Last Day of May

Well we found the Ezekiel bread and the Greek yogurt at Dale's health food store. But, I will have to check the local Kroger since that's where it has been spotted. They may even have the yogurt, who knows. They just enlarged and improved our Kroger. While at Dales we decided to try a fresh sandwich. I had a veggie on pita and Sarah tried the hummus/veggie. They were both super yummy and actually rather decently priced.
Rented a tiller from HD and tilled the garden. Got it planted in with help from Renee & Sydney. Renee brought over Popsicle sticks for the markers and Syd helped me plant 2 flats of marigolds. (to deter the wabbits) She dug the holes with a little shovel - did a great job. She said, "I like planting a garden." She's got her eyes on the "salad" and cukes. We also planted: onions, tomatoes - 2 kinds, peppers, jalapenos, yellow squash, zucchini, okra ( that my sister sent me), shallots and I want to get a broccoli plant.
For dinner tonight we grilled a piece of chicken and then had portabello pizza. From the Biggest Loser Cookbook. It was quite good. I'm really starting to dig this whole healthy eating bit. Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions. I'm excited to try everything! Going to make some homeade hummus tomorrow.

A Nice Day Rounded Out With a Favorite Activity

Got whooped by Nikki my personal trainer at 10 a.m. She really works me hard! I think it is paying off though. Went to Nicole's district softball games at noon. They won both games so now they are moving on to the regionals next weekend at SVU in Saginaw. She did awesome. She was moved up from JV to Varsity for the games. Then home for a bath and short rest. Went to Applebee's for dinner and actually had a good healthy dinner. I choose one of the WW points dinners. Then to GNC to pick up some protein powder and vitamins. Got these awesome shaker cups with a metal ball inside that is supposed to break up the chunks. Then went BB & B to check out the "bullet." It's kind of pricey... probably just use the new shaker cup thingies. Bought egg framer thingies - to make homemade egg mcmuffins. Finally, went to Borders to browse and have a no fat, no sugar, no caffeine hot beverage. Tonight was a vanilla/raspberry nofat latte. This is one of our favorite things to do. We read various books and magazines while sipping a yummy hot or cold beverage. Tonight we were reviewing the "Biggest Loser" books and couldn't resist buying, The Biggest Loser 30 Day Jumpstart. Does anyone know were you can buy Greek Yogurt and "Ezekiel" bread? They use those allot. I may go try Dale's natural foods tomorrow. I am very excited to try many of the recipes!

Omletta de' Jur

The creative juices are flowing again. Tonight's masterpiece was a feta (fat free), spinach (fresh steamed) and tomato omelet. It was awesomely delicious. And beautiful to boot. Garnished with fresh mint from my iced tea garden.

Served with orange sections and Multi-grain sandwich thins. (Arnold's) Sarah says we should open a restaurant. But, that would be too much like work. I made some awesome Italian stuff that starts with an "M"today to take to the funeral home. It smelled so good and was so tempting to sneak a bite. But I was strong and only tasted 1 noodle! Busy day tomorrow. We are helping with the funeral luncheon then back home. Personal trainer at 4 for me. Saturday will be water aerobics at 9, then Niki's district game at 12 (she was pulled up to play varsity districts ~ quite an honor.) Then we are leaving to go up to Boyne.

Whew!

It's over! What a beautiful day for a wedding. There was only one hitch. I sent the Florida Cousins the wrong way on the expressway and they ended up far far away with only 5 minutes til 4. We of course waited for them to arrive. The wedding started a bit late but then some other people who came late ended up being on time. They don't look old enough to be married do they? Didn't the photographer do a great job? Everything else went smoothly, ahhhhhh. Took the cousins back to the airport this morning and now we are just chillin.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Up and at em! Went to water aerobics at 10. Home for a quick egg salad sammy. Run and do a quick estimate at the famous "pink house" on Atherton Rd. Back to Kohls. Sarah bought a new pair of Capri's size 14 and they WERE TOO BIG! Then to the bank, grocery store. Then a million phone calls to the boys cuz the trailer busted up good right on I 96 near Pleasant Valley Rd. 2 hour wait for the tow truck guy to tell them he couldn't do anything. so the left the trailer right there on the x-way full of crap. They stopped in Hartland on the way home and picked up a new one. Just like that. $1700 big ones! Poor guys, they were thirsty!! They didn't get home til after 6 p.m.
Anyway, then clean the house, water the plants, grilled some AWESOME turkey burgers for dinner. Now we're waiting for the Florida peeps to get in the air. Apparently there were some violent storms in northern FLA so they had to sit on the runway. The kids were getting cranky and hungry. Looks like they'll arrive into Metro round about 9ish. Thanks for letting us take the van T & R!

Time, Time, Time

So much to do, so little time!

Haven't even had a chance to post about my trip to Sunshine Farms last week. Met my sissy there and we had fun picking out new herbacious plants. She even bought me an early BD gift; a bay tree! Here are the pics of the plants before potting and also my new (old) little table that Sydney helped me paint. I will have after pics when everything is done.

Have been busy going to the gym, finishing up last minute plans for wedding, going to Nik's softball games, etc... This will be an extremely busy week! Picking up the Florida cousins at Metro on Thurs. nite. Can't wait!

I'm Putting In a Compost Pile Today

how to start a compost pile
You'll need the following to start your own compost pile:
An area that is approximately three feet long by three feet wide
Carbon-rich materials such as dead leaves, straw, dead flowers, or shredded newspaper. These items are also known as brown materials.
Nitrogen-rich materials such as grass clippings, plant-based kitchen waste (like vegetable peelings and fruit rinds), or barnyard animal manure. Nitrogen-rich materials are also known as green materials.
One or two shovelfuls of garden soil.
Steps:
Spread a layer of brown materials where you are starting your compost pile. The layer should be several inches thick.
Top with a layer several inches thick of green materials.
Top this with a thin layer of soil.
Add another layer of brown materials.
Moisten all the layers with water.
Continue layering until the pile is about three feet high. You don't have to do this all at once; just keep adding to the pile as you have materials to add. A good ration is three parts brown material to one part green.
Maintaining the compost pile: Turn the pile with a shovel or garden fork every couple of weeks to move the materials in the center to the outside and vice versa. You may see steam rise when you first turn the pile.
You should keep the pile moist, but not soggy.
When the center of the pile turns to black, crumbly, sweet-smelling soil, you can use it in your garden. You can use a sieve to separate the composted material from any partially decomposed material. A simple home-made sieve can be created using a wooden frame about 3 ft by 3 ft covered with coarse wire mesh. Use any material that hasn't fully decomposed to start your next pile.

The Latest

Time flies. Saturday we visited my dad. He's not so good. Today is his birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad. Brought him some Detroit Tiger peanuts, he liked them and got a kick out of the musical card we gave him. Yesterday we grilled for Sarah's mom/dad and also Katie & Richie came over. I made a low fat potato salad & broccoli salad, turkey burgers, chicken brats and Strawberries on angel food cake. Today I clocked in with my PT for the first time. Ouch! I'm sore - but it was a good work out. I think I found some new muscle groups!

Great Find of the Day

TAZO brand "Iced" Passion Tea. A tantalizing blend of hibiscus flowers, herbs and tropical flowers. "A cold passion in a paradise." We went to Starbucks today and Sarah told the guy she wanted something free of: caffeine,
coffee- taste, carbs, and calories. She started to grab a bottle of water. Dude says, "wait, I can do this." I'm thinking, "Cha I bet!" "I have just the thing," Dude smiles. "Iced Passion Tea." It was so good we bought a box for home.
Stop by and have a glass!

Joined a Gym

Friday we joined a local gym. Time to get in shape. It has cardio machines, weight machines and a pool! Yesterday I went to water aerobics. It was fun, but not so easy. An hour straight of exercising in the pool. The water makes it a little easier. The only problem; I still smell like chlorine. Reminds me of when I was a kid. I think I smelled like chlorine every day. - In the summer I mean when we would swim every day. I also signed up for 40 sessions with a personal trainer. Supposed to double your results. Still waiting for her to call. We've been going every day. Toady is men's day so it'll just be riding the bike up front in the "joint" area.
Other stuff going on:
Niki's softball games
mowing the lawn
trying to find a time to visit dad
the bathroom is finished
More softball games
Final count for the wedding

May 1st ~ May Day

Happy May Day Everyone!

In Europe, the day (May 1) for traditional springtime celebrations. It probably originated in pre-Christian agricultural rituals. Celebrations included a May king and queen, a Maypole, and people carrying trees, green branches, or garlands. May Day was designated an international labour day by the International Socialist Congress of 1899, and it remains the standard Labour Day worldwide, with a few exceptions, including Canada and the U.S. A major holiday in the Soviet Union and other communist countries, it was the occasion

for important political demonstrations.

To celebrate May Day, I bought a new bird feeder and some food. Suet for the Woodpeckers & Jays. Oilers like my dad gets for up north for the other birdies. Also, need to move the Bluebird house, because we parked the trailer in the way by mistake. I hope Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird Esquire take residence again this year.

Got...

A new digital scale
a new diabetic cookbook
some dried green peas (to make pea soup)
some butter beans
a sore neck from being on the computer so much
some salmon and grilled it
to make another pot of ww cabbage soup
to finish my laundry
to exercise more

Waiting

For the rain to stop~
for Sarah to finish painting the bathroom~
To quit thinking about food~
to drop a clothes size~

Things To Be Thankful For

Some things I have been thankful for lately:

• a clean mammogram
• warm weather
• dropping blood sugars
• a steady income
• good friends
• only 1 more month til the wedding :-)

Projects around the house:

Repainting the bathroom - yes again

Putting in a medium size garden; getting the soil ready & choosing what to plant

Went to Bordine's and bought some new herbs for my herb garden

I Learned Something new Today

I learned that not all carbs are processed the same in my body. I need to check the GI, or Glycemic Index.
What is the Glycemic Index?
Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal, in fact they behave quite differently in our bodies. The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Choosing low GI carbs - the ones that produce onWhat are the Benefits of the Glycemic Index?
Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary. Switching to eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals.
Low GI diets help people lose and control weight
Low GI diets increase the body's sensitivity to insulin
Low GI carbs improve diabetes control
Low GI carbs reduce the risk of heart disease
Low GI carbs reduce blood cholesterol levels
Low GI carbs can help you manage the symptoms of PCOS
Low GI carbs reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
Low GI carbs prolong physical endurance
High GI carbs help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise ly small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels - is the secret to long-term health reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and is the key to sustainable weight loss.

Low GI Foods are less than 55 on the GI chart. I went to the following web page to check out low GI foods . http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/lowglycemicfoodlist.htm So now I have a new challenge. ~ cooking with foods that are low GI.
Why all the buzz about all this? I went to the Dr. and my blood sugars are sky high. I'm now considered high risk for heart disease. So I'm trying to change my habits. I see I have messed up pretty bad. Even with the new meds my sugars are only S-l-o-w-l-y going down. Let's see if the low GI foods make a difference. Back to the ole grocery store.

Movie/Book Review

Marley and Me
The book was so good that I'm not a good source to comment on the movie. I don't like Owen Wilson, so that also made it difficult. And Jennifer Aniston, well again not my favorite. The book was excellent. Anyone who has or had a dog should read the book. Definitely better than the movie.

I am happy to report that my changing lifestyle is going well. Getting lots of exercise and have significantly changed my eating habits to follow the diabetic plan. Trying to make new and yummy recipes. Tonight will be a good night to make my new recipe for Black Bean Soup. Having that with quesadillas.

It's Raining It's Pouring

We are supposed to have rain for the next 3 days.

Top ten things to do on a rainy day:

1. Read a good book

2. Extra cleaning around the house

3. Cook something, simply deliciouso

4. Catch up on your laundry.

5. Play computer games

6. Do a couple scrapbook pages

7. Take a nap

8. Paint a room in your house

9. Do your exercising on the Wii

10. Play board games

Weight Watchers Cabbage Soup - My Version

I made a pot today! Yum. Love to eat it with a sandwich for lunch. It's a good way to get all your veggies in. Even Renee liked it. First timer.

2 c. cabbage, sliced fine
1 c. celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper
1/4 onion chopped
1 large can c. V-8 juice or tomato
1 c. water
1 or 2 bouillon cubes, beef
2 tbsp. lemon juice
splash hot sauce
1 Tlbs Worchester sauce
2-4 tsp. Equal sweetener (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a large kettle and cook until vegetables are tender but not overcooked.

The Eating Well Blog Part II

It's been requested of me to post the diabetic diet plan. This is for 1200 - 1400 calories. In order to follow this properly you need a diabetic or a food exchange list.
Carbs: 45 at each meal and 15 for each of 1 or 2 snacks
Meats: 4 - 6 exchanges - basically ounces
Fruits - 2 counts towards the carbs group
Milks - 2 counts towards the carbs groun
Veg. - 3 - 5 servings of non-starchy
The exchange list can be found at: http://www.diabetessymptom.net/news/news_item.cfm?NewsID=54
I'll be starting this in full force today.

Medications and Medications

Dr. called to see him to chat about my blood test results. Not so good. My sugar is sky high. Upped one med. and added another. My cholesterol is up. New med. I have a new vitamin deficiency, (D) gotta take that now. Back to "sticking" to the diabetic diet and exercise. Yikes. Gonna go drag out the diabetes eating guide.
Anyway, on the bright side, I'm taking my little sister Felicity out for dinner tonight. That should be fun. She is quite a talker.