The Diabetic Domestic Diva

30 Things- Invisible Illness Week

2011-09-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get back into the the school year routine and place a little more effort into my diabetes management. My A1c went up almost a full point over the 4 months of Summer and it's time to get it back down into the 6-er range. :) Here's 30 Things about my disease that you may not know.

1. The illness I live with is: Type 1 Diabetes

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 1988

3. But I had symptoms since: 1987- Ask my Mom about the sleepwalking. Good times.

4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Having discernment on which refined carbs are REALLY worth the effort. :)

5. Most people assume: That I did something wrong to get diabetes, like ate the wrong foods or didn't exercise enough.

6. The hardest part about mornings are: Making sure I take care of myself AND still get my kids out the door on time for school.

7. My favorite medical TV show is: Grey's Anatomy. Hands down.

8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: My pump.

9. The hardest part about nights are: The fear of not waking up from a low blood sugar.

10. Each day I take 1 pills & 0 vitamins: I should take vitamins. I just always forget.

11. Regarding alternative treatments I: Know that there are none for T1D. Only insulin.

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: I love that I can hide diabetes until I’m ready to talk about it. Although I don’t think any illnesses are entirely invisible.

13. Regarding working and career: I am very blessed and fortunate to be my own boss. I am a private piano teacher with many wonderful students. I also substitute teach at a local school in the music department occasionally.

14. People would be surprised to know: I think about diabetes more than 10 times a day. And I've never taken a day off from thinking about it or taking my meds for 25 years.

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: N/A I was diagnosed just before my 7th birthday and I have few memories without diabetes.

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: Go on multiple mission trips to third world countries like the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

17. The commercials about my illness: Wilford makes me giggle. Diabeetus. The Type 2 commercials generally drive me crazy because the distinction between Type 1 and Type 2 is rarely made.

18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: Pancakes With Syrup.

19. It was really hard to have to give up: I honestly don't feel like I've sacrificed any dreams.

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: Carb counting. I'm so good at it.

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Go hiking and bring all kinds of trail mix with extra m and m's, I'd go swimming under some waterfalls with no cares of being attached to a pump, and I'd eat smores before bed around a fire.

22. My illness has taught me: How many carbs are in everything. What food are really "healthy." I can spot a marketing scam a mile away. "Multigrain" "Low fat" "No preservatives" doesn't mean it's good for ya. :)

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: “Should you be eating that?" ARG!!!! Don't ever ask me that!

24. But I love it when people: Ask questions and then genuinely listen to the answers. And remember what I tell them. Or ask more questions.

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: "I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full." - Jesus He motivates me every day.

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: It gets easier. Some days are hard, but perspective is important.

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: Diabetes forces me to be very "in tune" with my body. If I'm feeling off in any way, I catch it quickly. :)

28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: There's no way to nail down one experience. My parents sacrificed a lot of time, money, and energy to take good care of me. My husband also does many awesome things to keep me healthy and safe. Even my kids get me juice sometimes. :) I'm blessed.

29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: I thought it'd be fun to share!

30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: That you are a VERY good friend and you care. Thank you!!

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Sep 16, 2011 (3 days ago)

D-Blog Week: Awesome Things

2011-05-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Today's D-Blog Week topic was to write about AWESOME things that you've done BECAUSE of diabetes.

A very special gift that diabetes has given me over the years, is a determined spirit that is quite unstoppable. I am the type of person who is motivated by being told that I CAN'T do something. I'm a problem solver. I will get what I want, no matter how hard I have to work to find a way to get it.

Diabetes once said,

"You shouldn't have children."

Oh yeah? How about two? Cute ones at that.

"You can't go on foreign mission trips where there might be no refrigeration."

*Yawn* Been there, done that, Diabetes.

"You can't fast for 30 hours to raise money for hungry kids."

Hmm, funny... I just did that last weekend with about 17 amazing students in my youth group.

I credit Diabetes for being my motivator in many aspects of my life.

BECAUSE of diabetes I have also had the opportunity to make many friends in the diabetes online community. I am so grateful to share experiences with them. The DOC rocks and I'm honored to know some of the people in it!

Many of my friends at church and I also share a special bond too, through the likeness of our pancrei. (ya like that?)

So yes, diabetes sucks. Dur. (word of the day for me) It's all about perspective and I choose to not let it rob me of my joy, but to find contentment in the midst of a challenge. I hope you will choose joy too!

Bummer

2011-05-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm having some issues with my Mac Book Pro and sense a trip to the Mac store is coming for tomorrow. I tried to post my 10 Things list last night and Blogger wasn't working, so unfortunately I minimized the document (instead of saving it....dur.) and today my computer turned off without saving it.

My screen keeps randomly going to the log in screen and closing programs, so I won't be posting again till my computer is all better! Sorry! Very sad to miss this!

D-Blog Week: Diabetes Bloopers

2011-05-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

This one is going to be short and sweet! (for once!)

You got a taste of this story yesterday in my letter to my beloved juice fetcher.

One night, during a very extreme low, I stumbled into the living room and looked at Justin.

I wanted to say, "Hey honey. I just tested my blood sugar and I am 31 mg/dl and I could really use some grape juice right now if you don't mind getting me some."

But what came out instead, in a slurred, drunken speech was:

"I am diabetes!"

Luckily, Justin is fluent in Windy-has-low-blood-sugar.

And now, my friends and family say that phrase to me every time I say something stupid. Even if it is not a result of diabetes. haha.

D-Blog Week: Dearest Juice Fetcher,

2011-05-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

Dearest Juice Fetcher, (a.k.a. Justin, Hunkaliscious, J-Smooth)

I love you for all these reasons. And many many more....

You bring me juice in the middle of the night, and the middle of the afternoon, and sometimes the middle of the morning too.

When I say, "I'm high." you know that in fact I am not strung out on marijuana, but I just need you to watch the kids for a couple hours until my blood sugars drop back into range enough for me to function.

Before the days of Dexcom CGM, you woke me up when I was unconscious and face down on the floor and called 911 and told me in my ear that I would be okay, even though you weren't sure that I would.

Later... you made light of it by creating our inside joke about my low blood sugar ramblings, "What's that Windy? Timmy's stuck in a well?"

I love inside-diabetes-jokes.

Which brings me to these three words. "I. Am. Diabetes."

You never, ever, EVER make me feel unsexy for wearing multiple medical devices on my body.

You tolerate brown rice, flax seeds, hummus, cottage cheese, sugar free yogurt, and whole wheat pasta in our house. You'll thank me when we're 60... I promise.

Justin, I love you so much. I fall more in love with you every day and I am so thankful for the special care that you give to me in my weak moments of having diabetes. The word "care taker" makes me feel like I am some 90 year old geriatric patient... so I won't use it.... but you do play a big role in managing that aspect of my life and you do a phenomenal job and don't get thanked enough. I am thankful to be in a marriage where my husband is also my best friend and confidant. *and now I'm humming the Golden Girls theme song in my head*

Thank You for being a frriiiiiiiiiiieeeeennnnndd...........

Admiring Our Differences

2011-05-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

I have had Type 1 diabetes for 23 years this August and I have learned so much from the brave people in the Diabetes Online Community. There are three who stick out to me this morning, that have really encouraged and taught me in unique ways. I want to share them with you in this post!

Cherise has taught me a lot about Type 1.5/LADA and provides awesome opportunities to connect with other diabetics through the DSMA online events. When I am able to participate, I always learn new things that help me in managing physical and emotional aspects of diabetes. Thanks Cherise!

Scott- is always my encourager. His honest blog entries always have an undertone that resounds, "Never give up!!!" I find myself constantly relating to both his triumphs and his frustrations! Thanks Scott!

And Missy- Oh heavens, have you read about Missy? Missy Foy is a very decorated ultra marathoner who can run like 15,000 miles a day. OK, not really... but just one glance at her "Long Run Day" entries about running 40 miles... and what she gets to eat before, during, and after a 40 mile run.... it's just jaw dropping and inspiring that she never lets diabetes stop her from doing what she loves. She always inspires me to get off my butt and do something. Thanks Missy!

There are so many dozens of other wonderful people! Spouses and parents of PWDs, Type 2s, Type 1s, Children and Teenagers, even Unicorns who support diabetics! I love the DOC so much and respect the diversity which we represent!!

A Good Day

2011-03-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

Today was beautiful. I love the heat of the Florida sunshine. I've only seen snow one time in my life on a ski trip in the 9th grade. That was enough... I missed the sand.

This afternoon my kids and I jumped in the SUV, picked up my niece, and drove towards the beach.

When we arrived the kids immediately started digging a "hot tub" with their shovels and buckets. Then they made pillows out of the sand. Then castles.

The waves were pretty big. We went in the water to cool off, jumping over breaking waves and squealing as each one knocked us over.

As the kids were building their various creations together, I took a moment to just soak in the perfect moment that was happening. I mean really just sat there, with tears in my eyes, thanking God for this perfect moment, trying to sear the memory into my brain.

I lost a good friend to cancer last week. Her Celebration of Life service was yesterday. Just a couple months ago she was giving me advice about my Kindergartener who was being mischievous at school. She was a mentor and a friend in so many ways. The impact of her life was shown yesterday as countless people gave testimonies of how she encouraged them, sacrificially gave of her time, efforts, talents. It was amazing to hear. Now she's gone.

Just like that.

Life is such a fragile thing.

We always say that, but yet we often don't live like we believe it.

So today I savored every little moment intentionally. I gave to others sacrificially. I reflected with a grateful heart all God has done for me. I spent time with good friends. And I sit here in gratitude for one more day I've been given here on earth. I tried to make a difference.

I really want to live every day like I did today.

I Dream of Tetris

2011-03-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Diabetes Mine Design Challenge? I always enjoy reading the posts and watching the entries each year! Inventing tech-y-ish things isn't exactly my forte. I'd rather write a sonata or something.... :) But there is one thing I've always wished for, especially when I was just a young buck. So if you need an idea. Here's mine and you're welcome to make it a reality for me.

Tetris on my insulin pump.

Or any games really!

Snake? Pong? Angry Birds?

This would have been especially fun when I had boring high school/college classes and got busted for texting or playing mindless apps in class. This is how it goes in my mind:

Teacher: "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to take that and you can get it from me after class."

Windy: "Oh! I'm sorry, it's just my insulin pump."

Teacher: *feeling ashamed and dirtbag like* "Oh! Well, I....er... didn't know. Go ahead and finish."

Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

I know. I'm terrible. But you know it's funny.

This may require a super-man like battery to power it. One made out of cryptonite or something. But, dang-it, it's 2011!

Make one Super-geeks!

Can't a girl get a fun insulin pump?

"Shut Up!!"

2011-03-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

I love my Endocrinologist so much! She is great! If you live in the Tampa area.... really, she's awesome. So is her staff... which is sometimes just as important!

Anyways... today I got my A1c done in the office at my quarterly check up and as the little machine shook and jiggled I sat their nervously chatting with the nurse.

She sent me into the exam room before it was ready. I opened up the Diabetes Forecast and pretended to be interested in a healthy dessert recipe....

*Knock Knock!*

"Come in!"

*big smile* "6.7!!!"

"Shut up!!! I mean.... really??"

At this point... we both may or may not have kinda done "The Running Man" together for 15-30 seconds.

My Endo took almost an entire half hour answering my questions about my CGM data charts, tweaking my basils, and explaining to me how to go on a "Pump Vacation" by going back on Lantus shots and Humalog pens for a weekend that is coming up (and I just want to be wire free for it, goshdarnit!)

So anyways... we (my family, not my endo... haha, I mean you gotta draw the line somewhere) celebrated with Mediterranean take-out. (Falafels are awesome... And so is James Taylor... who talks about falafels in this song...)

Whoa... anyways....

I'm pretty happy with a 6.7! It's a half a point lower than my last visit. I really tried to stay in range over the past couple months.... and sometimes I wanted to throw my Dexcom 7 Plus in the toilet when it said BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP over and over again at ungodly hours of the night! But having some sort of tangible success in the form of a number, that may or may not have made my doctor dance like a totally rad 80's rock star... kinda makes it worth it. :)

P90x For Diabetics: The Completion Vlog...2 Years Later

2011-03-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

I recently noticed through my site-tracker (thanks Kerri!) that I get a lot of traffic from my P90x blogs back in 2008 and 2009 and I realized that I never wrote a review of the work out program or told everyone about the results I got after completing the program! If you don't want to spend 5 minutes watching my video, my main results were the following...

1. Lost 30 lbs over 4 1/2 months, kicked my metabolism into gear and I've kept the weight off

2. Decreased my basil rate by 20 units per day on my insulin pump over the 4 month period

3. It gave me a lot more energy and strength to chase around my kids and enjoy life! :)

I am having a slight panic attack about the decision to include before and after photos in this video, but I am definitely never running for public office, so hopefully these will never come back to bite me in the you know what! Enjoy and be kind! :)

In closing, P90x is definitely not the ONLY way to get this kind of results. Any type of commitment to daily exercise and healthy eating will give you some type of results! The more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it I'm sure! The hard part, as always, is sticking to it and not giving up! My best wishes to all of you! Cheers!

Mentoring

2011-03-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

"More time spent with fewer people equals greater Kingdom impact." Regi Campbell

I am turning 30 in a few months (gasp) and mentoring is an a word I've recently been focusing on. Jesus began his public ministry at age 30 when he turned the water into wine at Cana. (I've always loved that he started his ministry up by hooking up the party goers. What an awesome God we serve!)

Over the past several months I have kind of felt scattered in this area and decided it was a high priority to get some principles in place to help me be more effective and efficient with my time and energy in this area. My husband is a student pastor and I am a music educator by vocation, so this is an area where having the right tools is essential to being successful in pointing people in the right direction.

I sent out an email to a few trusted and respected friends (some of them mentors to myself!) and one sent me a book called MENTOR LIKE JESUS. It is written by an elder from Northpoint Church, Regi Campbell, who has had great success mentoring groups of men over the past several years. He lays out some VERY practical ways to help with mentoring. I am not using his exact model yet, but have incorporated a lot of his ideology (which really ends up being Christ's methods with his disciples) to be more intentional with some of the girls at our church.

And low and behold, the flood gates have opened with opportunities now that my heart is in tune with the Holy Spirit's nudging on this. The Type 1 diabetic sixth grader who is trying to control his disease while not letting it control him, the fifth grade girl who has decided to get baptized and learn how to play worship songs on the piano, the two high school foster boys who are searching for acceptance and direction, the Freshman who initiated starting a youth praise band for our Wednesday night youth group meeting, the seventh grade girl who is planning a 30 Hour Famine to raise money for World Vision, and the long lost cousin in prison who is reaching out for hope and a fresh start.

I can't even explain how thankful and humbling it is to be able to be living out what you know you were born to do every day. God created us with a need to feel purpose. And when you discover what that is for your life, you start living it with a passion that you've never felt before.

2011: BLOOM

2011-01-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

I've never officially done a word theme before. I mean it's not like I've been busy these past few years having babies, raising babies, or moving three times. *insert sarcasm here* I decided to try it out this year and have been praying for about a month that a word would come to mind for me to use as a focal point for some emotional and spiritual goals this year.

Yesterday I spent some time praying for friends, family, my community, and myself at a Prayer Journey at our church. It was a pretty powerful experience to be able to go from station to station and really spend some quiet, alone time focusing on God. Then I got to the healing table...

I always have a hard time with the healing table, because my pancreas broke when I was 7 years old. And it's still broken.

I began to pray and read some of the Scriptures that were provided at the station.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 hit me in a way it never has before.

"Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me..."

^{Here's the awesome part!!!}

^"10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I began to cry.

I've lived with a disease where I am reminded that I have a "thorn in my flesh" almost every hour of my life. Finger pricks, set changes, carb counting, low blood sugars, high blood sugars, ketones, insurance coverage; there's always something on my mind.

But the God of the whole universe gave me His grace. His grace is manifested in me. And when I am weak in myself, I HAVE to go to Christ and receive His strength. He sustains me in all my troubles, my hurts, and my frustrations.

I have learned so much over these past few years.

2007= A year of extreme pain and learning

2008 = A year of forgiveness and letting go

2009 = A year of growing and new experiences

2010= A year of new beginnings

This year I feel I am finally ready to BLOOM. I feel rooted and thankful and excited.

I feel refreshed.

This year my children will both become school age. I will turn 30. And I will have been blessed with a "thorn in my flesh" for the 23rd year. A thorn that reminds me every day that my strength does not EVER come from myself, but ALWAYS from Him.

Happy New Year Everyone!

My Review of Dexcom Seven Plus System

2010-12-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning the FedEx man knocked on the door with my brand new Dexcom Seven Plus Continuous Glucose Monitoring System. I almost kissed him. And no, I don't know if he was handsome... I was too busy lusting after the shiny box he was holding for me. I've been researching and reading lots of other reviews of the Seven Plus model, (Bernard's and Kerri's are helpful!) and had high hopes that it would be better than the original Seven model.

I've been wearing my Dexcom Seven Plus for 24 hours now and these are my first impressions:

1. The reception between the sensor and the receiver is WAY better. With the original model I lost reception OFTEN at night when my body was nestled under the covers. With the receiver on my night stand I had a constant connection all night long.

2. The screen is better lit, clearer, and much easier to read.

3. There are more added features such as adding health levels, food, exercise, alcohol, etc to the data system.

4. The alarms are LOUD. Last night at 3 am I was awoken with a beep letting me know I was 64 mg/dl and dropping.... which is EXACTLY why I need to be wearing this machine. I was sound asleep with no symptoms, and the Dexcom woke me up way before I was unable to help myself. My husband especially likes this. I think he prefers hearing obnoxious beeps, to passed out on the floor wife.

5. I noticed in the shower this morning that the adhesive was already starting to come up a little bit around the edges... so I grabbed some leftover Tegaderm covers I had from the last time I wore the Dexcom and plastered it securely over the site. This usually helps me get a few extra days out of each sensor. With the old model, I thought it might have gotten in the way of the reception, but it is unclear. It is definitely not interfering with the new model.

Overall, I LOOOOOOOVE it. I think it is an improvement. I hope they continue to design the newer models to have a smaller receiver. And some type of quick set insertion device would be nice too. The manual needle stuff still wigs me out, even after 23 years! :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!!

Cha Cha Cha Changes!!

2010-11-28T15:13:00.000-08:00

I need an outlet. I'll be honest. Sometimes I just need to let out my diabetic frustrations, or share some thing neat I experienced dealing with it. But other times I get things on my heart that have absolutely nothing to do with diabetes.

So... I am going to makeover this blog, but keep the name. Because after all... I have Type 1 diabetes, I experience quite the domestication-ee-ism-nist at this current season of life, and I have always been a little bit (or a lot) diva-ish.

Sometimes I may talk about living with diabetes.

Sometimes I might talk about being a Mom.

Sometimes I might just share something God's put on my heart.

And sometimes I might just tell a knock knock joke. Who knows?

But I thank you for being a friend, and thanks for reading!!

6 Things I Want People To Know About Diabetes

2010-11-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

Happy D-blog day everyone! If you are a person without diabetes, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this! I hope you learn something useful!

6. Do not under any circumstance ask the question, "Should you be eating that?" If I'm being completely honest with you, when people ask me that question, every ounce of me wants to round house kick them to the throat. Even with good intentions, what it communicates to us is a narcissistic view that you think you know more about managing a disease that we live with day in and day out, with no weekend vacations. Trust me, if I have a muffin hanging out of my mouth on a Sunday morning at church, I've probably already done a math equation involving carb counts, blood sugar levels, fiber, stress and exercise. So in a nut shell, shut it.

5. With that being said, don't be afraid to ask diabetics honest questions about diabetes. Though it bothers me when the "diabetes police" come out to try and arrest me for my food choices, I do love it when people ask me honest questions about my diabetes or my insulin pump. I am ALL about explaining the differences in Type 1 and Type 2, explaining how my pump or glucose monitor works, helping new diabetics with recipes and giving encouragement! Advocacy is actually something that brings some peace and gratitude to the situation of dealing with a broken pancreas each day!

4. Speaking of differences, I really want the world to know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes! So here it is cut and dry......

3. Type 1 Diabetes: It was formerly called juvenile diabetes and typically (but not always) occurs before the age of 20. People with type 1 diabetes are usually thin, and the cause of type 1 diabetes is that the pancreas, the organ that secretes insulin, is destroyed by autoantibodies, that's why people with type 1 diabetes always need insulin, either injected or through an insulin pump. Type 1 diabetes occurs in about 10-15 percent of all the diabetics in the country. It can not be reversed. There is no cure.

2. Type 2 Diabetes: Is the most common type making up 85%-90% of all diabetics. Type 2 diabetics are usually heavy, usually diagnosed after the age of 35. The cause of type 2 diabete is primarily a complicated medical condition called 'insulin resistance.' In fact, in the early stages of type 2 diabetes, there's plenty of insulin around, it just doesn't work well. To treat type 2 diabetes, doctors typically use lifestyle (diet and exercise), oral medications, and/or insulin with oral meds. (Excerpts taken from Dr. Steve Edelmen's interview on Abc.com)

5. But wait! There is one more! Type 1.5 LADA: Latent Autoimmune Disorder in Adults: A genetically-linked, hereditary autoimmune disorder that results in the body mistaking the pancreas as foreign and responds by attacking and destroying the insulin-producing beta islet cells of the pancreas. Simply stated, LADA, is an "allergy to self." In its early stages it typically presents as type 2 diabetes and is often misdiagnosed as such. However, it more closely resembles the juvenile form of type 1 diabetes, although it is not classified as the same disease.

I'm seriously proud of you if you've made it this far! Consider yourself a smart, well informed person who cares about diabetics! Seriously, go hug the nearest pancreas to you right now! Or eat a salad in celebration!

6. Lastly, INSULIN IS NOT A CURE. It is a dang good treatment, but it is far from a cure. Please contribute to worthy causes like the DRI or the JDRF who are working hard on a cure. If you can't donate, watch this video! For each view in November 2010, money will be donated to help children get lifesaving children in underprivileged countries. (Plus you get to see my friend Manny bite it on the ice, and my favorite Ninja make an awesome swoosh on the court!)

P.S. Yes, I know my numbers don't make any sense on this post, kinda like my life with diabetes!!

Thankfulness

2010-10-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

I thought it was a good time to remind myself some things that I am VERY thankful for despite having Type 1 diabetes. After reading about a 13 year old child who lost her life to Type 1 diabetes from the "dead in bed" syndrome, my heart sank and I was reminded, once again, how blessed I am to LIVE each day. My heart and prayers go out to this family. It says in the description that this affects 20-60 people each year, which doesn't seem like a lot, but to this family, one of those 60 was their baby. And that just destroys my heart every time I think about it.

November is the month of both Thanksgiving AND also World Diabetes Day. I would love to challenge you to write a post about thankfulness and diabetes. Those are the only parameters! I think we could ALL benefit from reading each other's positive perspectives on the hard days that we sometimes have! I am not TOTALLY super blog savvy lady. I'd love to make a little "button thingy" (that's the technical term I'm sure pffft.) for us all to use and link up somewhere. Anyone wanna partner with me on spreading the word and hosting??

Here's a few of the things, at age 29, after having Type 1 for 22 years that I am thankful for.

* I am so thankful, that despite how freaked out my parents must have been at times, that they let me go to summer camps and foreign mission trips and school overnight field trips and experience a semi-normal adolescence full of travel and life lessons!

* I am so thankful that I am blessed to live in the United States, where insulin,technology, and information is so accessible.

* I am thankful that diabetes motivates me all the more to eat healthy foods and be an active mom with my kids.

* I am thankful that I have diabetes and my children do not.

So there's just a few! What are you thankful for?

Spa Day!

2010-10-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

I know I'm late on this! But better late than never, eh?

I had the most amazing night at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa last night. It was a welcome break from the kids and responsibilities of life, and I was reminded of what an awesome rich person I would make. Really, I'd be great at it.

My friend, Julie, had bought some bargain passes from Groupon and we grabbed our robes and towels and stepped into the Turkish Steam Bath room....aka....Heaven.

Ahhhhh... relaxation, peace, not a hint of screaming children. A few minutes into our zen-like experience, a buck naked 70 year old woman walked into the room which pretty much made the experience even more memorable. She, thankfully, was a professional on Turkish Steam Baths and knew how to manipulate the thermostat into creating more steam so we couldn't see her across the room. We had a nice conversation about the health benefits of steam baths and how we should jump into the freezing mineral springs plunge pool naked as soon as we walk out of the steam room. It would tighten our skin or something.

So we did it.

And this morning I'm wondering if she was just messing with us... maybe the veteran spa members like to mess with the naive younger ladies.

Whatever the case, it was totally awesome. And I've got to figure out how I can get a membership there! :)

The Bullet Post To Procrastinate The Big Post

2010-08-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

A lot of things are going on and I barely have time to sit and write, but I need to get them out. So here's a quick update.

* I was diagnosed with Stage 1 chronic kidney disease two weeks ago after failing multiple urine tests. Suck.

* I've been encouraged by lots of people online who have lived with it for YEARS without it progressing past stage 2. I have an appointment with my endo on the 12th to get further testing and information.

* I became a vegetarian on Friday. So far so good.

* I have so much energy I don't know what to do with myself.

* My basil rate has been decreased by 9 units so far.

* I was expecting the energy, but didn't realize what mental clarity would come along with it.

* I still lost my keys this morning and they were in my purse even though I swore I had left them at Beef O Brady's last night.

*So much for mental clarity.

* I committed to train for a half marathon on December 12th.

*My ultimate goal is to run a full marathon in the Spring of 2011.

* Have I mentioned I've never even run a 5k before?

* Running is a frigging expensive sport.

* My husband and some of the kids in our youth group committed to go to Zambia, Africa to install bio sand filters with activewater.org in May of 2011. Thus the reasoning behind running 26.2 miles.

* It gives me a mild anxiety attack every time I think about running 26.2 miles. Help me Jesus.

* The online running community is like a wicked awesome cult. I got sucked in hard and fast.

* We started a ragamuffin running club. I love the people who show up. Even if they walk half the time like me. Cheers to trying.

If you'd like to help us in our efforts to buy as many sand filters as possible for these amazing people please click the button below. 100% of your donations will go directly to ActvieWater!

My List of Diabetic Friendly Snacks!

2010-07-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

My husband is a youth pastor at a local church and I constantly have people who are newly diagnosed come up to me on Sundays and ask, "What can I eat? What can I snack on?"

I've made a list of snacks that I like... (keyword "I") printed them on index cards so I can hand them out and hopefully people can find a few things to springboard their own snack ideas off of. I also found some of these ideas from a social network for people with diabetes that I belong to called TuDiabetes. It's a REALLY helpful resource. :)

Celery dipped in hummus, cream cheese, or peanut butter

Any type of veggie dipped in ranch dressing

Blueberries

Apples with peanut butter

Cooked, cut up chicken, wrapped in a big fat Romaine lettuce leaf with a little dressing

Low Carb yogurt (plain with a little sweetener or fruit, or a dab of honey, Greek Yogurt)

Cottage cheese (THE MOST DIABETIC FRIENDLY FOOD EVER!)

Low Carb: Mini cucumber sandwiches (cream cheese in between two cucumber slices)

Higher Carb Variation: Cucumber cut up on whole wheat bread with cream cheese

Turkey Pepperoni

Trail Mix (peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, raisins, M&Ms)

(Watch out for those carbs, but a good mix of carbs and protein before a workout!)

I would love to add to this list! Leave your favorite snacks in a comment!

Hypo-Unawareness The Vent

2010-07-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

I live an amazing life. I really do. I get to mentor some really amazing teenagers and children and I get to travel a large part of the summer. I do most all of this with my husband (who also happens to be my best friend!) and my kids. But sometimes the fear of some of my complications with diabetes really holds me back and ruins some of my passion.

I was invited to be a part of an elementary school camp in a few weeks and I excitedly accepted, thinking as I always do, that I could handle all the travel and diabetes stuff that comes along with every decision I make. This camp would be smack dab in the middle of 3 straight weeks of travel.

Now it's getting closer and I'm realizing that I'll be in charge of several little girls lives and sleeping in a room with no one next to me who is familiar with what to do if I wake up crazy low like I have been more often than not over the last few weeks. Lately, I haven't been waking up at all. The other night I woke up at 31 and the only reason I awoke is because my husband got up to go to the bathroom and I somehow heard him. He heard my mumbling and ran for juice. He saves me. Every time. It really freaks me out how much I depend on him at night to help me.

I don't remember this being a problem when I was younger. I just somehow balanced it and everything worked out. I did a ton of camp counseling and traveling for my college and never had any scary issues. I lived with female roommates in college and rarely remember asking them for assistance with treating diabetes issues. But I've noticed over the last three years, it's getting harder. When I get out of my routine and how much exercise I get and food options are somewhat out of my control... I have a hard time getting it right. And when I don't get it right, the consequences hit my body much harder.

It's really frustrating. And it's making me cry right now.

Sometimes diabetes makes me let people down. My friends. My kids. My husband. My passion for ministry to young people. Myself.

On the upside, I am currently going through a new insurance process to try and get my CGM approved and upgraded (Dexcom 7 to Dexcom 7 Plus). I think I will have success, but who knows how long it will ultimately take to process. I also got a ton of covered test strips and finally got my insurance to cover almost all of them so I am testing like crazy now and not having to worry about out of pocket costs.

How do you cope with the frustration of diabetes getting in the way of things you love to do? Does it? Am I the only one? :) I have a feeling I'm not!

Summertime... and the numbers are eaaasy.....

2010-05-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Six Until Me readers! Welcome to my little blog that is never updated regularly. ;-)

Yippee! Pre school is over! No more planning my days around not doing anything from 9am-noon!!

Little Gabe graduated from Pre K and we are so excited to have the whole summer to do tons of fun things before the hardcore schooling world of Kindergarten begins in the Fall! ( I can't even believe he's in Kindergarten!!!)

We are finally all settled here in our new hometown and I've established a new endocrinologist, dentist, general doctor and retina specialist thanks to Justin's new insurance plan! (Can you believe ALLLLL of my doctors were out of network with this new plan? STINK!)

Since I am a "new patient" with this endocrinologist, I had to wait AN ETERNITY to get an appointment with her. I made the appointment in March and could not get in until JULY 1st!!! Well, kiss a pig! I would have looked elsewhere, but my previous endocrinologist (of 15 years) who I really loved HIGHLY recommended HER. Also, I'm kinda excited that SHE is a HER. (Well, that was a fun sentence! )

So needless to say, I am extremely overdue for an A1c, blood work, etc. But thankfully my numbers have been really good, and with trying to keep coverage for pump and Dexcom supplies I've been keeping excellent logs. (Yeah, well yes, some of the numbers are fake, but you all know you do it too so shhhhh! ) I've been feeling great! And am excited to start my running program called "Couch 2 5k" next week with my sister!

Hope everyone out there is doing well! Please leave a comment so we can keep up with one another!

Updates Bo Bupdates

2010-03-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today I made mini apple pies with my kids, then I delivered some to various neighbors, organized clothes, made meatloaf and spinach salad and since I am feeling so friggin domesticated today, I figured it was time I updated the good ole blog!

On the diabetes front things are going ok. I have a retinologist appointment that I'm really excited about on Thursday. I've been having some changes in my vision and I'm anxious to see what's going on. Our insurance has changed so I have to find a new endocrinologist which I've been putting off, since I've been going to my current endo for about 16 years.

Also, today I got an email from a friend who had a coworker who's Type 1 son (15 years old) was found dead on his couch this morning. This terrified me and broke my heart. I'm going to assume it was a hypo episode that caused it, but I have no idea. I'm thinking if it was high blood sugar he would have fallen into a coma first, and it wouldn't have been so sudden? My heart just breaks for this family, and it's so scary knowing that it has come so close to happening to me a few times. I am so looking forward to the integrated pump/CGM models that should be coming out soon. Also, the artificial pancreas that the JDRF is working on.... I daydream about this stuff. haha. I know. Geek. :)

On a lighter note, I totally love daylight savings time! It's 6:20 and the sun is shining! Time for dinner and a walk! :) Have a good one!

Walking Pneumonia And Type 1 Diabetes

2010-01-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

Hey party people. It's been a while. Apparently we moved twice in one year and I decided blogging wasn't a priority. My amazing husband is now back in youth ministry full time and life has been so much more fun living with a man who gets to live out his passion. :) We are settling in and establishing doctors, schools, hairdressers.......... and making new roots. I'm pretty excited!!! Our new church is pretty awesome and seriously knows what it means to help the community and not just sit in a pew. Exhibit 1- we bought a homeless man who has been attending church for a while now a home. His name is Victor and he's super cool and just needed someone to give him a second chance.

Now.... on the diabetes front.

I'm sick.

I've been sick for 3 weeks and have been trying to just DayQuil/NyQuil my way through it (which actually usually works for me with colds) and hope it went away. My kids have been sick, it's been freezing cold, then hot the next day, and really the Cobourne's are exhausted and grumpy and the junk hit the fan this week.

On Tuesday we took our daughter to the ENT to schedule some surgery for her ear tubes and her doctor told me I should see a doctor for my cough. So I caved and went. Apparently I have walking pneumonia and was sent for chest x rays and put an entire CVS pharmacy in my SUV.

I've never had to use a nebulizer in my life, but my little ones have. My PCP doctor is AWESOME and not your typical "I'm a family doctor and know nothing about Type 1 diabetes and how it is different from Type 2" Hallelujah. She let me know the Albuterol was a steroid and would probably raise my blood sugar. Holy Mother of Jelly Beans, she wasn't kidding. 341 after my first treatment..... also, I kinda felt like the Hulk..... like I turned into a crazy little anger ball of steroids who wanted to pull a Mia Hamm and rip my shirt off and go, "AHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!" then run out into my driveway and throw my SUV down the street. But I didn't...... but man, steroids suck. I'm trying to stay mindful of my mood and just stay relaxed..... but when your heart is racing like a Kentucky Derby champion, it's hard not to go nuts. Anyone else use this drug before for a breathing illness? Tips welcome!!

So this week I am trying to balance this stupid Alaskan Barking Seal* cough and my stupid broken pancreas disorder with chasing around two preschoolers.

My goal right now is to not die and to try and rest. Which if you have small demanding little people in your home, you know is difficult. I'm sooo overdue for an A1c, but because of this sickness my sugars have been NUTZO and I refuse to have a "sick" A1c and want to wait till a few weeks after the magical CVS drugs have worked and I get back to some degree of normalcy in my readings.

*Note: There is not really an Alaskan Barking Seal but it just sounded good, alright?

World Diabetes Day- Next Month!

2009-10-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

November 14th is World Diabetes Day!

I am going to speak to middle schoolers this year for World Diabetes Day! I'm super excited! I think that kids retain information more successfully than adults (mostly because we grown ups have too much garbage to think about! HA!) so I am super excited about this opportunity! I have some fun things in mind and will be bringing all my fun gadgets, giving myself a glucose test, and letting the students inject saline into oranges! :)

And of course I plan on addressing the BIGGEST misconceptions and common questions. "Do you have the BAD diabetes?" "Are you SURE you should eat that?" "You have diabetes? But you aren't overweight!"

Yipppeeee!

What are YOU planning on doing to help bring awareness of diabetes? If you have any great take aways or resources for me please feel free to link me up!! Thanks!

Eyes Eyes Eyes

2009-09-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! I'm still here...... looks like you can expect about a monthly update from me now! Life is just so busy and it doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon! Life is full of wonderful things however...... teaching music to children, working, playing with my own pre school aged children, tee ball games, ministering to local teenagers, softball games, worship services, BBQ's with friends, new babies (not my own!), weddings, housework, cooking, jogging, walking and shopping! Do you need a nap yet?

On the diabetes front, things are going okay. A few weeks ago I was blessed with the news that my retina's have started to slightly leak fluid. *That was sarcasm kids!!* This is also known as diabetic retinopathy. Don't get too freaked out by that link like I did when I first read it. I'll admit.... the first day after I got this news I was a nervous wreck and bawled my blurry little eyes out for the remainder of the day.

I went to a new eye doctor who was very kind, as was his entire staff. It was the oddest thing, every staff member at this office, including the doctor looked like they stepped out of a Ralph Lauren ad. But when the appointment was over it could kind of be summed up as, "You have retinopathy which means if you don't keep your sugars down you will go blind. Here's a pamphlet to read. See you in four months. Have a great day." Out the door I went with my sexy polorized glasses and waited for my Mom to pick me up, sobbing on the curb. I immediately let the "What-if's" get the best of me fearing thoughts of missing my children's weddings, grandchildren's births, not being able to read music anymore, etc.

After about a day I came to the conclusion that it was time for the pity party to end and worrying about this stuff was doing nothing but robbing me of the joy of TODAY. TODAY I am healthy, and have 20/20 vision, and life is WONDERFUL. Tomorrow I could get hit by a bus. Or drop dead with the swine flu. So today is going to be awesome.... I'm going to continue to keep my A1c down, wear my sunglasses and pray for the best... God will take care of the rest. I've had a peace about it since.... truly. If and when the surgeries come, or the vision starts to go.... I'll worry I'm sure, but not now. Waaaay too much life to live right now. :)

I'm Alive Folks!!!

2009-08-21T06:45:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! I know it's been forever! Blogging just has not been at the top of my priority list these past couple months, unfortunately! The first week of July we moved about 50 miles west of our old home! This was super stressful, but also a HUGE answer to prayer. We are now living VERY close to my side of the family and our church friends. My heart FINALLY feels settled! So I've spent the last two months doing things like securing a job (or 3... more about that later!), deciding where to send my precious kids to pre school, finding new doctors and dentists, unpacking, getting utilities hooked up and transferred, hanging out with new found friends from church, directing a week of Lake Aurora Church Camp.... and several other things I won't bore you with. WHEW!!!
So my favorite part so far? When I walk out my front door I walk about 25-50 feet down my sidewalk and get to see this in the morning.......

I KNOW!!! RIGHT?? Let me tell you, I just bawled my little eyes out the first night we went on a walk and I was able to just enjoy the waves and water at night. Now it's become an almost nightly routine to walk down this path at night!

With all this craziness going on, I have neglected my diabetes quite a bit. I looked at my 30 day average on my Freestyle Lite last night and was a little taken back at the number that scarily stared me in the face. 207. YIKES! Yesterday, yet another wake up call.... I was going to take my son Gabe and my niece and nephew to a movie, but my sugar spiked close to 400 right before we were about to leave and I ended up staying with Zoe to nap, while my sister took them. There is absolutely NOTHING that bugs me more about diabetes than when it gets in the way of making memories with the ones I love. I was really really bummed out. And it was my own fault. I had taken my pump off to swim with the kids for a couple hours and I didn't test properly during this time, thus leading to the high. I immediately just wanted to talk to someone who understood this feeling and it dawned on me how much I missed the dear people of the Diabetes online community. It truly makes a world of difference when you have friends who understand living with a chronic illness on the same level. :)

This morning the first thing I did was test. 104. The magic number!! It must be a good sign. I've got to put diabetes back on the priority map and take care of myself and my numbers before I answer the beckoning calls of everyone else needing sippee cups, Kibbles and Bits, or a clean work shirt. Cause we all know.... "If Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy." :)

More later....

My iphone Can Save Me From Any Dire Situation....

2009-07-11T13:02:00.001-07:00

My husband jumped on the iPhone train last year when the 3G was released. I have finally joined him this year with the release of the new 3Gs. After having my iphone for about 2 weeks I am truly amazed at how often I rely on it now in so many situations. I told my husband the other day, "I am convinced that this phone can save me from just about any dire situation, honey!!"

Earlier this year LifeScan announced their cool little iphone app....

And while browsing through one of my favorite diabetes blogs, Diabetes Mine, I viewed this You Tube video of a design idea that I think is freakin brilliant!! I really hope someone picks this up and develops it. And it proved my point.... this phone is awesome, it's saving lives!! HAHA!

Blood Stain Tip

2009-06-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hey Diabetics and Windy fans. It's been almost a MONTH since I've blogged! We are in the middle of a hectic move and my mind is in a million places!! Anyways, after a quick blood test today I realized I stained my brand new tank top with a little blood from my finger and I was pretty ticked. I got home and googled blood stains and found a nice little tip on eHow if you ever find yourself in the same predicament. I think this only works if you have NOT already washed and dried the clothing. (Fresh stains)

Pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain. Then pour salt on top of that. Wait 30 minutes and then wash! And it's gone! I scratched off the salt before I put it in the washer and I could see that it had turned red and pulled out the stain. A-may-zah-zing!

I will try to give you a more in depth update soon! FYI: The upped Synthroid dosage seems to be helping with my energy levels. =) So hooray for that!

Super Diabetes!

2009-05-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was making a Blueberry Pineapple cobbler that is NOT diabetes friendly! HA! It's for the Memorial Day party we are attending tomorrow. Gabe helped me whip it up and as we were sprinkling the final 1/4 cup of sugar on the top he said, "Mom, if you ate this you'd get SUPER DIABETES!"

HA! I love this kid.

Follow Up... Thyroid Issues

2009-05-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

I went to the endocrinologist and got a lot of blood work done. Like "holy cow I need a muffin or something after seeing that many tubes" amount of blood work done. The good news is.... my kidneys are perfect, my liver is perfect, I don't have lupus, my A1c is 6.8%. The bad news is my thyroid levels are low... which in a way is good news because now we know and we can start to fix it. My doc upped my Synthroid dosage. And said that'd be step one. If I don't feel better in 3 weeks he said to call him and we'd add a T3 hormone supplement.

I brought up the Armour idea and he wasn't thrilled with that. (I'm not sure if him being Jewish had anything to do with his dislike for a drug made from slaughtered pig thyroids? HAHA) So we'll go his way first and if that doesn't work, then I'll further pursue this idea. I really do like and trust my doctor so I'm okay with this decision for now.

So far, I don't notice much of a difference, but he said it would take a while for everything to adjust and kick in.

Blessed, but Depressed?

2009-05-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

I live a blessed life. My childhood was amazing and I had a mom and dad who went to great lengths to ensure I had a "normal" childhood despite my diagnosis at age 7. I have an incredible family and amazing friends who I interact with daily. I am blessed to be able to stay home most of the time with my children. On the days that I DO work I get to get paid by doing things I LOVE most in this life, teaching music and planning and playing in worship services. Though we are not rich by any means, God has always provided everything we need and then some. Which is why I've tried to avoid writing this post for sooooo long. It made me feel guilty that I felt so yucky, despite the amazing life that I live. As soon as I considered that I may be struggling with depression, I figured if I couldn't "pray it away" then my faith was weak and I didn't trust God enough. So as terrifying as it is to write this post... here I go....

Several months ago I weighed in at one of my highest weights of 148, though still not bad... my little 5'3'' self was not comfortable and just felt out of shape and icky in this body, so I completed the P90x fitness program with my husband and now weigh in at 118. I'll admit, since I stopped working out, I've mentally been struggling more with lack of energy and fatigue... but because I am tired and fatigued, I have a hard time trying to work out! Vicious cycle!

I've had hypothyroidism since I was about 12. I've always woken up every morning and taken my Synthroid (levothyroxine .1 mg) like a good little girl and not paid much attention to anything else. To be honest, I didn't really even know what hypothyroidism meant until a few weeks ago when I noticed my sugars were very level for several days in a row on my Dexcom, and yet I still felt horrible and fatigued, like how I feel when my sugars are bouncing around. This is when I started "Googling" and seeing an ABUNDANCE of connection between thyroid disease and depression. I also started researching all the different options for thyroid treatment including several different prescriptions, what they are made from, the side effects of the meds, etc.

I've been trying to eat healthier, gave up Diet Coke (okay, I've cut back A LOT!!!) and have been filling my body with good things.... and yet I still feel FATIGUED and even SAD sometimes.

This is when I reached out to some of my friends, both online and real life. And overwhelmingly I was advised to be honest with my doctor and get some help. Because bottom line, this is probably a medical issue concerning some type of hormonal or chemical imbalance and we need to get to the root of what's causing it. I have days where I get so fed up with having to think about medical things that I just end up ignoring it. But I know that only ends up hurting me more in the long run. So off I go to my endo today at 1:30 pm to spill my guts to him and hope for some answers!

My $30 shopping trip

2009-05-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

Great week at Publix, CVS, and Walgreens for me. Here's what I got at the three stores, I saved 68% at Publix today using sales and coupons. I was extra excited about all the free Schick razors, sour cream, and all the cheap Smart Balance items! Also the V8 juices were only $1 each at Walgreens after the $2 off coupons. My husband will also be enjoying the sugary cereal which was .67 per box at CVS (after coupons and ECB's)

Also, don't forget on Wednesday you can get a FREE 8x10 picture enlargement on Walgreens.com with promo code MOTHER at check out.

On the diabetes front.... I have a cold and I feel like CRAP. I am really concerned about my hypothyroidism and am planning to call my endo on Monday to schedule an appointment to talk about the EXTREME fatigue I've recently started feeling. Something is wrong and I am going to push for further blood work and testing because I know this is not right....

Pyramids and Plains

2009-04-27T17:51:00.001-07:00

This is what my CGM screen looked like this morning on my 9 hour trend screen. It began at about 80, climbed to almost 400 and crashed back down to 45ish. It looked like a perfect little triangular pyramid.... NOT what we diabetics like to see when wearing awesome technology such as this.... It is partly my own fault, because I am positive that the CGM did it's normal BEEEEEP!!!! once I hit 200 to let me know I was out of range, but I probably ignored it and pressed the button while enjoying my dreams about dreaming. (Yes... us over tired moms dream about blissful sleep) This would later turn out to bite me in the you know what, as I awoke feeling sick as a dog, complete with 100 lb. extremities and pounding heart in my chest.

As diabetics, we prefer this image instead.....

The beautiful flat line that resembles the Great Plains. Steady, sexy, stable lines right in between the 80-120 mg marks. I have a feeling I know exactly how this pyramid night happened. It has to do with a little, sinful snack I had that starts with a B and ends with AGEL. Ahhhh... always a problem food for me.... but constantly beckoning my name along with it's evil friend, Pineapple Cream Cheese from the refrigerator.

Tonight I was a little nicer to my body, enjoying a huge grilled chicken salad and brown rice for dinner. =) Here's to lots of flat lines for all of us!!!!

5 Reasons Why Having Diabetes Is Cool...

2009-04-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

In attempts to try to focus on gratitude today... I've decided to list 5 reasons why having diabetes is cool. I had to really rack my brain for this one.

5. Because I wear an awesome Animas pump with a wicked cool back light... I always have a flashlight to guide me down dark
hallways at night. See? Diabetes prevents me from tripping over toys, clothes, and Jack Russell Terriers.

4. When strangers ask me if I have the time, I can ALWAYS say yes and reach down for my CGM or my pump. Diabetes lets
me help strangers....

3. If a child is crying... I always have Smarties around to cheer them up. Diabetes helps me make children smile.

2. If a friend is on a diet and isn't sure if they should order that fattening sandwich, I can instantly rattle off the carb and fat
count for them. Diabetes allows me to help dieters.

1. If I say something stupid and regret saying it the moment it comes out of my mouth, I can always blame it on low blood
sugar. Diabetes makes me look more intelligent (or like a stuttering drunk, it's all relative).

Sometimes you just need to take a step back and laugh at a chronic illness.

An Analogy Gone Bad...

2009-04-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

I wear many hats... wife, daughter, sister, friend, piano teacher, worship leader, chef, housekeeper, ... the list goes on and on. One of my favorites, is "Mommy." As the mother of a 4 year old and 20 month old I hear it often, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" They always need something. Milk, snacks, diaper changes, play mate, a kiss for their boo boo, and often a referee. I LOVE being a Mom, and I am blessed that I get to spend a lot of time with my kids, despite the fact that sometimes it's exhausting.

Last night something incredible happened. They both slept all night. No one had a bad dream. No one wet the bed. No one needed a 3 am sippee cup. We spent the whole day at the beach and just wore them out silly with the swimming, sandcastle building, and burying each other in the sand.

But alas... I was still awoken.

Ah, diabetes. The third child I never wanted. Like a little pre schooler who constantly tells me in a high-pitched whiny voice, "Feed me. Change your infusion set. Charge your Dexcom. BEEEEEEEEEEP!!! Test! Pick up your prescription. Schedule your check up. Ketones? Drink water! BEEEEEEEEP!!" Get the picture? I was so ticked.

Diabetes really is like a third child... only not the kind you whole heartedly adore. Maybe I shouldn't even compare it to a child since they are so precious and lovable... and diabetes is not. Maybe diabetes is more like the annoying yippee dog that vies for your attention and pees on your carpet? No... dogs are still lovable deep down, when they lay at your feet and give you good company. Maybe diabetes is more like termites. An annoying uninvited pest that destroys your home. But termites don't keep you up at night.... well I guess they could if you knew they were there. That's kinda creepy....

Ya know what? It's been a long day. Good night D-peeps.

Carraba's Chicken Bryan Recipe

2009-04-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

CHICKEN BRYAN (CARRABBA’S)
6 boneless skinned chicken breasts
1 ½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 TB minced garlic
1 TB minced yellow onion
2 TB butter
½ c. dry white wine
¼ c fresh lemon juice
2/3 c cold butter- sliced
¼ c chopped fresh basil
1.2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp white pepper
EVOO for brushing
8 oz. goat cheese

Sautee garlic and onion in 2 TB butter in a large skillet over med. Heat until tender. Stir in wine and lemon juice, increase heat to medium high and simmer to reduce by ½.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cold butter, one slice at a time

Stir in tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Brush chicken with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken over hot coals 15-20 minutes

A couple minutes before chicken is done, place equal amounts of cheese on each breast, spoon tomatoes over chicken.

Serves: 5-6

Baby Steps... Reflecting on My Journey

2009-03-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's been over a year since I started this blog in attempts to help control my Type 1 diabetes and get some support from other people who could relate with my daily struggles. I'm so thankful for all the amazing people who've encouraged me on this ride.

Over the last year or so I got my A1c back in range to the 6.0-7.0 marks. I began using a Continuous Glucose Monitor to help keep my sugar levels in check. I began an intense exercise program that helped me go from 145 lbs. down to my current 115 lbs. and I began making better food choices. Last week I decided to become a distributor for what I think is a KICK BUTT health product that can benefit ANYONE but especially diabetics. (I started a blog about those endeavors, but I'm not really gonna focus on it here... if you are interested in learning more, just ask and I got ya covered)

It dawned on me today as I was talking to a few of my girlfriend's about giving up on artificial sweeteners and diet soda that I have NEVER FELT MORE HEALTHY OR IN CONTROL OF MY DIABETES as I do today. Then I got a little emotional.... I haven't been able to feel this way, ever!! Don't get me wrong, I still have days where my sugars fly off the handle, I eat pizza and it kicks my butt, or my pump infusion set malfunctions, or I wake up with a sweaty low in the middle of the night... but those times are getting fewer and farther in between.

I realized today that by giving up diet soda I was really getting committed in my discipline for wanting to really optimize the way I feel and the way I live day to day. OK, let me clarify... because I don't want it to sound like those of you who drink diet coke all day long are immature, undedicated diabetics. What I'm trying to say is that I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE Diet Soda. My Mom and I have argued for years about how it's not good for you, etc. I know this, you know this. But my view was always, "Well... dang it. I have this stupid disease and I can't drink juice unless my sugars are low, I can't drink regular sodas or fancy coffee drinks, so that leaves water, milk, and diet stuff! So leave me alone! Let me have my variety!" And I SOOOOOO GET that attitude! The reason I'm kinda freaking out is because this is the first time in my life that *I* have actually WANTED to give up the artificial stuff in attempts to really continue to grow towards healthiness (is that a word?).

So this is me kinda tootin my horn. I'm proud of it, because for me... this is big. And HARD.

But I'm excited. And I want to keep this journey going so I can continue to tell diabetes to go *insert word of choice here* itself and I can live the rockin life God intended me to have! Much love to all my D-friends (and my non-D friends at that) and keep kickin it till we find a cure!

My New Addiction... The Spaghetti Squash

2009-03-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

Hello. My name is Windy and I'm a squash-a-holic. I've been "Tweeting" and "Face Book Status-ing" about my love for eating spaghetti squash and lots of people have been asking me how I make it, so I thought I'd write up a recipe! It's very simple, DELICIOUS, and low carb... and you can change it as you like. HERE is a link for the carb count from plain squash (not including toppings)

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Take the squash and cut it in half long ways.

3. Scoop out all the pulp and all the seeds.

4. Take some EVOO and rub it all over the inside of both squash, then you add some salt and pepper

5. Take the squash and place them on a cookie sheet rind side up and bake for about 30-45 min depending on how big and
thick the squash is. Just keep your eye on it and when it starts to get a little brown on the bottom and it's sizzleing and
tender, it's done.

6. Flip it over and take a fork and start to move it back and forth, it will start to shread up the inside so it looks like spaghetti
noodles!

You can eat it just like this. Or you can add spaghetti meat, or cheese, or parmasean or whatever to the top!

ENJOY!

2009-02-28T14:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went grocery shopping at Publix (of course) and I brought home 4 boxes of one of the most horrible, God-forsaken processed foods on the planet. Pop-tarts. I like to call them "Coma-in-a-Box." And they were the frosted kind with sprinkles on top to make it worse. My husband loves these things and when I bring them home along with my wheat germ, flax seeds, and spaghetti squash... he is nicer to me. And well, they were free after coupons. (of course)

So this morning my bouncing 4 year old finds the shiny box and brings them to me.

Gabe: I want this!!!!!!!!! Pleeeeeeeese!!!

Me: You don't want that. Those are your Dad's. It's garbage, Gabe

Gabe: I WANT TO EAT GARBAGE LIKE DAD!!!!

Me: *rolls eyes and lets Justin handle the rest*

Chili's NEW Guiltless Grill

2009-02-24T11:23:00.001-08:00

Hey Diabetes O.C.!!

I am a member of Buzz Agent which means sometimes I get to sample some REALLY cool products. I was recently sent some coupons from Chili's to try their new Guiltless Grill entrees so we grabbed a couple friends and scored some DELICIOUS food.... that was HEALTHY to boot! I picked the Honey Mustard Salmon with steamed veggies and folks... it was gooooooooooood. It was extremely low carb and totally DELICIOUS! My hubby picked the steak. I tried a bite and it was good too... nothing to flip over, but it was tasty. (Keepin it real for my diabetic peeps) Anyways... I've always been a fan of Chili's and their addicting as heck Chips and Queso, so it is nice to see some great items on their menu that will appeal to the diabetic crowd and won't send my blood sugars to the moon. I absolutely hate sacrificing taste for health, and I truly feel that with these menu items on the Guiltless Grill, I don't have to! Thanks Chili's!!!

HOW TO SAVE BIG AT PUBLIX

2009-02-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

OK, I've been getting more and more requests to share how I save so much money at CVS and Publix, so I thought I'd start with the easier of the two. This post will hopefully give you several simple steps to begin saving money at Publix. Keep in mind that I've been at this for over a year now (and I'm still learning) so make little goals and don't get overwhelmed. Do what you can and enjoy the little savings at first, then watch it grow as you get better! Money Saving Mom noted in one of her podcasts to make it a goal to add another $5 of savings each week. Our family budget is $110 for all grocery and household items per week. (including diapers and all toiletries) It is like a game to me now. =) I can usually get it around $90 most weeks.

OK, first and most popular question: "Where do I find coupons for Publix?"

First you need to begin getting the Sunday paper EVERY week and collecting coupons. Here you will find
Smart Source insert
Red Plum insert
and sometimes a Proctor and Gamble insert or special Publix inserts.

I pull them out of the paper and write the date on the front then I file them in a small vertical file box by month so coupons are easy to find and I don't waste time flipping through endless unorganized inserts. This is the system that works for me. I don't clip coupons, because I plan everything that I am going to buy before I go to the store. Sometimes I get multiple Sunday papers if I see the coupons are going to be extra valuable that week.

Many of the coupons I use are internet printable coupons that are linked from the "Bargain Blogs" that I will share with you later in this post.

Publix has rounders at the front of their stores with advertised sales and coupons in these. I grab several of these to keep on hand. Publix allows you to stack a "Publix coupon" with a "Manufacturers Coupon". This adds up to super savings.

Many Publix's also accept competitor's coupons such as Target or Food Lion. Today I got a save $3 on a $10 purchase at Save A Lot coupon in the mail... I took it to my Publix and they accepted it! They will not accept coupons for stores like CVS or Walgreens, but have always taken my major grocery store competitor coupons.

Finally, I am in all of the Publix loyalty programs that you can sign up for in store or online at publix.com Including the Greenwise magazine club (organic coupons in every issue) and the Baby Club (NOTE: if you don't have a baby it would be unethical to lie and say you have one, thankfully I do. =) ) And also the "Pre School Pals Club" There is also a Family magazine you can sign up for and a Wine magazine. All of these magazines and clubs send you coupons in the mail monthly or quarterly.

So... that's that. Step one. Now once you start your collection you're well on your way! Now... there are two SUPER blogs that do LOTS OF THE WORK for you! My online friend, Sarah, has a blog called FiddleDeeDee where she notes the sales and gives you the coupon match ups each week. For example: this week Progresso soup is $1.50 per can. There is a printable coupon HERE for $1.10 off one can. Thus making the soup cost .40 cents! An 84% savings! Sarah maps all this out for you each week in her Publix posts. Sarah also seems to eat pretty healthy and I find her "Organic Friday" posts helpful in buying more organic or natural foods at a lower price. Today I had coupons for hummus, organic pita chips, and Greenwise organic milk. I also had a coupon for $1 off produce (Publix baby club)$1 off any deli item and $1 off any dairy item to stack on it. making my one gallon of organic milk cost only $2.99!

Another site I check often is Southern Savers. (Look for the Publix tab near the top ) She also blogs other store deals like CVS, Walgreens, and Kroger.

Both of these sites are VITAL to my planning each week and I am GRATEFUL to these ladies for their hard work.

Please note also that you should check with the Publix you will be shopping at as to their specific coupon policies BEFORE you start using any crazy competitor coupons because they seem to vary from store to store. Both the Publix's in my city have been very good about accepting my coupons as long as they are not expired and are for the correct products. They also accept two coupons on Buy One Get One Free Deals... one for the one you pay for AND one for the free one, which I LOVE.

I know this may seem like a lot of work, but I only spend about one hour planning my shopping trips each week. Today I saved $60 so I think that's a pretty decent return. =) Once you get rolling and get a system in place that works for you, it becomes very easy. Please feel free to comment with any questions and I will do my best to answer it!

PUBLIX SHOPPING TRIP 1/25/08

2009-01-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

This one was so good I had to blog it.

All this food.....
$68.84 retail price before sales and coupons

Total out of pocket after sales and coupons $28.04!!!!!!!!

How did I do it? I mostly shopped the buy one get one free things, and stacked manufacturer's coupons on top of these sales. Publix is great because they will accept one coupon for the one you pay for AND for the one that is free! That adds up to some killer savings. If you shop at Publix I really recommend checking out the weekly coupon match up posts on Sarah's Blog, FiddleDeeDee and on Southern Savers Many of the coupons are printable so you don't even have to save the coupon inserts from the Sunday papers for most savings. (But you save even more if you do!) These ladies make it their full time job to help us save BIG BUCKS on our weekly shopping trips!!

I'm going back for a few more things that I didn't have coupons for with me later this week, but wanted to be stocked on essentials because Gabe isn't feeling well and worse case scenario I don't want to be stuck with no toilet paper if I can't leave the house! HA!

NOTE: The toilet paper was actually on sale at Walgreens and was about $5.

Off The Wagon...

2009-01-13T06:07:00.001-08:00

I've been catching bits and pieces of Oprah's "Best Life" week. Yesterday they talked about "falling off the fitness wagon" she had one of the past winner's of The Biggest Looser on and he had gained back around 100 lbs. My husband and I actually watched this season and I was so sad to see him look so embarrassed and discouraged, but I related SO MUCH with what he had to say. He talked about his addiction to food and depression and how maintenance is a constant battle and almost harder than just loosing the weight in the first place.

I've actually lost all my "baby weight" and thanks to P90x, I lost a total of 20 lbs and got my metabolism kicked back into gear! However, since I stopped working out my sugars have just been wacked. I realized yesterday I have officially fallen off the "diabetes wagon". I haven't been logging, I've been checking my blood sugars really sporadically, I haven't ordered any new Dexcom sensors out of sheer lazy and busyness. So I am on it. One of my new D-friends, Joanie, sent me some great Excel log sheets and I went through my meter and logged all my sugars since January 1 of this year. I need to fax over 60 days worth to Dexcom (so some of those might possibly be made up numbers but whatever gets me coverage) and I am going to shoot for getting in 3 cardio workouts per week. I'd like to do another cycle of P90x, but I'm sane enough to know that my current schedule will NOT allow that dedication, but that doesn't mean I should do NOTHING.

Debt Free Probably Not For Me....

2009-01-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

Last year we hired a financial consultant from the Dave Ramsey organization to help us make a budget and figure out the best way to pay off our debt and save money. She was AWESOME and motivated us both to make a lot of great changes. We did make some good progress too.

Here's the thing that is frustrating. I'm saving a TON of money on household and grocery stuff by menu planning and couponing. I'm working part time now teaching piano. We have a fantastic cash flow plan that allows us to track every dollar and plan for the future. And we're STILL not paying off our debt very fast. WHY? Medical bills. AHHHHH!

We have a pretty decent insurance plan from Justin's employer and even WITH that coverage we are spending a lot of money out of pocket. I just did the math and basically.... if even ONE THING goes wrong with another family member besides me (because it's just unavoidable for me... too much medication, supplies, specialists co pays) we go back into debt. Every time we go into debt it's because of medical bills. When Gabriel had his adenoid issues it set us back AGAIN. It is so frustrating to me. And there is just absolutely nothing I can do about it which frustrates me more.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DIABETES BLOG!

2008-12-31T06:17:00.000-08:00

It's been about one year since I started writing this blog to help manage my Type 1 diabetes. I never IMAGINED that by starting this blog I would be introduced to such an AMAZING group of people, The Diabetes Online Community. I have learned more about this disease I've battled for over 20 years in this one year, than all the other ones combined.

One year ago my husband saved my life by finding me unconscious on the floor next to our bed. He called the ambulance and one Glucagon shot later, all was well. But it was enough to scare the %&$* out of me and I realized I needed some support, an outlet of sorts to see if anyone understood what I was dealing with.

It all started with a little Irish angel named Bernard Farrell who found me first. He told me about the search engine he had created and I saw the Diabetes365 photo project linked on his blog. I thought, cool! What a neat idea and joined in! It was there on Flickr that I met lots of other cool diabetics like Kerri, Landileigh, and Sara. I also was linked to sites like Amy Tenderich's, Diabetes Mine and Manny's Tudiabetes.com social network. The day I discovered there was a NINJA diabetic was a GOOD DAY with lots of laughs to follow. Scott K. Johnson is always the encouraging cheerleader. Then there's the awesome Chris Bishop who is my husband's favorite D-blogger because of his awesome comic book like layouts. Donnabetes who reminds me of my mother, always the optimist and her caring nature protrudes even through the internet!

There are sooooo many more of you, I could list you guys all day! But I wanted to take a moment and thank you for understanding the struggle and just being there in a way that other people can not. I am so thankful for the support I've found through this new circle of friends. May 2009 bring new friends to our little corner of the internet and lots of breakthroughs in research! I pray we all have a healthy, happy year full of blessings!!! Cheers!!

Gabe's Pre School Program

2008-12-19T12:13:00.001-08:00

This post is intended for out of town family, but some of you may enjoy it. =)

Last night Gabriel had his first Christmas Pre School program. It was VERY cute. The two's class did a live nativity to a narrative read by their teacher, the 3's and 4's sang some cute songs, and some of the school age children did a puppet show that was absolutely adorable.

Here's a clip from the first song, "Mary Had A Baby Boy and His Name Was Jesus..." Gabe is so funny.

Zoe and Mommy cheering for Gabe

What a ham!

Zoe and Daddy smile for the camera!

Menu Planning Monday

2008-12-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Monday- Peach Chicken, Rice - THIS IS SO GOOD OVER RICE!

Peach Chicken - serves 4-6

6 chicken breasts- halved
1 jar peach preserves
1 cup BBQ sauce
4 TB. soy sauce
1 onion diced

Sautee the above ingredients for 40 minutes on low

1 green pepper cut in thin strips
2 cans water chestnuts, drained

Add the green peppers and chestnuts for final 10 minutes.

Tuesday- Meatloaf, salad, corn cassarole

Wednesday- leftovers

Thursday- Tuscan Bean Soup, homemade bread

Friday- Pizza Biscuits

Saturday- hamburgers on the grill, veggies

Sunday- leftovers

Cheap Thrills For Us...

2008-12-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

So, I don't think it's a secret that most everyone is pinching their pennies in America these days. We recently had family come to visit for Thanksgiving weekend and we had such an AWESOME time, without spending a ton of money! Enjoy my photo narrative.

Mattress Surfing 101

I swear this was hours of crazy fun, and a fantastic full body resistance workout. You try carrying an old twin mattress up stairs over and over again for a bunch of giddy little kids (umm and grown ups) wanting to take a ride down a flight of stairs into a bunch of bean bags.

FOOTBALL AT THE PARK ON THANKSGIVING MORNING WITH LOTS OF FRIENDS
(NOTE: I don't do football, but I had fun playing with Zoe and taking pictures!)

And then there was the Black Friday shopping, where CVS paid me 9.99 to take a new Rival crock pot out of their store.

Have a great week!!!

Gabe and Disney

2008-12-07T15:44:00.001-08:00

I think I've told the whole world this by now, but just incase you haven't heard...

Gabriel is going to have his adenoids removed on Tuesday morning. This is a really routine procedure that millions of people get done every year, and the recovery is suppose to be really fast. But it's still surgery and it's my baby, so I get to be just a little nervous. We are really hoping that this procedure will help his chronic sinus and ear infections and also help quiet his SNORING!! This kid sounds like Darth Vader at night! Please pray for him on Tuesday if you think of it!

We had a great time at Disney this weekend! Gabe's favorite parts were eating the free cookies and hot cocoa all night, meeting his hero, Woody, from Toy Story, and getting a cool gun from the Pirates of the Carribean ride. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure. =)

The Shack- Book Recommendation

2008-11-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

PREFACE:
I used to be a reader. And then I had two kids in 4 years. Now I rarely have time to read. So if I read a book AND take the time blog about it. It has to be good.

I haven't really done any book reviews since college and I don't really like writing them, so we won't call this a book review, but a book recommendation. If you want to know more about the synopsis of the story you can google The Shack or visit The Shack Website

I just wanted to say that this is one of the BEST books I've read in a long time!! It is a fiction story that is almost a modern day parable that describes God's love in simplicity and profoundness. It was a little difficult to get through at times, just because it hit some deep emotions with me... but it took me on a spiritual journey that was incredibly worth it. I found myself laughing, crying, and even worshipping at times. I can not recommend this book enough. It is written for anyone and everyone who has ever had a problem forgiving, letting go, trusting God, or feeling unworthy of God's love. (Ummm... so that's pretty much ALL of US unless you're in some serious denial!!!)

Even if you aren't a big fan of God or church or religious stuff.... I STILL encourage you to read it. It's a N.Y. Times #1 best seller and this is an amazing story. I haven't been this engaged in a story in a long time and it felt good to escape for a while and get lost in this story. If you don't think it was worth the time, you can send me nasty hate mail.

This author is brilliant. I just loved this book.

Before and Almost After P90x

2008-11-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

I am going to post a couple of my before and after pictures since starting the P90x workout and really watching what I eat. I had a hard time finding a full body shot of me from before because I was so bummed out with my weight gain after having Zoe that I ended up deleting many of them!! I know, I'm so dang vain. There will be no bathing suit photos because when I run for public office someday I don't want there to be any crazy photos floating around the internet. (kidding, sort of)

BEFORE (8/08)

AFTER (11/08)

See my cute Animas pump??

These pictures were taken last night at my friend's wedding reception. I had to do a little editing on the sunset one because I forgot to turn on the flash before my friend took the picture, but I think the point will still get across!! If anyone reading this is a boo-ya awesome photo editor and can make it look better for me I'd be HAPPY and ETERNALLY GRATEFUL to email you the original for fixing! I love this photo of us, but I'm so sad that the lighting turned out bad.

Swagbucks

2008-11-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

There is a cool new search engine site called SwagBucks that I signed up for a few weeks ago and I'm already earning giftcards!! I'm using these to help decrease our Christmas gift budget! Every little bit helps! Please feel free to click on the link and sign up too! It's free and you can earn lots of cool free stuff!!

World Diabetes Day

2008-11-14T08:40:00.000-08:00

Happy World Diabetes Day! Today is the day where we come together to bring diabetes awareness world wide. There is much promising research by many organizations and brilliant minds, so there is much hope for a cure within my lifetime!

There are currently about 23.6 million people in the United States that suffer from diabetes. (Source: ADA website) I encourage you to take a moment and learn a little more about diabetes! If it doesn't effect you currently, there is a VERY good chance it will (or someone dear to you) someday.

KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS! No child should die of this disease, but unfortunately many do because people do not catch the warning signs. Pay special attention especially if there is a family history.

Every day 200 children develop Type 1 diabetes. (That is crazy!)

Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes:

Frequent urination
Excessive thirst
Increased hunger
Weight loss
Tiredness
Lack of interest and concentration
Blurred vision
Vomiting and stomach pain (often mistaken as the flu)

Happy Veteran's Day!

2008-11-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

These are a couple pictures of my grandfather, Bernie, who just passed away last month. He served in Wold War II and was stationed in Guam. Thank you to all the veterans and families of veteran's who have served and sacrificed to keep our country safe and free!
God bless you!

CVS Deals 11/9/08

2008-11-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

Just did this deal!! Worked perfectly

Transaction 1

1 Smart Water 1.69 (In some places it's 1.59)
1 Garnier Fructis shampoo 2.99
1 Blue Agent Listerene 3.99
Total: 8.57

- $1 off Blue Agent printable
- $1 Garnier Fructis
- $6.49 in ECB's ( a $3 and a 3.49)

= .12 out of pocket with $6.59 in ECB's back ($1.59 + 2 + 3)

The Grumpy Pumpkin

2008-11-06T05:56:00.000-08:00

You got to see pictures of Harry The Dirty Dog, but I forgot to let you see "Zoe the Grumpy Pumpkin". She was totally cool with the whole costume thing until the hat became part of the deal. Then everything fell apart. =) Oh well, maybe next year!

We have a fun weekend ahead with a yard sale, church, and hanging out with some good friends!!

God Bless America!

2008-11-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my husband and I spent the day with some old college friends who recently moved back to town, Chad and Abbi. Chad was recently hired at the church we attend as the "Missions Minister". He and his wife told us a lot about some of their trips to China, India, and Nicaragua. It's funny how we get in our little bubble and don't spend much time thinking about what the church is like for those in other parts of the world. I was floored with some of the things he was telling me about how hard it is to be a Christian in a communist nation like China. How hard it is to simply meet with others. And it was then when I was given a new gratitude about how awesome our nation is that we have the freedom to believe whatever we want to believe and are not imprisoned or fined or beaten for our beliefs. Voting is a privilege that many have given their lives for and we should be thankful every day for the rights that we have.

My sister writes a weekly column for a small Kansas newspaper. She always emails me her column. I really liked this one and thought I'd post it in honor of the election tomorrow.

Teetering on the edge of the political scene
By Alisa Franz
____________

While sitting at my computer, contemplating the presidential race, I read this excerpt from my cousin’s (Phil Kornegay) blog in Japan:
“Yesterday I left the house with two loads of clothes hanging out in an overcast sky, drying in the gentle breeze. Wasn’t on the road 10 minutes when the rain started. I get back and the clothes are soaked. Thus, I sit in the coin laundromat at 9 p.m.
“A middle age man is unloading his clothes from the washer. Instead of dumping the little basket into the dryer, he took each shirt, each sock, etc. out one at a time, examined it and shook it, I’m assuming to get out wrinkles?
“Then he slowly folded the shirts and stacked them inside the dryer. Again, I assumed he’s just using it as a table, although there was one right behind him.
“But no. With the clothes finally folded and neatly stacked inside the dryer, he put his 100 yens in, closed the door and pushed the dry button. He walked away to the bathroom while his clothes tumbled away.
“Huh? Is there, in any culture, a logical reason for doing this? Why waste all that time shaking and folding when the clothes are instantly jumbled around two seconds after pushing start?
“The answer is - like tons of other little mysteries here – that there is no reason. I think it was just his habit, a habit that he enjoyed and didn’t see any reason to change, despite all the evidence that the process is a complete waste of time and energy.
“In an unrelated incident (at least I think, unrelated) another laundry customer kept jumping up and hitting the button on my dryer. Again, it was for no apparent reason except maybe she enjoyed the beep on my machine better than the sound hers made.
“Why do people continue in habits they hope have some meaning, despite all the evidence to the contrary?
“I’m sure this is connected in some way to why our neighbor, a seemingly sane man, washes his car every night. No kidding. Every night ... buckets, rags, soap, around 9 p.m. every night.
“I guess we all have our rituals that don’t make sense to anyone but ourselves.
“Well, time to go, the weather report calls for rain and the sky is cloudy with no chance of sun, I should probably baffle my neighbors and put some more clothes out to dry.”
This morning you will read this and know who was elected the 44th President. Like it or not, the fact is, he is the new commander-in-chief.
Unfortunately, I do not possess a love for politics. I purposely have chosen to teeter on the edge of the political scene, knowing just enough to make my vote dangerous.
Before the election, both of my kids asked me who they were “supposed” to vote for if they were old enough. The phrasing of this question caused me to carefully consider how I would answer this question.
I told them both that I am typically a more conservative, Republican voter. I don’t like to vote based on one issue but that some issues are definitely more important to me than others.
Yesterday, I took my voter’s card to my assigned polling place. This year I tried not to vote out of habit or ritual, but to make an informed decision as to who I believe will best run our country based on the Biblical principle’s I under which I work to adhere.
This year I hope I made my vote really count.
I will assuage my fears if those that I did not vote for are elected. I will support the elected and pray that our nation’s leaders will make decisions that are wise and protect our country’s Biblical foundations.
I have taught my kids to “rise up, stand firm and shine bright.” I expect the same from our leaders. Although, voters must keep in mind that these officials are humans and grace and mercy must be shown, even to those who are expected be above reproach.

Halloween Preview

2008-10-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Gabriel's "Fall Party" is tomorrow (that's conservative Christian school code for HALLOWEEN PARTY!) and the kids are supposed to dress up like their favorite story book character. Gabe's favorite story is "Harry The Dirty Dog" which is a book about a little white dog with black spots who runs away from home because he does not want to take a bath. On his adventures, he gets very dirty and turns into a black dog with white spots. When he gets back home, his family doesn't recognize him until he runs upstairs and hops into the tub with his scrub brush in his mouth. After his bath, his family realizes the little dog IS HARRY! How cute.... we will be reading the story at circle time. Here's a photo of my first attempt at costume making. Hopefully he looks enough like a dog and not like a cow.

I also got signed up to bring "Fall Cookies". I wasn't quite sure what the difference between a Fall cookie and a Summer cookie was so I got some help from Family Fun magazine and made these cute little guys out of Oreos, candy corn, Whoppers, and a little white icing. (They are VERY diabetic friendly *insert sarcasm here*)

Meanwhile, Zoe was very busy giving us a helping hand getting the costumes and snacks ready....

Tonight we will be carving our pumpkin together!!

Hope all of you out there have a safe and fun Halloween tomorrow!!

P90x Update Vlog

2008-10-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I figured it was time for another vlog!!

To clarify.... My kids were napping AND the windows were open. =)

Also, I realized when I turned the computer screen, Franklin was no where in sight. HAHA.

You can learn more about our decision to P90x HERE

Addendum....

2008-10-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to add one more thing to my Friday Felicities.

I happened to see the "Omaha Steaks Deal" right after it was posted from Thrifty Florida Mama and got my steak burgers yesterday! It was delivered in dry ice and Gabe and I had a lot of fun pouring water on it and making fog. haha.

I got 18 4 oz. steakburgers (Yes...18!!!)
And a knife cutlery set and cutting board (Which I will be selling at my yard sale because they look cheap and we have Cutco's)

For $3.98!!!!!!!!

This deal is now dead... I went to my friend's house about 3 hours after I did the deal to help her do it and even she couldn't get it to work!!! You have to be SUPERSONIC fast on some of these deals!! (She did get 12 burgers for $3.98, but not the bonus 6 and kitchen stuff)

Please pray for our family. We are being attacked by sickness. We woke up this morning and 3 out of 4 of us have pink eye. Please pray that Justin remains well. He has an amazing immune system! Thanks! Happy Weekend!

Friday Felicities

2008-10-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

Things That Make Me Happy....

Jesus loves me, this I know.... for the Bible tells me so.

November 4th is almost here. I might shoot myself if it were any further away.

Afrin. Yes I know it's bad for you, but oh how well I sleep when my nasal passages are open.

CVS. I adore your deals.

Franklin... my Jack Russell is licking my feet right now as I type. He's the best.

Peppermint Mocha creamer is back and I am hoarding it in my fridge right now!!

The Only Political Blog You'll Ever See Me Write...

2008-10-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

Why? Because I'm naturally a pretty non-confrontational person and I see how angry and mean political opinions can make people.

With that said... I am unapologetically a Christian who supports pro-life legislature and organizations who help give the unborn a voice. This hits close to home for me because I am married to a wonderful man who was born to a scared 16 year old woman over 28 years ago. She could have easily made the decision to kill him since she was young, and scared, and needed to finish school.... etc. Thankfully, she made the right decision, but many women don't have the same support she had and are misled to believe that ending their baby's life would be better than the alternatives.

I have flipped and flopped my vote over these past two months and prayerfully considered each candidate. There were times when I wanted to support Obama, and times when I wanted to support McCain.

Thirdly, over the past couple days I have realized that I had the facts and needed to make a decision that was right for my beliefs on who will provide the best leadership for the future of our country. This has been a tough decision for me because I'm not crazy about either candidate.

After researching this website I have decided to give McCain my vote because of my stance on abortion issues. I realize many of you may feel that the economy, foreign policy, and national security may take precedent over something as "silly" as abortion, but in my book, I have realized NOTHING is more important than the sanctity of human life.

Please take a few moments to look at the FACTS from this website below on Obama's voting record for late term abortion in the state of IL. (That matched a federal bill)

I respect that we all have differing opinions on issues as controversial as this, but I am passionate about speaking up for those who have no voice and felt compelled to share.

God bless!

http://www.bornalivetruth.org/debate3.aspx

I'm Having An I Hate Diabetes Week...

2008-10-17T13:05:00.001-07:00

not that every week isn't an I Hate Diabetes week, but this has been a tough one.

First there was my encounter with my life insurance policy. It came to my attention that I had been paying the "Standard Smokers Rate" for the past 5 years on my policy. As a Type 1 diabetic it is VERY difficult to obtain life insurance, so I make sure to maintain this policy just incase anything happens to me. I was all excited and thought I may be in the running for a refund, only to find out the reason they have me listed as a smoker is because it's cheaper than if I did a medical review and they found out I was a T1 diabetic. This makes me frustrated.

Today I spent the day in bed most of the day. Trying desperately to entertain and take care of the basic needs of my children. Gabe, unfortunately spent most of the day entertained by PBS kids, Disney movies, and educational websites. I have been munching on fruit punch flavored glucose tablets and enjoying the beautiful shade of pink that comes up when my stomach decides it doesn't want anything to digest in it today.

Then there was my trip to the mail box, only to discover a $1400 medical supply bill for insulin pump stuff. I am hopeful that I will only have to pay about $400 of this bill, but now I get to look forward to digging through EOB's and trying to find proof.

I hate diabetes. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. And Stay At Home Moms don't get a day off. *end of rant*

Ziploc Omelettes

2008-10-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

We made these ziploc omelettes tonight and it was so much fun!!

Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent mar
ker.

Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2 or it will be runny) shake to combine them.

Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.

Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.

Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and a great conversation piece.

World Diabetes Day... You Can Help!!

2008-10-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

November 14th is World Diabetes Day. A couple leaders amongst the Diabetes online community are petitioning Google to make a Doodle on this day to help promote Diabetes awareness. We are trying to get 20,000 signatures. Would you PLEASE take a few seconds and sign this petition by clicking the link below? Thanks!

WOWZA!

2008-10-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

My friend Jim-Bob sent me this video today. He just went up like 10 notches on the cool scale (and he was already REALLY cool, mostly because his wife is so awesome) ;-) Enjoy!!!!

And for you non music people, this WHOLE jazz boogie is based off of 3 little chords. The I, IV, V7 progression. It's so much easier than it looks, I promise!! If you've always wanted to learn piano. Go take a couple improv/jazz lessons from a good teacher. I dare ya. =)

Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis
Uploaded by Hanvak

The Importance of Saving In Today's Economy

2008-10-05T06:46:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago some friends of mine were talking about what to do with the money their small children were given for birthdays, Christmas, etc. We decided to open them an account at ING Direct so this money can be earning a GREAT interest rate, but still be very liquid (unlike bonds). I can not stress how much I LOVE this bank! I TRULY feel like this is one of the few banks left in America that's still acting responsibly and with integrity. Justin and I also have our Emergency Fund with them.

Here's why I love them. When you open a FREE Orange Savings Account with them through a referral from an existing customer they give you a free $25 if you open it with a minimum of $250.

The interest rate is 3.5% !!!! That is AWESOME!! The reason they can give you such a high rate (the rate at our other bank where we previously had our savings was .3%) is because they have no physical branches. Everything is taken care of online and linked to the external checking account of your primary bank.

For example, if I want to deposit $50 into Zoe's savings account I simply click on "Transfer money from Checking To Zoe's Account" and if I need to use some of our emergency fund for an emergency, I just click Transfer from Emergency Fund to Checking. It takes 2 business days to go through.

If you want to open more accounts, say for targeted things like a vacation or new car you can also do this with just a click of a button, and there are NO FEES PEOPLE!

If you'd like to learn more about opening an ING DIRECT account, please email me or leave me a link with an email address where I can send you the referral email. Even if you go into dire financial straights and have to close the account someday, you still get a free $25 bucks if you open the account with $250! You really can't lose!

I know in this tough economy you may be thinking, "I can barely pay my bills, how the heck can I afford to SAVE?" This is not an easy question to answer and we felt this way ourselves at one time. Last year at this time, Justin and I had much more money going OUT than we had coming IN. We decided to hire a Financial Consultant through Dave Ramsey's organization and she was worth every penny. She gave us ideas that I would have never thought of on my own and gave us a peace that allowed me to free my mind of all the horrible worries that debt can bring upon us. Dave Ramsey is the author of the Financial Peace University course that is taught at many churches across the country. It focuses on living below your means and becoming debt free. I HIGHLY recommend it!

P90X... And So It Begins!

2008-10-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Diabetes + Healthy Eating = Good
Diabetes + Healthy Eating + Exercise = Better Than Just Good

Windy + Exercise = Virtually Non Existent (Until Now!!!)

Justin and I decided a few weeks ago that it was time to get back into shape. Both of us are at a normal BMI, but since Zoe came along we've definitely turned into bigger homebodies since it is more difficult to cart around two small children than it is just one. Along with our homebody-ness we've found ourselves watching a LOT of TV and movies at night. Along with our TV and movie watching has come SNACKING. "Get in my BELL-LAY! It's a vicious cycle." The road we were heading down was trouble.

So, Hunkalicious Justin (That was for you Landileigh) decided to whip out something called P90X on me. Basically it is a 90 day workout program. 12 different workouts. Boot camp style. 5 days a week you work out for about an hour and twenty minutes. One day you do Yoga, something lower key, and one day you stretch or rest. There's nothing gimmicky about it, it's just HARD STINKING SWEATY HORRIBLE WORK!! I am learning new words like Plyometrics, Kenpo, Synergistics... FUN STUFF. The great thing about this workout, is I can use my little 5-8 lb weights, while Justin uses his big strong man weights and we can both do it together. For me, accountability is VITAL to succeeding in exercising and weight loss. If I don't have a buddy going, "Come on, it's time. Get off your lazy rear!" then I find myself saying, "Forget it. I'm taking a nap."

The video I particularly LOATHE is the AbRipperX. Ironically, this is the video you do the most (3x a week- 16 minutes of hellish ab work) I found this video on You Tube very hilarious. DISCLAIMER: Lots of naughty language! Surprisingly, I made it through the whole workout the first time, but I didn't do HALF the reps they do on the video. I will by the end of 90 days though. Ab work makes me cantankerous. (That was for you Alisa)

I took "Before Pictures", that no, I will not share on this wondrous thing called the Internet. But the reason Justin convinced me to do this workout had a lot to do with people on You Tube who posted their results via Vlogs. They weren't paid spokespeople, but just folks like you and me wanting to get in shape. Hopefully in 83 more days, I'll be able to give you some good news about this program and post my own inspiring video! (Don't hold your breath though! We'll see!!)

So far, one week into this, I am SOOOORRRRREEEE. The guy on the video says, "The soreness is the weakness leaving your body." I kinda like that picture. Hasta la vista Weak Windy!

A Diabetic Spouse: Vlog

2008-09-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

The other day I had a pretty intense low blood sugar dipping into the mid twenties. (I wasn't wearing my CGM at the time) Didn't really feel it coming on because I was busy being a busy bee. ;-) Anyways, here's a vlog about what it's like dealing with a psychotic diabetic wife from time to time. hee hee hee. My husband is so great!

The Diabetes Bond

2008-09-18T04:05:00.001-07:00

There are lots of things in life that bond folks together; faith, parenthood, jobs, family, friendship, circumstances. Lots of us know that dealing with a chronic illness can do the same! Yesterday was a prime example.

I teach piano at a great local performing arts school and my boss informed me yesterday that I had a new student who was a 10 year old Type 1 diabetic.

"REALLY?!?" I was so excited. This made me excited because I love any chance I get to use this piece of crap disease for greater human good.

When her time slot rolled around I was so stoked to meet her!

Me: Hi! I'm Ms. Windy your new teacher.

K: Hi. *nervous smile and handshake*

Me: So I hear you have Type 1 diabetes.

K: Um, yeah. *looks insecure and kind of intimidated*

Me: Well, I have it too. Do you have a pump? *I pull back my cardigan and show off the pump on my hip*

This is the greatest part. This is where her face switches from scared and nervous to *OH MY GOSH! SHE IS JUST LIKE ME!!*

She immediately stood taller, got excited, and became a chatterbox. She whipped out her insulin pump (which was in an adorable pink carrying case) and showed me.

K: "I'm getting a new one soon with the blood sugar checker in it" *She meant CGM, too cute*

Me: That's great! I have one too. *Miss Bionic Woman pulls the Dexcom out of her briefcase* It's really changed my life, it's great to be able to just look down and know where my levels are at.

K: I'm really excited about it.

Me: That's great!! Now let's get started here with these piano books.

I love the diabetes bond. =) It's one great thing about this monster.

Windy's Birthday Vlog!

2008-09-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! It's been a GREAT laid back 27th birthday so far and we had a fun morning at the ADA Diabetes EXPO this morning. Props to my gal, Laura for coming along with me, even though she doesn't have diabetes... that's a true blue friend man!

Enjoy the vlog below that talks about the BEST OF the freebies. And the picture below is my favorite free-bie... the full of sugar frozen yogurt compliments of Eli Lily, our insulin making friends. CRACKED ME UP. "Here diabetics, have some ice cream... now buy our insulin or DIE!!!" HAHAHA.

Have a nice weekend!!

P.S. Listen for the faint Goonies reference by my beckoning husband at the very end. "Bay-be Roooth?"

Friday Felicities

2008-09-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Miley Grace- My new niece!!!
A great pediatrician who supports my delayed vaccine schedule for Zoe
A wonderful husband who runs errands for me when he sees I'm getting overwhelmed
Hazelnut coffee and hot scrambled eggs
27 years on this planet as of TOMORROW!!
Diabetes EXPO this weekend.... FREE STUFF!

My Favorite Things....

2008-09-09T05:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I had something to share on My Favorite Things, hosted by FiddleDeeDee. But I HAD TO SHARE THIS. We have an adorable Jack Russell named Franklin who unfortunately sheds these little white hairs on E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I had heard all kinds of things about this amazing deshedding tool called "The Furminator." (It's even fun to say!) So I finally bought one on ebay last week. (They are like $40 retail.... go on ebay, waaaay cheaper) It came last week and you would have thought a diamond ring arrived in the mail when I opened it. Franklin LOVED getting "Furminated." And I swear I brushed half of him away. I have seen waaay less fur on the couch and on my clothes. This thing works GREAT! If you have cats or dogs that shed, I highly recommend this thing.

Ok... you asked for it! Vlog #2

2008-09-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe you're back for more, but I'm very happy you're here.

Not quite as hilarious, but equally adorable... meet our munchkins.

Vlog?

2008-08-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

It's my first diabetes vlog. With special guests.... Justin and Franklin.

Friday Felicities

2008-08-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

* Zoe turns ONE this weekend!

* Fun picnic party tomorrow morning

* The latte in my hands

* My beautiful sister in law is due to have a baby girl any day now (hopefully not before Sat morning though!)

* Gabe going to pre school next week!

* Starting my new job next week

* Beginning a Beth Moore Bible study soon

* My W@H friends

News! News!

2008-08-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

I got a call this morning that I've been praying for a while to come! The pre school that Gabriel has been on a waiting list for finally called!! YAAAY! Has anyone else ever felt like THEY were being interviewed by the prestigious pre school, instead of you interviewing THEM? i.e.

Director: "Ms. Cobourne do you bake brownies?"

Me: "Umm, uh huh."

Director: "From a box or from scratch?"

Me: "Well, er..."

Director: "Do you have the ability to grow the cocoa beans organically and grind them fresh?"

Me: "Ahhhhhh!!!!"

OK, so I'm kidding, but I did find myself calling occasionally and informing them of my music education degree and how much I'd LOVE to come in and help show the pre schoolers the magical world of quarter notes and brightly colored rhythm sticks. (If you'd just make some space for my adorable child!!!) HA! It must have worked!

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we all adjust to our new schedules next week with new school and new jobs! OH.. That's right... I didn't share about my new job yet!

I am going to be teaching piano at a dance school that is expanding into a music school one day per week to start, and two days later this Fall. I am a little nervous about leaving my Zoe, but I know she'll be a champ with her great babysitters....

Well... my son is putting fake tattoos on his adorable little baby sister so I must run for now!

Love ya mean it!

Publix Diaper Deal

2008-08-27T11:58:00.001-07:00

OK, this worked out to be a pretty decent diaper deal that I just did at Publix. If you have these coupons, you might want to try it too!

1 Huggies Natural supreme diapers $16.99
1 Huggies Wipes 242 count (3 packs) $8.99
= $26 before coupons

- $5 when you buy both in circular at front of store
- $5 Huggies off from Publix Baby Club
- $1.50 Huggies wipes Publix Baby Club
- $1.50 Huggies manufacturer coupon (mailer)
- $1 Huggies wipes manufacturer coupon (mailer)
= $12 out of pocket Not Bad!

MY TV INTERVIEW!!!!!

2008-08-25T17:03:00.001-07:00

And now, without any further au-du....

Ladies Man

2008-08-25T06:18:00.001-07:00

I've been storytelling at church for a couple weeks now for the 3's and 4's classes. Yesterday they learned that God is always with them, even when we need to be brave! (Moses and the Red Sea). I've REALLY enjoyed working with this age, especially the 4's.... their imaginations are REALLY taking off and they are so excited to learn! (Not to mention hilarious!)

Anyways... my son Gabriel is in the older 3's class. During the VBS closing program this summer, he spent half the song trying to talk to this cute little red headed girl. Her name is Lily. You can see what I mean here....

Well, yesterday during worship time at The Marina, (This is the time when all the 3's and 4's are combined into one big room) Gabe kept trying to stand next to her, and talk to her again! He ran over to me and said, "Mom!! Lily said I could dance with her!" Then they started giggling and smiling at each other.

When it was time to go back to their individual classrooms I saw Gabe run over to Lily's line and kiss her on the cheek! WHAT?!?!?! Ok, so on the one hand it was very, very adorable... on the other hand.... HE'S 3!!! Ahhhhhhh! What am I in for???

2008-08-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

I Deserve An Emmy

2008-08-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

So did you see it? (Incase you're new: Our ABC Action News Station did a story on CVS Shopping and Saving Money and interviewed me and followed me to CVS...it aired last night)

My friend Sonya emailed me saying that she had toothpicks in her eyes trying to stay up to watch it!!! HAHA! ME TOO GIRL! I thought the story was GREAT and INFORMATIVE and I hope they put it up on the website soon so I can link you all to it! What a fun experience!

P.S. I got a job today! More on that later....

Friday Felicities

2008-08-22T06:27:00.001-07:00

* Not getting much action from Tropical Storm Fay

* Interview for teaching piano this afternoon

* Being on TV Tonight! Yippee!!

* Mom and Dad coming over to play with the kids today

* Coffee

* That I am blessed with diabetes technology

* MY NEW BED!!! Hallelujah Thank you Jesus I wake up without back pain!

Update: Bread

2008-08-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

I very well might turn INTO a loaf of whole wheat bread, because I am tempted to eat it ALL! (Though I won't do that to my poor diabetic body)

This is AMAZING. I wish I could bake some for the whole world to eat.

Everyone go make this bread right now.

Go!

It's Official, I've Turned Into Betty Crocker

2008-08-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we'll see in about two hours. I am making my first loaf of home made whole wheat bread right now. I got the recipe from a website that I really enjoy called Biblical Womanhood. Anyways.... my bread maker that my mother in law gave me like two years ago is FINALLY getting some use!! I am using the dough cycle and then I'll BAKE the bread in my oven, because it's suppose to turn out better that way. I'm REALLLLY excited and hoping it turns out good because then I can just make all out bread and we can be even MORE FRUGAL! hee hee!

It was pretty easy. Here are the steps taken from the Biblical Womanhood website if you wanna have a go too!

Homemade Wheat Bread

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F.)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry yeast

Put all ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed. Set on dough cycle. When dough cycle is finished, take dough out and shape into a loaf in a greased bread pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

In other non-frugal news... we got a new bed! It is a California King Serta something or other and it is absolutely heavenly. Our other mattress was sinking in the middle and just not working for us.... especially since I'm a wimpy Mom who lets her 11 month old co-sleep with her when she wakes up screaming EVERY SINGLE NIGHT at 3:30 a.m. *sigh*

Now there's lots of room for our whole happy family. hee hee hee.

I have a job interview on Friday at a music school. I'm pretty exciting and hoping it will be a good fit for me. =)

Menu Planning Monday

2008-08-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

Monday- Peach Asian Chicken, sticky rice, salad

This is so good! I usually half the recipe if it's only my family eating it.

Peach Asian Chicken (serves 6-8)

1 jar peach jelly

1 cup BBQ sauce

4 Tbs soy sauce

1 green pepper, thin strips

1 onion, diced

2 cans sliced water chestnuts

6-8 chicken breasts halved

EVOO

Brown the chicken breasts in a sautee pan on both sides in EVOO

Mix together BBQ sauce, soy sauce, peach preserves and diced onion and pour over chicken

Sautee 40 minutes covered

Add green pepper and chestnuts last 10 minutes

Tuesday- Hamburger Helper, Veggies

Wednesday- Grilled Chicken, Mashed Red Potatoes, Salad

Thursday- Spaghetti Bake, Homemade Bread, Salad

Friday- Steaks, Salad

Saturday- Leftovers, hotdogs, sandwiches

CVS Savings- HURRICANE EDITION 8/17/08

2008-08-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

OK, so apparently we may be getting hit with a Cat. 1 or 2 Hurricane on Tuesday morning, so I thought I'd better go get a little more water and some batteries for our hurricane lamp and flashlights. Zoe has a cold and runny nose, so I took advantage of the cheap Puffs tissues as well!

I totally burned my ECB's and have none now... but oh well... whatcha gonna do?

Transaction 1

2 4 pks. D batteries Duracell $10.58

- $2 / $10 CVS coupon

- 2 .75 off Duracell from 8/3 Proctor and G insert

- $5 ECBs

= $2 out of pocket

Transaction 2

24 pack CVS water $3.99

1 Colgate Total (and it had a free 360 toothbrush attached to it! $3

2 Puffs $.176 (.88 each)

2 Glades $1.76 (.88 each)

= 10.52

- $2 / $10 CVS ICP

- $1 Colgate CRT

- $1.50 Colgate manu coupon from recent insert

- BOGO Free Glade

- 2 .25 off Puffs

- $1 water CRT

= 3.64 Out of pocket

Not bad.... I'm prepared for a hurricane for less than $6 out of pocket! Yippee!

Now if only I could hire a lawn boy at CVS... I need to cut my grass before it starts raining!

Four Generations

2008-08-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

L to R: My Mom Sherry, My Niece Aubree, Grandma McCarthy, My big sister Alisa, My daughter Zoe, and me

Can I just get a WOOT for what a fine bunch of women this is?

I gotta say...my Grandma is pushing 90 and her legs are still lookin might good. haha.

My Grandma McCarthy has been loosing her memory due to dementia/Alzheimer's over the past four years since my Grandpa passed away. It's been difficult for all of us to watch, but I guess that's just the circle of life or whatever you call it. She didn't know who I was a couple weeks ago when I came to visit her. I'm pretty sure she didn't know who my sister was either. Ouch. We just chatted anyways and tried to carry on as much of a conversation as we could.

I try to hold on to those "good ole days" memories.... not even Alzheimer's can take those away from me! Here are some of my favorite things that take me to my happy place....

Grandma and Grandpa lived on a lake and Grandpa would fish with us outside. If we caught enough... Grandma would fry them up for dinner. =)

Grandma SHOULD have tried out for Jeopardy. She watched faithfully EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. In fact, if I called them on the phone between 7:30-8:00 p.m. I usually got yelled at.

Grandma is a great example of a supportive mother and wife. She always kept a tidy and clean house and her love for my Grandfather was never failing. Their marriage was an example for all of their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Both of my grandparents spent a lot of time with me growing up. I have lots of memories playing cards and games around their kitchen table, taking walks into downtown Safety Harbor for a soda, fishing in the back yard, playing croquet, reading books, creating oil paintings and crafts, playing their organ, and perusing through the many family pictures they kept out in their living room.

I treasure these memories in my heart closely and look forward to the many more memories I will make with my family in the days that God blesses me with in the future.

Menu Planning....Tuesday?

2008-08-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

Monday- Baked Spaghetti, salads

Tuesday- BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Salads

Wednesday- Loaded Baked Potatoes, Veggies

Thursday- Creamy Crock Pot Chicken over noodles

Friday- leftovers

Saturday- hot dogs, leftovers

My TV Debut!

2008-08-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone who left comments on my last CVS post! I appreciate it and thought about all of them. Trust me, I was running transactions through my head until I thought my brain was going to explode this morning!

In the end, I decided to stick with my original plan that is listed below (even though it ate up some of my ECB's) and here is why. I had to ask myself, "What is the goal of agreeing to do this interview?" The answer was that I wanted to inspire Moms (or Dads!) who are frustrated with the rising gas and food prices to give the grocery game a try and see if it can help cut their food/household expenses! I know, as a SAHM, if I saw someone on TV walk out of a store with three packages of diapers and two packages of baby soap for $6 out of pocket (and $5 to come back and spend next time!) I would say, "Umm... I need to figure out how to do that too!"

I know couponing and store programs like the Extra Care program has helped TREMENDOUSLY for us. When I told Jackie Callaway that we had nearly cut our household budget in half over the past four months she was very surprised.

I am soooo excited about seeing this story air! I did talk about such blogs as Money Saving Mom, FiddleDeeDee, and even my own blog during my interview. Tom, the wondrous camera man, was very thorough in getting lots of great shots of the computer screens to edit into the story. Jackie said she wasn't sure of an exact date, but she'd let me know... and I will be sure to let you all know when it will air on ABC Action News Tampa. I'm pretty sure it will be at least a week from now and will post when I find out.

Our CVS trip was just amazing. The managers and staff (Even the PHARMACY staff) were all awaiting our arrival with smiling faces and ridiculously good customer service. If you ever want REALLY good customer service at CVS, just have someone with a huge camera follow you around the store. HAHA!

HELP!!

2008-08-09T10:53:00.001-07:00

I am going to be interviewed by ABC Action News Consumer Reporter, Jackie Callaway, on Monday morning. She is going to speak with me about CVS shopping and then shadow me as I shop at CVS. These are the transactions that I am planning for next week, as I REALLY need diapers. I am going to LOOSE ECB's doing this, but will spend minimal out of pocket. Can you PROS let me know if you see something better? I have all the Lamisil coupons for that deal, but I kinda want to keep it simple for the cameras, so it's easy to explain. (I'm also afraid that if the store is out of something, I will be stuck and have to come up with a new deal on the spot! Know what I mean?) I am very confident that they will not run out of Huggies. ;-)

I've already reached the limit on the Infant's Advil deal too.

TRANSACTION 1

2 Huggies $18

- $2 /$10 CVS coupon

- $ 3 Huggies ( 2 / 1.50 off )

= $13

-11.58 ECB's

= 1.42 OOP

TRANSACTION 2

1 Huggies $8.99

2 buddies 1.98

= $10.97

- -$2 CVS

- -$2 Buddies

- - $1.50 Huggies

= $5.50 OOP

Earn $5 ECB

For a total of $6.42 out of pocket for 3 packages of Huggies and 2 soaps. I know this is insanely cheap, but I also read the blogs of those of you who only spend pennies! Fire away with comments please! =) Thanks!

LSF and INGAP

2008-08-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

Click below for an interesting article I read linked to via Tu Diabetes on some possible new breakthroughs in diabetes therapy that have worked in mice. Unfortunately, I'm not a mouse... but progress is always positive!

Science Daily

I Never Read Porns

2008-08-05T15:58:00.001-07:00

I had to write this one down so I didn't forget. Too funny!

Gabe: *with mouth full of snack bar* "Mom, I never read porns!!"

Me: *spits orange juice all over MacBook Pro* "Excuse me?"

Gabe: *says very strongly, but still with lots of snack bar in his mouth* "I*Never*Read*Porns, because the neighbors get mad."

Me: *refuses to believe what my ears are hearing from the mouth of my baby* "Gabe, swallow your food and tell me again."

Gabe: *chew chew chew chew swallow* "I never beep horns, because the neighbors get mad and come outside."

Me: *whew deep breath* "Yes, that's right. Only Mommy beeps the horn of our car."

Life is never dull over here.

Free Diapers From CVS....

2008-08-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have an 11 month old pooing baby and a tight budget this week! I just figured out how to get some free diapers! Yippee! Here's my CVS transaction ideas.

Transaction #1

1 Pampers Jumbo pack $8.88

2 Children's Advil $5.79 each (11.58)

Total: 20.46

-$2/10 CVS coupon from online newspaper (see babycheapskate.com link)

-$2.50 off any $10 pain relief purchase CRT

-$1.50 /1 Pampers coupon from Proctor and Gamble insert

-2 / $1 Children's Advil (see Frugonomics101.blogspot.com link)

-9.99 ECB's from last week's Revlon make up deal

Total OOP: about 2.47 cents

ECB's earned- 11.58

Transaction 2

1 Easy Ups 8.88

1 gallon milk 3.99

1 Advantage toothbrush $2.99

1 Colgate Advance toothpaste $2.49

Total: 18.35

- $2/$10

- $1 Oral B toothbrush

-$1.50 Colgate toothpaste (from August All You magazine

-$1.50 Pampers

- $11.58 ECB's from Transaction 1

= $0.77

ECB's earned $3.50

Menu Planning Monday

2008-08-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Monday- leftovers, rice, veggies

Tuesday- Peach Chicken over rice

Wednesday- Baked Spaghetti (freeze half), green beans

Thursday- Leftovers

Friday- Crispy Talapia, mashed potatoes, veggies

Sat- leftovers

Yes, I know lot of leftovers! But I hate wasting food and have some

5 Years Of Hunkalicious....

2008-08-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago I began dating you. I'm not sure how you convinced me that I should go on a date with you. Maybe it was that pimped out Ford Ranger with the custom blue velvet interior that made me swoon. Or maybe it was the bleached blonde head of yours. Or maybe it was just the fact that you were hot and had a great singing voice.... yup, that was probably it. ;)

Five years ago, tomorrow, I married you. We've made it through some very very fun times and some incredibly rough times as well. Through it all, I have fallen more in love with you each day. Your ability to love others just absolutely amazes me. Your desire to serve God, even when it isn't easily laid out for you, is incredible. I'm so thankful to have a best friend who inspires me to show others the love of Christ in every situation.

In five years we've gone from hiding a ferret in our little Bible college townhouse, to being homeowners with college degrees, two kids, and a Jack Russell Terrier. With a world of learning and experiences in between, it's been a heck of a ride. I pray for decades of more memories to make with you, but I thank God for each minute.

I love you Justin. Happy Anniversary.

House Arrest: A New Diabetes First

2008-07-31T05:09:00.000-07:00

I placed my Dexcom CGMS sensor on the back of my arm yesterday. I'm taking a "Total Tummy Break" all summer to try and give my battered and bruised stomach a much needed rest, after 20 years of abuse.

The guy behind me in Walmart last night asked me, "Are you on house arrest or something?"

I looked back at him, obviously confused. "Huh?"

Him: "That thing on your arm. Is that for the cops?"

Me: "If I were on house arrest, would I be shopping at Walmart?"

Him: "Oh."

Normally, this is where I'd use this opportunity to educate people on diabetes technology.

I was pretty sure this guy couldn't handle where I was about to go though.

Friday Felicities

2008-07-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

* Going to the Choi's River House with the Franz's all weekend!

* Walmart School Supplies for pennies

* Baby life jackets (it's so cute!)

* Coffee waking me up

* Zoe kisses

Breaking News! Yippee!!

2008-07-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

My Dexcom just got approved from by my insurance....FINALLY! (Blue Cross Blue Shield Anthem of Ohio) Yippee! Still hopin and prayin for all you folks who are still fighting to get approved!!

*We have family in town, basically, for the rest of July and will be in and out... not much time to blog!

*Baby Seth is improving. The doctors told Ellyn that they believe he is through the worst of it. Please keep praying against infection since he still has several lines in. Thanks!

More later....

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

2008-07-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

Please pray for my friend Ellyn, her husband John, and their new son, Seth. Seth was born pre mature and is having several serious health complications. Please pray for healing and good communication with the doctors. Thank you!