Oh am I excited! Bob's Produce Ranch just opened up across the River from us (right next to a new Dunn Brothers Coffee Shop) and I raided it. I got TONS of fresh produce for meals that will hopefully last the week. They have such a variety and most of it is pick-out-your-own. I got a pound of strawberries and some rhubarb stalks for a pie I want to attempt. Hopefully I can make jelly with any leftovers. I love rhubarb and have great childhood memories of going over to the neighbors with a dish of sugar and eating it out of their patch! I love the zingyness of it. It's making my mouth water just writing about it!

I also got a few HUGE apricots, nectarines, pears, peaches, raspberries, apples, lettuce, HUGE MN homegrown tomatoes, scallions, potatoes, cukes...and a lot more! I'm tellin' ya, I took a little bit of everything home and I spent hardly anything comparatively. They have a butcher shop, a bakery and a deli too. I got some fresh natural chicken breasts and a couple leg/thigh pieces (89 cents/lb!) and ground turkey. We grilled the legs/thighs with a little garlic, lemon and dill. It was accompanied by some fresh steamed green beans and Pink Lady apple slices w/caramel dip! Oh we are gonna eat well this summer!

There were so many goodies to be had and I spent well under my budget. Now that's a good shopping day!

:)

Lately, every time I have sat sown at the computer there's been an interruption. OR, I just haven't found the time to post anything! Love is off at youth camp and Asa is at work. The phone hasn't rung yet. I'm not hungry and I've gone to the bathroom. I am strapped to my chair and ready for some power blogging!!!

I have been miserable the past few days. I hadn't realized my last visit to the chiropractor had been almost a month ago! Bad Traci! I was a draggin' bag 'o bones when I crawled through the office door yesterday. Migraines, nausea, tingling limbs, shooting pains, the works! Sometimes I just get into this pattern of 'oh, it's not that bad', 'I can wait a little longer', 'oops, I forgot to make an appointment', 'I'd rather buy this right now instead of pay for the chiropractor' and so on. I really think I learned my lesson this time. I have NEVER been that out of place! We're talking ribs, shoulders, jaw, knees, ankles, elbows, wrists, neck, back, everything! And today, I feel MUCH better. Yes, my muscles are a bit sore, but I have use of my body back! I just thank the Lord for Christian chiropractors/doctors! I would surely be a wreck!

I now know I can't skip my 'date w/the doc'. I'll just have to figure out something as far as a budget plan for it. It's not terribly expensive, but our new insurance has a $2500 deductible for chiropractic care-ouch! If I save the receipts and then once we reach that deductible goal send them in, it will be paid for. At that point, they'll have to have a bat on hand to keep me away! Of course Love will be thrilled because she won't have to beg me to take her! She likes going and definately benefits from the visits. She sleeps better, at least for a while.

Ok, I'm off. I think I need something to eat now. I'm feeling a wee bit whoozy. I've been eyeing this granola bar for a few minutes now and I'm feeling faint...

Blessings,

Traci :) 

Here's the breaking news from fellow HSBlogger Mamatc:

Ok, so I have been wanting to walk this week. Even my DD has been asking to go out and walk! (That my friends is just short of a miracle-just ask Ali!) I get up in the morning and pump myself up only to look out the window and what do I see? Cold, wet, overcast weather. Hello spring in MN! It really does get better-honest! We have some of the greenest grass this side of Ireland! Just not yet.

So that is why my turtle A) is a turtle, not a rabbit and B)has not moved in a while. I REALLY want to update that ticker!!! 

Oh well, C'est la vie...

 I have been doing really good as far as drinking water though. Now, I am at the point that I feel dry if I don't drink, I can tell I need and drink and keep my cup near me most of the time. I'm up to 45-60 ounces a day or so. I think I may retire that ticker after this last round. Maybe. It's still a good reminder.

Well, have a great weekend. We are having top sirloin and jumbo shrimp on the grill tonight! I figured we'd splurge a little while longer-until we have so many children it won't be as practical. Then again, who says it has to be that way? We can substitute the price of a dinner at a restaurant (noisy, long wait, questionable atmosphere, ever increasing prices, etc...) for steak and shrimp picked up at the grocery store, with the family together at home. If you do it right, it could actually be cheaper.

Anyhoooo, until next time...

Many Blessings,

Traci :)  

As you may have noticed I have a new ticker. I decided to track walking around my block instead of how much weight I was supposed to lose.  It was just too painful to see the 'pound meter' not moving.

Besides, the weather is nicer now, so I will be able to go outside to get some exercise. This will be a lot easier to attain and my DD will be right alongside me. So, in essence, we'll be doing it together and we'll be able to chat along the way. (That counts for Gym, right?)

I'm not sure how often I'll update the ticker, maybe every 10 blocks or so. I have to build up my stamina because right now I have NONE, but I do have asthma. I've let that hold me back for too long. Far, far too long. 

I'll just pace myself and overcome 2 weaknesses with one activity--weight loss and breathing(lung capacity)!

It will be a good time for both of us. Our winter coats are getting heavy and the weather has been getting lighter. Time for a change! Definately, definately time!

Traci :)

I have a terrible drinking problem. The problem is I don't drink ENOUGH. Water that is. So, I have joined w/my friend Ali(dawilli) in the quest for the optimal hydration factor! YES!

(This is what I look like and feel like when I forget to drink water:  )

It's quite sad really. The planet is 2/3 water and I can't even remember to take a sip! I live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes (actually 11,283-roughly) for crying out loud! There are constant reminders of water, yet I fail to partake! Well, me and my little fishy ticker are embarking on the journey to overcome! With the help of my DD and DH I WILL SUCCEED!!!

(Trust me, I will solicit the Lord for help too.)

That and weight loss...(cringe-see first smiley above for 'feeling' reference)

I really need some of that too. Well, I guess technically LESS of that. My eating problem is that I don't eat enough! How ironic is that? I'm overweight, but I don't eat right so my body thinks I'm starving it (I have NO idea how it figures that!) and so it covets my body fat therefore it just stays there in all it's-chubbiness. At least someone wants it!

I added a ticker for that too. Maybe the pressure of others seeing my progress ticker will spur me on to lose those stubborn pounds! Plus I wanted to use that cute little ladybug for something...

Trying to stay focused and light-hearted about it all,

Traci :)