Creatures of habit, history doomed to repeating itself, you are what you eat. Over & over again we hear the same truths & I am steadfastly rooted in them. There will be no changes for me. But, just because I know obesity & lack of exercise is the cause of my heart attack, my hip replacement, my breast cancer, my high blood pressure I continue on the same path. You ARE NOT! You can't be because you know better.

In reading today's blogs I see raging evidence of everyone's awareness of our well-being. I know Paul is working hard to add a few pounds & I have come across the most perfect web-site for him. It is myfoodphone.com!!!!!! He is always showing us great pix of his food. And, at this site he sends the picture & a nutrionist will gladly evaluate it for him calorie-wise & nutrionally- wise. There is a fee but would like you all to check it out.

Now, as to his high-blood pressure, I am quite wary of his astragalous. I would like him to check out the connection between its name of huang qi. Mahuang, as you all know as ephredra, is a known blood pressure cause. Could it be? Also, salt, anti-histamines, artificial sweeteners contain phenylalanine, & diet sodas.

For most of us unfortunate enough to have to lose weight try web-site hungrygirl.com. Shows great substituions & recipes.

Ladycroft is so right about lead poisoning. Even though we may even grow our own gardens years of leaded gasoline use has polluted the soil we grow our fresh veggies in. Buildings over 50 years should be inspected. Be aware of imported canned foods which may have side seams soldered with lead. Never use water drawn from your tap in the morning. Let it run for awhile. Don't boil water longer than necessary, any longer concentrates contaminants. Do not turn bread bags inside out to re-use . The ink used may contain lead. If you drink wine, wipe the mouth of the bottle after removing foil & cork. Foil wrappers can contaminate the wine. Imported ceramic products--do not use with food. These are all great hints from Prescription for Nutritional Healing
2nd Edition by James F. Balch, M.D & Phyllis A Balch, C.N.C (1997)Avery Publishing Group

As for our stress! Let's not take life too seriously. Calm those inner voices that are always urging us on with wouldas & shouldas. Light a lavender candle, drink a cup of chamomile tea, & take a warm bath after great sex. Kisses & hugs to you all.

In the after-glow of my supposedly "last Christmas" ( don't u believe it too) I am deciding to share a few things I have learned in my old age. As the e-mail influx of jokes says. " Life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer to the end the faster it goes. For a
Christmas with no money I decided to focus on a fabulous feast. I made my first pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust, olive tapenade, a hot artichoke & spinach dip, white choc. chip covered assorted cereals--not exactly gourmet. However, the most surprising winner was a Healthy Macaroni & Cheese which I want to share.

1 lb. of Barilla Elbow Macaroni cooked
1 sm. pkg of frozen squash, thawed
4 oz of sharp cheddar, I used more, 2 oz of monterey cheese, 1/2 cp of ricotta part-skim, 2 Tbs. of parmesan, 1 tsp. dry mustard, pinch of cayenne. Since I am a fatty I could not resist adding some butter & I believe it needs a little evaporated milk, salt & pepper. Pour into a 9 by 13 casserole dish & heated through at 350. I sprinkle buttered bread crumbs with a little garlic powder & s
seasoned salt.

Thought of you all at Christmas & was really looking for a lot more dysfuntional stories; but, alas only LeeTee. Look forward to more tips coming because I am not taking what I know to the grave.


easoned salt for topping.

Hi Guys, I am having a 'senor moment.' Whenever I am at death's door I turn to estrip- the land of the living. I am having my own pity party. After my heart attack in Oct. thought my bout with that kind of junk was over. In June got a job babysitting a little boy 9 weeks old. I desperately needed it because I had lost my little Braden. His ignorant mother decided to get pregnant again with a Puerto Rican soldier living in PR. She left in the middle of the night without even letting us say good-bye to him. Our house is a shrine to him. His high chair, his toys, his sippy cups. I have never wanted to burden you all with this but I cannot bury the venom any longer. Anyway, after 2 days with my new baby the Dr. said I had a cancerous lump in one of my f%$####. huge breasts. Had a lumpectomy and 3 nodes. Now cancer free but will have radiation for 5 & 1/2 wks. New mother thought it would be too much for me so got a new babysitter, temporarily So what is the point? You are young & hopeful busy people . Do not get distracted by activity. Know that you are influential . There are all kinds of people who need your attention. Store clerks, hospital cleaning ladies & poor old ladies feeling sorry for themselves. One who knows Matt's pictures will cheer her up & Ladycroft's antics will make her laugh. You rule!

My Friends, Let me count the ways! I have arrived home from my heart attack stay in the hospital. Can we all agree how much our own bed, our own remote & being able to poop & pee on ur schedule is more valuable than all the gold in the world? Trust me it is. Thanks for all ur comments to me; I love you all. Paul, Amy's mac & cheese is me forever! Yuk & more yuk. How can I go on with no salt. You guys always eat so well & have some neat recipes. I have been amazed at the self-discipline. Maybe I could hire Terry as my chef till I am svelte. lol All have fun at Halloween party I will worry all night like a mother hen. Please be well & safe.

I shouldn't be writing because I am so f

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ing tired. But, had to check on the Strip & now have found out where Holly has been. I see she is doing some performing. How exciting because it is exactly what she loves to do. I was wondering if she had attended the party on Sat. It sounds like it was a huge success. I hope that Paul did not have a hangover; he is too busy for that.

I had a large party this Saturday in Rixford, PA. Holly & Matt were supposed to be there but, I see now they were busy. Holly's sister came from Buffalo & her cousin from Hamburg. I have no reason why this little burg celebrates Otto-Eldred Days but they put on a spectacular fireworks display. It took everyone till 1am to get home because of 2 car pile-ups blocking one entire route. Can we hardly handle all this excitement?

This am I went to Flickr to see Dcoffee's photos. We have 2 cats & it looks like he has the happiest cat--so handsome. He takes some great photos of the city. I like Matt's colors in his photos,too & wait anxiously for new ones! Hi to Ladycroft & Southern Yankee.