Rearranging the furniture...

Just a heads-up that all things PV and chronic-illness related are moving over to a dedicated blog at www.dancingintherain.me

See you there!
Mo

It's been so long!

It's been a while since I wrote about what's going on PV-wise. Well, the bad news is…it's still there. The good news is…I'm down to one dose of medication every three weeks. I've been doing this for awhile now and it seems to be working well. My platelets occasionally rise when I have inflammatory issues (soy and wheat are REALLY hard to avoid, by the way), but for the most part things have been "normal."

Posing at the Finish Line with my good friend, Cheri!

Probably the most annoying side effect/symptom I still struggle with is fatigue. In an effort to deal with that, I've reduced my work schedule to two 12-hr shifts a week and I'm working with a trainer this summer to increase my strength and stamina. At this point, I'd have to say the workouts pretty much guarantee me a nap later in the day, but I'm hoping as my body adapts, it will get easier.

Back in May, I embarked on a 35-mile bike ride in Sonoma County…a pretty humbling experience as I used to be able to pull out 35 miles without even thinking about it, and this ride knocked me on my tush. Regardless, I'm getting out there and trying…mostly I'm trying not to feel disappointed in myself when it is obvious I'm not the same person I used to be. I guess we're all a work in progress, no?

She's crafty, too?

I just had to show off the cute cute cute little password book I made the other day. I have been on a cleaning spree lately (kinda like a spending spree but not nearly as much fun) and decided that my old password book was just not going to cut it...it was black and boring and had absolutely no pizzazz at all. And when it comes to passwords, I am all about pizzazz!

So, I looked around and found a darling moleskine book just waiting to be transformed into something useful. I also looked around and saw my growing collection of washi tape and just knew that this was a match made in heaven...I would use the washi tape to make adorable, colorful, pizzazz-y alphabetized tabs for my password book. And it turned out beautifully!

Isn't it so cute you can hardly stand it???

This is the TOP SECRET place where I store log-ins and passwords under lock-and-key, an armed guard and a very hungry mongrel named Brutus. There's no need for things like passwords to be boring...everything can be beautiful AND functional if you just put a little thought and creativity into it...and the best part is, this didn't cost me any extra money as I had everything on hand that I needed. A win-win-win!

My old lady joints...an update

So after a load of research, doctor's visits, supplements, vitamins, juicing, dieting, yoga-ing, hydrating and cleansing I finally got my inflammatory issues under control. Pretty sure it was all diet related - a result of what's called "leaky gut syndrome" and a sensitivity to wheat and soy. Now that I've cut those two things out of my diet and mostly been focused on clean eating with loads of whole foods/veggies I have been feeling pretty great! My hands are still a little sore in the mornings, but nothing like they were. It was so bad at its worst that the pain would keep me up at night...shoulders, hands, knees, even my ankles ached! And getting down the stairs was ridiculous...I felt like an old woman. Now I trot down the stairs like a spry young thing...feels good to be back to normal again :-)

I know you were probably on the edge of your seat wondering what's going on with me...well, I'm pretty much all fixed up! And note...it isn't because of anything any DOCTOR told me...the DOCTORS wanted to prescribe poisonous medication and diagnose me with rheumatoid arthritis. Phooey I said...and I took matters into my own hands (literally). See? Nurses rock...we really do.

Something is wrong.

For the past few weeks I have been struggling through a carpal tunnel flare up. My hands ache, sometimes downright hurt with certain movements, I have no grip strength and every so often I get these super fun electric shocks through my wrist and hands. Not fun.

Starting about a week ago, my knees also started to ache. Sometimes more than other times, but definitely not normal. This morning as I was reading the instructions for making Teecino, my right knee was popping like crazy as I shifted my weight back and forth. Something is wrong and I need to figure out what it is, because feeling this old and beat up is not working for me at all.

Basically, I think the problem stems from inflammation and I'm feeling it in my knees and in the carpal tunnel. I do recall that when I did a recent 3-week cleanse, I felt amazing...like I haven't felt in years. It was incredible! So, I am doing the Clean Program again, and am going to be super careful about reintroducing foods back into my diet. I am also going to do more juicing this time around...last time on the Cleanse, I got into a super rut with these amazing dairy free, wheat free quesadillas. I think I had them for lunch almost every single day. Not that they were unhealthy, but I think variety is key.

I am going to try to log how I feel each day...and see if I can find some improvement. For starters, I have to get rid of the coffee...It is a pro-inflammatory food and I drink entirely too much of it. So for a transition, I am having Teecino in the mornings, and then instead of drinking coffee all day I'll have some yummy tea instead. We have no shortage of tea in this house! I do have to be careful, though...many teas contain soy lecithin and I am quite intolerant of soy. In fact, I thought it was some soy that snuck into my diet that caused this knee pain...am hoping it goes away soon!

Now, my challenge is...how to chop up the vegetables for my green juice when my hands feel like this?
Hmmm.....

The Awesome Erin Condren Life Planner 2013-2014

As a self-proclaimed planner dork, I have been on a search for The Perfect Planner for ages. For several years, I used (and loved) the UnCalendar...while not at all fancy, it is extremely functional and got me through nursing school with  my sanity somewhat intact.

Well, now that I'm older and wiser (ha), I decided I want something beautiful AND functional...and that is where the Erin Condren Life Planner comes in. I think I was looking online for reviews on the MomAgenda and came across a ton (and I mean a TON) of videos and blog posts about the Erin Condren planner. I fell in love in the way that only a girl who has an obsession for paper products and girlie things can understand.

So, without further ado...here are some pics of my planner. YES, they are spendy. The planner starts at $50 and then the cute accessories add up. I don't even want to tell you how much I spent, because then you would all think I'm crazy, and right now you think I am a totally normal person ;-).

This is the cover in Mod Morocco with green and yellow.

Laminated tabs and planner "headband."

Each cover is super-duper laminated for durability, plus it has laminated tabs which keep your different sections nice and organized.  The little "headband" is available for a few extra dollars and helps keep your planner closed when you toss it in your bag. You can also see that the coil is serious...like totally dead-to-rights serious. No monkey business going on here! This planner is designed to be hauled around and I fully expect it to survive the next 17 months beautifully. 

The Mega Coil

Speaking of which, the planner comes in a 12-month version or an 18-month version. The 12-month versions can be ordered to cover any span of dates...so if you order in April, for instance, you can get an April-April calendar if that's what floats your boat. The 18-month, however, are from July to the end of the following year. I ordered my planner in July and received it August 7th...so I basically wasted a month, but adding on 6 months is only $5 extra, so it's a screaming good deal.

Close-up of the monthly view page...the little flower means my house cleaner is coming that day!

Here's the monthly view...I love washi tape! You can also see I've used the birthday stickers that come with the planner.

Here is a weekly view...you have a place to keep notes on the left, space for "morning, day, night" and then space at the bottom for meal planning, exercise, etc...I tend to use that space for things I know are happening that day, but I just don't have a specific time or the details yet. I am also fiddling around with writing my daily "TODO" list in the "morning" section, all my appointments and such in the "day" section, then a little recap/journal of the day in the "night" section. 

Notes section and cute squiggly lines. I love all the bright colors.

There is also a space for notes in the monthly view. Great for things that don't have a specific date yet or I haven't committed to yet (like the CCRN class...do I go?)

My birthday....my favorite national holiday :-)

The holidays are denoted with cute little graphics. Love all the little details!

Toward the back of the planner are some lined pages for notes. I think I will use these a lot.

And then we have blank pages for doodling and whatnot. Is anyone else crazy about chevrons? Love!

The planner comes standard with loads of "birthday" stickers, plus others for things like mani/pedi, doctor, dentist, party, etc... You also have the option to make your own custom stickers! I added more birthday stickers in red (I heart color coding), plus stickers for things like PTO, wax appointments, and anniversaries. I am currently keeping a list of other custom stickers I want and will get them with my next order. 

The "Keep It Together" folder in the back is double-sided for keeping all those random things tidy. These are my custom stickers :-) I want MORE!!!

I am in looooove with this handy zippered pouch. This is where I keep tiny things that would ordinarily get lost...labels, small stickers, business cards, post-its. 

I admit, I splurged on this item...customized notepads! Kind of a lot of dough, but really....can you put a price on adorable-ness? I think not. 

And lastly, a few extra freebies that Erin throws in with your planner...these are little labels to be used for gifts and whatnot. Love love love. What's not to love? 

OK, folks...that's the Erin Condren Life Planner in a nutshell...if you want to drool over it even more, you can visit her site at www.erincondren.com. There is also a fancy pants gold edition that looks SO PRETTY, but I really like the green and yellow design of my planner, so I'm totally happy with it.

Since these are custom planners made by hand, note that they do take a little bit. I think I waited 2-2.5 weeks for mine...not bad, but it seemed like an eternity, because I am pretty much a "want it now" kind of girl. Totally worth the wait! Just keep it in mind if ordering toward the end of your current planner, or if you are getting it for a gift. So far I have purchased two others as gifts...and will probably buy others (or give gift cards, since it's so much fun to design your own planner).

Anyway...hope you like it as much as I do...get one NOW!

Whole 30, Awesome-ized

Starting yesterday, I embarked on a Whole 30, which is basically a 30-day whole foods cleanse based on a primal or Paleo diet (check it out here). Anyway, I knew right from the start that I was not going to have a perfect Whole 30. I know me, and I know that I tend to strive for perfection, then dump the whole project if I mess up even a tiny little bit. So, I decided straight up that I wasn't going to be perfect and hopefully this will make it more sustainable for me.

Yes, I'm a wuss...plenty of people do a Whole 30 without cheating at all, but I do not have that kind of willpower or stick-to-it-abilities. I know that about myself, so I'm doing the cleanse in a way that I feel can be sustained for a whole thirty days. Basically my planned-cheats are a daily cup of coffee with a bit of stevia and cream. Though last night I did have a small dessert (I know....one day and I go off the wagon!)...but the husband had friends over and they brought dessert and I didn't want to be rude (I promise, I just had a tiny bit...and YES, I paid for it later....bloating, tummy upset, blech!)

To prepare for the cleanse, I made a menu for the week (something I've never done) and went grocery shopping for the specific items on the list. Usually I just wing it and thus end up with things I never eat, or a bunch of random stuff that doesn't go together into anything resembling a meal. This will be better. The fridge is packed to the gills with produce, so it's my challenge to eat it all by the next shopping day. I hate throwing out food, so that's even more reason to stay on plan :-)

Here is what my menu looks like, complete with assignments for prep work in the far right column....this comes in especially handy as I head into my work week (Friday, Saturday night).

So, there you have it folks...we'll see if I can keep this up. I know I definitely need to lose weight, but I am going to try to focus instead on how I feel and hope that weight loss is an added bonus. I am also going to try to incorporate more exercise, which will be a combination of barre workouts, cycling and ramping up my Cough-to-5K running again. Stay tuned and stay awesome!

Down 5 pounds :-)

Woo hoo, ya'll. I have been low-carbing, no-sugaring, gluten-free-ing for the past 9 days and I finally got up the courage to step on the scale this morning....down exactly 5 pounds. Woah! I don't expect to lose this much each week, since the fastest weight loss is always the initial loss....but still! I'd be ecstatic with a "normal" 2 pound loss per week. When I get back from my lunch date and running errands today, I'll post some links to some of the low-carb recipes I've been using lately along with reviews. Now it is time to go do my hair...having lunch with a friend and one of our nursing school professors. It's SO HARD to call her Kathy and not Professor Rose!

Tips for ICU patients and families

I wish all my patients and their families would follow a few simple guidelines...would make life easier!

In appreciation of critical care nurses...

I keep seeing these posters and felt compelled to make one for ICU nurses. We rock!

I had an awesome day skiing!

I went skiing for the first time this season...it was fabulous! I was worried that I was going to be awful and stuck on the bunny hill most of the day, but I got my ski legs back pretty quick! After two quick runs on the bunny hill, my friend and I rode the big lift to the top of the mountain (OF COURSE it stopped on us...why does it always stop when I'm at a really high spot over really hard ground?)

Though we spent most of our time on the green runs, we snuck in a few small blue runs and I have to say I did better at them than I did last year! There's one run called "Lower Main" that is steep, straight and long. My friends talked me into doing it and all I can say is peer pressure is a bitch. I pretty much went down sideways, but I didn't fall and I made it to the bottom! That run will be conquered!

Here is a pic of me after our beautiful day!

In other news, I was thinking about my RDW the other day and realized that I hadn't checked in in awhile...I looked at my lab results and saw that with my last draw it was in the normal range! Could this mean my bone marrow is playing nice? Interestingly, my RDW shot up as soon as I started working night shift...now that I've cut back on my schedule to two nights/week it was normal. Good thing I am starting day shift someday (hopefully) soon!

In other news, made some super delish (but probably a bit too garlicky), faux mashed potatoes using cauliflower. Now, I have tried this concoction in the past, but that was before I welcomed my VitaMix into my family. When I made it before it had an awful, grainy consistency...not anymore! Smooth, creamy and delish! A fabulous substitute for carby potatoes!

So, if you are interested in making them...here is the linky-poo:
Click here for yumminess!

I am so high-tech and awesome, it's scary.

I realized as I was sitting here pondering life and awesomeness, that I probably don't blog as much as I should because I have two different blogs and it's sometimes a hassle to deal with them both. OK, to be fair, I haven't posted to my nursing-related blog since I started working as an actual nurse...see what I mean by hassle?

So, in a sheer move of awesomeness, I merged them together. You now have all my musings in one convenient place. Ta da! And though no one else reads this...it's kind of neat to go back and read everything I've written over the years. Probably what keeping a journal is like, only I suck at keeping journals, too.
_______________________
Good kitty: Had homemade juice with breakfast.
Bad kitty: Did not exercise today, but I'm sick so I get a pass.
Short-Term Goal: Get the office unpacked (did I mention we MOVED???)

Wow, I am really bad at blogging.

I really need to get more stick-to-itiveness in my life...not exactly  my strong suit. Maybe it's that my blog lacks focus (well, is being awesome a focus? If so, then I guess I'm covered), or maybe I just have ADD, or maybe I'm just lazy.

Either way, as the new year rolls around, one can't help but think of ways to make this year better than last year. Essentially the only New Year's Resolution I made was to be as awesome as possible despite this stupid blood disease and the fatigue-inducing medication I take to keep me from keeling over. A big part of that involves making healthier choices overall as I'm sure my craptastic diet as of late is not helping. With that said, I actually JUICED yesterday (and no, I did not take steroids...I made juice!). It has been so long since I used my juicer I almost forgot how to put it together....how sad is that? I also forgot what a holy heck of a mess juicing can be. Regardless, I made some delish juice which I call "Sunrise Juice"....here is the recipe (it's the orange colored juice in this awesome pic):

A fruitful afternoon of juicing! Deee-lish!

Sunrise Juice
4-6 carrots
4 stalks celery
1 lemon
2 apples


As for the PV...been feeling run down for awhile now. In a stroke of sheer genius I realized that interferon therapy and night shift do not mix. I spoke with my oncologist/hematologist dude and he suggested I cut back my work hours while working nights. So that's what I'm doing...and despite having a horrible cold this past week, I can tell I'm going to feel a TON better with this adapted schedule. Hoping to get on day shift soon since I kinda sorta need a full paycheck...organic produce is expensive!

Have an awesome day, all one of you who ever read this!

I've been water boarded.

So today was Bikram Yoga Day 4! Note to self: do not eat pizza on a yoga day. Just don't.

Things went pretty good for the first half of the class...made it through the standing series with only a few eensy weeny breaks. At one point, there was so much sweat pouring off my face, that it went up into my nose during one of the forward bends...since my mind wonders in yoga (because I am a bad yogi), I couldn't help but think of water boarding and other various forms of torture. Torture not unlike what I was, myself, enduring.

But, of course, it is a torture that is self-induced, so I must suck it up and venture on. And venture on I did. But by minute 55 I am wanting to flee. Desperately. I am thinking up strategies to make the last 35 minutes of class go by more quickly. None of them work.

At minute 60, a guy in the corner leaves. I am overwhelmingly grateful for the rush of cool air that sweeps over my body as he opens and closes the door. These small kisses of breathable air are what keep me from vomiting on my Yogitoes/Manduka combo. Secretly I think, "what a wuss."

At minute 65, we lose another one. The teacher asks the student if she can just lie in Savasana, which is answered by a curt "no" and a hasty exit. I once again await the wash of air. Aaaah...at the rate we're going, I might just make it through. After the back bending series, I try to get back into the swing of things, but any posture that compresses my belly brings the nausea back...what the eff is up with Bikram and all this organ massaging? Gah. Slow breath. Deep breath. Bikram obviously did not eat leftover pizza on yoga days. Bikram is obviously smarter than I am. Or maybe they don't eat pizza in India? Not sure if I could eat Indian food on yoga days, either.

I do my best to not stare at the clock as I silently curse Round Table and secretly wish for more students to leave the room. By minute 80, I am home free...just a couple more postures and then I can breathe again, can move again without feeling nauseous, can stand up without seeing spots. Granted, I sat out for most of the floor series, but at least I didn't vomit...and I didn't leave the room.

And yes, I will try again tomorrow.

Hey Hot Mamma!

So if you've been reading my blog (and who hasn't), you will know I started a weight-training routine about 6 weeks ago. Amazingly, I stuck with it religiously for a whole month...woohoo! Then, I went and mucked up my hands at work so I've been basically "hands-free" for the past couple of weeks (though honestly, I think I found some other excuse to stop lifting weights prior to this...can't even remember what it was...ha!). Obviously, I can still type, but can't do any gripping motions at all...kind of necessary for grabbing those dumbbells! Anyway, I knew I needed to exercise but also knew I needed to give my hands a break. A Bikram yoga studio opened up near my house about a year ago and I finally decided to just bite the bullet and go. (Side note: Only a moron decides to start a Bikram practice in the summer.)

Days 1-3
I went for the first time last Friday on the spur of the moment...had about an hour before class started to "pre-hydrate" so it is no surprise that I felt kinda icky through a good portion of the class. I even had some panic moments in the last 25 minutes or so where I felt like I was going to suffocate if I had to breathe that hot-as-hell air for one more second. Needless to say, I spent a good portion of the class lying down or kneeling...hey, I ain't proud!

 The studio owner said the nausea would become less noticeable the more I came to class, and encouraged me to return the next day. I wasn't sold on the idea until (drum roll please....) I woke up that morning with NO PAIN in my hands. Major victory here folks! So, off I went...and it was indeed a much better experience. I still sat out some of the poses, but never had that panic feeling and didn't really feel much nausea either.

 If twice in two days is good...then thee times in three days must be even better...right? I woke up early (around 2:30) and rallied myself to go to the 4:30 class right before work. My original plan was to go right after I got off work and then sleep a peaceful, exhausted sleep. However, this idea was quickly pushed aside in favor of just skipping the yoga and going straight to the sleep part. I'd like to try it sometime though because it was quite the race to get showered, prettied and dressed in time for work...but I made it...soaking wet hair and all! Not sure if going right before work is the best idea as I was EXHAUSTED and feeling sick by 4am. Since I'm on light duty anyway, I decided to take an hour of PTO and ended up leaving work around 5:30am...slept all day today unit 6:30pm.

 My goal is to do as many classes in 10 days as I can...I think I can get 9 classes in if I try my "go after work" experiment on Sunday. If I do that, I can be home and showered by 10am and sleep a solid 6.5 hours. That's plenty, right? That's about all I ever get on work days anyway, and I'm hoping the yoga will help me sleep more deeply. We shall see. OK, it's 12:15 in the morning and I've got plans to hit the 9:15 class...probably should think about sleeping at some point :-)

I have workout ADD

Remember when I said I was going to start Body for Life on Monday? Well, as I was cruising the interwebs looking for information about women and weight training, I came across something awesome. The Venus Index.

The VI is a workout designed to accentuate the female shape...basically the hourglass figure. You do some easy calculations based on how tall you are and voila...it tells you the ideal measurements for shoulders, waist and hips...measurements that correlate to the Golden Mean. Yes, I just got all "da Vinci" on yo ass. Ha.

One of the things I LOVE LOVE LOVE about this program is that the workouts change each time. Yes, there are a general selection of exercises but they get mixed up a bit, poke their heads in here and there. One workout may have you doing Bulgarian Split Squats...another has you doing reverse lunges. It's brilliant because I do not at all like doing the same ol' routine week after week after week.

The program also helps you figure out how many calories you should shoot for each day, and this is where I pouted a bit. I HATE counting calories, hate it hate it hate it. (Yes, that was a temper tantrum). But after seeing the amazing (and I mean AMAZING) transformations of these Venus women, I was sold. We're talking about people who worked out, ran marathons and were still fluffy. They start doing the VI workouts and watching calories and BAM...instant goddess. Well, not instant...but goddess, for sure. We're talking fitness model awesomeness here.

Happily, I found a nifty little app called "My Net Diary" that makes counting calories pretty easy. It even has a barcode scanner function so you can log your packaged items super quick. So far, I dig it. Plus, it's helping me be more accountable. I found that I was reaching for some kind of a snack the other day and thought, "Do I really want to log that?" NOPE...drank some water instead, I think. I eat when I'm bored, so this is a very good thing.

After the first workout I thought I was going to die...the muscle soreness had me walking funny for a couple of days. Powered through the second workout though, and am happy to report that I went on a bike ride today...I thought it might help to work out some of the soreness. We shall see. I've got another resistance workout tomorrow, then two days off. Joy oh joy because I work three in a row this week. Blech. Hard to workout with those long shifts and flipped around schedule.

I guess that's it! Stay tuned for more awesomeness... :-)

Long time no bloggie.

I have admitted it before...I am an awfully inconsistent blogger. And besides, I think I only have one reader (Hi Cher!), so I don't feel that much pressure to update since I chat with said reader on a pretty regular basis. That said, I am going to try to get better at updating this thing as I am really looking for a way to stay motivated as I strive to get as fit and healthy as possible. I have had a bit of a setback in this department, but am starting to get more active again. Now if I could just dust off my juicer all would be bright and sunny. One thing at a time.

As for the stupid ol' bone marrow disorder...platelets at last check were 451! ALMOST there, ya'll! I'll be very happy when they drop below 400, and ecstatic if they ever drop into the 200s...that would be amaaaazing! If they get down to the 200s, I may talk to my hematologist/oncologist about decreasing my Pegasys dose. At the rate I'm going, that may be awhile, but at least I'm not having many side effects from the meds.

Sooooo....on the fitness front, I am starting Body for Life on Monday. I did the program waaaay back in my early 30's or so...I lasted about a month and got totally burned out. Sadly, I took before and during pics, and I could actually see a change. I kick myself all the time for not sticking with it. Anyway, since I know next to nothing about weight training and there is SO MUCH to learn, I figured that starting with BFL would give me a good, basic education and that I can embellish from there.

In other fitness news...I'm currently doing the Couch-to-5K training program and I'm on week 4. My runs this week involve intervals of jogging for 3 mins and 5 mins, with walking in between. I did one yesterday (in the rain, no less!) and it was fine. About 5 workouts from now is the dreaded 20-minute jog...we'll see how that goes.

I have also started climbing again...so much fun! Getting back into the harness was tough...I had to start with the easy easy climbs, but am now back to doing 5.10a and am working on moving up to the 5.10b climbs...in a few weeks I'll be back where I was before, playing on the 5.10c routes. Woo hoo! Now if I could just master those darn overhangs, I'd feel like a stud-ette. The scary thing about the overhangs, is that when you fall off them you swing waaaaay out. Super scary when you're 30-some feet off the ground. Yikes!

Ok...gotta dash and start planning my grocery list and meal plan for my first week of BFL. I need to try to find a way to stay away from the eggs...as I recall I got totally "egged-out" when I attempted this before. Something about eggs stimulates my gag reflex if I have to eat them more than once or twice a week.

Ciao!

Tentatively optimistic...

I went to the lab today, expecting things to be the same...I was actually expecting my hematocrit to be up (no solid reason, just superstitious I guess!). Well....(drum roll), the results are:

Hematocrit: 39.6, down from 40.3
WBC: 7.1, down from 7.4
Platelets: 780, down from 995

WOO HOO! My platelets have not been this low since I was diagnosed!!!!! I am hopeful this means the Pegasys (Interferon) is working at my current dose. I am happily not having ANY side effects from it at all, but don't want to increase my dose either. I would gladly decrease it, though! I've been "conversing" with some people online and sounds like many take half the dose I'm on...that would be amazing!

Ok...I would love to write about all the fabulous stuff I've been doing lately, but I'm sooo tired. I need to go put my feet up and turn my brain off for a bit. Gotta work the next two days, and I need my strength!

Love and hugs to all,
Mo

Yummy cereal and a new veggie!

In my efforts to be as healthy as humanly possible, I went to the farmer's market today in search of delish organic produce. Sadly, most of the farmers at the market use pesticides, making it a not-so-healthy experience after all. I did happen across a couple of organic stands, and picked up something I've never had before...a lemon cucumber! Isn't she pretty?

I am going to try to pick up something new every time I go...I also went to the Co-op and got a few new fruits (I forget what they're called...one is a melon and the other was a type of plum or apricot or pluot...I don't remember, but I'm sure they'll be amazing!). As for the cereal I made today...super delish! Here's the recipe:

Mo's Awesome Breakfast Cereal
1 cup or so of fresh organic berries
1 T freshly ground flax seed
1/4 cup or so of chopped raw walnuts
1 T of hemp seeds
1 T raw shredded coconut
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp cacao nibs (optional)
1/3 cup raw granola (optional)
Almond milk

It's so good! I just realized a drizzle of agave nectar or honey would be super yummy too!

In other news, I took my third shot of Interferon on Friday night. I slept like a rock, then had another loooong nap on Saturday. Happily, I don't work any Saturdays for the next 6 weeks, so I can get a feel for how the medication affects me. If I keep up my napping habit, I'm going to have to tell my manager I can't work Saturdays, but would really rather keep things on the down-low until I get hired into a permanent position.

Off to clean the house before I totally run out of steam!
Mo

Homestead Mo

When one makes green juice, one goes through the vegetables in a big way. For example, my absolute most favorite juice that I would like to drink every day has 4-5 carrots, 4 stalks celery, one apple and one lemon. I am constantly going to the Co-Op for carrots, celery and lemons! I buy the apples in bigger quantities b/c they last a while, but even when I buy the 5 lb bag of carrots, I am still always running to the store! And some juices take a whole head of romaine plus a bunch of other stuff...so while it is a great way to pack in massive amounts of nutrients, it is rather time/money consuming.

So...I am planting vegetables! Tom took out two or three rose bushes that were getting all our great vegetable-growing sun and I planted romaine, broccoli, swiss chard and onion in that spot. Yesterday at Home Depot we bought a wine barrel planter and in that I planted some other lettuce (butter maybe?), chives and some other kind of onion. I also picked up some carrot seeds. I need to find a pot or two and get those babies going...apparently carrots around here do better in pots b/c the soil is so dense.

Once we get our bathroom/plumbing project finished, I'll have another area in the back that gets pretty decent morning sun...might be able to plant something there...not sure. The tree in the yard has gotten so big that it's casting a lot of shade, which would ordinarily be a good thing!

Aaaand, for our anniversary we planted a Meyer Lemon tree...he's a little dwarf tree and so cute! No lemons yet and probably won't get any until the spring, I'm guessing...especially if he gets cold over the winter. He looks pretty hearty though...a fighter! Ha!

There is an awful lot to learn about gardening...it is rather overwhelming. Maybe I'll look for a gardening class somewhere...though there is a ton of information online...where to start? Anyway, I'll take pics in a few weeks once things take hold and start to look less pathetic...they always look so pathetic straight out of the little containers. The chives and onions are all floppy, but I'm sure everything will perk up soon!