A Blog Award! I'd like to thank the academy...and Stephanie!

I'm really honored to receive a Blog Award for this young blog and I'm very grateful to Stephanie at She's In There Somewhere for giving it to me. Now, I need to tell you seven things about myself and then nominate seven other bloggers.

If you've read my "About Me", then you probably already know more about me than you want to! But, Here goes:

1. I'm hoping to join the Master Gardener's program through University of Minnesota this winter.
2. I am a crazy cat lover! When I'm through mourning the loss of my cat, we're going to get a kitten, to complete our family of two dachshunds and us.
3. I love autumn and Halloween.
4. I am very patient with people and completely impatient with objects (especially those that need to be assembled).
5. I believed in the Easter bunny until I was about ten years old.
6. I still believe in fairy tales, but not so much the "some day my prince will come" kind. More like "the Goose Girl," "Bluebeard's Egg," and "East O' the Sun, West O' the Moon."
7. Speaking of which, my academic hero is folklorist Jack Zipes. My dog is named after him.

Now for my nominees:

Weight Watchers Wannabee

Ruminations and Uncovering: Toward a New Me!

In Pursuit of My Inner Pinup

Tales Of the Incredible Shrinking Nery

Girl Stuck In a Rut

All the Weigh

and one on a different subject: Auntie K's Garden

Love your blogs, ladies! Pass it on.

Future Reward Dress

When I hit my first goal of 199 lbs., I've decided to reward myself with a really nice dress. I've had my eye on Kiyonna's lace dresses for some time. This one is their 3/4 Sleeved Scalloped Boudoir Lace Dress. It also comes in black lace with black lining and chocolate with chocolate lining, but I want to go for the glam and get black lace with nude lining, as shown. At $148.00, it is a little spendy for me, but this is a special treat.

You can see the rest of their dresses at Kiyonna:dresses .

Judging from their Size Chart, if I ordered right now, I'd be on the border between a 2x and 1x. When I lose my 11 lbs., I assume I'll be a solid (no pun intended) 1x. I'm getting excited!

Size :

0x: 10 12, Bust 40.5-44, Waist 34.5-38, Hips 44.5-48
 1x : 14 16, Bust 44.5-48, Waist 38.5-42, Hips 48.5-52
2x: 18 20, Bust 48.5-52,  Waist 42.5-46,  Hips 52.5-56
3x: 22 24, Bust 52.5-56,  Waist 46.5-50,  Hips 56.5-60
4x: 26 28, Bust 56.5-62,  Waist 50.5-56,  Hips 60.5-66
5x: 30 32, Bust 62.5-68,  Waist 56.5-62,  Hips 66.5-72

  

What ways, big and small, do you reward yourself for sticking to your healthy lifestyle goals?

True, there is great satisfaction in the changes themselves. I am thrilled with every lb. down for the way that my clothes fit better, or looser, for the way that my body is altering. I'll be going for a check up with my doctor soon, and I hope to see changes in my blood pressure, which will be a huge reward. There is also pleasure in knowing that I'm getting stronger, that I can bike for longer at a higher level without fainting. That I can climb stairs easier and squat to shelve books longer without it hurting. I'm proud when my family and friends compliment me for sticking to my goals.

On a more concrete level, I decided to treat myself with an inexpensive sterling silver charm for every five lbs that I lose. I plan to start three bracelets, one about me, another about Kristian and me, and a third as a story bracelet, with charms representing fairy tales and books I love. These won't be Italian charms or fancy beads, but old school dangly charms like I wore as a girl. So far, I've only bought one, that I got at Hoover Dam on our recent trip to Nevada. But, I have a Storyteller charm from a visit to the Grand Canyon, and  a princess crown studded with marcasite that I've had waiting in the wings.

Dreaming of the dress!