Ron and I went to California and all we got were.... PICTURES!!!!

That's alright, I LOVE pictures!



The oldest known 'me'! Oh wait, I'm named after a boat????

Well, at least it was the SMALLEST and STURDIEST and MOST DEPENDABLE of Columbus' boats!













We were at California Adventure (part of Disneyland) and what does Ron want to do? Look at machinery, of course!












And this is for my darling Gareth. See, I TOLD you I met your favorite guy!
















I have lots of other pics, but nothing is worse than making people look at ALL of their vacation photos, so I'll spare you (phew!)

Heading back out tomorrow to spend Easter with our Utah children and grandchildren. LET THE HUGGING BEGIN!!!!

Well, skipping right through February, we are now in March.

I’m loving this article I found (from a SERIES of articles, actually) and thought I’d share…


America's Cheapest Health Foods – a part of the “Eat This, Not That” series

The full article can be found at:
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/39474/americas-cheapest-health-foods/

By David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding - Yahoo! Health Expert for Nutrition
Posted on Tue, Dec 01, 2009, 12:10 pm PST

NOTE: I'm sorry - there are not pictures. I just couldn't figure out how to get it to load up.....so the words will have to speak for themself.

Eating well has never been so expensive. Over the past two years, the cost of vegetables, meat, fruit, and other high-nutrition, low-calorie foods has increased by an average of 19.5 percent. But junk foods? Their prices have actually decreased slightly, by 1.8 percent. Our economic outlook isn’t only making it harder to make ends meet—it’s making it harder to make the two ends of our belts meet. In fact, researchers recently estimated the cost of a diet based on high-calorie foods versus one based on healthy, low-calorie foods. The high-calorie diet you could eat for $3.52 a day. The low-cal diet? A whopping $36.32 per diem.

That sounds pretty bad—unless you factor in the long-term costs of bad eating habits. Overweight people are 25 percent more likely to be hospitalized for heart disease than slim people. Their hospital stays are 16 percent longer. Their risk of high blood pressure is 44 percent higher; the risk of developing kidney cancer is 42 percent higher; the risk of high cholesterol, 33 percent higher. And those numbers only get worse if you’re obese.

In the end, your best bet is to eat the healthiest, most nutrition-packed food your money can buy. Fortunately, Eat This, Not That! 2010, serves up an indispensable list of smart, healthy swaps that you can buy for less than their equally healthy, more expensive equivalents. So instead of saving money buying junk food, you can save money buying healthy food. Now that’s a deal.

BEST BREAKFAST FOOD

Eat This!
Eggs
$1.63/dozen

Not That!
Cereal
$4.50/box

The best breakfasts for all-day productivity are high in protein and low in refined carbohydrates, so even if there were no price difference, eggs would be a much better choice over a bowl of cereal (especially if it's one of the sickly sweet varieties). That said, there is a substantial price difference. Say you can scrounge five bowls from one box--that's 90 cents a meal (without the milk). A dozen eggs, though, makes six meals--each for an average of 27 cents. When you think of it that way--by eating cereal over eggs, you're spending three times the amount of money on a meal--the choice is that much easier. Plus, all cereals aren't created equal anyway; find out how they compare in this slideshow of The Best and Worst Cereals.

BONUS TIP: Eggs should be an essential inclusion in your daily diet.



BEST COOKING OIL

Eat This!
Canola Oil
$0.96/lb

Not That!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
$5.92/lb

Save the pricey olive oil for dressing salads or drizzling lightly over grilled vegetables. Canola's neutral flavor is great for cooking, and it happens to have an even better ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat than the vaunted extra virgin. Olive can cost as much as a dollar per ounce, while high-end canola costs about 25 cents. Or, if you buy an average of each, you'll save over $5 a pound on canola.



BEST BROWN-BAGGED FRUIT

Eat This!
Banana
$0.61/lb

Not That!
Red Delicious Apple
$1.21/lb

If you bring your lunch to work every day, it's smart to toss a fruit in the lunch sack. But which one's most worthy of your hard-earned money? An apple will give you 14 percent of your day's Vitamin C and 4 grams of fiber, but a banana, at half the price per pound, offers more Vitamin C and just 1 less gram of fiber. To instantly improve your diet with more tips like these, memorize this list of The Best Healthy Foods in America.


BEST BERRY

Eat This!
Frozen Blueberries
$0.22/oz

Not That!
Fresh Blueberries
$0.91/oz

The price of fresh fruits out of season is significantly higher than when they're in season, due to transportation costs. And if you want to get your money's worth, you'll need to eat them within three days of buying, so they don't spoil. One cup of frozen blueberries gives you just as much fiber as the raw variety, and a handful fewer calories. While fresh blueberries offer 18 percent more Vitamin C, that difference isn't worth the extra cost.


BEST SNACK VEGGIE

Eat This!
Carrots
$0.80/lb

Not That!
Celery
$0.78/lb

If you're looking for a super healthy, low-calorie snack, you'll get more of a nutritional punch from carrots than celery, at practically the same cost per pound. One serving of carrots has twice as much fiber as celery--and 43 times as much Vitamin A!


BEST POULTRY

Eat This!
Chicken Leg
$1.43/lb

Not That!
Chicken Breast
$2.36/lb

Eat This, Not That! developed a matrix where we compare all major cuts of beef, pork, poultry and alternative meats through a rigorous equation to assess their core nutritional value. The criteria? High protein-to-fat ratio; density of 10 essential nutrients commonly found in proteins; and low saturated fat concentrations and cholesterol levels. Light chicken meat won out handily over all other cuts, with chicken breast being the best you could buy. But for an almost equally healthy chicken alternative, a dark chicken leg will save you 89 cents a pound—and it scored higher in nutritional value than all cuts of beef except for kidney and liver.

One more thought: You can also opt for a frozen chicken breast, which contains almost identical nutrients at half the price as the fresh breast. In our Eat This, Not That! taste tests, we found it nearly impossible to tell the difference between fresh and frozen.


BEST PORK

Eat This!
Pork Chops
$3.10/lb

Not That!
Ham
$3.36/lb

It's a little strange to us that ham is one of the least nutritious types of pork you can eat, but it's a little more expensive than chops--the second most nutritious. While you're only saving pennies per pound by opting for loin chops over ham, you'll benefit hugely from the extra nutrients, and more healthful protein-to-fat ratio.


BEST BEEF

Eat This!
Round Roast
$3.90/lb

Not That!
Sirloin Steak
$4.99/lb

When it comes to protein-to-fat ratio and density of 10 essential nutrients commonly found in protein, Eat This, Not That! found that round roast scores slightly better than sirloin. The prices, however, differ significantly: choose the round, and save nearly a dollar a pound.


BEST FISH

Eat This!
Farmed Catfish
$2.52/lb

Not That!
Pacific Halibut
$4/lb

You know you should be eating more fish, but do you know which kind is healthiest? Eat This, Not That! also analyzed a dozen of the most popular fish choices and ranked them from first to worst. Our favorite sea creatures are rich in omega-3s; relatively low in mercury, PCBs, and dioxins; have decently high protein content; and are ecologically sustainable. With these qualifications in mind, both the Pacific Halibut and Farmed Catfish rank well. But opt for the Catfish, and you'll save an average of $1.50 a pound.

If you go to the “Eat This, Not That” website (http://eatthis.menshealth.com/articles_and_tips) you will find more healthy information. I love this site (and am seriously considering getting some of their books).

Deep Thoughts from the Shallow End of the Gene Pool

Well, I’m going to try to make a go of actually utilizing our blog this year for something good.

Everyday, all day, I experience strange and random thoughts flying around my head like inconsequential little mosquitoes that I can’t seem to slap away. This happens most often while I’m exercising in the morning. So I said to myself….”Self, you might as well write these down so other people can see how messed up you really are!” (It’s a vicious little voice, as you can see).

Seems like the beginning of the year is as good of a time to start as any, so here we go!

The WOW Life: Nina’s winding road to a happy and healthy life Part 1 of 3

Those who know me, knows that a couple of years ago I got disgusted enough with myself to actually address my long standing weight problem. I lost 65 pounds (we won’t talk about how much of that found me again….) and got into a regular exercise program. No mean trick considering the fact that I have a full blown eating disorder – and have had it for years (Bulemia, to be exact).

NOTE: Blogs are so nifty, aren’t they, allowing us to tell deep dark secrets on-line you wouldn’t even share with your mother in person?

Anyway, I determined that I was finally going to do this right, so I turned to the best reference I knew for healthy living…. Doctrine and Covenants Section 89, commonly referred to the Word of Wisdom. Here is a link to that little bit of divine inspiration for your review:

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/89

These are the rules I determined I would live by after reading it:

Buy fresh food and put thought into what I am eating.

Herbs add healthy elements to our food.

Meat can be healthy if used sparingly, however grains are a better overall choice for protein. But even grains should be consumed thoughtfully.

Fresh fruits, veggies and grains are the main ingredients for a healthy diet

This is a principal with a promise! Following these guidelines will provide health, endurance and will enhance your ability to think.

(End of Part 1)

The WOW Life: A Whole Lotta 'Listing' To do (Part 2 of 3)

In my previous blog, I listed the following four guidelines for healthy eating that I gleaned from the Word of Wisdom (Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants). Those rules are as follows:



Buy fresh food and put thought into what I am eating.

Herbs add healthy elements to our food.

Meat can be healthy if used sparingly, however grains are a better overall choice for protein. But even grains should be consumed thoughtfully.

Fresh fruits, veggies and grains are the main ingredients for a healthy diet


This is a principal with a promise! I've discovered that following these guidelines will provide health, endurance and enhances my ability to think (and trust me, I need all the help I can get!)

This is a great start, but I've worked in public health long enough to know that there is 'more to the story'. Other elements gleaned from these verses, along with a study of current scientific findings are:

Due to our commitment to abstain from the use of tobacco and alcohol, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are consistently identified as some of the healthiest people in the U.S. Members can enjoy great health, but that does not mean that we are above suffering weakness and temptation. Sadly, our ‘healthy lifestyle’ is slipping due to the same problem the rest of the nation faces….obesity. By reading Section 89 we can see that the “Supersize” mentality works in opposition to living a healthy lifestyle.

The diet industry tries to convince us that they hold all of the secrets to losing weight, when in fact, the best means towards good health is established by God.

The most successful tool to losing weight is simple, but absolute. Keep a daily journal of intake (and I suggest output – meaning exercise) Here is a link to a Good Housekeeping article that references the Kaiser Permanente study: http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-07-29/living/17118725_1_food-diary-calories-weight-watchers Excellent ideas here!


Healthy dieting, to me meant establishing the following six rules:

Set a goal (both calories per day and amount of exercise per week).

Write it down – every bite

No diet food (i.e., sugar substitutes, packaged meals)

No more than 6 ounces of meat in a day and try to eat vegetarian as much as possible.

Fresh over frozen, frozen over canned.

Once you’ve hit your goal, work on lifestyle changes that can help you maintain your healthy new body. 80% of dieters gain back their weight and more because they just go back to the old way of eating. Now that you’ve written down your food intake for a while, you KNOW how much each bite costs you in calories. Take what you’ve learned and use it.

(End of Part 2)

The Wow Life: Will It EVER End? (yes it will, this is Part 3 of 3)

For those who need a focus date in sight, go ahead and set a date for completion….but do not determine how much weight you will lose – just tell yourself that you will diet up to a certain date and then reassess…..but you have to really commit to give it your all during that time frame. I told myself that I would diet until October 31st. By then, I was on a roll and extremely happy, so I moved my date to after the holidays. Again, I was happy, so I gave myself permission to go just a little longer because my goal was just around the corner. For some, this will be the way to keep from getting discouraged (you never have to ask ‘when will it end?’….you already know). For others, this may just encourage you to quit completely when you get to your date….but again, if you were honest and stuck to your full commitment, you should have made enough progress to make a real difference in your life.

So, obviously, this system worked for me, but not without a few bumps and bruises along the way. I wayyyyyy underset my caloric intake at 1,000 - 1,200 calories a day. I know, I know. I went in with my eyes open on that one, but it’s a vast improvement over the days when I limited myself to 650 a day (eating disorder, remember?) Well, I suffered for it by developing gallstones. It turns out that this is a common ailment for people who lose weight too fast, making it impossible for their bodies to slough off the fat compounds and leftover minerals quickly enough. It was a painful lesson, eventually rectified by having my gall bladder removed. A little extreme by anyone’s book, I assure you. Here is a link to a page maintained by the National Institute on Health and the US Dept., of Health and Human Services regarding gallstones. Look towards the middle of the page for information on weight loss as a cause of gallstones:


http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/gallstones.htm#weightloss

- so everyone repeat after me: "I will NOT try to rush losing weight. Slow and steady means good and healthy....and more success! Those who lose weight at a steady pace will be more successful at maintaining a long term weight loss than those who dodn't.



As mentioned, I successfully lost the weight and improved my overall health with rigorous exercise. The results are beyond my wildest dreams. Low cholesterol, excellent health, my joints are no longer ‘degenerating’, my asthma is practically nonexistent, and best of all – no acid reflux I’m completely off the four medications I was taking. I feel soooooo much better. I can climb my 1/2 mile driveway without stopping. I even feel pretty.....except right after I exercise. Yuck.

I've mentioned the fact that I've gained a little back. It's true, and I'm not happy about it, but there seems to be a rule of thumb, at least in my life. I can slowly slip back into my old habits without much trouble, and when I do - and this may shock some of you - I GAIN WEIGHT!


This brings me to one last piece of advice. If you can find it, I HIGHLY suggest you find the book entitled "Making Peace With the Image In the Mirror" by Steven R. Hawks. It's still listed on Amazon.com in their USED BOOKS. I purchased four of these books when it first came out to share with friends like me who were dealing with negative body issues and wondering why they couldn't just buckle down and lose the weight. I've talked to Dr. Hawks, a university professor who has conducted international studies regarding body image and eating disorders, on a few occasions. Amazing man.

Well, I hope this information is helpful. It's just my experiences. But it's been a lifetime of learning and I think.....just maybe......I'm almost there.

End of part 3

Our Special Day during this Special Season

Merry Christmas - Joy to the World!

This year circumstances have conspired to put together a Christmas I've thought about for a long time......a (practically) giftless day. No, we're not hurting for money. We're fine - thanks for the concern.

What happened was that we've invited my brother (since I work for him now, I get to cal him my "bossy brother" - ha ha ha) and his wife Terri up for the week (don't get too excited....it's a work week). Terri suggested that we gift ourselves permission to relax and agree not to exchange gifts. Instead, she suggested we buy our own gift, wrap it, put it under the tree and unwrap it Christmas morn for all to see. Mom was thrilled! I was willing, Ron was noncommittal - which meant, of course, it was a go!

So, I got the grandbabies covered. I got the kids covered. Made the treats for all our friends and yesterday....I got MY present.....but I'm not telling you what. It's my only surprise of the day and I'm keeping it.

One other bit of big news.....under much pressure from the husband and daughter, I have tossed away the plastic Christmas tree and we got one off our land. Okay, I love it. LOVE IT!!!!








One other thing....we had the COLDEST week last week. We had a smattering of snow, barely anything - but the cold turned it into the 'kewl'est crystals. So pretty!










So, here's our opportunity to wish all a wonderful holiday. We're most grateful for our blessings -

Most of all......each other (33 years today!) I LOVE my husband. He is so amazing and still makes my heart flutter.

Yeah, the pics didn't scan too well, but their still fun!