Practicing Gratitude 1 of 31 | 101 in 1001

gratitude 1 of 31

Practicing Gratitude 1 of 31 | 101 in 1001

Hi, this month I will be practicing gratitude daily. The gratitude series was based on my 101 in 1001 goal and from a recent Weight Watchers meeting. Daily gratitude’s will be scheduled to post at 11:30 pm Central time, giving me the time to write about that day’s gratitude.

Touch, see, smell, taste and hear will be the senses used to express my feelings and or experiences of gratitude for that day. Some posts may be lengthy with words and pictures or a single picture.

a sight I am grateful for.
a scent I appreciate.
tune into any sounds around me
touch and texture

Benefits of practicing gratitude has incredible effects, from improving mental health to boosting relationships with others.

Today I am grateful for family. With family I am never alone. Family has been with me through fun times and hard times.

gratitude 1 of 31
I am grateful for family.

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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October in review:


Gratitude | Weight Watchers Weekly Theme

gratitude weight watchers weekly theme

Gratitude | Weight Watchers Weekly Theme

Hi, have you ever had a love hate relationship with your favorite hobby or past time favorite? One of my friends had asked me, “What will happen when you don’t like taking pictures?” I never imagined that would happen to me. However, it did happen. Since I was 19 when I bought my first 35mm Minolta camera, my camera was always at my side. I carried it everywhere. Co-workers I worked with began to ask me to take engagements pictures. My boss had me take the store’s Employee of the Week pictures for our store’s bulletin board.

My daughter’s senior year, the empty nest syndrome began to affect me. Oh, I laughed it off, but this was a serious thing for me. This is when I really became active in taking images for a profession. High School senior pictures was my focus. Most of Erika’s classmates let me photograph their senior pictures! The humbling feelings I had at the graduation ceremony when the students images were displayed on the gymnasium wall was immense.

High School Senior Pictures soon evolved to include Family Sessions and then on to Wedding Portraits. The photography took the place of the time I had spent up at the school house while both of my children were participating in their after school activities, my social time. At that time I dreaded the nacho chili cheese from the concession stand. What I would give to have that now!

Fast forward to the present. As I sat in my weekly Weight Watchers meeting, our group leader wanted us to think of the things we were grateful for throughout the next week. I am grateful for my photography! Presently I am not marketing my photopraphy services. Two of my high schools friends were going to get married. One of my 101 in 1001 goals is to be a wedding crasher. My goal fulfilled! My nerves had gotten to me. At one time I could work my camera blindfolded. The day of their wedding, what once was automatic, I had to concentrate and some I forgot. Thank goodness, I did take more than one camera with each camera having a different lens size, focal length. This post’s images were taken with my iPhone. Later I will post the album I have designed with my “main” camera of the wedding day.

gratitude
Lidia’s Italian Restaurant

Lidia's Italian Restaurant

I would have never thought about having my wedding at a restaurant. This was both the bride and groom’s second marriage. Their wish was a simple wedding with family and close friends. They were successful! It was just that and more. Beautiful setting, wonderful weather. The room for the wedding was the back porch area that was opened to the outdoors. The doors were left open, and the fall breeze drifted thru. If I were to market my services for weddings, middle age couples getting married for a second time would be my targeted demographic! 🙂

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -19.6lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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Another 101 in 1001 Done

Another 101 in 1001 Done!

Hi, I am quite happy. This weekend was really fun! Spent Saturday with my folks, son, daughter and her family. After my morning WW meeting, went straight to my parents home. This is were the fun continued, visited, ate lunch (Freddy’s). We played a card game, Cover Your Assets.

dancing with mom
Dancing with my Mom!
Once the game was over, the grand girls wanted to dance. They brought mini disco lights, which I never got a picture, darn. Turned on some 1960’s music and we danced! Thanks to my daughter, I have this picture of me and my mom dancing. On the wall, you can see faint light reflections above my mom’s head from the disco balls.

My mom had fun. When I was a kid, one of my memories was mom playing albums and we would dance. I continued the tradition with my children. When they had friends spend the night, I’d play music. Me and my kids would dance and eventually their friends would start dancing too! And this weekend Me, my mom, daughter and grand girls all danced. Priceless memories!

My friend, Linda and I meet M-F to walk. Weekends I do not necessarily walk, just relying on me doing my grocery shopping and other weekend stuff to get my steps in. Well, the dancing was an added bonus! Since COVID I have been working from home. My activity level went way down with this transition of work environment.

As our time together was coming to an end, we started talking about the newer movies. Sound of Freedom was brought up. My mom wanted to see this. So I asked her if she wanted to go with me. The dancing wore her down. With her C.O.P.D, she exerted herself. I decided to go ahead and see it. Oh, I was able to take advantage of the senior ticket price!

Unplanned, I was able to check off another 101 in 1001 done! #37 – go to a movie by myself. I also remembered to take advantage of senior discount for the movie ticket – #88!

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -13.8lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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Follow Up Post

follow up post

Follow Up Post

follow up postHi, generally I schedule my posts for Monday’s. However, this week I wanted to have a post with a follow up to a few of my ongoing goals. And in doing so, I will be able to provide a photography tip I discovered just this weekend and would love sharing with you! Let’s begin with the photography tip.

It was while working with the picture to the left. It could be the image at the top if you are reading this on your phone. It is my selfie taken in the grocery store! 🙂

portrait mode follow up postThe following screen shots were taken on my iPhone 14 ProMax. The Portrait Mode is available on the iPhone 11 and up. I am not sure about models before the 11. I recommend the Portrait Mode in your camera for selfies or when your subject is two to eight feet in front of you. The Portrait Mode is available in the built-in camera app. Once you have the camera open and the Portrait Mode selected, frame the subject to take the shot. When the camera screen displays Natural Light, you can then take the picture.

Notice the background on both pictures. In Portrait Mode, the background is blurred. Looks pretty nice doesn’t it! The Portrait Mode is one way to emphasize the subject. This is especially handy when your background is busy or unattractive. There is more to the photography tip I wanted to share.

Let’s say after you take the picture, you decide you do want to see more details of the background. You can change the background to see more detail. Yes, you heard me correctly. The background can be edited after the image was taken. Let me show you how.

Open the picture you want to see more details in the background. Click the Edit button.

edit portrait mode background

At the top center you will see the word Portrait that is highlighted yellow. Click it. When it is no longer highlighted, the background will not be blurred. Click the word Portrait again, and the background goes back to blurred. Pretty nifty!

portrait mode

Remember the rule of thirds as well. Both of these tips will make your images look better!

Ok, now for the follow up 🙂 This picture is the whole reason for the post today! I have now been an active Weight Watchers member for seven weeks. And yes, I am loosing weight, yippee! However no one seems to have noticed. I notice small changes like today getting in and out of my husband’s truck is easier. My rings seem to be spinning more on my fingers and it is hot outside!

After getting home from the grocery store, I was looking thru some of my past selfies. And lo and behold, I ran across a picture taken just this past May. It was the day I went to the KC Zoo with my daughter and her family. Visit the KC Zoo here!
weight loss

My very first week, I had signed up for Weight Watchers (WW) in the phone app. The service I selected was the online option. Any classes I wanted to take would require me to upgrade services. And eventually I did just that. The meetings have been very instrumental for me. After seeing the two pictures above side by side, I wonder how much weight I lost that very first week. I never weigh myself at home. My weight was only checked when I went to the doctor and now at my weekly WW meeting. In the post, Looking my Best tells the story of my WW discovery.

And with my WW journey I am successfully implementing #69 of my 101 in 1001 goals, avoid or eat less junk food. That’s a win, win for me!

Loosing weight is not easy. Never has been for me. However, the WW point system and the ability to scan bar codes while at the grocery store makes this process for me easy. I will continue with Weight Watchers and post my progress, good or not good here. I need accountability!

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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Fun Weekend with Grand-Girls!

fun weekend with the grand-girls

Fun Weekend with Grand-Girls!

Hi, what a fun weekend I experienced with my grand-girls. My daughter and son-in-law went out of town with friends for a float trip. Which translates to me getting to spend the entire weekend with the girls, YES!!

I took the day Friday away from my work to do my weekend errands in the morning so I could drive to Topeka and get the girls picked up from summer camp by 4pm. That evening we went back to their house to take care of the pups, get dinner ready and then movie time. Grandma let the girls stay up later than their bedtime. Saturday morning Kevin came out to sat with the girls while I went to my weekly Weight Watchers meeting. While I was away, Kevin took the girls to the Farmer’s Market. Upon my return the girls were excited to tell me, they got some honey sticks and already ate them. After Kevin left, we ate our lunch and decided to go to the Topeka Zoo.

fun weekend with grand-girls

After the zoo we stopped by the girls choice restaurant, McDonald’s. Brynlee likes the playground. We ate and then I watched the girls play for a bit. Then back to their house. Once back to the house we let the doggies out and fed them. By this time the weather had cooled down some. We went outside for some fun activities, hula hoop and jump rope. Here is a fun video of the girls trying to teach me how to hula hoop!


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The video will then appear.

The best part of the day for me was when the girls were getting ready for bed. Briella told me she had a fun day. This warmed my heart. My husband always asks me what memories did we make after I am with the grand girls. This is certainly a memory I will treasure.

Sunday was my last day to spend with the girls. The plan was to meet Shaune’s parents for them to take the girls to Branson. Our hand off was a success!

handoff successful

This weekend the grand girls and I completed two of my 101 in 1001. #13 Go to the Topeka Zoo and #89 Learn How to Hula Hoop. At least I tried! 🙂

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -8.8lbs 🙂

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo

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Fun at the Kansas City Zoo

Kansas City zoo

Fun at the Kansas City Zoo.

Hi, I had a fun birthday weekend with my family at the Kansas City Zoo. Happy birthday to me!

#14 Go the the Kansas City Zoo
and #38 visit the grand girls once a month

fun at the Kansas City zoo
Click image to see the images taken at the KC Zoo!

The morning began with eating breakfast out. I ordered a two egg omelet with cheese, bacon, green onion and tomato. After breakfast my daughter and her family picked me up to go to the zoo. It was for sure a fun birthday. It did make me realize a few things.

Firstly, I want to do better of taking pictures through out my adventures. There were things the grand girls did that I never took a picture. For example when they slid down the slide instead of using the stairs. I never took images of our lunch, what we ordered and the menu to show the high cost of ordering on zoo grounds. The thought of bringing a picnic lunch didn’t even come to mind until I saw the prices. One bottle of water was $5.00. Ouch, a family of 4 would be 20 bucks.

Secondly, my weight. My age, working from home, not getting out among other things I have been telling myself when I look in the mirror. This adventure to the zoo made me realize how my weight is affecting me. And it is not good. From this day forward, I will take more responsibility to do something for myself to improve my health. I want to be like my Aunt Phyllis was. When she was 80 she could keep up with my dancing when I was 50. She looked amazing. That is how I want to be when I am 80.

favorit aunt Phyllis
My inspiration in aging, my Aunt Phyllis.

#52 Walk two miles 3x a week.
#53 Do nightly excersizes 3x a week. Opposite nights from above walking goal.

These two will be a work in progress. And to keep a journal of progress, I will include a selfie of me each post. And hopefully this will show the change/progress of my efforts.

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra
Gma’s photo
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Fun at the Kansas City Zoo