Word of Wisdom Wednesday

Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking about health. My daughter has too, and has come to the conclusion that she needs to be Vegan. I'm not sure if that is the best answer to many of her health issues. I'm not sure it isn't either, so I am going to be doing some research and sharing what I learn each Wednesday. I might include a new recipe, an article I found about something concerning our health or exercise, or just some thoughts about what I have found that has worked for me.

Many of you already know why I have named this Word of Wisdom Wednesday, but many of you do not. So, for the first week, I will share with you why I have picked that name.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has a health code called the Word of Wisdom. This code is found in Doctrine and Covenants section 89.  I hope you click on the link to read exactly what it is.

We believe that we have been blessed with a body, and that we need to take care of it. The Word of Wisdom helps us to know how to do so. Most people look at the Word of Wisdom as a bunch of don't do this and don't do that, especially when it come to what we put into our bodies. 

Personally, I have never had an issue with drugs, alcohol, tobacco, tea and coffee; even before I joined the church. That's not to say I never tried any of them, just that when I did, I did not like it. I will have to say, I NEVER tried doing the drug thing. Heck, I don't even like taking ibuprofen (it knocks me out). Growing up in the South, you would have thought I was a tea drinker. I never like the stuff, and when I joined the church, the tea/coffee thing was not an issue, and I am grateful for that.

My focus will mostly be on our food. Today, we hear a lot about allergies to nuts, gluten  dairy, etc; things that when I was growing up was unheard of (mostly).  Personally....I think people are becoming allergic to these things because it is in EVERYTHING, and I mean everything. Start reading the labels. You will find gluten in your shampoos! (just one example of what I am talking about.) WHY!? One thing the Word of Wisdom points out is moderation, and there is no moderation in many of our foods.

Well, I am not going to go on any more, in hopes that you will go read about the Word of Wisdom by clicking on the link here and here. Then next week, I will hopefully have some insight to share about one particular thing in the Word of Wisdom. I would also like to hear what all of you are doing to take care of your bodies, so please share.

French Breakfast Puffs

This morning I got up and decided to make everyone's favorite for breakfast. I should have thought about blogging about it then, and take pictures and all, but, oh well....  Actually, it's a pretty easy recipe.

First you mix together 1/3 cup soft shortening, 1/2 cup sugar and one egg together (with a beater) and set aside.

Then you mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 t baking power, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 tsp nutmeg in a small bowl.

Measure 1/2 cup milk.

Alternately, stir in the milk and flour mixture a little at a time...milk, then flour, milk, flour, until all ingredients are mixed together really well. 

Fill greased muffin tins about 2/3 full and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (until golden).

Here comes the fun part....

Just before the muffins are done, melt about 6 T or more of butter in one bowl, and in another bowl mix about 1/2 cup sugar and 1 t cinnamon.  

As soon as you take the muffins out of the oven carefully remove them from the tins. Then dredge them in the butter, then cover them with the cinnamon and sugar and serve warm.

Sometimes, I have to melt more butter and/or make more cinnamon and sugar. But let me tell you.....These things are the best!!!!!! I don't make them too often because they are go good and one could really make themselves sick by eating too many, not to mention putting on a few LB's.  But they are worth it..........every once in awhile....

Thirty-One...

Not too long ago, my sister saw these bags and fell in love. She became a consultant and told me all about them. I ordered some and have also fell in love.  See the bag on the left? Well, I ordered that exact one and have used it several times. I first took it on our cruise, and now it is my pool bag.  Let me tell you....it holds A LOT!!!!

I go to the gym everyday. Most days, before I head to the pool I have a class. Afterward, I change into my bathing suit and swim, so this thing NEEDS to hold a lot. On a typical day, after I change into my swim suite, I will have three towels, my exercise clothes, shoes, my cover up, goggles, swim gloves, a small container of coconut oil for my hair, sunscreen, AND my purse (which is pretty big).  Yes, it all fits.

For the month of May, which is almost over, there is a special that I want to get in on. If you buy $31 worth of stuff, you get half off on any thermal. I want to get this big guy. It holds A LOT. It's the Thermal Market Tote and you should see all the stuff my sister got in her's! She had two containers of half and half, milk, scallions, strawberries, lettuce, two things of feta cheese, cilantro, a bunch of cucumbers and a bunch of lunch meat. All that with quite a bit of room to spare. The handles are sturdy for this type of thing.

I am having a quick party, from now until Thursday (30 May 2013). If you are local, let me know, if not and you want to order, let me know too and I will send you the link. For non local people, it will be an extra $4 to be delivered right to your door.

By the way, all the stuff from Thirty-One is VERY durable!

I will probably be hosting another party in June because of this cool new pattern...

I am wanting the Large Utility Tote in the flip flop pattern and it will only be available in that pattern in June, and if you order $35 worth of stuff, you can get it for $10. Those large totes are great for a lot of things. I plan to use it for the back of my car so I don't have a mess of things rolling around back there, like balls, groceries, etc....

mythirtyone.com/terryjeanettecarter

Glad I Was NOT in the Caribbean!

So, lately, I've mentioned I was in the hospital. I will now share my appendectomy story....

On Sunday afternoon, 6 April, I started to have an uncomfortable feeling in my lower right side. No biggy. Not sure what I had done, but it was General Conference and I was sitting around all day watching it on TV.

The next day, Monday, I woke up with the same feeling in my side, and as the day went on it got worse. I was busy with the roofer, as we had had some issues and he was coming over to fix it. All day long my husband told me to go to the doctor. After the roofers left, my husband called (for the upteenth time) and told me to go to the doctor. I told him I would if he would come with me. I made the appointment and was on my way in the late afternoon. 

My appointment was at 3:00. They immediately got me in and started pressing on my side.  It really did not hurt much until that point, and then, BOY!!!! That HURT!!! I was sent to the hospital for a CT scan. The result, "one NASTY appendix" as the doctor put it; and it had to come out, NOW!  I looked at him and told him we were leaving on a cruise to celebrate our 30th anniversary TWO WEEKS from TODAY.  He said, "Well then, let's get you on that boat!

By about 10:00 p.m. or so, I was one less organ and tucked snugly in my bed. I really don't remember much 'til the next morning when the doctor came in and told me my appendix basically ruptured. Glad I went to the doctor! The plan was that I would be heading home the next day (Wednesday). Not so! My blood count would not go down and my stomach still hurt...A LOT; more than it did before I had that bugger out. I am allergic to a lot of different antibiotics, and the stuff he had me on was not working, so he upped it a bit. He told me that I was not dying, but he was going to give me an antibiotic that they give to people who are.  I was also on morphine. I really don't like that stuff.

Thursday, nothing had changed, and my stomach REALLY hurt and I looked like I was pregnant. They upped my antibiotic, which made me sick, I went in for my second CT scan, and...fluid! So, in went drainage tubes; one in my stomach and one in my hip (about where you would get a shot).  They did not leave the one in my stomach, but the one in my rear had to stay.  The first night, I slept on my stomach. I could not move. They kept asking me, "On a scale from 1 to 10 how much pain are you in?" I was not in any pain, just uncomfortable. I finally told them, no pain, but discomfort, like about an 11 or so! So they gave me more morphine...yuck!

Friday, I was really hungry. I hadn't really eaten since before I had gone in the hospital. Nothing sounded or looked good, but I was hungry. They brought me something, I tried a few bites, and blah...!  It was hard for me to sit or lay down, so I stood up and walked around quite a bit that day. Also, I had been poked so many times, that my veins would not cooperate anymore; so the lab would just prick my finger. Now why did they not do that to begin with? They only needed a very little amount of blood. 

My original IV was not working anymore, and they tried to start one on my other arm, with zero luck. So, I had to get a picc line. Next time I have to go to the hospital, I am having a picc line! No more of this rolling veins thing!

Saturday, white count was still high, and the doctor came in to talk to me. In the past he would always say, something positive about the cruise, but not that day. He didn't even mention it. After he left, I called my mom and told her I think he just wrote off our cruise. I was not a happy camper. 

The nurses were great. They tried so hard to make me comfortable and cheer me up. That stupid tube in my rear so uncomfortable! My back started to bother me. I did NOT want any more of that morphine, so I just suffered through it. Monday, my lab work came in, and my blood count was normal. YIPEE!!! I called my mom, and told her pack your bags, we just might make that cruise! The doctor told me that if my blood count stays down, I might be able to leave the next day.

Tuesday. White blood count back up....what?! NO WAY! I was really depressed. A few hours later, the doctor came in, and....blood count was NOT up, it was normal. He told me I needed another CT scan, and that if all was normal, they were going to take that tube and picc line out and I was going home!!!! YAY!!!

All was normal, I was going home...oh....all my tubes had to come out. I was nervous. Was it going to hurt? When they put all that stuff in, I was numb. I was really scared, but excited to go home. I'm not going to lie, it did hurt to get the tube and picc line out, but boy, was it nice to be FREEEEEE! 

After eight LOOONG days in the hospital, I was ready and able to go home! Doctor's orders, though, NO lifting for a week! I could ride in a car, walk, and climb stairs. Whenever we go on vacation, I like to clean my house, REALLY WELL. Well, that was not happening. I was lucky to get packed. We left on Friday for Tennessee to pick up my mother in law, and headed to Florida on Saturday. We all made the boat on Monday, and had a wonderful time. 

Doctor said, "You better be glad this did not happen in the middle of the Caribbean, little lady!"  I agree, I am very glad that did not happen in the middle of the Caribbean.  

Do You Use Essential Oils?

For several years, my daughter has had some health issues. In fact, when I look back, a lot of these issues, she has had all her life, like her upset stomach. I think she thought everyone felt like that.

There is one thing that has come to haunt her in recent years that she did NOT have an issue with when she was younger...acne. Now, I am not saying she never had a zit, but she didn't have near the problem she has developed in the last few years; and she is 23!

Ashley is probably the few people I know that hardly wears makeup and washes her face like she is suppose to, so that is not the problem. She is also a very healthy eater, so that's not the problem. She has been to numerous doctors and most of them say, "Accutane!"  Well, she will NOT be going down that path, too many negatives with that drug. I'm not sure if she is a candidate for it anyway. She has the cystic acne, but since she is married, at child bearing age, is at high risk for osteoporosis, and has intestinal issues, etc. All these (and then some), make her pretty much ineligible for the drug.  Besides, I think we have figured it is more of a hormonal issue.

My daughter has been doing A LOT of research lately on the foods we eat and how they affect our body. She has also been doing some research on essential oils.  When she first looked into the oils, I was a little skeptical. When her and her husband ordered them and started using them, I was amazed at some of the claims. Essential oils are a bit pricey, but if they do all that they claim to do, it would be worth it.

As time went on and Ashley and her husband used the oils, some of her symptoms subsided. Her husband's dad has had some health issues, and he started using the oils too--with great success. As I talk to some of my friends and other family member who use the oils, all I hear are great stories. So, I've decided to try them.

A few weeks ago, I found myself in the hospital with a ruptured appendix. I spent eight days in there, and this was just two weeks before our 30th wedding anniversary cruise. The doctor had me on "the gorilla of all antibiotics," as he called them. I am allergic to a lot of antibiotics and can't take many. The stuff he started me on were doing NO good, so he brought out the big guns. After I left, he didn't want to send me with any antibiotics due to the risk of me developing yet another allergy to an antibiotic. A friend who has been doing the oils for awhile now, sent me some oregano oil and Digestive Blend and told me how to take these while on the cruise. I did, and was fine. I really didn't know if it kept me from getting sick, so I was still a bit skeptical. 

On the way home from the cruise in Florida, we stopped to visit with my daughter and her husband. I had ordered small bottles of lemon oil, lavender oil and peppermint oil. On the way home I developed my fourth set of fever blisters since my hospital stay. I read where lemon oil could help, and so I tried it. Within three days, they were GONE!!!! Hmmmm...Jury is still out.

I have had a nagging cough for MONTHS! Like maybe four or so. I get it every year, usually around Thanksgiving, and then it is gone by the summer, not this year! Anyway, I saw where you can take two drops each of lemon oil, lavender oil and peppermint oil into a capsule and take three times a day for allergies. I have heard that most cold/cough issues are allergies, so what the heck I'll try it. I took my first capsule last night before I went to bed. When I got up....I could really tell a difference. Not coughing as much at all! So I took another capsule at breakfast, and then at lunch. There is a HUGE difference in my cough. All the crud in my chest is breaking up and my cough is almost gone. 

Okay....I guess I will have to be ordering me some more oils. So, do you use oils? If so what are your favorites? I have lemon, lavender, peppermint, oregano, Digestive Blend, Metabolic Blend (my daughter got this for free and she does NOT need to loose weight so I took it), and then Ashley gave me some Whisper for Mother's Day (mmmm, smells soooo goooood!).  How do you like to use your oils? I would love to hear from you as to what and how you use your essential oils.

A New Project

Several months ago, my mom was telling me about some necklaces she had seen and tried to describe them. I had no clue what she was talking about.

A few days ago, we were in the mall and went into one of those places where people rent spaces to sell their craft. We noticed one vendor made the necklaces my mom was trying to describe to me so many months ago. When I saw what they were made out of, I remember I had seen the yarn in a store recently. I was sure Walmart carried it, so we made our way there. I was wrong, Walmart does not carry it. I was disappointed because we were going to go home and create.

The next day, my mom and dad went back home to Florida. They had been visiting and sadly, their stay had come to an end. As I was changing sheets and doing other chores, the phone rang. It was one of my friends from my stitch club. She knew I liked to make jewelry and asked if I had ever worked with ladder yarn. THAT's it!!!! The yarn my mom and I were looking for the day before.

My friend proceeded to tell me she had a bunch of it and wanted to know if I would like to buy it off her for REALLY cheap. I met her that afternoon, came home and made a bunch of these.

Sure wish my mom would have been here! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make here one...

Moving Is So Hard

I'm not sure most people realize how hard it is to move, especially for pre-teen and teenage children. Of course, those of you who move around a lot like we do, get it.

celebrating our 20th anniversary 

My husband and I have been married for 30 years, and we tend to move every three to five years. No, we are not military, we just tend to move a lot due to my husband's job as a Mechanical Engineer in the pulp and paper business. Each time we move, we look at it as an adventure, and, for the most part, it has been; some bad, but mostly all good.

our youngest son enjoying the lake in Crossett, Arkansas

Moving so frequently really never was been an issue until our children got older. Well, not an issue for our kids. When we moved from Wilmington, North Carolina, my husband practically took me kicking and screaming. I loved that area, and I had some good friends too.

I loved going to the beach in Wilmington!

When we moved from Muncie, Indiana, that was when it was getting hard on our children. When we first moved to Indiana, it was quite the adjustment. Both my husband and I grew up in the South, and we are not a fan of the cold weather. The kids had a good time there, due to the snow they had never really been around. Well, around much...we would get a couple of inches in Crossett, Arkansas that would stay around for a tiny bit. Nothing like the feet we would sometimes get up in Muncie.

Moving to Monroe, Louisiana from Indiana, was when our kids really started to balk at moving. Bill and I were so glad to get back down to the South were it was warm, but all of us missed our friends in the North; and so did our children. Our daughter especially was upset, as she had to leave her boyfriend. It all worked out in the end...they are now married! See things work out for the best!

This last move from Louisiana to Western Kentucky was probably the hardest. We lived in Monroe longer than we had lived anywhere else--almost six years! I left behind some wonderful ladies and I truly miss them. I feel that we will be lifelong friends.  Our two youngest sons hated the move too. Especially our youngest--it was his Senior year. I said I would NEVER do that; move when we had a child still in high school. I learned to never say "NEVER."  But, it all worked out in the end. He finished high school early and started going to BYU-Idaho this past January. 

our youngest taking a stroll at Black Bayou in Monroe, Louisiana

As I said at the beginning of this blog, "I'm not sure people realize how hard it is to move..." is so true. I'm not going to mention any names or places, as I have met some great people in ALL the places we have lived, but there have been a few places we have been to where it was rough in the beginning. One place we had just moved to, I was told that, as a new person, it was MY responsibility to be the one to stand up and introduce myself. Well, first off, I tend to be VERY shy. I have come a long way since my high school years, but that shyness is still there, and it is very hard and awkward for me to be pushy and stand up and say, "Hey, I'm new!" Not sure how that would come off either when people are in their own little clicks and not paying much attention to others around them. 

I'd like to say, Kentucky is NOT the place this happened in. I have loved being here in Kentucky. Everyone is so nice and has welcomed our family with open arms. I am grateful for that! I just wish every place could be that way. Even with my shyness, I try to go up to people at church or at the YMCA, etc and introduce myself. It is hard for me, but I feel it is MY responsibility to go up to the newbie rather than them come to me.

at the park in our new town here in Western Kentucky

So, I would like to challenge everyone to seek out the new people you come in contact with at school, church, fitness center, the kid's ball games or dance lessons, work, etc, and welcome them. Who knows, you might just meet your best friend.

Rubber Duckie...You're The One.....

I've been missing for a few weeks. But now, I am back!!!! 

About a month ago, I found myself in the hospital with a ruptured appendix. This happened just two weeks before my husband and I were to leave on a cruise to celebrate our 30th anniversary. 

We were able to make the cruise...barely and had a great time. I'm sure I will be blogging about it soon.

While I was in the hospital, my sister sent me a cool video class on how to make these Amigurumi animals. I finally was able to sit down yesterday and take the class and finish it today.

So, what do you think? There are a few boo boo's, but for my first one, I don't think it's too bad. I learned a lot making this critter. I had never done any increasing or decreasing so I learned how to do those, and I had only done something in the round once, and I really did not know what I was doing (kinda made it up as I went). I learned THREE new things doing this cute little duckie. He is actually suppose to be a little bluebird, but since I had bright yellow and orange yarn on hand, I decided to change it up a bit.

Sox doesn't know quite what to think about the duck, but I thought the both of them looked good together....

Happy 30 Years!!!!

I just found out that Bill and I got married on Star Wars Day, lol yes..."May the forth be with you" which is May 4th. I can't believe it's been 30 years.

The old saying, "Time goes fast when you're having fun" is so true. These past 30 years with Bill have been the greatest!

Here we are celebrating 21 years.

This is where we were married; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint's Washington DC Temple.

And here is the result of our marriage--four beautiful children,

and growing. In recent years we have added a wonderful son in law and a sweet puppy dog! Not so much a puppy now...

PS...since I am not home and at my folks old computer that came over over on the Mayflower, there are a few technical errors to this blog. Also, this is why I have not been blogging for awhile. I was in the hospital then off to Florida soon after I got out. A few more days til I will be back on my old, but not as old as their's...computer.