Thursday, May 25, 2017

Part 1 Odd Pain Relief Mixture Part 2 DELFEL129's blog on SparkPeople

I have been out of work the last two days because I had a pinched nerve in my neck that made moving my right are unbearable. I tried taking my medications, icing my neck and arm, putting a mixture of coconut oil and  lavender oil and peppermint oil that normally helps, ice hot  basically my normal trick that typically help relieve pain.

My husband felt so bad for me he researched ways to relieve pain and one kept coming up in all of the home remedies.  Honey and cinnamon.  You mix it together and put it on the areas that hurt.  Sit up and wait for 10 minutes  Believe it or not but that mixture actually worked!  I can't wait to get off work and go home and put some more on.  I am no where near the amount of pain I was in the last two days but  I am hurting.  I am also going to have him put that sticky mess on my lower back.  I am beyond thankful that he loved me enough to do some research to find out a way to bring me relief.

Part 2 I got this idea from reading DELFEL129's blog her on SparkPeople

What made you happy today?

1. Waking up to my wonderful husband and my sweet pup.
2.  Being able to get up today with minimal pain and making it into work.


What made you sad?

Being in pain.


What are you grateful for?

1.  A heavenly father that loves me.  Knowing I can pray and ask for help at anytime day or
     night.
2. I am thankful for a husband that loves my son and I unconditionally That does whatever
    needs to be done without complaining.
3. I am grateful for a son that loves both his dad and I.  I am grateful he takes our feelings
     and thoughts into consideration.
4.  I am thankful for the SparkPeople site and all of the friends I am making.  Thank you all
     for bringing me encouragement, laughter, prayers and friendship
5.  Honey and cinnamon. A crazy home remedy that actually works!

Have a blessed day!
Jackie

Monday, April 17, 2017

Dog Treats Made with Love

We had a busy Saturday.  We went up to Pet Smart to get Cali more dog food. Then we ran all over the place trying to find an air tight container that wouldn't break the bank.  After about the 5th place we gave up and just bought a container that said it would hold 30 pounds. Which was what we had purchased.  It didn't fit all of the food.  Oh well, we tried. Then we had to go to the grocery store to get a few things.  I wanted to go so I could get the rest of the ingredients for the treats I wanted to make for Cali.  The upside was we  walked almost 2 miles.

I have been looking at home made healthy dog treats since before Maverick passed. I found the perfect recipe on Pinterest. I was redirected to a blog called eating bird food.  The name of the recipe is Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats. There are only 4 ingredients.

Author: Brittany Mullins Serves: 120 mini bones Ingredients
  • I used a rather large heart cut out because that is all I had and I was able to make a little over a dozen

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour ( you can use the all purpose flour but, whole weat flour is a healthier choice.  I got a 5 pount bag for about $2.34)
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce or mashed banana (I used banana)
  • ¼ cup vegetable, chicken or beef stock (I used chicken broth)
  • bone shaped cookie cutter (I used a heart shape cookie cutter)

Instructions:



  1. Preheat oven to 350°.

  1. Combine flour, peanut butter and apple sauce (or banana) in a large mixing bowl. Add stock and stir until well-combined. The dough will be thick. Once combined use your hands to press the dough into a ball. Place dough ball on a flat service (with a sprinkle of flour if needed) and roll out evenly with a rolling pin. Dough should be about ¼ inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into desired shape and place on ungreased baking sheet.

  2. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown. I baked the heart shaped treats for 20 minutes and they came out perfect.  Store in an airtight container.


Cali seems to really enjoy them.  Early this morning my husband asked her if she wanted a treat and she put her paws on the counter.  She was so excited and knew right were we keep them.


I have ordered  a set of 4 cookie cutters.  The cookie cutter set comes with a bone, dog house, a paw and a fire hydrant.  I also ordered a silicone tray for cold treats for this summer.  I will post the information on here when I make the cold treats.  I love to bake.  Right now we are all trying to lose weight so baking is out for the humans.  I am so happy I can at least bake for Cali.  Even better, I know exactly was is going into her treats and that makes me feel good.

I can't wait to make more treats for my girl.  I hope she likes them as much as she likes this batch!

I hope you had a blessed Easter!

Jackie

Friday, April 14, 2017

Insurance Frustrations and Cali Girl

I don't know what it is with insurance companies telling a Dr. what they can and can't prescribe.  There have been a number of people in my firm that have had to fight to get the medication they were prescribed by their Doctor.  I have been dealing with this myself.  It is beyond frustrating.  Especially if you finally find something that works perfect for you or a family member and the insurance company say no.  OK  that is enough venting for the moment.

Now we can talk about something fun.  My Cali Girl.

We have had our Cali girl for just over a week and we LOVE her. She loves cuddles.  It is a bit interesting trying to cuddle a 40 pound dog versus a 15 pound dog.  I could hold Maverick like a baby.  Poor Cali's head is huge.  But she loves to lay it on me.  I love it too.



Cali loves to play with this cute yellow toy I got her.  One morning I was sleeping and she brought it to me to play tug of war.  I couldn't resist playing with her. The guys and get Cali really wound up.  It is so funny to watch her run all over and jump on the bed and back down.  If i am on the bed it is a bit frightening to see this big dog coming at me.  When Maverick ran into me it wasn't quite as painful.



Cali doesn't like to get into trouble.  She puts her head down and comes to and wants to be loved on and reassured we still love her.  This happens when she went poo in our living room and then again when he got a paper towel out of the trash. We didn't spank her or anything like that.  We just used a stern voice and told her no no Cali!  That is a bad girl!



Over all Cali is a precious, loving, busy and playful girl.  God put her in our house and I am beyond thankful!



Thursday, April 6, 2017

Cali - The Jack Russell Terrier Lab Mix

Our pup passed away the day after Christmas last year.  Maverick was almost 16 years old. She was the sweetest baby girl.  It has been hard not having her with us. I still get choked up when I think about her or talk about her.  I loved her so much and can't even begin to tell you how much I miss her.

Since we have been missing the companionship of a dog since Maverick passed away.  My husband and I agreed we would wait until we got back from the cruise to get a dog.  Apparently my husband has been looking at dogs and trying to find the right fit for us.  Lucky for us he did find the perfect dog for us.  Her name is Cali.  Cali is a jack Russell Terrier Lab mix. Cali is a year and a half and she is already fixed AND potty trained.  She really sounds like a wonderful little girl.  We spoke to the lady that is needing to re-home Cali last night for quite a while.  We get to go meet Cali tonight and if we would like,she said we could bring Cali home.  I am so very excited.  I miss the love and companionship of Maverick so much that I can't wait to give Cali all of the love and attention we have been holding  since late December.

As soon as we get her I will take a picture and post it here.

Hope you have a blessed day!
Jackie

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

SparkPeople to the rescue!

I stepped on the scale in March 2017 and was shocked to see the scale had risen so high.  How could I be 242 pounds.  So I went to look for an app that would help me track my food intake.  My husband and son told me an app to use but I ended up down loading SparkPeople.  The App ended up being so good, my son down loaded the app as well. My son Blake has a degree in Health Promotion so he is the one I defer to for any health questions I have. When Blake got on board with SparkPeople I knew I was on the right track. I have lost 11 pounds so far. I have 64 pounds to lose by November 19th when our first cruise sets sail. If I am able to lose the remaining 64 pounds before the cruise it will only get me down to 175. I am going to try and stick to tracking my food and making healthier choices but, I know there are going to be days where I go over my calorie range.  I am not going to beat myself up about it.  It is a weak to relax and enjoy life and my family.  When we get back I will worry about losing the last 30 to 40 pounds. The cruise gave me the spark I needed to want to get back on a healthier eat life style and lose all of this extra baggage I have been carrying around.

What sparked you to start losing weight?  I hope we can encourage one another as the days go by on this journey to a healthier, happier life.