Memorial Day 2017

*237...maybe and hot flashes suck!*

   I hope you are having a solemn and sunny Memorial Day today. It has been raining since pretty early this morning. I think cooking on the grill is a no today for us. Many of the local parades have been cancelled also.  I can cook inside the house but I was so looking forward to charred sausages. At least we wont have to hear any fireworks tonight from the neighbors. Crossing fingers.

   June 1st is the start of an experiment for us as a family. I am going to try to do a No Spend Month. We will pay bills, scripts, necessities, and groceries. We are going to eat out of the freezers and the cabinets also. There is alot of food in there that needs to see the light of day. I will shop for things like perishables but we will extremely limit what we buy at the grocery store this month. I bought my monthly order of low carb bread for Hubs and I. I was going to buy a couple other things but I deleted from the list. Bread is all we really need and bread is all we are going to get. I love the low carb bread by the way. OMG! You can find it on Netrition.com and it is called Great Low Carb Bread Company.   Yes, it is 7.99 a loaf. But the slices are thin and you keep the bread in the freezer to make it last. I bought one loaf of Everything bread. It lasted almost a month. And we were very conservative with it. I bought 3 loaves this time. They will probably last us about two months total. Really good if you are diabetic and want to eat bread again.
  Anyway. I am going to make a list in my notebook of all the necessities I buy for the month of June. If it is not something we need, I am not buying it. I have a packed pantry that needs to be organized so we can actually see what we have to use for meals. I bought two big bags of charcoal on sale so that will last us too. I want this house to be worked on and it will not happen if we are constantly buying take out. Enough!

  The kid and I planted peppers, tomatoes, and basil yesterday. It has been a slow start to the growing season but it will pick up as it gets warmer. She pulled some nice big radishes and they were super spicy the way I like it. We have many strawberries that are tiny and white. They will be a lovely treat in a couple weeks. I do have some strawberries in the fridge that I need to cut up and freeze. I always have something that has to be done. Ugh. Since it is raining, I will probably do burgers and sausages in the house. I have some curly fries for the girls. Hubs and I can have some baked cauliflower that I found online. I will use almond flour in place of the bread crumbs. I have not bought the low carb bread crumbs yet.

   I have been doing well without taking the steroid of my gut. If I stay away from dairy and wheat, my colon is a good girl. It doesnt get all upset by my food choices. I do have to give up alot but I would rather just eat right instead of taking a pill that will make me blow up like a balloon. I am doing good this past week. I still am dealing with the pain from my whiplash but if I ignore that shit, all is okay. I am surprised I am not dealing with fibro flare. The weather has been so iffy lately. We have not had steady warmth yet. It is coming. Just not today.

  I am procrasting while I post this. I have dishes waiting for me and I have a pile of clothes to put away. I put half away yesterday so the other half is screaming for recognition. I am putting away winter and pulling out summer. I am also tossing anything I did not wear. They will go in the donation bins. I have to make room for others that I might find for free or really cheap...just not in June. So yeah..i could really just take a nap at this point cause the weather calls for it.  I will do a weekly tally of what I spent of food, any times I said no and what it was for, and if I mess up..I will say so. I think I will finish the dishes and take a nap with the dogs.
Yeah.
Take
A
Nap
!

I love turkey

*222* <---have not weighed over a week so I don't really know


  *sipping second mug of coffee...smell of bathroom cleaner wafting past my nose*

I couldn't take it anymore with the swamp bathroom downstairs. It is disgusting. Literally and figuratively. The children were never gonna clean it so I had to just go in there. I sprayed the shit out of the tub surround and letting it soak. I have so many things that have to get done but I will take a sliver out of my daily banked energy to clean their designated bathroom. Yup.

  Today is pie day. I am going to make a couple sweet potato pies. I do Patti LaBelle`s recipe. I did it last year and it was really good. The girls requested it again specifically. I do not make my own crust. I could and I have but why bother. Pillsbury makes a fine rolled out crust that I have been using since they first came out. I think I was like 16-17 yrs old. Yes, I have been baking forever. I have a Youtube recipe for a Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake for Hubs and I.

They post the recipe on their blog. I really like Keto Connect. They have some really good ideas for recipes and I can see them doing well on YouTube. I have started to have a like for cauliflower. I hated it before but the more I cook it different ways, the more I like it. I am going to make a mashed cauliflower au gratin minus the breadcrumbs. Usually we do a mash with a little bacon but this is a bit different and I like it. I will do a carrot dish that Kid #2 wants. Kid #1 wants potato salad. I will do my favorite cheesy cabbage bake. The turkey (yummm) and the chicken are all defrosted in the fridge. I just have to face the grocery store TOMORROW! We don't paid till then so I have to pick up a few things we are missing.

  I don't do Black Friday as some of you know. But I will be out doing stuff so I figured I MAY go to the Goodwill. They are having 50% off your entire order. That might be too hard to pass up. We are planning on a small live tree this year. I just want it. We may stay like that forever or we will go back to fake next year. I have a couple pressies to buy and I will be done. I am really not into Christmas because I always get after thought gifts that make me feel even less appreciated. Part of me wants to just do one small gift each and that is it. Then I wont have hurt feelings into January.

   I gotta do leaves, cover windows, water all the plants, make pies, clean the kitchen, take Kid #2 to work, and listen to Kid #1 cough cause she is sick..keep that shit away from meh.
As for my gut, it sucks and will talk about that another post. It will be all about the colitis, MCAS, gluten sensitivity, and how I cannot eat hardly anything. Fast track to a saggy bikini body for this old girl.

Okay...gotta go. Much to do! Happy Turkey Day! Happy UnThanksgiving! Much love to the protesters and Water Protectors at Standing Rock!

Is it time to shop for a tin can and sunglasses?

*225*

   I am late. I am bad and I havent posted. I should get in big trouble but I have been out doing stuff! If you look at my IG, you know. Let me start with some positives and update you on stuff.

  Lu is doing. She is still on her steroids. She takes them every other day for the next 10 days. Her heart is good. Today she was coughing a little but it is humid. We are all downstairs with the AC going so it feels good. She will always have issues with her faulty knees on back legs but she is much better then she was.

  The garden is going strong both at the community garden and the pots here at the house. I am leaving the buds alone on the tomatoes and peppers now because it is time. It is warm enough and they have all grown quite a bit. The strawberries gave us about 8 quarts this year. We were very happy with that. The blackberries are flowering now so we should start picking in July. I am afraid that the new people that run the community garden will over run the blackberry patch and ruin it. I will just go there early in the mornings and pick my quart like I have been doing for 6 years. If they tell me I am not allowed, I think this will be my last year at the garden. They have made it so that if you volunteer, you get perks. I am too sick to volunteer, but that doesn't matter I guess. I sprayed the crap out of some poison ivy this morning. There is not a huge amount but you cant leave that shit alone or it will spread like crazy.

I recorded this video down below on my iPhone. We were given permission. Enjoy!

   My friends and I went to a all male cabaret at the casino called Thunder Down Under. The tickets were bought in January so we were so waiting for this. I was worried about my head. I was worried that it would ruin the night. But it didnt. It was SUPER loud but I was able to endure. My prize was I got to touch a stripper`s butt. The girls were uber jelly. They just do not have the competitive streak that I do. I had a fun night and would totally do it again.

  I am still going strong with the keto/low carb. I did eat some carbs the night with the strippers. We went to the buffet and it wasn't a good one. So it will be a 2 week climb back up to ketosis. That is okay. I am never gonna beat myself up over what I eat from now on and I did have lots of fun.

  Today has been super humid so I have stayed on 1st floor. I have been loading Microsoft 10 on the lappy my friend gave me. I hope that fixes the problems. I have been cleaning up and doing stuff that I have been avoiding like cleaning honey from the lining of my Kate Spade bag. It is outside drying as I type.

  My gut still sucks. I had to stop in the middle of this to take a Zofran cause I am nauseated. It isnt really helping. The office is closed so I am basically assed out in that regard. I sent a sample out yesterday and they called bright and early to tell me I still have CDI. I have to go into the office next week. We will have to be more aggressive with this I reckon.

   I had a appt with my Ophthalmologist this Monday. He was checking my eyes for Papilledemia because of the IIH and I have been having issues with my vision. I basically cannot drive at night unless it is local. I get blurry out of the blue. And I was just freaked out that the IIH had gotten to my eyes even though my symptoms have been great. There is no paps. My eye pressure and veins look amazing. I do need to up my readers a smidge (150 for reading, 100 for the laptop) but I do not need glasses for distance at this time. This is where I was stumped.

Then what the hell is wrong??

He said my lenses in front of my Irises are yellow. My issues are because of cataracts. Fucking Cataracts!!! If you have been reading here for any length of time, you may remember that I talked about the optometrist telling me 3 years ago that I had teeny tiny itty bitty cataracts but they are not to worry about. Well, time to worry. My diabetes accelerated the growth of those fuckers. This is why I have trouble seeing in dim lights. This is why bright lights make my vision really bad. It seems the lens helps distribute light that enters your eye. A cataract is like having a dirty windshield. Hard for the light to come in so stuff is blurry or smoky.
He kept says *47 yrs old*.. Like he was amazed. Yeah bitch, I know. I am a special kind of fucked up. I just read that when you have the cataracts removed, it could accelerate glaucoma and retinopathy. Oh Joy! I always worried about losing a foot but just take my eye balls.
 Yeah, I am keeping those last tidbits to myself and for anybody that reads this. 

Aint that some fucked up shit? Do you believe me now? I got somebody throwing bad juju my way cause I wasnt a good enough friend. I am not depressed over this but I really want some potato chips. But I will not. I have to stick with the course. If THAT diagnosis wasnt enough to keep me from eating a starch, then I deserve all that I get.
He did say that I can wear yellow tinted glasses like the ones on tv, and I will be able to see at  night again. I have to wear sunglasses while I am out all the time too. Keep my sugar low and wear sunglasses and I might be able to slow it down.

Low Carb For Life!!

  I had to tweak my macros because I listened to stupid people that were telling me to eat more protein and less fat cause they know it all. If I eat too much protein, it converts to sugar and raises my blood sugar levels. I am going to stick with 20-25 grams of carbs, 65 grams of protein, and 120 grams of Fat..but that is just a top  number. I have never been able to eat that much fat in a day and I am trying to lose weight. Pay day is tomorrow. Kid #2 and I are gonna get sneakers for walking. Good and strong ones. On humid days like today, we will walk in the morning or at the Mall.

Memorial Day 2016

*238*

  It is O'dark 30 here this morning. Downpours over my head woke me up. There is a tropical something passing by today. The garden will be very very happy. It sucks for any cookouts or parades but we here needed the rain. Crossing fingers the basement doesn't flood. Not in the mood.

  Today is a month on a low carb way of eating. Yay! I have lost the 7lbs I gained plus like 3 more so far. I stalled a little bit so I had to adjust my macros. When you eat this way, you eat low carb, moderate protein, and high fat. I was not eating enough fat and too much protein. I should start seeing a difference in the weight loss. The endo gave me permission to fiddle with my insulin. His assistant told me that if I kept my shots as they were, I would end up with low blood sugar reactions. So I got that going for me.  I feel a lot better. I am not always hungry and I have had some unintentional ketosis which is good. It was so hard to achieve the last time I tried. I am not trying this time but I am sure I am in fat burning. I don't have proof but I just can feel it. 

  C-diff sucks...the end. I am all done with the Dificid. But my gut still feels wrecked. I keep being told that I will overcome it. It will go away. Right now, I feel like I have no hope for that scenario. Some days I am okay, some days I have pain. I see the gastro in June and I am due for an upper endoscopy. They will see how my ulcers and esophagus are doing. I feel like the meds have helped with it. I don't get the searing pain anymore but pics will give us a clear idea.

  So far we have had one hiccup in the garden. The beds have a case of leaf miner. My Swiss chard had to go in the trash. I was able to replace with three types of eggplants and some Anaheim peppers. Leaf miner effects chard, spinach, and beets. A couple of us will try again in the fall. My butter lettuce at home is not doing well. But the ones at the garden are ready for harvest. I will bring the ones from home there and switch them out. I will post pictures when I go to harvest on Tuesday. My buckets of sugar snap peas and beans are growing so well also. I need to twist some twine around the cages to give them more stuff to grab and grow on. I planted three bleeding hearts this Spring and they are all growing nice. Except for the killed chard, it has been a good kick off to the season. 

  Lu is doing okay. The antibiotic helped her. Her gum infection is at bay and her cough is much better. We just have to dose her ever few months to beat the infection back. Perla the chichi has to go on Friday to the vet. She also has a tooth infection that needs some syrup. She absolutely hates it. It is like mostly alcohol so she fights me every time but for her it works good and longer, she took it like 6-7 months ago so it lasts longer.  Lu actually likes the *vodka*. She slurps it down out of the dropper. Little booze hound. 

  Yesterday night we went to Walmart and picked up the very last 10k btu air conditioner in the store. The price was right and we were very lucky to get it. We will drag it inside after the rain ends later and prop her in the window. I hope it doesn't kill the man's back. Lu and I cannot survive another summer without a swamp cooler. I tried to be all 1976 economical but my IIH demands cool air on some days. I have said we won't abuse it. If it is in the 70s, don't you dare turn it on. No sense and I will be pissed at the electric bill. So yeah, we did a adult thing and bought a big appliance. Feels good that the economy of the house has gotten a little better. 

  I am going to try to make something called Fathead Pizza this week. It is a low carb crust made from cheese. If it is good, I will share pics and the recipe. I miss pizza sooooo much. If I can find something satisfying to me, it will make me very happy. I tried the cauliflower crust and I just didn't like it. There are alternative flours i can use in baking. Here is coconut and almond flours. I have to make a trip to the store to get supplies. There is also a sweetener for baking called Swerve. I have never had it but it supposedly tastes just like sugar hut without the aftertaste of Stevia. We shall see.

  We don't have a grill, yet. So even if it wasn't raining, we wouldn't be cooking out. *insert sad face*. We only had air conditioner money. Maybe next month we will have enough to get a grill. It will happen before the 4th, hopefully.

So that is about it. My head is feeling the effects of the storm. I am gonna roll over and try to go back to sleep. It is 517am. I think I will just have to nap later instead.