Sunny Sez....

Well, that was a LOT of work for that little bit of video. Honestly, it's been a lot more fiddling about than I wanted to deal with... over 2 hours doing hair and makeup...then another 20 minutes set up....then about 7 minutes recording time...then 20 minutes putting everything back how it was for Paul's recordings, then downloading the video to my laptop and then an hour processing on Youtube, ...then transferring it to my blog.

 Lot's of room for improvement before they are even close to the smooth calming video style UrSpo showed on his. Aspirations. 
I have noticed I say Ummmmmmmm....entirely too much. I'll work on it.

These vids will be a special once in a while feature now that I know how much work goes into them, but the hardest one is done now so they should get a bit easier from here on out. 
Once a month, say?......with the occasional extra thrown in when something I just can't wait to tell you about happens?

 Hey, Oh, We'll see how it goes!!

Sunny Says...

Yeah- it's really starting to make me mad now.

When Paul wakes up I'll see if he can figure out why it won't upload for me....

I've watched it- and there are LOTS of room for improvement for the future ones, but this was a HUGE step for me to get it started at all. Not too horrid for a first try.

They will improve.

Stay tuned later today.....

Technical Difficulties.....

Sorry Y'all....the Vlog will be delayed due to technical difficulties and I'm really annoyed about it, too...I mean, I did my hair and makeup, and now I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go!!!! :(

Hope to have it worked out soon.
Thanks for your patience!!!

..A Summer Re-Run- Updated

Recently a friend sent me and a few of her friends 20 Questions. I've seen it on a few blogs elsewhere too. I answered, and sent it back to her, but thought it would be fun to do it on my blog.
Here we go-....

1. Why did you start your blog?
Which one? LOL. I started my original blog 'SUNNY SAYS' way back in 2004. The honest answer is because Paul, my husband had started one about him coming to live in the USA and I've always loved writing and it looked like fun and a lot was going on in my life that I wanted to share.
 This one is my baby- my main blog. 
Over the years I've had different blogs for different things that are going on in my life.Over the years I've had nine of them. 
At the moment- I have 3 going. 
This one- Sunny Says.....www.sunnysez.blogspot.com
My Photography blog-LavadasP365........www.lavadasp365.blogspot.co.uk
and my weightloss one.....SkepticElle.
 I'll skip telling the addie of that one since it's a private one. 
I love writing and sharing my experiences...with pretty much anyone that's interested. 

2. What made you choose your blog name?
Quite honestly, again. I didn't. Paul set it up for me one night while I was up at my moms visiting with my dad who  had just come out of remission from Prostate Cancer. I had been talking about starting one for a couple of weeks, but just couldn't find time to take an hour or so to set it up.......That's how long I thought it would take anyway. I came home just as he was setting it up and he asked me what I wanted to title it- and I didn't have a CLUE what to name it- so I asked him to choose a name for it. He chose Sunny Says and , Of Course, I loved it. Unfortunately, someone else had the spelling for SunnySays as the mail name, so I ended up using www.sunnysez.blogspot.com for the domain name. Shame really. And yes- I've thought about changing the spelling on the title so it matches, but as usual- somehow never have found the time to do it.

 3. What is your favorite thing that has come from blogging?
That's easy. It's all the new friends and interesting people I've made from who has visited my blog, left comments, and stayed on visiting. Some of them I've even met in Real Life and are friends with on SKYPE and Facebook, too!! 
Simple as that!!! 

 4. What is your favorite color and why?
I have several. I can't choose.
 In a kitchen- it's buttery yellow. It's a happy color and everyone should have a happy kitchen to create in.
I have basically 4 colors I wear and use consistently...Black, white, red, and electric blue. They are the colors I'm most comfortable and happiest in.
 
5. What inspires you?
More than anything it's music....and seeing the good in people. Both seem to touch my soul and make me want to create and be an inspiration to others.

6. What’s your guilty pleasure?
I would love to be able to tell you, but alas, I cannot. Tis a hideous evil thing and it would be branded in your mind forever.
;-)
The one thing I CAN confess to is having a lazy, lazy day. I rarely can settle down and just do absolutely nothing and I always feel so guilty when I do manage to catch some absolute downtime....but man,oh,man....is it PLEASURABLE!!! 

 7. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
It's a combo....Homelessness and Hunger. If it were up to me those two things would be wiped from the face of the earth- forever. Nothing fills me with such sorrow as knowing someone out there has no place to call home...no place to sleep, or sit down and relax or take a nice shower or bath, or to call their own...even if it is just rented.
It hurts me to know there are people who go to sleep hungry- and wake up hungry. And that they have no idea where their next meal is coming from or when it will be.

8. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I think I've lived in the two most wonderful places in the world. South Carolina, and England.
I've found I love to visit other places tho!!! And plan on doing a lot more OF it!!

9. If you could change something about your home, without worrying about expenses, what would it be?
Oh Lord, the kitchen. My kitchen is TINY- and if only it were a big country kitchen I would be  on cloud nine!!!
The only other things I can think of I might change is I would quite like to have a gas burning fireplace made of stone, and lovely wood flooring.
Other than those things, I can't think of anything I would change .......altho now I look at it- those are some pretty big things!!! 

 10. Who is your celebrity crush (boy or girl) and if you could spend a day with them what would you do?
Hmmmm.....
Male would be Tom Hanks. Hands down my favorite actor of all times. Running a close second would be Sean Connery.
Female would be Allison Scagliotti who plays Claudia Donovan in Warehouse 13....Close second would be Erica Cerra who plays Jo Lupo in Eureka.  I would hope they (Male and Female) would be as much fun off camera as their characters are on the shows.  What would we do?  I think a Horseback trip for the day and then either a pool party or Formal dinner party that night would be fun.   

11. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
None if it's going on MY credit card. Now ask me what store I would  choose if I wanted to max out Daddy Warbucks credit card and it would be any high end shoe or clothing store.
I love me some heels and clothes.
 
12. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A model. I took part in a few local fashion shows when I was in high school, but then life got in the way and I got married and became a mommy and for reasons I wont go into right now, went into law enforcement instead. If I had to do it over, I'd have went into something a bit more lucrative and creative like Architecture or Photography. That's okay tho.....I'm doing a bit of the photography as a hobby now and the road I took led me to where I am now and I'm finally truly happy. If only my loved ones hadn't passed away too early, I would be in 7th Heaven.

13. What was your first job?
  My very first job was delivering advertising for my Uncle Tommy's remodeling and painting company. My next was working retail at the local Family Dollar Store. And my third was working at....McDs!!! Morning shift- had to be in work at 5:30 AM for a 7AM open time. LOVED having my breakfast of Apple-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Danish covered in Vanilla Ice cream with a cup of coffee!! My rear-end regrets it now tho.

14. What is your best memory?
I don't have A BEST memory. I have LOADS of favorites. Family Vacations....My children's births, the births of my grand babies and a very special little grandniece, getting my drivers license(after only two tries!!), waking up to my little girl's cooing in her crib and hearing her laughing, waking up to see both my little boys staring into my face holding a can of oysters because they wanted Oyster Stew for BREAKFAST!!!!, My kids weddings, a special request from my son to take a photo of his GF's face when he surprise proposed to her, The first time I met my husband, our first kiss, his proposal, and our wedding and subsequent move to England.... snuggling with my daddy and holding his hand and us talking about all the things we remembered from my childhood and me asking him all the things I had always wondered about...How him and mom met, how he proposed to her, what he said when they found out they was expecting ME,......just hours before his condition took a turn for the worse and he passed away....My husband holding me when I have one of my nightmares and reassuring me that it's all just a dream.......My Sisters Picnic with my sisters and one of my Chosen sisters taking the photos for me and just letting us carry on with our foolishness without raising an eyebrow,.....Every single Christmas of my life........I could go on for pages and pages and pages......

15. Would you rather live near mountains or by the sea?
Well, the Mountains to be honest.....but I do love me some beach during the cooler months of the year. Is that normal???? 

 16. What do you consider the best TV Show or Movie ever created?
Oh My......Best TV show has to be MASH. I could watch it for hours and never get bored. I also like Big Bang Theory and Little Britain.
Best Movie- So many I love, but Shawshank Redemption is probably at the top of the list. Of course, so is ELF, along with All of the Lord Of The Rings Movies. And for me and my BESTIE- Thelma and Louise!!! 
 
17. How would you describe yourself in three words?
Observant- Generous-Hopeful.
 
18. If you knew that tomorrow your life would change forever, what would you do to appreciate today?
Nothing different than I already do. I know for a fact that life can change in a moment- and I try to live my life so I wont regret a moment or feel I've wasted it in any way, shape or form. I do what I have to do to live, go to work, do chores and errands, and such, but I also don't miss a chance to make the most of the rest of my life either. I tell the people I love just that...many times a day- much to a few peoples great annoyance. Some people think that saying I love you 5 times a day makes it less special- but I disagree. I think I want everyone to know how much I care for them and appreciate them. I never want anyone I love to say "I wish Sunny/Lavada/Mom had told me more often how much she loved me".... or "I wonder sometimes how she really felt". They know -because I tell them.
 All. The. Time.
 
19. Favorite blog (or blogs)?
I have several. Every Day I go to a few.....One of my dearest friends has one I go to, but it shall remain nameless because it's a private blog......I also go to In Dodd We Trust (sadly defunct now), Layabouting, Pinterest Addict, Refashionista,  Witless Protection Program, and Southern Plate. I'm also faithful to Life-What The Hell is Going On, but someone hasn't posted on there in months because he has a big project going and doesn't have enough hours in the day to do it all.

20. One thing you’ve learned about yourself in the last year.
I knew I was independent, but I didn't realize how much I LOVE my independence. Oddly enough, I've also found out I need to feel I'm making a difference in someone's life beside my own.


Now...that's it for my 20 Q & A's. Do you have anything you'd like to know? Just ask.

Research Concluded...

Next Friday or Saturday I will be setting up and recording my first Vlogpost.

I have done research. Have figured out a simple(ish) solution of where to record it, and done an impressive job of  Building my confidence up to actually do the job.

I had a day of carry-over holiday I have to use before the end of July(a case of use it or lose it, I'm afraid) so I took the 29th off to do all the prep work for it.  With any luck at all you should be able to see it here on Sunday Afternoon/Evening depending on where you are in the world.

If there is anything you would like me to talk about or answer, please leave  a comment and I'll do my best to accommodate. I have a beginning bit but have left a bit of fill time in case there's something like this to add in. And if not- I have a backup plan for that too. I'm nothing if not organized. Or OCD. Whichever. :)

Believe me when I say- like writing a novel, trying to figure out the first sentence is the hardest bit.

 I hope to get a decent blog post in before then. But as for now, I have nothing much except for a note that my Fast & Feast continues to work brilliantly for me.

Bits & Bobs.... And an Epiphany

It's sad when you realize you really don't have one spot in your entire home that reflects yourself enough to make a video where you are comfortable.

We have collections of toys throughout our entire home. Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Other things I dont have a clue about because it's mostly all the husband's collections.

I have two things in our home that I can personally say reflect me and me alone. One is my dressing/vanity table.  Two small chests of drawers on  each side with a beautiful, long Ashe wood board made specially for it by my father in law. He not only found the wood for it- he put a lovely decorative edge around it and then sanded and waxed it down, too. It's just set on top on the two chests and I use my old office chair(VERY comfy too) for the chair/bench for it. I have my perfumes, my hair accessories, my makeup and my jewelry on it along with a few of my wedding photos and our wedding invitation and announcements that I framed because they are just too beautiful to not display.

The other is my gray corduroy and black leather oversized oval reading chair. I need to do something about that thing too. It's the perfect size and shape for curling up with a good novel on a dreary day, but the seat cushion in it is atrocious.  It's just hard and lumpy and not terribly the most comfy chair to do said curling up with a novel. And at the moment it's just stuck in a corner taking up space.......so I need to find a new cushion foam for it so it's both comfy and beautiful.

So- having said that, I need to do a bit of restructuring when my hubby goes to his parents in a couple of weekends. He freaks out when I do any redecorating when he is here, so I just wait until he does a house-sit weekend for his parents and by the time he gets back it's all done and he doesn't have to see the chaos that goes on to get things looking that way.

So until I can create a space to do my video, it will be on the back burner until the last Sunday this month. Only a couple of weeks away tho.

In other news......

The new eating plan I told you about a couple weeks or so ago......  Fast & Feast Eating Plan.

It isn't a diet really...it's an eating plan. There  are very few rules. You Fast alternate days and are allowed 500 calories. On your Feast Days you eat whatever you want- trying to stay within a 2000 calorie  limit.  On my first week on it- I truly FASTED on the fast days. I'm one of those people who would rather not eat anything than have a little bit of something. If I ever eat anything I'm starving for the rest of the day, so I knew that eating a salad or sammich  just wouldn't work for me on fasting days. So I stuck with just a cup of coffee at the three meal times, and water in between.

I lost 1 lb the first week. That was fine. I knew I wouldn't lose a great amount because I had trouble getting my 2 liters of water down on my fasting days. Water does NOT taste nice after drinking a cup of coffee. And if I don't get two liters of water down a day, the scale doesn't budge.

Anyway.....so the second week I switched things up a bit..... I fasted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I Feasted on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and had a One Meal Half Fast on Sunday with the meal staying between 700-800 calories. Saturday is the only day I truly allowed myself to Feast and have a treat of a few Fig Newtons with my evening coffee. The other two feast days I cooked and ate my usual healthy food options. My "treat" those days were having a cup of coffee with a spoonful of sugar in it as dessert. Everything tasted so much better on my feast days after fasting the day before. It's like my taste buds were reborn!!

And the second week I lost 1.4 pounds. Which is also fine. I didn't put this weight on overnight, so it won't come off overnight either. And if I continue to lose at this rate I will still lose over 50 lbs in a year. And I'm happy with that.

I'm hoping to wedge a bit more exercise into my routine as I have joined the ranks of the PokemonGo fanatics. The only catch is I have to go walking when the sun is low in the sky because of the glare on my phone screen. That's fine with me, too. I'd much rather walk later in the day so I can unwind and relax from the stress of the day at the office. We will see if it impacts my weight loss at all in the next week.

Apologies- I realize I have been going on a lot about my weight loss lately on here. It just seems to be what I'm focusing on lately in my life. I promise to not turn this into a weight loss only blog. I will have other things to talk about in the coming weeks. My trip home is coming up....my videos will be a weekly feature if I can get them right.

The videos, by the way, are a personal challenge. I've always been painfully shy around strangers. Also, having been told I was NOT very photogenic and would do better as a runway model when I was a teenager doing a bit of modeling and thinking of making a career of it, kind of scarred me for life and made me super critical of any photos I am in. So by opening myself up to doing a vlog once a week is WAY out of my comfort zone.  And probably why I'm procrastinating by using not having a decent spot to do it as an excuse to build up my confidence a bit more.

*Blinks*
Huh....that was a bit of an epiphany.

And so, that's about all I have for you this week.
Until next time......

A Nod to ErSpo. Vlog & A Coctail, Anyone?

Well, This morning I have been very productive. 

I've been reading up on one of my blogs and have seen where ErSpo had posted a short, few minutes  video for his birthday.

Well, I've been playing around with the idea of starting a Vlog for about a year now- I just have had so much on my plate I haven't had time to research how to do it properly.
Now, I don't want to jump on the youtube bandwagon, I just thought either I would add a weekly short video to my regular blog here on Sunny Says, or maybe at the very MOST start a completely different blog for my Vlog and Link it to this one.

I may have to totally just outright steal ErSpo's perfect format of the Cocktail and a Chat. I'm still in the ideas stage tho so it may not be my final decision. We'll see.

I do know that it will be about random topics. I know me well enough to know that won't change.
I won't be using high tech equipment and doing loads of editing. I loved the easy, laid back, realness of ErSpo's Birthday Vid.
That's exactly what I'm going for. It fits my lifestyle.

So.....to you all.....Any suggestions, ideas, or tips on what I should look at and consider?

And TY, Michael, for the inspiration.