It's just a couple hours more!

What you ask is just a couple hours away?  FRIDAY! That's what.  And doesn't everything look good on Friday?  What a week this has been and I am so ready for the weekend!

Nothing like being down in your back and having lots of doctor appointments.  I have a couple of bad disks in my lower back that sometimes decides to act up.  Thank the powers that be, it only lasted about 5 days this time.  Last time I was down for 3 weeks!  That bit a big one!  All my doctors visits were very productive and I am very much on the right track!!!  Down 9.2 lbs since going vegan and my A1C has dropped a couple of points!!  Yay! Still have work to do but it's getting easier!  I have noticed that I now rate restaurants according to their salads!  Not many have vegan dishes.  If I was a chef.....here is where I would open a vegan/vegetarian eatery! HINT HINT HINT! Enough about me! lol

We celebrated my Mother in law's birthday on the 31st.  She turned 88!!! Her son, my hubby, picked the first batch of fresh strawberries from our ever growing patch and I cleaned, sliced up a cup or so, then added a little sugar so we could get that beautiful syrup.  When we got there, the three of us sat down with a desert of strawberry shortcake with whipped cream.  Those strawberries were so good!  What great spirits she was in and she was really with us for most of the day. She has dementia and what a great day she had!

I was just getting back to work this morning and I was having issues uploading my newest cards.  I tried everything and kept thinking it was me.  I guess I worked on it for about 3 hours just reading and trying this and that and that again because I just knew I was missing something simple! Well I gave up and cleaned the house for a minute or two :) !  I ran a few errands, picked up hubby, and on the way home got a very nice invite to dinner by the best sister in the state!  It was so nice to see her and have some stimulating conversation!  We always have fun when we are with her!  Do you have someone in your life that is always smiling and just at peace with what is?  I strive to emulate!

Well here are a couple of cards that I have made recently. Enjoy!

Please enjoy every minute your day and smile! someone is needing it!

Well today is turning out not so great :-( I had a reading of 89 last night before my snack of 22 chips and homemade salsa. I took the appropriate amount of insulin and woke up with a 365!!! Holy cow that's high. What the heck is going on? I am just taking loads of insulin trying to get it back down to reasonable! Any suggestions besides not eating??? I am just going to eat salad today and hope it comes down before I add any more carbs!

I did find this soup that looks so good I am going to try it this weekend! It comes from the Whole Foods website:

Zesty Mexican Soup


This spicy vegetable soup is full of flavor and easy to prepare. Our Healthy Sauté method of cooking makes this recipe healthier since you don't have to use heated oils. This soup is a great way to get many vegetables into one meal. It actually gets better with time, so feel free to make a big batch to have around. It is a perfect quick meal on a cold day.

Prep and Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, minced
4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
2 TBS red chili powder
3 cups + 1 TBS chicken or vegetable broth
1 small to medium green bell pepper, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small zucchini, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup finely chopped collard greens
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen yellow corn
1 4 oz can diced green chili
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat 1 TBS broth in a medium soup pot. Healthy Sauté onion, garlic, and green peppers in broth over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add red chili powder and mix in well. Add broth, zucchini, collard greens, and tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes and add beans, corn, green chili, oregano, and cumin.
Bring to a boil on high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes longer. (Simmering uncovered enhances the flavor.) Add chopped cilantro, pumpkin seeds, salt, and pepper.
Serves 6

Serving Suggestions Serve with

Romaine & Avocado Salad
Healthy Cooking Tips:

For the best flavor it's important to chop the collard greens very fine. In doing so, their flavors blend better with the other ingredients and are easier to eat. If they are too big, they may taste too bitter.

Everyone remember to ENJOY every second of you day!