Sweet Mustard Chicken

I found the following recipe while reading a magazine at the doctors office today. Recipe courtesy of "Arthritis Today" magazine. I am cooking it for supper tonight. Yeah, it's in the oven and it is 9:15pm!

~ 6 skinless chicken breast halves
~ salt and pepper to taste
~ 1/2 cup prepared mustard (experiment with different brands and types)
~ 2 Tblsp light brown sugar
~ 1 -1/2 cups bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse chicken and pat dry.
Season with salt and pepper; place on rack in baking pan.
Bake 10-15 min or until brown. Spread chicken with mixture
of mustard and brown sugar; coat with bread crumbs.
Bake for 20 minutes; turn chicken. Bake for 30 minutes
until chicken is cooked through. Serves 6.

Update----I am sitting here now eating this recipe and I have to say it is delicious! Some may frown on the brown sugar while in weight loss but is it better than regular sugar and gives it a wonderful taste. I did add a lot more brown sugar than the recipe called for in order to suit my family's taste. I also used fresh slices of bread for the bread crumbs! yum:)

Gas

Nope. Not the kind at the pump.

Yep. That's right the other kind of gas.

I have had problems with gas for a couple of years now. Really, I mean a problem. All of my family is aware and it is a real joke that I am the gasser of the family. I can't blame them at all -I have more gas than a woman should have to put up with. Matter of fact my mom and husband have told me nurmerous times that it is just not normal and I need to go to the dr about it again.

I have spoke to the doctor about this before and didn't seem to get anywhere as far as really addressing that I am concerned over the past few years. Other health issues have prevailed and I have put the gas issue on the back burner so to speak.

Then, last week it suddenly became even worse and has remained a constant problem. Really, a larger problem that usual. I have taken so much Gas X, anti gas Rolaids, Maalox and etc that I can barely afford to put the other kind of gas in my car!!! Seriously, my stomach hurts so bad and is so visibly bloated that is ridiculous. One night last week I stayed home when the rest of the family went to softball practice because I was in pain.

I have not talked to my new dr about the gassy issues but I am telling you this almost warrants its own dr's appt. Needing to schedule my yearly wellness (yeah right that's a laugh) check up I just think I am going to have to travel down the road of discussing my gasiness with her -seriously!

So, I really really seriously have a question....Does anyone suffer with extreme gas problems and if so what do you recommend??? HELP!!

Oh and I know. I already thought of it. Too bad I can't use it to gas up my car!!!LOL and I beat you to the punch!

Fall...

It is here!! I can almost tell that the fall season is upon us here in East Texas:) Well, in the morning and late evening anyway. The afternoons are still heating up a bit, although our trusty weather man assured me last night that we are in for a change of tempatures this next week.

I managed to do some fall cleaning around here this morning...not alot, but it is a start.

HAPPY FALL ;-)

Even My Dog Needs A Break...

That's right, even my dog needs a break.

Daisy delivered her babies a little over a week ago. She stays in her dog kennel with her babies who are kept in a rubbermaid container inside the kennel. For several reasons, but mostly it keeps them safe and the area is easier to keep clean. The container fills up most of the kennel although there is a small area at the end. Yesterday I noticed Daisy was lying in that small area outside the rubbermaid container away from her babies. First I thought, look at her taking a little break. Suddenly I realized, this dog knows better when to take a break, walk away from the situation and give herself a little needed space than I do!

I thought about what I witnessed off and on quite a bit last night. I always put myself last in this family as most of us as women and mothers do. Oh sure, I buy myself some clothes and shoes from time to time but when I do they are really only because they are needed. Clothing is a necessity if you are not going overboard with it and shopping all of the time and this I do not do.

When was the last time I did something for myself? Now, I'm sure you remember that Kenny and I did go to New Orleans not to long ago for our annv and it was long over due. But I am talking about something solely for me. I really don't. Everything revolves around my family and especially my children. Do I even know who I am? Could I describe myself as something other than Kenny's wife, Brittany's mom, Katelyn's mom, Hunter's mom, the house maid, the family taxi cab driver, the person who does all the shit around here that no one else wants to do? Sadly, the answer is no. Who am I? Have I really lost my sense of self? Well, it sure seems that way.

I am so busy chasing everyone else's tail that I cannot even catch up with who I really am. Oh sure, I know the things I like and so on my ask me what my hobbies are and the answer will be just to tell you the things I like not anything I actually do.

Now I have myself wondering just how to take a break and find myself again. Do you know what I am talking about? You are so busy with your family you lose who you really are trying to server everyone else. Whether they see it or not.

How do you know when it is time to take a break and do something for yourself? Do you have regular hobbies and if so how do you fit them in? Please share some of the things you do in order to even find just a few minutes for yourself...

The truth is;

we hide so we can be found,
we walk away to see who will follow,
we cry to see who will wipe away our tears,
and we get our hearts broken to see
who will come and fix them.
Author ~Unknown

Readers and Comments

I have been really trying to increase my readers that come to read my blog. I have been commenting on other's blogs and on new blogs that I have never visited before.

How do you increase your readership and commenting on your blog?

July 23, 2007

This is the day that I started my weight loss journey and road to a healthier me. I never would have told you then but I weighed 196 pounds. Not to mention I had actually lost 2 pounds before that day. Looking back today I really can't believe I have continued down this road like I have. Now, don't misunderstand me. It has been a very difficult journey, one of the highest mountains I have ever attempted to climb.

Each day since July 23, 2007 I have had to wake up the same as each of you and make the decision again to eat healthy and think about what I am eating. It truly is a daily decision and constant work on your mindset. The benefits far out weigh the misery of carrying around all of that extra weight.

Today I sit here typing this post weighing in at 149 pounds and very proud of it. Funny thing is I still feel fat. Yes, I have gotten many comments on my weight loss and it helps to keep me going. But now I am getting the "oh you are getting so skinny" and I politely thank the person for such a wonderful comment. Although inside my head I am thinking, what? Can they not see this "thing" that is still connected to my belly that I never gave permission to in the first place for it to make itself at home!! Can they not see the muffin top that still exists around my waist? What is wrong with me? I should be completely proud of where I am but yet I still think it is not good enough. Maybe because I have not reached my ultimate goal of 130 - 135 pounds? I just hope that when I do reach this goal (by Christmas is the deadline I have set for myself) that I will look in the mirror and be happy with the changes that I will be looking at!

I plan to post a before and after picture here soon. May take a few days but I will put it on the list of things to do!

A Post to Laura!

Sorry folks, I must interrupt the normal posting to post some important info to myself!! I have been feeling extremely overwhelmed lately and feel as though I cannot get everything done. So, I am making myself a handy dandy list of to do's for today. I have already knocked out a few work related things this morning! YAY me;)

take Katelyn to the dr for her hand xray
give Daisy Ann a bath and maternity cut preparing for delivery of her babies
vacuum
two loads of laundry
post on my blog
comment on minimum 5 blogs today
clean kitchen
check on softball fall uniform order
find a good book to read
check on cake decorating classes
make grocery list
get my plan together for Queenie's Christmas Challenge
clean living room
take Katelyn to Physical Therapist to see if her back is out of place

OK, so as I complete each thing listed I will change the text color to red. I am not sure how this day is going to go seeing as I just made a cup of coffee and the pot is FULL of coffee grounds:(

Viramin B12

Around two years ago, my rhuemetologist at the time stated that I had a b12 deficiency and told me to get the over the counter b12 tablets and gave me a specific milligrams to take daily in addition to my multi vitamin. He claim was also that the b12 would help with my extreme tiredness that I have experienced for so long. Not realizing how long I had been reporting the extreme tiredness to the doctors until I requested copies of all my medical records and discovered I truly had a reason to be so frustrated. Since 2000 I have been begging doctors to help me with the tiredness that is so extreme that I cannot really, really find the words to discribe in full just how intense the tiredness is.

The B12 tablets showed no improvement what so ever. I spoke with my small hometown pharmacist and he told me he did not understand why the doctor would have me taking the tablet form seeing that our stomach acid destroys most of the b12 tablet before our bodies can absorb it anyway. The pharmacist recommended b12 injections and I was finally able to get the doctor to agree to prescribe it. I have been taking the injections at least weekly since this time. Depending on how I feel sometimes more often than once a week.
____________________

One must wonder what all the b vitamins can do for them as we each make our daily trial and error to achieve healthier ways about of lives. Let's take a closer look at one of the eight
B vitamins, vitamin B12.

B12 can is a water-soluble vitamin which dissolves in water. After the body uses these vitamins, the leftover amounts leave the body in urine. Like the other B vitamins, B12 is important for metabolism. It helps in the formation of red blood cells and in the maintenance of the central nervous system. Vitamin B12 is known as the "energy vitamin" because it gives a real energy boost. It is used to remedy fatigue and it speeds up the metabolism.

Vitamin B-12 can naturally be found in food that come from animals meat, poultry, liver, shellfish, milk, milk products, fortified cereals and eggs. Plants do not supply B12 to humans. Vitamin B-12 supplements can also be taken by liquid, strip, nasal spray, or injection and is available singly or in combination with other supplements. The sublingual tablets, in which B-12 is supposedly absorbed more directly under the tongue, has not proven to be necessary or helpful.

The dietary intake for an adult ranges from 2 to 3 micrograms per day. Vitamin B-12 is believed to be safe when used orally in amounts that do not exceed the recommended dietary allowance. Your body has the ability to store 3 - 5 years of Vitamin B12 in your liver. That is why a B12 deficiency may take a couple of years to show up.

So has this question crossed your mind yet? Of the many functions and uses of Vitamin B12 does it help people lose weight? Many weight loss clinics offer B12 shots to help induce weight loss and increase energy. However, what I have found is information stating that Vitamin B12 injections by themselves do not directly induce weight loss, nor are they intended to. So why do people who get them lose weight?

B12 causes the metabolism to speed up, and in turn increases weight loss. People who go to get injections tend to be more conscious of their health and are already on a weight loss diet.

Vitamin B12 shots give an incredible boost of energy. This generally helps people to maintain their diets, and motivates them to exercise and increase activity.

B12 also helps to fight stress and depression, symptoms which are many time associated with weight gain for many of us.

Now, you must make your own decision in regards to your Vitamin B12 intake. I can tell you that the injections do help me with my fatigue, but I have never directly connected to have helped with my weight loss. The most important fact for me is, the increase in energy does encourage my activity level.

Daisy Ann

This is Daisy Ann pictured above with my nephew Cameron. Daisy Ann is expecting her second litter of babies!! I am thinking it will be in about a week or so. Poor thing she is getting so big. She is a shih tzu and I bred her again with my mom's yorkie...so she will be the proud momma of Shorkie's! I already have one puppy sold. Last time she had three babies and I am hoping that she will have more this time. The more she has the more likely those puppies will stay smaller. She is about 10 or 11 pounds and the daddy is 8 pounds.
Wish her luck!

Here I Am...a monday rant

Here I am looking back at this day we have all called Monday. This was one of those Monday's that started off on the wrong foot before the alarm clock even went off. Mostly because, well I just feel like crap and had a lot of work I had to complete today.

I managed to drag my behind into work today and accomplish everything I needed to on that end of my life. I then moved on and took Katelyn to the ENT at 4pm and got her newest prescriptions filled on the way home.

My eating today was really really bad. So bad in fact I am not even going to share it.

This body of mine is so frustrating for me at times. I ache all over, my allergies are acting up a little, my chest is killing me and I don't know what the crap is really going on here. Is it that I am just really tired? Well, I am going to start there with the tiredness and get in the bed to have a good nights sleep.

First though, I have to go pick Katelyn up. Then I am coming home, pouring myself a glass of orange juice, taking my meds and getting in the bed by 8pm. Hopefully, I will have something useful to post here.

Chasing my Tail!!!

I had to be at my lawyer's office (a whole other story that I will not bore you with) at 9:30am this morning. It is a 50 minute drive and then he talked and talked and talked. When I finally left there it was 12:06!

Then, off to Rue 21 I went because I promised Katelyn I would pick this oh so super cute shirt (as she thought) up for her that she saw when shopping with her sister the other day. Shirt...got it check!!

While at Rue 21, yes I managed to pick up a few Christmas gifts!

Next, off to WalMart because I was soooo out of makeup and that is not a good thing! I thought of you Critter when I was there looking at the makeup, being as you had given your makeup review and all. Anyway, somehow I decided on this Cover Girl Aquasmooth because I needed to go by work for a little bit and this makeup could be applied so fast and easy in the car. Not sure if I like it yet or not we'll see and I many still have to try the CG True Blend that Critter recommended.

Finally, I made it into the office and completed the tasks that had to be taken care of from there today. Pick up a few other things to finish here at home.

Off to get Katelyn and Kenny for Katelyn's pitching practice. Which I might add went very well!

Ya know, I am going to stop right there. Just tooooo much to list and it all wears me down from time to time. Thank goodness I felt pretty good today!

Pretty ridiculous that it took a Hurricane to slow things down in our lives this past weekend. But ya know -it did the trick!

We have a softball tournament this weekend about an hour away from our home. The 10pm news last night said that the weather would be a little warmer...hopefully not much though. This 80 degree weather has been so wonderful:)

I will be picking up tomorrow for her to go to the high school football game with us. She is going to go back home with her grandparents since we have a softball tournament out of town. Can't wait to get her tomorrow. I will post picts of her soon!

Oh So Yummy:)

OK, so this does not exactly fit into the whole dieting and eating low calorie scheme of things but here it is anyway. I am a Rachel Ray fan to a degree. Only being able to watch her in small doses. However, I do love her recipes. Here is one that I found and want to try. I thought I would share it.
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/dessert-recipes/caramel-banana-cupcakes/article.html

Another recipe that I came across is a very easy cupcake recipe that I made adjustments to in order to be more "calorie" conscious:

Ingredients
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups Splenda
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. There are lots of great decorative cupcake liners now to fit your occasion.
Combine flour, Splenda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add canola oil, fat free milk, and vanilla.
Beat for 1 minute on medium speed.
Add eggs to the mixture. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape sides of bowl and stir.
Beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until well mixed.
Spoon cupcake batter into paper liners until 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the toothpick test shows it is ready!
Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.
Once cupcakes have cooled, frost with your favorite frosting recipe or decorate as you like.

Maybe you can bake and enjoy a cupcake this weekend without all the guilt!

Christmas Shopping

It's almost that time again!!! Can you believe we are nearing the end of September? I started my Christmas shopping about one month ago, buying a few things each paycheck. I don't want to wait until the last minute as I do every year. Actually finding myself trying to be a little better prepared. I would try to do this after WalMart did away with the ole layaway program. I wonder if any stores are offering layaways now??

Anyway, hope you are all thinking about getting started. Even though fall has just arrived Christmas is just around the corner!

Don't Wait....

I received a call yesterday that my uncle, who is a truck driver, was in the ER of a hospital in MA. He has been admitted and is doing ok now. He has pneumonia and will be in the hospital for several days.

Also, my father has had two heart attacks in the last two and a half years.

These two illness's bring to mind for me, health and life insurance. My uncle does not have either of these insurances as he is self employed and with rising costs of fuel effecting his business he has continued to put the insurance options on the back burner. Now, once again he has landed himself in the hospital with no health insurance. We all know how devastating this will be financially.

My dad has both health and life insurance. However, after having the first heart attack and this even prompting him to check out his life insurance coverage, he found out he did not have near the dollar amount of coverage that he believed he had. Increasing the value of the life insurance policy now is next to impossible and if he were to it would be very expensive.

Each year many employer's offer open enrollment of health and life insurance. Many employers do not offer face to face time each year with the insurance rep's. Thankfully, mine does. Please take the time to check out exactly what insurance options you have in place and put some thought into what your family would need. After my dad's first heart attack I took out a heart attack, stroke, cancer policy in addition to other life insurance, etc. It is very inexpensive but if I every need it my family and I will be taken care of.

Please take time to review your coverage or take out coverage if you do not have it. Don't wait until it is to late and you are devastated or your family is devastated....

Things About Me...

2. I have been happily married for 19 years.
3. My birthday is in May
4. I love dogs -especially Yorkies!
5. I work in accounting -compiling sales tax returns monthly to various states
6. I have a butterfly tattoo on my rt ankle
7. I have my nose pierced
8. I have three wonderful children
9. I love to watch my children in all their activities
10. I love to read, but it is hard to find the time to read
11. I love Kid Rock
12. I color my hair to cover the grey
13. I sleep on my side
14. I enjoy blogging
15. I wish I did not have to work
16. I have psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia
17. My favorite color is pink and purple
18. My favorite car 1971 VW Bug
19. I like to wear black for the slimming effect
20. I married my husband one week after we graduated high school
21. I am a family person
22. I need to work on my patience
23. I like to wear jewelry -just not right if I don't have on my earrings atleast
24. I take a family vacation every year
25. I am sad my oldest daughter is a Sr and my other daughter is a Freshman
26. I am happy that I still have a son in elementary
27. I am proud of all three of my children
28. I think boys are harder to raise than girls
29.I think girls are more expensive to raise than boys
30.I am a christian of the Methodist religion, who believes in God and Jesus
31.My natural hair color is auburn
32.My eyes are brown
33.I am a bit outspoken, but really try to keep peoples feelings in mind
34.My children drag race
35.I love to take pictures -although I am not a photographer my any means

That is as far as I think I can get for now. I know it was pretty boring, but for those of you coming back to read and for future readers -it is just a tid bit of me!!

What In The World?

We ate a late supper last night and about 30 minutes later I started feeling terrible. I felt so sick to my stomach and it had a really strange pain. Shortly after this started I went to bed.

I woke up at 1am still feeling the same way and even worse. I was trying and trying to rack my brain as to what in the world my problem could be.....I was thinking I must have some sort of stomach bug. Then I remembered I had not boiled the water for the tea I made and drank at supper. We were still under the water boil ban.

Still not knowing what it is, I have felt like crud today. I still managed to get several things accomplished for work. I just had to work, lay down, work, lay down, etc. And some call this the joys of working from home! HA But then again, I could not have rested at work -so I guess that was some sort of joy. In a sick kind of way.

I am going to go take my b12 injection, eat a little something and head to bed for what I hope will be a better nights sleep.

Oh, and back to school tomorrow for the kids.

Apparently She Did Not Outgrow It...

asthma that is. Katelyn had asthma problems for a long time when she was little. Started as a baby and continued until around first grade. Then everything seemed to turn to allergy and sinus problems as I have shared her before....two full sinus reconstruction surgeries in 1st grade and 5th grade.

So, she has been having some trouble during activities mostly. Well then again, I now know that apparently she has just been compensating for it and not knowing that the way she felt was not normal. She has complained a lot with headaches (I thought were allergy related) and dizziness (which I had no idea what was causing). Today, at the dr office, she registered 300 on the breath flow meter and the 50 something year old dr registered 650. She was only getting half the air she should.

Needless to say, she is back on the breathing machine treatments, Advair as a preventative med, and Albuteral (hand held puffer). This is in addition to her antibiotics, Nasonex, Singular, and Xyzal.

Hopefully it will all be huge help and she will notice a tremendous difference. Poor girl has been playing softball tournaments in the heat, humidity, and only half the air intake she should have had!

This Weekend

This has been an interesting weekend since we live about 4 1/2 hours from Galveston and about 5 hours from Houston, TX. It was not quite as bad as expected here as far as the wind but it certainly was bad enough. We had plenty of rain starting on Fri and then on Sat. Hunter and I took at drive around town yesterday during the whole Hurricane Ike moving through. We took some picts and a few of them I have posted above. These pictures were all taken within minutes of each other but the clouds seem to look so different. Not to mention, the clouds were moving faster than I think I have ever seen. In their own way, they were quite pretty as they rumbled along the skyline. Then we took a ride to other parts of town this morning and saw lots for down trees, uprooted trees, and limbs everywhere. The gas stations were backed up and people were filling up anything from a litte gas can to a 50 gallon drum with gas. No school here tomorrow in our itty bitty town -we are under a boil ban for the water and supposedly that is the reason for school being out.

OK, enough of that. I managed to get quite a few things accomplished this weekend. Here, just let me bore you with the details:

washed laundry (not all of it of course)

matched a clothes basket of socks

vaccuumed the house

swept kitchen

mopped kitchen

cleaned off the bar

swept the carport and porch after the storm

Pretty much completed my nephew's b-day invitations

completed b-day envelopes

completed a pirate map to his house to go with invites

made address labels for my mom and sister in law

searched the internet and found the exact softball pants to order for our team
Gave 2 dogs a bath

went grocery shopping

cleaned and mopped the bathroom

cooked breakfast on Sat (not normal)

cleaned all mirrors in the house

cleaned the glass front door

picked up crap out of the yard after the storm

made changes to the softball teams blog and added pictures

worded on my "Letter From Santa" site: http://letterfromsanta.weebly.com

hooked up new color/scan/copy printer

completed Brittany's college application

completed Brittany's theatre scholarship application

completed Brittany's registration paperwork to take her ACT

Swoosh, I am thinking I should be pretty tired by now. But no less, I still must cook supper and do even more laundry. I also need to clean my bedroom and make some santa letter flyers.

Hope all of you had a great weekend. I only hope I can get my readership back where it was soon (and even then it was pretty small) and maybe I can get it to grow even more! So, come on leave me those comments and I will respond to ya!

Look -Over There To The Right...

Right there, see it? Is it not just the most adorable little link back button you have ever - ever seen?!?!? I cannot tell you how much I LOVE IT:)

It was designed by Kelly or "Chica" over at Design Bug. She was great to work with and so incredibly fast. I just emailed her for the first time ever yesterday and looky there...I already have it! The whole process was so convenient and easy.

I purchased three versions:
She does lots of other design projects, so go on, go over and check her out at Design Bug!

My Nephew's B-day Invitation...

I have been working on a birthday invitation for my nephew. He is turning 6 and having a pirate party. So, since I am trying to get Laura's Sweet Greetings up and going I asked my sister in law if I could do the invites for practice. It is looking really cute and I have also made an envelope to match!

I started working on a pirate map today for directions to his house. I hope to share with everyone soon!

Hot Day But Soon To Change

Another hot day her today....this is soon to change with Hurricane Ike coming in and the Texas Evacuations starting. Hopefully this one will pipe down like Hurricane Gustav did.

I took Katelyn to the oral surgeon today. She is going to have all 4 wisdom teeth removed and her impacted 12 year molar repositioned. She is not happy about this. We are waiting for them to call back with a date.

We found out last week Brittany has 2 bulging disc in her back. Yuck, not fun for her at all. More on this later.

Katelyn took pitching lessons today.

Have a good evening....

Letter From Santa!

Please visit my latest work at: http://letterfromsanta.weebly.com I would greatly appreciate you passing the link along to everyone in your email address book.

Let me know what you think about the site I have built. I just finished developing it and will be making many changes I am sure. I look forward to hearing from you if you would like to place an order to! ;)

Hurricanes and Evacuee's

Well, I have remained unspoken on this topic long enough. So, let me start at the beginning.

Since Hurricane Katrina, my heart has so felt for the people of New Orleans. I can only imagine how it was for the people who live pay check to pay check and really work for a living, have children, try to do the best for their family and still find themselves coming up short each week. Did they even have enough money to get out of the city themselves? Most probably did or had family that lived elsewhere that were able to help them...

Then we move on and look at the poor and I mean poor people of the city. Now, for them my heart went out too during Katrina. Let me make clear I am not talking about the looters toting off tv's and such. That is beyond ridiculous. But, some people are just born into the poverty level stricken part of the US society and know no other way of living. Therefore, the cycle continues. I often wonder if they even know of see the world like others not living in the poverty level -just the world that those living from pay check to pay check trying to live life right know. These city of New Orleans was portrayed so horribly by the media during Katrina and many times stooped to the level of those awful looters. Showing dead body after dead body. Looking for the worst of the worst at the Super Dome and Civic Center.

Yes, those people should have left and didn't. I have prayed those people learned from Katrina even though we are all guilty of believing those horid things will never happen to our family.

Then, we move forward three years. Last month when we went to the Kid Rock concert in New Orleans I was absolutely amazed by the rebuilding and condition of the city. We traveled along the outside edges of the 9th Ward afraid to travel in to far. There were still FEMA trailers, marked and gutted homes. Yet, there were very nice little rebuilt homes too. I truely thought I saw an amazing amount of progress considering when we all saw on the news three years previous. The Super Dome looked normal again as well as the Civic Center.

Many people around the US do not understand the impact on our cities that open and provide shelter for the evacuee's. As I have mentioned before, I live 15 minutes from Shreveport, LA and this is where we do most everything. All of our shopping most of the time. During Katrina we had FEMA trailers for a long time at the LA State Fair Grounds. S'port provided many shelters across the city. Thousands entered the city and were helped. Even in the town I work in about 20 mins further into TX. They were hanging out everywhere. For the first time ever there was security in the mall at the small town in Marshall. Our town came together and provided food, clothing, toys, water, and medical attention at the Texas Tourist Bureau here in our town. I witnessed all three of these communities reach out to the evacuee's in such a way that was unbelievable to me in this day and time.

Hurricane Gustav...
The evacuation seemed from afar to have gone very well. Much better than Katrina and seemed though a lesson had been learned. Yet again, Shreveport opened shelters to the evacuee's. I am absolutely appalled at the situations surrounding us this time. What are these people thinking??? Or are they thinking?? Now, I am not speaking of all the people from New Orleans. I do know and believe there are many backgrounds and types of people within all cities. But, S'port opened the I don't know how many shelters and these evacuee's were still on the news complaining and griping about the conditions and what the government was not doing for them. GEEZ PEOPLE-----get up off your ass and do something for yourself. The shelters I know of ranged from churches opening there doors, Hirsch (where an animal shelter was also set up if you had brought your pet), the NEW Century Tel Center building, Bossier Civic Center, and when we ran out of room and they still kept coming by the bus load the city opened some additional shelteres in vacant buildings such as the old outlet mall and the old sams club building. Then, there they were on the evening news....one lady they interviewed was griping they did not have air conditioner in the old vacant sam's club building -but did she stop to think atleast she was not in the wind of what could have been a major hurricane. Now she just continued to look for her handout.

The next person I saw interviewed on the local news was the one who really impacted my way of thinking about this whole New Orleans/Hurricane mess. I have always tried to look at the other side of the Katrina effects when people say they don't feel sorrow for them if they were stupid enough to stay or they get what they deserve, or many other even worse comments I will not post here. So this lady proceeds to tell the little news caster man something to the effect of, "They out us on a bus, sent us to this place with no a/c (the old vacant outlet mall building that was opened as a last minute shelter because they kept coming by bus and our cities were becoming full). My baby does not even have milk or pampers and they have not even given it to me."
All I could think is, What the Hell? What the Hell is this woman thinking? They told you to evacuate the city and bring the essentials. ESSENTIALS! Does your baby's formula and pampers not qualify as essentials. Come on people you have to work with us during these situations if you continue to want to live in a city where these weather conditions are possible. Many, many cities provided shelters and essentials, yet we continuously get these types of remarks?? Take some responsibility for yourself and YOUR BABY!

I was asked on a couple of occasions to volunteer at some of the shelters in Texas. I did not step up to the plate because of the autoimmune suppressent meds I am on and did not want to take the chance. Knowing I have responsibilities to my family. I did continue to pray for these people though----even after the ladies comments about her baby and many other awful situations I knew of. Then there was this one which for me pushed it over the limit...

At a small shelter housing about 150 people, there was evacuee's dealing and evacuee's having sex out in the open in front of children. The police had to be called several times to get these situations under control. I am not even going to share what I thought about this one.

My last remarks for this post is: I love visiting the city of New Orleans. I believe it has such culture and beautiful architect. I know of all the other things that I consider not to be good in New Orleans and I stay away from those as I do in any city I visit. New Orleans is truely a different experience I have not found anywhere else.

However, what I have witnessed here in our community---a community set up to help the evacuee's s pothetic on the evacuee's part.

Weigh In

I weighed in yesterday morning at 150! I am still very pleased and cannot complain. I am still dreaming of my goal of 130-135 and maybe one day I will just make it there!

With all of the kids football, softball and etc practices I have not been grocery shopping and eating like I should. We have been eating ALOT of Burger King and that has got to stop. I still have not had time to go grocery shopping, but I do plan to put together a menu for this week. This will definately be a help.