A Prairie View

My Weight Loss Plan

The one thing I like being on this weight loss plan, is that it seems to balance things out, giving me more energy, I’m not hungry, and pardon me for TMI, but its like I have taken something for a colon cleanse. It makes “things” move a whole easier, and I’m sure that helps with the weight loss as well. There are so many benefits, and pluses to being on this plan, so it frustrates me when that other side of me takes over, and does everything it can to sabotage any effort I have put in to being a healthier and thinner me. I refuse to let that side of me win though. I will continue to try, continue to give it my best effort, and someday, I will accomplish my goal, and be the person I know I can be.

Outer Banks

When we used to travel back in the 80’s and 90’s, there were a couple of places that I really like to go. One was the Washington State area. The other was down around the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The breathtaking beauty of the land, and getting away from the faced paced city such as NYC and Los Angeles, it truly was a vacation to us, even though it was a work trip. I enjoyed getting up, and looking at the window and taking in the view. And being able to walk and not have to fight for my space to just be there. There are some wonderful places in this Good Ole USA, and the Outer Banks is one of them!

As Seen On TV

What to fix for supper. Seems like that is a never ending question. I try to plan ahead, and I suppose I always have it narrowed down to 3 or 4 things I know it could be, and its just a matter of deciding which one it is. One of David’s favorite things is this apple salad I make (apples, pecans, marshmallows and Miracle Whip. Thats it). But, I don’t make it very often because I hate chopping up the pecans, and buying them already chopped up is so expensive. Sometimes, I am tempted to order one of those chopper - dopper things …. you know — as seen on tv … they make it look so easy, when it comes to chopping things. But somehow, I still have a problem spending $30 or $40 for something I”m only going to use every so often. Course, they do more than chop, so maybe it is something I should put on my wish list for Christmas. Just a thought.

I’m A Nice Wife

Oops. David messed up. But, I’ll be nice. Last Friday night, he said “I’m not going anywhere, don’t ask, it doesn’t matter who wants me to do what, I’m staying home. Las Vegas new season.”. That would be…ah…. tonight. He’s on his way to Florence to pick up a truck from the shop, so he can start a new driver Monday. He. Forgot. And he was too far from home to turn around and come home and call it a night. But. Being the nice wife I am, I’ll record it for him. He loves that show. There aren’t many that he likes; but that is defininately one of his favorites, and he just plan forgot it started back up tonight. Its either not been on, or its been reruns all summer, so he’s gotten out of the habit of making sure he was home Friday nights. But, I have a feeling his routine is about to change.

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Making A List

With Christmas right around the corner, we need to be deciding what to do for the kids for Christmas. The older kids are pretty easy; but when it comes to Ethan, he tends to want things that exceed our price limit — such as a laptop or the newest Razr phone that is out. Or a Gameboy or Xboy system. We always make him make a list, and to list things that are reasonable to things that aren’t quite so reasonable. We have an idea in mind of what to get him, but I’m sure I will change my mind 100 times before I actually go shopping for him. I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by! Amazing!

A Lightbulb Moment

I think it is so strange, but I understand why he does it. We have been buying this one kind of light bulb that is guaranteed for 5 years. It seems like we are always having light bulbs go out, so spending a little extra for home lighting, if it lasts for 5 years will be worth it. What I think is strange though is that as David is putting the lighting in the various different places, he has written on the bulb the date that he did it. So, when it ceases to work, and it hasn’t been fire years, you know what he is going to do. Makes sense, but it just looks weird, him writing on a lightbulb.

Grilling Outside

We probably won’t go camping this weekend either, but I do want to camp a few more times this fall, while the temps are cool, but not cold. I love being out among the nature (even if we are in the camper), the smell of a campfire burning, and turning the patio area of the campsite into an outdoor kitchen, with the grilling of steak or hamburgers. Family gathering around, everyone bringing their own side dishes, and just enjoying the good food and fellowship. Even if we don’t do the family scene, and its just the 3 of us, I still enjoy going, and we have to make a point of going before winter gets here.

The Beat Goes On

At one time, I would use our wrist blood pressure machine to check my blood pressure, but more important, my pulse rate, and to see if my heart was beating normally, or if it was out of rhythm. These days, I don’t need a blood pressure machine, or a pulse oximeter or any other machine to know if my heart is out of rhythm. It is. I can tell. I try not to let it bother me. Its just a part of my life, and I’m not ready to let my cardiologist put me in the hospital to give me something that is a “maybe” at best. He could give me medicine that might put it back in rhythm. But there is no guarantee that it will work, or even if it did work, just how long it will last. I know some day I will probably regret my decision, but I just have a hard time spending $5,000 or more on a “maybe”. So. I live with it. When it starts to affect my quality of life, then I will probably do something about it. But for now, its just part of who I am.

Where Did It Go?

I can’t believe its almost the weekend already.  And what’s more — I haven’t posted SINCE the weekend.  No regular posts, no paid posts.  I’ve done a couple over at my weight loss blog, and a quick update on my toothache at “Quiet Time” — but other than that, nada.    I’ve just been in one of those moods.    I can’t so no ambition — because I’ve been tackling some new projects at work, and have gotten quite a bit accomplished.  But, once I get home, I just go into a funk.  No brain activity at all.   And, I guess I have been a bit busy as well.  Tuesday night, Ethan and I went to Topeka for a weigh-in, and it was after 9:00 before we got home.  Last night was Parent Teacher Conferences, and it was after 7:00 before I got home from that.  Got laundry started, supper started.  Before I knew it, the evening was over, and it was time to go to bed.   Tonight I had Bible Study, and it was almost 9:00 before I got home from that.   David’s mom had called to see if we wanted to go somewhere to eat.  I didn’t, but David did, so he went with them.  Ethan had to work, so I stopped by the grocery store to let him know he needed to do his own supper.     And I …. well… Day 2 of the new-plan-starting-again.  And I have stuck to it faithfully.  Which might account for part of the mood.   I don’t know.   But I do need to get back on top of things.  Get organized again, and figure out just where I am at, and what assignments I have due when.

Still Working

I know I said this a couple of days ago, but I am still impressed.  Several days has gone by, and still no spam comments.  Just a simple little plug in did the trick.  And I’ve gotten several “real people” comments since then, so apparently no body minds having to type in that simple little word.  I still have yet to grasp the concept behind the minds of those people who create pop up ads and comment spam, and all the other garbage that plagues us as normal internet users.  Why can’t we all get alone?   Why do you have to create something that creates a headache for someone else?   esp. someone else that you don’t even know.   I just don’t understand, and probably never will.

Saving Money Online

It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that the only way you could save money was to watch for the weekly specials in the paper, and buying the Sunday paper to clip coupons, and find refund offers. The internet has introduced a whole new world of saving money, and finding different free online coupons, coupon codes, discounts and bargain deals — all for major online stores and shopping sites. WebbyPlanet.com is one such resource. They have all the best online coupons, including Dell, Coldwater Creek, Zappos, Staples, and many many more.

And unlike the Sunday paper, the coupons you “clip” on WebbyPlanet are free. Using the online coupons you find there are free of charge, and you are very likely to save quite a bit. But this is also where WebbyPlanet.com differs from other online-coupon-sites. If you have an online coupon code, one that WebbyPlanet doesn’t have, go to their “contact us”  page, and enter your online coupon. Its a community effort. Kinda like those coupon swaps I used to be involved in. Only much simplier, and less messy! WebbyPlanet makes finding the coupon you want or need extremely easy. Browse by category or by store. Sign up to be informed about the most recent coupons from your favorite online stores.

Saving Money On Prescriptions

I’m not sure what all is involved; but David spent most of the evening on the computer, looking up all the prescriptions that he is having to take now.  And most of them qualify for the $4  prescriptions at Walmart.   I don’t know what all you have to do to be able to take advantage of this, but with everything he is taking now, it would save him quite a bit of money.   He just got most of them filled; but that will give him a month then to talk to his doctor and get it figured out what he needs to do to start getting them filled at Walmart.  It will be worth the drive to Emporia or Topeka to do it.

Get Help With Your Smoking Addiction

Fortunately, with my addictive-type personality, smoking is one addiction I haven’t had a problem with. Shopping. Eating. And a few others, yes. So, I do understand the overwhelming urge to put something into my body that I know is not good for me. I have also been around family members who smoked, and could. not. stop. No matter how hard they would try. The nicotine would pull them back into a life of smoking again. There is help on the market though, with products such as Zyban. As with any drug though, you have to know what you are getting into when you are taking it. Is it safe? what are the side effects? how does it work? Drugs.com gives a brief run down of what Zyban is and what it does. It is a tablet used to help quit smoking, and does not contain nicotine.

Zyban contains Bupropion, wish is used for in another medicine that is used for depression. Strangely enough, when smokers who also happened to be taking Wellbutrin, which contains Bupropion, they reported a decrease in their desire to smoke. Through further testing, the drug was found to be effective in treating the smoking addiction, and help smokers quit. Patients start taking Zyban before they begin the process of quitting — usually with a target date around the 2nd week. Unlike other nicotine patches or gum, Zyban does not put more nicotine into your body. You continue to smoke when you first start taking th medication, to eventually reach your quit-date, and then taking the drug for a period of time after quitting. Zyban is only available on a doctor’s prescription.

What Is …

My favorite time of day? Once I get up and going, morning is my favorite time of day. Usually by evening, I am pretty much done in, not for any good reason, other than just getting through the day. But in the mornings, I am usually clear headed, and mind full of plans and things I would like to get accomplished for the day. By evening, I am either tired from getting it all done; or disillusioned with myself for not having the time or energy to do it, and beat myself up mentally because of all the negative talk that goes on in my head during the day. With mornings, there is still hope.

What is your favorite time of day?

FDA Approved

I am struggling. I have a plan, but I have ceased to have it in place. I have resumed to bad habits and bad choices. I am embarrassed to even return to the place of the plan that I should have in place. How many “do overs” am I allowed? I can’t help but that there has to be an easier way. When Alli first hit the market, I was still working this other plan, so I never gave it a 2nd thought or look. But now I am. I would like to know more about Alli. I have looked at their official website. And read an article about the side effects. It is FDA approved, and is over the counter, so it is within my powers to be a choice to take a step forward in the weight loss department of my life.

But what do I know about it? Alli blocks some of the fat that you eat, keeping it from being absorbed by your body. It is to be used in conjuction with a reduced-calorie diet and weight loss maintenance program. It is not a magic pill that is going to undo years of bad choices and make your obese body go from fat to thin in a short amount of time. It is a tool to help, along with the good choices you should make every day where your diet and activities are concerned. There are certain people who should not take Alli, so like with any medicines you take, you should check with your doctor first before beginning a weight loss plan with Alli.

Anti Spam Plugin

Yeah! It looks like it just might have worked. I have several spam blocking plugins loaded, and for the most part, they worked great. I just had to delete a section of captured spam every so often. But in the last couple of weeks, for whatever reason, alot of spam comments have been getting through. Not just targeting one or two posts, but all over the board. I found this plugin in today — Peter’s Custom Anti-Spam Image Plugin. I was getting 5 and 6 spam comments or more an hour. Pages full throughout the day. Since activating this plugin, I haven’t gotten any.

Course, the down side is, you have to type in the word shown when you leave a comment. But, its in a clean box, in clean print. No squiggly distorted writing. Easy Peasy. Hope you don’t mind, but the spam comment was starting to get out of control. I didn’t mind one here and there. But, the amount I was getting, something needed to be done.

Emulating Your Favorite NFL Player

When I was growing up, my Halloween costumes would be very simple. Some years my mom would make my costume, other years, she would buy them. Since I was a girl, the costumes would be the customary fairy or princess type. Cinderella comes to mind. Boys had it easy. It can be just as simple today. How about a NFL uniform from Franklin Sports for a Halloween Costume ? I just finished watching Deal or No Deal, with a NFL theme, and a boy would look awesome emulating his favorite NFL player, complete with jersey, pants and helmet. When ordering from Franklin Sports, the uniform is boxed in its own box, and would make a great birthday gift, used as PJs or a Halloween costume.

I refused to let my kids dress in monster or gothic looking costumes when they were growing up. My memory is fading in my advancing old age (give me a break, I’ll be 50 soon!), but I’m thinking one of my older boys did dress up as a football player one year. They both played football, so it would have been an easy out that year for Halloween. Course, I might be mistaken. By the time they were old enough to play football, they were also old enough to want to be out with their friends (read: NOT with mom). And out with friends could have meant TPing and egg throwing. So, maybe we didn’t do a football uniform. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I made them stay home by that age. The last thing I wanted when the boys were growing up was someone dressed in a police officer’s uniform showing up at my door Halloween night.

Update

Now the doctor is thinking it is a torn rotor cup. I’m really not pleased with all the 2nd guessing here, and no tests or x-rays being done. But, I don’t like it when David dictacts what I need to do when I see my doctor(s), so I’ll step back for a bit and let him deal with it. He did get his prescriptions straightened out. He should have been taking a blood pressure prescription all along. They aren’t sure when and why he stopped taking it. But, David is very diligent about taking his medicines, so, I’m not sure what happened here. But, I suppose I need to step up to the plate and know what he is taking, and what for. As I learned with my aunt, its good to know this information, and keep track of it. I’m not ready to go back into a care-giver role; but I do need to look out for David just a little bit better than I do!

Is There A Doctor In The House?

I hope he follows through. David has been hurting for awhile now. His arms, his joints. His legs sometimes. His back. Some days are better than others. The man who used to jump in the truck (semi) and go at the drop of the hat … wasn’t sure he could get in the truck last night (he had to take one to Emporia to the shop). It required lifting his arms, which he can’t do, and pulling himself up. No strength. He’s been to the chiropractor. He’e been to “his” doctor, which is a P/A. The first time he went, his P/A wasn’t there, but another one was, and our thought at that time was Lyme disease. So, they run a blood test; but when he went back the next Tuesday, Jim said that he could have told him it wasn’t Lyme disease without even running the test. He doesn’t think he has a torn roter cup; he is thinking it is the side effect of one of the medicines he is taking. Instructed him to stop taking it. But, he’s not any better.

He needs to see Jim anyway, because we are confused about the medicines he’s taking. He is thinking it is his choloestral medicine causing the joint point. And his cholestral is looking good, so thats why he told him to go ahead and stop taking. Ok, thats fine. However. WE thought he took medicine for his blood sugar levels, for his cholestral — and then he also takes Potassium. Where the confusion lies, is we were pretty sure he also took medicine for his blood pressure. He doesn’t know. He has just been taking the medicine and not really thinking about what its for. So, if for no other reason, he needs to go and get it straightened out to just what he is taking, and why and why not … he has high blood pressure, we could have swore Jim put him on medicine for it.  But, no blood pressure medicine.  So, he needs to find out his prescription history and just what he should be taking, and what it is for.

Looking Ahead

To put it into perspective, we are only 3 and 1/2 semesters away from being at the end. The end of child rearing as we have known it. Our youngest child will graduate, and presumably go on to college or into a job that will move him out of the house, leaving David and I without a child in the house for the first time in some 30+ years. Where do we go from there? Continue on, status quo? Same job(s), day in, day or? Or, is this my time to bloom, to go back to school, to go outside of my comfort zone and do something that is just for me. But what if I don’t want to venture out into the world? but I still want to do something. Signing up for an online university like Columbia Southern University is a possibility. They are one of the nation’s first completely online universities. Their degree program is designed to fit around the work schedules of military, firefighters, police and other with demanding and unpredictable occupations. Even working-outside-of-the-home-moms-without-children-at-home-anymore. They offer associate, bachelor, graduate and postgraduate programs in a variety of fields. Now is the time to be thinking, planning. For the both of us.

From Our Forests

Very often, I will browse through my favorite stock image web site, looking for that “just right” picture to decorate my blog. When I”m not focusing on prairie or sunflower pictures, I often search for rocking chairs, windows, and other “at home” kind of pictures. Looking at those pictures makes me want to tackle our living room and do a complete change. Those rooms with Hardwood floors and fireplaces especially catch my attention. I am drawn to Appalachian Flooring, just like what FloorMall.com has to offer.

“From Our Forests to Your Feet” is what you will get from this company. The Appalachians are known for their majestic and spectacular mountain ranges. Imagine a bit of this beauty on your floor. Our house is an older house, and I would be willing to bet that there is a beautiful floor underneath this carpet, if we would just take the time and trouble to discover it. But even if there’s not, I know I have a resource like FloorMall.com to turn to when I am ready to beautify my living room and make it a place of beauty and home-e-ness.

Stormy

I am so glad that today played out the way it did. Yesterday I worked by myself at the office, but it was a pretty day, and I didn’t mind being alone. But today, storms came rolling through, including the electricity going out for awhile. I am sooo glad David was there. I don’t like storms; and I definately don’t like going through storms by myself. And not being at home made it that much worse. I did worry about our boss — he was out leveling gravel where they keep all the trucks. He had road the tractor over there, so I was concerned he was still out in it, although David kept reassuring me there was buildings for him to get into if it was raining where he was at. Sure enough, an hour or so later, he comes in, dry as a bone, giving David a hard time about not coming to pick him up. They have such an easy going working relationship. I was hoping that was the case, because I really didn’t want David to leave to go get him, leaving me alone! It all worked out, and we got some much needed rain!

What Is …

My favorite room in my home and why? That would have to be the office. Its a little more cluttered than what I would like it to be; but one of these days, I’m going to get in there and go through things, declutter, and turn it into well run scrapbook room. I have many pictures of when I was growing up. I don’t think they had orlando florida vacation rentals back then, but there are pictures of us at the beach when we did take a vacation, traveling to Florida. I was 3 at the time; so I don’t remember a whole lot about it…what I do remember, I am sure comes from the many pictures that were taken. When vacations were taken “back then”, it was long before the internet. Today, we can just get on line, and go to Orlando.com, who provides the most affordable prices and widest selection of hotels, car rentals and flights to the Orlando Florida area. Gone are the days when you just drive until you can’t drive anymore, and then you start looking for a hotel or motel. To find night life or entertainment, it was by word of mouth, or just driving and stopping when you saw something that caught your attention. Orlando.com is a travel guide that offers tips on these things and much more more!

What is your favourite room in your home and why?

Ironing Away

I can’t speak for the rest of America, but I do believe that a good portion of today’s generation of kids will probably need to refer to Wikipedia to define just what this Ironng Board thing his mom or grandma is talking about. I can remember my grandma having a whole room dedicated to just ironing. She kept the ironing board set up all the time, and the iron was read to go with just the slide of a switch. Baskets of clothes, sitting by the board, waiting to be ironed. I had forgotten about this part of my life. The simple act of ironing, the feel of a crisp shirt after it being ironed, and even the smell. The freshness of a newly ironed piece of clothing.

So many of our clothes are “wash and wear”, and I know in our house, the iron, and the ironing board is a thing of that past. I do know, though, that many careers and jobs do require crisp, neatly pressed clothes and this is where the Ironing Board that Better Life Style Products offers on their website would be a definate plus in that kind of household. The Lifestyle Wall Mounted Ironing Board combines Something that I like about this new product over the old ironing board is how stable it is. Its attached to the wall, so its not going anywhere. It takes up very little wall space, and the space-saving design allows it to fold away in seconds. And the fact that it can be mounted at any convenient height is a plus. Whether you are 4′ 11″ or 6′ 1″ , you can mount it to the height that you need it to be. It comes in soft white color, and can be painted to match your room color. It combines convenience, space, style and is quite affordable. It is designed so that anyone can install it, and is durable and built to last.