Author: julesfarm@yahoo.com

Happy Monday to you all! I know the weather is doing some crazy things in different parts of the country. I hope you were lucky enough to enjoy some unseasonably warm weather. If you are in that deep and crazy snow, I hope you are staying warm and safe and have a stocked fridge and pantry! Here in KC, where we would typically have snow or ice on the ground, messy roads, cold temps and lots of time spent inside making soups and chili, we had a beautiful weekend that was sunny with temps in the 70’s. We had the windows opened, the dogs lounged on the deck, I grilled out and we took the convertible for a drive. It was good for the mood, that’s for sure. On Saturday I picked up my mom and we went to visit Ann at the nursing home. Her spirits were good and […]

What a crap month so far, but thankfully, the weather here in Kansas City has been absolutely gorgeous these last several days. I think we reached a high of 73 yesterday? It was beautiful. Today, more of the same. I hope you are experiencing some wonderful weather too! I finally started to feel better this week. I gotta tell ya, February has just been a crap month. I still can’t believe that we weren’t able to go on vacation, but for so many reasons, it ended up being best that we were in town this week. Mike had a good friend/co-worker pass away this week, and we were able to attend the Visitation on Wednesday night, then Mike went to the funeral on Thursday. I know it would have been hard for him to be out of town and not be able to attend, so for that, I’m glad that we […]

I am finally starting to feel better. Now, if I can just keep it that way. I’m so sad that we had to cancel our vacation this week, but knowing how drained I have felt for the last few days, I know that it was a good decision to stay home. I’m hoping all of our friends are having a great time on the beach in Mexico and I hope to see lots of great pictures! I hope you all are doing great and feeling healthy through this cold and flu spell! A quiet day here today. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day today and remember to show Love Every Day to all of the people in your life that carry a special place in your heart. I was feeling all Hearty this morning, so I made a Heart Healthy Bowl of Gluten Free Oatmeal and topped it with Banana Slices, Almond […]

If you are on Weight Watcher Connect or Instagram, and you love pancakes/waffles, you should be following mudhustler_official for some tasty and low point recipe ideas. He has had great success on Weight Watchers and shares some awesome recipes on his Instagram page. He makes a variety of delicious foods, but the pancake/waffle batter is my favorite right now. I like his humor and attitude.  “My points are wicked smart” “If you’re wicked smart you can eat like a fat kid and still lose weight” Mud Hustler He makes a “Big Ass Waffle” (yep, that’s what he calls it!) and everyone is loving it! If you don’t have a waffle iron, you can make yourself some delicious pancakes with this recipe! He doesn’t have his own website or a cookbook, but the dude needs one! Super clever in the kitchen. I asked him if I could share his recipe and call my […]

A friend of mine sent me a text message letting me know that she had put a Peach Tranquility Tea on my front porch this week. Was that just the sweetest? It smelled so good and tasted just as yummy as it smelled. The honey felt so good on my throat. Thanks Beth! I haven’t had much of an appetite. Fruit sounds good. Oatmeal and pancakes sound good and are easy to fix, and an egg here and there. We haven’t really been eating dinner? Maybe today a trip to the store for a few things.  I’ll share this new favorite 3 SmartPoints Pancake/Waffle batter recipe later this week, but here are a few different ways that I’ve been eating it these last several days. Waffle topped with Berries, Banana Slices and Honey.   Cocoa Pancakes topped with Bacon, Banana and Maple Syrup   Cocoa Blueberry Pancakes with Bananas and Maple […]

Day 9 of this nastiness. My throat feels like there is a jagged rock stuck in it. Or perhaps a small blade. Every swallow, every cough is awful. I feel like my mouth is full of sores, although none are visible to me. I have just a slight headache and I feel tired. Slight fever the first two days, then no fever. I went back to the doctor yesterday to make sure that the rattle in my chest isn’t pneumonia, and the doc didn’t feel like a chest X-ray was necessary at this time. She also ran a strep test, which was negative. She told me to go home and climb back in bed, avoid contact with people, and rest. I was reminded that this flu can last up to 14 days and all you can do is rest. I feel like I’ve been in bed for three weeks already. […]

I’ve filled my mind with positive thoughts over these last several days. I am an optimist. In time, all will be back to normal. I spent yesterday in bed, again. I watched another favorite movie, Scent of a Woman. I love that movie. I napped off and on all day. In between naps, I checked my email, and I discovered an exciting one! In the past year, I’ve been listed on a couple of websites as a Top Weight Loss Blogger. When I look at the other blogs that are on the list, I have no idea how my little blogging corner of the world is discovered by these people, but I must admit, it makes me feel good to be included on these list, and I greatly appreciate the exposure. I really don’t know the logistics of how blog traffic works or how people actually find my blog, but […]

I spent the day in bed yesterday, minus meals and a shower.  I watched one of my favorite movies, Julie and Julia. It’s all about food, cooking and blogging. What’s not to love? This flu thing is no fun at all, that I know for sure. I spent most of Tuesday coughing, and yesterday I tried to speak very little, and that seemed to keep the coughing to a minimum. I woke up early this morning super wheezy and that sent me into a coughing frenzy. I took a hot shower, took all of my drugs and climbed back into bed. I have a slight fever so Mike is really trying to keep his distance. He is picking up Tess at the airport today while I give bed one more day. I hate to think of Tess coming home only to go back to Dallas with the flu!  My biggest concern now is feeling […]

You all are the best. Thank you so much for your comments, text messages and emails of encouragement over the last few days. Over the last several days, I have found myself saying this over and over. This is Life. And it really is. It’s just the difficult part.  Saturday, my mom and I went to visit my moms cousin, who lives about 45 minutes away and doesn’t drive. My mom doesn’t like to drive and driving too far gives her major anxiety. That has made visits to see her cousin few and far between. Of course I feel guilty because I know that me driving us there is the only way that we will all see each other. My moms cousin doesn’t hear very well and I don’t think her hearing aids have ever worked too great, so phone conversations are difficult. We’ve tried letter writing and that hasn’t gone […]

(I wrote this post on Saturday morning.) I’m sitting in a First Watch (my “go to” breakfast spot) blogging from my phone, which I’ve never done before.  I worked two WW meetings this morning and I left my house around 7:00 am. I loved working this morning and taking my thoughts off of this past week. Last Sunday, my daughter unexpectedly came in from Dallas for just a few hours to see an ailing elderly family member. It was an emotional day and it has been an emotional week keeping updated, not really knowing what will happen over the next several days. Everyone is staying strong, but admittedly it has been a difficult week. On Friday night I received a phone call of yet another ailing elderly family member. Her only family is myself and my mom and she lives alone about 45 minutes away. When I finish my breakfast, I’m picking […]