What to do when you fall down?

Why, get back up again, that's what!! I've recently fell off the wagon a bit with eating and keeping up with my medicines. I haven't even been taking my best multivitamin much less my cholesterol pill. Hmm....

It all started when I ran out of orange juice and stopped eating my oatmeal. But all that is changing! I spent almost $70 at the grocery store today and plan to be back on track in no time! I'm planning to make a nice baked pasta dish with ground Turkey and low fat cheeses, mushrooms and spinach. Making a big dish of it will help me portion out meals for easy planning in the future too. Come on Becca, get it together!!! Your life is slipping by again.

Happy 10th Birthday!!!

I'd love to wish a very special niece a very special 10th birthday today!! Gone are the days of your sweet little voice asking me to play Barbies, gone are the days of rocking you in my arms and looking down at your sweet little face. >SIGH<

You have grown up so fast and there's no turning back! Soon you will be concerned with finding acne products that work instead of tea parties and kittens :-/ I love you very much and I want you to know I will always remember how cute you were and you will always be my little princess, I love you!!!

Green; it's where it's at

Nothing spells green quite like spinach! I love me some spinach...I enjoy it most when it's sautéed with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Mmmm, wish I had some right now. I will even eat it from a can, although that's not my preference to do so. I don't, however, enjoy it raw.

I've begun to see lots of recipes for spinach, I was wondering if anyone had some they might like to share? Last week between diet pill comparisons, I decided to improvise a great recipe for a pasta dish I found online using only what I had already available here in my office. The dish turned out great using broccoli but I must admit, would have been much better with spinach. So, what is your fave way to eat/prepare spinach?

All these nuts taste the same!

I love snacking on nuts. My 2 faves are pistachios and cashews. So I was excited to find a bag of mixed 100% natural nuts called Pistachio Grove Blend. The mix includes: pistachios, peanuts, almonds and cashews roasted in sea salt with no added oils. Sounds yummy, no?

They all taste the same! I guess it's because they all share the same enclosed space or something but every nut I put in my mouth tastes like the one before :( The flavors are all off, like prom dresses in hotel rooms! You put an almond in your mouth, BOOM! Generic "nut" flavor. Pistachio? BOOM! Generic "nut" flavor. Saddens me really, now I have a whole bag of great looking nuts that have 1 taste. Oh well, I know they are still good for me to snack on so I will power through the end of the bag. Plus, they are already paid for. I just won't be so quick to get mixed nuts again.

Change it up!

Well, apparently I've hit a plateau on my weight loss and I need to change it up a bit. I'm still eating what I set out to eat, healthy choices all around. I suppose I need to just break down and get moving!
It's not so easy to incorporate exercise into an already full schedule. Any tips and tricks you all have, I would love to hear them! Also, anyone who lives in my area who would also care to get moving with me, I'd love to see if we can work that out. I enjoy many different kinds of exercise so chances are we can find a mutual activity to encourage each other in. I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight fast but more at a healthy yet steady pace. I haven't lost anything significant in 2 weeks! Come on, let's change it up and get moving!! Anybody in??

It's not quantity, it's quality!

My friend always teases me about not posting to my blog very often. Well, I have news for him! I could post 2-3 times a day about nothing or I could actually formulate a decent post with content that is relevant to my life or things that I observe in the world.

I don't share everything about myself here. This is a blog, not a personal diary! Besides, you could have a humidor full of cigars but if they aren't Swisher Sweets (or the like), then what's the point? It'd just be a bunch of hot, stinky air I'd be blowing around. No thanks, I'll post when I have need to share something of value :)

All Aboard!! Chicago here we come...

A good friend of mine approached me recently about a possible train ride trip to Chicago and I couldn't be more excited!! Her daughter's 10th birthday is approaching and she really wants to get her a special item that can only be purchased in a couple of places and Chicago is one of them. I remember turning 10 (double digits!!) and I would have flipped my lid to take a train with my mom to Chicago to get a gift I've been wanting!I would just assume to hit a Big Sale at Mattel Shops here locally, to be honest. You can find great deals at Mattel and use the leftover savings to get fun wrapping paper or a birthday card! Now, don't get me wrong, I am in need of a small vacation...especially to a place I've never been before. Plus, I've always wanted to take the train to Chicago!! So I will 'get on board' and enjoy myself for the weekend. Chicago, here we come!

Oh Hazel!

Hazel regrets her choice of gloves. Clearly white is out after Labor Day. Oh the shame!

Play along on this Microfiction Monday!!

Fantasy Football Picks, Week 1

Football rarely comes to mind when I think 'fantasy' with the obvious exception to Peyton Manning. Obviously. That being said, I was invited to play along in a free fantasy football league by a friend and thought, "Hey, it's free, why not!?"

Now, it's no secret that I know as much about player & team stats as I do about Ferrari parts. Trust me, it's nil. So I did what I could and that's guess! Some of you may remember my *HUGE* crush on Peyton Manning. So that's where I started on the list. I found Indianapolis on the list and then clicked all other teams that were on the same side of the list. I chose the Colts to score the most points, this week's opposing team to score the least! Just like that, I'm all set for the first week's picks. I'll let ya know how I do. I'm not holding my breath LOL

Don't go there!

Don't ever follow your heart. The bible says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9. You should always lead your heart. Study up, pray it up...know what your answers should be before you are asked the questions. For all those boy scouts out there, be prepared!

I've had some time over the past 5 years to consider my thoughts and pray about a choice in a certain personal aspect of my life. I came to the best decision...one to keep me safe, healthy and more importantly, in line with the will of God as I understand it for my life. Having resolved the issue in my heart, I began the journey to carry it out. That was until temptation rained down upon me and I nearly lost my mind! I have not broken my decision but I have danced around it...a slippery slope. I think it's time to sit back with a heated blanket and a cup of cocoa and remind myself of my original decision and find a way to move on in my heart from this temptation. The bible also says that you will never be tempted more than you can withstand and He always provides a way out. Thank God for that!!!

New school year: Day 1

Today is the first day of a brand new school year for many people of many ages all over the country. This day is always held with high regard and anticipation. You simply must have *just* the right outfit for the day, everything in your book bag is new...including the book bag!

There were alot of people unable to sleep well last night. From mom's coping with the realization that their little ones are ready for their first day ever to teens who are starting their last year of high school. Let's not forget those college students who've left home in search of their own life apart from mom and dad. I won't even mention all the teachers who are anxious about the new year.

Yes, the first day of school is exciting! I miss those days to be honest. I've enjoyed school in the past and secretly wish I could take a course or two just to feel that feeling again. To perk up my brain and get some new goodies bouncing around in there. Of course, I could always take some gmat prep courses and I'm sure it would be less expensive than traditional college, not to mention it's not like I can take time off from work. Hrmph.... There's just something special about the promise and possibilities you get on that first day back in the classroom. Good times...

Controversial new line of maternity clothes

I recently heard a report on Bott Radio Network about a new line of clothes by Forever 21 "geared toward pregnant teens" called Love 21 Maternity. People are all up in arms saying that it promotes teen pregnancy. The models used to show the garments look young to me, like early 20's young, not teenagers. They have released the line in only 5 states and those 5 states happen to have the highest rate of teen pregnancy. Folks, that's just good marketing!

Saying a line of clothes promotes unhealthy lifestyle is like faulting Fashion Bug or The Avenue for having plus size clothes for us big ladies who overeat! Now, I am NOT promoting teen pregnancy in any way...however...these things do happen. I just see a different side. Frankly, isn't the line actually supporting those moms (teenage or early 20's) who choose to carry their babies to term? Amen to that! If more people thought to support rather than condemn...I'm just sayin'.

Suck this!

"It is NOT a baby bottle!" is my recent defense of the BPA free bottles I carry my drinks around in lately.
I read that the Vitamin C in orange juice will help lower your cholesterol and I happen to really enjoy OJ so I buy a gallon of real (not from concentrate) with pulp (see earlier pulp post) and fill one of these tall bottle to 1/2 way to have every morning. I've also been trying to get away from the high sugar in the full flavor soda I've been drinking, so I bought Country Time lemonade and make a gallon of that to use out of as well. The OJ I can leave at work in the fridge during the week but I don't much care for the taste of the water from the office bathroom sink. It's not like we have a water filter supplier so I make and keep the lemonade at home. Therefor I have to lug the empty home at night, refill and repeat the next day. Otherwise I am tempted to drink soda. Of course, Country Time is not sugar free like I need it to be but it does have 50% less sugar than soda and that is a good starting point for me. As for the bottles, I will give you that they are the equivalent of a kid's sippy cup, though.

August 1st, 2010. Time to get busy!

Well, it's August 1st and this is the month I have planned to "clean and pack." Hrmpfh.

There is a list as long as my arm of dirty jobs that need to be done. I really need to get it together and ditch the procrastinator who dominates inside of me or else I'll never move! I have got to make a list of everything that needs to be done and then literally put it on my calender. Even down to organizing my wrinkle creams or hair accessories! I think it's time to DOWNSIZE everything I own by 50%. I'm not kidding. I should find the time soon, our church is having a rummage sale and what a great opportunity to get unwanted items out of the way. I just don't want to take anything to the new place that I don't have to. If it's one thing I've learned, new places have new personalities and there's a certain percent of the items I'm currently using now that won't work in the new space so the old-old items need to be gone-gone. Anyone care to help? Give me a call, I'll be at it all month!!! Gosh, it's 8pm on day 1 and I haven't done a thing! I already feel like I am behind.

Well, turn it up!

There's one nice thing about having the office all to myself while I work, I can jam to whatever music I want! W00t! Guess I'm in the mood for some Abba tonight, found this fun montage of pics put to a mix of 2 or 3 of their songs. Not the best quality on audio. Guess I should stick to my media player, I have the Abba Gold album on there.



"Don't go wasting your emotion! Lay all your love on me." Hmpf, back to the grindstone of Accounts Payables for me. What are you up to this fine Friday evening, nightly acne treatments or just chillaxing with your homies?

Plans for the weekend

This weekend is not riddled with clocking in and out at my second job. Yippy!! However, I do have a morning Miche Bag party to do. Not a big testosterone booster there but that's ok, I'm not trying to boost my testosterone these days :)
Sat. night will actually be spent being social this week, a very nice change from my past pattern of working. Girls night in has a 'baseball' theme this month. I'm not *too* big on baseball but will enjoy meeting the ladies and playing games nonetheless.

Sunday will be church followed hopefully by a visit to the Dalessandros??? Can I get a possible confirmation on that? And then to work at my first job for a few short yours but only because I was short on my time this week and I need to catch back up! It's tough to get 40 hours in when you can't get up in the morning and have something to do every night of the week! Throw in some doctor appointments and you're spending your Sunday evening filling in those last few hours, for sure. Oh well, still happy to be employed so gonna put a smile on and belly up to my desk!

Get on the diabetic train...

I'm not diabetic but my gallbladder surgeon suggests I eat like I am! I can do this....
I'm just going to have to spend some time reading and learning about diabetic diets. Anyone with inside tips should pass them on in the comments. Gonna need a bit of help here. Taking away bad fats was relatively easy, to be honest. Carbs and sugars and such is something I will need to work on. I will most likely not be able to avoid the gallbladder-ectomy, it's just a matter of getting as healthy as I can before I have it, for the best outcome. Even the best wrinkle creams can't keep them away forever! As long as I have the "gallstone factory" I will have issues. So before I begin to suffer the full symptoms, I want to do all I can. So bring on the diabetic tips!

Early morning dreamin'

I hate mornings. Ya gotta get up and do it all over again. I avoid this at all costs. It's no secret that I've been chronically late to work for the past.....well, every day. Shame on me! But to me, it's almost like torture to get up and get started. I simply love and need that twilight time in the morning, it's my favorite time of day! Just rolling around in bed in and out of sleep....early morning dreaming!

That being said, on occasion I do have to get up EXTRA early. On those days, I pop right out of bed and get to it! I seem to get so much done and actually enjoy the peaceful hours in the early morning time. So what's wrong with me then? It's like I dropped my rfid blocking wallet and someone stole my identity! There's the Becca that can't seem to get out of bed to make it to work on time and then there's this other Becca who loves the earliest hours in the morning! Maybe I'm just schizophrenic to have such opposing opinions of the same thing. Maybe I should just go to bed at a decent hour at night and get up earlier to try it out for a while. I think it would give me a better perspective :)

Pulp: To chew or not to chew? That is the question.

I've recently learned that orange juice helps lower cholesterol and since that is a big goal of mine at the moment, I decided to drink some every day.

Why not? I really enjoy orange juice! The issue is, now that I've began to shop all the varieties of orange juices, I've really noticed a problem. You can have it with tons of pulp OR no pulp at all. Really? What ever happened to just orange juice with whatever amount of pulp gets in there naturally? Why is it made overly complicated with choices? Is it really that much of an issue that they had to use the wisdom of Solomon to decide? "It's either full of pulp or none at all!"

I'm sorry, I have no desire to eat chunky OJ and if there's none at all, it might as well be Sunny D. No thanks! Why are people so afraid to eat or drink something in it's natural state? The way it was designed...no, they'd rather have man made products than real produce. Ah yes, the great pulp debate lives on! Now if I have this much trouble shopping for ipods, I'm gonna be in trouble! LOL

Mmm, nutmeats!

Pistachio nutmeats that is. I love 'em lately!!! I snack on them all the time, probably more than I should actually but I just can't help myself!!

In an effort to not just fault to some sort of diet pills or other 'quick fix' type situation, I've decided to re-think my ideas about foods and how they work in my body. Gallstones are no fun, I hear and I'm really doing all I know right now to stave off surgery. Also being told my cholesterol is far too high is another good reason to add the health benefits of nuts such as pistachios to my diet.

Now, I just said the 'D' word but I am not afraid! I will not let my mind overtake me on this one. I will simply tell myself those bad foods don't exist and then I won't crave them! So far, so good. The only really tempting thing I've encountered in the past couple of weeks was some bread pudding. But I did not give in. I simply told myself maybe someday in the future I could enjoy some again. For right now, though, it is way more important for me to stay on track with healthier foods and try to get my cholesterol down down down.

Expect more topics on such subjects in the future. It's big with me now! I'm already down about 10 lbs. so that is an encouragement as well. I am far less miserable than I was just 2 weeks ago!