Date Night at Whole Foods in Mishawaka

  April 16, 2013 - 10:03 AM |
14 Comments

Craig and I never did make it to Whole Foods the day of their Grand Opening last week in Mishawaka, Indiana.  Date Night foiled by a late night at work.  It was just as well, though.  I heard that the store was utterly swamped, and every day I’d pass by– no matter what day or time – there wasn’t a parking space to be had.  Craig and I are fickle about crowds.  Being among 20,000 other people at a Police Reunion concert?  We are SO there!  Being elbow to elbow while trying to get down the cereal aisle of a grocery store?  Not so much. 

By Sunday night though, we decided it was time to have the Whole Foods Experience. 

 

We came. 

We Oohed and Ahhed.

We opened our wallets; we poured forth our bills…. 

…and we took some pictures.  Unfortunately, no cutesy poses of me among the melons because they were still insanely busy with a huge crowd of shoppers (seriously, we were like sardines in a can!) but I did manage to capture a few images for you:

 

The first thing I noticed when I entered the store was how amazing their produce section was.  Every color of the rainbow, tightly packed and beautiful looking:

I especially loved the way they displayed their carrots.

 

I also noticed among the produce that there were items I’d never before seen in a grocery store!  Here’s just one example:

 

Cactus leaves?  What on earth do you do with these things?  Does anyone know? 

 

I really like it when a business supports the city its in, and was very happy to learn that there are over 20 local vendors who help stock these shelves.  Here’s one of Craig’s favorites:

 

Microbrew beer by Four Horsemen Brewing Company, made right here in South Bend.  This didn’t end up coming home with us though, because here in Indiana you can’t buy alcohol on Sundays.  Are there any other states in the country that still have this law or are we just super special?  Winking smile

Next up was one of my favorite aisles:  The TEA section.  Yes, even though I’m a devout David’s Tea follower, I did find myself lingering here for quite a while. I saw many new teas I’d never seen before.. 

 

 

Next stop: the deli.   There were salads and sandwiches and pizzas, and……well, you get the picture.

No?  Well you’re in luck then, because here’s another photo for you:

Where else can you get Artichoke, Fennel and Edamame salad?  We picked up a half pound and it was really quite good. 

Next we made our way to the Spice aisle:

 

I heard from you to watch out for this unique WF gem, and you were right – purchasing spices fresh when a recipe calls for it instead of paying for an entire container that will likely sit on the shelf way past its expiration date is just plain genius. 

I have one more photo to share with you; I’m sharing it for two reasons.  One, because Craig took it and wanted to contribute to my post – very sweet.  Secondly, for those of you who have always had the idea that I was tall and sinewy  willowy- a very complimentary vision that Roxie had of me before our first blogger meet-up a few weeks ago…oh, how I wish I could have met that expectation -  here is proof that I am indeed a shorty.  See me on my tiptoes? 

When I saw this snapshot I asked Craig if I stand that way very often.  His answer: ‘Every single time you stand at a counter.’  I didn’t realize I did this, but I really have to so I can see what I’m doing!  lol

 

So, there you have it.  I can’t wait to get back to the store so I can linger down every single aisle with plenty of room for a shopping cart;  I still need to find the Justin’s Vanilla Almond Butter that Mary mentioned in my last WF post!  Mmm!

Have a great day, everyone. 

~Ellen

Thankful for a former rescue dog.

  April 12, 2013 - 9:29 AM | ,
20 Comments

As part of my weekly series of Thankfulness/Gratitude photos, this week I’m thankful for my golden retriever, Emmie.   Tomorrow will be the second anniversary of the day we brought her home.  She has been transformed into the most loving, gentle, funny dog – she’s come a long way since the day she was rescued at a puppy mill in Missouri back in 2011.  If you want to read about her story, head off to this post here and prepare to be inspired. 

emmieanniversary

I don’t feel the need to post before/after pictures of her.  She is no longer the puppy-making machine she used to be.  The painful memories of the life she once lived are little more than blips on her radar these days.  As with all rescue dogs, she’s just as grateful to have us as we are to have her. 

Happy Anniversary to our sweet golden girl.

…and have a great weekend, everyone. 

xo,

Ellen

Whole Foods Has Finally Arrived!

  April 9, 2013 - 5:47 PM |
18 Comments

One year ago today I took a photo of this sign:

How funny is that?!  I had no idea I would be blogging about the same thing exactly one year later.  Tomorrow is the Grand Opening of Whole Foods here in town. 

Why am I so excited about this?  I wasn’t really all that sure myself until I’d read that it has been nearly 20 years since a grocery chain has graced our town with its presence.  Having the option of another store in which to shop (and from what I hear, grind my own peanut butter!) I am over the moon!  So much so, that tomorrow on our date night, Craig and I are going to roam the aisles of Whole Foods as part of our evening.  How’s THAT for romance? 

So here it is, the question that I’ve been waiting a whole year to ask: 

What do you like to shop for at Whole Foods and what should I put on my grocery list for my first trip there?

Self Critique

  April 5, 2013 - 12:02 PM | ,
10 Comments

When I was majoring in graphic design in college I had a class that was titled: Drawing Critique.  It was a semester of insane project deadlines and when it was time to submit the artwork, part of our grade was  standing in front of the class as fellow classmates critiqued the work of the student in front of them.  Rule Number One:  No compliments allowed.  If you didn’t have something bad to say, you didn’t say anything at all.  And if you chose not to say anything? You’d be docked half a grade.  Oh, and if you thought you could get out of critique by not showing up for class that day?  Again, you were docked half a grade. 

I hated that class.  HATED it.  To me, it was much worse than than Public Speaking because not only did I have to stand and listen to 15-20 of my fellow students say harsh words about something I worked hard at creating but in return, I had to say the very same things to the classmates around me. 

I sat uncomfortably and watched as incredibly talented artists stood – some with stunning pieces of art, while others ripped them to shreds. The walk back to was always filled with either frustration and angst, embarrassment or just plain hatred on their faces.  No one left unscathed during Friday critique.

Looking back, I think about what I was supposed to learn from that class.  How to develop a tough skin?  Take criticism like a champ?  Probably; but I also think that my professor didn’t want there to be any shining students.  He wanted all of us to be on the same playing field – as equals.  Still, I never understood why we weren’t allowed to follow constructive criticism with something positive about the work.  Was that such a crime? 

I think the point of Drawing Critique was to teach us that there is always room for improvement.  Always.

Believe it or not, that class has had an effect that’s stayed with me to this day.  I think it’s one of the reasons why it is still difficult for me to accept a compliment.  When someone tells me that they like my artwork or that I look nice, I wait for the ‘….however’ to come.  When it doesn’t, I’m all ready to lend a hand and come back with my own critique so that I can ‘even things out’;  I don’t even need a roomful of students to do it. 

My hair looks nice?  Maybe, but did you see my dumpy clothes?

You like my clothes?  Possibly, but have you seen how lousy my hair looks? 

You like my paintings?  I can find you an artist who does a much better job than I. 

Can I blame all of my adult insecurities on an art class?   Mmm – okay.  Just for today. 

I’m not saying that criticism has no place in this world, because it truly does.  But with criticism should also come commendation and praise.  Otherwise you end up with people like me who fight with the words, ‘Thank you’ at the age of 43. 

There will always be someone out there who’s more than willing to ‘help me’ by telling me that I’m doing things wrong or that I should be more like someone else, but I’m making great strides on that front.  I don’t have to obey a professor’s rules in exchange for a good grade anymore.  My self esteem is worth much more than an A+. 

I love this photograph:

 

Lesson:  Laugh it off.   

And to my college professor, I leave this quote:

I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.
Charles Schwab

Have a great weekend, everyone. 

~Ellen

Drinking more water with a water infuser

  April 2, 2013 - 1:44 PM |
12 Comments

I don’t eat a lot of meat, but on Easter the ham in the oven smelled so good I had to have a couple of pieces for dinner.  I woke up yesterday morning with fingers looking like small sausages. I don’t know how much salt was in that ham but it must have been plenty.  The only solution to my sausage fingers was to drink more water, which I’ve been doing, easily.  Here’s why:

 

It’s a water ball infuser that I found via Amazon.  It’s basically a plastic ball that has a hinge on it which opens up so I can stuff it full of fruits and/or herbs.  Once closed I just pop it into my pitcher and let it sit on the counter or in my refrigerator for a few hours while the flavors infuse into the water. 

I’ve been using this for about three days now and I have to say, I’m drinking a lot more water.  This particular pitcher has sliced lemons and wedges of a clementine inside.  I’ve filled my pitcher three times without changing the fruit slices and it still produces a nice flavor.  When I tire of this lemon and orange I intend to start getting more creative:  mashed cherries and a sprig of mint; cucumber slices; lemon and pineapple slices, etc.

The only complaint that I have about my infuser ball is that it doesn’t quite live up to its description of keeping pulp contained.  It does a fair job, but there is still some pulp floating around in the water.  A little bit doesn’t bother me, but I used it to snazzy-up the water I served on Easter and didn’t care to see bits of pulp floating around in the stemware. 

In all though, I think this is a great idea and I’m glad I bought it.  Plus, it’s really not expensive; at less than $5 I really couldn’t go wrong in trying it out. 

Do any of you own one of these?  Any other flavor combinations you can think of that would be good to try?

 

* I was not paid to endorse this product nor was I given this product for free.  I purchased it myself and am reviewing it here because when it comes to drinking more water I need all the help I can get. 

Progress with Pictures

  April 1, 2013 - 9:43 AM |
16 Comments

Chronic pain is generally defined as being in pain longer than 6 months;  some doctors say as little as 3 months.  I’m well into month number four with my bad back, so I’m just going to call it like I see it.  I currently have chronic pain. 

For the Hate Loss Challenge in January if you remember, we decided to keep a gratitude jar for the month. Though I did very well in writing down what I was grateful for every day that month, I admit my enthusiasm began to dwindle around mid-February.  After my birthday I pretty much stopped adding to my jar altogether. I still thought it was a great idea, but I began neglecting it for the same reason why I deleted my Twitter account:  I am a visual person.  To me, pictures capture what tweets cannot.  That’s when I realized I needed something visually appealing to keep my grateful attitude going.

I honestly feel better when I can physically account the good things that are happening in my life.  It makes my back pain seem less ‘in my face’ if that makes any sense. Now, with my Twitter account a thing of the past and my gratitude jar sitting in Idle Mode, I’ve decided to capture gratitude with my camera and acknowledge it once or twice a week, here on my blog. 

You’re in luck, because today is Day One.  I’ll be tagging these photos Progress with Pictures until I can come up with a catchier phrase.  lol

 

  

Yesterday was Easter so I realize I’m a day late but I really wanted to begin my exercise with this particular photo.  This was the table setting I’d created;  laying out dishes for the first holiday I’ve ever hosted at my house knowing from that day forward I’d no longer feel an obligation to involve myself in a situation that would cause distress because of a disruptive family member. 

Because I made certain boundaries clear and because I’d made up my mind that I was entitled to make my holidays what I envisioned them to be, my guests enjoyed a lovely lunch with great food, conversation, and we all ate together at the same table – something our family has rarely accomplished because of the usual chaos, angst and disruption.  I’m actually looking forward to hosting Christmas – something I have never, ever said in my entire life.

I am forty-three years old.  It’s taken my entire life to realize that I have a right to say what happens in it.  I guess we all fill our buckets at different speeds.   As they begin to overflow, that’s when we must decide to get a bigger bucket or stop holding the damned thing altogether.   I got tired of holding my heavy, burdensome bucket and because I let go I feel lighter than ever. 

I hope those of you who celebrated Easter had a great time with your family and that you enjoyed your weekend.  I also hope you enjoy this new series of gratitude photos. 

 

xo,

~Ellen

Bird Signs and Progress!

  March 27, 2013 - 1:48 PM | , , ,
12 Comments

Craig and I just finished our taxes this past weekend. Not fun.  Especially when I have to write out a check to the government.  It was nothing I didn’t expect, though.  I knew I’d owe – I just didn’t know how much.  Working as an independent contractor for Patty had minor drawbacks like that. 

I went to Hot Yoga on Friday.  Scratch that  – I dragged myself go to Hot Yoga on Friday.  All these months suffering with back pain has made me focus solely on caring for my back.  In the process, strengthening my legs have not been a priority.  My instructor had us do so many squat-related poses that by the time class was over, my legs felt like spaghetti. Nothing that would hurt my back if I didn’t do them – just my ego.  I used to be able to do all of those poses this time last year.  Now, not so much.   I have no choice now but to go every Friday and strengthen this wobbly body of mine.  Come on, muscle memory; show me what you’ve got!  Whenever I’m feeling like I’ve regressed I need to remind myself that progress comes with every little step, regardless of how small. 

A good example of such progress: my skills as a painter are indeed improving. I see it.  I feel it.  I’m more confident and I look forward to creating and sharing my work with others.  Birds seem to be my obsession lately.  I bought my first bird – a canary named Lady, when I was a sophomore in college.  She lived almost 12 years and was completely blind before she died, but that girl could warble her heart out.  Since then I have had a love affair with them and recently decided to paint a series of some favorites. 

I’ve been having run-ins with a few of the birds I’ve been painting.  Odd but wonderful run-ins.  Remember my sandhill crane?

 

A few days after I painted him I was walking the dogs at the park and noticed a flock of cranes swirling over my head. If you’ve ever heard these birds communicate with one another then you know they are impossible to miss (they’re quite loud!)  On two separate occasions later the next week when I went out to get my mail from the mailbox, there again were cranes hovering overhead long enough for me to stop and watch them for as long as I wanted before forming their traditional V pattern and moving on. Each time I saw them I think my heart swelled to twice its normal size. 

My second run-in happened right after I finished painting my red-winged hawk this weekend.

watermarkhawk

I put away my watercolors and grabbed my coat so that Craig and I could go grocery shopping.  While heading down the road a red winged hawk flew right in front of our car and into the woods, carrying a mouse. We both screamed out, ‘Did you see THAT??’ 

Tell me – when does that ever happen!?!?  To me, never!

This week’s oriole will likely be my last bird of the week because I am hosting Easter this weekend at my home.  Those of you who were here with me over Christmas will remember that I vowed never to have another holiday at my Mom’s again because whenever a certain family member is in attendance, I tense up and know that he will become angry, say hurtful things, leaving me sad and melancholy for the remainder of the day.  It took 42 years to step up and say ‘no more’ to my mother but I did, and now I’m actually looking forward to hosting Easter this year.  I’m even looking forward to Christmas already – words I’ve not uttered in over 30 years. 

And that’s progress.  When you’ve got it, grab on and run like hell.   

A Maintenance Revelation

  March 25, 2013 - 10:06 AM | ,
15 Comments

Late last week I finished writing my guest post for Katie over at Runs For Cookies.  It had been a very long time since I’d written something lengthy about my thoughts on maintenance for a new audience.   I debated on whether I should just concentrate on a specific topic for her readers, or touch on several things so they would get to know me a bit better.  I finally chose the latter, and I’m happy with the way it turned out, though I think some might find it a tad long for a blog post.  What can I say, I’ve got a lot to say on the subject!  Smile

There was something I noticed while writing that I had to stop and study for a moment before choosing to leave it in the post, and I have to tell you – what I wrote not only surprised the hell out of me, but the fact that I felt confident enough to leave it in has absolutely changed me. 

This is the final paragraph of my post.  It reads,

One final thought: you may have heard maintainers say that it’s harder to keep the weight off than it is to lose it. I completely agree with that statement. I used to be terrified that I was always one cookie away from gaining all 100+ pounds back. These days however it’s all about teaching myself to SIT. Stay In Today. The past doesn’t matter; it’s the present that counts. Today is all I have, and I do what I can – here in the moment – to continue improving my life. That’s all any of us can do, really.

 

…a little less emotional baggage these days, perhaps? 

 

Did you all catch the part that I ‘used to be terrified that I was always one cookie away from gaining all 100+ pounds back?’ As I finished writing those thoughts I sat with that sentence for a long while.  I kept wondering if I should find another phrase.  ‘Used to be…’ referred to a feeling I wasn’t currently experiencing.  Was it really possible that I was no longer as fearful of becoming ‘the old me’?  If this were true, I’d just stumbled across something I should have already recognized as a major shift in confidence.  Instead, it took Katie’s request and my willingness to revisit that part of my life to see that the fear I’d been carrying for the last 8 years has truly diminished – considerably so. 

I am still processing this whole thing, but I intend to explore it further and find out what brought about this change within me.  I have a couple of ideas that I’ll share when I completely understand them myself, but for now I just wanted to share these thoughts with you because they are new and exciting, and it feels as though a nearly decade long burden has been lifted from my shoulders.  For the first time since the inception of this blog, I do believe I’ve had a Maintenance break-through. 

…many thanks to Katie for helping me sift these thoughts to the surface, and to Roxie for introducing me to SIT – Staying in Today.  That tool has been invaluable to me.  Keeping myself in the moment, not worrying about the future or wallowing in the past is some good medicine if you’re up for it. 

Have a great Monday, everyone.  Please feel free to check out my post on Katie’s blog.  Ellen’s Guest Post on Runs For Cookies.

Article regarding mental and physical aspects of losing weight

  March 20, 2013 - 5:33 PM | ,
10 Comments

I just ran across an article written by Jen Larson who lost 180 pounds via weight loss surgery.  I am linking to this well-written and totally spot-on story because it is a reminder from yet another maintainer that losing weight isn’t the cure-all, fix-all solution that many people believe it is.   

I remain firm and steadfast about my opinion on this topic as well:  Lose the weight to be healthier.  Lose it to feel better.  Lose it to enrich your life, but don’t lose it hoping it will fix everything that’s wrong in your life.  Love yourself whatever size you are on your road to healthiness.  You’ll enter maintenance a much happier person. 

Here is Jen’s article, which I highly recommend reading, and if you do I’d love to know your thoughts on this topic.  What Losing 180 Pounds Really Does to Your Body – and Your Mind

Have a great day, everyone!

~Ellen

My trip to Indy and my first blogger meet-up

  March 19, 2013 - 1:43 PM | , ,
11 Comments

I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow last night to the sounds of rain.  This morning I awoke to 16 degree temperatures and snow swirling in the air.  A little disappointing since I captured a photo of this sight while walking the dogs at the park the other day:

 

Apparently, my visions of Spring will have to wait a bit longer. 

 

As you may recall, this weekend Craig and I were making a trip down to Lilly’s Soap Kitchen and Artisan Market so I could drop off some new paintings.  I was also in town for my first blogger meet-up with Roxie.

The weekend couldn’t have been nicer. 

Craig took a day off from work in order to drive me down to Indy which I was extremely grateful for.  While he manned the wheel I leaned back the passenger seat as far as it would go and rested on my side; in the back were 12 pieces of framed art and one of my older pieces of painted furniture, all on their way to be dropped off at the shop. 

We met with Sara, the owner of Lilly’s Soap Kitchen first.  Not only is she quickly becoming a friend as well as an associate, but she is also my eyes and ears at the shop.  Translation:  she’s my spy.   She showers me with important feedback as to which pieces of my work are receiving attention as well as which ones aren’t – all things that will be extremely helpful as the art fair in August draws closer.  Sara is in the process of freshening up the shop for Spring and will soon be posting photos to her Facebook business page which you can find here if you’re interested.

 

Upon leaving the shop, Craig and I headed downtown where Roxie was staying at a hotel. Before meeting, I admitted to Roxie that I was a bit nervous.  Not dread nervous, but excited! nervous, and since she would be the first blogger I’ve ever met I wanted to make a good first impression.  Normally this wouldn’t be a concern of mine since I’m a ‘what you read is what you get’ kind of person.  However, because of my ongoing back troubles and the length of immobility I’d be experiencing on the trip down, I knew that I was going to have to use my last resort pain medication (ie. the heavy duty stuff) so that I could sit and enjoy our visit without too much distraction.  As I walked into the hotel lobby I immediately noticed that along with my slightly fuzzy mind, my nose was becoming very itchy (a most unpleasant and relentless side effect of the pain meds) and I wondered how I was going to discreetly scratch it all evening without looking like a cocaine addict.  Those concerns melted away as soon I heard her voice and we hugged like long-lost friends. 

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Roxie and/or her blog, here are some things that I learned about her this weekend: aside from being a knockout and highly fashionable beauty, she’s one of the most down to earth, interesting people I’ve ever met.  She’s very worldly, intelligent, gracious and kind, and I think we could have easily kept each other up half the night, just chatting away – an obvious sign that we were meant to be friends.

Later in the evening, Craig met up with us and we three had dinner together.  He took this photo in the restaurant:

 

roxie

Many thank, Roxie.  I can’t wait until next time Smile