New Hair-do and a Diet

Chip and I try to go out for a special dinner once a month, but with my having mono then having surgery and getting a concussion, we have not been out since Valentine's Day.  I usually wear my regular hairstyle, but I wanted to try a new hairstyle.  When I went to Renee's Beauty Shop last Friday,  I told Renee that I wanted something different for going out to eat with Chip, yet I wanted to keep my length.  She pulled out a Miss Ingerid hair styling book that she bought in the fall for special holiday hair styles.  We flipped through it, and I discovered that I usually wear "Everyman's Dream," or a pony tail.  We picked a feminine style, "The Grecian."  It involved pulling my hair back on both sides to the middle, then letting my curls cascade down.  I bought my own Miss Ingerid book so that I could try some of the pony tails and twist styles at home.  Also, I need to redo how I am finger curling my hair at night.

When I got home and tried to fit into my old green velvet dress, I could not fit into it, not even wearing my tightest girdle.  I had to wear one of my newer dresses that I bought in December.  I looked at the side tags and realized that these were all two sizes larger than my regular size.  Judy at Dream Dresses did not tell me that I had gone up two dress sizes.  She knew that I had been ill all year, so she must have felt sorry for me and did not tell me.

I went to the doctor yesterday to weigh in.  I have gained twenty pounds since last January!  I did not realize because I have been wearing my loose house dresses or in bed in night gowns.  Dr. B. put me on what he calls "Dr. B's Special Diet."  He explained all the foods for sick people, along with recuperating in bed, and the Thanksgiving and Christmas foods caused my weight gain. 

The diet is actually do-able.  He wants me to lose the weight slowly or I may get loose skin, especially around the neck.  It involves cooking regular meals, but with leaner meats, adding more vegetables, and substituting beans for some of the breads.  He also said that I am ready to exercise lightly by walking, as long as I have Emily with me in case I get dizzy.  This will be good for both of us, for Emily has a bit of a belly.  We will also do leg lifts and arm exercises holding cans of soup for weights.

I am supposed to weigh in at Dr. B's office every Monday.  Emily is going to keep a graph of my weight loss.  She also took my measurements and is going to record these monthly.  She is the little scientist!

I see that I will be practicing "Prudence" in a much different way than I expected this year.

2012 Addendum:  I bought this book from a store on ebay.  I found some cool clips and combs at Wal-Mart that allow you to make easy buns and this grecian style.   I am going to try this finger curl/bobby bin thing once, then it is hot rollers all the way.

New Year's Resolutions

January 4, 1955

I have been thinking about my resolutions for this year while I have been unpacking and making room for new Christmas gifts and toys.  I always get my most creative thoughts when I am doing menial labor.  I guess the monotony forces my creativity.  I remembered Ben Franklin virtues and looked them up in our copy of  The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.  He had 13 virtues and they are complicated, such as temperance, order, silence, etc.  From his autobiography we learn that he often failed in keeping them.  I do like that they provide a type of outline with subcategories.  I have so many things that I need to work on in my life that I am creating my own "virtues" for my resolutions.  Seven virtues evolved, and I like the number seven because of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."  I have always admired Snow White, and she is the embodiment of my seven virtues.  Most of my virtues coincidentally started with a "P," except for "health" and "forgiveness," so I used my thesaurus to make them "P" words.  I have put them in order of importance to me.

Peace: in my thoughts through prayer and calmness
Patience: with my family, myself, and our illnesses.
Pardon: of others and myself.
Pause: before action or speech; pause to see and participate in beauty
Prudence: in my finances, diet, and time management.
Physical Plan: exercise, healthy eating, and rest
Pretty Pampered Princesses: pamper myself and Emily with beauty routines; follow beauty rules

I have written and posted my seven virtues throughout the house.  It took a lot of "Patience" to write them so many times. 

My first "plan" is to work on "Prudence" by finishing my weekly routine plan.  This weekend Chip and I will work on "Prudence in finances," while Emily and I enjoy "Pretty Pampered Princesses."

Reflecting On Last Year and Looking Towards This Year

Happy 1955!
   I received this journal as a gift from Chip to encourage that a write down my insights.  He thinks that I have a writer's outlook on life.  What a wonderful and supportive husband!  I have not kept a journal since college 22 years ago.  How much my life and the world has changed in 25 years.  I cannot believe that it is 1955!  What happened to the time?  Only yesterday I was a young wife and mother;  now I am middle aged with an 18 year old son going off to college soon, and a 10 year old daughter who is caught between dolls and fashionable clothes and the opinion of friends. 
   I look back at 1954.  It was the most difficult year of our lives since the Emily were born and Chip was in London with the clean up effort after the war.  I had mononucleosis from February to May, gallbladder surgery and recovery during the summer, then a concussion and its repercussions (funny that rhymes) and vertigo for the remainder of the year.  My problems were nothing compared to Ben's year of health issues and nasal surgery.  I am so thankful to all of Ben's teachers and counselor for helping him keep up with his school work.  I am glad he had the humor of his best friend, Bassam, to distract him. Yet the most difficult time was December when Ben was tested for numerous conditions.  His doctor believes that he has hyperparathyroidism, which is easily cured with surgery. We see an endocrinologist in January.
     Emily also had a difficult year.  Her doctor thought that she had juvenile arthritis and a stomach ulcer.  Thank goodness neither were the case - strengthening exercises and anti acids have helped.  Yet I believe her dealing with those nasty girls in forth grade was the most annoying.  This school year is a blessing with her new best friend Annie, and befriending the two new girls at school, Mary and Karen.  They call themselves the Four Musketeers or the Four Stooges. 
    Chip was our anchor last year.  He had a busy year, working a full day at the office, then coming home to take care of the house and yard.  Emily was a big help, too, taking care of the pets and helping with Ben's chores.  What would we have done without them?
    Reflecting on and writing about our difficult year has made me feel surprisingly thankful.  I am thankful for my wonderful husband.  I am thankful that all of our health problems were just annoyances rather than horrible conditions, such as cancer.  I am thankful for my loving family who became closer after our year of trials.  Last, I am thankful to God for holding us in His hands, even though I forgot to turn to Him for help with our troubles.
   Today I am requesting that we all thoughtfully decide what our New Year's Resolutions are, and in addition, reflect on what our blessings are.  We will unveil our decisions at our New Year's dinner tonight. 
    I am going to cook a wonderful traditional southern New Year's dinner of pork roast, roasted vegetables, black eyed peas, collard greens, and corn bread.  For dessert, we are going to have a homemade chocolate birthday cake for Chip, which is three weeks overdue.  We will also have the delicious fudge that Emily made last night, using Uncle Steven's secret recipe.
    Happy New Year!

Addendum:  Everything above is correct except for name changes of minors and relatives and Chip's working in the clean up effort in London.  Chip is deaf in one ear and is not fit for military service now or during WWII.  I believe that he would have done his part on the home front, and he would have volunteered overseas when all danger was past.  Also the language is much more formal than the way I talk.  I would have griped a lot more and included quite a few foul words - another reason I have taken on this challenge - I hope to clean up my potty mouth and tame my acquired negative outlook and annoyance with other people, especially relatives.  I want to recapture the optimism and love of people that I once had.