Picture This

I am sitting very comfortably on the couch .. footrest up .. slippers on, and eating a bowl of fresh strawberries and cream while watching Wimbledon.

I'm watching a very good match between Rafael Nadal and the Russian player Mikhail Kukushkin. They are playing undercover because it's raining.

The Aussie, Nick Kyrgios, started his match, but it was suspended when the rains came because they were playing on an outside court. It was probably a good thing because he was losing 4-2 in the first set. He's playing a Czech named Jiri Vesely, whom I've not heard of before.

So now my dilemma is whether to stay up and hope that the rains clear and I get to watch the Aussie's match, or do I go to bed and hope that the rains continue so that I don't miss anything? Tomorrow is a rest day for Wimbledon, so there will be no tennis tomorrow night.

I studied again today .. gave myself a quick quiz about half an hour ago and did not impress myself with the results, so now I know that I need to revise EVERYTHING that I've learnt for the last 3 days. Ugh!

Other than that, we've had some lovely refreshing rain today and apparently there is a band of storms to the south-west, but I think they may skirt to the south of us. We MAY get the very edge, but I doubt it.

Happy birthday to my lovely Mum who would have turned 74 today. Most of all I wish she was here so that I could share Chicklet with her. She would have loved cheeky Chicklet.

It's now after midnight and the rains are still falling at Wimbledon. I think I shall concede defeat and head off to bed.

Nite all.

Carbs

The Carbs are going to get me!  Yes!  After another 4 hours of study today, I'm still not done with Carbs!  I didn't like Carbs before I started this course, and I certainly haven't changed my mind since!

I watched a lot of tennis last night .. including the Australian, Nick Kyrgios, who had lost the first two sets when I was writing here, but who came back to win a long 5 set match.  It was epic and a most enjoyable, if not frustrating match to watch.

I didn't get to bed until after 1.30am by which time Lleyton Hewitt had not started his match.  When I woke this morning, he had played one and a half sets before bad light ended play, so I get to see the end of it tonight .. if I can stay awake that long.

There is a lady's match on first, which is almost over, but unfortunately for me, I have a pair of matchsticks holding my eyes open and I really don't think I have the stamina to stay awake much longer.

So I have nothing new to share.  No photos.  No quotes.  I think I'll go to bed and put the TV onto the tennis channel and fall asleep in the comfort and snuggling warmth of my lovely bed.

Nite all.

Heavy

Atoms Symbols Formula Circulatory Vascular Sphincter Monosaccharides Homeostasis Peristalsis Chylomicrons Microvilli Chyme Bolus Jejunum Ileocaecal Epithelial Lacteals Endocrine ...

... these are but a few of the words spinning around in my head as I delve into the magical world of the digestive system!

Every time I come across another word that I can't spell without looking at it, I have a mini panic attack!

Having only read the first page of Carbohydrates, the atoms and formula are already threatening to do my head in! Here I thought a carb was a carb was a carb. Pfffft!

I'm training myself to breathe .. and look forward .. and be positive .. and re-read .. and absorb .. and imagine .. and focus ... and then take a break when it begins to feel overwhelming ... just stop for a moment and do something else for 20 minutes to rest my brain.

I'm certain that the crease across my forehead is chiselled more deeply than it was 3 months ago, from the sheer force of concentration that I require at times.

Oh how the time flies!

Oh how stimulating and exciting it is, when after struggling to 'get it', something finally makes sense! It's like finding a piece of the puzzle that creates a much bigger picture and always deserves a gasp and a knowing nod of recognition.

My poor boys at the Seat of Knowledge are copping the brunt of it.  Almost every morning I come out with a "Did you know ... ???" and then ramble on for 20 minutes about some amazing fact that I discovered the day before.

Sometimes they are excited that I shared something interesting and want to know more. Other times I see their eyes glaze over and they either have no idea what I'm talking about, or they don't believe my information!

Still, every little piece of information that I repeat out loud or think about, away from my desk, is something that is being absorbed a little deeper in my brain.

Adoring Husband picked up a beautiful array of fresh, organic fruit and vegetables in our FROG box this week and I wish I had more time to spare to do some cooking .. I DID make up a lovely big batch of cauliflower and broccoli puree full of garlic and pepper and sour cream. I froze three containers of it and had the rest with our crispy skinned salmon tonight. Adoring Husband wasn't so impressed with it because apparently, he has a raw throat and the pepper was not kind to it.

So now I need to figure out how to fix that raw throat that he's probably had for 2 months and not told me about for fear that I create some concoction for him to ingest on a daily basis.

Hehehe :)

I'm currently watching an Aussie (Kyrgios) play tennis at Wimbledon. It's not looking good for him at this stage, having lost the first 2 sets. My favourite player, Lleyton Hewitt is playing at 1.30am and I really want to stay up to watch him, but it's only 10.40 pm now and I'm already struggling to stay awake! Perhaps I should go to bed and set my alarm for 2am?!

Anyway, no photos to share today, but I think I have a quote or two that you might like ...

Nite all.

Lady's Day

Today was the monthly lunch for a rather large group of ladies from our community.

Our lunches have included catching The Boat Club bus into The Bay for lunch at the club, travel to Bundaberg for shopping and lunch at the local club, lunching at the pub here in town, gathering at the local park for a picnic lunch, travelling by bus to Childers for lunch at a winery ... the list goes on.

Today, we caught the Burrum River Quest across the river to Walker's Point, where the Woodgate Bowls Club buses were waiting to take us on the ten minute trip to the Bowls Club for lunch.

The photos aren't great, taken very quickly and without much thought .. and as you can see, it was quite chilly here today!

There were 22 of us, including 4 or 5 new ladies in the group. A couple of them have been in town for quite a few years but don't get out much and a couple of them have only been in town for a few months and were taking the opportunity to meet some new people.

Two of them were my new neighbours from behind and beside my house.

I like both of my neighbours very much, so far, and it was really nice to introduce them to my friends and see them fit right in and have such a lovely time.  They've both decided to come to next month's lunch as well, so that's a good sign!

 I only drank two glasses of wine while I was out, so after I got home, at about 3pm, I had a quick 'face time' call with my crazy little Chicklet and her Mama and then got stuck into some study.  I squeezed in about 2 hours before this happened ...

We had a nice quick dinner of home-crumbed chicken, salad and organic corn on the cob for dinner and now I am rugged up in tracky dacks and slippers to watch a few hours of Wimbledon.

I love it when it actually feels like Winter :)

Nite all.

Concerned Citizen

The day before yesterday, after I had finished taking my balloon shot on the beach, I was standing on the soft sand at the base of the steps that lead up the bank to where I had parked my trike, packing my camera gear away properly, when I could hear a child's voice in the distance.

I could hear him asking his mother "what is the red thing near that lady over there?" and they discussed it as they got closer to me. Their voices were carrying across the flats on the breeze.

They were walking across the flats at low tide and had come quite a distance, so as they got closer, I decided to give the balloon to the boy, who was about 6 yrs of age.

I walked back down the steps towards them and asked him if he would like the balloon and he responded very enthusiastically with a big "YES PLEASE".  So I handed him the balloon and walked back up the steps.

He and his mum followed me, and as he reached the top of the stairs, the balloon touched something sharp on the rails and with a loud bang, exploded into nothingness!

His little face dropped, but luckily I had a bag of balloons in my camera bag, so, much to his joy, I told him it was ok and that I could fix it.

At that point his mother said "I have to take the dog and put him in the yard before another dog comes along. I'll be back in a minute." Off she walked to a house, not too far from us, and disappeared into the back yard.

It was a holiday rental, so they weren't locals and were obviously holidaying here.

Meanwhile I blew up the new balloon and tied it to the string for the boy and soon his mum came back out to join us.  They both thanked me with big smiles and headed back into the house.

She would have been gone for about 5 minutes and as I left, I thought how trusting she was to leave her young son alone with me, a complete stranger, in a strange town, for 5 long minutes.

Recently, among friends, I have had long, intense conversations about childhoods and experiences that damaged our psyche.  Some have been hurt by trusted family members or friends, others abused by complete strangers, but the numbers are significant and the circumstances often surprising.  

A predator or child abuser needs very little time to cause lasting damage to an innocent child. For a parent who has never experienced such horror, either directly, or indirectly, it probably seems really stupid to suggest that they watch their child for every waking moment and to not trust strangers alone with them either .. but for those of us who have experienced it, both directly AND indirectly, it just seems inexplicable that any parent would take that risk.

Tempting though it was to offer that woman some words of warning, what it really comes down to, is that it's nice that some people feel safe enough and comfortable enough to not worry about that kind of thing and can simply enjoy the kindness of strangers without suspicion.

How nice that must be.

Nite all.

Risk Taking

I'm writing this post early tonight because I took a risk that may find me in the bathroom for the next few hours.

A neighbour kindly delivered some fresh fish that he caught on the weekend, but couldn't tell me what the fish was. He and his mate caught 8 fish out at sea and they filleted the fish all at the same time and put all of the fillets together. He gave us 3 large fillets.

I'm allergic to Sea Perch. It makes me lose control of ALL of my bodily functions and I need to attend hospital for an injection to help me regain control.

I'm also allergic to fresh water lobster, yabbies, sea scallops, cooked oysters and another fish whose name I don't know .. I just know that I was guaranteed, when I ordered it, that it wasn't Sea Perch .. which means that I have to be very wary when eating any new fish.

Anyway, I crumbed this fish tonight and ate two fillets!  It wouldn't matter if I had one mouthful or 6 fillets, it has the same affect on me and it usually takes about 90 minutes from when I eat it.

So the countdown is on.

I spent some time this morning attempting to set up another red balloon shot, but I wasn't happy with any of them, so I decided on this one ...

It's the same as the one I shared yesterday, but edited differently.

I got some good study in today, although I disagree with some of the teachings and have voiced my objections to my supervisor and asked if I will be penalised for a differing opinion if I use it in my assignments.  I'm still waiting to hear back .. they say that all contact will receive a response 'within 48 hrs' so we shall see!

Well, I have approximately 30 minutes left before I know my fate for the evening so I am off to make good use of that time.

Nite all.

Just Desserts

This is what we had for dessert tonight...

Chocolate Mousse

1 ripe avocado, peeled and stone removed.
60 ml almond milk (I used pure cream)
1T Chia seeds
1t vanilla extract
4T ground cacao
1/4 cup of combination of honey and maple syrup
Some chopped strawberries and kiwi fruit (or fresh fruit of your choice)
Chopped nuts

Throw everything, except the fruit and nuts, in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

In a couple of ramekin dishes, place a layer of mousse, then a layer of strawberries, a layer of kiwi fruit, a layer of mousse, some whipped cream on the top and then sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Adoring Husband ate all of his, but I couldn't get through all of mine, so I still have some in the fridge for a snack tomorrow!

It's very healthy, very delicious and very quick and easy to make.

I had an attempt at the challenge photo for Single Red Balloon today.  I was very lucky because as I arrived at the beach to create the shot, a heavy fog rolled in from the sea, which lasted for about 45 minutes and then it lifted just as quickly as it arrived!

I'm not completely happy with the shot though, so I may have to rethink or rework it.  Just not sure what to do with it .. I know The Nikonian would have a brilliant idea for it .. if only I had her clever, complex brain.

Now my biggest decision is whether to watch the late movie with George Clooney in it, or go to bed.

Study tomorrow and Wimbledon starts tomorrow night .. so maybe my best option is to sleep.

Nite all.

Catch Up

I have a new recipe book.

"Eat Yourself Beautiful" by Lee Holmes.

Apparently you can get it cheaper at Kmart and Big W - for around $20.

The recipes are quick and easy and focus on anti-inflammatory foods.  Lots of gluten free, wheat free, sugar free, dairy free and vegetarian recipes. It also has lots of interesting information at the front of the book explaining which foods to avoid and why, alternative sweeteners, detoxing, good fats, vitamins and minerals, meal plans and a shopping list.

I made my first recipe out of it today.  Sweet Potato Hash.

The basic recipe:

1 Large sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of Himalayan salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 organic eggs, lightly whisked
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
40g (half a cup) grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 220C and grease a baking tray with the olive oil.
In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potato, onion, cumin, salt pepper and eggs.
Use your hands to squeeze out any excess moisture and spread the mixture over the baking tray. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the mixture and cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until crispy.
Remove from the oven, cut into 4 large slices and serve hot.

I forgot to take a photo.

I made this for lunch with some chicken maryland and then reheated the hash to have with dinner. It's not so nice reheated .. a bit dry, so I recommend you eat it all at the first sitting.

I also think it would be nice with some bacon chopped through it OR served with either chopped baby spinach or rocket (or both together) sprinkled over it and a dollop of sour cream.

I think Happy Harry would like this recipe, considering his new love for sweet potato.

This afternoon, I had catch up drinks with Woman of Many Talents, who has been away travelling and also with Mrs Bucket, who will be moving away this year.  A couple of other friends, The Dog Walker and Goldilocks joined us briefly too.

It was a nice afternoon.

Adoring Husband spent the day in Gympie at some SES training, so I was able to squeeze in some study time this morning too.

The only disappointing part of the day was when my football team lost to New Zealand - bugger!

I'm excited that Wimbledon Tennis Championships start this Monday, but I have 3 assignments due in three weeks, so sadly, I'm going to have to prioritise and NOT stay up all night watching tennis.

It's rapidly heading towards 1am, so I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Just Quietly

Just quietly, it's Friday night.

Wine.

Footy.

Sleep.

Number 49 in #100happydays ...

It was the only photo that I got of my little Chicklet this visit and she's using my arm as a cheese platter!

And it's good night from me :)

Nite all.

Jiggedy Jig

Home again, home again.

An interesting trip home on the train, with twenty people piling onto my carriage when we stopped at Maryborough .. a group all heading to 1770 for two days and then on to Longreach.  They were an older rowdy bunch of people obviously intent on having a good time!

Twenty minutes later, when the train stopped at Howard, at least twenty people disembarked with me! I've never seen so many people get off the train there!

Adoring Husband had been to pick up our FROG box beforehand, so the back of the car was packed full by the time all of my gear was loaded.

What a delicious haul this week!

I've had a nice quiet, peaceful and relaxing time this evening while AH had SES business to attend.

Tomorrow will be the beginning of some heavy duty studying, with 4 assignments due in three weeks!

I can feel the stress beginning to churn in my belly.

Wish me luck!

Nite all.

Game Two

Yes! It's State of Origin night again .. game two!

I'm listening to the game online tonight because I'm on the Sunny Coast with no TV.

Queensland have run onto the field and apparently the New South Wales side are still sitting in the dressing rooms attempting to psyche the maroon team out.  *rolls eyes*

I think the Blues (NSW) have a good chance of winning this year .. finally .. after eight years in a row losing, it's time they got their act together.

I've had another lovely day with my little Chicklet today, but haven't taken any photos .. must do that tomorrow morning before I leave!  It's what happens when I'm 'in the moment' and because she doesn't like the camera, I try to avoid making her uncomfortable.

Anyway, here is another photo from the Bunya trip ...

I'm off to listen to the game.

Nite all.

Happiness is ...

Happiness is definitely spending time with my little Chicklet.  The 'warm and fuzzies' just envelop my heart so many times in one day, it's overwhelming.

She's so cute and precious and cheeky and funny and smart and endearing and loveable and curious and hungry for knowledge and imaginative and creative and intense and amazing and perfect that I just want to hug her and squeeze her and love her to pieces!

Can you tell that I've had a great day with her?

We bought a new stretchy rubbery frog this morning and a squeezy dinosaur to add to the toy collection and we played on the bottom step with little rubber duckies and silver chain for hours.

We pretended that the furry blanket was a pond and we lined the pond creatures around the outer edges while Chicklet pretended to splash and swim and paddle around the pond.

In between that I baked a chicken and then made chicken stock.  Vegan Chickie made a DELICIOUS Minestrone Soup in the slow cooker and we ate that for dinner tonight.

So all in all, a pretty productive day for everyone!

Two more photos from our Bunya trip ...

I had a great sleep last night and I hope to emulate that tonight, so ...

Nite all.

I'm Baaa-aaack!

I'm here for a brief post and to share a couple of photos, because I'm not home yet and have only just got internet access after four days away from all civilisation in the freezing cold Bunya Mountains!

I have, at last, thawed out from the freezing temperatures and chilling winds, but I had a wonderful time with a great bunch of friends and have returned home with some fun memories to last a lifetime.

Day one was wet and miserable and kept us indoors, so imagination was the order of the day.  Some poor acting on my part, some amazing make-up and awesome modelling by Mellylicious, along with great lighting by the others, awesome photography and skilful photoshopping by The Nikonian to produce this ...

I still have stacks of photos to go through, but for the last hour of our visit this morning, we had so many beautiful birds on our verandah eating out of Mellylicious and The Nikonian's hands.  It was such a wonderful end to our long weekend.

This beautiful Crimson Rosella was eating breakfast in the tree beside our house.

This was our house for the few days.

I will share more after I return home and have some time to sit down, go through the photos and remember what a superb area we stayed in and describe the glorious scenery and abundant wildlife.

Meanwhile I have a few days on the Sunny Coast, so excuse me while I indulge in some much needed Chicklet time!

Nite all.

Big Day

After just 4 hours sleep, I caught the train to the Sunny Coast at 5.45am today.  I slept most of the way which made the trip seem very short!

The Nikonian was waiting at the station, with her big happy smile, and we spent the day shopping and visiting and chatting and laughing and planning.

So to cut to the chase ... here are some facebook quotes ...

... and I am exhausted and ready for sleep before 9.30pm.

I don't know what the access is like for internet at Bunya Mountains, so if I don't post here for a couple of days, don't panic ... I will catch you up after the weekend.

I'm excited about what awaits us!

Nite all.

Packing

Yes, I am packing my suitcase and ready to head off to Bunya Mountains tomorrow, so no big post today.

I'm sharing this video about Transcendental Meditation because I'm going to try it.  I'm hoping that it will clear my head and make it easier to learn and remember what I've learned!  I'm having some trouble with 'retention' lately.



Anyway, it's almost midnight, so I'd best get some sleep.

Nite all.

Just Bee-ing

#100happydays photo for today ...

Happiness is just bee-ing :)

Adoring Husband arrived home safe n sound from his SES training in Marburg, after a detour to visit his granddaughter Evie and new little grandson, Seth for a couple of days.  Perhaps I'll get to share his photos after he downloads them!

I got a little studying done today, although I got a little frustrated at some calculations that I'm having trouble with, so I had to step away from the computer and the books and I'll go back to it tomorrow.

I'm off to Bunya Mountains on Friday with The Nikonian, The Craft Queen, Mellylicious, Jman and Mr W.  We have a big weekend of photography planned and I'm pretty excited about it!

So it's time for me to get some sleep.  Big day of packing and cooking and menu planning tomorrow.

Nite all.

I'm here

Just so that you know I'm here .. because I have nothing to say tonight ...

I really thought this was very cool ...

Time for bed.

Nite all.

Satisfying Sunday

I had a lazy Sunday morning in bed and didn't leave the house until after 9am.

It was too late for the Seat of Knowledge, so I got myself a coffee and then pedalled to the beach.

The tide was almost all the way out, so I gathered my camera gear and went in search of some treasures.

I spent two whole hours out there and then got myself another cup of coffee before I headed home to check out my photos.

I could have spent the whole day playing with the photos, but instead, I edited three of them and then got stuck into some studying.

I feel like I haven't made the most of my studying opportunity today, so I'll make up for it tomorrow.

It's way after midnight, so I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Getting on with it.

Some people may care and some may not ... but it's interesting none the less.



I had a bright an early start to the day and because we've had a very warm month of May and now a very warm start to Winter, I think the birds are all confused and they are singing up a storm!

It appears that the Magpies and the Butcher Birds are feeling the love ...

I am writing this post mid morning, because I intend to spend many hours studying today and that will mean that my brain will not want to think about much by this evening.

Today will NOT be a 'should' day!  I am 'positive' that by the end of the day, I will be 'joyful' and 'happy' that I got so much study into the day and will be a step closer to fulfilling the assignment requirements for this semester!

My 'life' is already 'wonderful' :D

Morning all.

Symptoms of Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

During the course of my studies, there are many referencing links to websites, medical journals, research results and videos providing more detailed information regarding whatever subject matter I'm reading about.

Needless to say, I spend a lot of time watching both short and movie length video presentations about nutrition, vitamin deficiencies, naturally occurring minerals, how the body processes/digests all of that, side effects of all things synthetic/chemical in both prescribed medications and supposedly 'natural' supplements ... I could go on.

This one was particularly interesting (and easy to watch at less than 15 minutes long) because it covers a lot of conditions that I know a few of my friends and family are experiencing right now.



It's a good site for gluten free information.  http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/

It's understandable that we take the 'apparently' easy way out with prescription medications because the human body is such a complex and amazing thing.  Everything that we put into our mouths, onto our skin and breathe into our lungs, causes a reaction. It doesn't matter if it's healthful or not, our body reacts/responds in some way, good or bad.

Most of the time, we don't even know what the reaction is and sometimes, it takes days or weeks for the reaction to occur, so by the time we know about it, we're looking at something that we ate 'yesterday', when it could have been something we ate, or something that we rubbed on our skin or a chemical that we breathed, two or more weeks ago.

Even if you are very alert to the changes and feelings in and with your body, you can't ever know for certain why it's happening .. unless it's a regular and familiar thing that you've had diagnosed or confirmed in the past.

Who knew that something as simple as a Vitamin B12 deficiency could lead to any of those things in the video? A deficiency also usually takes quite a period of time to develop, so the changes occurring are gradual and you don't even notice until you're diagnosed with something more serious or sinister.

To work out where our illness began, we would have to back track months or years and answer a thousand questions about our lifestyle, our diet, our habits, our travels, our stresses, our work, our hygiene practises etc, and every answer leads to another question to take us in a different direction.

That's why a doctor, in a 15 minute consultation, cannot possibly figure out why you're sick, what caused it, how to cure it or prevent it and he certainly can't formulate a plan for you to change whatever it is that you've been doing to exacerbate your illness.

All he/she can do is choose which medication is going to take away your symptoms and make you feel better.

You are not cured.  Your problem is still high blood pressure, diabetes, indigestion, depression, the flu, hay fever, high cholesterol, gout, psoriasis, bursitis, insomnia, gastric and gut problems etc etc etc, but your symptoms are now masked by a pill.

I accompanied Adoring Husband to his doctor's appointment during the week.

He has to go for an ultrasound, but the doctor asked "Do you want me to prescribe something to fix what I think it is?  Or would you rather wait to see what the scan confirms?"

Seriously?

I mean .. SERIOUSLY?

Adoring Husband answered correctly (in my eyes) but if I hadn't been there, he may have accepted the medication because he wants immediate relief and assumes that the doctor knows what he is talking about.

The last time something like this happened, AH was given 3 lots of different prescription medications to fix a medical condition that was eventually proven to be non-existent!

Oops!  I digress!

What I was attempting to explain from the beginning, is that the human body and how it works is so complex and even something that you ate or drank a few days ago can exacerbate an existing medical condition, so that you go to the doctor and he/she increases your medication to fix it.

If the right questions are asked, you may find that you just have to stop eating cabbage or red lollies or pork or that you need to drink an extra 3 glasses of water a day or something that simple and easy, but instead, you are now ingesting extra chemicals to mask your symptoms even further and now increasing your risk of long term effects.

The difficult part is knowing what questions to ask.

A 'good' Natural Practitioner will know more about you, your life and your health history from the first visit, than your doctor will know in a lifetime of visits, because they ask the right questions that lead to somewhere other than a prescription notepad or a long list of natural supplements.

I don't believe that it's about taking vitamins or supplements either, except in extreme cases.

It's about whole health which includes, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

But I'll save that for another day.

Day 35 of my #100happydays challenge ...

Happiness is feeling reflective in the morning light.

Nite all.





  

Early to Bed

I'm going to bed early.

I have an early start tomorrow and then a full day of study .. same old story!

Nite all.

The Value of You

I follow a site called Prevent Disease and they posted this little story today, on their facebook page, which I wanted to share here.

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked. "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you - but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the 20 dollar note up. He then asked. "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.


"Well," he replied, "what if I do this?" He dropped it on the
ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No
matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, YOU ARE STILL PRICELESS TO THOSE WHO LOVE YOU. The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do or who we know, but by ...WHO WE ARE.

You are special - don't ever forget it."

... and along that theme ...

AAAAAANNNNDDDDD ... I won the flickr challenge this month with my bee photo!!  Wahoo!! The prize?  A slight boost to my self esteem :) although I think I took more than I should because my self esteem is boosted a bit more than slightly. Don't tell anyone though.

This was the photo...

I had a great day with Adoring Husband today.  I did lots of shopping ... food shopping, which I really enjoy ... mostly at the Go Natural Store and Nana's Pantry, but I also got some good bargains while clothes shopping and bought 3 tops, a pair of cargo pants, a bracelet and a necklace.

I also pampered myself, thanks to AH and enjoyed a pedicure.

Not a single second of study today .. so I should be fresh as a daisy tomorrow :)

Nite all.

Study Harder!

I decided to make a lamb roast for lunch today, so my studies got put off til quite late this afternoon.  I did squeeze a couple of hours in and then I looked at how much I still have to do in the few short weeks left in this semester and was shocked!  I really need to push myself harder.

I found this interesting little chart that I thought I would share.  You think your morning yoghurt is good for you ... but not necessarily!  Try to avoid the ones with too much sugar.

I'm pretty sure that most of you will be able to relate to this quote ...

... and for number 32 of my #100happydays photo ...

Happiness is browsing/window shopping on the net without spending any money :)

Got a big day of shopping tomorrow, so I'd best go get some restful sleep.

Nite all.

Head Down

This morning, after a longer than planned visit to a friend who has been away for more than a month, I finally got to sit down to study .. and there I stayed for four hours .. I can't believe how quickly time flies when I'm focused!

So nothing to report except my number 32 photo in my #100happydays challenge ...

Happiness is a big empty box to play in.

That is all.

Nite all.

What I've learned about Vitamin D

You should know how important Vitamin D is for your health.

I first became interested in this when I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism in 2008.  There nestled among all the other blood test results that were taken, was a note "CHRONIC VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY".

So I did a little research .. not much, because I wasn't as obsessed about health and nutrition back then .. and discovered that the common denominator in people with serious diseases and illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid conditions, depression, stroke, osteoporoses, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, gout, arthritis, psoriasis etc, was a vitamin D deficiency!

If you think you may have a Vitamin D deficiency, ask your doctor for a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D test.

Vitamin D activates the innate immune system, enabling the body to produce several proteins such as defensin and cathelicidin which trigger cell activity and disable viruses. (Vit D for the flu)
Healthy vitamin D levels will also help your body fight seasonal infections, including meningitis, septicaemia, and pneumonia, in both children and adults.  The length and severity of seasonal allergies like asthma and hay fever will also be reduced.

How much vitamin D you need varies with age, body weight, percent of body fat, latitude, skin coloration, season of the year, use of sun block, individual variation in sun exposure, and – probably – how ill you are.

As a general rule, old people need more than young people, big people need more that little people, in Australia - southern people need more than northern people, dark-skinned people need more than fair skinned people, winter people need more than summer people, sun block lovers need more than sun block haters, sun-phobes need more than sun worshipers, and ill people may need more than well people.

If you're really keen to know everything about Vitamin D here is a very interesting read from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .. be warned, it is long and detailed!

How do I get it and how much do I need?

It's important that you get your Vitamin D from the sun .. not just from supplements .. we should get 90% of our Vitamin D from casual daily sun exposure. Between five and 30 minutes of sun exposure to your unprotected face, arms, legs or back between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. two to three times every week is enough for your body to produce all the D3 it needs [source: National Institutes of Health - Office of Dietary Supplements].

It’s also important to understand that vitamin D3 is an oil soluble steroid hormone. It’s formed when your skin is exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from the sun. When UVB strikes the surface of your skin, your skin converts a cholesterol derivative in your skin into vitamin D3.

The vitamin D3 that is formed on the surface of your skin doesn't immediately penetrate into your bloodstream. It needs to be absorbed from the surface of your skin into your bloodstream.

It's interesting to note that it takes up to 48 hours before you absorb the majority of the vitamin D that your body has generated in the sunshine.

If you shower with soap, you will wash away most of it, and decrease the benefits of your sun exposure. So to optimise your vitamin D level, you need to delay washing your body with soap for about two full days after sun exposure.

Are you frowning???? You really only need to use soap underneath your arms and your groin area, so it's not a major hygiene issue. Just avoid soaping up the larger areas of your body that were exposed to the sun.

Seriously, if that's the reason you want to avoid getting your daily dose of Vit D and put yourself at serious risk of all of those diseases, then I've probably wasted a whole post on this issue!!

If there is one thing that I seriously believe and would like for others to strongly consider ..

"IT'S IMPORTANT TO EDUCATE YOURSELF, BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH AND BE YOUR OWN HEALTH CARE ADVOCATE."

That is all.

This is what my lovely lagoon across the road had to offer this morning ..

What a great way to start the day!

Nite all.