I really need to cool off...

I'm feeling crazy from the heat!
Here is a little pix of the Crescent (more on it below) that cooled me right off!




I also love this pix:

I mean seriously, I can't get cool. I want a bathtub full of ice cold jello.. what? That's not weird...
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I’ve been needing to post for a couple of days. Life is getting away from me lately!
I wanted to share our antipasti plate I made for DH and my brunch yesterday:



I LOVE this stuff and we just munched on it all day. He then made us great steaks on the grille and I made a simple iceburg wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, chopped tomato and bacon. I love this salad with steak.
It was a good day.

We are gearing up for a trip to AR to visit Patrick’s mum and some of my family in Eureka Springs (YEAH!) next week.. We are leaving this coming Saturday. We will be gone a week. I will take lots of pix of Eureka.. it’s such a cool place, we used to go fairly often when I lived in AR. It's got a fantastic artist community and I love alot of the "fringe" society that lives there. I would certainly fit in! It reminds me of a little European village with lots of gingerbread looking houses, it’s in the Ozark mountains in AR. When I was a teenager I wanted to buy an old house there and turn it into a B & B. One of my sister's got smart and moved there. My sis Tommy works at the famous Crescent Hotel there and has arranged a great room for us. Tommy and Jessie I am SO excited! No REALLY, REALLY I am excited. I miss my sisters - I will get to see two of them, I have too many to count now.

So, The Crescent is rumored to be haunted. http://www.prairieghosts.com/cresc.html

Maybe I will have a ghostly visit? I am sure I will have enough to drink that I will eventually convince myself that I have anyway! It always happens at that hotel. Years ago when I was in my 20's my granny and I stayed there and I heard laughing in the middle of the night that sounded strange to me. I was sure it was an evil spirit.

They have a great spa.. I deserve to indulge, right!

When I was growing up we went to this hotel several times. I love it. The hotel was built in the 1800's. The entire town is amazing, it is very Victorian.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Springs,_Arkansas

It's been many years since we stayed so I am really excited. Check out some of the pix:










Most excited about the fact that my sis lives right in the middle of Spring Street (Eureka was famous for it's springs, one claimed to cure blindness in the 1800's).

Anyway she lives right in the middle of downtown.. It's fantastic and I can't wait.

Spring Street, Eureka Springs, AR:


The totally cool flat iron building downtown:






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We also love the ThornCrown Chapel in Eureka.. http://www.thorncrown.com/

Architect for this amazing steel and glass chapel in the middle of the woods was Fay Jones. He was my step-father's professor in college. It's an amazing structure:






Well I have spent WAY too much time on this post.. as you can see I am really looking very forward to my trip home. It's been I think 4 years since we have been back to Arkansas.

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Tonight I am making a tenderloin roast and Italian (the fat style) green beans. I like these more than regular or French green beans but they are a bit more carby.

Oh and lastly.. on the weight loss front. I am holding at 42 pounds total lost. I have really slowed down in my weight loss (1/2-1 pound a week) and I am going to see about stepping it up when we get back from AR. I WILL stay LC (with help from my sis!) while I am there though.

Well got to run!
Have an excellent week.

Rituals...

Have you ever had blooming tea? It's beautiful and some of them are REALLY good!
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Good Morning,

How are you this Tuesday morning? It’s a stunning and very beautiful morning here, somewhat still cool with a bit of fog at this early hour (6am). I am enjoying a new blooming green tea with a baby hibiscus flower in it (working on drinking MORE green tea! I love it for several reasons, all the antioxidants of course, and it’s supposed to help with weight loss. But for me I think it’s more the ritual of tea).

I have a small collection of teacups I have gathered over the years. Each morning I normally have tea first thing when I get up and then an espresso about an hour later (with lots of cream! – got to love low carb (LC) for that!) with my husband.. from here on out he is to be known as “The Genius”. And he actually is. But that’s another story…

I can’t tell you how much I enjoy my morning tea ritual. In my past my food was out of control. I have had to find a new mentality (still a work in progress) about how and what I eat and drink. I went from an extreme of over-eating whatever and whenever I wanted to a very severe extreme diet over and over, back and forth.

It’s incredibly hard for me to find a “happy medium”. I am an extreme person. I tend to see things in black and white. Somehow my tea and espresso ritual has helped me with this. It feels indulgent (really nice china cups, really good quality coffee and tea and what’s not indulgent about real cream!) so that appeals in a big way to my hedonistic side, but it is actually good for my physically and mentally so that appeals to my more “virtuous” side.

We all have read about how green (and white tea) is so good for us. I really do believe all the hype. I like to try new tea often. I normally buy from small companies online (I really like to support indy businesses) somehow I feel like my buck might make a difference to these smaller companies. I also go to ebay from time to time to find a new teacup or espresso cup. I have a small collection of ones that are special to me. A pink and a blue set that is from the 40’s are my very fav right now. Here are a couple of pix just because I love them that much:





I guess what I am getting at with this post is that once you begin to only put what you consider the best into your body you need and want less of the crap you used to eat. You get so much more satisfaction from it. Now a really nice cut of meat, even very small, and a salad with good quality fresh (and organic if we can afford it that week!) veggies seems very special to me not to mention my extreme fascination with cheese and wine! Now we have a bit of good cheese and a glass of wine for dessert and it’s incredible! But that’s an entirely different post…

Have a great day my lovely friends!

The joy of good food...

Do you or have you ever cooked live lobster at home? I am not sure I could. I am watching Julia Child's lobster show on youtube and wondered if I might try it. Eeek! I sure do love lobster though and isn't it perfect for low carb!

Here is her video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPcGiLVp9Zw

I think I may try. One thing about low carb is that I really try to have special meals more often. I truly don't want to get bored and actually don't spend more on groceries than I did before low carb (most of the time). Did you know that on average in France women spend 25% more on groceries than we do.. I guess food is just more special to them than to most of us... For me so far, much more natural and fresh ingredients tend to be more affordable than all the processed crap. I do spend more occasionally when I have to get a good cheese fix! and of course lobster, if I do make it, is freaking not cheap! Although I am sure it would be much more expensive at a restaurant.

Some other meals I am thinking of (my French leanings!) are Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon and I want to do a nice Bernaise sauce... I want to get really good at sauces.

I am eyeing an original 1966 Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".


I have seen them for well over $100 so far though, so I am not sure I will find an affordable one but doesn't it just need to be mine if I am going to get more serious about good food?

Sunday Brunch...

This morning I decided to drive myself crazy and try to do two difficult cooking techniques that I have been working on.. together. I am talking about eggs benedict! I had recently perfected true poached eggs (the secret is the vinegar and salt in the water)… here is a video I followed:

http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2007/03/eggs-benedicts-last-2-episodes-to-make.html
(speaking of this food blog.. I LOVE it! Great videos and I learned the hollaindaise here as well.)..

http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2007/03/hollandaise-101-can-sauce-really-sense.html


My poached eggs were perfect! I LOVE good old style poached eggs. So wonderful for a Sunday brunch or well, any time you have the TIME.

His secret (he is a chef) was to make the eggs up ahead of time and keep them in an icewater bath until ready to serve and just slip them back in the simmering water for a minute. It did not overcook them at all.. just warmed them up perfectly. It’s HARD for one person to time the poached eggs and hollandaise perfectly together to serve them on time so the re-heating the poached eggs was a great idea! I actually only needed to have them sit in the icewater for about 5 min. so I just kept the water I cooked them in, simmering.

The hollandaise was another story. I have been reading several sites about making it and love his Tshirt he has on his site that says “a hollandaise can sense fear”!.. ha!

I decided then to not be afraid and just do it. It actually came together well.. no worries with separating but I should have let it cool a bit because when I poured it over the eggs it ran down onto the plate. I also don’t think I drained the eggs well enough because then the sauce got even more watery. I did notice that about 5 min after we set down to eat (still tasted fantastic!) that the leftover sauce I had not used that was still in the bowl, was nice and thick.. I think the trick is waiting 3 or so minutes before spooning it over the eggs. I WILL get this meal to come out perfect!

I also think I am going to serve the tomatoes on the side as they might have added to the watery-ness of the hollandaise.

All in all I was pleased.. one of the important things with long term low carb is to not get bored.. to not make the same things over and over. The poached eggs were perfect and I didn’t break the hollandaise sauce, it was creamy and smooth after those couple of minutes.

Next time will be perfect and what a fantastic low carb meal this is.. we don’t need no stinking English muffin!!!

#$%!&*##$^!

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I have been struggling lately. I am dealing with boredom in my eating. I have gotten to where I don’t want to cook often because it’s Summer and this always happens in the summer when I get too hot PLUS I am dealing with freaking hot flashes too.. Whatever...

I posted on LCF re: foods that are cool and don’t need cooking or at least can be cooked ahead of time and just brought to room temp.. like a quiche.

A couple of days ago I just gave in and had Thai food. I really don’t have an excuse. It certainly was NOT a planned indulgence. (I do have those from time to time). I think actually I had waited too long for my next planned indulgence and just was starting to feel deprived. Didn’t feel like cooking, was overwhelmed with work and just made a decision to “not give a crap” for that day.

I gained 4 pounds of water and it’s slowly coming back off.. I went back to induction levels (below 20g a day) but not induction really, as I am allowing myself more veggies and nuts than are allowed on true induction.

I had to look at why it happened and came to the conclusion I was bored and decided to get back into ketosis as quick as possible and then start cooking a few more interesting meals and some cold meals like gazpacho, good salads, ceviche, etc.. I need to keep focused and plan better, I was allowing myself to sort of let go too much. I was overwhelmed with work and the house and painting the house.. etc.

I need to do what I know works, making a weekly menu, doing the shopping, getting everything organized and cooking a few things ahead of time.

I am doing a roasted lemon rosemary chicken for dinner tonight.. I wash and dry the chicken, separate the skin from the bird and stuff thin sliced lemon and rosemary leaves under the skin. Then I butter the skin (make sure the bird is good and dry... I wash it and then dry it with a few paper towels) and sprinkle LOTS of garlic salt, onion powder and pepper.. so much that you would think it would be too much but it really makes the skin GREAT.

I cook it uncovered until it needs to be covered, in a 375 deg. Oven. It’s a really good chicken this way.
I am making a nice salad to go with. Simple with a homemade vinaigrette.

I just made an interesting drink. I am always struggling with wanting to drink sodas. I bought a bunch of dried ginger from Penzeys spices and boiled it in water for 15 min.. strained it and added stevia. It’s good hot (right now) and will be really good cold. I think it would be good added to lemonaide.

I am also going to Whole Food (freaking should call it Whole Paycheck) soon to get some sushi grade fish, shrimp and maybe scallops to make ceviche.

A cucumber, tomato, avo gazpacho is in the works too. I LOVE good gazpacho. I want more salads too. Friends on LCF have had some good suggestions for me too here:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/lowcarb-recipe-help-suggestions/677505-i-need-cold-food-ideas-gazpacho-ceviche-etc.html

Other ideas are Caprese salad.. tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, capers, bunch fresh basil leaves , olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I really like this salad and make it fairly often.

I like slaw too and am looking up an old Italian chopped salad recipe I have somewhere.

I also love Antipasta salad and a good Greek salad. I also want to work up a recipe for a cold pasta salad using Dreamfields.

Anyway, I am going to be fine. This is my lifestyle and I know I am not perfect but I am SURE much, OMG MUCH better off than I was 40 pounds ago!

Ok.. I feel better now.

A Little Indulgent ME Time Today!

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I am well. How are you?

Today is a good day. I am doing a bit of surfing of blogs in my time off today and have found a couple I really like.
One woman in Britain (I think) is doing the Dukan diet and I am following her blog. I just find it interesting, I am not changing from Atkins.. here is her blog:

http://glamedup.wordpress.com/page/2/

I actually just like her blog in general. It’s fun and lots of great pix.

I have also been checking out some French lifestyle blogs. I really enjoy reading these. They make me feel happy to be a woman. I love most of the attitudes of these. Many of them are beautiful and just great eye candy. I love French culture in general. I enjoy the idea that you should take more out of life. You know.. Joie de Vivre..

I am beginning to realize as the weight is coming off that I lost a lot of my mojo. I lost my love of life for a while. My Joy. I used to be very indulgent. Obviously the indulgence in food showed on my body, but I was indulgent in life in general and a lot of that was good, I found that much of life amazed and excited me. I am finding out that when I reigned myself in, a lot of my other loves sort of dulled as well. I have been sort of living a “staid” lifestyle and I have been working on getting out of that and these beautiful blogs help me do that.



http://frenchified.wordpress.com/

http://froufroufashionista.blogspot.com/

http://frenchcharming.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-12-19T05%3A30%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=17

http://frenchblue-frenchblue.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html

http://lacoquette.blogs.com/la_coquette/

This one is not necessarily a French lifestyle blog but she truly has great style and I am enjoying reading it:

http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/

I just love spending a little time with a nice espresso or cup of good tea and perusing these sites.. it feels indulgent and that’s what we ALL need from time to time.

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I have been working on the bedroom again. I took a week off the painting because, well it was just driving me crazy! In my designing inspired stupor I chose many colors for the room (three colors for walls and a forth for the trim and ceiling.) I design jewelry for a living (check out my site sometime: Http://CaryMartinDesigns.com ) and just jumped right into the idea that I could “design” a bedroom just as easily.. this was CRAZY I tell you! I truly had no idea what I was doing… It HAS turned out to be lovely and truly just what I wanted and I (well myself and my husband Patrick, from here on out known as “That Genius I Married” ) am almost finished.

We got the ceiling fan and Cherry Wood blinds hung over the last couple of days and the painting is done except for a tiny bit of trim. (pix to come soon.) I still have to find a few things.. bedside tables and lamps and carpet runners, but it’s coming along and I am really looking forward to getting our bed out of the living room! It’s been a month.

I ran across a very cool pendant lamp while looking for bedside lighting:
I am in LOVE with these.. but they just won’t work in the bedroom (but one might for our entryway!):


(coolest thing ever ha?!)

http://www.artecnicainc.com/Products/Lighting#Lighting/Future_Flora


My very fav hanging light that I have had in a folder in my computer for a couple of years.. (won’t work for the bedroom but I WANT it somewhere – maybe my office but it’s LARGE!)



http://www.artecnicainc.com/Products#Lighting/Icarus_Light

And LAST BUT NOT IN THE VERY LEAST. I wanted to turn you all on to this great skin care site I found! It’s independently run (I love supporting budding Indy businesses, sort of like mine!). This site has excellent quality items (I am a serious skin care nut and am very particular about the ingredients in products.. but that’s an entire other blog!). They use top quality ingredients and have products that can run with the “big dogs” so to say.. The same pharm grade ingredients (like Renovage!), made in small batches.

I want LOTS of their products.. I think I am going to try Garden of wisdom I want a couple of their Hyaluronic Acid
Products. Maybe the Raspberry and the Honey Comb. These are just good simple moisture for your face.

I also want their Veggie Azule Face cream, Banana Healing Serum and Frakenincense Hydrosol. I can’t believe how great these products sound. I will let everyone know how great they are. They even have a facial scrub that uses the same crystals as professional dermabrasion you would pay over $200 for at a Dr. office.

http://www.gardenofwisdom.com/finishedproducts.html


Well I guess I had better get back to work.. how do you all find time to blog!?

Sanibel was a dream~

On my early morning shelling walk on Sanibel Island I ran across this amazing driftwood (I love driftwood).. it was buried very deep in the sand...

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Well, wow where to start!

Sanibel Island was a huge LC success and a wonderful, relaxing, sea air swirling good time. I walked and shelled and we ate great food. Patrick (also known as that genius I married) and I had some amazing food and drink. I think my very fav. meal was the chili butter shrimp we had at Doc Fords. This stuff was seriously food of the Gods, juicy, messy and spicy! I also enjoyed good fresh fish, raw oysters, ceviche and amazingly rich crab bisque. Came back, still in ketosis! (maintained).

I am working on my supplements. I was having issues with nausea and decided to just STOP all of it (taking so many damned pills) and start over again, one at a time. Several herbs I didn’t even remember why I was taking them.. Alfalfa for one.. what was I taking that for again?

Anyway I stopped everything except my Virgin Coconut Oil and Krill and Fish Oils.. which I never had issues with.. I did lower my CO as I do remember it used to cause nausea in too large an amount but I would always get nauseated when I took my morning supplements.

I started back on my 5HTP and my St. John’s Wort.. so far so good..
I am looking into a liquid multi called “Vibe”.. I am still researching it. I think it sounds like something worth trying, only I am concerned that it has 5 carbs. I am eating very low carb right now and wonder if I would maybe be ok with it anyway. IMO it may be a good trade for the carbs and on Atkins you start adding in 5 carbs a week as you climb the ladder. I think this may be a good trade for my 5 carbs.

http://www.rainbowminerals.net/vibe.htm

I would love to believe that if we all ate a “balanced” diet (who really actually does that?) we would not need supplementation, but I just don’t buy it anymore.. I really do believe our foods are much less nutrient dense than they were 100 years ago and here it is hard to find good local organic produce that is not twice as much in cost as the normal produce. I am already splurging on better quality meat.. I don’t think I am afford to constantly buy organic and even if we did the variety just isn’t there most of the time.


My appetite is pretty low right now and I am going with it. It always comes back. I am doing well. I am over my TOM and my water weight (I always gain 2-4 pounds) is slowly coming off.. still have a pound to go to be back to where I was.

Patrick is picking up salads from Wendy’s (the BLT salad, I love it with the Ancho Ranch Dressing) for dinner so I don’t have to cook.. I love that genius that I married!

Here are a few more pix from Sanibel:

Our little beach cottages at the Waterside Inn.. Old style FL charm. We really enjoyed them.


Our little Tiki hut. A great place to lounge and read...


Huge mound of shells early morning (it was low tide) on Sanibel. I brought home like 10 pounds! I am going to mosaic our mail box.. hell maybe the entire house!


Absolutely stunning found objects (fish bone drawbridge) castle we ran across. It was just amazing. It had a tiny shell path around it.

Heading to Sanibel Island Tomorrow...

I am excited about the trip to Sanibel! I know it’s going to be wonderful walking on the beach and that we can take Suki with us is a plus, he loves the beach!

I really wish I was at a place in my weight loss that would allow me to feel comfortable in my own skin.. but I am not there yet, actually not close at all.

For swimming I have a two piece black bathing suit, got the top and bottom seperately on line (the top actually is sold as bra sizes), it's a bra style with underwire and looks ok and fits well. The bottom is a "miracle suit" bottom, covers my arse well and actually holds my belly in well. I highly recommend these suits.

I actually love to swim, used to be an instructor and lifeguard, so a two piece allows much better movement IMO.. I wear a white gauze long top over the suit when I swim.. it dries quickly.. it's gathered at the top with a string tie so the "girls" at least look good, they say to accentuate the positive, right?. Clothes are a bitch in the summer. It’s so hard to find clothes that are comfortable and look good on this fat chick. I have one sundress I like but that’s it and it’s sleeveless so I wear a white cotton short sleeve button up shirt open, over it.

I HAVE just bought two new knee length cotton skirts.. one green and one white. I like skirts that come to the knee. I can’t wear shorts (well I just freaking won’t.. my thighs are the worst part of my body) but I think the skirts are a nice compromise.. I like that you can’t tell how large my thighs are in a skirt, there! I said it.. I really don't love my thighs, I know I should... self love and all but I am NOT the least bit happy with them..

The skirts are somewhat fitted so I don’t find them that comfortable but they are flattering as far as clothes can be on me.. I know… I am too hard on myself.. blah blah.. I DON’T like the way I look, I just don’t. Not yet.

Anyway I sort of have a “summer uniform”.. either knee length sundresses or skirts with spaghetti camis (I have found two places that sell plus size camis in a longer length.. I bought several colors from spiegel.. I can’t think of the other place right now if you really want to know, let me know and I will look it up)..

I like the camis over the skirts with a short sleeve shirt over the cami (they are small straps. I very rarely do find a longer shirt I like. I am pretty picky.. they have to be fairly long, have side slits, at least short sleeves and a v neck. I think over the last couple of years I have found two I like. One is from one of my very fav. places Http://Athleta.com

They sell plus size up to a 2x and I can wear their 2x (I am in a womens 16 sometimes 18 - Lane Bryant 14-16). I just got in this top that I actually love and kept (I order so much stuff that always gets returned.) I am pretty excited about the new top:




I also got this cotton green skirt from Athleta:


I really like this skirt.. it has a cotton lining (light) that is somewhat smaller and keeps my tummy nicely "in" if you know what I mean and the gathers are very flattering on.. it comes JUST to my knees which I love. (I am 5' 3.5")

Anyway I am glad to have something new and somewhat comfy but I will be so glad when I can wear whatever the hell I want and NOT have to put so damned much thought into it.

So I have put lots of planning into this trip so I know places we can eat (wrote about some of them below) I know from past experience that planning ahead makes it much more doable. I don't care what people say, staying on LC on vaca.. for a foodie like me is NOT that easy. I have to scope out websites ahead of time and find a list of places we have to choose from.. freaking found a place that has all these desserts.. hope I don't even SEE that place.. anyway I am rambling..

Found several places that are very LC friendly.. one of my very fav. is cheeburger, cheeburger. I am going to get a burger with all kinds of LC happy toppings! Love burgers this way. Going to get lots of shells (working on covering my mail box in a mosaic of them), walk as much as I can and try to actually decompress.. oh and maybe shop!

Have a beautiful weekend everyone, I know I will!

Hello!!!

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It’s been too long so I decided I best get my arse in here and post.

First of all HI TIFFANY! Love you gurl.. will be heading over to your blog right after my post!

Lets see… I have been doing much better. I have been very strict in my eating because of my IBD and really am just eating meat, eggs and cheese.. I have had a few veggies.. VERY well cooked.. so far so good.

I am afraid I am back to drinking diet cokes. I think I just gave up too much. I KNOW they are the devil but I am at least drinking the splenda ones.. will work on them again later.

Thank you to my friend Fawn from LCF for the Coconut Pudding recipe (basically just a can of coconut milk (make sure to get good organic co milk with NO SUGAR).. mine is the organic 365 brand from Whole Foods.. 12 carbs for the entire can.. mixed with 1 Cup of finely shredded (I used my food processor) organic sugar free coconut flakes.

Mix this together and let it sit in the fridge overnight.. I have a bottle of coconut Davinci so I am going to check to see if it needs a little sweetening when we eat it tonight..

Coconut is so good for us and especially good for those of us with bowel issues or candida. It’s also a great way to stoke your metabolism.. I actually can feel my body warm up when I use coconut oil. Anyway, had to share…

Patrick and I are headed to Sanibel Island for a little vaca this weekend.. and ya.. we are staying on program of course.. I have scoped out a few places to eat already.. a good place called Schnappers hots for hot dogs (love them with hot peppers and mustard and cheese! Who the hell needs a bun! I usually just chop them up and eat it sort of like a salad.

Also there is a Cheeburger, Cheeburger there.. can’t beat their huge burger (sans bun) with avo, grilled onion, bleu cheese, bacon.. omg.. I can go on.. they have many toppings that are LC friendly.

I also found a place for breakfast that is pet friendly.. It’s called the Key Lime Bistro. They have build your own omelets.. OMG.. can’t beat that.

And we are going to Timber’s for dinner.. a great fresh seafood/fish place. So I am prepared (it’s the key to success you know!) and so ready for our vaca.. long walks on the beach and I might even get on a bike.. if I can keep myself from singing “fat bottom girls”.. I sure miss Freddie.

Making a briscuit I got at a Kosher butcher tonight. The owner told me an interesting way to cook it.. wrap it twice in plastic then foil (add spices first of course) and then put it in a dutch oven, put the lid on it, put it in the oven on 250 and cook 30min per pound. Mine is like 7 pounds.. so that’s over 3 hours. Can’t wait to try it.. he said it makes them very juicy.. and it’s grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free.. perfection.

That’s all for now!

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

This week I am going to post a few pix from our trip to Kona last year. I am needing a vacation and looking at these helps me to at least REMEMBER that we once took a vacation!

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I love Mondays. It’s so nice to have such a clean start. I cooked a bunch of nice thick peppered bacon this morning. I am right now just wanting a bit of meat now and then, I am really not hungry at all. Last night I didn’t really even want dinner. Patrick handed me am Atkins bar last night around 8:30 and I ate it, not remembering that they really don’t agree with me (it’s been a long time since I ate one) and this morning I am paying for it. The artifical crap and the sugar alchohols are really BAD for IBD.

I made a huge batch of herbal iced tea (cherry berry flavor – Celestial seasonings I think).. I really like it and the blueberry one). I am staying away from even my Pellagrino for a few days.. no bubbles.

My energy is good. I am working on more painting in our bedroom. I can’t believe how slow it is going.

Patrick and I are planning a three day weekend to Sanibel hopefully in a couple of weeks. We found a little beach side motel (old Florida style) right on the beach that is pet friendly so I hope they have a room avail.

This weekend is ShrimpFest up at my sister’s. (Fernandina Beach). Patrick got Friday off. I REALLY am looking forward to getting away. I want to go on another long walk on the beach. ShrimpFest is fun..

All in all I am on an upswing. I am looking forward to the next two weeks and some time off!

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I also wanted to post about something I have been doing lately that is really helping, besides my CO and Fish oil and Krill oil.. I have been making my own "Sports Drinks"

This is what I do:

In a 1 Quart bottle or jar (I save large Poweraid Zero bottles) of water, mix in 1 pk 4C (you might want two packs if you like a strong flavor – these are splenda sweetened and can be found at Walmart by the Crystal Lite – they come in single serving packets) 1/8 teaspoon Morton salt substitute, 1/3 or so capsule coral calcium (I buy the ones that open so you can sprinkle the calcium in the drink), 1/8 teaspoon good quality sea salt (I use Celtic gray) and 1/8 teaspoon baking soda.

I drink 2 of these a day normally. I keep several in the fridge. My husband really likes them too. It sure beats drinking diet soda.

I used to have lots of issues with restless leg at night and muscle cramps occasionally. This REALLY has helped me.

Some meds can make you retain too much potassium so please talk to your Dr. if you suspect you are taking one.



Have a great week everyone!

I am so sick of freaking being fat…

OK.. this really does suck...
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Seriously. I really, REALLY am. I have this inkling I am truly not living my life. I feel like so much must be passing me by and NOW on top of being fat, I am sick? WTF!

I am trying to look at it as another way for me to be “guided” (yes I am very metaphysical). I wonder if I am so sad a person that it has taken me being really, horridly sick to truly kick me in the ass. What AM I suppposed to take from this?

I actually feel like I have really been doing my best, well MOST of the time. But in reality I have been “trying” to get this damn fat off for over 3 years. I am SICK AND FREAKING TIRED OF “pussy footing” around (for lack of a better term?). I feel like I am just watching my life sort of tick away.. sitting on the sidelines. Maybe I am just feeling sorry for myself right now. I need to get out and at least lay in the sun I think.

I might be a bit emotional because I am feeling like damn hell lately but what if I allowed myself to just never do it?. How in the hell am I going to feel a year from now if AGAIN I am in the same place. I keep thinking about that today.

I also have been wanting to just not eat.. even if I get hungry. Is it wrong to want to use a 5# weight loss that happened because I was sick to push me into losing more? It feels wrong.. like I am not taking care of myself but I WANT to get some more weight off.. I normally lose so slow. I know it's not healthy thinking though.

I am afraid I am going to go overboard and start to not eat, on purpose. I feel like my old disordered eating ways could come back to haunt me. I am afraid. I have these feelings in my mind like I should just “use this not wanting to eat” to push myself into losing a few more pounds. Whatever.

I have got to get a grip!

Summer is almost here and I wanted more than anything to be comfortable in at least a pair of shorts. I really did. Why am I feeling so depressed? It’s really not like me actually. I promise to have a better attitude tomorrow!

A bit down.. but not out.

This IBD flare has really got me down. I WANT to say I am totally better. This seems to be hanging on a long time, longer than it has in the past.

I do feel better and can notice a little improvement each day.. I’ve been In bed for over a week, really have not been able to do much. Feeling better the last couple of days. Just eating meat and egg right now. So far pain is about 50% gone. Had a good bit of pain this morning but it's passed. I am eating next to nothing really so I can't understand.

I've lots of good salmon in the freezer (just ended up buying it at WF). Also had some new fish called Corvina I have never had, last night. Wow it is GOOD. Patrick ate most of it for me. I really don't have an appetite at all.

Taking mega doses of Omegas (krill and fish oil) and a couple T of CO a day. Have a couple of other ideas of natural ways to control inflammation but want to try a few things at a time only.

I am adding a couple of veggies this week to see how I do (doing sort of mono meals). I have read veggies have to be cooked beyond recognition. Adding green beans first.

It's pretty boring.. but I guess I just don’t care. Food really does not sound like the end all be all to me right now anyway. Talking with my sister Stacy allot more lately about her life with Crohn’s. She has helped greatly. So have a few friends from LCF. I love you guys so much!

My nausea is totally gone. I've lost several pounds (of course not in a good way). I remember how skinny my sister got when she was going thru bad flares. She always used to say "It's tempting to just not eat".. now I know why.

Thank you Tiff for continuing to stay in touch.. it does my heart good to hear from you! and Fawn thanks for the ideas and support darling. You are an amazing woman with so much to teach.

Tonight is chicken breast with some avo. I love avo so I am really looking forward to it.

I have not had anything fizzy in almost two weeks.. tea and water only. I am dying for a diet soda. No really! I would kill something for one right now but I KNOW I can’t.. so I won’t.. damn it.

All in all I am encouraged.

Some Spring Painting...

Life is crazy this week. Well what makes this week any different, I sometimes feel my life is totally out of control anyway! I am painting our bedroom and it’s turned out to be a much bigger job than I thought! I am loving it though. I am doing a red wall an “old gold” treatment wall (metallic) and a couple of marigold walls and the ceiling is marigold.

The red is taking 3 coats.. apparently I should have used a tinted primer. Live and learn I guess! It's the red wall that started it all *smile*.. wanted a sexy bold bedroom...

The ceiling was HARD! It’s a popcorn ceiling and I did three coats and it still needs touching up here and there. I am in LOVE with the gold wall. I chose the wall that the sun hits in the AM.. it’s got a not so subtle gleam!

A few pix:


This is the red and part of the marigold wall and ceiling. The red is darker than it looks.. it's a brownish red.. deep and dark!


I had a very hard time deciding what color to do the doors and trim.. decided on the marigold. What do you think?

This is the gold wall on the left. With a marigold wall and ceiling. The gold wall turned out great.. four freaking coats though - If you are interested it is Valspar Brilliant Metals. When the sun hits it, it is glorious!


A close up of the gold wall, I think the marigold trim will be great.


and a closeup of the gold wall.. I couldn't get a good pix really.

Hope to get it finished this weekend. We have a window treatment coming.. wooden wide vertical blinds in cherry wood.. Got to get some new furniture too.. got our bed, this is a pix of the bed (from the showroom):

It's more cherry than the pix appears. It's going on the red wall *smile*.

I am still trying to decide on bed side tables.. I love these:


But I am still looking!

Well got to get back to work.

Oh.. doing well on LC..