Having the tools is NOT the same as using the tools… February 28, 2011
Posted by aplaceforgracie in Finance/Budget, Health/Weight Discussion, Life Management.add a comment
Yes, I have tools–lots of them. Some are for minor household projects, some are for working on my motorcycle, some I have NO idea what to do with (i.e. vacuum cleaner, iron and ironing board… ;D ). Then there are the tools made to help with self-improvement projects. Those are the ones on my mind today. Those are the ones that, if I’d use them regularly, would allow me to manage some of the areas of my life that are constantly out of control. I pay for online support tools and weekly meetings for a popular weight loss program that I love, but I don’t use the tools as seriously as I’d like, given that I’d like to be about 40-45 pounds lighter. I have weights and DVDs to lead me through the strength training that I really do enjoy, but I rarely make time for them. I bought software to help with finances and budget control. I use it to record the facts (income & expenses), but don’t use it for analysis and future planning (Where have I spent too much? What can I cut down on?). I don’t take horoscopes too seriously, but when I saw the beginning of today’s, I realized it fit right in with what I’m trying to do right now. “Today you may emphasize organizing things and managing your life…” And this was AFTER I thought very seriously about getting down to the business of using all the neat, productive tools at my fingertips! Hmmm…
Time to take advantage of all this stuff, or maybe think about getting rid of it. If I’m not going to use it, no sense in having it take up space in my budget, my hard drive, or my house. That’s what I’ll be focusing on for now–using them or clearing the decks. Seems this silly blog has potential as a management tool for me. And I can sure use it!
Spanx – Genius, or just plain Evil?? February 28, 2011
Posted by aplaceforgracie in Daughter's Wedding.Tags: fitting room, Spanx
add a comment
If you’ve ever been a bride or a bridesmaid, mother of the bride or groom, wedding guest, gone to prom or homecoming, or just needed to wear some clothes that aren’t very forgiving, you’ve probably heard of or tried Spanx. I think these garments are a mixed blessing. How wonderful to smooth out all the lumps and bumps that you were not able to lose, or aerobicize and weight-lift into submission, before the big event (or even before trying dresses on for the big event). This garment looks like a pair of pantyhose, but without feet–it reaches from just under your bra, to the middle of your thighs. It takes a lllooonnnggg time to put on, because if it fits correctly, it is REALLY tight! And body parts may not land exactly where they belong when you are done. I listened to my dear bride-to-be daughter tell me how her first effort to don Spanx resulted in her belly button ending up under her right boob. She showed me, while she was driving us to the bridal shop, how she had to use both arms to pull the Spanx away from her body enough for her poor navel to return to its natural resting place.
The bridal gown was tried on with the requisite Spanx, and the effect was stunning! Curves where there should be curves, smooth where appropriate, and the dress was declared perfect! Unfortunately, the combination of the dress with the structure built in and laced up the back, and the Spanx, left the poor girl unable to sit down comfortably! There were lots of chuckles over her effort to appear nonchalant while trying to bend in half against the forces of the super-strength garments. Oh well, as she pointed out, she won’t be doing much sitting at her Las Vegas wedding!
Bride-to-be’s younger sister tried on bridesmaid dresses while wearing her Spanx. She put them on before leaving home, to save time in the fitting room. They did their job during the dress-modeling session to make the sample dresses look great! Thanks to their help, a dress was easily chosen and properly ooh’d and aah’d over before our afternoon was done. But the gasps and groans on the way home, after a stop for a late lunch, told the tale of an unrelenting force that just didn’t want to quit.
OMG, do I even WANT to try putting this thing on? Yes, I have to make the effort, or trying on dresses could be traumatic for this 53 year old woman who is not in the best of shape. I must have made a serious error in choosing the size of my Spanx garment though. It took less than a minute to put on, left all of my body parts right where they belong, and when I was done, I didn’t really look any slimmer. Yup, I recheck the size chart and see that I need a smaller size. I’m not sure I have the courage to do this, but I am feeling very empowered at the thought of needing a smaller size so I will persevere because that isn’t usually how things work around here! So before shopping for my dress can begin in earnest, there will be Spanx in a smaller size, and probably more fun stories about misplaced body parts. <sigh> The things we do for our kids…
I can’t wait for our next shopping trip. Both daughters have chosen their dresses, but I have not. We will set out for a weekend of dress shopping in spring. Perhaps I can lose 50 pounds by then, and tone up whatever remains, so I won’t even NEED the help of my Spanx! Yeah, I don’t believe it either… But memories of the moments we share while doing this together will last forever, as will the pictures of us squished to photographic perfection in our gorgeous wedding attire. So I officially declare Spanx to be pure genius!
So now I have a blog… February 26, 2011
Posted by aplaceforgracie in General, Newbie.add a comment
Maybe I should have given some thought to what I was going to do with this blog before actually creating it? Ahhh, why bother changing the way I do things now? Act first. Think later. Or don’t think at all, just DO. That has worked well for me in many areas of my life, like buying a motorcycle. Seems to me that I said I was NOT going to buy the pretty teal and silver Harley, I was just going to LOOK at it. And what happened? I bought it. That day. (You knew that was coming, didn’t you?) I had never even ridden a motorcycle before, except as a passenger. Yup, DO first, think later. I love my bike, I love riding it now that I know how, I love being the 53 year old woman who shows up at her office on a Harley, wearing jeans and boots, and carrying her work clothes rolled up in the saddlebags without a hanger or garment bag in sight. Our office is run by some very conservative people, and I like being the one who shows up on the bike with the pretty, throaty rumble.
I also have a tendency to eat before thinking about what I’m eating. That has NOT turned out so well, as I am continually fighting the extra weight. If I had back all the money I’ve paid to Weight Watchers over the years, I could buy a brand new bike. Or two. Or three. But I don’t give up. I keep working on it. Maybe I’ll get “there” someday–“there” being my goal weight. Or maybe I never will and I will learn to live with that at some point. But I haven’t yet, and I will keep trying. There is, after all, a wedding in Vegas in October where I will be the mother of the bride. Gotta look good for that, so this is the place where there needs to be some thought before action. Is there a remedial class for that?
Then there’s my job. I don’t love my job. I used to, but there have been a lot of changes over the last few years, and many of them have not been so great for me. The biggest change is having my commute increase from less than 10 miles a day, to more than seventy miles a day. If I had gone from NO job, to this job, I’d feel damn lucky! But I landed here coming from the other direction, and took this job when the commute was short and sweet. So pardon my grumbling–I’m still working on acceptance.
So what AM I blogging about? I still have no flippin’ idea. But I have a blog now, so I guess I’ll find out as I go.
A Place for Gracie 