Isn't it funny how the TV's are all stuck to the walls?

I've just been noticing that more and more lately - that people just aren't using tv shelves anymore. We went out to eat last night, and it was a deli sandwich/bar type of restaurant and they had a big flat screen TV up on the wall. And another place we like to go is a Mexican restaurant that has two big flat screen TV's on the walls. They have one on each side so no matter which way you are sitting, you can see one of them.

And then earlier this afternoon, a friend was showing us some pictures of her newly-redone living room and I noticed that her TV was stuck to the wall and she had a tiny little table in front of it to hold the DVD player. And I just thought it was so funny, how everywhere you go - the TV's are all stuck to the walls!

Ours will be once we bring it upstairs from the basement. There is no place to hang it on the wall down there, so we had to use the little stand thing that came with it and Mark put it on one of his chests. No, not his chest - one of his chests! Silly!

Too many clothes!

I have absolutely got to get my clothing nightmare cleaned out! I have way too many clothes, and they are just not getting put away. But I have noticed recently that the few clothes that I do wear are the only ones that really get ‘touched’ by me. And I had a light bulb moment that I should totally get rid of some.

I have been hanging onto way too many clothes. I had some lovely, sweet people give me hand-me-downs, around the same time. And it just overwhelmed me, because, there were so many clothes all at once. So I need to just buckle down and get to going through them.

The other issue is that I am hanging onto clothes that just don’t fit me anymore. I keep thinking that ‘overweight’ is a temporary condition (which I really do hope and pray it is) but, it’s been six years now. And hanging onto some of those clothes is just plain silly.

I’m going to use the tactic I learned from either FlyLady or Marilu Henner – I can’t remember which one of them it was, they both just totally rock, in my book! Anyway, the tactic is you have to either totally love the item – or wear it frequently – or it’s gone! Some of the items I know that I will keep are my wedding dress, my high school dance dresses (there are only four of them) and stuff like that. But other stuff, that I don’t completely love, and I’m just thinking, ‘I may be able to wear that as soon as I lose weight…’ – forget it! It’s gone! It’s going to be hard, but, I am really working hard to simplify my life and make things easier and more manageable, and this is one thing that has definitely gotten out of control!

One thing that I am afraid of is not having very many clothes left when I am done. This really would be a good thing, though, as it would simplify things so much, and as I do lose weight, I can go and buy new and pretty things. (My clothes really are pretty scrappy, anyway.) I could just buy one thing here and there, and eventually wind up with a nice wardrobe. It would be so cool if I had a friend with a plus-size store, so I could get wholesale clothing prices. Then I could really build up my wardrobe nicely. But then, of course, maybe I’d wind up in the same pickle I’m in now – too many clothes! LOL!

Give me light or just forget it!

It is so true - when I get depressed, a dark and dreary room just makes it worse! When we have day after day of cloudiness, I start to get a little crazy - especially in my kitchen! It is so dim, and I just cannot brighten it up in there! I keep thinking that there is some light that I haven't turned on because it is so gloomy in there, and I look around for one more light to turn on - that 'magic, let's all feel better now', light! And it's just not there. I think whoever bought the main light fixture for the kitchen just picked the wrong kind for the way that room is set up. I would love to buy something else for in there, like maybe a pretty lamp. I actually thought we had the problem solved the other day, because I accidentally knocked a piece off of the cooktop. And it was the piece that covered up the fluorescent light on the cooktop. When I turned on that light without the cover on, it so brightly illuminated the room - almost exactly like I've been wanting! It was just too glaring without the cover on. And I was sure that the light hadn't been working, and that somehow, by knocking the top of it off, I had made it work. And that if Mark could just get the piece that fell behind the stove, and put it back on, all would be well.

But, yet again, I'm so silly. The cover was metal, not the opaque covers you generally find on fluorescent lights. And when we put it back on, it did work. The only thing is, I remembered that it had been working all along. But, with that darn metal cover on it, it only illuminated the cooktop. That was a bummer!

The really tricky part of all of this is that I need light to curb my depression, but, with all of these migraines, I need darkness. Now that is quite a pickle to be in!

I've finally started walking again.

And I have really been enjoying myself. The other day, I went walking when the college classes were switching, and I just happened to walk over by the college. And it was so neat to feel the 'vibes' of a college environment again. So that was pretty cool.

And one of the things that I've been doing while I'm walking is scoping out all the neighbor's mail boxes. No, not to steal their mail! Don't be silly! I'm shopping. Yes - shopping, checking out all the different kinds of mailboxes available right now. Our 'mailbox', and I use that term very loosely, is in such a pitiful state that it is not even funny! I'm so serious. For starters, it has a deceased man's name on the side of it. Ok, then. And what's really odd, is that we sometimes still get mail for him! He went to Heaven in the year 2000!! Alrighty, then!

He and his wife had this house built in the early 60's, and I'm quite positive that the mailbox we are using is the original one! I've been meaning to take a picture of it to blog, and now that I'm telling you all about it, I definitely have to!

I will, but, getting back to walking - it is so cool, because, I never have to spend another cent at a health club again! Really! See, our little neighborhood has been lovingly nicknamed, by yours truly, 'Little San Francisco'. And that it is.

There are hills this way, and there are hills that way. There are steep hills, and hills you don't even realize you're actually on until you become completely out of breath, and your calves want to reach up and choke you!

The multitude of variables I can apply to my workouts, just by taking a different route, are innumerable.

In fact, during one of my recent walks, I was thinking about how much weight I could have already lost, having been here since July of 2006, had I been a little more disciplined about getting my butt out there!

We've got another bathroom!

We just got another bathroom! Just went online, ordered it, and it arrived last week! I'm so excited!

Ok, and I'm a total dork, too! That's not exactly how it happened! See, we moved into this 'three bathroom' house, only to discover it really was a 'one and two halves' bathroom house! Ugh! That's right - two of the shower faucets were totally un-useable! So, for the first time since the kids were toddlers, we are having to share a shower with them! Lame!

Well, last week, with my father coming into town, Mark got to working on the bathroom downstairs. It now has a working light in it, whereas before you had to turn on the light in the shower to see in there! And the shower is useable!

Now, true - this is in the basement, and doesn't help me all that much, but, it is a step in the right direction - and that just gets me to !!!

My back is killing me

I am quite certain the evil culprit would be our eleven year old, special clearance sale bed! I've been trying to do a little stretching here and there, but, I am nervous to do too much, because sometimes that actually makes it worse. I should probably get started on some daily sit-ups, because, I know that would be a great help. I should add it to my Healthy Habits List.

But we definitely need a new bed, that's for sure! I keep begging Mark to take me to the Century furniture store here in town so that we can at least check on the prices. I want to have a ballpark figure in my brain to know what to shoot for, you know?

That old thing in our bedroom is so bad that sometimes I'm even sleeping in my massage chair. Yes, having a massage chair is a lovely luxury. It is not, however, a really good place for sleeping. Some of the nights, though, I am just so desperate for some back support, that I do sleep in it.

Yesterday Mark wanted me to help him move our new swing that he just bought. He had just stained it, and it was so sweet of him to actually do the staining way at the end of the driveway so the smell wouldn't mess with any migraine-sensitive people - but, that did, however, mean that once it was done, I had to help him move it back up towards the house. I was moaning and groaning, and he was amused because he thought I was being a wimp and just moving the swing was hurting me. I told him that, no, my back had already been hurting and moving that thing sure didn't help! Not to mention it got my hands all sticky! But that's another issue entirely! (Me and my hand-cleaning OCD! *sigh*) The swing is pretty nice, though. It is made of cedar and will seat 2-3 people and we put it under the pecan tree and Mark is going to bring the firepit out there. I'm sure we will have some lovely evenings out there.

Am I a good post-wanderer, or what? We went from my back hurting to our new swing under the pecan tree...pretty good, eh?

More about my office

I posted yesterday about finally being ready to use a real desk. Well, we have a new thrift store in town and they have everything - and yes, they have office desks. When my mom was in town we went over there and looked around. It was kind of sweet, because, it reminded me of my mom's old business she had with my uncle when I was a little kid. Yep, the desks were that old. But, you know what? Some of those things were still very sturdy! And I bet that is probably where I will go to get one. I mean, if I wanted a computer desk, I could easily buy a new one. I just don't like those. Nope, I want an actual desk. And a new one of those would be way too expensive.

I'm finally ready for a real desk

I just love this table that I've used for a desk for years! It is just too high, though. When I was in Dallas, and I was typing on my sister-in-law's office computer, I was the FASTEST typist! It was awesome! So it helped me finally be ready to get an actual desk. I will definitely keep this table for working on, but, just not for computing on. The table is so high, that I have to have my chair on the highest setting, so my lap is not parallel to the floor - and my ankles get all swollen up. I am pretty sure that that is because the nerves on the back of my legs are being pressed - or the blood can't flow down there easily, or whatever. And I know this is so wrong - but, my forearms lay flat on the table when I'm typing. So wrong. But I've really liked it that way for a long time. But I'd love to go get some real office furniture, so that I can type faster and easier and so that my legs can be more comfortable. I just always hated those typical 'computer desks', because they are so darn small. What my sister-in-law had that was so awesome was a little tray for her keyboard. So that is what I would love to get - a regular office desk, and a keyboard tray! That would totally rock! If I am really going to do this working from home, I have got to make my office environment friendly to my physical well-being and right now it just isn't.