Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Contained Therein.......


So......

I have wanted a garden for a long time. A LOOOOONG time....but the backyard is really shady and not really a good spot for growing veggies. I have been reading so much about folks who are planting gardens for the first time and I really wanted to get something going on my end.

When I was growing up we had huge gardens....tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peas, beans, watermelons and potatoes. It was great.

So after much research and looking around my house for the most sunlight during the day I have decided that I will plant a container garden outside the kitchen door.

It will be small in size but MIGHTY in what it yeilds. I am going to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans and maybe squash. I am also going to do a small herb garden with basil, parsley,oregano and coriander. Did you know that coriander grows into Cilantro??? Who knew....

I am excited about this ....if I can keep the damned squirrels away (already been reading about what to do about these little pests) and if everything gets at least 6 hours of good sun , then I think we will be ok.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Going...Going ...Gone.......


So.......

In my attempts to get into better shape I decided about two weeks ago to give up sodas. I quit cold turkey on a Wednesday and have to date had only three Diet Cokes since...

I had a slight nagging headache the first few days but since then its gone really really good.

I have been drinking alot of juices mainly cranberry juice. I recently read that its a good idea to mix water with the juices since many juices have their own natual sugars.

I have also been drinking more water of course.

I have kept a container of Crystal Light in the fridge and while I know this stuff is also not the best for you its better than a Coke.

Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages add unneeded calories to our diet without providing any beneficial nutrients. One 12-ounce can of soda has 41 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to about 10 teaspoons! The daily guidelines for sugar call for limiting sugar to no more than 12 teaspoons per day for a 2,000 calorie diet. Yet the average American drinks 576 cans of soda per year – that’s almost two a day!

Its nuts when you really think about it....

Dont get me wrong ...I love a cold cold Coke. It is great on a summer day or at a cook out and I am not saying that I will NEVER again have one but it was time to cut them out of my daily diet.
But ...this is a positive step for me

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

STUFF.....


So.....

Stephanies blog post the other day got me to thinking ....so here goes


Stuff....We all got it. We all buy it. We all (be honest) covet what others have sometimes. Here's the thing....We dont need it all. And I really think that goes without saying ....

Do I need a small digital video camera when my regular digital camera will make videos? No

Do I need an iPod? No....I listen to mine here and there. I have started using it more since I started working out...but I rarely use it in my car or at home.

I have a ton of books....tons. But why do I keep them?? They gather so much dust ....I used to collect Gone With the Wind stuff until it almost took over my life and now that stuff is sitting in the attic gathering LOTS of dust.

I think about my Nana who lived the last two years of her life in a shared room at a nursing home. The entire contents of her 88 years filled one medium sized box when she died.....

88 years -One box of stuff.

I have a closet full of clothes and really I maybe wear 1/3 of whats in there ....I have some regular pants and shirts that I wear but everything else for the most part just hangs there...Never used.

What I need are stronger relationships with people.....What I need is to get to bed early and get good rest at night .....What I need is to be a better brother, son and friend.....What I need is to strengthen my bond with God.....

What I dont need is more stuff...