Gorgeous Spring Flowers and Veggie Stir "UnFry"

I took pictures of the pretty spring flowers while we were outside today staying active. I love spring and particularly when the bulbs start to bloom. There is something very comforting about the rebirth of nature. It makes it feel like all is right with the world.

There was a little bad news on the scale this morning, it was up 2 pounds for me. *ugh* I am fairly certain this is due to water retention from having more sodium than normal but I decided to take it easy on the food today just in case.

Dan had a kale and banana smoothie for breakfast this morning. I opted to skip breakfast given the unfriendly scale and the fact that I really wasn’t hungry in the morning. ;-)

We decided to go for a walk around through the neighborhood before we did much else. It was a gorgeous morning but a little cold (45 degrees). However there were a lot of people out doing the same thing we were, getting their blood pumping. I took a few pictures to give you more of a flavor of the things I see every day.

The neighborhood is old, the houses are generally very different from each other and the streets aren’t straight. However it does have old world charm which I love, when we aren’t having plumbing issues that is. ;-)  I know many of you live in the middle of the country where the land is very flat. It isn't like that here at all. One of the things I love about this part of town is the 100+ year old oak trees that are every where.

While we were out we took time to talk, about everything and nothing like we always do. There is something very special about being married to someone that knows all your secrets and the things you would never anyone else. My husband even knows exactly what I weigh. We really have no secrets. Do any of you share things like your weight with your husband?

My mother dropped a bomb on me regarding food. She didn’t want me to make beans since they are hard for her to digest. I tried to explain that they are difficult to digest because her diet is otherwise low in fiber and that was the problem. I got that look, you know the one it said very clearly that she thought I had no idea what I was talking about. When I tried to explain that we eat beans every day and very frequently twice a day she got annoyed. I agreed to use beans as a condiment but not to eliminate them from all the meals they have with us. I suspect she may have been trying to get me to add meat to your food but that isn’t going to happen. Needless to say I found it difficult to come up with ideas for lunch today with beans basically off the table. *sigh* Can my mother throw any more roadblocks up to improving her health? That was a rhetorical question, I do know the answer. *argh*

I ended up making a simple veggie stir fry (no oil) with very little soy sauce since she is also suppose to be on a low sodium diet. Not that she actually eats a low sodium diet but she thinks she does because she doesn’t read labels. How anyone can think saltine crackers and canned soup are low sodium is completely beyond me. *rolls eyes* Okay enough whining from me on that topic. Let’s get back to something much more pleasant.

After lunch Dan and I went back outside for a little more exercise. Our neighborhood has a lot of walkers and joggers so you run into someone you know very often. Today we saw Sheila and Kyle coming back from the train museum. They live up the street and saw us on the sidewalk and stopped for a few minutes. Since Sheila and I normally communicate by email or phone it was good to see her. It is amazing how fast little ones grow. Every time I see Kyle he looks so much older.

Once Dan and I got back home we watched the last two episodes of “Criminal Minds” during which time Dan had a snack, leftovers from yesterday’s late lunch with my parents. Are you starting to see the patterns? ;-)

I had no idea what to make for dinner so we decided to have a huge salad, like usual in serving bowls. These salads contained: baby spinach, cilantro, salsa, chickpeas salad (from yesterday), artichoke hearts, bell peppers, cucumber, avocado and raw pumpkin seeds. Nothing fancy just healthy whole food.

We are planning to get into bed early tonight so that we can be up at 5am tomorrow to head for the gym. Otherwise we have decided to exercise together before and after work for at least 20 minutes morning and evening to keep everything moving and limber. Of course more would be better but we thought an easy minimum was a good place to start so that even when Dan is swamped we can reach our minimum together.

Happy thoughts:

Other than the plumbing issue it was a good weekend. Here are my happy thoughts:

• Sunday was nice since we got to spend it together. We both enjoyed having time outside and being able to chat while also being active.

• I am happy that we have a backup exercise/activity plan for those days when we aren’t up at 5am. It is definitely better to have a plan than to wing it.

• It was very nice to go out to dinner on Friday and Saturday though I paid the price today on the scale. At least I know it is temporary and those 2 pounds will be gone by Tuesday of this week. Sometimes growing older, and wiser, has its advantages.

• Also I am happy that as I have gotten older I can see why people behave badly and not take it personally. In the past I would wonder what I had done but now I realize what is actually happening. Many people find it easier to criticize or put down someone else than to acknowledge their own shortcomings. I can only hope that everyone will one day be at peace with themselves and others. That would be a nice world wouldn’t it? ;-)

• I picked up a few good books from the library this weekend that I am looking forward to reading. I will share the specifics with you tomorrow. I love reading which means having more books in the house always makes me happy.

• Emily (from the restaurant) put a big smile on my face Friday night which I forgot to mention previously. She wants to improve her health and is looking for suggestions. Of course I am happy to help and even more happy that she felt comfortable enough to talk to me about it. I think there is nothing better than to be an inspiration to others.  :-)

• I am also thankful for my precious little fur babies. I might be biased but I think they are adorable. ;-)

Signing out:

Time for me to wind down for the day. Given that we have been up past 1am the last two nights getting to bed early enough to be up a 5am will be tough tonight. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. With a little luck I will have time for the tutorial on how to make your own tofu tomorrow. Enjoy what is left of your weekend.