fitness friday

will return next week. i've spent a lot of time with anthony and his family this week, and i'm leaving for a retreat today literally right after the graveside service. i doubt i'll have internet access there...so i'm putting it on hold.

however, my reasons for choosing organics more often than not will still be the forefront of the discussion!

i'll leave you with a little tidbit: i get this email daily and love it. i'm better at reading a week's worth at once or so but still.

it's the "eat this, not that" movement, and it's a daily email chock full of good and surprising info. some of it's common sense stuff...some is more surprising.

you can go to this link and sign up--don't let the "men's health" bit scare you off--it's gender-neutral!

thursday's ten: i confess

true confession time! join me for your thursday's ten confessions if you like :)

i confess

- that i'm often spurred to write a blog post because of my boyfriend's disappointment that i haven't updated in awhile

- that i can be rather lazy when there is a computer, couch, or tv involved

- that i hate yogurt. ok, hate is a strong word. i despise yogurt.

- that i often find myself watching children's programming after the children have left the room

(or that i dvr it for myself)

- that i'm completely addicted to texting

- that i kinda think photoshop is cheating. although if i had it i'd totally cheat.

- that i'm really into america's got talent lately

- that i may never stick to a decent bedtime

- that as much as i love organics, sometimes mcdonalds calls my name

- that i can't remember the last time i had a pedicure...and one is badly needed!

please join in!

recipe of the week: deli knockoff wrap

i met a friend at a dr's appointment the other day

and stopped to grab a bit on the way

at this little deli that i had all but forgotten about

but i love

and i read the description of one of the wraps and said

"omgoshiwantthatrightnowrightNOW"

(i mean, the description included ranch dressing AND guacamole. um, yeah)

so i ate it

heartily

and wanted MORE

so i simply went home and created my own :)

my ingredients:

1 spinach wrap (i used mission because that's what was available.)

3 - 4 slices organic turkey (depending on thickness)

2 slices organic provolone cheese

3 - 4 organic cherry tomatoes, sliced

a handful of sprouts (i used trader joe's organic pea shoots)

my own ranch dressing, made with olive oil mayo, organic skim milk and hidden valley seasoning

my guacamole made with 1 avocado, a handful of cherry tomatoes, and a clove of garlic...unfortunately i didn't have a jalapeno this time around!

my layering:

place spinach wrap on plate

spread guacamole on the wrap

place turkey slices on top of the guac

spread a thin layer of ranch on the turkey

place cheese on top of the ranch

put sprouts and tomato slices on top of the cheese

roll/fold/coerce, slice in half and enjoy!

on a life well - lived

she was older when i met her

and her memory wasn't what it had once been

and so she often had to be re-introduced to me

or just reminded of who i was

but every time she saw me

she took my hand and squeezed it

or gave me a hug and kiss

and told me she thought i was beautiful

or sweet

or some other really nice thing :)

you could tell that she was a nurturer

she cherished moments with her husband

though she no longer was able to live with him at their house

and she doted on her grandchildren

the love she had for them was obvious

the dogs of the family preferred her lap over any other

anytime she was around

and she seemed to enjoy just sitting and watching the flurry of activity

because that flurry was made up of the ones dearest to her

when the idea of me moving into her house

to keep an eye on things

was proposed to her, she said

"i think it's a GREAT idea"

and that's all the confirmation her husband needed

she suffered with multiple health issues for several years

although every time i saw her

she was smiling and enjoying the company of people she loved

her latest bout came last week

and she prayed saturday night that she would go home

she woke on sunday, disappointed

because she was ready

but on sunday they brought her husband to see her

and they spent some precious moments together

and a few hours later

her prayer was answered

peacefully

anthony's grandma

was a wonderful woman

and i've learned in the past few days

just how wonderful

but MY favorite memory

(besides those sweet hugs and hand squeezes)

will always be

that on father's day this year

she out-ate the entire family

putting down more baby back ribs

than either her son or her grandson

(and THAT is an accomplishment!)

treasure

friday afternoon

i came downstairs from putting P (3 year old) down for his nap

and K (6) had a big smile on her face

and with sparkling eyes she said

"i've hidden treasures for you to find all over!

and they all have your initials on them

and you'll have to look under things

and in things

and around things

and they're all in the living room

and i'll help!"

and all over the living room

were small pieces of construction paper

that she had labored over

drawing hearts

and pictures of her and i together

and the ones that made my heart melt

that said "I♥U" and "I♥L"

and she did help--if i was near one she would say

"oh, don't forget to look in the drawer"

"there might be one on the train table"

i kind of giggled to myself

because most of her hiding places were oh-so-obvious.

and when i had found all 8 slips of paper

she said "now YOU do one for ME!"

so i obliged

happily

even though there were emails to be sent, and toys to be picked up

i wanted to return the favor

of such a loving and special game

when we were finished and a friend had come to pick her up for an afternoon of play

i continued on with my work

and then it hit me

WHAT a picture of God i received today!

because all through my life

He's hidden treasures

and i have to look under

and around

and inside

and all around my path

but He helps me find them

some of them are small, unexpected blessings

like a phone call from an out of town friend

saying she's coming through town

or seeing someone's facebook status

and it's a scripture or a song lyric that i've been meditating to

and some of them make my heart melt

like holding a newborn

or hearing "i love you"

or being so consumed in His presence

that nothing else matters

and the funny thing is

i'm pretty sure that sometimes i can hear Him say

"lora...look over here"

because the hiding places which are oh-so-obvious

i'm missing somehow

and when it's all done

(though it will never be done)

i want to return the favor

such an amazing, loving God

how can i hide little treasures for Him to find?

this life

is a treasure hunt

with amazing and divine surprises

hidden everywhere

and sometimes

it takes a child to remind us.

a divine email

so a few weeks ago i was at the worship service i attend on monday nights

and they mentioned this retreat called "encounter weekend" that i had heard a lot of great things about

and it happened to be on a weekend that not only was i free

but i had also tried to plan several getaways for that weekend only to find out the people i would have been visiting weren't going to be in town for that weekend only.

so when i saw the dates flash up on the screen i thought "hmmm"

so i went online and looked it up

started to fill out the registration materials

but i never hit "submit"

i kind of went along and forgot about it

back of my mind, but not really a conscious thought

and even tried to figure out if it would be a good weekend for A and i to go up and see the indiana folk

and then this week i got an email

giving me the schedule for the weekend

and saying

"oh, if you haven't paid yet just bring your $ to the retreat center"

and i thought

"what?"

surely a mistake

so i started to draft a reply saying

"i think you sent this by mistake, i never registered"

but i never sent it

(i did raise my eyebrows

that the retreat site is way familiar to me

as it's the campgrounds for the denomination i grew up in

and i've been there countless times through the years)

and then last night

my friend laura says

"hey, are you going on encounter? they asked me if i knew anyone that i could room with."

at that point i laughed

and said

"well, it hasn't been in my plan

but SOMEONE sure is planning it"

so long story short

(or, erm, long)

i'm going to a retreat next weekend

and i have no idea what to expect

but SOMETHING is going to happen

of that i am certain.

(i redrafted that email

and sent it off just now)

Friday Fitness

i'm starting a new feature here at le blog...because i want to help people be more educated about food and fitness. most of the things i'll be sharing are things that i didn't realize a year, two years, or 5 years ago. which means that even when i was skinny mini...the healthy version...i was still putting processed crap and foods very low in nutritional value into my body.

lately i've been making some changes.

and yes, while i'm no angel (pizza/wings for dinner with my small group last night and possible pub food tonight...) i believe that being AWARE of what you're putting into your body is important. so i'm aware that last night and perhaps tonight i'm filling my body with processed, greasy, possibly fried foods. that makes my lunch choices important, and means i'm limiting crap for snacks. there are plenty of fruits and vegetables in my fridge, so i have no excuse to reach for chips (which thankfully, i don't have in the house at the moment!)

i maintain that education is key. if you don't know...you don't care. if you know and you still don't care that's your prerogative...and if you know and care then maybe you'll find this little series helpful.

i'll just be passing on information that i learn. a simple google (or blackle) search will probably turn up similar information for you, but perhaps i'll save you a step or two. :)

here are 3 quick things for today since i spent all that time explaining why i'm doing this :)

1 - one of my blogging buddies posted this article on dangerous potato chips...and you're doing yourself a huge favor if you read it. seriously scary stuff!

(plus she's awesome and you should read her blog if you don't already *anyway*)

2 - an article that one of my friends shared on facebook a couple of months ago that has stuck with me. unfortunately, i haven't found a solution for canned tomatoes yet...but i'm looking into methods of canning them. there are not many available in glass jars, so i think the easiest and cheapest alternative will be to produce my own. ok, maybe not *easiest* :D

3 - two articles, one written in 2008 and one in 2009 about wiifit. pointing out the obvious--that if you don't use it it doesn't work, but if you do you actually may see some results.

for me personally, the wiifit game has been a way to gradually ease me back into exercise after my asthma attack earlier this summer...and a way for me to accurately track weight loss. and the bonus is that when i'm using it consistently (i average about 3x a week, although some weeks are more or less depending) i actually see results.

my opinion? wiifit is mainly about getting you off the couch and active. and it's fun. and if you lose a couple of pounds in the process it's pretty awesome :)

so there you go :) next week i'll share my reasoning behind my more organic than not lifestyle changes and you can all call me a crunchy freak ;-)

my experience with updating my iphone (3g) to OS 4.0

did not go exactly as planned.

which was frustrating, because you would think my macbook would communicate with it well.

i tried several times to run the "update" with no luck.

and by no luck i mean it would start a backup and after several hours would still be stuck backing the phone up.

so i did what any sensible girl would do.

i googled.

after reading several sites where people had similar issues, i lighted on an answer that seemed to be the most prevalent.

choosing "restore" instead of "update". according to them, this would automatically update your phone to the newest possible update.

sounded good to me.

i knew it would erase all my stuff, but i had faith in the "restore to backup" option.

so back up the phone i did :)

all in all, the process took about 2.5 hours from start to finish. here were the steps:

backing up my iphone (2 min)

restoring to factory settings (30 - 45 min)

waiting for it to restart (5 min)

freaking out that all my stuff was gone even though i had known it would be (5 - 20 min)

praying that the restore from backup would actually work (8 min)

and finally--with prayer--hitting the option to restore from backup and checking back every 30 seconds to see how close we were to fully backing up (1 excruciating hour)

oh, and then waiting for it to restart from THAT backup (5 min)

and waiting for it to sync, which basically meant putting all my music and stuff back on it (another 30 min)

having a momentary panic attack when i opened my text messages and saw they were blank...but only for a second. then the last one i had received came up, which made me smile--mostly because it was from my honey and said 'love you' :D (5 seconds)

i am happy to report that all is well...and those 2 hours spent doing all that were less stressful (even with my mild freakout) than the several hours (longest stretch being--i believe--approximately 8 hours with little to no movement on the task bar).

so why did i write this all out?

because there's probably other people out there who have run into similar problems and are unsure if this is the right solution.

so if you're not an iphone user, my apologies. will a cute picture of emi help?

Thursday's Ten: i don't get it

this week, in the category of things i don't understand...

1. appetizers for cats. really, fancy feast?

2. twilight teeth. for real, y'all?

3. people freaking out about facebook privacy settings again. most of them i understand, but worrying that your phone number is being published to your friends list? um...you put your phone number up. if you don't want your friends to see it, remove it. easy fix...

4. why no one in tennessee seems to use cages when growing tomatoes. they produce a much sturdier plant than staking them...just sayin'

5. disposable hand towels being marketed for everyday use. i definitely think they can be used in place of paper towels in some situations. but the marketing ploy is basically that your regular hand towels are filthy and this is the solution.

ok, i'm not sure about you, but i'm drying my CLEAN hands on my hand towel...so i don't buy it.

talk about NOT being eco-friendly!

6. little girls who say they deserve to continue on in competition because "we've just been working SO hard for SO long". um, even if you've been working 10 years (your whole life) and are immensely talented, i can point you to some adults who would laugh at that. a lot.

(thank you, america's got talent, for that particular gem)

7. why on earth it's taken me over 24 hours and two restore operations to try to update my iphone to OS.4. omgoodness.

8. why i haven't heard more about hot in cleveland. i mean, it's betty white for crying out loud--and it cracks.me.up.

9. why all the infomercials after midnight seem to be targeted to the older set. i mean, do they really think 60+ year olds are up at 1 or 2 am watching tv?!

10. mashed potatoes from a box. the real deal is the only way to go. end of story.

join me, won't you?