..a Taste of the Salt on the Carolina Shore..

We've Moved!!

2009-06-10T19:44:00.004-04:00

If all continues to go well..

CarolinaDreamz will now be powered by WordPress.

Sick and Tired.. of being Sick and Tired..

2009-05-31T13:21:00.006-04:00

My world is spinning, so fast, that I can't see straight, let alone get anything accomplished.

I had a physical, last week.

My fifth new prescription awaits me, at the pharmacy now, after they attempt, again, to get my insurance to pay for it.

Its a vitamin. Apparently necessary for proper health.. but the insurance company may decide my life isn't all that important..

I guess. B Complex to the Rescue?

As I awaited results of my HgB, which turned out excellent, by the way, I had no idea that my vitamin deficiencies are controlling me!

Vitamin B Complex Deficiencies manifest as:

Stress
Fatigue
Insomnia
Migraine
Depression
Irritability
Decreased Drug Absorption
Decreased White Cell Production
Lowered Immunities
Sore tongue
Cracks in mouth corners
Allergies (Histamine Synthesis)
Hormonal Imbalance
Mental Fatigue
Difficulty Concentrating or Remembering
Pain
Seizure (**the only symptom I don't have. Beth? I'm thinking of YOU!**)

All this time, I was hallucinating that it was life circumstance trauma!! :)

So, maybe, I don't need those two combo anti-histamines, as much as I need Vitamin B's? Or the anti-depressant that is for insomnia? I'm definitely trying B Vitamins before an Rx for high cholesterol! (There is, also, that whole cavity thing!)

Maybe my tongue reactions to strawberries, lemonade, orange juice, and spaghetti sauce has nothing to do with allergy.

Now, where did I put those Vitamins? What are my chances that they could be with my password book, that has better information than my desktop software manager?

Do you think the doctor would think I was pushy to want that B12 shot tomorrow instead of Wednesday?

Welcome to my World. I am my own "challenge to your balance."

I went to the Hallmark Store..

2009-05-18T10:52:00.001-04:00

Poor people that work there:

Thank you for being so nice

to the crazy lady,

two days ago.

I am on a speeding train..

2009-05-16T16:05:00.004-04:00

that is going to crash..

I don't know when. I'm sorry if it happens all over you.

I'm back home, in South Carolina.

I think I wish I was still with my family, in Georgia.. doing anything for them.. with them.. hearing more about his life.. their lives.. learning more about him.. them.. remembering the time that he gave me.. waiting for him to walk into the room..

Sequence of events:

I mailed my address, on the package, on the 6th. (not a new address, btw)
Dad died on the 8th.
The Sheriff beat down the door, to wake me, and tell me about it, on the 10th.
I was in Augusta, by sun-down, on the 10th.
I was helping, at the funeral home, on the 11th.
We greeted visitors, at the funeral home, on the 12th.
We buried him on the 13th.

3 days ago..

I am okay. I think.

No Love at First Bite!

2009-05-02T00:47:00.007-04:00

I, finally, watched the Twilight movie, last night.

Two words: BUZZ KILL

"MY" Vampire mansion was less modern.
"MY" Alice is "Karen" from Will and Grace.
"MY" Jacob does not look 12!

Did anyone consider Dr. Cullen isn't old enough to have completed medical school? *giggle*

I thought Edward rescued Bella in an industrial part of Port Angeles. In an alley. I pictured windowless warehouses.

Couldn't Edward have run Bella faster, from the Baseball field, than the car could drive? "Spider Monkey" comes to mind.

On a more positive note, I think Bella, Laurent, and Rosalie were cast perfectly.

My favorite scenes included:

The baseball uniforms!
Edward and Bella in the tree.
Rosalie and the shattering dish.
Edward and the cafeteria apple stunt.

I hope Jacob looks 10 years older in the next movie. Did I mention Jacob looks 12? LOL

What was up with Jasper? Doesn't he look related to Edward Norton, in Primal Fear?

Save the Bacon! For Crying Out Loud, Give the Pigs a break!

2009-05-01T23:55:00.005-04:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

All this hype, in the world, about Swine Flu, had me thinking that this strain actually came from pigs.

Egypt, without even one case of Swine Flu, is killing all their pigs. That, to me, is a huge political/religious ploy, that has nothing to do with the Flu.

If you do not wish to eat pigs, then don't. If you believe its a sin to eat pork, then don't eat it.

But, there is absolutely no reason to kill any animal, that your God created, that is not ill. All animals are dirty. All animals can carry disease.

I realize this particular strain of influenza is also a strain that a pig can have. I, also, realize that a pig can catch the flu from humans, birds, and other pigs.

Humans can catch the flu from other humans. This isn't a reason to start executing humans.

Thousands of people die, every year, from the flu.

Take the same precautions, today, that you did yesterday. Do something to be prepared. Put your ducks in order.

Go wash your hands.

Upcoming Events in the LowCountry

2009-04-26T15:16:00.007-04:00

Thursday, April 30th, the LowCountry Bloggers will have a meet-up at 7pm, at Carolina Crust, Tanner Station, Hanahan.

Jared wants us to watch him eat. (and not tacos.) *poke* is hosting a brunch meet-up, at 11am, on Sunday, May 3rd, at the Early Bird Diner, on Savannah Hwy.

The Terrace Hippodrome opens May 7th, with the new Star Trek movie. The Terrace Hippodrome is the former IMAX Theater, near the Charleston Aquarium. Eugene is calling out all Trekkies, at 7pm.

Also, on Thursday, May 7th, Muddy Waters will be hosting The Palmetto Acoustic Series. This weeks venue includes Dylan Sneed and Hannah Miller.

With my back allowing, I plan to be at all of the above, minus the Trek Meet-up, but only because its conflicting. :) See you there.

Passwords will be the death of me..

2009-04-26T14:20:00.002-04:00

In the name of better security, I am having huge password issues.

Bless the internet site that does NOT lock me out, after three unsuccessful attempts to log-in.

(AT&T is a prime example of one that does. That is why my phone bill hasn't been paid, yet. IF you happen to call me and I can't get back to you, AT&T has won. I suppose I could just call them.)

I do use a password helper software. This only makes this problem bigger, actually.

I shall figure this out. Someday.

Camera Photos causing huge Blogging Delays

2009-04-26T14:06:00.003-04:00

I am more of a perfectionist than I'd like to be. I am, also, less of a perfectionist than I am, physically, capable of being.

With that said, I'm thinking about giving up on my camera. Many times, delays, to posts, in this blog, are due to blurry photos. I really think its lighting issues, and yet, none of these circumstances were where I could use a flash, unobtrusively.

I'm not sure what to do, yet. I need to play around, more, with the kids cameras, before I decide to go that route, to something "less" to see if it gives me more.

In the meantime, I'm going to post without some photos, just because I can't handle any more of the guilt. LOL

Thanks for your patience, that you didn't even know you were giving me. :)

All women are not psycho. I have proof!

2009-04-17T20:13:00.003-04:00

I have no idea what those women are talking about, at Home-Ec 101.

I don't have any quirks.

You won't find me standing on my recliner, waiting for someone to come home, because there is a palmetto bug in the room, with me. For two hours.

I'm not the one that stood on my kitchen table, in California, and called my neighbor, who used to live across the street, because (OMyGravy, Palmetto Bugs came up on the Zemanta photos, to my right. Are they out of their minds??)

What was I saying?

Oh yeah.. it wasn't me wanting my friend to come help, with the baby mouse, in my kitchen. At 3am. I knew she moved to Hawaii.

Emery boards do not make my skin crawl.

Its not me that threatens to make The Boy eat the fork, if he runs his teeth over it, while eating. Again.

I'm not the one that can't understand communal sacrament cups. No one goes to church sick. Why stay home when contagious? Why tell someone you've been ill, BEFORE you shake their hand?

I'm not the one that slams the kitchen cabinet doors because every single one of them is open, when I walk into the room.

I don't freak out when you help me put on socks and they aren't straight and my foot is having a heart attack.

No. Not me.

Stop touching everything!

Aren't these all normal? Doesn't everybody not do this?

Happy Birthday Bret!

2009-04-17T06:58:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Catherine Martin!

2009-04-16T06:57:00.000-04:00

Lookie Lookie.. Aren't they pretty... in a geeky way?

2009-04-15T00:45:00.005-04:00

Amazon.com Widgets

I wonder what the insides, of these books look like. This is my favorite type of Book Pr0n. Pretties on the bookcase make me happy. Especially when they are useful resources.

I want to touch these. Good Job, Peggy Layton. Love your "look."

I found these yummies when I was researching wheat grinders.

Exciting, eh?

I think so.

I want these, to make flour and oat flakes. Grinder attachments, made by Family Grain Mill.

The Flour Mill and Flaker Mill, in section D.

The shelf-life of wheat and oat groats is much larger than that of flour, creamy wheat, and rolled oats. Win!

Happy Birthday Ahmed Massoud!

2009-04-15T00:20:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Kris Shimanek

2009-04-15T00:10:00.002-04:00

I don't know what Kris' last name is, today. She and I were born on the same day, only separated, in time, by time zones. I thought that was pretty cool, in junior high school. No one shares your birthday.

Happy 40th, Kris. Wherever you may be. I'm thinking about you. :)

Summer Reading Thing 2009

2009-04-14T01:06:00.003-04:00

*singing* "Little Bunny Phoo Phoo.." *end singing*

Laura posted a menu link, for crockpot 40 clove chicken..

and look what I found, while I was hopping through the blog-forest!

I'm only a month behind, right? That still leaves two months to challenge myself to more specific personal reading? I guess, its not fair to say I'm behind.. I have been reading everyday. I just didn't know I could be participating in such a fun idea and event!

I just finished Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. I was quite surprised at the reviews at Amazon. I liked the book. It was not what I expected. It was refreshing to feel the author was "real" and "genuine" and able to share her failures, along with her successes. I really felt that I went on the journey, too.

Each section was difficult, at first, to adjust to.. I think I was still comfortably set, to read more, in the previous section, though.. I was, secretly, saying, "No, don't go, yet."

The reason that I added book reading, to my 101 in 1001 list, is because I needed to balance my reading. I needed to explore and invite more types of reading into my life. I needed to leave behind my "don't put it down 'til its finished" mentality.

When my favorite author, LaVyrle Spencer, retired, my heart sunk. LaVyrle gave me a reason to not only read text-book-type information/knowledge books. She could touch my need-to-learn-world with history and geography, as well as non-smutty romance.

I am unable to read a book that doesn't teach me something. I'm not so naive, anymore, to feel that you can only "learn" from information flooding books, though.

I shall continue to flood my world with secular and spiritually touching books, but I, also, need to reach out to those books that intrigue me.. or were gifts, from people I admire.

In the next two months, I challenge myself to read 3 books, by myself.

Gap Creek, by Robert Morgan
Lighten Up! by Chieko N. Okazaki
Islands, by Anne Rivers Siddons

If I happen to make it through these books, with all of my work-related and spiritual-related books, in progress, already, I will also request Reading Lolita, in Tehran, by Azir Nafisi. I really think I want to read this book. I feel guilty, however, that I haven't read all those "forbidden western novels." (Islands is on its way, from paperbackswap now.)

I may have to add Reading Lolita with The Kite Runner, to my Summer Reading List, though.

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

My Day Book April 13th, 2009

2009-04-13T09:33:00.000-04:00

FOR TODAY April 13th, 2009...

Outside my window.. rain.

I am thinking about Jeff's birthday.. every year.. no fail.. wish he knew..

I am thankful for busy, digitally-productive days.

From the kitchen, we will be making black bean soup and topping it with herbed goat cheese yum!.

I am wearing jeans and a red 3/4 sleeve blouse

I am creating crochet hair ties for a birthday gift.

I am going to have lunch with online friends, for my birthday, next weekend. :)

I am reading In Defense of Food - An Eaters Manifesto.

I am hoping to get my bed stripped, washed, and remade.

I am hearing Aspen snoring, curled up, next to me.

Around the house almost everyone is asleep.

One of my favorite things are new recipes that turn into Kitchen Miracles.

A few plans for the rest of the week: i5k run and after LC Blogger Meet - Maritime Center. Saturday, Farmer's Market with Heather.

Here is picture thought I am sharing..

Doesn't he look too cute and incapable of snoring? LOL

Learn more, about The Simple Woman's DayBook, at Peggy's Blog.

Happy Birthday Astrid

2009-04-13T03:27:00.000-04:00

Whole Foods Wonders..

2009-04-13T00:24:00.000-04:00

In preparation, for HM Protein Bars, I set out to Whole Foods.

I had two, main, objectives..

Find a Protein Powder, that was not hydrolyzed and did not have any sugar substitutes, in it.
Find dried fruit, that was not genetically engineered, dried un-naturally, with chemicals, or contains sugar substitutes or corn syrup.

These objectives directly relate to my own health problems and allergies. I have a lot of reactions to food. In the headache game, of life, I must be pro-active. Sometimes, we must have a problem, to fix, before we realize that the problem is always present, for everyone.

After reading many labels, I still managed to bring home a bag of dried fruit that I will be taking back.

The Blueberries have HFCS and frankly, were too expensive, to not be a better ingredient, for my protein bars. I, seriously, need to reduce my intake of HFCS. Its, currently, out of control. (The peaches, by the same brand, have sucrose, in them. Interesting.)

For Protein Powder, I chose Jarrow Formulas Whey Protein. Non-hydrolyzed. No "sweeteners" at all. Truly unflavored.

I figure I have to start somewhere. I know I can't tolerate any sugar-substitutes, at all. I can't take any more pain.

I also know that I don't eat near enough protein. They say you should consume 1 gram of protein for each pound of body weight.

Umm.. that freaks me out.

A LOT!

I've been reading protein tables, for different food items. I think I need to add more cottage cheese, to my everyday, too. (Bring on the flax seed oil, for that, too. Yay!)

I'm not a calorie counter. I am FOR Fat. Whole is my way to go. Its about taste. I don't eat a lot, of anything, anymore, but I will be sure it tastes the best that it can.

From our Home to Yours..

2009-04-12T02:41:00.005-04:00

Happy Birthday Les Gordon!

2009-04-12T01:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Ahmed Sayed!

2009-04-12T00:27:00.000-04:00

Good things to come.. HM Protein Bars

2009-04-11T17:14:00.006-04:00

I'm pretty excited to find all the different blogs, and articles, related to Alton Brown's recipe, for Protein Bars.

I don't use Canola Oil.

I just added Grapeseed Oil, to my kitchen of only Butter and Olive Oil. It has a higher burn point, too. I'm going to use the Grapeseed Oil to oil my pan and parchment paper.

Two comments, in this post, on cookie madness, got my attention. One was to look up Ellie Krieger's recipe for Energy Bars. I want to try these, as much as I want to, also, make Alton Brown's Granola Bars, from that same episode. I'm an Oatz-Girl!

The other comment was about adding Flax Seeds! I wish Joe had expounded on how he adjusts the liquid to compensate.. I wanted to put flax seeds in it, from the beginning. And almonds...

I'm a little confused about the internal temperature. I have never tested temperature of a baked item. I have only seen one post, that did mention baking it, by internal temp, and Jeremiah extended the baking time, 10-15 minutes. Ugh.

I was concerned, upon reading blogs, about these protein bars, because there were just as many negative remarks, as positive.. Kim has me a bit more encouraged, now, though.

Never underestimate the power of comments. Margritte shared her son's recipe, for Protein Nutritional Bars, from Stella's kitchen. I would, of course, use regular maple syrup.

So, I Google "Stella's Kitchen" and find Protein Nutrition Bars and No Bake Protein Nutrition Bars, with oats and flax seed.

My only concern, about these recipes, although I'll try them, is that the protein powders, usually have sugar substitutes, in them, or are hydrolyzed. So, I'll have to figure out some type of adjustment.

Thursday Thunks

2009-04-09T03:57:00.003-04:00

What was the last thing you ate? Lasagna
2. I say the color purple.. what do you think of? Flowers
3. Lamps or ceiling lights? In this room, neither. There is a sconce, above the bed, on the room divider/headboard.
4. What color rabbit is your favorite? I like the multi-colored, brownish.. I don't know that I have a favorite color of rabbit. LOL
5. Your car breaks down on a deserted road and your cell phone has no signal - what do you do? Depends. If its raining, I may just cry. LOL In general, I'd walk.
6. What is one thing most of your friends do online that you just can't understand the fascination and do not participate in? Chat rooms
7. What do you need right now? Sleep
8. And your most serious injury you've had was....? I don't know if this counts as an injury.. its not what I, originally, considered.. but vertigo. I was severely anemic, and I didn't know the extent of it, or its possible cardiac implications. I went to the urgent care, for a sinus infection, and ended up, in a hospital, for two pints of blood, in a transfusion.
9. What is the most evil thing you've ever done? Broken someone's heart.
10. Give us some random fact about you.

I'll be 40 next week.
There is nothing I really need.
I love sterling silver.
I love note cards and pretty paper.
I received an evil catalog, in the mail, called Cambria Cove. Its for a wordie, like me.
I eat, all day long.. just a bite here and there, and I'm good.
I prefer food gifts to flowers.

Play along, at Thursday Thunks.

"Space Cadet"

2009-04-08T20:01:00.005-04:00

The local photo meet-up, in Charleston, was tonight. I was unable to make it, because I'm a mom. LOL That is why..

I had to play mom-taxi.

Anyway, I have three photos, I want to share, with the theme, "space."

Last weekend, we went to The Flower Town Festival.

This is "dense space ahead"

This is "much avoided space"

and, this is Aspen, one of my "Space Invaders"

Play with your photos at Big Huge Labs.