lazy Wednesday morning

Good Day!

Easter was pleasant for all I hope!

I have a new Nikon Cool Pix camera and i am playing around with photos

I can't wait for blooming and green to show more but for this post

it is all gold and brown with some blue sky.  

The horses are eating from a hay bale these days and kept in the small field until our pastures can grow faster.

Ben is having a lay-down.  I rode him for a bit (just slow walking around the arena yesterday)

my friend had cut up a Jicama with celery and carrots and it looks like a potato when peeled and cut. 

It's my new raw veggie favourite.  If you have not tried a Jicama you should!

If you haven't seen this cartoon, here is a " funny" for today.

like minded

Have you ever wondered why sometimes you work hard to go

out the door to an obligation or to wonder why your health

is failing as you age.  Here are 3 things that impacted me these last 6 months!

Dear Food

I know that I am not your best friend and I am not going to say that you and all your food groups and tastes and texture are hard for me to digest into my stomach.  So let us make a truce .  I love you food and I have a challenge as when I encourage my body to eat more of you than it can handle.
So I am practicing the art of small portions and slow eating, like chewing slowly and pausing after a few bites.  This may sound easy for some but it is a challenge for me.

Then I can appreciate you food and we can get on a more like minded relationship.

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Dear Church

I am not feeling any connectedness at my church and I attend once a month.  I took a progressive Christian course for 10 weeks this last fall.  It was hurting my brain, or helping it, I'm not sure which.
Part 2 of this course is on now and I declined to re-join after Christmas.  So this is the first time I am writing something about it.  I can't make a stance (yet) or maybe I just did.

"It is for those who have stopped taking the church seriously at all.  Many people of deep spiritual integrity simply cannot suffer the shallow message of the churches of their birth any longer. They have an intuitive sense that there is more to Christianity than the rigid rules and theological constructs of the past." (Excerpt from Rev. David Felten and Rev. Jeff Procter-Murphy)

I am open-minded about my faith and this must have been what I required to fuel my belief.  Some interesting things came up but it challenged my belief and I liked my faith before I took the class and I did get educated on the bible stories and what they mean in our words today.  It was deep and our Minister said it would bring questions up and it is all about having those questions and not definite answers as the bible is stories written to teach us how to live.

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Dear Gym/Team Training

This is my like-minded place.  The trainers and the gym owners are there for ME.  I put in the effort
and they make sure I do my training safely.  Here is  a great post on the trainers.

The people I train with are fun and very much in the same place I am.

This is a great go-to place!

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I am liking the mind of the person who shared and created this!

Do you like this idea?

lessons + celebrate

This is a blog to document lessons I have been aware of

and celebrations and energy therapy and horse relations, etc.

Read if you want:

(shoulder tendonitis prevention)

foods for my inflammation

gifts of the type 3 (energy profiling)

woman with Carol Tuttle and her Healing Centre

now here is a chart system for

planting your garden with the appropriate

companion (hubby's the gardener)

A hornets nest appeared unnoticed on our corral fence
for a long time ..until we did notice it this fall.

this is the first quote that we accepted in September

and are still waiting for them to come and paint!

I am waiting on our second painter's quote that I

had done 2 weeks ago!

this Christmas I came upon a lovely

desert for large crowds

here is the Trifle ingredients I made for Christmas Day

I had to pick up a Trifle bowl at Superstore

my other one didn't make it here in 2014 (could not locate it)

Christmas tree I purchased is huge and I enjoyed that

it was tall and perfect with so many lights on it.

Christmas is HUGE for me and the tree is VERY IMPORTANT!

We all enjoyed the extravagance that enriched our living room

with vibrancy and uplifting beauty.

Tom bought fireworks to celebrate his success with his youtube channel

Tommy's Puppet Lab of over 200,000 subscribers.

even this horse that manifested into being owned by us is
HUGE  for me and VERY IMPORTANT to my balance and energy
Just when I get her in my control with the riding techniques,
she goes and has a bad day or she doesn't like being around other horses
in the arena, you know, just like humans, it is a process to maintain balance.

Enjoy the last 3 days of 2018!

62 good as new

"they say it's your birthday

it's my birthday too, yeah

they say it's your birthday

we're gonna have a good time

I'm glad it's your birthday

Happy Birthday to you!"

...and so on

(the Beatles birthday song)

I love this cake because, it is healthy and soooo easy

to put together (all ingredients pulsed in a blender)

icing is coconut milk, monk fruit sugar powder, unsalted butter, cocoa powder, vanilla

can't go wrong with this brownie desert!

 woke up this morning and pond is completely

melted!

my friend Shirley got me a friendship rose quartz

it's sitting in the sun on my dining room window

my husband installed a new shower head and it is heaven to stand

under as the sprays are like gentle rain and the massager  mode is so

relaxing - cool gift!

Off to Mr. Mikes for supper...

today is my birthday...yeah yeah

I feel good...yeah yeah

Enjoy this earth day birthday like it is a new

beginning!

everyday heroes - our wellness support in Yorkton

I attended this conference on the weekend

it was the inauguration of a biannual event honoring women in Yorkton.

The heroes in the room are all of us attending. For those days that one feels less than heroic, there is a team of women ready to help pick you up.  There are the obvious women in your inner circle who you lean on often; but at this conference the circle gets bigger as we met and got to know and learn from the presenters of the passionate and compassion help available in my area.

Some health concerns and tips I picked up on:

• Massage therapy helps cancer patients' and as well -touch- is important for our mental health!

• eat more plant-based foods, like flax seeds, chia seeds, avocado, green vegetables.  We had a discussion at my table about how tiring a lettuce salad is becoming;  so at lunch a lovely vegetable mix that was steamed slightly and just dumped into a big serving dish.  The veggies were not too soft and not too hard and crunchy.  Simple, easy to eat and each vegetable was a different colour.

• frozen fruit bought in stores is as good as fresh, blueberries are super anti-oxidants

• celery is a fantastic inflammation and digestion fighter

• Splenda for sugar replacement was not recommended and if you are diabetic or have high blood sugar it was suggested to buy Monk Fruit sugar (Bulk Barn carries it)  if you bake for Christmas  and special treats that require sugar ...use that

• Sleep Apnea was talked about from a presenter at Parkland CPAP and it is a very common health issue.  A questionnaire was on our table to fill out if we wanted to see if we were at risk  or if we showed obvious symptoms.  Sleep Apnea means apparently that you stop breathing at some point or it appears that you stop but the chest is still moving.  Anyway it was super information and they talked about the small machine and mask that they carry.

• Kung Fu demo was slow and boring but that is just me....we did learn some easy starter techniques to practice on ourselves.  Was enlightening but I am not jumping up to sign up for a class.  It does develop a great focus because in meditation you are sitting still but with Tai Chai or kung fu your focus is strengthened by the precise slow movements.  Maybe it is what I need (lol!)

There was a presenter about skin care from Prairie Beauty and an Acupuncture presentation; one for all about raw natural honey and so much more.  We all left with a nice swag bag too!

 I am going to pick up some bok choy on my next grocery store

visit and try that out.

It was a good day and the cost for this was to just show up!

......Next one is on Sept 30th.

Namaste!  We all deserve good health and the support available to

ensure we have that.

Wednesday works

what is your best season?

Mine is Hallowe'en and it never

gets old for me at my age

I just like a bit of creepiness

in my life and those.... come on - those

costumes alone are endless

in creativity!

on another topic: tonight for supper it is fish

and roasted potato sides

here is the recipe

I used regular potatoes and threw in some

left over carrots from the fridge

i am getting back into Young Living Essential Oils

and I put these oils on the bottom of my feet only

and I do this everyday.

I don't have to worry about skin reactions if they

are too harsh for me as they are powerful

and even with a carrier oil sometimes

I can't put them on topically so the bottoms

of the feet is the 2nd best place to apply.

They work!

Have a good one!

my guilt list

okay

I am going to nip this in the bud

so to speak

The Guilt List

I feel guilty when.....

I don't bake enough

I don't have food prepared

for company in my freezer

When someone vents out loud I think it is my fault or somehow
I screwed up

I read too many books, am I lazy?

I should of hugged my boys more when they were little

Because, I am not much for hugging

When I don't have anything planned for the day, or several days

When I am not making friends

When I use money incorrectly 

When I do not have as much energy as other women seem to

When I cannot patch up the past and have to just live in the present

When my neck gets stiff and I once again have to slow down and relax

....and on and on it will go and it depends on the time of year

The Guilt Resolved List

in my senior retirement years I have resolved this.....

• My self-talk is positive

• My confidence is based on my Guilt List (above) - if no guilt ....I can move forward, plan some fun...et al

• Christmas comes around and I know I love buying a live tree and bringing it home and watching it thaw out to see what shape it will actually be.  Decorations are minimal.  I know once that tree is in the house the guilt about cooking, baking and performing traditional meals is always a work through process for me.  I don't feel guilty anymore because I know what I love that time of year.  Lights!  I speak my mind to my family about what I need this time of year and I know that it is appreciated - "Don't shrink, don't puff up, just stand my sacred ground!

my mother-in-law made a statement to me

many years ago when my boys were toddlers and I was really

not coping well.  She said "Donna, everything will pass in time". Sometimes

I remembered those words and sometimes I didn't.

• 
  

I know there is more guilt that crops up depending on

timely events and things misinterpreted among people

I trust myself and have a purpose in life to

be truthful to my nature and then things do fall into place

with guilt or no guilt.  We cannot get back to the past, even if I try I just can't get there!

Have you ever written down your guilt list?

small and proud

this is a sarcastic post

(a little bit it is)

We go to the 150th Canada Day

Celebration at our Western Development Museum

on July 1st

there was singing and dancing

entertainment;

Historical Vikings in costume,

with all the tools and handicraft

of their lifestyle; as well as a demo

of how they fought and died and survived (interesting).

Brian went to get a Canada Day cupcake or

piece of cake, so we thought, as last year they had

a huge table with cupcakes free for the taking,

all decorated with red and white icing.  It was kind of

special.

(Canada Day 2016)

this year there was no cupcakes or cake to be found

and they gave out small tiny Canada pins.

(very tiny)

 (can you see it?)

I am small but mighty.

this day was for kids at the museum grounds

that is for sure

so we grabbed a hamburger and a fudgsicle

and departed.  All good just expected more!

We saw the fireworks last night and they were good
but nothing too special just kind of the same as usual.
I suppose I was expecting more extravagance?  feel more special as a Canadian citizen (spoil alert)!

crystal clear

This is Crystal Lake

north of Canora SK

It is really a little jewel

the lake water is clear and cold

as it is fed from underground springs

I grew up in Yorkton

and this lake was a favourite

when I was very young

Saskatchewan in the summer

is all about the lakes,

at least for me it is,

screeching cold water (Brian captured this impressive shot)

 Saskatoons' were available to pick at this lake, well to eat not pick.

I love day trips!

maintaining

I have type 2 diabetes

I have to check my blood sugar every day

My target number is 6 - 6.5 mmol/l

Type 2 diabetics can be healthy if they maintain their resting blood sugar number between 4.7 - 7 mmol - This MMOl/L reading is: the unit used in medicine to measure the concentration of substances in the blood. 

It is difficult to travel and spend several days holidaying.  Eating out and grabbing food from airport kiosks, not eating 3 regular meals and snacking in between does not work.  You can google all about the foods and snacks that are good for diabetics, however, that metabolism to keep the pancreas and liver functioning better requires the added aerobic exercise.  They recommend walking, jogging, swimming, biking but I find that fast 10 minutes on that treadmill keeps my metabolism going.

After Christmas I started to work on bringing my blood sugar down (and my tummy too) but then my holiday to Hawaii brought me back to end of January with a poor feeling in my tummy and a high resting blood sugar number.  

I have been home now for 6 weeks and have concentrated on bringing my target back to 6.5.

I feel good now as my resting blood sugar in the morning is under 7.  Yeah me!

I have 2 things that are keeping my blood sugar under control:

10 - 12 minutes on the treadmill daily at 3.2 - 3.4 kms  - The required is 30 minutes a day on the treadmill 5 days a week.  I get very sick and sore of that treadmill under that strict guideline so if I do 10 minutes every day, less pressure, fast and quick too.

My protein shake in the morning is the start of my day and consists of:......

blueberries, ISO Femme for women protein powder, a bit of flax and some chi chia seeds

I sometimes add avocado or kiwi fruit to my shake as well.  This really satisfies me and controls my eating for the morning and maintains the daily protein level I need.

I enjoy Yoga once a week
and riding horses,
swimming at the lakes too.
Important Note:  the danger in exercising is it can drop that
blood sugar too quickly and then i feel faint.  Snacks such as cheese,
crackers, fruit, hard boiled egg is a must to have on hand when that occurs.
  It seems I am always eating!

I plan on blogging again in 6 months time to see if I am still following this program

and maintaining my healthy numbers.

thanks for watching!

Tomato

I am enjoying tomatoes more than I ever have and just

for fun and information here are all the health benefits of this ripe red

easy to grow fruit.  Not a vegetable, a fruit.

The tomato is the edible, often red berry-type fruit of the nightshade Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant. The tomato is consumed in diverse ways, including raw, as an ingredient in many dishes, sauces, salads, and drinks. Wikipedia 

Tomatoes are also an excellent source vitamin C, biotin, molybdenum, and vitamin K. They are also a very good source of copper, potassium, manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin B6, folate, niacin, vitamin E, and phosphorous

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easy homemade tomato soup
(friend S.Thorpe)

10 med garden tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 tsps olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp Balsalmic Vinegar

pepper to taste

make or put aside 2 cups of broth (vegetable, chicken, beef)

add all ingredients above except leave aside 1 cup of broth

put in roaster and roast in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, then blend with pulse processor adding the other 1 cup of broth

Fun with Family

my sister's birthday was today and we went to the new

breakfast and brunch restaurant in Regina called Fresh and Sweet actually here is the

link to their website (Valley Girls Fresh and Sweet)

Wonderful tasting food and a good start to my Saturday morning!

I can have fun just as much as I can keep getting older.   Fun is always available with the right people!

a stronger valentine

keeping my heart red and strong

for Valentines

walking 20-30 minutes 6 days a week

taking Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract for cholesterol health

changing my lifestyle and foods to lower cholesterol

my blood sugar is under control with Metformin

I have been taking high blood pressure medication for many years ..

this all adds up to a program to reduce my risk of heart disease

When I got to Yorkton and we were getting settled in I noticed my blood sugar was erratic and my digestion of foods

was not good.  I went to a new doctor and signed up with her as my family physician,

I am now being checked regularly every 3 months for good blood lab results.

a heart healthy sip of wine at bedtime is good too (perk)
i get a bottle of free wine when I assist my friend in
bottling her wines.

My shoulder/neck is much better and I have persisted every morning with

my shoulder rolls (Alexander).  It was very difficult and  shoulder stiff while doing these shoulder rolls but I went slow and stopped every time it stabbed a sore muscle at me.

I am doing yoga leg stretches and a quarter downward dog pose every day

and I attend a basic flow yoga class once a week.

(see this post-shoulder/malfunction)

This is the best phase in my life and I want to 

enjoy it!

a little festive thanks

highlights from my thanksgiving

a tatooed pumpkin 

my son built this fire pit for us this weekend 

I followed Martha Stewart's recipe for roasting turkey and it came out so

beautifully golden brown

2 of our nieces riding our horses and they are growing up sooooo fast...when did that happen?

I like lights anytime throughout the year so the dollar store had these LED jack-o-lanterns - so festive!

Hope it was a bit festive for all of you too!