Getting off Drugs....the Legal Kind

I figured this was as good a time as any.....to try getting off of my blood pressure medication. I'm walking daily. I'm eating well. I'm exercising.

A heart specialist threw me on the meds a couple of years ago when I had some fluctuating blood pressure readings and a couple of episodes of atrial fibrillation. It wasn't a huge deal...all of the tests they ran were normal....but they decided I had to be on the meds because one of the side "benefits" of the drug was it's ability to regulate heart rate. So, I very reluctantly gave in.

The heart specialist was the doctor that told me, "This is your last question," when I kept asking how he knew I would have to be on the meds for the rest of my life and his answers weren't working for me. He was rude and arrogant and I left with the prescription and never went back.

Two years later I want to know if I need to be on this stuff or not, and the only way to know that is to get off of it and see what my body does. If my pressure skyrockets or my heart is unhappy, I will go right back on.

I'm doing this under a doctor's care, so don't worry. I had to cut my dose in half for two weeks and then cut it in half again for two weeks. I have one more week of that and then I stop...and see what happens.

I really don't mind being on the meds IF I need them....but like I said...I didn't think I needed them then and I don't think I need them now. Of course, I could be wrong and if I am, I will be a good little girl and start taking them again.

I monitor my pressure daily...sometimes a number of times a day which is really ridiculous, but it is a little scary. I've had some high readings, but that is not uncommon. The problem is when your blood pressure is high for extended periods of time. Mine is not.

Have you ever felt so strongly about something that you just had to do what you felt was right...even when most everyone around you thought you were wrong? That's me right now.

What's Up For The Weekend?

Well today is Friday....not just any Friday, but it's Friday of a THREE DAY WEEKEND! Chee Hoo!

Tonight is carry out night for us as always. I'm kind of stuck on the little Blue Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad at Outback. I usually get a sweet potato with it...and then it comes with a little loaf of awesome bread. It isn't exactly on my diet, but it is exactly what I need every week!

On Saturday we will head to the grocery store and then hit Menards for some mulch and try to finish the flower beds. Things are really growing and blooming and I don't even have the beds all cleaned out yet!

Sunday might be a family get together day. It sounds like a good day for firing up the grill.

Monday there is a parade and service in town for Memorial Day. If the weather cooperates, maybe we will head there to pay our respects to those who serve. After that...I think we are going to try making some little bird baths and bird feeders out of old china for the consignment shop. Speaking of the consignment shop.....when I chatted with the owner the other day, she said she knew I had sold one cake stand the first week but could remember off hand if I had sold anything else. So, chee hoo for one cake stand!

Have a super day today. Get out and take a nice little walk and then have some fun this weekend! What kind of plans do you have?

Baby Shower Planning

I am starting to work on Tresa's baby shower....well one of them any way. Chris comes from a very, very large family so his mom will have a shower, we will have a shower and I'm sure Tresa's friends will have a shower. I know I still have lots of time, but I just love doing this stuff and can't wait to get going on it!

I've already started on the invitations and I found a great little bed and breakfast in a neighboring town that I think will be the perfect place for an afternoon shower. We use to have meetings there when I worked at the Chiropractic Office. It's an old Victorian Painted Lady. Here is the link. If you scroll all the way to the bottom and click on "other guest spaces", you can see some of the inside of the house.

I thought this location would be a little different and the owner is wonderful. We would have finger sandwiches, scones, jam and what she calls "dainties"....little desserts, and then of course coffee, tea and lemonade. I'm really excited.

I've been all over the Internet looking at party favors that I could make, cake ideas and other decorations. I love this kind of stuff. Tresa doesn't like games and neither do I, so I don't have to worry about that. I love this little cake from marthastewart.com. Isn't it darling? Not that I would be making it, but I'm sure some wonderful bakery could!

I will share pictures of things I make for the shower as we go. Got any great baby shower stories or ideas you would like to share? I'm all ears!

Wordless Wednesday.....Huh?

It's Twirly Time!

It's "twirly" time! We have two trees in our yard that produce "twirlies". Of course, you know what "twirlies" are. They are the little twirly guys that grow on the trees in the spring and then fall off all over the yard, the driveway, the cars, the road and even in the gutters.

Irv hates "twirly" time, because it means dragging out the ladder and getting the darn things out of the gutter. If you don't do that, they tend to plug it up when it rains and then you have water gushing over the sides of the gutters in places that you don't want water gushing over the sides of the gutters.

Irv also sweeps them up....over and over and over again. I don't mind the "twirlies". If it were up to me, I would just let them be...except the ones in the gutters.

We have big trees with lots of "twirlies" and they just keep on coming.

Soon "twirly" season will be done and Irv can get back to doing things he enjoys....because he does NOT enjoy the "twirlies"!

Kitchen Cabinets......UGH!

When I was off to go to the dentist on Thursday, I had some time before my appointment, so not being one to sleep late or lay around I started cleaning out my disgusting kitchen cabinets. I really wonder how two people who aren't home all day long can create the mess that Irv and I create in our home. What is with us? We toss crap on the kitchen table rather than sort through it or just put it away. We shove things in drawers and throw things in the cabinets. Oh how I wish we were tidier.

So, I pulled everything out of the food cabinet and decided to put the dishes in the food cabinet and the food in the dish cabinet....chuckling all the while....because Irv HATES change!

I can't even begin to tell you how much he hates it. The tiniest little wrinkle in the norm can throw him into a fit of frustration.....in a funny way of course....sort of.

Then I moved the aluminum foil and baggies and freezer bags into the dish towel drawer and the dish towels into the foil and baggie drawer. The rest of the cabinets I just emptied, wiped out and put back in order.

I couldn't get over our little spice cabinet. How on earth do I accumulate so many little containers of spices when I don't even cook? I think I find a recipe, buy the stuff, cook it once and then never again. I had spices in there that had expired in 2006 and 2007!

It definitely looks better now!

When I got home from the dentist, I quickly finished up what I had started before the numbness in my mouth wore off. Once it did, I didn't really give a crap what the cabinets looked like.

Friday morning when I woke up long before the alarm....I knew there was no way I would be working. I slept in.....until 6:00 a.m. and then decided that the only way I would get through a long day with a throbbing mouth, head and face was to do something. I would work on the cabinets a bit, ice my face a bit, rest a bit and so on throughout the morning. By noon, my energy was sapped and I ended up doing very little else.

So, are the cans in your cabinet in alphabetical order?

Silent Sunday....Bird Watching....City Third Floor Condo Style