bear has little bears of his/her own.

And who could ever forget "I Know an Old Lady."

REMEMBER??!! The illustrations are simple, but you get the point!

YES! WONDERFUL LITTLE BOOKS! EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM!

My personal favorite is the Peanuts book!

Charlie Brown NEVER gave up! He often wondered why things didn't work out, but he always had faith and he believed that others could change. 

Lucy would hold the ball and entice him to kick it. He would ponder the thought and tell himself that she would only jerk it away from him, but he wanted to believe that she has changed. In the end he would have faith that she would do the right thing and let him follow through, but to only get an UGGGHHHHH in the end. The next season, it would be the same thing.

I can relate to Charlie Brown. I feel like that a lot of times. I guess it's not what other people do to us, but what we do to other people that really count...

Here's to your health!!

I am linking with Roberta from "In Other Words and Pictures", for Mosaic Monday.She has the most fabulous photos.

The Lord heals your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, satisfies you with good, shows compassion to his children, and knows your frame. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 103: 3-14

ANOTHER FABULOUS FRIDAY!!

   I would like to let you know that for the past three weeks I have been sticking pretty good to the healthy eating that my doctor suggested! There were only a few little cravings, but now I am starting to understand why that happens and will do what I can to avoid it. Giving up sugar is a hard thing to do!! It's not that I will give up chocolate all together, but I do understand that if I eat the RIGHT things most of the time, that I CAN have a little chocolate (or a sweet of some kind) now and then. I have also been trying my best to get in my 30 minute walks three times a week. There were a couple of times that my wonderful husband wasn't feeling well, and we didn't go. I haven't weighed or measured myself yet to see if I am losing any, but I noticed the other day that my legs were not rubbing close together.....It feels like an accomplishment!

Last night I made a big pot of vegetable soup with yellow squash, portebello mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, and used a chicken stock flavored with some delightful herbs.

My teenage son came running out of his room saying, "Something smells so delicious!"  When I told him it was VEGETABLE soup, he gave me such a look.....you see, he doesn't like vegetables. I told him that it would taste just as it smells, but I could not budge him to take even one taste.  I had a better time of getting him to eat veggies when he was little, but now that he is grown, he's made up his mind this is not for him. And as his mother, of course I worry about that! But I didn't push him and I didn't insist. I decided to let it go. I hope and pray that someday he will give them another try and will learn to enjoy them.

My wonderful husband was off to his gig for the night, so I made myself a bowl and savored every bite! Since our nights have been a little cooler, it was very heart warming and cozy to be able to relax with a bowl of soup.

Here's to  your health!

The Lord heals your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, satisfies you with good, shows compassion to his children, and knows your frame.  The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 103: 3-14

Food Cravings...

There's an enormous amount of women that crave sugar, carbohydrates, or alcohol. And believe it or not, these cravings are not eating disorders, but they are signs of hormonal imbalance caused by a LACK of HEALTHY NUTRITION! To curb these cravings has nothing to do with willpower.

When we become exhausted or even blue, we have low blood sugar and/or low serotonin, so the body signals the brain "give me a pick-me-up!" This is a signal for sugar or carbohydrate cravings. So we look for chocolate or candy or potato chips, even an extra glass of wine.  When we have food cravings, it only means that the body has its signals mixed up.

Serotonin is our basic feel-good hormone. When serotonin is low, we feel sad or depressed. Hormonal imbalance and week digestion can lead to low serotonin. So when we give in to those cravings for sweets, it releases a short burst of serotonin; we feel good for a moment, but soon return to our low-serotonin state...then crave more sugar and simple carbohydrates. It's a viscous cycle.

Another cause of food cravings is adrenal imbalance (which is what I have been diagnosed with). If you suffer with sleep problems or a great deal of stress, you are probably exhausted most of the time. This situation will cause your body to call upon your adrenal glands to pump out more stress hormones as a pick-me-up. Over time the adrenals become less able to respond appropriately. So you turn for those back ups of sugar, carbohydrate snacks, or coffee during the day, and more simply carbohydrates or alcohol at night.

I am finding out that if we BLAME ourselves for our food cravings, it only worsens our mood and will increase our need for serotonin. This is when a pattern of emotional eating can develop. Since there are biological causes of sugar cravings and carbohydrate cravings, it's rarely just a behavioral problem. The ROOT problem is more likely inadequate nutrition!!

So how do we break this vicious cycle? The BODY needs REAL SUPPORT - and LOTS OF IT. And that means eating healthy vegetables, whole grains, rich sources of protein (upping the plant protein and cutting back on the animal protein; used to help burn fat, fight off infection and inflammation) and healthy fats (maintaining adequate hormonal balance, stabilizing blood sugar, increasing immunity, supplying energy, and controlling hunger), and FIBER (loads of important vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients)! Another thing that I am finding out is BALANCE is essential!!

Here's to your health!!

Photos provided by Microsoft.

Lovely TeaCup Tuesday!

Once again we are getting a little bit of rain this morning! It wasn't raining at my house, but it is downtown. Just a light drizzle, that makes me wish I was still in bed...That must be WHY we have rain! God's way of saying, "stay inside and rest; it will ease your stress."  LOL! At least that is the way I feel...

Today I would like to share with you a beautiful little cup that I purchased for myself just to drink my tea and coffee in at work. I had a friend to tell me that I really needed a special cup for my coffee since I was a special person. Ahhhhh, wasn't that nice of her to say I was special? So that got me to thinking that maybe a person should pamper themselves once in a while. Find something that suits them, to have around for comfort. Something that brings cheer!

This teacup and saucer is by Signature Housewares Incorporated, called "red sunflower."

I just dearly love the beautiful colors and cheeriness!!

The sunny flowers are on both sides.

This morning, I will have Pomegranate Green Tea. 

Pomegranate Green Tea

The two most healthiest drinks combined are said to create a nutritious and healthy beverage that is so potent that it can only be labeled a modern day 'super food'. It is a beverage that is chock full of antioxidants and vitamin C, while being known to reduce blood pressure. This is the perfect tea blend for removing free radicals from the body while simultaneously bolstering your immune system. The blend of these two drinks allows for a sweet, yet tangy flavor. If you feel run down, this vitamin rich, antioxidant filled, super drink will turn you into an energetic dynamo with little effort. 

I wrote this poem back in February, 2011, when my dear friend Marianne said to me one morning, "These dreary days make me so lazy."  I pondered on her words and came up with this poem...

Dreary Days (Daze)!

These dreary days make me so lazy.

That haze that keeps hanging over my head

Sends my mind a-reeling I want to stay in bed.

Looking out the window I only see a mist.

It brings me some comfort to attach myself

To the covers and set my problems on a shelf.

Ah, a dreary day before I even arise.

Laziness and lethargic motions take me in

To where my body wants to commit this sin.

Oh, these dreary days make me so lazy.

I muster up energy to carry on with the day,

Yawning and stretching while I’m on my way.

Dreary days are really not so terribly bad.

But I say this to you, if I didn’t have to go,

I would still be in the bed don’t you know.

Brenda Lynn Stevens

Copyright © 2011

For this Tea Cup Tuesday, I am joining Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage.

Enjoy your beautiful day no matter the weather!! Here's to your health!

The Lord heals your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, satisfies you with good, shows compassion to his children, and knows your frame. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 103: 3-14

Doodling on Rainy Days

Sunday before last, my granddaughters and I had a wonderful rainy day staying inside, doodling and creating art.

The youngest calls this one "The Famous!"

Since the youngest loves shoes so much, she had decided to give a tribute to them!

The oldest is very creative in what she likes to do. She will sit for long periods of time and just draw.

She calls this "Picasso Texas!" She chooses beautiful colors.

In the piece above, the oldest wanted to show me how she draws an oak tree. The tree that borders her's is one I painted back in the 70's.

On the other side of the paper, she showed my how she draws a palm tree. Both girls love to sit and draw and they do create some amazing things. I enjoy my time with them so much. It was a great day to ease a lot of stress.

I was amazed at my friend's (Marianne) doodling, that I thought I'd try to draw some on a rainy day. Mine are not as detailed as her's, but I enjoyed this so much. Just letting it flow and not really having any plans for the design. 

My oldest granddaughter liked what I was doing and decided that she would give it a try. Not bad for her first time. We just may try this another time!!

I enjoyed our Rainy Day Sunday!!

 

I am joining Mosaic Monday's host, Mary, at Little Red House.

Brenda's granddaughters are ages 6 and 9 years old.