Dackel Princess

Mother’s Day

I’m often torn about how to celebrate Mother’s Day. Many of the happiest times in my life revolved around being a mother to my two girls.

Yet, for thirty-six years there is a part of me that grieves on Mother’s Day for the daughter I lost.

Katie

But, God is good! He sent two beautiful children to my older daughter, Mandy and the three of them just rock my world. I feel like I am the luckiest!

Life is funny you know. I thought that my life was over thirty-six years ago, and now I feel like I am on the grandest trip of all, along with Mandy and her family!

I see the world in a whole new way. Through the eyes of my grandchildren.

Although my love will never end for Katie, and I shall never forget her or the way she was when she was alive and in our lives, I have been able to move forward and live again myself.

So on this Mother’s Day, I celebrate my own motherhood, but more than this, I celebrate my daughter’s Mother’s Day.

Mandy is a wonderful, caring, and gentle mother. She listens to her kids and adores them and I admire her so very much!

So, Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers. Be you biological, adoptive, or step. Mothers and their love come in all shapes and sizes.

Honesty

Ah, so you haven’t heard from me about my “Healthy Eating Plan” for a while. So I thought I would write and tell you a little bit about what has been going on.

A lot of people tell me that they over-eat when they are happy or sad, celebrating, or grieving. But you know, I am not really like that. If life is going along well, I find eating what I should is easy for me. Mostly because I really enjoy all the “good” foods, like vegetables, fish and poultry.

My problem is when I am grieving. Then I find all I want to eat are sweets, carbs, and sugar!

I’d been doing pretty well until my birthday in November. That’s when I allowed sugar back into my life. Never a good thing. Christmas came and New Years’ too.

Then, in January, Anneliese became very ill and I knew her time with me was limited. Even before she left me, I was grieving for her.

The day arrived and I drove her out to our Vets for the last time. I was alone with her that one last time, and then I held her while she left me, and I drove home, alone.

My eating became erratic and before I knew it, things with my diet were not going well.

My friend passed away on April first and I was still drowning myself with food.

Did it help? Not really, but for those moments when I was eating there was almost a calmness that came over me. Or so I thought.

Then I sat myself down and had a long talk with myself. Was this accomplishing anything? Was it really making me “happy“, or was this making my depression even worse?

I went grocery shopping. I bought fruit, vegetables, some fish and some poultry. I also did not buy any item that was over 1-2 points. Mostly I stayed in the Produce and Meat Section of the store, but I did shop for some frozen vegetables. I especially enjoy the riced cauliflower.

I’ve had a constant conversation with myself this week. Who can make this “Healthy Eating Plan” work? ME! Who can sabotage my efforts with this Plan? Also me. So at 62, I decided it was time to stop playing emotional games with food and hold myself accountable for what I was eating and doing with my life.

I really want to do this, and the only way to do it is, to be honest with myself and work every day to make myself healthy and well!

The Friday Five ~ May 7th

This week was a fairly busy one, so as I sit here writing, I can’t quite believe it is already Friday! So, here goes!

‘Tis the season for Auto Inspections. We have two cars, so we made appointments to bring them in. Both passed with flying colors and now that job is done for the year.
It was Jack’s Birthday and food was eaten. Good food! Sinful food! So the day after I hopped back on the WW wagon, and I am really working at getting back into the program. It is so easy to fall off the wagon. And not so easy to get back on.
I am off to the Veterinarians this morning with Arnie. Poor guy is still not feeling well. So I will bring a urine sample in, and they will do a complete senior doggy exam, complete with a blood draw and CBC. At 14 1/2 years old I worry so much about him. Regular check-ups are a must.
I discovered a great recipe. It for WW Eggplant & Vegetable Pizza. For all of 1 point! I made it on Wednesday and it was so good! Since I had leftover veggies I decided to have it again today.
We are finally having sunny weather. Not that it is too warm, but it sure is nice to see the sunshine! And after all that rain, everything is very green and the grass will soon need to be mowed.

Have a wonderful weekend, Everyone!

TBT: Cape Cod Summer Memories

Summer Memories

I grew in Falmouth on Cape Cod and my summers were always full of sun, sea, and soft, cool, cotton sheets after a long day at the beach. My sister Melodie is in the back on the left. I’m the bold one in the blue bikini!

I swam almost before I could walk, dreamed of magical kingdoms, built in the sand, and lay on my towel watching the clouds drift by in the afternoon. I remember thinking that time went so slowly as I lay there, that things would always be like that.

I ran barefoot all summer long through the sweet grass, and the scent of lilacs and roses and the ocean were always there. (Or so it seemed)

The feel of salt on my skin, the taste of it on my lips, and the laughter in the air, as I climbed the jetties along the Surf Drive Beach.

Melodie on the left and me at home on Clipper Lane. When I didn’t walk to the beach, I rode my trusty Schwinn Bike all over town.

Fireflies, cookouts on the grill at Goodwill Park, with marshmallows too. My Uncle George, cousin, Janet, and Aunt Betty with Grandma Honey.

Telling stories in the dark, movies at the drive-in, and ice cream cones at Dairy Queen!

Pop cycles and root beer floats, fried clams and frozen Milkyway bars. Lobster and butter, and strawberry shortcakes at the church festival.

At the Clam Shack in Falmouth.

Sunshine and happiness, visiting with relatives who flocked to our house and the beach. Summers are full of some of the best memories in my life!

Birthday Dinners

Tuesday was Jack’s Birthday and I sat and prepared a great grocery list to support all that I would need to cook him a special meal.

Ribeye Steak, Butter and Wine Poached Lobster Tails, Baked Potatoes, and Corn on the Cob (the first out of Florida to hit our markets). For dessert, Layered Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream and Strawberries!

The cake!

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Well, the dinner came out awesome! I popped the Champagne cork and served the meal. What a great meal!

There are no pictures due to the fact that we all but inhaled the meal! But I was able to find a picture of the cake online!

Happy 83rd Birthday, Jack

Today is the eighty-third birthday of my husband Jack. It’s quite a milestone for him and us. We met many years ago and were friends for a long time. We saw each other through many difficult times in life, and eventually, when we figured it all out, we got married and started our life together. That was thirty-three years ago. How the time has flown.

Today we celebrate Jack’s birth and here is hoping for a happy day and a healthy and wonderful year ahead!

Happy Birthday!

The Weekend Wrap ~ May 3rd

My weekend saw both very busy and then very quiet times. I spent time, just sitting watching the birds come to eat. I made meals, cleaned out the fridge, and took Arnie out for walks. We had rain, and wind, and then sunny skies! And the Forsythia bloomed.

Meanwhile, back to my cleaning, after really working hard and nonstop on the entire plugs issue, I found myself a wee bit sore and so took most of the day on Sunday off.

My plan for Monday is to change sheets and vacuum the bedroom. And should I be lucky enough to have a little ambition left, I will be washing bathmats, and mopping floors.

I sure wish that this shoulder thing would go away and I could do a full day’s work without feeling achy.

Today would have been my brother’s 70th Birthday. He passed away when he was just 26 years old from Cancer. We all still think of him often and miss him.

Dickie was a super talented musician, with a beautiful voice!

We love you and will always keep you close in our hearts. Maribeth Dackel

This & That ~ May 2nd

Saturday was actually a day of great accomplishment. I woke early and headed off to get my hair done. Since I’m in the process of growing it out, no hair was actually cut, but a nice soft rinse was added to keep me from showing the world all my gray hair. Yes. I am that vain.

I came home and made Jack breakfast. That is how early my hairstylist appointment was! After that, I set about vacuuming everything and then moving furniture in order to place the new power banks and get everything sorted out. It took a little longer than I thought, but now it is complete I like the set-up a great deal.

Lunch was next on the agenda and that was fine. I really needed to sit down and rest the left shoulder and back after all that.

Funny, in my youth I moved my furniture around weekly. I loved the change. However, my spine surgeries do not allow me the flexibility I once had. No problem. If I can just get work done when I want to, I am happy.

You might notice my new profile picture on the right. There is a story I want to share.

Back in 2013 when I had my facial cancer removed and then the plastic surgery to repair my nose, the first surgeon who operated on me to do the repair took the skin off my forehead. When I woke and saw what he had done I started to cry. The jerk said to me, “It’s okay, you can just wear bangs for the rest of your life to hide the scar!”

That was when I switched doctors. My new plastic surgeon was honest. After what the first doctor did, it would be difficult to clean up my nose and my forehead.

For many years I did wear bangs and then this year I decided, I wasn’t going to hide anymore. The bangs are growing out!

So Happy May to you all. Here it is Spring, and in Australia, it is the start of their Autumn. No matter where you are, I hope you are having a wonderful day!

The Friday Five ~ April 30th

Here we are the last day of April 2021! Wow, this month literally flew by.

Many things were accomplished, which included both of my Covid-19 Vaccinations. Do I feel safer? Yes and no.I feel a little safer, but I still wear a mask, still wash my hands like crazy, and I keep my distance from people. You never know when a new strain will show up.
We are finally having rain. A lot of rain, in fact. Which we really do need. Everything is greening up and starting to grow. It’s actually quite beautiful. Even if it is wet!
Tomorrow is my big day. I have rearranged the phone and tablet and computer charging stations in the family room. This required a longer and better power plug bank.I ordered one as well as the cords for cell phones and Bluetooth earpieces. So I will clean out all the dust bunnies and then set it all up.
I also would like to take down the curtains, wash and dry them, and put them back up. Spring cleaning.
I’ve really been enjoying old movies in the morning. I’ve had trouble sleeping lately and so I make coffee and sit and watch old movies from 6 o’clock on. I look forward to getting back into a normal sleeping pattern.

So that’s it for this week’s Friday Five, and for the month of April!

TBT: Being Five

Here I am, at the tender age of five. From my browned skin and blonde hair, you can tell I spent most of my time outside. And from the length of my bangs (fringe) you can tell that my mother was the one who had cut them. For some unknown reason, my mother always cut the bangs too short, and usually, they were crooked!

Looking back, I recall spending most of my time either outside riding my bike, climbing trees, or shut away in my room. At five I still had so much daydreaming imagination.

Being five was fun.