FullaBella's Journal, 02 May 2017

Hello Tuesday, if only Saturday were as quick and prompt to appear as you. It’s not that I wish my life away but weekends are the only days I’m able to take a little nap to replace the 6 out of the recommended 8 hours of sleep I don’t get nightly during the week.

I took three spa baths this weekend - at home - to compensate for not going to Hot Springs. Last night I soaked in ‘magnesium chloride flakes’ acquired at Whole Foods Market. I’d driven the 45 minutes to get there (as we don’t have one local) primarily for horseradish root ( hoping for more variety and better quality than what I picked up locally Saturday) and a fairly full basket later walked out with HRadish and more.

I love WFM. If you’ve never been to one I highly recommend you go at least once. It’s so so different that any other store I’ve encountered in terms of friendly staff who actually take you to the product rather than sending the customer on a wild good chase. Of course, it doesn’t have the label ‘Whole Paycheck’ for nothing. Pricy. But I’ll say this… I’ve never been in there and seen people in their pajamas or had to endure a crying baby. WFM doesn’t just feed with good food, they kind of feed my soul…. If you’ve been you’ll understand.

So I finally figured out, as usual, I was ‘doing it wrong’ when it came to using my nutribullet as a juicer. I loved that the finished product included the whole veggie - no wasted pulp. I didn’t love so much that my juice seemed so pulpy and did not look anything like photographs. I finally figured out: 1) I wasn’t processing it long enough and 2) the Bullet has an auto shut off after 60 seconds. Utilizing those two features I was 1) able to put stuff away while it processed and 2) finally have a juice instead of a pulp. Thank you YouTube.

Grace rode to WFM with me - our first ‘together’ since her criticism of me on return from San Antonio. A little stiff. We’ve phoned and emailed but the in person part was a little different. She was on a quest for mustard bath. I picked up a couple of packets to try as she endorsed it so much but she just kept saying ‘it opens your pores’. I guess that’s a cheaper way than sitting in a Sauna. I may try it tonight.

I did my first castor oil treatment Friday. Observation: Messy and Complicated. Results: none noticed just yet. I suppose expecting to wake twenty pound lighter and looking ten years younger was a bit unrealistic. Resetting expectations. Seriously was expecting a reduction in the abdominal swelling and less tactile pain from being touched.

I picked up a food processor this weekend. I’ve never had one. But the older I get the less I want to chop and dice things by hand. Maybe I’m preparing for a toothless future of pureed foods.

I used it to make that ‘banana strawberry ice cream’. I’m convinced people who post these ‘quick and easy’ recipes on the internet with their easy breezy demonstrations are the same folks who photoshop women for magazine covers. The finished product just doesn’t exist in real life; at least not with the instructions received. There is always ‘some’ little step not listed but I eventually figure it out later how they got ‘theirs’ to look that way. That’s when I utter the B word. If you’re gonna post the ‘how to’ post it all…. Stop holding out on us. Meanie. Regardless, take it from me. Where the instructions read ‘let freeze one hour’ they should add ‘and ONLY one hour… so this is a dessert you make for that night unless you want to have to microwave the banana brick for consumption’.

There are times when I wonder if my account here was hacked. I was about to enter “Moringa Morning Energy Shot” into the food database when I noticed a listing under my custom foods: Energy Balls. I have no idea what that is or even recall it much less entering it. Weird.

Apparently veggie juice or some ingredient in it doesn’t hold over very well. I will someday learn to make ‘just enough’ as I couldn’t stand the taste of the leftovers from yesterday. However, my Home Chef meal last night was the Fig Glazed Pork Tenderloin with roasted vegetables (onion, brussels sprouts and carrots) made for a decent lunch of leftovers today. I’ve been reducing consumption bit by bit and am able to get four meals out of the general two meal recipe.

Last night I picked up Mushy’s water dish (to inhibit the two hour potty trips all night) after reading several endorsements of doing so at dog forums. But when she woke me at 11pm for a potty trip then looked so confused and hurt (yes, I humanize my dog) at being unable to find her water I couldn’t go back to sleep. I suppose if I’d trained her this way from a pup it may be easier but to just spring it on her at nearly 9 years old seemed cruel. So plan B was to put down a dish with a small amount of water and ice cubes. Not totally restrict her but stop giving her the large bowl as she’s always had.

But that was at 4am and I had half a bagel with peanut butter hoping a little comfort food would help me go back to sleep. I did, off and on. But still not enough. I’ve read how lack of sleep affects blood sugar and contributes to this abdominal fat. I cannot help but wonder how flat my stomach would be if I got the sleep my body needs. I won’t deny I’ve been watching the clock pretty heavy today.

I reserved a cabin in the Ouachita mountains for Blondie and myself next weekend - a mother’s day slash my birthday combination. I just reserved an ATV for us as well. Here’s praying for decent weather and safe travels.

The Grandson’s girlfriend situation is worse. She was arrested last night when the police were called out on domestic violence between she and her mother (her and her mother?? Grammar, grrr) but not because of the disturbance but rather because of three outstanding warrants for traffic violation. GS still refuses to see her for what she is; I keep telling him ‘Not your Monkey, Not your Circus’ but he won’t face up and call it quits. Pray, pray, praying for him.