Wordless Wednesday - My Happy Orange Tree

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Snowpocalypse (NIMBY)

Here we are yet again.  Grab your coffee and throw a blanket over your knees, especially if you are currently in blizzard land.  It seems the heartland is being slammed by mother nature in what my buddy Avitable describes as Snowlocaust.  However, at my house it is 60 degrees and sunny.  Oh, and I think the wind is supposed to blow. Sometime. Today. Maybe.  Lalalalala (I think I just heard a telepathic collective "SHUT UP" from my family members who live in Oklahoma)

I have pledged my loyalty to Keely.  She leads us through the valley of random, and I fear no evil, because her zombie-thwarting skills are tops. Click on the button below to read about her latest zombiequest adventures at BlissDom.



February snuck up on me, how about you?  Oh, you are organized and have a good grip on reality?  How's that working for ya? Wow, did that sound sarcastic?  Sorry, I'm actively torturing myself trying to lose a few pounds and the first few days make me testy punchy stabby edgy.

This weekend I made mango bread.  It was pretty good and I used this recipe: Chinky's Mango Bread except I didn't add the raisins, and I used mango from a jar. Still, it turned out well and my husband and kid and the dog and I ate two loaves in two days.

Egypt--hmmmmmm.

I saw a great documentary about the first notable deaf major league baseball player Dummy Hoy.  Don't go all politically correct on me about the inappropriateness of calling a deaf person "dummy".  He lived in a different era, and that is the name that he himself chose to use.  His story is fascinating even if you aren't a big sports fan.

Hubs, Kisa and I watched "The Social Network" last night.  It was good and I can see why it is up for some awards.  We have Temple Grandin on deck for the next viewing.  I try to see the various award-nominated movies each year.

I do the Twitter thang and I love how restaurants seem to know that I am a glutton love food.  So they follow me.  And, I usually follow them back.  Black Bear Diner in Sacramento is the latest of my food groupies, so on Sunday, when a friend invited Hubby and I to dine there, I was eager to check it out.  I'll put my stamp on the place for good food, good prices and great service.  In fact, the services was so great, that they let us sit undisturbed and immersed in conversation for twenty minutes after they closed.  It was then that I happened to notice the restaurant was empty and some of the waitresses were sitting in a back booth counting their tips.  Doh!  The staff was very gracious as we paid and scooted out the door. (Disclaimer: I have not been compensated in any manner by Black Bear Diner.  I'm sure they don't even know I write a blog).

Well peeps, I gots stuffs to do.  To all my homeys is the snow zone, eat lots of oreos and drink lots of wine stay warm and safe.

Wordless Wednesday - Got Carrots?

I think I need to buy stock in ranch dip

(WWBBD - What Would Bugs Bunny Do?)

Wordless Wednesday - One Day's Tomato Harvest

one plant (Early Girl)

...a few more (some German Queens and Bush Goliath)

needless to stay, I will spend significant time making sauce and other goodies

...now off to harvest the miniature tomatoes (cherry, grape, golden pears etc.)

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Where the Hell Have I Been

If you are normal and like to hear about butts (or even if you are abnormal and don't like butts) be sure and stop by The Un Mom

Okokokokok...ok...so where I've been.  Not anywhere special, just incredibly busy and had family needs and unexpected events that required my full attention.  My father gave me three pearls of wisdom to use to guide my life:  1. Be positive 2. KNOW what your priorities are, and 3. Be spiritual.  Number two came up and required my focus to be elsewhere.  I realize that I left everyone hanging in the middle of my weight-loss series, but I will pick it back up this week.  Hopefully, you will grant me the benefit of the doubt and help me get back into the swing of blogging.

Luckily, I squeezed in time to read your blogs and found new sources to appreciate which helped me relax during the most intense parts of my absence.  Those of you who write faithfully (and some of you who don't) kept me sane and I want you to know I truly appreciate your writing.

So, on with the random, after all, it is Tuesday.

I just received my dog's license renewal in the mail.  It lists her as a pit bull.  OMFG!  She is NOT a pit bull!  She is a lab/jack russell mix (we are assuming lab mommy/jack russell daddy lol).  Whoever pushed the pit bull button at the county office made an error.  I feel compelled to correct it. 

There's snow in them there hills!  It snowed in the Sierras yesterday about an hour from me.  It's the middle of May, wtf Mother Nature?  I think this has been the weirdest winter since I moved here eight years ago (my how time flies).

The garden is mostly in.  Peas, carrots, lettuce, spinach, onions and herbs are already producing and being harvested.  Tomatoes, peppers, green beans, eggplant, cucumbers, okra and strawberries are going strong and are on schedule.  My fruit trees have fruit on them though the plums and nectarines are still small and green.  My orange tree is just now blossoming and it smells so heavenly.

My birthday is next week, 45 will be the new number.  I'm gonna put on my tiara, prom dress, stripper boots and glitter on my face then head out to my favorite dance bar with my hubby and good friends.  It's how I roll on my birthday; I let my freak flag fly high!

I learned a new little trick.  My daughters love the rotisserie chickens at the grocery store.  I usually use up any meat, that is left over from rotisserie chicken, in soups, salads and other dishes.  But on a whim one day, I decided to see if I could make chicken stock from the leftover carcass and guess what?  It makes a great stock that is perfectly seasoned.  As one who is frugal and always looking to cut costs in my home budget, I'm delighted to make something that I use so frequently and often pay $2.00-$3.00 per quart to purchase at the store.  Try it--just fill a stock pot with water, add the chicken carcass and bring to a boil then simmer on medium until you have a thick golden broth/stock.  Strain to remove the remaining chicken parts, skim the fat off the top, store the broth/stock and use as needed.  I freeze mine in quart containers.

Whew!  It feels good to shake off the dust and get back to blogging.  To my faithful followers, I owe you my heart for your patience.  Tomorrow will be Wordless Wednesday, then Thursday will be the next installment of "I've lost, but look what I've gained".  Stay tuned!

I've Lost, but Look What I've Gained! Part VI

...here I come slinking back with my tail between my legs after all this time.  Hold on for a minute while I strap on my celice and put on my hair shirt.

My apologies once again.  My absence was unavoidable.  Now, let's see where did I leave off...oh yes...

I attended the informational seminar held by my surgeon and her staff in October.  The very next day after the seminar, I called to schedule my first appointment.  The first available appointment they had was January 24, 2006--three months away!   I was surprised and disappointed at first, then I realized that my very busy surgeon was very busy because she was very very good at what she does.  So I settled in for my wait.  The holidays were approaching and I decided that I would not diet and fret over food, but instead, enjoy the last bit of freedom to eat foods I knew I would probably have to give up after surgery--possibly forever.  I did not gorge myself and overeat, but I did not deny myself anything.  I pushed guilty thoughts away and of course, my weight crept up even higher.

On the day of my appointment, I arrived at the surgeon's office feeling nervous and excited.  My surgeon went over my personal history and asked me which surgery I wanted.  She agreed that the Roux-En-Y procedure fit my personal needs better than the lap band.  She explained in great detail all aspects of the surgery and recovery.  One piece of information that she clarified was that my stomach would not be removed but instead would be sewn up and left attached to my intestinal tract after it was separated from the new pouch created to function in place of my stomach.  This was done because the stomach can still provide valuable enzymes that then move into the intestines and assist in the digestive processes.  My new small pouch would be attached to a lower portion of the small intestine, but my stomach would remain as a valuable organ.  This however, did not mean that my procedure was reversible.  Studies had shown that leaving the larger stomach portion in the patient was beneficial as long as it was healthy and still functioning.

She reiterated expectations, risks, prognosis and possible alternative outcomes.  She answered all of my questions and reviewed my course of treatment both pre and post surgery.  My weight that day was 259 and my BMI 41.  I had gained back the 25 lbs I had lost plus some and that was a consistent pattern that I had repeated once again in my long struggle with weight-loss.  I was given more paperwork, including hospital preregistration forms, advance directive forms, and diagnostic testing requests.  I was also told to start trying liquid protein supplements to find one or more that I would like well enough to use extensively after my surgery.  I was then scheduled for a pre-op visit on February 16 and given a surgery date of March 7. I left the office still feeling nervous and excited and that small bit of relief as I inched closer to the that date that would change my life--March 7, 2006.

to be continued...

I've Lost, but Look What I've Gained! Part IV

[This is the fourth part of a series on weight-loss; In this installment, I mention the South Beach Diet.  I am a biologist and not a nutritionist.  The information provided here is informational only and should not be considered advice.  I am not receiving compensation in any form for mentioning the South Beach Diet]

At the end of the last post, I was ready to pursue bariatric surgery for weight-loss.  I began to let family and friends know of my intentions and received a lot of support from them.  I made an appointment with my primary care physician for a full physical and consult for referral to a surgeon.

The physical and and laboratory tests were an obvious necessity.  I had to be in good enough health to survive the surgery and the stringent weight-loss regimen afterwards.  My appointment was in June and I learned that my weight was at an all time high- 253 lbs.  I was now more than 100 lbs overweight.  At the time of my research, the basic criteria for surgical candidates was at least 100 lbs overweight or 75 lbs overweight plus at least one weight-related health problem.  My weight-related health problems consisted of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, borderline level of glucose for diabetes, and chronic muscle and joint pain and fatigue.  I was physically a candidate.  Next, my doctor had to determine if I was mentally a candidate.

I was told that one measure of success following surgery was to lose 10% of my body weight while under physician supervision.  I would have to lose 25 lbs before I could move on to the next step in the approval process.   I was also required to meet with a dietitian, fill out a lifestyle questionnaire, and a mental health questionnaire.  The questionnaires were extensive, about 18 pages in all.  If the mental health questionnaire revealed any issues then I would have to meet with a psychologist.  Once those processes were completed then I would be re-evaluated by my primary care physican and a referral request for a bariatric surgery consult would be submitted to my HMO.

I began those processes fully committed.  I understood that surgery was not a cure, but a tool to help me manage my weight in a healthy way for me.  I began the weight-loss process and chose to use the South Beach Diet and exercise.  I chose the South Beach Diet because it is based on the glycemic index and everything I understood about nutrition indicated that it was a very healthy diet.  I also believed that it was a diet that I could use post-surgery to manage my eating.  It took me three months to lose the 25 lbs.

I met with a nutritionist who reviewed my nutrition questionnaire with me.  The meeting lasted approximately one hour and I was told that my understanding of nutrition was sufficient to be approved for the surgery.  My psychological questionnaire and lifestyle questionnaire did not indicate that I needed a face to face meeting with a psychologist. 

Once those preliminary items were completed, I returned to my primary care physician.  He reviewed the check list and submitted the request  for the surgical referral. 

to be continued...

I've Lost, but Look What I've Gained! Part III

[This is the third part of a series on weight-loss]

So at the end of the last post I wondered if I would have the courage to actually have bariatric surgery.  I spent a significant amount of time thoroughly researching the surgical procedure and the studies and statistics for the post-surgical outcome.  I actively learned as much as I could about bariatric surgery until I started the new job.  I was not quite ready, however, to actually have the surgery. 

The new job was a completely new type of position for me.  It was a newly created position at a small company.  My background from previous careers made it a great fit.  I had told my then sweetheart (now Hubby) that I wouldn't even consider marriage until I had a job and could stand on my own two feet.  I think I had the job about a week before he proposed.  This job was quick-paced and required long hours.  I often went to work at 7:00 am and left the office at 10:00pm.  It was very sedentary and so the battle of the bulge ensued and I was losing the battle significantly. 

We married in December, right before Christmas.  Our families had already planned a family gathering in Las Vegas, so we decided to add a surprise wedding to the mix.  Our families were thrilled and we had a wonderful wedding.

Back at work after the holidays, my long days resumed.  I tried to compensate for my lack of movement by eating as healthy as possible.  It was a huge struggle and without any real exercise, it became apparent that all I was managing to accomplish was to not gain at a rapid pace.  However, I did still gain.

In March, I attended a meeting at work and the CEO shared the financial reports with us.  The red ink was a big, blaring sign of things to come.  Being the newest employee in a newly created position, the writing was on the wall and by the end of March, I was once again unemployed (so much for standing on my own two feet).

One thing had become very clear during my research.  Surgical intervention was highly controversial and significantly frowned upon by many, including some high-profile personalities. It was a common topic on talk shows, and each one that I watched made it very clear that most people considered weight-loss surgery to be cheating.  It was a judgment that I found unjustified.   My research proved to me that with the right perspective, commitment and expectations, it was a good and life-saving option.  There was one final piece of information that solidified my decision to have the surgery.  It was a story of bariatric surgery performed for a different health problem other than weight-loss.

I read a story ( I wish I could remember now which publication) in a magazine about a family who had a genetic pre-disposition for stomach cancer.  Several family members had elected to have gastrectomies to lessen the potential for cancer.  They had chosen to do this because they believed it would save their lives.  Their decisions could not be reversed, much like  the Roux-En-Y procedure I was contemplating.  This story made me realize that the stigma associated with weight-loss surgery was something that could not stand in the way of my decision.  It made me see that if I felt I was at risk for death because of my weight, then I was fully justified in pursuing the best option (for me) to manage and reduce or eliminate that risk.

I told my husband that I believed I was ready to pursue the surgical option for weight-loss.  He knew that I had been researching bariatric surgery and he fully supported my pursuit; not because he didn't like the way I looked, but because he completely understood how much I struggled and how worried I was that I wouldn't live to see my grandchildren.  I told him that while I didn't plan to stop looking for a job, I would use the time off to see if I qualified for the surgery and if so, plan to have the surgery and recovery while I wasn't working.  Our insurance was an HMO plan, so I knew I had a long road of approval processes ahead of me.  It turned out that it was a much longer process than I anticipated.

I made an appointment with my primary care physician to start the ball rolling.

to be continued...

I've Lost, but Look What I've Gained! Part II

[This is the second part of a series on weight-loss]

When last I left you I had reconnected with my childhood sweetheart and after spending a fun-filled week in Vegas with him, we decided to try to make a relationship happen.  And happen it did!  I was still living in DC and he was living in sunny northern California.  He is a government wank with a pension to beat most and wasn't about to relocate under any circumstances.  I worked for a global company, who's headquarters just happened to sit in the Bay area with satellite offices in the same town as my sweetheart(by the way, he is now my husband and that is another sordid tale I will tell in its entirety in a future post or two).  So after our week in Vegas, we returned to our respective corners of the continent and tried to figure it all out.  Then I got a promotion, almost randomly, that required that I move to California.

In the mean time, I began to struggle up and down with the weight again.  The job change and the move across country brought new stressors to my life.  The changes were positive, but they were still changes.  My eating was good then bad then good again and continued in this vicious cycle.  Exercise was spotty at best.  Six months later I had regained the 30 lbs.  Luckily, my size did not change how my future hubby felt about me.  After the move, I continued to struggle with eating and exercising.  Sometimes, I would be completely diligent and committed.  Other times I ate and sat on my butt with wild abandon.  Stress was still high; the new job began to crush me with tasks about a year after I accepted it.  The company was struggling financially (most were at the time) and even though I wasn't at risk for a layoff, I was required to pick up additional duties as the company "downsized".

I began to struggle not only with my weight but my mental health as well.  I began taking Paxil and Ambien to deal with the stress--two drugs that have potential weight gain as side effects.   It seems that medical professionals might think twice about that when they hand them over to obese patients, but you and I know otherwise.  I also began to take blood pressure medication and it should be noted that I had been using an inhaler for exercise-induced asthma for several years.

My mother bought me a lifetime gym membership for Christmas, and I was thrilled to have it!  I began earnestly exercising and following the diet plan laid out by a professional trainer.  I began to lose weight very slowly.   The job stress escalated to the point that I knew my health was in jeopardy because of it.  So I quit the job.  I whole-heartedly believed in my ability to get another job right away, so I did not line up a second job beforehand.  It took nine months to find another job.

In the mean time, depression and stress from not having a job replaced the job stress.  But, while I was twiddling my thumbs in between job applications and interviews, I began to research weight-loss options in earnest.  Back in the nineties, I barely missed being part of the Phen-fen tragedies--thankfully.  Soon after that, I heard about new procedures for weight-loss surgery.  I remembered back in the seventies, stomach stapling was popular for a while but then it seemed to die out.  I started reading articles and watching news stories and documentaries on the new bariatric procedures.

I wondered if I would have the courage to actually have that type of surgery.  At the time, I wasn't ready to throw in the towel on conventional weight-loss, but I kept the idea in my head and learned as much as I could.  Being a biologist and having worked in the medical field, I knew where to find unbiased information and studies.  I actively learned as much as I could about bariatric surgery until I started the new job.  I was not quite ready, however, to actually have the surgery. 

to be continued...

I've Lost, but Look What I've Gained! Part I

 [This is part one of a multiple installment series]

My weight issues have been almost lifelong.  From a pre-pubescent naturally thin to a post-pubescent ongoing battle with weight gain.  I was an average size baby - 8 lbs (3.6 kg).  From ages 2-12, my mother had great difficulty finding clothes that fit my body both in length and width because I had long legs and a very thin (but still healthy) frame.  Then puberty took over and that was the end of my skinniness for a while.  My mother(who was overweight as a teen) panicked.  She began "helping" me "diet".  This was the good old 70s when fad dieting was really popular.  I tried the "seven foods in seven days" diet, the Atkins diet, a powdered drink/soup mix diet.  No matter what I tried, I'd lose the extra 10-20 lbs, then regain it almost immediately.  This went on throughout my teen years.  Eventually, I became more desperate.  I tried the cabbage soup diet, and eventually, I began fasting. 

The fasting did not lead to anorexia, but it did lead to bulimia.  I would binge, then fast (purging never worked for me, but starving did).  What was really bewildering about my weight struggle was that I wasn't sedentary.  During my early teens, I was involved in sports.  The weight changes took a toll on my knee joints so I gave up sports, but then I joined marching band and danced in school musicals.  We lived out in the country on a farm and I walked or rode my bicycle and helped with farm work--taking care of animals, bailing hay, stacking wood, etc.  Still, I was very fond of just lying on my bed reading or listening to music, and I spent way too much time in front of the television.  All of these things took a toll on my metabolism.  I can only guess that my moderate level of activity kept me from being morbidly obese. 

Following high school, I delayed college for a year and worked as a waitress.  I was bored with school and wanted a break.  At first, the free food that comes with working for a restaurant was a problem.  Being on my feet for my whole shift and staying busy helped a little.  I started noticing when people would order large amounts of food and then consumed all of it.    Observing this behavior started to change my attitude about food and my own eating habits.  I decided to eat healthier and  smaller portions.  Finally, I was eating an appropriate amount of food that balanced with my activity level.  I began taking an aerobics class and soon I lost all of the extra weight and managed to keep it off.  I wasn't thin, I was just no longer overweight. 

I went to college then I quit college, got pregnant and got married.  I gained 40 lbs with my pregnancy but took it all off.  I gained 28 lbs with my second pregnancy but took it all off.  I gained 55 lbs with my third pregnancy, on top of the 10 lbs I gained trying to get pregnant.  I did not take it all off and thus, my struggle with weight began anew.  I tried low fat diets, a physician managed calorie counting diet, and a physician managed liquid diet.  I started college again.  I got pregnant again.  This time, I gained 35 lbs and did not take it all off, so I added more post baby pounds to the ones I was already carrying.  I divorced my husband.  Then my dad (who was my biggest cheerleader) was killed by a drunk driver.  All of this happened while I was trying to go to college full-time, work part-time, and take care of three young children (if you done the math, I had four pregnancies, but my second child did not survive; that story can be found here).  As a typical mom with too much on her plate (no pun intended) something had to give and as is typical of most mothers, my own physical well-being took a backseat to everything else. 

I then got engaged, had another baby and got unengaged.  I only gained 18 lbs with the last baby, but by this point I was obese and 60 lbs overweight.  In 1998, I moved with my children to the Washington DC area to get the best possible job I could find.  Luckily, I began working for a company that had a cafeteria that served healthy food and had a gym on site.  I began eating healthy and exercising.  I decided I wanted to run a 5K race and began training for that goal.  I ate healthy and exercised every day.  The weight came off very slowly.  But if I slipped up at all--with eating or exercising--I started to regain immediately.  This was especially frustrating because I was eating healthy, exercising and drinking lots of water.  It was as if I had no physical ability to just maintain my weight.  I had to be extremely diligent which was really difficult.  I met my goal and ran two 5K races.  I was still 30 lbs overweight, but I felt good and continued to be motivated.  Then my company reorganized some of its departments, including mine.  My job changed significantly.  My good eating habits and exercise fell by the wayside.  Over the next few years, I received two promotions.  My professional life became consuming and between my job and being a single mother of four, once again my body was my last priority.  Actually, it was not even a priority.  My weight soared.

In 2001, I reconnected with my childhood sweetheart. We had not had contact for over 20 years and we decided to meet in Las Vegas to spend a few days together.  I immediately began the Atkins diet (again) and joined a gym.  I DID NOT want him to see me all big and fat. I managed to lose 30 lbs between August and Thanksgiving.  When we met, I was still 30 lbs overweight, but I felt much better about seeing him.  What happened next was almost unthinkable.  We realized that we still loved each other!  But...he lived in California and I lived in DC.  What to do?  Then something amazing happened!  I got a promotion at work that required me to relocate to California.  

to be continued...

Random Tuesday Thoughts - It's beginning to look a lot like random

Be sure and visit Keely, she has the gift that keeps on giving.

So...where the hell have I been?  None of your business Just really busy with wrapping up the fall band season and Thanksgiving.  The band championships were held on Saturday night before Thanksgiving and our band won second, but our colorguard won first!  A testament to the fascism teaching skills of me the staff; it's been a wild, chaotic ride this year.  It was followed by Senior circle where all the band seniors watch the band perform the show one last time - except without them.  It's always a tear-jerker, then they eat cake.  So a few weeks off for me then winterguard starts up right after New Year.

Last week, my daughter had her senior pictures taken and took her saxophone along for some shots.  Her quirky wonderful photographer became obsessed with (no, not my daughter) THE SAXOPHONE!  He actually took "extra" pictures of the saxophone!  I wasn't charged for the extra poses of the saxophone, so I didn't roll my eyes all the way back in my head complain. 

On Thanksgiving Eve (yes, it's okay to call it that) our family all got new cell phones and new cell phone service!  Yay!  We are now a Verizon Wireless family.  I do have to say that if you live anywhere near Sacramento, the Natomas Verizon Store has the ultimate in customer service.  Our CSR, Freddie P, was a pure delight and a consummate professional.  After four years with the previous company, we now actually have service inside our house.  It got pretty cold standing on the back patio in my underwear in the dead of winter just so I could have enough signal to actually call someone and have a conversation (nah, I would never do that would I?  I'd at least put on socks).

I have the new Blackberry Curve 8530 in smoky violet (doesn't that sound sexy?)  and Hubby has it in black.  The girls all have the LG enV Touch. I am not being compensated for mentioning any of this; we are just really happy with the service and products.  Customer service ain't what it used ta be, and so I feel compelled to affirm it when it is good.

Thanksgiving Eve night, we went to see the Sacramento Kings play at Arco Arena.  They've had a good season so far and we always enjoy the games.

Me and Hubby at the Kings game - Go Kings!

On Thanksgiving morning, for the second year in a row, my youngest daughter CL, her bff, and I ran  the Sacramento Run To Feed The Hungry 5K.  My goal this year was to improve my time from last year, which was so lame that I should have been able to crawl and beat it.  If you want to read about my experience last year, it can be found here.  The unofficial race results are posted online here.  I was in the female 40-44 age bracket.  Here are my stats:

Place

Name

City

Bib No

Age

Overall

Chip Time

Gun Time

Diff

Pace

94

NeCole Scott

Antelope CA

7810

44

2491

36:20.9

36:29.3

0:08.4

11:43/M

The day of the race, I was listed 92nd and the only thing I can figure out is that two ladies who didn't want to give their ages initially, decided to go to the officials and give their ages so that they could be included in the appropriate group.  SEE, sometimes it's okay to give your real age or you might miss out on something good. 

This year, we arrived early enough to enjoy some of the pre-race festivities.  We met up with a reinllamadeer.

Me and the reinllamadeer

I had my picture taken with the KCRA morning anchor team Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Chris Riva.

Deirdre, me and Chris - Chris let me hold his microphone!

And of course, here I am with my two faithful race buddies (who promptly ditched me after this picture was taken.).

CL's BFF, me, CL - they only look sweet and innocent, ha! 

The race sponsors again provided free drinks and snacks after the race. I love the combination of getting my charitableness on, running (exercise) and hanging out with my kid.  I hope to make this a long-term tradition.  After the race, we went home and cooked a small simple Thanksgiving dinner and watched football.  My husband didn't cook this year, but he did do the dishes (which was even better).

The rest of the week and weekend was low key, I am not a Black Friday adventurer. We did put up the Christmas tree - it's nine freakin feet tall!

So I'll try to be better committed with posting, BTW, thanks to all of you who are reading and commenting.  It's been very encouraging for me and I really appreciate your support and kind words.  That's all of my random for now.  Catch you on the flip-flop.

The Great Interview Experiment Hosted by Citizen of the Month - My Interview

As most of you know by now, I signed up to participate in Neil Kramer's Great Interview Experiment (GIE) over at Citizen of the Month.   Danny Miller of Jew Eat Yet was my victim and then I had the tables turned on me by WordNerd of words...thoughts...nonsense.  I hope you found Danny's answers to my goofball thought-provoking questions entertaining and insightful.  Here is WordNerd's interview of me.

WordNerd: One of the first things I noticed in reading your blog is that you seem to have really mastered the art of Everyday Bliss.  Your title seems like a pretty apt description of what your life is really like. What does your IDEAL day look like?

Me: My ideal day is a day relaxing day at home and I have it most Sundays.  I am a true homebody.  Our family is like most other families, and we are constantly on the go.  I try to complete chores, cleaning, errands and other tasks Monday-Friday.  Saturdays are often spent away from home.  On Sundays, if I'm able, I wake up early and have coffee on my patio if it's warm outside.  Then I usually read, do needlework or putter around the garden.  If it's cold, I drink my coffee inside, sometimes in front of a fire in the fireplace and read or do needlework.  When my family wakes, we do relaxing things--watch movies or sports, play games, cook together, make crafts.  I try hard not to leave the house and to have our family together.  I believe it gives us all a chance to relax and become energized for the week ahead.  It's not always possible, but most Sundays are like that for me.  So when I have a peaceful Sunday like I've just described, that is my ideal day.  The only way it could be better is if my other children and grandchild lived nearby and could join us.

Wordnerd: Tell us what it was like to lose close to 150lbs?  (how long did it take, what motivated you, how different do you feel, etc)

Me: The weight-loss was a significant turning point in my life.  From my surgery until my final end point, it took just over a year.  I had been struggling with my weight for a long time and there was a genetic component to my obesity.  What motivated me to choose the surgery was that after struggling for so many years, my health was really beginning to suffer.  I took several medications and had chronic health problems.  Now, I don't take any medication and my former health problems are completely gone.  I do take vitamins and supplements.  Now, I feel great and very healthy and am much more active.  I'm currently training for a 5K charity race on Thanksgiving.  It's also been surprising to realize how much discrimination I experienced when I was overweight.  I was aware of it before I lost the weight, but after losing weight, I've noticed a significant difference in how people respond to me.  I'm currently working on a blog post with more details about my weight loss, and I hope to get it up soon.  It will probably be a short series of posts, because I want to share a lot of information about my experience.

WordNerd: You are an amateur organic gardener.  There seems to be alot of buzz about organic food in the media yet there is also alot of skepticism because of price, etc..  Why do you think people should make an effort to eat organic food?  And, what should people start with?

Me: I am a biologist and have been environmentally conscientious since my childhood.  I also grew up with grandmothers who were avid gardeners and I learned a lot from them.  Having access to fresh foods from their farms and gardens meant that I learned to appreciate quality food early in life.  As an adult, I learned that food grown in my own garden could be harvested at the peak of ripeness.  There is a noticeable taste difference between fruit and vegetables that are harvested when they are ripe verses those that are harvested before they are ripe. As I began to practice gardening, I read a lot of gardening literature and determined that I personally felt it was safer to not use chemical pesticides and insecticides.  Unfortunately, because "organic" has become trendy and controversial, it's often difficult to determine if you truly are buying an organic product from a retailer. 

As for organic food being more expensive, that is another reason why I grow my own produce.  I'm a frugal person and by planting my own garden, I saved my family approximately $800.00 this spring and summer and that's after expenses.  I also buy produce that is in season locally.  I found that if I buy organic produce at a farmer's market or CSA (community supported agriculture), the cost is almost identical to what I would pay for nonorganic produce at my local grocery store.  But, even when it is more expensive, I think it's always best to buy the best quality food that I can afford.  I think I owe it to myself and my family for optimal health.

My suggestion to begin eating organic  is to grow something of your own.  Tomatoes are easy and can be grown in a container if you don't have a yard.  Herbs are also easy and can be grown in small containers indoors.  If you absolutely can't grow anything yourself, farmer's markets and community supported agriculture (CSA) are the most economic places to buy organic products--based on my  personal experience.

WordNerd: A lot of different countries are mentioned on your blog, what was your most memorable trip and why?

Me: I haven't traveled as much as I would like, but of the places I've been, my trip to France in 1982 was the most memorable.  It was my first time to travel abroad.  It was Easter and I saw some amazing things.  At that time, I had studied French for three years and was thrilled to actually have a chance to communicate with french-speaking people.  I love history and visiting historical places.  Getting to see the chateaus of the Loire Valley was exciting.  Paris was everything I imagined and more.  I attended Easter Mass at Notre Dame and the Bishop of Paris gave the mass.  The Louvre and Versailles were incredible and breath-taking.  Angers and St. Malo were wonderful places.  Mont St. Michel was fascinating.  I should probably write a blog post in detail about that trip.

WordNerd: What is the first thing you do when you get out of bed and the last thing you do before you get into bed?

Me: This is something that is a little embarrassing for me, but I want to be honest.  The first thing I do when I get up and the last thing I do before I get into bed is the same thing.  I check my cell phone for messages.  My husband is a night owl and comes to bed long after I do, so I kiss him goodnight before I go to bed and then I check my cell phone.  I'm sure many people do this, but somehow it feels like my priorities are askew.

 So now you know way more than you ever wanted a little more about what makes me tick.  Many thanks to WordNerd for interviewing me.

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Chicken Wings Anyone?

Be sure and hop on over to The Un Mom, she's serving my favorite food--eclectic.

So...my buddy Brian from Life of Brian posted a link on Facebook and it has changed my life.  Seriously, I am a chicken wing addict lover and I love "tha dippin'".  This video shows a great technique to remove the wing bones and have a single whole boneless wing to dip and double-dip and triple-dip (hey, I can if I want, it's my sauce, get your own).  Brian found it on Digg.com and Digg linked back to Bitrebels.com who posted it from YouTube where it was posted by Chef John at Foodwishes.com
Whew!  I'm out of breath from all that link hopping, but I like to give credit where credit is due.  My favorite place for wings is Bully's in Reno, NV.  Luckily, they are close enough to get a fix now and then and just far enough away to ONLY get a fix now and then.  Unluckily, there is a Wing Stop 5 minutes from me.

Wow, I think that last paragraph made me an official link whore.  Yeah, yeah, I 've been called a whore before, don't feign shock and surprise.  It's unbecoming.

Last week, I spiked the ball, slapped my knees together a few times and did the stanky leg dance  (look closely and you can spot my daughter in the video) in celebration of my win in Fantasy Football.  Alas, as I predicted, MadMom slaughtered me this week and she did it without a full team!  Congrats to MadMom on her win.  I also want to thank Momspective for starting and managing our league.  Julie you totally RAWK!  I am really enjoying my first taste of FF and am excited about the playoffs.

"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat".  Actually, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, but for the first time that I can ever remember, we are beginning to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving.  My daughter AB loves Christmas, and this is her last Christmas home before she's off to college so I thought we'd make it extra festive this year.  I must confess though, my favorite Christmas carol is "Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer".  If I don't hear it during Christmas season, I'm seriously bummed.  Christmas is usually really relaxed at our house.  We take the minimalist approach and I have to tell you, it's well worth the peace of mind through the holidays.

For those of you who "play Santa" for your kids, here is a quick easy way to provide a little extra excitement on Christmas morning.  This works best on carpet, but will work on other floor types too; with a little more cleanup effort involved.  Make a very simple paper or cardboard cutout (an empty cereal box works really well) of the bottom outline of a boot.  If you have a boot, just trace around it but if not, just free-hand it.  It will be fine--be sure and make it adult size.  Take the cutout shape and place it on the floor, then sprinkle a thin line of baking soda around the cutout.  When you lift the cutout, a white boot imprint will be on the floor.   Do this repeatedly (to make it look like footprints) in a trail between Santa's "point of entry" and the "cookie plate".  Of course, you want to wait and do this after your children have gone to bed Christmas Eve so that when they wake up on Christmas, they will find Santa's "boot prints".  This has the added bonus of freshening your carpet when you vacuum the baking soda and it's nontoxic.  My kids really dug this when they were little.

So now, I'm off to "haul out the holly, put up the tree before my spirit falls again, fill up the stockings, I may be rushing things but deck the halls again now"

Random Tuesday Thoughts - As Random As It Gets

Keely  is deep in denial a pile of words about heaving busts and men in form-fitting attire--no she is not reviewing a workout video--go check out her Randomness.

There's been a whole lot of random in my life lately so get ready for this roller coaster ride!

This week (and for one week only) I am dominating The Momspective II Fantasy Football League.  Yeah! Go me go me! uh uh uh...uh oh, flagged for excessive celebration.  Believe me, my celebrating will be short lived.  MadMom is sure to kick my @ss in our upcoming matchup.  Even if she doesn't, Boston Babe, AlliC, Felicia or Annalise will probably win and eventually, we'll all be tied again and then they will pass me and leave me in the dust.  But for a few sweet days, I OWN THEM, YEAH! 

Miz Julie is out and about AGAIN!  Julie you is my travel hero heroin heroine.  That's such a weird word, hero should just be a unisex word.  She can still hook you up though, since she is always organized and prepared and leaves behind entertaining prose when she's away. 

Citizen of the Month is holding his third annual Great Interview Experiment.  I signed up this year and am very eager with anticipation to learn what WordNerd wants to know about me and what salacious info salient sparks of insight I can elicit from Jew Eat Yet?  Keep checking back, both interviews are to take place within the next two weeks and will be posted on this blog for your great mocking pleasure perusal.

Yesterday was a typical Madness Monday.  So at the end of the day, I happily joined my husband in the hot tub (yes, we get in nekkid).  As we were getting out, Sarah Dog came trotting over with something hanging out of her mouth.  I was sure it was some dead animal, ewwww.  I told Sarah to drop it, which she did immediately (then she slunk guiltily away).  My husband turned on the back patio light and discovered that it was not a dead bird or lizard, but a CARROT!  My dog dug up a carrot out of my garden.  What can I say, she does love carrots, AND tomatoes which she picked off the vines and ate all summer. So for those of you who lament that your dog or cat brings you dead animals, my dog kills produce and eats it (there's got to be a Cain and Abel reference there somewhere but I just can't figure it out yet).  I'm just so proud.

Sunday, I made a double batch of pear crisp in an 11" x 13" pan.  My husband ate-the-whole-thing!  Yesterday morning, the empty pan was sitting in the sink.  Okay, okay, I'm secretly pleased that he loves my cooking, but you know I must pretend to be indignant.

Shhhhh, don't tell my youngest children (17 & 14) but we are taking them to see Wicked as part of their Christmas gifts!  I can't wait, I've never seen it.  I miss my Kennedy Center membership something fierce. 

I was so impressed with Kirstie Alley's nontoxic cleaning solution (cheap vodka) that I ran right out and bought four big bottles for uh...uh...cleaning, yeah that's it.  Now, now, I do NOT pour some on my cleaning rag and then take a swig.  I do love to make my own nontoxic cleaning products.  Vodka, vinegar and lemon juice really do work.  Also, for those of you with young kids and animals that might accidentally get into the toilet to play and/or drink, Tang breakfast drink makes a great toilet bowl cleaner.  It's also great for sprucing up your dishwasher (just add a scoop to your dispenser and run it through a cycle without dishes).  Vinegar and boiling water are also great for killing weeds that grow in the seams and cracks in sidewalks and driveways.  Last but not least, all of this stuff is much cheaper than commercial cleaning products.

If you want to read a good blog that will make you think and up your intellect significantly, check out my buddy Brian's blog Life of Brian.  He has great ideas and information, and he really keeps me on my toes.

Tonight, Hubby and I are going to the first game in our season ticket package to see the Sacramento Kings.  Go Kings!

Congrats Tonoogle!  She just met a goal and completed an EA Active Sports 5K this weekend.  She is also a worthy adversary in our Fantasy Football league (I bow, I bow).  She gets her Random on too--check out her site.

I confess with some trepidation that I love opera.  I love Mozart operas the most, but I'm an equal operatunist.

Thus ends my random, tune in next time when grandpa says "check out Captain Dumbass and say hello food porn!" (That one is for you Hee Haw lovers, you know who you are)

Random Tuesday Thoughts - If It's Tuesday, this must be Random

Be sure and pop on over to the Un Mom.  Hopefully you can catch her before she runs barefoot down the street chasing the UPS truck.

While you are out running around in the blogosphere, stop by and check out Momspective's RTT--it's a gas!

As I write this post, I'm drinking the last of my Shui Sin tea from Ten Ren.  It's a loose leaf tea, and it is pretty good.  I purchased it in a variety pack.  My blog is not monetized--I do not receive compensation for mentioning things I like.  That is only a clarification not a criticism.  I think it is great that bloggers have the opportunity to earn a few dollars via their blogs.

I'm also eating applesauce.  Applesauce is so easy and cheap to make (not to mention-no preservatives), both cooked and raw.  Raw applesauce is just pulverized apples that have been peeled and cored, with or without sugar or sweeteners, spices and/or other fruits.  A food processor, food mill or blender is all you need.  I prefer cooked applesauce and it stores wonderfully in the freezer.  It's much easier to cook your own applesauce and freeze it than to can it.  If you are not a well-seasoned canner, it is also less scary to freeze it. 

Today is cool and blustery and will hopefully bring some rain.  I love the heat but like Twenty Four At Heart, multiple consecutive weeks in the 90s and 100s in September brings about a certain fatigue.  So it is a welcome change to sit here in my pullover hoodie and jeans snuggled up with my cup of tea and writing this post.

For parents of young children, hang in there; blessings await you as they grow and become independent.  My 17 year old daughter awoke late this morning--too late to catch the bus.  It was so fantastic to just hand her the car keys, rollover and go back to sleep.  No more jumping out of bed, putting my clothes on backwards and inside out, running in circles trying to find my purse and my shoes while my hair goes uncombed (and sticking out like Medusa's) and my teeth unbrushed as I cuss and hurry my kids into the car in a race to shuttle them to school before the bell rings.  Of course, I rolled over and went back to sleep with one eye open because MY-TEENAGER-HAS-THE-CAR!  It's a trade-off.

A special shout out to Super Jenn, as she begins her first day at home alone with three little ones instead of two.  You can do it Jenn, I had four in the span of ten years.  The youngest is now 13(almost 14--she constantly reminds me) and they are all still pains in the ass healthy and happy.  You can do it!

My overcast, cozied up day has me pondering other food pleasures besides my tea.  When I was a teen, I learned to make hot cocoa from scratch.  As a mother, I found that making my own cocoa allowed me to create savory memories for my children.  When we lived on the east coast and it snowed, my children would almost always come in from playing in the snow to find hot cocoa steaming on the stove.  Even now, if we drive up north to "visit" the snow, I will often pack a thermos of my cocoa.  Occasionally, they will arrive home from school on a cold day to find it waiting.  Here is my cocoa recipe:

In a two quart sauce pan, add one cup unsweetened cocoa powder and one cup sugar.  Add to that one tablespoon of water, one-eighth teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Cook and stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is completely blended.  It should look like chocolate syrup.  If it is pasty, add a little more water.  Once the chocolate is blended, add milk.  Reduce the heat to medium low and stir constantly until the cocoa begins to steam.  Do not boil.  I do not measure the milk, I just pour until I have the blend that I want.  Some days, I only add a cup or two of milk which makes it rich and strong (and slightly bitter for you dark chocolate lovers).  Other days, I dilute it with lots of milk so that the chocolate tastes more like an essence.  Your kids will probably like it somewhere in between.  I have not tried sugar substitutes, so use those at your own risk for this particular recipe. 

By the way, this is a dump recipe for me, I measured it so I could share it with others, but it really looks more like this:  equal parts cocoa and sugar-eyeball about a cup of each.  A pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla, a little water.  Cook according to above instructions, dump in as little or as much milk as you want.

One more thing.  Years ago, I picked up a very pretty, discontinued set of Mikasa china at a thrift shop.  It had almost all the pieces for service for ten, plus serving dishes.  Because I invested so little, I do not lose my mind worrying about breakage when I use it.  Thus, letting my kids drink their special homemade cocoa out of a china cup on a saucer made them feel like they were doing something extra special.  Even now, it is easy and inexpensive to pick up a single teacup with a matching saucer at a resale shop.  Collect several cup and saucer sets so that you have enough for your kids and let them have tea or cocoa parties.  I promise, it will create fun memories for them.

Did I seriously just write this warm and fuzzy post?  Okay, fess up, who spiked my tea with happy pills?  Oh wait; it is probably just that I got "some" last night.  But then I get "some" most nights or days as the opportunities "arise".  Okay, do not feign shock and surprise.  If you read my profile, it says that I am satisfied with my life.  How could you possibly not even suspect the source of my satisfaction?  Hello---McFly!

And so on that note, this concludes my Tuesday Randomness.  Now, off with you.  Go see what opportunities of your own "arise".

Random Tuesday Thoughts - With Caffeine

The Un Mom is starting a new career.  Something about godfathers and horse heads.  I'm hoping she'll have a BOGO for this service(it's too hard to choose just one).  Be sure and go over to her blog for some Randomness.

(Special thanks to Twenty Four At Heart, her pumpkin spice latte tweet gave me my inspiration for RTT)

TGIT!  RTT always seems to get me back on track for the week and assuage my lack of Monday blogging guilt.  Mondays are just crazed days for me and will remain so until November.  Here is my typical Monday:

Get up at 6:00am, make breakfast and school lunches and go teach a class from 7:45-8:45

Arrive back home and re-orient my home from an Entropy laden weekend (that's if I don't have some kind of appointment to go to).  For you non-science types, entropy occurs when a system goes from a state of order to a state of disorder or chaos.  Thus, weekends and any given day, my home experiences entropy.

Go teach another class from 12:30pm-1:30pm.  The rest of the week my classes are each 90 minutes long.

Run back home, attempt to finish chores, make dinner, spend a few minutes of quality time with my hubby (if he's not working) and my youngest child who feels like a Monday orphan.

Leave at 4:40 to begin a carpool and arrive by 5:15 at band practice

From 5:30-8:30, teach ten distracted and fatigued but hard-working young ladies marching drill and equipment work.

8:45-9:15 Reverse carpool

9:30-11:00 Any remaining chores, and hopefully, some time reading my favorite blogs (enough brain power to read but not enough to write).

Sometimes I make it to bed by 11:00 and sometimes I don't.

Currently Mondays and Wednesdays are like this.  For most of October it will also be this way Fridays and Saturdays.

My title mentioned something about caffeine...

I am a caffeine addict (Hi, my name is NeCole and I'm a caffeine addict, it's been zero days since my last caffeine intake).  So yeah, I'm not in recovery.  Once in a while, I get clean from caffeine, but eventually I go right back to it.  I started drinking coffee when I was eleven years old.  Yes, eleven!  All of my family drank coffee and being as I was somewhat of a hyper child, my doctor advised my parents to give it to me.  Give a hyper child coffee???? Whaaa....t???? Apparently, the theory was that based on homeostasis, caffeine will actually mellow out a hyper kid.  Interesting theory.  Being a biologist, I understand the theory, but having experienced it, I am somewhat skeptical.  This was back in the good old sixties, before Ritalin and Adderall were readily available and the only medications available to me were anti-psychotics.  SOOOO ANYWAY!  By my senior year in high school, I drank two and a half 12-cup pots of coffee each day by myself.  That's a lot of coffee!  This was in addition to the unmeasured Diet Coke and chocolate I consumed.

A true addict will "use" in any form.  That's me.  I will use caffeine in any form, in any state (meaning wet or dry, gel or powder, liquid or solid) temperature be damned!  Hot, cold or tepid are all fine with me.  I drink coffee, tea and diet cola products and prefer them artificially sweetened.  I drink coffee thick as mud or watered down and weak, black, loaded with cream and artificial sweetener(and sometimes booze), flavored up mochas and lattes, and just about any other way possible. I love coffee flavored food products and of course, chocolate.

The best coffee I ever had was at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia.  My preferred coffee stop is Starbucks, but any will do. I have a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf frequent flier card but alas, the closest one is in San Francisco.  I like the Dunkin Donuts coffee.  I will even drink instant, but I grind my own beans at home.

I don't consume nearly as much caffeine as I used to, but no matter how much I drink, it has lost it's ability to keep me awake.  I can drink a full pot of coffee and fall asleep easily.

Once an addict, always an addict

And now, I'm all out of random.