Lorene Mentality

Today is a good day for some mirror magic.
A reminder for you to have a chat with that goddess in the mirror.

Be sure and remind her every day how amazing she is.
No matter how many rocks life throws her way, she will collect them all and build her castle.

Obstacles are temporary, she can barrel through them like a bull in a china closet. Nothing is impossible for her.

When you wash the sleep from her eyes, gaze into them.
Notice the determination behind those beautiful lashes.
The laugh lines at the corner of her eyes, remember all the times she smiled and laughed so hard she about wet her pants.
Even snorted in public.

Her smile.
The one that can make men swoon, the unhappy smile back and possibly destroy a hateful attitude.
She’s got it.
So much power in that smile.

Remind her how powerful she really is.
The difference she makes every day.
What she has to offer is unique and the world desires it.
Her value is beyond reckoning.

Make mirror magic a daily routine.
The opinions of others do not matter.
What you say and believe do.
Remind yourself!
Then remind others.

Rock it out today!
Conquer and love big

Lorene

One of my daily rituals is taking my vitamins and supplements.
We all need that extra boost here and there. I know it keeps me healthier, extra vitamin D because I do not see the sun as much as I should. My legs prove that, I’m like Casper.

Zinc and copper to keep my immune system on alert.
There are others. Some in the morning, some before bed.

My favorite ritual is my quiet coffee time.
I’ve added a happy coffee to my first cup of the day and it’s been a week now. I must say I see and feel the difference.
My energy has gotten much better and lasts longer. And I’ve lost 7 pounds!

Back to my ritual of sipping in the dark.
We all need a sense of normal in our lives, and since we can not control the outside world, we need to control ours.

I feel normal sitting on my couch in the dark,
Cup in hand.
Quiet sounds around me.
Cool air.
Blanket across my shoulders.
No traffic sounds.
No mask
Sometimes no clothes.

Peace

One of my rituals that keep me sane in this crazy world we live in.
A ritual that calms my inner being, readying her for the day, no matter what comes.

No, I won’t die without coffee,
Those around me might…..😍☕

But I may lose control without my own rituals for mood, sanity and health.
I’m sure you all have them, you may call them habits or routines, something you automatically do.
Which is awesome!

In your routines, just make sure one of those is looking in the mirror and reminding yourself, you got this!
You are awesome.
You are gorgeous!
The world wants what you have to offer.
You are worthy.
You belong.

Cheers my friends, ☕
Have a blessed and fortunate day.
Be grateful and
Love Big

Lorene

Up at 5 this morning
I slept hard and had dreams all night. I’ll have to look up their meanings.
I feel good.
Alert

I indulged for mothers day and had a few drinks on the deck with Big Daddy.
We enjoyed the weather, chatted and watched the garden grow.

We watched a couple of mocking birds gathering items for a nest. Bits of dried grass, string, she seemed very picky about what she wanted. She is building a home, I’m sure she will be a momma soon.

The herb garden is on the table. I kept rubbing each of the leaves at random. Trying to guess what it was by smell.
Did you know sage smells like Thanksgiving dressing?

A dear friend called and we all chatted on speakerphone. He had his bourbon, Troy sipping crown and me with a screwdriver.
We talked about friendship, high school, cars and even retirement.
We laughed, we enjoyed each others company even if he was hundreds of miles away, he seemed to be right there, by the garden.

I could picture him kicked back on his patio with a glass in his hand. Breathing in the spring air, same as us. That face I haven’t got to see in person for years, and that attitude. He and Troy are so much alike and it warms my soul how well they get along.
It is special when you can share a friend from the past with your life partner

Our lives are so different from when we first met as kids, and yet so much the same.
We’ve grown up, apart and together.
Real friends are forever.

3 hours later we said our good nights. A perfect end to Mothers Day.
Getting together with friends is always a treat. Even from 2 different time zones.
I love technology.

I love my life.
Love Big
Lorene

It is Sunday, the special day set aside for Mothers.
The day to honor those who reared their children the best way they knew how.

Mother’s Day

Whether it was with a spouse, as a single mother, to bless another woman with a child, to take in the child no one wanted, or lost a baby before the world was blessed with it’s presence.

Biological mother, step mother, mother in law, foster mother, you get it.

You are all Mothers.

It doesn’t matter if your womb grew that child.
What matters is, your heart did.

All women are born Mothers.
Being a mother doesn’t mean you gave birth.
It means you loved enough to raise and sacrifice for another.
You put your life on the line every day to insure the future of a child.

God formed woman from a different mold for a reason. He knew they would be the ones to sacrifice anything for their children.

There should be more than one day of the year to honor you!

But for now, you have today.
You may or may not get those text messages, phone calls or visits.
Just remember, you did your best.

I know today, is your day, but I also know each of you will be praying for your children.
Praying you made the right decisions and they will too.
Beaming with pride all their accomplishments.
Hurting with their failures, but supporting all they do.

Happy Mother’s Day ladies.

You Rock!

Lorene

I’m not quite ready to show my current weight. Believe me, it’s a lot.
Its not so much the weight that bothers me, it’s how my clothes fit and my health.
Lately both have been uncomfortable.

I had Troy take pics of me in my bra and panties.
Bless his heart, he snapped away and never once made the faces I did after looking at them.

I am comfortable in the skin I’m in.
I love me.
But lately I’ve been tired, my legs and feet swell, I cant seem to focus.
And I’ve gained weight.

My eating habits haven’t been the best lately, and my weight has hit the highest I remember it ever being.
No matter how comfortable I am NOT being a super model, the extra weight is effecting my health.

So a friend introduced me to a “Happy” coffee. Said it helps with focus, appetite and energy. Well, sounded too good to be true.
But could it be Fate?
Be careful what you ask for.

Last Saturday late afternoon, my coffee arrived. So my journey began.
Of course I’m skeptical. There is no miracle drug that can just make it all better. It’s a 30 day supply. I have nothing to lose but weight and a foggy brain.

It’s been a week.
And in that week I have lost 6.5 pounds.
I do feel more focused and my energy does not take a hike at noon anymore.

You know me, I love coffee.
The smell, the taste, the fresh ground beans. Well, this instant coffee tastes terrible. Lol
I will not lie to you.
After playing with it, I now mix it with my bulletproof coffee and collegan. It makes it smooth and doesn’t taste bad at all.

I drink plenty of water.
My appetite is not what it was. I don’t crave some of the things I was grazing on all day.
When I am hungry, I try to snack on proteins.
I eat a sensible dinner with vegetables and a starch like rice, or a small potato.

This is working for me
I will continue to update you on my successes and failures.
If you want information, drop me a ☕☕ below and I’ll send you a link.

I don’t want to sound like a commercial here, I’m just going to use my friendly audience as an accountability tool.
I may even share before and after pics when the time comes.

So please, ask me how I’m doing!
Help keep me accountable.
My health depends on it right now.

Love Big!
Lorene

Mother Nature woke me up this morning about 1:30.
It was quiet in the house, I could hear the wind outside starting to pick up.
As I was leaving the bathroom, the tree outside the window started hitting the glass, which actually scared the crap out of me, the wind started howling, all in a split second.

I could hear the rain move in.
I crawled back into bed.
I had the window cracked open and you could feel the cool moist air across the bed.
The rain got louder, heavier and then the hail came.

You could hear it on the roof.
Like thousands of ping pong balls hitting at the same time.
It was almost a calming sound.
Steady.
Methodical.

I hear Troy say, that’s hail, there goes the garden.

Random lighting would flash through the blinds. I wondered if we would hear the sirens soon.

I snuggled up closer to him, Maddie rearranged herself closer up my legs.
We all fell back asleep to the sounds of Mother Nature cleaning house.

This morning the birds are chattering outside my window. The sun is rising to a promise of a new day.

And my coffee is hot.
Room is dark
Heart is full.

I am grateful.

Lorene

I sat with Troy this morning and sipped my coffee, enjoying a rare morning.
I’m usually out of the house before his alarm goes off.

Sometimes he just cant sleep. His brain refuses to turn off. I suppose that is better than a brain that just wont turn on!
We all know a few of those people.

I benefit from being able to just sit with him on the couch during my normal quiet time. We don’t talk, just enjoy each others company and watch whatever he has on TV. The news, a sitcom or an OU football game.

With work, we spend more time apart than together, so when we are together, we just revel in it.
We still hold hands while sitting on the couch watching TV.
Sometimes I lay my head in his lap and just snuggle.
He still opens my car door.
He still smacks my butt as I walk by, or just kisses me because.
Whoever cooks, fixes the other’s plate.
We text through out the day. No sentences, just kisses and heart emojis.
Reminding each other I am thinking about you, even at work.

We share a selfie sometimes, showing what’s going on at that moment. Could be a fur baby show or a drink on hand, saying come join me.

We all need someone to just enjoy life with.
It could be a spouse, friend, brother or sister. The key is just enjoying their company.
Being able to sit in silence together.

Quiet time.
Share it once in a while.
It speaks loud, I promise.

Lorene

Another quiet morning.
Coffee in hand, actually my second cup, it is the middle of the week. I need all the help I can get.

I think I hear a cricket close by.
The air kicked on and all I hear is the hum of the fan blowing cool air into the room now. Thank God for central air in Oklahoma.

The season is changing.
Although Mother Nature seems reluctant.
It will happen.
Change always does.

And change can be a good thing.
Ask any Caterpillar.
Some change is drastic, heart breaking.
Ask any gold star family.

You can be in control of change or be the victim of it.
Either way, some sort of change is inevitable.
With or without your help, it will happen.

Embrace the good, ask for help if the bad gets to be too much.
Take a deep breath, throw those shoulders back, stand tall and be invincible.
Because you are.

Slow down for a second.
Enjoy the moment.
Close your eyes and just Be.
Stop
Inhale
Exhale

I’ll wait.

Felt good didn’t it?
It’s a great way to start and finish your day.

Now get out there and be the change you want in your life.

Love Big
Lorene

Good morning!
I hope you are sipping your coffee and enjoying a little quiet time before attacking the day.

Recharging my brain and attitude at times is a healthy thing for me and those around me.
I don’t let others steal my joy, but let me tell you, there are times I have to chase them down and take it back.

The world isn’t perfect.
Wait
Yes it is.
A perfect combination of good, evil, light, dark, sun, moon, laughter, tears….

A perfect balance.
But like that old washing machine your grandma gave you when you first moved out, you remember the one, sitting quietly in the utility room. Waiting in the dark for that moment.

The perfect moment.
For no good reason, all the clothes shift to one side causing the machine to be unbalanced.
The washer keeps doing its job.
It now sounds like Godzilla is trying to rip his way out of the laundry room.
The machine is being thrown around like a bull trying to beat the 8 second clock and the cowboy on it’s back.

You think this is the last load.
Nothing can survive that.
You watch in horror just waiting for water to flood the room, chasing you from your home.
The loud banging as the poor machine is jumping and swaying, occasionally hitting the dryer.
How much longer can it take the abuse?
This isn’t normal!

You finally take matters into your own hands.
You lift the lid.
The washer slowly comes to a halt.

Its quiet.
My goodness, did grandma go through this? I’m surprised she survived it!

You rearrange the clothes.
Balancing out the weight as best you can inside the tub.
You close your eyes,
Hold your breath
And shut the lid.

The hum of the motor starts back up.
You step back waiting for it to fly off the hinges again.
But no.

Its back to normal.
The way it’s supposed to be
It was just a little off balance.

Take the time to rearrange your “clothes” today.
Things will all balance themselves out soon.

Love Big,
Lorene

Good morning!
Another Monday.
I’m grateful to have them, I just wish they came around at the same speed as Friday.

I went to bed late last night, I didn’t lose my energy early in the day. I’m usually wanting to go to bed at 9 pm every evening.
I just knew getting up this morning would be a challenge.
But no.
I feel like I slept well and woke with an energetic feeling.
I like this kind of coffee hangover.
That MAX I am trying, has perks I’m finding here and there.

This morning I am adding it to my bulletproof coffee. We shall see what today brings.

The birds are sure having a hey day this morning, chirping and calling out to each other. It’s nice and cool in the house this morning, but I see moisture on the kitchen window, that makes me think it’s hot and humid out.
Natural curls worst enemy!
Bright side, I don’t have to fix my hair 👸 I can wear my crown to work to hold down the flyaways 🤣🤣
They say you should dress for the job you want!

Troy and I went out for dinner last night. It was a great experience. The staff was excellent at handling the dining room and making sure they cleaned after each guest.
Every other table was marked closed. Half capacity at least.
It was quiet. You could hear the music playing. Everything seemed so calm.
We could see the smiles behind every mask.
Eyes were lit up.
The food was as good as always, I did notice the grease in the fryer was brand new, this reflected in the fried shrimp appetizer, so I’m sure a lot of scrubbing went on the past few weeks.

The Sunday drive with Troy was amazing.
I do not want a new normal.
I love my normal.
And yesterday was as close as it’s been in a while.
I look forward to seeing the full blown smile.
Teeth and all.

Work is waiting for me.
But I may sneak in one more cup of coffee.
In celebration of an average, normal weekend.

Cheers my friends
Stay safe
And keep smiling.

Lorene