RST: Trees, artwork, diets, puppies and The Swagger Wagon

Yeah, so thank god for McGriddle Pants, because without her I wouldn't have shit to talk about today. She just started Random Shit Tuesday and made this pretty awesome button that I in turn swiped (with permission). It's kind of funny, but I think she must have been reading my mind today. All day I was trying to come up with something to write about, but all I could think of were these random, unrelated little tidbits. Thanks, McGriddle Pants, you rock! (Seriously, if you have a moment, go check her out. Here's the link again.)

My randomness...

♣ It's cold. I mean, really, really cold. What the hell, Mother Nature? Here I was getting a tree planted for you and everything, and how do you show your thanks? You make it crazy-ass cold. I had to break out the old ratty sweatshirt and the down throw blanket this morning. On a related note, I was notified via email today that my blog is now carbon free neutral. Thank god. That was starting to stress me out. Here's the email...

Hi April,                                       

thank you so much for participating in our initiative and making your blog carbon neutral! Your tree will be planted this month by the Arbor Day Foundation. The scheduled start plant date was Monday, April 19 and the trees will be planted by a contracted crew. The roads are being plowed, all contracts solidified, and twelve shipments of 150,000 seedling each are being assembled. We thank you for the support!                                           

There are still some trees looking for a sponsor. So if you know some people who have a blog or website, pass it on and we'll make their blogs carbon neutral too!                                               

Best,     
Christin 

♠ I think I hit a wall with my painting. It was coming along all great and everything, and then I made a boo boo. I do that sometimes. I rushed into this idea that I wasn't too thrilled about and then ended up not liking it. Go figure. So I tried to fix the mistake, and I think I made it even worse. Now I'm trying to fix my fix. We'll see how it goes. Here's another sneak peek...

♥ Diets Don't Work! I'm sorry, but it's true. I can't tell you how aggravated I get with people when they complain that the diet they're on isn't working. My mom is constantly going on and off diets as is one of my sisters. Just recently (as in, today) a Facebook friend was bitching about not having any energy, which she credited to the no-carb diet she just started. Uh, go figure.

Some time ago I weighed about 40 lbs. (yes, forty) more than I do now. Everyone asks me how I lost the weight... what diet was on?... I felt kind of guilty explaining that I wasn't on a diet. (In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I was going through a very, very rough time in my life and I didn't always remember to eat. Really, I was in a horrible place). That being said, I made some pretty significant changes to my eating habits. For one, I stopped eating fast food. I also stopped eating desserts and other sweets. And the biggest thing? I started watching my portions. I firmly believe that portion control is the key to losing weight (and maintaining it). Five years later, and I've kept the weight off, and I eat whatever I want (well, aside from eggs, but that's another issue entirely). 

If you're trying to lost weight, and it's not working, go get yourself a set of good measuring cups, and try keeping a food journal. You'll be amazed by what you actually eat every day when you keep track of it. Another benefit of tracking your food intake (which I used to do, but no longer do), you can see how balanced (or not) your diet really is (you know, fruits... veggies...). Oh, and if you must go out to eat, make sure you doggie-bag half of your meal. Trust me, you won't miss it and you'll have yummy leftovers for lunch the following day.

♦ Recently we welcomed two new family members to our family, Chaga and Chai. One of my sisters and her boyfriend just adopted two puppies. They are the cutest things. Here are some pics...

These guys join the six other nephews I have and one niece. Aren't they just so cute? They're shelter rescues. The best kind! I can't wait to get my own dog.

★ I came across this video on a blog yesterday (no, I don't remember which one, sorry). It is hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing. As much as I love it though, I'm in no hurry to rush out and get myself a minivan. Nor am I in any rush to acquire any little tykes either. Enjoy!

Hope you all have a great Tuesday!