Back to Work

Enlightenment--that magnificent escape from anguish and ignorance--never happens by accident. It results from the brave and sometimes lonely battle of one person against his own weaknesses.

-Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, "Landscapes of Wonder"

 

       I have way to many things to do to go to the gym today.  To start off I am making some split pea soup, then I really have to finish my packing and get them mailed out.  I have to finish my Christmas cards and I want to take a hot tub soak.  For breakfast I had organic 4 grain with flax hot cereal.  I am not sure what to have for lunch.  I think just a slim fast as it seems like I feel fuller today.  I might go back to the slim fast for a meal for awhile and see if I can get the weight to come off better again.  I have gotten complacient.  The pea soup will be for supper tonight.  I will try to do a Tai Chi session before work if I get time.

  Well I got done soon then expected to went to the gym after all.  I used the machines alittle differently trying to work on different muscle groups and really worked up a sweat.  It is easy to get to a point and just do the same thing everyday so I like to change it everytime I am there along with increasing my reps so I get the most benefit.  I have cut down on the water aerobics as it seems to be bothering my lungs lately.  I would like to get through this winter season without pneumonia for a change.

No surgery in 2 weeks

   I did my water aerobics yesterday and the water was great.  One of the ladies told me I was getting darn right  skinney.  Now I am a long way from skinney but it felt good.  Today we are going to the gym and just doing the treadmill and weight circuit.  My husband and are were talking about all the benefits we feel since we started the weight circuit like better posture, easier getting around, strength,  we used to both get up in morning walking like old people until we got the kinks worked out.  It has taken like 10 years off of us.  Amazing.  I am so happy my husband is seeing the same benefits I was seeing because now it is easy to get him to go.  

 I got a call yesterday that they just couldn't get me scheduled this month.  Get me all excited and then it doesn't work out.  I was really hoping it would be this year because I have met my deductible.  It is probably to late to go to a different surgeon and start over.  Now I have to worry if my insurance will cover in after this month or if I have to try over.  I think there is a time limit from when your approved until when you have to have the surgery and Feb is cutting it pretty close.  In addition I don't know if they will let me go to the surgery center in the new fiscal year.  They don't always allow it.  sign.

Monday.

                              

                                           My Christmas Tree

Righteous Recipe ~ Parlsey, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme Trout

Ingredients:
2 trout fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon each fresh chopped parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice of 2 limes

Instructions:
In a plastic zip bag, combine all ingredients.
Shake it up and toss the fillets in, shaking and coating them thoroughly.
Zip up the plastic bag
Place it in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
When ready to cook, toss marinade and grill,
broil or sauté trout as you normally would -
about 10 minutes total, turning once, until fish flakes easily!

    I got this recipe from the Kick in the Tush club and it looks wonderful.  I can't wait to try it. 

   It is a little before 7 am and I am going to be going to the gym shortly then home to wrap presents.  The tree is up and looks lovely.  My cinnamon scented pine cones smell great and I will be getting out my Christmas music soon.  For breakfast I will have the shredded wheat again as I like it with blueberries of course.  I didn't do well yesterday as I didn't have hardly any veggies.  I also had a mango bar which had too many calories but really tasted good.  An occasional treat is OK.

  I had a wonderful workout.  I am slowly increasing my weights and reps.  Feel the burn.  My love handles are going away and my thigh muscles are really showing.  My abdomen is a mess and I despair of that ever getting better but I bet it is stronger under all that flesh.  Maybe I should be saving up for a tummy tuck.  After all the surgeries I have had on my abdomen maybe it won't ever get much smaller or tighter.  Who knows.  Anyway everything else is looking better but more important, I feel better and stronger then I have in years.

  Came home and ended up having left over meatloaf.  We are going to LeMars to get a turkey today as I have to use Dan's gift certificate soon.  I have 2 more and will get a couple of hams for Christmas with them.  I am making split pea soup in the slow cooker so that can cook why we are gone.

Spyware

                                        

Without love we could not survive. Human beings are social creatures, and a concern for each other is the very basis of our life together.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

I picked up another of those stupid spyware programs so I am going to have to clean my computer and reload it.  Darn things.  People should be put away for a long time for making those things.  I can't believe it is something that actually helps them sell anything as most people just reload their computers.  What a pain in the butt though.  I have all my pictures saved but have to save all my documents.  How does this stuff get past all my anti-spy ware and virus protection.

  We didn't get the tree up yesterday as my husband wasn't feeling well so will do it today.  I wish I would hear something on the surgery soon as I was just thinking, it would be only a week away and I don't know if that is enough time to get all my paperwork done and get the time off.  Why are delaying!

   I had shredded wheat again for breakfast and will probably have a salad for lunch.  They have lost their appeal since the weather got cold but I am going to eat one anyway.  I am not sure about supper.  I have some Turkey brats and my husband is hungry for Garlic Pasta.  I would like to see how it tastes if I slim it down.

Putting the tree up.

                                                          

     It's a lovely cold day out and we are going to put the tree up today.  I love the way my house looks and smells at Christmas.  It will be very lonely without my grandchildren here but I still am going to decorate.

  Yesterday I bought some lovely silk PJs with a button down top for my surgery.  They feel so good and I slept wonderfully in them.  And they are a size 18 and baggy.  Much better then the 24 I was wearing.

   I am going to have some shredded wheat this morning and then for sure going to have turkey soup for lunch.  I might make a meatloaf for supper as I am hungry for one.   I want to get to the gym today and workout then get all the chores done here.

More Snow

                                      

                    

                                      

 They are predicting more snow today.  On top of the 5 inches we have.  What a drag.  It is hard to get anything done.  I am still sick today, I think it will be a cold but took some tylenol so I can go to rehab.  I am hoping I feel better this afternoon so I can go to the gym.  Maybe I could work off the illness.  I meditated last night and concentrated on increasing my white count to fight off the cold.  I thought of the white cells as an army and sent them into battle my cold virus.  We used to use this visualization technique on our cancer patients to have them fight their cancer.  I figured at this point I will try everything because I want to be healthy and ready in 2 weeks if I get surgery.  I am sorry I won't be able to try the Cold Snap to see if it cuts down the length of my cold.  I can not be sure since there are so many herbs in it that none of them are a blood thinner and I don't want anything like that.  I also am going to put up the Christmas tree this weekend.

   My husband made organic 7 grain hot cereal for breakfast.  I put some blueberries on it and it was wonderful.  I will have leftover turkey soup for lunch and haven't decided on supper yet.  Hard to think food when I feel so rough.  Maybe more soup for me and the men can eat whatever they want.

   Well, It's later in the day and I had a turkey wrap for lunch instead of the soup.  I took some tylenol and my temp broke so I plan on going to the gym shortly and doing my workout.  It will either kill me or the cold.  It's snowing again.

  It is now later in the day and everything I am doing must be working because I am feeling better.

Still Not sure

  I still don't know for sure if I will be having surgery in 2 weeks.  The nurse called me today and still doesn't know for sure but is having me start pre-op things now.  No ibuprophen,  herbal tea, darvocet, etc.... I will be really hurting by the time I have this done.  I can still take tylenol.  Now she said I should know by Tue.  I hope so.   I started getting ill last night at work and feel worse since I woke up.  I ache all over and am running a fever.  I sure hope it is gone by the time I see the doctor because I don't want to be posponed if its a go.  I had chicken and noodle soup my husband made for supper and was drinking tea but now that is on hold.  I will have to research the Chai tea to see if any of the ingredients are blood thinners.  My husband has a great book on herbal medicines as he is really into it so it should be in there.  I just ordered some cold snap off the internet to help me prevent colds.