Halloween ~ Last Day of October

Well here it is the last day of October, Unbelievable!! It is also the day before the clock goes back. "Fall back." That's how I always remember it. Also, tomorrow I am starting the Low GI eating plan. We went shopping earlier and got most of the food for the week. I will be reporting on the various meals. I also am giving up coffee. Apparently it has a bad effect on diabetes. So, I'm switching to tea. I am stocked up on a variety of flavors. I also swiped a teapot from the cottage until I get my own. Shhhhh, don't tell anyone.

The Day Before the Last Day of October

If I write 2 more blogs I will have a record number of blogs for one month. Let's see if I can do that. Still waiting for the results from Sarah's biopsy. Stressful. Raining= blah. But, still trying to maintain a positive attitude. At noon I'm picking up Syd the Kid and were having a field trip. Lunch at Donald's and then a trip to the library. Her mom is going to the brother's harvest party. I don't mind a bit. I can't really explain why I like being with kids. I always have. Their little minds are so active and the stuff they say is amazing. Syd's sister has commented; "a 50 year old and a 5 year old, I just don't get it." LOL! Seems like I have always had a special kid in my life from time to time. Well, they're all special! Kids are so fun. Maybe that's it. They can just be themselves and You can just be yourself! That must be it. Anyway, Happy Friday.

Field Day Tuesday

Took place right in Swartz Creek. I stayed home today. Did some cleaning and finally got a chance to unpack. Even did a load of laundry. Made some awesome spinach/feta/mushroom omelets for dinner. I would say I accomplished much. It was like a stay at home work day. Even tho I'm home 4 days a week, I don't always have a chance to do the household chores. Weird.

An Exhausting Day

Up early to get the guys off on their schedule. 9:00 biopsy for Sarah at the Imaging Center. She is sore and not feeling well. I don't think she got much sleep. The Doc said we should hear from the lab by Wed. or Thur. I hate the waiting. Then we ran to the bank and grocery store. Picked up some ingredients for tonight's Sesame Chicken Stir-fry. It was very good; and I'm not even the only one who thought so. The recipe is from The Biggest Loser cookbook. Then I met with my PT at 3:30 and now I'm sore and stiff. But it was a good workout and I am ready to get back to the program!

A Quick Trip

Up and back to beautiful Boyne County. It rained pretty much the whole time and was pretty darn cold. Maybe high of 45. bRrRrR. Did a few chores to get things "winterized." Had an invigorating trip to the Petosky area. Went to Bill's Farm Market for some fall variety type squash. Had a hot spicy beverage at Roast & Toast. Ate a deliciouso lunch at Park City Grill. Window shopped all the interesting little shops. Browsed the bookstore and bought a couple of books. I bought , The GI Diet Clinic. A 13 week plan for permanent and healthy weight Loss, by Rick Gallop. Following a low GI (Glycemic Index) diet is great for diabetics. So back on the ole bandwagon I go. I really want/need to make these changes for life. I've been NOT following my plan lately and have been feeling puffy and slugish.

Going, Going....

Up North to the cottage. Last minute thing. Someone has to go and winterize the cottage and machinery. Might as well be us since we haven't been able to go much this year. Once only in fact. Dad feels better knowing someone is going to close things up. Even tho we will be going up for Thanksgiving this year. He like the mowers and such to be winterized. It will probably be a rainy cold weekend, but .... oh well. Planing a trip to Bill's Farm Market and Roast & Toast and the book store in town, and, and... not sure what else. Definitely planning on some nice warm fires in the fireplace.

My new shoes came today. Personalized~New Balance.

Field Day Tuesday

The day began warm and fallish and started with a trip to The French Laundry for a bagel and some Kenyan Coffee. Delish! Then trips to Highland, Clarkston, Davisburg, and Ortonville. It was mostly sunny and the fall colors were pretty wonderful. I don't mind driving around on a day like that. Nothing major to do. Some bids, a few lawn mows, a few lock changes. A tarp to nail down to a roof. Sarah blames me for what happened next. She pounded her thumb with a hammer. She says I was talking to her and distracted the job at hand.

( No pun intended.....) Here is the pic of her ouchie. Then we couldn't find the band aids so we had to use a diaper wipe and some duct tape. Yikes! I later found a "hello kitty" band aid and applied to the wound.

I wanted to stop and buy some pumpkins but then we couldn't find a pumpkin stand, so I was denied. We ate lunch at the bullfrog cafe. Hey, I'm starting to enjoy Field Day Tuesday after all!

A Good Excuse to Clean

Nothing like company coming over for a good thorough house cleaning! Peeps coming over tonight for the monthly Euchre Tourney. All the cracks and crevices are shiny. Making baked spaghetti, salad and garlic bread. Hot spiced or cold cider to drink. MMmmM nice and fallish.

A deer jumped out and hit Katie and Richie last night. Did lots of damage to the car. But, thankfully they are both okay. Not the same can be said of the poor deer.

Tuesday is Field Day

Bowling Ball Fence

Tuesday is the day I go out in the "field" and do the P & P route for the day. (P & P = property preservation) Yesterday's route took us to Pinckney, Brighton, South Lyon and finally Milford. The lovely bowling ball fence line was in Brighton. The gas station is in Milford and I just like it. The decor is old-fashioned Mobil stuff.

So this is what I did yesterday:

drilled out door locks

reinstalled new door locks

plunge toilets and put in anti-freeze

do the walk around and list damages and debris

take pics of EVERYTHING

load the GPS with every new address

fill out the forms

stopped by Erwins orchard for some hot cider and a doughnut! I mean, well, we WERE driving right by....

Pumpkin Spice Latte OR 5 Servings or Lucky Charms

Coffee is one of the world's most potent elixirs—and one of its most controversial. Some studies suggest that it boosts brainpower and prevent Parkinson's, while others claim that it increases your risk for heart disease. Allow us to set the record straight: A cup of joe can improve your health. And that's good, because three out of four Americans drink the heady brew every day. Problem is, souped-up, sugar-laden coffee drinks aren't the same as the unsullied stuff—and many people are easily duped into trading their usual antioxidant-rich caffeine fix for a “special” seasonal blend. Why is that bad? Just one venti Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks has more sugar than five servings of Lucky Charms—

Bling

'Bling-bling' (usually shortened to simply 'bling') is a hip hop slang term which refers to expensive jewelry and other accoutrements, and also to an entire lifestyle built around excess spending and ostentation. In its essence, the term 'bling' refers to the exterior manifestation of one's interior state of character, normally displayed through various forms of visual stimuli.

Want to lose weight as you chow down?

Want to lose weight as you chow down? Your wish is granted! (I promise, this is no fairy tale.) Your supermarket is filled with foods that studies show have lipid-melting powers to help melt fat and keep you slim. Stock up on these fat-fighting super bites, and you'll be trimmer even as you indulge. Read on to discover the eight foods that deserve a permanent spot in your fridge—and in your diet!
Almonds These yummy nuts are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can accelerate your metabolism of fats. In fact, dieters who ate 3 ounces of almonds daily slashed their weight and body-mass index by 18 percent, while those who skipped the nuts reduced both numbers less— just 11 percent—a study in the International Journal of Obesity revealed. Chomp almonds à la carte (limit yourself to 12 per serving to keep calories in check). I get a pack at Starbucks and nibble throughout my day. Or sprinkle them into a recipe such as Black Bean–Almond Pesto Chicken. Go nuts!
Berries I tell my daughter, "These are nature's candy!" Turns out they're also your body's best friends. Strawberries, raspberries and other vitamin C–spiked fruit can supercharge your workout, helping you burn up to 30 percent more fat, research from Arizona State University at Mesa has found. If they're not in season, buy the little gems frozen in a bulk-sized bag so you'll always have them on hand to whip up a Berry Bliss Smoothie or Strawberry-Sunflower Pops, regardless of whether berries are in season.
Cinnamon Adding 1/4 teaspoon to your plate may prevent an insulin spike—an uptick that tells your body to store fat. Sprinkle it on your morning cereal or coffee or on your yogurt in the A.M., or savor it in Apple-Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal.
Mustard It's heaven on a soft pretzel, but mustard may also be a weight loss wonder. Turmeric, the spice that gives mustard its color, may slow the growth of fat tissues, a study in the journal Endocrinology finds. Use it on sandwiches instead of mayo, or sprinkle turmeric on cauliflower pre-roasting to give it a kick. Try it on tuna salad—I promise it adds zest.
Oranges This citrus fruit, which contains fat-blasting compounds known as flavones, deserves to be your main squeeze. Women who ate the most flavones had a much lower increase in body fat over a 14-year period, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition notes. Eat oranges sliced or swig fresh OJ (including pulp!) to get the best benefit from the fruit.
Soybeans Reason to toss a half cup on your salad? Soybeans are rich in choline, a compound that blocks the absorption of fat and breaks down fatty deposits. Oh, and they're addictively delish! But if breast cancer runs in your family, experts suggest you should talk to your doc before adding soy to your diet.
Sweet potatoes The colorful spuds' high-fiber content means they keep your insulin steadier than their white sisters, which means less fat packed on your hips, research finds. Top a small baked tater with lowfat cottage cheese for a tempting side dish, or whip up Miso Soup With Sweet Potato Dumplings.
Swiss cheese Calcium-rich foods reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase fat breakdown, and Swiss has more calcium than many of its cheesy peers. Choose the reduced-fat variety, such as Sargento. Slip it into your sandwich.
By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief - Posted on Thu, Oct 08, 2009, 3:32 pm PDT wich, put it on top of high-fiber crackers or use it for a healthier grilled cheese. Yum!

A Brisk Walk

This morning was the Making Strides walk for Breast Cancer. It was 40 degrees at the start. Maybe 43 at the finish. It was pretty cold~ but we warmed up once we started. No rain! 3 miles through downtown Flint. I made about 2 & 1/2. Oh well. I'm out of shape again. Need to get back to the ole gym. Now I am sleepy and need a nap. Think I might just go and do that! After some hot spiced cider!

Cuban Shredded Beef

Cuban Shredded Beef ~ Recipe This falls in the category of: "among other things."
Get you a big hunk of beef LOL
Ingredients:
Pot Roast
1 can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 onion
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt/pepper
Directions: cut up the pepper and onion and place on bottom of crockpot.
Place the roast on top.
Mix up the spices with the tomato sauce.
Pour on top of the meat.
Cook for 8 hours.
When beef is tender, shred with 2 forks. Serve over a bed of rice. (brown)

Stuck ~ In a Rut That Is

Seems a lot of folks are "blogged" out. Don't have much to say. It's getting colder ~ our fingers don't work so well on the keyboard. I've been working quit a bit so time is hard to find. Here is a news flash. We found out the "home invasion" on the next street over was really a suicide. I guess the guy called 911 so his wife wouldn't be the one to find him. Tragic. I'm still making sure windows/doors locked up tight. Went grocery shopping with my $75/week budget. Only spent $53. Yea for me! Making a delicious smelling dinner tonight called Cuban Beef. I'll report on how that works out. Really simple and in the crockpot it all goes. Well, gotta get back to work.

October 1st - Brrrr!

First frost of the season. Marlene called me yesterday to bring in my basil. So I picked it all and washed it and threw it in a baggie and into the fridge. Gonna make some pesto and freeze it.

October's birthstone is the opal. The opal is thought to have the power to predict illness. This is because the opal responds to heat. If you are sick your temperature increases before signs of illness appear. The increased body heat causes the opal to lose its shine, leaving it dull and lacking color. It is also said that the opal will crack if it is worn by someone who was not born in October.
Its birth flower is the calendula.

This is breast cancer awareness month. - One week until I walk. 3 miles...