Tag Archives: food

October 20, 2025 · 10:11 pm

Why Chia Seeds?

Organic Bazar


“Chia seeds are tiny, nutrient-dense seeds from the Salvia hispanica plant that offer numerous health benefits. You should take them because they are packed with fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and antioxidants, which support heart health, digestion, bone health, and can help with weight management. They can be easily added to your diet by sprinkling them on yogurt, adding them to smoothies, or making chia pudding.” ~ Google

Brian introduced us to chia seeds when we arrived in Thailand at the beginning of April. We were having digestion and elimination problems, and Brian suggested we try drinking a glass of water with 1 tsp of chia seeds dissolved in it. Harvey immediately said he wouldn’t drink any more.

Since then, I’ve increased it to 1 tablespoon in a large glass of water each morning, along with a tablespoon of olive oil. I also take a pro-biotic pill in the evenings before bed. I drink lots of water all day and into the evening.

RESULT? Only two problems in 7 months – one of which was a definite reaction to food we ate, because Brian had trouble, too. This is a record for me. I consider chia seeds a miracle for this alone.

“Add chia seeds to your diet because they are a nutritional powerhouse packed with fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and antioxidants that support heart health, improve digestion, and can help with weight management and blood sugar control. They are also rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which are vital for bone health.”

  • Improved Digestion
  • Boosted Energy Level
  • Heart Health Support
  • Weight Management
  • Stronger Hair & Skin
  • Better Mental Clarity
  • Overall Wellness Boost

I know I may sound like a commercial, but I have rarely been so strongly sold on one thing I can do for my health everyday – drink the large glass of water with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. I stir it up, then use a timer to let the seeds soak for 10 minutes. I stir again before drinking it down. At first, the texture of it bothered me. Now I just think about all the good it’s doing for me and drink it down.

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October 15, 2025 · 9:41 pm

Thursday, October 16th

We had some of this as part of our breakfast the past two days. This Thai fruit is called a Pomelo. It’s much like a grapefruit, except it’s sweeter and the sections are huge compared to any grapefruit I’ve eaten in the States.

“The biggest citrus is really an improved grapefruit; a pomelo is at once both sweeter and easier to eat. For convenience, buy one that’s already been cut up (stand back and watch Thai supermarket employees wield immense cleavers).”

How to try pomelo?

The Kohsamui Guide

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Thankfully, it only sprinkled this morning, so my laundry is now out on my balcony drying on my drying rack. I’ll still keep a close eye on the weather, ready to leap up and bring my rack inside, plus put a sheet under it to catch any drips. 😊

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This is my latest painted sketch.

I go for a massage tomorrow. As you age, your bones become more brittle, your muscles more prone to injury; so it’s super important to me to have a massage therapist I can trust. (I was really upset to have to leave Lynn, my wonderful therapist in the States.) I feel as if I’ve won the lottery to have had TWO experts tend to this old body, making me feel loose and wonderful again for a time. It’s beyond price to be able to put yourself in someone’s hands you KNOW won’t hurt you, knows exactly how hard to pull, push, kneed, or twist to get all the knots and sore spots to recede, if not leave altogether.

Because I’m so delighted to have found my second terrific therapist, I’m going to try to paint a thank you card for her. She speaks very little English. I speak even less Thai, but a card, my mangled attempt to say, “Thank you” in Thai, plus a huge smile and saying “yes” to another massage NEXT Friday should get my feelings across. 🙏🏻

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I have done the prep work, mostly, for Khun Nong, my housekeeper coming tomorrow. I’ve changed the sheets on my bed, I’ve gathered trash to take out, I’ve straightened things so that she will find it easy to clean.

We will go to visit Harvey at the nursing home tomorrow. Because Friday is my busiest day, when I go to breakfast at my son’s place in the morning, I’ll take my sheets and towels he washes for me, plus my sketchbook, drawing supplies, my Kindle, and my sweatshirt so that we won’t have to disturb my housekeeper while she’s working. We’ll go to Bri’s when we get back from the nursing home, grab our stuff and head for the cafe where we stay until Khun Nong is finished.

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I hope you are having a great day or evening, and that you are aware and grateful for all you have.

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September 26, 2025 · 10:33 pm

I am a Work-in-Progress

Unknown

I am in the process of doing a lot of changing since we moved to Thailand.

Some of them are health-related:

  • I used to drink coffee by the pot full. I would start a pot in the morning. My husband and I would drink a cup and then I would finish the pot. If dinnertime came and the pot was empty, I would make another pot and drink most of it, if not all. Coffee didn’t keep me awake. It was like drinking water to me. – now we drink mushroom teas (various) with bone broth mixed in. This is a very healthful drink. It’s supposed to do all kind of wonderful things for us. The bone broth is supposed to help with hair and fingernails. We drink one cup with breakfast. Now many times I have an iced mocha in the afternoon as a pick-me-up. I never liked iced coffee, but the ones I’ve tried here are all wonderful, and the ‘iced’ helps me ‘weather’ the weather better…
  • Exercise – I used to do yoga stretches and various exercise videos on my computer at various times when we lived in the states. I THOUGHT about them more than actually DOING them. – Now Brian and I go to the gym every morning at 0-dark-thirty to use the treadmills for half an hour. Brian says he can tell I’m healthier. I also make it a point to do at least half an hour of yoga stretches daily. I also dance with water bottles in each hand at least every other day, trying to work on my arms and back, as well as have fun moving more.
  • Eating – I used to eat what I liked and too much of that. I belonged to the “clean plate club”, practically licking the plate before I finished stuffing my face. Sometimes I went back for seconds. We always had high carb, salty snacks on hand. Now I eat breakfast and dinner. Brian and I share whatever we get. He eats 2/3 and I eat 1/3. I try to drink LOTS more water than I did before. If I get hungry, I chew some sugarless gum.
  • Using my day – In the states I was trying to handle more and more of what my husband used to do, but couldn’t do anymore. I was overwhelmed by to-do lists that only grew. I felt guilty when I went up to my art room, even though I sold much of what I made up there. By the time I had handled enough of the list to do a little bit of something fun, I had run out of time or was simply too exhausted to do it. Now I can put myself at the top of the list mentally. I still have ‘to-do’ lists and a list of errands we need to run, calls I need to make, etc., but I make a conscious effort to include something FUN in my day while I still have energy and actually ENJOY the doing. Now that I’m officially ‘retired,’ I am moving from one fun thing to another any time I’m not needed elsewhere. My attitude is one of improving my quality of life. Getting a second chance at life changed me forever. I am worth doing something fun now. 👍

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June 15, 2025 · 10:21 pm

Beautiful Family

Freepik

I had the most delightful evening with my new family here in Thailand who ‘adopted’ Harvey and me as honorary grandparents for their family. Their mother is visiting from the states and is staying in a condo right next door to mine, so we’re neighbors, too, for about a month!

They came after dinner, bringing me a ‘treat.’ I’LL SAY! It was an exquisite tiny chocolate piece of cake that was ‘low carb!’ With it was a small container of homemade chocolate avocado mousse made by Brian’s friend’s wife.

I carefully divided the piece of cake in half, plus used half of the mousse before bed. I HAD to text her to say that it was absolutely delicious!!!!!!!!! Her daughter loved an avocado chocolate bowl they got for her recently and so she MADE some for her. It only has a small bit of syrup in it, so I don’t have to feel guilty. AND – I get to enjoy the other half tonight!!!!! YUM.

The grandmother is a delightful lady, full of energy and easy to talk to. We had a really good time talking, and will try to get together soon to do something. (She’s a real dynamo, though, so I warned her that I’m old, just finished with some back pain, and low on stamina right now. That didn’t seem to bother her a bit!😁

We’ll go to the family’s place for dinner sometime this week, so I’m really looking forward to that.

The dad (Brian’s friend) brought his son for a few minutes, so I took the opportunity to give my adoptive grandson the dinosaur I painted for him. I have no clue whether he liked it or not – he’s 3 years old and very shy – but I hope he did.

I’m still smiling about the wonderful time we had. What a lucky woman I am!

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June 11, 2025 · 10:59 pm

No Joke

Simply Suwanee

Jok (โจ๊ก, pronounced joke), or the Thai version of congee also known as rice porridge, is about as comforting as a Thai breakfast can come.

When we visited Harvey at the nursing home, he was very positive (amazing!) about the breakfast he had eaten. He called it, “Fish Soup,” but nodded when Brian found a picture to show him on his phone.

It’s actually a very popular Thai dish called Jok and is routinely eaten as a fortifying breakfast. Brian got us some this morning so that I could try it. (Next time we order, we’ll get half as much because they super generous.)

Since it is known as a porridge, you won’t be surprised that we used up my carbs quota for the day and more with our breakfast. I’m not sorry, though. I wanted to taste it, and every once in a while, when I’m celebrating a milestone, I’ll treat myself to more. Ingredients are rice, pork, chicken, or fish chunks, mushrooms, onions, and other spices. Really, really nice.

The one thing that was difficult for me was the fresh ginger. I bit down on it and my mouth was on fire. Brian insisted it wasn’t spicy, but I had to try to swallow the rest of it whole and also drink the whole glass of water with breakfast.

Brian sent me a message later, which said, “Yes, ginger is spicy. Comes from a compound called gingerol, which gives it a hot, peppery, and warming flavor. While not as intense as the spiciness of chili peppers (which contain capsaicin) gingerol does create a noticeable “hot” sensation on the tongue.”

So I’m not nuts – just a bigger wuss than we thought. 😛 Other than too many carbs for this lady trying to lose the lard, this dish is a definite winner!

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June 11, 2025 · 1:07 am

Interesting Differences

From my good friend, Marsha.

I’ve already talked about some interesting differences between living in the United States and Thailand, but some more come to mind –

When you buy a set of sheets for your bed, you may be surprised to find that a ‘set’ of sheets includes a bottom fitted sheet and two pillow cases.

I told you that we replaced the worn out bed in my condo. We bought a set of sheets and a duvet while we were at the store. When the bed arrived, the company had sent a free entire bed set with it, including a bottom fitted sheet, two pillow cases, and extra set of pillow cases for cigar-shaped pillows, and a puffy duvet.

No one expects a top sheet here. Even if you have air conditioning, the climate here is such – and the culture is such, apparently – that everyone prefers the fitted bottom sheet and a light or heavier duvet. After trying the light duvet we bought and the heavier duvet they gave us, I have to say I LIKE only having only the one sheet, and I prefer the lighter duvet.

When you go to buy dishware, it is almost impossible to find a ‘set of 4 dishware set’ for example. If you would like a set of dishware that has 4 larger plates, 4 smaller plates, 4 bowls, and 4 coffee cups or mugs, that’s what you buy – individually. (We ended up buying 2 of each.) They do sell silverware in a ‘package’ of one fork and one spoon,’ though. You buy how many sets you would like and then buy the knives and any glassware individually, as well.

I think it’s the European manner of eating where you have a utensil in each hand as you eat. They do that here. I had never tried that before and felt quite awkward at first, but I’m learning now. They put down both knife and fork to pick up a spoon, and then reverse.

I believe I have already talked about water being very important here. Brian made it clear right away that you use bottled water for anything to do with eating, drinking, or cooking. The sun is so strong that it seems you can feel the sun burning your head as you wait to cross a street. Everyone carries a bottle of water with them in a carrier of some kind so they always have some. Umbrellas to protect both men and woman from the sun are routinely used by walkers. Dehydration can be a life threatening event even in the city, and can sneak up on you, particularly if you haven’t lived in the country long. I have humongous water jugs on my counter to transfer to smaller containers that are easier to manage.

I’ve already told you about removing your shoes when you enter any private home or many businesses. Most businesses will have a sign, and then a rack of slipper-type slide-on shoes. You leave your shoes there, transfer to the slippers, do whatever business you need inside, and then reverse the process leaving. I mentioned that I was quietly amazed that shoes are always still there waiting for you when you come out again. It’s the same with motorcycles, helmets, and even packages hanging from the handlebars. It would be unthought of for someone to bother someone else’s property. I asked about theft in Chiang Mai. Brian told me it happens, but usually it’s by foreigners…

Viva la differences!

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May 30, 2025 · 1:45 am

Matcha Latte?

Modern Farmhouse Eats

Brian got us some “Matcha Lattes” around noon today. They are made with Japanese tea, coconut milk and sugar. I was a bit skeptical, though I have no bias against the color green. I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it was!

It’s supposed to be good for you, as well. It has been said it lowers blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, both of which I have. 👍

The fact that it tasted good, as well, made it a winner for me, and we plan to get some often.

My housecleaning person, Kuhn Nong, is due here from 2:30 till 5:30, so we will leave soon to run some errands and “become scarce” while she does her thing.

The main thing she will notice is that my place looks pretty spacious right now, since the movers came and took the old people-swallowing sofa away. The replacement sofa is not due to be delivered until June 5th, so it’s a good thing I have several chairs and a brand new bed to use until the last piece of furniture we ordered is set up. I have to admit that I was kind of fond of the sweet old sofa and will miss it.

We have some errands, plus Brian tries to find something else in the area we’re going to any given day so that we can see something interesting while we’re in the area. This can be a coffee place, an old shop he remembers, a shop new to him, but found as we walk around. I love the mom and pop type places the best, rather than the fancy modern type stores.

I’m enjoying writing reviews for these places on Google, hoping that a favorable recent review will be a further thank you and might bring them more business. I just wrote reviews for the man who cut my hair and the lady who made my new tote bag.

I hope that you’re having a happy day or evening. It gets confusing sometimes when I’m writing and am on a different day than many of you. 🤣

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May 27, 2025 · 12:28 am

Coffee Art

This is the hot mocha “signature coffee” at a place called, “Nine One Coffee” I enjoyed with Brian while we were out running errands this morning. I have discovered I LOVE the art associated with the hot drinks, and, surprisingly also love the cold varieties of a lot of these, given the heat and humidity here. Brian has a seemingly unending series of coffee places he likes, so I spend my days grinning like a nut as an ‘adventure’ uncovers another one! 😋

I like the art SO much that I always smile and tell the server how pretty I think the design is. Brian says that I shouldn’t do this – should just drink, THEN bow and say, “thank you” as we’re leaving. I refuse, though, and the servers seem to like what I am doing.

How could one NOT compliment the server on designs this pretty?

We snarfed down these cookies before I started my stricter low carb diet…

And shared a warm seed-covered bagel with cream cheese inside…

I think this one was when we were in Laos at the coffee bar where the stray white cat slept on a table between shops.

A beautiful ‘swan’ in your coffee cup. Almost too pretty to mess up by drinking it.

I really look forward to our ‘adventures’ that Brian works so hard to provide. One day it’s coffee – another day a lady who hand crochets tote bags – and today was talking about taking my sock with a hole in the big toe to a lady nearby who repairs things. (I told him I thought I only had ONE sock needing this, and that I could fix it with a teeny tiny sewing kit. He said I would be supporting the local economy if I brought the sock to the woman. At least I’ll check to make sure I don’t have other socks in need of repair…

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April 27, 2025 · 6:52 am

My Head is Spinning

This is part of my beautiful room in Laos. This hotel was really well run. The people were friendly and helpful, and great places were within walking distance of the hotel.

We went to the hospital today, as usual. Sadly, Harvey didn’t recognize us. He was sitting in a chair, though, when we came into the room. A therapist was there with mental and physical small ‘games’ to work on verbal skills, hand-eye coordination, emphasizing use of his left, or weaker, hand. Then the big muscle physical therapists came in and took over, doing all kinds of chair exercises, then helping him walk down the hall with an aide on either side and a ‘belt’ for them to use to make sure everything went well. He walked down the hall to the therapy room and did more exercises. He was pooped when he returned to the room and slept through lunch. He has real trouble standing up straight and holding his head up.

We left about 3pm. Brian cheered me up, taking us to an art store in the mall. We got a big sketch book full of paper, two regular pencils and an eraser, and a plastic container of 24 colored pencils. I’m planning to use some of my time trying to draw some of the simpler ‘learn to draw’ images on Pinterest, as well as YouTube videos. I want to just work on it every time I get a chance, just delighting in the act of trying to create an image, rather than worrying about the result. I may fill all the pages of the sketch book and toss it in the trash, replacing it with another to try again until I show some improvement. It will be a joy. 😊

While we were out, we crossed the street from the mall and went to a church type building that was filled with shops. It was quite lovely, with way too much to see in one walk-through. We stopped at a coffee shop and both got citrus-y cold coffees, perfect for the temperature outside.

Brian will be here soon with a salad he’s ordering for us to go with the roasted chicken chunks and fruit we have left over from yesterday. YUM!

We are narrowing down the options for a nursing home for Harvey. We have two main candidates that look good so far. We plan on getting some more answers from each of them and then will probably go visit very soon.

Closing on the condo has been moved to Wednesday, cutting the timing really short. I’m supposed to check out of the air bnb on Thursday, so it the closing doesn’t go as we hope, I may be asking for people to pay me to STOP singing on the street in order to get another air bnb hopefully in the same building until I CAN move.

I am living in interesting times…

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April 23, 2025 · 9:06 pm

Voting Results

The voting was about even, with the black edging out the white.

The only thing everyone agreed on was that the sunglasses I had been wearing “were NOT cool.”

My son told me that he liked the white ones better, so I chose the white.
He then insisted I keep both of them so that I could switch back and forth! 🤗

We have been enjoying a really luxurious breakfast of dragon fruit from a local fruit market, scrambled eggs, and a nice salad. We come back up to my room and make mushroom tea. It’s supposed to do all kinds of good things for you. It doesn’t taste like much, but if there’s a chance it might make us healthier, I’m in.

We’ll let our food and tea settle for a bit and then we’ll go to a wonderful coffee shop we like. It’s a great place to enjoy the breeze, have a pretty hot chocolate in my case, work on your computer (maybe Brian) or look at your phone, or watch the various animals that frequent there while having a good conversation (us, not the animals).

I hate to realize that I am sexist. In the U.S. you mostly see males on motorcycles, many times with a female behind him.

I remember a hundred years or so ago, Harvey and I were newly engaged. We took off on his motorcycle down the highway. My hair was in pigtails and I had my engagement present, a shortened girl type rifle slung across my back with a strap. Heads snapped around in the cars that passed us. 🤭

Anyway, my sexism is showing because I am so surprised by the range of people on motor scooters and motorbikes in Asia. This isn’t a pastime- it’s their mode of travel. Yesterday a woman with her kids – one in front of her and two more behind, plus bags of purchases strapped on motor scooter parts or people. Young kids, women close to my age – scores of them- darting in and out between cars, bicycles, taxis, carts and walkers. It’s a whole new world. ☺️🙏.

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April 11, 2025 · 8:43 pm

Food in Thailand

Brian ordered delivery of some chicken tenders recently to go with the fruit and salad we already had. It came in a box with this message on the lid. I’m not sure if he had ever ordered from this place before. They just take the information from the electronic order and make the experience personal and pleasant.😊

Food is literally everywhere in Thailand. There are small stalls up and down every street, shops everywhere, people cooking on the street, restaurants, etc. Brian is trying to help us get healthier by sticking to a simple low carb diet for us since we are wusses about hot or spicy food, and we’ve had such incredible health problems starting in February when we were still in the states.

We can order almost everything – a whole cut up roasted chicken, slices of pork, salads, eggs and bacon, chicken tenders, soup, and more. Brian orders and pays for it via his phone. A few minutes later, his order has been delivered to the lobby/office/mail area downstairs by Grab (their Uber) and he is notified. He goes down and retrieves it. And the prices are really amazing. My husband and I had chicken, pork, fruit and salad for a total of $6.00 – delivered, within 20 minutes. We created a chef salad recently for the three of us by ordering salad with hard boiled egg and all kinds of other things, plus some chicken strips separately. We cut up the chicken into the salad, divided shares, and dug in. All for a bit over $6 for the three of us.

We are weird here, not liking spicy/hot food, AND we are trying to get healthier, eat low carb, and I’m still trying to lose the lard. We are also walking most days until my husband had his stroke. Now my ‘exercise’ is walking in the hospital to ICU where Harvey is, out to the waiting area when they need us to leave, downstairs for a hot coffee to warm up, as we did for the first time yesterday, etc. We will try for more when life returns to normal.

Happily, just looking on his phone, Brian comes up with a lot of variety for us with different meat, eggs, fruits on the Keto approved list, and salads. We have been delighted with our meals since we came, thanks to him. When we move into our new condo around the end of the month, I will have an extremely small kitchen, augmented by equipment we can get, such as a crockpot, a vous vide (equipment that allows precise cooking on everything known to man, including meat, fish, veggies, etc. in a sealed pouch and water.) I had never heard of this and am eager to try it. We’ll get a hard boiled egg cooker, a hot water pot, and maybe an air fryer. We’ll look at things carefully.

Honestly, as cheap and delicious as whole cooked, cut up chickens, and sliced pork done to perfection are, it’s hard to fight simple continuing to order those. Most people here seem to have one main deep skillet they use to cook lots and lots of things. It’ll be fun.

Did I make you hungry yet? 😜

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March 25, 2025 · 7:03 am

Hard to Believe

Pam Grout

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow we’ll be on our way to a new life.

We are happy that Amber’s new parents, Tim and Lisa, will come this afternoon for a visit. I’m sad that they live down the road from here and we just met them. They are a wonderful family, surrounding Amber with attention, good care, and lots of love. It will be nice to relax and get to know them better this afternoon. We have promised each other to text and email each other so we can keep up the new friendship (and kind of extended family).

My husband has a last haircut this morning. Michael Remillard of Tangles has taken care of us for years. We may find someone else who will do a decent job on our hair, but we’ve shared a friendship with Michael, and that is not replaceable.

Lots of details left, but we’re closing in on being able to leave tomorrow.

My husband is doing really well with the strict low carb. (Though he had started to eat some pretzels yesterday when I saw him. I snatched the bag out of his hand, admonished him, and threw that and another bag that had been in the pantry a long time into the trash. We then made a low carb snack for him. (He realized that he had just ‘thought’ about eating something, wasn’t really hungry, and felt guilty.) We took a walk around the house and out to the shop. Later on, HE announced he was taking a walk. I ‘graciously’ accompanied him. :0) We went around the house again and out to the shop, and then a bit farther, out to the old garden area. We’ll try to do that again today.

We’re finishing last-minute details. The three of us will work together to get my husband packed, organized about what he’ll wear on the trip, and our backpacks carefully packed tomorrow.

Hope your day is a good one.

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December 31, 2024 · 8:56 am

New Year’s Eve 2024

Her Zindagl

Happy New Year’s Eve! Whether you have wonderful plans for a big party, a ball drop, fireworks, or will have a quiet celebration at home like us, I wish you a happy day of anticipation of a bright new year. The end of a year should bring shedding of old ‘baggage,’ a lightening of your load, a filling of your spirit. Enjoy remembering the good things about 2024 today, then wish it well and welcome 2025.

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Accountability – If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’m trying to lose my lard and get stronger and more flexible. I promised to report to you – as a way of trying to keep my goal active and hopefully reachable one day. As of today, I have lost 46 pounds and there are 48 fewer inches of me. I’m yo-yo-ing around in a 3-pound range these past few days, but I’m inching toward my interim goal and hope to meet it soon. The scales still smirk at me most days, but I will win.

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GeniCook

I told you my nice husband got us two rectangular stainless steel containers with glass lids recently. I always try to cook for more than one meal and we store the leftovers in individual portion containers in the freezer. These are large enough to hold TWO portions of the leftovers, so when I cooked recently, I put double portions into the two containers, snapped on the lids, and put them in the freezer. Yesterday I took one out and put it in the regular fridge. Last night I took the lid off, put the container in the microwave with a paper towel over it, closed the door, and held my breath. The food heated up just fine. No explosions or damage to the container or the microwave! I did use my hot pads to remove the container from the microwave. Last night the lid and the container went into the dishwasher. Sparkling clean and ready to use this morning! This is a really nice thing – to be able to use it so it saves us effort and time. I really didn’t believe what they advertised could be true, but I was wrong.

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This is my latest wood burned and hand-painted piece from the art room. I’m delighted to tell you he has been adopted! He will be mailed to his new home today. I couldn’t be happier. It was joyful to make him, and he will live on their front porch, hopefully bring good luck to his new owners for many many years. :0)

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We are running errands on this, the last day of 2024. When we get home, I’ll write more posts for the blog and may even get up to my art room this afternoon.

I wish you a happy day, full of fun, family, and celebration!

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November 16, 2024 · 9:14 am

Saturday 11-16-2024

Javier Perez-Ecuador-via Luisa Chiesa-Pinterest

Awwww. I want to hug her and help make her world right again.

LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – 8.5″wide, 4″ tall, 3.75″deep, with a circumference of 24″. The one-of-a-kind, hand-painted box is a nice size to store photos, mementos, souvenirs and more. $15.00 with Free Shipping. See all of these at HandmadeHavenbyLinda on Etsy.

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Raising Children Network

I’ve been having a good time trying to make some key chains in my art room lately. I got some blank wooden shapes and have been doing some wood burning and painting. I finished several yesterday and will try to get them listed on my Etsy site today. :0)

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Cheezburger

I’m 4/10ths of a pound away from my interim weight loss goal. I’ve been here before – several times – and ‘SOMETHING’ always happens to snafu actually REACHING and passing this next goal. I’m really hoping today will be different. I have made the lifestyle change, deciding to eat low-carb, but reaching interim goals of there being less of me increases my motivation to keep being a ‘good girl.’ Maybe tomorrow I can pat myself on the head and set a new goal. :0)

Lesson on Reading and Absorbing – One of the big things I’ve learned, now than I’m older than dirt, is how important it is to read carefully. (This is ironic, in that I have a Master’s Degree as a “Reading Specialist,” and yet I never learned to read labels on food and really read and compare nutrition on recipes.)

I’ve been missing Shake-n-Bake, a coating mix I had used for years – and my husband and I really love – to bake pork chops. I gave it up because it has 7 carbs per serving, and I was having trouble working that in to my day’s allotment. I basically gave up pork chops because of this.

I found a low-carb recipe for pork chops that emulates Shake-n-Bake! I was really excited and planned to try it tonight. Something told me to compare carb counts of the Shake-n-Bake and the new recipe. The new recipe was 9.7 carbs! SO – the former reading teacher learns AGAIN that reading carefully is important. I can still enjoy the delicious Shake-n-Bake if I work carefully on MyFitnessPal.com to make sure I stay under my limit for the day! DUH! Pork Chops tonight!!!

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I wish you a happy Saturday filled with fun.

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November 13, 2024 · 10:11 am

Wednesday 11-13-2024

Source: CatLover1 – Pinterest (sorry, image is backwards and I can’t make out the whole url.) It made me smile, so wanted to share.

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LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – 19 x 12 x 1/4 heavy straw mat for a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted “Southwest Turtle.” Ready to hang. $42.99 with Free Shipping. There are 3 others in this series. Contact me at lindawlewis1@gmail.com if you’re interested in more details about the collection.

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LAZY LOW-CARB FINDS – I’m really happy to have found 4 things to share with you!

Great Value – Walmart
  • We have always driven to See’s Seafood in Fort Smith to buy fresh shrimp, maybe a couple of times per year – lately not that often. The shrimp is fresh, beautiful, but expensive for us, plus a lot of work for me. I found this Great Value x-large Frozen Shrimp at Walmart recently and I’m really happy with it. All I have to do is thaw it, pull the tails off, and serve to have a nice shrimp cocktail, which we enjoyed last night. The shrimp is already cooked, peeled, deveined. There is a jumbo size, too, I think, but this was really nice. We had a shrimp chef salad two nights ago and then the shrimp cocktail last night. I have another bag in the freezer. I’m looking for a good, low-carb recipe for a shrimp casserole. (2 carbs per 3 oz serving (about 5 shrimp) 0 sugar.)
  • I feel as if I hit the mother lode with the next three on the list of finds – KETO bread, ready to eat. I’ve tried to make myself make keto bread, rolls, etc. from recipes. I’m just too lazy. I don’t want to spend all day, every day, fixing food. I just want to lose the lard, get more fit, keep the lard off, without a whole lot of hassle. Yesterday we shopped at our local Harps grocery. I checked the bread section, not really expecting to find anything. I found KETO sandwich bread, KETO hot dog buns, and I just found out there are KETO hamburger buns available, as well. AND, just to put frosting on the cake, the brand name is “LEWIS Healthy Life.” You can’t beat THAT with a stick! The hot dog buns are 1 carb per bun. The sandwich bread is 0 net carbs per slice. The hamburger buns are 1 net carb per bun. All are high in fiber, something I’m trying to increase, so it’s a win/win. Since bread is one of the main things I’ve been missing, I’ve been eating Mission 0 Net Carb Tortillas in place of bread, and they’re all right, but this will be a really nice change.

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We’re having a quiet day so far today, and I’m hoping to make it up to my art room today. Enjoy your Wednesday.

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November 8, 2024 · 11:48 am

Beautiful Phrases for Us

Danie Franco – Unsplash

As we get older, we are FINALLY learning how important it is to read the labels on the things we eat and drink. I’m trying to stay low-carb and watch my sodium. My husband is a Type II Diabetic and must watch his sugar (or, more accurately, I’M watching his sugar.)

To this end, I’m embracing products we find that make our lives easier. I’m trying to find substitutes that are healthier as we go.

“Sugar-Free” –

The G. Hughes Smokehouse Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce was a huge find for us. I got two more bottles while we were out today, and discovered that the company also makes sugar-free teriaki sauce, sugar-free stir-fry sauce, and sugar-free honey mustard. I bought all three today to add to our pantry. As we were checking out, the lady at the register told me they also offer Sugar-free Ketchup, so that’s on the list for next time. I also found their website and will go back and see if I’m missing other wonderful things.

Other products we’ve found are Sugar-Free Maple Syrup. My husband is using this in his morning coffee, instead of the two spoonfuls of sugar he has always used. ZERO soft drinks are so much better than the full sugar pop he has always insisted on.

“No Sugar Added” – This is another beautiful phrase, because it allows me to substitute more things my husband has been missing. They are not sugar-free, and you have to read the labels carefully, but there are more and more good products out there. A recent example for us is Marketside No Sugar Added Blueberry Streusel Muffins. These contain 2 grams of sugar per muffin. (The apple fritters my husband was insisting upon were 22 grams per fritter.) I breathed a sigh of relief on the way home from the store today when he told me he had thrown out the last of the fritters today. We bought two containers of the no sugar added muffins today, but I was really trying to keep my lips zipped as much as possible, encouraging, rather than condemning. HOOOORAAAAAAY!

“Low Carb” – this is very important to me. I’m almost to an interim weight loss goal and I’m checking everything I eat and drink, listing all I plan to eat on MyFitnessPal.com before I start the day. You have to be super careful here, though, too. “Low carb” seems to be a relative term. I’ve picked up several things labeled that way, and then read that they’re much too high in carbs for what I’m doing. I also have to really pay attention to the sodium content, as I have blood pressure and water retention considerations.

One place we are really happy with is Stu’s Clean Cookin’. They have a website that lists everything they offer, giving full information on the nutrition content of each frozen meal. They also divide their offerings into categories to make finding things easier, such as low carb. I can go online, read through the offerings, making a list for me, another for my husband before we go to their store. We have our order ready so shopping is quick and easy.

(We made a mistake the last time we were in there. We grabbed some BBQ’d ribs in a big foil package. They were easy to heat up and delicious, but the BBQ sauce obviously wasn’t for us, as our blood sugar numbers were up the next morning. OUR fault, not theirs.)

We’re learning as we go – even though being older than dirt, one would THINK we would have learned before now. We’re tweaking things, learning about new products and new ways to cook things that are healthier and healthier. It feels good that we’re not TOO old to learn how to be as healthy as we can be.

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October 31, 2024 · 5:01 pm

Snap, Crackle, Pop!

Nourish, Move, Love

I sound like the older-than-dirt Rice Krispies commercial when I exercise. I’m drowning that out with earphones plugged into my computer where I listen to “Ladies Drumming” exercise videos where they use drumsticks to beat on exercise balls on platforms just below chest level to some fun music. Instead of their equipment, I’m holding 3-pound dumbbells and doing exercise moves I’ve learned elsewhere, keeping up with the beat. It makes the movement ALMOST fun. I just finished doing two of the videos before I was feeling it in my neck and shoulders.

I did quite a bit of walking (for me) when my husband and I went to do errands this morning. I’ll walk more before dinner.

Now I’ll go do a session of old-lady stretching yoga that will nicely fill out my exercise for the day.

I’ve tweaked my eating by adding the protein shake my doctor recommended daily, plus eating Zero Net-Carb Mission Tortillas, one for lunch and another for dinner, adding 14 grams of fiber daily. I’m drinking more water in-between.

I’m almost to another milestone for me – one of my interim goal marks, and I hope to be able to claim that by the end of this week.

I splurged, though, today, because my husband wanted to stop at our local grocery so he could get a chicken/mashed-potato-bowl for lunch. I caved and got two chicken tenders. I ate one with lunch today and will have the other tomorrow. This allows me to realize that this is a lifestyle change for the rest of my life, not just a ‘diet’ that will end at some point, and that small splurges from time to time add motivation while keeping me from feeling deprived.

We enjoyed delicious BBQ ribs from Stu’s Clean Cookin’ last night. I divided the rack we bought into two pieces. I put one in the fridge to eat last night and the other piece in the freezer for another time. When it was cooked, I divided it again so we both enjoyed 4 ribs with a side salad. My husband had a roll and I had a tortilla. Tonight we’re eating some leftover “Simply Keto Chicken” by Suzanne Ryan.

If you need a laugh, you can picture me on the floor, snap, crackling and popping my way through my yoga stretches while Monster Cat either tries to bite my toes, sit on my stomach, or walk under me as I stretch up on my hands and knees…

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October 13, 2024 · 9:23 am

Sunday 10-13-2024

Carol Larson-Pinterest

Today is supposed to be the last day of unusual heat for October. We’re due for a cold front tonight with much cooler temps tomorrow. HOOORAAAAY!

Meanwhile, we hired a wonderful tree guy who worked in the heat all day yesterday and will do it again today, trying to cut back trees or branches that look like they’ll dump into our driveway at the next severe weather or the coming snow and ice storms this winter.

We’ve maintained this ourselves for the almost 37 years we’ve been here, but we’re both too long in the tooth for chain-sawing and hauling branches to the side and dumping them off the edge of the driveway anymore.

He’s actually climbing the trees, lopping out the parts of them that cut off sunlight to the driveway, so we’ll have better melting of snow and ice.

He’s also going to clear out a bunch of the weed trees that are impeding our view across the back yard. He said that if he doesn’t finish today, he’ll be here after he finishes his regular work tomorrow. He is a really nice guy and takes what he’s doing seriously. We’re lucky to have found him. (As usual, the guy we found before him doesn’t have a working phone anymore.)

I finished these in the last couple of days and listed them in my Etsy shop.

I’ve started a couple more. My husband has been calmer and has been working on computer stuff, rather than what could be dangerous projects, so I’ve had more time to relax and play in my art room. It’s really great and I THINK that, plus music and reading are keeping me sane. :0)

I’ve tweaked my program for my health by

  • increasing my protein (I’m drinking a Premier Chocolate Protein Shake daily, plus eating some cottage cheese during the day),
  • taking the new med that is supposed to protect my kidney function, plus
  • continuing to increase drinking water daily and
  • losing more weight, plus
  • doing my weights videos and yoga stretching.

I’m having to really tweak my eating and drinking log on MyFitnessPal.com. I’ve decided to ignore the protein part of my macro since my doctor wants me to increase it, but I’m trying to watch everything else. I dropped some things I’ve been eating, substituted things, and moved other things around, but I was able to come up with a good combination for today. I love this website and would be lost without it.

I hope you’re doing well and having a fun weekend.

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December 24, 2019 · 2:36 pm

Thoughts on a Tuesday – 12-24-2019

RJ Bennett-LinkedIn

We did errands first thing this morning and are now in for the rest of the day.

We are having a good, quiet Christmas this year. For the past few days, we’ve been delivering presents and visiting with good, long-time friends. It has been really good to catch up, hug a few necks, talk and laugh together. We’re really rich in friends.

Though our son won’t be home from Thailand, we had a super conference call day before yesterday. We chatted about this and that, and most of all, I got to see his FACE. I truly love his face, and trying to make him smile or laugh. When he was home helping us with my husband’s stroke, he took particular care in filling up my hugs bucket to the brim and over-flowing.

Besides going up to continue cleaning my art room – and then, possibly starting some new projects I have rattling around in my head, I gave myself ANOTHER Christmas present. Recently at the exclusive emporium of WalMart, I found a light pink pullover hooded sweatshirt. It was SUPER soft and a really nice weight, so I bought it. One of the wonderful things was that – for the first time in a LOOOOOONG time – I bought it out of the regular women’s clothing department, rather than in my usual special department for ‘ladies-of-more-generous-size.’  I wore it, loved it, and decided I wanted a couple more.

You guessed it – there WEREN’T any more when I went back. I tried to order more online. I thought I had found them, but when they arrived, they were fleece. Heavier than I want for in the house wear. Today, when we stopped there, I FOUND them again!  I bought two more. Merry Christmas to me!

Even though our house is nice and warm, I get psychologically chilled sometimes while watching TV. I get a throw to burrow under in my chair. With the sweatshirts, though, I’m much less apt to feel chilled. :0)

I am ready to cook our small Christmas dinner tomorrow. We’ll have enough turkey breast for the celebratory meal, plus – our favorite – sliced turkey for turkey sandwiches for a couple of days.

Today has been quite enjoyable for another reason – I’ve been on Facebook and LinkedIn, two of my favorite websites, and have connected with a lot of folks. Today has been filled with good wishes, nice posts, and good conversations.

Happy Christmas Eve –  and Merry Christmas tomorrow. Happy 2nd day (I think) of Hanukkah to more of my good friends. I hope that you are surrounded with love. If not, I’ll be thinking of you and trying to send hugs your way.

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December 24, 2018 · 11:36 am

Santa is Coming!

Graphics99.com

I hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas Eve.

We’re going to have our special dinner this evening – very quiet – just the three of us.

I put another beef stew in the crock pot this morning, since our son likes to grab a bowl here and there during the days and evenings. I’ll put the turkey in soon and do some deviled eggs- a favorite of all of us. I’ll do the rest of the fixings later.

We did errands and went to the post office to mail books we sold.  Now we can enjoy being in a warm, dry house, good food cooking, and a good friend coming over this afternoon to spend some time with us. :0)

I’m soaking up every minute with our son. When he goes, we have no clue when he’ll be coming back, though we can talk to him via our chat program and a conference call app. We are so happy that he is living his dream – living where he wants to, as he wants to. You can’t ask for more as parents. But until he goes, I’m collecting every hug I can get, spending lots of time talking and laughing with him, building up beautiful memories of the very best Christmas we’ve had in a long, long time.  At some point, I’ll have to insist we get some pics…

Merry Christmas!

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