Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Starting A New Diet - Primal/Paleo Eating

 I've finally decided it's high time to reign in my bad eating habits. Last week I lost my damn mind while on vacation. Apparently I think calories eaten while I'm away don't count. Because I denied myself NOTHING. All the while my tummy is pushing further and further away from my waistband. that mess ain't cute.

Somehow I stumbled on a the Paleo Diet / Primal Eating Diet online. Basically you eat what our ancestors would've eaten before we discovered agriculture. We're talking lots of protein, fats and carbs that can be found in fruits and veggies. Here's the list of sites and articles I read before deciding to pull the trigger:

Mark's Daily Apple

Nerd Fitness

How To Keep Feces Out Of Your Bloodstream
Crazy title for a great article about grains and why we shouldn't eat most of them. Who knew those damn things don't want to be eaten?

Mark Sisson's Definitive Guide To Grains
Another interesting read that will scare the corn out of you.

This is my third day on the diet and I'm feeling pretty good. I have:
More energy
Less belly bloat
Fewer sugar cravings
Practically no gas at all (which is unusual for me)
Significantly less hunger ( before I'd be hungry every couple of hours)

Anyway, here's my first Primal breakfast. Eggs, Lite Sausage, left over broccoli and tea w/honey:


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Just Saw The In Laws

Well, we just got back from a week long vacation to see my hubby's family in Indiana. We had a great time catching up with everyone. My mom tagged along too! So I actually had another black person to hang out with for a bit (LOL)!

Here's a few pictures taken at my MIL house in the country:

Cousin Ebbi making friends
 Ian swinging from Nana's tree
 Sweet Pea playing in the sand box
 The neighbors mules...or donkeys??
 Eating Nana's chocolate cake on the porch
 Sweet Pea sharing her mimosa

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

July 2012 Natural Hair Update

My hair and I are getting along much better these days. I'm listening to her now and we're finally starting to see serious retention. Mainly because I've finally acknowledge the primary issue I face: Over-manipulation.

It has been the bane of my HHJ all these years. I simply cannot jump on every bandwagon that comes along without suffering a setback of some sort. My hair just wants to be left alone. To that end I'm currently employing protective hairstyles that last a week or more. I've also done a mini chop to rid myself of those unsightly damaged ends. Here's a pic of my blown out hair with a self trim:


Here's another pic with most of my hair hidden under a scarf and a twist out bang:


Braids without extensions (before my trim):


This weeks hairstyle - stretched twists with Kimmaytube Leave In:



Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Homemade Cornbread Recipe - Jiffy Mix Dupe



I've always enjoyed sweet cornbread. And the only one we ever had in the house (as a kid) was Jiffy Mix. Even though Jiffy Mix costs less than $1 at the grocers I choose to make this homemade version I found at www.allrecipes.com. My kids love it!

Ingredients:
1 C all purpose flour
1 C yellow corn meal
2/3 C white sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix all of your ingredients. I typically mix dry ingredients first then add wet ones.
3. Pour mix in a greased a 9 inch round pan.
4. Baked in preheated oven for 20 - 23 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.











Original Recipe

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Saturday, May 26, 2012

My Cat Died

I've had my cat Howard for 18 years. He's been my bud for most of my adult life. But he's lived with my mom ever since I had started a family because he hates kids. He thinks they make too much noise.

My mom mentioned he was having trouble eating about a month ago. As the days turned into weeks he stopped eating altogether. And each time I've visited he's refused to come out from under the bed to chat with me.

A few days ago Mama asked if it was OK to have him put to sleep (of course it was). But when the day came we decided it was pointless as Howard's death was imminent yet he was in pretty good spirits. We didn't want him to spend his last moments in a strange place with strange people. It would've scared him. Being home, lying in the sun, seeing and smelling familiarity sounded like a much better way to exit.

Since it's a long weekend my mom and I decided it would be cool if she spent the night here. But when I arrived to pick her up she and I agreed we'd have to take the cat. He looked like a cadaver. Skin and fur hanging from his bones and unfocused eyes.

But he knew I was there! He let me carry him upstairs to the spare bedroom to spend time together. I cried like a baby and he humored me (LOL)! He just laid there letting me hug him, cry and say goodbye. I gave him Reiki to help with his transition. His dying energy was like nothing I've ever felt. Though I could feel his aura about 8 inches above him I felt nothing when I scanned his body. So little life left it was almost imperceptible to me. But near the base of his spine......

The energy pulsed out hard! Pushing against my hand strongly. Strange how his life energy was hanging on by a thread outside his body!! It was amazing. I had to feel it twice to be sure. But it was unmistakable.

After I got myself together we bundled him into the car for the 40 minute drive to my house. Hoping he'd be able to see the resting place we'd chosen for him near our property.

But he didn't make it.

He died in the car while my mother held him. It was kinda beautiful....and peaceful. After he passed I recalled the hot day in 2004 when I picked him up as a kitten to bring him home. Funny how we ended things the same way.

Rest In Peace Howard - mommy loves you!
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Alter Egos, Astral Projection and Lucid Dreams

Do you have a dream persona? An alter ego who's bigger, badder and awesomer than you? Well, I have one and I'm thinking of bringing her to life. My own personal Frankenstein. LOL!

Since getting on the mommy track I've kinda lost sight of the things that make me click. Somehow morphing into a sweatpants wearing, ponytail sporting, makeup free, androgynous bore. But in my dreams....in my dreams I'm something else altogether.

This morning I began to think that maybe my dream persona is my unconscious desire to do and be more. Perhaps the "dream" is aligned more with where I need to be. IT more closely represents my mental, physical and spiritual state and serves to push me out of stasis by repeatedly showing me images of personal desire.

Let me tell you about my dream persona. She....
1. Speaks 4 languages: English (obviously), Spanish, German and Italian.
2. Exercises regularly and maintains her weight relative ease.
3. Has great hair!
4. Is a healer and light worker
5. Embraces the healthy expression of love, sex and sensuality

There's more...but those are the major ones. I'm always exploring these themes in my dreams. So why not create them physically so I can evolve to that ideal and continue my growth? Hell. I think it's a great idea. So here's what I'm doing:

1. I downloaded Michel Thomas Spanish from Audible.com to get started on my Spanish skills. Once I'm finished with the intro I'll move on to his Total Spanish course. I don't know how long it will take to learn Spanish well enough to be understood. But I'll give it a try for 6 months and see how far I get.

2. Just picked up Zumba Fitness 2 and tried a couple of songs. I'll have to add more variety to push myself to be more active each day. So I'll give myself until the end of the week to finalized my first months game plan. In the meantime, I'll continue doing Zumba for the fun of it.

3. The hair thing gets it own post! There's a lot going on with it.

4. I finished the Reiki I class last fall. But I don't feel ready for Reiki II yet. I'll write another post about my metaphysical studies and goals.

5. So many issues surrounding sex/sexual energies and the way we learn about it. I plan to address some of those issues via Astral Projection/Lucid Dreaming techniques as well as my pole dancing classes. Once again, this topic probably deserves a separate post. You know what....that'll be the next post I write.

Laters.
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Saturday, February 11, 2012

I'm Gonna Do It - Pole Dancing Class

Well, I've been threatening to work out since the new year began. But today I'm actually gonna do it. I vacillated between a local Zumba class or Pole Dancing but decided on the latter for several reasons:

1. Between my 11 year relationship with hubby and raising 4 kids I've somehow misplace my sexy. I can't find that thing with a magnifying glass. Most days I look like a criminally boring stay at home mom. Which is a shame. Cuz I used to have a magnificent ass and killer figure. Seriously! It's still there under my dingy oversized tshirts and sweats. But it'll take a little effort to dust the booty off and get it back to eye popping status.

2. I need to rediscover the woman in me. Sounds cliche. But sometimes a girl needs to express her sensuality without judgement or unwanted attention. It isn't a sex thing...really. But a woman thing. Letting your hair down and allowing your body to move freely without a care in the world. That's what I want to experience more.

3. My attention jumps from thing to thing. So I figure a room full of people, great music and focusing on NOT busting my ass ought to keep my attention long enough to get a decent workout.

Anywho...gotta leave in 15 minutes. I'm nervous and excited. If all goes well I'll try to do classes twice a week. Maybe I can find a used Zumba Fitness game at Game Stop on the way home to add to my small but growing collection. If all else fails I fall back on my Power 90 DVD's to supplement class.

Toodles

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Monday, January 16, 2012

Weekly Menu 1.16.2012

I meant to post my menu plan a couple of days ago:


About ready to head to the grocery store for this weeks supplies. I've planned for 6 days worth of meals. The seventh day will be leftovers or eating out. Sometimes we'll have a leftover buffet at the end of the week just to clean the fridge out before stuffing more groceries in.

This week I've gotten a number of recipes from www.tastykitchen.com. My other favorite recipe sites are Allrecipes.com and Pioneer Woman Cooks.

  • Mock Shepherds Pie and Salad
  • Crispy Honey Lemon Chicken, Rice and Green Beans
  • Lentil and Ham Soup
  • Queens Potatoes (a la Renaissance Festival)
  • Slow Cooker Pot Roast w/ Carrots and Onions over Egg Noodles
  • Tilapia (not sure what I'll make with it)
Since the weather's so cold and we have a long weekend I'll find a new cookie recipes to fill our cookie jar with. The kids love mommie's chocolate chip cookies but they're getting tired of it. Oooh, lemon cookies would be ideal! 

Almost forgot the kids are dying to try a few recipes from a site we discovered on this week's TT&J linky party. The site is called Six Sisters and they have an epic post with great pictures listing 20 kid friendly snacks. 

Lawd knows I'm open to suggestions. My boys come home from school starving every single day. And I don't feel good depending on sweets and processed food to satisfy them.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Flash Back Friday's!!

Lucky me! In my search for vintage milk glass slat and pepper shakers in my area I stumbled upon a new thrift store called 2nd Avenue. Apparently it's the storefront used for the Purple Heart charity. Within minutes of entering the store I copped three beautiful vintage dresses. There was a fourth....but I put it back since it had a bit more glitz than I'm used to in daylight hours. Simple day dresses were the goal. Something pretty and light to traipse around in this spring and summer. So here's my haul:

First up is this orange cotton day dress by Sears with matching belt. The fitted waist is really nice. Hides my little buddha belly pretty well.





This blue wrap dress is my favorite by far. I love the  red stitching detail and pockets. The wrap design is very forgiving. Making my waist appear smaller than it actually is. I love it: Think I paid $8.00 for this.

 This purple day dress reminds me of my grandmother! It's made from a lightweight polyester type material. I secretly envision wearing this with nice flip flop. They exist, ya know.
 Am I channeling June Cleaver or what? This number came without a belt so I had to improvise. In the future I'd probably pair it with brighter colors for a little POW! But I could see myself wearing this while window shopping on Main Street in historic Annapolis. Love the pockets!

I'll do a separate write up of the furniture bargains found this week.