Friday's Fave Five, 7-12-19

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1. A chair!!  A year ago, my old chair hit the loading dock at a local ministry thrift store.

It had done its time with our family.  It looks OK in this photograph, and still had some life in it for someone, but 30 years of heavy use had it showing its age.  For the past 10 years or so, it had been in our bedroom for my use, particularly when the kids had friends in the den.  Well, the kids are gone and it was time for the chair to go also.

However, that left me chairless.  And over the past year of home renovations and other things, a chair for me in the bedroom was low on the list of priorities, even though I had the $$ in hand (Christmas $$ from my parents saved for this purpose).  This past week, a local furniture store had their best sale of the year, and I got my chair!!  It's so nice to have one back in the bedroom, where I can go, shut the door, and enjoy the solitude that I sometimes crave.

2. Fresh ripe tomatoes.  No picture because they are all eaten.  :-)  Not grocery store, hothouse tomatoes, but garden fresh ones from the farmers' market.  And fresh ripe cherries that were only $1.78 a pound this past week at my grocery store.  

3. A trip to a nearby town we don't usually go to.  We had a business matter to take care of, so we ate at a local steakhouse with a view of a small river.  The reviews of the place online weren't great, but I thought it was better than the reviews.  I enjoy going somewhere different from time to time.

4. Cheap fleece.  The Beta Club students (and others) at school like to make blankets each year for underprivileged children.  I recently got some good deals at Hobby Lobby and Joann's on some fleece.  For example, yesterday I got enough clearance fleece for a single blanket for $9.  The students enjoy tying these blankets, and the lady who takes them to her clients says they are greatly appreciated.

5. Reading time.  Summers are so nice for that.  I've been reading as fast as I can, enjoying it very much.  I'm only reading the things I want to read - not things that have to be read for teaching.  It's a very relaxing time.

Jesus Led Me All The Way

Autobiography of Margaret Stringer, missionary to Irian Jaya (posted on Goodreads):

Jesus Led Me All the Way by Margaret Stringer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Delightful autobiography written by a delightful missionary to Papua (formerly Irian Jaya, part of Indonesia). This brave woman was willing to go to cannibals, headhunters, and other people who had never seen a white person. She was willing to eat anything, sleep anywhere, and otherwise learn to be a part of the people to whom she had been sent. She translated the New Testament into the Citak language, and followed up with another translation for a similar dialect. As a result of all her hard work (and that of her teammates and national helpers), she was able to present the people with the New Testament in their native "heart language," and she reaped rewards that those of us in the cushy U.S. have no understanding of. And she writes with humor about the many situations that developed. Well worth the read. I deducted one star only because of several editorial missteps throughout - they were not prominent enough to affect the message of the book.


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Goforth of China - review

I am practicing pasting a Goodreads review onto my personal blog.  We'll see if it works!!

Goforth Of China by Rosalind Goforth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars




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Friday's Fave Five, 6-28-19

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1. These pics are actually from last week, but I haven't been on here in awhile.  The first is a red-headed woodpecker, in our back yard!!  I have been watching for one of those in our yard for years.  I had a fleeting glimpse of one a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't quite sure.  These are uncommon but not rare.  A lot of times people will say "We have those in our yard."  Usually what they mean are red-bellied woodpeckers (which do have a spot of red on their heads), not true red-heads.  I also saw a hairy woodpecker this morning outside the window this morning - another first for our yard and a first for me.  

This pic is from a large area near our home where birds congregate - this is a dickcissel.  It's a rare bird if you go any further east of here, but they are common in this grassy area in our county.

2. A finished blanket.  It's for a baby; I like the unusual colors instead of just the usual pastels for a baby.  I finished it last night.

3. A sewing machine.  I bought it last Thanksgiving but just pulled it out of the box this week.  I got it set up, and started sewing some straight seams - it worked great for awhile and then jammed.  Sigh.  Sewing machines and I have never gotten along well.  Never.  I will pull it out again later today, or tomorrow, and hopefully have better results.  But it's nice to have a machine again.

4. Lovely restaurant dinner this week, courtesy of my folks, in honor of two of my dad's cousins who were visiting.

5. And finally - the scale is reading 26 1/2 pounds down.  Much slower than earlier this year, but I'm happy with the trend!!

Friday's Fave Five 4-26-19

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1. The junior-senior banquet is DONE.  It was last Friday night.  It was beautiful, but it is OVER WITH!  I've been thinking about it since last August, so it is a big relief.

2. My blood sugars are getting in good control.  They're almost always within range.  The downside is that I have plateaued in weight loss.  I was down 25 pounds, but that has reverted to 24, and will not go down any further!  I think it's because of the normal blood sugars, the weight is no longer coming off so easily.  My clothes fit better and I feel better.

3. I got to have lunch with my dear friend last Friday while we were preparing for the banquet.  She lives near the venue, and it worked out perfectly.  She's given me some special sugar substitute and a great recipe for "fake" Almond Joy bars, which I plan to make tomorrow.

4. A funny from a precious student.  While getting ready to turn this in, this girl asked her friend "Do you think she'll notice the ink blot?"  :-)

5. And finally, this is a highlight of the week.  The rose-breasted grosbeaks are migrating!!!  We've seen about a dozen of them.  They only pass through for a few days, but they are a huge treat when they do come.

Friday's Fave Five, 4/5/19

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1. I'm pleased with this (somewhat rough) graph.  This is a record of my blood sugars since January 14, the date I got a blood glucose monitor and started on this journey.  Two meds and very limited carbs later, I'm getting the numbers back into reasonable range.  The horizontal line is at 125, which is a good target point for a diabetic.

2. This has been spring break week, and I've had a good week.  For some reason, spring break always seems to fly.  Monday goes reasonably slowly, but the rest of the week is like rolling down a hill - time seems to go faster and faster.  But many (not all) of the items on the to-do list have gotten done.  Today I got out by myself and did some shopping, some of it just for fun.

3. We had a nice lunch with my sister on Sunday before taking her to the airport for her trip to her home.  Thank you, Rhoda!

4. Last Friday about this time, Mike and I were headed home from Pigeon Forge with a group of high school students (my homeroom).  We were there overnight.  I highly recommend the Titanic Museum - it is very good, with artifacts brought up from the ocean floor by the group of adventurers that found the ship in the ocean some 20 years ago.  The group also ate at the Apple Barn, went go-carting, and spent most of Friday at Dollywood.  And they were such a good group.  They did everything I asked of them, cheerfully, and I knew I could trust them without feeling like I had to watch their every move.  It is a big responsibility to take other people's children on an overnight trip, and it is a blessing when it is a good trip because the students cooperate.

5. And finally, I'm thankful for the heritage of a great Christian man who crossed over to the other side this week.  I hope to write more about him soon.  He and his wife were/are dear personal friends, and they have been on my mind all week.  But I will save more details for (hopefully) another post.

Friday's Fave Five, 3-15-19

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1. Sister came through cancer surgery successfully on Wednesday.  She will be hospitalized for a few more days, but she is very positive and doing well so far.

2. Another sister sent me a beautiful vest - animal print, which I love.  A very nice surprise!!  I wore it today because it fits perfectly.  Thank you!!

3. Baked cheese.  I've been making that often recently.  It's just extra-thin cheese slices put on parchment paper, then baked at about 280 degrees until they are turning brown.  These slices feel like a bit of a treat when I can't have the other things I used to treat myself to.

4. Down almost 20 pounds!!  Amazing what happens when sugar is forcibly removed from one's life. :-)

5. A short day at work today due to most students being gone to our state Fine Arts Festival.  I didn't have to go, because I am in charge of our junior-senior banquet this year, and I was able to stay back for a workday with the juniors not involved in fine arts.  We got a lot accomplished; I let them go home around noon, and was gone myself by 1:00.  Nice feeling to have the grocery shopping done already, as well as a lot of paperwork, and it's only a little after 4:00 on Friday!

The World of Little House

I read this book at the end of January/early February, and will link it to Barbara's wrap-up post at the end of the month for her Laura Ingalls Wilder reading challenge.

This is actually a children's book -  an older child, that is.  But it's also interesting for an adult to read.  It tells many things about the Little Houses that may not be known, and gives interesting additions to the books themselves.  For example, recipes are included for Almanzo's Buckwheat Pancakes (from The Long Winter), and Pulled Molasses Candy (from Farmer Boy).

Some of the entries cause this book to seem like many of the other books about Little House that are out there these days - written to capitalize on the popularity of these classic books.  Even though the recipes given above (and others) were interesting, they fall into that category.  They are no doubt just representative recipes of the foods Laura wrote about in the books.  Some of the crafts in the book (for example, how to make name cards) are the same thing - not really from the book, but just representative of the era.

One thing I really did appreciate about the book was the schematic drawings given for each Little House.  They were really informative and showed clearly how tight the living quarters were.  This is Pa's store building that the Ingalls family lived in during the Long Winter, and the following winters in Little Town on the Prairie.

Of course this book did not contain any of the unvarnished truth about Laura's relationship with Rose, or the other unhappy information that has come to light in recent years.  It is a very happy, simple book written for children, but I did enjoy it because of some of the good information in it.

Dramatic Life Change

My life changed drastically four weeks ago.  Drastically.

In early January, I went to a local urgent care because of bronchitis.  The alert physician on duty, who happens to be a friend from church, did some bloodwork because he noticed on my records something unusual from a pre-op exam 16 months ago - a high blood sugar reading at that time.  Later that morning he called me.  "Your blood sugar is high, and you also have a high A1C.  You are a diabetic.  You need to get to your family doctor ASAP."

Four days later my family doctor confirmed what I already knew.  The nurse confirmed it even before the doctor came in the room.  Type II diabetes. The numbers are such that I had to go on oral medicine right away - no possibility of trying to control it by diet first.  The next morning I started a daily routine of checking my fasting blood sugar before eating anything.

Turns out that diabetes is genetic on Dad's side of the family.  I didn't realize how many family members have/had it until this came to light.

I immediately began eating low-carb.  Fortunately, Mike likes to eat low-carb when he is trying to lose weight, so he is 100% supportive.  My numbers have come down somewhat, but after four weeks they are still not where they should be.  I told him a few days ago that I HATE eating low-carb.  His response?  "Well, do you hate diabetes more?"

One thought that helps is knowing that eating low-carb is not a choice.  It is a choice that has been made for me.  I can't cheat "just this once," which, if done just for dieting, merely delays the diet a little bit.  If I cheat, or don't watch this closely, I can lose my vision.  Or kidney function.  Or a limb.  Or develop heart disease.  I could already have damage, as yet unknown, because apparently this has been going on a long time.  (Why someone didn't say something at that pre-op exam, I do not know.)

I'm exercising more, because apparently that stimulates insulin production.  I have lost almost five pounds in the past four weeks.  That's in addition to the 10 pounds that I apparently lost from the diabetes.  (Unexpected weight loss is an early diabetes symptom.  I do not recommend it as a weight-loss plan.) 

Blueberries cooked with Splenda,
over plain yogurt

I've learned a lot about alternate eating.  I read labels incessantly.  The only bread I eat is one piece of rye toast with butter/olive oil blend (no jam) at breakfast.  No more sweets, baked goods, potatoes, rice, or white bread.  I do have an occasional sweet potato.  We eat a lot of eggs, and a lot of salad.  We have learned to like "baked cheese" and have figured out what works in making it, and what doesn't.  (If you're interested, it only works with Sargento ultra-thin cheddar, baked on parchment paper at 250 degrees for half an hour.)  I eat a lot of raw vegetables and dip.  We eat lower-carb vegetables and grilled meat.  We've gone to riced cauliflower.  (And again - we've learned not to buy Green Giant brand.  Pictsweet with onions and edamame tastes much better and has a better texture.)  Today I tried roasted kale, and made candy cane beets from a farmers' market.  I've even learned to like salmon.  Sort of.   I also tried cooking some blueberries in a little water with a little Splenda, then put that over plain low-fat yogurt.  It wasn't ice cream, but it wasn't bad.

It's not easy, and it's not fun.  But it has to be done.  I feel like God kind of slapped me in the face and said "You've had your fun.  Now get disciplined."

I hope that with weight loss and proper eating, I may be able to control the symptoms and get off medicine.  That's my prayer.  

Friday's Fave Five 1-11-19

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1. This picture may not seem like much, but it is beautiful to me.  My husband was able to get out today, and cut down the lantana bushes that have been dead since October.  He usually gets that job done sometime in November, but was unable to this fall due to his health situation.  He is doing so much better since getting a diagnosis from a rheumatologist ten days ago, and the fact that he has been able to get out and do yard work today makes it a very important FFF item for which I am thankful.

2. Finished bedroom with lamps.  We liked the lamps when we saw them in a furniture store a couple of weeks ago, and almost bought them that day - until I saw a bird poop stain on one of the shades.  :-)  So the store had to order us new ones.  (Doesn't it always go that way!)  They came in this week and Mike picked them up yesterday.  They match perfectly.

3. I've had a stubborn case of bronchitis, but returned to an urgent care yesterday for a breathing treatment and a steroid shot.  Today is so much better.  Breathing and coughing are not the main things I have to think about today.

4. Supper the other night with dear friends that we do not see very often.  Always nice to be with them.

5. I just bought a FitBit!!  It's time.  It was on sale at Target, I had three gift cards that have been in my pocketbook for too long already, and I had another $60 of gift money in with the gift cards.  So total expense to me was quite low.  Now I've got to learn to use it.  :-)