FRUIT SALAD. DAY 199

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

LEARN TO BE CALM AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY!

One of the best things I have learned on this Spark journey is that fresh fruit is lovely! This morning I made a fruit salad of watermelon, strawberries, blueberries and banana. One cup with WW is only 1 point and I had a slice of whole wheat toast with 1 T of peanut butter for a total of 4 points! I'm learning. I could never figure out how some diets would limit fruit and certain vegetables like tomatoes and broccoli. They said it is the sugar in these foods that is dangerous. Come on. How can broccoli be dangerous to eat, like it is going to make me want a slice of chocolate cake.

The Sonoma Diet is a good one, based on mediteranean foods. I did lose 18 lbs but, well, you know the rest. But Sonoma limits you to 2 fruits a day because you can't eat sugar or artifically sweetened foods. I think that is ridiculous not to be able to eat a piece of fruit. My fridge is so loaded with fruit and fresh veggies right now. You have to eat them or they spoil quickly.

We had a fabulous fourth of July. Our city has a beautiful park with a gazebo and a stage and playground equipment and a dock on the water. It is on a body of water called the Sound and then across is a streth of peninsula called Okaloosa Island and then the gulf of Mexico. You can almost see the Gulf from the park, we are so close. My husband was the MC at the 4th of July celebration so we got there at 4:00, put out our folding chairs in a good spot and enjoyed the show until 9:00 when the fireworks were over. This was his first time being the Mc and he did a great job! I'm sure they will ask him again. During the show, we had intermittent rain showers, lightly raining for about 5 min and then stopping. It is pouring right now as I write this, lucky we didn't have that on Sunday. Hubby's Barbershop chorus was the first act and they were great! As usual. The last act was the community band and we heard lots of patriotic tunes. We were even blessed with an F-16 flyover of 4 jets from Eglin AFB. That is so exciting. I love living in a military community. Of course, we enjoyed hearing the Armed Forces Salute where they play the tunes of all the services and I get to stand up when they play the Air Force Hymn! Then we came home in time to catch Capitol Fourth and The Boston Pops playing the William Tell Overture while the fireworks went off and the cannons boomed! Can't be any more patriotic than that!

So far, I am really glad that I joined WW online. I struggled with that, whether I would do it or not but I like it. And I love looking for 0 point foods. There are so many, like skim milk and fiber-one cereal and many fruits and vegetables. Still trying to increase veggie's and fruit as they want you to eat 8 a day. That is really difficult. They also have a recipe tracker where you can enter your favorite recipes and it will calculate the # of points it has in a serving.

I've got to get dressed and to work. Have some decorating details to clean up and place some orders. Later.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

KASEYCOFF 7/6/2010 2:49PM

If you have diabetes you have to be careful about the veggies and especially the fruits you eat: most diabetics practice some form of 'carb counting,' because all freggies are composed of carbohydrates, and even vegetables have some amount of fructose - fruit sugar - although fruit has more. If I eat a banana, I know it will spike my blood sugar; apples generally don't. Pineapple will, oranges don't. White potatoes will, sweet potatoes (which you would think could cause a problem) don't. So diets that are limiting freggies are trying to limit carbohydrates. Personally, while I have a fairly low total I can have in a day, I try to divvy them up among five mini-meals and have more vegetables than fruits. Um... is this more than you wanted to know? lol... Report Inappropriate Comment

BUGGYS 7/6/2010 11:56AM

I have to be able to have my fruits and veggies! I'm not back at WW but I have started to do the points thing again...so much easier than figuring out the calories! Report Inappropriate Comment

DONNAEDA 7/6/2010 9:55AM

Congratulations on being the wife of the MC of the 4th of July, sounds like your family had a wonderful time. Report Inappropriate Comment

JUST_TRI_IT 7/6/2010 9:41AM

WAY TO GO ON THE FRUITS and VEGGIES? That is rather interesting that there are diets that limits fruits and veggies so much! Report Inappropriate Comment

FRIENDS ARE SPECIAL! DAY 197

Sunday, July 04, 2010

LEARN TO BE CALM AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY!

We have longtime friends visiting this weekend and it is so much fun! The rain we had cooled the weather and it is so beautiful here. And no oil on our beaches yet. Thank goodness! WE went to several antique stores/flea markets yesterday. Fun to browse but I don't need anymore junk! Last night we went to see LeGrand Cirque in Destin. It is a small version of Cirque de Soleil and it was in a tent. It is amazing how those tiny people can roll themselves into a ball and twist and turn. One woman got on a bench and bent backwards supporting herself with hr arms and her knees bent. They put a chair on her knees and her neck was supported by a band coming down from the chair. She stayed in that position until there were about 10 chairs stacked on top of each other and another woman on top! Then she held out her arms. How do they do that? Needless to say, there wasn't any fat being tossed around.
I basically did no dieting the last couple of days. But I was fairly good. There's not much hope when you are eating out a lot. Yesterday at lunch while we were sitting out on the deck watching the boats in the harbor, I had a cup of shrimp and crab chowder and a side salad and water. Everybody else had fried seafood, fries and coleslaw. I was perfectly happy. The WW points were useless to count so I'm putting that off until Monday when I can be more sensible.

Today we are going to our Fourth of July celebration put on by our city. My hubby is the MC. He will also be singing in his barbershop chorus. There will be several bands playing patriotic music and then fireworks at 9:00. Probably have a hot dog and ice cream! It's just been a fun and relaxing weekend.

Have a great 4th of July celebration! Later.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MARSHASTAR 7/5/2010 1:51PM

I agree with IPATRICIA, You have a great life. I love reading about it. Report Inappropriate Comment

SGKAYLOR 7/4/2010 8:36PM

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IPATRICIA 7/4/2010 6:25PM

You have such a great life. Report Inappropriate Comment

KASEYCOFF 7/4/2010 5:27PM

LeGrand Cirque sounds great! We usually go to Cirque du Soleil when they come around Manchester, but that's only every two or three years. I love to watch the performers - wish EYE was that flexible, lol... Hope you're having a good holiday! :-D Report Inappropriate Comment

PAMELASUE60 7/4/2010 4:18PM

This is what those precious memories are made of. What an all American kind of weekend! Report Inappropriate Comment

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! DAY 195

Friday, July 02, 2010

LEARN TO BE CALM AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY!

It just occured to me that it is 3:00 in the afternoon and I haven't done a blog! I've been busy I guess doing installations so people can have their pretty window tmts before the 4th. And we have company coming so I've been busy making a pasta salad and cleaning up the clutter. It's one way to do it.

I'm looking forward to a restful and fun weekend with our friends. Back to the grind next week. This is my third day of WW online and so far so good. Yesterday I was 1/2 point to the good and today I have lots of points left for dinner. And lots of fresh fruit and veggies in the fridge---and beer of course.

Have a great 4th of July! And don't eat too much. I haven't got anything sweet in the house except some WW ice cream bars. I just hope I don't become a pig. Later.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MARSHASTAR 7/4/2010 7:24AM

Happy 4th. ! I'm always motivated by your blogs. You make that WW online sound very appealing. Report Inappropriate Comment

KASEYCOFF 7/2/2010 5:16PM

The only 'dessert' type treat I have these days is the occasional WW frozen dessert. I don't have them often because while they're lower in sugar, fat, cals, etc. than ice cream, they still do have things in I should avoid. But I'm with you on this one - Fourth of July weekend, hot, mid-summer... yep, a WW ice cream is not only deserved, it's practically mandatory, LOL! Have a good holiday, kiddo, and enjoy your company. :-D Report Inappropriate Comment

RAINING CATS AND DOGS. DAY 194

Thursday, July 01, 2010

LEARN TO BE CALM AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY!

Hubby sent me some cartoons this morning on getting older. I wish I could paste this but will describe it.
It's a woman bending backward to a mirror looking at her hind end. It says
"Mirror mirror, shiny glass! Tell me that is not my a--!

It is pouring rain today. Where did raining cats and dogs come from? Anyone? My first day with WW points was interesting. They have a great tracker online. I already used 7 of my optional 35 weekly points from the party last night. Really makes you think about what you choose to eat when you get mega points for it. I have got to get a scale. I want one with ounces and grams, not just points as I won't always be pointy, maybe. I'll just have to look around.

After taking my mother-in-law to the doctor today, she is getting an oxygen bottle. She doesn't want one but if it will help her breathe better on exertion so be it. We all need oxygen. She was doing the 5 min walk with a monitor and oxygen bottle. When her oxygen level went down, the attendant added 1 liter to her and I saw an instant change in her ability to walk. She stood straighter and was able to go a little faster. I hope she gets it soon, like today or tomorrow.

I hope the rain stops for july 4th. We have company coming and it will suck if it is raining. Later.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

TOWHEE 7/1/2010 10:10PM

Look around in the cooking section of any department store. They'll have scales that are either digital or on springs that weight in ounces (and usually quarter or tenths of an ounce) and sometimes in grams. I found one at Tuesday Morning a couple of years ago that has both ounces and grams and I love it. The springed ones are less than $10 and the digital ones are more. Yes, the WW online tracker can really give you a shock. You'll get used to the system though. Report Inappropriate Comment

KASEYCOFF 7/1/2010 12:27PM

Over here (and you might remember this, dunno) they cook by weighing the ingredients. The old scales are avoirdupois and actually have little sets of weights with them. (Really neat, but mostly antique now!) I have a small digital one that weighs anything from 1 gram to 11 kg - and something like one-tenth of an ounce up to 5 pounds. Changes between metric and 'standard' at the press of a button, so if I'm translating one of my recipes, I can figure up how much it is in metric and all that. It cost me about £20, which is what, $30 bucks? I use it constantly, for every meal. I weigh my portions on it... ingredients as I cook... my cereal... almost everything. This is my second one since I've been here so that's two scales in 10 years. (I would still have the first one except I knocked it on the floor - boy, was I mad at myself for being so clumsy! - and broke it beyond all hope of repair.) I don't know if you can find them in cookshops over there; this one happens to be a 'Salter' brand name. If you can't find one in kitchenwares, tho, you might try someplace that deals in school supplies. They use this exact same type in chem and physics labs in high schools. Or you could probably find one online, like eBay or school supplies or something. Believe me, once you have it, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it! :-D Comment edited on: 7/1/2010 12:29:01 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

GREEN BANANAS AND A DAY OFF. DAY 193

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

LEARN TO BE CALM AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY!

This weekend I bought green bananas. They were so green they haven't ripened a bit. This morning I thought I would try one on my cereal and I had to actually peel it with a knife, like a potato. That skin just wasn't coming off. It is almost starting to ripen, didn't taste too bad. Do monkey's eat green or ripe bananas? Never thought about it. I do know that monkeys peel the banana from the opposite end that humans do. They hold that stem and the strings come off easily, not like us. We are backward when it comes to bananas. It's a trick to buy bananas that aren't too ripe so that they last a while. I hate mushy bananas. My hubby bought green bananas like this several years ago and they never did get ripe. I've learned my lesson now. They need a little yellow on them before I buy.

Yesterday I took the day off. It was raining and overcast and I just spent the day at home, picking up and cleaning the guest room for our friends to arrive. I have a lot more to do today. I decided not to do any work or bother with calling or seeing clients. I just puttered around the house. I went out in the afternoon to get my glasses adjusted and to go to the kitchen store to buy a scale. They had one but it was $79 and I wasn't into that but I did get a potato peeler and a new cookie sheet. Not that I'll be baking any cookies any time soon. I also worried about my mom-in-law a lot. When I talked with her on the phone, I could hear her wheezing just from the exertion of getting up and walking from her chair to the cupboard. This is a long weekend coming up and I don't want to be in the emergency room with her so I'll have to call the doctor's office again today.

It felt so good to just not worry about anything. This morning the cleaning lady comes so I am going to help her by dumping stuff off the kitchen counter so we can actually see it. Than I have to find a home for all that stuff. Later. I want to get moving before she gets here.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

RORYLYONS 6/30/2010 7:23PM

Great your having a lovely day off.. I definitely relate to the counter~top assortment of essentials as I call them.. I chuckled about your green banana dilemma. I normally shop Costco for them. They were hard as a rock & dark green ..It took 3 days for the bunch to ripen. Oh their bags were without holes.. last month & they were rotting..Can't win for trying.. I hope your mom-in-law will be alright. I'll say a prayer for her...Have a 4th of July weekend. Comment edited on: 6/30/2010 7:25:39 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

BUGGYS 6/30/2010 10:03AM

Boy, it seems that summer is the time to clean and purge! So often if I have a day off, I do nothing but since SP I have so much more energy that I want to clean and organize my house...so glad you are having a nice day off! Report Inappropriate Comment

CAROLJEAN64 6/30/2010 9:45AM

I love to take a day off like this once in a while. I think it lowers our stress levels and gives us more energy. I love the fact that you just let the day flow. A great reward! Report Inappropriate Comment