Monday, December 06, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Yummm,
This sounds really good. Guess I will have to add it to the to try list. Not really a low carb recipe so it won't help me meet my New Year goals but it still looks worth trying :)
2010 Book Challenge Update 3
Dragondreamer's Lair is hosting a book challenge again this year. I set my goal at 40 books since last year I exceeded my goal of 35. I keep track of my books at Goodreads.com and there is a widget in my sidebar that shows my recently read books.
Finding it harder to meet my goal this year but there are still a few weeks left ;)
2010 Read List
1. Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
2. The Good Sister by Diana Diamond
3. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
4. Prevention's Sugar Solution
5. The Pursuit of Other Interests by Jim Kokoris
6. The Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure
7. Now or Never: Why we must act now to end climate change and create a sustainable future by Tim Flannery
8. Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
9. The IHOP Papers by Ali Liebegott
10. Chest Pains: A Novel by Janet Nichols Lynch
11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
12. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
13. Jemima J by Jane Green
14. Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth
15. Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy
16. Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips
17. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
18. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
19. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
20. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Finding it harder to meet my goal this year but there are still a few weeks left ;)
2010 Read List
1. Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
2. The Good Sister by Diana Diamond
3. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
4. Prevention's Sugar Solution
5. The Pursuit of Other Interests by Jim Kokoris
6. The Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure
7. Now or Never: Why we must act now to end climate change and create a sustainable future by Tim Flannery
8. Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
9. The IHOP Papers by Ali Liebegott
10. Chest Pains: A Novel by Janet Nichols Lynch
11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
12. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
13. Jemima J by Jane Green
14. Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth
15. Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy
16. Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips
17. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
18. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
19. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
20. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
It never fails that when we are on a downward spiral and things start looking up again, something else comes up. DH is not recovering very well from his appendectomy. He is having an issue with pain and a lump in an incision. He may also be dealing with some other issues but he is very uncomfortable all the way around. I went and got my mammo done. Since I was there I figured I might as well do a wrist mri too... oh wait, it was the other way around :P I see the hand doctor on Friday to get the results as I am still in as much and usually more pain as I was when DH first pushed me out of bed in July. I'm sure that so much driving and typing hasn't helped so I have been trying to reduce my nonwork computer time but that isn't always possible.
Trying to be thankful about all the little things and trying to not freak out about all the bills that are coming in for medical issues and car repairs. It just makes me want to try to find a different job even though we are busy. At least then we might have a steady income instead of never knowing what is going to be coming in each month. I'm honestly tired of worrying about it even as I had to authorize $800 in repairs on my car today and that is before the brakes are replaced :( It has to get better right? There has to be an upswing on this at some point. I firmly believe that.
Trying to be thankful about all the little things and trying to not freak out about all the bills that are coming in for medical issues and car repairs. It just makes me want to try to find a different job even though we are busy. At least then we might have a steady income instead of never knowing what is going to be coming in each month. I'm honestly tired of worrying about it even as I had to authorize $800 in repairs on my car today and that is before the brakes are replaced :( It has to get better right? There has to be an upswing on this at some point. I firmly believe that.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Things are returning to normal around here.
DH drove himself to/from work the past two days and worked almost a full day yesterday so he is feeling better. I'm still a bit behind on work but if I play catch up this weekend I should be able to knock it all out and gain a bit on the week ahead.
The car did end up just being the radiator so less than $500. We can handle that. It sounded a lot worse at the time and thankfully the coolant had just evaporated instead of backflowing into the engine system. The hospital bill isn't as pleasant but at least my bill from July ended up being paid with just our copay that we already took care of so that is good. Now, if only I had realized what this could be, we could have just had a $150 bill as well for him or at least for most of it. Oh well.
Still working on weight loss. I have changed things up for the next few weeks just to figure out if I can get out of this 5lb range I have been stuck in.
I am supposed to go to a book group meetup on Tuesday and well, I just started the book this morning. Hopefully I will be able to get most of it read this weekend as I have really wanted to read The Glass Castle for awhile.
Have an awesome weekend!
The car did end up just being the radiator so less than $500. We can handle that. It sounded a lot worse at the time and thankfully the coolant had just evaporated instead of backflowing into the engine system. The hospital bill isn't as pleasant but at least my bill from July ended up being paid with just our copay that we already took care of so that is good. Now, if only I had realized what this could be, we could have just had a $150 bill as well for him or at least for most of it. Oh well.
Still working on weight loss. I have changed things up for the next few weeks just to figure out if I can get out of this 5lb range I have been stuck in.
I am supposed to go to a book group meetup on Tuesday and well, I just started the book this morning. Hopefully I will be able to get most of it read this weekend as I have really wanted to read The Glass Castle for awhile.
Have an awesome weekend!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Well....
I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I am just so very tired. The last two months have been crazy with work and the past few weeks have been drama filled at home. My DH had an appendectomy. Glad that it was only that and he was home 24 hours after surgery. He spent less than 47.5 hours in the hospital so that is good but it is going to hurt the family building budget. His car took a turn yesterday and basically blew up. Well, hopefully it is just the radiator but who knows. We won't know for a few days. I had driven us in the broken car to the shop just for a code check on the check engine light when we noticed that it was overheating. When we got to the shop we weren't able to drive it home. Not totally comfortable with that because this is a new to us shop but they are super busy so hopefully that means they are good and reasonable. They will be working on it as they can fit it in but their next appointment wasn't until next Monday. I hope that they have an answer for us before then but if they don't... oh well. What really peeves me is that the warranty ran out 2 weeks ago and it was just at the dealer a few weeks ago for a check up. GRRRR. But bonus... I was able to walk the 1.75 miles home in about 30 minutes to get the other car so that I could pick up DH. He can barely walk the block we live on let alone that distance right now.
Okay, today is supposed to be a new day with a new 'tude so I'm letting it go. But it is hard to let it go when every penny spent means the more likely we will just be a family of two forever.
Okay, today is supposed to be a new day with a new 'tude so I'm letting it go. But it is hard to let it go when every penny spent means the more likely we will just be a family of two forever.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Goals for September
I have been stuck in the same 3lb range since June but possibly May.
Goals for September:
* Finally break into the 240’s permanently
* Continue working on Halloween challenge goals
* Take at least 4 complete days off of work
Week 1 of my Halloween challenge goals went well. I'm struggling with meeting the exercise minutes for this week as I need another 75 in 2 days to get it. But when I break that down now looking at it it is less than 45 minutes each day. If I go to Zumba class tonight I will be close to there and if I go to the gym tomorrow as planned I will probably exceed it. I can do this. I just need to make the time to.
Goals for September:
* Finally break into the 240’s permanently
* Continue working on Halloween challenge goals
* Take at least 4 complete days off of work
Week 1 of my Halloween challenge goals went well. I'm struggling with meeting the exercise minutes for this week as I need another 75 in 2 days to get it. But when I break that down now looking at it it is less than 45 minutes each day. If I go to Zumba class tonight I will be close to there and if I go to the gym tomorrow as planned I will probably exceed it. I can do this. I just need to make the time to.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
2010 Book Challenge Update 2
Dragondreamer's Lair is hosting a book challenge again this year. I set my goal at 40 books since last year I exceeded my goal of 35. I keep track of my books at Goodreads.com and there is a widget in my sidebar that shows my recently read books.
2010 Read List
1. Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
2. The Good Sister by Diana Diamond
3. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
4. Prevention's Sugar Solution
5. The Pursuit of Other Interests by Jim Kokoris
6. The Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure
7. Now or Never: Why we must act now to end climate change and create a sustainable future by Tim Flannery
8. Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
9. The IHOP Papers by Ali Liebegott
10. Chest Pains: A Novel by Janet Nichols Lynch
11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
12. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
13. Jemima J by Jane Green
14. Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth
15. Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy
2010 Read List
1. Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
2. The Good Sister by Diana Diamond
3. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
4. Prevention's Sugar Solution
5. The Pursuit of Other Interests by Jim Kokoris
6. The Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure
7. Now or Never: Why we must act now to end climate change and create a sustainable future by Tim Flannery
8. Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
9. The IHOP Papers by Ali Liebegott
10. Chest Pains: A Novel by Janet Nichols Lynch
11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
12. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
13. Jemima J by Jane Green
14. Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth
15. Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy
Friday, August 20, 2010
Halloween Challenge
I am challenging myself to meet the following goals by Halloween.
1. Increase exercise minutes by 15 min per week until reach 240 or the end of the challenge whichever comes first. I missed my 90 min goal for this week by 2 minutes so that is my first goal for the upcoming week.
2. Track carbs at least 4 days per week. Yesterday was the first day that I tracked in well over a month. I came in well within the acceptable range but my calories were low.
3. Because my journey isn't only about weight I am going to tackle the two most annoying things in our house right now. The master bedroom closet and the mountain of work paperwork.
Should pose for an interesting challenge. I will be posting updates on my weightloss blog.
1. Increase exercise minutes by 15 min per week until reach 240 or the end of the challenge whichever comes first. I missed my 90 min goal for this week by 2 minutes so that is my first goal for the upcoming week.
2. Track carbs at least 4 days per week. Yesterday was the first day that I tracked in well over a month. I came in well within the acceptable range but my calories were low.
3. Because my journey isn't only about weight I am going to tackle the two most annoying things in our house right now. The master bedroom closet and the mountain of work paperwork.
Should pose for an interesting challenge. I will be posting updates on my weightloss blog.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Wowzas it has been awhile...
I am still around. Still reading blogs here and there but have been more addicted to Facebook again. I have stopped playing games on there so my reading is primarily just going to be through my phone from now on. That should curb some of the obsession :P
It has been a crazy few months/weeks. Not quite sure why since my work numbers are not that high but things take a lot longer to complete these days. The house is still in need of painting and a good cleaning. Oh well, not going to fret about it. We are still running up to see my MIL about every 2 or 3 weeks though and two of those trips have been during workdays for me so I think that is part of the issue. I had a nice chat with her and she knows that it isn't the easiest thing for us to come and visit all the time. Unfortunately we are the only ones that she can rely on to regularly be available to her so I think that adds to the frustration. My BIL finally went up there again (he hasn't been there since Mother's Day) and he stayed for a total of about 18 hours. I sort of broached the subject that she might want to find a service to do her grocery shopping on the weeks that we can't be there but that didn't go over too well. If she lived closer we could just place a delivery order for her online and there wouldn't be any worries at all if she couldn't get to the store. I am really hoping that when my SIL comes for a visit that they will take a trip on the paratransit bus with her so that she can be more comfortable with riding it, however, it still won't work for grocery shopping since she would need to carry all of her own parcels.
After the initial visit with my ob/gyn I have been able to get my BP controlled on a safe medication but that is about it. DH hasn't arranged for his SA. We were hoping to find out that the state mandate laws would kick in for us but unfortunately there are not enough people enrolled in his company's insurance program for that coverage so we are self pay all the way. The money that had been put aside for treatments/adoptions won't be sufficient and with the lack of work for me this year until recently we are very nervous to use that bit of cushion we do have. Our nestegg has definitely shrunk over the past 18 months and now they are talking about pay cuts at DH's office. So we are back in limbo where we aren't doing anything about it and money is the reason. I hate this place. I was contemplating getting a second job but again, just as I started to look around things picked up again so all I can hope for is that the work continues to roll in for the rest of the year. I calculated where I am at and my income is only at 2/3 of where it should be right now. Actually it is between 1/2 and 2/3 of what it was last year and last year was a low year for me.
Weight wise I am still plugging along. The doctor's official record states that I lost 14lbs since the beginning of the year... my record is more like 18 but so be it. It still isn't the dramatic numbers that most people would be achieving but it is still going in the right direction so yay for that. I am still attending my in person support group though not as regularly as work as picked up. There was some drama and I really don't want to be a part of that so I think that shaded my thoughts as well about the group. They are looking at starting fresh so we shall see what happens. I haven't been to the gym in forever... sore subject and still mad at DH about that decision because he hasn't been there either. My endo appointment went so-so. He was but wasn't happy that I lost 14lbs. He felt that if I was doing what he said it should have been more but he also thinks I should only eat green veggies and meat. No other food items. Ya...HELL no to that suggestion. He also thinks watermelon is bad so pffftt. I so failed at the summer challenge though. Right now I am working on getting my exercise back up to 180 minutes a week which needed improvement when it was at that level but I am working on 90 minutes for this week. Of course I hurt my ankle again so slowly but surely.
So not a stellar summer but I'm am not sitting in the dark crying either so yay for that.
Now, time to figure out what to make for dinner. I have at least one new recipe on the list for the week so if we like it I will share it when done.
It has been a crazy few months/weeks. Not quite sure why since my work numbers are not that high but things take a lot longer to complete these days. The house is still in need of painting and a good cleaning. Oh well, not going to fret about it. We are still running up to see my MIL about every 2 or 3 weeks though and two of those trips have been during workdays for me so I think that is part of the issue. I had a nice chat with her and she knows that it isn't the easiest thing for us to come and visit all the time. Unfortunately we are the only ones that she can rely on to regularly be available to her so I think that adds to the frustration. My BIL finally went up there again (he hasn't been there since Mother's Day) and he stayed for a total of about 18 hours. I sort of broached the subject that she might want to find a service to do her grocery shopping on the weeks that we can't be there but that didn't go over too well. If she lived closer we could just place a delivery order for her online and there wouldn't be any worries at all if she couldn't get to the store. I am really hoping that when my SIL comes for a visit that they will take a trip on the paratransit bus with her so that she can be more comfortable with riding it, however, it still won't work for grocery shopping since she would need to carry all of her own parcels.
After the initial visit with my ob/gyn I have been able to get my BP controlled on a safe medication but that is about it. DH hasn't arranged for his SA. We were hoping to find out that the state mandate laws would kick in for us but unfortunately there are not enough people enrolled in his company's insurance program for that coverage so we are self pay all the way. The money that had been put aside for treatments/adoptions won't be sufficient and with the lack of work for me this year until recently we are very nervous to use that bit of cushion we do have. Our nestegg has definitely shrunk over the past 18 months and now they are talking about pay cuts at DH's office. So we are back in limbo where we aren't doing anything about it and money is the reason. I hate this place. I was contemplating getting a second job but again, just as I started to look around things picked up again so all I can hope for is that the work continues to roll in for the rest of the year. I calculated where I am at and my income is only at 2/3 of where it should be right now. Actually it is between 1/2 and 2/3 of what it was last year and last year was a low year for me.
Weight wise I am still plugging along. The doctor's official record states that I lost 14lbs since the beginning of the year... my record is more like 18 but so be it. It still isn't the dramatic numbers that most people would be achieving but it is still going in the right direction so yay for that. I am still attending my in person support group though not as regularly as work as picked up. There was some drama and I really don't want to be a part of that so I think that shaded my thoughts as well about the group. They are looking at starting fresh so we shall see what happens. I haven't been to the gym in forever... sore subject and still mad at DH about that decision because he hasn't been there either. My endo appointment went so-so. He was but wasn't happy that I lost 14lbs. He felt that if I was doing what he said it should have been more but he also thinks I should only eat green veggies and meat. No other food items. Ya...HELL no to that suggestion. He also thinks watermelon is bad so pffftt. I so failed at the summer challenge though. Right now I am working on getting my exercise back up to 180 minutes a week which needed improvement when it was at that level but I am working on 90 minutes for this week. Of course I hurt my ankle again so slowly but surely.
So not a stellar summer but I'm am not sitting in the dark crying either so yay for that.
Now, time to figure out what to make for dinner. I have at least one new recipe on the list for the week so if we like it I will share it when done.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Summer Slimmin Update
The update is over here. On some blogs I can't post the other url so in case you got pointed back here, head over there.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Doctor Update...
Guess I just forgot to update after my appointment. Sheeeshh. Sorry.
My ob/gyn said that my HBP meds needed to be changed now. I am supposed to be regulated on the new med for 60 days and start taking a prenatal vitamin. Once I have been regulated 60 days I need to schedule a consultation with her to set up the plan. My DH needs to get his SA repeated since it has been awhile and he is in charge of figuring out how to get that done. So far there hasn't been any movement from him but we have been dealing with the anniversary of his father's accident along with getting ready for vacation. Plus, I go into my GP on the 15th to find out if he thinks this dose of meds is working or not. My bp hasn't been running too high but it also isn't as good as it was. Hopefully it will settle down a bit. The new med is supposed to reduce my pulse and that is not working yet either so who knows...
That's what I know. She was very open to trying things out which is different than the last time I talked to her about it.
My ob/gyn said that my HBP meds needed to be changed now. I am supposed to be regulated on the new med for 60 days and start taking a prenatal vitamin. Once I have been regulated 60 days I need to schedule a consultation with her to set up the plan. My DH needs to get his SA repeated since it has been awhile and he is in charge of figuring out how to get that done. So far there hasn't been any movement from him but we have been dealing with the anniversary of his father's accident along with getting ready for vacation. Plus, I go into my GP on the 15th to find out if he thinks this dose of meds is working or not. My bp hasn't been running too high but it also isn't as good as it was. Hopefully it will settle down a bit. The new med is supposed to reduce my pulse and that is not working yet either so who knows...
That's what I know. She was very open to trying things out which is different than the last time I talked to her about it.
Summer Challenge
Details on what I am pledging to work on this summer are located over here
I can't seem to get the images right... bear with my technical ineptness please :)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Wednesday Morning....
Tomorrow morning I face the ob/gyn. I will have to find the courage to ask her about the clomid/femera experiment. Not sure that this is the best time to start it but I'm sick of being in limbo about everything. Either it will make my ovaries work or it won't. I haven't met my weightloss goal and of course today I had a bit of a food meltdown but I still have 2 months to meet it.
We shall see what she has to say.....
We shall see what she has to say.....
Friday, May 14, 2010
On again, Off again...
I have been purposely avoiding some feelings. I haven't posted because right now I feel so rejected that why bother. Apparently we have been rejected by the organization to adopt a greyhound. Right now, we haven't even been able to get them to return our calls so that we can find out if it is just over the condition of the house or something that could be fixed. I am so confused. She asked us to put the railing back up and we are working on that... it can be done at a moment's notice and would have been if they had called with another dog to meet but since they haven't we have been waiting for the weather to clear so that we can strip it and repaint it. My husband won't work on it in the garage even with drop clothes down because he is worried that the cat might get out there and somehow be impacted by the chemical stripper. Annoying but he has a point I guess since the cat does sneak out there occasionally. The house, it definitely needs painting. If I had been thinking that they would be that judgmental I would have mentioned that we are painting now. It should have been done already but we were sick in April and with running to my MIL's every other weekend basically it doesn't give us much time. Of course, I should have been doing it when we were slow at work but I really didn't want to paint when the windows couldn't be opened because of my asthma. The fence was fine according to the other person but it does need to be repainted. We are opting to replace the top bar instead because some of the caps need to be replaced anyhow. I called one contractor but he hasn't called back. Well, I should say he finally called back after a week and didn't leave a message so I didn't call him back yet.
So obviously, yes the house needs some work but we were in process of doing that. We should have thought ahead and waited until the spring to apply apparently. My question is though... since we are not even good enough to adopt a dog, how the hell are we ever going to be good enough to be selected as parents? Yep, that's my conclusion too... we won't be. What is the point? Seriously... why bother?
So obviously, yes the house needs some work but we were in process of doing that. We should have thought ahead and waited until the spring to apply apparently. My question is though... since we are not even good enough to adopt a dog, how the hell are we ever going to be good enough to be selected as parents? Yep, that's my conclusion too... we won't be. What is the point? Seriously... why bother?
Sunday, April 25, 2010
One Word Meme
You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.
No.
Explanations.
Not as easy as you might think…
1. Yourself: Tired
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend [husband, actually] : Gaming
3. Your hair: Frizzy
4. Your mother/stepmother: Home
5. Your dog: None
6. Your favorite item: Pink
7. Your dream last night: Nothing
8. Your favorite drink: Tea
9. Your dream car: Unsure
10. The room you are in: Living-room.
12. Your fear: Rejected
13. What you want to be in 10 years: Mom
14. Who you hung out with last night: Marty
15. What you’re not: Fertile
16. Muffin: Marionberry
17: One of your wish list items: Painting
18: Time: Bed.
19. The last thing you did: Cook
20. What you are wearing: PJ's
21. Your favorite weather: Breezy
22. Your favorite book: Unknown
23. The last thing you ate: Dinner
24. Your life: Different
25. Your mood: Defeated
26. Your best friend(s): Happy
27. What are you thinking about right now? Bed
28. Your car: Dirty
29. What are you doing at the moment?: Typing
30. Your summer: Seattle
31. Your relationship status: Married
32. What is on your TV?: Lifetime
33. What is the weather like?: Rainy
34. When is the last time you laughed?: Earlier
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.
No.
Explanations.
Not as easy as you might think…
1. Yourself: Tired
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend [husband, actually] : Gaming
3. Your hair: Frizzy
4. Your mother/stepmother: Home
5. Your dog: None
6. Your favorite item: Pink
7. Your dream last night: Nothing
8. Your favorite drink: Tea
9. Your dream car: Unsure
10. The room you are in: Living-room.
12. Your fear: Rejected
13. What you want to be in 10 years: Mom
14. Who you hung out with last night: Marty
15. What you’re not: Fertile
16. Muffin: Marionberry
17: One of your wish list items: Painting
18: Time: Bed.
19. The last thing you did: Cook
20. What you are wearing: PJ's
21. Your favorite weather: Breezy
22. Your favorite book: Unknown
23. The last thing you ate: Dinner
24. Your life: Different
25. Your mood: Defeated
26. Your best friend(s): Happy
27. What are you thinking about right now? Bed
28. Your car: Dirty
29. What are you doing at the moment?: Typing
30. Your summer: Seattle
31. Your relationship status: Married
32. What is on your TV?: Lifetime
33. What is the weather like?: Rainy
34. When is the last time you laughed?: Earlier
Thursday, April 08, 2010
2010 Book Challenge
Dragondreamer's Lair is hosting a book challenge again this year. I set my goal at 40 books since last year I exceeded my goal of 35. I keep track of my books at Goodreads.com and there is a widget in my sidebar that shows my recently read books (not only 2010).
2010 Read List
1. Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
2. The Good Sister by Diana Diamond
3. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
4. Prevention's Sugar Solution
5. The Pursuit of Other Interests by Jim Kokoris
6. The Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure
7. Now or Never: Why we must act now to end climate change and create a sustainable future by Tim Flannery
2010 Read List
1. Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
2. The Good Sister by Diana Diamond
3. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
4. Prevention's Sugar Solution
5. The Pursuit of Other Interests by Jim Kokoris
6. The Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure
7. Now or Never: Why we must act now to end climate change and create a sustainable future by Tim Flannery
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Today...
is the first day of spring yet there is ucky white stuff on my lawn. The last few days have felt more like spring then today does. I hope that this batch of wintery gloom doesn't kill off the budding flowers throughout our area.
Today I have a "Tips and Toes" party where I will be refusing to have anyone touch my feet... no Thank you! Brownies are in the oven and I just made some in a mini muffin pan to bring with me. This party has been frustrating for a lot of reasons but hopefully it turns out well.
Work has picked up slightly and there is a potential for a lot more work due to someone else being offered a staff position so their regular work will hopefully fall to me. I still have some qualms about continuing but I think that for the next several months there will definitely be a lot of adjusting going on so hopefully I will be able to find my niche.
I am really enjoying my support group. Even though at times I wonder just how I will fit in to the group but for the most part it is a good experience for me. I have reached out and joined a few other meetup groups but I don't know what I am going to do with them. One of them is a local book group that has monthly meetings and 50 members but the meetings only have 15 slots so I don't really understand how that works out. Most likely because not everyone is interested in the same books. I sent a message to a leader of another book group to find out when they meet because the book group at my local library meets the same time as my weight loss support group and well... not going to lie, it is a bunch of old people. I have been to the library when they are in session there wasn't anyone under 45 in the room with the majority over 65. There is an afternoon session but I peeked it at that one too and it is mostly really senior citizen women. Not that this is bad by any means, it just isn't what I am looking for right now. I am hoping to find a group that is either very diverse or is more a group of women in their late 20's to early 40's.
Still no dog and I am debating on if I should call or not. It has clearly been over a month and now I am worried that they think we aren't interested. I wish that the woman had email as it would be so much easier than taking the time to call which seems like harassing... even though I know it is not that. Their paperwork is covered with the advice to be patient but we are just at 12 weeks out and that was their longest lead time.
Happy First Day of Spring...
Today I have a "Tips and Toes" party where I will be refusing to have anyone touch my feet... no Thank you! Brownies are in the oven and I just made some in a mini muffin pan to bring with me. This party has been frustrating for a lot of reasons but hopefully it turns out well.
Work has picked up slightly and there is a potential for a lot more work due to someone else being offered a staff position so their regular work will hopefully fall to me. I still have some qualms about continuing but I think that for the next several months there will definitely be a lot of adjusting going on so hopefully I will be able to find my niche.
I am really enjoying my support group. Even though at times I wonder just how I will fit in to the group but for the most part it is a good experience for me. I have reached out and joined a few other meetup groups but I don't know what I am going to do with them. One of them is a local book group that has monthly meetings and 50 members but the meetings only have 15 slots so I don't really understand how that works out. Most likely because not everyone is interested in the same books. I sent a message to a leader of another book group to find out when they meet because the book group at my local library meets the same time as my weight loss support group and well... not going to lie, it is a bunch of old people. I have been to the library when they are in session there wasn't anyone under 45 in the room with the majority over 65. There is an afternoon session but I peeked it at that one too and it is mostly really senior citizen women. Not that this is bad by any means, it just isn't what I am looking for right now. I am hoping to find a group that is either very diverse or is more a group of women in their late 20's to early 40's.
Still no dog and I am debating on if I should call or not. It has clearly been over a month and now I am worried that they think we aren't interested. I wish that the woman had email as it would be so much easier than taking the time to call which seems like harassing... even though I know it is not that. Their paperwork is covered with the advice to be patient but we are just at 12 weeks out and that was their longest lead time.
Happy First Day of Spring...
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Yikes... time is slipping by...
I haven't really been blogging on my weightloss blog either except for weigh-ins. Guess just not in that place at the moment.
Things are going well. I like my support group and am trying to reach out to build friendships with the other members. Some successful...some not so much. I have become more active on Sparkpeople instead of fitday. Part of that was the phone application that is free and part of that was a cleansing process. I have deleted most of my old entries on my weight loss blog about failure and what didn't work before. This journey is different. It needs to have a different ending so it needs a different route. I even locked myself out of my fitday account so that I can't go back and mull over what might have been or what I did before. This has actually helped me to focus on today and not yesterday.
Still no dog in our house. Not sure what is going on... I hope they didn't decide that we weren't a good prospect. I guess I will just follow up when it has been a month but I am not sure what to do.
We have a family Corn beef and Cabbage dinner tomorrow. Early because of some other commitments and events throughout the month. Should be interesting. I am actually going to attempt to make Irish soda bread but haven't decided what recipe I am going to follow.
I have jumped upon the Greek yogurt bandwagon but do not like the Fage 2%. I didn't grab any of the Fage 0% because I found the new Yoplait Greek at a much lower price and it doesn't have HFCS like their other products.
Other than that, DH has been in a bit of a funk. I think partly to do with his brother not really helping out much with his mom and that we have started clearing out the basement of his dads things. He seems to be really interested in planting a garden this year so we are trying to determine the best spot. The previous owners had put it right in line with all the utility wires and everything so not sure that is the best bet but I want it up closer to the house I think. I don't trust the neighbor kids.............
Happy Saturday!
Things are going well. I like my support group and am trying to reach out to build friendships with the other members. Some successful...some not so much. I have become more active on Sparkpeople instead of fitday. Part of that was the phone application that is free and part of that was a cleansing process. I have deleted most of my old entries on my weight loss blog about failure and what didn't work before. This journey is different. It needs to have a different ending so it needs a different route. I even locked myself out of my fitday account so that I can't go back and mull over what might have been or what I did before. This has actually helped me to focus on today and not yesterday.
Still no dog in our house. Not sure what is going on... I hope they didn't decide that we weren't a good prospect. I guess I will just follow up when it has been a month but I am not sure what to do.
We have a family Corn beef and Cabbage dinner tomorrow. Early because of some other commitments and events throughout the month. Should be interesting. I am actually going to attempt to make Irish soda bread but haven't decided what recipe I am going to follow.
I have jumped upon the Greek yogurt bandwagon but do not like the Fage 2%. I didn't grab any of the Fage 0% because I found the new Yoplait Greek at a much lower price and it doesn't have HFCS like their other products.
Other than that, DH has been in a bit of a funk. I think partly to do with his brother not really helping out much with his mom and that we have started clearing out the basement of his dads things. He seems to be really interested in planting a garden this year so we are trying to determine the best spot. The previous owners had put it right in line with all the utility wires and everything so not sure that is the best bet but I want it up closer to the house I think. I don't trust the neighbor kids.............
Happy Saturday!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Better... but No.
So, time has gotten away from me. The second Greyhound was a better match than the first but not a good one for us. She probably will need to be placed in a home with another dog. She was almost depressed just being here. But on the good side, the adoption coordinator learned more about what we want and our cat was much more tolerant of this dog. He even went upstairs and relaxed in one of his fave spots after awhile. He did hiss at the dog but no more of the incessant howling and growling just because the dog was in the house. Now we just wait for another cat friendly dog that may be a match.
My husband got us tickets to see Sandra Bernhard for my birthday. I was worried that she was going to be over the top raunchy but she wasn't at all. The show was good but at the same time... I knew we were sitting there for an hour and half. So... good but not great. We ended up going to a RR tasty travels place for dinner that was not planned. I had wanted lasagna but ended up with soup instead. Es ok... it was good and we had a late lunch so lasagna would have made me uncomfortable during the show. However, after the show we walked down to a tea shop and split a chocolate croissant. I love tea and to spend some time in a tea shop on my birthday was just lovely. It was a modern tea shop more like a Starbucks but for tea and that was still just fine with me :P We had driven downtown so on the way back, I got to enjoy the night skyline and convince my DH to go bowling. Yes, we spent an hour cosmic bowling and it was fun. Expensive, but fun. I lost and didn't even care :P
We have decided that even if I don't meet my weight goal for our anniversary (though I am really trying this time) we will still reopen the discussion on pursuing medical assistance. I know that people tend to say that there comes a time when your limits change and that may well be the case. I just know that I still need to work on my weight regardless of the decision we make in July.
Happy Monday!
My husband got us tickets to see Sandra Bernhard for my birthday. I was worried that she was going to be over the top raunchy but she wasn't at all. The show was good but at the same time... I knew we were sitting there for an hour and half. So... good but not great. We ended up going to a RR tasty travels place for dinner that was not planned. I had wanted lasagna but ended up with soup instead. Es ok... it was good and we had a late lunch so lasagna would have made me uncomfortable during the show. However, after the show we walked down to a tea shop and split a chocolate croissant. I love tea and to spend some time in a tea shop on my birthday was just lovely. It was a modern tea shop more like a Starbucks but for tea and that was still just fine with me :P We had driven downtown so on the way back, I got to enjoy the night skyline and convince my DH to go bowling. Yes, we spent an hour cosmic bowling and it was fun. Expensive, but fun. I lost and didn't even care :P
We have decided that even if I don't meet my weight goal for our anniversary (though I am really trying this time) we will still reopen the discussion on pursuing medical assistance. I know that people tend to say that there comes a time when your limits change and that may well be the case. I just know that I still need to work on my weight regardless of the decision we make in July.
Happy Monday!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Greyt Adventures
So we have met one Greyhound who was not a good match for us. Tomorrow, my birthday, we will meet another who sounds like a good match. She is already living with a cat who hisses at her so that won't be an issue and she likes to be loved on. She walks well on a leash as long as there is a short lead and since retractable leashes are a no-no with greyhounds that shouldn't be an issue. They are anticpating leaving her here tomorrow night but we aren't comfortable with that as we don't have everything ready. Since we were told the process could take up to 12 weeks, we didn't run out and buy food or bowls or anything. We do have a dog bed for her though :P
So.... that is all I know, by this time next week we might just have had our dog for a few days :P
So.... that is all I know, by this time next week we might just have had our dog for a few days :P
Monday, February 01, 2010
ATTN FACEBOOK USERS
Please vote for my GodDaughter... Yes, it is a jokey picture but she is so cute she should win :P
Yes, I'm Biased :P
Yes, I'm Biased :P
January Recap
So WOW! The first month of the year has flown by and I haven't really worked much so I must have wasted a ton of time on Facebook and other places online. My last weighin in January shows me as down 7lbs... 25% of my weightloss goal for July. Wow! I only lost 13lbs in 6 months last year. What a difference actually tracking what you are eating makes. I am still a bit light on the calories though so I am sure that it will slow down this month. I found an in person weight loss support group. They seem to be a really nice bunch of people and I went to a cooking event yesterday. I ended up spending a whole lot more time there than planned. Yesterday we also got the call to arrange the meeting of the Greyhound our agency thinks might be a good match. We will meet her on Election Day night!
So all in all, it has been a slightly frustrating month in terms of somethings but right now my focus is just getting down to my 1st goal weight and January was a successful month for that.
So all in all, it has been a slightly frustrating month in terms of somethings but right now my focus is just getting down to my 1st goal weight and January was a successful month for that.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Toyota Recall
I am having a rough time with this recall. When it first came out the thoughts were there but eh, no it couldn't of been the cause of my FIL's accident. Then the recall was widened. Now, they have suspended sales of the vehicles involved. No matter if his accident was related to his accelerator sticking... he was still killed and is no longer here. Even if his accelerator stuck he has some fault in the accident if he chose to turn instead of continue straight or veer off the road ahead past into the field. So no matter... he still had a lapse in judgment on how to handle the situation. Or did he? We don't know what he saw in front of him.
Toyota says that it is "more likely to occur with wear and tear" but that it is not certain that the vehicle has been driven for awhile. He had a 2010 Camry for less than 90 days when his accident occurred.
I just hate that every time I hear or read something about the recall I start obsessing. I don't know if I will be able to let it go but I guess I am going to be avoiding the radio today. I need to let it go but I don't know how.
Toyota says that it is "more likely to occur with wear and tear" but that it is not certain that the vehicle has been driven for awhile. He had a 2010 Camry for less than 90 days when his accident occurred.
I just hate that every time I hear or read something about the recall I start obsessing. I don't know if I will be able to let it go but I guess I am going to be avoiding the radio today. I need to let it go but I don't know how.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Salad Challenge Final Recap
First three salads were posted here .
Wednesday ended up being a Carnitas Salad from Chipotle but I had corn salsa instead of tomato salsa that day.
Thursday I ended up not eating a salad because I wasn't feeling great.
Friday (01/15) I had a salad of mixed greens with some ground beef and onions on top, some cheddar cheese, a bit of sour cream, and some crushed tortilla chips. My stomach was not feeling all that steady so I didn't use any taco seasoning on my salad. My DH had the ground beef and onions with salsa added to top his salad.
Saturday I skipped out on a salad again due to not feeling so well.
Sunday I had Jason's Deli Marinated Chicken Salad - mixed greens, purple cabbage, 4 cherry tomatoes, some cheddar cheese on some chicken, guacamole, and some crushed tortilla chips on top
Monday (01/18)
Salad with 1 slice deli ham, 1 slice deli chicken, .5 oz swiss cheese, .3 cup purple cabbage, 2 cups mixed greens, 1 serving of crispy onions, .5 cup cucumber, 1 serving of Bountifuls dressing
Tuesday
Salad with 1.5 cups of mixed greens, .3 cup of purple cabbage, 2 servings of croutons, 1 slice of deli ham, 3/4 of a slice of provolone, 3/4 cup of coleslaw, water
Wednesday
Salad with 1.5 cups mixed greens, .3 cup purple cabbage, 3/4 cup coleslaw, 2 slices deli ham, 1 slice provolone cheese,.5 cup cucumber, 2 tbls crispy onions, 2 tbls slivered almonds, toasted,
Thursday
salad with 1.5 cup mixed salad greens, .5 cup purple cabbage, .3 cup cucumber, 1 slice deli ham, half of a small orange, 1.5 servings of crispy onions,
Friday
Salad with mixed greens, 1 slice of provolone cheese, 1 serving of crispy onions, .3 cup purple cabbage,.5 cup of cucumber, 1.5 tbls of hearty Italian dressing
Saturday
Was a simple salad with iceberg lettuce, croutons, carrots, purple cabbage, and balsamic dressing. I forgot to bring cheese to my MIL so I didn't have a protein on this salad.
Sunday
I had the Chicken Bruschetta Salad from a local restaurant. It had mixed greens, purple cabbage, tomato/onion bruschetta topping, parma cheese, chicken, and garlic toasts.
I was going to add two days to the end of the challenge and I ended up eating a small salad yesterday for lunch but it didn't meet the "rules". Tonight I will have a side salad with soup for dinner so that will be 14 salads with the break only for those days that I felt super nasty so overall a success.
Thanks Leng for hosting.
Wednesday ended up being a Carnitas Salad from Chipotle but I had corn salsa instead of tomato salsa that day.
Thursday I ended up not eating a salad because I wasn't feeling great.
Friday (01/15) I had a salad of mixed greens with some ground beef and onions on top, some cheddar cheese, a bit of sour cream, and some crushed tortilla chips. My stomach was not feeling all that steady so I didn't use any taco seasoning on my salad. My DH had the ground beef and onions with salsa added to top his salad.
Saturday I skipped out on a salad again due to not feeling so well.
Sunday I had Jason's Deli Marinated Chicken Salad - mixed greens, purple cabbage, 4 cherry tomatoes, some cheddar cheese on some chicken, guacamole, and some crushed tortilla chips on top
Monday (01/18)
Salad with 1 slice deli ham, 1 slice deli chicken, .5 oz swiss cheese, .3 cup purple cabbage, 2 cups mixed greens, 1 serving of crispy onions, .5 cup cucumber, 1 serving of Bountifuls dressing
Tuesday
Salad with 1.5 cups of mixed greens, .3 cup of purple cabbage, 2 servings of croutons, 1 slice of deli ham, 3/4 of a slice of provolone, 3/4 cup of coleslaw, water
Wednesday
Salad with 1.5 cups mixed greens, .3 cup purple cabbage, 3/4 cup coleslaw, 2 slices deli ham, 1 slice provolone cheese,.5 cup cucumber, 2 tbls crispy onions, 2 tbls slivered almonds, toasted,
Thursday
salad with 1.5 cup mixed salad greens, .5 cup purple cabbage, .3 cup cucumber, 1 slice deli ham, half of a small orange, 1.5 servings of crispy onions,
Friday
Salad with mixed greens, 1 slice of provolone cheese, 1 serving of crispy onions, .3 cup purple cabbage,.5 cup of cucumber, 1.5 tbls of hearty Italian dressing
Saturday
Was a simple salad with iceberg lettuce, croutons, carrots, purple cabbage, and balsamic dressing. I forgot to bring cheese to my MIL so I didn't have a protein on this salad.
Sunday
I had the Chicken Bruschetta Salad from a local restaurant. It had mixed greens, purple cabbage, tomato/onion bruschetta topping, parma cheese, chicken, and garlic toasts.
I was going to add two days to the end of the challenge and I ended up eating a small salad yesterday for lunch but it didn't meet the "rules". Tonight I will have a side salad with soup for dinner so that will be 14 salads with the break only for those days that I felt super nasty so overall a success.
Thanks Leng for hosting.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Mmm... Salad!
I joined a Salad Challenge that started on Sunday. The rules are fairly simple, eat a salad everyday for two weeks that contains at least:
* 2 cups of greens
* an vegetable of another color
* a protein
* a carb (like croutons, rice, etc)
* One additional item that can be a repeat of the ones above
My salads so far:
Sunday:
1 extra large handful of spring mix, 1 serving of garlic crispy onions, .5 oz swiss cheese, 5 baby carrots chopped, 1/4 cup of cauliflower, 1/2 cup of cucumber, 2 tbls of hearty italian bountifuls dressing, 2 slices of roast beef lunchmeat
Monday:
Chipotle Carnitas salad with extra mixed greens added, cheese, mild salsa, black beans, grilled peppers and onions, guacamole, tortilla chips crushed up, 1 sip of cherry pepsi, water
Tuesday:
Stirfry salad–2.5 cups spring mix, 1.25 servings of chicken stirfry (chicken, peapods, broccoli, broccoli slaw, carrots, onions), .25 cup toasted almonds, 2 tbls steamed white rice, water
Wednesday:
Tonights salad will be taco salad with ground beef, carrots, corn, onions, corn chips, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. I may break out the guacamole tonight as well. I might add black beans to the mix as well.
What I have learned so far is that I really don't like spring mix that much but I can mix it with other lettuces to finish it up for now. I may buy it again when it is on sale.
* 2 cups of greens
* an vegetable of another color
* a protein
* a carb (like croutons, rice, etc)
* One additional item that can be a repeat of the ones above
My salads so far:
Sunday:
1 extra large handful of spring mix, 1 serving of garlic crispy onions, .5 oz swiss cheese, 5 baby carrots chopped, 1/4 cup of cauliflower, 1/2 cup of cucumber, 2 tbls of hearty italian bountifuls dressing, 2 slices of roast beef lunchmeat
Monday:
Chipotle Carnitas salad with extra mixed greens added, cheese, mild salsa, black beans, grilled peppers and onions, guacamole, tortilla chips crushed up, 1 sip of cherry pepsi, water
Tuesday:
Stirfry salad–2.5 cups spring mix, 1.25 servings of chicken stirfry (chicken, peapods, broccoli, broccoli slaw, carrots, onions), .25 cup toasted almonds, 2 tbls steamed white rice, water
Wednesday:
Tonights salad will be taco salad with ground beef, carrots, corn, onions, corn chips, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. I may break out the guacamole tonight as well. I might add black beans to the mix as well.
What I have learned so far is that I really don't like spring mix that much but I can mix it with other lettuces to finish it up for now. I may buy it again when it is on sale.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Endo Appointment
So I met with the new endo last week. The nurse forgot to order the a1c and the insulin tests when I called for blood work but the numbers that he saw just indicated PCOS. He doesn't believe that I am ovulating with the LH and FSH numbers that have. Of course the ever hopeful part of me says the blood work was done on CD13... maybe that was a huge LH surge. My LH was 12.7 and my FSH was 4.1 Definitely a 3:1 ratio. He was a bit uncomfortable talking about the hormones but seemed ok with telling me that he thinks my ob/gyn is not giving me a chance. He doesn't feel that there is anything, other than the HBP which can be controlled with meds, in my history to prevent me from having a healthy pregnancy. He thinks that clomid might work but I am just not sure about that. I know that woman with PCOS get pregnant with help. At the same time though, most of those cases are with injections. Am I mistaken? Right now I am just confused. I am over due for a pap and ultrasound but I am not sure if I should go back to my reg ob/gyn or go to the one that he referred me to. What I do know is that at my current weight, I don't feel comfortable being pregnant. I realize that is kind of goofy but I know how I physically feel and then to add the discomfort of pregnancy... ya, no. So DH and I talked, if I can get to my goal by July then we will start the process of getting him tested again and actually talk to the doctor about his count.
On the weight loss front, he was encouraged by my 13lbs lost since July 1st. I know it seems pitiful but it is progress especially for someone with an insulin level as high as mine was. He wants me to basically follow phase 2 of Atkins and eat only 3 times a day. Both of these are difficult for me but I have started tracking my carbs. I am allowing a lot more than Atkins would but it is a start. I track my food over here
On the weight loss front, he was encouraged by my 13lbs lost since July 1st. I know it seems pitiful but it is progress especially for someone with an insulin level as high as mine was. He wants me to basically follow phase 2 of Atkins and eat only 3 times a day. Both of these are difficult for me but I have started tracking my carbs. I am allowing a lot more than Atkins would but it is a start. I track my food over here
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Links and Things...
One of these days I will share what the doctor said... just not today
Talk about distracted driving... are they serious?
This story has me freaked out even more about trucks. Forget the fact that it happened right around the corner...
And on a happy note, well sort of, I am excited to see this movie when/if it gets finished. Good book if you are looking for something a bit more than a chick lit read
Talk about distracted driving... are they serious?
This story has me freaked out even more about trucks. Forget the fact that it happened right around the corner...
And on a happy note, well sort of, I am excited to see this movie when/if it gets finished. Good book if you are looking for something a bit more than a chick lit read
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Long awaited day...
Today I have waited 5 months to get to the endo who I was supposed to follow up with in July. Depending on how this appointment goes and whether or not I have to wait an extended time to follow up again, I may be changing drs again. I hate starting over and even though this is with the same practice it is a new doctor to me. One I made the decision not to see originally in favor of my much admired, young, female, endocrinologist. Alas, she decided it was important to move back to St Louis with her husband. :( I hope that this appointment goes well. I don't have much improvement on the weightloss front so who knows what he is going to say.
Ugh... PCOS sucks.
Ugh... PCOS sucks.
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