Gwennaford's Journal

[bludaffodil]

Here ya go Gwen.....direct link to Roger Troy's CBN video:

http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.a ... _102809_WS



Have a great day,
Kathy

[Gwennaford]

YAY YAY YAY ! ! !  THANK YOU, Bludaffodil -- Ize so happy to get the links.  I've bookmarked them both, so now I'm closer to being up to speed on all the gread things that transpired while I was away. 


Today I took care of a task that's been hanging over my head for more than two years and it felt TERRIFIC!  I got some fantastic news out of my efforts, and it has just proven (as if I NEEDED any more proof) that the Lord provides from His bounty, as long as we are faithful and sow seed into good ground. 

I'm going to go eat as much as I can of the cold watermelon I bought this evening.  Still trusting the Lord for a new refrigerator and washing machine.

[Gwennaford]

I was talking to Linda RN about my background in them Oklahoma Hills and it made me reflect back about my life so far.

I have battled my weight all my life.  I was born big and I always LOVED to eat.  I stayed fat all the way through school.  My classmates tortured me.  Since I didn't have any friends, I became a good student.  As a teenager, I lost a bunch in the 70's, so my year-and-a-half of college was fun because nobody knew I had been fat.  Gained it back, lost it again in the 80's and looked pretty good.  Didn't really gain a  LOT with my two pregnancies because the doctors were so fat-phobic they intimidated me into not gaining.  Then I was so unhappy in my job in the 90's I gained up to 400 lbs.  I lost 150 pounds of it in the late 90's, then gained it all back when I became bed bound with arthritis in 2001.

Roger Troy's story really resonated with me because I had been on every kind of diet my whole life.  I was in extreme pain for several years to the point that I didn't want to live anymore.  I started stuffing food to comfort myself until I got up to 410 pounds.  

With various ups and downs, I basically averaged weight gains of 10 pounds a year for 25 years.  But I would ignore it until it became so out of control I got sick to death of feeling so miserable and forced myself to start dieting again.  

So the moral of this story is -- DON'T IGNORE A WEIGHT GAIN.  Jump on it while it's little, before it gets out of control.

It was good for me to look back over how far I have come and realize I have been blessed with another chance for a happy, healthy life.  Thank you for the inspiration, Linda!  

--------------

Yesterday I wore my skinny black jeans comfortably again.  I WAS wearing them last Fall, but they became too tight over the last four-five months.  Was glad to get back into them. 

[MsHeirloom]

Yeah for the skinny black jeans victory, Gwen !!!  Pam

[Joyful Friend]

Gwen, interesting story.  Glad you have  a healthy, satisfying way of eating to get back into jeans and other things.  JF

[cameron]

I am so happy for you too Gwenn, getting into the jeans again. I was able to get into a size smaller today too, feels great, dosen't it. By the way, I was looking at some photos the other day, there was one, I think it was of you when you were younger( in the white top) . all I can say is Wow!!!! Well, we can't look that young ever again, but we WILL be that size again. 

[Gwennaford]

Thank you ladies!  It feels SOOOO good to be back on track again.

Cameron, if you are talking about the top with the red flowers on it, yep that's me.  That's the one Neil always carried in his wallet, so that's why it is all speckled looking.  He bought me the dress in Tarpon Springs when we first started dating and begged me to have a picture made wearing it, so it was always his favorite. 

FYI to everyone -- If you click on the thumbnails in the gallery, you can see larger versions of the pics with the person's name, photo captions and comments. 

[Gwennaford]

I made Little Mary's Scumptious Salmon Patties recipe that's been going around this week  

with the following variations:  

After grinding the dry popcorn, I pulverized the bones with the eggs and spices in the food processor for extra calcium.  

I don't use fresh onions much anymore because I have a gigantor tub of dried onions from Sam's, so I used 1/4 cup of the dried, and rehydrated them with the juice from the can.  There was only about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of juice and it was all soaked up.

I tried an experiment by coating the patties with popcorn crumbs before frying.  Crumbs were seasoned with additional salt & fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of herbes de province.

I served these hot on top of fresh arugula salad and I thought I was at a fancy bistro!

I enjoyed the leftover patties today with fresh corn on the cob.  SOO satisfying.  Summer is here!

[Gwennaford]

Tuesday I made a great meal from a grocery store menu/demo.  Using the stores frozen fish fillets, pre-cut fruit and bagged lettuce is a little more expensive, but is a real life saver when you are starved after shopping.

Pan Grilled Mahi and Tropical Fruit Salsa; Balsamic Bitter Greens Salad w/Grape Tomatoes -- Serves 4

Grilled Fish and Tropical Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lb. Snapper, Mahi, Tilapia or Basa fillets.  If using frozen, thaw packages under cold running water while preparing fruit.
• 2 lbs. (about 4 cups) Tropical Fruit Salad (any combination of Pineapple, Strawberries, Kiwi, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Mango, Grapes, etc.)
• 1/2 pint Grape Tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp. fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp. Seasoned Pepper Blend (or your favorite salt-free grill seasoning)
• Cooking spray

Prep:

• Cut fruit into 1/2-inch dice; Cut tomatoes into halves or quarters
• Chop Cilantro; Check fish for bones

Steps:

• Combine fruit tomatoes, cilantro, and balsamic vinegar for salsa.
• Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes.  Season both sides of fish with seasoned pepper, wash hands. Remove pan from heat; coat with cooking spray. Place fish in hot pat, return to heat and cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until fish is opaque and separates easily.  Serve with 1/4 of the salsa

Balsamic Bitter Greens Salad w/Grape Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 clove fresh garlic, finely minced or put through garlic press
• 2 Tbsp. EVOO
• 2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 8-10 oz.  bag Romaine Salad Blend
• 1/2 8 oz. bag Arugula or Watercress
• 1/2 pint Grape Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup diced Red Onions
• 1 Avocado (optional(

Steps:

• Combine garlic, oil, vinegar; add salt & pepper to taste; whisk until well blended
• Combine salad blend, arugula, tomatoes and onions. If using, cut avocado into bite-size pieces. Add to salad, pour over dressing, toss to blend.  Serve.

[Gwennaford]

Officially kicked off grill season today by dragging the gas grill out of the shed and scrubbing it down with wire brushes and grill cleaner.  All those leftover medical supplies came in handy.  I gowned up, double gloved, masked, even put on safety goggles over my glasses.    Even though it was 60 degrees this morning, by the time the grill was clean and the racks were oiled, my clothes were dripping wet under that full-length plastic gown.  I briefly considered weighing my clothes before & after washing them to see how much water weight they contained.  ROFL!  Sad, but true statement. I didn't do it, primarily because I had spent two hours trying to find a way to make a flame to light the grill to see if it still works and if the gas was any good.  I wasn't about the make the same mistake I made with the mini-fridge (spending two hours cleaning it before plugging it in to see if it worked -- it didn't)!  Thankfully the grill worked great, because I was SOOOO HUNGRY for some fresh food grilled outdoors.

Took grilled veggies & grapes to my friend Kris' house for lunch.  She is handicapped too, and although she is ambulatory, she suffers a lot of pain from a broken back that happened more than 20 years ago.  I met her through Red Hats a year ago, and she has adopted me.  She is a dynamo and doesn't let anything slow her down, despite her pain.  She met me in the driveway and wanted to help me into the house, but I wanted to show off how well I'm getting around.  I put the big box if stuff I brought into the seat of my folding wheelchair and pushed the whole rig unto the house while I walked along behind it.  She has two small steps separated by a short landing and I was able to climb both the steps while maneuvering the chair ahead of me without a problem!  YAY!!!  She kept saying, "Let me help you, let me carry that, here, take this walker..."  I have learned to tell people, "Let me show you what I can do, and if I get tired I'll yell for help, okay?"  Then they understand that I really am okay doing it myself.  I confess my leg muscles were on fire by the time I got in the house, removed the box and plopped into the wheelchair seat.  When I looked up into her face, she was beaming with joy and said, "You are AMAZING!"  How cool is that?!?!  I felt like a million bucks.  

Kris is such a good friend.  I asked her for ice in my drink and jokingly told her my lack of refrigerator/freezer tale.  We talked and played with her artwork and her two huge, adorable basset hounds all afternoon.  They are such clowns they provided most of the entertainment for the day.  At one point during lunch the dogs were begging and being a little pesky.  She surprised me by whirling around in her chair and hitting the lever for the ice maker, letting dozens of ice cubes spill all over the floor.  The dogs flew into that ice, acting like she had thrown steak on the floor!  

At the end of the day she got serious and told me she wanted to loan me the money for a new refrigerator so I won't have to wait until I can afford one.  AWW!  I didn't accept, but I'm crying just thinking about it.  I went home all hairy, smelly, and dog-slobbery, glowing with gratitude, peace and well-being.  She is a true angel sent by God to love and support me through this time.  She and her husband were so sweet and loving during and after the funeral time.  
I am so blessed to have friends like her in my life.  

[LovinLDL]

Gwen,

I agree with your friend YOU ARE AMAZING! 

Love the story....love basset hounds. 

Blessings and Thanks,
Julie (who came to Gwen's journal for a smile today)

[Joyful Friend]

What a lovely friend you have!!!  Gwen, are Boxchoy(Sp) and Chinese cabbage  the same?  Our Walmart is in the midst of being remolded, so it's hard to find things.  They had one bunch of Boxchoy(sp) that was wilted.  I want to make the Chinese soup.  and  Joyful Friend

[cameron]

Hi Gwen- you AND your friend are amazing. What is the red hat society about?

[Gwennaford]

Cameron, I think it is a copyright violation to post the poem in its entirety, so don't tell on me, okay?  In a nutshell, when you are 50 years old you can wear the red hat and purple dress to outings with other ladies dressed the same way.  It's all about having fun and not worrying about what other people are thinking and saying about you.  Before you turn 50 you can still participate, but "youngsters" wear pink hats and lavender dresses.  When you join, you can either be invited, or request to join an existing chapter in your area, or crown yourself as "Queen" and start your own chapter, inviting other ladies to join you.  Check out the links to learn more.

At the flea market today I met a bunch of ladies from the Red Hat Society who invited me to join them.  So I bought my first RED HAT today!  YAY!  I'll post a picture when I get my purple dress.  If you don't know what this is, you can look it up at  

I found an excerpt of the poem on which the RHS is based.  Apparently, you now have to PURCHASE the poem if you want to read the whole thing...What's up with THAT?  But I found one on another site that may be the entire thing...

By Jenny Joseph

WARNING

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other peoples gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.



Loves, Gwennford

[Gwennaford]

Yes, I love Kris very much.  She is truly an inspiration. 

Joyful, Bok Choy is different from Chinese Cabbage, which, unless I'm mistaken, is also known as Napa Cabbage.  It is sweet and delicate, crinkly curly and very crunchy.  Use the whole thing, just slicing the white part of the stems a little thinner.  Bok choy would be a good addition to the soup, too.  Use all of it, green and white parts both.  I liked Coding Queen's suggestion of adding snow pea pods.  Canned bean sprouts can be substituted for fresh if necessary.  Only cook all of the above a minute to two to retain their shape and texture so they don't get mushy, or pour the boiling broth over them in the bowl as the recipe suggests.  I like to slice them straight across into about 1/2-inch ribbons, then chop through your stack of ribbons a time or two to make them neater to eat in the soup.

  Chinese or Napa Cabbage       Bok Choy

[Gwennaford]

Just running through some documents and found these motivational words of wisdom:

091809 Joyce Meyer quote from Mrs J.:  Had to share what my Joyce Meyer devotion book said for 9/18:

Making Healthy Choices

"Learn to do everything you do for God's glory, including eating.  Look at your dinner plate and ask if what you are about to eat is mostly what God created for you.  Don't view eating as a secular event that has nothing to do with your relationship with God.  Don't forget that God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and told them what they could eat.  If eating had nothing to do with their walk with Him, He probably would not have mentioned food.  Make good choices! Each time you choose good healthy foods, you are choosing life, which is God's gift to you.  He wants you to look great and feel great, and you can, if you keep in mind that your body is the temple of God and the fuel you put into it determines how it will operate and for how long."

Gwen (grape girl)  ...   Here's the problem with lots of folks on Let's Do Lunch...they try to reinvent the wheel...they read things into their weight fluctuations that really have nothing to do with their weight loss. The body does strange things, in retaining water at different times, etc. For example, people will plateau for awhile and then they try different things to restart their weight loss, and then when they lose more weight they think what they did was what caused it. Well, while that IS possible, always remember this...with Let's Do Lunch, if you just keep on keeping on, doing it correctly, you WILL lose all the weight you want, plateau or no plateau. In other words, stay off your scale and just don't worry about losing weight...just worry about doing Let's Do Lunch correctly and everything will be just fine.  I know everyone wants to lose the weight quickly, but Let's Do Lunch is really NOT that kind of program, unless you want to eat strictly fruits and fruit smoothies for breakfast and for dinner, each and every day until you lose all the weight you want. Well, I'm here to tell you...that is hard to do, day in and day out. That said, I do suggest you do that very thing like twice a week, which WILL jump-start your weight loss again.God bless and enjoy,Roger Troy

Okay, Grape Girl, now I understand what happened to you.  ...  Listen carefully, Sweet Gwen.
You are eating out of HABIT, Not because you are hungry.  Again, you are eating out of Habit, NOT because you are hungry.
Here is what I suggest.  ...  I would start every meal with some beans, like beans in your fruit smoothie for breakfast, or eggs over mashed and heated fat-free refried beans.  For lunch, start with one of the bean soups. The same for dinner, or start with the Butter-bean mashed potatoes, or a 4-bean salad, or a can of just drained and heated butter beans, etc. Also, after you have had your beans, wait 3 to 5 minutes before eating anything else. And finally, before putting anything into your mouth STOP and ask yourself if you are truly hungry or if you are just eating out of HABIT!
Sooo thankful for you,
RT

[LINDA RN]

Well, said Gwen,

I am going to eat healthy no matter what the scales say from day to day. I know that eliminating all the empty unhealthy calories from what I eat has to translate to weight loss. I just keep eating what I know has been laid out before me. If I stray even for the healthy but slightly more fattening things, I accept it and move forward until I can let those things go also. I know as long as my choices are healthy ones, it will not completely de-rail me.

[Gwennaford]

I've been washing dishes by hand recently, but since I've been cooking a lot this week I had a lot more dirty dishes so I ran them through the dishwasher last night.  Guess what???  The dishwasher was still full of dirty soapy water this morning.  Tried running it through another cycle, thinking maybe I started the timer in the wrong place.  Well, apparently the pump stopped working, because it flooded, so my kitchen floor flooded.  AGAIN.  

This is getting really old.  Too many important parts of my life have died since March 24.  

REST IN PEACE:

My husband
the clothes washer
the refrigerator
the immersion blender
the dishwasher

I'm drawing a line in the sand!  I hereby set a hedge of protection around myself, my family, and our belongings.  Satan, in the Name of Jesus, I declare that I, my family, and all our possessions are GOD's property and I COMMAND you to TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF!  

My Lord, holding nothing back, all that I have and all that I am, I give to you.  

Job 1:21 - "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Click on the link and play the video:

[Joyful Friend]

Gwen, thanks for the answer and pictures of Chinese cabbage and Boxchoy.  You are so considerate and knowledgeable.  I'll have to make the soup next week.  We are going to have a Red Hat meeting this coming week to honor one of  our own who went before us to heaven.  I bought two more red hats at the flea market---they came from Fla.  One is made by  a New York designer--quite old.  I think I'll wear it.  Joyful Friend

[Gwennaford]

JF - I would love to see you in your hats.  There is a big Red Hat store in a nearby flea market where I bought my first hat.  I need to get back there for some more bling.  We are going to a restaurant on the beach tomorrow and the Queen has called for FULL REGALIA!  Hope the wind doesn't carry away all our finery!