Thursday, September 25, 2008 - Week 1 - Day 1

The sun is burning off the early morning fog and it looks like it is going to be a great day. I finished our stocking orders from Sunday. They still need to be steamed and packaged. Then have 2 more to do from an order yesterday, The Ebay ad has produced zip, zilch, nada, but then I usually see nothing from that until mid October. I won't bother to list there again until then.

I read some more of Wendy Chant's book. I think I am going try it. It looks like the only bad week I will have is the first one. I may not make it through the first week if my sugar tanks, but I will take it one meal at a time. Last night was grocery night so I am all set for the week. So, today is the first day of the first week. I have everything planned out for today. According to the thread on lowcarb friends, day 3 is murder. Day 3 will be Saturday. If I'm going to have a bad day, Saturday would be the best time for it - I don't see a lot of people on Saturday. We shall see.

I am testing some of our simmer scents - today's is Hot Apple Pie. It's very nice, but I think my favorite so far is Orange Clove. I can't seem to find the simmer crocks that used to be around - the little ones made by Rival. All I can find are the Little Dippers, and you have to buy a whole roaster to get that.

Gotta get moving, I'm late for my walk!

My stats for today:
Type: Outside
Route: Deadend and back
Time: 31 minutes
Average heart rate: 109
Maximum heart rate: 127
Up .8 from last Thursday:

The trees are beginning to turn. My route takes me between two farm fields. As I headed east, to my left was a small tree that has turned a brilliant orange.
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The first week on Wendy Chant's program is the Carb-Deplete cycle. Soooo, for breakfast I had a half cup of cottage cheese and a cup of coffee with cream and DaVinci sugar free syrup. I've packed my required cup of broccoli which I will top with a slice of cheese. I have also packed tuna and mayo. With that I am taking a package of sliced turkey just in case I need it. Tonight I will have Wendy's Egg Cheeseburger. The idea is to stay under 20 grams of carbs per day for the week in order to deplete the glycogen stores. This will convert the body from burning glucose to burning fat. None of this is new to me, but this isn't exactly like Atkins induction. Fats are limited a bit more. By day 3 the glycogen stores should be depleted and fat should be the source of energy. If one is using ketostix, it is at this point that they should start turning purple.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 9:7-9
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
“John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;
still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
But Herod said, “John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”
And he kept trying to see him.

Thoughts from the cornfield:
It's ironic that though Jesus repeatedly cautioned people not to tell anyone of his works, the word spread mighty quickly. It's all the more amazing when you consider that the news media in Jesus' time was limited to word of mouth. It's also interesting that when people were trying to figure out who Jesus was, the thought that he might be the Messiah never entered their heads. I wonder what it would be like today with our present media - that sure would be something to see. In this day and age when people are seeing the face of Jesus in everything from a plate of spaghetti to graffitti on a bridge - I wonder if we would be any more likely to recognize him.


God bless the troops!

Monday, June 30, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
Here are my stats for this morning:
Did treadmill intervals with weights
Time: 37 minutes
Average heart rate: 113 (hmmmmm, that's not very impressive)
Maximum heat rate: 161
Calories burned: 226
I am down .4 pounds from last Monday

During the slower intervals on the treadmill, I read DANDR. In the exercise section, I found something very interesting. Under the benefits of exercise listing I found the usual good stuff. But there was one thing listed there that I had missed in earlier readings of the book. Exercise decreases the output of insulin. And what does insulin do? It helps the body to store fat; not something I want to encourage my body to do. I think I am going to make a big sign and put it on the wall behind my treadmill. Regular exercise decreases the output of insulin.

On the home front:
Today is Monday, so that means I make soap, do laundry, and pay bills. The Fly zone this week is the living room. I think I am going to tackle weeding out videos and cds that no longer make me smile.

The UPS man dropped off some new fragrance oils so tomorrow I will be making some Hot Apple Pie jar candles. I mixed up some with the fixitive for simmering potpourri. I've been testing the spiced orange clove mixture. Simmering potpourri is a much gentler scent than candles or tarts. There are some days I just don't want a heavy scent.

I need labels . . . . and Anna is gone for the week with her cousins who have a Christian drama ministry. They also have three little punkins so Aunt Anna is Nanny Annie this week. (Oooooh, I hope she doesn't read this. LOL!)

The new soap dishes came today, also. I am really excited about these. Wednesday is photo day for the website so I will be doing the photography then.

Word of the Day
Matthew 8:18-22
Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Reflections from the cornfield:
It's easy to give lip service to following Jesus. Jesus doesn't let these two get away with it. He spells out exactly what is required to truly follow him.

This is from today's psalm: PS 50:16,17

“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”

Pretty apt, wouldn't you say?
You can't fool mother nature and you can't fool God . . . . . . but of the two, only God is merciful.


God bless the troops!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
The little ones stayed over last night so no workout this morning.
I am down 2.8 from last Saturday.
Not much to report so far today. Will update later.

On the home front:
Made a batch of honey, oats, and milk soap last night. Smells wonderful. I also finished curing a batch of simmering potpourri for the simmer pot Anna found for me at a garage sale. It's scented with orange clove. Mmmmmmmm. Today I will finish the grubby tags with what is left of the solution from the other day. These are also orange clove.

I made Cleochatra's Mozzarella sticks. Well, no, I didn't actually. I cheated. I melted a pile of cheese on a plate and scooped it up with pork rinds. My mouth didn't know the difference. LOL

We have baptisms at Mass tomorrow. I have to remember to turn on the pump and heater for the font tonight and to make sure that I override the timer. At the last baptism there were some pretty startled babies. We didn't realized that we had to override the timer on the pump so it kicked off during the night and the water was cold.

Word of the day:
Matthew 8:5-17
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress." And he said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion answered, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and the slave does it." When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, "Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you according to your faith." And the servant was healed in that hour. When Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."

Reflections from the cornfield:
Catholics will recognize the words of the centurian as the words we use before receiving the Eucharist. "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." And Jesus answers him, "Go; let it be done according to your faith." Again, the healing and the miracle depend on the faith of someone involved. I think of the ongoing debate about faith and works. I don't really see the argument. Sometimes I think people argue just to have something to argue about. Faith and works are so intertwined that I don't see how one could exist without the other. Kind of like the Holy Trinity. It would be like asking, which is more necessary? God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.

I wonder if we really think about these words of reconcilliation that we speak before the communion procession begins - this miracle of being able to receive Jesus, to take part in the ancient action of the Last Supper - not a new sacrifice, but the same sacrifice. Not an action that took place long ago, but a timeless action in which we participate today - an eternal banquet which we share with the communion of saints. If it be done according to our faith, we would do well to pray for an increase in that faith. "but only say the word and I shall be healed."



God bless the troops!