'LIFE JUST GOT A LITTLE EASIER' SALAD IN A MASON JAR

Salad in a mason jar!

Fix enough of these for Monday through Friday and they will be waiting for you 

each day as you simply get one out and dump the contents into a bowl.

Life just got a little easier.

When you need a quick meal for the day, 
this is one way of making that happen.

~d

START with a clean Mason Jar then pour some EVOO into it.  
A little OLIVE OIL and some lime juice becomes the salad dressing.

ADD some cherry tomatoes, corn and red onion.

NEXT is black beans and feta cheese.

Cilantro, spices and top the jar off with fresh romaine lettuce. 

 Delicious!

TORNADOES, RAMBLINGS WITH BEFORE & AFTER's DECORATING plus misc.

IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, we found ourselves down into the cellar for protection from possible tornadoes as warnings were given.  Dorothy, where are you?  No Toto.  No Tin Man.  Tis a mess down in the cellar.  A MESS.  Embarrassed to say.  One more project for the future as we are still in Kansas. 

Our dear daughter telephoned me to inform we were in a T warning.  NO town sirens went off. We tuned into WIBW on hubby's phone and I on their Facebook account.  The weatherman said we should take cover.  Still no siren to warn of tornadoes.  I gathered a few things up to take to the cellar with me.  That's where we hide out is in the 1900 cellar under the COTTAGE.

Going down the stairs into the abyss stirs up thoughts that we need a basement that you can get to from within the house.  We have to go outside to get to the cellar door.  Old fashioned cellar. THANKFUL to have, but still I have thoughts of a different floor plan to help us remain safe.

If it's hailing when we try to get into the cellar then it's dangerous to be outside, right?  Right. 

Standing in the cellar, I was nursing nausea which didn't go away.  TOO warm in the cellar.  No chairs in the cellar, so I sat on three paint cans that were stacked and sat watching WIBW on the laptop computer I brought with me.  THEN the tornado siren went off.

I'm not sure why the town took so long to blow that horn so old people like me have time to take cover.  We stayed in the cellar an hour or so.  The cellar is a mess and every time I go into it, I mention it needs tidied.  

We stayed safe.  Returning to our COTTAGE, I was relieved that we were alright.  Too much excitement for an old woman.  God heard my prayers when I asked HIM to have mercy on us and dissipate the storms.  No injuries or destruction.  After one prays and the prayer is answered, THANKSGIVING needs to be said.  Thank you, Lord.

I slept well after watching ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS on live TV.  We've detoxed from the movie channels.  Still have ROKU and PRIME plus PBS.  Shocking how many we were attached to.  CHA-CHING.  Somebody is making loads of money from movie watchers.  You can count on it.  I was surprised how much we were spending as we are stream lining our spending. The amount we were spending will be used on something better like SAVINGS.

ENTERTAINMENT.  If we use our PUBLIC LIBRARIES for movies, I believe we can work something out.  Looking for ways to cut expenses.  

FINANCIAL.  CREDIT CARDS.  Here comes the CREDIT CARD OFFERS in the mail.  The interest rates are outrageous.  Doing our best to stay away from using credit cards. 

HEALTH.  SINCE MY ENERGY LEVELS ARE LOW, I have to do what I can do.  I work awhile.  I sit awhile.  My hip still hurts and I started taking Glucosamine Chondroitin with Turmeric and MSM.  Praying it will help.  As I rest my hip, I can't be walking like I have been over the last two years for now.  I have been taking quite a few naps as I get heavy in the eyes and have to rest. Working at eating clean.  It's an ongoing thing for me.  

FOOD.
If I eat certain things on certain days, it could make the meal planning easier.  
Like SUNDAY SALAD (lots of veggies with boiled eggs, chickpeas and black beans for protein) for supper.
MONDAY MEATLOAF.  Probably beef for the meat.
TURKEY on TUESDAY.
WHATEVER WEDNESDAYS.  Free choice.  Maybe chicken.
TACO THURSDAY.  Well seasoned ground turkey or ground beef.
FRIDAY FISH.  Either salmon or tuna.
SATURDAY SPAGHETTI.

CURRENT EVENTS.  We did notice the higher prices for gasoline when filling the car up the other day.  I suspect the price will continue to climb with what is going on in the world.  I wouldn't be surprised if gasoline hits $7 a gallon by Christmas.  Not what I want, but...our utility bills will climb as well due to fuel prices.  Farmers around here are having issues getting fertilizer due to the trump war.  This puts a hardship on them and the crops which consumers will feel.  If we grow some of our own food, we will stay occupied doing something healthy.

Hubby dropped a small package off at the Post Office to be told that come Monday, the shipping prices are going up 6% due to the increase in fuel.  The small package was 0ver $7 anyways. Seriously.  

POLITICS.  What I am learning about the way the world works sometimes overwhelms me.  Is America occupied by another country that begins with the letter I?  IS this for REAL?  Whatever this country wants, our President agrees to.  I'm not going into details because I just can't right now.  

BEFORE AND AFTERS.  These entertain me.

  

PRETTY AMAZING if you ask me.

Misc.

FOLDING PAPER FOR A CASH GIFT

Delighted that the week-end is here.

Delighted.

Back to cleaning and praying,

~d

GARDEN

HUBBY IS OUTSIDE MOWING OUR OVERGROWN LAWN as I rest in my chair doing paperwork, research and blog.  Yesterday, I broke off the woody dried out stems of the chrysanthemum plants we have in a small flowerbed on the side of the house.  During the month of March is when I try to do this and didn't get it done.  Done now. ✅

He raked the front flowerbed and bagged the debris.  The once beautifully, green box woods suffered an extremely, cold winter which did a number on the plants.  They look dead.  Oh, so yellow.  He ordered some special plant food that is suppose to raise them from the dead.  I pray it works.  If they are dead, we will have lost out.  Sigh.  

Severe storms are in the forecast this afternoon at 3, so if I'm going walking I had best get this done this morning.  I'm not sure how well I will be able to walk due to the condition of my right hip, but will see how it goes.  NEW walking shoes were purchased and I need to wear them.  

As I was doing some morning laundry, I could see out the utility room window our backyard flowerbed full of heirloom, purple, grape scented Irises starting to bloom.  Such a pretty sight and the fragrance is awesome.  After they bloom this year, we are going to dig the plants up and move them closer to the wire fence in the back yard.  This means a new flowerbed will have to be prepped.  I'd like to have the bed dug up before the temperatures are way too hot to tolerate as an old person digging in the yard.

We are on the hunt for a lawn boy to mow the yard when we cannot.  

Our Lilac bush outside the Kitchen window did poorly this year.  Disappointed.  In early May after the blooms fade, I am going to prune the entire bush.  It badly needs this.  Where's my shears?

WHAT can I say about life in general.  LIFE is like a Garden that you have to tend to.  Pruning needs done.  Watering is necessary and fertilizer considered.  Being in the right location where the sunshine reaches the garden, but doesn't cook it, is a must.  The soil has to be just so-so.  Pull the weeds out of it.

In other words, tend to it.  Your sweet life needs to be tended to.

There's a saying that life is delicate.  
Handle with prayer.

~d

AM I DISCOURAGED???

TODAY AT MY THIRD APPOINTMENT, MY CHIROPRACTOR WENT OVER THE MRI REPORT WITH ME.  He was kind enough to go get his copy of the report which I had not seen yet.  The MRI report was not fully gone over with me by the orthopedic surgeon so I appreciated my Chiropractor doing so and it was a stunner.  He gave me a copy of the REPORT.

I was STUNNED with what I heard as the Dr. shared with me the REPORT.  The anger started to brew inside me the longer I thought on the FACT that serious information had been withheld from me by the surgeon.  

I'll be telephoning the ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON's office and be refreshed as to what the injection the doctor could give me if I wanted to try it to see if it takes care of the pain or not and if it doesn't take care of the pain then I can have HIP REPLACEMENT.  I believe the injection is a steroid.  I won't be getting it.  Steroids soften the cartilage and causes additional problems.

First, I will try Glucosamine Chondroitin before I take the shot in the hip by the Ortho Surgeon. I feel like I was deliberately denied the majority of information the MRI report explained. The surgeon did not tell me I have BONE SPURS on my HIP BONE.  Not sure why he kept this from me.  He did not tell me I have serious cartilage loss on my right hip, some on the left and something is going on with my pelvic area. I was told my bones were  g o o d.  Perhaps the bones are good, but there's a serious loss of cartilage I wasn't told about. 

The Chiropractic treatments have alleviated much of the pain I am having.  I will continue to ice and heat it, walk when I can, use BIO-FREEZE and Ibuprofen. The biggy is WEIGHT LOSS and needing to eat nutritionally dense food and take supplements.  With not having a thyroid and taking the thyroid medicine faithfully...I fit into a new category where vitamin deficiencies blow up and cartilage can be loss.  I was not told any of this when my thyroid was removed 16 years ago.  I was not told what I needed to keep an eye on.  I was not told that weight gain would happen and be hellishly difficult to get off of me.  I was not told that the risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure would more than likely happen.  I wasn't told very much other than I would have to take thyroid hormones once a day.  I was not told to avoid soy, dairy and other supplements like iron for 4 hours after taking my medicine on an empty stomach.  I was not told that I could develop arthritis and have serious cartilage loss.  I was not told I'd battle debilitating fatigue.  I was not told to keep a close eye on my vitamin D and B12 levels plus iron. I am stunned.

LORD, if you don't help me...nobody will.

Back to the drawing board.

~d

AS THE WEEK UNFOLDS

AFTER VIEWING THE PICTURES OF ME, I snagged a few and will use them in my FAT ALBUM hopefully to encourage me to eat clean and stay focused.  I already know full well that I am OBESE and have been for some time now...  sigh.  Though I have maintained a 30 pound loss since 2021, I am way too heavy.  Way too heavy and I hate this.

My outer shell does define me.  It does, because the health issues that come with it don't lie and they affect me in the most serious way.  I can talk up a storm about it shouldn't matter how large I am, yada, yada, yada, but at the end of the day, the way I feel doesn't lie to me.  I have to accept that I DO NOT FEEL WELL.  I know I am obese.  

My weight loss journey has been a long one.  At times I know I am stuck for the present.  I continue on.  Keeping sugar out of my diet is a must.  I fail at times, but pick up where I left off.  I have to eat clean and embrace that there is no substitute that's better for me.

Mounjaro gave me extreme cramps and caused serious constipation.  I decided it wasn't for me and I'd need to return to eating nutritionally dense foods and drink good old water period.  🏋 Exercise more, 🛌 sleep well, 🚭 no smoking, 🍺 no alcohol, 💉no recreational drugs, 🥗 portion control, 🙏 pray.  God, help me to not be lazy.

I'm to weigh myself on Mondays.  I did.  My scales are not the same as what is used at the doc's office.  I will go by what my scale says.  4 pounds lighter after eating more veggies and protein.  I need some carbs and will try really hard to eat these in the morning.

Here we go.
Breakfast will be oatmeal with blueberries and slivered almonds.  A little bit of milk and cinnamon.  Water to drink plus tea afterwards.  OR scrambled eggs with veggies and toast. Squeeze some fruit in here.

Lunch will be the big meal of the day with protein and veggies.

Supper should be the same.

Snacks should be a serving of fruit.

Water and tea for beverages.

GOAL:  POUNDS TO LOSE THIS YEAR...58 of 'em.

WALKING was my exercise of choice until February when my hip rebelled.  Tis still my exercise of choice, but the body is screaming with pain.  I am waiting for the hip to be better, if ever. Chiropractic treatment number 3 is coming.  Icing the hip, Ibuprofen, heat, rest throughout the day.  I am not good at this waiting until better.  I am better in the sense that I can stand to walk and the pain isn't as intense.  This is a plus.

I WILL USE HAND WEIGHTS STARTING NOW.  Keeping it simple and that's that.  Food alone isn't going to do it all for me.  Know what I mean, Vern?

Here's to LIFE!

~d

MOM'S 94th

We celebrated Mom's BIRTHDAY 

by eating a FAMILY MEAL at Cracker Barrel

and then had a PARTY at her apartment. 

My siblings and our spouses gathered to honor our Mom.  

A couple of grandkids as well.  Nice to get together.

Sister, Baby Brother, Mom and Me.  
Dad and Brother David are in heaven.

Happy Birthday!

Blessings,
~d