Updates, broken things and shout outs!

Readers! Things have been crazy here at the Hotel Yorba! First we had a full house for almost a week. My parents, brother, sis-in-law and niece where in town for about 5 days last week. They participated in the Merchants Market here in the ATL. They both seemed to have a great show and got the word out about their wonderful products, The Christmas Web and Ginger Leigh Designs. Check them both out!

The Boy and I got to hang out with my youngest niece, ETG, for a few days. We had a blast. She is a great girl. She hung out with me all day Friday and went with me when I hit the bank, chicken feed store and office. She even went to work out with SK and I at the gym. She rocked it. When my hour was up, she was like “we have to go?” Oh to have the energy of an 11-year-old!

Our internet has not been working for the past few days, which is why I have not posted anything. It has been very frustrating. It is crazy how much we depend on a good internet signal. We have a call into a cable company to try to run cable internet but that is not for about two weeks. Our current service sucks!  And then on Sunday, our TV in the family room died! Just stopped working. It will not turn on! Everything else turns on but not the TV. They really don’t make them like they use to do they? A TV used to last 10+ years! Now you are lucky to get one the lasts 4 years. Total Bummer.

Round 2

So far the side effects from round 2 have been the same of Round 1. I am tired. Like really tired. Like lay on the couch, pass out, wake yourself up snoring and add in some drool, tired. The pain in my ribs is still there but I am getting some new drugs today and hopefully they will help take the edge off. I am doing my best to keep being active because I know it will only help me in the end. Must stay strong!

2014 24 hours of Booty!

Unknown

I am off to a wonderful start of my fundraising for the 24 hours of Booty ride I am doing in October. I have halfway to my goal! Woot! Woot! A big shout out to the following donors and recruit!.

Christy M., William H. Family, Judi R., Robert H., Vicki H., Alan V., Geri T., Michelle H. and Dona C. 

Unknown

You guys rock! I am starting to work on my training program to get ready for the ride. I will continue to work out with SK twice a week when I am able. I am also going to start riding the exercise bike during the week, keep up with my yoga and go biking at the park on the weekends. I will admit, it is kind of hard get the energy up to do it all but I will do the best I can.

The Girls and Garden

IMG_4647

Nice waddle!

Zazzles and Terrance Peterson are doing great. They are about five months old now and hopefully should be getting ready to lay some eggs in the next month or two. Zazzles cone and waddle are growing in pretty fast and her little chirp is now a lower toned one. Kinda sounds like she has a frog stuck in her throat! I am sure it will settle down soon and she will settle on a nice little chirp. Terry Pete’s black feathers are so nice and shiny. In the sun they have a dark green shine to them. Her cone and waddle are still pretty small but she seems ok with it.

The garden is doing ok. The tomatoes are growing well (cherry is doing the best) except for the fact there is a little bugger who is grabbing some of the lower hanging green ones and eating them. But does he eat all of them? Nooo! He eats half of it and then leaves the other half for me to find. Little bugger! So wasteful!

My corn looks like it is growing well (really I have no idea) along with my peppers, garlic and edamame. I have gotten a few small cucumbers but no squash yet. Whoever was eating the okra has stopped and there are some okra buds popping up. I am thinking next spring about buying more bags good soil and trying to get my soil in better shape. Any suggestions? I have used egg shells, coffee grounds and some compost. The dirt that was originally put in there was not good  at all but over the years I have added to it, so you think it would be in better shape now. But really how can you tell? I need a garden guru to come out and give me a few lessons.

Readers! I hope you are all having a good week so far. Stay Strong and Be Safe!

 

Bonjour!

Reader’s!

How the heck are you? Did you have a good Monday? Mine was good. Today was the first day of Rock Band Camp for The Boy. When we got there they all remembered him (by name) from last summer! How cool is that!. He had a great time. He will playing the guitar this year. I told him to try singing but he didn’t. Although he said maybe he should have. The singer isn’t the best he said. They are learning two songs, Miss You by the Rolling Stones and Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. They will have a concert on Thursday night. I will make sure to take some pictures. I can’t wait! Last year I had to miss his concert because I was the hospital for my first round of chemo. Not this year!

Yum!

Yum!

My juicing is still going strong. On Sunday I bought more cucumbers and celery. I have added broccoli stems to the mix. I also went to Whole Foods today and bought some wheat grass. That stuff is $$$$. I have decided to buy my own seeds and start growing it myself. Wheat grass is super good for you and I want to add it to my daily juicing without going bankrupt! I have given up red meat and haven’t eaten pork since I was 13! I want to cut down my chicken intake to only once or twice a week if that (I think it would make The Girls happy). Fish, turkey and veggies. I plan to eventually cut out chicken totally but will keep eating eggs, cause they are a gift! I will try to only eat my eggs or ones where I know they are organic. The more I read the more and more I realize how important it is to watch what we are putting into our bodies. Our American diet is nothing like it was 50, even 25 years ago and it isn’t getting better. Best to take charge and start taking care of this body of mine!

I would walk 10,000 miles (steps)….

I ended up coming up in 7th at my gym for the 10,000 steps a day challenge. Not too bad!  After a bit of a break where I was hitting 7000 steps a day I have decided to go back to the 10,000 steps per day. It isn’t easy! I sit on my ass a lot! But once again, I need to take care of the body. I am not getting any younger!

IMG_4225

Baby E!

Baby E!

This weekend we went to see friends we haven’t seen for a while. There kids are getting so big. Baby K wanted to do everything that The Boy was doing so they had to find her headphones and she borrowed her mom’s iPhone. So cute!

Baby K and Aidan

Baby K and Aidan

We had a nice dinner and drank some good wine. The Boy hit a wall around 8:30pm and passed out on the couch. There was drool. I guess the party finally caught up to him. I to got tired and passed out when we got home.

Nice Boots!

Nice Boots!

Travel Time!

Lower Old Quebec City

Lower Old Quebec City

Pretty!

Pretty!

Reader’s, My Man and I will be heading to Quebec City soon. I can’t wait! We went last year for my 40th birthday and we had a nice time. If you take a look at my June 2013 post you will see some pictures from my post about it. We have rented a condo this time in the lower part of Old Quebec City.

timthumb-2.php

timthumb-1.php

timthumb.php

timthumb-3.php

Doesn’t it look nice? I have already looked into juice bar but couldn’t find any in walking distance. Hopefully they will have some juice at the grocery store or a market near by. I don’t want to miss four days!

It is time for me to go out and visit the girls and play with Timber. Have a wonderful night!!

Needs more salt…

Reader’s!

Chillin' at Dr. Reads

Chillin’ at Dr. Reads

I got some good news today at Dr. Reads office today. My blood tests came back great! My white blood cell count was good, liver and kidneys look great! The only issue was that my sodium level was a bit low (128 whatever that means), lower than it has ever been. Low sodium!?! I love me some salt! Dr. Read is very happy with how things are going which makes me very happy.

Waiting....

Waiting….

The white hair has started to appear. It’s crazy! Good thing I will be going to get my hair colored next week. Don’t think I could stand to much of it. The pain in my side is still there and Dr. Read seems to think it is possible nerve damage from the surgery since it is at its worse in the morning and better when I am up and moving around. All I know is that it hurts and sneezing is a b!tch!

I am off to ProCare today to get my two new legs! Can’t wait to test out the sporty on tomorrow during my workout with SK. Bouncy! Bouncy! Bouncy!

Reader’s, how is your week going?

 

 

Time for Low Carbs!!!

Raining Day

Raining Day

Good Day Reader’s!

I keep thinking it is Monday! Does that happen to you when you have a weekday off from work/school? It just throws me off. I had a nice weekend. My Man and I went out to dinner Friday night at King + Duke. This was our second time and we loved it!

Dinner out at King + Duke

Dinner out at King + Duke

The is continuing with his boot camp. He really seems to be liking it and his coach is says he is getting better. I picked him up from his buddy’s house (he had spent the night) and we went to the gym Saturday morning. I went back to the gym on Sunday and walked on the treadmill for an hour while I watched Downton Abby on my iPad. I could have kept going but I had my second appointment with my Dietitian, Alyssa. I am now on a low crab diet for the next month. I thought I would share with you some of the information I am learning in case you are also interested in jump starting some weight loss.

MyFitnessPal:
Carb: 56g
Fat: 75g
Protein: 150g

Alyssa gave me a Low Crab Meal Plan Grocery list. It has all the items I can eat for the next month and a few I can’t eat. I left pork off my protein since I do not eat it.

Protein
 Beef of any cut, preferably grass-fed beef
o Steak, Hamburger, Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, Roast Beef
 Free range poultry
o Chicken, turkey, quail, Cornish hen, duck, goose, pheasant
Fish or seafood of any kind, preferably wild caught
o Anchovies, calamari, catfish, cod, flounder, halibut, herring, mackerel, mahi-mahi, salmon, sardines, scrod, sole, snapper, trout, tuna
o Exception: Avoid breaded and fried seafood.
Shellfish
o Clams, crab, lobster, scallops, shrimp, squid, mussels, oysters
o Exception: imitation crab meat because it contains sugar and other additives
 Eggs
o Fried, hard-boiled, omelets, poached, scrambled, soft-boiled
 Protein powder
o Complete amino acid profile
 Wild game, all kinds—–NO Thank you!

Vegetables

Alfalfa Sprouts
Any leafy green vegetable
Artichokes
Asparagus
Bamboo Shoots
Bean Sprouts
Beet Greens
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Celery Root
Chard
Chives
Collard Greens
Cucumbers
Dandelion Greens
Garlic
Green Bean
Kale
Leeks
Lettuces and salad greens (Arugula, Bok Choy, Boston lettuce, Chicory, Endive, Escarole, Fennel, Mache, Radicchio, Romaine, Sorrel.)
Mustard Greens
Mushrooms
Olives
Tomatoes
Onions (limited amounts, as they are higher in sugar)
Pickles
Peppers (Red, Green, Jalapeno, Habanero)
Sauerkraut
Scallions
Shallots
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Water Chestnuts

I am only allowed 1 cup of Fruit a day and it has to be Strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. I just bought a ton of apples!! I am pushing them onto The Boy and My Man.

Tonight I am making Meatzaa. It is like pizza but without the crust. I will let you know how it turns out. Do you have any low carb meals, snacks? Please share!!

New Hair Cut

New Hair Cut

The Boy, he is solo cute!

Protein+ Healthy Fat+ Veggie (fruit)

Hello Reader’s!

After today, I only have one more treatment to go! I am so excited. I won’t have to go back to Dr. Higgins for eight weeks!! Eight Weeks!! So excited. Now, doesn’t mean I won’t have to go back and see Dr. Read but he is at a different hospital and I am going to wait till they call me. I have no idea when I will my port will be taken out. I am guessing not until after I see Dr. Higgins. I really don’t mind. It isn’t sore anymore and even though I when I think about it, it freaks me out, I just don’t care.

17_mystory

One of the things My Man gave me for Christmas was a series of meetings with a registered dietitian at my gym. I went to my first meeting with Alyssa on Sunday. Alyssa had sent me a three page form to fill out that asked me about everything. What I ate, how much sleep do I get, what is my stress level, what supplements am I taking, what is my food weakness (carbs) etc. She was really easy to talk to and we got along really well. Turns out they suggest to use MyFitnessPal, so I was already ahead! Here are a few take-aways from my first meeting.

  • Healthy Meal Equation: Protein+ Healthy Fat+ Veggie (fruit)
  • Breakfast options (based off of what I already eat):  coffee with stevia, soft-boiled egg, turkey bacon, clementine, handful of almonds or coffee, full fat greek yogurt or  almonds, clementine, egg omelette/scramble with spinach, peppers, avocado (coconut oil)
  • Water intake: 80oz/day
  • Incorporate “me” time everyday: reading, yoga, watching Breaking Bad, listening to music
  • Dry Sauna: 10min at a time 2x/week
  • Track on MyFitnessPal!!!
  • Note any GI distress after meals and note energy levels

She told me not to worry too much the calorie intake but to keep tracking what I eat and to focus on the Protein+ Healthy Fat+ Veggie (fruit). Next week we will talk about protein sources.

I am back to working out with Sara Kate two times a week. Tomorrow I am working out with her and two other women. She thinks that we would all be a good fit. I am very excited. Not only will it be cool to workout with other women, it will save me money!

How is your Monday? Did you know they say it may snow here in the ATL? Pickles!

 

Boot Camp for The Boy!

Morning Reader’s!

The last few days have been good here at The Hotel Yorba. You? Here is a breakdown and some pictures from the past few days.

New scarf from My Man!

New scarf from My Man!

Friday

I woke up around 7:45am and let The Girls out. It was in the high 20’s/ low 30’s and The Girls were all snuggly in their coop. I went to the gym and worked out with SK. We worked on my arms/back/abs and did a little leg work. My arms are still sore today. Afterwards I had breakfast at the Cafe, an egg and cheese and pesto sandwich. Yummy! I then headed out to my 17th radiation treatment. Only 10 more to go! Woot! Woot!

When I came home I did some work and then proceeded to pass out on the couch for about an hour. I was tired. I have been getting more and more tired and the headaches suck! We ate left overs for dinner and watched a dvr’d episode of Grim. Afterwards I ended up going to bed.

Saturday

The Boy

The Boy

The Boy and I woke up early to head to the gym. I signed him up for kids Boot Camp! Demarcus is the trainer for the kids boot camp. Demarcus is like 6’6. He is sooo tall and so soft-spoken. He is really great with the kids. The group is made up of boys and girls from ages 8 to 15. They meet two times a week and work on lateral movement and conditioning. While he worked out, I did too.

I think he had a good time. He was defiantly tired afterwards. Demarcus said he did a good job his first time. It was obvious that he had not done anything like this before and was worn out by the end. I really hope he takes to it. Not only is it good for him, it make me work out while he does.

When we came home, My Man and I ended up taking down and putting away all the Christmas decorations. I love it all when it is up but afterwards I am ready to get things back to normal. I then vacuumed like crazy but still found pine needles on the floor after I was done. I think I will be finding them in July!

We made homemade pizzas for dinner which turned out great and once again I went to bed early. I was just tired and had a headache.

Grandma and The Boy at dinner

Grandma and The Boy at dinner

Grandma and The Boy at dinner

Grandma and The Boy at dinner

Sunday

It is raining here in the ATL this morning. Not too much planned for the day. I have laundry to do and need to clean up my closet. I plan watch some Breaking Bad episodes; I am almost done with season 2. I am going to try to go to a Yoga class (Yin/Restorative) tonight at 5:30. It will be my first one since July!!

How are you spending your Sunday?

PS- Are you working on your New Years Resolutions? I am! I will be sharing some of mine and want to hear about yours too!

What’s Going On

What’s Going On

Hey Reader’s! Here is a little of what has been going on here at Hotel Yorba.

  • The Boy is taking the GA standardized tests this week at school. You know what that means? No homework for a week! I am so EXCITED!

DSC_0049

  • I am happy to announce that Turbo and Poppy are now walking the plank up to the coop with no supervision from me! Woot! So proud of My Girls. I also read that some chickens like pumpkin puree (also good at fighting worms), so I gave The Girls some left over that I had. Well, my hens are NOT part of the chickens who like it. Turbo took one bite was like “No Thank You”. Poppy didn’t even try it.
The Girls are not a fan.

The Girls are not a fan.

  • I am going to see the Thoracic Surgeon on October 29th, 2013. The last time I saw this doctor, we will call him Dr.P., it was not a positive exerpance. In fact, he wasted our time and money and basically pissed both me and My Man off.  Things that better happen this time: Dr. P. better be positive! Better not waste my time and money (parking lot fee). Better have a date in mind to get the little (shrinking) F-ing tumor out of me!
  • I have a Instagram account for all those Instagram users out there. Follow me! I am sghamer. When we go out of town for Thanksgiving, this where I will posting my pictures. I will take my laptop so I will be able to write posts but since it is my work laptop, I won’t be able to post pictures until we come back home. So follow me!
Lifetime Fish Oil

Lifetime Fish Oil

  • I fell of the exercise bike wagon. Ok, this is what is up. Six months after I had my leg amputated in 2002, I fell and shattered my left knee and femur. Thanks to a wonderful surgeon and some luck, they were able to patch it back together. However, it is on borrowed time. About five or six years ago I had to get injections into my knee due to intense pain. These have worked but I would still have bad days.  About a year ago I started taking fish oil pills daily and I noticed a major difference. My knee felt wonderful. I would still have bad days if I over worked it but they were few and far between. I only use one type of fish oil pills that I get from my gym. They are peppermint flavored and have no after taste what so ever. I will never change. I have taken different ones before and the after taste is DISGUSTING! Well, about a little over month ago I ran out of pills and just got a new bottle on last Thursday. My knee has been hurting for about a week now. Some days are worse than others but I am scared to do any major exercising till it starts to feel better. I am hoping the fish oil pills and the joint maintenance pills I got, will get me back in shape. Instead of biking I will hit the yoga mat! 
  • Breaking News! The Girls have not been using their roosting bars in their coop to sleep on at night. This has been bothering me since I think it would be cool if they did! Plus it is in their nature to want to sleep up high. So last night I went out there when it was dark and woke them up. I put Poppy up on one of the bars and I could tell she was freaked out. She soon jumped off. So I grabbed Turbo and after three tries I got her on the bar. She seemed unsure but was still on it when I locked them all up for the night. This morning I went out to open the plank door and Turbo was still up on the roosting bar! I am so proud of her! She seemed to like it up there. The only thing bad about it is that I am not sure if Poppy can jump up there due to the fact she has only one wing. I have seen her catch air in the past, so I have my fingers crossed that like walking the plank, it may take a few tires for her to get it.

What do you think? Will Poppy start roosting soon???