Munch Munch Munch

The chips of my people

*248*

  I went to the local *seconds* produce store to pick up some supplies to make a veggie pasta salad. These were spied at the register. Once I saw the logo, I was instantly brought back to my childhood. Eating Stateline chips at the beach with my Mom. I had to buy them. They actually tasted the same. They are not greasy like Lays tend to be. Oh, I really needed that bit of nostalgia.They were made here in CT and Mass. Hence the name. They kinda taste like potato sticks. I have not had them since I was a kid. They were not around HERE for decades. Kid #2 loves them. I will have to buy again.

 

Garden possibilities

This is a small portion of the veg and herb plants that I bought this past week. All for $20. There are three types of tomatoes, kale, cukes, yellow squash, jalapenos, two types of basil, thyme, and lemon balm. Sunday was my day of yard work. I covered myself in sunscreen and had at it. I dug up a third of the side front bed. I planted the kale and six heirloom tomatoes. I will dig up the rest this week.

Potted garden all done

I found that the new walkway had a second use. I lined up all my pots that I had laying around to plant cherry tomatoes, herbs, and the jalapenos. They get full sun out there with the chives and rosemary. I found a pack of blue jade corn that I have to plant too. The yellow squash was planted in the bed next to the house. I am hoping a change in venue will yield me some squash this year. I will have to set up the poles with the string for the cukes. The season started off slow but it is warm now.

My violet babies

I have six African violets now. Someone I know was using three of them as a decoration for a party. Didn't need them anymore and was going to throw them away. Score freebies for me. I trimmed off all the dead flowers and they are all happy by the kitchen window. I haven't killed one yet.

We are still dealing with ants but they are not bad. A stray one here or there. I have traps everywhere. I have major cleaning going on. I really need for kid #1 to leave (next week) so that I can super clean her room. That is where this all started. She doesnt see them anymore but I see them in the kitchen area so I have alot of work ahead of me. I hate ants just as much as I hate roaches. YUCK! It isnt the regular clean that I always do that is helping. I have to get in the corners, clean out the heat registers, and behind/under furniture. Lots to undertake. Plus we have painting to do and a few pieces of furniture to paint or reupholster.

    I will be cancelling the gym this week (on payday). I will disconnect the cable after Kid #1 leaves for the summer. That way she has no input in the decision. Kid #2 and #3 have no say but it is better if I do not have a bunch of jackals on me about it. It will save us about $200 a month total. That is a big deal. When I have some extra cash, I will buy a couple portable coffee cups from like Walmart for Fred and I. Trips to DD are not cheap if you add it up. Two large hot coffees cost $5. If you do that 5 days a week, that equals $25. Every week of the month (four weeks) $100. In just coffee!! You could buy two containers of grounds $10, cream for a month $10, plus sugar or equal (already have) and that is just $20 a month! I am gonna buy cases of water to stack in the basement for outings. I am a fiend over this. I am just leery of losing cable. I have had it in my life since I was a small child. Fred and I did not have it for like 3 months when we got first apartment but that was fixed right away. We always had the $$ for cable. But with the rising costs of food plus everything else, it just has to go for now.

  That is about it. I have been just plugging along. My health is the same so that is why I say nothing. You know I am in pain and feel shitty. There is no reason to repeat it all the time. I am rolling with it basically.  Tonight we will have some taquitos with yellow rice and a veg. I have stuff to make a cold pasta primavera. It is warm but feels good. Do not need AC yet.

Carb free pizza crust

First pizzeria in NYC

*251*

  I just got back from the gym and I am scoffing down my lunch: Cuke, tomato, and onion salad, cottage cheese with toasted onions on top, a sprinkle of almonds, and a bit of imitation crab meat. It is a hodge podge in a bowl but it satisfies. My friend and I did 2 miles in 40 minutes on treadmill. I am sweaty and tired. But I will move on in what I have to do today.

Naked cauliflower pizza crust

Last night I made cauliflower pizza crust to make two small pizzas to try out. I followed the recipe on THIS SITE. The only thing I would have changed was I will add more salt to the crust the next time. Maybe do a half a teaspoon or a smidge more. It was really good! It did not raise my blood sugar cause there was no wheat/gluten and the man liked it too!

Cheesy goodness

I can now have pizza and not need a shot! This is HUGE for me. You MUST take it off the paper after it is done resting (when you cut it) cause it is damp underneath and you do not want mushy crust.
Tonight I am going to roast some chicken breasts and have some peas or string beans with it. Hoping it does not hurt meh.

I will try to be a better blogger and get on here at least once a week. I am very sorry!

Evil Birthday cake of DOOM!

*248*

 I said I was going to stick to the plan and I am. I was thinking this morning that my goal for the month of November is to lose 20 lbs. That will be 40lbs total since I started this. I am not going to beat myself up if I eat something that I should not but I will work very very hard to not eat them. If that makes any sense. Today is going to be hard. I did well. Shake for breakfast, salad and soup for lunch, almonds for a snack....then dinner. Dinner is going to be an issue with me. We are having broasted chicken, with garlic mashed potatoes, baked beans, and coleslaw. Oh and a big birthday cake. Today is kid number 2`s birthday. That is like five things I should not eat. I could probably get away with eating the chicken. I will just make a big salad and I have some collard greens left over from the weekend.. But the cake. I have a carrot cake cooking in the oven right now and I am going to make cream cheese frosting.
  I will be strong willed and determined to do what I got to do. I have tweaked my calorie intake per day and I am going to go to the gym three times a week.  I just need to stay away from the yummy sugary carrot cake!

Oh to sleep the sleep of the dead

*251*

  It is almost October. My most favorite month of the entire year. Yesterday I bought a couple pumpkins and some mums for the front porch. I think my days of decorating for trick or treaters is over but Fall decorating could take on a whole new thing for me. Kid number two turns 20 at the end of the month. That will be it. No more kids in my house. I know they were adults at 18 but something about not being a teenager anymore really seals it for me.

  I have been told that a couple people are patiently awaiting my jams. I have not done them yet. So this week I will get it done. I have to make a batch of strawberry and a batch of strawberry jalapeno. I have to start thinking towards the holidays too. Even though I am not eating it, I still like to make treats for others. I found these fancy looking cupcake tins called Tulips. I found out later that they are not very new but they are new to me. They were selling in the discount store. I bought a bunch for really cheap but I think I am going to go there later and grab a few more. $2.50 for a box of 12. I know that I could make them myself if I got it into me to do so. I eventually will but for now I like the colored ones that I found at the store. They are neat because they make your treats look fancy and they have the benefit of a corner to pick up your cupcake with so you do not mess up the frosting. Pretty handy.

  Except for one day where I punked out, I have been going to the gym on a regular basis. My friend A and I signed up about two weeks ago. I have been almost 3 times a week but shooting for four times. I want to do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Fridays. Give myself Thursdays and the weekends to relax. The trainer at the gym said four days is a perfect amount of time. You want to give your body at least three days of rest. I am trying the dreaded elliptical. That bitch hurts! I can only do like three minutes on it but I am going to do it every single day. I do the treadmill, the stair climber and the elliptical. Then I choose a muscle group to work on. I am there a little bit over an hour now. I started to lose my way with the eating. I was eating things that I shouldnt. I ate some greasy stuff that made me really sick and I had some other foods that shot my blood sugars through the roof. I have learned my lessons. I know that I cannot be perfect and there will come times where I will want to eat some things but definitely staying away from fried foods, whole milk dairy, and wheat. Since I started this, I noticed that whenever I eat wheat, I get this phlegm thing going on afterward. I sometimes start gagging, I am guessing a wheat sensitivity.  All is a learning process. So far I have lost 24 pounds.

  I think I told you all about the at home sleep study that I did for sleep apnea...? I am not going to go back and look so I will assume I have. Insurance wouldnt pay for full on sleep study in the hospital so I had to have a monitor to bring home. I went last week to find out the results. Girlfriend needs a C-pap. Most of the time those home tests do not show the full fledged severity of your apneas. Mine did OR mine are so bad that even the home shit picked it up. Doctor said that I stopped breathing 48 times an hour. That is like almost every fucking minute! My oxygen saturation is supposed to be 100% to the upper 90s. Mine would dip down into the 80s on more than a couple of times. So they sent me across the hall at that very moment and set me up with a machine. I have been using it since Wednesday. I have not kept it on the whole night yet but the longest so far is five hours. It will take some time getting used to. I wake up a little bit freaked out and take that shit off. One night I talked myself out of it in my half sleep, left the mask on and went back to sleep. I have the full face mask because I am a mouth breather. I am trying to overcome the feeling of being trapped as in claustrophobic. I have read that in time, it does go away. The full face mask is best for me because I move around alot in my sleep, I am a mouth breather, and I like to sleep on my side. So I need to overcome that shit.
  Lots of news and little links to click on. I have been busy with the yard this week, that is why I have not been around more. Once winter settles in, I will post more. You all know how I do things.
Enjoy the rest of your lovely September 2013.

First day back

*255*

  Today was my first time back at the gym in way over a year. The place has expanded, upgraded and I like it. They have new machines, new free trainers and I can see myself being able to do this at least 4 times a week. I went with my friend, A. She signed up too because she realizes that she needs to get healthy again. It is going to be a long road for both of us but we can do it. I may have a bit of a leg up on her on it but that doesn't mean she couldn't catch up in the coming months. I will be her cheerleader and make sure she does not over do it but also that she does not slack off either.
 I plan on going Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. and maybe Friday but either weekend day. So I might do five days.  We shall see. But this is what I want to work up to. I am not going to kill myself just yet.
 Today I am eating something new. I bought Egg Beaters egg whites. My lunch is a country scramble with onions, yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, a tablespoon of pesto, and daiya cheese.  It actually tastes pretty good. I have a side dish of cucumber, tomato, and onion salad. Trying to round out the meal.
I need to go. I have some food to eat, paperwork to fill out, and laundry to do.
Have a nice week!

Hot steamy days and Cool Autumn nights

*259* <---that is right. Not a typo!

    A warm September Sunday brewing. Not sweating but it could happen.  I do not care because the air conditioner is going out of the window. I want fresh are to blow through until I have to close up shop for the winter. We are getting a new to us couch to replace the disgusting dog love seat. Ruby killed it through her puppyhood and now it is a sad stinking mess. It is going out on the back patio with the AC. We will be doing a dump run probably sometime in October. Someone we know has to leave their apartment because they cannot afford it so they are giving us their couch. It is not spectacular but it is good enough until we have the floor done and replace it. If it has good springs in it, we will keep it for the basement man cave.
  I am in a good mood today. I am going to re-arrange the living room to accommodate the new couch. I have plans on Friday to buy the paint for said living room with all the crap you need to paint. Need to get it done. Floors in October hopefully. The living room is going to be a slate colored grey and the kitchen and dining room are going to be like a peacock blue. Something really out there. I like bold colors with white trim.
   The journey of health is doing well. I have lost a total of 15 lbs in a month. I had a couple slip ups. I learned my lesson though. I have purified my gastrointestinals to the point that if I eat certain things, I will be spending the better half of the day on the crapper. Blue cheese dressing is one of those things. Basically I have deemed all commercial salad dressings off limits to me. I will stick with my red wine vinegar and sometimes a small bit of olive oil. I had a pumpkin iced coffee and asked for one pump of the syrup, no sweetener, and two creams. There was way more than one pump. I had to take a shot of insulin when I came home. I still have not eaten any junk food or take out food at all. I have tested the waters (and failed) with some things that would be deemed ok with me. I tried those small corn tortillas to have tacos with..FAIL. I tried a low carb pita thing made especially for low carb eaters...FAIL. I tried brown rice...you guessed it. I am thinking I will have to wait until I have lost a significant amount of weight before I can introduce low carb options when it comes to rice, bread, and pasta. Maybe after I lose 100lbs.
  I will have the cash next week to buy sneakers and sign up for the gym. Once I introduce regular exercise into the mix, the pounds will drop the fuck off. 15 lbs in a  month with no real exercise but just moving around more. Imagine what that will be with an hour of formal exercise a day at the gym plus the stuff I do around here.
It will be so amazing..I hope.

  I need to wrap this up. I have some cleaning to do before the new couch arrives. You have a great Sunday!
 

On the road again.

Major typos in this but it is still good thinking

*265*

 I have lost another 3 lbs that I have not gained back. So I float in the 265 range up and down a pound or two. This is good but not good enough. I was told by my shrink that if i exercise and possibly meditate or do yoga, that it will help with my menopausal symptoms. I found a cool website called The Perimenopause Blog. It helped so much with understanding that some of the stuff that is bothering me is perfectly normal. Like the head itching. That is a symptom. She described what i was feeling to a T. I was getting ready to have Fred check my head for lice. That is how bad it itched. Nope. It is the menopause. I need to make an appointment with my dermatologist though. There is a special shampoo with steroids in it that will help make it better. Cause it is driving me insane! A small part of me wants to shave my head, grow my nails, and go to town with the scratching.

  Soooo, I am going to be more serious then I have ever been about trying to lose some weight. Because you gain weight with menopause and I cannot afford to gain anymore. One of my friends has gone back to the gym after a hiatus, I think I should just do it. Fuck my inhibitions. I have lost all the good that I did. I had better muscle control, my back muscles were good. I could walk longer distances. And I felt good. Then I got lazy.
My period is here but it is not that bad. So I plan on going to the gym tomorrow in the morning. It is not supposed to be as oppressive as it is today. One of my goals is to go to 255 by September 1st. That will probably not happen but it would be something nice if it did. Wouldnt that be nice? Another 10 lbs down. Baby steps. I want that goal of 210 to happen one day.

Good News! Fred got back his test and it came back negative.  They still do not know what is wrong so he will have to get a follow up visit. That was a big sigh of relief after waiting three weeks for the results. I do not want to lose him just yet. I have been trying to get him to go back to the gym also. One of  his Drs told him that it would be good for his migraine/dizziness if he got regular exercise. If anyone has any ideas on how I can get him to go, let me know.

Hot one today so I am not going to cook the country pork ribs that I bought yesterday. I do not like them in the crockpot. I usually cook them in the oven covered in foil then put them on the grill for char and sauce. Too fucking hot for the oven. I am already insane because I promised I would make sheppards pie for dinner tonight. That requires about 15 minutes of oven time. I am not eating the potatoes. I try to avoid them unless I am a raving hormonal lunatic and I want Lay`s potato chips now. Otherwise, I do not eat them.
So I will probably make myself something else with the hamburger. Ho Hum.
Oh yeah, that low carb way of eating is never going to happen with all the people in the house. Unless everyone does it, there is too much temptation. Bread is always around. Pasta and rice are part of meals every day around here. I couldnt do it. So I am staying away from the whites and most definitely potatoes.

I am off. Laundry is calling.

Sister, can you spare a hormone?

*265*
 Perimenopause!
 It sneaks up on you slowly. You do not realize it is creeping up on you until it is fully in your face.
 I have not had any blood work done to check my hormone levels so I am not completely positive that is what is going on, so do not quote me.  I have been having a troubling symptom that popped up in the past couple months. I will sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with a panic attack. Not a fully fledged one with hyperventilation (thank goodness) but just the feeling that something really bad is going to happen. The first time it happened was awful. I did not know what to think of it. Then it would ruin my sleep for the next couple days. I would be fine and then it would happen again the next month.  I asked my shrink about it last week. She told me that it happens when women my age venture into to early menopause. I did not put two and two together that it was hormonal related until it happened last night. My period is 4 days late. So I am a PMSy mess.
There are a ton of weird symptoms that I have been dealing with this past year that I thought were just par for the course that is my life.
 Nope!
 Perimenopause!
 I have the list to share.

Leg cramps!
 I have been suffering like a motherfucker lately. I just chalked it up to my nervous system from the back surgery and/or the diabetes.
 I have found a damn liver spot on my face! I could go on but I will not. :*smile*
Now you might think I am freaked out about this. I am not in general. I just do not like the panic attacks waking me up. I never suffered my entire life and now I am having them wake me up at night. Not cool. Shrink told me to take an extra pill at night and get some exercise and/or meditation. Cut down on the caffeine and carbs in the evening. Getting the hysterectomy is not going to make a difference in my hormones. I will have a talk with my gyno and see if there is something he can give me if the symptoms get too bad. Right now I am not ready to go the HRT route but I will if I have to.

Natalie and I were going to go to the gym today but because I did not sleep at all, I cancelled until tomorrow morning. Fred came to bed late, turned off the tv, and I instantly woke up like someone had punched me in the gut. I knew exactly what I was feeling and I was not going to lay back down until I went downstairs and got rid of it. I grabbed the dogs, went downstairs,  took an Ativan, fluffed the couch cushions,  put on the tv and ate a Klondike bar. Within a half hour, the feelings of dread passed. Then I was in full insomnia mode. I watched Three`s Company. I realized two things. That I only like the shows with Chrissy in them and that was one jiggly show! I watched that show as a kid and had no idea. I was able to pass out for 3 hours. I will take a nap later.
I can totally empathize with those that deal with panic attacks on a regular now. I never could because I never had one.
Sucks being a woman sometimes.

Ahh! A breeze

Perennial Sweet Peas

*270*

   It has been breezy and nice and that is why my ass has not posted. I have been out and about in the nice weather! I picked those sweet peas yesterday. They grow up the front porch. I like to pick the little bouquets and have them in the bathroom. Pretty soon I will be picking some hydrangea from the top yard. I am done flouncing about outside trying to even out my farmer`s tan.  It is going to get hot in the next couple days so I decided to stay in and get shit done. I want to make some strawberry jam today and clean out the food pantry. I said I was going to do it yesterday but Fred has been home and he can get me easily distracted.
  We did not survive the low carb diet so we are trying again. I am such a quitter. I could quit smoking but I cannot quit the damn bad carbs. What is up with that?
We have been eating healthier AND I stayed away from the fries that I made for the kids. Last night I made baked panko tilapia, breaded mushrooms, and sweet potato fries. I had one piece of fish and some mushrooms. Later on came and I was starving. It is the starving part that gets me.
 I need more food to combat the fact that I am not eating hardly any carbs. I am going to start again today. One day it will fucking stick. I am not giving up.
 I WILL CONQUER THE CARBS!
  I have to make a decision. Every month $41 is taken out of the account to pay for three gym memberships. Nobody goes to the fucking gym. I just had to pay an additional $30 for my yearly maintenance fee on my membership! I do not ever go! I mean like never ever go. It is not expensive to join and it is only $10 a month for each of theirs and $20 for mine. I want to cancel them all. That will be an extra $41 a month in the budget. If they ever want to sign up again, they can.
So I need to think..Should I do it?
Unfortunately because the memberships are in their names, I have to take them to the place and they have to cancel it. I cannot do it!! So it will be a big cluster fuck of them saying, *why dont we go?* *Let`s try it again!*
No! You all (including me) have not been going for over a year! And in all that time I have been paying $41 a month. I am done. Go take a walk! Do the exercise games we have in the house.
It is like I am yelling at myself, huh?

Anyway...I am going to get going. I have another cup of coffee to drink and then much to do before the heat comes back to render me useless.

Until next time......

Back to the Gym

Bitch can eat ice cream!

*271*

My *period* from the ablation is just about over. It has been more then a week and I still need to wear a pad but it is lessened enough that I think by the weekend it will be over. Hopefully! I am tired of it!
 Natalie and I are going to go back to the gym again. Part of the reason why I would not fully commit to the gym, I am assuming, is because of my period. I would get on a roll of going 2-3 times a week and then my period would come and I could not go for an entire week. Then I would get lazy. It screwed with the schedule. I want to see if by not having my period anymore, will I still find an excuse?
Or will I be going every week?

My back is acting up as I have said. I know that if I gently work the muscles in my back again, I should be fine. That is one of the major reasons people get herniated discs. They do not have strong back muscles. You have to especially work them after the surgery because the muscles have been cut.  There was a point where I had major difficulty walking up stairs. Fred had to walk behind me My back was so weak that I could not conquer the staircase. I need to go to the gym and I need to walk again.
Now, I may punk out and be back here whining. Those of you that read here know me well enough by now. I have the WANT to do it just not the DRIVE. But now that bloody nile chapter of my life is over, I think it is the perfect time to get into some shape. At least strengthen my back again. I will do it slowly. I am not going to be out there walking 2 miles up hill straight off the bat.


So let us hope that I go, I work it, I lose some inches, and I get a muscley back..as gross as that sounds. LOL

Gym Gym Gym!

*266*

   I did it! I finally went to the gym after eons. I went by myself though. Natalie was going to go with me but when I woke her up this morning at 830am, she wasn't having it. I dropped Chelsea off at work at 930am and I was there in a flash. The place is double in size of what it used to be and they have put all machines that perform similar functions in one area. They have more treadmills also. They also have some new machines I have never seen before and wouldn't even know how to climb on. I stayed for an hour. I did 15 min on treadmill, 10 min on the stair climber (and that KILLED ME) and the rest of the time on the arm and stomach machines. I feel good. It makes me feel like I need to start walking again. I am kind of afraid to because of what happened to my feet the last time. That was a year of healing. Knock on wood! My feet feel good now. Both of them do. I want to go to the gym tomorrow or even walk but we shall see. I have many things to do that day.

  Tomorrow is Valentine`s day. I have to go to the hospital at like 830am to have an ultrasound and bloodwork. I am not looking forward to either. Last time I got my blood done at the hospital, I left with a huge bruise. HUGE! It took two weeks to heal. I have to also drink 36 oz of water an hour before and make damn sure I hold it in. I cannot pee. That reminds me when I was pregnant with the girls. Trying to hold water while a baby is stomping on your insides. I think my 43 year old bladder will be okay..let us hope. LOL
  Chelsea`s birthday is on Wednesday so I have to make her cheesecake tomorrow also. Nice big cheesecake with strawberry sauce. She will enjoy it. She wants to go to Chili`s for her birthday. I doubt I can afford it but I will have to try. Ugh!

 I have to say that I was shocked to find out that Whitney Houston had died on Saturday. You always hope that she would have stayed off the drugs and gotten better. There is talk that she drowned in a bathtub after taking Xanax. I guess that will come out in the wash. I remember seeing her on MTV. She was so beautiful. She sang so strong and wonderful. She had a rare gift. She had a presence. The memory of who she was will always be there.
That is who I will remember.

No Snow Saturday

*266* <---needs to go down!!

   We were forecast for like 1-3 inches of snow and then they said 3-6 inches of snow. Guess what? It barely stuck to the grass, none on the pavement, it has stopped snowing, and it is too warm to freeze! On and off spitting flurries. All that worry for nothing! But I am going to continue on my quest to find things to do.
I have a old fashioned pipe smoking table in my livingroom that I have had for quite a few years. It is round, has two small outer shelves for knic knacs and a door. You open the door and you can hang your pipes and a space for your tobacco. I think I paid less then $5 at rummage sale. Back then, as now, smoking stuff was really out of fashion. I am glad I held onto it.  I started to paint it black but then I got sick and never went back to it. I think I am going to paint it a totally different color and paint some sort of scene on the top of it. That will come on another day but it is in the back of my head for the redecorate of the living room. A friend is moving into a smaller place and she is selling off some of her furniture. I want to pick up a side table or two from her.
    I need to clean house first though, I also have this dollhouse to finish. Too many balls in the air...not enough brain power to pick and choose. I think I will clean the kitchen, unclog the vacuum so I can vacuum, make chicken soup (chicken is defrosting) and work on the dollhouse. That is the plan! My ass IS GOING TO THE GYM on Monday. I need to go! If I do not, then why I am I wasting the money on the memberships.
   I have to tell you that the stomach pain is back. Short lived relief, I guess. It is not constant but I felt it this morning when I was standing in line at the co-op. I knew what it was when I felt it. Fuck! I guess the Dr was right. My life does truly suck major ass. But I have to not dwell on it because if I do, I will never get out of bed.
I gotta keep on keeping on.

Brother, can you spare a paper towel?

Ruby: 3 months

*266*

I moved the scale and it tells me what I want to hear. LOL Natalie and I are going to the gym on Monday morning after we drop Chelsea off at work. I want to see how it looks all new and shiny and I want to lose more weight. So we are going!

See how big Miss Ruby T is doing? She is a beautiful beast, I tell you. I can take her on a walk of the street and let her run around the yard for an hour and she will come inside and crap by the bottom of the stairs. Why???
She was doing so well and now she does not even give a hint that she needs to go until the shit is plopping out of her ass. I have to be more vigilant in my work to house train her. I go through paper towels like nobodies business. A pack of 8 used to last me more then a week. I am lucky if I can make them stretch out from Friday to Friday.
She is learning not to mouth us or bite us. She is getting yelled at plenty (Ouch! or No bite!). She is steadily losing her baby teeth. Natalie found one on the couch the other day. So tiny.
She is a sweet dog but she is a puppy and puppies make old women tired.

Fred helped me clean up the diningroom a bit. It is more open and oh so less cluttered. I am happy! I re-arranged some stuff to make it more user friendly. I have to finish sweeping and then I have to mop the floor.
Today is peanut butter bon bon day. After I finish here, I am going to clean the kitchen and get started on making the yummy treats.

It has been a busy weekend....

Sunday Kitchen cleaning/phase 2

*270*

That is my fish. My (now retired) insurance broker is a local artist. He made me this fish, I gave him vegetables. Here is a link to the whole process. She (she looks like a she) hangs in my livingroom by the staircase. Her other side is black and white but I like the colors! I thought I would share a little bit of me (and him) with you.

  I woke up at 11am. Fred and I were uber lazy. I am drinking coffee and it is almost 230pm. I am pulling stuff out of the pantry. Things are going into bags for donation to the Gemma Moran Food Center down the street. Other stuff is getting tossed. I am hand washing the diningroom curtains and I am bleaching the shelves in the pantry. Busy Busy Busy! I need to take a couple ibuprofen but I will do that when I am finished here.
I have not been really paying attention to my weight or anything. I am not gaining cause all those faboo clothes that NOW fit, still fit. LOL
I want to go to the gym and stick with it. I just do not know how to do that. Does anyone know how to do that? To completely commit to working out because it is GOOD for you in all ways. I can do like 2 days and then 2 days and then week or two will pass and nothing. I need to be committed to doing this or I am wasting my money.
 Ok. I need to get off this hot box and work on the pantry. Toodles!

Oh my aching ass!

*272*

Natalie and I went to the gym this morning. We saw lots of people we knew that had never been to the gym at the same time. It is good when the place is not so empty. I do not want to fight for a machine but I like to people watch to pass the time so it was good.
My body is in pain. We did an entire hour of working out. I sat on the couch about 2 hours ago with the laptop (it works!!!!!) and I have not moved since. I really really need to take a shower but I do not think I can move. Do not worry, I did not overdo it in the sense that you think. I was able to up the weights on some of the machines that I do. It was getting too easy so I raised the weight. So I am back to walking around like Frankenstein. But this will be good in the long run. I will have a flatter stomach and less jello like upper arms! Yeah me!
 Okay..I am off to work on my Tumblr. I did not really know what it was all about until Natalie showed me what I could do. So I am off to fiddle with my Tumblr.
Jesus..Tumblr, Blogger, Facebook...I have a Twatter but I do not use that.

Have a good Monday all!

Progress!

*271*

I went to the gym with Natalie this morning. Afterward I decided I was going to weigh myself on their scale because supposedly, mine is all shades of wrong. Guess what?? It said 272.3! That means my scale is correct. Yes! Yes! Yes!
So I started thinking. I began this journey because my ass was fatty fatty two by four and could not get her fucking shoes on. I KNOW I weighed 300 lbs at one point but never saw it with my own two eyes. I was always in the 290s. So I am going to just assume that I WAS in the 300 range. That would mean that I have lost about 25-30lbs..give or take because I am really not sure.
30 fucking pounds! That just snuck up on my ass. It took me some trials and tribulations to lose that amount of weight but I have done it. Please believe me when I say this, I am no where near done.
I want to get to at least my goal of 210. So I have another 60 lbs to go. I think this has really motivated me to push harder.
We are not going to have a competition. She wants to lose weight to feel good about how she looks and I want to lose weight to get my diabetes in check. I told her that when we hit 200lbs, we are going to sign up for the local Cross Fit.  <--link there. It is a more highly contained exercise and you have people screaming at you that YOU CAN DO IT!
 And I think I will want a new tattoo with the weight loss too. I do not know what but something fitting for the occasion.
 I am psyched. I do not know why I never realized I had lost that much. I was paying attention to the numbers but not the totality. You know what I mean?
My ass is hurting from the gym so I am going to go and relax.

Off to the gym..dammit

*271*<-----the scale at Natalie`s dietitian says that our scale is 6 pounds off. Meaning I am really 277!

My stomach still feels like crap but I am being dragged kicking and screaming to the gym. Natalie wants to go and it is too far away to walk and she does not drive yet. (She will learn to drive when she gets her head on straight!)
So I have to fucking go. I hope I do not shit myself on the stair climber.
Still with the diarrhea,  heartburn, and stomach pain. It comes and goes. I also still get bouts of OMG! I am gonna puke!

Okay. Must go..She is waiting.

Yesterday was a good day

Ocean Beach June 2011

*277* Yesterday Natalie and I had a good day. We went to the nutritionist, the gym for an hour, the beach and then to cheap dinner. I got a slight sunburn even though I wore SPF 5000! It is better today but I will be staying inside. I have cleaning to do. The air conditioner was leaking yesterday and I am hoping that Fred fixed it. I am thinking making the cats jumped on it and loosened it or something. I hope cause I dont have the money for a new one.

Look at my broccoli plant!! I have never grown broccoli before. It is so exciting to me. We love it and I am growing it. *smile*
I do not have much to talk about today. It is hot. My stupid ass as a sunburn. I have stuff to clean. I have plants to water. And I have to give the dogs a bath. Ho Hum.
 We will go to the gym tomorrow. I do not want to over do it since it has been awhile. I was able to do the 10 mins of the stair climber and I did a couple of the circuit machines. I want so go slowly. We are going to push each other to go every other day because we need the exercise and the muscle building. So Natalie and I are jumping back on the exercise wagon. Progress will be reported!

Now I will finish my coffee and tend to the dishes.....

Back for another go

 

 

*279*

Back to the gym tomorrow morning. I have not been in awhile and it is time. I have been feeling like garbage and my inches are creeping slowly back up.  Not alot but enough for me to say NO. I do have to say that I can fit into a size 20 now in some clothing. You know how you can have one pair of jeans that fit great and then the other would need a shoe horn to get over your thighs? Yup, I found a good pair! I also bought two pair that are size 20 but need the shoe horn. They are my motivation to get back into getting back into shape. My foot is doing much better so I think it is time. I will wait to do the power walking until I get the yes from the footy doctor.
 Did any of you try to exercise with those women that are on tv? They are usually in like Florida or Hawaii. You have to get up super early to find them. We actually now have a whole channel of exercise. I think it is called FitTV. I watched it while reclining on the couch. Much better that way.

Russel Stovers is laced with Crack!

*283*

All I am saying is I put the heart box of chocolates really really high on the tippity top shelf so that I would have difficulty getting it down. That is all I am saying..LOL  Chocolate is evil. Evil I say!

I am going to go to the gym today and work off some frustration. I am a bit pissed off at someone. Not getting into details because it isn't anyone that any of you know, just someone from RL. This person is just a major annoyance and I have to figure out how to extricate them from my life with the least amount of drama. So I think the stair climber and the treadmill will help me figure things out. I have to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles tomorrow. I was going to go today but I changed my mind. I think I will do my Friday errands today so I will be free to do the dreaded DMV tomorrow. Chelsea and Natalie need to do some business there. I am hoping to get them out of the house early so we can get it done. But I just know that one of them will take her sweet assed time getting ready. And telling me how she does not want to be told what the fuck to do! grrrr! Women!
hehehehe
So off to the gym after I wake up the kid. I wanted to take a walk today but it is way too cold for me to do that. I can handle walking when it is in the 30s but in the 20s is too much for me. My walking time will come soon enough.

Last night I made Mock Mashed potatoes with Cauliflower. I found the recipe on Food Network online and I thought I would share with you all.


*Mock* Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Recipe courtesy George Stella, Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese,  softened
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon straight chicken base or bullion (may substitute 1/2 teaspoon salt)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry chives, for garnish
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.
Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.
In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, chicken base, and pepper until almost smooth.
Garnish with chives, and serve hot with pats of butter.
Hint: Try roasting the garlic and adding a little fresh rosemary for a whole new taste.

 Now I had to tweek it a bit because I did not have certain things in the house, plus Chelsea wanted some so I made it Vegan. I used vegan cream cheese, margarine, garlic, veggie bouillon base, black pepper, and I actually had a big sprig of rosemary in the kitchen. I grow chives in the back yard but it is 20 deg F so that was a no go.
After I prepared it and served..I topped mine with a dollop of sour cream. OMG! This is so good! You will love it and it is low low carb. It will not add to your waistline or your blood sugar.

I served chicken sausages and tossed salad with this. Balanced low carb dinner until we broke out the chocolate.
I will be good..off to the gym for me!