I am a Victorian Soul, who lives in a small townhouse that was built in the mid 1970's, not a huge Mega Mansion!! I just recently lost my Hubby Joe, who was a Retired Letter Carrier. I worked night shift as an RN on a Hospital based Rehabilitation( Physical Medicine) Unit for 37 years before I had Knee Replacement Surgery and officially Retired in 2019 after 41 years working in Direct Patient Care ... I am so glad that we retired at 62 years of age and got to spend that time together before he passed....I still do love Retirement!!!!

I DABBLE IN A BIT OF THIS AND THAT!!!!

" IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN"
George Eliot
George Eliot was actually a pen name for a woman named Mary Anne Evans......

BLOGGING FOR FUN AND FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!

Saturday, April 28, 2018

How I Got My MOJO Back!!


 
For some time now, I was beginning to feel that I lost my MOJO!!!!

But before I go further, I just want to THANK everyone for responding to a few very personal posts that I recently did.......

Your responses to my post, A Lesson in Strength, Courage, Humility and Generosity , which was about my nephew's battle with cancer, really warmed my heart......
I also so appreciated all your thoughts and condolences on the loss of my dear friend and neighbor Elly, A Tribute to a Special Lady
 And I thoroughly enjoyed all your comments on how you handled retirement on my post,
What Will You Do When You Retire?????
Your responses to these posts have proven to me that there are still bloggers out there who are interested in the personal side of blogging along with the professional money making side of blogging!!

And for that I am very grateful because that verifies my decision to keep blogging!!

If you missed my post, A Milestone and Whether to Blog or Not , click HERE to read it!!
So I want to THANK YOU because you showed me that I made the right decision!!!

This post is also going to be one of those personal posts......

I felt I had lost my MOJO!!!!

Even though you have heard the word before, what exactly does MOJO mean???????

I searched on Google and this is what I found......
"In the English language, MOJO has taken on an additional meaning of personal confidence and charisma"

And another search asking "What is the Slang Meaning of MOJO?"

Came up with this......

 "Mojo is defined as good luck, charm or skill that seems to come from something magical or supernatural"

Here is how I define MOJO.......

I define it as my creative sense, my natural ability to look at something and see it in a different way, my desire to be creative and feeling joyful when I am creative!!

To me, this is what I call my MOJO!!!!
Over the past few months, I admit that I had been feeling a bit overwhelmed......

Now before you start to think it was Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD, caused by the overly long Winter.......
You are wrong......

I actually LOVE Winter and the long dark days because I get to light up my home with mood lighting and mini lights from decorations for the various Holidays and Seasons .....

So I knew that wasn't it......

I realized it was a Mobility issue........

What?????

Mobility?????

For the last 5 years, I have put off Knee Replacement Surgery.........

I HOPE to put it off another year and a half but my right knee is bone on bone......

I do get cortisone shots every 4 months........

BUT they are not lasting as long and when the shot wears off the pain is increasing and feels like my bones are rubbing against each other in that right knee joint when I walk and that is because they are......
I love the above graphic because I feel that this is exactly what was happening to me.......

Joint Pain

Limited Mobility

Lack of Physical Activity

Obesity

Depression

Yes, I think I was in a state of depression because of the amount of pain that I was experiencing when I would try to walk......
Before I go any further, I know many of you are asking why don't I just go and have the surgery already?????

When I first found out that I was in need of a knee replacement, I went to my boss to tell her that surgery was in my future.......

This is how she responded.......

"I will post your job in 3 months if you are not back to work"

I will not comment any further on this because "Big Brother" may be watching.......

Under the Federal Medical Leave Act, you are guaranteed your current position for 3 months......
After that, your employer can post your position but has to guarantee you a position for up to 1 year...

My orthopedic surgeon has told me that I would be off a minimum of 3 months because as a staff RN in a hospital, I am constantly on my feet....

Now I have worked in my department on night shift for 35 years and at this stage in my life, I am NOT going to another department or another shift!

So this is why I have held off the surgery and I hope to retire right after having the surgery so I would not have to worry about returning to work......

Okay, now that that is cleared up........

For the past 2 months after my last cortisone shot wore of, I was suffering with Chronic Pain......
Not only was I suffering from chronic pain but I also had a lot of work to do.......

Because I decorate for every Holiday and Season, I was constantly decorating and undecorating parts of my home and normally, this would bring me much enjoyment and satisfaction.......

But when my cortisone shot wore off, another event also happened.......

Joe fell on the ice and fractured a rib and his wrist.......

This meant that he was not able to assist me with hauling tubs and boxes up and down from the attic.....

Now I did manage to do this all by myself but it was a bit daunting because of the pain in my right knee......

I did manage though to do everything that I usually do in my house for the Holidays and Seasons......

I know that I frequently set a very high bar for myself......

But I also started to isolate myself, only going to work and nowhere else because it was painful to walk any distance.....

 I realized that because of this, I was falling into a state of Depression....
 Luckily, it was time for my next appointment with my Orthopedic Surgeon and I had my knee injected again........

I am now pain free again!!!

I also spoke to my Orthopedic Surgeon about the shots not lasting as long as they did previously and he told me what he has told me for the past 5 years.......

I loved that he said he " will be my surgeon some day when I am ready but for right now, I am your Coach"

He again explained the need for me to strengthen my muscles in my right leg to help with the pain and prepare for my future surgery........

And for the need to lose more weight!!!

These were the first things that he told me 5 years ago.........

He advocates using a stationary bike to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint......

When he first told me this, I bought this baby the next day.......


 Initially, I lost 50 pounds........

But then I went part time and gained 20 pounds back....

I still need to loose close to those 20 pounds and more.........

I will be quite honest and Yes, I have made a lot of excuses to not get on that bike!!

But now I realize the serious need for me to get on that bike and pedal away!!
My Orthopedic Surgeon has always told me " Every 50 pounds of extra weight is like 200 pounds of pressure on your joints"

So now that I am currently pain free, I realized that I need to take serious measures to remain that way....

Not only for my physical health but also for my mental health!!!!

I have been pedaling every day on my bike and I have been watching what I eat.......

And these are a few things that I have noticed that have changed........

I have more energy and feel like doing more things
I am sleeping better and have not had to take Tylenol PM

After working night shift for 35 years ad only sleeping 3-4 hours at a clip, staying asleep for long periods of time has always been a problem for me......
A lot of the stomach issues that I was also having, have seemed to lessen in frequency and severity.....

I do have IBS and Hashimotto's Thyroiditis and have chronic G I issues......
  Which are often aggravated because of Stress.........
 
 I realized that I was stressed out by the pain I was experiencing and by the amount of "work" I had to do in my house......

Exercise is known to help alleviate Stress.......

Exercise is also known for improving many other things.....
 1. Improved Health
2. Stronger muscles
3. Better flexibility
4. Improved posture
5. Improved heart and lung systems
6. Better appetite
7. Feeling more relaxed
8. Better social life
9. Improved quality of life
10. Reduced risk of disease and ill- health

I am now determined to not lose my MOJO again........

I am feeling much better and I am now back to "playing" in my house and garden........

Ideas for projects and crafts are free flowing through my mind again........

I found my MOJO again........

And I seriously believe it is through exercise and healthy eating habits and trying to remain pain free.....
I hope this post may have helped shine the light on what chronic pain and depression can do to a person........

Even one that has no history of any mental health issues.......

And I hope it may help others realize the importance of a daily exercise regime no matter what it is.......

Thanks for taking the time to read this post......

 I hope you will be back to visit again soon.......

And thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!

If you do not have a blog, PLEASE  give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment.  If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......
  I am linking up to these parties:

SUNDAY
Snickerdoodle Sunday
Bouquet of Talent Linky Party
 Sundays at Home
 Silver Pennies Sunday
 Happiness is Homemade Linky Party
Nifty Thrifty Sunday
The Fabulous Party

 MONDAY 
Inspire Me Monday
Inspiration Mondays
 Dishing It and Digging It Link Party
Busy Monday
What'd You Do This Weekend?
Cooking and Crafting with J & J
Metamorphosis Monday
 Celebrate Your Story Monday Night Link Party!
Make It Pretty Monday
 Lou Lou Girl's Linky Party

 TUESDAY
 Tuesdays At Our Home
Inspire Me Tuesdays
Reader Tip Tuesday Party
Keep in Touch Party

Ducks in a Row Wonderful Wednesdays Blog Hop
Wow Us Wednesday
Sizzle into Summer Party
Talk of the Town Party
Party in Your PJ's
Dream Create Inspire Link
 Dagmar's Home Linky Party 
 Waste Not Wednesday
Style Showcase

THURSDAY
Home and Garden Party Thursday
 Share Your Cup Thursday
Share Your Style Thursday Link Up Party
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop 
  Inspired Creations Linky Party
Vintage Charm
 Grace at Home Party

FRIDAY
Friday Features Linky Party
  Feathered Nest Friday
 Funtastic Friday
 Friday Favorites
   Awesome Life Friday
 Home Matters Linky Party
 What To Do Weekends
   Flaunt It Fridays
  Sweet Inspirations Link Party

 SATURDAY
 Saturday Sparks
 Pink Saturday-Anything Goes!!
Best of the Weekend Party
Share It One More Time Inspiration Party

Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Roses and Tea Cups, My Very Own Bed and Breakfast

Welcome!!

Today, I will be sharing 2 tea cups in my Tea Cup Collection.....

But first, I want to Thank Beverly and Gloria, over at Across The Blvd.,  for choosing my post, A Few Seasonal Wreaths, as one of their features from The Welcome Spring Link Party!
Thanks so much, Beverly and Gloria!!

I collect a LOT of things and Tea Cups are one of those things that just pulls at my heart strings!!

And honestly, I do not know why because I grew up without Grandmothers in my life who would have had pretty tea cups and my mother did not own any tea cups because she considered them to be impractical..........

I started collecting tea cups a few years ago when I began going to yard sales, flea markets and estate sales.......

Today I want to share 2 of these beauties ........

A round table has replaced the Tree that I decorated for Christmas and Valentine's Day in the corner in the Dining Room ....
I have 2 Tea Cups displayed on this table.....
Also on the table are 2 picture frames displaying vintage photos and 2 of my Thomas Kinkade Pink Ladies........
The first tea cup........
Has a pretty rose pattern....
I bought this at Salvation Army for $1.00!!
 Don't you just love the rose pattern on the saucer????

The other tea cup also has lovely rose painted on it....
I love the gold trim on both the tea cup and the saucer.....
I bought 6 of these lovely tea cups and saucers at a church Flea Market.....
 Aren't these pretty rose buds??????
I also want to point out the pretty floral pattern on the vintage lamp......
I bought this vintage lamp in Volunteer's of America Thrift Shop for $5.00 a few years ago....
  I hope you enjoyed taking a closer look at  these 2 stunning tea cups....
  And I hope you will be back to visit again soon.......

And thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!

If you do not have a blog, PLEASE  give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment.  If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......
  I am linking up to these parties:

 Spring Tea Link Party

 Friends Sharing Tea Party

THURSDAY
Home and Garden Party Thursday
 Share Your Cup Thursday
Share Your Style Thursday Link Up Party
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop 
  Inspired Creations Linky Party
Vintage Charm
 Grace at Home Party

FRIDAY
Friday Features Linky Party
  Feathered Nest Friday
 Funtastic Friday
 Friday Favorites
   Awesome Life Friday
 Home Matters Linky Party
 What To Do Weekends
   Flaunt It Fridays
  Sweet Inspirations Link Party

 SATURDAY
 Saturday Sparks
 Pink Saturday-Anything Goes!!
Best of the Weekend Party
Share It One More Time Inspiration Party

SUNDAY
Snickerdoodle Sunday
Bouquet of Talent Linky Party
 Sundays at Home
 Silver Pennies Sunday
 Happiness is Homemade Linky Party
Nifty Thrifty Sunday
The Fabulous Party

 MONDAY 
Inspire Me Monday
Inspiration Mondays
 Dishing It and Digging It Link Party
Busy Monday
What'd You Do This Weekend?
Cooking and Crafting with J & J
Metamorphosis Monday
 Celebrate Your Story Monday Night Link Party!
Make It Pretty Monday
 Lou Lou Girl's Linky Party

 TUESDAY
 Tuesdays At Our Home
Inspire Me Tuesdays
Reader Tip Tuesday Party
Keep in Touch Party

Ducks in a Row Wonderful Wednesdays Blog Hop
Wow Us Wednesday
Sizzle into Summer Party
Talk of the Town Party
Party in Your PJ's
Dream Create Inspire Link
 Dagmar's Home Linky Party 
 Waste Not Wednesday
Style Showcase

Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!
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