Weight Loss Challange Oct. 19th to Oct. 25th

Another week is here and I know that all of us are busy as bees in a flower patch finishing up the last of the yardening work. Getting fruits and veggies preserved, house plants back into the house, etc. Fall is a busy time of the year. Of course there is the fall housecleaning to do. LOL.

I will NOT do the double face tape to hold the clear plastic over the windows again. At least that is what I am saying now. Everywhere I tried to take it off it pulled off the paint and a very thin layer of plaster. I'm not in a position to panel the whole house and not sure I even want to. Paint won't replace the layer of plaster so for the most part I just left the ugly now insect laden stuff there. I tried the hair dryer trick. It didn't work for the kind I have. Maybe with time it will lose its stickiness and just start to turn lose of the walls. However it was a good trap for the ladybugs who came into the house during the winter and managed to get between the plastic and the tape. I caught dozens of them that way. I've learned to not stress about things I can't or don't know how to change or fix. I have some window shades and I hear they do a pretty good job of blocking some cold from a room. I want some on certain windows anyway for privacy. Never had them there before, but now feel the need for them.

I bought the Provida subliminal system thru the store the other day. CD disk #2 is missing but from what I read in the book that comes with the kit I don't really need it. I listened to disk#3 last night and this morning while I napped between letting the dogs out to potty & getting up. Oldest son loaned oldest DS & I the loose leaf set of it 2 years ago and I have sort of followed it. I'm still not sure which body type I am. I think a combination of C & E for those of you who are familiar with the program. Each body shape/type supposedly has a different metabolism rate and you eat & exercise for that body type. Mine is somewhat slow, but not real bad. I do have sugar level swings. If I don't eat about 4:30 or 5 in the afternoon - a good substantial meal - my blood glucose will be so low it is scary. It starts going down by about 4 most days and I need to start fixing a meal pronto. Once down it takes hours to get stabilized again. That is when my eating gets out of control. I get frantic to get it back up again and just eat and eat. You can eat too much healthy foods too, you know. Then I need some protein and carbs at bedtime to keep me from going too low about 4 in the morning. I'm learning how to keep on top of this new wrinkle in my health.

Something of interest caught my eye while I was reading thru the book that came with the Provida system kit. The person who had it before me also has fibro and arthritis. Those were listed as primary reasons for not exercising much. I'm rebounding but not doing much resistance band work as it seems to aggravate the pain I'm having in my upper arms at this time. That is where the traveling pains went when they sort of left my sacral plate last week. Nothing seems to really relieve the pain. I do massage, topical rubs, hot packs, and of course oral pain meds but it pain is still there constantly unless I am lying absolutely still flat on my back in bed.

I think we may have a solution to the snow/water on and then in the AC units in the winter. We will put awnings over them and make sides to protect them all the way around in the winter. In the summer I'll remove the sides and let them have a way to vent. GOD dropped that little nugget into my mind on the way to work yesterday. Kyle thought it was a good idea so that is how we will proceed. I'll start looking for small awings or we may have to build them outselves. I do want it to match the colors of the house. We have left over paint so we could use that if needed.

Susan, have a wonderful weekend with your DH. Let us know what interesting event you went to or task you did together. I'm so thrilled you have someone to help you with your plants. There is nothing quite like working side by side with the one you love.

Vic, do you do any gardening at all? I don't recall you mentioning much if anything about canning,freezing, or dehydrating. How is your rain holding out? Is your drought truely broken?

Pebble, the job sounds great for you. It is nice to work for/with friends. It sounds as tho GOD had this planned for you. Grilling is fun if you have someone who is there to enjoy it with you. Jack never liked grilled foods so we didn't do it much. I only did the chicken and meatloafs that he like from the Brinkman smoker. No, I didn't really smoke them, it is just a smaller grill that could be used for a small smoker if one wanted to. I had one for about 12 years and one day a friend who was helping to clean up outside the garage thought it needed to be thrown away and did so. By the time I found out about it the poor thing was mashed beneath lots of heavy stuff and had to be replaced. I keep a close eye on the replacement. The wind does blow it around a lot when it is outside because it is so lightweight so I keep it in the breezeway where it is terribly in the way but safe.

Ally, how are all of you. I'm sure you are still busy with winterizing as well as watching little ones.

Debbie, any idea yet how your father is doing in the new rest home? I know you do need to keep a close watch on them every day - at different times of the day - to make sure they really give him the care he is paying for. If they don't, report them immediately and in detail. That is the only way to keep these places honest and in line.

Trisha, where are you? We miss you.

Tina, Donna, Sandra, we miss all of you too. Please let us know you are ok.

Anna, I'll be thinking of you and your DH and praying for the recognition you deserve at the competition tomorrow.

I won't be eating well tomorrow. The little church that my former employers at Lazy Days attend is having their annual fish fry and I'll be helping them. I'll go to church there too so I'll be there as soon as services are over to start in on the dinner. Otherwise it is nearly an hour drive from my church to theirs and things are will underway by the time I get there. The menu always is baked beans, potato salad, deep fried catfish strips and chicken strips, coleslaw, and dessert. All you can eat.

Meds are working so I need to get busy on that applesauce. I have about 2 gallons of it flavored with redhots in the 'fridge. I'll heat it in the microwave to keep from burning it and then pressure can it for a few minutes to get a good seal.

GOD bless and keep each of you.