Sunday, December 14, 2014

'Tis The Season...

This time of year everywhere you look people are rushing around trying to either find that perfect gift for everyone on their list or pick up that last minute gift.  Stores slash their prices ridiculously low with hopes those shoppers will come in.  

This time of year also seems to bring out the worst in people...how many stories have you heard or read talking about adults fighting in stores during events like Black Friday over a stupid gift or someone cutting in line while waiting in line for the store to open its doors.  Then when the doors do open, there is such a mad rush to get in, people don't seem to care if they knock others down trying to get them out of their way, which leads to some people getting trampled on and seriously injured or killed. 

Then you've got that customer who takes his or her frustrations out on the store employees because they are unhappy the store sold out of whatever it was they wanted before they could get to it or the store didn't have enough registers open and God forbid they have to wait in line.  Customers don't seem to realize that the employees don't have anything to do with how many employees are assigned to work each day or how many lanes are open.  Stores such as WalMart get their schedules from their corporate headquarters.  


What is suppose to be a joyous time of year can really be a stressful time of year.  We worry over spending too much money, will that person like the gift we give them, bills coming in right and left, etc.

We tend to forget about those who are less fortunate than we are.  So many people are without jobs, homeless, hungry, cold, alone, in hospitals, or for whatever reason won't be able to spend Christmas with their families.  

In so many cases, the real reason we have the opportunity to celebrate this time of year is either forgotten or pushed to the side.

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

The fact He may not have actually been born on December 25 is not important, as far as I'm concerned.  What IS important is we celebrate the greatest gift this world has ever received...Jesus Christ!!  This time of year should not be about what we give or get for Christmas, but sharing the joy of the season.  Read the Bible and you will find over and over again about how Jesus tried to teach us about how we can obtain true joy. 

NOTE:  I realize that there are people and religions who do not believe He is the Son of God, and I respect your beliefs.  I ask that you respect mine.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Three months in...

It's been 3 months today since I started this journey of changing my nutritional lifestyle.  In one respect it seems like it's been forever, but then again it feels like I've just started it.

As of yesterday (Mondays being my weigh-in day) I've lost 22.5 pounds since July 28.  That may not be a lot in 3 months, but for me that's an accomplishment.  I would've love to have lost more, but it's hard for me to loose weight, so any and all weight coming off is a blessing.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up I'm going to have to really be diligent in watching what I eat.  I'm thinking about making a bunch of cookies for my husband, kids, and some friends for the Christmas holidays, which will be a test to see just how strong my willpower will be.  :-)

NOTE:  For those of  you are visiting my blog for the first time, I'm trying to loose quit a bit of weight through eating healthier and attending physical therapy sessions.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

4 weeks in...

Just a quick update on my progress with the POWR program offered at Kort Physical Therapy.  It's been 4 weeks now and I have lost a total of 15.6 lbs., almost an inch in my bicep, 1/2" in my waist, and none in my thigh.  The amount of weight loss my first month amazes me; however, I'm realistic enough to know that not every month is going to be that good.  Though I can hope.  :-)

I am really enjoying the fellowship with the other participants and the advice from my physical therapist and the 2 participants who have been in the program since April.  If you are rather overweight like I am, I highly recommend this program.  Talk to your doctor about it; if they aren't aware of the program, have them check it out.  For more information, check out their website at www.kort.com.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Time for a lifestyle change...

In mid-July 2014 I had a health scare that I like to think of as a wake up call.  Due to some breathing difficulties and pain on the top of my shoulders that was going into my neck, my family doctor recommended a stress test and chest x-ray; both of which came back clear.  A few days later I had a pulmonary test done, which confirmed my asthma has come back.  Let it be noted that I had severe asthma as a child, but had not had any problems for decades. As a result, I have embarked on a lifestyle change.

I will be the first to admit that I'm rather overweight, and am lazy when it comes to dieting and exercise.  My family physician and I both knew that if I could get some, if not all, my weight off, I would have an easier time breathing.  I also have several orthopedic problems which common sense says will improve if the weight is reduced/gone.  I have dieted before but it never really worked for me, so instead of dieting, I decided to make a lifestyle change that would last the rest of my life.  My husband was very happy that I decided to change my eating habits because this meant he would benefit from it too with the healthy meals he is now getting.  :-)

With the recommendation of my doctor, I have started a program called POWR, which stands for Personalized Orthopedic Weight Reduction.  POWR is geared toward addressing the obesity epidemic by showing its participants how to make healthy lifestyle changes that will help reduce risks of obesity-related diseases.  This program is one of the many programs at KORT (Kentucky Orthopedic Rehab Team) and it incorporates both physical therapy and nutritional counseling.  

The particular KORT center I am going to is fabulous.  All the physical therapists there are extremely enthusiastic about helping each person who comes there.  Melanie, my personal PT, has started a POWR HOUR, and at the present time I am 1 of 3 participants.  There may be more to join, as Melanie has said she has spoken with at least 7 more people who want to join the POWR program.

When I use to diet, I didn't have anyone try to explain to me about nutrition and what changes I needed to make in my eating habits.  Now, with Melanie's help, I am learning which foods are better for me than others.  Another part of my journey includes learning how to read labels which is a key proponent of my daily goals. 

Those daily goals include setting a limit for how many carbs, fats, protein, sodium, and sugars I allow myself each day.  Though I do have a set amount of calories for each day, I watch the carbs, etc. more than I do the calories.  Also, on my iPad I have an app called MyFitnessPal.  After each meal or snack, I record what I ate and how much; the app will keep a running total of my calories and nutritional stats and lets me know at the end of the day if I met or overdid my goals.

I am presently in my 3rd week of the POWR program;  the first week I lost 7.3 lbs, and 2 lbs. the second week.  It is my goal to hopefully loose 1-2 lbs. each week until I've lost at least 100+ lbs.  Stay tuned for updates.  :-)

Check out these links:
My Fitness Palhttp://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Friday, July 11, 2014

Searching one's ancestry...

George & Sallie Bertram
Off and on for several years now I have been slowly but surely researching the genealogy of my paternal grandfather's family.  I would love to learn more about my paternal grandmother's family, as well as both of my maternal grandparents; however, I have had a rough time trying to find out anything on them.

I recently purchased a book about my family entitled  BUTTRAM The Descendents of William Buttram I and Margaret of Rowan County, North Carolina and was compiled by Charles V. & Barbara L. (Brown) Waid for the Buttram Family Association.  It was copyrighted in 1998, and this book is enormous, with over 1000 pages.  I am sure it took a tremendous amount of time and effort to come up with all the genealogies listed in this book, which I greatly appreciate.

With the Bertram family, I have gotten as far back as 1590 and 14 generations before me.  From what research I have found, the Bertram name has also been spelled Buoutteram, Butteram, Burtram, Butrum, Burtrum, Buttrum, Butram, Burtrum, Burttram, and Burttrum.  The first family member came to America from England in 1637, and William seems to be a very popular family name.

I believe everyone should research their family origins, as it can be fun and interesting to find out if you have any famous or infamous people in your lineage.  Example:  the actor, Pat Buttram, is a member of my family; however, I'm not quite sure just how closely related we are.  Pat starred with Gene Autry in The Gene Autry Show, and is well remembered as "Mr. Haney" on the Green Acres television show.

If you're not sure where to start your genealogy search, you can always to your local library and ask if they have access to any genealogical databases.  If there is a historian in your town, ask if they can give you pointers.  If you don't mind paying an annual fee, Ancestry.com is a great place to look.  Other internet sites I recommend are Rootsweb and Family Search.  If all else fails, just "google" either genealogy datebases or a family member.  In my case, I "googled" my paternal great-grandfather and came up with oodles of information.

Whatever you do, have fun with it. 

Friday, May 16, 2014

Just checking in...

Since it's been awhile since I've posted here, I thought I'd share the latest goings-on with you.

William Shatner, aka Capt. Kirk
My son and I attended the 3rd annual Lexington Comic & Toy Convention, held the weekend of March 14-16, at the Lexington Convention Center.  We had an absolute blast getting to meet such stars as Lou Ferrigno (the original Incredible Hulk) and William Shatner, George Takei, and Nichele Nichols of the Star Trek tv show.  If you like comic book conventions, you should definitely come to next year's event.  For more information, you can visit their website at lexingtoncomiccon.com.

I've become a grandmother for the second time.  Beau was born in April on what would have been my father's 89th birthday.  (Note:  Dad passed away in 1991.)  He looks just like his big brother, Gunner.

I've started physical therapy this week on a bum knee.  The naproxin my rhumatologist prescribed for me helps alot also.  Therapist says the back of my knee cap seems to have degenerated quite a bit.  

My embroidery learning is still on-going, due mainly to there being so much to learn.  However, I'm having a blast with it.  I'm also trying my hand at simple quilt patterns.  

The website templates I design for my website, Sharry's Place, are getting a much needed make-over.  I try to keep up with the latest html updates and then incorporate said updates into my designs.  Since I've got several templates to go through, it's a slow process.

My photography has taken a back seat to the other projects I'm working on, but I haven't completely given it up, nor will I ever.  There are a few pictures I've taken recently that need to be uploaded to my site, which will be done asap.

There are a few other projects floating around in the back of my mind that I'm trying to decide what to do with them.  At this time, those projects will remain there until I decide what to do with them. 

Thanks for visiting...come back often.



Saturday, February 22, 2014

Must be semi-contagious...

In 2010 my son, Matt, attended his first pop culture convention, the ScareFest Horror and Paranormal Convention, at the Lexington Convention Center.  Matt had so much fun he wanted to go to the next one in 2011, and wanted me to go along so I could experience what he was talking about.  After that, we both have attended every ScareFest convention since then.  Not only that, we have attended 2 conventions in Louisville, and both of the Lexington ComicCons, which is the newest convention to "hit" Lexington.

I am not a fan of the horror movies represented at ScareFest, nor am I a believer in the paranormal, but I must say it is so much fun to attend ScareFest.  The Lexington ComicCon has grown from having just the original stars of the Power Rangers show their first year in 2012 (which was a 1 day convention) to such big names as William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, and George Takei of the original Star Trek tv show and the original Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, coming to their 3rd convention, says a lot on how popular it has become.

Attending these conventions in Lexington has become rather contagious.  Both Matt and I look forward each year to see just what stars we will get to meet, as well as getting to spend some quality time together.  I've always tried to keep up with what both of my children are interested in so that I could have a better understanding of what they were talking about.

NOTE:  The 2014 Lexington ComicCon will be March 14-16.  The 2014 ScareFest will be September 12-14.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

All Aboard the Embroidery Train...

Brother PE500
Don't know about where you live, but in my neck of the woods embroidery and monogramming has really taken off over the last year or so.  Seems everyone is buying either a single-needle or a multi-needle machine, and they are really doing a great job with the crafts they have made, most of which have been monogramming items such as scarves, purses, shirts, etc.  

Not to be outdone, I too have jumped onboard the embroidery train with not one but two single-needle machines.  :-)  The first one I bought was a Brother PE500 from Amazon.  The maximum size it will do is 4"x4", and does embroidery and monogramming only.  Last fall I purchased a used Babylock Esante ESe from a dealer in Lexington, KY, and it is both an embroidery machine and a sewing machine.  The hoop I have with it is 5"X7".  Though I use the Brother PE500 most of the time, the Babylock comes in handy for embroidering names and/or phrases on items that are too long for a 4"x4" hoop.

Pocket T-Shirt
So far some of the items I've done are monogrammed pockets on t-shirts, totes, burp rags, and key fobs.  The internet contains great sites (such as Pinterest & Etsy) which offer great ideas and tutorials, several of which I have either bookmarked or downloaded.  YouTube is another great site that has lots of video tutorials.

While researching embroidery/monogramming ideas, I also looked up sites containing supplies needed for my *craft room.  I hope to, over time, share some of these sites with you.

*Craft Room - A room in the corner of our garage that my husband had built just for me.  :-)  It houses both my embroidery machines, as well as my Singer sewing machine, Singer serger, Cricut, and quilting frame.  A laptop in the craft room contains software for designing monograms and other embroidery designs, and a couple of shelving units hold essentials such as material, finished products, and other supplies.  I will always be grateful to my wonderful husband for giving me this room. 

I will be back to share tips, links, and other crafty items with you as I find them.  If you come across anything you think I might like, please share.  Thanks, and have a great day.


Monday, January 20, 2014

Where has the time gone...

It just dawned on me that it's been quite a while since I've posted anything here.  There have been several things going on around here which has caused me to temporarily step away from my blog.  However, I have decided to make a concerted effort to post more often, and have a few ideas of where I'd like to go with it.  Just to keep your interest peaked, no mention of what I have in mind will be made.  :-)

Since my last post, I have found out that my grandson, Gunner, is going to be a big brother.  His little brother, Beau, is due in April, and I am so looking forward to his arrival.  Their parents, as well as my step-granddaughter, were hoping for a girl; however, boys are great.  All we want is a healthy baby and a safe delivery.

Christmas has come and gone, as well as the new year.  I don't make new year resolutions because, let's face it, no one sticks to them.  2014 looks to be a busy year for us.  With the new grandson on the way (which I will be babysitting), my son and I have at least 2 conventions to attend.  The first one, The Lexington ComicCon, will be in mid-March at the Lexington Convention Center.  William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, of the original Star Trek television show, will be there, as well as Lou Ferrigno, the original Incredible Hulk.  Then in mid-September we will be attending the ScareFest Horror & Paranormal Convention at the same convention center.  No guests have been announced as of this date for that convention.

Until next time, I hope you are blessed...