This was me in June.  With my handsome man and boy at my cousins wedding.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes four months after this picture was taken.

That day sucked.

I was automatically prescribed a tonne of medication and sent on my way.

On the way home I stopped in at my parents and my dad gave me a book to read  (30 Day  Diabetes Miracle)  I started that day to follow the book and I am managing my disease without medication.  (Thanks Dad!!)   To this day I follow a lot of what they teach.  I try to eat complex carbohydrates every chance I get, eat very 41/2 to 5hours, 3 meals a day and sometimes a small snack at night.

Also, I have some of the very healthiest friends on the planet.  Without them I think I would not have been as successful at getting my blood sugar numbers down.  They have been encouraging and supportive in ways I never could have imagined.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love my friends?  Well, if I haven't, I really love my friends.

A significant part of controlling diabetes is getting your weight to a healthy one.  I am working on it and I know I am doing a good job.  I don't have a goal in mind for weight, I truly just want to be healthy.  I am currently down 3 sizes.  I have never weighed myself so I have no idea what the actual weight loss is. Shopping in regular clothing stores is the best part of my diagnosis.  Check out my favourite new(ish) sweater!

So, here are a few dishes that I ate in the last week, for those that are curious about what I am eating.

3 slices of home made whole wheat bread with Dijon mustard, wilted spinach, sautéed onions, matchstick apples, mozzarella cheese, all put under the broiler.  1/2 cup of plain no fat Greek yoghurt sweetened with sugar free jam and 1/4 cup frozen mango

Frozen cauliflower and broccoli boiled,  one English muffin, 1/2 with mustard, kielbasa  sausage, baby spinach and kale.  The other half was with sugar free jam and cheese.  Home made iced coffee on the side, no sweetener 

This waffle was strange.  The waffle had very little carbohydrates so I could load it up with lots of toppings.  The waffle was made from coconut flour, eggs, cinnamon and baking soda.  I don't recommend the recipe at all.  But the toppings were great!  I had whipping cream sweetened with sugar free maple syrup and frozen berries that I simmered in their own juice and blended. And there might have been a 1/2 tsp of sugar free jam.  I cant recall.

This is some cabbage in a bag tossed with lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, siracha and peanuts on top.  To the side are some apple oat muffins I made a long time ago and found in the freezer.  And a chicken cordon bleu thing my from my mom.  It was super yummy.

And this is from my Saturday afternoon.  A big bowl of home made tomato soup,  2 zucchini  oat muffins, handful of almonds and some chocolate.   Also, I took this book out of the library and it was really good!  I wrote down almost 20 recipes from it.

I don't count calories.  At all.

I don't eat refined white sugar or flour. At all.

I eat as many vegetables as I can in a day

I eat a lot of home made muffins

I eat as much really dark chocolate as I can

I eat 30-45 carbohydrates per meal (minus the fiber count on all food for actual carbohydrate number)

I eat a lot of eggs 

The only powdered sweetener I use is coconut sugar

When I can, I replace almond milk for regular milk

I go through a lot of Greek yoghurt and only buy it on sale or discounted.  That stuff is expensive!

I am not very consistent at keeping my fat intake to a minimum.  Some weeks are better than others. Cheese is just so good with no carbs!  

The end.  

These are all images that caught my eye when I searched for "hope" at Etsy and Society6

Have a great Saturday everyone!

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(I LOVE  Dr. Who)

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I have been attempting to organize the thousands of pictures I have on my computer.

How many doubles and triplets of pictures does a person need?  How did I get so many multiples of the same pictures??

I have been on a mad hunt to find pictures from 2010 and sadly, I think they are all lost.  I am very thankful for Facebook because at least there are pictures posted of me being pregnant with Rohk and the first days of him with us.

The mad search for 2010 pictures has let me view so many pictures that I had forgotten about!  And many of them are from when Jon's business was up and running.

In this process of me saying goodbye to the life I had when Jon owned his own business, looking at pictures has been helpful.  They remind me of the good times, in a tangible way, and that is so precious to me in this process of farewell.  They have shown the hardships as well.  Things that are easy for me to forget but should not be forever forgotten.

Spring time was my favourite time of year for the business.  It would be in the spring that Jon and me would put up advertisements in out of the way gas stations or he would bring me and the kids along for estimates. 

Spring would bring hope for a good year of business.  We would pay all the bills that had piled up all winter, get new shoes or treat ourselves out for dinner from the first deposit.

Spring is different this year.  There is a part of me that misses the life we once had in this season.  It was more than the promise of summer.  It was the hope of a better life because there would be more money, more contracts, more visits to Jon at work because the kids were older.  Everything would be better in the spring.

Obviously hope does not equal reality, but I can miss that hope.

Here are some pictures I have from over the years of us (me and the kids) visiting Jon at work.

I have nothing.

I have tried writing this post for over an hour and keep deleting what I write.

So far I have deleted an entire venting session, 3 times.

A post on grace, written and deleted twice.

Usually I just write about what is in my head but today that is not a good idea because it is annoyance and anger.

I get feisty and very combative.  And I will fight you to the death for the win.

But only if I am not invested in an actual relationship with you.  

If you are someone that is a part of my life, big or small, I will do whatever is possible to avoid any sort of real confrontation you. I have to much history of hurting people I love with my words.  Because I care about the relationship and keeping it intact, I will rarely speak up in anger.  

I occasionally argue with my husband, sister and mom, but who doesn't argue with family?  Everyone else is exempt, for the most part, from my combativeness.

That does not hold true for those on the peripheral of my life.  This can be a strength and a weakness depending on the circumstance.

I think what I have found the most difficult today was keeping my mouth shut when accusations founded on lies were thrown at me by a person on the peripheral.  Everything in me wanted to retaliate but there was a bigger picture I needed to keep in mind.

Bah.

Don't indulge my pity party either.

I will be fine.

I am dreaming of summer.  Are you?  

I have been looking at pictures from 2013 and happened upon this camping trip.  This summer I took the kids on a camping trip with 3 other families.  We went to a music festival that we will never go back to.  Ha!  What was decided was that we all really like each other's company and a different location for camping would need to be found in the summer of 2014.

So, for your viewing pleasure, images from a camping trip last summer.

  

I love this picture.  

A Mennonite Themed Meal

I started a Foodie Club about 5 years ago.
It started out as a group women making and eating interesting food for each other.
Meals that our families would not eat.
All of us had one or two friends in the group but we were not all friends.
It was about the food.

Over the last 5 years we have made meals with themes ranging from citrus to Mennonite to raclette to all the courses must be red.  We have had some amazing food.

We have also become the dearest of friends.  Something I had not anticipated and cherish more than any meal we could make.  These girls have kept me grounded, brought laughter, wiped away tears and have been the best friends anyone could ever want.  They will have a part of my heart forever.

For the first time, this year, we will be a group of 5.  Normally we have been 7.
It's amazing what a difference it makes in conversation!  It will take a little bit of getting used to.
To actually be a part of one conversation instead of trying to talk over 2 other conversations going on simultaneously is so strange.

We are going away for a trip in April.  Another first for us.  And I could not be more thrilled to be going away with 4 of my favourite people in the world.

Would you like to meet them? Ok.  Good.

(I am not using their real names because I did not ask them if I could)

This is Gretchen.  She loves interesting vinegars & oils and eating local.  Her roasted vegetables are amazing!  For serious.  You should try them.  And her Christmas tree cookies are a family favourite.  Christmas is not right until those red and green trees have been decorated and devoured.

Meet  The Crowd Pleaser.  This woman was meant to cook for groups of people over 30.  She has mad group feeding skills that I will never have.  Also, if you ever get a chance to eat her dessert taco's, perogies or waffles, wear very stretchy pants.

Hello Dippy!
Don't be fooled.  She is super intelligent and FULL of medical knowledge.  (We like to go to her for medical advise.)  But yes.  Dippy.  Her dips are amazing!  I did not know I liked dip until I ate hers.  They are that good.   In the same vein, I did not know how good a doughnut could be until I ate 2 that she made.  Or maybe it was 3...

And last, but certainly not least, is Risky Biscuit.
Because she is so brave in her food choices!  Risky Biscuit.   She made us beef tartar once and tulle cookies another time.  If that's not bravery in a home kitchen I don't know what is.  As well, she joined our established group of 4 years, only knowing me, and that takes guts.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, random pictures of us over the years.

I love everything about this picture

This picture makes me smile :)

(I am so intrigued by this picture. So serious with questioning looks!)

I will post food we have made another time.
The End

Here Are Some Lists

My Top 5 Beatle Songs

(Not in any order)

Oh Darling

Paperback Writer

Helter Skelter

You've Got To Hide Your Way

Got to Get Into My Life

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5 Items On My Shopping List This Week

brown sugar
coffee
bread
tomato sauce
plain greek yogurt

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5 Most Used  Dried Spices In My Home

Cumin
Cinnamon
Paprika
Coriander
Oregano

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And at this point I got very distracted.
What I was going to put next were 5 pictures of my favourite hair styles.
But I got totally side tracked with pictures I was finding from years ago.

And so now, here are some pictures that I loved from last nights picture pa-rousing.

This is one of my favourite hair cuts.  So I found one of 5 pictures I was looking for.

I am so glad my dining room is not bright yellow anymore.


Ok.  The end.