Back in Black...

Hello there!



If you've been following this blog you may have noticed that I've been missing in action for a while. While I won't bore you with the reasons I will tell you why today I've decided to return.

Originally I started this blog because I was loosing my memory. It came to the point where I couldn't remember the conversation I had just five minutes earlier and in some cases even who I had spoken to.

So, I did what I always do when I have a problem --I googled it.

What I learned from the All-Knowing-Google-God was that there are ways to reverse memory loss and increase your brain processes, making yourself smarter.

In essence I learned that memory loss, in my case, happens when your brain gets bored. You do the same thing over and over again until you are on autopilot. Even something complicated and initially exciting can get put into your brain's slush pile once you can do it with a blindfold and one hand somewhere near your posterior.

The skinny of it is that your brain wants to be entertained by seeing, hearing, and experiencing new things even if it is really difficult and no so much fun-- it thrives on the New.

To this end I began writing a blog and brushing my teeth with the opposite hand, and taking coconut oil and researching things for my blog and guess what? It worked. I began to recall things that happened a week ago, including details of where I was at the time.

Looking back, this blog has been about increasing brain function and becoming healthy. I've shared strange if not funny stories, recounted past pains, given healthy, mind-strengthening recipes, vented, shared new things I learned and, encompassing all, tried to give new perspectives.

And then I got busy with life, but today I have something new to blog about.

Just like the majority of America I am conscious of the fact that I am obese and I am sick of it.  I have been for a while, but again I got busy with life. Today, I have come to the decision that being healthy is not a destination, it is part of the journey. So, I am making it part of my life. Not a diet, not a program, not a weight--loss scheme--although, admittedly, being a size 7 again was the original and main ambition and still is the prize I get for being good to my body. Being heavy limits so many things in my life. I wasn't always this way and though it began with a medical condition that really jacked up my whole system's way of processing food, I can and will be healthy again AND LOve the way I feel and look.

This is the beginning. I hope you Enjoy!...


Oh, I kind of neglected to mention the reason for the title. Back in 2000 on New Years Eve I wore a little black dress suit. I plan to wear it again by my next birthday August 23, 2012.  This will be the story of how I get there.


(I will post a picture of the dress soon.)

Cantaloupe! Read NOW it could save your life!

Twelve people have died from Listeria contamination within the past week from eating cantaloupe produced by Jensen Farms in Colorado.

If you have purchased cantaloupe from Jensen Farms throw it away NOW!
If you have eaten any cantaloupe from Jensen farms go to the hospital NOW!
If you have purchased cantaloupe, but are not sure if it was from Jensen Farms throw it away NOW!

If you have eaten any cantaloupe from an unknown orign and you have the sympoms below go to the hospital NOW!


SYMPTOMS OF LISTERIA
Listeria symptoms appear anywhere between 3 and 70 days after infection, but usually around 21 days later. Typical symptoms include:

Fever
Muscle aches
Nausea or diarrhea (less common)
If infection spreads to the central nervous system, symptoms can include:

Headache
Stiff neck
Confusion
Loss of balance
Convulsions



Symptoms for Pregnant Women and Newborns

Infected pregnant woman experience mild, flu-like symptoms. However, infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, infection of the newborn, or stillbirth. Symptoms usually appear in newborns in the first week of life, but can also occur later on. A newborn’s Listeria symptoms are often subtle, and include irritability, fever, and poor feeding.

Symptoms for those with Weakened Immune Systems

If a patient has a weak immune system, Listeria bacteria can invade the central nervous system and cause meningitis or a brain infection.

http://www.foodborneillness.com/listeria_food_poisoning/

Coconut oil: Ways to add it to your diet! Super Food Toast recipe!

Reversal of Alzheimers
Improved memory
Healthy skin and hair
Destroys listeria
Anti-microbial
Healing of bruises

These are just some of the reasons I mentioned in the previous blog, Coconut Oil! Why you should be taking it! In that blog I asked you to start thinking about adding it to your diet. In an effort to support your decision to include this miracle super food into your daily routine I have added a very simple way to get your daily does in the morning. This is a great recipe for people who do not like the taste of coconut. the preserves mask any of the taste. Plus as you eat the toast the oil really makes your lips soft and a bit fuller. If you get any on your skin jsut rub it in . It is am amazing moisturizer!

Super Food Toast

Choose a healthy whole wheat bread. Make sure you are comparing the nutrition information. I think many people believe jsut because it says Whole Wheat or Heart Healthy or Lite that it is supposed to be the best in calories, fat and sugar,. However, those same people would be shocked to see that some whole wheat breads are actually higher in all counts than the dreaded white bread. Though I am NOT promoting white bread as an alternative to wheat because it is worse for your system I would encourage you to be smart about choosing between the available whole wheat breads.

You will need

1 slice whole wheat, toasted.
1 Tbsp sugar free preserves- not filled with a substitute sweetener, unless it is xylitol or stevia
2 Tbsp coconut oil

Toast bread.

Spread Coconut oil onto bread while still warm.
Notice that it is thick when cold or room temp. Once you begin to spread it over the toast it will melt. It does not make the toast soggy. It acts somewhat like butter.

Once it is partially soaked into the bread spread the preserves and Enjoy!

If you have any recipes that will help others get coconut oil into their daily diet please share them in the comments!

More Classic Hallows Eve Movies!

These are some more Cult Classic movies that I get inspired to watch around the Hall-o-ween season. These are unlike the previous list in which I listed humorous and spooky. The below list is not absent of humor, but have more of a horror element meant for more mature audiences. Hope you Enjoy!

Ladye Hawke
Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeffier and Rutger Hauer...




Silver Bullet
Corey Haim...


Pet Sematary


Mr. Frost
Super creepy Jeff Goldblum as the devil...



Prophecy
Vigo Mortensen before Lord Of the Rings as Lucifer and Christopher Walken as the wayward angel gabriel...



Angel Heart
Robert Deniro as Lucifer and Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel...

Warning Spoiler!


The Crow



American Werewolf in London


Constantine


Brahm Stokers Dracula
Keanu Reeves, Gary Oldman, Wiona Ryder and Anthony Hopkins, talk about sexy...



HP Lovecrafts Necrinomicon

Wolfen


The Company of Wolves


Bad Moon


The Ninth Gate
Johnny Depp...


Once Bitten
Back when no one had heard of Jim Carey yet...



Legend
Before Tom Cruise showed us his crazy...



Willow
Val Kilmer at his hottest...



Krull

Harvest Chicken and Coriander Cream Sauce Recipe!

Missionaries came over for dinner again. Here is what I made for dinner.


Harvest Chicken
Chicken breasts
Pumpkin Butter
Muenster Cheese

Enough Coriander powder to sprinkle over chicken
Salt to season


Preheat oven to 350 F
Grease baking dish.

Flatten Chicken.

Season chicken with salt. Spread pumpkin butter on one side of chicken, lightly sprinkle with coriander and cover with cheese.

Roll chicken and spread pumpkin butter on top. Bake for 30- 40 minutes. or until thoroughly cooked.

 Remove from oven and drizzle juices over top of chicken. Enjoy!

Coriander Cream Sauce

1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Salt
4 oz Cream Cheese
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp butter

In sauce pan over medium heat melt butter in milk. Add cream cheese and whisk till melted.
Whisk in yolks one at a time until thickened. Add coriander and serve in gravy boat.

Sunday: Fast Testimony

On the first and fifth Sunday of each month the congregation is given the chance to come up and bear their testimony of their faith and belief int he gospel. This ritual is one of the ways that we support each other and edify our faith. Typically, each person will say that they know Jesus is our savior and died for our sins so that we could be sin-free or that the gospel is true. For those of you who were not able to attend today, I have listed below the testimonies that stuck out in my mind. There were several great ones that left me with the spirit, but I cannot recall the words. What I have written is of course not verbatim, but it is how I remember it. Some of these you will be able to tell are from children. Enjoy!

I've been coming to church since I was born. So, for me it is just a natural routine for me to get up and come on Sunday, there is a comfort in that. But, I do know that it is not that easy for everyone. And some of you may feel that you don't want to be here. It may not be easy or comfortable for you to walk through those doors, but you came anyway.  Out of all the places that you could be today you chose to be here with us. Out of all the many fun things that are out there that you could be doing you chose to be here today. I would like to thank you for that Because when you come you give the rest of us inspiration and the comfort of hope.


I know that Jesus was born and came to the earth and performed miracles including giving his life so that we may be free of sin. What this means is that through repentance every mournful thing you've done in the past is forgiven and forgotten by God and by ourselves. It is to be as if it never happened and can not be held against you. What a miraculous gift to receive.

New-borns are God's way of saying that the earth isn't done yet, it will go on- Henry Wadsworth?

When Niche said his infamous quote, "God is Dead" that wasn't something he necessarily believed; he was talking about society. We need to get better at helping each other have hope.

When I come to church it makes me feel good, even when I'm grounded.

I know God is real because why else would there be a church and why else would we be here? He may not be here in everyone of us all the time, but he is here and it makes me feel better. i wish I had more to say, but I don't sooo.....

While talking to my husband about the missionaries, I forgot that I still had on the headgear from the video game I was playing. Suddenly, I found myself talking about my beliefs with people I had never met--while playing a video game! Missionary work can happen in the most unlikely scenarios.

It brings me comfort to know that our families are eternal.

I knew the book was true the moment I laid my hand upon it; I had this overwhelming experience wash over me; I still get that feeling.

You can find happiness when you serve others. When my grandson calls me up and I ask him how he's doing, sometimes he will reply, "I'm bored" and then I'll say. "Then go out and do some service for someone." Young people these days need a good sense of service, sitting around and lounging about saying their bored gets them nowhere.  In service you will find joy.

I can always tell when God wants me to get up here and speak. It's like he gives me the choice between having a heart-attack or speaking; I choose life.

How to bleach whites that have some color on them!

My brother regretfully used my favorite tea towels to mop up the leak that spouted from the under the kitchen sink due to a broken gasket. Years of rust or grime or whatever else may have been under the duct tape-- which the previous owners must have jerry-rigged-- got all over my WHITE tea towels and stained them! Argh!

Well, the obvious fix would be to soak them in some bleach until the stains come out, right? There is just one problem with that.  One of the reasons why I love these tea towels is because they were hand-detailed with a novel little square of very colorful fabric-- and we all know that bleach is the enemy of color.

So, I put my genius cap on and actually found a way to bleach the white part without damaging the colored part or having to hold the colored part out of the bleach!

You will need:

A basin of COLD water
1/4 cup of bleach
Dawn dish soap or other dish de-greaser soap
Crisco or other shortening ( butter-flavored is not required, that is just all I had on hand)

Okay, so here is the stained tea towel that normal stain-fighting agents refused to remove.

Take the shortening and liberally cover all the colored places. Rub it in and then coat again.

Turn the item over and do the other side.You don't want the bleach to soak in through the back and bleach out your color from the backside.

Fill basin with water and add bleach. Carefully submerge the entire item and let set for as long as it takes. Do NOT move the item about of swish it around. You risk removing the shortening that is protecting your color. It took about six hours of soaking for my tea towels.

Remove the item and rinse with cold water. Using dawn dish soap wash off the shortening. Wring out water and air dry.

Here are my tea towels after bleaching for 6 hours! Beautiful and just as colorful.

Okay, so here is my tea towel