Happy 4th of July, ladybugs!
Linking up with Anne in Residence for Currently, 07.2019. Anne’s Currently posts always go live on the first Wednesday of the month. And she is so good to send email reminders to those of us who participate regularly. You might enjoy writing for this series, too. Before we get started today, you can read my June Currently post, here.
This month we are talking about what we’re currently: enjoying, finding, reading, saving and tasting.
Also Thinking Out Loud about my summer goals and linking up with Penny at Penny’s Passion for that series. I am tossing around the idea of a triathlon as if it is a cake walk. Beginning to think that participating in a triathlon may be too grand a goal but training for one isn’t.
CURRENTLY, 07.2019
Pretty sure I say it every month, but this series and my photography challenges both push me to think outside the box. And my own Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone series inspires me to stretch myself beyond what I am comfortable doing. Good stuff.
Here’s my currently, 07.2019…
Enjoying…
Blowing bubbles. Used my Simply Earth essential oil recipe box to mix up some super duper bubble blowing solution. Not only were the bubbles sturdy but they smelled good, thanks to a few drops of essential oil to the soap mixture. Hope Lucia won’t mind that I borrowed her “Frozen” bubble wand!
Finding…
These chandelier earrings! Have had them for years. Brennyn bought them for me when my original piercings had stretched so much that I was having to go back to clip on – OUCH – earrings. They were one of my first pairs of statement earrings. Is that even a thing? I was looking for earrings to match a statement necklace – that’s a thing, right? – and came across these chandelier earrings instead. They are perfect with my new Fashom kimono.
Reading…
So proud of myself because I have really upped my reading game. Right now, I am reading Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid with my ears (via Audible). And reading The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary with my eyes. Just received a print copy Wishtree by one of my all-time fav children’s authors, Katherine Applegate. Waiting to start it once I have finished one of the others.
Hoping to maybe persuade my virtual book club to consider reading an adult version of Wishtree with me. You are invited to join us! The book club has really been a surprise to me. Never dreamed we would stay together and read together for a year. Up to almost 60 members!! And we will be selecting a new book after the long weekend. Email me if you would like to join us.
Saving…
What’s that? Got nothing for this one. I am the world’s worst ‘saver’. Does saving $20 a month count? Or saving my Weight Watchers activity points so that I can have a treat on Saturdays? Also saving those box tops on a lot of the packaged foods for my sister’s library in Spring, Texas. Saving my new box of Madison Reed hair color until I give up on the notion of going natural and decide to color my hair.
Tasting…
Blueberry fluff. Weight Watchers friendly, at that. Serves 6 – 2 WW points per serving. I have pinned it, here but the recipe originated with KimSpiredDIY. It is absolutely scrumptious. A lot like eating ice cream without the guilt. Here’s the recipe. I added strawberries and a dollop of spray can whipped cream to make my dessert more patriotic for the 4th.
Weight Watchers Blueberry Fluff
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen blueberries, partially thawed
- ½ cup water
- 16 ounces fat free whipped topping, thawed
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (and strawberries)
- Spray whipping cream in can
Instructions
- Blend frozen blueberries and water until smooth.
- Pour into a large bowl and mix in whipped topping until smooth.
- Mix in ¾ of the fresh blueberries into the mixture.
- Pour the mixture into a glass bread pan (line the pan with foil in order to be able to lift the dessert out of the pan).
- Sprinkle remaining fresh blueberries (and strawberries) over the top of the mixture.
- Freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight before removing from pan or slicing dessert in the pan.
- Spray with dollop of whipped cream and garnish with blueberries (and strawberries).
Really delicious! And once frozen, it slices like bread!! And check out my darling patriotic couple (salt and pepper shakers) from the sweet folks at Flag and Banner. I put them beside my dessert to stand guard in case PC tried to sneak a bite from my plate!
2019 Spring Goals
I did so well on my spring goals, girls!! Patting myself on the back with both hands. Ran a 5K, have been hitting the gym and weight training at least 4X a week, finished the spring cleaning upstairs, and discovered peace in little things during my days.
2019 Summer Goals
Did so well for spring that I created a rather ambitious list of summer goals.
- Reach and maintain my Weight Watchers lifetime goal weight. When we joined WW in 2010, my goal weight was 138 lbs. I reached it within a few months but before long, old habits had my weight creeping back up. We started WW officially again on 05.19.2019 and I am hovering around 139-140 right now. Should be able to get down to my lifetime goal in a week or two. But the catch comes in maintaining it!!
- Do Wishtree book study. Maybe with my book club gals? Wishtree by Katherine Applegate is a children’s book but it has an adult companion book. Would like to read both. Anyone want to join me?
- Write 2 new TpT library lessons. Our store, Library Lovin’ Sisters, is having a holiday sale-bration right now and my sister and I have created a couple of new lessons for the occasion. Would like to go through my old library lesson plans and develop a few more lessons for our store.
- Train for a triathlon. I am beginning to believe I am not going to be up to trying a triathlon in September. But maybe in April. Or maybe not. But I can train, either way, yeah?
- Finish spring cleaning. The upstairs is done, and have begun downstairs. Now to finish.
- Continue finding 30 minutes of ✌ everyday. Quiet time poolside, coloring, scrapbooking, walks, bike rides, taking photographs of the beauty around me.
- FINISH. My devotional I have been trying to finish, finish my story I have been writing on for years, finish my mosaic I have been working on since I retired. Just FINISH, for Pete’s sake, finish.
Your Turn
How would you respond to the prompts for this edition of Currently, 07.2019? Hope you will share in a comment below. Then be sure to visit Anne for her responses. What’s on your goals blackboard for summer?
Going to put on my bathing suit and head out to the pool. Grab a good book and come join me! I have sodas and beer in the frig and will be putting ribs on the grill for dinner. Happy 4th of July to you!
Hugs and kisses,
I learn such a lot from your posts, you’re such a go-getter – so proud of you with your fitness and weight successes, and trying for a triathlon?!!! I’ve never heard of Wishtree (no small kids around) and I liked the look of your book list. I’m reading a lot at the moment. I have a new Kindle which has Bluetooth but I haven’t listened to any books yet.
I’m with you on the “save” front – I could argue I saved over £70 on a skirt by buying it in the sale, but I shouldn’t have bought it anyway!
Have done a “Five for Friyay” post, a few weeks later than planned.Thanks for the original idea.
Have a good weekend! x
Good luck training for the triathlon! I really admire people who do those. Is the swim portion inside or outside?
A triathlon? Yikes! Good luck, makes me feel tired just thinking about it 😉
I think maintaining a good weight is every bit as hard as losing weight because you find yourself thinking ‘I’ve done so well, doesn’t really matter if I have a little ice cream with that fruit today’ and then you add a meringue nest, and maybe some baby marshmallows, a drizzle of chocolate sauce and eeeeeeek! Back where you started!
I’ve got to try that dessert recipe. Sounds perfect for summer!
WHY are bubbles so much fun & even relaxing to blow & watch? The simple things!
Aren’t bubbles fun? And such an inexpensive treat. I bought a big wand at the dollar store and will be using it with this great bubble mixture with my grands next week.
Blueberry fluff sounds tasty! Pinning for later! After being on vacation and indulging way too much this week I need some desserts that aren’t too bad (because I can’t seem to forgo dessert entirely)! Good luck getting to your goal weight! You can do it! You are so close! I love your rediscovered earrings and the peek at your fashom kimono!
I hear ya about not forgoing dessert. Life is too short (or too long) to go without dessert. We have begun eating fresh fruit chopped into bites and drizzled with sugar free chocolate syrup and whipped topping. It is a refreshing treat. We are continuing on WW and PC is down almost 20 pounds. I reached my goal weight and then promptly gained a pound! Ha!
The bubbles look so fun and the blueberry fluff sounds delicious!
The blueberry fluff is really good. My daughter is coming (and moving) here this weekend and I think I will try the same recipe but with strawberries for her benefit this weekend. The fluff is so creamy it is almost like ice cream.
Looks like you are having fun! I have a post up about Fashom again today. I do the simply earth box too but haven’t gotten my July one yet! Good luck with your goals!
I need to check out your Fashom post. I really enjoyed the items they sent and found their prices to be reasonable.
Hi Leslie! Wendy from FlagandBanner here 🙂
Your blog is awesome! I’m a fellow WW member so keep up the work! It feels so good to be healthy. Also, thanks for the shout out. Those shakers look so cute next to that amazing blueberry dessert.
Wendy, thank you so so so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I appreciate the customer service you offer at flagandbanner.com and will be back to shop again soon. Love my shakers. Thinking I need shakers for each season to add to my tier tray. Thank you for the great product, affordable price, quick shipping.
You’re almost to your goal weight! That’s awesome. I need to find a new way of losing weight, I’ve been kind of stuck for awhile and I want to start losing again. I really want to read Daisy Jones and The Flatshare; hope those are good reads!
-Lauren
Lauren, if you haven’t tried WW, consider doing so. We aren’t going to meetings, just using the app to tally our daily food points and activity points. It is almost – almost – fun. PC has lost 20 pounds now. And believe me, that is amazing. We aren’t doing without, or denying ourselves the things we love. We just balance pizza with lighter meals the rest of the day. Ice cream once a week rather than every other night!! Beer and wine on weekends. I bet you would do very well on Weight Watchers.
Daisy Jones was a most unique book. I listened to it via Audible and it was a challenge at first for me because the format of the story is different. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. Still working on Flatshare on my Kindle but it is a sweet, fun story. I recommend them both.
This was such an enjoyable post to read! Gosh I remember wearing clip on earrings in the 90s and they HURT. It seemed like so many cute earrings were only available as clip ons – gosh I am glad that is over.
Now that I am officially on the WW bandwagon I am looking at your recipes with even more interest. I’d like to lose 10 pounds and hoping I can hit my groove and figure out the best foods for me! You are inspiring me Leslie!
xo,
Kellyann
Thank you for the sweet comment. Welcome back to WW. We fell off the bandwagon a bit in the last week but hit the gym hard today. Never stopped tracking points but just ate a little too much in the last few days. PC has had 3 days of luncheons and farewell cake and coffee at work to ‘celebrate’ the closing of his organization here in EP as it prepares to move to the east coast.
My pierced ears really stretched the year I divorced my daughters’ dad. I think, somehow, it was stress related. So for years, I switched to clip ons. But 3-4 years ago, my daughter treated me to having my ears pierced again (in a different place) and have so enjoyed wearing pierced earrings since. You are right, those clip ons do hurt!