Wed.

Hello everyone,well this is the week everyone eats, parties and has fun. So don't eat to much and try and stay away from all those pies, cakes and candies. Next week the whole world will be making New year resolution. I am just going to try and stick to good eating habits. With my knee the way it is, I am not going to be able to do to much, so I really have to watch myself. So everyone take care and drive carefully over the holidays and I will be back Jan. 1.

Thursday

Well today is cookie day, I have everything ready to mix up, I am just waiting for my butter to get soft. Tomorrow is the big contest, my daughter Heather sent me a picture of her mixing bowl with all the goodies in it. So now all we have to see is Carries mixing bowl so we know that she is not cheating. It should be a lot of fun and I am going to win this years, #1 that is going to be me. Have a great day.

Wednesday

Good morning, it is 5 am and I am wide awake. I was tired last night so I went to bed at 8:30 and I woke up early today. It sounds like it is raining outside so I won't get to do much out there. I will clean up my kitchen today and get ready to make my Angel sugar cookies tomorrow. I want to wait until the last day before the contest so I won't eat them, that way I will make them put them into the refrigerator to get cold then on Friday morning bake cookies.
This should be a fun time, I get to have all the grad kids together. So take care and be careful of what you eat it is so easy to gain a few pound over the holidays.

Tuesday

Well we are in the final count down until cookie day, I got some sprinkles and white frosting yesterday. I guess I will make them on Thursday. I have been eating really bad the last couple of days, I have to get it together. It will be a lot better after all the goodies are gone or I get some will power. I know it is driving me crazy to have to sit around so much but with my knee the way it is, I really have no choice. I am sick of watching TV and just wish I could get outside and do something in the yard but I try for a short time and I am in pain. So all I can do is my best. So don't let all that great food get to you this December try and eat right most of the time, then when we fall off the wagon it won't be so bad. So when I win the Cookie contest you all can write in and ask for the winning cookie recipe, that doesn't mean I will give it up.

Thursday

Yesterday I went and found out how much I weigh. It is still 228 so I guess I will go for the 8 pounds first. Let see if I can loose 8 pounds. Today is December 10 so I will give myself until January 10. One of the ladies at the classes I went to said, don't weight yourself every day or even once a week. Do it once a month and then you can really see a difference, so I am going to start today and see what happens. I will keep a real good record of what I eat and my food exchanges and see if I can do this. It is really hard, we all love food but I love life even more so I would like to be around for a while and not have all that blood sugar problems. take care and stick with it.

Tuesday

Well now that I have all the information I need for the food exchange I am going to go and weight myself at the gym today. I can not exercise but I can use my pulley while I sit in a chair that are on my bedroom door. That is all I can do right now, I cannot do anything with my knees the way the are. I have to be very careful not to fall, I cannot afford anymore black and blue knees from falling. So I am going to try my best and not eat all the cookies at the cookie contest and we shell see what the new year has to bring to this 63 year old women. Maybe Mr. Wonderful will be out there just waiting for me, what do you think?

Sunday

I have been giving this food exchange thing a try and it work pretty well. I finally found what the exchange is suppose to be for 1200 calories a day. For the whole day it is to be starch 5 servings , protein 4 serving, veg. 2 servings fruit 3 servings and milk 2 servings. Then when I have breakfast I just look under starch and I could have 1 bread, or 1/2 cup cream of wheat, or 1/3 cup bran buds, or 1/2 shredded wheat. 1 egg or 1 tablespoon peanut butter, or 2 slices of bacon. 1 small orange. Lunch you could have sandwich with 6 thin slices of no fat ham, lettuce, tomatoes. fruit. So you see you really get a lot. but over the weekend it has been a little hard had a few cookies and a little ice cream but I will be right back on it on Monday.

Thursday

I have been trying to finger out this carb thing and it was to confusing for me so I decided to go with the exchange list. That makes it really simple, first you are to have 1 starch, 2 protein, 1 veg., 1 milk, 1 fat and l fruit at each meal. I have to ask about snacks. Then you go to the list and pick one from each group, so it works for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For instants breakfast yesterday I had 1 bread, 2 slices of bacon and 1 egg. I could of had 4 bacon and no egg so it just depends on what you feel like eating. today I had 1/2 cup cream of wheat, 1 serving of bacon and a half an apple. I was suppose to eat 4 bacon but that seems like a lot. Last night for dinner I had 1/2 cup pasta, 4 oz of chicken and salad.
This would be good when you go out you can kind of finger what you can eat before you get there or you can just take your list with you. Well I will give this a try this week and next and see how I do. I guess if I didn't have fruit with dinner then I could have it as a snack later. So as long as you exchange in the list you are eating just about the same each time in calories, carb., protein and fat. So this could work well, we shell see. Take care and happy dieting.

Tuesday

Well it is getting closer to the cookie contest, I have found a great recipe and I am going to be the winner this year. The only problem is that I like my cookies crunchy and other people like them soft so I guess we will just have to wait and see who the victor is. I went to my diabetes class yesterday and we went over counting carbs and how many you are suppose to eat with each meal, It seemed like a lot. I think it was 20 to 35 with each meal that is like having two pieces of bread , milk is a carb to, banana is a carb. I am confused. I guess I will just have to take my time and figure this out. take care and keep on trying, don't give up, I know sometime you just want to say the heck with it but after seeing a man on TV that was over 1000. pd. I will never give us. talk to you tomorrow.

Saturday

Well is everyone tired from there big shopping trip yesterday? I hope you didn't spend to much money. Yesterday I kind of ate some of the things that I shouldn't, a piece of pumpkin pie a piece of candy in the afternoon, my blood sugar was up this morning, so I better get back to eating right. I hope you all have a good weekend and I will talk with you on Monday.

Friday

Today is big black Friday, the day people go out and spend money they don't have. I once was in K Mart on one of these shopping day, this lady had a long list, she was complaining to her friend on how was she going to pay for all these gifts. She was just going to charge everything then try and pay for it the rest of the year. That is sad, I would think it would be better just to buy gifts for the little kids or only make home made gifts or something so you wouldn't be paying for them all year round. Maybe with all the people out of work and money being so tight this year people will really get down to basics. The season should be about love for one another. I understand why we as Jehovah Witnesses don't celebrate these holiday. So many of these holiday were not celebrated years and year ago. The Government just decided today is a good day to take off. Some Holiday are a mixture of Christian and Pagan beliefs. A lot of the holiday are to celebrate bunny and eggs, a fat man in a red suit, not at all what they first started out to be. So I hope you all are not having to dig down to deep in you pockets and pay for this day the rest of the year. Remember your friendship is a gift, promise to give your daughter a manicure, or take just your son to a movie he wants to see. Maybe mow the lawn for the old lady down the street. Your time is a special gift to, have a great day.

Thursday

How are you all doing on this Holiday? Today is Thanksgiving and I am sure there are lots of families getting together. I don't celebrate the holiday but I am sure there are lots of people out there that do not have the means to celebrate either. It has become sad that there are so many families that are out of work and having a hard time. This is when I wish I had lots of money any could go around and just leave a box of food for someone in need. It is funny how people always complain I don't have a 52 inch TV, or I don't have this or that when there are so many people who are really in trouble and just trying to make ends meet each month. So to sit down to a big dinner with all the trimming would be a big treat. I hope Jehovah blesses you, if we try to live our lives the way he want us to, he will bless us with all our needs. If he takes care of the small birds of the fields, how much more important are we.

Tuesday

I went and saw Blind side this last weekend it was a great movie, I think everyone should see it. It makes you stop and think about how lucky we are. We may think about how bad we have it then you see a true story about a young man who never had a bed to sleep in. How he had two shirts , went to the laundry mat each night to wash his other shirt so he could wear it tomorrow. Then this wonderful family comes along and takes him in as there own. The mother never cared what her rich friends had to say, she loved this young man and she didn't care that he was black. She had to help him develop his leaning skills and his life skills and now he is in his first year of college and plays football and everyone wanted him to play for their team. instead of going to the streets and maybe getting killed he has beaten the odds and became some great.

Friday

Well the annual cookie contest is coming up. My two daughters go round and round on how the cookie contest should run. My younger daughter always cheats and uses box cookie dough, hopefully this year we will have a well run contest with no cheating. It is hard because I like crisp cookies and they like soft. The first year they made fun of my cookies and told me that you needed a gallon of milk to wash those babies down ( how mean could they be to there old Mom).
That year my younger daughter won for the first time with her store bought cookies. Last year I can't remember why I didn't win but I suspect it was because the Judges were my younger daughters boyfriends daughter and her friends. Again the cheater won with her store bought cookies. So this year I have consulted the Pioneer Women, I figured she has a web page, cook books and know a lot about everything. She lives on a ranch and has to cook a lot so I fingered she would be the one to know about cookies. She has two or three recipe that look like winners so I will have to give it some thought and see which one I am going to give a try. Maybe this year when they announce the WINNER it will be me.

Wed.

Good Morning, well it is raining here, it started yesterday afternoon. It was pretty busy yesterday for me, I took Gianna to the orthodontist yesterday at 9:15, then went and got some hog food for Chase. He belongs to FFA at school and they have about 20 little pigs at school in the back, so when it is his turn he has to bring a bag of food. They will let them grow up there and then each family gets the meat from there pig, sounds good to me. Then I went and saw the dietitian for the class I took the night before, she was really nice. She says I am eating pretty well and not to worry about loosing weight every week. She say to try and loose at l or 2 pounds a month. When you have diabetes or insulin resistant it is very hard to loose weight because your cells and the insulin don't work right together. So if I can take off 1 or 2 pounds a month that is good. She told me it will be hard until I get my knee taken care of. So I am going to give it a try maybe I will start going swimming in the am again that won't hurt my knee, just have to be careful not to fall by the pool. Had my cheerios, milk and a teaspoon of toasted flax seed that I put in my cereal, taste pretty good.
Well our annual cookie contest is coming up, who will win? I wish I could find a great cookie recipe, I will just keep looking. Maybe this year I could be the big winner, I am tired of Carrie winning with her box cookie. We will have to put the word out, if CARRIE CIANFICHI comes into your store you are not allowed to sale her any cookies out of the box. We will have to pay them to keep on the look out for her. Even if she come in a hat, sunglasses, wig, keep on the look she is out there. We know Carrie and she is not going to mix it all together from scratch if she doesn't have to. SO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED

Tuesaday

Good Morning! How are you all doing out there this beautiful morning. Well last night I went to my first diabetic class, there were 8 of us in the class. There was a big man who keep asking about coke and how bad is it for you. I guess that was his favorite drink, I don't think he want to give that up. We are going to have a different teacher each week, one knows more about diet and certain things like that, then there will be one about exercise and so on. It will be great if it gives us some help in knowing what to eat. It is hard because everything has sugar, salt, it is not just to stop eating sweets. It is like learning when you can eat a carb. say you would want to eat a banana right before bed, that is a carb. and will make your blood sugar rise. You could have a 1/2 banana right before exercising or a long walk. I am finding out if I eat dinner at 4 to 5 P.M. and have a snack later my blood sugar is coming down in the A.M. That is what I am trying to do and it seems to be working. So I look forward to taking the rest of these classes and learn as much as I can. So take care everyone and treat people the way you would like people to treat you and you will have a great day.

Monday

It is a cold, crisp morning, the temperature is headed down to the 20 and 30. That means it is time for the heater again, something I can not afford to run. I close off my kitchen in the am and put my burners on, it warms up the kitchen really nicely. Then at night when I watch TV
I have to put the heather on for a little while to get the living room warm. Yesterday at meeting we had a good study about trying to follow in Jesus foot steps, and being kind even when people make us mad. That is hard to remember when someone is being rude to us or not treating us the way they should. I try and remember I don't know what happen to that person right before I had to deal with them. Maybe there husband was yelling at them, Maybe something bad happen in there family so they are taking it out of you. So I try and be extra nice to that person maybe that is just what they needed. Or dealing with your kids try and be understanding, we were all kids at one time. I am sure we all did things we don't want our kids to do. But make sure your kids know what is right and wrong, that is built into our thinking.

I have changed my eating to having my dinner between 4 and 5. That seems to have made things work better. My blood sugar has come down in the am. I am suppose to go to a diabetes class that should be fun.

Friday

Got a nice letter from my Grand Daughter. I was surprised when I went to the mail and there it was, a letter, you know kids now a day, always so busy doing what ever kids do. I love all my Grand children, wish I could see them all more often. How fast they grow up, before I know it they will have families of there own. When I read my Grand Daughter letter you can tell that she appreciates her Mom even if she would never say it to her face. Morgan was happy for her, that she got to go on vacation and that she has a man in her life that treat her well. I know it is hard for teenager to see there parent as real people that have feeling, but I think she is doing a good job. I just want my Grand kids hopes and dreams to all come true. I know the world today is all about money and how much you can make but I think God and family values are the most important things. Some of the riches people in the world have gone through life never wanting a thing, but when they ask them what would really make them happy they always say family. So that shows us all the diamonds, cars, houses won't keep you warm at night, it is the love of your family.

Thursday

Good morning, how are you doing? Well it is suppose to rain today, I don't known if that will happen but we shell see. My grand daughter said she mailed me a letter, so I hope I get it soon.
Yesterday I took the grand kids that live in Santa Rosa to Spring lake. We went fishing and had lunch, that was a lot of fun. They had some running event at Spring Lake yesterday. It seemed to be about three schools, they were everywhere. When it got time for us to go we had to wait because they were having a run right where my car was. So finally I had a chance to get out of there and some lady is yelling at me to hurry up. I kept my cool, then got up the road and some kids is yelling at me to hurry up. So I nicely rolled down my window and said well if you would get out of my way I could get out of yours. She is standing in the middle of the road and is telling me to hurry up. O well sometimes it is hard but I try to remember love and kindness. Like my Mom use to say you get more with honey then with vinegar. I don't know how Jesus did it, to always be a good example. I try and walk in his foot steps but those are some big feet to follow in, but I will try my best.

Monday

Some of the ladies at my hall are going to be at the same Craft Fair in Dec. (December 5), we can't wait. Some ladies make jewelry, others knit, it should be fun. One ladies husband has a big building at his Mothers house, so the wife is thinking of having all of us have a craft fair out there. That would be really nice if we could plan on something like that each year. We could get a bunch of the witness ladies that do crafts and have a special event. My friend Jane likes to make cookies, so she could bake a lot of things. Some of the Craft Fair that are in December you have to apply for in June. So I will try and keep that in mind next year. So have a good day and keep yourself going, never give up.

Sunday

Here we are again and I have failed to write every day, I am so ashamed of myself. I did go and see my knee surgeon on Friday, he says both of my knee are shot. I guess that is why my mind has been on other things this week. His name is Doctor Howe, he is a very nice man. He said lets do the first one and see how that goes then later in the year we can do the other. I try to act like it is no big deal, but I am scared to death. That is the bad thing about being alone, when my husband was alive we depended on each other to help us through these different things we had to face in life . No one likes to bother their children or their friends we want to be independent. So it is nice to be Jehovah Witness, when someone is sick or has surgery they pitch in and bring meals over for a while if you need them. They will have someone come and stay with you if you need help. I am hoping I can handle this one on my own but if I can't it is nice to know they are there. I will be in the hospital for 2 to 5 days and then with a walker for a while. The Doctors says I won't be doing much but siting and walking a little each day. Then after the walker, crutches ,then cane. It is going to be a long process but I can do it.

Tuesday

I had Cheerios for breakfast and fish for lunch. Went to a movie this afternoon and had some popcorn when I got home had some cheese and cracker. When It came around to dinner I had a salad with steak on it. It seems to be getting colder the next few days, it may rain in the middle of the week but they are not sure yet. I hope that you are all doing well and are keeping on your diet. On Friday I go and see the Doctor about my knee, I should know when they are going to operate on it. I ran into Brenda's husband last week and he said she had to have her knee operated on, but I don't know what was done. I hope she does well and will recover soon. Take care everyone and I will talk with you tomorrow.

Monday

Here we are at Monday again. Did my blood this morning 134, had cheerios for breakfast, snack, a yogurt, lunch 1/2 egg and bean burrito, snack cheese and crackers. When it came to dinner I had a English muffin with pizza sauce and some cheese. It feels better to spread the meals out into little ones, then you don't have a chance to get really hungry. I am writing down what I eat each meal and maybe I will get more in control. I did good with not having any sugar last week, I did have a small piece of pie at my friends house over the weekend. Now I am right back on the no sugar thing during the week. I am sure I am getting some sugar, I am just not eating candy or sweets. Over the weekend I was tempted to get a piece of cake to take home, while I was shopping at Safeway, but I made it through and didn't get one. That is good for me. So keep trying and don't give up, I will write every day this week.

Sunday

Today I have meeting then I am going out to lunch with my friend Jane and her husband Mark.
Last night I had dinner at there house and I won the card game. Chase and GG were ready for Halloween when I stopped by last night. Chase had made a box and he was going to lie in it and scare little kids. GG was Frankenstein's bride, she had her hair all on top of her head and bolts coming out of her neck. I am sure they had a good time.

Saturday

Sorry, I haven't got it together lately, will try and get back on the ball. Went to the heath store yesterday and got this pill that has all the things in it that are suppose to help bring blood sugar down. You take one pill with lunch and the other with dinner, we shell see what happen. It is called cinnamon force, it has all the things that are to promote blood sugar balance. Today my grandson had a baseball tournament, we had the first game at 10 and lost. That is fine with me the other teams coaches thought they were on TV or something, all they did was yell at their kids, good thing they did good, I wonder what would happen if they did bad. You hate to see kids that have to win all the time, then when they loose they don't know how to handle it and think they did something wrong, it is only a game. well take care all and I am glad my daughter is back from her vacation.

Wednesday

Well over the weekend I made a bet with my 11 year old grand daughter, no sugar for a week. I started over the weekend and it hasn't been to bad. Usually after dinner I get the urge for something sweet. Sometime I would even get in my car and go to the store, I had to have it. It has been four days and I had one of those very small bags of M and M's the second day. So I would say that is not too bad. I know that there is lots of sugar in everything we eat, but I am starting out with just sweets. Then when I go shopping I will start to really look at things as I buy them and look to see how much sugar is in each one. My grand daughter would eat the whole sugar bowl if you would let her. She is going to get braces soon , so I thought it would be a good test. Hope you all are doing well and don't give up.

Wednesday

Friday

Well here we are at the end of the week. I did my blood and it was 128 a little high but better then it has been. I am looking forward to a nice weekend, maybe I will take in a movie. It is hard for me to do to much with this knee, some days are worst then others. When I bend it back and forth it feels like bone crunching against each other, not a nice feeling. But we deal with these types of things and go on, what else can you do. I am making my Disability placard holders and can't wait for the craft fair in December, that will be fun. Some other ladies that I know are also doing the fair. They make jewelry and knit, so it should be a fun day. I wish I knew of some more craft fairs to go to, I could get my grand kids to help me, that would be fun. My oldest daughter lives in Red Bluff, I should have her check if there are some fairs up there. Sometimes to rent a table is way to much money. Well I hope you all have a great week and I will try and write everyday. Keep on trying to loose those pounds, I know that it can be really hard. Starting today I am going to stop eating by 6 pm, then have my snack right before bed and see how the blood sugars turn out.

Thursday

Today is Thursday and the week just flew by, I will try and get back writing every day. It has been a real nice week, the weather is beautiful out. My older daughter is going to Mexico for a vacation next week, wish I was going. I bet it will be a lot of fun, I don't remember if she was going by boat or flying down there. I did my blood this morning and it was not bad. I finished eating before 6 and had a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt before bed last night, that did the trick. So don't give up, keep trying, we have to help each other.

Monday

Today I had a yogurt for breakfast and a taco for lunch. I need to get some fresh fruit for the house, I did have a nice salad for dinner with slices of steak it was really good. I went out on service today but it was raining like cats and dogs outside. Tonight on the news they showed a water back up into the streets in San Francisco and there was like 2 feet of water in some local coffee shops. It was so bad, I guess the water came so fast that is didn't have a place to go.
I am trying to be careful with my knee, I go see the Doctor November 9, he is the one that will do the surgery and replace my knee. I should try and go swimming, at lease I could get a little exercise that wouldn't be hard on my knee.

Wednesday

Today is Wednesday, I did my blood sugar this morning and it was in the 130. So starting today I am going back on the diet where you eat ever 2 hour. I was doing really well on that but you know how it is. One piece of cake, a little candy and you off. I can not do that anymore. I went to the knee Doctor yesterday and I was thinking I would just have to have a small surgery and my knee would be better, come to find out I need my knee replaced. I really was not happy about that, I like to be independent, but when you have something like that done I am going to need a little help from my friends. They are always willing to help but I hate to ask. It was nice with my husband was alive I would help him if he need something done and he would help me. But that is not the way it is anymore so I have to deal with it. I know if I got some of the weight off it would be better for my knees. So I am going to wait until the beginning of the year to have it done. my receipt for the day is :
Tuna stuffed mini Pita lunch or dinner
4oz tuna fish water packed, low sodium
1/4 large celery stalk
1 mini (4 inch) pita pocket
2 tbsp. mayonnaise, low fat
directions: take tuna, diced celery, Mayonnaise and mix and stuff into mini pita

Monday

Today is Monday and we are suppose to have a 3 inch rain storm with 50 mile an hour winds tomorrow. I am going to write down everything tomorrow and get back in the grove. I have kind of gotten off track while I was sick, I now am feeling better. I am going to eat a half of a yogurt tonight and see what my blood sugar is in the am.

Friday

Good Morning everyone! Hope your day is starting off in a good way. Did my blood this morning and it was only 115, that is really good. It is hard right now because I can not walk because of my knee. I go back to the Doctor next week. According to the other therapist I have two tares in my knee, by the end of the day it is twice the size of the other one. So I have to do a little then sit down. So doing any exercise like walking or riding a bike is not possible at this time. I will just have to sit down and try and do something that way. Went to my grand sons baseball game last night, it was a good game but it was cold in Sebastapol. I think winter is comming, I wish I had a nice fireplace, so when it is cold and wet I would be sitting infront of the fire. Today is Friday and we have the weekend to look forward to, stay safe and I will write soon.

Tuesday

Last night I did a bad thing, I had a piece of cake. When I did my blood sugar this morning it was 179, not good. I should not of had that cake yesterday it made my blood sugar go way up, not what we want. So today it is back to eating right, I will have a yogurt for breakfast, I eat the lite one that is 80 to 100 calories. So there is no more sugar today, it is hard to stay away from sweets and if you have bread it does the same thing. I have gotten some apples and carrots and I will snack on them and see how I do today. They have these new whole wheat buns, they are real thin and a 100 calories for the whole bun, give them a try. So here is your recipe for the day. This is a snack: Ham and apple salad eat at 10 or 3

1 green onion
2oz. low sodium, lean slice ham
1/2 table. low fat may.
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 small apple
rinse and dice , then add may. and mustard, toss until well combined.

Monday

Well it is Monday, I did my blood sugar this morning and it was 130, a little high. I had a yogurt for breakfast, then a 1/2 tuna sandwich for lunch and the other 1/2 at three. Then for dinner I had a shrimp salad it was very tasty. I don't know how people do it that have a couple of kids to feed. It is getting harder and harder for everyone to make ends meet. So I guess it is good for us to eat less then it won't cost so much. So keep trying to loose, it is hard, I seem to loose a couple of pounds then I get the urge to eat something sweet. Well I will keep trying.

Sunday

Tomorrow is a new week, I will start writing down what I eat. I am finally over the flu, thank goodness. So I will start tomorrow by checking my blood and see what we have. I ate my yogurt tonight so that will make my blood sugar lower in the am. Take care and have a good night sleep.

Tuesday

I am finally starting to feel better, I thought I would never get over it. I did my blood sugar this morning and it was 128 so that is a whole lot better then what it has been. So that tells me that I am starting to get over this for sure. I have been making my Disabled parking placard holder for craft fair coming up. I made a web page, I am sure it is not perfect take a look at it and tell me what I can do to improve it. My daughter told me to get a new picture of myself. I would but that is the only one I have. I wish I know of more craft fairs around so I could do more of them. The one I wanted to get into is at the parks and rec. in Santa Rosa, Ca., but they told me they pick in the summer so I will have to wait until next year. Some fairs are so expensive for the rent of the table you don't make any money. I wish that I could get people in other places to show them for me, they could get a percentage, that would be cool. So here is the web page
http://cardprotect.weebly.com . When I had some money a long while ago I sold them at the Abilities Expo in L.A., the table was $500.00 now they are $1,200. So you see why I have to stick to craft fairs. Have a great day and I will write tomorrow.

Monday

How are you all? Well I have been laid up with the flu for 2 weeks. First few day felt sick to my stomach, now chills, headache. Just won't go away. I had some pills left over from an ear infection, so I tried those, didn't do a thing. So this must be a virus and has to run it course. So you will have to forgive me for not writing to much. I will get back with you as soon as I feel better. Have a great week and keep trying to loose weight.

Thursday

Here we are almost to the end of the week. Well I feel really stupid, I have been trying to finger out why my blood sugar is always in the 130, I AM SICK. When you are sick you blood sugar always runs high. I have no energy and feel like I have a head cold. I thought yesterday I was doing better but am feeling bad again today. Guess I just have to ride it out, it's not like when you are younger, better in a few days. It seem as I get older it takes me a couple of weeks. Tomorrow I will have my grand daughter with me for the day, she is off school. I have lots of buttons and we are going to make friendship bracelets. I made a really nice one today with brown button, these are very old buttons. I wish I was able to see my other grand daughter in the fair but I wish her well. So If you get sick from a cold or flu remember that your blood sugar will be higher then usual and you just have to keep checking it and I hope you feel better.
Friday is coming.

Wednesday

Today is my first day of my experiment. I had my yogurt last night but my blood sugar was 134 this morning a little high before eating breakfast. ( It is suppose to be 99-120 before eating) So then I think back to what I ate yesterday, ice cream, I had some ice cream after dinner last night. So we know that I cannot do that and bring my blood sugar down. I was reading online that if you want to bring blood sugar down eat vinegar each day. so yesterday during the day I did my blood and it was 130 so I had some tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, it brought my blood down to 99, so that seemed to work. I am going back to having sweets once a week, that way I am not getting to much sugar. The trouble is that everything turns to sugar on me, bread, rice, potato, so I am going to have to watch very carefully what I eat. I can do this, it just takes a little planning. Well for today recipe, how about a cheese tomato melt for lunch.

Cheese- Tomato Melt
3 oz. fat- free mozzarella cheese
4 tomato slices
2 slices low sodium whole wheat bread
Divide tomatoes slices and cheese evenly on top of bread slices: broil until cheese melts. serve immediately.

Tuesaday

I am starting my experiment today, when I go to bed I am going to have a different snack each night and see which one brings my blood sugar down in the am. I know that eating a half of a yogurt does the trick so I will start with that one tonight. Then each night I will try something else, I will go on line today and see what they say on the diabetic pages and see if they're any suggestion. It is suppose to be close to a 100 today. I am feeling better, another day or two and I will be back to normal, what ever that is. I am really sad that I will not be able to make it to see the grand kids and go to the fair, but that is the way it goes. I will try and make it up there for a weekend soon. So please keep on trying to loose weight, don't give up. Here is your recipe for the day. This one is a snack for 10 or 3:

Min Pita Pizza
1/2 mini pita pocket
1 oz. fat free mozzarella cheese
1/2oz. tomato sauce, low sodium
1/4 tea. dried oregano
put all ing. in pocket put under broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted.

Well it is Sunday and the week is about to begin. I hope you all are fine and still trying to loose weight. I am sick this week with the flu so I am not doing to much but laying around. I HATE being sick, if I have to watch one more TV program I am going to scream. I will miss going to my daughter's in Red Bluff and I will miss going to there fair and watching my grand daughter in 4-H with her sheep. The weather is going to be over 100 up there so I guess it is for the best. I will have to go up and see them soon. Maybe when they come down we could all go out for dinner, that would be fun. Well keep on trying and I hope that none of you have gotten a cold or flu yet this year.

Saturday

Well it is the weekend, thank goodness. I did my blood this morning and it was 138, I had a half egg sandwich last night before bed and it is still high this morning. So I now know that if it has bread with it, it is a no, no. The only thing that seems to work is having a yogurt right before bed. I am going to try something different each nigh this week. It will be an experiment to see what food besides yogurt will bring my blood sugar down in the am. Next week I am going up to Red Bluff, Ca. to see my daughter and my grand kids. That will be fun, my grand daughter is going to be in the fair with her sheep. I look forward to this each year, it is a fun, and I get to see my family. So you may not hear from me for a few days next week (Thur. - Saturday).

Here is a snack recipe for you.
Tuna- Avocado Salad on rice cake
1 oz. water packed tuna
4 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp. avocado, chopped
1 low sodium rice cake
Mix all ing. and put on top of rice cake. Great for 10 or 3 o'clock snack.

Thurday

How are you all doing this afternoon? Well I found out my knee has a couple of things wrong with it . I don't get to see the Doctor until Oct. 9, so I was told today that I will need to change some of the exercises that I am doing. We don't want to make it worse. I have been under the weather the last couple of day. My stomach feels a little sick. So this is going to be a short blog today. Don't you stop working on you weight, I haven't just having a couple of bad day. Talk to you all soon.

Tuesday

How are you all doing? It is a beautiful day today, the sun is out, not to hot, what more could you ask for. I went and had my knee checked and they had me do exercises in a pool and out. It was fun, I guess, I learned that we need to make our core strong. That is where older people go wrong. We need to bend our knees so we use our top muscles on our legs. We need to make them strong that way we won't fall as we get older. I haven't been to the YMCA lately so I haven't been on the scale. But I am still walking every day. It was a little hard today because my knee was very sore in the afternoon. But just try your best and I will see you tomorrow.

Monday a new begining!

It has been raining the last couple of days. Are you having a bad time with your diet. It is easy to just want to throw the towel in and eat everything good in sight. But remember girls we are doing this to make our bodies work better and last us a long time. My frig. is getting low so then I start thinking about eating anything, I have to stop doing that. I did take a walk today, not very far, but I did walk. Tomorrow I am going to the exercise class for my knee, part will be in the water and part on machines. So we will see how we do. I made the most tasty chicken for dinner tonight. I had chicken breast, cut it in half. flattened the two pieces out, put them in a pan and let them simmer slowly. At the end I put some white wine on them. Made some rice and boy were they good. So have a great evening and we shell talk soon.

Sept. 12, 2009

Yesterday was Sept. 11, hard to believe that so many years have passed. I was watching a special on what happen on that day. It breaks my heart that so many people have to choose their death. (fire or jumping) One thing that does make me happy is that they are no where near rebuilding. I think it should have some type of Memorial and a park and that is it. If they build new tall building there tell me what company in there right mind would ever work there again. It would be like living and working over a grave yard it just seem wrong. There was one man who was in the Hilton hotel, 5Th floor , right below the towers, when the first building collapsed, it torn the building in half. Fortunately for him a fireman found him. They made it down to the 2ND floor when the second building went. They were just in the right spot, the walls held and they made it out alive. 6 months after that the older mans daughter got married. The older gentleman ask the fireman and his wife to come. It was so sweet the older man announced at the wedding that he wanted to introduce the fireman to everyone because without his help he wouldn't be at his daughters wedding. It just made you cry. So we have to remember that life is special and can be taken away at any moment.
It is the weekend and it is raining here can you believe it. It has been in the 90 and 100 here this last week. So take care of your loved ones and have a wonderful weekend.

Here is your recipe for the day: Egg Salad- Pita Bread Snack 10 or 3
2 boiled eggs remove the yoke
1tbsp. low fat mayo.
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 large celery stalk finely chopped.
(add onion or anything you like)
mix all together is put in 1/2 min. pita bread

Friday and counting

Well it is 7 am and I am off to the gym. I have been doing my blood sugar in the am and it is in 130, I have not been eating my yogurt right before bed. I thought I would try 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, that doesn't work. Makes my blood sugar high. Anyone know of any other snack before bed that will not make blood sugar rise. It would be nice to have a couple of options. Well yesterday afternoon I was just sitting in my house minding my own business when about 3 pm I heard this car come screaming around the corner. Needless to say he didn't make it. We live right close to the High School and they use our street as a race way at the beginning of school. Soon they find out that this street is to narrow, but the poor man's yard next door looks like a truck went through it. (which it did, 2ND time in 6 months). Thank goodness no one was walking on the sidewalk, the truck tried to turn and went airborne, what a mess to have to clean up. I told the older man next door I would help him on Saturday. So keep up the good work and I will give you a quick receipt today. This is a snack, 10 am or 3 pm.

Blackberry protein shake
1/2 cup no fat, skim milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup blackberries (I use frozen berries)
1/4 scoop protein powder
2 ice cubes.

put all in blender except ice cubes, mix well, add ice cubes mix again and all is done, enjoy

Get back on Track

If you have gotten off track don't worry today is a good day to get back in there. I know after the three day weekend some of us have fallen off. A piece of cake or a candy bar, well it tasted really good but it is time to jump back and start eating right. Yesterday I went to Safeway and got some fruit that was on sale. That is a good thing to do, when you see something really cheap put a little money away during the month so you can take advantage of the sale. We all know how hard it is right now, I have to count every penny. That is one reason I always buy an 18 count eggs, at the beginning of the month. I love egg sandwiches, I use just the egg whites and maybe 1/2 egg yoke for color, I add celery, onions, even some tuna. I make a big batch on Monday so then when I am hungry during the week I don't have to think about it. It is right there waiting for me. If I have to stop and try to finger out what is good for me and can't find something that is low cal of course I start eating the wrong things.

Here is a nice recipe for a dinner, these are all one portion sizes.

Chicken Florentine with brown rice

1 cup fresh mushrooms
3 oz. chicken breast
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup steamed spinach
2/3 tbsp. oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
directions:
preheat oven to 350, rinse and slice mushroom, set aside
rinse and pat dry chicken breast. Place chicken breast in baking dish, mix wine with Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with spices and bake 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside and juices run clear. Reserve the juices. In a medium skillet, heat oil, saute mushrooms and onions until translucent. Spread spinach on place; top with chicken, mushrooms, onions. Pour juice from chicken over everything.

Get on Track

Wednesday

We are half way through the week !!! How is your week going, I am doing OK ? The weather is beautiful outside so we should be walking. Get those shoes on and start walking, walk around the block or around the lake. What ever you have near you, just get up and walk. They say we have to take some time for ourselves. Take a nice long walk, then come home have a bubble bath, put some stuff on your face and soak a little while. I have a friend that puts egg white on her face every week, she has the most beautify skin. I think she mixes it with honey. Well what ever you do treat yourself special this week. Even if we don't loose a pound we want to feel good about ourselves. So have that walk and a special moment for yourself and I will talk with you tomorrow.

Recipe for the day Open faced BLT Sandwich (lunch or dinner)

3oz. Canadian bacon
1 slice bread
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup lettuce
2 tomato slices

heat bacon, toast bread, top with rest of ingredients.

To make this a complete meal include 1/2 cup lite yogurt, 10 almonds and 3/4 cup raspberries.

First day of a short week

Today I had to go and have a scan done on my knee. When you get to my age things start wearing out, so you just do the best you can. I went to the YMCA after that and exercised on one of those machines that are suppose to be gentle on the knees. Then I rode a bike for 15 min., lifted some weights, all together I was there about an hour. I even weight myself and I stayed the same, that surprised me because I told you yesterday that I ate my fair share over the three day weekend. My daughter informed me today that I have misspelled some of my words or used them incorrectly, but I will keep trying. So if I have made a mistake or two please bear with me. ( that was a joke I know that it is bare) So here is a recipe for the day.

Chicken tostada

3 oz. boneless chicken breast
1/2 oz. low fat shredded cheese
1- 5 inch corn tortilla
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup avocado, chopped

Great for lunch or dinner

Monday a three day Holiday

Well how is it all going ? Today is the last day of the three day holiday, hope you had fun.
I am doing OK today, but I seem to be a little down. It is probably the ear thing, it is frustrating to hear out of one ear and the other one is muffled all the time. But there is not much I can do about it. If anyone has any good suggestion for unplugging your ear let me know. I think I have tried everything but am willing to do anything. So I don't know how your diet went over the weekend but I did my fair share of eating. I will go to the YMCA tomorrow and weigh myself, I don't think it will be good news. The YMCA was closed today so I cleaned my whole back porch. I re fixed where my sewing machine goes and rearranged the whole thing. It looks a lot better now and it is clean. So take care and have a great day and I will talk with you tomorrow.


Here is your recipe for the day. This one is for lunch or Dinner

4oz. tuna
1/4 larch celery stalk, cut into small pieces
1 mini pita pocket
2tbsp. low fat mayonnaise
Mix all together and stuff pocket bread

You can always add, onion, sprouts, etc.

Sunday morning, Well my dinner fell through. My friend became sick but we will go out to dinner soon. Her husband had a bunch of peaches and asked if I would make him a pie. That is why I look the way I do, people love my pies. They have a peach tree in there back yard. So I went over there in the morning yesterday and made him a pie. Last night I went over and had a piece with them. I am afraid to do my sugar this morning. Let me go check, it is 126, I wonder why. I knew I shouldn't of had that pie. I came home and feel asleep in my chair, my body was on a sugar high and then crashed. You would think I would learn, it really makes your body sick to have to much sugar at one time. Well tomorrow is Monday and I have to get back to doing the right thing. I have Sunday meeting this morning ( I am a Jehovah's Witness) at 10 to 12 then I need to take a walk or go to the gym and get all that sugar out of me and then I will feel better. So here is one of my recipe for today. How about making some Apple Muffins?

Apple Muffins
This recipe makes low fat muffins with great taste and texture. Egg whites, now-fat milk and only a little oil does the trick. Ready in approx 35 Minutes. Makes 12 servings.

2 cups whole wheat flour 3/4 cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon baking powder 2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup honey
1 cup chopped apples

1.Preheat over 375, lightly grease muffin tin.
2. Lightly beat egg whites
3. in separate bowl mix drying. thoroughly.
4. in a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Gently fold in egg white. Add to the dry ingredients. Stir until barely moistened. Batter will be lumpy.
5. Fill greased muffin tins two-thirds full. Bake about 20 minutes until lightly brown.

Makes a great snack or if you are rushing off in the morning with a cup of coffee.

Have a great day and I will talk to you tomorrow, Monday is a new week and we can do this little by little. E mail me I need friends.

Dinner out

Tonight I am going out to dinner, that is hard when you are with a bunch of other people not to over eat. Tonight I am going to La Gara it is a french restaurant. I try and eat some fruit or something right before I go. I love french bread and all the things that are bad for me. A few weeks ago I went to a pool party. I read in this book that if you are going to a party have a tablespoon of everything there is. That way you won't feel like you missed out. The idea is good but that would work better for a sit down dinner. The pool party was food sitting in front of you from when you got there tell I went home. So maybe tonight dinner will be easier. To nights dinner is a sit down dinner, so hopefully I will have more control over myself. My blood sugar was 114 this morning, better then some other times. I have a problem with my blood sugar high in the morning. A lady wrote on the Internet that her blood sugar was high in the a.m. so she started having a yogurt right before bed. We are taught to eat nothing before bed but by eating a yogurt right before going to bed It would bring my blood sugar down where it should be. The days I didn't, my blood sugar was 140 or above. So eat a half of a yogurt before bed and you will see a big difference. So before I go to the gym this morning let me leave you with a new recipe.

This weekend is a three day holiday so how about a cook out.

Barbecued pork chops

3 1/2 oz lean, boneless pork chop per person
1/2 tbsp. barbecue sauce

Direction: Preheat broiler or grill. Rinse chop and trim fat. Coat broiler or grill with cooking spray. Broil chop 4 min. per side. Baste with barbe-que sauce and cook for an additional 3 min. on each side.

Add a salad and you all ready for some outside fun.

So I hope you have a great three day weekend. Remember WE CAN DO THIS. If you happen to fall off the wagon, get right back up and keep on going.

Well it is Friday afternoon and I went to YMCA and went on the treadmill for 10 min., rode a bike for 10 min. and tried one of those machine that are easy on the knees. So that was really good for me. Went to lunch at my favorite Mex. restaurant, ate a little and saved the rest for tomorrow. My friend that works there is also trying to loose weight. We are always talking about not eating this or not eating that. I guess we just have to learn to eat smaller meals. I know that way I feel better. I am learning to eat just until I feel good, not to full, but just right. It is easy to just keep on eating until we are stuffed but that is what got me this way. Of course it wasn't that my husband was Mex and Philip. and made all these great dishes. I know I must of sampled everyone of them. I didn't want the poor boy to eat along. So each day I am going to give you one of the recipe I got with the low glycemic index diet. This is the one you eat every three hours small amount. The recipe taste great, they are trying to teach you to choose the foods that are best for you.
This one is called " Cottage cheese Berry Delight" (Lunch or dinner)

(I go to Safeway and get there cottage cheese with no salt.)
3/4 cup low fat, cottage cheese
3/4 strawberries ( I use frozen fruit)
3/4 blueberries (I use black berry)
1 pack of splenda
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
I put cottage cheese on small plate
put fruit into bowl , put in microwave for 1 min. or less. add splenda, mash fruit all together and pour over the cottage cheese.
It taste like you are haveing a sundae

So give it a try and I will see you tomorrow.

Three week and counting

This is my third week and I have dropped from 232 to 227. That is 5 pounds, doesn't sound like a lot but it is a begining. My next step is to head for 220, if I can get there that will be great I haven't been less then 220 in 20 years. So to reach 220 would be a huge thing for me. I am borderline diabetic, my husband died from being diabetic, he had kidney failure so I know what that is all about and I do not want to go that way. I have learned to take the yoke out of my eggs you can save lots of calories that way. You can still make egg sandwiches, with onions, celery, what ever you like. Tuna is great to have on hand. Mix a bunch up for a few days and keep it in you frig. so when you get hungry you don't run to the sweets. It's right there all ready for you. In the up coming days I will give you some quick snack you can eat that taste really good and are good for you. I am finding out if I am ready when the hunger comes I do better. But I don't want to stop and think about food all day. Talk to you tomorrow.