My Role Model

I've had a lot of role models through my life and I am grateful to all of them. My very first role model I met when I was 13.

I won't bore you with a lot of details of childhood days. Briefly, "dad" should have been locked away or shot before he ever had children (he was a creep of the creepiest kind), and mom was way to young to have started having a litter of children (she was 16 when she had me and continued to have more and more kids all of which I had to take care of while she slept all day and partied most of the night with her teenage friends).

In my teens I met a wonderful social worker, her name was Sue. At the time I was grateful for her attention and caring. She took me to her home for a few overnight visits over the years that I knew her. She taught me how to cook some very cool recipes. It would take me many years though to truly realize the gifts that she gave me then. The gift of being part of a loving, normal family even though it was only for a few brief days at her home. And for the years that I knew her the gift of really listening to me, being honest with me when every other adult in my life had lied to me, and also the gift of hope and courage. Hope that life could be better, that I could make it, that I could achieve and have a life that wasn't filled with pain and poverty. Courage to stand up to adults that were cruel, wrong and often stupid; courage to tackle college and make changes in my life and myself in spite of hardship, pain, and tears.

Later as an adult I came to work at college in the theater department. I loved working with the students, helping them with assignements, learning lines, etc. As time went on I would run into a student or two now and then and would get a big hug and a thank you for all I did for them. It always brought tears to my eyes. I didn't do anything special, except treat them the way my role model treated me - with respect, helpfulness, and honesty.

It's the little things in life that truly matter and making those connections is so important. Because you never know who you might be a role model for or how much of a difference something you do for someone else can make in their lives that will change them forever.

Lady Rose, author of Diet Pulpit (the blog with fattitude!)

Lady Rose - Getting to Know Me Questions

Here goes -

1. What is your occupation? Test Creation Administor II
2. What color are your socks right now? off white
3. What are you listening to right now? the sound of my own typing (but if I wasn't at work - I adore listening to my Loreena McKenna cd I got at her last concert a few months ago, and will be going to see the Chieftians this weekend (awesome Irish folk music)
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Apple
5. Can you drive a stick shift? No
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Purple
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My hubby
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes
9. Favorite drink? Coffee, with LOTS of sugar-free creamor
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? Ice Skating
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? No, but I might some day (the grey is showing a bit)
12 Pet, Pets names? Dog: Murphy; Fish: Elvis; Cat: Mei Mei (Chinese for little sister)
13. Favorite food? Pizza with macroni and cheese on top (had to combine them, can't pick just one) - but of course now that I eat healthy, I don't actual eat this!
14. Last movie you watched? Last Mimzy
15. Favorite Day of the year? My Birthday - it's the day before Halloween (Mischief Night), and I also take the day off work as a treat to myself
16. What do you do to vent anger? Plot devious revenge, then go to sleep and start the day with a fresh attitude
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? Yellow and white stuffed bunny
18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall, definitely
19. Hugs or kisses? Hugs!
20. What kind of pie? Boston Cream
21. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes
22. Who is most likely to respond? Friends
23. Who is least likely to respond? Family
24. Living arrangements? Living with hubby and daughter
25. When was the last time you cried? Last summer white reading the last book in the Harry Potter series (I'm a huge fan!)
26. What is on the floor of your closet? boxes, shoes, hangers, and misc. other things
*27. Who is the Friend, Friends you have had the longest that you are sending this to? My two dear best friends in the whole wide world (one I've know for 20 yrs, the other 16 years)
*28. The Friend, Friends you have known the shortest amount of time that you are sending this to? My three co-workers
29. Favorite smell? Vanilla
30. What inspires you? Nature, full moons, the ocean, my daughter, my hubby, my friends
31. What are you afraid of? Spiders or anything creepy crawly
32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese (with lettuce and tomato)
33. Favorite car? Volkswagon Bug (but I've never owned one, I just think they are adorable)
34. Favorite pet breed? hard to pick just one - pomperanian (my very dog), but I also love cats (any kind), and ferrets are just so cute (I used to have 3 years back)
35. Number of keys on your key ring? 2
36. How many years at your current job? 16
37. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
38. How many provinces have you lived in? none
39. How many countries have you been to? not counting the US where I live - I've been to 4 (Ireland, France, England, Egypt, China) plus the island of Jamaica

Thank goodness you didn't ask about tattoos (I have 5 so far btw)! LOL

Health and Happiness, Lady Rose (from the Diet Pulpit)

Lady Rose's Favorite Things

Since I've been eating healthy for the over 90 weeks now and also trying to drop a few pounds, I won't be listing any of my favorites foods (like pizza with extra cheese of course, mashed potatos with extra butter of course, chocolate, macroni and cheese,). No yummy or decadent foods in this post! Instead I'll focus on a few other things that are much more rewarding and dearer to my heart.

The first on my list of course is my daughter, Angelgirl - she is truly the light of my life. Here's a photo of her from last Halloween 2007
Of course Teacherman, my hubby, is definitely high on my list of favorite things (he always makes me laugh and hey he puts up me so you gotta love him). Here's a photo of us from Dec. 07
I really enjoy doing a variety of arts and crafts, but the last few months I've been on a crocheting binge. I've already started making a lot of gifts for birthdays and xmas this year. I've also started collecting vintage crochet patterns to try out. So I'd have to say for now crocheting is my favorite craft, and hopefully I can tackle Yarn Mountain (thats me under all the yarn with my giant crochet hook at the ready!).
My favorite crochet project that I have made so far has to be the Mrs. Weasley Sweater (from the Harry Potter movies) that I made for my dear friend as a Christmas gift last year.
Some of my other favorite things include way too much TV, with my favorites shows being Monk, Pysche, Law and Order (all versions, though SUV is top of the list), and Ghost Hunters.

I love curling up with a good book, my favorite books are the Harry Potter Series. I love books that are mostly fantasy and some vampire series. And of course I am a HUGE Harry Potter movie fan too. Last year I through a HUGE Harry Potter Party for my daughter who turned 11 last May. It took over a year to plan and put together, and we even rented a hall at the local firehouse. The party lasted 6 hours, with 22 kids and lots of adults in costume helping out as Hogwarts staff, guest enjoyd snacks at the 3 Broomsticks Inn, Diagon Alley shopping, 9 magical classes, a wizard tournament, a big feast and a Hogwarts castle cake. Photos and Details HERE.
Here we are at the party with my best friend's family:

And of course blogging is one of my favorite things too.

Health and Happiness, Lady Rose (founder of Diet Pulpit - the blog with Fattitude!).

My Daily Seven

My new health goal is to live healthy to over 100!

As a part of my overall lifestyle health plan I want to make each day be a great day. A great day doesn't mean it's perfect or that nothing bad ever happens, but rather for me it's more about attitude - appreciating each day and making the most of it, and also asking myself what can I do to make each day a little more special for myself and others. I came up with a list of things I feel are imporant to me and I want to be a part of my daily life.

My Daily Seven (in no particular order):

1. Smiling - find lots of reasons to smile.


2. Giving thanks - show my gratitude to friends, family, and those around me for being a part of my life, as well as giving thanks to the Universe for the many blessings in my life.


3. Share a hug or better yet lots of hugs, and be sure to say I love you.


4. Be aware - slow down and experience the little things, focus on the moment.


5. Acts of kindness - helping make the world around me a little nicer and helping others smile more too, rather then just focusing on the problems I want to be proactive in helping to lessen some of the burden.


6. Be true to my word and to myself.


7. Begin and end the day with positive thoughts, and in between fill the moments with respect, laughter, love and other positive energy.

Wishing everyone health and happiness now and always, Lady Rose
Cross posted on the Diet Pulpit.

My Favorite Posts: Diet's Don't Make You Happy

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone from me, Lady Rose, the lady with the funny hat and F.A.T. Attitude (living life Fabulous, Awesome and Tenacious) and founder of the Diet Pulpit (preaching our motto: don't be a fool, eat for fuel). I chose this post as my favorite because it helps me to remember what is really important in life - being happy, loved and loving, being with family and friends, and to keep the new year's resolutions I made that really matter. Sure getting healthy is important, but obsessing over numbers on the scale is really not important in the grand scheme of things.

Around here at the Diet Pulpit, happiness is valued very highly - comes in just under Health as being a top priority. Here are some tips to unlock those feel good feelings.

Be Your Best - don't wait until you reach a certain number on the scale, treat yourself to some new clothes now and then along the way, treat yourself to a manicure and facial (create your own little home spa). Putting your best foot forward helps you to radiate happiness and confidence.

Family, Friends, Community - Staying connected is an important key to longevity and healthy. Take time to really be with your loved ones, have some fun together - schedule "play" time or time just to chat. Nurture your support system so they can nurture you in return.

Nurture your spirit, be true to your inner wisdom, live your life's purpose and you'll find yourself empowered from within. Purpose doesn't have to be on a grand scheme, every day acts of kindness and sharing simple joys are awesome, purposeful ways to express who you are and express your life's purpose.

Happiness also have phyical components - get enough rest, take care of nagging pain - stop trying to tough it out. Boost your serotinin levels - get some sunlight. Exercise is a wonderful way to keep serotinin levels up, as well as eating healthy grains and carbs. If you need help - reach out, you are not alone.

Rest and Renewal - Sleeping enough is an extremely important aspect of feeling good. This is especially true for women, who are nurturers by nature and they give and give and give to everyone else, often neglecting their own needs. It is important to stop-rest-renew in order to fill yourself up first so you are not totally depleted. Find ways to pamper yourself and take time to put you, your health, and your well being at the top of your to do list each and every day.

Instead of making the usual diet New Year Resolutions this year, try making resolutions to pamper You, to have fun, to get out and exercise more and enjoy life. If you take care of your health and happiness first, the body's weight will more easily reach a healthier number too.

Related Posts:

Diet's Don't Make You Beautiful,
Diet's Don't Make You Healthy

Diet Humor

Here's my contribution to Smiles Wanted!

Tip of the day from Lady Rose: Stay on the road to good health, avoid the exits.

Over on the Diet Pulpit I believe it's Health, Happiness, and Humor that are most important - not the numbers on the scale.

(Photo Source: email from a friend)