So, I have complied a few 'suggestions' to inspire you.
 |
| www.cutefoodforkids.com |
 |
| savalfoods.com |
 |
| www.bettycrocker.com |
 |
| barbequemaster.blogspot.com |
 |
| www.ziplist.com |
 |
| www.tonyastaab.com |
 |
| calicocolored.blogspot.com |
Things I enjoy and want to pass on to you! Whether it is cooking,crafting, DIY or health issues, you will find something interesting with the pages of my life.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
A Not So Sparkley 4th of July
So, I have complied a few 'suggestions' to inspire you.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Diabetic Retinopathy: What Is It?
I've had a few people ask me what is diabetic rentinopathy, what causes it and is there a cure. This isn't something I talk about too much, if at all. I keep it to myself.
I remember mine and James' first date. He took me to the movies and I was in a panic because I knew the theater would be dark and I would not be able to see the steps. I made it through the date with no problems. It would be months later before I told James about my 'condition'. He knew I was a diabetic, but had no clue how difficult it was for me to see, especially at night or in dark/low light rooms and places.
I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 16. As any teenager, I didn't want to be 'different'. I wanted to eat whatever all the other kids were eating; pizza, burgers, candy bars, soda pop. So, I decided to ignore my doctor and do what I wanted to do. And I did. When I became pregnant, I was put on insulin to help control my blood sugars. I hated it. I hated giving myself a shot everyday. So after I had my daughter, I stopped taking my insulin and went back to doing whatever I wanted, eating whatever I wanted and never looked back. When I became pregnant with my son, same thing. I did what I was suppose to do; ate right (somewhat, the cravings were horrible!), took my insulin and kept my blood sugars in somewhat control. The further along in the pregnancy, the harder it is to control your blood sugar. But, I did try. I wanted my children to be healthy. And, they are. I didn't think about myself or my future. Even though I watched my own Mother deal with diabetes and the complications of diabetes, my thoughts were, "It will never happen to me." Denial is such a bad thing.
My first 'date' with diabetic retinopathy was about 10-15 years ago. I was sitting at work, when all of a sudden, I saw in my left eye, a orange-reddish color. And it hurt, like someone had poked me in the eye hard. They did laser surgery to stop the bleeding, and all was well once again. If you looked at my eye, it looked like any other eye. But, I could see the blood. And it freaked me out!
Over the course of 6 years, I underwent many laser treatments to stop my eyes bleeding. I have been lucky in that the last 8 years, I have not had any bleeding.
So what is diabetic retinopathy? The simple definition is : a complication of diabetes that affects the eyes. It's caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina). At first, diabetic retinopathy may cause no symptoms or only mild vision problems. Eventually, however, diabetic retinopathy can result in blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy can develop in anyone who has type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The longer you have diabetes, and the less controlled your blood sugar is, the more likely you are to develop diabetic retinopathy.(MayoClinic.com)
Now we know what it is and what causes it. Even though my Mom went through this, and I watched her lose her sight, this would never happen to me. Oh, was I so wrong.
So, is there a cure? Yes and no. According to the Mayo Clinic's website, "Treatment depends largely on the type of diabetic retinopathy you have. Your treatment will also be affected by how severe your retinopathy is, and how it has responded to previous treatments. Surgery often slows or stops the progression of diabetic retinopathy, but it's not a cure. Because diabetes is a lifelong condition, future retinal damage and vision loss are possible. Even after treatment for diabetic retinopathy, you'll need regular eye exams. At some point, additional treatment may be recommended.
Researchers are studying new treatments for diabetic retinopathy, including medications that may help prevent abnormal blood vessels from forming in the eye. Some of these medications are injected directly into the eye to treat existing swelling or abnormal blood vessels. These treatments appear promising, but they haven't been studied in long-term trials yet."
So, that is what it is, what causes it, and the treatment. I have been lucky in that I haven't had any bleeding in many years, until recently. Last week, I woke up and knew I had a problem....a really bad problem. I can not blame anyone for what I am going through. It is what life handed me at the age of 16. I made a decision to ignore it. And now, I am paying the price. I fear that one day, I will lose my sight completely. I won't know what my grand kids look like. I will, somewhat, lose my Independence. I try not to think about it. It's aggravating. It's maddening, at times, especially when I have active bleeding. It is possible, however, to not go through this. IF you have diabetes, if you are in denial, if you are NOT controlling your blood sugars, pull your head out of the clouds you live in and face it. This is one disease you CAN control with diet, exercise and medication. and get your eyes checked. Remember, you are not alone in this. There are more than 20 million people walking around with diabetes and even more that have it and they don't know it. It is important, so important to get regular blood sugar checks when you visit your doctor. I've heard that high blood pressure is a silent killer. And, it is. But, diabetes is, as well. You will never hear of anyone dying from diabetes. You will hear they 'died from complications of diabetes'. Diabetes causes vision loss, kidney failure, amputations, heart problems, and many more problems to numerous to list. You can prolong or even prevent these things from happening by doing one thing: Control your blood sugar levels. Yes, it is that simple.
I go see my eye Specialist July 3rd. I am hoping and praying all turns out well. If not, this will be something I will have to learn to live with and accept.
I remember mine and James' first date. He took me to the movies and I was in a panic because I knew the theater would be dark and I would not be able to see the steps. I made it through the date with no problems. It would be months later before I told James about my 'condition'. He knew I was a diabetic, but had no clue how difficult it was for me to see, especially at night or in dark/low light rooms and places.
I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 16. As any teenager, I didn't want to be 'different'. I wanted to eat whatever all the other kids were eating; pizza, burgers, candy bars, soda pop. So, I decided to ignore my doctor and do what I wanted to do. And I did. When I became pregnant, I was put on insulin to help control my blood sugars. I hated it. I hated giving myself a shot everyday. So after I had my daughter, I stopped taking my insulin and went back to doing whatever I wanted, eating whatever I wanted and never looked back. When I became pregnant with my son, same thing. I did what I was suppose to do; ate right (somewhat, the cravings were horrible!), took my insulin and kept my blood sugars in somewhat control. The further along in the pregnancy, the harder it is to control your blood sugar. But, I did try. I wanted my children to be healthy. And, they are. I didn't think about myself or my future. Even though I watched my own Mother deal with diabetes and the complications of diabetes, my thoughts were, "It will never happen to me." Denial is such a bad thing.
My first 'date' with diabetic retinopathy was about 10-15 years ago. I was sitting at work, when all of a sudden, I saw in my left eye, a orange-reddish color. And it hurt, like someone had poked me in the eye hard. They did laser surgery to stop the bleeding, and all was well once again. If you looked at my eye, it looked like any other eye. But, I could see the blood. And it freaked me out!
Over the course of 6 years, I underwent many laser treatments to stop my eyes bleeding. I have been lucky in that the last 8 years, I have not had any bleeding.
So what is diabetic retinopathy? The simple definition is : a complication of diabetes that affects the eyes. It's caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina). At first, diabetic retinopathy may cause no symptoms or only mild vision problems. Eventually, however, diabetic retinopathy can result in blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy can develop in anyone who has type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The longer you have diabetes, and the less controlled your blood sugar is, the more likely you are to develop diabetic retinopathy.(MayoClinic.com)
Now we know what it is and what causes it. Even though my Mom went through this, and I watched her lose her sight, this would never happen to me. Oh, was I so wrong.
So, is there a cure? Yes and no. According to the Mayo Clinic's website, "Treatment depends largely on the type of diabetic retinopathy you have. Your treatment will also be affected by how severe your retinopathy is, and how it has responded to previous treatments. Surgery often slows or stops the progression of diabetic retinopathy, but it's not a cure. Because diabetes is a lifelong condition, future retinal damage and vision loss are possible. Even after treatment for diabetic retinopathy, you'll need regular eye exams. At some point, additional treatment may be recommended.
Researchers are studying new treatments for diabetic retinopathy, including medications that may help prevent abnormal blood vessels from forming in the eye. Some of these medications are injected directly into the eye to treat existing swelling or abnormal blood vessels. These treatments appear promising, but they haven't been studied in long-term trials yet."
So, that is what it is, what causes it, and the treatment. I have been lucky in that I haven't had any bleeding in many years, until recently. Last week, I woke up and knew I had a problem....a really bad problem. I can not blame anyone for what I am going through. It is what life handed me at the age of 16. I made a decision to ignore it. And now, I am paying the price. I fear that one day, I will lose my sight completely. I won't know what my grand kids look like. I will, somewhat, lose my Independence. I try not to think about it. It's aggravating. It's maddening, at times, especially when I have active bleeding. It is possible, however, to not go through this. IF you have diabetes, if you are in denial, if you are NOT controlling your blood sugars, pull your head out of the clouds you live in and face it. This is one disease you CAN control with diet, exercise and medication. and get your eyes checked. Remember, you are not alone in this. There are more than 20 million people walking around with diabetes and even more that have it and they don't know it. It is important, so important to get regular blood sugar checks when you visit your doctor. I've heard that high blood pressure is a silent killer. And, it is. But, diabetes is, as well. You will never hear of anyone dying from diabetes. You will hear they 'died from complications of diabetes'. Diabetes causes vision loss, kidney failure, amputations, heart problems, and many more problems to numerous to list. You can prolong or even prevent these things from happening by doing one thing: Control your blood sugar levels. Yes, it is that simple.
I go see my eye Specialist July 3rd. I am hoping and praying all turns out well. If not, this will be something I will have to learn to live with and accept.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Outdoor Wall Art
My front porch became the piling place when we did the remodel. Everything went to the front porch....and took up residency. That is, until I evicted them. I hate a cluttered front porch. I hate a cluttered back porch, but that is another post. The front porch is almost always the first thing every one sees when they pass a house. It is what says to the passerby, "Hey, this is home. This is a place to rest and relax and have some fun." My porch said, "I'm a trash bug, I'm open to anyone that wants me."
Now my house is not the most beautiful house on our road. My house, however, has been here longer than most of the houses on my road. My house is about 60-70 years old, built by my grandfather. So, of course, I want the inside and outside to look nice. And, after the remodel, the outside did not look nice.
The hubby and son, upon my request (and there were many requests) hauled everything off. I was left with a lot of work to do to get my front porch back to a somewhat normal and nice looking state.
After everything was hauled off, my son and I got to work. We scrubbed down the porch, which is concrete (and desperately needs a new paint job), the walls and the ceiling. We got the chairs that go on the porch and scrubbed them down with Dawn and bleach, rinsed and scrubbed with some Grease Lightening, and rinsed again. I placed the chairs and a table on the porch and was happy....but it needed a little something.
Hence, the wall art. My dad had a ceiling medallion on his back patio, in a box, covered with dirt and cobwebs. I took it. And had no idea what to do with it when I took it. Until I cleaned up the porch.
This is what it looked like before I painted it. Pretty boring, if you ask me. And white.
I spray painted it a silver nickle color. It went on really easy and only took one coat to cover it all.
After a week or so, I got it out of hiding (my office) and took some bronze paint and black paint and brushed it on and wiped it off.
And there is the finished product! I just need to figure out how to hang it up.
Here it is hanging on the wall on the front porch.
A closer look at it. I really like it. It pops on the wall. And it adds some hominess to the front porch. Now I just need to get some sun-loving plants to hang up and the front porch will once again be a welcoming site.
Now my house is not the most beautiful house on our road. My house, however, has been here longer than most of the houses on my road. My house is about 60-70 years old, built by my grandfather. So, of course, I want the inside and outside to look nice. And, after the remodel, the outside did not look nice.
The hubby and son, upon my request (and there were many requests) hauled everything off. I was left with a lot of work to do to get my front porch back to a somewhat normal and nice looking state.
After everything was hauled off, my son and I got to work. We scrubbed down the porch, which is concrete (and desperately needs a new paint job), the walls and the ceiling. We got the chairs that go on the porch and scrubbed them down with Dawn and bleach, rinsed and scrubbed with some Grease Lightening, and rinsed again. I placed the chairs and a table on the porch and was happy....but it needed a little something.
Hence, the wall art. My dad had a ceiling medallion on his back patio, in a box, covered with dirt and cobwebs. I took it. And had no idea what to do with it when I took it. Until I cleaned up the porch.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Eating healthy
Most of the time, I try to add a little humor to this blog. Some things, though, we should be serious about, and this is that thing.
It's been almost 6 months since I had my heart attack. I would love to report that life is better than it was, however, I am still struggling with the smoking and losing weight. Confession time: I got off my diet and gained 5 pounds.
Part of that, I believe, is due to the fact that my treadmill is buried behind a pile of sheet rock. Not to say I haven't been active. I have been out in my yard working, planting my flowers and a few veggies, pulling weeds and all that fun stuff.
In life, we are going to have set backs. We are going to have bad days, weeks even. We are going to have things go wrong, break down and just quit on us. It's called living. It's what life is all about. We must look at it as it is; Life. We can choose to cry or we can choose to laugh. I think I like laughing better.
I decided to share my journey of better living with you for a couple of reasons. 1. It keeps me held accountable, and 2. Something I may say, may help YOU live a better life. Some people feel I should keep this journey to myself. I feel that I should share it with you. If what I say helps just one person, then I feel my job is done.
Now on with the show. Heart disease can be prevented. Heart disease begins the moment we are born. Everything we eat, drink, breath in affects our heart, veins and arteries. How active we are, how we manage stress and our weight all affect our hearts. I am going to focus on what we eat. Fast food, sweet treats, and drinks, fats/oils, will determine how our hearts work.
Let's do a little anatomy background. Your heart sits in the center of your chest. Your heart beats, allowing the blood to be pumped throughout your body and circulates up to the heart, through the heart and out into the body again. Your blood is full of oxygen. Without it, your heart suffers, you kidneys will suffer, your brain will suffer, in short, your entire system will suffer.
So, how does the food we eat affect our hearts? It's very simple. If you eat unhealthy foods; fat, sugar, dyes, processed foods, red meats and dairy products which all contain "Cholesterol", you end up with too much cholesterol in the arteries. Our bodies produce all the cholesterol we need. Eating these foods causes our bodies to have an over abundance of cholesterol, which in turns, clogs up our arteries, and in general, makes us all feel sluggish, causes us to be bloated, unable to sleep, and just makes us miserable. When you have too much cholesterol, it begins to build up within the arteries. When it fills up the artery, blood is unable to flow properly, and you have a shortage of oxygen to the entire body, and you have what is known as a heart attack.
What can we do to help prevent heart disease?
1. Control your portion size. We eat way more than what is recommended. I remember when I was working in daycare as the cook, the recommended amount of fries for a 2 year old was 1 oz. That's about 5 fries, 3 green beans, 1 1/2 of a chicken nugget. Compare that to what is usually consumed and you can see we eat way too much. One box of mac and cheese can feed a family of four. Most of us, will eat, on average, 2-3 boxes at one meal. For pasta, the serving size is 1/2 cups, for an adult. I think it is fair to assume, most eat more than 1/2 cups of pasta.
2. Eat your fruits and veggies. These are the best source of vitamins and minerals, fiber and they are lower in calories. However, you still must watch how much you eat of them.
3. Choose whole grains. Anything 'white' should never touch your lips. White rice, white bread, white potatoes. The better choice is wheat bread, brown rice and sweet potatoes. These foods are high in fiber, which can help improve the hearts ability to pump.
4. Limit unhealthy fats and cholesterol. Limit the amount of saturated and trans fat you consume. These foods raises your cholesterol, which we already have enough of, so limit these foods, if not, just cut them out altogether.
5. Read the label. Foods with "reduced fat" on the box or package, may not be reduced if it contains 'bad' fats.
We can all have a healthier heart and live a long life. We have one heart, we should be taking care of it. With just a few life style changes, eating a healthier diet and getting exercise everyday, we can live a life full of energy and happiness.
It's been almost 6 months since I had my heart attack. I would love to report that life is better than it was, however, I am still struggling with the smoking and losing weight. Confession time: I got off my diet and gained 5 pounds.
Part of that, I believe, is due to the fact that my treadmill is buried behind a pile of sheet rock. Not to say I haven't been active. I have been out in my yard working, planting my flowers and a few veggies, pulling weeds and all that fun stuff.
In life, we are going to have set backs. We are going to have bad days, weeks even. We are going to have things go wrong, break down and just quit on us. It's called living. It's what life is all about. We must look at it as it is; Life. We can choose to cry or we can choose to laugh. I think I like laughing better.
I decided to share my journey of better living with you for a couple of reasons. 1. It keeps me held accountable, and 2. Something I may say, may help YOU live a better life. Some people feel I should keep this journey to myself. I feel that I should share it with you. If what I say helps just one person, then I feel my job is done.
Now on with the show. Heart disease can be prevented. Heart disease begins the moment we are born. Everything we eat, drink, breath in affects our heart, veins and arteries. How active we are, how we manage stress and our weight all affect our hearts. I am going to focus on what we eat. Fast food, sweet treats, and drinks, fats/oils, will determine how our hearts work.
Let's do a little anatomy background. Your heart sits in the center of your chest. Your heart beats, allowing the blood to be pumped throughout your body and circulates up to the heart, through the heart and out into the body again. Your blood is full of oxygen. Without it, your heart suffers, you kidneys will suffer, your brain will suffer, in short, your entire system will suffer.
So, how does the food we eat affect our hearts? It's very simple. If you eat unhealthy foods; fat, sugar, dyes, processed foods, red meats and dairy products which all contain "Cholesterol", you end up with too much cholesterol in the arteries. Our bodies produce all the cholesterol we need. Eating these foods causes our bodies to have an over abundance of cholesterol, which in turns, clogs up our arteries, and in general, makes us all feel sluggish, causes us to be bloated, unable to sleep, and just makes us miserable. When you have too much cholesterol, it begins to build up within the arteries. When it fills up the artery, blood is unable to flow properly, and you have a shortage of oxygen to the entire body, and you have what is known as a heart attack.
What can we do to help prevent heart disease?
1. Control your portion size. We eat way more than what is recommended. I remember when I was working in daycare as the cook, the recommended amount of fries for a 2 year old was 1 oz. That's about 5 fries, 3 green beans, 1 1/2 of a chicken nugget. Compare that to what is usually consumed and you can see we eat way too much. One box of mac and cheese can feed a family of four. Most of us, will eat, on average, 2-3 boxes at one meal. For pasta, the serving size is 1/2 cups, for an adult. I think it is fair to assume, most eat more than 1/2 cups of pasta.
2. Eat your fruits and veggies. These are the best source of vitamins and minerals, fiber and they are lower in calories. However, you still must watch how much you eat of them.
3. Choose whole grains. Anything 'white' should never touch your lips. White rice, white bread, white potatoes. The better choice is wheat bread, brown rice and sweet potatoes. These foods are high in fiber, which can help improve the hearts ability to pump.
4. Limit unhealthy fats and cholesterol. Limit the amount of saturated and trans fat you consume. These foods raises your cholesterol, which we already have enough of, so limit these foods, if not, just cut them out altogether.
5. Read the label. Foods with "reduced fat" on the box or package, may not be reduced if it contains 'bad' fats.
We can all have a healthier heart and live a long life. We have one heart, we should be taking care of it. With just a few life style changes, eating a healthier diet and getting exercise everyday, we can live a life full of energy and happiness.
Monday, June 17, 2013
DIY Baby Carriage
As promised, here is a DIY for a baby shower.
This was really easy. I simply drew out a baby carriage on some left over card board, cut it out using a box cutter and painted the card board. The wheels were cut out of card board using a large mouth glass as a template, and painted white.
I took my flower punch and punched out some blue flowers for the center of the wheels and glued them in the center using hot glue. Then took a black paint pen and drew on the spokes. I took some left over lacy ribbon and hot glued that around the carriage. For the 'handle' I simply cut out a rectangle from the left over card board, painted it blue and hot glued the ribbon on. Then, to finish, I added some ribbon to the top to hang in on the door.
This is so simple and easy. And, it can be made for a girl using pinks and silver.
This was really easy. I simply drew out a baby carriage on some left over card board, cut it out using a box cutter and painted the card board. The wheels were cut out of card board using a large mouth glass as a template, and painted white.
I took my flower punch and punched out some blue flowers for the center of the wheels and glued them in the center using hot glue. Then took a black paint pen and drew on the spokes. I took some left over lacy ribbon and hot glued that around the carriage. For the 'handle' I simply cut out a rectangle from the left over card board, painted it blue and hot glued the ribbon on. Then, to finish, I added some ribbon to the top to hang in on the door.
This is so simple and easy. And, it can be made for a girl using pinks and silver.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Homemade Air Freshener
I am a bad blogger! I have been so busy with the baby shower, I haven't had time to think, let alone blog. I am so sorry. I hope you will forgive me! The baby shower was a hit! Everyone had fun, and momma, daddy and soon-to-be-here Layton received a lot of wonderful gifts!
Summer made it's way in today. Hot, humid, and miserable. And I'm being very, very nice! So, my son and I have been cleaning up the house. After the baby shower and all the DIY I did, it needed it bad.
Today I am sharing with you something, more than likely, most everyone already knows. I'm sharing it anyway. Just in case. I usually buy Glade Air Freshener in the spray bottle. So, I went to look for a bottle and I had a LOT of empty spray bottles. I like Glade. It's not too overwhelming. And it smells pretty good. But, I was completely out. This was not a good thing.
I stood looking at my empty bottles for a while, my brain working hard to figure out how I could get some air freshener. Then, the light bulb went off! I filled the bottle, about half way with water, and poured in some real vanilla. Mixed it really good by shaking the bottle hard. (Make sure the nozzle in on tight)
I then sprayed the mixture into the air. I also took my air filters (we use the reusable kind) sprayed them off and after they dried, sprayed the filters down with the air freshener. Made the entire house smell wonderful!!
And, from what I understand, vanilla is a smell that relaxes. Maybe that's why I am ready for a nap.
Summer made it's way in today. Hot, humid, and miserable. And I'm being very, very nice! So, my son and I have been cleaning up the house. After the baby shower and all the DIY I did, it needed it bad.
Today I am sharing with you something, more than likely, most everyone already knows. I'm sharing it anyway. Just in case. I usually buy Glade Air Freshener in the spray bottle. So, I went to look for a bottle and I had a LOT of empty spray bottles. I like Glade. It's not too overwhelming. And it smells pretty good. But, I was completely out. This was not a good thing.
I stood looking at my empty bottles for a while, my brain working hard to figure out how I could get some air freshener. Then, the light bulb went off! I filled the bottle, about half way with water, and poured in some real vanilla. Mixed it really good by shaking the bottle hard. (Make sure the nozzle in on tight)
I then sprayed the mixture into the air. I also took my air filters (we use the reusable kind) sprayed them off and after they dried, sprayed the filters down with the air freshener. Made the entire house smell wonderful!!
And, from what I understand, vanilla is a smell that relaxes. Maybe that's why I am ready for a nap.
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