Come On A Walk With Me!

Yesterday was a lovely day. The sun was shining,and there was nice cool breeze blowing. I decided to take myself on a little walk. I wound up walking four miles round trip. First,I was only going to walk down to the bridge,but then it felt so good to be out and about that walked much farther. I admit that today I am feeling it,but it's a great feeling. 

The one thing about living here in Middleton is that it's very rural. We have two main businesses-a lumber yard and a small GMC dealership ( owned by the same family). We do have several small businesses that are based out of homes. There are no streetlights,and no sidewalks. We have no traffic signals. We have a few farms. New homes have to have a minimum of 2 acres.There are no apartment buildings or trailer parks. Everything is single family homes. Our fire dept is volunteer,so during the week we can't have an outdoor fire in the pit until 5:00 PM when the volunteers get out of work(weekends we can burn whenever). It's very quiet. I believe our population is is less than 2,000 people.

One thing we do have quite a bit of are stone walls. Stone walls deep in the woods,on the side of the road,everywhere-including in our yard!When I am walking around and see these walls,I wonder about the folks who built them and how long ago they created these property borders.In my minds eye I see them toiling the soil,building homes,and lugging all these stones to make the walls. Did they thrive? How long did they live on the land? They don't call NH The Granite State for nothing-our soil is very rocky. In fact,when the artesian well was put in a couple of years ago,we learned that our yard is on a granite ledge,which was good to drill the well through.

The strange thing is,folks from MA come up here and steal stones from our walls just to make walls themselves! 

Stones were also used to make foundations. We have many of these old empty foundations scattered through out the town,and in the woods. It might be hard to see in this photo,but the big tree is growing right out of the middle of it. What happened to the house? Was it destroyed in a fire? Or was it just abandoned and left to slowly succumb to the elements and years?

We still have some bright leaves left,but they are slowly turning to a rusty orange. That signals that foliage season is over.

You can see that the trees are getting bare now. I was in a shower of leaves,and I tried to catch them falling in this photo,but it didn't quite work.

We have many streams/brooks in town. Some have fish,but I don't believe this one does,as it's not very deep.

When I left for my walk,I had my fleece over shirt on,and I eventually had to take it off ( I did have a short sleeve shirt on!). I was feeling the burn in my calves,legs,hips,and butt,as well as my arms. I worked up quite a sweat. It was fabulous!

When I got home,I saw little Mini Moxie curled up on my afghan-

I had to leave you with such a cute photo!!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!!

One Small Step.....

Trying to revamp all areas of one's life can be a daunting task. When I sit and think about everything I want to accomplish,it can make my head spin. One thing is tied in with the other. To create the home I truly want,I have to dig into myself and be the person I really want to be.That means,I have to clear up mental clutter and body clutter. I could organize my home and it could look perfect,but if I am swimming in a sea of mental and physical discontent,how I can truly enjoy it? It's a fake front.  A person's home is an extension of themselves. Clutter in the home means clutter in the person's mind,body,and spirit.I am working at the home,mind,and spirit clutter,but my greatest challenge is the body clutter  (AKA-FAT). I am wonderful at delaying the body part. Why? Probably because every time I start exercising and dieting,I sabotage myself. "Hey,"I say to myself," I lost 15 lbs. I can control it now."

Yeah,right. I gain it back plus another 15 lbs.

I hate clothes shopping,because nothing looks good on me. I have literally cried in the changing room. "Remember when you could wear whatever you wanted? Remember when you had a waist? Now look at you. You are disgusting," I hear my inner self say.  Fat clothes tend to be really ugly,and because I am only 5'2",most clothing for "heavier" gals tend to be average sized,not petite,which doesn't help matters.

How can I move forward on this front? I ponder it on a daily basis. I can't do the "I-am-going-to-diet-and-exercise-from-now-on" thing. It doesn't work. I lose my incentive. Not my gig. " Just do it already" does not work. People bugging me about it makes me want to eat more peanut butter cups (oh,how I love the sweet and salty goodness....it makes me feel great until after they are gone and then I loathe myself). No,I cannot rely on others to motivate me. It has to come from within.Rick,bless his heart,loves me and thinks I am sexy no matter what.

The only thing I can do is start small. I can't look at it as trying to lose weight,because if it doesn't happen fast enough,I will feel defeated.If I have a bad day and eat something I shouldn't,I will feel like a failure and say,"Screw it. Give me that plate of fattening carb goodness."(whatever that fattening carb goodness might be)

So...how do I start slow? How do I gradually work being more active and watching my calorie intake into my life?

1)  No more snacking after 7:30. This is a very bad habit of mine...especially peanut butter cups.

2) Work exercise gradually into my life. I walked once last week. This week I am going to walk twice. I walk about a mile or so. It may not seem much to you,but for me,it's a big accomplishment. I will keep adding walks until the weather proves too nasty,then I will hit the elliptical instead and begin to include toning with weights.Even if I don't lose weight from these walks,I am training myself mentally and physically to get used to physical exercise and hopefully will be more apt to continue and build on it.

3) Don't be on a time frame .I've tried that. I've failed at it. I'm going to keep going at slow but steady pace. 

4) Healthy for me means when I like how I feel and look. It has nothing to do with how many pounds I am.

That's where I'm starting.

As far as home decluttering goes,I tidied up our bookcase this morning. It seems to be a  catch-all for paperwork for Rick,as well as other items:

It's much better now!

I thought I would leave you on a cute note. I was looking for M&M ( Mini Moxie) a while ago. I looked in all the little hiding places that we have found him in,and when I went into our bedroom,I happened to see him curled up on my big teddy bear:

Is that just too cute or what?

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

Homemade Butter

When I was young,my Dad was diagnosed with high cholesterol,so into the house came margarine and Egg Beaters. That's what I grew up with. When I moved out,I went back to eggs but stuck with margarine,at least,until a few years ago. The more I thought about it,the more I realized that all margarine consisted of,basically,was congealed oil. How that could be better than  butter, I couldn't fathom. Cream is natural from milk,and shaken cream makes butter. Margarine is a whole process which doesn't sound very appetizing to me ( Google it!).

At any rate,I have been wanting to try make my own butter for a while. Do I need whole cream straight from the cow? Can I use whipping cream from the store? I checked various websites and blogs,and it seemed there were many opinions on this subject. I finally said "I'm going for it,"and tried it out----only half an hour ago,to be precise!

Let me say this:making butter is very easy. If you can pour cream into a mixer bowl and turn the mixer on,and if you can squeeze buttermilk out of butter,you can make homemade butter.

Here is what I did:

I took My Precious (my Cuisinart) out from the cabinet. The poor thing hasn't seen too much action of late,so I was glad to get her going again. Brother B did the grocery shopping yesterday,and he picked up 2 pints of  Stonyfield Organic Heavy Whipping Cream,which was ultra pasteurized. 

I poured them right into the mixing bowl-I didn't wait until they were room temperature. I did nothing fancy to the mixing bowl. ( I had read somewhere that the bowl had to be chilled and the cream brought to room temperature). I put the whisk attachment on My Precious,and she was ready for action!

Oh,yes,this is a VERY IMPORTANT part-PUT THE SPLASH GUARD ON!! Trust me on this. I read warnings about splashing. I was expecting splatter. Splatter does not do it justice. You'll see!

I started on a lower speed for a couple of minutes. The cream became a bit frothy and started to thicken a tad.

I then put the speed on high and after a bit I started getting peaks-it was turning into whipped cream. Keep going........

It's thickening up nicely,isn't it? It's not butter yet,though. It's still too white. There's also no buttermilk separation yet.

Keep whipping. See how the color is turning to yellow?

It's looking more like butter,but it still needs a couple more minutes. Once the butter is done,the butter milk will separate from the butter,and it will SPLASH. I'm talking mixer tidal wave-no joke! I should've covered up the pouring hole  in the splash guard. The buttermilk made a mess. I can't imagine not having something over the bowl when the tidal wave occurs-seriously,use something...even if it's just plastic wrap. I had to jump back and quickly shut off the mixer because the buttermilk was flying everywhere.

Another sign it's done-the butter will clump onto your whisk attachment in one big ball. See all the buttermilk at the bottom of the bowl?

Since I don't use buttermilk,I had no need to keep it for anything. I did make a ball out of the butter and squeezed it until most of the buttermilk was gone. I ran the ball under cold water and squeezed the water out a few times until the water was clear. I admit,it's a bit of a pain. If you have butter paddles,or even just used a sturdy spatula and press the butter against the side of the bowl,that would probably be a bit easier. I tried the hand method to see how it would work . I also put some salt in the butter and kneaded it in. How much salt,or whether or not to add it is up to you and your taste.

This is a good time to bring out my antique butter dish that my Aunt Jeannette had. It makes for good storage in the fridge.

How can you not try homemade butter right away? I put some bread in the toaster and waited with buttered breath!!!

It looks like butter,it spreads like butter......

This gal needs butter spread end to end on bread. Rick always teases me about it. If you're going to butter bread,then I say,butter it,damn it!!  :)

Not only does it look like butter and spreads like butter...it tastes like butter! Yummy!! I scoffed down the toast after I took the photo.

You can, of course, make all kinds of homemade butter-apple butter,pumpkin butter,garlic butter,honey butter.....the world is full of homemade buttery goodness-right at your fingertips! 

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!!!!

Mother -Son Time

I have really been remiss in my posting,and I apologize. This time of the year there really isn't too much going on.

Yesterday,though,Zach and I delved into decluttering his bedroom. We were able to get rid of VCR tapes,old books,most of  his Legos,and assorted toys he hasn't touched in a long time.I didn't realize how much little stuff he had. It was crazy. We have everything that was in decent shape boxed up and ready to be donated.

Today we are going to organize his closet. I am sure there are clothes that no longer fit,or that he no longer likes. Each fall we go through his clothes to see what he needs for school,and if shirts have stains on them or the pants are a wee bit too short,we save those for "bang around" clothes. However,he is now growing so fast that I think even some of the play clothes may be way to small.

I am very proud of him. He wanted to keep a lot of things,but after I asked him things like," Are you really going to watch this again? " "When is the last time you actually used it?" he realized he  didn't need these things after all.

Today we have a snowstorm going on. We are projected to get anywhere from 6"-12" . So far we have 5"-6".The snow is heavy,so some power outages have been reported. I am really over the snow now,but if one lives in New Hampshire,one gets used to snow up until May sometimes! There is nothing we can do about it,so we just deal with it.

I can't remember if I mentioned this,but Rick,Brother B and I are all on the 17 Day Diet. We saw it on Dr Phil,and it sounded like it might be worth a shot. We started a week ago Wednesday,and so far I have lost 7 lbs in 8 days. Last time Rick weighed himself a few days ago he had lost 8 lbs. Brother B is not weighing himself. But he has noticed a change. So far, so good.

The wind is picking up. Hopefully we won't lose power. If we do,that's fine,I have a good book and some knitting I can do.

My thoughts go out to the folks in New Zealand who are dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake.

I hope all is happy and peaceful in your little corner of the world!

Welcome Home!

It's official: Tomorrow Rick is coming home!

He will have to go to the VA twice a week for therapy,but that shouldn't be for long. It will get down to once a week,once every other week,etc. They said the only reason they are letting him go,aside from the fact that he is doing such an amazing job,is that I can bring him to his appts.

I went grocery shopping today,instead of my usual Tuesday,and spent the day sweeping,washing the floors,cleaning our bedroom,washing the bedding,cleaning the bathroom,dusting....in other words,getting the house nice. Rick's raised toilet seat is in,and the shower bench is ready. We already have a handle in case he needs it to get up off the toilet ( we put that in a couple years ago)and he will be bringing home a hand held shower head and a handle for the tub. He should have no trouble climbing the steps to get into the house,as he has been climbing half a flight of stairs with ease at the VA. Zach made a "Welcome Home Daddy" sign for the house.

He has lost 20 lbs since the operation. He still doesn't really have much of an appetite,but that was to be expected. We were told it might take awhile for it to come back. His clothes hang off of him now,and he is hopeful that he will continue to lose more,once he starts being more active. His goal is to get down to 200 lbs ( he is now at 234-he hasn't been that in a long time). The more weight he loses,the better it is for the life of his knee replacements. I told him we can lose weight together!!!

We got our turkeys on Saturday,and they are quite funny. I finally got the cuke trellis done as well. Rick has been bothered by the fact that he his missing this phase of our Little Farm. We now have a tiny little green pumpkin! I bet that once he gets settled tomorrow the first thing he will want to is walk the property and check everything out. He knows he cannot do ANYTHING! No weeding,feeding chickens or turkeys,NOTHING! All he can do is walk and do his exercises until Dr Bernini tells him differently. Rick does not want to mess his knees up,so I know he will heed what he is told. There was a gentleman in PT with him the other day who did too much when he wasn't suppose to.He felt great,and decided to do some yard work. He wound up dislocating the joint and had to have his knee operated on again to have everything put back in place. Rick does not want to go there. As much as I know it will bother him not being able to do anything, I also know he is smarter than that and he will content himself with just being able to enjoy seeing what is going on (and maybe pointing out what needs to be done!!!)

Well, I need to go make the bed......have a great day!!!

Getting Better All The Time

Rick wound up having low iron in his blood. If this possible from surgery,I don't know. He has had blood work done many times within the last year (he has a physical every six months,plus the blood work Dartmouth did before his surgery) and his iron level was never an issue. They did blood work on Friday at the VA,found his iron was low,and gave him a supplement. When we visited on Sunday he felt much better.

Yesterday my Mom and I went to visit him,and we sat in on his physical therapy session. He was able to bend his knees to 90 degrees,and lift each leg on his own.They had him walk a lap around the corridor with a walker,and were amazed at how well he was doing so soon after surgery.His temperature now only goes up to about 99 degrees,and only after he has exercised. He was more like his old self,cracking jokes and making my Mom laugh so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes. It's good to see him happy.I haven't seen him like that in a long time,it reminded me of the old days.

This morning I had a Muffin Date with My Dear Friend Michelle.Since the kids get out of school tomorrow,this will be our last one until Fall.That is not to say we will not see each other,but it was the last time we will have some girl time without the kids. I went shopping after to find some shorts,and had a heck of a time. Remember back in the beginning of the year when I was on a diet and exercise track? I swore I was going to maintain it? Well, that fell to the wayside, I am ashamed to say. I still have lost some weight,about 15 lbs,but since I haven't been exercising,lets just say that things are not...ah....as toned as they should be. Though a 14 fits OK,I don't like it because I have (ahem) some pudge which goes over the top of my shorts and I am very embarrassed by it. Then I made the mistake of trying on a bathing suit, a two piece with a tank top and a skirt bottom. Yuck. So I decided to keep my old one piece and just buy a cover up instead. No one needs to see that!!!!!

After I got home, I called Rick. He sounded great! Full of energy. Rick has had a more flat intonation in his voice for a while,and I am sure it had do with the depression he has been having. Now he sounds happy and positive! He informed me that he woke up during the night,and needed to use the restroom badly. Without thinking,he got up,walked without a walker or any assistance to the bathroom,did his business,and got back into bed. Just like that,though of course,it probably took him a bit of time to do so. When he informed his PT nurses today,they were astounded. They even gave him permission to start using the walker full time instead of the wheelchair,even though they said they shouldn't do so quite yet.He told them that the tiny steps they have him taking with walker are uncomfortable for him,and he really needed to take longer strides. It felt better,and gave him more range of motion. The PT nurse is tiny little thing,and Rick said that she had to take quick steps to keep up with him. Again,they were amazed at his progress. I had told Rick that once he is recovered I will probably have to take two steps to his every one,just like in the old days. His is 6 ft and I am 5 ft 2 inches,so I was always telling him to slow down! Then of course, I was the one who had to wait for him after his knees got bad.

Today there is a Dr who specializes in amputations and bilateral joint replacements going to the VA to talk to the PT's. The PT's asked Rick if he would be so kind as to go with them so the Dr could demonstrate various techniques. Apparently,they do not get many bilateral joint replacements at the VA ( most of the patients are older veterans),so they are using single replacement techniques on Rick at this point. I am not sure what the difference could be,but apparently there are some. Rick has people come into his room and say,"So you're the bilateral knee replacement! I don't know if you are crazy or very smart!" Like I already said,bilateral patients are not very common there.

After I spoke with Rick,I planted potatoes. A tad late,I know,but when potatoes should've been planted in spring,we were in the process of building our boxes. Next year we will be on top of the game.

Have wonderful day!!!!

Gearing Up for the Garden

Yesterday I started seeds for my peppers and for my kitchen garden. I never realized how freaking tiny some of those seeds are! I wear bifocals (mostly for reading,seeing up close and being able to read road signs from a distance while driving) and even with them on I had a real hard time seeing where one seed begins and the next one ends. The biggest (or should I say smallest?) offender is Spearmint. Tiny,tiny seeds. I couldn't even pick one with with tweezers. I had to literally just pour them out into the dirt,and tried not to pour too many out in one area. I am not sure how these plants will come out,and I know I will have to do a bit of thinning. We shall see what we shall see. One can only learn from each experience. Maybe I need a magnifying glass!

Today I need to make some more hand soap. We are getting a tad low,and have broken out our Irish Spring backup. The one thing I will need to do is get some sort of grid to put on top of the soap dish. The soap breaks down quickly when it sits in the water that accumulates in the dish after each use. The soap needs to sit up high out of the water.

Today I tried Jillian Michael's "30 Day Shred" exercise DVD. It is quite the workout,and I could not keep up. My arms ache just from the first level,and I couldn't finish the reps!!! I am trying to get back on the wagon after losing 10 lbs and falling off the wagon. Happily,I only gained back 3 lbs since I stopped working out. I am optimistic that this program will yield good results. Since we have started working outside,I haven't had the urge to snack and my appetite has actually been curbed somewhat.That is always a good thing.

Well, I'm off to make soap. This time around I am using the recipe my Dear Friend Michelle and I used last Fall. The recipe includes Crisco,canola oil,coconut oil,water,and lye crystals,plus any coloring or scent . I am going to make Oatmeal Milk and Honey scented soap.

A Step Forward

So far I have been doing pretty well on my weight. I have not missed one work out session,and have cut WAY back on my bread intake. So far I have lost 7 lbs. My motivation has been never been stronger. This time I am going to see it through! I do have my moments when bad things call to me,and I literally have to talk myself out of eating something. Like anything else,it's one day at a time.

We continue to plan for the spring,and Rick's enthusiasm is still very strong.He is talking about building a small smokehouse.The other day we priced lighting for seed starting.We do still have to figure out how much to plant. I have had a bit of a procrasination issue going on which I need to snap out of.

Last night we watched "The Hurt Locker,"about a detonation team in Iraq. Rick wanted to watch it. I wasn't sure he was going to. I have rented Iraq war movies before,and he has never been able to watch. Usually he will either ask me to shut it off or he will leave the room. However,he watched the whole thing,and even said it was a good movie. If there was something going on that he had went through,he would discuss it ia bit.I kept asking throughout the movie if he was OK,and he kept saying he was. He said that movie wasn't bad. I am sure there are others that he probably could not watch still,such as ones with more combat. However,one movie is a step foward.

Rick's Narrative Summary from Walter Reed got sent back to Fort Drum,but they wanted more info,so in a couple of weeks,we should have their final assessment. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they give him a fair percentage.

Two more months until Spring!!!!!

Hi, My Name is Donna,and I Am Fat

I don't know if the above photo is going to come out or not..right now it's a bunch of numbers and letters,which I have never seen happen before. At any rate,it's a photo taken after the yard was decorated for the holidays. We finished up as it was starting to snow. Now there are several inches of snow on the ground. The weather today is going to be in the upper 30's to low 40's-a heat wave for this time of the year. I am looking forward to March-the clocks spring forward on March 14,which makes the sunlight last a little longer,and the first day of spring follows shortly behind.

One of my goals for this year is to lose weight. I am overweight for a woman of only 5 ft 2 1/2 inches. I started on my journey on Jan 4,and as of yesterday lost 3.6 lbs. I am not following a specific diet plan. I am cutting out alot of bread,carbs,portion sizes,and sweets,and working out at home three days a week ( minimum). I do aerobics,lift hand weights,do sit ups,wall push ups,leg lifts,and do the elliptical bike. So far in 10 days I have gone from 2 minutes to 7 on the bike,so progress is being made.

I don't have a specific goal in mind,I think more or less because I don't want to think of all the weight I should lose. I am going according to how I feel. If I am content after 20 lbs,that's where I'll stop.I know I will never see Size 2 again.

I am not saying I don't have cookie now and then,I just don't have 10!

My problem with weight started after my pregnancy. I have been up and down,up and down......and up. I am an emotional eater. If I'm happy, I eat. If I'm sad, I eat. I come from a gene pool that has it's addictions.However, these last few years since Rick was gone and came back my addiction has kicked in full swing. I start to lose,then I decide I can handle it and all my weight comes back. It is no fun.

I finally got tired of being winded climbing a flight of stairs,of having everything I try on look horrendous,and of feeling embarrassed when I go out in public.My Dear Friend Michelle and I are supporting each other in our quest to lose weight. She does not look like she needs to lose much,the lucky Ducky.However, it doesn't matter what the number is,it's how you feel about yourself. My goal is for health,and if I am being totally honest,to look good. I am also needed here for my son and my husband.They rely on me. A heart attack would not be a good thing,which is another issue that runs in my family. Plus,being woman in her early 40's,I know that it is going to just get harder and harder as I get older to lose weight,so I needed to get my butt in gear.

At the end of the month, I am going to do another weigh in,and retake my measurements.Even if it's only another pound and an inch, I am one step closer to living a more healthy life.