A Walk in His Gardens--Aimee's Place

I've been getting up early and this morning, before the heat of the day, I spent hours wandering through our gardens....

past fruits of the tree and those of the bush,

(oops! forgetting my tour guide/hostess manners here)

OK-the first photo is our new water lily.

It's a hardy one;

that's because we live in the NORTHwest and tropical doesn't work here:)

And the second photo is our Asian Pear. I can't bear to show you the many now lying on the ground. NOPE!

And because I am really into Scandinavian food,

and because lingonberries go great with so many of them,

we planted more this year (to replace the ones lost) and they already have ripe or near ripe berries with more to come.

This type is Balsgard.

(I am only saying that because I love writing Nordic names.

I think that besides being a lingonberry, Balsgard is the name of a place)

And then we will walk by some ornamental plants and trees,
like this beautiful Brunnera & honeysuckle vine.

I LOVE the honeysuckle flowers and sometimes in the evening when the breeze is blowing just right their beautiful fragrance can be smelled all the way up on the deck. Imagine that?

Nearby is our crabapple;

I think its fruit is quite pretty especially after a morning shower

(nope, not as in rain shower. Silly me! I used to think it rained all the time in the NW too)

And our dogwood which has apparently forgotten that dogwoods don't have colorful bracts at this time of the year.

You gotta love it though;

it is doing its part to 'Color My World'.
Ah, Chicago (as in music group not the city)!

Although it might be colorful too.

And here is a neighbor's hydrangea...

ours must be 'on strike' --

I think she is protesting the amount of light she doesn't get;

we'll try to meet her legitimate demands this autumn when things cool down..

And then, several times, past our miniature rose garden-in-progress.

Not exactly the correct name as it has been a miniature rose garden for a long, long time. But now we are adding other plants to the mix--so to speak. Last week we added 4 lavender plants and now we're thinking of adding some Lady's Mantle around the edges--I so want to cover up the wood supports! Got any ideas fellow Green Thumb People?

Then past my little (as in dwarf) sunflower.

I love sunflowers---they're one of my favorite parts of this season.
Another is sweet, white corn

and peaches! YUM!

Of course, I also had to make an official tour of our herbs--

because if you know Aimee, you know I love herbs.

Not only do they smell and taste good,

but their blossoms are so...

BEAUTIFUL!

And these mint blossoms (specifically spearmint blossoms) glowing in the early morning sunlight----SO amazing!

Makes me want to reach out and touch them:)

One doesn't easily tire of sights like these...

and believe me, we have a lot of them.

Now on to the our newbie this year..

the chervil--fringed with a reddish tint now on its edges. Maybe I will add some to tomorrow's omelet; I was too lazy to add it this morning after all that walking:) It is supposed to have a anise-type flavor if I remember correctly

and I also think that it is part of the Fines Herbes.

Oh boy, hope that is right.

After all my High School French teacher might accidently stumble on my blog one day.

NOPE probably not:)

And last but certainly not least,

I leave you with (and in) peace.

Blessings this Wednesday (nope, Thursday morning now)

Aimee

Photos: as listed above.

And now off to bed so I can get up early again

and exercise!

Thank you God!

“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name…His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation.” Luke 1:46b, 49-50 KJV


“O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: because His mercy endureth for ever.” Psalms 118:1 KJV


The first few verses are from a section of Scripture known as the Magnificat, but it is also the song of my heart today!


Thank you God for answered prayers & Your peace that passeth all understanding! Thank you family AND friends for your prayers & kindnesses to me:)
Blessings,
Aimee

Photos:
Cosmos & crocosmia--the latter being one of my new favorite flowers!

Time for a Reevaluation

This weekend, I came to the realization that we're only about 20 weeks away from saying so long to the 'book' that is 2009. And I realized, after a Saturday of feasting on Scandinavian goodies, that my weight has crept up more then at ANYTIME in my life--except when I was pregnant. Horrors!

Alas--my current shape brings back memories...of a sweet, innocent, little girl in the Clinic I was working at then, thinking I was 'with child'. I wish it had been so, but alas, alas it was just being overweight. You know the saying 'out of the mouths of babes'...

Well to make a long story short--after changing jobs, I was able to lose down to my ideal weight and stayed that way for quite a long time till I visited a Norwegian B & B ( Nordic treats are my downfall; those and chocolate, sushi and root beer floats) Up a few pounds to a new plateau.

Now, if I had used more discipline and self-control, I could have lost those few pounds and would not be making this post here---but no - no; I gave in to the chocolates, cookies and million other treats they always seemed to have at work and by the time I left my weight had creeped up a few more pounds. I was definitely into denial about a few things.

The last 2 years, away from the stress and frequent goody temptations of my last job, didn't help either--I alternated between being disciplined and giving into an excessive amount of edible temptations with the end result you can see above (about 20 pounds over my ideal weight)

The sad thing is, I am NOT one bit happy about that fact! Oh and my back isn't either nor are my favorite jeans and nice work clothes which I can no longer wear unless I wish to---well it isn't a pretty picture. And come colder, wetter weather (does the PNW have that kind anymore?) my knees will start to ache. Oh, and the osteopinnea thing too.
AND

the whole resolution issue thing

I am just NOT willing to end this year in this condition--if I have the power to change it and I do; if I lose the weight by year's end, it means I have successfully kept the resolution--albeit for a far shorter time then I would have liked.

So here's my plan: Aimee's Personal 20 Weeks-To-Go Resolution & Plan for Aimee (yea I know--terrible grammar)

• Treadmill 40 minutes--minimum 4 days weekly
• Lift hand weights or equivalent work 3 days weekly
• 1200 calories daily (not a recommendation; just what I plan to do. Come to think of it none of this is a recommendation...)
• Eat frequent, smaller, lower calorie but well-balanced meals (a must because I get even more hypoglycemic when losing weight; I'm not diabetic but since childhood I've been this way.)

• Treat the weekdays more like workdays without becoming 'driven'. Being disciplined but not obsessively so; motivated by the tangible rewards of better health and more that come with weight loss.
• Plan grocery shopping around new plan taking into account that the Farmer Boy will not be joining me in this resolution. Sigh.
• Water, water, water--no more sports drinks...8 glasses daily minimum
• Start my days early; no TV--yes even politics--till Farmer Boy is home. And maybe no Internet either till then. Move, move, move will be my new motto.
• Posting updates; it will keep me accountable. And heaven knows I need accountability and discipline to be successful:) In this same vein--I am keeping a daily notebook for foods eaten, exersize and tasks done.

Note:
The above are my plans and IMO; they're not to be construed as medical advice (can you tell I am really into disclaimers?) Now I think this is where they say--please check with your Health Care Provider before engaging in a physical fitness and/or weight loss program. Sounds like a good idea!
Comments:
My ideal weight, to be really transparent here, is 135-138#. For my height and bone structure this works best for me. Lower and I look anorexic or so one of my all time fav nurses told me and she was one of the best nurses I've ever known!
Photos:
Current BAD news.
Finnish funnel cake with berries; this was the first time for this goodie. The next will have to wait until I am at my ideal weight and then only part of one. However, I can still partake of aebleskivers--a few--and a small lefse on occasion. And there's always nova lox:)
This morning's breakfast--dill & parmesan cheese omelet. Good!
Somewhat related posts:
http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2009/03/am-i-resolute-about-my-resolutions.html
http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/search/label/New%20Year
http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2008/11/friday-means-fitness-day-yea-well-not_14.html