The Great Adventure

The smell of adventure was in the air. The rain had cleared. We set out.
We drove to the Bay with Kate in tow. They did not have what we were looking for.
We drove home.
Kate and Michelle had nap time. I played settlers online.
I won.
I lost.
I mopped the floor.
Then later we set out for part 2. We drove to Superstore (the rain had cleared).
We stuffed Kate into her stroller in the underground parking lot despite her roiling protests-
The pigeons flew to the next row of parking stalls-
We shopped. We found what we were looking for. We left.
Mission accomplished.
It was nice to get out with Michelle 2 times yesterday! 10 weeks. Things are looking up.
But we are not out of the woods yet!

Do Not Fear

Do Not Fear, I am still alive. I haven't posted anything lately because there hasn't really been anything noteworthy to post. Other than Michelle being sicker than a dog, I guess, which isn't really a noteworthy thing to brag about, except for the excitement related to the reason she is sick, which is she is nurturing a tiny person, currently about 1 gram in weight and 1/2 inch in diameter...yes we are expecting a baby in December! But as with Kate's first trimester (or two), things aren't much fun and Michelle spends her day lying on the couch--she can't even take care of Kate really so we have friends and family helping out on the days that I'm working. So I have been busy playing house, mostly...and it's been a bit of a stressor but not overwhelming--yet.

Keep the Faith, Fight the Fight!

Hypoglycemia, cont.

Hypoglycemia doesn't seem to be bugging me as much anymore. I can go longer without food and not notice. I can eat a little bit of sugar and still feel okay. My brain feels normal most of the time. I am thankful! Just working on building up some strength and energy, mostly.

I think consuming essential oils helped a lot (omega 3s and 6s). Also just eating well over a long period of time. The third thing that has contributed has been a lack of big stressors lately. Or maybe I'm more 'immune' to stress? Ha!

I have developed a taste for vegetables. Raw spinach? mmmm! (I get some weird looks when I pull out my bag of spinach sometimes.) Carrots--I used to like these more, they're still good, but they're suspect in favour of celery and romaine lettuce. I like bell peppers a lot more than I used to, as well.

Kitchen table finished

I finally finished the solid surface project I've been blogging about...it turned out quite nicely. I mounted it on a full piece of 5/8th plywood and screwed it to the oak post from the old table I found at MCC. It wobbles just a little...either the solid base has twist in it, or it might just be I need to level the legs better.

I'm happy to be done that portion of the project. To finish off the nook all I need to do is cover the bench sides with wainscot.
I'm tempted to re-do our countertops with solid surface but that is a project for another time.

Date with Kate

I took a younger girl out tonight...she's a beauty. I picked her up after dinner...and carried her down some of the stairs of our apartment; she climbed down some herself too. Then we drove by Ellwood Park to see if the ball game I was planning to take her to was indeed rained out (it was). Then to the Library for a hot date reading board books on the floor. She kept bringing me new books to read and (for the most part) put the old ones back. Around 19:30 we drove back home to her mother, who was in the middle of a Norwex party. So Kate and I just hung out in her room mostly, doing a new peg puzzle and playing with toys; later we got her in her jammies and brought her out to the living room to have her milk and some grapes. Then we brushed her teeth (she really does not like relinquishing that toothbrush!) and prayed with her and put her in her crib. It was great to have some quality time with my one-and-a-half year-old!

Dietary Regimen

Happy April Fool's Day. I confess I forgot to prank my wife (I had been planning to put a surprise in her lunchbox).

In my continuing quest to conquer food, I have found some interesting things. Carob powder: like cocoa but sweeter and isn't quite as loaded with fat and caffeine. For people who are addicted to chocolate, it supplies the same minerals that their bodies crave, without the side effects...it still takes a bit of getting used to but I somewhat enjoy mixing it in drinks and yogurt. Flax seed oil and sunflower oil: doesn't taste that great but loaded with omega 3 and 6 fats. I'm ingesting a tablespoon of each a day. I store it in the freezer. Salt water: I mix a teaspoon of sea salt into a glass of water once or twice a day; it's not as gross as it sounds and it is supposed to help my adrenals because salt is involved in cortisol. Sport drinks like Gatorade have salt (but also tons of sugar).

I had a really good day yesterday, at work. Usually by Wednesday I'm starting to peter (sp?) out a bit, but I had good energy all day. I think the Spring weather helps too. Everyone feels better when winter ends!

Table Progress

The breakfast nook I am working on is progressing slowly. Above is a picture of the first seam of many for the solid surface table. I used 6 sink cutouts from a big apartment job we did last year at work; I had to cut the edges straight and mirror-seam them together in the workshop at home. I bought a triple-chip saw blade for my skil saw, then used a router to trim them perfectly. The seams worked out wonderfully despite my limited equipment--a ziploc bag to mix the epoxy; masking tape and pencils to hold the seam tight while it dried. After I had put enough pieces together for size, I cut it to shape--it looks like a spaceship or a flat football. I brought it upstairs to check the size/shape; it's a bit big but should work. Now I have to glue the edges on--including using our oven to heat up some of them so I can bend them around the curved edge!

Kate is up to some new tricks including feeding herself with a fork and spoon, and going down little plastic slides. She is such a sweetheart--not a baby anymore.