Small Stall but I Refuse to quit!

Hi!  I know its been a while since my last post....REAL post.   I have had a small setback in my journey toward thinness.  I have been successfully maintaining, exercising...but over the course of the last couple months I have put 6 pounds back on...While to some 6 pounds may not seem like a big deal, to me it screams "Here we go again".  I stopped doing the HCG plan due to a health issue that came up, It seemed be totally resolved and I started again in Sept/Oct.  Lost a few more down to 225/226...but then it happened!! THE HOLIDAYS Arrived!  I did pretty good, but then to top off all things on my right side I have been overcoming some pain in the "buttocks region"...SI joint /Sciatica...not sure EXACTLY.  All I know is that has slowed me down a little bit...UG.  I have been making healthy changes in my life...a real turn around in my thought process, but of  course nothing ever goes as fast as I want it to...hahaha .  Will I quit? NEVER!!! Did I decide to eat cake today...UMMM YES!  hahahaha.  I will continue making the healthy choices I have established for me, but I wanted to be open and honest about where I am ...You all have been a great support team!!! You deserve to be updated.


Oh just a side note, you may notice my Blog is back at blogger...I decided not to renew my paid website for now, so you'll just have to follow me here .   Happy Sunday!

side side note...I did renew after all so we are a www.embeesplace.com again :)
EmBee

Doggie Dry Shampoo Day

I am going to venture slightly away from my normal topics to bring you a "pet friendly" post.  We have a beautiful mixed "mutt" named Molly. Molly is pretty low key and loves to hang out in my bedroom.  Now first let me say she is sweet and very well behaved, but I have an ultra sensitive nose and Molly, Well...Molly tends to smell a bit doggy at times.  This doggy smell forces me to shoo her out of my bedroom.  A few weeks ago I read in one my  "do it yourself" home recipe books a recipe for Dry shampoo for dogs....Hmmm is this possible???  Could I make Molly smell fresh smelling ...thus granting her a pardon???   I know that my girls and I have had great success with dry shampoo recipes for ourselves, so why not give it a go.   I took several recipes and created my own...What's in it??  it is .....

Dry Shampoo for Doggie

1 Cup Quaker Oats

1/2 cup Corn starch

1/2 cup baking soda

2-3 drops of Ea. Essential oil ..Tea Tree, Lemongrass, Lavender,  Rosemary

In a food processor or mini processor...process the oats until fine,   Add the cornstarch, baking soda and essential oils... process till all are combined.   Put into a cheese shaker (I found one at the dollar store)...  Next liberally sprinkle over the pup ... taking care not to get near eyes.  We generously sprinkled her tummy, back, tail, etc...Gently rub the "shampoo" into the fur, taking several minutes to work the mixture in.   Then after letting the shampoo sit for several minutes brush through puppy's fur.  ( Molly was shedding as well so we accumulated enough fur to build another dog ..hahaha)  The essential oils work to make puppy smell good while having a purpose...Tea tree treats any hot spots,and repelling pests, lemongrass works at repelling pests, Lavender helps relax puppy (not that Molly needs to relax...hahaha) and Rosemary does the same as the others, plus smells really nice.   After brushing through Molly we went ahead and sprinkled the dry shampoo on her bedding as well. Wait a few minutes and Vacuum up ...Now the bedding is smelling just as fresh :).  In fact you can safely do this process in your carpet room...because this can double as a natural carpet deodorizer I am sure

I will say Molly was quite happy for the process to be over as she HATES being brushed or bathed...but she was quite happy with the treats that she was rewarded after the process was over.    She looked so pretty and smelled just like as my youngest son said..."A Pez candy"  hahahaha.  We are both happy, she avoided an actual bath involving water and my nose can rest at ease, because the doggie odor is GONE!!!  Bonus her fur looks fresh and fluffy :)...What a pretty girl!

A Stranger at the Y

This is post is different than I normally would write, but with so many negative things happening  in our nation as of late I thought a random act of kindness would be worth writing about.   My family and I love to participate in the activities at our local YMCA. Well anyway my youngest son and I were up playing in the gym, playing games using one of the basketballs in the gym when my older brother came in to shoot some hoops.  Now my older brother has grown up with many challenges in his life making him different than most people. In fact the differences have made him the object of mistreatment, condescending attitudes,  and bullying many times in his life, especially growing up.  Let me just tell you places that I have would never have ever hoped he would be subjected to those mindsets are the very places where this kind of treatment has occurred...enough said on that subject. Needless to say I tend to err on the protective side where Chris is concerned (though I will admit we act like typical siblings hahah, having our disagreements etc)   Well anyway he LOVES to play basketball and feels a great sense of accomplishment when he can "SWISH" the ball through the hoop.  As I was playing with my youngest son, I began to notice this older gentleman standing off to the sides of where Big Bro was shooting hoops,   every time the ball hit the backboard and bounced off to the side, this gentleman (I'll call him Dan for short) would retrieve the ball, toss it back in so Chris could shoot again.  My son and I continued to play but I continued observing as Dan patiently tossed the ball back to Chris...every once in a while I would notice him walk over to Chris, when he would miss a shot and quietly tell him something, maybe some instruction?  I was now intrigued...who was this man ?  Well my son and I sat on the bleachers, since we were done playing and watched the interaction.  Dan began cheering him on...telling him to "see" the ball going though the hoop... aim higher...each time Chris 's free throw shot improved, it improved to the point he made 5-6 shots straight in a row.  Each time the ball made it though the net Dan exclaimed loudly...way to go, you got this, etc!!   By the time we were ready to go Chris's face said it all with big smiles and a sense of accomplishment.  We shook hands with this kind man, not a coach...just a kind man who loved the sport and spent many hours observing the game .  Thank you Dan!!  You made Chris smile and an left an impression that will never be forgotten.  Kind, unselfish, caring people are out there,  you just have to take a minute to "see" them .