I am not doing real well the last few days and I think I know why. I (for the first time) purchased a “diet supplement” to aid in my weight loss. I have gained a substantial amount of weight due to an injury last summer and I want to get it off. At this point I will do just about anything to lose it. The excess weight is making my AVN worse, I have chest pains, no energy, etc. So I am always seeing this commercial (when I DO have the TV on) for a pill aimed at women specifically… called Slim Quick. Ok, so I take a chance and buy it… BIG… No GINORMOUS mistake! I should have researched it better. I am having extreme hot and cold flashes and muscle “cramps”. You ever get a Charlie horse? Ya know, when the muscle in your calf gets rock hard, painful, cold, and it’s just absolutely unbearable to the point of tears? Yea… not only am I having them in my calves, but in my back, my stomach, and even my face! I’ve been continuously nauseous for the past 2 days. I got the jitters and shakes real bad like I just drank 10 pots of coffee. I have chest pains when I breathe. I am not sleeping at night (partly due to the spasms/cramps). Headaches, and a bunch of the other “side effects” too! So I look the product up online and its seemingly common… a lot of people are having these symptoms. I really don’t know what I was thinking honestly. I stopped taking those stupid things and you better believe I am contacting them and getting my money back! So today I am gonna try to flush my system all day- water, cranberry juice, sweat, etc. I’m very embarrassed that I let my insecurities get the better of me and now I am paying dearly for it. So if you feel like I do, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE consult your doctor, read up on the supplements, and reconsider your course of action. I’m going to go back to the natural way (now that I can move somewhat again) and walk it off, get more active, etc. My garden I think will help me start to be more active along with summer coming up and the kids being home, etc… I don’t know why I lost sight of that! I know everyone is different, but I think these things can be potentially dangerous to the wrong person(s). Be SUPER careful ladies. Losing weight is not worth your life.
Alright, being this is the last WEEKDAY of the month already (I know the time is flying by huh?), and I already gave you a sneak notice about the upcoming contest, let me fill you in on the details!
March Gardening Madness Contest
OK kids, I am hosting another contest. In order to promote the upcoming spring and gardens and growing your own foods and such… I am giving away a great prize. In this gift package, you will receive seed packets, hand tools for gardening, a pair of gloves, a book about gardening, a seed starting tray, and a $25 gift card to either Home Depot or Lowe’s so you can buy soils, plant foods, containers, etc.
Now here are the rules… The contest runs from March 1, 2010 until March 31, 2010- one full month. The morning of April 1st I will have my kids pick a winner based on who meets ALL requirements. You must #1- be a registered follower, #2- you must comment on the days I announce a “GARDEN COMMENT”, and #3- you must email me your full name and address so that I can mail your prize if you win. In your comments, you can discuss something you plan to do in your garden this upcoming spring. Share what you plan on planting/growing OR a craft to use in your garden, etc. You can also ask garden related questions. There MUST be something in your comment regarding gardening.
That’s it… when you think about it, this is an awesome prize really. You can grow your own food, which saves money on your grocery bill, and enjoy a hobby. This prize package could potentially be worth hundreds if not more if your garden flourishes well! I know I would be super stoked about it! Okie dokie, well good luck and I wish you all the best!
Now someone recently asked me why I am so “into” gardening. Well here’s a little insight to me LOL. Firstly, I’m not as into it as others… say my mom for instance. She had an AWESOME garden going and beautiful plants all over the place before the stupid Hurricane Ike. (But never fear mom, we WILL start getting it back together and beautiful again! I will help you!) I do however get very excited with what I can do in my situation. My landlord won’t let me plant in the ground, so all my gardening and plants are container gardening. I started years ago when I was undergoing chemotherapy with just a few plants. I found it very therapeutic and it gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment. I was saving money by growing my own foods and helping the earth by having plants that were recycling Oxygen and CO2, etc. It made things look pretty as well! It was exciting to watch these things grow. I knew it was not treated with any potentially harmful chemicals… it was organic if you will. It’s also a good teaching tool. Our children need to know the value of hard work and responsibility. What better way than to grow your own food? It also becomes a science lesson for them. They learn about water cycles, photosynthesis, germination, etc. Gardening and attending to my plants also keeps me moving… I don’t become sedentary and make my health issues worse. It forces me to move because I know that no one is going to attend to my garden if I don’t and all my hard work, time, and even money will be wasted! Gardens- be it food or flower- also attract wildlife. Nature comes a bit closer to your life for you to enjoy! Butterflies, birds, bees, hummingbirds, etc. as well as some not-so-wanted critters as well. But with proper precautions you can keep nature and the fruits of your labor at a happy medium. Just if you see some big ugly worms that you just wanna smash… check to make sure those aren’t gonna become butterflies! LMAO! Right mom? LMAO!! Anyway, these are just a few reasons why I am so thrilled about gardening and I hope that I can inspire you and get you just as excited too! OK so the stinkbugs ate a handful of your cherry tomatoes and the cats think the flowerbed is a gigantic litter box… SO WHAT?! It’s still a very positive experience (in my book anyway) LOL!
Ok, so in the mind frame of being green, I saw a cute craft on Thrifty fun that I want to share with you today. It’s for a recycled wrapping paper organizer made from large pet food or bird seed bags… check these out!
Craft Idea of the Day: Recycled Wrapping Paper Organizer Shoe Bag
I made another project from some recycled bags. These came from empty bird seed bags that a friend gave me. They are colorful and the pretty birds made them nice and bright. In fact, I had so much paper, that I had to make two. Helped free up some space in my closet.
On the one side, I put lots of spots for rolled paper, and on the other side, I put exclusively pockets for gift bags and boxes. I did not have to worry about putting any cardboard or supporting materials in the inside or the pockets, as the weight of the boxes and paper kept it very supported.
So the only materials I needed were two bags for each project, some thread and a hanger for each. I plan for my next projects to be a much longer organizer for a door and more bags.
By hoptownracer1 from USA
And now… The bucket list. Remember we talked about it yesterday? Well I started mine and OMG I can’t believe how many things I already came up with. 6 hours and I got 50 things! It made me think how little I have actually lived and gave me an insight to how boring I think I am LMAO! Be on the lookout, probably Sunday, for mine. I would love to hear your life goals too! I’m also making a list of things I have ALREADY done. It’s actually an amazing insight to your personality. I can’t recommend it enough. Life is very precious and you should value every moment of it… maybe this is the way for some of us to do that? And what I thought really funny was when I laid down last night to TRY to go to bed, I turned on a rerun of Criminal Minds and one of the main characters- Gideon- was injured and talking about HIS list (he only had 25 things though LOL). Uncanny timing huh?!
Ok, I’m sitting here wondering if the sick feeling I am having this morning will go away if I eat something. One thing I do have to admit, that stupid pill did suppress my appetite quite a bit. I think I have eaten about 1/5 of what I normally do in the last couple of days! But as I sit here, I am actually very hungry! I want food! And I’m not talking about a rice cake and a carrot… I mean real food! Fattening, stick to your ribs, down home yumminess!!!! Fried fish… yea that sounds good… check this recipe for catfish out (which I think HEB has on sale with a combo loco this week!).
Parmesan Pecan Fried Catfish
Ingredients
2 pounds catfish fillets, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup ground pecans
2/3 cup plain yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon paprika
2 large eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil
Preparation
1. Place catfish and buttermilk in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag. Seal and chill 1 hour. Remove catfish from buttermilk, discarding buttermilk.
2. Combine pecans and next 4 ingredients in a shallow bowl. Dip fish in eggs; dredge in pecan mixture, shaking off excess. Arrange on a baking sheet. Pour oil to depth of 1 1/2 inches into a cast-iron Dutch oven or 12-inch (2 1/4-inch-deep) cast-iron skillet; heat to 350°. Fry fish, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and fish flakes with a fork. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels.
** Parmesan-Pecan Fried Chicken: Substitute 2 lb. chicken breast tenders for catfish. Fry 3 minutes or until done.
OK gang, I am gonna get off of here and go try to get some things around here done. I am also gonna go float myself silly… which means me and the potty will be good friends today LMAO! Ya’ll take care and be safe. You are all very precious to me! HUGS!
Very interesting blog today. Young lady.....you know better than to take those dangerous diet pieces of crap pills. NEVER NEVER NEVER take those. You can poison yourself with those! Concentrate on supplements and vitamins and make them water soluable ones so they absorb easier and work better.
ReplyDeleteNow the worm comment was uncalled for! Anyone can make that mistake when a worm is that ugly! Plus it ate all my parsley! That worm signed his death warrant by doing that! And gardening can relax you except when your hunting worms.
Cant wait to see your complete bucket list. (this should be interesting).
Seems you liked some of the recipes I found. Well granny sent me a whole bunch more to sort through (even a recipe book from 1963). LOL Now if I only had some tape.
BYE BYE
HELLO Renee, OH how I have missed this blog. It is going to take me FOREVER to get all the stuff I missed read. I have missed you and I will try to be here everyday (if the old computer holds up)!
ReplyDeleteMissed you,
Melissa in Houston
hi Renee... very glad your feeling better... naughty girl! dont take those terrible pills.
ReplyDeletei am still sick... taking antibiotics now tho.... been doing nothing but sitting or napping
enjoyed today entry!
jean