Super Man

Rod was sick for a couple of weeks.

That awesome cold that went around.

And it was throwing off his protein numbers.

But he re-rested and his protein is

WAAAY up to where it needs to be

to get back to donating plasma again.

This month, if you donate on Monday

and you dress as a super hero,

you earn an extra $5.

So last night Rod made himself a shirt.

(helps to own a graphics company!)

That's right!

My very own SUPER MAN!

Soup

Who says you can't have soup

when the weather turns warm?

This morning at 7:00 it was 72 degrees.

We are headed to the high 80's today.

But this morning we had....

Soup.

Thick, rich and creamy.

However, just one short hour later,

on nearly the same corner,

we had THIS!

The fog was gone.

But the idiots were still out.

Poor Rod's little Honda.

(Rod is fine - a little ticked, but fine.)

***************************

PS - I saw something online the other day

that reminded me the pledge we used to say

in school was

"I SALUTE the flag, 

the emblem of our country,

mumble mumble mumble."

Mom says it's

"To her I pledge my love and loyalty"

That sounds like it could be right...

Thanks Mom!

Beautiful Buildings

Friday morning I was driving to work.

I was in Rod's little Honda

(I had to drive to Miami that night

and wasn't sure what time Rod would

get home from the chiropractor

so I borrowed his car...)

Traffic was backed up at the light.

Which means I had a moment to look around.

And take a picture.

This little house is OLD.

The property is completely overgrown.

There is no backyard.

Or side yard.

They are lucky to have a front yard!

But the house has so much charm

and character!

But what I really liked was the

Methuselah tree in the front.

It's a palm tree that has been

taken over by this long, wormy,

snakey, cactus thing.

Kinda beautiful

And kinda creepy.

Then this weekend I headed back down to

Hialeah (north Miami) to mentor an instructor.

We had a great weekend.

A great class.

She learned lots.

And so did I!

(She's a champion game player - I got

all sorts of ideas I'm planning to shamelessly

plagiarize!) 

(Ok, I was TOTALLY off on the spelling of that word)

Anyhow.

On the way home, I drove up I-75,

past Ft. Lauderdale.

Came around the corner and there it was!

One of the MOST beautiful buildings.

Our brand new Ft. Lauderdale temple.

Ok, not a great picture,

but you do what you can on the side

of a busy highway on a Sunday morning.

One of these days I'd like to make the trip

down and actually go there.

Although it's very similar to the Orlando temple,

it's closer to the ocean, so a single level

instead of multi-level like Orlando.

Ft. Lauderdale members are blessed to have it!

What to Buy at Sams Club (on plan)

I got this awesome list from my friend Cori White 

on the Trim Healthy Mama facebook page.  

Thanks Cori!!!

(Now I just have to hope my Sams carries it all)

Quinoa
Chia seeds
Red Palm oil
Coconut oil
Coconut flour
Pure vanilla extract
Helmans light mayo
Almond butter
Aluminum Free Argo baking powder
Truvia box of pkts
Almonds
Almond milk
Romaine lettuce
Spring mix
Sweet potatoes
Carrots
Celery
Greek yogurt
Bacon
Lunch meat
Frozen chicken breasts
hamburger patties (cheaper than ground beef)
Salmon
Rotisserie chicken (best price! Use bones for broth)
Frozen vegetables in microwave steamable pkgs
Tilapia
Heavy cream
Cottage cheese
Kerrygold butter & cheese
Red lentil pasta
sparking water sweetened with erythritol

FOR THE FAMILY:
Bulk paper plates (cuts dishwashing time/costs)
Gluten free chips
Organic corn products
gluten free pasta
gluten free baking mix (i sub in Gwen's bread for the allowable white flour)

other non THM Sam's shopping lists:

http://www.mommysavers.com/sams-club-shopping-tips/

http://www.titus2.com/downloads/grocery-lists.html

http://momonamission.me/monthly-sams-club-shopping-list/

http://www.5dollardinners.com/20-meals-from-sams-club-for-…/

http://zippitydodahhealthyeating.blogspot.com/…/sams-club-s…

http://www.simplesavingsavvy.net/top-deals-from-sams-club-…/

The Little Things

It's the little things.

Monday morning it was sprinkling.

And the weatherman said it might rain.

(Florida "might" = "break out the umbrella")

Monday is Rod's day off.

But he got out of bed and put some

new wipers on my truck.

(The old ones were Thrashed!)

It was such a pleasure to turn them on

and wipe away all the "road spit" 

and be able to see!

Tuesday night Rod and I went

grocery shopping.

We are OUT of sweetener.

We don't use sugar.

We were using Truvia.

It was pretty good.

But then we found Pyure!

Awesome stuff!

It's Organic.

Non-GMO.

And tastes JUST like sugar.

No weird after taste.

And WAY cheaper than Truvia.

And they were OUT!!!!

And there was NO little label for where

it is supposed to be.

Which generally means WalMart isn't going

to carry it anymore.

We went next door to Publix.

They don't carry it either.

They did have a couple of bags

of Swerve (which is pretty good)

but they were on clearance.

Which means - GONE too.

Anyhow.

Last night I swung by WalMart cuz I

forgot to buy cottage cheese.

We use a TON of cottage cheese.

It's a good source of protein

and calcium

and (this sounds strange)

makes our morning smoothies

rich and creamy!

(Try it - you might be surprised!)

Just for fun I wandered down the 

sweetener aisle.

There were FOUR, count 'em,

FOUR bags of Pyure.

Well... there were...

Sorry to all other Pyure lovers.

Maybe WalMart will get the hint!

I love it when those little things

make me smile!

Surprise!

My Mom is so amazing.

Ok.

Now that we have THAT out of the way...

Last night when I got home,

I noticed a box just inside the gate.

I haven't ordered anything lately.

So I figured it was parts for the truck.

Or for Rod's gun.

Or something like that.

Ho Hum.

Kyle brought it in the house.

(cuz he's good like that)

And then he opened it.

And left it on the counter.

Without saying anything.

Later when I wandered in the kitchen

there it was.

A pretty pink package.

No note.

No card.

But the return address on the box

was my sister's business.

So I opened it.

SOOOOO CUTE!!!!!

An hand crafted jewelry box!

Adorable!!!!

(A note on the bottom about the artist...)

It has a mirror and little boxes.

Really a nice jewelry box!

And a cute little package.

Here's a close up.

(lapel pin)

Ruby slippers and a magic wand.

And the words 

"You've always had the power"

I LOVE THEM!!!!!!

Thank you Mom!

You always know how to lift my spirits

when I didn't even know they needed lifting.

I'll love wearing them!

And KNOWING I've always had the power

to accomplish whatever I need to accomplish.

*There was another little paper hidden in there

but it's MINE!

I love you MOM & DAD!

Happy Travels!

I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag

We were talking about things kids don't do in school anymore.

I remember standing next to my desk in elementary school

and singing "O Canada", reciting the pledge of allegiance

and saying the Lord's Prayer.

So then I tried to remember the pledge.

I pledge allegiance to the flag

the emblem of my country,

mumble mumble mumble mumble.....

Couldn't remember it!

(Ok, it's been 40+ year, but STILL!)

Now it was bugging me.

Google to the rescue.

And here's what I found.

Canadian Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

All the way at the bottom of the page...

There is no official pledge to the Canadian flag; 

however, there are no laws or statutes which prevent 

an association or an individual 

from adopting a form which will suit the purposes.

WHAT?

So our school just made that up?????

Help me out here.

SOMEBODY has to remember it...

Cuz it's making me a little nuts!