Sunday, April 30th, 2023
UPDATE: The winner of the GC is…Cindy!
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Another month flew by! How does that happen? And while I accomplished a lot in April, I dragged my feet on a lot too! Which will make May a very, very busy month for me!
April
Work-related:
- I compiled the boxed set of Danger Zone stories, and I published it! (I hope you got your copies! For now, it’s FREE in KU!)
- I’m 3/4 of the way through my Silver Soldiers short story.
- I, along with the other Silver Soldiers authors, have been posting “Getting to Know” blogs on the Collections website to get readers ready for the release on May 9th!
- I began work on Cold Hard Cash.
- I completed only 3 editing projects for other authors in April.
Health-related:
- My hand is mostly healed from the recent break. I still have some nerve problems and have to do physical therapy to improve my hand’s function.
- I had an ultrasound and EKG done of my heart. Not great news there. I have Moderate Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (a thickening/stiffening of the heart muscle), which is likely caused by my high blood pressure.
- I restarted Weight Watchers in the latter part of this month to help with my heart and blood pressure issues and have severely limited my salt intake. I managed to gain weight back, but after my diagnosis, there’s not any room for procrastination. I’m down 3.9 pounds as of today.
- As for physical activity, I’m still not doing enough. I’m feeling tired all the time. Which I know has to do with my weight, my heart, and inactivity. All my issues are interrelated. I just need to get my fat ass off this chair and move more often, along with the dietary changes…
Happiness-related:
- The family is trying to do fitness-related outings, which include me. We hiked a local trail to the bluff overlooking the river. It wasn’t a long trail, but we all enjoyed it very much. We also did a couple of shopping/flea market outings, which helped with steps.
- I am still participating in the #the100dayproject online art challenge. As of today, I’m on Day 66. Here are a few of my April pieces…
May
For work-related, I plan:
- To complete my short story for the Silver Soldiers anthology.
- Publish Silver Soldiers on May 9th!
- To complete and publish Cold Hard Cash, the first of the We Are Dead Horse series.
- To complete 4 editing projects in May!
For health related, I plan:
- To continue counting those points for my Weight Watchers diet and hopefully shed at least another 5 pounds, remembering, as always: Slow is good!
- To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas, red wine).
- To continue working on getting the pool ready for swimming!
- To begin walking and counting my steps.
- I’ll re-dedicate myself to doing more housework, too, because my art room is a disaster. And cleaning is exercise, ahem.
For happiness-related, I plan:
- To attend the 18-year-old’s high school graduation!
- To continue producing some small piece of art every day as part of #the100dayproject. I’m volunteering several times a month to sit in the Art Center to keep it open.
- To blog about art (on my Emerald Casket site) just to keep myself honest!
- To work toward re-opening my Etsy store! I just about have enough art to do so!
Contest
Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read in May…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
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You have put forth an ambitious to-do list. Kudos for all you will get accomplished. I think healthwise, that is the most important. I have A-fib so I am on blood thinners which affect the vitamin K I can eat. I see my cardiologist in a couple of weeks (6th month checkup). I feel ok. I have been losing some weight–slow process.
It’s been 3 months since I was laid off. I try to dig my way through small neglected projects every day–things I haven’t had time to deal with in years.
Creatively, I need to come up with a few writing projects for my writers’ group anthology and continue on the next story in my Synlab series: Let Sleeping Spirits Lie.
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I did a bunch of yard work… still have more to do… the pool is open… but the water is still a bit cool to go in… read quite a bit… my car AC died… something broke so I have to have it fixed…
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Glad you are healing and taking care of yourself. For me my blood pressure and blood glucose numbers have been rising which is not good. But seems to be stress related as my job had undergone a huge change and not everyone will be retained, so stressful. But I just found out I was one of the lucky ones and now the numbers are dropping again. I am trying to be better at what I eat as well, so hopefully they will get to where they need to be soon.
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Happy almost May! I love the paintings you shared. They are so colorful and happy. I’m just working on my garden. There’s a lot to learn and it keeps me very busy on top of my normal every day activities.
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I really like your artwork in the newsletter. Refreshing. Kudos to you on the challenge
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Congratulations on you weight loss. No matter how many pounds it’s still an achievement. I’m enjoying your art challenge posts 😁
I too am stepping up my weight loss goals and taking better care of myself. I’ve been tracking my food and doing elimination of foods due to inflammation. I am walking more outside and dragging myself to the gym when it’s raining. Every day is another day to do a little more. 😁
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It appears you’re on track to continue your progress on all fronts. I’m looking forward to reading this Silver Soldiers Anthology. Lots of good authors are involved here. I am so enjoying seeing all your art projects…each is so beautiful. I’ve been having problems with my feet & have gotten an appointment with the foot doctor so hopefully we can figure something out to help me be a bit more mobile without too much pain.
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Loving the spring feeling art work. I am trying to walk more. Something I actually enjoy thank goodness.
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I need to lose weight as well. It is not easy and my thyroid is out of whack.
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Hi Delilah,
I’ve been doing WW for a year. I’m getting closer to my goal. I know you can do WW. It’s not perfect, but who is?
Best of luck, keep persevering.
Love your water colors. So pretty and simply elegant.
Have a wonderful week.
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I love, LOVE seeing your painting, Delilah! I’m hoping to get out walking more as the weather improves, but the last couple days have been a bust, between the rain and having to work, LOL! Fingers crossed!
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nice art
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You guys are beyond kind with your comments about my artwork. Plus, it looks like many of you have tons on your plates too!
The winner of the GC is…Cindy!