Since my post about losing 25 lbs, I have had many questions regarding how I did it. Well, to tell you the truth, I didn’t “do it”. My physician did. Although I knew I needed to lose weight it was not on my current list of  ”things to do” when I had my annual physical in August. However, when the blood work came back the doctor was very concerned about my cholesterol levels. He stated that the levels were probably attributed to my weight gain this past year.  Rather than prescribing medication he prescribed the following changes in my diet. He explicitly said:

NO:

milk

eggs

cheese

butter

white bread

ice cream

cakes

cookies

Then he followed it up with:

DO:

engage in 35 minutes of exercise every day.

And so the lifestyle change began. I have stuck to his “no” list (except I did indulge in some holiday cookies and cakes) religiously since August.

With my weight coming down and my numbers withing normal limits, the doctor has stated that I can  eat anything I want “in moderation”. Every now and then I will have the  only thing I have missed since the inception of this new eating style….PIZZA!!!! Other than that I continue to adhere to the “NO” list and continue to exercise every day for at least 35 minutes. Although the doctor suggested joining a gym, I opt for walking (parks/trails/the flea market/beach, etc), riding my bike, and gardening. These choices seem to work for me and add variety so I don’t get bored and give up.

So there you have the story behind my weight loss. You must remember however that it took five months to lose 25 pounds…only 5 pounds a month. (In the first few months it seemed like the numbers on the scale would NEVER go down.)

I’m looking forward to losing another 25. I don’t miss anything from the “NO” list except for that pizza….and I indulge in a veggie pizza when I do.

There you have it. Contrary to popular belief, I am not eating tree bark. I’m just not eating anything with milk…eggs…etc. etc.

Kimberly from That’s My Answer has some interesting questions up for today. The one that caught my mood was:

Two Choices: This is the Two Choices game and this is how you play. I’ll give you Two Choices, simply make your choice and then offer Two Choices for the next person, etc…Easy enough, right?

My choices were:

Real page-turning book or Kindle/Sony Reader?

That’s a no brainer for me – a real page-turning book. I have this thing for the feel and smell of books. A true bibliophile am I.

The other two choices were:

CBS: Big Brother or Survivor?

Big Brother of course!!!!

Rain or 100 degree temperatures?

Rain, rain, rain. Click here to see why I love rainy days.

My two choices that I left in the comments were:

TLC or HGTV?

How about you…what would you choose??????

Here are some fun questions the Patrick’s Saturday Six had posted today:

1. You’re having a high stress day. What hobby does the most to calm your nerves and relieve your mind when you get home? That would have to be my photography. There is nothing more relaxing than to get behind my camera lens and let that spark of creativity ignite. I have not been behind the camera as much as I would like lately. Very busy working on my photography website and my product inventory. However, when we drop Miss Sam off at her cousin’s this afternoon to go swimming Mr. John and I are going to take a ride and of course I will have my camera in tow.
2. What comfort food are you most likely to turn to when you’re having a bad day? That would have to be…hands down…the southwestern roasted corn soup and a cheese spud from McAlister’s Deli.
3. What kind of exercise leaves you felling the best once it’s over? Gardening of course. In fact I have several annuals and some lantana that need to be re-potted. And my backyard garden path is always a work in progress. Today’s exercise will encompass gathering up the pea gravel that escaped from the broken bag in the trunk of my car.
4. When you want to get out of the house for awhile but don’t have the time for a real getaway, where are you most likely to go for a few hours? That’s easy. The bookstore. My most recent purchase has been a very interesting book titled “The Gaslight Effect: How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life.
5. Take the quiz: Are you mind, body or spirit?
   

   You Are Spirit

   You are resilient, hopeful, and inspiring. You have a lot of emotional, physical, and mental energy. You nurture and nourish yourself. You know that you need fulfillment and downtime if you want to be your best.You stay present in every moment. You don’t allow yourself to be distracted or flustered. You appreciate the life you have been given. You embrace all that is beautiful in the world.

6. Which of yours do you think is more healthy: your mind, your body, your soul? My mind.

To celebrate my 52nd birthday several (cough, cough) years ago, I wrote a blog post on my now defunct blog The Whippoorwill Chronicles about ’52 Things About Sissy B (my psuedonymn in those days). As many of you know, I am in the process of transferring many of those posts to my current blog Acres of Diamonds and will add this particular post in the next few days. However, for the purposes of this tag, I will sift through the 52 random things and enlighten my Facebook friends with the top 25….after all it is all of you who expressed a ‘need to know’ (grin) by tagging me….so this is for you Betsy, Tony, and Vicki. Carrie…I’ll have to save the married one for another time….TMI overload might incur if I combined it with this one (giggle).

1. I love elephant jokes…..Why don’t elephants ride bikes? They don’t have a thumb to ring the bell. My sense of humor drives my husband insane.

2. One of my favorite movies is Drop Dead Fred. Did I mention that my sense of humor drives my husband insane? We watched this movie while we were dating and I do believe if he had given any serious thought to my insane giggles throughout this movie I never would have had a marriage proposal. In fact when he did propose, and I said yes, he was very surprised. He said ‘I asked you thinking you would say no’….now what is a girl to make of that????????

3. I started blogging in 2006 as part of the therapeutic process. Many of you have followed my blogging journey since that time as I processed my past in The Whippoorwill Chronicles, as I confronted my life long battle with depression and anxiety in The Bipolar Diaries. Now you can follow me at Acres of Diamonds (www.daniellebatog.com) as I continue to move forward building the life I have always dreamed of.

4. I love riding in the car with the windows down and no music playing…especially at night when I am driving home on the country roads that lead from the bigger bigger city (where I teach) to my home. I am able to hear the night sounds, see the deer clearly and one evening I even saw a herd (??) of wild boar.

5. I bought our home without my husband even seeing it. After all, this is what military wives are trained to do…take control and make decisions as our other halves are usually gone training for war or actually engaging in a war.

6. I want to get a tattoo around my ankle but I know I can’t erase it when I grow up.

7. I have fired an M16 out of a foxhole. I always mention that one of my ‘battle scars’ incurred during my stint in the Army was when I jumped into a foxhole (to fire my M16) and I jammed my knee. Another ‘battle injury’ was when the buffer I was using to buff the mess hall ran over my foot.

8. I have an autographed photo of John Travolta hanging in my study. I know, I know, how juvenile and I love it. It was given to me several years ago by a student whose husband works for John Travolta at his home here in Florida.

9. I have co- written a book about motherhood. How is that for someone who never had a template on how to be a mom??????

10. I am a Johnny Depp groupie (so much for John Travolta, eh??).

11. I would continue to be a college professor even if they didn’t pay me. No really. I love.love.love teaching.

12. The best gift I ever received is my husband….my daughter….my therapist…and of course salvation.

13. My first car was a Mustang, I now drive a Toyota Camry, I want to drive a Hummer.

14. I love playing golf. My husband first introduced me to golf when we started dating. I had a very stressful job as a counselor for the mentally disabled. When I play golf I think of nothing else but hitting that darn ball. Stress??? What stress? Sad to say that golf has taken a back seat to my photography but the psychological benefits of capturing my world through my camera lens far outweigh searching for that dang golf ball in the trees.

15. My all time favorite classic books are Gone With The Wind, Little Women, Jane Eyre and Crime and Punishment.

16. Why do elephants paint the soles of their feet yellow? So they can hide upside-down in the custard.

17. One thing I wish I had done differently is that I wish I hadn’t been so afraid of having children.

18. The best surprise was when I found out two weeks before my 40th birthday that I was pregnant with Miss Sam.

19. My favorite time of day is dusk. That’s when my husband and I sit outside and talk about nothing in particular…which shrub to pull up next, should we re-sod or spend that money on a fishing trip….have you seen the lizard family lately?

20. My blood runs red, white, and blue. I was an Army Brat, an Army Wife and I am an Army Veteran…and the daughter-in-law of an Airborne Army Veteran. Hooo-hah! However, I can’t dismiss the beliefs of my youth when I burned candles against the war in Vietnam and wore my silver POW/MIA bracelet faithfully for years.

21. My favorite place in my home is my study/studio. Family members wish it was the kitchen.

22. I miss my best friend Anne. We met in biology class and during a lecture on when life begins she slipped me a note that read ‘life really begins when we finish this course”. We have grown in separate directions and it has been difficult finding our way back to each other.

23. My father and my husband’s father were stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina at the same time. Although we did not run in the same circles. I was safety patrol in the sixth grade and my husband was two and still in diapers.

24. I like younger men (grin).

25. Why are elephants large, gray and wrinkled? If they were small, round and white they’d be aspirins.

Today’s ‘Around the Square’ is: Michelle from Sleepy Cat Hollow. Michelle embodies those things that I wish I could make more time for….like cooking, gardening,, soap making….she is just so, so creative!!! You really should go over and check out the awesome recipes that Michelle has written about lately. I have them bookmarked and will try them all out soon.

Today I am grateful: that I am still recovering from this nasty cold that left me without a voice. It made for an excellent reason for canceling my counseling appointments for today. After all, how can I effectively counsel if I can’t talk?????

Today I will simplify my life: by continuing to catalog my photo cards. I developed an awesome system yesterday and it has motivated me to keep the photography business moving forward.

I began blogging January 25, 2006 with The Whippoorwill Chronicles under the pen name of Sissy. It was to be a journey through my past in order to find my voice in the present. Through the exploration of my past I discovered the need to explore both the nurture and the nature construction of my personality. It was with this journey in mind that The Bipolar Diaries (using only my first name) came into being. Through this wonderful venue of blogging I began to find my voice and began to unearth my ‘authentic’ self. The person I was meant to be. This discovery made it’s way into the name change of my blog to My Name is Danielle. This is my website. with the use of my real full name.

After several years of therapy, an acceptance of the necessity to balance the chemicals in my brain, and an ongoing relationship with my God….I find myself weaving my own personal tapestry of contentment…with the emergence of Acres of Diamonds.

The name of my blog was taken from a famous Victorian lecture that was known as “Acres of Diamonds”.

Russell H. Conwell, a former newspaper correspondent and minister, delivered his speech more than six thousand times between 1877 and 1925. When it was published it became an immediate best-seller and a classic inspirational literature.

The story Conwell told in his lecture had enormous appeal. It recounted the life of a Persian farmer named Ali Hafed who sold his farm and left his family to travel the world in search of wealth. He looked everywhere but he could not find the diamons he lusted after. Finally, alone and in despair as a homeless pauper, he ended his own life. His search for riches had consumed him.

In the meantime, the man who bought the land from Hafed was grateful for every blade of grass that was now his and lavished love and hard work on his farm. At night, surrounded by his family and eating the fruits of his labor, he was a contented man.

Finally one day he made a remarkable discovery. In the backyard that Ali hafed had abandoned was a diamond mine – literally an acre of diamonds. The simple farmer became wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~

And that is where the name of my blog “Acres of Diamonds” comes from. I am in the process of uploading all my previous posts from my previous blogs (although they are presently unavailable online I did make a hard copy of all them). As I find time to upload these posts you will be able to access them in the category Archives from The Whippoorwill Chronicles and Archives from The Bipolar Diaries. My Name is Danielle. This is my website. posts are already incorporated in Acres of Diamonds.

Today’s Around the Square: Winter from Rodeo with a Twist of Suspense. I have been reading Winter’s journey of being a writer, a mother and the wife of a military man. It is quite inspirational to read how she is able to fulfill all these roles with a smile and a twist of humor. Click on over and check out her book giveaways!!!

Today I am grateful for: the fact that Snickers is now sleeping through the night!!! DID YOU HEAR ME!!!! Yippee….and you can be assured that if Marbles could type he would be putting in his HOORAY also as Snickers will not go outside without him (grin).

Today I will simplify my life: from worry and back up to another flash drive all my school lectures/powerpoints/handouts/etc. Thanks to both Holly and Linda for their great advice about external hard drives. I am now in the market for one and have put it on my birthday list.

While searching for something on the ‘lighter’ side this morning, I came across Media Mix Wednesday over at My Digital Ghost. Every Wednesday, Digital Ghost posts 3 questions: one that relates to books or other written material, one that relates to movies/TV, and one that relates to music. I thought that I would open a window on my days of heavy thinking and let in a breath of fresh air. Today’s questions are:

•  Listen: What are your favorite songs about places, or that have a place in the name? My most favorite song of all time is Amarillo by Morning by George Strait. It just goes straight to all my senses and validates the choices I have made along life’s journey with the one line ‘I’m not rich, but Lord, I’m free’.

• Watch:  Any particular shows you’re looking forward to seeing this season? Oh my, where do I begin???? I am looking forward to: Damages,  Big Brother 11 and Rules of Engagement

• Read:  What are your thoughts on Amazon Kindle (the electronic book reader)? Do you love this sort of invention, or would you rather have a physical book in your hands? I have never had any experience with the Kindle but I have read about it and I know that those that have one love it. I believe Holly has one, right Holly? So until I am able to personally experience using a Kindle I have to say that the feeling of holding a book in your hand is just about as good as unwrapping a square of your most favorite Ghirardelli chocolate.

Today’s ‘Around the Square’: is Susan over at Learning for Lifetime. Susan has a zest for life and a spirit of adventure that I both admire and envy. When I read about how much she ‘engages’ herself in life and in the lives of those around her I am inspired to step outside my box just a little bit more. I have had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Susan in real life and sharing a meal together. She is just as infectious in real life as she is in cyberspace. Go on over and tell her hello!! BTW Susan, I have been searching for over an hour on all my old posts/old blogs for the photo of us and I can’t find it…aaarrghhhh….do you still have it. I can’t even find it on Photobucket!

Today I am grateful for: McDonald’s new promotion – .59 cheeseburgers!!Yippee. They did this last summer and every Wednesday on my way home from teaching I would stop and get 10 (that’s the limit they set…durn) cheeseburgers…no pickle. This would be Miss Sam’s lunch for the rest of the week/weekend. I know…I know…what a good mommy I am. Of course the nutrition board of health will be knocking on my door once again as I head out to take full advantage of this promotion!

Today I am going to simplify my life: by purging all the files in my ‘bookmarks’ and keeping only what I absolutely need. If I have not looked at it in three months – well the file needs to hit the Recycle Bin wouldn’t you say?

Although this was the question for last Friday from Ilax Studio, I like it:

 What would you do for fun if you had to give up TV, movies, electronic games and the internet?

Mr. John and I have made the decision to decrease Miss Sam’s time on the computer this year. A wonderful result of that decision occurred yesterday.

Miss Sam came out of her room, with book in hand, and offered to read to me out loud. It was wonderful. It took me back to the days before she even knew what a PSP/Gameboy/Computer was. We would spend our days reading, swimming, playing Sorry (my favorite game). Enjoying the simple things.

I’m looking forward to what today’s ‘unplugged’ time will bring.

How about you? What would you do?

Today’s Around the Square:  I am unsure how I ‘stumbled’ on this particular blog, but I am glad that I did. I have not been reading I’m annb…and This Is My Life long, however I immediately felt a ‘kindred spirit’ from the first post. There are so many common threads for all us that I am sure you will enjoy your visit.

Today I am grateful for: being able to go to the grocery store and being able to purchase what we need.

Today I am going to simplify my life: by trying to find a ‘card case’ for all those miscellaneous cards (library/Borders/Sams) in my purse that I am unable to put my hands on when I need them.

I have always enjoyed participating in Saturday Six at Patrick’s Place. It seemed for awhile there that he was perhaps taking a blogging break…but now he is back with a brand new look and some great questions and what I always loved the most – his links to interesting personality tests.

1. If you had to fill in as a substitute teacher at a local middle school, what subject would you be most comfortable teaching? Health. Do they still have that or have they renamed it???  Oh well. I would definitely feel more comfortable teaching it or at least backing the committee to get it re-instated as a subject due to my background in developmental psychology (human growth and development). Math would be a negative…or is that a positive…or is it only a positive when there are two negatives?????
2. When you were in school, what was a better indication of your true understanding of what you were learning: class participation, the accuracy of your homework, or your test scores? For me it would have to be my class participation – which is why I never participated – which is why I never really was the best of students – even into my first two years of college. However, it is this experience that has shaped my teaching philosophy as a college professor. I don’t allow note taking in my classes. I want my students to be engaged in the topic I am presenting. It is also why I do an exam review – I must admit I pretty much hand them the test during this review – however, I am confident that through my lectures and their participation in the discussions that they have learned far more than any test score could represent.
3. If you meet someone for the first time and have a brief conversation with them. If you run into them the next afternoon, how likely are you to remember their name? Our ability to place information into our short term memory relies on four factors: interest, intent to remember, understanding, and background information. Therefore, my ability to remember someone’s name would definitely depend on those four factors. So it would be hard to say as it would vary with each encounter.
4. Take the quiz: Do You Have Gaps In Your Knowledge?

There Are 1 Gaps in Your Knowledge

Where you have gaps in your knowledge: Art Where you don’t have gaps in your knowledge: Philosophy ReligionEconomics Literature History Science

Do You Have Gaps in Your Knowledge?

 5.  If you had ‘gaps’ in your knowledge, did you expect to have them where they were predicted? I expected more in the areas of economics and science. Art was a surprise considering I teach in the Humanities and Social Sciences area.

6. If you could go back to school for one semester free of charge and ‘try again’ with any subject, which one would you choose and why? Philosophy. I enjoyed it my first year of college but I was too involved with going to the beach and the ‘Rathskeller‘ to really give it the attention it deserved.

This was the quiz from last week that I thought would be fun:

What kind of blogger are you?

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life – a living diary.If it happens, you blog it. And you make it as entertaining as possible.You may be guilty of over-sharing a bit on your blog, but you can’t help it.Your life is truly an open book. Or in this case, an open blog!

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

Yup. That’s me. Hope you have fun with these two quizzes and link back if you did them!!

I recently received this list of questions via email from Doozie over at Grey Matter Challenged (sorry I can’t get the link to work). Rather than follow the instructions I thought to myself – what a great post this would make (being the narcissist that I tend to be from time to time I would think this of course). So here goes…..

1. Were you named after anyone? Well there has been some controversy over this. Back in the day my mother used to say I was named after my father’s french girlfriend. Not knowing the truth I would opt to say that I was named after my brother Daniel – however – he may have also been named after the french girlfriend. Who’s to say – who’s to know. That is one fact even I don’t know.
2. When was the last time you cried? At my father-in-law’s memorial service.
3. Do you like your handwriting? Yes – when I don’t rush with whatever it is I am writing.
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? I’m not really a sandwich kinda gal – but if I must I will generally choose bologna (as long as it has been heated in the microwave on a paper towel first)…..cold bologna….ick!
5. Do you have kids? Yep – four. Two of which are human ( a husband and a thirteen year old). The other two are of the four legged variety.
6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? On my good days I would say yes. On my not so good days I would say no. I tend to get a ‘I want to be alone’ attitude on my not so good days and I can become very rude about it.
7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I have my moments. I try and be more aware of my usage of it ever since a sermon I hear a few years ago regarding sarcasm. Matthew 12:33-37 really reminds me that we need to ‘think’ before we speak ~ are our words true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, kind.  Our words tell a lot about who we really are.
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yep.
9. Would you bungee jump? No.No.No. It is the only thing that keeps me from signing up for the Amazing Race.
10. What is your favorite cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No. I hate wearing shoes of any kind so I like to get them off my feet as soon as possible.
12. Do you think you are strong? Physically – no. Spiritually – yes.
13. What is your favorite ice cream? Publix brand – It’s Your Birthday Cake. However, I have begun to develop a liking to Drumsticks.
14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Their face – if they are smiling or not.
15. Red or pink? I am a Leo – definitely red.
16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? That I seek approval from those I love. As I continue to gain confidence in being me I tend to do this less and less. Yay me.
17. Who do you miss the most? My best friend in Ohio. We haven’t been as close over the past few years and I miss that. We are in the process of re-connecting.
18. What color shoes are you wearing? As I said before (were you not paying attention???), I hate wearing shoes – so presently I am wearing socks (it is 64 degrees in this house this morning). However, a quick glance in my closet will tell you that all my shoes are black – except for two pairs which are dark brown.
19. What was the most recent food you ate? I just ate breakfast so it would have to be two eggs scrambled with peppers and onions. Yum.
20. What are you listening to right now? HGTV – obviously you missed yesterday’s post.
21. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Cerulean blue. I like the way the name just rolls off the tongue all exotic like. Plus, I learned about this color from my very artistic daughter.
22. Favorite smells? Pumpkin spice – whether it be a candle, a coffee creamer, or an actual pumpkin pie. I love.love.love this smell. Of course if you asked me in the summer I would say the smell of crisp cotton. I’m fickle when it comes to seasonal smells.
23. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? That would be Mr. John. I called him to tell him I had just talked with my father. It was a good phone call.
24. Do you like the person who sent this questionnaire to you? I most certainly do. She is very very funny and very very real and honest.
25. Favorite sports to watch? I don’t watch too much sports. However, I like to keep up so I watch Sports Center with Mr. John so we have something to talk about besides Miss Sam and the big fish that got away.
26. Hair color? I’m not sure what the bottle says but it comes out a soft brown.
27. Eye color? Hazel…unless of course I have a green shirt on then they are green, or if it’s a brown shirt then they are brown.
28. Do you wear contacts? I started wearing contacts when I was in high school – some of you may remember they were called ‘hard’ contacts back then. I wore contacts up until our move to Florida the first time (when Mr. John was in Korea). Contacts are just not compatible with the pollen season here in Florida. At that time I switched to glasses full time.
29. Favorite food? Restaurant food.
30. Scary movies or happy endings? I am all about the psychological thrillers. I do not like sappy movies. They creep me out – much like a scary movie would for ‘other’ people.
31. Last movie you watched? 88 Minutes – oh boy was it good!!!
32. What color shirt are you wearing? Nope. No shirt. Still in my nightgown. It’s green by the way. So my eyes are green at the moment also.
33. Summer or Winter? Both..our winters are like many of y’alls summers.
34. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
35. Favorite dessert? Any kind of pastry.
36. What book am I reading now? Perish Twice by Robert B. Parker – a Sunny Randall detective novel. They are awesome!!
37. What is on your mouse pad? I don’t have a mousepad. I use a laser mouse.
38. What did you watch on TV last night? Nothing. I taught class last night. Came home, made some toast and went to bed until it was time to let Snicker’s out for the gazillionth time.
39. Favorite sound? Rain. I love it when it rains. Now that we have the screened in porch I can really enjoy the sound as it plit plats on the aluminum roof.
40. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Rolling Stones.
41. What is the farthest you have ever been from home? I lived in Germany when I was little – does that count??
42. Do you have a special talent? I would love to think that would be my photography.
43. Where were you born? Maryland.

Whew!! That was quite a self interview. I invite all of you to take all or some of these questions and tell us a little about your self.

31 Days of Autumn ~ Day 28

The second crop of Florida oranges are beginning to ripen.

My ‘kindred spirit’ blogging friend Cathy, the wonderful writer behind the blog From A Heavenly Land, recently had this award bestowed on her from her friend Sandcastle Momma. Cathy was gracious enough to pass it along to me.

What I really enjoy about receiving this award is that it has us take a look at our friendships by answering a few questions:

1. Do you have the same friends from childhood? Sadly no. I never really had any friends while growing up.
2. What do you value most about your friends? That I am not afraid to ask them for help.
3. Are your friends sounding boards? Yes.
4. What is your favorite activity to share with a friend? Drinking. I love to go out and have coffee or a margarita ~ depending on the time of day of course.

Friendship is a complicated issue for me. Never having friends while growing up I have always been uncertain how to be a friend. I am getting much better at it in recent years.

Another blogging friend, Colleen from Life is a Story in the Making, awarded me The Friendship Rose.Thank you Colleen for your sincere thoughtfulness and I also apologize for my delay in sending out my thanks!!!

I would like to pass these awards along to the following blogging friends (all of which I would love to share a cup of coffee with and even a margarita or two):

• Vicki from Words 
• Heidi from Gods Grace in Practice
• Holly from Holly’s Corner
• Susan from Learning for Lifetime
• Miss Kris from A Shelter From The Storm