Avocado trick!

Good Wednesday morning everyone. Happy Wednesday, and for me clean sheet, sushi night and weigh in day. I've lost another pound this week. Not setting the world on fire, but slowly starting the flames! It's going forward towards a goal that counts, not how long it takes to get there.

I wanted to share a tip that I found recently about storing avocados. I made a wonderful salad with a soy dressing the other day, and put chopped avocado on it. I have tried all sorts of ways to keep the avocado from turning brown when I need to store half of it. I have brushed it with lemon, and covered it with saran wrap upside down and cut side up.They still turn brown.  I read a tip that said to store it upside down in water. I know it sounds funny, but I tried it and it worked beautifully. I left the pit in. The one I have in my fridge from Sunday, still looks good. It does get alittle mushy around the pit, but that easily scrapes away with a spoon and the flesh is still green and firm. Try it and let me know what you think!

Thought for the day:  Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.
  Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

What are you thirsty for?

Good Friday morning all. Wow, spring is sure a busy time of the year. This glorious weather is continuing here on the east coast. I just got back from walking my dogs, and it's almost a little too warm, with the projected high being 80 today. I’m enjoying a cold, icy glass of water with a cucumber slice right now. Perfect to cool me down.

I have had a busy week, and I think this will continue as we count down to the big July wedding. I am still keeping up my schedule of being at my brothers' two afternoons and evenings a week, trying to keep my husbands' practices running smoothly, and keeping my home and health a priority as well. Lots of balls to keep juggling, and I confess, sometimes I drop a ball or two. But I pick them back up and keep juggling. And so it goes. I am hoping to shed a few more lbs before I buy my dress for the wedding. So far, I am the same from last week. I am holding on and trying to follow the eating principles that I believe in. Still battle with too many carb, so keeping track is essential for me.

Since I started the Belly Fat Cure and a new way of eating, I really don't drink anything but water, coffee, tea and wine. Usually in that order too! I have not had a diet coke, or artificially sweetened drink in so long. I really don't miss it at all. And it is so much better for my body to have gotten rid of all those artificial chemicals.

When I'm in a restaurant, I order water with lemon. And I really enjoy some lemon, lime or cucumber slices in my water when I'm home. I'm sure you have heard that often times when we think we are hungry, we are really thirsty. People often mistake the two. I'm sure you've had those times, when you feel hungry for something, but you're not quite sure what it is. Sometimes you can go on a munching binge, looking for something to eat, but not sure what you want. Try a glass of water when this occurs. That will usually squash that urge to eat something. When you do feel really thirsty and get the signal from your brain that you are thirsty, you are really on the way to dehydration, so it's good not to let it get to that point.

 

So if I was asked how much water I drink, I would say a lot. But one day I realized that I may not be drinking as much as I thought. There are lots of little tips and tricks to make sure you are getting enough. Amber suggested on her blog that you leave a Brita water pitcher out on the counter and make sure to drink it all throughout the day. That's a good one, but for some reason that didn't work as well for me. I wanted to share a little tip that is helping me to make sure I get enough water every day. I  have a plastic water cup that I always seem to carry around with me. Actually I have three of them. I always keep them filled with water and ready to grab, in the fridge. On one of them I put five colored rubber bands at the top of the glass. As I empty the glass each time, I push one rubber band to the bottom. I can instantly see at a glance how many glasses I have consumed throughout the day. Often I see that I am way behind the amount I thought I had. It is helping me drink more water and keep better hydrated.

Thought for the day:  March 22, 2012 is designated as World Water Day.  We are lucky to have an abundant supply of fresh, drinkable water in our country. Take advantage of our blessing and drink plenty of water..

  s

Everything changes!

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My tulips are peaking through the earth.

Good Sunday afternoon everyone. I hope the weekend is going well. I am so enjoying our beautiful east coast weather. Sunny and in the 60's. This coming week it is projected to be in the 70's all week. There are so many changes going on around me. Personally and throughout my little piece of the world. Even though I am still so deep in sadness over our families recent loss, I feel a sense of renewal and hope that comes with this time of the year. The birds are back and I love to hear their chirping as I wake up in the morning. The windows are open now and I turned the heat off. The trees are budding and some are already in bloom.Unheard of for March in this area. My tulips are peaking through the earth, and my perennial herbs and flowers are coming back to life. Nature is so busy preparing for the burst of bloom that is about to come. It gives me faith that life goes on regardless of what has happened in the past.

Thought for the day:  No matter what you are going through right now, please always remember this: everything changes.♥ quote from Choose Happiness

What's an hour worth?

Good morning all. Hope you had a restful and relaxing weekend. Or if not, may your week be that way. I am committed to blogging, but finding myself so time challenged. Don't forget me if a few days have passed and there is nothing new. I promised to get to it at least once a week.

 This weekend an extra hour was taken from us with the start of daylight savings time. So now I wake up in the dark. I'd rather wake up in the light! I wish as a nation, they would pass a rule and leave the clocks alone. When you travel to the Caribbean,  the sun always sets early, and I don't mind it a bit. They don't change their clocks. The sun rises and sets at it's natural time. The days growing shorter in the winter and longer in the summer months. Ok, so that's my two cents about the time change. No more complaining about losing that extra hour.

Things around here have been busy. Do I sound like a broken record? I'm still at my brothers twice a week. It helps that the weather has been glorious. Warm and sunny this week, with temperatures 60-70 degrees! Everything is better when the weather is nice. Things are starting to go into full swing for the upcoming wedding. We are looking into rehearsal dinner places right now, shower plans are being made, and then there is that all important dress to shop for. I think it will be a last minute thing. I am doing okay with the eating, but it really does get challenging when your routine is changed.. I wish I had an extra hour in the day. Oh wait,...I did,...until last Sunday!

That's no excuse really. I realize how often I waste time and just can't account for where the day went. Does that ever happen to you? Of course it's all well and good to be a slug and waste some time when you planned for it, and there is nothing urgent or pressing that has to be taken care of. But when things get put off that need to be done, it's bad news. It makes me feel like I blew a good opportunity. More importantly I wasted the finite minutes of my life doing absolutely nothing.

 Did you ever think about how 1/2 hour on the treadmill can seem like eternity? The minutes ticking by, so slowly. Yet when you only have 30 minutes to blog, chat with a friend, catch up on facebook or pinterest, the time flys by. I have come to think its all a matter of perception. It's the same thirty minutes. How can it seem to go on forever and then at other times, fly by so quickly?

 So now when I hop on the elliptical, or the treadmill, I say to myself  the following. "It's only 30 minutes. That's not long at all. In fact it's hardly any time at all. This will go by quickly." And in fact it really does, when I change my mindset.

Thought for the day:  "Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back."   Harvey MacKay

Keep stepping in the right direction.

Hello everyone. Checking in to say good day on this beautiful Wednesday. Warm and sunny here on the east coast. A beautiful, breezy 60 degree day. You know what my Wednesday routine is...clean sheets, weigh in, and sushi. Sometimes, but not always. This week sushi night is going to be Friday. I did weigh in and I'm up a little. Last week I had a three pound drop, which I thought was a lot for me. So I equalized out a bit. That’s okay. I'm a slow loser, probably because I don't have everything in perfect control all the time. But hey, I'm moving in the right direction. Sometimes I detour, but I get right back on track. Remember, with anything in life, you can always have a fresh start anytime you want. It doesn't have to be on a Monday, New Years Day or 1st of the month. The next minute works too. It's a hard concept, but if you just make your next choice the right one, then you are back on track.

This was a hard concept for me to master, and I still forget at times. But even if you’ve had a day where you blew it, even a week, even a month, just get back on the right road. If you were on your way to a great vacation place, and you kept getting lost, would you give up and drive home? No, you would keep trying to get there, even it took alittle longer. That’s the real battle; trying long enough to get where you are going. Happy travels, and stay the course!

Thought for the day: That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Patience....time....practice.

Good morning everyone. I am alittle short on time today, but I just wanted to check in and say hi. I have a few new followers and I'd like them to know that the blog they signed up to follow IS about following the Belly Fat Cure, and a low sugar, low carb lifestyle. But it is also about my life, my feelings, and my world. Really, when you think about it,  all of those things are wrapped up in one package, when we talk about how we eat, why we eat and what we eat. Our life, feelings and our world are all big influences. Getting all of these things in a harmonious balance helps us reach our goals. Keeping all of these these things in harmonious balance keeps us at our goal. Oh, how I can't wait to be at my goal instead of on this journey. Patience....time....practice.....will get me there.

Heading up to my brothers house in a little while. Monday and Tuesdays are my days to be there for the kids. My mom goes up Wednesday afternoons and spends two nights there, and comes home Friday after my brother gets home. So far it's working out well. I wish I was closer than 27 miles, but I guess it could be worse, as at one time he was possibly going to be transferred to Connecticut.

The kids are wonderful and as sad as this situation is, they do make me smile and I find myself leaving the stress of my world, and focusing fully on them and their world when I'm there. I don't blog, do pinterest, check email or text messages. I leave my social networking addiction at home!We go through the motions of an ordinary day. But it will be a long, long time before any day seems as ordinary as before. Maybe it will never feel that way, especially for the kids and my brother. Maybe with patience...time...practice, things may seem better for them.

 Today is the 2 month anniversary of Beth's death. I can hardly type those words. It still seems like a bad dream to all of us. Still so unbelievable, that a life force as brilliant and vibrant as hers could be snuffed out. Where is that force now? Where is that spirit? I long to feel it, long to get a sense of her being again. I wish I had hugged her longer when we last said goodbye. I wish I knew I would never see her again. I think I would have said so many things that were in my heart. Things I took for granted that she knew. I hope she did. There's a big lesson here. I'm trying to keep that in mind. Don't take anyone for granted. They might not be here tomorrow.
I find myself hoping that the kids especially will not pay any attention to the date today.  That often happens. We forget the actual day of the month. They seemed somewhat happy yesterday.  I hope the changing of the calendar doesn't rip them apart again.Why can a date on a calendar conjure up so much meaning, sad feelings and despair? That's how it was last month. I'm hoping it may be better this month. Hoping, but not expecting that to happen. It's just a day. But for them and all of us, at least for the forseeable future, the 6th day of the month will be  a reminder, that on January 6, 2012, our world changed forever.

Thought for the day: When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran

The Elephant

Happy Friday to all. I hope your week went well. I was at my brothers on Monday and Tuesday, and then I catch up with my life the rest of the week. Haircut and dentist appointments were on the list this week. Time is going by, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. The reality of our loss is setting in and we are all going forward. I have refused to let my thoughts wonder to things that will make me cry. I am getting tired of crying, so I often don't even let my mind wonder to the sad thoughts, that I know will end up in a sobbing flow of tears. Maybe this is part of the grieving process. You make a choice to not feel sad every  moment, because you know your soul and your mind can't live like that for much longer. That's not to say I still don't have my moments, and it's only been 2 months. But I realize  I just can't let my mind go to certain places, or think certain thoughts. I have to choose what I want to think about, and what I don't want to think about.

  Last weekend I had the chance to watch the movie Water for Elephants. I had read the book, and the movie was very good too. I love animals so much, and it hurt me to see how this poor elephant was treated by some of the cruel circus people. I  never understand people who can inflict cruelty on innocent beings, like children or animals. Years ago, we put an electric fence in our yard to contain our dogs. I wasn't sure I was a believer in this sort of containment system, but we have a large yard, and the dogs were taking to some romps through the neighborhood. We had large, lovely Great Danes, and all it took was one buzz of the electric collar, and they never tried to leave the yard again. In fact we didn't even need to put the collars on on after some time had passed. They knew the limits and were content to stay within the assigned boundaries. What was on the other side of the neighborhood was not worth the unpleasantness of running through the fence. I recently came across this story about an elephant with a similar situation. I wanted to share this with you.

As a man was passing by some elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Thank you to the group Alternative Thinking for this post


https://www.facebook.com/groups/athinking/

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful weekend. Sending love and hugs!

Thought for the day: The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will." Vincent T. Lombardi

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