Day 2--and I'm not to the point of choking somebody

This is day 2 of Nutrisystem and so far, so good. I like the food-especially the breakfast and desserts ;)

Sunday
Breakfast: I had a blueberry muffin, apple and skim milk for breakfast
Lunch: Margherita Pizza, slaw, cooked broccoli
Snack: low-fat string cheese, apple and 1/2 bag of NS pretzels
Dinner: Spinach and cheese stuffed pasta, 1/2 banana, 15 grapes
Dessert: creamy fudge bar (yum)

Total calories: 1210

That's basically what you are striving for...keep the calories around 1200-1250. Its not that difficult. And when the food is good that helps a lot.

Today:
breakfast: sweetened O's cereal with skim milk, 1/2 banana, low-fat string cheese
lunch: roasted vegetable pizza, apple
snack: string cheese, 15 grapes

It may not sound like much but you get to eat every 2 hours! That's my kind of diet :)

Here's a picture of my 10 day stash of food.

NutriSystem...

So Sunday starts a new gig for me in the food department. My mother talked me into trying NutriSystem to get rid of about 30 unwanted pounds. At first, I was a bit skeptical but I'm actually looking forward to it. I will have a guaranteed, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. No more trips to Subway for a few weeks or wondering what food I am going to grab "on the go." It's all taken care of.

The first shipment-my fresh frozen foods-arrived on Valentine's Day compliments of Schwan's Frozen Foods. It contained a large variety of frozen foods-many of which-look quiet tasty. The second shipment-my ready to go meals-got here yseterday. That's cererals, protein bars, snacks, etc. The best part of it is I can keep track of everything by smartphone and computer. So no excuse, right?

Before I go off the "real food" wagon, I plan to indulge Saturday in a gorgeous seafood dinner...salmon, shrimp, crab, potatoes, corn, cheddar biscuits. Lane is in charge of the salmon-he is king of grilling. I'm looking forward to stuffing myself until I am sick!

Obviously I will be blogging this new adventure. I hope its worth its weight in gold.

Stay tuned Sunday is just around the corner!

Me and my girl...

My niece Mary Beth is the sweetest little girl in the world! She is a true joy to be around and we always have so much fun together. A few months ago-during the fall-MB and I got to spend an entire day together while everyone was at a band competition. We got our nails done, had lunch, and played at the park. We went on a walk around her neighborhood and giggled the whole day. I'm so thankful for her and hope she knows how much her Aunt Cizzy loves her.

Here are some pictures from that day.

Slim Fast and slick roads...

Wednesday night we got another gorgeous snow fall. It was pretty coming down and it didn't take long for the drive home to get slick. I woke up early and everything was shut down because there was a glaze of ice on roads and highways. Being in the news business, we are a 24/7 operation, regardless of weather. So you have to be prepared--and leave early enough that you are not risking life and limb.

I went out to my car to crank it and turn on the heat. That's when I made a yummy discovery---a box of chocolate Slim Fast drinks I had bought a few days earlier were ice cold! What a delicious treat to drink as I slid down University Drive :) Now that's what I call breakfast on the go.

If you are wondering...slim fast only has 5 WW points. :)

Push that hoe, pull that rake...

I'm past ready for warm weather to arrive. I'm most especially excited to plant a garden. Last year, Lane plowed a square spot in his back yard. I planted tomatoes, squash, cantelopes, watermelon, peppers, okra even flowers. I worked day and night babysitting that little plot of land. I bought cow manure at the co-op to nurish my plants, kept them fertilized and all but sang lullabyes. Finally-my hard work paid off-but not like I had planned. I had a few little tomatoes. The squash did pretty good. The peppers never fully matured. My watermelon vines were beautiful but only produced one little ball of a melon-that one rotted. My cantelope? Gorgeous vines...but that's all it was.

This year, I'm going to do container garden. I think it will be much easier, yield a better harvest, and it is a lot less back breaking. Plus, some kind of fungus got in my garden last year and rotted all my hard work.

Stay tuned. I will be blogging about my garden soon!

Where did THAT come from??

I've heard of animals putting on their winter weight to stay warm so I must be like a human electric blanket. I noticed my clothes fitting snug but really didn't want to face the reality that, yes, I've packed on the pounds.

This morning I came to terms with the image in the mirror and stepped on the scales. Wow! I am now at the heaviest point I have ever weighed IN MY LIFE...and it ain't pretty!! Oh its not something I didn't know. I've been watching it creep up since I fell off the Biggest Loser program the day it ended. And of course nothing makes you feel like a fatty cow until you see yourself on tv with a fat neck, double chin and big butt.

No more! I want to slim down for the spring (and for my speaking engagement in a few months). Today I signed up with Weight Watchers. They have a new Points Plus program. You can track your points online and via Ipone. They've improved their power foods list and updated restaurant numbers. So, no excuse for overeating or not exercising. I have weight loss technology at my finger tips.

So---big girl pants its time for you to go back in the closet! I will be tracking my progress on my blog. So if you wondering how its going please check back.

Careful what you wish for...

I make no secret that I cannot stand winter time. It's dark, damp, dreary, depressing, and any other "d" word you can think of. I consider myself a summer time girl. I love warm sunny days, green grass, going fishing and wearing flip flops. But I've always said if it would snow in the deep south I could try and like winter just a little bit more.

Christmas Day I woke up to a complete shock! I looked out my bedroom window and what to my wondering eyes should appear--nope not Santa--but several inches of the prettiest white snow you've ever seen. For most of the day and on into Sunday it continued to fall.

A week later, we had snow again! This time, I had to work but still found time to enjoy it. My photog and I stayed at the Hampton Inn off the interstate in Athens (I highly recommend this establishment)...Here are a few pics from that day.





Now I have to explain the next 2 pictures. I was coming out of our motel-still dazed from having to get up so early-when I saw an unusual site...Yes that is a buck strapped to the back of a pick-up truck. The hunter was from Michigan. He and his buddies drove to Selma to deer hunt, thinking it was going to be like a tropical paradise here. They never thought they would run into snow and ice. The interstate turned slick so they pulled into our hotel for the night...the deer freshly preserved from the bitter cold drive :) I could not resist a photo opportunity! I also got an interview with the hunter--who I discovered, had 2 more deer in the back hidden under coolers and guns. Notice the deer, which had been somewhat gutted, is frozen solid. Even had ice hanging off its hoofs, rack and eyelashes. It's great to be from the south :) Only here would you find such interesting stories.

Who me? Are you sure that's a good idea?

I was recently asked by my alma mater, Freed-Hardeman University, to deliver the commencement speech for graduation ceremonies May 14th. When the invitation came in the mail, I had to look twice to make sure it wasn't a mistake. The first question that shot through my mind...me? Really? I likely should credit "you know who" for the boost in my popularity. I assume when one of your graduates-who goes on to be a rather good reporter- becomes a viral sensation there is an obligation perhaps to invite them to campus. ;) Don't get me wrong, I consider myself honored. I hope those in attendance will enjoy whatever life advice, bitter and crusty though it may be, that I share.

Inauguration events....

Monday January 17, 2011 I had the honor of covering the inauguration of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley for WAFF-48. It was a historic moment watching Governor Bentley take his oath of office on the Capitol steps. Here are a few still shots of the Alabama Million Dollar Band, Auburn University March Band, Haleyville High School band, and inauguration events.

"Mr. Bluebird On My Shoulder..."

A sign that warmer days are ahead...sweet blue bird and red bird hopping in the yard.

Out with the old...

And in...with a new look! After many years I decided to update my blog page...not that I think anyone actually reads it. I've done a sorry job keeping details of my life posted. I plan to do a better job with that.

Stop by and visit. Tell your friends to follow me. If nothing else maybe my words will inspire, bring tears to your eyes or just give you something to do during your downtime at work ;)

Happy 2011 all!