Marriages need to be nurtured!

Life can be full of stress. Responsibilities and pressure from running my own business, worring about my aches and pains,  tending to each member of my family and their stressors and thinking how to please friends and other outside family members, well sometimes consumes me. I tend to create a lot of my own pressure and that is harmful to me and my relationships. I am always thinking how to please everyone else. How can I go a little beyond what I really need to do? Half the time no one really notices these extra things I do, so most of the effort is really not worth the stress of doing it.

Yesterday was my 6 th year wedding anniversary and needless to say it got me thinking about the man I married and what marriage is all about. (I know,  I really don’t want to talk about men on this blog….but just this once I promise…. (Smile).

This is my second marriage…..and it is very different experience from my first marriage. I don’t want to compare the two but I am going to say there is this one big difference and that is, I have such a lower stress level in my current marriage. I am comfortable and feel cared for. We love each other in a more mature way and it is a much more soothing and relaxed relationship. He makes me laugh….he can be a very funny guy. I also enjoy spending time with my husband and I enjoy doing things for him, just because I like to make him happy and one more thing….he does spoil me.

Now don’t get me wrong…our marriage is not perfect. Whose is? God knows we get on each others nerves and my hubby can be VERY anal and this quality drives me nuts, and I also wish he were more into sports (he can be a nerd)…..but I love him. We are opposites and I think that is why we work. He keeps me centered and grounded. I like to think I do the same for him too.  He loves and cares about my children and he adores our granddaughter. I thank God every day for him.  I am blessed.

With that said…….I have taken us for granted…..again worrying about others and making sure everybody is okay……wondering what special events to take part in and what relay walk I should do this year among other social fund raisers. I still want to do these things but I need time to nurture my relationship with my spouse and make my marriage my number one priority. Otherwise we will start to take each other for granted and our life together will become a chore. And I still want to laugh with him and enjoy our time together and be in the moment together, instead of thinking about other people and other obligations. So, I am going to try not to go that extra mile with all the little extra things (that really don’t matter anyway ) and take that extra mile with my husband. After all, it will be the two of us together in those rocking chairs looking at the sunset……we might as well enjoy a good laugh together.

Marriages need to be nurtured, whether it be a date night or a weekend getaway, we have to take time to appreciate each other.   Marriages are a bit like  a plant that need both the sunlight and rain…..and sometimes they need a little pruning. Of course I started nurturing  mine by making my hubby a tasty low calorie dessert.

Angel Food Cake Mixed with Canned Pumpkin topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. I know the way to my hubby's heart. Ha Ha!

Stop and Drop It.

No, I don’t mean stop and give me 20 push ups….. Although a little extra exercise wouldn’t hurt. What I am talking about is that salt shaker you keep on your table. We Americans are consuming way too much of it. It’s in almost everything we eat. The average American adult only needs to consume 1500 mg of salt per day. Have you been checking your labels when you shop? If you have, you might notice that those frozen entrees and processed foods are loaded with salt. One frozen meal and a processed muffin will take you way over your daily limit.

We all know that too much salt can lead to high Blood pressure….but did you know it can lead to uncontrolled weight gain even though it has no calories in it? Excess salt can spike your insulin, your body’s fat-storage hormone. That’s how salt packs on more body fat- and you end up weighing more. 
Ever wonder why your rings feel tight or you just feel puffy? It’s all that water retention due to your body holding onto too much sodium (aka salt).

Okay, what we know about salt is…..it can bring out the flavor in foods. So can herbs. Try experimenting with fresh herbs. I am making a special area in my garden that will be full of fresh herbs. The other thing is to train our taste buds to taste what the foods we eat really taste like. Some times we just mask the flavor of our foods with salt and pepper and other condiments. We really should enjoy the foods we eat for their unique flavors.

To flush yourself of the stored sodium in your body try the following diet for three days.

Start by drinking water, if you don’t like the taste of water, you can squeeze a slice of lemon into every 8 oz you drink. You need to drink half the amount of your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 140. Lbs then you need to divide that by 2 and that’s how much water you need to flush your body of that sodium. If you weigh 140 lbs you need to drink 70 ounces of water each day. It's a lot of water so stay by a bathroom.

Next, Cut down (don’t eliminate) on your carbohydrate intake. Complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables are the only carbohydrates that you should eat during this three-day salt flush. Forget the bread and pasta. Every pound of carbs stored in your body hold 2 or 3 pounds of water and it is this water that holds the excess salt. Thus, the practice of eating high-protein foods low in carbs, such as lean meat, oatmeal and brown rice, assist the entire process of drinking great amounts of water to purify the body system of excess sodium. Make sure you eat naturally low sodium or sodium free foods. So remember to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I love plenty of fresh fruits and veggies.

Last thing is to sweat out the excess salt. For the three-day flush, choose to exercise aerobically. Take a nice fast pace walk if you can….or dance. Just start sweating. Alternatively, you can choose to haunt a sauna daily. Stay in the sauna long enough to break a sweat. I have to set up my bathroom and make a homemade sauna. I will give directions on this soon.

After 3 days go back to drinking your 8 glasses of water per day and stay within your 1500mg of sodium per day……your going to feel great! No more puffy fingers.

Now put down that salt shaker and take a drink a water!   

Tea Time

I am sitting here quietly enjoying my special tea that my husband bought for me…..(he knows how much I enjoy it) and what better a time to reflect on my health status and where I stand then right now.
Sometimes I have to stand back and take a good hard look at where I am, because I know that at times some of my old habits start to creep back into my life and I worked too dam hard for that to happen…..so this is what I have observed.
I have enjoyed way too many sweets in the past few days, so I need to get the sugar out of my system. This is harder to do then I thought. Once that sugar envelopes every cell in my body, it takes a while to get it out. Also, once my sugar levels are all over the place it takes a few days to settle them down and I can get real grumpy and crabby during this process.
I thought I would start by checking out the house and make sure there is nothing here to binge on……. Because once the sugar is in me, the binge monster wakes up. And God knows how much I despise that binge monster. So, I will eliminate the few sugary treats that walked into my house today. I really have no idea where those tempting treats came from….ha ha.
I notice that whenever I go on a sugar kick, I don’t drink half the amount of water that I normally do. This makes things even worse. My poor body is saying to me……Knock it the hell off and get back on track. So I am listening and I started my day with a nice healthy bowl of fruit with two slices of multi grain toast and a cup of low fat soy milk. I am off to a good start and I will continue on this path today.
It takes a lot to get your life on a healthy path and like any path in life, sometimes we fall off the path or we try another path, but we eventually get back to where we need to be. My goal is to live a healthy lifestyle and hopefully and naturally shed a few pounds in the process. At this time that is not my main goal, but hopefully an automatic secondary goal. Today I am recommitting to myself and I will keep telling myself that I can be a healthy Diva.  Today I feel positive and I love the feeling that positivity plays in my life.  Enjoy your day.

Conversation Heart Hand Soaps

I decided to try to make Valentine hand soaps in the shape of conversation hearts. I thought these would be nice to give away for Valentine’s Day.
For this project I used:

Clear glycerin Melt and Pour Soap (from any craft supply store)
Felt in multiple colors
Acrylic Paint in pink and white
Small thin paint brushes

Rose liquid fragrance for soap (or any scent that you like)

Vera had to get in on the action



I started by cutting out a heart template using a large heart cookie cutter as well as a tiny one too. Cut out as many hearts as your heart desires... Use a good sharp set of scissors for this. 

Now using the acrylic paint and a small brush, paint conversation heart sayings on  your hearts.   I left a few blank but go ahead and paint them all if you want too.  The acrylic paint needs to dry completely before you go to the next step.  Acrylic is only water soluble when it is wet.  After the paint dries, you don't have to worry about it washing off on your hands.

Put some chunks of the glycerin soap in a microwave safe bowl. Lay out several sheets of aluminum foil or wax paper for a drying area, and have ready your scent drops and a spoon for stirring. Microwave the soap on high in your microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each session, until most of the soap has turned to liquid. The heat from the bowl will melt any small pieces left as you stir it.
Once it is melted, add a few drops of scent. I used Rose scent because I thought it would be the most appropriate for Valentines Day, but any scent or no scent is fine.

Now place a heart in the bowl, allowing it to soak up the liquid soap and lift it out with a spoon. Drain for a moment and then place it on your aluminum foil to dry.
I found that one dip in the soap gives it a slightly textured look to the top due to the texture of the felt. If you want them totally smooth, then redip after they have dried. The second layer will be smooth. Keep in mind that if you decide to do this, they will be multiple-use soaps because there will be plenty there for several hand washings. Not necessarily a bad thing.

 They take about 5-10 minutes to totally dry. Then peel them off the foil and use a set of scissors to trim any excess off the edges. These little soaps can be stored in your purse in a zip lock bag and used as you need them. Once the soap is used up, the felt inside can be used as a little heart-shaped wash cloth and then thrown away. And they look very cute in the bathroom.
I plan on putting different colored ones in cellophane bags and presenting them to my friends and relatives on Valentines Day. Shhh...don't tell!

I hope you enjoyed this little Valentine Craft.  I am going to try to do a few more activities like this as well as all my healthy life style tips.  After all, we Diva's need to be well rounded and that means enjoying our hobbies too.   Have a Lovely Week!

Our Prayers Have Been Answered !

Vera made it through her surgery and is home already.

Our Vet said she has never seen anything quite like Vera's insides. She said, that despite  everything being the way it was inside Vera, her organs all looked good.  So hopefully, Vera will be able to live her life healthy but with some crazy insides. Maybe this is "Her Normal".  We are happy and relieved.  Now, let's see how long she can go with her cone on around her head.   Ha, Ha, Ha !