Sugar withdrawal or "hand over the pie" blues

Okay so it's been well over a month since I've eaten sweets. No cookies, candy, dessert, cake, pie, no chocolate Easter bunny .

No bunny cake

No chocolate cake

No key lime pie

Actually, it hasn't been that hard. I figure that it's a good thing for my body to not have refined sugar. My psyche is another thing. My anxiety level had skyrocketed (!) and I wonder if it was from sugar withdrawal.

On another subject, these braces are driving me crazy. I was using my finger to apply some anti-sensitive paste to my teeth , and sliced my finger open on one of the wires! It was a pretty deep cut, too. Bled like crazy. And I thought, "this is in my MOUTH?" On the brighter side, my teeth are shifting already. I can see a definite difference. So my smile will be lovely but the insides of my cheeks will be in shreds!

Home Again

Hooray! Larry made it home safe and sound Easter Sunday by 3:30 or so. We had a lovely dinner here with good friends and their two little girls, who were just so excited to come over. I asked the six year old what her favorite food was and she said, "ham and steak." But ham was first on her list. Good thing I made ham!!

My computer is giving me fits, so I'm using Larry's. Any advice about which computer out there is a good buy? I'm ready to throw mine out the window.

Stuck in Madison

Poor Larry. He was supposed to come home last night from his latest trip to Wisconsin. But there he sits in his hotel room because of that dang weather yesterday in Detroit and Chicago and who knows where else. There were so many flights cancelled that he can't even get out today. He has to wait until Sunday to get a flight home . So tomorrow is Easter and no Larry until later in the afternoon. Add that to my list of things that make me sad.

One more thing that makes me sad - bad dreams. I have had a few this week. And Thursday morning at 5:45 I woke up out of deep, deep sleep hearing my mother-in-law calling my name. If she needs us, she will go to the bottom of our stairs and call up to the bedroom. But she wasn't there. So I went downstairs to see if she was all right and sure enough, she was just fine. She was in the bathroom and all was well. So I wandered around the house looking for some reason that I was woken up and nothing. I said a prayer to please let me know if there was something wrong and nothing. So I flopped on the couch and fell back to sleep almost immediately and slept for two more hours. What the heck.

I am in a blue funk today. But the sun is shining and that's a good thing when it's 25 degrees out!

Brother Love

This is a picture taken in Wilkes-Barre PA in 2005, of the man that has held my heart even longer than Larry. I first saw Neil Diamond in 1971 (most of you weren't even BORN then!)
Since then, Pam (who is my best and eternal friend in all the world) and I, have been to I don't know how many concerts. 20 maybe? We last saw him in Wilkes-Barre in Dec 2005. We were pretty close to the stage that time, although we have been as close as third or fourth row. That's when it's hard to even breathe because he is right there! He hasn't toured in a couple of years so we are anxiously awaiting word of new U.S. tour. Then we get on our traveling shoes and try to hit at least a couple of concerts here in the east. In the meantime I sit here in the office surrounded by pictures of family, doula babies and a poster of Neil himself. I guess we never get too old for music to thrill our hearts.

More trivia

Things that make me happy:

Larry coming home
new shoes
white pizza
a great birth
homegrown, fresh tomatoes
when the plane lands safely
watching American Idol
e-mail
a great haircut
finding an ancestor
clothes that fit
people that love me!


Some things that make me sad:

broccoli
a slow computer
the cat waking me up too early
bad smells
mean people
stuck up people
arrogant people
worms on the driveway
the end of a great vacation
feeling too tired
feeling too hungry
feeling too full

New callings

Now that we are back in the ward, Larry has been called as the ward employment specialist which he really likes. He's good at helping people with resumes and goals and interviewing, as well as learning about new job opportunities. AND he's been called to be the executive secretary for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. So he's just a busy beaver.

Me? Nothing yet. It is VERY weird not having a calling but I know it is coming someday. In the meantime, I am enjoying Relief Society and Gospel Doctrine classes for the first time in seven years! I had been having fun in the young women and primary presidencies and the nursery for all those years. The RS presidency asked me to substitute teach one of the Joseph Smith lessons and I LOVE doing that. Teaching in RS is one of my favorite things to do.

Spring is coming, the snow is melting, the birds are singing and I am SO ready for lovely weather!

Sicilian cannolis and old friends

My friend (Mary G.) and I were having lunch and relaxing by the sea in the northern Sicilian town of Cefalu. Cannolis have been a favorite sweet since I was a kid, so I had been anticipating trying a real Sicilian one. Here it is. Mary snapped this as I was taking my first bite. It was so good that my innards were bouncing with joy.

This was taken in the vital records office in a town called Termini Imerese, where my great-grandmother was born. The officials were looking up the family information in the original books that I have only dreamed of seeing. They showed me where it says the street on which she was born and we went there. It is called Via Stenio. Here it is. Can you imagine how I felt seeing the street where she grew up?!!

On a different subject, last week featured a happy reunion with old friends! We reconnected with the Blair family which was just the nicest and happiest thing that has happened in a long time. Rob had been a missionary here in the early 90's and his mother let us kind of "adopt" him! So we had a grand reunion on the phone after his mom tracked us down. HI GUYS!! I am waving to all of you!! ^^^^^^^^^

Sicily

Oops, I promised Sicily pictures last time and posted Rome. HERE are some from that beautiful island - bella Sicilia!!






These are from an ancient town called Segesta - it was founded around 400 B.C., destroyed by the Vandals and features an outstanding Doric temple ruin. In the picture above, you can just barely see the temple. This place was our first stop in Sicily and I could not believe how absolutely gorgeous the land is. My grandmother who was born in Sicily used to tell me about the beauty there, but seeing it for myself just about knocked me out.

This is what remains of an ampitheater in Segesta. That's me, pretending to be non-chalant while inside I was just bouncing.

Italy

Here are some more pictures of Italy -

This one is of the Tiber River and the oldest bridge in Rome



And there is me in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, just absolutely thrilled to be there!

Sunday evening

What a nice day. Read the Ensign this morning, good meetings at church, lovely choir practice, home the rest of the day........chilly, but the sun was out, it's feeling a little like spring, but no crocuses yet, Carol!

Off to the orthodontist tomorrow to get these braces tightened for the first time. Yikes!

I cut out refined sugar and sweets the past few days. My body is telling me it's happier. I'm not achy in the morning when I don't eat the white stuff. I made an outstanding shake today, made with frozen bananas, a few frozen blueberries, some soy yogurt, a little cashew butter, flax seed and a coconut covered date. It was so yummy good! I made one for Larry too, although his consisted of frozen bananas, fresh pineapple, protein powder and milk. That was VERY delicious, too. (I took a sip.)

Lately, I've been thinking of my trip to Italy two years ago. This is Mt. Vesuvius from our hotel in Sorrento. I'll post more pictures from time to time. It was a dream trip. I'll post some beautiful pictures from Sicily next time.

Dessert, fires and braces

1. Dessert - went to Phillip's European with doula friends last night. Oh my. I had a half slice of the Viennese Strawberry Torte and a half slice of the Austrian Chocolate Torte. The half slices are the way to go. That way you get to taste TWO luscious desserts for the price of one! Such a deal.

2. Fires - had to do a damage assessment yesterday for an apartment fire. Once again, it's the candles that can do you in. It's true when they say NEVER leave a candle unattended. Anyway, the leader filled out an evaluation on me and wrote that I kept the fire client "calm and focused." That's exactly what we do as doulas - we help keep the mom in labor calm and focused!!!! It is so amazing to me to see how sometimes the skills we learn can be beneficial in other areas of life. Very cool.

3. Braces - good grief these things are poking holes in my cheeks. I went back to the orthodontist so they could use the wire cutters to save me. But on the bright side, after only one month I see how my teeth are shifting already. I should quit complaining though. They really aren't THAT bad. Just a little bad.

Books and gratitude

Nothing earth shaking to write about. I just want to say how much I love to read and how grateful I am for my eyesight that allows me to read. One of my favorite things to do is curl up on the couch or in bed, with a page turner, (and Larry!) It is just such a gift to be able to read.

Many, MANY years ago there was TV show called "The Twilight Zone." It was pretty creepy sometimes. I so vividly remember an episode called "Time Enough at Last."It starred an actor named Burgess Meredith who played a man with really thick glasses, basically blind without them. All he ever wanted to do was read, but never had enough time. He disliked people because they kept him from his books. He just wanted to be left alone to read. Anyway, when a bomb devastates his city, he is at first filled with despair because he is the only one left. But when he finds the library and realizes that he now has all the time in the world to read and no one to bother him, he is overjoyed! Then he breaks his glasses and cannot see to read. He falls to the steps of the library, weeping.

An ending like that never leaves you. It made me want to be always grateful for my blessings.

Worldwide Sisterhood and new stake boundaries

As some of you may know, I am part of the birth doula certification committee for DONA International. Because of that, I get to talk with doulas from around the world as they work towards becoming certified. The other day I was working on an application from a doula in Wyoming and just felt she was a member of the church. So in talking with the references she provided, I took the plunge and asked " are you guys LDS?" Sure enough, they are (!) and we had an instant bond. As we talked about labor and birth and the power of the priesthood, as well the Spirit being involved, we just felt love for each other and a beautiful spirit over the phone lines. What a lovely experience and now I have two new sisters in my heart! Love to you both, Melanie and Amy!

AND, our stake boundaries were reorganized this month. Larry is no longer branch president because there is no longer a branch! Yep, now the stake consists of the Rochester 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wards, Brockport and Geneseo Wards, and the Batavia, Warsaw and Genesee Valley Branches. Brighton Ward was dissolved. So we are back in our home ward in Roch 2nd and wondering what new and exciting calls await us. I was happy to "go home." It was good serving in the branch for two years but I missed home. Larry's last duty was to conduct a funeral service today for an 8 day old baby who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It was very sad but he did an excellent job of explaining the Plan of Salvation to folks who don't know or understand it. That little baby was pure, without sin, and accomplished his earthly tasks in just 8 days. It was a humbling experience.

Prevent kitchen fires

One of the common causes of kitchen fires is oil in a frying pan. You turn it on, the oil gets too hot and a fire starts. But this video shows that a wet dish towel can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan. This link shows a 34 second dramatic video of a kitchen oil fire handled the right way and the wrong way.

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?ei=UTF-8&gid=202218&vid=468906&b=0
If the link doesn't work, just Google "Kitchen oil fire"

I am confident that you all know NOT to put water on a grease fire. The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. A fireball can hit the ceiling and fill the entire room. Instead, turn off the heat under the pan, grab a dish towel, wet it, wring it out and then carefully place the towel over the pan as you would a lid. The fire goes out immediately.

Also, DO NOT throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.

You may want to spread the word about this!! Another reminder from your friendly neighborhood Red Cross volunteer, me!

Waxing nostalgic

Okay so Larry is out of town AGAIN and I miss him, so here are a couple of pictures of us. The first one is our wedding day (of course!) and the other is from a couple of years ago.

We were married October 2, 1981. It was a cool, damp Friday evening. Look at those glasses -they are HUGE!

Scary, isn't it? The best part of the whole picture is my flowers!

This was a hot summer evening at my cousin's home in Irondequoit. We look sweaty. I think Larry is way cuter now as he gets older. And no beard!!!! I was SO GLAD when he shaved that thing off. It was probably 1986 or '87. I can't remember that far back.

What's with the wind?

We woke up to another wind storm this morning. A shingle blew off the roof and crashed into the window of my mother-in-law's kitchen. Poor thing she got so scared. Thankfully, our windows are double pane and since only the outer pane was broken, she doesn't have cold or snow blowing in. We have an in-law apartment attached to our house so she's not alone but she still gets so frightened. And Larry is off in Madison again, but it's bitter cold there. 8 below as of 8:45 this morning with a wind chill of 23 below!! Bbrrrrrrrr.

A prophet has died

Gordon B. Hinckley. We will miss him. What a good man who loved the Lord and who loved us.

Mister Locke

The other day I called a young five year old friend to wish him a Happy Birthday. It was a short and very sweet phone call with him ending up saying "Thank you for calling, Sister Locke." (We call each other "Brother and Sister" in our church.) Well, no sooner do I hang up than the phone rings again and it's the dad saying that the birthday boy's three year old brother is UPSET and crying that HE didn't get to talk to me. So the little one gets on the phone and the conversation goes something like this:

3yo: sob, cry, sniff, SOB, "Hi, Mister Locke." SOB
me: "Oh, honey, don't cry. What's the matter?"
3yo: "WHAAAAAAAA!!! I wanted to talk to you!!!
me: "Oh dear, I wanted to talk to you too! I'm sorry we didn't talk before."
3yo: "WHAAAAAAAA!!! I love you!"
me: "I love you too!!! Are you okay now?"
3yo: sniff, SOB, "Yehehehehsss, WHAAAAAA!!!"
me: "Okay, go have a nice dinner now, I'll talk to you again."
3yo: "uhuhuhu okay" sob, sniff, hiccup, "byyyyyye. WHAAAAA!!!"

...and he hangs up. Oh my goodness it was precious. The poor kid. The funny part is that his older brother used to call me Mister Locke, too. I think they are trying to say Mrs. and Sister at the same time.

All these sweet little people really make me feel like a grandma. Very cool. Wait a minute. A grandma with braces. Oh brother.

New braces but no photo

Sorry guys, couldn't do it. I just could not publish a picture of my mouth for all the world to see. You really didn't want to see it anyway, right? Maybe I'll have Larry take a normal picture, just not a closeup. Take my word for it, I have the braces, my mouth is sore and I need to buy stock in orthodontic wax!!! I cannot BELIEVE how sharp everything is in there. Wires and hooks and all sorts of nonsense jabbing me here and there.

I was so apprehensive the night before. It was like getting married. There was no turning back. Once those braces went in, there they would be for TWO YEARS.

Ah well, I eat soft foods and am paranoid that there is stuff in my teeth. I don't know how you all did it as teenagers. God bless America.

Trivia

Some things that make me happy:

Neil Diamond concerts
hot showers
the smell of fresh basil
putting up the Christmas decorations
taking down the Christmas decorations
Wheat Thins
reading all of your blogs and emails and remarks
helping a woman have her baby
scrapbooking
pomegranates
volunteering at the Red Cross
a warm summer afternoon

Some things that make me sad:

cold showers
my hair when it needs a cut
waiting for a Neil Diamond concert
crazy drivers
dirty bathrooms
shoes that hurt
cooked spinach
missing Sicily
hot sticky summers
cold damp winters

No braces yet. They put the spacers in this week and now NEXT week is when my uppers go on. I'll be grinning on the blog soon.