De the Plumber

In an ironic twist this is the first photo taken (by Arielle) since I fixed the camera....and it's me attempting to fix the plumbing. ::snort:: Arielle and I decided to go on a hunt for the camera manual. We checked the manual/warranty file...not there. We checked Mike's night stand...not there. I then went online. I had located the online spot for manuals for D-70's.....when Arielle found the manual - in the camera bag! ::snort:: It works.

I'm determined NOT to call a plumber. I can see what's wrong. I turned the little collar thing. Then somehow knocked it loose so there was water and gunk everywhere. I put it back together and turned the collar as hard as I can and it still is leaking. I'm letting it "rest" while I contemplate the next step. I will NOT call the plumber when I can SEE what needs to happen. I think I may take it apart this afternoon and go to Lowes. We'll see....

Tuesday

*Just caught that I had titled this Wed. as I went to publish it. That about sums up my day. ::snort::

~The day began with a few phone calls, pancakes and smoothies for the children and a workout. I used the video today and did all 3 sections of the step workout - soon I'll buy a step. When my heart rate dips below the range it should be in. ::snort::

~I GOT COUCH SCHOOL DONE TODAY!!!!

~The highlight of our day today was our twice a year visit to our dentist. After a rocky start with dentists in this town, we found one we love. Thanks Adrienne. I'd actually never seen the dentist until today, but he does seem nice. What makes this office great for us is Gena, the hygienist. She has a box of toys in her room and invites everyone to come play while she works on us. The office will let us all come in at once. She's very laid back. She talks with some children while she works on one. LOL She asked me if I'd had Zander's IQ tested. She also said she thinks he's going to be an engineer. Why? Because he had to touch every inch of the room, including the chair, the tools, the sinks etc. He also asked her repeatedly, "how does that work?" She kept asking if he would sit in her chair and he insisted he wouldn't. Stacia, meanwhile, climbed all over the chair. She was in that thing the minute one of the other children would step out. She even showed her teeth off to both Gena and Dr. S. She had no CLUE she was supposed to fear a dentist...just watched everyone else doing and figured she ought to as well. I was sad not to have the camera.....but maybe next time.

I asked for her not to give the children fluoride today. I'm not sure about the whole fluoride thing and want to research.....she said that I shouldn't have it because of my thyroid. I had my book with me. I'm amazed at the info that providers share when they see that you are interested. Fluoride used to be (may still be?) used to treat hyperthyroidism...it depresses the function of the thyroid. A person who is hypothyroid does not need this. NOW - I have no idea how MUCH fluoride you would need etc. but it was interesting to me...and I hate the stuff in my mouth anyway! ::snort::

I have a filling that will need replaced. Everyone else was fine. As we were getting ready to leave Zander said, "How bout you do me now?" I was SHOCKED. He climbed up and let Gena look at his teeth. She actually cleaned them. Then, did the polish - flavored but they had no other. They found a cavity on a back molar. She said that it will be a while before they want to try filling a cavity with him....really this is the FIRST time he's EVER opened his mouth. Last time he sat in the chair but wouldn't open his mouth. In AK he wouldn't even sit in the chair.... They want me to paint fluoride on his tooth every night.....with a q-tip. I'm a bit worried as the only fluoride they had was flavored.....but I guess if he doesn't swallow it, we may be o.k. We'll have to see what happens. I asked about ACT but 1. it's colored and 2. it's not as strong as what they gave me.....I need to pray this one through tonight.

~The "lowlight" of my day is that my kitchen sink is leaking. I will tackle plumbing 101 in the next day or two.

~Tonight in Bible Study we covered an entire book of the Bible. I told the ladies we are getting GOOD. We covered 2 John. LOL

Tortellini Chowder from Emily (adaptions by me LOL)

4 cups of chicken broth (if you've not made your own broth - try it - things taste SO much better!)

1 1/2 cups thick n chunky mild salsa

approx 18 ounces of refrigerated tortellini (4 - 5 cups)

dash salt

1 pound of frozen vegetable - Bird's Eye corn, broccoli and red pepper (I used about 5 cups of mixed, fresh veggies)

1 small can of evaporated milk (I used cream - because I don't have the other, would be less fat with different milk option - but it was GOOD! ::snort::)

parsley or cilantro for garnish

Combine broth and salsa. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in tortellini and vegetables. Cook over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until tortellini and vegetable are tender (takes a bit longer with fresh veggies). Stir in milk and salt. Cook 1 -2 minutes or just until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Serve, garnish with parsley or cilantro.

My littles didn't eat this, but the olders and I liked it. I liked it well enough to have a mug of it for my "evening snack" though I was NOT hungry at all. {sigh}

For pictures visit Emily's blog and click recipes in the side bar (Maybe I should just steal photos of Emily's family until I get my Nikon fixed...nah ya'll might notice LOL)

Monday

*Big news - because this is long and ya'll may not read it all - according to BMI I am no longer OBESE! I'm now mid-range over-weight.....even taken into account the one inch in height I mysteriously lost.....::snort:: AND I fit into pants a size smaller....the scale doesn't read what it read in Aug before that fated vacation diet fiasco...but after 5 months I'm fitting into smaller sizes again...so something is happening.

~No couch school done at all today. The older boys got finished. Arielle and Nolan finished their independent work.

~I didn't get to sleep until 5 a.m. I slept in until 7.

~I went for a bike ride. I read the thermometer wrong and thought it was 37*. I was freezing. I kept telling myself doing that video inside for a week had made me soft. Then two hours after my ride I glanced at the thermometer and it was 27*! ::snort::

~Mike called! Always wonderful. I got more cards and letters today. I think I'm going to miss all the letters when you get home, Mike.

~I got off the phone with Mike and realized I needed to get lunch for children and head to my meeting with the dietitian.

~The meeting with the dietitian was SUPERB! Yes, my cholesterol is 50 pts high - 250. BUT my HDL has risen a LOT in the last year - it's 30 pts higher than average. Unfortunately, the LDL is up too....BUT she said that as I keep eating the way I am, using the oils I am, and loosing weight, the LDL will go down and the HDL will continue to rise. My cholesterol ratio is 4 now....and at 4 and under they don't medicate. She went over the lists of what I'd been eating and said that we're eating GREAT. She checked it all and said that 6 lbs weight gain one week and 4 lb weight loss the next had to be a thyroid blurp because there was NO WAY I should be gaining weight working out 5 - 6 times a week and eating what I eat. She said that I need to eat more and she is concerned that I've been eating so little. I told her I don't want to gain 6 lbs a week!!! She assures me that if I'll eat some sort of breakfast and then add two snacks in I WON'T gain weight. I explained I'm full all the time. She explained "to bad" and told me to eat because I have three factors for a sluggish metabolism (age, thyroid and new baby) and that I've killed my metabolism by not eating......but all these years of Weigh Down and Thin Within make it very hard for me to eat if I'm not hungry. Oh yes....and the new recommendation for fruit/veggie consumption? 10 - 12 servings a day! I really won't be able to eat anything else...and I think that's the point! ::snort::

~The base will be offering a free weight loss class for the next six weeks. They'd like me to attend. 1. it would be good for me to move thoughts of nutrition to the forefront of my mind, 2. They'd like me in the class to share the changes I made in our diet, and probably 3. She can keep saying "eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks" to try to indoctrinate me. It's Friday from 12:00 - 12:45. I may do it. I'm thinking. The weekly focus might be good....might help motivate me....and they have an exercise trainer too but it will be a LONG time before I let him pinch my fat. LOL

~I made Emily's tortellini chowder tonight. Emily - do you want me to link to your web for the recipe or post it? Let me know. I adapted....but it was yummy. I didn't have frozen veggies and used 4 C of broccoli, red peppers, carrots and corn....and I didn't have evaporated milk and used a cup of cream. Yeah - I KNOW! BUT the dietitian agreed I could have small amounts of the REAL thing! LOL

~Tricia called right when I'd begun dinner and reminded me about Mom's Night Out at our homeschool support group! I remembered earlier in the day - I think - but I'd totally forgotten by evening.

~My OB/GYN's husband was one of the speakers tonight. He runs a fitness program here in the community. They also had a lady who is offering drama and voice lessons. And oh yeah - I KNOW what I forgot to sign up for - missions trip for homeschool youth and/or families.

Sunday

Too tired to think of a title...maybe I'll think of one before tomorrow. LOL

~Sunday School - good. Zander even went and played with the class, though he didn't attend the whole class.

~Lunch with Steve, Debbie and boys. Arielle felt sick when we left. She got better in a couple of hours. Strange....

~Zander, Arielle and Jamin wanted an outing. I took them to the mall. We discovered you could pay $25 and get in a cage with baby lions, tigers and jaguars. Zander was SURE I had money for this, I was sure I didn't.

~Mandy came over, after dropping her eldest son at youth group. We had a good visit and I introduced her to Red Tea.....her boys Malin and Martin were great fun for Nolan and Zander. I couldn't believe I forgot to offer her tea...thanks for asking about putting the kettle on, Mandy. It surprises me how much Mandy and I have in common. She's from England, I'm from the United States....but we both attended boarding schools, we both are married to chaplains, we both have children, both our husbands are currently on expense paid vacations...there must be more....anyway it was fun to visit with her.

~A note about the counters....I couldn't decide what to do. I didn't want to leave anyone out....but if I wait until the first one is done, the next doesn't get much air time...so there you have it....I almost said "boys birthday month" but they deserve their own countdown. LOL

That's all folks...

Semi- Studious/Semi-Silly SATURDAY

~Jamin studied all day.

~Josiah worked all day.

~I did my 5th Step Workout of the Week! WooHoo! Made that goal!

~I talked with Bank of America again today - 3 agents. I had two merchants they had denied (recurring payments as I've not been using the card). I had to call the merchants and tell them to try again (our local paper and netflix). They insist it is all taken care of now....but I asked them to explain WHY I continue to have trouble. Evidently, this is one of the mysteries of the modern age. ::snort::

~I worked on my personal Shop Natural order. I also helped two women get their orders together. I still need to compile the monthly group order and get it sent in.

~Arielle went to play with Ashley.

~I took Jamin to the library....and found some new books for myself, while he looked for Winston Churchill books.

~More letters, cards and a package from Mike today.

~We went to the mall to see a magic show. The magician's message is about believing in yourself (or in magic), saying no to drugs and alcohol and bullies. We had good seats from Chick Fil A....until the boy next to us threw up - he was maybe 2 and had drunk an ENTIRE Strawberry shake by himself. Josiah was manager on duty and got to clean it up! UGH....see all that time cleaning carpets around here during flu season has taken him to great heights. ::snort:: At the magic show there were skunks, rabbits, birds and a baby Siberian tiger. Nolan insisted on staying to pet them all.

That's it for today. I'm not going to try to load many photos as blogger is loading each of my images about 100 times and then I have to delete them all. LOL

Tea Thoughts

I've thought I needed to lay off drinking tea to be "healthy". I really do not care for herb teas....though with some stevia or agave nectar and a bit of cream, maybe they wouldn't be to bad...LOL Anyway, I've been trying not to drink black tea. I've been hearing that my Red Tea (Rooibos) was good but wasn't sure why. I took some time today to find some info and I'm THRILLED. It seems black tea is good for reducing cholesterol and Red Tea is really good. I found this info from several tea sites (::snort::) Bigelo, Celestial Seasonings, Republic of Tea, English Tea Store and wikipedia etc. In case anyone else has wondered, I thought I'd share.

Researchers from several countries have presented evidence that suggests that black teas, green teas and oolong teas, have a protective capability against oral, lung, colon and other cancers. Green teas especially, with more than thirty polyphenols, has a unique beneficial effect on the human system. These polyphenols are also found in fruits and vegetables and act as antioxidants like vitamin C, E, and beta carotene and may reduce serum cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and stroke.

~Tea is reported to aid digestion, strengthen the immune system, and reduce the risk of heart disease, all of which play a role in healthy aging

~ By inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract, tea helps prevent the formation of unwanted clots which may cause a heart attack or stroke.

~Black, green and oolong teas contain some caffeine. Green tea, has about one-third the caffeine per cup of black tea. Oolong has about half as much caffeine as black tea. Coffee by contrast, has about twice as much caffeine as black tea.

Black tea consumption may lower bad cholesterol levels and could one day be used to help reduce the chance of heart disease for those at risk, U.S. researchers said Tuesday. ( MSNBC )

~Why Red Tea?

Red Tea has all the benefits of green tea, but is completely caffeine-free so that you can enjoy unlimited cups, multiplying the benefits from all its healthful properties without overdoing the caffeine.

Red Tea can be of benefit in common infant ailments like colic and stomach cramps.

Red Tea is completely pure, natural and contains no additives, preservatives or colorants.

Red Tea contains no caffeine and has a soothing effect on the central nervous system.

Red Tea has anti-spasmotic properties which help to relieve stomach and digestive problems like nausea, vomiting, heartburn and stomach ulcers.

Red Tea benefits the management of allergies like hay fever, asthma, and eczema.

Red Tea has a soothing effect when applied directly to the skin as a tincture or can relieve itching, rashes and sunburn when added to a bath.

Red Tea has antioxidants which limit the effects of free-radicals in the process of aging and the declining immune system.

Red Tea supplements the daily amounts of calcium, manganese and especially fluoride, needed for the development of strong teeth and bones.

Red Tea contains zinc and alapa-hydroxy acid, which promote healthy skin, and magnesium, which is necessary for a healthy nervous system.