It's a lifestyle: CocoNUTS!

You already know the mantra: 

New Year - New Me 

I say it all the time and I am living it every day. 

I'm owning this shit. 

I have to. I owe it to myself and my family to be the best person I can be. That includes my physical well being. 

Somewhere in time when I crossed the "40's" threshold, I began to see wrinkles. Laugh lines around my mouth, some crinkles across my forehead, some bagginess on my eyelids.

Green Acres: Spring is near!

Every year I put together a mental list of major purchases for things I would like to have. Sometimes I'm due for some new electronic devices. Sometimes I have plans for a large kitchen appliance. Maybe a new furniture set or TV.

One of my major purchase plans for this year was to pick up a rototiller. I would prefer to have a donkey and a plow, but given the age we live in and some of the conveniences that are available - at this point a rototiller is more practical and less time consuming.

Not to mention - WE (get it? WE!!!) only plan on tilling a maximum of 100 feet to garden - for this year <insert devilish chuckle here>.

The weather is starting to break and the growing season starts a little earlier in North Carolina than it does in New York (my Grandfather would not plant anything until just before Memorial Day). 

I plan on getting stuff in the ground by the end of April. 

But, one does not just put stuff in the ground!  Not if you're a seasoned farmer, like me!!

NOOO!!! I have to fertilize the soil. It has to be tilled a couple times and then fertilized again. Then WE till it some more!!

And when I say fertilizer... I don't mean some chemicals you buy in a bag... I mean with shit. Lots of shit! Horse shit, cow shit, llama shit... plus the compost that we've been building all winter long. In case you missed it, WE till the soil - I fertilize the soil. Aboy don't fuck with the shit. 

Yessir! We are going to have a garden of abundance this year!!

Tonight I scratched Tiller off the major purchase list. 

I went to the Tractor Supply in Rural Hall. 

Now you KNOW I live in the country if I have to go to a store in a town called Rural Hall! Oh and the 2010 census has the population of Rural Hall listed at 2,937 residents. Pretty rural considering it's only 10 minutes out of Winston Salem!

I walked around a little bit and eyed some chicks. They weren't sexed yet and my Aunt Lori told me I don't want to buy chicks that aren't sexed because I could end up with a bunch of roosters... but that's more for a later post!

So yeah, back to the Tiller... isn't she a beaut?

I'm not sure what this means - but apparently (according to the sales guy), "it's got good horses for the money!" He also told me to "put Hi-Test Petrol in it"... 

I just widened my eyes and watched his lips move to make sure I was hearing him correctly. His southern drawl was a little thick. 

Just think "Bubba". 

I have to tell you though - the fucking thing is heavy as a shitload of bricks! It wasn't so bad getting it loaded on the back of the truck because "Bubba" did most of the heavy lifting and pushing.

I was "Bubba" when I got to the house.

My hours at the gym are paying off though and I didn't drop it... and only cursed a couple times - out loud. I did get dirty... which is some bullshit because I wasn't in my "get dirty" clothes.

So, I got her off the truck and this is where she'll sit until Aboy comes home so WE can start with the flower beds!

Have a good night Yaw'll!! 

Time for me to fetch some vittles!

It's a Lifestyle: Is that Bacon?

If you've been following along, you know that we did the Advocare 24 Day Challenge that began on January 7th. 

Basically what the challenge does is it acts as a "Lifestyle Adjustment Tool". 

IT IS NOT A DIET. Like, I can't reiterate that enough. We are NOT ON A DIET. 

Change is derived from the word chaLLEnge (in Terri-Town) and we took the 24 Day Challenge to start the path for a lifestyle change. The food, tools and supplements that you use during the challenge prepare you for living a healthier lifestyle; to prepare your body to accept the nutrients you receive from real food. There are supplements to help keep you on the path. Think of them as tools to help build your foundation. 

Make sense?

++++++

We were almost 2 weeks into the challenge. Literally the no dairy, no unhealthy fats, and definitely no bacon part of the challenge. We were on our Saturday shopping trip to Trader Joe's and then to Whole Foods to pick up our weekly food supplies. 

Trader Joe's went great. We picked up our fresh fruits and vegetables. Aboy picked up organic coconut water and some healthy chips and other things for the road. I like their Brown Rice Pasta selection and also picked up some frozen fish.

On to Whole Foods. 

So, before I take you through that experience... let me set the stage a little clearer. We usually go on our shopping adventure right after we leave the gym. We have a piece of fruit or a healthy snack before shopping so we don't go in the store "starved"... and then have a nice lunch when we get back from shopping. 

Well, it was a Saturday morning and Whole Foods parking lot was jam packed. The Whole Foods we go to has an extensive deli type setting with seating and food to order. We walked in and were overcome by the smell of bacon. Like yummy, fuck the challenge - smell of bacon!! And the closer we walked to the restaurant area - the stronger the smell. 

We needed some coconut milk and yogurt - so, that brought us to the perimeter of the restaurant area. 

I wish I could show you the look on Aboy's face as we got closer to the smells perpetuating through the air. I have to admit - it was very enticing! 

We could have succumbed to the pressure, but to that point had really stuck to meal plan and decided once we got through with the challenge we could have some bacon as a treat.

So, we won that challenge!

++++++

In the world of nutrition and daily eating, bacon will be our treat. It tastes great but offers very little in the way of nutritional value. 

North Carolina is famous for it's bacon. We will always eat bacon. 

We just choose to use it as a treat and not a staple in our meal plan. 

What comes natural

Writing has always been fun for me. Because I enjoy doing it, I’ve earned money, released stress and with a few letter writing campaigns, actually got the attention of a few political leaders and agencies.  So, I guess it’s a gift. Putting words to paper and conveying a point. Not everyone can do it. Some people do better with verbal communication… I prefer to write because I can convey my point concisely and really paint a picture of what I want you to understand. Plus, my verbal communication is often interpreted as blunt. Not that blunt is bad – it’s just some people don’t handle blunt well. So, I write.

Like many of you, my entire life can be broken into 500 word essays and separated into chapters. With my inaugural blog, Trucker in Training I got some great feedback. I think it went over well and I really enjoyed telling my tale as a trucker in training. Since I’ve had to put that chapter of my life on hold (to read the details, go HERE), I didn't want to stop writing - I’ve still got some stories to tell.

I will apologize in advance… because as I tell my story – just like Trucker in Training, I will have to go back and set the table so you can understand what is going on now. I am a complete product of my environment and every event in my life in some way correlates back to something that has previously happened. I promise - most of it is amusing. I can’t make this stuff up! I also want to warn you (again), that I curse a lot and I make up my own words. I use words to describe my thoughts and sometimes you just have to add fuck or shit in with what you’re saying to get the true point across. Fuck it, it is what it is.

You’ll want to subscribe because I could get a motivating period where I post 3 blogs in one day – and then I can sit idle for a bit before I post again. I can write on command (I’ve authored over 50 technical manuals) – but it’s much better when the spirit moves me. I look forward to your feedback as well!

*************

The name of my blog is (GTF outta) My Way! – life in my nutshell. Credit goes to Donna & Anne J