Our trip to the American Girl Place

Lillianna and I wrote about our trip to New York on her blog. We had a great time and I highly recommend this trip to any mom who has a daughter with an American Girl doll.

Jill Carroll is set free....I don't know about this.

This story is too odd for me. People are saying that the kidnapping was a hoax. I have kind of thought that all along.

They threatened to kill her and yet she remained alive...time and time again. While I was happy she wasn't killed,I don't find the terrorists to be a kind and loving group of people so I don't find this story to be believable. Why didn't they kill her? They killed her interpreter when she was kidnapped so why spare Jill's life? Were they all in this together? Maybe they are all Americans?

Today Jill was saying how she was treated so kindly. Cut the crap!! In one video she was crying hysterically. Were those tears of gratitude for how well she was being treated? What is the truth here?

This story is just bizarre. What do you think really happened?

A great check-up

I went to see Lynn,my nutritionist yesterday. She was thrilled with my blood sugar readings and my blood pressure. I will see her again in 3 months and if my blood sugar is a bit lower than it is now,I can cut back from 3 diabetes pills a day to 2 a day.YIPPEE! That's the news that I wanted to hear!

She was really proud of how much I have been exercising and how determined I am to keep losing more weight and controlling my blood sugar. I used to use food as a way to control my life but now I use good eating habits and exercise to control it. I like this way a lot better than the old way!

Thank you to everyone who keeps asking how I am doing with all of this. I really appreciate it. You keep me motivated!

Say thank-you to yourself

My most recent post is over at DotMoms.
I think we all are so quick to praise others but do we ever take the time to thank ourselves? That's what this post is all about.

Can anyone explain this to me?

We live in a very large apartment complex. I always drive slowly throughout the complex because there are so many kids here and you just never know when a child will suddenly dart into the road.

The other day as I was passing one of the buildings, I noticed a mom holding the hand of her 2 or 3 year old daughter. They were laughing as they walked down the walkway leading to the parking lot. The mom let go of her daughter's hand and they continued laughing as the little girl ran around to the side of their car. Her mom was not far behind her.

Suddenly,the mom saw my car and panicked. I was only going about 15MPH and I still hadn't gotten to the spot where their car was but the mom started screaming at her daughter. The little girl was now standing by the trunk of their car. The mom screamed until the girl stopped and began to cry.

When the mom got to her child,she slapped her little hands several times until her sippy cup fell to the ground. The girl was now hysterical. It was at this point that I passed their car. My heart shattered when I saw this scene.

When a child is this young,I blame the parent and not the child for a situation like this. The mom should've known better. A child of 2 or 3 should not be allowed to run free in a parking area and if they are....don't slap them!! Slap yourself for being so stupid in thinking that a child that young has really good judgment! DUH!

What do you think about this?

Forty pounds......and a half!

As of this morning,I have lost 40 1/2 pounds. I had to get the half in because it's very important to me. This has been difficult at times but it has all been worth it. I still have 60-70 more pounds to go but I'll just deal with that 5 pounds at a time.

Dr.B was pleased with my progress when I saw him on Wednesday. Sadly,my blood pressure was high so he increased my blood pressure med.....again. *sigh*
I'm hoping with more weight loss,my bp will go down.

On a happier note,my blood sugar has been great in the past 3 days. I have had 6 good and consistent readings and I am pleased with that. I am hoping I can keep that up.

I have to go check out the gym in our apartment complex this week so that I can start using it. So far, I have just been walking but I need to tone everything so I can look beautiful in my bridesmaid's dress....oh ya...and being healthy is important,of course. :)

My child can write!

Lillianna has finally written a post on her blog. It's the first one since Christmas.
It's a cute little post,so if you have a chance,please check it out!

It's working!

I lost another half of a pound today. This new plan is definitely working!
YAHOO!!

I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow morning. I hope I get a good report!
I'll keep you posted.

Questions without answers

This was my post over at DotMomsyesterday.

Lillianna asks some of the toughest questions! Unfortunately,I don't always have an answer.

Honesty really is the best policy!

I'm a big Dr.Phil fan. He is always telling people to "Get real!" That sounds so easy but when you are the one that has to get real,it can be tough....tougher than you think.

I have to say that losing 35 pounds was not very difficult for me. I had gone from eating really high fat foods,way too many carbs and just lots of foods with empty calories,to following a low fat,low sugar,low carb eating plan. The change was so drastic that the weight came off in a timely fashion.

Over the past 2 months,I have lost and gained the same 2 pounds without really losing anything. One day I was up one pound. The next time I was down two pounds.....up a half a pound,up a half a pound,down one pound. No matter what I thought I was doing right,the weight stayed at the same number.

The other day I decided to "get real" about my eating. The truth was painful. Yes,I definitely eat healthier than I used to but I'm trying to kid myself and it's not working.

Eating one bag of sour cream and onion rice cakes is not one serving. One serving is 10 rice cakes. If I eat the bag then I am eating six servings. That is 60 grams of carbs and I am only allowed 90 grams of carbs each day. This has had a huge effect on my weight and my blood sugar.
I kept trying to tell myself I was doing the best that I could but it wasn't true. I was only pretending to do my best.

The other day I decided to cut down my portions,be careful with carbs,focus more on exercising and the big one.......no eating after dinner unless it's a low carb yogurt.With these changes in place,I felt confident that things would turn around.

This morning I lost one pound.....a real pound.....a new pound. The scale has moved on to a new lower number! Good scale! My blood sugar has been good and tonight it was the lowest ever....101. It's usually between 120-175 at night which drives me crazy. No consistency.

This progress has really encouraged me to continue to keep it real. I feel happy and proud that I took the bull by the horns and made this change. Being honest with myself hasn't been easy but is has been necessary.

Do you ever try to fool yourself? Does it work?

Magical kitchen or magical husband?

Ok,I'll admit it,I hate cleaning. Is there anyone else out there in blog land that hates cleaning too? Wow! That's a lot of raised hands! I knew I wasn't alone.

I also hate cooking but due to the diagnosis of Diabetes back in November,if I want to eat,I have to cook! That being said,I cooked a bunch of stuff yesterday:a huge pot/vat of low fat Oriental soup,a pot of low carb pasta (for the soup....by not using "real" angel hair pasta,I've cut down on the carbs. Yeah for me!)

I also made my very favorite string bean casserole without the onion rings which is what makes it "bad" for me to eat...too much fat.(Are you counting the pots,pans and utensils? It was getting messy!) Then I made some pork chops. Rich decided that they needed to go on a rack in the pan so he changed pans completely halfway through the cooking.

I microwaved left over angel hair pasta for Lillianna in it's plastic container,transfered that into another bowl so it appeared as if I were a good mother who had spent hours preparing my daughter's dinner instead of the 2 minutes it actually took to nuke it and throw a small bit of butter on it for flavor.

Then it was time for Rich and I to sit down to dinner. Add 2 plates,2 glasses and silverware to the big mess that I had already created in the ever so small kitchen and you have quite a disaster.

Rich was going over to his friend's house to trade historical lead figures for a few hours after dinner and I had a million things to do before bed. Did I mention I had to get up at 4am this morning to get ready for a walk for Hospice? I looked at Rich with sad pitiful eyes and said,"I don't want to clean this mess up."

He said,"That's okay. I'll clean it all up when I get home." He gave me a big reassuring hug. I didn't dare ask,"Are you sure?" because I didn't want him to change his mind.I thanked him and ran off to sew the metal underwire back into my bra. It had escaped earlier in the day and nearly poked my eye out. Don't ask!

When I woke up this morning,the kitchen was spotless! SPOTLESS! Just like it had been before I destroyed it.

Is my kitchen magical or is my husband magical? Never mind. I already know the answer to that question.

Thanks,Rich!!

People who made my day

Even though none of the people who made me smile today will ever read this,I wanted to acknowledge them anyway.

Thanks to the doctor I worked with this morning who asked me how I was feeling and then said I was looking great.Yahoo! That made me feel wonderful. I know the doctors were worried about me when I got pancreatitis and they are always asking me how I am feeling whenever I see them. I like that!


Thanks to the driver of the florist truck who let me out of the parking lot to cross in front of him after work. I have to cross a busy main road and no one lets the cars out but this young guy waved me in. If it weren't for him,I might still be sitting there.

Thanks to the 96 year old woman who came in for an emergency visit this morning. She was just lovely and made me smile.


Every kindness makes a difference. Who was nice to you today?

Tell me what you think

Here is the dress that we picked out for my sister's wedding in September.
I love it and it looks good on me! If the color comes out as black,click the first color on the right where it says,"click swatch to colorize". It is supposed to be brown and pink.

All I have to do is lose 60 pounds more and I will look fabulous.
What do you think of this?

The single life is not for me.

Rich and Lillianna went to New Hampshire for the weekend to visit Rich's sister and her family. My 13 year old niece is in a play and I couldn't get the time off from work so I told them to go without me. This same niece will be coming with me,Lillianna and my sister when we go to New York on the American Girl tour so I didn't feel too badly about missing this. At least we will be together next month.

Last night I came home from work at 8:15pm to an empty house. Lillianna did not run to me as I walked in the door yelling,"MommyMommyMommyMommy.....I missed you so much!" while hugging my waist and squeezing me tight.
Rich didn't kiss me as he took my lunch box and bag with all my plastic containers from lunch and dinner and put them in the sink where he would wash them before he went to bed so that they would be clean for me in the morning.

No one asked me how my day was. No one watched me check my blood sugar.(This is a huge event in our house.Although I find it somewhat annoying,I kind of missed the attention last night.)

Usually Lillianna sleeps with me on Saturday night because she doesn't see me all day Saturday and then I leave at 6:15am Sunday which is before she wakes up. She always snuggles with me and we giggle together about goofy things. Last night,it was just me,all alone,in my bed. I set the alarm for 4:30am and reluctantly fell asleep.

This morning I woke up and was faced with a sink full of plastic containers. They hadn't been "magically" washed by my husband and I was too tired to wash them last night. Luckily I had more,so I used those instead. It's gonna be a huge mess when I get home with even more dishes!

I am all for "alone time" but this time,in between work,is not alone time,it's lonely time. Now,if I had the whole day to myself and I wasn't working,that would be fun for me!

I can't wait until my family comes home tonight. The single life is not for me!

When is a Danish not a Danish?

So the Muslim community is upset with Denmark for their Muhammad cartoon. I don't really have an opinion on that other than these three words: freedom of speech!
I know Americans renamed or tried to rename French fries to Freedom fries when we were pissed at France but honestly,I have always just called them fries. There are no other kind from which we need to distinguish,right? We don't have Italian fries or Israeli fries or Chinese fries,do we? So fries are just fries to me.

That being said,Danish pastry in the Muslim world has been renamed.It is now being called Roses of the Prophet Muhammad! "I'd like a Roses of the Prophet Muhammad and a large decaf please." It just doesn't have the same ring to it. If it were just one,would it be a Rose of the Prophet Muhammad or is it like the word fish: it's the singular and plural? This is very confusing to me.

When I was in Denmark in 1989 visiting my friend,Charlotte,I remember looking in the bakery window and seeing a delicious tray of Danish pastries.Curious,I asked,"What do the Danish call Danish pastries in Denmark?" She told me they were called snegle.

Knowing that I wanted to write about this and not wanting to get the word wrong,I emailed Charlotte and asked her to confirm this. Here is her response.


You have a very good memory.. Yes some are called snegle (snails) and some are called Bagerens darlige oje (the baker's bad eye)or Spandauer(just the name of the cake) and so on. But all the danish pastries are all together called wienerbrod. (I had to omit the Danish letters because blogger made a mess of them when it posted.So,if you know how to speak Danish and wonder why these words are spelled incorrectly,that's why.)

Hmm.....so the Danish don't even call Danish,Danish......hmmmmm.....that's interesting.
I used to love Danish pastries....so buttery and sweet. Damn this diabetes!......I miss those lovely breakfast treats.....*sigh*........I just lost my train of thought. What was this Muslim protest about and why am I suddenly so hungry?

Then I can't help you!

In any job I have ever had,customer service has always been a number one priority.
So,imagine my shock and surprise when I had an appointment last week at a new dermatology practice where customer service is non-existent.

When I got to the front desk,the receptionist didn't acknowledge me for quite some time. She wasn't doing anything except avoiding eye contact with me. I stood in front of her,willing her to look up at me. Eventually she did. She gave me some forms to fill out and then I sat and waited to be called.

About 15 minutes later,I was called in to the exam room. The person who escorted me in could not have been a nurse since she didn't know anything medical! As I listed my medications for her, she looked like a deer in the headlights. She didn't know how to pronounce or spell any of my meds even though I was saying them for her. "I take 500mg of Metformin in the morning and 1000mg at night," I said.
The confused girl looked up in horror and asked,"Metta what?"

She reluctantly wrote down my meds and then told me to get ready for the doctor.
Now for this next part,you have to use the voice of Mrs. Howell from Gilligan's Island and the voice of Kitty Montgomery,the mother-in-law on Dharma and Greg.
Dr.H came in and she was the most condescending and snobby woman I have ever met.

Dr.H: Why have you come here today?

Me: My doctor said I had a lot of freckles and I needed a yearly mole check. I also
have eczema and some other skin issues.

Dr.H glared at me and said nothing so I guessed she wanted more details.

Me: I have had eczema for 43 years (I pointed to the light patchy spot on both of
my arms)and they turn beet red when I am stressed.

Dr.H glared at my light spots and said nothing. I waited for a response. When I didn't get one, I looked up at her. Finally she said in her snotty voice,

"Is it there now?"

Me: Uhm....not the red blotches but you can see where they are.

Dr.H: Then I can't help you!

I sighed. She could definitely see the light patches. Gee,sorry I'm not a basket case and my arms aren't inflamed today.........I decided to address problem number two.

Me: Every morning,my face is very dry so I have to put some type of moisturizer on
it. No matter what I use,there are bright red lines going down each side of my
mouth. It looks like I put red lipstick down the side.

Dr.H: Well is it there now?

I purposely didn't use make-up so that she would see this problem. I looked in the mirror but the lines weren't there.

Me: I don't see them now.....no.....they're not there.

Dr.H: Then I can't help you!

Me: This is the most frustrating exam I had ever had!

Long glare from Dr.H.........I sighed.

Me: Well what can I do about the eczema?

Dr.H: You keep saying eczema.....eczema.....eczema is dry skin. Use any type of moisturizer and you won't have eczema!

Was she kidding me??????? When the blotches come,moisturizer inflames my skin and makes it more itchy and irritated. My fingers and hands are a dry,itchy mess. Moisturizer will make them worse.

Dr.H: I guess I will check your moles.

After her search she looked disappointed.

Dr.H: There is nothing wrong with you. Is there something you are
concerned about?

Me: There is this mole on my shoulder that has become raised in the past year.

Dr.H: Well,yes....as you become older,they fill with fat. It's not a problem unless
you want something removed.

Me: Do I need it removed?

Dr.H: No.

I told her I didn't have any more questions. She told me to get dressed.
Once I was dressed,I sat and waited for her to return. After a few minutes I figured she wasn't coming back and maybe I should just check out. As I walked down the hall,I saw her sitting in a little room writing in a chart. I asked,"Do I just check out?" She looked at me as if I just threw up on her designer shoes and said,"No. You go back in the room and you wait for me!"

I went back to the room and waited. A few minutes later,the incompetent non-medical girl came in. She gave me a sample of some moisturizer and told me to make an appointment for one year. I said I'd call. Ya right!!!!! If my skin were falling off and Dr.H was the only one who could cure me,I'd be skinless!!

After I told Rich and Lillianna this story, I decided to make this my catch phrase.
"Is it there now?.......Then I can't help you!" I have to use the snobby obnoxious voice to make it work. Lillianna just laughs.

I can laugh as I look back on it but it was really pathetic. To deny that my eczema is itchy and causes problems was ridiculous. She doesn't know me or my situation.

Have you ever had an encounter with an incompetent doctor? How did you handle it?

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my birthday and so far it has been wonderful.

Ok,it wasn't so great that I had to work this morning but right after work,at 12pm,I drove to Kara's work and she took me out to lunch. We went to this lovely restaurant next door to her office. She has been there a million times but this was my first time going and it was delicious!!!!

It's an Italian restaurant but of course I had to stay away from the regular Italian meals....too many carbs for me. My sugar has been high two nights in a row so I am really trying extra hard to watch my carb intake.

I ordered a mixed greens salad with grilled chicken and tomatoes with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It was huge and very filling. It was so much fun to spend time with my sister. She gave me a pair of 5 pound weights which I had asked for so I can tone my arms and I also got a beautiful shirt. I thought it would be too tight but....IT FIT!!!! I am so excited to have something new that actually fits me.

I got home around 4:00pm and cleaned this messy place up. Lillianna helped me slice up 2 containers of fresh strawberries and now she is singing in the shower.We also listened to my old 45's. She can not put the needle on the record!!! It's amazing. She can use the computer,use a CD player and every other gadget in the world but the old needle on the record freaks her out.

Our friends are coming over at 7:30pm for dinner and cake. I made pasta,sauce and salad. Thank goodness for my crockpot.
This is my first birthday without a "real" cake. I got a sugar free angel food cake with fat free cool whip and strawberries. Diabetes sucks! It really does.

Tomorrow,Lillianna and I are going to Build-A-Bear so that she can build me a puppy for my birthday. She has 2 dogs,Kayleigh and Mikayla. I want my own dog. I'm naming my puppy,Chloe Natasha. I'll pick her out and Lillianna will stuff her for me. I think I will photograph the whole event.

That's all for now. I have to make the salad. It's almost dinner time!!

My very dry fingertips

I have had eczema my whole life and I hate it. Since I am now pricking my fingertips twice a day to check my blood sugar, the dryness has become worse.

Yesterday,Lillianna and I,went to CVS to drop off my prescriptions. I decided to ask the pharmacist what he suggested for my dried,cracked fingers. He was an Asian man who had a thick accent. He took me down an aisle and stopped. He pointed to the lowest shelf.

"I know this may seem strange but this cream is best. They use it on dry cow teats."

I did my best not to burst out in nervous laughter. I've heard of these creams before and I'm sure if they work on dry cow teats they should work on my scaly fingers,right?

Then the pharmacist looked at me,pointed at my fingers and said,"You shouldn't pick your fingers."
I sighed and said, "I didn't say I pick my fingers. I said I prick my fingers...twice a day....to check my blood sugar."
"Oh," he said."This will help you." He walked away.

This cow teat cream is called Bag Balm. They couldn't have come up with a more seductive name? I used it last night and it doesn't smell too pleasant. Lillianna gagged. For $7.99 this teat cream had better make my fingertips moist and delicious,that's all I have to say!!

Have you ever used cow teat cream?

Just one more reason to like Denmark

I read this in News Of The Weird today and wanted to share it with everyone.
I have loved Denmark since I went there in 1989 to visit my friend,Charlotte and this article just gives me one more reason to applaud their society.


Denmark's government ruled in 2001 that institutionalized citizens have the right to have sex and that caregivers must even take them to visit prostitutes. (Prostitution is legal in Denmark.) According to a January dispatch from Aarhus, Denmark, in London's Observer, Mr. Torben Vegener Hansen, 59, who has cerebral palsy and lives at home on government assistance, is challenging the government also to pay for prostitutes to make house calls, claiming that he is unable to have sex manually because of his illness and must be accorded this "human right" by a service similar to the government's meals-on-wheels program. [The Observer (London), 1-1-06]

I wonder how this would work in our country??

Happy Birthday,Rich!!

Today is my dear husband's birthday.

Rich has a wonderful sense of humor even though I have to leave the room when he entertains our friends with politically incorrect impressions and jokes.

He is a great dad. He plays endless games of Monopoly and Sorry with Lillianna. (I personally hate board games!)

He rubs my back and my feet so that I can go to sleep.(I'm not as accommodating!)

He does the dishes after I have made a huge mess in the kitchen.

He is just an all around laid back,fun loving and wonderful man.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,RICH!!
I LOVE YOU.