Weigh in Wednesday

Well, it's been a few weeks since I posted an update. I wish I could report good news but I can't. I have really been slipping in the exercise and in controlling my diet. Over my break my weight has fluctuated quite as bit, ending today on the high side. Hopefully I can reverse this trend! Stay tuned and say a prayer for me!

Current weight: 258lbs
Current Fasting blood sugar: 129

pardon my french! ;)

Friday Funnies and grumbles

I am sitting on a heating pad on my couch, where I have been for the last 2 days. Well, minus the trip to see the doctor. I somehow managed to pull a muscle or something in my back. The spasms started on Tuesday and got progressively worse Wednesday and Thursday. To top it off, I thought I might be coming down with something. I was feeling so worn out and my blood sugar was wonky (a technical term!) which is usually the first sign of illness. So, off to the doctor I went, because I do not play games when it comes to my health. If I feel off, there is a reason and something needs to be done about it!!

Guess what? I am perfectly healthy. Aside from being a diabetic who is super sensitive to blood sugar changes I mean. Well, my mental health is questionable too, but that's for another day. Turns out I feel so crappy because my blood sugar levels are high because I am in pain. The doc assures me that this is normal, I am just a bit more sensitive to the changes than most, and everything will return to normal when the pain is gone. I guess being sensitive is good, it means I catch most things before they get out of hand (like the cat scratch fever I had after a particularly bad kitten bite) but at the moment I am not a fan!

OKAY!! That's enough of the grumbles! Here come the funnies:

much cuter that the original

why my cats are banned from the bedroom at night...

amen

yep

:)

works with cats and kids (so I'm told)

And a little inspiration to go:

Comfort Food!

Monday, May 6, 2013
NaBloPoMo asks: What is your biggest comfort food?

Have I mentioned that I am an overweight, middle aged, diabetic? Or that I am a serious emotional eater? Well, I am. And to top it off, I HATE to cook and I am picky about textures. For instance, I cannot eat a tomato, not because of the flavor, but because of the skin and the slimy seedy parts. Makes me gag every time. So, when it comes to comfort food I eat a lot of things that I absolutely should not be eating. Lots of processed junk (potato chips), or high carb foods like Mac and Cheese and Mashed potatoes, that kind of thing.

I think my favorite comfort food at the moment is a hot buttery biscuit. Fresh from the oven, split open and a pat of butter on each half. Yum. I grew up making biscuits from scratch every Sunday morning for my parents. I can't remember when it started, but for years I got up early on Sunday mornings (around 5:30), sifted the flour (remember doing that?), mixing in the salt and baking soda, cutting in the Crisco, and finally mixing in the milk. Rolling out the dough and using a biscuit cutter, dipping the cut dough in melted butter and then placing it on a cookie sheet to bake in a hot oven. Only then did I go wake my parents (all of this was my step dad's idea, I think to teach me some responsibility).

These days I do things a bit differently. My biscuits come from the freezer section of my local grocery store and have a picture of the Pillsbury Dough Boy on the package. I much prefer this method of baking!

Image source

So, what is your favorite comfort food? :)

Music to energize

What is your favorite song that gives you energy?

That is the NaBloPoMo writing prompt for today. My answer? I don't know. I can't name just one song. I listen to Contemporary Christian and Country on a regular basis and there are lots of songs that uplift and energize me.

Lately I have been leaning more toward the Country music. I take spells like that, where I only want one type of music. I used to feel faintly guilty for my love of non christian music. Like if I wasn't listening to hymns I was headed straight to Hell.

Then last year I read "The Shack" (a really great book, by the way) and something in that book changed my attitude about my music choices. If you aren't familiar with the plot, it's about a man who has a visit with God in a shack in the middle of nowhere. (If you want more, read the book). At one point God is listening to something really funky and not at all "christian" and the man questions the choice. God explains that He/She (read the book!!) loves all types of music, because He/She looks past the words to see the heart of the musician.

Now, I'm not God and I can't see the heart of the musician, but I can listen carefully and look for the message in all types of music. I can listen with an open heart and let the music renew my spirit. And if it doesn't renew me or bring joy and energy, I turn it off. There are blessings to be found in all types of music, not just hymns or "christian" songs. You just have to look.

Sometimes it's the words that appeal to me (Thompson Square's "Glass", for instance) and sometimes it's the beat (Tim McGraw's "Truck Yeah"). So, I won't feel guilty about my music choices anymore. I'm not going to worry about being judged for being less than the perfect follower of Christ because someone else doesn't see what I see in a song (a silly thing to worry about, but I have).

Music is a beautiful gift from God. There are many types of music and many types of people who enjoy them. The important thing isn't what you listen to, but what you take from the experience. Are you being uplifted, energized, filled, and blessed? If the answer is no, then change it. Find the music that speaks to you, and fill your life with it.

A love note from our Father

In other news, if you missed yesterday's One Word announcement, click here to see what in the world I am talking about.

My word in Faithful. Last night I was thinking about my word as I waited for sleep to come and I realized there is a very practical area of my life that needs some faithful attention. My blood sugar. See, I am a type 2 diabetic, one who hasn't taken a blood sugar reading in at least 2 months. I hadn't even realized it had been so long! Now, before you panic, my sugar levels are pretty stable. But that doesn't mean I don't need to check. It's a tool to remind me to take care of myself, if I don't use it I slip into bad eating habits and my numbers creep up.

So, just to keep me honest and accountable, I will be adding a blood sugar reading to the end of my posts a few times a week. This is more for me than you, so feel free to ignore it! :)
Today's (fasting) # is 123. Given the late dinner and the carbs involved, I am very surprised it wasn't higher!

Okay, that's all for today! Now, let's go make it a great day!!