My A1c!!  Best EVER!

Just got back from my endocrinologist’s office.  My A1c is 5.9!!!  That is the lowest it’s been since diagnosis!  I was worried it might have gone up because I have been indulging in things I haven’t eaten since diagnosis (like strawberry-covered Belgian waffles – but with sugar free syrup and no whipped cream).  Still not like I did before I was diabetic.  But, for instance, before there was no way I could eat oatmeal with diced peaches and two slices of toast for breakfast without my glucose going sky high.  2 hours after eating it was 82.  Just like a normal person!

I am so psyched!  My doctor also lowered my night-time insulin dosage by 5 more units.  My night-time (long-lasting) insulin has gone from 115 units to 25 units   I’ve been off pre-meal insulin for about a year.

Last summer Roger and I went camping in Harrisville, MI for “Harmony Weekend” – a weekend that was started by a barbershop quartet over 50 years ago and has been going ever since (it’s also when they have their big craft market – the 2nd largest in the U.S.)  While we were there we saw this GREAT canvas photograph that was HUGE and would go very well over the entrance to the dining room from the living room in my house.  It had a blue background and a few seagulls flying across.  Very reminiscent of the types of pictures popular in the early 70s.  But the price was too high (unframed for ~$1000).  While we were there, Roger took some great shots of Lake Huron.  Here are a few.

But this shot – I like the best and want him to have it printed on a 6′ x 4′ canvas to put over my door.

Roger and I went out tonight to this little place called “Bullfrog’s” in a little town near us.  I’ve heard that Kid Rock owns it.  As we were walking through the parking lot, I saw a really nice-looking man, white hair and beard, that looked familiar.  I thought maybe he owned one of the places we had gone to hear the local band that we were out tonight to hear.  I overheard him say to the guys he was with “Next time, I’ll just ask if the owner is in and if not, tell them I’ll come back when he is.”  and my thought was “well, aren’t we filled with a lot of self-importance!” figuring it was just some local yocal wanting to rub elbows with someone famous (Kid Rock).  Turns out he looked familiar to me because it was Bob Seger!  

I’ve been trying to get in here on a daily basis, but I haven’t had a lot of time to be here so I am so far behind!  And this weekend is pretty full so I won’t be catching up this weekend, either!  But I am trying to read at least one person a day.

To make matters worse, I’m having to work today because last night I got an email from the project manager that said I need to migrate over the web site we were working on (which is database driven, so not a simple copy/paste procedure) because he plans on showing the final product Monday.  And of course, nothing is going right and I’m frustrated as hell, so I put it away for now.  But I’ll have to get back at it sometime today.

Tonight I got the ball rolling.  I have two other friends who are interested in learning and getting their CPL so I invited them over and we had dinner together, then talked to John about his experience and what to expect in his classes.  He brought a bunch of unloaded handguns with him and showed them to us, giving a brief history of them, and having us hold them.  He also talked about shooting at a range, competitions, leagues, etc.  That also interested me.  I am getting over my skittishness about guns and am ready to begin these classes.  We’re going to start in March.  There will be two ‘theory’ classes which will talk about gun safety, the law, home safety, etc.  Then there will be a range ‘class’ where we will actually have to shoot.  He gave us a starter packet to look over before we get started.  I already glanced through the book.  It was pretty interesting so far and all I did was read the captions under the photographs lol

IN the packet was also a pamphlet titled “Gun Safety Rules”; a booklet “Concealed Carry Holster Guide: An introduction to concealed carry and the principles of pistol containment” and a booklet called “Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program” for sport shooting – something I think I might like.

I am hoping I NEVER have to use a gun to defend myself.  But I want to be prepared, competent and confident if the need ever arises.  I think going to a shooting range on a regular basis will help get me there.

My first class is March 14.  I’ll update again after that class to give my impressions and what I took away from the class.  He is going to hold the classes at my house – he will be bringing a laptop and a projector, and I have the perfect place for this to all work.

Our friends, Mike and Mary, are also going to take the classes here at the same time.

When I first started thinking about this, my only thoughts on buying a gun were how it felt in my hand, but after seeing some of the guns John brought with him, I now see there are many other things to think about: safety features, range, ease of use, composition (steel vs. lighter weight metals), etc.  I am hoping by the end of it all, including the range time, I will be able to make an informed decision.

I saw something on Facebook that gave me a chuckle.  ”If guns couldn’t be bought in stores, then people wouldn’t have them.”  Followed by the comment “Right.  And when was the last time you saw Meth on a store shelf?”

And, of course, I am a French model.  Bon Jour

I saw this bracelet for sale with the medical notification company I deal with – but thought the price was too freaking high.

I think the prices are for members/nonmembers.  Anyway, this was made with Swarovsky Elements.

So one day I was at Hobby Lobby or Michaels or one of those craft stores and decided to buy the materials and make my own.  This bracelet, made with Swarovsky Elements, cost me about $15 to make:

I just took the ID tab off one of my other bracelets.

I was surprised at how easy it was to make.  I’m going to make a regular bracelet next.  (I don’t have a steady hand when it comes to taking pictures, and couldn’t get a clear picture of this.)

I really get tired of eating things like hot dogs and tater tots, or fried pork chops for dinner.  Those are Roger’s favorite foods.  He is often the one to make dinner.

The last few weeks I’ve been doing a lot of the cooking, to rave reviews

I found some great slow cooker recipes that were easy to make and rocked the house  I thought I would share the recipes – If I can make them, you KNOW they are easy!  I wrote them all out in HTML and added them to my Healthy Living web site.

260 Calorie Beef Stew

Slow-cooked Mushroom-sauced Beef

Boneless Chicken Cacciatore

For Superbowl Sunday I’m going to make Barbecued Pulled Pork sandwiches.  The recipe calls for slow-cooking the pork for 10 hours before pulling it apart and adding the other ingredients and cooking another 2 hours, so I think I’ll start it on Saturday, then finish it up on Sunday.  If it is successful, I’ll post the recipe here.