12 Goals for 2015

After much head scratching, I finally came up with 12 goals for 2015 as well as weekly, monthly, and yearly goals.  I'm one of those people that get happy just checking something off a list and admiring it for the rest of the day.

So here is my list, most of it very attainable but three of them will be challenging.

Most of the year will be centered around Stormy.  She will be starting school officially and I want to bang around the state for field activities.  The zoo, botanical gardens and Sea Life Center will keep us busy this summer.  

Hugging all the grandchildren, going on a hike with Whitney and learning to sew will be challenging for me.  I have two grandchildren that live out of state, so travel will be required.  Although I like to travel, I have a strong dislike for airports that I will have to get over to make it happen.  Just the thought of the groping TSA, and germ filled airplanes and airports, make me wish I could just hop in my car and drive from Alaska to Texas.  Hmmm, now that would be a great field trip for Stormy....thinking, thinking, thinking.

Hiking with Whitney will be tricky because she is currently pregnant.  Every year we say we are going to go on hikes but never seem to make it happen.  Hopefully in the fall she will feel up to it but I won't hold it against her if she isn't.  I will even volunteer to carry the baby and sneak in some snuggle on the way.

Learning to sew.  Oh my goodness me, did I really put that on the list?  I haven't sat down with a sewing machine since home ec in school.  The hubby does all the sewing in family to date but I'd love to sit down and make simple gift bags, aprons and the such. 

 

Onederland...those who know what this means, will know what I'm up to here.

So there it is,  My Sharpie is ready to start checking off and I'll keep checking in here with my progress.  How about you?  Got plans?

Lovin' life with my list, my sharpie and my determination!

Gallstones - How I Deal with the Pain

Yesterday, at work, I suffered through a gallstone attack that I was unprepared for.  I was surprised by it because I have been working on healing my gallbladder naturally and have been pain free for about 3 weeks.  Bam! Out of nowhere the pain returns.  I'm pretty sure that my boss would not be impressed to see me bent over my chair, a sweaty mess and eyeing the nearest wastebasket in case the nausea gets the best of me.  I needed to deal with the pain.

I've been wanting to write for some time about how I deal with the painful attacks.  When I was first diagnosed and doing research, I found a lot of information about what a gallstone is, the function of the gallbladder, surgery and even how to flush it naturally, but I found very little about how to deal with pain.

Here is a breakdown of my personal experience only.  I'm not offering any kind medical knowledge that I didn't find on google.

What worked for me:

1.  Apple juice and cider - Apple juice is my best friend forever.  Seriously the juice has been my surgery saver.  Apparently the acid in the apples will soften the stones and help them to pass through with less pain.  I know that when I keep up with drinking a daily glass, I feel much better.  Apple cider vinegar is suppose to work as well, but when I'm hurting, I don't feel like dealing with the bite of the acid.  I typically drink at least 8 oz a day and during an attack I will drink twice that at room temperature or warmer.  My husband, the hero, did bring me some juice yesterday and an hour later I was feeling much better. 

2.  Movement - One day at work, I was having a pretty bad episode and freaking out because following work I had to go get my BLS certification.  I could not imagine getting down on the floor and practicing CPR on the dummies in such pain.  Funny thing is, after 15 minutes of the class, the sharp pain disappeared and I was able to finish the class with out a problem.  Getting up and moving around can help the stone wiggle out of the bile duct. Now I make myself get up and move during an attack, even though all I really want to do is sink into my bed and whimper.

3.  Gallbladder and Liver Flush - This take some effort to get ready for and I plan to write about my experience in another post.  I did an emergency flush last night after my painful attack.  It wasn't well planned but still effective.  Here are a few pictures of the results.  Typically a flush will expel about 300 such stones from me.  This time I only had about 100 come out and no big whoppers but any stone I can get out I count as a victory!  You can see in the pictures how the apple juice start to deform the stones and break them apart.

Typical size

I put a penny in there to compare size.  I do believe the larger one on top would have caused pain at some point

4.  Prayer - I always turn to prayer in my need for peace of mind and to give God the opportunity to heal.  Sometimes my prayer is just as simple as asking for Him to take away the pain but I find it more effective to pray for others.  No matter how much pain I am in, I know so many others that are facing much worse circumstances.  I usually fall asleep while praying and wake up hours later pain free.

Some things that I haven't tried yet:

1.  Heating pad - I believe this would help but haven't dug out my heating pad.  If you don't want buy an heating pad, you can fill an old sock with white rice and heat it up in the microwave.  The heat should soften the stones and help them pass.

2.  Lying on your right or left side.  I've read that if you lie on your left side it may help the stone to fall out.  I've also read that lying on your right side will help with the pain.  I haven't really tried either of them to know if it helps or not.

What didn't work for me:

1.  Diet restrictions - I never could pin down any safe foods or foods to avoid, except hamburger.  For awhile all I would eat was cream of wheat, but one day that didn't work.  It is logical that high fat foods would be the culprit but other than hamburger, I couldn't figure it out.  Believe me if could just cut some foods out of my diet and avoid pain, I would do that in a heartbeat.

2.  Massage - I read that you can help the stone to move if you massage the gallbladder area.  I tried it a few times but it only caused more pain.

I'm hoping that this will help someone out there.  Please feel free to ask questions.

Lovin' life but not my gallstones.

New Years Eve Update 2014

I've been mostly absent from this blog all year.  It's been a year riddle with too much stress, family changes and a bit of health problems.  I recently sat down and made out my goals for 2015 and blogging is a big one on the list.  I enjoy putting down my thoughts here and want to get back into it.  

The biggest news of 2014 is the addition of two new grand-daughters, Aurora and Penelope.  If that isn't a big enough blessing, we also learned that there will be a grandson born in 2015.  I am always amazed how my small family unit is growing into such a great people.  

I will go more into details about some of the challenges of last year.  I'm excited to share and log some of my thoughts and research about a couple of health issues I faced and hoping I was able to conquer naturally.

This new year is promising to have some new stresses and changes.  My stepson will be graduating and joining the Navy.  Stormy will turn 5 and we will have to get more formal about her schooling.  We have a huge financial goal that we have been working on and some major plans to improve our house.

How did I do on the China Challenge?  Not too bad actually.  I cannot remember the last time I was in Walmart.  I'm always looking at product to see where they are made and try to buy Made in the USA whenever I can find them, even though it always means paying more. 

So here we go 2015.  In less than 5 hours you will be here and I will embrace all that you will bring.

Weekend Chores - Spring Update

This weekend something new went on my to do list that I am super excited about!  Spring is here and it is now a goal to get out and get our 30 minutes of fresh air each day.

Here is what was on  my list this weekend.

The always list:

Laundry - 2 loads and hang to dry
Bathroom - Scrub and sanitize
Kitchen - ditto the bathroom

This weekend or until done list

Kill the mouse - it's taunting us now and watching movies with us

Kitchen list

Make bread - will happen Monday because I forgot to get the sourdough out
Make the pot of beans - yep, create the magic
Dehydrate the excess veggies and fruit - hubby came home with extra mushrooms

eBay store list

reconcile the spreadsheet for February - not even close to happening yet
list 5 items -  on #4 currently

Stormy list

Hug, love and pinch on - and work on numbers
Extra Bubbles bath

Personal list

Keep reading Atlas Shrugged
Knit a pair of mittens
Get 30 minutes of fresh air and walk
Update blog 

Here is what I wish was on my list

Ha Ha - Cabin fever is setting in apparently.  I got to get going, I've only accomplished about 20% of my list and it is Sunday evening already!

Lovin' life 

The China Challenge - The Knifty Knitter Fail

I am feeling so disappointed in myself, I broke down and bought something Made in China.  Actually, I lacked the willpower to return something I bought recently, which somehow seems worse.

Recently I was cruising through a blog site and saw an easy pattern for some really warm mittens.  Everyone knows, when you live in Alaska, you really need warm mittens.  They were made on a Knifty Knitter loom that I didn't have,  but have been wanting for awhile.  Those mittens pushed me off the fence and I started shopping for the loom.  First, I looked for used ones on eBay, but with shipping it was expensive and they didn't include the loom hook or instructions.  I switched my search over to Amazon and found a pack of 4 different sizes for less of a cost than one used one.  Can you say temptation?

In fairness, I zoomed on to the pictures and tried my best to find the "Made In" area.  I even googled it, but to no avail, I could not positively figure out where the looms were made in.  With trepidation, I ordered them, saying to myself that, just maybe, they were made in the Philippines or Vietnam.  NOPE, I opened the box, and after a minute of hunting, in tiny print, mixed in with the french instructions there it was, Fabrique in China.  Uggghhh!

By now, you have figured out that I kept the looms.  Buying used ones just didn't make financial sense to me.  I'm trying to justify it and I can make some good arguments with myself but it is still a fail.

My first project - not the mitten pattern that caused me to buy the looms, an easier pattern for my first go at it.  I made the pair in about 2 hours and spent $3.99 on the yarn.  If one bought the yarn on sale, or used a coupon, the cost would by half.  In an Alaskan store, you could easily spend over $10 for a pair like this.

Looming isn't new to me.  I've been looming socks for about a year now and find it the easiest of crafts to do.  I think the new looms will be easy for Stormy to one day learn on.

Here is a pair of wool socks I'm making on the KB sock loom.  These are for Stormy to wear under her rubber boots, once spring breakup hits up here.  A pair of socks takes me about a month to make and the cost of the wool is expensive, around $6.99.  I could probably buy her cheaper socks but I love being able to custom make them.

I have already picked out my next project.  A hooded cowl that I think is just brilliant.  I have many jackets that do not have a hood and this is a perfect solution.  I can also see it as another layer while hiking and foraging this spring and fall.  I expect this project to take a couple of days and cost me roughly $7 in yarn.

As far as my challenge goes,  I'm going to keep with it and try to keep my China dollars under $20 for the year.  

Lovin' Life with warm mitts on my hands and disappointment in my heart.

The China Challenge

Total Days China Free - 0

Total spent - $15.84

The China Challenge - Monthly Update

I am a month into my personal challenge of not buying anything Made in China.  So far, it has been very easy.

I'm keeping a closer eye on what I spend my money on and I bought very little lately. No doubt this is true because, I am pretty tight with my money and I was feeling a bit of burnout after all the holiday shopping.  In January, we did our monthly food shopping, which came in under $500 and I did check labels.  All the food we purchased came from the North America including Canada and Mexico.

I also needed to purchase some zippered hoodies to wear during exercising.  My current ones are disgraceful or too warm.  I did value shopping and checked a few websites.  My go to site is Old Navy because they offer cheap clothes and free shipping to Alaska but what I usually buy appears to be  made in Indonesia.  Pretty close to China and probably a sweat shop.  I decided to buy a few used sweaters off of eBay.  Not sure where they were made in but because they are used, and I will be happy to recycle them until they too, are a shredded mess.  I picked out quality labels (Columbia) that I hope will last longer.  For the three used hoodies, with shipping, I spent $31.00.  In fairness, three new sweaters from Old Navy I would have paid $35.91 but I had a 25% off code, so it would have been $26.95.

So much for the saying, "Buy used and save the difference".  I'm not complaining though, I like knowing that I'm willing and happy to use what someone else doesn't want and hopefully the person selling the products were happy to make a sell and the income can help them out.  I'd rather support my fellow citizen than a huge corporation.  To keep the energy equal, I did send a few boxes of donation goods to our local charity.

That's it for January and barring any surprises, February should be equally as boring.  This may be the longest lasting New Year's resolution that I have ever made.

Lovin' life and feeling a bit smug.

The China Challenge

Total Days China Free - 31
Total Saved/Lost -$4.05

The China Challenge

Maybe it was all the Christmas shopping that caused a bit of disillusionment in me or maybe it was my upbringing haunting me, but I only made one resolution for 2014.  Every single soul that I have shared my resolution with has said the exact same phrase - "Good luck with that" followed by a chuckle no less.

My resolution is to go as long as I can without buying any product that has been made in China.

I am not much of a shopper and I don't think I will be very challenged until Stormy's birthday or when it comes to buying new scrubs for work.  I do know that I will have to avoid the Chinese factory outlet aka Walmart.  I usually only shop at Walmart about 6 times a year, and I usually buy yarn, some shop supplies like antifreeze and oil (hmmm, maybe that won't be made in China....) and personal items.  

For Stormy's birthday, I really want to to buy an outside play set and I'm hoping to find a good used one.  In fact, I will buy something used that is made in China, if needed.  I feel that there is more positive in recycling an item than not.

So far this resolution is saving me money.  For an evening, I was very tempted to buy a Fitbit.  I was already hesitant about it because I would lose privacy, but I justified that by saying I already log everything into MyFitnessPal.  Of course, Fitbit and all others similar items are made in China.  I could probably find one used but the impulse has passed and I am $129 the richer for it.

Lovin' life - NOT made in China

The China Challenge

Total days China-free - 11
Total amount saved - $129