A Confession

 Just to remind you again of all the images I've put on my Pinterest. I now have over 11,200 of them, with over 8,000 followers. So you know the images are gorgeous. I can add them faster to Pinterest than show you here. So go there and view them. I know you won't be disappointed. Can you just trust me on this?!
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Okay, confession time and this is very difficult for me to admit.

I've put on more weight than I need over the past 3 years. I've tried to get it off but my heart was not in it. After the fall in the park four years ago with all the physical therapy that entailed and then foot surgery 2 years ago and then some "female" surgery last year, I sank to an all-time low for me. I'd take off a few pounds and put it back on. I won't admit to what the weight was now, but when it's all off I'll divulge it—and maybe some photos if I'm brave enough.

So June 29th I saw my doctor and asked how she had taken off 25 pounds recently. I had seen a sign about a medically-supervised diet in her office. She told me to come in for an introduction to this weight-loss program in a few days after the visit and I did. Hubby and a friend went along.

It is medically-supervised and it's a challenge. It's a high protein diet with drinking/eating their foods three times a day and eating dinner on my own. It's very restrictive and more meat per day than I've ever eaten in my life. Eight ounces is required at dinner. I lost 8.9 pounds the first week, but let me tell you that it wasn't a joy being around me. They told me the first week would be bad. Now, I can't say I was hungry; in fact, I told them there was no way I could eat 8 ounces of meat in one meal and really had a hard time consuming it all in one day. They said to keep it at least 6 ounces and I'm trying, but I have to spread it out over the entire day. So as of 8/16 I've lost 16.5 pounds in those three weeks. The second week wasn't as bad and the third week has been easy. I expect it to be easier as the weight drops off. But it is not cheap, trust me. But my loving hubby of 52 years said it was just fine with him. He is absolutely 100% on my side with whatever I need to do to get healthy. Ooooh, and we are not allowed to exercise as that affects muscle and they don't want the dieters to build up or lose muscle but fat.(Medical study statistics are provided in videos sent to me each day.) I pretty much sit and read, go to lunch with friends every couple of weeks and grocery shopping. That's my life right now. (Oh, I did go to Macy's and treat myself to some fabulous Lancome Absolute makeup and it's incredible. That was my treat for being so diligent.)

The makeup artist said I had beautiful skin. I said, "No, I don't." She argued with me and said we are our own worst critic and I agree with that, but trust me, someone in their seventies doesn't have gorgeous skin. Nice skin, perhaps, but not gorgeous. But that challenged me to appraise my face. It's pretty wrinkle free as you can see from my photo on my sidebar taken in 2009, but there are concerns. So, I'm now doing facial yoga exercises twice a day. I need to tighten up my neck, jawline, a few smile lines and puffy eye bags. Before the diet began I had blue under my eyes the past few years and couldn't figure out what was going on there and no amount of concealer or makeup would correct it. I thought I was doomed! Well, with the vitamin regimen I take every day that blueness has gone away. People tell me my eyes are now different, but the exercises are taking away the puffiness also, and the puffiness wasn't bad really, just a concern for me. This is the large picture from which I took the small sidebar picture and under my eyes there isn't the blue color at that point, plus my eyes are really more an emerald-green color than in this photo (And it's taken me every single year of these 70 years to like the color of my eyes.) :

But that's the long and short of it. I'll be on a diet for awhile and don't even ask how much I have to lose. It will all be revealed in a post in the months to come. And I pray each morning to get through just that day, so prayers are always welcome if you pray. ;-)
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What an adorable tiny office carved out of a corner in a room. I think it's ingenious what the homeowner did here.

A sweet cottage with a curved brick walkway.

A simply gorgeous hydrangea. I'd love for mine to color like this but mine are lavender and blue.

Sitting her now I'm so hungry for a cake I could scream!

This is the most gorgeous wreath I've ever seen.

A to-die-for kitchen. Love the off-white cabinets but I'd paint the walls pink.

I've seen this patio set at K-Mart and would like it but not sure we'd use it much in this desert.

I've always liked banquettes like this. It reminds me of some restaurants we've visited in San Francisco. I think it's very sensuous to eat in one of these. Reminds me of the old 40s nightclubs.

To me, this is the most gorgeous photo every produced for a perfume! Simply magnificent.

Lovin' th' red chair!

Imagine having this nursery for your baby. Just beautiful.

One way to cover your jams for gift giving.

I'm very partial to old tablecloths and I can see a lot of Wilendur cloths in there.

Such a cute way to decorate wall sconces or even chandeliers.

Lovely farmhouse dining room.

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Tidbit:

Some lions mate more than 50 times a day.

Spotted skunks do handstands before they spray.
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