FRANCES8876's SparkPage

FRANCES8876

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My Journey

Now that our kids are grown and moved on it is time for me to get motivated by eating healthier and exercising and get back into shape.

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SP_STAFF	SPARKGUY	VIRGOKAT1
NIXY72	XMAC33	REALLADY99

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Divas Gettin' Down (Dropping these Pounds)

My Ticker:

current weight: 461.0

465

425.75

386.5

347.25

308

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Recent Blogs:

4/18/2012: Walking the dogs and Loving it.

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Profile

Member Since: 3/21/2012

My Program:
Well I did Herbal Magic for almost two yrs, then decided to quit last summer. Yes I lost 70 inches and 20 lbs, the lbs was frustrating, I wanted to lose more but it just wasn't working and I couldn't afford it anymore. In Nov my husband and I joined Goodlife Fitness along with 6 sessions each with a personal trainer, I love it and am still going I have noticed more inches falling off of me and still waiting on the lbs but I know it will catch up.

Personal Information:
Been happily married for 30 yrs August 2012. Have 3 beautiful grown children that we are very proud of. Foster parents for over 15 yrs. I'm a PSW and work with the disabled and love my work.

Other Information:
Yes I do spend too much time on the computer as my husband would say,lol. When I'm not on here, I try and do walking (the dogs) treadmill, or if I really feel motivated I'll do Zumba on my WII. I Love Thursday nights because I get together with my girlfriends and we have a blast doing Just Dance for about 2 hrs.

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Member Comments:

NIXY72
6/22/2012 12:11:21 PM

Are you still here? It's been a while since you've updated your status or since I've seen you around... Hopefully you're just lurking and quietly still chasing your own goals but in case you're not, please remember:

People disappear for all sorts of reasons. Life gets in the way, we forget or change our views on what we deem is important, we get buried under stress, frustration, illness. We sometimes give up, throw in the towel, or just promise ourselves that once things get better/easier/calmer, we will hitch up our socks and come back fresh. We've all done it. We've all been there. And if perhaps, you just need a supportive hug, or a helping hand or a word of inspiration, please know that I am offering it to you with no judgment, no guilt. It seems like it's been a while since you've been here and I just wanted to let you know that you are missed.

�You�re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.� �A.A. Milne

�Courage doesn�t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I�ll try again tomorrow.� -Mary Anne Radmacher

�All our dreams can come true � if we have the courage to pursue them.� �Walt Disney

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NIXY72
6/6/2012 12:38:12 PM

It's JUNE! Where has the time gone?

Please forgive the blanket letter but there were too many people to thank and simply not enough time to write personal notes to everyone...

Thank you so much for your support and friendship. I am happy to say that I am pretty much back up and running full steam and only have a couple more hurdles to jump to finally put this cancer battle behind me. Now I can look forward to concentrating on my original goals again and come the fall will (fingers crossed) be well on my way to being heathy and happy.

Coincidentally, this Friday, June 8th, is Best Friends Day. So for all those in your life that you are thankful for, please take a moment to reach out, give a hug and share a smile. Where would our lives be without the amazing support and friendship from someone like you?

As we are entering into the summer season (for those, like me, in the Northern Hemisphere), I would like to send this wish to you:

May you enjoy an everlasting renewal of energy and passion, for this is a time to celebrate the great potential you possess. May the sun shine upon you and fire up your heart to reach all of your goals and find joy in yourself and the world around you. Whatever battles you are fighting, whatever stresses may come your way, may you find energy, confidence, vitality and strength. This is the time to shine bright and show the world how beautiful you are. Embrace the summer-lit brilliance of each day and you will create a new life where all your wildest dreams come true. ~ Michelle

Happy summer :)

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NIXY72
5/17/2012 11:31:57 PM

I'm so excited about this!!

"This Saturday, May 19, is the first annual Food Revolution Day, initiated by the Jamie Oliver Foundation."

Are you not familiar with the food revolution?? Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6nDtr0mg
co

"The day will happen in kitchens, homes and communities around the world. In dining rooms, in restaurants and gardens, it will spark conversations about real food and inspire people to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle through cooking together. It's a chance for people who love food to come together to share information, talents and resources; to pass on their knowledge and highlight the world's food issues. Food Revolution Day is about connecting with your community through events at schools, restaurants, local businesses, dinner parties and farmers' markets, while promoting the mission for better food and education for everyone. To help celebrate, we've provided a selection of Jamie Oliver recipes from Cookstr to get you started. Find Food Revolution Day events near you" by copying and pasting this link:
http://foodrevolutionday.com/index.html

More Jamie Oliver Recipes from Coosktr: (all with fabulous nutritional information!)

Pasta Peperonata
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/pasta-pep
eronata
--------
Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes with Baby Leeks and Basil �
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/slow-roas
ted-balsamic-tomatoes-with-baby-leeks-
and-basil
-------- �
Roast Potatoes with Sage and Orange
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/roast-pot
atoes-with-sage-and-orange
--------�
Red Grape Pizza with Honey, Rosemary and Pecorino�
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/red-grape
-pizza-with-honey-rosemary-and-pecorino� �
--------��
Classic Tomato Spaghetti
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/classic-t
omato-spaghetti-nbsp
--------�
Vegetable Bhaji Salad with Sour Cream, Lemon and Cilantro�
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/vegetable
-bhaji-salad-with-sour-cream-lemon-and
-cilantro
--------
Cod, Potato and Spring Onion Stew
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/cod-potat
o-and-spring-onion-stew
--------�
Lemon, Lime and Peppermint Sorbet
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/lemon-lim
e-and-peppermint-sorbet
--------� � ��
Summer Fruit, Elderflower and Prosecco Jelly�
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/summer-fr
uit-elderflower-and-prosecco-jelly
--------�
Pukka Pineapple with Bashed-Up Mint Sugar �
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/pukka-pin
eapple-with-bashed-up-mint-sugar

Want to be inspired further?? Just look up the words "Jamie Oliver Food Revolution" under YouTube and Google and be amazed...

Share the wealth, share the health.

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NIXY72
5/13/2012 4:15:49 PM

�To a child's ear, 'mother' is magic in any language.�
~Arlene Benedict

Mom's are amazing.
If you are a mother, I salute you.
Thank you for being our super heros, our experts-in-everything, and our very best friends.

Today and every day, if you are fortunate enough to still have your mother in your life, please take a moment to thank her and appreciate all she has done for you.
If you no longer have your mother in this world, take a moment to remember your most cherished memory of her, the way she smiled, the love she gave... for this world would be nothing without the endless love and comforting arms of our mothers.

Moms: This is s salute to all you have to do:
(The Mom Song)
youtube.com/watch?v=oEFXj00Gou4

Every wonder about the Science behind Mother's Day? Here you go, wrapped up in a neat little tune, sung by some very clever and grateful son:
youtube.com/watch?v=osWuWjbeO-Y

And the amazing history of Mother's Day:
"The earliest history of Mothers Day dates back to the ancient annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to maternal goddesses. The Greeks used the occasion to honour Rhea, wife of Cronus and the mother of many deities of Greek mythology.

Ancient Romans, too, celebrated a spring festival, called Hilaria dedicated to Cybele, a mother goddess. It may be noted that ceremonies in honour of Cybele began some 250 years before Christ was born. The celebration made on the Ides of March by making offerings in the temple of Cybele lasted for three days and included parades, games and masquerades. The celebrations were notorious enough that followers of Cybele were banished from Rome.

Early Christians celebrated a Mother's Day of sorts during the festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ. The more recent history of Mothers Day dates back to 1600s in England. Here a Mothering Sunday was celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter) to honor mothers. After a prayer service in church to honor Virgin Mary, children brought gifts and flowers to pay tribute to their own mothers.

On the occasion, servants, apprentices and other employees staying away from their homes were encouraged by their employers to visit their mothers and honor them. Traditionally children brought with them gifts and a special fruit cake or fruit-filled pastry called a simnel. Yugoslavs and people in other nations have observed similar days. The custom of celebrating Mothering Sunday died out almost completely by the 19th century. However, the day came to be celebrated again after World War II, when American servicemen brought the custom and commercial enterprises used it as an occasion for sales.

The idea of official celebration of Mothers day in US was first suggested by Julia Ward Howe in 1872. An activist, writer and poet Julia shot to fame with her famous Civil War song, "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Julia Ward Howe suggested that June 2 be annually celebrated as Mothers Day and should be dedicated to peace. Julia tirelessly championed the cause of official celebration of Mothers Day and declaration of official holiday on the day. Her idea spread but was later replaced by the Mothers' Day holiday now celebrated in May.

Anna Jarvis is recognized as the Founder of Mothers Day in US. Though Anna Jarvis never married and never had kids, she is also known as the Mother of Mothers Day, an apt title for the lady who worked hard to bestow honour on all mothers. Anna Jarvis got the inspiration of celebrating Mothers Day from her own mother Mrs Anna Marie Reeves Jarvis in her childhood. An activist and social worker, Mrs Jarvis used to express her desire that someday someone must honour all mothers, living and dead, and pay tribute to the contributions made by them. [However} Ms Anna Jarvis, who devoted her life for the declaration of Mothers Day holiday was deeply hurt to note the huge commercialization of the day. "
- http://www.mothersdaycelebration.com/mothe
rs-day-history.html

Mother's Day is celebrated on the second sunday in May in Anguilla, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bonaire, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Cambodia, Chile, China, Columbia, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Gold Coast, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Burma, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore Sint Maarten, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanganyika, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Other countries celebrate Mothers day anywhere from the second sunday in February (Norway), to December 22nd (Indonesia) however, most celebrations happen within the months of April, May and June.

To see the international history and traditions of Mother's day around the globe, visit:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day

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NIXY72
5/5/2012 10:25:21 AM

Tell the green beer to move over and make way for guacamole and chelada's! Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo and according to National Geographic, "Cinco de Mayo... is definitely becoming more popular than St. Patrick's Day", at least in the United States. "So, what is Cinco de Mayo? The short answer is that it celebrates the defeat of the French Army by Mexican soldiers at the battle of Puebla. The real answer is that Cinco de Mayo is a uniquely Mexican-American holiday. It celebrates a change in the relationship between the United States and Mexico" and is now celebrated almost world-wide. (thanks, About.com!)

There is so much information out there on the history and popularity of Cinco de Mayo that I am leaving you with two wonderful links that I found that sum up the holiday briefly and incredibly well.

First, a fabulous summary of the history and traditions of Cinco de Mayo in a handy one and a half minute video:
www.5min.com/Video/Cinco-De-Mayo-Traditi
ons-35863453

And some very fun and informative facts on the "Where Food Comes From" website to do with the holiday:
wherefoodcomesfrom.com/article/263-3313/
Fun-Facts-About-Cinco-de-Mayo

Being a foodie however means that this week has been a fiesta for my inbox with many Cinco de Mayo inspired recipes - so I leave you with a with a Pico De Gallo recipe that's entitled "Sauce with Chile Sharp as a Rooster's Beak" from Cookstr (one of my newest and most favourite foodie finds!) These recipes come complete with Nutritional Information and a sublime search function so it should make a great online addition to your cook-book "shelf"!
www.cookstr.com/recipes/pico-de-gallo-5

And some Chilli pepper facts:

Did you know? "In addition to pleasing many peoples' palates, chili peppers are a good source of vitamins A, C and E, rich in folic acid and potassium, low in calories and sodium, and contain no carbohydrates" - sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/03110406
4132.htm

And according to the our mexican chef (see recipe above) you are not supposed to drink water if you mouth is "on fire" from hot and spicy foods... instead, put a few grains of soothing salt on your tongue to stop the burning!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! To quote a famous Spanish Proverb: "A beber y a tragar, que el mundo se va a acabar."

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