Something New is Coming...

 I'm working on something new...

Something that was partially inspired by this blog and all my blog buddies, and partially inspired by my art.  Or maybe it is ALL art, right?

This art of life.

Yes, so something new is coming.  And I'm ready.

Week Two, and I'm Still Very Much Alive!

Well, there it is!!  GREEN STUFF.  It is one of the additions I have made in my quest for a whole-grain, plant-based lifestyle...and surprisingly, it is TASTY.  At least to me, it is.


I was so pleased when my mother told me that this was one of the best things I could do for my body...and that she was proud of me for changing my lard-eating, carb-absorbing ways.  Keep in mind, my mother lives in California - the land of the healthy.  I am languishing in the fried-food heaven of the South, where food must be covered in either batter or cheese to be considered edible.  And let's not mention my former addiction to batter dipped and fried cheese.  In fact, let's not tell my mom....ok?


My father passed away last August from chronic heart problems, and even though I am adopted, logic dictates that if I continue eating like I have been...I will follow in his footsteps.  I can't.  I won't.  I refuse.  I just have to convince my body that it doesn't NEED fat.  It doesn't NEED McDonald's french fries. It doesn't NEED bacon.  It doesn't NEED those cute little candy hearts that they only put out around Valentine's Day.   And over time, I hope to convince my heart that the love of those things will be deadly - because I can't tell you how much I LOVE those kinds of foods.


Week one of "The Change" went well.  I had no cravings for beef, cow's milk or soda.  None.  I didn't cheat once.  Since the beginning of the year, the only meat I have had is one boneless chicken breast, one tilapia filet, and a few small chunks of chicken in a quesadilla.  I haven't eliminated all the animal products from my diet, but I AM working toward that goal.  Yes, I'm getting plenty of protein.  No, I'm not tired.  I feel better than I have in a long time...honestly!  And I am more regular than ever (and yes, I just admitted that on the internet).


So, how do I make this green stuff?  Well, it's easy!  I usually prepare the bulk of the smoothie the night before in my blender:
1 cup baby spinach leaves (I make sure to rinse them and pack them down in my measuring cup to get a full cup)
1 cup kale (Which I had NO clue was something you ATE.  I thought this was just the decorative stuff you put UNDER the meat and cheese on the party tray!)
1 pear (I cut mine into bite-sized pieces before adding)
1 1/2 cups orange juice (Make sure you do NOT get sugar-added juice! Just PURE JUICE!)
1 frozen banana (Bananas need to be peeled BEFORE you freeze them, FYI.)


Now, I put everything in the blender EXCEPT the banana the night before.  In the morning, I cut up the banana, pop it in, and blend on the "smoothie" setting for a few minutes, or until the kale pieces are pretty tiny.  I like how the orange juice tends to saturate the greens overnight, making their taste almost non-existent.


I had a rude awakening when I realized that I am now drinking more fruits and veggies every day than I had been eating over a two-week period.  I'm not ever sure that this smoothie would qualify as half my daily requirements.  We hear that "fruits and veggies" business all the time...but have you ever tracked how many you eat?  You might be surprised how LITTLE you eat.  And if you take away all the "processed" fruits and veggies, with added salt and sugar...you might be even more shocked.


On to a healthier life...and to document the next part of the experiment...tofu.

A New Year - I Want a New ME!

It's the start of a new year, and I am going to try blogging again!  AND...I am really making an effort to start a "new me."  Previous efforts to get fit (lose weight) and get healthy (eat right) involved me jumping in 100%, with both feet, and usually ended up with me backsliding and then failing altogether.


However, I'm scared now.  I recently watched two movies - "Food, Inc." and "Forks Over Knives."  And this time, I'm going to start changing what I put into my body.  For real.


This is NOT going to be easy.  I love cheese.  And cheeseburgers.  And ice cream.  And cheese.  And cheesecake.  And cheeseburgers.  And fries.  This is no one-sided love - these things love my thighs, my butt, and my gut.  Unfortunately, they have made their way into my heart that is decidedly unhealthy.  Wait...did I mention that I love cheeseburgers?  Sigh.


I purchased "The Engine 2 Diet" by Rip Esselstyn.  It's a primer for change, and I am still reading and learning and scaring myself.  Day One involved going to my local grocery store, and being dismayed at what I COULDN'T find.  But there was success - I discovered I like the taste of vanilla almond milk.  Eliminating cow's milk will be an easy change.

Day Two?  I made my own hummus!  I am not a fan of plain hummus, but it's healthier than cheese dip or ranch dressing.  I want to wean myself off these things, and store-bought hummus contains olive oil or other fat....so I did an experiment with hummus, adapting a recipe from the book.  


(That is not my actual hummus pictured.  Mine had no garnish, and was in a Tupperware bowl!)


Here is what I used:
1 can chickpeas - rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic
4 Tablespoons of lemon juice
3 Tablespoons of water
5 sun dried tomatoes
1 jalapeno, seeded and drained


I tossed it all in the food processor, until it made a creamy paste.  It was fabulous!!! It also tasted a lot better than store-bought hummus.


Baby steps.  I think I will do better that way.  Week one - I will eliminate all soda, cow's milk and beef, and do my best to avoid foods that are not whole grain or plant-based.  "DO MY BEST" being the key phrase.  I have to change my mindset, retrain my taste buds, and realize this is a LIFESTYLE change...not a diet.


And breaking up with cheese?   Oh, the agony.  You have no idea.  Wish me luck.

Reposting a Literal Rant

Okay gang, I know those of you who have followed my blog for a while will recognize this as a previous rant - BUT - spelling errors are rampant on Facebook. I don't ask my FB friends to be particularly articulate for my humble sake - but I am beginning to wonder about our ability to properly communicate the written word. I don't want to believe that Americans are dumb. Reading and writing correctly are important indicators of our society's intelligence! Okay - enough of me and my soapbox...the word in question this time is "definitely." Now, this is a more complicated word than others I've seen butchered...so I'm going to repost a rant I made about a word that should be SO SIMPLE to spell, but eludes so many.

I've really tried to ignore the inability of some people to spell words correctly. I've tried to be understanding that not everyone was privileged to have the secondary education that I enjoyed. But the blatant misuse of ONE WORD IN PARTICULAR is very troubling to me...and I'm afraid that before long, no one will remember how to use this word correctly. It's the word LOSE.

Does anyone remember that word? Because I haven't seen it in a LONG TIME. Seems like people are "loosing" things a lot...and it's driving me INSANE.

So, quick lesson for you all: you LOSE something, which means you have misplaced it or got drunk the night before and flailed it asunder. You didn't LOOSE it...that word means to make something "less tight." Unless, in some strange event, you lose your belt after loosening it, then you are allowed to use those words in the same sentence. Just in that instance.

You are "losing" the battle. Oh, and we seem to have the spelling of the word "lost" down okay - can we maybe draw on that knowledge, to remember the base word has ONE, and ONLY ONE "o?"

You don't LOOSE an election - you LOSE it. I know it's tough, this English language, with all the bizarro rules. You are used to pronouncing the singular vowel in a word structured like "lose" with a STRONG vowel sound, right? It's got that "e" at the end, with that funky consonant right before it. So, it doesn't seem right - "lose" is one of those words that defies the rules.

But that's why I like "lose." It's unique. It doesn't follow the crowd. So, please, for the love of the poor word, use "lose," okay? Please?

Cricket...cricket...cricket...

Oh, yes...indeed...Tiggerlane seems to have left the dang building. SO WRONG.

I was thinking today that so many of my blog buds followed me over to Facebook, and judging from our continual dialogue in that forum, still enjoy an occasional dose of my insanity. Yes, I'm still FB'ing....but not blogging much. However, you can find me easily on FB at http://www.facebook.com/tiggerlane.

Also, based on how many folks alerted me that my Twitter account had been hacked, I still have followers there, too. I'm all Tiggerlane up in there, in case you didn't know.

As I was rooting around the blogosphere today, I noticed many of my old blog buddies aren't maintaining their blogs like before. I haven't visited all of them, but so many have ceased. Why? Are they like me, and have found another forum? Or, have they simply used the blog as a crutch to get thru a difficult time? I wonder....

I promised I would write more here, but haven't. And I am feeling the guilt.

Enough is Enough

Did you think I had abandoned the blog? I almost did - I almost gave it up. But as much as I'm having a secret, illustrious and gloriously satisfying affair with Facebook, I realize once again that its format does not lend itself to my writing style. Much like Twitter left me longing for just a few more characters - so Facebook can only give me a quick fix, and doesn't do justice to what I REALLY want to share.

Like music. SO...as in the "olden days" of the blog, I have two new addictions to share with you! The first - well, let's just say, I want to BE this girl:

Whew...just TOO FUN! Where are my dancing shoes?? The music just runs thru me...you know? Oh, and here is my other new addiction:

I not only enjoy music that can make me MOVE...but also videos that are visually appealing, which both of these are. No question.

Now that I've gotten the music out of the way, on to a few more things.

The band is on a brief hiatus, but that's okay - b/c Roger is working on a new song that will soon be another addiction. I'm not sure when we will perform again - if you really want to see a video, leave me a message, and I'll send it to you privately.

We are finishing the paperwork with our insurance company on the old house - and we may have found a buyer! I'm so sad that the tornado damaged it so much - but it's time to move on. The new house is starting to gather dust bunnies (are there dust elephants?) and need addressing.

Tell me what you want to know...I miss you guys, and I'm coming back.

Vacay - Or Was It?

You know it's going to be an interesting vacation when, five minutes into the trip, your car starts acting funny. Funny, as in RPMing up to 3,000....4,000 and NOT shifting. Good thing I had built in extra shopping time into the trip before Amber's orthodontic appointment.

A quick drive back into town to our car dealership revealed that we were NOT in for a quick fix. We loaded everything into a rental car (warning: Arkansas charges a 22% sales tax on rental cars), learned that the extended warranty on our broken car had expired, and hit the road again, a little gloomy. However, I kept telling myself it could have been worse - we had been back and forth to Conway (a three-hour drive one way) twice in the prior week...and the roads between here and there are isolated. A break-down on those trips, or further into our vacation, would have been horrible. Oh, and the trip to Conway was to take Amber to choir camp, where she worked hard and had a BLAST:

She's the one in the front, on the left. I still don't know why I pay for jeans that look like they have been molested by a werewolf.

Amber had not-so-good news at the orthodontist. Remember those stubborn baby teeth? Well, by not falling out, they have diverted the paths of her adult teeth. She will need oral surgery to remove the remaining baby teeth, cut open her soft palate and attach metal handles to her upper canines so the orthodontist can move them into place. I don't know what they will plan for her twelve-year molars that never erupted. Poor thing.

BUT, I keep telling myself it could be worse - she can survive this. My pocketbook may not survive, but she will.

Speaking of my pocketbook - one of my air conditioning units at the office building took a dive. Sigh. Sometimes it's great owning your own company.

When we arrived in Mountain View, AR....it was raining...but our cabin did have a view of the river:

The worst part about the cabin? No cell service. I thought Amber was going to have a coronary. Every so often she could get a text message thru, if she contorted her body behind the living room futon. We had to drive two miles into town to get service.

The next morning, when we DID drive into town before visiting the caverns, I got a fun little text message telling me my office building back home had flooded. Try focusing on vacation after THAT little gem.

Oh well, at least our adventure was NOT going to be ruined by rain, since we were going into Blanchard Springs Caverns. Check out this formation that resembles a ship:

It was a fascinating tour - my photos didn't do the caverns ANY justice. I was completely amazed. We took the "Dripstone" tour - which took us through the most highly decorated level of the caverns, after an elevator ride 216 feet down into the earth.

I was impressed with the lighting, which was done by a man who usually assembled lighting for opera houses. It made the caverns all that more beautiful. Once again, I was in awe at the wonderous beauty of our earth, and remembered how tiny we all are in the face of its majesty.

Roger had never seen this level of the caverns before, so he was impressed, too. He even got to visit a music store in downtown Mountain View, and joined a "pickin'" session with several other musicians. He must have spent an hour there, while Amber and I poked thru galleries and found treasures here and there.

Our last stop before leaving town was this rock:

That's Roger, standing underneath. Years ago - like over 17 years ago - his best friend took a photo almost identical at this very spot. It was neat to find this again, and almost two decades later, take a similar photo...which we then emailed to his friend.

We are back home - and have taken care of all the office flooding. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined, and Roger did a lot to help clean things up. Amber came back to a new cheer coach for the varsity squad - her coach from last year - which made her very happy. Shorty missed us terribly, but having Lucas house-sit definitely eased our minds about the care of our three animals. He did, however, start a new trend by allowing her to sleep with him in the guest bed. So guess who is sleeping with us now?

Tell me about your vacations, if you had one this summer!

Random Miscellaneous Tigger Thoughts

I know I've abandoned this blog, it seems. It's always on my mind. However, with the instant gratification that is Facebook (yeah, I've abandoned Twitter, too), coupled with the addiction of Farm Town, my online presence has metamorphisized, and my writing skills have suffered.


So, if you want to know what I've been up to in the last few weeks, here it is, in random, stream-of-consciousness fashion:



We have a new guitar player in our band. And remember BND? Band Name Discussion? Well, we are officially changing the name from 7th Wave to one of our original picks - Searching for Signals. With the guitar player change, it seemed like a good time. And I like that name better anyway.



Shorty the Doxie Pin is doing VERY well, and if I could make her a house dog, I would. She has already learned the "sit" command, and I need to review Dog Whisperer episodes to figure out how to stop her from "happy piddling" on my tile floor whenever she sees me. Any tips are appreciated.



Oh, and she has really bad breath. Which is a trademark Dachshund thing. But she doesn't smell like a dog anywhere else, which makes her nice to cuddle. Until she yawns.



The Offspring is evidently going to need orthodontic work. I guess it's not good to be 15 1/2 years old and have over 8 baby teeth still in your mouth.



We took The Offspring to choir camp on Monday in a town three hours away. Left her in a dorm on the third floor that had NO air conditioning. We drove the three hours back as quickly as possible, just so I could sit in a 2 1/2 hour cheerleader parent meeting with the high school cheer coach and the superintendent of schools. Grueling.



We have acoustic band practice tonight to work on harmonies. I have to make up harmony parts for songs that have no existing harmony. Our next gig is a 60's/70's part in a show September 12th.



We are going to Blanchard Springs Caverns in Mountain View at the beginning of next week. I've lived in Arkansas for 17 years and have NEVER seen them! We rented a cabin on the river...I'm ready to GET AWAY.



The upstairs A/C unit went out at my office. I have a new unit now. One thing after another, you know?



Oh, and the A/C unit in the downstairs part of our home failed this week, too. NOT good with temps reaching over 100 degrees...but it was a simple fix, and we are cooling just fine now. Who knew that A/C units needed condensate drains? LOL!



Really, any tips on how to keep the puppy from piddling with joy - I need them.



I'm evidently a Facebook Junkie. OMG...if you're not on it already...GO.

I'm actually excited about going to a Target store on Monday. I haven't been in one since I left Texas in 1992. I'm pathetic.

STILL haven't settled the insurance claims for the tornado damage to our old home. I got enough to pay off the mortgage...but still not enough to cover the damages. I plan to dig up the azaleas and hydrangeas and move them to our new home. As well as some of that gorgeous St. Augustine grass. Basically, I'm going to rape the landscaping.

We are planning a trip to Canada next year. I need to work on getting passports NOW.

I've lost 15 pounds since last October. Only 15 more pounds to go, but I'll settle for 10. Is getting back to high school weight a stupid goal?

The Offspring broke her toe, right before cheer camp. But she is healed. And their squad did AWESOME at camp - we were so proud! But oh...the season has just begun.

I splurged and bought a bunch of new underwear at Victoria's Secret.

We also splurged and bought new equipment for the studio. Roger now has wireless capabilities for his electric guitar, so he can run around. We also have new spot monitors, and big Mackie speakers that sit on very sturdy stands. Oh, and we're going with ear-bud monitors that hook into some complicated board that I don't understand.

Oh, and most importantly, I really miss you guys. I'll be back from vacation next Thursday at the latest!

Fun Monday Purses and Wallets

The Church Lady is this week's hostess for Fun Monday, and she wanted to see our purses and wallets! Well, I'm not a "big purse" kinda girl...so this is what I schlep around:It's not convenient when I need to free up my hands...but I really don't like purses. Everything I need can be stuffed in here. In fact, the only reason I would even consider getting a purse is because I'm now the owner of a small dog. I could stand a classy dog purse. Right? And a diamond-studded collar for the little thing? Yeah...

BTW, who even needs all these credit cards? I see four already that I never use, but I'm afraid to get rid of, because I don't know if that's good or bad for my credit score.Let's not forget the snazzy little compartment that holds my driver's license. You know what makes me mad about this? I was told to SIGN MY NAME when I got my license. When I did, I was told it was no good. When I asked why not, the revenue department employee told me it wasn't "legible." I tried to explain that it was my SIGNATURE, and that when I sign my name, it is quite distinctive. She told me to re-write my name anyway. I tried another time, but it still wasn't good enough. Being picky, I asked, "So, you really don't want me to SIGN my name, right? You just want me to write out my name in cursive handwriting so that it can be read." Of course, I got an affirmative response. What's the point of signing your name, if it's not your signature? I just don't get it.
I also would not be totally honest, if I did not include the satchel o' death:It is named such because I am afraid that some things may go IN there...never to be seen alive again. This is really just the bag I shove my wallet, keys, digital camera and sunglasses into when I'm going to work. I'll put snacks, water, Valium, all number of other items in the bag that I think might help me thru the day. But I just take it to work...nowhere else. Kinda like a kid's backpack for school, but with extra Valium.

Okay - I finally posted something on a Fun Monday! Now go visit all the other participants!

A New Member of the Family

Could you resist this little face? I mean, really?
Evidently, we couldn't. One night, our band drummer and friend, Lucas, noticed a small puppy across the road from our property, curled up against a stump, while on the way to our house. I was headed down the driveway to go check out the situation...when Roger said for me to just let it be.

And then Lucas left to get food about an hour and a half later. I received a frantic text message from him that the puppy was still there...and something had to be done. Knowing that I would never be able to sleep at night with the thought of that baby, down there alone, I headed down the driveway with food and water bowls to at least give the poor thing a chance. Lucas was already trying to coax her away from the stump...as Roger watched from our porch. Finally, after listening to Lucas and me fret and carry on and attempt to assist her, Roger said, "Go ahead and just bring the dog up here."She looks cute in Roger's lap? Doesn't she? She is SO SMALL! Well, at least to me...after having Poo Woo for so long. And I DON'T LIKE SMALL DOGS. Usually. I'm a "big dog" kinda girl. But something about this little face...this sweet personality...I'm sunk.I don't know what breed she is, but with a little bit of internet research, my guess is half Min Pin, half Dachshund. I'm taking her to the vet for her first visit on Friday, so maybe he'll have a clue.

She's a good cuddler, too. I don't know if it is my maternal instinct, my hormones, my age, or just that I can't resist such a little cutie...but I think Shorty is going to be a part of the family.

(Oh, and The Offspring's reaction? She was okay with it...not thrilled...and mostly worried that the dog would cost us money that would not then be available for HER needs. Jerk.)