The GI Way

Healthy Recipe Box

2009-03-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

Since the demise of the recipe book forum, I've decided to post my favorite every day recipes (most of which are Glycemic Index friendly) onto a wiki. You're welcome to have a look around and bookmark it if you think it will be a place you'd like to revisit. I've transferred everything from the forum, all of the recipes I've posted here at GI Way, plus a bunch more.

The reason I chose a wiki is because it's a searchable database. I'm really happy with it thus far. If you think you'd like to leave comments on it, you'll need to register. Otherwise it's publicly accessible.

Here it is: Healthy Recipe Box.

Enjoy! :)

Ranch-Style Dressing

2009-01-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

Our favorite salad dressing is Ranch, so I finally decided to figure out a basic recipe for my own version, lower in calories than most commercial versions.

Ranch-Style Dressing
1 cup 1% Buttermilk
1/3 cup light mayonnaise (such as Hellman's Light)
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons* chopped fresh or frozen herbs**
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of salt

Whisk together in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate at least 2-3 hours and up to a week. It does need a few hours to set up or it will be too runny.

*or 2 teaspoons of dry herbs

**I've tried this with oregano and dill, because those are two herbs we have a lot of and I freeze them in the summertime. We love dill in this. Parsley would probably be closest to a traditional Ranch flavor, though.

Metabolism

2008-10-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Metabolism: What is it?

Wiki Answers gives an understandable definition for those of us who are not scientists:

The Scientific definition of metabolism is the rate in which the body makes or breaks chemical bonds.

Metabolism is the rate in which one's body burns off and utilizes calories. Everyone has a set metabolic rate that is typically determined by one's genetics. Yet, that rate can be changed through exercise which will increase one's metabolism. Generally speaking, one would hope to have a higher metabolic rate so that the consumed calories will burn off quicker and will not become fat in the process.

Hope to have a higher metabolic rate? I can assure you that mine has slowed in recent years. I've been thinking about metabolism a fair bit recently, trying to come to terms with the fact that my body seems to get used to levels of food and exercise, causing my rate to slow again. How can one jumpstart metabolism?

Again from Wiki Answers, there is a lot of basic information out there. This page gives ten basic bits of advice on metabolism that pretty much matches things I've read elsewhere.

1. Build lean body mass (this means strength training)
2. Aerobic exercise
3. Eat enough
4. Eliminate sugar
5. Eat breakfast
6. Include spicy food
7. Drink hot green tea
8. Drink water
9. Avoid stress
10. Get enough sleep

As you know, not all of those are completely controllable. And others are downright hard to control even if it's possible in theory. Is there anything else to the equation besides the above?

Jump Start Your Metabolism explains that our bodies don't use energy for every task equally. This page explains that there are three main factors: The rate at which your body uses energy for vital processes, such as breathing (i.e. your basal metabolic rate, or BMR); the rate at which you burn energy during physical activity; the rate at which you burn energy during food digestion (otherwise known as the thermogenic effect of food).

I've got a few thoughts of my own on metabolism that I'll be exploring here on and off over the next while as I have the time and the inclination to study and research what the experts say. Any questions or comments on metabolism? Anyone interested in learning about this with me?

Seedy Whole Wheat Bread

2008-09-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

I bake a 4-loaf batch of whole wheat bread most weeks, and this is the recipe I use most often:

Seedy Whole Wheat Bread
In a large bread bowl, mix together:
1/2 cup honey
1.5 Tbsp salt (or as you prefer)
3 cups rolled oats I always use large flake, but you can use quick oats
1 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
6 cups boiling water

Stir this all and set it aside for 15 minutes, until the water is a good temperature for yeast (baby bottle warm).

Then add:
2 Tbsp instant yeast (I use Fermipan from the bulk department)
Whole Wheat Flour (We prefer a coarse grind that we have to special-order. Right now we're able to buy it at Costco, an *Ellisons* brand.)

You may ask how much flour. Um, a bunch. I just put in a few cups, stir, add another one, stir, until it's too heavy for my wooden spoon. Then I just get in there with my hands and knead, adding flour until it's enough. Use flour to get the gunky dough off your fingers and off the spoon and off the sides of the bowl. When it's getting so it isn't too sticky, pour a little olive oil in your hands and knead a bit more. You may find you need a bit more flour after that, still, but you don't want more than it needs. I know, that's vague, but this is the part that's hard to TELL, and easier to SHOW and FEEL.

At that stage I blop the ball of dough onto my table, wash out the bowl, dry it, smear it with olive oil, and blop the dough back in to rise for an hour or two (till doubled in size). I cover it with a damp teatowel while it rises to prevent the top drying out. Beware you don't use a good one, as the oil never comes completely back out.

When it's risen well, out it comes again and you divide it into four equal parts. My mom used to actually weigh them on a kitchen scale. I just heft the various ones a few times, pulling bits of dough and adding to others as seems best. Then I take one ball of dough and smack it against the table a few times. Great for letting off steam :P but it also eliminates gas bubbles from taking over the bread. I smoosh it out, roll it up, pinch the ends, and stick it in a loaf pan I've spritzed with Pam.

When all four are in pans, I put the damp teatowel over them again. This rise goes faster, under an hour. Heat oven to 375, stick the loaves in for about 45 minutes. The bread is done when you knock on it and it sounds hollow.

Take them out of the pans to cool. Once they're cool, I usually slice mine, bag them, and toss them in the freezer--except for the one that seems to be half-eaten at this stage! Frozen slices are easy to break off and thaw quickly on the counter or can go straight in the toaster. Of course you don't have to pre-slice the loaves but it makes life easier for the next week, and the bread board and knife don't have to be out constantly.

Any questions? Enjoy!

(If you also would like me to post Sourdough Whole Wheat Bread or Basic Whole Wheat Bread, just ask. I make them fairly often, too. As well as occasional Rye...and Foccacia...and other types!)

One Year

2008-07-05T12:11:00.001-07:00

This past weekend it was one year since I signed up for Fly Lady. I'd come off a few months of kitchen renovating (still incomplete), my mother's stroke, and a vacation and realized--with shock--one day that my house was a disaster from one end to the other.

I spent the Canada Day long weekend (which Jim had to work) mucking out the house and ended up Monday evening loading recycling and garbage and thrift store drop-offs into the truck, and washing the porch floor as I backed out of a sparkly clean (ish) house. And wondering why I couldn't keep it that way.

Fly Lady has been a big help but of course I've picked and chosen what of the system to do and what to ignore. Mostly I ignore all calls to clean/ sort/ declutter the front entry and porch. Mine just scares me. It always has and I think it will until the day we renovate that part of the house (up soon after the never-ending kitchen). I've done the daily missions on a hit-or-miss system for most of the year.

I've had a couple epiphanies that really ought to have been more basic to me. Fly Lady talks about Blessing My House once a week--basically a quick cleaning blitz that leaves the surface company-ready. Coupled with the daily missions, it pretty much keeps things running smoothly. Only it takes me much more than the hour Fly Lady allots to it. Finally had a DUH moment. She isn't using that hour to TIDY the house and then clean it. She's assuming that I've been actually DOING the dailies and keeping the hot spots picked up. Well. What a concept. She's likely right--the actual cleaning can be done in an hour!

I also learned that I'd done a decent job on the surface and even a bit below on the rooms that are on the Fly Lady rotation (if we pretend the front entry doesn't exist--and I'm good at pretending that.) What I wasn't dealing with were the two *spare bedrooms*. One of which hubby has taken over as his home office, and the other was mine. Except that I moved the computer desk downstairs several years ago (then booted it out entirely when we went to two laptops.) Boxes from the (unfinished) kitchen renovation lived in there, plus a couple boxes from cleaning out my mom's apartment last spring. And some craft projects I'm apparently never going to finish. And...yep, clutter.

When Hanna and Craig moved home at the beginning of May I was forced to actually LOOK at this room and it was embarrassing. Pretty much everything had to come out so they had room to set up their office in it (they're sleeping in the folks' motorhome, and the upstairs room is their living room). We allowed me to keep the closet (small), my Rubbermaid rolling drawers, and one narrow chest of drawers (that replaces the desk drawers from the desk that is no more). There was a LOT of junk that needed to go. Once again with the trash, recycling, and thrift store. The treadmill that I never use went out to the guest cabin (that still has a lot of cabinets in it!)--we can't get rid of that because it belongs to the folks, who don't use it but can't get rid of it. The uncomfortable futon got turfed.

A bunch of stuff from in there landed in Jim's little office, and after a few weeks he said--um---I need to be able to get in the door. So one rainy weekend I completely emptied the hall closet (big mess, wow) and really worked through what NEEDS to live in there to make room for the stuff that had wound up in Jim's room. Why did I have so many random sheets when there's no way we have room for that much company? Some got trashed, some thrift stored. Things are somewhat sorted out up there. For now. Once the kids leave at the end of August, I need to be careful not to spread back out and be lazy.

Altogether, though, the house is a huge improvement. The biggest thing has been the daily routines, though, especially the evening routine. I used to be bad for leaving dirty dishes out, but that's rarely an issue now. The coffee pot gets set in the evening, and lunches made. Supper decided upon, usually. I'm not up to full bore menu planning yet, but I rarely stop at the grocery store at 5 pm to decide what's for dinner anymore. And when the home and people go to bed actually prepared for morning, the getting-ready-for-work runs more smoothly. So those routines are absolute winners.

Right now I'm trying to deal with the garden. Easy to say that fifteen minutes a day would keep the yard work under control. I haven't quite worked it into my routines, I guess. But it's too hot, or too rainy, or too buggy...or something. We did a blitz weed in the garden this morning for a couple hours and now the potatoes and corn can see air again. All good.

The upshot is that while Fly Lady has not made my life perfect, I'm so grateful for how much improvement I've seen and that it really doesn't take that much effort. Maybe I'm ready for the next step. Unless the next step is my front entry. Then I'm not ready at all.

Cincinnati Chili-Style Spaghetti

2008-03-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted here, but...I haven't totally forgotten this blog. Honestly. This morning hubby was watching FoodTV (for something new and different) and came across a mention of Cincinnati style spaghetti. He asked me if I'd ever heard of it, and it sounded vaguely familiar. So I googled it and came up with this recipe. I just so happened to have a package of ground beef thawing for supper without a definite plan in mind, so I decided to try it. Here's what I did. We loved it, by the way. Definitely a do-again.

Cincinnati Chili-Style Spaghetti

1.5 pounds ground beef
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
a few drops tobasco sauce
.5 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt

Saute the above together until the meat is no longer pink. If you have extremely lean meat, you might need a slosh of olive oil to keep it from sticking. Then add:

1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce (I used a home-canned pint jar of roasted tomato sauce)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2-3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

If you like a bit more heat, add a bit more chili powder or tobasco. Once this is simmering, start heating the water for pasta. The timing came out very well this way.

Makes about 4-6 servings

To serve: ladle over cooked spaghetti or linguine.

Cincinnati 3-Way: Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over the top

Cincinnati 4-Way: A couple tablespoons of raw chopped onions, then the cheddar

Cincinnati 5-Way: Kidney beans, raw chopped onions, then cheddar

Hubby went for the 4-way. While I don't mind onions, I'm not keen on them raw, so I decided to pass on that version. However, the thought of kidney beans appealed to me (but not to him). Because i'm trying to get back to a low-GI diet, I only put a small scoop of the pasta in my plate, then about a cup of kidney beans and a good ladle of the sauce. Cheddar on top. This was to-die-for good.

Okay, now for everything else

2008-02-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

Now that we're Walking to Somewhere, I feel like I have some accountability for getting some cardio exercise. Because of the degenerative disc disease in my neck and upper back, walking is about the best exercise I can get--and because I don't want to gain weight again, I need to do it regularly. I really think this little friendly competition is going to help a ton.

I've done an informal calibration at about 2662 steps per mile. With hubby working back in town and starting work at 8, my walking hour is between 8 and 9. We're sharing a vehicle, and most days I drop him off on my way into town, park the truck (its been 4x4 conditions lately, hence the truck not the car), and go for my walk in town. I pick him up at 12, we drive home for lunch, I drop him off for 1:00, and pick him up at 5 when we're both done. So this works pretty well for me.

A couple of days the roads were so horrid I left him the truck and walked the rest of the way: 2.2 kilometers or 1.32 miles. The downside there is I am carrying my backpack until I get to my store, then I ditch it and walk a bit longer without it. I've been averaging 4500-5500 steps before work for net days of 6000-7000.

I still need to get back in a good routine for core exercises, but one thing at a time.

Weight-wise, I'm hanging in at 148#. I've been there since...September? It barely wobbled over Christmas which is really fantastic. Honestly? If my body would like to be happy at this weight, I would like to not argue with it. I'm still twenty pounds down from my high spot of two years ago, I'm reasonably fit, and I don't hate my current clothes. Though I do miss a few of the cute things I wore last winter!

I'm keeping to a mostly low GI diet, generally speaking, while not getting carried away. (Obviously, or I'd be losing that weight again...)

We'll see what consistent walking does for me. Sadly I don't think it will remove my belly flab. It will take the core exercises to do that!

The Virtual Walk

2008-01-29T14:57:00.000-08:00

I talked the other day about a virtual hike, and a few of us are taking the idea and running with it. Or walking with it. We've started a group blog at Walking to Somewhere. I believe EJ and Jean have expressed interest...if you (whether you are they or you are someone else!) want to get in on this, hop on over and leave a comment. If we already know you, we'll just need whatever information Blogger needs to add your name to the list of folks who can post there. If we don't already know you, or you aren't sure we do, please email me at valerierco AT yahoo DOT ca with Virtual Walk in the subject line and give me a heads-up who you are.

We're still talking about *where* we'll walk. We're wondering if the Appalachian Trail might be too big a bite for the first round! :P Maybe try the West Coast Trail? Google it... Suggestions welcome!

If you want to participate, you'll need walking shoes and a pedometer. Mark out a walking route with your vehicle so you know the exact distance it is, then walk it and let the pedometer count the steps. Figure out how many of your steps makes a mile. If you don't have a pedometer (though they're fairly cheap, really...) you'll be more tied to the same route that you've measured out with the vehicle. I plan on counting my steps all day long, not only *the walk* part of it. At the moment, my walk is about 5000-5500 steps and the rest of my day is less than 1000, on average. I haven't figured out the miles that is yet. Too much snow to haul the car out! :P

I'm also thinking of buying Mar's progress bar thingie from Holly Lisle's shop and tucking it in the sidebar at the walking blog, so I can update my mileage there visibly. You don't have to, but you can.

(I'm hoping to make this really a part of my everyday life for years to come. I wish I could sit in a rocking chair and rot, but I'd get too fat rotting so this is it.)

Any other ideas? Considerations? Post them here or over there!

Wow I've been bad at this

2008-01-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

How's my life?

Er.

That about covers it.

I got a pedometer last Friday and now I can see how lazy I am. Like I had no other clues. But seriously, around 1600 steps on Monday? That's practically nothing. So I had to check how many steps I get on the treadmill--see, the thing is working already! And that's about 1200 steps a mile, which was about 20 minutes. Sheesh, it's been a L-O-N-G time since I was on the thing. Like a month.

It's a wonder I haven't gained weight, but yay I'm steady at 148. Not that that is where I want to be steady at, but anyway. I've been in the neighborhood for a few months and it beats gaining more.

So the glasses thing--Val's little nightmare. Again the gal disappeared into the back room for a long period of time. Again with the muffled sounds back there. Again with the new arm not fitting. I suspected that would happen. I mean, aren't all the left arms for glasses' style XYZ in the same bin at HQ? Why should one be any different than another? But they seemed downright shocked.

And then she says: do you have any other glasses you can wear? And the response was quick and emphatic. NO! She wanted to send these away to be *fixed*. I suggested they order complete new frames and exchange the lenses when the frame comes. Surely that will work? She agreed. All the reefing and twisting they did to try to make the arm fit--I'm happier with all new frames by this stage. At least I hope I will be.

For the record, black electrical tape holds up the best long term. Don't use duct tape, it ruins the finish (I already knew it would so didn't go that route.) Scotch tape lasts only a couple days. Just in case you cared.

So hubby is currently resting up for his very last day of work at the mines Thursday. He'll be home late tomorrow with his honkin' HUGE tool boxes in the back of the truck. They're putting them in with a forklift. How he'll get them out at GM I don't know. He doesn't think they have a forklift there...

So my life is changing again. Mostly for the good, but certainly we will be adjusting. Back when he last worked here we shared a vehicle and we're talking about doing it again--though now we have two--just to save fuel. His hours are 8-12, 1-5 Monday to Friday. Mine are 9-12, 1-5 Monday to Friday. I would drop him off at work (he's enroute for me, about 2/3 of the way to my job), pick him up to come home for lunch, drop him off, pick him up.

It just means I have an hour to kill in the morning. Last time we did this, I got a Curves membership and used it at 8 most mornings. I let my Curves membership lapse in the fall and I'm not a hundred percent sure I want to renew it.

Meanwhile a new gym opened up in town a few months back and I stopped in today to look around and check out fees. I'm thinking I might get a three month pass and see how it goes. I could do cardio a couple mornings a week and weights a couple mornings, if my neck and upper back are up for it. That'll be the clincher. There is another gym and I've walked in the door a few times over the past seven years, glanced around and walked right back out. Totally uninviting and I have no idea why. Just I'm not going there!

At any rate, it'd be a good use of the extra hour. And unlike Curves, they actually have a shower in the back room so I could do better than a swab before going to work. I can shower pretty quick. And see, I'd be saving money not showering at home...

Yeah, watch me try to convince myself this is a good idea! :P

So back to this pedometer thing. Anyone got one? Do you use it daily? Do you obsess about how different the days are? I've had days from 1600 to nearly 6000. What's a good goal?

Sometimes I read C.E. Murphy's blog and she posted this a bit ago. She's joined the Eowyn Challenge which apparently is a walk around Middle Earth, like Frodo did in LOTR. Problem. I haven't read LOTR, and although I occasionally think I ought to, I haven't really convinced myself yet.

Anyone else looking for some kind of walking challenge? Dunno. Always more fun with companions, even virtual ones.

Oh yeah, FlyLady. Been doing her. Kitchen last week, but I ought to clean the oven, maybe on the weekend. Don't have the energy on a work night. Bathroom week is going fine. I decided to buy myself a new bathroom garbage can today but--um--didn't. Maybe tomorrow. The lengths to which we will go to not wash the one we have.

Blessed the house tonight right after I got home. Don't know how that will work when hubby is living at home. It's hard to clean around someone, and he does have the outside chores so it's reasonable for me to do the inside myself. We share the garden. But his daily chores right now don't take long enough for me to do the blessing. I guess we'll see next week.

That's it.

Tuesday/Wednesday January 8/9

2008-01-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

A very organized Tuesday in which I remembered to take a lunch to work but forgot to make a mocha. And of course still didn't work out. And the customers rediscovered that we're open again. And the weather, and therefore the roads, were nasty again.

Breakfast: shredded wheat and a banana. BOUGHT a mocha!
Lunch: tuna (cats fought over the juices in the morning, poor things), Wasa crackers, carrots, 2 oranges
Supper: Salad, baked beans. 4 Hershey kisses! :P

After I had cleaned up the kitchen (right down to shining the sink, woohoo!--and the container cupboard is still organized), I tackled the upstairs. Stripped the spare bed and started the laundry. Got all the Christmas decorations out of my closet (again) and packed all the random stacked stuff into them, put them back full.

Ran the beyootifull flylady duster over the upstairs, then the vacuum. Brought the garbage downstairs (mostly a bag of used giftwrap that had somehow been treated like gold, and receipts for Christmas gifts that didn't need to be kept now that they weren't duplicates or whatever.)

It was nice going to bed in a relatively uncluttered room.

Today: still having trouble getting rolling in the morning, so another breakfast of shredded wheat and a banana. I did remember to make (and take) my mocha though. But forgot the lunch. Sigh. I grabbed a sandwich in town (lots of sprouts, that's good, right? :P) I had a few cashews and a piece of chocolate. Supper: a pork chop and fries, salad, 2 banana muffins, and an orange.

I still have the kitchen to tidy, which will only take a few minutes. Flylady wants me to consider my small appliances. I think I'm ahead of her. Cleaned the coffeepot on Monday (it was BAD), did the toaster crumbs last week, and the microwave is good. I even cleaned the glass on the toaster oven recently. So I'm pretending I did today's mission.

Hubby's on his way home as we speak, six days off now, then two more day shifts, then DONE at the mines. Yay! (And the roads look pretty decent today too.)

And the new arm for my glasses arrived again, so we'll go up Friday and hope this one works. Patience.

Back to routines--Monday, January 7

2008-01-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

Oh how my routines have suffered over the past few weeks. I didn't realize quite how bad it was until I went back to work.

First off, there's that alarm thing that is so easy to ignore when you haven't heard it for awhile. Then there's the scramble to cook breakfast, before realizing you don't have time to eat it.

Yes, I took my porridge to work again! Sad but true. Also my mocha.

The first day back wasn't too hectic. I guess that means we did a fairly good job organizing shut down in December. Hubby was home at lunch and I went home and reheated turkey bean soup and made toast. Forgot to take snacks back to work with me, but polished off the last couple pieces of chocolate that I'd left in my microwave (the only place at work I leave food, because it's sealed against critters such as mice.)

Sunday evening I'd been organized enough to put supper in the crockpot, but forgot it in the fridge in the morning. Sigh. Phoned hubby mid-morning and he got it going. When I got home from work we racked three carboys of wine (the two plum and one...rosso?...whatever it is hubby's making...), had salad and our Moroccan-style stew, then hubby headed out the door for his loooooong drive to work.

And I looked around the house and said ENOUGH. Started the dishwasher, hand-washed the stuff that didn't fit. Cleaned off every single counter in the kitchen, including the appliance garage, and wiped them down. And put the mis-placed stuff AWAY. Monday is FlyLady's house blessing day, and my house badly needed blessing. I watered plants (why is that not on her list? Don't most people have plants?), cleaned mirrors and that one interior glass door, dusted the living room and kitchen, removed the last of the juniper bunches, which necessitated moving the couch to vacuum behind it, and the last few remaining Christmas decorations--did the vacuuming, and washed the kitchen floor. The floor hadn't been too bad before the wine siphoning. :P

Oh, yes. And listened to cats snarl and hiss periodically.

Ideally, I'd have cleaned upstairs too, but I was two hours in by then and tired, so I left the rest of the house blessing for tonight. Much of the Christmas decor is randomly stacked in my bedroom still, and the spare bed needs stripped and folded back up, etc. There's plenty yet to occupy me another evening.

I need to remember my goal: get going with FlyLady as often as I stop...

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T11:04:00.000-08:00

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions, but it sure doesn't hurt to take stock of where one has been and put some goals in place.

As far as my health and fitness goes, I weigh about 12 pounds more than I did a year ago, and that makes me sad. It's possible that the mid 130s aren't my premium weight. Except for some tummy flab (name me a real woman who doesn't have some of that!) I feel reasonably fit. Wish I could fit back into the cutest of the clothes I wore last winter, but that's about it. I'm at 148# today, and I'm simply thrilled I didn't gain anything over the holidays!

I guess I was too busy (and too stressed) to do any Christmas baking. I'd also intended not to, but last year I had the same intention and yet in a two-day whirlwind I decimated that plan. This year I just couldn't work around the renovation mess in the kitchen (and didn't even get the tree decorated until the 23rd). Hanna brought a couple kinds of shortbread home (including my favorite, cinnamon shortbread) along with home-made candy. I had a few pieces but found it too sweet to eat in abundance. A good thing!

I haven't been on the treadmill in...three weeks? We've gone for several walks, one cross-country ski day (while the kids snowshoed) and two snowshoeing walks. I've eaten *normal* food, including way more potatoes than is usual for just Jim and I. And still I'm down a couple pounds from mid-December. I guess I just kept active with the cooking and the tidying and all, less sitting around. I can't think of any other reason! (But I'm not complaining.)

2007 held a reasonable amount of stress what with my nephew being deathly ill in April and my mother's stroke a week later, the kitchen renovation which still needs completing, and a flare-up of degenerative disc in the fall. Some of the good things that happened were seeing all my sisters in May, a great trip to Yellowstone to meet up with Bonnie and Mar, lots of camping, having Hanna and Craig move closer to home, and having the whole family home for five days over Christmas.

The renovation stress will remain in 2008 (probably 2009 and 2010 also...) and so will the stress of my mother's health. Her health is certainly deteriorating but she keeps hanging in there, so who knows what time line we're looking at.

Something really positive in 2008 is that Jim will be starting a new job on January 21st, right here in town. No more commuting four hours one way, no more night shifts, no more apartment at the mines, no more being away from home regularly. He'll be working at a GMC auto dealership, Monday to Friday, 8-5 with an hour for lunch. Sure, he is taking a drop in pay but it looks like we should come close to breaking even because of the expenses that will also be dropped (the apartment, the fuel, the boredom fund).

One downside for him is losing the great time off he got at the mines. Less holidays (but every weekend!), and, in fact, no vacation time at all in 2008. I have three weeks so I keep telling him all the cool stuff I'm going to do by myself!

So we are facing 2008 with optimism. It'll be good to have him home, it'll be good to have evenings and weekends together. We're looking forward to getting more involved in music at the church again--and in simply going more regularly together. Jim's looking forward to getting a puppy...and I'm hunting for enthusiasm!

For me, personally, I'd like to find a weight that I'm comfortable with and can maintain. I'd like to keep active, keep degenerative disc at bay. I'd like to get back into FlyLady as many times as I drift away. I'd like to write, revise, and submit novels--more this year than last.

I'd like my life to honor God.

Life

2007-12-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

I'll be back in the new year, I hope. Things are too busy right now for daily blogging, and besides I broke my glasses and can hardly see out of my old ones. It'll be a week OR TWO before I can get them repaired, due to the holidays and living in a rural area.

Wednesday & Thursday, Dec 12 & 13

2007-12-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

Getting back into the habit of blogging seems to be difficult! :P Wednesday I made it up for a good walk on the treadmill, walking 2 miles in 35 minutes with intervals. We're out of bananas the right amount of ripe, so my morning porridge had apples and canned peaches in it--wooo watch me live dangerously. Still vanilla yogurt. Still mocha to go.

Hubby met me in town for lunch. I had falafel and pita with a tossed salad, a pretty good lunch. I'd taken grapes to eat at work, and 2 crackers with salmon cream cheese (thinking I'd be on my own for lunch). A piece of chocolate later.

The kitchen is a disaster again (renovation disaster) so I made room to do rice in the cooker and make a pineapple based sweet and sour with ground beef and spinach.

I'd been forgetting my back stretches some lately but made sure to do them Wednesday night.

This morning I got a shorter walk on the treadmill but decided to do it when I woke up even though I could only walk 20 minutes. Still did one mile, which I suppose is better than no miles. Breakfast: porridge with apple, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

Flat-out busy at work today. The water pump for the car finally arrived and hubby spent the day doing that, so I took tuna and crackers to work for lunch, grapes, and two oranges. He was going to put a ham in the oven for supper but forgot. I made patties from ground pork, baked potatoes, and Greek salad.

The kitchen is now clean and the dishwasher is running. I'll be doing my stretches in a bit. When hubby comes in from changing the oil on the car I understand we'll be installing the range hood. I also thought that yesterday!

Tuesday, December 11

2007-12-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

Couldn't seem to get up for the treadmill this morning. :( Not only that, but I didn't even have enough time to eat breakfast at home, but cooked my porridge (etc) and took it to work. Along with the mocha.

I walked some on my noon hour but not enough to get my heart rate up. I bought a sandwich for lunch: ham, cheese, lots of sprouts and tomatoes on whole wheat. A piece of chocolate later.

For supper I fixed a spinach salad, yammy fries, and a beef steak. Later a banana shake. Spent my *extra* time in the evening working on the calendar for the other side of the family. I now have 7 pages done and am waiting for some of the input for the other 5. Hubby's home now for a few days. We'll see how it goes with the car and the kitchen.

Monday, December 10

2007-12-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

So I managed to drag my carcass out of bed at 6:45 and hit the treadmill for the first time in a couple of weeks. Just so's you know, it's still totally and completely dark when I get OFF the treadmill. Two weeks till the days start getting longer again. I'm finding it hard this year.

Next up was breakfast: porridge with apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. Took mocha to work. Ran errands at my lunch hour. I ate black bean soup, leftover Greek salad, grapes, and an orange. A piece of chocolate at 4 (only civilized!)

Got home and fixed shrimp and broccoli. I was still hungry so I pulled spaghetti and meatballs out of the freezer. I've cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom and done my back stretches (which I also ignored while I was sick.)

Early to bed would be good. Hubby is home on days off again starting tomorrow.

Sunday, December 9

2007-12-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

Look at that, a two week holiday to be sick in. I've been recuperated(ish) for the past four or five days but haven't gotten back into the swing of things on this blog.

I've posted all my kitchen renovation/ house cleaning/ vehicle woes over on my other blog. Here, suffice to say that I have not been FlyLadying on a regular basis for...a month or more? It showed. Though I'd still have had a massive cleanup this weekend after ripping out a ceiling, I think it would have helped if I'd been keeping things up to date. It would have been less overwhelming anyway. I think I need to do a modified FlyLady the next couple weeks to make sure things are up to speed before the hordes descend for Christmas week.

I'd intended to go to the ball exercise class on Friday but apparently the rest of the sessions have been canceled and I'm not sure why. Then I thought I'd go for a walk when I got home (being as it was a sunny, if cold, afternoon) but the sight of the kitchen squashed that idea. Hubby needed help with the potlights anyway.

So Saturday and Sunday I started each day with a walk outside. I'm slower than I used to be. :( Both days it was about minus 8 (20 degrees Fahrenheit) and too early to be sunlit.

Today I've eaten: an orange, toast & scrambled eggs (with bacon, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, asiago cheese), a pomegranate, a banana shake, a bowl of chili (with corn). Sadly, I think this was a GOOD day for eating well compared to the past couple weeks.

Now I need to fix my lunch for tomorrow and put the slipcovers back on the couch. I've also been neglecting my flat-on-the-back time, so maybe I'll do that and then head for bed early. Now there's an idea.

This week

2007-12-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

I've been sick with a nasty cold. I haven't been walking, I haven't been cleaning my house, I haven't been doing anything useful. Unless coughing and sneezing have suddenly become useful. Ahem. I thought not.

Yeah, hope to get back in the swing soon.

Tuesday, November 27

2007-11-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

I didn't get up to walk--sick :(

And it DUMPED snow overnight. About eight inches. Bleh the roads are slime. Breakfast: porridge, apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go. Hubby met me in town for lunch. I had a salad and a bean burrito at a new restaurant. Quite a decent lunch. I took peas and grapes for snack.

At home I made spaghetti and meatballs for supper. And I've prepped out a stew for the crockpot tomorrow. And cleaned the kitchen and enough of the porch to get through it again. It's bad in there.

I'm tired and sick. That's it.

Monday, November 26

2007-11-27T08:19:00.000-08:00

Bleh. Jim's cold having grabbed me and held me close, I didn't even bother pretending I was going to get up and walk. Besides, I'd slept poorly. I HATE being sick. Had my usual brekkie: porridge, apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

Drove home at noon and--being as we're honest here--fried sausages and potatoes for lunch. No veggies. The only redeeming fact is that Jim had more than twice the amount I did. Sigh. I did have peas and grapes for snack.

I got home to a completely installed under-counter microwave. Wow. I have counter space! **Happy Dance** I served us salad while the mini-meatloaves and yams were cooking. Later I made a butterscotch pudding. (**Looks back at the day--I really can't claim healthy choices today, can I!)

Cleaned the kitchen as best I could around the tools and such. Apparently a section of upper cabinets is on the agenda for Tuesday. Bed early. Sick. Tired.

Saturday & Sunday, November 24 & 25

2007-11-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

Once again a weekend went zipping by and I forgot to post here. Saturday I slept in and went for a walk outside. Came back and fixed my usual breakfast: porridge, apple, banana, vanilla yogurt.

Cleaned up upstairs; we'd gotten all the kitchen trims out to sort through the other day: crown molds, light rails, fillers, and kick boards. I tossed the cardboard packaging out the door and restacked the wood by category. Did some other sorting upstairs. Came down and did some critting on the laptop.

Had peas and oranges for lunch/ snack (breakfast was kinda late). It began to snow so I rushed off to town for the library, a quick buzz through the Christmas craft fair and the grocery store. My daughter called, panicking because all her Christmas decorations were in storage here as their place is so tiny. Thankfully my boss's son, who is in my son-in-law's college class, was home for the weekend and agreed to take them back. Disaster averted. While I was digging them out of the storage cabin I realized we'd just stacked all the cardboard from the cupboards we've installed thus far so I hauled it all to the burning pile and lit it. A few times I took a break and did some more critting.

I zapped burritos for supper. Finished off the crit in the evening and sent it out. Started reading Body Clutter. Looks like an interesting approach.

Sunday, got up and walked. Had 2 slices wholewheat toast with a sliced banana for brekkie. Feather dusted and vacuumed the house. When my sick hubby got home, I did the laundry, eventually putting through four loads. I opened a jar of ham and clam soup for lunch. Later an apple for snack.

Began to feel my throat tightening up and my eyes burn. Yay. Why does he have to share?

Made two big sausage casseroles; we had part of one for supper and I froze the rest in containers. We also had salad. Later I fixed banana milkshakes that felt good on our throats. Kinda dragged myself through most of the day but did go to bed with a clean house, so that's worth something when you feel like something the cat dragged in.

Friday, November 23

2007-11-23T21:56:00.000-08:00

Yay me, I made it up for the treadmill today. Had breakfast: porridge, apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

Hubby picked me up from work at 12 and we drove to the next town over, hoping to get our passports processed there. Again, much too long a line for our timeframe. Gotta huck those applications in the mail, come Monday. Enough is enough! We grabbed a pizza-by-the-slice cause we were in a hurry (not the greatest lunch). Got some Christmas shopping done. Hubby went on up to the apartment to work and I caught a ride back home with his folks, who'd had appointments there today.

Had a sandwich, then a leftover turkey dinner from the other day. Some peas and grapes. After I finished reading Tahn by L.A. Kelly, I read my nano '05 novel. Yes, all 52K of it. It's all Jean's fault cause she made me remember it. And now I'm dying of curiosity what she thinks of it. No pressure timewise, but have you read it YET? :P And I was going to go to bed early, too. haha.

Wednesday-Thursday November 21-22

2007-11-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

Wednesday I slept through my alarm. Had breakfast: porridge, apple, banana, vanilla yogurt and mocha to go.

I discovered a few pages that had mis-printed on the calendar so instead of spending noon hour binding them, I went for a walk. May I say very cold? Even walking very briskly did not help much. I'd brought tuna and crackers and peas and grapes for lunch. I think I needed hot food! I was still cold when I got home and even though the house was at nearly 68 degrees, I stayed chilled through for a couple more hours. Heated a piece of lasagne, then a bowl of split pea soup and toast.

Finished up the house blessing by cleaning the bathroom,watering plants, doing mirrors, vacuuming, and washing the kitchen floor. And went to bed early.

This morning I actually caught the alarm in time to treadmill! And got in a solid workout. Breakfast: porridge with apple, banana, and vanilla yogurt (if you're bored reading about my breakfasts, think how I feel eating them!) mocha to go.

This time I had all the calendar pages good for sure so got to the graphics shop right at 12. Brandy always lets me bind my own (8th annual!) and charges me half price so its a good deal for me. Got the holes drilled and then across the street to the post office where I stuffed ten of them in padded envelopes, scrawled out addresses, got them weighed and stamped and GONE! The rest are for hand delivery. I was five minutes late getting back after my break but I figure I did pretty good.

I'd brought a jar of borscht for lunch so it was nice having something hot today. Along with a few crackers and peas and grapes. After work had a massage, swung by the grocery store, broke down and grabbed an A&W burger on the way home (almost 7pm). I'm planning to take it easy the rest of the evening to rest up from the massage!

Hope my American friends had a good Thanksgiving today.

Tuesday, November 20

2007-11-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

Somehow hubby hit the alarm wrong yesterday morning and turned it completely off, which we almost never do. So it didn't go off this morning. I woke up easily in time for work, but not for treadmilling. Had breakfast: porridge, apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

Came home at lunch and made fried rice with the leftover beef from the other night, onion, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli. Had a very stressy afternoon at work. I came the closest I've come in a long time to kicking someone out of the store: an older man who was still being tediously *polite* and repetitive when he finally left. Spare me. Had my peas and grapes and wished for pizza. Why yes, I guess I'm an emotional eater. Who knew.

Hubby had a stressy afternoon too with his temporary crown falling out and the dentist's office shoe-horning time to do the permanent a few days in advance of his scheduled appointment, also a leak in the truck tranny so he had to take it back to the GM shop for them to have a look. Turned out to not be significant. At any rate, no progress on the kitchen today.

I stopped for a barbecue chicken on my way home, toaster ovened some fries, and tossed a salad. Hubby headed off to the apartment and I tackled the living room. Where everything was stacked that had been in the way in the kitchen. Oy. That took more than five minutes. My evening routine is done and my lunch is made for tomorrow. Though this is usually the night I do the full *house blessing*, tonight I am being satisfied with *tidy* and mostly dusted. That there FlyLady duster is kind of cute and has been randomly swiping at things for a few days. I'll run the vacuum and wash floors etc tomorrow. I'm bushed.

I finished printing off the calendar and its ready to get bound tomorrow. I'm waiting for the phone to ring saying hubby's safe and sound and arrived at the apartment and then I'm headed to bed. Better check the alarm!

Monday, November 19

2007-11-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

Yay me! I made it onto the treadmill! And then I had breakfast: porridge with apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

Went home at noon and re-discovered the word chaos. Hubby's been working on the kitchen! Thankfully I had lasagne in the fridge from the other night and zapped us each a piece. We also had salad. I have to say I was glad to go back to work and a bit apprehensive going home at the end of the day. (Had peas and grapes for afternoon snack)

Hubby had followed directions and put two packages of turkey drums and thighs into the oven in the roasting pan 45 minutes before, so I chopped up two yams, a few potatoes, six carrots, an onion, and three cloves of garlic and put them in the pan under the turkey (added a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper). Ummm, delish! And best of all, three lunches for hubby in the fridge.

I finished reading Auralia's Colors Sunday night, so I picked up Tahn by L.A.Kelly and began reading it around the mess. (I'd ordered the book in by inter-library loan.) Every time hubby needed a tool or something I jumped up to help, so I was thankful the book has short scenes! By the end of the evening the dishwasher was completely installed (and running, lol) and most of the electrical was in place for the micro/convec to move to its own little cubby under the counter. It's so big I'll be glad to have it off the counter. Counters are for working on, not honkin' huge appliances. Anyway, when hubby declared himself done for the day we picked up tools and I swept and cleaned the last couple pots that hadn't gone in the dishwasher. The living room is a really scary place right now but the kitchen looks pretty good! Had a couple slices pumpkin loaf before bed. Crashed.

Sunday, November 18

2007-11-19T09:03:00.001-08:00

Went for a walk in the morning and found two lonely ducks on the irrigation ditch to send flying. My work here is done. :P

I fixed scrambled eggs for brunch along with a slice of toast. In with the 3 eggs (for 2 people): 2 strips bacon, half an onion, clove garlic, 1 zucchini, a few mushrooms, 4 or 5 cherry tomatoes, and a handful of spinach. With a sprinkle of mozz on top.

We spent the day working on the kitchen, though there isn't a lot of physical advancement to report. I also baked whole-wheat sourdough bread. Had peas for snack. Cooked a small beef roast for supper, had it with potatoes and gravy (only a little of both, I swear!), corn, and a large salad. And a couple slices of pumpkin bread later.

I'm finding that FlyLady routines are really helping keep the mess from the kitchen renovation under control and I'm not losing so much stuff. You know from the: it used to live on that counter and I had to move it and where did I put it variety!

Saturday, November 17

2007-11-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

Got up and had a walk in before it started to rain this morning. Yes, outside. I have to be outside when I can or I'll go crazy. Had a bowl of miniwheats and a banana shake for breakfast! :P Spent awhile cleaning the bathroom and playing with my new feather duster. I'm not quite as enthusiastic as the folks that write testimonials to FlyLady, but it seems to do a decent job up in the rafters. Lunch was a large salad and then a piece of toast, an egg and one piece of bacon.

Spent quite awhile on the laptop critiquing in the afternoon. Made a double batch of lasagne for supper so there will be some for the freezer. And made Bonnie's pumpkin bread in the evening. Hubby is munching some as we type and has declared it a success.

Jean and I have been exploring raw food cooking this evening. Check out the pretty pictures at The Raw Chef and Raw Test Kitchen. I don't think I'm going to quit cooking any day soon, but some of the recipes I've found today look quite fun.

Now off to clean the kitchen one more time before bed!

Friday, November 16

2007-11-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Another day that I just couldn't face morning at the alarm. This is crazy. It's going to be almost three months before the days are this long again. Three months is a long time to fight this battle. Anyway, brekkie: porridge, apple, banana, yogurt. Mocha to go.

Went to the ball/ core exercise class at noon. I'm doing a bit better with some of the exercises. It's a lot harder than it looks. Came home, dug a container of turkey soup out of the freezer and had it with 2 slices whole grain toast.

Eventually I made myself plan out a menu for the next week; then I went back to town and bought some groceries. For supper I had peas and leftover ribs and rice. Then I went on the treadmill for 35 minutes, had a couple oranges.

Tired.

Thursday, November 15

2007-11-15T20:26:00.000-08:00

I actually dragged myself out of bed for a 35 treadmill this morning. And after less than seven hours sleep. Huzzah. Had brekkie: porridge with apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

Snow to go, too. Bleh. The roads were slimey this morning. Hubby met me for lunch; we checked out a newish restaurant. I had steak and potato soup that was really nice (I left about half the potatoes) and a chicken and monterey jack melt on garlic toast. And I stole a few of hubby's fries and gravy! I'd taken peas and grapes for snack. And a piece of chocolate.

He went on up to work. I came home after work and had the leftover chicken wings and fries from last night and a couple oranges. Printed off quite a bit of the family calendar. My printer has decided it would like me to hand-feed the second side of every page. Tedious, that.

Oh! I'd ordered the Flylady duster and scrubber thingie and they came today. It really is quite a cool duster. Maybe I'll even go on a dust bunny hunt this weekend.

I've been reading Auralia's Colors and quite enjoying it.

Wednesday, November 14

2007-11-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

This getting up in the morning thing is really hard. Again today I thought I was catching the first wave of the news and it turns out I really wasn't! Yes the alarm is set right. It's my brain that isn't. So had brekkie: porridge, apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. I was so frazzled trying to get out the door ten minutes early to fuel up the truck that I forgot to make my mocha. Had to buy one. That's a sad thing to do with $4.25.

My next excitement had to do with the passport clinic. Apparently I did not clue in that one had to be there way early and take a number. Silly me thought it was drop-in. It said no appointment necessary, by which they meant they wouldn't make them ahead of time I guess. At any rate, they were not giving out more numbers when I arrived. So much for that. At least our apps are ready for the mailbox now, all filled in and everything.

So I had the full hour to WALK and tried to pick the steepest streets. So I did get my walk in after all. I'd taken leftover pasta sauce and rice, peas, and grapes for lunch. Also had a piece of chocolate.

When I got off work I was feeling stressed out. Had to go by the grocery store anyway for lunch stuff for hubby so I bought marinaded chicken wings, came home and cooked them up and french fries. I did also have a salad and a couple oranges. Really...I was looking for a splurge that wouldn't do too much damage. I was just sick to death of healthy food! If the healthy food was making me skinny that would be one thing, but...that's not the case.

So now I've been calendaring all evening and am on way off to clean the kitchen and read til hubby gets home. Which, due to the mines having changed time (and our town not) will be quite late. I like to wait up if I can, even if we just talk for five before I crash. He's too high on caffeine from the drive to sleep right away. And then we'll see each other at lunch time tomorrow. Which reminds me to think about lunch after I've posted this, too.

That's it. The November blahs have hit.

Tuesday, November 13

2007-11-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

I finally managed to get out of bed early enough to treadmill before work, though only 25 minutes fit. (My goal is 35.) Typical brekkie: porridge with apple, banana, vanilla yogurt and a mocha to go.

Had some soy nuts for snack in the morning--maybe 1/3 cup. Spent most of my noon hour standing in line at the bank to get money orders made for passports. I'd brought the last of the baked beans along with peas and grapes for snack.

For supper I stir-fried a zucchini with onion, mushrooms, and garlic and had a small steak. Later when I was hungry I had a bowl of Kellogg's Mueslix cereal with skim milk. I spent the evening scanning photos for the *other* side of the family's calendar. I finished reading Stephen Lawhead's Scarlet and prepped the blog posts for it for next week. While lying out on my back on the floor I started reading the next one: Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet. Got to bed at a decent time.

Sunday-Monday, November 11-12

2007-11-12T20:17:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning I got up in time to go for a walk outside. I walked to the irrigation ditch and back, but all the ducks have flown the coop since last time I was there (two weeks). Jim wanted bacon and eggs for breakfast--I had a poached egg on toast, 2 oranges and a mocha. For lunch I made kinda clam chowder (big batch) from the ham bone broth I'd boiled up last weekend. Fixed half whole wheat biscuits (ate 2). I was smart enough to put supper in the crockpot before breakfast: beef short ribs with sweet and sour sauce. We also had brown'n'wild rice mix and a salad. Also had an apple, peas and grapes for snacking on.

We got all the filler strips in on the cabinetry Jim installed Saturday and mounted one more cupboard. It took us quite awhile to figure out how EXACTLY things will get installed around our brick chimney what with the need for wiring to be run there. Even though there wasn't a lot of visible progress, there still was plenty of mental progress.

Hubby woke up in the middle of last night with a full-blown electrical solution. Sadly it kept him awake quite awhile so I let him sleep in today. Then we went to town for the other passport paperwork, came home, racked the plum wine, and got my oven fixed (yay!). Somehow we missed breakfast, had chicken noodles soup and biscuits for lunch, crockpot hoison chicken with rice for supper (tossed salad and leftover butternut squash).

We sorted out a bunch of stuff for the kitchen renovation including tools, so when he left after supper for the apartment and day shifts to start Tuesday, I had a head start on my FlyLady weekly blessing hour. Considering what a disaster area we had most of the weekend, the house if quite decent. All the kitchen counters are mostly clear, the dishes are done, the bathroom is clean (took a swipe at the cabinet fronts in honor of the bathroom zone this week), the plants are watered, the mirrors are wiped, the coffee table has been rediscovered, the floors vacuumed. Whew. I've also done most of my evening routine and know what is for lunch tomorrow at work. And errands for noon hour are set out on the peninsula. Shortly I'll be off to read and do my back stretches. That's it.

I feel pretty good about what all we got done this weekend. It's looking soooo good.

Friday & Saturday, November 9 & 10

2007-11-10T20:08:00.000-08:00

Friday morning I made it out of bed early enough for a walk on the treadmill. Brekkie: porridge, apple, banana, yogurt. Mocha to go.

I went to the ball exercise class at 12 and it was really a solid workout. Came home and opened a jar of chicken soup, added veggies and noodles. 2 slices flax bread toast on the side. Hubby was sleeping off night shift so I did some work on the laptop from home. Had peas and grapes for snack.

Later we had a tossed salad, then butternut squash and a steak. Went to bed at a decent time to prepare for a big day in the kitchen today.

But first we slept in late enough that I skipped the treadmill in favor of emptying the rest of the open shelves in the kitchen so Jim could start bashing them out. I made sourdough whole-wheat pancakes with applesauce and yogurt on the side and then we got to serious work.

We came up for air mid-afternoon and decided to go to town to grab a burger (and fries and a chocolate milk, for me) because the kitchen was quite non-functional and we didn't want to take a bunch of time. We did get our passport photos done also, and ordered our range hood. Came home and worked till about 8. Up so far, five upper cabinets. Filler strips still needed. But we figured out a couple of major things with the wiring today too. (Concrete block walls make electrical entertaining.)

So supper time had come and gone...I fixed us a chef salad and now we're both a bit collapsed. Jim hurt his leg yesterday out in the yard, and my shoulders aren't the happiest with holding upper cabinets up against the wall while the bolts went through.

However tomorrow we will be doing more of the same. I think the filler strips are on the agenda and then the wiring/ plumbing for the dishwasher and wiring for the microwave. Hopefully it will get moved into its new location yet this weekend.

Photos to come in a few days over at the other blog.

Still have to wash up the few dishes we've dirtied since I did the breakfast dishes. In a few minutes....

Thursday, November 8

2007-11-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

So. What I said about it being hard to get up mornings? Yeah. It's the whole time switch thingie. We don't do it, being in this little band right on the zone edge. but our radio station is far enough over that they do. Which means that the morning shows are an hour off by my mostly-asleep brain's reckoning.

Which means that today it took me the better part of an hour to recognize the time. Which means I didn't have time to walk AND I was rushed to boot. Good times. Brekkie: porridge, apple, banana, vanilla yogurt, mocha to go.

BUT today was a day when hubby wasn't home at noon hour AND I had no errands to run AND the weather was decent so I went for a boogeying walk in town for about 45 minutes, up and down hills. So it qualifies. Definitely.

I'd taken leftover baked beans along for lunch as well as peas and grapes. Had a piece of chocolate later. The memories of yesterday's supper fiasco fresh on my brain, I stopped by the grocery store and bought myself a small marinated peppercorn steak and a zucchini, came home, chunked the steak and sauteed the works: onion, mushrooms, steak, zucchini, garlic, 2 roma tomatoes. Pretty decent. Had a tossed salad a couple hours later.

So kitchen weekend being upcoming, I cleared off part of my kitchen counter and started emptying some of my top cupboards. I doubt we'll actually START tomorrow as hubby will be sleeping off night shift, so I have time to finish. Apparently I am dropping off cans and milk jugs at recycling tomorrow. They need a real home. (**thinks about that nasty entryway**)

At any rate, I consider my evening routine pretty much done, other than my back stretches and some reading. So I'm off to do that now.

Wednesday, November 7 Baked Bean Recipe

2007-11-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

I actually got out of bed a bit earlier today but instead of using the *extra* time on the treadmill I used it to throw lunch in the crockpot, then took 30 minutes on the treadmill. Usual brekkie: porridge, apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

It was great coming home at lunch to hot baked beans. Here's what I had done:

2 cups (ish) chopped leftover ham
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can beans in tomato sauce (pork'n'beans without the pork)
1/2 onion, chopped (which I should have cooked ahead cause it was a little crispy in 4 hours)
1/4 cup (ish) molasses
2 tablespoons (ish) sugar-free ketchup
1 tablespoon (ish) yellow mustard

Could/should have put in mushrooms or garlic as well, but didn't. If you're using small-ish cans of beans (14-ounces), you might want five cans total instead of four.

Anyway I just ran the slowcooker for four hours on low because everything was pre-cooked (except the onion) and just needed to be hot and blended. It certainly wouldn't mind going for 8-10 hours though.

So I also took peas and grapes and soy nuts for afternoon snack.

Hubby is now on two night shifts and I absolutely could not get enthused about supper when I got home from work. Against my better judgment I had a couple pieces of toast. A bit later I had the last serving of cole slaw from the fridge. Eventually I dug taco meat & bean mix out of the freezer and had some of that with Wasa crackers. And then, after awhile, a couple of oranges.

My big project in the evening was laying out the last calendar page, making sure all of them were good, printing out a copy of each, shuffling them into the order I want them in, and renaming all the files to come in order, eg: 01_jan_child's name. Oh, and designed my cover. I've picked up the ream of cover paper required and just need to stock up on all five colors of ink before the weekend. Though I don't know if it will be a good idea to be doing anything on the computer while we're constructing in the kitchen, being as they're open to each other. At any rate, I'll be ready. This printer is waaaay faster than my old one so it won't take too long to print out 17 copies once I have my assembly line running. Yes, 17. Sigh.

So the kitchen is clean and I have breakfast and lunch planned for tomorrow. Supper, as always, is somewhat of a mystery, sadly. Just headed to the floor for my stretches and off to bed early. Hubby got home after 11 last night so I didn't sleep enough.

Tuesday, November 6

2007-11-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

Getting up in the dark to exercise is the pits, I tell you. There might well be a reason I've never yet managed to consistently get through the winter months with a morning workout. Both Monday and today I've managed to roll the CBC morning news on the clock radio straight into my dreams and not wake up as thoroughly or quickly as I ought to. I've still been managing 30 minutes on the treadmill but having to rush a bit more with the rest of my morning routine. I don't really WANT to switch to evening walking; it's hard for me to be consistent with that when hubby is home. Mornings are more the same regardless (he is SO not a morning person!) So, for want of a better alternative, I'll keep trying to push. Brekkie was the usual: porridge made with an apple, banana, and vanilla yogurt. Mocha to work.

Partly because of the rushed morning routine I didn't pack a full lunch today. I had a kazillion errands to run at my noon hour and while I was out picked up a salad from the grocery store which included chicken breast and tomatoes (which taste pretty bad this time of year) and dressing on the side. So that wasn't a bad option. Had along peas and 2 mandarin oranges. I was all set for some chocolate late in the day but the customers took over and I didn't get back to it.

I'd done some thinking about menu planning for the week though I hesitate to say I *have* a menu. Let's just say I have some ideas for a few meals! :P Anyway, stopped by the grocery store on my way home and picked up needed stuff.

I had a bowl of cole slaw and stir-fried up some zucchini (onion, mushrooms, roma tomatoes). Pan-fried a pork chop.

FlyLady is in the kitchen this week. Starting Friday, hubby and I will both be home for 3.5 days and have targeted the time for installing our long-put-off upper cabinets. So I'm making up my own zone challenges this week. Tonight I cleaned out the under-sink cabinet. Don't know how it got this icky.

I did a core workout, partly on the ball and partly on the mat. The kitchen is clean, lunch is ready to put in the crockpot, and all I have left to do is my half hour back stretch time.

Friday-Monday, November 2-5

2007-11-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

Heh, I'm sure you don't want the blow-by-blow of four days. Suffice to say that I walked on the treadmill Friday and Monday, went to ball exercise class on Friday, walked for 45 minutes with my daughter Saturday AND went hiking for a bit. Spent Friday aft to Saturday evening with daughter and SIL (hubby was fixing their car), saw my mother, sister, and great-niece briefly.

Sunday was ALL morning at the church: 8:30 for worship team practice, visiting (during Sunday School!) and on into church. I spent awhile in the nursery during the sermon, lying down and listening in there. Really, I could have been at the sound booth in seconds had something gone wrong.

Hubby left Sunday after supper for the apartment and so I spent my evening *blessing my house* as FlyLady says. Blessing myself is more like it. I'm getting quite used to a tidier space and it makes me antsy when too much is messy. I've been keeping up with the kitchen daily and everything else has been much improved. We just won't talk about my entryway. I mean, I know it will have to be dealt with some day but I'm just not ready to go there. It needs a lot of help with basic storage solutions.

I've been doing my back time daily and mostly eating well, though it hasn't all been exactly under my control. But...I'm not perfect even when it IS under my control.

FlyLady's habit for November is menu planning. Does she have my number or what.

This weekend I've read The Restorer's Son by Sharon Hinck and Boo! by Rene Gutteridge.

Thursday, November 1

2007-11-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

I did not start my day on the treadmill. I had to be in town a half hour early for a haircut and I just couldn't wrap my brain around it. For breakfast I chopped an apple up and had it with Fiber One and vanilla yogurt, took my mocha along.

Enjoyed a handful of soy nuts as a morning snack. Hubby was home at noon so I opened a jar of split pea soup and made toast (storebought whole-grain flax bread). Had peas and grapes for afternoon snack, and chocolate. I buy the Lindt Ecuador 75% cocoa; a bar lasts me five servings.

I was exceptionally tired after work but still made a big dinner (fridge was about out of leftovers and easies). Asian style coleslaw, garlic-roasted potatoes (hard to limit myself on those but I managed!), ground beef patties, and zucchini stirfry. And yes, it made a big mess in the kitchen and yes I cleaned it. Oy.

Read a bit, did no FlyLady missions, did no computer work. Spent half an hour on my back and went to bed early.

Wednesday, October 31

2007-10-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

I know I'm getting a better workout this week on the treadmill than I was outside. Too bad there's no breeze and no birds. Of course, it also isn't dark! Brekkie: porridge with apple, banana and vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

I took a package of soy nuts to work because I keep forgetting to eat them at home and according to the GI guy, they are pretty much a perfect snack. So I enjoyed some of those in the morning. At noon hour I walked to the library and back to the shop (with a detour), probably 40 minutes total. For lunch I had turkey bean soup, peas, and grapes.

Hungry when I got home, had 8 crackers with cheddar, then a tossed salad followed by a steak. And an orange later.

In honor of FlyLady's dining room zone, I emptied out a cupboard we'll be loaning our daughter and son-in-law and put the displaced objects in new homes. Top's still covered but oh well. I've done core training exercises and had my flat-on-the-back time. And it's nearly bed time. Again.

Tuesday, October 30

2007-10-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Got a good walk on the treadmill. Brekkie: back to porridge with apples, banana, and yogurt. Maybe I was adding too much good stuff. Mocha to go.

Had homemade beef/ tomato soup with hubby at lunch, one slice wholegrain toast. Peas and grapes for snack, and a piece of dark chocolate. Quite unenthused at the idea of supper later (hubby's gone again): had the last of the soup, reheated some pasta sauce and wild rice. There's a glass of shake from last night in the fridge that I'll have and an orange.

While supper was heating I set the timer for 15 minutes and did Monday AND Tuesday FlyLady tasks. Got the basket under the coffee table sorted, some tossed, some put away upstairs, a bit put back that actually makes sense to live there. Also cleared around the computer (which is in the living room too).

Now I'm off to tidy the kitchen and do my back stretches. I was up too late (waiting for hubby to get home) and I need to get to bed early for once. The alarm still goes off at 6:30 regardless.

Monday, October 29

2007-10-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hit the treadmill first thing and had a good walk. Brekkie: porridge with raisins, apple, honey, banana and yogurt. Mocha to go.

Got to work and discovered it was Monday. Who knew. It was totally out to get me.

At noon hour I walked over and canceled my Curves membership, which made me sad. I've been there 3.5 years and actually quite like it. But I can't concentrate on this many things at once, and that one eats the bank account each and every month. Weighed in at 149. The sound you hear is a combination sigh/ scream.

I'd taken tuna, 3 Wasa crackers, carrot sticks, and grapes for lunch.

Had a massage after work, and that, at least, is going well. My back is starting to hold the alignment better. I'd say there is evidence of that as headaches and backaches have been fewer.

Stopped by the grocery store, came home to more beans and rice and salad. I think there's an orange or two in my near future. And a clean kitchen.

Sunday, October 28

2007-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday again. I got up and went for a walk. My thing is walking as far as the irrigation ditch so that I can shock hundreds of ducks into taking flight. Why yes, I am very mature. I came home and went through my book Core Training by Sara Rose and began to build a workout for at home using mat exercises as well as with the ball. I *am* going to get fit again, this time from the inside out.

Shower and brekkie: instead of making my porridge with half a cup of old-fashioned rolled oats I substituted oat bran for a bit of it. Quite a different texture. Still made it with raisins, apple, served with dollop of honey, tofu, banana and vanilla yogurt. Yes, it is a big bowl!

I decided to listen to a BlogRadio show from the archives on FlyLady's partner site, the exercise guy. Didn't realize it would be over an hour long! It was interesting, though. I spent the time making a page for the family calendar.

For lunch I fixed a bowl of leftover turkey bean soup. Then I started the 45/15 minute routines that worked so well last weekend. I was able to finish editing and email off a series of classes I'll be teaching in November at Forward Motion and write a new opening scene for the never-ending novel saga. In between I got the remainder of my *house blessing* completed (dust and vacuum upstairs, windows & mirrors cleaned, plants watered) and the rest of the laundry done and put away. Also the paper garbage burned and the wandering cow put back in the pasture (yay for another exercise round--I guess!)

Had 8 whole-wheat crackers with cheese and a clump of grapes for snack mid-afternoon and put the jars of roasted tomato sauce down cellar. For supper I reheated a jar of black beans (that didn't seal the other day) with onion & garlic & salsa and served it over leftover brown rice. And had a salad.

I read through the FlyLady Holiday Control Journal. To some degree I have been doing this method the past few years, keeping things together and a plan written down to compare year by year. The one thing that will be new this year should be the ease at doing the decorating. In theory, anyway, the house won't need a crash cleaning so I can decorate! And the biggest trouble spot for me always is the baking. It's not like we need it, and all those calories have to go somewhere. I had good intentions last year and then baked for four days flat like a crazy woman. Sure I shared lots with hubby and the kids when they were home, but it was waaay too much anyway. How can I pick just a couple of favorites?

I also looked through my morning routine and updated it. It's a little different now than in the summertime when I wrote it.

Now my evening routine is done, my breakfast is prepped and my lunch is in the fridge. I've even done my back stretches already. It's time to start getting into a new book; it's been a few days since I finished one!

Saturday, October 27

2007-10-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

My walk got derailed this morning because I got up late. I thought I'd still have time for a short walk, but when I got outside I saw one of the cows out (off in search of her missing calf, no doubt) and spent half an hour putting her in and fixing the fence. (Or hopefully fixing it anyway; it was dark when I got home so not sure of my success.) By then it really would have put me too late if I'd gone for my walk. So I hit the shower and brekkie: porridge, raisins, apple, honey, banana, vanilla yogurt. Made the mocha and took it in the car.

Headed out and over the mountain about 10:15 (told you I'd slept in!) and got to my mom's nursing home room at 11:45. She'd told me she wanted to go out for lunch and that she wanted Chinese food so I drove her to the restaurant and she managed pretty well, buffet notwithstanding. She was tired when we got back to her room though. I stayed visiting her until about 1:30 when I drove back downtown to meet up with my daughter as she had a 3 hour break in her working day.

We found a flannel nightie for Mom--any idea how hard it is to find old-lady nightgowns? Try it! Then I bought myself a new pair of New Balance walking shoes. Sheesh they're pricey. Hanna and I popped into a bunch of little shops, picked up some stuffed breads that she knows her grandma likes, picked up coffees/ lattes and drove back up to the nursing home to share our treat. Then I dropped Hanna back to work for 5pm, and headed for the ferry landing.

I was there a bit early, but it wouldn't have been worth going back up to the nursing home in between. So I pulled out the laptop and critted a couple chapters and ran the battery low. So when the ferry arrived and I drove on, I took the palm and its keyboard up to my favorite perch and typed up the notes that have been stirring in my head for my newest project.

Then had another hour drive home. I spent the first half hour on my back once I got home; all that driving is hard on it. Then zapped the leftover stir-fry from the other day and had some grapes to top it off with. I've done a bit of wandering on the web but will now clean up the kitchen (not much to clean, but still...) and go read in bed for a bit. Yes, that sounds nice.

Friday, October 26

2007-10-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

What do you think? I'm thinking the neighbor walking thing isn't working so good. It's not that light out at 7 am this time of year, either. So today was a treadmill day. Followed by brekkie: porridge with raisins and apple, honey, banana and vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

At 12 I went to the rec center for the exercise ball class. Somehow it didn't go as well as last time (2 weeks ago). Just couldn't get coordinated or something. Still, I gave it my best shot. Swung by the grocery store on the way home.

Hubby racked the plum wine this morning and some spilled. He'd washed the counter and the floor, but things were still sticky when I got home about 1:30. So with a wave at some other FlyLady week (she's in the master bedroom but apparently I am in the kitchen) I completely cleared off all the counters and washed them, also cupboard doors. While prepping seven batches of roasted tomato sauce. And while doing laundry. Being as the oven parts aren't here yet, Jim ran the pans back and forth from the barbecue.

The last pan came out just in time for him to barbecue pork chops for supper. We also had salad and yammy fries (yay for toaster ovens). Then he headed out the door for work and I washed the dishes (again), cleaned the bathroom, tidied the LR, vacuumed kitchen, DR, LR--all lino--and washed the floors all the way through. Oh, and canned the roasted tomato sauce (10 pints).

Why yes, I'm tired. Why do you ask? Hungry too. Snack might be in order, and by the looks of the above list, mebbe it should be peas. And then put the clean sheets back on the bed and spend a half hour on my back on the floor. It needs it.

Thursday, October 25

2007-10-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a long and exhausting day. Jim had corralled this year's calves (12 out of 13, keeping one for meat) Wednesday, so we spent the night listening to the calves bawl and their mamas bellow. At 6:45 Jim's BIL and nephew showed up to help him load the calves into a large horse trailer. When he left the farm to haul the calves to the place designated for meeting up with the semi, I went for a 20 minute walk (all the time I had left). Brekkie: porridge with apple, raisins, dollop of honey, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

The guys had one other batch of calves to haul for a neighbor and got done just before noon. I met them for lunch: the Mediterranean style chicken burger (spinach, feta, mozz, lettuce) and a tossed salad. I stole a few of Jim's fries also.

Meanwhile, he'd broken a filling and cracked a tooth a couple days ago and the dentist called to fit him in about 3:30, and then the 6pm jewelry class we thought was canceled wasn't, and no one was home to fix supper, and besides hubby's mouth was frozen and I'd snacked in the afternoon on peas, 2 oranges and some grapes...so we went to the library and then to our class. Which was FABULOUS and ran til 9:30 by which time we were STARVING. Jim phoned a pizza order in and we picked it up on our way home and I had four pieces of Hawaiian pizza at 10pm, then cleaned the kitchen (which didn't take long as no one had been home to dirty it...) and spent half an hour flat on my back. Needed that badly after more than three hours doing detail work in that class.

Whew. What a day. I guess I shouldn't be surprised I have a residual headache this morning (Friday).

Wednesday, October 24

2007-10-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

So, mega fog in the morning and my neighbor decided not to walk. So I went on the treadmill. I have to say its a better workout--you KNOW when you're slowing down! Soon it will be too dark in the mornings anyway...fog or not. Brekkie: porridge with apple and raisins and honey and banana and vanilla yogurt. And mocha to go. (Think of that like the refrain: and a partridge in a pear tree.)

Lunch: salad and sausage and leftover mac'n'cheese. Snack: peas, 2 oranges. Stopped at the grocery store after work and ate grapes while I made supper: beef stir-fry with onions, mushrooms (from our field), carrots, broccoli, and bean sprouts. The only pre-marinated steak they had (who me, plan ahead?) was a sundried tomato basil sauce, which wasn't really right for an asian style stir-fry. I discovered that fat-free Italian dressing squirted over the stir-fry turned out pretty good.

We're prepping to ship calves Thursday morning which took a chunk of the evening. Banana milkshake and cleaned the kitchen. I've finally got all my soup and bean jars washed, labeled, and put down in the cellar.

This week is master bedroom week. You know what? I need to go through the Christmas decoration boxes in the back of my closet and that's about it.

Tuesday, October 23

2007-10-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

A walk with my neighbor in deep fog, breakfast: porridge with raisins, honey, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

Other than keeping up the fruits and veggies, I didn't pay a lot of attention to the Glycemic Index today, hubby's birthday. He wanted bacon and eggs for lunch with whole grain toast. I took peas, 2 oranges and an apple for snack, though!

We ate dinner out; I had a pulled pork sandwich with a tossed salad. And yay! We finally got our truck back out of the shop and it is running SOOOO nice! :) (It better be for the small fortune it cost us.) Hubby and I went to a glass pendant class in the evening. Because my oven is still broke down (waiting for parts there) I made his favorite dessert in the toaster oven when we got back from the class, a butterscotch dessert that cooks into a cake with sauce. It's definitely not GI friendly so he doesn't get it too often! Cleaned the kitchen, done the basic evening routine, and calling it a day.

Monday, October 22

2007-10-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

Finally I got to walk with my neighbor again this morning! It was kinda misty raining but not bad. Breakfast: porridge with raisins, honey, banana, yogurt. Mocha to go. Turkey bean soup for lunch with toast, peas and 2 mandarin oranges for snack. Homemade mac'n'cheese (ww mac) for supper plus a big salad. Banana shake to close the day.

As for being organized and FlyLady and stuff--not so much. Basic routines done, kitchen clean. That about covers it! One of these days I'll get back with the program. Not likely this week though, gonna be a busy one. Oh, finished the last Susan Cooper book Silver on the Tree, the fifth book of the Dark is Rising sequence.

Sunday, October 21

2007-10-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

So today was pretty productive, too. Had the walk first thing but then popped a load of jars into the canner before my shower, (rightly) believing that it was going to take all day if I didn't get right on it. And the first load was going to take longer just to heat through. Shower, breakfast: porridge with raisins, tofu, banana, a dab of honey and vanilla yogurt.

More canning. I thought once I'd emptied the bulk soup from my bigger canner (into jars) I'd be able to keep them both going but no such luck as I couldn't get the bigger one to seal. That's happened before and it's really frustrating when you want to get done in half the time. I'd done one load Saturday night and had four to go. Each takes about two hours from beginning to beginning. So yeah. Do the math.

I ate an apple and fixed a mocha for the first time I could sit down for a few minutes. Brought the laptop into the kitchen (well away from the work zone) and surfed the net while keeping an eye on the pressure gauge. I spent a lot of time standing at the counter today--the stools we have (old ones) aren't really at the right height.

Come lunch time I had a large salad, then chili and toast. And kept canning. Then I opened up the crit I started working on yesterday and made quite a lot of progress on it over the course of the afternoon. I finished up the canning about 5 pm with a couple of oranges for a snack (what I really wanted was pizza...) Then cooked up salmon fillets from the freezer. Later the last piece of plum crumble that I'd found in the freezer while digging out the stuff for the soup.

I was pretty ready for some time in the recliner after standing for the better part of eight hours. Having finished reading Mercedes Lackey's Fortune's Fool I started into the final Susan Cooper book: Silver on the Tree.

And now hubby is on his way home. He's booked his night shifts off this week so his days off perfectly coincide with my working days. Something about that just seems backward! More floor time coming up. The rest of the evening routine is done (including the kitchen cleaned for like the fourth time today).

Saturday, October 20

2007-10-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

Went for my morning walk and decided to take at least a stab at FlyLady's missions for the week (bathroom) by scrubbing the grout while I was in the shower! Then I cleaned the rest of the bathroom including the floor and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast: porridge with raisins and tofu, banana, honey, and vanilla yogurt. And an apple afterwards!

My plan for the day was to make use of the laptop hubby had so kindly left me. And FlyLady says you can do anything for fifteen minutes. So I set the timer for 45 minutes and started a novel-length critique (ensconced in the recliner with mocha and laptop), then 15 minutes getting a load of laundry in. 45 minutes working on a synopsis, 15 minutes doing housework. 45 minutes on the family calendar, 15 on housework. Etc. So I got a lot accomplished on many fronts. As far as housework, got the dusting and vacuuming done, put kidney beans and garbanzo beans on to soak, got the turkey broth out of the freezer, made a humungous batch of soup for canning, and canned the beans that didn't land in the soup. Canning the soup itself will be left for tomorrow.

I had chili and toast for lunch, carrot sticks for snack, toast and leftover chicken for supper, 2 oranges. Off to read awhile before bed

Friday, October 19

2007-10-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

When I woke up it was pouring rain. It would have been easy to shut the alarm off, but I knew my neighbors were back from their trip. But then she's sick and still not walking, but by then I was up and out and it was only misting. So. I walked. I really need a new breakfast plan. Had 2 slices of toast with a sliced banana, and 2 oranges mid morning (after the mocha).

I was pretty sore today after that massage. I finally had control of the family wheels for a few hours so needed to go grocery shopping. It was almost too much effort but...I did it. Yay for fresh produce again.Though we had poached eggs on toast for lunch.

Hubby spent the afternoon setting up the laptop to wireless so I spent my afternoon alternating between staying out of his way and helping him. Ran some laundry, did some reading (having completed Susan Cooper's The Grey King I have moved on to Fortune's Fool by Mercedes Lackey). Spent some time on the floor.

For supper I cooked up a large batch of chicken thighs (sort of fried chicken but without the oil) in the electric frying pan and some fries in the toaster oven. (Hubby hasn't had a chance to work through the oven yet.) We also had a large tossed salad. After he headed out to the apartment I cleaned the kitchen, watered plants, did mirrors etc and tidied up. I'm putting off the vacuuming for Saturday. Hubby left me the laptop (yay!) so I hope to get some actual writing work accomplished as well. Now I've just enjoyed an apple and am headed for the floor for awhile with my book and then off to bed perchance to sleep. My evening routine is done but for that.

Thursday, October 18

2007-10-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

Another walk first thing, then a breakfast of Fiber One with two mandarin oranges and vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

So my truck is in the shop and apparently the parts still have not arrived. I guess I couldn't be driving it anyway, but I am so very tired of being dependent on someone else--even hubby--for wheels. Cross-communication (he's trying to finalize the deal for selling this year's calves and some of the laws have changed) and I find myself stranded in town at lunchtime. So I went for a walk and then grabbed a sandwich (on what passes for wholegrain bread) at the bakery. Lots of sprouts, though :) and carrot and celery sticks.

I was thankful we'd prepped out the casserole Wednesday night when I got a call that the massage therapist had a cancellation for 5pm. I snapped it up. While hubby waited for me, he got a call from his mom that her oven wasn't working, could she put her supper in ours? He said, yes, it's already on at 350 and there's room. She phoned a few minutes later to say ours wasn't working either, it was about 200 degrees. What are the odds of two gas ovens, next door to each other, both having the same problem at the same time? My FIL was a gas-fitter most of his working years and he sure can't figure that out. All our other gas appliances (stove top, space heater, HW tank, dryer) work fine. Anyway, the casserole wasn't cooked through so I transferred it to the micro-convec when we got home and supper was a bit late. My MIL finished hers off in her barbecue.

We had a banana shake later. I spent a lot of time in my recliner with heat on my back. Considering how NON invasive this massage treatment is, I hurt like crazy afterwards. I did my most basic evening routine before bed.

Wednesday, October 17

2007-10-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

Heh, forgot to post last night. Oh well, here I am now. I'm sure you're waiting with bated breath. Walk: same. Breakfast: same. Mocha: same. (Aren't you glad you stopped by?)

For those who are wondering, our plum wine is bubbling away happily these days. I was incorrect in labeling it Zinfandel. Goes to show how little I know. The sad thing about the wine vats is that I apparently can't bake bread until the wine has moved on to the next stage. Something about the yeast in the air. So I have to buy bread today.

Back to yesterday. I went home at lunch and opened a jar of beef vegetable soup, had my bowl with a slice of toast (very nearly the last of that sourdough). I took peas and grapes for snack, also had a piece of chocolate.

For supper we had a tomato/ cucumber salad, ground beef patties, and yammy fries. Banana shake later on. I spent two bouts of time *on the floor*, prepped a casserole supper for tonight, did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, did my evening routine, and got a little reading in.

What I seem NOT to be doing a lot of these days in FlyLadying--is that a verb? Other than the base routines, anyway.

And on the writing front, I completed this pass of the never-ending revision. All is well.

Sourdough

2007-10-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a document I wrote up for my girls when I gave them each a sourdough starter. Our family starter dates back to the Cariboo Gold Rush. If you can get an active start from someone, that's best.

Sourdough must be kept in the fridge, and must be kept in a covered container that is not metal (glass, ceramic, or plastic are fine.)

About 8-10 hours before you want to begin a sourdough recipe, the sourdough start needs to come out of the fridge and be revived. Scrape it into a large bowl (such as a casserole dish), add 2 cups warm water and 2.5 cups of white flour (whole wheat flour will turn it rancid), give it a good whisking, cover, and set in a warm place. I put mine in the oven with just the light on.

Anything that comes in contact with the sourdough, be it whisk, spoon, bowl, countertop, should be washed fairly quickly as it dried on very hard and is a bear to get off

In the morning, it should be fluffy and bubbly. Measure out one cup, return it to the storage container (which should have been cleaned before it hardened on) and put it back in the fridge. You will now have about 2-2.5 cups of starter to use in a recipe.

My sister heard somewhere that if you weren’t using your sourdough regularly, you should freeze it in between. My advice would be: don’t. She keeps killing hers. I have left mine for months on end, and once it was all moldy. Sounds gross, but it works: just scrape off the mold and use the sourdough. It’s true, though, that it is happiest the more often it is used.

Sourdough Pancakes
To the revived sourdough add and whisk thoroughly:
2 eggs
2 Tbsp oil
In a separate bowl mix:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp sugar
Mix these three ingredients thoroughly, sprinkle on top of the sourdough, and GENTLY work in. Let rest for five minutes before beginning to cook.

Sourdough Waffles
To the above pancake mix, just add 2 extra Tbsp oil.
Remember waffles are done when they stop steaming. My waffle iron takes 7 minutes.

Sourdough Bread
2 cups sourdough starter
2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt
Combine above and then begin adding flour (either white or whole wheat or a mix)
4-5 cups flour
Knead until thoroughly mixed, let rise until double in a warm place.
Punch down and knead. Form into two loaves and place in pans.
Let rise until double.
Bake in 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until browned and sounding hollow when knocked upon. Cool on wire racks.

Lots of other things can be done with sourdough as well, from cookies and coffee cakes to many kinds of breads, including breadsticks and dinner rolls. I have more recipes if you’re interested, but these three are my basics. Enjoy!

You'll notice that by following this recipe, your pancakes/ waffles will be white flour only and your bread (at best) half and half. I do have a trick for that! When I am preparing the sourdough for the initial fermenting (8 hours before using) I leave a little in the jar the start had been stored in. To THAT JAR ONLY I add a couple tablespoons of warm water and white flour. 8 hours later (or so, it isn't really fussy) I double it again. 8 hours after THAT I put it back in the fridge.

Meanwhile, the bulk of the starter is now in that casserole dish and all of it will be used in whatever I am making (the little jar contains the reserved start for next time). To this I now add the 2 cups warm water and the 2.5 cups whole wheat flour. I buy a coarse ground flour that we really like; I have no idea what is available where you live. I can't stand the fine grind of Robin Hood or whatever, but that's personal.

So that particular weekend, I'd started the sourdough fermenting in the evening as above, planning to make bread in the morning. Instead, we left town for the day, so I added 1 cup warm water and 1 cup whole wheat flour (to feed the start) and put it back in the oven. I thought I'd be home early enough in the afternoon to make bread then. I got home about 8pm, so I fed the start again (same as before) and left it until morning. This gave me a good amount of bubbly starter--enough for 4 loaves of bread.

If you have questions, just holler. I'm sure I made this about as clear as mud!

Tuesday, October 16

2007-10-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hey I did something different today. Not the breakfast, that was the same. But then I drove the truck to the GM dealership and left it there, and walked the rest of the way into town (about half an hour). Made the mocha there. Can't do without that! Thankfully the truck cooperated fine on the trip in. The parts hadn't arrived yet (gotta love small town life, really) but they're still hoping to have it back to us by Friday.

Hubby came home from night shifts and went on home to sleep. I'm used to going home for lunch on those days but...I had no vehicle. So I picked up a personal size BBQ chicken pizza, and later had a piece of chocolate. Hubby picked me up at 5 and I came home to deal with the remaining leftovers from last week's turkey dinner. I made a kind of turkey stew with the leftover meat (about 2 cups), the remaining rice stuffing (maybe 3/4 cup), the last of the gravy (maybe 1/4 cup), a can of chicken broth, onions, mushrooms, peas, and carrots. Thickened with milk and cornstarch. It was reasonably good, and best of all there are 2 dishes of leftovers (again!) to send to work with Jim. We also had a salad of fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers.

FlyLady is in the bathroom this week. I did two zone missions by cleaning the garbage can and washing down the base of the toilet and the floor around it. The kitchen is also clean already, but I have a few other things to do yet in my evening routine. We've had a banana milkshake which helps with the sweet cravings at very few calories.

As for the Ba Gua, I'm guessing I won't go back. Not truly because of the Eastern meditation thing so much as that my shoulders and upper back are quite sore, but I don't feel it lower in the abs. That seems like a waste of effort. If I'm going to activate pain in my upper back, I need something positive to show for it as well--a cardio workout or something. There was nothing of that sort, so it doesn't meet my needs at this time. I sure wish they offered that ball class twice a week. I guess I'll have to learn to do some of those moves myself at home about half a week away from Friday noon!

Monday, October 15

2007-10-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

The neighbors are away for a few days so I walked all alone in the fog this morning. Very eerie! Breakfast: porridge with apples, raisins, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

My MIL drove me to work, and at noon I met my SIL at my favorite lunch spot where I enjoyed the famous Thai Chicken Salad. Mmmmmm. Tangy crunchy goodness. Had peas and grapes for snack.

After work I walked up to the Rec Center for a Ba Gua class. I'm not into the whole Eastern meditation thing and parts of this class made me uncomfortable. I'll have to see if it was good enough exercise (at this point I think not) to make it worth going regularly. I'll try it at least once more though. The concept of the class is listed as:

Smooth flowing movements that help relieve tension and replace it with relaxation, flexibility and increased energy. No cardio, no choreography and no complicated moves to remember. Ba Gua incorporates a slight twisting motion at the core that will flex the spine gently and massage your internal organs to stimulate all functions. A great class for seniors and/ or adults with limited movement in the upper or lower joints.

I'm sure you caught the word *core* in there that made me decide to give it a try in the first place. That and the limited movement in upper joints. Which are admittedly sore afterwards.

Came home with MIL, cleaned out the truck in preparation for its trip for open heart surgery tomorrow, and made myself a sautee supper: onion, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, shrimp, and spinach. I'm still really craving sweets and had a couple of cookies.

Need a good stretch on the floor, my most basic evening routine and an early bedtime tonight. I'm really tired. What else is new.

Sunday, October 14

2007-10-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful fall day here in BC. Another morning walk, but shorter this time. Hubby was home so I made a poached egg on sourdough wholegrain toast for breakfast. Also had 2 mandarin oranges. I made a batch of honey spice snap cookies and sent most of them back to work with hubby and the rest (after I ate 5) are in the freezer.

Reheated chicken sweet'n'sour on rice for lunch. And had some peas and grapes. I spent much of the day on the computer trying to get our broadband internet server new homebase email working. Issues. And I don't think they're all solved now.

Reheated a bowl of chili at supper. Had an apple. I spent way too much time sitting around today. It's not good for my head OR my back. Or my butt. Off now to clean the kitchen (again), fold laundry, and read for a bit.

Saturday, October 13

2007-10-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is nice to have a lazy Saturday all to oneself. I slept in and woke up to a gorgeous autumn morning, sun shining and all. So I climbed into my walking clothes and headed out to enjoy it. You can see the photos over In My Little World. By the time I got out of the shower I debated whether it was breakfast time or lunch time, and decided on breakfast. (Porridge with apples, raisins, banana, vanilla yogurt.) Sat down at the computer with my mocha to upload my photos and share them.

I make a calendar every year for my side of the family (which my mom pays for as a Christmas gift for everyone), so I spent a good deal of time on that today, setting up the calendar grids for it. The family is responsible to get pages (or at least photos) to me. I've received three complete pages by email (thanks Karen!) and all the photos needed for one more. I've been told that another three are on their way via snailmail. Yes, there are still folks who don't have computers and email in their homes! Everyone else has at least contacted me regarding what they're doing and when.

Meanwhile when I got hungry again, I reheated the last of the chicken bean soup from Monday. I spent awhile out on the floor (I should paint a mural on my ceiling some time...) and finished reading Crimson Eve by Brandilyn Collins well before bedtime, and besides hubby will be home tonight so I needn't lie awake afraid.

I've snacked on peas and grapes and apple salad (also from Monday) and made a pot of chili and had a serving of that. Will save some out for the next couple days and freeze the rest.

That ball exercise class is really something. I'm totally amazed how much I feel my abs today. Honestly, I thought I was in much better shape than I obviously am! I've only been NOT exercising for the last month (except for walking. And I'm still doing pain drugs for the upper back. I thought about working in the flower beds but decided not to push it, that I really *should* be sensible and not always push the limits.

Hubby's home now and I still have the kitchen to clean. All is well. It'll be done.

Friday, October 12

2007-10-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Got up, walked with neighbor, had porridge with apple, raisins, banana, yogurt, and mocha to go. Because I have no wheels until my truck gets fixed (unless hubby's home, which he isn't...) I caught a ride to town with my neighbor.

I went to the ball exercise class at 12. Different instructor today, different tempo. Same sore feeling afterward, though! My MIL met me, we both picked up a few groceries and headed home. I did some research online, then spent the better part of an hour on my back on the floor, reading Holly Lisle's Create-a-Plot clinic on the Palm.

I was on and off the computer the rest of the day. Sent some emails regarding our change of (home) email address. Read Greenwitch by Susan Cooper. Poked at my story idea.

And kind of grazing all day. Let's see, 3 Wasa crackers with chocolate cream cheese, a handful of peas, 2 pieces of tempura salmon, 2 mandarin oranges, some grapes...Really craving junk food here. The closest I've come is the NF NS chocolate *ice cream*.

Need some pain killer drugs to head off to bed with, though. The kitchen is clean. Bleh. I need a sense of purpose for tomorrow. Maybe dig out the character clinic and poke my new idea some more. Maybe redesign a blog or two. Maybe sleep first...

Wednesday-Thursday, October 10-11

2007-10-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

Huh. Not sure how I forgot to post up here last night, but I did.

Started out Wednesday with a foggy walk with my neighbor. By the time we got back home the fog was lifting in layers and the sun was shining across the valley. Very pretty. Porridge with apple, banana, yogurt for breakfast, mocha to go.

Hubby was working on the car so I took a lunch to work: tuna, 3 Wasa crackers, peas, grapes. Finished off my chocolate. I took my workout bag to work, unsure of whether I should go to Curves or not. Decided not to being as I was already fighting a headache and taking drugs for it. So I went for another walk instead.

When I got home I had the privilege of cleaning up behind hubby's zinfindel making experiment. Now we have two batches of plum wine stewing away in the corner of the living room and the whole house will have to be kept consistently too warm for me for a couple of weeks. I spose I will survive it. :P My zone cleaning for the day was washing plum juice off cabinet doors and the floor, so once again they are very clean.

We had salad for supper, followed by leftover turkey dinner. Most of the remainder is packaged up and ready for hubby's lunches. I made banana shakes for snack later and spent nearly an hour on the floor stretching out the back over the course of the evening. I am consistently amazed by what a huge difference that makes. I started reading Crimson Eve by Brandilyn Collins. I should know better than to read anything by her in the evening. I'll save the rest for weekend days!

So this morning my neighbor and I walked again, and I had the same breakfast. Really, the first few hours of my day could be put on automatic repeat! Except no headache today YAAAY. (Actually got a good chunk of writing done.)

At noon hubby met me in town, we grabbed a sub at Subway and went to the library. So now I have alternatives to reading Crimson Eve.

I'd put chicken legs in the slow cooker (12 pieces) with my mother's sweet-and-sour rib sauce in the morning. When I got home from work I put on a pot of rice while hubby fed the cows. While that cooked I finished getting his laundry together and made his sandwiches. He left for work right after supper.

So it was Home Blessing night. I cleaned the bathroom--somehow I haven't really gotten into the daily swish'n'swipe mode. Did the dishes while talking to my mom on the phone. Dusted and vacuumed and washed mirrors and watered plants. My plants are quite unsure of what to do with this regular watering. One of them is considering blooming. Wow.

Left to do before bed: get the coffee pot ready to turn on in the morning, and do my back stretches. And some reading. But not anything by Brandilyn.

Tuesday, October 9

2007-10-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

My neighbor wasn't up for a walk this morning (their kids were still visiting from Saskatchewan) so I went alone in the fog. Kind of eerie! Came back and fixed breakfast: porridge with apple, banana, yogurt. Mocha to go at work.

Hubby and I went out for lunch. I had a Mediterranean style chicken burger (feta and spinach), and I left the top off. Had a side salad. I'd also taken peas and grapes to work, which I had just about finished when it got crazy busy for most of the afternoon. Had a piece of chocolate at the end of the day.

For supper I served up a large tossed salad and then leftovers from the cabbage unroll casserole from last week. Then I polished off the last piece of pumpkin pie!

I've got hubby's laundry done and ready for his next shift. Breakfast and lunch are prepped out. I had to laugh at FlyLady's zone task for today, wiping off the all the counters. Mine are covered with pans of thawing plums as apparently hubby is starting the zinfindel in the morning. So I settled for Wednesday's task: scrubbing and buffing the kitchen faucet in between two batches of dishes. I also deboned and packaged for the freezer the turkey broth I'd had simmering all night. So the kitchen is as clean as it can be in prep for another onslaught of Real Life tomorrow.

Also finished reading The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. Reminds me a fair bit of Madeleine L'Engle's writing actually. I guess it is YA fantasy from a similar era so that makes some sense.

Monday, October 8

2007-10-08T20:12:00.001-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians that read this blog. Which is probably no one, but anyway... :P

So my day off...and up at 6:20 to drive over to pick up hubby. Thanks to the Georgie-cat for waking Hanna up so she came with me for the ride. I took a mocha along and we stopped at Tim Horton's for breakfast: bagel breakfast sandwich. When we got home I put the turkey in the oven and started soup for lunch, then Hanna and I went for a walk. Came back and stretched out on the floor for awhile to work the kinks out of my back.

Lunch: homemade chicken soup with garbanzons, kidney beans, tomatoes, carrots, spices. And a piece of sourdough toast. By the time we'd cleaned up from lunch, hubby was awake (sort of) and we drove out to one of our favorite walking trails along a dike (separates a boggy lake from the river). Came home, had some peas and grapes (so I could take pain drugs without them bouncing!) and got rolling on the rest of turkey dinner. Hanna did roasted veggies (beets, yams, carrots, parsnips, and fennel) in a vinaigrette. I'd made Bonnie's rice stuffing recipe in the turkey (it's on the forum) and I will definitely make that again; we all really liked it a lot. I made a small pot of mashed potatoes because you just need them with turkey gravy. And we had apple waldorf salad (also on the forum). Tasty and pretty dinner!

Because I don't really have a dining area right now, the four of us sat around our little drop-leaf table in a slightly too-small area. I'd brought home my mother's china back in spring and dug out the dinner and dessert plates for tonight. What's the point of having china if you never use it? I'm looking forward to being able to display it on day relatively soon.

We cleaned the kitchen--that took a while!--and then enjoyed the pumpkin pie before the kids headed back over the mountain to home. I did up the dishes (again) with the dessert dishes and the roasting pans that had been soaking. Decided the self-cleaning oven needed running so turned it on. (There's nothing like turkey to make the oven need a good cleaning!) Then I read my email and discovered that FlyLady's zone task for Monday was washing out the kitchen garbage can. It needed emptying anyway so I did the task.

Now I'm looking forward to a bit more surfing on the net and then a good long back stretch on the floor. After Curves on Thursday, Ball class on Friday, driving to C and back Saturday, the folding chairs at sis's Sunday, and doing the trip again Monday, I'm feeling a bit sore again. But it'll all be good. I'm sure.

Sunday, October 7

2007-10-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Got up, went for a walk, and made breakfast: a smoothie of banana, raspberries, tofu and yogurt over porridge. Because of my unplanned trip yesterday, I'd added flour and water to my sourdough starter several times and this morning turned it into bread dough. I played with a new story idea while cleaning the bathroom, running the vacuum, and finishing up the laundry.

I fixed Glory Bowl for lunch, then baked a tofu pumpkin pie for Monday's Thanksgiving dinner; the bread went through the oven right behind it. Handful of peas for snack, then over to hubby's sis's for the extended family Tday dinner where I got to hold my five week old niece and eat (too much) turkey dinner: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, yams and a whole wheat bun (like I needed THAT added...) and a piece of pumpkin pie.

Folding chairs are not the greatest for my back and there were too many people there to secure a *better* seat so I came home a bit early, badly needing to stretch out on the floor. Finished reading Over Sea, Under Stone from that vantage point--and with a cat stretched out on my torso, purring away.

The laundry is all put away, the kitchen is clean, the prep for turkey dinner is done for tonight, and the bread sliced and frozen. Just waiting now for our daughter and son-in-law to arrive for what's left of the long weekend. Thinking of getting up at six thirty and driving to pick up hubby has me yawning already.

Saturday, October 6

2007-10-06T21:58:00.001-07:00

Got up and went for a walk first thing. After all the rain and fog and all, it was nice to see a little sunshine this morning. It didn't hurt that I went a little later and the sun was already up... Hubby was home and couldn't sleep in (though he's switching to nights and should have!) I made us toast and scrambled eggs with bacon and a lot of veggies in (onion, garlic, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, broccoli, carrots). So many veggies the eggs couldn't hold them together, lol.

In discussion about the truck, we got this little brainwave whereby I would go with him (canceling my massage apt) to the larger next town over and we would look at trucks on the car lots and he'd catch a ride the rest of the way to work with a buddy, leaving me with the car. (Yesterday the truck decided it didn't like going into reverse...which can be an issue, trust me...) So my plans for the day got as scrambled as the breakfast eggs. The upshot of a couple of hours of lot scrounging is that we can't afford to replace our truck with something better and can't see the point of replacing it with something worse. Our next stop is to get an estimate from the local GM dealership to replace the transmission. We grabbed Burger King just before meeting up with his buddy, which isn't really on my diet but hey I did it anyway (BK double stacker, half a pkg fries, and the first coke I've had in eons.)

Ran into a pal of mine shortly after (hiya Joyce!) and we went for coffee and a visit, bringing my quota of mochas for the day to two. Could have yakked a lot longer but it was getting on to supper time and besides my eyes aren't that happy with night driving anymore.

Starved by the time I got home and was glad I had a quickie supper planned: the other marinated pork chop sautéed with onions, mushrooms, garlic, broccoli, zucchini and spinach, which almost brings my veggie quota for the day up to something reasonable. Had a handful of grapes later while reading. (I've started Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper as it occurs to me I have never read this classic children's fantasy series.)

The kitchen is clean and most of my routine is done for the day. My back is sore-ish from the combination of the ball class yesterday and too much car today. And I get to do the car again Monday morning (mighty early) to pick hubby up again. Ah well. I expect I shall live through it.

Friday, October 5

2007-10-05T21:17:00.001-07:00

At least it wasn't pouring for Hannah's and my walk this morning. I'd woke up in the middle of the night with a charleyhorse in the calf, which caused me to realize I'd been skipping stretches after the walks. So I taught them to Hannah, standing out in the middle of the dirt road in front of their house. Not sure what the passing truckers thought.

Breakfast: porridge with apple, banana, yogurt. Mocha to go.

So Fridays at 12:15 is a 40-minute fitness class at the Rec Center that is low impact with an exercise ball. It is advertised as strengthening the core and abdominals. Just what the doctor (and the massage therapist) ordered. It was trickier than I thought it would be, and it's going to take a day or two to recuperate. Definitely pointed out how weak I am in that area and once I learn to do the exercises correctly I think it will be very positive. So I expect to go to this class regularly.

Picked up groceries (mostly produce and dairy) on the way home after class. I heated leftover pasta and tomato sauce for my lunch, also had a tossed salad. I ate a handful of grapes while I put away groceries, then some peas and a couple of Wasa crackers with chocolate cream cheese as I finished reading Nobody...with the heating pad on my back.

Then I dragged myself up the stairs with the timer set for thirty minutes and worked on sorting and tossing in the spare room. I cooked up a marinated pork chop with onions, mushrooms and spinach for supper.

I must be getting closer to the optimal GI diet again. I'm always hungry. Sigh. I gave in to a serving of chocolate ultimate frozen dessert--the euphemism for sugar-free low-fat not-quite-ice-cream, which is also low-guilt in moderation. Moderation it is. I still have the kitchen cleanup and another round of back stretches to go tonight.

Yay the weekend!

Thursday, October 4

2007-10-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

So. 6:50 am. I'm lying in bed listening to the downpour of rain on a metal roof. And I'm thinking...is Hannah really going to want to walk in this? I'm talking cats and dogs raining--tigers and wolves, not kitties and puppies. The phone does not ring. It creeps closer to 7. I think, well, I know *I* have rain gear, so it won't be me that makes the call. Eventually I decide the phone really is not going to ring, and I get up, throw on my workout clothes and rain gear and head out the door.

Of course I discovered that Hannah had decided she'd canceled on me enough times and it wasn't going to be HER fault if we didn't walk today. So we walked. And talked. And got absolutely soaked, rain gear or not. And by the time I left for work the sky was nearly clear. Figures.

Breakfast: porridge with apple, banana, vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go. And I need to get another option in my brekkie routine. Don't know what yet.

At lunch hour I went to Curves for the first time in about three weeks. Weighed in at 147#. I'm debating whether to give Curves up or not at the moment, but you know, I like it. And I enjoy many of the lunch hour regulars. So I don't know. And yes, I'm frustrated like crazy about the 147 as well.

I'd taken leftover rice and Hawaiian chicken to eat at my desk, along with carrot sticks and grapes.

After work I came home and fixed myself supper, a stirfry with steak, onions, mushrooms, garlic, and the last of the green beans. Later I had two pieces of whole grain toast with margarine and cheddar.

I cleaned the kitchen and didn't do the zone cleaning. Instead, I set the timer for fifteen minutes and began cleaning out the stuff on the floor of the spare room closet. That room is kind of organized chaos. It's not cluttered, really, but it contains a lot of things I probably don't need. Including things from my kitchen that have been packed away for the last six months. It's time to start sorting it and doing some tossing.

I watched X-Weighted on tv. Interesting to see what these folks go through to lose (in this case) 29 pounds in six months. She trained really really hard, and a lot of it was upper body workouts (full body pushups, for instance) that I really can NOT do anymore (if I ever could) and heavy duty cardio--running. So I sat there and ate my toast and wondered if I was doomed. Yeah. Like that makes sense.

I've made a good start at reading Nobody by my buddy Creston Mapes. Interesting story in an interesting voice. Now I need to do my back stretches and head for bed at a decent time.

Wednesday, October 3

2007-10-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

My neighbor and I went for a walk first thing this morning, and then I made breakfast: porridge with apple, banana, yogurt. Mocha to go.

I forgot to mention that Tuesday night hubby and his b-i-l had a good look at our truck's transmission while we were out at their place and all may not be as bleak as it seemed. At least hubby has one relatively inexpensive thing to try meanwhile. hopefully it will do the trick.

At lunch I reheated chicken veg barley soup and made toast. I had peas and grapes for snack, also two pieces dark chocolate. Why yes, I do seem to eat the same things over and over again. Hubby made a cabbage unroll casserole for supper--which means I had a heck of a lot of kitchen cleanup to do when I got home! Still it was nice not to have to cook today and besides it tasted darn good.

After supper he headed back to the mines and I started in on the Home Blessing. Two mega-batches of dishes, watered the plants, hauled canning and empty jars to the cellar, and stole a few minutes to finish reading The Proof by Austin Boyd. Did a Room Rescue on the Living Room. Gathered the garbage together in the porch (it's pouring rain out and I don't feel like hauling them to the truck tonight) as it is dumpster day at work Friday. Then I vacuumed the entire main floor and washed the kitchen floor, including the dining area (in honor of dining room zone week!)

That's it. Now I'm going to read for a bit, do my back stretches, and have a banana shake (once the floor is dry in the kitchen) and off to bed. I'm really bad with zone work when Jim is home on weekdays. I don't know if I should fight it or go with it. Right now--apparently--I am going with it!

Tuesday, October 2

2007-10-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

Up and for a walk in the rain with my neighbor. Breakfast of porridge, apple, banana, yogurt, and a mocha-to-go. Hubby and I grabbed take-out lunch today: Hawaiian style burger (pineapple and lettuce) and fries. I'd taken peas and grapes for snack.

For supper--lol I didn't even realize that I had Hawaiian on the brain till this minute. Made sweet-and-sour chicken breast over brown-and-wild rice, also with salad and corn on the cob. I did the basic kitchen clean-up and then we went out to hubby's sis and b-i-l's for the evening. And she gave me some more of their fabulous grapes. Did my back exercises on their floor while hubby showed them some stuff on their computer that they couldn't figure out. Nice visit, home at bedtime, that's all she wrote. No zone cleaning.

Monday, October 1

2007-10-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

My neighbor wasn't up to a morning walk yet, but I donned my rain gear and headed out into the rainy morning. Came back, fixed porridge with apple, banana, yogurt. Mocha to work. Hubby called to say that indeed the broadband guy came to install in the morning. Yay!

We had chicken veg barley soup for lunch, one slice of whole grain toast. I was mad at myself because I forgot to take snacks to work. I did have some chocolate. Once home I made meatballs to put in pasta sauce (extra meatballs for the freezer) over tomato-basil spaghetti. Also had corn and salad. And a banana shake later.

I cleaned the kitchen thoroughly and ignored the FlyLady zone clean in favor of scrubbing the top of my stove, which hasn't been done since last time she told me to do it! And the canner really makes a mess. The canners are put away and the jars are washed. When they are completely dry I will label them and haul them to the cellar (Tuesday night).

Of course we also had to have fun with the new broadband internet, and I spent an hour on the phone walking my sister through an issue with printing out photos. Evening routine complete, I did my back stretches and headed for bed.

Sunday, September 30

2007-09-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

I slept in again this morning, but it seems to have helped keep that cold from taking over. Still an occasional sneeze, but I can live with this. I walked to the end of the road and back, then fixed porridge with apple, and had it with a banana and vanilla yogurt. I did a bit of research on the internet, then made myself a mocha and began dealing with the canner full of chicken bones. I made part into vegetable barley soup and had some for lunch. (Meanwhile hubby came home from night shifts and crashed on the couch.)

I spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen, canning two canner loads (14 quart jars) of soup. While the bobber bobbed I began reading the second book of the Mars Hill Classified Trilogy by Austin Boyd (The Proof). Meanwhile I munched on peas and two Wasa crackers with garlic cream cheese and a handful of dates.

For supper I fixed stuffed pork chops (apple, onion, bread crumbs, seasonings). I bought these really thick chops a few weeks ago and so this has been on my menu every week for the last three (grin) and I finally made them. They were kinda fun but not perfect. Oh, we also had salad and corn. (So does that mean the menu works? Eventually?)

While I was cleaning the kitchen (a real chore today, trust me...) hubby received a phone call regarding the application we submitted nearly a year ago for high speed internet. The guy will be here tomorrow morning!!!!! Glad hubby *happens* to be home for this. Wow, I can hardly believe we'll soon actually be untied from the phone line.

Saturday, September 29

2007-09-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe my eyes when I woke up this morning. I'd sort of woken up around 6:30 but fallen back asleep and when I really woke up, it was quarter to nine!!!! I'd slept through the whole night, and then some. Wow.

So, in celebration, I went for a half hour bike ride. Time will tell whether that was a smart move or a dumb one, but I was in the mood for something a little farther afield than our little road. My bike allows me to sit quite upright, and I wasn't off-roading...

After my shower, I fixed two pieces of whole-grain toast which I had with margarine and a sliced banana, eating the last few plums...and now plum season is officially over.

Went upstairs, mocha in hand, to think about the Master Bedroom zone, which we've been concentrating on this week via FlyLady. I went through two drawers in my dresser and all of my closet (and hubby's) sorting things to keep, to toss, and to take to the thrift store. I loaded the bags to toss and donate into the truck. I cleaned up what I'd accomplished over the last week in magazine sorting, taking a stack to the truck for recycling. Decided to leave the books for another time. Stripped the bed and started the laundry. Vacuumed the stairwell and the whole upstairs. Realized that it was time to take the fans from upstairs out to the storage cabin for the winter, grabbing a couple of other things that fit that category while I was in the mode.

Then I washed the mirrors and a couple of the windows (remember I did the exteriors a couple weeks ago) and watered the plants.

Lunch time anyone? Fixed myself Glory Bowl and tried to make a menu for the week. I find that the most difficult organizational task and have never yet made and kept one for a full week.

Went into town for errands: dropped stuff at the thrift shop, the library, recycling depot, and the dumpster. Got water and my daughter's birthday present and stopped by the grocery store for a couple things we were out of.

When I got home I dumped all the chicken parts I'd found in the freezer into my large canner, topped it with about 4 gallons of water, and started it towards boiling. Then I curled up in the recliner with a library book, a handful of peas, and 2 Wasa crackers with garlic cream cheese. And a couple of Entrophen as the exertions of earlier caught up with me.

I picked green beans and sautéed them for supper with shrimp, and also had a salad. Talked to my kids on the phone while doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Now a little surfing and reading and back exercises before bed!

Friday, September 28

2007-09-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

Got up and went for my walk. I'm starting to increase the briskness of the walking, easing the arm movements back in. Breakfast: soaked oats, plums, yogurt. Mocha to go.

For lunch we had leftover ground beef stew and whole-grain toast. Later I snacked on peas and had a piece of plum cobbler from the freezer.

Hubby left for his night shifts shortly after lunch. Because he'd been home (sick) for two extra days, I hadn't done the FlyLady house blessing, so I started on it Friday afternoon. I tidied up the living room, dusted and vacuumed. Tidied up the kitchen and vacuumed.

I reheated chili from the freezer for supper and had a tossed salad.

I spent several hours online researching the new farm use idea hubby and I have been talking about. It sounds like it could be reasonably lucrative for less work than the cows. Part of the problem with the cows is our local elk population, who have decided that our back pasture is on their daily (weekly?) migration route. They hop over our electric fences--or just plow through them. So even if the cows aren't in the back pasture, the loss of electric power in the fenceline causes shorts throughout the system, meaning that the calves in particular wander in and out of the pastures at will (in a bad week, anyway.) It seems like fixing fences is permanently on hubby's to-do list. Also, the price of beef cattle has been low most of the seven years we've owned the farm. A couple of years extremely low (during the mad cow crisis), but it's never gotten anywhere near the first year for dollar-per-pound. This year the cruncher is the fact that the Canadian dollar is so high versus the American dollar. Apparently the price-per-pound has sunk 25% in the past couple of months, just as our calves are getting to market weight. It has become increasingly clear to me that raising beef cattle, particularly with hubby out of town half the time, is just beating our heads against a wall. Hubby is not quite on board with my realization, so we'll see what happens. He is pretty excited about some of the research we've been doing, though. Of course it always costs money to switch gears and use land for a different purpose. And spare cash is something we don't have a lot of.

No, I'm not going to talk about the specifics at this time.

Cleaned up the kitchen in the evening, then watched What Not to Wear and finished the novel I've been reading: The Evidence by Austin Boyd. Jean, have you heard of him? I'm suspecting you might enjoy this trilogy.

Thursday, September 27

2007-09-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed it is almost the end of September? Where do all the used up days go, anyway?

So, I got up, went for a walk, had the shower and the brekkie (porridge with apple, banana, yogurt, and mocha-to-go).

First stop of the morning was the follow-up doctor's appointment in which I found out that my weight issues are all my own and cannot be blamed on thyroid problems. I haven't been to Curves for a couple weeks now so haven't weighed myself; I'll have to stop by and do that soon, just for record-keeping. Doc suggests that I had better steer away from high impact exercising. No more running, for example. He thinks I should concentrate on building up my core muscles, which is something I've become aware of recently anyway and have started focusing on.

I need to really think about the movements at Curves and decide if it is going to continue to meet my needs or if I'm better off dropping out and saving myself forty bucks a month. Which I will probably spend elsewhere. The rec center has some low impact workouts listed, for example. Really, other than the thyroid question being answered, I don't feel it was a particularly helpful discussion.

At lunch time I went home, being as I still have a sick hubby there (who now has the bathroom taps taken apart to fix the leaks and then finds out that he can't get the parts in this town. So no sink taps for a few days, yay.) Normally I would send most of the leftovers (planned-overs) to the apartment with him but...decided we had too many now being as he's been home all week. So I reheated a couple servings of the pork roast supper. Brought peas and grapes to work for snack.

After work we test-drove a truck. I am rebelling. I want to stick my head in the sand and when it comes out, I want our truck to work right and my bank account to look the same. I am absolutely freaking out over this. So I try not to think about it. Which is hard to do when you're test-driving trucks.

Came home and pulled the last of the mini meat-loaves out of the freezer and reheated them alongside yammy fries, and ate salad while it all baked. Had a piece of chocolate-chip cake.

Discussions of vehicles, what we would use the farm for if we sold all the cattle, and trying to load RealPlayer on my Palm took up the remainder of the evening. I did the evening routine, including the back stretches.

Not only do I want the truck issues to be fixed when I wake up, I could do without this stupid cold, also.

Wednesday, September 26

2007-09-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

The morning routine is pretty well in place, methinks. At least on work days. Got up, went for a walk, shower, breakfast of plums, Fiber One, and vanilla yogurt. Mocha to work. At lunch we had leftover hamburger stew from earlier in the week. Grapes for afternoon snack (from my sis-in-law's vines, most excellent!)

Hubby was home--sick and restless. He decided to make me a treat of a chocolate chip layer cake, complete with butterscotch filling between the layers and chocolate chip glaze over the top. Oh calories where art thou? So, yes, I had a piece. He's been making serious inroads on the cake so the temptation shouldn't be there much longer. I *may* get a second slice Thursday. Or not.

Had a tossed salad for supper, then wild & brown rice and beef ribs in a hot mesquite marinade. Probably a bit too fatty, but the taste was pretty nice. A banana milkshake later, towards bedtime.

I hadn't done the zone cleaning Tuesday, so doubled up Wednesday. The top of my nightstand has only what's needed on it: lamp, clock/ radio/ telephone, hand lotion. Jim's is equally clear: lamp, clock, and a ceramic egg that he keeps stuff in. Dusted both of them off, then went through all three drawers of mine and tossed some stuff, reorganized other stuff. His nightstand has one drawer and a shelf; the drawer hasn't gotten cluttered since last time I cleaned it out, and the shelf has over-sized books on it. It's dusted now and good to go. Then I emptied the garbage and continued with my decluttering of magazines. My goal is to get rid of about half of my old decorating mags, which I honestly do still look through and get ideas from. However, I'm thinking that anything prior to 1997 had better have a darn good reason for remaining in my house! (Don't laugh, a few were pre-1990!) I did the mags while I did my back stretches--yay for two birds with one stone.

Finished up the evening routine and to bed at a decent time. It's funny cause I'm sleeping better at night, but I'm more exhausted earlier in the evening. The kind of tired where I just can't keep my eyes open another minute.

Tuesday, September 25

2007-09-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Went for a walk first thing. I don't know if I've ever seen a rainbow before the sun comes up in the morning before. Obviously the sun was shining on the mountains to the west, but it looked very cool. Had plums and Fiber One and vanilla yogurt for breakfast. Mocha to go.

For lunch I had the leftover beef soup and some toast. Grapes from my sis-in-law's vines for snack. MMM. After work I stopped off at the grocery store for a serious shop, so now I'm restocked on goodness. I'd put a pork roast in the crockpot in the morning (on onions, apples, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, garlic, and a few plums) so supper was waiting when I got home. We also had a tossed salad (and later, a banana milkshake). Hubby was due to leave for work after supper but he called in sick--he's got a major cold.

Instead of cleaning anything, we made a mess. The ballasts in the bathroom florescent were flickering so hubby bought some pot lights to replace it with. Of course now it isn't as bright, but it is more flattering light. I did clean up the kitchen and did my evening routine.

Monday, September 24

2007-09-25T10:18:00.001-07:00

My neighbor called to say she wasn't able to walk with me this week due to company, but she really wants to again next week. So, I went by myself. Came back and had porridge with apple and some frozen raspberries in it with yogurt. (You can sing the encore already: and the mocha went to work with me).

At lunchtime I heated a jar of beef/ veggie/ barley soup. Starting to run low on canned soups so will have to have a marathon or two yet this fall. It's so nice to just be able to pop a jar open and have home-made soup. Anyway I took peas and carrots to work for snack (out of grapes). And had chocolate.

We went out for supper; I had the pulled pork sandwich (with carmelized onions) and a tossed salad. Our truck is showing signs of imminent transmission failure so we did much talking, trying to figure out what our options are and whether any of our options are any good. Bleh. None are cheap, that's for sure.

When we got home I did the FlyLady mission: took everything off my dresser. It wasn't cluttered, but I dusted it and washed the mirror and thought about what to display on it and changed it up some. It is a pine dresser with a warm finish and I had a couple of wooden doo-dads on it: a carved oblong dish from Senegal and a round covered container from Bolivia. I moved those to a shelf that isn't wood and moved the displaced items to the dresser: a ceramic elephant Hanna made in kindergarten, two (black) carved elephants from Senegal, one jade elephant (local) and two colorful little ceramic Quechua women. This group shows off against the wood better. So I put my legs up on a stack of pillows on the bed, laid on my back, and contemplated the room to think what all could be done in there this week.

Went back downstairs, made a banana milkshake, and cleaned the kitchen.

Wish the stupid truck would just fix itself. I hate spending money on vehicles.

Sunday, September 23

2007-09-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not that fond of getting up at 6:30 on a Sunday morning, but I did so (after quite a decent night's sleep). Walked to the end of the road and back, quick shower, brekkie of 2 pieces whole grain toast with margarine and cheddar, and headed to the church for an 8 am worship team practice. I run the sound board once in awhile. The team had it mostly set up; I just did some finetuning and ran over the order of service with them.

Came home about 9:30, got hubby rolling, and had my mocha before heading back to the church for the 11 am service. After last week's little fiasco with my back, we took the car obus seat in with us. Even so, an hour and a half was a hard slog. I stand up at the sound board during singing and managed that part okay. I sat for part of the sermon, but then walked around the library for awhile and listened from there.

Our friends invited us over for lunch and I said so long as I can lie down for a bit first, I'll be fine. So we swung past our house and got the mega heating pad and went back to their place where I laid down in the living room and talked to their son, my good buddy who is in grade twelve this year. Lunch was hamburgers. I had two, with buns, because...that's what there was. Apple crisp for dessert. We visited for awhile longer before going home, where I promptly spread back out on the floor.

Later hubby and I walked to the end of the road and then fixed ourselves a chef salad for supper. Had a need for something veggie heavy! Banana milkshake later. I finished reading HP7 and got the basic evening routine done before heading for bed.

I see this week's FlyLady zone is the master bedroom and that the zone missions will encourage me to dig a little deeper than simply surface cleaning. A good thing, I think. Most of our library lives in our bedroom. I wonder if there's any way to get hubby to let go of some of his books that he will never re-read? I've already started setting aside some of mine...

Saturday, September 22

2007-09-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

As I suspected, I wasn't all that happy to come down the stairs this morning, knowing the kitchen hadn't been cleaned. Still, I started with my walk, shower, and breakfast: cherries, yogurt, and All Bran. I got dressed and tackled the kitchen: dishes and hot spots. Vacuumed the floors on the main floor and started the laundry. I had just decided I deserved a break when hubby arrived home from night shifts. I laid on the floor and talked to him for a bit, then made myself a mocha and checked email, etc.

He seemed to be sound asleep so I heated a bowl of soup for my lunch (with a piece of toast) and then tackled the bathroom. (Yes, it did all FEEL like tackling!) I spent over an hour in there, vacuuming the ceiling and walls, taking items off the high deco shelf and washing everything down, washing the mini blind, putting towels and bath mat through the washer, sorting through items in the drawers, spritzing down the tub walls, and finally, washing the floor. The room is pretty darn clean.

Then I took stuff out of the freezer for supper and read HP7 for awhile (while snacking on peas and 2 wasa crackers with chocolate cream cheese). I made stew with lean ground beef and lots of veggies for supper and woke hubby up. Dishes are done, banana milkshakes are drank, and the evening routine is well under way.

Much better.

Friday, September 21

2007-09-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

I still felt pretty good when I got up Friday morning. After my walk with my neighbor, I had my shower and a breakfast of porridge with apple and banana and yogurt. The mocha came to work.

I felt SO good that when a friend I rarely see called and asked if I'd like to go for lunch, I agreed. We went to my favorite *Quite GI Friendly* restaurant where I ordered a Thai chicken wrap with a side salad...and had a nice catch-up visit. Then I went to the rec center to sign Jim and I up for a class on making a Dichroic pendant with a silversmithed edging. It's a 3-hour class held on his birthday, and he really wanted to do this with me for his birthday gift. So it should be fun. He's already booked the shift off work.

Now that the weather is cooler and I'm out of wearing shorts, it occurred to me that I only had one pair of pants suitable for wearing to work (and two pairs of jeans). Those pounds I've gained? Yeah. They did it. So I went and bought two pair--one on sale and one from the thrift shop. Apparently my shorts weren't the same size as my pants, or I may have noticed the issues in time to do something about them. This is a bit of a bummer (insert haha here).

I also swung past a fruit stand and found one last container of cherries--huzzah!--and ditto of peaches. By the time I got home it was nearly four o'clock and I was exhausted. I spent half an hour on my back on the floor, then walked to the end of the road and back and debated supper.

The garden is pretty much done, too. We haven't had frost yet but it is imminent. Doesn't look like we got any butternut squash worth mentioning. Jim has two pumpkins, thankfully much smaller than last year. The zucchini has petered out. The corn didn't do well, and neither did the green beans. The tomatoes are the happiest things in the garden, and I don't own them--my sis-in-law and her hubby are responsible for them, though we've been fresh eating off them. I picked enough green beans for me for supper. If the frost keeps holding off, I may get another meal in a few days.

I sauteed up the green beans with two farmer sausages. The cherries I bought really weren't in very good shape, so I picked through and ate a lot of them over the evening, while watching too much *What Not to Wear* on TLC. It amuses me. Not enough to make a date with the tv, but...yeah. I also started reading HP7.

One more half hour stretch on the floor--this time with the kitty stretched out on my torso--and I headed for bed only to realize that I had done pretty much none of my evening routine. It was eleven o'clock--I just shut the lights off and went to bed, knowing I would regret it in the morning.

Thursday, September 20

2007-09-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Got up and went for a walk with my neighbor, Hannah. Came back and made a breakfast of porridge with apple, banana and yogurt. Took the mocha to work.

For the first time in, what, two weeks?, I felt like I had a brain of sorts. And much less fog. What a relief. Still needed the pain drugs but it all seemed much more manageable. I took an extended lunch break and made a beef/ roasted tomato/ pasta soup for lunch (with a piece of toast) and got to spend a bit of time with hubby before he headed back to the mines (and me to work). Had peas and grapes for afternoon snack. And some chocolate.

It was my in-laws' 49th anniversary and the clan got together for take-out at their house. FIL had knee replacement surgery a couple weeks back so they're still fairly house-bound. Anyway, I took over a tossed salad which I had a large bowl of, but then also had two pieces of chicken and some fries. And corn-on-the-cob. And a glass of Zinfindel (and thought of Karen).

Even though I'd had a really good day, by then I'd had enough verticalness and so went home (across the yard) to lie down. Went to bed quite early. Just couldn't keep my eyes open.

Haven't done ANY of the FlyLady zone missions this week at all. Maybe Friday afternoon, being as I won't be working. We'll see. I'm just so thankful to finally be feeling a little better.

Wednesday, September 19

2007-09-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Met my neighbor Hannah for a walk, came home and made porridge with a chopped apple in it, served over a banana with vanilla yogurt. Mocha to go.

Very very sore this day. I could barely hold my head up. Went home at noon hour so I could lie down on the floor. I had tuna and wasa crackers for lunch, peas, grapes. By the time I got home after work my incentive for being good was gone. I cooked myself two farmer sausages and frozen fries. But I also had a large tossed salad, and a chopped peach with yogurt and All Bran at bedtime. I did swish and swipe the bathroom--finally--but other than that just maintained my most basic evening routine.

I need to get well.

Slow Cooker Recipe -- Chicken Paprika

2007-09-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

Chicken Paprika (serves 4-5)
adapted from Kelly at Fly Lady.

In slow cooker:
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or grated

Add a layer of chicken pieces
(1 whole chicken, cut up, or equivalent--I used about 10 chicken thighs)
Drizzle with:
Olive oil (maybe 2 teaspoons?)
Salt
Pepper
About 1 tablespoon paprika

Add second layer of chicken pieces and repeat oil, s&p, paprika

Pour over chicken:
1 can crushed tomatoes (or tomato pieces) 16-19 ounces

Turn on low for 8-10 hours.
Before serving, add:
1/2 cup sour cream and stir in.

May thicken with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed into a little cold water.
(Turn slow cooker on high for half an hour or so to thicken)

Serve over brown & wild rice with a side salad! You don't really taste the paprika, even though it seems like a lot. Nor does the sour cream come through as much as I thought it would. Really tasty though!

Tuesday, September 18

2007-09-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

So, got up and dragged my neighbor Hannah out for a walk. Not to be confused with my daughter Hanna. She used to say I walked too fast for her to join me, but anymore that isn't true. How fast can I walk without swinging my arms? :P So it will be fun to walk with her when it works out.

Breakfast: soaked oats, a peach, and vanilla yogurt. Went to work with the mocha. The headache is pretty bad these days. The new chair helps a lot with functionality, but not so much with the head. I think I'd like to trade it in for a new one. I don't even care if it is cuter.

I took the leftover chicken paprika to work for lunch, also peas and grapes. And chocolate and pistachios. Comfort food, anyone?

At 5:00 I went to my 45 minute massage. I was so afraid she'd send me home unmassaged because I have gotten worse since last time and she didn't want to massage during flare-ups. Which I am now undeniably in the midst of. She listened to my tale of woe and suggested we switch techniques to the Hurley/Osborn technique. She said it was an hour long procedure but because I'd already paid her for the 45 minute one, it was okay this time. Well. She worked me over not for 45 minutes, not for 60, bur for 105. I couldn't believe the time when I got out! It certainly reduced a lot of pain for the remainder of the evening.

I reheated mini-meatloaves and yammy fries and corn-on-the-cob for supper, and the only other thing I accomplished (besides a bit of reading and tv and back stretches) was cleaning the kitchen and the very most basic bedtime routine.

My bathroom NEEDS to be paid attention to this week. I hope I'll get to it.

Monday, September 17

2007-09-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

So. Get out of bed, walk to the end of the road and back (35 minutes). Have a shower, eat breakfast. Soaked oats, peach, vanilla yogurt. Take vitamins and drugs. Go to work, nursing the thermal mug of mocha.

At lunchtime, drive home. Lie down on the floor and contemplate lunch. Get up, make toasted BLT sandwiches. Go back to work. Have peas and grapes for a snack.

Go home. Be thankful you put supper in the slow cooker. Be even more thankful that hubby noticed it wasn't turned on (sigh) at about ten o'clock and fixed the problem. Make sandwiches for hubby's lunches, double-check his laundry, etc. Enjoy a tossed salad, brown-and-wild rice, and chicken paprika. More lying on the floor. More contemplating. A banana milkshake for the road.

The night hubby leaves for his day shifts has become my *Home Blessing Hour*. I don't feel much like blessing anything. I also can't very well leave the house like this. I've come too far to go back. I muster some energy together and do the dishes and clean the kitchen. Then I hit the floor for some more contemplation time. Eventually I get back up to water the plants and run the vacuum. For now, I consider my house blessed and will read in the recliner, trying to stay awake until bedtime.

Saturday & Sunday, September 15-16

2007-09-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

So it was a weekend again. My head is kind of fuzzy as to what all took place. I know I got up Saturday, went for a walk (hands planted firmly in the pockets--that feels so strange!), and had Fiber One, a peach, and vanilla yogurt for brekkie. I did Friday's zone mission, cleaning out under the kitchen sink, and also completed the week's laundry. Knowing I would regret it...but I did it anyway...I washed all the windows on the main floor of the house. Really it is only six windows and they badly needed doing from the outside. Who knows how many more nice days we will have?

Then I spent awhile on my back on the floor. I am so thankful to my massage therapist for showing me that position and insisting I do it daily. It takes so much stress off it isn't funny. Fifteen minutes on my back and I can manage life again. We had tomato sandwiches for lunch.

Jim and I drove to the next town over which is big enough to have a Staples. The main goal was to find me a better computer desk chair for at work. I *tried on* a couple dozen chairs and then we narrowed them all down to three and finally settled on one. I looked for an online picture but can't find it, but really, it's *just* a gray leather desk chair with padding in all the right places. I'd have preferred fabric, actually, but was purchasing strictly on fit. We also purchased a under-mount keyboard tray for the at-home desk. We went out for dinner at Mr. Mike's, where I had a steak sandwich (minus the garlic bread, which I normally love but it wasn't really toasted --wasn't really WARM--so it was easy to pass on), fries, and a salad. And the green beans off Jim's plate, which were too squeaky for him and therefore just how I like them! :P

The ride in the car wasn't the easiest thing, but the Obus form helped. Jim uses the seat part and I use the back part. Part way home he asked if I was up to a little side trip. There was a dirt road he'd always wanted to explore. Of course we have the car, not the truck, when he decides that! It was very bumpy, but so worth it as we discovered a great camping site along the river. We were there just at dusk and it was very peaceful. A wonderful interlude.

When we got home I stretched out on the floor again while Jim assembled the chair and mounted the keyboard tray. All I can say is this should make a big difference. And that he is wonderful. We had a strawberry milkshake before bed.

In the morning I went for a walk and had the same breakfast. We decided to go to church which apparently was a bad idea, even sitting on chairs at the back (rather than the wooden pews). I stood up for awhile...and there was just no way it was going to work so we came home. After awhile on my back I heated a jar of soup for lunch (beef bean barley), then spent time in the recliner with heat on my back. I can hardly believe how half an hour in a stupid bad chair was THAT bad.

Later on we went outside and I *helped* Jim pick plums. Apparently he is making a batch of Zinfindel (spelling?) this fall. I washed the plums and he halved them all and put them in bags in the freezer.

I did a beef pot roast (with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, and garlic) for supper. I made us a plum cobbler later which made him very happy! Another round on the floor and I managed to get the kitchen clean before collapsing in bed.

Friday, September 14

2007-09-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Went for a walk first thing, trying to remember to keep my hands firmly planted in my pockets. That's hard to do! I really need the exercise but can do without the upper back burn (that I probably shouldn't have ignored all summer in Aquafit, come to think of it.) I had Fiber One with a peach and vanilla yogurt. Took the mocha to work.

I had trouble focusing on anything again. Just enough customers to keep me from being bored enough to become productive. Back was sore. I left for the day at noon and mustered up enough energy to pick up groceries on the way home. I did my back stretches before making lunch of chef salad.

Hubby's home so I loaded the YA novel I need to crit onto the laptop and set myself up in the recliner for the afternoon. Took a break to make us banana shakes. :) Later, at supper, I fixed yammy fries, corn on the cob, and steak strips with garlic green beans. I'd also baked bread in the afternoon. Really it doesn't take that much kneading. While it was in the oven I roasted a head of garlic to make garlic cream cheese (I'm out of smoked salmon cream cheese and wanted a change).

I read a novel--Turquoise, by Marilynn Griffith, and had a couple of pieces of fresh bread with cream cheese at bedtime to soften the nighttime meds.

Thursday, September 13

2007-09-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

I went for a 30 minute walk first thing in the morning, then had a breakfast of soaked oats, a diced peach and vanilla yogurt. I took mocha to work. Mid-way through the morning I began having spasms across the middle of my back, not steady, but often enough to be annoying. And when you're tense--waiting for a spasm, for example--they come oftener. Who knew?

I had a piece of chicken with the second round of Entrophen about 11:30, then at noon debated what to do with my hour. Finally I decided to drive home and lie down on the floor and give my back a rest. I set the timer for 30 minutes, the tv to the nature music channel, and did my best to relax. Went back to the shop, had my black bean soup, peas, and grapes and the spasms started up again. Finally at 3:30 (and the next round of drugs) I went and bought myself a new (large!) heating pad and came back home. I spent the first 20 minutes lying on the floor while trying to remember where I had an extension cord, and how I would arrange things.

My new heating pad has a dead-man switch--you have to hold the switch down or it goes off. Yes, a person could elastic band the switch down, but honestly it gets too hot anyway. I watched some tv from my recliner while heating my back and thinking about the next phase: supper. Eventually I rousted myself long enough to make a stir-fry (beef, onion, mushroom, garlic, ginger, carrot, broccoli) with a homemade sauce (even though I haven't actually given away the ones from yesterday yet--I like mine better!) and watched some more tv. HGTV and Reno Thursdays--not that exciting, but beats back to back real estate shows.

When Jim insisted on getting me the recliner two years ago I thought he was crazy. Turns out it is the only place I can sit these days that doesn't tweak the back. Otherwise I am standing or lying down (or wishing I was.) I need a better (bigger) table in the corner beside it though, cause not everything I need within reach fits within reach. Actually I'd rather get healed and not have to deal with it. Going for that one.

So I determined to do the FlyLady zone mission. Reading the testimonials reminds me that my own problems are really quite minor and lots of people have to deal with much worse. And also I don't know how long this flare-up will last and I can't just let the house sink without a trace. However, the drawer that holds wraps and bags looks good. Two sizes of zip-locs, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, waxed paper, freezer bags. Masking tape and a jiffy marker for labeling stuff headed for the freezer. All good. By the time I'd swept the floor and done the dishes, that was enough FlyLadying for me.

It occurs to me that I may well spend a lot of time in my recliner this fall and I can't work on the computer from there. There's only so much tv and reading that need doing. Must think of a solution. I'm not fond of idleness. I munch my apple and contemplate...

Wednesday, September 12

2007-09-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, after thinking things through I've decided to keep with Curves, at least for now, so up I got at 6:45. I felt like a hot breakfast today so I made porridge with a diced apple in it. Had that over a sliced banana with vanilla yogurt and off to the gym. Weighed in at 146#. I worked a bit harder than on Monday but not up to my usual. Then off to the shop to settle down with my mocha. Had two brief sessions on the exercise ball today.

Jim was home at lunch so I made salmon pasta salad with celery, corn, and broccoli added. And I took peas and grapes along for snack (also had a handful of pistachios and 2 pieces dark chocolate). Today I tried to remember to take Entrophen whether or not I needed it...well I succeeded morning and noon but forgot at supper. It's hard on an empty-ish stomach so will now wait til bedtime snack.

I stopped at the farmer's market for a few peaches after work, then came home and went for a walk (35 minutes). Even trying not to swing my arms too much I still kinda hurt across the shoulders. Don't ask why that didn't remind me to take my drugs. I have no idea. :P Then I lay on my back on the floor for twenty minutes pretending to watch tv. When you have progressive lenses it's not like you can actually WATCH from that angle.

For supper I thawed two mini-meatloaves, and also had a large tossed salad and two slices of whole-grain toast with margarine and light cheddar. I tried to push my menu planning a few more days into the future--have I told you how much I hate planning menus? I'm good for a few more days now and have most of Friday's grocery list put together.

At that juncture I'd done the dishes and decided to do the FlyLady mission for the day. I opened my fridge, looked inside, freaked out, and set the timer for 15 minutes. No way was the whole thing going to get done. Actually all I got done was the door! I discovered THREE Oriental/ Thai sauce/ marinade thingies that I apparently don't use. None of them are old enough to toss in the garbage (I make my own rules for that) so I phoned a friend who has two teenage boys and an out-of-work (ill) husband and she thought they sounded great. So I did put them back in the fridge and will get them to her soon. While I had the door emptied I washed all the little shelves and that took a bit of time cause there were crusties. Last time I cleaned out my fridge I didn't bother with the door so I don't feel too bad at tonight's half mission!

Still to come: a bedtime snack (thinking banana shake) and another back stretch. And muscle relaxers! :P

By the way, what's with putting the toilet paper roll on a certain way being a sign of perfectionism? Anyone who goes to the bathroom as many times a night as I do appreciates not having to open their eyes and turn on the light to know which angle to smack the roll to make it dispense.

I rest my case.

Tuesday, September 11

2007-09-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

Today I had my breakfast of soaked oats, apple, and vanilla yogurt and prepared myself for my doctor's appointment at 9:10. I'd made a bit of a list of the things I wanted to talk to him about in two main categories: the weight gain/ menopausal issue and the degenerative disc pain and treatment. I do like my doctor quite a lot, I must say. He chided me that my piece of paper wasn't quite big enough for all the diagrams he wanted to draw. He ordered bloodwork done to determine if the thyroid is playing a part in the weight issues. Other than that, we mostly discussed pain management. I'm a little chastised and encouraged all in one go.

At my lunch hour I went for a walk to the library and made a couple of other stops as well. I'd brought Thai shrimp soup for lunch, also some chicken breast, peas, and grapes. I bought an exercise ball and tried sitting on it a bit in the afternoon. That is going to take some getting used to. Awhile back Jim bought an Obus seat for in the car but found he preferred to use the base without the backrest. So today I took the backrest to try to use with my current desk chair. It does help, but there is nothing to hold it in place. Still, I'll use it for a few days as best I can.

Came home and spent 15 minutes lying on the floor, resting. Then I got up and made supper (farmer sausage, onion, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini and tomatoes). While it was cooking I did the FlyLady mission and sorted out my container drawer. I'm mostly using cheapie stacking containers these days--we use a lot of them cause hubby takes them to and from work and so do I, also I freeze leftovers in them. So I put the other containers in a box in the porch (yeah, I know!) because I'm not sure yet that I don't need them. We'll see if I get them out again or not. Some of them are good Tupperware ones and I imagine they'll land up in the camper and the others may get tossed yet. We'll see. Everything that fit nicely in the drawer, easy to find, I put back.

I finished reading Hood by Stephen Lawhead and then had a large tossed salad before cleaning up the kitchen. I just have another floor session to go while waiting for hubby to arrive home on his 24-hour split.

My doctor said the simplest rule of thumb for diet is, if it tastes good, don't eat any. Yeah, I need his advice all right. Sigh.

Monday, September 10

2007-09-10T21:17:00.001-07:00

Well, generally speaking I'm sleeping better. The question probably is: better than what? Better than February. Better than July and most of August. Practically that means that I'm only getting up twice most nights, and usually falling back asleep within a half hour. I'll take what I can get on that front. Today I didn't even hurt when I first woke up :)

Not having been shopping yet for more peaches, I had a chopped apple with my soaked oats and vanilla yogurt, and took my mocha to work. It didn't take long for my back to start biting me. My desk chair there is one I paid twenty bucks for three or four years ago. I experimented with putting my keyboard up on a box so I could stand at the desk. That kinda works. I also wandered around the store and did some light housekeeping.

For my lunch I had taken the last two pieces of cheese pizza from yesterday, along with peas and grapes. Later I had two wasa crackers with salmon cream cheese...and some dark chocolate.

At lunch hour I went over to Curves and tested out my range. I didn't have much, and even working up to a full cardio (keeping my arms still) didn't really work. Quit the workout early and spent extra time stretching. Then I went over to a medical supply shop around the corner from where I work and borrowed an exercise ball to try out as a chair for the afternoon. I can see it would really help align my back but I couldn't handle it for more than about 20 minutes at a go. Did a few stints with it and took it back. Need to think on it.

So I came home and decided to start my evening with the FlyLady zone mission: cleaning the outside of the fridge. I took everything off of it and used Fantastic spray on the top, front and sides. Currently the top has a couple of serving platters living on it (turned upside down to keep them clean!) The fridge handles in particular really needed a concentrated cleaning; it's funny because I noticed them just a few days ago! They're still not as white as the rest of the surface but I have a hunch they'll never get there again.

I have to say that a big white fridge looks like we're moving or something so I was happy to put some photos back on it. I have magnetic frames. I really sorted the photos though and put many away, leaving just the most current and printed out a couple new ones! The only other things are the white board and library printouts. Gotta have those up there too. So now it still looks like my house but there's less than half the stuff on it there was earlier. And it's clean. Go me.

I took a container of chili out of the freezer for supper and had it with carrot sticks, a tossed salad and one slice of whole-grain toast. Later I had a banana milkshake.

Two years ago when I had the major arthritic flare Jim bought me a recliner to fit my body frame. I've been using it a lot lately. Tonight I started reading *Hood* by Stephen Lawhead. It's nice to have a chair that supports in all the right places. I've taken a break to clean the kitchen and do my prep for tomorrow. I see the back stretches on my evening routine, so next I'll read lying on my back against the floor and my feet up on the couch seat, just like a teenager talking on the phone!

Friday-Sunday, September 7-9

2007-09-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

A whole weekend has gone by once again. Friday morning I had the usual breakfast and went to Curves before work. I got off for the day at noon fully intending to go grocery shopping on my way home but the power was out at the grocery store, though they did accept responsibility for my horrid peaches and give me a refund.

Came home, hubby was out in the field cutting hay so I did what FlyLady calls a room rescue. More like a little blitz of the main living areas! When hubby came in we had lunch and headed out to see our daughter and son-in-law in their new home. I'd been really wavering the past few days arthritis-wise and sitting in the car for an hour and a half nearly did me in. We got there and visited a bit but I just hurt too much to sit so Jim and I went for a walk in their new neighborhood while the kids put the finishing touches on dinner. One of our favorite things is walking back alleys and they have some neat ones there and we got some cool ideas for our garden and yard. Came back, had spinach lasagna, garlicked spaghetti squash, and garlic toast (my girl is a really good cook!). She came home with us for the weekend.

Saturday morning I made raspberry whole-grain pancakes for the three of us before Hanna and I went into town to pick up the groceries I still needed. We made a really delicious Thai style pumpkin/ shrimp soup for lunch. We had a good visit and went for a walk--again, not a brisk walk but a stretching the muscles one. For supper we had steak, corn-on-the-cob, green beans, and a zucchini stir-fry.

In the evening we went out to Jim's sister's house for a family get-together. Jim's younger brother and his girlfriend and their 10-day old baby girl were out from Calgary and we had a family baby shower. Hanna and I had brought veggies and dip but I also had a couple of pieces of lemon bundt cake...too good. We came home early and I went to bed shortly after. Just sore.

Sunday morning Hanna caught a ride home with Jim's other sister whose kid had a football game over there today. Before she left we had peaches with Fiber One and vanilla yogurt. Jim had some things to do with his brother and then spent a few hours raking the hay he cut the other day. Meanwhile I sat in my wonderful recliner with a few recipe books trying to make a menu AGAIN and specifically looking for crock pot recipes. I made a basic cheese pizza for lunch with whole-grain crust. I hadn't made that recipe for years and it is so easy and tasty. We had a big salad with it. Banana milkshake for snack.

At supper we baked a turkey hindquarter as a pot roast with yams, carrots, parsnips and onions. After Jim headed back to his apartment (day shift starts again tomorrow) I dragged my energy together and did my weekly *house blessing*--watered plants, wiped mirrors, vacuumed the main floor, and washed the kitchen floor. Right now the last load of laundry is in the dryer and I have clean sheets on the bed. The kitchen counter is clean.

Most of my evening routine is done but I haven't decided yet if tomorrow is a Curves day. I'm still plenty sore but to some degree I feel in a *use it or lose it* mode. I have a doctor's appointment made for Tuesday morning. I'll be headed to bed early tonight as well. Sitting is such a pain. I've added back stretches to my evening routine so I won't forget.

Thursday, September 6

2007-09-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Wow it has been a crazy week with the reshuffling of Forward Motion from Jatol to its new host. That's been a little stressful, being as I hang out in chat with some of the folks integral to the move. All seems well this morning.

Thursday I went for a bike ride first thing. I'd been a bit lazy getting out of bed but remembered FlyLady and decided that the time I had left was better used cycling than not, so I went. For some reason I didn't pay as much attention to the weather as usual and wound up biking home against the wind, so I got a serious workout in the 30 minutes I had. Then I had soaked oats, a peach, and vanilla yogurt for breakfast and got myself out the door to work with my mocha.

Spent the morning helping to trouble-shoot the transfered forums, finding bugs for Mar to fix. A client came in with a box of doughnuts. Why do they do that? The guys really won't eat them, and they were for all of us. I'd bent over backwards for her too. I opened the box. Six doughnuts. My very favorite, a maple glaze, right on top. Yeah I ate it.

Hubby was home by lunchtime; I went home and made a salmon pasta salad, adding peas and celery. Took more peas and grapes back for snack. Had another doughnut later. Why? Why do I shoot myself in the foot? Honestly, I haven't had doughnuts in years. They're not even my favorite splurge. The rest have been disposed of.

For supper we had garden-fresh veggies--potatoes, corn, green beans--and ground beef patties. Very healthy! ;) Then I tried to can more peaches but gave up. They're just crappy peaches. Too many were going from green to rotten without bothering with my favorite stage, ripe.

I did my evening routine and went to bed. Bleh. I need to do better.

Wednesday, September 5

2007-09-05T20:00:00.001-07:00

I'm not quite done the day's work but had a few things to do online and don't want to pop back later. So here goes.

Breakfast: soaked oats, cherries and peaches, vanilla yogurt, mocha. Went to Curves and weighed in at 146. Went to work. Snacked on a handful of pistachios.

During my lunch hour I ran errands: renewed the car insurance (with a few days to spare!!), picked up a library book, got vitamins. I'd brought taco salad for my lunch (ground beef/ black bean mixture, greens, tomato, bit of cheddar, and ranch dressing). Followed that with a container of green peas and then grapes. Later a couple squares of dark chocolate.

When I got home I mowed the lawn which has probably needed it for the last week. Well, it's done now. About half of it is dry and therefore not growing and therefore not in need of cutting, but the other side seems to not mind a good drought. And the area around the garden got regular water up until a couple weeks ago. Then I reheated that last bowl of baked beans for supper and will make myself a banana milkshake shortly. Finally have some bananas ripe enough again!

FlyLady. Today she wants me to stomp out hot spots in the entryway. Little does she know I extinguished a forest fire on the weekend and I'm not up to more in there yet. Unless it counts that I gave my sis-in-law a box of random hot tub chemicals and paraphernalia that had been sitting in the way for (cough) probably five months now. (We quit using our hot tub three years ago when all the kids left home.) Of course, we still need to remove it, but we aren't having a yard zone week so I'm still good on that. At any rate, I'm no longer dodging that box every time I go through the entryway.

The decorating mission for the week is about creating a Launch Pad in the entryway. I think she means more than keeping my workout bag on top of the washing machine. As we prepare to renovate that room--some day, in my dreams--I've been giving some thought to the Launch Pad and to the electronic stuff that seems to need a home as well, with access to electricity for charging.

I'd like to buy one or two of these storage cabinets and paint them up fun. (Ikea used to make a block of six drawers a bit smaller than these; I currently own three sets of them. Two live in my bathroom above the toilet for all the random things that would go in drawers if I had any, and one is hubby's for craft stuff. But they don't make them anymore.) So the plan would be to mount these on the wall on a board that would stick out on the bottom and have hooks on it for stuff like my purse or keys. And just above it I would like to mount a bar of plug-ins. You can get ones for shops or kitchens that are tidier than the power bars we use for computers.

So the deal would be that each little drawer would have a purpose. The cords and keyboard and info etc for my Palm Tungsten would live in one drawer. When it needs charging it can be done right there, in the drawer. A drawer for my cell phone, a drawer for hubby's. Again, charge them right there and they're ready to go. A drawer for the camera and its charger and spare cards. A drawer for just batteries of all sizes. Maybe a drawer for sunglasses.

Any ideas? What would YOU put in drawers like that? Each drawer is about 5" wide by 6" tall by 7" deep. Ish.

And now I must go clean my kitchen and start my evening routine.

Tuesday, September 4

2007-09-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

When I first woke up I felt the most pain-free I've felt in weeks. That changed once I started moving, of course, and by noon I was hunting pain meds again but it was still a nice little interlude. I slept fairly well in between waking up. Really, that does make sense, sadly.

Had soaked oats, peaches and cherries, vanilla yogurt for breakfast and went to Curves. 146#. Had my mocha at work. Came home at noon and had baked beans with one slice of whole grain toast with hubby before he headed back to work. I took peas and grapes for afternoon snack.

At home I had a large salad, then sauted up two farmer sausages with onions, garlic, mushrooms and zucchini, which was pretty good with a bit of fresh parmesan grated on top.

I started canning peaches but it was frustrating. They look ripe but I guess they're not--quite. I'll leave the rest for a couple more days. So far I canned 7 pints with Splenda and 7 with sugar. I have no idea if the Splenda ones will work or taste like chemicals. If they're wasted, well, it was about seven bucks down the tube on them. And I'll know for next time!

There was no time for FlyLady missions today. Let's see: tidying up coats, shoes and stuff from the entryway. Heh. Been there done that. I've decided that my front-loading washer may make a good staging area for the stuff that goes back and forth with me: purse, workout gear, etc. I can't leave anything on it permanently cause it jiggles around on the spin cycle, but this could work. We shall see.

As far as the evening routine goes: breakfast and mocha are prepped, lunch is prepped (tomorrow is a bag lunch day, the only one this week), papers for errands over lunch hour are set out (on the washing machine with my purse!), the kitchen is clean (as clean as it can be with a canner and jars still cooling) and my workout bag is prepped. Just a shower (to try to turn off my internal furnace before bed) and I'm good to go.

I've been thinking about menu planning. Which is a step in the right direction, really. I baked a ham a few days ago. That made 4 ham dinner servings (hubby and I had it for dinner and I sent 2 containers to work with him), 6 ham sandwiches, 8 bowls of clam chowder, and 6 bowls of baked beans. And the scraps made the outside cats happy! So...hubby works 8 day rotations. Maybe I should try to come up with other sequences besides the ham one, which I'd like to do more often now its fall, and rotate them. Fall and winter ones could rotate end on end with minor variations. Spring and summer are when the fresh produce is on and often dictates dinner.

Heh. I can get a fair bit of mileage out of a rotisserie chicken too!

What's your best deal for multi meals out of one basic one? Does anyone *plan* to cook this way regularly?

Monday, September 3

2007-09-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

So, started the day with soaked oats, a peach, and vanilla yogurt and surfed the web while making my mocha linger as looooooong as I possibly could because I knew there was a lot of work waiting for me. Behold, I was right!

I would like to point that FlyLady's zone cleaning for the day was to sweep the porch area around my front door. And I did. It just took a couple hours to FIND the floor to sweep it. And hubby is going to freak out over some of the stuff I hauled into the shop, but really...he needs to put his stuff away himself if he cares. I've been patient.

Then I came in and heated some of that clam chowder for lunch. And remembered I needed to up the veggie content of my life so peeled and ate a carrot while I mixed some version of baked beans into the crock pot before heading into the entryway. Hauled the recycling to the truck. The curtains I thumb-tacked up over a shelving unit were dirty so I took them down and hucked them through the wash. Then removed all the stuff, vacuumed the cobwebs and dust, then wiped down the shelves, then replaced the stuff. Well, and tossed some of it. Tacked the clean curtains back up. Discovered part of the entryway floor. Washed the floor I found.

Had three Wasa crackers with smoked salmon cream cheese and a handful of peas before heading to town to drop off the recycling and go to my massage.

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Then I picked up a jerry can of gas for the lawnmower on my way home but could not convince myself that mowing the lawn right after a massage was a good idea. So I didn't.

Had a large salad for supper, followed by two bowls of baked beans. Yeah, one would likely have been enough but it was soooooo good. Catching up online now and then shutting it down for the evening. Still have to clean the kitchen (again), do my brekkie prep for tomorrow and the rest of my evening routine before settling down to read. Which I think I will do with a handful of cherries.

Hubbie will be home latish for his 24-hour split.

I'm tired. But by golly the porch and entry look a thousand times better than two days ago.

Sunday, September 2

2007-09-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

See what happens when I don't check off my bedtime routine list? I forget to soak the oats for breakfast. Here it was the first day of September, the first day of FlyLady's new habit of doing up a good evening routine...and I didn't do mine. Goes to show I need to pay attention. I have five routines on a doc file that often lives *up* on my computer screen, which is just around the corner from the kitchen. The most important two are the morning and evening routines. I've also written an after-work one but mostly just wing it. The other two are the contents of my work-out bag for a Curves work-out or an Aquafit work-out.

So I had Fiber One for breakfast with a diced peach and vanilla yogurt. I suppose it doesn't hurt to change it up once in awhile anyway! A mocha while I checked my email and did morning computer things. Off to church. Home to reheat clam chowder for my lunch and to put my brewing sourdough starter into bread dough to rise.

When FlyLady does Fire Drills, she often says to come in your front door and clean up the first hot spot you see. Ouch. I've been ignoring FlyLady! My hot spots start outside the door, on the top of the deep freezers under the porch overhang. One freezer is empty now (waiting for butchering day on the farm) and so it has become covered with stuff. The other freezer I have to get in and out of daily so it doesn't accumulate so much. Then the hot spots only increase when you enter my house. That entry area is my biggest enemy as it contains not only my washer and dryer but all the coats & shoes, the vet supplies and ropes and fence testers, the canning supplies, recycling...all the stuff most people would store in their basement. Which I don't have. Nor do I have another door into my house. I am not the first person to live in this house and hate this room--my in-laws never took care of it either. It has inadequate storage, no finished ceiling, and unpainted concrete block walls. It is ugly, which makes it quite easy to let stuff build up in there.

And we have a plan for the room which we haven't gotten to yet. It will be months before we do, if it even takes place in 2007-08. I try not to get my hopes up too high, though the room is definitely on the list after the kitchen gets finished. Meanwhile I ignore it as best as I can, and in between I muck the place out.

Now, Jean, you know more than you wanted to know about why I needed this to be Entryway Week at FlyLady!

So quick before I found out it wasn't, I decided to do some work in the outside area of the entry this afternoon. I spent an hour and a half out there (in 15 minute segments) and it still isn't finished but it is vastly improved. Because Monday is a holiday, I hope to have it sort of complete by the end of tomorrow. In that time period I've also done some work on the inside section of the entry, mostly hauling things to our *guest cabin* for storage. Our kids moved into a smaller space and sent some seasonal--and other little used--stuff home for storage but I hadn't made the effort to just take it across the yard yet. So I did make a ton of progress but it's still a mess. Surprise.

Speaking of surprises, I found one just outside the storage cabin. It looked suspiciously like bear scat but rather small. Talking to hubby on the phone later he thinks it may be skunk or coyote. Either way, I can't think of a good reason to wander around my yard in after dark this week.

On one of my breaks I had a handful of peas and three wasa crackers with smoked salmon cream cheese. When my whole-grain sourdough bread came out of the oven I treated myself to two slices with margarine. It's all sliced up, bagged, and in the deep freeze now.

On another break I read a bunch of testimonials on FlyLady from gals who work full-time. Most of them have kids at home, too. Really I haven't got it so bad! I was looking for some tips for the working gal and think I need to get into FlyLady habits at work too.

Come supper time I picked off green beans in the garden and sauted them up with shrimp and a bit of garlic. A bit later I finished off the applesauce I made yesterday morning (with vanilla yogurt and All Bran). Today I made a serious effort to think about what I was eating. As my friend Bonnie says, sometimes you just have to accept feeling a little hungry. I had a serious desire for a sweet snack this afternoon and finally succumbed to a can of Coke Zero. Even though it has no calories, I really don't want to be drinking something laden with caffeine and aspartame on a regular basis. Who knew there were so many evils in the world!

So it seems time to plan this week's menu again. It's kind of a laugh because last week I followed the menu about half the time. The rest of the time I just wung it. I'm not sure if that's because I planned poorly or what, but it can't hurt to have the right stuff for a bunch of good meals on hand. Obviously I should make sure some of them are all frozen or otherwise packaged so that there is no great financial loss to putting them off for another week.

I wandered FlyLady's website and landed in the slow cooker recipes section (**corrected to be the general slow cooker table of contents). I copied a dozen or more over into a doc file to try. I've had a slow cooker for over fifteen years and have periodically gone through spurts where I'd use it a fair bit for a couple months and then quit again. So I think we're setting up for another spurt! It would be cool to use it for supper every eighth day--the day hubby is due to head back to work. That way supper would be ready early enough for him to hit the road at a decent time, plus he'd have leftovers to take along for a meal or two.

Don't know who all besides Jean is reading this blog these days, but I'd sure love it if YOU (whoever you are!) might post a slow cooker recipe in comments (whatever day it happens to be when you post it). Seems like a pretty cool tool that is likely under-used by 95% of the people who own one. I'll try a recipe some time this week and post it up too. Deal?

And yes, my evening routine is done and my oats are soaking. WooHoo!

P.S.--Okay, I'm an addict. Just checked FlyLady again and this IS Entryway week! I'm off to a good start! (If you don't have a troubled entryway or front porch as I do, FlyLady recommends your dining room this week. Good to go!)

Friday & Saturday, August 31-September 1

2007-09-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but mention the beginning of my Friday when I posted Thursday's records. Friday, like I said, I went to Curves. Had breakfast of Fiber One, a peach, vanilla yogurt, and the mocha. Felt kinda bloated in the morning, sadly. My mother used to say: "I like *name of food* but it doesn't like me." Methinks Chinese food is starting to hit that category for me. Jim was bloated, too, and we both had crampy guts and gas on Friday. (Very romantic for an anniversary I assure you.) I don't remember seeing the usual *no MSG* disclaimer on the menu, so that may have been the culprit. I don't know, but it ruined a couple days for us.

I went home at noon and made us a chef salad, trying to put good stuff in over the bubblies and hope for the best. I even had a nap in the afternoon. We had a rain storm and quite a lot of wind, and we both read. We put a ham in for supper and had it with fresh garden potatoes, gravy (yeah I know) and garden fresh corn-on-the-cob. I did the basic kitchen cleanup after supper, read for a bit, and went to bed before 10:00.

Got up only twice through a ten hour night and felt almost human when I woke up this morning, though Jim's gut wasn't back to normal yet (he'd eaten more of the leftover Chinese late Thursday night--I've tossed the rest in the garbage since). I'd prepped sourdough Friday night so I made whole-wheat sourdough waffles with fresh applesauce for breakfast. I made the rest of the batter into dough for buns, which came out of the oven at lunchtime, by the time I'd made a clam *chowder* out of the hambone.

By mid-afternoon we were both feeling better, put the bikes in the back of the truck, and drove across the valley to the wildlife centre which is criss-crossed with dikes. We rode for about two hours with a few stops to look at birds: a flock of pelicans, a kazillion ducks and geese, about 8 great blue herons, a cormorant, and 2 cock pheasants that nearly scared the living daylights out of me blasting out of the underbrush ten feet from the bike. In two separate instances a few minutes apart.

So of course we biked too long for my neck and shoulders--no problem with the legs. Even with the shocks on the bikes I was hurting good by the time we got home. Jim needed to leave early for the drive to the mines so we just had a large tossed salad, packed his stuff in the car, and he headed out. I took some pain meds. A bit later I also had 2 slices wholegrain toast with cheddar and a banana milkshake. Then I cleaned the kitchen and performed most of FlyLady's home blessing: dusting, vacuuming, watering plants, washing mirrors/ glass doors/ tv & computer screens...and washing the kitchen, dining room, and living room floors.

I've purchased 40# peaches which I'll be canning in a few days when they ripen enough.

Thursday, August 30

2007-08-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday...I went for a walk/jog in the morning, 35 minutes. I haven't been doing that the past few months at all and don't know if that has anything to do with my weight issues this summer. Breakfast: soaked oats, cherries & peaches, vanilla yogurt. Mocha. Did my FlyLady morning routines.

At lunch we had chef salad. After work I did a quick swipe of the kitchen before we went out for our anniversary dinner. We went out for Chinese--ate too much--had a glass of wine.

Which STILL didn't prepare me for Friday morning, going to Curves and weighing in at 147. I am absolutely freaking out here, I've gained five pounds THIS MONTH.

Making a doctor's appointment. If there's more to this than meets the eye (a little attempt at humor there) then I'd like to know about it.

Wednesday, August 29

2007-08-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

I remember with longing the nights when I went to bed--and to sleep--around 11 and woke up with the alarm clock. Eventually I figured out what an unusual blessing that was. And the past few years I've really missed it. As I look at the words, I have to laugh because it is still true, only it used to be the whole story and now it isn't. I fall asleep fairly quickly...wake up at 12:30 or so, lay awake, doze, wake up around 4, lay there, doze, fall back asleep...and wake up with the alarm.

And today for the first time in a week I didn't wake up with a headache, which is progress. Of course it arrived a couple hours later. I had my breakfast of soaked oats, peaches and cherries, vanilla yogurt, and a mocha. I worked out at Curves and weighed in. 145. Makes me sad.

Hubby arrived home from night shifts so I went home at lunch and made a salmon pasta salad with peas, carrots, and celery. I had peas and an apple for snack at work later. When I got home I started supper: salad, pork chops, and a zucchini stir-fry (onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic).

Interesting aside, about twenty minutes from the end of my work day my niece, who lives an hour's drive away, dropped in. She hoped I'd be able to hang out with her for a bit, not remembering her uncle's schedule. I declined, but they'll drop by later, and the fun thing is that I didn't even have a flash of panic about the state of the house because I knew it was reasonably acceptable!

After supper (and dishes) hubby and I went down to the library. Since then I've done the FlyLady zone missions for today and tomorrow. They required standing on the same chairs so it made sense, and besides tomorrow is our wedding anniversary (number 27) so I'm taking the day off anything but the routines. I was amazed by how many cobwebs were clinging to the high shelves, ceiling/wall corners and window trim (and the few knick-knacks I have up there). I didn't think it had been that long since I'd been up there, but it occurs to me that I kinda skipped the living room zone at the end of July because I was camping prep. So the last time would have been on my June 29 blitz. At any rate it sure needed it!

So now I'm calmly awaiting my company. Most of my evening routine is done. It's all good.

Tuesday, August 28

2007-08-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hello to anyone who might wander in here from Jean's blog. You may find this an incredibly boring place to be, filled with the minute details of my life from trying to eat according to the Glycemic Index, maintain my weight loss, and get organized via FlyLady. It's more for my own accountability than anything.

And today I didn't feel well. I still have a headache and neck ache and my gut wasn't too happy either. Might be the cabbage from yesterday which is sad as I really love cooked cabbage. This morning I ignored the alarm clock that beckoned me out for an early walk or bike ride, and curled back up for a nap. When I got up I had my breakfast of soaked oats, cherries and vanilla yogurt and made my mocha to take to work.

One thing I've found helpful is having my morning and evening FlyLady routines on the computer. In fact, that document is nearly always up so I can check my progress to see if I've missed something. So I'm getting better at remembering my vitamins now that I've put it on my list. It used to be automatic but not in the past few months.

Thankfully the work day was much quieter than yesterday. I'd taken a jar of homemade black bean soup for lunch as well as three Wasa crackers and smoked salmon cream cheese. Also a container of peas. Late in the afternoon I had two pieces of dark chocolate.

I checked my FlyLady zone mission when I got home and decided that everything currently residing in my living room needs to be here. Even the boxes of ceramic tile behind the recliner in the corner have no place better to be until the kitchen is ready for backsplashes. So I made supper: salad, green bean and shrimp stir-fry, and some french fries. Like I needed that, yeah, I know.

I read for awhile, talked to my mother-in-law, looked at online pics of my brand new baby niece, and am just now headed back off to do my few dishes and my breakfast prep. After I finish my bowl of chocolate non-fat non-sugar ice cream, that is. Surprisingly tastes pretty good and the closest thing I'd allow myself to something gooey and chocolatey. Trust me what I really feel like is brownies but we're not going there.

The alarm is set for a Curves workout in the morning so I hope I feel better. Enough is enough.