Decisions

I've made a decision not to do any more Disney blocks.  I have so many right now that I made and was not able to get signed.  I will take them with me, and hopefully get the signatures I need.  Also I have some blank blocks to take so that if I see characters whose signatures I don't have, I can have them sign a blank block and add the appliqued picture when I get home.  And I think I will buy or make an autograph book so that if I run out of blocks, I can still get the signatures and then transfer them to a block later.

So what to do next?  I think I will buttonhole stitch the Be Attitudes blocks that need that done.  And maybe cut and put together some of the background blocks.  There is embroidery to be done on most of the blocks.  Do you embroider before or after you quilt the blocks?

I did nothing yesterday.  In the morning I waited for the FedEx man to bring our new phones.  He finally showed up at 11:00, with only one phone.  Seems that Verizon entered a zero amount when they submitted my order to the credit card company, and so it was declined.  I was livid, and gave both Verizon and the Credit Union a piece of my mind (not that I had a lot to spare).  Then Kris and Mary and their kids showed up and spent the afternoon with me.  It was a nice excuse not to do anything, since I had a headache, stomach ache, and nausea from the increased dosage of Vic.  Today, I feel pretty good, and love seeing the low numbers that I'm now posting.  So, this morning I'm off to the sewing room and will hopefully accomplish something before my new toy phone arrives. Hope your day is great.

My Relationship with Vic.

A week ago today, the doctor introduced me to Vic, my nickname for my new medication Victoza.  My numbers had been consistently high, I was waking up with headaches, I was grouchy and hard as I tried, I couldn't get my BS numbers down.  So it was time for me to meet Vic.  Vic works by slowing down the emptying of your stomach, thereby causing you to not feel hungry.  The medical community has had good results with it in weight loss as well as lowering BS numbers in diabetics.  So, how is my relationship with Vic going?  My numbers this past week have been pretty consistent, but now they're in the 96-l05 area.  I haven't been hungry, and find I am unable to finish my dinner.  I had one low number of 73 in the early part of the week, but I think that was a result on not adjusting my eating times to Rod's overtime.  We normally eat dinner at 5:45, but with the overtime, we aren't eating until 7:15.  I now have a snack at 4:00, and that has helped the nausea as well.  The nausea has pretty much disappeared, and I'm really glad of that.  I have only had a headache one morning, and don't think I'm as grouchy.  And, yesterday, I opened the door of the sewing room for the first time in weeks.  I had forgotten how messy it was.  I was a good girl all week - no sneaking what I shouldn't have, increasing my vegetable intake and cutting back on bad carbs.  So, last night, Rod took me to the local custard stand for a treat.  I had a small hot fudge sundae on strawberry ice cream.  I figured it was a good thing - strawberry ice cream, fruit.  Whipped cream, dairy.  Nuts, protein.  It was so good, almost like a chocolate covered strawberry.  Don't know if Vic minded, but this morning my FBS was 106.  Let's hear a big WAHOO, and promise it won't be an incentive to start "cheating" on Vic.

Today, Vic and I move on to the next step in our relationship as I move up to the next dosage level.  I will be monitoring my numbers very closely to make sure there are no serious lows.  And so, it looks like Vic and I may have a long lasting relationship.

What to do???

Part of Farmer's Market quilt

It's definitely time to rekindle the friendship with my sewing room.  It's a certain disaster, but with a little pick up here and put away there, I think I can have it up and running in no time.  But will should I do first?  Maybe I should work on my Be Attitudes quilt.  I was way ahead of my friend Cindy  when she started to make her quilt, but, for sure, she has passed me up.  Perhaps I should play catch up.  But then, maybe I should work on my Farmer's Market quilt.  It only needs borders on two sides and it's ready to sandwich and quilt.

Disney quilt blocks so far

Or, maybe I should make some new blocks for Disney autographs since our trip is just about 2 months away.

Sampler Quilt

But there's this sampler quilt that is so bright and that only needs borders and it's ready to sandwich, and it's been calling my name.




So maybe you can help me decide.  Vote for which project you think I should work on first.

Day 2

Yesterday was day 2 of my new medication.  I was a little apprehensive about doing the injection.  I had done it in the office under the supervision of the diabetes nurse, but this time was by myself.  I had no reason to worry -- there was a pamphlet with pictures and everything enclosed with the pen.  I followed my meal plan, and two hours after breakfast, my blood sugar was 118 - a number that I've not seen for some time.  Dinner time is usually 5:45, but since Rod started working overtime yesterday, we didn't eat until 7:00.  By dinner time, I was very hungry and realize now that, while Rod is on overtime, I will have to have something small to eat between lunch and dinner.  Dinner time didn't go very smoothly.  Halfway through the meal, I became very nauseated.  The nausea just seemed to get worse, and finally I just quit eating.  I took my pills, and thought I would really be sick.  The nausea subsided about 9:00.  This is one of the side effects that they warned me about, and it should disappear within two weeks.  I usually have a snack before bed, but last night didn't feel hungry.  I did, however, have a small glass of low-fat chocolate milk (one of my weaknesses).  This morning, my first number was 118.  Hello - I've not had a morning number below 135 in quite some time.  Am I excited?? Oh Yea!!  The medication changes are definitely something I can live with.

Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative

It's a song that my dad used to sing, but I need to apply it to my life right now.  I had such High Hopes (another song) for that 4 hr. body diet.  They practically promise a weight loss of about 20 lbs. the first month; the possibility of going off diabetic meds within a few months, and doing all this with little exercise.  Suddenly, after my dr's appointment, those high hopes were dashed to the ground.  Suddenly, I don't have to worry about my clothes being too big before our trip to Disney.  There's no chance that I will be thin enough to ride the Haunted Mansion ride.  And I will continue to take all the meds that I take now, but with an injection added.  And I won't have one day a week that I can eat whatever I want.  All in all, it's pretty disheartening.  But, I need to eliminate the negative.  So here goes!

What promise does returning to my diabetic eating plan hold?  I love warm applesauce, now I can continue to eat it.  I love cantelope, I can eat it.  I won't be making booty-tooty music constantly since I won't have to eat all those beans!  I won't be eating spinach and lentils for breakfast (a somewhat disgusting thought, to be sure).  I won't feel deprived when my family is eating a baked potato and I'm eating lentils.  I will know in my heart that what I'm doing is the best for my body.  Hopefully, if I concentrate on reducing my blood sugar numbers, the slow and steady weight loss will follow.

When I was much younger, I was a Richard Simmons fan.  I had every Sweatin' to the Oldies tape that he made.  And I remember that Richard used to say that we shouldn't call it a "diet" because it contains the word "die".  But rather, call it a Live-t because it will enable you to live a more healthy lifestyle.  So today, I am concentrating on the positive.  Today will be the first day of my new life.

But then again . . .

maybe they are.  Rod and I both had dr. appointments this morning.  His dr. was on time - mine wasn't.  As I was going back to the room, he was coming out.  He got a really good report, and doesn't have to go back for six months.  Lucky duck!

My appointment wasn't so good.  My last fasting blood sugar was 175 (way too high), and my A1C was 7.5.  It was very upsetting since I had gotten my A1C down to 5.5 at one point.  I had gained seven pounds.  I had been thinking about using the diet in the 4 Hour Body book, but decided to check it out with my dr. first.  With the diet in this book, you eat no carbs, no fruit, no dairy. That leaves only protein, veggies, and legumes.  But the weight loss is supposed to be amazing.  But with those numbers, the dr. decided to start me on Victoza to supplement my other oral meds.  Victoza is a relatively new injectable for use by Type II diabetics.  It works with your other meds to lower blood sugar and helps with weight loss.  And I received an definite and vehement NO for the other diet.  I was told that that type of diet could really mess with my numbers.  I was told that I need a well balanced diet to keep my body healthy.  And I was given some new books and charts to that end.  So, maybe it wasn't so bad.  But I know that the time for action is NOW, no more messing around.  I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Mondays aren't always bad!

Sometimes you need Monday to recover from the weekend.  It was a whirlwind.  Saturday morning at 9:15, we had to be at the school for Krissy's performance with Rising Stars.  Rising Stars is a drama/singing camp that she has participated in for the past two years.  This year's performance was especially enjoyable because they did songs from the sixties and seventies -- just my time.  Left there, drove home for a potty call and a cup of coffee, and then to the softball field for Krissy's first game in a tournament.  They lost!  Back home for some tylenol, and a short nap to help alleviate the headache I had developed, and then to Bubby's baseball game.  Gosh it was hot and muggy with no shelter.  His team was the away team and so they were in the dugout where there is no pavilion.  After Bubby's game, we headed to Costco and emerged $284 poorer.  Back home to put things away, and Rod suggested take-out for dinner.  Sounded like a good idea to me.  Mary and family came to pick up the items we had picked up for her at Costco and the kids (and Mary) convinced Pappy to light a fire for s'mores.

Yesterday, we cleaned up the deck and ran the sweeper on the carpet.  Rod cleaned the living room and the kitchen, and Pat ran the sweeper.  Pam and I cooked the side dishes to go along with the ham that was in the smoker.  Mary brought German potato salad, and Kris brought deviled eggs.  Pam and Pat brought a cheesecake assortment for dessert and also made a blueberry pie.  Then after dinner, Izzy talked Pappy into a fire for s'mores.  My mom came out for a couple of hours, and we had a really nice day.

Today Rod and I have dr. appointments for check ups, and then hopefully we can take some time to just breathe.  Have a good week.