Jump to the Pump :)

My son has now jumped to the pump. He is attached and this week it's using saline so that he gets used to it and can troubleshoot any problems that he may have adjusting. He is still using his insulin pens, but next Wednesday he'll transition to insulin in the pump. He'll no longer have to take a basal shot at night as the pump will mimic the pancreas and give out tiny pulses of insulin throughout the day. His meter beams his blood sugar levels and then it'll configure the amount of insulin he needs when he eats as well. I really think this is going to be a good thing and will help manage much better as insulin delivery can be much more precise than with the injection. The pens will now be here as a back-up measure.

I let him choose from the pump suggestions from his endocrinologist. I wanted to make sure that it was one that he liked and that he would be willing to use. He chose the Paradigm Real-Time Pump by Medtronic.

I am praying for a smooth transition for him and that he continues to take care of himself and treat his condition accurately. I have heard so many stories of teenagers that don't take care of their diabetes, whether it be because they don't want to take the time or they just don't want to be different. It's a little scary, and I hope that Ry continues to take it seriously and knows that he can continue to do everything as long as he continues his insulin therapy.

Discussion??

Socrates' question: "Is something right because God commands it or does He command it because it is right?"

What do you think?

just a ramble....and a thought to Tia

Thank you for the "yes" to my question of interviewing you :) I appreciate it...and Tia, I would so love to hear your views on the subject. If you are interested, let me know and I'll email them to you!

I was hoping to at least have the beginning of my outline and rough draft done by now, but last Monday my Father had a stroke. He's doing much better now, thank the Lord. We spent last week down there trying to get everything settled and finding a rehab center for him as he relearns what the stroke took away from him.

I'm trying to arrange to rent the house out so it doesn't sit empty until we decide if we are going to sell it or not. We (us or the doctors) don't think he's going to be able to live by himself again, and he's really not done well in these last few months since losing Mom.

I'm hoping to be more involved with my blog again as I start to get more interested in life again. It's nice to write things out, even if I'm the only one that reads it, lol....well and my husband too because sometimes I give him not much of a choice :)

Can I interview you?

I am doing a research paper in my World Religion class, and several of my sources have to be interviews from real people :) The paper is not going to be negative, or touting one type of "denomination" over another. My characteristics that I'm writing about and compare/contrast are ceremonies and
creation beliefs within Judaism and Christianity. I would really like a variety of answers coming from different branches of these religions.

If any of you would be so inclined to let me ask you a few questions, would you please let me know in the comments or email me? You can be as anonymous as you would like, or you can use your name, initials, blog address, state, etc.

Thank you!

Sharing Some Recipes

These are some different things I've cooked up these past few weeks and resulted in a lot of "yummy", "this is the best", "fix it again,Mom" so I thought I'd share :)

Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise
recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients
Mayonnaise:

* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
* 1 clove garlic, minced

Burgers:

* 1 pound ground chicken (used ground turkey breast, no ground chicken at store)
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 4 sandwich rolls or burger buns
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 cup arugula, divided

Directions

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.

For the burgers: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture. Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 4 patties. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes.

Brush the cut side of each roll with the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.

To assemble the burgers: Spread a dollop of the remaining mayonnaise mixture on the tops and bottoms of the toasted buns. Place the chicken burgers on the bottom halves of the buns. Top each with 1/4 cup of arugula and finish with the top half of the bun.

Pastor Ryan's Chicken Tikka Masala

recipe in pdf


I linked to the PDF file where you can print this out neatly for your files. It's that good. You are going to want to cook this again.
I made some garlic Naan bread to go with it, and ....delicious

If you haven't checked out The Pioneer woman yet, please go and do so. Her place is great and so informative on so many things. We try one of her recipes at least 2 times a week, and we've never had a bad one. They are all in meal rotation now.

If you like Shrimp and you like Risotto, try Pastor Ryan's Shrimp Risotto recipe, along with the bloomin' herb bread. This was a great meal as well.

I also cooked his Bolognese Sauce and his homemade pasta.
My son now wants fresh pasta all the time, no more boxes :) I guess I need to get the pasta attachment for my cusinart.

Lest you think I'm ignoring PW's recipes...oh no. They are all yummy. A few of our favorites are: Olive Cheese bread, Marlboro Man's favorite Sandwich,ginger steak salad, and Marinated Flank Steak.

Okay, so you get my point. The whole place is good. I enjoy experimenting with different meals and so PW is a great place for me. Tonight we'll have her Spinach Salad.

Let me know how you like them if you try any :)

Going back to school

I've decided to go back to school. I'm pretty nervous and scared. It's been a long time since I've been a student. I am really excited about one of the classes. I'll be taking Introduction to World Religions. It all started to feel real today when I received the email acknowledging the shipment of textbooks. I start next week and my children finish their school year next week. I've been teasing them, that it's just in time for them to help me with my assignments :)

Here are links to a few of the books for my class:

Anthology of World Scriptures

Major World Religions

The Cambridge Illustrated History of Religions


I'm waiting on transcript review. I'm hoping to get transfer credit for most of the English/Science/Math courses.

My First Harvest :)

***any ideas on what to use as a natural pesticide? or should I not? I just have a very few things growing as a container garden while I try to learn more.